You are Blocked by What You Know

Sri Vidya, the highest tantrik knowledge of the Devi, is something that I have been exploring for a few years now. I had gotten familiar enough through readings and workings that I was fairly confidant in my knowledge, although certainly recognizing that I was still in the beginning stages of the approach to the slopes of Mt. Meru.

A chance encounter with a physician in Bombay taught me more in 10 minutes than all the books I have been pouring over. While it was not his intent, my interaction with him was like a direct introduction to my own mental blocks and ignorance. I will not go into details here, but lets just say it was a surprise and a blessing to meet him and interact with him, even if so briefly. My eyes have been opened.

The biggest stumbling block, one of the most persistent kleshas, is knowledge. Or rather, ones self assessment of what they think they know. Stay open, stay awake, stay aware. She comes to you unexpectedly, shy glances that you might catch out of the corner of your eye and then in a flash she is hiding again.

Later the next day went for a walk in the sweltering heat and humidity, only to chance upon this shrine to the Goddess that was setup along the roadside next to a banyan tree (visible) and a neem tree (out of frame). 

I am grateful for each chance encounter. Bhavani tuam!

72205038_10217415060942491_6397950461428629504_o.jpg

Yakṣiṇī Magic

An exciting announcement from my friends Mike Magee and Phil Hine!

Announcing Yakṣiṇī Magic

I’m very pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a new book by Mike Magee, Yakṣiṇī Magic.

Yakṣiṇī Magic is the first extensive treatment of Tantric texts dealing with practices that relate to the Yakṣiṇīs, an ancient class of female spirit beings often described as “fertility deities” and said to inhabit wild places, plants and trees.
Beginning with an examination of Kubera, the treasurer to the gods, who is often held to be the leader of the Yakṣiṇīs, Mike examines and elaborates on existing scholarly accounts of the Yakṣiṇīs, and traces their appearance from the earliest Indian textual sources—the Vedas through to Buddhist, Jain, and Tantric literature. He highlights the importance of astrological timing in Yakṣiṇī-related magical practices, and discusses how the magical elements of the tantras have been sidelined.

Drawing on a wide range of tantric textual sources, many of which are presented here for the first time summarised into English, Mike examines the various practices through which a tantric practitioner could propitiate these powerful, fierce, and sometimes jealous female spirits. Yakṣiṇī Magic affords us a fascinating glimpse into this hitherto unexplored aspect of the tantric world—a world populated by hosts of spirit beings whose favour was sought through offerings of mantras, as well as a wide variety of other substances.

Mike Magee has been providing translations and summaries of tantric materials for many years, earning him the respect of practitioners and scholars alike. He is the author of Tantric Astrology (Mandrake 1989) and Tantra Magick (Mandrake 1990). He has also translated key texts such as the Kaulajnananirnya Vamakeshvarimatam and Matrikabhedatantram.

With illustrations by Jan Magee and Maria Strutz. Foreword by Phil Hine.

This first edition of Yakṣiṇī Magic will be published by Twisted Trunk as a limited hardback edition of 108 numbered copies, priced £30 plus postage. To reserve a copy, contact phil@twistedtrunkbooks.com

Yakṣiṇīs and trees

A yakshini is a female tree spirit. In addition to scaring the occasional lone wanderer at dusk that happens to inadvertently stroll under her tree, they are fond of grasping the tree branch and giving the trunk a kick to make the tree flower. Shalabhanjika (“breaking the branch of the Sal tree”) yaksinis are auspicious guardians entrusted to protect the gateways to palaces. These first two are from Madya Pradesh around 1-100CE. The last one Uttar Pradesh from 100-200CE.

The Song of the Vajra

images

The Song of the Vajra

CHÖGYAL NAMKHAI NORBU
(1938-2018)

Unborn,
Yet continuing without interruption,
Neither coming nor going, omnipresent,
Supreme Dharma,
Immutable space, beyond definition,
Spontaneously, self-liberating.
Perfect state without any obstruction,
Existent from the very beginning,
Self created, without location,
With nothing negative to reject,
And nothing positive to accept,
Infinite expanse, all pervading,
Immense, and limitless, unbound,
With nothing even to dissolve
Or from which to be liberated.
Present beyond Space and Time,
Existent from the beginning,
Immense dimension of inner space,
The radiance of clarity is like the sun and the moon,
Self perfected,
As indestructible as the Vajra,
As stable as a mountain,
As pure as a lotus,
Strong as a lion,
Incomparable bliss
Beyond all limits;
Illumination,
Equanimity,
Peak of the Dharma,
Light of the Universe,
Perfect since the very beginning.

From “The Song of the Vajra”, An Oral Commentary by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche,
Edited by Gina Perini

Song of the Stele

Stele of Revealing

From the 26th Dynasty of Egypt in Thebes, the Priest of the god Mentu, Ankh-ah-na-Khonsu, created the Stele of Revealing (although it was not called this until much later).

It is from the translation of the hieroglyphics on this Stele that the Song comes from, the supreme mantra of Thelema (Aleister Crowley referred to this mantra as the “holiest of all” in Book 4).

a ka dua
tuf ur biu
bi a’a chefu
dudu nur af an nuteru

“Unity uttermost showed!
I adore the might of Thy breath,
Supreme and terrible God,
Who makest the gods and death
To tremble before Thee –
I, I adore thee!”

An effective and simple method of rapidly establishing an active current of Light in the sphere of sensation is to use the Egyptian mantra in conjunction with a Middle Pillar type practice, incorporating the Four Worlds map of consciousness. In this method, each line of the mantra is associated with one of the Four Worlds, thus:

Atziluth 
A ka dua
Sahasarachakra
Kether
Briah
Tuf urbiu
Anahattachakra
Tiphareth
Yetzirah
Bi a’a chefu
Svadhisthanachakra
Yesod
Assiah
Dudu ner af an nuteru
Muladharachakra
Malkuth
The entire paraphrase in english is a powerful micro-ritual in and of itself, serving as an effective invocation of the Light also along the lines of a modified Middle Pillar ritual, in that each stanza may be associated with one of the 4 Worlds, utilizing the Gate Sephiroth
of Kether, Tiphereth, Yesod, and Malkuth to rise through the different levels of consciousness as one ascends the Tree, or bring the current  down the Tree to ground into matter.
Standing straight up, hands to the sides, visualize your sphere of sensation filling with radiant white light, with a barely perceptible field of blue light at the outer perimeter of the aura. With this current of energy coursing through your system, say:
I am the Lord of 
Thebes, and I
The inspired forth-speaker of Mentu;
For me unveils the veiled sky,
The self-slain Ankh-af-na-khonsuWhose words are truth.
I invoke, I greetThy presence, O Ra-Hoor-Khuit!
Next, proceed to establish the Middle Pillar with the following actions:
 
Atziluth
Kether. Visualize Divine white brilliance above the head at the sahasarachakra as a radiating luminescent sphere.
 
Unity uttermost showed!
I adore the might of Thy breath,
Supreme and terrible God,
Who makest the gods and death
To tremble before Thee: —
I, I adore thee!
 
Briah
Tiphereth. Bring a current of white light down from the Kether sphere to the anahattachakra at the chest, where a brilliant rose-gold solar sphere of radiant fire appears.
Appear on the throne of Ra!
Open the ways of the Khu!
Lighten the ways of the Ka!
The ways of the Khabs run through
To stir me or still me!
Aum! let it fill me!
Yetzirah
Yesod. The current of white light extends down from the chest to the genitals at the svadhisthanachakra, as a sphere of brilliant luminescent violet light emerges.
The light is mine; its rays consume Me:
I have made a secret door
Into the House of Ra and Tum,
Of Khephra and of Ahathoor.
I am thy Theban, O Mentu,
The prophet Ankh-af-na-khonsu!
Assiah
Malkuth. The scintillating column of white light descends from the genitals to the feet representng the muladharachakra, where a sphere of brilliant citrine light appears.
By Bes-na-Maut my breast I beat;
By wise Ta-Nech I weave my spell.
Show thy star-splendour, O Nuit!
Bid me within thine House to dwell,
O winged snake of light, Hadit!
Abide with me, Ra-Hoor-Khuit!
Now pause to see the four spheres of radiant light, and the central column of brilliance connecting them all. From this point, one may wish to go into meditation, invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel, or other forms of ritual and meditative Work.
This practice is incorporated into several other techniques that are described in my book. 
Recently, I came across an evocative musical chant of the Song of the Stele. Check it out here

 

 

 

Theca ubi res pretiosa deponitur

A Place Where a Precious Thing is Concealed

680731cb51d66a48f112b46974482b89.jpg

Kenneth Grant notes in Nightside of Eden (page 71):

The Scarlet Woman – 393 – is less 666, “the Beast whereon she rideth”, by 273, which is the number of AVR GNVZ, ‘the Hidden Light’, and ABN MASU HBVNIM, ‘the Stone which the builders rejected’. 273 is also the number of ARBO, meaning ‘four’, the sign of the cross or crossing, and of the four directions of space.

The reference is to a passage from Psalm 118:22: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.”

In Hebrew, the phrase “the Stone which the Builders refused” is Ehben Masu Ha-Bonaim (ABN MASV H BVNIM).

The root of the Hebrew masu means “to despise, reject, refuse.”

Other Hebrew words which have this same numerical value of 273:

ChVRM ABIV, Khurum Abiv – “Hiram Abiff”

AVR GNVZ, Aur Ganuz, — “hidden light”

In Greek there are two words of particular relevance that also enumerate to 273:

Anthanasia, “immortality.”

Heh Kleis, “the key.”

It should be noted that the Cross is also the Tau, a cornerstone of the Temple of which Baphomet, the idol of the Templars was enshrined. This is also the Muladhara or basal chakra, the Baptism of Wisdom.

Trees of Eternity

IMG_0308.jpg

I have been immersing myself in a project that requires a dive back through all of Kenneth Grant’s  Typhonian Trilogies, and in the process keep coming across incredibly good quotes and reminders. The recent series of quotes are some of the inspirations coming out of this.

No doubt over the years these have been seeds planted into my unconscious and, like sigils or runes, have been nurtured in the darkness over time and their fruit – strange and beautiful – slowly takes form.

Here is this mornings reminder…

Unless occultism becomes creative in the sense of opening up new approaches, modifying and developing traditional concepts and generally revealing a little more of that Supreme Goddess whose identity is hidden behind the veil of Isis, Kali, Nuit, or Sothis, there will be stagnation in the swamp of beliefs rendered inert by the recent swift acceleration of humanity’s consciousness, which is little short of miraculous. If the science of the unmanifest is not to remain grounded at a pre-pubescent stage, while the manifested sciences soar into space, the mature occultist must put aside the toys of superstition and face fearlessly the Trees of Eternity whose trunks and branches glow with solar fire, but whose roots are nourished in the dark.

— Kenneth Grant, Nightside of Eden

There is a resurgence in many esoteric circles, with creativity coming to the front and driving innovation and experimentation.  These patterns cycle through time.  In some cases, like light reflecting off a dew covered branch, what appears to be one thing may in fact be something else entirely.

“My incense is of resinous woods & gums; and there is no blood therein: because of my hair the trees of Eternity.” AL I:59

Let the woman be girt with a sword before me.

5c81a8e8e479c5616b280ff83f4a5b15.jpg

“Let the woman be girt with a sword before me.” This indicates the dominance of the martian element. Woman will lead the initiatory system of the New Aeon; her priests are veiled and out of sight, even as Hadit is not perceptible at the centre of the Circle, or the bindu in the Shri Chakra. “With my force shall she see & strike at the worship of Nu; she shall achieve Hadit” (III, 45). – Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God, Kenneth Grant

Infinite Space & Infinite Stars

hqdefault.jpg

 

“Qabalistically considered, the supreme formula of Nuit (Nought), is Kali=61=Ain=Nothing (Nuit or Not). This is the highest, most transcendental equation which it is possible to project into the realm of mind by mathematico-qabalistic symbolism. It is evident that the Shaivite conception functions altogether at a different level. The child, Ra-Hoor-Khuit, projects or bodies-forth the Limitless Light (ain soph aur) of Kali/Nuit as blackness which, by its seeming opacity, appears as Set, the Absorber of Light. Set takes the form of the shadows cast by the magical vortex created by the interplay of Hadit and Nuit (or Shiva and Shakti), whose explosive union is so blinding in its brilliance that it appears as “thick darkness” and “sudden death”. The darkness of Set is the womb of the Goddess from which appears to emanate a glamorous web in the form of the World-All; none other than that “world-bewitching Maya” that revealed itself as the Supreme Mother, Kali, in Shri Ramakrishna’s ecstasies of inward contemplation.”

– Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God, Kenneth Grant

kalavidya and AL

23156981_10212241664730819_2817180849411599020_o.jpg

“Here we are confronted with an issue that concerns matters more urgent than doctrinal preferences. I refer to the age-long antagonism which has existed between Shaivas and Shakteyas, between worshippers of the God and devotees of the Goddess; more bluntly, the conflict between the Lingacaras and the Yonicaras. AL solves this problem by exalting the Child, the product of both.” – Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God, Kenneth Grant.

 

Kubla Khan

Kubla Khan

Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
   Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round;
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean;
And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
   The shadow of the dome of pleasure
   Floated midway on the waves;
   Where was heard the mingled measure
   From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
   A damsel with a dulcimer
   In a vision once I saw:
   It was an Abyssinian maid
   And on her dulcimer she played,
   Singing of Mount Abora.
   Could I revive within me
   Her symphony and song,
   To such a deep delight ’twould win me,
That with music loud and long,
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.

The Law of Awakening

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

What is the purpose of starting letters with this sentence of eleven words? Often I think it deteriorates into a flag waving exercise, a means of proclaiming what team you are identifying with. Is that really all?

What would happen if you were to consciously think and write these words? Saying it consciously really brings it to the mind. These days so many people have shortcuts. What is the point?  If it is just another habit, albeit an odd one, it serves little purpose. It should be said thoughtfully, with intention.

In this way, the very act of writing these eleven words is an act of Awareness. In the ongoing struggle against habit and unconscious patterns, this one practice to help the dreamer awaken is welcome.

Do what thou wilt, or Svecchacara, or 93. Whatever you may say, let it have conscious intent, and help both yourself and others to experience, if but for an instant, that primordial pristine Awareness.

Love is the law, love under will

 

Meditation for Humans

I’ve been a meditator  since around the age of 16. After decades of practice, and quite honestly, a lot of struggling, I have finally managed to come across a sweet spot in formal sitting practice that has accelerated my sense of “progress” (not that there is anywhere to go or anything to change, but that is a deeper topic for another day!)

So, what has suddenly helped me, and turned me from a semi-frequent meditator to someone that sits twice a day every day for about an hour? Here are a couple tips that work for me. Most of them are amazingly obvious, and I admit that I am just a slow study,

Sit comfortably

For years I would force myself into painful asanas in order to sit for meditation. I was convinced I had to sit on the floor in some way, either on my folded legs or in a half lotus (I gave up trying to twist into full lotus a long time ago). I would spend so much time in pain and discomfort that I would be unable to sit for long periods of time more often than not. My sitting practice was more of a twitching, tight breathing and stealing glances at the clock practice.

Now I sit in a chair. What a difference. Instead of struggling against muscle spasms and sprained back, I can focus. My friend and teacher Soror Meral told me to sit in a chair back when I was first starting out, but I discarded the advice of course because I had to sit in the Dragon asana like I saw in my copies of the Equinox.

Now that I am not battling against my body, I find that its a lot easier to settle in and move into the practice in a deep way.

Sit outside

This is another really basic one. For years my practice was indoors, inside a temple or shrine room. Thats fine and helped in many ways, but things really took off when I stepped outside into the world. The real temple has no walls.

I’ve found that being closer to nature, or just the sky outside, is far more effective for me than in a room. Something about feeling the breeze on my face, hearing the rustle of leaves and bird songs. I’ll often meditate with my eyes open, and seeing the wide open sky with its clouds, the trees and mountains, or the stars and moon at night — all of this goes a long way towards helping to stay centered and feeling the deep connection that we have with the world.

Again, this is a silly little trick in a lot of ways, as when your perspective shifts to one taste the location does not matter (really one should be in active presence in any situation). There is nothing wrong with using props to help you get jumpstarted, and nature is an amazing, beautiful, inspiring one.

Use an App

Despite working in high tech, I resisted using any apps for my practice for the longest time. Using technology that finds every possibly means to distract and interrupt attention seemed like the antithesis of any deep, mindful practice.

Then I tried out a free mindfullness app (Insight Timer), and discovered that these tools can in fact be really helpful. With guided meditations by many different teachers, and simple timers that can be configured to use custom timings and sounds, the app has actually become one of my most useful tools. Its simple to use, and rather than being another distraction, it helps to delineate the time. I also like seeing the charts that show how much time I have been meditating over the past weeks and months. An app can also help you to remain consistent, as you can set reminders which can be important depending on what your daily routines are like.

An app will not be for everyone, and there are still plenty of alternatives. The deeper lesson here is to not discard a potential aid simply based on things like “taste” or “tradition.” Use what works for you. Experiment, modify, discard and retain to find what is effective.

Take a Hike

Walking meditation has a long established history in many traditions. I am not suggesting a formal mindful walking practice here (although that is great as well). Just get out into nature as much as you can, out into the wilds if possible or even a park. Quiet, contemplative walks or hikes are great opportunities to feel at one with the universe.

There is a reason so many pagan and native traditions hold their practices outside in nature. Get out and try it. Like sitting outside for meditation, being active and moving your body, breathing fresh air, listening to the sounds of nature while being immersed in a forest, or making your way through a rocky path, along rivers — this is your world, and its best to experience it in its raw, natural beauty as much as possible.

Go alone or with a partner or group that has a similar intent to silently experience nature. Expand on this to go camping or backpacking in the majesty of the world.

I had some similar thoughts on this in relation to western esotericism in this article  Reuniting yourself with the natural world

At the Feet of the Guru

During the 1950’s Kenneth Grant wrote several articles for The Call Divine and The Mountain Path, exploring the non-dual philosophy of Advaida Vedanta and the teachings of such great sages as Sri Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma, Sri Thakhur Haranath and others.

Below are a few articles from The Call Divine, from Sri Ramanasramam

Resignation

Nothing Manifests Itself in Any Form

The Cult of the Hill

The Great Solvent

The Message Enshrined in Silence

Quicksand

Arunachala Siva, The Void Nature of the Self.

The Adamantine Way

Bhagavan Sri Ramana as I knew Him-SYMPOSIUM

The Bodiless Presence

These articles and others from The Call Divine and The Mountain Path have been collected together in the excellent Starfire publication, At The Feet of the Guru, Needless to say, this is a beautiful publication, as all the titles from Starfire are – highly recommended.

Additionally, in the Call Divine appears an article by Steffi Grant describing a miraculous healing dream with Ramana Maharshi, entitled A Dream

Say Ahhhhhhhh

“As the letter ‘a’ is the first of all letters but is itself uncreate and formless, free from all modulations, so also is the One Pure Consciousness likewise the formless source wherefrom Samsara appears to arise. Of all the letters, Sri Krishna, in the Gita, claims identity with the letter ‘a’ since this letter signifies the void and contentless vast of Consciousness, which is bereft of all concept and all ideas of subjectivity and objectivity.” – Kenneth Grant, The Adamantine Way (appearing in the Call Divine, 1 May 1954).

letter_a.jpg

This article and several others from Kenneth Grant are online at the Sri Ramanasaram site. 

making the unconscious conscious

IMG_7302

Had the pleasure of attending a talk and meditation by Professor Robert Thurman last week. With decades of experience  as both a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner and as a professor, he has a great knack for presenting these often complex ideas in a simple manner that cut right to the essence of a profound teaching.

Professor Thurman is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s personal representative in the US, and the founder of Tibet House, an organization dedicated to preserving the rich cultural legacy of Tibetans. He also has a wicked sense of humour, and this comes out often during his talks! Many of his lectures are available on the Bob Thurman Podcast, which I highly recommend. Even if Buddhism is not your thing, you might find a lot of value in these talks.

The talk I attended was geared towards the very materialistic, scientific minded engineers of Silicon Valley. He thought it was great that “mindfullness meditation” is becoming all the rage among the corporate world, even if it is a very stripped down version of the practices. It still has the benefit of getting people to be a little more introspective. In a culture of materialism and western science, where the tendency is to live for “this life only” and to negate any deeper look into the meaning of existence beyond making money, this is a welcome foothold into daily life. In such a context, Professor Thurman defined enlightenment as “making the unconscious, conscious.”  With nods to Freud and Jung, this was the perfect explanation for westerners.

A very simple meditation practice was given that can be used to enhance the vipassanna styled meditations that have been popularized in the Valley by all the meditation apps (10% Happier, Headspace, Calm) currently making the rounds. Inhale white light, with a sense of healing filling up your cells. Hold the breath briefly, just a few seconds, while seeing it as a rich ruby red light that is vibrant with health and healing. Exhale the breath, seeing it as a deep cobalt blue light that gives out healing to the world and the environment. Tantrik sadhakas may see in this simple practice the deep roots of vajra breathing with the vibrational syllables of OM AH HUNG.

 

 

cutting through

Labels. They are everywhere. We use them to define ourselves, each other, our space, our likes and dislikes, the world around us, our thoughts… In one sense, language is a great label maker for chopping up the vast expanse of raw experience into bite sized pieces that are easily digested.

If you do not “fit” into a label, people may feel funny about you. For the sake of comfort, it seems as though people expect to be able to categorize everything, including themselves, into well organized and defined definitions. If you can not label it, it can can not be categorized and fit in to the correct slot.

With the wide acceptance of social media like Facebook, the motivation to “fit in” and “label” oneself and others has become something of a collective past-time. Favorite music, books, movies, television… “I drink wine and enjoy watching Friends. Oh so do you? My political slant is <fill in the blank> and my religion is <label goes here>. I don’t like this person, they use labels I don’t like. I am in this club and you aren’t.” Subject and object, this and that, inside outside. Perhaps if enough data is collected and the patterns analyzed, we can give up having names and just be categorized under certain labels and numbers.

A case in point, the About page. How many labels do I have to choose in order to try to box myself in to a nice package that others will be able to label according to their own set of rules? Lets see —  I’m Typhonian, and I am big on Tantra and Dzogchen. Other labelled entities (poor humans), such as those calling themselves Thelemites, might not like that I’m Typhonian. Classical Hindu tantriks on the other hand, may dislike that I am into Dzogchen. Labels might get in the way of actual human connection if I don’t pass the initial word filter.

Based on the associations of labels, we limit our experiences and interactions with other living human beings. This person seems nice, but they label themselves as a <blank> – no thank you. That person has so much energy, looks so happy, really enjoys life – oh but wait… it says here they love a book by an author that I hate…. No!  We limit ourselves if the label does not “fit.”

Words imprison us. Sure, they can also liberate us. Language is both a blessing and a curse.

Life is for living. It is alive, dynamic, unpredictable, beautiful and ugly, magnificent and horrible. It is all of these things simultaneously. Try some of those labels on, if you must. The more we try to define ourselves, to live inside of our own well constructed boxes, the more comical the whole game becomes.

Meditation is useful in getting reacquainted with reality. I say reacquainted because we all know it, have experienced it. At the very least, you were an infant at one time, before language was part of your consciousness (I suppose that is arguable, with the sound of the mothers voice being heard in the womb). Go back further then…

Persist long enough and you might get glimpses of consciousness beyond (before?) language. What is experience before it is labeled? What is the raw, unfiltered, unspeakable experience of being?

Who are you, before you had a name?

 

 

Dr. Jacques Vallee

I recently finished reading Dr. Jacques Vallee’s Forbidden Science, three volumes of diaries covering about 40 years of research into the UFO problem. What an incredible journey of exploration he has documented! Anyone that has done more than a cursory glance at the phenomena will know that the deceptively simple subject may start out innocently enough, but quickly goes far beyond mechanical space craft with alien pilots that are visiting the earth, and dives headlong into the depths of consciousness itself.

Of all the researchers in the field, Vallee is perhaps one of the only ones doing such thorough cutting edge investigations into this murky and mysterious world that spans the topics of psi research, multi-dimensional entities, the expansion (and meaning) of consciousness, and more. What is the nature of these “lights in the sky”? Investigating  not only contemporary sightings, but also diving deep into folklore (Passport to Magonia is highly recommend as well), Vallee presents a fascinating look into his research. You can see over time the development of his theory of the control mechanism that seems to be at the core of this phenomena (see Messengers of Deception for this thesis worked out in detail).

The diaries also give tantalizing insights into the role that the various world government agencies have played in investigating and obfuscating any research. SRI (Stanford Research Institute) was doing incredible reasearch in the 70’s, which I found particularly of interest having grown up in the area during that time (I attended Menlo-Atherton high school, just a few blocks away from SRI. Several of my classmates had jobs at SRI after school).

Also of interest are his interactions with various “occult” luminaries. Dinner parties with Anton LaVey, meetings with Grady Louis McMurtry, and discussions with Manly Palmer Hall among others. Ultimately deciding that the occultists were ignorant of anything relating to the phenomena, its an amazing read and shows his inquisitive and exploratory nature. If only he had interviewed Kenneth Grant, who knows where the research may have led!

Follow this link for a recent interview with Dr. Vallee discussion many of these subjects: http://skeptiko.com/jacques-vallee-diaries-reveal-what-scientists-deny-359/

Diamond Sapphire at Pantheacon 2015

IMG_2625

I will be offering the Diamond Sapphire Gem of Radiant Light at this years Pantheacon in the Bay Area. This rite forms the core of the system of consciousness expansion that is described in my book The Magickal Union of East and West. Also present will be senior members of the Ordo Sunyata Vajra, including contributing author of the book, Charlotte Moore.

This will be a great opportunity to meet in person, share space and time in the radiant void of direct awareness, and afterwords get your copy of the book and have it signed by both authors.

Please do join us for this special public event!

Related articles:

Ceremonial Magick: Reuniting Yourself with the Natural World

Traveling with Spirits

Thelemic Refuge

sky dancers

She gazes into unfathomable space, and her body itself is luminous, empty of solidity…she is the manifestation of coemergent wisdom, the all-inclusive wisdom generated in meditation. She captures the totality of the minds of the yogis and yogis, bringing both poles of attraction of revulsion directly to the path of realization. She cannot be conceptualized or categorized. She stops the mind.

IMG_1533

The dakini refuses to accept the logic of life versus death, gain versus loss, and pain versus pleasure. This logic is the reasoning of the endless suffering in which we are trapped, and when we perpetuate this approach we are trapped in a samsaric prison. The dakini shows that landscape in which this hopeless logic disintegrates and we directly experience the world as it is, infused with intensity and natural power. In this charnel ground, beauty has no rival in ugliness. The polarities have collapesed, and great joy is found in the greatest devastation. This is the power of the dancing dakini.

IMG_1523

Text excerpts from Dakini’s Warm Breath

Bhavani Tuam….

IMG_3436

 

“Oh Bhavani, do thou-give a compassionate look upon me, Thy servant.” To him who thus praying says  “Oh Bhavani Thou ” then and there Thou dost give the state of union with Thee, that state adorned by the brilliant crowns of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra.

As Laksmidhara says that “Bhavani” as a Verb means” May I be” and Bhavani tvam = “let me be (one with) Thee”; taking it as the optative first person singular of the verb Bhii. He who thus worships the Devi becomes one with Her. The very utterance of the words “Bhavani tvam” attracts Her attention. The expression “Bhavani tvam” has two meanings. Bhavani is the vocative form of Bhavani and is also the lot (optative) first person singular of the root Bhii (=to be). The author says that when the Sadhaka is supplicating the Devi for Her Grace addressing Her as Bhavani (the consort of Bhava or Shiva) She out of Her Great Mercy mistakes as it were the meaning of the Sadhaka and understands him, when the first two words are uttered, to say ” May I be Thou ” and grants his prayer.

Sir John Woodroffe’s (Arthur Avalon) commentary to verse 22 of the Ananda Lahari

sun salutation illustrated

In my book The Magickal Union of East and West, there is a description of a practice from ashtanga yoga, the Surya Namascar (“Sun Salutation”). While the description is traditional, without instruction it can be difficult to follow.

My friend Andria Degens is certified instructor of yoga with her own practice in Hastings. She has studied and practiced extensively in India and the UK (see her full bio here). Andria kindly agreed to illustrate the major asanas of the sun salutation in order to augment the description in the text. With these photos and the outline given in the book, it should help to make the practice a bit easier to decode and get into for beginners.

If you are in the Hastings area, by all means sign up for her classes and get first hand practical instruction in this and deeper aspects of yogic disciplines. She also offers private one on one classes for serious students that wish to pursue the work in customized sessions. In addition to her love of yoga, Andria is a musician with many albums out, performing under the name Pantaleimon.

The description is from pages 12 -14  of The Magickal Union of East and West. Photo credit goes to Dave Reading. The yogini is of course Andria herself.

Sun Salutation

Stand straight, with your feet together. Imagine a brilliant white sphere above your head with a white light streaming into it from above. Place your palms together, touching your chest. Sense the energy pouring into you, filling you with vitality and awakening every cell of your body.

DPP_0006Now breathe in deeply while you raise your arms above your head and bend backward from the waist.

DPP_0030Bending forward from your hips, breathe out slowly. Knees should be slightly bent (you do not want any strain on your lower back). Hands are flat on the floor beside your feet. At this point, your head should be near your shins.
DPP_0061

Breathe in and stretch your right leg behind so that your foot is at a right angle to your leg and resting on its toes. The left leg is vertical to the floor and your head is back.

DPP_0059

While you breathe, place your left foot back to match the right foot. The body is now in a straight line, supported only by your toes and hands, which are in a vertical line.

DPP_0048

Still holding your breath, lower your body and rest your toes, knees, chest, palms, and forehead on the floor. Stomach and pelvis are off the floor, with hands by your shoulders, elbows bent, and arms by your sides.

DPP_0017

Breathing out, lie flat on the ground. Feel the energy coursing through your body.

DPP_0052

Breathe in as you raise your head and then the upper part of your torso. Pelvis is flat on the ground and the head is back.

DPP_0054

Hold your breath and bring your feet flat onto the floor and raise your hips to form an inverted V shape.

DPP_0023

Still holding your breath, bring the right foot forward so that it is vertical and the left leg is back (the reverse of #4).

DPP_0046

Breathe out as you bring the left leg up and place your feet to- gether between your hands. Straighten your legs (with knees slightly bent) and place your head on your shins.

DPP_0061

Breathe in as you straighten up from the hips. Bring your arms up, and stretch them backward as you bend back from the waist. Hold your breath as you look backward.

DPP_0030

Breathe out as your straighten your body. Now raise your arms over your head and back again as you bend your elbows to place your hands together at your chest. See a radiant sphere of golden solar energy in your heart center, its rays penetrating and warming your entire body.

DPP_0006

like the reflections of birds flying over water

The student of Zen is confronted by a master who has himself experienced awakening, and is in the best sense of the expression a completely natural man. For the adept in Zen is one who manages to be human with the same artless grace and absence of inner conflict with which a tree is a tree. Such a man is likened to a ball in mountain stream, which is to say that he cannot be blocked, stopped, or embarassed in any situation. He never wobbles or dithers in his mind, for though he may pause in overt action to think a problem out, the stream of his consciousness always moves straight ahead without being caught in the vicious circles of anxiety or indecisive doubt, wherein thought whirls wildly around without issue. He is not precipitate or hurried in action, but simply continuous. This is what Zen means by being detached – not being without emotion or feeling, but being one in whom feeling is not sticky or blocked, and through whom the experiences of the world pass like the reflections of birds flying over water. Although possessed of complete inner freedom, he is not, like the libertine, in revolt against social standards, nor, like the self-rigtheous, trying to justify himself. He is all of a piece with himself and with the natural world, and in his presence you feel that without strain or artifice he is completely “all here” — sure of himself without the slightest trace of aggression. He is thus the grand seigneur, the spiritual aristrocrat comparable to the type of worldly aristocrat who is so sure of the position given to him by birth that he has no need to condescend or put on airs. – Alan Watts, This is It

nepal

Typhonian Gnosis

draconis

These are some of the most amazing articles. I have returned to them again and again over the years, and they never cease to inspire me and launch me into new gnostic vistas:

The Heart of Thelema

Going Beyond

The Typhonian Tradition

Ceremonial Magick: Reuniting Yourself with the Natural World

In combination with the release of The Magickal Union of East and West: The Spiritual Path to New Aeon Tantra, I have a new article posted at Llewellyn International entitled  Ceremonial Magick: Reuniting Youself with the Natural World.

 

IMG_2625

The Stele of Revealing

I took this photo of the Stele of Revealing as it was in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo back in 2007. The Magickal Union of East and West explains some of the significance of this stele, as well as rites to enter into the current of initiation associated with it.

Stele of Revealing

I also managed to snap a few quick shots (very poor quality!) of the sarcophagus of Ankh-ah-na-Khonsu

IMG_0197

IMG_0199

IMG_0200

IMG_0202

This was a good trip, and very profound on a few levels. Look forward to visiting again soon (and hopefully getting some better quality photos).

I am yours

Radiant Queen of the Universe! Thank you for your countless love and blessings, washing over samsara like lush monsoon rains, filling me with your vitality and rejuvenating like fresh Himalayan snows.

My every thought, word, deed for you. The blood pumping through my veins, the rhythm of life, is yours. Every breath, every glance, every touch, is yours.

This world is your playground where you dance endlessly. Let my heart beat always be the rhythm of your dance.

Victory to the Goddess! Jai Kalika Devi!
Devi

The Magickal Union of East & West

The first 50 pages of the Magickal Union of East & West are now available for browsing via the Llewellyn Worldwide website. You are also able to pre-oder both the physical and electronic editions of the book via various sites. Contact your favorite book dealer and let them know you want to reserve your copy today!

Magickal Union East West

 

summer solstice

IMG_2587Mine began at 4:18am, up early to get in a good hike to see the sunrise. Then later in the evening went up to Lick Observatory atop Mt. Hamilton for the sunset. At 4500′, the peak affords an expansive view of Silicon Valley and beyond. On very clear days you can see all the way to Yosemite and Half Dome.

Through the 36″ telescope we had good views of the A30 globular cluster. 40,000 lightyears away. The thought of such ancient starlight  crossing such vast, empty gulfs of space and time, to be picked up by this telescope and directed into the retina of my eye at that very moment of time… boggles the mind. What was happening on the earth 40,000 years ago, when these beams of light started out?

We are indeed very fortunate to be alive in the present moment of time.

IMG_2572

 

parampara

From Michael Staley’s essay The Fool:

“Initiation is not a matter of swallowing wholesale what this, that or the other illustrious person has said at some time or another, but of making it real, of arriving at your own understanding. We take influences from diverse sources, whether it be Grant, Crowley, Spare, Blavatsky, Gurdjieff, Ramana Maharshi – to name but a few – and synthesise their work via the catalyst of our own experience, creating thereby an understanding and a body of work that is intrinsic to us. People who come after us will do likewise, again from a diversity of sources. In this way, knowledge and experience is passed down, and this is one meaning of parampara or spiritual lineage. ”

Could not have expressed it better. This sums up my approach to the Mysteries, and explains the diverse range of influences that have gone into my own work.

The Magickal Union of East & West, The Spiritual Path to New Aeon Tantra explores the fruit of some of this work.

Its just this, and nothing else

However puzzling this may be, and however many philosophical problems it may raise, one clear look is enough to show its unavoidable truth. There is only this now. It does not come from anywhere; it is not going anywhere. It is not permanent, but it is not impermanent. Though moving, it is always still. When we try to catch it, it seems to run away, and yet it is always here and there is no escape from it. And when we turn round to find the self which knows this moment, we find that it has vanished like the past.

– The Way of Zen, Alan Watts

devi

some more Alan Watts

I am really enjoying reading Alan Watts, getting a lot out of his distillation of Eastern philosophy. A few more insights from The Book (on the Taboo Against Knowing Yourself)…

If you know what you want, and will be content with it, you can be trusted. But if you do not know, your desires are limitless and no one can tell how to deal with you

Peace can be made only by those who are peaceful, and love can be shown only by those who love

No work of love will flourish out of guilt, fear or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

There is a lot more in this book, far too much to cover in these few quotes that are of interest. A proper review of this book would be in order, but for now the quotes will have to suffice. If these are not enough to entice you, let me be blunt – read this book! You will not regret it, and may get something to take away from it that lasts with you.

sun-moon-northpole

ritual sounds

Really enjoying listening to some Tibetan tantrik ritual music. I use it to accompany some of the sadhana work I do, or have it playing in the background when I am studying or writing. I have a few albums, but also found some links online with good material. For example, check out this link to a 19 minute sample of very powerful, evocative ritual sounds. Conch shell, human thigh bones, cymbals, drums… remarkable, unique sounds that have an otherworldly feel and transport me to deep realms.

images

images-2images-1

 

 

 

Alan Watts

“Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the sky. Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger. The finger can point to the moon’s location. However, the finger is not the moon. To look at the moon, it is necessary to gaze beyond the finger, right?”  -Hui Neng, 6th Patriarch of Ch’an Buddhism

With a deep background in Advaida, Buddhism, and Taoism, the writings of Alan Watts are an excellent perspective into Eastern philosophy from the eyes of a Westerner. London born and then transplanted to the States, he had a deep interest in Eastern traditions from an early age. He was also an exceptional writer, with an ability to distill the wisdom he was taking in and express it for western readers in unique ways that are extremely lucid.

I am currently reading The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, and only a few pages in am already enjoying it immensely and finding a lot of good insight in his thoughts. A few gems:

“In the end one is committed to being a Christian or a Buddhist come what may in the form of new knowledge. New and indigestible ideas have to be wrangled into the religious tradition, however inconsistent with its original doctrines, so that the believer can still take his stand and assert, ‘I am first and foremost a follower of Christ/Mohammed/Buddha, or whomever.’ Irrevocable commitment to any religion is not only intellectual suicide; it is positive unfaith because it closes the mind to any new vision of the world.”

“For the use of words, and thus of a book, is to point beyond themselves to a world of life and experience that is not mere words or even ideas. Just as money is not real, consumable wealth, books are not life. To idolize scriptures is like eating paper currency.”

In discussing what type of book he might want to give to his children, Watt’s describes one that “would slip them into a new domain, not of ideas alone, but of experience and feeling. It would be a temporary medicine, not a diet; a point of departure, not a perpetual point of reference. They would read it and be done with it, for if it were well and clearly written they would not have to go back to it again and again and again for hidden meanings or for clarification of obscure doctrines.”

    We do not need a new religion or a new bible. We need a new experience — a new feeling of what it is to be ‘I’. The lowdown (which is, of course, the secret and profound view) on life is that our normal sensation of self is a hoax or, at best, a temporary role that we are playing, or have been conned into playing — with our own tacit consent, just as every hypnotized person is basically willing to be hypnotized. The most strongly enforced of all known taboos is the taboo against knowing who or what you really are behind that mask of your apparently separate, independent, and isolated ego.”

Watt’s ability to elucidate the details of this magnificent and all pervasive con job (or the intoxicating dance  and play of maya) are illuminating, and help to awaken one to a recognition of something that lies beyond our normal conditioned thoughts of self and individuality. His writings are a good companion to Wei Wu Wei (Terrence James Stannus Gray), another British philosopher  of Eastern traditions.

The emphasis that Watt’s places on experience is strongly appealing. Doctrines, traditions, esoteric wisdom, rituals – all of these can be means of playing with the moldable fabric of reality, but it is all too easy to fall back into the Great Sleep, or to simply never wake up in the first place.

I have worked with many esoteric groups over the past 20 years, and have seen first hand how easy it is to fall into complacency, and get caught up in rituals, tradition, dogma, high and mysterious sounding titles and grades,  and yes… books. We kid ourselves while we continue to dream without ever touching upon the single great secret.

Reading Watt’s is a breath of fresh air. As with the ideal book that he describes, after setting it down I find myself not “needing” to read more, but rather to get out into nature, to trek and climb mountains, to experience life.

 

Alan Watts

The Way

As celebrations for the Three Days of the Writing of the Book of the Law are commemorated, I give thanks to all of my teachers, past, present and future for their radiant light that they have shined upon the Way. The blessings of the guru are without doubt a precious gift, a manifold jewel.

ཧཱུྂ༔ ཨོ་རྒྱན་ཡུལ་གྱི་ནུབ་བྱང་མཚམས༔
hung orgyen yul gyi nubjang tsam
Hūṃ! In the north-west of the land of Oḍḍiyāṇa,

པདྨ་གེ་སར་སྡོང་པོ་ལ༔
pema gesar dongpo la
In the heart of a lotus flower,

ཡ་མཚན་མཆོག་གི་དངོས་གྲུབ་བརྙེས༔
yatsen chok gi ngödrub nyé
Endowed with the most marvellous attainments,

པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས་ཞེས་སུ་གྲགས༔
pema jungné shyé su drak
You are renowned as the ‘Lotus Born’,

འཁོར་དུ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་མང་པོས་བསྐོར༔
khor du khandro mangpö kor
Surrounded by many hosts of ḍākinīs.

ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་བདག་བསྒྲུབ་ཀྱི༔
khyé kyi jesu dak drub kyi
Following in your footsteps,

བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཕྱིར་གཤེགས་སུ་གསོལ༔
jingyi lab chir shek su sol
I pray to you: Come, inspire me with your blessing!

གུ་རུ་པདྨ་སིདྡྷི་ཧཱུྂ༔
guru pema siddhi hung

guru-rinpoche

As the root of all transmissions is Guru Yoga, so is the Guru the Root, Heart, Essence of Awakened Consciousness, the Radiant Void. I give thanks to the Guru, the union of all paths, the essence of the continuum of consciousness, the Speech in the Silence.

Lama

Lam! Thou Voice of the Silence! 
Glyph of Hoor-paar-kraat! 
The dwarf-self, the Hidden God! 
Gateway to the Aeon of Maat!
I evoke Thee! I evoke Thee! 
With the mantra Talam Malat, Talam Malat

OLALAM IMAL TUTULU!

OM AH HUNG

devi

Intoxicated with your dark eyes, whirling abysses of cosmic space

I worship the Greatly Beautiful One

She is dark as a black rock, wearing a jeweled crown.
The sign of a third eye is on her forehead, 
She, the Goddess with three eyes.
Like lotus petals, Her eyes are large, 
They shine like two bright jewels.
Her glance showers compassion. 
Three locks of matted hair adorn her.
Her face radiates contentment and,
She is gowned with much splendor.
Her raised left hand holds a sword, 
a human head in the lower one.
Her right hands grant sanctuary and boons to all.
Her tongue shows between her lips, 
the garland of skulls hanging to her feet
Bejeweled, of heavenly form, there is no skirt of human arms.
She stands on a lotus base, 
Her right foot on the chest of Shiva sprawled at Her feet.
Her other foot is on his right thigh. 
She grants freedom from fear. 
She the Goddess, is the expression of the ultimate Brahman. Meditate on Adya, the infinite, 
She who embodies the extreme beauty in form.

The Shadow Tarot

The Shadow Tarot is a magickal talismanic expression of art that gives visual representation to the guardians of the Tunnels of Set, evoking ancient and atavistic energies and opening portals to other dimensions. These hidden recesses in between the seeming reality of the dayside seep through strange lines and geometries; colors and shapes that seem alive, vivid with serpentine movement and a distant humming that molds consciousness into strange angles.

Shadow Tarot

This deck of cards was carefully and loving crafted by Linda Falorio and Fred Fowler of AnandaZone. From the description that comes with the deck:

“The method of producing the images was to paint the ancient magickal sigil— probably of Sumerian origin or older, resurrected by Crowley in Liber CCXXXI—of the Qliphoth of each dayside Path, then immerse in the energies for weeks or months via meditation/tantra.”

Tunnels of Set

Described by Kenneth Grant in Nightside of Eden, the denizens of these tunnels are evoked by means of special vibrations and color in combination with a ritual act of Will. The cards lend themselves to this work directly, being  visual representations of these nightside energies.

Exploring this realm of consciousness is essential to wholeness; to often that which lies seemingly hidden in the shadows is denied or suppressed by the dayside of consciousness, with resulting projections into the world. One need only read some political news, or attend exoteric religious celebrations, to be reminded first hand of how all of the many problems in the world are the fault of the “other” philosophy, political party, belief system or person.

Until the dark side, that which lies hidden and repressed, is explored and a true sense of accord is reached, the personality is not whole. This is the true work of regeneration, an integration of the entirety of consciousness.

the secret of everything lies in consciousness

From the standpoint of metagnosis, or true metaphysic, science is no less a superstition than religion. Both have led man to the morass of which he now flounders. Science has augmented fear of and for this world, while religion has deluded with vague hopes for the next. The secret of  everything  lies in consciousness. Until investigations are stripped of inessentials, scientific and/or religious, Reality will remain obscured. The only fact of which we have direct, immediate and continuous experience, is awareness of consciousness. So-called unconsciousness is non-existent. Outside consciousness nothing whatever exists for us.

The three vehicles of Awareness (as they appear from the waking state) are identified as body, mind and consciousness. When awareness is identified with the body, then the consciousness of ‘things’ is experienced. But when the stand is in total Awareness, consciousness is no longer experienced individually but cosmically, universally; not personalized but impersonalized. It is then as it always was and will be — the True Self.

… That which is usually considered to be a blank, a hiatus, is in truth all that we are, Consciousness Pure, sometimes called the Self…

1. If one looks through the sense organs, gross objects appear. This is the waking state.

2. If one looks through the mind, subtle objects (thoughts) appear. This is the dream state.

3. If one sees from Mind Quiescent, only the seer remains, and THAT is Consciousness. To the unenlightened, this state appears as sleep; to the enlightened  is appears as Reality.”

– Kenneth Grant, Outer Gateways

sri

See you around, Don

This morning I learned that Donald Michael Kraig had passed away last night, after his heroic battle with pancreatic cancer.

Don was an inspiration to countless numbers of students in the esoteric communities. His books are probably the best selling titles around on magick. His Modern Magick alone has gotten numerous people started on the path.

He was my initiator into the Adinatha/AMOOKOS line of tantra, and a mentor in the publishing world. Don was the lead inspiration and energy in getting my book published, and taught me the entire time. Every single email from him was practically a novel, written just for me, with thoughtful and detailed information on publishing, how to make my manuscript more readable, how to convey ideas clearly.

Up until the end, he lived what he believed in. May that be an inspiration to all of us.

Don, I know I will see you again, so I will not say goodbye. Just see you around. Enjoy your journey Home.

Jai Maa

 

new moon

cremation ghats at pashupatinath

 

O Kali, Thou art fond of cremation grounds;
so I have turned my heart into one
That thou, a resident of cremation grounds,
may dance there unceasingly.
O Mother! I have no other fond desire in my heart;
fire of a funeral pyre is burning there;
O Mother! I have preserved the ashes of dead bodies all around
that Thou may come.
O Mother! Keeping Shiva, conqueror of Death, under Thy feet,
Come, dancing to the tune of music;
Prasada waits With his eyes closed

Ramprasad Sen

Kali

Interview with POLARIS

The fine people at POLARIS (People Offering Light, Assistance & Resources In Spirit) conducted an interview with me, check it out and the rest of their site here:

http://www.polarisrising.net/index.php?%2Ftopic%2F540-interview-with-mystic-thelemite-gregory-peters%2F

garland of letters

new aeon tantra

“The mantras that form the girdle and necklace of the Goddess, the sacred garland of letters which form her secret names are known only to Initiates. It has been said that all mantras, originally, were words or sounds uttered by the entranced suvasini, hence great care was (and is) taken to note down exactly what escapes her lips during the critical stage of the rite. […] Not only were her most casual words revered as mantric, her gestures also were regarded as sacred mudras indicative of the power with her and of the state of tumescence she had attained.” Kenneth Grant, Cults of the Shadow

Devi

Ascent of the Fire Snake

fire snake

“In the basal (muladhara) chakra, the Kundalini is known as Amavasya (new moon), for at that place the sun and moon are conjoined; hence the muladhara is a dark power-zone. The next centre, svadhisthana, is flecked with the sun’s rays, hence it is a region of twilight, i.e. mixed moon- and sun-light. The third zone, manipura, is likewise of a mixed nature. On attaining the stage of Anahata, in the region of the heart, Kundalini is bathed in effulgence, and continues to be effulgent until She reaches the place of the Moon (at the vishuddha), the Qoph centre. The Ajanachakra, which represents Kundalini in exaltation, is the Pure Palace of Serene Brilliance. And so the ascent occurs from darkness, through twilight to sunlight, and finally to the cool lunar region of eternal snows which is bathed in the perpetual radiance of the Shri Chakra itself.” – Kenneth Grant, Cults of the Shadow

Durga puja in Mumbai

My trip to Mumbai last October coincided (intentionally) with the cities celebrations of Navratri, the nine nights of festivals dedicated to the Great Goddess Durga. The always dynamic and colorful city turns things up several notches, with the streets filled with celebrations day and night. You can not walk a block without encountering the many puja pandals, ranging from small niches in a corner to full blown temporary  installations with room for dancing and singing. Many of the pandals are also mobile, carried by singing, dancing and drumming worshippers throughout the town. All the senses are engaged to the extreme during this time, and the revelry goes on nonstop throughout the night. During this time it is thought that Durga has returned home and is welcomed as both a triumphant Goddess conquering all that is evil, and a beloved daughter come back to her parents home. It is a time of great joy as well as sweet sorrow, for after the Nine Nights her image is taken the ocean and submerged, returning her to the celestial abodes until next year. I look forward to visiting again and experiencing Devi in Maharashta in Her many guises and playful modes.ImageImage

ImageImageImageImage

Call for Healing!

A call for healing assistance! Donald Michael Kraig is a colleague in the esoteric and publishing communities. He has been instrumental in my own work with both Adinatha/AMOOKOS, as well as being my mentor and guide in the publishing world. His book Modern Magick was one of the first I came across when starting out, and has gotten many people onto the path of the Great Work. Please help out if you can.

Image

Sothis and the 15th Kala of the Moon

On the 15th kala, associated with the Goddess Herself:

“The other vehicle sacred to this kala is the Eagle, the Kerub of Aquarius presiding over the 15th Path. Aquarius plays a vital role in the symbolism of the New Aeon. It is the place of the North attributed to Nuith who brings forth the two waters depicted in the sign of Aquarius as two undulating lines. In the Tarot Trump attributed to this sign a woman is seen pouring the waters from two jars.1496368_170646393146560_242834440_o

The seven-pointed Star of Venus above her is identical with the seven-rayed Star of Babalon, the Seal of Set which comprises the Mother and the Child in one glyph. This is also the Star of Sothis, the planetary representative of which is Venus. Seven, or Sevekh, was the primal goddess of the seven stars (Ursa Major) of the planisphere, and these stars or rays were the seven heads of the Dragon of the Deep that later appeared in the Christian myth as the Beast of the Apocalypse. The Star of the 15th kala is therefore the Star of Sothis or Shaitan, and it is concealed in the feminine generative essence known as the soul or blood of Isis.” – Nightside of Eden, Kenneth Grant

1491465_170614316483101_1236138688_o

Do not be distracted

“Being aware means knowing what is really possible. For instance, some people have the intention of dedicating their whole life to practice. The idea is good, but in many cases it turns out not to be realistic. These people want to escape from their responsibilities and from their actual conditions, but this way they do not learn to integrate practice in their lives and they do not work with circumstances. In reality, running away is never the right solution because even if you avoid unpleasant situations, you will tend to always repeat the same actions, even in different circumstances.” – Guru Yoga, Namkhai Norbu

A

Pre-Order the Magickal Union of East & West

The pre-order page is up and running. Get your discounted orders in ahead of time!

Image

Order here: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738740447

Radiance of the Eternal Night

Altar

The Great Goddess Herself in the form of Kali is a star traveller. She that moves beyond the realms of light itself is also beyond the confines of time; the first star walker that brought the fire of consciousness to the human race. We know Her in Thelema as Nuit, or Babalon, depending on Her many moods and boons. The Adept that has the siddhi of the Goddess resides in that base of pure awakened consciousness; to such a Victorious One, space and time are tools and the Devotee partaking of this magical grace becomes a traveller through space and time.
Jai Devi! Jai Kali!

13 Dimensional Art

It was Nietzsche  that said “when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” (Beyond Good and Evil).  Mystics and adepts of western esoteric traditions have long been aware of this principle, although rarely have individuals taken their path to such visceral levels, emphasizing instead the LVX of the Tree of Life and the dayside or Solar mysteries of the Holy Guardian Angel.  This is the beginning of the path.

Once armed at all points, the journey to the depths of existence must commence in earnest. Certain advanced occult groups and individuals have made the exploration of the Void their focus; due to the very nature of such work, they tend to function as specialized cells forming secretive networks of travelers and explorers across space and time. For such, the distant stars and endless gulf of space are a matrix of time travel and indeed the very face of the Abyss, looking within.

The tantriks of Vajrayana and Hindu Vamamarga traditions have opened gateways to the Beyond and looked deep past frontiers of the known into that primal radiant darkness. In the cremation ground sadhanas of the Dark Goddess, the extra-temporal eternity of the Kalachakra, and the eternal presence of Dzogchen are embodiments of this secret tradition.

It is the artist perhaps that most directly opens to these grand vistas, and has the capacity to communicate what thy have experienced on the other side. Whether with visual, musical or poetic, the artist cohabitates most intimately with that nameless Void. As with the myth of Prometheus, stealing fire from the Gods and bringing it back to humanity, the artist travels to such realms of the empyream as are only glimpsed fleetingly by dayside consciousness. The artist conquers their fear and hesitation, leaping forward into the Unknown, and brings back such dark fruits as their capacity will permit.

One such artist working today is Malvika Jay. Her 13 Dimensional Art project is described by the artist as “(awakening) Fantastic, metaphysical and surrealistic subject matter, kaleidoscopic, fractal or paisley patterns, bright and/or highly contrasting colours, extreme depth of detail or stylisation of detail.” I would go further and say that what she has managed to convey oftentimes defies the minds capacity to analyze and label. The shadows drip like liquid light into vaguely recognizable forms, then again dissolve before your eyes only to recombine again into something else, something other. The closer you look, the more you realize that what was initially familiar is truly otherworldly, as new connections, new shadows radiate out into a spectrum of color that is not of this earth. This work is alive, and breathing, and right in front of your face. Even should you look away it is too late, for it has met your eyes and continues to stare deep into your soul, long after the visual image has subsided.

Do check out her ongoing magick that acts as gateways to other dimensions, time travel, extra-terrestrial and multi-dimensional entities, non-euclidean visions… Come close and warm yourself by the Fire she has stolen from the Stars. Look closely; you will be forever changed by what you see looking back at you.

13 Dimensional Art

 

 

 

 

Blessings of the Solstice

May that Mighty One, that Great Goddess of Infinite Space & Infinite Stars, that Radiant Darkness that is both the womb of all manifestation and also the Destroyer of all Space and Time, who grants all siddhis and whose laughter is the vibration that manifests infinite universes, that dear one, that dancing goddess in the cremation grounds, surrounded by jackals and dogs, black crows and ghosts, drinking liquor from a Kapala, with luminous dark eyes, that beautiful one, that victorious one, that invincible one, Mighty Kali, be praised!

Image

Trees of Eternity

Kali

Unless occultism becomes creative in the sense of opening up new approaches, modifying and developing traditional concepts and generally revealing a little more of the Supreme Goddess whose identity is hidden behind the veil of Isis, Kali, Nuit or Sothis, there will be stagnation in the swamp of beliefs rendered inert by the recent swift acceleration of humanity’s consciousness, which is little short of miraculous. If the science of the unmanifest is not to remain grounded at a pre-pubescent stage, while the manifested sciences soar into space, the mature occultist must put aside the toys of superstition and face fearlessly the Trees of Eternity whose trunks and branches glow with solar fire, but whose roots are nourished in the dark. – Kenneth Grant, Nightside of Eden

 

Trees

Aleister Crowley

December 1st is the anniversary of Aleister Crowley’s death (1875 – 1947) at the age of 72. I have a great deal of respect for his work and legacy, as the philosophy of Thelema that he grounded in The Book of the Law has  formed the basis of my own path for over two decades.

Crowley was fond of incredibly spicy curries, and one of his last requests was that his close friends remember him on the first anniversary of his death by sharing in a meal hot curry. That was duly accomplished when Gerald Yorke (arguably Crowley’s greatest archivist) and Lady Frieda Harris (the celebrated artist of the Thoth Tarot ) and others met for dinner.

I have kept up this tradition myself for many years now, and will be enjoying some spicy curry with loved ones this evening as I give thanks to the Old Man and his legacy.

The Old Man

HYMN TO PAN

ephrix erõti periarchés d’ aneptoman
iõ iõ pan pan
õ pan pan aliplankte, kyllanias chionoktypoi
petraias apo deirados phanéth, õ
theõn choropoi anax
SOPH. AJ.

Thrill with lissome lust of the light,
O man! My man!
Come careering out of the night
Of Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan! Come over the sea
From Sicily and from Arcady!
Roaming as Bacchus, with fauns and pards
And nymphs and satyrs for thy guards,
On a milk-white ass, come over the sea
To me, to me,
Come with Apollo in bridal dress
(Shepherdess and pythoness)
Come with Artemis, silken shod,
And wash thy white thigh, beautiful God,
In the moon of the woods, on the marble mount,
The dimpled dawn of the amber fount!
Dip the purple of passionate prayer
In the crimson shrine, the scarlet snare,
The soul that startles in eyes of blue
To watch thy wantonness weeping through
The tangled grove, the gnarled bole
Of the living tree that is spirit and soul
And body and brain — come over the sea,
(Io Pan! Io Pan!)
Devil or god, to me, to me,
My man! my man!
Come with trumpets sounding shrill
Over the hill!
Come with drums low muttering
From the spring!
Come with flute and come with pipe!
Am I not ripe?
I, who wait and writhe and wrestle
With air that hath no boughs to nestle
My body, weary of empty clasp,
Strong as a lion and sharp as an asp —
Come, O come!
I am numb
With the lonely lust of devildom.
Thrust the sword through the galling fetter,
All-devourer, all-begetter;
Give me the sign of the Open Eye,
And the token erect of thorny thigh,
And the word of madness and mystery,
O Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan,
I am a man:
Do as thou wilt, as a great god can,
O Pan! Io Pan!
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! I am awake
In the grip of the snake.
The eagle slashes with beak and claw;
The gods withdraw:
The great beasts come, Io Pan! I am borne
To death on the horn
Of the Unicorn.
I am Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan!
I am thy mate, I am thy man,
Goat of thy flock, I am gold, I am god,
Flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod.
With hoofs of steel I race on the rocks
Through solstice stubborn to equinox.
And I rave; and I rape and I rip and I rend
Everlasting, world without end,
Mannikin, maiden, Maenad, man,
In the might of Pan.
Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! Io Pan!

– Aleister Crowley

Evocation of ANODOIN

An oldie but goodie, written back in the 90’s. 

Evocation of ANODOIN

An evocation of ANODOIN, Mercury Senior
of the Great Southern Quadrangle of Fire

[The ritual is to be performed during the course of the Tejas tattva; that is, 48 minutes after sunrise (or in 2 hour increments after that time). The day should be Mercurii, or alternatively dies Solis. Luna should be full, or waxing.

Let the magician be robed as for his grade. At the center of the Temple is the black cubical altar, with Liber AL vel Legis placed at the center, and the Triangle with the Cross surmounting it on top. Also on the altar are the Censor and Incense, some coals, and the Cup of Purification, properly prepared. Incense should be Olibanum, or some similar fiery odour. To the South of the Temple is the Enochian Watchtower of Fire hanging from a stand, with a red votive before it. At the beginning, the tablet is covered in a red burse. The magus is armed with the Wand.]

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

[Stand West of the Altar, facing East in silent meditation. When ready, begin thus:]

* This Ritual is an Invocation of ANODOIN, the Mercury Senior of the Great Southern Quadrangle of Fire.

OPENING

[ When ready, begin by purifying the Temple by water. Take up the Cup, and walk to the East:]

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

[Purify E, S, W, N, walking about the temple as you do so. Complete circle in East, then return directly West of Altar, facing East.]

[Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.]

[Take up the Censor, and walk to the East of the Temple:]

“I am uplifted in thine heart; and the kisses of the stars rain hard upon thy body.”

[Consecrate E, S, W, N, walking about the temple as you do so. Complete circle in East, then return directly to West of Altar facing East.]

[Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram.]

[Returning to the Altar, direct your aspiration to the Highest, and perform the Supreme Invocation of the Holy Guardian Angel.]

[Trace Ä in the air above Altar, then assume the Sign of Set-Triumphant while invoking with the Ib en Suti]

[Assume the Sign of Baphomet, and allow the connection with the Lord to take seat.]

INVOKING THE FORCES OF FIRE

[Perform the Greater Invoking Pentagram Ritual of Fire.]

* * * Let us adore the Lord and King of Fire! [Face South.] YOD HEH VAV HEH TZABAOTH! Blessed be Thou! Leader of Armies is Thy Name, Amen. [Give Sign of Philosophus.]

[Quit the Throne and proceed to the South, before the Tablet of Fire. Unveil the Tablet (if all four are in the Temple, they should all be unveiled at this point). Make with Scepter, in the air before the Fire Tablet, the Invoking Circle; Invoking Active Spirit Pentagram; and Invoking Fire Pentagram.]

And the Elohim said: “Let us make Adam in our image, after our Likeness, and let them have Dominion.” In the Name of ELOHIM, Mighty and Ruling,  and in the Name of  YOD HEH VAV HEH TZABAOTH, Spirits of Fire, adore your Creator!

[Taking the Censor from before the Tablet, and making therewith the Sign of Leo in the air before the Tablet:] In the Name of MIKHÆL, Great Archangel of Fire, and in the Sign of the Lion, Spirits of Fire, adore your Creator!

[Making + with the Censor:] In the Names and Letters of the Great Southern Quadrangle, Spirits of Fire, adore your Creator!

[Elevates Censor on high:] In the three great secret Divine Names that are borne upon the Banners of the South, OIP TEAA PDOCE, Spirits of Fire, adore your Creator!

[Trace the invoking whirl:] In the Name of EDLPRNAA, great King of the South, Spirits of Fire, adore your Creator!

[Replace Censor. Return to station at East of Altar.]

In the Name YOD HEH VAV HEH TZABAOTH, I declare that the Spirits of Fire have been duly invoked. * * * * * * *

[The 6th Enochian Key:]

Gah s díu chis em micálzo pilzin sobam El harg mir babálon od obloc samvelg dlugar marprg arcaósgi od Acám canal sobólzar f-bliard caosgi od chis anétab od miam ta viv od d Darsar sol-peth bien Brita od zácam g-micálzo sob-há-ath trian Lu-iá-he odecrin MAD Q-a-a-on

INVOKING THE GREAT SENIOR

[Pause to confirm that the Tablet has been opened. Feel the invoked forces. Next, facing South, perform the Greater Invoking Hexagram Ritual of Mercury.]

[Again, pause to feel the invoked forces. Now begins the invocation proper of the Senior. Elaborate as felt necessary; however, they are without a doubt called simply by repeating their Name unde the regency of Our Lady:]

In the Name of BABALON, I call Thee forth:

ANODOIN [repeat as necessary.]

[Once invoked, announce who you are. Then, in the name of BABALON whom They love and adore, make your request of the Great Senior. State your request as clearly and as simply as possible.]

[When your communications are complete, thank him and bid him farewell. Next perform the formal Closing and License to Depart:]

CLOSING

The Prayer of the Salamanders or Fire Spirits.

Immortal, eternal, ineffable, and uncreated, Father of All Things, borne upon the eternally rolling Chariot of ever-revolving Worlds; Ruler of the Ethereal Vastnesses, where the Throne of Thy Power is upraised, from the summit of which thine awesome eyes disclose all, and thy beautiful and holy ears hearken to all: Hear Thou thy children, whom Thou hast loved since the birth of the Ages. For thy Majesty golden, vast, and eternal shineth, above the world and the Heaven of Stars. Above them art Thou exalted, O Thou Scintillating Fire! There dost Thou blaze and maintain Thyself by thine inherent Splendour, and from thine Essence flow forth inexhaustible Streams of Light which nourish thine Infinite Spirit. This Infinite Spirit nourisheth all things, and maketh that Inexhaustible Treasure of itself to the Forms with which Thou most Holy Kings who art about thy Throne, and who compose thy Court, O Universal Father! One and Alone! O Father of blesséd mortals and immortals.

Thou hast specially created Powers which are marvelously like unto thine eternal Thought and unto thy venerable Essence. Thou hast established them above the Angels, who proclaim they Will unto the World. Lastly, Thou hast created us third in rank within our Elemental Empire. There our continual practice is to praise Thee and to adore thy desires. There, we burn unceasingly, aspiring to possess Thee.

O Father! O Mother, the most tender of mothers! O wonderful Archetype of Maternity and of Pure Love!

O Sun, the flower of all Sons! O Form of all forms, Soul, Spirit, Harmony, and Number of all Things! Amen!

[Before Tablet, perform the Banishing Mercury Hexagram; Banishing Fire Pentagram; Banishing Active Spirit Pentagram; and Banishing Circle.]

Depart ye in peace unto your abodes and habitations. May the blessing of ELOHIM be upon you. Be there ever peace between us; and be ye ready to come when called. *

[Veil the Fire Tablet. If all Tablets are in Temple, they should all be veiled at this point.]

[Perform the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram of Fire.]

In the Name of YOD HEH VAV HEH TZABAOTH, I declare this Temple closed in the element of Fire, and this rite concluded. *** * ***

Interview With Mystic Gregory Peters On Crowley, Grant, and His Work With Legend Phyllis Seckler

The Art of Ninzuwu journal of the Black Dragon Society has posted my recent interview. Check out all of their interesting articles and research, and my interview!

The Art of Ninzuwu

The legendary and insightful Gregory Peters meets up with the Dark Knight
The legendary and insightful Gregory Peters meets up with the Dark Knight

Recently, I had the honor to talk with Gregory Peters. He is a Thelemite, a devotee of the Great Goddess, and has been a student of Eastern and Western systems of attainment for over 20 years, holding various offices in western esoteric groups, and is an initiated tantrik in Hindu and Buddhist lineages. I ould like to take this time to welcome Mr. Peters to the Papers in the Attic family. How are you?

Gregory Peters: Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Thank you for asking to discuss the Work. It is always a pleasure to share in our ongoing research and expeditions into the vast realms of consciousness. Below are your questions and my responses. If anything requires more clarification or details, please let me know.

Warlock Asylum: It is an honor indeed to…

View original post 2,906 more words

Strategic Sorcery on the Oath of the Abyss (reposted)

Below is a repost of my recent interview at warlock asylum, with insightful commentary from The Strategic Sorcery blog of Inominandum. Do check out the rest of his blog for a wealth of great articles.

http://www.inominandum.com/blog/interview-with-a-mystic/

art

The walk around an art gallery is a rather dismal affair after all; the spectator moves, the picture remains motionless, dead memories of vital moments… Yet art, in the true and vital sense, is an instrument, a magical machine, a means of occult exploration which can project the seer into the realm of the Unseen, and launch the waking mind into the seas of subconsciousness” – Outside the Circles of Time, Kenneth Grant

Autumnal Equinox Greetings

equinox hike

O blissful Kali,
accept my congratulations.
You have enthralled the universe entirely
with your countless transformations.
Your ultimate magic feat is to throw every being
a sacred black stone, your very essence,
so that realization of mystic identity
will be its final destiny

You are so adept in magic, Ma Kali,
that you even draw the Father God,
who is all-transcending knowledge,
into your sweet madness,
your play of indivisible love.
As timeless awareness, you remain uninvolved,
producing the magic theater, divine creativity,
from the interplay of inertia, balance and activity.
This avid worshipper of Mother is shocked
that even supremely wise Lord Shiva
cannot realize Kali’s true nature.

O supremely foolish poet,
how can you hope to grasp her dancing feat
that elude even Shiva’s comprehension?
She has clearly driven you mad as well
with the magic of her Love.

– Ramprasad Sen (translated by Lex Hixon, from Mother of the Universe, Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment)

Durga Puja

A Siddha lives in total freedom

This is taken from a colleagues post elsewhere:

One of my mentors paraphrases Siva Sutra 3.13 this way: “A Siddha lives in total freedom.”

My mentor comments further: The state of a Siddha is the state of freedom.

For the embodied soul there are only two possibilities. One is the state of bondage in which he loses the awareness of his nature, his glory, his power of understanding, and becomes contracted. He feels, “I am small, I am a sinner, I am subject to birth and death.” His own outlook is the thing that shrinks him day by day. As he meditates on and ponders his own limitations, he becomes completely bound.

The other possibility is the state of absolute freedom. By the grace of the Guru, a person’s inner Sakti is awakened through the process of shaktipat. Unfolding, his Sakti fills him with consciousness, and he is gradually freed from cravings and desires, the pull of the sense organs, and from all limited states. He achieves total union with the supreme Self.

A person who has achieved mastery over his senses and their objects is called a Siddha. One who sees this world, which the ignorant experience as full of sorrow, to be the outer sport of Parasakti is a Siddha. One who has risen above the three bodies and their corresponding states is a Siddha. One who has rid himself of notions of acceptance and rejection and has burned away the imaginary distinctions of virtue and sin, enjoyment and liberation, worldliness and spirituality in the fire of inner knowledge is a Siddha. That great soul regards all the thoughts that arise within him, whether good or bad, as the stirrings of the Self. One who has become the universe, the Lord of the universe, and the Soul of the universe; one who is his own path and his own destination; one who is fully active and yet supremely inactive; one who is aware “I am Siva” – he is a Siddha.

So ends the commentary.

crimson blossoms

Jai Kali

Who is this astonishing feminine presence
dancing in the universal field of battle?
Truly naked, eternally sixteen,
with magnificent dignity she stands
on the breast of Absolute Reality
that assumes the aspect of snow-white Shiva,
his body also naked truth
as he sleeps in supernal contemplation

All blood ever shed in sacrifice or conflict
streams down her brilliant black limbs
like crimson blossoms floating on dark waters.
Her face is diamond bright, clearer than the full moon.
Infinite wisdom energy pulsates
through her mysterious blackness.
Her powerful wisdom laughter
awakens and heals,
flowing in wave after wave of sweet nectar.

This poet is overwhelmed,
singing with tears of rapture:
“Those who long for conscious union with reality
should meditate with constancy
on the dark blue lotus feet of Kali,
enshrined in the secret heart of humanity,
ensuring the liberation of all finite beings
from the illusion of finitude.”

– Ramprasad Sen (as translated by Lex Hixon in Mother of the Goddess)

Guru Padmasambhava

Today marks the anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava, responsible for bringing the teachings of Vajrayana to Tibet.

DSC_0416

ཧཱུྂ༔ ཨོ་རྒྱན་ཡུལ་གྱི་ནུབ་བྱང་མཚམས༔
hung orgyen yul gyi nubjang tsam
Hūṃ! In the north-west of the land of Oḍḍiyāṇa,

པདྨ་གེ་སར་སྡོང་པོ་ལ༔
pema gesar dongpo la
In the heart of a lotus flower,

ཡ་མཚན་མཆོག་གི་དངོས་གྲུབ་བརྙེས༔
yatsen chok gi ngödrub nyé
Endowed with the most marvellous attainments,

པདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས་ཞེས་སུ་གྲགས༔
pema jungné shyé su drak
You are renowned as the ‘Lotus Born’,

འཁོར་དུ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་མང་པོས་བསྐོར༔
khor du khandro mangpö kor
Surrounded by many hosts of ḍākinīs.

ཁྱེད་ཀྱི་རྗེས་སུ་བདག་བསྒྲུབ་ཀྱི༔
khyé kyi jesu dak drub kyi
Following in your footsteps,

བྱིན་གྱིས་བརླབ་ཕྱིར་གཤེགས་སུ་གསོལ༔
jingyi lab chir shek su sol
I pray to you: Come, inspire me with your blessing!

གུ་རུ་པདྨ་སིདྡྷི་ཧཱུྂ༔
guru pema siddhi hung

DSC_0149

These are images from a few of the monasteries in Nepal, where the Buddhist dharma has taken deep root in the Himalayan villages.

More on the invocation of Guru Padmasambhava may be read here.

journeys

I enjoy trekking, hiking, and generally being in the wilderness. Exploring forests, hiking up mountain trails… these are the things I would be happy doing on a daily basis. Being in nature and having time to myself to soak up the energy and bask in the majesty of this universe is the most precious thing to me.

 

 

DSC_0492

That said, one of the highlights of Nepal is unquestionably meeting the different people. This is true of all my travels, but the people of Nepal have been exceptional friendly and inviting. On my trek to Everest Base Camp, one of the most memorable experiences was meeting the children in the villages along the way.

nepal village

nepalese kids

kids

DSC_0447

It is the people you meet and make connections with on any journey that really leave a lasting impression.

DSCN0161

In addition to the many villages in the mountains, Kathmandu itself is a vibrant city, full of wonderful people. I spent an afternoon with these kids as they followed me around looking at the different sites and convincing me to try different street foods and treats (and share  with them of course!).

kathmandu

Of all the journeys I have taken and will continue to take, Nepal holds a very dear place in my heart. I look forward to returning many, many times.

the radiant void at the heart of tantra

Great Goddess

The dance of tantra is the dance of maya; a dynamic  microcosm of life with the panchatattva elements each symbolizing not only parts of our daily life and body, but the primordial elements, the building blocks of the universe. This dance of life will not fit into expectations or preconceived notions; while there may be general guidelines, the nature of this path is that it is unpredictable.

Tantra, whether Kaula or Vajrayana or beyond, is a dance and interplay of energy. At the heart of this energy is the void, Nuit. This is the same Heart of Thelema, a complex philosophy that embodies a western Tantra with the Great Void at the very core of the idea of True Will.

Dakini

Dzogchen or Atiyoga is considered beyond even the tantras, informing them with their radiant sunyata. In the tantra of Thelema this void or primordial creatrix is called Nuit, the Goddess of Infinite Space and Infinite Stars. This is the reality of the present moment, and the identification that cyclic existence and nirvana – or the radiant pristine awareness of consciousness – are indeed identical, that in fact there is and has never been a separation of these “states” but only a veil (compare “the khabs is in the khu”,Liber Legis I:8)  to this preeminent Awareness.

All paths, all gurus, all means, all obligations resolve into One at the level of awakening to the presence of primordial state, free from all limitations and conditioning . The “differences” are skillful means, in order to present as many opportunities as possible to different types of personalities and methods of learning. It is from this resting in the primordial state that natural compassion arises.

The means “pass and are done,” but there will always be “that which remains,” that inexhaustible, incorruptible, primordial Awareness (Liber Legis, II:9)

companyofheaven

On Compassion, Community and Conflict

I have not talked about groups that I have worked with (yet), but here is a great post on some related ideas. Compassion is certainly a topic worthy of deep consideration.

The Blog of Baphomet

One of the three treasures of Buddhism is the Sangha. This is the community of practice. Those people around us who support us in what, in western magick, we might call The Great Work or perhaps the process of Illumination. As someone who thrives on close collaboration (the majority of the books on which my name appears are co-authored texts) and communal activity (since the age of fifteen much of my esoteric work has happened in groups) the Sanhga is essential to me. Of course it’s not like that for everyone; some folks really thrive on working alone, or perhaps with just one other person. More accurately, most of us (even gregarious me) will have periods in which we need solitary practice and other times when we want to come together with others.

I’ve been fortunate to work within many organisations over the years; ranging from The Order of Bards…

View original post 959 more words

A reminder…

Buddha

Do not believe anything (simply) because you have heard it.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in anything (simply) because it is in your religious books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conductive to the good of and benefit of one and all then accept it and live up to it.

– Gautama Buddha, Anguttara Nikaya vol I

Happy Birthday Soror Meral

Today I remember my dear friend and teacher, Phyllis Seckler (Soror Meral). I wrote this in 2004 on the day of her death.

Soror Meral: In Memorium (1917 – 2004)

Phyllis Seckler

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

I first met Phyllis in 1991 e.v. I had written to her as a young man in seek of the Light of Truth, with all of the arrogance and naivete that youth embodies.

My letter was not too long, simply stating that it was “my Will to become a Probationer of A.’.A.’.” She replied back some weeks later with an add for In the Continuum, and a brief letter explaining that she would not admit anyone to A.’.A.’. without first completing Course I of the College of Thelema. My eyes being set on the reward, I immediately wrote back with a letter giving some of my background, and an order for all of the issues of I.T.C.

ITC

Weeks passed with no response. I began to feel that my application had been rejected. Then one afternoon the phone rang. It was her. I was speechless. Eventually I managed to get out a few sentences, and it was agreed that I would come up for a private visit.

That first to visit to Oroville is still clear in my mind. As I pulled up into her driveway, she was standing in the garage getting her truck ready. I got out of my car, shaking timidly, and walked up to her. She smiled radiantly and said “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” I replied “Love is the law, love under will.” We shook hands and went inside. Later that day we went to lunch in Oroville and she asked me to do Will. I was completely green, and had not even memorized the small rite, and made a complete fool of myself stumbling through it in front of her. The whole time she was smiling with a twinkle in her eyes, encouraging me. I became her student that day, and nine months later I was admitted into the A.’.A.’. under her guidance as a Probationer.

It was only years later that Phyllis would tell me one day that my first letter to her almost ended up in the trash. She was initially put off by the presumption of my letter, and that I was telling her what my Will was without even asking if she might be willing to take me on as a student. She reconsidered though, and decided to give me a try. The rest is of course history.

Over the years I continued to work under her guidance, travelling to Oroville whenever I could to sit with her for hours and discuss A.’.A.’. and related matters, either in her beautiful garden or in the living room. Sipping on wine, I would sit for hours just listening to her many stories and sharing much laughter.

Phyllis never questioned my direction or choices, but rather always supported the work I was doing and encouraged me to strive for the heights. Through thick and thin, she continued to refer to me as “her rascal.” When I was studying Buddhism and finding ways to incorporate the practice into my work, she encouraged me, saying that she had always admired the Buddha’s writings. When I began integrating Hindu tantrik practices into my studies, she encouraged me greatly, pointing out some of the similarities between the Book of the Law and the Bhagavad Gita. When I told her it was important for me to be able to work the A.’.A.’. system in as pure a form as was possible and independently, she encouraged it, just advising me not to become an “unthinking Crowleyite” (with a little twinkle in her eyes as she said it!) and to never change the name of the lineage from honoring her teacher, Soror Estai. She was open minded enough, and secure enough in her own attainment, to see that there were many avenues and channels of approach to the Light, and that what was right for one aspirant was not necessarily so for another. She was never hung up on “grades, titles and attainments.” She took endless joy in laughing about the ego driven politicking in the various esoteric circles we were involved with, always pointing out that people should rather be focused on doing the Work of Self Attainment rather than bickering and plotting endlessly.

Above all she taught me that Love and Will are paramount to all, and to never lose site of the Holy Guardian Angel, who is the sole rule and comfort, the supreme guide and teacher. She always strongly encouraged the daily reading of the Holy Books, especially AL and Liber LXV, insisting that just a chapter every night before bed would solidly place the books in memory over the years. It was this simple teaching that would form the genesis of the Diamond Sapphire Gem of Radiant Light and the Ordo Sunyata Vajra. She took great joy in pointing out to anyone within ear shot how thickheaded I was at astrology, always taking the opportunity to have me stumble around the triplicities or houses at a class. Well dear soror, I am afraid I am still a poor astrology student! I can see her now shaking her head at me, all the time smiling and radiating so much joy and light, wisdom and strength. Phyllis taught me again and again the importance of laughter in our work, and to always focus on the work and not get caught up in the politics and personalities that abound in Thelema.

Thank you, Soror, for all of your support, love, encouragement and guidance these past 13 years. I will do my best to honor your name, and continue on in the tradition of which you so lovingly taught and entrusted us. I am honored to have been your student and friend.

Love is the law, love under will.

Kenneth Grant

Today I remember Kenneth Grant a great adept and master.

His influence on my own spiritual work is undeniable.
His deep insight and creativity will live on through his voluminous work and legacy.

The 93 Current evolved and matured in new dimensions because of your dedication and inspiration.

Thank you, Frater Aossic. See you Outside the Circles of Time.

Kenneth Grant

radiant black storm clouds

Another poem from the Shakta poet Ramprasad Sen. His words never fail to evoke Her presence, and I am only reading translations. I can only imagine how the original would stir the soul and shatter any false illusions of separation between us. You want to look into Her eyes? Feel Her breath? Hear Her sweet laughter? Let the poet evoke Her before you, in all of Her majestic glory.

Peacock

Radiant black storm clouds
expand acros the sky of pure awareness.
The peacock of my mind reveals its brilliant colors,
dancing in the bliss of holy expectation.
Kali’s wisdom thunder rumbles
with her power that can level mountains.
The fiery tracery of lightning flashes
forms her wonderful smile of ecstasy.

The lover of Ma Kali gazes intently,
tears pouring down like monsoon rain.
Only these most precious drops
can quench the thirst of the heart,
that rare winging creature
who drinks only from limitless sky,
never from limited pools or streams.
To be born in this body composed of common clay
is a heavy burden for the soaring soul.
To incarnate again and again
across this vast planetary realm
can never slake our burning thirst for reality.

Proclaims the liberated one
who sings this gnostic hymn:
“No more birth from the womb of the matter,
only emanation from the Divine Mother.”

Read a larger collection of Ramprasad in translation from Lex Hinton’s excellent work Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Songs of Enlightenment.

Ramprasad Sen: Shakta Poet

Constrain the Mind to Concentrate

I wrote this short piece many years ago. While there is a depth to yoga disciplines that go far beyond what Crowley discussed, I do still agree that his simplified adaptation of the 8 Limbs is a good basic primer on practical yoga exercises to achieve a well rounded practice in ones daily work.

Many western practitioners neglect the most fundamental aspects of meditation and calming the body, much to their disadvantage. The need to be able to concentrate, visualize, calm the body, increase energy, and so on, are essential techniques in western ritual that are used for every practice. Crowley’s introduction to the Yoga Sutras at the very least gives the westerner a simple way to get started and begin seeing benefits of practice almost immediately.

While Eight Lectures on Yoga is in no way a substitute for in depth training and practice for those that would go deep into the path of yoga, it is without a doubt good basic instruction in the fundamentals of practice that anyone can begin with. If limited only to his instruction, one would certainly see plenty of benefits in all aspects of their daily life.

Continue reading “Constrain the Mind to Concentrate”

Bohemian space rocks

moldavite

This small stone with the eery greenish lustre is moldavite, thought to originate from a meteor impact about 15 million years ago in the region of central Bohemia.

During a trip to Sedona, AZ I picked this up at one of the many Vortex crystal shops around the area. According to the label that came with the stone, moldavite was said to have some remarkable properties:

  • meteorite
  • extraterrestrial origin
  • very rare stone
  • high vibration
  • Ascendant Master
  • connects to Akashic Records
  • opens to receive spiritual guidance
  • useful for sensitive people and star children
  • aligns the chakras

Now I must admit to being ignorant of the meaning of some these attributes (what are “star children”  for example?). Still, I was intrigued and enjoying the peaceful and mystical atmosphere of Sedona, so I took the stone into my left palm (as the left hand is generally passive and absorbing of energy inward, in contrast to the right hand which projects dynamic energy outward).

I felt an immediate affinity for the moldavite, as consciousness opened up and expanded seemingly into space. The sensation of coolness was unmistakable, and an open expanse of space and stars. I spent a good minute in the Vortex Crystal shop just “spacing out” while I held the small green piece of rock, much to the pleasure of the shop keeper!

The moldavite now rests on my shrine. I hold it in the palm of my left hand when performing mantra japa, and find that it helps to affirm a sense of openness and expansive consciousness. What better way to fly with the sky dancers in their own natural habitat then to lift off with them into space!

Ramprasad Sen: Shakta Poet

The Bengal poet Ramprasad wrote exquisite verses to Queen of the Universe, expressing the intense devotion and longing he felt for the Beautiful One. His words express the pure flow of bhakti. Reading them, once can feel the depth of emotion on a pure, visceral level of being.
kalima
A few samples from his work follow:  Continue reading “Ramprasad Sen: Shakta Poet”

Awakening mantras

Devi

The twelfth chapter of the Chandi Path (more fully called the Devi Mahatmayam or Durga Saptashapti) elucidates the many benefits deriving from the joy of celebrating the Great Goddess in her form of Durga. Holding that Devi in your heart and approaching her with love, she naturally bestows her grace and blessings. Let the Goddess herself be your guide and guru, inviting her into your heart.

It also may be used to consecrate and activate mantras that may need to be “woken up” or blessed by the Goddess herself. Be certain that you approach her with love and a pure motivation, and that your use of the mantra is in accord with True Will. In this day and age, when self proclaimed gurus abound and the vidya is becoming increasingly popular and diffused from the point of origin (the Goddess herself!), it certainly does not hurt to reconnect to the source behind the mantra, and allow that great Shakti to irradiate it with life, love, and power. Continue reading “Awakening mantras”

Tantrik Thelema in South India

Founded in 1905 by Dr. T. R. Sanjivi in Tinnevelly, South India with “the sole purpose of educating people to culture the light that is latent in one and all,” the Latent Light Culture and its inner order The Holy Order of Krishna teach practical yoga methods based of an esoteric and initiated interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita.

The  founding material of the organization from the 1920’s is attributed to the mysterious author “Bhikshu”, and contains a strong influence of Thelema and the writings of Aleister Crowley mixed in with the initiated tantrik teachings of the Gita.

A few excerpts:

“Act Thou, therefore, when opportunity confronts you; responding to it, meeting it bravely, utilising it, actively. ‘Do what thou wilt’, say the Masters, ‘Shalt be the whole of the Law,’ of Dharma of Karma — only he who doeth is the Karmi; he who wills to do and doeth is the Karma Yogi; the Deed is the Karma, his future, his Destiny the harvest of his Thoughts and Acts. Your Deed is the expression of your will, the will in you; say then to yourself ‘I Will’ and Act. So acting shalt thou not sin, says the Lord Krishna.”

“In this then shall be the Ordinanace (Sastra) for you Karma Yogi, in the dictum of ‘Do what thou wilt’ which shalt be for thee the whole of the law, teaching you comprehensively what to do, what to avoid, this the only ordinance; ‘do what thou wilt, then do nothing else’; we shall repeat it constantly, without end, that you may be unified of will, that in all your act you may bring all the universe that is of you, that in your act the whole of you and not the puny portion of you miscalled ‘I’ at the threshold, at the outer gate of consciousness, may act, and impress itself on the even that anyhow must be.”

–Karma Yoga, 1928

“The first and greatest of all priveledges is to have accepted the Law of the Gita: Yatha Ichchhasi Tatha Kuru (Do What Thou Wilt) – to have become free and independent and to have destroyed all fear, whether of custom, faith, of other men and of death itself. “Fear not at all, fear neither men, nor fates, nor gods, nor anything. Money fear not, nor the laughter of the frivolous folk nor any other power in heaven, upon the earth or under the earth.”

– From the  grade paper of the First Degree of the Holy Order of Krishna.

This is the group that originally produced the celebrated tantrik commentary on the Ananda Lahari that was referenced by several of the works of Kenneth Grant in his Typhonian Trilogies.

Sadly the organization today seems to shy away from the more esoteric traditions that it was founded on, although the grade papers still show influences of Thelema. Deeper material such as the ritual magic of the Sri Vidya encoded into the Ananda Lahari (the Wave of Bliss, which consists of the first 41 verses of the Soundarya Lahari) is mixed in with a new spiritual interpretation of the Gita.

the gift of bhava

Reflecting on the idea of the usual roles between sadhaka and Devi reversing themselves (see my earlier post), it brought to mind the manifestations of bhava that occur in devotees of the Goddess (often arising from bhakti). This is very much a type of possession, where the Devi experiences through the body and senses of the individual.

June McDaniels excellent study Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal is highly recommended in this regard. An excerpt:

One form of spontaneous possession is found more frequently in practitioners of tantra and bhakti yoga. This is colloquially called bhava, short for devabhava (a general term for divine state or state of unity with a deity) or bhavavesha (the state of being overwhelmed or possessed by bhava). Bhava combines possession and devotional love, allowing the possessed person to retain consciousness in the midst of the goddess’s power and presence. It shows intense love of a deity, and a person’s humility and willingness to submit to the goddess.

Bhava is a tangible gift of the goddess, for as She manifests in the devotee they experience the divine bliss of Her presence in their very body.  As the Shakta poet Ramprasad wrote, “Whoever gazes upon this radiant blackness falls eternally in love.”

155986135_d5b9f3e183

om mahakalyai ca vidmahe smasana vasinyai ca dhimahi tanno kali pracodayat
(“Om we contemplate on the Great Goddess who takes away Darkness, we contemplate She Who Resides in the Cremation Grounds, may that Goddess direct!”)

Jai Kali Maa!