BOOK OF SHADOWS VOLUME The SEVENTH pp. 2857 - 3277 RIDERS OF THE CRYSTAL WIND TABLE OF CONTENTS A Christian Speaks (J.C. Taylor) ...............................2460 A Minister Speaks Out (J. gordon Melton) ........................975 A Plea For Initiation Standards (Ellen Cannon Reed) .............908 A Tale of Two Witches (Mike Nichols) ............................147 A True History of Witchcraft (Allen Greenfield) ................1771 ADF Ritual #1 ..................................................3063 Aethyr, On the Nature of (Anthra Andromda) .....................1816 Against The Witch Hunters (R. Culain) ..........................1704 AIR - A Meditation (Charis) ....................................1559 All Hallows Eve (Mike Nichols) ..................................137 Altars, Misc Thoughts (Chris Olmstead) .........................2566 Altar Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125 Altered States and Ritual (Web of Wyrd #7) .....................3081 Amazing (Pagan?) Grace ..........................................959 Amerind Teaching Stories Rabbit (John Lone Wolf) ...................................1534 An Australian Aboriginal Myth (WoW #10) ........................2481 Ancient Art, The ................................................551 Answers (Grove of the Unicorn) ..................................479 Aridian (Strega) Information ...................................1947 Asatru (Rathulvf Jamieson) ......................................952 Asatru Resources ...............................................3061 Asatru Blot (Lewis Stead) ......................................2338 Astral Projection (Monroe Technique) ............................783 Athame Dedication (Durwydd) .....................................125 Autarchic Creed .................................................562 Autonomatrix Manifesto .........................................1813 Badgers ........................................................2554 Banes, Bindings, and Mirrors (Judy Harrow, Hugh Read) ...........628 "Bardic" Circle Rituals from DragonHart Cove Beltane (The White Bard) ..................................1111 Candlemas (The White Bard) ................................1151 Samhain (The White Bard) ..................................1116 Bardic Wedding (RowanHart Circle) ..............................1526 Bardic Mythos (The Whyte Bard) Creation ..................................................2206 " Part II .........................................2251 Death .....................................................2204 Maiden Story ..............................................2199 Rebirth ...................................................2205 The Sacred King ...........................................2201 The Gifts of The Fool .....................................2202 The Story of The Pit ......................................2439 The Jesus Story ...........................................2440 A Yule Mythos .............................................2533 Bare Bones 3rd Degree (Humor) ...................................463 Basic Beliefs of WICCA (C.O.G.) .................................947 Basic Love Spell ................................................958 Basic Spell Construction ........................................113 Basic Principles (American Council of Witches)...................310 Basic Ritual Outline (ED FITCH) ...................................6 Being A Witch in Brittain Today (James Pengelly, WOW #10) ......2658 Beltaine Ritual (Firestar Coven, 1986) ...........................36 Beltane Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1743 Beltane Ritual (Seastrider) .....................................464 Beltane Ritual (ADF) ...........................................2956 Beltane Ritual (Lynna Landstreet, W.C.C.) ......................1935 Beltane, Its Origins (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................126 Berserkir (Mike Howard, W o W #7) ..............................3084 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Betty Crocker Cult, The (M. Perrin) ............................3083 Beyond Reason (Aries, W.o.W.) ..................................2240 Bible, Books not included .......................................652 Bibliography (annotated) ........................................929 Bibliography of Magic in Sci-Df (M. Griffith) ..................1737 Binding A Spell (Farrar & Farrar) ...............................157 Bovinomicon (humor) ............................................1805 Blackout and Sigils (I.O.T.) ...................................1402 Blessing Payer (Traditional Gardnerian "Dryghten Prayer") ......1512 Blood Sacrifice (Althea Whitebirch) .............................547 Bridal Blessing (Julia Phillips) ...............................2572 Brigit of the Celts (Unknown) ..................................2960 Brigit, Two Prayers ............................................3263 Broken Heart Spell (Healing) ...................................1219 Bulb Planting Chant (Eileen) ...................................2853 Burning Times, The (Marios) .....................................951 "Calling Spell" (Rowan Moonstone) ..............................2577 Candle Blessing (Coven of New Gwynedd) .........................3266 Candle Colors ...................................................982 Candle Magic ....................................................417 Candle Scents ...................................................988 Candlemas Ritual 1987 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ..............1750 Candlemas (Gwydion) .............................................537 Candlemas (Mike Nichols) ........................................168 Catharsis Circle (Judy Harrow).....................................8 Cauldrons (Elemental)............................................420 CAW (Church of All Worlds) Basic Info Pkg. (12/93) Bylaws.....................................................2484 Communion Ceremony (Morning Glory Zell) ...................2495 "Earthmom" ................................................2496 Electronic CAW (Irv Koch) .................................2527 History ...................................................2502 Neo-Paganism (Otter G'Zell) ...............................2506 Neo-Pagan Witchcraft vs. Satanism .........................2510 "What is it?" (CAW, Australia) ............................2514 Nest List (as of 12/93) ...................................2525 CELTIC NUMEROLOGY (Mike Nichols) ................................454 CELTIC BIBLIOGRAPHY (Rowan Moonstone) ...........................298 Celtic Bibliography (Annotated, by Eryn Darkstar) ..............1133 Celtic Centering Ritual ........................................3265 Celtic Deities/Origins (Lorax) .................................2351 Celtic Workshop (from Internet) ................................3101 Chakras, Greek .................................................2400 Chalice Ritual - Dragon Trad (C.J. Mandrake) ...................1468 Channeling (Jast) ...............................................969 Channeling for Fun and Prophet (F.J. McGovern) .................1736 Chants w/ASCII Notation (L.A.Hussey) ...........................1081 Chaos, Some Heretical remarks on Philosophy (K. Dykow)..........2264 Chaos Magic (Mark Chao) .........................................398 Chaos Magick vs. Thelema .......................................1240 Chaos-sphere ...................................................1393 Chaoism and Chaos Magick (Pete Carroll) ........................1404 Charge of the Phone Goddess (Magenta Griffith) ..................759 Charge of the God, The (Kyri Comyn) ............................1925 Charge of the Horned God [Rhyming] (V. West) ...................1927 Charge of the Goddess [Rhyming] (Kalioppe) .....................1928 Charge of the Goddess, The (D. Valiente) ........................193 Charge of the Goddess, The (Kyri Comyn) ........................1926 Charge of The Horned God, The ...................................936 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Charge of the God 1 (Siobhan) ..................................3272 Charge of the God 2 (Siobhan) ..................................3273 Charging Crystals (Ian Kesser) .................................1707 Check List for A Well Working Group (Earthrite BBS) .............957 Child Blessings ................................................2572 Church of All Worlds ............................................353 Christian "Cults" ..............................................1000 Christmas Customs (Rick Hayward) ...............................2481 Christmas Past (Eric Maple, via Julia Phillips) ................2530 Circle Closing ..................................................540 Circle Casting (Avaloian)........................................541 Circle Purification for Asthmatics ..............................780 Circle Casting (after Valiente and Farrar) ......................130 Circles, why use them? (Mel White) ...............................65 Cleansing (Rowan Moonstone) .......................................2 Cleansing Incense ..............................................2547 Comparison of Wicca and Christianity.............................622 Computer Blessing (Zahai Stewart) ...............................757 Coming of Age ritual (notes by Malakus) ........................2578 "Condensed" Definition of Wicca (Lady Phoenix) ..................948 Consciousness & Politics (Carol Moore)......................... Coven, The (Julia Phillips) ....................................2998 Coven at Pooh Corner (D. Wadsworth) ............................1688 Coven Offices ...................................................762 Coven Leadership ................................................543 Covens and Witches (Julia Phillips) ............................3266 Covenant of the Goddess .........................................305 Covenant of the Goddess, History (Michael Thorn) ...............2459 Covenant of the Goddess Pledge ..................................309 Craft Ethics (J. Crowley) .......................................751 Craft Ethics Response (M.K.H) ..................................1216 CRAFT LAW Craft Laws (by Lady Sheba).................................1163 New Laws (Lady Galadriel, Grove of The Unicorn)............1174 The New Book Of Law, A Commentary (J. Random Folksinger)...1185 Aporrheton 5 (Judy Harrow?) ...............................1195 The Abbreviated Laws (including Comment by J.R.F.) ........1202 The Law (Humor) ...........................................1204 Commentary by a student ........................................1212 Commentary by L.A. Hussey.......................................1214 Compuserve Sabbats (Courtesy J. Quigley) Beltane. 90 ...............................................2090 Imbolc.90 .................................................2094 Imbolc.93 .................................................2110 Lammas.90 .................................................2104 Lammas.91 .................................................2099 MoonAPR.93 ................................................2114 MoonAUG.92 ................................................2121 MoonFEB.93 ................................................2127 MoonJul.92 ................................................2130 MoonJUN.92 ................................................2134 MoonMAR.93 ................................................2140 MoonMay.93 ................................................2148 MoonOCT.92 ................................................2154 MoonSEP.92 ................................................2161 SAMHAIN.91 ................................................2171 SAMHAIN.92 ................................................2177 Spring Equinox.92 .........................................2188 YULE.90 ...................................................2184 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Coven Leadership, some food for thought ........................1943 Creation Story ..................................................619 Creed Of The People Of God (Catholic) ..........................1005 Crone Energies (Grey Cat) .......................................559 Crossroads .....................................................1794 Crystals, their care and feeding (Matrika).......................413 Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (P.E.I.Bonewits) ...................343 CUUPS (C.O.G. Salt Lake City) ..................................1002 Dark Moon Ritual ...............................................3259 Dangers of "Magical Thinking" in Magick (Nihasa)................1716 "Dark Night of the Soul".........................................286 "Dark Night of the Soul"........................................1411 Dangers of Deity? (a Conversation) .............................1820 DCW Landmarks ...................................................492 Death & Rebirth, A Modern Myth (Kalioppe) ......................2411 Degrees within Covens ...........................................623 Dedication Ritual (Khaled Quicksilver) .........................1841 Dedication Pledge (Judy Harrow) ................................2549 Deity Engineering Worksheet .....................................607 Denver Area Wiccan Network ......................................200 Descent of The Goddess (Sewna Silvara) ..........................750 Descent of The Goddess (G.B.G.) ................................1769 Descent of The Goddess (D. Mac Tara) ...........................1923 Descent of The Goddess (Starhawk) ..............................1770 Descent Into Confusion (Robert Hughes, WOW) ....................2711 Dianic Wicca (Inanna Seastar) ...................................614 Dion Fortune & Gardnerian Wicca (C.S. Clifton in W.o.W.) .......2210 Divine Circle Scam .............................................1507 Divination (Bibliography) .......................................605 Divination (RMPJ) ...............................................603 Dragon, The Last (story by Gerald Decampo) .....................1226 Dragon Tradition (Phoenix Arizona) Circle Casting ............................................1228 "Quarter Calls" ...........................................1486 Drawing Down the Moon ...........................................557 Dream Problem Solving ...........................................573 Dream Bibliography ..............................................576 Dream Life ......................................................571 Dream-News ......................................................567 Dreams Precognition .............................................575 Dying God (Ammond ShadowCraft)...................................685 Eclectic Circle Ceremony (Durwydd) ...............................40 EcoMagick .......................................................614 Editorial, Web of Wyrd #10 (Julia Phillips) ....................2993 EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD (Budge) ..............................2717 Egyptian Metaphysics (Michael Poe) .............................2032 Eight Paths to Altered States (Carrie McMasters).................222 Eight Magicks (Pete Carroll) ...................................1825 Elements, A Hermetic Summoning (Marios) .........................960 Elemental Correspondences (from Starhawk) .......................979 Elemental Correspondences .......................................560 Elven (Modern Mythic Prose by Par Garou) .......................1159 Essay on The Three-Fold Law (Paul Seymour) .....................1208 Ethics and Morals (RMPJ) ........................................315 Ethics and Magick (Warren Stott) ................................415 Ethics and Laws (Lifeway Shamanic Fellowship) ..................1220 Ethics and Love Magick (Mike Nichols) ...........................554 Ethics or Etiquette .............................................565 Etymology of "Wicca" ............................................356 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Evolution of Wiccan Ritual (Paul Hume) ..........................946 Exegesis on The Wiccan Rede (Judy Harrow).......................1209 Exorcism ........................................................613 Eyes of a dyke [fiction] (vivienne West) .......................1931 Feminine Current in the G.D. (Peregrine, in WoW) ...............2228 Festivals .......................................................587 Film Guide '89 (Mike Nichols)....................................528 Finer Points of Ritual (Mike Nichols) ..........................2963 Firefawn (Masochistic Maiden) ..................................2356 First Degree, What is it? .......................................351 FISH (Creative use of Christian Symbology) ......................611 Five Fold Kiss ..................................................744 Food For Thought (Some notes for Coven Leaders) ................1943 Fool ............................................................590 For A Few Myths More (WofW #7) .................................3274 Fortune, The (RMPJ) .............................................953 Full Deck Tarot Spread ..........................................625 Full Moon Ritual (Seastrider)....................................634 Fundamentals of Human Ecology ...................................616 Fundies Visit Denver (Transcribed by Rowan Moonsone) ...........2366 Funeral Rites (Oz Caliburn) ....................................2363 Funeral Ritual, Generic Pagan (She-Wolf) .......................2524 GAEA Hypothesis (Green Egg) ....................................2398 Gardnerian Book of Shadows .....................................3000 Georgian Mythos (Zanoni Silverknife) ...........................2340 Glossary (Rowan Moonstone & Durwydd MacTara) ....................206 Gnosticism.......................................................694 God/Goddess Balance (Adrienne)...................................223 Golden Dawn (Calif.).............................................689 Golden Dawn Training (outline)...................................691 Goodwife (Story by L.A. Hussey) .................................644 Great Rite, The (Symbolic) ......................................656 Greek and Roman Deities (Thomas Palmer) ........................1698 Greek Fire Initiation............................................982 GREEK LBRP .....................................................2404 Group Ethics Essay (Raven) .....................................3267 Halloween, Origins of (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................26 Halloween, A Witches Thoughts (Cecylina Brightsword) ...........2575 Handfasting ......................................................68 Handfasting (Lady Ardane, Prodigy) .............................2197 Handfasting (CAW) ..............................................2948 Handfasting, Celtic ............................................3277 Handfasting Ritual Notes .......................................3276 Harvest Home (Mike Nichols) .....................................176 Harvest Thoughts (Gary Dumbauld) ................................630 Harvest Home - 1987 (Michael Fix) ................................13 Heal The Earth (a meditation) ...................................661 Healing (one method) ............................................655 Healing Myth (Nihasa) ...........................................165 Heirophant, The (Khaled Quicksilver) ...........................1946 Helpful Hints (Humor) ...........................................966 Herbal "Quick Reference" .......................................2541 Heretic's Corner (RMPJ) .........................................869 Heyokah (RMPJ) ..................................................632 Hidden Codes in the Torah .......................................733 High Technology Meets The Ancient Wisdom ........................964 History (Weyland Smith) .........................................786 History of Witch Craft ..........................................791 Homeblessing (Selena Fox) .......................................663 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Homeblessing (She Wolf) ........................................2545 Homeblessing notes (Scott Cunningham) ..........................2546 House Cleansing Ritual (David Piper) ...........................3264 How to use Magick with a straight face .........................3228 Hymns To The Star Goddess (O.T.O.) .............................1431 Hypnosis 101 ....................................................667 I.O.T. History (The Beginnings).................................1398 Ideology (I.O.T.) ..............................................1252 In Defense of Excellence (Adrienne, Quicksilver, Ottawa) .......2553 Imbolc (Solitary Ritual) ........................................664 Imbolc at the Covenstead (Erin) ................................2556 Imbolc Myth ....................................................2535 Imbolc Ritual ..................................................2536 Imbolg Ritual (Kalioppe) .......................................2420 Imbolg '92 (Julia Phillips) ....................................1757 Initiation, Outdoor (adaptation) .................................72 Initiation (Brad Hicks) ..........................................50 Initiation (D. Valiente) .......................................3077 Initiation (Crowther) ..........................................3079 Introductory Book List ..........................................926 Ishtar, Inanna, & Ancient Astrology (Valkyrie) .................2466 INVOCATIONS Freyja (unknown) ............................................56 Frigg (Russ Anderson) .......................................55 Brigit (Russ Anderson) ......................................57 Baldur (unknown) ............................................55 Freyr (unknown) .............................................56 Herne (unknown) .............................................57 Thorr (unknown) .............................................58 INVOCATIONS -QUARTERS- EAST ......................................................1542 SOUTH .....................................................1543 WEST ......................................................1544 NORTH .....................................................1545 Invocation of Lord and Lady (Ritual) ...........................2557 Irish Myth Concordance (Mike Nichols) ...........................422 Ishtar ..........................................................740 Issian Circle (Matrika) ..........................................59 Judeopagan Menopause Ritual (Randronoth) .......................2333 K.A.M. ..........................................................735 Kabballah (Colin Low)............................................236 Kali and Modern Physics .........................................730 Karma & Quantum Mechanics ......................................3085 Keeper of Wisdom, The (Kalioppe) ...............................2416 Keltria (The Henge of) ..........................................739 "Kids" (Kalioppe) ..............................................2250 "The Knots of Death" ...........................................3093 Labeling Wiccans (Lucie) .......................................2330 Lady Day (Mike Nichols) .........................................171 Lady's Prayer, The .............................................2398 Lammas (Mike Nichols) ...........................................174 Lammas Ritual , "The Corn Play" (Julia Phillips) ...............1941 Lammas Ritual (1991, Celtic Temple of the Wiccan Way ...........2194 "Landmarks" (D.C.W.) ............................................990 LBRP, an Essay (Tim Maroney) ....................................103 Learning Process ................................................962 Leave it Out, Leviticus (Aries, W.O.W. #8) .....................2260 "Legitimacy" in the Craft (Khaled Q.) ..........................1766 Liber OZMA (Tim Maroney) .......................................1414 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Lilith (BBS Conversation) ......................................1083 Literary Roots of Wicca (Diane Vera) ...........................1535 LLEW, Death of (Mike Nichols) ...................................179 Lucid Dreaming (Omni Magazine) ..................................955 LUPERCALIA (She Wolf) ..........................................2580 MABON Outline (anonymous) ........................................43 Magick, Physics, & Probability (Hurn) ...........................811 Magick (A. Crowley) .............................................817 Magick Vs. Prayer (Salgamma) ....................................684 Magickal Book List ..............................................923 Magick Course Outline (Amber K.).................................815 Magickal Ethics (Judy Harrow) ...................................502 Magickal History (Fra.: Apfelman) ...............................406 Magickal Definitions (RMPJ) .....................................814 Magickal Laws (after P.E.I. Bonewits) ...........................831 Magickal Musical Selection Guide ...............................1079 Magickal Pyramid, The (Durwydd MacTara).........................1096 Magickal Stones & Gems ..........................................912 Magickal Training Course (Phil Hansford) .......................1373 Manhood Rituals (RMPJ) ..........................................760 Mantra Web technique ............................................288 Mayan Deities (777 Supplement) ..................................834 Mayday Celebration (Mike Nichols) ...............................837 MAYDAY Celebration (Mike Nichols) ................................79 Maychants (4) (Tanscribed by SeaStrider).........................911 Mazes in Myth (Valkyrie) .......................................2471 Mead, Brew of The Gods! (Lewis Stead) ..........................2550 Media Management (Windfire Coven) ...............................851 Meditation Techniques, Basic (Bill Witt) .......................1513 Memorial Day Ritual (HPF, She-Wolf) ............................3098 Memory & Perception, a new Model (Paul Seymour).................1077 Midsummer (Mike Nichols) .........................................45 Mind, A Treatise on The (The Tigress) ..........................1460 Mind Control Techniques (Dick Sutphen) ..........................512 Models of Magick (incomplete)....................................216 Modern Pagaism, Q&A .............................................920 Modern Pagan Persecution (Jonathan Hutchins) ....................942 Modified Assyrian Protection Spell (With Commentary) ...........1739 Mothers Day Message ............................................1076 Money Tree Spell (Rowan Moonstone) .............................2576 MONISM (Durwydd Mac Tara) ......................................1523 Monotheism vs. Polytheism (Dan Holdgriewe) ......................941 Muhammad .......................................................2699 Pagan Musings (Tony Kelly, Selene Community, Wales,1970) .......2435 Mycenaen Mysteries (J. Teller)...................................365 Mystical Pentagram ..............................................110 Nature Spirit Magick (Larry Cornett) ............................357 Necromancy (reprint) ............................................841 Nemesis Conjuration (I.O.T.) ...................................1250 Neo-Pagan Ritual (Brad Hicks) ....................................77 Neo-Pagan Theology (Cyprian) ...................................2426 Neo-Paganism (J. Brad Hicks) ....................................329 NeoPaganism (Eric S. Raymond) ...................................333 NeoPlatonism (Deborah Kest) ....................................2473 "New Age" Ministry (Steve Kalinowski) ..........................2705 NLP- Applied Magic (Brandy Williams).............................459 Notes On The Historical Egregore in Magick (I.O.T.).............1245 Nine Noble Virtues (Norse) .....................................3254 NROOGD SAMHAIN - 1987 (l.a. Hussey) ..............................21 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Occult Resurgence, A theory .....................................224 ODINISM, What is it? ............................................764 Open Circle Ethics (Brandy Williams) ............................377 Open Letter to A New Witch ......................................910 Open Letter to Selena Fox (Isaac Bonewits) .....................1089 Opening (ending) The Circle ......................................12 Ordo Argentum Astrum ...........................................1230 Origins of the Mandan (Madoc) ...................................949 Orphic Invocations of God & Goddess (Phaedra) ..................1541 Pagan Churches? (Julia Phillips) ...............................2252 Pagan Folksongs (The Whyte Bard - THE GREENBOOK OF NEO-PAGAN SONGS - All Thru The Night ............................................2303 Bard's Song, The ..............................................2302 Bedlam Bells ..................................................2289 Blessed Be Again! .............................................2297 Burning Times/Chant ...........................................2290 Cambrian Dream ................................................2308 Celtic Circle Dance ...........................................2286 Childish Edda, The ............................................2312 Circles .......................................................2287 Cup Of Wonder .................................................2309 Cup Of Wonder II ..............................................2310 Fairies Love Song .............................................2301 False Knight Upon The Road, The (Child #3) ....................2306 God Is Alive, Magic Is Afoot ..................................2214 Harp Song Of The Dane Women ...................................2298 High Holiday Song, The ........................................2329 John Barleycorn ...............................................2305 King Henry (Child #32) ........................................2283 Lord Of The Dance .............................................2284 Nottamun Town .................................................2307 Nude ..........................................................2300 She Moved Thru The Faire ......................................2309 Song Of Wandering Aengus, The .................................2311 Spring Strathspey .............................................2288 Stand Up, Stand Up For Odin ...................................2299 Thong Of Thor, The ............................................2282 Two Magicians .................................................2304 Wiccan Rede, The ..............................................2280 Witch's Ballad, The ...........................................2281 Valkyrie Song, The ............................................2213 Real Old Time Religion, That ..................................2315 Yule Songs Christmas Time Is Pagan! .................................2295 Dancing In A Wiccan Wonderland ...........................2293 Gloria ...................................................2291 Glory To The New Born King ...............................2293 God Rest Ye Merry, Paganfolk .............................2296 Hark The Neo-Pagans Sing .................................2291 Joy To The World .........................................2295 Moon Of Silver ...........................................2294 Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful! ...............................2292 Share The Light ..........................................2294 Silent Night .............................................2292 Ye Children All Of Mother Earth ..........................2291 Pagan Manners (Grey Cat) .......................................3070 Pagan Unity Ritual (W.o.W. #5) .................................2246 Pantacle, The (Gary Dumbauld) ...................................392 Table Of Contents (Continued) Perscution, Ancient & Modern (Julia Phillips) ..................1627 Personal effects of Ritual (Nihasa) .............................868 Peyote & The Supreme Court (News Articles) .....................1725 Planetary Hours (Andrew Kettle) ................................3074 Polarity and Single Sex Covens (Marios) .........................945 Pornography & Pagan Ideals ......................................972 Power Animals (RMPJ).............................................411 Principia Discordia ............................................2893 Prosperity [Famtrad] (Rowan Moonstone) .........................1485 Psychic Self-Defense ............................................594 Psychic Attack ..................................................563 PR Flyer (Raven, Milwaukee CUUPS) ..............................2995 "Quantum" Kaballah...............................................282 Quantum Magick (Larry Cornett) ..................................857 Quilting and "Craft" (J.M. Cortese) ............................1103 Rainforest Ritual (Michael Harismedes, 1988) ....................212 Raven Kindred Ritual (Asatru) ..................................2815 Reclaiming The God (Women's Ritual) ............................2853 Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.) ..............................1488 "Restorationist" Christianity (Chris Anderson) .................2385 Risk Assessment for The Craft Community (Weyland Smith) ........1723 Rite of Passage, Modern Female (Lady Shyra) ....................2694 Ritual of the Blessed Motherboard (Discordian Humor) ...........1471 Ritual Abuse Scandal in Britain (Michael Howard) ...............2233 Ritual Bath (Sewna Silvara) .....................................745 Ritual Theory and Technique (Colin Low).........................2668 Rosicrucianism (J. Phillips) ...................................1741 Rune Poem, A linguistic Analysis by Steph Parker ...............2476 Runes, What are they? (Lokrien) .................................215 Runic Thorn Ritual (Faunus) ....................................1097 Salem Anniversary Ritual (Sandy & Diug Kopf)....................1156 Samhain Notes (Farrar)...........................................143 Samhain Ritual (L. A. Hussey) ....................................19 Samhain Ritual (Kalioppe) ......................................2423 Samhain Ritual (O.T.O.) .........................................145 Samhain (United Wiccan Church) ..................................141 Samhain Ritual 1986 (Coven of The Serpents Eye) ................1759 Sangreal Sodality, The (Alfgar Maharg) ..........................944 Santa (Tane Jackson) ...........................................2573 Satanic Ritual Abuse (1992 FBI Report) .........................1575 Satanism Satanism 101 (Diaane Vera) ................................1536 Satanism Defined (Delohine) ...............................1539 Satanism as Media Hype (News Article) .....................1717 Satanism vs. Wicca (Diane Vera).............................194 Setian Symbolism (T.O.S.) .................................1560 Saxon Wicca (Matrika) ...........................................158 Scorpio Dragon (Sewna Silvara) ..................................749 Searching (Carol Neist, W.O.W. #8) .............................2255 Second Degree (Gary Dumbauld) .....................................3 Second Ritual for Bast .........................................1933 Sex and Magick (Fra. Apfelmann)..................................231 SET ............................................................3059 Shamanic Binding (Gaffer Maccluiunn) ............................937 Shamanic Lifeways Fellowship (Michelle Haas) ....................384 Shamanism (Internet FAQ) .......................................2683 Sigil Magick (I.O.T.) ..........................................1416 Smudging (Michelle Haas) ........................................184 Snake Venom & Altered States (Loren Petrich) ...................1419 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Solitary Moon Rite, Issian (Ellen Cannon Reed) .................1100 Solitary Neophyte Ritual (C.M.) ................................2391 Sophia and Gnosticism (Terry J. McCombs) .......................1105 Spitual Emergence or Emergency (Paul Seymour) ...................939 Spring Equinox (Farrar and Farrar) ..............................182 Spring Equinox Ritual (Marian Starwatcher) .....................2687 Standing Stones Book Of Shadows (Scott Cunninham) ..............1010 Strings On The Winds (Bardic Fiction)............................778 "Super-Dimensionality" (I.O.T.)..................................289 Swastika, The (Paladin) ........................................2257 Sybillyne Tradition of Wicca ...................................2445 Taleisin's thoughts .............................................676 Tarot Divination (Tuppence) ....................................1710 Tea Ritual (Sewna Silvara, Triskelion)...........................747 Technology and The Craft (Fun!) .................................132 Temple Of Set (Lillith Aquino) .................................2709 Temples, Covens, & Groves - Oh My! (Khaled Q.) .................2221 Ten Ways to "Piss Off A Pagan (Humor) ..........................2247 The Goddess Movement (Denver Post) .............................2361 The Pact (IOT) .................................................1162 The Postures of Ecstasy .........................................617 The 12 Steps and Shamanism (Matrika, P.A.N.) ...................1504 The Last Dragon (Kalioppe) .....................................2360 Theological Discipline & Penance (Lisa Sergienko) ..............2258 Three-Fold Goddess, The (Eileen Turner) ........................2653 Thunder, Perfect Mind (Tony Ianotti) ...........................1254 Tools, etc. (Phoenix Whitebirch) ...............................2387 Tool List (Seastrider) ..........................................136 Tool Blessing Ritual ............................................122 Tool Consecration ................................................17 T.O.P.Y. Is ....................................................2857 TOS Symbology ..................................................3045 Traditional Wicca (K.A.M.) ......................................186 Traveling Chant (Julia Phillips)................................2571 Treatise On Mind (The Tigress) .................................1265 Travel Spell (Rowan Moonstone) .................................1487 Trickster Energies ..............................................234 Twelve Exercises Nobody Needs ...................................619 Twenty-Two Commandments for the New Age (A. Waldrum)............1721 Vernal Equinox Ritual from OZ (Julia Phillips) .................1742 Verse: A Birthday In The Light (T. Digby) ........................1920 A Call To Lord And Lady (Jeff Bordeaux) ...................1853 A Dreaming Desire (Jeff Bordeaux) .........................1865 A Lady Called Truth (Geral Del Campo) .....................1921 A Riddle (Saracen) ........................................1919 A Victim of Ideologies (Jeff Bordeaux) ....................1876 "AINT!" (Ellen Cannon Reed) ...............................1929 ALOHA! Serge King (Hugh Read) .............................1848 Amphitrite (Sourdough Jackson) ............................1866 Amazing (Wiccan) Grace (Verna Knapp) ......................1909 Another One For Jim Morrison (Sourdough Jackson) ..........1870 Banishing The Circle (Devin Storm) ........................1892 Battle Hymn of the Eristocracy (Filk) .....................1898 Beneath The Full Moon (Sourdough Jackson) .................1870 BLOOD (Similodon) .........................................1889 Bowhunter's Prayer to Dianna (Kalioppe) ...................2249 Burning Times (L.A. Hussey) ...............................1849 Cauldron Chant (Ammond Shadowcraft)........................1899 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Love Is The Law (Unknown) .................................1884 LYRA (Hugh Read) ..........................................1856 Magic Man (Taarna Savet) ..................................1906 Magical Reveries (Hugh M. Read) ...........................1878 May Eve (Doreen Valiente) .................................1884 Minerva (Unknown) .........................................1883 Moose! (SCA Humor) ........................................2248 New Words and Old (Kihe Blackeagle) .......................1890 Night Wind (Shadow Hawk) ..................................1863 Ocean (skybane) ...........................................1921 Pagan Awakening (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1852 Pan To Artemis (Hugh Read) ................................1847 Pandemonium (Sonia Brock) .................................1890 Pegasus (Durwydd Mac Tara) ................................1911 Prelude to Discovery (Gerald Del Campo) ...................1913 Prayer Drive (Sourdough Jackson) ..........................1869 Quarter Chant (Damon) .....................................1871 RAINBOWS (Jennifer Holding) ...............................1897 RAP (Anony Mouse) .........................................2255 Red and Gold (Joe Bethancourt) ............................1906 Samhain Chant (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1845 Scarabeus (unknown) .......................................1883 Seeking The Sign To Dragonheim (Jeff Bordeax) .............1853 Shadowhawk (Marcus) .......................................1877 Simple (Gardenstone) ......................................1914 SLEEPR (Lynn Hubert) ......................................1921 Snow (Steve Earl) .........................................1873 Song (Vivienne West) ......................................2255 Spring/Summer Poem (Shadowhawk) ...........................1891 Storm (Shadow Hawk) .......................................1875 Storm (Stormy Gael) .......................................1893 Tears For An Angel (Gerald Del Campo) .....................1913 The Awakening (Andrew Daws) ...............................1922 The Cloud Sculptors (Jeff Bordeaux) .......................1865 The Coming of Lugh (Iarwin) ...............................1861 The Goddess is Alive (Unknown) ............................1856 The Lady's Brothel (filk) .................................1898 The Man In The Moon (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1919 The Moon Pool (unknown) ...................................1859 The Night Before Samhain (Masochistic Maiden) .............1915 The Pentagram (Similodon) .................................1889 The Prettiest One (Filk) ..................................1898 The Shaman's Call (Shadow Hawk) ...........................1873 The Spell of the Cord (Doreen Valiente) ...................1886 The River (Hugh Read) .....................................1872 The Tree Song (Kipling) ...................................1864 The Triple Goddess (Kalioppe) .............................2208 The Witches Ballad ........................................1894 To The Bonfires (Jeff Bordeaux) ...........................1866 To The Dragons Reborn (Jeff Bordeaux) .....................1854 To Greyshield, With Love ("Phoenix") ......................1851 Today The Moon is There (Hugh Read) .......................1893 Two Ritual Prayers (Anahita Gula) .........................1895 What is Love (Ravenna Michelle) ...........................1917 Why I Love The Dark (Gerald Del Campo) ....................1912 Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente) ...........................1843 Yule Carols (Green Egg, Yule '92) .........................1938 UEA '93 Main Ritual (Rowan Moonstone) ..........................2449 Walking With My Friends (Masochistic Maiden) ...................2355 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Washington Post Article (1991) .................................1499 Warnke Expose (Cornerstone Magazine) ...........................2604 Wartime (Michelle Haas, 1991) ...................................117 Warriors .......................................................2548 Warriorship (Swein Runestaff W.o.W.) ...........................2236 Watch Towers, Rethinking The (Mike Nichols) .....................344 "Weasel Wicca" (Humor fm. Green Egg) ...........................1531 What is Myth? (Web of Wyrd, #10) ...............................2518 What is Paganism (Bay Area Pagan Alliance) .....................2891 What is Shamanism? (Michelle Haas) ..............................354 What is Shamanism (Eliade) .....................................2567 What is WICCA? (Texas Pamphlet) .................................322 What is Wicca? (Amber K.) .......................................340 What is Wicca (Durwydd Mac Tara) ...............................1551 Wheel of The Year (Julia Phillips/Matthew Sandow) ..............1671 Wheel Visualization (Julia Phillips and Rufus Harrington) ......1682 When Magic Doesn't Work (Magical Blend Magazine) ...............1520 Why I don't Believe the "Survivors" (R. Moonsone)...............1719 Wicca and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (D. Wadsworth) .....1694 Wicca vs. Paganism (David Piper) ...............................2716 Wicca, from My Point of View (Lady Phoenix) .....................149 Wiccan Ethics & The Wiccan Rede (David Piper) ..................3270 Wiccan History .................................................1656 Wiccan History (BTW, Julia Phillips) ...........................1566 Wiccan Information Network .....................................1087 Wiccan Way, The .................................................192 Wiccan Pentagram Ritual (Paul Hume) ..............................98 Wiccan Traditions, A comparison (Hurn, RMPJ) ....................154 Wiccan Path (Madoc)..............................................227 Wiccan Rede, An Exegesis (Judy Harrow) ..........................317 Wiccan Rede, The (J. Taylor, S.O.T.E.G.)........................1488 Wiccan Rede (Poetic) ...........................................1510 Wiccan Rede (Poetic, WCC) ......................................1540 Wiccan Shamanism (Selena Fox) ...................................162 wiccan Monism (Durwydd MacTara) ................................1556 Wiccan Principles (American Council of Witches, 1974)............190 "Wiccening" (article by Vivienne West) .........................2385 Wicanning Ritual (Earthworld Circle) ...........................1492 Wine Blessing, All Female (Lynna Landstreet, WCC) ..............2564 Wishing Well (I.O.T.) ..........................................1422 "WITCH" (Doreen Valiente, in WoW) ..............................2714 Witchcraft Q&A (Dr. Leo Martello) ...............................150 Witches Creed (Doreen Valiente_ .................................320 Witches Rede of Chivalry (Ed Fitch & Janine Renee) .............1803 Women vs. Men (Michele Haas).....................................195 YULE (Mike Nichols) ..............................................84 Yule in Britain (Tana) ...........................................94 Yule Ritual (Starhawk) ............................................8 Yule Ritual 1984 (Julia Phillips) ..............................1763 Yule Ritual (Georgian) .........................................2561 Yule Ritual (She Wolf) .........................................2562 T.O.P.Y is..... No matter how often we stress that thee Temple seeks to create a sense ov fierce individuality, that it is for each Individual to redefine and redesign TOPY within themselves to meet their own needs, thee questions still arise: What is TOPY? What is thee Psychick Cross? What is thee significance ov 23? It seems that there is still a need, or at least a belief that such things should be cast in black and white, for a clear, concise description ov exactly how TOPY should be viewed, ov how its signs and symbols should be interpreted. Not that such questions can be answered, certainly not in a way that would remain specific enough to satisfy thee enquiring, yet broad enough to remain true to thee multitude ov Individuals who make up thee Temple. As we have said before, and no doubt will say again, TOPY exists to promote a system ov functional, demystified magick, utilising both pagan and modern techniques. It is a process ov individual and collective experimentation and research with no finite answers, dogmas or unchallengeable truths. It is for each to discover his or her own understanding ov thee questions that suggest themselves, and through that voyage ov discovery to find their personal and true identity, thee True Will. To set down on paper pre-packaged responses would be to deny thee opportunity for self-expression, to defeat thee purpose for which we are all striving. Worse than this, it would take away thee fun, thee simple joy ov finding things out for ourselves. Thee following texts are drawn from a variety ov sources, but all deal with thee most common questions that are asked. Some are written by Individuals with considerable experience ov TOPY methods, others by those who are new to thee Temple. Some are taken from letters clarifying ideas or criticising TOPY, others from more general places. We have taken much from thee many responses we have had to thee Skills Access form all Temple Individuals are asked to complete. Thee views expressed are entirely those ov thee individual authors. They have been edited to fit into thee structure ov this booklet, but in all cases we have taken care not to distort what has been said, or to interpret what we as individuals may find unclear. This is thee Temple talking to thee Temple - a communion and communication ov Individuals to Individuals. Before we go further, it should be remembered that people are attracted to TOPY for many different reasons, that there is nothing consistent, nothing to categorise. There are those who claim to know nothing, and those who presume to know it all. This changes in time, as thee Temple draws out strengths and eliminates weaknesses. Everyone, without exception, who gets in touch with thee Temple is urged to demonstrate their interest by setting out their own thoughts and ideas, a first step in showing a commitment to what thee Temple stands for. We are pleased that those who think they know little are at least as able to respond as those with greater experience. There is no "right response", and no shame in honesty. We thank all those who have contributed to thee publication ov this booklet, and urge everyone who reads it to follow their lead. As information flows in, so we will ensure that it flows out. That is thee meaning ov Feedback, a continuity ov expression flowing both in and out, creating a new understanding, a new sound, a new dimension. T.O.P.Y. is action against dissatisfaction in a society that is passive not peaceful (aiming for the throat) From the Institute Of Positive Pagan Nihilism to the passionate process that enfolds (but does not control) there is hope through energy. Energies directed and multiplied, energies conformed then deformed energies facilitating psychick enemas. To purge and purify, to pain and putrefy. To communicate is to cure. ----------------------------------------- Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth is a collective body ov Individuals, all working together towards a common goal. It is about thinking deeply about oneself, questioning one's role in a so-called free society. Man is essentially a robot: he has set programmes imposed on his life, even before he is born. Whatever Man does he should do with passion. He should rise above thee imposed trappings ov society. Involvement with thee Temple is purely active and positive, thee bottom line being: "I don't want to lead a pointless existence, following and accepting thee indoctrination ov a worthless society. With Man's progress, our self-destructive nature drives us all further from our true selves. In thee Temple we are a group ov people trying to halt this process by turning into ourselves and helping others to accomplish thee same. From birth, a person is conditioned to conform to thee accepted laws and morals ov thee society in which they find themselves - each institution and aspect ov our culture is intertwined with guilt and fears in order to push us on to thee acceptable path. Society is thus so easily capable ov moulding one into a flat, one-dimensional person (thee socially acceptable yet controlled person). TOPY goes to thee root ov thee problem, challenging us to honestly reveal our innermost needs, expectations and desires, ov bringing them to consciousness in the hope ov breaking society's Chain ov Control. Involvement with TOPY can stem from an interest in investigating thee potentialities ov thee brain: knowledge that has been massively suppressed by those in Power. It includes making known information on both a political/conspiracy level, and on thee level ov an Individual's control over their own life. We have been taught to view thee State as a crutch to lean on, to fill our heads with pre-packaged ideologies that avoid thee need for us to think for ourselves and which create a society ov dead, bored, apathetic people. TOPY counters this by fighting conditioning and by allowing thee individual's true selves to come through - at thee same time there is action/research to demonstrate how all pervasive thee "spectacular" society is. By working together we can pool research, theories and actions: this way forward avoids needless duplication and, where necessary, provides allies and support for action. Much ov thee control mechanism ov society is based on guilt about/around sex, it being easier to control a sexually repressed person who thus always has a weak spot for thee Servants ov Power to press. For this reason, thee Temple strives to destroy thee conditioning ov guilt that lies deep in thee mind and which chains it to a mundane existence. Through thee process ov freed (and free) love/sexuality thee mind can be focused and channelled against all ov Power's conditioning mechanisms. Thee tools ov thee Temple are first and foremost those which lay us open to thee reality ov life in permanent flux. Many techniques can be used: trance inducing music, chanting, dancing - these can all help strip down our outer mundane shell, exposing our inner core to thee free play ov creative forces. Thee method most favoured by thee Temple (because it is surrounded by thee most imposed guilt, fear and limitation) is thee unashamed exploration ov sexuality. Fundamental to thee workings ov thee Temple is thee belief that great psychic force/energy is released at thee point ov orgasm and that this, if channelled, can effectively "make those things happen" which will bring you closer to your ideal self. This technique, and many more, can be found within thee many and varied spiritual/magickal traditions ov thee world. It is thee aim ov thee Temple, through practical experimentation, to extract thee core ov truth running through all, and thus demystified to present a working formula for any Individual courageous and compassionate enough to strike against dogma, habit, guilt, fear and all that weighs on thee spirit; to strike against flat monotony under all its titles, and to step into a magickal perception ov thee world. TOPY is a lifeline ov magickal people aiming to change society for thee better through thee magickal transformation ov Individuals, and by helping people to understand thee power and potency ov their sexuality. A common mistake people make is that they think that TOPY is just another fanatical religious organisation. They hear thee name "Thee Temple Ov Psyckick Youth" and automatically assume its philosophy will be an unquestioning dogma for thee masses. (Proving ov course that thee society-controlled mass mind simply projects its crippled reality on to those who seek to challenge thee orthodoxy ov thee moment.) However, thee difference between TOPY and other groups is that we create an environment in which Individuals have no choice but to find their own answers in order to improve themselves. Thee emphasis is very much on individual exploration. TOPY gives people hints and pointers, and whereas other organisations may make it easy for people seeking to find "answers", TOPY stresses that it is up to thee Individual's personal efforts for anything to be gained. And it is a two-way process: as thee Individual learns things from involvement with thee Temple, so thee Temple as a wider body learns from thee Individual. There are elements ov truth in all schools ov thought, but not one single school can be thee "most correct" (no monopoly on knowledge!). What is needed is to take thee parts from all - those aspects that seem thee most logical and honest - and to discard that which perhaps reeks ov theatricals; understanding thee use ov rituals, as did thee so-called "ignorant" Indians ov America before thee evil Christian soiled their pure mind (pure in that they understood thee deeper reality that is thee essence ov magick). Many races and cultures ov thee world have stumbled across truths in their religions. We should make use ov these and develop our own minds in all possible ways. Ov every organisation, TOPY comes closer than any to thee ideal ov freedom. All areas ov life, especially those most taken for granted as being correct and right, are called into question. Questions open up possibilities ov thought and action, all in thee pursuit ov a sublime happiness. Not only does this intense questioning stimulate life, but it helps us affirm or reaffirm ideas and behaviours. TOPY allows people more confidence and comfort - hence more pleasure with themselves - in their own environment. Comfort is not laziness. TOPY further guarantees freedom (something that no other social arrangement can do, except that which evolves between very close friends) by not only tolerating differences in thoughts and actions, but by encouraging natural, intrinsic differences; that is, TOPY recognises thee inate potential godliness ov being; and its methods, its Psychick Cross, its 23, its Ov, can all help foster thee beauty ov each Being. Thee Temple is a creative organisation, a place to share and learn. Creativity needs to be freed. Time waits for no-one. We live once, so we take the opportunity: Participation. Is thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth a cult? Yes, a non-existent one in that it exists as a cult only for those who are uninformed and uninvolved. Thee Temple gives those involved positive ammunition in thee war to relcaim ourselves, our world, our time, our love, thee truth. To disconnect thee cables ov control. Thee Temple az a non-organisation recognises thee reality ov Individ-uals. Thee power ov Individuals focused by choice to some common points. We, as multi-dimensional peoples live yes and no; colours, not black and white/either-or. There are more than two choices! Religion, history, psychology, magick: integrated for individual use. Sucksessors? To thee Surrealists and thee Hippies? Radical interest in political and spiritual. Sexuality as focus. Ov Power. Subconscious guns. Thee orgazm as divine messenger. No denial ov sense-based vision. We are free! Let us stand up to see it through thee veil ov control. Many people ov small mind and spirit try to deny thee Temple its right ov existence. They are so completely disillusioned and hopeless that they demand we all be as miserable as they are. They call us crazy, power hungry, ego-maniacs, perverse, money-hungry, non-sensical freaks. O.K. Crazy? To change thee world we live in, yes. Power hungry? For power over our own lives and destiny. Ego-maniacs? Yes, if as usual their definition ov an ego-maniac is someone who wants to achieve, grow, change and progress. Yes - WE DO THINGS! Perverse? Yes, and proud. Thee rational ov thee world is no rationale. Sense? Right? Normal? Whose sense? Whose right? Whose normal? No sense makes sense. Our sexuality is our own. If you don't like it, leave it. Money hungry? Sure. Money is but a way to get things done. Not thee only way, but a way. Freaks? Oh yes! No, we do not fit in, we never fit in, and we choose it that way, thank you. Fashion, morals, duty: they are yours not ours. YOU keep them. A freak is someone with individual motivation, separate from thee dictates ov past, present and future. Thee Temple is not for all. In this time/space or ever. WE WERE. WE ARE. WE WILL BE. WE ARE AZ WE ARE. AZ WE ARE. WE ARE AZ WE AZ ARE WE. WE AZ ARE. WE AZ WE. WE AZ WE ARE. WE ARE AZ WE ARE. AN ETERNAL L-OV-E IN TOPY is a collaboration ov Individuals. We fight all forms ov restriction to realise thee potential ov thee human brain through a system ov pagan Magick. It exists devoid ov dogma, be it political or religious. Information is shared amongst those involved, not in order to be treated as instruction but rather as a means to promote participation, discipline and contribution to an ideal as opposed to self-ambition. Thee recognition that only truth counts. Rituals (sigils) are employed as a means ov discovering one's true psyche, desires (and their realisation), integrating thee conscious and subconscious as a way to produce a spiritually whole person as opposed to a fragmented shell. TOPY attempts to wake people up to thee fact that they are controlled, socially programmed to suit those with an interest in control, and that guilt and fear are weapons employed to suppress natural advancement. Preconceptions must be swept aside and a de-programming occur until fearless and guiltless sexuality is mastered. Thee Temple embraces suitable forms ov technology to support its aims for collective advancement. Methods ov information access include PTV recordings, booklists, video deprogramming transmissions. These are all designed to surprise, even shock, but with a view to expansion, thee removal ov limitation. *********************** It is difficult to understand the infinite and the inexpressible contained, albeit hidden controlled and repressed, in much ov the grey parade that is called life, even within one's own mind; but to communicate an idea that is beyond your own ego to another ego is almost impossible. The closest things to transmitting such ideas are Zen Parables, or Koans, such as what is the sound of one hand clapping, or what is enlightened Buddha being answered by being hit over the head with a brick. The Temple represents colour, but colour has to be seen, not intellectually analysed. I justify my involvement with the Temple by saying, just as the present world needs the Temple (love being such a rare bird) I feel the need to help and be part ov something that represents evolution and a better future. I personally have lost "friends" because ov their inability to perceive what the Temple means (people conditioned by shit... who see in their little egos the wearing ov a PTV badge as evidence ov a brainwashed moonie-type cult. How can I be in a cult when I know only one individual even slightly connected with the Temple?; yet people whose only knowledge ov the Temple - love, the future, colour, magick as sublime poetry - is gleaned from those who wish to climb up the intestines ov the machine ov Babylon by slagging the Temple off, presume to know better). Magick defends itself, but at times the gentleness I see in the Temple makes it a sitting duck for the projection ov complexes ov the cynical, bitter and controlled. The Temple's crusade to free the individual from control so s/he can grow focuses on sexuality because it's the only thing everybody is involved with at some point in their passage from birth to death, in whatever form. This is what scares the repressed, the puritanical who seem intent on punishing a new generation for the brief but vital progress that took place in the 60s. There is no Temple sexuality: its sexuality is mine, yours, or that ov any other individual involved. There is fuck all wrong with sex despite the macho-men and unbelievable creations ov the media and the flags ov restriction put up by both the political left and the right (all nasty oppressive illusions, not only are all cliches true, but all paradox). The methods ov the Temple are vital because ov the appreciation ov the functional uses ov technology, the Magick ov the 1980s is filed on computer, photographed and taped, rather like the tools ov control. As Peter the Great ov Russia said: "our enemies will teach us how to beat them." The Cross is a symbol. Like all symbols it helps communicate an idea quickly and focuses the will. It is potent and harmless and very powerful. The nuber 23 is a bit ov a situationist prank as nothing freaks out the flat people as this mystic number. The Temple = psychedelic + discipline Individuals controlling their own minds themselves, by opening up. *********************** TOPY WITHOUT TEARS Most people, when they come into contact with TOPY, will do so via Psychic TV. Whilst being a useful expression of and filter for TOPY, this has been the cause of misunderstanding of what TOPY is about, why it has to be here. Firstly, it's important to say that TOPY is emphatically not a fan club for PTV - not a spin-off. While PTV are there for everyone to see, access without thought, as it were, TOPY is something else - it "gives" to the amount you "push". It lies behind, but is not contained by, PTV. This much should be obvious. It is easier to say what TOPY isn't than to say what it is. Basically, TOPY as a "system" is an expression of the ideas and methods of all the individuals involved. But TOPY "in itself" is harder to define - it is the idealised Hidden Instrument of Evolution - the "organum occultus". The hidden instrument is magickal- a synergetic interaction of certain powers of the brain. It has no "direction". Its centre is everywhere. Thus it cannot be "possessed". The hidden instrument is the means by which inner potential "happens". TOPY is about setting change into motion NOW. It's about questioning authority NOW. It's about releasing the social function of subjectivity from the doghouse. Letting the dog roam free. All this is now. TOPY has arrived as an urgent force to overcome the endless deferral of all this - the realisation of our dreams. Our resource - our sincerity. It is a synchronistic vector - the "dis-ease" being the dream of social and individual transformatin - of which we continually remind ourselves, and struggle to realise, in our rituals, our work. TOPY is an expanding system of caring and action - communication without limit - MUTUALITY. We are aware that language alone does not suffice. Too many systems expand in direct proportion to their insistence on the dogma of their WORD. TOPY's method is to cut up the word, cut up behaviour - to find meaning beyond the parameters of Control. To re-connect at the source - our "spirit". Therefore, it is not a religion, not a cult. We have no use for gods, devils, "instruction". We have nothing to fall back on but that which is in us. Everything we see is ourselves. TOPY is, in the best sense of the word, a movement. The movement, the process, being continual and at various levels simultaneously - spotting the lies, the disjunction between socialised "givens" and our dreams, our real potential - deciding to commit oneself to re-connecting with one's potential - and doing. We have many "people" within each one of us - we want them all. This is expressed in our ritual and all our manifestations. Our network - our mutual experience and searching of TOPY. The maturity of man/woman - that means to have reacquired the seriousness that one had as a child at play. (Nietzsche) Vide infra (SSOTBME) As explained at some length in the Grey Book, the Temple's initial and root method is the recognition and utilisation of our true sexuality - the invocation of primal sexual energies latent in the subconscious. The concept of "sexual energy" is, for the Temple, interchangeable with "psychic energy". Sex is the medium for magick - the frequency of truth. The sigil is its practice, the keystone. ...the significance of sexuality must be extended to embrace Reality, or that which endures after all else fades... (Kenneth Grant) In a very real way our sexuality is interactive with our behaviour as a whole. With the Temple Method we cut up traditional sexual behaviour in order to release the New Sexuality - new because it is everchanging, ever regenerating. Thus liberating our real sexuality (everybody - every man and woman is a man and woman), we liberate our behaviour away from Control. We seek to deprogramme ourselves from harmful internalised alienating stereotypes. "Control begins with sexuality" (TOPY). We seek to reacquire the seriousness and curiosity that we had as children, to observe and act without guilt/fear. If there is one simple description of TOPY, it is that every involved Individual recognises the need to overcome GUILT and FEAR of DARING TO BE. We "see below" in order to "rise up". New sexuality - ever youthful. *********************** Jung saw symbols as "libido analogues", capable of transforming energy. A representation channels libido (psychic/sexual energy) into new form -invokes ever renewed potential. Symbols in themselves represent NO SEPARATION. That is, the Psychic cross is a total synthesis of all we think of and mean by the Temple. For express purposes, and certain time-zones, some of its components can be isolated, but ultimately there is no separation. It exists of itself: the characteristic of all living symbols. Because the Psychick Cross has many "personalities", a multiplicity of explanations, it is an ideal symbol for TOPY. Various significances have been pointed our: the single vertical line as the Individual, bottom horizontal as Past, middle horizontal as Present, top as Future. The Cross of Jesus and the inverted Cross of Satan combined. A television aerial. The alchemical symbol "very poisonous". "We didn't choose it so much as the symbol chose us." A symbol of disenchantment, uncertainty and challenge/change. The point of all this is that, like a true Individual, it cannot be pinned down. Neither - Neither. The Psychick Cross also incorporates the 23 mythology. The number 23 is total neither-neither territory (Austin Osman Spare's mindfuck technique - comparing opposites separate, together, then absent). (But of course it isn't. It is just a number like any other, 22 before it, 24 after, surely?) Except that 23, for us, seems to behave very strangely. It has become a snake in the grass of reason. Thus the exception; for the Temple always the exception. The Individual. Every man and woman is a 23. "A presence, neither good luck or bad luck, it seemed to have some sort of control over its appearance." Like the Psychick Cross, 23 has been isolated to symbolise certain concepts, random chance, Crowley's GET OUT, Burroughs' total cut-up, Robert Anton Wilson's total paranoia symbol. Its "common" (!) significance is its provocativeness, its individuality, however one wishes to depict it. So, OK, you have your cynicism, you may remain unconvinced, may not recognise TOPY, you see everywhere human weakness and self-interest - but the next step is to realise that cynicism is not a total answer, that the facade/shell of ego/"cool"/style can, and must be, discarded before we grow once more and enter a new "time zone" of evolution. Drop your shield, be vulnerable, thee wound is the reminder, you cannot remain untouched, so touch yourself. Enter the Combat Zone. The Temple has declared war. It does not do so lightly. T.O.P.Y. is an energy, fuelled with fiery Individuals who want change. Change. People are too hung up with sex, with getting things done, so they mess up. No-one cares anymore. To become rewarded is to give. And to give is contagious, to create synergism. The Self is who I am after, yet I cannot find her until I give her away, and watch her without from within; then I can go. Egos are selfish and jealous - to reverse the Ego is to open the mind; to be curious; to recognise, to understand, to commit. Without altering the Ego one cannot undergo the process. E to 3. I am curious. Curious and willing to learn. Tell me what I could do for the group that would help me. Not really help, but INlighten. For we are all out for INlightenment, for each one of us, ourselves, and for the whole. First know to be yourself, then to help the group, then to know you ARE your self. For me I cannot "When in doubt - BE EXTREME" Right now it's "When in doubt - Do Nothing" I am curious Right Now. CROSS! Life is mediated by symbols. Symbols that steal. Numerical symbols that steal our intelligence. Word symbols that steal our voice. Pornographic symbols that steal our sexuality. Magical symbols that steal our will. A death on your symbols. Let each kill themselves. The Psychick Cross is a symbol that represents the idea of "without Symbols". It is the first entry in a dictionary of the future Meta-symbolical language, a language of no-thought. T.O.P.Y. is directed anger (which in itself is only Love). A foundation set up to compile this "dictionary" which all WEs will need in order to survive. A clearing house of symbols. When ever you dis-cover stamp on a Psychick Cross. This release it for our use. --------------------------------------------- The Temple Ov Psychick Youth is an organisation that has been created to further the ideas and feelings of those who feel that they have something to contribute to the running of society. The Temple involves a large scope of feelings and images that are connected to each other by the potency of their own desires. Firstly, the Temple as an organisation is created for those who feel and believe that they can increase their own potential in body and mind by pushing themselves to the limit of their durability, and do so in such a way that they can find the limitations of their own body as well as finding how far they can really go in producing a perfect understanding of themselves. Unlike other creations, the Temple does not try to coerce of push an Individual into doing what "it" wants them to do - the contrary is true, the Temple encourages the individual to think and act for themselves, perhaps offering gentle instruction as an aid to success. The Temple remains as a haven for help where friends are guaranteed. A spiritual as well as physical father. By involving oneself with the Temple you find that the trappings of an autocratic society are handcuffs to the spirit, holding you in place, disabling a mind, disallowing it to think and act for itself - laying down rigid rules that must be adhered to. The Temple, conversely, encourages us that we need no regimented rules to survive, all we need is to expend a minimal amount of consideration for our fellow people, to accept differences in colour, ideas, sexuality, etc. Falling (sic), the rules of our wonderful and enlightened society has led to nothing but war, man killing man; religion playing a large part in the reasons for war. Religion is another point that the Temple puts across. It shows us the trivialities in religion be it Christian or Hindu. The idea of believing in a spiritual god - how abhorrent. It insults the intelligence to have god and jesus rammed down our throats - Crass put my feelings very well when they said Jesus died for his own sins, no mine. Religion is an easy way for a frightened people to hide behind the eventuality of their own death - it's okay, we will be going to a better life - what a joke. The only temple/god we should worship is our own bodies - any sacrament to be given should be exercise of the mind and body. Prayer should be an introspective look into your own feelings. The Psychick Cross is a symbol that is easily recognisable - and therefore a medium through which publicity can be shown. Unlike the "cross" the psychick cross is a very strong image of ideals, and shows a firm belief in what we feel the Temple stands for; I know that when people see the cross on my clothes - be it badges, t-shirts - and they ask what it stands for, they will always associate it with the Temple as well as Psychic TV. The strength of its images remains in the subconscious, therefore leading to easy recognition. The Temple roots its beliefs in magic where sexuality and mental strength have always played an important role. This world is inhibited by its narrow-mindedness of sexuality. The Temple shows us that we should not be embarrassed by it, nor inhibited by it. This does not necessarily mean infidelity, or polygamous behaviour. Free Love can be practised between two individuals involved in a close relationship because the restraints of society are prevalent in marriage etc. It encourages us to be free - the most important aim for all humans - to be rid of a repressive society and to develop together with no feelings of materialism. Although society is against us, too many people are unable to stand up for themselves, they allow themselves to be carried along without stating how they wish things should be done. If we work hard enough though, perhaps one day we will have a world where at least the ideas of the Temple are practised, even if they are disconnected from the actual force and developer of those ideas. --------------------------------------------- The Temple is a group of people who together, and individually, work to combat any form of personal restriction. Quite simply we want to make our dreams, and those of everyone else, come true. We work on three levels, or ratios. On the first level we examine our real selves, discovering our dreams, our potential, our REAL selves. We then try to live our lives, realising our dreams and making the most of what we have to offer (skills, abilities, etc...), thus following (to use a rather archaic term) our destiny. Once an initiate begins to work on this ratio, he/she has a chance to take joint control of the helm. The Temple is constantly evolving: each initiate has the chance to help dictate the direction of that evolution. In the 3rd ratio we work to try and improve the world in which we live. At this level we try to act as an evolutionary goad, pushing mankind back on course. We realise that the only way of achieving anything is to help one another. So whenever we can we donate time, money, ideas and skills to T.O.P.Y. We receive no reward for this: no medals, no "I raised $100" selling t-shirts. The reward is the knowledge that we have helped someone else to realise their dreams. We are an international group, with bases in the UK, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Canada and America. As is obvious ("Temple" & "Psychick") we are metaphysically minded. Many of our methods could be considered magickal. Magick is merely a technique for helping us negate the effects of restriction and control; and live (again that rather naff word) destiny. We are constantly developing and refining our own magick. We do not believe in any great powerhouse in the sky, any gods, angels, demons, etc. We have realised that the human brain is capable of much more than it is used for. Our magick operates within the human nervous system - and works! Our magickal techniques are a little too "technical" to go in to. Suffice it to say that one of our main sources of energy is sexuality and orgasms. Sex plays a very important role in our philosophy as the energy obtained from it is tremendous. As was said earlier, we try to "touch our real selves". Our first stepping stone to this is the removal of restriction placed on our sexuality by society. Once a month, or more, an initiate performs a simple magickal exercise which is designed to bring him/her closer to his or her real sexuality - as experienced in sexual fantasies. There should be no holds on sex, one should be able to enjoy sex in whatever way one, and one's partner(s), want to. Our symbol, logo, emblem or whatever - the Psychick Cross - contains a great deal of symbolism. The most obvious facets are: 1, it is the reverse of the Papal Cross, thus making it an anti-papal cross; 2, it is an "E" for Ego, backed with a reversed "E", thus representing the negation of the Ego's role over the human mind. In many systems of magick numbers are said to have meanings. 23 has many meanings all of which are applicable to the Temple: Initiation; Union of Fire and Water (symbols of male and female) - sex; Integration of all levels of consciousness. I first heard of T.O.P.Y. through the drunken ramblings of someone I now find it impossible to describe. At the time "Godstar" boomed from his room almost constantly. After this, a friend lent me "Dreams Less Sweet". I bought a few records, sent off for some literature. Previously, I had dabbled with THELEMA, which seemed to ask the right questions, but gave the wrong answers. T.O.P.Y. seemed to ask equally pertinent questions (and sometimes more so), and answered them with nothing but Hagbard Celine's "Think for yourself Schmuck". As time went on I became increasingly interested in, and in agreement with, the Temple's ideas. At last a decent magickal system. No more silly Kabbalistic rituals. Simple, straightforward, and functional. A chance to help, however little, however much. Perhaps even to meet people who've got better things on their mind than taking the piss. --------------------------------------------- The Temple is an international group of people who want to improve the quality of not only their own lives, but of everybody. We have realised that the life of the average person lacks direction and meaning. Human beings are persuaded, by various methods, to do what they are told, however subtly, rather than what they really want. Some realise this and "drop out", hiding the world behind a beer can or a line of coke; others try to change the world. We are in the latter group. We try to do nothing unless we really want to. We try to differentiate between "pretend" desires programmed into us by society, and our true wishes. We then try to live these true desires. That is what real freedom is. Our method is, I believe, the most powerful. We use magick; not card tricks or turning princes into frogs; but real magick (that's what the "k" on the end signifies), which is a method of programming your own mind to do what you want it to do. We use sex as a tool for elevating the mind in much of our magick. Sex is one of our basic needs. It is also the most powerful force we have access to. --------------------------------------------- What attracted you to T.O.P.Y.? The systematic use ov will power to make dreams become real. The undogmatic appreciation ov the inherent potentials ov thee Individual who wants to see and is not afraid to invest energy in finding their true self, their true desires, and to act accordingly. Furthermore, the new approach to Magick: a demystified system ov practical techniques to extend the perception and skill ov acting consciously according to one's own nature without guilt. In what ways has T.O.P.Y. failed to live up to your expectations so far? I see T.O.P.Y. as an active forum/expression/output ov thee assembled energy ov its members. I consider myself taking part in thee process and don't feel that thee organ has failed to live up to my expectations as they are identical with thee expectations I have for myself in life. I apply T.O.P.Y. in my life according to my own interpretation and accept no dogmaa, and as long as I feel that my intentions coincide with T.O.P.Y. and that its structure is based on mutual appreciation/trust/respect/challenge/communication then I invest energy in this forum. I am curious/open-minded by nature. In thee course ov time and involvement much is explained. I have no fear. Explain T.O.P.Y. Through education, school, inherited dogmatic value systems, TV, radio, written/spoken propaganda people are continously deprived ov their self respect as unique manifold human Individuals. We are systematically discouraged by thee keepers ov addicts to Control from exploring our real physical and mental needs and potentials. We are exposed to constant programming, its main aim being streamlining ov thought into unquestioned acceptance ov illusory satisfaction, leaving an unlocated feeling ov frustration behind. Fear is the Key to Control/Manipulation. Thee fear ov change/thee unknown/thee unsecure/thee unfamiliar - all these block thee Individual longing for development/experience and make him/her accept thee vast offer ov surrogates and substitutes in today's world system. Those who are not contented with this pseudo-reality seek other ways for deeper knowledge/realisation ov dreams, and create their own forum/access point for mutual encouragement/support/challenge ov individuality and will. We are history, thee sum ov our ancestors. If we ignore our own history and its impact on our lives, we are inclined to repeat thee pitfalls and disasters ov previous generations. We dig our own graves as culture. Christianity has monopolised thee European thought system and thee use ov ancient methods/rituals as a means ov recollecting force, and has deformed its intentions to thee point where they lose every form ov potence and sense while being refunctioned to "evil/dangerous mysticism/occultism". Ritual as Access Point to thee inner regions ov thee mind and focus ov will into conscious action. . .thee threat to status quo in thee present socio-political and cultural world-system. A society deprived ov its history/past is a society deprived ov its future and identity. Sex is thee primal key to thee mental system ov a person. It is thee nucleus ov their own past, present, and future. In thee moment ov orgasm thee brain is for a short period ov time thrown out ov/disconnected from its subconsciously socialised/adapted thought-system. In this moment ov disconnection thee brain is highly susceptible to new information. Orgasm is thee Access Point ov de- and re-programming ov thee mind. Storage ov subconscious information - thee seed to conscious action. Attack on subconsciousness determines thee overflow to consciousness latently transformed into concrete action. Education/indoctrination has trimmed our minds in thee course ov a life- time to fit thee demands/needs ov thee control units in society. We see continuous re-education as a necessity in order to develop. Ritual strengthens our determination to find and do our true selves and to cross new borders ov knowledge and understanding, to avoid thee obstacles to thee realisation ov our dreams. Through self-decided "indoctrination/dedoctrination" ov thee subconscious mind we avoid daily pitfalls in mental laziness and cowardice/compromise. Free sexuality without guilt liberates our mind from inherent blocking mechanisms between consciousness. Free flow ov information between thee brain hemispheres brightens our eyes, makes us clear, strong and real. 23: Number ov "Coincidence" - thee genes in thee human being consist ov 23 chromosomes, blood needs 23 seconds to cross thee human body. A sign ov life and death, its correlation and its unknown dimensions. Death/mortality - thee ultimate reference point for each human being. To live fully without regrets or not. We are mortal. Here and Now. Christians have their Cross - fetish ov guilt and shame. Christ on thee Cross - symbol ov martyrdom/sacrifice for thee sinfulness ov thee human race. Unworthy, godless slaves. We repudiate - have our own fetish/symbol for thee immense possibilities and dimensions ov thee human mind and vessel in life. Thee Psychick Cross - an alchemical symbol for (magickally) dangerous material/knowledge. Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth is "danger" to dogmatic/streamlined thought, that is to thee stability/status quo in present society/culture: thee seed to a new science/way ov living. Magick: a system ov Will Made Flesh. We focus our will in collective ritual across thee world on thee 23rd ov each month, and programme/tune-in our mutual wavelengths/sexual desires in thee moment ov orgasm. Our will-power programmed in thee genes and assembled in thee liquids ov semen/lubricant/blood/spit, and hair. Thee features ov thee embryo is decided/determined through thee thoughts ov sexual partners during coitus. Thought made Flesh. Will made Real. T.O.P.Y. Made Real. --------------------------------------------- In answer to a cynical journalist: Most people can't stomach the "missionary zeal", so to speak, so any mention of a "Great Crusade to save The World" is right out of the window. The Temple is there for those who want it - it isn't another banal ideology, but a network of Individual interests where information is relayed to one another on the basis of practical experience. You've heard of synergy: the working together of two or more elements to create an effect greater that the sum of the individual elements' output. Well that's us! We support one another by our own efforts - like a latter-day tribe. What impels a person to work within the Temple? A dissatisfaction with current societal values, perhaps. An awareness of possibilities within ourselves that most recognised institutions of society, religious or otherwise, either flatly deny or appear reluctant to expand upon. (As social beings we have an inner need to express ourselves amongst friends - interpreting "friends" as those people who can relate to you!) All such answers seem a bit "rhetorical" to me, so we might gain a better understanding of the "attraction" of T.O.P.Y. by taking a brief look at the ideas and methods it collectively presents. We take a very broad view - limitlessly so - of the means at our disposal towards self-development. Jung called it individuation. Aleister Crowley called it the realisation of the True Will. You may call it simply "Maturity". From the lore of Magic (a much scoffed at notion, superficially, in our high-tech rationalistic era; but isn't our science the highest magic to a so-called primitive? And what arrogance you have to deny the function of something you know nothing about, despite its overwhelming history of practice?!), to music, to martial art; if the perceptive individual thinks there is something worth picking up on, we will attempt to pluck it out of the mire and use it! That is why T.O.P.Y. is often seen in the "public eye" to "wallow morbidly" in social taboos; or however else they choose to put it. Life's too short and wonderful to run away from and/or wrap up in unnecessary prohibitions/superstitions. So, cut out the crap! The Temple brings together people who aren't afraid to try a little. The luxuries of Western "civilisation" (loud laughter) also bring greater excuses for us to get very lazy. (The notion of forced commitment, street-corner proselytizing, I find repulsive. We emphasise, more than anything else, the power and cretiveness of the individual will; how that feeling can be shared through communication and care. To force others to "join in" would defeat the purpose of the network. How can I force you to be yourself? [eg. forcing another to emulate my thoughts & feelings is no freedom for the other person.] What the fucks the point? We can only provide inspiration - no greedy Gurus infest this House.) Why do I think T.O.P.Y. is important? Could answer that in several ways I suppose. The workings of the Temple are not always to my liking, but then, as a network with some degree of structuring/organisation, what else do you expect? Humanity has yet to invent a machine that is 100% efficient. And involvement with T.O.P.Y. does NOT mean you go along with every suggestion that's put forward. In terms of energy, feedback and so on, you reap what you sow; just as with any human relationship (I use that analogy quite intentionally). Anyway, I feel it is important because - in an age of much insincerity - T.O.P.Y. is rooted in what I ultimately recognise as COMMON SENSE. We seek to embrace the earthly human condition, warts and all. We look at ourselves and recognise the need to strive for personal goals; expand our often blinkered definition of "self" by trying to utilise the new and the strange; experiment, instead of wallowing in the "fear of the unknown"; reject dogma, reject guilt, reject anything that leads to unnecessary anxiety - not by pushing things to the side, but by confrontation. (The quickest route between two points is a straight line.) Such ideas, although expressed a little dogmatically here for the sake of brevity, outline a healthy, strong approach to living. And it feels very refreshing to be amongst friends who won't try to fob you off with more alienating politics or mystical pap. No, my involvement with T.O.P.Y. has not equipped me with easy panaceas for the problem of Government, etc. We live in a complex environment - I am the first to admit it. T.O.P.Y. has no manifesto up its collective sleeve. Rather, we consider the situation from the perspective of "To change the World you must first change yourself." It is no use disbanding the police-force tomorrow if they are all going to continue acting in the same way to the people they picked on before! (To amuse myself, I might describe involvement in the Temple as a course in psychic self-defense for the outsider! But then you'd probably take that the wrong way. The Temple is NOT a cheap sort of psychotherapy; no psychic prescriptions from Doc P-Orridge, or anybody ridiculous like that. Nobody involved in the network wishes to suffer fools gladly, and the only people "assessed" are ourselves - BY OURSELVES. A little eccentricity leads to a progression of ideas - stupidity does not! And you must ultimately deal with your own problems, if you wish to reclaim personal responsibility at all - a belief that is central to T.O.P.Y. philosophy.) Why the big profile on Sex in T.O.P.Y.? The fact that you feel our "high profile" needs to be mentioned may provide part of the answer! As I have already tried to indicate, the Temple strives to eliminate our (often culturally inherited) feelings of guilt. We consider sexual energy to be of great importance - its free expression is our very birthright, in whatever way our nature inclines. The neuroses and psychosomatic ailments resulting from high levels of sexual repression have been catalogued well enough by now, without me having to re-iterate the point. And guilt about one's personal sexual activities can be used as a potent weapon in the hands of your adversaries - just look at the gutter press. Sexuality is just that - whether it be expressed in "fetishism", "homosexual" activity (a horrible, clinical expression if ever I heard one), and so on. It's nobody's business but your own. Having said that, it is obvious that many people - particularly the younger - pursue an active sex life without recourse to massive guilt! So why all the hypocrisy about its public expression? Why the hassle? Evidently, the mass media does not reflect an accurate - honest - picture of our feelings. The Sunday Sport continues to make sex and sexuality an absurdity - something to sneer at. We wonder why. T.O.P.Y. wishes to take sexuality a step further by investigating the powers we consider to be generated by sexual activity, so that they can be used for the benifit of the individual. Every Individual. Orgasm has a powerful effect on one's perception, body chemistry, bio-electric field, etc., if only for a few moments. And we feel that the state of being created can be put to use, in combination with intense desire. Again, we are entering the arena of "magick" and ritual (all sex is ritual); we are considering the so-called dark side of nature, and to a TV generation brought up on Dennis Wheatley films, such ideas seem very taboo. We wish to break down those superstitions - we have little room for fear in such speculative areas - but we have no vested interest in people agreeing with our aims and methods. (We are not out to harm anybody, so please remain sensible and leave us be if you are sceptical/unimpressed.) Of course you can't discuss sex without mentioning AIDS nowadays. To counter popular misconceptions let it be stressed that the Temple does NOT encourage orgiastic or promiscuous behaviour - forced promiscuity to prove one's "liberation" is just a stupid and damaging as exaggerated pruder; if it goes against your natural inclinations. I suggest you use your common-sense and exercise responsibility. But, to give an example: should someone attracted to their own sex no longer feel attracted because circumstances dictate a certain degree of caution with the choice of partners? We think not. Circumstances and the means of your natural indulgence may vary quite a bit, but the right to "be and feel" whatever you are does not. This must be kept in mind, as the puritans cry out for "conformity" yet again. . . --------------------------------------------- Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, we are united, united in the differences that constitute our individuality. At one stage or another all ov us had reached the same crossroad. The roads were clearly marked - conformity, control, suburbia, soap and no hope. The general flat planes that lead to a hollow, wasted death. Instead, we deliberately leave the roads to travel cross-country - to aim for the high mountains on the horizon. There are no clearly visible signposts, no neatly maintained roads and no resting points. The undergrowth can be extremely dense, the inhabitants hostile and the speed of travel tiresomely slow. But etched on the horizon, amongst the loftiest of mountains is a Psychick Cross. We move onwards and upwards. This is the way of T.O.P.Y. To travel with T.O.P.Y. is to map out your own route, to cross virgin territory, often alone. You discover you pace, your own dreams of the goal. Discovering your own philosophy of life, but instead of preaching it you live it, and live it to the full. We may travel alone, but we obtain strength that elsewhere in the wilderness others are planning and travelling their own routes to the same goal. We may rendezvous, by chance or by desire. We can then share, relate our travels and exchange maps for we know that to fulfill our life we must help fulfill others: open their eyes, let them help us open ours. Share our results and tactics and help to change the maps of old. To lay new paths and roads and satisfy the discontentments of society and its expectations and limitations of an individual. It is every person's basic right and task to be as they will, as they truly will. The study is long and hard to find this will. Total self-honesty is needed. The ability to touch oneself, no less. T.O.P.Y. will encourage, suggest ways of touching at all levels and of all aspects, by using rituals and intuitive magickal methods specifically aimed at getting closer to oneself. To integrate all the different levels and aspects to develop a total, free individual. T.O.P.Y. realises that every man and woman has their own potential to achieve and live by. This can vary greatly within individuals but this is the key because each individual's achievements are relative to only that one person's potential. There is no competitive hierarchy as that would serve only to stifle development. Each individual must ultimately justify their every motive, action and belief to themselves. If they achieve this then they are allowing T.O.P.Y. to achieve itself. It cannot work in reverse. It can be hard. To start to truly look at yourself can hurt. Strength, honesty and commitment are needed to move towards T.O.P.Y. Sexuality is a key as within sexuality the restrictions and constrictions of society and its controls can bite the hardest. To liberate and understand one's own sexuality is to liberate and understand T.O.P.Y. An individual who has learnt to express themselves sexually can then use the lessons learnt here to inspire freedom and development in other aspects of their person. Your sex and sexuality belong to yourself. The energies it generates all come from within your psyche. At the peak of sex the doors open, the barriers collapse and there is no separation. The interchange between conscious and "sub"-conscious is complete. Using controlled focusing at this magickal time, T.O.P.Y. individuals can make a conscious desire to move to the higher levels of their own consciousness where it can take effect and help the dreams become real. By truly understanding this process and tailoring it to an individual's methods, breakthrough can be reached and you have given yourself back to yourself. These methods of sexual focusing provide the basis of T.O.P.Y. workings. The results achieved here by the individual filter down through all levels, all actions, all motives. All comes from within the individual. T.O.P.Y. has a psychick symbol and a psychick number. Both of these are woven deeply into the sub-structure. Both act as a focus, as a synthesis of beliefs and actions; as a trigger. The Psychick Cross with its horizontal arms in the ratio of 2 to 3 can be interpreted on many levels: to signify the individual (the vertical line) with his/her past (bottom line), present (middle) and future (top); a symbol of integration between opposing functions within an individual of T.O.P.Y. (3 E). The arms flow outwards from the Cross to symbolise growth and discovery whilst at the same time they all draw inwards to focus and synthesize this growth within the individual. A cross to sacrifice the self upon; a uniform symbol to identify with, but like T.O.P.Y. itself to be interpreted in different ways by different individuals. The magickal number 23 is interwoven throughout T.O.P.Y. It is the point of focus, to integrate, to dissolve. A time, a time for work, a date to complete a task 23 times is to see it move deep within the consciousness. A number that's history is proven and potent, one that occurs internationally,irrationally and totally naturally. Like the Psychick Cross, indeed like T.O.P.Y., 23 is the gateway, the crossover point to internal focus and development and external flowering. When there is no other way. T.O.P.Y. --------------------------------------------- ~ Thoughts on The Temple ~ The Temple Ov Psychick Youth is a body of like-minded, ageless souls all striving in an individual manner towards a collective goal: a guiltless state of self-awareness. The exploration of our innermost desires by the release of the sexual spirit, and thus the freeing of our emotions of dogma and external control, is fundamental to the process by which the Temple achieves its collective identity. The process is a deeply personal voyage of discovery (the very fact of the emphasis of the individual testifies to this), one in which the Temple acts as a guiding light, a processor of information and its re-direction. "No Man is an Island", and for this reason the Temple is both needed for support in our battle, and as a focus for the support we ourselves can offer. Its sum being greater than the parts, the Temple serves as a sounding board for ideas, provoking thought which may under other circumstances never have been given the right "culture" in which to form and grow. Thus the Temple is a growing, living organism whose form is a result of the collection of "cells" within it, as in any biological organism. The analogy with the natural world is of direct significance. All life operates within a set environment or eco-system, but its very presence is an integral part of that system. If any one species grows it is at the cost of another, and if any "external force" is introduced the balance can be forever altered with the possibility of collapse (eg: Rainforests). The Temple is such a force, one which could ultimately over-turn the preconceived ideas of our Western society. This may seem to many to be a fanciful argument, but to those who mock I would say, "how small is a virus or cancer cell that can cause the collapse of an organism." We may be small, but we are growing to attack like a cancer from within! We must stand together, we must fight! ~ On criticism of the Temple ~ How can you criticize an organisation which makes statements such as ". . . we support your individuality", "we offer no dogma", and talks of "de- programming". These are some of the most important statements mady by T.O.P.Y., and show the principal aims of the Temple: the realisation of YOURSELF, which results in SELFLESSNESS in the most positive way - no greed, no sex barriers, no age barriers, no race barriers. . . .etc. The ultimate goal of LOVE and escape from the prison of 20th Century (especially western) ideas and values. DON'T WE ALL FEEL THE SAME? Thee Temple gives no orders, it gives a method through books, records, states of mind to a form of enlightenment. "You must understand 'til it hurts. The mind must be stretched to include emotions, thoughts and points of view entirely foreign to the narrow limits of our present life." (quote from "Zen" by Christmas Humphreys) To me, the Temple is about THINKING and trying to spread this FREEDOM. SEXUALITY: This I am only myself realising at the moment - NO GUILT. We see it on T.V. every day: twisted sex values - TURN IT OFF! I can't find the right words to use about my sigil experiences but I feel re-charged, focused, powerful, aware. THEE PSYCHICK CROSS: This to me forms a kind of focus (not in a fearful, religious sense) and is a common ground and understandable sign to those involved within T.O.P.Y. 23: This to me is Kammerer's Law of Seriality. The natural rhythms, patterns, harmonies in all the universe. It is an expression of this belief of the unexplored forces that act upon us. --------------------------------------------- I can relate to what the Temple Ov Psychick Youth is trying to do because we are all living in a world where chaos reigns. The Western World has been under the dogma of religion, Catholic and Protestant, for the last five hundred years. And its teachings, far removed from the original message, have beenused to control the masses and to shape humanity's moral codes. So today we have people wanting to have spiritual freedom, but who because of the age-old brain washing of God and the Devil, and good and evil, find it hard. Even worse, most people in our society have to unlearn and begin at thee beginning about their relationship with life, the universe and everything in it; and they generally start looking within themselves for their answers. I personally think that Christianity is on its last legs, as its churches are full of middle-aged and old people, but not young people. So there are many who are searching for spiritual freedom, and a truer relationship with life. The Temple Ov Psychick Youth provides a means and a way for people to break free and rise above the lie of society. Because magick, witchcraft are keys that unlock many of life's closed doors, and enable individuals to explore and develop themselves on all planes of life, from spiritual to physical. Nothing in life is easy, and magick is not an escape. As with all life you have to give of yourself to receive, and giving of yourself means a sacrifice of time and effort which is a hard lesson for many an aspiring occultist. So through contact with open groups like T.O.P.Y., individuals can meet other people with similar ideals in life. Obviously people will have to face moral principles such as sexual Magick (tantric yoga) and other methods used in ritual magick to raise the power, but this is something they learn naturally and not unnaturally as the rest of society still thinks and believes. They have to learn that they themselves create or destroy what life presents before them, not God or the Devil, and thus having learnt go forth into a new world of gods. After all, evil is essentially misplaced energy (unnatural). So things like sex, and all pleasurable activity so long as it be done with free will, are healthy for us in life. This last point is another reason why I agree with T.O.P.Y.'s ideals: because they encourage people to be free within themselves, and to discover their own true wills. As A/C puts it: Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law. Love Is The Law, Love Under Will. --------------------------------------------- My interpretation of T.O.P.Y. is that of the propagation of unlimited expression and potential. Also, that of the freeing of world technology and communication from the restraints of generally restrictive, authoritarian value-systems. The Temple, to me, has the potential to both examine and free the latency of both physical and psychical potential. I would like to take part in a world-deprogramming task, and experience the worthiness of my own full powers, in all their comparitive spheres. These thoughts encompass my attitudes towards sexuality (in both its drive and visionary factors) and also my movement towards a cooperative methodology. --------------------------------------------- What is Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth? To me, ultimately a special state ov mind - the place where all dreams meet. The place you know exists but are afraid to admit it. A secret place, timeless, sexual, a magick place open to all. Have you never felt so alive, happy, sexual that you want to live forever? Or are you lost, scared or just too pissed off to care. T.O.P.Y. can help you find your real self and you can help T.O.P.Y. in the process. By helping and caring and coummitment to T.O.P.Y. the same energy is given back. Love is not a dirty word, helping people is not wrong. For society to change, people must change. People must see what is happening all around them. People must be given information about sigils, dreamachines, magick. People must be pro-sexual, have respect and caring for everybody. What is wrong with being happy, alive, caring? So reject money - I'm on 16K a year, smart mate but who's interested. I'm a Man City fan - You're dead. (Fighting for a football team, strange.) This jumper cost $60. (Very smart, but does it make you really feel better inside.) In these times ov one-upmanship why not join the ultimate game and play for your life and make history as well. --------------------------------------------- Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth acts as a focal point, a sigil to thee Will. It can provide thee FORM about which thee FUNCTION ov Thee SELF can be wrapped. Thee act ov focusing releases tremendous energy which Thee Temple, as a concourse, forms into a flow ov energy. As a concept it sparks off Individual activity and through thee Image ov Thee SIGIL it channels that energy into a creative outburst. As a free form with a continuous flow ov unrestricted and unlimited ideas it allows any Individual to develop a language to express what can not be explained. Magick in its modern context is largely a question ov interpreting a subjective reality in purely personal terms. This requires a personal subjective language. Yet if society is to continue - have any meaning - then it is precisely this that must be communicated. A subjective reality can not be expressed in terms ov common language, but only as a personal experience. Thus thee only channel ov communication open to us is to place our personal view within a common framework. This in essence is what all communication is about. But most ov our present belief is based on distortion. Our culture simply has not got thee necessary tools to cope with thee present situation. Our cultural language is still based on thee rational universal world ov thee past aeon. This will have to be swept aside before people can talk to each other again. The magickal number 23 is interwoven throughout T.O.P.Y. It is the point of focus, to integrate, to dissolve. A time, a time for work, a date to complete a task 23 times is to see it move deep within the consciousness. A number that's history is proven and potent, one that occurs internationally, irrationally and totally naturally. Like the Psychick Cross, indeed like T.O.P.Y., 23 is the gateway, the crossover point to internal focus and development and external flowering. When there is no other way. T.O.P.Y. --------------------------------------------- ~ Thoughts on The Temple ~ The Temple Ov Psychick Youth is a body of like-minded, ageless souls all striving in an individual manner towards a collective goal: a guiltless state of self-awareness. The exploration of our innermost desires by the release of the sexual spirit, and thus the freeing of our emotions of dogma and external control, is fundamental to the process by which the Temple achieves its collective identity. The process is a deeply personal voyage of discovery (the very fact of the emphasis of the individual testifies to this), one in which the Temple acts as a guiding light, a processor of information and its re-direction. "No Man is an Island", and for this reason the Temple is both needed for support in our battle, and as a focus for the support we ourselves can offer. Its sum being greater than the parts, the Temple serves as a sounding board for ideas, provoking thought which may under other circumstances never have been given the right "culture" in which to form and grow. Thus the Temple is a growing, living organism whose form is a result of the collection of "cells" within it, as in any biological organism. The analogy with the natural world is of direct significance. All life operates within a set environment or eco-system, but its very presence is an integral part of that system. If any one species grows it is at the cost of another, and if any "external force" is introduced the balance can be forever altered with the possibility of collapse (eg: Rainforests). The Temple is such a force, one which could ultimately over-turn the preconceived ideas of our Western society. This may seem to many to be a fanciful argument, but to those who mock I would say, "how small is a virus or cancer cell that can cause the collapse of an organism." We may be small, but we are growing to attack like a cancer from within! We must stand together, we must fight! ~ On criticism of the Temple ~ How can you criticize an organisation which makes statements such as ". . . we support your individuality", "we offer no dogma", and talks of "de-programming". These are some of the most important statements mady by T.O.P.Y., and show the principal aims of the Temple: the realisation of YOURSELF, which results in SELFLESSNESS in the most positive way - no greed, no sex barriers, no age barriers, no race barriers. . . .etc. The ultimate goal of LOVE and escape from the prison of 20th Century (especially western) ideas and values. DON'T WE ALL FEEL THE SAME? Thee Temple gives no orders, it gives a method through books, records, states of mind to a form of enlightenment. "You must understand 'til it hurts. The mind must be stretched to include emotions, thoughts and points of view entirely foreign to the narrow limits of our present life." (quote from "Zen" by Christmas Humphreys) To me, the Temple is about THINKING and trying to spread this FREEDOM. SEXUALITY: This I am only myself realising at the moment - NO GUILT. We see it on T.V. every day: twisted sex values - TURN IT OFF! I can't find the right words to use about my sigil experiences but I feel re-charged, focused, powerful, aware. THEE PSYCHICK CROSS: This to me forms a kind of focus (not in a fearful, religious sense) and is a common ground and understandable sign to those involved within T.O.P.Y. 23: This to me is Kammerer's Law of Seriality. The natural rhythms, patterns, harmonies in all the universe. It is an expression of this belief of the unexplored forces that act upon us. --------------------------------------------- I can relate to what the Temple Ov Psychick Youth is trying to do because we are all living in a world where chaos reigns. The Western World has been under the dogma of religion, Catholic and Protestant, for the last five hundred years. And its teachings, far removed from the original message, have beenused to control the masses and to shape humanity's moral codes. So today we have people wanting to have spiritual freedom, but who because of the age-old brain washing of God and the Devil, and good and evil, find it hard. Even worse, most people in our society have to unlearn and begin at thee beginning about their relationship with life, the universe and everything in it; and they generally start looking within themselves for their answers. I personally think that Christianity is on its last legs, as its churches are full of middle-aged and old people, but not young people. So there are many who are searching for spiritual freedom, and a truer relationship with life. The Temple Ov Psychick Youth provides a means and a way for people to break free and rise above the lie of society. Because magick, witchcraft are keys that unlock many of life's closed doors, and enable individuals to explore and develop themselves on all planes of life, from spiritual to physical. Nothing in life is easy, and magick is not an escape. As with all life you have to give of yourself to receive, and giving of yourself means a sacrifice of time and effort which is a hard lesson for many an aspiring occultist. So through contact with open groups like T.O.P.Y., individuals can meet other people with similar ideals in life. Obviously people will have to face moral principles such as sexual Magick (tantric yoga) and other methods used in ritual magick to raise the power, but this is something they learn naturally and not unnaturally as the rest of society still thinks and believes. They have to learn that they themselves create or destroy what life presents before them, not God or the Devil, and thus having learnt go forth into a new world of gods. After all, evil is essentially misplaced energy (unnatural). So things like sex, and all pleasurable activity so long as it be done with free will, are healthy for us in life. This last point is another reason why I agree with T.O.P.Y.'s ideals: because they encourage people to be free within themselves, and to discover their own true wills. As A/C puts it: Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law. Love Is The Law, Love Under Will. --------------------------------------------- My interpretation of T.O.P.Y. is that of the propagation of unlimited expression and potential. Also, that of the freeing of world technology and communication from the restraints of generally restrictive, authoritarian value-systems. The Temple, to me, has the potential to both examine and free the latency of both physical and psychical potential. I would like to take part in a world-deprogramming task, and experience the worthiness of my own full powers, in all their comparitive spheres. These thoughts encompass my attitudes towards sexuality (in both its drive and visionary factors) and also my movement towards a cooperative methodology. --------------------------------------------- What is Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth? To me, ultimately a special state ov mind - the place where all dreams meet. The place you know exists but are afraid to admit it. A secret place, timeless, sexual, a magick place open to all. Have you never felt so alive, happy, sexual that you want to live forever? Or are you lost, scared or just too pissed off to care. T.O.P.Y. can help you find your real self and you can help T.O.P.Y. in the process. By helping and caring and coummitment to T.O.P.Y. the same energy is given back. Love is not a dirty word, helping people is not wrong. For society to change, people must change. People must see what is happening all around them. People must be given information about sigils, dreamachines, magick. People must be pro-sexual, have respect and caring for everybody. What is wrong with being happy, alive, caring? So reject money - I'm on 16K a year, smart mate but who's interested. I'm a Man City fan - You're dead. (Fighting for a football team, strange.) This jumper cost $60. (Very smart, but does it make you really feel better inside.) In these times ov one-upmanship why not join the ultimate game and play for your life and make history as well. --------------------------------------------- Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth acts as a focal point, a sigil to thee Will. It can provide thee FORM about which thee FUNCTION ov Thee SELF can be wrapped. Thee act ov focusing releases tremendous energy which Thee Temple, as a concourse, forms into a flow ov energy. As a concept it sparks off Individual activity and through thee Image ov Thee SIGIL it channels that energy into a creative outburst. As a free form with a continuous flow ov unrestricted and unlimited ideas it allows any Individual to develop a language to express what can not be explained. Magick in its modern context is largely a question ov interpreting a subjective reality in purely personal terms. This requires a personal subjective language. Yet if society is to continue - have any meaning - then it is precisely this that must be communicated. A subjective reality can not be expressed in terms ov common language, but only as a personal experience. Thus thee only channel ov communication open to us is to place our personal view within a common framework. This in essence is what all communication is about. But most ov our present belief is based on distortion. Our culture simply has not got thee necessary tools to cope with thee present situation. Our cultural language is still based on thee rational universal world ov thee past aeon. This will have to be swept aside before people can talk to each other again. Thee Temple as a focal point without a fixed system ov values begins Thee Process. It provides a channel through which thee Individual can view his/her circumstances from their own perspective. It sweeps past thee outmoded views ov mass philosophy. Most importantly, by mutual encouragement, Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth gives me thee courage to accept and trust my own view. --------------------------------------------- Its aims on human freedom and independence To inspiration individuality Freedom in any dreams, in any wisches Sexuality with no limitations so long as it is yours sexuality to make you free of any restrictions sexuality & Love the most successful drivepower for any dream & wisch Love the power of all powers. Methods of magic and philosophy from many individuals Psycho-levels of the brain to help you in higher atomosphere's Methods from magic to create your perfect atmosphere and to get closer to that one self Methods look sometimes bizzare but are the ones who understand there are no limitations, when you wanne reach exstacy-freedom OV 23 - That moment, that day, that dream, that wisch, that freedom It all can come true, OV 23 is one of those methods Lots of thoughts are feelings which are not easy to explain May be when I have to represent a year later it might be totally different, I learn every day more and more, it will take lives. ----------------------------------- Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth is important because it is ACTIVE and CARING. It intends to nudge people into an understanding of themselves, into RESPECT for themselves. To Love themselves and their lives. It intends to spur people into doing coumthing with their lives, being ACTIVE. It gives people back to themselves along with the realisation that they CAN get what they really deeply want and need. Their desires can be made real. All it takes is effort and discipline. For a few years now I have felt a deep hunger and frustration. There has been a large gap in my life. It took me awhile to realise what this gap was. A deep spiritual lack. There has never been any talk ov or involvment with anything remotely spiritual during the whole of my twenty years of existence. During Primary School it was required of the whole class to stand up in thee mornings and say thee Lords Prayer. I never ever believed in it. It seemed totally absurd to me even then, I don't really know why, but I never believed in "God". For seven years I stood up and mouthed thee words of thee prayer. When I left at the age of 12, if anyone asked me to recite thee words ov thee Lords Prayer I couldn't do it! Seriously. I had never learned it and had wilfully blocked it out. I objected out loud of course, oh no, that would result in the belt. Little boys who don't say their prayers get pain as a reward. It wasn't until I was about 19 that I found what I thought/think might be thee answers. I have always been interested in thee unusual. In everything. People. Books. Music. Art. Thee "Chaos ov thee Normal", thee "Moronic Inferno". Fashion has never interested me. During childhood I read mostly science fiction. Then came a period ov flux, ov wandering, where I no longer was deeply "into" Sci-fi as before, but couldn't find anything else. That was when I decided to buy "A William Burroughs Reader" having heard him mentioned in numerous articles in thee muzak press. Pages of wonderous images, surreal images, new ideas, new methods. This replenished my lust for thee innovative. I used to go to an "Adult Training Centre" at night to help out at a kind of social gathering of handicapped people. There was a small record player, and a box of records. Sidney Devine, Elvis, Nana Mouscouri, country and western, thee muzak ov my nightmares! Tucked neatly in between two of these wreckords was an unimposing little single. It was Just Drifting and was by Psychic TV. I asked if I could have it as I wondered what they were like, having read reviews in thee press. As one of our records had disappeared they said "Yes". That was how I discovered PTV. It was a few years before I made enquiries into thee Temple. This was made at thee same time as I found a possible solution to my problem. I read a book called "Mysteries" by Colin Wilson. It was thee most amazing book I had ever read. A whole new universe ov possibilities opened up to me. I immediately developed a deep hunger for knowledge. Not everyday knowledge. Knowledge ov this strange new world. I went to thee library and read every occult book I could find. A Whole new worlds of meaning opened up. Thee Temple seemed like an honest organisation. Not a brainwashing cult. An "anti-cult". I didn't know (and still don't) just how much knowledge it possessed. To make "the occult" a part of everyone's everyday lives, now that was an interesting idea. A very good idea. An essential idea. Ideas into action. Kick start evolution again. To destroy tyranny and oppression. To bring joy back to living once more. Love. Responsibility for actions. Interaction between Individuals again, instead ov this total isolation that is becoming a hallmark ov thee twentieth century. Sex. To free sex from all fetters. To throw off guilt and all restrictions to pleasure. To make sex pure again. Between two Individuals. Not thee ignorant sexist, totally damaging view of a man fucking a woman. Sex involves two people. Two active people (who may be active in their passivity). To reclaim sexuality as our own. To be shared with who we choose, however we choose. Thee magick ov sex. Thee new sexuality. To choose ourSelves. Thee Psychick Cross. Thee cross is thee union of opposites (0=2). Thee top half has thee Christian Cross, thee bottom half has thee anti-Christian or Satanic Cross. Thee middle branch ties them together. Thee top half mirrors thee bottom. As above so below. It is thee anti-Papal Cross since thee middle branch is shorter than thee outer two, thee opposite of thee Papal. It is a television aerial. It receives and transmits information from and to every area ov life. Thee centre of thee Information War. It is a focus for knowledge and understanding. It is also thee face of thee Temple. Thee central line ov thee face along which is arranged thee line of thee eyes at top, nose middle, and mouth bottom. Thee three branches are mind, body, and spirit. There are three crosses in thee Psychick Cross, not two. 23, in Crowley's system, is Water. Thee essential element ov life. Thee great sea ov thee subconscious. Thee element that is always in flux, forever changing. Change is stability. Water has three states (branches on thee cross?). Water is the body and the mind. Just as the moon affects the sea so does it affect mind and body. The brain is something like 80% water after all. 23 is a mystery. It's just a number. It's just the number ov rays from Sirius, The Sun behind the Sun. Thee star of thee Dogon, those marvellous people. Thee symbol of Sirius is pretty close to thee cross. 23 is synchronicity and recognition: 2+3=5 2x3 = 6 2/3 = .666 --------------------------------------------- Trying to explain my reason for my involvement with T.O.P.Y. is hard, but to say I am searching for my inner strengths and weaknesses is as good a one as any. To me T.O.P.Y. is doing more for thee couming together ov people than any thing I know. They encourage thee sharing ov ideas which to me is an important factor in knocking down life's walls. To ask me thee meaning behind their aims, ideas, sexuality, methods, thee meaning ov thee Psychick Cross, ov 23 would be an injustice to T.O.P.Y. Their aim I believe to be more wakefulness in society, for people to open up their eyes and see for themselves. Their ideas revolve around Pagan philosophy and thee arts ov Magick which in a way takes on all aspects ov Life. Methods are thee same in all new conceptions and must be used to get thee message across. Sexuality is a beautiful thing and should be treated in thee same way, free love must be forever in our souls. Thee Psychick Cross is a symbol to symbolise all aspects ov T.O.P.Y. ideals, they must be put up everywhere. Ov 23 I am stuck with no true conclusion as to thee proper idea/ideas behind it, but to me it stands out and crops up in thee weirdest ov situations and it is a JOY to see it anywhere. T.O.P.Y. is an inner door, a device for breaking down mental walls. T.O.P.Y. can be pleasure with thee pain, thee garden ov eden and you are Adam or Eve. Open thee eye to T.O.P.Y. and experience everything before it is too late. --------------------------------------------- I feel no need to justify my interest or my sympathy. Those who reject T.O.P.Y. reject themselves - and few want to face the truth. Each individual must decide their own course, and as no-one is the same, so no course is the same. Everyone responds and rejects or accepts according to their own thoughts and feelings. T.O.P.Y. offers an alternative to mass control, depersonalisation and guilt. Those who choose this path will never find it easy - prejudice and jealousy will see to that, as very few people have the courage to be themselves and those that do are often hated for it. For not conforming. For not being "one of us". T.O.P.Y. aims to make each individual free of the mental shackles and spiritual bonds placed on us since birth. To question the unquestioning mind and to heal the wound of separation withing us. For no-one is whole when psyche, mind and body work in discord. The Psychick Cross is a symbol of this unity - a tangible representation of 23 - two threes back to back, joined, whole, a perfect harmony visually and psychically, to be used as a focal point for energy, a comforter emotionally and a reminder of the potential within us. A potential T.O.P.Y. can help us to achieve. The thing I can give most readily is my love. My love of Life and its unifying energy and of all living things. My love of humanity and all that these destructive creatures have produced that is creative. My love of my ideal that I have cherished and nurtured all my life - that finally humankind will see and feel all that is within me is within all life and therefore that all life is within me. --------------------------------------------- The nation, the world is in a trap. The poor are getting poorer, and the rich, richer. Our environment is collapsing in upon ourselves because of what we are doing. An example: it is legal to corrode the ozone layer (by use of aerosols, etc.) and thereby harm everyone, yet illegal to smoke marijuana, and harm no-one. We need change, revolution - and T.O.P.Y. is that. The ideas of it being an insane death cult are a misconception. We are help, perhaps the only help and friend, not an enemy. So open your eyes. Once upon a time. . . . . . . . I first spurred interest in T.O.P.Y. with the listening of Dreams Less Sweet. After I proceeded to lose that tape to a young lady, I decided to find out more about the sound and reasons of T.O.P.Y. I purchased the live records series, which has proven to be a source of great enjoyment. And I try to forward the ideas of T.O.P.Y. with messages on the dorm door, and I try to play a few songs when I dj at the campus radio station. What I rather liked about T.O.P.Y. was that there was no forcing of ideals on myself the listener. There are, I will not hold back, a few ideals I do not in self practice, because they do not appeal to me, but I will not condescend because someone else may. For the book, I do not experiment with drugs, have sex, or denounce strongly non-pagan religions. Persons may say that I have not lived, but that is someone else's idea of living. If and when I wish to try something, I shall, but until then I am content with myself. I guess the point is that it is a choice, and one must not necessarily make certain choices to be involved with T.O.P.Y. The problem, well wait. Let us stay with that prior thought, about choices, just for a minute. You may have noticed I don't spell certain words the way T.O.P.Y. does; again I do not feel that is important for me to reflect that thought to be considered involved with T.O.P.Y. Anyway, as I was writing, the problem is I am afraid that I may not be able to be as active as I wish in T.O.P.Y. with my schooling, because education is very important to me. So, what I guess I am getting at, is that I will do my best to do what I can. I can only hope that does not sound too "wishy-washy". So, I am, will, try to do my most. How would I explain T.O.P.Y. to a stranger? Simply, a group, tribe of persons who are looking ahead, with little recourse to beliefs or principles that have been embedded, sometimes unwillingly, into society. An aim of reversal, getting people to quit taking for granted what surrounds them, and having them realize they have control of their life, and to use themselves to their potential. Why do I feel T.O.P.Y. is important? Because it serves as a meeting center for those persons who already know what they feel to get stronger centralisation and organisation, and make themselves and their ideas more available to others. It's got a lot to do with the concept of awareness. I guess aims and ideas have been taken care of. Sexuality, again, is an awareness, realizing how present it is, and how it can be made into something more wonderful than expected or known. The Psychick Cross has so much behind it that it is rather hard to sum up its meaning, besides representing a receptor for thought processes. Also, I just rather thought that it could also be seen as a christian cross overlapped by a satanic (inverted christian) cross, and a bar in the middle to cancel the two out, which would go along with the theory of bowing to no god. 23 is something I cannot comment too intelligently on, since I have not the amount of information necessary. I have heard, however, that it is the number of confusion, and actually, I myself have not much more of a view on it. . .yet. Other resources of my self-determination, defining ideas clearly, patience, art skills (with both pen and words), and desire to communicate. --------------------------------------------- Explanation of T.O.P.Y. to a Stranger: I found this question difficult to answer as I do not know enough about T.O.P.Y. People have asked me what it is, so I told them that it is an information network and to contact T.O.P.Y. if interested. However, when pressured I inform them of as much as I can, expanding on the ideas that I know, and state that thee network runs all over thee country and that depending on an individuals involvement information is available to them; that it is up to thee individual, if they want, to becoum involved and that one is not pressured into it. To justify my involvement I would say that T.O.P.Y. has thee same or similar beliefs to those I have always held, but from which I had switched off as it was not "right" in thee conditioned world. --------------------------------------------- On T.O.P.Y. I have played PTV &/or T.O.P.Y. material for many friends, so I am often asked about T.O.P.Y. I tailor the answer to the questioner, telling no more than I think they can follow at the time. Sometimes I describe PTV as a loose aggregate of people working with music and video. I may explain that they are part of a larger organisation which seeks to support people whose aims and interests are outside the mainstream. To people I trust I explain more. That T.O.P.Y. is a network of people with some similarities and some differences, held together by a desire to understand and short-circuit control. To explore ways to make what they want to happen, happen. That T.O.P.Y. encourages people to find out their true natures, not a shallow and generic, dictated and advertised "identity". One method is to exploit the cut-up, both on other material and behaviourally as well. We constantly run on habit, and it is good to break this up. Do you see friend X because you really want to? Or because it's what you always do on Thursday night? A simple but pertinent example. Burroughs has been quoted as saying there was nothing special about 23, just that it was something he noticed and then kept noticing. I see it partly as a symbol of focus. That there is so much around that we screen out daily, if we pick something not to screen out it will seem omnipresent. I also like the idea of it as a sort of mischievous number, popping up with a will of its own where it has no statistical right. And each time it pops up itself it reminds me of my psychic heritage that I am reclaiming for myself. I see no particular sexual style that is representative of T.O.P.Y. It is more an aspect of sex itself, that of the power (indeed - OV Power) it contains. A power that can be frustrated by a denial of desire; dissipated by investing it in removed, marketed images; or directed by self-understanding and a ritual method. Since the sex drive is so basic, and since social repression functions here as much or more than anywhere else, sexual magick is a most powerful and empowering technique. The particular interpretations of 23 and the Psychick Cross are not as interesting or important to me as the fact that there are many interpretations. If a cynic - journalist or otherwise - is asking me about T.O.P.Y., I believe it is important not to try too much to defend or to try to convince the person that there's nothing horrid about us. I will, however, try to dispel any basic misconceptions. I have found that so much of what I take for granted is alien to many people that I cannot explain parts of it. As I've noted, it took me a while to understand so many foreign thoughts at once. If pressed by anyone who is obviously hostile to and/or threatened by the ideas, I say "Well, I'm convinced of it, it works for me, and I'm happy." I do not try to "convert" them. If they are unaccepting of it, I give them some things to read, and T.O.P.Y.'s address. --------------------------------------------- T.O.P.Y. is an international network system, a kind of organisation that brings in touch people who share ideas and feel free to do whatever they like, as strange as it may be. That's the reason why T.O.P.Y. is important. In times of loneliness, T.O.P.Y. tries to bring people in touch, tries to bring back the lost innocence, the correspondence among people. T.O.P.Y. hates everything and everyone who tries to limit its freedom. T.O.P.Y. offers a method of living to better survive as a True Being, and as an Individual, and not as part of the maze. Individuality is expressed as Spirit and Will. "Love Under Will" is the meaning. To manage it, T.O.P.Y. edits books, records, video tapes. T.O.P.Y. requires belief in Magick and modern Paganism, and recognises the power of the human brain. The Psychick Cross means to me: Brain (upper bar); Heart (middle bar); Prick - as the home of souls (lower bar). It means the Individual itself, with its three psychic powers: Brain = dreams, fantasy, cleverness; Heart = L.OV.E.; Prick = soul = the power that motivates all the above. The meaning of 23 is a mystic one, and people can only understand it after long thought about T.O.P.Y. --------------------------------------------- T.O.P.Y. is very important to thee continued growth of psychic awareness in thee world. We have progressed physically as far as we can. Thee next stage is mental. T.O.P.Y. offers a series of mental training exercises: awareness (especially ov yourself) is thee goal. There is no obligation, as thee Temple is you. Thee aims are immense. Education, realisation, principally. Thee Temple can be anything you need from it. 23 is thee pure number, completely random, a prime number. Thee Cross: a reflection of thee ego, a place to focus energy and a simple, comfortable symbol representing a new strength in thee world. --------------------------------------------- Thee Justification ov T.O.P.Y. Last night me and some members ov T.O.P.Y.S.T.E.E.L engaged thee "JESUS ARMY" in verbal confrontation. It was in some ways an awakening experience. It was also an experience which demonstrates thee necessity for T.O.P.Y., PaganLink, O.T.O., etc. To be confronted with thee organised inculcation of GUILT, FEAR and LOATHING in militaristic form demonstrated the need for L.O.V.E. organisations to provide the keys to self-(de)-programming. To be confronted with INTOLERANCE and PSYCHIC VAMPIRISM showed the horrible fate awaiting us if our society/thee earth is taken over by thee forces of PERSONAL LIMITATION. T.O.P.Y. provides a decentralised set of forums for individuals who wish to escape our conditioned guilt and fear responses. It provides outline methods for individuals who wish to acquire self expression, self love, self discipline. T.O.P.Y. is a will/energy focus. It's LOVE transmitting on all frequencies. True sexuality is a timeless moment of orgone mutation, thee event where thee subconscious becomes all thee planes, thee times, where it becomes an identity with thee conscious worlds. Liberation is only a heartbeat away. Thee Psychick Cross = pagan Cross. Sexual unions. Tree of Life, qabballahs. Thee planes, all in one. Thee sigil of Temple workings, immanent in this cross, every working ever done before or in thee future, happening now. Thee sigil ov no name, thee blank sheet for our experiences and desires to write upon. 23: No-one has ever satisfactorily explained to me how or why a computer works. But I use one almost every day, and computers always touch my life. Similarly, 23 has not been totally explained to me, even in numerological terms. Not fully anyway. Thee fact remains that 23 seems to have some kind ov recurrent activity, in my experience. That does not mean it will necessarilty be a feature of your experienced universe... 23 attaches itself in its various guises (32, 223, 123, 0-23, etc.) to things I j- and many other YOUTH - are involved with. 23 seems to be a sign of recurrent activity in thee universe, ov unifying themes. --------------------------------------------- Justification of T.O.P.Y. to a cynical interviewer: As rationality has failed to create a new mankind there are other methods to be found of changing minds. The will must come from individuals, who, to reach their aims, gather in a group. Through the moral conditioning in childhood, school, military and the general influence of language, media and moral systems, men are totally controlled. They control each other, oftenj without even knowing it. The wishes, dreams of the body and subconsciousness are ignored and the subject, so long as there is one, is conditioned to ignore it too. Only functionality is important. Life is shortened to operational functions to serve society. It is degraded to a servant. As I feel unsatisfied by this, I need to escape from this control and want to destroy it. I like to experiment with other aspects of life. In this case, sexuality is an important factor because it gives the individual a total conscience of its own existence. It may help to find the inner self and break pre-formations. I like sexuality. In orgasm, you cross the border. In orgasm you die. Your coming back from another cone of reality after it. The coming to climax is a way to ego-destruction. --------------------------------------------- People are suppressed and conditioned by the socialisation processes of our "society" - education, media, and the family - to believe in certain attitudes and to behave in certain ways. What has happened to individuality and the personality? People should be taught to develop their own-selves and their own personalities - To learn about instinct, nature, consciousness and further heights of awareness, WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN PUSHED FROM OUR MINDS. The human mind is suppressed not to generate its "unacceptable" powers. Meditation, creative visualisation, and MAGICK are important tools which may be used to help bring out our true selves. Sexuality is condemned from an early age. Society as a whole condemns sexuality. It is a beautiful experience - and can prove to be a very powerful and magickal act - generating immense emotion and feeling. The idea of PLEASURE AND PAIN is fundamental to the understanding and experiences of people. Sex can exist within both concepts. People should learn not to be ashamed of their sexuality, and sexually, to share experiences with other individuals. UNDERSTANDING, DEVELOPMENT, AND COMMUNICATION. OUR AIM IS WAKEFULNESS. OUR ENEMY IS DREAMLESS SLEEP --------------------------------------------- Involvement with T.O.P.Y. means that I have broken away from the social graces forced upon me by society. I am finding out what I really enjoy to do, with my mental/physical attributes. I am learning to reach further than before, to grasp the things that were previously beyond my reach. T.O.P.Y. is a collective of individuals who, in a way, do not want to be part of any group/social type. This is not as hypocritical as it sounds, because each individual within T.O.P.Y. is going his/her own way, each with differing goals, concepts of life. T.O.P.Y. is important because it gives the individuals within a confidence that others are trying to struggle against society. T.O.P.Y. members feel as though they are not the only ones with a different point of view. It gives the individual strength to succeed. T.O.P.Y.'s aim is to help individuals attain their highest dreams, and to help them accomplish their works and wishes in life. --------------------------------------------- T.O.P.Y. allows thee individual a chance to know him/her self. I am not sure if I would be able to explain T.O.P.Y. to a stranger. Recently I was talking to a friend who told me she no longer wanted to be my friend because I was involving myself with T.O.P.Y. She does not believe in anything. Her point is that I would no longer be me and that I didn't need T.O.P.Y.'s ideas to help me with my problems, that in time everything works out in itself. I disagreed with her argument, trying to explain that T.O.P.Y. would help me with the goals that I want to obtain in my life, and that in the past not all my problems have worked out by themself. T.O.P.Y. asks for the individual to be clear in admitting their real desires by discarding all irrelevancies and by asking yourself what do you really want out ov life. The argument with my friend allowed me to see that we were no longer friends and perhaps we never really were. How could we have been friends when she would not allow me to be anymore than I already was nor anything else that I could be. T.O.P.Y. is not there to be occult. But a lot ov people have that misunderstanding. People will always condemn the thoughts and actions ov another. There is someone who I am deeply interested in, who spoke ov tribal living and the ideas ov T.O.P.Y. At that time I had no idea what he was talking about and the shyness that we both have makes it almost impossible to talk to each other. We are barely able to smile and say hello, and I believe thru the Psychick process we will be able to speak again. I will overcome the shyness that keeps me within myself and keeps me from having what I really want from life. T.O.P.Y.'s ideas are for everyone who wants to wake up fromthe dreamless world that we are living in. It's for the individual who asks themself what they want from life, and the rituals are there to make those thoughts happen. "Awareness ov your own energy is the awareness that flesh and spirit are one, that thou art goddess, eternally linked, connected, at one with the moving spirit ov all" (Starhawk 138) T.O.P.Y. is there for thee individual who makes the coumitment to become aware ov thee energy that is inside us all. . . --------------------------------------------- Magic has interested me from an early age - but I didn't have the best informed beginning. I used to try telekinesis, telepathy, astral projection,even levitation, all with varying degree of complete failure. I had no concentration or confidence, and a very impatient streak. The things I tried to do were very nice "tricks" but many of them are no longer goals of mine. I see no reason now to attempt things for which I had little aptitude, solely to impress others and build up my own social standing. People are so cynical now, and maybe some of it has rubbed off on me. The Temple has shown me a practical side to magick which makes no pretensions, I don't expect to be able to force the hand of chance with minimum effort and concentration and nothing to inform me but a half-read Aquarian Press book. In my future sigil work I shall aim to overcome some of my less attractive tendencies, and build on my natural talents and abilities. My ideal target will be a perfect self and not a material manipulator. Maybe people should expect miracles because I think if you believe in something enough then you are halfway to having it, just as long as it's within and not without yourself. I don't feel that I need to justify my involvement with anything, to anyone. People have an instant dislike and fear of things they don't understand, but worse than this, an aversion to information which could disrupt their secure, boring, featureless lives. To me, many of these people are lost causes, I would prefer that they knew nothing of what I choose to do with my life - which is too precious to spend arguing with people who will never see sense for the simple reason that they don't want to. This may seem a selfish attitude, but the example of Susan Bishop is enough to put me off talking to journalists, and Christians, for life. Let them remain ignorant and happy, they will never change. --------------------------------------------- People like to control you. They want power and they achieve it. These thieves are smart and they work off people's insecurities. CONTROL means dictating how others should live and how to think. If you are afraid of making these decisions for yourself (because of fear of failure, lack of self-confidence, fear of death, and definitely laziness) then it is easy to associate yourself with, and follow someone strong enough to make decisions for you. You are no longer responsible for yourself and no longer have the burden or that responsibility. It is easier to identify oneself with an already developed personality (hero/heroine) than go through the never ending struggle of self-discovery. The insecure robbers who feed off our weaknesses are the ones most people tend to trust: our rabbis and priests who control through strict regulations and traditions, our school teachers who take advantage of the innocence and naivety of young children by presenting themselves and their ideas as manifestations of god, and our media which depicts THE acceptable lifestyle through slanted manipulations. These thieves are aware of your trust and innocence, and intend on using those weaknesses to control you. The Temple Ov Psychick Youth is an organisation aimed at DE-control. They do not wish to control you; they wish to liberate themselves. They offer suggestions on how you COULD liberate yourself, not how you SHOULD liberate yourself. The process of liberation consists of many types of research, such as the music group PTV. Members of the Temple feel that there is no reason why life should not be "lived to the fullest" where all one's NEEDS and DESIRES are fulfilled. Because there are so many distractions to divert one's attention from one's goals, symbols are invented to be worn, to be drawn, etc., to constantly remind, if not the conscious, then the unconscious, of these goals. Ideally, through this process laziness is combatted and the goals will more likely be achieved since those goals are constantly on the person's mind. Because there are so many distractions and limitations posed by the "controllers", sometimes our deepest wants do not seem earthly possible, and we repress them in our subconscious (a step towards neurosis) trying to dismiss them. The Temple does not believe in repressing our needs and desires (submitting to those "controllers"), because our personal needs are what make us human and individual. The Psychick Cross is the symbol of the "whole" person, uncovering one's unconsciously hidden desires and obtaining them. The unconscious speaks most loudly in our dreams and our fantasies. When we fantasize, our desires usually take place in Utopian settings, and represent these goals by creating collages including parts of our physical body to personalise the symbol of our goal even more. This symbol reminds us over and over again that this is thee want, this is thee self. Temple members using this process end up understanding their needs and desires better, are more able to satisfy themselves and succeed in life. I personally enjoy making decisions and discoveries on my own. I will not allow anyone to take that joy away from me. I enjoy my intelligence, my talents, and discovering myself using the symbolic rituals suggested by the Temple Ov Psychick Youth. T.O.P.Y. is an important organisation because: 1) it shows people they are not alone in the struggle, and 2) it allows people to exchange views, ideas, and solutions to better these processes to liberate and satiate the individual self. "What is Paganism" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The following is the text from a brochure that BAPA puts out called "What is Paganism" (author unknown) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- "WHAT IS PAGANISM? "History of Paganism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The term Pagan has numerous common definitions. Many dictionaries define a Pagan as anyone not of the Judeo-Islamic-Christian religions. Some people consider anyone who does not share their religion to be a Pagan. Still others believe that a Pagan is a person who is anti-religion. None of these "definitions" manage to capture the true meaning of the term. "To discover the core meaning of Pagan, we look back to ancient times when the word Pagan referred to a person of the country, or a peasant. {deletia... in summary, several paragraphs relating the history of the Catholic Church and the poor peasants' inability to relate. Brief description of the "glory of the Goddess and God in each starry night" and note of the inconsistancies of the original Pagan beliefs with the Catholic church. Also, several paragraphs detailing the development of of the Church's campaign to expunge Paganism, some of the methods employed and the subsequent Witch Hunts. Finally, an overall summary of the persecution. If interested, let me know and I'll post it separately.} "Paganism in Modern Times ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Today, little is known about the Pagans who survived what is now often called "The Burning Times." Paganism, as it exists today, is best described as the practice of any of a number of nature-based religions, traditions that find their roots all over the world. {Liana- sound familiar?} Many modern Pagans call themselves "Neo-Pagans" to declare their religion as a revival of the old beliefs. {more deletia... in summary, two paragraphs comparing contemporary Pagans to the peasants of old, extolling our intelligence and involvement in technology. Also a paragraph defusing the Satanism comparison. Again, if interested, let me know and I'll post it.} "What do Modern Pagans Believe? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Paganism is actually a large umbrella containing a number of nature-based religions beneath it, from the European-originated Wicca and Druidism, to African Yoruba traditions and Hawaiian Huna. As a result of this diversity, it is impossible to make statements about the beliefs of Pagans that will apply to *all* {italics} Pagans. However, some statements can be made that will, in general, apply to a vast number of Pagans. "Many Pagans tend to: "* Be polytheists, believing in more than one deity or more than one aspect of a single deity. "* Be pantheists, seeing the God/Goddess force represented in everything around them. "* Recognize the divinity of the feminine as well as the masculine, not seeing masculinity as a superior force. "* Believe that the life force is sacred, and that nature, as a vital representation of that force, is divine. "* Believe that all life forms are equal, sharing an equal claim to the earth as a home. "* Believe that each individual is solely responsible for his or her actions. "* Believe that the forces of nature can be shaped in ways commonly called "magical." "* Believe that magical acts designed to bend one to another's will are manipulative, and not encouraged. "* Believe that whatever actions a person takes, magical or mundane, good or bad, come back to him/her, sometimes threefold. "* Believe that there is no single path to spiritual fulfillment, and that the individual must determine the spiritual expression most appropriate to him or her. "* Believe in reincarnation, or some form of life after death. "How do Pagans Practice Their Religion? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Many Pagans find spiritual expression through the practice of ritual, or religious ceremony. These rituals, often held at significant points in lunar or solar cycles, offer an opportunity for Pagans to commune with the godeesses and Gods, to celebrate the passages of life, and to work magic. {deletia... in summary, paragraphs relating techniques to "raise power" explaining that we don't espouse "power over" (my words). Also outlines goals that many pagans have in mine when raising of power. Outlines the sabbats, and relates the pattern of the seasons. Briefly describes Beltane and Samhain. Once again, let me know if you would like to see this text.} "Each Pagan religion has its own special way of recognizing the passing of the seasons and personal life passages. Ritual offers a way to imbue these moments with magic and reverence. {deletia... last paragraph giving information on how the reader can learn more about Paganism, specifically in the Bay Area, and relating the goal that BAPA has in mind.} PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA * or * How I Found Goddess And What I Did To Her When I Found Her THE MAGNUM OPIATE OF MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER Wherein Is Explained Absolutely Everything Worth Knowing About Absolutely Anything Published By: LOOMPANICS UNLIMITED PO BOX 1197 Port Townsend, WA 98368 $5.00(cheap) Catalogs:$2.00 Transcribed to 1's and 0's by Druel the Chaotic, WPI Discordian Society Cabal of the Unemployed mpython@gnu.ai.mit.edu {calendar entered by /AHM/THX } ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTRODUCTION You hold in your hands one the Great Books of our century fnord. Some Great Books are recognized at once with a fusilade of critical huzzahs and gonfolons, like Joyce's ULYSSES. Others appear almost furtively and are only discovered 50 years later, like MOBY DICK or Mendel's great essay on genetics. The PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA entered our space-time continuum almost as unobtrusively as a cat-burglar creeping over a windowsill. In 1968, virtually nobody had heard of this wonderful book. In 1970,hundreds of people coast to coast were talking about it and asking the identity of the mysterious author, Malaclypse the Younger. Rumors swept across the continent, from New York to Los Angeles, from Seattle to St. Joe. Malaclypse was actually Alan Watts, one heard. No,said another legend -- the PRINCIPIA was actually the work of the Sufi Order. A third, very intriguing myth held that Malaclypse was a pen-name for Richard M. Nixon, who had allegedly composed the PRINCIPIA during a few moments of lucidity. I enjoyed each of these yarns and did my part to help spread them. I was also careful never to contradict the occasional rumors that I had actually written the whole thing myself during an acid trip. The legendry, the mystery, the cult grew slowly. By the mid-1970's, thousands of people, some as far off as Hong Kong and Australia, were talking about the PRINCIPIA, and since the original was out of print by then, xerox copies were beginning to circulate here and there. When the ILLUMINATUS trilogy appeared in 1975, my co-author, Bob Shea, and I both received hundreds of letters from people intrigued by the quotes from the PRINCIPIA with which we had decorated the heads of several chapters. Many, who had already heard of the PRINCIPIA or seen copies, asked if Shea and I had written it, or if we had copies available. Others wrote to ask if it were real, or just something we had invented the way H.P. Lovecraft invented the NECRONOMICON. We answered according to our moods, sometimes telling the truth, sometimes spreading the most Godawful lies and myths we could devise fnord. Why not? We felt that this book was a true Classic (literatus immortalis) and, since the alleged intelligentsia had not yet discovered it, the best way to keep its legend alive was to encourage the mythology and the controversy about it. Increasingly, people wrote to ask me if Timothy Leary had written it, and I almost always told them he had, except on Fridays whem I am more whimsical, in which case I told them it had been transmitted by a canine intellgence -- vast,cool,and unsympathic -- from the Dog Star, Sirius. Now, at last, the truth can be told. Actually, the PRINCIPIA is the work of a time-travelling anthropologist from the 23rd Century. He is currently passing among us as a computer specialist, bon vivant and philosopher named Gregory Hill. He has also translated several volumes of Etruscan erotic poetry, under another pen-name, and in the 18th Century was the mysterious Man in Black who gave Jefferson the design for the Great Seal of the United States. I have it on good authority that he is one of the most accomplished time-travelers in the galaxy and has visited Earth many times in the past,using such cover-identities as Zeno of Elias, Emperor Norton, Count Cagliostro, Guilliame of Aquaitaine, etc. Whenever I question him about this, he grows very evasive and attempts to persuade me that he is actually just another 20th Century Earthman and that all my ideas about his extraterrrestrial and extratemporal origin and delusions. Hah! I am not that easily deceived. After all, a time-travelling anthropologist would say just that, so that he could observe us without his presense causing cultureshock. I understand that he has consented to write an Afterward to this edition. He'll probably contradict everything I've told you, but don't believe a word he says fnord. He is a master of the deadpan put-on, the plausible satire, the philosophical leg-pull and all the branches of guerilla ontology. For full benefit to the Head, this book should be read in conjunction with THE ILLUMINOIDS by Neal Wilgus (Sun Press, Albuquerque, NM) and ZEN WITHOUT ZEN MASTERS by Camden Benares (And/Or Press, Berkeley, California). "We are operating on many levels here", as Ken Kesey used to say. In conclusion, there is no conclusion. Things go on as they always have, getting weirder all the time. Hail Eris. All hail Discordia. Fnord? -Robert Anton Wilson International Arms and Hashish Inc. Darra Bazar, Kohat ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A jug of wine, A leg of lamb And thou! Beside me, Whistling in the darkness. Be Ye Not Lost Among Precepts of Order... - The Book of Uterus 1;5 Some excerpts from an interview with Malaclypse the Younger by THE GREATER METROPOLITAN YORBA LINDA HERALD-NEWS-SUN-TRIBUNE-JOURNAL-DISPATCH-POST AND SAN FRANCISCO DISCORDIAN SOCIETY CABAL BULLETIN AND INTERGALACTIC REPORT & POPE POOP. GREATER POOP:Are you really serious or what? MAL-2: Sometimes I take humor seriously. Sometimes I take seriousness humorously. Either way it is irrelevant. GP: Maybe you are just crazy. M2: Indeed! But do not reject these teaching as false because I am crazy. The reason that I am crazy is because they are true. GP: Is Eris true? M2: Everything is true. GP: Even false things? M2: Even false things are true. GP: How can that be? M2: I don't know man, I didn't do it. GP: Why do you deal with so many negatives? M2: To dissolve them. GP: Will you develop that point? M2: No. GP: Is there an essential meaning behind POEE? M2: There is a Zen Story about a student who asked a Master to explain the meaning of Buddhism. The Master's reply was "Three pounds of flax." GP: Is that the answer to my question? M2: No, of course not. That is just illustrative. The answer to your question is FIVE TONS OF FLAX! SUSPENDED ANNIHILATION ODD# II/2,xii;68Chs3136 Principia Discordia or How I Found Goddess & What I Did To Her When I found Her being a Beginning Introduction to The Erisian Mysterees Which is Most Interesting -><- as Divinely Revealed to My High Reverence MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER, KSC Omnibenevolent Polyfather of Virginity in Gold and HIGH PRIEST of THE PARATHEO-ANAMETAMYSTIKHOOD OF ERIS ESOTERIC (POEE) HAIL ERIS! -><- KALLISTI -><- ALL HAIL DISCORDIA! Dedicated to The Prettiest One The Upstart of one hand clapping - JOSHUA NORTON CABAL - Surrealists, Harlequinists, Absurdists and Zonked Artists Melee POEE is one manifestation of THE DISCORDIAN SOCIETY about which you will learn more and understand less We are a tribe of philosophers, theologians, magicians, scientists, artists, clowns, and similar maniacs who are intrigued with ERIS GODDESS OF CONFUSION and with Her Doings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ I Tell You: One must still have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing star! -Nietzsche THE FIVE COMMANDMENTS (THE PENTABARF) The PENTABARF was discovered by the hermit Apostle Zarathud in the Fifth Year of The Caterpillar. He found them carved in gilded stone, while building a sun deck for his cave, but their import was lost for they were written in a mysterious cypher. However, after 10 weeks & 11 hours of intensive scrutiny he discerned that the message could be read by standing on his head and viewing it upside down. KNOW YE THIS O MAN OF FAITH! I - There is no Goddess but Goddess and She is Your Goddess. There is no Erisian Movement but The Erisian Movement and it is The Erisian Movement. And every Golden Apple Corps is the beloved home of a Golden Worm. II - A Discordian Shall Always use the Official Discordian Document Numbering System. III - A Discordian is Required during his early Illumination to Go Off Alone & Partake Joyously of a Hot Dog on a Friday; this Devotive Ceremony to Remonstrate against the popular Paganisms of the Day: of Catholic Christendom (no meat on Friday), of Judaism (no meat of Pork), of Hindic Peoples (no meat of Beef), of Buddhists (no meat of animal), and of Discordians (no Hot Dog Buns). IV - A Discordian shall Partake of No Hot Dog Buns, for Such was the Solace of Our Goddess when She was Confronted with The Original Snub. V - A Discordian is Prohibited of Believing What he reads. IT IS SO WRITTEN! SO BE IT. HAIL DISCORDIA! PROSECUTORS WILL BE TRANSGRESSICUTED. Test Question from Topanga Cabal The Twelve Famous Buddha Minds School: If they are our brothers, how come we can't eat them? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ A ZEN STORY by Camden Benares, The Count of Five Headmaster, Camp Meeker Cabal A serious young man found the conflicts of mid 20th Century America confusing. He went to many people seeking a way of resolving within himself the discords that troubled him, but he remained troubled. One night in a coffee house, a self-ordained Zen Master said to him, "go to the dilapidated mansion you will find at this address which I have written down for you. Do not speak to those who live there; you must remain silent until the moon rises tomorrow night. Go to the large room on the right of the main hallway, sit in the lotus position on top of the rubble in the northeast corner, face the corner, and meditate." He did just as the Zen Master instructed. His meditation was frequently interrupted by worries. He worried whether or not the rest of the plumbing fixtures would fall from the second floor bathroom to join the pipes and other trash he was sitting on. He worried how would he know when the moon rose on the next night. He worried about what the people who walked through the room said about him. His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as if in a test of his faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that time two people walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man was sitting there was. The second replied "Some say he is a holy man. Others say he is a shithead." Hearing this, the man was enlightened. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Western Union Telegram To: Jehova Yahweh Care: Celestial Hotel (Suite #666) Presidential Tier, Paradise Dear God; This is to inform you that your current position as diety is herewith terminated due to gross incompetence STOP Your check will be mailed STOP Please do not use me for a reference Respectfully, Malaclypse the Younger/Omnibenevolent Polyfather POEE High Priest ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ 10. The Earth quakes and the heavens rattle; the beasts of nature flock together and the nations of men flock apart; volcanoes usher up heat while elsewhere water becomes ice and melts; and then on other days it just rains. 11. Indeed do many things come to pass. HBT; The Book of Predictions, Chap. 19 - THE BIRTH OF THE ERISIAN MOVEMENT - THE REVELATION Just prior to the decade of the nineteen-sixties, when Sputnik was alone and new, and about the time that Ken Kesey took his first acid trip as a medical volunteer; before underground newspapers, Viet Nam, and talk of a second American Revolution; in the comparative quiet of the late nineteen-fifties, just before the idea of RENAISSANCE became relevant.... Two young Californians, known later as Omar Ravenhurst and Malaclypse the Younger, were indulging in their habit of sipping coffee at an allnight bowling alley and generally solving the world's problems. This particular evening the main subject of discussion was discord and they were complaining to each other of the personal confusion they felt in their respective lives. "Solve the problem of discord," said one, "and all other problems will vanish." "Indeed," said the other, "chaos and strife are the roots of all confusion." FIRST I MUST SPRINKLE YOU WITH FAIRY DUST Suddenly the place became devoid of light. Then an utter silence enveloped them, and a great stillness was felt. Then came a blinding flash of intense light, as though their very psyches had gone nova. Then vision returned. The two were dazed and neither moved nor spoke for several minutes. They looked around and saw that the bowlers were frozen like statues in a variety of comic positions, and that a bowling ball was steadfastly anchored to the floor only inches from the pins that it had been sent to scatter. The two looked at each other, totally unable to account for the phenomenon. The condition was one of suspension, and one noticed that the clock had stopped. There walked into the room a chimpanzee, shaggy and grey about the muzzle, yet upright to his full five feet, and poised with natural majesty. He carried a scroll and walked to the young men. "Gentlemen," he said, "why does Pickering's Moon go about in reverse orbit? Gentlemen, there are nipples on your chests; do you give milk? And what, pray tell, Gentlemen, is to be done about Heisenberg's Law?" He paused. "SOMEBODY HAD TO PUT ALL OF THIS CONFUSION HERE!" And with that he revealed his scroll. It was a diagram, like a yin-yang with a pentagon on one side and an apple on the other. And then he exploded and the two lost consciousness. ERIS - GODDESS OF CHAOS, DISCORD & CONFUSION They awoke to the sound of pins clattering, and found the bowlers engaged in their game and the waitress busy with making coffee. It was apparant that their experience had been private. They discussed their strange encounter and reconstructed from memory the chimpanzee's diagram. Over the next five days they searched libraries to find the significance of it, but were disappointed to uncover only references to Taoism, the Korean flag, and Technocracy. It was not until they traced the Greek writing on the apple that they discovered the ancient Goddess known to the Greeks as ERIS and to the Romans as DISCORDIA. This was on the fifth night, and when they slept that night each had a vivid dream of a splendid woman whose eyes were as soft as feather and as deep as eternity itself, and whose body was the spectacular dance of atoms and universes. Pyrotechnics of pure energy formed her flowing hair, and rainbows manifested and dissolved as she spoke in a warm and gentle voice: I have come to tell you that you are free. Many ages ago, My consciousness left man, that he might develop himself. I return to find this development approaching completion, but hindered by fear and by misunderstanding. You have built for yourselves psychic suits of armor, and clad in them, your vision is restricted, your movements are clumsy and painful, your skin is bruised, and your spirit is broiled in the sun. I am chaos. I am the substance from which your artists and scientists build rhythms. I am the spirit with which your children and clowns laugh in happy anarchy. I am chaos. I am alive, and I tell you that you are free. During the next months they studied philosophies and theologies, and learned that ERIS or DISCORDIA was primarily feared by the ancients as being disruptive. Indeed, the very concept of chaos was still considered equivalent to strife and treated as a negative. "No wonder things are all screwed up," they concluded, "they have got it all backwards." They found that the principle of disorder was every much as significant as the principle of order. With this in mind, they studied the strange yin-yang. During a meditation one afternoon, a voice came to them: It is called THE SACRED CHAO. I appoint you Keepers of It. Therein you will find anything you like. Speak of Me as DISCORD, to show contrast to the pentagon. Tell constricted mankind that there are no rules, unless they choose to invent rules. Keep close the words of Syadasti: 'TIS AN ILL WIND THAT BLOWS NO MINDS. And remember that there is no tyranny in the State of Confusion. For further information, consult your pineal gland. "What is this?" mumbled one to the other, "A religion based on The Goddess of Confusion? It is utter madness!" And with those words, each looked at the other in absolute awe. Omar began to giggle. Mal began to laugh. Omar began to jump up and down. Mal was hooting and hollering to beat all hell. And amid squeals of mirth and with tears on their cheeks, each appointed the other to be high priest of his own madness, and together they declared themselves to be a society of Discordia, for what ever that may turn out to be. "There are trivial truths & there are great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true." -Neils Bohr "Did you know that there is a million bucks hidden in the house next door?" "But there is no house next door." "No? Then let's go build one!" -MARX Fnord Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord, Fnord Momomoto, Famous Japanese, can swallow his nose. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ St. Trinian's SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL POLICE Sewing Circle THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE ERISTOCRACY by Lord Omar VERSE Mine brain has meditated on the spinning of The Chao; It is hovering o'er the table where the Chiefs of Staff are now Gathered in discussion of the dropping of The Bomb; Her Apple Corps is strong! CHORUS Grand (and gory) Old Discordja! Grand (and gory) Old Discordja! Grand (and gory) Old Discordja! Her Apple Corps is strong! VERSE She was not invited to the party that they held on Limbo Peak;* So She threw a Golden Apple, 'sted of turn'd t'other cheek! O it cracked the Holy Punchbowl and it made the nectar leak; Her Apple Corps is strong! * "Limbo Peak" refers to Old Limbo Peak, commonly called by the Greeks "Ol' Limb' Peak." If a quixotic socrates studied zen under Zorba...? "The tide is turning... the enemy is suffering terrible losses" -Gen. Geo. A. Custer People in a Position to Know, Inc. ON PRAYER Mal-2 was once asked by one of his Disciples if he often prayed to Eris. He replied with these words: No, we Erisians seldom pray, it is much too dangerous. Charles Fort has listed many factual incidences of ignorant people confronted with, say, a drought, and then praying fervently -- and then getting the entire village wiped out in a torrential flood. "Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. I'm mad but not ill" (Werewolf Bridge, Robert Anton Wison) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ 14. Wipe thine ass with what is written and grin like a ninny at what is Spoken. Take thine refuge with thine wine in the Nothing behind Everything, as you hurry along the Path. THE PURPLE SAGE HBT; The Book of Predictions, Chap. 19 Heaven is down. Hell is up. This is proven by the fact that the planets and stars are orderly in their movements, IGNOTUM PER IGNOTIUS while down on earth The meaning of this is unknown we come close to the primal chaos. There are four other proofs, but I forget them. -Josh the Dill King Kong Kabal IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT IT IS A MISTAKE TO HOLD FIRM BELIEFS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ The Classical Greeks were not influenced by the Classical Greeks. DO NOT CIRCULATE! What We Know About ERIS (not much) The Romans left a likeness of Her for posterity-- She was shown as a grotesque woman with a pale and ghastly look, Her eyes afire, Her garment ripped and torn, and women look pale and ghastly when concealing a chilly dagger in their bosoms. Her geneology is from the Greeks and is utterly confused. Either She was the twin of Ares and the daughter of Zeus and Hera; or She was the daughter of Nyx, goddess of night (who was either the daughter or wife of Chaos, or both), and Nyx's brother, Erebus, and whose brothers and sisters include Death, Doom, Mockery, and Friendship. And that She begat Forgetfullness, Quarrels, Lies, and a bunch of gods and goddesses like that. One day Mal-2 consulted his Pineal Gland* and asked Eris if She really created all of those terrible things. She told him that She had always liked the Old Greeks, but that they cannot be trusted with historic matters. "They were," She added, "victims of indigestion, you know." Suffice it to say that Eris is not hateful or malicious. But She is mischievous, and does get a little bitchy at times. *THE PINEAL GLAND is where each and every one of us can talk to Eris. If youhave trouble activating your Pineal, then try the appendix which does almost as well. Reference: DOGMA I, METAPHYSICS #3, "The Indoctrine of the Pineal Gland" DIRUIT AEDIFICAT MUTAT QUADRATA ROTUNDUS -Horace ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE INSIDE STORY! The Law of Fives the Law of Fives is one of the oldest Erisian Mysterees. It was first revealed to Good Lord Omar and is one of the great contributions to come from The Hidden Temple of The Happy Jesus. POEE subscribes to the Law of Fives of Omar's sect. And POEE also recognizes the holy 23 (2+3=5) that is incorporated by Episkopos Dr. Mordecai Malignatus, KNS, into his Discordian sect, The Ancient Illuminated Seers of Bavaria. The Law of Fives states simply that: ALL THINGS HAPPEN IN FIVES, OR ARE DIVISIBLE BY OR ARE MULTIPLES OF FIVE, OR ARE SOMEHOW DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY APPROPRIATE TO 5. The Law of Fives is never wrong. In the Erisian Archives is an old memo from Omar to Mal-2: "I find the Law of Fives to be more and more manifest the harder I look." Please do not use this document as toilet tissue The Nagas of Upper Burma say that the sun shines by day because, being a woman, it is afraid to venture out at night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ "You will find that the State is the kind of ORGANIZATION which, though it does big things badly, does small things badly too." - John Kenneth Galbraith THE MYTH OF THE APPLE OF DISCORD It seems that Zeus was preparing a wedding banquet for Peleus and Thetis and did not want to invite Eris because of Her reputation as a trouble maker.* This made Eris angry, and so She fashioned an apple of pure gold** and inscribed upon it KALLISTI ("To The Prettiest One") and on the day of the fete She rolled it into the banquet hall and then left to be alone and joyously partake of a hot dog. Now, three of the invited goddesses,*** Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, each immediately claimed it to belong to herself because of the inscription. And they started fighting, and they started throwing punch all over the place and everything. Finally Zeus calmed things down and declared that an arbitrator must be selected, which was a reasonable suggestion, and all agreed. He sent them to a shepherd of Troy, whose name was Paris because his mother had had a lot of gaul and had married a Frenchman; but each of the sneaky goddesses tried to outwit the others by going early and offering a bribe to Paris. Athena offered him Heroic War Victories, Hera offered him Great Wealth, and Aphrodite offered him the Most Beautiful Woman on Earth. Being a healthy young Trojan lad, Paris promptly accepted Aphrodite's bribe and she got the apple and he got screwed. As she had promised, she maneuvered earthly happenings so that Pariscould have Helen (The Helen) then living with her husband Menelaus,King of Sparta. Anyway, everyone knows that the Trojan War followed when Sparta demanded their Queen back and that the Trojan War is said to be The First War among men. And so we suffer because of the Original Snub. And so a Discordian is to partake of No Hot Dog Buns. Do you believe that? ------------------------------------- * This is called THE DOCTRINE OF THE ORIGINAL SNUB ** There is historic disagreement concerning whether this apple was of metalic gold or acapulco. *** Actually there were five goddesses, but the Greeks did not know the Law of Fives. REMEMBER: KING KONG DIED FOR YOUR SINS Ho Chi Zen is King Cong 5. An Age of Confusion, or an Ancient Age, is one in which History As We Know It begins to unfold, in which Whatever Is Coming emerges in Corporal Form, more or less, and such times are Ages of Balanced Unbalance, or Unbalanced Balance. 6. An Age of Bureaucracy is an Imperial Age in which Things Mature, in which Confusion becomes entrenched and during which Balanced Balance,or Stagnation, is attained. 7. An Age of Disorder or an Aftermath is an Apocalyptic Period of Transition back to Chaos through the Screen of Oblivion into which the Age passeth, finally. These are Ages of Unbalanced Unbalance. HBT; The Book of Uterus, Chap. 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Do You Remember? 1. Polite children will always remember that a church is the ______ of _____. An Erisian Hymn by Rev. Dr. Mungojerry Grindlebone, KOB Episkopos, THE RAYVILLE APPLE PANTHERS Onwards Christian Soldiers, Onwards Buddhist Priests. Onward, Fruits of Islam, Fight till you're deceased. Fight your little battles. Join in thickest fray; For the Greater Glory, of Dis-cord-i-a. Yah, yah, yah, Yah, yah, yah, yah. Blfffffffffffft! Mr. Momomoto, famous Japanese who can swallow his nose,has been exposed. It was recently revealed that it was Mr. Momomoto's brother who has been doing all this nose swallowing. Heute Die Welt Morgens das Sonnensystem! Abbey of the Barbarous Relic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Official Proclamation -- ODD# III(b)/4,i;18Aft3135 -------------------------------------------------- POEE DISORGANIZATIONAL MATRIX V) The House of Apostle of ERIS For the Eristocracy and the Cabalablia A. The Five Apostles of ERIS B. The Golden Apple Corps (KSC) C. Episkoposes of The Discordian Society D. POEE Cabal Priests E. Saints, Erisian Avatars, and Like Personages IV) The House of the Rising Podge for the Disciples of Discordia A. Office of My High Reverence, The Polyfather B. Council of POEE Priests C. The LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCORD D. Eristic Avatars E. Aneristic Avatars III) The House of the Rising Hodge For the Bureaucracy A. the Bureau of Erisian Archives B. the Bureau of The POEE Epistolary, and The Division of Dogmas C. The Bureau of Symbols,Emblems, Certificates and Such D. The Bureau of Eristic Affairs, and The Administry for The Unenlightened Eristic Horde E. The Bureau of Aneristic Affairs, and the Administry for the Orders of Discordia II) The House of the Rising Collapse For the Encouragement of Liberation of Freedom, and/or the Discouragement of the Immanentizing of the Eschaton A. The Breeze of Wisdom and/or The Wind of Insanity B. The Breeze of Integrity and/or The Wind of Arrogance C. The Breeze of Beauty and/or The Wind of Outrages D. The Breeze of Love and/or The Wind of Bombast E. The Breeze of Laughter and/or The Wind of Bullshit I) The Out House For what is left over A. Miscellaneous Avatars B. The Fifth Column C. POEE =POPES= everywhere D. Drawer "O" for OUT OF FILE E. Lost Documents and Forgotten Truths -><- OFFICIAL - POEE Head Temple, San Francisco HOUSE OF THE RISING PODGE Bureau of The POEE Epistolary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ = THE FIVE FINGERED HAND OF ERIS = The official symbol of POEE is here illustrated. It may be this, or any similar device to represent TWO OPPOSING ARROWS CONVERGING INTO A COMMON POINT. It may be vertical, horizontal, or else such, and it may be elaborated or simplified as desired. The esoteric name for this symbol is THE FIVE FINGERED HAND OF ERIS, commonly shortened to THE HAND. \ / -----><----- / \ NOTE: In the lore of western magic, the \/ is taken to symbolize horns, especially the horns of Satan or of diabolical beasties. The Five Fingered Hand of Eris, however, is not intended to be taken as satanic, for the "horns" are supported by another set, of inverted "horns". Or maybe it is walrus tusks. I don't know what it is, to tell the truth. "Surrealism aims at the total transformation of the mind and all that resembles it" -Breton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ -><- POEE -><- POEE (pronounced "POEE") is an acronym for The PARATHEO-ANAMETAMYSTIKHOOD OF ERIS ESOTERIC. The first part can be taken to mean "equivalent deity,reversity beyond-mystique." We are not really esoteric, it's just that nobody pays much attention to us. MY HIGH REVERENCE MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER, AB, DD, KSC, is the High Priest of POEE, and POEE is grounded in his episkopotic revelations of The Goddess. He is called [The Omnibenevolent Polyfather of Virginity in Gold]. The POEE HEAD TEMPLE is the Joshua Norton Cabal of The Discordian Society, which is located in Mal-2's pineal gland and can be found by temporally and spacially locating the rest of Mal-2. POEE has no treasury, no by-laws, no articles, no guides save Mal-2's pineal gland, and has only one scruple-- which Mal-2 keeps on his key chain. POEE has not registered,incorporated, or otherwise chartered with the State, and so the State does not recognize POEE or POEE Ordinations, which is only fair, because POEE does not recognize the State. POEE has 5 DEGREES: There is the neophyte, or LEGIONNAIRE DISCIPLE. The LEGIONNAIRE DEACON, who is catching on. An Ordained POEE PRIEST/PRIESTESS or a CHAPLIN. The HIGH PRIEST, the Polyfather. And POEE =POPE=. POEE LEGIONNAIRE DISCIPLES are authorized to initiate others as Discordian Society Legionnaires. PRIESTS appoint their own DEACONS. The POLYFATHER ordains priests. I don't know about the =POPES=. " This book is a mirror. When a monkey looks in, no apostle looks out." -Lichtenberg ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Application For Membership In the Erisian movement of the DISCORDIA SOCIETY 1. Today's date Yesterday's Date 2. Purpose of this application: --membership in : a. Legion of Dynamic Discord b. POEE c. Bavarian Illuminati d. All of the Above e. None of the Above f. Other-- BE SPECIFIC! 3. Name_________________________ Holy Name_____________ Address_____________________________________________________________ (If temporary, also give an address from which mail can be forwarded) 4. Description: Born: []Yes []No Eyes:[]2 []other Height: ..... fl. oz. Last time you had a haircut: Reason: Race: []horse []human I.Q.: 150-200 200-250 250-300 over 300 5. History: Education - highest grade completed 1 2 3 4 5 6 over 6th Professional: On another ream of paper list every job since 1937 from which you have been fired. Medical: On a separate sheet labeled "confidential" list all major psychic psychotic episodes experienced within the last 24 hours 6. Sneaky Questions to establish personality traits I would rather a. live in an outhouse b. play in a rock group c. eat caterpillars. I wear obscene tattoos because .......... I have ceased raping little children []yes []no -- reason .......... 7. Self Portrait Rev. Mungo For Office Use Only -- acc. rej. burned LICK HERE!!! * (You may be one of the lucky 25) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ -><- POEE & It's Priests If you like Erisianism as it is presented according to Mal-2, then you may wish to form your own POEE CABAL as a POEE PRIEST and you can go do a bunch of POEE Priestly Things. A "POEE Cabal" is exactly what you think it is. The High Priest makes no demands on his Priests, though he does rather expect good will of them. The Office of The Polyfather is point, not to teach. Once in a while, he even listens. Should you find that your own revelations of The Goddess become substantially different that the revelations of Mal-2, then perhaps the Goddess has plans for you as an Episkopos, and you might consider creating your own sect from scratch, unhindered. Episkoposes are not competing with each other, and they are all POEE priests anyway (as soon as I locate them). The point is that Episkoposes are developing separate paths to the Erisian mountain top. See the section "Discordian Society" ORDINATION AS A POEE PRIEST There are no particular qualifications for Ordination because if you want to be a POEE Priest then you must undoubtedly qualify. Who could possibly know better than you whether or not you should be Ordained? An ORDAINED POEE PRIEST or PRIESTESS is defined as "one who holds an Ordination Certificate from the Office of the Polyfather." Seek into the Chao if thou wouldst be wise And find ye delight in Her Great Surprise! Look into the Chao if thou wantest to know What's in a Chao and why it ain't so! (HBT; The Book of Advise, 1:1) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ World Council of Churches Boutique Note to POEE Priests: The Polyfather wishes to remind all Erisians the POEE was conceived not as a commercial enterprise, and that you are requested to keep your cool when seeking funds for POEE Cabals or when spreading the POEE Word via the market place. The Hidden stone ripens fast, then laid bare like a turnip can easily be cut out at last but even then the danger isn't past. That man lives best who's fain to live half mad, half sane. -Flemish Poet Jan Van Stijevoort, 1524. The Erisian Affirmation BEFORE THE GODDESS ERIS, I (name or holyname), do herewith declare myself a POEE BROTHER of THE LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCORD. HAIL HAIL HAIL HAIL HAIL ERIS ERIS ERIS ERIS ERIS ALL HAIL DISCORDIA! the presiding POEE Official (if any) responds: ALL HAIL DISCORDIA! find the goddess Eris To Diverse Gods Within your Pineal Gland Do Mortals bow; POEE Holy Cow, and Wholly Chao -Rev. Dr. Grindlebone Monroe Cabal "common sense is what tells you that the world is flat." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ This is St. Gulik. He is the Messenger of the Goddess. A different age from ours called him Hermes. Many people called him by many names. He is a Roach. ______________________________________________________________________ __ Legion of Dynamic Discord HARK RECOGNIZE that the -- DISCORDIAN SOCIETY -- doth hereby certify As a Legionnaire Glory to We Children of ERIS Presented under the auspices of our Lady of Discord, ERIS by the House of the Apostles of ERIS. -><- ______________________________________________________________________ __ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ HOW TO START A POEE CABAL WITHOUT MESSING AROUND WITH THE POLYFATHER If you can't find the Polyfather, or having found him, don't want anything to do with him, you are still authorized to form your own POEE CABAL and do Priestly Things, using the Principia Discordia as a guide. Your Official Rank will be POEE CHAPLIN for the LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCORD, which is exactly the same as a POEE PRIEST except that you don't have an Ordination Certificate. The words you are now reading are your ordination. HOW TO BECOME A POEE CHAPLIN 1. Write the ERISIAN AFFIRMATION in five copies. 2. Sign and nose-print each copy. 3. Send one to the President of the United States. 4. Send one to The California State Bureau of Furniture and Bedding 1021 'D' Street, Sacramento CA 94814 5. Nail one to a telephone pole. Hide one. And burn the other. Then consult your pineal gland. General License was Sgt. Pepper's Commander ~~ OLD POEE SLOGAN ~~ When in Doubt, Fuck it. When not in Doubt... get in Doubt! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Trip 5! = The POEE Baptismal Rite = This Mysteree Rite is not required for initiation, but it is offered by many POEE Priests to proselytes who desire a formal ceremony. 1) The Priests and four Brothers are arranged in a pentagon with the Initiate in the center facing the Priests. If possible, the Brothers on the immediate right and left of the Priest should be Deacons. The Initiate must be totally naked, to demonstrate that he is truly a human being and not something else in disguise like a cabbage or something. 2) All persons in the audience and the pentagon, excepting the Priest, assume a squatting position and return to a standing position. This is repeated four more times. This dance is symbolic of the humility of we Erisians. 3) The Priest begins: I, (complete Holy Name, with Mystical Titles, and degrees, designations, offices, &tc.), Ordained Priest of the Paratheo-anametamystikhood of Eris Esoteric, with the Authority invested at me by the High Priest of It, Office of the Polyfather, The House of the Rising Podge, POEE Head Temple; Do herewith Require of Ye: 1) ARE YE A HUMAN BEING AND NOT A CABBAGE OR SOMETHING? The Initiate answers YES. 2) THAT'S TOO BAD. DO YE WISH TO BETTER THYSELF? The Initiate answers YES. 3) HOW STUPID. ARE YE WILLING TO BECOME PHILOSOPHICALLY ILLUMINIZED? He answers YES. 4) VERY FUNNY. WILL YE DEDICATE YESELF TO THE HOLEY ERISIAN MOVEMENT? The Initiate answers PROBABLY. 5) THEN SWEAR YE THE FOLLOWING AFTER ME: (The Priest here leads the Initiate in a recital of THE ERISIAN AFFIRMATION.) The Priest continues: THEN I DO HERE PROCLAIM YE POEE DISCIPLE (name), LEGIONNAIRE OF THE LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCORD. HAIL ERIS! HAIL HAIL! HAIL YES! 4) All present rejoice grandly. The new Brother opens a large jug of wine and offers it to all who are present. 5) The Ceremony generally degenerates. Mord says that Omar says that we are all unicorns anyway. DO NOT PULL ON YELLOW TIP 3. And though Omar did bid of the Collector of Garbage, in words that were both sweet and bitter, to surrender back the cigar box containing the cards designated by the Angel as The Honest Book of Truth, the Collector was to him as one who might be smitten deaf, saying only: 'Gainst the rules, y' know. HBT; The Book of Explanations, Chap 2 Answers: 1. Harry Houdini 2. Swing Music 3. Pretzels 4. 8 months 5. Testy Culbert 6. It protrudes. 7. No vocal cords ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE POEE MYSTEREE OATH G3400 50 The Initiate swears the following: DMTS 19 FLYING BABY SHIT!!!!! (Brothers of the Ancient Illuminated Seers of Bavaria sect may wish to substitute the German: FLIEGENDE KINDERSCHEISSE! or perhaps WIECZNY KWIAT WTADZA!!!!! which is Ewige Blumenkraft in Polish.) THE RECENT EXPOSE THAT MR. MOMOMOTO, FAMOUS JAPANESE WHO CAN SWALLOW HIS NOSE, CANNOT SWALLOW HIS NOSE BUT HIS BROTHER CAN, HAS BEEN EXPOSED! IT IS MR. MOMOMOTO WHO CAN SWALLOW HIS NOSE. HE SWALLOWED HIS BROTHER IN THE SUMMER OF '44. Corrections to last week's copy: Johnny Sample is offensive cornerback for the New York Jets, not fullback as stated. Bobby Tolan's name is not Randy, but mud. All power to the people, and ban the fucking bomb. "This statement is false" (courtesy of POEE) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ NO TWO EQUALS ARE THE SAME! THE DISCORDIAN SOCIETY The Discordian Society has no definition. I sometimes think of it as a disorganization of Eris Freaks. It has been called a guerrilla mind theatre. Episkopos Randomfactor, Director of Purges of Our People's Underworld Movement sect in Larchmont, prefers "The World's Greatest Association of What-ever-it-is-that-we-are." Lady Mal thinks of it as a RENAISSANCE THINK TANK. Fang the Unwashed, WKC, won't say. You can think of it any way you like. AN EPISKOPOS OF THE DISCORDIAN SOCIETY is one who prefers total autonomy, and creates his own Discordian sect as The Goddess directs him. He speaks for himself and for those that say that they like what he says. THE LEGION OF DYNAMIC DISCORD: A Discordian Society Legionnaire is one who prefers not to create his own sect. If you want in on the Discordian Society then declare yourself what you wish do what you like and tell us about it or if you prefer don't. There are no rules anywhere. Some Episkoposes The Goddess Prevails. have a one-man cabal. Some work together. Some never do explain. When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride, then I get to the bottom and I see you again! Helter Skelter! -John Lennon "Everybody I know who is right always agrees with ME" -Rev Lady Mal ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE GOLDEN APPLE CORPS The Golden Apple Corps* is an honorary position for the Keepers of The Sacred Chao, so that they can put "KSC" after their names. It says little, does less, means nothing. * Not to be confused with The Apple Corps Ltd. of those four singers. We thought of it first. - The Numeral V sign - Used by Old Roman Discordians, Illuminatus Churchill, and innocent Hippies everywhere. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ PERPETUAL DATE CONVERTER FROM GREGORIAN TO POEE CALENDAR Seasons 1) Chaos - Patron Apostle Hung Mung 2) Discord - Patron Apostle Dr. Van Van Mojo 3) Confusion - Patron Apostle Sri Syadasti 4) Bureaucracy - Patron Apostle Zarathud 5) The Aftermath - Patron Apostle The Elder Malaclypse Days of the Week* * The DAYS OF THE WEEK 1) Sweetmorn are named from the five Basic Elements: 2) Boomtime SWEET, BOOM, PUNGENT, PRICKLE, and ORANGE 3) Pungenday 4) Prickle-Prickle 5) Setting Orange HOLYDAYS A) APOSTLE HOLYDAYS B) SEASON HOLYDAYS 1) Mungday 1) Chaoflux 2) Mojoday 2) Discoflux 3) Syaday 3) Confuflux 4) Zaraday 4) Bureflux 5) Maladay 5) Afflux Each occurs on the 5th Each occurs on the 50th day of the Season day of each Season C) ST. TIB'S DAY - occurs once every 4 years (1+4=5) and is inserted between the 59th and 60th days of the Season of Chaos SM BT PD PP SO SM BT PD PP SO -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Jan 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 Chs Jul 5 6 7 8 9 40 41 42 43 44 Cfn 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 10 11 12 13 14 45 46 47 48 49 11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15 15 16 17 18 19 50 51 52 53 54 16 17 18 19 20 16 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 23 24 55 56 57 58 59 21 22 23 24 25 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 60 61 62 63 64 26 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 1 2 3 65 66 67 68 69 31 1 2 3 4 31 32 33 34 35 Aug 4 5 6 7 8 70 71 72 73 1 Bcy Feb 5 6 7 8 9 36 37 38 39 40 9 10 11 12 13 2 3 4 5 6 10 11 12 13 14 41 42 43 44 45 14 15 16 17 18 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 19 46 47 48 49 50 19 20 21 22 23 12 13 14 15 16 20 21 22 23 24 51 52 53 54 55 24 25 26 27 28 17 18 19 20 21 25 26 27 28* 1 56 57 58 59 60 29 30 31 1 2 22 23 24 25 26 Mar 2 3 4 5 6 61 62 63 64 65 Sep 3 4 5 6 7 27 28 29 30 31 7 8 9 10 11 66 67 68 69 70 8 9 10 11 12 32 33 34 35 36 12 13 14 15 16 71 72 73 1 2 Dsc 13 14 15 16 17 37 38 39 40 41 17 18 19 20 21 3 4 5 6 7 18 19 20 21 22 42 43 44 45 46 22 23 24 25 26 8 9 10 11 12 23 24 25 26 27 47 48 49 50 51 27 28 29 30 31 13 14 15 16 17 28 29 30 1 2 52 53 54 55 56 Apr 1 2 3 4 5 18 19 20 21 22 Oct 3 4 5 6 7 57 58 59 60 61 6 7 8 9 10 23 24 25 26 27 8 9 10 11 12 62 63 64 65 66 11 12 13 14 15 28 29 30 31 32 13 14 15 16 17 67 68 69 70 71 16 17 18 19 20 33 34 35 36 37 18 19 20 21 22 72 73 1 2 3 Afm 21 22 23 24 25 38 39 40 41 42 23 24 25 26 27 4 5 6 7 8 26 27 28 29 30 43 44 45 46 47 28 29 30 31 1 9 10 11 12 13 May 1 2 3 4 5 48 49 50 51 52 Nov 2 3 4 5 6 14 15 16 17 18 6 7 8 9 10 53 54 55 56 57 7 8 9 10 11 19 20 21 22 23 11 12 13 14 15 58 59 60 61 62 12 13 14 15 16 24 25 26 27 28 16 17 18 19 20 63 64 65 66 67 17 18 19 20 21 29 30 31 32 33 21 22 23 24 25 68 69 70 71 72 22 23 24 25 26 34 35 36 37 38 26 27 28 29 30 73 1 2 3 4 Cfn 27 28 29 30 1 39 40 41 42 43 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dec 2 3 4 5 6 44 45 46 47 48 Jun 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 7 8 9 10 11 49 50 51 52 53 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 12 13 14 15 16 54 55 56 57 58 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 17 18 19 20 21 59 60 61 62 63 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 22 23 24 25 26 64 65 66 67 68 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 27 28 29 30 31 69 70 71 72 73 30 1 2 3 4 35 36 37 38 39 [1991 = 3157][Next St. Tibs Day in 3158] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ HOLY NAMES Discordians have a tradition of assuming HOLY NAMES. This is not unique to Erisianism, of course. I suppose that Pope Paul is the son of Mr. and Mrs. VI? Will whoever stole Brother Reverend Magoun's pornography please return it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ THE BEARER OF THIS CARD IS A GENUINE AND AUTHORIZED ~ POPE ~ So please Treat Him Right GOOD FOREVER Genuine and authorized by The House of Apostles of ERIS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - Every man, woman and child on this Earth is a genuine and authorized Pope Reproduce and distribute these cards freely- POEE Head Temple, San Francisco A =POPE= is someone who is not under the authority of the authorities. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ For Your Enlightenment THE PARABLE OF THE BITTER TEA by Rev. Dr. Hypocrates Magoun, P.P. POEE PRIEST, Okinawa Cabal When Hypoc was through meditating with St. Gulik, he went there into the kitchen where he busied himself with preparing the feast and in his endeavor, he found that there was some old tea in a pan left standing from the night before, when he had in his weakness forgot about its making and had let it sit steeping for 24 hours. It was dark and murky and it was Hypoc's intention to use this old tea by diluting it with water. And again in his weakness, chose without further consideration and plunged into the physical labor of the preparations. It was then when deeply immersed in the pleasure of that trip, he had a sudden loud clear voice in his head saying "it is bitter tea that involves you so." Hypoc heard the voice, but the struggle inside intensified, and the pattern, previously established with the physical laboring and the muscle messages coordinated and unified or perhaps coded, continued to exert their influence and Hypoc succummed to the pressure and he denied the voice. And again he plunged into the physical orgy and completed the task, and Lo as the voice had predicted, the tea was bitter. "The Five Laws have root in awareness." --Che Fung (Ezra Pound, Canto 85) The Hell Law says that Hell is reserved exclusively for them that believe in it. Further, the lowest Rung in Hell is reserved for them that believe in it on the supposition that they'll go there if they don't. HBT; The Gospel According to Fred, 3:1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ A SERMON ON ETHICS AND LOVE One day Mal-2 asked the messenger spirit Saint Gulik to approach the Goddess and request Her presence for some desperate advice. Shortly afterwards the radio came on by itself, and an ethereal female Voice said YES? "O! Eris! Blessed Mother of Man! Queen of Chaos! Daughter of Discord! Concubine of Confusion! O! Exquisite Lady, I beseech You to lift a heavy burden from my heart!" WHAT BOTHERS YOU, MAL? YOU DON'T SOUND WELL. "I am filled with fear and tormented with terrible visions of pain. Everywhere people are hurting one another, the planet is rampant with injustices, whole societies plunder groups of their own people, mothers imprison sons, children perish while brothers war. O, woe." WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH THAT, IF IT IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO? "But nobody Wants it! Everybody hates it." OH. WELL, THEN STOP. At which moment She turned herself into an aspirin commercial and left The Polyfather stranded alone with his species. SINISTER DEXTER HAS A BROKEN SPIROMETER. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ CHAPTER 5: THE PIONEERS =THE FIVE APOSTLES OF ERIS & WHO THEY BE = 1. HUNG MUNG A Sage of Ancient China and Official Discordian Missionary to the Heathen Chinee. He who originally devised THE SACRED CHAO. Patron of the Season of Chaos. Holyday: Jan 5. 2. DR. VAN VAN MOJO A Head Doctor of Deep Africa and Maker of Fine Dolls. D.H.V., Doctor of Hoodoo and Vexes, from The Greater Metropolitan Yorba Linda Jesus Will Save Your Bod Home Study Bible School; and F.I.H.G.W.P., Fellow of the Intergalactic Haitian Guerrillas for World Peace. Patron of The Season of Discord. Holyday: Mar 19. [NOTE: Erisians of The Laughing Christ sect are of the silly contention that Dr. Mojo is an imposter and that PATAMUNZO LINGANANDA is the True Second Apostle. Lord Omar claims that Dr. Mojo heaps hatred upon Patamunzo, who sends only Love Vibrations in return. But we of the POEE sect know that Patamunzo is the Real Imposter, and that those vibrations of his are actually an attempt to subvert Dr. Mojo's rightful apostilic authority by shaking him out of his wits. 3. SRI SYADASTI SYADAVAKTAVYA SYADASTI SYANNASTI SYADASTI CAVAKTAVYASCA SYADASTI SYANNASTI SYADAVATAVYASCA SYADASTI SYANNASTI SYADAVAKTAVYASCA commonly called just SRI SYADASTI His name is Sanskrit, and means: All affirmations are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense. He is an Indian Pundit and Prince, born of the Peyotl Tribe, son of Gentle Chief Sun Flower Seed and the squaw Merry Jane. Patron to psychedelic type Discordians. Patron of the Season of Confusion. Holyday: May 31. NOTE: Sri Syadasti should not be confused with BLESSED ST. GULIK THE STONED, who is not the same person but is the same Apostle. 4. ZARATHUD THE INCORRIGIBLE, sometimes called ZARATHUD THE STAUNCH A hard nosed Hermit of Medieval Europe and Chaosphe Bible Banger. Dubbed "Offender of The Faith." Discovered the Five Commandments. Patron of the Season of Bureaucracy. Holyday: Aug. 12 5. THE ELDER MALACLYPSE A wandering Wiseman of Ancient Mediterrania ("Med-Terra" or middle earth), who followed a 5-pointed Star through the alleys of Rome, Damascus, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Mecca and Cairo, bearing a sign that seemed to read "DOOM". (This is a misunderstanding. The sign actually read "DUMB". Mal-1 is a Non-Prophet.) Patron and namesake of Mal-2. Patron on The Season of The Aftermath. Holyday: Oct 24. All statements are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense. A public service clarification by the Sri Syadasti School of Spiritual Wisdom, Wilmette. The teachings of the Sri Syadasti School of Spiritual School of Spiritual Wisdom are true in some sense, false in some sense, meaningless in some sense, true and false in some sense, true and meaningless in some sense, false and meaningless in some sense, and true and false and meaningless in some sense. Patamunzo Lingananda School of Higher Spiritual Wisdom, Skokie. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Hey Man...Great! I feel goofy, the way my old man looks when he's drunk. THE HONEST BOOK OF TRUTH being a BIBLE of The Erisian Movement and How it was Revealed to Episkopos LORD OMAR KHAYYAM RAVENHURST, KSC; Bull Goose of Limbo; and Master Pastor of the Church Invisible of the Laughing Christ, Hidden Temple of The Happy Jesus, Laughing Buddha Jesus [LBJ] Ranch From the Honest Book of Truth THE BOOK OF EXPLANATIONS, Chapter 1 1. There came one day to Lord Omar, Bull Goose of Limbo, a Messenger of Our Lady who told him of a Sacred Mound wherein was buried an Honest Book. 2. And the Angel of Eris bade of the Lord: Go ye hence and dig the Truth, that ye may come to know it and, knowing it, spread it and, spreading it, wallow in it and, wallowing in it, lie in it and ,lying in the Truth, become a Poet of the Word and a Sayer of Sayings -- an Inspiration to all men and a Scribe to the Gods. 3. So Omar went forth to the Sacred Mound, which was to the East of Mullah, and thereupon he worked digging in the sand for five days and five nights, but found no book. 4. At the end of five days and five nights of digging, it came to pass that Omar was exhausted. So he put his shovel to one side and bedded himself down on the sand, using as a pillow a Golden Chest he had uncovered on the first day of his labors. 5. Omar slept. 6. On the fifth day of his sleeping, Lord Omar fell into a Trance, and there came to him in the Trance a Dream, and there came to him in the Dream a Messenger of Our Lady who told him of a Sacred Grove wherein was hidden a Golden Chest. 7. And the Angel of Eris bade of the Lord: Go ye hence and lift the Stash, that ye may come to own it and, owning it, share it and, sharing it, love in it and, loving in it, dwell in it and, dwelling in the Stash, become a Poet of the Word and a Sayer of Sayings - an Inspiration to all men and a Scribe to the Gods. 8. But Omar lamented, saying unto the Angel: What is this shit,man? What care I for the Word and Sayings? What care I for the Inspiration of all men? Wherein does it profit a man to be a Scribe to the Gods when the Scribes of the Governments do nothing, yet are paid better wages? 9. And, lo, the Angel waxed in anger and Omar was stricken to the Ground by an Invisible Hand and did not arise for five days and five nights. 10. And it came to pass that on the fifth night he dreampt, and in his Dream he had a Vision, and in this Vision there came unto him a Messenger of Our Lady who entrusted to him a Rigoletto cigar box containing many filing cards, some of them in packs with rubber bands around, and upon these cards were sometimes written verses, while upon others nothing was written. 11. Thereupon the Angel Commanded to Lord: Take ye this Honest Book of Truth to thine bosom and cherish it. Carry it forth into The Land and Lay it before Kings of Nations and Collectors of Garbage. Preach from it unto the Righteous, that they may renounce their ways and repent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ CONVENTIONAL CHAOS GREYFACE In the year 1166 B.C., a malcontented hunchbrain by the name of Greyface, got it into his head that the universe was as humorless as he, and he began to teach that play was sinful because it contradicted the ways of Serious Order. "Look at all the order around you," he said. And from that, he deluded honest men to believe that reality was a straightjacket affair and not the happy romance as men had known it. It is not presently understood why men were so gullible at that particular time, for absolutely no one thought to observe all the disorder around them and conclude just the opposite. But anyway, Greyface and his followers took the game of playing at life more seriously than they took life itself and were known even to destroy other living beings whose ways of life differed from their own. The unfortunate result of this is that mankind has since been suffering from a psychological and spiritual imbalance. Imbalance causes frustration, and frustration causes fear. And fear makes for a bad trip. Man has been on a bad trip for a long time now. It is called THE CURSE OF GREYFACE. Bullshit makes the flowers grow & that's beautiful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Climb into the Chao with a friend or two And follow the Way it carries you, Adrift like a Lunatic Lifeboat Crew Over the Waves in whatever you do. (HBT; The Book of Advise, 1:3) [graphic deleted... if you wanna see it, READ THE BOOK] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Meanwhile, at the Chinese laundromat... DOGMA I - METAPHYSICS #2, "COSMOLOGY"* THE BOOK OF UTERUS from the Honest Book of Truth revealed to Lord Omar 1. Before the beginning was the Nonexistent Chao, balanced in Oblivion by the Perfect Counterpushpull of the Hodge and the Podge. 2. Whereupon, by an Act of Happenstance, the Hodge began gradually to overpower the Podge -- and the Primal Chaos thereby came to be. 3. So in the beginning was the Primal Chaos, balanced on the Edge of Oblivion by the Perfect Counterpullpush of the Podge and the Hodge. 4. Whereupon, by the Law of Negative Reversal,** the Podge swiftly underpowered the Hodge and Everything broke loose. 5. And therein emerged the Active Force of Discord, the Subtle Manifestation of the Nonexistent Chao, to guide Everything along the Path back to Oblivion - that it might not become lost among Precepts of Order in the Region of Thud. 6. Forasmuch as it was Active, the Force of Discord entered the State of Confusion, wherein It copulated with the Queen and begat ERIS, Our Lady of Discord and Gross Manifestation of the Nonexistent Chao. 7. And under Eris Confusion became established, and was hence called Bureaucracy; while over Bureaucracy Eris became established, and was hence called Discordia. 8. By the by it came to pass that the Establishment of Bureaucracy perished in a paper shortage. 9. Thus it was, in accord with the Law of Laws. 10. During and after the Fall of the Establishment of Bureaucracy was the Aftermath, an Age of Disorder in which calculation, computations, and reckonings were put away by the Children of Eris in Acceptance and Preparation for the Return to Oblivion to be followed by a Repetition of the Universal Absurdity. Moreover, of Itself the Coming of Aftermath waseth a Resurrection of the Freedom-flowing Chaos. HAIL ERIS! 11. Herein was set into motion the Eristic Pattern, which would Repeat Itself Five Times Over Seventy-three Times, after which nothing would happen. ____________________________ * This doctrine should not be confused with DOGMA III - HISTORY #6, "HISTORIC CYCLES," which states that social progress occurs in five cycles, the first three ("The Tricycle") of which are THESIS, ANTITHESIS and PARENTHESIS; and the last two ("the Bicycle") of which are CONSTERNATION and MORAL WARPTITUDE. ** The LAW OF NEGATIVE REVERSAL states that if something does not happen then the exact opposite will happen, only in exactly the opposite manner from that in which it did not happen. Dull but Sincere Filler ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ "And, behold, thusly was the Law formulated: Imposition of Order = escalation of Disorder!" [H.B.T. ; The Gospel According to Fred, 1:6] THE FIVE ORDERS OF DISCORDIA ("THEM") Gen. Pandaemonium, Commanding The seeds of the ORDERS OF DISCORDIA were planted by Greyface into his early disciples. They form the skeleton of the Aneristic Movement, which over emphasizes the Principle of Order and is antagonistic to the necessary compliment, the Principle of Disorder. The Orders are composed of persons all hung up on authority, security and control; i.e., they are blinded by the Aneristic Illusion. They do not know that they belong to Orders of Discordia. But we know. 1. The Military Order of THE KNIGHTS OF THE FIVE SIDED TEMPLE. This is for all the soldiers and bureaucrats of the world. 2. The Political Order of THE PARTY FOR WAR ON EVIL. This is reserved for lawmakers, censors, and like ilk. 3. The Academic Order of THE HEMLOCK FELLOWSHIP. They commonly inhabit schools and universities, and dominate many of them. 4. The Social Order of THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CONCERNED CITIZENS. This is mostly a grass-roots version of the more professional military, political, academic and sacred Orders. 5. The Sacred Order of THE DEFAMATION LEAGUE. Not much is known about the D.L., but they are very ancient and quite possibly were founded by Greyface himself. It is known that they now have absolute domination over all organized churches in the world. It is also believed that they have been costuming cabbages and passing them off as human beings. A person belonging to one or more Order is just as likely to carry a flag of the counter-establishment as the flag of the establishment-- just as long as it is a flag. Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton. HIP-2-3-4, HIP-2-3-4 Go To Your Left-Right.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE FOLLOWING IS QUOTED FROM BERGAN EVANS ON NORBERT WEINER, NUCLEAR PHYSICIST The second concept Wiener has to establish is that of entropy. Probability is a mathematical concept, coming from statistics. Entropy comes from physics. It is the assertion-- established logically and experimentally-- that the universe, by its nature, is "running down", moving toward a state of inert uniformity devoid of form, matter, hierarchy or differentiation. That is, in any given situation, less organization, more chaos, is overwhelmingly more probable than tighter organization or more order. The tendency for entropy to increase in isolated systems is expressed in the second law of thermodynamics-- perhaps the most pessimistic and amoral formulation in all human thought. It applies however, to a closed system, to something that is an isolated whole, not just a part. Within such systems there may be parts, which draw their energy from the whole, that are moving at least temporarily, in the opposite direction; in them order is increasing and chaos is diminishing. The whirlpools that swirl in a direction opposed to the main current are called "enclaves". And one of them is life, especially human life, which in a universe moving inexorably towards chaos moves towards increased order. IF THE TELEPHONE RINGS TODAY..... WATER IT! -Rev. Thomas, Gnostic N.Y.C. Cabal Personal PLANETARY Pi, which I discovered, is 61. It's a Time-Energy relationship existing between sun and inner plants and I use it in arriving at many facts unknown to science. For example, multiply nude earth's circumference 24,902.20656 by 61 and you get the distance of moon's orbit around the earth. This is slightly less than the actual distance because we have not yet considered earth's atmosphere. So be it. Christopher Garth, Evanston "I should have been a plumber." --Albert Einstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Grasshopper always wrong in argument with chicken" -Book of Chan compiled by O.P.U. sect = ZARATHUD'S ENLIGHTENMENT = Before he became a hermit, Zarathud was a young Priest, and took great delight in making fools of his opponents in front of his followers. One day Zarathud took his students to a pleasant pasture and there he confronted The Sacred Chao while She was contentedly grazing. "Tell me, you dumb beast." demanded the Priest in his commanding voice, "why don't you do something worthwhile. What is your Purpose in Life, anyway?" Munching the tasty grass, The Sacred Chao replied "MU".* Upon hearing this, absolutely nobody was enlightened. Primarily because nobody could understand Chinese. * "MU" is the Chinese ideogram for NO-THING TAO FA TSU-DAN FIND PEACE WITH A CONTENTED CHAO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE SACRED CHAO THE SACRED CHAO is the key to illumination. Devised by the Apostle Hung Mung in ancient China, it was modified and popularized by the Taoists and is sometimes called the YIN-YANG. The Sacred Chao is not the Yin-Yang of the Taoists. It is the HODGE-PODGE of the Erisians. And, instead of a Podge spot on the Hodge side, it has a PENTAGON which symbolizes the ANERISTIC PRINCIPLE, and instead of a Hodge spot on the Podge side, it depicts the GOLDEN APPLE OF DISCORDIA to symbolize the ERISTIC PRINCIPLE. The Sacred Chao symbolizes absolutely everything anyone need ever know about absolutely anything, and more! It even symbolizes everything not worth knowing, depicted by the empty space surrounding the Hodge-Podge. HERE FOLLOWS SOME PSYCHO-METAPHYSICS. If you are not hot for philosophy, best just to skip it. The Aneristic Principle is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER. Both order and disorder are man made concepts and are artificial divisions of PURE CHAOS, which is a level deeper that is the level of distinction making. With our concept making apparatus called "mind" we look at reality through the ideas-about-reality which our cultures give us. The ideas-about-reality are mistakenly labeled "reality" and unenlightened people are forever perplexed by the fact that other people, especially other cultures, see "reality" differently. It is only the ideas-about-reality which differ. Real (capital-T True) reality is a level deeper that is the level of concept. We look at the world through windows on which have been drawn grids (concepts). Different philosophies use different grids. A culture is a group of people with rather similar grids. Through a window we view chaos, and relate it to the points on our grid, and thereby understand it. The ORDER is in the GRID. That is the Aneristic Principle. Western philosophy is traditionally concerned with contrasting one grid with another grid, and amending grids in hopes of finding a perfect one that will account for all reality and will, hence, (say unenlightened westerners) be True. This is illusory; it is what we Erisians call the ANERISTIC ILLUSION. Some grids can be more useful than others, some more beautiful than others, some more pleasant than others, etc., but none can be more True than any other. DISORDER is simply unrelated information viewed through some particular grid. But, like "relation", no-relation is a concept. Male, like female, is an idea about sex. To say that male-ness is "absence of female-ness", or vice versa, is a matter of definition and metaphysically arbitrary. The artificial concept of no-relation is the ERISTIC PRINCIPLE. The belief that "order is true" and disorder is false or somehow wrong, is the Aneristic Illusion. To say the same of disorder, is the ERISTIC ILLUSION. The point is that (little-t) truth is a matter of definition relative to the grid one is using at the moment, and that (capital-T) Truth, metaphysical reality, is irrelevant to grids entirely. Pick a grid, and through it some chaos appears ordered and some appears disordered. Pick another grid, and the same chaos will appear differently ordered and disordered. Reality is the original Rorschach. Verily! So much for all that. The words of the Foolish and those of the Wise Are not far apart in Discordian Eyes. (HBT; The Book of Advise, 2:1) The PODGE of the Sacred Chao is symbolized as The Golden Apple of Discordia, which represents the Eristic Principle of Disorder. The writing on it, "KALLISTI" is Greek for "TO THE PRETTIEST ONE" and refers to an old myth about The Goddess. But the Greeks had only a limited understanding of Disorder, and thought it to be a negative principle. The Pentagon represents the Aneristic Principle of Order and symbolizes the HODGE. The Pentagon has several references; for one,, it can be taken to represent geometry, one of the earliest studies of formal order to reach elaborate development;* for another, it specifically accords with THE LAW OF FIVES. THE TRUTH IS FIVE BUT MEN HAVE ONLY ONE NAME FOR IT. -Patamunzo Lingananda It is also the shape of the United States Military Headquarters, the Pentagon Building, a most pregnant manifestation of straightjacket order resting on a firm foundation of chaos and constantly erupting into dazzling disorder; and this building is one of our more cherished Erisian Shrines. Also it so happens that in times of medieval magic, the pentagon was the generic symbol for werewolves, but this reference is not particularly intended and it should be noted that the Erisian Movement does not discriminate against werewolves-- our membership roster is open to persons of all races, national origins and hobbies. ____________________________________ * The Greek geometrician PYTHAGORAS, however, was not a typical aneristic personality. He was what we call an EXPLODED ANERISTIC and an AVATAR. We call him Archangle Pythagoras. [diagram of HODGE/PODGE TRANSFORMER deleted... DtC] 5. Hung Mung slapped his buttocks, hopped about, and shook his head, saying "I do not know! I do not know!" HBT; The Book of Gooks, Chap. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ BRUNSWICK SHRINE In the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier there lives a bowling alley, and within this very place, in the Year of Our Lady of Discord 3125 (1959*), Eris revealed Herself to The Golden Apple Corps for the first time. In honor of this Incredible Event, this Holy Place is revered as a Shrine by all Erisians. Once every five years, the Golden Apple Corps plans a Pilgrimage to Brunswick Shrine as an act of Devotion, and therein to partake of No Hot Dog Buns, and ruminate a bit about It All. It is written that when The Corps returns to The Shrine for the fifth time five times over, than shall the world come to an end: IMPENDING DOOM HAS ARRIVED And Five Days Prior to This Occasion The Apostle The Elder Malaclypse Shall Walk the Streets of Whittier Bearing a Sign for All Literates to Read thereof: "DOOM", as a Warning of Forthcoming Doom to All Men Impending. And He Shall Signal This Event by Seeking the Poor and Distributing to Them Precious MAO BUTTONS and Whittier Shall be Known as The Region of Thud for These Five Days. As a public service to all mankind and civilization in general, and to us in particular, the Golden Apple Corps has concluded that planning such a Pilgrimage is sufficient and that it is prudent to never get around to actually going. ___________________________________ * Or maybe it was 1958, I forget. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ STARBUCK'S PEBBLES Which Is Real? * * * * * Do these 5 pebbles [note: they were pebbles,originally..try doing ASCII pebbles -DtC] REALLY form a pentagon? Those biased by the Aneristic Illusion would say yes. Those biased by the Eristic Illusion would say no. Criss-cross them and it is a star. An Illuminated Mind can see all of these, yet he does not insist that any one is really true, or that none at all is true. Stars, and pentagons, and disorder are all his creations and he may do with them as he wishes. Indeed, even so the concept of number 5. The real reality is there, but everything you KNOW about "it" is in your mind and yours to do with as you like. Conceptualization is art, and YOU ARE THE ARTIST. Convictions cause convicts. Can you chart the COURSE to Captain Valentine's SWEETHEART? Hemlock? I never touch the stuff! When I was 8 or 9 years old, I acquired a split beaver magazine. You can imagine my disappointment when,upon examination of the photos with a microscope, I found that all I could see was dots. 7. Never write in pencil unless you are on a train or sick in bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ERIS CONTEMPLATES FOR 3125 YEARS ------------------------------------Pun-jab is Sikh, Sikh, Sikh!-------- THE PARATHEO-ANAMETAMYSTIKHOOD OF ERIS ESOTERIC (POEE) A Non-prophet Irreligious Disorganization MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER, KSC Omnibenevolent Polyfather of Virginity in Gold HIGH PRIEST THE ERISIAN MOVEMENT HOUSE OF APOSTLES OF ERIS (X) Official Business ( )Surreptitious Business page 1 of 1 pages Official Discordian Document Number (if applicable): n/a ( ) the Golden Apple Corps (X)House of Disciples of Discordia The Bureaucracy, Bureau of: DOGMAS ( ) Council of Episkoposes: Office of High Priesthood, Sect of the POEE ( ) Drawer o ______________________________________________________________________ __ Today's DATE: day of the Carrot yesterday's DATE: Yes -><- Originating Cabal: Joshua Norton Cabal - San Francisco TO: REV. RAMPANT PANCREAS, tRRoCR(a)pttM; Colorado Encrustation Brother Ram, Your acute observation that ERIS spelled backwards is SIRE, and your inference to the effect that there is sexual symbolism here, have brought me to some observations of my own, ERIS spelled fore-part-aft-wards is RISE. And spelled inside out is REIS, which is a unit of money, albeit Portugese-Brazilian and no longer in use. >From this it may be concluded that Eris has usurped Eros (god of erotic love) in the eyes of those who read backwards; which obviously made Eros sorE. Then She apparently embezzeled the Olympian Treasury and went to Brazil; whereupon She opened a chain of whorehouses (which certainly would get a rise from the male population). I figure it to be this in particular because MADAM reads the same forwards and backwards. And further, it is a term of great respect, similar to SIRE. And so thank you for your insight, it may well be the clue to the mystery of just where Eris has been fucking around for 3125. FIVE TONS OF FLAX! -><- Mal-2 Not for Circulation! KALLISTI HAIL ERIS ALL HAIL DISCORDIA safeguard this letter, it may be an important document Form No.: O.D.D. IIb/ii.1-37D.VVM:3134 ______________________________________________________________________ _ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DOGMA III - HISTORY #2, "COSMOGONY" which is not the same as DOGMA I - METAPHYSICS #2, "COSMOLOGY" (Book of Uterus) In the beginning there was VOID, who had two daughters; one (the smaller) was that of BEING, named ERIS, and one (the larger) was of NON-BEING, named ANERIS. (To this day, the fundamental truth that Aneris is the larger is apparent to all who compare the great number of things that do not exist with the comparatively small number of things that do exist.) Eris had been born pregnant, and after 55 years (Goddesses have an unusually long gestation period-- longer even than elephants), Her pregnancy bore the fruits of many things. These things were composed of the Five Basic Elements, SWEET, BOOM, PUNGENT, PRICKLE, and ORANGE. Aneris, however, had been created sterile. When she saw Eris enjoying Herself so greatly with all of the existent things She had borne, Aneris became jealous and finally one day she stole some existent things and changed them into non-existent things and claimed them as her own children. This deeply hurt Eris, who felt that Her sister was unjust (being so much larger anyway) to deny Her her small joy. And so She made herself swell again to bear more things. And She swore that no matter how many of her begotten that Aneris would steal, She would beget more. And, in return, Aneris swore that no matter how many existent things Eris brought forth, she would eventually find them and turn them into non-existent things for her own. (And to this day, things appear and disappear in this very manner.) At first, the things brought forth by Eris were in a state of chaos and went in every which way, but by the by She began playing with them andordered some of them just to see what would happen. Some pretty things arosefrom this play and for the next five zillion years She amused Herself bycreating order. And so She grouped some things with others and some groups with others, and big groups with little groups, and all combinations until She had many grand schemes which delighted Her. Engrossed in establishing order, She finally one day noticed disorder (previously not apparent because everything was chaos). There were many ways in which chaos was ordered and many ways in which it was not. "Hah," She thought, "Here shall be a new game." And She taught order and disorder to play with each other in contest games, and to take turns amusing each other. She named the side of disorder after Herself, "ERISTIC" because Being is anarchic. And then, in a mood of sympathy for Her lonely sister, She named the other side "ANERISTIC" which flattered Aneris and smoothed the friction a little that was between them. Now all of this time, Void was somewhat disturbed. He felt unsatisfied for he had created only physical existence and physical non-existence, and had neglected the spiritual. As he contemplated this, a great Quiet was caused and he went into a state of Deep Sleep which lasted for 5 eras. At the end of this ordeal, he begat a brother to Eris and Aneris, that of SPIRITUALITY, who had no name at all. When the sisters heard this, they both confronted Void and pleaded that he not forget them, his First Born. And so Void decreed thus: That this brother, having no form, was to reside with Aneris in Non-Being and then to leave her and, so that he might play with order and disorder, reside with Eris in Being. But Eris became filled with sorrow when She heard this and then began to weep. "Why are you despondent?" demanded Void, "Your new brother will have his share with you." "But Father, Aneris and I have been arguing, and she will take him from me when she discovers him, and cause him to return to Non-Being." "I see,"replied Void, "Then I decree the following: "When your brother leaves the residence of Being, he shall not reside again in Non-Being, but shall return to Me, Void, from whence he came. You girls may bicker as you wish, but My son is your Brother and We are all of Myself." And so it is that we, as men, do not exist until we do; and then it is that we play with our world of existent things, and order and disorder them, and so it shall be that non-existence shall take us back from existence and that nameless spirituality shall return to Void, like a tired child home from a very wild circus. "Everything is true - Everything is permissible!" -><- -Hassan i Sabbah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ There is serenity in Chaos. Seek ye the Eye of the Hurricane. A POEE MYSTEREE RITE - THE SRI SYADASTIAN CHANT Written, in some sense, by Mal-2 Unlike a song, chants are not sung but chanted. This particular one is much enhanced by the use of a Leader to chant the Sanskrit alone, with all participants chanting the English. it also behooves one to be in a quiet frame of mind and to be sitting in a still position, perhaps The Buttercup Position. It also helps if one is absolutely zonked out of his gourd. RUB-A-DUB-DUB O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Hung Mung. SYA-DASTI O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Mo-jo. SYA-DAVAK-TAVYA O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Zara-thud. SYA-DASTI SYA-NASTI O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Elder Mal. SYA-DASTI KAVAK-TAV-YASKA O! Hail Eris. Blessed St. Gu-lik. SYA-DASTI, SYA-NASTI, SYA-DAVAK-TAV-YASKA O! Hail Eris. All Hail Dis-cord-ia. RUB-A-DUB-DUB It is then repeated indefinitely, or for the first two thousand miles, which ever comes first. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ The Classification of Saints 1. SAINT SECOND CLASS To be reserved for all human beings deserving of Sainthood. Example: St.Norton the First, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico (his grave near San Francisco is an official POEE shrine.) THE FOLLOWING FOUR CATAGORIES ARE RESERVED FOR FICTIONAL BEINGS WHO, NOT BEING ACTUAL, ARE MORE CAPABLE OF PERFECTION. 2. LANCE SAINT Good Saint material and definitely inspiring. Example: St. Yossarian (Catch 22, Heller) 3. LIEUTENANT SAINT Excellent Goddess-Saturated Saint. Example: St. Quixote (Don Quixote, Cervantes) 4. BRIGADIER SAINT Comparable to Lt/Saint but has an established following (fictional or factual). Example: St. Bokonon (Cat's Cradle, Vonnegut) 5. FIVE STAR SAINT The Five Apostles of Eris. Note: It is an Old Erisian Tradition to never agree with each other about Saints. Everybody understands Mickey Mouse. Few understand Herman Hesse. Only a hand full understood Albert Einstein. And nobody understood Emperor Norton. -Slogan of NORTON CABAL - S.F. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ TESTS BY DOCTORS PROVE IT POSSIBLE TO SHRINK =ON OCCULTISM= Magicians, especially since the Gnostic and the Quabala influences, have sought higher consciousness through assimilation and control of universal opposites-- good/evil, positive/negative, male/female, etc. But due to the steadfast pomposity of ritualism inherited from the ancient methods of the shaman, occultists have been blinded to what is perhaps the two most important pairs of apparent or earth-plane opposites: ORDER/DISORDER and SERIOUS/HUMOROUS. Magicians, and progeny the scientists, have always taken themselves and their subject in an orderly and sober manner, thereby disregarding an essential metaphysical balance. when magicians learn to approach philosophy as a malleable art instead of an immutable Truth, and learn to appreciate the absurdity of man's endeavours, then they will be able to pursue their art with a lighter heart, and perhaps gain a clearer understanding of it, and therefore gain more effective magic. CHAOS IS ENERGY. This is an essential challenge to the basic concepts of all western occult thought, and POEE is humbly pleased to offer the first breakthrough in occultism since Solomon. "Study Demonology with an Enemy This Sunday" sez Thom,Gnos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ POEE ASTROLOGICAL SYSTEM 1) Om your next birthday, return to the place of your birth and, at precisely midnight, noting your birth time and date of observation, count all visible stars. 2) When you have done this, write to me and I'll tell you what to do next. The Eminent 16th Century Mathemetician Cardan so detested Luther that he altered Luther's birthdate to give him an unfavorable horoscope. The theorem to be proved is that if any even number of people take seats at random around a circular table bearing place cards with their names, it is always possible to rotate the table until at least two people are opposite their cards. Assume the contrary. Let N be the even number of persons, and let their names be replaced by the integers 0 to N-1 "in such a way that the place cards are numbered in sequence around the table. If a delegate D originally sits down to a place card P, then the table must be rotated R steps before he is correctly seated, where R=P-D, unless this is negative, in which case R=P-D+N. The collection of values of D (and of P) for all delegates is clearly the integers 0 to N-1,each taken once, but so also is the collection of values of R, or else two delegates would be correctly seated at the same time. Summing the above equations, one for each delegate, gives S-S+NK, where K is an integer and S=N(N-1)/2, the sum of the integers from 0 to N-1. It follows that N=2K+1, an odd number." This contradicts the original assumption. "I actually solved this problem some years ago," Rybicki writes, "for a different but completely equivalent problem, a generalization of the nonattacking 'eight queens' problem for a cylindrical chessboard where diagonal attack is restricted to diagonals slanting in one direction only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ THE CURSE OF GREYFACE AND THE INTRODUCTION OF NEGATIVISM To choose order over disorder, or disorder over order, is to accept a trip composed of both the creative and the destructive. But to choose the creative over the destructive is an all-creative trip composed of both order and disorder. To accomplish this, one need only accept creative disorder along with, and equal to, creative order, and also willing to reject destructive order as an undesirable equal to destructive disorder. The Curse of Greyface included the division of life into order/disorder as the essential positive/negative polarity, instead of building a game foundation with creative/destructive as the essential positive/negative. He has thereby caused man to endure the destructive aspects of order and has prevented man from effectively participating in the creative uses of disorder. Civilization reflects this unfortunate division. POEE proclaims that the other division is preferable, and we work toward the proposition that creative disorder, like creative order, is possible and desirable; and that destructive order, like destructive disorder, is unnecessary and undesirable. Seek the Sacred Chao - therein you will find the foolishness of all ORDER/DISORDER. They are the same! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ERISIAN MAGIC RITUAL - THE TURKEY CURSE Revealed by the Apostle Dr. Van Van Mojo as a specific counter to the evil Curse of Greyface, THE TURKEY CURSE is here passed on to Erisians everywhere for their just protection. The Turkey Curse works. It is firmly grounded on the fact that Greyface and his followers absolutely require an aneristic setting to function and that a timely introduction of eristic vibrations will neutralize their foundation. The Turkey Curse is designed solely to counteract negative aneristic vibes and if introduced into a neutral or positive aneristic setting (like a poet working out word rhythms) it will prove harmless, or at worst, simply annoying. It is not designed for use against negative eristic vibes, although it can be used as an eristic vehicle to introduce positive vibes into a misguided eristic setting. In this instance, it would be the responsibility of the Erisian Magician to manufacture the positive vibrations if results are to be achieved. CAUTION- all magic is powerful and requires courage and integrity on the part of the magician. This ritual, if misused, can backfire. Positive motivation is essential for self-protection. TO PERFORM THE TURKEY CURSE: Take a foot stance as if you were John L. Sullivan preparing for fisticuffs. Face the particular greyfaced you wish to short-circuit, or towards the direction of the negative aneristic vibration that you wish to neutralize. Begin waving your arms in any elaborate manner and make motions with your hands as though you were Mandrake feeling up a sexy giantess. Chant, loudly and clearly: GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE! The results will be instantly apparent. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ A PRIMER FOR ERISIAN EVANGELISTS by Lord Omar The SOCRATIC APPROACH is most successful when confronting the ignorant. The "socratic approach" is what you call starting an argument by asking questions. You approach the innocent and simply ask "Did you know that God's name is ERIS, and that He is a girl?" If he should answer "Yes." then he probably is a fellow Erisian and so you can forget it. If he says "No." then quickly proceed to: THE BLIND ASSERTION and say "Well, He Is a girl, and His name is ERIS!" Shrewedly observe if the subject is convinced. If he is, swear him into the Legion of Dynamic Discord before he changes his mind. If he does not appear convinced, then proceed to: THE FAITH BIT: "But you must have Faith! All is lost without Faith! I sure feel sorry for you if you don't have Faith." And then add: THE ARGUMENT BY FEAR and in an ominous voice ask "Do you know what happens to those who deny Goddess?" If he hesitates, don't tell him that he will surely be reincarnated as a precious Mao Button and distributed to the poor in the Region of Thud (which would be a mean thing to say), just shake your head sadly and, while wiping a tear from your eye, go to: THE FIRST CLAUSE PLOY wherein you point to all of the discord and confusion in the world and exclaim "Well who the hell do you think did all of this, wise guy?" If he says, "Nobody, just impersonal forces." then quickly respond with: THE ARGUMENT BY SEMANTICAL GYMNASTICS and say that he is absolutely right, and that those impersonal forces are female and that Her name is ERIS. If he, wonder of wonders, still remains obstinate, then finally resort to: THE FIGURATIVE SYMBOLISM DODGE and confide that sophisticated people like himself recognize that Eris is a Figurative Symbol for an Ineffable Metaphysical Reality and that The Erisian Movement is really more like a poem than like a science and that he is liable to be turned into a Precious Mao Button and Distributed to The Poor in The Region of Thud if he does not get hip. Then put him on your mailing list. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SINK A GAME by Ala Hera, E.L., N.S.; RAYVILLE APPLE PANTHERS SINK is played by Discordians and people of much ilk. PURPOSE: To sink object or an object or a thing... in water or mud or anything you; can sink something in. RULES: Sinking is allowd in any manner. To date, ten pound chunks of mud were used to sink a tobacco can. It is preferable to have a pit of water or a hole to drop things in. But rivers - bays - gulfs - I dare say even oceans can be used. TURNS are taken thusly: who somever gets the junk up and in the air first. DUTY: It shall be the duty of all persons playing "SINK" to help find more objects to sink, once; one object is sunk. UPON SINKING: The sinked shall yell "I sank it!" or something equally as thoughtful. NAMING OF OBJECTS is some times desirable. The object is named by the finder of such object and whoever sinks it can say for instance, "I sunk Columbus, Ohio!" "In a way, we're a kind of Peace Corps." - Maj. A. Lincoln German, Training Director of the Green Beret Special Warfare School, Ft. Bragg, N.C. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ A Joint Effort of the Discordian Society POST OFFICE LIBERATION FRONT Export License Not Required THIS IS A CHAIN LETTER. WITHIN THE NEXT FIFTY-FIVE DAYS YOU WILL RECEIVE THIRTY-ELEVEN HUNDRED POUNDS OF CHAINS! In the meantime - plant your seeds. If a lot of people who receive this letter plant a few seeds and a lot of people receive this letter, then a lot of seeds will get planted. Plant your seeds. In parks. On lots. Public flower beds. In remote places. At City Hall. Wherever. Whenever. Or start a plantation in your closet (but read up on it first for that). For casual planting, its best to soak them in water for a day and plant in a bunch of about 5, about half an inch deep. Don't worry much about the weather, they know when the weather is wrong and will try to wait for nature. Don't soak them if its wintertime. Seeds are a very hearty life form and strongly desire to grow and flourish. But some of them need people's help to get started. Plant your seeds. Make a few copies of this letter (5 would be nice) and send them to friends of yours. Try to mail to different cities and states, even different countries. If you would rather not, then please pass this copy on to someone and perhaps they would like to. THERE IS NO TRUTH to the legend that if you throw away a chain letter then all sorts of catastrophic, abominable, and outrageous disasters will happen. Except, of course, from your seed's point of view. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Q. "How come a woodpecker doesn't bash its brains out?" A. Nobody has ever explained that. Mary Jane says "Plant Your Seeds. Keep Prices Down." "And God said, behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth... to you it shall be for meat." -Genesis 1:29 [graphical stuff deleted -DtC] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Questions Have a friendly class talk. Permit each child to tell any part of the unit on "Courtesy in the Corridors and on the Stairs" that he enjoyed. Name some causes of disturbance in your school. Chapter 1, THE EPISTLE TO THE PARANOIDS --Lord Omar 1. Ye have locked yerselves up in cages of fear--and, behold, do ye now complain that ye lack FREEDOM! 2. Ye have cast out yer brothers for devils and now complain ye, lamenting, that ye've been left to fight alone. 3. All Chaos was once yer kingdom; verily, held ye dominion over the entire Pentaverse, but today ye was sore afraid in dark corners, nooks, and sink holes. 4. O how the darknesses do crowd up, one against the other, in ye hearts! What fear ye more that what ye have wroughten? 5. Verily, verily I say unto you, not all the Sinister Ministers of the Bavarian Illuminati, working together in multitudes, could so entwine the land with tribulation as have yer baseless warnings. DESPITE strong evidence to the contrary, persistant rumor has it that it was Mr. Momomoto's brother who swallowed Mr. Momomoto in the summer of '44. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ Advertisement ______________________________________________________________________ __ BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI Founded by Hassan i Sabbah, 1090 A.D. (5090 A.L., 4850 A.M.) Reformed by Adam Weishaupt, 1776 A.D. (5776 A.L., 5536 A.M.) THE ANCIENT ILLUMINATED SEERS OF BAVARIA invite YOU to join The World's Oldest and Most Successful Conspiracy Have you ever SECRETLY WONDERED WHY IS there an ESOTERIC ALLEGORY con- The GREAT PYRAMID has FIVE sides cealed in the apparently innocent (counting the bottom)? legend of Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs? WHAT IS the TRUE secret SINISTER WHY do scholarly anthropologists REALITY lying behind the ANCIENT TURN PALE with terror at the Aztec Legend of QUETZLCOATL? very MENTION of the FORBIDDEN name YOG-SOTHOTH? WHO IS the MAN in ZURICH WHAT REALLY DID HAPPEN that some SWEAR is LEE TO AMBROSE BIERCE? HARVEY OSWALD? If your I.Q. is over 150, and you have $3,125.00 (plus handling), you might be eligible for a trial membership in the A.I.S.B. If you think you qualify, put the money in a cigar box and bury it in your backyard. One of our Underground Agents will contact you shortly. I DARE YOU! TELL NO ONE! ACCIDENTS HAVE A STRANGE WAY OF HAPPENING TO PEOPLE WHO TALK TOO MUCH ABOUT THE BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI May we warn you against imitations! Ours is the original and genuine "Nothing is true. Everything is Permissible" - Hassan i Sabbah NIL CARBORUNDUM ILLEGITIMO ______________________________________________________________________ ___ "Illuminate the Opposition!" -- Adam Weishaupt, Grand Primus Illuminatus Official Bavarian Illuminati "Ewige Blumenkraft!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ INTER-OFFICE WIRE SENT THE ANCIENT ILLUMINATED SEERS OF BAVARIA - VIGILANCE LODGE Mad Malik, Hauptscheissmeister; Resident for Norton Cabal DISCORDIAN SOCIETY SUPER SECRET CRYPTOGRAPHIC CYPHER CODE Of possible interest to all Discordians, this information is herewith released from the vaults of A.I.S.B., under the auspices of Episkopos Dr. Mordecai Malignatius, KNS. SAMPLE MESSAGE: ("HAIL ERIS") CONVERSATION: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 STEP 1. Write out the message (HAIL ERIS) and put all the vowels at the end (HLRSAIEI) STEP 2. Reverse order (IEIASRLH) STEP 3. Convert to numbers (9-5-9-1-19-18-12-8) STEP 4. Put into numerical order (1-5-8-9-9-12-18-19) STEP 5. Convert back to letters (AEHIILRS) This cryptographic cypher code is GUARANTEED TO BE 100% UNBREAKABLE. BEWARE! THE PARANOIDS ARE WATCHING YOU! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Here is a letter from A.I.S.B. to POEE: ______________________________________________________________________ __ The World's Oldest And Most Successful Conspiracy BAVARIAN ILLUMINATI Founded by Hassan i Sabbah, 1090 A.D. (5090 A.L., 4850 A.M.) Reformed by Adam Weishaupt, 1776 A.D. (5776 A.L., 5536 A.M.) ( )Official Business (X) Surreptitious Business From: MAD MALIK Hauptscheissmeister Dear Brother Mal-2, In response to your request for unclassified agitprop to be inserted in the new edition of PRINCIPIA, hope the following will be of use. And please stop bothering us with your incessant letters! Episkopos Mordecai, Keeper of the Notary Sojac, informs me that you are welcome to reveal that our oldest extant records show us to have been fully established in Atlantis, circa 18,000 B.C., under Kull, the galley slave who ascended to the Throne of Valusia. Revived by Pelias of Koth, circa 10,000 B.C. Possibly it was he who taught the inner-teachings to Conan of Cimmeria after Conan became King of Aquilonia. First brought to the western hemisphere by Conan and taught to Mayan priesthood (Conan is Quetzlcoatl). That was 4 Ahua, 8 Cumhu, Mayan date. Revived by Abdul Alhazred in his infamous Al Azif, circa 800 A.D. (Al Azif translated into Latin by Olaus Wormius, 1132 A.D., as The Necronomicon.) In 1090 A.D. was the founding of The Ismaelian Sect (Hashishim) by Hassan i Sabbah, with secret teachings based on Alhazred, Pelias and Kull. Founding of the Illuminated Ones of Bavaria, by Adam Weishaupt, on May 1, 1776. He based it on the others. Weishaupt brought it to the United States during the period that he was impersonating George Washington; and it was he who was the Man in Black who gave the design for The Great Seal to Jefferson in the garden that night. The Illuminated tradition is now, of course, in the hands of The Ancient Illuminated Seers of Bavaria (A.I.S.B.), headquartered here in the United States. Our teachings are not, need I remind you, available for publication. No harm, though, in admitting that some of them can be found disguised in Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, Burroughs Nova Express, the King James translation of the Holy Bible (though not the Latin or Hebrew), and The Blue Book. Not to speak of Ben Franklin's private papers (!), but we are still suppressing those. Considering current developments--you know the ones I speak of--it has been decided to reveal a few more of our front organizations. Your publication is timely, so mention that in addition to the old fronts like the Masons, the Rothchild Banks, and the Federal Reserve System, we now have significant control of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (since Hoover died last year, but that is still secret), the Students for a Democratic Society, the Communist Party USA, the American Anarchist Assn., the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Black Lotus Society, the Republican Party, the John Dillinger Die For You Society, and the Camp Fire Girls. It is still useful to continue the sham of the Birchers that we are seeking world domination; so do not reveal that political and economic control was generally complete several generations ago and that we are just playing with the world for a while until civilization advances sufficiently for phase five. In fact you might still push Vennard's The Federal Reserve Hoax: "Since the Babylonian Captivity there has existed a determined, behind-the-scenes under-the-table, atheistic, satanic, anti-Christian force--worshipers of Mamon--whose undying purpose is world control through the control of Money. July 1, 1776 (correct that to May 1st, Vennard can't get anything right) the Serpent raised its head in the under-ground secret society known as the Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt. There is considerable documentary evidence to prove all revolutions, wars, depressions, strikes and chaos stem from this source." Etc., etc., you know the stuff. The general location of our US HQ, incidentally, has been nearly exposed; and so we will be moving for the first time this century (what a drag!). If you want, you can reveal that it is located deep in the labyrinth of sewers beneath Dealy Plaza in Dallas, and is presided over by The Dealy Lama. Inclosed are some plans for several new potential locations. Please review and add any comments you feel pertinent, especially regarding the Eristic propensity of the Pentagon site. Oh, and we have some good news for you, Brother Mal! You know that Zambian cybernetics genius who joined us? Well, he has secretly co-ordinated the FBI computers with the Zurich System and our theoriticians are in ecstasy over the new information coming out. Look, if you people out there can keep from blowing yourselves up for only two more generations, then we will finally have it. After 20,000 years, Kull's dream will be realized! We can hardly believe it. But the outcome is certain, given the time. Our grandchildren, Mal! If civilization makes it through this crises, our grandchildren will live in a world of authentic freedom and authentic harmony and authentic satisfaction. I hope I'm alive to see it, Mal, success is in our grasp. Twenty thousand years....! Ah, I get spaced just thinking about it. Good luck on the Principia. Ewige Blumenkraft! HAIL ERIS. Love, MAD MALIK PS: PRIVATE - Not for publication in The Principia. We are returning to the two Zwack Cyphers for classified communications. Herewith your copy. DO NOT DIVULGE THIS INFORMATION - SECURITY E-5. [note: Graphic Cypher deleted DtC] ______________________________________________________________________ __ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ Part Five The Golden Secret NONSENSE AS SALVATION The human race will begin solving it's problems on the day that it ceases taking itself so seriously. To that end, POEE proposes the countergame of NONSENSE AS SALVATION. Salvation from an ugly and barbarous existence that is the result of taking order so seriously and so seriously fearing contrary orders and disorder, that GAMES are taken as more important than LIFE; rather than taking LIFE AS THE ART OF PLAYING GAMES. To this end, we propose that man develop his innate love for disorder, and play with The Goddess Eris. And know that it is a joyful play, and that thereby CAN BE REVOKED THE CURSE OF GREYFACE. If you can master nonsense as well as you have already learned to master sense, then each will expose the other for what it is: absurdity. From that moment of illumination, a man begins to be free regardless of his surroundings. He becomes free to play order games and change them at will. He becomes free to play disorder games just for the hell of it. He becomes free to play neither or both. And as the master of his own games, he plays without fear, and therefore without frustration, and therefore with good will in his soul and love in his being. And when men become free then mankind will be free. May you be free of The Curse of Greyface. May the Goddess put twinkles in your eyes. May you have the knowledge of a sage, and the wisdom of a child. Hail Eris. T'AI ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ _________ _________ _________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ THUS ENDS PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA This being the 4th Edition, March 1970, San Francisco; a revision of the 3rd Edition of 500 copies, whomped together in Tampa 1969; which revised the 2nd Edition of 100 copies from Los Angeles 1969; which was a revision of "PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA or HOW THE WEST WAS LOST" published in New Orleans in 1965 in five copies, which were mostly lost. If you think the PRINCIPIA is just a ha-ha, then go read it again. (K) ALL RIGHTS REVERSED - Reprint what you like Published by POEE Head Temple - San Francisco " On The Future Site of Beautiful San Andreas Canyon" Office of My High Reverence Malaclypse the Younger KSC OPOVIG HIGH PRIEST POEE KALLISTI THE LAST WORD The foregoing document was revealed to Mal-2 by the Goddess Herself through many consultations with Her within his Pineal Gland. It is guaranteed to be the Word of Goddess. However, it is only fair to state that Goddess doesn't always say the same thing to each listener, and that other Episkoposes are sometimes told quite different things in their Revelations, which are also the Word of Goddess. Consequently, if you prefer a Discordian Sect other than POEE, then none of these Truths are binding, and it is a rotten shame that you have read all the way down to the very last word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ DISCORDIAN SOCIETY Dedicated to an Advanced Understanding of the Paraphysical Manifestations of Everyday Chaos DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A LOPSIDED PINEAL GLAND? Well, probably you do have one, and it's unfortunate because lopsided Pineal Glands have perverted the Free Spirit of Man, and subverted Life into a frustrating, unhappy and hopeless mess. Fortunately, you have before you a handbook that will show you how to discover your salvation through ERIS, THE GODDESS OF CONFUSION. It will advise you how to balance your Pineal Gland and reach spiritual Illumination. And it will teach you how to turn your miserable mess into a beautiful, joyful, and splendid one. POEE is a bridge from PISCES to AQUARIUS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ the Words of the Illuminated Rated X... NATURALLY Why are we Here ? SUPPRESSED KNOWLEDGE Have you ever secretly HYGIENE wondered why the Great The Lord promised: "Therefore, Pyramid has five sides? - behold, I will bring evil upon counting the bottom? the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam him that GRAND OPERA pisseth against the wall..." "Wherefore my bowels shall sound -I Kings 14:10 (This like a harp for Moab, and mine unsanitary practice caused inner parts for Kirharesh." serious erosion of the mud -Isaiah 16:11 walls) Face to fact with the mighty forces and elements of nature, the thoughtful man fearlessly contemplates his place in the great cosmic scheme. -><- POEE -><- YES, I'd like to know the Five Simple Actions that will turn Me into a "Mental Wizard" in a Single Weekend. Warning! Prolonged use in a darkened room may induce hallucinations or trigger undesired side effects. Should not be used in the presence of persons subject to epilepsy. THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT GUIDE IN YOUR LIFE! -THE GODDESS ERIS PREVAILS- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ SPECIAL AFTERWORD to the Loompanics Edition of PRINCIPIA DISCORDIA G.H. Hill, San Francisco, 1979 All Rites Reversed (K) Reprint What You Like INTERVIEW WITH NORTON CABAL by Gypsie Skripto, Special Correspondent It has been ten years since I net the mysterious Malaclypse the Younger. I was free lancing for the underground papers and went to POEE Hear Temple at 555 Battery Street to try for an interview. I found him in the Temple PO Box busy wrapping up the new Fourth Edition of PRINCIPIA. He seemed impatient with me, insisting that he didn't have the time or inclination for foolish questions from reporters. Undaunted, I burst out with questions like whether he preferred Panama Red or Acapulco Gold and how the fuck did we manage to fit inside of a tiny post office box and other things apropos a naive young semiliterate dropout hippy writer. He asked me if I wanted to drop mescaline and fuck all night and said he knew how to turn himself into a unicorn and there might be room for a tiny interview on the cover of the PRINCIPIA if I wanted to work for the GREATER POOP so I said sure, OK, I've never dropped mescaline in a post office box before. It turned out I was among the last to see Malaclypse. As subsequent issues of GREATER POOP revealed, he was to disappear and POEE business was to be assumed by his students at Norton Cabal. Professor Ignotum P. Ignotius, Department of Comparative Realities, was assigned the Trust of the POEE Scruple and Rev. Dr. Occupant became Keeper of the Box. The newly published copies of PRINCIPIA were distributed by Mad Malik, Block Disorganizer, who had distribution contacts with the Aluminum Bavariati. Practical relations remained in the hands of concept artist G. Hill. When the 1000 PRINCIPIAS were gone the GREATER POOP stopped publishing, Head Temple closed down and the Cabal just seemed to evaporate. Finally even the box was closed. But over the years I noticed that copies were still circulating, and that independent Discordian Cabal would occasionally pop out of nowhere (and still do ). And I would wonder what ever happened to Malaclypse. When I read the ILLUMINATUS trilogy I resolved to again find and interview the denizens of Joshua Norton Cabal of the Discordian Society. * * * As I cabled over Nob to San Francisco's Station 'O' Post Office I couldn't help but wonder at Goddess' hand in assigning street addresses to Her outposts. Mal2 had told me that Good Lord Omar always filed everything under "O" for OUT OF FILE. "Maya is marvelous" I was thinking when I rapped on the little metal door and was greeted warmly by a huge beard who introduced himself as Professor Ignotius. He ushered me into a spacious wood paneled and tapestry hung parlor where three others were laughing and passing around a wine jug. The sunny one in a tunic was the Reverend Doctor Occupant, the trim khaki and jeans was Mad Malik and the wine jug claimed to be Hill. I got the recorder on.... GYPSIE SKRIPTO [in response to a question]: ...1969 but only briefly. I guess I missed you guys. MAD MALIK: No wonder, he was pretty much a one man show then. We were just his students and were usually off on errands. You worked for the POOP? Gypsie: Well, for one night anyway. The interview is in the PRINCIPIA. REV. DR. OCCUPANT: Malik was the only one he would ever let write for the POOP or get on the letterhead. Gypsie: Did you [Malik] have higher authority than the others? Malik: No, [but I was allowed to speak in the POOP] because [Malaclypse the Younger] hated politics. He was infuriated with Johnson and nixon over Viet Nam because it was turning the renaissance into a political revolution and was stealing his sacred thunder. So he trained me in Zenarchy, which he learned from Omar, and I was the official anarcho-pacifist for the Cabal. Also I was liaison to The Ancient Illuminated Seers of Bavaria, the Chicago Discordians. Later Omar activated the Hung Mung Cong Tong and ELF, on zenarchist principles, and also Operation Mindfuck. I was also into those. Though at the time I was masquerading in GREATER POOP as a created cabbage to throw off the FBI. Gypsie [to Hill]: Since you wrote it, I take it you are an anarchist? G.H. Hill: Since then I have given up anarchy. Too many rules-- hating the government and all that stuff. IGNOTUM PER IGNOTIUS: It's like hating your own fantasies. Malik: [Anarchy] is also standing up and proceeding forward, fantasy rule or not. The condition is the same. Occupant: Brother needs some wine! Malik: We have had this argument before, Reverend Doctor Brother. But wine before platitudes, fill it up. Gypsie [to Hill]: And pacifism? Hill: I'm not sure I ever was one. Mal2 was not, Malik was. Personally I accepted self defense yet I could never reconcile that with the ideal. I finally gave up on that one too. Actually I just gave up on idealism. Ignotius: Idealism lives with rules. Realism lives with rocks. Hill: Yeah. I get along better with rocks. Malik: Mal2 once told me that pacifism was a dilemma. If everybody was a pacifist then everything would be perfect. But nobody is going to be a pacifist unless I am first. But if I am and somebody else is not, then I get screwed. He said that there were five choices under that circumstance. The first was napalming farmers and the second was executing your parents. The third was hypocrisy, the fourth was cowardice, and the fifth was to swallow the dilemma. Zenarchists are trained in dilemma swallowing. Occupant: So are other Erisians, like POEE. Ignotius: That is characteristic of the Discordian perspective. Hill: But of course training contradicts Discordian principles. Malik: Oh so what. Contradictions are nothing to Discordians. Occupant: Dilemma, Schilmemma. [to Gypsie]: What do you think of this, pretty ma'am? We don't get to hear your thoughts. Gypsie: I'm reporting now, you talk. Occupant: Later then? Gypsie: Perhaps. Later. Occupant: You are smiling. Gypsie: Hey, guy, later. [to Hill]: Doesn't this leave you a little schizy? Hill: It's OK, I'm half Gemini. Gypsie: What's the other half? Hill: Taurus. That makes me a stubborn schizy. Ignotius: I'm a Whale. Occupant: I choose Satyr. Malik: Spirits don't have signs. Hill: A character can have a sign if I want it so. Occupant: Well I can have a sign if I want to and screw both of you. Malik: Come on Greg, you just think that we are your characters.... Occupant: You were inhabited by Malaclypse the Younger. He caused you to create roles and those roles are being performed by us spirits. Ignotius: A perfectly normal pagan relationship. Hill: Well you can look at it like that if you want to, but I created Mal2 to my specifications just as I conceived all the rest of you. Occupant: You didn't invent Eris. She caused you to think you created the spirit of Malaclypse. Hill: Oh bull! Besides, I changed her so much the Greeks would never recognize her. Occupant: That's what She wanted! Ignotius: Deities change things around all the time. Malik: What you don't realize is that a spirit has a self identity. Hill: Nope. A spirit is a product of definition and the one who is doing the defining around here is me. Your identity is what I say it is. Just to prove it, I'm going to change your name. SINISTER DEXTER: It's OK with me. Fate is fate. I never much liked "Mad Malik" anyway. Ignotius: Besides people confused him with Joe Malik in ILLUMINATUS. Dexter: I sort of enjoyed the confusion part. Occupant: Doesn't prove anything anyway. Gypsie: That name sounds familiar. Where is it from? Hill: Its a name I came up with in the old days and never used it much. Its on page 38 of the PRINCIPIA referring to Vice President Spiro Agnew. I always thought I invented it but now it sounds like a Stan Freberg name now that I think about it. It may have stuck in my preconscious memory from early TV. Gypsie: Can you use it without his permission? Hill: If it is his? I don't know. I hope so. it means "left right" in Latin and is a perfect name for a libertarian anarchist. Actually in my kind of art the question of what can I use freely and what can I not is a very tricky problem. Gypsie: How do you mean? Hill: Well, take a collage for example. Like the early one on page 36 of the PRINCIPIA. Each little piece was extracted from some larger work created by some other artist and published and maybe copyrighted. I find them in newspapers and magazines mostly. Often from ads. With a collage you select and extract from your environment and then assemble into an original relationship. The PRINCIPIA itself is a collage. A conceptual collage. All of it happens simultaneously. But visually it is a montage, passing through time, like a book does. There is a lot of pirated stuff in the PRINCIPIA, especially in the margins. But also I sympathize with artists who must own and sell their works to earn a living. Art, like knowledge, should be free fodder for everyone. But it isn't It is perplexing. Gypsie: Where did all the things in PRINCIPIA come from? Hill: Well, a full answer would take another book in itself. Most of the writing credited to a name is a true person and almost always a different name means a different person. Most of the non-credited, you know, Malaclypse, text is mine although some things credited to either Mal2 or Omar were actually co-written and passed back and forth and rewritten by each of us. The marginalia, dingbats, and pasted in titles and heads and things came from wherever I found them--some of which is original but uncredited Discordian output, like the page head on 12 and other pages which is from a series of satiric memo pads from Our Peoples Underworld Cabal. All page layout is mine and some whole graphics like the Sacred Chao and the Hodge Podge Transformer are mine but mostly I just found stuff and integrated it. Mostly I did concept, say 50% of the writing, 10% of the graphics, all of the layout. Gypsie: Specifically, what are some of the sources? Hill: Weel, the poem on the front cover is by Walt Kelly and was spoken by one of his characters in Pogo. The government seals starting from page 1 are from a book of sample seals from the U.S. Government Printing Office. Western Union on page 6 got into the act because I used to be a teletype operator and had access to blank forms. Rubber stamps came from all over the place and some, like the apple on page 27, I carved myself. A few I ordered to my specification, like on page 1. The quote on the top of page 8 might be from Barnum, I'm not sure. The jumping man on page 12 is from an advertisement. I recognize the style--a popular commercial artist-- but I don't know his name. The Chinese on the page is a grocery ad, I think. The Norton money on page 14 is historic,plus my little additions. The apple on page 17,as well as the triangle on 23 and the Sacred Chao on 50 are, believe it or not, pasteups of mimeographs, from Seattle Cabal. That group produced the best damn mimeography I've ever seen. The Lick Here Box on page 23 is one of many tidbits making the rounds in alternative/underground newspapers in those days. Trip 5 page header on 29 was a chapter title in one of Tim Leary's books. The Knight on the bull with the TV antenna on his helmet on page 46 came from a very artistic magazine called Horseshit and put out by two brothers from Long Beach. I don't remember their names. Wonderful magazine. Occupant: Eris told Mal2 what to use and where to find it. Hill: Yeah, in a way that is right. That is why my name does not appear anywhere on the PRINCIPIA and why it was published with a broken copyright--Reprint What You Like. I knew I was taking liberties and didn't want my intentions to be misunderstood. It was an experiment and was intended to be an underground work and that involves a different set of ethics than commercial work. Gypsie: There are no real names at all? Hall: Oh, some. Camden Benares is a real name because he legally changed his original name to his Holy Name. Also, instead of using Mordecai Malignatus I used Bob Wilson's real name on page 12 because Werewolf Bridge was a work before Discordianism. And of course real people like Neils Bohr crop up in quotes. Gypsie: What do you think about the PRINCIPIA now? Would you want to change it? Hill: I consider it a successful work and I wouldn't want to change it. In some ways it is immature and I am not the same person I was 10 years ago, but it accomplished the objectives I set for myself and it has the effect I wanted it to have. There are a few errors though. Gypsie: Like what? Hill: Oh, I changed a quote from Tom Gnostic on page 61 and I don't think he ever did forgive me for it. He's right. Starbuck's Pebbles should have been preceded by the Myth of Starbuck which was being saved for something else and never got used. I should have used it when I had the chance. And then Eris did a neat little trick on me by having IBM make the Greek selectric typewriter element not coincide with all the characters on their keyboard. So the little "kallisti" that appears on the title page and lastly on the back cover came out "kallixti" and I was too dumb to know the difference. Gypsie: Will there ever be a Fifth Edition? Hill: There already is a Fifth Edition, by Mal2. It is a one page telegram that reduces everything to an infinite aum. I found it at Western Union where a machine got stuck and kicked out hundreds of pages of nothing but m's. He made it the Fifth Edition and then left. Principia/Malaclypse was a very personal work for me and actually took 10 years to culminate. it was one single statement that included my adolescence in the 50's and my young adulthood in the 60's. When I finally had the paste-ups done I knew that I had finished it. That is why, quote, Malaclypse left. I knew it was finished. I didn't know exactly what it was, but it was done. Occupant: See? Gypsie: Earlier you said that you met your objectives. Just what were those objectives? Hill: Well, that's hard to answer because it kept refining itself over the years. In 1969 I mainly though of myself as a cosmic clown and I set out to prove, by demonstration, that a deity can be anything at all. In other words, people invent gods and not the other way around. Later I decided that I was doing some kind of conceptual art. In the 50's my culture taught me that I was created by and for a deity, a specific male deity, and that all other deities are FALSE. Yet my growing experience showed me that any deity is true in some sense and false in some other sense. So I set out to do what my society told me is impossible--make a real religion from a patently absurd deity. In the 50's a female deity was blasphemy. In the 70's a humorous deity is still considered impossible, ridiculous, and blasphemous. As far as I'm concerned, I have proven my point. Eris is a real deity and even though I don't promote Erisianism as a serious religion.... Occupant: I do! Dexter: You speak for yourself. Ignotius: Here, here. Hill: ...I do point out that it makes just as much sense from its own perspective as all the others do from each of their own perspectives. Occupant: I think paganism is a valid spiritual path. I encourage Erisianism because it makes fun of itself. i think this is healthy. Ignotius: If you can live rewardingly with Goddess Eris you can live with any deity, including none at all. Dexter: I don't much go for the worship business but I argee with Occupant about the spirit of the thing. We live in a time of turmoil, the whole planet is in a state of change. If we, as a species, cower from the confusion then we die with the dying. This is revolution. Ignotius: I am an athiest myself. There is no Greg Hill. [laughter] Gypsie [to Hill] : What do you think of ILLUMINATUS? Hill: Oh, I love it. I was finishing PRINCIPIA when Shea and Wilson were working on ILLUMINATUS. It took Dell five years to publish it...maybe that is significant. The 1969 Discordian Society was a mail network between independent writers of various kinds. Norton Cabal was just me and my characters and I used the other Cabals as sort of a laboratory. In return other Discordians would bounce their stuff off of me. We would toss in ideas and anybody could take anything out. It was a concept stew. The exchanging of ideas and techniques broadened and encouraged all of us. I like ILLUMINATUS for the surrealism. A very effective method of writing. Ignotius: I got misquoted. Worse, I wasn't even in that scene and if I had been then I would have said something else. Dexter [to Ignotius]: That was me in that scene. Ignotius: Oh, is that what that was? Dexter: He got our names mixed up. Hill: He got mixed up about me too, in COSMIC TRIGGER. Bob says that when Oswald was buying the assassination rifle, my girlfriend was printing the first edition of PRINCIPIA on Jim Garrison's Xerox. It wasn't my girlfriend, it was Kerry's; it wasn't the FIRST ED PRINCIPIA, it was some earlier Discordian thought; it wasn't Garrison's Xerox, it was his mimeograph; and it wasn't just before Kennedy was shot but a couple of years before that.* The FIRST ED PRINCIPIA, by the way, was reproduced at Xerox Corp when xerography was a new technology Gypsie. Which was my second New Orleans trip in 1965. I worked for a guy on Bourbon Street who was a Xerox salesman by day. Dexter: I think that George Dorn took too much guff from Hagbard. If someone pulls a weapon on me, I'm more inclined to either leave or kill the sonofabitch. Occupant: You are supposed to be a pacifist. Dexter: I'm speaking figuratively of course. I'll tell you more tomorrow. Gypsie [to Hill]: Did you really translate erotic Etruscan poetry? Hill: Sure, but I used a pen name. I signed it "Robert Anton Wilson". [A quick rap is heard on the door] Gypsie: I have only one question left... Dexter: I'll get it. Gypsie: ...what I really want to know is how can we all fit inside of a tiny little post office box? Dexter[to Gypsie]:It's a telegram for you, from Mal2. Gypsie: To me? [Paper tearing] Gypsie [reading]: "If I told everybody how they could live inside of a post office box then everybody would stop paying landlords and go live inside their post office boxes. It would collapse the building! Can you imagine, post offices collapsing all over the country, the hemisphere, the PLANET! The whole world's communication system would be destroyed. No,no, I must not say. I dare not! ------------- * I checked this further with Mr. Thornley. He says that the woman in question was not his girlfriend, she was just a friend, and it wasn't a couple of years before Kennedy was shot but had to be a couple of years after (but before Garrison investigated Thornley). --GS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ RITE OF HANDFASTING Joy and Tom Williams April 16, 1994 ce MUSIC : Beltane Wedding Dance by Gwidion. -- While Circle forms, those entering are smudged by ASSISTANTS standing on both sides of SOUTH side of circle. HP and/or HPS: explain for non-Pagans the idea of Handfasting, why a circle instead of pews, etc. CIRCLE CASTING (HPS casts circle followed by FLOWER MAIDEN strewing petals): We cast the circle of ancient lore; Waves upon a timeless shore. With no begninning, nor an end; It always knows a foe from friend. Oroboros, of legends old; Rings of power, forged in gold. Circle of Life, ring of stones; Cycle of creation, birth to bones. A ring around the silv'ry Moon; We cast you now, o ancient rune! QUARTERS: (CRYSTAL BEARER takes crystal from altar and gives it to the EAST quarter caller. Caller invokes power holding up CRYSTAL. When done, the caller hands CRYSTAL back to bearer who takes it to the next quarter. After NORTH, bearer places CRYSTAL back on altar.) EAST: I call the Eastern powers of air, You whose breath of life we share, Bring understanding, kindness, care, And loving words, both clear and fair, Come bless this day our rite of love, As below then so above. SOUTH: I call the Southern powers of fire, Whose light doth stir the poet's lyre, With love's bright spark our hearts inspire, Bring passion's flame, bring sweet desire, Come bless this day our rite of love, As below then so above. WEST: Oh powers of the Western sea, Oh water's flowing unity, Bring feeling, warmth and empathy, That all our lives may blessed be, Come bless this day our rite of love, As below then so above. NORTH: Oh Northern powers of living Earth, Charge our souls from death to birth, On solid ground of rock and loam, Bring forth our food and build our home, Come bless this day our rite of love, As below then so above. GODDESS INVOCATION (HP) Laughter-loving Aphrodite! Venus Amathusia! Come to me with laughing breast, Come on waves with golden crest, Come with doves and golden light, Drawn by swans and sparrows bright. Alight! Alight! I am thy man, I am thy mate! Receive me til our storm abate! Thy green glades echo with my calls, Come to me from emerald halls, Flanked by maidens winding there, Rose and mytle in thy golden hair, Come to me! to me! to me! And mate with me upon the grass, Laughing, lusty, oh ravishing lass! Our bodies arch and strain and twine, I am thine and thou art mine! Come from heavens of azure hue, Ocean born and ever new, Pulsing, laughing, yearning straining, Pleasure, lust, all life containing, Race with me through glades of green, Exalting, loving, oh rapturous queen! To me! to me! Oh come to me! And enter, merge, enfold, unite! Suffuse desire with golden light! Never sated in eons of time, I am thine and thou art mine! GOD INVOCATION (HPS) Oh horned one, goat-foot, Great God Pan! Come to me with eyes of fire, And with thy pipes awake desire, Come with wild and lustful grin, Herald of your flame within, Io Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan, Pan, Pan! Shout to me from scented wood, The call of all that's wild and good, Come to me with shaggy thighs, And let the hills return our cries, Come with satyrs bearing wine, I am thine and thou art mine! Come with joyous lusty laugh, Come with swollen ruddy staff, Race with me thorugh halls of green, Thou art my God and I your Queen, And spend with me a tender hour, Making love within my bower, To me! To me! Oh come to me! And come oh God of stream and wood, Oh God of life and all that's good, Never sated in eons of time, I am thine and thou art mine! HPS: And by your rites of sacred marriage I inoke ye: Shiva and Parvati Jove and Juno Dagda and Boyne Odin and Freya HP: And by your sacred rites of marriage I invoke ye: Persephone and Hades Nuit and Geb Rhiannon and Pwyll Ishtar and Tammuz HP & HPS: Blessed Be! ALL: Blessed Be HP: Our work today is a happy one. We are gathered in the presence of the deities of the fruitful trees, the flowing waters, the warming sun and the siging air, and in the sight of the Goddes of our Blessed Earth to celebrate the joining of our two dear friends Joy and Tom, in union by the fasting of their hands by ancient rite. HPS (holding up CORD): This is the cord of handfasting. It will tie Tom and Joy together with bonds of love. For such bonds to be strong they need support -- the support of the lovers themselves, the support of the Gods and the support of a community of family and friends. we ask now that each of you give your support, letting it flow as loving strength into the cord as it is passed around the circle. ALL SING: Love is a River (as CORD is passed around circle) HPs (to assistants): Now open the circle, cut wide the gate, for two are coming who would be made one! ASSISTANTS: (Open gate at SOUTH and stand at each side as couple enters..They then take BROOM from altar and lay it across the gate, remaining there with the circle joined together again.) (HP: Rings bell three times. Processional, Spring Strathsprey by Gwydion, vocal) (Couple walk hand-in-hand deosil around the inside of the circle. After a full turn around the circle, GROOM stops in the WEST while BRIDE continues on around to the EAST, at which point they both approach the altar from opposite directions.) (Music ends when all are in place, or the song is ended.) HPS: Brothers and sisters, the Bride comes from the heart of the dawn, and the Bridegroom from the sunset. There is a wedding in the valley; a day too vast for recording! There is magic to be done here; the magic of Love! HP: You have come together in this sacred grove to stand in the presence of our Lady of Love and our Lord of Lust, that they may bestow upon you their bountiful blessings of everlasting love and devotion through the sacred rite of handfasting. This is a bond not to be entered into lightly, but with seriousness, reverence, and joy. HPS: Is it your intention, Tom, to be wed to Joy in the sight of the gods and of these people? to be tied to her in giving, in dreams, and in intentions, and to vow to her your love and commitment? GROOM: (answers) HPS: Have you considered the gavity of your commitment? GROOM: (answers) HPs: Have you considered the levity of your commitment? GROOM: (answers) HP: Is it your intention, Joy, to be wed to Tom in the sight of the Gods and of these people? to be tied to him in giving, in dreams, and in intentions, and to vow to her your love and commitment? BRIDE: (answers) HP: Have you considered the gavity of your commitment? BRIDE: (answers) HP: Have you considered the levity of your commitment? BRIDE: (answers) HPS (facing BRIDE and holding up PENTACLE): Joy, Thou shalt be the star that rises from the twilight sea Thou shalt bring a man dreams to rule his destiny Thou shalt bring the moon-tides to the soul of a man The tides that flow and ebb, and flow again, The magic that moves in the moon and the sea; These are thy secret, and they belong to thee. Thou art the Eternal Woman, thou art She, The tides of all men's souls belong to thee. Danu in heaven, on Earth, Persephone, Diana of the Moon and Hecate, Veiled Isis, Aphrodite from the sea, All these thou art, and they are seen in thee. HP (facing GROOM and holding WAND): Tom, All wild creatures hear thy call upon the haunted wind. Within thy soul the Horned One returns to Earth again. Together you shall manifest the magick of the man And falcons soar from out the sky to perch upon thy hand. The serpent's wisdom thou shalt learn from tip of forked tongue. The fleetness of the white stag's flight in starlight or in sun. Lord of Light and Lord of Shadow; keeper of the key Which unlocks the door of dreams, whereby men come to thee. Cernunnos, Tammuz, Horus, Pan; by name we set thee free! 0, Shepherd of the wild woodland, may thou be one with he! (HP turns to HPS holding WAND. HPS picks up CHALICE and ATHAME; anoints with water, touches to flower petals; censes; then places over WAND. The HP & HPS hold WAND aloft between them.) HPS: Above you are the stars, below you are the stones. As time passes, remember... Like a star should your love be constant, Like the earth should your love be firm. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience each with the other, For storms will come, but they will go quickly. Be free in giving of affection and of warmth; Make love often, and be sensuous to one another. Have no fear, and let not the ways or words of the unenlightened give you unease. For the old gods are with you, Now and always! HP (holding wand): Is it your wish, Joy, to become one with this man? BRIDE: (answers) HP: Then give him your vow. BRIDE: I, Joy wed you, Tom and pledge to build with you a place of love, nourishment and happiness within our hearts and within our home. I pledge you love, honor and trust. love, both soft and tender and love suffused with passion and playfulness; love which will honor your inner deity, endure hardship and nurture honesty, trust and devotion. I pledge to support and cherish your growth in the human adventure; to explore with you the wonders of life; to hold you in my love when you are ill or sad and to nurture your healing, growth, development and actualization. As you evolve so shall I for we are as one and reflect one another. I promise to create a home with you that shall be a haven for us both, a place of welcome for family, friends and lovers and a place of comfort in times of sorrow. I promise to love, honor, protect and nourish you as long as we both shall live HPS: Is it your wish, Tom, to become one with this woman? GROOM: (answers) HPS: Then give her your vow. GROOM : I, Tom wed you, Joy and pledge to build with you a place of love, nourishment and happiness within our hearts and within our home. I pledge you love, honor and trust. love, both soft and tender and love suffused with passion and playfulness; love which will honor your inner deity, endure hardship and nurture honesty, trust and devotion. I pledge to support and cherish your growth in the human adventure; to explore with you the wonders of life; to hold you in my love when you are ill or sad and to nurture your healing, growth, development and actualization. As you evolve so shall I for we are as one and reflect one another. I promise to create a home with you that shall be a haven for us both, a place of welcome for family, friends and lovers, and a place of comfort in times of sorrow. I promise to love, honor, protect and nourish you as long as we both shall live. HP: Does any say nay? GROOM: Then we are happy, but we would yet ask the blessing of the May Queen on our union. BRIDE: Oh Queen of the May, we ask your blessing on our union and on our connection with this land which is our home upon the Earth. MAY QUEEN: As you marry, take my blessing and the blessing of our Mother Earth that you may live long within Her breast and flourish in Her abundance. (Takes cord from the altar and hands it to HP and HPS) I bid you bind them in love with my blessing, HP & HPS (tying the hands of bride and groom together with the cord): This day you marry your friend, the one you love, laugh with, live for, dream with. HP (handing ATHAME to GROOM): This knife is for the troubles that lie ahead. HPS (handing CHALICE to BRIDE): This cup is for the love that conquers them. GROOM (holding up ATHAME): I bring the energy of yang, active, bright, logical and hard. I bid you blend these energies with yours to make us whole and keep this token on the altar of our love. BRIDE (holding up CHALICE): I bring the energy of yin, dark, intuitive, flowing and soft. I bid you blend these energies with yours and make us whole and keep this token on the altar of our love. (GROOM dips ATHAME into CHALICE) HP: Yin and yang, male and female, light and dark. neither may stand alone, but out of their eternal interplay the universe is born. So it is above and so it is here below. HP: Now share you the water of life, the blood of the sacred Goddess our Mother Earth, water that binds us and all living things to her body. (BRIDE and GROOM share water and kiss) HP: Out of the billions of the Earth, these two have come, have looked into each other's eyes, and are now made one. Their ways have converged and shall now be together. In our deepest being we hope that their path may be pleasant and the sky fair where they reside. But if trouble comes, as it can surely come to all, may the pressure of the trial only bring them more closely together. With clasped hands and united hearts, may they bear life's sorrows together and share life's joys together. (BRIDE pours libation and speaks however she is moved, then hands CHALICE to GROOM, who sips, libates and passes cup to HPS, who sips, libates and passes CHALICE to HP. COUPLE then moves around the circle deosil greeting guests while chant is sung: I am the Heart and the Soul of Creation, then return to altar.) HPS (gives Navajo Wedding Blessing): Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you shall be the warmth to the other. Now there is no more loneliness for you. Now there is no more loneliness. Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness. And may your days be good and long upon this Earth. (GROOM thanks guests and invites them to the feast.) (ASSISTANTS open the gate in SOUTH where the BROOM has been lying and hold the broom a LITTLE off the ground. HP and HPS: lead the chant: JUMP THE BROOM! as COUPLE runs around the circle and jumps the BROOM on the way out.) HP & HPS (Stand on opposite sides of altar, raising arms): We thank you Gods and Goddesses of the Sacred Marriage for attending and blessing this, our rite of life and love. We bid you now, Hail and Farewell! ALL: Hail and Farewell! HP: Oh mighty Lord of life and death, whose hooves dance upon the altrar of Time and whose pipes play the song of Never-Ending, we thank You for Your blessing and bid You now Hail and Farewell! ALL: Hail and Farewell! HPS: Oh gracious Goddess, Queen of love and birth whose body is the green and flowering Earth and the dust at whose feet are the stars of heaven, we thank You for Your blessing and bid You now Hail and Farewell! QUARTER CALLERS: We thank you now, oh powers of Earth (Water, Fire, Air) HPS: All from air into air, let the misty curtain part. All is ended, all is done What has been must now be gone! What is done by ancient art Must merry meet and merry part! AND MERRY MEET AGAIN! Well, there it is. It was beautiful. And so smooth. Hope you all enjoyed it. Tom wrote the invocation to Pan and Aphrodite. If you want to use it though would expect people to ask permission to use it, since it is copyright protected in the Green Egg. Anyway, this is a guide, and it is OUR h-fasting. People can use it as a guide, but it is much more magickal if you create your own. Thou art Goddess! Joy Williams -- SHADOW WEAVER GROVE ADF BELTANE RITUAL 5/5/1990 This is a transcription of the original planned ritual for Beltane forthe Shadow Weaver Grove, transcribed with permission by Joseph Tellerof the Wonderland BBS 508-663-6220 WWIVNet Node 5803 for distributionto the Pagan Community at large. Shadow Weaver Grove can also bewritten to via Surface mail at : PO Box 5451, Billerica MA 01821.Distribution for non-commercial use of this document is granted, solong as the wording and information contained herein remains unchangedin the process of distribution. ______________________________________________________________________ _____ I. Starting the Ritual A) Processional : (starting Chant {Ku-Wa-Te}) To enter the circle each person must pass through four "gates" representing each of the Three Worlds (Land, Sea & Sky) and Fire. Each person steps to the first Gate Keeper and is asked: "What do you ask of the Gate of Earth (Sea) (Air)?" AN answer is given or left unspoken, and the person is marked by the Guardian (with mud, water and brush of a feather) and proceeds to the next Gate and is questioned again. The Guardian of the last Gate, Fire, smudges the person before they enter the circle. When everyone is in the circle, the chant continues ("Ku-Wa-Te") as the Gatekeepers come into the circle and prepare themselves. B) Statement of Purpose : We are here tonight to honor the Goddess Danu, called the Earth-mother and to honor the God Belemos, Called the Sun King. We honor them and ask them to bless us and rekindle the warmth of the world. C) Centering Meditation: Group meditation and collective consciousness: All present are brought together with a group meditation, to form a "group-mind"; to help everyone center and bring themselves together to work in accord. D) Earth Mother Invocation : Oh Earth-Mother We praise thee That seed springeth That flower openeth That grass groweth We praise thee For winds that whisper Through the shining Birch Through the lively Pines Through the mighty Oak We praise thee For all things Oh Earth-Mother who gives lifeII. The Active Ritual Invocation of Ogma the Gate Keeper or Mannanon in English: (Visualization is a triangle shaped iris opening) Gate Keeper of Fire: O Ogma, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Knowledge, open the ways for us O Mannanon, master of the realm beyond the seas, grant us passage to your kingdom. O great God of knowledge, we wish to walk your roads. Reveal to us your teachings, reveal to us the safe path. Come wash the nighttime clean; Come Close the gap of darkness in between. We praise you for the brightness of your power. We praise you for the gift of knowledge. Guide us to the place we seek. Walk with us Ogma! Walk with us Mannanon! CHANT: We invoke thee Ogma, opener of every Gate We invoke Mannanon, opener of every Gate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. B) Consecration of the Waters: [After each cup is consecrated it is passed around the members of the circle so that each may drink from it. When the cup returns to the start the remaining liquid is spilled unto the Earth or into the fire. Contents may be spring water, or an alcholic brew if alcohol it is preferred to have been brewed by a member of the Grove.] Druid of the Gate of Land: Spirits of nature, of the trees and rocks, of the animals and Earth, give us your favor and your companionship, share with us the bond of spirit and of life on Earth. Remember us and speak to us in our hearts. Give us your teachings and laughter, become one amoung us here tonight, Consecrate these waters. Behold the Waters of Life! {All Chant "Fur and Feather"} Druid of the Gate of Sea: Ancestors of Long ago, be with us, give us your favor and your wisdom, share with us the bond of kinship and of life upon Earth. Remember us and speak to us in our hearts. Give us your knowledge and your blessing, become one with us here tonight; Consecrate these waters. Behold The Waters of Life! {All Chant "Blood of the Ancients") Druid of the Gate of Sky: Gods and Goddesses, be with us, give us your favor and blessings, share with us the bonding essance and our existence upon your sphere of life. Remember us and speak to us in our hearts. give us your strength and your peace, become one amoung us here tonight. Consecrate these waters. Behold the Waters of Life! {All Chant "Mother I feel you"} C) Individual Offerings and prayers: At this point, all present that wish to may make an offering or offer prayers. If anyone has an offering or a prayer they would like to make they step forward and do so, individual offerings to particular patrons or spirit helpers are done at this time. D) Sacrifice with the Willow Branch: Gate keeper of fire makes a final offering of a willow branch, to send the energy to the deities of the occasion. It is sacrificed into the central bonfire. Gate Keeper of Fire: Our praise goes up with thee on the wings of eagles; our voices are carried up to thee on the shoulders of the wonds. hear now O Belemos, O Danu, we pray thee, as we offer up this sacrifice of life. Accept it we pray thee, and cleanse our hearts, giving to us of your peace and life. E) Divination : A scrying is done with crystal/flame, to find if the gods have accepted our prayers and will be with us. If the omen is bad, offerings are made again. If they are rejected thrice, the circle is broken immediately and the ritual ended. F) The Fourth Consecration: Here the wards are set to protect us during the magic working. Druid #1 (Fire): We greet you, Brother Wabun, Golden Eagle of the East. We ask that you watch over us this night, and share with us your wisdom, Let your keen vision guide us over the obstacles before us. We greet you, Brother Shawnodese, Guardian of the South, great Coyote. We ask that you walk with us this night, and guide us as we walk this path of learning. We greet you, Waboose, White Buffalo Woman of the North, Grace us with your company, and walk with us night as we seek the wisdom that surrounds us. We greet you, brother Mudjekeewis, Great Bear of the West. Walk with us this night and aid us in our journey to wisdom. At this time, would each of you please meditate on your personal needs and desires. G) Induction of Receptivity : (Litany of the Waters) [D1 can be Guardian of Fire, D2 can be the Group response. If the group doesn't know the responses one of the other guardians should lead them into them] D1: Of what does the Earth-Mother give, that we may know of the continual flow and renewal of life? D2: The waters of Life. D1: From whence do these waters flow? D2: From the bosom of the Earth-Mother,the ever changing All-Mother D1: And how do we honor this gift that causes life? D2: By partaking of the waters of life. D1: Has the Earth-Mother given forth her bounty? D2: She has D1: Then give me the waters! Final consecration and sharing: A fourth cup is consecrated. O Belemos, O Danu, hear us and answer us! Hallow these waters! We your children have praised you, and now we ask from you healing, blessing, power and inspiration...Behold the waters of life! {Passing chant: "Ku-Wa-Te"} III. The Work of The Circle A) The Magic Working: Tonight we pray for the prosperity of all those here. May our fortunes increase, may the Goddess and God smail on our endeavors and bring us good luck in all that we do. We ask that you bless these small tokens of our wishes, and grant us the success that we ask for. {Here a small basket with a crystal and appropriate symbols of general prosperity were passed around so that all might add energy to it} B) Affirmation of Success: D1: Belemos and Danu have Blessed us! D2: Every time we invoke them, they become stronger and more alert to the needs of their people. D1: With joy in our hearts let us return to the realm of mortals to do the will of the Gods and our own. D2: Yet, before we leave, we must give thanks to those whome we have invited here today. IV. Closing: A) Thanking and closing of the Quaters: We thank you, Brother Wabun, Golden Eagle of the East. You have watched over us this night, and shared with us your wisdom, Your keen vision has shown us the ostacles before us. We ask you, go in peace, as you came in peace. So we may walk together again. We thank you, Brother Shawnodese, Guardian of the South, great Coyote. Once again your lessons have helped us, and shown us the truth in ourselves. We ask you, go in peace, as you came in peace, So we may walk together again. We thank you, Waboose, White Buffalo of the North. You have graced us with your company, and walked with us this night. You have helped us see the wisdom that surrounds us. We ask you, go in peace, as you came in peace. So we may walk together again. We thank you Brother Mudjekeewis, Great Bear of the West. You have shown us your power and kept us safe in our journey to wisdom. We ask you, go in peace, as you came in peace, so we may walk together again. B) Thanking of the Gods and Goddess: Gods and Goddesses of the old times, spirits of the old times and of this place, people of the old times and of our ancestors, our kindred we thank you. C) Closing the Gate: Gate Keeper of Fire : O Ogma, Lord of the Gates, Lord of KNowledge, we thank you. O Mhannon, we thank you. Now let the Gates between the Worlds be closed! D) Return from the group-mind, grounding and centering. Reverse the Tree Meditation. Relaxing of the Grove's Wards. Libation: D1: To thee we retrun this portion of thy bounty, O Danu our Mother, even as we must someday return unto thee. D2: We have finished this ceremony. D1: So be it! ALL: Biodh se! ______________________________________________________________________ _____ CHANTS USED DURING RITUAL: {Ku-Wa-Te} Ku-Wa-Te Lay-no Lay-no Ma-ho-teHi-ano, Hi-ano, Hi-anoKu-Wa-Te Lay-no Ma-ho-teHi-ano, Hi-ano, Hi-ano We are one with the infinite sun Forever, Forever, ForeverWe are one with the Infinite Sun Forever, Forever, Forever. {Mother Nature Waits} Mother Earth provides Mother Earth Provides Mother Earth Provides all for us to surviveMother Earth Provides Mother Nature Waits Mother Nature Waits Because life never ends, she always begins again Mother Nature waits. {Hoof and Horn} Hoof and horn, Hoof and hornAll that dies shall be reborn.Corn and Grain, corn and grainAll that falls shall rise again. {Blood of the Ancients} It's the blood of the AncientsThat runs through our veinsAnd the forms pass,But the Circle of life remains. {Fur and Feather} Fur and Feather and scale and skin Different without but the same within Great of body but one of soul Through all creatures are the Gods made Whole {Mother I feel You} Mother I feel you under my feet Mother I feel your heart beat Mother I feel your heart beat Father I see you where the eagle flies Spirit gonna carry me higher and higher Spirit gonna carry me higher and higher ______________________________________________________________________ __ BRIGIT OF THE CELTS ------------------- Brigit was one of the great Triple Goddesses of the Celtic people. She appeared as Brigit to the Irish, Brigantia in Northern England, Bride in Scotland, and Brigandu in Brittany. Many legends are told about Brigit. Some say that there are three Brigits : one sister in charge of poetry and inspiration who invented the Ogham alphabet, one in charge of healing and midwifery, and the third in charge of the hearth fire, smithies and other crafts. This catually indicates the seperate aspects of her Threefold nature and is a neat division of labor for a hard-working goddess. Brigit was probably originally a Sun Goddess, and a charming story of her birth is that she was born at sunrise and a tower of flame burst from the forehead of the new born Goddess that reached from Earth to Heaven. It was likely She who inspired the line in the famous Song of Amergin: "I am a fire in the head." Her penchant for smithcraft led to her association by the Romans with Minerva/Athena. As a warrior Goddess, She favored the use of the spear or the arrow. Indeed, various interpetations of her name exist including, "Bright Arrow," "The Bright One," "the Powerful One" and "The High One," depending upon the region and the dialect. As a Goddess of herbalism, midwifery and healing She was in charge of Water as well as Fire. I don't beleive that anyone has ever counted all teh vast number of sacred wells and springs named after or dedicated to this Goddess. A story is told of how two lepers came to one of her sacred springs for healing and She instructed one Leper to wash the other. The skin of the freshly bathed man was cleansed of the disease and Brigit told the man who was healed to wash the man who had bathed him so that both men would be whole. The man who was healed was now too disgusted to touch the other Leper and would have left him, but Brigit herself washed the leper and struck down the other arrogant fellow with leperousy once more before he could leave. Offerings to the watery Brigit were cast into the well in the form of coins or, even more ancient, brass or gold rings. Other sacrifices were offered where three streams came together. Her cauldron of Inspiration connected her watery healing aspect with her fiery poetic aspect. Brigit is clearly the best example of the survival of a Goddess into Christian times. She was cannonized by the Catholic church as St. Brigit and various origins are given to this saint. The most popular folktale is that She was midwife to the Virgin Mary, and thus was always inviked by women in labor. The more official story was that She was a Druid's daughter who predicted the coming of Christianity and then was baptised by St. Patrick. She became a nun and later an abbess who founded the Abbey at Kildare. The Christian Brigit was said to have had the power to appoint the bishops of her area, a strange role for an abbess, made stranger by her requirement that her bishops also be practicing goldsmiths. Actually, the Goddess Brigit had always kept a shrine at Kildare, Ireland, with a perpetual flame tended by nineteen virgin priestesses called Daughters of the Flame. No male was ever allowed to come near it; nor did those women ever consort with men. Even their food and other supplies were brought to them by women of the nearby village. When Catholicism took over in Ireland, the shrine became a convent and the priestesses became nuns but the same traditions were held and the eternal flame was kept burning. Their tradition was that each day a different priestess/nun was in charge of the sacred fire and on the 20th day of each cycle, teh fire was miraculously tended by Brigit Herself. There into the 18th century, the ancient song was sung to her : "Brigit, excellant woman, sudden flame, may the bright fiery sun take us to the lasting kingdom." For over a thousand years, the sacred flame was tended by nuns, and no one knows how long before that it had been tended by the priestesses. In 1220 CE, a Bishop became angered by the no-males policy of the Abbey of St. Brigit of Kildare. He insisted that nuns were subordinate to priests and therefore must open their abbey and submit themselves to inspection by a priest. When they refused and asked for another Abbess or other female official to perform any inspections, the Bishop was incensed. He admonished them to obediance and then decreed that teh keeping of the eternal flame was a Pagan custom and 6rdered the sacred flame to be extinguished. Even then, She remained the most poular Irish saint along with Patrick. In the 1960's, under Vatican II modernization, it was declared that there was insufficient proof of Brigit's sanctity or even of her historical existance, and so teh Church's gradual pogrom against Brigit was successful at last and She was thus decanonized. It is very difficult to obtain images or even holy cards of ST. Brigit outside of Ireland anymore. Her festival is held on Febuary 1st or 2nd. It corresponds to the ancient Celtic fire festival of Imbolc or Oimelc which celebrated the birthing and freshening of sheep and goats (it really is a Feast of Milk). This festival was Christianized as Candlemas or Lady Day and Her Feast day, La Feill Bhride, was attended by tremendous local celebration and elaborate rituals. Her festival is also called Brigit. Brigit (the Goddess and the Festival) represents the stirring of life again after the dead months of the winter, and her special blessings are called forth at this time. Since She was booted out of teh Church for being Pagan, it is incumbant upon us Pagans to restore Her worship to its former glory especially those of us of Celtic ancestory. Here is an ancient rite to invite Brigit into your home at the time of her Holiday: Clean your hearth thoroughly in teh morning and lay a fire without kindling it, then make yourself a "Bed for Brigid" and place it near the hearth. The bed can be a small basket with covers and tiny pillow added as plain or fancy as you like. If you have no hearth, you can use the stove and put the bed behind it. Then at sundown light a candle rubbed with rosemary oil and invite Brigit into your home and into er bed; use the candle to kindle your hearthfire if possible. Make your own poem to invite Her or use the ancient song mentioned earlier. Let the candle burn at least all night in a safe place. You might even want to begin the custom of keeping the eternal flame; it is a popular custom in some magickal and Wiccan traditions. AFter all, it's up to us now to keep the spirit of Brigit alive and well for the next thousand years at least!!! Brigid is not really a Celtic Mother Goddess. She is generally considered a Goddess of fire/smithcraft, of poetry and of healing. One of her roles is as midwife, but although she has a son, she is not usually seen as a mother. I don't know any books that deal specifically with Brighidh, but please look for a book called "Celtic Mythology" by Proinsias MacCana and for "Gods and Heroes of the Celts" by Marie Lousie Sjoestadt for more information about Celtic deities. They are both VERY good sources. Brighidh is a Goddess of healing, smithcraft and poetry, brewer of mead and ale, a lawgiver, a midwife, supposedly daughter of the Daghda, mother of the poet Cairbre, and of the Gods Brian, Iuchar and Iucharba. She was transformed into a Christian Saint and became the foster mother of Christ. Some sources say that the healer/smith/poet were embodied in one Goddess, other sources claim that she was three sisters, all named Brighidh. Her holy day falls (on our calendar) on February 2nd (I wonder if She likes groundhogs...) called Imbolc, Oimelc or Lady Day. Candles are blessed that day in the Catholic churches. By: Ido To: Teakan Re: Somethnig about Brighid: Brigit/Brigid/Bride was the daughter of Dagda. She was the proctector of the poets, the forge and the healing persons. Her son Ruadan, which she had with Bres, was killed by Goibnui. For her died son she sounds the first kenning of Eireland. She also was put into the cult and the person of Brigit from Kildare, which made the first female parish after Christianity falls into Eireland. The convent of Kildare has had a neverending fire, which was protected by the sisters of the parish. The saint Brigit is the second patron saint of Eireland. within the scottish tradition Brigit belongs together with the time of the year "Season of the lambs" and the comming of spring. Brigit overcomes the control of the Cailleach Bheur. THE FINER POINTS OF RITUAL: A Comparative Approach to Liturgical History, Theology and Design ======================================= A Heartland Pagan Festival Keynote Address by Mike Nichols Participants: Morning Glory Zell Otter Zell Rhiannon Bennett Carolyn Clark Eldoreth Grey Squirrel Anahita Morwen Chris Dix other audience members not identified [NOTE: This transcription was made from an audio tape dub of a videorecording of the event. The microphone placement made some of the comments from the audience unintelligible, and those sections were omitted. In some cases, the comments were picked up but it was impossible to identify the speaker. Because of the lack of visual cues, it is also possible that some of the speakers are incorrectly identified. To improve readability, some very minor editing was done.] Rhiannon: I'd like to introduce someone whom we are really proud to have in our community. He has been involved in Witchcraft -- in teaching free Witchcraft classes -- for over eighteen years now. He is also a teacher of parapsychology at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He owns the Magick Lantern, which is our occult bookstore here in town -- the ONLY occult bookstore we actually have here in town. He's very instrumental in introducing people to Wicca through his classes -- over 6,000 people! Granted all of them didn't decide to stay with us, which is fine. But think how many myths that helped shatter, and helped to make us a valid religion in some people's eyes. And a lot of times, that's what we need. Every time I say something about a particular speaker, people say "Well, what has he written? What has she written?" Books are really wonderful but, as I'm sure you've read, there are some good books, and there are some mediocre books, and there are some that are pure trash out there. Just because they say they're a Pagan writer doesn't mean a thing. Sort through and pick out the good stuff. People like Mike help us go through and figure out what's real and what's not real. And then help you decide, even out of what's real, what's real for you. So I'm really proud to have him in our community, and I'd like to welcome him. (APPLAUSE) Mike Nichols: I hope you don't mind if I do this sitting down. I want to present it more like a workshop than a standard lecture. First of all, I want to start out with a few thank you's. I just want to say a personal thank you to Rhiannon who has acted as liaison between the Heartland Spiritual Alliance and the Magick Lantern, which was sometimes a difficult and thankless task, but she's done it well. When I saw her stand on the chair in the hall last night and scream "TWO pieces of chicken! ONLY two!", I thought I've never seen anyone look so much in their element. (LAUGHTER) So thank you so much. And not only to Rhiannon, but to the organizers of the Heartland Pagan Festival all together. I think they've done a wonderful job. Let's give them a hand. (APPLAUSE) What we're going to be doing in here is kind of an advanced class on ritual design, what we sometimes like to call liturgics. Before this is all over, we're going to be into such areas as liturgical theology, liturgical history, and liturgical aesthetics. For those of you who are local and who have taken my class, or seen me do speeches at psychic fairs and such, you will be happy to note that this is not recycled material. This is the very first time I am presenting any of this material anywhere. So I hope you enjoy it. I'm starting from the premise that most people here are already fairly well advanced in Paganism and have gotten to the point where they already know about ritual and realize why it's there, why there is a need for it, and are beginning to ask other questions about ritual. What does it take to make a "good" ritual? What kind of elements do you need to have, what kind of order, what kind of structure does a ritual have to have to work? Are there certain things a ritual needs to work? How can you tell if a ritual has worked? And questions like that start happening only after you've been into it a little while. If you are new to this whole area, and really are not that conversant with why ritual is used anyway, let me just gloss that point by saying there are a couple of really good books that I think give you a good understanding of that. One is "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk. Another is "Drawing Down the Moon" by Margot Adler. I think either one of those would inform you as to why Witches use ritual in the first place. The need for ritual is sometimes one of the most difficult things for newcomers in this area to understand because quite often, if they've been brought up in a religious tradition that downplays ritual, for example, (and many Protestant religious traditions say that ritual is only so much gobbledy-gook, etc., that there's nothing to it), it's a real stumbling block for people to understand why the ritual is there. I've noticed that people with Roman Catholic backgrounds or a background in Judaism seem to have a better grasp on what ritual is there for and what it accomplishes. When we get into this kind of work, let me just say that much of my talk here today is going to be highly speculative, highly theoretical, and please do not take it as a final position paper on anything. It is at best a preliminary report on work in progress. We're going to do a lot of comparative liturgics as a way of understanding our own ritual development. When it comes to ritual or liturgy -- whichever word you want to use, and I'm going to be using them interchangeably -- it has always seemed to me that liturgical theology should be on the cutting edge of theological concerns in Paganism. There are many religious writers who believe that religions basically have three dimensions -- any religion. First of all, it's theology: what are it's beliefs? Secondly, it's social structure: how does this religion impact on the world around it? And thirdly, it's ritual: what do the people do to express their religious values? It has always seemed to me that within Paganism in general, and Witchcraft certainly in particular, it is the liturgical dimension that is the most often in focus. Theology I think has been rather slow. It is developing, Pagan theological concerns, but it's developing late. If you read Starhawk and Adler and people like that, you're beginning to see the beginnings of Pagan theology. As far as the social dimension, there was a time of course when Paganism had a social dimension, when most people were Pagan. But for the last couple of thousand years we have been a minority religion -- a very small minority in some cases. And I think because of that we don't yet have a very strong sociological impact. But that too may be changing, through festivals like this, when Pagans start gathering in big enough numbers to start talking about such things as social change. For example, at one of the workshops we had the other day, somebody suggested that one of the things Pagans could do to increase their visibility and positive image in the community is to take on community projects like answering telephones for the local public TV telethons. Yes, this is our local Coven on the phone lines! (LAUGHTER) Or this is the local Coven who have all decided to go down and do a park clean-up on a particular day. When we get enough people doing stuff like that, then Witchcraft will have its social dimension. In the meantime, the strongest dimension I think for most of us is the ritual, is the liturgy. When you tell somebody you're a Witch, the first thing they ask you is "What do you do?" -- not "What do you believe?" or "What is your impact on society?" -- but "What do you do?" They want to hear about your rituals. I think that's exactly why Stewart Farrar titled his first book on Witchcraft "What Witches Do". So we've got to start looking at what we do, in terms of ritual and how ritual has developed. However, when it comes to trying to study liturgy in modern Paganism, you are immediately arrested by the fact that there is no coherent study of it. Yes, there are books of rituals. Sure, you can buy a spellbook here, a grimoire there. Marion Weinstein has published a Book of Shadows. The last half of Doreen Valiente's book is a Book of Shadows. Scott Cunningham's got books of spells, etc. But is there any systematic study of all this stuff put together? No. Not so far. I think the reason is because development has been so rapid. All of this stuff has come along so fast that people have not had a chance to assess it and evaluate it, and ask significant questions about it. Consequently, both the scholar and the lay person really don't have very many places to go when it comes to this. There are a few things though that you can say about religious ritual. First of all, religious ritual is a human experience, a very universal human experience. It is as real as fear, and as important as love. It has a meaning of its own. It is not some sort of aberration or distortion of reality. It is an injection of new meaning into the reality around you. There is hardly a culture in the world that has not developed its religious rituals. And sometimes by looking at religious rituals of other cultures, we can begin understanding our own better. That's one of things I'm gonna try to do here. There's a strange continuity, a sameness when you start looking at different rituals, that pervades all of them. We find that rituals, for example, are transpersonal and transcultural. People seem to experience the same types of things no matter where you look all over the world. In looking at liturgical theology, I have been doing an awful lot of work in terms of comparative study. Because the only group of people who have systematically writing about liturgical theology for any length of time are the Christians. Does this have anything to say to us as Pagans? Perhaps it does. Reason: I think most Pagans are by now well aware of the fact that the Christians have borrowed a heck of a lot from the old Pagan religions. For example, it's commonly known that the old Pagan holidays served as models for Christian holidays, so that the modern Christian liturgical calendar is to a great extent based on older Pagan themes. And ironically, sometimes you can look at what Christians have written about these to find out still more about the Pagan themes that underlie it. A second area where this is true is what we call hagiography, the study of saints. So many of the saints in the rites of the Roman Catholic Church are in fact simply Christianized forms of old Pagan gods and goddesses. So we read about the legends of these saints, and we learn a little bit more about the gods and goddesses underlying those legends. I think Pagans generally realize both of these points. What Pagans do not generally realize is that it is the same as far as liturgical ceremonies go, too. When you get right down to it, Christianity -- especially the way the Roman Catholic Church developed in the early years of Christianity -- borrowed most of its liturgical traditions from the Pagans. I mean, if you ever stopped and thought about it... For example, within the Roman Catholic Church, there are certain rituals known as "sacraments", right? Do you realize that is a Pagan word? Sacrament comes from the Latin "sacramentum" and was an oath given by a Roman soldier to his gods. It was a ritual setting. We might be well advised once again to reclaim the word sacrament and use it as our own. According the Catholic Church, a sacrament is an "effective" ritual, which means that it produces an objective effect. This is not just a symbolic commemoration of something. This is something that actually produces a change in reality. This beginning to sound familiar? Other things which we have long considered primarily Christian -- Again, I'm going to be drawing this almost exclusively from the background of Roman Catholic liturgics, which is one of the ones that is most developed. The High Anglican would be another good source if you wanted to look into this. The practice of "genuflection", of bowing on one knee, originally a Pagan practice. The practice of kissing ritual tools. If you were in a Catholic church, did you ever see a priest pick up a Missal at Mass and kiss it, put it on the altar? The same way a priestess will sometimes kiss her athame after she's used it for an invocation? Yet another custom borrowed by the Christians from the Pagans. So it seems real obvious to me that we could look at the whole question of sacramental rites, and ask what have the various Christian writers had to say about them in terms of how they work, in order to find out what Pagans probably also originally believed about rites and rituals. Although at a later time the Catholic Church would limit the number of official sacraments to be only seven in number, at an earlier time this was not true. Anything could be seen as a sacrament. A blessing was a sacrament. A holiday, a sacred object, all of these things could be considered sacramental in what they did. As a matter of fact, the first use of the word "sacrament" within a Christian context was not until 210 C.E. and it was by the Church writer Tertulian. He was the first one to use that word in a Christian context, and when he did so, ironically, he accused the Greek mystery religions of having stolen that word from the Christians. Obviously, it was precisely the other way around. Although today the word sacrament refers primarily to only seven ecclesial rituals within the Catholic Church, all of which -- or at least six of which -- have parallels in Paganism, the word "sacrament" is still used in comparative theology in a much broader sense. Basically, it refers to any hidden reality, any sign or symbol of a hidden reality that is mysterious and sacred. I could be a person, a place, or a thing. Any of these things could be considered sacramental. From the point of view of Pagan theology, by the way, with its strong emphasis on the theological perspective called "immanence", the in-dwelling quality of the divine force in all of nature, for a Pagan practically anything can become a sacrament. Every rock, every tree, everything is alive with magical and sacred powers which a Pagan can get in touch with and from there connect with the entire universe. That's what a sacrament is. There have been, historically, at least two ways of viewing rituals and sacraments. The first is the way as practiced by social anthropologists. For example, one of the most famous of these was proposed by Arnold van Gennep, who was the first to come up with the idea of rituals being, as he called them, "rites of passage". He would point to something like a marriage rite, and we can find rites like that in practically every society. And he would say that the reason this ritual was important for this society is that it marked a transition for one member of the society from one social role to another. From the status of being unmarried to the status of being married. In many societies, kids when they hit the age of puberty go through a rite of passage. This is an official recognition by the society as a whole that this person, who was once considered a child, is now considered an adult and has adult responsibilities. Van Gennep originally thought that practically all religious rituals were rites of passage. Later social anthropologists have pointed out there's at least one other major class or rituals. And this is not a rite of passage but what we call a "rite of celebration". Very distinct from a rite of passage. In a rite of passage, we talk about a person's transition from one social role to another. In a rite of celebration -- let's take for an example a wedding anniversary -- nothing is changing here. We are simply looking at something which has a permanent value and belief structure, and we are celebrating it. We are focusing on it. We are saying this is important to us. And we're going to have this ritual to let everybody know how important it is to us. A rite of passage is a rite of transition, but a rite of celebration is a rite of intensification. It intensifies the values and beliefs that are already present. That was one of two ways of classifying religious rituals. The other is the psychological approach. And probably the best writer in this field is Mircea Eliade. He called sacramental rituals -- he had a wonderful phrase for it -- he called them "doors to the sacred". Every sacramental ritual, he said, is an invitation to a religious or sacred experience. An invitation, which you may accept or not. You can either let yourself become a part of a ritual or not. You can make up your mind to distance yourself from it. But its basic design, the basic reason for a sacramental ritual is to give you an invitation to have an experience of the sacred. Which Eliade calls a "hierophany", an experience of the sacred. Practically all of these experiences involve altered states of perception, in terms of an altered sense of time and an altered sense of space. And we all have these understandings. For example, to most of us a tree is a tree. But what about the tree that you had your treehouse in when you were a little kid? That tree is special. There is no other tree like that tree anywhere else in the world. It is sacred. A funeral home -- you see them on every other street corner; they're just a building. Except the funeral home that you attended your grandfather's funeral in. You walk into that funeral home and space seems different. It is charged with a meaning that normal space -- a normal other funeral home -- does not have. Time is the same way; the sense of time can change. Anniversaries, celebrations of New Year's, celebrations like that take us back to a time that's kind of outside of time, if you will. And once again, charges that time with a special meaning. Time may even seem to pass differently. I think for me the best expression of this has always been in fairy tales. When somebody goes into the next world, the world of faery, and experiences the passage of time differently. So all of these -- what Mircea Eliade calls "hierophanies" -- all of them have to do with altered states of perception, which include both time and space. This is remarkably similar, by the way, to Dion Fortune's famous definition of magick, the "ability to alter consciousness at will". We're obviously talking about the same kind of thing here. Most hierophanies, the great majority of them, are individual. They are personal. Whether it's watching a sunset, visiting a sacred place, walking up to Stonehenge and standing in the center of it (and having the same feeling you had as you stood in your last magic Circle), this is sacred space. This is an individual and personal experience. But these religious experiences can also be shared. It happens when we sing the national anthem. It happens when we sing the old school song. It happens when a group of us gets together to go see a dramatic or theatrical presentation. In this case, we open ourselves collectively to an experience of the sacred. Which again is what a sacramental rite is all about. One other interesting thing about these experiences is that it is almost universally experienced that the high charge of meaning that is found in the rite is experienced as "discovered" or "encountered". It sort of dawns upon you. "Oh wow! That's what this is all about! Yeah, I get it now!" It's not something that is artificially enforced on the ritual from the outside. It should grow organically from the ritual. It's interesting to note that in Judeo-Christian tradition, this sacredness is quite often found in history. In the historical development of a God that interacts with a "chosen people" throughout a period of history. Whereas in Pagan theology, sacredness is most usually found not in history but in nature. That every tree, every rock, everything is alive, that you can get in touch with it, that it has a magical and sacred essence and you can interact with that, and get in touch with the Cosmos as a whole through that. It's interesting to note, too, that because of this the Judeo-Christian tradition places a very strong emphasis on sacred writings, or scripture. Whereas many of the old Pagan religions -- taking the old Druid religion as a fine example -- made it forbidden to write down sacred material. Druids teach it, bards sing it, dancers dance it -- but you don't write it. They realized it was too sacred for that. So we have these very definite distinctions in terms of how we've approached these sorts of things. Another way of looking at a ritual is this: Most of us are familiar with the way a myth takes the values and beliefs of a religion and embodies them in story form. A ritual takes the values and beliefs of a religion and embodies them in actions. That's why quite often a ritual is a myth enacted. Ritual drama, for example. As I said at the beginning, I think many Pagans are aware of how Christians have borrowed from us in terms of calendar customs, and how they've borrowed our gods to use as their saints. But we've seldom examined how the Christian religion has borrowed our sacred rites. They have. The Catholic Church now recognizes seven official sacraments. And virtually all of them -- or at least six of them -- have Pagan origins. First of all, the rite called "Baptism". That's the first ecclesial ritual in the Roman Catholic Church. Or "Christening", as it's sometimes called. It turns out once again that practically every "primitive" culture has similar rites of blessing of a child. In ancient, pre-Christian, Pagan Celtic society, there was a similar rite. It had to do with sprinkling a child with water, passing the child through the smoke of a fire, passing it through a hole in a stone or else touching it to the earth (getting in all the elements here), and quite often passing the child around a circle, handing the baby around so that each person in the circle gets to hold it for a short time. If you want descriptions of this taken from people who seem to remember these pre-Christian ceremonies, look at the work of folklorist Alexander Carmichael in the six-volume set, the "Carmina Gaedelica". Some of these rites had been Christianized, of course, even at the time Carmichael was taking them down. But a lot of their Pagan origins are still very clear. In Pagan Celtic society, by the way, this rite was called a "seining". Which I would like to propose as a much better term for this kind of rite in Paganism than the more recently coined word "Wiccaning". I oppose that terminology for two reasons. One, it's obviously a word that was coined recently to be a counterpart to the term "Christening". So the word itself is not historically attested. Secondly, think of what it implies! When you "Christen" a child, you are introducing it into the body of Christ, the Church. You are making it a Christian. I don't think that any Witch thinks that "Wiccaning" a child is making that child a Witch! I've never heard any Pagan put it that way. At the very most, you are blessing the child, asking the gods' protection for this child "so that no harm comes to the child, or to anyone else through the child" (as it is commonly expressed) until such a time as that child is able to choose its own religion. We do not attempt to make that choice for the child. It is simply a rite of blessing and protection. Strangely enough, that is exactly what the word "seining" means. And therefore I think it's much better than the alternative "Wiccaning". The Christian religion also has a sacrament called the "Eucharist". By the way, if ever anybody challenges you that the Christian religion doesn't employ magic, take a look at what the Catholic Church has to say about the sacrament of the Eucharist, or what they call "the blessed sacrament" -- THE blessed sacrament. The official term for what happens is "transubstantiation" -- that the priest actually has the power to turn common bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus! If that isn't a magical act, I don't know what one is! Although the Church would be loath to use the word "magic" in this context. But we certainly understand what it's all about. The idea of blessing food and drink, however, once again seems to be one of those universal rites. When people sit down to a shared dinner, a common meal, it is a rite of inclusion. Even in the early Christian Church, you were not allowed to partake in the Eucharistic meal unless you were already a member of that church. So the fact that in the Wiccan tradition you share "cakes and ale" would imply an inclusion in the membership of that group. And of course, there are all the symbolic associations of food as sustenance. We also have the sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic Church. Which always sounded strange to me when I was growing up. You know, you're twelve years old now, and it's time for you to be "confirmed". It's almost like up until then you were only "tentative". (LAUGHTER) But now you're confirmed. What it really meant, though, was the person was supposedly old enough by now to make a free choice (cough) of which religion they wanted to belong to. And the bishop -- You'll notice here, by the way, that the proper minister for this rite is the bishop, not the priest. Although it is possible for a bishop to delegate the power to a priest. But the bishop comes and confirms you into this religion. Again, we have so many rites from so many Pagan systems that this seems to based on that are usually referred to as "initiation" ceremonies, or rites of passage, rites of adulthood. When finally the child is brought fully into the religious and social (in most primitive societies, they are the same) structure of the society and is now seen to be a full adult. So any first degree initiation could serve as a model for what the Catholic Church came to call Confirmation. Ordination. This is a right that ONLY a bishop can perform, in the Catholic Church. Only a bishop can make a priest. You'll notice that when we look at how initiation rites are traditionally done in Wicca, any priest or priestess can make another priest or priestess. And quite often, it looks like in the oldest rites, it also involved a kind of "laying on of hands". There was an imposition of hands that occurred in the Catholic tradition, as well. And until that time, a novice priest was actually told that it would be wrong or DANGEROUS for him to perform some of the priestly functions unless he had been made a priest! And there were all sorts of stories in the old days that only a priest could touch the consecrated elements. Only a priest's hands -- only consecrated hands -- could touch the vessels that held the consecrated elements: the chalice, the monstrance, the ciborium, and so forth. This almost implies to me, though it's never quite stated in this way, but it almost seems like there is some sort of real, tangible, psychic energy that is present. I remember being regaled with stories when I was a little kid going to a Catholic school where the nuns would tell these wonderful stories about how some poor person was kneeling at the altar rail waiting to receive Communion, and the priest comes along to administer Communion, and drops the Host. And the poor person reaches out to try to catch it, and at the first touch of this consecrated object, there is a tremendous flash of lightning, and the person is now a little pile of ashes on the altar carpet. (LAUGHTER) I don't think it's quite like that. But what it may be saying is that some of these powers, even within magical traditions or Pagan traditions, are tangible and do carry some sort of psychic clout. I don't think lightning is going to flash out of the sky and reduce you to cinders. But what we're saying is a metaphor, really, that there may be some kind of psychic backlash if you attempt to wield these magical energies before your training has been finished, before you're ready to handle them, before you understand what you're doing. In the same way that a good psychotherapy session, if it uncovers too much garbage from your subconscious, can throw you backward if you're not ready to deal with the stuff that's dredged up. For those of you who believe there is some sort of validity to the concept of "apostolic succession", the imposition of hands, it also may imply that, when one priest or priestess makes another priest or priestess, she is passing on a kind of MAGICAL SHIELDING as well. A protection, so that you will be able to handle these magical powers without any ill effect. For those of you who believe that the initiation tradition is valid. Again, if you want to see Pagan examples of that, look at some of the work done by Alexander Carmichael. There is a rite called a "shielding" where one person kneels, while a second person puts one hand under their knees and the other hand over their head and says "Everything that is between my two hands is protected and seined by the Mother". The Goddess has control of everything in this sphere. It's a passing on of this shielding, that until you have, it might be dangerous for you to experiment with these powers. IF you believe that's a valid idea. (We'll get into questions of validity in just a minute.) The Christian tradition of marriage, of course... Well, in every society that we know of, we have rituals that talk about people getting together. However, ever since the Judeo-Christian system has come along, we've been firmly locked into only one way of viewing marriage -- a monogamous way of viewing marriage, for one thing -- with very little latitude in terms of variability. If you look at the Pagan idea of Handfasting, if you go back to the Irish pre-Christian brehon laws, you will find that they talk about at least ten different forms of what we today call marriage. These forms include such things as marriage between two people of the same gender, marriage of more than two people (what today we would call a "group marriage"), marriages that only last for a "year and a day" or some other specified time (what today we might call a "trial marriage"), marriages that did not demand sexual exclusivity (what today we would call "open marriage"), "contract marriage", the woman keeping her own name, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial property arrangements. (If you've ever read about the great pillow-talk argument between Queen Maeve and King Aillil about who had the most property, you know what I'm talking about!) You know, it's fascinating to think that all of the so-called marriage innovations that occurred in the 1960's, that we thought were so mind-bogglingly new... nope! They were all there in the old Pagan form of this rite. They were *standard*, until the Christian form of marriage with its single theme, its monogamous monotheistic vision, it's vision of the one right and only way to do something, came along and knocked the older one aside. But again, the Pagan origins are obvious. The ecclesial sacrament called "Last Rites"... We have all sorts of what we call "death blessings" in the Gaelic Pagan traditions, to send the spirit on its way. For each person who dies, there is one particular person assigned to be the leader of these rites who from that time on is known as the dead person's "soul friend". This is the one who will carry out the rituals, remember them when Samhain comes around, set out the extra places at the table, etc. We perhaps have less historical data on the Last Rite theme than we have for certain other themes that we're talking about here. But it is still there. And again a reference to some of the early folklorists. The one modern Christian sacrament that I cannot really find an exact parallel for in terms of a pre-Christian precursor in Paganism is the sacrament the Roman Catholic Church calls "Penance", or "Confession". Isn't that interesting? The whole sacrament has to do with confessing your sins to a priest, who then absolves you of the sins. It is a whole thing of guilt, and release from guilt. Yes? Morning Glory: There were blood guilt rituals, because if you caused an accidental or even on-purpose death, you had to pay a wyrguild to the family. In the New World, the Aztecs had a thing where if you caused the death of someone, you became a surrogate for that person. So there were things like that. Mike Nichols: Okay, good point. I can think of an Irish example of that, now that you mention it. The Chucullain legend is a good example. Chucullain, who was originally Setanta, accidentally on purpose kills this very ferocious dog, and walks up to the gate-keeper and says, "I've killed your dog and I would like to replace him." And the gate-keeper says "Fine, there go some cats. Get busy." (LAUGHTER) I think that's where that joke started. Morning Glory: Samhain was also a time -- and Walpurgisnacht, especially Walpurgisnacht -- was a time when you took stuff from that year and purged it in the fire. And you would have to then go and get it straight with any other people inside the Circle that you shared. Mike Nichols: I noticed that in a lot of the Pagan traditions, the purging of one's "guilt" (and I think we're very misguided to use the term "guilt" here)... Morning Glory: Responsibility. Mike Nichols: Responsibility, right -- is a matter of making recompense to the person or persons who were wronged. It's not a matter of carrying around a guilt trip until somebody says "Okay, if you'll go through this ritual, you will be absolved." (unidentified): A couple of things I've run into recently, one was in a work of fiction. These three young girls rob this woman who later turns out to be a Witch. It's on this psychic journey where they have the bodies of these 12th century people. And one ends up a peasant. And he couldn't help but notice these weird little Pagan things that kept cropping up that these people had kept for centuries. And one of the things was that on the first day of Spring, the village priest preached a sermon that "dancing leads to damnation". Apparently, on the first day of Spring, all the peasants would go out and dance everything out. And that would really help them out. It got rid of all the pains of the Winter, someone had been murdered, and a baby had died of starvation. Otter Zell: There was a common form that I can't identify specifically, but it's a theme I've come across in a lot of anthropological studies. But it's the basis of what we call, not a "trial" really, but more like "mediation". If there's a conflict between parties about something or if someone feels they've been wronged by someone, then the parties would be brought together within the community of people, and everybody would have to tell their stories. Then they would ask them "What do you think would be a fair settlement? What do you think would be fair?" And this was just talked out in the context of the community of people, until everything was worked out to everyone's satisfaction. And we've used this ourselves in our Circle under such situations, and it's been incredibly effective, very powerful. And the ultimate, if this could not be worked out, there were several ways of dealing with it. The heaviest one was generally banishment, where the person would simply be sent away. And the next heaviest one would probably be ostracism, where the person would not be spoken to. He would be ignored, they'd pretend he didn't exist for a period of time. Highly effective. Of course, the more simple and basic ones would be working out appropriate compensation that everyone would be satisfied with. So there were these procedures, but it wasn't the same thing as "guilt". The concept of "sin" and "guilt", and the idea that you could go to a priest instead of the person you'd wronged, and that the priest could absolve your soul of guilt. And we still have that today, where you go to a trial, and the judge finds you "guilty" and he fines you or sends you to jail, but the person who's been fucked over is still fucked over. (LAUGHTER) Morning Glory: They don't get their money back that you stole. It goes to the State, for some odd reason. Mike Nichols: Exactly. These are things that I think we all ought to think about. What I'm trying to do in the first part of this presentation is to focus your attention on how we might be able to look at Christian liturgical rites to find information about their predecessors as to how they might have been done in Pagan societies. Because all of these things we've talked about, the so-called "seven sacraments of the Catholic Church -- if you look for data that Jesus himself instituted these things, you look practically in vain. Where in the world did the Church come up with these things? A great example of this, by the way (and it's an example I use in my class quite often) is this. For a long time, after I decided that I was going to be Pagan, I quit going to the Catholic Church because it didn't interest me. It might have been a mistake. One year while I was at college, I was home for Spring break (it was Easter) and my mother dragged me along to a service that happens on the Saturday night right before Easter, "Holy Saturday" -- which has to be one of the most liturgically rich occasions of the Church calendar. (If you want to see it even richer, take a look at the Orthodox traditions, the Greek and Russian Orthodox. They *really* know liturgics.) At any rate... I had forgotten how the Catholic Church blesses the holy water that it's going to be using in the coming liturgical year. But what happens, roughly, is this. The holy water font, which is usually in the porch or vestibule of the church, is brought up into the sanctuary and placed near the altar. And at one point in this particular Mass, the priest walks over to this large candle which is called the Pascal Candle. It is in place throughout the Easter season. It has little herbs stuck in it and so forth. He takes this candle out of its holder, walks over to the holy water or Baptismal font (which looks, from my point of view, remarkably like a large cauldron), and holds the candle over the font, and starts doing *this* with it. (demonstrates by plunging the vertical candle in and out of the holy water font) (GASPS OF RECOGNITION AND LAUGHTER) (unidentified): You're kidding! Mike Nichols: I'm NOT kidding. And after having studied Paganism, and I saw that, it was like I was seeing it for the first time. And I looked to the right and to the left to see if anybody else, you know, realized what was going on. I mean, I thought "Aren't there any *Freudians* in the audience?!?!" (LAUGHTER) There was not one flicker of recognition, not one flutter of an eyelid! I could not believe it! And I knew there and then that obviously the Catholic Church had not picked this up from Jesus. Where had the Catholic Church learned to bless water? From us. And where had the Catholic Church learned to do a lot of other stuff? From us. So, I think it is richly rewarding for us to take a look at what they have done in terms of liturgics. Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: "Pagans take back the rite!" (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Exactly!! Exactly. I like that! That'll be the title of my new book! (LAUGHTER) Morning Glory: There's another aspect of that, too, with the Host, the idea of consuming the body of the God. Sacred cannibalism was certainly a factor that this came from. The eating of the pressed grains of Dammuzi or Tammuz, the Green Man, the vegetation god, and the eating of the body of the god, that's definitely ours. Jesus was pretty much captured into the Tammuz cycle, and much that we're working with is still in there. Mike Nichols: I absolutely agree. And you'll notice that in all this discussion we've only covered the seven basic ecclesial rites of the Church. We're not even talking yet about all the little incidental things the Church calls "sacramentals", like the blessing of holy objects, the consecration of a church altar, the consecration of the church building. Where did the blueprint, where did the pattern for a lot of these rites come from? Morning Glory: Oh, on that note! The pattern of the church building itself. The idea of having a temple where you did your worshipping on the ground floor, and the basement is where you bury your dead, that is a universal ancient custom. And it's the same whether it's Chartres Cathedral or the so-called "palace of Knosis", which is a necropolis, actually. Otter Zell: You know, another thing that appears to me to be a sacrament is the concept of purification. And somewhere during the course of what you're saying, I was reminded of a custom of the purification of people who had returned from a war in ancient Pagan cultures. They basically had to pass through the holy women who, by making love with them, would purify and renew them and "take the war out of them". There have been some articles on this recently. Morning Glory: There is a great book out now called "The Woman Who Slept with Men and Took the War Out of Them". It's by some famous feminist that you've all heard of, and I can't remember her name right now. Mike Nichols: Sounds good! Okay, let's move on into the area of liturgical theology. What we've been talking about so far is liturgical history, the development of liturgical rites, and how I believe we must focus more attention on that historical development. But now let's take a look at liturgical theology, where we can start splitting theological hairs -- which is always so much fun! There are so many questions that have plagued Pagans for a long time, and I was *delighted* to find that some of these same questions had plagued the Christians down through the years. And it was fascinating to see what they had to say about it. Some of the greatest minds of the Catholic Church from St. Augustan to Thomas Aquinas, whatever other horrible things they may have done along the way, had some fascinating things to say about these issues. For example, why are some rituals done only once, like a seining, whereas other rituals are repeated over and over again? Take the Magic Circle itself, there doesn't seem to be any limit on how many times you can do it. Let's look at one possible answer. (But again, I'm gonna throw out more questions than answers here.) But one possible answer is that certain rituals, if properly done (whatever *that* means, and we'll get to that in a minute), have a *permanent* effect on the person who undergoes them. A permanent effect, an "indelible mark" as the old catechism says, that cannot be erased. Now, the question of how a ritual is to be done. How do you know if a ritual has been done properly? For example, does a ritual have an effect if there are no outwardly observable signs? Any of you who have ever performed an initiation rite, I think this has occurred to you. What happens if the initiation is all done, and the person sits there saying "I don't feel any different. Am I supposed to? Has anything happened to me?" And you will occasionally find people who have been High Priests and High Priestesses for quite a few years, who will perhaps talk more freely about it than others, and among themselves they will talk about whether an initiation "took". Did it "take"? Some of them will say that after an initiation has been completed, the rite was performed, the energies are set in motion, but it may not "take" until after another month, and so forth. That it may eventually take, but not right when the initiation was done. But the energies are there. Would you believe the same questions have been wrestled with by the Catholic Church? Especially in the early days of Christianity when the rite of Baptism was an adult rite, and it meant that the person was supposed to entirely change their outward behavior, totally give up certain things, and start believing certain things. What if a person went through a Baptism, which is supposedly a magical rite-- In those days, Baptism and Confirmation were virtually the same rite, and could only be done once because it was supposed to be effective the first time. Remember the whole question of the "heresy" of the Re-Baptists was on this precise point. If a person was baptized, that supposedly made them a Christian, which would supposedly end their career of "sin", in the eyes of the Catholic Church. But what if they went out and sinned again? What if they murdered someone? Should they get re-baptized? The Catholic Church said no, they should not be re-baptized because one Baptism is sufficient. The energies are already in place, but it didn't "take". But only one per customer for the rite itself. Now, it may be that the person was not "spiritually disposed" to receive the energies generated by the sacramental rite. There was some blockage, something stopping them from being receptive. We don't know what this is. That is perhaps one of the reasons the ritual of Penance developed the way it did. Because what do you do with a person who has sinned and yet wants to come back into the body of the Church? (By the way, certain people like the Donatists thought once they've sinned, they're *out*. We *don't* allow them back in.) (unidentified): My background was Fundamentalist, so I was baptized in the river at about 12. And every time I would leave and come back for a visit, all these people would want me to re- dedicate myself, come up and be re-baptized. Now, is that just a variation of the tradition? I'm trying to figure this out. Mike Nichols: Yes, it is a variation. When the Protestant Reformation occurred, one of the things that was most held up to scrutiny, in fact, was the way the Catholic Church approached the whole question of sacramental rites. One of the chief questions (which we'll get to in a minute) is whether or not the "worthiness" of the minister is an effective variable in the rite itself. Does a priest in a state of sin-- What if a priest has gone out and murdered somebody? He is in a state of mortal sin, supposedly cut off from God and the Church. What if he then baptizes somebody? Is that Baptism sacred? Is it valid? Or, as a Pagan may put it, is the power in the person doing the ritual, or is the power in the ritual? I think all of us have wondered this, right? I'll be talking about what some of the various Church Councils have ruled on matters of liturgical theology in a minute. But in this particular instance, the Catholic Church decided that the power was in the rite, in the ritual itself. It didn't matter whether or not the person conducting the ritual was in a state of grace or a state of sin. This is one of the things that Martin Luther took exception to. He felt that the spiritual "health", if you will, of the person performing the ceremony was a variable in how effective the ceremony was. And I'll show you in a minute why the Catholic position disagreed with that. Morning Glory: The thing about the Fundamentalist attitude about Baptism, it's not a one per customer attitude. And a lot of that has to do with the concept that's called "Baptism of the Holy Ghost", which is an ecstatic experience that is repeatedly craved and repeatedly done. It's like raising the power. So their attitude about Baptism is not that this is a sacralizing agent as much as it is an anointing for the purpose of raising power. Mike Nichols: Let me ask you a question based on that. If a person undergoes a rite of Baptism and doesn't experience this influx of whatever, Holy Spirit, then is it assumed that they were not baptized? Morning Glory: Not by the Holy Ghost. If you don't speak in tongues, then you didn't get the Holy Ghost. And that's the sign of it. And they'll keep at it until you get it. Mike Nichols: Ah! Okay, very good. The reason this ran into problems in the Catholic Church was because of the many priests who were declared to be heretical, in the Albigensens movement, the Cathari movement, etc. What happens if a priest, an *excommunicant* priest, performs a Baptism? Is that Baptism valid? The Catholic Church said yes, for a number of reasons. First of all, they developed two concepts: validity as opposed to legality. The sacrament, or the rite itself, was considered VALID in that it produced the desired effect on the person. Even if a person came from a heretical sect into the Church, they were not re-baptized. The Baptism only needed to occur once. It left an indelible mark on that person's spirit or soul. It didn't have to be re-done, right? However, that Baptism was ILLEGAL from the point of view of Canon Law. The Canon lawyers, the people who codified the ritual structure of the Catholic Church, would say that this was a VALID but ILLEGAL (or illicit) rite. The priest had no legal right to perform that ceremony. By the way, in the Catholic Church, under certain special conditions, anybody can baptize, including (are you ready for this?) a non-Christian! In cases of emergency. Morning Glory: Oh, for Last Rites and stuff! Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: Interestingly enough, in the house I grew up in, the crucifix opened up, and it had all the paraphernalia in it for Last Rites. Mike Nichols: Which raises some interesting questions for Pagans. You know, Whitley Streiber recently told that wonderful story about how he was taken by this group of people to perform some sort of "witchcraft" ceremony, and it turned out these people were Fundamentalists in disguise who did something horrible to a goat, sacrificed it or something, and went through this whole thing... Let's say, for some reason, that some Fundie took it upon herself to portray the role of a Pagan priestess and took somebody through a Pagan initiation. Is it valid? What if they copied the rites exactly out of whoever, Starhawk, Adler, Farrar, Gardner, whoever? (unidentified): "Valid but illegal". (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: What if the person who undergoes the rite has a wonderful experience? Let me suggest to you how the Catholic Church responded to that. It is valid for the same reason that a Baptism performed even by a non-Christian is valid because the person who confers the effects of the rite is not the minister, but God! So in this case, we could say it is the Goddess, or Whoever, who bestows that feeling on the initiate of having been initiated. And the minister's part was negligible. But that leads us into other problems, doesn't it? That's saying that the rite itself, not the minister performing the rite, is what gets it done. In the case of the Catholic Church, this concept was legally defined by the Latin phrase "ex opere operato", "by the work worked". In other words, it is the rite itself, the power was in the ritual, not in the person who performed the ritual. Yes, Otter? Otter Zell: Well, there's got to be criteria we're dealing with here. I mean, the fact that the Church decides what makes it valid, that seems to be beside the point. To me, the person who has to decide is the person who experiences it. I mean, if you say "Okay, Domine Domine, you're all Catholics now" and somebody says "Not me!", then they're *not*... aren't they? (LAUGHTER) (unidentified): If it's the Middle Ages, they're *dead*. (LAUGHTER) Otter Zell: They used to do that. The Church would come and they would just march an entire village through the ford, you know, and they would say "Now you're all Christians." And the people would say, "Wait a minute! I'm not a Christian. I'm going to continue worshipping Thor or Odin or whatever" (because it was mostly Scandinavian countries they did this to). How can you say they're Christians anyway, in spite of the fact they don't want to be? I mean, aren't we missing something here? Mike Nichols: I think you're right. And I think the whole focus of this is to start people thinking on questions about validity, and legality if it comes to that, in terms of Pagan rites. I am not for a moment suggesting we follow the Christian precedent in these matters. But they can indicate questions we need to think about in terms of what *our* response to that, as Pagans, should be. Here's another example. If the rite *itself* is effective... I bet any of you have gone through this. You have a student and you're teaching the student to do a ritual, right? How to cast a Circle for the first time. (Where's the sun? Okay...) Start in the North, start with your Sword, and say "Okay, student, now *do this*! 'Oh thou Circle, be thou a meeting place--' And you walk the thing out for them. You come back around to where you were and you say "Okay, did you see that? That's how you cast a Circle." And then you go "Wait a minute! Did I just cast a Circle?" We've all thought about that. Morning Glory? Morning Glory: Yes, but, yes, but when I have done this, or when I do a demonstration at all, I don't put the power out. You can even say the words, or you can walk it out, but you don't put the astral fire down. You don't lay down the astral fire. Unless you're showing someone how to lay the astral fire down, in which case... Mike Nichols: You're doing it. (LAUGHTER) Well, the same question arose in the Catholic Church, and the answer is remarkably similar. It came up this way. If a priest was teaching a novice priest how to say Mass, how to perform the Eucharist, and he actually pronounces the words of consecration, and unbeknownst to him there is a small crumb of bread on the table in front of him, is that now a holy crumb? Because the Catholic Church had by now decided, remember, that the power was in the ritual itself rather than in the person. So if the ritual is done correctly, the proper words are said (and we'll get into that in a minute, too: What are the proper words? What are the proper gestures?), that crumb now is "the body and blood of Christ", isn't it? Again, this took a lot of quibbling, but before it was all over the Catholic Church decided no, that crumb would NOT be the body of Christ because of one little thing that was left out. One thing that the minister does have to supply: "intentionality". Intent! The person performing the rite has to have the intent to be performing this sacred, magical rite. This was also true, by the way, of that non-Christian who was baptizing somebody. If the non-Christian was doing it as a joke, it would not be considered valid. However, if a non-Christian sincerely wanted to baptize somebody else as a Christian, and had that intent, and did the rite with all of its elements properly, that person was, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, baptized. Otter? Otter Zell: Now, here's a question that concerns a lot of us Pagans directly. A lot of us, when we were newborn babies and unable to speak in our own best interests, were baptized. (LAUGHTER) So, now, theoretically, once you're baptized, you're a Christian. Well, uh... How do you deal with that? I know I'm not a Christian. I sure don't feel like a Christian. Morning Glory: It's like getting a tattoo removed, or something. (LAUGHTER) Otter Zell: Is there any way to get un-baptized? I mean, what do you do about that? Dix: Even if you go through, as I did, a free-choice baptism, when you weren't screaming and protesting, then later on you decide that this is all bullshit, it doesn't exist, I don't believe in this stuff any more. Now maybe you're still a Christian in the eyes of the Church, but that doesn't matter any difference, because I don't care about the Church. (unidentified): Right, I was just wondering, is there some way the Church could recognize an way of un-baptizing yourself? (unidentified): There is. Sitting through their boring rituals. (LAUGHTER) Otter Zell: But if you're not a Christian anymore,... I mean, there has to be some way of dealing with that. (unidentified): Otter, in whose eyes are you not a Christian? In your eyes or their eyes? And at what point do their eyes start mattering to you? Whatever they consider has no bearing on you. Otter Zell: It's not a matter so much of whose eyes. I'm just kind of wondering, from the point of view of magical stuff, you know, how one would interpret this. I mean, I know I'm not a Christian and I'll certainly be happy to argue the case with any of you that might wish to do so. But from a purely magical, ritual perspective, if this magical ritual is done that has this effect-- *Does* it have this effect? Do all these people who were baptized, does that make them Christian? Or is it just bullshit? Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: Look at it this way, Otter. They stole almost everything from us anyway, so what difference does it make? (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: (laughing) What you are doing, and what we're all doing here, is beginning to develop questions about Pagan liturgical theology. We are breaking new ground here, is what I think. Well, I hope the word structure, if it has to be used at all, is used very advisedly. I think Otter has already suggested one possible Pagan response to this question, and that is that the validity depends to some extent on the person upon whom the rite is performed. That's one possibility. But what are all the ramifications of this response, this theological stance? Okay, there was somebody over here, yes? (unidentified): One point about what the Church was doing is that they had no competition. People were not given a choice, and the Church had the military to back them up. So that when they said "This village is now Christian," they *knew* that that village was not Christian. But they knew that, with no information and no rituals allowed or anything, that the great- grandkids would probably be Christian. Eventually they would be assimilated into what they wanted, into the type of person they wanted, because any radical would be killed. (unidentified): I think you could make an analogy between becoming un-Christian and getting a divorce. When I got my divorce, I didn't have a special ritual for that, but I needed that, that sense of closure, that sense of separation in a ritual form. And I think that could be developed very easily. And I think that also could apply to becoming un-baptized. Mike Nichols: Good. This whole things raises a very important question just from the psychological point of view for most Pagans. Do we *need* an un-Christening rite? (unidentified): From my viewpoint, when I was getting baptized, for some reason I swear to God I thought he was going to drown me, and I came up halfway through the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" which he snarled at me later for. So I sorta screwed up mine whether I knew it or not. (unidentified): On the question of Baptism, in the Christian church, in a metaphysical sense, Baptism is not all that's required for salvation. It must still be worked out within the Christian faith. If you do not work it out, then the Baptism is a ritual that has not been fulfilled. It's the fulfillment that makes you a Christian or not. Mike Nichols: That's exactly right. Good point. Ellen? Anahita: I have two things to say. One, regarding my Baptism, I had the opposite experience. I mean, I took swimming lessons, and they'd all prepared us, and I was ready to go under and hold my breath and come out transformed. And they did it so casually and so intellectually, it was like, okay this is enough. And the tip of my nose didn't go under! (laughing) My Achilles heel is the tip of my nose! So this is where I got to be Pagan! (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE) The other thing had to do with a Pagan ritual that we did that might have some applications in this, where we just recently formed a Circle from a Circle that had existed previously. And we did a ritual to very gently and caringly disband the other Circle in the best possible light and bring all the good things in. I would hate to see a Pagan ritual that just cancelled somebody's past, because however you come into Paganism is what you were, in toto, including your Baptism. And what many of us are mentioning, our religious experiences contribute to our ability to relate to the Goddess as a Pagan, because that's who you are. And if it was a fantastic Baptism, then so be it. I mean, I've had screaming, crying, evangelical services, and that's how I learned about spiritual ecstacy. Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: You know where they got that from. They stole it from Voudoun, historically. Anahita: They stole it from every place. But it was a real experience, you know, and that's your basis for comparison. Mike Nichols: Let me comment on that point. One of the big educational experiences I've had recently-- One of my dear friends here in Kansas City is someone you've all seen here in the last few days, Rhiannon, the one who stood on the chair-- She's a High Priestess that I respect with all my heart and love very much as a good friend, but we had never actually worked together until relatively recently. And I was astounded at the difference in our approach. She, coming from a very Protestant background, encourages you at every point in the ritual to speak from your heart, practically never do anything the same way twice. You know, you go to the Watchtower and invoke it using words that come into your head at that moment, etc. Me, with my stolidly Roman Catholic background, doing the same rituals and the same repetitive patterns almost mantra-like time after time and expecting the same results. We'll get into, if we have time, the pros and cons of these two approaches. Obviously, both of them valid approaches, right? Both of them seem to work for each of us. Vastly different. And obviously conditioned by our original religious upbringing. Yes? Morning Glory: I want to bring up this question of validity again. If you were initiated by a particular Alexandrian couple who shall remain nameless, as many friends of mine were, and this Alexandrian couple have repudiated their Craft credentials and have become born-again Christians, and they're going around on the circuit with their story of "I was a Pagan"-- All of the people that those people initiated-- It would be like the priests who went out and killed someone and then-- Mike Nichols: Or perhaps a better analogy, like the schismatic bishops who split away from the Church and continue to ordain new priests. Are those valid priests? Morning Glory: Exactly. Yes. Well, that is an issue that we as Pagans need to think about. Mike Nichols: You know, in all of this discussion, I am working from the premise that we are at too early a stage to formulate answers. But I think it's high time we started articulating the questions. Anahita: Well, I can speak to that a little bit, too. I just went to the 20th anniversary ritual for NROOD. And I was amazed, because I had a lot of contact with them about 13 years ago when they were a seven year old religion. And the *changes* that they have gone through in 20 years, I'm here to tell you, are just really amazing! I mean, they were light and free and it's so wonderful! Now, it's like, a lot of dogma. It *was* a wonderful ritual and a wonderful time was had by all. But they had changed some things in a very valid way, something that didn't work and was probably better this way. But 13 years ago, it was "Oh, those! Name it: Alexandrians, Gardnerians, Orthodox Druids, whatever! You just have to have enough stars in your hat to hang out with them." Well, now, guess what? You have to have enough stars in your hat to hang out with NROOD! (LAUGHTER) I mean, it's just really amazing. So, we can ask questions till we're blue in the face, but the answers are gonna be different in five years. Mike Nichols: I hope that somebody chronicles those changes as they go. They're going to be fascinating. Let me throw out another important question of liturgical theology. Is there a way to *botch* a Pagan ritual so that it is non-valid or non- effective, so that it doesn't work or *worse*, causes some kind of magical boomerang effect that causes some sort of detriment? For example, what if you teach somebody how to invoke the Watchtowers, and you only tell them about three of them? What's gonna happen in the Circle when they only invoke three? Is anything? Does it matter? Does anything matter? (LAUGHTER) I mean, does it, are there certain things that have to be there? Are there certain elements? From the perspective of the Catholic Church, for example, a Baptism had to have certain specific components to be valid. A certain set of materials had to be present: the water, the salt to put on the baby's tongue, etc.; a certain set of words had to be present; the minister who performed it had to be a valid minister (which, in the case of Baptism, could be anyone), and so forth. Let me give you a quick example. It's been quite a few years ago, but in my own Coven we were training somebody who was new as a priestess. She had actually been instructed correctly in invoking all four of the Watchtowers but, as it happened, when she took the four elements around, things were confused that night. It was her first ritual. And, somehow, something got left out. And a little bit later, during the Circle, we were doing some divinatory work, with a Ouija board. And please! In my tradition, we use a Ouija board for divinatory work. At any rate, halfway through the ritual, there was some kind of manifestation which at least a good portion of us saw. It looked like a kind of cloudy, dark hand had reached over the planchette. (I hate to be telling a bad Ouija board story because they're maligned enough!) (LAUGHTER) But this kind of cloudy-looking hand reached in over the Ouija board. And everybody sort of jumped back like they were shocked. And I think most people there were thinking, "What the heck is that?" But my first thought (again, maybe because of my religious upbringing) was "How did that thing get into a carefully warded Circle?" There should not *be* any extra energy or entity in here that we didn't call ourselves, or want! And I started going back over the procedure and realized that (in our system, it is the incense that represents the element of Air) this particular priestess had not taken the incense around the Circle at the time of the consecration of the Circle. So, from a purely legalistic point or whatever, the Circle had not been consecrated by the element Air. Which theoretically would allow some sort of sylph or air-related entity to get through. You know, it wasn't properly warded by all four elements. Can you screw up a rite? I mean, what things *have* to be present in order for there to *be* a Circle? And what things can be left out? What things can you change? What things can you *not* change? Yes, Carolyn? Carolyn Clark: I have a story that relates to that. One day a long, long time ago, when I was very, very new to the Craft, I knew a girl named Michelle who liked to dabble in Ceremonial Magick. And I knew a little bit about Ceremonial Magick. (Famous words: "I knew a little bit about Ceremonial Magick.") (LAUGHTER) So we did a Mars ritual. We did it on the right day, Tuesday night. And it was a little bit out in the country because Michelle was into cultivating certain controlled substances. And, in the middle of the ritual, there were red lights flashing in all the windows, and I thought "Oh, shit! It's the fuzz!" So we hurried up and finished the ritual, banished the Circle, looked out the window and... there weren't any cops there. There was nobody there. Mike Nichols: I think a very *common* experience of this sort, which most of us probably have experienced in the course of our magical training at one time or another, is how it feels to be psychically kicked in the head when power is not correctly grounded. (EXCLAMATIONS OF AGREEMENT) Right? How many can relate to that? Otter? Otter Zell: One that I've encountered a number of times in rituals I've gone to over the years, in particular with a group I prefer not to mention because Ellen has already done that (LAUGHTER) is this sort of arbitrary choice of directions. "Well, which way feels like East today?" And I've actually attended these things where with great pomp and ceremony someone will face the south and invoke the East. And then we'll maybe turn to the west and invoke the South. You never know where they're gonna go. Mike Nichols: There are actually instructions like that in some popular book on the Craft. Is it the Farrars? It actually says in it that it doesn't matter where the directions are as long as everyone agrees upon them. Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: They call that "consensus reality". (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE) Chris: It also raises the question of basic styles, and various traditions. I've been in this situation where I was doing some chakra work, and this person I was working with just didn't understand the symbolism. And I was in pain for days. Mike Nichols: I think the best analogy here is "small child with chemistry set". (LAUGHTER) Morning Glory: "Talking Wicca Blues", I think, is the final word on that. (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Yes, yes! Okay, but see, all of these questions all bear on the same point: What is really necessary for that ritual to be done effectively (and *safely*, in many cases)? What things about a ritual can you change without hurting the nature of that ritual? What things can't you change? Morwen? Morwen: I've seen a lot of recipe books and I've seen a lot of possible recipes for the same dish. If you're going to be attending a Circle where you invoke the four quarters, then you'd better remember to do the correct things at each one, or you could leave a gap. Just like if you're baking a cake, you'd better remember the baking soda, and remember to butter the pan. But if you're going to do a Circle where you're not going to do the quarters, you could invoke the magic Circle without even thinking about the four directions. Because you're invoking a magic Circle based on a different structure. Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: There was a guy at Pagan Spirit Gathering whose particular approach to Paganism was to get ideas from the old Celtic traditions. And he says he can't find anything that justifies the invocation of quarters, the quarter points. He was convinced there was no such thing as quarter points in the way the Celts practiced their religion. Mike Nichols: I might argue with that, based on their stone circles and such. But on the other hand, I'd be willing to bet that the way quarter points got into modern Wicca was through ceremonial magick. I don't think there's any doubt about that. Morning Glory: But isn't it interesting that Native Americans have the same thing in the Medicine Wheel? It may be that there's a certain universality in the four quarter points. Otter Zell: It also connects with the natural world. We're all trained in levels of metaphor and the magic Circle itself is a metaphor for so many different cycles. It's a metaphor for any cycle, and cycles can be broken up in different ways. But certainly the four-quarter system works awfully well on a planet that rotates around its axis, which gives you four directions. Mike Nichols: The basic question we're raising here is, can somebody just create their own ritual system from scratch? Or does it have to link up to the real world around us? Otter Zell: I've seen certain systems that are just made up out of whole cloth, and they're presented as valid traditions by the people who just make them up, and they're just somehow cuckoo. They don't feel right. Remember, there was this anti-astrologer guy running around, Owen Rachel, and he was anti-magic, and anti-Pagan and everything else. So then he came out with this book of weird astrology, called "Sky Triangles" or something like that, or "Sky Diamonds". And it was supposed to be his astrological system, and it was supposed to be more valid. And he just made up this weird bullshit, and none of it made any sense, and none of it worked. But he sold a lot of books. Anahita: But sometimes you can make up a system and it *does* work. And I loved your answer, incidentally, Mike. I didn't have to ask my question because you answered it. The way you were talking about it was, "In my tradition, it's important to invoke the four quarters..." And I thought, "Aha! But you can decide to have a Circle that doesn't use four quarters." Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: And even when you think you're making something up from scratch, you find out later that somebody else thought of it already. I created a magical ritual based on the "Silmarilion", which Mike and I actually performed. And it had six quarter points. And I found out later on that some Native Americans in Oregon and Washington have six. It was exactly the same thing that I did. I had up and down in mine. I had never heard of that before. Otter Zell: If you understand the concept of how the energy works, of how the elements of the thing work... It's like, you can make up a recipe yourself if you understand how to cook, if you understand how to season, and so on. You can get to where you're making this stuff up and it'll work. But if you don't understand the patterns and the elements that well... Morning Glory: "Small child with chemistry set". Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: It gives a whole new meaning to "Magic Chef". (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Let me bring this back to something here... As far as the final determination of the Catholic Church as to what consists of a valid sacrament, they came up with these things. And it might be interesting to at least note them, to see what we would have to say about them from a Pagan perspective. But to be a valid sacramental rite -- And again, this is magic in the views of the Ca-- I mean, they don't call it magic, but a sacrament to the Catholic Church is an "effective" ritual, meaning that it has an actual objective effect. Magic, in other words. So, a rite had to have what was called the proper "matter" and "form", first of all. "Matter" pertains to the materials used, as well as the gestures used. The "form" had to do with the words that were spoken. In magical contexts, you might think of this as the incantation, that part of the spell which is spoken. It had to be performed by the proper minister. Now, this could vary depending on the particular rite. Only a bishop could ordain a priest, but anyone could perform a Baptism, even non-Christians. And finally, it had to have intentionality on the part of the performing minister. So, in the view of the Catholic Church, it is impossible to accidentally, or inadvertently, perform a sacramental rite. That is not possible, from the point of view of Canon law. Now, I'm not suggesting that Paganism take this same approach. I'm just suggesting that we in the Pagan movement think about it. Canon lawyers were then assigned the task of codifying which things were needed for a particular rite. Think of the way rites were elaborated. You know, a Baptismal rite, in terms of Canon law, consisted of a very few things. Actually, it didn't even include the salt. Just the pouring of the water, and the speaking of the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." That was sufficient for the rite. Now, if you've ever actually gone to a Church Baptism, you know that it is elaborated endlessly. This thing can be carried out for hours if the minister wants to. But the only thing that's really *necessary*, the bare minimum requirements for a valid right, are just those words, and those elements, performed by the right minister, with proper intention. Interestingly enough, when the Catholic Church started doing this, it led to a kind of minimalist approach in terms of rituals. The priests had been taught that the power of the rite was in the rite itself. It only needed to have A, B, and C in order to be effective or valid. Therefore, they only did A, B, and C. And it didn't matter what kind of state of grace the minister was in. So they started rushing them through pretty quickly. This is one of the main things that Martin Luther took exception to, and it gave birth to the Protestant Reformation. Because priests had been performing these ceremonies almost by rote, with the bare minimum standards in terms of Canon law as to what was required for an effective or valid sacrament. Morning Glory: There was a lot of issue about that, especially in regard to marriage, whether a marriage was valid or legal. And whether the children of that union were legitimate or illegitimate depended upon how it was done, and whether there were elements that were missing. If somebody didn't say, or refused to say, "I do", for instance. Because lots and lots of women were married against their will. It's like in "The Princess Bride": "Did you say 'I do'?" "No, I didn't." "Well, in that case, you weren't." (LAUGHTER) Dix: What you were saying about elaborating a ritual... That brings up a question. When you are doing a rite, and you are adding more stuff, can you detract from it? At what point do the additions, the accretions that you keep adding on, where does it begin to take away from the rite? Mike Nichols: I know that certainly it can diminish the psychological dimension of a rite. I've seen so many examples where, say, you're doing an initiation tonight. Now that means, to me, the whole thing should focus on this person's initiation. It is *their* night. But somebody else over here has another spell they want to do, and somebody over here has something they want to do, and by the time the whole thing is done, it's this incredible mish-mash with no central focus whatsoever. To me, very bad in terms of liturgical design. Morning Glory: It's aesthetically piss-poor. (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Right. I meant to conclude this whole workshop (or whatever the heck it is) with a section on liturgical design or aesthetics, which we're just beginning to touch on. It's obvious that we won't be able to get into that too much, but I think it's good that we bring up at least some points about aesthetics. Yes? (unidentified): Yeah, but what if you have the proper elements of the ritual, and you do things in the right order, and you intend for it to be a magical ceremony, and it's just dead. No one's excited, half the people can't remember their lines, or are making them up on the spot without putting a lot of thought into it. There's no spirit there. Morning Glory: Their hearts are pure, but their theater is lousy. (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Yes. Good intentions is not a valid excuse for poor ritual. Absolutely. To me, well, I've often used a communications model for rituals. To me, like language, rituals have a certain grammar, a certain syntax that it needs to follow, a certain order. For example, let's say you're doing a Circle and it's a high holiday, so you're doing a typical holiday celebration but, as a part of that, you're also doing an initiation. When does the initiation come? Well, to me, it seems obvious that the initiation should come during the early part of the evening ceremonies so that, once that person is initiated, they may now participate fully in the seasonal celebration. Right? Rather that leaving them out for it, and doing their initiation at the end. So, it seems to me that there is sort of a logic of rituals, a grammar, a syntax, for doing ritual. Now, just because you learn the rules of that grammar (and I suspect there are some very definite rules that we could get into if I had the time), but just because you know the rules of grammar doesn't make you a great writer. Morning Glory: Persistence is nine-tenths of any art, not that it helps to be nine-tenths of an artist. (LAUGHTER) There's another part of this, which is the problem of the hodge-podge ritual. When you have conflicting elements. When somebody wants to do a ritual to heal the earth. And someone else wants to do a ritual to get prosperity for their Aunt Sadie. And someone else wants to do something to get a new house. And some things are really quite conflicting. One group wants to do a ritual to heal the earth, and so they want to put this mellow energy out. But someone else says, "Yeah, but we wanna stop those bulldozers that are coming in, so we wanna get this martial energy to zap their transmissions and make them fall out on the road!" And so then there's this conflict on how to approach things, and things can get really out of hand. Carolyn Clark: Where we see that a lot is where somebody will come to the Circle and say, "I really need to get in touch with the Demetre part of me." Or, I really need to get in touch with such-and-such god-form. And my response is, "Yes, you need to do that. Then, do it. But not at this Circle." Morning Glory: It's like chocolate icecream and limburger cheese. Mike Nichols: I find the same problem in combining elements from different traditions. That's a problem for me. Now, theologically, I might agree that all the names of the Goddess are merely different aspects of the same Goddess. Fine. But I still have a problem thinking, how is the goddess Demetre going to get along with the goddess Arianrhod or Cerridwen? (LAUGHTER) They're very different forms, and to me, well, another analogy I sometimes use is, let's say you're in a new home and you want one room of this home to be a library. You know you want certain things to be in that library, to make it a library. You're gonna want shelves for the books. You're gonna want the books. You're gonna want a comfy chair to sit in and read. You're gonna want a reading lamp near it. You're gonna want a library table, perhaps, or a writing desk. And so forth. But let's say you go out and you buy early American bookshelves. You buy an Edwardian writing desk. You buy Victorian chairs. You buy modern chrome and glass lighting fixtures. What you have is a library, granted, because all of the elements are there. But nothing fits aesthetically. It's like a ritual smorgasbord. To me, the elements have to fit together aesthetically in order to work right. (unidentified): I've tried to walk a fine line between Feminist and Traditional Wicca, because I like both. But how does this work for a solitary, or a person who has little access to a Coven? I've had a very hard time designing my own rituals. I found a little books that tells the elements on what goes in a ritual, and I try to follow that. Even though I may take a little bit from Doreen Valiente, because I like the way she says this one thing. But then the Farrars have a lot. And then I'll stick in a little Starhawk. But the thing is, they're all geared more to Covens. Now, does that make it invalid for a solitary? Mike Nichols: I would-- Please! Don't start asking me what's valid! (LAUGHTER) See, there's a danger in even discussing this because there's always a danger of falling into that trap. (unidentified): Is there a way to get in touch with other Solitaries? Morning Glory: There is a Solitary convention. Chris: Single rooms everywhere! (LAUGHTER) Mike Nichols: Scott Cunningham has a book coming out geared to Solitary Craft work. Let me answer the first part of your question first. I think it is possible to be eclectic and yet to avoid eclecticism within one particular ritual. Do tonight's ritual as a Celtic ritual, and next month's ritual as an Egyptian ritual if you want to, but don't mix Celtic and Egyptian in the same ritual. That's at least my point of view, my bias. I'm not saying that's some sort of dogma or rule about liturgics. It's my aesthetic, and I think aesthetics are important to ritual. Carolyn Clark: When you're working on certain things, when you're doing a very tight ritual-- For instance, if I'm doing a ritual to get in touch with that part of the Mother and that part of me which fructifies and causes creativity to flower, then I would probably call on all the Goddess names, all the aspects of the Goddess from all cultures, that do that one thing. Mike Nichols: Yes, I understand that completely. As a matter of fact, one of the forms I most love that I learned from the Roman Catholic tradition is that called a litany, a reading of a long list of petitions or names of Goddesses and Gods. And that is so effective in a Pagan ritual, especially if its done as a responsorial. That can build power like you just wouldn't believe! I use that quite a lot in my own rites. Let me jump to another subject which was raised earlier: the tension which exists between those things which are spontaneous in a ritual, where you just think up something to say on the spur of the moment, as the spirit moves you, as it were; or those people who follow rites that are very patterned, very repetitious, very rhythmic, if you will. Now, I was certainly brought up in that school of thought. And one thing that I've read recently, which I found to be a fascinating argument in favor of that tradition -- not invalidating the other, but in support of the repetitious tradition -- is that recent studies of the left hemisphere / right hemisphere brain split have shown something very interesting. Language, as you know, is a very linear system. And typically, that is a left hemisphere brain function. Anytime you are composing a sentence -- what I'm doing up here right now -- is very left hemisphere. Whenever someone is confronted with making up the invocation at each Watchtower, they are virtually working entirely left hemisphere. Whenever you are working with language, I was originally taught, you are working with left hemisphere. There is an interesting exception. Those things that are words that are commonly repetitious. When you sing a Christmas carol year after year after year, to the point you don't even have to think about the words as you sing it, your right brain hemisphere is operating just about on a par with the left, according to studies. Carolyn Clark: I do that with chanting. While my left brain is occupied with that, my right brain is free to do all kinds of other things. Mike Nichols: Right! It's sort of like a mantra. You know, for people from Protestant backgrounds, it sometimes comes off like, well, those Catholics just say their prayers by rote. "HailMaryfullofgracetheLordiswiththee." They can toss those off in no time at all. There's no power in it, there's no feeling in it, there's no spirit in it. The other point of view, however, is that the actual words themselves sort of take a back seat to the meaning, which is superimposed on top of those. And I can tell you from doing rituals in my life in the highly repetitive way, I feel like you, that it has freed my mind to go to perhaps deeper levels than if I had to do it differently every time. And by the way, notice how that's true in group rituals, too. If the High Priestess -- and I see a lot of this today -- she will not do the same ritual twice! And consequently, the entire Coven is sort of sitting back watching the High Priestess, saying, "Okay, what's she gonna do *this* time?" Never allowing them to really get into the ritual in a psychological way. When you're already familiar with something, like that Christmas carol, it enables everybody to participate fully, because they know what's going to happen, they know what to expect. They're not looking for changes in the script. Another thing that's interesting about that kind of repetitive work is that, when you do throw in a change, for a particular seasonal variation or something, it stands out. It stands out in contrast to the way you've always done it before. At a Handfasting, when you invoke the blessing of the Lord and Lady, instead of "onto ALL who stand before Thee", you say "onto TWO who stand before Thee", the changing of the words immediately focuses on the couple becoming handfasted. You hear that change; it registers. Anahita: But isn't that same thing true for an aesthetic, well-worded, channelled experience, that a Priestess may have? Mike Nichols: Yeah, but it sorta does put everyone else in the position of spectator. It becomes a spectator sport nine times out of ten. Or else, you are actively, consciously, left- hemispherically being involved in the production of this dramatic play. You're not getting to relax and simply experience the *known*, and the comfortable. And that's what I think we need to have more of. By the way, whenever you have repetition, you also have rhythm. And this brings in a whole different dimension. The drumming, the chanting, and everything else that goes with repetition. I think good ritual pacing has a rhythm of its own. Something else that we totally ignore these days in liturgical design is the use of silence, which can be VERY powerful. You know how something happens which is really meaningful and everyone's wowed by it, and somebody else just goes right into the next thing. Doesn't let you have the chance to absorb that at all. I'm not talking about that kind of deadly silence where nothing is happening and no one knows what to do. No. I'm talking about those quiet moments that really empower what you've just experienced. Yes, Eldoreth? Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: Well, as someone else who was "lowered" Catholic (as opposed to "raised" Catholic), there is a problem when you have something that is repetitious. Unless the person really wants to be empowered by this, what their mind is most likely to do is to think about anything BUT the ritual. At least as a child, I found this true. "Okay, time to daydream. It's the same old thing again." Mike Nichols: I think a great deal of the blame there has to do with the fact that as children, you were indoctrinated into this before the time you were ready to think about it. You didn't understand the rite. Nobody had explained it to you. You were simply going through the motions. To me, that's not magic, that's superstition. When you just go through the motions. It's just mumbo-jumbo. I don't want to run overtime, and we already are a minute or two. Let me just conclude by saying that what I feel we've been doing here is ground-breaking work. I was *delighted* to have a group of people already so involved and so experienced, to have made such wonderful contributions. I'd like to welcome you all as being, I think, some of the first Pagan liturgical theologians around. (LAUGHTER) And I hope you'll continue working on it. Thank you! (APPLAUSE) Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: Mike, I have an alternate title for your book. Mike Nichols: What's that? Eldoreth Grey Squirrel: "The Rite Stuff." (LAUGHTER AND GROANS OF APPRECIATION) Editorial: Web of Wyrd number 10 Julia Phillips During the Middle Ages, a great many men and women were put to death on charges of heresy. Nearly all of them were innocent of any crime; nearly all of them were guilty of no more than being a scapegoat for someone else's accusations and projected fears. Fortunately, today we have grown beyond such barbaric inhumanity - or have we? As a race, have we truly evolved, or is humanity still groping around in a mire of discontent, seeking for victims on which to project its fears and failures? If we consider the way in which the medieval witch was hunted, accused and held up to public condemnation, and then compare this process with the way in which modern society deals with its victims, then I would say that the human race has not evolved in the slightest. Consider: often for no reason other than he or she offended someone, a man or woman living in medieval Europe could be taken as a heretic, and with evidence (sic) being no more than hearsay, tried and found guilty of charges of which they were mostly entirely innocent. Their accusers were not interested in truth, but in judgement; and justice certainly had no role in their scenario. To absolve themselves of any blame in this autocratic process, the accusers made sure that public opinion was swayed against the victim. How? By publishing details of the "crime"(sic), which were then distributed to as wide an audience as possible. Students of English Literature will know of the enormous influence which the humble pamphlet cast on the population - which, despite high illiteracy, had sufficient numbers able to read aloud to a gathering in a town square. We all know how quickly rumour and innuendo spreads - any grapevine in any social group is proof positive of just how quickly information can passed along; and sadly, we all know that there need be no shred of truth in that information for it to be spoken about, considered, and accepted as fact. The medium of the pamphlet proved to be so efficient and effective that it developed, and in time became the newspaper, newsletter, and ultimately, the magazine. In all cases, the emphasis is upon the distribution of information to as large a number of people as possible. In all cases, those reading (or hearing) the information have a predilection to believe what they read to be the truth. Modern print is often no more truthful than that of a 16th century pamphlet, which might describe how a witch succumbed to the charms of the Devil, flew to the Sabbat riding on a goat, where she devoured unbaptised infants, and took part in many lewd and disgusting practices. Unfortunately though, having "read about it in the paper/magazine/leaflet..." most people assume that they are reading the truth, and are often willing to believe the worst. There are numerous examples of this process at work in modern society: in some countries, information is manipulated deliberately by politicians and journalists. In other countries - and I would include all of western civilisation in this - the manipulation is as pervasive, but less obvious. As the saying goes: "you can believe nothing you read in the papers but the date, and they sometimes get that wrong". Unfortunately though, people do believe what they read in the papers, see on television, and hear on radio, just as our ancestors believed that the woman led screaming to her death was a concubine of the Devil, a devourer of babies, and that she copulated regularly with her cat, or other animals. We are quick to condemn the Christian Fundamentalist for spreading lies and propaganda, but what about the lies and propaganda spread by Pagans and occultists? It offends my intellect to read of claims by self-professed witches of traditions handed down since time immemorial, or of secret arcane traditions known only to an elect few, but it offends my sensibility that these people, claiming to be following a spiritual path, have such contempt for Truth. We are no less human or fallible than our non-Pagan neighbour, but we are engaged in a continual search for Truth: both within and without. We are not perfect, but we do seek for our highest ideal, and we do strive ever towards it, no matter what our particular path. Therefore to me it seems a particularly unpleasant kind of action for a writer knowingly to misrepresent his or her background and/or experience, simply to acquire some spurious prestige. The editor of a Pagan/occult newsletter or magazine has an even greater responsibility, for rarely is the publication subject to professional editorial control, and yet it is generally fairly widely distributed, and its readers tend to believe what they see. As an example, we can look at the sad death of Scott Cunningham; within hours of his death being announced, the rumours that he died of AIDS were widespread. The fact that his family and his closest friends have stated any number of times that he died of meningitis is neither here nor there: to a great many people around the world, Scott Cunningham will have died of AIDS. Why? Because it was reported in Pagan magazines, and they can't be wrong - can they? Not only can they be downright wrong, they can also be inaccurate or misleading - sometimes deliberately so. I have seen newsletters recently where a matter best dealt with quietly, between those concerned, has been fought in the public arena using very much the same means as the medieval inquisitor. Defamatory and highly emotional printed leaflets, with scant attention to the truth, have been published and circulated throughout the Pagan/occult communities in the USA, Britain and Australia during the last year. Highly respected writers in Britain have recently been subjected to threats, with accusations and counter- accusations filling countless pages in pamphlets, newsletters, and magazines. What, you might wonder, has this to do with a personal quest for Truth? Very little, in my opinion, hence my remarks above that the human race appears to have made no progress at all in its essential characteristics in hundreds of years. The only difference is that today, we have far more efficient means of spreading the information to greater numbers of people. I have seen too many attempts at character assassination over the last year or so to believe that it is an isolated incidence, perpetrated only by one or two people. It has happened in Britain; in Australia; in the USA. The modus operandi has been identical in every case: an untruthful statement has been made about one or more individuals, sometimes supported by evidence (sic) of a spurious nature; the accusations have been published in print, or electronic media, and distributed to a wide audience. Even where the statement is so absurd, that no-one knowing the accused would believe it for a moment, those who do not know the accused are left wondering. This kind of trial by media is sick, and those who perpetuate it - usually self-professed "Pagans" - are, quite frankly, despicable. If we, as a community, are to come of age, then we must rid ourselves of these contemptible troublemakers. We can't stop them publishing their pamphlets, or typing out their lies, but we can ignore them, and stop giving credence to their venomous pens. As with the victims of the Middle Ages, the victims within our own community are being used as scapegoats for someone else's fears and guilt; the only way to fight this particular plague is to ignore it. Deprived of an attentive audience, the pamphlet bandits will soon give up and go away. PR Flyer By Raven This may answer some of the questions being asked about Wicca on PODSNet. If you print it up nice, it may also help in answering questions OFF PODSNet. Mind you, it is only ONE possible rendition; opinions are GUARANTEED to vary. About three years ago, I did a little PR flyer to hand out when Wiccans were doing public events (for instance, Beltane Maypole dancing in the local park) and curious passersby would ask just what the heck was going on. If you like the idea, use it -- and feel free to adapt it as needed, for your own group. Written 1991 by Raven. NO COPYRIGHT. This is placed into the public domain. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - What You Wanted to Know about Witches * * (but were afraid to ask) Q. Do you worship the Devil (Satan)? A. No, for three reasons. First, we don't venerate evil in any form: our chosen religion is a celebration and affirmation of life and living things, as opposed to their destruction or harm. As we believe that good or evil done will return upon the doer, this does not encourage doing evil. Second, Satan is a figure in Judeo-Christian beliefs -- originally not even an opponent of Yahweh, but more like his prosecuting attorney (as in the Book of Job). Those who do worship Satan actually accept the later Christian theology, with Satan as Yahweh's opponent, but choose to support Satan's side of the battle. We are not Christians or Satanists, and do not accept their theology or worldview, so we would no more worship Satan than, for instance, Christians would worship the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl; he simply has no place in our beliefs. (We prefer the figure of Pan, who does have horns but is a much nicer fellow.) Third, we think history shows that, if you invest belief and emotion in any idea or thought-form, you give it strength and power in your own life -- it becomes more real TO YOU. We have no wish to invite hostile entities into our lives and give them such power over us, which is why we don't venerate any form we consider evil. That's also why we're shocked to see how much energy some Christians invest in Satan. Q. Then why do I hear those things about you? A. "Devil-worship", baby-killing, cannibalism and all that? These are typical accusations made by one religion against another. The Syrians accused the Jews of ritual murders long before Christ; then the Romans accused the Christians (who at least claimed to be eating someone's body and blood every week); then the Christians accused the Jews and Muslims and every other religion; today different Christian denominations even accuse each other. Making wild accusations not only sells newspapers, and books, and movies; it helps drum up support for the Religion Of Your Choice. This is a cynical use of hate, fear, and ignorance, but as long as it works, it will be used. (And there will always be psychotics willing to live up to the image -- then claim "the Devil made me do it.") Q. If not Christian theology, what do you believe in? A. Life. We see the entire Universe, all matter and energy, as bursting with life, loving its own living parts -- including us -- and gathered in one eternal dance. We try to catch the tune and dance to the beat. Sometimes we call the leading dancers Light and Dark, or Sun and Moon, or the Lord and the Lady, Cernunnos and Ceridwen, Pan and Diana, or by other names. These represent the duality in all things -- male and female, yang and yin -- neither side of which can be denied or ignored, even within ourselves. (We hope this helps us avoid the error that some worshippers of a single deity have made, such as thinking that "since God is all good and God is male, therefore anything female or feminine is evil.") Our feeling about the Gods is that they are teachers, family members, and fellow dancers: not some untouchable abstraction infinitely distant, but an intimate part of our own lives. Our feeling about other religions is that they, too, are part of the universal dance: not enemies, but fellow strugglers seeking as we do, to live and learn to keep time with the music. Q. What is this ceremony you're doing? A. It depends on the moment. You may be watching a circle dance, or a Maypole dance, or a feast of "cakes and ale", or just a group hug. (We like to have fun.) Possibly, since you were handed this, you're watching us "cast a circle". That's one of our basic religious ceremonies. When we "cast a circle", we mark off a space as dedicated and protected for our use, rather like Christians consecrating a church. (The difference is, we don't need a building, and we let the space go back to normal after we've used it.) Within this circle, we ask for the protection of guardians -- call them the four elements of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, or the four archangels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel -- again, the names may vary. Then we invite the Lord and the Lady to be with us for a time. We have a nice visit, a little snack of cookies and wine (or fruit juice), and then everyone goes home. It's very friendly. Along the way, sometimes we ask for help with our problems, such as healing an injury or illness; if you believe in the power of prayer, it's the same sort of thing -- but we try to put our own energies into the task, rather than asking someone else to do all the work. Q. How will what you are doing affect me? A. If you're not participating, then probably no more than any other religious service you watch from outside. If you're shocked by other religions, you might choose to be shocked by ours. (Ours is just out where you can see it, instead of hidden by walls.) Or you might choose to accept our part of the universal dance as valid if different from your own. You might even choose to participate -- and people of good will are generally welcome among us. Even if you do participate, there's no reason to take any effect from our services that you don't choose to accept. Since -- for our own sakes -- we ask for nice things to happen, the biggest possible results involve no danger. If we ask for more harmony in the world, and your life becomes more harmonious, then you benefit from the same general effect as if a church's prayer for world peace had worked. (After that, if you don't like harmony, you could always work to make your own life more discordant; whatever suits you.) Q. Do all Witches practice the same way you do? A. There are about as many "denominations" of Witches as there are of Christians, and since no-one is forced to keep One True Orthodox Way, even a single group may do things differently from time to time. The two mottoes that apply here are "If it works, use it" -- and "AN IT HARM NONE, do as you will." Q. How can I find out more about you? A. Ask one of us. We're easy to talk with. Or read some books. Good books include Vivianne Crowley's WICCA: the Old Religion in the New Age, Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon, Starhawk's The Spiral Dance, and Raymond Buckland's Complete Guide to Witchcraft. There's also a lot of shocking nonsense and pulp fiction out there -- notably in movies, paperback thrillers, and the sort of newspapers sold at supermarket cash registers; we can only ask you to take anything you find there with a skeptical pinch of salt. (This was written in May 1991 as a general information handout for the use of the CUUPS group of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Please feel free to copy and adapt this for use by your own group.) The Coven By: Julia Phillips Wed 20 Apr 94 19:03 This article was written by me several years ago, but I thought it might be of interest here, as it discusses several issues relevant to modern Witches. Any thought or feedback most welcome! Please remember, that although the historical stuff is pretty general, the other parts of the article are my own ideas, and not necessarily applicable outside of my own tradition :) Covens and Witches In 1662, Isobel Gowdie of Auldearne made four separate confessions of being a Witch, and in the process, gave the word "Coven" to the world. Although there is no other historical evidence for this word, it has proven to be one of the most lasting facets of Witchcraft - ask anyone today what Witches do, and the answer will almost certainly include the fact that they meet in groups, called "Covens". So given that a number of modern Witches do, in fact, either run, or belong to, a Coven - just what is its purpose in 20th (and 21st) century Western Civilisation? Why has this word of such dubious historical veracity survived over three hundred years? Is there a place in our modern world for a social group which, as far as we know, occurred only in 17th century Scotland? The very fact of its survival for over three hundred years argues that there is a place for such a group. In my own case, I have been a member of, and run, Covens of Witches for a number of years, and it is a social model which fits extremely well within modern society. The structure of a coven varies, but generally has one or two leaders, and a number of members of varying levels of experience. In a sense, the modern Coven has replaced the tribal family, and its members often fulfill familial roles, which are no longer available to them in the family in which they were born. Some researchers have commented that many modern Witches come from a background which was disrupted; i.e., did not provide a safe family environment during their formative years. As I know a great many Witches for whom this was not the case, I think this is only a partial reason, and only for some people. Humanity itself seems to be inherently tribal; any common bond between people will generally result in the creation cults or sub-cultures, where those of a like-mind will bond together. They will evolve their own social order (generally hierarchical), have their own common language, and often are identifiable by their demeanour and appearance. Witches gather together in Covens for very much the same sorts of reasons; we are apart from general society by virtue of our beliefs and practices. Meeting with others who think and feel similarly to ourselves gives us the opportunity to share ideas and skills, as well as being able to practise our Craft. A modern Coven provides a family-style environment, where the "Elders" can, by virtue of their experience, give encouragement, support, and advice to those seek to learn about Witchcraft. As with all families, Covens have very unique and individual ways of approaching this. Just as no two families are the same, neither are any two Covens. Some Covens are run by people with an academic bent, and as would be the case in any family, this characterises the way in which their "children" are brought up. Other groups are oriented towards a more simple approach, and the oral traditions play an important role in the way in which the Coven is structured. Some combine the these two approaches, and the variations upon the basic themes are endless. For any "family" to exist harmoniously, everyone within the group must feel a part of the group, and wish to learn and grow within that group environment. With a path such as Witchcraft, with its emphasis upon personal growth and development, it is likely that individuals who may at one time have been happy within their family group, will change, and wish to move away. This is a perfectly natural process, and the wise coven leaders will send those people off with their love and blessing. Trying to keep them would be like trying to keep your sons and daughters tied to your apron strings forever! Ultimately, and despite the popularity of the word "coven", I do believe that most Witches are solitary in nature, and will generally spend at least part of their lives without being a member of, or running, a coven. I think the inward exploration during these periods is vital to self-development, just as we believe it is important to encourage social-awareness in children. However, I also believe that at some stage it is important to learn the practices of Witchcraft from another person; to be an apprentice, if you will; because the act of passing knowledge from one person to another cannot be replicated by books, correspondence courses, or be self-taught. This may seem an almost impossible task to some people, but as all the magical traditions teach: when the student is ready, the teacher will appear! What's more, it's true! B*B Julia The Public Contents of the Book of Shadows There is really no such thing as the text of the Book of Shadows, because Gardner never bothered to word things the same way twice; whenever he copied something, he simultaneously rewrote it. But this, of course, is the way that an author treats his own original material; it is not how anyone treats authoritative texts preserved from an earlier generation. I have grouped the documents according to the dates when they were written; these dates are accurate to within a year or so, and the point to providing them, of course, is to emphasize that these documents are modern creations, NOT anything preserved from ancient or medieval tradition. Material or comments added to these documents later on I have enclosed in square brackets [these things]. A.1. Casting the Circle (1949) It is most convenient to mark the circle with chalk, paint or otherwise, to show where it is; but marks on the carpet may be utilized. Furniture may be placed to indicate the bounds. The only circle that matters is the one drawn before every ceremony with either a duly consecrated Magic Sword or an Athame. The circle is usually nine feet in diameter, unless made for some very special purpose. There are two outer circles, each six inches apart, so the third circle has a diameter of eleven feet. [1] Having chosen a place proper, take the sickle or scimitar of Art or a Witch's Athame, if thou mayest obtain it, and stick it into the center, then take a cord, and 'twere well to use the Cable Tow for this, and loop it over the Instrument, four and one half feet, and so trace out the circumference of the circle, which must be traced either with the Sword, or the knife with the black hilt, or it be of little avail, but ever leave open a door towards the North. Make in all 3 circles, one within the other , and write names of power between these. [2] First draw circle with Magic Sword or Athame. [3] Consecrate Salt and Water: Touch water with Athame, saying, "I exorcise thee, O creature of Water, that thou cast out from Thee all the impurities and uncleannesses of the Spirits of the World of Phantasm, so they may harm me not, in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." [4] Touching Salt with Athame, say, "The Blessings of Aradia and Cernunnos be upon this creature of Salt, and let all malignity and hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein, for without Thee man cannot live, wherefore I bless thee and invoke thee, that thou mayest aid me." [5] Then put the Salt into the water. [6] Sprinkle with exorcised water. [7] Light candles; say, "I exorcise thee, O Creature of Fire, that every kind of Phantasm may retire from thee, and be unable to harm or deceive in any way, in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." [8] Caution initiate (if any); warn companions; enter circle and close doors with 3 pentagrams. [9] Proclaim object of working [10] Circumambulate 3 times or more before commencing work. [11] Summon: "I summon, stir, and Call thee up, thou Mighty Ones of the East, South, West, and North." Salute and draw pentacle with Magic Sword or Athame, the first stroke being from the top down to the left. A.2. Drawing Down the Moon (1949) High Priestess stands in front of Altar, assumes Goddess position (arms crossed). Magus, kneeling in front of her, draws pentacle on her body with Phallus-headed Wand, invokes, "I Invoke and beseech Thee, O mighty Mother of all life and fertility. By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, by Life and Love, do I invoke Thee to descend into the body of thy servant and High Priestess [name]." The Moon having been drawn down, i.e., link established, Magus and other men give Fivefold Kiss: (kissing feet) "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways"; (kissing knees) "Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar"; (kissing womb) "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be"; (kissing breasts) "Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty and in strength"; (kissing lips) "Blessed be thy lips, that shall speak the sacred names." Women all bow. If there be an initiation, then at this time the Magus and the High Priestess in Goddess position (Arms Crossed) says the Charge while the Initiate stands outside the circle. A.3. "Lift Up the Veil" [The Charge] (1949) Magus: "Listen to the words of the Great mother, who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names." High Priestess: "At mine Altars the youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice. Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who am Queen of all Witcheries and magics. There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets. To these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites, both men and women, and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love, all in my praise. There is a Secret Door that I have made to establish the way to taste even on earth the elixir of immortality. Say, `Let ecstasy be mine, and joy on earth even to me, To Me,' For I am a gracious Goddess. I give unimaginable joys on earth, certainty, not faith, while in life! And upon death, peace unutterable, rest, and ecstasy, nor do I demand aught in sacrifice." Magus: "Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess." High Priestess: "I love you: I yearn for you: pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous. I who am all pleasure, and purple and drunkenness of the innermost senses, desire you. Put on the wings, arouse the coiled splendor within you. Come unto me, for I am the flame that burns in the heart of every man, and the core of every Star. Let it be your inmost divine self who art lost in the constant rapture of infinite joy. Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy and beauty. Remember that all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. So let there be beauty and strength, leaping laughter, force and fire by within you. And if thou sayest, `I have journeyed unto thee, and it availed me not,' rather shalt thou say, `I called upon thee, and I waited patiently, and Lo, thou wast with me from the beginning,' for they that ever desired me shall ever attain me, even to the end of all desire. This much of the rites must ever be performed to prepare for any initiation, whether of one degree or of all three. A.4. The Initiation (1949) [First Degree] Magus leaves circle by the doorway, goes to Postulant, and says, "Since there is no other brother here, I must be thy sponsor, as well as priest. I am about to give you a warning. If you are still of the same mind, answer it with these words: `Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.'" Placing the point of the sword to the Postulant's breast, he says, "O thou who standeth on the threshold between the pleasant world of men and the domains of the Dread Lords of the Outer Spaces, hast thou the courage to make the Assay? For I tell thee verily, it were better to rush on my weapon and perish miserably than to make the attempt with fear in thy heart." Postulant: "I have two Passwords: Perfect Love and Perfect Trust." Magus drops the sword point, saying, "All who approach with perfect love and perfect trust are doubly welcome." Going around behind her, he blindfolds her, then putting his left arm around her waist and his right arm around her neck, he pulls her head back, says, "I give you the 3rd password, a Kiss to pass through this dread Door," and pushes her forward with his body, through the doorway and into the circle. Once inside, he releases her saying, "This is the way all are first brought into the circle." Magus closes the doorway by drawing the point of the sword across it three times, joining all three circles, saying, "Agla, Azoth, Adonai," then drawing three pentacles to seal it. Magus guides Postulant to south of altar, and whispers, "Now there is the Ordeal." Taking a short piece of cord from the altar, he ties it around her right ankle, saying, "Feet neither bound nor free." Taking a longer cord, he ties her hands together behind her back, then pulls them up, so that the arms form a triangle, and ties the cord around her neck, leaving the end dangling down in front as a Cable Tow. With the Cable Tow in his left hand and the sword in his right hand, the Magus leads her sunwise around the circle to the east, where he salutes with the sword and proclaims, "Take heed, O Lords of the Watchtowers of the East, (name), properly prepared, will be made a Priestess and a Witch." Magus leads her similarly to the south, west, and north, making the proclamation at each quarter. Next, clasping Postulant around the waist with his left arm, and holding the sword erect in his right hand, he makes her circumambulate three times around the circle with a half-running, half-dancing step. He halts her at the south of the altar, and strikes eleven knells on the bell. He then kneels at her feet, saying, "In other religions the postulant kneels, as the Priests claim supreme power, but in the Art Magical, we are taught to be humble, so we kneel to welcome them and say: "Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways." (He kisses her feet.) "Blessed be thy knees that shall kneel at the sacred altar." (He kisses her knees.) "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be." (He kisses her Organ of Generation.) "Blessed by thy breasts, formed in beauty and in strength." (He kisses her breasts.) "Blessed be thy lips, which shall utter the sacred names." (He kisses her lips.) Take measure thus: height, around forehead, across the heart, and across the genitals. Magus says, "Be pleased to kneel," and helps her kneel before the altar. He ties the end of the Cable Tow to a ring in the altar, so that the postulant is bent sharply forward, with her head almost touching the floor. He also ties her feet together with the short cord. Magus strikes three knells on the bell and says, "Art ready to swear that thou wilt always be true to the Art?" Witch: "I am." Magus strikes seven knells on the bell and says, "Before ye are sworn, art willing to pass the ordeal and be purified?" Witch: "I am." Magus strikes eleven knells on the bell, takes the scourge from the altar, and gives a series of three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes with the scourge across the postulant's buttocks. Magus says, "Ye have bravely passed the test. Art always ready to help, protect, and defend thy Brothers and Sisters of the Art?" Witch: "I am." Magus: "Art armed?" Witch: "With a knife in my hair." Magus: "Then on that knife wilt thou swear absolute secrecy?" Witch: "I will." Magus: "Then say after me. `I, (name), in the presence of the Mighty Ones, do of my own will and accord, most solemnly swear that I will ever keep secret and never reveal the secrets of the Art, except it be to a proper person, properly prepared, within a circle such as I am now in. All this I swear by my hopes of a future life, mindful that my measure has been taken, and may my weapons turn against me if I break this my solemn oath.'" Magus now unbinds her feet, unties the Cable Tow from the altar, removes the blindfold, and helps her up to her feet. Magus says, "I hereby sign thee with the triple sign. "I consecrate thee with oil." (He anoints her with oil on the womb, the right breast, the left breast, and the womb again.) "I consecrate thee with wine." (He anoints her with wine in the same pattern.) "I consecrate thee with my lips" (he kisses her in the same pattern), "Priestess and Witch." Magus now unbinds her hands and removes the last cord, saying, "Now I Present to thee the Working Tools of a Witch. "First the Magic Sword. With this, as with the Athame, thou canst form all Magic Circles, dominate, subdue, and punish all rebellious Spirits and Demons, and even persuade the Angels and Geniuses. With this in your hand you are the ruler of the Circle. [Here "kiss" means that the initiate kisses the tool, and the Magus then kisses the Witch being initiated.] "Next I present the Athame. This is the true Witch's weapon and has all the powers of the Magic Sword [kiss]. "Next I present the White-Handled Knife. Its use is to form all instruments used in the Art. It can only be properly used within a Magic Circle [Kiss]. "Next I present the Wand. Its use is to call up and control certain Angels and geniuses, to whom it would not be mete to use the Magic Sword [Kiss]. "Next I present the pentacles. These are for the purpose of calling up appropriate Spirits [Kiss]. "Next I present the Censer of Incense. This is used to encourage and welcome Good Spirits and to banish Evil Spirits.[kiss] "Next I present the scourge. This is a sign of power and domination. It is also to cause suffering and purification, for it is written, to learn you must suffer and be purified. Art willing to suffer to learn?" Witch: "I am."[Kiss] Magus: "Next, and lastly I present the Cords. They are of use to bind the sigils in the Art, the material basis, and to enforce thy will. Also they are necessary in the oath. I Salute thee in the name of Aradia and Cernunnos, Newly made Priestess and Witch." Magus strikes seven knells on the bell and kisses Witch again, then circumambulates with her, proclaiming to the four quarters, "Hear, ye Mighty Ones, (name) hath been consecrated Priestess and Witch of the Gods." (Note, if ceremony ends here, close circle with "I thank ye for attending, and I dismiss ye to your pleasant abodes. Hail and farewell." If not, go to next degree.) [Second Degree] Magus binds Witch as before, but does not blindfold her, and circumambulates with her, proclaims to the four quarters, "Hear, ye Mighty Ones, (name), a duly consecrated Priestess and Witch, is now properly prepared to be made a High Priestess and Witch Queen." Magus now leads her thrice around the circle with the half-running, half-dancing step, halts south of the altar, has the Witch kneel, and ties her down to the altar as before. Magus: "To attain this sublime degree, it is necessary to suffer and be purified. Art ready to suffer to Learn?" Priestess Witch: "I am." Magus: "I prepare thee to take the great oath." He strikes three knells on the bell, and again gives the series of three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes with the scourge as before. Magus: "I now give thee a new name: _______. [kiss] Magus: "Repeat thy new name after me, I, (name), swear upon my mother's womb and by mine Honor among men and among my brothers and sisters of the Art, that I will never reveal to any at all any of the secrets of the Art, except it be to a worthy person, properly prepared, in the center of a Magic Circle, such as I am now in. This I swear by my hopes of Salvation, my past lives, and my hopes of future ones to come, and I devote myself to utter destruction if I break this my solemn oath." Magus kneels, placing left hand under her knees and right hand on her head, thus forming magic link. Magus: "I hereby will all my power into you." Wills. Magus now unties her feet, unties the Cable Tow from the altar, and helps the Witch to her feet. Magus: "I hereby sign and consecrate you with the great Magic Sign. Remember how it is formed and you will always recognize it. "I consecrate thee with oil." (He anoints her with oil on her womb, right breast, left hip, right hip, left breast, and womb again, thus tracing a point-down pentacle.) "I consecrate thee with wine." (He anoints her with wine in the same pattern.) "I consecrate thee with my lips" (he kisses her in the same pattern), "High Priestess and Witch Queen." Magus now unbinds Witch's hands and removes the cord, saying, "Newly made High Priestess and Witch Queen" [kiss] "you will now use the working tools in turn. First, the Magic Sword; with it you will scribe the Magic Circle [kiss] "Secondly, the Athame" (Form Circle) [kiss] "Thirdly, the White Handled Knife" (use) [kiss] "Fourthly, the Wand" (Wave to 4 Quarters) [kiss] "Fifthly, the Pentacle" (Show to 4 Quarters) [kiss] "Sixthly, the Censer of Incense" (Circle, cense) [kiss] "Seventhly, the cords; bind me as I bound you." Witch binds Magus and ties him to Altar. Magus: "Learn, in Witchcraft, thou must ever return triple. As I scourged thee, so thou must scourge me, but triple. So where you received 3, return 9; where you received 7, return 21; where you received 9, return 27; where you received 21, return 63." Witch scourges Magus as instructed, 120 strokes total. Magus: "Thou hast obeyed the Law. But mark well, when thou receivest good, so equally art bound to return good threefold." Witch now unbinds Magus and helps him to his feet. Magus, taking the new Initiate by the hand and holding the Athame in the other, passes once round the Circle, proclaiming at the Four Quarters, "Hear, Ye Mighty Ones, (name) hath been duly consecrated High Priestess and Witch Queen." (Note, if ceremony ends here, close circle with "Hail and farewell." If not go to next degree.) [Third Degree] Magus: "Ere we proceed with this sublime degree, I must beg purification at thy hands." High Priestess binds Magus and ties him down to the altar. She circumambulates three times, and scourges Magus with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. She then unbinds him and helps him to his feet. Magus now binds the High Priestess and ties her down to the altar. He circumambulates, proclaiming to the four quarters, "Hear, ye mighty Ones, the twice consecrate and Holy (name), High Priestess and Witch Queen, is properly prepared and will now proceed to erect the Sacred Altar." Magus scourges High Priestess with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. Cakes and wine may now be taken [see section A.5]. Magus: "Now I must reveal to you a great Mystery." [kiss]. Note: if High Priestess has performed this rite before, omit these words. High Priestess assumes Osiris position. Magus: "Assist me to erect the Ancient Altar, at which in days past all worshipped, the Great Altar of all things. For in the old times a woman was the Altar. Thus was the altar made and so placed [Priestess lies down in such a way that her vagina is approximately at the center of the circle], and the sacred place was the point within the center of the circle, as we of old times have been taught, that the point within the center is the origin of all things. Therefore should we adore it." [kiss] "Therefore, whom we adore, we also invoke, by the power of the lifted lance." Invokes. "O circle of stars [kiss], whereof our Father is but the younger brother [kiss], "Marvel beyond imagination, soul of infinite space, before whom time is ashamed, the mind bewildered and understanding dark, not unto thee may we attain unless thine image be of love [kiss]. "Therefore, by seed and root, and stem and bud and leaf and flower and fruit do we invoke thee, O, Queen of space, O dew of light, O continuous one of the Heavens [kiss]. "Let it be ever thus, that men speak not of Thee as one, but as none, and let them not speak of thee at all, since thou art continuous, for thou art the point within the circle [kiss], which we adore [kiss], the fount of life without which we would not be [kiss]. "And in this way truly are erected the Holy Twin Pillars Boaz and Jachin [kisses breasts]. In beauty and strength were they erected, to the wonder and glory of all men." (Eightfold Kiss: 3 points, Lips, 2 Breasts and back to lips; 5 points) "O Secrets of secrets that art hidden in the being of all lives. Not thee do we adore, for that which adoreth is also thou. Thou art that and That am I [kiss]. "I am the flame that burns in every man, and in the core of every star [kiss]. "I am Life and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the Knowledge of Death [kiss]. "I am alone, the Lord within ourselves whose name is Mystery of Mysteries [kiss]. "Make open the path of intelligence between us. For these truly are the 5 points of fellowship [on the right appears an illuminated diagram of the point-up triangle above the pentacle, the symbol for the third degree], feet to feet, knee to knee, groin to groin, breast to breast, arms around back, lips to lips, by the Great and Holy Names Abracadabra, Aradia, and Cernunnos. Magus and High Priestess: "Encourage our hearts, Let thy Light crystallize itself in our blood, fulfilling us of Resurrection, for there is no part of us that is not of the Gods." (Exchange Names.) Closing the Circle High Priestess Circumambulates, proclaiming, "The twice consecrate High Priestess greets ye Mighty Ones, and dismisseth ye to your pleasant abodes. Hail and Farewell." She draws the banishing pentacle at each quarter. A.5. Cakes and Wine (1949) Magus kneels, fills Cup, offers to Witch [she is seated on the altar, holding her athame; Priest kneels before her, holding up the cup]. Witch, holding Athame between palms, places point in cup. Magus: "As the Athame is the Male, so the Cup is the female; so, conjoined, they bring blessedness." Witch lays aside Athame, takes Cup in both hands, drinks and gives drink. Magus Holds Paten to Witch, who blesses with Athame, then eats and gives to Eat. It is said that in olden days ale or mead was often used instead of wine. It is said that spirits or anything can be used so long as it has life. A.6. The Sabbat Rituals (1949) November Eve Walk or slow dance, Magus leading High Priestess, both carrying Phallic wand or broom, people with torches or candles. Witch chant or song: "Eko, eko, Azarak Eko, eko, Zomelak Bazabi lacha bachabe Lamac cahi achababe Karrellyos Lamac lamac Bachalyas cabahagy sabalyos Baryolos Lagoz atha cabyolas Samahac atha famolas Hurrahya!" Form circle. High Priestess assumes Goddess position. Magus gives her Fivefold Kiss and is scourged. All are purified [that is, bound and scourged with forty strokes, as in the initiation rituals]. Magus assumes God position. High Priestess invokes with Athame: "Dread Lord of the shadows, god of life and the giver of life. Yet is the knowledge of thee the knowledge of death. Open wide, I pray thee, thy gates through which all must pass. Let our dear ones who have gone before, return this night to make merry with us. And when our time comes, as it must, O thou the comforter, the consoler, the giver of peace and rest, we will enter thy realms gladly and unafraid, for we know that when rested and refreshed among our dear ones, w e shall be born again by thy grace and the grace of the Great Mother. Let it be in the same place and the same time as our beloved ones, and may we meet and know, and love them again. Descend, we pray thee, upon thy servant and Priest (name)." High Priestess gives Fivefold Kiss to Magus. Initiations if any; all others are purified. (Note: Couples may purify each other if they will.) Cakes and Wine. The Great Rite if possible, either in token or truly. Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] feast and dance. February Eve After usual opening, all are doubly purified [that is, with eighty strokes]. Dance round outside circle, High Priestess with sword girded on and drawn, Phallic wand in left hand. Enter circle. Magus assumes God position. High Priestess gives Fivefold Kiss, invokes: "Dread Lord of death and Resurrection, life and the giver of life, Lord within ourselves, whose name is Mystery of Mysteries, encourage our hearts. Let the light crystalize in our blood, fulfilling us of resurrection, for there is no part of us that is not of the gods. Descend, we pray thee, upon this thy servant and Priest (name)." All should be purified in sacrifice before him. He then purifies the High Priestess with his own hands, and others if he will. Cakes and wine. Great Rite if possible, in token or real. Games and dance as the people will. Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] feast and dance. May Eve If possible ride poles, brooms, etc. High Priestess leading, quick dance step, singing "O do not tell the priests of our arts.For they would call it sin, For we will be in the woods all nightA conjuring summer in. And we bring you good news by word of mouth. For women, cattle, and corn: The sun is coming up from the south,With oak and ash, and thorn." Meeting dance if possible. Form circle as usual, and purify. High Priestess assumes Goddess position; officers all give her the fivefold kiss. She purifies all. High Priestess again assumes Goddess position. Magus invokes, draws down moon, "I invoke thee and call upon thee, O mighty Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness, By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love, do we invoke thee, to descend upon the body of thy servant and Priestess here." Magus gives Fivefold Kiss to High Priestess. All should be purified in sacrifice before her, and she should purify Magus and some others with her own hands. Cakes and wine. Games. Great Rite if possible, in token or truly. Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] feast and dance. August Eve If possible, ride poles, broomsticks, etc. Meeting Dance if possible [the double-spiral dance described in Witchcraft Today, p. 167]. Form circle. Purify. High Priestess stands in pentacle position. Magus invokes her: "O mighty Mother of us all, Mother of all fruitfulness, give us fruit and grain, flocks and herds and children to the tribe that we be mighty, by thy rosy love, do thou descend upon thy servant and Priestess (name) here." Magus gives Fivefold Kiss to High Priestess. Candle game: Seated, the men form a circle, passing a lighted candle from hand to hand "deosil". The women form circle outside, trying to blow it out over their shoulders. Whoever's hand it is in when it is blown out is 3 times purified by whoever blew it out, giving fivefold Kiss in return. This game may go on as long as the people like. Cakes and wine, and any other games you like. Dismiss [the guardians, and close down the magic circle; the people then stay to] feast and dance. B.1. On Chants (1953) Of old there were many chants and songs used especially in the Dances. Many of these have been forgotten by us here, but we know that they used cries of IAU which seems muchly like the cries EVO or EVOHE of the ancients. Much dependeth on the pronunciation if this be so. In my youth, when I heard IAU it seemed to be AEIOU, or rather, AAAEEIOOOOUU. This may be but the natural way to prolong it to make it fit for a call, but it suggests that these be possibly the initials of an invocation as Agla is said to be, and of sooth 'tis said that the whole Hebrew alphabet is said to be such, and for this reason is recited as a most powerful charm, but at least this is certain, these cries during the dances do have profound effect, as I myself have seen. Other calls are IEHOUA and EHEIE; also Ho Ho Ho Ise Ise Ise. IEO VEO VEO VEO VEOV OROV OV OVOVO may be a spell but is more likely to be a call. 'Tis like the EVOE EVOE of the Greeks and the "Heave ho!" of sailors. "Emen hetan" and "Ab hur, ab hus" seem calls; as "Horse and hattock, horse and go, horse and Pellatis, ho, ho, ho!" "Thout, tout a tout tout, throughout and about" and "Rentum tormentum" are probably mispronounced attempts at a forgotten formula, though they may have been invented by some unfortunate being tortured, to evade telling the real formula. B.2. To Help the Sick (1953) [1] Ever remember the promise of the goddess, "For ecstasy is mine and joy on earth" so let there ever be joy in your heart. Greet people with joy, be glad to see them. If times be hard, think, "It might have been worse. I at least have known the joys of the Sabbath, and I will know them again." Think of the grandeur, beauty, and Poetry of the rites, of the loved ones you meet through them. If you dwell on this inner joy, your health will be better. You must try to banish all fear, for it will reall y touch you. It may hurt your body, but your soul is beyond it all. [2] And ever remember, that if you help others it makes you forget your own woes. And if another be in pain, do what you may to distract his attention from it. Do not say "You have no pain," but if you may, administer the drugs which sooth as well as those that cure. But ever strive to make them believe they are getting better. Install into them happy thoughts. If you can only get this into his inner mind so that it be always believed. [3] To this end it is not wrong to let people think that we of the cult have more power than we have. For the truth is that if they believe we have more power than we really possess, we do really possess these powers, insomuch we can do good to them. [4] You must try to find out about people. If you tell a slightly sick man, "You are looking better. You will soon be well," he will feel better, but if he is really ill, or in pain, his Knowledge that he is in pain will cause him to doubt your words in future. But if you give him one of the drugs and then say, "The pain is growing less. Soon it will be gone," because the pain goes, the next time you say, "The pain is going," he will believe you and the pain will really get less. But you must ever say so with conviction, and this conviction must come from your believing it yourself, because you yourself know that if you can fix his mind so that he believes you, it is true. [5] 'Tis often better to look exactly between their eyes, looking as if your eyes pierced their heads, opening your eyes as wide as you may and never blink. This continued gazing oft causes the patient to grow sleepy. If they show signs of this, say "You are growing sleepy. You will sleep, you are tired. Sleep. Your eyes grow tired. Sleep." If they close their eyes, say "Your eyes close, you are tired, you cannot open your eyes." If they cannot, say "Your arms are tired, you cannot raise them." If they cannot, say "I am master of your mind. You must ever believe what I tell you. When I look like this into your eyes you will sleep and be subject to my will," then tell them they will sleep and wake up refreshed, feeling better. Continue this with soothing and healing drugs, and try to infuse into them the feeling of ecstasy that you feel at the Sabbath. They cannot feel it in full, but you can command them to feel what is in your own mind, and try to concentrate on this ecstasy. I f you may safely tell that you are of the Cult, your task may be easier. And it were well to command them to know it only with their sleeping mind, and forget it, or to be at least unable to tell anyone about it when awake. A good way is to command them that, if they are ever questioned about Witchcraft or Witches, to immediately fall asleep. [6] Ever remember if tempted to admit or boast of belonging to the cult you be endangering your brothers, for though now the fires of persecution may have died down, who knows when they may be revived? Many priests have knowledge of our secrets, and they well know that, though much religious bigotry has calmed down, many people would wish to join our cult. And if the truth were known of its joys, the Churches would lose power, so if we take many recruits, we may loose the fires of persecution against us a gain. So ever keep the secrets. [7] Think joy, think love, try to help others and bring joy into their lives. Children are naturally easier to influence than grown people. Ever strive to work through people's existing beliefs. For instance, more than half of the world believe in amulets. An ordinary stone is not an amulet but if it hath a natural hole in it, it must be something unusual, so if the patient hath this belief give him one. But first carry it next your skin for a few days, forcing your will into it, to cure pain, to feel s afe, or against their particular fear, and this amulet may keep imposing your will when you are absent. The masters of talismans knew this full well when they say they must be made in a circle, to avoid distraction, by someone whose mind is on the subject of the work. [8] But keep your own mind happy. Remember the Words of the Goddess: "I give unimaginable joys on Earth, certainty, not faith, while in life, and upon death, peace unutterable, rest, and ecstasy, and the promise that you will return again." In the old days many of us went to the flames laughing and singing, and so we may again. We may have joy in life and beauty, and peace and Death and the promise of return. [9] The Bible speaks sooth, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit breaketh the bones." But you may not have a merry heart. Perchance you were born under an evil star. I think that the effects of the stars are overestimated, but you cannot make a merry heart to order, you say. But you can, in the Cult; there be secret processes by which your will and imagination may be influenced. This process also affects the body, and brings it to joy. Your body is happy, so your mind is happy . You are well because you are happy, and you are happy because you are well. [10] Prayer may be used with good result if the patient believes it can and will work. Many believe it can, but do not believe their God or saint will help. Prayers to the Goddess help, especially the Amalthean Horn Prayer, as it causes stimulation to the body as well as to the mind. B.3. The Scourge and the Kiss. (1953) [1] Invocation (Feet, knees, and wrists should be tightly bound to retard blood.) Scourge 40 or more, to make skin tingle, then say, invoking Goddess, Hail, Aradia, from the Amalthean horn Pour forth thy store of Love. I lowly bend Before Thee! I invoke thee at the end When other Gods are fallen and put to scorn. Thy foot is to my lips! My sighs inborn Rise, touch, curl about thy heart. Then spend, Pitiful Love, loveliest Pity, descend And bring me luck who am lonely and forlorn. Ask the Goddess to help you to obtain your desires, then Scourge again to bind the spell. This be powerful in ill luck and for sickness. It must be said in a Circle, and you must be properly prepared and well purified, both before and after saying, to bind the spell. Before starting you must make a very clear picture in your mind of what you wish. Make yourself see the wish obtained. Be sure in your own mind exactly what it is and how it is to be fulfilled. This spell is the one that was taught to me long ago and I have found it works, but I don't think there is any special virtue in these words. Any others can be substituted provided they ask the goddess's (or gods') help, and say clearly what you wish and you form the clear mental image; and if it doesn't work at first, keep on trying till it works. Your helper, who wields the scourge, must know what you wish, and also form the mental image. And at first at any rate, it will be better for you to work the spell, then for the girl to take your place and work it also; you scourge her. Don't try anything difficult at first, and do it at least once a week till it works. You have to get into sympathy with each other, before anything happens, and regular working helps this. Of spells, the exact words matter little if the intent be clear and you raise the true power, and sufficient thereof. Always in rhyme they are. There is something queer about rhyme. I have tried, and the same seem to lose their power if you miss the rhyme. Also in rhyme, the words seem to say themselves. You do not have to pause and think: "What comes next?" Doing this takes away much of your intent. [2] Order and discipline must be kept. A High Priest or Priestess may and should punish all faults to this end, and all of the Cult must accept such corrections willingly. All are brothers and sisters, for this reason: that even the High Priestess must submit to the scourge. Each fault should be corrected separately. The Priest or Priestess must be properly prepared and call the culprit to trial. They must be prepared as for initiation and kneel, be told their fault and sentence pronounced. Punishment should be the scourge, followed by a forfeit such as several fivefold kisses or something of this nature. The culprit must acknowledge the justice of the punishment by kissing hands and scourge on receiving sentence and again when thanking for punishment received.* [3] The scourgings are 3, 7, 9 (thrice three), and 21 (thrice seven) 40 in all. It is not meet to make offerings [scourgings] of less than two score to the Goddess, for here be a mystery. The fortunate numbers be: 3 and 5. For three added to two (the Perfect Couple) be five. And three and five be eight; eight and five be thirteen; thirteen and eight be twenty-one. The Fivefold Kiss is called 5, but there are 8 kisses, for there be 2 feet and 2 knees and genitals and 2 breasts and the lips. And 5 times 8 be two score. Also, fortunate numbers be 3, 7, 8, and 21, which total 40, or two score. For each man and woman hath ten fingers and ten toes, so each totals a score. And a perfect couple be two score. So a lesser number would not be perfect prayer. If more are required make it a perfect number, as four score or six score. Also there be Eight Elemental Weapons. [4] To make the anointing ointment, take some glazed pans filled half full with grease or olive oil. Put in one sweet mint, marjoram in another, ground thyme in a 3rd, and it you may have it, patchouli, dried leaves pounded. Place pans in hot water bath. Stir and cook for several hours, then pout into linen bags, and squeeze grease through into pans again, and fill up with fresh leaves. After doing this several times, the grease will be highly perfumed. Then mix all together and store in a well-corked jar. Anoint behind ears, throat, armpits, breasts, and womb. Also, for all ceremonies where the feet are kissed, they should also be anointed. B.4. The Priestess and the Sword (1953) It is said, "When a woman takes the main part in worship of the Male God, she must be girt with a sword." Note. This hath been explained as meaning that a man should be Magus representing the God, but if no one of sufficient rank and knowledge be present, a woman armed as a man may take his place. The sheath should be worn in a belt. She should carry the sword in hand, but if she has to use her hands, she should sheath the sword. Any other woman in the circle while this worship is performed shall be sword in hand. Those outside the circle only have the athame. A woman may impersonate either the God or the Goddess, but a man may only impersonate the God. B.5. The Warning (1953) Keep this book in your own hand of write. Let brothers and Sisters copy what they will, but never let this book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their hand of write, they may well be taken and tortured. Each should guard his own writings and destroy them whenever danger threatens. Learn as much as you may by heart, and when the danger is past, rewrite your book. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book if they have not been able to, for, if it be fou nd, 'tis clear proof against them. "Ye may not be a Witch alone"; so all their friends be in danger of the torture. So destroy everything not necessary. If your book be found on you, 'tis clear proof against you. You may be tortured. Keep all thought of the cult from your mind. Say you had bad dreams, that a Devil caused you to write this without your knowledge. Think to yourself, "I Know Nothing. I Remember nothing. I have forgotten all." Drive this into your mind. If the torture be too great to bear, say, "I will confess. I cannot bear this torment. What do you want me to say? Tell me and I will say it." If they try to make you talk of the broth erhood, do not, but if they try to make you speak of impossibilities, such as flying through the air, consorting with the Devis, sacrificing children, or eating men's flesh, say, "I had an evil dream. I was not myself. I was crazed." Not all Magistrates are bad. If there be an excuse, they may show you mercy. If you have confessed aught, deny it afterwards. Say you babbled under the torture; you knew not what you did or said. If you be condemned, fear not. The Brotherhood is powerful. They may help you to escape if you are steadfast. If you betray aught, there is no hope for you, in this life, or in that which is to come. But, 'tis sure, that if steadfast you go to the pyre, drugs will reach you. You will feel naught, and you go but to Death and what lies beyond, the ecstasy of the Goddess. The same with the working Tools. Let them be as ordinary things that anyone may have in their homes. The Pentacles shall be of wax that they may be melted or broken at once. Have no sword unless your rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything. Write them on in ink before consecrating them and wash it off at once when finished. Never boast, never threaten, never say you wish ill to anyone. If any speak of the craft, say, "Speak not to me of such, it frightens me, 'tis evil luck to speak of it." B.6. Of the Ordeal of the Art Magical (1953) Learn of the spirit that goeth with burdens that have not honour, for 'tis the spirit that stoopeth the shoulders and not the weight. Armour is heavy, yet it is a proud burden and a man standeth upright in it. Limiting and constraining any of the senses serves to increase the concentration of another. Shutting the eyes aids the hearing. So the binding of the initiate's hands increases the mental perception, while the scourge increaseth the inner vision. So the initiate goeth through it proudly, like a princess, knowing it but serves to increase her glory. But this can only be done by the aid of another intelligence and in a circle, to prevent the power thus generated being lost. Priests attempt to do the same with their scourgings and mortifications of the flesh. But lacking the aid of bonds and their attention being distracted by their scourging themselves and what little power they do produce being dissipated, as they do not usually work within a circle, it is little wonder that they oft fail. Monks and hermits do better, as they are apt to work in tiny cells and coves, which in some way act as circles. The Knights of the Temple, who used mutually to scourge each other in an octagon, did better still; but they apparently did not know the virtue of bonds and did evil, man to man. But perhaps some did know? What of the Church's charge that they wore girdles or cords? B.7. The Eightfold Way. (1953) Eightfold Path or Ways to the Centre. 1 Meditation or Concentration. This in practice means forming a mental image of what is desired, and forcing yourself to see that it is fulfilled, with the fierce belief and knowledge that it can and will be fulfilled, and that you will go on willing till you force it to be fulfilled. Called for short, "Intent" 2 Trance, projection of the Astral. 3 Rites, Chants, Spells, Runes, Charms, etc. 4 Incense, Drugs, Wine, etc., whatever is used to release the Spirit. (Note. One must be very careful about this. Incense is usually harmless, but you must be careful. If it has bad aftereffects, reduce the amount used, or the duration of the time it is inhaled. Drugs are very dangerous if taken to excess, but it must be remembered that there are drugs that are absolutely harmless, though people talk of them with bated breath, but Hemp is especially dangerous, because it unlocks the inner eye swiftly an d easily, so one is tempted to use it more and more. If it is used at all, it must be with the strictest precautions, to see that the person who uses it has no control over the supply. This should be doled out by some responsible person, and the supply strictly limited.) 5 The Dance, and kindred practices. 6 Blood control (the Cords), Breath Control, and kindred practices. 7 The Scourge. 8 The Great Rite. These are all the ways. You may combine many of them into the one experiment, the more the better. The Five Essentials: 1. The most important is "Intention": you must know that you can and will succeed; it is essential in every operation. 2. Preparation. (You must be properly prepared according to the rules of the Art; otherwise you will never succeed.) 3. The Circle must be properly formed and purified. 4. You all must be properly purified, several times if necessary, and this purification should be repeated several times during the rite. 5. You must have properly consecrated tools. These five essentials and Eight Paths or Ways cannot all be combined in one rite. Meditation and dancing do not combine well, but forming the mental image and the dance may be well combined with Chants. Spells, etc., combined with scourging and No. 6, followed by No. 8, form a splendid combination. Meditation, following scourging, combined with Nos. 3 and 4 and 5, are also very Good. For short cuts concentration, Nos. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are excellent. B.8. To Gain the Sight (1953) [1] This cometh to different people in diverse ways. 'Tis seldom it cometh naturally, but it can be induced in many ways. Deep and prolonged meditation may do it, but only if you be a natural, and usually prolonged fasting was also necessary. Of old monks and nuns obtained visions by long vigils, combined with fasting, flagellation till the blood came, and other mortifications of the flesh, and so undoubtedly had visions. In the East it is tried with various tortures, at the same time sitting in cramped postures, which retard the flow of blood, and these torments, long and continued, give good results. But in the Art we are taught an easier way to intensify the imagination, at the same time controlling the blood supply, and this may best be done by using the ritual. [2] Incense is also good to propitiate the Spirits, but also to induce relaxation and to help to build up the atmosphere which is neces-sary to suggestibility. (For our human eyes are so blind to what really is, that it is often necessary to suggest that it is there, before we may see it, as we may point out to another something at a distance before they may see it themselves. Gum mastic, aromatic rush roots, cinnamon bark, musk, juniper, sandalwood, and ambergris in combination are all good, but patchouli is best of all. And if you may have hemp, 'tis better still, but be very careful of this. [3] The circle being formed, all properly prepared, and the Rites done, and all purified, the aspirant should warlock and take his tutor round the circle, saluting the Mighty Ones, and invoke them to aid the operation. Then both dance round till giddy, invoking or using chants. Scourge. Then the Tutor should warlock very tightly, but not so to cause discomfort, but enough to retard the blood slightly. Again they should dance round, chanting, then scourge with light, steady, monotonous, slow strokes. lt is very good that the pupil may see them coming (this may be arranged from position, or if a big mirror is available, this can be used with excellent effect) as this has the effect of passes, and helps greatly to stimulate the imagination, and it is important that they be not hard, the object being not to do more than draw the blood to that part and so away from the brain. This with the tight warlocking, which should be warricked, slows down the circulation of the blood, and t he passes soon induce a drowsi ness and a stupor. The tutor should watch for this. As soon as the aspirant sleeps, the scourging should cease. The tutor should also watch that the pupil become not cold, and if they struggle or become distressed, they should be at once awakened. (Note: if it cannot be arranged for the pupil to see, the wand may be used, for a time, then return to scourging.) [4] Do not be discouraged if no results come after two or three attempts. It will come, when both are in the right state. When you get some result, then results will come more quickly. Soon some of the ritual may be shortened, but never neglect to invoke the Goddess, and the Mighty Ones, or to form the Circle and do everything rightly. And for good and clear results, it is ever better to do too much ritual than too little. [5] It hath been found that this practice doth often cause a fondness between aspirant and tutor, and 'tis a cause of better results if this be so. If for any reason it is undesirable that there be any great fondness between aspirant and tutor, this may be easily avoided, by both parties from the onset firmly resolving in their minds that if any doth ensue, it shall be that of brother and sister or parent and child. And it is for this reason that a man may only be taught by a woman and a woman by a man, a nd that man and man, and woman and woman, should never attempt these practices together. And may all the Curses of the Mighty Ones be on any who make the attempt.* [6] Remember, the Circle, properly constructed, is ever necessary to prevent the power released from being dissipated. It is also a barrier against any disturbances of mischievous forces, for to obtain good results you must be free from all disturbances. Remember that darkness, points of light gleaming amid the surrounding dark, incense, and the steady passes by a white arm are not stage effects. They are the mechanical implements which start the suggestions, which later unlocks the knowledge that it is p ossible to obtain the divine ecstasy, and so attain knowledge and communion with the Divine Goddess. When once you have attained this, Ritual is not needed, as you may attain the state of ecstasy at will, but till then, or if you having attained this yourself, and wish to bring a companion to this state of joy, ritual is best. B.9. Power (1953) Power is latent in the body and may be drawn out and used in various ways by the skilled. But unless confined in a circle it will be swiftly dissipated. Hence the importance of a properly constructed circle. Power seems to exude from the body via the skin and possibly from the orifices of the body; hence you should be properly prepared. The slightest dirt spoils everything, which shows the importance of thorough cleanliness. The attitude of mind has great effect, so only work with a spirit of reverence. A little wine taken and repeated during the ceremony, if necessary, helps to produce power. Other strong drinks or drugs may be used, but it is necessary to be very moderate, for if you are confused, even slightly, you cannot control the power you evoke. The simplest way is by dancing and singing monotonous chants, slowly at first and gradually quickening the tempo until giddiness ensues. Then the calls may be used, or even wild and meaningless shrieking produces power. But this method inflames the mind and renders it difficult to control the power, though control may be gained through practice. The scourge is a far better way, for it stimulates and excites both body and soul, yet one e asily retains control. The Great Rite is far the best. It releases enormous power, but the conditions and circumstances make it difficult for the mind to maintain control at first. It is again a matter of practice and the natural strength of the operator's will and, in a lesser degree, of those of his assistants. If, as of old, there were many trained assistants present and all wills properly attuned, wonders occurred. Sorcerors chiefly used the blood sacrifice; and while we hold this to be evil, we cannot deny that this method is very efficient. Power flashes forth from newly shed blood, instead of exuding slowly as by our method. The victim's terror and anguish add keenness, and even quite a small animal can yield enormous power. The great difficulty is in the human mind controlling the power of the lower animal mind. But sorcerers claim they have methods for effecting this and that the difficulty disappears the hig her the animal used, and when the victim is human disappears entirely. (The practice is an abomination but it is so.) Priests know this well; and by their auto-da-fs, with the victims' pain and terror (the fires acting much the same as circles), obtained much power. Of old the Flagellants certainly evoked power, but through not being confined in a circle much was lost. The amount of power raised was so great and continuous that anyone with knowledge could direct and use it; and it is most probable that the classical and heathen sacrifices were used in the same way. There are whispers that when the human victim was a willing sacrifice, with his mind directed on the Great Work and with highly skilled assistants, wonders ensued bu t of this I would not speak. B.10. Properly Prepared. (1953) Naked, but sandals (not shoes) may be worn. For initiation, tie hands behind back, pull up to small of back, and tie ends in front of throat, leaving a cable-tow to lead by, hanging down in front. (Arms thus form a triangle at back.) When initiate is kneeling at altar, the cable-tow is tied to a ring in the altar. A short cord is tied like a garter round the initiate's left leg above the knee, with ends tucked in. Another is tied round right ankle and ends tucked in so as to be out of the way while mov ing about. These cords are used to tie feet together while initiate is kneeling at the altar and must be long enough to do this firmly. Knees must also be firmly tied. This must be carefully done. If the aspirant complains of pain, the bonds must be loosened slightly; always remember the object is to retard the blood flow enough to induce a trance state. This involves slight discomfort, but great discomfort prevents the trance state; so it is best to spend some little time loosening a nd tightening the bonds until they are just right. The aspirant alone can tell you when this is so. This, of course, does not apply to the initiation, as then no trance is desired; but for the purpose of ritual it is good that the initiates be bound firmly enough to feel they are absolutely helpless but without discomfort. B.11. The Meeting Dance. (1953) The Maiden should lead. A man should place both hands on her waist, standing behind her, and alternate men and women should do the same, the Maiden leading and they dance following her. She at last leads them into a right-hand spiral. When the center is reached (and this had better be marked by a stone), she suddenly turns and dances back, kissing each man as she comes to him. All men and women turn likewise and dance back, men kissing girls and girls kissing men. All in time to music, it is a merry ga me, but must be practices to be done well. Note, the musicians should watch the dancers and make the music fast or slow as is best. For the beginners it should be slow, or there will be confusion. It is most excellent to get people to know each other at big gatherings. B.12. To Leave the Body. (1953) 'Tis not wise to strive to get out of your body until you have thoroughly gained the Sight. The same ritual as to gain the Sight may be used, but have a comfortable couch. Kneel so that you have your thigh, belly, and chest well supported, the arms strained forward and bound one on each side, so that there is a decided feeling of being pulled forward. As the trance is induced, you should feel a striving to push yourself out of the top of your head. The scourge should be given a dragging action, as if to drive or drag you out. Both wills should be thoroughly in tune, keeping a constant and equal strain. When trance comes, your tutor may help you by softly calling your name. You will probably feel yourself drawn out of your body as if through a narrow opening, and find yourself standing beside your tutor, looking at the body on the couch. Strive to communicate with your tutor first; if they have the Sight they will probably see you. Go not far afield at first, and 'ti s better to have one who is used to leaving the body with you. A note: When, having succeeded in leaving the body, you desire to return, in order to cause the spirit body and the material body to coincide, THINK OF YOUR FEET. This will cause the return to take place. B.13. The Working Tools (1953) There are no magical supply shops, so unless you are lucky enough to be given or sold tools, a poor witch must extemporize. But when made you should be able to borrow or obtain an Athame. So having made your circle, erect an altar. Any small table or chest will do. There must be fire on it (a candle will suffice) and your book. For good results incense is best if you can get it, but coals in a chafing dish burning sweet-smelling herbs will do. A cup if you would have cakes and wine, and a platter with the signs drawn into the same in ink, showing a pentacle. A scourge is easily made (note, the scourge has eight tails and five knots in each tail). Get a white-hilted knife and a wand (a sword is not necessary). Cut the marks with Athame. Purify everything, then consecrate your tools in proper form and ever be properly prepared. But ever remember, magical operations are useless unless the mind can be brought to the proper attitude, keyed to the utmost pitch. Affirmations must be made clearly, and the mind should be inflamed with desire. With this frenzy of will, you may do as much with simple tools as with the most complete set. But good and especially ancient tools have their own aura. They do help to bring about that reverential spirit, the desire to learn and develop your powers. For this reason witches ever try to obtain tools from sorcerers, who, being skilled men, make good tools and consecrate them well, giving them mighty power. But a great witch's tools also gain much power; and you should ever strive to make any tools you manufacture of the finest materials you can obtain, to the end that they may absorb your power the more easily. And of course if you may inherit or obtain another witch's tools, power will flow from them. It is an old belief that the best substances for making tools are those that have once had life in them, as opposed to artificial substances. Thus wood or ivory is better for a wand than metal, which is more appropriate for knives or swords. Virgin parchment is better than manufactured paper for talismans, etc. And things which have been made by hand are good, because there is life in them. B.14. Skyclad (1953) It is important to work naked from the start, so it becometh as second nature, and no thought of "I have no clothes" shall ever intrude and take your attention from the work. Also, your skin being so accustomed to unconfinement, when power is given off the flow is more easy and regular. Also, when dancing you are free and unconfined. . . . And the greatest of all, the touch of the body of your beloved thrills your inmost soul, and so your body gives out its utmost power; and then it is most important of all that there is not the slightest thing to divert the attention, for then the mind must seize and mold the power generated, and redirect it to the desired end with all the force and frenzy of the imagination. It has been said that no real knowledge may be gained our way, that our practices are such that they can only lead to lust; but this is not really so. Our aim is to gain the inner sight, and we do it the most natural and easy way. Our opponents' aim is ever to prevent man and woman from loving, thinking that everything that helps or even permits them to love is wicked and vile. To us it is natural, and if it aids the Great Work it is good. 'Tis true that a couple burning with a frenzy for knowledge may go straight to their goal, but the average couple have not this fire. We show them the way, our system of props and aids (i.e., magic ritual). A couple working with nothing but lust will never attain in any case; but a couple who love each other dearly should already be sleeping together, and the first frenzy of love will have passed, and their souls will already be in sympathy. If the first time or two they do stay a while to worship Aphrod ite, 'tis only a day or two lost, and the intense pleasure they obtain only leads them again to the mysteries of Hermes, their souls more attuned to the great search. Once they have pierced the veil they will not look back. This rite may be used as the greatest of magics if it be done with both partners firmly fixing their minds on the object and not thinking of sex at all. That is, you must so firmly fix your mind on your object that sex and all else are naught. You inflame your will to such an extent that you may create a strain on the astral such that events happen. C.1. A Revision of the Casting Procedure (1957) ALL ARE PURIFIED [1] Magus consecrates salt and water. [2] High Priestess kneels at Altar, takes up Sword, says, "I conjure thee, O Sword of Steel, to serve me as a defence in all Magical Operations. Guard me at all times against mine enemies, both visible and invisible. Grant that I may obtain what I desire in all things wherein I may use Thee, Wherefore do I bless Thee and invoke Thee in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." Gives Sword to Magus. [3] Magus kneeling hands her vessel of consecrated Water and Aspergillum. He Casts the Circle, three circles, on the lines marked out, starting at the East and returning to the East. High Priestess follows, Asperging Circle (sprinkling it to purify it) and all present and finally herself. Then she goes round again censing it. (Everyone in the circle must be sprinkled and censed.) She returns vessel, etc., to Magus, who places them on altar, or convenient place, and hands her Sword [handwritten]. [4] She walks slowly round Circle, saying, "I conjure Thee, O Circle of Space, that thou be a Boundary and a Protection and a meeting place between the world of Men and that of the Dread Lords of the OUTER SPACES, that Thou be cleansed, Purified, and strengthened to be a Guardian and a Protection that shall preserve and contain THAT POWER which we so earnestly desire to raise within thy bounds this night, wherefore do I bless thee and entreat thee to aid me in the endeavor, in the names of Aradia and Cernun nos." Hands sword to Magus [handwritten]. [5] Magus then summons the Mighty Ones as usual. [6] High Priestess stands in front of Altar (which may be pushed back for this). High Priestess assumes Goddess position (arms crossed). Magus kneeling in front of her, draws pentacle on her body with Phallus-headed Wand, Invokes (Drawing down the Moon), "I Invoke and beseech Thee, O mighty MOTHER of all life and fertility. `By seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit, by Life and Love, do I invoke Thee' to descend into the body of thy servant and High Priestess (name)." (The Moon hav ing been drawn down, i.e., link established, Magus and all male officers give fivefold kiss; all others bow.) [7] High Priestess in Goddess position says, arms crossed, "Mother, Darksome and Divine,Mine the Scourge and Mine the Kiss,The Five-point Star of Love and Bliss; Here I charge ye in this Sign. (Opens out Arms to pentacle position) Bow before my Spirit bright (All bow) Aphrodite, Arianrhod,Lover of the Horned God, Queen of Witchery and Night. Diana, Brigid, Melusine, Am I named of old by men, Artemis and Cerridwen, Hell's dark mistress, Heaven's Queen. Ye who ask of me a boon, Meet ye in some hidden shade, Lead my dance in greenwood glade By the light of the full moon. Dance about mine altar stone, Work my holy magistry, Ye who are fain of sorcery, I bring ye secrets yet unknown. No more shall ye know slavery who tread my round the Sabbat night. Come ye all naked to the rite In sign that ye are truly free. Keep ye my mysteries in mirth, Heart joined to heart and lip to lip. Five are the points of fellowship That bring ye ecstasy on Earth. No other law but love I know; By naught but love may I be known, And all that liveth is my own: From me they come, to me they go. C.2. The Prose Charge (1957) THE CHARGE, to be read while the initiate stands, properly prepared before the Circle. [Magus]: Listen to the words of the Great mother, who was of old also called among men, Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arianrhod, Bride, and by many other names. [High Priestess]: "At mine Altars the youth of Lacedaemon in Sparta made due sacrifice. Whenever ye have need of anything, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full. Then ye shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me who am Queen of all Witcheries. There ye shall assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet who have not won its deepest secrets. To these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that ye be really fre e, ye shall be naked in your rites, and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music, and love, all in my praise.' "For mine is the ecstasy of the Spirit, and mine is also joy on earth. For my Law is Love unto all beings. "Keep pure your highest ideals. Strive ever towards it. Let naught stop you or turn you aside. "For mine is the secret which opens upon the door of youth; and mine is the cup of the Wine of Life: and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of Immortality. "I am the Gracious Goddess who gives the gift of Joy unto the heart of Man. "Upon Earth I give the knowledge of the Spirit Eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand aught in sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things, and my love is poured out upon earth." [Magus]: Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess, She in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircleth the universe. [High Priestess]: "I who am the beauty of the green earth; and the White Moon amongst the Stars; and the mystery of the Waters; and the desire of the heart of man. I call unto thy soul: arise and come unto me. "For I am the Soul of nature who giveth life to the Universe; `From me all things proceed; and unto me, all things must return.' Beloved of the Gods and men, thine inmost divine self shall be enfolded in the raptures of the infinite. "Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals; and therefore let there be Beauty and Strength, Power and Compassion, Honour and Humility, Mirth and reverence within you. "And thou who thinkest to seek me, know that thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou know the mystery, that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee, for behold; I have been with thee from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire." C.3. CAKES AND WINE. (1957) High Priestess seated on Altar, God position. Magus, kneeling, kisses her feet, then knees, bows with head below her knees, extends arms along her thighs, and adores. Magus fills cup and offers it to High Priestess, who, holding Athame between palms, places point in cup. Magus says: "As the Athame is the male, so the cup is the female, and conjoined they bring blessedness." High Priestess lays Athame aside, and takes Cup and drinks, gives Cup to server, who puts a little in each glass. Magus presents Pentacle with cakes to High Priestess, saying, "Oh Queen most secret, bless this food unto our bodies, bestowing health, wealth, strength, joy and peace, and that fulfillment of love that is perpetual happiness". High Priestess blesses them with Athame, takes Cake and eats, while the Magus gives her the Cup again and kisses knees and adores. All sit as Witches, and invite High Priestess to join them. C.4. The Sabbat Rituals (1957) Spring equinox The symbol of the wheel should be placed on the altar upright, decked with flowers, flanked with burning candles. The Cauldron, containing spirits, is in the east. Magus in west, High Priestess in east with Phallic wand or pinecone-tipped wand, or broomstick, or riding pole, broom upwards. High Priestess lights Cauldron, saying, "We kindle fire this day! In the presence of the Holy Ones:Without malice, without jealousy, without envy. Without fear of aught beneath the sun.But the High Gods. Thee we invoke: O light of life:Be thou a bright flame before us: Be thou a guiding star above us:Be thou a smooth path beneath us; Kindle thou in our hearts within,A flame of love for our neighbor, To our foes, to our friends, to our kindred all:To all men on this broad Earth. O merciful son of Cerridwen, From the lowest thing that liveth To the name that is highest of all." High Priestess draw pentacle upon Magus with wand, kiss, gives it to him. He does likewise. They lead the dance round the circle, all couples leaping burning fire. The last couple as the fire goes out should be well-purified three times, and each should give Fivefold Kiss to all of opposite sex. Cakes and wine. If the people will, the Cauldron dance can be done again, many times, or other games can be played. Summer Solstice Form circle. Invoke, Purify. Cauldron is placed before altar filled with water, wreathed with summer flowers. The people, men and women alternately, stand round circle. High Priestess stands in north, before Cauldron, holding raised wand, which should be Phallic or tipped with a pinecone (anciently the thyrsus) or a riding pole or a broomstick, invokes the sun. "Great One of Heaven, Power of the Sun, we invoke thee in thine ancient names, Michael, Balin, Arthur, Lugh, Herne. Come again, as of old, into this thy land. Lift up thy shining spear of light to protect us. Put to flight the powers of darkness, give us fair woodlands and green fields, blossoming orchards and r ipening corn. Bring us to stand upon thy hill of vision, and show us the path to the lovely realms of the gods." High Priestess draws invoking pentacle on Magus with wand. Magus comes forward sunwise and takes wand with kiss, plunges wand into Cauldron and holds it upright, saying, "The spear to the Cauldron, the lance to the Grail, spirit to flesh, man to woman, sun to earth." He salutes High Priestess over Cauldron, then rejoins people, still bearing wand. High Priestess takes aspergillum, stands by Cauldron, says, "Dance ye about the Cauldron of Cerridwen the Goddess, and be ye blessed with the touch of this consecrated water, even as the sun, the lord of light, arriveth in his strength in the sign of the waters of life." The people dance sunwise about the altar and Cauldron, led by Magus bearing wand. High Priestess sprinkles them lightly as they pass her. Ritual of cakes and wine. Any other dances, rites, or games as the Priestess and people wish. Autumn equinox The altar should be decorated with symbols of autumn, pine cones, oak sprigs, acorns, or ears of corn, and should have fire or burning incense on it as usual. After usual purification, the people stand round, men and women alternately. Magus at west of altar in God position. High Priestess stands at east of altar, facing him, and reads the incantation. "Farewell, O Sun, ever returning light. The hidden god, who ever yet remains. He departs to the land of youth, through the gates of death, to dwell enthroned, the judge of gods and man. The horned leader of the hosts of air. Yet, even as stand unseen about the circle the forms of the Mighty Lords of the Outer Spaces,. So dwelleth he, `the lord within ourselves'. So dwelleth he within the secret seed, the seed of new reaped grain, the seed of flesh, hidden in the earth, the marvellous seed of the stars. `In him is life, and life is the light of men [John 1:4],' that which was never born and never dies. Therefore the Wicca weep not, but rejoice." The High Priestess goes to the Magus with a kiss. He lays aside Athame and scourge, and kisses her. The High Priestess hands him her wand, which should be Phallic, or a branch tipped with a pinecone, Or a riding pole, or a broomstick (anciently the thyrsus). They lead the dance, she with a systrum or rattle, he with wand, the people falling in behind them, dancing three times round the altar. Then the candle game is played. Cakes and wine. Great Rite if possible. Dances and games. Winter Solstice Form circle in usual manner, invoking the Mighty Ones. The Cauldron of Cerridwen is placed in the circle at the south wreathed with holly, ivy, and mistletoe, with fire lighted within it. There should be no other light except for the candles on the altar and about the circle. After all are purified, the Moon should be drawn down. Then the High Priestess stands behind the Cauldron in pentacle position, symbolizing the rebirth of the sun. The people, man and woman alternately, stand round the circle. The Magus stands facing the High Priestess with a bundle of torches, or candles, and the book of words of the incantation. One of the officers stands beside him with a lighted candle, so that he may have light to read by. The people begin to slowly move round the circle sunwise. As each passes him the Magus lights his candle or torch from the fire in the Cauldron, which may be simply a candle, till all have lighted candles or torches. Then the people dance round slowly as he reads the incantation. (A real fire must now be kindled in the Cauldron.) Queen of the Moon, Queen of the Sun. Queen of the Heavens, Queen of the Stars. Queen of the Waters, Queen of the Earth. Who ordained to us the child of promise: It is the Great Mother who gives birth to him, He is the Lord of Life who is born again, Darkness and tears are set behind,And the star of guidance comes up early. Golden sun of hill and mountain illumine the land, illumine the world, illumine the seas, illumine the rivers,Grief be laid, and joy be raised. Blessed be the Great Mother, Without beginning, without ending, To everlasting, to eternity, I O. Evohe, Blessed be." The dance commences slowly, in rhythm with the chant, all taking up the call "I. O. Blessed be." The Priestess joins dance and leads them with a quicker rhythm. The cauldron with burning fire is pushed so that the dancers leap or step over it, in couples. Whichever couple is passing it as it goes out, should be well-purified, three times each, and may pay any amusing forfeit as the High Priestess may ordain. Sometimes the cauldron is relighted several times for this purpose. C.5 The Eightfold Path or Ways. (1957) 1. Meditation or concentration, actually by the firm knowledge that you can and will succeed -- forming a clear picture in your mind or your requirements. 2. Trance states, Clairvoyance, Projection of the Astral etc. 3. Drugs, Wine, Incense. 4. Dance, Performing Rites with a purpose. 5. Chants, Spells etc. 6. Blood control (Cords etc), Breath control. 7. Scourge 8. The Great Rite N.B. The great thing is to combine as many of these paths into the one operation. No 1 must be in all -- for if you have no clear picture of what you wish and no certainty you will not succeed -- 'tis useless. No 2 can be combined with this easily. Nos 3, 4, and 5 are all good preliminaries- also 6 and 7; but No 3 is dangerous and therefore if possible should be avoided, except for incense, which is harmless if too much is not used. The best combination is Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 7, for small purposes, with no 8 if great force is necessary. Also a combination of 1, 6 and 7 is good if more can not be done; this if properly performed leads to No. 2. C.6. The First-Degree Initiation (1957) Draw Circle with Magic Sword or Athame. Sprinkle with Exorcised Water. Go round Circle with Magic Sword or Athame, Saying, "I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou beest as a Boundary and a Protection to contain the magic power which I will raise within thy bounds. So do I bless thee, in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." Go round, saying at East, South, West, and North, "I summon, stir, and call thee up, ye Mighty Ones of the East (South, West, North), to witness the rites and to guard the circle." Magus draws down Moon on High Priestess. Read Charge, then say, "O thou who standest on the threshold between the pleasant world of men and the dread domains of the lords of the outer spaces, hast thou the courage to make the assay?" (Place point of the Magic Sword or Athame to Postulant's heart.) "For I say verily it were better to rush on my blade and perish than to make the attempt with fear in thy heart." Postulant: "I have two perfect words: perfect love, and perfect trust." Say, "All who have are doubly welcome." Entering position: "I give you a third to pass you through this dread door." Gives it [kiss]. Lead Postulant sunwise to south of altar, and say, "O thou who hast declared intent to become one of us, hear then that which thou must know to do. Single is the race of men and of Gods; from a single source we both draw breath, but a difference of power in everything keeps us apart, for we are as nothing, but the Gods stay forever. Yet we can, in greatness of minds, be like the Gods, though we know not to what goal by day or in the night Fate has written that we shall run. Beyond all seas and Earth's la st boundaries, beyond the Spring of night and the Heavens' vast expanse, there lies a majesty which is the domain of the Gods. Thou who would pass through the Gates of Night and Day to that sweet place, which is between the worlds of men and the domains of the Lords of the outer spaces, know that unless there is truth in thy heart, thy every effort is doomed to failure. HEAR THEN THE LAW: that thou lovest all things in nature; that thou shalt suffer no person to be harmed by thy hands or in thy mind; that thou walkest humbly in the ways of men and the ways of the Gods. Also it is the law that contentment thou shalt learn, through suffering, and from long years and from nobility of mind and of purpose, FOR THE WISE NEVER GROW OLD. Their minds are nourished by living in the daylight of the Gods, and if among the vulgar some discoveries should arise concerning some maxims of thy belief in the Gods, so do thou, for the most part, keep silent. For there is a great risk that thou mayest straightway vomit up th at which thou hast not digested, and when someone shall say to thee, "Thou knowest naught," and it bites thee not, then knowest thou that thou hast begun the work. And as sheep do not bring their food to the shepherd to show how much they have eaten, but digesting inwardly their provender, bear outwardly wool and milk, even so, do not thou display the maxims to the vulgar, but rather the works that flow when they are digested. Now there is the ordeal." [This speech was added after about 1960.] Tie cord around Postulant's right ankle, leaving ends free; say, "Feet neither bound nor free." Leading postulant, proclaim at four quarters, "Take heed, ye Lords of the Watchtowers of the East (South, West, North), that (name) is properly prepared to be made a priestess and a witch." Three times round the Circle with Dance step and chant. Place Postulant in East; say, "Kneel." Postulant kneels. Strike eleven knells on bell; say, "Rise. In other religions the postulant kneels while the priest towers above him, but in the Art Magical we are taught to be humble, and so we kneel to welcome them, and we say: "Blessed be the feet that have brought you in these ways [kiss]; "Blessed be the knees that shall kneel at the sacred altar [kiss]; "Blessed be thy womb (or organ of generation), without which we would not be [kiss]; "Blessed be thy breasts, erected in beauty and in strength [kiss]; "Blessed be thy lips, which shall utter the sacred names [kiss]. "Before ye are sworn, art willing to pass the ordeal and be purified?" Postulant "I am." Take measure: height (tie knot); around head (tie knot); around heart (tie knot); around hips (tie knot). Prick postulant's thumb; catch blood on measure. Place measure on altar. Have postulant kneel, tie postulant's feet together, and secure cable tow to altar. Three strokes on bell. Say, "Art ready to swear that thou wilt always be true to the Art?" Postulant "I am." Strike seven times on bell and say, "Thou must first be purified." Scourge 3, 7, 9, 21. Say, "Ye have bravely passed the test. Art always ready to help, protect, and defend thy brothers and sisters of the Art?" Postulant "I am." "Then say after me: I, (name), in the presence of the mighty ones of the outer spaces, do of my own free will most solemnly swear that I will ever keep secret and never reveal the secrets of the Art, except it be to a proper person, properly prepared, within such a circle as I am in now, and that I will never deny the Secrets to such a person if they be vouched for by a brother or Sister of the Art. All this I swear by my hopes of a future life, and may my weapons turn against me if I break this my solemn oath." Loosen cords from ankles and from altar, and remove blindfold; assist to rise. "I hereby sign thee with the triple sign [the point-down triangle formed by touching the genitals, the right breast, the left breast, and the genitals again.] I consecrate thee with oil. I consecrate thee with wine. I consecrate thee with my lips, Priest (Priestess) and Witch." Remove Cords [kiss]. "I now present to you the working tools. First the magic sword. With this, as with the athame, thou canst form all magic circles, dominate, subdue, and punish all rebellious spirits and demons, and even persuade angels and good spirits. With this in your hand, you are ruler of the circle." [kiss] "Next I present to you the athame. This is the true witches' weapon, and has all the powers of the magic sword." [kiss] "Next I present the white-handled knife. Its use is to form all instruments used in the Art. It can only be used in a magic circle." [kiss] "Next I present the wand. Its use is to call up and control certain angels and genie to whom it would not be meet to use the sword or athame." [kiss] "Next I present the pentacle. This is for the purpose of calling up the appropriate spirits." [kiss] "Next I present the censer of incense. This is used to encourage and welcome good spirits, and to banish evil spirits." [kiss] "Next I present the scourge. This is a sign of power and domination. It is also used to cause purification and enlightenment, for it is written, `To learn you must suffer and be purified.' [kiss] Art willing to suffer to learn?" Postulant: "I am." "Next and lastly I present the cords. They are of use to bind the sigils of the art, also the material basis. Also they are necessary in the oath." [kiss] "I now salute you in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos, Newly made Priestess and Witch." Lead round and proclaim to four quarters, "Hear, ye Mighty Ones, (name) has been consecrated a priestess of the Goddess." Now present new Witch to coven members. All should kiss and hug new Witch as welcome into membership. To close circle proclaim to four quarters, "Ye Mighty Ones of the East (South, West, North), I thank you for attending and, ere ye depart for your lovely realms, I say hail and farewell." C.7. The Second-Degree Initiation (1957) Form Circle in usual manner, invoking the Mighty Ones at the Four Quarters. The Initiate should be properly prepared and bound with the Cords. All are purified, including Initiate. Circle once, proclaiming at the Four Quarters: "Hear Ye Mighty Ones, . . . (N), a duly consecrated Priestess and Witch is now properly prepared to be made a High Priest and Magus (High Priestess and Witch Queen)." Circle three times, with dance step and chant. Initiate then kneels before the Altar and is secured with the Cords. Priestess or Magus: "To attain to this sublime Degree it is necessary to suffer and be purified. Art willing to suffer to learn?" Initiate: "I am." Priestess or Magus: "I purify thee to take this great oath rightly". Strike three strokes upon the bell. Scourge 3, 7, 9, 21. "I now give thee a new name: . . ." [kiss] "Repeat thy new name after me, saying, `I, . . ., swear, upon my mother's womb and by mine honour among men and my brothers and sisters of the Art, that I will never reveal to any at all any of the secrets of the Art, except it be to a worthy person, properly prepared, in the center of a Magic Circle such as I am now in. This I swear by my hopes of salvation, my past lives and my hopes of future ones to come and I devote myself and my measure to utter destruction if I break this my solemn Oath.'" Kneel. Place Left Hand under Initiate's Knee and Right Hand on Head, thus forming Magic Link, saying: "I will all my power into thee." WILL. Loose, assist to rise. Consecrate: "I consecrate thee with oil [on genitals, right breast, left hip, right hip, left breast, genitals), I consecrate thee with wine, I consecrate thee with my lips, High Priest and Magus (High Priestess and Witch Queen)." Loose remaining cords. [kiss] "You will now use the working tools in turn, "First the Magic Sword (Form Circle) [kiss] "Second the Athame. (Form Circle) [kiss] "Third the White-Handled Knife (use) [kiss] "Fourth the Wand. (Wave to 4 Quarters) [kiss] "Fifth the Pentacle. (Show to 4 Quarters) [kiss] "Sixth the Censer. (Circle, cense) [kiss] "Seventh the Cords. (Use) [kiss] "Eighth the scourge: for learn, in witchcraft you must ever give as you receive, but ever triple. So where I gave thee 3, return 9; where I gave 7, return 21; where I gave 9, return 27; where I gave 21, return 63." (Use, 9, 21, 27, 63; i.e., 120 in all [kiss]) "Thou hast obeyed the law. But mark well, when thou receivest good, so equally art bound to return good threefold." The Priestess or Magus is then loosed from the cords and says: "Having learned thus far, you must know why the Wicca are called the Hidden Children of the Goddess". Then the Legend of the Goddess is either read or acted out. If it is possible to act it out, the new Initiate may take one of the parts. One of the Coven should act as Narrator, and another as Guardian of the Portal. The Priestess, or another woman, may act the part of the Goddess, and the Magus, or another man, may act the part of the God. The Priestess -- or whoever is taking the part of the Goddess -- takes off her necklace and lays it on the Altar. Then she goes outside the circle and is dressed in a veil and jewellery. The Magus -- or whoever is taking the part of the God -- is invested with a horned crown and girds on a sword, which he draws and stands in the God position with sword and scourge, by the altar. Narrator: "In ancient times our Lord, the Horned One, was, as he still is, the Consoler, the Comforter; but men knew him as the Dread Lord of Shadows -- lonely, stern, and hard. Now our Lady the Goddess had never loved, but she would solve all mysteries, even the mystery of Death -- and so she journeyed to the Nether Lands. The Guardians of the Portals challenged her:" (The Priestess -- or whoever is taking the part of the Goddess -- advances to the side of the Circle. Whoever is taking the part of the Guardian of the Portal challenges her with the Sword or Athame.) Narrator: "`Strip off thy garments, lay aside thy jewels, for naught may ye bring with ye into this our land'. So she laid down her garments and her jewels and was bound, as are all who enter the realms of Death the Mighty One". (The Priestess takes off the veil and the jewellery and lays them down outside the Circle. The Guardian of the Portal binds her with the Cords and brings her inside the Circle.) Narrator: "Such was her beauty that Death himself knelt and laid his sword and crown at her feet and kissed her feet." (The Magus -- or whoever is playing the part of the God -- comes forward and lays the Horned Crown and the Sword at the Priestess's feet and kisses her feet) Narrator: "Saying, `Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways. Abide with me, but let me place my cold hand on thy heart'. And she replied, `I love thee not. Why dost thou cause all things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?' `Lady,' replied Death, `'Tis Age and Fate, against which I am helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when men die at the end of time, I give them rest and peace and strength, so that they may return. But you, you are lovely. Return not; abide with me.' But she answered, `I love thee not.' Then said Death, `An you receive not my hand on your heart, you must receive Death's scourge.'" (The Magus rises and takes up the Scourge from the Altar.) Narrator: "`It is fate, better so,' she said, and she knelt." (The Priestess kneels before the altar, and the Magus uses the scourge 3, 7, 9, 21.) Narrator: "And Death scourged her tenderly, and she cried, `I feel the pangs of love'. And Death raised her, and said, `Blessed be,' and he gave her the Fivefold Kiss, saying, `Thus only may you attain to joy and knowledge'." (The Magus raises the Priestess, gives her the Fivefold Kiss and unties the cords) Narrator: "And he taught her all the Mysteries and gave her the necklace, which is the Circle of Rebirth." (The Magus takes the Priestess's necklace from the Altar and replaces it about her neck. The Priestess takes up the Sword and the Horned Crown from the floor, where the Magus placed them, and gives them back to him. Then he stands as before by the Altar, in the position of the God, and she stands by his side in the pentacle position, as Goddess) Narrator: "And she taught him the mystery of the sacred cup, which is the cauldron of rebirth. They loved and were one; and he taught her all the Magics. For there be three great mysteries in the life of man -- love, death, and resurrection in a new body -- and magic controls them all. To fulfill love you must return at the same time and place as the loved one, and you must meet and know and remember and love them again. But to be reborn you must die and be ready for a new body; to die you must be born; without love you may not be born -- and these be all the magics. And our Goddess ever inclineth to love and mirth and happiness, and guardeth and cheriseth Her hidden children in life; and in death she teacheth the way to have communion, and even in this world She teacheth them the Mystery of the Magic Circle, which is placed between the worlds." The Priestess or Magus then replaces the Sword, Crown, Scourge, etc., upon the Altar, and taking the new Initiate by the hand and holding the Athame in the other, passes once round the Circle, proclaiming at the Four Quarters, "Hear, Ye Mighty Ones, . . . hath been duly consecrated High Priest and Magus (or High Priestess and Witch Queen)." C.8. The Third-Degree Initiation (1957) Magus gives Fivefold Kiss. Magus: "Ere we proceed with this sublime degree, I must beg purification at thy hands." High Priestess binds Magus and ties him down to the altar. She circumambulates three times, and scourges Magus with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. She then unbinds him and helps him to his feet. Magus now binds the High Priestess and ties her down to the altar. He circumambulates, proclaiming to the four quarters, "Hear, ye mighty Ones, the twice consecrate and Holy (name), High Priestess and Witch Queen, is properly prepared and will now proceed to erect the Sacred Altar." Magus scourges High Priestess with three, seven, nine, and 21 strokes. Magus kisses her feet. "Ere I dare proceed with this sublime degree, I must again beg purification at thy hands." She binds and scourges him. Note: if High Priestess has not performed this rite before, he says, "Here I reveal to you a great mystery." [Kneel and place couch in position so as to face north.] Assist me to build As the Mighty One willed, An Altar of praise, From beginning of days, Thus doth it lie, Twixt the points of the sky, For thus it was placed When the Goddess embraced The Horned One, Her Lord, Who taught her the word, [Priestess lies down in such a way that her vagina is approximately at the center of the circle] Which quickened the womb, And conquered the Tomb. Be thus as of yore, The Shrine we adore, [kiss] The feast without fail, The life-giving Grail, [kiss] Before it uprear The Miraculous Spear, And invoke in this sign The Goddess divine. [kiss] Invoke: "Thou who at moon of night doth reign, Queen of the starry realm above, `Not unto Thee may we attain Unless Thine Image be of Love.' [kiss] By moon-rays silver shaft of power, By green leaf breaking from the bud, By seed that springeth into flower, By life that courseth in the blood. [kiss] By rushing wind and leaping flame, By flowing water and green earth, Pour us the wine of our desire From out Thy Cauldron of Rebirth. [kiss] Here may we see in vision clear The Secret Strange unveiled at length, The wondrous Twin-Pillars rear Erect in Beauty and in Strength. [kiss breasts] Altar of Mysteries manifold, The Sacred Circle's central point, Thus do I sign thee as of old, With kisses of my lips anoint. (Eightfold Kiss: 3 points, Lips, 2 Breasts and back to lips, & 5 points*, with oil, wine, & kisses) Open for me the Secret Way, The pathway of intelligence, Between the Gates of Night and Day, Beyond the bounds of time and sense. Behold the Mystery aright, The Five True Points of Fellowship, Here where the Lance and Grail unite, And feet and knees and breast and lips." Magus and High Priestess: "Encourage our hearts, Let thy Light crystallize itself in our blood, fulfilling us of Resurrection, for there is no part of us that is not of the Gods." (Exchange Names.) C.9. The Witches' Chant or Rune (1957) Darksome night and Shining Moon, East, then South, then West, then North, Harken to the Witches Rune: Here come I to call thee forth. Earth and Water, Air and Fire, Wand and Pentacle and Sword, Work ye unto my desire, Harken ye unto my word. Cords and Censer, Scourge and knife, Powers of the Witches Blade, Waken all ye into life, Come ye as the Charm is made: Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell, Horned Hunter of the Night, Lend your power unto the Spell, Work my will by Magic Rite. If chant is used to reinforce a work already begun, end with this: By all the power of land and sea, by all the might of moon and sun, What is my will- "So mote it be,"What I do say- "It shall be done." C.10. Consecrating Tools (1957) (Note: if possible lay any new weapon touching an already consecrated one, Sword to sword, Athame to Athame, etc.) [1] Prepare Circle and purify. All tools must be consecrated by a man and a woman, both as naked as drawn swords; they must be purified, clean, and properly prepared. [2] Place tool on pentacle on altar. Magus sprinkles it with salt and water. Witch passes it through smoke of incense, replaces it on pentacle. Touching with already consecrated weapon, they say the First Conjuration. [2a] For sword or athame, say "I conjure thee, O Sword (or Athame) of Steel, that thou servest me for a strength and a defence in all magical operations, against all mine enemies, visible and invisible, in the names of Aradia and Cernunnos. I conjure thee anew by the Holy Names Aradia and Cernunnos, that thou servest me for a protection in all adversities, so aid me." [2b] For any other tool, say, "Aradia and Cernunnos, deign to bless and to consecrate this [tool], that it may obtain necessary virtue through thee for all acts of love and Beauty." [3] Again they sprinkle and cense, and say the Second Conjuration: [3a] For sword or athame, say, "I conjure thee, O Sword [Athame] of Steel, by the Great Gods and the Gentle Goddesses, by the virtue of the Heavens, of the Stars, of the Spirits who preside over them, that thou mayest receive such virtues that I may obtain the end that I desire in all things wherein I shall use thee, by the power of Aradia and Cernunnos." [3b] For any other tool, say, "Aradia and Cernunnos, bless this instrument prepared in thine honour." (For the scourge or cords, add, "That it may only serve for a good use and end, and to thy Glory.") [4] All instruments when consecrated should be presented to their User by giving the [point-down triangle] sign salute (if they are working in the 1st degree, or the sign of the higher degree if they are working that.) [5] Then the one who is not the owner should give the Fivefold Kiss to the owner. For the final kiss, the tool should be placed between the breasts, and the two workers should embrace for as long as they feel like, it being held in place by their bodies. The new owner should use it immediately, i.e., cast (trace) Circle with Sword or Athame, wave wand to 4 quarters, cut something with white-handled knife, etc. Cords and scourge should be used at once. The tool should be kept in as close connection as possible to the naked body for at least a month, i.e., kept under pillow, etc. When not in use, all tools and weapons should be put away in a secret place; and it is good that this should be near your sleeping place, and that you handle them each night before retiring. Do not allow anyone to touch or handle any of your tools until they are thoroughly impregnated with your aura; say, six months or as near as possible. But a couple working together may own the same tools, which will be impregnated with the aura of both. D.1 The Old Laws (1961) [A] The Law was made and Aredan of old. The law was made for the Wicca, to advise and help in their troubles. The Wicca should give due worship to the Gods and obey their will, which they Aredan, for it was made for the good of the Wicca, As the [5] Wicca's worship is good for the Gods, For the Gods love the Wicca. As a man loveth a woman, by mastering her, so the Wicca should love the Gods, by being mastered by them. And it is necessary that the Circle, which is the Temple of the Gods, should be truly cast and purified, that it [10] may be a fit place for the Gods to enter. And the Wicca should be properly prepared and purified, to enter into the presence of the Gods. With love and worship in their hearts they shall raise power from their bodies to give power to the Gods, as has been toughed us of old, [15] For in this way only may man have communion with the Gods, for the Gods cannot help man without the help of men. [B] And the High Priestess shall rule her Coven as representative of the Goddess, and the High Priest shall support her as the representative of the God, And the High Priestess shall choose whom she [20] will, if he have sufficient rank, to be her High Priest), For the God himself, kissed her feet in the fivefold salute, laying his power at the feet of the Goddess, because of her youth and beauty, her sweetness and kindness, her wisdom and Justice, her humility and generosity. So he resigned his lordship to her. But the Priestess should [25] ever mind that all power comes from him. lt is only lent when it is used wisely and justly. And the greatest virtue of a High Priestess is that she recognizes that youth is necessary to the representative of the Goddess, so that she will retire gracefully in favour of a younger woman, Should the Coven so decide in Council, For the true [30] High Priestess realizes that gracefully surrendering pride of place is one of the greatest of virtues, and t hat thereby she will return to that pride of place in another life, with greater power and beauty. [C] In the days when Witchdom extended far, we were free and worshipped in Alther Greatest Temples, but in these unhappy times [35] we must hold our sacred mysteries in secret. So it be Aredan, that none but the Wicca may see our mysteries, for our enemies are many, And torture looseth the tongues of many. It be aredan that each Coven shall not know where the next Coven bide, or who its members are, save the Priest and Priestess, [40] That there shall be no communication between them, save by the Messenger of the Gods, or the Summoner. Only if it be safe, may the Covens meet, in some safe place, for the great festivals. And while there, none shall say whence they come, or give their true names, to the end that, if any are tortured, in their agony, they can [45] not tell if they know not. So it be Aredan that no one may tell any not of the Craft who be of the Wicca, nor give any names, or where they bide, or in any way tell anything which can betray any to our foes, nor may they tell where the Covenstead be, or where is the Covendom, [50] or where be the meeting s or that there have been meetings. And if any break these laws, even under torture, The Curse of the Goddess shall be upon them, so they never reborn on earth, And may they remain where they belong, in the Hell of the Christians. [D] Let each High Priestess govern her Coven with Justice and [55] love, with the help of the advice of the elders, always heeding the advice of the Messenger of the Gods, if he cometh. She will heed all complaints of brothers, and strive to settle all differences among them, but it must be recognized that there be people who will ever strive to force others to do as they will. [60] They are not necessarily evil, and they often do have good ideas, and such ideas should be talked over in council. And if they will not agree with their brothers, or if they say, "I will not work under this High Priestess," it hath always been the old law to be convenient for the brethren, and to void disputes, any of the Third [65] may claim to found a new Coven because they live over a league from the Covenstead, or are about to do so. Anyone living within the Covendom wishing to form a new Coven, to avoid strife, shall tell the Elders of his intention and on the instant void his dwelling and remove to the new Covendom. Members of the old Coven may join the New one when it be formed, but if they do, must utterly void the old Coven. The Elders of the New and the Old Covens should meet in peace and brotherly love, to decide the new boundaries. Those of the Craft who dwell outside both Covendoms may join either indifferent, but not both, though all may, if the Elders [75] agree, meet for the Great Festivals, if it be truly in peace and brotherly love. But splitting the coven oft means strife, so for this reason these laws wer e made of old, And may the curse of the Goddess be on any who disregard them. So be it aredan. [E] If you would Keep a book let it be in your own hand of write. [80] Let brothers and sisters copy what they will, but never let the book out of your hands, and never keep the writings of another, for if it be found in their hand of write, they well may be taken and Engined. Each should guard his own writings and destroy it whenever danger threatens. Learn as much as you may by heart, and when danger is [85] past, rewrite your book an it be safe. For this reason, if any die, destroy their book if they hav e not been able to, for an it be found, 'tis clear proof against them, And our oppressors well know, "Ye may not be a witch alone" So all their kin and friends be in danger of torture. So ever destroy anything not necessary. [90] If your book be found on you. 'tis clear proof against you alone. You may be engined. Keep all thoughts of the Craft from your mind. Say you had bad dreams; a devil caused you to write it without your knowledge. Think to yourself, "I know nothing. I remember nothing. I have forgotten everything." Drive this [95] into your mind. If the torture be too great to bear, say, "I will confess. I cannot bear this torture. What do you want me to say? Tell me and I will say it." If they try to make yo u speak of the brotherhood, Do NOT, but if they try to make you speak of [100] impossibilities, such as flying through the air, consorting with the Christian Devil, or sacrificing children, or eating men's flesh, to obtain relief from torture, say, "I had an evil dream. I was not myself. I was crazed." Not all Magistrates are bad. If there [105] be an excuse they may show mercy. If you have confessed aught, deny it afterwards; say you babbled under torture, you knew not what you did or said. If you are condemned, fear not. The Brotherhood is powerful. They may help you to escape, if you stand steadfast, but if you betray aught, there is no hope for you, in this [110] life, or in that which is to come. Be sure, if steadfast you go to the pyre, Dwale will reach you. You will feel naught. You go but t o Death and what lies beyond, the ecstasy of the Goddess. [F] 'Tis probable that before you are engined, Dwale will reach you. [115] Always remember that Christians fear much that any die under torture. At the first sign of swoon, they cause it to be stopped, and blame the tormenters. For that reason, the tormenters themselves are apt to feign to torment, but do not, so it is best not to die at first. If Dwale reaches you, 'tis a sign that you have a friend somewhere. [120] You may be helped to escape, so despair not. If the worst comes, and you go to the pyre, wait till the flames and smoke spring up, bend your head over, and breath in with long breaths. You choke and die swiftly, and wake in the arms of the Goddess. [G] To void discovery, let the working tools [125] be as ordinary things that any may have in their houses. Let the Pentacles be of wax, so they may be broken at once. Have no sword unless your rank allows you one. Have no names or signs on anything. Write the names and signs on them in ink before consecrating them and wash it off immediately after. Do not Bigrave them, [130] lest they cause discovery. Let the colour of the hilts tell which is which. [H] Ever remember, ye are the Hidden Children of the Gods. So never do anything to disgrace them. Never boast, Never threaten, Never say you would wish ill to anyone. If you or any not in the Circle speak of the Craft, [135] say, "Speak not to me of such. It frightens me. 'Tis evil luck to speak of it." For this reason: the Christians have spies everywhere. These speak as if they were well affected, as if they would come to Meetings, saying, "My mother used to go to worship the Old Ones. I would that I could go myself."* To these ever deny all knowledge. [140] But to others ever say, "'Tis foolish men talk of witches flying through the air; to do so they must be light as thistledown," and "Men say that witches all be bleared-eyed old crones, so what pleasure can there be in witch meetings such as folk talk on?" Say, "Many wise men now say there be no such creatures." Ever [145] make it a jest, and in some future time, perhaps the persecution will die, and we may worship safely again. Let us all pray for that happy day. [I] May the blessings of the Goddess and the God be on all who keep these laws which are Aredan. [J] If the Craft hath any Appanage, let all brothers guard it, and help to keep it clear and good for the Craft, and let all justly guard all monies of the Craft. But if some brothers truly wrought it, 'tis right that they have their pay, an it be just, an this be not taking [5] money for the use of the Art, but for good and honest work. And even the Christians say, "A labourer is worthy of his hire." But if any brothers work willingly for the good of the craft without pay, 'tis but to their greater honour. So it be Aredan. [K] If there be any disputes or quarrels among the brethren, the [10] High Priestess shall straight convene the Elders and enquire into the matter, and they shall hear both sides, first alone, then together, and they shall decide justly, not favouring the one side or the other, ever recognizing that there be people who can never agree to work under others, but at the same time there be some people who [15] cannot rule justly. To those who ever must be chief, there is one answer, "Void the Coven and seek an other, or make a Coven of your own, taking with you those who will to go." To those who cannot rule justly, the answer be, "Those who cannot bear your rule will leave you," for none may come to meetings with those with whom they are at [20] variance; so, an either cannot agree, get hence, for the Craft must ever survive. So it be Aredan. [L] In the olden days when we had power, we could use our Arts against any who ill-treated any of the Brotherhood, but in these evil times, we may not do so, for our enemies have devised a burning [25] pit of everlasting fire, into which they say their God casteth all the people who worship him, except it be the very few who are released by their priests' spells and Masses, and this be chiefly by giving money and rich gifts to receive his favour, for their Alther Greatest God [Greatest God of all] is ever i n need of Money. [30] But as our Gods need our aid to make fertility for men and crops, So the God of the Christians is ever in need of man's help to search out and destroy us. Their priests tell them that any who get our help or our cures are damned to the Hell forever, so men be mad for the terror of it. But they make men [35] believe that they may scape this hell if they give victims to the tormenters. So for this reason all be forever spying, thinking, "An I can but catch one of the Wicca I will scape this fiery pit." But we have our hidels, and men searching long and not finding say, "there be none, or if they be, they be in a far country." [40] But when one of our oppressors die, or even be sick, ever is the cry, "This be Witches Malice," and the hunt is up again. And though they slay ten of their people to one of ours, still they care not; they have many thousands, while we are few indeed. So it is Aredan that none shall use the Art in any way to do ill [45] to any, howevermuch they have injured us. And for long we have obeyed this law, "Harm none" and nowtimes many believe we exist not. So it be Aredan that this law shall still continue to help us in our plight. No one, however great an injury or injustice they receive, may use the Art in any to do ill or harm any. [50] But they may, after great consultations with all, use the Art to prevent or restrain Christians from harming us and others, but only to let or constrain them and never to punish, to this end. Men say, "Such an one is a mighty searcher out and persecutor of Old Women whom he deemeth to be Witches, [55] and none hath done him Skith [harm], so this be proof they cannot, o r more truly, that there be none," For all know full well that so many folk have died because someone had a grudge against them, or were persecuted because they had money or goods to seize, or because they had none to bribe the searchers. And many have died [60] because they were scolding old women, so much so that men now say that only old women are witches, and this be to our advantage, and turns suspicion away from us. In England 'tis now many a year since a witch hath died the death, but any misuse of the power might raise the Persecution again; so never break this law, [65] however much you are tempted, and never consent to its being broken. If you know it is being broken in the least, you must work strongly against it, and any High Priestess or High Priest who consents to it must be immediately deposed, for 'tis the blood of the Brethren they endanger. Do good, an it be safe, and only if [70] it be safe, for any talk may endanger us. [M] And strictly keep to the Old Law, never accept money for the use of the art. It is Christian priests and sorcerers who accept money for the use of their Arts, and they sell Dwale and evil love spells and pardons to let men scape from their sins. [75] Be not as these. Be not as these. If you accept not money, you will be free of temptation to use the Art for evil causes. [N] You may use the Art for your own advantage, or for the advantage of the Craft, only if you be sure you harm none. But ever let the Coven debate the matter at length. Only if all are satisfied that none may be harmed [80] may the Art be used. If it is not possible to achieve your ends one way without harming any, perchance the aim may be achieved by acting in a different way, so as to harm none. May the Curse of the Goddess be on any who breach this law. So it be aredan. [O] 'Tis adjudged lawful an anyone need a house or land, an none will [85] sell, to incline the owner's mind to be willing to sell, provided it harmeth him not in any way, and that the full worth is paid, without haggling. Never bargain or cheapen anything which you buy by the Art. So it be Aredan. [P] It is the Old Law and the most important of all Laws [90] that no one may do or say anything which will endanger any of the Craft, or bring them in contact with the law of the land, or the Law of the Church or any of our persecutors. In any disputes between the brethren, no one may invoke any laws but those of the Craft, or any Tribunal but that of the Priestess and the Priest and the [95] Elders. And may the Curse of the Goddess be on any who so do. So it be Aredan. [Q] It is not forbidden to say as Christians do, "There be Witchcraft in the Land," because our oppressors of old made it Heresy not to believe in Witchcraft, and so a crime to deny it, which thereby put [100] you under suspicion. But ever say "I know not of it here, perchance they may be, but afar off. I know not where." But ever speak so you cause others to doubt they be as they are. Always speak of them as old crones, consorting with the Devil and riding through the air. But ever say, "But how may men ride through the air an they be not [105] as light as thistledown?" But the curse of the Goddess be on any who cast any suspicion on any of the Brotherhood, or speaks of any real meeting place, or where any bide. So it be Aredan. [R] Let the Craft keep books with the names of all Herbs which are good for man, and all cures, that all may learn. But keep [110] another book with all the Banes [poisons] and Apies. and let only the elders and trustworthy people have this knowledge. So it be Aredan. [S] And may the Blessings of the Gods be on all who keep these Laws and the Curses of both God and Goddess be on all who break them So it be Aredan. [The following two sections were added after 1960.] [T] Remember the Art is the secret of the Gods and may only be used in earnest and never for show or vainglory. Magicians and Christians may taunt us, saying, "You have no power. Do magic before our eyes. Then only will we believe," seeking to cause us to betray our Art before them. Heed them not, for the Art is holy, and may only be used in need. And the curse of the Gods be on any who break this law. [U] It ever be the way with women, and with men also, that they ever seek new love, nor should we reprove them for this, but it may be found to disadvantage the Craft, as so many a time it has happened that a High Priest or High Priestess, impelled by love, hath departed with their love; that is, they have left the coven. Now, if a High Priestess wishes to resign, she may do so in full Coven, and this resignation is valid. But if they should run off without resigning, who may know if they may not return w ithin a few months? So the law is, if a High Priestess leaves her coven, but returns within the space of a year and a day, then she shall be taken back, and all shall be as before. Meanwhile, if she has a deputy, that deputy shall act as High Priestess for as long as the High Priestess is away. If she returns not at the end of a year and a day, then shall the coven elect a new High Priestess. Unless there be a good reason to the contrary. The person who has done the work should re ap the benefit of the reward, Maiden and deputy of the High Priestess. D.2. The Verse Charge (1961) I the Mother, darksome and divine, Say to thee, Oh children mine (All ye assembled at mine Shrine), Mine the scourge and mine the kiss The five-point star of love and bliss Here I charge ye in this sign. (Assume Goddess position.) All ye assembled here tonight Bow before my spirit bright Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Lover of the Horned God, Mighty Queen of Witchery and night Astarte, Hecate, Ashtaroth, Dione, (Morrigan, Etain, Nisene), Diana, Brigid, Melusine, Am I named of old by men, Artemis and Cerridwen, Hell's dark mistress, Heaven's Queen. (Whene'er trouble comes anoon) All who would learn of me a Rune Or would ask of me a boon, Meet ye in some secret glade Dance my round in greenwood shade, by the light of the full moon. (In a place wild and lone) With the comrades alone Dance about my altar stone. Work my holy Magistry,Ye who are fain of sorcery, I bring ye secrets yet unknown. (Whate'er troubles come to thee), No more shall ye know slavery Who give due worship unto me, Who tread my round on Sabbat-night. Come ye all naked to the rite, In token ye be truly free. I teach the mystery of rebirth, Keep ye my mysteries in mirth Heart joined to heart, and lip to lip, Five are the points of fellowship That bring ye ecstasy on Earth. I ask no offerings, do but bow, No other law but love I know, By naught but love I may be known, All that liveth is mine own From me they come, to me they go. D.3. Casting and Charging (1961) [1] Forming Circle. Light candles. 1. Draw Circle with Magic Sword or Athame. 2. Sprinkle with consecrated water. 3. Cense. 4. Say, "I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou be a Boundary and a Protection and a meeting place between the world of men and the realms of the Mighty Ones, A Guardian and a Protection that shall preserve and contain the Power which we shall raise within thee, Wherefore do I Bless and Consecrate thee." 5. Say "I summon, Stir, and Call Thee up, Ye Mighty Ones of the (East, South, West, North) To witness the Rites and to guard the Circle." [2] Closing Circle. Say, "Mighty Ones of the (East, South, West, North), I thank you for attending, and ere you depart for your lovely realms, I say Hail and Farewell." [3] Consecration of Water and Salt. Touch water with Athame, saying, "I exorcise thee, O Creature of Water, that thou cast out from thee all the impurities and uncleannesses of the spirits of the World of Phantasm, In the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." Touching Salt with Athame, say, "Blessings be upon this creature of Salt. Let all malignity and hindrance be cast forth hencefrom and let all good enter herein. Wherefore I bless thee that thou mayest aid me, In the names of Aradia and Cernunnos." [4] Drawing Down the Moon. "I invoke Thee and call upon Thee, Oh Mighty Mother of us All, Bringer of all Fruitfulness. By Seed and Root, by Stem and Bud, by Leaf and Flower and Fruit, by Life and Love, Do We invoke Thee to descend upon the body of Thy servant and Priestess (name)." High Priest and other men give Fivefold Kiss. Women all bow. D.4. Forming the Circle. (1961) FORMING THE CIRCLE. [1] Must have a man and a woman, properly prepared, i.e., naked. [2] Mark a circle nine feet across on the floor with chalk, etc. The best way is to get a string. Tie 2 loops four foot, six inches apart. Put one loop over a nail or something in the center. Put chalk in the other and run it round. If you can't make marks on the floor, put furniture, etc., round to form it. Have a table, etc., as an Altar, with all tools, etc., on it. Have a bowl of water, and some salt. [3] Place Athame on the bowl of water. Say, "I exorcise thee, O creature of Water, that thou cast out from Thee all the impurities and uncleannesses of the Spirits of the World of Phantasm in the name of Aradia and Cernunnos. But ever mind that Water purifies the body, but the scourge purifies the soul." [4] Then place Athame on the salt. Say, "Blessings be upon this creature of Salt. Let all malignity and hindrance be cast forth hencefrom, and let all good enter herein. Wherefore I bless thee that thou mayest aid me, in the name of Aradia and Cernunnos. [5] Then trace Circle on the lines you have marked out, starting at the East and returning to the East. (Always go round the circle with your Right hand to the Altar. Never go Widdershins.) Then put the Salt into the water. and go round the circle again, sprinkling it to purify it. Then go round again censing it. (Everyone in the circle must be sprinkled and censed.) [6] Then go to the East, Sword or Athame in hand. Draw an invoking pentacle in the Air, starting at the top and going to the lefthand corner, saying, "I summon, and call thee up, O Ye Mighty ones of the East, to guard the Circle and witness our rites." Then holding the point of sword or Athame upwards, do the same to the south, west, and north, and return to the center, to the south of the Altar. [7] Then each girl should bind her man, hands behind back and cable Tow to neck. He should kneel at altar, and be scourged. When all men are thus "purified," they purify the girls in turn. No one may be in the circle without being thus purified. [8] Then do whatever work wanted. [9] When closing the Circle, the High Priestess, or whoever she tells to do it, saying, "Hail, ye mighty ones of the East. I thank you for attending, and ere ye depart for your lovely realms, We say, Hail and Farewell." Bibliography These are books you should read in order to see the sources Gardner used to create these rituals. Crowley, Aleister. Magick in Theory and Practice. Castle, n.d. [ca. 1930] Gardner, Gerald B. High Magic's Aid. Michael Houghton, 1949. ------. Witchcraft Today. Jarrolds, 1954. ------. The Meaning of Witchcraft. Aquarian Press, 1959. Glanvil, Joseph, and Henry More. Saducismus Triumphatus: or, Full and Plain Evidence Concerning Witches and Apparitions. London: Lowndes, 3d ed., 1689. Scholar's Facsimiles, 1966. One of Murray's major sources of information. Leland, Charles Godfrey. Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches of Tuscany. Scribner's, 1897. Buckland Museum reprint, 1964. Mathers, S. L. MacGregor, ed. and trans. The Greater Key of Solomon. De Laurence, Scott, 1914. Murray, Margaret A. The Witch-Cult in Western Europe. Oxford University Press, 1921. Oxford paperback, 1962. ------. The God of the Witches. Oxford University Press, 1934. Doubleday Anchor, 1960. Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn: An Account of the Teachings, Rites, and Ceremonies of the Order of the Golden Dawn. 1937-1940. Hazel Hills, 2d ed., 1969. * Gardner appended this paragraph to the Craft Laws in the early 1960s. * Gardner appended this paragraph to the Craft Laws in the early 1960s. * These are shown by a drawing to be: genitals, left foot, right knee, left knee, right foot, and back to genitals. * My Lady Epona points out that this is precisely what Charles Cardell had claimed; that is, this paragraph is a response to Cardell, and so it was probably inserted into the Craft Laws after the run-in with the Cardells and Olive Green in 1959. This again is an indication that Gardner did not promulgate the Craft Laws as a document for the Book of Shadows until about 1960, when Mr. Q was initiated. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Classification: IT.IV.C.2.e Title: Symbolism Author: Grand Master of the Order of Shuti Temple of Set Date: December, XXIV Published: Dialogues I.3 (The section on "Neters" was published in issue I.4) Subject: Symbolism Reading List: 2L, 2V [copyright 1989, Temple of Set. Permission for electronic distribution by echo and on PODS has been given by the author. No not copy or distribute further without permission of the author or the Temple of Set.] The first session of the year-XXIV Order of Shuti Workshop discussed symbolism. While the study of symbolism itself is not a primary concern of the Order of Shuti, several of the Order's activities do involve working with forms of symbolism, or are discussed using various symbols. The symbols of the twin lion gods, Shu and Tefnut, who together are Shuti, are obviously of importance in understanding the activities of the Order. The topic of symbolism was therefore chosen for the introductory session of the workshop. Application In discussing this session and what would be discussed, the Grand Master stressed that symbolism wasn't to be discussed simply as an intellectual exercise, but that all participants should try to apply the Setian yardstick of "application" to this discussion. Each and every topic of this session (and all sessions in the workshop) should be measured by the questions of a) Can it be applied? b) Is it useful? c) Does it work? What is symbolism? One answer suggested by workshop participants is that symbolism is a language of the unconscious. It is a dynamic language in which one image, a single symbol, can conjure up archetypical impressions, complex or complete concepts and/or meanings, rather than being a structured language in which many words and/or several sentences are needed to put together an equivalent concept or meaning. Another purpose of symbolism offered by the participants is to serve as a metalanguage which has two levels or multiple levels of meaning. Each symbol or set of symbols can have one meaning to the initiated, and another meaning to the uninitiated. That symbol or set of symbols could also have /different/ meanings to the initiated, depending upon how the symbols are communicated, and how they are mixed with other symbols. A statement in a symbolic language could even have multiple meanings communicated at the same time to the same person. A lot of the symbols Setians use in our writings are like that. When we read through the _Scroll of Set_ or the jewelled Tablets, those of us who have been using the language of the Temple of Set for a while will see certain words, and will know just from the way the words are used that the author is writing symbolically as well as grammatically, and he therefore means "this type of thing". This symbolic use of language lets us add meaning to an article without adding substantially to the size of that article. Those who haven't been in the Temple of Set long enough to pick up on that symbolic use of language will miss almost all of that meaning on their first reading. This is one of the reasons why we all find it useful to reread past issues of the _Scroll_ and to reread Tablet articles. It enables us to read meaning in an article that we may have missed on an earlier reading. It sometimes happens that "unintended" meaning is found in an article during such a rereading. Even though the author may not have consciously intended to convey a certain meaning, that author's Higher Self may have influenced the writing in such a way as to symbolically give a specific message in the writing. These messages remain hidden except for those who can perceive and understand them. On the other side of the scale, if our writings are read by someone totally unfamiliar with occult symbolism, then the message can be totally lost, and the reader may never see it. Symbolism can be visual (examples are the Pentagram of Set, pictures of the Egyptian Neters, etc), and verbal (the closing we use on our letters, "Xeper and Remanifest", is a statement and reminder of our dedication to this Formula, a way of developing and keeping the habit of Xeper and Remanifestation going strong). Each Word itself is a symbol (Xeper, Indulgence, Thelema, etc.), as is each Neter (Shu, Tefnut, Sekhmet, Bast). A lot of principles can be used as symbols which have more meaning to the initiated than they do to those who just read about them in a dictionary. Visual and verbal/written symbols involve just one of our senses (sight). If you include verbal/spoken symbols, we then involve a second sense (hearing). We then asked the question, "Are there symbols which are perceived and communicated through each of our other senses?" The first examples offered by workshop participants were incense and music: Incense can bring about different emotions and responses through the sense of smell. Music can bring about different responses through the sense of hearing, in ways totally different than the verbal symbols do (the difference between right brained behavior and left brained behavior). Where does symbolism come from? When dealing with incense and music, we are leaving the mental processes and intellectual reactions that visual symbols will evoke, and going instead to the more reactive, bodily, reactions. We react to the smell of bodily feces with distaste because of the body's reaction to that sort of an input. We find the fragrance of a rose very pleasing. One of the reasons we use fragrant incenses during a ritual is to bring about bodily reactions which enhance a ceremony because of the smells and our reactions to the smells. The discussion of one question leads to another. We learn the reactions / interpretations / meanings of visual and verbal symbols (at least those discussed above). Do we also learn reactions to incenses and music, or are those reactions more innate? The first response was that our reactions and interpretations, even our likes and dislikes of music are learned. The example given was classical music, which strikes some people as very soothing and relaxing, and which is likely to put these people to sleep. But others who are aware of the intelligent dynamics and many other ingredients of classical music will find the same music very stimulating. (We believe that the workshop participant was thinking about the lighter classical pieces, such as "Tales from the Vienna Woods," and not the more active pieces such as "Night on Bald Mountain.") The second response disagreed with the first, pointing out that regardless of whether they are used in classical, modern, or any other form of music, harps and strings tend to evoke emotional (peaceful) moods, while drums are more primal and physical, evoking more active responses. The next example we discussed referred to the sense of smell. To a farmer, feces and fertilizer are pleasing and filled with promise, a smell of promised growth and life, a totally different reaction than most people will have (especially after scraping a dog's refuse off the bottom of one's shoe). Similarly, an inlander's first pleasant reaction to sea gulls on wing, grace in motion, can be compared to the reaction of those who live on the beach and have to live with the noise and the mess and the droppings left behind by those very same sea gulls. These examples tend to support the theory that we learn our interpretations of the sounds and smells around us. It seems from these examples that our reactions to inputs are learned, or at least they arise from our experiences. The question then becomes, can symbols have innate visceral responses, or is the response to a symbol necessarily a learned one? To look at innate responses, the original responses to stimuli, we necessarily looked at children. For instance, children generally have no innate response to feces, and will often eat them until they learn not to. They later learn to either react with disgust to feces, or to view them as fertilizer and the source of life. The first example of a possibly innate response brought to the discussion was that of the ephemeral beauty of a butterfly on the wing. None of the participants could envision any child's reaction other than awe and delight at such beauty (or at least none would admit to any other vision). This brought forth remarks concerning innate childish "awe", where almost everything is new and wonderful. Children as they begin to distinguish between the multiple events and objects in their world are simply delighted at the beauty and diversity they find around them. There is no "evil" during this time -- only the beauty of nature. Few of us have any reason to unlearn this initial response to the butterfly. These reactions can therefore be considered innate, stemming from the earliest days of our consciousness. Other reactions, unpleasant reactions and also more complex reactions, seem to be learned over time. Therefore, there's some of both types of reactions. People will have initial reactions to many meaningful symbols and inputs, but their reactions can be modified by their experience and training. This discussion raised yet more questions, for which no answers were attempted during this workshop. The questions were, how much of our symbolism is learned, and how much of our symbolism is innate? And if some form of consciousness or memory can survive from one life to another, then how much might be remembered from past lives? Symbols may or may not come to one's attention. An extremely visually-oriented person may not notice or respond to other types of symbols, such as a room's smell, or a background level of music, while those who are oriented towards those senses will respond to those inputs, but perhaps not to others. Symbolism may have personal and/or experiential meaning (such as the manure used to plant your garden or that you step in), or symbolism may be abstract (learned and used in writing, teaching, or jewelry, but not something that's impacted upon you in the past). This is the difference between a) the visceral response, which may be innate and may also be a learned response, modified through experience or training, and b) the mental response which must always be learned or developed. The Grand Master wishes to note that the discussion at this point had unintentionally left the strict topic of symbolism, and was dealing instead with experience and reaction to stimuli, on the unspoken assumption that these reactions applied to our use of symbolism. We feel this to be a valid assumption, since the pleasant reaction we have to a butterfly or to a unicorn extends to and impacts our use of those images as symbols. Those with differing reactions to sea gulls as described above would similarly have different reactions to Johnathon Livingston Seagull's story. Also, by concentrating on experience and reaction rather than symbolism, we temporarily lost sight of the most important measure of symbolism -- that of meaning. Yes, music has impact, but that music is symbol only if its impact includes meaning, such as the sense of freedom and power that accompanies the visual image of the "Flight of the Valkyries" and similar images of meaning those who are familiar with the movie will get from various pieces in the sound track from 2001. Likewise incense is symbol only if its impact includes meaning. That meaning may be supplied by the smell, or that meaning may be supplied by knowledge of the ingredients within the incense. Meaning may also be supplied by the words used during the censing of the chambre. Without some meaning, incense is not symbol, but only smell. Closely related to the sense of smell is the sense of taste, and it's fairly easy to see that certain tastes can have meaning as well. During Passover Seder, a ritual meal of thanksgiving and freedom (celebrating the Exodus), Jews will dip greens into salt water and eat the salty greens, to remind them of tears shed by the Jews in bondage. They will eat bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery. Likewise, there can be kinesthetic symbols as well. We feel different when we hold a sword in ritual as opposed to when we hold a dagger. We feel different when we are standing up than we feel when we are sitting down, and different still when we are kneeling or laying down. We feel different in charged rooms, dry rooms, wet rooms, hot rooms, cold rooms, still rooms, breezy rooms. Uncontrolled, these latter experiences are just stimuli. Controlled and used meaningfully, these latter experiences can be symbols, manipulated and understood as such. How should symbolism be used? The first obvious use of symbolism is in the communication of ideas, whether written, spoken, or communicated through one or more other senses. Based on the idea that a single symbol can have a whole galaxy of meaning, a useful communications skill is the ability to use symbols in the proper places, in the proper ways, to communicate more meaning in a smaller package (with fewer words). Perhaps of greatest importance within the Temple of Set are the magical aeonic Words: Xeper, Remanifestation, and Xem, and the preceding Words of Indulgence and Thelema. By using these Words in writing or other forms of communication, we communicate the meanings associated with those Words. If I say the word "Xeper" to an initiate, it means something totally different than it would mean to someone off the street, and it means something totally different to a Setian than it would mean to an Egyptologist who /thinks/ he knows the Egyptian god Xepera. Our use of the Word is quite different and the symbol carries so much more meaning than just the word "Xeper" would carry in a modern Egyptian dictionary. This use of symbolism doesn't apply just to magical Words or Formulae, but applies to symbols of many different kinds, in many different uses. You'll sometimes find certain words capitalized in text, as are "Words" and "Formulae" above. When not overly used, this is a clear indication that the author wishes you to view these words with their symbolic meanings, rather than their normal meanings. During group ritual, certain words will be spoken more flamboyantly, perhaps louder, perhaps longer, and often with more gesturing. These words are then generally being used symbolically, with special meaning at least to the speaker, if not to other participants. Symbolism can also be used in Lesser Black Magic, as tools to influence certain people (singular or multiple) in certain ways. The magician (or politician or religious leader or arts director or other manipulator) will use lighting, music, fragrance, and other symbols in ways particular to their audience's response to the symbols. Symbolism can be used upon ourselves in a similar manner, to bring out responses from us that we want to bring out, as in ritual or as an aid to Xeper. Words which have become symbols to us can be used as a means of increased concentration, as a visual mantra or as a sensual mantra. Such mantras can be used in ritual, in nonritual meditation, or whenever we choose to remind ourselves of the principles carried within that symbol. Over time, some symbols can become richer and can carry more and more meaning to those people who work with the symbol. These symbols can become "magnetic", in that each use of the symbol brings forth yet another repetition of the symbol. Each reference brings forth a constellation of meaning, with one meaning and use leading to another. Each use of the symbol sparks, or attracts, another use of the symbol. In these cases the symbols will often be repeated over and over throughout a conversation or other communication, each time exercising one or more of those meanings, and through the course of the communication this symbol can almost hold or reflect an entire world view. This is the way the people influenced by the symbol see their world. At a political rally the symbol might be "America", "Democracy", or "the Party" (citizens of other countries may substitute those symbols meaningful in your domain). To some, the symbol might be "the Environment". The symbol "Xeper" has a similar impact within the Setian culture. Group consensus is important for communication through symbols. Different groups can have differing uses of symbols, and attempts to communicate between these groups using the symbols particular to one group (or those symbols which are viewed differently by different groups) can result in confusion or worse. Because Setians come from such diverse backgrounds, we have various communication problems related to these diverse backgrounds. Members from the O.T.O. may know all of the Qabalic correspondences, while members from the Wiccan background couldn't care less about the Qabalic attributions, and have correspondences which are totally different. Numerologists apply different meanings to their numbers than do the Qabalists. And all of these symbolic systems work. But very, very few of them work for all Setians. Qabalists within the Temple of Set who write articles and/or letters steeped in Qabalic symbolism find that very few others care enough about their symbols to wade through the text. Those from other backgrounds with intensive use of symbols similarly find difficulty communicating within the Temple of Set, since our symbolic vocabulary is so much less cohesive. This lack of similarity in symbolism affects not only written communication, but also ritual activity. Each pylon seems to develop its own pattern of symbolism, and inter-pylon rituals can at times be very difficult. Fitting many diverse magicians with their diverse backgrounds into one meaningful ceremony can be a challenge, a challenge faced at each Conclave, and at each activity like the Order of Shuti Workshop. Language of the Unconscious?{fn 1} The first question asked by the Grand Master was, "What is symbolism?" The first answer received was, "A language of the unconscious." Parts of the workshop's discussion might seem to support this definition, while others contradict it. So let the Grand Master speak: Symbols have many attributes. Among the more important of these attributes is their ability to cause reaction in their audience, visceral if not innate reactions, as discussed above. Elizabeth S. Helfman, in her book _Signs and Symbols around the World_, defines symbol as being: "anything that stands for something else." Look in your dictionary. Mine includes several definitions of symbol and symbolism, including: >> Symbol: 2: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance. 5: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response. >> Symbolism: 1: the art or practice of using symols esp. by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations; as a: the use of conventional or traditional signs in the representation of divine beings and spirits, b: artistic imitation or invention that is a method of revealing or suggesting immaterial, ideal, or otherwise intangible truth or states. 2: a system of symbols or representations. Symbolism is an art, a practice, something which is done. It is used to communicate meaning. It is a language. Our visceral responses to symbolism may be unconscious, but if that's all there is, then have we received and/or responded to meaning? The transmission and communication of *Meaning* requires some form of consciousness. Let's use the word /Awake/ to mean the highest form of consciousness. Remember -- the capital letter indicates I'm using a symbol; Setian use of this specific symbol (Awake) most often refers to Ouspenski's heightened state of consciousness and awareness, a state of being totally awake. For simplicity, let's assign a whole range of various levels of conscious awareness to the name "conscious". This name can apply to heightened states of consciousness which those we would call Awake, those that barely miss being Awake, down to the almost somnabulent states in which most of mankind spends their day. Finally, I would call the preconscious state one of consciousness in this case, a state in which meaning can be received, interpreted, and acted upon, without the individual being "consiously" aware that this has happened. But if the individual's attention is brought to the subject, then the symbol and its meaning can be recalled and the process repeated without any difficulty. If symbols are generated and communicated, if they are transmitted and received, in one of these three states, then I believe we can correctly talk about symbolism, about language. However, if the generation and/or reception of the symbol is unconscious, and/or totally unintended, then I propose that that instance is not an example of symbolism, not language or communication, but rather the accidental generation of and/or visceral response to sensory input. [Now let us return to the discussion as it took place in the workshop...] Planetary Symbol System? We know there are differences in the meanings of many symbols. "Patriotism" can be exceedingly important to a Republican and also to a Libertarian, but the meanings that this symbol will have can be quite different in many ways. This leads us to ask the question of whether there might perhaps be a "planetary symbol system" in which some symbols at least can be found commonly used in many or all cultures. The cross, square, circle, and most or all simple symbols have been found in use all over the earth. We therefore can ask whether their meanings are similar, or are the symbols used simply because they are simple geometric figures, but with meanings arbitrarily assigned by the individual cultures? One participant brought forth Ouspenski's example that "Table" has a function, an innate form or essence, which can be perceived beyond words, and beyond a learned experience. "Table" provokes an image, feeling, or essence that is evoked through a willed perception that extends beyond the actual set of tables that a person may have ever experienced. Ouspenski claims that at a certain state of consciousness the Aware individual can see this deeper meaning or essence, and that this deeper meaning or essence can be commonly perceived by all who reach this level of consciousness. Similar ideas were offered by Plato, and the concept of Platonic Forms is very prevalent throughout the Setian use of symbolism. We often speak of the Egyptian Neters as being Forms, the original or specific essence of an Ideal. This is certainly an area that needs deeper investigation. The workshop session discussion however left the topic of abstract Forms, and instead investigated the historic use of symbols in various cultures. Looking first at the more complex god forms, it seems each major culture has a "trickster" god: Coyote fills this niche in several Amerindian cultures, Loki in the Norse mythos, and Thoth (Hermes and Mercury) in the Egyptian (Greek and Roman) mythologies. The Trickster is that Spirit who makes you Think. He is the Spirit who is unpredictable in his actions or reactions, who gets himself and everyone else into trouble. In the process of doing so -- most often after everyone is already in trouble -- he makes people Think, and in the end he generally gets everyone out of trouble by thinking. To represent the Trickster, each culture used that type of symbol or god form which for them was most appropriate for that type of character. The coyote is a fairly independent and hard to track animal in America, requiring more than the usual amount of intelligence and stealth to catch. Monkeys similarly were appreciated for their seeming intelligence and playfulness, and so Egyptians assigned the Trickster attribute and the monkey's form to Thoth. The question becomes ... is this type of being, this symbol, something which is universal, cross-cultural, or is it something which happens in just a few cases, and many other societies never had any use for it? Jung was exploring this area. He defined specific symbols which he felt were common to many or all cultures. They were fairly common within his culture and Jung did manage to validate them with some cross-cultural study. We still need to ask how complete his studies were, how extensive and wide spread. Given people in extremely different environments, such as the Eskimo, Hawaiian, Indian, Tibetan, etc., cultures where the people have many different experiences, totally different social and physical environments, it can be expected that these people would have very different reactions to the symbols that Jung thought he had commonality on. Jung's _Man and his Symbol_ was recommended by one participant as containing documentation on his cross-cultural studies in this area. Not having access to any resource materials that would answer our questions at the time, the workshop session then proceeded into the topic of Egyptian Neters and the use of Neters in symbolism. Neters The Workshop discussion of Egyptian Neters started with a brief discussion of the Egyptian languages. The ancient Egyptians used three different written languages, the hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic. The demotic language was a mostly alphabetic language used for common communications among those who could read and write. Its primary uses were for social and business reasons. The hieratic language was a pictographic language related to the hieroglyphic, but in which the pictographs were abbreviated and simplified to speed writing. It was used for important state documents and many later religious texts. The hieroglyphic language was the most ornate of the three languages, the most ancient of the three languages, and the most symbolic. It was used for the most important religious and philosophical statements, and for the most important state declarations. Many of the symbols used to form the hieroglyphic language had assigned sounds, and many others did not. In addition to the sounds and symbols used to form words, the Egyptians used determinatives, signs added to specifically identify each word. Through the use of the determinative, it was impossible to mistake one written word for another, even if verbal sounds were the same, even if the letters used were the same. This use of a purely symbolic, picture-oriented language encouraged the ability in the learned ancient Egyptians to think with right brained methods while doing the left brain activity of reading. It also encouraged these educated and intelligent Egyptians to work with symbols as they worked with language. They were able to communicate ideas and ideals in a language particularly well suited to this purpose. Setians use the ancient Egyptian neters as symbols, representing aspects of the world, or aspects of the individual. We feel this is very close to the way the higher initiates of the ancient Egyptian Temples, the priests of the Temples, and the smarter pharaohs used and viewed their neters. The neters were concepts that could be communicated to and shared among the initiated, rather than being actual gods and goddesses. The common man may very well have believed in the literal existence of his many gods and goddesses, but we believe the elite of the Egyptian society understood that these neters were purely symbols. When the Egyptian elite paid homage to the neters, they paid homage to the aspects of the universe or of the self represented by those neters. One neter of obvious importance is Set. In dealing with this symbol, we try to identify the original meaning of the symbol, and try to eliminate the corruptions of the symbol imposed by the later rule of Osirian religion. Rather than take space here to discuss the corruptions and distortions that were applied to the symbol of the neter Set through the Osirian culture, we'll simply refer the interested student to appropriate books in the reading list: 2A, 2E, 2G, 2W, and 2AA. It is rather clear that the use and peripheral meanings of the neter Set changed over time. The study of Set must therefore include the careful consideration of the source of whatever writings are being studied. Fortunately most other Egyptian symbols/god forms did not change significantly over time, and such care need not be used in studying and working with them. The neters were used and viewed as symbols. But the Egyptian temples _were_ temples, and were recognized as religions, not simply as centers of enlightened philosophy. This brings up the question: Do/did the Egyptian Neters actually exist? Were these religions founded to worship or work with beings that actually existed? Or were they simply the creations of the ancient Egyptian priesthoods? Rather than tackle immediately the question of whether the Neters actually existed, workshop participants first chose to examine ... Egyptian Priesthoods The first statement made about these priesthoods was that each temple in Egypt taught a different area of philosophy or knowledge. Those temples dedicated to a major neter or god taught that their primal Form was the First Cause. These were the major temples of the land, and an initiate who studied at temple after temple would be presented with the opposing claims that each god was the god, The Creator. We noted in our discussion that the priesthoods of several of the "minor" neters did not make any such claims. Thoth as a single neter never seemed to be treated as the creator god; nor was Geb. However, many of the major neters were treated as creator gods, and many gods were intentionally combined into units (such as Amon-Thoth-Ra) in order to form a god which would be powerful enough to qualify as The creator god. Neters as Symbols We returned to discussing the neters as ways of viewing possibility and potentiality, and ways of viewing different aspects of the universe and of the individual. For example, Ra, the sun god, was a most pervasive and powerful being, since every single day, there he is in the sky. Ra was consistent, reliable, and therefore powerful. Similarly each force in nature was given a personality, because each force in nature has a personality (or seems to, to those who humanize such things). This is the basic principle behind most spirits of most animistic religions. These personalities are generally reliable. A rain cloud is going to rain; it isn't going to add to the day's heat. The Nile was not going to dry up -- it was going to overflow once a year, and deposit good, rich, fertile earth upon the ground. Each force of nature, each personality, was given a name, a face, and a story. The most powerful stories, faces, and names are those that belong to the creator gods. There are so many creator gods, that it's really difficult to pin down an actual order of precedence. This brings up the fact that there are many apparently conflicting stories within the Egyptian mythology. The Grand Master pointed out that in several Egyptian myths, Shu and Tefnut are self-created. In others they were created by tears of the master creator god (whoever he happened to be according to the story teller). In yet others they were created by the master god's masturbation. Shu and Tefnut by definition are the first male and female. The master god's masturbation in these latter stories was always male masturbation, but Shu is the first male. Shu and Tefnut begat Geb and Nut, but Nut was the all-pervasive universal sky that preceded the first god... This confusion is the result of centuries of Egyptian story telling, and while some of it appears to be contraditory, most of it is useful. We certainly must hesitate to consider this mythology as one consistent symbolism, and must be careful if we wish to communicate consistent meanings using these symbols, but we have found value in this mythology. Each story is a different way of looking at the world, a different way of looking at the first cause, and of looking at the symbols. By using these symbols, we can then indicate not only a symbol, but also which way we are looking at the world. Hence, if in ritual or other communication we call upon Ptah-Geb-Nu, we are calling upon the creator of the earth and sky, the god who created the physical universe. If instead we call upon the Neter Ra-Ptah-ankh, we are calling upon the god who brought light and life to this planet. Having discussed these differing views of the world as expressed by the many symbolic neters, we felt that this was a good point from which to launch into a discussion of one of the ways in which we look at Neters. Set, the prime source of intelligence and the ageless intelligence himself, is a wee bit complex for someone a mere 20 or even 200 years old to understand, regardless of whether we look at Set as an actually existing being or instead as a master symbol. So rather than try to encompass all of Set, intellectually or emotionally, rather than try to understand all of Set, we can work with neters which are facets of Set's being, facets of Set's symbolism. Each neter can be thought of as a specific element of Set. As examples, Shu is one set of symbolism, one set of ideas, that an initiate can work with to "get somewhere" with, to accomplish certain initiatory goals. Tefnut is another set of ideas, as is Geb, Isis, etc. Rather than trying to encompass and work with the entire universe simultaneously, grab whatever you can hold onto, work with that handful, study that symbol or symbols, and see what it leads to. We had originally intended to discuss whether or not the Neters might or might not exist in their own right. Having discussed the above, it seemed somewhat unimportant as to whether the Neters actually exist. That topic will be left for a later discussion. Bibliography While the following books and papers were not necessarily discussed nor referenced during the workshop discussion (or in completing this article), the initiate interested in studying symbolism as a subject on its own would be well advised to begin with this bibliography. Additions to this bibliography are welcome, and should be sent to the Grand Master. (_RT_ entries are from _The Ruby Tablet of Set_.) Barrett, Ronald K., "Book of Opening the Way (Key #4)". _RT_ IT.II.A.5.b.(1).(d). Barrett, Ronald K., "Stele of Xem". _RT_ IT.II.A.4.a.(3). Cavendish, Richard, _The Black Arts_. 4C (TS-3). Crowley, Aleister, _The Book of Thoth_. 9L (TS-4). De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Her-Bak_. 2L (TS-1). De Lubicz, Isha Schwaller, _Symbol and the Symbolique_. 2V (TS-4). Fisher, Leonard Everett, _Symbol Art: Thirteen Squares, Circles, and Triangles from Around the World_. NY: Four Winds Press, MacMillan Publishing Company, 1985. Helfman, Elizabeth S., _Signs and Symbols Around the World_. NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., 1967. Jung, Carl G., _Man and his Symbols_. Garden City: Doubleday & Co., 1964, 1968. Also NY: Dell Publishing Co., 1968, and London: Aldus Books, 1964. Menschel, Robert, "Remanifestation: A Symbolic Syntheses", _RT_ IT.II.B.3.e.(2). Menschel, Robert, "Tarot Primer", _RT_ IT.II.B.3.e.(3). Norton, Lynn, "Golden Section Tarot Working", "Atu XV: The Devil", and "The Dialogue". _RT_ IT.II.A.3.k.(1), 4.h.(1), and 4.h.(2). Regardie, Israel, _777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley_. 9M (TS-4). Schaefer, Heinrich, _Principles of Egyptian Art_. 2R (TS-4). ========= Footnote: ========= 1. The Grand Master wishes to digress temporarily from the workshop's discussion, and to comment at this time on one of the first statements offered during this discussion. The God Set by Setnakt The best English study of Set is Te Velde's _Set, God of Confusion_ Brill 1977. If this particular text is unavailable through your library, I recommend a a short cheap and very reliable book by George Hart: _A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses_, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986. This very ambiguous god was alternately deified and demonized depending on the cultural/political currents running through Egypt. Allow me to present here a brief history of Set. Predynastically: Set was an important deity appearing in the art of the Hamitic peoples living in the Ombos and Naquada regions. Interestingly, his was the only god-figure not composed of parts from recognizable Earth animals. (The Hamitic speakers donated most of the terms to religious philosophy to the Egyptian langauge that seperate it from other Semitic languages including ba, ka, neter, etc. If somebody really wants to find the roots of the Egyptian religion, they should go up the Nile and do some serious anthropology among Hamitic speaking native cultures-- the roots of the Nile may hold keys to Egyptian thought that mute stones do not). Archaic Egypt: Set generally occupies a secondary role to his enemy Horus, champion of the people of the North (except in the 2nd dynasty when one pharaoh took a "Set" name rather than a Horus name.) Set is intimately connected with teaching astronomy,the methods of agriculture, medicine, and above all magic. He is said to have opened the mouth of the other gods, and is the patron of the sem ritual. His cult titles include "Great of Magic" and "Eternal". There is indeed evidence that Set is set apart from other gods to die (Bonnet's commentaries on the Pyramid texts). The astronomical cult, which placed the afterlife in the region of the Northern heavens -- particularly in and around the constellation of the Great Bear was replaced in the Fourth dynasty by a growing sun cult centering on Re and Horus. The great stellar monument that Imhotep designed were replaced by the solar pyramids of the Fourth and Fifth dynasty's. (Notably Cheops took no chances in the great Pyramid's design -- although outwardly a solar monument he had a hole bored through the stones aligned with the position of Alpha Draconis (a star in the Great Bear called Thuban = "the Subtle One" a Set cult title?) just in case that was where his ka was heading. During the next few dynasties (4 - 17), Set is generally ignored. His functions are absorbed into other gods. Thoth picks up the attributes of magic, Osiris picks up the attributes of Mysterious time _djet_ as opposed to exoteric time _neheh_. Set keeps his attributes a storm and stellar god, and gradually comes to be associated with all night fears -- nightmares, desert fiends, and bad animals such as the hippo and the jaguar of the South. He is mentioned in a famous 12th dynasty writing called _The Discourse of a man with his ba_ in which his solar aspect IAA is referred to. Bikka Reed has a great translations of this text. In the 18th dynasty a remarkable Pharoah Hatshepsut reintroduced the worship of Set by building a Temple dedicated to him and Horus the Elder at Ombos. This marked a strong interest in Set's eternal nature, for example in Hatshepsut is the prophecy (which she had placed in her tomb at Der el-Medina) that "She will not only enjoy the days of Horus, but the days of Set will be added to her span." She was also interested in the antinomian nature of the Set cult -- in fact she preformed one of the most scandalous acts available to a woman -- she acted as a man. This early feminist clearly found Set, a great archetype to Work with. Set was popular among her family until the Kingship of Akhenaton (may he be reborn forever drowning in the jaws of Sobek the crocodile god). The very militaristic pharaohs of the Nineteenth dynasty, who were probably descended form a family of Set priests at Tanis, delighted in Set both in his militaristic role and as God of Foreign places. Ramses II for example called himself the Son of Set. The Set cult too was very popular with foreigners coming to live in Egypt. His worship has always been connected with the outsider. The Twentieth Dynasty began by looking very favorably on this god, as is shown in the name of its founder Setnakt, "Set is Mighty." There is also considerable evidence that the set cult was favored among artisans of the time (see Romer's _Ancient Lives_, Henry Holt, 1984, and if you've got as copy of Stephen Quirk's _Ancient Egyptian Religion_ check out the beautiful Stella of Aapehty -- probably the most beautiful surviving example of Setian art). By the end of the Twentieth Dynasty, as the funerary cult of Osiris became the dominate force in popular Egyptian religion,more and more, Set as the murderer of Osiris became the Evil One. In fact by the Twenty Sixth dynasty it was a common practice to disfigure any representations of Set. He became --for all practical purposes the Christian devil. Some scholars have even derived the name Satan from Set-Hen, a cult title meaning the Majesty of Set, but I am dubious of this particular derivation. However Set was not down for the count. During the Ptolemaic period Set, merged with the Greek titan Typhon, became the figure for the _goes_ or sorcerer to use. After Hermes the most often invoked god in the Magical papyri is Set-Typhon. This entity was used to bring spirit helpers ( bird would fly down and announce that the magician was now under the protection of a god -- a popular Typhonic practice outside of Egypt as well see Morton Smith's _Jesus the Magician_). Set was also the god to invoke to send dreams, perform healings on the head or spinal column, and to cause enmity between enemies. There seems to be a few common threads running through the Set cult: the quest for immortality, antinomianism, and the practice of magic. Perhaps this is why Michael Aquino's current Temple of Set finds this figure so appealing as an archetype for the Left Hand Path. Like Hatshepsut before Aquino has Opened the Mouth of this ancient god, and the articulation of the Principle of Isolate Intelligence is available to us today. Sources and Resources for Asatru Organizations: The Asatru Alliance of Independent Kindreds P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 The Alliance is the linear descendent of the Asatru Free Assembly. They are a democratically run national confederation of independent kindreds who meet once a year in an Allthing to conduct business. It is essentially conservative and libertarian. "The Alliance is based upon the ancient model of tribal democracy known as the Thing, and member kindreds support a code of laws we feel necessary to preserve and protect Asatru from those who would dilute, subvert, or in any way harm our religion. Membership in the Alliance is encouraged for those who actively promote and believe in the Aesir and Vanir and our collective Heathen Heritage. Anyone interested in joining the Alliance should contact the kindred of choice for acceptance. There is no membership in the Alliance except through a kindred. Applicants must subscribe to the membership requirements of the kindred of choice and uphold the bylaws of the Asatru Alliance." The Ring of Troth P.O. Box 18812; Austin TX 78760 The Ring of Troth was founded by Edred Thorsson. He resigned in Spring of 2242 (Runic Reckoning - 1992 C.E.) and has been replaced by Prudence Priest, most well known as the editor of Yggdrasil. Due to the resignation of Thorsson and several other members of the High Rede (i.e. Board of Directors) the Ring is currently in reorganization, and it appears that it will emerge much stronger than before. The Ring is governed by an appointed High Rede of 9 persons who guide the national affairs of the Ring. They offer a number of programs include an Elder training program for prospective clergy, The Rune Ring for study of the magickal properties of the Runes from within a Germanic Pagan context, and recognition for local Kindreds. The Ring of Troth requires that "its members affiliate for cultural and religious reasons rather than for racial and political reasons. The use of the Ring of Troth as a platform for any type of political or racial propoganda will not be tolerated" Dues are $24 and include a subscription to Idunna. If one does not wish to join, Friends of the Troth may receive Idunna for $24 as well. Magazines: Vor Tru - $12/year. The Journal of the Asatru Alliance (see above address). Concentrates on community issues within the Alliance, news of kindreds, letters, etc. Idunna - $24/year. The journal of the Ring of Troth. Idunna concentrates on fairly heavy academic subjects, runelore, etc. Mountain Thunder - $15/year, 1630 30th St #266; Boulder CO 80301. Glossy covered and well put together. Usually excellent articles on relgious issues of Heathenry, scholarly stuff, reviews, and opinion. Uncle Thorr's Newsletter - $12/year, P.O. Box 080437; Staten Island NY 10308-0005. Simple newsletter with ranting and raving from Uncle Thorr and company, news from NY, and articles on lifestyle, runes, and other topics. Kindreds: American Church of Theodish; 107 Court St, Suite 131; Watertown NY 13601 (Anglo Saxon Theodism) Am Church of Theodish West; 9353 Otto St; Downey CA 90241 Arizona Kindred; P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 (Asatru Alliance) Barnstokker Hearth; P.O. Box 1972; Seattle WA 98111-1972 Eagles Reaches; P.O. Box 382; Deer Park TX 77536 (Ring of Troth) Mountain Moot; P.O. Box 328; Elizabeth CO 80107 Nerthus Heart; 27 Gap Rd; Black Hawk CO 80422 Northern California Kindred; P.O. Box 445; Nevada City CA 95959 Norvegr Kindred; 219 Lewis St; Wash Court House OH 43160 Oak Rune Kindred; P.O. Box 3392; Galveston TX 77552 Raven Kindred; P.O. Box 970; Amherst MA 01004-0970 Skelland Kindred; P.O. Box 7608; Clearwater FL 34618 Thorr's Hammer Kindred; 9461 Bella Vista Rd; Apple Valley CA 92308 Torwald Kindred; 1630 30th St #266; Boulder CO 80301 Vinland Kindred; P.O. Box 15431 PSS; Stamford CT 06901 Wulfing Kindred; P.O. Box 18237; Chicago IL 60618 (Asatru Alliance) Yggdrasil Kindred; 1709 West Midvale Village Dr; Tucson AZ 85476 Recommended Books: The Poetic Edda, Lee Hollander translation (basic mythology in an excellently translated poetic version.) The Prose Edda, Jean Young translation (basic mythology) The Norse Myths, Kevin Crossley Holland (basic mythology in modern language and retelling, excellent for readings or meditation) A Book of Troth by Edred Thorsson (Not my favorite author and not a book without many imperfections, but the only mass market book of the basic rituals of Asatru) The AFA Rituals, three volumes available from World Tree Books ($18 from World Tree) The original ritual volumes from the Asatru Free Assembly. Introduction to Ritual and Invocation Tape ($7 from World Tree Books) A basic cassette tape that goes through a ritual step by step, the other side is a variety of invocations and prayers. The last two are from World Tree Publications; P.O. Box 961; Payson AZ 85547 (checks payable to the O.F. of Arizona). World Tree is a service of the Asatru Alliance and carries a number of tapes and booklets as well as Thor's Hammers and statuary. ADF BASIC RITUAL NUMBER ONE by P.E.I. Bonewits, Sally Eaton and others Procession, lead by D1 and D2: D1: Ta muid anseo leis na Deithe a adhradh. D2: We are here to honor the Gods. D1: A Dheithe, an Airde, a Thabharthoiri ar Bheatha - eistigi agus freagairt orainn! D2: O Gods, High Ones, Givers of Life - hear and answer us! Processional song: We come from the mountains, Living in the mountains, Turn the world around. We come from the oceans, Living in the oceans, Turn the world around. We come from the fire, Living in the fire, Turn the world around. We come from the breezes, Living in the breezes, Turn the world around. Settling song: She changes everything she touches, And everything she touches changes. Tree Meditation: When e'er we stand in a sacred place Beneath the Sun's or Moon's bright face, In a circle's rim or shady grove, Our spirits go to the Gods we love. Let all our minds go clear and free, and form the image of a treee, A youthful sapling of the glade, Whose budding branches cast no shade. Around this tender, supple youth, Are seen its sturdy forbearers growth, Those forest Elders strong and wise, Who nurture those of lesser size. So close your eyes, and in your mind Become one of the spirit kind. Cast off your cares and disbelief, and enter tree from root to leaf. Relax and breathe and center will, Then let the peace within you swell Until it is a thing profound. Now send it deep in the ground. In every little tender root Feel water flow, and and then transmute; The sap will flow through ever vein, Our links to our ancestors regain. Now let the sap rise in a flood, And race to every branch and bud; Each branch extend into the air, Each leaf unfold in green so fair. The gentle zephers toss each bough, And to you calming breaths endow, While rays of golden summer light Give warmth and lend their power's might. Let water rise and fire descend, And lively air the branches bend; Thus firmly planted in the Earth, The elements give us rebirth. Now let the green entwine, And form our sacred grove devine. With branch and root our circle form, And magic from mundane transform. We all are rooted just the same, We feel the same supernal flame, We drink the water free to all, We hear the gentle airy call. Now let us feel our spirits surge, And into one great spirit merge To let the Lord and Lady know That we are ready below. And let us all link hand to hand, Before all of the gods we stand, And in this hallowed space we start To show all that is in our heart. Specifacation of ritiual: Invocation of Ogma the Gate Keeper, or Mannanon in English and Irish: (English by Sally Eaton, Irish by James Duran) (visualization is a triangle shaped iris opening) D1: A Oghma, a thiarna na nGeatai, a thiarna an Fheasa, oscail na geatai duinn. Ta muid ag siul i do lorg, ta' muid ag siul ar do bhealach. Scaoil duinn do theagasc taispeain duinn cen chaol a siul faidh muid slan. Molann muid thu mar gheall ar do chumhacht. Siuil linn a Oghma! or D1: A Mhanannon, a thiarna na nGeatai, a thiarna an Fheasa, oscail na geatai duinn. Ta muid ag siul i do lorg, ta' muid ag siul ar do bhealach. Scaoil duinn do theagasc taispeain duinn cen chaol a siul faidh muid slan. Molann muid thu mar gheall ar do chumhacht. Siuil linn a Mhanannon! D2: O Ogma, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Knowledge, open the ways for us. We walk in your footsteps, we walk your roads. Reveal to us your teaching, reveal to us the way to walk in safety. We praise you for the brightness of your power. Walk with us, Ogma! or D2: O Manannon, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Knowledge, open the ways for us. We walk in your footsteps, we walk your roads. Reveal to us your teaching, reveal to us the way to walk in safety. We praise you for the brightness of your power. Walk with us, Manannon! D1: Siuil linn a Oghma... D2: ...walk with us Ogma! D1: Siuil linn a Oghma... D2: ...walk with us Ogma! D1: Siuil linn a Oghma... D2: ...walk with us Ogma! or D1: Siuil linn a Mhanannon... D2: ...walk with us Manannon! D1: Siuil linn a Mhanannon... D2: ...walk with us Manannon! D1: Siuil linn a Mhanannon... D2: ...walk with us Manannon! Chant: We invoke thee Ogma, Opener of every Gate We invoke thee Ogma, Opener of every Gate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. (repeat nine times) or We invoke Manannon, Opener of every Gate We invoke Manannon, Opener of every Gate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. You shall reach us, You shall teach us and reveal our fate. (repeat nine times) Invoke Matron of Bards (Bridget nominally) O Bridget, our heart, Our brightest Queen; Cast your blessings unto us. We are your children, You are our mother; So harken unto us. You are the Cauldron now in our grove; Earth-Mother inspire us. O fire of love, O fire of life; Please Bridget, come to us! Triad invocations and consecrating of the waters: Nature: Fill main chalice with whiskey and secondary chalice with water. Hold them up and say: D2: O spirits of the old times and of this place, our companions, our teachers, hallow these waters. Share with us the renewal of the Earth. Share with us comfort, knowledge, and blessing. Speak to our hearts, that we may become one with you all...Behold the waters of life. D1: A sprideanna na seanaimsire, agus na haite seo, a chomhghuaillithe,a mhuinteori, beannaigi na h-uisci seo duinn. Roinnigi orainn athbheochan na Talun. Roinnigi orainn suaimhneas, eolas, agus beannacht. Labhraigi linn inar gcroi, le go mbeadh muid in aon bhall libhse...Seo iad uisci na beatha! Sip from each chalice and passes to D2 then to sunwise (left), saying: Behold the waters of life. Asperging song/chant (Fur and Feathers) for while waters being passed. Fur and feather and scale and skin, Different without, the same within. Many of body but one of soul, Through all creatures, the Gods made whole. (repeat nine times) Ancestors: D2: O people of the old times, our ancestors, our kindred, hallow these waters. Share with us the bond of life upon the Earth. Share with us comfort, knowledge, and blessing. Speak to our hearts, that we may become one with you all ... Behold the waters of life! D1: A sheana, a shinseara, a mhuintir, beannaigi n h-uisci seo duinn. Roinnigi orainn ceangal na beatha ar Talamh. Roinnigi orainn suaimhneas, eolas, agus beannacht. Labhraigi linn inar gcroi, le go mbeadh muid in aon bhall libhse .... Seo iad uisci na beatha! Asperging song/chant: It's the blood of the ancients, That runs through our veins. And the forms pass, But the Circle of Life remains. Gods as a whole: D2: O Gods of the old times, our mothers, our fathers, hallow these waters. Share with us your power to regenerate the Earth. Share with us comfort, knowledge, and blessing. Speak to our hearts, that we may become one with you all ... Behold the waters of life! D1: A Dheithe na seanaimsire, a mhaithreacha, a aithreacha, beannaigi na h-uisci seo duinn. Roinnigi orainn bhur gcumhacht le go nginfeadh muid an Domhan. Roinnigi orainn suaimhneas, eolas, agus beannacht. Labhraigi linn inar gcroi, le go mbeadh muid in aon bhall libhse ... Seo iad uisci na beatha! Asperging song/chant: Mother I feel You under my feet. Mother I hear your heart beat. Mother I feel You under my feet. Mother I hear your heart beat. Father I see You where the eagle flies. Spirit going to take me higher. Father I see You where the eagle flies. Spirit going to take me higher. Praise offerings and major power raising: The sacrifice: (see FESTNAME.TXT for diety names of holidays) D2: Our praise goes up with thee on the wings of eagles; our voices are carried up to thee on the shoulders of the winds. Hear now, o Name, o Name, we pray thee, as we offer up this sacrifice of life. Accept it we pray thee, and cleanse our hearts, giving to us of your peace and life. D1: Teann ar moladh suas chugat ar sciathain iolar; beitear ar nglortha suas chugat ar ghuailne na gaoithe. Eistigi anois, a..., an ..., mas e bhur dtoil e, agus sinn ag ofrail na h-iobairte seo ar son na beatha. Glacaigi lei, mas e bhur dtoil e, agus glanaigi ar gcroithe, ag roinnt arainn do chuid siochana is do bheatha. The Omen: D2: Have you accepted our sacrifice of life and human effort? D1: Give unto us an omen! Possible repitition of Praise offerings and Omen seeking, if needed. D1: Rejoice! The NAME and NAME have accepted our sacrifices! Meditation on personal needs: Repetition on group needs: done by D1 & D2 Induction of Receptivity: D1: Of what does the Earth-Mother give, that we may know of the continual flow and renewal of life? D2: The waters of life. D1: From whence do these waters flow? D2: From the bosom of the Earth-Mother, the ever changing All-Mother. D1: And how do we honor this gift that causes life? D2: By partaking of the waters of life. D1: Has the Earth Mother given forth of Her bounty? D2: She has. D1: Then give me the waters! Final consecration and sharing: D1: A NAME, an NAME, Eistigi agus freagairt orainn! Bean- naigi na h-uisci seo duinn. Muide do chlann, a mhol thu, agus anois iarrann muid ort leigheas, beannachtai, cumhacht agus tinfeadh... Seo iad uisci na beatha! D2: O NAME, O NAME, hear us and answer us! Hallow these waters! We your children have praised you, and now we ask from you healing, blessing, power and inspiration .... Behold the waters of life! Passing song/chant: Burn bright, flame within me, Kindled of eternal fire. Of the people I do be, And the people part of me, All one in many parts, A single fire of flaming hearts! Meditation on reception of blessings and reinforcement of group bonds: Affirmation of success: D1: NAME and NAME have Blessed us! D2:Every time we invoke them, they become stronger and more alert to the needs of their people. D1: With joy in our hearts, let us return to the realm of mortals, to do the will of the Gods and our own. D2: Yet, before we leave, we must give thanks to those whom we invited here today. Thanking of the Entities involved: D2: O NAME and NAME, D1: A NAME, an NAME, D2: We thank you! D1: Go raibh maith agaibh! All: Go raibh maith agaibh! D2: O Gods and Goddesses of the old times, D1: A Dheithe na seanaimsiri - All: Go raibh maith agaibh! D2: O people of the old times, our ancestors, our kindred, D1: A sheana, a shinseara, a mhuntir - All: Go raibh maith agaibh! D2: O spirits of the old times, and of this place, D1: A sprideanna na seanaimsire, agus na haite seo - All: Go raibh maith agaibh! D2: O Bridget, Fire of Life and Fire of Love, Mother of Bards and Goddess of inspiration, we thank you. D1: A Bhrid, a Thine Bheatha agus a Thine Ghra, a Mhathair na Bardai agus Bheandia na Thinfeadh, go raith maith agat! Closing of the Gates: D2: O Ogma, Lord of the Gates, Lord of Knowledge, we thank you. Now let the Gates Between the Worlds be closed! D1: A Oghma, a Thairna na nGeatai, a Thairna an Fheasa, go raith maith agat. Anois biodh na geatai idir na saolta a druidte! or D2: O Mhannon, we thank you. Now let the Gates Between the Worlds be closed! D1: A Mannonon go raith maith agat. Anois biodh na geatai idir na saolta a druidte! Reversing the Tree meditation: Our sacred grove the Gods do love, The Earth beneath, the sky above, But now this ritual must end, Toward our home and hearthstone fend. Again we cleat our mind and heart; The branches shrink and pull apart. The roots untie and backward turn, And spirit fire less brightly burns. Let water sink, let fire go, Let gentle zephers homeward flow, And as if in a cleansing rain Become a single tree again. Then from this solitary tree Your soul breaks loose, a being free. Your body calls, your spirit flies, Returns, you slowly open your eyes. Libation: D1: To thee we return this portion of thy bounty, o NAME our Mother, even as we must someday return unto thee. Final Benediction: D1: Let us go out into the world, secure in the knowledge that our sacrifices have pleased the Gods and Goddesses, and that we go forth upon the Earth under their protection. D2: We have finished this ceremony! D1: So be it! All: Biodh se! Recessional song/chant: Walk with Wisdom Walk with wisdom from this hallowed place. Walk not in sorrow, our roots shall ere embrace. May Strength be your brother, and Honor be your friend. and Luck be your lover until we meet again. ********************************************************************** *From:THE DRUIDS PROGRESS, Report #6. The DRUIDS PROGRESS is published semiannually (Gods Willing) and is sent primarily to the subscribing members of ADF. For Further information write: ADF, PO Box 1022, Nyack, NY USA 10960-1022 (include a SASE). All Items accredited to "the Archdruid" have been written by and are (C) 1990 by P.E.I. Bonewits. All items created by other parties are (C) 1990 by them. All opinions expressed, save those specifically attributed to the Board of Trustees, are the opinions of the individuals expressing them and are Not official ADF policy. Reprint Procedure: Neopagan, Druidic, Medievalist and all cultural publications may reprint any material written by P.E.I. Bonewits, but his copyright notice must appear in full. If more than 250 words are excerpted, one cent per word should be donated to ADF. ********************************************************************** * PAGAN MANNERS OR Are There Any Dead Animals in The Soup? by Grey Cat, Members Advocate --------------------------------------------------------------------- I can hear the outraged screams already. there are people out there who believe that the very idea of "Pagan Manners" is a conflict in terms; that "manners" are outdated, dishonest and hypocritical. Well,think again. Manners constitute the only successful technique ever discovered by humankind to enable groups and individuals, holding moderately disparate views, customs or beliefs, to get along together. There are things more important than manners; but, without manners,its unlikely that a discussion will ever go to them. Pagan manners are fairly simple and have nothing to do with which fork you use or how to word an invitation. They have to do with respect for others' feelings and beliefs. They most specifically have to do with recognition of the fact that you should "judge not the path of your brother or sister for their path is sacred." Manners are also the only way of attempting to grant everyone the personal space which each of us needs. There have been a number of attempts to write down a list of "thou shalts" and "thou shalt nots" which will cover Pagan life. Here are several tries made by four different people: MY OWN OPINIONS 1. Never assume that you are invited to a ritual or a non public gathering just because your friend is invited. Have your friend call the group doing the event and ASK! (or call yourself). 2. When participating in a ritual led by a group of which you are nota member, ask ahead of time what will be done. SHould there be something in the explanation, or in the set-up of the ritual area which bothers you, just quietly don't participate in the ritual. 3. Ask the person(s) officiating at a ritual before you place anything in the ritual area; wear clothing or tools which might be considered unusual; or add private energy workings to the ritual being done. 4. Never just walk out of a cast ritual circle. Ask someone in the group sponsoring the ritual to cit you a door if your really and truly absolutely have to leave. 5. Don't make comments on the ritual, its leaders or the amount or quality of the energy raised during the ritual unless such opinions are asked for by the leaders. Save it for your friends, privately,after the ritual is over. 6. Vegetarians, Vegans, Strict Carnivores, Diabetics, and any others with very strong food preferences: no one minds your asking quietly and politely "Which dishes have meat (sugar, spices, hot pepper, etc.)in them?" When planning a meal for mixed Pagan/Wiccan groups, it is strongly suggested that at least some of the dishes be vegetarian, sugar-free, relatively non-spicy etc. At all times, within and without the ritual context, always provide an alternative to alcoholic beverages. 7. While many people have become far less secretive about their membership in a Pagan group, it is never, EVER, permissible to "blow someones cover". Do not ever call a friend or acquaintance by their Pagan name or mention their membership in a mundane situation. It is also bad manners - and a symptom of social climbing - to call an individual by his/her mundane name in a Pagan situation. It always reminds me of an extra calling John Wayne "The Duke" at a local bar. 8. Whether you drink, take drugs or indulge in other similar behavior is completely your own business. It is always wrong to urge such behavior on any other individual. The majority of serious Pagan groups absolutely do NOT allow anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol to participate in ritual. Do not be offended of you are turned away for this reason. If you are taking a psycho-active drug for a medical reason it is very wise to check with the ritual leader(s) so they will understand and can advise you if they feel the ritual might be harmful to you. 9. Just because most Pagans/Wiccans are under 40 and in reasonably good physical condition, never assume that everyone is. Rituals and gatherings should be planned so that those with physical problems aren't barred totally from participation. Particularly in ritual, be aware that many more people than you might think are "mobility disabled." Group ritual should take place in an accessible area and some thought should be given to designating a safe place for those not taking part in dancing to stand or sit. Please be alert to anyone to whom help would be welcome. Help them to find a campsite which minimizes walking - to the ritual area, to the privies, to the eating area - whatever. Help them pitch their camp. Don't make them feel unwelcome - most handicapped people have worked extra hard on their magickal skills and may be able to add a great deal to the power in ritual and to the success of the gathering. 10. When at any sort of gathering, please be thoughtful. Particularly please observe true quiet after midnight. No one minds if you and others want to stay up all night talking or whatever. Everyone else minds a great deal if you stay up talking and laughing loudly and/or drumming. Those hosting a gathering should take the responsibility of keeping the noise level very low in at least some of the sleeping areas - and designating it as a quiet area. 11. Do not allow yourself to get the idea that you know the One True,Right and Only Path! Even if you really do have the conviction that what someone else is doing is "wrong", "incorrect", "Left-hand path"or whatever, just don't talk about it. It is perfectly permissible to refrain from participating in the activities of those with whom you cannot feel comfortable. It is not acceptable to express the idea that they "shouldn't" be doing it. This is not to say that if you know of criminal behavior on the part of a so-called Pagan/Wiccan group you should not report it. We must also be responsible for cleaning up our own act. Paganism is glorified by its diversity. Please do not allow yourself to express judgement by categories. Whether or not you like or dislike blacks, Indians, Homosexuals, women, men, or whatever, keep it to yourself! If you really and truly cannot feel comfortable taking part in a ritual which isn't conducted according to the tradition you follow or if you cannot be pleasant in company mixed with groups you disapprove of, please just stay home. PAGAN/CRAFT ETIQUETTE by Soapbox Sam Listed below are not hard and fast rules, but some helpful guidelines for those who would function smoothly in a craft/Pagan environment. 1. Should you write to someone for information, always enclose an SASE (Self-addressed, Stamped Envelope). Many of us receive several inquiries a day. Sometimes just answering them, much less having to pay the postage and buy envelopes, is a time-consuming, expensive task! 2. Should your inquiry be about Pagan/Craft folks in your area, tell about yourself, and how you came to have our names and wrote to is -after all the Inquisition is alive and sick here in the heart of the Bible Belt. Do not expect names and addresses unless they are already"public". Most of us, even the "public" Pagan/Craft folks prefer to meet people slowly and carefully over a cup of coffee in a public place, before we start introducing you to our groups and our friends.Why should we risk when you have risked nothing? ((Sometimes I get mail that simply has a name and address on it and demand that I send the latest copy of my newsletter or the names and addresses/phone numbers of all Craft people in the writer's areas. One man sent me a letter raising hell because he has (according to him) sent me $0.33 in the mail and was waiting on the copy of my newsletter "I owed him"!Sadly, this type of letter is more common than not... his letter and 33 cents, is ever sent, was never received. Do I really have to explain to grown mature adults about sending money through the mails???)) 3. If you are invited to a gathering or festival, whether by written or oral invitation, before you invite others, get permission. Because of space, or other considerations, the number of people that can be accommodated might be limited, or certain individuals or groups may not be welcome because of personality conflicts and resulting disharmony. Also, if a weekend gathering is scheduled and you can only arrive for the ritual and then must leave, ask if that is OK...sometimes the ritual is the climax of the entire gathering, rather than an event in itself; in that case to show up only for the ritual not having been part of the entire event is to 'take-away' from the meaning of the whole for those who were there! 4. Always inquire what you should bring to any gathering. If you have received an official invitation, you should have been told. But,assume nothing! Ask if you need to bring food, robes, candles, drinks,eating utensils (forks, cups, plates, etc). It is unreasonable and rude to assume that an invitation to a gathering means that people just like yourselves, will expect you to come and eat their food, use their utensils and leave a mess for them to clean up after you have gone. If you cannot take food, then at least offer the gatherings sponsors a cash donation to help defray their cost. If you can't stay to help clean up afterwards, at least be considerate enough to get your own refuse to a garbage container. 5. To be invited to participate in another's ritual is NOT your right, but rather a privilege and an honor. If you are unfamiliar with their tradition, common courtesy demands that you at least inquire about enough information to participate in a positive fashion, and most certainly, make no assumptions about adding anything to the circle or placing your "special' crystals, totems, whatever in the circle or at a specific place within the circle without getting permission. Also, do not remove anything from a circle even should you feel it doesn't belong, without explaining why and getting permission. 6. It should not have to be said, but then neither should any of the above: If these Pagan/Craft rituals have no meaning in your life, and if you have just come for the fellowship, then enjoy the fellowship and please do not attend the ritual. The circle is a significant part of our entire way of life, not a reenactment of some past event just for the sake of the pageantry. When we can, we are pleased to share it with you, and we do so in Love and Light with Peace and Laughter. IDEAS FROM MERLIN THE ENCHANTER 1. Be Yourself... if you worry about what others think, then you won't think for yourself... and if you don't think for yourself, you may as well be dead! 2. Allow all others to be themselves... just because Joe Blow from kokomo has blue candles on his altar and you use only white ones, that doesn't mean he is the son of Satan. We must each one be allowed our own Pagan path in freedom, for if we cannot do that, then we have no freedom! 3. Let's stop all the silliness of who is and is not a Witch, and what one must do to be a witch. 4. Don't ask for someone's opinions unless you really want it! More Witch wars are started because someone asked for another's views and didn't like the answer they got! 5. Add a dose of good humor (the worst Witches are the ones that take everything so S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y!) IDEAS FROM BEKET ASER EDITHSDATTERIt is necessary that we learn to be just plain adult about working together - or even, just existing on the same planet. 1. If you can't tolerate any slightest deviation from your own tradition, do not take part in public or cross-cultural rituals or gatherings. 2. If you have ideas of what should be in the ritual; or what should not - go to the planning meeting and express your opinions. 3. If you delegate a task to someone else - you have made it their job. The only thing you have to say is "Thank you". When and how they do it is their business so long as it is done at the moment it is required. 4. Appoint somebody to keep notes of the planning meetings - as things are said, not afterwards, or, inevitably, there will be disagreements about the ground rules. 5. Gossip : There are a few situations wherein it is legitimate to pass on "gossip". the following suggestions are not all inclusive but may serve to give guidelines for judging: a. When a major life change definitely is occurring to someone with whom you and the person to whom you pass on the information - frequently work. b. When you are acting as resource to help someone decrease a situation of disagreement. c. When you really plan to take positive action to alleviate the situation the gossip refers to. d. (This situation really does not occur all that often.) When warning someone about an individual whose practices are definitely undesirable for a reason other than that you don't like them. e. When you have truly accurate information to counteract damaging and inaccurate rumor. 6. When examining a situation to decide whether or not you, yourself,are under psychic attack, be sure to ask yourself if it couldn't be because being under attack makes you feel important. 7. Within the group or group structure, the High Priest and or High Priestess are generally entitled to your respect and a certain amount of deference. If they really, really don't know as much as you do, perhaps it is time that you take a fond and friendly leave of them/him/her and begin a group of your own. Obviously, group or group affairs are appropriate subjects for discussion among all the members, and the HP/S definitely should be willing to listen to reasonable suggestions. However, you joined the group in order to learn from its leaders; a year or two of study probably doesn't qualify you to suddenly object to all their teachings, methods, and beliefs. Above all, it is inappropriate to try to stir up the whole group and "take over" the group. The leaders have put a good deal of time, patience, thought and teaching into building the group and giving it a good name - if you want to be Witch Queen of the Universe, start your own group from scratch and try to become good enough to earn status yourself. The goal is not big groups, it is the best possible groups. For group leaders: They need to be grown-up enough to know that everydisagreement isn't necessarily a personal attack. They need to developleadership skills to avoid confrontation and inflexibility. They needto know how to lead without dominating and they need an intenseinterest in the health of the group. The HP/S needs to listen to theideas of the members and to use their ideas whenever posssible. Theyshould be able to explain rationally why certain ideas cannot be used. #30# Study of the Planetary Hours System ----------------------------------- by Andrew Kettle. 1994 Introduction. Neo-pagan witchcraft has no central leaders, so one of the questions that echos across the valleys of the traditions is; "Are there to many cooks spoiling the broth?" As most witches are fervent independants, and self-assertively so, each will have a differnt approach and opinion to such a simple observation. Underneath the whole landscape of debate however, are truths and basic historical facts being forgotten or distorted? In certain instances it would be deemed unavoidable in the present atmosphere of information scavenging, where medium communications reveal past lives and the knowledge from them to broaden the bookshelves of the many esoteric book shops. Be that as it may, studying the large expanse of existing wisdom, at times similiar to looking through water-glass, will relinquish many difficulties and contradictions. To some this would increase the mysticism, however when it is a matter of legitimacy where do we stand? Sample Text: from "What witches do", Stewart Farrar,1989, Phoenix Pub.,Wash. p.174. " Appendix 3. Planetary Hours. These are the traditionally accepted hours for operating spells which have planetary correspondences. Each day has a ruling planet; our days of the week in English are mostly named after the Teutonic forms of the planet-gods concerned. They are: Sunday, the Sun; Monday, the Moon; Tuesday, Mars (Tiw); Wednesday, Mercury (Woden); Thursday, Jupiter (Thor); Friday, Venus (Freya); Saturday, Saturn. The First hour after sunrise is ruled by the day's own planet, after which each hour is ruled by one of the other planets in the order Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and so on in rotation. Thus Monday's second daylight hour is ruled by Saturn, Tuesda's second by the Sun, etc. At sunset a new sequence starts with the fifth down the list from the day's planet: thus Monday's first hour from sunset is ruled by Venus, etc. The full list is as follows: " Disclaimer: I have it as a strong intention, to point out that this acticle is not to be taken as a personal attack of the above author or the publisher, or any other connecting party. I have used Stewart Farrar's text only as a example of the commonly published, and accepted, planetary hour concept. Example: Winter Solstice Timetable of Planetary Arrival and Departures for ================================================================= Eastern Australia (Brisbane area only) on the 22nd of June, 1994. ================================================================= Wednesday Time Planet Statis Planetary Hours ---- ------ ------ --------- ----- 2.30am Jupiter Set. Mars 3.40am Mars Rise. Sun 3.50am Pluto Set. Sun 4.54am Moon Set. Venus 5.14am Twilight start 6.37am Sun Rise. 6.55am Mercury Rise. 8.14am Neptune Set. Moon 8.25am Uranus Set. Moon 9.12am Venus Rise. Saturn 11.06am Saturn Set. Mars 1.32pm Jupiter Rise. Venus 2.29pm Mars Set. Mercury 3.21pm Pluto Rise. Moon 3.53pm Moon Rise. Moon 5.02pm Sun Set. 5.31pm Mercury Set. Jupiter 6.25pm Twilight End 6.35pm Neptune Rise. Sun 6.46pm Uranus Rise. Sun 7.44pm Venus Set. Venus 10.23pm Saturn Rise. Saturn Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that the 'Planetary Hours' concept is a timetable, based primarily on simplicity, that was developed in a age when astronomic technology was largely unavailable, so resulting in such a system; that in our modern technological society, as a result of astronomic calculations being easily accessable, that a new system of 'Planetary hours' should be constructed upon 'Hours of Right Ascension/ Planets on the Meridian' where applicable or the highest point of ascension, when the planet is not true to the horizon. Conflict: As it can be deduced from the above table, certain planetary hours occur when the planet in question is not within the horizon. For example, the sun's planetary hours of 3am and 6pm are outside of 'daytime'; Mar's 2am is outside of 'Marstime'; the moon's 8am is external to 'Moontime'. As a principle, I would remark that it would be of assistance in rituals that the planet is in appearance and that the optimum time would be when the planet is directly above, the hour of Right Ascension/ Planet on the Meridan, or highest point of path through the hemispheres. If the 'worshipper' was to have a difficulty with the domineering effect of the planet being above them / on top of them, then a principle of welcoming the planet at rise and farewelling the planet at set are equally as valid. Continuing, this would establish only one planetary hour in each day, raising the question of practicality, though a rather erroneous matter, giving the examples hours of: Mars (9.04am) 9am planetary hour, Sun (11.49am) 11am planetary hour, Mercury (12.13pm) 12pm planetary hour, Venus (2.26pm) 2pm planetary hour, etc. To this end, computer programs and/or annual publications would easily create the availablity of the timetable, a future project for any publishing house or any number of the pagan/ witchcraft magazine to have as a regular cloumn, thus giving the practitioner the simplicity, not resorting to ill-advised system as an alternative. However, at this point it should be mentioned that, in accordance with general perception, the physical planet plays a symbolic role, that the planet is not the vehicle of magical properties, but a icon, much as the moon is not Aradia in person, but a mirror of her essence. Furthermore, it is an accepted belief that the full-moon is the time of 'Esbat', though in comparison the remaining planets are given an inaccurate timetable; a perplexing situation. Toward, the modernising approach in witchcraft it should be important to establish 'correct' instruction to ritual, upon the understanding that it would be a great disservice to entertain anything else but actuality; as the turmoil of the word 'wicca' has caused in the movement, now accepted by most as a redefined word, though all the same established upon false impressions, an unfortunate situation historically speaking. An accurate approach to the craft, that is slowly being supported as our cultures' resources and developing knowledge widely spreading with discussions and publications, will result in a detailed sweep and clean of the old misconceptions in the traditions and a polish to reflect the light of modern education. Conclusion: As with the modern approach of Planetary Hours, it should be every members directions in tune with open-minded, clear thinking not to accept a practice that is incorrect and to strive establishing a strengthed tradition on the foundations of accurate discovery of the originals of comprehension. Such an approach would wash out the '14th century mass illiterate' influence that customs have continued. Though it must be seen that without this assistance there would possible be no present existance of witchcraft, but a rectification of this knowledge is by no means an attack. Furthermore, it is suggested that a choice should always be based on truth and not mislead by mistaken presuption. --------------------------------------------------------------------- By: Alex Rigel Source: "An ABC of Witchcraft", Doreen Valiente, 1973, Phoenix publishing inc., Wash. pp.203-4. "Initiations. When witchcraft became an underground organisation, the Craft of the Wise, it shared a characteristic common to all secret societies. Admission to it was by initiation. Such initiation required the newly admitted member to swear a solemn oath of loyalty. When witchcraft was punishable by torture and death, such an oath was a serious metter. Today, when witchcraft has become like Freemasonry, not a secret society but a society with secrets, the idea of initiationj still remains. Initiations into witch circles nowadays take varying forms, as they probably always did. However, the old idea that initiation must pass from the male to the female, and from the female to the male, still persists. A male with must be initiated by a woman, and a female witch by a man. This belief may be found in other forms, in traditional folklore. For instance, the words of healing charms are often required to be passed on from a man to a woman, or from a woman to a man. Otherwise, the charm will have no potency. There is also an old and deep-seated belief, both in Britian and in Italy, that witches cannot die until they have passed on thier power to someone else. This belief in itself shows that witchcraft has been for centuries an initiatory organisation, in which a tradition was handed on from one person to another. The exception to the rule that a person must be initiated by one of the opposite sex, occurs in the case of a witch's own children. A mother may initiate her daughter, or a father his son. In general, for their own protection, covens have made a rule that they will not accept anyone as a member under the age of 21. Witches' children are presented as babies to the Old Gods, and then not admitted to coven membership until they have reached their majority. This rule became general in the terms of persecution. Secrecy upon which people's lives depended was too great a burden for children's shoulders to bear. It is evident, from the stories of witch persecutions, that witch-hunters realised how witchcraft was handed down in families. Any blood relative of a convicted witch was suspect. The witch-hunting friar, Francesco-Maria Guazzo, in his 'Compendium Maleficarum' (Milan, 1608, 1626; English translation edited Montague Summers, London, 1929), tells us that "it is one among many sure and certain indications against those accused of witchcraft, if one of their parents were founded guilty of this crime". When the infamous Matthew Hopkins started his career as Witch-Finder General, the first victim he seized upon was an old woman whose mother had been hanged as a witch. There are a number of fragmentary accounts of old-time witch initiations, and from these a composite picture can be built up. The whole-hearted acceptance of the witch religion, and the oath of loyalty, were the main features. There was also the giving of a new name, or nick-name, by which the novice was henceforth to be known in the novice was given a certain amount of instruction, and, if the initiation took place at a Sabbat, as it often did, they were permitted to join in the feast and dancing that followed. In some cases, in the days of really fierce persecuation, a candidate was also required to make a formal renunciation of the official faith of the Christian Church, and to fortify this by some ritual act, such as trampling on a cross. This was to ensure that the postulant was no hypocritical spy; because such a one would not dare to commit an act which he or she would believe to be a mortal sin. Once the postulant had formally done such an act, they had in the eyes of the Church damned themselves, and abandoned themselves to hellfire; so it was a real test of sincerity, and an effective deterrent to those who wanted to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds. Such acts are not, however, to my knowledge, required of witches today. One of the ritual acts recorded as being part of a witch initiation is that described by Sir George Mackenzie, writing in 1699 about witchcraft in Scotland, in his book 'Laws and Customs of Scotland" (Edinburgh, 1699): "The Slemnity confest by our Witches, is the putting one hand to the crown of the Head, and another to the sole of the Foot, renouncing thier Baptism in that posture." Joseph Glanvill's book 'Sadducismus Triumphatus' (London, 1726), had a frontispiece of pictures illustrating various stories of mysterious happenings, and one of these old woodcuts shows a witch in the act of doing this. Her initiation is taking place out of doors, in some lonely spot between two big trees. With her are three other women, one of whom seems to be presenting her to the devil, who appears as the conventional figure of a horned and winged demon. In practice, however, the devil of the coven was a man dressed in black, who was sometimes called the Man in Black, for this reason. The "grand array" of the horned mask, etc, was only assumed upon special occasions. A variant of this ritual was for the Man in Black to lay his hand upon the new witch's head, and bid her to "give over all to him that was under his hand". This, too, is recorded from Scotland, in 1661. Information about the initiation of men into witchcraft is much less than that referring to women. However, here is an account from the record of the trial of William Barton at Edinburgh, about 1655, evidently partly in his words and partly in those of his accusers, which tells how a young woman witch took a fancy to him, and initiated him: One day, says he, going from my own house in Kirkliston, to the Queens Ferry, I overtook in Dalmeny Muire, a young Gentlewoman, as to appearance beautiful and comely. I drew near to her, but she shunned my company, and when I insisted, she became angry and very nyce. Said I, we are both going one way, be pleased to accept of a convoy. At last after much entreaty she grew better natured, and at length came to that Familiarity, that she suffered me to embrace her, and to do that which Christian ears ought not to hear of. At this time I parted with her very joyful. The next night, she appeared to him in that very same place, and after that which should not be named, he became sensible, that it was the devil. Here he renounced his baptism, and gave up himself to her service, and she called him her beloved and gave him this new name of John Baptist, and recieved the Mark. The Devil's amke was made much of by professional witch-hunters, being supposed to be an indelible make given by the devil in person to each witch, upon his or her initiation. However, it would surely have been very foolish of the devil to have marked his followers in this way, and thus indicated a means by which they mightalways be known. From the confused descriptions given at various times and places, it seems evident that the witch-hunters knew there was some ceremony of marking, but did not know what it was. In witchcraft ceremonies today, the new initiate is marked with oil, wine, or some pigment, such as charcoil. However, as Margaret Murray has pointed out, there is a possibility, judging by the many old accounts of small red or blue markings being given, the infliction of which was painful but healed after a while, that this may have been a tattoo mark. Ritual tattooing is a very old practice; and some relics of this survive today, in the fact that people have themselves tattooed with various designs 'for luck'. However, when persecution became very severe, it would have been unwise to continue this form of marking. The most up-to-date instance I have heard, of the marking of new initiates, is the practice of a certain coven in Britian today, which uses eyeshadow for this purpose; because it is available in pleasing colours, is easily washed off, and does no harm to the skin. One wonders what old-time witches would think of it! By: Alex Rigel Source: "Lid Off The Cauldron. A wicca Handbook", Patrica Crowther, 1992, Samuel Weiser inc., Maine. pp.34- " 5 Initiation. To become a witch you must have a natural inclination to worship the Old Gods. It must be a feeling which springs from the heart and carries you on towards your goal, in exactly the same way it happened to the first witches thousands of years ago. The approach must be in this manner. Any other attitude, such as vulgar curiosity, a desire for power over others, or the selfish intention of using magic to gain material ends, will only end in failure and disillusion. The Old Gods are ancient archetypal images of the divine powers behind all Nature. They are the oldest gods known to man. Pictures of them are painted all over Europe and show the great influence they had, even at the Dawn of Time. Just because they are so old, is no reason to believe they are in any way 'out of date'. Our ancesstors were no fools: their way of life and their culture is gaining more and more respect as the years go by. Continuous discoveries about their skills and beliefs growing admiration and amazement. Their deities were a Mother Goddess and a Horned God, representing the twin forces of life: male and female, light and dark, positive and negative, Sun and Moon, etc. These complimentary aspects in nature are 'fact' and cannot be disputed. And, because the Gods are true representations of the divine powers behind all manifestation, they have endured through millennia, and will always endure. Unlike many other religions, where contact with divinity is sought through prayer and meditation, witchcraft teaches development of the soul through the Eight Paths of the Witches' Wheel. These ways are part of the Western Mystery Tradition. The West and the East are two very different places. Eastern religions teach their followers to look 'within' for enlightenment, and although the West uses this method in meditation, it is only 'one' of the Eight Paths. The Western mind looks 'outward' and seeks spiritual grace by helping others. Thus, the witches use their powers to help those in sickness or trouble. The Awakening can begin as an urge which rises from the depths of the soul. A state of boredom or despiration, which every human being comes to at some point of incarnation, can become as a beacon to the spirit. It is born to the struggling soul and to the complacent alike. Many lives may be endured before it is realized that the true self must take the initiative and begin to fight its own way out of the Cycles of Incarnation, which, without the control of the Higher Self, may continue indefinitely. Once the realization is born, and the quest begun, the soul is on its way from manhood to godhood. Regarding the Craft, it is wise to seek initiation from a 'genuine' coven. This is not as easy as it sounds, as genuine adherents do not seek converts, and therefore do not advertise for members. they believe that if a person is sincere and determined enough in their desire to belong to the Craft, they will, sooner or later, make contact. There are, however, various ways of speeding things up a little, such as contributing to one of the privately printed occult magazines, which are usually run by people 'in the know'. Or even placing a small advert in one of these papers. You can also write to the author of a book on the subject, and send the letter via the publishers. It might then be forwarded to a coven in your area, although I must add here that even if this happens, and you are invited to meet someone from a coven, it would not be indicative of entry. There are certain conditions which have to be fulfilled, such as blending in with the personalities of the members, having read widely on the subject, a willingness to submit to a waiting period, usually a year and a day, among others. Yet these conditions are valid ones; you cannot expect to be accepted quickly, but you will know that the witches you meet have undergone similar obstacles themselves. The ways of the witches are those of caution, especially where strangers are concerned. After all, who would admit a stranger to their home without an introduction, let alone to a temple of the Mysteries. Care must be taken, too, in finding a coven which is in close 'rapport' with your own life-style, culture and character. But, once contact is made, there is hope in finding a group where conditions, on both sides, can be fulfilled. Although some covens wear robes, the traditional way of working in the Circle, is to be sky-clad, or naked. When you are brought into the Craft, yoou enter as you were born, without clothes or ties of any kind. The first initiation is virtually an introduction to a new way of life. You are made a 'Child of the Goddess'; you are shown the tools of the Craft; told the ways of working magic, and made to swear an oath to keep the secrets of the Art. This is called the First Degree. The Second Degree is the initiation proper. Thsis involves the concept of symbolic death and symbolic resurrection, when you are re-born with the new magical personality. A new name (of your own choice) is given to you which represents the transformation, and by which, henceforth, you will be known when in the Circle. The drama of this mystery play implants its ideas firmly in the subconscious mind of the adherent, and the mystery, which is enacted on the material plane, sets the seal on the future. It is not to be supposed that by initiation and teaching you will automatically be 're-born'. A way will be shown, and knowledge imparted, yet the journey is always 'alone' and the true 'will' tested to the very brink of breaking point. In a sense, when initiation takes place it is very much like daring Fate to do its worst. One has taken a stand: "I announce to all creation that I will endure to progress." In witchcraft the soul develops a deeper understanding of 'being'. This entails practice, which is why the Craft has grades of advancement. The highest grade is the consummation of the mysteries, where ritual yields to what is termed, 'The Secret of the Silver Wheel'. There is also the imparting of certain 'secret' words, which, in themselves, convey very little, but their secret intention 'is' important and gently 'nudges' the aspirant onward. ASC's And Ritual This article by Anna appeared in Web of Wyrd, issue number 7. ***begins Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) are an integral part of ritual. They can be defined as any mental state recognised by the individual as different from his or her normal waking consciousness. As such, the act of separating yourself from the mundane world, having a ritual bath or shower and preparing the ritual space, is enough to induce some sort of ASC in most people. Taking on a magical persona involves an ASC, as does invocation of godhead, dancing or chanting to raise power, meditation, scrying, and going through a guided visualisation or pathworking. The use of ASCs in magic and ritual has many benefits. By means of a guided visualisation or pathworking you can have experiences that would harm you or be impossible in the mundane world. For example, in a visualisation relating to fire you can stand in the midst of a roaring fire or become the flame itself; experiences which might deepen your understanding of the element fire. Another experience reached through ASCs is that of the god or goddess being called down upon you, something that enriches and enlivens your magical life. Entering an ASC is normally part of the process of stepping onto the astral plane, reaching the Otherworld, tapping racial memory or the collective unconscious, contacting inner guides or obtaining information from your own unconscious. To raise power, many enter an ASC by dancing, chanting or using breathing techniques. It's then much easier to focus your concentration, draw on energy, and let it flow through you and into the object of the spell. Simple ASCs shouldn't be forgotten. Being able to relax the first time you cast a circle in front of everyone might help you remember the words, and will certainly help you focus the power you need. Meditation is another fundamental skill in magical arts, one that is used at all stages. Some ASCs can help you find out more about yourself. By doing so, you can understand and remove the beliefs and blocks that prevent you from developing, from using your magical abilities to their full extent. These blocks are erected as part of the process of growing up. As an example, if you're told often enough as a child that the fairies that you see at the bottom of the garden don't exist, eventually you come to believe it. Understanding and getting rid of this belief twenty years later so that you can see the fairies again can be a long process, one which can be speeded up by techniques using certain ASCs. Like many things, ASCs are tools, often valuable, but also dangerous. One danger is not coming out properly at the end of a ritual. Being in an ASC can feel wonderful and it can be tempting to stay there. You see it happening at some of the New Age workshops, where people get a nice emotional spaced-out high from a session, and hang on to that feeling as long as they can - "workshop junkie". The problem is that in an ASC you do not always have full access to those parts of yourself needed to perform mundane tasks like driving a car, or doing your job satisfactorily. Remaining in an ASC can be quite destructive if you need to function in the "normal" world. Occasionally an ASC can trigger what is known as an abreaction in someone. Entering the ASC removes the barrier the person has put between their conscious mind and a traumatic experience they've had. As a result the person suddenly goes through the experience again, bursting into tears, yelling with anger, shivering with fear, and so on. This sort of reaction needs to be dealt with therapeutically; telling the person to forget it only makes the experience and any problems it has caused, worse for them. Not only does the person controlling a group ASC experience need to be able to handle such abreactions, but he or she also needs to be able, when putting a new group into ASCs, to recognise individuals with borderline psychoses. The reason is that putting such people into an ASC, especially trance states, can push them over into a full-blown psychosis. For example, putting an epileptic into trance can trigger epileptic seizures. Control is an important aspect of ASCs. In a ritual, at least one person should remain in control, able to take over and bring the group out if anything goes wrong. That person makes sure that no-one is taken over by an entity which remains after the circle, and that no inappropriate suggestions are made. (In ASCs, especially trance states, you are much more suggestible, and might inadvertently pick up someone else's comment as a suggestion - after all, this is the principle upon which TV advertising is based.) They also make sure that everyone comes out and grounds properly at the end of the ritual. Another area where control is important is where an ASC is entered from another ASC. Pathworking, visualisation and scrying is often more intense, more meaningful, if done in circle. This is because when you start to do the pathworking or whatever from a mild ASC instead of your own normal waking state, you tend to go further or deeper, and thus gain more from the exercise. However, using drugs to enter an ASC before performing ritual is a completely different matter. Drugs leave you with no control over the first ASC you enter, so the outcome of entering a second one can be quite different from what you expected. The harder the drug, the bigger the problem is likely to be. A drug might, on a rare occasion, have a place in ritual, but only when the effect of the drug on the person taking it is known, there is a very good reason for its use, and someone else is available to deal with any problems that might arise. Drugs also sap the magical will and discipline by preventing you from learning how to achieve the results you desire by yourself, and encouraging you to be lazy. In the end your ritual work suffers. ASCs are a fundamental part of magical ritual. The basic arts - meditation, concentration and visualisation - all involve ASCs in some form. It is easy to get caught up with the glamour of something different, something that feels good, that is outside our normal experience and upbringing, and forget that, like most things, there is a negative side to ASCs. They are a tool; useful once you master them, but dangerous if misused. For many, ASCs have become the basis of their path to spiritual development. ***ends B*B Julia The Betty Crocker Cult For the edification and entertainment of all, I am letting you all see one of the rarest pieces of modern ritual literature today. it is copyrighted 1993, M. Perrin, Jersey City, NJ. What Do Betty Crocker Cultists Believe? For all intents and purposes, Betty crocker Cultists believe whatever I, the Grand High Ladle, tell them to believe. The B.C.C. is a cult in the truest sense of the word, with one infallible leader, me. For indeed it was I, Badger Girl, who received the word of Betty, when I least expected it, right in the middle of an episode of the French Chef. Thrust as I was, right in the middle of pagan controversies of all stripes, it was clear to me that there was something missing in our community as a whole. That thing was the Kitchen. Not just food, you see, but the Kitchen, with all of its wondrous utensils, appliances and storage capacities. I knew this to be the answer to many of today's modern pagan problems. Betty told me so. "Go forth to the stove" said Betty, and go forth I did, taking most of the women (henceforth to be known as "Ladies") of Green Man Grove with me, as I hate to eat alone. And lo! Many splendid things did befall us as we cavorted amidst the Tupperware. Betty spoke to me as we did, and she sai, "Now you're cookin', kid!", and of course, She was right. Soon we all tired and Betty took advantage of the situation (as is Her way) to tell us of her many colleagues in the world of the "Other Kitchen." She spoke of Oscar Meyer, patron of fathers in the Kitchen, also She spoke of Lttle Debbie, Goddess of cellophane wrapped snack foods. the tale of the Pillsbury Doughboy (Poppin' Fresh, to the initiated), the God of phallic foods that go "Fuff" was revealed to us, as well as the story of Mrs. Paul, Queen of the Frozen Seas. Betty then bespoke of the twin deities of the most sacred barbecue flame, Lee & Perrin, and also of Aunt Jemima, keeper of the Holy Syrup (and it was good!). Finally Betty told us of that most well preserved of holy mean, Earl Tupper and we were silently awed by the miracle of the Burp Seal. Surely did Betty talk a blue streak that fateful day! Then Betty told me that She had chosen me to be Her Grand High Ladle on this earthly plane, and to gather around me all the minions I couls strongarm into the Cult. "You and your initiated minions shall be know to the world as "The Dash Board"!" said Betty. Betty then explained the hierarchy to be adhered to within the Cult. The lowest initiates being the "Cups" and all higher initiates gradually getting smaller and smaller until acheiving "pinchdom" if not actual "dashery." And so, I said unto Betty, "Sounds good to me!" and she seemed well pleased. This is how I became the Grand High Ladle. I am chosen by Betty to lead you to the Kitchen and getyou all cookin'. If you choose to follow, it will be by my say so and the approval of the Dash Board. The initiation will be grueling and with any luck, really intimidating. You seeker, may have finally come to the right place, then again, maybe not, only i can be the judge ofthat. Badger Girl, Grand High Ladle, BCC The Berserkir This letter appeared in Web of Wyrd number 7: With reference to the ongoing discussion of the berserkir or "bear shirts" Viking warrior clan. P G Foote and D M Wilson state in their book, "The Viking Achievement" (Sidgwick & Jackson UK 1970) that the berserkers worked themselves up into a frenzy which gave them supernormal strength and made them indifferent to blows. It was generally believed that they had magical powers, although they were regarded as inferior to the great heroes of the Viking sagas. The berserkir howled savagely as they went into battle, and Foote and Wilson speculate that these battle frenzies were the result of excessive alcoholic intake. According to Icelandic Law (Christian version) anyone who fell into a berserk frenzy was considered highly dangerous and could be classed as an outlaw from society. The following verse from the epic poem "Atlamal" circa 11th century CE is believed to contain a reference to the berserkir and their method of fighting, as well as to another warrior clan who wore wolf skins, and may be connected with lycanthropy! Full they were of fighters and flashing bucklers, western war lances and wound-blades Frankish; cried then the bear-pelted, carnage they had thoughts of, wailed then the wolf-coated and weapons brandished. It would seem the berserkir wore tunics of bearskin because the animal was their totem and they believed they could magically attain its strength. Their unorthodox fighting methods - akin to the "battle spasm" of Celtic warriors possessed by the god/desses of war - and the modern meaning of the term "to go berserk" suggest they were less than self-controlled but in fact fought, quite literally, like men possessed. Mike Howard QUANTUM MECHANICS AND SOME SURPRISES OF CREATION Cross posted from I_UFO, by Glenda Stocks, again By Bill Moore Scanned from the CONTACT, June 14,1994, with permission. SYNTHESIS OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION [...] ... we will define this writing as simply an interesting look into quantum-statistical methods of simulating energy-informational processes. ... Boris Iskakov who was born in Magnitogorsk on November 14, 1934. He is a graduate of the Institute of Physical Engineering in Moscow. ... In this work he endeavors to synthesize elements of science and religion. Dr. Iskakov has recently been interrogated and we would share the interview with you. ... The interview comes from Russian documents so we will meander through the translations as best we can and at least you will be introduced to such as "leptons", etc. [...] [QUOTING] MATHEMATICAL TRANSFORMATIONS The equations of Schrodinger and Dirac, well known in quantum physics, describe the laws of the conservation of probability for fluxes of matter at the level of elementary particles of the microworld. By means of certain mathematical transformations I (Dr. Iskakov) obtained equivalent equations of a much broader applicability. They describe the laws of the conservation of probability for fluxes of matter, energy, and information. The equations have a deep philasophical meaning, which extends far beyond the interpretation of the Schrodinger and Dirac equations. An appropriate name for them is, in my view, suggested by a doctrine of Oriental philosophy--karma. In a narrow sense, it claims that every deed or thought, good or bad, receives due reward or retribution. In a broader sense, it denotes the principle of unity, integrity, and inter-conditionality and causality in the Universe. That is how I construe the term "equations of karma", which describe any cause-and-effect relationship. WHAT IS THE "EQUATION OF KARMA"? The study of psychic phenomena dictated the need to define the concept of the information-energy field. Its material medium, according to contemporary notions, may be a global lepton gas, consisting of extremely light particles, microleptons, with a mass of 10^-40 - 10^-30 g. Microleptons are much lighter than electrons and are capable af freely penetrating any body in the Universe. The gaps between atomic nuclei are for them just as spacious as are the holes in a fishing net for molecules of air. The idea of a microlepton gas appears to echo the 19th-century notion of the universal ether, but is scientifically much more complex and profound. What we are talking about in this case is no longer an ideal space-pervading fluid, but a quantum-granular structure of the space-time continuum, filled with whirling streams of polarized microleptons (including some virtually vacuum-born). Such an approach enables us to use the mathematical apparatus of quantum mechanics to describe the information-energy field. Moreover, relationships of a higher level of generalization are derived than the classical equations of Schrodinger. The new equations describe not only the movements of matter, but also the development of the totality of interconnections, signals, events, and processes. The special term introduced for such relationships is "equations of karma". As for karma, it is understood to mean a broad philosophical category of universal inter-conditionality, causality, and dependence in combination with the principle of the unity and integrity of the Universe. There are two equations of karma--the direct and the complex-conjugated: GS> (NOTE: I have substituted regular letters for the Dr.'s GS> symbols) AY=0; A'Y'=0; where the operators have the form A=2h^2V + i2h o/o t-9; A'=2h^2V - i2h o/o t-9. Here Y denotes the probability density wave (the wave function); V, the Laplace operator; 9, the potential energy density, and h, Planck's constant. These equations may be solved in the form of karma waves and anti-waves with quantization of probability waves. Connected with them are perturbations of the information-energy field, i.e., wave signals. In principle, such signals may propagate faster than light. The equations of karma make it possible to draw certain philosophical conclusions of fundamental significance. It follows from them that diffraction takes place not only in space but also in time. Any event is, so to speak, split in space-time. The propagation of a solitary signal is preceded by a series of pre- signals and followed by post-signals, both fading with distance. Perceptive analysts are able to use the first intimations of pre-signals to give a precise picture of a coming event. This is called scientific foresight. But there is also intuitive prevision. Centuries ago clairvoyants described events that are happening in our time. Pre-signals provide an explanation of relative proscopy--when a sensitive person learns about an event before others do. Such a person detects faint pre-signals that most people do not perceive. For instance, an explosion on the Sun may produce solar prominences extending for millions of kilometers. Two or three days later the "solar wind" reaches the Earth, causing powerful geomagnetic storms that affect everything living. During such periods, disease and mortality rates increase in all countries. This dependence of everything living upon solar catastrophes was proved several decades ago by Alexander Chizhevsky. Can we learn of the approaching "solar winds" in advance? It appears that we can. The solar wind has presignals: swift streams of solar photons an neutrinos, which reach the Earth in eight minutes. By detecting them it is possible to warn the medical services of all countries of an imminent geomagnetic storm two or three days in advance, ample time to take the necessary measures. From the theoretical standpoint the works of the eminent Russian researcher Anatoly Okhatrin are of definite interest. They confirm the idea of an ether or universal lepton gas, which contains full information about the material world. Clusters of the lightest par- ticles--microleptons--carry people's thoughts and feelings; these microleptons are capable of travelling in space and time at tremendous speeds. The speed of light is a limiting factor only for a continuous stream of speeds, the so-called continuum. However, greater speed levels, in excess of the speed of light, are possible for extremely weak signals. Okhatrin's experiments and calculations show that people's thoughts are carried by the lightest microleptons. And the equations of karma prove that they can travel much faster than light. This justifies the conclusion that humanity's potential in getting to understarnd the Universe is practically boundless. Up to now it was considered that our potential in the conquest of outer space is limited by what is known as the pessimistic radius of Poincare-Einstein. If we multiply the speed of light by the human life span, we arrive at the limit that even the most sophis- ticated spaceships cannot surpass. No generation of spacemen can explore the Universe beyond that radius [it says]. But from the equations of karma it follows that at the level of extremely weak signals we can reach out far beyond the Poincare- Einstein sphere. Material thought can travel to distant regions of the Universe at a speed greater than that of light. Man can obtain information about what is happening at any distance from him. This is a fundamental philosophical conclusion that allows humanity to look to the future with optimism. I arrived at this conclusion by considering the equations of karma. But then, many scientists before me have reflected on the synthesis of science and religion, among them the founders of quantum physics. What are termed the conjugated equations of Schrodinger and Dirac point to the possibility of the existence of anti-particles. Similarly, the conjugated equation of karma suggests that there can be anti-signals as well as anti-particles. More- over, this equation makes it possible to describe the spectrum of properties that these anti-signals possess. While ordinary signals travel along the river of time from the past via the present into the future, anti-signals travel in the opposite direction. They originate in the future and pass through the present into the past. This property of anti-signals stuns our imagination: certain particularly sensitive people and instruments can, it turns out, receive signals from the future. Previsions, predictions, and prophesies come under the scientific heading of absolute proscopy, which implies the acquisition of information about events that have not yet taken place. They have yet to occur, but sensitives already know about them. The problem is merely one of the threshold of sensitivity and the balance of signals and noise. Anti-signals come from the future at a faint and very faint level. Very few people can detect them. There is no violation here of the principle of causality. Rather, its interpretation becomes more sophisticated and more refined dialectically. According to the equations of karma, time in the microworld can reverse its direction, turning, as it were, into "anti time". From a single point it is possible to see both the past and the future of microparticles at the same time. We can receive information about the future only at the probability level. Only the strategic parameters of a human fate are pre-determined. But freedom of choice too is preserved: a person is free to take any decisions and bears full responsibility for them. A person shapes his or her destiny and pays for the consequences of those decisions. Thus, there is a predetermined part of the future, which a person cannot change, and there is a probable or variable part, for which he is responsible. Solving stationary equations can yield curious results. Waves emitted and absorbed by hundreds of biologically active points are superimposed on one another and form a series of standing waves, which surround the human body. The body turns out to be nothing more than a dense nucleus shrouded on all sides by a number of energy-information holograms. The shape of the first hologram follows that of the human body, but is enlarged and rounded, remotely resembling a spacesuit. Actually, this hologram contains all the information about the body and is carried by microleptons orbiting along the quantum shell, the boundary of the first hologram. The second hologram and its shell are larger and carry weakened information, which is more difficult to decipher. The same may be said of the third and subsequent shells. The more remote shells are more rounded in shape, changing from a spacesuit to an egg and then to a sphere. Our atomic-molecular body is "clad" in microlepton holograms, each of which carries complete but weakened information about the person, including his or her innermost thoughts and feelings, his or her mind and conscience. It may be said that the sum-total of these holograms is nothing short of a person's lepton soul. Ordinarily, people do not see the energy-information shells that surround them. But in certain conditions it is possible to make the first hologram glow, especially the part of it surrounding a person's head. The fact is that upper chakras, the most power-intensive, operate at the highest frequencies. Some people have a first quantum shell that can become visible. Estimates show that the energy of the first shell amounts to fractions of an electron-volt. This is quite enough for a faint glow in the optical range of the spectrum. But for the glow to become a reality a great deal of energy has to be pumped into the upper chakras. This means a person has to adopt a definite mode of life: overcome base passions, and make his or her thoughts, feelings, and deeds pure, lofty and inspired. It is in that case that the energy of the upper chakras causes the excitation of the first shell by fractions of an electron-volt, and a halo visible to other people appears around the head of such a person (for example, a saint). In Christian art, only part of the hologram around the head is usually portrayed as glowing. But in Buddhist temples, there are pictures showing the whole spacesuit-shaped hologram aglow. The most ancient Buddhist manuscripts speak of a person's seven bodies: one dense and six subtle. The first hologram is called the ethereal body; the second, the astral body; the third, the mental body, and so forth. The lepton hypothesis allows a larger number of holograms. Judging from the equations of karma, we humans are infinitely "larger" and our lives are infinitely longer than we are accustomed to think. This means that each person is a factor of Cosmic significance. Moreover, analysis reveals that inanimate objects as well as Homo Sapiens and other living beings have holograms of this kind. Consider the implications of this. If each body is present, at the information level, throughout the Cosmos, then in every small region of space-time there must be, if only super-weak, information about the entire Universe. Gautama Buddha's famous dictum states "everything is in everything" and, hence, "everything is in the small." In an expanded form this may be taken to mean that every point of space-time "knows" everything about all the other points. But if every zone of space "knows" everything, it is a most complete encyclopaedia, in infinite storage of knowledge about the Universe . All that is needed is to learn how to plug into this source of information, which can tell a person about anything and everything in the world. It follows from the lepton hypothesis that the soul is real and material. A human being, in the customary sense of the term, is nothing but a dense nucleus around which streams of leptons circulate. The totality of lepton shells is a cold bioplasma, which contains complete information about the nucleus. Thus, it can be termed a person's lepton soul. This notion has a quite precise materialistic content. According to the lepton concept, thoughts and feelings are material. They are carried by superweak pulses of electromagnetic and microlepton fields. Visual, audible, and other images, and all thoughts and feelings, exist in the form of clusters of superlight elementary particles. This brings to mind Plato's inspired guess that all eidoses, i.e., ideas or thoughts, exist autonomously, "float in the air" and recognize no boundaries. Plato intuitively arrived at that conclusion over two thousand years ago. Today we can put this into the language of mathematical formulae. We can measure the mass of a single human thought. Its weight varies from 10^-30 to 10^-40 g. To be sure, the opinion of sensitives and Okhatrin's experiments cannot serve as proof. Similar investigations have to be carried out at other laboratories. This will furnish the statistical data for reliable conclusions. If they confirm Okhatrin's findings, he will become the author of the greatest discovery of the latter half of the 20th century. Thoughts and feelings generated by human beings begin their independent existence in space and time. Both theory and experi- ments show that these eidoses are capable of exchanging information. What is most important of all is that one person's thoughts can occur to other people. Eidoses are like small living beings, but at the lepton level of matter. Thoughts and feelings are our offspring, who communicate with one another and with us in a language of super-weak signals. Estimates show that during a lifetime a person generates millions and even billions of eidoses. This makes it clear that we bear an enormous responsibility before the whole of humankind and before ourselves for what our offspring, i.e., our thoughts and feelings, will be like. When our offspring are noble eidoses of kindness, love, mercy, mutual assistance, truth, beauty, and harmony, we contribute to the health of humanity's leptonosphere. But when we beget malformed eidoses, i.e., evil, envious, cowardly, vain, and arrogant thoughts and feelings, we thereby pollute the leptonosphere we inhabit. Should the negative eidoses exceed a certain critical mass, humankind will be doomed. At present our survival depends to a great extent on the ecology of the spirit. Here we also come up against a legal problem. Mere criminal intent is not yet a crime at the atomic-molecular level, but when a person conceives, say, a murder, he or she spawns criminal eidoses, which contaminate humankind's leptonosphere. That is why when someone steers a nation or country onto a road leading to disaster, that person commits the gravest offence above all against the whole of humanity. Although economic and political catastrophe is still many years off, it has already taken place at the lepton level, in the public mind. The collapse of a vast State can contaminate humanity's leptonosphere to such a degree that humanity's very existence becomes threatened. And no clan, no state, nor coalition that conceived such a crime against other nations can survive. The lepton hypothesis can provide a scientific explanation of the essence of God. When congregations gather in their temples, they create eidoses of prayer, which assemble into a collective egregor-eidos of a deity. When millions of people worship it, the material deity eidos acquires tremendous energy at the lepton level of matter. There arises feedback: a believer not only supplies the deity with energy, but receives genuine assistance from it upon supplication. There exist eidoses of Christ, Buddha, and Allah, and they actually interact with their Worshippers when the latter tune into the proper frequencies. This is something like a deposit in a savings bank--it helps the client at at a time of need. The microlepton "savings bank" is not responsible for other banks' clients: there is no resonance correspondence between them. Alien gods hold no power over a flock--only their own God has such powers. Gods, thus, actually exist at the lepton level of matter. In fact, the world religions describe different aspects of one and the same Supreme Rational Being. All the people of the Earth worship a single God, but in His multiple manifestations. After the death of a person's atomic-molecular nucleus, his or her lepton holograms may take different courses. Some of them may likewise disintegrate. But this happens only to the holograms that are made up of the heavier microleptons. Estimates show that the relatively heavy holograms have a natural half-life of seven to nine days; their ninety-nine percent decay takes about forty days. Thus, the meaning of the funeral repast on the 9th and the 40th day (in accordarnce with the Orthodox faith) is that the living emit eidoses that recharge the dead person's soul with energy and information to help it undergo the necessary changes in the lepton world. Thanks to these rites, relatively heavy lepton holograms can survive much longer. A reliable supply of living people's thoughts and feelings can extend the life span of the heavy fractions of a dead person's soul from forty days to several millennia. As long as a person is remembered and his or her days of birth and death are observed, that person's soul is preserved almost intact, just as it was when the person was alive. One can communicate with it by means of special techniques known to mystics. The soul also has medium and light fractions. We cannot yet verify this experimentally, but there is reason to think that their half-lives and total decay periods are much longer than those of the heavy fractions. It is even quite possible that the lightest fractions live eternally--the soul is immortal according to all the world religions. So far science cannot confirm or deny this in strict terms. This problem remains unsolved and requires an experimental solution. [END OF QUOTING] (Hatonn's comments) The next most logical question might well be , "Isn't there any way to measure this lepton energy or aura?" Yes indeed and again the only ALLOWED presentation comes silently from Russia. There are two scientists--the engineer and inventor Uri Kravchenko and the physician Nikolai Kalashchenko--who have developed an original instrument: the phase aurometer. This is a highly sensitive instru- ment for the remote measurement of the electromagnetic radiation of any object, biological included. The instrument and the method are protected by a Certificate of Authorship issued in 1990. This is an easy-to-prove concept and because of this implication I will not introduce much about it other than generalities about which much has been shared. This is something which Dr. Young has already devised though he doesn't recognize it as this and I would think would remind our own "tinkerers" that this is nothing more than a measuring device or a production device for electro-magnetic fields MEASURED IN HERTZ. The particular phase aurometer in point is only for measurement or recordimhg a "patient's" own radiation by a contact-free method and has no impact whatever on the environment. BUT, LISTEN UP: THE APPLICATIONS OF THE PHASE AUROMETER CAN BE CONSIDERABLY EXPANDED FURTHER INTO, FOR EXAMPLE, DOWSING, TESTING FOLK HEALERS AND SENSITIVES AND SUCH SEEMINGLY DISTANT FIELDS AS AGRICULTURAL SELECTION OR CONSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE SUPERVISION. I am not going to publish this information in general format as above. However, I do ask that several of the attached "tinkerers" be supplied with the documentation. We need to introduce frequency upgrading into seed for crops, etc. This is easily done but someone has to do it and I cannot spend time educating those at random distance. So, please make sure that Dr. Young, Dr. Hoffman, Dr. James and Dr. Trelle are made privy to the document in point. Thank you. It will seem quite primitive to you ones--but sometimes simplicity is where we must RE-begin in order to conceptually change directions. I salute you for your patience. Origin: CRYSTAL CAVE "DAS MAGICAL TREFTPUNKT" 719-391-1092 (93:9900/0) This article appeared in Web of Wyrd number 7 THE KNOTS OF DEATH by Alby Stone A number of Viking monuments feature a curious design known as the valknut, the "knot of the slain" or, more loosely, "the knot of death". On an 8th century CE picture stone from Hammers in Larbro, Gotland, it consists of three interlocking triangles. This stone, now in Stockholm's National Historical Museum, is divided into several panels; one of the central panels, in which the valknut occurs, depicts several motifs that suggest some sort of connection with the cult of Odin - an eagle, a flying figure - possibly a valkyrie - holding a ring, a man being hanged from a tree and a group of three warriors - with shields and upraised swords - led by a fourth man who seems to be holding a large bird of some kind. The valknut is adjacent to the eagle and below it are two men, one with a spear, who appear to be engaged in placing a corpse inside what looks like a burial mound. Between them and the hanged man is what appears to be another, smaller, valknut of the same design. This type can also be seen on a rather splendid golden ring discovered near Peterborough, Cambs, and currently on display at the British Museum in a cabinet labelled as containing Anglo-Saxon "secular" metalwork. Another picture stone from Gotland (Tangelgarda also in Larbro) has a panel showing a rider being welcomed by a woman holding a drinking horn with four men who are holding rings. The woman may be a valkyrie, a "chooser of the slain", one of whose functions was to serve ale to the Warriors in Valhalla, another pointer to the cult of Odin. The rider has a valknut behind his head and there are two more among his horse's legs. On this stone, which can also be seen at the Swedish Museum, the valknut is made up of a single line, interlaced to make three triangles. Similar to the Tangelgarda design, but slightly more rounded, is that carved onto one of several "hogback" monuments at Brompton, Yorkshire, and probably dating from the 10th century CE. The end-beasts of this particular hogback - these monuments are based on Viking Age houses (although to this eye they have more than a passing resemblance to long barrows) and the end-beasts are situated at what would be the gable ends - are easily identifiable as bears, again suggesting the cult of Odin, who was patron of the Warriors known as berserkr or "bear-shirts". The purpose of the hogbacks is uncertain; no graves have been found with them so they were certainly not tombstones. Hogbacks with undecorated ends at Lythe in Yorkshire exactly match the shafts of crosses found at the same site, indicating that the hogback formed a composite monument with a cross at each end. In this case the hogback is certainly a religious monument and it seems fair to suppose that the Brompton hogback and its fellows, and similarly ended hogbacks elsewhere, are also religious structures, albeit of a different faith. The Brompton hogback has five valknuts in a row. The Brompton style valknut also occurs on each of the four arms of the Gosworth Cross (Cumbria), on both faces. The shaft of the cross strangely enough has scenes from heathen myth, and the only remotely Christian looking scene, which has been rather desperately identified as the Crucifixion, seems to owe more to the rune-winning ordeal of Odin described in the heathen poem "Havamal" than it does to the New Testament. The same type of valknut appears on the shafts of crosses at Sockburn (Co Durham), Lastingham, Hawsker and Brompton (all North Yorks). On the last, three of these valknuts are arranged in a triangular pattern. A fourth type of valknut, rather different from those described so far, occurs on a stone cross from Andreas on the Isle of Man and is now in the Manx Museum, Douglas. This version is basically a simple knot "tied" in such a way as to retain the basic tripartite structure of the versions mentioned above. Unlike the others it is not a closed structure but its identity as a valknut, while mildly contentious, is not really in doubt. The scene in which it appears shows a man, evidently Odin, holding a spear pointing downward as he is devoured by a great wolf. An eagle perches on the man's shoulder and the valknut is at his side. The same design appears elsewhere, on a stone discovered in 1822 at Gosforth and now incorporated into the structure of the local church. It is between the back legs of a horse. On a picture stone from Alskog, in Gotland, it occurs twice among the eight legs of Odin's horse, Sleipnir. Despite this seeming wealth of examples and the diversity of styles the valknut itself has remained enigmatic. It seems to be associated with horses, particularly with the steed of Odin, and the cult of Odin in general. Motifs associated with the symbol include the hanged man, valkyries, bears, and the scene from Ragnarok on the Manx Cross, all indicating some connection with Odin. According to HR Ellis Davidson, the valknut also appears on the funeral ship excavated at Oseberg, Norway in 1904, and on the tapestry found in that vessel, indicating some sort of funerary association. The origin and meaning of the symbol are extremely difficult to discern, as is its association with Odin. Obviously it has a decorative value as distinct from its symbolic meaning. The valknut has been used as a motif by Scandinavian weavers since the Viking Age. Indeed, it is recognised as a traditional design in that part of the world quite apart from its alleged occurrence on the Oseberg tapestry. Davidson opines that it is related to the Celtic triskele, the three-legged symbol most familiar as the emblem of the Isle of Man and linked with the Irish God of the sea, Manannan. The triskele is essentially a variety of the swastika, a common enough cosmological symbol, but neither can be said to possess the characteristic interweaving of the valknut. While it may be unwise to dismiss a possible relationship between triskele and valknut, it must be said that any resemblance is purely superficial, lying solely in their tripartite structures. Structurally the valknut has more in common with the Celtic triple spiral motif which is also found on Old English and Pictish artifacts and much older objects. Unfortunately there is a dearth of hard evidence for the mythological or religious significance of the triple spiral, which tends to occur within wholly abstract or symbolic designs, but it occurs within funerary contexts and has been linked with the female principle by various scholars. The various types of valknut, their contexts aside, share two important characteristics: they are tripartite and they are constructed by interweaving or interlinking. Davidson also postulates a link with the bindings that occur in Norse tradition. The best known examples of this are probably the binding of Loki following his betrayal of Baldr; the binding of Baldr himself, a theme that found itself into Scandinavian and Old English interpretations of the Crucifixion; the binding of the wolf Fenrir; the ritual binding of sacrificial victims, as partly confirmed by the discovery of bound corpses in the peat bogs of northern Europe; and the Herjoturr or "war fetter", a kind of paralysis that Odin and the valkyries were said to be able to inflict upon unfavoured warriors in the heat of battle. To these we might add the hangman's noose characteristic of the double sacrifice - simultaneous hanging and stabbing - known to have been used in the cult of Odin and a method of ritual killing that accords with the condition of a number of bog corpses. One bog discovery, the severed head of a man discovered at Osterby in Denmark, is very interesting; the hair on the right side of the head is gathered into an elaborate knot that looks very much like a valknut. Tacitus, writing at about the time the Osterby man is believed to have met his end, about the 1st century CE, tells us that the warriors of the Suebi (a generic name for the Germanic tribes inhabiting the region now occupied roughly by north western Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands) tied their hair in such a knot, and a number of Roman monuments depict Germanic warriors with the same hairstyle. It would be reasonable to suppose that this hair-knot marked a warrior as a follower of an early form of Odin in his role of war god. (See the author's article on "Heretical Hairdos" in Talking Stick magazine Spring 1992 for a further discussion of pagan hairstyles and the symbolic significance.) The noose found around the neck of the Lindow Man unearthed from a peat bog in Cheshire a few years ago consists of a sliding knot in a cord knotted at each end, making a triple knot. A similar noose was found on a body in a peat bog at Borremose, Denmark but the noose found on another Danish corpse, from Tollund, is much simpler. Dr Anne Ross and Dr Don Robins, along with the Danish archaeologist Professor P V Glob, believe that these nooses are related to the Celtic torc, and note that a number of torcs seem to be designed to look like garrottes. They suggest that the corpses from Tollund and Borremose were sacrifices to Nerthus, a goddess mentioned by Tacitus, and that the torc was an attribute of that goddess. Tacitus also tells us that certain warriors of the Chatti wore iron collars that would not be removed until they had killed their first enemy, although many chose to wear them until they died. In their case the collar probably indicated they were dedicated to a god of war as opposed to a goddess of peace and plenty like Nerthus. It would be rash to state unequivocally that the collar and torc represent stylised versions of the noose or garrotte - but it is an attractive proposition. However, torcs and collars are not valknuts, and only the nooses found on Lindow Man and his Danish counterpart can possibly be construed as being such. It seems fairly certain that the valknut has a cultic or religious significance and a particular association with death, as it name alone indicates. The Andreas Cross shows the death of Odin, himself the Lord of the Dead Warriors of Valhalla, and on the Alskog stone the valknut appears by the feet of Sleipnir, the steed on which Odin, and also Heimdall, rode to the land of Hel. It is seen by the hanged man and in the funerary scene on the stone from Hammars and on the Tangalgarda stone the rider seems to be receiving a welcome to the realm of the dead. The scenes often include female figures who appear to be valkyries or maybe even the death goddess Hel herself. The presence of the valknut on Viking Age crosses in England and on the Brompton hogback hints at a retention of this element of heathen iconography among the adherents of the new cult. The valknut is certainly part of the iconography associated with Odin but that fact alone brings us no nearer to its meaning. Representations of Odin and scenes from myths pertaining to him are common enough and their components are usually readily identifiable. If the valknut does stem from the cult or mythology of Odin, then it must represent something that cannot be given a pictorial rendering, either because of a taboo or simply because it just cannot be pictured in anything but an abstract form. The form is tripartite and interwoven; the context is mortuary, Odinic and Otherworldly and it has both equine and feminine associations. This set of conditions is peculiar to the mythology of the World Tree and can be related to certain beings associated with it. The World Tree is Yggdrasill or "The Steed of the Fearful One", which makes it a doublet of Sleipnir. It has three roots which link the worlds together. According to Snorri Sturlson, each root leads to a well or spring; Hvergemir in Niflheim; Mimisbrunnr "in the direction of the frost ogres", and Urdabrunnr "in the sky", the Well at which the three Nornir gather to decide the fates of humans and gods alike. Now it is clear from a number of references that these three wells are in fact only one under three different names. A consideration of their locations clinches the argument. Hvergelmir is the primordial well, situated in the north, according to Snorri's account of the creation of the cosmos. The nature of the "frost ogres" means that they can also be located in the cold north, and the central point of the revolving sky is also in the north, at the Pole Star. The Nornir derive their collective name from an archaic word meaning "north" which also denotes "that which is below" (compare English nether, be-neath). The name of the goddess Nerthus (a goddess of the earth) reported by Tacitus may also be so derived. While the Nornir each have individual names in England, they go by the name allocated to the eldest in Norse Tradition. The elder of the three is called Urdr by the Norse, which is cognate with the Old English "wyrd", hence the three "weird sisters" of Shakespeare. Thus they are a three-in-one being in the same way as the Irish war goddesses known as the Morrigna. Like the other, inevitably triadic, Indo European fates, the Nornir spin and weave destinies. One of them is also named as a valkyrie. This brings us back to Odin, himself a shaper of destinies. In the "Gylfaginnning" section of Snorri's "Edda" he appears in a triadic guise and is credited with having taken a drink from the well at the centre of the world, one source of his wisdom. Odin acquired the wisdom of the runes while hanging on the World Tree and could obtain information from the dead. The latter - apart from those worthy fighters chosen to carouse in Valhalla until Ragnarok (the Twilight of the Gods) and those who ended up in the paradisal Odainsakr, or abode of the righteous dead, the hall Gimle - resided with the dread goddess Hel in the underground realm variously known as Niflhel, Niflheim or simply as Hel located in the far north. This goddess of the dead was said to be Loki's offspring, conceived and born while he was in the form of a mare following a dangerously mischievous escapade. Actually she can be traced back to proto-Indo-European times and her original name has been reconstructed as Kolyo, "the coverer". As Bruce Lincoln puts it in his book, "Death, War and Sacrifice" (1991), "Her domain is underground and she physically conveys her victims thence by fixing a snare or noose on their bodies and dragging them down. Her bonds regularly fall upon the foot or neck of the victim, the same places where domestic animals are fettered. The deceased are thus led away like animals by Death, in whose bonds they may struggle, but which they cannot escape, caught in her snares and dragged under." Lincoln presents an impressive body of evidence to support this summary, from Ancient Greece, Rome, Scandinavia, India and Iran. The theme has altered from place to place and from one age to another but the essence has remained. He also notes that the Middle High German term for a noose was "helsing", which he translates as "Hel's Sling". He argues that German sacrifice by hanging, generally related to Odin or Woden, was actually a ritual enactment of the seizing of the victim by the goddess of death. Given the mutual concerns of Odin, Hel and the Nornir, it seems to make little difference either way. In Old English texts the term "wyrd" is, despite its other connotations, frequently used to denote death rather than a structured and unfolding future that is suggested by the functions of the Nornir and their Greek and Roman counterparts. There is of course an intimate relationship between the two concepts and death is after all the fate of every being. Scandinavian myth makes it clear that there are only two things which the gods cannot avert; fate and death. In Norse myth the name of the senior Norn is Urdr, a word in Old Icelandic that can also denote a burial mound or cairn. "Beowulf" and other texts characterise wyrd as a weaving of webs but the word usually means nothing less than the moment of death, or at least the events leading up to death. The "Beowulf" motif is revealing, however; it has already been noted that the fates tend to be spinners or weavers and in this instance there is also the idea of a snare, which can refer back to the Indo-European goddess of death as described by Lincoln. Like Hel, the Nornir reside in the far north, at or near the celestial axis and like her they reside "below ground", where the World Tree has its roots. The Nornir determine life, span and the time of death, while Hel takes the dead to her cold bosom. All these characteristics are shared to some extent with Odin, as is their femininity, apparently adopted by Odin in order to engage in seidr - the natural magic of womankind. At the very least, Hel and the Nornir are closely related, perhaps even deriving from the same proto Indo-European goddess, and Odin has acquired some of their characteristics by virtue of his association with the cosmic centre, the structure of which reflects their own nature. If the valknut symbolises anything then, it is probably either wyrd, death, or perhaps even the Nornir themselves, who are more or less the same as wyrd anyway. Exactly when the valknut would have come to represent these is difficult to estimate. Certainly the examples here all date from the Viking Age and appear to range in time from about the 7th to the 10th centuries CE. I am not aware of any valknuts of a significantly earlier date. It is interesting that in England the use of the valknut seems to have died out with the establishment of Christianity and the consequent decline of heathenism. The Nornir are not represented pictorially anywhere in the Germanic world, which is rather surprising. A panel of the Franks Casket shows three hooded figures who might be intended as a likeness of that fateful trinity, but it is by no means certain. Until any conclusive artifacts come to light the truth of the matter must remain as uncertain as the workings of the Fates themselves. Memorial Day Ritual This is a copy of the script written for a Memorial Day and Warrior's Honor Ceremony performed at the Heartland Pagan Festival in 1992. It was written during the festival by She-Wolf and Gary Stanfield, and is the latest of a few editions. This ceremony was intended for participation by any persons who can accept the Wiccan ceremonial format and who have been or are likely to become touched deeply by war. Realistic acceptance, loving reconciliation, and emotional catharsis are the major themes. Fears, regrets, sympathies, feelings of caring, and grievings are dealt with intensely. Adventure, patriotism, the joy of battle, etc. are ignored. The setting is outdoors in mid-morning light in a clearing among trees. There is a fire in the center of the temple space and an altar at the northernmost point of the circle. MARTIAL HONOR CEREMONY 1. Defining of the Temple Space and Time. All participants form into a circle as a drum beats slowly and steadily (about one beat per second). When the time comes to start, the HPS breaks from the circle and begins to define its outer limits with a sword. After she has just begun, the priest raises an old, rust-marked sword into the air -- this cues the first speakers. Alternating male and female voices call out (one from each quarter as the HPS passes): "Thermopylae!" "Gettysburg!" "Desert Storm!" "Uncounted thousands of battles! Uncounted thousands of wars! Over uncounted thousands of years!" Then the HP puts down his sword as the HPS rejoins the circle. 2. Calling of the Quarters. The priestess, taking one step forward from her position next to the altar says: "Guardians of the East, Spirits of Air Breath of life, lost to those who have died attend our rite and protect this circle." "Guardians of the South, spirits of fire Heat of battle, warmth of living flesh attend out rite and protect our circle." "Guardians of the West, spirits of water Sweat of our bodies, blood that was spilled Attend our rite and protect our circle." "Guardians of the North, spirits of Earth Symbolized by salt, once the soldier's pay Earth to which we all return Attend our rite and protect our circle." HPS then asks attendees to sign themselves, sealing their auras. [This can be done with a pentagram, hammer sign, or other sigil]. She returns to her place by the altar. 3. Interdenominational Invocation of a War Deity. HP takes one step forward from his position next to the altar and says: "As we must accept the parts of our psyches associated with our pasts in war, we must honor deities of war in our pantheons. We honor you -- Athena, Indra, Woden, Mars, Morrigu, and many others. Please come to us now." Someone costumed and equipped to portray a war deity emerges from the circle to near the center of the temple space and says: "Now also honor those humans who were honorably involved in warfare: Those who were your enemies and those who were your friends; Those who volunteered and those who were pushed by circumstances; Those who were heroes and those who were just in it; Those who fought and those who only stood ready; Those who survived war and those who did not; Those uncounted millions of your times and of times past -- They have no need to be ashamed." "Do not admire mindless rape, plunder, nor terrorizing. Do not admire raids upon the defenseless -- although in war some predation is necessary." "And since there is no shame in being a victim of a mighty tide, you shall extend compassion to refugees and other civilian and military victims." "Raise your right fists into the air to salute honorable warriors and to civilian heroes and heroines." (War deity raises his/her right fist as this order is given. After the deity drops the salute, the others drop it also). "Give the salute of embrace to signify compassion for refugees and other victims." (War deity crosses his/her arms over his/her chest to signal the start of the salute of embrace and everyone else does as the war deity does. The war deity signals the end of the salute by dropping it). War deity returns to circle. 5. Closing. HP: "We thank the war deities for their attendance." HPS: "Let us be mindful that sometimes the warrior is the victim also." "Spirits of air, we thank you for your attendance. Receive in peace the spirits of those who were raised on funeral platforms. We bid you hail and farewell." "Spirits of fire, we thank you for your attendance. Receive in peace those whose funeral pyres burned brightly. We bid you hail and farewell." "Spirits of water, we thank you for your attendance, Receive in peace those lost or buried at sea. We bid you hail and farewell." "Spirits of Earth, we thank you for your attendance. Receive in peace those buried in the earth. Mother earth, return to us again in new forms, if it be their will, the spirits of those who have fallen." "For those who have fallen!" (She pours wine on the fire in the center of the temple space). "And the bread of compassion for the victims of war." (She crumbles bread and drops it onto the ground). HP: "By this ceremony may each of us be strengthened -- deity, spirit, and living human alike." "Nor this circle is open, but not broken." "Please ground, and you may hug." CELTIC WORKSHOP (Internet) This is an Upload of the first Celtic Workshop on Druids, Oghams and Divination. Each student was supposed to have already downloaded the Library 16 files Oghamd.txt (A table of Ogham correspondences), Fionnw.GIF ( A symbollic representation of Oghams in Circles.) and Ogham.GIF (A picture showing exactly how each tree Ogham symbol looked.) In additional to these files, messages were posted in the Section 15 message board for Ogham correspondence tables by Nigel Pennick, D.J. Conway, John Matthews, Murray Hope, Douglas Monroe and Edric Thorsson. A lot of information is contained in these files and messages and is essential for fully understanding the workshop and discussion. I recommend reading "The Celts" by Nora Chadwick for historical background on the Celts as a people. I recommend John Matthews book "Celtic Shamanism" and also Nigel Pennick's book "Magical Alphabets". More complete discussions of many of these topics are found in those works. Due to time constraints, All the prepared material did not get presented during the Workshop. I have included it here in it's entireity at the request of the participants and in the interest of completeness. Before starting the Workshop, we engaged in informal conversation with the first topic being the book "Life of a Druid Prince". Jehana asked if I had read this book. O'Dubh : Never read the book Jehana : It's basically an archeological/anthropological study of... one of those sacrificed humans they pulled out of a peat bog. SUZAN : hello Jehana! Jehana : with some interesting speculations as well. Hello suzan. Hail! O'Dubh : I saw an article on it with pictures in Scientific American I think. Merry Meet Again Maiden! Jehana : yes, i think they covered it there, too. O'Dubh : looks like UFOs are the talk of the town tonight. Jehana : And The Crone greets the Maiden! SUZAN : there was a great TLC special on an archeological find like that Jehana : suzan is still here. suzan? SUZAN : geesh! there are 27 people in that room! O'Dubh : yes it's a mad house over there SUZAN : oh just lurking around a bit sorry :) O'Dubh : I didn't get any advertising here. Jehana : too busy to stay there. O'Dubh : had to do it all myself. Jehana : rilla mentioned it to me when i logged in tonight. O'Dubh : everytime I log on here I'm bombarded with announcements but no Celtic Workshop!:( Hi Susan W!! Jehana : hey, celtic workshop!! Susan W.: Hi, just nosey, what's going on? Jehana : hello susan... odubh is about to do a celtic ../. druidic workshop. O'Dubh : We're gonna be talking about Celts, Druids and the like Jehana : is it workshop or discussion or both? Susan W.: Maybe I'll listen in for awhile, already been on over anhour. O'Dubh : I know how expen$ive it is! Jehana : same here. O'Dubh : Well I guess I'm gonna start Susan W.: What can I learn here? O'Dubh : You can learn Magick, Shamanism, Oghams, Divination But it won't happen overnight. Also Druid type stuff. There's a lot to cover. Jehana : (But it doesn't all require connect time) O'Dubh : that's right A lot of the files are in the library or message boards any way Maybe I should start. Jehana : ga O'Dubh : I'm going to upload the announcement first so you can see what we'll cover. Susan W.: great O'Dubh : Dia dhuit, a Kheltoi is ni Kheltoi! (Hello to all Celts and Non-Celts!) We are going to be having on-going Work Shops regarding Celtic Topics of Interest here in the NewAge Forum. I hope to draw you Celts and NonCelts alike out of the Groves and into the CO's! Time to share some of that Knowledge we've been hiding! I plan to touch on the following topics of interest: CLASS #1 Druids, Oghams, Divinations CLASS #2 Deities, Shamanism, Magick CLASS #3 History, Warriors, Geneologies (maybe your family name!) CLASS #4 Languages (Gaeilge, Gaelic, Welsh, Manx,Breton), Poetry, Prose I will basically upload files to the library, prior to the class, to provide a focal point for the discussions and a framework for building a Celtic Book of Shadows. We will flesh these frameworks out through discussions online. I, by no means, have all the answers on matters Celtic. But I truly believe that ALL of us, working together, can approach advance our knowledge and rediscover the True Celtic Way. Druids are especially welcome to attend so that our Celtic Knowledge may be "Illuminated"! I also hope that The Welsh Bards will grace us with the Songs of Taliesin. Other topics will be included based upon the desires and direction of the students and other participants. I see the way that the workshops will be conducted as: Susan W.: ? O'Dubh : Opening Remarks by Me. Presentation by a Speaker (not necessarily me). Questions and Answers. Group Open Discussion and Discovery. Summation and Assignments. The classes start this Monday night in Work Shop 1 of the NewAge Forum at 10 PM EST! See you there! Beannacht leat, (Blessed be) O'Dubh Susan W> ga Susan W.: Oh, sorry, thought my screen was stuck there. GA O'Dubh : OK That was the announcement and sorry if it was wrapping on your screens! Jehana : sorry, i do have to go; i will put this workshop on next monday's calendar. O'Dubh : I'll continue with the presentation Ce'ad Mi'le Failte! (100,000 Welcomes) Welcome to the Celtic Workshop! We will be investigating and sharing our knowledge of matters Celtic here. It is my hope that the researches and references I have will add to or compliment your own. I am, by no means, the final authority on these matters. Discussion and interaction, coupled with a shamanistic journey or two should fill in the gaps and illuminate us all. all Dean : hello O'Dubh : Tonight I hope to lay down a firm framework for our knowledge of Druids through a discussion of their Magickal writing, called Ogham, after Ogma - Sun Face, and through a discussion of their divination techniques. It is commonly thought that the Druids left no written records of their work. I disagree. Many references exist that contain the poems of Druids, stories about their Magicks, tales of their strategies, their secret lore, their Oghams, their invocations, their victories and their defeats. The major problems with using this information is that it is the product of a long (tho reliable) oral tradition that was finally written down by their antecedents the Culdean Monks of the Celtic Church. (Probably Druids in hiding). Some of the Irish manuscripts used as references on Druids are: The Book of Armaugh The Book of Ballymote (A primary source for Oghams) The Tain Bo Cuailgne The Book of the Dun Cow The Book of Invasions The Book of Leinster Many references to what Druids did are contained within the above books. Much of what Celts wrote was symbollic of deeper meanings. Each work can be interpreted on many levels. In modern times, Druidry is being studied by several major groups, ADF and OBVD to name just two. If we have any Druids present tonight, Please come forth and identify yourselves now. (well, since only us chickens are here!) Susan W.: . O'Dubh : I'll identify myself as a student of Wicca, Druids and Celts Susan W>Whatis your interest or area? Susan W.: I have no knowledge in this area . . I have been told a little bit by a friend. The extent . . . is that I understand this Wicca, Druid beliefs, are very old and are based on the powers of the earth? ga O'Dubh : yes the knowledge of Druids/Wiccans is based upon the Earth and it's power. The knowledge of the Oghams is tree knowledge applied as symbols in the use of Magick and Divination. I'll upload some info on each symbol or group of 5 symbols and show what their meanings are. The Druids were the shamans of the Celtic Clans. They carried the history, the culture and the geneologies of the Clan in their memories. To aid in remembering this information, Oghams were used, each Ogham being associated by its beginning sounds with the item to be remembered. This is similar to alliteration in today's writings.This led to an entire series of different types of Oghams. Tonight we will discuss tree oghams and Fionn's Wheel. Ogham BTW is pronounced "O Wam". It's one of those strange Gaelic things! I have listed the Oghams for those of you that haven't downloaded the Ogham GIF's or the Ogham Divination files in Library 16 yet. Each Ogham is listed by its ancient Gaelic name, then its modern Irish name and then its Welsh counterpart. The first group of 5 is from the North on Fionn's Wheel. (it is from the Book of Ballymote) 7th century Irish manuscript. Susan W.: . O'Dubh : Beth Beith Bedw Birch - The White Tree of Purification Protection against harm, physical and spiritual. Deal with/clear away the bad things of life. A new begining. Peasant. 24 December-20 January. White. Luis Caorthann Criafol Rowan - Tree of Life Protection against psychic attack. Develop powers of protection and foretelling. Used in Metal dowsing. Planted around stone circles. Peasant 21 January-17 February. Liath (grey). (also luisne or "red glare"). Fearn Fearno'g Gwernen Alder - "The Red Man" (pranksters, also help one escape the Otherworld) Used in fires to make swords. Frees the Earth from water. Used in Building Foundations because of this fire aspect. Protection in conflicts. Freedom from binding Magicks. 18 March-14April. Crimson or blood red. Saille Saileach Helgen White Willow or Sally Tree - The growth of lunar power and water. Linking and harmonizing. It's power is greatest at night unless the Moon is visable during the day. Susan W.: ? O'D O'Dubh : Tied to the Moon phases. Protection against diseases. Peasant. 15 April-12 May. Sodaith (Bright or fine). Nuin Fuinnseog Onnen The Black Ash - The Tree of Rebirth Links the World of Spirit to the physical. The passage way between the inner world and the outer realms. The keys to the future but only in time. First Chieftan Tree. 18 February-17 March Necht or clear in color. Yes Susan W? (I actually heard Susan W and responded at this point but have included the other uploaded information here for completeness). Huath Sceach gheal Ysbyddaden - The Hawthorn or Whitethorn The May Tree. The name means "Terrible" referring to the Destroyer aspect of the Goddess. Unlucky (especially to cut it except in May). (Bringing the blossoms in the house is also unlucky). Rags are tied to its branches as offerings. Protection against all ills Magickally. Peasant. 13 May-9 June. Purple (For the Hag/Underworld). Duir Dair Derwen Oak - The King of Trees The Oak King. Magickal strength. The doorway to inner knowledge. The ability to see the invisible or be invisible. The ability to bar or open the ways. 10 JUne-7 July. Black. Chieftan. Planted in Sacred Groves by the Druids. Tinne Cuileann Celyn Holly - "Fire" The Holly King. Balanced Strength and Power. Unification, Fatherhood, Rebirth. Fire, strength, boldness. Peasant. Temen (grey-green). Coll Coll Collen Hazel - "By the Power of Three Times Three" Discovery, Druidic Herald wands "Word Wisdom". Used as A Magick Shield in warfare (Fionn's Shield). Water Witching forked rods. Nut-Brown. Quert Aball Afall Crab Apple - Tree of Eternal Life Isle of Avalon. Five seeds/blossom petals. Apple-green or Mouse-Brown. Muin Muine Vine - "The Vernal Equinox" "The First Harvest". Chieftain, 2 September- 29 September. Mbracht (variegated). The Magickal ability to roam widely and to gather. Assimilation leading to inner development. Gort Eadhne'an Eiddew Ivy - "The Second Harvest" 30 September - 27 October. Gorm (blue). scarcity in unfavorable situations. Changes necessary for growth. All things are tied to the Earth. Transformation by being rooted in the Earth. Ngetal Giolcach Cawnen Reed - "The Tree of Scribes" Used to make pens and Welsh plagawd (paper). 28 October - 24 November. Thatching, mats, baskets. Insulation, Enclosure, Covering. Preserver of Knowledge, Maintainer of Order. Nglas (glass green or yellowish-green). Straif Drai'on Draenenwen Blackthorn - "Tree of Punishment and Strife" Peasant. Staves of Magickal Power. Draoi (Wizard), Drai' (Druid). Power in Visible and Invisible Worlds. Use to overcome resistance to One's will. Sorcha (bright colored) or purple-black. Ruis Trom Ysgaw Elder - "Tree of the Cailleach (Hag)" ru'isce (a violent attack, a blow, a throw). Irish Witches rode Elder sticks instead of brooms. Three fold aspects of Time, Existence, Goddess. Ogham of Timelessness or unity of all time. Balance in threes. Rocnat (roebuck red). Susan W.: How would you use this information, for example . . . the Native Americans use prayers for certain rituals, such as blessing your surroundings. How would you use that infor.? Ga O'Dubh : The information would be used in divinations and in casting spells. It would also be used to mark pathways for Spiritual journeys into the Celtic Otherworld. The first use of Oghams was on Birch, for instance, and it was interpreted by the Irish God Lugh to mean that a Magickal attack was going to be made upon his wife. Freepowder: hi all O'Dubh : He took precautions. Hi Freepowder !! we are underway with our workshop. Freepowder: I didn;t miss it? O'Dubh : I'm just telling Susan how Ogham information was used. It's happening right now. Anything missed will be in the library. Freepowder: out standing, but I can't stay long O'Dubh : Susan>Does that answer your question? Freepowder: GA Susan W.: So, he called upon the spirit of the Birch tree to protect him??? O'Dubh : He used the Magick of the Birch symbol to protect him and his wife. Birch was used to surround them and protect them from Magickal attack. Lugh's wife was in danger of being spirited away to the Underworld. Freepowder: (sorry) who are we talking about? Susan W.: Gottcha. :) Difference in interpretation. GA O'Dubh : The Celts were also shamanistic just like the Native Americans Ok Susan W.: ? O'Dubh : FP>We are talking about the use and meaning of Oghams and symbols of Magick. FP>GA Freepowder: in general? O'Dubh : Well I'm presenting the meaning for each Ogham as based upon the information handed down by the Irish Druidic Bards. Misty : Can you tell us a little about the shamanistic part of the Celts? Freepowder: ah! O'Dubh : Misty>I will cover that more fully next week but.... the Celts lived close to nature as did most peoples O'Dubh : in the past. They observed that they had to interact with it on a more personal basis than we do today. I am introducing symbols and diagrams to be O'Dubh : used in Magickal journeying. Misty : Ok, sounds good!! Freepowder: O'd> the Celts focused mainly on Trees & shrubs, while the NAIndians, Freepowder: focused more on animals , right? O'Dubh : FP>The Celts tied Oghams to everything... Birds, animals, shields, flowers you name it! Freepowder: ! O'Dubh : They even had a secret Hand Language! GA Misty : I've heard of that...how was that used? Freepowder: