Stretching the Cord.

For my new home, I decided to do a ritual to make a protective boundary. The rite involves using, a cord, campohor tablets and the Goddess Seshat.

The Goddess Seshat
Seshat, one of my matrons, is the Egyptian goddess of measurement, architecture, writing and engineering. She was a normal human. She was deified by her culture, much like the Catholics apply sainthood to various people. Seshat is known as the first female scribe. She is the consort of Thoth and the sister of Maat. I made the introductions with her by using Maat as an interface and paid Seshat the necessary offerings and respect. I like introducing myself to deities in this manner. I guess because I see my workings with the gods and goddesses as a kinda professional networking. You're more likely to access and utilize potential resources if you go through the proper channels and manners.
 

I have always related to her, well... because she was a scribe and a kind of engineer, like me. Her job was to lay out the foundations of the temples after big floods. The tool she used was a simple cord. in the "stretching the cord" ritual. The cord was used to insure proper alignment and precision of measurement of the temple foundations.   Seshat always worked closely with the Pharoah and she was highly trusted and respected. . Her job was also to keep detailed records of Pharoah's time on earth so IMHO, she has very Saturn-like qualities. The goddess is shown here recording on a palm stem and she has a 7 pointed star above her head:

The Goddess Seshat

It seems almost poignant that I am doing this ritual since during my endeavors, the biggest obstacle was water, time and Saturn and like Seshat, I am now laying down new foundations after the flood, for my new home and temple. As an aside, I think it's a good practice to see these analogies in so-called myths.

Camphor
Camphor is an interesting substance, in that, it sublimates at ambient temperature and pressure. Not many substances sublimates at ambient temperature and pressure, or about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or the range from 68 to 77) and 14.7 psi (atmospheric pressure).  I felt this was a good means to provide both a purification and consecration because my neighbors and landlord would probably not appreciate a dousing of water and burning of incense at the cornerstones of my home.... Besides, I do have to keep these thing discrete and the camphor provides an extra dose of protection.

The Cord
Seshat would utilize a "cord" or string to establish the boundaries of temple after the flood.  After some thought, I figured out why she used a single cord. Seshat was determining the diameter of a circle, which she could then affix the sacred and physical boundaries of the temple circle or the base of a pyramid. The circumference of a circle can be easily found with the following equation:

This gave me a convenient and practical method to determine where I needed to set my boundaries astrally and physically within the odd shaped of the property I live in. I feel it will also provide some extra "oomph" as far as the sacred geometry because it not only utilizes and ancient practice of mathematics, but also utilizes the sacred universal number of "Pi"

I still need to work out some other things, which I will post here... but I think I have a really great basis for a nice ritual.

QED

I am BACK!!

After a long hiatus, I am back. If you do not follow me as a friend in social media, I have been through a LOT this passed year or so.

My industry went through an economic downturn so I had to change my industry from environmental to biomedical. It took a long time to find work in my given profession as an engineer since I spent so much time in the other industry. I now manufacture medical devices, instead of the environmental work I loved. I love my new profession though, and like the environmental engineering, I find the industry to be noble and fulfilling.

As a result of the downturn, we found ourselves without a permanent home for several months. It was quite an adventure... living place to place but fortunately we WERE able to find a permanent home.Our temporary places included an artists' hotel a block away from the Walk of Fame, a Bohemian NY brick style building steps from Venice Beach, a party house bachelor home, a suburban home surrounded by other homes with lots of dogs, a fortune teller's cottage in Topanga Canyon, a huge cabin with a giant loft and wrap-around outdoor kitchen. The cabin was my personal favorite because the place was surrounded by tree sentinels with fairies and gnomes.

My Jupiter Angel is a blossoming young woman now, a beautiful teenager. I feel the need to obtain both a gun license and my black belt to ward off young suitors (LOL). Between eye-rolling and bouts of moodiness, I still try to impart my knowledge and understanding of the magick. I am guessing she will not appreciate my free adept mentoring until she is quite older. She still displays the gifts of a magickal person, that is,  Divine Insight and intuition.  I encourage her to use her gifts and do the things necessary to protect herself as a magickal person. Raising a teenager as a single parent is hard though and sometimes, I just want to ship her off back to childhood or put a magickal bubble around her. I CAN put a magickal bubble around her but I WON'T. I can put spells around her to make her have more friends or popularity, but WHY? One thing I have learned over this year long adventure is that the struggles and obstacles we encounter makes us MORE magickal. Its that old adage, "If it doesn't kill you...."

My magick continues, though without a permanent home previously, it was difficult. I had to be really innovative with personal ritual space and liberal with astral workings. I still do my regular monthly rituals and/or initiations with my group. I have learned a lot, Worked hard and can wear all the badges of my tradition with pride. I am thankful that my group and tradition postpones the handiwork until one has obtained a certain grade to begin working on tools and accouterments. As planned before I attained a certain grade, I still plan to branch out to other traditions. I still have not figured out which one(s), most likely the Iseum and/or Gnostic traditions.I also hope to get my naked ass on an altar some day (LOL). I still have interests in some Wiccan and Druid rituals but the SoCal scene is simply not my thing. My home will always be with my beloved Tribe for those rituals with my good friends, such as Davin McLugh.

As for my Jupiter Exaltation Work, that endeavour is very much still a "Work In Progress". I still do regular rites to Zeus but the Work has taken a different tone. Jupiter's exaltation is Cancer so now that I am beyond the focus of "growth and expansion" in my Life, it is now time to give the loving nurture, insight and protectiveness of Cancer.

Jupiter Exaltation Work, Part 2

In case you missed Jupiter Exaltation Work, Part 1, click here


NATURE VERSUS NURTURE

I am assuming most everyone who reads this blog has the same intent, to evoke change through magickal activities. Of course, the degree, effort and actual practice may differ from person to person... but fundamentally, we have adopted various practices to make something better and change situations.

Over the course of my magickal career, I have had moments of pure skepticism:

"Oh, its easy to stay bright and sunny when you're Luna Big Bare Bottom White-Lighter and just ignore the insanity and oppressiveness of the world... and we shall all get white-light blinded by the warm fuzzy bunnies scampering about... pitter-patter"

The reason for my skepticism has always been based within the nature versus nurture argument. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the terms, it applies to one's own personal destiny. Are we destined to be born, live and die in some predetermined fashion or do we have control over our fate? What makes us common, everyday, mundane humans and what makes us individuals? Can we change our own "nature", or can we "nurture" it into something different?

In popular culture, if you're familiar with the movie Forrest Gump than you already have some understanding of "Nature versus Nurture". How else would the village idiot (Gump) become a celebrated war hero and successful wealthy entrepreneur if his nature wasn't nurtured to be something greater? Or can we argue that Gump was predestined to be a great man, despite his circumstances, using  the proof that he was always at the right place and at the right time?

In Greek mythology, destiny is represented by the three goddesses, the Fates (Moirai): Clotho, Lachesis and Atropus. The three deities are said to be born of Themis (Greek form of Maat) and Zeus and they control the birth, life and death. The Fates have also been reputed to be the daughters of the Goddess of the Night, Nyx. The Fates control the thread of life. Clotho or the "Spinner" creates the thread of life. Lachesis, the Allotter (or the drawer of lots), measures the amount of Life and finally, Atropus, the Inevitable, cuts the thread of Life, signifying Death.  The Fates control the fate of all humans, and deities.

The Three Fates

Should we just accept the determination of the Fates, who are describe as the Will of the Gods and who have Dominion over the Gods?

This notion of a predestined path or an inescapable destiny became particularly significant when I began my Jupiter work, especially since, the Fates control even the destiny of  their reputed father, Zeus (Jupiter). I asked myself,

"How do I change my Nature if my Life has already been predetermined? Why even bother doing the magick endeavours if I cannot change the situation? Even the great Zeus (Jupiter) had no control over his own Fate!!!"

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF JUPITER

Discussion in the upcoming article, Part 3

Jupiter Exaltation Work, Part I

 PROLOGUE

Over the last several months, Life has been difficult and trying. I am accepting of this way of life and it is my path because I know, that out of Strife comes great things. It's that old adage, "if it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger". I am in a better location now and I do not have to constantly deal with the battle field, that WAS my life but material prosperity has been very ellusive. Go figure.

On a side note (and soon to be shown as a significant note), I made the realization that if you purify and consecrate your home on a regular basis, make sure you do the reverse circumambulation through your home afterwards.  Personally, I am finding that the intent of circumambulation is to bring in the higher aspirations of the Divine through cleansing  but you gotta bring that back down into the material plane. In my eclectic Wiccan training, I was told to just do the cleansing in one direction (three times) but if you think about the exercise in a Middle Pillar perspective, you really should circulate that energy in a reverse fashion for it to be complete. Not to say that the aforementioned routine is incorrect for some, it's just that I believe that if you do certain practices on a regular basis, like circumambulation or the Middle Pillar exercise, those practices settle into your being and consistency is the key. Those practices imprint themselves on to your Body of Light, sorta like a drop of water.

A Drop of Water

JUPITER IS EXALTED IN CANCER

I have been a Priestess of Jupiter for a good three years now with regular devotion and work to Jove, Zeus and the Jupiter planetary energies, which is based on and inspired by Rufus Opus' works. The ritual uses the Orphic Hymn to Jove as the invocation. For about a year, I was doing rites weekly and thereafter, about 2-3 times per month. My regular commitment is at least once per month. About a year ago, I was inspired by Austin Coppock to do some work and research into the exaltation of the planetary energies, which can be found in the table below:

Since I was already accustomed to the various modes and energy of Jupiter with my previous  two years' work, I decided to expand upon my jupiterean work by exploring its exaltation. Jupiter is exalted in Cancer.


THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD


Since I am an engineer, by day. I decided to do my research by using the scientific method. Though magickal work is metaphysical in nature, the process still can be applied. The scientific method is simply a means to investigate phenomena or to gain a body of knowledge and therefore, with that perspective, can be used for all human experiences. Is it any wonder that some of the greatest philosophers were also scientific people?

School of Athens by Raphael

If you remember back in sixth grade, the scientific method can be loosely described as a series of steps: question, hypothesis, experiment, observation, record results (data), analyze and conclusion.

The process also calls for what is called "scientific controls", which limits the amount of variables, which could effect the results. The idea is to keep certain things at a constant, such as temperature, pressure or time of day so the analysis does not have to consider these variables as possibly changing the experiment and data.

Controlling variables is not an easy thing in the laboratory, even more difficult in the context of life and metaphysics.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE

  Discussion in the upcoming article

QED

Walking Through A Fun House

Recently, we observed two astrological phenomena, a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. I was playing under the light of the moon as a High Priestess during the lunar eclipse but I missed the solar eclipse because a deep depression has settled into my spirit and has left me contemplative, a darkness that I think is very healthy for us all to go through from time to time. I did catch the sun eclipse images on the Internet though. Jupiter Angel told me it was really cool. She was surprised when I told her I didn't watch it.

The eclipses were significant in my contemplation because my depression has made me cognizant how blinding "Light" can be when stared at too long in duration or when one is in close proximity. 
The eclipses also reminded me how, as magicians, we seek an inner "Light" or "enlightenment" as we work through our own inner darkness. Light is also really good at fooling you, especially if you are too trusting of your own perceptions and expectations.

Now, you see it...Now, you don't

My deep depression came about when one of my loved ones did not sense the deep Love and awe I was feeling and instead had an expectation of negativity, despite their training intellectually, magically and their God-given gift as an empath. I asked myself, "How could they have been so blind?" The event caused me to question my relationships and the very notions of my own intellectual abilities, magickal training and sensitivity. If someone so gifted cannot see, how can I expect to see? Why even do the Work if our propensity is to error?

When you're a sensitive person, the energies you sense from your surroundings can sometimes seem like walking through an LSD-effected carnival fun house. The images you see and the senses you feel are a warped representation of the real world, scary and surreal. Some magicians I know, have no psychic abilities whatsoever, or the abilities only manifest when they are doing a working, like a Tarot reading or a ritual. The Work can also increase or magnify our sensitivities, both negative and positive.

Are those teeth or Yods?

As an aside, I believe that is why it is so important to develop and learn the symbol sets required for our Work. It gives us a common "language" for us to communicate and understand other realms, different time periods or other forces. Like the light of all distant stars, certain phenomena has specific recognizable frequencies or modulations, that can be identifiable by the trained observer.
If you take the leap of faith and believe that we are all just composed of the particles of the cosmos,  the analogy between the directly observable of the stars and the inner quest of our own True Will is not too far reaching.


Some very talented and experienced magicians I know have led a tortured existence and it's no wonder that they have chosen the Path of Magick to empower themselves. They have felt true pain, loss and heartache. My heart sees them, they struggle through life and their clumsiness is the same as my own. They do the ritual to their deities to make themselves stronger in a particular area, for example, communication. They create their own kind of drug-induced Disneyland. They say their Hymns to Hermes, invoke Thoth through Israfel and Whatever Rite of Lord God of Tongue and the Spirit gives them exactly what they ask for. They learn exactly what it means to have sharpness in tongue and the true power of their words. Some say, the bullied become bullys themselves. Like the swing of the pendulum, in order for one to achieve balance, a state of inertia, the pendulum must swing in the opposite direction

"Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right, is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates." — The Kybalion.

This deep depression has given me a sense similar to a very specific CM motion, the Sign of Silence (SOS) or the Sign of Har-Par-Krat. A Frater describe the motion as, "Be Still":

Be Still!

The SOS is a motion imploring for the absence of sound or ceasing of activity. The sign is analogous to punctuation; a proverbial, ritual or kinesthetic, exclamation point. The sign also serves as impervious barrier. Har-Par-Krat is not merely the absence of sound. The allusion of the motion is also to cease a wild and potentially problematic pendulum swing.

During this personal SOS, I have been able to step back away from my previous situation and assess the situation, without the poison from my own perspectives and expectations or the toxins from other people's emotional pollution. It has allowed me to hear that small voice inside, that cannot be heard over the din of my mind and my feelings. Then, the eclipse happened and I remembered something crucial I learned in college.

The Sun bends Light from the Stars

Einstein and Newton both have theories about the deflection of Light. In Newtonian physics, deflection of light is caused by gravity, the force of the Sun's gravity attracting the rays of light from the stars. In Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the light deflection is cause by a deformation of both space and time caused by the mass, not an attraction. The deflection in both cases are very slight, but measurable. 

SpaceTime Curvature

This notion was exactly what my engineer's brain needed to wrap itself around what it meant to be "human", to be riddled with error. As we bring in the Light within ourselves, the Gnosis imprints itself on to our very existence, warping our reality and our sense of time and space. The change is inevitable and expected. It is like my latest epiphany during Easter when I realized that the Eucharist was not about blood, gore and sacrifice, but about taking the knowledge and understanding of the mysteries so much that we become a manifestation of the Truth itself. We become the source of the Light. We have to first face our fears and acknowledge the negativity, which is actually a deflection or change. We have to understand how the Light behaves in the Darkness of ourselves and how we initially perceive that Light so that we may understand the source and environment itself.

Like the pendulum, our propensity is to swing wildly in the opposite direction upon invocation of the "Force" of the Light, to achieve a sense of inertia. The swing is very painful.

There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” ― C.G. Jung

 Without any training of meditation, contemplation and prayer, that is the embodiment of the SOS, our lives begin to become uncontrollable and we lose the ability to "Be Still". Frater RA alluded to the idea that , Karma is an increasing propensity to be aware of something. IMO, as we continue to overcompensate and try to fight the lessons of the Darkness, the lessons continue to appear.

I think Einstein was channeling Har-Par-Krat when he made the following statement:

“If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x, y is play, and z is keeping your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein

My point is this, if you life is shifting wildly out of control and some things do not make sense, give the situation and yourself, the SOS. Then, you may be able to understand and perceive the true source of the light.

The magician will always keep silent with respect to his way, rise and success. The silence grants the highest powers and the more this commandment is obeyed, the more easily accessible will these powers be.   -Franz Bardon,  Initiation Into Hermetics

QED

Dedication

Easter at Ecclesia Gnostica

For Easter this year, I wanted to make it a good one. The first and foremost meaning of Easter to me always has been resurrection and since my life has felt like one big resurrection of myself, I felt it appropriate to acknowledge and celebrate the holiday, given the energy in the air.

I really wanted to go to mass this year and since I am located in the Los Angeles area now, the choices for rituals are more abundant. Every now and then I like to honor my Christian roots, specifically Catholic. I think I am one of the few pagans that has had and still has a positive experience with Christianity. I decided to go to the Ecclesia Gnostica in Glendale, CA where I was fortunate to behold the very Holy and magickal Bishop Stephan Hoeller.

His mass was an absolute beauty to behold and I found myself weeping at times and sometimes holding back great big sobs so as not to make a spectacle of myself in front of Bishop, parishioners, church and God. It was truly touching. Before my eyes, I saw the Holy Spirit being invoked and great choirs of angels filled the low-lying ceiling to the point I could not see the ceiling beams and only points of light as if I was staring into the night sky itself.  I humbly and gratefully partook of the Eucharist, my first in decades from a Christian church. (As an aside, for a moment I was concerned because I had not done Confession before the Eucharist, which is expected in the Roman Catholic church. I was quickly comforted with a soft voice, saying, "Its OK, just do it")

It was there that a piece of my own Gnosis came to fruition. I used to think that the Eucharist was about sacrifice, that Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. But as I sat in that ritual, I remembered my Catholic Confirmation and the Stations of the Cross. I learned the stations from the Father and the many times I saw the depictions painted on the walls of the church. The images floated in my mind's eyes and I saw my own life's struggles. I let that little wafer soaked in wine dissolve slowly on my tongue, as I was taught when I was a child and I allowed both the effigy and the story it represented become one with me. Then, I realized the Eucharist was not solely about sacrifice. It is about taking in the wisdom and knowledge of the mysteries, regardless of what tradition, within ourselves to the point where we become an embodiment of the Truth that the mysteries convey.

It was not all the blood and gore that I used to fear when I was a child... taking the "Body and Blood" of Christ. It was not meant to be literal. The message is to take on the force and form of the Gnosis, with the body being a metaphor for form and the blood being a metaphor for force.

I was pleasantly surprised when Bishop Hoeller began to speak about the very thoughts from my epiphany and added that if Christians do not begin to stop taking these ideas so literally, it would mean great loss of faith, or even death itself.

The rite left me contemplative, like no other mass or ritual has done. It has taken me this long to actually write about it.

QED

Conjuring Codependence

"There is no part of me that is not of the Gods!"

For those of you who have never experienced a Gnostic Mass put on by the Ordo Templi Orientes, the above phrase is the statement you make after taking communion. The phrase made me wonder at first, because I always have a hard time with double negatives...

Why isn't it stated: "All of me is of the Gods!"

One thing that has also been lingering on my mind is also the idea of manifestation. I think that manifestation is already easy for some people. If I was Sir Richard Branson, it would be easy to conjure up my own private island complete with castle:

Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

I think some people already have the resources available to them to become successful, powerful and wealthy and therefore have the means to "manifest". If you're heterosexual blond and blue-eyed male born to an affluent family, you can expect success, stability and fortune. I can attest to this fact by the number of blond blue-eyed males in my engineering classes in college. Even the ratio of women to men was relatively low compared to the regular population. Whenever people purport their ability to manifest certain things, I always wonder how much Will or magick did they really put into it? I wonder what the actual change was from the baseline. What was the difference?  Did the change involve any internal work?  In my current state, I am having to put a lot of work finding a new home with certain requirements. If, all of the sudden, I manifest a castle on an island, then I can claim success of manifestation, a LOT of magick. (Note: Branson purchased his island getaway at age 28, six years after beginning Virgin Galactic. Now, doesn't THAT make you feel like an underachiever?? LOLOL)

In mathematics, the difference or the change is denoted by the symbol Delta:



Upper Case and Lower Case Delta

 

 



The distinction between upper case Delta and lower case delta is the relative change or difference. Upper case Delta represents a macroscopic change (with respect to time, 'wrt') and lower case Delta represents an infinitesimal change (wrt). It's interesting to note the symbol for a macroscopic change is an upwards pointing isosceles triangle, a very stable figure, which alludes to the idea that the larger or more macroscopic the change is with respect to time, the more stable and lasting the change. Whereas, the lower case Delta is a flowing and more volatile form. Magick is stronger, more stable and more productive when the change coincides with a change within the magician. You are able to manifest Divine because the divine is already manifested within yourself. Great strength, wisdom and experience is developed from overcoming struggles and issues. You get out, as much as you put into it.

Infinitesimal change, which is represented by the lower case Delta, is like some of the magick I see in the fluffy bunny culture: get a little incense or potion, say a few words, conjure up a spirit or deity and "POOF"...your life is changed. Some people have success with this magick (I hesitate using the word, "magick") but it doesn't incorporate a well-defined intent or forethought. It's interesting to note that many lottery winners end up losing their fortunes because they simply cannot manage it. It's the same with certain magickal endeavours. A small modification of environment or slight change of perception, that is, an infinitesimal change, will produce only a fleeting result... like the curvature of small Delta.

As an aside,when working with Jupiter, I always caution people that success and wealth can also be the picture of stress, overwhelm and excess. The deadly sin in the context of Jupiter is gluttony (excess)? It's no wonder that the Orphic Hymn to Jupiter ends with the line, "...give blameless health, with Peace Divine and necessary wealth"

So let's get back to the idea of "there's no part of me that is not of the Gods" and the idea of conjuring codependency. IMO, one of the main differences between monotheism and polytheism is that polytheism tends to associate their deities with very human-like characteristics. It's that whole idea of "As above, so below.." The Gods also display sloth, gluttony, anger, pride, lust, avarice and envy. These attributes tend to be enhanced during deity summoning. The lesson continues to re-occur until resolution, reconciliation or redemption. It may not be the best definition but here is the definition of codependency according to Wikipedia:

Codependency is defined as a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition (typically narcissism or drug addiction); and in broader terms, it refers to the dependence on the needs of, or control of, another. It also often involves placing a lower priority on one's own needs, while being excessively preoccupied with the needs of others. Codependency can occur in any type of relationship, including family, work, friendship, and also romantic, peer or community relationships. Codependency may also be characterized by denial, low self-esteem, excessive compliance, or control patterns. Narcissists are considered to be natural magnets for the codependent.

...so, let me see here? Do we have any deities that have a "pathological conditions", such as pride (therefore a form of narcissism) or addiction (therefore of gluttony) and are there magicians that may be affected with low self-esteem, denial and excessive compliance? I believe a considerable amount of people try magick to empower themselves but they don't realize the real power is not within the deities, tools or the other magickal items. They become dependent upon these things: the deity becomes the focus of their energy, the blade becomes their comforting warm blanket and the incense becomes a means to drown out the world around them. They may step into the shoes and gowns of the goddess but only for a bit and the process is very much like a toddler playing dress-up with mommy's clothes and makeup, very coy but sophomoric at its best.

Playing Dress-up

 

 

My point for this post is to make My Dear Readers cognizant that some people's claim of "manifestation" success may be simply attributed to their background. It's easy to get a job if you're part of the "good ole boys" network and to have stability if you stay at the same mundane boring job for decades. No great changes, and therefore magick,  have occurred in some people's lives relative to the baseline of the affluent life they were born into. Like the Birthday Party Magician, he pulls the rabbit out of the hat, not from thin air, but from a hidden compartment.

 

Birthday Party Magician pulls the rabbit out his hat.

The real magician is the person who has experienced the Path of the Fool. The One who has traveled a road of unknown with little resources and has experienced a definitive change of consciousness.  The Fool has stepped off the Cliff of Stability, Fortune and Comfort to begin his/her own Life, not from a conjured codependence but a world of great independent macroscopic internal and followed by external change.

Rider Waite Fool Card

 

QED