kalagni

08
Sep
2012

Hands of Holy Fire


Stage magicians take good care of their hands, it’s a habit I didn’t leave behind when I left the field. One thing I’ve started doing in the relatively recent period is using a salt scrub on my hands. Let me tell you they are marvellous. They scrub off dry/hard skin, they coat the fresh skin with moisturizing oil, and bring blood to the skin so it can repair itself. Sure your hands are a bit greasy for a while, but they’ll be so soft after a few repeated uses.
That’s not all though, I find they leave my hands positively buzzing with energy for a while. Maybe it’s because of the increased bloodflow and the links between blood and internal energies. Maybe it’s because it opens the pores a bit, allowing a greater flow to occur, if you subscribe to the model linking those ideas. Maybe it’s all in my head, but that’s fine, my head is an awesome place to be.
I decided to actively use this in some of my work, so I created my Hands of Holy Fire Scrub. It’s simple to make. 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of salt (“free running” or small granules), and six drops of Abramelin oil, mix and store in an airtight non-plastic container. This makes enough for a handful (harhar) of uses. I find when I scrub my hands with this I get more than the general energy buzz in my hands, but a very specific type of energy, a “flaming” sort that I associate with my HGA. To solidify this I usually say a prayer as I’m scrubbing my hands.
I find it useful to localize this energy in my hands for various reasons. While it’s not my typical “flavour” for healing I find using it for energetic healing work has produced some great results. Also a lot of my personal style of magick is based upon gestures relating to my internal vision projection. (I’ve been told many times it looks similar in motion to the tech in the movie Minority Report, which I’ve never seen, but from the trailer I can see the resemblance.) While I can use this style without the Hands of Holy Fire (in fact I don’t think my gestures do anything on an external scape but merely reflect an internal process) I do find with it I sometimes have greater bruteforce against somethings. Occasionally I’ll meet something I can’t manipulate, but with the HoHF I can continue to work in a lot of cases. Along with healing just having my hands this way when doing a cleansing seems to be a bit more effective. Consecrating, or handling, ritual items associated with the Cosmos flows a lot better when I’ve used the scrub.
Looking at the common three part self model this is a good way of linking body with spirit and mind, you’re physically rooting and connecting to the energy through the scrub (as the material and the action). I’m sure this could be adapted in other ways, as another mode of condition oil application, allowing more control/form as the energy pools around your hands. The same scrub can be made with sugar instead of salt, which might work better for attracting magick. Of course always make sure that the condition oil doesn’t contain anything that would react negatively if applied to skin, blah blah blah.
As always, toy, tweak, experiment.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
04
Sep
2012

Probability Wave Tarot


(Before I start I’d like to make clear that while I slip into some physics jargon, I’m using it as a model, I don’t believe this actually works on the same principal as a probability wave, only that it makes a good illustration for what I’m discussing.)
When I use the tarot I don’t believe I’m seeing the future, I might be, but I don’t believe in a predestined future. Reality and time are far too mutable for me to believe in a single outcome. The cards show me a probable future, generally the most probable future based on how events have transpired and have the potential to transpire. Potential does not equal predetermination; some events may not come to pass as other probable paths may be taken, especially if people involved have knowledge of what is shaping up, just as using the tarot allows. By knowing the way the probable future looks someone can begin to change it, either through an active or passive Will, making it a self-fulfilling or self-defeating prediction.
Way back as I first began working with the tarot more seriously I started to tune into this concept, and called it probability waves (with the obvious nod to quantum physics). My image of the concept was of a point in time, floating in a sea of infinite possibilities, and various internal and external influences making waves in the sea, making various outcomes more probable than others. These waves can be interfered with though, other events causing them to change or “collapse” allowing a different possibility to become the most probable, and possibly come to be. I started to find a point in readings, where I could intuit a branch, or weakness, where the current Wave could be shifted to another one, to bring about a more preferable outcome. I could see the probable future before me, and I understood where the weak point was, that with a bit of pressure could shift it best from one outcome to another.
This evolved into my Fractal Spread, in which I would map out options from a specific choice, and see what possible outcome looked the most desirable to me, and what I would have to do to achieve this. Instead of questions about what will happen, or “should I do”, I’d look at the outcomes for all my choices and make my decision based on what would arise. If the cards could reveal these Probability Waves, and I could affect them, why couldn’t I use the cards themselves to affect the Probability Waves, and begin to shape the outcomes I want in a tarot spread. This was the birth of my Probability Wave Tarot Working -which is still evolving and being refined. Now unlike a ritual with may have very clear goals, this working is more thematic. As tarot cards are open-ended and vague, you’re not necessarily creating specific events, but thematic environments for the value of the card to arise in. You can’t enchant for a specific lover (for example) but set up the situation for a lover to appear.
This working involves dealing out multiple cards, which are the most probable futures, and then turning face down the less desirable futures, in order to work against them, and attempt to “collapse” that probability wave. The model here is loosely based on the probability waves of quantum packets. That observing a phenomenon “collapses” it into reality, such as the double-slit experiment or Schrödinger’s hated absurd cat. I do the entire spread inside a Tesseract/Hypercube, because I feel that allows me to influence further than I would be able to without it, as well as it gives me a good focus and visualization for the arising and collapsing of Probability Waves. Now the actual method, the way I describe it, can take up a lot of space, so feel free to rearrange it depending on your available space, but try to keep the cards in an order you recognize.
I use the Tesseract in this ritual/working in place of a circle, though a similar idea to some models, it is something to contain, and focus the power of the working. It also works well in my head as using a four-dimensional shape helps me think of the working as being something a bit beyond and above the day-to-day world, and as the axis shifts and different faces appear I interpret that as fluxes in the probability. I’m sure other set-ups could work as long as you can link it to the model somehow. The only other container I know someone has used for this was a clock, but they focused on having one hand go forward, one backwards, and the other popping in and out of existence. Personally I feel that’s more on the timey-wimey side of things instead of probability, but if it works it works.

Click me for a rotating image

Create a Tesseract intersecting the surface the reading will be done on, and have it rotate on its axes, with the deck contained in the centre of the construct. If you’re unfamiliar with the shape I recommend wiki or googling for examples and explanations of a tesseract. To create it draw a point, and then mirror that point so you have two, and draw a line between them. Then mirror that line and connect the ends of both giving you a square. Mirror the square and connect all the corners giving you a cube. Lastly mirror the cube and connect all the corners of the cubes. The connections should all be the same length, and at the same angles from the cubes, yes it’s a bit brainbreaking. Take the deck, and shuffle it with your intent as you would for a reading, but rather than what you want to know about, it is what you want to influence.
Deal a single card, this represents where you are now, this is the point in time that all the Waves extend to and from, in the image this is the bottom card. Now deal five cards face down above it. These are five of the most probable outcomes from your current position. (I find five is the magic number here, four seems too limiting and six too many) I like to draw with my finger a line from the single card to each probable future, tracing the connection forward through probable timelines. Turn them over and read the faces. Doing this starts to “narrow” the possibilities down, because the state of probability is beginning to be observed. Immediately turn over the most undesirable cards, and see that Probability Wave collapse. Feel the “door” to that future being closed, and trace the line back from the facedown card to the present card, undoing the connection to the probable future. Turn all the cards save one facedown until you have the most desirable card left.
Now deal another five cards face down above them, these represent the five most probable outcomes stemming from the desired outcome below. Again trace the probability line up into them, and turn them face up, then turn face down all the undesirable outcomes, collapsing that Probability Wave, tracing that probability line back down, and then turning face down all the lesser desirable outcomes, until you have one card face up, your most desired outcome.
Continue repeating this five card process until one of two things happens, you deal out five probable outcomes that are all desirable (a very good sign), or until you have eight probable future cards (so a total of 41 cards dealt out). I know eight seems like a lot, but you’ll understand why in a minute.
Take all the face down, undesirable probabilities, and place them face down in the centre of the Tesseract, I call this the Quantum Abyss, for no real reason, but it fits my focus and intent. Place them there with the intent that it will completely collapse those Waves, and keep those outcomes from coming to be. I deal each card down one at a time, and as I do I feel it “drop out” of our reality, down a well in space-time where it can’t come to pass. Then arrange the desirable outcome cards around this. If you went until you got five desirable outcomes, try to arrange them in a rough circle around the Quantum Abyss cards. If you went until you had eight desired outcomes, arrange them around the Quantum Abyss cards in the pattern of the inner Octagram of the Tesseract (this is using a 2D projection of a 4D shape, it looks like the image to the side). Place your current situation face up over the Quantum Abyss cards, it is already occurred/occurring and it’s observed (face up) so it doesn’t fall down the Abyss but seals it instead.
Visualise the Probability Waves of these cards flowing from these eight points into the shape of the rotating Tesseract, and banish/dispel the Tesseract to release the Working, and set it into motion. For me I find that works best by expanding it until it breaks apart, and everything that it has contained flies out of the explosion.
As always this is a Working that is ever evolving, so I will occasionally do it again for the same idea a week after, to reinforce events, and take care of other probabilities that are arising. I also do this to watch how things are shaping up from it, and how to further refine the technique. I encourage people to contact me with feedback, and I encourage people to take their tarot decks, and instead of using them as passive messengers of the future, turn them into the active transformers of the future. (And hopefully this didn’t seem too random for people)

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
01
Sep
2012

Skrying the Tree – Temptations – Milara


After making contact with Tzamaron and being “freed” from my job as a messenger I began working my first, and only, retail job. It seemed so odd to most people (myself included) I went from being a social worker with a fairly good name in my niche areas (geographic region of the city, as well as known for teaching about Intersexed individuals, transsexual/transgendered people, and queer issues, as well as safer sex) to working a job a bit above minimum wage in the biggest mall in the province.
It was odd, but it was oddly perfect too. I’m a big geek, and here I was working at a store selling board games, where I got huge discounts on board games, and I worked on a great team. I’ve never made friends with co-workers save at that job, we just clicked, and years later I’m still friends with a few. It was a place, and a job, that I loved. So it was obvious to me that Tzamaron had helped me shift into the realm of Venus, friends, passion, fun, it was clear. Even still it took me a while to get around to skrying cause I was just enjoying myself too much and so busy with life.

Her Seal drawn on the Qamea of Venus


I set up my temple, again candles, incense, music, glyph on the mirror. Calling to Sh’miral the way was open and I climbed the Tree until I reached through the vastness to the Sphere of Venus. When I felt it present I called for a door, a copper heptagon door appeared* with a shimmering green glyph of Venus on it, like a heat mirage. I knocked, thrice, once, thrice, and the door opened.
*Someone asked what the doors were against, what they opened into. The answer is nothing, the door stood alone in space, and could be moved around, but it opened into the Sphere.
I found myself standing on a balcony of a house on a cliff face overlooking a sea. Without having to call I heard the clicking of shoes (high-heels?) on the stone behind me. Turning around, no, not high-heels, bird claws. The Angel before me was hybrid, bird-like lower legs, human torso, wings instead of arms, and an Eagle head. Her voice was melodic and quite human though. She introduced herself as Milara. I expressed confusion over her appearance, as at that time I associated Venus with Earth. “All of us are all Elements, but when compared to others one shines clearer. Compared to my Sister (Clarshitel) I am Earthy, but compared to one yet to be found I am mist in the air.” After some discussion on that she explained Her place. “I rule from on high, the ways of the windy mountain are mine, I am the highest Sphere on this level, to reach beyond me is a great leap. The lower Spheres I watch over, and the higher Spheres I join.”

Combined with the Glyph


Milara the Angel has the same value as high and lofty, appropriate to me for a bird-like angel ruling from a mountain top. Her name also has the same value as branch/tree and praise, which mean nothing on their own, but connect to other Names.
The Name of Her Sphere is Feonin and shares the same value prosperity/fertility (an Aspect of Venus’s Sphere), shout, and rejoicing. Shout and rejoicing seem to link to praise, forming a theme almost between the Names.
The Order of Angels under Her rule are the Chilmarit which gematrically links to breeding, and offspring, a very Venusian link, as well as sprouts or buds, which forms an interesting link back to Milara as a branch/tree.

Her Seal as revealed years later, the base still confuses me


Lastly the God Name that gives Form to these powers is Shero which enumerates the same as Taurus the Bull and the Fixed Earth sign ruled by Venus, the Pillar of Mercy which is the Pillar on which Venus rests. It also equals topmost, echoing Milara’s description of Her position with the lower Spheres. Lastly it equals Asherah, which is a complicated word. Asherah is form of the Name Astarte or Ishtar, Mesopotamian Goddess of fertility, sexuality, and war, who also was represented by none other than Venus. Asherah though was also the early partner for El/YHWH before His cult became Henotheistic, and later Monotheistic. Asherah continued to be represented in early temples of His cult by a single tree or wooden pillar, another interesting link to the tree/branch/bud imagery of the Names. (Note: At the time I didn’t know about Asherah, I learned about that in University which is yet to come in this story)
So firmly in the Sphere of Venus, enjoying my life, having fun, and fairly carefree. Good job, good friends, lots of board games. Surely there is no problem with this…

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
26
Aug
2012

Skrying the Tree – Challenges – Tzamaron


Fear not, the next entry has essentially no story element
So my experiment was moving along at a quick pace, and confirmations through divination, visions, gematria, and the evocations of others all seemed to say I was actually getting somewhere with it. At this rate I figured I could finish in just over two months.
I was still unemployed, but neither Sh’miral or Clarshitel were really the type of Angel to help with that, but next on my journey was the Sphere of Mercury. I set up the same way as before, appropriate amount and colours of candles, incense, music, with the glyph of Mercury drawn on my skrying mirror. Remembering my lesson last time I called on Sh’miral and he escorted me up through Timarin, the Lunar Sphere, and from there directed me into the dark toward the Mercury Sphere. I felt like I travelled for ages, and nothing happened, so I forced a door to appear, a brass octagon with an orange shimmering glyph of Mercury on it. I knocked, once, thrice, thrice, once, and the door opened. Darkness there, and nothing more. Trying everything to produce light, or someone to talk to all failed. So I returned to myself, and tried two days later. Different experience, but the same result, nothing. I even tried my original method, using the Qabalistic Angel to make contact, and “jump” from there. To no success.

His seal made by drawing his Name on the Qamea of Mercury

I was alright financially, but knew money would get tight if something didn’t happen soon, and something did. A friend of a friend told me about a company that hires folks for high-priority document delivery in Toronto, mainly downtown between bankers and lawyers. I applied, and all I needed was a bus pass and I was good to go. It was a tough job, far tougher than I expected. Even though you bussed/subwayed everywhere I still walked on average 22km a day (14 miles), it was a long day of 9-5 without any real break, cause each delivery was more money so you never wanted to stop. The pay was crap, technically illegally low but they used a loophole. It was the type of job where I’d get home at dinner, eat, and collapse, sometimes I’d wake up and do something at night, othertimes I slept through to the next day. I did this job for a month, and I was so tired and busy with it I never got around to trying to skry again. Finally there was a holiday giving me the Friday off so I decided to try again.

His Seal linked with the Glyph of Mercury

I set up all the props, and dove into the mirror escorted by Sh’miral, who seemed happier than last time, maybe he was just trying to cheer me up. When I shot through the dark to Mercury I quickly felt reality “thicken” and I called forth the octagonal brass door. I knocked, and it opened. It was a garden, flowers (mainly orange) hung on everything, birds and bees flew around rapidly, there was a buzz, a sense that everything was moving. I called for the Angel of the place to meet me, and a voice from behind, with a very strange accent, caught my attention. I turned and was facing the Angel, who was a light-skinned young man in an orange, blue, and black suit. I’d say he was the most human Angel on my trip so far, except his hair-style was that of the Centauri from Babylon 5. We talked, I asked the usual questions for the Names, and I got them. Then I asked a month old question. “Why couldn’t I find you before?” “Little one, all is a machine, a cog cannot demand for the gears to turn as it wishes, it must wait until the right time to revolve. The Earth and Moon are close to you, but I am farther, you couldn’t just come to me, you weren’t ready, you had to immerse yourself in my qualities, live a Kirahlian (Mercurial) life for a time. Only then could you come here.” I asked how I did that, I haven’t had time in the month of the hell job. A smirk grew across his face “I am a great many things, but I am Communication, Messages, and Commerce. For the last month you have been a Messenger between bankers, and businesses. You were the winged messenger flying across your city’s financial heart, keeping it beating. You lived in my Sphere, bankers, messages, communication, as well as deceit and trickery in many of your packages. It was only when you had lived in my Sphere in your life, could you come to my Sphere here.”
It hadn’t hit me that I was a messenger, or how Mercurial my job was. I respectfully asked though if I could be “released” from that Sphere, as the job was horrible. He told me to carry a resume with me that week, that I had prayed over, and he would find me another job appropriate to him, something fun, intelligent, and that I would love. I went to work that week, eyes open, knowing for sure if he was legitimate I’d know the opportunity when I saw it. Wednesday, Day of Mercury, I was sent out to my area of the city, first time that far east, to the mall. On the way back from the delivery I passed one of my favourite stores “Mind Games” and while there was no hiring sign, I walked in, and asked if they were hiring. Not at that location, but another one, but they’d fax my resume. I left it there. On Friday, Day of Venus, I got a phone call, Monday was an interview, Wednesday the following week I was hired. In a week and a half from my conversation with my Mercurial Angel, I had gone from a job I hated as a messenger, to my favourite job working at a store selling board games, science kits, brain teasers, and educational games.
Gematria again provided insight into the Names I was given, and friends confirmed the nature of the Angel. Ironically my Centauri was not the only sci-fiction appearance he has taken, someone else saw him as a Ferengi, with all the Mercurial traits one would expect.

His Seal revealed years later

The name of the Angel is Tzamaron, the “tza” is an odd sound, between a sha, ta, and za. It’s sharp and harsh, almost like a quick snake hiss followed by “ah.” His name has the same value as Tongues, and Tziruph. Tongues are the organ of language, ruled by Mercury. Tziruph is a way of encoding or decoding something in Hebrew by a simple substitution cipher, something that is also very Mercurial.
Kirahl is the Sphere of Mercury. I was given three spellings for that Sphere, a true one, and two to illustrate the point. The true spelling is the same value as “to use magick,” “sage,” “intelligences,” and “horns.” All very Mercurial in their nature. The other spellings had the same value as “words” and as “Enoch” the scribe of Heaven. To further test it, I tried another spelling that would still work in Hebrew, but the value was boundary, and I had trouble linking that, I couldn’t just make up gemantric values and have them work.
The Sheno are the Angelic order of this Sphere. Their name is the same value as thought, idea, and number.
Lastly the Godname to form and compel the forces of Kirahl is Phorahlin, pronounced for-Ah-lin. Without using a final nun, the Name equals “the teaching”, with the final nun, the Name equals cunning, and witchcraft.
Several weeks earlier I started this experiment and lost my job, with contacting Tzamaron my life shifted, I went from working a career that I largely enjoyed, to a job that I absolutely loved. I had confirmed Tzamaron’s integrity by vision and corresponding events in my life, then later on with other’s working with him. I also learnt that I couldn’t rush this initiatory experience. The Angels of the Spheres had their own plans for me, and I had to earn the right to visit them. I was humbled, it was not up to me, it was up to them, I had to be worthy to progress, I had to live their Spheres and earn my access.
As with all the Angels, especially the planetary ones, I have a very short “prayer” I use to call on Tzamaron, though its effectiveness is more reliant on our relationship than the power in the words. Every Wednesday when I give him my daily offering I say “Hail unto Tzamaron, ruler of Kirahl, leader of the Sheno, in the Name of Phoralin I call you here, and ask that you work with me, and walk with me.”

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
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
19
Aug
2012

Inspirational? Interesting Facts About Kalagni


Twice recently I’ve received the Inspiring Blogger Award, which surprised me, cause of all the words I’d use to describe it inspiring isn’t what comes to mind, unless you’re dealing with the origin of the word. The first came from Dying for a Diagnosis which houses an eclectic mix of discussion on mental/physical wellness of the author, and where they intersect with spiritual and kink. The second came from The Crossroads Companion written by someone who while I don’t know what label they use strikes me as a cross between a Hermetic magickian and an ecstatic witch, also fun and crafty type of person.
One of the rules is I have to nominate seven other blogs. I’m going to skip that. Check the list to the right (which needs to be updated severely), or pay attention to my Wednesday Webshares to see what is interesting me.
Last rule was to post seven interesting things about myself. Figured why not, you don’t always get a sense of who someone is through their niche writing, so interesting things, trying to avoid heavy woogity.
1. I have long blue hair that currently is just shy of reaching my belly button. I’ve had blue hair for almost twelve years at this point. Currently I’m like Marge Simpson, I have a surprising amount of white hair for my age, but the blue hides it nicely.
2. I’ve died several times (I’ll only discuss two). I choked on the umbilical cord and fluids during birth, came out deep blue (as my father points, the same colour as my hair), and was dead for roughly fifteen minutes before they revived me. My original name was something horrendous, but during that time in panic my mother changed my name to keep herself occupied. To this day I maintain I refused to live with the original name. I drowned when I was four. It was my first Near-Death Experience. I didn’t see the light, instead I saw a Dark Woman and black flames. At the time I coded her as Maleficent (how else would a four year old understand that?) but I’ve come to understand Her as Kali.
3. I used to be a stage magician, and somewhat of a prodigy. I don’t mean I knew a few card tricks, and some sleight of hand. I was a full blown making things float, people disappear, cutting women in thirds type of magician. Fortune favoured me and I actually trained with some big names, and used to attend, and later teach/counsel at a summer camp for young magicians. For the most part I’m fine that I stopped performing, I donated about $1000 worth of equipment to the camp, but occasionally I miss it. On that note, never ask me to perform.
4. As a child I had a belief in reincarnation, even when I didn’t understand the concept. Twice in early grade school I identified people who knew from another place/time. One I identified as my brother from a life in Ireland, the other was someone I worked with in an American life. In both cases I didn’t get the concept of reincarnation, that whole death and rebirth thing, so I explained it as “We used to be X back in Y, and we were sent forward here.” I had no idea of the mechanism of being sent forward, nor why I didn’t remember those lives that much and was suddenly a child rather than an adult.
5. I’m not an emotional person at all, but there are two things that will always get me to cry. A VNV Nation concert, and Sleeping in the Light, the final episode of Babylon 5. At some point during a VNV Nation concert I’ll cry, just a little, but it will happen when it sweeps over me. In Sleeping in the Light, when John and Delenn say good-bye, when John “dies,” and when Babylon 5 blows up, all of those scenes make me cry for some reason.
6. My family has lived in the Toronto area for almost two hundred years (1820s). One relative owned 400 acres just west of what is now downtown (at the time it was outside of the city limits), another owned the 200 acre farm that was bought to become the first non-Catholic/Anglican cemetery in the city, and it is now Mount Pleasant cemetery, a must see if you’re in the city. Currently the house I sit in is one of two pieces of property owned by my family, being a small three bedroom house. I don’t know how the 400 acres vanished, but I’m not amused.
7. I play the theremin. When I first started I ran a youtube channel filming my progress of learning, but my speakers died, then my mic, and I got out of the habit of doing it. I try to practice regularly but I doubt I play more than twice a month at this point. For me it is the most difficult thing I’ve ever tried to learn (I even wrote an A paper on it in my psychology of learning course) because it is so freeform, and I’m…a set of contacts and face paint away from being Data. Theremins have no set notes, they exist on a spectrum in the air with nothing marking them, and where the notes are shifts as you play due to the instrument warming up, ambient temperature, humidity and things in close proximity. It’s exceedingly frustrating, I love it. (On that note I plan on learning on playing the saw, which also has a similar issue of not quite having set notes) I won’t link to a video of me playing, but instead to Grieg with the first performance of a theremin I ever saw and that wom my mechanical heart.

Posted by kalagni
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