Auto-Talismanic Ritual for 2022

We will be performing the Auto-Talismanic Ritual for the 2022 Winter Solstice tomorrow evening, Tuesday December 20th, at the Ritual Workshop. Doors open at 7:30 with the ritual to begin around 8 PM.

0. The Temple

The temple is set up with an altar in the center, on which sits the Table of Art. A pitcher filled with wine or juice is placed in the center of the Table. The banishing dagger, invoking wand, and bell chime are placed on the altar. Magus wears white and Sophia wears black. Throughout the ritual, Sophia and Magus face each other across the altar, moving appropriately throughout the various ceremonial forms.

I. Opening

As each person enters the temple, they are handed a glass filled with salt water. Once all are present, Magus takes up the banishing dagger and performs the Star Ruby.

Sophia: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.

All: MAKAShANAH.

Magus: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.

All: ABRAHADHABRA.

Sophia: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.

All: AUMGN.

Magus: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.

Sophia:: All is pure and present and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and are done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence.

All: So mote it be.

Were They Becoming Living Gods?

Back in 2014, online magick personality E. A. Koetting was arrested on methamphetamine and weapons charges. Koetting's "Become a Living God" online presence more recently took a huge hit after one of his fans decided to make a pact with a demon that involved him killing young women in exchange for winning the lottery. In a classic case of "that's not how any of this works," the disturbed fan did not in fact win anything and just went to prison.

Oddly enough, though, it seems that a group of Buddist monks in Thailand may have also been fans of this whole "Living God" thing. Or at least they were fans of the meth. From Vice:

A small Buddhist temple’s entire abbey of monks was defrocked, dismissed, and sent to rehab this week after every one of them tested positive for methamphetamine.

All four monks at a temple in Phetchabun province's Bung Sam Phan district, in central Thailand, were forced by police to take urine tests on Monday. All four of them, including the abbot, failed.

The monks were subsequently sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation, local official Boonlert Thintapthai told AFP, leaving the temple without holy men and raising concerns among local worshippers that they wouldn’t be able to conduct “merit-making”—that is, donating food to monks as a good deed.

It’s not clear why police targeted this particular temple, nor these particular monks, to test for drug use—but the action comes amid a broader national campaign to tackle the trafficking of illicit substances.

Personally I don't have a problem with people using substances to produce altered states of consciousness. From what I understand, though, meth is just a super-addictive stimulant without much in the way of effects that I would consider even bordering on spiritual. Anyway, my understanding is that Buddhist monks aren't even supposed to drink alcohol, so I would expect meth to be right out.

Meth apparently does make engaging in boring tasks for long periods of time easier, which maybe says something about what life at this particular temple was like. Or maybe doing it was just a lot more fun than sitting around meditating all day. Whatever the case, their "Living God" habit clearly caught up with them - like it usually does.