Cognitive Dissonance?

In the past I have been highly critical of "meltdown stories" involving Enochian magick. The story goes that there is something specific about Enochian that makes it highly dangerous to a person's mental health, and many people allegedly develop mental health problems after working with it. I personally have worked with the system for decades using the methods published in my Mastering Enochian Magick series and never have encountered anything like that, and I can't say that any of my students have either. But I recently heard a bit of information that might suggest something about what could be going on with those narratives.

Magick and mental illness have very little in common. Despite some superficial features - for example, schizophrenic auditory hallucinations versus communicating with spirits - it is not the case that magicians are in some sense working effectively with states of consciousness that might otherwise be pathological. If you spend any time at all with schizophrenic people, it becomes pretty clear that the famous Joseph Cambbell quote, "The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight" is not even remotely accurate. About the only thing psychosis and mysticism have in common is that they both involve altered states of consciousness, and all alterations of consciousness are not the same.

It is also difficult to build causal relationships between mental illness and any sort of practice, spiritual or otherwise, because between a quarter and a third of our population has some form of mental illness. While there are of course mentally ill people in the magical community, I have never seen any valid statistical evidence pointing to the incidence being anywhere near as high as a quarter to a third. If the rates are the same between magical practitioners and the general population, you can't conclude that magick of any sort somehow causes mental illness. This is the main reason I remain skeptical of the alleged Enochian meltdown narrative.

What is true is that people who develop delusions generally develop them in the context of their lives and activities. A person who practices magick and develops paranoid scizophrenia is likely to have delusions about magical ideas, like evil magicians or spirits attacking them. A fundamentalist Christian is likely to have the same delusions about demons. A person who grew up around UFOlogists is likely to have those delusions about aliens. And a person without exposure to any of these alternative communities is probably going to develop them about secret government agencies or law enforcement.

Via Solis Aquarius Elixir Rite - Year Nine

Today's post is a full script for the Aquarius Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, January 20th, at the Tuesday Ritual Workshop starting around 8 PM CDT. The Sun entered Aquarius today, on January 19th.

0. The Temple

The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Aquarius. The sign Aquarius is attributed to the power of "Astrology." This includes both learning about astrology and astrological methods, and working directly with astrological forces, aspects, and the like. As such, this is a general power with many possible practical applications. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.

I. Opening

All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.

Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!

Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.

Officiant: 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

Officiant: 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: ABRAHADABRA

Officiant: 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

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

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

Bell chime.

Via Solis Capricorn Elixir Rite - Year Nine

Today's post is a full script for the Capricorn Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, December 23rd, at the Leaping Laughter Ritual Workshop. We will starting around 8 PM.

0. The Temple

The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Capricorn.

The sign Capricorn is attributed to the powers of "The Witches' Sabbath so-called" and "the Evil Eye." The latter is a general form of cursing cast by line of sight, but keep in mind that as Capricorn rules the Evil Eye, this sign can be employed both to cast such curses and protect you from them. Seeing as the "Witches' Sabbath" is not a real magical operation, but rather an invention of Medieval witch hunters (as the "so-called" likely acknowledges) it requires some explanation.

According to the imagination of witch hunters, the Witches' Sabbath was a ritual in which witches copulated with the Devil in order to obtain magical powers. So in the context of real magical operations we are talking about sex magick in various forms, whether symbolic or actual. Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici, for example, is attributed to this sign and describes in (only slightly) veiled symbolic language a sex magick technique similar to Spare's well-known sigilization method. The Great Rite in the Wiccan tradition would be another example.

In addition, one of the magical weapons attributed to Capricorn is "the secret force" which is a reference to internal energies such as kundalini, whether employed in sex magick operations or otherwise. So another application for Capricorn would be to develop and/or strengthen those energies by magical means. It is important to keep in mind that "sex magick" such does not necessarily involve having sex, but rather working with the union of energetic polarities - which can be accomplished by many different means.

The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.

I. Opening

All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.

Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!

Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.

Officiant: 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

Officiant: 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: ABRAHADABRA

Officiant: 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

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

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

Bell chime.

Auto-Talismanic Ritual for 2025

We will be performing the Auto-Talismanic Ritual for the 2025 Winter Solstice this Friday evening, December 19th. Doors open at 6:30 with the ritual to begin around 7 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 up to the final Qabalistic Cross.

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.

Via Solis Sagittarius Elixir Rite - Year Nine

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Sagittarius Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday December 9th, at the ritual workshop. We will be starting the ritual around 8 PM.

0. The Temple

The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Sagittarius. The sign Sagittarius is attributed to the power of “Transmutations." It is also the only sign attributed to a vision, the "Vision of Universal Peacock." This vision is a significant step in alchemical processes. Transmutation is a general power with many applications, since in a sense all magical operations represent attempts to transmute or transform some aspect of yourself, the external world, or both. So any intent along those lines would be in harmony with the power of the sign. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.

I. Opening

All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.

Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!

Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.

Officiant: 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

Officiant: 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: ABRAHADABRA

Officiant: 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

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

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

Magick Without Fears Hermetic Podcast Interview

This afternoon I sat down for an interview with Frater RC at the Magick Without Fears Hermetic Podcast. We discussed my latest Enochian book, Mastering the Thirty Aires and a number of other topics related to magick and mysticism. I had a great time as always, and go check out the Magick Without Fears Hermetic Podcast. Frater RC has plenty of great guests discussing fascinating topics surrounding the theory and practice of modern esotericism and magick.

Review - Modern Hermeticism by Erich and Alannah Brown

I originally met Frater Barrabbas back in 1999 when he was living in Minneapolis and coming around to Leaping Laughter OTO events. At that time he shared with me an unpublished manuscript detailing the system he had developed for his Order of the Gnostic Star entitled The Pyramid of Powers. The system drew elements from the Golden Dawn, Thelema, and Alexandrian Wicca, and represented a unique system of magick in its own right that was meaningfully different from its antecedents.

The Pyramid of Powers system was eventually reworked from that original manuscript and published as The Disciple's Guide to Ritual Magick and Mastering the Art of Ritual Magick, both currently available from Crossed Crow Books. While the Disciple's Guide is targeted at beginners, it still is an introduiction to a complex system of magick that may or may not make sense to rank beginniners without any background in magical workings. What the system still really needed was a sort of Modern Magick for the Gnostic Star system that would work for students who were just starting out.

I provide all this background because Modern Hermeticism appears to be exactly that book. It covers the system in a series of simple steps that build on each other, and thus makes it more accessible and approachable. Even so, it covers a lot of material, from the Qabalistic Cross up the full Pyramid of Powers ritual, which is not exactly analogous to anything in Golden Dawn/Thelema or Wicca. It also has a section on Enochian magick, which is explained in simple and straightforward language.

I don't personally practice the Gnostic Star system, so there are some points that I approach differently in my own work. The Enochian system, for example, is original but heavily employs the Golden Dawn arrangement of the system. As such, my approach based on Dee diary attributions is very different. Still, the Golden Dawn Enochian system and its variants are employed by many modern magicians who report good results with it. The system does not employ the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram to open and close magical fields the way I do, but instead uses some original ritual forms to accomplish the same objective.

The book also includes a lot of Jungian material, which I criticize often, but it seems like that's currently the case whenever any book on magick touches on psychology. It should be noted that while psychoanalysis is based on an entirely inaccurate model of the mind and brain, Jung's work on mysticism in particular is pretty good regardless. During his life he sought out mystical experiences and writes about them from a firsthand perspective in works such as The Red Book. This likely explains its popularity in esoteric spaces.

I do very much appreciate the lack of "spelling" (pronouncing YHVH as YOD HEH VAV HEH when vibrating) in their rendition of the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, which is a bad instruction that gets repeated all over the place. Also, the material on working with the godhead and invoking godforms is excellent and gives great instructions for doing invocations. Finally, this is exactly the sort of thing that modern magicians should be doing - developing their own ritual forms and applications, and then subjecting them to peer review through publication.

If you are a fan of Frater Barrabbas' work, or just interested in seeing another way in which traditional ceremonial forms can be modified and worked with, check out Modern Hermeticism. It covers the material with impressive clarity without sacrificing any of the Gnostic Star system's depth and complexity. Even if you don't wind up working with the system, it also contains a lot of good advice that is applicable to magick in general and should benefit any practitioner.

Kim Davis Loses Forever

Poor Oppressed Christian icon Kim Davis has been rejected by the Supreme Court. Her bid to overturn same-sex marriage in the United States was declined by the heavily right-wing court, which leaves the appeals court decision against her bid in place. This was her last chance to appeal, so she now owes hundreds of thousands in judgements and legal fees. She has officially lost her case.

An appeal of a verdict against controversial former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, which also took aim at a 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage throughout the country, will not be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.The decision was issued Nov. 10 in an order list from the high court. No reason for the denial was included in the two-sentence ruling.

Davis, who drew international attention to her Northeastern Kentucky community 10 years ago when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, had called on the court to strike down a 2023 court verdict that found she owed $100,000 to a couple who she had denied a license in 2015. Her attorneys with Liberty Counsel had also pushed for the Supreme Court to use her case to overturn the Obergefell decision.

Davis is a cautionary tale about how far these extremists will go. She originally argued that due to her religious beliefs she should be exempted from having to personally sign off on same-sex marriage paperwork. At the time I didn't have a problem with that as long as same-sex marriages were approved in as timely and efficient a manner as opposite-sex ones. Multiple people without objections worked in Davis' office, so it was clearly possible. But I should have known better and I'll cop to that.