To Main Page 201 I. The Board shall meet regularly, at least four times per year, at a time and place to be fixed by the Board. Additionally, The Chair or any two Directors may call a Board meeting upon giving at least 7 days notice to all Directors by U.S. Mail, or upon at least 2 days notice given by telegram. Said notice will be deemed delivered when deposited in the U.S. Mail with the last known address of the Director and proper postage thereon prepaid, or when the given to the telegram company. Any Director may waive notice of any meeting. The attendance of a Director at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice, except when the Director attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of business because the meeting has not been lawfully called or convened. The notice of meeting need only contain the date, time, and place of the meeting. J. The Board may make rules to govern the conduct of its own meetings. K. All Board Meetings are open to the membership of DAWN. Accordingly, any Director is required to furnish information regarding dates, times, and places of upcoming Board meetings to any DAWN member upon request. II. STEERING COMMITTEE A. The Steering Committee shall be composed of the Directors, one representative from each member coven and proportional representation for such DAWN members as do not belong to any member coven (hereinafter referred to as Solitaries). The method of choosing a coven representative is left to the discretion of the individual coven. A method for choosing representation for Solitaries will be determined by said Solitaries, subject to approval by the Board. There shall be at least one (1) representative of the Solitaries, who is not a Director, on the Steering Committee. B. Steering Committee members must commit to serve for at least six (6) months. They may serve as long as their constituents wish them to serve. C. The Steering Committee shall elect a Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and Clerk of the Committee from among its members. D. A quorum of the Steering Committee for the purpose of amending the Bylaws or Constitution shall be two-thirds (2/3) of the committee. A quorum for other business shall be a majority of the Committee. E. Steering Committee members will not have alternates. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 202 F. The Steering Committee may make rules to govern the conduct of its own meetings. G. Decisions made by the Steering Committee shall be referred to the Board for action, except as otherwise provided for in these Bylaws. H. Any recommendation that dues be levied or changed must receive at least two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast by the Steering Committee, ten (10) days notice having been given that dues will be discussed. I. The Steering Committee shall meet regularly at a time and place to be fixed by the Committee. Additionally, the Board may call Steering Committee meetings with 15 days notice should such meetings be necessary. III. OFFICERS A. Chair - duties shall include: 1. Presiding over meetings of the Board. 2. Presiding over meetings of the general membership of DAWN. 3. Preparing an agenda for Board meetings. 4. Preparing an agenda for meetings of the general membership of DAWN. B. Vice-Chair - shall perform the duties of the Chair when the Chair is absent or incapacitated. C. Secretary - duties shall include: 1. Maintaining accurate and current minutes of all meetings of the Board and all business related meetings of the general membership of DAWN. All such minutes are to be made available, upon reasonable notice, to all members of the body so recorded, and are to be presented at the next meeting of the Board for approval. 2. Handling correspondence other than the newsletter and general announcements. 3. Maintaining an accurate and current list of members and friends of DAWN. The Secretary may NOT release the addresses, phone numbers, or full names of any person associated with DAWN, except as noted in this paragraph, to any person, without specific permission from said person. The Secretary will share this list with the Newsletter Editor. When leaving this job, the Secretary will turn over all copies of the membership list, in whatever form, to their successor in these duties. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 203 D. Treasurer - is responsible for maintaining all the financial records of DAWN. The Treasurer is also responsible for the safekeeping and expenditure of the monies held by DAWN as directed by the Board. E. Speaker - shall preside over meetings of the Steering Committee and prepare an agenda for said meetings. F. Deputy Speaker - shall perform the duties of the Speaker when the Speaker is absent or incapacitated. G. Clerk of the Committee - is responsible for maintaining accurate and current minutes of all meetings of the Steering Committee. All such minutes are to be available to members of the Steering Committee, and are to be presented at the next meeting of that body for approval. H. Newsletter Editor - duties shall include: 1. Providing timely announcements of meetings and other DAWN functions. 2. Providing a regular newsletter in keeping with DAWN policies. 3. Maintaining an accurate and current list of newsletter recipients. The Newsletter Editor may NOT release the addresses, phone numbers, or full names of any person associated with DAWN, except as noted in this paragraph, to any person, without specific permission from said person. The Newsletter Editor will share the mailing list with the Secretary. When leaving this job, the Newsletter Editor will turn over all copies of the mailing list, in whatever form, to their successor in these duties. IV. AMENDMENTS In orderto amendthis document, theproposed change mustreceive the votes of at least two-thirds of the Directors and must receive at least two-thirds of the votes cast at a proper meeting of the Steering Committee, both bodies having received at least 20 days notice of the proposed amendment. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 204 V. ELECTIONS Onthe secondSunday in October,The Steering Committeeshall meet to hold an election. At this time, the Steering Committee will elect replacements for Directors whose term is expiring. Names will be taken in nomination, consent obtained from those nominated, and one ballot cast. Each Committee member, including retiring and interim Directors, shall have as many votes as there are vacancies. The qualified candidate with the most votes will fill the first vacancy - two year terms being filled first. As each vacancy is filled, members of the successful candidate's coven are stricken from the list. If only one vacancy remains and either part I.A.2 or part I.A.3 of the Bylaws has not been fulfilled, then only those candidates who meet the criterion can be selected; otherwise, the position will remain vacant to be filled by the Board, as soon as possible, by appointment. If a tie exists between equally qualified candidates, where all may not serve, a runoff election shall be held between those candidates. Misspellings shall not invalidate ballots where the appropriate person can be discerned; nor shall voting for fewer than the number of vacancies. Voting for too many candidates shall invalidate that ballot. No individual shall vote more than one time for the same person; therefore duplicate names on a single ballot shall count as only one vote. All elected persons take office at the first meeting in November. VI. Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised (copyright 1970) will govern in any circumstances not covered by the Rules, Bylaws, or Constitution of DAWN. VII. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS ON DISSOLUTION In theevent of dissolutionof theorganization, all remainingassets will be delivered to a tax-exempt organization to be chosen at the time of dissolution by the Board of Directors. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 205 GLOSSARY OF TERMS COMMONLY USED IN WICCA Copyright 1992 by Rowan Moonstone and Durwydd MacTara AKASHA- the spiritual ether (or Aether); the omnipresent fifth occult element which embraces the other four- earth, air, fire, and water; and from which they stem. This is the realm of "pattern" or causality, from which the realm the normally thought of "five senses manifests. Some define it is the "other" of the "two worlds" that the witch or magician walks between. ARADIA- Daughter of the Goddess Diana, and a name for the Goddess used by Italian Witches or Strega, commonly used in many Wiccan traditions today. ASPECTING- Any advanced magickal activity in which a practitioner manifests a particular aspect of the Goddess or God, in thought, feelings, behavior, appearance, etc.; Often as a direct result of a "Drawing Down". Often a minor variation of this phenomena occurs with the selection of a "Magical Name", of Craft Name. ASPECTS- Forms, facets, or personas of Deity: for example, Brighid, Iseult,Eos, and Kore are all aspects of the Maiden, and the Maiden is an aspect of the Goddess. ATHAME- black handled, double edged dagger. Principally used to cast and dissolve the circle, for which purposes it is interchangeable with the magic sword. A tool of the "Element" of Fire in the Georgian Tradition and some others. BELTANE- May Eve festival. One of the Ancient Celtic "Fire Festivals." on this night, the cattle were driven between two bonfires to protect them from disease. Couples wishing for fertility would " jump the fires" on Beltane night. Also the traditional Sabbath where the rule of the "Wheel of the Year" is returned to the Goddess. This Festival also marks the transition point of the threefold Goddess energies from those of Maiden to Mother. BOOK OF SHADOWS- Traditionally hand copied book of rituals, recipes, training techniques, guidelines, and other materials deemed important to a Witch or a coven. Each tradition has it's own standard version of the Book and each Witch's book will be different as he or she adds to it with time from many different sources. Only another Witch can see your book of shadows. Also, traditionally, it may never leave your hands or possession until death, when it should be destroyed, or (in some traditions) returned to the coven to be disposed of. BURNING TIMES- a term used by some Witches for the period of persecution in the Middle Ages and later. It is in fact a misnomer in some places, as Witches were only burned in Scotland, and on the continent of Europe. In England and the U.S., they were hanged. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 206 CANDLEMAS- Festival held on Feb. 1. One of the 4 Celtic "Fire Festivals. Commemorates the changing of the Goddess from the Crone to the Maiden. Celebrates the first signs of Spring. Also called "Imbolc" (the old Celtic name). This is the seasonal change where the first signs of spring and the return of the sun are noted, i.e. the first sprouting of leaves, the sprouting of the Crocus flowers etc. In other words, it is the festival commemorating the successful passing of winter and the beginning of the agricultural year.This Festival also marks the transition point of the threefold Goddess energies from those of Crone to Maiden. CARDINAL POINTS- North, South, East, and West, marked in the Georgian Tradition by candles of green, red, yellow, and blue, respectively. The Circle is drawn to connect these four points. CHALICE- one of the tools of the Witch. Placed on the altar to represent the element of Water. CHARGE OF THE GODDESS- The Traditional words of the Goddess to her followers, or "hidden children". Normally declaimed by the HPS at every coven Circle. CIRCLE- the area in which the magickal worship and spells takes place. Can also be used to designate a particular group of Witches or Pagans such as "Silver Acorn Circle". CONE OF POWER- power raised in the circle by the Witches assembled, and sent out into the world to work magick, is usually visualized as being retained and built in the form of a "cone" prior to release. COVEN- an organized group of Witches, led by a High priestess and/or a High Priest who meet regularly for worship and fellowship. The traditional membership is 13, but in fact most covens number considerably less. 3 is the minimum in the Georgian Tradition. In Middle English, "Covin" a group of confederates; In Old French "Covine" a band or group with a single purpose; Latin "Com"-together, "Venire"-to come or move. COVENSTEAD- regular meeting place for a coven. Usually the home of the High Priestess or High Priest. COWAN- a non-Witch. Formerly used in a very derogatory manner. Still used in Masonic Ritual to indicate the non initiate and/or pretender to "real craft". Not often used today among most Witches. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 207 COYOTE ENERGY- trickster energies. Named for the American Indian Trickster, Coyote, who tricks man into learning what he needs to learn. Applies to one who constantly jokes and clowns. Also applies to the concept of "Holy Fool" in many traditions. CROSS QUARTER DAYS- The modern name for the Celtic Fire Festivals of Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lammas. DEOSIL- clockwise, or sunwise. Traditional direction for working "building" magick. DRAWING DOWN THE MOON- Ritual invocation of the spirit of the Goddess into the body of the High Priestess by the High Priest. DIVINATION- magical method of exploration or inquiry into a situation via such methods as Tarot cards, runestones, I- Ching, etc. ELEMENTS- Earth, air, fire, and water, plus spirit, which includes them all. These are regarded as realms or categories of nature (both material and non-material) and are not to be confused with the physicists table of elements, which the modern witch, of course, accepts. ESBAT- weekly or biweekly meeting of a coven. Traditionally held either on the full moon or the new moon. FAMILIARS- Either a Witch's pet animal which has been trained to be a magickal helper, or an artificially created "elemental" which performs the same functions as the animal friend. FIVEFOLD KISS, FIVEFOLD SALUTE- The Witches' ritual salute, with kisses; (1) on each foot, (2) on each knee, (3) above the pubic hair, (4) on each breast, and (5) on the lips- really 8 kisses in all. It is only used within the Circle, but the words that go with it are the origin of "Blessed Be." GARDNERIANS- Tradition of Witchcraft descended from the teachings of Gerald Gardner. GNOMES- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Earth or is associated with the EARTH Element. GREAT RITE- The rite which is the main feature of the third degree initiation, and which is also laid down for certain festivals. It is sexual in nature, but may be `actual' (and private to the couples concerned) or symbolic, as the participants wish. HALLOWS- name used by some traditions for Samhain, or Halloween Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 208 HANDFASTING- Wiccan equivalent of a wedding. It can be made legal if the Priestess and/or Priest are registered as clergy with the local authorities, or it may only be considered binding within the coven. HIGH PRIEST/ESS- Technically speaking, a Witch who has received the 3rd. degree initiation. More usually, the male and female leaders of a coven. IMBOLC- Celtic name for Candlemas. INVOCATION- The ritual "calling-in" of an entity (or energies) higher than human, either for communication with the caller through a medium or by visible manifestation or else to enter into a human body as in the Drawing Down the Moon. In some traditions, a Prayer. LAMMAS- August 1st. Witch Festival. The Old Celtic name for this festival is Lughnassadh. It is the Festival of the First Fruits, and is the first of the 3 harvests. This festival also marks the change of the Threefold Goddess energies from that of Mother to Crone. MAIDEN- An appointment held by one of the women of the coven. She is virtually the assistant High Priestess. This term is also the descriptive term used to describe the first of the aspects of the Threefold Goddess Energies (Maiden, Mother, and Crone). It is traditionally associated with the Waxing Moon, and the period from Imbolc (Candlemas) to Beltane (May eve) where the energies are those of initiating, beginning, and creation. OLD RELIGION- another name for the Craft. PAGANING- Presentation of an infant to the Circle and to the Gods. PENTACLE- a disc shaped talisman; in particular, the metal disc which represents the earth element among the witch's working tools. PENTAGRAM- The five-pointed star. With a single point uppermost, it represents the human being. Inverted, with two points uppermost, it can have Satanist associations; but not necessarily. Some traditions of Wicca use the inverted pentagram to signify an initiate of the second degree. QUARTERS- The North, East, South, and West parts of a magickal circle or other ritual area. (See also "Watchtowers") REDE- rule or law. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 209 SABBAT- one of the Eight festivals or high holy days of Wicca. SALAMANDER- an entity that dwells in the realm of Fire. SAMHAIN- The festival of remembrance for the dead, held on the eve of Nov. 1st. It is the last of the three harvests. This festival also marks the transition of rulership of the "Wheel of the Year from that of the Goddess to that of the God. SCRYING- divination, usually using such methods as crystal gazing, or divination via incense smoke, or water as opposed to tarot or other manipulative means. SPELL- a prayer, or verbal direction of magickal energies toward the accomplishment of some goal. SUMMONER- The male officer of the coven who corresponds to the Maiden. He is the assistant High Priest. SYLPH- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Air or is associated with the AIR Element. TRADITIONS- any of the various "sects" of Wicca such as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Georgian, Seax, etc. UNDINE- an "entity" or "elemental" that dwells in the plane of Water or is associated with the WATER Element. WAND- A rod or staff that is prepared so that it may be used for magickal or psychic purposes, usually to project some form of power. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 210 WARLOCK- a term coined in the Burning Times . It was used to denote a traitor to the Craft, or one who had betrayed the followers of the Old Religion. It's origin is Scottish. Because of the negative connotations, it is not used by most Wiccans today. WATCH TOWERS- Originally from the Enochian branch of Ceremonial Magick, now incorporated into many "Traditions" of Wicca, these are the four elemental "directions" or "quarters" (corresponding to the appropriate points on the compass) called to protect the Circle during its establishment. Each of them have a correspondence between the compass point, an element, and (varying amongst different traditions) color associated with them. WICCA- the name most modern day Witches use for the Craft. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Wicce, meaning to bend or to shape. This is the root word from which we get wicker. WIDDERSHINS- counter clock wise. Used for "tearing down" OR BANISHING magick. WHITE HANDLED KNIFE- the working knife of a Witch. It is used to carve candles, and for fashioning the other tools. Traditionally, it can only be used in a Circle. Copyright 1991 by Rowan Moonstone and Durwydd MacTara. Permission to reprint for educational purposes at no cost is hereby granted to all and sundry, provided the text is not altered in any way. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 211 MOON WEB C/O Michael Harismides PO Box 4538, Sunnyside, New York 11104-4538 Subscription $3.00 a year RITUAL FOR THE HEALING AND PRESERVATION OF RAINFORESTS May 24th, 1988 8 pm local time (Individual version): Cast a circle Invoke elements by calling upon them in protective aspects (for example, you might invoke Watchfires or Beacons in the South). Chant the names of the Earth Goddess, beginning with your personal favorites, then naming as many as you can think of. Take a piece of green string. Begin to tie knots in it, while chanting: Tying the Cord, Renewing the Earth; We are Her Children, bringing Rebirth. (The knots may be simple or elaborate, but leave enough string to tie together at the end.) As you chant, see the world as a network of connected systems. Breathe the air that comes from the jungles of South America. Feel the living fire of an ocelot's power. Taste the rain on the leaves at the tops of the trees. Feel the delicate structure of the soil at the forest floor.) Tie the cord together in a loop; hold it up, strung around your two hands, and begin chanting: We are the Flow and we are the Ebb; We are the Weavers, we are the Web. As you chant, see yourself standing guard over the borders of the rainforest. See yourself with others, protecting rainforest as you would protect yourself,_because that's what you're doing._ Bury the cord in a container of earth. Earth the power; thank the Deities and elements; open the circle. Later bury the cord in the forest if possible. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 212 (If circumstances make the above impossible): Sit quietly and see: the network of ecosystems that make up the world; the rainforests thriving; plants and animals breeding; the Earth, green and filled with life; yourself, standing guard. Breathe, and know that the air comes from the sea and the jungles of Brazil. Drink and know that the water has been around the world, and circulates through you as it does through the air, land, and sea. Stand up and stretch; the strength of your body is the Earth's strength. RITUAL FOR THE HEALING AND PRESERVATION OF RAINFORESTS (Group version): Facilitators give each participant a slip of paper containing the name of an Earth Goddess and a Nature God. Facilitators invoke elements, stressing protective/preservative aspects of each one and ending with "Into this circle I call the Element Air! (Fire, Water, Earth.)" After each such invocation, a dancer or dancers representing the particular element come into the circle from outside and do an elemental dance. A facilitator says: "We now call upon the Earth Goddess by her many names!" Participants call out the Goddess name on their slip of paper, then any other Goddess names they wish. This ends on a signal from the drums. A facilitator says: "We now call upon the God of Nature by his many Names!" The God is invoked in the same fashion as the Goddess, ending with a drum signal. The elemental dancers go to the quarters and begin passing out pieces of green string, while a facilitator explains that the condition of the rainforests affects us all, that all things are connected, and that the worldwide climate is changed every time another acre of rainforest is lost. S/he explains that these sections of cord represent parts of the Life Circle of Earth, and that they must be joined to protect her. When the above speech has been made and all the cords have been passed out, a facilitator ties the first knot, saying that tying the cord is renewing the Earth, that we are her children, bringing her rebirth. This is the signal to begin the chant: Tying the Cord, Renewing the Earth; We are Her Children, bringing Rebirth. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 213 Clockwise around the circle, one by one, each cord is tied to the next. When the circle is complete, the elemental dancers go to the quarters and hold the cord aloft (participants should not let go yet). The chant continues until the facilitators begin a second chant: We are the Flow and we are the Ebb; We are the Weavers, we are the Web. (Since this is to the same tune, the transition should be easy and seamless.) When this chant begins, the elemental dancers begin to gather in the cord, gently pulling it away from the participants, who gently release it. The elementals bury the cord in a container of earth in the center of the circle, then return to the outside to lead a spiral dance in to the center and back out (once) as the chant continues. When the participants are standing in a circle once more, the chant builds to a cone of power and fires. The Deities and Elements are thanked, the power is earthed, the circle opened, hugs exchanged. Later bury the cord in the woods. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 214 WHAT ARE RUNES ~-~-~-~-~-~-~- LOKRIEN In the most mundane sense, runes are an alphabet much as our own alphabet and others such as the Greek and Cyrillic alphabets. Each rune represents a sound and was/is used to write words with. But that is in the most MUNDANE of senses. Runes were used long before the concept of writing was around. Each rune is an archetype of a force. People had concepts for such things as Fire, Honour, Birth, et.al. and each of these concepts were given names to make them easier for us to comprehend. In this way, runes are very similar to the Hebrew alphabet. Each 'letter' not only has a sound and a name, but is a complete word with all associated concepts. This similarity with Hebrew extends even farther. Each hebrew word is made of several Hebrew letters, therefore each Hebrew word is made of several Hebrew words. The initial letters of several words in a sentence, or of the first letters of each sentence or paragraph may be gathered to form a new word that is used to help explain and expand upon what is already written. The same can be done with runes. Runes lend themselves readily to numerology. The Runic alphabet is properly shown as three rows of eight letters. Therefore each letter can be identified by row:column number. Additionally, each rune has it's sequential number identified by it's placement in the alphabet. Much like us numbering A as 1, B as 2, ... , and Z as 26. Each rune can be placed in position on a tree pattern much like the traditional Qabbalah. They may represent the different worlds or paths of the tree and can be expanded and expounded upon as much as the Qabbalah itself is. In fact, Runic Qabbalah is quite intriguing and does contain a life of study (as do all other facets of Runework). Runes can be used for fortunetelling. They can be drawn and placed and read much like tarot cards. The can be cast or strewn and the relationship of groupings, distance and angles and patterns formed will tell the caster what he wishes to know. Runes are also entities in and of themselves. Much like the angels, princes, demons, sylphs, undines and watchtowers of the ceremonial magician. Each rune can be invoked or evoked and the power harnessed to work ones will to enlighten the intellect. They are a fantastic meditation tool and will always increase ones knowledge. Much as the primal elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit, each rune also has it's part in the manifestation of all things manifested. Chaos, grass, people, sunlight, honour, dragons, hopes, and sex are all replete with runes are could not ever exist without the runic force that creates, shapes, releases, destroys and changes them. I have equated runes to many other branches of esoteric, occult, phsycological and intellectual pursuits. This is in the hopes that if you are already familiar or interested in one of these, you will realize that runes are already familiar to you or that you are already interested in them and don't yet realize it. May you approach the Well of Wyrd and may your sip there only increase your thirst. Lokrien @ The Sacred Grove (206) 634-1980 (WA) Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 215 MODELS OF MAGIC by Frater U.'.D.'. (Germany) In the course of exploring the possibilities of new, more efficient techniques of magic I was struck by the fact that a structuralist view of the history of magic to date might prove helpful. After all, magicians have always aspired to restate the theory and practice of magic in the language of their times i.e. in different models pertaining to current world views. There is, however, some risk involved in such an approach: models do not really explain anything, they are only illustrations of processes, albeit rather useful ones. What's more, over-systematization tends to obfuscate more than it clarifies and one should not mistake the map for the landscape anyway, a fallacy a great many kabbalists seem to be prone to. Thus, the following five (or rather: four plus one) models of magic should be seen as a means of understanding the practical possibilities of various magical systems rather than as definitive theories and/or explanations of the way magic works. It has proved effective in practice to view magic under the following categories: THE SPIRIT MODEL THE ENERGY MODEL THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL THE INFORMATION MODEL THE META-MODEL *** THE SPIRIT MODEL This is purportedly the oldest model of magic though it may very well have come into existence after or simultaneously with the energy model. We can find it worldwide in shamanic cultures as well as in many religions. Its basic premise is the existence of an otherworld inhabited by more or less autonomous entities such as spirits, angels, demons, gods etc. The shaman or magician is someone who can enter this otherworld at will, who has travelled widely in it, knows its language and customs and has made friends, smitten enemies and/or acquired allies and servitors there. This is important as all magic is of these entities' making. The modern German word for witch, "Hexe" (f.) illustrates this rather neatly if we take a closer look at its etymology. It derives from Old High German "hagazussa" which translates as "fence rider". The hagazussa is riding the "fence between the worlds" i.e. she is at home in the world of everyday life as well as in the magical otherworld of spirits. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 216 In the spirit model magic is seen as being effected by these entities who are usually invisible, at least to the average punter, and it is the shaman's or magician's task to make them put his will into effect. This may be done by prayer, by barter, by cajoling or even - vide medieval demon magic - by the application of magical force, threats and pressure. The otherworld may have its own geography but it is usually considered to coexist with the world of everyday life. The key to entering it is an altered state of consciousness, controlled trance or ecstasy of which the shaman is an expert. The spirit model has prevailed in traditionalist or Dogmatic magic until today, some of its most noted exponents being Franz Bardon and, at least to a great extent, Aleister Crowley. THE ENERGY MODEL The rise of the energy model in the West is marked primarily by the appearance of Mesmerism towards the end of the 18th century. Anton Mesmer, who was not an occultist but who was on the other hand regarded by his contemporaries to be a "miracle worker" of sorts, rediscovered amongst other things the ancient healing disciplines of hypnosis and magnetism. He popularized his theory of "animal magnetism" which he saw as a subtle force inherent in organisms, but he also made heavy use of metal magnets for healing purposes. While the French Revolution put a temporary end to Mesmer's movement, his ideas were not lost. They were taken up by a number of others, primarily occultists, who drew on them while developing their own theories of magic. One of the first to do so was Bulwer Lytton of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA), who postulated the existence of a subtle energy which he termed Vril, possibly deriving from Latin virilitas or "force, power, strength". (This was actually the model for the naming of Bovril, from Latin "bovis" or "ox", and Vril or "life force".) We can observe interesting parallels to this concept in the vitalist theories of biology which emerged around the same time. Other exponents of the energy model of magic (not then so termed) were Reichenbach with his concept of Od, Eliphas Levi and his Astral Light and Mme. Blavatsky, who adopted the theories of Prana from Yoga physiology. This was also the time when anthropology and ethnology discovered the Polynesian concept of Mana and Asiatic scholars began to concern themselves with the Chinese principle of Ki or Ch'i (Chi). The latter two go to show, of course, that the idea of subtle energies utilized by magic is far older than the 18th century. In fact, we can observe it already in early shamanic cultures. Shamanic magic is very frequently a mixture between spirit and energy model, e.g. the shaman may call upon his spirits or gods to give him "power" or he may, vice versa, use his power to extort favors from them. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 217 In its pure form, however, the shaman or magician is not in need of spirits and other entities. The world is viewed as being "vitalized" by subtle forces or energies and his primary task consists in mastering the art of perceiving and manipulating them. As all phenomena are basically energetic in nature, the existence of an otherworld is not strictly required. Thus, the magician is more of an "energy dancer" than a "fence rider" or go-between. But even here the key to the perception, charging and general utilization of these forces is again the magical trance or, as Chaos Magic terms it, gnosis. Theories and practices pertaining to the energy model can be found with many magical authors but it has seen its real, large scale popularity only since the seventies of our century when the general influx of Eastern thinking (pace the Hippie movement) made concepts such as chakra and kundalini work a mainstay of most occult disciplines. Strong energy model elements can also be found in Franz Bardon's system of "electromagnetic fluids", "condensators" etc. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MODEL Sigmund Freud's theory of the subconscious revolutionized Western thinking in general and psychology (which he did not, as some people are wont to believe, invent all by himself) in particular. Suddenly, man was seen as a being which was only partially conscious and in control of itself. While psychology is still fighting for its academical recognition as a science, it has stamped its mark on therapeutic disciplines - and on magic. The psychological model of magic does not purport to explain how magic works, its only premise is that the subconscious (or, as Carl Jung later retagged it, the unconscious) will do the job if it is properly addressed and/or conditioned. This again is achieved by magical trance, suggestion and the use of symbols (i.e. selective sensory input) as tools of association and as a means of communication between the magician's conscious will and his subconscious faculty responsible for putting it into effect. Aleister Crowley dabbled a great deal in the psychological model which comes as no surprise as he not only tried to keep up with all major academic disciplines of his time but thought himself to be the world's greatest psychologist into the bargain. But all considered he remained a traditionalist exponent of the spirit model: after all Aiwass was, in his belief, a preternatural entity. Nevertheless he did have a knack of explaining magic in psychological terms to make it sound sensible to the skeptics of his time. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 218 A more radical approach was taken by Austin Osman Spare whose sigil magic rests on the basic tenets of the psychological model. Spare's brilliant system is in principle an inversion of Freud's theory of complexes: by actively suppressing his will in the form of a graphical sigil and forgetting it, the magician creates an artificial "complex" which then starts to work on similar lines just as suppressed, subconscious traumas will cause neurotic behavior etc. The psychological magician is a programmer of symbols and different states of consciousness. He is not necessarily in need of a transcendent otherworld or even subtle energies, though in practice he will usually work on the assumption that one or the other (or both) do in fact exist and can be utilized by his subconscious. Authors such as Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, William Butler, Francis King, William Gray and to some extent Pete Carroll subscribe to the psychological model which seems to be the primary domain of the English speaking world of magic and which has become the prevailing paradigm ever since the seventies of this century. THE INFORMATION MODEL The information model of magic is being developed since about 1987 and there is still considerable debate about the direction it shall ultimately take. Its basic premises to date are as follows: a) Energy as such is "dumb": it needs information on what to do; this can be so called laws of nature or direct commands. b) Information does not have mass or energy. Thus, it is faster than light and not bound by the restrictions of the Einsteinian spacetime continuum. It can therefore be transmitted or tapped at all times and at all places. In analogy (but of course only as such!) it may be likened to quantum phenomena rather than relativistic mass-energy. It can, however, attach itself to a medium e.g. an organism or any other memory storage device. At the start of the theoretical debate it was still believed that the postulation of morphic (or, more precisely, morphogenetic) fields as hypothesized by Rupert Sheldrake had to be an essential factor by way of explaining the mode of actual information transmittance. This, however, while still being discussed, does not appear to be strictly prerogative though it cannot be not ruled out that an act of information magic may create such fields. It does seem more probable, though, that the concept of information matrices will prove to be the most promising theory in the long run. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 219 The application of the as yet evolving information model has led to the discipline I have termed Cybermagic (from "cybernetics" or the "science of control systems"). Contrary to the other models described above, Cybermagic does not rely on magical trance to achieve its effects. Rather, the Cybermagician activates either his own main memory banks, namely brain and spine (the Golf-club chakra, so-called because of its shape reminiscent of a golf-club) or those of the target person. The desired information is then called up and transmitted quite similarly to a copy command on an MS-DOS computer. The copy command analogy holds good insofar as the information (not having mass) is not actually "lost" in the process (as energy would be) but rather is duplicated. This is an important point as it allows for the magician to perform his magic even in a state of very low physical power, possibly even when almost completely intoxicated, as long as his basic "life support systems" are still functional and the command syntax is employed correctly. It is, however, obvious that this technique demands a fair control of what used to be termed kundalini effects and practice has shown ever and again that a good amount of Yoga and meditation experience is a great help in achieving to Cybermagic. Unfortunately, the full theory and practice of Cybermagic cannot be described here due to lack of space and will thus have to be the subject of a separate article to be published later. To date the main experimental research work is being done within the Magical Pact of the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) and some quite astounding results have already been achieved, especially in the field of language and knowledge transfer as well as magical healing. In spite of its very modern, untraditionalist outlook the basic principles of Cybermagic may in truth well be the oldest form of magic extant. For we can, for example, find a number of reports in the East to the effect of a guru transferring all his knowledge to his successor before his death, which is usually achieved by an act of long, mutual meditation. This goes to show that magic as a whole has always existed in many, coexisting models. What has changed, however, is the stress laid on one model or the other in the course of time. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 220 THE META-MODEL The meta-model of magic is not a model as such but rather an instruction on the use of the others. For its only advice to the magician is: "Always use the model most adequate to your aims." This may sound a bit trite but we will see that it is not quite as self evident amongst magicians as one might expect. It is rooted in Chaos magic's assertion "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted", which ultimately boils down to pragmatic utilitarianism. Before this aspect is enlarged upon, though, let us look at an example of the models presented here as applied in practice. We shall take the situation of magical healing to demonstrate how these models differ from each other. In the spirit model healing is regarded as an exorcism: illness is caused by "evil" or, at least, undesired entities which have to be negated. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 221 The Eight Paths and other Wiccan miscellany Dogs in the Temple: The "dogs" were MALE Canaanite temple prostitutes (normally eunuchs, as I understand it), with whom male worshippers had intercourse in order to obtain various boons from the gods, of which the fertility of themselves, their herds and their crops were the chief. A "dog"'s earnings couldn't be contributed to Yaweh's treasury. (Nor could that of a FEMALE temple prostitute!) Now if they were doing the Great Rite with male priests way back when TO make things more fertility, why should Stewart Farrar have a cat over gay men and lesbians being involved in the Craft now?!? (Although, in fairness to him, I'll bet he's never thought of it that way! He strikes me as a reasonable man, all in all... ) As for the Paths: Meditation is the first and--in my opinion--the most basic, because you use it to get to or enhance some of the other Paths. Trance work is the second, which includes astral projection exercises. Perhaps it's the most important, because it gets us where we go to exercise the power or obtain the wisdom that we want to. Dancing is a Path that I personal can't use because I'm lame; but I've been told by able-bodied Pagan friends that it's great because it engages the whole self--and especially it helps you be grounded AND Elsewhere at the same time. Binding with cords and other forms of sensory deprivation are good for helping the mind travel beyond the body's limits because one wishes to escape the tedium and discomfort of them. (I'm sorry, but even a flotation tank gets uncomfortable eventually!) Scourging and other repetitive acts also use tedium as a release but are more stimulating than being bound or floating in a tank. (They do NOT use pain. If they're being done THAT intensely, they're being done incorrectly... ) Chanting and mantras use repetitive sound and the inherent nature of some sounds to produce altered states of consciousness. Drugs (which normally means incense and MAYBE alcohol but NOT hallucinogens and such) variously stimulate, relax, disinhibit or otherwise change one's mental state. And that brings us back to the Great Rite and other forms of sex magick, which attempt to involve all levels from the physical to the Divine Within at one time. That's VERY thumbnail; but if anyone wants to know more, I'll be glad to elaborate on the ones I use or have seen used. Oh, and I can--and should--add that the various Paths can be used in combination as well as separately, that there's some variation from one tradition to another as to what the Eight Paths are, and that not ALL traditions have Eight Paths per se! Bright blessings! Granny Spider Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 222 Balance of the God and Goddess Adrienne I see the God as That is Created and Destroyed; the Goddess is the Creator and the Destroyer. His knowledge is experiential and he sees the cycle of rebirth from the unique perspective of the being that experiences it. He understands, more so than the Goddess, how the cycle shapes the world of the living. His life cycle of birth to full power to age to death to rebirth parallels our own lives on this earth. The Goddess loves Her children, the God understands His. Through the love they bear for each other, they share in both the knowledge of the mystery of rebirth and in the power, but the knowledge remains His province and the power rests in Her. --- Maximus-CBCS v1.02 * Origin: Pandora's Box, Ottawa, Ontario (93:9630/1) Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 223 Where do we go from here? By Pete Carroll Occult revivals occur when the social, economic or intellectual status quo is disturbed by the unexpected. Affluence combined with the collapse of the Roman state religion caused one revival. The rediscovery of classical knowledge in the Renaissance brought about another. Dissatisfaction with catholic hellfire christianity spawned spiritualism, theosophy, the Golden Dawn and Crowley. In our own time anti-semitism, affluence, drugs and oriental ideas spawned another outburst. Occult revivals are stimulated by economics and by the availability, rather than the creation of ideas. Roman culture was subject to a huge influx of ideas, cults and philosophies from conquered peoples. Written material surviving from this synthesis appeared again as hermetics in the Renaissance. The revivals of the late nineteenth century and the nineteen-sixties owe much to the availability of scientific ideas and oriental philosophies. It is probably more useful then, to look for impending changes in the general situation rather than within the occult itself if we want to second guess the next revival. The period between one revival and the next is shortening rapidly and we are probably due for another around the turn of the century, give or take a decade. I`d like to try and identify some of the factors which may help shape it. Firstly the millennium. Christianity is unfortunately not yet completely extinguished and humanity will have to cope with a rising tide of apocalypse mania as the calendrical millennium draws closer. Right wing christian fundamentalists in America may even be in a political position to inaugurate a real Armageddon by then. I hope that whatever courage and imagination there is in the occult is put to good use in undermining this sort od idiocy. Those occultists who do jump on the millennial bandwagon have only disaster or ridicule to look forward to. Economics has a powerful effect on the occult climate. A fairly rapid increase in affluence will often provoke a revival as leisure time becomes available and some minds turn to higher things. Conversely, a decline in living conditions will sometimes make people seek what they have lost, or a substitute, by occult means. Boom propelled revivals are usually much more fun than slump propelled upsurges. In this country, any increment in occultism arising from socio-economic desperation, is likely to be some species of neo-nazi mystic nationalism. As with millennium madness, the greater honour will, in the long run, go to those occultists who oppose such nonsense. However, the metaphysical fallout from the sixties may yet carry us through to the next boom revival and these problems may not yet arise. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 224 It seems unlikely that anthropology or archaeology will be able to make fresh ideas available for cannibalization by the occult in the next revival. Computerized libraries, satellite photography and global communication systems leave few stones unturned. There seems little chance lost ancient manuscripts, magical tribes or forgotten occult civilizations coming to light nowadays. So it is to science itself that I think we should turn for fresh ammunition. There are already discernable strains of space mysticism in some quarters of the occult. Questions about the reality or otherwise of supposed visits by aliens should not distract us from recognizing that UFO-mania itself is a mystico-religious phenomena. The UFO-ologist wants to personally receive wisdom for the whole of humanity from some superhuman being. Seeking angels in space suits is to repeat humanity`s perennial mistake, pretending to look outside for what is really inside ourselves. Quantum physics has been quietly undermining the whole basis of mechanistic cause and effect type science for nearly sixty years. It has been said that if you are not shocked by the implications of quantum physics then you have not understood it. This may be perfectly true for the scientist but for the magician, quantum physics provides elegant confirmation of many of his theories. A quantitative approach to quantum physics is beyond all but the best mathematician. Many of the principles are enshrined in equations for which we have few verbal or visual analogies. Because of this very few laymen or philosophers have been able to appreciate what has been going on. Briefly in qualitative terms, we now have hard experimental evidence which strongly implies that physical process are, at root, acausal; they just happen out of themselves and that consciousness, or at least the decisions of the observer, can modify or control what happens. Secondly it would seem that pure information can travel anywhere instantaneously and perhaps persists indefinitely, providing there is some sort of affinity, or magical link as we would call it, between that which emits and that which receives. Very few liberties need to be taken with quantum physics to fit in virtually the whole of parapsychology. It remains to be seen if quantum physics can be presented in sufficiently accessible form to provoke another occult revival. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 225 A quantum based revival would effectively demolish the spirit hypothesis. A "spirit" would have to be recognized as nothing more than the information that a phenomenon emitted about itself when it existed physically. Anything else would have to be put down to the creativity of the observer`s subconsciousness. Thus the "tree-ness" of a tree or the quality of a thought is just an extension of the object itself on the plane of non-local information. If you talk to Egyptian gods your subconsciousness is, at best, simply animating the general personality characteristics of the gods projected by their worshippers millennia ago. Spirits cannot be gaseous vertebrates with powers of independent discursive thought. On the practical level quantum physics implies that the medium of magic is not some sort of nebulous psychic energy or force, it is simply a transfer of information. Magical healing or attack is accomplished by long range telepathic suggestion not by astral bandages or thunderbolts. The quantum paradigm forces a re-examination of reincarnation. There is no reason why anybody should not be able to tap the memories of any historical person. Conversely we can all look forward to fragments of our ideas and personalities manifesting in other people in the future. Telekinesis and related phenomena can be accommodated within the quantum paradigm if we allow intent to expand upon the small degree of fundamental uncertainty, or more properly indeterminacy, in the position and momentum of any object. Prophecy is always the most doubtful of the magical arts although short term prediction or precognition can often be impressive. The quantum model allows for this providing the operator later observes the precognised event. Such apparent nonsense as astrology and homeopathy begin to make more sense in a quantum paradigm which suggests that expectation can have real effects via what one might call a magical level. This is quite over and above the purely psychological effects of expectation that materialists usually invoke to explain away these things. I`ve heard the quantum occult paradigm described as Big Bang Mysticism and Electro Gnosis. I rather like this, for it implies that the universe is being viewed as a self-created magical organism and that magic itself is a technology we can potentially master because it is a part of the nature of ordinary reality. Of course, what is missing in this scheme are the pseudo certainties of belief in gods and higher powers or even a benign cosmic mind. It throws us back on our own powers and ingenuities, but isn`t this what the best occultism has always been about anyway ? Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 226 (811) Mon 29 Apr 91 3:26 By: Madoc To: Chris Anderson Re: What's this "Right" stuff, anyway? St: ------------------------------------------------------------ @PID: RA 1.01 @MSGID: 8:7703/8 4dba2fe8 >What would a Wiccan provide as an explanation for behavior that was >"contrary" in the sense that you've given? We've all seen folks behave in a way that is *apparently* inconsistent with stated beliefs, even those that are closely held. What do you believe is the basis for the difference between a "positive direction along the Path" and actual behavior that is contrary to this by one who earnestly seeks "the Path"? The answer is stated clearly enough for many other religions, but I've never had the opportunity to hear a Wiccan add his/her windage on this topic. Flip Wilson's answer obviously isn't going to apply, so where do we go with it? ;) Chris, sorry for the delay in answering your question. I have written and re-written my response, and although I still may not have answered your question herein, I feel that I must reply at last. First, I must stipulate that what follows is my own interpretation of Wiccan belief, and my own sense of "morals." You know, the usual disclaimer. Second, I wish to deal briefly with the concept of separation of Law and Moral. What I am writing here has absolutely no relation to the practice of law. I do not advocate murder, for example, nor do I think that murder should go unpunished by the State. I recognize that we live in a society which must have rules in order that the maximum amount of freedom may be enjoyed by all. I would not hesitate, if I were a juror, to vote to send a proven criminal to jail, or even to death, if the situation warranted it. Therefore, let none who read my words mistake my moral convictions with my beliefs about our judaical system - I am not in disagreement with the majority of our laws as they exist. Finally; the point: To save space, I'll omit the dictionary definition of 'sin.' I think we all understand that Christians believe in sin, Wiccans do not. As you have stated, members of other religions have their rules clearly stated, so that one may easily decide if one is in error or not (although it's often not quite *that* easy). Wiccans claim to follow only the Rede, which states, "An it harm none, do as thou shalt." You have asked how a Wiccan can stray from such a path. The answer is complex and far-reaching, and even delves into (ugh) philosophy. I'll try to keep it succinct. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 227 If one thoughtfully examines the Rede, it quickly becomes apparent that almost every action has the potential to harm some creature in some way. Drawing breath can kill micro-organisms that float unseen, in the atmosphere. Drinking water does the same thing. One could choose to marry, and ultimately bring pain and suffering on future generations of children by way of an unhappy union. There is literally no way that one could possibly foresee all circumstances and avoid harming anyone. Yet, that is what the Rede demands. What is the answer? In my opinion, the answer is obvious. The Wiccan must choose. Each and every Wiccan is responsible for their own actions, and will be accountable to themselves for the results of those actions. The wheels turns, and each Wiccan reaps what they have sown. No Godly mandate or indulgence can save us from the results of our own actions, be they good or bad. But, with ultimate responsibility comes ultimate freedom. No God can shackle my soul or subject me to that which I do not Will. I am supreme within myself, and I am the "captain of my soul." I have chosen to obey certain of society's laws and mores. I have chosen to be a "good" man. Mine is the reward for choosing such action, and mine will be the punishment if I fail to meet my self-imposed responsibilities. As you jested, I cannot claim Flip Wilson's famous defence. Nor do I claim that such things as I do well stem from my Creator - in ultimate hubris, I claim that "As I Will, so mote it be." Every day, I am met with new decisions. I make those decisions, and then I live with the consequences of my actions. In my opinion, that is what makes me human, what sets me apart from the animals. Man alone can choose, man alone is not chained to genetically imprinted behavior. I have been asked why, if there is the possibility that the Christian deity exists, do I not choose Christianity on the possibility that it is correct? This is Pascal's famous wager. If I wager that (the Christian) God exists and I am correct, then I win all. If I am wrong and God does not exist, then I have lost nothing, and have lived (hopefully) a good and productive life in the bargain. Why would anyone not accept this wager? My answer to that is that I would not willingly serve any God that would choose one of His/Her creations over another, the good over the bad, the shriven over the heathen. If I had definitive proof that such a God existed, I would actively oppose Him/Her. I would rather suffer the cold comfort of damnation than continue to exist in a hereafter peopled with only the "saved." This is my choice, and again, as I Will, so mote it be. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 228 >What do you believe is the basis for the difference between a "positive direction along the Path" and actual behavior that is contrary to this by one who earnestly seeks "the Path"? A fine, difficult question, Chris. As you've stated elsewhere, we've been dancing all around this one for some time. Here goes: I cannot determine what any one individual's Path is. I am not even sure of my own. I often follow forks in the road until they come to a dead end, and have to double back. Of course, that's the problem one faces in following one's own Will, and not a set of directions laid down by God. My concept of the Path is that it is like many roads, all of which lead eventually to self-knowledge (enlightenment, Godhead, nirvana, and so on). In my theology, my ultimate goal is to become one with the God of my creation by gaining divine knowledge, or gnosis. We've discussed the concept of "hidden knowledge" in the past, yet I feel that my understanding of gnosis differs from yours. The entire concept of the ancient mystery religions, and of modern "occult" (which mean only 'hidden' after all) religions and practices was based on the concept of the inverted filter. Each person passed through successive layers of filters, gaining knowledge and understanding at each stop, until they could absorb no more (and so could not pass through the next layer of filter). Of course, at each level, the initiate was given to believe that they were now in possession of secret knowledge, and ultimate truth. If they could find legitimate questions that led them to reject or doubt those 'truths' and seek deeper meaning, then they passed through to the next level of understanding. If they did not question, then they were satisfied that they had gained truth. This 'hidden knowledge' can be obtained outside of the constraints of organized religion; in fact it originally was obtained independently. Just as Newton's Laws could eventually be figured out by a person ignorant of his discoveries, one could find a Path to enlightenment separate from any of the mystery religions. However, just as one attends school to learn that which is already known, so one pursues illumination from the teachings of those who have already achieved more than oneself. Further, I do not believe that there is one 'right' Path. I accept that the OTO has valuable knowledge to impart. I accept that Christian Mystics, Jewish Quabalists, Muslim Sufis, and so on all have some piece of the puzzle, and that all will eventually converge on the road to wisdom. I know because I have been to that intersection once or twice, although I am not there now. My Path is my own, and as Van Morrison said, I have "No teacher, no guru, no method." Can I move in a direction that is contrary to positive movement towards the Laughing Light? You bet. The tough part is that the definition of what is or is not 'positive' is not static. An example: it might be proper that I learn what it means to take another human being's life by killing an intruder in my home. It might not be proper that I learn that lesson by following the orders of a superior officer in time of war. OR VICE VERSA. I must choose at every instance, and I might not immediately know if my choice has given or taken from my search for truth. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 229 There are also times when I might know that I am actively choosing to deviate from my Path. I might choose to sooth a feeling of anxiety about whether or not I can pay the rent this month by yelling at my wife. I'm not using this as an example because it is traditionally "wrong," but because I know that I cannot solve my problems by transferring my anxiety to others. If I choose to ignore what I have already learned, then not only have I lost ground, but I will have to deal with the anger that I've given out at some point. In conclusion, I believe that I am responsible for my own actions, as others are for theirs. I also believe that if I commit an action which may seem 'right' to me, but which society has deemed to be a crime, I'll be punished by society for breaking that law. I would punish those who break the laws which are meant to hold our society together, such as prohibitions on murder, burglary, and so forth. I believe that my moral convictions are binding only on myself, not on others, and that I'll ultimately deal with the consequences of my thoughts and deeds. I believe that I have no right to judge the moral content of another's actions. I believe in the Wiccan Rede, "An it harm none, do as thou shalt," and I further believe that it is meant to make me consider my actions and their consequences, and to make my own decisions, rather than as a prohibition against any specific action. There is much that I do not know about Godhead; much that I do not know about Right and Wrong. I have only my instincts and intellect to guide me, but I trust myself to make the right decisions eventually. Madoc Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 230 Sex & Magic Fra.: Apfelmann In this article I would like to address the issue of sex and magic. I am quite aware of the fact that this is a loaded subject. It is one of the oldest disciplines in occultism and virtually every magic tradition applies it somewhere down the road. Yet it has always been regarded as the innermost secret discipline. Witches, Shamans, Runesters, Yogis and Magicians of all varieties work with it in one form or another. To build up, strengthen, direct and aim this powerful energy is an awesome magical tool, as anyone who has ever worked with it knows. Being limited in time and space, but having such a wonderful and eclectic medium to work with, I want to give you a few unbiased ideas on the subject. No discipline of magic has attracted as much mumbo jumbo or misinformation as sex magic does. Nothing stirs the mind more than the left and right of the so-called middle path quite as vividly. Nothing is more ancient, powerful and misunderstood as Sex magic. Yes, the market on Tantra is booming, as a visit to any occult book shop will show you. Yet well researched, practical introductions into sex magic are virtually non-existent. Male sexist tunnel vision abounds. One of the reasons being that the general approach towards sexuality and women is steeped in Judeo-Christian hang ups. The most common approach seems to be: "Just lay down and be the altar dear, you are going to love it." Even such revolutionaries as Aleister Crowley have done very little to improve this. Louis Culling even dares to state in his contemporary work (1971), that a frigid woman is more conductive to sex magic practice than a sensual or, mind you, sexually aggressive one. For this would surely disturb ones concentration on the Great Work. No wonder that there are few women attracted to these kinds of partners! You will always get what you want in magic and the so-called true will does reveal itself in strange ways. Doing some soul searching and clarifying your motives is quite effective. Now, regarding literature on this subject there is hope. My german friend Fra.: U.D. has written a comprehensive, pragmatic book on sex magic. It`s title is "Secrets of the German Sex Magicians" (Llewellyn) and he told me last weekend that it is available in the States right now. (I hope he will give me some extracts to post them here...) It beats everything that has ever been published on the subject. Get it! Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 231 Now let me point out, one more time, that magic is a practical science. Merely reading about it or going to a workshop will not get you anywhere. The multitude of sexual expressions is just as great and manifold as human behavior in general. Here, like everywhere in Chaos Magic, it is useful to keep in mind that if it works for you, use it! Remember, the real sex magicians, male and female, have always known that and discarded social conditioning and taboos, right along with the do`s and don`ts of dogma. We do magic to liberate ourselves. So if it is possible for one thing to be sacred we logically conclude that everything else can be sacred too. Auto-, Hetero- and Homosexual expressions are equally valid in sex magic. It is more about expanding ones horizons that about finding a certain "right" way, partner or ritual to do it. The Chaos Magical paradigm kicks right in: Nothing is True, and Everything is Permitted! The next issue I want to address is the Auto-erotic practice. So let me state this loud and clear: Without auto erotic practice it is impossible to achieve anything in Sex magic! Auto-eroticism is of central importance because it is the ideal practice and playground. It constitutes a powerful technique in itself, and it makes us independent of partners. Especially in the beginning it is much easier to explore, prolong and amplify orgasmic trance states. For this very same reason it is possible to do effective sex magic with a partner who knows nothing about it but working with a partner who is equally trained in this art is ever so much more effective. Most amateurs believe that sexual magic is something that solely happens between partners in a ritual, but in reality the vast majority of sex magical arts are performed auto-erotically. Regarding the physical aspects of the sexual magical training first thing to consider is that your body is really _your temple_. And for it to be your ultimate tool and asset it has to be in peak condition. Physical and mental dependencies, be it alcohol, stimulants or even tobacco, will interfere with your ability to develop and direct this tool. I do not want to project a moral attitude on this, or any other subject, but mind, spirit and body are deeply intertwined. And the more you alter your mind from the outside by using drugs of any sort, the harder it gets to focus your will and physical reaction. If you are in a frizzy condition, you will get frizzy results! Here, as in all magic, the borders are fluid. A good training in practical magic will greatly enhance your sexual magic and vice versa. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 232 A lot of physical exercises in sex magic derive from Tantra Yoga. The only point of disagreement appears to be the way of using the orgasm. In particular, the "traditional" Tantra authors seem to cling to the idea that there is only a limited amount of sperm available to men. Therefore this precious substance is carefully guarded, held back and reassimilated when spent. Western magic does not agree with this belief. Its approach is rather like: the more you spend - the more you get! This applies to male magicians, women have always been pretty much inexhaustible in their orgasmic capacity. What joins both is that the intent in Sex magic is much more result oriented and concrete than in Tantra, where it is mainly transcendental. The longing for transcendence seems to be inherently natural in human behavior. Yet being western magicians living in the nineties we know that we have to handle the "real world", our physical reality first, and then we can move on to the loftier goals. A good manual for your physical preparation and training is "Stalking the Wild Orgasm" by Christopher Scott Kilham. Hie work not only includes some excellent yoga exercises, but also gives you some great clues regarding nutrition and aphrodisiacs. When you get going in this direction you will find that it soon penetrates into many other areas of your magical work. You will be in better physical shape, more relaxed, focused and grounded. Magic is a gut level art. We have to remove it from the intellectual stuff. Trust your own experiences. Strive to conduct your magic work from this part of your body where all magic originates - your loins. Have fun! With fractalic greetings and laughter * Fra.: Apfelmann * Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 233 THE RIDDLE OF THE TRICKSTER a cross-cultural overview by Thunderspud of Dragonfhain Who is this trickster archetype, the one who inspires such mixed feelings and brouhaha? Trickster has been with us from the beginning. Trickster will be there at the ending. (If there is an ending, Trickster will probably trigger it). Trickster is a creator, a transformer, a joker, a truth teller, a destroyer. Whoever has created a dance, a song, written a ritual, tailor-made a job, birthed a child or invented a game has partaken of a controlled Trickster energy. After all, in Northwest Native and Inuit tradition, Raven created the world; Loki is known to the Norse as a co creator (and the bringer of Ragnarok); Anansi the spider-trickster among the Ashanti of Ghana and Nareau the spider in Micronesia; Coyote among the Southwest Natives --these are the creator aspects of this wild and uncontrolled energy. Trickster often begins in the void, desiring to bring Order out of Chaos; once Order is imposed, however, Trickster represents the breaking free of negative power from the Universal Order of things. As a shape-shifter, Trickster is all things to all people, at one time or another, and often simultaneously. Of course Trickster is a creator and a destroyer. Sure he's a family man and a vagabond. Naturally he gives fire to humans and then steals their food before they can cook it. This is his style; when he acts out of selfishness, everyone benefits -- Maui of the Thousand Tricks might snare the Sun to slow it down, making life easier for humans, but he did it so his mother would have more time to cook for him. When he acts out of altruism, there's most always a negative effect --Marawa, a Lou Costello prototype from Banks Island carved human figures from wood and put them in the ground so they would grow and be strong; however, they merely rotted and death came into the world of humans. This shape- shifter not only moves from shape to shape, but from world to world. Number Eleven suffered at the hands of death to free his brothers; his brothers then took his lifeless body away and revived him. In the Winnebago cycle, Trickster dies three times and returns to life three times. In just one collection of Coyote stories, Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping With His Daughter, Coyote dies of a snake bite, a gunshot, an arrow wound, a broken heart, a rock-fall and a drowning; this resembles nothing so much as a Roadrunner cartoon. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 234 Trickster fuzzes the lines between Male and Female, between cunning and stupidity (in one story Coyote steals a horse, in another he almost drowns trying to eat some berries reflected in a stream), between wisdom and stupidity. Trickster tells us the truth about our selves, showing us with truth and wit the sides of our nature that we may be more comfortable not acknowledging; he's the one who points at the Emperor's nakedness, he's Lenny Bruce and Ashleigh Brilliant, Ken Kesey and Uncle Remus, Opus, Geech, Tom Robbins, Abbie Hoffman, Don Becker, Weird Al Yankovich and David Letterman, holding up a skewed mirror of reality for us to look into. Among the Aztecs, as serious a culture as this continent has ever seen, Ueuecoyotl, a funny and outrageously unacceptable clown figure; in the Southwest, at serious rituals, he's the Koshare speeding around the circle with tickling feathers and rattle, being ignored completely by the priest. Trickster shines on as a culture bringer: Prometheus steals fire for his poor stunted creations, and pays a terrible and eternal price for his philanthropy. Loki also steals fire for humans, as do Anansi, Raven, Coyote, Maui; so far I have found no less than seventeen stories from different cultures on this theme. Anansi tricked Nyankopon the Sky-God out of his stories and gave them to the humans. Clat, from Banks Island, taught humans how to sleep. In the stories of the Ashanti, Anansi invented the tar-baby as a ruse to trap an elemental spirit, but in the Native American stories, Coyote is trapped by a tar-baby set up by a farmer. Actually the farmer had caught a rabbit with his tar-baby, but Coyote happened along and asked Rabbit what he was doing there. "The farmer who owns this field got mad at me because I wouldn't eat his melons, so he stuck me here and said he'd come back and make me eat chicken." Rabbit replies, "But I told him I wouldn't do it." Of course, greedy Coyote extricates Rabbit and wraps himself around the tar-baby where he still his when the farmer comes out and shoots him. So this is the Trickster, the energy that allows us to break out of our stereotypes, whether they've been imposed by ourselves, our families, our culture. This is the energy that opens the world of limitless possibilities and it behooves us all to work with it before it destroys us, to touch the Trickster as he touches us. ...........from RMPJ, Oct.'86 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 235 Notes on Kabbalah (a continuing series of many parts) Copyright Colin Low 1991 Chapter 1.: The Tree of Life At the root of the Cabalistic view of the world are three fundamental concepts and they provide a natural place to begin. The three concepts are force, form and consciousness and these words are used in an abstract way, as the following examples illustrate: - high pressure steam in the cylinder of a steam engine provides a force. The engine is a form which constrains the force. - a river runs downhill under the force of gravity. The river channel is a form which constrains the water to run in a well defined path. - someone wants to get to the center of a garden maze. The hedges are a form which constrain that person's ability to walk as they please. - a diesel engine provides the force which drives a boat forwards. A rudder constrains its course to a given direction. - a politician wants to change the law. The legislative framework of the country is a form which he or she must follow if the change is to be made legally. - water sits in a bowl. The force of gravity pulls the water down. The bowl is a form which gives its shape to the water. - a stone falls to the ground under the force of gravity. Its acceleration is constrained to be equal to the force divided by the mass of the stone. - I want to win at chess. The force of my desire to win is constrained within the rules of chess. - I see something in a shop window and have to have it. I am constrained by the conditions of sale (do I have enough money, is it in stock). - cordite explodes in a gun barrel and provides an explosive force on a bullet. The gas and the bullet are constrained by the form of the gun barrel. - I want to get a passport. The government won't give me one unless I fill in lots of forms in precisely the right way. - I want a university degree. The university won't give me a degree unless I attend certain courses and pass various assessments. In all these examples there is something which is causing change Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 236 to take place ("a force") and there is something which causes change to take place in a defined way ("a form"). Without being too pedantic it is possible to identify two very different types of example here: 1. examples of natural physical processes (e.g. a falling stone) where the force is one of the natural forces known to physics (e.g. gravity) and the form is some combination of physical laws which constrain the force to act in a well defined way. 2. examples of people wanting something, where the force is some ill-defined concept of "desire", "will", or "drives", and the form is one of the forms we impose upon ourselves (the rules of chess, the Law, polite behavior etc.). Despite the fact that the two different types of example are "only metaphorically similar", Kabbalists see no fundamental distinction between them. To the Kabbalist there are forces which cause change in the natural world, and there are corresponding psychological forces which drive us to change both the world and ourselves, and whether these forces are natural or psychological they are rooted in the same place: consciousness. Similarly, there are forms which the component parts of the physical world seem to obey (natural laws) and there are completely arbitrary forms we create as part of the process of living (the rules of a game, the shape of a mug, the design of an engine, the syntax of a language) and these forms are also rooted in the same place: consciousness. It is a Cabalistic axiom that there is a prime cause which underpins all the manifestations of force and form in both the natural and psychological world and that prime cause I have called consciousness for lack of a better word. Consciousness is undefinable. We know that we are conscious in different ways at different times - sometimes we feel free and happy, at other times trapped and confused, sometimes angry and passionate, sometimes cold and restrained - but these words describe manifestations of consciousness. We can define the manifestations of consciousness in terms of manifestations of consciousness, which is about as useful as defining an ocean in terms of waves and foam. Anyone who attempts to define consciousness itself tends to come out of the same door as they went in. We have lots of words for the phenomena of consciousness - thoughts, feelings, beliefs, desires, emotions, motives and so on - but few words for the states of consciousness which give rise to these phenomena, just as we have many words to describe the surface of a sea, but few words to describe its depths. Kabbalah provides a vocabulary for states of consciousness underlying the phenomena, and one of the purposes of these notes is to explain this vocabulary, not by definition, but mostly by metaphor and analogy. The only genuine method of understanding what the vocabulary means is by attaining various states of consciousness in a predictable and reasonably objective way, and Kabbalah provides practical methods for doing this. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 237 A fundamental premise of the Cabalistic model of reality is that there is a pure, primal, and undefinable state of consciousness which manifests as an interaction between force and form. This is virtually the entire guts of the Cabalistic view of things, and almost everything I have to say from now on is based on this trinity of consciousness, force, and form. Consciousness comes first, but hidden within it is an inherent duality; there is an energy associated with consciousness which causes change (force), and there is a capacity within consciousness to constrain that energy and cause it to manifest in a well-defined way (form). First Principle of / Consciousness \ / \ / \ Capacity Raw to take ________________ Energy Form Figure 1. What do we get out of raw energy and an inbuilt capacity for form and structure? Is there yet another hidden potential within this trinity waiting to manifest? There is. If modern physics is to be believed we get matter and the physical world. The cosmological Big Bang model of raw energy surging out from an infinitesimal point and condensing into basic forms of matter as it cools, then into stars and galaxies, then planets, and ultimately living creatures, has many points of similarity with the Cabalistic model. In the Big Bang model a soup of energy condenses according to some yet-to-be-formulated Grand-Universal-Theory into our physical world. What Kabbalah does suggest (and modern physics most certainly does not!) is that matter and consciousness are the same stuff, and differ only in the degree of structure imposed - matter is consciousness so heavily structured and constrained that its behavior becomes describable using the regular and simple laws of physics. This is shown in Fig. 2. The primal, first principle of consciousness is synonymous with the idea of "God". Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 238 First Principle of / Consciousness \ / | \ / | \ Capacity | Raw to take _____________ Energy/Force Form | \ | / \ | / \ | / Matter The World Figure 2 The glyph in Fig. 2 is the basis for the Tree of Life. The first principle of consciousness is called Kether, which means Crown. The raw energy of consciousness is called Chockhmah or Wisdom, and the capacity to give form to the energy of consciousness is called Binah, which is sometimes translated as Understanding, and sometimes as Intelligence. The outcome of the interaction of force and form, the physical world, called Malkuth or Kingdom. This quaternery is a Cabalistic representation of God-the- Knowable, in the sense that it the most primitive representation of God we are capable of comprehending; paradoxically, Kabbalah also contains a notion of God-the-Unknowable which transcends this glyph, and is called En Soph. There is not much I can say about En Soph, and what I can say I will postpone for later. God-the-Knowable has four aspects, two male and two female: Kether and Chokhmah are both represented as male, and Binah and Malkuth are represented as female. One of the titles of Chokhmah is Abba, which means Father, and one of the titles of Binah is Aima, which means Mother, so you can think of Chokhmah as God- the-Father, and Binah as God-the-Mother. Malkuth is the daughter, the female spirit of God-as-Matter, and it would not be wildly wrong to think of her as Mother Earth. One of the more pleasant things about Kabbalah is that its symbolism gives equal place to both male and female. And what of God-the-Son? Is there also a God-the-Son in Kabbalah? There is, and this is the point where Kabbalah tackles the interesting problem of thee and me. The glyph in Fig. 2 is a model of consciousness, but not of self-consciousness, and self- consciousness throws an interesting spanner in the works. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 239 The Fall Self-consciousness is like a mirror in which consciousness sees itself reflected. Self-consciousness is modelled in Kabbalah by making a copy of figure 2. Consciousness of / Consciousness \ / | \ / | \ Consciousness | Consciousness of ________________ of Form | Energy/Force \ | / \ | / \ | / Consciousness of the World Figure 3 Figure 3. is Figure 2. reflected through self-consciousness. The overall effect of self-consciousness is to add an additional layer to Figure 2. as follows: First Principle of / Consciousness \ / | \ / | \ Capacity | Raw to take _____________ Energy/Force Form | \ | / \ | / \ | / Consciousness of / Consciousness \ / | \ / | \ Consciousness | Consciousness of ________________ of Form | Energy/Force \ | / \ | / \ | / Consciousness of the World | | | Matter The World Figure 4 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 240 Fig. 2 is sometimes called "the Garden of Eden" because it represents a primal state of consciousness. The effect of self- consciousness as shown in Fig. 4 is to drive a wedge between the First Principle of Consciousness (Kether) and that Consciousness realized as matter and the physical world (Malkuth). This is called "the Fall", after the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. From a Cabalistic point of view the story of Eden, with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the serpent and the temptation, and the casting out from the Garden has a great deal of meaning in terms of understanding the evolution of consciousness. Self-consciousness introduces four new states of consciousness: the Consciousness of Consciousness is called Tipheret, which means Beauty; the Consciousness of Force/Energy is called Netzach, which means Victory or Firmness; the Consciousness of Form is called Hod, which means Splendor or Glory, and the Consciousness of Matter is called Yesod, which means Foundation. These four states have readily observable manifestations, as shown below in Fig. 5: The Self Self-Importance Self-Sacrifice / | \ / | \ / | \ Language | Emotions Abstraction_______________Drives Reason | Feelings \ | / \ | / \ | / \ Perception / Imagination Instinct Reproduction Figure 5 Figure 4. is almost the complete Tree of Life, but not quite - there are still two states missing. The inherent capacity of consciousness to take on structure and objectify itself (Binah, God-the-Mother) is reflected through self-consciousness as a perception of the limitedness and boundedness of things. We are conscious of space and time, yesterday and today, here and there, you and me, in and out, life and death, whole and broken, together and apart. We see things as limited and bounded and we have a perception of form as something "created" and "destroyed". My car was built a year ago, but it was smashed yesterday. I wrote an essay, but I lost it when my computer crashed. My granny is dead. The river changed its course. A law has been repealed. I broke my coffee mug. The world changes, and what was here yesterday is not here today. This perception acts like an "interface" between the quaternary of consciousness which represents "God", and the quaternary which represents a living self-conscious being, and two new states are introduced to represent this interface. The state which represents the creation Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 241 of new forms is called Chesed, which means Mercy, and the state which represents the destruction of forms is called Gevurah, which means Strength. This is shown in Fig. 6. The objectification of forms which takes place in a self-conscious being, and the consequent tendency to view the world in terms of limitations and dualities (time and space, here and there, you and me, in and out, God and Man, good and evil...) produces a barrier to perception which most people rarely overcome, and for this reason it has come to be called the Abyss. The Abyss is also marked on Figure 6. First Principle of / Consciousness \ / | \ / | \ Capacity | Raw to take _____________ Energy/Force Form | | |\ | /| | \ | / | --------------Abyss--------------- | \ | / | Destruction | Creation of_____\_____|_____ /____of Form \ | / Form | \ \ | / / | | \ \ | / / | | \ Consciousness / | | of | | / Consciousness \ | | / | \ | |/ | \| Consciousness | Consciousness of ________________ of \ Form | Energy/Force \ \ | / / \ \ | / / \ \ | / / \ Consciousness / \ of / \ the World / \ / \ | / \ | / \ | / Matter The World Figure 6 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 242 The diagram in Fig. 6 is called the Tree of Life. The "constructionist" approach I have used to justify its structure is a little unusual, but the essence of my presentation can be found in the "Zohar" under the guise of the Macroprosopus and Microprosopus, although in this form it is not readily accessible to the average reader. My attempt to show how the Tree of Life can be derived out of pure consciousness through the interaction of an abstract notion of force and form was not intended to be a convincing exercise from an intellectual point of view - the Tree of Life is primarily a gnostic rather than a rational or intellectual explanation of consciousness and its interaction with the physical world. The Tree is composed of 10 states or sephiroth (sephiroth plural, sephira singular) and 22 interconnecting paths. The age of this diagram is unknown: there is enough information in the 13th. century "Sepher ha Zohar" to construct this diagram, and the doctrine of the sephiroth has been attributed to Isaac the Blind in the 12th. century, but we have no certain knowledge of its origin. It probably originated sometime in the interval between the 6th. and 13th. centuries AD. The origin of the word "sephira" is unclear - it is almost certainly derived from the Hebrew word for "number" (SPhR), but it has also been attributed to the Greek word for "sphere" and even to the Hebrew word for a sapphire (SPhIR). With a characteristic aptitude for discovering hidden meanings everywhere, Kabbalists find all three derivations useful, so take your pick. In the language of earlier Cabalistic writers the sephiroth represented ten primeval emanations of God, ten foci through which the energy of a hidden, absolute and unknown Godhead (En Soph) propagated throughout the creation, like white light passing through a prism. The sephiroth can be interpreted as aspects of God, as states of consciousness, or as nodes akin to the Chakras in the occult anatomy of a human being . I have left out one important detail from the structure of the Tree. There is an eleventh "something" which is definitely *not* a sephira, but is often shown on modern representations of the Tree. The Cabalistic "explanation" runs as follows: when Malkuth "fell" out of the Garden of Eden (Fig. 2) it left behind a "hole" in the fabric of the Tree, and this "hole", located in the center of the Abyss, is called Daath, or Knowledge. Daath is *not* a sephira; it is a hole. This may sound like gobbledy-gook, and in the sense that it is only a metaphor, it is. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 243 The completed Tree of Life with the Hebrew titles of the sephiroth is shown below in Fig. 7. En Soph /-------------------------\ / \ ( Kether ) / (Crown) \ / | \ / | \ / | \ Binah | Chokhmah (Understanding)__________ (Wisdom) (Intelligence) | | |\ | /| | \ Daath / | | \ (Knowledge) / | | \ | / | Gevurah \ | / Chesed (Strength)\_____|_____/__ (Mercy) | \ | / (Love) | \ \ | / / | | \ \ | / / | | \ Tipheret / | | / (Beauty) \ | | / | \ | | / | \ | |/ | \| Hod | Netzach (Glory) _______________(Victory) (Splendor) | (Firmness) \ \ | / / \ \ | / / \ \ | / / \ \ | / / \ \ Yesod / / \ (Foundation) / \ / \ | / \ | / \ | / Malkuth (Kingdom) Figure 7 Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 244 From an historical point of view the doctrine of emanations and the Tree of Life are only one small part of a huge body of Cabalistic speculation about the nature of divinity and our part in creation, but it is the part which has survived. The Tree continues to be used in the Twentieth Century because it has proved to be a useful and productive symbol for practices of a magical, mystical and religious nature. Modern Kabbalah in the Western Mystery Tradition is largely concerned with the understanding and practical application of the Tree of Life, and the following set of notes will list some of the characteristics of each sephira in more detail so that you will have a "snapshot" of what each sephira represents before going on to examine the sephiroth and the "deep structure" of the Tree in more detail. Chapter 2.: Sephirothic Correspondences The correspondences are a set of symbols, associations and qualities which provide a handle on the elusive something a sephira represents. Some of the correspondences are hundreds of years old, many were concocted this century, and some are my own; some fit very well, and some are obscure - oddly enough it is often the most obscure and ill-fitting correspondence which is most productive; like a Zen riddle it perplexes and annoys the mind until it arrives at the right place more in spite of the correspondence than because of it. There are few canonical correspondences; some of the sephiroth have alternative names, some of the names have alternative translations, the mapping from Hebrew spellings to the English alphabet varies from one author to the next, and inaccuracies and accretions are handed down like the family silver. I keep my Hebrew dictionary to hand but guarantee none of the English spellings. The correspondences I have given are as follows: 1. The Meaning is a translation of the Hebrew name of the sephira. 2. The Planet in most cases is the planet associated with the sephira. In some cases it is not a planet at all (e.g. the fixed stars). The planets are ordered by decreasing apparent motion - this is one correspondence which appears to pre-date Copernicus! 3. The Element is the physical element (earth, water, air, fire, aethyr) which has most in common with the nature of the Sephira. The Golden Dawn applied an excess of logic to these attributions and made a mess of them, to the confusion of many. Only the five Lower Face sephiroth have been attributed an element. 4. Briatic color. This is the color of the sephira as seen in the world of Creation, Briah. There are color scales for the other three worlds but I haven't found them to be useful in practical work. 5. Magical Image. Useful in meditations; some are astute. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 245 6. The Briatic Correspondence is an abstract quality which says something about the essence of the way the sephira expresses itself. 7. The Illusion characterizes the way in which the energy of the sephira clouds one's judgement; it is something which is *obviously* true. Most people suffer from one or more of these according to their temperament. 8. The Obligation is a personal quality which is demanded of an initiate at this level. 9. The Virtue and Vice are the energy of the sephiroth as it manifests in a positive and negative sense in the personality. 10. Klippoth is a word which means "shell". In medieval Kabbalah each sephira was "seen" to be adding form to the sephira which preceded it in the Lightning Flash (see Chapter 3.). Form was seen to an accretion, a shell around the pure divine energy of the Godhead, and each layer or shell hid the divine radiance a little bit more, until God was buried in form and exiled in matter, the end-point of the process. At the time attitudes to matter were tainted with the Manichean notion that matter was evil, a snare for the spirit, and consequently the Klippoth or shells were "demonised" and actually turned into demons. The correspondence I have given here restores the original notion of a shell of form *without* the corresponding force to activate it; it is the lifeless, empty husk of a sephira devoid of force, and while it isn't a literal demon, it is hardly a bundle of laughs when you come across it. 11. The Command refers to the Four Powers of the Sphinx, with an extra one added for good measure. 12. The Spiritual Experience is just that. 13. The Titles are a collection of alternative names for the sephira; most are very old. 14. The God Name is a key to invoking the power of the sephira in the world of emanation, Atziluth. 13. The Archangel mediates the energy of the sephira in the world of creation, Briah. 14. The Angel Order administers the energy of the sephira in the world of formation, Yetzirah. 15. The Keywords are a collection of phrases which summarize key aspects of the sephira. Last amended June 11, 1989 -- Page NEXTRECORD 246 ================================================================= Sephira: Malkuth Meaning: Kingdom ------- ------- Planet: Cholem Yesodeth Element: earth --------(the Breaker of ------- the Foundations, sphere of the elements, the Earth) Briat