Here we are, going into Samhain, and I am still playing catch-up! The midsummer solstice, and the impacts of the work coming out of that time, knocked me for six. In a very good way – so much has changed, altered, opened for myself and temple since then that every time I’ve sat down to write this entry, something else would occur which necessitated deep work and reflection to tackle and integrate it. Whether this was work for the current, for myself, or the initiation candidates, something would come up meaning the blog posts came bottom priority. Many of these events have been very profound – the kind of experience where writing about them seems almost exhibitionist. As such, I’ve chosen to focus on purely the more ‘formal’ rite which was carried out earlier this year for this belated blog post.
For context – the above was not entirely unexpected. Opening each stellar gate, has been an increasingly complex process up to this point. The opening of the first gate, with the Temple Familiar gifted by Belial through the Seal of the Ascending Winged Skull, took a matter of months – albeit the physical effects took years to both integrate and fully recover from. Hecate’s Stellar Gate similarly came through relatively quickly, to balance the initially unexpected black stellar energies released via the Ivory Spider.
Lucifer’s was more of a slow burn – requiring the evocation and integration of all three great elemental dragons – something that could be done fully only in the places where they most strongly reside. This required roughly two years of work and planning. As such, when contrasted with the Lilithian build up, I knew that opening this particular gate would be very demanding.
In total, no less than three wood cuts, and one full wood engraving block would be used in opening this gate at the temple here. The gate stele itself was cut into an engraving woodblock, made of birch. On one side, the temple specific channelled variant of the Seal of the City of Pyramids was inked, on the reverse, the specific key to unlock that seal fully given through the work with Lilith. The remaining four sides of the wood blocks were filled with Theban script – three sides, the formula of the synchronomicon, the final word being one of draconic origin released in the final work.
Each wood cut was adorned on one side with its related draconic seal, and on the flipside, its related draconic key.
Fomalhaut, the Royal Star of the South, by Davide De Martin
The ritual to open the gate was a strenuous one. Donning the ritual mask of Lucifer, firstly, each dragon gate was opened within the circle itself. This was possible thanks to the power already granted in previous possessions – without which none of this would have been possible.
Each opening necessitated each front seal being covered in blood, following a formal unlocking at blade point and subsequent blooding of the rear key sigil. As each was completed, the power of the corresponding dragon flooded into the circle. The feeling that accompanied these steps was not initially one of ecstatic empowerment – instead this initial, preparatory stage felt more like wading through a liquid. A liquid that simply grew in viscosity as more power was drawn into the working space as each woodcut was worked through individually, each power point and line receiving the necessary attention the act required.
The final quarter to be opened would be different. Here, stood the clear mirror of the arte used at the temple for a variety of rites. In front of it, the stele of Lucifer’s gate was placed, flanked by candles, leaving space to carry out the needed ritual operations. To the left, a blooded sigil of Surgat lay, and on the right, the physical skeleton key empowered by Lilith in the previous working. Both Witch Gods were called to lend their power to the rite.
When the time felt right, the front of the stele, as well as surrounding words of power were blooded. Lilith’s key was then utilized on the gate seal, to open it in widdershins fashion. With this prepared, the gate was turned and the key seal of the stele blooded. Finally, it was necessary to repeat the last two steps on the mirror itself. With each symbolic act, the locks placed on the soul were also released, and with words of power, the mirror gate came alive.
Formal request of Lucifer, through the opened mirror gate, to release the power of his stellar gate thus prepared, began a series of possessions. Like sunlight filtered through a lens, the power surged through the mirror and into the body. Strangely, it was not Lucifer who came first – but Vassago, coming clean out of the mirror. His silvered body glowed with such intensity, as his appearance took me entirely off guard – it was not the horned god I had initially expected! His chosen form so mercurial it seemed to flood out the clear surface, which in turn, now rippled like the surface of water.
Now behind him came Lucifer, appearing in horned, reptilian form – his energy in comparison was darker, more red and black, and in swirling kaleidoscopic currents the possession intensified. It was in this act that the necessary alchemy was completed, and the resulting completed stele marked.
The traditional goetic appearance of the daemon Vassago. Very different from the mercurial visions this spirit often gives me!!Artist unknown.
I lay there for awhile, just recovering from the energy release. In many ways I was still in shock, as the process was very different to what I had initially expected – this was a great learning exercise. Even with all the gnosis processed as to how to perform a rite, only by actually doing it is full understanding gained – something which cannot be guessed going in without the potential for being humbled by the experience.
With the above done, this marks the end of a cycle of intense workings. I don’t expect these to get any easier, but I must now for a little time, turn my attention to my initiation candidates. I have been blessed with two candidates of strong potency and devotion – and both are at a stage where initiations could be reasonably performed into the Black Degree.
As the year dies, my mind goes towards the blogs future. As more and more work intensifies, as alluded to in the opening, my view on many things has changed. Next year will mark the ten year anniversary of me starting this blog – what was meant to be only a small little working curio diary, has grown far beyond what I had initially planned. We are a full ninety posts in at this point, and many of the goals I initially set have either been met, or I have simply grown beyond. As my more work becomes Temple based, more intimate and deep, I do anticipate that there may be many necessary changes yet to come.
I will update people as I go, regarding any plans. I hope everyone a fantastic run up to Samhain, and thank you for reading.
May the Lord of Light, Show you the Way, Back to the Stellar Paths, Long forgotten by the Race of Man,
It has been awhile!! Back end of last month, I finally ended up catching Covid. It gave me a kicking but two and a half weeks later I feel for the most part pretty well recovered. Mentally and spiritually I feel in a good place, and the above notwithstanding, it has been a pretty productive period since the last entry here.
The main working since the previous blog post was a ritual I carried out with the goddess Lilith. Lilith is very misunderstood in the modern occult scene – ironically by the supposed LHP practitioners as much as anyone else. Thus they miss the forest for the trees – focusing on her shallow aspects rather than the transformative power she and her realm, Gamaliel, brings.
One of the things Lilith gifted to me, coming up to two years ago now, was her key. This was given with crystal clarity in astral travel. This key, referred to as simply The Key of Night, is a required component in unlocking Lucifers Stellar Gate. At the time, I was not ready to make use of it – the final dragon rite had not been completed and blocked its use in full. As such, there could be no approach to actually unlocking the gate, and thus no need to physically embody this tool.
However with the completion of the last Dragon Rite, it became imminently important that this Key was to be physically created. It would be necessary to properly do this so that it could be used as a tool in the opening of the gate itself, a required step on the theurgic path.
In order to do this, I got myself ahold of an antique skeleton key – one that was quite substantial, and made of iron. This would be a fitting, physical seat for the power to be brought through. From this point, it was therefore all about how to correctly pull through the required essence, and ensoul it into the chosen object. I.e. How to pull that energy from her, permission to do so which she had already granted me, in a way that would make it useful for what was to come. This was eventually accomplished; the final method not being unlike the usual method of these things, but with some needed modifications.
Firstly, the key was adequately cleansed to ensure it was rid of anything that would interfere, as well as being brought correctly into the service of the Arte. Then, the working area was prepared and the circle itself was brought up to full power using the necessary calls. In turn, this preliminary work was followed by focused invocation to possession up to Triformus level.
From here, both Hecate and Lucifer were evoked, in order to properly moderate the influx of energy. This was in turn required to stabilise the focal point that would be opened to call Lilith through. The tool utilised for this was my clear, full length mirror – something I have used the stellar rites here before.
Meanwhile, I burned powerful loose incense on coals in front of the mirror gate as both offering, and to empower this already sanctified tool further. This incense blend is one of my own, a mix of benzoin, myrh, frankincense and various herbs sympathetic herbs. This helped to greatly intensify the coming work.
Key picture by OrianaNiChearnaigh
The mirror, placed within the east, was where Lilith was transvoked. The placement of the mirror in the East of the circle was done on pure intuition – something I have learned to trust on this path. Lilith was then evoked through the mirror, using both call, smoke, and blooded seal – the one that had been originally granted in dream.
With her present, and the initial groundwork contact made, she was invoked into the body. This was done using the key itself. This act was one of the components of the formula as whole, so that when combined with spoken pact, the link would be made in full. The possession that followed was difficult, more taxing, than I expected. Whilst sexual in nature, there was an element of resistance, which had to be overcome on my part. Working in such a way is not what many people envision – sometimes this process can be pure stellar bliss, other times it can be a dark and trying experience. This was the latter – with invasive imagery resplendent, which I realised quickly was a test. It was vital that I pushed through, claimed what was given, and completed the merge in full. Anything else would be to fail in pulling out the required energetic link buried deep within the subtle body. Eventually, much to the amusement of the other party it seemed, everything fell into place. After recovering, in front of the mirror, the key was anointed with the resulting possessed blood, elevated by the energy of the collapsed waveform. Note, those who can read between the lines can guess how else the key was further empowered.
Holding it aloft in both hands, I immediately utilised its form to request from Lucifer the final, inner seal required for opening his stellar gate. This was delivery quickly, and automatic writing used to commit it to the working temple books. Once complete, the key itself was lovingly wrapped up and placed in the northern quarter of the circle. The energies of the self and circle were allowed to stabilise, before being lowered and eventually brought down to baseline with the closing of the rite itself.
With the key empowered, it now falls on me to burn the required dragon seals into prepared pine disks, before completing Lucifers stele itself in the birchwood blocks. Once this is complete, disk, block and key will be utilised to complete the final working in this series. This will make a longer period of working on this specific gate than I could ever have expected – a more complex series of working being sent than I anticipated. With it complete, the road to Belials Stellar Gate will be open. All that is left, is to try and draw this all together. I wanted to do this on Beltane, but with that date being too unrealistic thanks to my illness, I expect the next attempt to be around midsummer.
I am excited to finally be able to tackle this, and feel like I’m making very real progress. I will hopefully have an update re that work around then.
One of the other things I wanted to mention in this post may seem small, in comparison. But it seems an important message to relate. In dream, the other night, Sepheranz came to me and told me something important. This plays into the previous theme above – about creation of working tools and devotional items. She showed me a particular number, and told me to avoid having a slavish devotion to perfection. Upon waking up I pondered what this might mean – personally for my own practice. In some ways, I think it is that sometimes the fear of failing can stop us in some ways tackling stuff we are less confident with – but without doing so, we will never grow and learn. It has certainly made me want to really tackle the burning of these new seals in full, without overly worrying about result. Materials are not impossible to come across and replace anyway. Being afraid of taking considered leaps, in this path, isn’t really an option if you want to succeed in Theurgy.
Recently, the primal craft instagram has recently putoutsomewonderful images of devotional items created by a dedicated devotee. I’d like to highlight these as well, as the groundwork (by both devotee and Magister of the Mother Temple) has finally been done to enable them to be shared to the wider public. May they serve as an inspiration to other devotees to give things a shot. Whilst the person who created these items is very skilled, the connection forged by working with your own hands is second to none where it can be carried out. My wood blocks look, artistically, as if a child had created them in comparison with this devotees work. But the power that exudes out of those blocks, that is foundation for the temple here, is enormous. Take the leap. Do your best. Enjoy the process, and the great results will inevitably follow. For in that work, there are a lot of great rewards to reap.
I will leave this post here, as it has been difficult to get formulated and out. I hope you all had a wonderful Ostara period, and are looking forward to Beltane which is soon arriving.
With Torch, With Knife, With Key, A Goddess of Hell, Opens the Gateways of Heaven For those of Brave Heart, And Committed Soul ~S~
So the last few months have been exceptionally interesting, bringing with them very large amounts of spiritual, mental and physical empowerment. It feels like there has been a completing seal pressed onto various strands of work – the first being that of the Dragon workings, and the second to do with the reopening of Qayinitic lines within my personal practice.
The latter is one that I’d like to quickly detail, as it is something unexpected that happened within the last few weeks. This took the form of two rather interesting dreams; the first was a sabbatic dream, involving a gathering of spirits and a drawing in of Belial. This was performed through a totemic book that was found somewhere within the Mirrorworld; this being a term, as readers may remember, I use for a certain kind of lower astral because I find it the most descriptive term of its nature.
This in turn lead to a full plane possession by Belial, upon which I took charge of a celebration – not so much a ritual, and afterword’s I awoke feeling full of power and rejuvenated. This was much needed given the journey I had just been on. I took a note of it in my personal working journal, and thought nothing more of it. These kinds of journeys are important, but are generally too frequent or non specific in nature to note as having particular theurgic significance other than for enjoyment.
However, the following night, a similar, linked journey also occurred. Not long after falling asleep, I found myself in an old, abandoned brick building deep within the Mirrorworld. There, I had found a dark spirit – one that I was contending with, in some manner. I instinctively knew that I had been sent to find it, that doing so had been some sort of charge given to me at the end of the previous nights celebrations.
After some time, contending with it both energetically and physically, its shadowed form collapsed into the tiny form of a vampire bat. It attempted to escape along the floor, which at this point was covered in slick, thick blood. I was unsure at this point if this blood belonged to me or the spirits. I knew intrinsically that to let it to escape would be wrong – that somehow, its power had to be taken and internalised. I picked up this creature, and, asking Belial to protect me through the merging, allowed it to sink its tiny fangs into my neck.
I awoke, but not to our physical plane. I again was still in the Mirrorworld, again Elsewhere. I found myself in an old, and abandoned, hotel. I got up and wandered towards the bathroom. The door was opened and I looked in, onto a cracked mirror. A dusty ceiling light flickered intermittently. In between the flashes I could see that my left side, the side where the bat had bitten, was riddled with marks and sigils. The lower most sigil was etched just above the elbow. It depicted a crowned skull that seemed to morph from itself, through that of the primary seal of Arkos, through to that of the Qayinitic Eye Seal of Flame and Sulphur. From here, it returned and to its original form and repeated this in slow, drifting sequence.
Above this I could see the sigil of the winged Ankh bone key, and above this, the sigil of the Trident. Black, snaking lines and marks traced my entire skin, conjoining these parent sigils in a tapestry of black conduits that seemed to flow with power. They extended, covering my entire body. This wasn’t painful – instead it was an ecstatic pleasurable sensation, as it spread across my entire form, leaving me dripping in venomous energy. I remember getting dressed and leaving the room to ‘check out’, and after that last memory, recall waking up vividly into the physical world as if I had stepped simply from one room to another. I felt empowered, alive, more than I had felt since coming down off the mountain (to be described next). I was convinced I had undergone a fresh, qayinitic initiation.
Why now? It could be a combination of things I have thought. With the year turning dark, combined with my own personal loss a year ago, and the timing of the pandemic and full unfolding of the Qayinitic line within my parent tradition, this work comes at a powerful, liminal time. With the work done by the Gatekeeper of the Four Pillars of Fire, fulfilling a decade of prophecy regarding the Qayinitic line, I believe it was inevitable. The exact nature of this gift itself is less obvious in many regards – so far my aura has felt very armoured, something very much needed due to the immense level of Death energy that is surrounding both me and the Temple here at this current time. Energy not to be wallowed in, but to powerfully transmuted -for I feel great things are to be birthed from this. I can feel this, deeply, and it is this that keeps the work going; albeit with some days it feeling like swimming through treacle at times.
So a gift from Qayin perhaps for work done with him in devotion all those years ago; and also perhaps a recognition of the patient promise I made him to go no further until that prophetic work was delivered. Whether this work is something for me to actively pursue physically, or instead simply explore what I can on the inner worlds with the given key rather than dedicate myself to a new, active practice is something I will have to carefully consider. Qayin is not someone one can pick, and choose with, once a promise is made. That said, I feel it would be impolite to spurn exploring the power at least on some level, especially that which was given as a gift.
Vampire Bat, photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic
With this interesting incident covered, I now go to the main meat and potatoes of this article. In the last few postings, I detailed the upcoming rite of the Stellar Dragon. I can now fully confirm that this was a great success, with the Dragon contacted and the energy / gifts received. This coming full moon, they will be fully drawn out, and the final seal entered into the Temple Books. This paves the way for opening Lucifers Stellar Pillar Gate.
The actual journey to the mountain to conduct this rite was a heavily interesting one. I had initially wanted to document the entire trip – from near base camp, up to the actual location that I was guided to and conducted the rite. However, post rite, I have come to personal realisation as to how both powerful and sacred that portal I opened is – and thus, I have decided to only talk about this trip in a more vague manner. Every time I attempted to put this experience into words, I felt like I was failing it – or even worse, exposing it to profanation. Those who wish to retrace my footsteps, and potentially find the working spot, will thus have to read heavily between the lines. As such, I must immediately say that some of the pictures below, do not depict the actual trip nor even the locations I visited. They serve only to give clue and indication of the landscape to those who have never had the pleasure of travelling to the Lake District, UK. As well as to throw in a little bit of misdirection as is tradition. I have included a few original images – where I felt it was justified and where they do the trip justice. Anyone who puts the pieces together, and who truly wants to retrace these steps, are welcome to try – putting the pieces together being the test in itself.
The entire trip, both there and back, took around four days. The first day was pretty arduous – and it was not to get easier i’d find – with a pack weight of around 20-23kg. Being not the fittest of people, I set off relatively early in the morning to reach the first waypoint. This waypoint would be a town some 17 km away – where I would stay overnight, before taking a boat to the foot of the mountain I would be scaling.
I hadn’t slept the night before – both the planning, nor the excitement of finally being able to go off on this pilgrimage, did not aid me in anyway in getting a good rest. I had some breakfast and set off, through the woods that bordered my families cabin, making towards the moors. On the way I came across something that made me pause for thought. A dead amphibian stretched out perfectly across the path out of the woods. This is often a path I had walked, at night, looking for a similar sign to begin the work of the Sacred Waters of the Moon.
Seeing this dead creature seemed almost like a test in itself. To continue my mission, or try to take this offer. I ignored it, but made a mental note in my mind. It would become very relevant later on.
Leaving the woods behind, I made good going, passing the old mausoleum and church and its neighbouring, sleepy little town without issue. But when I began the uphill walk into the moorland proper, I knew I had my work cut out for me. The initially fair, walking weather had turned into full on sunshine. Great for a lay about, not so much for making good time with the least physical exertion. I was VERY happy I had prepared for this potentiality – having a very good hat and sufficient sunscreen but I was still to get significantly burned.
Moorland, photographer unknown
On my way over the moors, past the fields of heather in full bloom, I stopped at a quite remote stone circle to have my lunch. This was a planned stop – about halfway between my initial starting point and that days finish point. The stone circle was only small – but absolutely packed with power. I admired a tiny, beautiful spider that had climbed onto my bedroll, as I tucked into some extremely basic provisions with my back against one of the stones – it felt inappropriate to eat within the circle itself. Sadly, despite it being remote, on a summers day it still had too much footfall to do anything but walk the inner perimeter and soak in some of the power there. Unlike many places that are ‘take, take, take’ drained dry by tourists and other visitors, this place did not feel like that at all. But rather a wellspring of power that commanded the landscape.
Spider of the Circle, self taken image
After finishing up, I grabbed my kit and continued on. Passing a cairn, a way marker on my route, I looked down over the large lake below in the distance, and to the mountain range ahead. It was about this time I started to realise what I had actually embarked on to do – and although overshadowed as a feeling later, it did make me pause for thought.
Treated to a lovely display by military aircraft (from what I could see, F-15 fighters), I descended into the town in search of a place to sleep. Whilst the initial plan had to been to wild camp at every leg, I decided getting some good food in, as well as a night of sleep before going up the mountain proper, would be a good idea. I managed to find the last room in a local pub – one that did decent food I would later realise that night. Fed and watered, I turned in early to sleep.
The next morning I had breakfast and gathered my things. In order to get to the town at the start of my route into the mountains, I had two options – I could go by bus which was cheaper, or the more direct route by boat across the lake. I opted for the latter option – more for the experience than convenience, but it would turn out to be quite efficient as well as enjoyable. I didn’t have to wait long on the dock – perhaps half an hour at most, and soon the ship was alongside the pier and taking on passengers. The weather was again lovely, and as I boarded I got a great view of the surrounding landscape, kept cool by the light breeze that drifted across the lake. This would continue for the rest of the journey, as the boat gently rocked from light waves on the lakes surface.
MV Tern, built 1891, photographer unknown
It took around an hour to get to the opposite dock at the foot of the mountain. This was not to the liking of a fellow passenger, who remarked to her husband that the boat was not going quick enough and was rather ‘dull’. I laughed at this reply, telling her it wasn’t a speedboat, in a very sarcastic manner to say the least.
I disembarked and headed to get some food at another local pub, and consulted my map whilst tucking into a sandwich. I gathered it was around 7 – 9 km to the target site – but that this was likely to take as long as the previous 19 – 20km walked up to this point of the trip. The spacing between the contour lines was telling me a story I didn’t really want to hear. Putting the map away, I thanked my server, and headed to the start of the path up into the mountains. I had to double back here, past a very old and charming church to where I had crossed a little bridge. As is said in the Lake District, half-jokingly – ‘all roads lead to Helvellyn‘, – and sure enough, at the three way crossroads, a somewhat ominous wooden sign pointed forth. I took a wrong turn in the snaking path that it indicated at one point, but a quick check of the compass and cross referencing the map, put me back on the right path. Sure now that I had the right way, I set off uphill.
At this point I realised the physical effort of what I was undertaking fully. I was already very tired from taking the entirety of the wild camping gear, and was having to take quite frequent stops for water / rest. Looking back on it this was probably a good thing – as I slowly, but surely made my way up the valley towards my destination.
The first part of the walk was wooded, but this soon gave way to a mixed terrain of fields, and lightly wooded areas, and I got the first glimpse of the ritual site. At this point, I would be lying to say that I felt very outmatched by what I was about to do. Up to this point in my life, I’d never properly wild camped on my own. Only when I was much, much younger, some twenty odd years before when I was barely even a kid. Never mind wild camped at at least somewhat decent elevation. with exposure to take into account. I felt very much, out of my depth. However I had no choice then, but to carry on. Quitting would have been unthinkable.
I tightened by straps and carried on along the path into the mountains. After coming past two, fenced off areas of mixed woodland (which would have been ideal places to camp, what with a stream running down and through them off the mountains) the path ceased to really be a path – converting into just a load of stones, that I realised also doubled as riverbed in poor conditions. At this point, I was starting to flag and it was reaching around 6pm. Thinking hard, I decided that to push on would not be a great idea – with only two hours of light left, and a bit of a climb to where I needed to go, it would be easy to be caught losing the light. Checking my water provisions, I also realised I had run low. As such, I thought it best to put down for the night rather than push on. I still had days to use if needed – and enough food to extend the trip, if not comfortably.
From one side of the valley, a stream poured down into the river that snaked along not too far from the path itself. I could see that area wasn’t particularly enclosed, nor did it appear to be overly marshy. I chose a slightly elevated position, due to lack of wind, so that I wouldn’t awake to lying in a pool of water.
I fired up the Trangia stove, and after I had fed it enough alcohol, enjoyed my evening meal and a good cup of instant coffee. With the light finally failing me, I lit the storm lantern and enjoyed simply listening to how soundless everything was. Other than the wind, almost nothing stirred in the dark. Eventually, I got tired, turned the light off, and attempted to get some sleep.
The Lamp in the Valley, self taken image
I would not be very successful in this. I may have gotten at most one hour sleep – but woke up for unknown reasons. I wasn’t cold – I had a sufficient sleeping bag and it was incredibly mild for the location at least, and the tent proved itself to be far better than expected and ones I had used in the past. It may have been the sheer power of the full moon – for I was somewhat late in getting to the meeting point for the dragon. I went for a walk to clear my head, leaving the storm lantern to guide my way back to the tent when needed. The air was beautifully fresh – but eventually began to work its way in through my clothes. As such, I eventually went back to the tent and awaited dawn.
This is the only clear picture I will share of the valley itself – because it is simply magical. Waking up to see the fog rolling over the lake and into the valley was something special indeed. The tent can be seen in the background of this image, almost looking like a rock, blending in well with the surrounding environment. The morning was VERY fresh – and after a quick bit of breakfast, I cleaned my things in the stream then packed up to begin the walk towards the tarn itself.
Waking in the Valley, self taken image
I got back onto the path and began the walk deeper into the valley. Climbing up the broken stone path. Even with my walking stick (a consecrated blackthorn stick, empowered with Hecates blessing) it was slow and tedious going. As I rounded the corner, I could see the old climbing lodge far in the distance, further up the valley. This lodge would mark where I had to leave the path and begin the climb up the tarn itself.
I continued on, trying to keep my mental reserves, if not physical ones, topped up by thinking of the benefits of performing the rite. Looking at the climb up, I can’t say at that point I had no doubts that I was capable of doing this – as I got closer I could see just how steep it was. Without any indication of how to climb the somewhat acute slope, with significant load, I knew it would potentially be touch and go for someone with as little experience as myself.
I was about halfway to the lodge when I came across a small bridge, that crossed the river that went across the valley. The weather again was good.. possibly too good for a climb. So I took some time to first collect some more water, before having a refreshing paddle in the stream. It was so clear – almost impossibly so it seemed. I came across a few others hiking here – I had a conversation with a few of them, but almost none seemed to know of my destination, pushing onto another, well travelled tarn further along the path. Despite my destination, for all intents and purposes, being just over the next ridgeline.
Lingcove Bridge, photographer unknown
I reached the hiking lodge probably around midday – the exact time now eludes me. I had take it somewhat slowly in getting to this point, and looking up at the slope that now towered over me, I was very, very thankful I had decided NOT to climb into the cove the previous night. In low light, it is very likely something would have gone very wrong. I stopped at the Climbing Lodge to actually have lunch – a pre-packaged affair of chicken curry. This tasted far better than it had any right to, and it was just enough calories to get me up to my destination. I hadn’t packed copious amounts of food – certainly on the lighter end, and not enough to replace energy used to get up here I realised. My entire plan was to go as light as I could, get the ritual done, then come back.
At this point, it is probably a good idea to review what the aim of all this was. It is to be noted, that I was carrying the six anchor stones from the sea, up to elevation, as part of the formula to open the necessary Dragon gate. These were not particularly light, make up at least a fifth of total pack weight. The sea stones, were absolute required in order to unite with the heights and draw down the dragon – this was part of the formula sent, by Surgat, in close work. As such, not taking them was not an option and other sacrifices needed to be made in regards to gear and provisions.
Once I had prepared myself, I set off back behind the lodge for the climb. It was initially hard, but quickly got worse. The cove was a primary source for the now somewhat small stream – and much of the slope was very boggy. It also possessed holes between the foliage which would easily snap an ankle, even when wearing good boots – channels that they had grown over and hidden. The stave came in great use here, checking to see if ground was firm before I stepped onto it.
Spotting a ridgeline which may be shallower, I decided to make for it. But the slope had now gotten so steep, I felt like to stand with such a heavy pack (which was shifting weight despite my attempts) may cause me to be pulled backwards and cause a nasty, potentially life threatening fall. As such, I decided to do the next leg on my hands and knees. This is how large periods of this climb now went – crawling, at times swearing to myself and cursing my stupidity at how this whole endeavour was a bad idea. One that was probably going to get me injured or worse, killed.
I made the ridgeline, and by Hecate, I could see that there was indeed a path that went up into the cove at the foot of the tarn – at least a way that was far easier in terms of foliage and slope, than the one I was at first forced to utilise.
This ridgeline was still quite precarious, leaving not much room for error. The final part sloped down to meet a waterfall in the distance, where it was evident any fall would result in a good 50 foot drop to my probable immediate misfortune. I pushed past this part, and identified another ridgeline that may take me into the cove itself. The other potential avenues into the cove were all scree slopes – not a great idea to avoid an incident. By this point I decided to just go for it. I put all the remaining power in my legs and went for the final ridge. I got near the lip when they failed me and it had to stop, making sure to fall back up, rather than down the slope.
At this point I looked back and down the valley and realised how high up I was. As someone who does not have a well documented history with heights, I will concede certain parts of my anatomy decided to go on a prompt vacation. The next lip seemed so close and so far. Even as I was getting my heartrate back down to sensible levels, a mountain goat decided to come see what I was up to. It snuffled its way towards me, seemingly completely unbothered by my presence. It got a little bit too curious, and I needed to shoo it away with the stave. I laughed as I collected myself, and realised that for the first time in some twenty four hours I had signal. I needed to share it with someone, as well as my current predicament as my boots pointed down slope and made my call.
Having finished, I told myself I had come this far. Failure was not an option. It was either do – or die. I absolutely refused to give up, stood up, and made the lip of the next ridge.
I emerged into the boggy cove, and broke out into both elation and despair in equal measure. I could see where the tarn was – another 2km across intensely broken, boggy ground and I had used up all my physical and mental resources to even get where I was! I sunk down on my knees and realised that, in some way, I had failed. It would be impossible to make the tarn. With the sun beating down heavily on me, even covered again I was very sunburned and had ran out of water. Part of me wanted to ignore this fact and just push on regardless. But something deep in me cautioned to do so would be to truly screw myself. To cross a boundary beyond pushing my limits into folly. I reached out with my mind toward Hecate and asked her to be present. I initially got no reply. Eventually I got a reply.
‘I have brought you to where you need to be’.
I looked around and laughed. Of course I was. The fresh mountain stream, bursting forth from the spring I could visibly see just a little further up the slope to the peak of mountain, flowed down through the cove and formed a perfect, pool of water. It lazily swirled here, where at one end it cascaded down to tumble over the side of the cove in the very same waterfall I had passed on my way up. This would be a perfect, powerful would-be gate for the ritual. I laughed aloud, and began looking for a place to put down camp. It took awhile to find a space that was remotely acceptable – due to the sheer waterlogged terrain which surrounded me.
Note the above description may come across as overly dramatic, but is an authentic account of my own perceptions. I am sure a more experienced hiker would have still had a hard time, but probably not anywhere near as a hard time as myself. But I had truly felt coming up, that I had to place my life into the hands of my Gods, where one wrong move could have seen a very different outcome to the whole story. With this thought in the back of my head, I set up camp and promptly had a good few hours rest. I got some food in me and awaited the sun to go past the ridgeline that surrounding me on three of four sides.
The Marked Stellar Stones, self taken image
With the hour approaching , I began the setup for the rite itself. I took out the stones, and placed them in a hexagonal formation within the pool itself. Six was a major component in this work – and for these protective stones to do their job it was necessary for them to be placed in such a configuration; that being to both anchor and protect from the Dragons energies.
The light from the storm lantern danced on the pool in the twilight. It was so stunningly beautiful as the sun begin to down, the gold of the sigils reflecting up through the water, bathing me in their light. Using the lantern as anchoring point, I began the ritual creation of circle at twilight, as well as the required evocations of the Trident, in their entirety. Also evoked was another angelic guardian of the highest order – one armed with a lightning-dripping sword. This indicated ward of the rite, being granted in direct work with Lucifer, was to play a centre role in balancing the rite as the Angel of Time linked to Saturn. This was to be specific to this particular performance of this specific rite.
With these ritual actions performed, I summoned the dragon itself. On the opposite cliff face, the dragon answered, relatively rapidly. It appeared as an immense body of light that danced across the entire opposite cliff surface. For a split second it was entirely, physically visible, as a pure body of light until it swept up and over the mountain top. It disappeared then, physically, but etherically assumed a position above the circle itself.
The Dragon by Vera Velichko
With the ritual actions performed, I opened the path in blood. I left the circle of night and descended into the pool itself until, in full possession, I called down the dragon to merge with my own form. This was far more subtle than I expected at first, as it hovered above me. It hung there like a coiled, white mass, its form silvery white in contrast to the being of golden light I had first perceived it as. The sight was regal beyond comprehension, and at that moment as I looked up into the sky, the dragon descended and attempted to swallow my etheric form. Thankfully I was prepared for this – with markings I had drawn onto my flesh, and practiced with Surgat prior to commencing on this adventure.
With one hand I held energetically onto the floor, and with the other, reached inside the dragon itself. With some resistance (surely little from the dragons perspective), I wrapped my hand around something ‘fleshy’ and pulled. The Dragon withdrew, and in my hands I perceived a beating heart or seed. Wordlessly, the Dragon of the Sky told me I had succeeded in a test of strength – not just with it, but in the entire performance of the pilgrimage to this very pool. He had known I would come. There was but one thing left to do. I put my hands to my mouth and consumed the etheric flesh. It felt very real, bloody and rich. As I swallowed I tried not to gag, and it was with conscious effort my body did not immediately reject it into the pool. As soon as I had done so, I felt my form absolutely fill with fire. A series of voces magicae issued forth from my mouth, and the Dragon withdrew a little bit more, to give me more space. We were fully separated now – for what it was worth, due to its energies now surging through my blood.
At this point, the light was getting extremely dim. I spent a few minutes in the presence of the Gods and Dragon in ecstatic victory. I had managed. I had completed my task. I closed down the ritual, gathered my things. As I did so I disturbed something. A frog leapt up, bounded away, and headed down towards the star pool. I remember the dead amphibian, I had seen on my way here two days prior, and laughed at the obvious, on the nose symbolism. Retreating to my tent, it didn’t take too long for me to fall soundly asleep. My dreams were vivid – of flight, of journey. I remember waking up the following morning, wrapped in my sleeping bag, feeling like I had slept for a thousand years – in reality, probably all of nine hours.
The Morning on the Mountain, self taken image
I looked out over the entrance to the valley, and took in the sunrise, as I packed my kit. It was beautiful to see, and I felt at peace. The return journey down the slope, whilst in no way easy, was far easier now I knew a somewhat acceptable route to take up and down the cove entrance. The stones I left in the pool, and the gateway slightly ajar – as a permanent, stellar temple gateway to the Dragon of the Sky. This is what the Dragon had requested, it its own, wordless intuitive way. Only now did I realise that, unlike the others, this Dragon had not at all, uttered communication in what could even inwardly be described as formed words. In time, the stones will undoubtedly be washed down into the stream and by extension the valley below. Anyone wanting to evoke the dragon fully should carry a new set after all, as is fitting sacrifice, and to maintain the space. But the gate now stands open on the inner planes, and will for a long time allow for stellar ingress and egress for those who have the sight to see and the training to fully utilise such a gate. In future, I may again make this journey- to maintain and reconnect with this stellar entity – but it is unlikely to be anytime soon.
The walk back was made far easier by no longer having the weight of the stones, and I treated myself to a hearty dinner when back in civilization before heading back to my starting point. There I relaxed, so thoroughly elated that I had completed my mission, and revealed I had made it back to tell the tale without incident.
I will end this entry there. This full moon, there is more to do, as eluded to in the opening few paragraphs. More to decode, to write, to draw, to experience, before the Samhain season hits in full and work and attention needs turning to the next initiation here. But to all that has read the above, I hope it has served as both entertaining tale, as well as informative piece, on the Rite of the Stellar Dragon, who is named in old tales and myths as Ziz.
‘To You, O Stellar Dragon of the Sky, Coiled Serpent of Prismatic Light Ye who dances upon the Peaks of Eternity Given praise by an Echoing Song, Which travels on an Endless Sea of Shifting Stars I lift now my voice, I beseech you now, In Love, In Honour, Reveal to the Race of the Self Cursed, The Path to the Endless Heavens O Great Magnificent Scaled One Ophidian Child of The Great Witch Queen Show the Way to the Bountiful Fruit of the Gods, To the Shining Celestial Tree And Pour Forth Thy Healing Waters, That which you righteously command, In the name of the Firstborn of the Great Goddess, Send now, O Fanged One The Power with which to to break our Cycle of Fate. In the name of the Most Holy, The Queen of Heaven, So shall it Be.’
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
Well the world has certainly erupted into even more of a shitstorm – the powers at work coil around everywhere and agitate the systems of man from both ends. The rot at the very top, and very bottom, of the world soul are exposed. In the hearts of individual men and women, on all sides of the political spectrum, we see a regression to violence as the powers that be whisper words into their ears. It is in this context I now relate the working of Behemuth that happened around a six weeks ago now. After all… this is not a political blog.. and as someone who believes a political solution is pointless to seek amongst reactivated Atlantean curse, dwelling further would be a pointless waste of effort. All praise to Sepheranz and Belial.
The moon before last we gathered up our things, the essential tools of the trade, and set out under cover of darkness during our countries strict quarantine period with one goal. To raise the power of the great earth dragon, and make contact with this entity itself. All with the goal of unlocking the second set of dragon gates within the soul, opening the way to completing Lucifers Pillar after a series of difficult years and deep work.
This involved as usual, a hike across the countryside at dusk. There is something about the twilight hours which make them quite special, and on this night magick seemed to hang in the air. There was quite a bit of farmland to cross to get to where we were going. Our destination? A small but powerful little waterfall that earlier research and recon mission had identified as being a potent gateway for the work to be conducted.
Behemuth is the Earth Dragon in our witchcraft, and powerful spirit who is raw primal force under the command of Belial. He is more ideally worked with in a location within the wilds – rather than an indoor temple. As such, like the Leviathan rite it was deemed necessary for the theurgic work that this ritual was conducted at a relevant place of power; A place where the veils are so to speak, thin.
Examples such a place would be the intersections between the dragon lines, which can be doused or otherwise sought via intuitive walks and other methods. Alot of caves, waterfalls and other locations have the correct energy to draw him out, if the genius loci is in alignment with the work at hand.
Tom Gill Waterfall, Cumbria, by David Stanley
This area was one such place. A gem of a location hidden in the countryside (note: not the one pictured above, to keep its location secret), not too far from our small cottage base here in the countryside. Brought to it via intuition, we had already been here by this point. Our initial first visit was purely to establish working contact with the spirit of place. This went very well.. the strange energies of the guardian spirit being like lashes of purple energy that flickered around the soul. It felt dormant, appreciative, but also possessive of it’s space when roused. It took some time to truly settle everything and make the necessary mental pact which would secure this as the place for Behemuths summoning.
With the acquired gate sigil already given by Belial in intuitive work, what remained to be done was similar to the original Leviathan working detailed previously. The power of the circle was taken as high as could be managed, to triformus level. Hecate, Lucifer, Belial and Surgat were directly summoned to full evocation and the trees opened fully.
The power of the rite was such that Belial was physically and clearly seen.. at the south of the circle overseeing the work. I locked eyes with his black hooded and cloaked form, before he stepped back evaporating into a dark cloud that shrouded the work from interlopers.
As before, the initiate was responsible for the evocation of the fifth element – a lord of the angelic hosts, who brings the balanced empyrean force to help stabilise the raw power vacuum that is felt when the circle is torn open to walk beyond. With this done, Behemuth himself was invoked directly into the roaring waters of the waterfall. Its huge form could be seen coiling around the rushing waters and the whole area throbbed with such warmth on what was otherwise a mild night.
It is to be noted the ritual to evoke him here was similar, but still quite different from that given in the QoH. That is because of the necessary differences and aims of this rite, when worked with on the Stellar Path of Ascent. The main overseer is still Belial, and it is he who holds the full control of the Earth Dragon in this rite. Hecate and Lucifer balance, Surgat opens the way, and the Angel provides the energetic stability to the injured circle.
With the ritual actions performed and a path opened in blood, I left the circle of night and descended into the cool waters until, in full possession, i stepped entirely into the summoned form of Behemuth.
The reaction was immediate, similar to that of Leviathan. Whole body electricity wracked my form and caused me to physically groan. There was no use fighting the great serpents possession, as its coiled around me and placed its head over my subtle bodies. As it bit me, our forms became one, its shell dissolving and merging through mine. Unlike the combining with Leviathan however this did not feel alien.. but wholly terrestrial, like something experienced before but forgotten. As the snake energy rose along the spine, I could feel my aura growing serpents that pushed upwards and outwards of our conjoined form. Some broke away, slithering down into the rocks. As I dripped with Ophidian energies, Behemuth sent a strong thought impression, not unlike that of Leviathan. This was more nurturing and less harsh, albeit one said with force and power that in no way was dwarfed by that entity. Whilst it was not really said with words, but again pure thought, I can best translate it as follows.
Earth Dragon by Esther Remmington (above)
“I welcome you Home, Creature of Earth.
Long you have travelled,
But you have found what you seek,
In the Embrace of the Dragon.”
Behemuth
At this time I let the merging continue until it hit a equilibrium of power. The heat was immense, and despite being immersed in the waterfall, I felt incredibly warm. As things worked themselves through, Behemuth eventually withdrew. Unlike Leviathan this was less harsh, and less rapid, but as with Leviathan once communion was done, he made it clear to remain was folly. The waterfall became seemingly stronger, and I slowly returned to the circle to close down the rite.
As I lay there in the circle before full closing, panting with the exertion, the black initiate facilitated in balancing the work. Once this was done, everything was closed down and communion was held until it was time to leave. Liberal amounts of hard spirit were left for the genius locii and the Gods, we returned with our way again lit by the small oil lantern. On the way back the moon was giant, pure illuminating rays of light dancing out across the fields. An owl seemed to follow us home. All good omens on our way back to our lodgings.
It would be several nights of sleep until the gate fully unlocked. In full lucid dream state, I was awoken by Hecate, her form draped in flowing black robes, on an unknown rocky beach. A harsh sea licked the shore, and she directed me to a waiting Lilith who stood atop a pillar of interlocking basaltic columns. Here, Lilith gifted me with something unexpected. A large key, which seemed to the sight to be emblazoned with power and one large, central searching Eye. She placed it around my neck, and drew me in close. At this point, the scene dissolved into inky waters and various explorations of the world soul commenced. So intense in bilocation were these that even while experiencing them, I could feel and hear the rapid eye movements of my sleeping body.
These explorations have left me to consider the nature of the last ‘seal’ given by Leviathan. Is it a seal alone or is it also a shield? How does this relate to the key? I feel only working further with the Sky Dragon will finally reveal the full nature of these gifts and pave the way to opening Lucifers Stellar Pillar Gate. Thus, the way to the final construction will be laid bare and the completion of the Four Pillars of Belials Stargate and the full commencement of the work with the Hidden Planetary Gods. This is I feel going to be an important few years for my work and the completion of the first part, the part I have termed The Work of the Ivory Spider. Only further internal workings after this to establish the spirit familiars of the underground caverns will expand this to a level I am happy to call this work in anyway complete.
On that note, I leave you all hopefully in good spirits. Everything is difficult right now. Put yourselves, your loved ones and your Gods first. Put trust and love in the divine and not in the myriad lies of man that seek to divide and bring to ruination at all turns. Thus will the world soul be healed and saved.
All Hail the Great Dragon, Who Worms his Way around the Earth On whose Backs we have Grown, In Love and In Honour, In Blood Tooth and Claw, Nurtured by the Keeper of the Forest, The Prince of the Earth, The Lord of Eternal Fire And the Empress of the Fathomless Heaven We accept our Birthright, As Children of Hell Heaven and Earth, Nothing will prevail against Us,
Until the World is Healed And our Duty is done.
~S~
It’s been just over three and a half weeks now since me and the new initiate set off with one goal in mind. The raising up, and working with Leviathan. This mighty sea dragon has a rich and interesting history. The name Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן – ‘Livyatan’) literally translated from Hebrew apparently has the meaning of ‘wreathed, twisted in folds’. This is an excellent description of this great creature, as we will go on to see. This is a direct continuation of an older root name derived from the Amorites, who had an identical sea serpent within their teachings who was known as Lôtān. The belief in great dragons plays into the motif of the Chaoskampf, which occurs again and again in cultures world wide. I leave the mythological / legendary information to be passed on by those far more knowledgeable than myself. Here, I will concentrate on a very personal account of working with this entity.
The Destruction of Leviathan by Gustave Doré
The approach and understanding of Leviathan within Trident Witchcraft has only barely been explored. So for our own meeting with the Great Dragon, to say I undertook the operation with anything but great trepidation would be a complete lie. If one believes as trident witches do in the actual existences of these entities, then meeting face to face with an entity with the power to create walls of broiling water and drown one without the slightest compunction should be one approached with utmost caution. Doubly so when the intention of that rite is to walk into an open vortex within the very element that makes up the Great Dragons body.
We arrived on the chosen beach earlier in the day of the full moon, at high tide in order to observe the seas motion. There could be absolutely no complacency here – the last thing we wanted to do is underestimate the power of the ocean. This was just one beach of several we had inspected, but this one seemed relatively ideal. A small spit of land jutted out into the water, protected from the full force of the tall 18 foot waves by a wave cut platform. It was here we decided the rite would be conducted. The energy of the place felt extremely raw and elemental, but right. Despite the weather being customarily foul, one cannot expect sunshine and rainbows in November on this bleak but beautiful coast, we decided to go ahead with the ritual at around 11 pm.
We waited until close to that time, and set off as warmly wrapped up as we could. The beach wasn’t too far from where we were staying – but far enough it would take a least a reasonable amount of time to get there in the dark. We took the necessary equipment – the stellar amulet of Lucifer, a small obsidian keystone empowered in Surgats energies, the stave and a small kerosene lamp being the primary but not only tools of the work.
One of the markers was still there – a dead and decaying seal a reminder of the primal power of the ocean. We passed it and found the spot, that perfect little piece of land that jutted out bordered on three sides by the sea. The ritual began as the water begin to come into the bay, under the beautifully clear starlight. Orion hung majestically in the sky, the raw power of Betelgeuse evident as it hung like a jewel some seven hundred light years away. It felt as if the entirety of the heavens rotated around the ritual point, for that brief moment revolving around the axiom of the crossroads we were to open. The omens seemed good and the wind had calmed, so we decided to proceed.
The circle itself was anchored utilising the kerosene lamp, and the area prepared for the ritual with the stave. To digress slightly, the fluid nature of water means a static circle is insufficient for working with this element in many cases. Invocational possession was affected to triformus level, and Hecate, Lucifer and Belial all evoked to the circle edge. Working with Surgat, the required formulation on the edge of the circle was carried out. Next,the obsidian stone was blooded liberally to act as the stellar key to enact the necessary transition safely.
With the temple initiate of the black degree anchoring the working with the help of an attendant celestial entity sent by the Gods as a fifth pillar of the work, I walked to the waters edge and carried out the final evocation of Leviathan. The act of casting the obsidian stone into the onrushing waters, was the sign the call itself was complete. I waited until the moment felt right and walked into the freezing waters at the point of manifestation of the vortex. The serene moment was suddenly shattered by an immediate on rush of pure power, that was akin to being electrocuted. My entire body went rigid in the water as it felt like powerful shocks ran rampant throughout my body. I was unable to move for what felt around five minutes as the serpent held me in its grip. At this moment its serpentine energy flooded me and I got a glimpse of Leviathan itself. This flickered between two forms. The first was a large silver scaled sea serpent with vestigial wings, of such pure stellar beauty that it is difficult to describe with words. The second appeared as a gigantic deep sea creature, looking similar to a eel-like version of a dragonfish, complete with distended jaws and bio-luminescent skin. It’s body was arrayed with a series of eyes that ran the length of it’s body. These two forms overlaid each other and switched rapidly like an flickering old television screen tuned to conflicting channels for around ten or so seconds.
Leviathan, artist unknown
This vision calmed and I felt Leviathans energy moving within me. The possession had come on quickly and suddenly, and in the powerful hold of it I was driven to a fresh sacrificial offering of blood. As it spilled into the water, I was compelled to partake of it directly. Leviathan imparted to me via impression that drinking some of this blood during this stage of the work was a seal upon the possession itself, the snake eating itself to become whole. As I began to assimilate the energies of this union, it calmed to a more subtle level. I saw flashes of the seals actually breaking, and a new mark being placed upon the subtle body.
I let the experience slowly subside until Leviathan let me know the work was complete. He withdrew quite rapidly, almost as quickly as the possession arrived. The way in which he made clear the rite was over wasn’t so much as done with spoken word but instead something indicated by ‘psychic impression’. There was no voice but almost a feeling that formed almost visible words in the minds eye with their forcefulness. ‘Your work is complete, and your offering received. Now leave this place, lest you be devoured by my waves. For my sea yields not for any man who stands foolishly in it’s way.’ This repeated in my mind – inescapable, raw, forceful and pressing. I returned quickly to the circle and with the invaluable help of the initiate closed up the rite quickly and effectively as demanded by Leviathan. We left the beach quickly and headed back to immediately get warm and recover from the experience.
The aftermath was one of quite honestly, serious exhaustion. The ritual had the effect of stressing the physical and astral bodies after its performance which has meant I’ve had to rest up considerably for the last few weeks. This is the less ‘glamorous’ side to this form of possession work. This working also capped a period of very intense rituals, and was by far the the strongest, meaning I was pushed to my current limit in this timeframe. In the time since, I have had a strong visitation from Leviathan via the lunar gates indicating that one full lunar cycle later, the gnosis could be extracted in full re the seal granted to me for full recording in the magickal records that are kept here. That work is to be done tonight via dream work, and tomorrow as follow up work and proper documentation of what is sent as energy allows.
The observant will have noticed I have only given very general formula for the working above. That is because this ritual is dangerously close to a circle breaking rite and involves working within active vortices – both of which could go very wrong if not approached right. Those who are not properly initiated run extreme risk in these workings, and even those properly prepared can have quite serious issues integrating the risen energies. As such I do have to put a sensible caution out there to anyone expecting to work with him in this identical way. It is also note to caution that similar to Surgat, he is difficult to work with and not particularly fond of our kind, especially due to current circumstances.
From here on out I’ll be focusing on the initiates training and growth as well as preparing for the following rites with the other great dragons. I hope to complete the work of the dragons, and Lucifer and Belial’s Stellar Gates by the end of 2020, gods willing. This is ambitious but achievable. I feel it is time to get onto the workings of the stellar whirlpools and the planetary gates themselves. As until this work is done, the stellar temple cannot be formed.
I hope this has been an interesting introduction to Leviathan, albeit one that I feel barely does this great entity justice. I feel this is just the start of a long working relationship with this spirit, and a healing / empowering of my own inner / outer landscapes for whats to come.
To you who encircles the Earth, Oh great dragon of Chaos, Beautiful radiant serpent of Light, Dark nebulous serpent of Dark, O Great and Terrible Ophidian One, In Love and Honour we call to you now, To he who nurtured us, To he who strengthened us, To he who sent us forth, Wrapped in the scales of Young Creation, In Primal Times forgotten by Man, We give to thee our eternal thanks and devotion, We ask of you now, Send us your strength, To fortify our bodies, To ready our minds, To prepare our Souls, To do what needs to be done, In the Aeon of Lucifer, In restoration, hope. In destruction, damnation. Let the judgement of the gods be delivered, By the guardian of the waters Of She who came First. ~S~
A very quick and short entry from myself, just to wish everyone a good Samhain period – the day itself might have passed, but here we will be extending workings well up to the 11th (and likely a few days beyond!). This includes that nice little working on the coast with Leviathan, which i’m expecting will be carried out in lovely freezing and raining conditions. A pretty usual state of affairs in this rather bleak but beautiful place. The plan is to carry that out sometime in the next two weeks.
To update on the former post – it is with great relish I can report that the initiation of the first candidate of the inner temple here went extremely well. Lucifer was impressed with the gifts offered and the faith in which the ordeal was faced and past. As such, the groundwork for the Stellar Temple I want to build metaphorically and literally in the years to come, is properly started. It will take several years minimum before the praxis is in place, probably longer before I can even consider securing a physical temple site due to the time and monetary costs involved. So a very long term project to make explicitly clear, but one I look forward to building in partnership with the new apprentice, Hecate and their own path willing.
Hernes Oak From The Merry Wives Of Windsor, V, V Herne’s
Outside of this some strong possession work with Hecate commenced last night on the 1st to celebrate both the blessed, as well the dark and forgotten dead.
This group working was led by a good friend of mine, who has many years working with our Goddess. She doesn’t work in Trident Witchcraft but in another strain of Hekatian Witchcraft, but the energies raised are extremely similar for obvious reasons. Use of Ophidian speech allowed for the spirits we intended to contact to raise powerfully but also safely into the ritual space. Particular attention was given to those accused of being witches in the past, especially in regards to a particular local group which were accused and hanged based on absolutely marginal shreds of evidence in the 17th Century. Only three of these individuals could have been referred to as witches, the rest included a businessman and at least one, ironically, pious Christian. Their murder has left them in a state of limbo, not helped by years of mundane interference at their unmarked burial site. To be able to give them some solace, by sharing offering and remembering the story of their heinous murder, feels like at least an attempt to address a powerful and long standing injustice. Other personal contact with the dead was made, but these experiences remain solely for the group attending and will not be shared here as is proper.
Overall it was a powerful rite to share with others, and culminated for me in an almost full drawing in of the black goddess which i won’t readily forget. Whilst these are common for me with Lucifer, they are much more uncommon with the dark mother to that full bodied extent, and are thus enjoyed thoroughly when experienced.
With that said, back to it, I hope its been a great time for everyone, and many blessings in your works ahead.
Ave the Blessed Dead, On these dark Samhain nights, Those souls who have come before, Who light the way with their torches, We give to you our praise and love, In the name of the Dark Mother,
And with heartfelt wishes, Peace to the Dark Dead, Those lost and forlorn, Lie forgotten no more Be fulfilled and at rest, Sated and Soothed, In the Black Queens Arms ~S~
With Samhain now receding (although that said, a truly cunning witch knows how to make this blessed Sabbat extend for quite a while into November!), I want to make the post I alluded to in earlier entries.
This is a difficult one, to the point that is almost impossible to put to paper. Only those who have invoked Lucifer in high levels of possession will be able to truly understand the content here at an emotional and spiritual level, but it is one I want to try to convey.
Lucifers current is the lifeblood of mans universe, and can be physically experienced inside and outside of ritual in various forms. It can be felt as an electricity permeating the body, and can be raised to extremely euphoric levels by those who have become sufficiently tied to him via theurgic work. A side effect of this bringing closer of this current is that it can start to be Heard. This starts as a simple rhythmic pulsating beat as it animates the flesh lent to us by Belial, which becomes detectable when doing higher level workings. As one becomes more sensitive, one can begin to tune into it on an audible level – where it can be perceived as a persistent high vibrational tone, changing between consonant and dissonant tones constantly, both a chorus and drone lain out over the other.
This current is extremely empowering and life giving. Channelled in and outside of ritual it can be used to create extremely strong circles of power, even outside of any corresponding ritual action. Part of this is alluded to in the entry on the Synchronomicon. It can renew physical and mental exhaustion, and has positive healing effects on the entire body. That said, I want to talk about its counterpoint in the main today. This is where this entry comes into its own, for Lucifer also has a ‘dark side’ – and in no way is this the one that is often presumed and presented by juvenile minds. This is the current which I now detail.
The Laughing Jester (15th Century, artist unknown)
This particular current is overpowering. So strong in fact, that it can push well beyond euphoria into a manic sort of madness, and threatens to overcome all sense and reason when encountered. This is the black solar force that contrasts Lucifers bright side – the sinistral side of the Lord of The City of Pyramids. It would be foolish to think that this force can in anyway be controlled when channelled if it was not moderated in some fashion in it’s flow. Even when allowed to come through in a filtered way within the circle, the mania induced can sometimes threaten to divert or derail the operation being performed, and only experience can allow for the thin line to be rode in this regard to produce the desired theurgic effects.
In this way Lucifer reveals the other side of him that I’ve simply come to call the Laughing God aspect, for lack of a better description. In this aspect Lucifer becomes the Fool and The Emperor combined, and everything seems to descend into chaos without rhyme or reason – in this aspect the universe of man appears a sheer force of uncontrollable competing will without governance, any concept of ‘good’ or ‘evil’ melts away accompanied with really any objective sense of reality. The vibrational tone mentioned before becomes maddeningly loud, threatening to overcome the self and shatter the mind like a mirror exposed to a sharp blow. This reveals Lucifers destructive and decomposing aspects which rend all structures into their components, returning them to their most base form. This drone at this point becomes almost indistinguishable with the droning of the Great Abyss – not surprising when we consider his relationship to it and one of the highest works of theurgy, the Rite of the Phoenix.
This is the necessary balance inherent in Lucifers divine form, and is the force which prevents stagnation in the great cycle. It is perhaps better if it is not perceived as a dualistic force at all – as I suspect that perception itself results from our unique position as incarnated beings existing primarily within a particular point in spacetime. For example, just as heat gives life but at high temperatures it breaks down bonds of molecules, so does Lucifers energy act on everything. The souls of our universe paradoxically rely on Lucifers energy – for without it they would not be able to exist – but at the same time in this state they are always on the verge of being overcome by the very energy that empowers and grants them the power inherent in divine will. In this form Lucifer becomes the master of the Great Dance of the Sabbat, but it its most wild and unrestrained form. He becomes the Eternal Dance, over which Hecate alone seems to have control and direction, whilst simultaneously being an ever present and active participant herself.
2017 Totality by John Christiansen
The devotee who is able to understand and tap into this power with Lucifers help and channel it successfully (by no means an easy feat) will truly begin to work with this great entity at the level required for the deeper work of this arte. Whilst he is best approached by many through his lighter aspects (in my opinion), facing and assimilating the gnosis of his full nature allows for a transcendent understanding and experience, which takes the great work much further for the individual concerned. It is exactly this innate understanding of his dissolving force which is needed to truly appreciate, understand, and process the nigredo stages of alchemy and survive it successfully.
As stated at the beginning, most of the above is truly impossible to relate with words alone. It must be felt, and experienced, through many repeat occurrences of successful possession work. I hope this small detailing of this aspect gives enough context and contrast with previous posts to help those who are working with him get orientated if nothing more.
From myself and the spirits here, I wish you all a productive dark half of the year as we go towards the winter solstice. May you work be beneficial and fruitful in the nights to come.
Ave Lucifer, Laughing God! Lord of Madness! Master of the Dark and Light of the Sun!
Pour forth thy Poisons of the Highest and Lowest Paths Dissolving all which stands in Our Way, We shed ourselves of False Ego,
Like the Sacred Serpent As we journey this Road Beyond, We walk In Love and Devotion Unfailing, Yearning, Following, The Sunset of Amenta
~S~
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
I would like to simply make a short post to wish everyone a beautiful and productive summer solstice on this wonderful sabbat night.
I have enjoyed it in the traditional sense, spending time with some great friends and enjoying the powerful energies released from our creative endeavours!
Tomorrow is when the main meat of ritual will be conducted, and is something I have to begin truly preparing for! In this work, as mentioned before the whole aim will be the quickening of the world soul and the drawing through of Lucifers solar fire to bring individual and group illumination.
On that note, Id like to simply offer forth two of the calls from the work in honour of Lucifer to share some of this energy with other devotees who walk this path. I don’t pretend these to be works of art, but they are sincere and powerful and I hope they bestow upon the reader at least of fraction of Lucifers solar power and blessing!
The Solar Invocation of Lucifer
‘O Morning Star, hear me! I invoke thee, Light of my Heart, The Lord of the Universal Trees of Man, The Perfect Red King of Sulphur, O Stellar One! Phoenix of the Purest Fire!
He who holds in his hands the Light Sun,
Ruler of Life Giving Power fed to the Flesh of the Earth
He who holds in his hands the Black Sun Master of the Cemetery Rites who shepherds the Mighty Dead! I pray to you Lucifer, to be present at our hallowed rites of celebration, Always bestowing your blessings upon your gathered kin! Now
I ask of you, O Perfect Stellar Flame, In the name of Hecate, Supreme Goddess,
In Love and In Honour,
As I walk the Path of the Wise,
Enter now my flesh, My blood,
My bones, Witch Kin and God become One!’
The Phoenix Reborn by Tomasz Alen Kopera
The Drawing Down Of the Suns of Lucifer
‘I CALL DOWN NOW THE SOLAR POWER OF THE KING OF LIGHT THE LIGHTNING FLASH OF THE LAUGHING GOD AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER INTO THE VERY HEART OF BELIAL AND INTO THE HEARTS OF GATHERED KIN
THE POWER OF THE BLACK SUN
CHANGE BRINGING JEWEL OF DESTRUCTION COME NOW
CLEAN AND PURIFY US
ALL IS CONSUMED WHICH IMPEDES OUR PATH AND HARMS OUR EARTH
THE POWER OF THE WHITE SUN
LIFE BRINGING JEWEL OF CREATION COME NOW
INVIGORATE AND EMPOWER US
GRANTING STRENGTH AND RENEWED LIFE TO US AND THE BODY OF BELIAL
THE POWER OF THE CRIMSON SUN
PERFECT JEWEL OF THE RED KING OF SULPHUR COME NOW
LIFT US UP
GRANT TO US THE ACCELERATED EVOLUTION OF THE WORLD SOUL AND IN SACRED THEURGY BATHE US IN THE KALAS OF THE SON OF HECATE
THUS IS THE CURRENT SENT FORTH IN FULL POTENCY IN LOVE AND IN HONOUR IN THE NAME OF SHE WHO CAME FIRST’
Earth Dragon by Esther Remmington (above)
Leviathan, artist unknown
The Luciferian Revolution 