The Rosicrucian Vault

The Ruby Tablet

2012-02-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

A quick post to make you aware of a wonderful effort by Darcy Kuntz. The Ruby Tablet, an online magazine featuring reprints of articles from esoteric magazines and journals from the past with the intention of covering Alchemy, Hermetics, Kabbalah, Enochian, Rosicrucian etc. This first run is a trial and is donation based. There is a link where you can donate what you think the magazine is worth to keep it running. The Golden Dawn Research Trust has gone to great lengths to see that more than just the Regardie black-brick is available for the independent student and temple; and is well worth your time and donation.

Thoughts on Numerology

2011-11-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

Pi - Max and Sol discussing numerology

I am a mathematician, and as such I have always been drawn to the esoteric study of number. To my delight, I have directly experienced the power and objective nature of the quality of numbers and have led others to these same experiences. I have a firm belief in the spiritual power of numbers.

However, I start to sway my acceptance of occult practices of number once they start jumping to conclusions with erroneous or entirely missing logic. I truly believe that all things, when properly understood, can be understood through the lens of logic. Additionally, I have sought to uncover universal truths with my work in numbers.

17 = 8 ???
ummm.... no

Reduction of numbers is not a system into which I place any confidence. In fact, the more I read on the subject and the means authors have come to their conclusions, the stronger my opinion that it is an illegitimate form of sacred mathematics. The problem is that so many place this as the core of their practice in numerology for no apparent reason.

Reduction of numbers is simply this: if I have a number such as 63, the idea is that this number is also equivalent to 9 because 6 + 3 = 9.

However, this does not work in other numeric systems. Take 63 as a binary number.

BINARY

63 base 10 is the same as 111111 base 2.

Yet the addition of 1+1+1+1+1+1 in binary yields 110 (6 in decimal). Yet this practice always calls for a single number, so lets further break it down to 10 (2 in decimal). Again we reduce this number down to 1 (1 in decimal). At no point was calculated a form of 9, which was arrived at by reduction of the decimal form of 63 by reducing the binary equivalent. In fact, by reducing any binary number down to a single digit, you will always arrive at 1.

HEXADECIMAL

Take this same number to a higher base, say hexadecimal (base 16), and you will arrive at yet a different conclusion. 63 in hexadecimal is written as 3F. Adding thus yields the result: 3 + F = 12 (18 in decimal). By further reduction 1 + 2 = 3 (also 3 in decimal). Again, no output of 9. Reducing any hexadecimal number down to a single digit will offer 15 possibilities (because you won't reduce down to 0).

Conclusion? Reduction of numbers is completely different, depending on the numbering system you are using. Further, there is no real connection between the number 17 and 8, for example, because 8 is incomparable with 17. 8+8 = 16, likewise 8x2 = 16. 8+8+8 = 8x3 = 24. 17 is no multiple of 8.

However, 63 does have a relationship with the number 9, but not because of number reduction.
9+9+9+9+9+9+9 = 9x7 = 63. The number 63 could equally be said to have a relation with the number 3, 7, and 21, and this is a truth that permeates even the base of the number system being used.

In my opinion, the reduction of numbers is based on a misinterpretation of modern numbers using a primitive structure of math. Nowadays, we have a system of numbers that has placement value. In other words, the 3 found in 103 is 3 x 1, because the first number has a placement value of 10^0 (which is 1). The 1, while the digit itself is less than 3, actually has a greater value because of its location on the number, being in the hundreds place or 10^2, meaning 100. This is actually a very modern innovation in mathematics that is brought to you by the number zero, which serves as a placeholder.

Cuneiform Numbers

Prior to modern mathematics (we've been using zero in the context we are today for only a few hundred years) numbers were arranged and interpreted quite a bit different. There was no place holder, so numbers were usually determined by what was present, by adding all numeric symbols present representing the whole number. This was true of Babylonian Cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Hebrew and Greek numbering systems as well as others.

We don't use this system anymore, and a number written in modern time has a specific context in which it is written. It is erroneous to assume that 10 = 1 on the terms that 0 has no value. Beyond this, 10 is a specific number with its own value and energy. Aside from the erroneous nature of this practice, there is no need to reduce the number.

BIRTH DATES

However, while this practice is certainly not based on universal truths, I am willing to admit there is a possibility that this practice has its place within minds that have been conditioned to be affected by these numbers in these ways. Birth dates are a major part of numerology, in particular the reduction of birth dates. For example, someone born on April 24th would be a number 6 (2+4=6), and this would in theory say something about a person's personality.

I think the only way this could be possible is if we are talking about a person that lives in a society whose main numeric mode is the decimal system, and historically this has not always been the case. Additionally, these numbers have to be something they observe. I think the date of birth in the context of their numbers only has an affect on a person in as much as it is a number which they celebrate every year, and not all cultures do. I believe if this is true that a person could be lied to about their birthday their entire lives and that corresponding number would then be the one in question affecting their psychological makeup.

While I believe in the possibility, I think it is also a bit of a stretch to narrow down to a mere 9 personalities, even down to 31. I still place no confidence in the reduction of numbers, but I can see how on an unconscious level a mind might under certain circumstances interpret 24 to be 6 and how that could affect the psychological makeup on a subtle level if and only if one were to regularly identify with that number. It certainly is not a universal or consistent truth (is it even a truth at all then?), so it is of little use to me.

Copiale Cipher

2011-11-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

found a fascinating article today on an old German Cipher Manuscript called the Copiale Cipher. It is dated from the 18th century, contains one hundred pages, and is written entirely in code, a sum of 75,000 characters.

The Cover of the Copiale Cipher

Detail of the Cipher

The code was cracked by Kevin Knight and associates at the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California with the aid of computers.

A current, not quite complete, translation of the manuscript can be found here (thanks Peregrin!). Part of the manuscript has the label, in German:

ceremonieN der aufnahme

In English this translates to:

Ceremony of Initiation

As reported, the book does contain some rites of some German secret society, name or lineage unknown. Toward the end of the book it contains some political philosophy. With what little I've seen, these ideas seem to cover the necessary freedom of humanity, and seem to strike a chord with the first part of the U.S. Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The Copiale Cipher has a statement that is written in the same spirit:

As I was born from my mother's womb, that is free, not a servant and subjected to no human law, but obedient only to that of God.

It would be interesting indeed to see what relation the rites and initiations given in the manuscript have with the Rosicrucian tradition that finds its roots in Germany.

GoldenDawnPedia

2011-10-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I've made some updates to GoldenDawnPedia.com. I haven't updated it for quite some time, so this is long overdue.

I just added some books that have been published in the last few years to the bibliography page.

I've also added some additional links to the links page.

If there is anything you might like to see added this these or any other pages, or would be interested in submitting an article, please do let me know.

Ritual Playlist

2011-10-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

A basic tenant of Golden Dawn magic is that powers are awakened by names and images. I further extend this teaching to include mostly any form of stimulus upon the psyche of the initiate. Certainly music, in its effect to inspire and uplift a person (or otherwise), falls within this category. Music can be a great addition to ritual magic and can help the practicing magician to focus by creating an ambiance that is sympathetic to the energies being invoked. Used with appropriate incense, regalia, symbols, and the properly performed ritual, you can have a very deeply enriched ritual from all different angles.

A dear friend of mine was also recently commenting on the experimentation of William Wynn Westcott using a small string ensemble in ritual, which was a short lived experiment. I wonder if he would have made the musicians wear blindfolds like in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. In any event, we conjectured that even the early Golden Dawn initiates would have used iPods if they had them.

Below is a sample list of some songs I enjoy using for certain invocation work. I may do a follow up of this post with musicians who I think gravitate toward certain planetary energies in their art, which I've been thinking about writing for some time. While silence certainly serves its purpose in ritual, and is important at times to observe, I do rather love the use of music in setting the tone for some work. Further, I think too much music can be a bad thing too.

I tend to choose music that is light on percussion, particularly for a ritual that has a lot of recitation, as you don't want to be fighting with the music to make your words very clear. That being said, I also use a lot of music with percussion. Anyway, here is a list of some examples of music I have used recently:

Saturn

"O Virgo Spendens Choral, LV: Fol. 21 V" from Llibre Vermell de Montserrat

Jupiter

"Mai" from Josh Groban's album Awake

Mars

Selections from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Planet of the Apes, by Danny Elfman
"Launch Vipers" from Battlestar Galactica Soundtrack, by Richard Gibbs

Isis

"Flames" from Vast's album Visual Audio Sensory Theater
"Polorum Reginaa 1. LV: Fol. 24v" from Llibre Vermell de Montserrat

Spirit

"Inside" from Pig's album Genuine American Monster

(p.s. Ed, if when listening to music you ask yourself "would this song be good for ritual invocation" you might be an initiate)

Pros and Cons of TheOccult.bz

2011-10-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't been aware of the existence of TheOccult.bz, it is a website that is filled with numerous torrents for occult literature, of a variety of subjects. I don't personally have an account, as I never caught on to the whole torrent thing, but I know a few people who do.

Pros

It's free (kind of)
A great place to find obscure or out of print resources
Very well organized, can search by major categories (such as Rosicrucian, Golden Dawn, Alchemy, Astrology, and other I can't remember)

Cons

Not really free (you have to either upload documents or pay in order to maintain membership, therefore someone is probably profiting off the illegal service of distributing copyrighted materials)
There are books available for download from modern authors who have done a great deal of service to the modern occult community and are getting ripped off from this community (please buy these books, so that talented and experienced authors will continue to write and contribute to our occult culture)

Seriously though, can we as an occult culture do each other a favor and not do what society has been doing for musicians over the last decade (i.e. screwing them out of being payed for their work)? Pay for your books please. Support the talent in our culture.

Technology in Modern Occultism

2011-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

I've decided to try out a series of blogs on the use of technology in modern occultism. I'm going to start with a review of some astrology applications I've been using on the iPhone, which are more than likely available on other smart devices.

For a few years now I've been using a program called Astromo. It is a great reference for doing astrological magic. It is far superior to using an old fashioned ephemeris, though it has an ephemeris integrated into the program.

The main screen for this app is the two-dimensional standard astrology orrery chart. It is easy to navigate through. You can, with the stroke of a finger, change the time, day and year to quickly see aspects at any given time. Additionally, you can easily move any planet to a desired location to see when it may next be in a desirable house.

For a great method of translating and projecting this two-dimensional style chart to the Celestial Sphere, see Frater B.T.'s blog on the Rainbow Banana Band Sphere.

The Celestial Sphere

If you desire, you can also show the planets projected on the celestial sphere, on the belt of the zodiac. The stars are also present in this view, but there is too much imagery on such a small screen that it is just visually noisy. This mode is not very useful on the iPhone screen size, but it may be more useful on the iPad, which I haven't tried yet.

My favorite new toy is the app called Pocket Universe. The free version I'm using is great, and I like it more than the Astromo app for which I paid $9.99. Both apps use the GPS technology installed in the phone, but this app goes a step further.

Pocket Universe Screen Shots

Pocket Universe uses the compass, available in more recent iPhone models. In conjuction with the GPS, compass, and whatever else it is inside the iPhone that senses how you tilt the phone, the program knows exactly where you are in the world and where you are holding the screen. In other words, I can hold my phone up to the sky and it will show me where the planets, zodiac, and other constellations are located.

What makes this program so great is that it is always in my pocket, and is much easier and convenient for finding celestial bodies for invocation purposes. At home, in a temple, or out in the world, this app is useful for my spiritual work.

Thank you, programmers.

Dictionnaire Infernal - Free Download

2011-07-10T23:34:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to take the time to share a site that I stumbled across a few weeks ago. It's called OccultCenter. It seems rather new. While some of the stuff is fun to read for giggles, I'm really posting about this site because they had links to downloadable PDFs of the Dictionnaire Infernal and a Clavicula Salomonis, sort of.

A printed copy of the Dictionnaire Infernal is a coveted prize for any library. The illustrations are quite impressive and some are actually familiar from their publication in such works as the Goetia, in some manifestations. The file itself is available from the website of the French National Library. It is a staggering 97.9 MB and is a 738 page PDF.

There are two documents linked to from the site that are referred to as Clavicula Salomonis. The first one was apparently owned by a woman that the poet Goethe had a crush on, Dutchess Anna Amalia. It is available for download from Ana Amalia Library.

The second of the documents advertized as Clavicula Salomonis is available from a German Herzog library's website. I don't read German very well, but I do read occult imagery. The only symbols are those of the Olympic spirits, which are not very Solomonic at all, but are generally referred to the Arbatal. In either case, they were both interesting finds.

We can only hope that publishing these rare manuscripts and way out of print books on library websites is a trend that may continue.

Solve et Coagula

2011-06-19T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the importance of fundamentals is, well… fundamental! And one of the most fundamental subjects to a Rosicrucian is the study of Alchemy. And one of the most fundamental subjects of Alchemy is the all encompassing maxim of ‘Solve et Coagula’. For those that aren’t familiar with this Latin phrase, it translates to ‘Dissolve and Coagulate/Recombine’ and indicates that in the Great Work we must break down the material to be transformed and recombine its most essential parts.

The concept of ‘Solve et Coagula’ exists most notably in the story of the Phoenix who is birthed from the ashes of its own destruction. Another animal allegory is the Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail, showing a cyclical nature and a constant loop. Other such ideas of destruction/creation can be seen in the East as the Taijitu (Yinyang) then later in the West as Sulphur and Mercury. The symbol of the Taijitu was discussed in an earlier blog to represent the sphere of Chokmah but here I display it as a dance between masculine and feminine forces. I also offer the symbol of the Caduceus to partially display this idea in the serpents winding along its central shaft. These serpents - one white and one dark - have an ancient Sumerian counterpart known as Ningishzida which was represented as early as 2100 B.C., which indicates that this idea of two interlocking forces has been a part of human history for millennia.

In the Alchemical operation itself, this is accomplished through the many and various processes such as calcination or distillation then later the parts that have been removed and purified are all rejoined to create a new and wonderful product; but this process is not exclusive to alchemy alone. One might recognize similar occurrences in everyday activities such as cooking - where the recombination of gravy to meat brings all the flavors together - and in music - where the harmonies and rhythms of instruments are rejoined to complete a full symphony. Disolution and Reconstitution exist manifold in our Universe.

Of the Universal forces represented by this dance of Destruction and Creation we are brought to the qualities of the third Sephirah and the sphere of Saturn. In mythology Saturn gives birth to her children only to devour them again. The turning of the wheel of time comes into play in Solve et Coagula for the ultimate perfection of the work; as any alchemist or magician will tell you, the Great Work is an ongoing process. So in alchemy the matter to be perfected will go through Solve et Coagula multiple times. When a substance is broken into its Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt it will again be recombined only to be separated again.

Our world is no different from an alchemists philosophical substances which he perfects through Solve et Coagula. As we read in the book of Revelations, the Earth and Mankind are separated. Time and again does Mankind go through terrible trials and dissolution until at last all is perfected when Christ returns and says “I am the Alpha and Omega; the first and the last.”

On Love

2011-06-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

If the mountain of Abiegnus has a pathway, ladder, rope, or route to the summit, it is surely composed of Love. Initially I was going to write about Christian Love and mention the passage:

John 13:34-35

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Even Westcott writes in 'Thoughts on the Ever-Burning Lamps of the Ancients' Rosicrucians are nothing if not Christians, and Christians have ever believed in miracle, or have ever acknowledged the existence of an Omnipotence who can act at times in such a manner as to leave the traces and steps of the process so hidden as to tempt scoffers to doubt, and doubters to scoff.

I am inclusive and not an apologist. If you should practice that one commandment and show love to your fellow man, and not even so much as read the Book of John from whence it is derived - I would still call you a Christian - even if it makes you gasp in horror. As I look at it in the more Universal 'Anointed' sense of the word.

But it goes without saying (although I'm writing it) there is nothing particularly Christian about Love. In this way it shows the universality of the Rosicrucian. If there are books of wisdom that don't contain some words of love, I haven't read them; what's more is even as I write that it seems a contradiction of terms.

Should you find yourself awake in the spirit you'll see that this lends itself to the first of six rules viz.

To alleviate suffering and to cure the sick and without accepting any remuneration.

So, go ahead and practice ceremony, alchemy etc. without love - I dare you. Or read just a bit differently - Spread a little more love this week than last week, and compound that further next week.

A dear friend and brother gave me this meditation - in regards to compassion (paraphrased)

If you find it difficult to show a given person or persons a great amount of compassion then odds are that you are too focused on the hi-story you've made up about both yourself and that person or group of people. Take a step back and identify less with your meat-puppet and identify your consciousness with Universal Compassion. If, like me, you find that you want to express compassion from the heights of Kether all the way down to the G'uph in Malkuth (or wherever she's residing these days) then:

1. visualize this person (in the case of visualization it would probably be most beneficial to do this one person at a time) who for whatever reason you can show neither love nor compassion to, and

2. see them suffering, if this does not immediately soften your heart,

3. see them on their death-bed and ask yourself if your animosity towards them is so strong that you would bind them to yourself after their death.

4. If by now you still have a hard time mustering up love and compassion for this person, see someone they love who is suffering and see them caring for this person.

- What if, I don't know what this person's loved-ones look like?

Then the person impacts your life far less than you're giving them credit for... get over it

The Watchman Waketh in Vain

2011-05-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

"But when do I get to learn ______?",

or put a different way,

"It is simply bad faith to to swear a man to the most horrible penalties if he betray...etc., and then take him mysteriously apart and confide the Hebrew Alphabet to his safe-keeping."

and one of my all time favorites,

"When will I ever use this?"

Fundamentals... if you aren't well versed in fundamentals you will take a technique, put it to use, and get unwanted results, or worse; no results.

For nearly a decade Vince Lombardi took the Green Bay Packers to victory almost entirely on one play: The Power Sweep. Now, if you're from the U.S. odds are you are familiar with that name. Why? Because he drilled into his team the fundamentals of football, and as a result won. HBO produced a wonderful documentary on his life and at one point John Madden reminisces about a time he went to a coaching clinic hosted by Lombardi, and while most clinics would range any number of topics, this clinic went on for eight hours about "The Power Sweep."

You must exercise the fundamentals; constantly. Someone taking up the guitar will no more learn hammer-on's and pull-off's before single-note picking; than you would learn to manipulate your aura before cultivating energy.

Gematria first, sigils second.

Techniques are useless. You will probably have to find this out on your own. How can you gain any experience without endangering yourself or others?

Let experience be your teacher.

Excuse me officer, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Theoretical knowledge is not the purpose of practice. When at the center of the circle you might find yourself hard-pressed to "think of anything at all."

Chokmah, The Number Two, the Cross, and the Taijitu

2011-04-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Sephiroth on the Tree of Life are related to Numbers in correspondence and in spiritual reflection. They correspond to the Numbers 1 through 10 as such:

Kether - Primum Mobile
Chokmah - Zodiac
Binah - Saturn
Chesed - Jupiter
Geburah - Mars
Tiphireth - Sol
Netzach - Venus
Hod - Mercury
Yesod - Luna
Malkuth - Earth

These are very basic attributions that are perhaps too obvious to seem at all significant. However upon reflection, meditation, scrying, and other methods of working with numbers one will find that they directly relate to the Sephiroth in a meaningful way.

It is my strongly held opinion that geometric figures are the purest expression of numbers, and their use is far more meaningful to Sacred Geometry than say the symbols used in mathematics. Numeric symbols are more symbolic of numbers, far removed from what used to be closer to a more direct representation of the number. For example, the number 1 is drawn with a single stroke, the number 2 as two lines drawn without lifting the pencil from paper, and three the same. The numbers 2 and 3 actually used to be drawn as separate lines, and the forms they developed over time are sort of a cursive way of drawing the figures. The number four is the same. The number four is represented by a cross, or four lines conjoined into a single point. When drawn without lifting your pen or pencil from the writing surface, you will create a "4."

The cross relates to the four Elements, to Jupiter, Chesed, and to the number Four. This is contrary to the value that some teachings give to the cross. Some Rosicrucian, Golden Dawn, and O.T.O. writings attribute the cross to Chokmah, Number Two, likely due to the fact that it can be made by two crossing lines. This correspondence is not only wrong in theory, but also does not fit when working with such a symbol. The Cross is never used to represent duality of any kind, and is always used in conjunction with the Number Four. Work with this figure will give the occultist the assurance that it should similarly be placed with the Sephirah of Chesed just as is the Square.

So then problem arises for some that they then have no geometric symbol for Chokmah. I disagree. There are a few that I have used with great success that tie directly to the symbolism of the Number Two as well as help tap in quick to the forces of Chokmah. These would include figures that can be drawn with two lines or represent the number two in some other capacity. I use the following to represent the Number 2:

Two interlaced circles
Vesica Piscis
Two points
A Circle bisected by a line
Taijitu (Yin Yang)

The Taijitu is a symbol more commonly known as the Yin Yang symbol. It represents the polarity of Yin and Yang, masculine and feminine. This is exactly the symbolism and energy of the Number Two, the polarity of opposites. In the context of the Tree of Life, this makes sense as the polarity of the forces of Kether and Binah. Kether is the active, creative, projective Spirit. Binah is the feminine, passive Dark Light. Chokmah is the mediator between the two.

Prayer and Angelic Work

2011-04-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

I think no one would contest the importance of prayer is an important part of Western Spirituality. All forms of religion in the Western world rely on some form of prayer as a main staple of their religious observation and practice. It should be no surprise then that prayer has found its way into some of the more sacred or holy Occidental esoteric practices. Even in the Golden Dawn we have prayer before most workings, just they are often times universal and non-denominational in their focus.

One Rosicrucian practice of which prayer is an essential element is the work with Angelic beings, particularly the art of working with the Angels of the Shem-hamforesh. These Angels, in particular, are very holy and pure. Prayer and supplication, the humbling of the spirit, is not only an important part of elevating one's consciousness to the highest of spiritual planes, but is also important preliminary work for communing with the holiest of Spirits.

There are traditional prayers associated with each of the Angels of the Shemhameforesh. They are prayers derived from the Book of Psalms that have a direct relationship with the name of the Angel, as well as include the Tetragrammaton. There is one specific to each Angel, and the Prayer helps to align one with that specific Angel, when properly employed. Below is such a prayer for the Angel Achaiah:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love.

Miserator, et misericors Dominus: longanimis, et multum misericors.

The prayers themselves, while derived from Hebrew in their correspondence to the Angels, are often time employed in Latin or English.

I had the opportunity to study a manuscript a few years back, hand-written by Frederick Hockley, titled the "Divine Cabal." It was a translation of a French book on the Shemhamforesh by Lezare Lenaine. The most peculiar portion of the book is the inclusion of some prayers not derived from the Bible. They are supposedly written by Lezare Lenaine, but I have yet to see any corresponding French documents by the man that contain the same prayers.

The prayers are more Christian oriented, and most of them use the name of Jesus Christ in one form or another. The prayer for the same angel reads as such:

Lord Jesus who art the true God and true man, whose word is unchangeable thou art holy in all thy works, take from us the spirit of incredulity and defiance and fill our hearts with the gift of thy grace that we may acknowledge thee as the true God. Thou who shewest by thy miracles that thou art the Lord of all men. Amen.

These prayers, while not directly relating to the Psalms, are attributed to the same Angels. They are probably written while working with the Angels directly. Whatever their source and origin, they are a beautiful addition to the prayer work with the Angels of the Shemhamforesh, and they bring something else into the fold.

That being said, I believe anyone can compose their own prayers for workings with any Angel, and I believe this not only personalizes the experience for the individual, but also enriches the relationship with the same.

Numbers for Inducing States of Consciousness

2011-02-24T18:08:00.000-08:00

One does not have to look long or with much effort to see the presence of numbers in every corer of the Rosicrucian tradition. Numbers lie within the realms of ritual work, mediation, talismanic magics, and beyond. The symbolism of numbers is of paramount importance to Western occultism.

When most people think of numbers, they consider only what they have been taught since grade school: the quantitative aspect. In other words, numbers for most people are just for counting, and keeping track of inventory, money, and other areas of commerce. However, numbers also have another counterpart: their qualitative aspect. In other words, there is a subtle force behind every single number.
The ancient Qabalists certainly must have known this to be true. After all, one of the central images of the Qabalah, the Tree of Life, is entirely compose of numbers. The eminations on the Tree of Life, as many of you know are called "Sephiroth." This term itself literally translates as "Numbers." Specifically, these Ten Divine Emanations directly relate to the numbers One through Ten. I do not see these as mere correspondences, but direct relationships between the numbers and the Sephiroth.

I find the purest means of expressing any number is through the employment of geometric shapes. For example, traditionally a circle corresponds to the number 1 because it can be traced by only a single line. The number 5 can be expressed by the pentagram and pentagon because of the 5 vertices or 5 lines that define such a figure. Thus, the circle relates to the first Sephirah of Kether, the pentagram to the fifth Sephirah of Geburah. The number ten and the dekagram correspond to the Sephirah of Malkuth. Below are a couple artistic representation that I've made for meditating with the number ten, for connecting with the energy and state of consciousness of the Sephirah of Malkuth. While the shape alone is attractive to those forces, the colors certainly assist in connecting with the same.

Again, I state that these attributions are not some arbitrary correspondences. I have found from both my own personal work, as well as from working with a number of people that the meditation upon these numbers, primarily through employment of their corresponding geometric figures, induces states of consciousness that directly relate to their partnered Sephirah. I have even found that those with no background in the occult describe their state of consciousness induced by a particular geometric shape remarkably similar the theoretical qualities which even an armchair magician can know by reading mostly any book that discusses the Tree of Life.

One method I have had quite a bit of success with lately is using the geometric figures in sequence for rising in the plains. The method, visually, is an ascent through the center of each successive figure, beginning with the Dekagram, from head to toe, followed by the Enneagram(9), etc. and ending with the Circle. This is method is very useful once you have labored to establish a connection with each of these figures on an individual basis, and is very well paired with various types of invocation of Spirit, including the Bornless work.

Finding the Genius at a Jimi Hendrix Experience Concert

2010-11-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

First, excuse me for the first paragraph of this blog, to some of you it may seem more like a review from a rock concert, but I assure you it isn't. I'm a big fan of the mundane. As such I try to find all of the hidden magic that is in plain sight. Last night was just one such occasion. I sat alongside my father and watched as guitar player after guitar player approached the stage all paying homage to arguably the greatest rock-guitar player who has ever taken the stage. Two-and-a-half hours had come and gone and finally the waiting was over. As the house lights went dim the M.C. announced the next and final act: Steve Vai.. Now one can say whatever they would like about the style of music, it certainly isn't for everyone, but one thing was apparent: viz. Vai's genius was tangible. Of all the performers, of which there were several, and most of whom I imagine music critics would call above average even for there own genres; it was only Vai who seemed to be making music not just covering old Hendrix tunes. He was certainly the only artist to play one of his own songs; which was a tribute to Hendrix. The sounds that came from that instrument would seem impossible for the rest of the world. His arms flailed as he swung the guitar from around his body in all different directions while sustaining a diminished chord and after about what seemed like an eternity of beautiful lush sustain his hands instinctively returned to the right frets as he continued blaze up and down the neck of the guitar. The guitar literally acted like an extension of his body, and while he may not call it by the same name, he was definitely in communion with his Higher Genius. I will stop this tirade by writing that; it appeared that though the show consisted of great musicians, eleven of them were doing one thing and one of them was doing something else.

I've heard and/or read that not everyone can attain to their Higher Genius. I believe this is in error. More than likely most people will not attain to their Higher Genius, it isn't that they cannot, nor does this mean that they won't achieve a level of greatness. To use the above example it is the difference between Steve Vai and those other eleven guitar players; they were all great, truly great, but he stood by himself.
So how does one start on this path? By taking a piece of wisdom from the Greeks, and probably before their civilization, 'Know Thyself'. It's a bit cliched sure but maybe because it's true.

"Your mission is your priority. Unless you know your mission and have aligned your life to it your core will feel empty. Your presence in the world will be weakened."

IF YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR PURPOSE DISCOVER IT, NOW!

The core of your life is your purpose. Everything in your life, from your diet to your career, must be aligned to your purpose if you're to act with coherence and integrity in the world. If you know your life's purpose, your deepest desire, than the secret of success is to discipline your life so you support deepest purpose and minimize distractions and detours. But if you don't know your deepest desires than you can't align your life to it. Everything in your life is dissociated from your core. You go to work, but since it's not connected to your purpose it's just a job; a way to make money. Each moment is just another long string of moments going nowhere, not inherently profound. However, when you know your true purpose, each moment can become a full and profound expression of your core. Every instant of career, every instant of intimacy is filled with the power of your heart's purpose. (from The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida)

Find some time to yourself where you will not be disturbed
Take as long as you need, but with pen and paper write down what is your deepest desire; you purpose
Write it down
Align your life to it

Don't sabotage yourself by keeping your head in the sand. You might be reading this right now and saying to yourself well I'm going to hold off till I accomplish goal x. Underneath the b.s. that you're feeding yourself you know that you're putting it off until you get to goal x because you can avoid doing what needs to be done. You might believe that if you discover the thing you'll have to to change everything about yourself over night. Nothing could be further from the truth. Break the change down into a hundred steps if that helps, even one thousand; and do a step a day.

Figuring out your unique ability

Obviously I can't tell you what your unique ability is, but someone I have a great deal of respect for and treat as a mentor, even though he is probably unaware of it helped me in this area by stating the following:
Your unique ability should:Be easy to grasp

Makes life immediately more enjoyable
Contributes to improve communication cooperation
Produces results in the world that keep getting better
And makes personal happiness a daily reality instead of a wish.

It has four characteristics.

It is a superior ability that other people notice and value.
We love doing it and want to do it as much as possible (payment not necessary).
It is both energizing for us and others around us.
And, we keep getting better never running out of possibilities for further improvement

Take as long as you need it isn't race, but know that the sooner you get there the happier you'll be.

Happy Halloween Azrael

2010-10-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

This time of year is the point where the mercury falls below the point of typical comfort, days are noticeably shorter, the trees are reduced to bare branches, and the last of the fields are emptied. The dry foliage of trees and crops leaves a faint rattling on the chill wind, and as the end of October draws near, images of the Halloween celebration become present where the Angel of Death (in many various forms) plays a major role. His presence known by the frosty mornings, come to kill off the remaining fruits of the year. In this way we see that our world is in a state of flux.

The Angel of Death has been known by many names in many cultures throughout history. The earliest known personification of Death comes from a Neolithic settlement in Anatolia around 700BC, where he is depicted as a large black bird. Later images show tall masculine images or pale figures with black wings to be the Angel of Death. The most widely recognized name today, “Azrael”, comes from Hebrew and means “Whom God Helps”. Early Islamic teachings describe him as having 70,000 feet and 4,000 wings, his whole body covered in eyes, and tongues as numerous as living souls on the earth. Also in Islamic tradition, Azrael was the fourth Angel that God sent to obtain seven handfuls of Earth used in the creation of man and the only one to succeed, which earned him the task of separating body from soul.

When the body dies, Azrael - existing in a realm betwixt Life and Death - receives the soul; being the point of transition from one existence to the next. His task is not to carry the soul to Heaven or cast it into the pit but to sever the threads of life from the body; erasing the name on his great scroll that was written down at the persons birth. For this reason the personifications of Azrael are often accompanied by a tool - usually a scythe or other bladed instrument - with which to cut the thread of life told of by the Ancient Greeks. In Western culture the scythe is his usual tool for its connotations with the time of harvest, which is the transition point between living summer and cold-dark winter.

The task of ending life carries with it stigma of fear leading to misunderstanding - hence, Azrael has become a piece for many a Halloween costume. The encompassing darkness of a grave or tomb gives people chills while its relaxed silence is never acknowledged. The eminent end of life has been challenged by man since the dawn of civilization, though few view it as something that can always be counted on. And walking through a dark cemetery at night unsettles the strongest of men, but it is a hallowed place where the dead can rest peaceably. (Just like living beings, the dead don’t like to wake up from a sound sleep either, so zombies are no cause for concern.) These things are the rawest form of representation for Death and are almost never viewed with a sense of compassion for the weight that Azrael carries, and the positive aspects he brings.

Life on Earth is a wonder and a miracle; Azrael must take that miracle away at some point, and with a heavy heart. Every minute of every day someone is exiting the world of the living and Azrael is the one to assist that transition. To my knowledge, only Azrael exists in a realm neither purely in Spirit or purely in matter, in the Shadowy Valley of Death. Only one other Angel is said to have experienced a task similar to his and that is the Archangel Michael who is said to have sacrificed the souls of the righteous to God. I imagine that the task of plucking a soul from its body must be a difficult task for one to do every minute of every day. "Alone of gods Death has no love for gifts... from him alone persuasion stands apart."~ Aeschylus (525-465 B.C.)

However, with his solemn command, Azrael is said to be one of the sweetest and gentlest of Angels known. Its been said that he appears to the deceased depending on the life they live or on the way that they expire. If a righteous person dies he comes with angels carrying sweet odors of paradise and if a wicked person dies he comes with demons who pull the soul out with iron spits. Also, there is a piece of Jewish literature which says "that when the soul sees Azrael, it 'falls in love', and thus is withdrawn from the body as if by a seduction." Logically, no soul would willingly pass through the veil by force but by the touch of a gentle loving guide. Much like the Egyptian Anubis who protected and guided the soul through the Duat, provided he was sufficiently honored. This gentleness comes directly from Azrael's Qabalistic correspondence to the sphere of Binah being the dwelling place of the Holy Mother and of Isis. Just as the god Saturn gives birth to its children and consumes them again, the birthing of the Mother and the Ending through Azrael bring life full circle.

We live in a Universe that since its creation has been in constant motion. In physics, energy is everywhere and it is in a constant state of motion or vibration; its what holds our Universe together. This state of motion is sustained by the transition from one state to another - death, if you will. So our Universe is maintained by assistance from the transitional force of Azrael, whose essence is not that of Death but of Transition and of the Life to come; for it is in dying that we are Reborn.

I leave you with a quote from Forrest Gump:

“Don’t you be afraid, sweetheart. Death is just a part of Life.”

Ganesh and the Resurection

2010-06-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

In light of recent events, I feel compelled to share a connection that I’ve recently stumbled upon. How many others have made this association I can not say, but hopefully you will look into this matter further for yourselves. For it is not my wish to persuade you into any one way of thinking, but rather break down any barriers that might be constricting you from deducing what is true for you.

Not long ago I began taking a liking to the Hindu god Ganapati or Ganesha. Its no doubt that this elephant headed form of deity is the most popular in the Hindu tradition along with being one of the most widely recognized aspects of such a tradition - and who could deny that Ganesh carries easily likable aspects. The large body with an elephants head is effortless to recognize. His most common depictions show him with one tusk, multiple arms holding various tools of his vocation - including his broken tusk, a hatchet, a serpent, and a bowl of treats - wearing a tilaka mark of a crescent moon (or other sectarian marks), and with a rat underfoot.

Typically he is known as the Lord of Obstacles; both the placement and removal of. Ganesha removes physical obstacles in our path so that we continue to move forward and spiritual obstacles so that we can obtain union with the divine. His placement of physical obstacles keeps us in check and teaches ways to get around them, while his spiritual obstacles teach us persistence. However, it is not the attributes - wonderful though they may be - that I wish to display here.
I would like to make mention of one of the common traditions surrounding the birth of Lord Ganesha. The mother of Ganesh is the goddess Parvati who is said to have created him to stand guard over her chambers while she bathed. Parvati created the pot-bellied human from clay and gave him life using her own personal mantra. So we see that Ganesh was the son of Parvati, wife of Shiva - who had no other children - and some legends even state that Ganesh was created by Parvati shortly prior to her wedding to Shiva which alludes to her and Ganesha's purity.

The story goes that after Ganesha was assigned to stand guard over his mother’s chambers his father approached the doorway and demanded entrance. Being loyal to his mother, Ganesha apologized to Shiva and turned him away. Shiva tried again and again to enter the chambers of his wife but the little god refused to let anyone pass. Enraged at being denied to see his wife, Shiva struck the little god Ganesha with his trident and severed his head.

Immediately after this, Parvati emerged and saw her son decapitated by Shiva. Some legends state that Parvati's anger and lament formed the goddess Kali when she threatened to destroy the heavens, earth, and subterranean world. Shiva needed to immediately calm his wife so he sent his ganas or hordes to find a replacement head for Ganesha. The ganas were instructed to take the head of a child whose mother was missing but the first living thing they saw was an elephant facing north - the auspicious direction of wisdom. So they took this head to Shiva who placed it on Ganesha and breathed life into him. Another story of Ganesha’s elephant head is that a demon with an elephant head was slain by Shiva to replace that of the little god. Since the ganas did such a wonderful job Shiva then named this god Ganesha which means lord of the ganas.

This title of 'Lord of the Ganas' is interesting indeed. The very root words that make up the name 'Ganesha' are gana, meaning a group or multitude and isha meaning lord or master. It is not uncommon for this combination to be translated as the God of Hosts. This, coupled with Ganeshas association as the Lord of letters and learning, shows us that Ganesh has a strong connection to Hod, the sphere of learning and education.

But it is not Ganesha's correspondences with the Tree of Life that I find most interesting; it is the story of his creation as a deity that inspires me. He was the son of Parvati who did not give birth to him but made him out of earth possibly as a virgin - if prior to her wedding to Shiva - then the little god was executed after showing the greatest of loyalty and dedication to his creator. And after the lament of his mother and her threat of mass destruction he was resurrected by the force of a caring deity which - perhaps through conquering of a grosser energy - gave him prominence as a god.

Obviously the parallels I’m noting are those between Ganesh and Master Yeheshuah. I’m not suggesting that the story of one form of deity is more correct than the other, but merely that all is connected in some way. These parallels are not as concrete as say the Osiris legend, but the fact remains that these two divine beings gave their lives for a higher purpose and through divine will returned to us as elevated beings. This shows us that dedication, love, knowledge, and faith can lead to renewed life through the mystery of resurrection.

The Enochian Angels of John Dee and Edward Kelley

2010-05-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

New Chasing Hermes Podcast
Episode 18: The Enochian Angels of John Dee and Edward Kelley

In his day, John Dee was famous for his contributions to science and for his role as adviser to Queen Elizabeth. Dee assembled the largest library England had ever seen and his mansion at Mortlake outside London was a popular place to visit for foreign emissaries and prominent thinkers.

But Dee harbored a longing for more knowledge than science could offer. He wanted to know about the world and what lies beyond it. Dissatisfied with the limitations of contemporary wisdom, he turned to the spirit world for guidance. What he found was going to influence the Western Mystery tradition forever.

In 1581 Dee contacts the angels for the first time. He soon has to accept that he is not a talented medium. Enter Edward Kelley, a much younger man of low social background and a nasty habit of necromancy. Kelley is excellent with the crystal ball and the two start a collaboration that will take them through countless angelic worlds. Parallel to their spiritual vision quests, Dee and Kelley sojourned through the European courts entertaining kings and emperors with their seances and alchemical experiments.

Join us in this episode of Chasing Hermes and discover the two men behind the legendary Enochian angelic language. Visit ChasingHermes.com to listen to this episode.

The Magical Discipline of Silence

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

For some time now I've been contemplating the idea of silence. At the outset we take an oath to keep secret anything connected with our work... for most of the groups anyway. Often, I've wondered why; is it really because we think that another person might blaspheme or denigrate this divine knowledge imparted to us? Not so much, blasphemers aren't looking for secrets. This would probably only result in the weakening of our own personal sphere of subjective synthesis, as one author has coined it. What's more, wanting to share this information with anyone not initiated in it is usually the sign of an ego desiring to be inflated and there are few things that could hurt your own personal work more than an unnecessarily inflated ego. Fair enough...

Obviously, there was a time when to talk about such subjects as the occult were not only forbidden, but were punishable by a burning at the stake, but those times seem long behind us, though there have been as many inquisitions as there have been occult revivals and so this could be a reasonable factor as to why an oath of secrecy. However, I feel that this stops short of the mystical-magical implications behind such an oath.

There exists in space and time a place where occultists can read each other's thoughts and ideas as quickly as they are written. I'm sure I'm not the first mind to have thought about the irony of this. Social networking is a meme unto itself. In fact, this blog is one just representation of that. But I digress.

At the heart of secrecy is humility. For we do not keep secrets from the outside world in order to hoard arcane knowledge, or to suppress the masses by our control (or practical use) of universal laws. The reason is however, manifold:

To keep from boasting, 'when one is silent' they are afforded the chance to learn.
To serve humanity.
It acts as a barrier/bridge showing who is courageous enough to ask about these secrets, which shows who is of a like-heart or humble enough to admit they know not.
It saves the occultist from foot-in-mouth disease... one will not discuss what one knows nothing about.

At the core, there are few things which are truly hidden if the pursuer be pure of heart and would actually practice the work. This is probably more esoteric than any technique one could find in the oldest of tomes. Even if you were to put all of the great occult minds of the past onto silicon and download a copy onto your computer, what they've written would mean little lest you put in the time to work. This is what is meant by 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear' or or when William Blake writes:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.

In other words even if you were to speak of things outside the realm of your student. it couldn't be grasped anyway because they wouldn't have the capacity for it, and so they might begin to loose faith in what you teach them and fall away the Great Work. And if they do understand you, then it seems they were ready to hear that information and it so happens that you were fortunate enough to be the appropriate agent of that. What this really comes down to is the fact that you really can't tell anyone something they aren't ready to hear and as such it would be a greater benefit to the both of you if you were to remain silent.

Enochian Sudoku

2010-04-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, when you first saw the words "Enochian Sudoku" you thought to yourself our aloud something to the effect of "what a bunch of baloney." I thought it funny enough to post here. I randomly stumbled across this Enochian Sudoku on the web, on another blog actually. Instead of using numbers, the blogger Woody Evans offers the use of varying symbols, one set which uses nine Enochian letters. The same rules of Sudoku apply, that every 3x3 square must have exactly one instance of each of the 9 represented Enochian letters, and the same for every row and column.

The letters used are Un, Graph, Gon (in two forms), Med, Van, Or, Na, and Ged.

While this certainly is not a magical operation or form of divination, this perhaps could be a fun way to learn to learn the Enochian alphabet if you're new to Enochiana. If nothing else, I hope you've been able to share a bit of laughter with me.

Happy April Fools!

Neoplatonism and the Theurgy of Iamblichus

2010-03-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Listen to the newest episode of Chasing Hermes, titled "Neoplatonism and the Theurgy of Iamblichus."

As pagan traditions started to dwindle in the face of the rising popularity of Christianity in the third and fourth century C.E., a new interpretation of ancient philosophy was born. Drawing from the cosmology of the Thimaeus, this tradition attempted to revive the writings of Plato for a new time. This was a world view which gave place not only to the gods of the classic Greek mythology but also to an interpretation of the transcendent monotheistic deity. This school of philosophy later became known as Neoplatonism.

With its roots in 2nd century Alexandria, Neoplatonism shares much of its cultural heritage with hermetism. Yet Neoplatonism's most famous proponent was not an Alexandrian, but instead came from Syria. His name was Iamblichus. Orating within a tradition that oftentimes had little interest in magical pursuits, Iamblchus became an important apologetic of esoteric practices. The writings of Iamblichus include a new definition of sacred magic dubbed Theurgy, or divine-working, which ought to sound familiar even to many new age practitioners today.

Neoplatonism came to an abrupt end in 529 A.D. when Emperor Justinian forced the Neoplatonist schools in Alexandria and Athens to close their doors. However, neoplatonist philosophy survived outside the Christian world, being openly adopted in the Islamic world and having a profound influence on the medieval Kabbalists. Together with the Hermetism, Neoplatonist philosophy was revived in Western Europe at the early days of the Renaissance and was again studied and adopted by the intellectuals of a new time.

Listen to this and other Chasing Hermes episodes at ChasingHermes.com

Eliphas Levi and the Johari Window

2010-02-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

The only thing I find that I like more than learning something new is learning about learning. Meta-learning perhaps? Recently, I was fortunate enough to learn about a cognitive psychological tool known as the "Johari Window" I was at a seminar where the speaker suggested that human beings come to awareness of any given thing in four general stages. This window can be disected into a graph whereupon we have unconscious and conscious right and left of an imaginary y-axis; and incompetent and competent above and below an imaginary x-axis. If you're imagining this properly it should appear as a Mendelian Square.

In stage one, a person is unconsciously incompetent, they aren't even aware that they are unaware. If you've read Ouspensky or Gurdjieff then you're probably pretty familiar with this idea: ever referring to man as asleep and incapable of recognizing it due to an obstinate belief that one is awake.

Next, is conscious incompetent. Here our example is frustrated, realizing that s/he is unaware yet not possessing the skills with which to become aware.
In the unconscious competent stage our subject knows about their awareness but isn't sure how they've accomplished this. In the final stage they cannot only reach deeper states of awareness, but if they so choose teach others.

The above example seems heavy-handed, but you get the point. In any event; Eliphas Levi was using this scale close to a century before Joseph Luft and Harry Ingram, the founders of the Johari Window, even knew what cognitive theory and therapy was.

Levi wrote once:
“The great secret of magic, the unique and incommunicable Arcana, has for its purpose the placing of supernatural power at the service of the human will in some way. To attain such an achievement it is necessary to KNOW what has to be done, to WILL what is required, to DARE what must be attempted and to KEEP SILENT with discernment."

He permutes this in:
"When one does not know, one should will to learn. To the extent that one does not know it is foolhardy to dare, but it is always well to keep silent.”

Pulling it together: one must be foolhardy (unconsious incompetent) and Dare to go against the grain of their culture, their mentality, and all their former learning and realize they have a to deep yearning to be or do something greater than previously thought possible. (For those interested in fostering healthy memes, the book Boomeritus, by Ken Wilbur is an excellent example of how to take conscious control of focusing on positive mind viruses)

Will to learn about that yearning (in whatever form it manifests).

At this point, one knows what they know, but more importantly they realize that they know very little and so in an attempt to foster more awareness, to be awareness as it were they are silent. This is the point at which a person stops studying magic and begins to experiment with the world as a magician.

~ hopefully this is as cohesive on your monitor as it is in my head. ~

Magic in Ancient Greece

2010-02-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

Yet another great episode, from my good friends Sean and Jason on their podcast Chasing Hermes, is available for your listening pleasure. The title of the newest installment is "Magic in Ancient Greece," from which the subject matter can be easily discerned.

What is more righteous - to accept your fate, or to choose your own destiny? The clash between sorcery and mainstream religion can be followed through the ages back to Ancient Greece. An upright member of Greek society should not meddle with magical forces, or else they might dishonor the gods and bring misfortune upon all of society. Furthermore, sorcerers were unruly, unpredictable and unstable.

In this episode of Chasing Hermes we talk about what status the magical arts had in Ancient Egypt and what parallels we can draw with modern society.

Listen to this and other Chasing Hermes episodes at ChasingHermes.com

Prayer and Invocation - Name Worshiping

2010-02-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

I have been using a very simple prayer, called the Jesus Prayer, over the last six months. It's from the Eastern Orthodox Church, but it's popularity arises more from an underground movement in the early Soviet ruled Russia. A practice associated with the prayer itself, called "name worshiping," was officially declared a heresy by the Eastern Church. While the Eastern Church underwent repression under Soviet rule, the underground movement of Name Worshiping attained a cult-like following.

In its simplest form, Name Worshiping is a practice that incorporates the belief that the Name of God invokes God's presence, or that there is an inherent power within Divine Names. Some take this to the extent that the Name of God is God. It seems very likely that the push to declare this practice a heresy was actually politically motivated for some church figures to get rid of some competition for power.

Within our tradition we know that the name of God does indeed have significance. The inherent power of language to shape and form reality cannot be denied from an esoteric perspective. Further, the name of God by default of its character as a word has inherent power. Some believe that many of the names we have for God are derived directly from experience or divine revelation, while others believe them to be titles created by the minds of men to describe such mystical experiences. Whatever the belief, it is ultimately what the name represents that is important.

In the practice of Name Worshiping and praying the Jesus Prayer, there are considered to be three levels of prayer. The first is verbal prayer, and relates to the physical act of speaking the words of a prayer. This relates to the act of invocation is as much as anyone who has the ability to read can pick up a piece of paper or a book with a prayer or invocation and read it.
The second form of prayer is prayer of the mind. This always follows the prayer of the mouth, and is the prayer within the mind. Some authors attribute this step as purely mental, but in my experience they can and do very much overlap. This is sort of the bridge between the act of invocation and the energy actually invoked. Being that this step relates to the mind, it is of great importance to actually have in mind the proper imagery, essence, and attributes that are attributed to what is invoked. For example, it is of little use to an invocation of Kether to be in the practice of repeating and intoning various names and recitations if the mind is entirely fixated on something entirely material. What you you fill your mind with is what you will attract. The words and symbols, while some do have an inherent power, serve more as an anchor upon which to focus the consciousness.
The third state is called the prayer of the heart. In the third state the presence of God is experienced, in what we would certainly call a mystical experience. Neither of the steps can be cheated to get to, and take time and personal development to truly attain, with particular emphasis on the third level. This level of prayer or invocation is the goal of any such work, to experience the presence of God, or to experience the object of invocation. More testing is necessary at this point, in addition to the testing performed at the mental stage.

It is important at both stages to know the background and well accepted attributes of any given force. This is of particular importance to a student who is still learning what these forces are. Without the proper guidance, it is certainly possible to mishmash understanding and end up more confused than when one started. It would be likened to a child learning all the wrong names for the crayons they are working with. I believe it to be a great deal more problematic that this when we are dealing with self knowledge and knowledge of hidden forces, but I think the child and crayons makes for a good metaphor.

As a reference, here is the Jesus Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner
Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, Miserere Mei Peccatoris

As you can pretty quickly see, the prayer is a summary of the entire Christian Theology. The Christogram above is an adaptation I made last year of a Romanian Christogram incorporating the Jesus Prayer. I chose Latin, as I gravitate toward Latin and English for prayer.

While the source of this prayer and its structure are of Christian descent, I hope that our non-Christian readers can find use of the same process for use in their own belief system and practices.

New Website for the Temple of Ptah

2010-01-19T23:42:00.001-08:00

I recently completed the new website for the Temple of Ptah, located in Chicago. If you have a minute, give it a look. In simple terms, Ptah is the Egyptian god that is patron to artists, craftsman, and other creative avenues. He is said to have created the earth on a potters wheel. I decided to incorporate more universal symbolism of Ptah, the Creative aspect of the Divine, in this website. I hope you like it.

TemplePtah.org

Osiris Slain and Risen - Jesus Christ Crucified and Ressurected - Symbols of Healers and Healing

2010-01-10T22:47:00.000-08:00

Review with me, if you will, the stories of the life, death, and resurrection of figures such as the Egyptian Osiris and Jesus Christ. Let us look at these figures in the context of them being not only spiritual powers which we may call upon, and even invoke, but also as living symbols in their own right. Recall the adage that by names and symbols are all powers awakened and reawakened. This statement is not limited to symbols drawn on parchment by any means.

The life of Osiris may be looked up and studied by the reader if they are interested; there are many online resources that can give you a decent background into both their lives. What I'd like to focus on instead of the virtuous lives of these two men is rather how their lives are inspiring symbols of the greatest healing possible. Their life, death, and resurrection can arguably be the epitome of healing. Further, they represent the greatest good of an order such as our own.

In the story of Osiris, we have a jealous brother who is generally considered by many to be a symbol of evil: Set. More important than a personification of evil though is that Set represents the barrenness of life, and is more universally agreeable as a personification of the desert. Set took the life of Osiris, who was a god of agriculture before his death, and arguably therefore a god of life. Upon his death, his closest family - the most commonly cited gods are Isis, Nephthys, and Anubis - came to restore his life. I'll repeat this because it is so important to the point of this blog: they gathered together to restore his life, an act of the greatest healing.

Jesus Christ is another story of the same formula. The difference with the story of Master Jesus however is that while his closest friends and family gathered together to mourn his death and even to prepare and bury his body, it was through his power alone that he attained resurrection. We cannot say for sure the entire role they played in his resurrection.

In both stories, there was a gathering of men and women that much resembles any healing need expressed to the members of our Rosicrucian order. When a person is sick and in need of healing in our order, members around the world gather and focus healing energy to aid in the healing process. This is not merely limited to healing individuals within our order, but it is certainly a major benefit to being a member.

I have seen some amazing healing within our order, even upon my own body. The power to heal is within each and every one of us. The power to heal of an order such as ours is far more powerful than any single one of us could do on an individual basis. If I am ever in need of healing, or if there is someone I might know in need, our order is a network of healers whom are always on call to do the work, asking nothing in return. There are times when we have the power to heal ourself, and times when we are in need of help. The power to heal is one of the most important aspects of being on this path.

Scrying the Material Tattwas

2010-01-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of published material on the Tattwas, both in their Eastern origin as well as their manifestation in Western culture. I am going to focus on the Western Tattwas, as they are the most applicable to the Rosicrucian tradition, in their direct relationship with the five classic Greek Elements. For whatever reason, the majority of these texts, if not all, remain in ignorance of the source and origin of these symbols. As a result, any uninformed reader will also be in ignorance of the subtle aspects of the Tattwas.

An example of this would be the misunderstanding of the colors of the Tattwas. In the case of Vayu, all published texts describe it as "blue." Clearly in reading this, a very specific color comes to mind - plain old prismatic blue. However, when taken in context we understand that Vayu relates not only to the element of Air, but the symbolism is taken directly from the literal air - the sky. Both the shape and color are derived from the sky above us. While it isn't wrong in an absolute sense to use a prismatic blue, by looking at this in context, it may be easier to see the color should gravitate toward a sky blue.

The pictorial Tattwas, while they do have their applications, may also be considered as doorways for the mind to understand and connect with the natural forces themselves, thus taking one step closer to the true Tattwa, which the paper or cardboard is but a symbol to represent.

Let us continue with an exercise incorporating the already illustrated example. Where possible, it is helpful to surround oneself with the physical element as the actual focal point of scrying. For the example of scrying Vayu, find a nice quiet place outside on a nice day that has, ideally, a clear view of the sky. The air should be clean and fresh, free of strange odors, so keep this in mind when choosing a place. Perform your choice of preparatory work to get you into a clear state of mind.

Lay on your back and allow your vision to become free of its normal boundaries, and to meld into the circle that is the horizon. You may choose to invoke a spirit guide or Angel that works for you to aid in your work with air. I recommend Raphael or Chassan. When the circle of Vayu is clear in your mind, begin to inhale and exhale the pure clean air, and allow your mind to become cleansed by the experience. Focusing on the breathing will help to tune into the element of air for obvious reasons. At this point become more aware of the element of air within your own being. It helps the mind to lock into this part of your being by imagining the entire body slowly transforming into a gaseous form. Remember while you are tuning this energy that the mind is the same as the element of air, and so we are in other words connecting with our mental body.

Having attained a deep connection with both the external and internal air, you may then proceed to interact and explore the world you have tapped into for as long as you see fit. When you have finished, return to your physical body and to a physical form. It may be of help to meditate upon the Prithivi tattwa. Once you have truly tapped into the element of air in this way, with practice you should be able to recreate the experience without the presence of any symbol, synthetic or natural. This is one of the keys of invocation.

The Role of the Rosicrucian in Society

2010-01-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

The most truly important people in our society lie not at the core of money, or power, or workforce and labor, but at the generation of ideas. Our society and planet is developed by these men and women. They are perhaps dreamers of visionaries, generating the most pure and inspired ideas into our lives, they may be creative minds within the fields of mathematics, art, spirituality and science. What is most common to these folks is the creative genius that lies inside us all, with which they have created a deep and meaningful relationship.

A great degree of these brilliant minds find their home in deep spiritual practices, and often into the arena of the occult and spiritual sciences. What you will find is that to a much greater degree than in a sample of those met outside of an order such as ours is that most people who are on this path of initiation are quite creative in whatever field they specialize in.

This should be no surprise. To delve into the occult is, by definition, a path to becoming aware of the obscure and invisible. To follow this path far enough leads us even to the most obscure aspect of our lives: ourselves. In becoming truly self-aware and following for what the deepest magnetism of higher genius has on course, we are well on our way to living a life of spiritual fulfillment. People that truly connect with their greatest degree of self-knowledge generally have a certain path in life at which they excel to the greatest degree beyond what is currently knowable.

Certain minds like Sir Isaac Newton, Pythagoras, Rene Descartes (btw, have you ever noticed how much he looks like Sean Connery?), Bram Stoker, and S.L. MacGregor Mathers - whom lived as a genius of magical arts - have had such an impact on the world in their own way, and were all heavily immersed into their desired occult and spiritual subject areas.

The role of the occultist in any walk of life is to take that which is obscure and occult and bring it into illumination. They are the ones holding the lamps down the pathway of life that all will follow.

Happy New Year to All

2010-01-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

I think the only New Year's Resolution that may actually work is it to leave each moment to the fullest. Don't wait another moment, don't let another day pass by in waiting to claim the bridles of destiny. Don't wait another week, month, or year. Make each and every moment in your life special and important. To do so is to ride the waves of lucidity, you might say.

To living life to the fullest
God Bless

Veiled Divinity?

2009-12-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Any student of world theology will relatively quickly notice that the general form of God has evolved over time. The most ancient of peoples worshiped the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and the forces of Nature that lay in between. Paying homage to these powers that blessed and troubled mankind was believed to provide them with greater prosperity.

We see over time these forces of Nature began to take on human personification. Let us take for example, as it is most universal to all civilization, the Sun. We have in the early civilization the worship of the actual burning star that welcomes us every morning and keeps our planet warm. We then evolve a perception of god that is more personable. We see this typified by the Egyptian Ra and Horus, by the Greek Helios and Apollo. These Gods held dominion over the solar powers, and were also still equated with the Sun itself. However, as religion evolved, further delineation of deities from the specific mundane powers occurred. Osiris, the Slain and Risen one, is solar in nature, but has only indirect relation to the sun though his child Horus. Osiris however relates to the Sun and its power over the cycles of life and death. As you may very well know, Osiris was murdered by his brother Set, and was resurrected by the joint effort of other gods such as Isis, Nephthys, and Anubis. Similarly, the Sun at night in some way dies, and each morning is reborn.

Further into Egyptian history, we see the emergence of an early attempt at monotheism, into a composite god called Amoun-Ra. This god was to be the god of all gods, the source of all beneficent forces of nature, both visible and invisible. The name Amoun itself translated as "hidden" or "concealed," and combined with the power of the visible Sun, would encompass all power seen and unseen. This god was depicted with sometimes complex imagery, but in actuality was without form, a veiled invisible deity.

This then leads into modern religion. The most modern religions are arguably of the line of Abraham: namely Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. With the exception of Jesus Christ, who was both God and Man, there is no official imagery or symbolism of God the Vast one. Some artists at times will depict God the Father in a very old-god fashion very similar to other kingly gods such as Zeus. However, this is only artistic interpretation. God the Vast One is beyond all form, and beyond the created world. To depict the God of Gods in form is to limit that all-powerful entity to material limitations. So, it seems in a sense that humanity's relationship with God is becoming more and more obscure.

So this begs the question, is God veiling himself from us? Or perhaps it is the other way around and we are further removing ourselves from God? I think the answer can be found in the fact that we cannot comprehend something that is not physical in nature with our physical, mundane senses. It is through the lower senses that we may comprehend the lesser mysteries. It is through the development of the higher senses, and the elevation of consciousness out of the material world that we may enter in and become partaker in the greater mysteries of creation. To walk this path is the goal of any Rosicrucian. To understand an entity or force that can have no form or name is to enter into the invisible through the silence of the mind and the ego. Prepare to enter the immeasurable region.

Christians and Christian Symbolism within the Rosicrucian Order and the Golden Dawn

2009-12-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

I have recently begun to notice that there are some people parading around the internet declaring themselves Rocicrucians, yet denying the use of any sort of Christian symbolism. This is peculiar because while the Rosicrucian heritage has inherited much symbolism from such cultures as Eleusis, Egypt, and Somothrace, etc., it has always been centered in Christian symbolism. Such a stance of straying away from any Christian symbolism is out of ignorance of the Rosicrucian tradition.

The motto of the founder of the Rosicrucian order, Frater C.R.C., was "Christian Rosenkreutz," which translates to "Christ of the Rose and Cross." The Rosicrucian order, named after its founder C.R.C. is appropriately an allusion to the symbolism of Jesus Christ, the redeemer. As such, Christian symbolism including Jesus Christ, the Crucifix, Mary, the Holy Spirit, as well as more occult and obscure Christian symbolism are all employed in Rosicrucian work.

It is important to point out that while Christian symbolism is prevalent within the Rosicrucian Order, being Christian is not a requirement. It is no more a requirement to be Christian in the Rosicrucian Order than it is to be non-Christian in the outer outer of the Golden Dawn, which focuses heavily on other symbolism.

There are people of multifarious backgrounds that walk the path initiation within the Golden Dawn. I have had students with various religious beliefs such as Christian, Jewish, Muslim Wiccan, and other pagan backgrounds. I have known some pagan initiates that dreaded Christian symbolism, as well as Christians who have been fearful of more pagan symbolism. Neither perspective is healthy for this path, and it is part of the work of such initiates to overcome their fears of other religions which society has placed upon them.

So a note to those calling themselves Rosicrucians: Christians and Christian symbolism not only have their place within the scope of the Golden Dawn and the Rosicrucian Order, they have both always been there.As it was written upon the tomb of Christian Rosencreutz:

Yeshua Mihi Omnia. "Jesus is All Things to Me."

Merry Christmas to all!

Winter Solstice - The Mysteries of Isis and Osiris - Jesus and Mary

2009-12-21T21:08:00.000-08:00

Winter Solstice is the darkest day of the year. This day marks the Sun in its greatest depression below the equator. People tend to turn indoors and further inward toward introspective tendencies. Typically many focus more on their spirituality during this dark and cold time of the year.

In addition to this being the darkest day of the year, it is important to also keep in mind that as it cannot get any darker this day also marks the beginning of the sun in its increase. It may be very well because of the symbolism of the increase of the light that this day marks that so many spiritual avatars have been said to have been born on or around this date. Jesus Christ is one such important figure.

In correspondence to other pantheons, the Master Jesus is typically related to Solar deities. The symbolic nature of such figures as Jesus and the Egyptian Osiris is a reflection of the mysteries of the Sun. The sun, in a sense, dies every night and every morning is reborn. Similarly, both Jesus Christ and Osiris alike died very painful deaths and arose from the dead, slain and risen. In both Egyptian and Christian spiritual traditions, these figures are considered the masters of life and death. Each portion of this concept of birth, death, and resurrection is of such importance that to ignore any portion is to have an incomplete formula. As Christ was symbolically born on the Winter Solstice, this date is of great importance to Rosicrucians.

All life begins with birth. We generally assign birth to the Egyptian Isis as well as to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Mater Christi. So at this time of year we give special special importance to the Divine Mother, in the form of Isis, Mary, and the Shekinah. In either case both Mary and Isis were very special women. Isis was originally the Goddess of Magic in Egypt, and as time went on she became the central feminine deity of Egypt, what we could call the Divine Mother. Similarly the Virgin Mary was of the royal lineage of David, and became the Mother of God, the Mother of Magister Jesus, Deus et Homo.

This season pay homage to the Divine Mother in whatever way suits your personal spiritual beliefs and lifestyle. Offer prayers to the one Mother we all share, for it is through her life that we are given life.

Painting credit:
The Virgin of the Lilies - William Bouguereau

Always Call on the Highest Divine Force

2009-12-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

In all workings we are called as Rosicrucians to always first invoke the Highest Divine Force. There is an intricate system of celestial hierarchy begin with the most Divine, then to the Angelic, as far down as earthly spirits. Invoking the Divine and Angelic essence is essential to the success of any work.

So in the Name of the Lord of the Universe, Who works in Silence, and in Whom naught but Silence can express, do I open this blog for the expression of the one idea. May this blog be a place where the one truth may be expressed.