I consider myself a Pagan Reconstructionist riding a wave of Heretical Gnosis. By comparative study, I've reduced the world’s various religions and spiritual paths to their essence. I have no solid belief system per say so my spiritual ideologies are constantly evolving. I'm free from the spiritual bondage that is dogma. My focus is on soul development, becoming, leading to the attainment of Divine Consciousness. I've found balance in the Wisdom of Nature and the Gnosis of the Universe. 'As Above So Below' which is essentially non-duality.
My practice can best be described as Magico-Religious. I employ traditional American Folk Magick and Medicine; Hexcraft rooted in Euro-American Witchcraft, Santeria, Pow-wow, Hoodoo, Gypsy and Granny Magicks. My foundation is laid in the Wheel of the Year, the annual cycle of the Earth's seasons: eight festivals throughout the year referred to as Sabbats. Magico-Religious Power is the the spiritual force called Mana, energy interpreted as "Chaos". Mana (spiritual essence) is in people, animals, plants and objects. The entire universe is alive and interconnected, everything possesses a personality and individual spirit. This belief is called Animism. Shamans and Witches have a deep relationship with the supernatural. Shamanic traditions are especially valuable in a time of crisis between humanity and nature. If we can learn to rediscover the way of the shaman, it may make a critical impact on how we live. Naturalist and Ecologists might study the relationships of living things to their environment differently. How we live individually and collectively can and will effect the future of the Earth and it's inhabitants.
Furthermore, I'm really moved by the "school of thought" that is Green Hermeticism. Not only does it resonate with my own belief that humanity needs to get back to the Esoteric roots of Medicine, this movement has started to establish a bridge between Alchemy and Ecology.
"it’s not clear whether you can make a leap or bridge from a scientific mentality to a Hermetic one; that is, whether conventional science can somehow become Hermetic, or whether—this not being possible—we are going to have to create a new science-art-spirituality working out of alchemy and Hermeticism on their own terms, thus renewing and re-imagining for our time the ancient sacred science of nature. In other words, perhaps it is in the nature of the project that the bridge will have to be built from Hermeticism to a new kind of science rather than from conventional science to Hermeticism."
The Alchemists' search for the Philosopher's Stone took a turn for the worse in Ancient Egypt when materialists developed the art of synthetic "wet" chemistry. Processes including but not limited to; extracting metal from their ores, making pottery and glazes, fermenting beer and wine, making pigments for cosmetics and painting, extracting chemicals from plants for medicine and perfume, making cheese, dying cloth, tanning leather, rendering plant fat into soap, making glass, and making alloys like bronze. By the seventeenth century, Occultist and Philosopher of Nature, Paracelsus, pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals for medicine. This was contrary to his hermetical views that sickness and health in the body relied on the harmony of man and Nature. Since then, a materialistic, capitalistic, anti-ecological, anti-Hermetic war was waged against humanity and the planet Earth. We've seen a rapid decline of spirituality and morality. And in opposition to this, a Romantic Nihilist movement. In spite of this, We are Green Anarchists and Anarcho-Communists. Hopefully at the end of this war, Holistic Dualists.
"The alchemists are people of prayer. They are dedicated selflessly to the transformation and redemption of society, the individual, and the earth itself."
Quotes taken from: "Green Hermeticism: David Levi Strauss in conversation with Peter Lamborn Wilson and Christopher Bamford"
Showing posts with label Alchemy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alchemy. Show all posts
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
In Support of Humanism
In Support of Humanism: as opposed to the Posthuman utopia or the ultimate scientific dictatorship. Tired of being fed alleged "Satanic" propaganda by mainstream culture monsters like Lady Gaga? A Brave New World? Blasphemous, I think not! Plastic surgery, Reproductive technology, Genetic engineering, information technology, and anticipated future ones, such as molecular nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. Political Scientist, Francis Fukuyama identifies transhumanism as "a strange liberation movement" that wants "nothing less than to liberate the human race from its biological constraints." Personally, I am in favor of Spiritual Evolution as opposed to "Human Enhancement Technologies". If having emotions is considered a biological constraint, I'll opt for staying a spiritual being having a human experience that is in harmony with nature and the Love Supreme!
"The environmental movement has taught us humility and respect for the integrity of nonhuman nature. (i.e. plants, animals) We need a similar humility concerning our human nature. If we do not develop it soon, we may unwittingly invite the transhumanists to deface humanity with their genetic bulldozers and psychotropic shopping malls."
"The time will come when my pictures will be understood, they are destined for the 21st century." Emma Kunz 1892-1963 - Artist, Researcher, Healer
I was just pondering all this while looking at the Sacred Geometry of Emma Kunz. (see above) She created mandala-like grids which she used as instruments of healing. Emma Kunz lived during the turn of the century, when Industry reared it's ugly head. At 18, she began to use telepathy, prophecy and divination. I was thinking about how several generations later, modern artists of this genre like Fredrik Söderberg and Louise Despont, have the same spiritual thread running through their bodies of work. So how has "Human Enhancement Technology" really benefited the Collective Consciousness or the Environment anyway? Think about it...
Fredrik Söderberg
Louise Despont
"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable."
"The environmental movement has taught us humility and respect for the integrity of nonhuman nature. (i.e. plants, animals) We need a similar humility concerning our human nature. If we do not develop it soon, we may unwittingly invite the transhumanists to deface humanity with their genetic bulldozers and psychotropic shopping malls."
"The time will come when my pictures will be understood, they are destined for the 21st century." Emma Kunz 1892-1963 - Artist, Researcher, Healer
I was just pondering all this while looking at the Sacred Geometry of Emma Kunz. (see above) She created mandala-like grids which she used as instruments of healing. Emma Kunz lived during the turn of the century, when Industry reared it's ugly head. At 18, she began to use telepathy, prophecy and divination. I was thinking about how several generations later, modern artists of this genre like Fredrik Söderberg and Louise Despont, have the same spiritual thread running through their bodies of work. So how has "Human Enhancement Technology" really benefited the Collective Consciousness or the Environment anyway? Think about it...
Fredrik Söderberg
Louise Despont
"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable."
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Black Broom
The Black Broom, statuary for the discriminating Occultist.
"Buer is a spirit that appears in the 16th century grimoire Pseudomonarchia Daemonum and its derivatives, where he is described as a Great President of Hell, having fifty legions of demons under his command. He appears when the Sun is in Sagittarius. Buer teaches natural and moral philosophy, logic, and the properties of all herbs and plants. He also heals all diseases, especially of men, and gives good familiars. According to some authors, he teaches Medicine and has the head of a lion and five goat legs surrounding his body to walk in every direction. In Grim Grimoire, Buer is summoned using the alchemy rune. Also, he discourages drunkenness."
Monday, February 14, 2011
Love is the Law, Love Under Will
Taj Mahal, a temple of love built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, a symbol of eternal love. Happy Valentine's Lovers!
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." Jimi Hendrix
related posts: Strike, dear mistress and cure his heart...
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Happy Holydaze
You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why....I wish I knew about Krampus when I started telling my daughter Christmas tales! She could care less if I threaten her with the ol' "Santa will leave coal in your stocking" bit! But Krampus, now that's the kind of folklore we can use to keep naughty girls and boys in line! Did you know that before St. Nick employed elves to help him out, he was accompanied by the Devil? Krampus followed St. Nick around like a shadow. Good little children were rewarded with gifts and the bad ones were punished by Krampus! Sometimes Krampus will just give give you a good scare and a verbal warning! One could only hope...
In addition to the dreaded coal in the stocking, if you were just a little naughty you might get off with a swat on the ass! Or if you deserve a more severe punishment...Krampus might really rough you up!
But you know what happens to those really bad children!? He might throw you in his straw sack and steal you away into the forest...never to be heard from again!
In Austria and Germany, the tradition (which may vary slightly in different parts of the country) is that the boots of good children will be filled with goodies on December 6th by St. Nicholas. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus on the evening of December 5, and roam the streets with St. Nick frightening children (and adults) growling and shaking rusty chains and bells! The present day Krampus costume consists of wooden masks, sheep or goat's skin and horns. The tradition might also include slight spankings with a switch or tree branch by the Krampus, especially of young females! Meanwhile St. Nick hands out children candy, fruit and small toys! During these festivals St. Nick is accompanied by a whole gang!
Modern day Krampus Festivals are sometimes very dangerous, especially for women. Old tales say Krampus (a horny fertility god) is quite fond of sexually harassing women and slapping them on the behind. This leads to a lot of sexual misconduct on the streets by drunken men dressed as Krampus!
The Companion of St. Nicholas is associated with the story of Knecht Ruprecht (Saint Rupert), a wild foundling whom St. Nicholas raises from childhood. In some of the Ruprecht traditions, the children would be summoned to the door to perform tricks, such as a dance or singing a song to impress upon St. Nick and Ruprecht that they were indeed good children. Those who performed badly would be beaten soundly by Servant Ruprecht, and those who performed well were given a gift or some treats. Those who performed badly enough or had committed other misdeeds throughout the year were put into Ruprecht's sack and taken away, variously to Ruprecht’s home in the Black Forest. In other versions the children must be asleep, and would awake to find their shoes filled with either sweets, coal, or in some cases a stick. Over time, other customs developed: parents giving kids who misbehaved a stick instead of treats and saying that it was a warning from Nikolaus that "unless you improve by Christmas day, Nikolaus' black servant Ruprecht will come and beat you with the stick and you won't get any Christmas gifts." I read quite a few interesting articles about Krampus while searching the internet for images. However, most of them focused on the notion that Krampus and St. Nick eventually were merged into one character that we now recognize as Santa Claus. Santa now punishes naughty children and rewards the good ones. As you know, he has a list...and checks it twice!
Only a few articles suggested that Krampus has pre-Christian Pagan origins. One pointed torwards the "Wilde Man" of Germanic and Slavic folklore. These tales spawned stories like the Brothers Grimm tale entitled "De Wilde Mann" and Beauty and the Beast. The Wild Man, Woodwose is connected to devilish woodland spirits like Puck and the vegetal Green Man. So I would say that notion is misleading. Others suggest a connection to the mysterious "Horned God". But there are many horned god deities, so that really needs to be defined. When Neopagans refer to the "Horned God", they could be refering to one of several different horned dieties. One such archetype represents the personification of the life force energy in animals and the wilderness, fertility, sexual virility and the Hunt. Gods like Cernunnos, Pan, Faunus, and Innus are personified as being sex crazed or shown as having a large erect phallus. Fertility, fecundity and the symbolism of the phallus all denote a connection to the rites rituals, and celebrations of Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. (As does the aforementioned Wilde Man) So none of these references have any synchronicity with Krampus.
In some depictions, Krampus bears an uncanny resemblance to "The Devil". The Devil is still a vague reference as he is merely a modern personification of Evil. The Devil usually refers to Lucifer and Satan of the Bible. They are commonly lumped together into one entity. They are two entirely different spiritual beings however. In Hebrew ha-Satan is "the accuser" and Satan itself means "to overcome" — the one who challenged the religious faith of humans in the books of Job and Zechariah. Abrahamic religious belief systems other than Judaism relate this term to a rebellious fallen angel, devil, minor god and idol, or as an allegory for knowledge or the enlightenment of mankind. Another aspect of the Devil points torwards the Serpent in the Garden of Eden who tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (e.g., “sexual knowing”) The Serpent in the Garden is more likely rooted in Ancient Sumerian texts and is actually Enlil (Ilu), Lord of the Air and Lord of the Command was said to have created an created an E.DIN, according to Sumerian texts.He was said to have descended from Heaven to Earth. Half brother of Enki (Ea), Lord of the Earth and Waters. The philosophy of Enki manifests and explains itself in pre-Christian Mesopotamian and Egyptian thought. Satan doesn't have any synchronicities with Krampus. So we're getting off track again here.
Let's talk about Lucifer! In Latin, the word "Lucifer", meaning "Light-Bringer" (from lux, lucis, "light", and ferre, "to bear, bring"), is a name for the "Eastern Star" or "Day Star". This usage stems from a particular interpretation, as a reference to a fallen angel, of a passage in the Bible (Isaiah 14:3-20) that speaks of someone who is given the name of "Day Star" (in Latin, Lucifer) as fallen from heaven. The same Latin word is used of the morning star in 2 Peter 1:19 and elsewhere with no relation to Satan. Lucifer is recognized by Occultists as the Father of Baphomet, and is represented as the Sabbatic Goat. Eliphas Lévi considered Baphomet to be a depiction of the absolute in symbolic form. Below is an illustration of Baphomet by Lévi. His depiction is similar to that of the Devil in early tarot cards.
Lévi wrote: "The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light ("Light-Bringer") of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences." The word Baphomet is said to be an Old French corruption and misspelling of the name Mahomet (Muhammad). Christianity claims that Muhammad is a false Prophet and therefore demonizes him and the followers of Islam (Peace). The name is a combination of two Greek words (baphe and metis) and meant 'absorption into wisdom.' I could go on and on about the origins of Baphomet, and synchronicities with other gods throughout different cultures, but I'll spare you the details. I just wanted to establish that Lucifer and Baphomet are one and the same...Lords of the Underworld.
So what does all this have to do with Christmas and why is Santa hanging out with Lucifer? Let's break it down, shall we? In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest, night of the year. (This is reversed during Summer Solstice) Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.
Again, in the Tarot the Devil Card is associated with the sign of Capricorn. Capricornus has been recognized as a goat since Babylonian and Chaldean times. Below is Occultist Aleister Crowley's version of the Devil, he states: "He is 'The Devil' of the Book of Thoth, and His emblem is BAPHOMET, the Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection. He is therefore Life and Love. But moreover his letter is ayin, the Eye, so that he is Light; and his Zodiacal image is Capricornus, that leaping goat whose attribute is Liberty."
Santa Claus/St. Nick/Father Christmas is simply the personification of Winter Solstice accompanied by his servant and messenger Krampus the Horned God! Krampus the "Horned God" represents the movement of the Sun into Capricorn. Check out this image of Santa riding in on a Goat! The Horned God heralds the begining of Winter!
Winter Solstice is longest night of the year. (Again, after winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.) The Horned God not only heralds the beginning of Winter, but he carries the souls of the dead to the underworld. (Death here is symbolic of repressed sexual energy.) represents the of the "Dark night of the Soul" or the descent of Spirit into darkness. As the "Bringer of Light" he promises the return of the Sun (Enlightenment). The Horned Fertility God offers the secret of rebirth. Notice in Eliphas Lévi's illustration, Baphomet reveals the the caduceus or magic wand of Hermes (Mercury). His arms reveal the words "Solve" and "Coagula" In alchemy the term in Latin: SOLVE ET COAGULA means separate and join together or dissolve and coagulate (bind together)
The caduceus is comprised of two serpents coupling on an erected phallus, fertility symbol. The rod is a symbol of transforming alchemical power. The two serpents represent Union of Opposites (Sun/Moon) The snakes together with the sprouted wings depict the caduceus having an alchemical meaning of balance of duality, the alchemical process leading to unity. Even today, the symbol is often associated with medicine. Levi called his image “the Baphomet of Mendes” (Mendes is an ancient Egyptian city) "the Lord of Mendes", who was the soul of the Egyptian god Osiris, father of the "DIVINE CHILD", Horus...For Crowley, Baphomet is further a representative of the spiritual nature of the spermatozoa while also being symbolic of the "MAGICAL CHILD" produced as a result of sex magic. As such, Baphomet represents the Union of Opposites, especially as mystically personified in Beast and Babalon combined and biologically manifested with the sperm and egg united in the zygote. The birth of the Christ Child is a metaphor for Spiritual Rebirth. Enlightenment that comes after a period of Darkness (Ignorance) "Out of Darkness, Cometh Light" But it also quite literally points torward the return of the Sun in Summer Soltice.
Winter solstice festivals throughout all cultures in ancient and modern times celebrate the rebirth of the Great God (Christ), who is viewed as the newborn Solstice Sun. Most traditions include "festival of lights". Which celebrates the return of Sun or birth of the Son! Germanic Tribes lighted trees (Tannenbaum) and celebrated the fest of light (Lichtfest) around the shortest day of the year, December 21. Yule traditions include decorating a fir or spruce tree with candles, burning a Yule log, hanging mistletoe and holly branches, giving gifts, and general celebration and merriment. On Christmas an evergreen tree that is brought into a home is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or a star is placed at the top of the tree, representing the Star of Bethlahem, Archangel Auriel. This is the North star that the Three Wise Men followed.
Remember, Lucifer "Bringer of Light" or "Morning Star"? If you look again at Eliphas Lévi's depiction of the Horned One, he has a 5-pointed Star on his forehead. "The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light" It is the Star of Adam Kadom. In the Qabala, Christ, the Logos, the only begotten son of God as found in Genesis 1: 1, not to be confused with the emanations of Adam Kadom (also called Adam or Eden) as found in Genesis 2 (consciousness) or Genesis 3 (matter and life) or Genesis 4 (humanity). Below you'll notice that the symbol for Lucifer is a 5-pointed star pointing downwards, representing the souls descent into darkness. Also shown is the Star of Adam Kadom, a 5-pointed star pointing up, representing Christ Consciousness...enlightement). That would indicate that the Devil as Christ's antagonist in the Bible really represents Man struggling within himself, his own Shadow. It's through the Union of this Duality that we achieve Spiritual Liberation!
See also:
Saturnalia
Sol Invictus
In addition to the dreaded coal in the stocking, if you were just a little naughty you might get off with a swat on the ass! Or if you deserve a more severe punishment...Krampus might really rough you up!
But you know what happens to those really bad children!? He might throw you in his straw sack and steal you away into the forest...never to be heard from again!
In Austria and Germany, the tradition (which may vary slightly in different parts of the country) is that the boots of good children will be filled with goodies on December 6th by St. Nicholas. Traditionally, young men dress up as the Krampus on the evening of December 5, and roam the streets with St. Nick frightening children (and adults) growling and shaking rusty chains and bells! The present day Krampus costume consists of wooden masks, sheep or goat's skin and horns. The tradition might also include slight spankings with a switch or tree branch by the Krampus, especially of young females! Meanwhile St. Nick hands out children candy, fruit and small toys! During these festivals St. Nick is accompanied by a whole gang!
Modern day Krampus Festivals are sometimes very dangerous, especially for women. Old tales say Krampus (a horny fertility god) is quite fond of sexually harassing women and slapping them on the behind. This leads to a lot of sexual misconduct on the streets by drunken men dressed as Krampus!
The Companion of St. Nicholas is associated with the story of Knecht Ruprecht (Saint Rupert), a wild foundling whom St. Nicholas raises from childhood. In some of the Ruprecht traditions, the children would be summoned to the door to perform tricks, such as a dance or singing a song to impress upon St. Nick and Ruprecht that they were indeed good children. Those who performed badly would be beaten soundly by Servant Ruprecht, and those who performed well were given a gift or some treats. Those who performed badly enough or had committed other misdeeds throughout the year were put into Ruprecht's sack and taken away, variously to Ruprecht’s home in the Black Forest. In other versions the children must be asleep, and would awake to find their shoes filled with either sweets, coal, or in some cases a stick. Over time, other customs developed: parents giving kids who misbehaved a stick instead of treats and saying that it was a warning from Nikolaus that "unless you improve by Christmas day, Nikolaus' black servant Ruprecht will come and beat you with the stick and you won't get any Christmas gifts." I read quite a few interesting articles about Krampus while searching the internet for images. However, most of them focused on the notion that Krampus and St. Nick eventually were merged into one character that we now recognize as Santa Claus. Santa now punishes naughty children and rewards the good ones. As you know, he has a list...and checks it twice!
Only a few articles suggested that Krampus has pre-Christian Pagan origins. One pointed torwards the "Wilde Man" of Germanic and Slavic folklore. These tales spawned stories like the Brothers Grimm tale entitled "De Wilde Mann" and Beauty and the Beast. The Wild Man, Woodwose is connected to devilish woodland spirits like Puck and the vegetal Green Man. So I would say that notion is misleading. Others suggest a connection to the mysterious "Horned God". But there are many horned god deities, so that really needs to be defined. When Neopagans refer to the "Horned God", they could be refering to one of several different horned dieties. One such archetype represents the personification of the life force energy in animals and the wilderness, fertility, sexual virility and the Hunt. Gods like Cernunnos, Pan, Faunus, and Innus are personified as being sex crazed or shown as having a large erect phallus. Fertility, fecundity and the symbolism of the phallus all denote a connection to the rites rituals, and celebrations of Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. (As does the aforementioned Wilde Man) So none of these references have any synchronicity with Krampus.
In some depictions, Krampus bears an uncanny resemblance to "The Devil". The Devil is still a vague reference as he is merely a modern personification of Evil. The Devil usually refers to Lucifer and Satan of the Bible. They are commonly lumped together into one entity. They are two entirely different spiritual beings however. In Hebrew ha-Satan is "the accuser" and Satan itself means "to overcome" — the one who challenged the religious faith of humans in the books of Job and Zechariah. Abrahamic religious belief systems other than Judaism relate this term to a rebellious fallen angel, devil, minor god and idol, or as an allegory for knowledge or the enlightenment of mankind. Another aspect of the Devil points torwards the Serpent in the Garden of Eden who tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (e.g., “sexual knowing”) The Serpent in the Garden is more likely rooted in Ancient Sumerian texts and is actually Enlil (Ilu), Lord of the Air and Lord of the Command was said to have created an created an E.DIN, according to Sumerian texts.He was said to have descended from Heaven to Earth. Half brother of Enki (Ea), Lord of the Earth and Waters. The philosophy of Enki manifests and explains itself in pre-Christian Mesopotamian and Egyptian thought. Satan doesn't have any synchronicities with Krampus. So we're getting off track again here.
Let's talk about Lucifer! In Latin, the word "Lucifer", meaning "Light-Bringer" (from lux, lucis, "light", and ferre, "to bear, bring"), is a name for the "Eastern Star" or "Day Star". This usage stems from a particular interpretation, as a reference to a fallen angel, of a passage in the Bible (Isaiah 14:3-20) that speaks of someone who is given the name of "Day Star" (in Latin, Lucifer) as fallen from heaven. The same Latin word is used of the morning star in 2 Peter 1:19 and elsewhere with no relation to Satan. Lucifer is recognized by Occultists as the Father of Baphomet, and is represented as the Sabbatic Goat. Eliphas Lévi considered Baphomet to be a depiction of the absolute in symbolic form. Below is an illustration of Baphomet by Lévi. His depiction is similar to that of the Devil in early tarot cards.
Lévi wrote: "The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of hermetism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male like the ones of the androgyn of Khunrath, the attributes of which we had to unite with those of our goat because he is one and the same symbol. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light ("Light-Bringer") of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyn arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences." The word Baphomet is said to be an Old French corruption and misspelling of the name Mahomet (Muhammad). Christianity claims that Muhammad is a false Prophet and therefore demonizes him and the followers of Islam (Peace). The name is a combination of two Greek words (baphe and metis) and meant 'absorption into wisdom.' I could go on and on about the origins of Baphomet, and synchronicities with other gods throughout different cultures, but I'll spare you the details. I just wanted to establish that Lucifer and Baphomet are one and the same...Lords of the Underworld.
So what does all this have to do with Christmas and why is Santa hanging out with Lucifer? Let's break it down, shall we? In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest, night of the year. (This is reversed during Summer Solstice) Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.
Again, in the Tarot the Devil Card is associated with the sign of Capricorn. Capricornus has been recognized as a goat since Babylonian and Chaldean times. Below is Occultist Aleister Crowley's version of the Devil, he states: "He is 'The Devil' of the Book of Thoth, and His emblem is BAPHOMET, the Androgyne who is the hieroglyph of arcane perfection. He is therefore Life and Love. But moreover his letter is ayin, the Eye, so that he is Light; and his Zodiacal image is Capricornus, that leaping goat whose attribute is Liberty."
Santa Claus/St. Nick/Father Christmas is simply the personification of Winter Solstice accompanied by his servant and messenger Krampus the Horned God! Krampus the "Horned God" represents the movement of the Sun into Capricorn. Check out this image of Santa riding in on a Goat! The Horned God heralds the begining of Winter!
Winter Solstice is longest night of the year. (Again, after winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.) The Horned God not only heralds the beginning of Winter, but he carries the souls of the dead to the underworld. (Death here is symbolic of repressed sexual energy.) represents the of the "Dark night of the Soul" or the descent of Spirit into darkness. As the "Bringer of Light" he promises the return of the Sun (Enlightenment). The Horned Fertility God offers the secret of rebirth. Notice in Eliphas Lévi's illustration, Baphomet reveals the the caduceus or magic wand of Hermes (Mercury). His arms reveal the words "Solve" and "Coagula" In alchemy the term in Latin: SOLVE ET COAGULA means separate and join together or dissolve and coagulate (bind together)
The caduceus is comprised of two serpents coupling on an erected phallus, fertility symbol. The rod is a symbol of transforming alchemical power. The two serpents represent Union of Opposites (Sun/Moon) The snakes together with the sprouted wings depict the caduceus having an alchemical meaning of balance of duality, the alchemical process leading to unity. Even today, the symbol is often associated with medicine. Levi called his image “the Baphomet of Mendes” (Mendes is an ancient Egyptian city) "the Lord of Mendes", who was the soul of the Egyptian god Osiris, father of the "DIVINE CHILD", Horus...For Crowley, Baphomet is further a representative of the spiritual nature of the spermatozoa while also being symbolic of the "MAGICAL CHILD" produced as a result of sex magic. As such, Baphomet represents the Union of Opposites, especially as mystically personified in Beast and Babalon combined and biologically manifested with the sperm and egg united in the zygote. The birth of the Christ Child is a metaphor for Spiritual Rebirth. Enlightenment that comes after a period of Darkness (Ignorance) "Out of Darkness, Cometh Light" But it also quite literally points torward the return of the Sun in Summer Soltice.
Winter solstice festivals throughout all cultures in ancient and modern times celebrate the rebirth of the Great God (Christ), who is viewed as the newborn Solstice Sun. Most traditions include "festival of lights". Which celebrates the return of Sun or birth of the Son! Germanic Tribes lighted trees (Tannenbaum) and celebrated the fest of light (Lichtfest) around the shortest day of the year, December 21. Yule traditions include decorating a fir or spruce tree with candles, burning a Yule log, hanging mistletoe and holly branches, giving gifts, and general celebration and merriment. On Christmas an evergreen tree that is brought into a home is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during the days around Christmas. An angel or a star is placed at the top of the tree, representing the Star of Bethlahem, Archangel Auriel. This is the North star that the Three Wise Men followed.
Remember, Lucifer "Bringer of Light" or "Morning Star"? If you look again at Eliphas Lévi's depiction of the Horned One, he has a 5-pointed Star on his forehead. "The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light" It is the Star of Adam Kadom. In the Qabala, Christ, the Logos, the only begotten son of God as found in Genesis 1: 1, not to be confused with the emanations of Adam Kadom (also called Adam or Eden) as found in Genesis 2 (consciousness) or Genesis 3 (matter and life) or Genesis 4 (humanity). Below you'll notice that the symbol for Lucifer is a 5-pointed star pointing downwards, representing the souls descent into darkness. Also shown is the Star of Adam Kadom, a 5-pointed star pointing up, representing Christ Consciousness...enlightement). That would indicate that the Devil as Christ's antagonist in the Bible really represents Man struggling within himself, his own Shadow. It's through the Union of this Duality that we achieve Spiritual Liberation!
See also:
Saturnalia
Sol Invictus
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Coming Soon!
© SANCTUS SABBATI
December 21, 2012
High Priestess ~ Lady Lavona
High Priest ~ to be announced
"The house of constipated reason must be infiltrated by art, by dreamers, by Vision. Find the others...find the others and then you'll know what to do" Terence McKenna
Related links: 2012, Mayan Prophecy: New Civilization, Quetzalcoatl
December 21, 2012
High Priestess ~ Lady Lavona
High Priest ~ to be announced
"The house of constipated reason must be infiltrated by art, by dreamers, by Vision. Find the others...find the others and then you'll know what to do" Terence McKenna
Related links: 2012, Mayan Prophecy: New Civilization, Quetzalcoatl
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Psychomagic
This is part one of a conversation Daniel Pinchbeck had with the legenday filmmaker, author, and Tarot reader Alejandro Jodorowsky. Jodorowsky is known for his occult masterpieces Holy Mountain and El Topo. This video, directed and edited by Bradley Smith, was filmed on an evening celebrating the release of Jodorowsky's latest book, Psychomagic: read an excerpt from the book here
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Jesse Peper
"I encourage the freedom of personal interpretation but some of my influences come from surrealism, the Tarot, various literature of interest, anthropomorphic or totemic cultural creations of many kinds, archaic or current systems of belief and blasphemy, Renaissance, European classical iconic motif's & alchemical processes. Also, the balance of the beautiful and the grotesque, attraction and repulsion, use of symbolism organic or man-made, cycles and the transient nature of reality." Jesse Peper
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The Blood of Space Speaks
~DAVID CHAIM SMITH~"blood of space speaks that knower and known may swallow each other in projected parades of transformation dissolving in secret wearing light as a body of wonder"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Royal Bindings by Paul Tronson
This guy accepts commissions for custom made Books of Shadows!!! I want with the Sacred Geometry combination used on the cover of Aleister Crowley's Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4. You just don't find craftsmanship like this anymore...or Magick!
The Guardian Angel Grimoire ~ Paul Tronson, Master Bookbinder
"Glowing in it's own celestial light, this photograph, taken without artificial light, or flashlight is an example of a royal bookbinding that has never been achieved before on this earth. The blessed esoteric symbols of archangels are tooled in 24 carat gold from straight lines and tiny curves. This exquisite treasure was designed to protect the owner from all draconian influence and allow their every wish to come true. Since it's inception, it can be testified that it's inscriptions have come to pass in surprising and unpredictable ways. Be careful of what you want because...you will surely GET it!
The Grimoire has been blessed and empowered in every part of its construction with the appropriate ancient Latin verse that accompanies each individual seal and sigil during the days and hours of its planet, and is designed to allow designated owners to scribe their innermost wishes in the book and these WILL come true if and only if the wishes are designed to make a difference for OTHER people. The book is protected and blessed by the powerful entities whose seals and signatures illustrate the book and if someone attempts to use the book in anyway to do evil, then this very evil will be visited on the author of that wish - seven-fold."
"The Archangel Grimoire consists of 320 pages with hand marbled endpapers, it is full bound in veg-tanned virgin calf and coloured with 2 vegetable dyes. The Grimoire itself represents the Enochian End of Days or the Seven Angels of the Apocalypse who stand in the presence of the Lord. The centrepiece is a highly complex pentacle: The Sigilum Dei Aemeth, concealing or revealing the Greatest Name of God."
The Guardian Angel Grimoire ~ Paul Tronson, Master Bookbinder"Glowing in it's own celestial light, this photograph, taken without artificial light, or flashlight is an example of a royal bookbinding that has never been achieved before on this earth. The blessed esoteric symbols of archangels are tooled in 24 carat gold from straight lines and tiny curves. This exquisite treasure was designed to protect the owner from all draconian influence and allow their every wish to come true. Since it's inception, it can be testified that it's inscriptions have come to pass in surprising and unpredictable ways. Be careful of what you want because...you will surely GET it!
The Grimoire has been blessed and empowered in every part of its construction with the appropriate ancient Latin verse that accompanies each individual seal and sigil during the days and hours of its planet, and is designed to allow designated owners to scribe their innermost wishes in the book and these WILL come true if and only if the wishes are designed to make a difference for OTHER people. The book is protected and blessed by the powerful entities whose seals and signatures illustrate the book and if someone attempts to use the book in anyway to do evil, then this very evil will be visited on the author of that wish - seven-fold."
"The Archangel Grimoire consists of 320 pages with hand marbled endpapers, it is full bound in veg-tanned virgin calf and coloured with 2 vegetable dyes. The Grimoire itself represents the Enochian End of Days or the Seven Angels of the Apocalypse who stand in the presence of the Lord. The centrepiece is a highly complex pentacle: The Sigilum Dei Aemeth, concealing or revealing the Greatest Name of God."
Friday, April 23, 2010
"It Is Finished When Seven Are One"
My pal Derrick Cruz of Black Sheep & Progidal Sons just sent news of his latest collection, The Seven Sacred Planets. Seven handcrafted multipurpose pins are available in bronze or sterling silver, individually or as a set. This is a Fall/Winter 2010 Collection, but they are available now for Pre-Order! Don't you want them all!? If I had to choose only one, it would be Mercury because Mercury is the true Gold of the Wise! Derrick is offering a V.I.P. discount to my readers, so when placing your order enter this Discount Code: 111110LLavona
"Just as the sun shines through a glass, the sun and the moon and all planets, as well as all the stars and the whole chaos, are in man." Paracelsus, Alchemist and Visionary (1493-1541)
Mercury, the archetype of the "Alchemical Hermaphrodite" or "Divine Child" which is the result of the "Mysterium Coniunctionis" or the sacred marriage between the sun king and the moon queen. The Divine Child archetype has started to act and will be acting very powerfully in our world in this new Golden Age. Another name for the Hermaphrodite is the Rebis which is the final product; the fully actualized divine child birthed from the alchemical, sacred marriage.
"Just as the sun shines through a glass, the sun and the moon and all planets, as well as all the stars and the whole chaos, are in man." Paracelsus, Alchemist and Visionary (1493-1541)
Mercury, the archetype of the "Alchemical Hermaphrodite" or "Divine Child" which is the result of the "Mysterium Coniunctionis" or the sacred marriage between the sun king and the moon queen. The Divine Child archetype has started to act and will be acting very powerfully in our world in this new Golden Age. Another name for the Hermaphrodite is the Rebis which is the final product; the fully actualized divine child birthed from the alchemical, sacred marriage.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Come hither Beast, the time is nigh!
Can you feel the trembling deep in the belly of the Earth? Change is coming! I have my sight on 11/11/10. Aside from the obvious 11/11 vibration, 11+11+10=32 and 3+2=5. The number 5 in numerology is a number for change and is associated with the planet Mercury. In terms of Alchemy, think Sol, Luna, and Mercury...as the Three Principles of the Great Work. I'm starting to share some secrets again on my other blog, Savage Salvation. Maybe I'll see you there...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Erykah Badu ~ The Healer
Erykah Badu's fifth opus -New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh- comes out March 30! The promotional material was inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 cult classic La Montaña Sagrada (The Holy Mountain) And the video for her latest single “Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)” is totally reminiscent of Sun Ra's "Calling Planet Earth". Erykah knows what's up, she's been incorporating esoterica into her work since the beginning!!! ~Each One Teach One~ Check out her website for a lil' teaser!
"Humdi Lila Allah Jehova Yahweh Dios Ma'ad Jah Rastafara fyah, dance, sex, music, hip-hop...it's bigger than religion Hip-Hop! Told you, we aint dead yet we been livin' through your internet. You don't have to believe everything you think, we've been programmed, wake up, we miss you. They call you indigo, we call you Africa. Get baptized in the ocean of the people, say reboot, refresh, restart. fresh page, new day, o.g.'s, new key..." Lyrics from The Healer
"Humdi Lila Allah Jehova Yahweh Dios Ma'ad Jah Rastafara fyah, dance, sex, music, hip-hop...it's bigger than religion Hip-Hop! Told you, we aint dead yet we been livin' through your internet. You don't have to believe everything you think, we've been programmed, wake up, we miss you. They call you indigo, we call you Africa. Get baptized in the ocean of the people, say reboot, refresh, restart. fresh page, new day, o.g.'s, new key..." Lyrics from The Healer
Thursday, February 4, 2010
"In the beginning, it is always dark"
Almost every creation myth begins by telling us that before the Universe was created, there was only a Sea of Dark Infinite Space and Directionless Chaos. It was out of this primordial abyss that the Universe was created. The Father of Life (Chaos) impregnated the Great Mother (Dark Infinite Space) and she gave birth to the entire Universe! (There was a Big Bang and then there was Light!) The Primordial Creative Energies of the Universe are often depicted as a pair of serpents, one male and one female. The sparks of creation were started by the friction between the two opposites.
Mother/Father...Yin/Yang...Yab/Yum...Shiva/Shakti...the Divine Lovers...Sparks fly igniting the Flames of Creation. This is the ecstatic passion which unites them eternally...the Fire of Love! Love is the quintessence of the Universe, the secret Power of Creation.
"Invoke me under my stars! Love is the Law, Love under Will. Nor let the fools mistake Love; for there are Love and love. There is the Dove, and there is the Serpent. Choose ye well! He, my prophet, hath chosen, knowing the law of the fortress, and the great mystery of the House of God." Liber al vel Legis 1:57
Artwork by Martina Hoffmann
Monday, February 1, 2010
Massive Attack
The new Massive Attack album "Heligoland" will be released February 8th!!! The album features some amazing guest vocalist like Tunde Adebimpe (of TV on the Radio) and Hope Sandoval (of Mazzy Star)! I love this track featuring Martina Topley Bird (of Tricky). I just listened to this song like 33 times...
Into the sky for your eagle eye
The Sun seeds a sickle and a scythe
Into the sky for your eagle eye
The Sun seeds a sickle and a scythe
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Alchemical Dream: Rebirth of the Great Work
"The house of constipated reason must be infiltrated by art, by dreamers, by Vision. Find the others...find the others and then you'll know what to do"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Her Dark Matter
It's been a while since we've had one of little heart to hearts! One year ago next month my little sister finally died after 7 years of unbelievable suffering. Her death marked the end of a very dark period of my life. But amazing things are starting to happen, and life truly does go on! I've still been struggling against a myriad of negative emotions though, I feel stuck! During my blog hiatus I started doing these exercises to clear my creative channels. The focus was to release the energies that have been stifling my growth. Most of it was residual energies I set in place during a time when I wasn't feeling very safe in the world. Natural reactions to my personal experiences. But some walls were built quite consciously to ward off the evils long enough for me to gather my strength, find new spiritual allies and establish a stronger connection with the SOURCE. I created walls and boundaries so nothing could get in to harm me while nursing some very deep wounds. I had been hit from every angle! My Broken Dream (having to close my boutique), Love Lost (the worst relationship catastrophe up to date that left me with a mutilated heart). Not to mention one family tragedy after another! For a moment I thought the darkness would swallow me up forever! But I'm almost done healing...and my whole family is finally healing. Thank GOD(DESS)!!!
Mary Queen of Heaven, Most holy Virgin and Mother, whose soul was pierced by Sorrow, pray for us...
Even though the light is shining these days I'm still feeling tired and listless, depressed, sad, angry...sometimes all at once! I'm swimming against the current, but damn...this is exhausting! In addition to doing visualizations to clear my creative channels, I'm starting the Master Cleanse on the next Full Moon! Time to exercise the rest of these fucking demons...I need to move forward! I realize that even bouts of depression can be useful...a while back I wrote about the stage of Alchemy called NIGREDO.
Despair by Alex Grey"In psychology, Carl Jung interpreted nigredo as the moment of maximum despair, that is a prerequisite to personal development. Nigredo is "the dark night of the soul". He says "Right at the beginning you meet the dragon, the chthonic spirit, the devil or, as the alchemists called it, the blackness, the nigredo, and this encounter produces suffering..." It brings the ego into contact with what it fears. The state of Nigredo is often caused by a traumatic experience, and signifies the natural period of despair. This is where the alchemist has to lose everything. He must give up all attachments and become like a child again. Everything has been destroyed in the fire...Nigredo is the corruption that must take place before growth, the chaos that gives birth to cosmos."
Helix Nebula "Eye of God"
I've been exploring this ideology a bit more lately. In fact something really interesting happened when I started typing this post. I googled "stifling my growth" because I thought I spelled stifling wrong. I could have used the spell check...well anyway an article titled "Dark Energy Found Stifling Growth in Universe" came up! I'm not going dive into quantum physics here...But my point here is that the expansion of the Universe has been slowing due to Dark Energy, Dark Matter. I immediately saw the correlation between this phenomena and my own so I did a little further investigation.
"We live in a cold and empty universe, in a time when energies are so low that we can no longer see what space contained in the fiery instants when the universe was born..."
The Universe is depressed! "AS ABOVE, SO BELOW" Humanity is also plagued with dark energy! "the corruption that must take place before growth, the chaos that gives birth to cosmos." The end is near and the Golden Age is almost here! As the Universe (GOD) works through his/her depression...we will work through ours! 2012 marks a shift in consciousness. It's a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather it is driven by agents of change." So does the expansion of our Consciousness = expansion of the Universe? vice versa "Elementary, my dear Watson!" Everything is connected...WE are all connected! WE are the agents of change!!!
Black Hole
Going deeper, Gaia, our Mother Earth Is A Living Entity! A living celestial body in a vast Infinite Universe. Scientists are finding that the earth is alive and is communicating like other living beings. The concept that life has to be associated with biology and organic chemistry is becoming an obsolete idea. All planets are living entities! So what about Dark Energy in the Universe? Black Holes, Supernovas, Gamma Rays...these are living entities too! "Black Holes; these massive and terrible intergalactic consumers, caused by the collapse of giant stars and feeding on the wastes of galaxies, are arguably the most powerful and destructive force in the universe." Just like the parasites in our dis-eased bodies and the demons and discarnate spirits (spiritual parasites) that feed upon our minds and souls! So go heal your bodies and wash your soul! Then go make LOVE in your neighborhood because it's time to clean up this mess! WE are the agents of change...
Related Writings: Trials by Fire and the Dark Side of the Moon
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule
Currently #1 on my book list is Conjunctio – A Graphic Grimmoire by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule. "Conjunctio presents mirrored pairs of Sacred Twins and Divine Lovers from various cultural pantheons coupled on facing pages. They are aligned in such a way that when the pages are turned the figures are United in holy conjunction by the alchemical reader. Different reflective relationships – alchymic opposites and complementaries – are explored b e t w e e n the pages."
Orryelle is quite a fascinating character: a sonic and visual artist, magician and Alchemist, and ritual tattooist. Orryelle founded the Metamorphic Ritual Theatre, a company devoted to the combination of ritual and theatre where the magick on stage is a gateway to a deeper magick. The aim is transformation of consciousness. The actors don't just act their characters, they invoke them. And the audience are not merely spectators, but potential initiates. Orryelle runs iNSPiRALink Multimedia Press, which publishes DVDs of his Metamorphic Ritual Theatre and SilKMilK Magizain – a sampler of art, text and music from various members of the international HermAphroditic ChAOrder of the Silver Dusk. The Silver Dusk is a counter-point to The Golden Dawn, a magickal order established by poets and artists, the Silver Dusk is an art movement instigated by magicians and sorcerers! In addition to his new book, he also created the Book of Kaos Tarot.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
and they lived happily ever after...
Are they not the cutest couple!? There are so many nauseating wedding related blogs out there, so these two are really a sight for sore eyes! You might recollect my cynical rantings about American wedding customs and marriage...you can read that HERE. But honestly, I hold the ideals of Love and partnership in high esteem. Love is the Formula of the Universe! Love should not thwart one's true nature or obstruct one's destiny. I was thinking about Crowley's motto: "Love is the Law, Love under Will." I recommend you explore this ideology and integrate it into your belief system...it's on point! Just click HERE... I don't believe in such a thing as the blind or obedient love that religion promotes...that's entrapment. If there is no Freedom in Love, where else will you seek Liberation? Money won't liberate you! If you believe that, you become a slave to your material desires and you'll never find true fulfillment. I think Marriage should be based solely on LOVE: two individuals (who honor each others differences) that make a commitment to evolve together and can then extend their positive energies outward for the evolution of the collective.
For those of you who have chosen not to walk the beaten path in life...your wedding day should be no different! Here are some alternative wedding links:
1. Once Wed ~ This blog features mostly modest yet beautiful and creative Handmade Weddings! They even feature great DIY projects!
2. Ethical Weddings ~ An eco-chic wedding blog...for those for you who want a "Green Wedding" this is an amazing resource! They feature things like organic, vegetarian, and vegan catering ideas, vintage wedding dresses, conflict free diamonds and recycled gold! Awesome!
3. The Offbeat Bride ~ this blog rocks, it covers, tattooed brides, punk, goth and steampunk weddings, eco-weddings for bohemians and hippies, lesbian weddings from the femme "lipstick lesbians" to butch, transmasculine beings, and other gender-benders), and just about every other theme you can think of!
4. Tattooed Brides ~ more tattooed ladies & gents...
5. Wedding Skulls ~ Goth, Halloween, Steampunk, Rockabilly, Heavy Metal, and Punk Rock Weddings!
6. So You're enGAYged ~ A great resource for same sex couples. I found quite a few others out there but suprisingly enough, nothing too exciting. Prop 8 Prop 8 Prop 8...lots of that coming up. Listen folks, I know this is an important issue...but don't let it ruin your special day!!! Fuck the Government and go out and have yourself a fabulous wedding!!! All of my gay friends are artistic types and ex-club kids. I would love to see any one of them get married because I know their weddings would be totally over the top! My suggustions? Have your wedding officiated by one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence or have your wedding at one of the many Radical Faerie Sanctuaries!
7. Interracial or Interfaith Weddings ~ There are so many resources so just google it! I think it's so important to get this right. Cultural alchemy is no easy task to pull off but balance will ensure everyone is comfortable and has a good time!
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