#ceremonial magick

[maeviuslynn]

A discussion with Dr. Justin Sledge around Aleister Crowley's Enochian work the Vision and the Voice as well as my own personal work with Enochian magick.

[ceremonialmagick]

The Warburg library and its massive occult book collection is now open to the public! It is the home of Lady Frieda Harris´ Thoth Tarot paintings and other artwork related to Aleister Crowley and the Golden Dawn.

[sororalice]

On The Blessedness Of Reaching Out To The Dead

A homily for Samhain on October 31, 2024.

Dearly Beloved,

A very blessed Samhain to those in the Northern Hemisphere and a very blessed Beltane to those in the Southern Hemisphere! I pray that all of you are blessed and comforted as the Wheel Of The Year continues to turn!

In my home, we are honoring our dead, our Beloved Ancestors, Mighty Dead, and Blessed Saints. As we move towards the dark of the year, we take this moment to reach out to all of those who have come before us, those dead to whom we owe our honor, respect, and love.

I often meet this time of year with mixed feelings, because while I wish to celebrate our dead, I am also reminded of my own feelings of sadness and loss. Death has brought too many missed opportunities for me, too many lost moments, and too many people cut down far too young. So I weep a little bit, even as I celebrate the holiday. But this is only to be expected…it is natural to feel sad about those whom we have lost. It is natural to mourn. But it is also natural to cherish our lost and to celebrate and honor those who have come before us. Thus I am moved on this high holiday to speak of those honored ones, those beloved ones, those who have journeyed off to what some traditions call the Isle Of Apples, mystic Avalon, Hades, or simply the Underworld.

So let Charon sound His dread horn and let us speak of reaching out to the dead.

Magick, throughout its history, has had an intimate relationship with the dead. Some of the most famous mages of ancient myth, such as the famed Witch Of Endor spoken of in the “First Book Of Samuel”, worked with spirits of the dead, and the Greek poet Homer, whose epic poems were considered divinely inspired by many ancient Greeks, includes an act of necromancy in Book 11 of “The Odyssey”. Clearly, the magick of working with the dead is ancient.

But many times when modern pagans are working with the spirits of the dead, we lack the pragmatism of those ancient necromancers. As is implied by the name, necromancy is the art of divination by means of communication with the spirits of the dead, and while Samhain is definitely a fine time for divination, I know that when I take my journey into that in-between place that lets us communicate with the dead, I am not trying to divine anything. Instead, I merely want to spend time with my beloveds. I call my father, my grandparents, and even my fallen cats. I sit with them in the candlelight of my temple, as the smoke of the incense drifts between our world and the worlds beyond. Sometimes we talk. More often we are silent and simply keep each other company in the dark. Sometimes that’s all love needs, especially among family.

But there is another sort of spirit I also wish to discuss and honor here. Over the last couple of weeks the Mighty Dead and Blessed Saints, those mages and mystics who have died and live on as mighty spirits who may become our allies in the Work, have been making their presence known to me. Jake Stratton-Kent, one of the mages most responsible for the recent revivification of the Grimoire Tradition, has come up in conversation by “chance” no less than six times with six different individuals over the period of four days at the time of this writing. Jerry Cornelius, the leader of an important lineage of the A.’.A.’., has come up just as frequently. Copper Persephone, an important teacher and priestess in the Reclaiming Tradition, has also come up again and again. And of course, for me there is always my father, Anthony “Dragon” Spurlock, witch, artist, and musician, who casts a long shadow over my life. These Mighty Dead are always with us, but in this moment, this special moment where our worlds are as close as they ever get, they are especially with us, reaching out to us, ready to hold our hands and guide us forward as we step forward into the darkest time of the year.

So let us reach out to these spirits in those shadowy places between the worlds, for what happens between the worlds affects all the worlds. Let us go to them or call them to us. Let us tell funny stories around the fire or cry ourselves to sleep in remembrance, as our hearts guide us. Let us sing their names in joy as we celebrate them and whisper their names in sorrow as we mourn them. Let us hold them all in our hearts on this, their special day. Let us lift them up in song and honor them in memory.

Let us reach out to the dead.

Happy Samhain.

In love,

Soror Alice

Art: Odilon Redon, “Apparition”, (~1910)

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Cincinnati Journal Of Ceremonial Magick, Vol.1, No.1, Conquering Child Pub. Co., 1976

[grey-sorcery]

Title: Witchcraft Survey: Gender & Historical Practice

This survey is a sociopolitical study on the effects of gender identity on the modern practice of archaic magic & mystacism. The results of this survey will be published in an article titles: "Archaic Witchcraft: Gender in Historical Context." in November 2023.

Requirements:

Be at least 15 years of age

Follow good survey etiquette (Honesty)

Read the entire introduction

Take the survey!

More reblogs = Larger sample size = More accurate results

See my Masterpost

Take other surveys!

[queenofallwitches]

I FEAR NO FIRE

SALAMANDER SPEAKS THROUGH ME

Tuesday morning, past midnight.

I don't fear fire, I fear the people who fear the fire

I'm my own salvation

I am worthy of my goals, dreams and visions of the future

I will manifest all my purpose in life drives me towards pursuing. My soul will find its fire and once more, the ashes begin to pile from the scraps that settled after the last fire.

The entrails of scorched trails torched in the wake of the flame, the flame roaring. Soaring.

The flames devour. Hungry orange flickers of fury.

Glowing red.

Unable to be contained.

Burning. Brazen. Brilliant.

Flickering in mega monolithic shades of sunset and sunrise hues but bound by the inferno of allegories painted in the stories of hellfire and inferno.

Burning, screaming, howling, people in ego, fire comes to pick up possessions and they aimlessly try to kill natures warrior with a garden hose made of plastic.

The human error, the human created hell set upon the place from where it rose. The earth. Now the fire is here to prove to us who know how it is to burn, be burnt alive, life after life, and we rise to excitement and adoration when fire is venerated. We fear not fire, nor nature.

Those who are averting the burn of the fire of self annihilation are those fire follows. If not metaphorical fire, literal fires spark up awakening. If not that, then, only realising how the life is never ending and the soul lives on, could save suffering; instead; they face nothing but shallow soul devoid placating life that is flat. Society is approving, not the self or the soul of self.

Should we know we are infinite sparks, sunlight sustained beings who began from temperature and matter colliding, time immemorial, beings who are souls that fire or any way to die could kill, then we can no longer be afraid. For one thing that we know, is death is the only certainty.

The other we are born to be told anything, but we all share being born into this world as a common human attribute. We all share the end of life in whatever way as the other. Nothing else can be categorised or defined because it splits us and divides us. Nothing can progress until we as humans together, find a way forward. Not in adversity, but harmony.

Only individual humans journey into the soul, to discovery a spark. That spark becomes the only light as we analyse, define and resign to the presence of that burning drive inside.

We realise over time to follow our spark, creates a feeling that gives us light. The shadows from the valley of death we once knew from our dark night of the soul illuminate.

Our life now depends on pursuing that spark, knowing that each time we temper the spark, by ignoring or going against what the spark wills for us to do, we learn the lesson. But when we follow it, we see a beautiful inferno ignite the social worlds we inhabit, people find this passion we speak with, contagious, and from there, they are ignited to journey on the quest to find what give them light.

For some of us, the brightest ones I was told, once, those who burn the brightest, are deliberately hurt the most.

I am mastering the destruction of what was, to the rebuilding of what will be. Learning no matter how many times my lapse into dark valleys of desolate emotionally draining labyrinth forests that I go through.

I seem to ignite a heat, a warmth, a tiny little sparkle.

The scintillating glistening that whispers in the windless night of no light 'I will guide you on your way".

A fairy, a fantasy, a figment of unreality?

The end result begins the art of alchemy.

Igniting a spark, begins a flame, the flame burns to expose a light, a light trail is eyes able to perceive the way out of the unholy forest of decay.

As I find the fire once more to illuminate shadows.

I see clearly as my fire grows to encompass a ball of flame.

In this flame sphere its showing me what was not seen.

to expose things that led to my transient trip, into what tangled vines, a never ending, timeless, cold, dark, desolate, dread ridden devoid of all feelings of hope, help, promise, happiness or love.

Nothing of positive intonation resides with these Cthulhu wispy warping black ink squids drooling.

Sticky, slug slash tentacle, the bottom of the ocean with no light. Days are the same as the plutonian nights of tendrils siphoning infinite squids sucking the dreams from a sleeping brain, as we wake, wrapped in the remnants of a tendril or ten, tight on the brain.

All we can hear is the howling of burning children over millennia, molech, mammon, black matter sacrificial lambs. The time chunks blown in space and time, only perceived by the rifts in the lack of space and time.

The sounds, the silence, the all and nothing. Is what drives the evil stuck here mad.

They would rather be tormented by the black holes blowing parallel worlds apart, won't matter. If you cannot look inside.

I spent years in self reflection.

I had a lapse because of a bad experience with a loser from the america.

Now I move on!

In the end the inferno leads me into my truth, my passion, purpose, prosperity, progress, positive drive and peace all flow in this blaze, burning bright, crackling the desolate vines that wrap alien concepts by the nature of not of this world, burning, bursting and crackling, bubbling into nothing but void. For void is where it was concocted. Void is where it returns.

I dance, in harmony, hallowed kindred soul merging into the ever growing flames that devour the devoid of soul, transyuggothian, beyond time and space and into the infinite nothingness, filling with fires that are contagious.

outrageously sparking by the will of furious dancing witches from burnt ancestral pain who forge another way out.

We fear nothing, no fire, no flame, no water, no wave, no earthquake, no mountain, no wind or thunder or lightning.

For our souls are ashes to embers, embers to inferno, for centuries, so we become one with the earth, the trees and the leaves. Our souls are oak, granite, stone and lava.

Our lives are not easy. But they are here to be ready, ready to roll with nature; not letting the transient cycles be a cause for fear but a collective faith we can see as a spark that drives a new start.

Start from the ashes and watch the world around you burn.

Those who are too, alike to you, will be there dancing around the fire too.

[saganssorcery]

𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Belial

𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Today you may be called to follow a higher calling or receive news that will shake you awake in one way or another. Our past actions are likely to be noticed and we will be judged upon them, if things are going well this could very well represent a promotion of some kind or maybe one your services will be called into action. This could be a sign that we will receive a revelation which allows us to better understand where we stand spiritually or physically and will better attune us to what our true calling really is.

𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗸

“The 68th spirit is called Belial, he is a mighty king and powerfull; he was Created next after Lucifer, & is of his order; he appeareth in ye forme of a Beautiful angel sitting in a Charriot of fire, speaking wth a comly voice, declaring that he fell first & amongst ye worthier & wiser sort wch went before Michael & other heavenly angels; his office is to distribute preferments of senatorships, and to cause favour of friends & foes, he giveth Excellent familiars & governeth 80 Legions of spirits. Note this kink [king] Belial must have offerings sacrafices & gifts presented to him, by ye Exorcist or else he will not give True answares to his demands; But then he Tarryeth [will tarry] not one hour in ye truth except [unless] he be con- strained by devine power & his seal is Thus wch is to be worne as a Lamin, before ye Exorcist &c.”

-Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, The Lesser Key of Solomon, Detailing the Ceremonial Art of Commanding Spirits Both Good and Evil.

-Joseph H. Peterson, Editor.

©️Sagans Sorcery 🔥🖋️

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[occultem]

[stonedwitchery]

Just a reminder that circles are symbols of amplification, not protection. Squares are symbols of protection.

[khaosritual]

[maeviuslynn]

A quick list of astrological correspondences for the Thoth tarot by Phyllis Seckler, The Kabbalah, Magick, and Thelema: Selected Writings Vol. II, ed. David Shoemaker, Gregory Peters, & Rorac Johnson

[knoxvillerose-blog]

How to get started with Kabbalah/Qabalah

As someone who has been student of Kabbalah/Qabalah for most of my life, I thought I would offer some basic suggestions to get your journey started. First, it's a very difficult discipline, no matter where you start, because the teachings are so expansive, all the way from the ancient Merkava Mysticism at the time of the Prophets to the Rosicrucian retelling of this ancient tradition from a more Christian perspective, to a more universal approach now being shared by a variety of religious adherents using the Tree of Life.

If you are Jewish to begin with, then obviously starting with the more traditional works could work very well if you are active in your religion and it's teachings, but for those of us with the Western mindset, the best way to introduce yourself is from a more hermetic perspective.

More specifically, start with the symbol, the Tree of Life.

For the hermeticist, one of the foundational works is 'The Mystical Qabalah' by Dion Fortune, which is jam packed with information, both practical & mystical, but it may be a bit too much for some, because of the amount of information and because of her rather dry writing style. One of the easiest and most accessible works on the Tree of Life I have seen was originally a Barnes & Noble release by WIll Parfitt. Not sure how easy it is to find but it's great for beginners.

If you can't afford a book than start with each of the spheres of the Tree of Life - study each one for about a week with simple searches online. What do various teachers say about Malkuth? Chesed?

If you are an aspiring Ceremonial Magician, 'Modern Magick' by Kraig is still one I recommend, because it's so straightfoward and accessible. It blends the teachings of the Qabalah with the CM tradition ala Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and other organizations like it.

As for the foundational origins of the Tree of Life, if you're a true geek than you must pick up a copy of the 'Sefer Yetzirah' as edited by Aryeh Kaplan. Of all the ancient Hebrew texts on the topic of Kabbalah, this one is one of the most mystical and understandable. It has references to astrology as well, and the oldest extant copies of the texts almost always have magical notes associated. It was designed to create a golem, but as one will see, if you read it, it goes far deeper into the mystical universe than a simple magical operation.

The Tree of Life especially is like a filing cabinet (Dion Fortune analogy) for spiritual concepts and each sphere represents a divine 'arena' of experience. As you learn the basic correspondences of each sphere, and start studying the Tree of Life more broadly, you begin developing deeper spiritual connections between each divine aspect of the Tree. There is Astrology & Tarot associations as well as elemental associations, so if you're a student from either one of those disciplines, that can be very helpful in getting started.

I am going to start offering classes again on this topic and others related to the Kabbalah/Qabalah soon! Below are just a few more images and books that were helpful in my initial training.

[sororalice]

On The Blessedness Of The Compost Heap

A homily for the New Moon on August 4, 2024.

Dearly Beloved,

A very blessed New Moon to all of you! This month we have a very fiery New Moon, with both the Sun and the Moon in the second decanate of Leo, and given this most fixed of elemental Fire, I am moved to speak on the mystery of death and life, I am moved to speak of rot and growth…I am moved to speak upon the warmth of the compost heap.

I must admit that the poet within me comes to the fore in these moments. While I take my pastoral duties very seriously and deeply believe in the value of both the reading and writing of homilies for those living the spiritual life, my topics come from the deep resonances I feel with the changes always occurring within the natural world. I am a pagan through and through and, as such, I see the Divine in the processes and features of nature, Their holy will expressed in literally every particle, every wave, and, yes, in the beauty of the compost heap, in the luscious decay, warmth, and life created within a pile of rotting organic matter. This is what I see when I look at the world, and what I see inspires me endlessly.

Countless living beings, every one of them hungry and eager to express their instincts to live and grow, make their happy home within the compost pile. The heat created by all of this teeming life can build to such an intensity that the pile can begin to smolder and even (rarely) burst into flame. The nutrients created by all of this life can then go on to give rise to even more life in the form of the fruits and vegetables that will go on to nurture humans and other animals.

And all of this amazing life that will give rise to even more amazing life? Every bit of it came from death. It all came from the endings that had to occur so that we could have new beginnings. Every bit of life that exists now can only thrive and grow because other bits of life died. The past dies to make fertile soil for the future.

And this is the secret, the lesson, of the New Moon. Every month we go through the cycle…the Moon grows fat, waxing in light and beauty as our possibilities for that month ripen into actualities. Those possibilities grow and we grow with them, only to reach a crescendo as the Moon grows full. Then the waning of the light begins and we are compelled by our bones and our blood to look within, to the things in our life that have to die and fall away to make fertile soil for the growth of the next cycle.

That is what this moment, the New Moon, is all about. Our old actualities have to fall away so that our new possibilities can take root. Life, like the Moon, is in shadow, hiding away in the dark. But in that shadow grows new possibilities, teeming and warm, thriving in the dark.

We can thrive there, too.

Blessed New Moon.

In love,

Soror Alice

Art: Abraham Mignon, “Still Life With Rotting Fruit And Nuts On A Stone Ledge”, (~1670)

[imagesbyjackaldandy]

Pintura al óleo de Master Therion

Oil painting of Master Therion

[grey-sorcery]