Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library
ORACLES

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ABRAMELIN2

be the following: the arts or methods of magical working are twelve, if we class them under the twelve signs of the zodiac. the second number mentioned above, 5, is perfect because of its analogy with the pentagram that potent symbol of the spirit and the four elements; 6 is the number of the planets (as known to the ancients, without the recently discovered herschel and neptune. as the chaldean oracles of zoroaster say" he made them six, and for the seventh, he cast into the midst thereof the fire of the sun. 2 operates in the stars and planets as representing their good or evil influence in the heavens, in other words their dual nature. 3 consists in the metals because, the ancient alchemists considered their bases to be found in the three principles which they called sulphur, mercury

ter, nor those of the latter the rays of mars. 15 the grimoires of black magic would usually come under this head. but, nevertheless, the extravagant words therein will be usually found to be corruptions and perversions of hebrew, chaldee, and egyptian titles of gods and angels. but it is undoubtedly evil to use caricatures of holy names; and these for evil purposes also. yet it is written in the oracles of zoroaster: change not barbarous names of evocation, for they are names divine, having in the sacred rites a power ineffable! 16 yet, notwithstanding, it is well in a sacred magical operation to employ a language which does not to our minds convey so much the commonplace ideas of everyday life, so as the better to exalt our thoughts. but, as abraham says, we should before all things unde

ALEISTER CROWLEY AD MEIORUM CTHULHI GLORIAM

glosses; that is, there do seem to be occasionally bits of sentence or fragments of literature that would seem to be inconsistent with the period in which the text was written. however, no final word can be said on this matter. the difficulty arises in the age-old question of "which came first, the chicken or the egg. for instance, in the magan text, the final verses read though from the chaldean oracles of zoroaster "stoop not down, therefore, into the darkly shining world" which might have been of greek origin and not zoroastrian. it is a question for scholars. the etymology of certain words is a game that has fascinated both the editor and perhaps a score or more of sumerian researches of the past. the sumerian origin of many of the words and place-names we use today provides us with an

gy. in the greek alphabet, ea would appear as ha. q.e.d: aum.ha betrays the essential sumerian character of that book. after the initial testimony, we come to the chapter entitles "of the zonei and their attributes, zonei is, of course a greek word and refers to the planetary, or heavenly bodies; for they are "zoned, i.e, having set courses and spheres. they are also known as such in the chaldean oracles. the 'spirits' or bodies that exist beyond the zonei are called the azonei, meaning "un-zoned. whether this refers to the so-called "fixed" stars (having no sphere ascertainable to the early astronomers) or the comets, is unknown to the editor. whatever the case may be, the zonei seem to include the seven philosophical planets, i.e, including the sun and moon as planetary bodies, along wit

1874 lovecraft, h.p. tales of the cthulhu mythos new york, 1973 at the mountains of madness new york, 1973 the dunwich horror new york, 1963 the lurker at the threshold (with august derleth) new york, 1971 mason, h. gilgamesh (ed) new york, 1972 neugebauer, o. the exact sciences in antiquity new york, 1969 pritchard, j. near eastern texts relating to the old testament princeton, 1958 the chaldean oracles of zoroaster "sapere aude" new york seignobos, s. the world of babylon new york, 1975 seligmann, k. magic, supernaturalism, and religion new york, 1968 shah, i. oriental magic new york, 1973 the secret lore of magic new york, 1972 the sufis new york, 1973 tallqvist, k.l "die assyrische beschworungsserie maqlu nach dem originalem im british museum herausgegeben" acta societatis scientiarum

ot protect me. the lords of the wind rush about me and are angered. the lords of the earth crawl about my feet and are angered. the spirits have forgotten me. my time is shortened, and i must complete as much as i can before i am taken away by the voice that ever calls. the moon's days are numbered upon the earth, and the sun's and i know not the meaning of these omens, but that they are. and the oracles are dried up, and the stars spin in their places. and the heavens look to be uncontrolled, with no order, and the spheres are crooked and wandering. and the sign of zdaq is floating above my writing table, but i cannot read the runes any longer, for that sight is failing me. is it always in this fashion? and the sign is failing me. is it always in this fashion? and the sign of xastur rises

ALEISTER CROWLEY BOOK OF LIES

rmined more or less definitely by the qabalistic import of its number. thus chapter 25 gives a revised ritual of the pentagram; 72 is a rondel with the refrain shemhamphorash, the divine name of 72 letters; 77 laylah, whose name adds to that number; and 80, the number of the letter pe, referred to mars, a panegyric upon war. sometimes the text is serious and straightforward, sometimes its obscure oracles demand deep knowledge of the qabalah for interpretation, others contain obscure allusions, play upon words, secrets expressed in cryptogram, double or triple meanings which must be combined in order [5] book of lies get any book for free on: www.abika.com 5 to appreciate the full flavour; others again are subtly ironical or cynical. at first sight the book is a jumble of nonsense intended

ALEISTER CROWLEY LIBER 777

ives the apostles thus (he does not state his source: a matthias b thaddeus c simon d john e peter f andew g bartholemew h phillip i james son of zebedee j thomas k matthew l james son of alpheus. col. xxxviii. line 7: iynx: grk, iugx (pl. iuggej, the wryneck: a bird of the woodpecker family which had the misfortune to be used in early greek love magick (hence the attribution; but in the chald an oracles the iunges appear to have been a group of ministering powers who stood between the theurgist and the supreme god (source: lewy, chald an oracles and theurgy, whence they are cited in the ritual of the star ruby. not lynx as it is sometimes misread; nor does it rhyme with sphinx. as noted in the remarks on this column in 777 revised, ac s source here was levi. line 8: monoceros de astris me

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

he supreme atrocities. yet he succeeded in reducing the whole magical alphabet to nonsense, and shewing that he had never understood its real meaning. the absurdity of any such disturbance of the arrangement of the paths is evident to any sober student from such examples as the following. binah, the supernal understanding, is connected with tiphereth, the human consciousness, by zain, gemini, the oracles of the gods, or the intuition. that is, the attribution represents a psychological fact: to replace it by the devil is either humour or plain idiocy. again, the card "fortitude, leo, balances majesty and mercy with strength and severity: what sense is there in putting "death, the scorpion, in its stead? there are twenty other mistakes in the new wonderful illuminated-from-on-high attributi

kes him aegipan, the all. the sun enters this sign when he turns to renew the year in the north. he is also the vowel o, proper to roar, to boom, and 36 to command, being a forcible breath controlled by the firm circle of the mouth. he is the open eye of the exalted sun, before whom all shadows flee away: also that secret eye which makes an image of its god, the light, and gives it power to utter oracles, enlightening the mind. thus, he is man made god, exalted, eager; he has come consciously to his full stature, and so is ready to set out on his journey to redeem the world. but he may not appear in this true form; the vision of pan would drive men mad with fear. he must conceal himself in his original guise. he therefore becomes apparently the man that he was at the beginning; he lives th

rse be remarked that the book of the law is not merely a literary compilation but a complex mathematical structure. it therefore fulfils the required conditions. the principal means of divination in history are astrology, geomancy, the tarot, the holy qabalah, and the yi king. there are hundreds of others; from pyromancy, oneiromancy, auguries from sacrifices, and the spinning-top of some ancient oracles to the omens drawn from the flight of birds and the prophesying of tealeaves. it will be sufficient for our present purpose to discuss only the five systems first enumerated. astrology is theoretically a perfect method, since the symbols employed actually exist in the macrocosm, and thus possess a 157 natural correspondence with microcosmic affairs. but in practice the calculations involve

the tarot, on the other hand, being a book, is under mercury, and the intelligence of each card is fundamentally mercurial. such symbols are therefore peculiarly proper to communicate thought. they are not gross, like the geomantic daemons; but, as against this, they are unscrupulous in deceiving the diviner<oracles of truth; and they refuse to be profaned by the contamination of inferior and impure intelligences. a magician whose research is fully adapted to his neschamah will find them lucid and reliable> the yi king is served by beings free from these defects. the intense purity of the symbols prevent them from being usurped by intelligences with an axe of their own to grind<
and made still more difficult by the interference of imponderable forces and unformulated laws; while its conduct demands not only the virtues, themselves rare enough, of intellectual and moral integrity, but intuition combining delicacy with strength in such perfection and to such extremes as to make its existence appear monstrous and miraculous against nature. to admit this is not to discredit oracles. on the contrary, the oracles fell into disrepute just because they pretended to do more than they could. to divine concerning a matter is little more than to calculate probabilities. we obtain the use of minds who have access to knowledge beyond ours, but not to omniscience. hru, the great angel set over the tarot, is beyond us as we are beyond the ant; but, for all we know, the knowledge

xperience (james) valuable as showing the uniformity of mystical attainment. kabbala denudata, von rosenroth: also the kabbalah unveiled, by s. l. mathers. the text of the kabalah, with commentary. a good elementary introduction to the subject. konx om pax. four invaluable treatises and a preface on mysticism and magick. the pistis sophia. an admirable introduction to the study of gnosticism. the oracles of zoroaster. an invaluable collection of precepts mystical and magical. the dream of scipio, by cicero. excellent for its vision and its philosophy. the golden verses of pythagoras, by fabre d'olivet. an interesting study of the exoteric doctrines of this master. the divine pymander, by hermes trismegistus. invaluable as bearing on the gnostic philosophy. the secret symbols of the rosicru

note page following> whose virtue sufficed the beast in this attainment, was thus: invoke often<equinox i, viii, 22> so may all men come at last to the knowledge and conversation of the holy guardian angel: thus sayeth the beast, and prayeth his own angel that this book be as a burning lamp, and as a living spring, for light and life to them that read therein. 666 291 (note to page 291) the oracles of zoroaster utter this "and when, by often invoking, all the phantasms are vanished, thou shalt see that holy and formless fire, that fire which darts and flashes through all the depths of the universe; hear thou the voice of the fire "a similar fire flashingly extending through the rushings of air, or a fire formless whence cometh the image of a voice, or even a flashing light abounding

d-thirsty brutes of the pack, to secure their power or pander to their pleasure in cruelty. there is no principle, even a false one, to give coherence to the clamour of ethical propositions. yet the very men that have smashed moloch, and strewn the earth with shapeless rubble, grow pale when they so much as whisper among themselves "while moloch ruled all men were bound by the one law, and by the oracles of them that, knowing the fraud, feared not, but were his priests and wardens of his mystery. what now? how can any of us, though wise and strong as never was known, prevail on men to act in concert, now that each prays to his own chip of god, and yet knows every other chip to be a worthless ort, dream-dust, ape-dung, tradition-bone, or- what not else" so science begins to see that the ini

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

has the means of transforming it to "everything is joy. there is no question of any ostrich-ignoring of fact, as in christian science. there is not even any more or less sophisticated argument about the point of view altering the situation as in vedantism. we have, on the contrary, and attitude which was perhaps first of all, historically speaking, defined by zoroaster "nature teaches us, and the oracles also affirm, that even the evil germs of matter may alike become useful and good "stay not on the precipice with the dross of matter; for there is a place for thine image in a realm ever splendid "if thou extend the fiery mind to the work of piety, thou wilt preserve the fluxible body."35 it appears that the levant, from byzantium and athens to damascus, jerusalem, alexandria and cairo, wa

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

he yoni, which floats on the 'nile, the amniotic fluid. in his absolute innocence and ignorance he is "the fool; he is the 'saviour, being the son who shall trample on the crocodiles and tigers, and avenge his father osiris. thus we see him as the "great fool" of celtic legend, the "pure fool" of act i of "parsifal, and, generally speaking, the insane person whose words have always been taken for oracles. but to be 'saviour' he must be born and grow to manhood; thus parsifal acquires the sacred lance, emblem of virility. he usually wears the 'coat of many colours' like joseph the 'dreamer; so he is also now the green man of spring festivals. but his 'folly' is now not innocence but inspiration of wine; he drinks from the graal, offered to him by the priestess. so we see him fully armed as

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE QABALAH

iverse. lmg. the holy guardian angel is attained by self-sacrifice and equilibrium. tld. the gate of the equilibrium of the universe (note d, the highest reciprocal path) hh. the mother is the daughter; and the daughter is the mother. ww. the son is (but) the son (these two letters show the true doctrine of initiation as given in liber 418; opposed to protestant exotericism. yz. the answer of the oracles is always death. tyj. the chariot of the secret of the universe. tyf. she who rules the secret force of the universe. dwy. the secret of the gate of initiation [k. in the whirlings is war. dml. by equilibrium and self-sacrifice, the gate \ym. the secret is hidden between the waters that are above and the waters that are beneath (symbol, the ark containing the secret of life borne upon the

, the sum of the figures is always 9, e.g. 9 487= 4383. 4+ 3+ 8+ 3= 18. 1+ 8= 9. 58 crowley probably means to the story published as the sorrow of search in time and the gods t.s* the complete dictionary, begun by frater i. a, continued by fra. p. and revised by fra. a. e. g. and others, will shortly be published by authority of the a\a\ a.c [it was published in equinox i (8] 59 i.e, the chald an oracles, whose ascription to zoroaster is late (medieval/ renaissance; fragment 186 in the westcott edition. cf. the hermetic discourse the eighth reveals the ninth (nhc vi 52.1 63.32; in some versions of hermeticism and graeco-egpytian magick the 9th sphere (counting upwards) lies beyond the sphere of the planets and fixed stars and is the realm of the divine t.s. liber lviii 34 scholion g. 9= f

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE SWORD OF SONG

buddha cannot really roar, since he has passed away by that kind of passing away which leaves nothing whatever behind. 322. a mere law without a will.40 i must not be supposed to take any absurd view of the meaning of the word law. this passage denies any knowledge of ultimate causes, not asserts it. but it tends to deny benevolent foresight, and a fortiori benevolent omnipotence. cf. zoroaster, oracles: look not upon the visible image of the soul of nature, for her name is fatality. ambrosius is very clear on this point. i append his famous ms. complete in its english translation, as it is so rare. how rare will be appreciated when i say that no copy either of original or translation occurs in the british museum; the only known copy, that in the bodleian, is concealed by the pre-adamite

hose who have begun meditaiton will recognise. similarly, a single word may be a mnemonic key to an entire line of philosophical argument. if the reader chooses, in short, he will find the entire mass of initiated wisdom between the covers of this unpretending volume. 73 tycarb o man, of a daring nature, thou subtle production! thou wilt not comprehend it, as when understanding some common thing. oracles of zoroaster. in presenting this theory of the universe to the world, i have but one hope of making any profound impression, viz. that my theory has the merit of explaining the divergences between the three great forms of religion now existing in the world buddhism, hinduism and christianity, and of adapting them to ontological science by conclusions not mystical but mathematical. of moham

owley s new translation of the dhammapada2 that virtue is the thing to keep one steady. so i think i may look forward to a tenure of my mahakalpa in almost arcadian simplicity. lady bhavani, did you say, boy? yes, i am at home. bring the betel! jeldi! he added, with some dim recollection of the 1 a whirling disc is indra s symoblic weapon. 2 he abandoned this. a few fragments are reprinted in his oracles. appendix i 106 british government, when he was a baby nat. the queen of heaven and the lord of the gods chewed betel for quite a long time, conversed of the weather, the crops, the affaire humbert, and the law in relation to motor-cars, with ease and affability. but far was it from indra s pious mind to flirt with his distinguished guest! rather, he thought of the hollow nature of the saf

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 1

absurd it is better to talk in the language of one which is patently absurd, so as to mortify the metaphysical man "3. because a child can understand it. 9 from a letter of fra p "theosophists call him the higher self, silent watcher, or great master "the golden dawn calls him the genius "gnostics say the logos "zoroaster talks about uniting all these symbols into the form of a lion- see chaldean oracles.10 "anna kingsford calls him adonai (clothed with the sun. buddhists call him adi-buddha (says h. p. b "the bhagavad-gita calls him vishnu (chapter xi "the yi "k"ing calls him "the great person "the qabalah calls him jechidah.11 "we also get metaphysical analysis of his nature, deeper and deeper according to the subtlety of the writer; for this 159 vision- it is all one same phenomenon, va

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

e. gml. the holy guardian angel is attained by self-sacrifice and equilibrium. 94 dlth. the gate of the equilibrium of the universe (note d, the highest reciprocal path) hh. the mother is the daughter; and the daughter is the mother. vv. the son is (but) the son (these two letters show the true doctrine of initiation as given in liber 418; opposed to protestant exotericism) zin. the answer of the oracles is always death. chith. the chariot of the secret of the universe. tith. she who rules the secret force of the universe. ivd. the secret of the gate of initiation. kp. in the whirlings is war. lmd. by equilibrium and self-sacrifice, the gate! mim. the secret is hidden between the waters that are above and the waters that are beneath (symbol, the ark containing the secret of life borne upon

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

valent to the gate that is the name of my lord when it is spelt fully. and that gate is the path that joineth the wisdom with the understanding. thus hast thou erred indeed, perceiving me in the path that leadeth from the crown unto the beauty. for that path bridgeth the abyss, and i am of the supernals. nor i, nor thou, nor he can bridge the abyss. it is the priestess of the silver star, and the oracles of the gods, and the lord of the 114 hosts of the mighty. for they are the servants of babalon, and of the beast, and of those others of whom it is not yet spoken. and, being servants, they have no name, but we are of the blood royal, and serve not, and therefore are we less than they. yet, as a man may be both a mighty warrior and a just judge, so may we also perform this service if we ha

byss, and by the fury of his flight kindled the air. and i am belial, for having seen the rose upon thy breast, i have denied god. and i am satan! i am satan! i am cast out upon a burning crag! and the sea boils about the desolation thereof. and already the vultures gather, and feast upon my flesh. yea! before thee all the most holy is profane, o thou desolator of shrines! o thou falsifier of the oracles of truth! ever as i went, hath it been thus. the truth of the profane was the falsehood of the neophyte, and the truth of the neophyte was the falsehood of the zelator! again and again the the fortress must be battered down! again and again the pylon must be overthrown! again and again must the gods be desecrated! and now i lie supine before thee, in terror and abasement. o purity! o truth

is beyond them. yet by none of these can man reach up to me. yet by each of them must man reach up to me. thou shalt laugh at the folly of the fool. thou shalt learn the wisdom of the wise. and thou shalt be initiate in holy things. and thou shalt be learned in the things of love. and thou shalt be mighty in the things of war. and thou shalt be adept in things occult. and thou shalt interpret the oracles. and thou shalt drive all these before thee in thy car, and though by none of these canst thou reach up to me, yet by each of these must thou attain to me. and thou must have the strength of the lion, and the secrecy of the hermit. and thou must turn the wheel of life. and thou must hold the balances of truth. thou must pass through the great waters, a redeemer. thou must have the tail of

with an incredible wealth of poesy, grace, and terror in its emblems; it civilized greece to the music of orpheus; it concealed the principles of all the sciences and of all human intellectual progress in the bold calculations of pythagoras; fable abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to appreciate this unknown power, became confused with fable; it shook or strengthened empires by its oracles, caused tyrants to tremble on their thrones, and governed all minds, either by curiosity, or by fear' yoga or transformation: a comparative statement of the various religious dogmas concerning the soul and its destiny, and of akkadian, taoist, eguptian, hebrew, greek, christian, mohammedan, japanese and other magic, by wm. j. flagg. large 8vo "cloth extra" 1898. 6"s" 6"d" knight (j payne

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 1 2

being john st. john) was operating aright. now by no effort of will can he flog his tired cattle along the trail. so poor a thing is he that he will even seek an oracle from the book of zoroaster. done. zoroaster respectfully wishes to point out that "the most mystic of discourses informs us his wholeness is in the supra-mundane order; for there a solar world and boundless light subsist, as the oracles of the chaldeans affirm. not very helpful, is it? as if divination could ever help on such exalted planes! as if the trumpery elementals that operate these things possessed the secrets of the destiny of an adept, or could help him in his agony! for this reason, divination should be discarded from the start: it is only a "mere toy, the basis of mercenary fraud" as zoroaster more practically

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 2

at no effort is here made to describe them. they are classified, tentatively, in the "herb dangerious" part ii "infra [a book of elementary invocations is in preparation, and will be issued in number 3] 30 the herb dangerous part ii the psychology of hashish by oliver haddo the herb dangerous i "the girders of the soul, which give her breathing, are easy to be unloosed "nature teaches us, and the oracles also affirm, that even the evil germs of matter may alike become useful and good" zoroaster. comparable to the alf laylah wa laylah itself, a very tower of babel, partaking alike of truth both gross and subtle inextricably interwoven with the most fantastic fable, is our view of the herb- hashish- the herb dangerous. of the investigators who have pierced even for a moment the magic veil of

phis osiris i a o; or the black dragon in the alchemical translation from the first matter of the work into the elixir (as molinos calls it) which hardens and sterilises the soul. the very practice which should flood it with light leads only to a darkness more terrible than death, a despair and disgust which only too often lead to abandonment, when in truth they should encourage, for that- as the oracles affirm- it is darkest before the dawn. meditation therefore annoyed me, as tightening and constricting the soul. i began to ask myself if the "dryness" was an essential part of the process. if by some means i could shake its catafalque of mind, might not the infinite divine spirit leap unfettered to the light? who shall roll away the stone? let it not be imagined that i devised these thoug

but a low aspect, for in truth the phenomenon pertains to vin n anam. yet in simpler souls this peculiar grace condescends- may one say- to this level, just as a father may join in the games of his child, thus gaining its sympathy and confidence as a basis for a higher union. xv "the mind of the father riding on the subtle guiders which glitter with the inflexible tracings of relentless fire "the oracles assert that the types of characters and of other divine visions appear in the ether (or astral light" zoroaster "san n a- chief among the phenomena of san n a, in the case of the beginner trying to concentrate his mind, are those 71 disturbing thoughts which analyse the very process itself. harder to destroy are they than the others, since they come no longer from memory or physical condit

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3 3

with an incredible wealth of poesy, grace, and terror in its emblems; it civilised greece to the music of orpheus; it concealed the principles of all the sciences and of all human intellectual progress in the bold calculations of pythagoras; fable abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to appreciate this unknown power, became confused with fable; it shook or strengthened empires by its oracles, caused tyrants to tremble on their thrones, and governed all minds, either by curiosity, or by fear" book of the sacred magic (the) of abra-melin the mage, as delivered by abraham the jew unto his son lamech, a.d. 1458. translated from the original hebrew into french, and now rendered into english. from a unique and valuable ms, in the "biblioth que de l'arsenal" at paris; with copious no

x+ 194, printed in red and black, decorative wrapper, 20s. net. this is the author's first most brilliant attempt to base the truths of mysticism on the truths of scepticism. it contains also an enlarged amended edition of "berashith" and an essay showing the striking parallels and identities between the doctrines of modern science and those of buddhism. gargoyles. pott 8vo, pp. vi+ 113, 5s. net. oracles. demy 8vo, pp. viii+ 176, 5s. net. some of mr. crowley's finest mystical lyrics are in these collections. knox om pax. see advt. collected works (travellers' edition. extra crown 8vo, india paper, 3 vols. in one, pp. 808+ appendices. vellum, green ties, with protraits, 3 3s; white buckram, without portraits, 2 2s. this edition contains "qabalistic dogma "time "the excluded middle "eleusis"

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 3

with an incredible wealth of poesy, grace, and terror in its emblems; it civilized greece to the music of orpheus; it concealed the principles of all the sciences and of all human intellectual progress in the bold calculations of pythagoras; fable abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to appreciate this unknown power, became confused with fable; it shook or strengthened empires by its oracles, caused tyrants to tremble on their thrones, and governed all minds, either by curiosity, or by fear' frank hollings, 7 great turnstile, holborn (near the inns of court hotel. photographs. to be had of the equinox. price ten shillings each. neatly framed in gold. the original panel photographs: the student (a reproduction faces "aha" in no. iii) the interpreter (reproduced on p. 279 of no

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4

scovered that the great attainment "per se" was identical in all systems irrespective of the symbol may sought it under. thus yahweh as a clay phallus in a band-box was as much a reality to the jews of genesis as brahman in brahma-loka was to the aryas of vedic india; that the vision of moses when he beheld god as a burning bush is similar to the vision of the fire-flashing courser of he chaldean oracles; and that nibb na the non-existent is little removed, if at all, from the christian heaven with its harps, halos and hovering angels. and the reason is, that the man who does attain to any of these states, on his return to consciousness, at once attributes his attainment to his particular business partner- christ, buddha, mrs. besant, etc, ets, and attempts to rationalize about the suprara

ANATHEMA OF ZOS

re the hypocrites to whom the sermon was delivered. the goat-herd found himself in a pigsty; speaking to swine bred on foul aethers. where once there was the sermon on the mount, now there need be a sermon of the midden. zos eats complacency and his leavings bear the name of doubt. zos heralds the onrush of the beast as john the baptist once swept the path of the christos. this time it is not the oracles' head served upon the platter. be not complacent. the anthem of liber l will, on saturn s touch, turn its melody inward and become a funeral dirge of the soul. if there is ought to be learnt it is this..we are the hypocrites to whom zos speaks. there is no hope. the great wheel turns. all that we love and will is its grist. nothing remains. will love louis martinie (s.m.ch.h. 353) vernal e

BELL CHRISTOPHER PAUL TSIU MARPO THE CAREER OF A TIBETAN PROTECTOR DEITY

in history 3. iconography tsiu marpo and company the purpose of violence the ma..ala the ma..ala and tibetan deities vii ix x 1 2 3 5 7 8 10 10 11 15 18 21 29 29 32 35 36 38 40 47 47 52 57 60 v 4. text and ritual ritual materials the warlord s tantra the perfect feast petition offering the lightning garland fragment the ritual goal 5. oracle oracle features and purpose oracle trance and ceremony oracles and the laity the tsiu marpo oracle pehar oracles and society conclusion deity mobility further research appendices appendix a: the warlord s tantra appendix b: the perfect feast petition offering appendix c: the lightning garland fragment appendix d: fragments from the unprecedented elegant explanations bibliography biographical sketch 71 72 73 85 90 93 113 113 118 121 123 126 133 143 143

aims to illustrate more broadly how deities like tsiu marpo are necessary elements of the tibetan socio-religious landscape. we will see that deities are instrumental in strengthening social cohesion on multiple levels and in multiple contexts. 2 review of the literature the available research on tibetan deities is scant. to this day, the most comprehensive treatment of tibetan gods, demons, and oracles is oracles and demons of tibet: the cult and iconography of the tibetan protective deities by r ne de nebesky-wojkowitz, which was first published in 1956. this early date does not necessarily make the text obsolete, as its approach is synchronic and descriptive, but it severely dates it. the text contains obscure or incorrect information that has since been responsibly clarified in more r

nsive and unorganized descriptions of these deities s attributes. there is no grand unifying methodology tying these descriptions to the greater cultural and ritual traditions of tibet and thus there is no concise statement on their importance and relationship to tibetan religion. the book, like its individual chapters, starts and ends abruptly with no solid connections. despite these weaknesses, oracles and demons of tibet provides a wealth of information and is groundbreaking in its depth. it continues to be the springboard from which later works on tibetan protector deities, including this one, begin their investigation. it is also one of only three english-language works that explicitly discuss tsiu marpo, dedicating an entire chapter to him and his cohorts.3 of these three sources, de

y anne-marie blondeau.6 this is an excellent multi-lingual resource with the majority of articles taking a more limited approach and exploring individual deity cults in various tibetan localities. other significant resources include works by john bellezza, anne-marie blondeau, eva dargyay, samten karmay, b la kel nyi, russell kirkland, and kevin stuart.7 bellezza s book is in many ways similar to oracles and demons of 4 see gibson 1991, pp. 200-211. 5 see kalsang 1996, pp. 114-116. 6 see blondeau 1998. 7 see blondeau 1971; bellezza 1997; dargyay 1985; karmay 1998c, d, e, and f; kel nyi 2003; kirkland 1982; and stuart 1995. blondeau s article is an outline of a prominent tibetan text on the various classes of tibetan deities 4 tibet, with the advantages of being more recent and organized. i

d rich information on the process and function of tibetan ritual and on the central role of protector deities within this process. this section will conclude with a speculative exploration of such texts as fields for monastic and lay intersection within the tibetan religious sphere. the fifth and final chapter will analyze the oracle tradition in tibet and tsiu marpo s connection with it. tibetan oracles are individuals who act as vessels for a protector deity and thus are divinely possessed. in their possessed state of trance, oracles provide communal advice 9 see bentor 1996, p. xxi. 7 through the power of clairvoyance. historically important oracle lineages, such as the nechung (gnas chung) oracle of the dalai lamas, were even regularly consulted concerning nation-wide political matters

s are divinely possessed. in their possessed state of trance, oracles provide communal advice 9 see bentor 1996, p. xxi. 7 through the power of clairvoyance. historically important oracle lineages, such as the nechung (gnas chung) oracle of the dalai lamas, were even regularly consulted concerning nation-wide political matters. as there was once a tsiu marpo oracle, a final examination of tibetan oracles is important in order to uncover the full range of ritual practice and interpretation surrounding this deity. this last chapter will then pull from all previous chapters to elucidate the oracle tradition as a dynamic outlet through which the ritual program of the deity is enacted for a social service and that utilizes iconographically significant ritual implements to submerge the service w

ding authoritative prophecy and advice, which are usually expounded from within a trance state.151 the direct communion between the god speaking through the oracle and the audience that attends such sessions shows a palpable relationship between the divine and the members of the community who engage in this process. even community members absent from a session recognize the power and authority of oracles, and a number of oracles have reached state-wide acceptance in tibetan history. tsiu marpo is one such deity who was once involved in a state-recognized oracle tradition. therefore, in order to have a complete picture of tsiu marpo s multifaceted career in tibetan ritual history, it is necessary to understand some key elements of the oracle tradition in tibet. this tradition also provides

27) provides an argument for why the english word "oracle" is apt in describing this practice despite reservations about its usage by such figures as the fourteenth dalai lama. her usage depends heavily on the practice as it involves the speech of a god expressed through the individual. another common english word used synonymously with oracle is "medium" 113 it. the studies that exist on tibetan oracles show the tradition to be quite diverse and heterogeneous; however, there are some basic universal elements indicative of an oracle cult.152 there are a number of tibetan words that refer to oracles: kuten (sku rten "bodily receptacle" lhabap (lha bab "god descent" and lhaka (lha bka "god speech" these terms are descriptive enough in their capacity as titles, yet a number of other terms exi

a bab "god descent" and lhaka (lha bka "god speech" these terms are descriptive enough in their capacity as titles, yet a number of other terms exist with varying levels of popular use and carrying greater cultural significance. pawo (dpa bo)153 and pamo (dpa mo "hero" and "heroine" respectively, focus more on the heroic qualities of these figures. hildegard diemberger argues that this title ties oracles to the epic bard traditions of tibet and also draws attention to the dangerous experiences that are commonly found in the life narratives of oracles.154 de nebesky-wojkowitz makes a distinction between terms used for oracles that channel low-ranking deities lhapa (lha pa "god person" and those used for high-ranking, state-recognized oracles ch j (chos rje "lord of the doctrine" one final t

e numerous examples indicate, oracular titles can be indicative of the status of the oracular god within the divine pantheon, the social status of the oracle, and local variation. the origins of the oracle tradition are unknown, though it is generally accepted to have been a pre-buddhist practice that was later incorporated into the buddhist cosmological structure.156 only worldly deities possess oracles, as transcendental deities are beyond the worldly concerns that oracles are requested to resolve. rare instances where oracles claim to be 152 these studies are surprisingly diverse in their approaches despite the vast majority of them being anthropological in their methodology. see berglie 1976 for tibetan oracles in nepal; day 1989 and 1990, schenk 1993, and tewari 1987 for village oracl

prisingly diverse in their approaches despite the vast majority of them being anthropological in their methodology. see berglie 1976 for tibetan oracles in nepal; day 1989 and 1990, schenk 1993, and tewari 1987 for village oracles in ladakh; havnevik 2002 for an examination of the one state-recognized female oracle; wangdui and xiao hao 1992, and diemberger 2005 for further explorations of female oracles in tibet as well as the contemporary state of tibetan oracles; de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, pp. 409-454 for the earliest extensive examination of the tibetan oracle tradition and its main features; peter 1978a and 1978b, and rock 1935 for some preliminary observations; rinzin 1992 for a specific examination of the nechung (gnas chung) state oracle; bellezza 2005 for an exploration of b n ora

contemporary state of tibetan oracles; de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, pp. 409-454 for the earliest extensive examination of the tibetan oracle tradition and its main features; peter 1978a and 1978b, and rock 1935 for some preliminary observations; rinzin 1992 for a specific examination of the nechung (gnas chung) state oracle; bellezza 2005 for an exploration of b n oracles; and stuart 1995 for local oracles and their involvement in the summer festival of a tibetan village. see also mills 2003, pp. 168-170. 153 berglie (1976) is especially fond of this title. 154 see diemberger 2005, p. 128. also see stein 1959. 155 personal correspondence with lodr gyeltsen, lama of tengy ling monastery, lhasa. july 24th, 2005. also see tewari 1987, p. 140. 156 see de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, p. 428; peter 197

p. 128. also see stein 1959. 155 personal correspondence with lodr gyeltsen, lama of tengy ling monastery, lhasa. july 24th, 2005. also see tewari 1987, p. 140. 156 see de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, p. 428; peter 1978b, p. 288; and tewari 1987. 114 possessed by transcendental deities are usually met with suspicion.157 an oracle is commonly renowned for being the vessel of a specific deity; yet most oracles can channel multiple deities in a single trance, with each deity providing further insight into a communal crisis or prophetic declaration.158 when a deity descends into an oracle, it results in a trance state. this trance state of possession shows a marked contrast in the behavior of the oracle. as the deity begins to take over the body of the oracle, he will begin to shake and tremble, b

racle s complexion also changes, with his face turning red or yellow, depending on the disposition of the deity.159 the disposition of the deity is important, as an oracle can channel a wrathful or peaceful deity. an oracle possessed by a wrathful deity will grow red-faced and become very violent in his movements; a passive deity will cause an oracle to act more subdued. it is generally held that oracles of wrathful deities do not live very long because of the intense strain and pain they endure during trances.160 the oracle will also start to exhibit the specific attributes of the particular deity possessing them. de nebesky-wojkowitz provides a vivid account of this feature: many mediums, mostly at the beginning of the trance, show also a behaviour characteristic of the deity who took po

exhibitions accompany the central supernatural abilities of clairvoyance and prophecy that are the impetus for these trances. the goal of oracle trances is to provide a service to the community on multiple levels. this service involves eliciting the supernatural knowledge of the deity as expressed through the oracle to provide prophetic advice concerning the future of the community. with village oracles the concern is more local, while state oracles offer advice on a greater political scale. also, an oracle can be consulted by individual patrons regarding personal crises such as family problems, wealth and love issues, or for communal concerns such as unsolved crimes and legal matters.164 furthermore, oracles specifically on the local level act as healers, using their powers of divination

see diemberger 2005, pp. 115-116, 139; and havnevik 2002, p. 271. 116 (bgegs dkrol, where an oracle will beat an ill individual with his oracular sword in order to drive away the harmful forces causing the illness.165 diemberger states that the success of an oracle is in his ability to mediate at times of personal and public crisis; an oracle s reputation is dependent on his efficacy.166 indeed, oracles have been known to tarnish their reputation by offering bad or incorrect advice. on a political level, this can be especially hazardous. de nebesky-wojkowitz explains an incident where the nechung oracle in 1904 predicted a tibetan victory against the british expeditionary force. this did not, however, occur, and so the oracle fled with the dalai lama to mongolia when the british reached l

evel, this can be especially hazardous. de nebesky-wojkowitz explains an incident where the nechung oracle in 1904 predicted a tibetan victory against the british expeditionary force. this did not, however, occur, and so the oracle fled with the dalai lama to mongolia when the british reached lhasa. upon their return, the nechung oracle was dismissed from his office.167 the punishment incurred on oracles for their inadequacy or insubordination has been known to come from the possessing deity as well. such wrath is usually retaliation for the oracle s disobedience to the deity. in one instance, recounted by joseph rock, an oracle was requested by his possessing deity not to marry, yet did so anyway. in response, the deity, during a fit of trance, caused the oracle to disembowel himself and

e possessing deity as well. such wrath is usually retaliation for the oracle s disobedience to the deity. in one instance, recounted by joseph rock, an oracle was requested by his possessing deity not to marry, yet did so anyway. in response, the deity, during a fit of trance, caused the oracle to disembowel himself and hang his entrails on the statues in his private chapel.168 a final feature of oracles worth examining is the moral state of the oracle. it is never quite clear why a particular individual is chosen; that a number of oracle lineages are hereditary provides one explanation.169 in most cases, an individual is chosen by a deity for his own reasons, though tibetans speculate that there is a moral element to this choice. some claim that an oracle must live a blameless and virtuou

e lineages are hereditary provides one explanation.169 in most cases, an individual is chosen by a deity for his own reasons, though tibetans speculate that there is a moral element to this choice. some claim that an oracle must live a blameless and virtuous life in order to be a vessel pure enough for a deity to inhabit temporarily.170 yet this is not universally held, as it is also claimed that oracles tend to be of low moral quality; however, this may be specific only to local oracles, where a distinction is drawn between the aristocratic and lower class laity, the latter being from whence oracles generally come.171 diemberger argues that oracles have a comfortable relationship with defilement, having experienced it in their own lives and having dealt with it in healing practices. such

moral quality; however, this may be specific only to local oracles, where a distinction is drawn between the aristocratic and lower class laity, the latter being from whence oracles generally come.171 diemberger argues that oracles have a comfortable relationship with defilement, having experienced it in their own lives and having dealt with it in healing practices. such familiarity is what gives oracles a degree of insight afforded by their ambiguous social status. this ambiguity allows oracles to resolve personal and public crises that generally develop 165 see de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, p. 441. 166 see diemberger 2005, pp. 138-140. 167 see de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, p. 451. 168 see rock 1935, p. 478. de nebesky-wojkowitz 1998, p. 421 also cites this example. 169 havnevik 2002 explicitly

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

lopean ruins and colossal stones as witnesses to giants. in his enormous works- memoires addressees a l'academie des sciences- de mirville, carrying out the task of proving the reality of the devil and showing his abode in every ancient and modern idol, has collected several hundred pages of "historical evidence" that in the days of miracle- pagan and biblical- the stones walked, spoke, delivered oracles, and even sung. that finally "christ-stone" or christ-rock "the spiritual rock" that followed "israel (i corinth. x. 4 "became a jupiter lapis" swallowed by his father saturn "under the shape of a stone* we will not stop to discuss the evident misuse and materialization of biblical metaphors, simply for the sake of proving the satanism of idols, though a good deal might be said* on this su

ld. it is by means of this stone that helanos foretold the ruin of troy, his fatherland" etc (falconnet) sanchoniathon and philo byblius, in referring to these betyles, call them "animated stones" photius repeats what damascius, asclepiades, isidorus and the physician eusebius had asserted before him. the latter (eusebius) never parted with his ophites, which he carried in his bosom, and received oracles from them, delivered in a small voice resembling a low whistling* arnobius (a holy man who "from a pagan had become one of the lights of the church" christians tell their readers) confesses he could never meet on his passage with one of such stones without putting it questions "which is answered occasionally in a clear and sharp small voice" where is the difference between the christian an

ficing moses to an anonymous author" berosus, he urges "however great were his chronological errors, was at least in perfect accord with the prophet with regard to the first men, since he speaks of alorus-adam, of xisuthrus-noah, and of belus-nimrod" etc "therefore" he adds "the work must be an apocrypha to be ranged with its contemporaries- the fourth book of esdras, that of enoch, the sibylline oracles, and the book of hermes- every one of these dating no further back than two or three centuries b.c" ewald came down still harder on chwolsohn, and finally m. renan. in the "revue germanique* the ex-pupil pulls down the authority of his master, by asking him to show a reason why his nabathean agriculture should not be the fraudulent work of some jew of the third or fourth century of our era

ck, an office attributed to jesus, after his death and resurrection. the symbols of hermes-mercury (dii termini) were placed along and at the turning points of highways (as crosses are now placed in italy) and they were cruciform* every seventh day the priests anointed these termini with oil, and once a year hung them with garlands, hence they were the anointed. mercury, when speaking through his oracles said "i am he whom you call the son of the father (jupiter) and maia. leaving the king of heaven (the sun) i come to help you, mortals" mercury heals the blind and restores sight, mental and physical* he was often represented as three-headed and called "tricephalos "triplex" as one with the sun and venus. finally, mercury, as cornutus* shows, was sometimes figured under a cubic form, witho

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

ociety, in spiritualism, besides the greek and roman churches, which teach the ubiquity of their angels. the zoroastrians regarded their amshaspends as dual entities (ferouers, applying this duality- in esoteric philosophy, at any rate- to all the spiritual and invisible denizens of the numberless worlds in space which are visible to our eye. in a note of damascius (sixth century) on the chaldean oracles, we have a triple evidence of the universality of this doctrine, for he says "in these oracles the seven cosmocratores of the world('the world-pillars) mentioned likewise by st. paul, are double- one set being commissioned to rule the superior worlds the spiritual and the sidereal, and the other to guide and watch over the worlds of matter" such is also the opinion of jamblichus, who makes

n the air "spiritualia nequitiae coelestibus" the latin texts giving various names to these "malices" the innocent "elementals" but the church is right this time, though wrong in calling them all devils. the astral light or lower ether is full of conscious and semi-conscious and unconscious entities; only the church has less power over them than over invisible microbes or mosquitoes* effatum xvi "oracles of zoroaster* georgica. book ii[[vol. 1, page] 332 the secret doctrine. system of philosophy, anaxagoras of clazomenae, firmly believed that the spiritual prototypes of all things, as well as their elements, were to be found in the boundless ether where they were generated, whence they evolved, and whither they returned- an occult teaching. it thus becomes clear that it is from ether in it

e former the brother of osiris, the latter the son of osiris and isis" the first is the idea of the world remaining in the demiurgic mind "born in darkness before the creation of the world" the second horus is this "idea" going forth from the logos, becoming clothed with matter, and assuming an actual existence "the mundane god, eternal, boundless, young and old, of winding form* say the chaldean oracles. this "winding form" is a figure to express the vibratory motion of the astral light, with which the ancient priests were perfectly well acquainted, though its name was invented by the martinists. now cosmolatry has the finger of scorn pointed at its superstitions by modern science, which ought, however, as advised by a french[[footnote(s* plutarch "isis and osiris" i, vi "spirit history o

r archangels, and the latter under that of one of their gods. therefore the meaning of the "fairy tale" translated by chwolson from an old chaldean mss. translated into arabic, about qu-tamy being instructed by the idol of the moon, is easily understood (vide book iii) seldenus tells us the secret as well as maimonides (more nevochim, book iii, ch. xxx. the worshippers of the teraphim (the jewish oracles "carved images and claimed that the light of the principal stars (planets) permeating these through and through, the angelic virtues (or the regents of the stars and planets) conversed with them, teaching them many most useful things and arts" and seldenus explains that the teraphim were built and composed after the position of certain planets, those which the greeks called[[stoicheia, and

he altar in christian churches) wherein the priests alone were permitted to enter, from the part accessible to the profane. by its four colours the curtain symbolized the four principal elements, and signified the knowledge of the divine that the five senses of men can enable man to acquire with the help of the four elements (see stromata i, v. 6. in cory's ancient fragments, one of the "chaldean oracles" expresses ideas about the elements and ether in language singularly like that of the unseen universe, written by two eminent scientists of our day. it states that "from ether have come all things, and to it all will return; that the images of all things are indelibly impressed upon it; and that it is the store-house of the germs or of the remains of all visible forms, and even ideas. it a

lower kingdom, etc, etc" and their tellurial character proves it sufficiently* the ancients knew of no worse abode after death than the kamaloka, the limbus on this earth. if it is argued that the dodonean jupiter was identified with aidoneus, the king of the subterranean world, and dis, or the roman pluto and the dionysius chthonios, the subterranean, wherein, according to creuzer (i, vi, ch. 1, oracles were rendered, then it will become the pleasure of the occultists to prove that both aidoneus and dionysius are the bases of adonai, or "jurbo adonai" as jehovah is called in codex nazaraeus "thou shalt not worship the sun, who is named adonai, whose name is also kadush and el-el (cod. naz, i, 47; see also psalm lxxxix, 18, and also "lord bacchus" baal-adonis of the sods or mysteries of th

ced in certain spheres, on a throne, the head of that bull (taurus, trying to push away with the ansated cross on its horns, a dragon; the more so, since this constellation of taurus was called 'the great city of god and the mother of revelations' and also 'the interpreter of the divine voice' the apis pacis of hermoutis, in egypt, which (as the patristic fathers would assure the world) preferred oracles that related to the birth of the saviour (pneumatologie, iv, 71. to this theological assumption there are several answers. firstly, the ansated egyptian cross, or tau, the jaina cross, or swastica, and the christian cross have all the same meaning. secondly, no peoples or nations except the christians gave the significance to the dragon that is given to it now. the serpent was the symbol o

BLUE EQUINOX

experience (james. valuble as showing the uniformity of mystical attainment. kabbala denudata, von rosenroth: also the kabbalah unveiled, by s.l. mathers. the text of the qabalah, with commentary. a good elementary introduction to the subject. konx om pax. four invaluable treatises and a preface on mysticism and magick. the pistis sophia. an admirable introduction to the study of gnosticism. the oracles of zoroaster. an invaluable collection of precepts mystical and magical. the equinox 22 the dream of scipio, by cicero. excellent for its vision and its philosophy. the golden verses of pythagoras, by fabre d.olivet. an interesting study of the exoteric doctrines of this master. the divine pymander, by hermes trismegistus. invaluable as bearing on the gnostic philosophy. the secret symbols

BOOK T

, three fall below the right branch for aleph, men, and shin, seven above the central branch for the double 59 the high priestess the priestess of the silver star gimel moon 60 the empress the daughter of the mighty ones dalet venus 61 the emperor sun of the morning, chief among the mighty heh aries 62 the hierophant the magus of the eternal vau taurus 63 the lovers the children of the voice; the oracles of the mighty gods zain gemini 64 the chariot the child of the powers of the waters; the lord of the triumph of light chet cancer 65 fortitude the daughter of the flaming sword tet leo 66 the hermit the magus of the voice of power, the prophet of the eternal yod virgo 67 the wheel the lord of the of fate forces of life koph jupiter 68 justice the daughter of the lords of truth: the ruler o

CHIREAU YVONNE BLACK MAGIC RELIGION AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CONJURING TRADITION

rms, roots, herbs and magical incantations and formulae" for "those who believe[ed] in him"[7] the activities of such enslaved conjure men and women have been well documented. in nineteenth-century north carolina, a journalist described a plantation bondwoman whom other slaves believed to be "in communication with occult powers" as an accomplished seer and prophet "her utterances were accepted as oracles, and piously heeded" for it was thought that "she could see through the mists that hide the future from others" slave conjurers offered consolation to other bondpersons who were at risk. according to his famous autobiography, young frederick douglass was once assisted by a conjure man named sandy jenkins, who gave him an enchanted root prior to a confrontation that douglass had with a noto

eneral basil w. duke (new york: deale publishing, 1906, p. 32; sobel, trabelin' on, p. 69; raboteau, slave religion, p. 287. for a tentative discussion of african american moral constructs in occultism, see norman whitten "aspects and origins of negro occultism in piedmont village (master's thesis, university of north carolina, chapel hill, 1960, pp. 56.61. 58. edward evans-pritchard, witchcraft, oracles and magic among the azande (oxford: clarendon press, 1937, pp. black magic page 111 of 144 http//content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docid=kt600020q0&chunk.id=0&doc.view=print 7/14/2006 64, 72. 59. clyde kluckhohn, navaho witchcraft (millwood, n.y: kraus reprint, 1975, p. 224. 60. basil davidson, the african genius: an introduction to african cultural and social history (boston: little, brown, 1969

CHRONOLOGIA RORISPERGIUS

13th cent) puranas. iamblichus: on nicomachus's introduction to arithmetic- first mention of casting out nines. ca.340-420 jerome studied hebrew with jewish instructors in bethlehem. 346 st. pachomius dies. 350-407 john chrysostom 350? abbaye jewish babylonian teacher expounds on the decans. 363 last pagan emperor julian stopped at harran at the beginning of his persian campaign. he consulted the oracles at the temple of the moon. 380 hephaestio of thebes. compendium, delineations of the decans and contains a very long excerpt from nechepso/petosiris on detailed eclipse delineation. preserves an ancient egyptian method of prediction using the dog-star alone. c.380 sepher ha-razim (the book of the mysteries) a jewish mystical and magical grimoire from egypt. related to the sepher raziel. 38

COSIMANO CHARLES ELEMENTARY PSIONICS

at it is you want to do. no one can sit down with a radionic device like they would with a ouija board and just wait for an inspiration or a message from the gods. radionics is an active form of psychic activity rather than a passive one. in that regard, those who claim that radionics is a branch of magick are right, in the sense that magicians actively move to influence their world as opposed to oracles and mediums who just sort of let the psychic world work through them. it is a very important distinction and when you sit down in front of your box you must realize that it is you, not it, that is in control. the box is, after all, nothing more than a primitive series circuit which does not make a lot of electronic sense. so when you deposit yourself in front of your little machine, you ha

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

ather" and historian, wrote that many of the first gnostics in north africa were known as the naaseni or "serpents" and they worshipped nahustan, the golden or brazen serpent, the image of whom they displayed on wooden crosses. the naaseni (nagas) later became known as the ophites, a greek term for serpent. the greeks said that serpents were creatures of great knowledge, which spoke through their oracles- psychic channellers. in other words, communications from another dimension, or density. the story of moses contains much serpent symbolism, also. the garden of eden, edin, heden the serpent that "tempted" eve in the biblical garden of eden is the best-known serpent symbolism of all. this was an edited rewrite of the far more ancient sumerian story of edin, the "land of the gods or the rig

oddess because, once again, the aryan line is the purest of the reptilian hybrids. these were the serpent kings who ruled atlantis and the later sumer empire. ancient crete, as with other connected centres, was famous for its labyrinth, a word meaning "house of the double axe" or "house of the serpent goddess".8 greece was another serpent goddess culture. they called her athene and at delphi, the oracles (interdimensional channellers) would speak the words of the serpent goddess, known there as delphinia.9 the oracle would go into a trance state while staring into the eyes of a snake. she would also use cannabis and chew laurel leaves, the sacred herb of the goddess or "pythoness. the laurel leaves are used by the illuminati in the symbol of freemasonry and the logo of united nations, in w

re all around us on frequencies beyond the range of our physical senses. these are the frequencies that can be seen and heard by animals, like cats, when they react to apparently "empty" space, and dogs when they hear sounds far higher than we can. newborn babies also react to "empty" space until their senses are imprisoned by conditioning. these are the frequencies accessed by true psychics- the oracles of the ancient world- who can raise their vibration to tune into these unseen realms. the italian physicist giuliana conforto in her brilliant book luh, man's cosmic game (edizioni noesis, 1998) puts it like this..a good 90% of total calculated mass is in fact dark and unobservable, while only 10% is observable by means of the infinite rainbow, which is light. the visible universe we do ob

DAVID ICKE THE BIGGEST SECRET

remove knowledge from circulation so it could beused secretly and malevolently from behind the scenes. the assault on the balancingfemale energy and the hoarding of knowledge resulted in the persecution of witches -channellers, mediums, psychics and seers of all kinds. these communications with otherrealms had been an everyday part of pre-christian life. channellers were given names likeprophets, oracles, vessels of god and such like. one of the leaders of this witch-hunt wasjerome, born in 341, who is credited with gathering the texts for the main latin version ofthe holy bible. it was jerome who persuaded the pope to outlaw channelling (psychiccommunications with other dimensions. by this single papal decree, the vessels of godbecame vessels and witches of the devil, terms still used by

DICTIONARY GLOSSARY OF OCCULT TERMINOLOGY

s. in reality they are very rare, almost non-existent. when they do occur they are usually caused by a current of anger or rage (or other strong emotion) and hit you at your "weakest link" atziloot: pronounced "ahts-ih-loot" it is the uppermost of the four kabalistic worlds. it means the world of archetypes or emanations. augur: any number of high ranking ancient roman priests who were considered oracles, performing divinations (q.v) for the good of the state or private citizens. augurs were astrologers, and diviners which interpreted such omens as the flight of birds or the occurrence of thunder and lightening. they were of the noble class, and wore white robes, trimmed in purple. there is an old legend that states that several druids of gaul and britain were converted to a roman religion

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

ical mythology, son of oicles and hypermnestra. he hid himself so that he might not have to go to the war of thebes, because he had foreseen that he should die there. this indeed happened, but he came to life again. a temple was raised to him in attica, near a sacred fountain by which he had left hades. he healed the sick by showing them in a dream the remedies they must use. he also founded many oracles. after they sacrificed, those who consulted the oracle slept under a sheep skin and dreamed a dream, which usually found plenty of interpreters after the event. amphiaraus was an adept in the art of explaining dreams. some prophecies in verse, which are no longer extant, were attributed to him. amulets the charm, amulet, or mascot, derives from fetishism, the belief of people that a small

as calmet further noted, the ancient greeks, who had derived their religion and theology from the egyptians and eastern nations, and the latins, who had borrowed theirs from the greeks, were all firmly persuaded that the souls of the dead appeared sometimes to the living.that they could be called up by necromancers, that they answered questions, and gave notice of future events; that apollo gave oracles, and that the priestess, filled with his spirit, and transported with a holy enthusiasm, uttered infallible predictions of things to come. homer, the most ancient of all the greek writers, and their greatest divine, relates several apparitions, not only of gods, but of dead men and heroes. in the odyssey, he introduces ulysses consulting teresias, who, having prepared a pit full of blood

aps they had them from the fatimites of northern africa, among whose local predecessors it has been seen that it is just possible the doctrine of the four elements and their mutual convertibility may have arisen. perhaps they drew them from greece, modifying and adapting them to their own specific forms of matter, mercury, sulphur, and arsenic. arabian astrology astrology was also employed by the oracles of spain. al- battani was celebrated for his astronomical science, as were many others; and in geometry, arithmetic, algebraical calculations, and the theory of music, the list of asiatic and spanish practitioners is long, but only known by their lives and principal writings. the works of ptolemy also exercised the ingenuity of the arabians. but judicial astrology, or the art of foretellin

the united states and britain and has lectured widely on such subjects as reincarnation, life after death, astral projection, the third eye, powers latent in man, esoteric astrology, etc. he is chancellor and director of studies at claregate college, england, teaching the subjects on which he lectures. bakis (or bacis) derived from a greek term for speaker, used as a general term for prophets and oracles in ancient greece from the eighth to sixth century b.c.e. there were three well-known oracles bearing that name who are mentioned by suidas, the first a boeotian, the second an arcadian, and the third an athenian. the most famous one was from boeotia and was supposed to have been inspired by the nymphs of the corycian caves. his bailey, e. h. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th

zo one of the demons supposed to have possessed a young woman of laon, france, in the year 1566. he went to dine with her husband under the pretext of freeing her from demonic possession, which he did not accomplish. it was observed that at supper he did not drink, which reinforced the belief that demons are averse to water. baltus, jean francois (1667.1743) a learned jesuit who affirmed that the oracles of the ancients were the work of demons and that they were reduced to silence during the mission of christ upon the earth. he propounded this view in his reply to le bovier de fontonelle s l histoire des oracles under the title reponse a l historic des oracles de mr. de fontonelle (1707, translated into english as an answer to mr. de fontonelle s history of oracles (1709. bander, peter (19

cledonismantia) ancient system of divination based on the good or evil presage of certain words uttered without premeditation when persons come together in any way. the system also regulated the words to be used on particular occasions. cicero stated that the pythagoreans were very attentive to these presages, and according to pausanius, it was a favorite method of divination at smyrna, where the oracles of apollo were thus interpreted. cleidomancy system of divination using a suspended door key. it was to be performed when the sun or moon was in virgo. the name of the individual being investigated was written upon a key tied to a bible, and both were hung upon the nail of the ring finger of a virgin, who softly repeated certain words three times. depending on whether the key and bible tur

ncements of the successive sibyls were gathered and saved at rome. cicero, who held office of augur of rome, had access to the archive of prophecies, which were written in blank verse. he noted that the verses were frequently encoded so that the whole of the paragraph on each subject is continued in the initial letters of every verse of that paragraph. the encoding implied that the content of the oracles was carefully thought out. the sibyl of cuma was closely related to the oracle at baia located only a few miles away. it was the cuma sibyl who referred aeneas to the oracle (as recounted in virgil s aeneid) and accompanied him on his journey to the underworld to make contact with his deceased father. in more modern times, the sybil ceased to function and the cave out of which she operated

unted in virgil s aeneid) and accompanied him on his journey to the underworld to make contact with his deceased father. in more modern times, the sybil ceased to function and the cave out of which she operated was abandoned. the cave was rediscovered and excavated in 1932 by professor amedeo maiuri. sources: monteiro, mariana. as david and the sybils say: a sketch of the sibyls and the sibylline oracles. edinburgh: sands and co, 1905. temple, robert k. g. conversations with eternity: ancient man s attempt to know the future. london: rider, 1984. virgil: the pastoral poems. translated by e. v. reiu. harmondsworth, uk: penguin, 1967. cummins, geraldine dorothy (1890.1969) medium, channel, and spiritualist author. cummins was born january 24, 1890 in cork, ireland, the daughter of prof. ashl

t in the earth, out of which blew a strong draft or air straight up and as if impelled by a wind, which filled the minds of poets with madness. lake avernus, heraclea, and phigaleia were qualified for the evocation of the dead by similar intoxicating fumes. according to plutarch, the delphian oracle had not been convicted of falsehood in a single instance. on the contrary, the verification of the oracles has filled the temple with gifts from all parts of greece and foreign countries. in discussing the question why the prophetess pythia giveth no answers now from the oracle in verse, plutarch explained that the replies were always couched in enigmatical language when kings and states consulted the oracle on weighty matters that might have done harm if made public, but that private persons a

ussing the question why the prophetess pythia giveth no answers now from the oracle in verse, plutarch explained that the replies were always couched in enigmatical language when kings and states consulted the oracle on weighty matters that might have done harm if made public, but that private persons always received direct answers in the plainest terms. herodotus told of a successful test of the oracles by croesus, king of lydia. he dispatched envoys to the best six oracles: delphi, dodona, branchidae, zeus ammon, trophonius, and amphiaraus. the envoys were instructed to ask on the hundredth day of their departure what croesus was doing at home in sardis at a particular moment. four oracles entirely failed. delphi was perfectly right. herodotus quoted the reply: i can count the sands, and

ow what the dumb man meaneth; lo! on my sense there striketh the smell of shell-covered tortoise, boiling now on fire, with the flesh of a lamb, in a cauldron, brass in the vessel below, and brass to cover above it. croesus wished to think out an action that could not be guessed at. he took a tortoise and a lamb, cut them to pieces, and boiled them in a covered brazen cauldron. the decline of the oracles began two or three centuries before christ. that of delphi was closed in the fourth century by a decree of theodosius. after a long period of disuse, attempts were made to revive the oracle at the opening of the second century c.e. under plutarch s priesthood. during the period of christianity under constantine the oracle became finally silent. delphic circle a regular gathering of mediums

s the specters he dealt with in woodstock. demonology and witchcraft is written in the form of a series of letters to the author s son-in-law. scott died two years after publication in 1832. the book has been reprinted frequently. sources: scott, sir walter. letters on demonology and witchcraft. london: j. murray, 1830. demonomancy divination by means of demons. such divination takes place by the oracles they make or by the answers they give to those who evoke them. demonomania the mania of those who believe all that was told concerning demons and sorcerers, such as jean bodin, pierre de lancre, pierre le loyer, and others. bodin s 1580 book demonomania of the sorcerers, on devilry, is a vivid account of demonomania. de morgan, augustus (1806.1871) a famous english mathematician, de morgan

hey resolved to force the sovereignty of ireland from macha, but she discovered them in the forest, overpowered them by her magical influence, and carried them to her palace on her back. they are said to have built the famous irish city of emain macha under her supervision. divination the method of obtaining knowledge of the unknown or the future by means of omens. astrology and the utterances of oracles are usually regarded as branches of divination. the derivation of the word supposes a direct message from the gods to the diviner. divination was practiced in all grades of primitive communities and civilizations. the methods are many and various, and, strangely enough, in their variety are confined to no one portion of the world. crystal gazing and such allied methods as shell hearing may

edia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 426 670 b.c.e. the egyptian magician usually set himself to procure dreams for his clients by such devices as the drawing of magic pictures and the reciting of magic words, and some of these are still extant. in egypt, however, divination was usually effected by astrological methods. in ancient china the principal method of divination was by means of the oracles, but such forms as the examination of the marks on the shell of a tortoise, are also found; they are similar to the examination of the back of a peccary by the maya of central america. chinese monarchs consulted the fates in this manner in 1146 b.c.e. and found them unfavorable, but as in egypt, most soothsaying was accomplished by means of astrology. omens, however, were by no means ignor

p in the air, and while descending were seen by their fellowmen on earth. the latter regarded them as stragglers of the aerial army of sorcerers and thought that they had come to poison the fruits and fountains. these unfortunate persons were thereupon put to death, along with many others suspected of ties to the sorcerers. the nature of these spirits was collated in the comte de gabalis with the oracles of antiquity, and even with the classic pantheons of greece and rome. pan, for example, was the first and oldest of the nymphs, and the news of his death, communicated by the people of the air to the inhabitants of the waters, was proclaimed by them in a voice that was heard sounding over all the rivers of italy. the great pan is dead! the scholar of occultism and mysticism a. e. waite con

rity, hence a joyous life was called a genial life (genialis vita. there is a curious passage relating to the functions of the greek demons in the symposium of plato, in which he has socrates state. from it [i.e, the agency of genii] proceed all the arts of divination, and all the science of priests, with respect to sacrifices, initiations, incantations, and everything, in short, which relates to oracles and enchantments. the deity holds no direct intercourse with man; but, by this means, all the converse and communications between gods and men, whether asleep or awake, take place; and he who is wise in these things is a man peculiarly guided by his genius. plato highlights the connection between demonology and magic, an association characteristic of the romances of the east if the jinns o

e eleventh being purely administrative. grant worked with john symonds, crowley s literary executor, to produce the confessions of aleister crowley (1969. grant also published the magical revival (1972, an informative survey of occult theory and practice in modern times. a particularly valuable chapter is concerned with the work of occult artist austin osman spare. grant also published images and oracles of austin osman spare (1975, a study of the work of this strange and talented artist. grant s wife, steffi, contributed beautiful illustrations to five carfax monographs issued by the grants in london in a limited edition, dealing with the tree of life, the golden dawn, aleister crowley, austin osman spare, and vinum sabbati. sources: grant, kenneth. aleister crowley and the hidden god. lo

ed artist. grant s wife, steffi, contributed beautiful illustrations to five carfax monographs issued by the grants in london in a limited edition, dealing with the tree of life, the golden dawn, aleister crowley, austin osman spare, and vinum sabbati. sources: grant, kenneth. aleister crowley and the hidden god. london: muller, 1973. cults of the shadow. new york: samuel weiser, 1976. images and oracles of austin osman spare. london: muller, 1975. the magical revival. new york: samuel weiser, 1972. nightside of eden. london: muller, 1977. outside the circles of time. london: frederick mueller, 1980. symonds, john, and kenneth grant. the confessions of aleister crowley. new york: hill& wang, 1969. grapevine (newsletter (1) former monthly newsletter of the psychic information exchange. incl

d and covered the trees, the festival of the flowers was held at athens. the commemoration of the dead also occurred in the spring. it was thought that the spirits of the deceased rose from their graves and wandered about the familiar streets, striving to enter the dwellings of men and the temples of the gods but were shut out by the magic of branches of whitethorn, or by knotted ropes and pitch. oracles of great antiquity and eminently of greek character and meaning were the oracles. for centuries they ministered to that longing ingrained in human nature to know the future and to invoke divine foresight and aid in the direction of human affairs, from those of a private citizen to the multitudinous needs of the state. divination and prophecy became the great features of the oracles. they w

d to invoke divine foresight and aid in the direction of human affairs, from those of a private citizen to the multitudinous needs of the state. divination and prophecy became the great features of the oracles. they were inspired by various means, including intoxicating fumes, natural or artificial mind-altering drugs, the drinking of mineral springs, signs and tokens, and dreams. the most famous oracles were those at delphi, dodona, epidaurus, and that of trophonius, but others of renown were scattered over the country. perhaps one of the earliest was that of aesculapius, son of apollo and called the healer, the dreamsender, because his healing was given through the medium of dreams that came upon the applicant while sleeping in the temple-courts, the famous temple-sleep. this temple, sit

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f future events and emphasized those quatrains presaging events soon to occur. garancieres s effort was marred by his acceptance of two fake quatrains written to attack french roman catholic cardinal jules mazarin, who also served as the french prime minister. modern interest in nostradamus, which has spawned a massive popular literature during the last generation, began with charles ward s work, oracles of nostradamus (1891. one prominent student of the quatrains, edgar leoni, submitted his lengthy treatise as a master s thesis at harvard university (1961. interpreters claim nostradamus predicted hitler s rise to power as well as the explosion of the u.s. space shuttle challenger in 1986.the popular interest in nostradamus has been countered by the observations of a variety of historians

al warfare during world war ii. london, 1972. reprinted as astrology: a recent history including the untold story of its role in world war ii. new york: walker, 1968. laver, james. nostradamus, or the future foretold. london: collins, 1942. reprint, uk: penguin books, 1952. reprint, london: george mann, 1973. leoni, edgar. nostradamus and his prophecies. new york: 1961. le pelletier, anatole. les oracles de michel de nostredame. 2 vols. paris, 1867. le vert, liberte e, ed. the prophecies and enigmas of nostradamus. glen rock, n.j: firebell books, 1979. prieditis, arthur a. fate of the nations. london: neville spearman; st. paul: llewellyn publications, 1973. randi, james. the mask of nostradamus. buffalo, n.y: prometheus books, 1993. roberts, henry c. the complete prophecies of nostradamus

n; st. paul: llewellyn publications, 1973. randi, james. the mask of nostradamus. buffalo, n.y: prometheus books, 1993. roberts, henry c. the complete prophecies of nostradamus. new york, 1947. torne-chiavigny, h. l histoire predite et jugee par nostradamus. 3 vols. bordeaux, 1860.62. voldben, a. after nostradamus. london: neville spearman, 1973. reprint, new york: citadel, 1974. ward, charles a. oracles of nostradamus. london, 1891. reprint, new york: modern library, 1942. noualli aztec magicians (see mexico and central america) nous letter (journal) semi-annual journal of noetics, the science of states of consciousness. the nous letter also absorbed astrologica, formerly a separate journal. last known address: 1817 de la vina st, santa barbara, ca 93101. nroogd see new reformed orthodox

ems of divination, especially the i ching. sources: chang, kwang-chih. shang civilization. new haven, conn: yale university press, 1980. keightley, david n. sources of shang history: the oracle-bone descriptions of bronze age china. berkley, calif: university of california press, 1985. temple, robert k. g. conversations with eternity: ancient man s attempt to know the future. london: rider, 1984. oracles shrines where a god was believed to speak to human beings through the mouths of priests or priestesses. the concept of the god becoming vocal was not confined to ancient greece or egypt. the eskimos used to consult spirits for hunting and fishing expeditions. it is believed their wizards were as familiar with the art of giving ambiguous replies to their clients as were the oracle keepers o

priestesses from thebes, egypt, were carried away by phoenician merchants; one went to libya, where she founded the oracle of jupiter ammon, the other to greece. there she had a temple built at the foot of an oak in honor of jupiter, whose priestess she had been in thebes. herodotus added that this priestess was called a dove, because her language could not be understood. the dodonic and african oracles were probably connected. herodotus stated that the manner of prophecy in dodona was the same as that in thebes, egypt. diana was worshiped in dodona in conjunction with zeus, and a female figure was associated with amun in the libyan ammonium. according to some authors, there was an intoxicating spring at dodona and later other materials were employed to produce the prophetic spirit. sever

was a figure of the demiurgos, or constructor of the universe; the bell-like notes were a symbol of the harmony of the universe and music of the spheres. that the demiurgos was represented as a boy is in the spirit of egypto-pelasgian theology as it reigned in samothrace (greek island. it is believed the bell told all who came to dodona to question the god that they were on holy ground, must in- oracles encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 1146 quire with pure hearts, and be silent when the god replied. those who questioned the god were also obliged to take a purificatory bath in the temple, similar to that of the delphian pythia when preparing herself for prophecy. besides soothsaying from signs, divination by the prophetic movements of the mind was practiced. sophocles cal

movements of the mind was practiced. sophocles called the dodonean priestesses divinely inspired. plato (phaedrus) stated the prophetess at delphi and the priestesses at dodona had done much good while in a state he termed sacred madness, but while in their senses accomplished little or nothing. we may infer from this that the delphian pythia as well as the dodonian priestesses did not give their oracles in the state of waking consciousness but with the assistance of incense and drink. aristides stated the priestesses at dodona neither knew (before being seized upon by the spirit) what would be said, nor remembered afterward when their natural consciousness returned, what they had uttered, so that all others, rather than they, knew it. the oracle of jupiter trophonius according to pausania

antiquary dr. edward d. clarke (1769.1822) during his visit to lebadaea found everything belonging to the hieron of trophonius in its original state, except the narrow entrance to the temple was filled with rubbish. the turkish governor was afraid of civil unrest if he gave permission to clean the aperture. in modern times, the waters of lethe and mnemosyne are used for the wash of lebadaea. the oracles of delos and branchus the oracle of delos was derived from the nativity of apollo and diana in that island. at dindyma, or didyma, near miletus, apollo presided over the oracle of the branchidae, so called from either one of his sons or of his favorites branchus of thessaly, whom he instructed in soothsaying while alive and canonized after death. the responses were given by a priestess who

d other preparations for the minds of the sleepers to be enlightened. they had to fast one day and refrain from wine for three. amphilochus, the son of amphiaraus, had a similar oracle at mallos, in cilicia, which pausanias called the most trustworthy and credible of the age. lucian mentioned that all those who wished to question the oracle had to lay down two oboles (small silver coins. egyptian oracles the oracles of ancient egypt were as numerous as those of greece. herodotus claimed that at least seven gods in egypt spoke by oracles. supposedly, the most reliable were considered to give an intimation of their intentions by means of remarkable events. these were carefully observed by the egyptians, who recorded these events. the egyptians also considered the fate of a person was determi

ven gods in egypt spoke by oracles. supposedly, the most reliable were considered to give an intimation of their intentions by means of remarkable events. these were carefully observed by the egyptians, who recorded these events. the egyptians also considered the fate of a person was determined by the day of his birth.every day belonged to a spe- encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. oracles 1147 cial god. the oracle of jupiter ammon and the same deity at thebes existed from the twentieth to the twenty-second dynasty. he was consulted not only concerning the fate of empires but also for the identification of a thief. in all serious matters, however, it was sought to ascertain his views. those about to make their wills sought his oracle and judgments were ratified by his word

their wills sought his oracle and judgments were ratified by his word. for example, surviving inscriptions described what occurred when a king consulted a god: the king presented himself before the god and preferred a direct question, so framed as to admit of an answer by simple yes or no; in reply the god nodded an affirmative, or shook his head in negation. this has suggested the idea that the oracles were manipulated statues of divinities mechanically set in motion by the priests. but as yet no such statues have been found in the valley of the nile. it was customary for the king to visit the god alone and in secret. it is believed the king presented himself on such occasions before the sacred animal the god was incarnate, believing the divine will would be manifested by its movements (

cally set in motion by the priests. but as yet no such statues have been found in the valley of the nile. it was customary for the king to visit the god alone and in secret. it is believed the king presented himself on such occasions before the sacred animal the god was incarnate, believing the divine will would be manifested by its movements (see also moving statues) the apis bull also possessed oracles, as did bes, the god of pleasure or of the senses, whose oracle was located at abydos. american oracles among the peoples of the americas many of the principal deities acted as oracles. for example, the ancient inhabitants of peru, the huillcas, believed the noises made by serpents, trees, and rivers to be of the quality of articulate speech. both the huillcamayu and the apurimac rivers at

the god of pleasure or of the senses, whose oracle was located at abydos. american oracles among the peoples of the americas many of the principal deities acted as oracles. for example, the ancient inhabitants of peru, the huillcas, believed the noises made by serpents, trees, and rivers to be of the quality of articulate speech. both the huillcamayu and the apurimac rivers at cuzco were huillca oracles of this kind, as their names, huillcariver and great speaker, denote. these oracles often set the mandate of the inca himself, occasionally supporting popular opinion against his policy. as late as the nineteenth century, the peruvian indians of the andes mountain range continued to believe in oracles they had inherited from their fathers. one account of this says they. admit an evil being

not the rightful inca. according to legend manco had the rock shaped oracle thrown down, whereupon its guardian spirit emerged in the form of a parrot and flew away. but upon manco commanding the parrot be pursued, the spirit sought another rock to receive it, and the spirit of the huillca was transferred. similar to the idols of mexico, most of the principal huacas of peru seem to also have been oracles. it is believed the guardians of the speaking huacas were not influenced by the apu- ccapac-inca himself. there was a tradition that the huillacumu, a venerable huillac whom the rest acknowledged as their head, at one time possessed jurisdiction over the supreme war chiefs. sources: bouche-leclercq, a. histoire de la divination dans l antiquite. paris, 1879. reprint, new york: arno press

ardians of the speaking huacas were not influenced by the apu- ccapac-inca himself. there was a tradition that the huillacumu, a venerable huillac whom the rest acknowledged as their head, at one time possessed jurisdiction over the supreme war chiefs. sources: bouche-leclercq, a. histoire de la divination dans l antiquite. paris, 1879. reprint, new york: arno press, 1975. dempsey, t. the delphic oracles. oxford: b. h. blackwell, 1918. halliday, w. r. greek divination. london: macmillan, 1913. reprint, chicago: argonaut, 1967. parke, herbert w. greek oracles. london: hutchinson, 1967. oracles of zeus. oxford: blackwell, 1967. parke, herbert w, and donals ernest wilson wormell. the delphic oracles. oxford: blackwell, 1956. oram, arthur t(albot (1916) british accountant and statistician who

in the biblical book of acts) but often occurred in an altered or ecstatic state of consciousness (see the opening verse of the book of ezekiel, or the sixth chapter of isaiah. in general the hebrew prophets went through a period in which the word of the lord spoke to them and then they in turn went among the populace and spoke what they had been told. we know that the pythonesses attached to the oracles of ancient greece uttered prophetic words under the influences of natural gases or drugs, and when the magical practitioners in tribal cultures attempt to peer into the future they often attain a condition of ecstasy by taking some drug, the action of which is well known to them. but this was not always the case; the shaman often summoned a spirit to his aid to discover what portents and t

he general idea in hebrew palestine was that yahweh, or god, was in the closest possible touch with the prophets, and that he would do nothing without revealing it to them. while often ignored or persecuted during their lifetime, their preserved written words were later given greatest veneration and still later canonized. in ancient greece, the prophetic class were generally found attached to the oracles and in rome were represented by the augurs. in egypt, the priests of ra at memphis acted as prophets as, perhaps, did those of hekt. among the ancient celts and teutons prophecy was frequent, the prophetic agent usually placing him or herself in the ecstatic condition. the druids were famous practitioners of the prophetic art, and some hint of their utterances may be still extant in the so

nation and augury divination was connected with roman worship. there was a spot on the capitol from which the augur, with veiled head, read the auspices in the flight of birds. augurs also accompanied armies and fleets and read the omens before an engagement was entered upon. divination was also practiced by reading the intestines of animals, by dreams, by divine possession, as in the case of the oracles, when prophecies were uttered. these had been gathered together in the sibylline books and were consulted as oracles by the state. with the worship of fortune were connected the lots of praoeneste. the questions put to the goddess were answered by means of oaken lots a boy drew from a case made of sacred wood. the fortune-tellers also used a narrow-necked urn that, filled with water, only

the editor of the irish statesman in which he tried to steer a moderate course for the newly founded irish free states. he gave expression to his political idealism in two novels, the interpreters (1922) and the avatars (1932. his major mystical book was the candle of vision (1918. his book song and its fountains (1932) developed the mystical meditations of candle of vision and spoke of poetry as oracles breathed from inner to outer being. the avatars: a futurist fantasy (1933) indicated his debt to hindu philosophy. russell died july 17, 1935. sources: ae [george russell. the candle of vision. 1918. reprint, new hyde park, n.y: university books, 1965. homeward: songs of the way. portland, maine: t. b. mosher, 1895. the interpreters. new york: macmillian, 1922. song and its foundations. ne

a lecture before the societe internationale de philologie, sciences et beaux arts, f. g. fraser noted: the vision of coming events which some of the highlanders possess, used to be accompanied, in some cases, by a nerve storm and by a subsequent prostration. it must not be confused with the sight of apparitions, nor does it depend upon artificial aids, such as accompanied by the invocation of the oracles in classic times. samuel johnson took note of the phenomenon in his 1775 account of a journey to the western islands of scotland: the foresight of the seers is not always prescience. they are impressed with images, of which the event only shows them the meaning. he denied that to the second sight nothing is presented but phantoms of evil. good seems to have the same proportion in those vis

EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTERS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND OTHERWORLDY BEINGS

ers (mystical adepts who have transcended physical existence, nature spirits, and more. in earlier times, channeling was called revelation, or mediumship. whatever the name, it is often accompanied by visions of otherworldly entities or unearthly realms. some channelers believe that through their consciousness alone, they can travel through the universe and into other dimensions. in ancient times oracles and priests communicated with the gods. the resulting divine messages formed the basis of religious and mystical faiths. such communications often involved prophecies as well. in the judeo- christian tradition, the bible documents visions and messages recognizably related to the channeling 59 phenomenon of channeling. channeling seems ubiquitous in human experience. historically prominent

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

ncient and all-wise writer, the tenor of whose works is agreeable to christianity and whose mention of god the son places him with the sibyls as a gentile prophet. in 1 see c.h, ii, pp. 276-7. 2 see below, p. 23. 3 lactantius, div. inst, iv, xi; fletcher's translation, i, p. 226. 4 lactantius, div. inst, i, vi; iv, vi; viii, xviii; fletcher's translation, i, pp. 14-19; 220-2; 468-9. the sibylline oracles themselves were no more genuinely antique than the hermetica. forged sibylline prophecies of jewish origin appeared at some uncertain date, and were later manipulated by the christians. it seems difficult to distinguish what is of jewish and what is of christian origin in the oracula sibyllina. see m. j. lagrange, le judaisme avant jesus-christ, paris, 1931, pp. 505-11; a. puech, histoire

of ancient wisdom, which ficino did so much to propagate, was also favourable to a revival of magic, for so many of the prisci theologi were prisci magi, and the literature which supported their claims also really dated from the occultist early centuries a.d. to the most ancient zoroaster, who sometimes changes place with hermes as the earliest in the chain of wisdom, were attributed the chaldean oracles, which were not, as supposed, documents of extreme antiquity but dated from the second century a.d.1 the incantatory magic supposed to have been taught by orpheus, who comes second in the chain of prisci theologi, was based on the orphic hymns, most of which date from the second or third century a.d.2 thus hermes trismegistus was not the only most ancient theologian or magus whose sacred l

ities regarded as the source of plato. it was, almost certainly, the discovery of the corpus hermeticum, which demonstrated the piety of hermes and associated him so intimately with the reigning platonic philosophy, which rehabilitated his asclepius, condemned by augustine as containing bad demonic magic. the extraordinarily lofty position' pletho firmly believed in the extreme antiquity of these oracles (see masai, op. cit, pp. 136, 137, 375, etc) which are for him the early fount of zoroastrian wisdom the streams from which eventually reached plato. this exactly corresponds to ficino's attitude to the hermetica. it was not difficult for ficino to mingle the waters of these two pristine founts, since they were roughly contemporaneous and similar in their atmosphere. speaking of the hermet

t, pp. 136, 137, 375, etc) which are for him the early fount of zoroastrian wisdom the streams from which eventually reached plato. this exactly corresponds to ficino's attitude to the hermetica. it was not difficult for ficino to mingle the waters of these two pristine founts, since they were roughly contemporaneous and similar in their atmosphere. speaking of the hermetica, nock says "comme les oracles chaldaiques, ouvrage du temps de marc-aurele, ils nous revelent une maniere de penser, ou plutot une maniere d'user de la pensee, analogue a une sorte de procede magique (c.h, i, p. vii. the chaldean oracles were edited by w. kroll, de oraculis chaldaicis in breslauer philolog. abhandl, vii (1894, pp. r-76. 2 on the orphica in the renaissance, see d. p. walker "orpheus the theologian and t

to rome with his nine hundred theses, or points drawn from all philosophies which he offered to prove in public debate to be all reconcilable with one another. according to thorndike, these theses showed that pico's thinking "was largely coloured by astrology, that he was favourable to natural magic, and that he had a penchant for such occult and esoteric literature as the orphic hymns, chaldean oracles, and jewish cabala",2 also the writings of hermes trismegistus. the great debate never took place, and theologians raised an outcry over some of the theses, necessitating an apology or defence which was published in 1487 together with most of the oration on the dignity of man, with which the debate was to have opened. that oration was to echo and re-echo throughout the renaissance, and it

, ulrich zasius addressed him as "ter maxime erasme (p. s. allen, opus epistolarum des. erasmi, ii, ep. 317. clutton points out (article cited, p. 268) that "ter maximus" recalls "trismegistus. 164 against magic (2) the humanist tradition at any rate, as d. p. walker has pointed out, erasmus did not use prisca theologia, and in one passage may be throwing doubt on the authenticity of the chaldean oracles and the hermetica: but if anything is brought from die chaldeans or egyptians, merely because of this we intensely desire to know it. and are often grievously disquieted by the dreams of some little man, not to say impostor, not only with no profit, but also with great waste of time, if not with some worse result, though this is already quite bad enough.1 does "if not with some worse resul

pp. 467-8; cf. thomdike, sphere, pp. 398-9, 4 7-8, and history of magic and experimental science, ii, p. 965. according to cecco, the demon floron was confined in a steel mirror by a major invocation and knew many of the secrets of nature. this is referred to by bruno in the spaccio (dial. i) under the northern constellation of the bear "there where the magicians of the steel mirror seek for the oracles of floron, one of the great princes of the arctic spirits (dial, ital, p. 617. 323 giordano bruno in germany all-out' egyptianism" means that he returns to an old style frankly "demonic" conjuring. the final figure in bruno's de monade (pi. 14 d)1 is a triangle tilted sideways, with three curious looking curly things, rather like worms, outside the triangle. i am inclined to think that the

well into that picture better than poor melancholy henri iii enthroned among the gods who have carried out the jovial, solarian, and venereal reform. vast and vague hopes of some religious settlement following on navarre's victory and conversion were aroused throughout europe, and particularly in venice, as agrippa d'aubigne ironically reports: divines. were finding by the figures of geomancy, by oracles, by the fatal name of bourbon, that this prince was destined to convert the hierarchies to the empire, the pulpit into a throne, the keys into swords, and that he would die emperor of the christians. the venetians were adoring this rising sun with such devotion that when a french gendeman passed through their town they would run to greet him. at the court of the emperor and in poland one h

urius trismegistus, hydaspes and the sibyls.4 this is all that he actually says about trismegistus, but in the lactantian context, with the sibyls, it implied the whole elaborate interpretation of the hermetic writings as gentile prophecy of the coming of christ. this was evidently how casaubon saw it, for he delivered a full attack on the authenticity and supposed antiquity both of the sibylline oracles and of the hermetica. casaubon's work has the somewhat forbidding title of de rebus 1 in a brilliant short essay "nota sull'ermetismo, e. garin has pointed out the importance, in relation to seventeenth-century thought, of casaubon's dating of the hermetica; see garin, cultura, pp. 143 ff. 2 on casaubon, see the article in the dictionary of national biography and mark pattison, isaac casau

oes through baronius' text in order pointing out the errors in the first half of the first volume. casaubon intended to go through the whole twelve volumes in this way, but was interrupted by death. when he comes to baronius on the gentile prophets, he expresses his deep suspicion of the genuineness of these writings.1 there is not a word, he says, about hermes trismegistus or about the sibylline oracles in plato, aristotle, or in any of the other main pagan authors.2 casaubon believes them to have been forged in early christian times to make the new doctrine palatable to the gentiles.3 the writings ascribed to trismegistus are, he states, by christian or semi-christian authors, forgeries made for a good purpose, yet detestable because untrue. there was, he allows, probably a real person o

stianity; yet this opinion of the praeexistency of the soul, in which christianity did not interest itself, cannot but be judged, from the testimony of those writings, to have been a branch of the wisdome of that nation: of which opinion not only the gymnosophists and other wise men of egypt were, but also the brachmans of india, and the magi of babylon and persia; as you may plainly see by those oracles that are called either magical or chaldaical, which pletho and psellus have commented upon. to these you may adde the abstruse philosophy of the jews, which they call their cabbala, of which the soul's prae-existence makes a considerable part; as all the learned of the jews do confess. and how naturally applicable this theory is to those 423 after hermes trismegistus was dated three myster

hermeticum) is to be suspected of being a pious fraud by christians. his argument is that, since the pre-existence of the soul is not a christian doctrine, the passages in the corpus hermeticum which teach this may be genuinely "egyptian wisdom, untampered with by those who made the fraud. he then proceeds to make a synthesis of this genuinely egyptian teaching of the hermetica with the chaldean oracles and with cabala after the manner of the renaissance tradition. but if one has to pick and choose like this for genuine egyptian passages in the hermetica, this is a very different matter from seeing them as ancient egyptian prophetic writings which concord with genesis and which foretell the trinity in passages now suspected by more, following casaubon "of fraud and corruption in the inter

d in all places and in the great philosophical traditions a method which bears upon it obvious marks of the influence of renaissance syncretism. he intends to demonstrate that the doctrine of the pagan polytheists was always the same, that besides their many gods there was one supreme omnipotent deity. and this we shall perform, not as some have done, by laying the chief stress upon the sibylline oracles, and those reputed writings of hermes trismegist, the authority whereof hath been of late so much decried by learned men; nor yet upon such oracles of the pagan deities, as may be suspected to have been counterfeited by christians; but upon such monuments of pagan antiquity, as are altogether unsuspected and indubitate.3 cudworth then proceeds to go through what are really, in effect, the

orth then proceeds to go through what are really, in effect, the old prisci theologi, but basing his account of zoroaster4 1 immortality of the soul, p. 96 (in the collection cited. 2 see ficino, p. 1849- 3 ralph cudworth, the true intellectual system of the universe, second edition, london, 1743, p. 281* ibid, pp. 285 ff. 427 after hermes trismegistus was dated on other texts beside the chaldean oracles (though these he considers to be fairly authentic; his account of orphism1 on better authorities than the orphica, which he thinks highly suspect; and his account of the theology and philosophy of the ancient egyptianson lamblichus, plutarch, the fathers, and so on, rather than on the writings of "hermes trismegist, which, like the sibylline oracles which he dismisses almost entirely as ch

ed one universal numen.1 it is curious to observe in all this how deeply influenced casaubon and cudworth have been by the christian hermetist tradition. modern scholars who, naturally, have not been brought up in that tradition and are not reacting from it, though they are convinced of the post-christian dating of the hermetica, do not regard them as christian forgeries, as some of the sibylline oracles undoubtedly are.2 indeed, they see little or no christian influence in them.3 but to cudworth, emerging from centuries of intensively christian interpretation of the "trismegistick" writings as the work of the ancient egyptian priscus theologus and prophet of christianity an attitude which he knew to be still very much alive in his contemporary world as his reference to kircher shows4 the

urces for egyptian wisdom. even if they were all forged, yet because they were written "before the egyptian paganism and their succession of priests were yet extinct" their writers would have known something of those priests and "their arcane and true theology" and so the books are not to be discarded as without information about 1 ibid, pp. 319-20. 2 for references to literature in the sibylline oracles as forgeries, see above, p. 8, note 4. 3 see above, p. 21, note 3. 4 in another passage, cudworth again refers to kircher as having asserted the genuineness of those writings "commonly imputed to hermes trismegist" op. cit, p. 285. 429 after hermes trismegistus was dated this.1 further, he thinks that casaubon is wrong in labelling all the hermetic books as spurious because some of them ha

FRATER U D PRACTICAL SIGIL MAGIC

t mention him at all in his lexikon der geheimwissenschaften (freiburg, 1970 [enyclopedia of the occult arts, but this work is generally faulty in many other respects as well. 2. ganother english satanic occultist is austin osman spare, h the romantic agony (london, 2, 1970, p. 413, n.59. 3. the edition used here is a canadian reprint by 93 publishing (montreal, 1975. 4. kenneth grant, images and oracles of austin osman spare (york beach, me: samuel weiser, inc, 1975. 5. first, numbers were assigned to the hebrew letters, and second, the cameas, or magical number squares, were related to the different planets. for example, the names of the planetary intelligences were converted into numerical values and then the pertinent numbers in the squares were connected with one another, the whole re

actually, but who would have thought of it beforehand) 2. ray sherwin, writing as a form o milar connection in his excellent theatre of magic (leeds: the sorcerer fs apprentice press, introduces the term gliminal gnosis. h 3. compare the section gthe physiological gnosis h and the subsequent explanations in liber null (york beach, me: samuel weiser, inc, 1987, p. 33ff 4. kenneth grant, images and oracles of austin osman spare (york beach, me: samuel w 5. incidentally, this difficulty can even be used constructively should you encounter problems with visualizing or imagining objects or persons for example, 130/ practical sigil mag if you don ft succeed since it is financially unprofitable to mother cow or to induce an artificial t to procure, especially since don parchment xchange. in extre

hich have died in an accident, had to be put to sleep, or died a natural death can be exploited. this is why the most time-honored commodity of all western magic is so rare. it is, erefore, very difficul th veterinary regulations in most countries pose an additional obstacle for its production. its chief commercial source of supply is the lon e as ggoldbeater fs skin. h. kenneth grant, images and oracles of austin osman 8 spare, p. 59ff. 9. marcus m. jungkurth, zos kia (berlin: stein der eisen, 1983, pp. 256-264. w 1 comments/ 131 xi/84, pp. 221- 29. g scribble. d farch smith does oint out, however, that some aesthetic corrections may his thesis is enlightening and witty and annot be discarded completely, although a convincing ided more clarity to his rocedures. 11. for example, refer to s

GAMBLE ELIZA BURT THE GOD IDEA OF THE ANCIENTS OR SEX IN RELIGION

with the greek aphrodite. besides this superior god they venerated a triad which was closely connected with the sun. these gods were called chuquilla, catuilla, and intyllapa. they say that as their ancestors journeyed from a remote country to the northwest they bore the image of their god in a coifer or box made of reeds. to the four priests who had charge of this box or ark he communicated his oracles and directions. he not only gave them laws but taught them the ceremonies and sacrifices which they were to observe "and even as the pillar of cloud and fire conducted the israelites in their passage through the wilderness, so this spanish devil gave them notice when to advance forward, and when to stay"[94 [94] faber, pagan idolatry, book i, ch. v. according to marsden, the new zealanders

by the variety and extent of his knowledge" from the descriptions given of the native country of abarras by the greeks, it is evident that it could have been none other than ireland. although at this time in their history, apollo the sun-god was the deity worshipped in greece and in ireland, still both nations honored latona his mother. the same as in the mother country (persia, or phoenicia, the oracles, or sybils of ireland, had prophesied a "savior" and three hundred years before greek emissaries visited that country, its people, through the preaching of eastern missionaries, had substituted for the worship of latona and apollo that of the new solar incarnation--the third son of zarathustra, whose appearance had been heralded by a star. the identity of the symbols used by the early peop

extant traditions in mexico and in the south sea islands; the round towers of ireland; the remarkable group of stones known as stonehenge, in england; the wonderful circle at abury through which the figure of a huge serpent was passed; the monuments which throughout the nations of the east were set up at the intersection of roads in the center of market- places, and the bowing stones employed as oracles in various portions of the world, have all the same signification, and proclaim the peculiar religion of the people who worshipped them. whether as among the jews in egypt, a pillar is set up as a "sign" and a "witness" to the lord, or whether as with the mohammedans these figures appear as minarets with egg shaped summits, or as among the irish they stand forth as stately towers defying t

the surface of the ground is said to be equal to its height above, which is twenty-four feet. it is five feet ten inches broad, and two feet thick, its weight being upwards of forty tons.[160 [160] see rivers of life. the gigantic rocking stones found in nearly every quarter of the globe are now known to be religious monuments of remote antiquity. not long ago i saw a description of one of these oracles in buenos-ayres, south america, and a few months later there appeared the following account of a similar stone found in sullivan co, n. y "at first sight it would scarcely attract attention, but a closer observation reveals the remarkable position which it occupies. the total weight of the immense boulder has been variously estimated at from forty to fifty tons, and its bulk at from 500 to

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

gained his knowledge of the heavenly bodies from egyptian sources; josephus and plutarch both say he wenttoegypt to study astronomy. the greeks seem to have recognised a meteorologic astrology,butnot a divinatory form.thechief outflow of chaldean lore over greece was during the first three centuries before christ.thegreek philosophers had good reason for adopting its notions: first, because their oracles had ceased to speak and they needed an alternative mode of divine guidance. secondly, they approved of the idea of a personal genius for each man, and so took kindly to the astrological ideal of a planetary guardian255 ship and influence; and lastly, as many greeks taught that the souls of great men became stars, so many stars must have a relation to men still living on earth; this idea es

anddivination and its history195are only curious as showing how widespread were the efforts to gain a knowledge of the unknown by means of magical processes, or by attempts to discover a meaning in natural occurrences, the sequence of events, or the results of chance. the greeks and romans recognised two forms of divin255 ation. first, the divine or natural, which includes the consultation of the oracles, the poetic rhapsodies of the sibyls, and the decisions of the augurs. second, the artificialmodes of divining, as practised by soothsayers and conjurers of all sorts, who gave advice from the casting of lots, the interpretation of dreams, or from omens. these latter modes of discovering the unknown soon came into the common practice of ordinary persons. the greeks and romans were very sup

sibyls, and the decisions of the augurs. second, the artificialmodes of divining, as practised by soothsayers and conjurers of all sorts, who gave advice from the casting of lots, the interpretation of dreams, or from omens. these latter modes of discovering the unknown soon came into the common practice of ordinary persons. the greeks and romans were very superstitious, they consulted diviners, oracles or priests" upon all the events of the state, the home and the individual, and paid heavily for these privileges.theoracles the oracles of the ancient greeks and romans were considered to be revelations made by the gods to men: the wordoraculummeant the place of divination and also the inspired message. it was said that zeus the supreme god did but rarely commu255 nicate, but sent his comm

e and the individual, and paid heavily for these privileges.theoracles the oracles of the ancient greeks and romans were considered to be revelations made by the gods to men: the wordoraculummeant the place of divination and also the inspired message. it was said that zeus the supreme god did but rarely commu255 nicate, but sent his commands through apollo and other minor gods to the mouth of the oracles. the most famous oracle was that in the temple of apollo at delphi, at first called pytho. before the golden statue of apollo burned a perpetual fire of fir wood; there was also an altar of incense where laurel wood was burned. within the temple was a natural chasm, from which there was an occasional escape of some noxious gas from a subterranean cavern. beside or over this chasm was place

n occasion upon the tripod seat, and it is supposed that she became intoxicated with fumes and suffered a delirium, in which state she gave the inspired messages. in the earliest time, the pythia was a young virgin, but a pythia having been seduced by a man of thessaly, it was decreed that every future pythia should be fifty years old,but196themagical masonshe was always clad as a young girl. the oracles which have come down to us are all in greek and the oldest were in verse; the messages always tended to inculcate religious conduct and to encourage the worship of the. gods. the real control ofthis oracle is believed to have been ill the hands of five priests selected from the noble families or: delphi; it lost its great fame about 400b.c.,butwas still consulted even down to 200a.d.other

of five priests selected from the noble families or: delphi; it lost its great fame about 400b.c.,butwas still consulted even down to 200a.d.other famous oracular shrines were those of zeus at olympia and dodona; of apollo at delos, and the cave of trophoniusin bceotia, pausanias gives a full account of his visit to thelast;'mentioned oracle. there were also at a later date several notable roman oracles, of which mention may be made of those of faunus. fortuna, and of mars, where a bird, a woodpecker, is saidtohave delivered the messages.thesibyls the sibyls were a group of prophetic females who were' considered to be inspired by the gods; they were consulted byithe rich and powerful, by both the learned and the ignorant.a,large collection of their inspired messages have come down to us i

have come down to us in greek words: these have been regarded with great interest because some of the verses are said to have been propheticalof'jesus of nazareth, as the saviour. in the tneidof virgil we: find an account of the sibyl of cumee, who led tneas through: hell: this lady is also said to have gone to the king of rome" tarquinius superbus, and to have offered him for sale nine books of oracles and mysterious secrets at a great price; he refused to buy them. she burnt three of them and returnedtothe king and offered him the six at the same price; heagainrefused to purchase. she burnt three more and again approached the king and offered the remaining three books to him at the same price: he then bought them, and she left him and was never more seen. these famous sibylline books we

never more seen. these famous sibylline books were kept in custody in the temple of jupiter on the capitol at rome. the temple was burnt and these books destroyed in the year 82b.c.after this loss a great number of falsified copies were found in rome, and so the emperor augustus collected two thousanddivination and its history 197spurious books and caused them to be burnt. an edition of these old oracles, probably many only of medieval product255 ion, is still procurable; it was published in paris in 1607, and calledsibulliakochresmoiorsibyllina oracula,by johannes opsopeeus: the oracles are given in greek and latin. the famous sibyls mentioned in greek and latin literature were: the delphic sibyl: the erythrrean; the cimmerian; the samian, who was named phyto; the cumana at cumre in italy

e jeneid; the hellespontine; the lybian; the persian; the phrygian; and the tiburtine. some old greek authors attributed the origin of the sibyls to egypt and in the times of the ancient pharaohs, there were certainly famous divinatory shrines at heliopolis, buto, thebes and ammon in libya. several of the great christian authors such as jerome, chrysostom and augustine, believed in these egyptian oracles.theaugurs in ancient rome the augurs formed a permanent guild or college; they were at first only diviners, chiefly by means of birds; at a later date they did not divine the future officially, but were called upon to decide the proper course of action to be taken to secure a certain result.thecollege, instituted by king romulus, at first consisted of three patricians; numa added twomore

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS D

th n and o, beginning in the east and ending in the east. so, as you go to the east, sprinkle or swing to the left, right, center, and draw a cross in the air with the tool and say "i purify/consecrate thee with n/o" then move on to each of the other quarters repeating the same. after you have performed these banishings and purification's with n and o, you will then say the call from the chaldean oracles. for nit is "so therefore first, the priest who governeth the works of fire must sprinkle with the lustral waters of the loud resounding sea" for o it is "and when all the phantoms have vanished, thou shalt see that holy and formless fire, that fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the universe, hear thou the voice of fire" these could be said while you are circumambula

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS ZAM17

there might be a society in europe which might have gold, silver, and precious stones, sufficient for to bestow them on kings for their necessary uses and lawful purposes, with which society such as be governors might be brought up for to learn all that which god hath suffered men to know, and thereby be enabled in all times of need to give their counsel unto those that seek it, like the heathen oracles. verily we must confess that the world in those days was already big with those great commotions, labouring to be delivered of them, and did bring forth painful, worthy men, who brake with all force through darkness and barbarism, and left us who succeeded to follow them. assuredly they have been the uppermost point in trygono igneo, whose flame should now be more and more brighter, and sh

GREENFIELD ALLEN SECRET CIPHER OF THE UFONAUTS

rrow circle of survivors in possession of all or part of the old knowledge trying to look into the new sightings and contacts in the hope of renewing their communication with the ancient gods. key figures included meade layne and ric williamson. both layne and williamson show traditional knowledge of the lore of the magi, trance mediumship the 19th and early 20th century descendant of the ancient oracles and sybils and an interest in developing trance channeling oriented upon the then-emerging modern flying saucer lore. but i am getting ahead of myself. my subject here is the cipher of the ufonauts. i will document this cipher for you and show you how to decode the cipher, which has been in continuous use since the legendary visit by the gods of sirius. in the early 18th century craft maso

losopher with whether valis was a benevolent, if machine-like deity of a sort, or an insane extraterrestrial supercomputer. throughout recorded history, and, from the evidence of primitive objects and works of art, for aeons before, certain humans have had the capacity to tune into or channel various of these higher intelligences with varying degrees of accuracy. these humans have been our seers, oracles and prophets. it appears, in fact, that much of the source-material of all religions comes from such channelings, including, arguably, the book of revelation, the book of mormon, and the book of the law. concurrently, and not coincidentally, the two great initiatory bodies, or orders have been generated and regenerated throughout history. the so-called great white brotherhood, when undisto

GREY W G CONDENSATION OF KABBALAH

th and the types of people involved in them. interpretation of their combinations is a matter of judgment coupled with intuition. the broad outline is usually clear enough to make meaning for anyone, or at least enough to give general guidance to sincere seekers. so this oracular function of the tree through tarot became part of its purpose in relative recent times. originally the consultation of oracles had nothing to do with telling the future at all. it was intended as a means of enquiring what the will of god required humans to do. a clarification of consciousness in the puzzling or perplexing conditions of living. something to decide a course of action when humans were at their wits end. possibly the tree of life s increasing importance is duemore towesterngentile scholars who adopted

HANDBOOK OF EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

ngs of lesser status known as the followers of horus, myth blends imperceptibly into history. period of rule by kings summary: dynasties of gods and demigods were succeeded by dynasties of human kings who acted as intermediaries between humanity and the gods. this period corresponds with the time span of pharaonic history. gods and goddesses mainly communicated with people through temple rituals, oracles, or dreams, though deities might still be encountered beyond the boundaries of the black land. most humans could only enter the divine realm by dying, but stories were told of priest-magicians who had the power to pass between the worlds of the living and the dead. the king was responsible for upholding the divine order in the world of the living. failure to obey the laws of maat could lea

god ra. amun-ra was worshipped as the king of the gods and creator of the world and its inhabitants. in his chief cult temple at karnak in thebes, amun, lord of the thrones of the two lands, ruled as a divine pharaoh. unlike other important deities, amun does not seem to have been thought of as living in some distant celestial realm. his presence was everywhere, unseen but felt like the wind. his oracles communicated the divine will to humanity. amun was said to come swiftly to 100 handbook of egyptian mythology figure 20. amun-ra visits a queen to sire a divine child. the couple are supported by the goddesses serqet (left)and neith (right. line drawing of a relief in luxor temple (art resource) help egyptian kings on the battlefield or to aid the poor and friendless. when he was manifest

. placed in open courts in temples or tombs, obelisks were mainly associated with sun worship. ogdoad a group of eight deities. the most famous example was the ogdoad of hermopolis (see deities, themes, and concepts. opening of the mouth ceremony a ritual to reanimate a mummy or to animate a statue or image. oracle a deity who answers questions or the place where these answers are given. egyptian oracles usually involved the movement of a cult statue toward a particular person or between a choice of two written answers. ostracon (pl. ostraca) a potsherd or flake of stone used as a surface for writing or drawing. papyrus a type of reed, the paper made from its stems, or a book-scroll formed from sheets of papyrus. pataikos (pl. pataikoi) a type of dwarf deity used as a protective amulet. ph

HELENA BLAVATSKY THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY

alone could not be called a "causal body" but becomes one in conjunction with manas, the incarnating entity or ego. chela (sans) a disciple. the pupil of a guru or sage, the follower of some adept, or a school of philosophy. chr stos (gr) the early gnostic term for christ. this technical term was used in the fifth century bc by aeschylus, herodotus and others. the manteumata pythocresta, or the "oracles delivered by a pythian god" through a pythoness, are mentioned by the former (cho. 901, and pythocr stos is derived from chrao. chr sterion is not only "the test of an oracle" but an offering to, or for, the oracle. chr stes is one who explains oracles, a "prophet and soothsayer" and chr sterios, one who serves an oracle or a god. the earliest christian writer, justin martyr, in his first

HOWE THE ALCHEMIST OF THE GOLDEN DAWN

bably thomas wilson, an early member of the golden dawn (see p. 27. 285 uxbridge road 29january 1901 many thanks for the list. i am very busy and have not had time to compare. i will talk to you about this when we meet again. it is well that you have been able to get any answer at all from the 6. it does look rather 'pour dire la bonne fortune, but one example proves nothing. as to ambiguous, all oracles from the beginning of the world have been ambiguous. as far as i can judge at present, it is really taken from rotalo's wheel, an? that is founded upon the relation of words and numbers accordmg to the cabbalistic and pythagorean schools. it is most likely the very thing advertised in hockley's cat,i but cats: necessarily give too picturesque a description of things. i overlooked one part

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

his group conjured the dark demons created by h. p. lovecraft. a more significant new group to grow out of the chaos base was thee temple ov psychick youth, founded in 1981 by the musician genesis p-orridge. see also crowley, aleister ;magic and magical groups for further reading: baddeley, gavin. lucifer rising: sin, devil worship and rock n roll. london: plexus, 1999. grant, kenneth. images and oracles of austin osman spare. london:muller, 1975. spare, austin osman. the focus of life: the mutterings of aaos. london:morland press, 1921. charleroi case the so-called monster from charleroi, marc dutroux, was a thirty-nine-year-old unemployed electrician. charleroi was the town in belgium where he resided. in 1996, he was arrested and charged with kidnapping, imprisoning and sexually abusing

LIBER 777

deus c simon d john e peter f andew g bartholemew h phillip i james son of zebedee j thomas k matthew l james son of alpheus. stirling (the canon, p. 102) gives a completely different arrangement. col. xxxviii. line 7: iynx: grk, iugx (pl. iuggej, the wryneck: a bird of the woodpecker family which had the misfortune to be used in early greek love magick (hence the attribution; but in the chald an oracles the iunges appear to have been a group of ministering powers who stood between the theurgist and the supreme god (source: lewy, chald an oracles and theurgy, whence they are cited in the ritual of the star ruby. not lynx as it is sometimes misread; nor does it rhyme with sphinx. as noted in the remarks on this column in 777 revised, ac s source here was levi. line 8: monoceros de astris me

LIBER A

il, being fed by the athyr. this shall he accomplish secretly and apart, without asking the advice or approval of his adeptus minor. let the dominus liminis keep it when consecrated in the secret chamber of art. svb figvra cdxii 3 this then is that which is written: gbeing furnished with complete armour, and armed, he is similar to the goddess. h1 and again gi am armed, i am armed. h2 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 171 in westcott/ cory edition; quoted by proclus in platonic theology. the goddess in question is probably hekate. t.s] 2 [this is probably a quote from something, but i have not so far managed to identify it. t.s (c) ordo templi orientis. key entry &c. by frater t.s. for celephais press/ niwg. this e-text last revised 29.06.20teliber a fash vel capricorni pnevmatici svb figvra c

LIBER ALEPH

y 103 gy de aliquibus modis oraculi petendi (of some modes of seeking an oracle) y son, in all judgment and decision is great delicacy, but most in these matters of the will. for thou art advocate as well as judge, and unless thou have well organized thy mind thou art bondslave of prejudice. for this cause it is adjuvant to thy wisdom to call witnesses that are not of thine own nature, and to ask oracles whose interpretation is bound by fixed rule. this is the use of the book tarot, of the divination by earth, or by the other elements, or by the book yi-king, and many another mode of truth. thou knowest by thine experience that these arts deceive thee not, save insofar as hou deceivest thyself. so then to thee that art nemo is no siege perilous at this table, but to them that are yet below

LIBER DCCCLX JOHN ST

ing. strange how solemn and dignified so trivial a thing becomes, once one has begun to concentrate! i bought two pears, half a pound of garibaldi biscuits, and a packet of gaufrettes. i had a citron presse, too, at the dome. at the risk of violating the precepts of zoroaster 170 and 144 i propose to do a tarot divination for this operation.1 1 [in westcott.s edition, fragment 144 of the chaldaan oracles runs .direct not thy mind to the vast surfaces of the earth; for the plant of truth grows not upon the ground. nor measure the motions of the sun, collecting rules, for he is carded by the eternal will of the father. and not for your sake alone. dismiss (from your mind) the impetuous course of the moon, for she moveth always by the power of necessity. the progression of the stars was not g

d ye shall enter in together into the secret palace of the king; even unto the garden of lilies; and ye shall be one for evermore. so mote it be! yet now.ah now!.i am but a dead man. within me and without still stirs that life of sense that is not life, but is as the worms that feast upon my corpse. adonai! adonai! my lord adonai! indeed, thou hast forsaken me. nay! 1 [ac is paraphrasing chaldaan oracles, fragment 198 in westcott edition] liber dccclx 24 thou liest, o weak soul! abide in the meditation; unite all thy symbols into the form of a lion, and be lord of thy jungle, travelling through the servile universe even as mau the lion very lordly, the sun in his strength that travelleth over the heaven of nu in his bark in the midcareer of day. for all these thoughts are vain; there is bu

much broken, ix. 1+ 2+ 2 hours, x. 4+ 1. hours, xi. 1+ 4. hours, xii. back to the normal.7 hours perfect sleep] 11.30. have been walks [sic] with the mantra arranging for and modelling a .saddle. whereby to get .sana really steady and easy; also for some photographs illustrating some of the more absurd positions, for the instruction of my devotees. i must now copy out the new ritual. 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 39 in westcott edition, paraphrased slightly] liber dccclx 48 this, you will readily perceive, is all wrong. theoretically, everything should be ready by the beginning of the operation; and one should simply do it and be done with it. but this is a very shallow view. one never knows what may be required; i.e, a beginner like myself doesn.t. further, one cannot write an effective

ol the mind. this latter restriction is not so vitally important. any weapon is legitimate against a public enemy like the mind. no truce nor quarter! on the contrary, to use the spiritual forces to secure health, as certain persons attempt to do to-day, is the vilest black magic. this is one of the numerous reasons for supposing that jesus christ was a brother of the left- hand path. 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 183 in westcott edition; quoted by proclus in his commentary on plato.s parmenides] john st. john 57 now my body has been treating me well, waking nicely at convenient hours, sleeping at suitable times, keeping itself to itself. an admirable body. then why shouldn ft i take it out and give it the best dinner lavenue can serve. provided that it doesn.t stop saying that mantra! it

la mode de caen. filet de porc.glace. graves. oh, how the world hath inflexible intellectual rulers!1 i eat it in a semi-yog. manner. 6.20. i am wondering whether i have not made a mistake in allowing myself to sleep. it would be just like me, if there were only one possible mistake to make, to make it! i was perfect, had i only watched. but i let my faith run away with me. i wonder. 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 64 in westcott edition] john st. john 69 6.45. dinner over, i go on as i am in calm faith and love. why should i expect a catastrophic effect? why should not the circumstances of union with god be compatible with the normal consciousness? interpenetrating and illuminating it, if you like; but not destroying it. well, i don ft know why it shouldn ft be; but i bet it isn ft! all th

and holding in my breath for a full minute while i threw my will with all my might towards adonai. 12.19. have settled myself for the night. will continue a little, learning the ritual. 12.37. having learnt a few passages of a suitable nature to go to sleep upon, i will do so. now i hope that i shall; surely the reaction of nature against the magical will must be wearing down at last! 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 186 in westcott edition, paraphrased] liber dccclx 82 2.12. i wake. it takes me a little while to shake off the dominion of sleep, very intense and bitter. 3.04. thus john st. john.for it is not convenient further to speak as .i..performed 45 breath-cycles; for 20 minutes he had to struggle against the root of the powers of sleep, and the obstruction of his left nostril. during h

being john st. john) was operating aright. now by no effort of will can he flog his tired cattle along the trail. so poor a thing is he that he will even seek an oracle from the book of zoroaster.1 done. zoroaster respectfully wishes to point out that .the most mystic of discourses informs us.his wholeness is in the supra-mundane order; for there a solar world and boundless light subsist, as the oracles of the chaldeans affirm. not very helpful, is it? as if divination could ever help on such exalted planes! as if the trumpery elementals that operate these things possessed the secrets of the destiny of an adept, or could help him in his agony! for this reason, divination should be discarded from the start: it is only a .mere toy, the basis of mercenary fraud. as zoroaster more practically

uition pierces that blank wall of ignorance. let o.m. meditate upon this oracle on his way to feed john st. john fs body.and thus feed his own! 6.52. out, out, to feed! 6.57. trimming his beard in preparation for going out, he reflects that the deplorable tone (as one fs dean would say) of the last entry is not the cry of the famished beast, but that of the over-driven slave. 1 [i.e, the chaldaan oracles, whose ascription to zoroaster is late (mediaval/ renaisance. while the oracles only survive as fragmentary quotations in the writings of proclus and other later platonists, they are believed to be parts of a single greek hexameter poem, probably first written down during the reign of marcus antoninus aurelius (2d. century c.e. the passage quoted is fragment 130 in the westcott edition. t

LIBER LVII

iverse. lmg. the holy guardian angel is attained by self-sacrifice and equilibrium. tld. the gate of the equilibrium of the universe (note d, the highest reciprocal path. hh. the mother is the daughter; and the daughter is the mother. ww. the son is (but) the son (these two letters show the true doctrine of initiation as given in liber 418; opposed to protestant exotericism. yz. the answer of the oracles is always death. tyj. the chariot of the secret of the universe. tyf. she who rules the secret force of the universe. dwy. the secret of the gate of initiation [k. in the whirlings is war. dml. by equilibrium and self-sacrifice, the gate \ym. the secret is hidden between the waters that are above and the waters that are beneath (symbol, the ark containing the secret of life borne upon the

a= the father (1+ 2= mystic number of chokmah= chokmah= 2= b= the magus= i= 1. 60 [crowley probably means the story published as .the sorrow of search. in time and the gods. t.s* the complete dictionary, begun by frater i. a, continued by fra. p. and revised by fra. a. e. g. and others, will shortly be published by authority of the a a. a.c [it was published in equinox i (8] 61 [i.e, the chaldaan oracles, whose ascription to zoroaster is late (medieval/ renaissance; fragment 186 in the westcott edition. cf. the hermetic discourse .the eighth reveals the ninth (nhc vi 52.1. 63.32; in some versions of hermeticism and graeco-egpytian magick the .9th sphere (counting upwards) lies beyond the sphere of the planets and .fixed stars. and is the realm of the divine. t.s] on the qabalah 41 scholion

LIBER LXVII THE SWORD OF SONG

buddha cannot really roar, since he has passed away by that kind of passing away which leaves nothing whatever behind. 322. a mere law without a will.40.i must not be supposed to take any absurd view of the meaning of the word .law. this passage denies any knowledge of ultimate causes, not asserts it. but it tends to deny benevolent foresight, and a fortiori benevolent omnipotence. cf. zoroaster, oracles .look not upon the visible image of the soul of nature, for her name is fatality. ambrosius is very clear on this point. i append his famous ms. complete in its english translation, as it is so rare. how rare will be appreciated when i say that no copy either of original or translation occurs in the british museum; the only known copy, that in the bodleian, is concealed by the pre-adamite

owley.s new translation of the dhammapada2 that virtue is the thing to keep one steady. so i think i may look forward to a tenure of my mahakalpa in almost arcadian simplicity. lady bhavani, did you say, boy? yes, i am at home. bring the betel .jeldi. he added, with some dim recollection of the 1 a whirling disc is indra.s symoblic weapon. 2 he abandoned this. a few fragments are reprinted in his oracles. 74 appendix i british government, when he was a baby nat .the queen of heaven and the lord of the gods chewed betel for quite a long time, conversed of the weather, the crops, the affaire humbert, and the law in relation to motor-cars, with ease and affability. but far was it from indra.s pious mind to flirt with his distinguished guest! rather, he thought of the hollow nature of the safe

e memory moisten the grass of our minds, that we may bring forth tender shoots of energy in the great work of works. so mote it be! benedictvs doninvs devs noster qvi nobis dedit signvm r. c. amen. 91 1902 tycarb an essay in ontology with some remarks on ceremonial magic tycarb o man, of a daring nature, thou subtle production! thou wilt not comprehend it, as when understanding some common thing. oracles of zoroaster. in presenting this theory of the universe to the world, i have but one hope of making any profound impression, viz..that my theory has the merit of explaining the divergences between the three great forms of religion now existing in the world.buddhism, hinduism and christianity, and of adapting them to ontological science by conclusions not mystical but mathematical. of moham

LIBER MMCMXI NOTE ON GENESIS

of men and gods.and behold! the resultant is a replica of the number taken. so is one the all-father, the all-begetter.generating and producing all. the next step is the division into two. thus was manifested the great dual power of nature. as above, so below. and thus we find that the simple division into two is the method of multiplication of the am.ba, the lowest, simplest, and most [chaldaan oracles, fragment 64 in westcott and cory. here used in its true meaning of .the marshalling forth by number. qabalah, hlbq, by tarot .the mystery shown forth in balanced disposition by command. hidden behind my magic veil of shows, i am not seen at all.name not my name. a note on genesis 5 absolute form of physical life that we know. the dual power of nature is the great mother of the worlds. aga

eth forth the form of the triad. thus is formulated the creative trinity which is, as it were, the essential preliminary to manifestation. this mystic son of the eternal parents, having for his number 3, is typified in all the sacred scripts by that number. thus it is written of the manifestation of the son of god upon the earth .shiloh shall come (the initial of which mystery-name is c [chaldaan oracles, fragment 13 in the westcott/ cory editions; known from quotations by psellus and pletho. b, the magus of power in tarot= will [chaldaan oracles, fragments 28-9 and 35 in the westcott edition] ritual of the path of the daughter of the firmament. liber mmcmxi 6 300. and in the grecian tongue it is written .in the beginning was the word &c, which is logoj (l= 30. but the best of all the exam

emple of solomon the king in equinox i (2. they may also be studied in regardie (ed) the golden dawn and the complete golden dawn system of magic .daughter of the firmament .child of the sons of the mighty .spirit of the primal fire &c. are g.d. titles of the various tarot trumps: see 777 col. clxxx. as usual in the work of crowley and his associates .zoroaster. is here the author of the chaldaan oracles. most quotations are from an edition prepared by w. wynn westcott and published in the theosophical society.s collecteana hermetica series, subsequently reprinted in various editions. westcott.s arrangement of the fragments follows that in i.p. cory.s ancient fragments (second edition, which was probably also his source for the greek texts. the purported quotation from the clavicula salamo

LIBER SAMEKH

n. 666* these needs are modified during the process of initiation both as to quantity and quality. one should not become anxious about one fs phyiscal or mental health on a priori groups, but pay attention only to indubitable symptoms of distress should such arise [see long note on next page] see equinox i (8, p. 22. liber samekh svb figvra dccc 28 [follows second footnote from previous page] the oracles of zoroaster utter this:31 gand when, by often invoking, all the phantasms are vanished, thou shalt see that holy and formless fire which darts and flashes through all the depths of the universe: hear thou the voice of the fire! h ga similar fire flashingly extending through the rushings of air, or a fire formless whence cometh the image of a voice, or even a flashing light abounding, revo

upra, point i, section f, note; also book 4, part iii, ch. vii. v] the gnormal h intellect is incapable of these functions; a superior faculty must have been developed. as zoroaster says: gextend the void mind of thy soul to that intelligible, that thou mayst learn the intelligible, because it subsistith beyond mind. thou wilt not understand it as when understanding some common thing. h [chaldaan oracles, part of fragment 166 and fragment 167 in westcott edition] liber samekh svb figvra dccc 34 the firm repetition of one of these words ought to enable the adept to maintain the state of union for several minutes, even at first. in any case, he must rekindle his ardour, esteeming his success rather as an encouragement to more ardent aspiration than as a triumph. he should increase his effort

b: the book of the sacred magic of abra- melin the mage (trans& ed. by s.l. gmacgregor h mathers. london: privately published, 1898; reprinted new york: dover, 1975; wellingborough: aquarian, 1976; kila, montana: kessinger, 1992. betz, hans dieter (ed: the greek magical papyri in translation, including the demotic spells; volume 1: texts. chicago: university of chicago press, 1986, 1992 [chaldaan oracles: the chaldaan oracles attributed to zoroaster, ed. gs.a. h (w. wynn westcott; london: theosophical society, 1895; reprinted edmunds, wisconsin: sure fire press, 1984. the chaldaan oracles, trans /ed. ruth majercik. leiden: e.j. brill, 1989. crowley, aleister: 777. london: walter scott, 1909. included in 777 revised. 777 and other qabalistic writings. see the qabalah of aleister crowley. 77

e: samuel weiser, 2003. godwin, charles wycliffe (ed/ trans: a fragment of a graco-egyptian work on magic. cambridge: deighton, 1852. levi, eliphas (alphonse louis constant: dogme et rituel de haute magie. paris, 1854-6 (2 vols; english trans. by a.e. waite as transcendental magic, london: redway, 1896; revised edition london: rider, 1923; various reprints. majercik, ruth (trans/ ed: the chaldaan oracles. leiden: e.j. brill, 1989. mathers, s.l. gmacgregor h and crowley, aleister (eds; mathers f gtranslator h credit is spurious: goetia vel clavicula salamonis regis. foyers, inverness: society for the propagation of religious truth, 1904. facsimile reprint london: equinox, 1976. facsimile reprint including crowley fs holograph annotations and marginal doodles, thame, oxon: first impressions

significance, although the factorisation is suggestive. in any case, the final declaration is not in pgm v and was presumably added by whoever worked up the ritual from godwin fs publication. 30 v.l (in the first printed edition and one of the extant tss) ghis h; while a reasonable reading if the sentence is taken in itself, gthis h seems more plausible given the previous paragraphs. 31 chaldaan oracles, the first passage is somewhat rearranged from framgents 196 and 199 in the westcott edn; the second is fragment 198 in the same edition and is here quoted verbatim. for the former, westcott gives: 196: if thou often invokest thou shalt see all things growing dark; and then when no longer is visible unto thee the high-arched vault of heaven, when the stars have lost their light and the lam

l things appear amid thunders. 199: when thou shalt behold that holy and formless fire shining flashingly through the depths of the universe: hear thou the voice of fire( gall the phantasms are vanished h is possibly a gloss by someone in the g.d (the phrase appears in the golden dawn practicus ritual in the course of a long speech by the hierophant consisting of extracts and paraphrases from the oracles, on gno longer is visible unto thee c the earth abideth not h; it is not in the westcott edition. 32 crowley, tannhauser, act iv, scene ii. emphasis added in mtp. 33 g c we fll tear your soul apart h. the lead cenobite in hellraiser. 34 c until the angel finally gets sick of playing nice and knees him in the groin. vide genesis xxxii, 25. 35 yes, aleister. 36 the allusion is probably to ii

LIBER THISHARB

owing (a) let him learn to write backwards, with either hand (b) let him learn to walk backwards (c) let him constantly watch, if convenient, cinematograph films, and listen to phonograph records, reversed, and let him so accustom himself to these that they appear natural, and appreciable as a whole (d) let him practice speaking backwards; thus, for gi am he h let him say, geh ma i. h 1 [chaldaan oracles, fragment 172 in westcott and cory editions; westcott fs translation with glosses by crowley. t.s] 2 the formula of the great work gsolve et coagula, h may be thus interpreted. solve, the dissolution of the self in the infinite; coagula, the presentation of the infinite in a concrete form to the outer. both are necessary to the task of a master of the temple. 3 [liber 418, 14th athyr, slig

LIBER V VEL REGULI

f the pack, to secure their power or pander to their pleasure 16 liber v vel reguli in cruelty. there is no principle, even a false one, to give coherence to the clamour of ethical propositions. yet the very men that have smashed moloch, and strewn the earth with shapeless rubble, grow pale when they so much as whisper among themselves .while moloch ruled all men were bound by one law, and by the oracles of them that, knowing the fraud, feared not, but were his priests and wardens of his mystery. what now? how can any of us, though wise and strong as never was known, prevail on men to act in concert, now that each prays to his own chip of god, and yet knows every other chip to be a worthless ort, dream-dust, ape-dung, tradition-bone, or.what not else. so science begins to see that the init

e continuum, the set of real numbers (these cannot be put in one to one correspondence with the natural numbers, since whatever ordering principle you use, given two real numbers it will always be possible to put one in between them. this postulate is now regarded as unproveable using the generally accepted axioms of set theory (in any case in crowley.s example a0 is an underestimate) 14 chaldaan oracles, paraphrased from fragments 196 and 199 in westcott editiraliber viii$ 3xeolfdwlrq lq &odvv' and thus shall he do who will attain unto the mystery of the knowledge and conversation of his holy guardian angel: first, let him prepare a chamber, of which the walls and the roof shall be white, and the floor shall be covered with a carpet of black squares and white, and the border thereof shall

LIBER XXV THE STAR RUBY

h. t.s] 11 [the signs of n.o.x. are described in gliber v vel reguli. h the order in which they are given is left to the ingenium of the aspirant. t.s] 12 [grk, gbefore me the iunges, behind me the teletarchs, at my right the sunoches, at my left the daimons; for about me flames the star of five and in the column the star of six is fixed. h for the iunges, teletarchs and sunoches see the chaldaan oracles and the secondary literature thereon. t.s] 13 [commentary by crowley on this chapter as printed in the second edition of the book of lie o liber xxxiii an account of a a first written in the language of his period by the councillor von eckhartshausen and now revised and rewritten in the universal cipher v a a publication in class c issued by order: d.d.s. 7= 4 o.s.v. 6= 5 n.s.f. 5= 6 the s

LOGOMACHY OF ZOS

6. procreative and fulgurative ideas occur in a half sleep, as in dreaming, where i see a creation that differs from the apparent one, a kaleidoscopic chaos with every kind of intrusive image, tumultuous, with surging crowds of vague familiars from the labyrinth of mind. there are many other states of mind giving inspiration, often unexpected; as by the provoking of anger and resentment, to evoke oracles from the highest level of inspiration. the hopeful invalid curses his sickness because he has lost the power of transference; pain makes him entirely self-centred and nothing is more devitalizing than such forced concentration. only by making the seen supremely tactual and our source of conception can we express anything of the abstract or unseen. everything has the means of protection, nu

LUCIFERIAN SORCERY AND SET TYPHON

the inherent wish of each sorcerer. spare considered the sabbat most healthy, and noted an increase in mental and physical health and vigor. spare around this time, in the early 1950's, drew numerous illustrations of the sabbat in various forms, including many infernal aspects of his early career. kenneth grant later illustrated much of spare's luciferian gnosis in his legendary work "images and oracles of austin osman spare. the sabbat of the witches is a dreaming aspect of the imagination, of strengthening the self into the arcana of the cunning fire, or black flame. the lore of cain as the lord of horsemen is the earthen bound spirit who kindles the very flame of self, the illumination of iblis/shaitan. he or she is a vessel reflecting its unique touch, different from all others, as we

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

clared that, because of his sad fate at the hands of women, the soul that had once been orpheus, upon being destined to live again in the physical world, chose rather to return in the body of a swan than be born of woman. the head of orpheus, after being torn from his body, was cast with his lyre into the river hebrus, down which it floated to the sea, where, wedging in a cleft in a rock, it gave oracles for many years. the lyre, after being stolen from its shrine and working the destruction of the thief, was picked up by the gods and fashioned into a constellation. orpheus has long been sung as the patron of music. on his seven-stringed lyre he played such perfect harmonies that the gods themselves were moved to acclaim his power. when he touched the strings of his instrument the birds an

in capricorn, whose emblem is a goat. the egyptians were initiated into the mysteries of pan, who was regarded as a phase of jupiter, the demiurgus. pan represented the impregnating power of the sun and was the chief of a horde rustic deities, and satyrs. he also signified the controlling spirit of the lower worlds. the fabricated a story to the effect that at the time of the birth of christ the oracles were silenced after giving utterance to one last cry "great pan is dead" p. 36 and fruits. in support of this viewpoint they describe the "gardens of adonis" which were small baskets of earth in which seeds were planted and nurtured for a period of eight days. when those plants prematurely died for lack of sufficient earth, they were considered emblematic of the murdered adonis and were us

aring the same symbols as that figure and its attendants, and offered sacrifices. by these and the accompanying singing of hymns they believed that they infallibly drew the god's attention to their prayer. and so they did in regard to other regions of the tablet, believing of necessity the proper ritual properly carried out would evoke the deity desired. that this was the origin of the science of oracles is apparent. as a touched chord produces a harmony of sound, likewise the adjoining chords respond though not touched. similarly the idea they expressed by their concurrent acts while adoring the god came into accord with basic idea and, by an intellectual union, it was returned to them deiformed, and they thus obtained the idea of ideas. hence there sprang up in their souls, they thought

nnithis, his philosophy consequently is permeated with the chaldean and egyptian system of triads. the bembine table is a diagrammatic exposition of the so-called platonic philosophy, for in its design is epitomized the entire theory of mystic cosmogony and generation. the most valuable guide to the interpretation of this table is the commentaries of proclus on the theology of plato. the chaldean oracles of zoroaster also contains many allusions to the theogonic principles which are demonstrated by the table. the theogony of hesiod contains the most complete account of the greek cosmogony myth. orphic cosmogony has left its impress upon the various forms of philosophy and religion--greek, egyptian, and syrian--which it contacted. chief of the orphic symbols was the mundane egg from which p

e wick being thus besmeared and anointed, is to be put into a glass like a scallop-shell, in such manner that some part of it may lie above the mass of prepared sulphur; then setting this glass upon hot sand, you must melt the sulphur, so that it may lay hold of the wick, and when it is lighted, it will burn with a perpetual flame and you may set this lamp in any place where you please" the greek oracles the worship of apollo included the establishment and maintenance of places of prophecy by means of which the gods could communicate with mankind and reveal futurity to such as deserved the boon. the early history of greece abounds with accounts of talking trees, rivers, statues, and caves in which nymphs, dryads, or d mons had taken up their abodes and from which they delivered oracles. wh

as deserved the boon. the early history of greece abounds with accounts of talking trees, rivers, statues, and caves in which nymphs, dryads, or d mons had taken up their abodes and from which they delivered oracles. while christian authors have tried to prove that oracular revelations were delivered by the devil for the purpose of misleading humanity, they have not dared to attack the theory of oracles, because of the repeated reference to it in their own sacred writings. if the onyx stones on the shoulders of israel's high priest made known by their flashings the will of jehovah, then a black dove, temporarily endowed with the faculty of speech, could indeed pronounce oracles in the temple of jupiter ammon. if the witch of endor could invoke the shade of samuel, who in turn gave prophec

gh priest made known by their flashings the will of jehovah, then a black dove, temporarily endowed with the faculty of speech, could indeed pronounce oracles in the temple of jupiter ammon. if the witch of endor could invoke the shade of samuel, who in turn gave prophecies to saul, could not a priestess of apollo call up the specter of her liege to foretell the destiny of greece? the most famous oracles of antiquity were those of delphi, dodona, trophonius, and latona, of which the talking oak trees of dodona were the oldest. though it is impossible to trace back to the genesis of the theory of oracular prophecy, it is known that many of the caves and fissures set aside by the greeks as oracles were sacred long before the rise of greek culture. the oracle of apollo at delphi remains one o

mbers had been the abode of the great serpent python, a fearsome creature that had crept out of the slime left by the receding flood that had destroyed all human beings except deucalion and pyrrha. apollo, climbing the side of mount parnassus, slew the serpent after a prolonged combat, and threw the body down the fissure of the oracle. from that time the sun god, surnamed the pythian apollo, gave oracles from the vent. with dionysos he shared the honor of being the patron god of delphi. after being vanquished by apollo, the spirit of python remained at delphi as the representative of his conqueror, and it was with the aid of his effluvium that the priestess was able to become en rapport with the god. the fumes rising from the fissure of the oracle were supposed to come from the decaying bo

d that the fumes of the oracle arose from the decaying body of python. it is possible that the oracle revealed its own origin. for many centuries during its early history, virgin maidens were consecrated to the service of the oracle. they were called the phoebades, or pythi, and constituted that famous order now known as the pythian priesthood. it is probable that women were chosen to receive the oracles because their sensitive and emotional nature responded click to enlarge the pythian apollo. from historia deorum fatidicorum. apollo, the twin brother of diana, was the son of jupiter and latona. apollo was fully adult at the time of his birth. he was considered to be the first physician and the inventor of music and song. the greeks also acclaimed him to be father of the bow and arrow. th

an to struggle again, and the spirit released her. she was then carried or supported to a chamber of rest, where she remained till the nervous ecstasy had passed away. iamblichus, in his dissertation on the mysteries, describes how the spirit of the oracle--a fiery d mon, even apollo himself--took control of the pythoness and manifested through her "but the prophetess in delphi, whether she gives oracles to mankind through an attenuated and fiery spirit, bursting from the mouth of the cavern; or whether being seated in the adytum on a brazen tripod, or on a stool with four feet, she becomes sacred to the god; whichsoever of these is the case, she entirely gives herself up to a divine spirit, and is illuminated with a ray of divine fire. and when, indeed, fire ascending from the mouth of th

in. when they had stated their questions, the trees spoke with the voices of human beings, revealing to the priests the desired information. some assert that there was but one tree which spoke--an oak or a beech standing in the very heart of the ancient grove. because jupiter was believed to inhabit this tree he was sometimes called phegon us, or one who lives in a beech tree. most curious of the oracles of dodona were the "talking" vases, or kettles. these were made of brass and so carefully fashioned that when struck they gave off sound for hours. some writers have described a row of these vases and have declared that if one of them was struck its vibrations would be communicated to all the others and a terrifying din ensue. other authors describe a large single vase, standing upon a pil

stood another column, supporting the statue of a child holding a whip. at the end of the whip were a number of swinging cords tipped with small metal balls, and the wind, which blew incessantly through the open building, caused the balls to strike against the vase. the number and intensity of the impacts and the reverberations of the vase were all carefully noted, and the priests delivered their oracles accordingly. when the original priests of dodona--the selloi--mysteriously vanished, the oracle was served for many centuries by three priestesses who interpreted the vases and at midnight interrogated the sacred trees. the patrons of the oracles were expected to bring offerings and to make contributions. another remarkable oracle was the cave of trophonius, which stood upon the side of a

ey contrived to leave one stone movable so that they might secretly enter and steal the valuables stored there. a trap was set by the owner, who had discovered the plot, and agamedes was caught. to prevent discovery, trophonius decapitated his brother and fled, hotly pursued. he hid in the grove of lebadia, where the earth opened and swallowed him up. the spirit of trophonius thereafter delivered oracles in the grove and its caverns. the name trophonius means "to be agitated, excited, or roiled" it was declared that the terrible experiences through which consultants passed in the oracular caverns so affected them that they never smiled again. the bees which accompany the figure of trophonius were sacred because they led the first envoys from boetia to the site of the oracle. the figure abo

diffidence, impulse, death, motion, generation, mutation, division, longitude, augmentation, composition, communion, misfortune, sustentation, imposition, marriage, soul, and science. in his book, numbers, w. wynn westcott says of the duad "it was called 'audacity' from its being the earliest number to separate itself from the divine one; from the 'adytum of god-nourished silence' as the chaldean oracles say" as the monad is the father, so the duad is the mother; therefore, the duad has certain points in common with the goddesses isis, rhea (jove's mother, phrygia, lydia, dindymene (cybele, and ceres; erato (one of the muses; diana, because the moon is forked; dictynna, venus, dione, cytherea; juno, because she is both wife and sister of jupiter; and maia, the mother of mercury. while the

disputes and contentions, until by bringing the monad between the duad, equilibrium was reestablished by the savior-god, who took upon himself the form of a number and was crucified between two thieves for the sins of men. the triad--3--is the first number actually odd (monad not always being considered a number. it is the first equilibrium of unities; therefore, pythagoras said that apollo gave oracles from a tripod, and advised offer of libation three times. the keywords to the qualities of the triad are friendship, peace, justice, prudence, piety, temperance, and virtue. the following deities partake of the principles of the triad: saturn (ruler of time, latona, cornucopi, ophion (the great serpent, thetis, hecate, polyhymnia (a muse, pluto, triton, president of the sea, tritogenia, ac

uno, mylitta, and aphrodite. on account of its gentleness and devotion to its young, the dove was looked upon as the embodiment of the maternal instinct. the dove is also an emblem of wisdom, for it represents the power and order by which the lower worlds are maintained. it has long been accepted as a messenger of the divine will, and signifies the activity of god. the name dove has been given to oracles and to prophets "the true name of the dove was ionah or i nas; it was a very sacred emblem, and atone time almost universally received; it was adopted by the hebrews; and the mystic dove was regarded as a symbol click to enlarge the phoenix on its nest of flames. from lycosthenes' prodigiorum, ac ostentorum chronicon. the phoenix is the most celebrated of all the symbolic creatures fabrica

of all the elementals, their native element being the highest in vibratory rate. they live hundreds of years, often attaining to a thousand years and never seeming to grow old. the leader of the sylphs is called paralda, who is said to dwell on the highest mountain of the earth. the female sylphs were called sylphids. it is believed that the sylphs, salamanders, and nymphs had much to do with the oracles of the ancients; that in fact they were the ones who spoke from the depths of the earth and from the air above. the sylphs sometimes assume human form, but apparently for only short periods of time. their size varies, but in the majority of cases they are no larger than human beings and often considerably smaller. it is said that the sylphs have accepted human beings into their communities

a temporary mental disorder. the women of thessaly and epirus, the female hierophants of the rites of sabazius, did not carry their secrets away with the downfall of their sanctuaries. they are still preserved, and those who are aware of the nature of soma, know the properties of other plants as well (isis unveiled) herbal compounds were used to cause temporary clairvoyance in connection with the oracles, especially the one at delphi. words spoken while in these imposed trances were regarded as prophetic. modem mediums, while under control as the result of partly self-imposed catalepsy, give messages somewhat similar to those of the ancient prophets, but in the majority of cases their results are far less accurate, for the soothsayers of today lack the knowledge of nature's hidden forces

ch were set twelve stones, each held in a socket of gold. because of the great weight of its stones, each of which was of considerable size and immense value, the breastplate was held in position by special golden chains and ribbons. the twelve stones of the breastplate, like the onyx stones at the shoulders of the ephod, had the mysterious power of lighting up with divine glory and so serving as oracles. concerning the strange power of these flashing symbols of israel's twelve tribes, josephus writes "yet will i mention what is still more wonderful than this: for god declared beforehand, by those twelve stones which the high priest bare upon his breast and which were inserted into his breastplate, when they should be victorious in battle; for so great a splendor shone forth from them befo

hould give him that poison? he received no reply, and the tree of the moon said to him, that his mother, after a most shameful and unhappy death, should lie long unburied, but that happiness was in store for his sisters (see the book of enoch, the second messenger of god) in all probability, the so-called talking trees were merely strips of wood with tables of letters upon them, by means of which oracles were evoked. at one time books written upon wood were called "talking trees" the difficulty in deciding the origin of alchemy is directly due to ignoring the lost continent of atlantis. the great arcanum was the most prized of the secrets of the atlantean priestcraft. when the land of atlas sank, hierophants of the fire mystery brought the formula to egypt, where it remained for centuries

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

uch, hitherto unsuspected, when used as a basis for meditation, or as is sometimes the case, assume a new relevance with the advent of new information, previously unknown, on the subject inquired about. on the other hand, do not despair if the operation is not an immediate apparent success. the door of vision is one which opens slowly but yields to persistence. remember the advice of the chaldean oracles "invoke often" as long as the intent is a serious one, the ritual of vassago is no exception to this rule. when you have completed the licence to depart, broken the circle, and completed your vision record, you must burn the sigil of vassago to ashes. in contrast to your square of mercury, the sigil of vassago may be used again. to repeat the operation, you will have to employ a fresh sigi

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

er finely detailed or disorganised and highly symbolic. significant knowledge in the form of voices or pictures may also be accessed in multilayered dreams. once the particular goal of the evocation is performed, the witch should banish and destroy the sigil, to reabsorb and uncreate this elemental. the purpose being to avoid obsession which could derive from long term contact with such a spirit. oracles of zos and kia "as i laid upon the crimson sheets i felt the cold, numbing hands of hecate lull my body to sleep. all became spirit. all became dream. i was witness to much lightning. fire engulfing the patch where the lightning struck, burning flames surrounded by greenish vapor. i felt my spirit-self casting forth in the night, unafraid of this lightning. it seemed that this powerful for

a channeling point for qlipothic forces. 11. liber 49 by jack parsons and the vision and the voice by aleister crowley. 12. see chapter five. 13. a rite of protection, unpublished. chapter three 1. the devil or baphomet. 2. atavistic resurgence is the recalling of a past ancestral quality, or an obtained one with the karma of another animal. such atavisms appear demonic or bestial. see images and oracles of austin osman spare by kenneth grant. 3. the petro tradition of voodoo is based in the element fire, thus aligned with sex and death workings. in parallel mythology the gods thanatos and eros in union, opposites non-existent in the combination. 4. black isis is the egyptian equivalent of the goddess kali, being a figure of both death and birth. black isis is also a formula which combines

y- mandrake of oxford 1993. 146 146 11. 777 by aleister crowley. 12. black eagle, an indian spirit which presented itself to first yelg paterson and later to austin osman spare. 13. see mithras by d.jason cooper.(weiser) 14. the witches bible compleat by stewart and janet farrar, magickal childe publishing. 15. an excellent image of lilith is featured in the art of rosaleen norton. 16. images and oracles of austin osman spare 17. a ceremonial rite which proclaims and affirms the will on a conscious level. 18. see images and oracles of austin osman spare chapter four 1. the goetia of solomon the king, edited by aleister crowley. 2. i advise caution in workings which involve this demon. if invoked instead of evoked the results can strain the mind towards madness and strife if not controlled

MICHAEL TSARION ATLANTIS ALIEN VISITATION AND GENETIC MANIPULATION

o the secrets of technology. the word secret comes from secretion, meaning fluid of the body, particularly the femalemenstrual fluids. the concept and phenomenon of the holy grail comes from the myster-ies of the female cults after their residency with and tuition from the sons of the serpent.it is from this exodus to lemuria that we have the great female cults, when females werechief initiators, oracles, and keepers of the mysteries, which is recorded even in the arthu-rian romances of later ages. celtic myth is full of anecdotes about the warrior queens whocommand great magical abilities. that this was changed in historical times is due to thesupremacy of the evil masters again taking control of civic and cultural events. the hybridprogeny of the original fully alien masters could also e

until rich enough to go home. the virgin oraclesthe ancients were so steeped in their ideology about the gods when a hypnotized virgin chanted in ill-constructed hexameter greek, they accepted the words for final authority from god and shaped theirconduct in things of major importance accordingly. by this important method of chicanery the oracleruled for a thousand years (p. 26)many rulers at the oracles were told to build cities.there were about 260 oracles in greece, but only a few were prominent.neith= a thena, the same if the last a is removed.appendix b: book abstracts240atlantis, alien visitation, and genetic manipulation city of elathat the head of the red sea on the gulf of alaba was an ancient city of elath (the el. elath was veryclose to mount sinai, mount seir, mount hor, and mo

MORALS AND DOGMA

es of nature, we find the balm for the wounds we have received among the pitiful shifts of policy; for the attachment to solitude is the surest preservative from the ills of life. but resignation is the more noble in proportion as it is the less passive. retirement is only a morbid selfishness, if it prohibit exertions for others; as it is only dignified and noble, when it is the shade whence the oracles issue that are to instruct mankind; and retirement of this nature is the sole seclusion which a good and wise man will covet or command. the very philosophy which makes such a man covet the _quiet, will make him eschew the _inutility_ of the hermitage. very little praiseworthy would lord bolingbroke have seemed among his haymakers and ploughmen, if among haymakers and ploughmen he had look

s well as in despotisms, injustice, the spouse of oppression, is the fruitful parent of deceit, distrust, hatred, conspiracy, treason, and unfaithfulness. even in assailing tyranny we must have truth and reason as our chief weapons. we must march into that fight like the old puritans, or into the battle with the abuses that spring up in free government, with the flaming sword in one hand, and the oracles of god in the other. the citizen who cannot accomplish well the smaller purposes of public life, cannot compass the larger. the vast power of endurance, forbearance, patience, and performance, of a free people, is acquired only by continual exercise of all the functions, like the healthful physical human vigor. if the individual citizens have it not, the state must equally be without it. i

ities would be only the clerks of notaries, or practitioners in the disreputable courts, are made national legislators, the country is in her dotage, even if the beard has not yet grown upon her chin. in a free country, human speech must needs be free; and the state _must_ listen to the maunderings of folly, and the screechings of its geese, and the brayings of its asses, as well as to the golden oracles of its wise and great men. even the despotic old kings allowed their wise fools to say what they liked. the true alchemist will extract the lessons of wisdom from the babblings of folly. he will hear what a man has to say on any given subject, even if the speaker end only in proving himself prince of fools. even a fool will sometimes hit the mark. there is some truth in all men who are not

ife, accords with the religion of masonry, and is the gospel of literature and art. that gospel is preached from many a book and painting, from many a poem and fiction, and review and newspaper; and it is a painful error and miserable narrowness, not to recognize these wide-spread agencies of heaven's providing; not to see and welcome these many-handed coadjutors, to the great and good cause. the oracles of god do not speak from the pulpit alone. there is also a religion of society. in business, there is much more than sale, exchange, price, payment; for there is the sacred faith of man in man. when we repose perfect confidence in the integrity of another; when we feel that he will not swerve from the right, frank, straightforward, conscientious course, for any temptation; his integrity an

traced over and over, in every direction, with a handwriting older and more significant and sublime than all the ancient ruins and all the overthrown and buried cities that past generations have left upon the earth; for it is the handwriting of the almighty. a mason's great business with life is to read the book of its teaching; to find that life is not the doing of drudgeries, but the hearing of oracles. the old mythology is but a leaf in that book; for it peopled the world with spiritual natures; and science, many-leaved, still spreads before us the same tale of wonder. we shall be just as happy hereafter, as we are pure and upright, and no more, just as happy as our character prepares us to be, and no more. our moral, like our mental character, is not formed in a moment; it is the habit

de as the world and common as god. it was not given to a few men, in the infancy of mankind, to monopolize inspiration, and bar god out of the soul. we are not born in the dotage and decay of the world. the stars are beautiful as in their prime; the most ancient heavens are fresh and strong. god is still everywhere in nature. wherever a heart beats with love, wherever faith and reason utter their oracles, there is god, as formerly in the hearts of seers and prophets. no soil on earth is so holy as the good man's heart; nothing is so full of god. this inspiration is not given to the learned alone, not alone to the great and wise, but to every faithful child of god. certain as the open eye drinks in the light, do the pure in heart see god; and he who lives truly, feels him as a presence with

ng them from those bodies. according to plutarch, these were the functions of proserpine and mercury. in plato, a familiar genius accompanies man at his birth, follows and watches him all his life, and at death conducts him to the tribunal of the great judge. these genii are the media of communication between man and the gods; and the soul is ever in their presence. this doctrine is taught in the oracles of zoroaster: and these genii were the intelligences that resided in the planets. thus the secret science and mysterious emblems of initiation were connected with the heavens, the spheres, and the constellations: and this connection must be studied by whomsoever would understand the ancient mind, and be enabled to interpret the allegories, and explore the meaning of the symbols, in which t

ed the nile, and below, perseus, the god of chemmis, and auriga, leading a she-goat, himself identical with pan, whose wife aiga the she-goat was styled. then isis went in search of the body. she first met certain children who had seen it, received from them their information, and gave them in return the gift of divination. the second full moon occurred in gemini, the twins, who presided over the oracles of didymus, and one of whom was apollo, the god of divination. she learned that osiris had, through mistake, had connection with her sister nephte, which she discovered by a crown of leaves of the melilot, which he had left behind him. of this connection a child was born, whom isis, aided by her dogs, sought for, found, reared, and attached to herself, by the name of anubis, her faithful g

tars, as connected with their concomitant seasons of spring (or seed-time) and harvest, seemed to the ancients, who had not yet discovered that gradual change, resulting from the apparent movement of the stars in longitude, which has been termed the precession of the equinoxes, to be eternal and immutable; and those periodical returns were to the initiated, even more than to the vulgar, celestial oracles, announcing the approach of those important changes, upon which the prosperity, and even the very existence of man must ever depend; and the oldest of the sab an constellations seem to have been, an astronomical _priest_ a _king_ a _queen_ a _husbandman_ and a _warrior; and these more frequently recur on the sab an cylinders than any other constellations whatever. the _king_ was _cepheus

the egg out of which the universe proceeded. the chaldean triad consisted of bel [the persian zervana akherana, oromasdes, and ahriman; the good and evil principle alike outflowing from the father, by their equilibrium and alternating preponderance to produce harmony. each was to rule, in turn, for equal periods, until finally the evil principle should itself become good. the chaldean and persian oracles of zoroaster give us the triad, fire, light, and ether. orpheus celebrates the triad of phanes, ouranos, and kronos. corry says the orphic trinity consisted of metis, phanes, and ericapaeus; will, light or love, and life. acusilaus makes it consist of metis, eros, and ther: will, love, and ether. phereycides of syros, of fire, water, and air or spirit. in the two former we readily recogniz

ure" says sallust the philosopher "should be sung only in a language that imitates the secrecy of her processes and operations. she is herself an enigma. we see only bodies in movement; the forces and springs that move them are hidden from us" the poets inspired by the divinity, the wisest philosophers, all the theologians, the chiefs of the initiations and mysteries, even the gods uttering their oracles, have borrowed the figurative language of allegory "the egyptians" says proclus "preferred that mode of teaching, and spoke of the great secrets of nature, only in mythological enigmas" the gymnosophists of india and the druids of gaul lent to science the same enigmatic language, and in the same style wrote the hierophants of ph nicia. the division of things into the active and the passive

hich is wholly beyond our reach and higher than our faculties can climb, but his will, and so feeds an endless enthusiasm by accumulating forever new objects of pursuit. we have long experienced that knowledge is profitable, we are beginning to find out that it is moral, and we shall at last discover it to be religious. god and truth are inseparable; a knowledge of god is possession of the saving oracles of truth. in proportion as the thought and purpose of the individual are trained to conformity with the rule of right prescribed by supreme intelligence, so far is his happiness promoted, and the purpose of his existence fulfilled. in this way a new life arises in him; he is no longer isolated, but is a part of the eternal harmonies around him. his erring will is directed by the influence

n her neck _seven_ collars of _pearls, and on her hands and feet bracelets and ankle-rings and armlets, seven on each, with an inscription on a tablet showing that, after attempting in vain to purchase grain of joseph, she, tajah, daughter of dzu shefar, and her people, died of famine. hear again the words of an adept, who had profoundly studied the mysteries of science, and wrote, as the ancient oracles spoke, in enigmas; but who knew that the theory of mechanical forces and of the materiality of the most potent agents of divinity, explains nothing, and ought to satisfy no one! through the veil of all the hieratic and mystic allegories of the ancient dogmas, under the seal of all the sacred writings, in the ruins of nineveh or thebes, on the worn stones of the ancient temples, and on the

ry, grace, and terror in its emblems: it had civilized greece by the sounds of the lyre of orpheus: it hid the principles of all the sciences, and of the whole progression of the human spirit, in the audacious calculations of pythagoras: fable teemed with its miracles; and history, when it undertook to judge of this unknown power, confounded itself with fable: it shook or enfeebled empires by its oracles; made tyrants turn pale on their thrones, and ruled over all minds by means of curiosity or fear. to this science, said the crowd, nothing is impossible; it commands the elements, knows the language of the planets, and controls the movements of the stars; the moon, at its voice, falls, reeking with blood, from heaven; the dead rise upright on their graves, and shape into fatal words the wi

was to the tsabeans the only manifestation or out-shining, and as such it was worshipped, and not as the type of dominion and power. god was the _phos noeton, the light cognisable only by the intellect, the light-principle, the light-ether, from which souls emanate, and to which they return. light, fire, and flame, with the ph nicians, were the sons of kronos. they are the trinity in the chald an oracles, the aor of the deity, manifested in _flame, that issues out of the invisible _fire. in the first three persian amshaspands, lords of light, fire, and splendor, we recognize the aor, zohar, and zayo _light, splendor, and _brightness, of the kabalah. the first of these is termed aor mupala _wonderful_ or _hidden_ light, unrevealed, undisplayed--which is kether, the first emanation or _sephi

ndor in descending from the intellectual to the sensible world, manifesting itself outwardly from, the deity; and the kabalah represents that only so much of the infinite light flowed into the circular void prepared for creation within the infinite light and wisdom, as could pass by a canal like a line or thread. the sephiroth, emanating from the deity, were the rays of his splendor. the chald an oracles said "the intellect of the generator, stirred to action, out-spoke, forming within itself, by intellection, universals of every possible form and fashion, which issued out, flowing forth from the one source. for deity, impersonated as dominion, before fabricating the manifold universe, posited an intellected and unchangeable universal, the impression of the form whereof goes forth through

deas flowed forth from, and are part of, the first source of the generative power, perfect in itself" the chaldeans termed the supreme deity araor, father of light. from him was supposed to flow the light above the world, which illuminates the heavenly regions. this light or fire was considered as the symbol of the divine essence, extending itself to inferior spiritual natures. hence the chaldean oracles say "the father took from himself, and did not confine his proper fire within his intellectual potency "all things are begotten from one fire" the tsabeans-held that all inferior spiritual beings were emanations from the supreme deity; and therefore proclus says "the progression of the gods is one and continuous, proceeding downward from the intelligible and latent unities, and terminating

, and the talmud. according to that doctrine, the absolute is the being, in which the word is, the word that is the utterance and expression of being and life. magic is that which it is; it is by itself, like the mathematics; for it is the exact and absolute science of nature and its laws. magic is the science of the ancient magi: and the christian religion, which has imposed silence on the lying oracles, and put an end to the prestiges of the false gods, itself reveres those magi who came from the east, guided by a star, to adore the saviour of the world in his cradle. tradition also gives these magi the title of "kings" because initiation into magism constitutes a genuine royalty; and because the grand art of the magi is styled by all the adepts"_the royal art" or the _holy realm_ or _em

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

the yoni, which floats on the 'nile, the amniotic fluid. in his absolute innocence and ignorance he is "the fool; he is the 'saviour, being the son who shall trample on the crocodiles and tigers, and avenge his father osiris. thus we see him as the "great fool" of celtic legend, and "pure fool" of act i of parsifal, and, generally speaking, the insane person whose words have always been taken for oracles. but to be 'saviour' he must be born and grow to manhood; thus parsifal acquires the sacred lance, emblem of virility. he usually wears the 'coat of many colours' like joseph the 'dreamer; so he is also now the green man of spring festivals. but his 'folly' is now not innocence but inspiration of wine: he drinks from the graal, offered to him by the priestess. so we see him fully armed as

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

food than, to the amazement of the goddess, he burst asunder the bands which confined his infant limbs, and springing to his feet, appeared before her as a full-grown youth of divine strength and beauty. he now demanded a lyre and a bow, declaring that henceforth he would announce to mankind the will of his father zeus "the golden lyre" said he "shall be my friend, the bent bow my delight, and in oracles will i foretell the dark future" with these words he ascended to olympus, where he was received with joyful acclamations into the assembly of the celestial gods, who acknowledged him as the most beautiful and glorious of all the sons of zeus. phoebus-apollo was the god of light in a twofold [70]signification: first, as representing the great orb of day which illumines the world; and second

ng called upon this god for aid before the famous battle of actium, ascribed the victory which he [84]gained, to his influence, and accordingly erected a temple there, which he enriched with a portion of the spoil. augustus afterwards built another temple in honour of apollo, on the palatine hill, in which at the foot of his statue, were deposited page 90 two gilt chests, containing the sibylline oracles. these oracles were collected to replace the sibylline books originally preserved in the temple of jupiter, which were destroyed when that edifice was burned. page 91 the sibyls were maidens who had received the gift of prophecy, and the privilege of living to an incredible age. one of these sibyls page 92 (known as the cumaan) appeared to tarquinius superbus, the last king of rome, offeri

ssingly on the head of the animal. page 145 dionysus was regarded as the patron of the drama, and at the state festival of the dionysia, which was celebrated with great pomp in the city of athens, dramatic entertainments took place in his honour, for which all the renowned greek dramatists of antiquity composed their immortal tragedies and comedies. he was also a prophetic divinity, and possessed oracles, the principal of which was that on mount rhodope in thrace. the tiger, lynx, panther, dolphin, serpent, and ass were sacred to this god. his favourite plants were the vine, ivy, laurel, and asphodel. his sacrifices consisted of goats, probably on account of their being destructive to vineyards. bacchus or liber. the romans had a divinity called liber who presided over vegetation, and was

usic was added, whilst dances were performed round the altar, and sacred hymns sung. these hymns were generally composed in honour of the gods, and contained an account of their famous actions, their clemency and beneficence, and the gifts conferred by them on mankind. in conclusion, the gods were invoked for a continuance of their favour, and when the service was ended a feast was held. page 225 oracles. the desire to penetrate the dark veil of futurity, and thereby to avert, if possible, threatened danger, has animated mankind in all ages of the world. prophetic knowledge was sought by the greeks at the mouth of oracles, whose predictions were interpreted to the people by priests, specially appointed for the purpose. the most famous of these institutions was the oracle of apollo at delph

ctions were interpreted to the people by priests, specially appointed for the purpose. the most famous of these institutions was the oracle of apollo at delphi, which was held in general repute all over the world. people flocked from far and near to consult this wonderful mouth-piece of the gods, one month in the year being specially set apart for the purpose [195] the priestess who delivered the oracles was called the pythia, after the serpent python, which was killed by apollo. having first bathed in the waters of the castalian spring, she was conducted into the temple by the priests, and was seated on a sort of three-legged stool or table, called a tripod, which was placed over the mouth of a cave whence issued sulphurous vapours. here she gradually became affected in a remarkable manne

certain river he would destroy a great empire. interpreting the response as being favourable to his design, croesus crossed the river, and encountered the persian king, by whom he page 226 was entirely defeated; and his own empire being destroyed, the prediction of the oracle was said to have been fulfilled. soothsayers (augurs. in addition to the manifestation of the will of the gods by means of oracles, the greeks also believed that certain men, called soothsayers, were gifted with the power of foretelling future events from dreams, from observing the flight of birds, the entrails of sacrificed animals, and even the direction of the flames and smoke from the altar &c [196] augurs. the roman soothsayers were called augurs, and played an important part in the history of the romans, as no e

PHOSPHORUS

e vampyre by nigel aldcroft jackson flowers from hell the satanic reader edited by nikolas schreck liber null& psychonaut by peter j. carroll chaos& sorcery by nick hall stealing the fire from heaven by stephen mace the prince of darkness by jeffery burton russell magick in theory and practice by aleister crowley the book of thoth by aleister crowley the black arts by richard cavendish images and oracles of austin osman spare ecstasies: deciphering the witches' sabbath by carlo ginzburg the night battles by carlo ginzburg 9 i the blackened forge of cain title-praecantrix the darkness of the earth color black symbol the sigil of infernal union -study of cain as the offspring of lucifer and lilith. the dynamics of self-transformation and how symbols relate to the self -foundations of sex mag

REGARDIE TALISMANS

e grim reaper, the tester, the burden of life to be carried patiently on the shoulders. it also represents balance, equilibrium, and stability. it is the third sephirah on the tree of life, binah, the symbol of which is the triangle, the basic geometric figure representing harmony and order. the mind of the father said into three, and immediately all things were so divided. so stated the chaldean oracles. then there is the cardinal tenet of the golden dawn: there are always two contending forces, and a third which eternally reconciles them. thus, logically, a saturn talisman would be a superb characterological corrective to an over-balanced natal chart which stresses airy signs too much. the first step would be to collect all the symbols of saturn that would be available. the astrological

RELIGIOUS TENANTS OF THE YEZIDI

"nineveh and its remains (vol. ii. p. 462) gives the annexed sketch of a bird from one of the slabs dug up at nimrood: thumb 12700 to which he subjoins the following note "the iynges, or sacred birds, belonged to the babylonian and probably to the assyrian religion. they were a kind of demons, who exercised a peculiar influence over mankind, resembling the ferouher of the zoroastrian system. the oracles attributed to zoroaster describe them as powers animated by god' greek noo menai ?uggec par en no ousi ka au?ta. greek boula c a?f gktoic kino menai w'?ote noh^sai/ cont (zoroaster, oracul. magn. ad calcem oracul. sybill. ed. gall. p. 80; and cary's fragments, p. 250) their images made of gold were in the palace of the king of babylon, according to philostratus (lib. i. c. 25, and lib. vi

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART I

n incredible wealth of poesy, grace and terror in its emblems; it civilized greece to the music of the lyre of orpheus; it concealed the principles of all sciences, all progress of the human mind, in the daring calculations of pythagoras; fable abounded in its miracles, and history, attempting to estimate this unknown power, became confused with fable; it undermined or consolidated empires by its oracles, caused tyrants to tremble on their thrones and governed all minds, either by curiosity or by fear. for this science, said the crowd, there is nothing impossible, it commands the elements, knows the language of the stars and directs the planetary courses; when it speaks, the moon falls blood-red from heaven; the dead rise in their graves and mutter ominous words, as the night wind blows th

stand up and open your eyes, but take care before all things to make no christian sign and to pronounce no christian words. we are in a landscape of salvator rosa, a troubled wilderness which seems resting after a storm. there is no moon in the sky, but you can distinguish little stars gleaming in the brushwood, and may hear about you the slow flight of great birds, which seem to whisper strange oracles as they pass. let us approach silently that crossroad among the rocks. a harsh, funereal trumpet winds suddenly, and black torches flare up on every side. a tumultuous throng is surging round a vacant throne: all watch and wait. suddenly they cast themselves on the ground. a goat-headed prince bounds forward among them; he ascends the throne, turns, and assuming a stooping posture, present

conflict or eternal equilibrium; and so of the others. we can thus understand how the ancient pontiffs proceeded to make the oracle speak. the chance dealing of the laminae produced invariably a fresh kabalistic meaning, exactly true in its combinations, which alone were fortuitous; and, seeing that the faith of the ancients attributed nothing to chance, they read the answers of providence in the oracles of the tarot, which were called theraph or theraphim by the hebrews, as the erudite kabalist gaffarel, one of the magicians employed by cardinal richelieu, was the first to perceive. as to the court-cards, a final couplet will suffice to explain them: king, queen, knight, esquire. the married pair, the youth, the child, the race; thy path by these to unity retrace. at the end of the ritual

kind of divination, and has obtained results invariably in proportion to the exactitude of his scientific operations and the good faith of his consultants. the tarot, that miraculous work which inspired all the sacred books of antiquity, is the most perfect instrument of divination, by reason of the analogical precision of its figures and numbers. it can be employed with complete confidence. its oracles are always rigorously true, at least in a certain sense, and even when it predicts nothing it reveals secret things and gives the most wise counsel to its querents. alliette, who, in the last century, from a hairdresser became a kabalist, and kabalistically called himself etteilla, reading his name backwards after the manner of hebrew, alliette, i say, after thirty years of meditation over

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

es morally higher along the same line, we shall draw the spirit away with us, and it will serve us. to conjure is to oppose the resistance of a current and a chain to an isolated spirit-cum-jurare, to swear together, that is, to make a common act of faith. the greater the strength and enthusiasm of this faith, the more efficacious is the conjuration. this is why new-born christianity silenced the oracles; it alone possessed inspiration, it only force. later on, when st. peter grew old, that is, when the world believed that it had a legal case against the papacy, the spirit of prophecy came to replace the oracles. savonarola, joachim of flores, john huss and so many others influenced by turns the minds of men and interpreted, by lamentations and menaces, the secret anxieties and protestatio

e a cat hung from the girdle, and that they danced in this guise. the phenomena of tilting and talking tables have been fortuitous exhibitions of fluidic communication by means of the circular chain. mystification combined with it after wards, and even educated and intelligent persons were so infatuated with the novelty that they hoaxed themselves, and became the dupes of their own absurdity. the oracles of the tables were answers more or less voluntarily suggested extracted by chance: they resembled the conversations which we hold or hear in dreams. other and stranger phenomena may have been exteriorized products of imaginations at work in common. we, however, by no means deny the possible intervention of elementary spirits in these occurrences, as in those of divination by cards or by dr

fficient resemblance to the chances of destiny for the imagination to perceive realities by the pretext of such emblems. the more the interest is excited, the greater is the desire to see; the fuller the confidence in the intuition, the more clear the vision becomes. to combine the points of geomancy on chance or to set out the cards for trifling purposes is to jest like children: the lots become oracles only when they are magnetized by intelligence and directed by faith. of all oracles, the tarot is the most astounding in its answers, because all possible combinations of this universal key of the kabalah give oracles of science and of truth as their solutions. the tarot was the sole book of the ancient magi; it is the primitive bible, as we shall prove in the following chapter, and the an

the science of the tarot, or knew it only by derivation from etteilla, whose explanations are shadows cast upon a back-ground of light. she knew neither high magic nor the kabalah, but her head was filled with ill-digested erudition, and she was intuitive by instinct, which deceived her rarely. the works she left behind her are legitimist tomfoolery, ornamented with classical quotations; but her oracles, inspired by the presence and magnetism of those who consulted her, were often astounding. she was a woman in whom extravagance of imagination and mental rambling were substituted for the natural affections of her sex; she lived and died a virgin, like the ancient druidesses of the isle of sayne. had nature endowed her with beauty, she might have played easily at a remoter epoch the part o

ndity of nature and woman and to formulate the doctrine of universal and progressive analogies, descending from causes to effects and ascending from effects to causes. moreover, the sacred word was not pronounced: it was spelt, and expressed in four words, which are the four sacred words. jod he vau he. the learned gaffarel regards the teraphim of the hebrews, by means of which they consulted the oracles of the urim and thummim, as the figures of the four kabalistic animals, which symbols, as we shall show shortly, were epitomized by the sphinxes or cherubs of the ark. in connexion with the usurped teraphim of the book of hermes 129 michas, he cites a curious passage from philo, which is a complete revelation as to the ancient and sacerdotal origin of our tarots. gaffarel thus expresses hi

gthe staff of the lord is angered against judah. h if the teraphim represented the man or cup and were found also on the left, near the stone of benjamin, the high priest would read: gthe mercy of the lord is weary of the offences of benjamin, which outrage him in his love. therefore he will pour out on him the chalice of his wrath, h etc. when the sovereign priesthood ceased in israel; when all oracles were silenced in the presence of the word made man, and speaking by the mouth of the most popular and mildest of sages; when the ark was lost, the sanctuary profaned and the temple destroyed; the mysteries of the ephod and teraphim, no longer 130 the ritual of transcendental magic traced on gold and precious stones, were written, or rather drawn, by some learned kabalists on ivory, parchme

taclysm to cataclysm, and even further still. the truths which he reveals are prophecies brought from far and wide, of which he is the resounding echo. he is the voice which cries, the voice which chants the harmonies of the desert and prepares paths for the light. his speech peals forth with mastery and compels faith, for he carries among 142 the ritual of transcendental magic savage nations the oracles of iao, and unveils him who is the first-born of the sun for the admiration of civilizations to come. the theory of the four ages is found in the apocalypse, as it is also in the books of zoroaster and in the bible. the gradual reconstruction of primeval federations, of the reign of god among peoples emancipated from the yoke of tyrants and the bonds of error, are foretold clearly for the

RUBY TABLET OF SET

inner life of god. it is based on two assumptions: that there is an inner life in god, and that the existence of man ought to revolve in a spiritual dynamic course around the life of god" once again the preoccupation is with pleasing the deity. one can find examples of similar material in some of the ancient dialogues, quoted in modern reprints of the greek poets who transcribed the words of the oracles. see pagans and christians, the chapter entitled language of the gods, pp. 234& 235, and ancient mysteries, which has numerous examples throughout the book. 3. initiatory states are designed to help the individual deal with the "here and now" though strictly limited to the male members of the communities, the roles available have thousands of years of tradition to reinforce their importanc

t would not be vanquished. man denied me, yes. but, to the impotent and bewildered fury of heaven, this very conscious classification: v2- a16.22- 1 author: michael a. aquino iv date: transcribed year ix html revision: september 3, 1998 ce subject: church of satan reading list: act was my true redemption and victory. do you wonder that i so cherish irony? it has become the most reliable of all my oracles. much was spoken of the ways and wishes of hell in our diabolicon- that which was brought forth from asia in the fifth year of my age. yet the diabolicon warranted a certain obscurity of its own nonetheless. the method of its transmission was crude- the agent as yet untouched by the knowledge of my priesthood. only the eyes of him whom i had fashioned as a magus looked and saw. even so i s

iming was not intentional on my part. in a working some days earlier, i invoked set to help me find the way out of the period of stasis that i seemed to have entered. my resistance to setting forth the book of astaroth was immediately revealed as the cause of that stasis, and i was "informed" that i should "consider it well, but. not hesitate too long" and that, to assist me, i was to "cast three oracles on three evenings" those three evenings brought me to the 20th of december, and after the first section of the book of astaroth was completed, i expected that two more sittings would be required- but the second and very brief third section were completed on the same day. the foregoing would seem to indicate that astaroth considered it important to associate his book with the south solstice

ft to man binds satan's (set's) existence to man (harwer. yet without the original gift (the creation of harwer, set could not have achieved/retained identity or independent being. the next paragraph of the ninth solstice message expresses a statement i have always felt important- it has always pulled at my interest: do you wonder that i so cherish irony? it has become the most reliable of all my oracles. irony is possible only when the deterministic, predictable universe can be countered by a strange and fitful presence, unpredictable in itself. this makes existence interesting. irony is a creation of harwer's, for there could be no irony without harwer's fitfulness. harwer/man cherishes irony as a symbol of our power over the universe, our unpredictability, and the unpredictability we pl

SATANGEL

ing to their transgression, the souls of those sinners. they will burn them in their dwelling places in everlasting fire. and after all of them are destroyed with their dwelling places, they will be punished eternally. those who have blasphemed the way out of righteousness will be hung up by their tongues. spread under them is unquenchable fire so they cannot escape it. according to the sibylline oracles uri-el is the angel who on the day of judgement will break the monstrous bars framed of unyielding and unbroken adamant of the brazen gates of hades, and cast them down straightaway. in the prayer of joseph jacob wrestles with a dark angel usually identified as uri-el, and the two merge to become one entity. in the midrash aggada exodus uri-el manifests in the form of a fiery serpent and a

SATANIC RITUALS

ed accordingly. the inquisitors, needing an enemy, found one in the guise of witches who supposedly were subject to satanic control witches were created in wholesale lots by the church from the ranks of the senile, sexually promiscuous, feebleminded, deformed, hysterical, and anyone who happened to be of non-christian thought or background. there was only a minute percentage of actual healers and oracles. they were likewise persecuted. there have been recent attempts to assess great numbers of "witches" of antiquity as rebels against the christian church who held dianic "esbats" with furtive regularity. this presents a charming picture. but it is folly, because it bestows a degree of intellectual sophistication on people who were essentially ignorant, and who were willing to go along with

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

a s seat of power on earth. hera was the patron goddess of argos, and poseidon the patron god of corinth. the patron goddess of rome was roma dea, who was not one of the olympian twelve but was nonetheless a very important goddess for roman citizens. priests and priestesses took care of these temples and supervised the official sacrifices to the gods and goddesses. some priestesses also served as oracles, persons who acted as a medium or messenger between the gods and humans. greeks would go to oracles to receive messages from the gods in order to determine what they should do in the future. one of the most famous of the oracles was at the temple of apollo at delphi, which is located in central greece. the greeks believed in a soul, which they called psyche, but beliefs varied as to whethe

ousehold gods happy. janus, the roman god of the door, was the most powerful of the household gods. he had two faces: one looking into the house and the other looking out. he let friends in and kept enemies out. both greeks and romans consulted specialists to learn about the future, priests or priestesses who acted as messengers between humans and the gods. in greece these priestesses were called oracles, and the most famous of these was the oracle of delphi. even military leaders consulted the oracles to see what the future would hold for them. in rome there were two types of these reporters or interpreters, of the future. the augurs were priests who could read the evidence of a god s will by the flight of birds or by the way sacred chickens ate. another group of interpreters were called

wrath. he, deceived by all the deities, betrayed by their emissaries, he, himself, must undertake to usher in justice upon the earth. the philosophy of atheism represents a concept of life without any metaphysical beyond or divine regulator. it is the concept of an actual, real world with its liberating, expanding and beautifying possibilities, as against an unreal world, which, with its spirits, oracles, and mean contentment has kept humanity in helpless degradation. it may seem a wild paradox, and yet it is pathetically true, that this real, visible world and our life should have been so long under the influence of metaphysical speculation, rather than of physical demonstrable forces. under the lash of the theistic idea, this earth has served no other purpose than as a temporary station

the dark. the triumph of the philosophy of atheism is to free man from the nightmare of gods. again and again the light of billy sunday: a well-known american baseball player turned evangelist, or an enthusiastic preacher of christianity. squalor: dirtiness. jahve or jehovah: a name for the god of the hebrew old testament. wrath: anger. deceived: tricked. emissaries: representatives. usher: lead. oracles: predictions of the future. mean: lowly. degradation: poverty, terrible life conditions. paradox: contradiction. speculation: guesswork. demonstrable: provable. immolation: killing as a sacrifice, usually by burning. ascertain: learn. futile: useless. omnipotence: allpowerfulness. 198 world religions: primary sources the philosophy of atheism reason has dispelled the theistic nightmare, bu

SEPHER YETZIRAH WESTCOTT

the first cause, tended to check the spirit of observation, and where in consequence certain general and superficial relations perceived in the natural world passed for the science of nature "its form is simple and grave; there is nothing like a demonstration nor an argument; but it consists rather of a series of aphorisms, regularly grouped, and which have all the conciseness of the most ancient oracles" in his analysis of the "sepher yetzirah" he adds-"the book of formation, even if it be not very voluminous, and if it do not altogether raise us to very elevated regions of thought, yet offers us at least a composition which is very homogeneous and of a rare originality. the clouds which the imagination of commentators have gathered around it, will be dissipated, if we look for, in it, no

SEVEN SHADES OF SOLITUDE

and it is within this hermitage that any true aspirant must secure himself in introspective contemplation if he is truly to comprehend the orientations and dispositions of his own nature. by abiding long hours in the companie of this solitude one may find the wellspring of the magical power within oneself. by actively sojourning there, in the very ebb and flow of the current within, the voice of oracles may be heard from the depths, the visions of the night shall arise in clarity, and to the most blessed the faithful gods shall come forth, unmasked and in patronage to the will. iv) the fourth solitude is the hermitage of the magister. this is the solitude of one who realises self-vision as its own autonomy, who has attained to the knowledge of the path according to both tradition and reve

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

he comprehension of the uninitiated, some few of the starry truths which shone on the great shemaia of the chaldean lore, and gleamed dimly through the darkened knowledge of latter disciples, labouring, like psellus and iamblichus, to revive the embers of the fire which burned in the hamarin of the east. though not to us of an aged and hoary world is vouchsafed the name which, so say the earliest oracles of the earth "rushes into the infinite worlds" yet is it ours to trace the reviving truths, through each new discovery of the philosopher and chemist. the laws of attraction, of electricity, and of the yet more mysterious agency of that great principal of life, which, if drawn from the universe, would leave the universe a grave, were but the code in which the theurgy of old sought the guid

of surpassing the order and systems of the world. when the soul is elevated to natures better than itself, then it is entirely separated from subordinate natures, exchanges this for another life, and, deserting the order of things with which it was connected, links and mingles itself with another. iamblichus "adon-ai! adon-ai! appear, appear" and in the lonely cave, whence once had gone forth the oracles of a heathen god, there emerged from the shadows of fantastic rocks a luminous and gigantic column, glittering and shifting. it resembled the shining but misty spray which, seen afar off, a fountain seems to send up on a starry night. the radiance lit the stalactites, the crags, the arches of the cave, and shed a pale and tremulous splendour on the features of zanoni "son of eternal light"

eated not things; it gave birth but to emotions, and lavished itself on dreams. at last came love; and there, as a river into the sea, it poured its restless waves, to become mute and deep and still, the everlasting mirror of the heavens. and is it not through this poetry which lies within her that she may be led into the large poetry of the universe! often i listen to her careless talk, and find oracles in its unconscious beauty, as we find strange virtues in some lonely flower. i see her mind ripening under my eyes; and in its fair fertility what ever-teeming novelties of thought! o mejnour! how many of our tribe have unravelled the laws of the universe, have solved the riddles of the exterior nature, and deduced the light from darkness! and is not the poet, who studies nothing but the h

ree the understanding, the imagination, and the heart) child: new-born instinct, while trained and informed by idealism, promises a preter-human result by its early, incommunicable vigilance and intelligence, but is compelled, by inevitable orphanhood, and the one-half of the laws of its existence, to lapse into ordinary conditions. aidon-ai: faith, which manifests its splendour, and delivers its oracles, and imparts its marvels, only to the higher moods of the soul, and whose directed antagonism is with fear; so that those who employ the resources of fear must dispense with those of faith. yet aspiration holds open a way of restoration, and may summon faith, even when the cry issues from beneath the yoke of fear. dweller of the threshold: fear (or horror, from whose ghastliness men are pr

SORCERIES OF ZOS

nes and the elder gods find echoes in the myths and legends of all peoples. austin spare claimed to have had direct experience of the existence of extraterrestrial intelligences, and crowley- as his autobiography makes abundantly cleardevoted a lifetime to proving that extra-terrestrial and superhuman consciousness can and does exist independently of the human organism. as explained in images and oracles of austin osman spare, spare was initiated into the vital current of ancient and creative sorcery by an aged woman named paterson, who claimed decent form a line of salem witches. the formation of spare's cult of the zos and the kia owes much to his contact with witch paterson who provides the model for many of his 'sabbatic' drawings and paintings. much of the occult lore that she transmi

t. see the magical revival, chapter 3 (31) the way of resurgent atavisms (32) hecate, the witch or transformer from dark to light, as the tadpole of the waters to the frog of dry land, as the dark and baleful moon of witchcraft to the full bright orb of magical radiance and enchantment exemplified for spare by 'witch' paterson who changed from the hag to the virgin before his eyes. see images and oracles of austin osman spare, 19ca introduction the cult of the all-seeing eye has existed under many names and guises for thousands of years. through the ages its high priests have worshipped before unhallowed altars dedicated to the adoration of a nameless deity. an unknown god. the identity of this deity has been concealed behind an elaborate system of veiled allegories and secret symbols. fol

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

stian sources speak of becoming a christ. see further now the gospel of philip, in meyer, the ancient mysteries, pp. 235-236: this one is no longer a christian but a christ. 13. some helpful remarks on the early greek concept of the daimon or occult self in: e.r. dodds, the greeks and the irrational (university of california press, berkeley, london, 1951, p. 153. 14. plutarch, on the cessation of oracles, 417 c. 15. cicero, on the nature of the gods i, 119. 16. xenophanes, fragment 14. the main fragments of xenophanes are translated in kirk, raven, and schofield, the presocratic philosophers (cambridge university, princeton, 1984, pp. 163ff. for a good brief introduction to his thought, see bruno snell, the discovery of the mind (dover, new york, 1982, pp. 140ff. 17. xenophanes, fragment 1

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE

is suggested by the fact that the hieroglyphics are usually in zoomorphic form. it is known that the priests of antiquity assumed animal-headed masks when performing rituals designed to produce magical effects; also, that when dormant forces were awakened, the magician was shaken to the very depths of his being as he manifested the atavisms that his spells had invoked. the convulsions of tibetan 'oracles; the strange phenomena of spirit possession common to most peoples of antiquity are proof of spare's theory; proof also that some cosmic forces then possesses the human vehicle and enables the magician to perform superhuman feats. the mainspring of the formula of atavistic resurgence is- as one might suppose- a form of sexual sorcery. the adepts of old concealed the process from the eyes o

r he discovered a method of reifying the dream world under the controlling aegis of the fully conscious will. kenneth grant winter solstice 1974 e.v. notes 1. subtitled the zoetic grimoire of zos. zos was spare's 'magical' name. a selection of these aphorisms, together with an introduction to spare and his work is to be published shortly by frederick muller ltd, london, under the title images and oracles of austin osman spare, by kenneth grant. 2. he was a student at the royal college of art in kensington, london. 3. a similar phenomenon occurred in the presence of aleister crowley when an ageing sorceress transformed herself into a "young woman of bewitching beauty, for purposes of vampirism. see the confessions of aleister crowley (ed. symonds and grant, chapter 42, jonathan cape, london

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

goddess artemis through their priestess daughters, the pythonesses or pythia. according to myth, the god apollo murdered delphyne and claimed the shrine and the pythia for himself, imprisoning the serpent seer in the recesses of a cave beneath the temple. the historian plutarch (c. 46 120 c.e, author of plutarch s lives, served for a time as high priest at the delphic oracle and explained why its oracles had remained popular while others had fallen into disrepute. in his opinion, the gods had declined to speak through the other oracles because their devotees had insulted them by asking too many blasphemous and trivial questions, such as advice concerning love affairs and disreputable business transactions. t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i

deposits, releasing light hydrocarbon gases, such as ethylene. ethylene is a sweet-smelling gas that was once used in certain medical procedures as an anesthetic. although fatal if inhaled in large quantities for too long a period of time, in small doses ethylene stimulates the central nervous system and produces a sensation of euphoria and a floating feeling according to jelle de boer, just what oracles need to prompt visions. m delving deeper ball, philip. oracle s secret fault found. nature news service/ macmillan magazines, ltd. 17 july 2001. cotterell, arthur, ed. encyclopedia of world mythology. london: dempsey parr book, 1999. de boer, j. z, j. r. hale, and j. chanton. new evidence of the geological origins of the ancient delphic oracle. geology, 29 (2001: 707 710. piccardi, l. acti

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ho were gifted with a precise memory, a facility for language, and a talent for philosophy, mathematics, and theology. early in his studies, mirandola came to believe that the future could be predicted through a practiced interpretation of dreams, communication with benevolent spirits, and a careful analysis of the intestines of birds. he took a great deal of inspiration from the ancient chaldean oracles and the old mystery schools of orpheus and eleusis, and he was greatly influenced by the teachings of the kabbalah. for centuries, the kabbalah had remained a mysterious esoteric philosophy that had been developed within the larger framework of the jewish religion. jealously guarded by various rabbis, the teachings of the kabbalah remained largely unknown by medieval christians until such

e dead. all of these ancient practices are still utilized today by prophets and diviners who seek to answer the demands of those who wish foreknowledge of their earthly destiny. 117 chapter exploration astrology automatic writing cartomancy/tarot telling fortunes with modern playing cards dowsing graphology i ching kabbalah necromancy numerology palmistry prophets and diviners edgar cayce delphic oracles jeane dixon irene hughes olof jonsson nostradamus mother shipton scrying/crystal gazing/crystalomancy tea leaf reading (tasseography) introduction the desire to foresee the future quite likely began when early humans began to perceive that they were a part of nature, subject to its limitations and laws, and that they were seemingly powerless to alter those laws. unlike the beasts around th

se and other ways, the will of the cosmic rulers was revealed to their earthbound subjects. the children of israel, even though they spurned the hordes of good and evil spirits recognized throughout the ancient world, practiced divination in several forms. the book of genesis records that laban, the father of rachel, who became the wife of isaac, possessed teraphim.instruments of divination whose oracles were held to be of the highest truth. although the practice of sorcery and divination was forbidden to the hebrews, the high priests of israel inquired of the lord regarding the future by means of the high priests f jeweled ephod and the urim and thummim. when the lord failed to speak to him through the ephod, saul (11th century b.c.e, first king of israel, resorted to necromancy, or divin

h he summoned with his magic lamp and great seal. the sphinx, the guardian of egyptian magic, served as an oracle for diviners of that land. according to plutarch, such thinkers as solon, thales, pythagoras (c. 580.c. 500 b.c.e, and lycurgus traveled to egypt to converse with priests who heard the voice of the sphinx. ancient magi solemnly testified that the statues of egypt spoke, and when these oracles of hewn stone uttered their pronouncements, scribes wrote their words on rolls of papyrus while priests listened. the greeks saw in numbers the mystical keys to the great mind of the cosmos; and the fates of kingdoms, commerce, and human lives hung on the enigmatic utterances of the delphic oracle. a greek sect called the psychagogues conjured the spirits of the dead, who brought petitions

inward. new york: paperback library, 1966. t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d prophecy and divination 153 cerminara, gina. many mansions. new york: william morrow, 1950. stearn, jess. edgar cayce.the sleeping prophet. new york: doubleday, 1967. sugrue, thomas. there is a river: the story of edgar cayce. new york: h. holt and co, 1942. delphic oracles the famed oracle of delphi on the slopes of mt. parnassos in greece made known the will of the gods to rulers, philosophers, generals, politicians, and anyone else of reasonably high status who was anxious to hear a favorable word from the gods. for centuries, the temple of apollo at delphi in central greece contained the most prestigious oracle in the graeco- roman world, a favorite of pu

quartz crystal, like other quartz objects, are believed by mystic crystal enthusiasts to have the ability to record events, thoughts, and emotions that occur in their presence. some believers in mystical qualities of crystals credit ancient peoples with having crafted crystal skulls. according to them, ancients used the skulls to predict the future, to control the weather, as healing devices, as oracles to receive cosmic wisdom, as receivers t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d objects of mystery and power 191 crystal skulls are believed to awaken the human consciousness to a higher level of being. of universal knowledge, and as a tool meant for future use to gain divine knowledge. there is a crystal skull on display at the london museu

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

is eternal death. if one must fight to conquer right, it is only to acquire the power of duty: what use have we for freedom, unless to love and to devote ourselves to god? if one must break the law, it is when law imprisons love in fear "he that saveth his life shall lose it" says the holy book "and he who consents to lose it will save it" duty is love; perish every obstacle to love! silence, ye oracles of hate! destruction to the false gods of selfishness and fear! shame to the slaves, the misers of love! god loves prodigal children! v the quinary the quinary is the number of religion, for it is the number of god united to that of woman<atheist and woman-despiser- o.m> 25 faith is not the stupid credulity of an awestruck ignorance. faith is the consciou

ssacre of st. bartholomew? men are always cruel, it is true, but only when they forget the religion whose watchwords are blessing and pardon. science. o faith! pardon me, then, if i cannot believe; 96 but i know now why you believe. i respect your hopes, and share your desires. but i must find by seeking; and in order to seek, i must doubt. reason. work, then, and seek, o science, but respect the oracles of faith! when your doubt leaves a gap in universal enlightenment, allow faith to fill it! walk distinguished the one from the other, but leaning the one upon the other, and you will never go astray. 97 part ii philosophical mysteries preliminary considerations it has been said that beauty is the splendour of truth. now moral beauty is goodness. it is beautiful to be good. to be intelligen

r. to speak well is to live well. a fine style is an aureole of holiness. from these principles, some true, others hypothetical, and from the more or less exaggerated consequences that they draw from them, there resulted for superstitious qabalists and absolute confidence in enchantments, evocations, conjurations and mysterious prayers. now, as faith has always accomplished miracles, apparitions, oracles, mysterious cures, sudden and strange maladies, have never been lacking to it. it is thus that a simple and sublime philosophy has become the secret science of black magic. it is from this point of view above all that the qabalah is still able to excite the curiosity of the majority in our so distrustful and so credulous century. however, as we have just explained, that is not the true sci

o overturn the world. we say "perhaps" on philosophical grounds, for, personally, we have no doubt whatever of the high importance of this great hermetic arcanum. we have just said that alchemy is the daughter of the qabalah; to convince oneself of the truth of this it is sufficient to look at the symbols of flamel, of basil valentine, the pages of the jew abraham, and the more or less apocryphal oracles of the emerald table of hermes. everywhere one finds the traces of that decade of pythagoras, which is so magnificently applied in the sepher yetzirah to the complete and absolute notion of divine things, that decade composed of unity and a triple ternary which the rabbis have 192 called the berashith, and the mercavah, the luminous tree of the sephiroth, and the key of the shemhamphorash

one explains all the mysterious writings of high initiation. this monument is that tarot of the bohemians which gave rise to our games of cards. it is composed of twenty-two allegorical letters, and of four series of ten hieroglyphs each, referring to the four letters of the name of jehovah. the diverse combinations of those signs, and the numbers which correspond to them, form so many qabalistic oracles, so that the whole science is contained in this mysterious book. this perfectly simple philosophical machine astonishes by the depth of its results. the abbe trithemius, one of our greatest masters in magic, composed a very ingenious work, which he calls polygraphy< upon the qabalistic alphabet. it is a combined series of progress

l the seventy-two wheels of assiah, of yetzirah, and of briah. for that purpose it is sufficient to understand the system of universal analogies, such as swedenborg has set it forth in the hieroglyphic key of the arcana; then to mix the cards together, and draw from them by chance, always grouping them by the numbers corresponding to the ideas on which one desires enlightenment; then, reading the oracles as qabalistic writings ought to be read, that is to say, beginning in the middle and going from right to left for odd numbers, beginning on the right for even numbers, and interpreting successively the number for the letter which corresponds to it, the grouping of the letters by the addition of their numbers, and all the successive oracles by their numerical order, and their hieroglyphic r

as set forth by this book are the climax of the absurd. the souls of the dead, it says, are everywhere, and nothing any longer hems them in. it is an infinite overcrowded with gods, returning the one into the other. the souls can and do communicate with us by means of tables and hats. and so, no more regulated instruction, no more priesthood, no more church, delirium set upon the throne of truth, oracles which write for the salvation of the human race the word attributed to cambronne, great men who leave the serenity of their eternal destinies to make our furniture dance, and to hold with us conversations like those which beroalde de verville<
THE MIDDLE PILLAR

ible to that of the waking consciousness. this contains all t h g s in our field of awareness that we are not normally aware of, but that we can become aware of. it is an unconscious matrix that underlies the conscious mind where the mental activities are "incubated before their birth into consciousness. archetypes of the middle unconscious include all deities who are associated with prophecy and oracles, such as the greek divinities apollo and gaea. 1 collective unconscious figure 6: assagioli's model of the psyche. psychology and magic 127 7. the lower unconscious contains fundamental drives, primitive urges, inferior dreams, and complexes. this is the personal unconscious which is the storehouse of hidden memories, repressed psychic content, and the shadow personality. this part of the

THE NECRONOMICON SIMON VERSION

glosses; that is, there do seem to be occasionally bits of sentence or fragments of literature that would seem to be inconsistent with the period in which the text was written. however, no final word can be said on this matter. the difficulty arises in the age-old question of "which came first, the chicken or the egg. for instance, in the magan text, the final verses read though from the chaldean oracles of zoroaster "stoop not down, therefore, into the darkly shining world" which might have been of greek origin and not zoroastrian. it is a question for scholars. the etymology of certain words is a game that has fascinated both the editor and perhaps a score or more of sumerian researches of the past. the sumerian origin of many of the words and place-names we use today provides us with an

gy. in the greek alphabet, ea would appear as ha. q.e.d: aum.ha betrays the essential sumerian character of that book. after the initial testimony, we come to the chapter entitles "of the zonei and their attributes, zonei is, of course a greek word and refers to the planetary, or heavenly bodies; for they are "zoned, i.e, having set courses and spheres. they are also known as such in the chaldean oracles. the 'spirits' or bodies that exist beyond the zonei are called the azonei, meaning "un-zoned. whether this refers to the so-called "fixed" stars (having no sphere ascertainable to the early astronomers) or the comets, is unknown to the editor. whatever the case may be, the zonei seem to include the seven philosophical planets, i.e, including the sun and moon as planetary bodies, along wit

1874 tales of the cthulhu mythos new york, 1973 at the mountains of madness new york, 1973 lovecraft, h.p. the dunwich horror new york, 1963 the lurker at the threshold (with august derleth) new york, 1971 mason, h. gilgamesh (ed) new york, 1972 neugebauer, o. the exact sciences in antiquity new york, 1969 near eastern texts relating to the old testament princeton, 1958 pritchard, j. the chaldean oracles of zoroaster "sapere aude" new york seignobos, s. the world of babylon new york, 1975 seligmann, k. magic, supernaturalism, and religion new york, 1968 oriental magic new york, 1973 shah, i. the secret lore of magic new york, 1972 the sufis new york, 1973 tallqvist, k.l "die assyrische beschworungsserie maqlu nach dem originalem im british museum herausgegeben" acta societatis scientiarum

ot protect me. the lords of the wind rush about me and are angered. the lords of the earth crawl about my feet and are angered. the spirits have forgotten me. my time is shortened, and i must complete as much as i can before i am taken away by the voice that ever calls. the moon's days are numbered upon the earth, and the sun's and i know not the meaning of these omens, but that they are. and the oracles are dried up, and the stars spin in their places. and the heavens look to be uncontrolled, with no order, and the spheres are crooked and wandering. and the sign of zdaq is floating above my writing table, but i cannot read the runes any longer, for that sight is failing me. is it always in this fashion? and the sign is failing me. is it always in this fashion? and the sign of xastur rises

THE ROSICRUCIAN MANIFESTOS

o there might be a society in europe, which might have gold, silver, and precious stones, sufficient for to bestow them on kings, for their necessary uses, and lawful purposes: with which such as be governors might be brought up, for to learn all that which god hath suffered man to know, and thereby to be enabled in all times of need to give their counsel unto those that seek it, like the heathen oracles: verily we must confess that the world in those days was already big with those great commotions, laboring to be delivered of them; and did bring forth painful, worthy men, who brake with all force through darkness and barbarism, and left us who succeeded to follow them: and assuredly they have been the uppermost point in trygono igneo, whose flame now should be more and more brighter, and

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

in the sibylline verses of those books from which this one has drawn its life-blood. and they are: aceldama. the tale of archais. songs of the spirit. jezebel. an appeal to the american people. jephthah. the mother fs tragedy. the soul of osiris. carmen saeculare. tannhauser. berashith. ahab. the god-eater. alice. the sword of song. the star and the garter. the argonauts. goetia. why jesus wept. oracles. orpheus. rosa mundi. gargoyles. collected works, vols. i, ii, and iii. by which, if they have eyes to perceive, they will become sacramental and holy, through the fire-baptism of a new birth, and will hold the key of all mysteries locked in the esoteric sign of the sabbatic goat, the baphomet of mendes, the signatures of solve and coagula. gthe everlasting yea and nay. h a.m.e.n. my fault

, unseen in curious hollows of the trees, or deadlier serpents coiled at ease round carcases of birds unclean; all wandering changeful spectre shapes that dance in slow sweet measure round and merge themselves in the profound, nude women and distorted apes grotesque and hairy, in their rage more rampant than the stallion steed; there is no help: their horrid need on these pale women they assuage *oracles, vol. ii, p. 13. another poem that in parts reminds us of the gin memoriam h is gthe nameless quest, h such lines as: i was wed unto the part, and could not grasp the whole *the temple of the holy ghost, vol. i, p. 191. breathe a great and similar doubt. as in many respects the agnosticism of tennyson fs gin memoriam h resembles the atheistic free thought of fitzgerald fs gomar khayyam, h

ardness of a burns: what fierce temptations might not lovers bring in london fs wicked city? perhaps you might yourself have one wee fling, if you were pretty. what might not hard starvation drive you to, with death so near and sure? perhaps it might drive even virtuous you, if you were poor.*5 *1. conventional lies. max nordau *2. fundamental problems, p. vii *3. beverland, 238 *4. ibid. 414 *5. oracles, vol. ii, p. 5. and in gorpheus h he well describes the social trinity: nay! virtue is the devil fs name for vice, and all your righteousness is filthy rags wherein ye strut, and hide the one base thought. to mask the truth, to worship, to forget; these three are one *orpheus, vol. iii, p. 208. the moral character of a nation is its true capital, and the two great laws of existence are. gt

er quick bosom; sinister the raving spectres reel; i see beyond my circe fs eyes no shape save vague cloud-measures that escape the dance fs whirling witchery. clothed with my flower-bride i sit, a harlot in a harlot fs dress, and laugh with careless wickedness. and with our laughter fs nails refix his torn flesh faster to the wood, and with more cruel zest make good the shackles of the crucifix *oracles, vol. ii, p. 14. the nymphomaniac, the lesbian, the man afflicted with pathic neurosis, satyriasis or priapism is no worse than any other maniac. true, the pornophobic mrs. grundy cries shame as she squints askew through the half-closed fingers of her hand, but we refuse to see why this pudibonderie of the old gunco gude h should make the discussion of gnymphomaniacs h a tabooed subject, w

ys: gthe influence of diet on dreams; of stimulants upon the fulness and the velocity of the stream of thought; the delirious phantoms generated by disease, by hashish, or by alcohol; will occur to everyone as examples of the marvellous sensitiveness of the apparatus of ideation to purely physical influences. h*2 *1. the girders of the soul which give her breathing are easy to be loosed. chaldean oracles, psell. 32, pleth. 8 *2. huxley fs hume, p. 106. not by the pipings of a bird in skies of blue on fields of gold, but by a fierce and loathly word the abomination must be told. the holy work must twist its spell from hemp of madness, grown in hell *gargoyles, vol. iii, p. 98. others again do not possess the stability of mind, the natural health and strength so necessary in this severe ment

THE HOLY BIBLE KING JAMES VERSION

he land of egypt, and in the red sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 7:37 this is that moses, which said unto the children of israel, a prophet shall the lord your god raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 7:38 this is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount sina, and [with] our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us: 7:39 to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust [him] from them, and in their hearts turned back again into egypt, 7:40 saying unto aaron, make us gods to go before us: for [as for] this moses, which brought us out of the land of egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 7:41 and they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the wo

one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 2:29 but he [is] a jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of god. 3:1 what advantage then hath the jew? or what profit [is there] of circumcision? 3:2 much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of god. 3:3 for what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of god without effect? 3:4 god forbid: yea, let god be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. 3:5 but if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of god, what shall we say [is] god unrighteous who taketh ve

suffered; 5:9 and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 5:10 called of god an high priest after the order of melchisedec. 5:11 of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. 5:12 for when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of god; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 5:13 for every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 5:14 but strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 6:1 therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of christ, let

is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 4:8 and above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 4:9 use hospitality one to another without grudging. 4:10 as every man hath received the gift [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of god. 4:11 if any man speak [let him speak] as the oracles of god; if any man minister [let him do it] as of the ability which god giveth: that god in all things may be glorified through jesus christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. amen. 4:12 beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 4:13 but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of christ s suff

TURNER ROBERT ARBETEL OF MAGICK

bus, sibi, congruenter respondentibus, ut inde opera prodeant, non sine corum admiratione qui causam ignorant. magick is the connexion of natural agents and patients, answerable each to other, wrought by a wise man, to the bringing forth of such effects as are wonderful to those that know not their causes. 3 in all these, zoroaster was well learned, especially in the first and highest: for in his oracles he confesseth god to be the first and the highest; he believeth of the trinity, which he would not investigate by any natural knowledge: he speaketh of angels, and of paradise; approveth the immortality of the soul; teacheth truth, faith, hope, and love, discoursing of the abstinence and charity of the magi. of this zoroaster, eusebius in the theology of the phoenicians, using zoroaster s

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

floor. those who have come to hear the judgments passed by the hierophant sit in respectful silence in pews extending down the length of the nave. they are permitted to hear the cases argued and judgments spoken, but are not allowed to speak. the ruling intelligence is a golden calf that occupies a pedestal behind the altar of sacrifice, which shows rusty traces of dried blood. it does not offer oracles, but remains mute. all of its laws have already been uttered and written down in a book bound with black calfskin, and there are no new revelations. those who seek guidance must do so by looking into the black book on its reading stand beside the altar. vi the lovers hebrew letter: zayin (sword) correspondence: gemini path: seventeenth a young man and young woman are united in marriage by

s bottom the depth of which cannot be guessed by looking at it. were the rope around his ankle to snap, it is possible that the inverted man would disappear below its surface. those who come walking along the roads stop and make gestures to the hanged man, trying to attract his attention. they even put on little pantomimes, but he ignores their efforts. the ruling intelligence of the trump speaks oracles of wisdom through the mouth of the hanged man without his awareness of what is spoken. it is an angel that possesses his body while his spirit is absent. xiii death hebrew letter: nun (fish) correspondence: scorpio path: twen ty-fourth the pallid, ghostly figure of death, who in waite's trump wears black armor and rides a pale horse, bears the black standard of a white rose. he carries no

TYSON DONALD THE MAGICAL WORKBOOK

lden dawn method of evocation. the various texts quoted play a prominent role in golden dawn magic. the invocation pronounced during the triple circumambulation to draw down the light, which begins "see that holy and formless fire" was modified somewhat from its golden dawn model. this was not a sacrilegious act on my part. the text was derived by the founders of the golden dawn from the chaldean oracles ofzoroaster and was modified by them from that older source to suit their purposes. i have merely carried on this traditional practice in magic of taking what you need and making it your own. it is important for beginners to shake off the superstition that rituals are inviolable patterns that must never be altered. rituals are created by individuals to accomplish specific purposes when wor

WALLIS BUDGE E A LEGENDS OF THE EGYPTIAN GODS

e in scourgings and fastings &c. hesiod speaks of "holy daemons (works and days, 126) and "guardians of mankind" and "bestowers of wealth" and these are regarded by plato as a "middle order of beings between the gods and men, interpreters of the wills of the gods to men, and ministering to their wants, carrying the prayers and supplications of mortals to heaven, and bringing down thence in return oracles and all other blessings of life" empedocles thought that the daemons underwent punishment, and that when chastened and purified they were restored to their original state [sec. xxvii. to this class belonged typhon, who was punished by isis. in memory of all she had done and suffered, she established certain rites and mysteries which were to be types and images of her deeds, and intended th

WILLIAM WESCOTT NUMBERS THEIR OCCULT POWER AND MYSTIC VIRTUES

the monad. of figures, those, which are characterized by equality and sameness, have relation to the monad; but those in which inequality and difference predominate are allied to the dyad. monad and dyad are also called bound and infinity. 1. it was called audacity, from its being the earliest number to separate itself from the divine one; from the adytum of god-nourished silence, as the chaldean oracles say. 2. it was called matter as being definite and the cause of bulk and division. 3. it is called the interval between multitude and the monad, because it is not yet perfect multitude, but is parturient with it. of this we an image in the dyad of arithmetic, for, as proclus observes, the dyad is the medium between unity and number, for unity by addition produces more than by multiplicatio

important; there are 3 quaternions of the celestial signs, the fixed, the movable and the common. in every zodiacal sign also there are 3 faces and 3 decans, and 3 lords of their triplicity; and among the planets, there are 3 fortunes and 3 infortunes; according to the chaldeans also, there are 3 ethereal words prior to the sphere of our fixed stars. 42. on account of the perfection of the triad, oracles were delivered from a tripod, as is related of the oracle at delphi. with regard to music, 3 is said to be mistress, because harmony contains 3 symphonies, the diapason, the diapente, and the diatessaron. numbers--th eir occu lt power an d mys tic vir tu es by w. wyn n wes tcott ezekiel xiv. v. 14 mentions 3 men who saw a creation, destruction and a restoration; noah of the whole world, da

WILLIAM WESCOTT THE CHALDEAN ORACLES OF ZOROASTER TRANSLATION

ears, souls of the faithful to live and reign, xx. 4. 1260 days, the two witnesses prophesy, xi. 3. 1260 days, the woman to be in the wilderness, xii. 6. 12,000 of each tribe chosen. 12,000 furlongs, length of the sides of the new jerusalem, xxi. 16. 144,000 chosen from the whole of the tribes. 100,000,000, or ten thousand times ten thousand angels, round the throne, v. ii# end of bpsthe chald an oracles attributed to zoroaster preface by sapere aude these oracles are considered to embody many of the principal features of chald an philosophy. they have come down to us through greek translations and were held in the greatest esteem throughout antiquity, a sentiment which was shared alike by the early christian fathers and the later platonists. the doctrines contained therein are attributed

e that the true sense of many passages has been obscured, and even in some cases hopelessly obliterated, by inadequate translation. where it has been possible to do so, an attempt has been made to, elucidate doubtful or ambiguous expressions, either by modifying the existing translation from the greek, where deemed permissible, or by appending annotations. it has been suggested by some that these oracles are of greek invention, but it has already been pointed out by stanley that picus de mirandula assured ficinus that he had the chaldee original in his possession "in which those things which are faulty and defective in the greek are read perfect and entire" and ficinus indeed states that he found this ms. upon the death of mirandula. in addition to this, it should be noted that here and th

s* and it is certain that the traditions of chaldea very largely influenced greek thought. taylor considers that some of these mystical utterances are the sources whence the sublime conceptions of plate were formed, and large commentaries were written upon them by porphyry, iamblichus, proclus, pletho and psellus. that men of such great learning and sagacity should have thought so highly of these oracles, is a fact which in itself should commend then to our attention. the term "oracles" was probably bestowed upon these epigrammatic utterances in order to enforce the idea of their profound and deeply mysterious nature. the chald ans, however, had an oracle, which they venerated as highly as the greeks did that at delphi* we are indebted to both psellus and pletho, for comments at some lengt

hich in itself should commend then to our attention. the term "oracles" was probably bestowed upon these epigrammatic utterances in order to enforce the idea of their profound and deeply mysterious nature. the chald ans, however, had an oracle, which they venerated as highly as the greeks did that at delphi* we are indebted to both psellus and pletho, for comments at some length upon the chaldaen oracles, and the collection adduced by these writers has been considerably enlarged by franciscus patricius, who made many additions from proclus, hermias, simplicius, damascius, synesius, olympiodorus, nicephorus and arnobius; his collection, which comprised some 324 oracles under general heads, was published in latin in 1593, and constitutes the groundwork of the later classification arrived at

y additions from proclus, hermias, simplicius, damascius, synesius, olympiodorus, nicephorus and arnobius; his collection, which comprised some 324 oracles under general heads, was published in latin in 1593, and constitutes the groundwork of the later classification arrived at by taylor and cory; all of these editions have been utilized in producing the present revise. a certain portion of these oracles collected by psellus, appear to be correctly attributed to a chald an zoroaster of very early date, and are marked "z" following the method indicated by taylor, with one or two exceptions. another portion is attributed to a sect of philosophers named theurgists, who flourished during the reign of marcus antoninus, upon the authority of proclus* and these are marked "t" oracles additional t

one or two exceptions. another portion is attributed to a sect of philosophers named theurgists, who flourished during the reign of marcus antoninus, upon the authority of proclus* and these are marked "t" oracles additional to these two series and of less definite source are marked "z or t" other oracular passages from miscellaneous authors are indicated by their names. the printed copies of the oracles to be found in england are the following: 1. oracula magica, ludovicus tiletanus, paris, 1563. 2. zoroaster et ejus 320 oracula chaldaica; by franciscus patricius 1593. 3. fred. morellus; zoroastris oracula. 1597. supplies about a hundred verses. 4. otto heurnius; barbaric philosophi antiquitatum libri duo 1600. 5. johannes opsopoeus; oracula magica zoroastris 1599. this includes commentar

ejus 320 oracula chaldaica; by franciscus patricius 1593. 3. fred. morellus; zoroastris oracula. 1597. supplies about a hundred verses. 4. otto heurnius; barbaric philosophi antiquitatum libri duo 1600. 5. johannes opsopoeus; oracula magica zoroastris 1599. this includes commentaries of pletho and psellus in latin. 1 of 13 6. servatus gall us; sibulliakoi chresmoi, 1688. contains a version of the oracles. 7. thomas stanley. the history of the chaldaic philosophy, 1701. this treatise contains the latin of patricius, and the commentaries of pletho and psellus in english. 8. johannes alb. fabricius, bibliotheca gr ca, 1705 7. quotes the oracles. 9. jacobus marthanus, 1689. this version contains the commentary of gemistus pletho. 10. thomas taylor, the chald an oracles, in the monthly magazine

705 7. quotes the oracles. 9. jacobus marthanus, 1689. this version contains the commentary of gemistus pletho. 10. thomas taylor, the chald an oracles, in the monthly magazine, and published independently, 1806. 11. biblioteca classica latina; a. lemaire, volume 124, paris 1823. 12. isaac preston cory, ancient fragments, london, 1828 (a third edition of this work has been published, omitting the oracles) 13. phoenix, new york, 1835. a collection of curious old tracts, among which are the oracles of zoroaster, copied from thomas taylor and i. p. cory; with an essay by edward gibbon_ notes* josephus, contra apion. i* stephanus, de urbibus* vide his scholia on the cratylus of plato. introduction by l. o. it has been believed by many, and not without good reason, that these terse and enigmati

he same fashion as the greeks: for amongst the chald ans, philosophy is delivered by tradition in the family, the son receiving it from his father, being exempted from all other employment; and thus having their parents for their teachers, they learn all things fully and abundantly, believing more firmly what is communicated to them* the remains then of this oral tradition seems to exist in these oracles, which should be studied in the light of the kabalah and of egyptian theology. students are aware that the kabalah* is susceptible of extraordinary interpretation with the aid of the tarot, resuming as the latter does, the very roots of egyptian theology. had a similar course been adopted by commentators in the past, the chald an system expounded in these oracles would not have been distor

ectual activity, and the intelligible conceptions before referred to. each of these operations is distinct from the others, and, moreover, conducted in separate matrices, or vehicula. the anatomy of the soul was, however, carried much farther than this, and, although in its ultimate radix recognised as identical with the divinity, yet in manifested being it was conceived to be highly complex. the oracles speak of the "paths of the soul" the tracings of inflexible fire by which its essential parts are associated in integrity; while its various "summits "fountains" and "vehicula" are all traceable by analogy with universal principles. this latter fact is, 5 of 13 indeed, not the least remarkable feature of the chald an system. like several of the ancient cosmogonies, the principal characteri

hald an doctrine as recorded by psellus, considered man to be composed of three kinds of souls, which may respectively be called: first, the intelligible, or divine soul, second, the intellect or rational soul, and third, the irrational, or passional soul. this latter was regarded as subject to mutation, to be dissolved and perish at the death of the body. of the intelligible, or divine soul, the oracles teach that "it is a bright fire, which, by the power of the father, remaineth immortal, and is mistress of life" its power may be dimly apprehended through regenerate phantasy and when the sphere of the intellect has ceased to respond to the images of the passional nature. concerning the rational soul, the chald ans taught that it was possible for it to assimilate itself unto the divinity

s immortal, that: of the rational soul by approximation became so; while to the irrational soul was allotted what was called "the image" that is, the astral form of the physical body. physical life thus integrates three special modes of activity, which upon the dissolution of the body are respectively involved in the web of fate consequent upon incarnate energies in three different destinies. the oracles urge men to devote themselves to things divine, and not to give way to the promptings of the irrational soul, for, to such as fail herein, it is significantly said "thy vessel the beasts of the earth shall inhabit" the chald ans assigned the place of the image, the vehicle of the irrational soul, to the lunar sphere; it is probable that by the lunar sphere was meant something more than the

the interior unfoldment; in early life the disciples of the magi learnt to resolve the bonds of proscription and enter the immeasurable region. one oracle assures us that "the girders of the soul, which give her; breathing, are easy to be unloosed" and elsewhere we read of the "melody of the ether" and of the "lunar clashings" experiences which testify to the reality of their occult methods. the oracles assert that the impressions of characters and other divine visions appear in the ether. the chald an philosophy recognized the ethers of the elements as the subtil media through which the operation of the grosser elements is effected by the grosser elements i mean what we know as earth, air, water and fire the principles of dryness and moisture, of heat and cold. these subtil ethers are re

tical with the process of indian yoga, and is an idea which appears replete with suggestion; as it is written "he assimilates the images to himself casting them around his own form" but we are told "all divine natures are incorporeal, but bodies are bound in them for your sakes" the subtil ethers, of which i have spoken, served is their turn as it were for the garment of the divine light; for the oracles teach that beyond these again "a solar world and endless light subsist" this divine light was the object of all veneration. do not think that what was intended thereby was the solar light we know "the inerratic sphere of the starless above" is an unmistakable expression and therein "the more true sun" has place: theosophists will appreciate the significance of "the more true sun" for accor

similar web of generation in the world, according to zoroaster, who thinks that as often as the same causes return, the same effects will in like manner return" this is of course the explanation of the proverb that "history repeats itself" and is very far from the superstitious view of fate. here each one receives his deserts according to merit or demerit, and these are the bonds of life; but the oracles say "enlarge not thy destiny" and they urge men to "explore the river of the soul, so that although you have become a servant to body, you may again rise to the order from which you descended, joining works to sacred reason" to this end we are commended to learn the intelligible which exists beyond the mind, that divine portion of the being which exists beyond intellect: and this it is onl

obscure the sun; for of such as make ascent to the most divine of speculations in a confused and disordered manner, with unhallowed lips, or unwashed feet, the progressions are imperfect, the impulses are vain and the paths are dark. although destiny, our destiny, may be "written in the stars" yet it was the mission of the divine soul to raise the human soul above the circle of necessity, and the oracles give victory to that masterly will, which "hews the wall with might of magic, breaks the palisade in pieces, hews to atoms seven pickets speaks the master words of knowledge" the means taken to that consummation consisted in the training of the will and the elevation of the imagination, a divine power which controls consciousness "relieve yourself to be above body, and you are" says the or

nto persia and arabia that borders upon it; for which reason the learning of the chald ans, persians and arabians is comprehended under the general title of chald an**diodorus, lib. i**vide kabalah denudata, by macgregor mathers**they renounced rich attire and the wearing of gold, their raiment was white upon occasion; their beds the ground, and their food nothing but herbs, cheese and bread. the oracles of zoroaster_ cause. god. father. mind. fire monad. dyad. triad. 1. but god is he having the head of the hawk. the same is the first, incorruptible, eternal, unbegotten, indivisible, dissimilar: the dispenser of all good; indestructible; the best of the good, the wisest of the wise; he is the father of equity and justice, self-taught, physical, perfect, and wise he who inspires the sacred

tible, eternal, unbegotten, indivisible, dissimilar: the dispenser of all good; indestructible; the best of the good, the wisest of the wise; he is the father of equity and justice, self-taught, physical, perfect, and wise he who inspires the sacred philosophy. eusebius. pr paratio evangelica, liber. i, chap. x, this oracle does not appear in either of the ancient collections, nor in the group of oracles given by any of the mediaeval occultists. cory seems to have been the first to discover it in the voluminous writings of eusebius, who attributes the authorship to the persian zoroaster_ 2. theurgists assert that he is a god and celebrate him as both older and younger, as a circulating and eternal god, as understanding the whole number of all things moving in the world, and moreover infini

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