Keywords – Important underlying principles

Imagination -> Will -> Energy

Thought and Thought

Imagination -> Will -> Energy: Are three key aspects in Ritual working. Thought and Thought: Are two key aspects when working with other intelligences.

Imagination -> Will -> Energy

Take the banishing ritual of the pentagram for an example. Imagination: You visualise the pentagram.  This gives use a outline, a template, a point of focus.  Our mental creation. Will: We give this creation purpose, direction, intent.  Force.  The purpose of “Banishing”. Energy: Whether directing energy, vibrating, etc. Energy gives it form.  While penetrable on our physical plane, noticeable only by those sensitive enough, the energy gives it form on other planes. Two principles formed from these three actions are:  Force and Form. Visualisation is our Imagination.  The working with the intent of banishing is our Will.  And the vibration or raising and releasing of energy into the visualised image is our Energy.

Thought and Thought

In a simplified sense we have two layers of thought, thus the title “Thought and Thought”. Questions: What language do people who speak Spanish think in?  What language do people who speak English think in?  What language to bi-lingual people think in? Bi-lingual people can think in either language for the exact same thought.  This is the first Thought, the thought they can think in either language.  The second thought isn’t actually a thought, but is rather what we consider the thought: The expression in language.  Before we had language, how would we understand our thoughts?  Did we just not think, because we did not have language? The point of this is based on understanding why spirit communication can be confusing or not make sense.  The spirits know the first thought, the thought before we put it into words.  When they communicate, it is on the layer of the first thought, and we then interrupt that into something we can understand: Language, images, etc. Though this is definitely not the only form of communication.  Hearing a voice completely foreign to your own, or seeing an image or form before you are different.  This “Thought and Thought” is a way of understanding the mind for both communicating with spirits and other mental workings, for nested within this concept are some ideas around “Telepathy”. I was planning on writing on these further down the track, and expanding on them dramatically.  However, I have decided to share now (don’t know why I changed my mind, just felt the impulse to blog).  They are not “secret” but seem to be little known, forgotten or misunderstood aspects of Magick.  And in my opinion are very important principles to know.

Bubblewrapping: On a sensatives advice to my partner.

So…

Just recently I had a visitor to my home while I was not there.  While there, this “sensitive” said there is intense energy in the house and that I (as in me) should know better and balance it.  And claimed it is because of this intense energy that everything is intense at the moment.

1. It is a living space and is due to collect up the energies of those who live there.
2. The intense energy has not cause the intense situation to occur, rather the intense situation has caused the intense energy to occur (refer to 1).

Intense energy is a necessity in intense situations.  Think of an Athlete going into a relaxed state when supposed to be sprinting, or a caveman who’s survival instinct is intense, dulls this intense energy and just wanders away from the sabre-tooth tiger.  The energy keeps you focused and keeps you in the situation.  The goal is not to run and hide, but to confront.

One example from my own experience, while developing will:
I thought I was fine, nothing to stand in my way.  Then I discovered I had a “Vice”… Oh no!  I decided to use it as my focus for the development of will.  On the night after the first day I made the choice to challenge this obsession, I dreamt about it.  Then found myself the next morning, losing restraint and shortly after feeling disgusted in myself that I faltered.  I reprimanded myself, found a way to remove something for a period of time as punishment and tried again.  I did not run into the Forest to become a hermit and hide myself from the “vice”, this “obsession”.  Instead I confronted it head on.  I did not surround myself with crystals, prayers and complex rituals.  I did it with Mind alone.  Why?…

STRENGTH

Strength of mind, strength of Will and the confidence that comes with.  A psychic told me at that early time that they detected a negative force or oppressing spirit.  When later meeting with this psychic after beating my obsession, she questioned what I had done. I replied, “I treated it like any habit or addiction.  I over came it with Will”.
Whether what at the time was an “entity” or merely her way of interrupting a negative aspect she could pick up on in me, is of no real concern.  The concern now is that I am stronger.  If I had not confronted and challenged it myself I would not have learned what I have about myself, and I would not have taken these first steps into understanding the difference between “Will” and “Desire”.

The same is to be said of working with energy.  This sensitive who came to my home said she can feel intense (seems to be her buzz word) forces coming from my sacred space which made her feel dizzy and sick.

Those forces did that to me once too. But exposing myself to these “intense” energies, I became accustomed to them; Strengthened (my buzz word).  When my “sensitivity” first started to show, I couldn’t enter a cemetery without feeling like I just hit something dense.  And could only be there for a few minutes before intense headaches kicked in.  Now I either shut off completely (depends on my mood, it can be quite distracting, and I only started doing this once I noticed it wasnt having the negative affects on my anymore) or I still feel it but it just does not have those negative affects.

The energies that she is claiming are intense, are nothing compared to what I was working with shortly after ending my involvement in the Golden Dawn system (which I will add was what caused and cured my sensitivity issues: via works such as the rituals of the pentagram, middle pillar and the use of the Tattwa, etc).  The most intense of which was the Enochian System.  Even after one use, someone who “apparently” is not a sensitive that leaned on my altar, after dropping and picking up one of my books, said they could feel a vibrating or buzzing in their hand.  I think it was more they wanted to play with the colorful tools on the altar, and got a fright when touching the altar itself (I now pack away my stuff after ritual).  Anyway…

If you bubble wrap yourself, you will always have to bubble-wrap yourself.  Kind of like those parents who make their kids wear helmets in fear they will fall over… they are kids, they are going to fall over.  But what happens when they do, is that it doesn’t hurt their head.  They don’t learn the “hard-way” and when they remove the helmet and fall over they don’t protect their head, nor do they expect it to hurt.

Kind of like the cuteness of toddlers when they first start potty training. Thanks to that safety net of a padded nappy, they are so used to just dropping down to sit, that when they sit down with that same amount of force without that added padding they get quite a fright.  Not expecting or understanding why it hurt they quite often burst into tears.

Take off the Nappy!  Learn not to sit down with so much force.  And that way you can stop shitting yourself.

Magick: The similarity between Wiccan Circle Casting and Golden Dawn Banishing Rituals.

Strange movements, drawing of imaginary shapes in the air, a monotonous drone of a strange language, imagined flowers popping open inside your body… all a lot like child’s play really.  However, there is a point to it all.

I just happened to meet a very interesting person when purchasing a book, an older gent who you would never take for practitioner of the occult, rather your “watch t.v, go fishing” sort of grandfather.  After a rather lengthy discussion, we kept in touch and (due to his initiation into the G.D) I asked about both the Lesser Banishing and Lesser Invoking Rituals of the Pentagram.  He summed up something I had been trying to explain for a while rather simply… (I will summerise, then show how this is an applicable example for Wicca)…

There is obviously something working behind all of this, otherwise people, such as myself, wouldn’t dedicate our lives to its (Magick’s) pursuit.  It seems rather childish to prance around drawing geometric figures in the air, and believing they are going to be a effective barrier against the hordes of hell (negative entities, energies, as your belief inclines. “Hordes of Hell” was his way, as with the prancing around, of emphasising the point).  The shapes are symbolic, the motions are symbolic, the Will… that is the barrier.  The Mind, that is the tool. He continued to explain, the flaming blue pentagrams act as targets for your vibration (When you vibrate the divine names and Angelic names during the Rituals) just like the visualise spheres are the concentration points in the middle pillar exercise.

To practically demonstrate this:
To Vibrate: Take a deep breath in, and with the entire breath out say the word in a monotonous sound (some say around natural “C”.  Wherever that is… I cant sing) inwardly, so it feels like your humming.  You should feel it vibrate.  A good single syllable is the Hindu “Om”.  And just space the “Oh” and “Mm” across the entire breath, without breaking the single sound.  When it comes to multiple syllables, each syllable is spread evenly across the entire breath.  Keeping with Hindi, you could try “Om namah Shivaya” which would divide the breath into six even parts.  (Om Nah Mah Shee Vah Yah – this is pronouncing each letter of the Sanskrit)
To Imagine a Target:  Visualise a white sphere in the nape of your neck (with visualisation I find it easiest to use memory, start by visualising a baseball there, then turn it into a pure white sphere, eventually the white sphere will became a memory available for memory recall), concentrate on it while vibrating your chosen word or sound (Middle Pillar would be “Yode-Heh-Vav-Heh El-Oh-Heem” though anything can be vibrated even “I Like Pie” and yield the result we want for this exercise).  You should feel that area vibrate.  Now imagine a larger ball in your chest, like a soccer or volley ball, glowing white, concentrate on it and vibrate your chosen word or words.  You should feel it vibrate in your chest.

Now, in the examples of Yoga and the Middle Pillar, the visualisation and the vibration is used to move energy (“all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration”).  The same way we focus on a singular point on ourselves is the same way we focus on a target outside of ourselves.  We are attempting to “trick” the brain into expanding our conciousness and send energy toward a target external of ourselves, through our “Sphere of Sensation” (aura, etc).

The goal of the LBRP is not only to raise the spiritual vibration or banish unwanted energies, but to help train the mind into directing energy outside of our physical bodies, expanding our awareness of our sphere of sensation as well as developing a “psychic awareness” slowly, along the way.

In Wicca, we have very similar methods, employing similar techniques (though less complex, yeilding the similar results).  Such as “Casting a Circle”, we are creating an imagined target and directing energy down our athame into it.  Whether your have used Divine energy like in my “Drawing down the Moon” https://wiccanwitchcraft.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/drawing-down-the-moon/ or use another form such as Emotional Energy in Konstantinos’ Noctural Witchcraft or Physical energy such as singing and dancing in Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft to name just one.  You still direct it into the target, being the imagined circle.

The result is “Expansion of the Conciousness” and “Directing of Energy”.  Forming a barrier with the “Will”, rather than what the outsider would just see as silly flailing of limbs and childish roleplay.  Though very different systems of Magick, one based on the Qabala and the other Witchcraft, the underlying goal is the same in the Lesser Banishing Ritual and the Casting of the Circle.  Through concious Will, we expand our awareness and we create a barrier.

Book Review: Nocturnal Witchcraft

Title: Nocturnal Witchcraft: Magick After Dark
Author: Konstantinos
Publisher: Llewellyn World Wide
Date of Publicaton: 2002

Overview:

This is an excellent book on Witchcraft, covering a lot of advanced practices (without the watering down). It has a clear defined structure, and gives a sort of step by step method toward training, rather than an encycolopedia style book like a lot on the subject. However, a bit of previous knowledge may be necessary for some, for two reasons:

1. To employ some of the methods safely by filling in the blanks
2. If you do not wish to be a Nocturnal Witch, having the knowledge to mould and modify the work around your preference. For me personally, it gives an excellent alternative perspective from more mainstream Wicca, and a lot of the practices can be easily modified.

 

The Negatives:

Physical [Soft cover]: After moving and reducing my collection, I have repurchased the Fifteenth edition.  First impressions when it saw it, was “Wow, this looks cool, it shines!”. By the time I completed reading this book, the cover had lost most of the shine on the “l” and “a” of “Nocturnal” to my fingers, where I held the cover open.

Filling in the Blanks: Expanding on the overview regarding “To employ some of the methods safely by filling in the blanks”…
Lack of information on the purpose of the “Banishing” which is employed. A banishing is used prior to magickal works to remove unwanted “entities” or “influences” from the area. Commonly done after the circle casting, so that the circle acts as a barrier to stop them just coming back in after the banishing is complete. “A mere banishing by itself is not so effective as a banishing performed within a circle, because the circle will effectually prevent the banished forces from flowing back again”. (Fortune, Dion. Psychic Self-Defence, p. 180 [Purchase: Psychic Self-Defence). Konstantinos’ banishing was like a banishing coupled with a preliminary circle casting, which to me sounded great, two things in one.  The Banishing mentioned in this book is covered in on page 58. This will require, if using this book alone, a lot of visualisation practice and the practice of his “Quick energy raising”, as well as a bit of knowledge of what you are doing. This to me, would be a lot harder for the beginner to master than something which using vocal vibration and physical gesture (drawn pentagrams) performs the banishing, however it can be done. The knowledge of what you are doing is what I mentioned earlier “Removing unwanted entities or influences” so while you are constructing and expanding the orb, add to the visualisation (if you wish) it full of light, so the idea of “pushing” out every unwanted influence is done.

Invocation of the Quarters: Now I agree with Konstantinos that this should be employed, rather than the concept of other authors such as Raymond Buckland who advise to avoid this potent practice (Raymond Buckland is highly respected, and I hold nothing again him, however Invoking the Quarters and Assuming a God-form covered in “Nocturnal Witchcraft” is leaps and bounds beyond what is covered in his “Complete Book of Witchcraft”). However, I believe he is having you dive into the deep end prematurely. Sufficient practice should be done of banishings prior to invocation. It is much better to be efficient as sending something away, than it is to call something to you and not be able to efficiently send it away.

The Assumption of the God-form: This, though excellent is advanced and should not be placed in the beginning of the book. In my opinion one needs to have better than good Concentration, excellent visualisation skills as well as a developed and fortified Will. Practicing this to early in my opinion, can be harmful. Why?
Concentration: This is needed so you can maintain the visualisation of the God-form and not allow distractions to break it or stray thoughts negative or positive to enter the ritual. I recommended Meditation, though not Wiccan specific is however simple and effective. Keeping with Konstantinos, in his book “Summoning Spirits: The Art of Magical Evocation” he has a “Magical Training” section. Using Exercise set One and Two can greatly increase your concentration. I do recommend supplementing it with extra materials such as “Book 4 – Part I: Mysticism” by Aleister Crowley [FREE Download: Book 4 – Part I: Mysticism]and something on Yoga, proper Yoga, not the fitness craze, like James Hewitt’s “Yoga” (Teach Yourself Books) which covers Hatha and Raja (Raja covering the meditative aspects with Dharana which is concentration).
Visualisation: This needs to be strong, the visualisation of a full-scale God or Goddess within yourself, moving with you, etc is difficult, not only to create but also to maintain. I recommended practicing more basic visualisations first. Most Wiccans will have a copy of or know of a Wiccan with a copy of Scott Cunningham’s Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (though there are lots more books with excellent sections on visualisation, even sound dedicated to it like “Creative Visualisation” by Shakti Gawain. Cunningham’s book is more common, so I will use this) pages 82 to 84 cover a good section on “Visualisation”.
Development and Fortification of Will: This is argued about quite often regarding when it should be done. Two of the many arguments are: From one camp “It should be done before invocation of any form” and from another camp saying “It should only be done by the advanced student unless they ‘Will’ something undesirable”. I am on the fence with this, because if an error occurs and you are solitary, Will is a very important tool. However, if you develop your will, have negative thoughts, these can be “Willed” into existence the same way the positive ritualistic thoughts are “Willed” in a ritual. However, developing the Will is rather simple. Sitting in a meditation, avoiding itching, moving etc, for over 30 minutes is an exercise of the Will. Though at times painful and taking away from T.V time, you continue to push on and on, this is a development of your will. Setting yourself goals, avoid procrastination and pushing on with them regardless how much you want to stop, is the Will again. I have not found any Wiccan books which focus on the development of the Will directly as a separate subject (rather it is done through the practice of other training and exercises) so I will quote some non-wiccan sources for reference: Cicero, Chic & Sandra Tabatha. Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition. pg. 681. This book puts Development of the Will at the “Portal Grade” which is the grade before the Inner Order, in which one receives the title of Adept (an adept being an advanced student). Crowley, Aleister. Book 4 – Part II: Magick in Theory and Practice: LIBER III vel JVGORVM. pg. 399 (Free eVersion) pg. 427 (other version) [FREE download: Magick in Theory and Practice].  You will see in case of Crowley the punishments are sever, and without a doubt, beyond necessary. One simply needs to apply the concept of foot-noted in Crowley’s book “This practice must not be dodged; e.g. (1) by failing to cut at the first moment of discovery, and giving oneself (so to say) “I’ll make 10 cuts when I’ve made 10 slips,” or (2) by “I’ll make a slip in view of the immediate need: I don’t mind the pain of a cut.”” If you do not dodge the punishment or think it is worth the pain, your Will is not allowing negative ideas and defeatist attitudes to come through. Thought cutting yourself is excessive, and I DO NOT SUPPORT OR ENDORSE THIS! A measure needs to be taken, what I did is closer to the first reference from the Cicero’s book. I wore a rubber-band around my wrist, and every time I broke away from what I willed not to do, I would pull, release and flick my wrist with it. Sounds not that bad, it’s not… however, when you are trying not to think of something, and this act alone causes the thought to recur, 6 flicks on the wrist close together, leaves a red mark, usually containing a jump like dance and restrained swear words and physical assault upon your head for not shutting up.
Finally the Will is necessary to stop the God-form taking over or leading you astray. You need to stay focused and in control, because during this altered state, something other than the form could try to pursued you it is the God/dess you are working with and lead you to do or say something against what you are doing.

 

The Positives:

The Nocturnal Altar: Without a doubt this is my favourite setup of an altar. I have seen some overly clutter and complicated setups which hold no real symbolism and only a couple of the items are working tool. I have also seen some underdone altars. However, this setup is perfectly balanced without containing excess tools. Each item has a purpose. My favourite would have to be the “Nocturnal Portal” or black backed scrying mirror, used to represent Spirit (I am assuming by the invoking spirit pentagram being traced on it in the book). I use this (or similar) like this: Four Elemental items placed on their respective quarters of the altar though I will use permanent tools, unless somewhere where I can not access them then I use “East = Incense, West = Water, North = Salt and South = Candle” as mentioned in the book. The scrying mirror placed in the East behind the incense facing west (facing toward me), two candles one black and one white on either side of the mirror to the back. On the Northern outer side of the altar a wand, and to the Southern outer side of the altar an Sword (Dagger or athame). When working, the items are placed outside the four elemental representations, then when being used get placed in the empty space between them. Love this layout, and it can, as I have demonstrated in this example, be “altared” to match you personal preferences.

New Material: Though this is a positive, I believe it is a double-edged sword. Teaching techniques I have not read in any books on Wicca prior to his release, such as “Reading Minds” and custom-made spells and rituals. It is great and they are far from beginner material. Teaching you what he describes as “The Pull” which is a technique employed by a number of psychics, whether it is a literal pulling sensation, a warm feeling, a tingle, etc. The development and understanding of this “Pull” is a great asset. And obviously a “Darker” form of the craft, but not an evil form; rather a night embracing and working tradition, helps gain new perspectives on light and dark, and new ways to view the rituals of the Full and New moon and so on.

Emphasis on Scrying: Scrying is without a doubt an excellent skill to develop. Regardless what is it called from “Spirit Vision” to the scientific “Hypnogogic state” it is what is used for the communication with higher areas of ones consciousness or communication with beings of other dimensions, realms, etc. I believe continued practice of creating visualised pentagrams (shifting your eyes focus and bringing both side of the brain to activity) and gazing through them will lead toward full scrying ability, usually starting with what looks like “glitter” or shiny dust particles in the area (what some call the ether), to when in meditative states swirling colours, then shapes, and finally full images, and on.

 

My Experiences with this Book:

Getting back to “Invocation of the Quarters” I have a story regarding the application of this book:
I was already a practising Occultist when attempting to practice this book, so I to test its potency, I practiced it in a building I had no blessed or consecrated (which is like a permanent banishing, so that only invoked forces can enter). The circle cast using his banishing was penetrated by a positive entity when I applied it, and the elemental invocation (I did have Enochian (I wont say tablets because they weren’t the tablets) banners, from his book Summoning Spirits: The Art of Magickal Evocation). though the entity did not penetrate the circle, it began to move around the circle knocking down light objects. On both occasions, I performed the banishing, circle casting and invocation of the elements as listed in Konstantinos’ Nocturnal Witchcraft, but my goal was to experiment with this book, and I was not going to delve into a ritual until I knew its efficiency. I decided I would just meditate at the time, and practice scrying the Tattwas (I will cover this in a later blog). Facing South in a deep meditative state scrying Tejas (the Fire Tattwa), I heard a small object drop slightly to the right of the West Enochian banner. I thought to myself, “Just a breeze” though I didn’t physically feel one (yes, exiting the meditative state abruptly did send a bit of a shock through me). I quickly reentered the altered state and was about to begin scrying Tejas again, when behind me, slightly to the right of the Northern Enochian banner another small item dropped. I knew now this to be more than coincidence. Though unafraid, I knew I wasnt going to be able to complete my meditation with these constant interruptions. I performed the banishings and the closing of the circle etc, as said in Nocturnal Witchcraft, however I still felt a presence (that weird feeling when you think “Someones watching me”, I thought “Somethings here”). I decided that I should consecrate this building now, just incase it is negative. While moving around the building, I saw rushing away from me, a murky shadow about 4 feet tall, rushing from “South” to “West”. Whatever it was, was fleeing the consecration. After this, I decided to use this building again, to test the potency of my consecration and to try to recreate what occurred the first time, however this time scrying a different Tattwa (Apas, the Water tattwa of the West). I performed his banishing, cast the circle, invoked the quarters and sat facing West and began scrying the Tattwa. Soon I felt a presence, physically felt, I did not see, or hear, just felt as though a calm presence had placed its hand on my shoulder. Not seeing anything with my scrying or hearing anything, I decided to open my eyes thinking my partner was playing a joke on me. When I turned to look, still feeling as though the hand was there, no one was. I decided shortly after (I can’t remember why, it will be somewhere in one of my log books) to end the meditation. After performing the closing as mentioned in Konstantinos’ Nocturnal Witchcraft, I began to walk toward the exit of the building where I saw what looked like a pale blue glowing white figure (similar to the colour of a being I had seen previously in my teenage years, before my interest in the occult) move as though it had exited via the door and I saw it move past the window briefly. This shows in my opinion the efficiency of Konstantinos’ work, on two occasions, the only two times I attempted this exercise, I yielded results. Which in my opinion is why it should not be attempted as early as he has placed it in his book. Someone who is new, who picks up this book, invokes the quarters, but something similar to my first experience comes though, without proper banishing and circle construction it can enter the circle. Without a developed and fortified will, once in it can obsess the Witch (magician, practicing occultist, etc). Though I exited the circle while still believing it to be present, I did not have fear and proceeded with a consecration. As by this time, I had blessed a few homes with alleged similar activity.

 

Conclusion:

Excellent book, a must read and must have. Compliment it with a few other books including his “Summoning Spirits: The Art of Magical Evocation” and others on Wicca or Magick and you have yourself an excellent method of working Magick and practicing Wicca.