A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, participating in the myth, you are being, as it were, put in accord with that wisdom, which is the wisdom that is inherent within you anyhow. Your consciousness is being re-minded of the wisdom of your own life.
There exists a talisman of universal application. In the Elemental Kingdom it is represented represented by pyramis, fire; in geometric terms by the pyramid or triangle and in biological terms by the phallus. As the sun radiates life and light throughout the solar system, so the phallus radiates life and light upon earth, and, similarly, subserves a power greater than itself. For as the sun is a reflection of Sirius, so is the phallus the vehicle of the Will of the Magus. In the non-initiate the phallic power operates independently of and often at variance with, its possessor; it functions capriciously, regardless of the individual. The phallic power possesses the individual, not vice versa. In the case of the initiate, however, the position is reversed. The O.T.O. possesses the secret knowledge of rectification and the means of release from the thraldom of unregenerate instinct. It instructs the operator in the proper use of the Elemental Fire, the right building of the Pyramid, the successful wielding of the Magick Wand. The control of the Elemental Fire involves the inhibition of the usual physical results of sexual congress. The libido is not “earthed”, but directed by the Will to incarnate in a form specially prepared for its reception. Liber Agape, the enchiridion of the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis of the O.T.O., shows how sexual magick is based on the assumption that no cause can be baulked of an effect. If the natural effect is annulled, the discharge of energy is not lost, it forms a subtle or astral image of the idea dominant in the mind at the climax of coitus. Ordinarily this idea is one of lust, and because of this a tendency or habit is set up in the mind, which consequently becomes increasingly difficult to control. This tendency must therefore be destroyed. The mental exaltation generated by a magically controlled orgasm forms a lucent lenselike window past which stream the vivid astral imagery of the subconscious mind. Specific images are evoked and “fixed”; they become instantly and vitally alive. As their luminous presence is obsessive, magical safeguards are essential to offset actual obsession. These images are dynamic links with the deeper centres of consciousness and act as keys to the experience or revelations which form the object of the Operation. To incarnate such experiences is the object of sexual magick. It is necessary, therefore, to formulate the will with great care and with strict economy of means. There must be nothing in the mind at the moment of orgasm except the image of the “child” which it is intended to bring to birth. Objurgations against masturbation, onanism, coitus interruptus, karezza and other apparently sterile methods of using sexual energy, follow logically upon awareness (however consciously unacknowledged this awareness may be) of the sacramental nature of the generative act. Erroneous conclusions drawn from incomplete apprehension of the factors involved led in the past to the “fire and brimstone” admonitions directed against “abuses”, which at one time were thought to lead to degeneration of the nervous system, blindness, paralysis and insanity. In actual fact, none of the energy is lost, though it fails to find a field of operation in the matrix which nature has provided for it. It breeds, instead of physical offspring, phantoms composed of tenuous matter. Through the deliberate and persistent practice of such “abuses”, qliphotic entities are engendered; they prey upon the mind and feed upon the nervous fluid. As Crowley notes: “The ancient Jewish Rabbins knew this, and taught that before Eve was given to Adam the demon Lilith was conceived by the spilth of his dreams, so that the hybrid races of satyrs, elves, and the like began to populate those secret places of the earth which are not sensible by the organs of the normal man”.1 Many long and tedious dissertations on the possibility of a “witch” giving birth to offspring after union with the devil in the form of an incubus should be understood in the sense that children are born of such unions, though not physical children. Any discharge of energy, of any kind, has an effect on all planes. If results on one plane are baulked-as would happen in the case of the incubus-then they appear on another. According to ancient authorities on Witchcraft, incubi and succubi were personifications of the devil himself. The devil is synonymous with the creative spirit in man. Crowley goes so far as to declare that “the satyr is the True Nature of every man and every woman”. The incubus or succubus is the exteriorization, or extrusion, of the satyr in each individual. It represents the subliminal Will; in effect, the Dwarf Self or Holy Guardian Angel. It is this principle in man that is immortal, and it is inextricably bound up with the sexuality, which, in turn, is the key to its nature and the means of its incarnation. (…) Dr. Kellner, who reformed the O.T.O. In modern times was initiated in the use of the sexual current by an Arab named Soliman Ben Aifa, and two indianTantrics Bhima Sen Pratap and Shri Mahatma Agamia Paramahansa. It is not certain, but it is very likely that they were initiates of the Vama Marg, or left-hand path. The cleary tantric element in some of the instructions of the ‘OTO Involving the use of sex becomes so clear. The term Vama Marg, despite the details of Sir John Wodroffe, is still under a cloud of errete interpretations generated by emotional reactions to ideas alien to Western thought. I do not expect to succeed where such authorities have failed, but I reaffirm once again that the expression “left-hand path” is a technical term indicating the magical use of sexual energy, sometimes with the help of female helpers (Shakti), as in the case of tantric, and female companions (Manjaris) as in the case of Sahajiya. The tantric especially those of the sect Kaula, follow practices similar to those of certain African cults or neo-African such as voodoo and the Obeah. But the assistance of women is not always necessary and not always used. In the system of spiritual culture that includes the sexual use of women and establishing a high ideal of reverence for the feminine principle as the Shakti, or power-aspect of the universe, not the product of psychopaths, unless we postulate the existence of an unbroken line of culprits that extends for countless centuries. Neither the original African concept of sex is in no way inferior to the highly developed and complex formulas used by alchemists or Rosicrucians in their Great Work of transformation of the vulgar metal of the worldly passion into the pure gold of spiritual light. Is the bigotry of the Orthodox religionist and the blind stagger in the dark of psychologists materialists which sees these systems as a morbid expression of the primordial creative impulse. Crowley’s life was a struggle against a mindset that led to suppress in the name of a servile creed – whether it was religious, liberal arts or sciences – the secret and sacred source of life in favor of a reflection deformed psychological impotence typical of those who prescribe the suppression and restriction of a way of life. The only pity that AL recognizes is the restriction, cause of all the “sins”. When Crowley took over the leadership of ‘O.T.O. , It did so with the intent to promote individual liberty under the law of Thelema. He incorporated the fundamental principles of this law in Liber Oz, that published in 1942. In the space of a few hundred words, he declared what he described as the political program of the ‘OTO In the outside world. The old Aeon, like any other event was inevitable and it aroused exactly that current that his ministers were trying to suppress, if not destroy. The sexual energy inhibited from 2000 years, as a result, it now consumes a tremendous orgasm, the impetus which in physical terms will projects the human consciousness with ultraphysical signs.ì. The projection is the formula of Ra-Hoor-Kuith; Horus is its active phase. There will explosion, disintegration and reintegration of elements again downloaded in vehicles whose substance will have a subtle nature and relatively immaterial, approssimatosi to the scientific concept of entities seen in AL. During dictation of AL, Crowley asked for a “sign” and Nuit exclaimed: “The sign shall be my ecstasy, the consciousness of the continuity of existence, the omnipresence of my body” (…). Since an Aeon follows another, it will appears changes in the sexual nature of the organisms that will develop the thelemic concept. The pro-parent (Female) dominated the Aeon of Isis, parthenogenesis was the formula of that era. In ‘Aeon of Osiris, the progenitor (Male) prevailed. The Aeon of Horus, is the Aeon of the “ Son Crowned and Conqueror ”- it will see the merging of the two sexes in one. The bisexual Baphomet of the Templars symbolizes this concept. In the language of Thelemic magick, Heru-Ra-Ha – solar consciousness – phallic – it manifests itself as active current as represented by Horus Ra-Hoor-Kuith (IX) and as the passive current represented by Set, or Shaitan, or Hoor Paar-Kraat (XI). These are dual ways of the Baphomet operation.
adapted from: The Magical Revival (1972), Kennet Grant Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God (1973), Kennet Grant
“Sex and magic are intertwined experiences—sex is one kind of magic (and can be made more magical
without being concerned with sex-magic at any point), and magic can be,
while erotic and arousing, not necessarily sexual in the way that is
often understood. There is a commonly-held belief that those who
practice sex-magic are indulging themselves in wild orgiastic rites at
every opportunity. This is rarely the case. After all, if you need to
go through lots of occult rigmarole just to get laid, then you’re a bit
sad, aren’t you? Then again, the occult subculture is full of SAD
people, desperate to finally get laid and attempting to turn to
sex-magic as a last resort.”
Phil Hine– Sex Magic, Tantra & Tarot: The Way of the Secret Lover
The best magick is disruptive. Magick practice that rockets you out of your comfort zone and puts you into a liminal unknown where anything is permitted. To this, sexual techniques are ideal. Break taboos. Arouse reserves of emotional energy locked away in fear and shame. Physical strain, strange breathing patterns, and unusual sensation and physical reaction are all readily available to those that will.
Any successful magick must first break out of the mundane, your comfort zone. Stepping without fear into the unknown. Letting go of reality as you know it and opening up to possibilities normally impossible. This may be done calmly by breaking habits, sitting in unusual posture, holding your hands a certain way, saying words in a language you don’t know or speaking in glossolalia. Each unusual action performed with intent is a step away from the normal and into a space where the veil becomes thinner.
Sex is a potent domain for such action. Find what you are ashamed to explore and go there. Go to a sex shop and get toys. The best toys excite, they make you uncomfortable, “What if I were found with this?!” When you play, allow yourself to feel. Don’t keep yourself in an emotionally sterile place. Get dirty! Dress up for yourself. Learn some self bondage. Get sticky with lube. Imagine being seen in this way. Even better, find a forum and share images of yourself in this way.
This may all be done solo. This approach to sex magick does not require a partner and it is much better to work solo than work with a partner that does not help you feel safe to explore; safe when going to a place that feels unsafe.
The rich energy comes naturally. To make magick, simply add the encoding of intent.
In the practice I call “sigil swallowing”, suck cock with eyes fixed upon a sigil. Use a dildo suction cupped to a will and sigil taped to the wall. If working with a partner, draw the sigil upon their body. Oral sex of any type is excellent for attaining gnosis. Let your breathing be strained and your desire aroused.
Anal penetration conjures an emotional sensation that is indescribable to those that haven’t felt it. There is a pleasure and a submission to it. Mark your intent upon the penetrating toy or upon the body of a partner. Bring that into yourself and relax into the feeling.
We could go on, but the point is: explore. Sexual gnosis is potent and simply accessible. Develop your own practices and share!
Let’s charge some sea shells to aid us in our spell work, sea witches and hags! The simplest way is to give them an ocean bath and to give them purpose once more.
YOU WILL REQUIRE
sand
salt water (I also add storm water mixed in)
seaweed (optional)
a glass bowl
large spoon
SPELLWORK
1. On the night of a full moon, you will take a large bowl fill bottom with sand. Place shells in the sand and bury them about halfway into it. If you have seaweed, now would be the time to also place it in the bowl.
2. Take your bowl outside and fill the remainder with your saltwater. Place both hands on the sides of the bowl and chant:
Mother Ocean and Lady Sea–
Once more, I return these children of yours
to the comforting embrace of sand and water.
For one night, let tides churn and cleanse them
of all energy amassed on land.
Bless them by the light of the Moon,
which turns your heavenly waters
from which we came.
3. Using your large spoon, you will give your bowl a stir three-times clockwise. With each turn, you will say:
Tumult of riptide, strip away negativity.
Serenity of wave, increase tranquility.
Darkness of depth, deliver vitality.
4. Leave the shells to charge overnight. In the morning, remove them from their watery bed and rinse them with more saltwater. Leave them out to dry outside until twilight and then they will be ready to use once again. Cleanse shells once a month to keep them energized!
The Temple ideally shall be a formal and dedicated Temple of
Our Order or, failing such, a convenient place set aside for the occasion of
this celebration. In the East should be a small shrine wherein is placed the
Stele of Revealing, The Book of the Law and the Enochian Tablet of Water. Below
that should be placed the four corresponding Court dignitaries and the Ace of Cups.
These should be flanked on either side by Loti or some other aquatic plant. A
double cube altar should be placed centrally and adorned with a bell or
battery, two Chalices (representing the 2 of Cups), a censer with incense of Myrrh
and a blue candle. Both Hierophants are adorned in white robes with blue
cinctures.
All are allowed into the Temple and create a circumference
around the central Altar.
Both Hierophants exchange the Law to each other. They then
exchange the kiss of peace, an embrace or a firm handshake depending on the
mood of all present. They then move to the people and exchange the same as
above. It is best if they start on either side of the Shrine with one moving
deosil and the other widdershins from the Shrine where they both meet in the
West directly opposite the Shrine. With all having been greeted, the
Hierophants make their way to the central Altar placing one hand on the Altar
and facing the Shrine.
Hierophant
A: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of
the Law. It is our Will to call forth and savor the Powers of Water so that
thus invigorated we may meet in due course their complement in the sign of Justice.”
Hierophant
B: “Let the Crab be thus led so that our
work in this year may be duly purified
by the lustrous asperging of Elemental Water and hence that all present may
proceed as Children of the Powers of the Waters towards the accomplishment of the
Great Work! Love is the law, love under will.”
Hierophant
A: (Banishes
using Liber XXV.)
Hierophant
B: (Performs
Liber XXXVI.)
All: (Face West for Evocation and give the sign of Auromoth.)
Hierophant A: (Knock.)
“Let us adore the Lady & Queen
of Water! BABALON, mother of abominations, gather our blood in thy
golden cup!”
All: “AUMGN!”
Hierophant B: (Make Invok. Pentagram of Spirit Passive)
“AGAPE HCOMA.”
(Give the Sign of the Closing of the Veil)
(Make
Invoking Pentagram of Water)
“BABALON.”
Hierophant
A: “If I say Come upon the mountains! the
celestial waters flow at my word. But thou art the Water beyond the waters.”
Hierophant B: (With
the Cup, describe the glyph of Cancer)
“In the name BABALON,
spirits of Water, adore your master!”
Hierophant
A: (Make a + with the Cup)
“In
the names and letters of your habitation in the second angle, spirits of Water,
adore your master!”
Hierophant
B: (Raise the Cup)
“In
the Three Secret Names of God that art borne upon the Banners of the West MPH
ARSL GAIOL, spirits of Water, adore your master!”
Hierophant
A: (Lower and raise the Cup)
“In
the name of RAAGIOSL, Great King of the West, spirits of Water, adore your Master!”
All: “In
the name of RA-HOOR-KHUIT the Lord of the Aeon, We declare that the spirits of Water
have been duly invoked.”
Ring the Battery 333-55555-333.
Following the ceremony there should be a Recitation of
Levi’s “Prayer of the Undines” by one of the Hierophants or a Lector especially
chosen for their mellifluousness of voice. This then is followed by a group
reading of Liber LXV, Ch. 3.
Upon conclusion, let the participants gather to enjoy a
languorous Eucharist and participate in the perception of the Element thus
called.
Appendices:
Appendix
I:
The Prayer of the Undines
“Dread
King of the Sea, Who hast the keys of the floodgates of heaven and dost confine
the waters of the underworld in the caverns of earth; King of the deluge and
the floods of the Springtime; Thou Who dost unseal the sources of rivers and
fountains; Thou Who dost ordain moisture, which is like the blood of earth, to
become the sap of plants: Thee we adore and Thee we invoke! Speak unto us,
Thine inconstant and unstable creatures, in the great tumults of the sea, and
we shall tremble before Thee; speak unto us also in the murmur of limpid
waters, and we shall yearn for Thy love! O Immensity into which flow all rivers
of life, to be continually reborn in Thee! O ocean of infinite perfections!
Height which reflects Thee in the depth, depth which exhales Thee to the
height, lead us unto true life by intelligence and love! Lead us to immortality
by Sacrifice, that we may be found worthy one day to offer Thee water, blood
and tears, for the remission of sins! Amen.”
Appendix
II:
Liber
LXV, Ch. 3:
III.
Verily and Amen! I passed through the deep sea, and by
the rivers of running water that abound therein, and I came unto the Land
of No Desire.
Wherein was a white unicorn with a silver collar,
whereon was graven the aphorism Linea viridis gyrat universa.
Then the word of Adonai came unto me by the mouth of
the Magister mine, saying: O heart that art girt about with the coils of
the old serpent, lift up thyself unto the mountain of initiation!
But I remembered. Yea, Than, yea, Theli, yea, Lilith!
these three were about me from of old. For they are one.
Beautiful wast thou, O Lilith, thou serpent-woman!
Thou wast lithe and delicious to the taste, and thy
perfume was of musk mingled with ambergris.
Close didst thou cling with thy coils unto the heart,
and it was as the joy of all the spring.
But I beheld in thee a certain taint, even in that
wherein I delighted.
I beheld in thee the taint of thy father the ape, of
thy grandsire the Blind Worm of Slime.
I gazed upon the Crystal of the Future, and I saw the
horror of the End of thee.
Further, I destroyed the time Past, and the time to
Come—had I not the Power of the Sand-glass?
But in the very hour I beheld corruption.
Then I said: O my beloved, O Lord Adonai, I pray thee
to loosen the coils of the serpent!
But she was closed fast upon me, so that my Force was
stayed in its inception.
Also I prayed unto the Elephant God, the Lord of
Beginnings, who breaketh down obstruction.
These gods came right quickly to mine aid. I beheld
them; I joined myself unto them; I was lost in their vastness.
Then I beheld myself compassed about with the Infinite
Circle of Emerald that encloseth the Universe.
O Snake of Emerald, Thou hast no time Past, no time To
Come. Verily Thou art not.
Thou art delicious beyond all taste and touch, Thou
art not-to-be-beheld for glory, Thy voice is beyond the Speech and the
Silence and the Speech therein, and Thy perfume is of pure ambergris, that
is not weighed against the finest gold of the fine gold.
Also Thy coils are of infinite range; the Heart that
Thou dost encircle is an Universal Heart.
I, and Me, and Mine were sitting with lutes in the
market-place of the great city, the city of the violets and the roses.
The night fell, and the music of the lutes was
stilled.
The tempest arose, and the music of the lutes was
stilled.
The hour passed, and the music of the lutes was
stilled.
But Thou art Eternity and Space; Thou art Matter and
Motion; and Thou art the negation of all these things.
For there is no Symbol of Thee.
If I say Come up upon the mountains! the celestial
waters flow at my word. But thou art the Water beyond the waters.
The red three-angled heart hath been set up in Thy
shrine; for the priests despised equally the shrine and the god.
Yet all the while Thou wast hidden therein, as the
Lord of Silence is hidden in the buds of the lotus.
Thou art Sebek the crocodile against Asar; thou art
Mati, the Slayer in the Deep. Thou art Typhon, the Wrath of the Elements,
O Thou who transcendest the Forces in their Concourse and Cohesion, in
their Death and their Disruption. Thou art Python, the terrible serpent
about the end of all things!
I turned me about thrice in every way; and always I
came at the last unto Thee.
Many things I beheld mediate and immediate; but,
beholding them no more, I beheld Thee.
Come thou, O beloved One, O Lord God of the Universe,
O Vast One, O Minute One! I am Thy beloved.
All day I sing of Thy delight; all night I delight in
Thy song.
There is no other day or night than this.
Thou art beyond the day and the night; I am Thyself, O
my Maker, my Master, my Mate!
I am like the little red dog that sitteth upon the
knees of the Unknown.
Thou hast brought me into great delight. Thou hast
given me of Thy flesh to eat and of Thy blood for an offering of
intoxication.
Thou hast fastened the fangs of Eternity in my soul,
and the Poison of the Infinite hath consumed me utterly.
I am become like a luscious devil of Italy; a fair
strong woman with worn cheeks, eaten out with hunger for kisses. She hath
played the harlot in divers palaces; she hath given her body to the
beasts.
She hath slain her kinsfolk with strong venom of
toads; she hath been scourged with many rods.
She hath been broken in pieces upon the Wheel; the
hands of the hangman have bound her unto it.
The fountains of water have been loosed upon her; she
hath struggled with exceeding torment.
She hath burst in sunder with the weight of the
waters; she hath sunk into the awful Sea.
So am I, O Adonai, my lord, and such are the waters of
Thine intolerable Essence.
So am I, O Adonai, my beloved, and Thou hast burst me
utterly in sunder.
I am shed out like spilt blood upon the mountains; the
Ravens of Dispersion have borne me utterly away.
Therefore is the seal unloosed, that guarded the
Eighth abyss; therefore is the vast sea as a veil; therefore is there a
rending asunder of all things.
Yea, also verily Thou art the cool still water of the
wizard fount. I have bathed in Thee, and lost me in Thy stillness.
That which went in as a brave boy of beautiful limbs
cometh forth as a maiden, as a little child for perfection.
O Thou light and delight, ravish me away into the
milky ocean of the stars!
O Thou Son of a light-transcending mother, blessed be
Thy name, and the Name of Thy Name, throughout the ages!
Behold! I am a butterfly at the Source of Creation;
let me die before the hour, falling dead into Thine infinite stream!
Also the stream of the stars floweth ever majestical
unto the Abode; bear me away upon the Bosom of Nuit!
This is the world of the waters of Maim; this is the
bitter water that becometh sweet. Thou art beautiful and bitter, O golden
one, O my Lord Adonai, O thou Abyss of Sapphire!
I follow Thee, and the waters of Death fight
strenuously against me. I pass unto the Waters beyond Death and beyond
Life.
How shall I answer the foolish man? In no way shall he
come to the Identity of Thee!
But I am the Fool that heedeth not the Play of the
Magician. Me doth the Woman of the Mysteries instruct in vain; I have
burst the bonds of Love and of Power and of Worship.
Therefore is the Eagle made one with the Man, and the
gallows of infamy dance with the fruit of the just.
I have descended, O my darling, into the black shining
waters, and I have plucked Thee forth as a black pearl of infinite
preciousness.
I have gone down, O my God, into the abyss of the all,
and I have found Thee in the midst under the guise of No Thing.
But as Thou art the Last, Thou art also the Next, and
as the Next do I reveal Thee to the multitude.
They that ever desired Thee shall obtain Thee, even at
the End of their Desire.
Glorious, glorious, glorious art Thou, O my lover
supernal, O Self of myself.
For I have found Thee alike in the Me and the Thee;
there is no difference, O my beautiful, my desirable One! In the One and
the Many have I found Thee; yea, I have found Thee.
Bibliography:
–
Crowley, Aleister; Book 5: vel Reguli, in Magick.
Book IV, Parts I-IV, Second, Revised Edition; edited, annotated and
introduced by Hymenaeus Beta. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1997.
——; Book 15: Ecclesiae Gnosticae Catholicae Canon Missae, in Magick: Book
IV, Parts I-IV, Second, Revised Edition; edited, annotated and introduced
by Hymenaeus Beta, Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine 1997.
——; Book 25: The Star Ruby, in Magick. Book
IV, Parts I-IV, Second, Revised Edition; edited, annotated and introduced
by Hymenaeus Beta. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1997.
——; Book 36: The Star Sapphire, in Magick. Book
IV, Parts I-IV, Second, Revised Edition; edited, annotated and introduced
by Hymenaeus Beta. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1997.
——(received by); Book 65, Ch. 3 in The Holy Books of Thelema, edited by Hymenæus Alpha and Hymenæus
Beta. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1983.
——; Liber AL: II, 36; New Commentary, in The Law is for All, ed. I. Regardie. St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn, 1975; rpt. Scottsdale, AZ: New Falcon, 1991, Revised 2nd
Ed., ed. Louis Wilkinson and Hymenaeus Beta, Scottsdale, AZ: New Falcon, 1996.
Occult Aspects 