yoga – Between The Pillars

The Grade System of Hermetic Initiation: Part One

September 10, 2022Tagged ceremonial magick, chakras, golden dawn, Grade system, hermetic order of the golden dawn, hermeticism, initiation, kabbalah, magick, Occult, religion, rosicrucian, spiritualism, spirituality, tantra, thelema, witchcraft, yoga5 Comments

Welcome back readers. It has been a while. A lot has happened to me since the last post on Between the Pillars.

First off, I just want to say that the prices of the magickal services have gone up. However, given that my prices are still very low compared to many others, I don’t think it should bother anyone.

Today, I want to write about something we haven’t touched upon yet: the 10 fold grade system of the Hermetic tradition. It is not the only grade system in the occult, nor is it only used in the Hermetic tradition. It has predecessors, as well as successors.

But that doesn’t matter. It’s a system that works, and quite well at that.

I have always insisted that Magick comprises the traditions from every corner of the world, and from every time period. To study only one system is like having only a few of the pieces of a puzzle, and trying to form a whole picture. In the 21st century, why handicap ourselves like that? So, my focus will not just be on Hermeticism or Western Ceremonial magick, but on mysticism and magick in general. But first, some background.

The Spiritual Ascent

What is the Tree of Life? Well, I have a whole book on that, but in summary:

The Tree of Life is a diagram whose modern form originated in the mystical western tradition called Kabbalah. It is based on the visions of ancient Hebrew seers, as they were led to the Throne of God by the Archangel Metatron. It describes the process of creation, wherein the the Divine Monad manifests itself through Ten distinct ’emanations’, called the Sephiroth. It has it’s origins in the ancient cultures of North Africa, the Middle East and Southern Europe, and is similar to the Nordic Yggdrasil or the Hindu Sri-Yantra.

The first emanation is called the Crown (Kether), and the energy from it passes through another eight Sephiroth, until it finally settles down in the Kingdom (Malkuth), which is identified with the material world. It shows the process by which the Universe, and the Individual, and all other things are created and brought into the world. In simple words: it is an archetype.

The fundamental idea in Western magick is that a person seeking enlightenment, or spiritual ascension, or magical power, would ‘climb’ back up the Tree of Life, passing through all the Sephiroth, which are imagined as Gates, ruled by various astrological forces. The person would begin the journey in Malkuth, which is the world of waking consciousness, and slowly make their way to Kether, which is the Source. The Tree of Life is imagined as a ladder.

The most important milestone in this process is called Cross the Abyss, where the aspirant crosses the gap between the lower 7 Sephiroth, and the 3 Higher ones. This gap is called the Abyss (Tehom), and the illusionary Sephiroth there is called Knowledge (Da’at).

This journey, which is imagined as a straight and narrow path, is called Quetesh in Hebrew. It is imagined as the Bow, which shoots an arrow right down the Middle of the Tree of Life.

Another system of ascension is found in the Eastern world, with the system of Chakras and the Kundalini. The Chakras are Seven centres of power which lie along the spinal column of the Individual, and also along the Axis Mundi of the whole Cosmos. The first Chakra is called the Crown (Sahasrara: Thousand Petals), and the last one is called the Root chakra (Muladhara: Essence of the Root).

The Central Pillar is called the Lingam (the Spine/Phallus), and it is masculine and fixed. This masculine force is also at times called Purusha (the Man) or Yogi (Monk). The force which moves upward is called Shakti (Power), and it is feminine and moving. It is also called Devi (the Lady).

The idea is that the Chakras represent stages of consciousness, with Highest Chakra represents the Divine principle, while the lowest Chakra represents the waking reality. The spiritual aspirant moves their Consciousness up through their spinal column, through each Chakra, until it reaches the top.

That’s the gist of it. The journey of the aspirant is called the Sadhana in Sanskrit, and it is imagined as the straight and unwavering path traced by an arrow let loose from a bow. Those who have completed the Journey are called Siddhas, or the ‘righteous ones’

An important milestone on this journey is when the Consciousness reaches the Throat Chakra, at which point the Personal Shakti, called the Kundalini, rises from the base of the Spine and makes it’s way to the Top, which is at the nape of the neck. At this point, the individual begins to enter into a state of Spiritual Bliss called Sammadhi. This experience is identical to the Crossing of the Abyss of Kabbalah. A person begins to be freed form the world of Illusion (Maya) and can be called ‘enlightened’. Of course, the Kundalini shall rise further until it reaches the Crown, and can be projected even higher.

Combining the Chakras with the Tree of Life

It should be clear now that the Tree of Life and Chakra system are really talking about the same thing. The Western system, however, is more concerned with theory, and with mapping out the journey, and using it to understand the Universe. This is because Western magicians, due to heavy persecution in the middle ages, relied heavily on scripture and magickal texts to transmit their work. They had to disguise the Work as religious doctrine, and had to explain everything in great detail so that anyone reading it could follow the instructions and have all the requisite knowledge.

The Eastern system is much more practical. This is because such knowledge the source of power for the political and religious institutions in the East. There was never any real persecution, but it was closely guarded knowledge, passed down directly from master to student. It was rarely put into writing, nor was there much need to go into detail, because the Master (Guru) would be there with the student to guide them. In fact, merely being in the presence of a Master can cause the Kundalini to awaken. I can attest to this first hand. Thus, it was much more important to talk about the changes happening inside the body, and how to control the power, than try to create precise theories.

So in the West they ended up with a very well established theory, and in the East they developed a very effective practice. Both paths work, and it is worthwhile to combine them. As you know, the 10 Sephiroth of the Tree of Life are divided in such a way that they form Seven ‘layers’. These are identical to the Chakra centres. This means that many of the Chakras correspond to two sephiroth, not just one.

The following is the correct way to interpolate the Ten Sephiroth with the Seven Chakras:

1. Kether (Crown) – Sahasrara (Crown Chakra)
2. Chokmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding) – Ajna (Third Eye Chakra)
3. Da’at (Knowledge) – Visuddha (Throat Chakra)
4. Chesed (Mercy) and Geburah (Power) – Anahata (Heart Chakra)
5. Tifaret (Harmony) – Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra)
6. Netzach (Victory) and Hod (Glory) – Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra)
7. Yesod (Foundation) – Muladhara (Root Chakra)

Malkuth (Kingdom) is not part of the seven places, fallen as it is from the place of Da’at. Thus, it can be identified with the dormant ‘Shakti’ of Goddess Power which rests at the base of the spine. Thus, malkuth is rightly called ‘Malkah’, or bride, just as Shakti is the bride of Purusha, or ‘The Man’.

The Ten Fold Grade System

Now we get to the actual Grade system of the Hermetic tradition.

There are ten grades, all arranged along the Tree of Life, along with two intermediary grades. It shows the entire process of spiritual evolution. Understand that, the path is the same, only with different ways of representing it. This is the Hermetic way of seeing it, but in essence this journey is found in all cultures of the world, in different ways.

As you move from one grade to another, so does your consciousness. This does have a biological component, and if you quiet your mind and focus on your bodily sensations, you can actually feel how far up the spinal chord the energy has risen.

The Grade system can be divided into three. The first four grades consist of the ‘outer’ order, and the work of the Outer Order involves working upon the lower self: purifying and mastering oneself and one’s own Being. Each of the four grades corresponds to four components of the lower self, and also to the four elements.

Zelator – Earth – Physical Body – Sensations and Habits
Theoricus – Air – Conscious Mind – Thoughts and Perception
Practicus – Water – Subconscious Mind – Emotions and Intellect
Philosophus – Fire – Will – Intuition and Willpower

The next three grades constitute the Inner Order. Those of these grades are considered ‘Adepts’, while those of the Outer Order are usually called ‘Initiates’. Of course, the word ‘Initiate’ can also just apply to everyone who has been initiated into the order, meaning anyone beyond the grade of Neophyte.

In the Inner Order, everyone is technically on equal standing. An Adept is someone who has learned to commune with their Higher Self, and thus cannot really be ‘told’ what to do. In reality, it is the Inner Order where ‘magick’ begins in any real sense. The Outer Order involves mostly study and spiritual practice, and its rituals and practices are designed to purify the student.

Only in the Inner Order does the Adept begin training to do actual magick. The work of the Adept, having communed with their Higher Self, is now to overcome the Shadow. In other words: illuminate the inner darkness.

The three grades here represent the sacred Masculine, Feminine and the Androgyne.

Adeptus Minor – Androgyne – Life
Adeptus Major – Feminine – Death
Adeptus Exemptus – Masculine – Rebirth

In theory, Adeptus Exemptus is the Highest grade that can be given to a person. The grades beyond the Abyss are called the Secret Order. ‘Secret’ because these grades cannot be conferred, only attained by oneself.

This is because only a student, themselves, can Cross the Abyss when the time is right. No amount of rituals, ceremonies or meditations can make it happen, nor can a Master else cause you to Cross the Abyss and enter Sammadhi. it is a lone Journey.

The three highest grades that make up this stage represent stages of liberation.

Magister Templi – Mother – Power
Magus – Father – Purity
Ipsissimus – Spirit – Love

Whenever talk of the grade system comes up, I see one very common question from beginners: is it possible to rise through the grades without having done any magickal or spiritual practice?

The reason is that people just starting magickal study or practice want to start at the grade of Adeptus Minor! No one wants to be a mere Neophyte, and spend years working towards Adepthood. And so, many newcomers are absolutely desperate to be told that they’re already an Adept, or that the grade can be attained without spiritual practice.

But can it? Well, yes. In fact, it is pretty much expected that if you’re drawn to magick in this lifetime, then your Soul has already done much of the Outer Work in previous incarnations. So then, why this whole routine of going through the outer grades?

Because, in truth, all people at all times, are at the Highest Grade. Everyone in the world is Enlightened…they just don’t know it yet.

This is why this Work is sometimes called ‘Self Realisation’ rather than Attainment. One is not attaining anything, but only remembering.

When one is young, there is at least some point where one is fully in touch with the Higher Self. But life happens, and we begin to deviate from the Great Work. The mind, body and spirit begin to be clouded or fall into decay.

And so, even if a person thinks they are an Adept, or are naturally gifted in magick, or very well read, it never hurts to start at the beginning. The Lower Self needs to be prepared and purified to commune with the Higher Self. This is why the lower grades are needed.

To attempt the work of Magick without first balancing and discipling oneself will be extremely detrimental, and this effect is often seen in religious fanatics or crazed cult leaders: people who have expereinced the energies invoked in the Inner Order, but are not balanced or mature enough to utilise these corectly.

Thus, shun not the Outer Order. It is the most exciting stage of this journey.

The Outer Order

We shall Discuss the probationary grade of Neophyte and the four outer grades of Zelator, Theoricus, Practicus and Philosophus.

Neophyte

The grade of neophyte is not a real grade. It is a probationary grade that typically lasts 6 months or so. Traditionally, it was designed to see if the student was fit to join an esoteric order, and to build up a basic foundation of both theory and practice. With self initiation, this grade is mainly for you to test, for yourself, if you can handle the path of magick.

The rituals of this grade consist of basic banishing and grounding rituals, along with an introduction to basic magickal theory and spiritual practices like meditation. It exposes a person to energies which will start to dramatically change their life and perspective, and it is expected that a lot of people will quit after this grade. And that is precisely the point.

Once the first grade has started, it is not possible to go back. The spiritual transformation shall then go through various stages, and the only respite is in the fifth grade of Adeptus Minor. In other words, Magickal initiation is not just something done overnight. It is a whole hearted commitment which will last years. The exact same commitment is asked for by Eastern practices like Yoga and the Tantra, contrary to the usual notion that Eastern paths are simpler or easier.

And the neophyte grade is like a free trial of what’s to come.

There is nothing wrong with not being ready. While the grade formally lasts 6-7 months, a person may practice the Neophyte material for years. Most magicians do just that, with daily banishing rituals, meditations and purification rites. Some people will spend their whole life simply purifying themselves and meditating, and getting comfortable with this knowledge.

There’s no rush whatsoever. Many who do take that first step onto the grade of Zelator have been prepared over lifetimes, and will be prepared still for lifetimes more.

Some authors make it seem like the neophyte grade is some test or gauntlet designed to separate the ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’.

But the fact is that each and every person in the world is worthy. It is only a matter of patience and practice. When one is ready, one will move on.

This grade typically consists of an initial exposure to magickal energy, and one might find that any serious imbalances in one’s life will disappear. In general, good health, vitality and a renewed sense of vigor should be expected by the end.

Zelator

The grade of Zelator, as the name suggests, is a time of Zeal and devotion. It is associated with the element of Earth, with the material body and the world of the senses.

The work of this grade represents perhaps the most important and long lasting stage of spiritual ascension: of mastering the body, and the world of waking consciousness. The rituals of this grade will often bring about shift in perspective and consciousness. The student may find themselves changing their lifestyle, cultivating better lifestyle habits pertaining to food, routine and physical fitness.

A great enthusiasm towards the diligent study and practice of magick may also come about. A person may begin to overcome social anxiety, develop greater work ethic, and see overall success in their studies and/or career. For those who are already well established in life, it can also lead to a lot of money and wealth coming in.

A lot of these things may seem very mundane to some readers. You may wonder what eating properly, sleeping on time and cleaning one’s room have to do with spiritual evolution. And my answer, dear readers, is that it has everything to do with it.

Only very late in my magickal practice did I realise the importance of physical fitness, displine, and cleanliness. Religions of the world have always emphasized these traits, and not without good reason. The spiritual energies that a magician invokes are very, very real. In the Inner Order grades, these energies have a very tangible manifestation, which can very quickly overwhelm and weak mind and body.

Without going too much into details: there have been many times where I was thankful for my physical strength and tolerance, and they were all that kept me from loosing consciousness or being unable to tolerate the very high vibration energies invoked during magick.

Cleanliness and ritual purity are also important, as they allow for an even flow of spiritual energies throughout one’s life. Such a system is found in China in the form of Feng Shui, where the arrangement of the house and placement of objects within it is said to affect how spiritual energies flow through it.

In a more mundane sense, one should also consider that the body is the Temple. The inner world is reflected in the outer world, and a strong body, clean and orderly surroundings and healthy lifestyle will also be reflected in the internal changes taking place.

It is often said that magicians focus too much on the inner world and neglect the outer, not realising that the two are one and the same. Inner transformation goes hand in hand with outer transformation. And finally, there is also the simple fact that magick should not be something that requires the sacrifice of ‘real’ life. It is not escapism.

After all, magick requires commitment, of time, energy and resources. Before such a commitment can be made, it is a good idea to put your life in order. It would be very difficult to go very far with magick if you’re are held back by, say, the lack of money, poor health or a loneliness.

Now, I should make it clear that this is an ongoing process. I’m not suggesting that a person’s material life must be perfect before starting magick. Rather, both go hand in hand. And the grade of Zelator is the time where you shake yourself out of the stupor that many people fall into. It is the simple acknowledgement that you will not use magick or spirituality to escape from the responsibilities of the ‘real’ world.

First we master the outer and material world, before we go to the spiritual planes. Contrary to common belief, magick does not involve shunning or rejecting the material world, which is after all a reflection of the higher worlds.

In this grade, the consciousness tends to be fixed in the outer body and outer world. The inner Shakti has not begun her ascent up the spine.

Theoricus

The grade of Theoricus is similar to Zelator, and revolves around magick Theory. It is associated with the Conscious Mind, with thoughts, and with perception. It is ruled by the element of Air.

Once the Zelator has put his daily affairs in order, they can start studying magickal theory. Just as the previous grade was about strengthening the body, this grade is about sharpening the mind. The rituals and practices of this grade bring about a strong intellectual tendency, and also a desire to learn about and understand the world around oneself. In pursuit of this, one may learn not just about magick, but about various other fields such as history, politics, science, artistry, linguistics etc.

In fact, knowing about the world and having many skills can be very helpful for a magician. Many magicians are known to be well read and proficient in various skills. But ultimately, the aim is not to learn a lot, but rather sharpen the mind. Unlike school, the student of magick is not learning a bunch of rote information, but rather engaging with the world and its people, history and cultures. The aim is not to learn some information, but learn how to think. For example, the study of politics and history is not about coming to believe in some ideology or memorizing a list of battles, but to familiarize the mind with the nuances and complexities of the society. The aim of learning a new language may not necessarily be to become a fluent speaker, but to see how different languages shape the mind different, and to expand one’s horizons.

A strong mind complements a strong body. This grade helps the student break free of dogmatic beliefs, to question the way things are, and to learn to reject beliefs and values that they have inherited.

For while the wisdom of the ages can have great value, it can also be a poison which blinds us from reality. It is good to expose oneself to new ways of thinking, and to start formulating one’s own beliefs and philosophy. It protects us from becoming reliant on someone else’s version of the truth, and especially from political, religious and cultural lies.

This is also the grade where one begins to experience the energies of planets along with the elements. The grade of Theoricus is ruled by the Moon, as it corresponds to the Lunar sphere on the Tree of Life. Additionally the energies of Saturn are also expereinced, because that is the complementary sphere. This kind of a complementary relationship exists for all grades.

The Moon, or Luna, affects the emotions and sense perception. Saturn affects the rational mind. Thus, this grade has a tendency to exaggerate those aspects. In fact, it is important not to get too caught up in trying to understand everything rationally or categorise everything perfectly.

The consciousness now resides in the Root chakra, which corresponds to the Lunar Sphere at the base of the spine. The consciousness, thus, is still fixed on the outer world, but on the more abstract, mental aspects rather than purely physical.

Practicus

By now you should have picked up a trend with the names. The grade of Practicus focuses, at last, on Practice. It is associated with the element of Water, with the Subconscious mind, and thus with, morals, values, emotions and desires. Whereas the grade of Theoricus focused more on the outward Conscious Mind, Practicus focuses on the deeper, subconscious mind. In this grade, the emotions are allowed to come forth from their usual suppressed state in most people.

One also begins to recognise the traits of the opposite gender within oneself. In fact, it is common for magicians in this grade to display such traits. Men may find themselves becoming more ‘feminine’ while women may become more ‘masculine’. This is because a magician must not have any complexes or reservations, such as imagining oneself as ‘manly’ or ‘womanly’. What exactly this means depends from person to person. The Anima/ Animus, which lies hidden in the subconscious, begins to show itself.

The first two grades, in my opinion, are almost intoxicating. While they are slow, they are also relatively easy. The rituals performed in these grades bring about a great transformation in the personal world, which is what most people are focused on. But Practicus is the first test of these apparent abilities. That is to say, the student may now be called upon to put his knowledge and strength into practice, and also the first time one faces real obstacles from the outer world, not just the abstract ones of the inner world.

To me, the grade of Practicus is a test, and I will not speak much about the trials of this grade because I don’t want to turn people away from magick. This is the grade where you must try to accomplish your goals and desires, and it should be evident that some of these will not come easily.

Most people have a vague idea of what they want in life. But rarely do people have the courage to pursue them. And this is because dreams and desires are often grand and untenable, and it is not easy to know how exactly they should be attained. So, people are content to simply do what they’re told, and wait until some imagined event will bring them these things. Think, for example, of people’s dream of winning the lottery, of finding the perfect job, of suddenly becoming famous etc.

Ultimately, most people just want to be happy and live in peace. All these grand desires are a means to that. The irony, of course, is that any person at any time can be content with their lot and find peace and happiness. In fact, it is the urgent pursuit of happiness that stops people from being happy.

So, people instead hold out hope for extraordinary fortune, living in the future rather than the present. Yet others give up hope entirely and become bitter, living in the glorious past when they still had their dreams, and once again ignoring the present.

But the magician who has crossed Theoricus may find that they suddenly have the courage to live in the present, and pursue exactly what they want. As I said, the changes of these grades are very powerful, and it becomes clear that nothing is actually beyond a person’s grasp.

But, the grade of Practicus is the grade of challenges and trials. These challenges and trials are important to purify and strengthen the individual. This is the a very important grade of spiritual ascension, where a person, for the first time, leaves their comfort zone completely in pursuit of their dreams. One should not underestimate a person who has set their life in order and learned about the world. The Practicus is already very far ahead of most people because of this.

For better or for worse, it is when a person stops living in their head, and starts living in reality. And some may find that reality, without comforting dogmas and illusions, appears unfair and unjust. Of course, even that is an illusion.

In this grade, the influence of Mercury, the ruler of the grade, is felt, as is the influence of the complimentary Jupiter. It is Mercury who is the initiator into magick and the mysteries, and the first step of that initiation is purification through pain. Mercury is also force that carries one’s ambitions aloft on his wings.

Jupiter is the teacher and mentor, and he helps the student retain hope and faith. It may be common for students to develop a ‘larger than life’ persona due to the influence of this planet, which may also mark them out as a target of scorn or resentment by those whose consciousness has not begun to develop.

Ultimately, both planets are associated with learning, and this is the grade of learning certain hard lessons and shattering illusions. Everything, good or bad, must be accepted as it is. Metaphorically, we may say that the waters of the subconscious begin to flood the conscious mind, dissolving boundaries and washing one clean.

Philosophus

Yes, this grade is now associated with Philosophy, with the Will and the Intuition. It corresponds to the element of Fire.

In my book, The Tree of Life: A Beginner’s Guide, I discuss the role of philosophy and it’s link to creativity at length, but here I will mention the importance of developing a personal philosophy.

Once the trials of the Practicus grade are overcome, the great realisation comes that many of one’s beliefs about the world are faulty, and often taken from somewhere else. For many magicians, it is the stage of awakening from the Ego, and realising that the contents of one’s mind are often not aligned with reality.

It is common for people to believe that the world is a certain way. People go their entire lives believing in absurd or false things, just because they sound rational or logical. Rarely, if ever, do people ever question or challenge their beliefs. And even when beliefs are questioned, they are often replaced with other, equally absurd beliefs.

it is only by repeatedly putting one’s beliefs into practice, as is done by the Practicus, that one realises what is real and what is imagined. It is almost like subjecting your beliefs to scientific scrutiny.

Every person has a inner value system, but people don’t normally try to live up to their own values. For example, a person who firmly believes that people should live freely in a primal state of existence, but works a standard corporate job in a big city. Such a person has never actually tried to live up to their own ideals, which is precisely why these ‘ideals’ exist. Trying to live up to such ideals may show they are at odds with the reality of the world and one’s present capabilities.

Some people, who’s ambitions are grounded, may actually end up getting exactly what they wanted, only to realise that it didn’t satisfy them. For example, someone who desperately wants to get into some prestigious college, only to find that they have no interest in their studies and aren’t suited to the competition. It would seem the person was more interested in imagining the scenario, but does not enjoy being in it.

Now that the Philosophus has tried to put their world view into practice, it is important to take a step back and consider one’s life and aspirations. There is no longer anyone to blame, no longer anything holding one back. Becoming freed from dogma and delusion, it is time to start developing a personal philosophy to live by, rather than live by the philosophies of others. It is time to no longer define oneself as belonging to some religion, creed or ideology, or subscribing to some belief system, or clinging to arbitrary labels or vague ambitions. A person must draw now upon their inner resources, and let their intuition guide them towards their purpose in life.

What makes you happy? What do you want from life? How would you like to spend each day of your life? Are you really an introvert/extrovert? Do you really want a lot of money? Can you really be self employed, or do you really believe in some chosen faith?

Discipline plays a role because, when your entire worldview is questioned, it may very well burn away. After all, this is the grade of Fire. And in times like this, it is of utmost importance to maintain some semblance of routine and structure, so you don’t slip into apathetic nihilism or become depressed. And even if you do, you still have to keep moving forward. Everything learned in the last three grades must keep you sane and alert.

The three great virtues of a magician are: Humility, Persistence and Determination. And the Philosophus must keep living their ordinary life, even as the world within is radically transformed. At the very least, all the basic day to day tasks needed for survival must be performed. You will find that the discipline and strength developed through this is invaluable. Very great is the one who can be comfortable with discomfort. Most people withdraw or flee at the hint of the slightest discomfort, but the magician must learn to endure and power through something as difficult as spiritual purification.

This grade is ruled by Venus, the great Goddess, and her counterpart Mars. Venus is the Goddess of Life and Fertility, but before one can feel her love, one must face her dark aspect: that of a life and universe that is seemingly unfair and unjust. Through patience and grace, the student will stand before the darkness and see it transformed into light, just as the cold harshness of winter leads to the fertility and joy of spring.

Mars, of course, is the one providing strength and courage throughout this grade, even as it awakens an inner fire within oneself. Not the explosive flame of ambition or zeal, but the steady flame of perseverance and discipline. Nothing happens overnight, and anything worth attaining takes honest work.

In the grades of Practicus and Philosophus, the consciousness resides in the Sacral Chakra, located around the abdomen. Sexual activity may be become much more increased or decreased than usual. These grades of purging see the consciousness around the digestive and excretory system.

A Short Allegory

The first two grades are those of preparation, and the second two are those of purification. It is actually an alchemical process. It is important, at this point, for me to describe the alchemical process, which is meant to reflect this process of Initiation.

Alchemy is the spiritual science of taking the fabled First Matter (Prima Materia), and subjecting it to a process of purification and exaltation, resulting in the legendary Philosopher’s Stone (Lapis Philosphorum). The Stone, also called the Red Stone, is said to be able to transform base metals into gold, as well as confer eternal life. I’m sure many readers already know the tale. At the very least, you’ve watched this referenced in the first Harry Potter film.

Here, the student themselves is the Prima Materia being perfected.

In alchemical texts, it is said that the Prima Materia must be first separated into it’s three components: Mercury, Sulfur and Salt. Each is then purified and recombined. These should be understood as alchemical principles, and not to be confused with the mundane elements of the same name. Meaning, here Mercury does not refer to quick silver, nor does Salt refer to sodium chloride.

In the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the metaphor is dropped and these three principles are actually referenced directly as as the three Gunas (traits), present in all things. These are Satvva (positive), Rajas (neutral) and Tamas (negative). But here I will describe the process most commonly found in European texts, as these are the most methodical.

First, one must gather the Prima Materia and ferment it for a long period of time, allowing it to mature and and ‘ripen’ in the heat of the sun. This is the grade of Zelator, where the student prepares themselves for initiation by setting their life in order, and ‘ripening’ the physical body through a healthy lifestyle, and mastering the outward senses. Much like fermentation, this grade is simply a matter of time and patience.

Now, the Prima Materia is heated over a gentle fire for a long time, which causes the alchemical Mercury to distill over. This Mercury may be further distilled and purified. This refers to the grade of Theoricus, where the rational Mind (often symbolised by Mercury) is isolated, and then sharpened through study and intellectual engagement.

Next, the flask is heated over a more intense fire, which gets hotter and hotter, until the alchemical Sulfur distills over. This process is volatile and difficult, and what is left behind is the alchemical Salt, which is black and ashy. This refers to the intense grade of Practicus, where the student is tried and tested, and their stubborn illusions are ripped from them. The emotions, volatile and dangerous, separate out and show themselves, like the Sulfur. It is worth noting that the Eastern counterpart, which is rajas, literally means ‘passions’. The student may be left feeling tired, empty or hollow, like the black Salt left behind. This salt in it’s black state is seen as ‘dead’, and called as the dead head (caput mortem)

Now, the black Salt is heated over a gradually increasing fire, until is begins to incinerate, turning from black to gray and finally to white. To witness this mythical process is itself a spiritual experience, and it refers to the grade of Philosophus, where the Fire or Will slowly increases in intensity, purging the tired initiate, and purifying them, bringing forth a sort of ‘rebirth’ or ‘reawakening’, like the black salt turning to a pristine white.

Now, the Mercury Sulfur and Salt have been separated and purified. They are slowly recombined in a hermetically sealed flask (yes, the word ‘hermetically sealed’ comes from Hermeticism).

Portal

The grade of Portal is another probationary grade, and refers to the time between the Outer and Inner order. It is symbolic of the alchemical process where the three principles are hermetically sealed and recombined.

Here the Divine alchemist, which is the Higher Self of the Initiate, the Spirit, recombines the separated parts of the Prima Materia, which is the Lower Self of Initiate.

The grade of Portal is a period of 9 months where the initiate must withdraw from the outer world as much as possible, and spend time in contemplation and prayer. This is the transition from an Initiate to an Adept.

The primary work in this stage is to think over the journey so far, and prepare for communion with the Higher Self, which is also called the Holy Guardian Angel. This communion can be thought of as the religious experience, which Christians call Grace.

In the East, this same process is replicated when Yogis go into what is called ‘Tapasya’, which is a prolonged period of silent meditation. Hindus and Buddhists call the communion of the religious experience as ‘Darshan’, literally meaning ‘to see’. The Higher Self is called ‘Atman’, or Spirit, while the lower self is called ‘Jiva’, or ‘living being’.

The motif of this grade can be thought of as a wandering, or a self imposed exile, and such a thing is found in various mythologies. During this period, a dramatic shift in consciousness takes place as many redundant aspects of oneself are burned away.

In this stage, the ‘Body of Light’ is firmly established within oneself, and the Sphere of Sensation, often called the Aura, expands from an thin shell just over the skin, to a spherical ball of magnetic energy: a cosmic Egg. The hermetically sealed flask used by alchemists in this stage was often made in the form of a glass Egg, to represent this very Cosmic Egg. The alchemists knew that, as they were making the Red Stone, their own being was being transformed.

We are bringing about the same transformation not through chemical processes, but through rituals, meditation, chanting, study and practical action.

By and large, this stage is one of patience and faith. It is a time of preparation and rebirth, before one ventures out again as an Adept.

I will end this post here, and continue talking about the grades in Part Two. If you wish to learn more about magick, consider checking out my books. Subscribe to me on Patreon to learn about using magick to improve daily life, to gain spiritual insight through tarot, to invoke the great Angels who rule the heavens or conjure the mighty daemons who rule the material universe.

Peace and farewell.

~White Raven

Magickal Languages

March 19, 2021March 22, 2021Tagged aramaic, coptic, english, hebrew, kabbalah, linguistics, magic, magick, mystic language, mysticism, new age, real magic, religion, ritual, sacred speech, sanskrit, spirituality, theban, vedanta, vibration, witchcraft, words, words of power, yoga2 Comments

So there I was, procrastinating as usual. I’m supposed to be preparing an important draft for something, but I didn’t really feel like working and was browsing YouTube instead.

“But you said you would be working” says the Higher Self.
“But I hate working. I just want to chill out and relax and eat a chocolate and sleep”
“Then why don’t you? Why are you watching a YouTube video while thinking about work?”
“Well, you got me there. But it’s not even midday”

And suddenly, I saw something that caught my eye. There’s a band called Warduna. It’s a Nordic band who make a lot of folk, pagan songs. If you have ever watched the hit TV series Vikings, then a vast majority of the music in that was made by Warduna.
And they had put out a trailer for a virutal release show called “First Flight of the White Raven”. Basically, it’s a virtual concert. They called it “age defining”, since this is quite a novel, and somewhat revolutionary concept (if they pull it off). Very much in line with the Age of Aquarius which we have now entered into.

But my mind was focused on just one thing, First Flight of the White Raven. Releasing mere days after the Spring Solstice. And so I think to myself “I think the Universe is trying to tell me something”.

For about a month and a half, I’ve been working on the great secret of magick part 2. However, it’s very long and elaborate, and will take longer to complete, making sure all my facts are right. This made me realise that if I focus solely on the longer, elaborate posts, the blog will move along very slowly. Additionally, there are many, many shorter concepts I want to write about. Some I’ve been sitting on for years, and unless I get them out they’ll be on the back-burner forever.

So while you wait for the next part of the secret of magick, here’s a much shorter post.

Secondly, I want to make a short announcement, although a formal one will follow soon. Last July, I published an e-Grimoire titled “The Tree of Life: A Beginner’s Guide”.

I wrote and edited the book myself, and attempted to put a decade of Kabbalistic study into a few condensed pages. However, I am currently editing it, and a new version will be available shortly, Of course, it will be freely available to anyone who has already purchased the book, and those who purchase the book from then on, will receive the second version. There will be corrections, and some new material. I am not satisfied with how certain concepts have been explained, so I will be expanding on various things, and clarifying many more.

Anyway, let’s get to today’s post.

The Evolution of Languages

There are many languages spoken in the world today, and all are different. As far as anyone can guess, human language is extremely unique compared to other animals. We do not know exactly how it came about. The general opinion is that the first humans living on the African continent must have had a single, common language. Then, through migrations and the fracturing and expansion of human culture, languages diverged and evolved separately. This process continues even today, and all new languages are born from older ones. Every language begins as a dialect of an older language, but then if any time is spent separated, they may become completely separate from one another. Sometimes the separation is not so obvious.

The other opinion, of course, is that language emerged independently in many different places. There’s already indication that things like agriculture, writing, the wheel and fire were invented/ discovered multiple times. Meaning these things were discovered independently by different groups at different times. However, language is much more ancient. It’s so ancient that it’s difficult to be sure if there is one, single root language or multiple ones.

Research shows that when a infant is learning to speak, it isn’t making meaningless noises. When it “babbles”, it is slowly going through every single sound that it can make, and from observing its parents it is learning a ‘language’. Basically, it’s almost like you’re born with the ability to pronounce every single imaginable language. As you learn your ‘mother tongue’, your speech becomes more fixed and linear. I mean, to me that sounds like language is not learned, nor inherited. Rather, it is so old it is simply part of our genome. If language really is that old, all of them probably emerged from a single language. Human beings are genetically able to speak language. Sophisticated language is part of our very nature, and it isn’t learned. This may be why it is so hard to ‘teach’ language to animals.

English and Scotts are separate languages, but they are also often treated as just two dialects of the same language. Meanwhile, Urdu and Hindi really are just separate dialects, but treated as different languages due to the script they are written in. Italian and Spanish are completely separate languages, but have common ancestry and are mutually intelligible. Meaning, an Italian can understand a Spanish speaker (to an extent) and vice versa.

Meanwhile, Spanish and Mexican Spanish are the same language, but centuries of separation has almost made them mutually unintelligible. Chinese and Japanese Kanji are the same script and language, but pronounced completely differently. Persian and Russian have a common heritage, but for all intents and purposes they are entirely different.

Hebrew is a derivation of Aramaic and Coptic. Greek is derived from it, and Latin from it. Yet, of these languages only Greek and Hebrew remain commonly spoken, and due to cultural differences you can barely see any similarity.

The point is, there are many, many languages. Some old, some young, and each equally valid to those who speak it. There is a phenomena where if you hear someone speaking a language very differently from you, or speaking your language with an accent, your brain perceives them as being ‘childish’ or ‘uncivilised’.

Throughout history, many cultures have had such tendencies. This is very odd, but you can see why it is such. Maybe our brain perceives a foreign language as “babbling”, and interprets it as the utterances of a toddler. The word “barbarian” literally comes from the Ancient Greeks, who remarked that non Greek languages sounded like gibberish, or ‘bar-bar’. The Ancient Vedic people had a similar term ‘mleccha’ for non-Sanskrit speakers, indicating how the languages sounded crude and random.

In other words, language is intimately tied to culture. We may even say that language IS culture, and most languages evolved with a culture, and are intimately tied to it. The characteristics ascribed to a culture, are also often ascribed to the language. In fact, it is often that the characteristics of the language define many behaviors and mindsets found in it’s speakers.

Language Affects the Brain

The example I gave above is just one example to show how language profoundly affects our brain. This is a known and proven fact that the way we use language determines the way we think, and speaking multiple languages enhances this.

To all magicians and occultists, this should be something to take note of. Our magick is the manifestation of our mind. The way we think, determines our reality. And if our way of thinking is determined by our language, then we’d do well to understand this.

As far as I can tell, there is no clear scientific consensus on this yet, and many opinions, and here I cannot present evidence, but only tell you what I have channeled during magickal work.

Terrence McKenna had once stated “reality is language”. This is a very deep, and profound statement. It means that the reality that an individual lives in, is defined by them. When we label, judge, describe, categories things mentally, we are basically creating our own reality, our own universe. Mercury, the planet ruling speech and communication, also rules magick. Mercury was depicted with winger sandals, because speech is like Mercury. It travels through the air, taking our will and intentions into the Universe, and into the minds of others.

Maybe this is why so many religious scriptures describe the Universe as being “spoken” into existence. Thoth, the Egyptian God who is the Patron of ceremonial magick, is regarded as the throat and voice of Amun-Ra. Da’ath, the most important Sephirah of the Tree of Life, is placed on the throat of the individual. This whole idea of naming, and categorizing things is important.

Speech is also important, and in magick/ yoga you are asked to vibrate words of power for both manifestation and self transformation. During magickal initiation, the student is also encouraged to break down the words they use so carelessly. For example, by not using their own name, or using words like “I” and “me”, they can begin to break down fixed ways of thinking and bring about spiritual evolution. In ancient Egypt, they refused to put negative or horrific events into writing. They realised that language dictated reality, and this is one reason why there is no hieroglyphic depiction of the death of Osiris at the hands of Set, although his resurrections is often shown.

During channeling I was told that language, both in form of speech and writing, dictate our neural pathways, and determines how our mind works. A powerful magician/ yogi can alter reality by mere utterances, and this is also why Adepts remain silent more often than not. They are able to generate a lot of energy, and understand that what they say, will manifest. The purpose of drawing in and building up spiritual energy in oneself is so that it may be projected, in the form of speech.

You remember how, when you were young, you were forced to learn “cursive” writing? Depending on how archaic your education system was, you may or may not have. Those of you who did, may remember that it was a pretty annoying task. For me, I could NEVER get it right. It was very difficult for me to replicate things exactly as I saw them, and this is something that is reflected even today in my artwork (I struggle at still life drawings. I don’t like replication. Instead, I simply use things as reference and draw them spontaneously, building them up from basic forms instead of ‘copying’ them as they are).

Due to this, I was branded as having ‘bad handwriting’ until I was about 11 years old. And in my school, these sorts of things were considered really important for some reason. My mother would often sit me down and make me go through handwriting exercises. But I remained bad, and hated having to replicate the same sentence over and over, and in an exact, pre-specified pattern. When I was in 6th grade, one teacher probably noticed my awful, almost unintelligible notebooks filled with cursive, which often I myself couldn’t read. She called me over and asked if I’d ever considered writing in block letters. No, I hadn’t. She asked me to try it, and the result was almost like magick. After 11 years of painstaking gibberish, the words and letters I made actually looked…clean, and legible. I was rather proud of myself then, and have continued writing in block letters since.

Cursive (Left) vs Block (right) handwriting

Now consider this: every ancient language, and pretty much every language until the middle ages was written in block letters. The first languages, Sumerian, Harappan, Chinese, Mycenean and Egyptian were all like this. This is largely because cursive was not possible until paper and ink was common, cheap and easy to source. You cannot do cursive on clay, stone or wood.
All ‘magickal’ languages, like Hebrew and Runic, are written in blocks, and not cursive. The greatest Empires of the world, like Rome, used block letters. Enochian, the only magickal language that was directly channeled and is the single most powerful magickal language today, is written as blocs, with no cursive version possible nor available.

Remember that I am simply relaying what was told. I am not criticising anyone. I was told by the Spirits that forcing people to write in cursive is basically a tool of enslavement, and of ensuring obedience. You know how Spirits often tell magicians that we can’t understand certain things because we think in a very ‘linear’ manner? In fact, creativity itself requires lateral, not linear thinking.

Well, I was told that the cursive script basically conditions and programs the brain to think linearly and categorically, and the standardization of cursive script limits individual expression. There’s a reason why magicians, mystics and shamans did not write using cursive or employ repetitive calligraphy.

We are told to write in a fixed, linear pattern. The words are joined to one another, and separated by spaces. Through this, we condition ourselves to view the world categorically, and moving through linear time. The spirits literally called modern English “the language designed for bureaucratic administration“. Recently, I was in the midst of a deep trance, and channeling some stuff from an Enochian King. He paused, and remarked how tedious the English language was. He said that he would much rather speak in symbols or impression, and each impression I received had to be laboriously unpacked into many words. So many words to say so little. So many needless vowels. I asked if I should employ Hindi instead, but no. After that, he encouraged me to write in keywords instead, not using a singe complex term. Problem is, in English only elaborate and complex phrases can be used for intricate ideas. The simple words indicate simple, crude ideas. Unlike in ancient languages, words for complex emotions, concepts and modes of thinking do not exist in modern tongues. This problem is also present in Indian and Middle Eastern languages, such as Hindi, where words are joined using straight lines after being written, and Arabic which generally cannot be written without continuous connection. Arabic and Farsi do not even have bloc forms, as far as I know.

I was told that this makes most languages unsuitable for true magickal use, since a person is simply unable to break away from fixed ways of thinking, even though their mother languages etc. allowed for this. Keep in mind that I’m only referring to the way the scripts are commonly taught, not criticising the languages themselves.

Even previously, the Angels had remarked that many of their teachings were misunderstood along the ages due to the English language. This happened when we were talking about ‘failure’ and they showed annoyance at that word. What even is ‘failure’? The correct words should be success and un-success, they remarked, since a failure is either something that wasn’t meant to be, or something that hasn’t worked out yet. I’d once even asked about free will, asking if we were truly free, or was our life determined. Here too, they shows confusion and discomfort, saying that such a question made no sense.
“When one is in service of their Highest Ideal, then their Will is free. And when not, it is un-free, since it is controlled by lesser ideals and desires” they said.

This reminded me of ancient Sanskrit, where words often were like that. Often, a word would be a concept, and its opposite was the same word, with an ‘a’ or ‘un’ before it. For example

Shubha: Auspicious
Ashubha: Unauspicious

Anta: Ending
Unanta: Not ending (eternal)

Jeevit: Breathing (word for alive)
Ajeevit: Not breathing (word for dead)

Unlike modern Indian languages, which are joined together using strokes and very ornately formed, ancient Sanskrit was written in a much simpler, bloc letters. One such discovered script is Brahmi. Look at the differences between Brahmi, and modern Devanagari, used often for Hindi, Bengali and Sanskrit these days.

Evolution from Brahmi to Devanagari. Notice how it started out as simple runes and glyphs, and then became more ornate, but still separate. Notice how, even when the connecting ‘roofs’ emerged in the Middle Ages, they joined together large sections of text, and it is only the most modern version which is more or less the same as cursive English.

I was told that this is why groups like the Golden Dawn insisted on using Hebrew, which is a language free of such cursive repetition and joining. And yet, it has it’s own problems. If you go and try to learn Hebrew, you will most likely be told that you should use a special flat tipped, calligraphy pen. If you’ve ever seen Hebrew letters, you’ll know why. There is a specific way to form each letter, and early in my magickal practice I spent an entire week learning to draw each letter. But it wasn’t perfect, and I don’t use it often. Sometimes, while making talismans, the letters I drew would turn out wonky and imperfect, and this bothered me. Often, I’d even remake entire talismans if I got the lettering wrong or made mistakes.

I was told that this too was just me enslaving myself, and become subservient to arbitrary methods. Lately I’ve been working on a new magickal circle, and was told that I should use the old Aramaic or Coptic script instead of Hebrew. Aramaic is the root of the Hebrew script, and is written as bloc letters. I’ve often seen advanced magicians using it in place of the modern Hebraic script. I was also told to write Hebrew plainly, and without any elaborate flairs.

These dogmas and ‘sophisticated’ methods were originally out of necessity. The ancient Hebrew scholars would have used flat tipped reed pens, hence their specific style of writing. Today, it makes no sense for us to buy special calligraphy pens.

From Top Left to Bottom: Old Aramaic, Calligraphic Hebrew, Simplified modern Hebrew, and Coptic

I was told that one language which had escaped this treatment was Japanese. Anyone who knows a bit about Japan and Japanese will know that Shinto is among the few religions where magick, spirituality and religion are still enmeshed and unseparated. Japan is also the centre of a staggering amount of occult activity, and many occultists. Far, FAR more than anywhere else, except maybe Northern Europe. Somehow, Japanese enables its users to more easily understand magick.

Japanese is a complex language, containing 3 separate scripts. Kanji is the Chinese characters which were carried over into Japanese. It is a pictorial language, rather than alphabetical. Yet, it also has an alphabetical counterpart (unlike Chinese) called hiragana. Most Japanese know roughly 1000 Kanji, and each characters represents a concept. Words and sentences are the expressions of compound concepts, made from simpler concepts. Sometimes, even simple Kanji are put together to form more complex Kanji. Words can be interpreted many different ways, and there is a great ability to play around with and use words in interesting and unique ways, making literature and poetry quite interesting. It is a language that conditions the brain to be fluid, open minded and lateral. This is perhaps why Japanese culture encourages creativity and problem solving far more.

And yet, I was told that even here there was an problem. When I was learning Japanese, one thing that struck me as odd is that Kanji must be drawn in a very specific way. Meaning, you don’t just draw what you see. Instead, there is a fixed sequence and hand motion that is made for every stroke or every character. Yes, it is exactly as crazy as it sounds. Imagine if there was a single way to draw the letter “A” and every stroke had to be memorised, and most native speakers could tell if it was drawn wrongly. Additionally, many rules and regulations exist in how the language must be used, and there’s many, many ways to offend people. This is one of the reasons I haven’t done any Japanese study in about 10 months. I simply did not have the time to memorise how to draw the Kanji.

The sequence of strokes is again, simply the carrying on of an old tradition. In old days, Kanji were written using an ink brush. The strokes and their order was simply to ensure the letter was clean, used minimal ink and did not smudge. In modern times, it is senseless and needless, as are many feudal formalities and behaviors.

The Enochian King told me “do not get obsessed with methodical and intricate ways of doing things”.

I was told calligraphy may be used as an art form, but here it should be an individual expression. So it should not have dogmatic or rigid methods that have to be adhered to. It really does not matter how you form letters as long as you can read it. If you want to be artistic about it, it should be a personal, artistic expression, not a repetition of someone else’s methods.

Language has become a tool of enslavement and control. As George Orwell would say, by controlling language, you control the mind. You control thought, and the ability to think. In order to keep a population in check, language is the best thing to standardize. At this point, the Angels tell me to just create my own language and use it for channeling and magick. This brings me to a new point.

Sacred and Mundane Languages

Anyone who has practiced any spiritual path will see a rather odd occurrence. Very often, we use ‘exotic’ terms within spirituality and magick, often words that originate from the culture where the tradition comes from.

For example, I am an initiate of Hermetic Kabbalah. And yes, Hebrew and Coptic are given tremendous importance, and frequently used in ritual. For Rosicrucians, this may be Greek and Latin.

If you practice Yoga or Tantra, chances are your tradition employs many Sanskrit and Tibetan words. With Daoist and Shaolin traditions, it’s Chinese. With many neo-pagan traditions, it’s old Norse and Greek, and so on.

Why? Is it just exoticism? Just because these languages feel ‘fancy’.

Sometimes, this is absolutely the case.

Vincent Bridges, a great Occultist from recent times, once stated that Sanskrit, Hebrew, Tibetan, Persian and Ancient Greek are all highly effective languages for “programming the Matrix” (for doing Magick). It’s not just these languages that work, but he picked out these languages since they are ancient.

It is not that ancient languages are better. But we can imagine that language was historically used for both mundane life, as well as for sacred ritual work. Naturally, the documents and manuscripts which were often recorded and preserved related to the sacred part of life. The Vedas, the Book of the Dead, the Shabaka Stone, all of these are highly mystical and mythological in nature, partly because the ancients believed that these things needed to be preserved and replicated.

Second came legal and political documents, but these are generally simple and contain lists, inspections and such. I think the Sumerians are one culture which seem to have produced more legal and political documents, than spiritual ones. They really liked taxation.

Documents of mundane activities were, perhaps, not so important. Even if this was put to writing, it was unlikely to be, say, placed in a Temple and preserved for centuries. Ask yourself, what is our primary source for studying ancient Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic? Well, it’s the Jewish and Gnostic holy scriptures, documenting their rituals and containing magickal symbolism of the old Hebrew mystics. You probably won’t find the personal diary of some random Hebrew peasant who worked as an ironsmith.

Put simply, we use ancient languages in magick because they represent that language used in its most exalted and sacred state, designed specifically for ritual work. Often, it contains words of power and other important concepts in an unaltered state. Indeed, the Golden Dawn believed that Hebrew was descended from ancient Egyptian, and that the Hebrew godnames were, in truth, Egyptian words of power, which had remained unchanged, even as the language had evolved.

Samuel Mathers had once remarked “..for Hebrew is but a copy of Egyptian, and a many times faulty copy at that, save the holy names of God..”. This mentality is not new, and has been common throughout history. In medieval Europe, Kabbalists would often use Hebrew since it was considered sacred, even when the language was not native to them. The Catholic Church still insists on using Latin for its ritual ceremonies. We can imagine that when the Roman Church was founded, Latin was used simply because it was most common in Rome and surrounding regions. But the Church preserved its sacred Latin perfectly, while the common Latin continued to evolve and eventually became various different European languages, and most people could no longer understand the sacred hymns. A similar thing happened in India, where Vedic Sanskrit was carefully preserved, only for ritual use. Common Sanskrit, which is called Prakrit, was used by ordinary people and evolved to become the various languages spoken today in North India.

So, are ancient languages better than modern languages? Not precisely. Rather, some languages are better for use in magick, because of how they influence the brain. Sacred and magickal languages tend to have unique properties and characteristics, and their usage conditions the user’s mind to comprehend and perceive spiritual phenomena. It just happens so that most of these languages are ancient, but many are more modern too. Take the Theban script, for example, or Enochian. The language is not sacred because it is ancient, but because it is powerful and exalted. And if a language truly is powerful, it is likely to be preserved in a more exalted state over long periods of time, while mundane languages grow out of it, evolve, and fade away. This is why Latin is still around and used for rituals, more or less exactly as Romans used it, while the much more recent Anglo-Saxon is a dead language, and has been replaced by English.

The Pronunciation of Magickal Languages

Finally, we have come to the last and most important part, the usage of magickal language.

First, I would like to draw your attention to Hebrew. Hebrew scriptures tells us that YHVH is a powerful godname. It is a word of power that is ineffable, meaning ‘unpronounceable’. There is some evidence that YHVH is derived from a very ancient expression of divinity in that region.

But Judaism has made an error. It has mistaken “cannot be pronounced” with “should not be pronounced”. Like most modern religions, mainstream Judaism is more concerned with adhering to outdated tenets than actual, magickal work. So, many Jews simply do not pronounce the name, and call it Tetragrammaton instead. Christians just crudely butcher it as ‘Jehovah’ or ‘Yahweh’.

Even in the Golden Dawn, the Adepts either did not understand this, or (more likely) they DID understand the truth but did not put it into writing. They pronounced it as ‘Yehovah’. By the way, for most magickal purposes you should use this pronunciation, since it is a word free from religious connotations, and unlike the previous two terms its energy has not been tainted by dogma.

You see, I discovered in my channeling (and also working with a more experienced channeller) that there are two ways of using magickal languages, and this was their intended use.

The first is what I have decided to call ‘the guttural noises’. When the magician enters into a deep trance, he begins doing what Christian mystics call “speaking in tongues”. No, there is no difference between “divine” and “demonic” speech. It’s all just various different forms, depending on what the magician, mystic or yogi is invoking. In this state, the words spoken by the magician are difficult to ascertain.

What you’ve probably commonly seen is not the true version, but rather a tame version, where conscious effort is made to ‘speak gibberish’ and enter into trance. However, this is not guttural noises, but barbarous speech instead. Barbarous because it’s literally gibberish, and designed to enter trance and ‘turn off’ the conscious ego. The barbarous names from the Bornless Ritual are these. However, the guttural noises I’m talking about happen in deep trance, and naturally. It’s practically impossible to decipher or record it, and even if the best attempt was made, it would merely be a meaningless string of letters, which would seem un-pronounceable. It sounds very similar to the way that Serpent tongue thing was depicted in Harry Potter, whose name I cannot recall. It’s also similar to the “black speech” from Lord of the Rings (which, by the way, is a fantastic depiction of how magick works, if you read the books).

THIS is the truth behind the “ineffable” names of God, such as YHVH. Even if I wanted to tell you how to pronounce it, I couldn’t. But if you Will yourself to read it in deep trance, you’ll be able to, as well as learn the true pronunciation of other words of power. Of course, don’t worry about not being able to. This is one of the purest forms of speech with Higher powers, since they do not speak in language or symbols, but rather in impressions. These noises are simply manifestations of those impressions, which are understood by the speaker in quick succession. In a few utterances, the speaker, even in trance, understands the full context of the message being delivered. Vibrating the names normally also has power, and most magicians will spend years vibrating words of power before they learn to enter deep enough trance to make the guttural noises, and this is totally normal and the experience for everyone. No matter how you pronounce them, words of power are words of power, and can be vibrated. Intent and emotion contain the real force behind them.

This brings me to the second mode of magickal speech, which I call “mystic vibrations”.

Consider the human throat, vocal chords, mouth, tongue and lips to form a complex, elaborate and wonderful musical instrument. It is simultaneously a wind instrument and a string instrument. Like a trombone, flute and harp all merged as one. The guttural noises are made by the throat, blowing out air. The contractions of the throat form words, and the tongue and mouth push it out. The vibrations, then, are musical notes played by the vocal chords. Here, trance is not needed, but helps. Keep in mind that I am not a singer, and have no formal training. Generally, I can’t raise my voice beyond a single octave. However, when I am in deep meditation I can go up and down the octave with ease, even playing little melodies with them as I would on my guitar.

The musical notes and keys, of course, are related to the 7 Chakras, and 7 Septenary spheres in various ways. There are seven notes in your standard octave 9since the 8th is simply the first note of the next octave). They relate to the 7 chakras.

The most effective usage of this was in ancient Greece, where they employed various “modes of chanting” to invoke the energies of the Seven planets, This practice was later adopted by both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and even today these “Gregorian modes” are used very, very effectively to invoke planetary energies, and I am certain that many Christian mystics are also aware of this. However, the most potent mode of this chanting I have ever encountered was by the early Satanic folk movements of the mid-20th century. Since it is “Gregorian”, you can bet the Cathars had a hand in reviving it.

Perhaps, if you had a key, or created one, you could translate magickal languages like Hebrew, Sanskrit and Runic into musical notes. You could then, perhaps, arrange and compose melodies using the Gregorian modes of chanting. You could play this on an instrument, or those of you who can actually sing well could use this to chant. If I can generate as much energy as I do by merely going up and down a single octave, imagine what a proper singer could do with 5 octaves.

Perhaps, the purest magickal language would be a combination of both guttural noises and mystic vibrations. I have often heard that something of the sort is done in Mongolian throat singing, but I don’t know enough about it to confirm. I can, however, confirm that I have witnessed an arrangement of Chinggis Khaani Magtaal being used to channel Chinggis Khan himself (who, by the way, was a Shaman and ascended master. His history and life is grossly distorted, since the Mongols, like Vikings, did not write their own histories and all history comes from accounts by their enemies. Despite the efforts of historians, popular myths stick around. I will soon have a complete article on Tengri shamanism). Maybe, if there is a Mongolian throat singer reading, you could try this.

Now, guttural noises can only be used in trance. Enter into trance and have, say, Hebrew godnames before you. Have these as they are in ORIGINAL Hebrew, meaning without vowels. So, rather than Yehovah, Adonai, Ahaayah and Agla, just have YHVH ADNI AHIH AGLA. In trance, attempt to speak them. Call for guidance if you must, and you shall pronounce them correctly.

As for musical keys, I will leave that to another time.

Artificial Languages and Daily Life

There are many artificial languages in the world, made for various purposes. Many of you have perhaps seen LOTR or read the works of J.R.R Tolkien. All the languages depicted in his stories are real languages, and he put a lot of effort into them. In fact, there’s a joke that he didn’t create the languages for the stories, but rather created the stories so he’d have somewhere to use his languages.

The most famous are, of course, Theban and Enochian. Theban is not really a language, but rather a cypher system. Meaning it’s still English, but written with an alternative script. I’m pretty sure the occultist Donald Tyson has also created a similar set of glyphs.

But Enochian is truly unique. It is a complete, comprehensive language, and very similar to the condensed, ancient languages like Sanskrit or Egyptian. Perhaps if one could learn and use it, it would condition our minds to be very much aligned with magick. Sadly, I do not know of any such attempts made to teach the language or use it in daily speech. However, there is still something we can learn from all this.

First, it is entirely possible to create a system of glyphs for your personal use, like Theban is. It is also possible to create or channel a language entirely of your own for magickal use. It may take a little study of linguistics. At the very least, knowing more than one language helps, but Tolkien made several. I don’t see why you can’t make one.

The ancient, sacred languages are condensed and simple. Meaning you can say a lot with just a few words. They are usually written with bloc letters (Hebrew/Sanskrit) or pictorial symbols (Japanese) where each letter/symbol represents a whole concept in and of itself, and words are compounds of concepts, while sentences are an expression of multiple concepts. This is very sophisticated compared to modern, alphabetical language use. We use many words to say little, and lack words to express complex emotions, and express things not as fluid concepts, but as categorical “objects” which all proceed from each other in a linear fashion. We express things as they happened or things as they are, rather than ideas and impressions and emotions. It is very obsessed with categories, labels and the idea of reality being fixed and systematic, with a hard separation between past, present and future. Very un-magickal.

For this I have no remedy, I can only share my own experiences. Reading lots of magickal literature, and especially invocations written by the Golden Dawn, has had an effect on me, and that ornate, grimoire style of English comes very easily to me these days. I mean, yeah, 8 years of study of magickal literature will do that. I find this English to be more refined, and when I go into my ritual space and start doing magick, I can switch to this style of speech almost spontaneously, on a whim.

This is generally the way I speak during ritual, but never in daily life. This keeps the style ‘sacred’ and free of profanity. In daily life, I take a very different approach.
Additionally, I try to avoid speaking about things that I don’t want happening, especially to other people or online. Words have power, and the intention of others has even more power. I also avoid listening to or filling my head with disempowering thoughts, ideas and symbols. I try to use simple, straight forward vocabulary, to keep mainly my own mind clear about what I want and what I mean. I try to speak less, and don’t waste energy talking about pointless things. Sometimes, I do get lost in thought or conversation, but this leaves me a bit drained, and I abstain from speech after this. Finally, learning other languages has helped me open and expand my mind to other ways of thinking about the world. I’ve found Japanese to be especially interesting, and very different from my usual speech. It’s a shame I haven’t had much time to study it since last July.

I have said my piece.

Until Next Time
White Raven Invictus

Urban Occultism

December 6, 2018June 11, 2020Tagged astrology, body, city, Earth, Expereinces, focus, guide, Knowledge, magic, magick, mind, new age, night, Occult, power, prayer, religion, self, spirit, spiritual, spirituality, sun, urban, yoga5 Comments

Written: December 6th, 2018 | Edited: 28th March 2019

I’ve been thinking about what to write next. The purpose of this blog was never really to talk about occult theory or kabbalistic correspondences, because I don’t like to think of myself as a teacher. Instead, it was to talk about personal experiences with magick, mysticism, the occult and other spiritual stuff.

I haven’t invoked or evoked any Spirits in a while, because I haven’t really needed to. I did have a little encounter with Lovecraftian magick, but I’m still not fully sure about the safety and potential benefits of something like that. I don’t think that’s something that should just be put on a public blog like this. More of something the advanced occultist will figure out and engage in themselves, if one should feel inclined to and see a real reason to do so.

So, I thought why not write about the fact that I live in an Urban environment, and that’s a pretty unique, yet such widespread situation. There’s probably thousands of occultists and magicians practicing in the hearts of metropolitan cities, and it’s certainly not how it was traditionally done. So, in the spirit of modernity and pursuing the Great Work against all adversity, this is what today’s post is about. There’s also some stuff about protection against unwanted subconscious control (which everyone in the modern urban environment is subject to, except for one who knows his own mind, and one who lives away from society).

Traditional Occult Practices

There are hundreds of different branches of occult, from various eras and cultures around the world. However, one way to distinguish them is by putting them in two broad categories: organised and folk traditions. Folk traditions refer to most ancient pagan systems, and naturally most neo-pagan practices of today, as well as Tantra, Witchcraft, Hoodoo etc.

Folk traditions were often carried out in the rural areas and the countryside. Some existed at the fringes of civilized society, where the Known met the Unknown. Today, people who continue to live in such areas find it easy to follow such traditions, and there is a great connection with the land, and importance of sourcing everything yourself, going out into natural places like forests and lakes, performing rituals at various odd times like midnight, exploration, and all sorts of other things that require outdoor space and considerable amounts of free time. It is a very hands-on approach to the occult, and it is the easiest way to fully connect to the Source, and to gain understanding of the Self. People who live in the countryside seem to be able to do it without much hassle.

Then, we have the highly organised traditions like the Vedanta, Egyptian magic, Kabbalah, The Mystery traditions, Alchemy (Al-Khemi) etc. These traditions often emerged out of city centers (such as Alexandria, Rome, London, Varanasi, Kyoto, Tenochtitlan, Damascus, Baghdad etc.), and were closely tied to organised religion (since they were probably practiced in close proximity to religious centers). Today, such traditions are still practiced by people who live in towns and cities, and smaller urban settings. There is usually not an emphasis on sourcing material or going into nature, since it would have been, and still is, somewhat tricky to simply go into the forest to do a daily ritual. People in such settings also have less time, even if they do not waste time in pointless tasks.

On the other hand, people in cities would usually have much more indoor space, and access to materials and knowledge beyond what was locally available. This is perhaps why such traditions, instead of working with nature, are usually associated with elaborate, consecrated Temples, which is usually furnished with items having very specific correspondences. The city dweller would usually not have any trouble finding materials, getting access to books and learning specialized skills like herbalism or metallurgy. In addition, one would not have to worry about things like food and water, due to the division of labour. The lack of time, space and nature was made up for by access to materials and knowledge, ability to devote oneself to specialised study, and space for a temple, library, laboratory etc.

This setting is, while less conducive to being in touch with Nature, is extremely good for understanding extremes and confronting the Shadow.

While rural occultists would play an integral part in their community as community leaders (shamans, seers, medics, cheifs etc), urban occultists would play an integral role in a society as specialists (doctors, lawyers, politicians, priests etc). Together, humanity progressed forward,

This has pretty much been the state of things since the birth of organised cities around 3000 BCE.

A New Society

Since the end of World War II, a new kind of society has been emerging. A kind of human habitation that has never truly existed in the past, driven by technological and scientific innovation that cannot even be fathomed by the human mind, an explosion of culture, moral values, cooperation between all nations of the world on a common platform, the rise of the Internet, and, most importantly, Occult knowledge being freely and publicly available, on a scale never before possible. I mean, just think about how common it is for even the most average person, who knows nothing of mysticism or religion, to be familiar with basic ideas of spirituality like meditation, the power of the mind, what is good or bad for the body, and the notion of individualism.

However, as the Law of Polarity goes, this incredible Golden Age, which has really kicked off in the 21st Century, and gone into high-gear after 2012, has it’s various disadvantages and evils, which are just as extreme as it’s advantages, only much more subtle. While there is a steady increase in peace and quality of life as we overcome more problems (which we should all be extremely thankful for, by the way), there is a steady decline in true spirituality, magick and mysticism, along with the increasing attempt to remove these things from all sections of society. The average person might say that the trade off is well worth it, but i’m not sure. There’s a thin line between Utopia and Dystopia.

There has never been this much control and power over the masses. Never before have governments had access to private conversations, or international corporations such reach and resources. Never in all of human history has “mind control” been anything more that a delusion. Now, we live in a time where if Alex Jones gets drunk and starts rambling about conspiracy theories, you have to sit there and question how much of it is probably true. It’s strange when you think that everything he says is probable to some degree, and that’s terrifying. In the past, at best you had to worry about the King sending his troops to burn the crops. Now you wonder if your phone’s listening to you, if there’s an AI directing your daily actions, and if some shady international body has an algorithm that can predict where you’ll be before you know it (*cough* Google)

Now, with all that dark stuff out of the way, let me raise your mood by talking about how practicing Magick in the Urban metropolis may be made easier, and how most of it’s superficial challenges can be easily overcome. I don’t generally live in fear because when I think about just how massive and complicated human habitations have become, I feel like even the most powerful shady organisation is more or less powerless to control anything. If you really think about it, our society has become so intricate that no one really could control it. The only reason everything doesn’t spontaneously go to shit is because of mutual co-operation.

The Urban Metropolis

The Metropolis: a large, sprawling jungle of glass, steel and concrete. Brightly lit and well interconnected, it is usually brimming with a diverse population of hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, or in a few cases, even tens of millions. On one hand, it looks like a City of Dreams, but on the other hand it is also a City of Illusion. You see, that is only from an observer’s perspective. To the people living in a metropolitan city (which at this point happens to be most of the populations of the Orient, parts of the Middle East, Western Europe and North America), it feels like home, like any other place in the world.

From the looks of it, the rest of the world will soon follow. If you’ve seen the design proposals for Pyramid cities, vertical cities, layered cities, aquatic cities, Moon/Mars colonies and heck, a full fledged artificial Moon (thanks China), you know it’s only just beginning.

In the 1920s, there was a dystopian horror film called Metropolis. I suppose back then the idea of such cities was terrifying. I happen to live in such a city, and I recently found out that my city is actually a popular location for horror, mystery and murder novels for people living in other, more traditional places within India.

This is very strange to me, since I grew up here, and as far as I’m concerned it’s a totally normal place. Past the facade of glass and steel, we got our little suburbs, with it’s local parks where children play, and the local grocers where we buy fruits and vegetables by the kilo. We have our schools, which are probably like any other public school anywhere else, and offices where people work (even if they are suspended a hundred feet in the air in a glass megalith shaped like a shoe).

So yeah, let’s be honest, even though metropolises were once the terrifying dystopia, life has worked out pretty well in them. Human beings wont change, even in a jungle of glass and steel, and a majority of the population already lives or is destined to live in a metropolis. Right now, all over the world, villages and towns are changing into cities and cities will change to metropolises. This is not the case everywhere though, but what’s important to note is that there’s a surge of populations into metropolises. Even if villages, towns and small cities remain, they’ll be largely devoid of population. This can already be seen in India and Western Europe.

In a way, it is actually going to solve most of the problems that the Industrial era brought, so I think it’s worth giving gratitude. But I feel a sense of uneasiness.

The problem however, is that the average metropolis, though giving people health, freedom and individual liberty, was designed with material and moral fulfillment in mind, but not necessarily spiritual. Magick has never been mainstream, and probably won’t be for some time still. Religion and New Agery may soon be well accommodated, but this doesn’t mean it gets any easier for actual occultists. So unless you want to renounce worldly life and go off to live in the mountains, we have to make the necessary adjustments.

Essentials

Let’s give a little background to the usual Metropolitan environment. Most people live in apartments (or flats). Based on the size of the building, you may be suspended hundreds of feet above the ground. Size of the apartment and number of rooms varies.

Usually residential and economic areas are separated, and multiple forms of public transport carry people from home to work, and back, and this is also when considerable amounts of time are wasted. Public spaces include squares, malls, shopping districts and promenades. Schools and Public service buildings are scattered about evenly. The cities are divided into various sections that have little to no interaction. Commercial buildings are glass, steel and concrete, while residential areas are plaster or brick and mortar.

“Nature” is limited to public parks and trees/shrubbery on the divisions between the large multi lane roads. If you’re lucky enough to be in a country like the Netherlands, you’ve got lakes and canals, though they’ll be off limits. Radio waves, smoke, bright light and noise may interfere with Magickal practice. I suggest working in the early morning, at late night or with windows closed.

Also, probably give up on observing the night sky in any meaningful way for astrology. Either you can’t see anything, or shit is behind buildings. There’s no way to see a full horizon.

Pollution is a thing, though the amount of it is based on how adept the Municipal corporations are, and the population is likely not homogenous, consisting of people speaking various languages, from various parts of the country, and many even from foreign countries.

Food, electricity and water is not a problem, opportunities and jobs are common and there’s a mix of rosy optimism and abject depression in the population. Everyone pulls their weight, there’s almost no idleness, people are always in a rush and have short attention spans.

Nothing is really seen as weird, including strange occult practices and fringe spiritual traditions, and there’s a general sense of comfortable chaos that everyone is used to. Everyone has strong political opinions but no one acts on it because the Left and the Right are forced to live in close quarters and co-operate to run the city. The intellectual nazi and the urban marxist may sometimes talk rather passionately about various subjects they know nothing about, but will usually go back to being busy with their own life. It’s never really dark or quiet. Ambient noises include the footsteps and chatter of thousands of people, distant drilling and machinery, cars, birds, and the low, perpetual hum of generators.

Sound familiar? Good. If you can relate to about 50-70% of the above, then you may find what I’ll write next as useful.

Temple

First off, the Temple. In any ceremonial tradition, the importance of a Temple is usually insisted upon. A general dedicated area where you can do your magick. Usually, a room is suggested. There may be specifications for the room too. You may read that an alchemical lab would need the space and fittings needed to carry out experiments, along with running water and a window or chimney, and heating apparatus. For a Kabbalistic temple, you may be told to use a square, empty room with the windows facing the cardinal directions, and be able to hang stuff on the walls, light candles, and if you’re up to it, install literal pillars. In the Book of Abramelin the Mage, an entire house is needed specially, and an entire room becomes the invocation circle, with a balcony separated by glass being the Triangle.

I’ll be blunt: in magick, you reap what you sow. That is true. The elaborate care taken in building a suitable place for magical work is with good reason. It’s the same idea as religious places of worship. However, we may also adapt our practice to the modern day.

Whatever path you’re following, learn what the core elements of your space/temple are, so you can simplify it. Cleanliness is a must, and it’s good to map out the cardinal directions. Remember, it does not have to be a room, but any dedicated space is enough. If there’s a small cubical gap in your home, you could clear it out of stuff, and put a rope circle on the floor. That’s a good enough Temple. I used one like it for 6 months. The idea is to have a place where you can do magick, and if possible it should be consecrated. All the other stuff can be added however you feel it should. Instead of Pillars, one can use a black and white curtain.

If you can’t find a special area, then you could just make a “collapsible Temple”. Simply put, you have all the implements stored away, and during ritual you can bring them out and establish a temporary Space. Once you’re done you could put everything away. Much like a Temple is meant to be closed to outsiders, I suggest storing the implements discreetly, and not visible to the world, like in a drawer or something. Don’t use the consecrated implements and furniture for anything else, and pick a spot that you will use each time.

It’s a good idea to keep the Temple portable. It’s your choice how many implements you want to use. Make it so that if you’re travelling, you can securely carry key implements. For things like Alchemy and Herbalism, the kitchen is plenty for most of the initial work. If you’re working with metals though, I say find an outdoor area.

You could rent a space or an office and use that for your Temple. Of course, rent is usually high in Metropolitan cities. Better off looking in the suburbs. This is not ideal for daily work, but not a bad idea for occasional work that is more grand.

I do none of that though. Personally, I just do all my rituals in my room, in the space between my desk and cupboard. I just move my chair out of the way, use some chalk to draw the circle on the floor, along with any other symbols needed, and do it that way. I keep the windows open so it doesn’t get stuffy, and that’s it. When I’m done, my few implements go into a drawer, and I wipe the circle off. Done!

Herbs

There’s always this thing about growing sacred herbs in your backyard or garden (something I don’t think even exists where I live) or going out to collect the needed materials (nowhere withing several hundred kilometers for me).

If you have a balcony, get plastic tubs or pots and grow some herbs. Ideally, it’s always a good idea to grow plants, and just because we don’t have a garden shouldn’t be an excuse. Growing local plants, flowers, and herbs is a good idea. Other than that, learn the correspondences of the herbs and spices you have in your kitchen, and use them. This is of great use when making incenses or oils, and most of what you want is usually found in the kitchen. It’s a far easier option than having to go out and buy or order exotic herbs every time you want to make a custom incense of oil, which I’ve seen people do. I’ve seen witches in India go out of their way to track down Irish moss or lavender, instead of use the marigold in their home or cinnamon in the kitchen.

So, instead of panicking when you can’t find Irish Moss or Dragon’s blood, learn to work with things like sandalwood and lemongrass (and yes, i’m well aware that it will vary from place to place. Apply the principle to where you live). And by growing stuff in the balcony, you’ll at least learn how to tend to plants. Do the hedge Wicca thing if you can’t do anything else. It’s an authentic enough spiritual practice.

It’s usually not hard to order very specific things online these days, but you wont be able to find things that don’t have commercial value, so knowing the correspondences of what you actually have access to is paramount. In a way, doing so is not very different from what the village shamans did in the olden days, when they learned about the herbs growing in the immediate vicinity.

Travel

Living in an Urban metropolis means you have little access to both natural places, like forests, lakes and mountains, and great artificial structures, like monuments, temples, cathedrals, museums. If you happen to live in some of the better planned metropolises, you may have intact forests and such nearby. Similarly, in cities of historic significance, you will probably be able to visit monuments.

Even so, travelling is great, and it should be of interest to any magician to explore and experience new things, and push himself out of his comfort zone. But it’s even more important to metropolis dwellers, both from a mystical and non-mystical sense. Being shut up in a city and going about your busy day is not enough. There’s a reason depression can run high in these places. Other than that, travelling will often give you a chance to do important Occult activities that you normally can’t do, like collecting stones, or wood for your wand, or observing celestial bodies, or collecting sea water and collecting dirt from specific places. Most of these are common in more folk paths. For urban paths, you can visit libraries, look at ancient relics, go to places where great events happened, or make a pilgrimage to religious grounds.

I could go on and on about the benefits of travel, but I’ll stop here. Yes, a more skeptic individual will say “Hah! We have the Internet! We have public parks! I could easily do most of this stuff without even leaving my own neighbourhood!”

To him I’d say: yeah, probably. But where’s the fun in that? Trust me, travel! It’s good for you. Some of the most profound mystical moments in my life have been when I’ve traveled. It’s good for the soul.

Remember, most Occult grimoires were written either in a time when people lived in vivid environments, or for people who traveled a lot anyway. The urban metropolis is a strange and modern phenomenon, and most Occult philosophy was probably written with the expectation of the individual experiencing certain things in life that people these days do not. No doubt Hermes Trismagistus would be confused if you told him you couldn’t understand his quote about “finding your haunt in every living creature” because the most complex animal you ever saw was a pigeon.

Get Used to Artificial Materials

Get used to the idea of using stainless steel, glass, plastic and plywood. I’ve sometimes seen people go to unreal lengths to find “natural” materials like Iron, wood, ceramic, natural stone such as granite, gemstones and heck, even pure gold. Look, it’s always important to use the best quality materials you can get when creating implements for magical work.

I find it is not a good idea to shortchange yourself or cut corners, especially if the desired material is within reach, but you’re too lazy or stingy to use it, since these things have a profound impact on the subconscious. Any material will also generate the energy it corresponds to during ritual. However, many a times the “best” materials available to you WILL be things like paper, steel or plastic. My own banishing dagger is made of stainless steel. I spent a lot of time trying to get the best thing I could, and this was what I found. When I make seals, I use good quality cartridge paper. After all, there’s a limit to what I can reasonably find and use, and vellum and parchment are out of the question in a big city, because they have little commercial benefit (and as we know, in the metropolis economy, only things that make money can survive).

Similarly, when I created my first proper Triangle of the Art, I used cardboard and painted acrylic. After all, I don’t just have a garage where I could do carpentry in order to make it out of wood, or cut glass.

I always try to find the best things I can find. The best paints, paper, wood or metal available to me. But, most likely those will be very different that what was traditionally available. So I wouldn’t be too upset if you, say, have to use a plastic stand on your altar. Don’t just make the new age fallacy of regarding all things artificial as “evil”. It’s no more artificial than iron, and ultimately everything is derived from nature. As for energy being generated, all objects have correspondences. A piece of gold will generate the energy corresponding to the Sun, but so will yellow ink and the circumpent (symbol of the Sun). An iron dagger will generate martial energy, but so will a steel one, and so will an image of war.

Recycled Stuff

I probably don’t need to tell you this, but it isn’t a good idea to use recycled material for magical implements, or materials which have been used for some other purpose before hand. If you do so, I suggest a formal cleansing and reconsecration. In my life I have tried to reuse old materials, but I find that over time I naturally accumulate fresh and new things. I actually collect items and materials expressly for magick purposes. Sometimes, it won’t actually be in use, but I don’t use it for anything else either. I store it away, so that if a time comes when I require something, I already have materials that can be used.

However, there are plenty of things that merely aid the magical work, but aren’t key components of it. A simple example would be jars or bottles, to store incense, oils and the like. I’ve seen people run off to hobby stores to buy brand new “antique” looking jars. The most amusing things are those jars that have purposefully made to look second hand, or “raw”, like those which have fake corks.

Ever seen a modern hippie who buys expensive mugs that are made to look like mason jars, and have a lid that’s plastic but looks like a cloth cover? He then pretends to be like the old hippies who used actual mason jars to drink. That’s what this reminds me of. Something stops being “hippie” once it’s mainstream.

Anyway, don’t waste time and money when it isn’t required. The amount of waste produced by big cities is already unreal, so we don’t need to add to that. Most of the stuff you’ll end up recycling, like jars and bottles, are high quality anyway because they’re mass produced in factories for a competitive market. Chances are your bottles of sauce, jam, and other drinks are good enough to be washed and recycles. In the city, almost everything is designed to be reused. Just consecrate and reuse, and save yourself a whole load of hassle. However, do not hoard. And stay away from plastic when you can, especially to store liquids.

Keep Things Very Clean

Speaking of not hoarding stuff, it is common knowledge that most students of magick keep their surroundings clean. You know how Jordan Peterson keeps saying “Clean your damn room”. In that statement he is conveying a deep and profound spiritual truth.

“Clean your damn sword, bucko!”

As within so without. The existence of filth and mess in a person’s surrounding is a reflection of everything around him. Now, this means just a little bit more in a big city.

Big cities represent, at their core, Chaos. Unlike a peaceful and serene environment of a town or village, where everything is Orderly and the magicians sometimes NEED to consciously bring in Chaos as the counterbalance, here it is flipped. Everything is highly Chaotic and the magician has to strive to bring in Order. So you’re not just cleaning up, you’re bringing Order.

Personally, to me cleaning is almost an alchemical process. When I clean up and set everything in Order, I feel like my heart is cleansed of darkness (and no, i’m not even exaggerating). I think this is similar to what the ancient alchemist experienced when refining metals. Gold from lead.

So, cleaning out the apartment or house is the cleansing of filth and removal of entities, the archetypal act of bringing Order out of Chaos, and the alchemical transformation of the mind and soul.

Adding to this is the fact that the air is big cities usually has industrial pollutants or smoke. Not always, but very often (especially if you’re somewhere it doesn’t rain a lot), so that just wafts through your windows and settles on your floor, shelves, carpets. Everything really. It’s enhanced by the dust from construction sites. You could just stay in and keep everything closed, but then I’m not sure what magick you’ll end up doing.

In the United States, Japan and other such countries this is less, thanks to strict regulation, but in India and China this is now probably the single largest concern (and I’m considering wearing a fucking gas mask if we can’t fix it soon. Can’t even leave my window open in winters without feeling like i’m in gas chamber. Fuck).

Update (2019): So I made a talisman that protects me from pollution. It is the post after this one. Click here to read it.

Just remember: unwanted entities dwell in filth and squalor. There’s a reason religions emphasise ritual purity, especially the older traditions.

On the other hand, try not to make things too sterile or perfect. That removes the soul from it. Obsessive cleanliness is as bad for you as untidiness.

Eat Normal Food

This is perhaps the most common thing I have seen in every great city I have visited: a population hopelessly addicted to processed or refined food. I’ll keep this one short because I don’t want to sound like some stuck up nanny, and I don’t think I actually need to tell people to eat healthy.

Simply put: try to cook your own food from good ingredients, avoid the sugar that’s in practically everything around you, and try not to live on frozen or instant meals….unless you’re in London, in which case you can’t buy the extravagantly expensive food anyway.

Sugar and salt directly affect the emotional balance of the body, so it is very important, especially for someone doing magick, to be careful of foods which have too much of either. Not to mention processed sugar practically works like cocaine (did you know the original recipe for Coca Cola used 9 milligrams of cocaine? These days they use “spent coca leaves”. Ha!)

I’m not going to go crazy and demand that you only eat raw vegan organic food. Just try to be healthy, and limit the alcohol. If the body is weak, no amount of mental, emotional or spiritual fortitude will help. Malkuth is the Kingdom on which all else stands. Magicians are very concerned with guarding against unwanted spiritual influences, thoughts and emotions. How about extending that favour to the body as well? Also, work out, because if the body isn’t fit, it will hinder the spirit. This isn’t just me, but one of the direct teachings of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Additionally, try to do some yoga everyday. It is important to do yoga so that you can control your mind, body, and all it’s spiritual extensions.

I’ve known particularly gifted magicians to go haywire, because they ignored yoga and were unable to control themselves and their surroundings. Trust me, when things go wrong, you want to have that strength of Will that yoga produces. In the metropolis, you’re also much more likely to have less physical exertion, and you don’t want to let yourself become fat, weak or pasty.

Guard the Subconscious

One of the common aspects of large cities is that there is advertising everywhere. In other words, there subliminal stimulus everywhere, pushing you on to buy, eat and consume more and more and more.

Honestly, I don’t have a problem with advertising. It’s not that bad, but i’m not just talking about any old advertising. No, i’m talking about city centres, filled with neon lights, sounds and advertisements in every direction. Although I guess the TV and online ads replicate it pretty well now.

Once you’ve done magick for long enough, you begin to under the powerful effect these superstimuli have on the subconscious, and the subliminal stimuli hidden in them. It is important to not let your mind wander off in these situation, or you’ll end up with all sorts of programming entering the psyche. No matter how strong your will is, and how consciously dedicated you are, these things will keep popping up and creating challenges to the work of Self Realisation. I mean, yes, many advertisements these days have a very positive message. A Nike ad telling you to “Just Do It” with the name of the Goddess of Victory on it and an archetypal symbol of success may not be so bad. But an advertisement telling you to buy the latest product from a certain company so you can indulge in a lot of sex is just trying to create an association between consumption and sex, and in turn encouraging more consumption and sexual excess.

Even if you consciously recognize that drinking Coke isn’t actually going to give you a life full of happy memories, your subconscious isn’t that smart. It’ll simply remember that association and give you a craving for Coca Cola when you’re unhappy or lonely.

Look, as I said, i’m not against advertising or the free market. I fully understand that advertising is essential to sell products, and can ultimately be a force for the greatest good in making society better and improving the quality of life. However, it is important in big cities that you be vigilant and pay attention to your surroundings. We city folk have adapted to have short attention spans for that precise reason, to be able to notice everything around us quickly. THAT is why people in big cities have shorter attention spans than people who live in the forest. That also means you notice a lot of things in a short period of time without consciously understanding what it is, allowing all of it to directly go into the subconscious.

Would you ever inject food directly into your veins, without letting it go through the digestive system? No right. This is the same principle. Subliminal programming means that you’ll basically be doing subconscious magick without even wanting to. Maybe you work out each day, but can’t loose fat because you’re subconscious has been programmed to believe that unless you use a specific product, you cannot be thing. You may not even believe it, but your subconscious does. I mean, they’re literally using your own mind to do magick that hinders you. And most people don’t even know about magick. You know, when you live a newspaper lying around, you may ignore it but your subconscious sees everything. It sees all the ads and all the shitty news. You become a conduit to the astral plane for these people (I’m not even sure who ‘they’ are) to manifest their desires. For example, if a nation is flooded with subliminal messages promoting illness or civil war, the collective subconscious force of the population exposed to this propaganda will bring it about! If this isn’t like the Matrix, where the robots where using human beings as batteries, I don’t know what it.

Guard the subconscious!

If you consciously catch everything that you see, it won’t enter the subconscious directly, and will be processed instead. That, by the way, is one of the meanings of the god Anubis guarding the Gates of the Temple, as well as the Hall of Judgement from the dog faced demons.

Lighting

Update (2019): This wasn’t part of the original post, but I’m adding it in now.

Lighting profoundly affects your mood, and it has astrological symbolism. Generally, yellow lighting, such as produced from filament bulbs, has a strong sun correspondence. it will uplift your mood. The same can be achieved through yellow LED lights. That’s why most ‘fine’ establishments has yellow lighting. It calms you down and produces a similar affect to the sun, or fire. Our ancestors evolved to regard such lighting as positive.

On the other hand, white lighting is negative lighting. It is cold, bleak and sterile. It affects our psyche and produces depressive or negative states of mind. It isn’t homely.

Why do you think schools and offices have all this white lighting. It’s so that you’re not in a good mood. Basically, lighting is an important part of magickal practice, and has important occult significance. Remember to get out in the sun, and try to use warm lighting when you can. Avoid cold lighting.

My own room has cold lighting, but I do most of my work during the day. If you’re one of those people that does most of their stuff at night, I suggest buying some new lights. If you’re crazy enough, you can work at night using candles. I do so sometimes.

Alright well, that was fun. I have nothing more to say, and I hope this is of help to someone, or simply makes for an interesting read.

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Until next time.
~White Raven