On Scrying

One of the things that comes up often with new students is their inability to see and hear spirits. The first thing I ask is if they've been doing their meditation and contemplation exercises. I cover it briefly in the first lesson of the Black Work course, and I wonder sometimes if I've under-emphasized how important the role of meditation and contemplation is when it comes to scrying.

I've said it a number of times over the years on this blog, but it bears repeating. Spirit voices don't sound like an audible voice. Once in a while they do, once in a very great while, but most of the time the voices of spirits sound a lot like your own thoughts. They just come from outside your head. It's easy to ignore the voices of the spirits if you don't know "where" in your own brain your thoughts and images originate. The only way I know of to learn to differentiate between your own thoughts and the thoughts of the spirits is through meditation/contemplation.

The trick isn't shutting down your mind and sitting in completely perfect zazen, attaining no-mindedness, although it's valuable to strive for this state as well. It's not about learning to hold a visualized image in your mind for long periods of time either, though that too is useful.

The trick is observing your thoughts. Where do they come from when they arise? Where do they go to when they fade and your awareness moves to something else? I think the book that helped me understand the art of meditation and contemplation the most was Heartdrops of Dharmakaya. I really can't recommend it enough.

Once you're familiar with your own mind, your own thoughts, and "where" in your head your thoughts originate, you'll be in a better position to recognize the voices of the spirits.

Even with meditation and contemplation exercises, it takes a while to get used to the difference between your own thoughts and the spirits' voices. At first it can be scary, because people have a healthy fear of deluding themselves. That's awesome. I find most of my students with issues scrying are just afraid to trust what they hear as being valid.

The best way to get over that experiential hump is a magical diary. You write down what was said, what was heard, and you check back later to see what the results were, and whether the conversation turned out to be useful. Your own mental chatter during a rite will be apparent when nothing the alleged spirit has said turns out to be useful. At the same time, you quickly learn to "sniff out" the voices of the spirits, and the things they teach and say are meaningful to you in your pursuit of the Work.

The diary gives you a place to exercise your healthy skepticism, and a means of growing in confidence. You have a record to check to see if you're crazy or actually getting anywhere. It's a useful tool.

Plus, they're a lot of fun to go back and read years later.

The Golden Dawn Saga: Episode 4.1 (Fanfic)

Dawn-Dawn-DAAAAAWN!!!

In the previous episode, we saw the daring leather-duster-bedecked hero narrowly escape a daring attempt on his life. Speculation on the true nature of this Phantom Menace's identity were tantalizingly dropped, hints given to open tiny windows into the tiny brain of the protagonist's inner paranoid delusions.

Could it have been an inside job? Was Fr. SR making a play for complete leadership of the HOGD? Or was it Nick Farrell, who suddenly discovered the ability to conjure his way out of a wet paper bag? Could it have been the Lovecraftian feline emissaries of Morgan "Machiavelli" Eckstein? Slideshow Blob, casting curses from whatever cheap hotel he's hiding from the authorities in? One of the nameless Silent Majority, sick to death of the bullshit and finally realizing they only swore to do no evil, and this might not count?

Or maybe... just maybe... it was a previously unknown character, casting evil, dangerous black magick from such terrible forbidden tomes as...  the PICATRIX!!!

I must admit, I was hanging on the edge of my seat in fear for David's very life! Would he make it? Would he survive!?!? Would he learn to spell Miracle right!?!?!?!?? The suspense was killing me.

Fortunately, he lived. And boy, was I relieved. Let me tell you.

Well, by Christ, I wasn't going to let it slide, no way. If something happened to David, someone might blame me! Wouldn't want those dangerous GD magicians all cursing me and shit in their misguided defense of their thorny thorny rose.*

So the intrepid RO that I am, I searched high and low, releasing my hordes of astral Eyes and Ears to sniff out and report the dastardly perpetrator of this heinous event.

And at last I have found him!

Bitch, you're making my coat look stupid.

It was Neo the whole time!

Apparently he didn't take kindly to DG's appropriation of his iconic leather duster.

But don't worry, concerned citizens, I talked to him about the whole thing, and after he heard what I had to say he said:

And I was like, nah man, there are some really cool GD folks out there getting a lot out of the system. They aren't all douches or gullible fools easily led around by the nose, susceptible to ludicrous stories of made up persecutions to unite them against an imaginary common foe.

Some of them are really cool. With advanced senses of humor.

* Note to the stupid GD people who already are "cursing" me:

1) Sending the spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia against me, especially those with whom I have an established working relationship, is hilarious. They're all, "Hey RO, guess who's mad at you? Want me to take 'em out for you?" And I'm all, "LOL, yeah."

2) I will lift countermeasures for the low, low price of $175.. no, for you it's $275. I didn't tell 'em to kill ya, oh no, nothing like that, you don't get off that easy. They're just going to take your money, your vehicles, your health, and for at least one of you, those you hold dear (bitch, you came after my family, for reals? That was stupid. I'm shocked that you would be so ignorant... oh wait, no I'm not.) Send me a grovelling apologetic email, make me really believe you're sorry, and I'll tell you where to send the money.

More on Talismans

In the comments on yesterday's post, Elle said this subject:

"gives the perfect opportunity to discuss what the difference is between an astrological talisman and a planetary talisman is. Is there actually a distinct difference?"

As I was writing the post, a similar thought occurred to me. 

Before we jump right into the discussion, let's talk about talismans in general. I find the best way to understand the role of a talisman is to think of it as the body of the spirit it represents. It's like a Golem, but it doesn't (necessarily) move, or terrorize Prague. You're creating a physical form in your material reality through which the spirits, intelligences, or forces you're working with can manifest.

Next let's talk about astrological influences. We look at the positions of the stars and planets relative to our birth time and location to get an insight into the forces and fates that will influence our experiences throughout our lives. The natal chart in the hands of a trained astrologer can be a scary thing, as a complete stranger sits there telling you what kinds of things have happened to you for the last thirty years, and what to expect going forward.

When we create talismans based on astrological influences, we're looking for the best possible "natal chart" for our created entity, one that harmonizes with our desired intent. If you think of a talisman as a living entity, it's easier to understand. We're picking out its Natal Chart, and we want it to be powerful and successful in specific areas.

Turning to planetary vs. astrological talismans, I hesitate to make a distinction between the two. If you're making a general "Jupiter Talisman" to capture and radiate the forces of Jupiter based on his astrological position in the sky, it's an astrological talisman. You're aiming to capture the forces of the moment. The stuff you put together becomes a body, and the consecration ensouls it, the same way God ensouled Adam with his breath. That entity will continue to work on your behalf as long as it has a body.

However, if you're making a Tzadkiel Talisman, or a Jove talisman, or a Jupiter-the-Roman-God talisman, it's not exactly the same thing. These are spirit talismans, primarily. There's an active, pre-existing spirit that will be working through this particular body. Jupiter-the-God is an intelligent, self-aware, proactive being who has access to a wide range of spirits and forces that he can direct on your behalf (or against you if you piss him off). A talisman of Jupiter-the-God is not simply a snapshot of the forces of the planet at the time it was made.

But you have to remember that everything manifest in the material world is still influenced by the astrological factors at the time it was created. If your natal chart leaves you with a predisposition to be lazy, you can still work hard, you just have to overcome that tendency. Likewise, a spirit talisman created at an inauspicious time creates a certain inertia that will have to be overcome every time it is used to manifest the forces of the Spirit it represents.

This is why Agrippa says you can't ignore the astrological conditions of any magical activity. Again, I like the weather analogy. Suppose you want to have a snowball fight. You want to do it right now, because it's an awesome idea, right? But you're living in Texas, and it's the middle of July. There's no snow. You REALLY want that snowball fight, so you get some water, freeze it, shave it, blow the snow into the protected air conditioned closed environment, and invite your friends in, and you have the snow ball fight for as long as possible.

It's not the same as having a snow ball fight in January in Canada, but it's still a snowball fight.

So yeah, astrological influences can be overcome if you try hard enough. There are two ways to empower a talisman, as Christopher Warnock said in a comment on a post of mine a while back, you can do it when the astrological timing is right, or you can consecrate the fuck out of it. Most of my spirit talismans are made during the appropriate planetary hour of the appropriate planetary day, preferably at dawn when the Sun's rays can be used to boost the forces at hand. These spirit talismans rely primarily on the Spirit's power and innovation to overcome any negative astrological influences, and it works well enough for most of my Hermetic Work.

But it's like giving the spirit a crippled body to work through if you don't take into account the astrological forces. Yes, people in wheelchairs can overcome handicaps to achieve great things, but why put them in that position in the first place?

Jupiter Talisman Election: April 19th

Christopher Warnock of Renaissance Astrology fame has announced a really good Jupiter election for next Thursday, April 18th.

He's also offering a Jupiter Image and a brief consecration rite to members of the Spiritus Mundi yahoo group. If you're not a member, joining up is easy. The image is beautiful, and the consecration rite is straight out of the Picatrix. I read through my copy today, and it's as beautiful as the image.

For those new to astrological magic, Elections are windows of opportunity during which you can make a more powerful talisman. The stars and planets are aligned right, and a talisman made during this time captures the beneficial (or malignant) forces. Like a photo captures images that you can look at later. These forces are then radiated out into the sphere of the magician through the talisman, and can be tapped when you need the forces represented, but the stars are aligned against you.

Chris has generated the appropriate election times for various locations. He's encouraged me to post them so more people can start doing astrologically accurate talisman creation.

This is an ideal time to perform the Gate of Jupiter rite. Gather up the materials for the herbal talisman now, and then in the appropriate hour perform the conjuration, put the talisman together, and perform the consecration.

It doesn't have to be the Gate of Jupiter, of course, but it will be particularly effective then, and it's structured to fit nicely in the time available for the rite. I'd leave out the alcohol bits, maybe substitute some good tea or something delicious, unless you're ok with getting a bit faced in the afternoon.

You can also sign up to the Yahoo group linked above, find the message with the subject "Special Jupiter PDF Talisman Giveaway!" and send him a request at the email address he lists.

Here are the election times Chris provided, and some important and useful advice he gave at the end as well:

Karachi, Pakistan, April 19, 2012 1:40-2:20 pm (+5 GMT)

Mexico City, Mexico, April 19, 2012 2:39-3:23 pm CDTSydney Australia, April 19, 2012 12:50-1:46 pm AEST

Berlin, Germany 2:16-2:56 pm CEDT
London, UK April 19, 2012 2:10-2:50 pm BST

Roanoke, VA April 19, 2012 2:26-3:06 pm EDT
Washington, DC April 19, 2012  2:15-3pm EDT
NYC, NY April 19, 2012 2:02-2:43 pm EDT
Miami, FL April 19, 2012 2:25-3:10 pm EDT
Cleveland OH, April 19, 2012  2:33-3:13 pm EDT
Chicago, IL April 19, 2012  1:57-2:37 pm CDT
Minneapolis, MN April 19, 2012 2:20-3pm CDT
Dallas TX April 19, 2012 2:32-3:16 pm CDT
Boulder CO April 19, 2012 2:07-2:38 pm MDT
Phoenix, AZ April 19, 2012 1:33-2:13 pm MST
San Francisco, CA April 19, 2012 2:15-2:55 pm PDT

You want to physically inscribe, engrave, or actually create the image
during the window given above.  It works well to print out a paper
talisman during this time and I like to write my name or the name of
the person to be affected on it and add the goal.   Making a talisman
without timing its creation and then trying to consecrate it later
loses much of the power of the election.  However, if you have a
talisman that was properly timed in its making you can reconsecrate
and recharge using this election.

Make the talisman and then at least start your consecration ritual
during the window.  If you have to continue the ritual after the
window closes, that's ok!*

*Note from RO: I like to do the conjuration rite first, then put the talisman together under the auspice of the Spirit, and then finish the consecration, but putting the talisman together, then consecrating it works too. This election window is wide enough that you should be able to finish everything in the time allotted.

Talisman Construction

I've read a couple really good blog posts in the last couple days about talisman creation.

The first is from The Crossroads Companion, written by a student in the Red Work series of courses. He's made the seven planetary talismans using a technique inspired by Chris Warnock. I learned a couple things I didn't know that will make my own future talismans much higher in quality.

The second is from Practical Solomonic Magic, written by my long-time colleague, Asterion Mage. He's come up with a brilliant way to make gold talismans out of beeswax. I'm looking forward to experimenting with the rosin and shellac he recommends.