ceremonial magick

20
Aug
2012

Climbing the Tree – Threshold – Clarshitel


(Don’t worry, they all won’t be as story like, it’s just the first three that set the stage, and a few others down the line.)
So after asking Sh’miral to “open the way” for me I lost my job. Having completed skrying into the Earth Sphere of Almak, getting positive feedback from friends in my experiment, and of course having plenty of time without work I decided it was time to move onto the Lunar Sphere.
Having more experience with Lunar forces I set out nine purple candles, drew the sigil of Gabriel on my skrying mirror, lit my incense, and began chanting. I brought myself to the Lunar Temple, and called upon Gabriel, who told me I was expected, and the path was the same as before, but more difficult. While I had left the Earth, I was still of it, reaching to the Moon and beyond required crossing a Veil, the most subtle and fickle Veil on the Tree. I knew the trick from last time, and I found the connection point, that rippling between realities, I stepped into it, turned away from everything and was falling. Perhaps I was flying, or shot from a cannon, there was movement, fast, and yet had the sense of going nowhere. I tried to take control, force myself to exit somewhere, to call a door to me. Nothing, it was movement that wouldn’t end. I felt like the other Sphere was right there, but I just couldn’t reach it.
Suddenly I jerked to a stop, and a hand on my shoulder “You’ll never get anywhere at that rate. The Ways are endless if you don’t have an open door.” I turned and found myself facing Sh’miral, he was larger, darker than before. I asked if he can help. “I can always help you find the Way, call on me when you Climb, you don’t need to jump from one Tree to another anymore, you’ve been given access, use it.” With this I fell again, briefly, a silver nonagonal door with a purple liquid glyph of the Moon stood before me. With three sets of three knocks the door opened to me. Inside was an amethyst crystal cavern, lit by glowing urns placed around it. A sound between bells and bubbling water filled the air. I called out, asking if there was anyone there. The white-blue water flowed from cracks and flowed up into the form of a woman, early Yaksha/Apsara in her appearance.

Apsara

Without prompting she began to speak. “I am Clarshitel, Mother of this place and all who dwell here.” Then with some questioning she identified the Sphere as Timarin, the Angels of this place as Shaqaran, and the God Name as La’andras. She explained she can function like any Spirit of the Moon, any Angel, but she is also more terrestrial than most, while her Sphere is Lunar she loves the Earth and touches it more deeply than most like her.
I left her place, taking her Seal with me, and returned to myself. As usual I distributed the Names and Seal to some people involved with the experiment to get their impressions. I turned back to the Gematria, because it worked last time amazingly well, that was probably a fluke though.

Her Seal by drawing her Name on the Qamea of the Moon


Clarshitel, Angel of the Sphere, her name was the same value as Mother, Veil, and Hidden Wisdom. She had called herself the Mother, Gabriel had mentioned the Veil of the Moon was different, and it was harder to cross, and Hidden Wisdom is appropriate for the Moon in general and the attribution of the High Priestess.
Timarin, the Sphere of the Moon, if spelt without a final Nun is Cancer, and with a final Nun is Heavens, Sky, Ruach. Cancer is the sign ruled by the Moon, Heavens and Sky are appropriate for the Moon, but also for anything visible in the sky, but Ruach is the part of the Soul that is housed in or represented by the Moon.
Shaqaran, the class of Angels of the Sphere and children of Charshitel. Their Name is the value of Natron, Mem, and Water. Natron is the only one slightly out of place, it was used in mummification to remove water, but that’s the only link I could think of. Mem, the letter of Water, and Water, are both tied to the idea of the Moon, but also in the way Clarshitel presented herself and her realm to me.

Her Seal linked with the Glyph of the Moon


La’andras is the God Name ruling and forming the forces of the Sphere. It’s value is that of Man and Ishim. The Ishim are the Angels of Yesod, which was the only real link I had.
I was trusting more than Gematria to confirm these Names, heck, I’d say I started using it almost as a lark, just to see. Again though I had good confirmation, three out of the four Names strongly linked to what they should, and the fourth did relate. Perhaps there is something to Gematria.
While waiting for responses I was failing to find a job, but I figured the Angel of Mercury could help me out there…

Her “revealed” Seal from years later.


Like all the Angels I encountered, once contact was made establishing a low-level connection again was easy. Whenever I need to open up “simply” to Clarshitel, such as when I make my offerings to her on Monday morning I call to her “Hail unto thee, Clarshitel, Ruler of Timarin, Mother of the Shaqaran, in the Name of La’andras I call you here, and ask that you work with me and walk with me.”

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
17
Aug
2012

Creating and Consecrating Ritual Chalk


Also titled
Magick Chalk: Beyond Mary Poppins

I was asked by some magickal associates of mine to share the ritual and recipe for my magickal chalk. Magick chalk? You read right, so before I begin, why in the hells would you need magick chalk?
The primary use I have for my consecrated chalk is creating magickal circles, specifically circles like the Heptameron style, used to invoke the Divine forces and establish stability and authority before a major magickal working. When I clear out a space, I generally like to draw a line and protective glyph at the door to keep things out. (I could do the same without anything, but I like grounding it into the physical) Writing petitions, drawing sigils, really anything you could write for in magick works well with the chalk. As a note, this type of chalk may scratch chalk boards, but works well on stone and pavement, and even dark or tough cloth. My portable summoning circle is a huge piece of denim and it works on it.
The ingredients are simple:
1 tablespoon eggshell dust. (Wash and dry eggshells from a few eggs, I was told six, but I just collect and use, and grind into a powder. I use my magick coffee grinder for that, use a strainer to get only the finest particles.)
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon hot water (at least, I’ve had to use up to five in some cases)
½ teaspoon ash from a copy of the Headless Ritual written in dragon’s blood ink (One sheet of paper produces 1/2 tsp of ash, if you want to make more chalk at once use a small amount, but I don’t recommend using less than 1/8 tsp)
(A few drops of food colouring if you want, but the ash will muck up the colour)
Simple, stuff we all have lying around. Mix the water, flour, and ash into a paste, then mix in the eggshell. It’s a balance, but add a bit of water if too dry, and a bit more flour if too wet. It should be like a clay or dough. Mix it up. Roll it on a piece of wax paper to get it into the shape you want. It could make several pieces, or one depending on how thick you make it. I suggest thicker, as it is less likely to break that way. Roll a piece of paper towel around it, and let it set and dry for a few days.
Why do I use the Headless Ritual in making this? I’m sure most people know the basic history, it was originally used as an exorcism (which makes it highly appropriate for drawing warding and protective glyphs), but the structure is that of a powerful invocation. That’s why in the Golden Dawn and Thelemic traditions it got rephrased into calling to, and connecting with your Holy Guardian Angel. This part of the invocation I feel makes it ideal for all the other uses of the chalk.

Click for a larger version to print or transcribe

So how do you make the ash? Did you think I wasn’t going to touch on that? At dawn, noon, or an otherwise convenient solar moment I write out the ritual text in dragon’s blood ink, and to be honest, I cheat. I print it out in Greek, and then trace the letters. While I do this I either recite the ritual, or pray to my HGA to abide Within. When I’m done I light my candles of the three pillars, and burn incense in an attempt to represent the four elements. (I use Earth-Myrrh, Air-Mastic, Water-Sandalwood, Fire-Copal) Then I properly perform the ritual. I use the version given in the Mathers/Crowley Goetia. It contains the best segment on authority to me “Hear me, and make all Spirits subject unto me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire: and every Spell and Scourge of God may be may be obedient unto Me.” This is why I use incense of four elements, rather than anything else, to tie it into that. After I’ve completed it, I command and pray that my force imbue the text. Then I burn it while repeating that prayer. A few times I feel like it didn’t “stick” and I perform the Headless Ritual again, I’ve done it up to four times to get it just right. Of course then I claimed I did it once for each element, not because I couldn’t get the forces flowing.
To consecrate the chalk, on Sunday in the hour of Mercury, or Wednesday in the hour of the Sun, or any good Solar/Mercurial moment, I place the chalk on my altar. Lighting the candles I perform the ritual, and again command the force to reside in the chalk, to bless it, enliven it, to make spirits obedient unto it, to make it the most badass piece of chalk.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
14
Aug
2012

Sphere of Self


The Sphere of Self is a ritual from a magickal group I used to be a part of. (You could argue I’m still a part as I never left the Order, it just fizzled out.) This is pretty much the foundational ritual within our system, so while we used rituals and tech from other traditions this was the root ritual that was ours alone. Used on its own, or before meditation or other rituals it served as a zone rite, or a circle, or a banishing, whatever the term you use for such a ritual.
It combines (apparent) dualities and fills the space with their balance, but perhaps more importantly is it balances you between these dualities of matter and spirit, higher and lower, and of inner and outer. Which is why it can be performed on its own, as it works to balance the Selves on these concepts. This is based on the cosmology of the group, and while some of it is heavily routed in our triplicity model and symbols, it is still accessible and workable to others. It was a foundational ritual that “grew” with the practitioner becoming more detailed and complex as the practitioner grew learnt more of the system, and came to see some more of what was going on in the ritual. In writing this for public consumption my challenge was to explain it in a way that makes sense without the grounding in our symbol set, and deciding where on the spectrum of depth/complexity to discuss it. With no intended offence to my readers I weighted it toward the beginner end of the spectrum, falling just short of what would be explained in Second Sphere.
Stand facing the East with your feet shoulder width apart, hands at your sides. Reach down with your mind into the Earth, and draw up, you’re pulling up the energy or notion of physical reality, material existence, and all the chthonic and atavistic forces. Above your head see the endless Sky, the energy of spirit, divine reality, potential, and all the sacred and spiritual forces.
Drawing your hands up and out to the sides, with the energy from below, bring them together above your head, so you’ve traced a circle. The circle you’re drawing is not drawn with the hands, but a few feet out from them, so that the circle begins beneath your feet and extends an equal distance over your head, your heart is the centre of the circles you’ll draw. You can draw with your hands in any position you want, I was taught and prefer to have my pinkie and ring fingers against my palm, with my middle and pointer finger extended with my thumb placed between pointer and middle. As you do so say “From Earth to Sky.” You’re pulling this “lower” energy or concept of matter up, and when it reaches the “higher” sky energy or spirit they connect, and the higher energy flows down the circle you’ve drawn. It’s not about introducing the low to the high, but when they connect you’ve completed a circuit that both forces can flow and mingle on freely.
In the sky where your hands are is now the Sun. The Sun is not just the Sun, but it represents the highest reaches of your Soul, your True Will, your Orbit, your place in the Cosmos, it is your Soul purified. Beneath your feet is the Moon. The Moon likewise is not just the Moon, but it is the “base self,” the lower or mundane aspect of your being, the day-to-day consciousness, current incarnation, and the physical self.
(This section is described in terms of left and right hands, which hand you use to do what doesn’t matter, but it is more clear to explain the motions in terms of left and right hands) Reach into the Sun and then swing your left hand down in front of you, and the right behind you, turning your shoulders to the side (left forward, right back) as necessary to facilitate this movement, this will leave you facing your right. As you’re pulling down the Solar energy say “From Sun to Moon” and when your hands reach the lowest point of the arc you’ve connected the Solar energies, the Higher Self into the Lunar energies or Lower Self, and the Lunar current runs up the circle you’ve drawn. Again it’s a circuit that is formed the energies freely connect and mingle. You don’t stop here though, the right hand swings in front of your body, and the left behind, as your turn your shoulders (left back and right forward) so you are eventually facing your left. Bring your hands up until they are level with your shoulders.
Taking the Solar-Lunar current turn your shoulders (right back left forward) so that you trace a horizontal circle at shoulder height, continue until your left hand is where the right began, and the right is where the left began. Again this will leave you facing your right. As you trace the circle draw the Solar-Lunar current along until it connects with the Earth-Sky current and let them flow along this horizontal circle. As you’re doing this say “And bound by the Endless Horizon.” You are now standing in the centre of three circles drawn on the three axes.
You should be standing with your right arm reaching behind you and your left in front of you, torso turned to face your right. Draw your hands up above your head saying “I forge this Sphere” bring them together touching thumbs and pointer fingers to form and upward pointing triangle, as you bring your hands up untwist your body so you are facing forward again. This triangle gathers the combined energies from the ritual, stabilizing them into a single unit. Realize at this point that what you traced was the skeleton of a Sphere, the three circles spread together, becoming a sphere that contains what you have brought into this space. Bring the triangle down to centre on your third eye saying “of Will” and draw the energy in from the triangle into your third eye, spreading it down your central channel into your navel. Reach your arms out and up, bent at the elbows, to make an upward half circle palms facing in “and Self.” Here you are emulating the sign of the Highest, moving beyond the notions of Lower Self, and Higher Self, into the realm of Godself or Transpersonal Self. Take a moment to reach out with your mind, now that you’ve balanced yourself in the Space Between reach out and find what is Beyond, Above, and Within. Pull this connection, this Non-dual or third triplicity into the space between your hands and into your body.
Bring your arms down to cross over your chest “I am my Self, Always.” As you say Always let the combined energies of the Earth-Sky and Sun-Moon (Higher Self-Lower Self) expand to push the Sphere you’ve created out as far as you need for your ritual space.
There is a simple follow-up half-ritual that is used to expand and strengthen this farther, but I think this is sufficient for now. I’d love to hear people’s experiences with it, or comments/questions (explaining parts of it are hard I know), cause it’s hard to “translate” it out of our symbol set when so much of it is engrained in me.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
11
Aug
2012

Climbing the Tree – Threshold Guardian – Sh'miral


So if I’m going to be talking about my experiences skrying my way up the Tree I should explain what I did.
The process changed over time, as I gained confidence, experience, and allies along the way. When I first approached the Sphere of Earth it was through overwhelming myself with correspondences. I had ten candles burning, Earthy incense burning, sitting in the lowest point of my basement on the unfinished floor. Even though I was trying to “break out” of the Judeo-Christian I felt I had to use it to gain access to the Spheres.
Sitting in the glow of the candles, my skrying mirror set before with the Glyph of the Earth drawn on it in brown, I called to Metatron (מטטרונ, not מיטטרונ) to guide me. After the evocation I began to skry and in an inky blackness I met Metatron, he told me I still had to build this Sphere of Earth, to fill it with the Names of its Form. Intoning Metatron’s Name, as well as Uriel, Sandlephon, and the Godnames and Angel classes associated with Earth slowly a cave was born around us, and he took me to a stone door and led me into his temple.
In the centre of this temple was a rippling, like a heat mirage, and he told me it was the veil I must cross to find the Sphere of Earth behind this set of masks. So I walked through it, and nothing happened, I turned around and tried again, I tried Rending the Veil, but not happened. He told me the masks infuse everything; they are everywhere and in everything, to cross the veil I must step away from everything. I stood in the centre of the rippling, and did just that, I willed myself away from everything, turned at a right angle to everything and was again in darkness, this time without a guide.
I called, and my response was the clacking of shoes on a hard floor. Slowly the darkness condensed into a man. He was, in the manner that only spirits can, both wearing a black three piece suit, and black robes adorned with feathers or perhaps made up of them. I asked if he was the Spirit, the Angel, I had come to look for, and was told that he was, and he would be willing to submit to testing. When asked his Name he told me it was Sh’miral, the Sh is pronounced almost like the za in pizza. As we talked the world formed around us, it wasn’t the dead dark cave of Metatron, but a living breathing subterranean temple, with rocks and moss and flowers the glowed in their own light.
I confessed that I generally worked with the Angels of the planets used in astrology, so I didn’t know what “use” he would have. “I am the first, and the last, the highest, and the lowest. I am where you start from, and I guard the Gates of Earth, and the Gates from Earth. It is I who will open the Tree to you. It is I who will open the ways in your life.” When asked if he would open the Gates, and the ways in my life, he agreed, but explained that it would not be comfortable, I accepted anyways. I asked for three more Names; the Name of his Sphere, the Name of the class of Spirit/Angels he rules, and the Name of God that empowers him. After I received the Names, I left his temple and returned to myself.

The Seal of Sh’miral

My initial plans to test the Names would be evocations a few days later, as well as giving the Seals and Names to friends to try to work with (having provided no information other than it is a spirit I want their impression on), and compare results. On a whim I decided to check the Gematria of the Names I was given. Sh’miral has the same value as “Lord of Earth” and “Mount Zion.” Needless to say Lord of Earth was a shocking coincidence, and Mount Zion certainly had an Earthy appeal. The Name of his Sphere, Almak, had three spellings, the preferred spelling had the same value as “Mountains of Zion” and I was very surprised to see the Mount/ains of Zion come up again. One other spelling had the same value as “the heel” and “the end,” which are appropriate for the Sphere of Earth being the bottom and last of the Tree. The final spelling had the same value as “Original Seed” and “Root” which are appropriate as the starting point up the Tree. I had not expected Gematria to help, but it was one of the ways I knew to traditionally test spirits and thought it couldn’t hurt. The Angel classification, Chomal, had the same value as “Troops” but also “Enoch” which while less conclusive is still interesting for his role as the Angel of Malkuth. Lastly the God Name Meltar was the same value as “The Gate” which I found out was a title of Malkuth.
As said I wasn’t expecting anything conclusive or helpful from gematria, but not only was there a theme with the Names, but they all tied specifically back to Malkuth as the Earth Sphere. I created the Seal as I was told, gave the Seal and Names to so friends, and waited for their responses. While I waited I lost my job. Deciding to test Sh’miral I asked him to help me find a job, but he explained “I have opened the way like you asked, it is not my job to walk your path from there.” That was the last time I ever worked as a social worker. Then the responses came in, my friends had encountered a similar spirit, dark and earthy, eager to help, but detached emotionally, able to bring order and patterns, and clear the road.
I considered my first skrying experiment a great success. I was nervous about being unemployed, but the Names checked out better than I expected they could, and all the results from friends pointed to Sh’miral being legit. I’ve worked with him many times throughout the years.
He functions in a lot of ways similar to Papa Legba and Ganesh in the sense that he is called to open the ways, to initiate journeys, to begin rituals, and open communication. He controls the functions of the Earth element, and terrestrial/land based magick.
Once contact has been forged Sh’miral and all the angels are easy enough to connect with, the pattern is the same, and while the words occasionally different it’s of little to no consequence. When I need to call Sh’miral I give him a very short summons. “Hail unto thee, Sh’miral, ruler of Almak, commander of the Chomal, in the Name of Meltar I call you here to work with me, and walk with me.”
As always I encourage people to try contact Sh’miral, give him a call and see what you get, I’m always interested with people’s experiences with these Angels, even four years after the experiment began.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
05
Aug
2012

Climbing the Tree – The Call to Adventure


I love the Qabalah, I really do, but it’s a frakking mess. Between different sources, different interpretations, blinds, mistranslations, and everything else it’s jumbled up.
There are the Four Worlds, everyone seems to agree there, but where are they divided on the Tree? Is there a unique Tree for each world? Are the first three Sephiroth the top three Worlds, and the next seven the lowest world? Are the cross-paths the divisions between the Worlds? Is it a Jacob’s Ladder where the Worlds overlap a little as the Trees climb up?
What Angels rule what Sephiroth? Do the Angels of the Planetary Sephiroth rule the corresponding planet? Who rules Malkuth? Do the same Angels rule the elements, or another set? Why are some of the Angels and Demons gods?
Now these are just the first of my issues with the Qabalah that sprang to mind immediately on considering this discussion. I love the philosophy, the cosmology, and the system, but there is a lot of it that seems unclear and jumbled to be polite.
What surprises some people who know my practice is that I haven’t dealt with Raphael, Michael, Tzaphkiel, and the like in years. For the reasons mentioned above, and a great many more, I felt I had to return to “The Source” not in a textual sense, but in a transcendent sense. This inspired what became my longest, and perhaps most volatile magickal experiment. While I completed this several years back, I’ve never really discussed it here and only minorly or privately elsewhere. Issues on credibility and silly notions like that got in the way. I spent two years, two months, and two days (not on purpose, just the way it worked) skrying the Tree of Life, talking with the Forces of the Tree. Not the Angels we know, but the Force.
Reality is a multifaceted diamond of infinite complexity, but the trouble is whenever we look at one facet we distort and obscure others. Tipareth, Michael, and the like are all just one facet of a diamond of the Sun-Sphere, the most familiar one, but not the only one. In my experiment I climbed the Tree, skying and communing as I went to meet other Names of those diamonds, other beings, that are of the same quality, type, and level, but don’t have the cultural-historical baggage or the confusion of the blinds/traditions/mistranslations and the host of problems that popped up with the traditional sources. These Angels (for while they aren’t the traditional Angels in my experience they are of the same level/type of entity) would speak to me, free of the confusion of the myriad of Qabalistic confusions, and gave me Names to use that were free from the Judeo-Christian sources (which was always a minor issue with me), and forms and relationships that suited my life.
I was foolish. I thought it was something I could do quickly. Pop in, get the Names and contacts I need and move on, be done in a few weeks. The Angels had a different notion, I had to be initiated into each Sphere, live each quality in order to gain access. I couldn’t just bang on the Gates of Mercury and be allowed in, I had to live a Mercurial life and only when I had lived it sufficiently then would I be permitted in.
It took me over two years of work, on and off, of having my life switch around repeatedly, in order to complete this mission, but since then it has only deepened. I work with these Angels daily, my Path has been opened by them, and they walk with me, work with me, and reside with me.
I had told a few people about this experiment at the time, and had their help with it at times, confirming identities as well as experimenting with the Angels, but I’ve never really talked about it too much. One of the things about returning to the Starry Path is discussing this, and sharing. So over the next while I will talk about the process I used, the Angels I met, and the life it led me to as I climbed the Tree.
Hail Sh’miral, the Opener of Ways, and Guide of Contact.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
19
Jul
2012

Review: After the Angel – Marcus Katz


After the Angel: An Account of the Abramelin Operation – Marcus Katz
2011, Forge Press, 208pp B004XTJ0PA
Most magickians keep magickal diaries, very few of them are worth publishing, and even fewer see anything other than the magickian’s home. Marcus Katz shares his magickal diary from the six months he undertook the Abramelin ritual, and sought Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel. Very few books cover the ritual experience in such detail. It is refreshing to read the account of a magickian who did the ritual traditionally (or as traditionally as the modern world allows), rather than taking many of the shorter modern routes to the supposed same end.
Katz includes some of his process leading up to the ritual, the choice for performing it and the details behind it, he explains how his life changed after completely the ritual, but the bulk of the book is the journal he kept for those six months.
Early in the text Katz mentions “[i]f you are close to anyone and do not want to risk that relationship, do not undertake the Abramelin. It has to be performed when you seriously have nothing to lose” (26). Right away you become aware that this might not be a simple retelling, but something personal, and occasionally painful. Another way to see that, is an authentic account of the experience.
Each day is dutifully recorded and given a personal title by Katz. In reading the text there were a few times where I had to shake my head and put the book down because I found the similarity of experiences unnerving. While the external experiences of our Abramelin ritual could not be more different a lot of little things in the inner experiences matched up so clearly that I was shocked.
Katz has an insight to the ritual that I agree with; he calls it a “Self-Extracting Program” (40), that “the working is self-developing, like a fractal – once seeded, it opens up, unique to each Operation, but following the same intrinsic pattern” (37). It is personally fascinating to see where our Operations lined up, and where they differed, it was reassuring to read about the same reality hiccoughs, and the vacillation between ecstatic faith, and numbing doubt. The insight into Katz’s path and experiences is a great read for those like me who enjoy understanding how people interpret the world, and to observe the change in language and perspective as the ritual goes on it quite interesting.
This is not a book for someone wanting to learn the Abramelin, it is merely a recording of one man’s journey through it. To be honest I’m not sure if I’d recommend it for someone considering the ritual either, I’d be concerned of them reading about specific experiences and trying too hard to recreate them, rather than experiences what comes their way. That might seem overly cautious by I know one of my ordeals of the ritual was letting go of what I had expected during the Abramelin Operation, and letting life occur. For those who are curious of anyone’s experience on the Path, who want to understand and read the experiences behind the ritual, and maybe have walked similar it is definitely an interesting read.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
14
Jun
2012

Review: Quadrivium Oils


Quadrivium Supplies Inc. Ritual Oils.
Historically I’ve had mixed luck with Hoodoo oils, to the point that I stopped attempting to make use of them on advice of someone close to me. Of course my curiosity was piqued by the idea of ritual oils made for ritual magickians, and that’s just what Quadrivium Supplies Inc. manufactures.
The producer makes it clear that her oils aren’t Hoodoo oils, though they may draw some of their inspiration from them. Her oils may contain some of the same ingredients, or completely different recipes, and are created during carefully selected astrological elections. Really the oils seem more connected to Hermetic systems than anything else.
So what about the oils? Well I got my blue paws on four oils (appropriate from Quadrivium), Banishing, Love Drawing, Steady Work, and Money Drawing. When I opened my first bottle I was struck by the smell, it was something fresh, and complex, and I couldn’t place it at first, but the word I want to use is real. Back when I was toying around with oils years back it took me a while to realize that some oils are oils, others are plastic essentially. Quadrivium oils aren’t made from synthetic oils, but real herbs and oils. The proof is in every bottle, each bottle has a left-over, or a curio from the crafting process, some of the materia is in the oil. Not just a nice reminder that it is real, to me that’s a great choice as the materia itself is part of the root of the power of the magick, so keeping it in the oil makes sense to me. Reading through the Quadrivium blog you can easily see how important the use of real ingredients is to the owner, and really it’s a dedication that I appreciate in my magickal supplies.
Each bottle comes with a handy information card explaining the purpose of the oil, some of the details of ingredients and consecration, and a link to the site for more information on using the oil. The information on the site is of great use, some oils and applications are straight forward, others are more obscure, and it’s always nice to see the suggestion of someone else (especially the creator) on how to use the oils effectively.
Solid information, and beautiful scents are nice and all, but when I get something for a magickal purpose there is one thing I’m looking for above all; results. So far from my tests with the oils, I’d have to say the results are good. I planned on testing Love Drawing on a quick visit to a club, more to gauge reactions than seeking something. Sadly my experiment was interrupted as I stopped by at a friend’s house on the way, and the latent tension of our relationship kinda surfaced. Interrupted experiment, but a good result. When I was going to try a candle experiment with the oil my phone rang, considering the person on the other end rarely calls I answered it assuming emergency (nothing that bad), but in the process got oil on my phone. I forgot when I got my smartphone nine months ago I putting any dating apps on them, cause they’ve been dead, suddenly I was getting messages on two apps I couldn’t even remember how to navigate it had been so long. Again, not the expected outcome, but I’d tally that up as a good result. I used Steady Work in a working with a client to get them a job, and while they don’t have a job yet, they’re in contract negotiations, which considering they’ve had less than five interviews in the last 18 months, seems like it is a good start. So far my experiments are showing something is going, results, I approve.
If you’re looking for ritual oils, I cannot recommend Quadrivium Oils enough. Hand-crafted, real ingredients, astrological elections, and a passionate creator, you don’t need anything more in quality supplies. Even if you’ve had bad luck with oils (I know I did) I’d recommend giving these a try, the difference in quality might surprise you and change your mind. All the information is on the site for where to buy the oils in person or online.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
24
Feb
2012

Review: Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy – Scott Michael Stenwick


Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy – Scott Michael Stenwick
Pendraig Publishing. 2011. 178pp. 9781936922048.
“Dee’s obsession with scrying and communication has been picked up by many modern practitioners of Enochian magick, and from reading some accounts one might be led to think that this is all the system is good for.” (50) I admit, I was in this category, I wasn’t an Enochian magickian, but that’s what I thought the system was for, and my few experiments in the system with friends were for information. This book aims to dispel that idea, as well as the mono-focus on the Great Table which is even more prevalent in the magickal community.
The Heptarchia Mystica is a section of Dee and Kelly’s work that is often overlooked and separate from the Great Table. It is also closer in structure and usage to the grimoires of the time. If you’re a grimoiric/Solomonic magickian (like me) some of the mainstream Enochian system can see a bit much to get into, but the Heptarchia Mystica is more accessible and familiar in many ways. It gives a collection of planetary Kings and Princes, as well as the evocations for each figure, and how to work with them, in a style far closer to what you get from the Lesser Key than from most Enochian texts.
This book is more than just printing of the oft ignored text, but also a general book on how to work with it. It was written with the “intention that you as an aspiring magician should be able to pick up this book and begin working magick right away” (53). If not for the fact that it requires specific ritual items like rings and lamens, this goal seems to be hit. The reader is led through a cursory history of the system and then some preliminary magick. Stenwick takes the standard banishing 101 seemingly required in every magick book, and goes a step farther. Instead of just giving the standard LBRP, the reader is given to Enochian inspired banishing/invoking rituals based on the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals. These are not simple rewrites of changing a name you sometimes get in books where they replace a name and claim it is Celtic (or whatever), but actually fairly distinct rituals I found quite enjoyable. Also Stenwick mentions what he calls the various fields: the effects of combining the different invoking and banishing rituals of the pentagrams and hexagrams. I had toyed with what these combinations too, but he takes it a step farther and discusses each combination and what they are best used for. It was an unexpected inclusion, but I definitely got a lot from it. Aside from the meat of the text that is something I will definitely do more work with.
The Enochian system is Christian in inspiration, it is a fact you can’t really get around, as such a lot of the prayers and evocations are quite Christian. On the other hand Stenwick is not, he’s a Thelemite, so each prayer is presented in its original form and then followed by a more Thelemic form, which often didn’t require too drastic of a change. I really liked this modification, as my belief system is far closer to the Thelemic system in philosophy than the Christian, and I know a surprising amount of Ceremonial Magickians have issues working with an overtly Christian system.
The book had a few formatting errors that irked me. Many of the internal page references were off by a page or two, so when working from the book you have to mark it somehow so you know to turn to the right page. Also sections that were supposed to be italicized so the reader would know what to omit or change were not actually italicized. In the grand scheme these are minor, but interfere just enough with the text to be a gremlin in the book.
For seasoned Enochian magickians, grimoiric/Solomonic magickians looking to break into Enochian systems, or occults of any shade looking for something new to try, this book is a good place to start. Largely complete within itself, and focusing on an uncommon part of a popular tradition, this is an excellent book to explore.
Personally I’m going to harass friends and family to borrow some Enochian gear, and get to work. If you want to read more by Scott Michael Stenwick, you can follow his blog here or comment specifically on his forum post, which is a blog post that looks like it will be question and answer, and discussion with others who have enjoyed this book.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
04
Jan
2012

Wednesday Webshares: Music, Monks, Mayans, and More


(Yes, I know I have an alliteration problem. I tried attending Alliteraters Anonymous, but that just made things worse)
In my review on Geomancy by Hartmann, I expressed some confusion about some assignments. Polyphanes came to the rescue with a killer comment, which then led into a great post on the planets orderings and their connections, days, nights, hours, and metals?
For the more musically inclined on the Ceremonial spectrum Alex Sumner has written a set of posts on Music in Theory and Practice. Putting the different ways of transforming Hebrew letters into musical notation. This is the first one, I recommend reading them. Of course, I disagree with his suggestion that you could just grab any instrument and play the names on it…he obviously doesn’t play a theremin, just saying.
Debating the Mayan Nonpocalypse? Here is a handy infographic comparing believers and sceptics.
I adore Carl Sagan. Cosmos was a huge influence on my spiritual path. I celebrate his birthday, and call him a Saint. Lupa writes up a great reflection on watching the series, and the importance of its message, and I couldn’t agree more.
Want an interesting bar experience in Tokyo? There is no shortage of bizarre places to go, but how about a bar staffed by Buddhist monks? It’s not just a silly gimmick, it’s an attempt to break out of the monastic tradition and return to engaging with the community, and helping others. I’m assuming they had a lot of discussions if this counts are right livelihood or not.
Looking for a good New Years Tarot spread? Check out Naya’s 26 card spread. It’s a lot to work through but after giving it a try I like the format a lot.
For more 2012 forecasting pop over to Peter Stockinger’s Traditional Astrology Weblog where he lists out the retrogrades we have coming this year, as well as Out of Bounds, Ingresses, Eclipses, and more.
Going back two months Aghor Pit wrote up a nine part series on the Navagraha, the Nine Planets. Each entry talks about the Planet/God represents or rules, some explanation on the symbolism, Yantras, associations, mantras and more. This link is to Chandra (the Moon) the first in the series, but I really recommend reading them all. Even though it is different from the Western traditions, there is a lot to learn there.
I know it’s an easy horse to beat, and I’ll try to leave it with this, but a video on why 2012 is silly. Best quote “The History Channel: What happened to you guys?”

Also in a hitting myself over the head because it’s so clever and I didn’t think of it post Naya links the theory of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences to different types of magick. Now, when I teach people magick I always try to play into their strengths initially, and in my non-magickal life I’ve had Gardner’s MI beaten into me regularly for a long time, but I never linked them. Lots to think on, both what fits where, and one of the important questions with MI, how to modify something that doesn’t fall into someone’s stronger Intelligences so that it does, without having to abandon everything.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick