14
Mar
2013

White Mahakala Pendant Giveaway


(Giveaway has ended)
I’ve recently completed the consecration of a set of White Mahakala pendants. As with my other pendants two must be set aside; one is given to someone who I think needs it, the second is given to someone randomly, like a blog reader.
White MahakalaSo who is White Mahakala? White Mahakala, put simply, is a Tantric Wealth deity. Mahakala is a Wrathful expression of the Bodhisattva of Compassion; generally he is depicted as black. When he is emanated in his White form he is a Wrathful Bodhisattva who deals with wealth, specifically he promises to eliminate the suffering that poverty brings into our lives. He grants freedom from the pain of poverty so that people can focus elsewhere in their life; seek joy, fulfillment, and dharmic practices without being too concerned and divided thinking about the financial side of things.
These pendants were a long time in consecration. The process involved a few months of me racking up the hundreds of thousands of mantras required. During this period different rituals to White Mahakala were performed on various schedules of weekly and lunar occurrences. Once I had reached enough mantras to start the consecration I started a month long intensive series of rituals. Every day I did an hour of mantras minimum, a sadhana, and feast offerings. All of this work was put into the pendants, they have been consecrated individually, and many times as a group. Before the initial consecration, and after the end of the month they were anointed with Money Drawing Oil (from Quadrivium Supplies which I highly recommend), along with another set of prayers to Mahakala.
(Then, since my main practice is chöd a ritual chöd feast was performed over the lot, specifically to dispel karmic obstructions toward better finances.)
wmpNow, as mentioned every time I make pendants like this one is given away to someone in need, and another is given away to someone randomly. So if you want a chance to receive a White Mahakala pendant then leave me a comment here or email me at blueflamemagick @ gmail.com just saying you want to be entered. I’ll draw the names next week on the 21st, so enter before then. If you win I’ll contact asking for your mailing address. If you don’t win and are still interested on the 21st the remaining pendants will be put up for sale on my etsy Blue Flame Magick Supplies.

Posted by kalagni
06
Mar
2013

Interview with the Magickian


(I thought I had posted this, but apparently not)
Recently I was introduced to another occultist by a mutual friend. Friends often know people that I “really must meet” and friends who understand me actually tend to have a good idea on who I’d find a purpose in engaging. When I first started talking to this person (who I’ll call Jordan for no reason other than it is a name from the book beside me) he immediately took control of the social dynamic and began the questioning. I was fine with this, by letting him think he had control of our conversation I could observe him easier without seemingly like I was doing so, ironically I realize also a pattern from the book beside me.
At first Jordan’s line of questioning was fairly typical for such an encounter. He asked about the systems I studied, for how long, were they solitary or group, was I self-taught or did I have a teacher? Very superficial getting a feel for my path, then the conversation went 90 degrees from the direction I expected, I was expecting questions about lineage or practice or results, but suddenly he asked what I was doing in my life. Answer: Going to school for a few degrees. He asked what the degrees were for, so I told him about the job field they prepare me for, he asked why I wanted that field, why I started late on that goal (I was 24 starting University), and questions related to my education and career choices, past and future. I thought I was understanding the general trend of the questioning when he switched it up again, and began asking about hobbies, what I did for fun, and oddly enough he seemed more interested in my talk of playing the theremin and the piano, hiking the Bluffs, and painting, than he did about my brief mentions of Buddhism and ceremonial magick.
I found this entire conversation fairly odd, far more directed than expected, more of an interview in some ways. Suddenly an understanding and appreciation for Jordan spread through me. He was doing what I would like to do in a similar situation, but I find such methods make people feel uncomfortable, thankfully he either didn’t care or realized I don’t respond normally to most social interactions. He was interviewing me frankly, and he wanted to know one thing: was I a good magickian? Too many people on the surface they think a good magickian should have extensive knowledge of systems, have lists of transcendent experiences where the world was revealed to them, have spirits as though on speed-dial ready to help, and many stories of events that just shouldn’t be. Now a magickian can have all of these things, don’t get me wrong, but a magickian in many ways needs none of these things. Jordan wasn’t looking for such stories of magick and mystery, he was looking for the signs of a true magickian.
Success and happiness.
I’d phrase it as progress/functionality and contentment, but his language was success and happiness when I called him on the mode of his interview, so I’ll stick with that. This is what I appreciated, he wasn’t evaluating me as a magickian based upon how much Hebrew I knew, how many Goetic and Enochian entities I dealt with, how many times reality “fell apart” around me. No, he was evaluating based upon my life, my past, my present, my future, and my situation within all of them. He wanted to see where I had come from, where I wanted to be, and if I was on my way. This is what magick is for, at least on this level, not trying to deny a spiritual/religious aspect as possible or important in some cases.
Magick is a tool for being who you are, and becoming who you are to be. Magick is a tool to find your path, to put you on your path, and to keep you there. To Jordan my being on this path was more important than the technical knowledge, practical results here and now. Needless to say we got along well because we began to talk on magick as a practical system meant to get results and our issues with people who use magick more of an excuse than a tool. (And I guess I should be glad that I “passed” his test heh) It was very refreshing to get to talk with an occultist who saw things in this way, as so many magickians (if I decide not to be a judgemental ass) seem to focus on the wrong things. It might be splitting hairs, but this is part of the distinction between magick and faith religions, it’s not about belief or visions, it’s about getting your shit together, and getting shit done.
Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely room and reason for the mystical experiences rather than magickal results, but for the point of this post I’m just harping on the over-emphasis some have on experience to the detriment of results.
After all, Crowley’s definition of magick wasn’t about dreams of the Goddess, seeing spirits, and collecting tomes, it was about causing change.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
23
Feb
2013

Skrying the Tree – Return – Known – Saytaraan


kalstreeTwo years, two months, and two days after I started my skrying experiment, it came to an end with this session, after a lot of work it came time to explore my experience of the Tree’s equivalent to Kether. Again, it was more difficult to being as there are less correspondence for Kether, but I set twelve white candles around my circle, formed as Konshal taught me, copal on the charcoal, and I settled down in front of the mirror. I let myself float into the black triangle and began.
Having learned my lesson last time I formed the Seal of Sh’miral in my mind until I could make a door to his place and stepped through. I explained that I wanted the way open for me again, that I sought the very top of the Tree, but I needed help to enter that place. “I will grant you access briefly, so you may perform this task, but no more, this world is to be dark to you until you are ready. Remember on the edge sometimes you must seek the centre. The circumference is everywhere, and what is above is also below.” He started at me, and I felt I should ask about the mixing of Hermetic axioms, but I let it slide. I thanked him, and called the door to the between space I would travel to reach the upper Sphere.
I drifted in the dark upwards moving quickly in stillness until finally I felt I had reached my goal. I reached out for a door and a point of light appeared, it either grew nearer from the distance or simply grew in size, but larger and larger this single light in the dark became until it’s border was just about to touch me, and the moment it did I passed through it. I came out of the light into darkness, not the same dark as before, but deep dark, blackness beyond the darkest pitch, somehow connected to a sightlessness. I called out, and there was nothing, I don’t mean no response, but there was no noise, not externally, nor could I hear my voice in my head, I was deaf here. Since the last experience seemed to be more mental I directed my thoughts outward and called. Something brushed my foot and up my leg, looking down I could see nothing, not even my body, but my legs were wrapped around and pulled closer. This something moved up my legs wrapping around me, hips, stomach, chest, head. It was like a snake slithering over me, too fast for a real snake, but that’s the image it called up, and the slithering became faster it moves up and down and all across me. I tried grabbing it, but it evaded me, I tried speaking but had no voice, I tried thinking out at it and got no response. Alone in darkness this snake continued to crawl all over me.
I tried to think what to do, and considered leaving only to try again later, when I thought about Sh’miral’s cryptic conversation. The Centre of the Tree is the Sun sphere, and in the model of the Tree I work with the Sun is the Centre reflected Above into the Kether Sphere and below into the Lunar Sphere. (The same is true of the others those, so Kether reflects down into the others. Three sides of the same coin) I also remembered that that Miniset, the Spirit of the Sun Sphere was a snake. So I pulled myself out of this place, and travelled to the door of Shaal. Upon entering I saw Miniset coiled about the tree again. I explained my problem. “My Sibling speaks if you could but listen. I will accompany and bring my light to the dark.” Ey sprang from the tree shrinking in size flew into my mouth and down my throat, curling around my spine. “Let us fly” and Shaal vanished around us and we were in the dark travel space again. Same procedure as before until the light swallowed me and I was in that new dark sphere.
I thought out again and the crawling resumed. I asked my questions one by one, and as I did I felt them being reasked from inside me by Miniset, and through em the answers came, a voice from within my body speaking for a voice beyond me I couldn’t here. Eventually I got my names, and I thanked the spirit, returned Miniset to Shaal, and then brought myself back to my temple.
The name of the Angel was Saytaraan, which has the same value as tree, the four elemental letters, and Amen, which also turns out to be a title of Kether. So tree is a vague link I wouldn’t place stock in, but having the four elemental letters and a name of Kether make for a strong link between this Angel and Kether.
The Sphere itself is named Sheta which has the same value as boy. Boy seems odd, but right beside it is the mention that boy was the name/title used by Enoch/Metatron. So again with Metatron (either one) there is a strong link to Kether.
In Sheta the class of spirits are called the Coraf and their name has the same value as Shalom, also used as a name of Kether.
Lastly the Godname that shapes and binds this sphere is Eerah which has the same value as Holy, and Truth. It further enumerates to the notariqon of the Four Qabalistic worlds. While not as clearly linked as the others I felt it made a good case, especially considering how well the others matched.
As with my experience with Shetsin, once I had completed the Abramelin ritual I was able to return and actually perceive and communicate with Saytaraan. Eventually I received sigils from em, but as these came after my Abramelin experience I feel they’re inapprorpriate in some way to release, too personal. Feel free to attempt communication through the names, but in this case that’s all I will give.
It was an odd two years. I went from being unemployed and dangerously low on funds, through two jobs (one of which is still my favourite job I’ve had) to going to University, and then later being accepted into a fairly selective specialized degree program that is in line with the career I’ve wanted since grade two. Through this journey I’ve laid out step-by-step what I did and experienced for those curious, and I’ll make a cheat sheet post with some other information included when I get the time.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
20
Feb
2013

Wednesday Webshare: Cutup Corpses, Memories, and History


Mercury Web I received a lot of interest in the earlier photoset of the sky burial I posted a while back. I recently came across another one, this one is done in a different more hands on style. There is a lot more work with the caretaker really dismembering the body. Still fascinating to take a look, but of course be warned that it is graphic.
Shivian talks about when it’s time to really ditch a spell. It’s worth a read. Two common mistakes I see with people are those who continue to do the same spell/ritual repeatedly when getting no results, and those who assume that one fail means it’s time to drop it and move on. So here is a small checklist of things to run over before you decide to drop it.
Have a tough choice? Let your subconscious make it. Here is an interesting article about letting your brain work subconsciously to make decisions, and how that tends to work out better. I’ve often recommended anapana as a decision making tool, it focuses the conscious mind and leaves the background clear to process everything else.
Want to give your friends fake memories? Here is the basic how to. (By the way, you owe me $200 for the time I bailed you out of jail) I bring this up for two reasons. First, as someone with past life memories, I continually stress to others that memory isn’t solid and unchanging, that’s why it needs to be recorded and why it can’t necessarily be trusted. Secondly though not explicitiely said here, we can rewrite memories, which is why magickal journals are important, for you would be amazed how even the best of us can trick ourselves into remembering something working out differently than it did.
Another fantabulous Whisky Rant over on Rune Soup. As someone with past life memories of forgotten civilizations…no kidding, as someone who is working on a history degree this is part of the stuff I have to battle with. History doesn’t always make sense the way we want it to, and while I’m not saying what’s right and what’s wrong we have to question history. Who benefits from what survives, and who benefits from how history is constructed. Also as someone how has been suspicious (to be polite) of the Egyptian Indiana Jones it’s nice to see some more criticism against him.
There is more to magick than just memorization, check out a matching of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning/Knowledge (a theory I love and is a big part of one of my degrees) and magick. Then ask, are you doing it right?
Lastly I have one quartz mala left in my store, so I decided to mark it down and try to move it. Last one, so get it while you can, I probably won’t make more outside of custom orders for a while.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
17
Feb
2013

Skrying the Tree – Atonement – Unknown – Shetsin


kalstreeIt might not seem it by the way I’ve been discussing it, but remember these skrying experiments were over a long period of time, the final session was two years, two months, and two days after my first one. This is the second last one, and was roughly two years after the first. There had been several months since my experience with Konshal and my life didn’t feel like it was being influenced or in need of another force. I was on a self-imposed timeline though, in a few months I was planning on starting the Abramelin ritual, and I wanted to finish my skrying experiment before undertaking that working, so I pushed ahead, and this will also become relevant later.
I set up my temple, but I admit it’s harder than usual to do; this Sphere lacks as many correspondences that can really be grasped. I set out fifteen small candles, put some copal incense on the burner. I drew the circle with the new form Konshal had revealed to me, set up my mirror, and set out. I drifted in the darkness for a long time, never felt like I was going anywhere, never felt like I had arrived, I tried to form a door, but it would waver and vanish. I descended to speak with Konshal, who was standing on the cliff edge looking up. Ey explained ey only watch over the chasm, ey lead people to it, and help people as they return from it, but cannot help someone cross. So I descended to the Earth Sphere and found Sh’miral, and talked. Sh’miral, if you remember, is the opener of ways, the gatekeeper, the first and the last, the highest and the lowest. So I figured if Konshal couldn’t help from the edge ey stood on, perhaps Sh’miral could open the way.
“In time all these paths would be open for you to walk again, there is no need to run ahead.” I explained that I wanted this experiment done before I started the Abramelin, that I felt it wouldn’t be good to put this on hold and leave it “open” while doing the working. Sh’miral understood to a degree “Very well, the way will be made clear for you, not as you are used to, not as you’d like, but open nonetheless. Jump from the Tree and land in darkness. The ways will be open for you to continue this quest, but no more, you may get your answers and leave. Where you walk you are not ready for, beyond the Tree, beyond the Spheres of Form it is…different. Be wary.” I thanked him, went back to Ereen with Konshal, and went into the darkness.
I drifted for a time, unsure how it would be different, how I would know I had arrived. Suddenly I realized the dark had vanished, and I was floating in…I want to say grey, but it wasn’t grey, it was a lack of colour, a lack of light and dark. Not in a transcendent way, but an absent way, I have no way to describe it other than that. I tried to call a door, but again it wouldn’t form, on my third try I felt someone behind me. I turned, or thought I did, since everything was identical I couldn’t tell if I moved or not. “Is anyone out there?” And I knew there was, they didn’t respond, but I felt a positive response, a knowing of the answer. “Are you the spirit I seek? The ruler of this realm?” Again I just knew, though I got no response. I asked the names, and each time rather than being told, I knew, no communication, only knowledge. I thanked them, and descended and returned to my body to test the names.
The Angel’s Name was Shetsin which has the same value as covered in mist, and twilight, it also means hidden. Both of those related to my experience, but more importantly it also had the same value as “formless and void” via Bereshith. Which relates to the second Sphere.
The Sphere Shetsin rules is Kurrian, and what fascinated me is there is no corresponding entry for the value of that name in any of my Gematria books at the time, and it’s a prime number, so cannot be reduced for another interpretation that way. While not a pattern I expected to hold out, it is appropriate for the higher spheres.
The beings of this realm are called the Shellin which has the same value as “there is” and “there are” which as a simple expression of to be, or being, is appropriate in this Sphere.
Lastly the God Name that rules and shapes this Sphere is Kurasis. The “asis” part of the Name always comes across windy and hissy in my head, like a snake person who is out of breath. (Sorry I don’t know how else to explain it, this stuff is bizarre at times, deal) It has the same value as the three Mother letters, so Aleph, Mem, Shin, representing Air, Water, and Fire, the first division of the elements. It also has the same value as “the name” itself, literally the words the name, not the name referring to YHWH. It is also “image of God” which is exactly what the Sphere is in some interpretations. The Sphere above it is God, pure and undivided, but below is the Image, the first separation.
Quite some time later, after having completed the Abramelin I returned to Kurrian, and was able to perceive the realm, and Shetsin, but since that “ability” wasn’t granted to me until having completed the Abramelin working I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to share what I saw or learned. The same goes with the sigils. I never created the ones based on the Name, as I felt I didn’t need it, and it wouldn’t work right anyways (too abstract), and the sigil I was given again seems too personal, or to go the total magickal douchbag route they aren’t for those who “aren’t ready” or developed, or however you want to think about it. I can share the names though, if you can reach and commune that’s great, if not perhaps later on the ways will be open for you, keep Working.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
14
Feb
2013

Review: Eastern Body, Western Mind – Anodea Judith


eastern bodyEastern Body, Western Mind: Psychology and the Chakra System as a Path to the Self – Anodea Judith
Celestial Arts. 1996. 502pp. 9780890878156.
I’ll confess, I’ve had this book for years now but could never bring myself around to reading it. I suspected it would be horrible and newagey. Currently though a friend of mine attends Naropa University, and apparently it’s used in one of eir psychology courses, so I decided to give it a chance.
The basic premise of the book is to relate the chakra system to Western psychology. Anodea Judith doesn’t really focus on one school of thought, shifting from Jung to Reich to Freud and others, but her main focus is on developmental theory. Each chakra is given an entire chapter, which is then broken down with basic explanations of what the chakra does on a physical, energetic, and mental level, as well as looking at the period of life it represents what traumas may be present, what these traumas do to the person on all levels, how the chakras react, and of course what can be done to help fix this. She does what I have to consider a very thorough and good job of exploring the chakras and linking them to the psychological model.
Her explanations are well constructed and seem consistent in themselves and with my experience. What impressed me though was how realistic she was. She give examples of people who had been through the traumas, how it affected them, what it did to their body, mind, and energy, and she talked about what advice she gave them to help deal with these issues. Nowhere does she proclaim how amazing she is for having cured these people, in fact she next mentions them being “fixed”. A lot of books that deal with energetic diagnosis and healing read more like bragging rights “I could tell by the way he held his hands he had cancer and abandonment issues, so we sang Kumbaya and he was healed.” Not only are these examples unrealistic, but they’re not helpful, and probably damaging. But Judith never went there, she acknowledges that even when handling a trauma on all levels at once you still have a lot of work to do, it will take a lot of time and effort, and may never be truly fixed, only better. To me it was great to see a more realistic approach and an acknowledgement of the limitation of the techniques.
Now trauma can be a strong word, so I should clarify this isn’t just a book about dealing with the energy system of people who have been abused (for an example of trauma), but traumas include various disruptive events that all of us have experienced some of. Premature birth, physical injury, emotionally dominating or absent parents, continual criticism, and a lot more, I can guarantee that everyone has had some of the traumas listed, and could see themselves somewhere in the descriptions. She makes a few factual mistakes, attributing “Tat Tvam Asi” to Buddhism, or saying the mantras are only supposed to be silent, but she also has a good understanding of many other aspects, in fact this work is the first time I saw a model of the criss-crossing Ida and Pingala that actually made sense. The information and interpretation is of great use if you’re just looking to understand yourself, your partner, your parents, or anyone, and it’s even better if you’re looking to navigate or improve these issues. I’m glad I got over my concerns about the book and actually gave it a read, it was worth it.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
11
Feb
2013

Losar, House Cleaning, and Kicking Out Crud


During secular New Years I was incapacitated due to a minor case of the plague, so I never got around to my New Years House Cleaning. While I may do a major House Cleaning throughout the year, whenever I feel that stuffs needs to be cleared out, I always do one at New Years, so I know it’s done. I didn’t, and it took me a while to recover, and by the time I did it had slipped my mind. When I started having uncharacteristically bad dreams near the end of January a friend asked about my Wards, and I realized that I had missed this year. I decided to wait until Losar (Tibetan New Years, today) to perform the rituals, it’s customary in Losar to house clean, do some banishing rituals, and celebrate. While I have issues about adopting Tibetan customs (over Vajrayana ones) I figured it would be an appropriate time to work.
Now I’ve spoken about the type of house clearing rituals I perform before and this one follows much the same pattern. Though the details change it is always the same four steps: Warning/Dismissal, Shakeup the Energy, Igne Interficiatur, and Blessings.
Now before I began I cleaned the house; not the complete house for various reasons, but the dining room, the kitchen, and my room were properly cleaned, and everything else tidied up. I reupholstered the chairs in my dining room, and cleaned off the table for the first time in ages. I was amazed at how much it improved the energetic flow of the room. All of this is more relevant for another post, but in general, clean up, and improve before you majorly clear a place.
Warning/Dismissal: I don’t banish right away. Spirits wander by, spirits get trapped, not everything unwanted is malicious, so to start off they get a warning, a push, and a way out. I start in the farthest darkest corner of my basement. I’ve meditated and assumed a Wrathful aspect, a terrifying astral form, right now it’s more about strength and intimidation. In Vajrayana (and Mahayana) figures have a Wrathful and a Peaceful aspect. I call to everything in the house that it is time to go, I’m giving them plenty of warning, but it’s time to leave my house. If they’re friend/family/Family/ally they can retreat to my altars, but if not it is time for them to GTFO. I then dropped several drops of Quadrivium’s Banishing Oil in my furnace’s humidifier. I find airducts and furnaces are somewhat like veins and hearts, so by placing some of the Banishing Oil (which smells wonderful to me) into the furnace as the water is spread through the house it is “breathing” out the oil and the effect. Then from that dark far corner I start burning my incense of sulphur, tobacco, and dragon’s blood. In my Wrathful aspect with a strong Voice I continue to proclaim a warning and to announce the upcoming eviction of the spirits. I walk from room to room, all the doors in the house are open, all the lights are on, and I spread this smoke and command through the house. I end up at the front door where I leave the rest of the incense to burn, and I return to the far dark corner.
Shakeup the Energy: I refocus myself and take on a Peaceful aspect, one that is more placid and friendly, but still filled with strength, if a different type. Using my singing bowl, in what I’m sure is a very untraditional manner, I begin making it sing. There is something about the hum of the bowl that I can connect to, it’s like the hum is an extension of my energy and responds to me in much the same way. I fill the room with the sonic energy and then I rattle it, I shake it, I make the bowl chatter, and the energy in the room flakes a bit, it comes loose. What is trapped in the dark stagnant areas is shaken free and pulled away from the hidden places. What is really loose I cast forward, using the sound as a force to move it ahead of me, until it’s been cast out the front door, and if anything can’t be pushed out it will be dealt with in the next step. Again, it’s room to room, every place, all the closets, no place is spared.
Igne Interficiatur: I have the bottle of Banishing Oil in my pocket, and I’m wearing my domta, a Tibetan ritual hat which among other things increases my energetic perception. Back in that dark far corner I resume the Wrathful aspect, and begin. Rainbow fire streams from the hands in this form, burning whatever it touches, or clawing forward the few most stubborn parts that can’t be burnt so easily. In every room, more than once in large rooms, or rooms with a noticeable division point, once the area has been burnt I cry out “Phat,” a complex and powerful syllable in Tibetan, with it appears a flash of fire which gets most of what remains, and I leave a glowing crystal Phat in the place where I cried it. I continue from room to room, leaving a collection of crystal Phats dangling in the air, reflecting rainbow light from clear light. When I’ve completed the entire house I sit down in the Heart of the Home, it is literally the centre of my house on the ground level, right beside a Grandfather clock (so it even has a heart beat) and with a slow and shallow Phat I connect myself to each of these centres. I call forth a Clear Wisdom Fire, a purifying energy, and I radiate it out from each of these points, scouring every room at once of whatever has left, stubborn or hidden. I put some Banishing oil on my finger, and go to the back door, I draw in oil and flame sigils of protection on the door frame, and do the same at the front door casting the charcoal and incense out into the snow.
Blessing: Taking the Peaceful aspect again I have a mix of incense that includes copal, red sanders, Green Tara incense, Abramelin incense, and mastic (and others, but that’s the bulk of it). From that dark far corner I start my rounds again, this time filling the air with pleasant evocative incense smoke (enough to suffocate a small child). In the Peaceful form I radiate out Clear Light and blue-crystal light, while I’m also calling to my spirits, coaxing them back out of the altars to walk my house freely, to take the smoke and energy and transform them into beneficial forms.

My Losar altar, cause I'm proud of it, and you read a lot to get here, so have a picture.

My Losar altar, cause I’m proud of it, and you read a lot to get here, so have a picture.

Because it is also Losar, once I completed this, I put the incense on my Losar altar, lit all the candles, filled the offering bowls, lit the incense, and began my rituals and my feast.
The house feels calm, still, quiet and beautiful. Like that still silence in a power out, when you realize that you’re surrounded by a dozen background noises (fridge, lights, fans, computers) and suddenly they’re gone. That’s what it feels like now. Still, silent, and beautiful. Clean and fresh for the New Year.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
08
Feb
2013

Wrestling and Drifting: Fighting and Flowing with Magick


wot“The One Power comes from the True Source, the driving force of creation, the force the Creator made to turn the Wheel of Time. Saidin, the male half of the True Source, and saidar, the female half, work against each other, and at the same time together to provide that force…The True Source cannot be used up, any more than the river can be used up by the wheel of the mill.” – Moiraine Damodred
 
If you’ve ever read The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, this quote will be familiar to you. If you haven’t read the series, go do so now, I’ll wait…it’s only 14+ novels, it’s awesome. It’s a fantasy novel with a lot of magic (but it’s not magic, they never call it that) but one of the interesting aspects of the magic is there are two ways of using it. (Okay, technically there is a third, but it’s never clearly explained and is exceedingly rare) The True Source is essentially the energy of the universe, but humans can’t access it as it is, instead it is split between the male and female halves –saidin and saidar– and as you’d assume only men can access saidin and only women saidar. These forces work together, and against each other, and that harmony and dissonance causes the Wheel of Time to turn, it lets reality unfold.
(I will get to my occult applications, stick with me) But there is more to it than just one is male and one is female, but the powers themselves are accessed differently, and in some cases used differently. The male side of the power is fought, when a man accesses he’s fighting for his life, he feels as if he is being burnt by ice and torn apart by raging avalanches of fire. If he loses focus in the wrong way and slips his mind and body will be consumed in the battle and he will die. The female side of the power is embraced and surrendered to. It is a river that cannot be conquered, instead you must submit to the river. Both of these actions give the wielder control, men battle with this energy and force it to obey them, whereas women submit to it and by giving up themselves to it they gain control.
While I think Robert Jordan was an amazing author, he wasn’t an occult author. None the less these two powers strike a chord with me. No, not some simplistic notion of male/female which I will reject vehemently, or even that one person is limited to one method, but the ideas of these two methods of power really seem to hit on something with me.
Sometimes when I perform magick I feel as if I’m grabbing the thrumming strings of reality and telling Cosmos to “Fuck off and do what I say already!” It feels like I’m wrestling with the very nature of being forcing myself upon the worlds to make what I wish manifest. Other times I feel that my magick is about submitting to Cosmos and while in this harmonious state of existing the worlds shift to what I want, not by force, but by giving myself up into the flow of Cosmos.
I’ve wondered sometimes if this difference represents the “nature” of what I’m trying to do, that perhaps I have to fight when it’s something not really part of my Path. Then when everything is submission and flow perhaps that’s when I’m really just realigning my Self and my world with my Path. I feel that might be too simplistic of a distinction. If often feels that my Ceremonial Work is more of the wrestling and my Buddhist work is more of the submission, but again that’s too simplistic. After all a lot of my Goetic working has a pseudo-Tao feel to it for me, and some of my Buddhist work has a real struggle to it. It can even oscilate between the same rituals, sometimes it’s fight other times it is flow.
I have no answer for which is which and why it is this way. All I can say is that it is imperative that a good magickian be able to adapt, if you feel it’s something to wrestle be prepared to fight the Cosmos, and if you feel it’s something to accept be ready to submit yourself to All in order to achieve.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
05
Feb
2013

Sigil-Fields – Sigils like Onions…or Cakes…


Cakes have layers too.
With the new year I felt inspired to zero-out and restart my Sigil-field, it’s been stagnant for a few months, edging up to a year, and I thought it needed some fresh life. The Sigil-field is something really simplistic in theory, and even simpler in application. It’s based on the Spare theory of repression mixed with the energy model of sigils as modifiers. The Sigil-field uses a more passive method of sigil repression, I’ve termed it Non-Attentive Sigils and you can read about it here but basically it’s the idea that a sigil can be repressed by repeated exposure in a way that doesn’t heavily draw our attention. In the same way we ignore advertisement posters we’ve seen all the time, but they still settle themselves into our brains. (And rereading that post I realize I really need to clean my room)
A Sigil-Field is a canvas that sigils are painted on, repeatedly over each other, slowly absorbing and obscuring each other. As the sigils are submerged by other sigils they’re slowly taken away from consciousness and become part of the underlying pattern of your world. Part of the beauty of the Sigil-field is how one symbol of desire obscures another, but more so how they begin to interconnect as they mix and hide. The idea is by having them on the painting they slowly work their way into your subconscious, like the repression, but in a slow, gradual, gentle way. Then as they are no longer needed, or have thoroughly incorporated themselves into the subconscious they get painted over. All the sigils become one, painted over and mixing with each other.

This is how the Sigil-Field restarted early January

This is how the Sigil-Field started

My Sigil-field is also created with the energy model of sigils in mind as well, that passing energy into or through a sigil strengthens it. To incorporate this, the base layer of my Sigil-field, and any other layer when I feel it needs a top-up, is charged and consecrated with my personal fluids, in the fun way that only ecstatic magickians do. While not very often sometimes I will just place my hands on it and run energy through it, that makes for an interesting experience. I find much like when I’m doing energy healing I start sensing areas in the Sigil-field that are higher in energy, or lower in energy, or blocked, generally centred over a sigil, and I can use that to figure out what is or isn’t working. This isn’t totally required though, as everytime you look at it it gets a little, minuscule amount of energy, which over time builds up. As you spend time painting other sigils over it, that too adds another dosing of energy into the field.
Now because this relies on the Non-Attentive method of sigils you should generally pick goals that are either long term (getting a job when you graduate in a few months or whatever) or a goal that needs to be sustained (release from a chronic health problem, keeping an ex at bay). Finally it should be placed somewhere that you see several times a day. Hang it up like a piece art(e) and it is, mine hangs behind the head of my bed, so I see it from most places in my room, and whenever I’m getting into bed.
sigilfield2
As an example, in a month of change, this is my current Sigil-Field, you can see part of a Goetic seal, and an abstract sigil is nearly completely obscured by another. Part of a mandala, and a script sigil currently are on top, but they too will be buried and become another layer.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
02
Feb
2013

Skrying the Tree – Transformation – Konshal


kalstreeAfter making contact with Behrat my school life picked up, one of my side businesses was doing better, and then it started to get out of control. Nothing major, just a bit too fast for me to do justice to everything, I still managed but it became harder and harder to keep up my A’s and keep up with my clients. Sometimes my life shifts to suit the Sphere I’m about to contact. This time it spiralled the other way so I needed the Sphere I was about to contact.
The Bringer of Old Age playing quietly in the distance, black candles, myrrh with a hint of sulphur filled the air, circle drawn, and the glyph of Saturn floating white on my black mirror. It was time. I called to the Angels I had encountered as I opened the mirror, and travelled, the blackness was cold and I flew, specks appeared and passed away as the Spheres fell beneath me. As I climbed higher the blackness grew oppressive, as if the infinity was closing in on me. Crushing me slowly until I couldn’t move. I reached out and a door appeared, dull grey lead in a triangle with a black flaming Saturn glyph on the door. Slowly I knocked three times and opened the door.
It wasn’t much brighter on the other side, but I step through into the blackness. I could hear a fire crackling in the distance, echoing through this cave, but it gave no light. No light was needed, it was dark, oppressively so, but there was the omnipresent light still, it didn’t banish the dark or displace it, somehow this light merely illuminated the dark. The darkness was light. Behind me the cave ended in a wall, the door vanished, ahead of me stretched a cave tunnel, long and smooth, curving out of site. I called for a spirit of the place to come, but nothing came, instead I found myself walking.
After completing what felt like a complete circle in a spiralling upwards tunnel I came to a wide room. In the centre of the room hung an obsidian stalactite slowly dripping shining white water into a red lead cauldron, resting on a tripod over a crackling black fire that gave no light. Behind it stood a person, strong, tall, and lean, but skeletal and desiccated. The form wavered slowly between being dried flesh pulled over a skeleton, to a vibrant person and all the stages in between. “Are you the one I’ve come to see?” “I am the last you shall see for a long time. Come Ancient Child, sit with me and enjoy the flow.” There was a stool across from em on the other side of the cauldron, it was suddenly low enough that we could see each other easily over it. “I am the one you want. The…ruler of this world.” Ey smiled with a living face, but all eir teeth were jagged metal. “To many this lacks the wonder of the worlds above, or the beauty of the worlds below, but it is just as necessary, if not more to have this realm.” Ey paused and looked at me. “Many are out of place here, but you…you are not, you are tied to this place from heartbeat to heartbeat you are tied here.” The flame beneath the cauldron shifted to a blue colour, and the spirit took on a smile grin again, this time on a skull. “Yes, I see it now, you are tied here, not this here, but another reflection of it. You see a reality too many look over, to them it is a tomb, to you it is the womb. You have the scent of one who has walked this way before. Come!” Ey were standing and half way out of the room before I managed to stand.

Eir Seal drawn on the Qamea of Saturn

Eir Seal drawn on the Qamea of Saturn

We continued walking quickly up the tunnel. Every time I went to ask a question ey spoke first answering them. “You know what I mean, don’t ask me to clarify. Your Mother, your birth, your death. Tomb, womb, dissolution, and creation, it’s all the same here. While my serpentine sibling is the centre of our worlds, I’m the centre of what lies beyond. This is the womb from which spirit is born into the world, the tomb from which spirit is freed from the world. The crossroads of spirit and form is the black heart of this place. You are at the top of a Great Tree, beyond this place there is Nothing, there is Everything. We are too high up for you to ever truly walk on the ground, from the Tree there is only the Sky. Stop! We’ve come far enough, ask me no more of this place, and the questions you seek answered.” We had exited the cave, over us danced a night sky, swirling like in a time lapse video out, and not far away the ground ended and dropped away into nothing.
Eir Seal with Saturn's tail...thing.

Eir Seal with Saturn’s tail…thing.

Ey revealed eir name as Konshal. The name has the same value as End or Destruction, one of the attributes of Saturn. It also matched up with cliff and precipice which not only matched the end of the vision but a way of viewing it’s placement on the Tree and in the Spheres. Another enumeration leads it to mean to perish or grow old, and flame. Here it also means “they became and they shall be.” I think that gets to the Womb/Tomb aspect.
The name of the Sphere was given as Ereen E and reen as is seen. The name has the same value as the light, den, and steep place. It also enumerates to darkness, death, and abyss (not the Qabalistic one). While not an extremely strong link, it had enough for me to continue, when the other names are taken into consideration.
The class of Spirits from this realm are the Golmtzah, who probably have the award for the hardest to pronounce name I received. I can’t really explain how to say golm, there really isn’t an English word that matches but gol is like goal and it’s an lm sound instead of just l. The tzah is a sharp za noise, with a very slight hiss infront of it, almost like the zza in pizza -at least in the southern Ontario accent. Anyways the name has the same value as to mourn, to bind, to draw together, and contract. It can also be worked down to have the same value as oak and great tree, as well as nothingness, and corpse. The only one that isn’t immediately self-explanatory I think is oak and great tree, but to these Angels they describe the spheres of Saturn and below as part of the Tree, and the spheres above as belonging to the Sky or Heaven or Space.
And of course the God Name that constrains, forms, and controls this Sphere is Sharrom. (Rom as is roam) The value is the same as lead, as in the metal of Saturn, as well as first and primary, perpetual and constant. I wasn’t sure but I thought first/primary dealt with the placement of being the first of form, or the first on the Tree, and perpetual/constant referring to the aspect of Time in the realm of Saturn.
The names in this part of the experiment didn’t match as perfectly as some of the others, and I have no clear reason or understanding why. They work with me, and they have passed a single-blind experiment with others, so I’d say they’re valid, just for some reason not as perfectly matched as others. I’d say I’d reskry at some point and see if I get a better set of names, but this entire experiment took 2 years and 2 months, so I’d rather not revisit it when it’s still working. Also I can’t seem to find the sigil Konshal revealed to me, and I don’t want to draw what little I remember to spread, so I will include it in a later entry.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick

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