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Wishing All: A Most Bountiful Samhain

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2021 by Sypheara

It is that time of year again, arguably the most sacred of cross quarter holidays in our witches calendar. It is a very busy one here – just last night, I was supporting the other half who led the local moot here in performing our first, group ritual since January 2020.

That ritual was a very powerful and emotive one. Seeing people I have been unable to meet up with even for a coffee, like I would in more normal times, was magical enough – when paired with a powerful, evocative rite involving the dead, it was something very special.

Reflecting on that ritual, I thought it would be great to put a post up for our dear devotees, to help with clarification on one of our newer, yearly rites, as well as share a funny little tradition that seems to have started here.

Some spoopy skeletons and stuff, photographer unknown

With that intention lain out, I’ll continue saying last nights ritual had a special poignancy.

It felt like the start of the end for a very bad time in my life. Although I mentioned it in passing in last years post – the death of my father just over a year ago today – was something that I didn’t delve deeply into. That said, it did affect me more deeply than I was willing to admit at the time. The Gods had not lied in their warning of that period… At the time I decided that that to speak on it at any length would be generally unnecessary, unwise, and self indulgent. I still feel that to an extent – there is much I would love to say, to give testimony on, that I simply can’t. What I can say is it will colour my experience of this month for the rest of my life – change is the only constant – and Samhain for me will forever now be attached to that loss.

As such it was a very intense time – much altered dramatically for myself, and the temple, and it was a very real loss that I needed to take time to process. Even with Hecate’s help – in both process and healing – it was very hard to drag myself to the altar in Samhain 2020, and do what needed to be done. Just doing the tearing down and rebuilding of the space felt like swimming through treacle – but is a duty that needed to be done. It was also whilst feeling metaphysically ran over by a train, that I decided to put together a devotional rite for the Trident – taking a leaf out of a dear mentor and guide of mine Sorita D’Este.

I had always been inspired by ‘The Rite of Her Sacred Fires’ which is conducted around Beltane (full moon in May). I wanted something similar that devotees of the Trident could also do, yearly, to both deepen their connection with their gods as well as grow a sense of brotherhood/sisterhood between people in shared sacred space. It seemed just good logical sense.

I am so very glad that I did. Many people took part last year – and shared wonderful testimonials in our Facebook group. It went so well I decided to rerun it this year – and I hope to continue it with peoples support into the year ahead.

Since I am unable to provide advice via facebook (Zuckerberg has decided I am decidedly too spicy to be allowed to post in the month of the Pumpkin Spiced Lattes), I advise anyone who has any questions over the rite to directly message me. Either by email, or by messenger if they require any guidance. The main two questions I have seen posted are to do with the following: timing and hand position, especially during the bow after the Sepheranz devotional piece. The other, often asked question by people who are not in the group is: where do I find the Rite to perform it? I will answer all three succinctly now, in a manner I hope is easy to follow.

The Timing of the Samhain Eves Rite of Trident Devotion

The timing of the Rite is that it should ideally, be performed on the night of the 30th. However there is no strict timing for the rite. Anytime between 29th-30th, before commencement of the night of the 31st, is entirely acceptable. This is a rite for the Devotee – to connect them to the Gods and other devotees around the world. Because the Current is so geographically widespread, it would make no sense for a rite such as this to be set at some strict time.

Like many older witchcraft rites, when things were done when ‘the season was correct’ and things ‘felt right’, so should intuition guide the devotee when to do this ritual, as well as in its performance. You will be connecting to the Gods and other Devotees in Mythic Time at the centre of the Circle. As such, exact timings for this particular rite, do not matter.

The event on facebook is usually therefore set at the start of the 30th Day to reflect this flexibility. Choose what works for you, when you have maximum quiet time to enjoy the ritual.

The Positioning of the Hands in the Sepheranz Devotional

The positioning of the hands in the bow to Sepheranz, is similar to a bow as performed in many schools of Iaido / Aikido. I.e. it is very similar to this video (6:40). I tend to interlace the thumbs for more stability and safety than the example here, but this comes from a martial arts background and is somewhat an irrelevant point for devotional purposes. The reason for these hand movements are entirely symbolic – feel free to adapt them to what works for you. I use the ones as lain out because, they are relatively simple once you have the hang of them. I did not want overly complex, yoga like components in the rite, but something simple to reaffirm the spoken words. If anyone has issues, feel free to message me as above and ill explain as best as I can.

Acquiring the Ritual Text

I have shared many documents in the last few years of this blog. So why not this ritual? This is mainly because I want it to be for active devotees of the current, who are interacting on a regular basis. However, those who read the comments on the blog will know I am more than happy to provide the text to anyone who wishes to perform it on an individual basis – the very act of reaching out to me means a lot in this case. If you are reading this, and are a devotee not in the social media group who wants to perform the rite, please email me by midnight tonight and ill make sure you have what you need.

I hope this has helped anyone who might be struggling and needing some clarification. I look forward to your experiences shared in the group and I’ll be able to hopefully reply in full on the Fifth of November!!

When life gives you melons..

Not everything was doom and gloom, and I want to share a small, funny story and the start of a potentially peculiar new tradition over here in very rainy England. I hope this story brings a bit of daft joy to those who read it.

Last year, there was a Pumpkin shortage in Britain. Getting any of the desired, spooky orange fruit was not possible. A week before Samhain 2020 I tried desperately to get one, and was unable to source one. This was, as they say, a bit of a problem.

Someone familiar with folklore would probably now pipe up, ‘what about a Turnip?’ Even finding a humble turnip proved harder than anticipated.. and for anyone who has had the sad, forlorn experience of actually carving one, I’ll admit the thought did not fill me with joy. They are incredibly hard to shape – being in no way hollow, and having a body that is hard and resistant to being shaped even with a good knife. My mind went back to when me and my mother tried to carve one when I was nine, and it took literal hours. A tedious experience to say the least.

Standing there, I saw another fruit. The humble watermelon. And like that it was decided. It was a non traditional choice.. for sure.. but certainly easy to carve, very tasty, and the end result I thought, looked rather good!

A Carved Watermelon, self carved and taken.

It looked fantastic on the altar, and I thought it had worked out! It served its purpose – being a lantern to keep away the malign spirits of the dead, and offer a waylight and warmth to the benefic dead who wanted to hang around the altar space and temple room. It worked far better than I expected. I gave it no further thought..

Of course, until this year. And again, there is even a worse pumpkin shortage. Feeling a bit whimsical, and again being unable to find one never mind two pumpkins, this year I have bought two of the cheery, non traditional green boys. Both of which we will be carving up for the Sabbat!

Witchcraft need not always be super serious – especially on the Sabbats which are in many ways celebrations of existence – of the lockstep of life and death – of the gift of joy and the turning of the wheel. That said as well however, on the surface what was just a bit of fun, does hold deeper meaning. The first time I made this substitution was out of desperation really – due to circumstances shooting any plans to observe the turning of the seasons to ribbons. Something had to be done.

I had to ensure that the cycled would be observed, that it would not be missed, that the dead would have their way lit, and that real healing would be conducted through the observance of the Sabbat was of primary importance. So in that way, the good old watermelon took on more personal significance than just an in joke, or just an ‘easy way out’.

Merging the Joy of the Dance with the Deep Meaning of the Cycle is the best way any of us can truly hope to both celebrate and mark our most important times of the year. And the lives of those we love, and those who we have loved, and lost.

The Lit Watermelon, self carved and taken.

I hope the above silly story also imparts the deeper lesson I had painfully reinforced. And that is where you have the will, never give up. This doesn’t mean the futility of a pointless struggle. Accept, adapt, change, undergo renewal. You will come out far stronger than how you went in – one way, or another – if in a very different form.

This is the promise and power of the Cauldron of our Great Triple Faced Goddess.

I will end this here. Things here will get busier still for me and Temple – with 30th, 31st celebrations and the initiation to be held on the 4th. This will mark a turning point for the Temple and there might be a few announcements to make – of both personal and temple nature. The latter if I can get together the required art assets over the next few months.

‘In the season leaves should love,
since it gives them leave to move
through the wind, towards the ground
they were watching while they hung,
legend says there is a seam
stitching darkness like a name.

Now when dying grasses veil
earth from the sky in one last pale
wave, as autumn dies to bring
winter back, and then the spring,
we who die ourselves can peel
back another kind of veil

that hangs among us like thick smoke.
Tonight at last I feel it shake.
I feel the nights stretching away
thousands long behind the days
till they reach the darkness where
all of me is ancestor.

I move my hand and feel a touch
move with me, and when I brush
my own mind across another,
I am with my mother’s mother.
Sure as footsteps in my waiting
self, I find her, and she brings

arms that carry answers for me,
intimate, a waiting bounty.
“Carry me.” She leaves this trail
through a shudder of the veil,
and leaves, like amber where she stays,
a gift for her perpetual gaze.’

-Annie Finch, “Samhain” from Eve, published by Carnegie Mellon University Press.

I wish you all a beautiful and bountiful Samhain and Year to Come,
In the Arms of Our Mother.

~S~

‘As the darkness now draws near,

See the cycle of the year,

As the light now goes within,

Let the hallows dance begin.’

–Unknown

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Daybreak: Return to the Light and the Foundation of the Stellar Temple

Posted in Stellar Gnosis, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 14, 2021 by Sypheara

So it has been all quiet on the blog front. In order to get through a very long winter, it has been necessary to turn inward to focus on mundane life and concerns. Whilst the occult work hasn’t stopped, it has also taken a turn to be far more introspective and personal than can necessarily be shared in public. That said, I thought a small post was in order.

I think that these circumstances probably reflects a lot of our collective experience at the moment. But here at least, there is finally signs of things picking up. The return of the light and warm weather here has been quite abrupt, and I feel that this year will open up to be a great one for the current and the work of the temple here. With the publication of the upcoming Qayin work by MAS, I can see many new faces being drawn into working with our gods. Exciting times, given the last year we have all had to suffer through.

Due to this, I thought it would be good to put down my (very) long term intentions for the work here, that runs parallel to my own theurgic work. It is to be noted that these plans are just that very long term and up in the air, but are important I think to get out there. Especially as I have had some people asking me personally to clarify.

A tarn in Norway, Photographer Unknown

I plan to do the next ritual in the dragon workings between May and August;  the initial anchor stones for the outside working were collected this weekend, and will be blessed tonight, in preparation for their marking and empowerment at the next full moon in preparation for their use in this evocation. Surgat will be worked with heavily to understand this formulae that is similar to the stellar anchors used in previous evocational work, but different in intention. To create a bridge for the dragon to ride down, is the most vital element to the entire working. This is something I’m deeply looking forward to – the most powerful work is always done in the wild, in connection with the elemental forces. The inner temple work, whilst very powerful, is unsuited to such works of grand evocation necessary for the next stages of soul evolution. I have a plan as to what and where – it is going to involve a bit of wild camping, at elevation, so it is going to need a proper plan and preparation to pull it off somewhat safely. I may document the trip as I go, as it is likely going to take a few days to get to the wilderness location where I’ll be carrying the rite out.

In other news I have gotten back into transcribing all the writing from the physical volumes into electronic format – into a more cohesive edited work. All of this task is mostly thankless and goes unnoticed, as it’s nature but it’s crucial as anyone who documents their own work knows. It is currently not my plan to ever publish this publicly – things could change, with a variety of internal, external factors coming into account (and protocol to be followed as is honourable) – but instead the current intention is to focus on creating a master copy temple book, as part of founding a real, physical working group here. This work can then be given to the initiates, in a format suitable to their level of development.

A lot has been worked on in this regard since I last tackled transcribing and editing (the work referred here to simply as The Book of the Ivory Spider), not least the Lucifer aspect which turned out to be far longer, and more involved, than I had anticipated. More direction has come through, but until I bust through this particular gate that has had me working years longer than expected, the full extent of the remaining Belial and Ivory Spider work is difficult to see. I doubt that before full outer and inner plane construction is finished, I’ll be able see the complete picture to put everything into perspective. This lull however does make for a perfect time to get caught up in anticipation of more gnosis that needs to be brought through, decoded, and recorded.

To give people an insight, below is a picture of the journals covering the last few years of work. There is a lot of material – most of it being quite specific to myself – but that still leaves a lot to be extracted, rewritten, detailed and placed into context which is not always obvious immediately after performing a rite and documenting the results.

A stack of Temple Books, self taken

It is not just text either. Within these works are the various sigillic diagrams, spirit seals, and other such details via which to create the necessary gates opened in blood. Many of these ways for now need to be solidly guarded until they can be possibly passed on. Below is one of the diagrammatic seals / sigils reflecting the poison that runs through the blood, upon accepting the blessing and curse of the guardian of the stellar webway upon ones own soul, body and mind. This is only the outer seal or mark of a very real occult transformation which happens within the blood, that puts a significant strain upon the body initially. If pushed through, it allows for great works of healing conducted through direct blood work – especially at removing, destroying, and cleansing works or after effects of a malefic or abusive nature.

The Seal of the Healing Venoms, self created and taken

To return to the topic of the group work to detail that further, if anything of the last few years has taught me, it is the value of physical covens. The one that I work with for an arguably related but separate current, has taught me the great value of shared history, gnosis, and of an implicitly trustworthy magickal fraternity. Devoid of drama, it has focused strongly on the rites and power and has reaped the fruits of such. This experience has also conversely taught me of the many shortfalls that come through online teaching and learning. Simply put, what I want to achieve with the Stellar Temple that is slowly forming, is not possible outside of a cohesive magical group working intimately and closely in the real physical world. This is where I want to focus my efforts, and thus produce a strong line of stellar initiates within a lived and deep tradition. This is how I see my own work developing, and the best of way of safeguarding and cherishing what was passed down to me from the Mother Temple, as well as other treasured lines of initiation.

2020 taught me the seriousness of such a charge and simply cemented my conviction to build this and disseminate it in the way that achieved the best results for individuals and the world soul. One can say my mind was focused. As to the exact form this will take, it is up to much debate, but both organization and makeup of the working group here is still be decided. Initial formulation of three working degrees, based around alchemical principles, will be the primary means of testing and preparation for initiate work. The actual passing on of any prince of fire empowerments will be reserved for those who excel and pass in physical dedication passed those three degrees. Whilst superficially similar to traditional wicca, and no doubt inspired by my work within that related current, the content of the rites are specifically Primal Current in both method and design. The first of these initiations at Black Degree have already been performed. There is however, a lot of remaining work to develop the personal cultus of the Temple and ensure it is both consistent and correctly understood to be properly revealed and transmitted. I’m looking forward to doing this work immensely.

Scene of Rising Energies from Amenta, self created and taken

Some may contrast this approach with that taken by the Mother Temple itself for disseminating work. There is reason why the works of the mother temple were made public, that have been discussed at length by its gatekeeper. Sometimes the time is right to make something more widely known, important to make something public. For the stellar work done here, that time is certainly not yet – and it may be simply that it is never for wide dissemination.

The blog is probably not going to have lots of updates this year – unless it is to update on the Dragon Rite and or the construction of the inner temple. I have seemingly lost my appetite right now for public discourse and the tide turns inwards to give birth to something new and deep. It would be easy to do updates on common affairs topics – like the current Hecatian communities general attitude, the attitude of witchcraft community to its teachers and its all take, no give solipsistic practice and approach. But I have so far decided to simply stay off these topics here and focus on the  work. I think that is what is most beneficial for the long run, as the rest is really just monkey noise getting in the way of progress on the theurgic path. Somethings should be self evident, and not need an essay.

I may in the near future finally get a review up for Jack Grayles Hekateon, as well as Liber Khthonia by Jeff Cullen at some point. We will see. The first is quite belated – the quick summation are both are worth reading, and enough is easily syncretised with the Primal Current to make them worth it for the Trident devotees as secondary sources. The last one in particular in its reclamation of the devotional aspect I feel is very important and very good to be seeing in new material as emphasis.

I hope this insight has given people something to look forward to re the writeup and a bit of reassurance that good work is still ongoing here.

Illuminated by the Black Sun,
We Carry Her Torches,
Now and Forever,
~S~

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Until The Light Takes Us: Samhain Blessings

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2020 by Sypheara

A lot has happened in a year… if 2019 was the zenith, 2020 has certainly been the nadir. I feel that many of us feel that way – having dealt with (and continue to deal with) the fallout the pandemic has brought to our personal, professional, and spiritual lives.

So this year, Samhain is a difficult one to celebrate. How do we dig deep and perform our devotionals in a year such as this? It is simply because we must. Regardless, the wheel of the world turns, and the only route forward is upwards and onwards. This is not something that is easy for me to say, for the year has cost me dearly.

I can now state publicly that my father died around two weeks ago, which came as a difficult shock to say the least. Hecate heard my prayers, and a situation that could have been long and drawn out was thankfully, and mercifully, brought to a swift close.

For the temple it has been a rollercoaster as well. This year marked the temples first full Black Degree initiate, as well some of the most powerful rites performed (in regards to the dragons) and in regards gnosis granted from such. However, the pandemic slowed down construction work on finalising the interior space and altars, and has created some distance between me and the initiate (albeit, they are still involved with the Temple and myself, in a different capacity).

That said, Samhains Eve has blown me away. The Facebook group for the current carried out a powerful devotional rite, and I’ve been really touched and impressed by how people have taken to it – with very physical results for many of the rites. We have also had many long term neophytes finally initiate. To all of these people I extend a warm hand of welcome, I hope Hecate takes you in hand and delivers you to where you need to go on this path and current. You do not walk alone.

I have also gone ahead and offered another devotee the chance to initiate at the Stellar Temple.. something I hope he is able to pursue in the future. Seeing beyond this turning inward, I can see an explosion of growth. The future for the current and stellar way is bright – I can see it in the loving hearts of its devotees, in the stillness of night.

Whilst I decided to not share the full devotional rite, as I want to keep it specifically for those actively involved in the current who could get direct feedback, I wanted to tonight share the devotional prayers we utilised for our group working with the wider community. I hope they are a blessing in dark times…. with adaptation they could be used in any Sabbat or Esbat working, but I feel they are particularly powerful at this time of death and renewal.  A short post but one I wanted to very much make.

Blessed be to all on this, our most hallowed of nights. Let our minds turn to the Old Gods and our Dearly Departed, as we celebrate and journey to the Sabbat Mount…

Samhain, Photography / Artist unknown.

First Prayer of Devotion – Hecate

‘Hecate, Hecate, Hecate,

I call to you in the Stillness of Night,

On Hallowed Samhains Night,

With steadfast mind and committed heart;

‘Hecate, Hecate, Hecate,

Hear my prayer,

O Mighty Queen of Deepest Hell!,

O Fertile Mother of the Green Earth!,

O Beautiful Empress of Highest Heaven!

Source of of All Elven Blood,

She who holds the Nine Universes in her Hands,

And who with a whisper

Can even command Atlantis to kneel,

Hecate, Hecate, Hecate,

Accept my love,

As I give my thanks and praise to you,

O Mighty Imperishable One,

I request of thee,

Take my hand,

Forever be by my side,

Mother and Lover Divine,

By the Power of your Holy Words

Askion, Kataskion, Lix, Tetrax, Damnameneus, Aisia

So it will be.’

 

Second Prayer of Devotion – Lucifer

‘Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer,

I call to you in the Silence of Night,

On Hallowed Samhains Eve,

With steadfast and committed heart,

Lucifer Lucifer Lucifer,

Hear my Prayer,

Lord of the Necromantic Black Sun,

Ruler of the Life Giving White Sun,

Master of the Rubric Gem of All Creation,

Laughing God Supreme,

Lord of Death, Life and Illumination,

Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer,

Accept my love,

As I give my thanks and praise to you,

O Laughing God Supreme,

All Glory to the Peacock of Paradise,

Brilliant One,

I request of thee,

Soothe my Pains,

Empower me with thy Essence,

And forever illuminate my Path,

Father and Lover Divine,

By the Power of your Holy Words,

Lu-Thay-Ce-El, Ash-Teh-Ray, Lucifer’

 

Third Prayer of Devotion – Belial

‘Belial, Belial, Belial,

I call to you in the Soundlessness of Night,

On Hallowed Samhains Night,

With steadfast and committed heart,

Belial Belial Belial,

Hear my Prayer,

O Keeper of the Flesh of the Earth,

Ruler of the 72 Spirits of Goetic Might,

Lord of the Devils Throne,

Scorpion God Supreme!

He whose words Create and Destroy

Whole Worlds of Existence.

Belial, Belial, Belial,

Accept my love,

As I give my thanks and praise to you,

Pathfinder of the Ways of Amenta,

Lord of Compassion and Malice,

Of Blessed Beast and Field,

Blood and Bone,

I request of thee,

Guide and Protect Me,

Arm and Armour me in your Sacred Flesh,

Preparing me for the road ahead,

By the Power of your Holy Words,

Vel-Hayla-Anti-Ock-Serash-Seh-Haylish-Belial’

 

Fourth Prayer of Devotion – Sepheranz

‘Sepheranz, Sepheranz, Sepheranz,

I call to you in the Solitude of Night,

On Hallowed Samhains Night,

With steadfast and committed heart,

Sepheranz, Sepheranz, Sepheranz,

Hear my Prayer,

O Apocalyptic Goddess Supreme,

Ruler of Atlantis,

She who brings Kings to their Knees,

She whose Word lays Nations low,

She who wipes away All Corruption without Mercy,

Sepheranz, Sepheranz, Sepheranz,

Temptress and Seductress,

Accept my love,

As I give my thanks and Praise to you,

Oh Beautiful Orb Weaver Goddess,

Who spins the Web of New and Old Creation,

I request of thee,

In the Name of Hecate First Goddess,

Cut away all that is unneeded,

Freeing me to do what is needed,

What is right,

On this Path of Ascension and Devotion,

As I whisper your name,

Sepheranz.’

 

Hecate, Queen of Hell, Mark Alan Smith

Devotional Sealing Prayer of The Trident

‘Here I kneel (stand),

On Hallowed Samhains Night,

Before and Embraced by the Power of the Trident

At the centre of All Worlds,

Where All Begins,

Where All Ends,

Where even a Whisper changes Fate itself,

Here Within the Cauldron of the Dark Goddess

I am Reborn

All Weariness is cast from my Body,

All Doubt is cast from my mind,

All Weakness is cast from my soul,

In Love and Honour,

Here my Sacred Promise, O Mother,

For I am a Child of Fiery Hell,

For I am a ChiId of Bountiful Earth,

For I am a Child of Starry Heaven,

Your child goes forward Now,

Unafraid,

In Love,

In Honour,

In Devotion,

I will walk your Path to its completion,

Beyond the Gates of Death itself,

O Green Eyed Queen of Hell’

~S~

 

 

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Sacred Song: Work on the Astral Planes

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, Stellar Gnosis, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 14, 2020 by Sypheara

So it has been a quiet but quite productive last few months. Planning for the next and final dragon ritual is well underway, and I’m hoping that the climate as it were will be conducive for its performance as required on this part of the path: under the open sky, in a remote high up place of power. Only this will be suitable for the calling in of the next dragon, communing  with it in the hopes of acquiring what is necessary, and thus opening the way to the completion of Lucifers Stellar Pillar Gate.

In the meantime, the state of the World Soul has been quite difficult to navigate. On the immediate astral or mirror world, and the the deeper inner planes, the turmoil of the above is reflected on the below. This can cause the effect of feeling as if one is swimming through a thick soup – and generally is something hard to deal with. That is not saying anything of the additional stresses that the current situation has brought upon everyone that can tangibly felt.

This is the perfect time to take solace in our work and our patrons, and do work which can help alleviate this somewhat. Hecate and Lucifer have given us the tools to connect to them, and find the strength we need. In the primal craft group on that social media site(tm), I decided to ask the following which got a great response.

‘How much does song / music play into your devotional or ritual work with the Goddess? I know that there are some wonderful musicians in here, but not just music, but as in devotional song or prayer. How do you fit it in to your practice? Do you find it helps revitalise you given the current situation? And have any of you used it in inner planes work?’

I got an absolute deluge of fantastic answers from the very talented people in the community, as to what worked for them or conversely, what didn’t (just as important when it comes to solid connection during ritual and devotional practice).

For my own part, I have used song in devotional practice for awhile now. This is one of the ways in which I connect to and draw down Hecate, in preparation for greater work and simply as a form of worship. A term some might not be comfortable with, but which I see as important when our path is a devotional one. I have used select songs for initiation and ritual work at the temple, and although i’m not particularly musically gifted, have utilised instruments in ritual to some potent effect.

 Hymn to Hekate, by Magin Rose, an excellent modern contribution for devotional work.

In particular, and the reason for this post formulating in my mind in the first place, was the occurrence of the use of song not on the physical, but on the astral planes, and the potential for vast changes it instilled upon me as a possibility. This is something I have done for awhile on a very low level, but I only saw the true power of it whilst journeying the other night. What happened seemed to be on a whole other scale, an incident which I will now relate.

Whilst travelling, I had penetrated into a dark, expansive plain of grey that was mostly featureless – just dust swirling around me in all directions creating a fine mist that made it difficult to see. It tasted like fine cement or ash, as if it was what remained after a huge fire had swept through the area. At the time , I felt strangely disorientated, lost, and lacking power. One of the ways to earth in such a situation is to use the sigil of the three crossed staves, or if wanting to return immediately, the sigil of universal gateways to return without disorientation to ones body. Both of these did not seem appropriate – it felt like I was in this place for a purpose. That I could not leave until someone had been done, enacted, architected, built.

So I tried something new. I simply began singing, directed at Hecate, to bring in as much power as I could to this otherwise empty and desolate place. It felt like only her power, brought into where I was, could change the landscape before me and knit together what I felt was missing. Fill what was hollow. I began singing.. a simple hymn of the temples own devising here (written by the initiate), and felt the dust begin to swirl. Over time i could feel it whipping up in a roar, and started to change colour. First, it slowly transformed into dull yellow as colour bled in. It seemed to intensify, coalescing into a shape or figure, and the glow became a mix of deep oranges. This soon solidified into intense, rich golds as the form of Hekate Phosphorous appeared, blazing from head to foot. The harmonic resonance of the plane seemed to match that of my own voice, as warmth and colour bled outwards back into the entire area. The song evolved, flowing naturally.

Hekate Phosphorous by Hellfurian-Guard

This elevated to a merging of myself and the plane with Hecate herself, a sort of planar transvocation. The sheer stellar and empyric power that poured out of her and into and through me was of a level I have not experienced with her in this form up to this point. As the crescendo built to climax, I returned to my body suddenly, bolt awake. There was no boundary at all, as if it was completed with the snap of someones fingers. I felt intensely energised, the waves of stellar energy still vibrating up and down along the spine. I let the energies calm before getting on with the rest of my day, mentally filing away the occurrence as something to detail when possible.

The exact nature of what permanent change may or may not have occurred is not yet apparent, nor have I been able to identify the plane where this occurred with any certainty. I feel it was a subplane connected to the world soul, that part of the near astral. It is something I look forward to exploring further, especially now the efficacy of performing magic with song on the planes has been revealed to me.  I would be interested, as to if anyone else has had any experiences doing similar whilst travelling in such a manner.

Wrapped in the Flames of the Goddess,
We walk in and by her Light,
Through the Dark Places
Of Old Witch Night

~S~

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Astral Flight: Of True Initiation

Posted in The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2019 by Sypheara

The last few months have been interesting, if gruelling, from a spiritual and mundane perspective. The mark of Surgat has now been taken, placed upon the back of the neck near the base of the skull, completing a pact with this great entity. This has allowed the decodification of gnosis that points to a much extended, and unanticipated set of workings which must be completed. Whilst it is frustrating that the goalposts seem to have been moved, it is sometimes necessary as part of theurgic work. The given rituals sent by the Gods must be completed as given – and must not be dodged or sidestepped out of frustration.

These next workings will involve the three great dragons of earth, sky and sea, and thus form part of the basis of an earthed nexion of power for Surgat on the physical and inner planes. Thus soul evolution is accomplished, and the final seal on this part of the work completed allowing for the final construction of Lucifers Stellar Pillar. Other entities have also come forth, helping to unlock and test on the inner planes, which also needs documenting and some exploration.

It has also had a disorientating effect of effecting time leaps in travelling work, allowing for the ingress and possession of previously incarnate souls to acquire snapshots of the past or future. This has been difficult to both relate and catalogue, and to understand as to why it is being shown. Unpicking the lucid snapshots from the more surreal night time travels is not an easy task and must be allowed to naturally progress rather than forced.

Combined with the above have been some difficult mundane circumstances which have left little time for blog material to be worked on. However, I wanted to put up some information in regards to true initiation. This has something that has come up in conversation with two individuals i’m currently facilitating towards becoming initiated in the craft. True initiation is where the Gods themselves, conduct a reverse evocation of the witches soul itself onto the inner planes in which to ignite the spark. Specifically for Primal Craft, it detailed explicitly and early in the tome, Queen of Hell, by Mark Alan Smith, and the experience itself is attested to historically in multiple places and traditions. It is not often discussed despite being an integral part to the working of witchcraft.

It can be induced or requested, or entirely initiated at the hands of the Gods themselves. Either way it is a beautiful process by which Hecate brings the soul onto the crooked path of Ascent, and one that should be pursued by someone upon taking the witchmark and undergoing the initiation on the material plane. Once experienced, it is a powerful acknowledgement and seal on the initiatory work on the inner planes and unlocks an incredible amount of inner potential that otherwise would remain locked away.

The following text is taken from an essay piece I wrote a few years ago entitled, ‘At the Crossroads of Eternity’. Due to a time limit expiring contractually, I am now able to share part of this piece with my readers. The extract below makes up the introduction for that piece, before the essay itself is properly started. It is however,  the most important part in relation to inner planes initiation and details my own initial meeting with both Lucifer and Hecate. It therefore is quite special to me and i’m glad to be able to finally share it widely, as a raw insight into this process. This particular version is taken from my own notes and may differ from the published, edited text, especially as I have further edited it to correct minor mistakes.

‘At the Crossroads of Eternity’ – (Extract)

‘The gift of the lightning of the Gods is real, a powerful force that flashes forth in a myriad of awakening dreams and prophetic visions, available to all who open their mind to be receptive of their presence. It is in these states that we are exposed to the Other side, descending deep to meet them. It is here in the black waters of the subconscious where the Gods and Spirits can be found in direct form, and contacted, beneath the interference of our surface thoughts which dominate our everyday life. This is from where the serpent sings its song.

Crystal Tower by Mon Macairap

It was in one of these states where I first met Him, the Horned God of the Pagan Path, known by many, many names. A sympathy with Lucifer had come natural to me, the adversary changed to teacher, the lies of the patriarchal sun cults rejected in favour of simply listening, learning, and striving. This began as a purely symbolic association, and cerebral recognition in sympathy, not a religious or spiritual relation. As a Nihilist Atheist , I felt I had no capacity for such insights and doubted their existence and veracity.

One night I had fallen asleep as usual, expecting the same surface dreams, and instead was presented with a vast, vista as far as the eye could see. An ice covered, frostbitten and glacial landscape, dominating my vision from which large, ice protrusions sprung forth like clawing fingers.

Beside me he stood, his first appearance shocking in its vividness as full lucid awareness took hold, appearing as a large, bipedal black goat of striking appearance, his eyes burning like hot coals. In a commanding and deep voice, he instructed me to follow him, across the wastes. I followed, turning my head to see where he was taking me in the distance seeing a large, ivory coloured tower that had previously gone unseen, which dominated the valley i found myself in. The sky above was black, unnaturally so, a ebony lake without stars and the entire landscape was infused by an unnatural white light seemingly originating from below the surface.

After what seemed like hours following this manifestation, lamp in hand, we reached the base of the tower. A long flight of steps ascended towards an arched entrance-way bereft of a door, and the entire structure seemed to be carved out of ice. Mist swirled around its base, slowly spiralling skywards.

He entered in front of me, into a large chamber support by pillars. To the far side stood the statue of an Angel, its wings snapped off pointing towards the ceiling. The whole area was bathed in a bright, azure light. Looking up, I could see that the stairs continued into a spiral, the whole construction rising up well beyond my sight.

I was beckoned to follow along. Slowly we ascended, step by step, each footstep great effort as time went on, the climb seemingly without end. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the top, and entered into the top of the tower. Orthogonal in shape, a chill wind swept through the eight open windows of the tower, whipping up snow, and ice particles which littered the floor. Four lamp stands lay frozen on the floor, surrounding what looked like to be a flat, table of stone, upon which figure lay still.

The woman, unearthly beautiful, to all observations appeared dead. Skin blue with cold hung to an emaciated frame, and white hair fell from the edges of the table like waves frozen mid movement. It was then the spirit that identified itself as Lucifer spoke to me, slowly directly into my soul. His voice reverberated through my very being, like the cracking of stone and rumbling of earth.

“This is the Tower of the Crossroads. The energies of the ALL cross and enter here through the fabric of the soul. Without awaking the asura, you will not be able to connect to the Goddess of All. You have only two choices. Reject this path, and remain incomplete, and on the path to your own self imposed destruction, or accept it and receive the empowerments of the Goddess”

Moving towards the slab the sound of the stone seemed to reverberate, echoing from wall to wall. Even as I began to approach, a rising wave of sound of a harmonic and disharmonic nature seemed to fill the echo chamber of a room. A whole assortment of colours began to flood the eyes, even as I laid my hand upon the figures chest. At the moment of touch, the figures eyes opened to reveal dark orbs, in which purple energies swirled like fractal whirlpools. The entire scene exploded in light, and the dark sky was overtaken by an aurora of staggering magnitude. As the figure of Lucifer placed his hands upon my shoulders, I awoke.

From that point on the relationship with Lucifer was cemented and the connection with the Goddess first formed. Gnosis and direction intrinsically entered the waking and unconscious mind, invigorating and strengthening me. Overnight I had connected to something on an emotional and spiritual level which denied the action of being put into words, a fire which lit the body and slithered through the blood.’

Ice Angel, Unknown

I end this piece with the final paragraph of the essay itself, as it encapsulates the result of true inner planes initiation in a simple and succinct way.

‘The cognitive dissonance created by the lies of man and culture begin to fall away, and the snake shedding its skin finds it’s way back to the ocean of ancestral memory. Instead of drowning it realises its true nature, that of its ability to swim allowing it to experience an entire new spectrum of being. It slides into the waters, ripples lost amongst the waves in silence. From beneath the surface a multitude of voices rise from the deep but one in particular makes itself clear, the voice of the mother of the sea calling her kind to her to be united as ONE.’

Ave Hecate,
Empress of Hell, Heaven and Earth,
Ave Lucifer,
Emperor of Red, Black and White,
We thank you for the True Initiation,
Upon the Path of the Wise,
On this Dark Witch Night,
Forever may we Walk,
Embraced in Your Shadow and Light

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Hallowed Samhain Blessings

Posted in Folk Belief, Occultism, Paganism with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2018 by Sypheara

A quick post from me, simply to to wish everyone who follows the blog a very blessed and sacred Samhain night, whether devotees or simply supportive friends and acquaintances. Your continued messages, well wishes and general support make all the difference to being able to express and share my personal experiences on this path. May you all walk in the arms of the Gods, and Journey from strength to strength in mutual love and reverence on the Road to her Throne.

Gustave Dore – Death on the Pale Horse

Calling Hecate to Send the Beloved Dead

‘I call to you, Aidonaia, through the dark of night,

I stand at your gates in love and honour,

Beautiful Soteira, Goddess of Hell, Heaven and Earth,

Hear my voice piercing beyond the veils that separate Life and Death,

Greatest Trivia, please be present tonight as I request your presence and aid,

Most holy Dadophoros, ignite for me the torches without and within,

Lending me your strength and empowering me to complete this Sacred Work,

Mighty Kleidophoros, Highest of all and Keeper of the Keys of Eternity,

Unlock for me the numinous barriers and bridge the gap between the worlds,

Empress Chthonia, lay to sleep mightiest Cerberus,

Allow those blessed to cross the lake so we may pay reverence,

Ferocious Brimo, I beseech you to stir the Mighty Dead,

Holding fast the Wild Hunt of the Dark Dead,

Giving up to us our beloved for this night to receive the love and offerings of the living,

As unto you I say Seven times Hecate, most beautiful and loved,

O green eyed Queen of Hell”

Ave Hecate,
Ave the Gods of the Trident,
Ave the Spirits of the Path,
Ave the Mighty Dead,
And amongst them,
Those Loved who we have Lost,
With who we now reunite.
~S~

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October and the Hunters Moon: Ecstatic Rites

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2018 by Sypheara

Hello all, I hope that October has been treating you extremely well. The energy of the last month at least in good old Britannia, has been building to a crescendo as we go towards our beloved Samhain.

The energy that has been permeating the air here became extremely powerful at the height of the Hunters Moon, to the point it was almost thick and could be tasted even outside of ritual. The energy was sufficient to turn several areas of the local area very thin as far as the veil is concerned. At one particular spot, the energy grew so thick I felt I needed to work with it – the spirit of the place seemed oddly demanding but also welcoming.

I took a small stone, and alternated a simple beat on a nearby piece of metal, similar to that of a heartbeat. One loud, one subtle, matching it to my own pulse as best as could be felt. Over time, i quickened this beat, again mirroring the internal quickening, thus bringing my own bio rhythm into tune with that of the energy of place. At the crescendo i could feel the merging of my blood with that of the ‘blood’ of the place, the earthy powerful feeling of copper filling the mouth, that taste of primal energy. At its peak, I felt the energy release along the spine, and abruptly everything stopped. In the still air, everything went quiet, and the wind seemed to murmur in approval at the stirring communion given. Leaves rustled past and then fell silently to the ground and all went still.

This is but a small example of an ecstatic experience. In the west, we have become overly used to working in eastern ways – with systems of meditation taught to us with the aim of quietening our minds. These, I will not argue against as having innate value, and it is no wonder they were adapted for use, entering our collective skillset. Many of them have been used highly successfully in our modern practice – and many of them have similar if not identical analogues in older western traditions. However I see in certain areas of the Craft (not all, some) that some of the importance around rites of ecstatic communion have been lost – especially when it comes to possession work. This seems strange when you consider that many witchcraft traditions stress ecstatic work – are even founded upon it – but are somehow still seemingly afraid of the power that can be unleashed. This is maybe understandable, but it is something that needs to be worked through in my eyes to properly inflame the craft for future generations.

‘Ask the Oak’ by Adam Oehlers

This is mainly aimed at those working within Hecates Primal Current that are reading this, but this may also be of use to others out there – you should incorporate where possible the ecstatic rites into your work. How this is done is difficult to teach or even to convey in some respects. How it can be done is numerous – one good example would be when performing sexual magickal possession work within this current.  When done at a high level with the Gods and Spirits this is anything but a subdued, meditative experience – but one that rips through the entire body and delivers body shaking possessions that send energy pulsating along the spine. As such, restraint in these operations should be removed and the experience fully embraced – anything else results simply in half measures and results.

Again in general ritual, drumming, singing, chanting and dancing can all be used to intensify the energy of a rite – this is the perfect method for bringing in some very powerful spirits, losing oneself in the experience and truly embracing the being called in. As long as Hecates ever watchful eye and protection has been invoked. and the practitioner is in the correct space, the result should be a positive one. With the dismissal of fear, this can be a profoundly progressive and literally transformative experience that can facilitate massive leaps on the theurgic path. It must be adapted to fit the situation, it is not something that can be replicated from reciting cold hard text from any book. It is learned through experience, sometimes hard earned – do not believe the snake oils salesmen who will direct you away from this, telling you they alone hold the secrets. Secrets of course they will ever so divulge if you believe their comedic youtube promotionals and buy into their overpriced and frankly amateurish body of work that shows little understanding of the above.

Note although I previously used sexual magick as an example, ecstatic work does not need to be confined to such. Only people who lack imagination or who are after something would say so (if its related to paired work). None of the above methods (drumming, singing, chanting, dancing) need to possess a sexual element – they just need to harmonise with the particular spirit being worked with. Similar to how in physics, waves that in phase have an amplifying effect, the same is to be attempted using the ecstatic method.  As such, it is also usually specific to each individual spirit as to what works best in your relationship with them when bringing them into the flesh.

Many have been in contact with me and told me they have problem with possession work – hence the topic of this post. Talking to them I realise they are only approaching its performance from meditative, contemplative angles. This has its place in more subtle forms of possession, in preparation before rites, and in other forms of magickal work but in my experience (and certainly, it is dependent on the individual and their innate gifts) the strongest forms of possession are experienced using ecstatic methods. As we go towards Samhain, I recommend people change to more ecstatic means to take their possession work to the next level if they are having difficulties working with spirit. I wish it was something I could give more concrete guidance on, but the exact method differs wildly from individual to individual. The only universal tip I can settle on is aim to synchronise your own innate biorhythms, your ceremonial actions, and the energies of the possessing spirit into harmony – in this way everything flows as one – all you need to do from then on is grab hold of the surging wave, and ride it to its natural completion.

Art by Valin Mattheis

For those who are feeling a little more comfortable, i’d suggest if you have the opportunity you take it to the next level and push past your own comfort zone. Leave your usual working space and go into the wilds away from human contact, ensuring of course proper preparation to stay safe. You don’t need to go overly far – the most startlingly beautiful and powerful places are usually within reach, even for those of us with limited transport options with a bit of effort. If you find a site that feels good for communion after physical and spiritual considerations have been taken into account, you can perform the ecstatic rites. These should always be conducted from within a suitably cast circle (even if that is a quick cast than something fully ceremonial). The goal being to learn about that space, its genius locii, and begin building powerful relationship. Not just this, but also simply for the sheer joy of exercising your divine right to embrace your existence upon this plane and others. In these workings the ways to rehallow the Earth soul are revealed and worked – real change can be made here at the liminal crossing points where long forgotten spirits await. Not all are friendly, or easy to work with, but all will listen to a sincere call of one of Hecates kin. From there it is up to you. Not all can do or are suited to thiswork and that is perfectly fine. But for those who are, I can tell you its a worthwhile experience.

With the above relayed, I want to quickly say I hope to do a few more posts over the Samhain period, keeping them relatively short  but detailing select things. The next post I want to be about Lucifers burning stellar energies, and how that interplays with Hecates, in a way that is somewhat channelled if possible at the time. It is difficult to relate it text but I will do my best to bring it forth for (more likely on!) our hallowed date.

May the light of the Goddess guide you,
On the Ecstatic Paths the lead to Her Throne,
And Into the Arms of Her and her Kin

Ave Hecate,
~S~

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Working with Hecates Gate and Healing Stellar Current

Posted in Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2017 by Sypheara

Just a small post this time to update with on going work on the path. Work continues with Hecates gate, which is mainly in stabilising the currents that have been opened this far and allowing for the approach to Lucifers part on the stellar journey.

During work with Hecates gate alot of interesting gnosis has come forth. The main pieces of Gnosis being the clarification on the entity that guards the way to the Ivory Spiders dwelling place, at the Star Pool of Belial. This almost angelic, knightly figure is interestingly arthurian like, which has been very surprising to me.

In addition, further gnosis has been given regarding an entity made up of a combination of Lucifer and Belials energies. Further gnosis on the identity of the soul form to be assumed with the culmination of the opening of all the stated gates has also been given. All of this needs fleshing out, and detailing in my own personal notes.

This is a notably laborious process, with me having to update both my own working diaries, as well as the electronic copy im putting together for both safety in case the originals are lost or worse, damaged and destroy, and when the path is successfully walked and completed to hopefully distribute if they allow.

More work has to be carried out not just with Hecates gate as well, but the Ivory Spiders in regard to understanding more of what is coming forth. Alot is still unclear, and this gnosis is not understood well via speculative interpretation but only in possession and intuition.

Hecate has given information on something i can only describe as the God Stones for which she wants as sacrifice.. the original of these were collected from near her Temple of the Four Pillars of Fire from the ocean. One was given to someone for healing trauma.. the other on request of her which opened up powerful currents of Belial for that individual.

My own stone had little effect for myself until now, and she is now revealing as to why that is and how it will play a small part in the completion of her stage of this work.

In one particular rite, that could be useful to others and in no way requires the use of her open active gate to gain some, if not full benefit, is a particularly useful bit of possession work. Anyone who has embodied both a primary and secondary familiar, or has familiars in general, would be able to use the quick outline as follows as a powerful, healing ritual. Note it is not given in full: in future I may digitise fully the original rite, removing the path specific elements that are not ready to be revealed as of yet.

Firstly, in the East, a fetish of Hecate is placed that has already been cleansed with water and incense in the usual manner, and activated in your blood. This can be a picture of her, a statue of some kind, or maybe a black board with her sigil painted with gold on the front. As long as its unique to her, it is a appropriate focal point. A black mirror could also be consecrated for this purpose of direct communication with her. This is flanked by two candles, and then any spirit houses of each familiar, ideally the doll bodies.

20170203_225608A beautiful rendition of Hecate on metal, acquired from Primal Craft as a working tool before activation in blood. This picture does not do her justice.

The ritual is opened however you normally draw the circle. I start at the west as mentioned at the altar, going widdershins. The candles surrounding her small temporary space in the east can be lit as part of the circle opening or specifically when you come to work with her, it doesn’t matter as to the order of the operation here.

The circles energy is raised through successive calls of power. The planetary calls or that of the ephesian letters is fine for this. It is then opened as far as possible, and reinforced seven times. The practitioner should then open both trees of Day and Night, day first as in many of the detailed rites. As best as possible, she should be invoked to attempted godform assumption as far as the practitioners skill and Hecate herself allows.

From here, at the East, her fetish is blooded and the familiars are called one by one into the flesh, to partake of the coming union. Finally, Hecate is asked to joined you in sexual magickal communion. The resulting union between witch, god and familiars is best described as a miniature Sabbat flight as the self and the familiars are utterly bathed in her Kalas.

This is extremely healing, and needs to be experienced to be believed. This should be continued until exhaustion for full effect. After this, Hecate will likely deliver personal messages, tasks or other things she wants to relay. The familiars themselves will also likely to continue to make their presence known with potentially very physical results.

The above is best carried out at the full moon, but can be carried out on any night that isnt overly close to the New Moon, from what I understand and what I’ve worked. There is no limit to the amount of times it can be carried out.

The above came at the right time for myself, and helped to heal me both physically, mentally and spiritually from a small hole id found myself in due to the venoms released from the previous gate work. I hope it helps anyone else, at least to form ideas, of how to approach some ritual magick ways of merging with her and receiving healing.

Finally, I’ve had a luck of being able to make it to the ‘Spinner of Fate’ event being held in the UK this year by The Covenant of Hecate. I’m looking forward to this extremely, and if anyone who happens to be reading is going, I will hopefully see you there. For the rest, I hope to share what I can closer to the end of March.

Thanks again,

Ave Hecate,
~S~ 

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Dreaming Deeply: Spirits in Sleep

Posted in Occultism, Other, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 7, 2016 by Sypheara

Hello all,

I hope you are having a great start to the beginning of October.. with Samhain rapidly approaching i’m finding myself kicking it up a gear when it comes to preparations for the nights ahead.

However I wanted to post today on something interesting, mainly due to several recent experiences. These have been quite powerful, and useful for my spiritual growth and I feel sharing it could be useful for people.

Many people have experienced powerful, deep dreams that are stark in their lucidity. Many people, in these states, have often met entities of some description, that seem overly familiar as if they have been met before. They often give advice, teaching, or even gifts of power. On waking many people do not remember these encounters, or file them away at the back of their minds as unimportant.

Little do they realise that they might have met with a familiar or guiding spirit in the Oneiric Realms.  I feel this is a great shame as these experiences have a great capacity to bring insight, and healing, to those who experience, remember and integrate them. What follows is some examples of my own experiences and a small method to help cement work with these entities.

My own experience with this form of contact has been varied and extensive, and it is one of the primary ways in which I work. That said, two experiences stand out in my mind as being extremely important, one being a new occurrence, and the other one old.

One of the first experiences I have ever had was meeting a spirit within a dream forest. I can remember the sweet, smell of the cherry blossoms that seemed to glow a subtle, golden white light upon their darkened black twisted stems. A cracked stone path led straight through these trees towards an old, rustic house of an exotic design that defies description in text, as a light breeze seemed to swirl around me. The air was cool, and crisp, and there was hardly any sound as if the whole forest was holding its breath. further away I could see evergreens, interspersed with the cold icy blossom trees, and there was a feeling as if one had stepped into some surrealist picture. Far down the path i could see a figure, abnormally slim and tall, dressed entirely in red. Their eyes possessed a relaxing, warm orange colour, that gave off a feeling of both youth and age all at once. Long, black hair seemed to fall down over the figures shoulders, and it was sat as if relaxing and enjoying this strange, abnormal morning. I felt drawn towards this figure, and approached and welcomed it.

This encounter would be a highly enjoyable one. I talked for many hours with this entity, that who neither at the time give me its name nor identity. But it gave me a lot of advice, advice that would strengthen me for difficulties at that time I was facing in my mundane life. It wouldn’t be the first time I would run into this entity – over many weeks, months and years I have met it again several times.. and only within the last few have I identified it as my primary familiar.

dreamscapeDreamscape by Piofoks

A more recent example occurred several weeks ago. I met an entity in dream, one that at first was challenging, even hostile. This entity appeared with the same, strange dimensions of that of the primary familial, except it was clearly appearing as Female. This entity possessed solid black eyes, ivory skin, and long, snake like hair. Despite her stand offish nature, she radiated a warm, welcoming aura that drew me to persist in asking her assistance. Once I had correctly introduced myself, this entity mellowed and taught me over the course of several days how to internalise some of the energies released by opening Hecates Stellar Gate. In the Waking World, she sent visions that identified her as a spirit that resides in Malkuth/Nehemoth, the spheres that lie closest to our world and merge with it, and that she is associated with the energies of the moon. She seemed in some way linked to Nahemah, something I have still not had clarified. However this work left me feeling refreshed, calmed, as if some of the energy from those difficult workings had finally been integrated. She also made it clear that she had been sent for this task, and was a specific familiar or oneiric spirit that had almost complete mastery of these realms and would therefore be an excellent guardian from some of the more intense, disturbing apocalyptic dreams that are being caused by rising currents from the World Soul.

Looking back on the above, it is not a surprise that these entities that have guarding/teaching roles are more likely to contact us in times of stress, or challenge. They are often specifically sent to aid us on our path, usually after subconsciously being requested. Engaging with them leads to an overall bettering of the situation as we work with them to complete the challenges set before us.

Once contact has been made through chance encounter or after a request to Hecate has been sent in initial work, there is a trick that can help facilitate and grow the connection with your own personal dream familiars and spirits.  Firstly, you will need to acquire the spirits name, sigil or ideally both. Once once is given, the other is usually just a matter of conducting further work with the spirit until both are deemed ready to share.

Take one small piece of paper, or thin piece of wood, and ritually consecrate and prepare it as detailed in earlier workings in the resources section. For paper, this usually involves a libation element, and both are cleansed with consecrated water and incense smoke. Once the material is ready, mark in ink or engrave the name, sigil or ideally both onto one side. The second side, should have the Sigil of the Universal Gateway, as detailed in Queen of Hell and as shown below.

sigil

The Universal Sigil of Gateways, as detailed in the book ‘Queen of Hell’

Once completed, a call is given to Hecate  to thank her for assisting the work, and she is asked to open the gateway to her realms for the spirit to come forth during your dreaming phases. As this personal call is spoken, the gateway sigil is blooded. Once done, the sigil and name of the spirit overleaf is also blooded, with an individual call to that spirit to come forth and meet you, work with you and teach you in dream.

Once the above is done, this artefact becomes empowered and a direct conduit to the spirit involved. When sleeping, it should be placed under a pillow, or failing that, the bed in as close a proximity as you as possible to help facilitate its effects. When not in use, in should reside in or around the altar and should be treated as all other empowered items.

This method has been and continues to be an effective, simple way of working with these entities revealed to me. Further offerings of blood increases the effect. This sigil has many interesting properties for devotees who make use of it, and the symbolism inherent within it should be self evident.

I wish everyone a great run up to Samhain, and I hope to have more to share near the end of this month, going into the next.

Ave Hecate,
~S~

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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.

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Ave Hecate,
~S~

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