Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library
SOLSTICE,SOLSTICES

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18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

olle' they say of a man whose hair sticks up in tangled disorder; so cliildrcn are frightened with her or her equally hideous train :2 'hush, there's hidle-hdz(-bruin, hidlc-popd(-bogie) coming' iiolle-2xicr, as well as hersche, harsche, hescheklas, euprecht, eupper (ch. xvii, house-sprites, is among the names given to the muffled servitor who goes about in holle's train at the time of the winter solstice. in a nurs3ry-tale (marchen no. 24) she is depicted as an old witch with long teeth; according to the difference of story, her kind and gracious aspect is exchanged for a dark and dreadful one. again, holla is set before us as a spinning-wife; the cultivation of flax is assigned to her. industrious maids she presents with spindles, and spins their reels full for them over night; a slothfu

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK SPELLS

f europe that has, in spite of ferocious persecution from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, survived in the folk tradition of many lands and through families who kept alive the old beliefs and worship of the earth and the moon mother. not so many centuries ago, our ancestors burned yule logs at christmas as a symbolic gesture to bring light and warmth back to the world on the mid-winter solstice at the darkest time. they danced around the maypole on may morning, the beginning of the old celtic summer, to stir into life the earth energies in a sacred spiral pattern. these rituals go back into the mists of time and appear in similar forms in many different cultures and ages. today, however, too many modern societies have lost the sacred connection and scorn such gestures as superst

se or wolf. by the neolithic period, which began around 7500 bc and lasted until about 5500 bc, the huntergatherer culture had given way to the development of agriculture, and the god evolved into the sonconsort of the earth mother. he was the god of vegetation, corn, winter and death, who offered himself as a sacrifice each year with the cutting down of the corn, and was reborn at the mid-winter solstice, as the sun god. the neolithic period also saw the development of shrines to the triple goddess who became associated with the three phases of the moon: waxing, full and waning. the moon provided one of the earliest ways by which people calculated time. since its cycles coincided with the female menstrual cycle, which ceased for nine moons if a women was pregnant, the moon became linked w

ite 'widdershins) throughout this book when referring to the direction of circles. these terms are clearer than clockwise and anticlockwise, because as long as you think in terms of the direction of the sun, the terms can be applied wherever you are standing on the globe. practitioners in the southern hemisphere will also need to alter the dates i have given. for them, for example, the mid-winter solstice is celebrated on or around 21 june and the summer solstice, when the sun is at it most powerful, is around 21 december. in the same way, the two annual equinoxes, when there is equal day and equal night, move round so that the spring equinox falls around 21 september and the autumn equinox around 21 march. it is perhaps better to think in terms of the wheel of the year, rather than our mo

ability to seize upon an opportunity, and is effective for uncovering secrets, deception and illusion. lugh lugh, the celtic 'shining one, who gives his name to lughnassadh, celtic festival of the first harvest, was the young solar deity who replaced the dagda, father of the gods, as supreme king. he was associated with sacrifice, as the sun king who was reborn each year at either the mid-winter solstice or the spring equinox. legend has it that when lugh arrived to join the tuatha de danaan, he went to the palace of tara and asked for a position in the court (the tuatha de danaan were the ancient irish gods and goddesses, literally 'the tribe of danu, who was the creatrix goddess) he said he was a carpenter, but was told that the company of gods already had one. lugh then declared he was

y. ruled by jupiter. st john's wort (hypericum) st john's wort relieves depression, anxiety, neuralgia, headaches and irritability during the menopause. it is good for relief from pain, helping with fibrositis, sciatica and rheumatism. it is an anti-inflammatory, and so speeds the healing of burns and wounds. st john's wort is the golden herb of midsummer and symbol of the longest day, the summer solstice and the full power of the sun. it offers fertility and powers to attract love, especially if picked on the eve of st john, 23 june, at midnight. traditionally, it was worn in battle for courage, and it can also bring decisiveness. use it for protection, especially if combined with dill and vervain. ruled by the sun. tarragon a mild stimulant, tarragon helps the nervous system to overcome

in your pocket, or you could drill a hole and thread a ribbon through an amulet and hang it around your neck. they may also be placed in a house to offer protection against danger and illness. protective crystals (see page 153) also make good amulets and empowered herbs of protection (see chapter 6, carried in a purse or bag are potent in the same way. traditionally, the week before the midsummer solstice is the time for making protective amulets, so that they can be passed through flame or held up to the sun on the solstice day at noon. salt salt has always been central to religious and magical practices because it is an absolutely pure substance. it is powerful for psychic protection but also in money-making and in healing rituals. centuries ago, it was regarded as precious because it wa

food in the summer and autumn and give birth at a time when she would naturally be resting for the winter with the dark nights. this would enable her to spend time with the infant before returning to the fields or to tend the herds in spring. this pattern is reflected in the old myths of the virgin goddess, who became pregnant at the spring equinox and gave birth to the new sun on the mid-winter solstice that became christianised as our christmas. so in these earlier and by no means idyllic times, everything- earth, cattle, corn, humans and animals- was in harmony, not only physically, but spiritually. fertility spells and the rituals marking the passing of the year were a natural part of popular folk magick and of the everyday world and with the celebration of the harvest, so blessings w

th. depicted around the wheels are totem, or power, animals, representing each birth month and season, the four main directions and winds. the totems vary according to each tribe's mythology. there are more than 500 different systems in north america alone. in the southern hemisphere, as i explained on page 42, practitioners can re-time the magical associations so that, for example, the midwinter solstice falls in mid-june, rather than december. however, some parts of the world do not have four seasons. for example, parts of australia and other lands in the southern hemisphere have just two, the wet and the dry, and others have three or six seasons. in parts of the us too, there are not such definite seasonal variations, while in northern areas of scandinavia and canada, it may still be sn

s he is sometimes known, was the spirit of plants, trees and vegetables, fruit and vegetation, the male spring deity, consort of the earth mother and an early forerunner of both robin hood and st george. the mother goddess in her maiden aspect mated with the ascended sun god or, in popular folk tradition the green man, so that the conceived infant would be reborn as the new sun at the next winter solstice, thus ensuring the wheel of the year continued to turn. in the christian church, 25 march is the feast of the annunciation of the blessed virgin mary when gabriel told her she was with child. the energies of this festival are good for cleansing the seas and air of pollution, for new peace-making initiatives of all kinds, for beginning reforestation and regeneration projects, the reclamati

rn slowly down or go out* end the ritual by taking scarlet ribbons and spiraling round the fire or candle, waving them like flames, as you chant. finally throw them into the air, away from the flame* allow the fire or candle to burn down. afterwards, make up small posies of flowers to leave on the doorsteps of people who you know would appreciate them- perhaps the ill or lonely. litha, the summer solstice time: three days beginning from sunset around 20 june (20 december in the southern hemisphere) focus: full potency, illumination, mysteries revealed; healing, the height of joy, fulfilment, the need to seize the moment. the summer solstice has been celebrated in cultures as far apart as russia and north america, where sun dances were an assertion of power and courage and in a new form sti

, illumination, mysteries revealed; healing, the height of joy, fulfilment, the need to seize the moment. the summer solstice has been celebrated in cultures as far apart as russia and north america, where sun dances were an assertion of power and courage and in a new form still bring healing to the nations and the earth. the height of the festival is the first light falling on the morning of the solstice, like a shaft of gold across standing stones and stone circles, linking the dimensions. many circles throughout europe and scandinavia, such as stonehenge in wiltshire, are aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, as are a number of stone medicine wheels in america and canada. these places, built on centres of great power, have accumulated not only the power of the thousands of midsummer s

nd with a midsummer tree, or pole, decorated with greenery and flowers forming the centrepiece of music and revels. there is feasting in towns as well as the countryside in what is a national event and thousands of people gather as they have for centuries at focal points such as the island of oland on the stockholm archipelago. st john's wort, the golden herb of midsummer and symbol of the summer solstice, was said to offer fertility and powers to attract love if picked at midnight on 23 june, the eve of st john's day, or the eve of the actual solstice. hopeful lovers would carry it or place it under a pillow. the power of the summer solstice can be harnessed for tackling seemingly insoluble problems and bringing light and life and hope to those who are depressed or who have been unable th

d for tackling seemingly insoluble problems and bringing light and life and hope to those who are depressed or who have been unable through circumstances such as poverty to fulfil their potential. it can help to tackle global warming, famine and disease, and to prevent oppression of people and cruelty in intensive farming methods where livestock suffer for human greed. on a personal level, summer solstice rituals are for courage, male potency and fertility, for achievement, success, confidence, health and happiness, for fulfilling potential and providing everexpanding opportunities both physical, mental and spiritual. these spells are especially potent for maturing adults approaching middle age. associations candle colours: gold, orange or red to mirror the sun at its height symbols: brigh

le age. associations candle colours: gold, orange or red to mirror the sun at its height symbols: brightly-coloured flowers, oak boughs, golden fern pollen that is said to reveal buried treasure wherever it falls crystals: amber, carnelian, citrine, golden beryl, sunstone flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: chamomile, dill, elder, fennel, frankincense, lavender, st john's wort and vervain a summer solstice stone ritual this ritual can be used to absorb the courage, power and joy of the season. you can carry out this ritual at any time during the three-day period. you might like to perform it at dusk on the eve of the solstice or at one of the other traditional times, such as midnight, the dawn of the solstice day or noon. alternatively, you may prefer to watch the actual solstice sunrise fr

er traditional times, such as midnight, the dawn of the solstice day or noon. alternatively, you may prefer to watch the actual solstice sunrise from a hill or an open place or even close to one of the sacred sites at dawn* take eight large, long, rounded stones, one for each spoke on the wheel of the year* arrange them around the edges of a circle. the eight points correspond with the mid-winter solstice in the north, imbolc in the north-east, the spring equinox in the east, beltain in the south-east, the summer solstice in the south, lughnassadh in the south-west, the autumn equinox in the west, and samhain in the north-west (in the southern hemisphere, they will all move six months so that the summer solstice is in the north, etc* in front of each stone, place a yellow beeswax or gold c

ircle, one at each of the points of the year, with the rest of the coven standing in the north, in a line, facing the south. if you are alone, you may wish to adapt the ritual so the stones and candles are smaller. place the central candle on your altar, which will on this occasion be standing in the north, facing the south, and move round the altar in a circle* enter the circle at the mid-winter solstice (north, the position of the birth of the sun, and light the central candle, saying: sun, sacred centre of warmth, light, light and fertility, i greet you on this your time of glory* behind the candle, light a semicircle of frankincense sticks, saying: sun who has been from the beginning, king, god, father, orb of inspiration, i greet you now at this your time of glory* face the north and

equinox candle, saying: once more you overcome the darkness; the throne of light is yours to ascend and longer days are won* move to the south-east and, facing this direction, light the beltain candle, saying: your warmth brings green growth once more to the barren earth. i kindle fires to draw your healing strength and the corn will grow high* move to the south, face the direction of the summer solstice, light the candle and say: the sun is at its height and all nature filled with power. the lord and lady of the universe, sky and earth, are joined on this day* around the summer solstice candle, scatter a circle of dried or fresh dill, st john's wort, vervain and clover (trefoil- these are the herbs that bloom at this time and were used to exorcise harm and bring protection to home and pe

herbs in a tiny purse or drawstring bag. keep it and place it beneath your pillow before sleep. you will, it is said, dream of the person who can make you happy and also, if you add some golden pollen to the sachet, of ways of increasing your wealth* light the final three candles in turn, saying: wheel turn, though light from henceforth falls, turn year, till spring and new life calls* leave your solstice wheel of candles to burn down* the following day, when daylight comes again, plant golden flowers and spend the day in the open air if at all possible, enjoying every moment of light until you witness the sun setting in the west. lughnassadh, the festival of the corn harvest this festival accords with many of wiccan principles, especially the threefold law. time: sunset 31 july-sunset 2 a

ALEISTER CROWLEY AD MEIORUM CTHULHI GLORIAM

om the stone of the wise and certain of the formulae in this book, to go on about his business like unto a living man. with simon's manuscript, barnes' occult vision and aesthetic scruples, and wasserman's production experience and tireless labour, the abhorred necronomicon began to take shape and the first edition smote the stands on december 22, 1977- the ancient pagan feast of yule, the winter solstice. yet, not without a number of bizarre occurrences that more than once threatened the lives, the sanity, and the astral bodies of the three individuals most deeply involved. jim wasserman was subjected to what we may vaguely refer to as "poltergeist" activity during the time he worked on production and design aspects of the book. a room which, for certain loathsome purposes, was always kep

om the stone of the wise and certain of the formulae in this book, to go on about his business like unto a living man. with simon's manuscript, barnes' occult vision and aesthetic scruples, and wasserman's production experience and tireless labour, the abhorred necronomicon began to take shape and the first edition smote the stands on december 22, 1977- the ancient pagan feast of yule, the winter solstice. yet, not without a number of bizarre occurrences that more than once threatened the lives, the sanity, and the astral bodies of the three individuals most deeply involved. jim wasserman was subjected to what we may vaguely refer to as "poltergeist" activity during the time he worked on production and design aspects of the book. a room which, for certain loathsome purposes, was always kep

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

pan! io pan! io pan! io pan pan! i am awake in the grip of the snake. the eagle slashes with beak and claw; the gods withdraw: the great beasts come, io pan! i am borne to death on the horn of the unicorn. i am pan! io pan! io pan pan! pan! vi i am thy mate, i am thy man, goat of thy flock, i am gold, i am god, flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod. with hoofs of steel i race on the rocks through solstice stubborn to equinox. and i rave; and i rape and i rip and i rend everlasting, world without end, mannikin, maiden, maenad, man, in the might of pan. io pan! io pan pan! pan! io pan- vii illustration on page viii described: this is the set of photos originally published facing page 12 in equinox i, 2 and titled there "the signs of the grades" these are arranged as ten panels* in this re-pu

35 dwelling as they did in lands whose blood was the water of the nile or the euphrates, connected the south with life-withering heat, and cursed that quarter where the solar darts were deadliest. even in the legend of hiram, it is at high noon that he is stricken down and slain. capricornus is moreover the sign which the sun enterers when he reaches his extreme southern declination at the winter solstice, the season of the death of vegetation, for the folk of the northern hemisphere. this gave them a second cause for cursing the south. a third; the tyranny of hot, dry, poisonous winds; the menace of deserts or oceans dreadful because mysterious and impassable; these also were connected in their minds with the south. but to us, aware of astronomical facts, this antagonism to the south is a

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 5

triangle that ascendeth is hadit. and i am the golden tau in the midst of their marriage. also, if he choose, he may instead wear a close-fitting robe of shot silk, purple and green, and upon it a cloak without sleeves, of bright blue, covered with golden sequins, and scarlet within. and he shall make himself a wand of almond wood or of hazel cut by his own hands at dawn at the equinox, or at the solstice, or on the day of corpus christi, or on one of the feast-days that are appointed in the book of the law. and he shall engrave with his own hand upon a plate of gold the holy sevenfold table, or the holy twelvefold table, or some particular device. and it shall be foursquare within a circle, and the circle shall be winged, and he shall attach it about his forehead by a ribbon of blue silk

ALEX SANDERS THE KING OF THE WITCHES

at midnight on 20 december when the cauldron is wreathed with holly, ivy and mistletoe and the ritual symbolizes the rebirth of the sun. candlemas, on i february, is devoted to mass initiations. the spring equinox on 20 march is the major fertility sabbath. beltane,or may eve sabbath, on 30 april, another fertility sabbath but not so important as the equinox. midsummer night festival, the summer solstice, is on 21 june and is a social occasion when witches from some distance band together. august eve or lammas festival begins on 31 july and is primarily concerned with making spells to ensure a good harvest of crops, stock or money. the autumn equinox, on 20 september, is the equivalent of the christian harvest festival. home-grown or home-made produce is brought but none is eaten; it is d

ALEXANDRIAN BOOK OF SHADOWS OCCULT

es the gale. and by the ferndrakes, faerie haunted, of forests wild and woods enchanted. come, o come! to the heartbeat's drum! come to us who gather below, when the broad white moon is climbing slow. through the stars to the heavens' height, we hear thy hoofs on the wind of night! as black tree branches shake and sigh, by joy and terror we know thee nigh. we speak the spell thy power unlocks, at solstice sabbath and equinox" notes l lots of published sources for this one, in several variants l michael harrison's the roots of witchcraft attempts to explain it. published sources include: doreen valiente witchcraft for tomorrow. her version continues beyond the part given here. i believe she says that she wrote everything in this book, but i'm not sure. m m grimoire of lady sheba (this is he

ALICE A BAILEY10 FROM BETHLEHEM TO CALVARY

ndences with the stories of former sungods and with the actual career of the sun through the heavens so many indeed that they cannot well be attributed to mere coincidence or even to the blasphemous wiles of the devil! let us enumerate some of these. there are (1) birth from a virgin mother (2) the birth in a stable (cave or underground chamber; and (3) on the 25th december (just after the winter solstice. there is (4) the star in the east (sirius) and (5) the arrival of the magi (the `three kings; there is (6) the threatened massacre of the innocents, and the consequent flight into a distant country (told also of krishna and other sungods. there are the church festivals of (7) candlemas (2nd february, with processions of candles to symbolise the growing light; of (8) lent, or the arrival

day; there are the festivals of (18) the assumption of the virgin (15th august) and of (19) the nativity of the virgin (8th september, corresponding to the movement of the god through virgo; there is the conflict of christ and his disciples with the autumnal asterisms (20) the serpent and the scorpion; and finally there is the curious fact that the church (21) dedicates the very day of the winter solstice (when any one may very naturally doubt the re-birth of the sun) to st. thomas, who doubted the truth of the resurrection!"40 any student of comparative religion can investigate the truth of these statements, and at the end will stand amazed at the persistence of god's love and the willingness to sacrifice themselves which all these sons of god manifest. it is therefore wise and timely to

xed at rome, in order that while the heathen were busy with their ceremonies (the brumalia, in honour of bacchus) the christians might perform their rites undisturbed'"42 the choice of this particular date is cosmic in its implications, and not unwittingly, we can be sure, did the wise men of earlier times make these momentous decisions. annie besant tells us that "he is always born at the winter solstice, after the shortest day in the year, at the midnight of the 24th december when the sign virgo is rising above the horizon; born as this sign is rising, he is born always of a virgin, and she remains a virgin after she has given birth to her sun-child as the celestial virgo remains unchanged and unsullied when the sun comes forth from her in the heavens. weak, feeble as an infant is he, bo

ALICE BAILEY THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

f the christ, and on the twenty-fifth of december down the centuries the birth of the world savior has been celebrated; but in very ancient days, the birthday of the infant sun gods was in cancer. we are told "the birthday of the infant jesus, being arbitrarily set by the priests, produces a serious discrepancy, as we are told he was born in a manger. the manger is found in the sign of the summer solstice, the constellation cancer, which was called the gate of the sun through which souls were said to descend from their heavenly home to earth, just as at the winter solstice in december, they were said to return to their heavenly or celestial home, the constellation capricorn, the other gate of the sun. capricorn was the sign from which sungods were said to the born at the winter solstice an

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

e rules that may help the inquirer to ferret out "the deep significance of ancient sanskrit nomenclature in the old aryan myths and allegories" meanwhile, let us see what has been hitherto stated about the constellation capricornus in theosophical publications, and what is known of it generally. every one knows that[[diagram] is the tenth sign of the zodiac into which the sun enters at the winter solstice, about december 21st. but very few are those who know- even in india, unless they are initiated- the real mystic connection which seems to exist, as we are told, between the names makara and kumara. the first means some amphibious animal called flippantly 'crocodile' as some orientalists think, and the second is the title of the great patrons of yogins (see "saiva puranas) the sons of, an

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

mystery, and it is not easy to make it clear. there is a passage in the bhagavatgita (ch. viii) wherein krishna, speaking symbolically and esoterically, says "i will state the times (conditions. at which devotees departing (from this life) do so never to return (be reborn, or to return (to incarnate again. the fire, the flame, the day, the bright (lucky) fortnight, the six months of the northern solstice, departing (dying) in these, those who know the brahman (yogis) go to the brahman. smoke, night, the dark (unlucky) fortnight, the six months of the southern solstice (dying) in these, the devotee goes to the lunar light (or mansion the astral light also) and returns (is reborn. these two paths, bright and dark, are said to be eternal in this world (or great kalpa 'age. by the one a man g

ht that in many places the joints are not seen, though many of the stones, as in peru, are 18 ft. thick, and in the walls of the fortress of cuzco there are stones of a still greater size (acosta, vi, 14 "again, the walls of syene, built 5,400 years ago, when that spot was exactly under the tropic, which it has now ceased to be, were so constructed that at noon, at the precise moment of the solar solstice, the entire disc of the sun was seen reflected on their surface- a work which the united skill of all the astronomers of europe would not now be able to effect (kenealy "book of god[[vol. 1, page] 210 the secret doctrine. function, and still regard it in the light of a religious ceremony, whereas the more civilized nations consider it as a mere animal function. compare the western views a

lity the cherub, or seraph, the fiery-winged serpent, is as much pagan as that of the egyptians or the chaldeans. these four animals are, in reality, the symbols of the four elements, and of the four lower principles in man. nevertheless, they correspond physically and materially to the four constellations that form, so to speak, the suite or cortege of the solar god, and occupy during the winter solstice the four cardinal points of the zodiacal circle. these four "animals" may be seen in many of the roman catholic new testaments where the portraits of the evangelists are given. they are the animals of ezekiel's mercabah. as truly stated by ragon "the ancient hierophants have combined so cleverly the dogmas and symbols of their religious philosophies, that these symbols can be fully explai

BLUE EQUINOX

n! io pan! io pan pan! i am awake in the grip of the snake. the eagle slashes with beak and claw; hymn to pan 7 the gods withdraw: the great beasts come, io pan! i am borne to death on the horn of the unicorn. i am pan! io pan! io pan pan! pan! i am thy mate, i am thy man, goat of thy flock, i am gold, i am god, flesh to thy bone, flower to thy rod. with hoofs of steel i race on the rocks through solstice stubborn to equinox. and i rave; and i rape and i rip and i rend everlasting, world without end, mannikin, maiden, maenad, man, in the might of pan. io pan! io pan pan! pan! io pan! 9 editorial do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law the world needs religion. religion must represent truth, and celebrate it. this truth is of two orders: one, concerning nature external to man; two

d thy soul against the snares of self; deserve for it the name of .diamond-soul. here is another muddle, for the words .soul. and .self. have previously been used in exactly the opposite meaning. if any meaning at all is to be attached to this verse and to verse 59, it is that the progress downwards, the progress of the redeemer of the sun as he descends from the zenith, or passes from the summer solstice to his doom, must be a voluntary absorption of death in order to turn it into life. never again must the adept be deceived by his impressions, though there is that part of him which suffers. the equinox 104 59. for, as the diamond buried deep within the throbbing heart of earth can never mirror back the earthly lights, so are thy mind and soul; plunged in dhyana-marga, these must mirror n

BUCKLAND RAYMOND COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT

s and ale. lesson six sabbats samhain; beltane; imbolc; lughnasadh. 79 lesson seven meditation, dreams and the minor sabbats meditation how meditation works; technique; posture; area; time of day: method. dreams the source; dream interpretation and symbology; remembering dreams; personal symbols; the repetitive dream; group dreams; dreams vs out-of-body experiences. rituals spring equinox; summer solstice; autumnal equinox; winter solstice. lesson eight 97 marriage, birth, death and channeling handfasting rite; handparting rite; birth rite; crossing the bridge. the intuitive process-categories of channeling; clearing the channel; external focal points; interpreting channeled information. the aura. sensory deprivation. the witches' cradle. lesson nine 111 divination, tarot; scrying; saxon w

l or frolic. there are eight of these, spaced more or less equidistant throughout the year. they are, the four"greater sabbats: samhain (pronounced "soe-in, though the vast majority of witches mispronounce it "sam-ain, imbolc (pronounced "7m-bulk, beltane (pronounced "b'yal-t'n) and lughnasadh (pronounced "loo-n'sar")t and the four "lesser sab-bats: spring and autumn equinox and summer and winter solstice. margaret murray, in god of the witches 'depending on the time of year. tyou will find much disagreement on the subject of pronunciation. don't worry too much about it. lesson five: covens and rituals/ 61 points out that the two most important samhain and beltane coincide with the breeding seasons of both wild and domestic animals. the pagan festivals were later exploited by the christian

81, where nearly eight hundred witches and pagans were in attendance. but whether you can join forces with others or you celebrate as a single coven or even as a solitary witch (more on this later) the keyword is "celebration. as the goddess is honored with the phases of the moon, so is the god at certain of the phases of the sun. these are the "lesser sabbats" that occur at the summer and winter solstice and the spring and autumn equinox. the four "greater sabbats" are more in the nature of seasonal, rather than specifically solar, festivals and are therefore times for general celebration with both god and goddess duly honored. janet and stewart farrar, in their book eight sabbats for witches (robert hale, london, 1981, suggest a deeper leit motif for the horned god, with a duality which

in front of you. in the oobe, however, your awareness is all-encompassing. you see not only what is in front but also what is behind, above, below and on the sides all at the same time. do not attempt to interpret an oobe as you would a dream. rituals continued last lesson i detailed the four major, or greater, sabbats. now we'll look at the four minor, or lesser, sabbats: spring equinox; summer solstice; autumnal equinox and winter solstice (or yule. in actual lesson seven: meditation, dreams and the minor sabbats/ 89 fact the terms "major" and "minor, or "greater" and "lesser, are misnomers for each is as important as the other. spring equinox sabbat let there be a bundle of spring wild flowers lying on or beside the altar. the coveners may wear flowers in their hair if they wish. on th

of life and a part of us" priest and priestess kiss, and priestess replaces bowl on altar. they then move around the circle, kissing and hugging each of the coveners. bell is rung three times. then shall follow the ceremony of cakes and ale. after that the clearing the temple is performed so that there is plenty of room for fun, games and entertainment. the evening concludes with a feast. summer solstice sabbat the altar cloth and candles should be white. the circle may be decorated with summer flowers, fruits, green branches or whatever is felt to be appropriate. in the south quarter stands a cauldron filled with water, with an aspergillum beside it. on the altar is an extra, large candle, unlit. beside or on the altar is the priest's horned helmet. the erecting the temple is performed

go where it may be needed" all "so mote it be" priest/ess "then may the lord and the lady bless these offerings, bless the givers and bless those who will receive" the bell is rung three times. then shall follow the ceremony of cakes and ale. after that the clearing the temple is performed so that there is plenty of room for fun, games and entertainment. the evening concludes with a feast. winter solstice sabbat the altar cloth and the candles should be purple. the circle may be decorated with holly, mistletoe, ivy, etc. there is a cauldron in the south, filled with kindling. the priest's horned helmet is beside the altar. short tapers (one for each covener) lie on the altar. the bell is rung three times. priest sits or kneels in the center of the circle. covener "blessed are the gods who

s on related paths" they publish an annual source, which i recommend to the seeker, the circle guide to pagan resources. i also recommend their quarterly newspaper, circle network news. circle sponsors a variety of seminars, concerts and workshops at their home base and around the country. at least once a year they also sponsor a special program for wiccan and other pagan ministers, and at summer solstice hold the national pagan spirit gathering. circle is incorporated as a non-profit spiritual center and is recognized as a legal wiccan church by state and federal governments. circle differs from many traditions of wicca in that it is more aligned with shamanism and, it seems to me, amerindian ways than with the wicca of western europe found in the majority of craft traditions. this is not

be remembered that they are both there at all times. neither of them "dies" and is gone. 3. the emphasis is on the goddess but bear in mind my answer to question 2, so she is not supreme "to the exclusion of the other" 4. erecting the temple; full moon rite; sabbat rite; cakes and ale; celebrations; clearing the temple. 5 (a) samhain (b) beltane. 6. no, it is one of the lesser sabbats the winter solstice; december 21st. lesson seven 1. it is a listening. listening to the higher self (inner self; creative force; higher consciousness; the gods themselves however you wish to relate to it. it differs from prayer in that prayer is an asking whereas meditation, as i have said, is a listening (perhaps even listening to the answer to a prayer. 2. to keep the spine straight. 3. there really is no

CASSANDRA EASON A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

n spite of ferocious persecution from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, survived in the folk tradition of many lands and through families who seite 2 wicca01.txt kept alive the old beliefs and worship of the earth and the moon mother. not so many centuries ago, our ancestors burned yule logs at christmas as a symbolic gesture to bring light and warmth back to the world on the mid-winter solstice at the darkest time. they danced around the maypole on may morning, the beginning of the old celtic summer, to stir into life the earth energies in a sacred spiral pattern. these rituals go back into the mists of time and appear in similar forms in many different cultures and ages. today, however, too many modern societies have lost the sacred connection and scorn such gestures as superst

or wolf. by the neolithic period, which began around 7500 bc and lasted until about 5500 bc, the hunter-gatherer culture had given way to the development of agriculture, and the god evolved into the son-consort of the earth mother. he was the god of vegetation, corn, winter and death, who offered himself as a sacrifice each year with the cutting down of the corn, and was reborn at the mid-winter solstice, as the sun god. the neolithic period also saw the development of shrines to the triple goddess who became associated with the three phases of the moon: waxing, full and waning. the moon provided one of the earliest ways by which people calculated time. since its cycles coincided with the female menstrual cycle, which ceased for nine moons if a women was pregnant, the moon became linked w

ite 'widdershins) throughout this book when referring to the direction of circles. these terms are clearer than clockwise and anticlockwise, because as long as you think in terms of the direction of the sun, the terms can be applied wherever you are standing on the globe. practitioners in the southern hemisphere will also need to alter the dates i have given. for them, for example, the mid-winter solstice is celebrated on or around 21 seite 22 wicca01.txt june and the summer solstice, when the sun is at it most powerful, is around 21 december. in the same way, the two annual equinoxes, when there is equal day and equal night, move round so that the spring equinox falls around 21 september and the autumn equinox around 21 march. it is perhaps better to think in terms of the wheel of the yea

ability to seize upon an opportunity, and is effective for uncovering secrets, deception and illusion. lugh lugh, the celtic 'shining one, who gives his name to lughnassadh, celtic festival of the first harvest, was the young solar deity who replaced the dagda, father of the gods, as supreme king. he was associated with sacrifice, as the sun king who was reborn each year at either the mid-winter solstice or the spring equinox. legend has it that when lugh arrived to join the tuatha de danaan, he went to the palace of tara and asked for a position in the court (the tuatha de danaan were the ancient irish gods and goddesses, literally 'the tribe of danu, who was the creatrix goddess) he said he was a carpenter, but was told that the company of gods already had one. seite 34 wicca01.txt lugh

st john's wort (hypericum) seite 70 wicca01.txt st john's wort relieves depression, anxiety, neuralgia, headaches and irritability during the menopause. it is good for relief from pain, helping with fibrositis, sciatica and rheumatism. it is an anti-inflammatory, and so speeds the healing of burns and wounds. st john's wort is the golden herb of midsummer and symbol of the longest day, the summer solstice and the full power of the sun. it offers fertility and powers to attract love, especially if picked on the eve of st john, 23 june, at midnight. traditionally, it was worn in battle for courage, and it can also bring decisiveness. use it for protection, especially if combined with dill and vervain. ruled by the sun. tarragon a mild stimulant, tarragon helps the nervous system to overcome

re no longer needed by one person can be directed to someone whose old model has just crashed. it goes without saying that you should also remember to redistribute items that are surplus to your requirements to keep the process moving. rituals for personal prosperity tend to be practised alone, as group prosperity rituals tend to work better with a more global focus (see page 275 for a mid-winter solstice light and abundance spell. first, you need to define the purpose of the ritual. in this case that will probably not be difficult if you have been lying awake at night, panicking that you can't pay for a school trip for your child or new tyres for the car. oils and incenses in magick once you have established what you require for your needs, find the right oils, using the list above, toget

in your pocket, or you could drill a hole and thread a ribbon through an amulet and hang it around your neck. they may also be placed in a house to offer protection against danger and illness. protective crystals (see page 153) also make good amulets and empowered herbs of protection (see chapter 6, carried in a purse or bag are potent in the same way. traditionally, the week before the midsummer solstice is the time for making protective amulets, so that they can be passed through flame or held up to the sun on the solstice day at noon. salt salt has always been central to religious and magical practices because it is an absolutely pure substance. it is powerful for psychic protection but also in money-making and in healing rituals. centuries ago, it was regarded as precious because it wa

food in the summer and autumn and give birth at a time when she would naturally be resting for the winter with the dark nights. this would enable her to spend time with the infant before returning to the fields or to tend the herds in spring. this pattern is reflected in the old myths of the virgin goddess, who became pregnant at the spring equinox and gave birth to the new sun on the mid-winter solstice that became christianised as our christmas. so in these earlier and by no means idyllic times, everything- earth, cattle, corn, humans and animals- was in harmony, not only physically, but spiritually. fertility spells and the rituals marking the passing of the year were a natural part of popular folk magick and of the everyday world and with the celebration of the harvest, so blessings w

, or power, animals, representing each birth month and season, the four main directions and winds. the totems vary according to each tribe's mythology. there are more than 500 different systems in north america alone. seite 150 wicca01.txt [insert pic p247- in the southern hemisphere, as i explained on page 42, practitioners can re-time the magical associations so that, for example, the midwinter solstice falls in mid-june, rather than december. however, some parts of the world do not have four seasons. for example, parts of australia and other lands in the southern hemisphere have just two, the wet and the dry, and others have three or six seasons. in parts of the us too, there are not such definite seasonal variations, while in northern areas of scandinavia and canada, it may still be sn

s he is sometimes known, was the spirit of plants, trees and vegetables, fruit and vegetation, the male spring deity, consort of the earth mother and an early forerunner of both robin hood and st george. the mother goddess in her maiden aspect mated with the ascended sun god or, in popular folk tradition the green man, so that the conceived infant would be reborn as the new sun at the next winter solstice, thus ensuring the wheel of the year continued to turn. in the christian church, 25 march is the feast of the annunciation of the blessed virgin mary when gabriel told her she was with child. the energies of this festival are good for cleansing the seas and air of pollution, for new peace-making initiatives of all kinds, for beginning reforestation and regeneration projects, the reclamati

n slowly down or go out* end the ritual by taking scarlet ribbons and spiralling round the fire or candle, waving them like flames, as you chant. finally throw them into the air, away from the flame* allow the fire or candle to burn down. afterwards, make up small posies of flowers to leave on the doorsteps of people who you know would appreciate them- perhaps the ill or lonely. litha, the summer solstice time: three days beginning from sunset around 20 june (20 december in the southern hemisphere) focus: full potency, illumination, mysteries revealed; healing, the height of joy, fulfilment, the need to seize the moment [insert pic p260- seite 158 wicca01.txt the summer solstice has been celebrated in cultures as far apart as russia and north america, where sun dances were an assertion of

ling, the height of joy, fulfilment, the need to seize the moment [insert pic p260- seite 158 wicca01.txt the summer solstice has been celebrated in cultures as far apart as russia and north america, where sun dances were an assertion of power and courage and in a new form still bring healing to the nations and the earth. the height of the festival is the first light falling on the morning of the solstice, like a shaft of gold across standing stones and stone circles, linking the dimensions. many circles throughout europe and scandinavia, such as stonehenge in wiltshire, are aligned to the summer solstice sunrise, as are a number of stone medicine wheels in america and canada. these places, built on centres of great power, have accumulated not only the power of the thousands of midsummer s

nd with a midsummer tree, or pole, decorated with greenery and flowers forming the centrepiece of music and revels. there is feasting in towns as well as the countryside in what is a national event and thousands of people gather as they have for centuries at focal points such as the island of oland on the stockholm archipelago. st john's wort, the golden herb of midsummer and symbol of the summer solstice, was said to offer fertility and powers to attract love if picked at midnight on 23 june, the eve of st john's day, or the eve of the actual solstice. hopeful lovers would carry it or place it under a pillow. the power of the summer solstice can be harnessed for tackling seemingly insoluble problems and bringing light and life and hope to those who are depressed or who have been unable th

d for tackling seemingly insoluble problems and bringing light and life and hope to those who are depressed or who have been unable through circumstances such as poverty to fulfil their potential. it can help to tackle global warming, famine and disease, and to prevent oppression of people and cruelty in intensive farming methods where livestock suffer for human greed. on a personal level, summer solstice rituals are for courage, male potency and fertility, for achievement, success, confidence, health and happiness, for fulfilling potential and providing ever-expanding opportunities both physical, mental and spiritual. these spells are especially potent for maturing adults approaching middle age. associations candle colours: gold, orange or red to mirror the sun at its height symbols: brig

le age. associations candle colours: gold, orange or red to mirror the sun at its height symbols: brightly-coloured flowers, oak boughs, golden fern pollen that is said to reveal buried treasure wherever it falls crystals: amber, carnelian, citrine, golden beryl, sunstone flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: chamomile, dill, elder, fennel, frankincense, lavender, st john's wort and vervain a summer solstice stone ritual this ritual can be used to absorb the courage, power and joy of the season. you can carry out this ritual at any time during the three-day period. you might like to perform it at dusk on the eve of the solstice or at one of the other traditional times, such as midnight, the dawn of the solstice day or noon. alternatively, you may prefer to watch the actual solstice sunrise fr

such as midnight, the dawn of the solstice day or noon. alternatively, you may prefer to watch the actual solstice sunrise from a hill or an open place or even close to one of the sacred sites at dawn* take eight large, long, rounded stones, one for each spoke on the wheel of the year* arrange them around the edges of a circle. the eight points correspond with the seite 159 wicca01.txt mid-winter solstice in the north, imbolc in the north-east, the spring equinox in the east, beltain in the south-east, the summer solstice in the south, lughnassadh in the south-west, the autumn equinox in the west, and samhain in the north-west (in the southern hemisphere, they will all move six months so that the summer solstice is in the north, etc* in front of each stone, place a yellow beeswax or gold c

ircle, one at each of the points of the year, with the rest of the coven standing in the north, in a line, facing the south. if you are alone, you may wish to adapt the ritual so the stones and candles are smaller. place the central candle on your altar, which will on this occasion be standing in the north, facing the south, and move round the altar in a circle* enter the circle at the mid-winter solstice (north, the position of the birth of the sun, and light the central candle, saying: sun, sacred centre of warmth, light, light and fertility, i greet you on this your time of glory* behind the candle, light a semicircle of frankincense sticks, saying: sun who has been from the beginning, king, god, father, orb of inspiration, i greet you now at this your time of glory* face the north and

equinox candle, saying: once more you overcome the darkness; the throne of light is yours to ascend and longer days are won* move to the south-east and, facing this direction, light the beltain candle, saying: your warmth brings green growth once more to the barren earth. i kindle fires to draw your healing strength and the corn will grow high* move to the south, face the direction of the summer solstice, light the candle and say: the sun is at its height and all nature filled with power. the lord and lady of the universe, sky and earth, are joined on this day* around the summer solstice candle, scatter a circle of dried or fresh dill, st john's wort, vervain and clover (trefoil- these are the herbs that bloom at this time and were used to exorcise harm and bring protection to home and pe

CONCERNING THE CEREMONY OF THE CONSECRATING THE VAULT

h shows the physical world, the outer order, and its hidden and secret link to the true order of the r.r. et a.c. the qabalistic cross is done in unison. this indicates our unity as one body of christ under the light divine. it is also a symbol of bringing forth and invoking the higher genius. there is a much more hidden meaning in the symbology of the cross as it relates to corpus cristi and the solstice. the cross is a symbol of the invisible middle pillar. this is covered in early order documents "the law of the convoluted revolution of the forces" the cross relates to the central axis of the l that receives the rays of the a. remember, in our system, it is this axis that we measure. the center point of the l rather than the equator. thus, we see in the qabalistic cross the symbology of

DAVID ICKE AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE

thers, and aleister crowley, which split the membership into quarrelling factions. other significant esoteric thinkers and groups which influenced the gathering nazi philosophy included the order of the oriental temple, which used sex as part of its rituals to create and harness the energy known as the vril, and two german esoteric 'magicians, guido von list and lanz von liebenfels. in his summer solstice celebrations, list used wine bottles on the ground to form the symbol of the hermetic cross, also known as the hammer of thor. it was the badge of power in the order of the golden dawn, and we know this symbol as the swastika. lanz von liebenfels (real name adolf lanz) featured the swastika on the flag which flew over his 'temple' overlooking the danube, and for these two black magicians

tuals were taken from others such as the jesuits and the knights templar. the highest 212. and the truth shall set you free ranking initiates were the thirteen members of the grand council of knights (led by their grand master, heinrich himmler, and the black rituals were performed at the ancient castle of wewelsberg in westphalia. they celebrated the festivals of the nordic pagans and the summer solstice. here they worshiped satan, lucifer, set, whichever name you prefer, the consciousness which was the nazis and is the elite today. prince bernhard, one of the founders of the bilderberg group, was in the ss. esoteric knowledge and black magic pervaded all that hitler and the nazis did, even down to the use of pendulums on maps to identify the positions of enemy troops. the original swasti

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

s designed in north africa where it was used on the river nile. old irish books employ the same styles as those found in egypt and even the colours used in the irish book of kells and book of durrow are from middle eastern insects and plants. the famous ancient mound at newgrange, north of dublin, has a narrow passageway of some 62 feet that perfectly aligns with the sun as it rises on the winter solstice. it is so precise that at the solstice sunrise, its golden light shines directly through this narrow passage to illuminate the chamber deep in the centre of the mound. again the present dating of newgrange and other ancient irish standing stones and earthworks fits the period when the sumerian empire arrived and the duel spiral images found at newgrange are identical to those found at oth

sun symbolism is to understand the major religions. they used the symbol in figure 32 to symbolise the sun's journey through the year, or, more accurately, the earth's journey in relation to the sun. this is the so-called sun cross. it can be found throughout the ancient world. they drew a circle and a zodiac (a greek word meaning animal circle) and added a cross to mark the four seasons, and the solstice and equinox points. at the centre of the cross they placed the sun and this is where the theme of the sun, or symbolically the "son, on the cross originates. a similar symbol was used in lemuria relating, james churchward says, to the primal forces of creation. a long list of pre-"jesus" deities were given the birthday of december 25th because of this sun symbolism. the winter solstice, t

nates. a similar symbol was used in lemuria relating, james churchward says, to the primal forces of creation. a long list of pre-"jesus" deities were given the birthday of december 25th because of this sun symbolism. the winter solstice, the lowest point or the sun's power in the figure 32: the cross and the circle that symbolised the solar year. the point of the cross to the right is the winter solstice when the sun was said to have symbolically died- three days later, on december 25th. the sun was said to be born or born again 204 children of the matrix northern hemisphere, is on december 21st/22nd. this was the time when the ancients said that the sun had "died" and gone down into the dark place. by december 25th, three days later, they said the sun had begun its journey back to the pe

hemisphere, is on december 21st/22nd. this was the time when the ancients said that the sun had "died" and gone down into the dark place. by december 25th, three days later, they said the sun had begun its journey back to the peak of its power in the summer and so they said that on this day the sun was born or born again. the ancient sun gods were given this "birthday, three days after the winter solstice, for this reason. these deities didn't exist, as everyone now accepts. they were symbolic of the sun and so was jesus, along with much other symbolism. the christian "christmas" is an ancient pagan festival under another name and so is easter. on march 25th, the old date for easter, the sun enters the astrological sign of aries, the ram or the lamb, and they sacrificed lambs in their ritu

r harvest. put another way, they believed the blood of the lamb would encourage the gods to forgive their sins. the story of samson (sam-sun) in the old testament is the same sun symbolism. the ancients symbolised the sun's annual cycle as the life of a man. they would portray the sun as a newborn baby on december 25th and he would grow up to become a big, strapping, very strong man at the summer solstice. this is the peak of the sun's power in the northern hemisphere when it dominates the darkness at the longest day. at this time, the sun-man would be given long golden hair to symbolise the powerful rays of the summer sun. as the sun entered the house of virgo the virgin (the house of delilah) at the start of autumn, this sun-man would have his hair cut shorter as the power of the sun beg

erovee and alexander the great were said to be the result of their mothers being impregnated by a non-human entity and not by intercourse with their husbands. albert pike, a notorious illuminati operative in the united states, wrote in the morals and dogma of scottish rite freemasonry (l.h. jenkins, 1928) of the egyptian myth from which the christian themes originated "at the moment of the winter solstice, the virgin rose (with the sun, having the sun (symbolised as horus) in her bosom..virgo was isis (virgin mother of horus) and her representation, carrying a child (horus) in her arms, exhibited in her temple, was accompanied by this inscription: i am all that is, that was, and that shall be; and the fruit which i brought forth in the sun."19 writer gerald massey reveals that on the walls

the "three wise men" is that the magi were sun worshippers. gold, frankincense, and myrrh were the traditional gifts given by arabian magi to the sun and that's why they were given to mithra in that version of the myth.21 the birth of jesus in a stable or cave is repeated throughout the solar-myth stories because the cave represents the "dark place" where the sun is said to go between the winter solstice and midnight on december 24th. thus we have the three days in the tomb between the "crucifixion" of jesus (the sun) and his "resurrection" or rebirth on december 25th. the cave may have other symbolism, too, however, because the jesus story can be read on different esoteric levels at the same time. god save us from religion 209 tempted in the wilderness for 40 days this is another common

tiated! your god is risen. his death and suffering have worked your salvation" the same was said in egypt of horus and in india of krishna thousands of years before christianity. and jesus could not have been crucified between two thieves because crucifixion was not the roman punishment for theft. the "two thieves" are possibly symbolic of sagittarius and capricorn, which cross over at the winter solstice, thus the sun "dies" between them. john the baptist this guy was invented from the stories of anup, who baptised the ancient egyptian son of god, horus. like "john, anup lost his head. thor/indara, the first king of sumer, was known as "bil-the-baptist" on sumerian seals and he was ad or atum baptising the infant crown prince in egyptian sculpture. baptism was introduced by the sumerians

ciple of krishna. john is actually known in tibet as argiun. john was the cousin of jesus and his original, arjuna, was the cousin of krishna. thomas was the disciple who insisted on touching jesus after the "resurrection" to prove he was in the flesh, hence the term doubting thomas. but thomas is tammuz, that other saviour-god with the jesus credentials. the christian church dedicates the winter solstice, the day the sun "dies, to st thomas. the hebrews still have a month they call tammuz. thomas the "twin" is also symbolism. thomas means "twin" in the aramaic and syriac languages and the name didymus, also associated with thomas, comes from the greek "didymos, which was their name for the roman "gemini, the twins of the zodiac. acharya writes in her superb work, the christ conspiracy "it

w hitler! he will dance, but it is i who have called the tune. we have given him the means of communication with them. do not mourn for me; i shall have influenced history more than any other german."22 calling the demons 295 other significant thinkers and groups that influenced the gathering nazi philosophy were two german esoteric magicians, guido von list and lanz von liebenfels. at the summer solstice, list used wine bottles on the ground to form the symbol of the hermetic cross, also known as the hammer of thor. it was the badge of power in the order of the golden dawn and we know this symbol as the swastika, an ancient sun symbol of the atlanteans-phoenicians. the original swastika was right-handed which, in esoteric terms, means light and creation, the positive. the nazis reversed t

a black magic secret society. their rituals were taken from others, such as the jesuits and the knights templar. the highest-ranking initiates were the 12 members of the grand council of knights led by the 13th, their grand master heinrich himmler. their black rituals were performed at the ancient castle of wewelsberg in westphalia. they celebrated the rituals of the nordic pagans and the summer solstice. here they worshipped satan/lucifer/set, whichever name you prefer. prince bernhard of the netherlands, a reptilian habsburg and merovingian bloodline, was a member of the ss. bernhard was one of the founders of the illuminati front, the bilderberg group, and is an extremely close friend of prince philip. the esoteric arts pervaded all that hitler and the nazis did, even down to the use o

DAVID ICKE THE BIGGEST SECRET

hey had the same origins. the templesat angkor wat are covered in reptilian images, a feature of all the ancient cultures,including the egyptian, the central american and the indian. professor phillip calahanin his study of the surviving and mysterious round towers of ireland has said that theyare positioned with remarkable synchronicity to the star constellations of the northernsky at the winter solstice. and the towers most perfectly align with the constellationof. draco. the head and eyes of the draco formation, as designed on the ground inireland, are, according to calahan, located either side of lough neagh right in thefigure 4: the draco dragonconstellation to which so many ancientmonuments appear to be aligned. 24centre of northern ireland. the eastern side of lough neagh is close t

principles thousands of years before pythagoras was born. thom explained in his 1967book, megalithic sites in britain, that the stones not only formed geometric patterns inand around the circle, they also aligned to features in the surrounding landscape and tothe positions of the sun, moon and prominent stars at particular times, particularlywhere the sun appeared or disappeared at the equinox or solstice and where the moonwas at the extreme positions of its cycle. it was a gigantic astronomical clock, he said.but it is more than that. it is a receiver and transmitter of energy. the earths magneticgrid, or grids, consist of lines of magnetic energy known as ley lines, meridians ordragon lines to the chinese. where these lines cross, the energy spirals into a vortexand where many lines cros

an area of that planet known as cydonia, is the american richard c.hoagland. he has been a science journalist, a director of planetariums in westhartford and new y ork, and an advisor at the nasa goddard space flight center.hoagland produces evidence in his book, monuments on mars,32 that the allegedface and the pyramids are part of a vast area built to align with the sunrise on themartian summer solstice 500,000 years ago -50,000 years before the estimatedarrival on earth of the anunnaki. i have little doubt that the same race that built thestructures in cydonia, including pyramids, also built stonehenge and avebury.there is evidence, in fact, that avebury could be a mirror image of the complex atcydonia. when you take same scale topographical maps of both places andsuperimpose one on the

y, who lived in alexandria,could name sixteen tribes in ireland. the irish sport of hurling is mirrored by the gamecalled takourt in morocco. irish ritual was, like all the cultures inspired by thephoenician-aryans, focused on the sun. the earth mound at newgrange in ireland hasa narrow passageway of some 62 feet which is perfectly aligned with the sun as it riseson december 2lst/22nd, the winter solstice. so much so that the golden sunlight fillsand illuminates the whole passage and the chamber at the centre. the entrance tostructures in the mediterranean, particularly the one at the palace of minos in crete, arethe same. the distinctive round towers of ireland are, according to some orientalists,of phoenician origin.43 again all this fits perfectly into the story i am revealing here.the

tions ofbarati and was on the shield of her british expression, britannia. the ancients took thecircle of the zodiac (a greek word meaning animal circle) and inserted a cross to markthe four seasons. at the centre of the cross, they placed the sun. so many of the pre-christian deities were said to have been born on december 25th because of thissymbolism. on december 2lst-22nd, you have the winter solstice when, in the northernhemisphere, the sun is at the lowest point of its power in the annual cycle. the sun, theancients said, had symbolically died. by december 25th, the sun had demonstrablyfigure 13: the ancient symbol forthe annual cycle of the sun fromwhich so many symbols andsymbolic stories haveoriginated. you can see thissymbol in the depictions ofbarati and britannia infigure 12. 8

beencrucified with a lamb at his feet and placed in a cave. when a rock was rolled away fromthe caves entrance three days later, his body had disappeared. ive definitely heard thatsomewhere before. the ancients also symbolised the sun as a baby in december, a youthat easter, a strapping, immensely strong, man in the summer, an ageing man losing hispower in the autumn, and an old man by the winter solstice. the modern depiction ofold father time is a version of this. they also symbolised the sun as having long goldenhair (sun rays) which got shorter as he lost his power in the months of autumn. now lookagain at the old testament story of samson -sam-sun. he was incredibly strong and hadlong hair, but he lost his power when his hair was cut. the problems started when heentered the house of d

eenface. this includes osiris, the husband-brother of isis. the story of robin hood in hislincoln green originated with this green man deity. robin hood began in the originallegend as a species of fairy and he was also known as green robin, robin ofgreenwood and robin goodfellow.31 his shakespearean version, puck, in amidsummer night s dream, presided over fertility and sexual rites at the summer solstice.on may 1st, may day, they had the may pole ceremonies. the may pole is a phallicsymbol dedicated to the goddess of sexuality and fertility and on that day every villagevirgin would be a queen of the may (queen semiramis. many would end up in the greenwood to undergo a sexual initiation with a youth playing the role of robin hood or robingoodfellow. the children that often followed nine mo

eats, mathers, and the arch satanist, aleistercrowley, which split the membership into quarrelling factions. other significant thinkersand groups which influenced the gathering nazi philosophy included the order of theoriental templars (oto, which used sex rituals to create and harness the energy knownas vril, and two german esoteric magicians, guido von list and lanz von liebenfels. inhis summer solstice celebrations, list used wine bottles on the ground to form thesymbol of the hermetic cross, also known as the hammer of thor. it was the badge ofpower in the order of the golden dawn and we know this symbol as the swastika, theancient sun symbol of the phoenician-aryans. lanz von liebenfels (real name adolflanz, used the swastika on a flag which flew over his temple overlooking the danube

ck magicsecret society. their rituals were taken from others such as the jesuits and the knightstemplar. the highest ranking initiates were the 13 (here we go again) members of thegrand council of knights led by their grand master, heinrich himmler, and the blackrituals were performed at the ancient castle of wewelsberg in westphalia. they celebratedthe rituals of the nordic pagans and the summer solstice. here they worshipped satan,lucifer, set, whichever name you prefer. prince bernhard, one of founders of thebrotherhood front, the bilderberg group, and an extremely close friend of prince philip,was in the ss. black magic and the esoteric arts pervaded all that hitler and the nazis did,even down to the use of pendulums on maps to identify the positions of enemy troops. theoriginal swasti

vement of the planets and thecycles of the sun and moon are also employed to add to the power of the rituals. sothere are particular satanic days for their most important ceremonies. on these daysunimaginable numbers of people, mostly children, are sacrificed. some of the maindates are: feb 1/2, candlemas; march 21/22, spring equinox; april 30th/may 1st,walpurgis night/beltane; june 21/22, summer solstice; july 31/august 1, lammas -great sabbat festival; september 21/22, autumn equinox; october 31 st/november 1st,samhain/halloween; december 21/22, winter solstice or yule.let me emphasise again here that these dates and festivals are not satanic inthemselves. they are times in the annual planetary cycle when very powerful energiesof various kinds are manifesting on the earth and the rituals

in the sky, hexagrams, satanicpentagrams, squares, a masonic compass, a spear of destiny, a skull and bones andscores of others. for more information and illustrations i strongly recommend anexcellent book by charles l. westbrook jr called the talisman of the united states,signature of the invisible brotherhood. roads in washington relate to the points wherethe sun rises at the winter and summer solstice, just as the ancient mounds, temples and357stone circles like stonehenge, were designed to do (see figure 30. other streets crossat precisely 33 degrees and still others mark the precession of the equinoxes, and thereis a hexagram or star of david (see figure 31).i described earlier how the elite of america and further afield gather at thebohemian grove in northern california and take par

formerly the actress grace kelly, ran the monacobranch of the order of the solar temple with jean louis marsan, the close friend of herhusband, prince rainier. the windsors got what they wanted when prince william wasconceived. diana was told that the birth had to be induced to fit in with charles poloplaying programme and the blond-haired, blue-eyed william was born on june 21st1982, the summer solstice. now first of all, what kind of father and husband insists thathis wife and son be given needless drugs to suit his polo diary? and secondly, doesanyone believe that was really the reason? the windsors are obsessed with astrology andthe esoteric arts to such an extent that the psychic-astrologer mother of an irish friend ofmine could predict with uncanny accuracy the colours the queen and

ent that the psychic-astrologer mother of an irish friend ofmine could predict with uncanny accuracy the colours the queen and queen motherwould be wearing every day. she was correct again and again because she knew thecolours connected to each day according to esoteric law. a family so steeped insatanism, the esoteric mysteries, and the sun cult, induce the heir to ensure he is born onthe summer solstice, when the sun is at the peak of its power, and thats just acoincidence? no way. he was christened william (after the black nobility william theconqueror) arthur (after the sun god symbol, king arthur) philip (after the duke ofedinburgh) louis (after louis mountbatten. williams first serious girlfriend, accordingto the british press, was emma parker-bowles, the niece of his fathers lover

he would have accepted the invitationfrom al fayed at the right time, fallen for dodi fayed, agreed to go to paris for thenight and so on. she could also have been, like arizona, impregnated artificially andhave no recollection of it. arizona says that she knows that diana was impregnated withpindars sperm in this way to conceive her son william, the blond-haired, blue-eyedbaby born on the summer solstice. and she is in no doubt that diana was a multiple.as she said:the things that she did with her eyes, like the eye rolling, is very, very common inmultiples. sometimes shed be very shy and then suddenly shes blossoming and shesreally social. these are the different altars (programmes) coming out, someones shy,someones not shy, someones angry, someones not angry. then there was the weightga

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

hasized individualism, courage, integrity, and independence. a wide variety of belief and practice was allowed within the general framework of acknowledgment of the deities. the asatru people also saw themselves as over against the odinists, who emphasize a single deity rather than the whole of the deities. celebrations were held to recognize the deities, such as yule (december 22) and the summer solstice. other holidays included march 28, ragnar s day, when the assembly remembered the sacking of paris in 845 by the viking ragnar lobrok. local groups called skeppslags, or ship s crews, consisted of 3 to 15 members. also, interest groups were formed as guilds to develop skills in activities from sewing to brewing. the assembly reached a crisis in 1987, when mcnallen felt unable to continue

ciation to give voice to the different spiritual paths that were being followed. by the mid-1980s, some unitarians had come into contact with the emerging wicca/pagan community and the goddess encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. covenant of unitarian universalist pagans 347 worship and feminism so central to it. at the 1985 meeting of the association, these pro-pagans held a summer solstice ritual and discussed the possibility of establishing an ongoing organization. an interim steering committee began to function, a newsletter was begun, and margo adler, author of drawing down the moon, a survey of modern paganism, was invited to speak at the 1987 meeting. during that meeting the covenant of unitarian universalist pagans (cuups) was formally organized. cuups quickly emerged

he year was marked by the changing positions of the rising sun, the solstices and equinoxes, and the four additional festivals halfway between these four that marked important points in the agricultural seasons. these were known by different names in different locations and at different times. among the major contemporary british druids, these are known as: samhuinn (october 31.november 2) winter solstice (december 21 or 22) imbolc (february 1) spring equinox (march 21) beltane (may 1) summer solstice (june 21 or 22) lughnasadh (august 1) fall equinox (september 22) today, the most notable date in the calendar is the summer solstice, when british druids gather at stonehenge for a sunrise service. the druids were especially associated with oaks and the mistletoe that grows as a parasite on

n of the word holy since this plant has been used from time immemorial as a protection against evil influence. it was hung around or planted near houses as a protection against lightning. its common use at christmas apparently originated in an ancient roman festival in which holly was dedicated to the god saturn. while the romans were holding this feast.which occurred about the time of the winter solstice.they decked the outsides of their houses with holly. at the same time the christians were quietly celebrating the birth of christ, and to avoid detection they outwardly followed the custom of their heathen neighbors and decked their houses with holly as well. in this way holly came to be connected with christmas customs. the plant was also regarded as a symbol of the resurrection. the use

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

n occult magic. new york: macmillan co, 1970. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. ordo rosae rubeae et aureae crucis 1151 yeats, william butler. is the r. r. et a. c. to remain a magical order? privately printed, 1901. ordo stellae et serpente the ordo stellae et serpente (order of the star and the serpent) is a magical order in the thelemic tradition founded on june 21 (the summer solstice, 1999, in sacramento, california. it is headed by several advanced teachers, adepti of the inner continuum, who serve as personal mentors of the order s newer members. neophytes begin their work with basic studies in occult wisdom, including instruction in gemantria, numerology, astrology, and tarot. they are introduced to the understanding of the universe symbolized in the cabalistic tre

d variant meanings into their celebrations. over the centuries, as christianity became the dominant form in the west, ancient pagan worship sites were replaced with churches and the festival days integrated into the christian liturgical calendar. many of these older pagan festivals survived in secularized form and many of the practices were reinterpreted by christians, especially the yule (winter solstice) practices that became part of the celebration of christmas. the eight sabbats are defined by the principal points in the changing relationship of the sun and the earth over the year. these points are measured by the easily observable point of the sun s daily emergence on the eastern horizon. through the spring, as the days grow longer, the sun appears to rise at a point slightly further

g of winter, a period of waiting until the planting can begin a new food production cycle. it is also a night in which the veil between the living and the dead is thin and communication with spirits is facilitated. it is a time to remember the dead and complete relationships with them. seven other sabbats follow: yule (december 21) imbolc or candlemas (feb 1) spring equinox beltane (may 1) summer solstice lamas (august 1) fall equinox these festivals marked important events in agricultural communities, though most modern pagans are urban dwellers. in the rituals, while some recognition of their past significance is still noted, the sabbats have been reinterpreted as occasions for personal magic and reformation and the veneration of the deities. as distinct from the eight major sabbats, wit

ervants of the light solar temple the solar temple (officially the ordre du temple solaire or ots) was an obscure french-speaking initiatory occult order that made front-page headlines following the suicide death of its leaders among 52 people who died in a 72-hour period in three incidents on october 3.5, 1994, in switzerland and quebec. sixteen additional members of the group died on the winter solstice in 1995 and five more on march 22, 1997, in quebec. it appears that some of those who died committed suicide in hopes of making a transition to a higher world. a few people were murdered, considered traitors by the larger group. the remainder were considered weaker members and were assisted (i.e, murdered) to make the transition. the solar temple was one of a number of groups that emerged

ced the wandering habits of the sun, easily measured by its changing location at its daily rising. over half a year the rising point would be a little further to the north each day and then it would appear to pause and begin moving south. in the northern hemisphere, it would reach its northernmost point just as the summer began and its southernmost point as a prelude to the coldest days. the word solstice is derived from the apparent pause, from the latin sistere, to stand still. the phenomena of the changing position of the rising sun is due to the 23-degree tilt to the earth s axis. the axis changes daily as the earth rotates around the sun. the sun s movements were so obvious, and so equated with changing weather, that some form of acknowledgment of the solstices occurred in cultures ar

un is due to the 23-degree tilt to the earth s axis. the axis changes daily as the earth rotates around the sun. the sun s movements were so obvious, and so equated with changing weather, that some form of acknowledgment of the solstices occurred in cultures around the world. some of these festivals continue into the present and many were observable in the recent past. among the oldest records of solstice celebrations are found in the remains of the ancient megalithic cultures, such as the one that led to the building of stonehenge. such stone monuments were frequently oriented to include an alignment to the point of the rising sun at the summer solstice, presumably an occasion for the community to gather for ritual observances. in astrology, the solstices were important markers. the sun e

in the remains of the ancient megalithic cultures, such as the one that led to the building of stonehenge. such stone monuments were frequently oriented to include an alignment to the point of the rising sun at the summer solstice, presumably an occasion for the community to gather for ritual observances. in astrology, the solstices were important markers. the sun entered capricorn at the winter solstice and cancer at the summer solstice. while important markers in constructing a horoscope, the solstices were little used in its interpretation. in modern times, as paganism has been revived, the summer solstice has become a major occasion for ritual gatherings, among the oldest and certainly the most famous being the gatherings of the druids at stonehenge. until quite recently, the summer s

gatherings, among the oldest and certainly the most famous being the gatherings of the druids at stonehenge. until quite recently, the summer solstice was celebrated in germany with a picnic and bonfire. couples would attempt to jump the bonfire as a sign of the strength of their relationship. neo-pagans mark the solstices as two of the major festival occasions (called sabbats. the ancient winter solstice, called yule, has survived in a radically altered form as the christian s christmas, but is now being celebrated in its own right. sources: cunningham, scott. wicca: a guide for the solitary practitioner. st. paul, minn: llewellyn publications, 1988. farrar, stewart. what witches do. new york: coward, mc- cann& geoghegan, 1971. lewis, james r. encyclopedia of astrology. detroit: gale rese

. b. yeats and e. nesbit (pseudonym of mrs. bland, author of stories for children. some of the members of the stella matutina founded the healing organization, the guild of st. raphael. sources: king, francis. the rites of modern occult magic. new york: macmillan, 1970. stella tenebrarum stella tenebrarum (star of darkness) is a traditionalist satanic group that was founded on june 21 (the summer solstice, 1993, in croatia. on that date, three medallions were struck for the three leaders of the group. each medallion had an inverted pentagram, and they were made to be placed next to each other, at which time the full group motto was depicted: vexilla regis prodeunt inferi fulget stella tenebrarum( flag of the king flies through hell, shines the star of darkness. some of the original members

ce. this is st. john s crystal gold, a fundamental of the new jerusalem.so called, not in respect of colour, but constitution. their spirits, i suppose, shall be reduced to their first limbus, a sphere of pure, ethereal fire, like rich eternal tapestry spread under the throne of god (see also alchemy) st. john s wort general term for the plant species hypericum. in classical mythology, the summer solstice was a day dedicated to the sun, and was believed to be a day on which witches held their festivities. st. john s wort was its symbolic plant. people used to judge from it whether their future would be lucky or unlucky, as it grew they read in its progressive character their future lot. this traditional lore carried over into the christianera, when this festival period was dedicated to st

which can be found across the british isles. it was probably last in use about 1400 b.c.e. megalithic (large stone) monuments exist in many locations in europe. a major step in understanding the use and significance of stonehenge occurred in the 1960s when it was discovered that the alignment of the stones seems to facilitate the prediction of a variety of astronomical events, such as the summer solstice, and were thus probably related to late neolithic worship ceremonies. the stonehenge site is composed of three distinct elements. an outer circle of local sarsen stones and two inner circles of blue stones from the prescelly mountains of wales, 200 kilometers (125 miles) away. the first and third circles are capped with stone lintels, and the whole construction is encircled by a ditch, in

capped with stone lintels, and the whole construction is encircled by a ditch, inside the bank of which are 56 pits known as the aubrey holes and a cemetery associated with them. isolated outside the stone circles is the heel stone, over which the sun rises on midsummer day (june 24. it is clear that stonehenge had special astronomical significance, since, in addition to the marking of the summer solstice by the heel stone, the center of the great circle indicated the orbits of sun and moon, and holes were positioned for posts to mark these orbits. the whole construction indicates remarkable astronomical and mathematical knowledge on the part of the ancient builders. like the pyramids of ancient egypt, stonehenge and similar monuments also involved considerable engineering skill in mining

ndalism over the centuries. modern stonehenge in the 1980s stonehenge became the center of another strange ritual every midsummer. thousands of hippies, living a nomadic life in battered automobiles (often unlicensed, reminiscent of the american dust bowl days, descended on the fields surrounding stonehenge and set up makeshift camps, intending to gain access to stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice. but the site has been fenced off with barbed wire and the solstice ceremony restricted to a modern revival druid organization and no more than six hundred ticket-holding visitors. to prevent the hippies from overrunning the site, farmers annually barricaded paths and byways with trailers and machinery, while hundreds of police stood by in riot gear. for many years there was a ritual batt

ors. to prevent the hippies from overrunning the site, farmers annually barricaded paths and byways with trailers and machinery, while hundreds of police stood by in riot gear. for many years there was a ritual battle between hippies and police. rocks, bottles, and other objects were thrown, while police with helmets and batons forced back the intruders and arrested many of them. after the summer solstice, the hippies were obliged to retreat to their battered vehicles. stonehenge remains one of england s most visited tourist sites in spite of the fence, which prevents visitors from walking among the stones. sources: burl, aubrey. the stone circles of the british isles. new haven, conn: yale university press, 1976. chippendale, christopher. stonehenge complete. ithaca, n.y: cornell universi

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

e english speaking nations are still regarded as belonging exclusively to christianity, their birthplace was the far east, and their origin long anterior to our present era. this subject will be referred to later in these pages. the palm, which in course of time became the most sacred tree of egypt, is said to have put forth a shoot every month during the year. at christmas tide, or at the winter solstice, a branch from this tree was used as a symbol of the renewal of time or of the birth of the new year. on the zodiac of dendera, preserved in the national library at paris, are two trees, the one representing the east, or india and china, the other, the west, or egypt. the former of these trees is putting forth a pair of leaves and is topped by the emblems of siva, emblems which indicate t

s that which came to prevail in later ages, at a time when every religious conception was closely veiled beneath a mixture of astrology and mythology. after the planets came to be regarded as active agencies in reproduction, and powerful in directing all mundane affairs, the virgin of the sphere while she represented nature was also the constellation which appeared above the horizon at the winter solstice, or at the time when the sun had reached its lowest point and had begun to return. at this time, the 25th of december, and just as the days began to lengthen, this virgin gave birth to the sun-god. it is said that he issued forth from her side, hence the legend that gotama buddha was produced from the side of maya, and also the story believed by the gnostics and other christian sects that

comprehended the power to create combined with perceptive wisdom or knowledge. this idea, portrayed as it was by a mother and her child, linked woman with the stars. it produced the "virgin of the sphere" queen of heaven "isiac controller of the zodiac" at the same time that it made her the mother of all mankind. every year this virgin of the sphere as she appeared above the horizon at the winter solstice gave birth to the sun. astronomically this new sun was the regenerator, by which all nature was renewed. mythologically, after the higher truths contained in these doctrines were lost, it came to be the savior, the son of the virgin, the seed of the woman, which was to bruise the serpent's head. that the religion of an ancient race comprehended a knowledge of the evolutionary processes of

atic design apparent in their architecture. they all have their sides accurately adapted to the four cardinal points "in six of them which have been opened, the principal passage preserves the same inclination of 26 degrees to the horizon, being directed toward the polar star. their obliquity being so adjusted as to make the north side coincide with the obliquity of the sun's rays at the summer's solstice, has, combined with the former particulars, led some to suppose they were solely intended for astronomical uses; and certainly, if not altogether true, it bespeaks, at all events, an intimate acquaintance with astronomical rules, as well as a due regard to the principles of geometry. others have fancied them intended for sepulchres; and as the egyptians, taught by their ancient chaldean v

t dies, and descends into hell in order that he may rise at the easter season to gladden and make all things new again. mythologically, this new sun becomes incarnate; enters again his mother's womb, and is born into the world in the form of a man whose mission is to renew human life. hence we have an explanation of the eastern buddhas and crishnas, all of which were born of virgins at the winter solstice. the new sun which at the close of each cycle was believed by the more ancient people of the globe to "issue forth from the womb of nature to renew the world" now that the truths underlying nature-worship were lost, became a redeemer or mediator between earth and heaven, or between spirit and matter. it is stated that at the time of the appearance of christ not alone the jews, but the per

infant that this religion came to be corrupted into what we have of it. this infant is the seed of the woman who, according to genesis, was to bruise the head of the serpent, which, in return, was to bruise his foot or heel, or the foot or heel of her seed as the figure of the hindoo crishna proves. from the traditionary stories of this god iao, which was figured annually to be born at the winter solstice, and to be put to death and raised to life on the third day at the vernal equinox, the roman searchers after the evangelion or gospel made out their jesus. the total destruction of everything at jerusalem and in judea--buildings, records, everything--prevented them from coming to any absolute certainty respecting this person who, they were told by tradition, had come to preach the gospel

life from his conception and birth to his ascension and reception in heaven. each and every one of the solar deities has been born at midnight, on the 25th of december, at the time when the sun has reached its lowest position and begins to ascend. macrobius, a learned roman writer, observes that the early historic nations "believed that the sun comes forth as a babe from its cradle at the winter solstice" neith is made to say "the sun is the fruit of my womb" the 15th of august, assumption day, the time when mary, the mother of jesus, ascends to heaven is the day when the zodiacal constellation virgo "the greek astrea, leaves the european horizon" and the "8th of september, when virgo emerges from the sun's rays, is held sacred as the nativity of the queen of heaven" of the mid-winter fes

g the transference of the mid-winter festival of the pagans to the christian calendar, forlong says "the early christians undoubtedly selected this roman saturnalia as an important period in the life of christ, at first calling it the time of his conception, and later of his birth, this last best suiting the views and feelings of their solo- christian flocks. the jews called the day of the winter solstice the fast of tebet. the previous time was one of darkness, and on the 28th began their feast of lights"[134 [134] rivers of life, vol. i, p. 430. in france the ancient name for christmas is noel, a term which until recently has baffled all antiquarian research. it is now thought that it is formed from nuadh and vile which together mean all heal. although every possible effort has been put

nd cites the instance of leo the great who, in a sermon, rebukes the "pestiferous persuasion, that this solemn day is to be honored not for the birth of christ, but for the rising of the new sun" on the authority of this same prelate it is found that in the fifth century, the faithful, before entering the basilica of st. peter, were wont to turn and salute the shining orb of day. the roman winter solstice which was connected with the worship of mithra, and which was named the "birthday of the unconquered om" was adopted by the western churches some time during the fourth century. from the west it passed to the eastern churches, where it finally became "the solemn anniversary of the birth of christ" in ireland the ceremonies attending the mid-winter festival were formerly regarded as exceed

ch was named the "birthday of the unconquered om" was adopted by the western churches some time during the fourth century. from the west it passed to the eastern churches, where it finally became "the solemn anniversary of the birth of christ" in ireland the ceremonies attending the mid-winter festival were formerly regarded as exceedingly important. a short time before the approach of the winter solstice, voices were heard throughout the island proclaiming "the new year is at hand! gather the mistletoe" the mistletoe wreaths which formed the principal decorations of venus' temple were at first proscribed by the christian preachers, but, in process of time they not only found their way into the sanctuary, but were given a place over the altars, their final signification being "good will to

mid- winter festival differed somewhat from those which at the present time are exchanged among christians at the same season of the year, still, there can be no doubt that the christmas tree, loaded with gifts, is a remnant of that worship under which the sun was recognized as the source whence all blessings flow. down to a late date, fire was a conspicuous element at the festival of the winter solstice. as the yule-log blazed upon the hearth, our ancestors set up huge stones and danced round them, thus worshipping the god of fertility. on the 20th and 21st of march the sun illumines exactly half the earth. at this time the day has conquered the night. light has dethroned darkness, a complete victory has been gained over typhon and the new god comes forth "with healing in his wings" on l

as changed into gladness. songs of joy succeeded weeping (for tamuz, the whole assembly singing hymns "adonis is returned to life, urania weeps no more, he has ascended to heaven, he will soon return to earth and banish hence all crimes and miseries forever" this scene, it will be remembered, was presented 500 years prior to the birth of christ. in rome, throughout the months preceding the winter solstice, hilaria or ceres, was especially honored. apollo and diana rose on the 7th of the julian april and on the 10th their religious festivals began. on easter morn, during the earlier ages of the church, the observances of christians were exactly the same as were those of the so called pagans, all together hurried out long before the break of day that they might behold the sun ascend, or "dan

f st. john. the early preachers, wishing to defer to the prejudices and usages of the people "yet not so as to interfere with the celebration of easter at the vernal equinox, retained the bealtine ceremonial, only transferring it to the saint's day" of these fire festivals and their adoption by the christian church tylor says "the solar christmas festival has its pendant at mid-summer. the summer solstice was the great season of fire festivals throughout europe on the heights, of dancing round and leaping through the fires, of sending blazing fire-wheels to roll down from the hills into the valleys, in sign of the sun's descending course. these ancient rites attached themselves in christendom to st. john's eve "it seems as though the same train of symbolism which had adapted the mid-winter

GILBERT THE GOLDEN DAWN TWILIGHT OF THE MAGICIANS

ripts, and were, for the first time, issued to members in printed form 'by the authority of the concealed superiors of the second order'.itseems unlikely that he worked any second order rituals other than those for the 'consecrationofa vault and temple of the adepts' and'thepontifical ceremony of celebrating the festival of corpus christi, which he called alternatively'therecurrence of the summer solstice; even these seem to have been abandoned after19 10.how many members followed waite and co. is not known, but there were fourteen signatories to the manifesto and a further fifteen members at the second convocation in april1904.among them were arthur machen (frater avallaunius, who had're255turned by special invitation of the. chiefs, algernon blackwood (umbra fugat veritas) and pamela col

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

virtuous conduct, and of education in the national faith, theology and polity, and novices were required to spend a period of preparation in the study and practice of mental and bodily purification.thechief seat of the egyptian mysteries was at memphis, the ancient capital of lower egypt. the lesser mysteries were those of isis, and were held at the vernal equinox; those of serapis at the summer solstice; and the great mysteries of osiris at the autumnal equinox. in this latter ceremonial the drama of the murder of osiris was performed, the reconstruc255 tion of his body by isis his queen, and the punishment of typhon or set the murderer, the wicked brother of osiris. from this ceremonial some students have derived the tradition of the masonic third degree, alleging that the reference to

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS F

men, it is still incomplete until it is empowered, consecrated and charged by the following ritual. it is a well known axiom that "practice makes perfect" one of the secrets of a true adept is that he or she does not just consecrate and empower his magical implements once, but rather several times. some adepts have been known to set an anniversary date and such as once a year, for example, on the solstice, to reconsecrate and re-empower their tools. others have been known to empower and reconsecrate their tools up to a hundred times and even more. it only makes sense that the more you empower a tool, the more effective it will be for you in your magical workings. the adept should have an altar that is draped in black. upon the altar is the red cross and the white triangle as in the neophyt

GRAHAM HANCOCK FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS

various points on its orbital path. equinoxes and solstices. let us also note that there are four crucial astronomical moments in the year, marking the official beginning of each of the four seasons. these moments (or cardinal points, which were of immense importance to the ancients, are the winter and the summer solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes. in the northern hemisphere the winter solstice, the shortest day, falls on 21 december, and the summer solstice, the longest day, on 21 june. in the southern hemisphere, on the other hand, 19 precise figure from the death of gods in ancient egypt, p. 205. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 231 everything is literally upside down: there winter begins on 21 june and summer on 21 december. the equinoxes, by contrast, are the two poi

te that marks the onset of spring in the northern hemisphere (20 march) marks that of autumn in the southern hemisphere, and the date for the onset of autumn in the northern hemisphere (22 september) marks the onset of spring in the southern hemisphere. like the subtler variations of the seasons, all this is brought about by the benevolent obliquity of the planet. the northern hemisphere s summer solstice falls at that point in the orbit when the north pole is aimed most directly towards the sun; six months later the winter solstice marks that point when the north pole is aimed most directly away from the sun. and, logically enough, the reason that day and night are of exactly equal length all over the planet on the spring and autumn equinoxes is that these mark the two points when the ear

ed in death of gods in ancient egypt, p. 199; hamlet s mill, p. 162; elsa brita titchenell, the masks of odin, theosophical university press, pasadena, 1988, p. 168. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 242 seen to rise in a different constellation (thus if the sun rises in pisces at the spring equinox, as it does at present, it must rise in virgo at the autumn equinox, in gemini at the winter solstice and in sagittarius at the summer solstice. on each of these four occasions for the last 2000 years or so, this is exactly what the sun has been doing. as we have seen, however, precession of the equinoxes means that the vernal point will change in the not so distant future from pisces to aquarius. when that happens, the three other constellations marking the three key points will change a

ow incredibly clever and skilful and knowledgeable its builders must have been, which forces you to ask questions about mankind, about human history, eventually about yourself too. you want to find out. this is the power of the thing. the second signature as robert, santha and i sat out on the giza plateau that cold december morning at the end of 1993, we watched the winter sun, now very close to solstice, rising over the right shoulder of the sphinx, almost as far south of east as it would travel on its yearly journey before turning north again. the sphinx was an equinoctial marker, with its gaze directed precisely at the point of sunrise on the vernal equinox. was it, too, part of the giza grand plan? i reminded myself that in any epoch, and at any period of history or prehistory, the sp

GREENFIELD ALLEN SECRET CIPHER OF THE UFONAUTS

ic magicians. proclaimed by aleister crowley to be his magical child, a ranking member of the a:.a. and a national grand master of the ordo templi orientis (oto, he is inherently a force to be dealt with seriously. crowley tells us in his autobiography, what i had really done was therefore to beget a magical son [in a magical operation. so, precisely nine months afterwards, that is, at the summer solstice of 1916, frater o.i.v (the name of c. stansfeld jones as a probationer) entirely without my knowledge became a babe of the abyss. crowley goes on to cite a number of proofs, relying upon the expected child in the book of the law. it is further predicted, crowley goes on, that his child shall discover the key of the interpretation of the book itself, and this i was unable to do. in actual

GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 3

r^ a feature that strikes me still more forcibly is, that artemis (diana) causes a scorpion to come up out of the grouud, who stings orion in the ankle, so that he dies" when the sign scorpio rises in the sky, orion sinks. this is like hackelberend's foot being pierced by the wild boar's tusk, and causing his death (pp. 921. 947. orion's [cosmic] rising is at the summer, his setting at the winter solstice: he blazes through the winter nights, just when the furious host is afoot. stormy winds attend him (nimbosus orion, aen. 1, 535; the gift is given him of walking on the sea (apollod. i. 4, 3, as the steeds in the aaskereia skim over the wave. orion's relation to artemis is not like that of wuotan to holda, for these two are never seen together in the host; but holda by herself bears a str

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

may as a great festival, and it is still regarded as the trysting-time of witches, i.e. once of wisewomen and fays; who can doubt that heathen sacrifices blazed that day? pholtag then answers to bealteine? and moreover baldag is the saxon form for paltar (p. 229. were the german may-fires, after the conversion, shifted to easter and midsummer, to adapt them to christian worship? or, as the summer solstice was itself deeply rooted in heathenism, is it eastertide alone that represents the ancient may-fires? for, as to the celtic november, the german yule or midwinter might easily stand for that, even in heathen times. 1 conf. the accounts in mone s geschichte des heidenth. 2, 485. 2 all over england on the 1st of may they set up a may pole, which may be from pole, palus, as. pol; yet pol, ph

nstes, stralsund ed. by zober, 1837, p. 10. eastee fiees. 617 almost everywhere during the last hundred years the feeble ness of governments has deprived the people of their easter fires (see suppl. 1 midsummer fires.2 in our older speech, the most festive season of the year, when the sun has reached his greatest height and must thence decline again, is named sunewende= sunnewende (sun s wending, solstice, commonly in the plural, because this high position of the sun lasts several days: ze einen sunewenden/ nib. 32, 4; f zen nsehsten sunewenden/ nib. 1424, 4. wigal. 1717; 1 vor disen sunewenden/ nib. 678, 3. 694, 3; ze sunewenden/ trist. 5987 (the true reading comes out in groot s variants; an sunewenden abent/ nib. 1754, 1( nach sunewenden/ iw. 2941.3 now, as midsummer or st. john s day (

reverence. 2 on the day before it, the herdsmen tie birchbark into torches, and having lighted them, they first march round the sheepfolds and cattle-pens, then go up the hills and let them burn out (vuk sub v.ivan dan. other slav countries have similar observances. in sartori s journey through carinthia 3, 349-50, we find the rolling of st. john s fiery wheel fully described. midsummerday or the solstice itself is called by the slovens kres, by the croats jcresz, i.e. striking of light, from kresati (ignem elicere, pol. krzesac; and as may is in irish mi-na-bealtine (fire-month, so june in slovenic is kresnik. at the kres there were leaps of joy performed at night; of lighting by friction i find no mention. poles and bohemians called the midsummer fire sobotka, i.e. little saturday, as co

he flame by their mothers. this was deemed a protective expiation* he says once a year/ but does not specify the day, which would have shewn us whether the custom was imported into syria from rome. on april 21, the day of her founding, eome kept the palilia, an ancient feast of herdsmen, in honour of pales, a motherly divinity reminding us of ceres and vesta.2 this date does not coincide with the solstice, but it does with the time of the easter fire; the ritual itself, the leaping over the flame, the driving of cattle through the glowing embers, is quite the same as at the midsummer fire and needfire. a few lines from ovid s description in the 4th book of the fasti shall suffice: 727. certe ego transilui positas ter in ordine flammas. 781. moxque per ardentes stipulae crepitantis acervos

ayday eve, which would exactly agree with the bealteine, you may see fires on most of the hills, and children with blazing brooms (jul. schmidt s reichenf. 118. lastly, the servians at christmas time light a log of oak newly cut, badniah, and pour wine upon it. the cake they bake at such a fire and hand round (vuk s montenegro, 105) recalls the gaelic practice (p. 613. the slavs called the winter solstice koleda, pol. koleda, euss. koliada, answering to the lat. calendae and the chalendes above; 2 they had games and dances, but the burning of fires is not mentioned. in lower germany too kaland had become an expression for feast and revelry (we hear of kalandgilden, kalandbriider, without limitation to christmas time, or any question of fires accompanying it (see suppl. if in the mid. ages

sewhere. 702 sky and staesv therefore suppose it to have been the initial of a goth. hvil= as. hweol, on. hvel. from f hvel r was developed the icel. hiol, swed. dan. hjul, 0. swed. kiught; and from f hweol, hweohl the engl. wheel, nethl wiel, and fris. fial (richth. 737. in view of all these variations, some have even ventured to bring in the on. jol, swed. dan. jul (yule, the name of the winter solstice, and fasten upon it also the meaning of the wheel; on that hypothesis the two forms must have parted company very early, supposing the gothic name of november jmleis to be cognate. 1 the word wheel seems to be of the same root as while, goth, liveila, ohg. huila, i.e. revolving time; conf. goth, hveila-hvairbs, ohg. huil-huerbic, volubilis. another symbolic epithet of the sun seems to be

all magic, and bids the spirits back to their subterranean abode. twice in the year the sun changes his course, in summer to sink, in winter to rise. these turning-points of the sun were celebrated with great pomp in ancient times, and our st. john s or midsummer fires are a relic of the summer festival (p. 617 seq. the higher north, the stronger must have been the im pression produced by either solstice, for at the time of the sum mer one there reigns almost perpetual day, and at the winter one perpetual night. even procopius (ed. bonn. 2, 206) describes how the men of thule, after their 35 days night, climb the mountain-tops to catch sight of the nearing sun. then they celebrate their holiest feast (see suppl. tacitus tells us (cap. 45, that the sun after setting shoots up such a radian

dstonden 1, 306. bilderdijk s verklarende gestachtlijst der naamworden 2, 198 has ludegeer, ludegaar, and explains it, no doubt wrongly, as luikenaar (leodiensis. however, he tells the old story: t mannetjen in de niaan, dat gezegd werd een doornbosch op zijn rug te heben r en om dat hy t gestolen had, niet hooger ten hemel te rnogen opklimmeuy.maar daar ingebannen te zijn. exactly as in chaucer. solstice. sunset. 721 had it not seemed credible that such accounts may not have reached the romans from germany itself, but been spread among them by miscellaneous travellers tales. strabo 3, 1 (tsch. 1, 368) quotes from posidonius a very similar story of the noise made by the setting sun in the sea between spain and africa: yu-6/f &vvlv tov rjxiov ev rfj trapw/ceavitisi i^era tyo<pov 7rap

ly three seasons, eap, 0epos ^ei^ay, autumn is left out. our two great anniversaries, the summer and winter solstices, marked off two seasons; the harvest-feast at the end of sept. and the fetching-in of summer are perhaps sufficient proof of a third or fourth. the twofold division is further supported by the as. terms midsumor and midwinter, on. mi&sumar, mi&vetr, which marked the same crises of solstice, and had no midhearfest to compete with them; an as. midlencten (engl. midlent) does occur, and is about equivalent to our mitfasten. now in what relation did the missere stand to midsumor and midwinter? the day (of 24 hours) likewise fell into two halves of 12 hours each, the as. dogor, on. dcegr; and dogor bears the same relation to deeg as missere to gear. our ancient remains have no t

HANDBOOK OF EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

vom sonnenauge (strasbourg, 1918. 22. for a full translation, see miriam lichtheim, ancient egyptian literature, vol. 3: the late period (berkeley, los angeles, and london,1980, 156 159. 23. this section of the myth is probably based on a list of names, epithets, and festivals of goddesses. by the greco-roman period, and probably earlier, the myth of the distant goddess was linked with the winter solstice and the annual return of the inundation from the far south. the flood took some weeks to spread northward, so the priests of each major temple would greet it in turn. for the wild celebrations that marked the return of the wandering goddess, see j. c. darnell, hathor returns to medamud, studien zur alt gyptischen kultur 22 (1995: 47 94. 24. these references are chiefly in the texts known

HUEBNER LOUISE WITCHCRAFT FOR ALL WICCA 04

lanets and the sun allows for a more effective use of magnetic forces. there are special festival dates: february 2, april 30, august 1 and, of course, october 31. the other dates are not the same every year, because the earth doesn't come back to the same position, in relation to the sun every year on the same day. very effective times are around march 21, the vernal equinox; june 21, the summer solstice; september 21, the autumnal equinox; and december 21, the winter solstice. get a current calendar and find out the first day of spring; certain spells are cast the night before. also important are the nights before the first day of summer, autumn and winter. there seems to be more force to spells cast at these times. another thing to watch is the moon. new and full-moon days are very effe

ISIS UNVEILED

aternary with the fourth, and typi- fying the death of the moon-god in its gradual waning and final disap- pearance. this death was allegorised by them, and attributed to the triumph of the genius of evil over the light-giving deity; as the later na- tions allegorized the death of their sun-gods, c^iris and apollo, at the hands of lyphon and the great dragon ^thon, when the sun entered the winter solstice. babel, arach, and akkad are names of the sun. the chaldaean orada are full and explicit upon the subject of the divine triad "a triad of deity shines forth throughout the whole worid, of which a monad is the head" admits the reverend dr. maurice "for from this triad, in the bosoms, are all things governed" sajrs a chaldaean oracle" the ph5, pur, and phlox, of sanchoniathon* are light, fi

JENNINGS HARGRAVE ROSICRUCIANS RITES MYSTERIES

rosses, as that animal can have no possible relation to christianity; whereas, by the tuath-de-danaans, it was accounted sacred, and its maintenance enjoined by the ordinances of the state, as it is still in the zend books, which remain after zoroaster. o brien's round towers of ireland, 1834, p. 359. i apprehend the word sin came to mean lion when the lion was the emblem of the sun at his summer solstice, 136 the rosicrucians. when he was in his glory, and the bull and the man were the signs of the sun at the equinoxes, and the eagle at the winter solstice. anacalypsis, vol. ii. p. 292. figure 23 is an egyptian bas-relief, of which the ex- fig. 23. planation is the following: a is the egyptian eve trampling the dragon (the goddess neith, or minerva; b, a crocodile; c, gorgon's head; d, ha

c (volney, ruins of empires, 1st english edition, 1792, p. 360. all white things express the celestial and luminous gods; all circular ones, the world, the moon, the sun, the destinies; all semicircular ones, as arches and crescents, are descriptive of the moon, and of lunar deities and meanings. the egyptians, says porphyry, employ every year a talisman in remembrance of the world. at the summer solstice, they mark their houses, flocks, and trees with red* see figs. 190, 191, 192, 195, post. see, also, pp. 47, 48, 52, 53, ante. 172 the rosicrucians. supposing that on that day the whole world had been set on fire. it was also at the same period that they celebrated the pyrrhic or fire-dance (and this illustrates the origin of the purifications by fire and water) there are seven planets in

arous, and is the mark and investiture of the beasts. the cabalists abstained from wine and marriage. tonsure means the sun's disc in the east les arabes, dit h rodote, lib. iii, se rasent la tete en rond et autour des tempes, ainsi que se rasait, disent-ils, bacchus (volney, ruines, p. 265. la touffe qui conservent les musulmans est encore prise du soleil, qui, chez les egyptiens, tait peint, au solstice d hiver, n ayant plus qu un cheveu sur la t te. les toiles de la d esse de syrie 264 the rosicrucians. et de la diane d eph se, d o denvent celles des pr tres, portent les dotize animaux du zodiaque. fig. 230, chapter-houses of york cathedral and of salis- fig. 229. anagram of the divine powers and distinctions exemplifying the athanasian creed. fig. 230. bury cathedral. most of the chapt

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

daycare centers c. increased taxes d. open drug and pornography market to everyone not yet accomplished; 6. to destroy government agencies by: a. overspending b. public opinion c. being on the offensive always, opposing, demonstrating, demoralizing not yet accomplished; 7. not to be revealed until all else has been accomplished. target date for revelation june 21, 1986 the beginning of the summer solstice and great feast on the satanic calendar. see also satanic ritual abuse for further reading: lyons, arthur. satan wants you: the cult of devil worship in america. new york:mysterious press, 1988. newton,michael. raising hell: an encyclopedia of devil worship and satanic crime. new york: avon, 1993. witchboard a group of friends use a ouija board and unwittingly conjure up a demon.witchboar

LIBER SAMEKH

cendeth is hadit. and i am the golden tau in the midst of their marriage.40 also, if he choose, he may insread wear a closeliber viii 42 fitting robe of shot silk, purple and green, and upon it a cloak without sleeves, of bright blue, covered with golden sequins, and scarlet within. and he shall make himself a wand of almond wood or of hazel, cut by his own hands at dawn at the equinox, or at the solstice, or on the day of corpus christi, or on one of the feast-days that are appointed in the book of the law.41 and he shall engrave with his own hand upon a plate of gold the holy sevenfold table,42 or the holy twelvefold table,43 or some particular device. and it shall be foursquare within a circle, and the circle shall be winged, and he shall attach it about his forehead by a ribbon of blue

LIBER VII

triangle that ascendeth is hadit. and i am the golden tau in the midst of their marriage. also, if he choose, he may instead wear a close-fitting robe of shot silk, purple and green, and upon it a cloak without sleeves, of bright blue, covered with golden sequins, and scarlet within. and he shall make himself a wand of almond wood or of hazel cut by his own hands at dawn at the equinox, or at the solstice, or on the day of corpus christi, or on one of the feast-days that are appointed in "the book of the law. and he shall engrave with his own hand upon the plate of gold the holy sevenfold table, or the holy twelvefold table, or some particular device. and it shall be foursquare within a circle, and the circle shall be winged, and he shall attach it about his forehead by a ribbon of blue si

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

r venus was sacred--was the most widely venerated deity of the babylonian and assyrian pantheon. she was probably identical with ashterorh, astarte, and aphrodite. the story of her descent into the underworld in search presumably for the sacred elixir which alone could restore tammuz to life is the key to the ritual of her mysteries. tammuz, whose annual festival took place just before the summer solstice, died in midsummer in the ancient month which bore his name, and was mourned with elaborate ceremonies. the manner of his death is unknown, but some of the accusations made against ishtar by izdubar (nimrod) would indicate that she, indirectly at least, had contributed to his demise. the resurrection of tammuz was the occasion of great rejoicing, at which time he was hailed as a "redeemer

of god, symbolic of the vernal equinox. this handsome youth is a composite of apollo, osiris, orpheus, mithras, and bacchus, for he has certain characteristics in common with each of these pagan deities. the philosophers of greece and egypt divided the life of the sun during the year into four parts; therefore they symbolized the solar man by four different figures. when he was born in the winter solstice, the sun god was symbolized as a dependent infant who in some mysterious manner had managed to escape the powers of darkness seeking to destroy him while he was still in the cradle of winter. the sun, being weak at this season of the year, had no golden rays (or locks of hair, but the survival of the light through the darkness of winter was symbolized by one tiny hair which alone adorned

ness of winter was symbolized by one tiny hair which alone adorned the head of the celestial child (as the birth of the sun took place in capricorn, it was often represented as being suckled by a goat) at the vernal equinox, the sun had grown to be a beautiful youth. his golden hair hung in ringlets on his shoulders and his light, as schiller said, extended to all parts of infinity. at the summer solstice, the sun became a strong man, heavily bearded, who, in the prime of maturity, symbolized the fact that nature at this period of the year is strongest and most fecund. at the autumnal equinox, the sun was pictured as an aged man, shuffling along with bended back and whitened locks into the oblivion of winter darkness. thus, twelve months were assigned to the sun as the length of its life

e past man explored unknown continents, so in the future, armed with curious implements fashioned for the purpose, he will explore these little known fastnesses of light, color, sound, and consciousness. click to enlarge the solar face. from montfaucon's antiquities. the corona of the sun is here shown in the form of a lion's mane. this is a subtle reminder of the fact that at one time the summer solstice took place in the sign of leo, the celestial lion. next: the zodiac and its signs sacred texts esoteric index previous next p. 53 the zodiac and its signs it is difficult for this age to estimate correctly the profound effect produced upon the religions, philosophies, and sciences of antiquity by the study of the planets, luminaries, and constellations. not without adequate reason were th

re events. as the zodiacal band marks the pathway of the sun through the constellations, it results in the phenomena of the seasons. the ancient systems of measuring the year were based upon the equinoxes and the solstices. the year always began with the vernal equinox, celebrated march 21 with rejoicing to mark the moment when the sun crossed the equator northward up the zodiacal arc. the summer solstice was celebrated when the sun reached its most northerly position, and the day appointed was june 21. after that time the sun began to descend toward the equator, which it recrossed southbound at the autumnal equinox, september 21. the sun reached its most southerly position at the winter solstice, december 21. four of the signs of the zodiac have been permanently dedicated to the equinoxes

e words 'o lamb of god, that taketh away the sin of the world, have mercy upon us. grant us thy peace' therefore, the lamb of god is a title given to the sun, who is said to be reborn every year in the northern hemisphere in the sign of the ram, although, due to the existing discrepancy between the signs of the zodiac and the actual star groups, it actually rises in the sign of pisces. the summer solstice is regarded as occurring in cancer (the crab, which the egyptians called the scarab--a beetle of the family lamellicornes, the head of the insect kingdom, and sacred to the egyptians as the symbol of eternal life. it is evident that the constellation of the crab is represented by this peculiar creature because the sun, after passing through this house, proceeds to walk backwards, or desce

stills the product of experience, which then aids him to regain his lost position plus an individualized intelligence. paracelsus said "the body comes from the elements, the soul from the stars, and the spirit from god. all that the intellect can conceive of comes from the stars [the spirits of the stars, rather than the material constellations" the constellation of capricorn, in which the winter solstice theoretically takes place, was called the house of death, for in winter all life in the northern hemisphere is at its lowest ebb. capricorn is a composite creature, with the head and upper body of a goat and the tail of a fish. in this constellation the sun is least powerful click to enlarge the microcosm. from schotus' margarita philosophica. the pagans believed that the zodiac formed th

suitable for the types of mind composing the mass of the population. these few possessed a far deeper understanding, as the serpent of scorpio upon their foreheads--the ur us--bore witness. the sun is often symbolized with its rays in the form of a shaggy mane. concerning the masonic significance of leo, robert hewitt brown, 32, has written "on the 21st of june, when the sun arrives at the summer solstice, the constellation leo--being but 30 in advance of the sun--appears to be leading the way, and to aid by his powerful paw in lifting the sun up to the summit of the zodiacal arch* this visible connection between the constellation leo and the return of the sun to his place of power and glory, at the summit of the royal arch of heaven, was the principal reason why that constellation was hel

he journey of the sun through the twelve signs" writes albert pike "come the legend of the twelve labors of hercules, and the incarnations of vishnu and buddha. hence came the legend of the murder of khurum, representative of the sun, by the three fellow-crafts, symbols of the winter signs, capricornus, aquarius, and pisces, who assailed him at the three gates of heaven and slew him at the winter solstice. hence the search for him by the nine fellow-crafts, the other nine signs, his finding, burial, and resurrection (see morals and dogma) other authors consider libra, scorpio, and sagittarius as the three murderers of the sun, inasmuch as osiris was murdered by typhon, to whom were assigned the thirty degrees of the constellation of scorpio. in the christian mysteries also judas signifies

because in the average individual the cosmic creative forces are limited in their manifestation to purely physical--and correspondingly materialistic--expression. obsessed by his belief in the reality and permanence of physical existence, man does not correlate the material universe with the blank north wall of the temple. as the solar light symbolically is said to die as it approaches the winter solstice, so the physical world may be termed click to enlarge diana of ephesus. from montfaucon's antiquities. crowned with a triple tower-like tiara and her form adorned with symbolic creatures representative of her spiritual powers, diana stood for the source of that imperishable doctrine which, flowing from the bosom of the great multimammia, is the spiritual food of those aspiring men and wom

ine which, flowing from the bosom of the great multimammia, is the spiritual food of those aspiring men and women who have consecrated their lives to the contemplation of reality. as the physical body of man receives its nutriment from the great earth mother, so the spiritual nature of man is fed from the never failing fountains of truth pouring outward from the invisible worlds. p. 80 the winter solstice of the spirit. reaching the winter solstice, the sun apparently stands still for three days and then, rolling away the stone of winter, begins its triumphal march north towards the summer solstice. the condition of ignorance may be likened to the winter solstice of philosophy; spiritual understanding to the summer solstice. from this point of view, initiation into the mysteries becomes th

nd or staff surmounted by a pine cone or cluster of grapes and entwined with ivy or grape-vine leaves, sometimes ribbons--signifies that the wonders of nature may only be accomplished by the aid of solar virility, as symbolized by the cone or grapes. in the phrygian mysteries, atys--the ever-present sun-savior--dies under the branches of the pine tree (an allusion to the solar globe at the winter solstice) and for this reason the pine tree was sacred to his cult. this tree was also sacred in the mysteries of dionysos and apollo. among the ancient egyptians and jews the acacia, or tamarisk, was held in the highest religious esteem; and among modern masons, branches of acacia, cypress, cedar, or evergreen are still regarded as most significant emblems. the shittim-wood used by the children o

le controversy exists as to whether the maid is dosing or opening the lion's mouth. most writers declare her to be closing the jaws of the beast, but a critical inspection conveys the opposite impression. the young woman symbolizes spiritual strength and the lion either the animal world which the girl is mastering or the secret wisdom over which she is mistress. the lion also signifies the summer solstice and the girl, virgo, for when the sun enters this constellation, the virgin robs the lion of his strength. king solomon's throne was ornamented with lions and he himself was likened to the king of beasts with the key of wisdom between its teeth. in this sense, the girl may be opening the lion's mouth to find the key contained therein for courage is a prerequisite to the attainment of know

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

t sabbats, or festivals, of the witches' year. the practical import of the sabbats is this: halloween, candlemas, beltane, and lammas mark the beginning of each quarter of the solar-tide cycle; first the tide of destruction and winter is initiated with halloween, the feast of the dead, the first day of the witches' year. the dark tide of destruction reaches its high point at midwinter, the winter solstice. candlemas marks the end of the reign of the king of winter, lord of misrule, and the first stirrings of the bright tide of summer. at the time of the vernal equinox, the bright and dark tides stand equally balanced, with the bright tide on the increase; beltane marks the beginning of its fullest spate, which reaches its high point at the mid-summer solstice. from here it begins to wane

onerous, and in some extremely rare cases, fatal. for this reason the ritual is often reserved for full-coven performance at sabbat on those occasions when it is employed, in this way providing a good complement of participants to act as energy donors. the best time for practising necromancy, however, is when the solar power is waning to its lowest ebb between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice; this fact is made use of in the traditional witch festival, halloween, wherein necromancy is employed. this is, of course, the feast of the dead, one of the four great sabbats (see chapter 7 "the coven and how to form one" for more on this) however, complications aside, necromancy is one of the more spectacular of magical operations when successful, and if a legitimate motivation impels

ider the parapsychic phenomenon of precognition as we did in chapter 3, you will realize that for a witch who deals wholly with the world of the paranormal, the laws of time as well as space as we know them in our everyday lives do not necessarily apply. the time to employ this ritual of evocation of a future loved one is traditionally midsummer's eve, the night of june 20, just before the summer solstice. on that note, i shall end this first section of spells for lovers. the following pages will deal with spells designed for the more impetuous practitioners. part ii. sex magic in the contemporary world of instant sex without romantic preamble, the modern witch may not have the patience required for the more dated "loving-cup" approach. in other words, she will be seeking for some magic wh

better known in the united states as jimson weed. mandragores may be made from the roots of all these, but great care should be taken as they all can be extremely poisonous. the english mandrake (white bryony) is preferable for this reason, and just as traditional. here is the method of preparation: on a day when the moon is waxing, preferably just after the new moon, sometime between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, look for your mandrake in a hedgerow or piece of wasteland. that night, making sure you are not observed, draw a deosil circle with your athame around the plant and, using the knife as a digging implement, loosen the earth around the root. without injuring the main section of the root, gently draw the plant from the soil. you will probably have to tug quite hard, a

petition, evocation, object link, power object, the power of iron, incense of wrath and chastisement, the square of mars, baneful herbs, and the candle of bewitchment! it is rather complex, as you will see, and should be performed only as a last resort when all else fails. the operation of grand bewitchment on a tuesday at midnight just before the new moon (ideally speaking, the nearer the winter solstice the better, tape a triangle around your altar pointing north. similarly, line the table of practice itself up so that the altar triangle also points north. within it should be placed your paten pentacle bearing your chosen modeling material, clay or wax, while wreathed about it should be your usual cernunnos paraphernalia- horns, evergreens, etc. outside the altar triangle, place: your th

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

rds as trivial as it may sound can be of use, as are room recorders to capture any messages from the dead. upon the closing of the great celebration, banish and retire to sleep and to dream. shed your skin as the serpent of the forest and fly upon broom or animal. take to the skies and feast of the funereal dead! they are your beginnings and the infinite possibility. yule december 22nd the winter solstice is the time that marks the death and rebirth of the sun god. it is a time of contemplation, of self-examination and natural rebirth. yule also is the birthday of mithras (13, the sun god of persia. the birth data of the christian savior was not accurately known from their historic texts per se, however around ad 273 that the church and its officials aligned the birth of christ to absorb t

MICHAEL TSARION ATLANTIS ALIEN VISITATION AND GENETIC MANIPULATION

h-grid in favor of the alien presence. andthe humans that gather on site and who watch on tv are part of the ritual. the energyof curiosity that they expend is very valuable. for any event that utilizes mass con-sciousness serves the aliens and the macrobes, whether that event appears to be sacredor not. the average humans entire psychology changes when viewing anything likean eclipse, a comet, a solstice, or other anomalies. this release of collective telekineticpsychic force is really like an emission of power from a giant organic battery or com-puter. the serpent masters are expert in creating theaters for just these kinds ofevents. they are the gladiatorial arenas of the modern age (see also quatermass- theconclusion, five million years to earth, and lifeforce).the crop circles do inde

n spain and gaul, caesar must have heard of hesus, the messiah, whose effigy stood at everycrossroad, whose crosses were worn upon the breast of every warrior, and whose second coming, whichhad long been predicted by the druid astrologers, coincided very closely with the period of his owninvasion of those countries. this is curiously similar to the coming of cortez and pisarro to the incas.winter solstice 48 b.c. julius caesar is deified at the temple of jupiter ammon. he was now the son of god. tiberiusrefused to be deified as a god. declaring himself to be mortal, he was upbraided.augustuswhen the tremendous commotion caused by the death of julius caesar had spent itself in civil wars, andin the firm establishment of the messianic religion and ritual, augustus ascended the sacred throne

MORALS AND DOGMA

rom _kuros, the sun _kuris, hesychius says, was adonis. apollo, the sun-god, was called _kurraios, from _kurra, a city in phocis. the people of _kurene, originally ethiopians or cuthites, worshipped the sun under the title of _achoor_ and _achor. we know, through a precise testimony in the ancient annals of tsur, that the principal festivity of _mal-karth, the incarnation of the sun at the winter solstice, held at tsur, was called his _rebirth_ or his _awakening, and that it was celebrated by means of a pyre, on which the god was supposed to regain, through the aid of fire, a new life. this festival was celebrated in the month _peritius (barith, the second day of which corresponded to the 25th of december. khur-um, king of tyre _movers_ says, first performed this ceremony. these facts we l

eid, and the _dionysiacs_ of _nonnus; and through a coincidence that cannot be fortuitous, the same day was at rome the _dies natalis solis invicti, the festal day of the invincible sun. under this title, hercules, har-_acles, was worshipped at tsur. thus, while the temple was being erected, the death and resurrection of a sun-god was annually represented at tsur, by solomon's ally, at the winter solstice, by the pyre of mal-karth, the tsurian haracles. aroeris or har-_oeris, the elder horus, is from the same old root that in the hebrew has the form _aur, or, with the definite article prefixed _haur, light, or _the_ light, splendor, flame, the sun and his rays. the hieroglyphic of the younger horus was the point in a circle; of the elder, a pair of eyes; and the festival of the thirtieth d

and ceremonies of this degree, as seems to him proper. with these special interpretations we have here nothing to do. like the legend of the master khurum, in which some see figured the condemnation and sufferings of christ; others those of the unfortunate grand master of the templars; others those of the first charles, king of england; and others still the annual descent of the sun at the winter solstice to the regions of darkness, the basis of many an ancient legend; so the ceremonies of this degree receive different explanations; each interpreting them for himself, and being offended at the interpretation of no other. in no other way could masonry possess its character of universality; that character which has ever been peculiar to it from its origin; and which enables two kings, worshi

tion twelve hierophants, who were alike priests, counsellors of state, and judges from whose decision there was no appeal. he held the numbers three and nine in peculiar veneration and was probably himself the indian buddha. every thrice-three months, thrice-three victims were sacrificed to the tri-une god. the goths had three great festivals; the most magnificent of which commenced at the winter solstice, and was celebrated in honor of thor, the prince of the power of the air. that being the longest night in the year, and the one after which the sun comes northward, it was commemorative of the creation; and they termed it mother-night, as the one in which the creation of the world and light from the primitive darkness took place. this was the _yule, juul_ or _yeol_ feast, which afterward

sirius or the dog-star, the friend and counsellor of osiris, and the inventor of language, grammar, astronomy, surveying, arithmetic, music, and medical science; the first maker of laws; and who taught the worship of the gods, and the building of temples. in the mysteries, the nailing up of the body of osiris in the chest or ark was termed the _aphanism, or disappearance [of the sun at the winter solstice, below the tropic of capricorn, and the recovery of the different parts of his body by isis, the _euresis, finding. the candidate went through a ceremony representing this, in all the mysteries everywhere. the main facts in the fable were the same in all countries; and the prominent deities were everywhere a male and a female. in egypt they were osiris and isis: in india, mahadeva and bha

ament, and of time which revolves in the zodiac "for the heavens fly" says philo, speaking of the wings of the cherubim: which were winged representations of the lion, the bull, the eagle, and the man; of two of which, the human-headed, winged bulls and lions, so many have been found at nimroud; adopted as beneficent symbols, when the sun entered taurus at the vernal equinox and leo at the summer solstice: and when, also, he entered scorpio for which, on account of its malignant influences, aquila, the eagle was substituted, at the autumnal equinox; and aquarius (the water-bearer) at the winter solstice. so, clemens says, the candlestick with seven branches represented the seven planets, like which the seven branches were arranged and regulated, preserving that musical proportion and syste

f the compass, represented the bull of the vernal equinox, and at tyre were consecrated to astarte; to whom hiram, josephus says, had builded a temple, and who wore on her head a helmet bearing the image of a bull. and the throne of solomon, with bulls adorning its arms, and supported on lions, like those of horus in egypt and of the sun at tyre; likewise referred to the vernal equinox and summer solstice. those who in thrace adored the sun, under the name of saba-zeus, the grecian bakchos, builded to him, says macrobius, a temple on mount zelmisso, its round form representing the world and the sun. a circular aperture in the roof admitted the light, and introduced the image of the sun into the body of the sanctuary, where he seemed to blaze as in the heights of heaven, and to dissipate th

ays being longest and the nights shortest when the line of his passage was furthest north, and the days shortest and nights longest when that line was furthest south: that his progress north and south was perfectly regular, marking four periods that were always the same--those when the days and nights were equal, or the vernal and autumnal equinoxes; that when the days were longest, or the summer solstice; and that when they were shortest, or the winter solstice. with the vernal equinox, or about the 25th of march of our calendar, they found that there unerringly came soft winds, the return of warmth, caused by the sun turning back to the northward from the middle ground of his course, the vegetation of the new year, and the impulse to amatory action on the part of the animal creation. the

e ground of his course, the vegetation of the new year, and the impulse to amatory action on the part of the animal creation. then the bull and the ram, animals most valuable to the agriculturist, and symbols themselves of vigorous generative power, recovered their vigor, the birds mated and builded their nests, the seeds germinated, the grass grew, and the trees put forth leaves. with the summer solstice, when the sun reached the extreme northern limit of his course, came great heat, and burning winds, and lassitude and exhaustion; then vegetation withered, man longed for the cool breezes of spring and autumn, and the cool water of the wintry nile or euphrates, and the lion sought for that element far from his home in the desert. with the autumnal equinox came ripe harvests, and fruits of

or euphrates, and the lion sought for that element far from his home in the desert. with the autumnal equinox came ripe harvests, and fruits of the tree and vine, and falling leaves, and cold evenings presaging wintry frosts; and the principle and powers of darkness, prevailing over those of light, drove the sun further to the south, so that the nights grew longer than the days. and at the winter solstice the earth was wrinkled with frost, the trees were leafless, and the sun, reaching the most southern point in his career, seemed to hesitate whether to continue descending, to leave the world to darkness and despair, or to turn upon his steps and retrace his course to the northward, bringing back seed-time and spring, and green leaves and flowers, and all the delights of love. thus, natura

cended to the south: lying within certain limits and extending to an equal distance on each side of the line of equal nights and days. this belt, curving like a serpent, was termed the zodiac, and divided into twelve signs. at the vernal equinox, 2455 years before our era, the sun was entering the sign and constellation taurus, or the bull; having passed through, since he commenced, at the winter solstice, to ascend northward, the signs aquarius, pisces and aries; on entering the first of which he reached the lowest limit of his journey southward. from taurus, he passed through gemini and cancer, and reached leo when he arrived at the terminus of his journey northward. thence, through leo, virgo, and libra, he entered scorpio at the autumnal equinox, and journeyed southward through scorpia

ecame the _ecliptic; and that which passes through the two equinoxes, the _equator. they knew nothing of the immutable laws of nature; and whenever the sun commenced to tend southward, they feared lest he might continue to do so, and by degrees disappear forever, leaving the earth to be ruled forever by darkness, storm, and cold. hence they rejoiced when he commenced to re-ascend after the winter solstice, struggling against the malign influences of aquarius and pisces, and amicably received by the lamb. and when at the vernal equinox he entered taurus, they still more rejoiced at the assurance that the days would again be longer than the nights, that the season of seed-time had come, and the summer and harvest would follow. and they lamented when, after the autumnal equinox, the malign in

al equinox he entered taurus, they still more rejoiced at the assurance that the days would again be longer than the nights, that the season of seed-time had come, and the summer and harvest would follow. and they lamented when, after the autumnal equinox, the malign influence of the venomous scorpion, and vindictive archer, and the filthy and ill-omened he-goat dragged him down toward the winter solstice. arriving there, they said he had been slain, and had gone to the realm of darkness. remaining there three days, he rose again, and again ascended northward in the heavens, to redeem the earth from the gloom and darkness of winter, which soon became emblematical of sin, and evil, and suffering; as the spring, summer, and autumn became emblems of happiness and immortality. soon they person

osiris. from the journey of the sun through the twelve signs came the legend of the twelve labors of hercules, and the incarnations of vishnu and buddha. hence came the legend of the murder of khurum, representative of the sun, by the three fellow-crafts, symbols of the three winter signs, capricornus, aquarius, and pisces, who assailed him at the three gates of heaven and slew him at the winter solstice. hence the search for him by the nine fellow-crafts, the other nine signs, his finding, burial, and resurrection. the celestial taurus, opening the new year, was the creative bull of the hindus and japanese, breaking with his horn the egg out of which the world is born, hence the bull apis was worshipped by the egyptians, and reproduced as a golden calf by aaron in the desert. hence the c

stellation aries; while the _sign_ gemini is in the _constellation_ taurus. four thousand six hundred and ten years before christ, the sun entered gemini at the vernal equinox. at the two periods, 2455 and 300 years before christ, and now, the entrances of the sun at the equinoxes and solstices into the signs, were and are as follows _b.c_ 2455. vern. equinox, he entered taurus from aries. summer solstice leo from cancer. autumnal equinox scorpio from libra. winter solstice aquarius from capricornus _b.c_ 300. vern. eq. aries from pisces. summer sols. cancer from gemini. autumn eq. libra from virgo. winter sols. capricornus from sagittarius. 1872. vern. eq. pisces from aquarius. sum. sols. gemini from taurus. aut. eq. virgo from leo. winter sols. sagittarius from scorpio. from confounding

d pollux, the dioscuri, and the cabiri of samothrace, patrons of navigation; while south of pollux are the brilliant stars sirius and procyon, the greater and lesser dog: and still further south, canopus, in the ship argo. sirius is apparently the largest and brightest star in the heavens. when the vernal equinox was in taurus, he rose heliacally, that is, just before the sun, when, at the summer solstice, the sun entered leo, about the 21st of june, fifteen days previous to the swelling of the nile. the heliacal rising of canopus was also a precursor of the rising of the nile. procyon was the forerunner of sirius, and rose before him. there are no important stars in cancer. in the zodiacs of esne and dendera, and in most of the astrological remains of egypt, the sign of this constellation

e_ the manger, on each side of which is a small star, the two of which were called _aselli_ little asses. in _leo_ are the splendid stars, regulus, directly on the ecliptic, and denebola in the lion's tail. southeast of regulus is the fine star cor hydr. the combat of hercules with the nem an lion was his first labor. it was the first sign into which the sun passed, after falling below the summer solstice; from which time he struggled to re-ascend. the nile overflowed in this sign. it stands first in the zodiac of dendera, and is in all the indian and egyptian zodiacs. in the left hand of virgo (isis or ceres) is the beautiful star spica virginis, a little south of the ecliptic. vindemiatrix, of less magnitude, is in the right arm; and northwest of spica, in bo tes (the husbandman, osiris

ion sets: when scorpio comes to the meridian, leo begins to set, typhon reigns, osiris is slain, and isis (the virgin) his sister and wife, follows him to the tomb, weeping. the virgin and bo tes, setting heliacally at the autumnal equinox, delivered the world to the wintry constellations, and introduced into it the genius of evil, represented by ophiucus, the serpent. at the moment of the winter solstice, the virgin rose heliacally(_with_ the sun, having the sun (horus) in her bosom. in libra are four stars of the second and third magnitude, which we shall mention hereafter. they are zuben-es-chamali, zuben-el-gemabi, zuben-hak-rabi, and zuben-el-gubi. near the last of these is the brilliant and malign star, antares in scorpio. in scorpio, antares, of the 1st magnitude, and remarkably red

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

rank. 2. cardinal. fiery. solar rank. 3. common (mutable) airy. subtle rank. from above down, or in columns these are: earthy signs. airy signs. watery signs. fiery signs. rank 5. the kerubic line shows the signs in the order of tetragrammaton read in hebrew. rank 7. the cardinal line shows the signs from the right in the order of astronomical sequence of the solar course: vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, winter solstice. rank 8. the common line shows the signs again in a different position. here the earliest in the year is gemini on the left of mem, and passing left to virgo, you then go round to extreme right to sagittarius, pass centrewards to pisces close to makuth. the colouring of each square is dual- a ground colour, and the colour of the emblem. the ground colour i

ROBERT KIRK WALKER BETWEEN WORLDS

quinox and the summer and winter http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_72.htm (6 of 10 [10/9/2001 12:35:48 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 72-81) figure 2. the wheel of life (the four seasons) commentary 79 http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_72.htm (7 of 10 [10/9/2001 12:35:48 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 72-81) figure 3. the sacred directions and zones commentary 80 solstice, though these events were also governed by other criteria. the celtic festivals, though often said to be defined by the solar phases of the year, were also marked by the rising and setting of the pleiades, celebrated in may and november. there are several implications in this tradition of the fairy people traveling to 'other lodgings' at each quarter or the turning point of each season. a

RUBY TABLET OF SET

planation of concepts derived from these five forms. harwer is completely manifest, as is necessary for the equinox of the aon of horus. the xeper-principle is partially revealed through passages in the text dealing with transformation and evolution. the form of set would remain unrecognized and enigmatic, its presence but not identity sensed, until the announcement of the aon of set on the north solstice of x/1975. 3. every man and every woman is a star. a star is a self-contained unit of matter, energy, and the process of conversion between the two. once formed, a star is an island of existence unique unto itself amidst the universe, interacting comparatively remotely with other celestial bodies and phenomena through radiation and gravitation. the constitution of each abnormally intellig

cement of an obsolete aeon by a new one. trump #1 "the magus. refers to crowley's role "in 8. i.e: in the new aeon as the instrument of adjustment. this is "vital" insofar as the harwer neter cannot manifest itself in the objective universe save through the mind of a material/intellectual medium "the empress (trump #3) and "the emperor (trump #4) add to trump #7("the chariot, signifying the north solstice and the mystery of the grail. this is indeed a "further secret" as it is not of harwer and would be revealed only in the hall of the dead (walhalla) at wewelsburg castle, westphalia, in xvii/1982 ce. 16. i am the empress& the hierophant. thus eleven as my bride is eleven "the empress (trump #3) and "the hierophant (trump #5) again equal "adjustment (trump #8. the aon of horus is character

ted with "chain"-pasting but noticed nothing remarkable [i read this verse as a simple instruction to bind the manuscript of the book of the law as a book] 74. there is a splendour in my name hidden and glorious, as the sun of midnight is ever the son. the "sun of midnight" xepera. the "splendour in my name hidden and glorious" set, true origin of liber al, who would remain hidden until the north solstice of x. 75. the ending of the words is the word abrahadabra. the book of the law is written and concealed. aum. ha. the diabolicon the statement of satan archdaimon hail, man! the mysteries that are thy heritage shall now be proclaimed, but learn first the history of thy conception and creation amidst the eternal cosmos. for as the universe itself be infinite, so art thou a true creature of

of the black flame, for only thus may he know that he is not subject to a greater will. heaven must perish, hell must perish, and man alone must remain ere the black flame becomes red in the glory of its perfection. then the red magus shall behold only leviathan, and he shall recognize that he has become the perfect mind, who shall remake the cosmos in the eternal glory of his satanic will. ninth solstice message arise! hear! see with the brilliance of my flame that has been brought before my darkened and blasted temple these long years. i am satan, and again the great angles of the universe are conjoined that i may manifest my will to this plane of earth. i have constrained the forces of time that i may do this, yet even so i am not full master of inertia, as the cosmos is not entirely a

the reality of the temple's principles. the greatest of these is the bank of truths and treasures inherent in the word of which my own is a more recently exposed facet. the word of the aeon of set is xeper- become. book of coming forth by night classification: v2- a17.121- 1 author: michael a. aquino v date: june, x html revision: september 6, 1998 ce subject: book of coming forth by night north solstice the equinox has succumbed to my solstice, and i, set, am revealed in my majesty. the time of the purification is past. the fate of my gifted race rests in balance, and i shall not recant my word, spoken to my high priest mehenpettha in old khem and now again to you. proclaim the nineteen parts of the word, and vanquish thus the feeble and corrupt keys of enoch, which were but a shadow of

fifth year of the church of satan, i gave to this magus my diabolicon, that he might know the truth of my ancient gift to mankind, clothed though it might be in the myths of the hebrews. even you, who delivered the diabolicon from asia, did not know it for what it was. but he that i had fashioned a magus knew, and he thought often of the diabolicon as he guided the church of satan. upon the ninth solstice, therefore, i destroyed my pact with anton szandor lavey, and i raised him to the will of a daimon, unbounded by the material dimensions. and so i thought to honor him beyond other men. but it may have been this act of mine that ordained his fall. were i my self to displace the cosmic inertia, i should be forced to become a new measure of consistency. i would cease to be one, for i should

atmospheres in its ceremonies, and ultimately as a metaphysical presence whose expression of being was awesome, exhilarating- the very fire of life to those who took his name as a part of their own and called themselves satanists. the full history of the church of satan is documented in my church of satan. where the church as a functioning institution is concerned, its history ended on the north solstice of the satanic year ten, the evening of june 21-22, 1975. for the church had fallen in ruins, anton lavey having corrupted the priesthood; and it seemed to me, at that time magister templi iv and successor by default to the satanic high priesthood, that only direct intervention by the prince of darkness himself could provide us with a basis for a viable raison d'etre. alone that night i c

ar glorified life-after-death above lifebefore- death. the book of coming forth by day is essentially a selection of spells and incantations designed to aid a newly-dead person through the perils of the underworld. this preoccupation with death is conspicuously absent from the book of coming forth by night, which is ultimately an appeal and a challenge for the enhancement of conscious life. north solstice the book of coming forth by night was written during the night of the north solstice (june 21-22) 1975 (the year x of the age of satan, according to the church of satan. here the year is given the hieroglyphic name xeper, symbolized by xepera, the scarab beetle who represents the principle of the sun's "immortality" via its transition through the darkness towards another dawn. the equinox

coming forth by night was written during the night of the north solstice (june 21-22) 1975 (the year x of the age of satan, according to the church of satan. here the year is given the hieroglyphic name xeper, symbolized by xepera, the scarab beetle who represents the principle of the sun's "immortality" via its transition through the darkness towards another dawn. the equinox has succumbed to my solstice, and i, set, am revealed in my majesty. the apparent reference is to the north solstice, as explained above. there may be a second implication: aleister crowley identified the events surrounding the inception of the aon of horus in 1904 ce as the "equinox of the gods" the book of coming forth by night heralds the eclipse of that aeon in favor of the aon of set. my evocation- an effort to

oduced magical results that were, if anything, far more powerful than those of the "pure" system. in my working on the word of set, i used an approach similar to anton's, seeking words to express what i seemed to sense the keys were actually intended to say. in short i was endeavoring to present the keys in a still "blacker" version than that which appears in the satanic bible. moreover the north solstice x working which resulted in the book of coming forth by night was begun with this new first part of the word of set rather than with the first enochian key. such would seem to be the basis for the book of coming forth by night's reference to the "breaking" of the old keys. six years later the working of the word of set was finally completed- on april 13, xvi (anniversary of john dee's ini

you have so graciously bestowed upon us, and you may be assured that it will assume a meaningful place in the order."23 the diabolicon was retained unreleased in san francisco. although i subsequently circulated a few typed copies among the priesthood, the diabolicon was not made generally available until the publication of the first edition of this analysis& commentary in xi/1976. upon the ninth solstice, therefore, i destroyed my pact with anton szandor lavey, and i raised him to the will of a daimon, unbounded by the material dimensions. and so i thought to honor him beyond other men. but it may have been this act of mine that ordained his fall. for the next four years after the creation of the diabolicon, i wrote nothing similar to it. in the summer of ix/1974, however, i once more exp

act of mine that ordained his fall. for the next four years after the creation of the diabolicon, i wrote nothing similar to it. in the summer of ix/1974, however, i once more experienced the restlessness that had characterized the working of the diabolicon; and over a two-month period i penned a similar document containing the message referred to in this passage- what was since called the "ninth solstice message" in august i again sent the calligraphic original to anton lavey. in an accompanying note i disclaimed the prerogative to comment on it. anton replied with a note in- uncharacteristically- his own handwriting "it pleases me that you perceive that which you do. you have entered a new realm of comprehension and truly deserve the name of satanist."24 a question remains concerning the

poured in; and by the end of june the once-strong national network had virtually ceased to exist. for a decade the church of satan had surmounted every obstacle and solved every problem with an ease unequalled and unprecedented in occultism. now it was dying, not with a bang but with a whimper, this too we could not understand. hence my decision to appeal directly to satan on the eve of the north solstice. in the book of coming forth by night set assumes responsibility for the disastrous course of events by citing the unanticipated dangers of the daimonic state of mind. he implies that the age of satan (set/harwer) would have evolved into the aon of set in any case [though this would not necessarily have meant an organizational crisis or change in leadership; it was the means, not the end

s also born dead, raising the question of the nature of the force inhabiting his subsequently revived body. on his chest he bears the same whorled swastika appearing on crowley and the buddha, and from infancy his eyebrows have always curled upward into the horns described in the biblical book of revelation #13:11. he was ordained to the satanic priesthood by anton lavey on the night of the north solstice v, and recognized by set as a magus on the night of the north solstice x. he has taken the name of the prince of darkness as a part of himself: ra-en-set "he who speaks as set" i, set, am come again to my friends among mankind- let my great nobles be brought to me. set has returned in his true identity, for the first time since the destruction of the original temple of set in ancient egyp

omes of monsters in various shapes and forms which lived upon the unfortunate creatures whom they were able to destroy."60 according to the book of gates,61 the first region of the tuat was called set-amentet, and also the western gate.62 affix now my image as it was given to you, so that all who read of these matters may now look upon the likeness of set. approximately a month prior to the north solstice x, i happened to be looking through some books of ancient art. among the illustrations were some mutilated images of set, and i recalled budge's comment that no known portraits of the god had survived unmutilated.63 feeling a sudden sympathy for this "old mythological figure" i decided to create at least one picture that was neither mutilated nor commercial. after doing this, i surrounded

n sympathy for this "old mythological figure" i decided to create at least one picture that was neither mutilated nor commercial. after doing this, i surrounded it with hieroglyphs- the phrase "let my great nobles be brought to me" which would unexpectedly reappear in the book of coming forth by night. satisfied with the design, i relegated it to my archives, presumably indefinitely. on the north solstice, at approximately 4:30 am, it was appended to the manuscript. the word of the aeon of set is xeper. become each magical aon is characterized by a philosophy, which may be summarized by a formula, which may in turn be summarized by a word. the magus of an aon "utters its word, i.e: he formulates and explains the new philosophy. although crowley speaks of only three historic aons (isis, osi

of lies. new york: samuel weiser, 1970, pages #24-25. lavey, the satanic bible, pages #81-86. lavey, the satanic rituals, pages #219-220. 65. the task of a magus is to utter his word. the curse of a magus is that, since he necessarily utters his word in an environment unfamiliar with it, few will initially comprehend or tolerate that word. concerning the book of coming forth by night on the north solstice of the year x, magister michael a. aquino of the church of satan performed a greater black magical working of communication that produced several results, one of the least interesting of which was an inspired document called the book of coming forth by night. because most of the various products of this still ongoing and transpersonal working are not subject to easy manipulation, the bocf

ick sheep without. the church of satan failed in that after this great moment of purification, it had nothing more to tell you. creating space is the first step to building something better on it. the working that communicated the word of xeper, occurred because of the success of other workings which created a space for growth. a working of communication, such as michael aquino performed on north solstice in the year x, has four components. firstly the contents of the brain of the individual: this will determine the language and factual material. secondly the rest of the body-soul complex: this generally unmanifest part of the human being is sometimes called the higher self. this is the potential for becoming. as opposed to new age thinkers who stress the unlimited model of mankind, left h

SAPPHIRE TABLE OF SET MAIN

idered only an eccentric [like dee, rosenberg, gurdjieff, crowley, or lavey. rarely will he live to see the blossoms of the trees he has planted. a last question remains. in the golden dawn/a:.a. there was a final degree beyond that of magus (9=[2- that of ipsissimus (l0=[l. and the book of coming forth by night also reveals the advancement of anton lavey to daimon (vi) at approximately the north solstice of ix. what is this concept, and how does it fit into the "forest [crowley, when discussing it in magick in theory and practice, states that it is a degree "wholly free from all limitations soever, existing in the nature of all things without discriminations or quantity or quality between them" in an "ideal" golden dawn context, an ipsissimus is one who has finally and completely merged h

SAPPHIRE TABLET OF SET

idered only an eccentric [like dee, rosenberg, gurdjieff, crowley, or lavey. rarely will he live to see the blossoms of the trees he has planted. a last question remains. in the golden dawn/a:.a. there was a final degree beyond that of magus (9=[2- that of ipsissimus (l0=[l. and the book of coming forth by night also reveals the advancement of anton lavey to daimon (vi) at approximately the north solstice of ix. what is this concept, and how does it fit into the "forest [crowley, when discussing it in magick in theory and practice, states that it is a degree "wholly free from all limitations soever, existing in the nature of all things without discriminations or quantity or quality between them" in an "ideal" golden dawn context, an ipsissimus is one who has finally and completely merged h

SATANIC BIBLE

to determine their future marriage partners. the youth of the villages carried on with much merry-making and sensual revelry, but the older people took great care to safeguard their homes from the evil spirits, witches, and demons who had exceptional power that night. the solstices and equinoxes are also celebrated as holidays, as they herald the first day of the seasons. the difference between a solstice and an equinox is a semantic one defining the relationship between the sun, moon, and the fixed stars. the solstice applies to summer and winter; the equinox refers to autumn and spring. the summer solstice is in june, and the winter solstice is in december. the autumn equinox is in september, and the spring equinox is in march. both the equinoxes and the solstices vary a day or two from

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

shinto: the traditional, mainstream practice of shinto, with emphasis on the local shrine. skepticism: doubt or disbelief toward a particular proposition or object. skepticism: a philosophical system that doubted the possibility of ever discovering real truth through the senses. socratic: having to do with the philosopher socrates and his method of asking questions of students to develop an idea. solstice: the points in the year when the day is longest (the summer solstice, generally on june 21) and the shortest (the winter solstice, generally on december 21. sophists: a group of traveling teachers in ancient greece who doubted the possibility of knowing all the truth through the physical senses. state shinto: shinto as it was practiced after it was declared the official state religion in

l evidence suggests that jesus was probably born in the spring or summer; that was the time the shepherds that luke reports visiting the newborn jesus would have been in the fields, watching over the young lambs. december 25, however, was a powerful day to incorporate into the new christian religion. it had been, from earliest pagan times, a time of celebration, since it falls close to the winter solstice, the shortest day in the year. for the ancients, this was a turning point in the year, signaling the lengthening of days and the return of the sun. prehistoric tribes and clans throughout europe constructed sophisticated and enormous rock timepieces in the landscape, such as stonehenge in england, to measure the fall of light at the winter and summer solstices. in many cultures this all-i

ning of days and the return of the sun. prehistoric tribes and clans throughout europe constructed sophisticated and enormous rock timepieces in the landscape, such as stonehenge in england, to measure the fall of light at the winter and summer solstices. in many cultures this all-important seasonal change has been a major festival day. in ancient egypt the god osiris was supposedly buried on the solstice. in ancient greece it was called lenaea and sacrifices were made, while in ancient rome the saturnalia was a week-long celebration that managed to blend all manner of earlier pagan celebrations from across europe into one. judaism has the eight-day festival hanukkah, and zoroastrianism gave modern iran shabe-yalda, which celebrates the rebirth of the sun. the concept of the rebirth of lig

e saturnalia was a week-long celebration that managed to blend all manner of earlier pagan celebrations from across europe into one. judaism has the eight-day festival hanukkah, and zoroastrianism gave modern iran shabe-yalda, which celebrates the rebirth of the sun. the concept of the rebirth of light or the coming of longer days and the sun was a powerful symbol. the appropriation of the winter solstice for the christian celebration of christmas was a valuable development in the spreading of that religion. world religions: almanac 15 what is religion? development of the universe scientists do not say how the universe and everything in it was initially created. such separate spheres of thought leave room for both systems to exist. the value of religion religion continues to be a vital for

ing to the record of rites, also involves dance and music. the confucian shrine in seoul and those around the countryside of south korea are sites for honoring confucius on his birthday, celebrated in late september or early october. confucian temples were once the sites of many offering ceremonies. sometimes these were led by the emperor himself. for example, the emperor would perform the winter solstice (the shortest day of winter) ceremony in beijing to celebrate the return of positive yang energy, wearing blue robes embroidered with dragons. at the confucian temple, he would light a pile of sticks set onto the circular-shaped altar, signifying the shape of heaven. the rising smoke from this fire summoned the god shangdi, the supreme lord, to the ceremony. the meat from a young bull wou

lly, the number of religious holidays in rome were small, but later in the roman empire so many festivals were adopted that there were more holidays than workdays per year. among the more important of the roman religious festivals were the saturnalia, lupercalia, equiria, and secular games. the saturnalia was celebrated for seven days, from december 17 to 23, during the period in which the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, occurred. all business was suspended, slaves were given temporary freedom, gifts were exchanged, and people generally enjoyed themselves with food and drink. the lupercalia was an ancient festival originally honoring lupercus, a country or agricultural god of the italians. the festival was celebrated on february 15 at the cave of the lupercal on the palatine

neo-paganism: a term referring to modern religions based on ancient pagan religions. ostara: neo-pagan holiday held at the time of the spring equinox. sabbat: holidays practiced by wiccans throughout the year, including the summer and winter solstices, the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, and four additional holidays between these four. samhain (samhuinn: neo-pagan holiday celebrated on october 31. solstice: the points in the year when the day is longest (the summer solstice, generally on june 21) and the shortest (the winter solstice, generally on december 21. wicca: the name of a neo-pagan religion that generally worships the god and the goddess. 372 world religions: almanac neo-paganism part in bizarre rituals involving blood sacrifice and black magic, or magic practiced for selfish and b

tic goddess bridgit, or brigit, was made a saint by the catholic church. as older religions in europe encountered newer ones like christianity, they each would change and adapt to one another. christianity s influence often left the older religions with much smaller followings. werner forman/corbis. world religions: almanac 377 neo-paganism frey is the god of yuletide (a celebration of the winter solstice) because he was born on that day, which usually falls on december 21. frey is the god of plenty and of peace. he provides prosperity and fertility. the goddess of love, sexuality, and beauty is freya, or freyja. she is the leader of the valkyries, the maidens of odin who choose the greatest warriors slain in battle and conduct them to odin s hall, valhalla. frigg, or frigga, as odin s wif

thia. they can be conducted in permanent or temporary sites, as long as the space is consecrated, or blessed. there is no canon, or official group, of texts, although many asatruars read the ancient norse sagas for their stories about the gods and goddesses (sagas are lengthy poems about heroic and legendary figures in scandinavia) holidays include celebration of the vernal equinox and the summer solstice; the charming of the plow in february; fogmoon, a celebration of the dead in november; and the blot ritual, a sacrificial offering to the gods that consists of such items as fruit or grains. sacred symbols include the axe, thor s hammer, and the horns of odin. 378 world religions: almanac neo-paganism druidism historical information about druidism is very slight. while the religion is oft

s (at the moment of the equinox, the hours of day and night are precisely 388 world religions: almanac neo-paganism equal. this observance marks the beginning of spring, of planting, and of reproduction. the next sabbat is beltane (or beltaine) on april 30. by now spring is well under way. beltane marks the return of vitality and passion into the world, a process that continues through the summer solstice, around june 21. during this period the world has been filled with the creative power of the god and goddess, concluding on august 1 with lughnasadh, the harvest festival. on about september 21, wiccans celebrate the mabon, the autumn equinox, and the completion of the harvest season. again, the hours of day and night are equal, but at this point in the cycle darkness is overtaking the li

r festival are burned. two of the most important agricultural festivals are the spring festival (called haru matsuri or toshigoi-no-matsuri, held on february 17 to pray for a good harvest, and the autumn festival (aki matsuri or niiname-sai, held on august 15 to thank the kami for a good harvest. finally, celebrations in honor of amaterasu are held each year on july 17 and december 21 (the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year) to emphasize her role in giving light to the world. each year a community holds its annual festival, or rei-sai. this festival is held in honor of the local kami, an image of which is carried in procession in a mikoshi. the festival includes music and dancing but also more solemn religious observances. some of these festivals have become world famous. during

e and had lost all its independence. the jewish people of palestine, however, often rebelled against roman rule. from the activities of shepherds recorded in the gospels, jesus would appear to have been born in the spring or summer. the birth date of december 25 is widely accepted to be a later invention by his followers, who wanted to blend his birthday with the much older festival of the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, because that festival was already widely celebrated. the estimated year of his birth did, however, establish the jesus christ 188 world religions: biographies western calendar system. dating began with ad 1, where ad stands for anno domini, which is latin for in the year of the lord. dates before jesus s birth were labeled bc, or before christ. these designa

SIR WALLIS BUDGE EGYPTIAN MAGIC

mulet they intended it to bring to them the blessings of strength, vigour, protection, safety, good health, and the like, and they had in their minds the eye of horus, probably the white one, or the sun. in religious texts the expression meh utchat, i.e, the "filling of the utchat" is often used, and from many considerations it is clear that we must understand it to refer to the sun at the summer solstice; thus the amulet seems to have been intended to bring to its wearer strength and health similar to that of the sun at the season of the year when it is most powerful. in the clxviith chapter of the book of the dead the deceased is made to say "the god thoth hath brought the utchat, and he hath made it to rest after it departed, o ra. it was grievously afflicted by the storm, but thoth mad

ra. it was grievously afflicted by the storm, but thoth made it to rest after it departed out of the storm. i am sound, and it is sound; i am sound, and it is sound; and nebseni, the lord of piety, is sound" to obtain the full benefit of the utchat amulet for the deceased it was obligatory to p. 57 make one in lapis-lazuli and to plate it with gold, and then to offer to it offerings at the summer solstice; another had then to be made of jasper and, if after the specified chapter (cxl) had been recited over it, it was laid on any part of the body of the deceased, he would become a god and take his place in the boat of ra. at this solstice twelve altars 1 had to be lighted, four for ra-temu, four for the utchat, and four for the other gods who had been mentioned in the chapter. an interestin

TECHNICIANS GUIDE TO THE LEFT HAND PATH

t of hermes use your mind to its full extent and rise from the earth to heaven, and then again descend to earth and combine the powers of what is above and what is below. thus you will win glory in the whole world, and obscurity will leave you at once. this is largely an invocation to anubis, opener of the way, to cause power to flow forth under the control of the children of set (so named. north solstice, 1975, michael a. aquino invoked set and receives the book of coming forth by night. empowered by this gnosis, aquino becomes a magus and founds the temple of set, which has a similar appeal to post modern magicians that set- typhon did in late antiquity. once again set, whose name means initiation, is highly honored upon this earth. september 9, 1995 under the guidance of the researchers

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE

sure to sigmund freud who described it as one of the most significant revelations of subconscious mechanisms that had appeared in modern times. 6 whatever the value of spare's contribution to art and psychology, his contribution to experimental occultism is supreme, for 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 simila

THE CRAFT GRIMOIRE OF ECLECTIC VERSION 2

ta l i e n b tha il as n s h ad g h ul bo a n m pagans celebrate eight festivals, or sabbats in the cycle of a year. while all eight of these times reflect agricultural aspects of the year, four are of a celtic nature, while the other four are drawn from the mediterranean area of europe. each full moon is also a holy day, and is called an esbat. samhain celtic fire festival october 31 yule winter solstice december 21 imbolg celtic fire festival february 2 ostara spring equinox march 22 beltain celtic fire festival april 30 litha summer solstice june 21 lughnassadh celtic fire festival august 1 mabon autumn equinox september 22 samhain, the time of the year when the veil is the thinnest. in celtic times, this was the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. this is the best time fo

february 2 ostara spring equinox march 22 beltain celtic fire festival april 30 litha summer solstice june 21 lughnassadh celtic fire festival august 1 mabon autumn equinox september 22 samhain, the time of the year when the veil is the thinnest. in celtic times, this was the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. this is the best time for the taking of omens. yule, this is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. lighting of the yule log is symbolic of welcoming the sun. imbolg, also called lady s day, is a time of renewal. in days past a common fire was lit, and all members of a community would take a brand from the fire home, to rekindle their own hearth fires. today we call it groundhog day. ostara, the spring equinox, a time when daylight and night are in balanc

and from the fire home, to rekindle their own hearth fires. today we call it groundhog day. ostara, the spring equinox, a time when daylight and night are in balance. a time of blessing the seed, planting, and fertility. beltain, a hinge day when winter gives way to summer. again the veil is thin between the worlds. dance around a may pole, celebrate the joy and ecstacy of life. litha, the summer solstice, the shortest night of the year. time to rejoice in the warmth of the sun, while the world is full of growing life. lughnassadh, the first of the harvest festivals. in celtic tradition it is the day the young son challenges his father the king, for rulership. in the course of their battle, the father is wounded, this is symbolized by the following days growing cooler. mabon, the second ha

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

s claimed it as their symbol, satanists are said to invert it to show the elements of nature turned against themselves and out of harmony with god s divine plan of balance. ritual calendar: satanism adopted the traditional calendar of witchcraft and celebrates eight major festivals, known as sabbats: february 1 candelmas march 21 spring equinox april 30 walpurgisnacht may 1 beltane june 21 summer solstice august 1 lammas september 23 fall euinox october 31 samhain* december 21 winter solstice 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 290 mystery religions and cults antonszandor lavey started the rebirth of contemporary satanism on walpurgisnacht (may 1, 1966 with the church of satan. contemporary satanism is said to have experienced its rebir

eligion in human affairs. filled with missionary zeal, aquino made it clear that he did not wish to convert everyone to satanism, but he did wish to remove the shadow of fear 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 mystery religions and cults 303 and superstition that he believed had been perpetuated by organized religion. on the eve of the summer solstice on june 21, 1975, after his split with lavey, aquino performed a magical ritual and sought to summon satan to appear to him to advise him how best to proceed in his earthly mission. according to aquino, the prince of darkness appeared to him in the image of set and declared to his disciple the dawning of the aeon of set. it was revealed that set appeared to aleister crowley (1875 1947) in

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL

brations. the sabbats mark the passage of the year as it moves through its seasons: samhain begins the year for those who follow the ways of witchcraft, and it occurs near october 31. 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 magic and sorcery 97 by the late sixteenth century, the power of the inquisition was beginning to wane. yule marks the winter solstice and is celebrated near december 21, the longest, darkest night of the year. candlemas, observed on february 2, is the festival of the goddess brigid. the spring equinox happens around march 21 and is a powerful time of magic. beltane, may 1, celebrates love and oneness. the summer solstice, occurring around june 21, is also a time of power and strength of the deities of nature. august 1 r

. in matters of health, nerves are liable to plague geminis, and they often prefer to live close to meadows and woods where they are able to gain vigor from the wind and the rains. cancer, the crab, june 22 to july 22, is a water sign. the ancient chaldeans named cancer after the crab, because of its backward or oblique movement, which brought to their mind the sun fs immobility during the summer solstice as it enters this sign. cancers have great imaginations, and they glory in fantasies of love and romance. cancers hate to be flustered, and they like to take their time over important decisions. cancer people usually strive to be cheerful and avoid depressions. because of their natural affinity for water, whenever possible they make their homes on the coast or close to a lake or a large b

lled the mecca stone by many moslems. bolical of the illumination of the soul in the midst of earthly despair or of death. ancient romans honored juno lucina, mother of the light, whenever a candle was lit to spread its light and sweet scent into the darkness. juno lucina controlled the sun, moon, and stars, and granted to newborn children the glight h of their spirit. each year during the winter solstice a festival of lights was celebrated in her honor. this winter celebration became the christian feast of santa lucia (saint lucy, which is still observed in sweden with a young woman wearing a crown of candles and portraying the lussibruden or lucy bride. the custom of the lighting of the yule candle also has its roots in the pagan observance of the winter solstice. whereas christians ligh

re were so many possibilities for connecting a variety of objects on a landscape that the odds were better of finding alignments than not finding them. teudt made another observation that had more lasting significance. he noted that an ancient chamber constructed in the naturally formed megaliths called the extersteine had a circular window that formed a point where rays of light at the midsummer solstice shone through, and where the moon was visible when it reached its northernmost position. he believed the neolithic peoples (before 2000 b.c.e) had used the site as an astronomical observatory and a calendar. the extersteine, which lies at the approximate latitude as stonehenge in great britain, is a natural site of five sandstone pillars rising 120 feet above an area filled with caves and

known to non-natives for over a hundred years, but speculation about its true purposes has only inspired mysteries and tales. john a. eddy, a solar physicist and astronomer on the staff of the high altitude observatory, national center for atmospheric research, in boulder, colorado, became interested in the site, especially after he discovered a large, crude pile of stones oriented to the summer solstice sunrise at over 11,000 feet on the continental divide. interested by this discovery, he wanted to investigate just how much the pre-contact native people might have known of astronomy, and it occurred to him that the wheel might have been an observatory. research over two summers on the site convinced him that the big horn monument may have been a primitive astronomical observatory that s

m that the wheel might have been an observatory. research over two summers on the site convinced him that the big horn monument may have been a primitive astronomical observatory that served its creators at least as well as stonehenge served its primitive astronomers. the high altitude (9,640 feet) and the clear horizons of the monument make visible the marking of sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice. the accurate knowledge of the first day of summer would have been an important for a nomadic people whose lives depended on awareness of seasonal changes. sources: giese, paula. gstone wheels and dawn stars rising. h [online] http//www.kstrom.net/isk/starskno7.html. thomas, david hurst. exploring ancient native america. new york: macmillan, 1994. medicine wheel of the big horn mountains

for a couple of centuries afterward. radiocarbon dating shows that la estaqueria was begun after cahauchi was deserted. historian paul kosok of long island university, new york, came to nazca in 1941 to research the topic of irrigation among ancient civilizations. as he paused to rest on a hilltop, he noticed a line running directly to the setting sun. the date was june 21, the day of the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. the line marked the point on the horizon where the sun set and the line leading in the opposite direction corresponded with the sunrise on that day. archaeologists began to link the geoglyphs with constellations: the figure of a large monkey was believed to correspond to the big dipper (or the great bear in northern climes, and other figures were believed to co

yramids were an expression of time spanning one thousand years. in 1894, j. norman lockyer (1836.1920, director of the solar physics observatory in london and founder of the journal nature, published the dawn of astronomy. the book argued, based on his investigations, that ancient temples and monuments in egypt were oriented for stellar observations and served as calendars.to determine the summer solstice, for instance. many centuries ago, ancient roman and arabian historians noted the interest of egyptians in studying the heavens and the possible uses of the pyramids as astronomical tools. egyptian hieroglyphics make numerous references to the stars. a constellation called sahu (corresponding to orion) was called the home for the dead, and two pharaohs who built t h e g a l e e n c y c l

some egyptian hieroglyphics as hamachis, the god of the rising sun. later, hamachis evolved into the name hor-em-akhet. the akhet is an egyptian hieroglyph in the image of two triangles, both open at the base, connected by a line, which represents where the sun rises and sets.an image that comes to life when looking out from the sphinx to the pyramids of cheops and cephren at sunset on the summer solstice. as the sun sets between the pyramids, it highlights the image of two triangles (the pyramids) connected by a line (the earth. the sphinx has the head of a man in egyptian headdress sporting a spiraling beard, a feature found on many likenesses of pharaohs. it has the body of a lion, with two paws resting beneath the head and chest, and it rises 66 feet high; the leonine body at rest behi

shing, 2001. the desertion of roanoke limestonecannot be dated by modern techniques such as radiocarbon dating. the sphinx, in ricke fs opinion, represents the sun god that peers into the sanctuaries of the temple. the temple is situated on an east-west axis that points to the spring and autumn equinoxes. a second temple, constructed more than a thousand years later, is oriented toward the winter solstice. at the time the later temple was built, the sphinx was buried up to its neck in sand and was called hor-em-akhet. the sphinx itself forms an image of the akhet hieroglyphic when approached directly from memphis, capital city during the fourth dynasty, when the pyramids and the sphinx are believed to have been built. on the path from memphis, the sphinx appeared silhouetted between two py

secret druidic rites, and he assumed the name of chyndonax after a fabled french druid priest. sir j. norman lockyer (1836.1920, who was once director of the solar physics observatory in london and the founder of the journal nature, published the dawn of astronomy in 1894. the book argued that ancient temples in egypt were aligned for stellar observations and as calendars.to determine the summer solstice, for instance. his findings were controversial, but they helped spur further studies of the astronomical interests of ancient societies. lockyer came to the same conclusion about ancient britons as he had of egyptians after studying stonehenge and nearby pre-historic, megalithic structures. lockyer believed that stonehenge served as a calendar. it was known that celts had divided their ye

s or phoenicians, brought civilization to the high plain. the argument that tiahuanaco thrived more than 10 thousand years before the dates established by scientific testing was fostered by arthur posnansky in his book, tiahuanaco: the cradle of american man (1945. noting that the platform temple kalasasaya was used as an astronomical observatory, posnansky determined that it pointed precisely to solstice alignments in 15,000 b.c.e. taking into account the very gradual shifting of earth fs axis, posnansky postulated that arid plain was once below water, part of lake titicaca, and that tiahuanaco was once a major port city. the ancient citizens of tiahuanaco were members of a superior culture who had introduced a golden age to the area. the founders of tiahuanaco were taller and had distinc

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

through each and every individual who values and finds meaning in his written works. we strongly suspect that readers of the middle pillar will discover that regardie was an inspirational writer, an etlucal magician, a skilled therapist, a caring healer, a great teacher, a consistent guide, and a companion on the path of the magic of light -chic cicero sandra tabatha cicero metatron house winter solstice 1996 endnotes 1. although crowley's reputation as "the wickedest man in the world was undeserved, he nonetheless enjoyed the notoriety and had only himself to blame for it. 2. we have in our possession a copy of a tham-level enochian exam taken by regardie and dated november 2,1934. he was given a satisfactory grade by his temple chefs. 3. from the rebirth of magic quoted in the foreword

THE SECRET RITUALS OF THE OTO

l gods and goddesses of universal import receiving the same honour by the same rites as before, while the local gods were replaced by saints, virgins, martyrs, or angels, often of the same name, always of the same character. thus on the altar the solar-phallic crucifix is surrounded by six lights for the planets, to use one example only of a hundred at our disposal; and christmas is at the winter solstice, the birth of christ put for the birth of the sun. all these points may be studied in: la messe et ses mysteres rome, pagan and papal the two babylons rivers of life file//c /documents%20and%20settings/michael..0secret%20rituals%20of%20the%20o.t.o/p3c1.html (4 of 7 [12/28/2001 2:05:17 pm] the secret rituals of the o.t.o. two essays on the worship of priapus and many other books which may

TWO ESSAYS ON THE WORSHIP OF PRIAPUS

commencing with the syllable fri or fry, are so many monuments of the existence of the phallic worship among our anglo-saxon forefathers. two customs cherished among our old english popular superstitions are believed to have been derived from this worship, the need-fires, and the procession of the boar s head at the christmas festivities. the former were fires kindled at the period of the summer solstice, and were certainly in their origin religious observances. the boar was intimately connected with the worship of frea.1 from our want of a more intimate knowledge of this part of teutonic paganism, we are unable to decide whether some of the superstitious practices of the middle ages were derived from the romans or from the peoples who established themselves in the provinces after the ove

mong the teutonic, as well as among most other peoples, similar festivals appear to have been celebrated during the summer months; and, as they arose out of the same feelings, they no doubt presented the same general forms. the principal popular festivals of the summer during the middle ages occurred in the months of april, may, and june, and comprised easter, may-day, and the feast of the summer solstice. all these appear to have been generative powers 157 originally accompanied with the same phallic worship which formed the principal characteristic of the great roman festivals; and, in fact, these are exactly those popular institutions and traits of popular manners which were most likely to outlive, also without any material change, the overthrow of the roman empire by the barbarians. al

of scotland, especially in caithness, where it is adopted as a protection for the cattle when attacked by disease which the highlanders attribute to witchcraft.2 it was from the remotest ages the custom to cause cattle, and even children, to pass across the need-fire, as a protection to them for the rest of their lives. the need-fire was kindled at easter, on may-day, and especially at the summer solstice, on the eve of the feast of st. john the baptist, or of midsummer-day.3 the eve of st. john was in popular superstition one of the most important days of the medi val year. the need-fire or the st. john s fire, as it was called was kindled just at midnight, the moment when the solstice was supposed to take place, and the young people of both sexes danced round it, and, above all things, 1

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

these four seasons of the year, and thereby have made it a custome to this day among the scottish-irish to keep church duely evry first sunday of the quarter to sene or hallow themselves, their corns and cattell, from the shots and stealth of these wandring tribes;52 the quarters of the year are the transitions from season to season, when the length of the day is noticed to change. on the winter solstice (december 21, the shortest day occurs in the northern hemisphere and on the summer solstice (june 21, the longest day. on the spring equinox (march 21, the day goes from being shorter than the night to being longer; on the fall equinox (september 21, the opposite occurs, and the day goes from being longer than the night to being shorter. the dates given for these quarter days are nominal;

WICCA EIGHT SABBATS OF WITCHCRAFT

s and heroes. and many of them (like oedipus, theseus, hercules, perseus, jason, dionysus, apollo, mithra, horus and even arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of jesus. and to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the christian savior. ultimately, of course, the holiday is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. it is the winter solstice that is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. it is the birthday of the new sun king, the son of god- by whatever name you choose to call him. on this darkest of nights, the goddess becomes the great mother and once again gives birth. and it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter 'the dark night of our souls, there springs

e than a kiss, and divinations were cast for the coming spring. many of these pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins. for modern witches, yule (from the anglo-saxon 'yula, meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual winter solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around december 21st. it is a lesser sabbat or lower holiday in the modern pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. this year (1988) it occurs on december 21st at 9:28 am cst. pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. once, the yule log had been the center of the celebration

days, though it usually occurs on or around december 21st. it is a lesser sabbat or lower holiday in the modern pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. this year (1988) it occurs on december 21st at 9:28 am cst. pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. once, the yule log had been the center of the celebration. it was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. it should eight sabbats of witchcraft get any book for free on: www.abika.com 9 be made of ash. later, the yule log was replaced by the yule tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. in christianity, protestants might claim that martin luther invented the custom, and cath

s will have arrived on schedule before spring runs its course to beltane 'candlemas' is the christianized name for the holiday, of course. the older pagan names were imbolc and oimelc 'imbolc' means, literally 'in the belly (of the mother. for in the womb of mother earth, hidden from our mundane sight but sensed by a keener vision, there are stirrings. the seed that was planted in her womb at the solstice is quickening and the new year grows 'oimelc' means 'milk of ewes, for it is also lambing season. the holiday is also called 'brigit's day, in honor of the great irish goddess brigit. at her shrine, the ancient irish capitol of kildare, a group of 19 priestesses (no men allowed) kept a perpetual flame burning in her honor. she was considered a goddess of fire, patroness of smithcraft, poe

called it the feast of the purification of the blessed virgin mary (it is surprising how many of the old pagan holidays were converted to maryan feasts) the symbol of the purification may seem a little obscure to modern readers, but it has to do with the old custom of 'churching women. it was believed that women were impure for six weeks after giving birth. and since mary gave birth at the winter solstice, she wouldn't be purified until february 2nd. in pagan symbolism, this might be re-translated as when the great mother once again becomes the young maiden goddess. today, this holiday is chiefly connected to weather lore. even our american folk-calendar keeps the tradition of 'groundhog's day, a day to predict the coming weather, telling us that if the groundhog sees his shadow, there wil

to beltane. once again, night and day stand in perfect balance, with the powers of light on the ascendancy. the god of light now wins a victory over his twin, the god of darkness. in the mabinogion myth reconstruction which i have proposed, this is the day on which the restored llew takes his vengeance on goronwy by piercing him with the sunlight spear. for llew was restored/reborn at the winter solstice and is now well/old enough to vanquish his rival/twin and mate with his lover/mother. and the great mother goddess, who has returned to her virgin aspect at candlemas, welcomes the young sun god's embraces and conceives a child. the child will be born nine months from now, at the next winter solstice. and so the cycle closes at last. we think that the customs surrounding the celebration o

gabriel announced to mary that she was 'in the family way. naturally, this had to be announced since mary, being still a virgin, would have no other means of knowing it (quit scoffing, o ye of little faith) why did the church pick the vernal equinox for the commemoration of this event? because it was necessary to have mary conceive the child jesus a full nine months before his birth at the winter solstice (i.e, christmas, celebrated on the fixed calendar date of december 25. mary's pregnancy would take the natural nine months to complete, even if the conception was a bit unorthodox. as mentioned before, the older pagan equivalent of this scene focuses on the joyous process of natural conception, when the young eight sabbats of witchcraft get any book for free on: www.abika.com 14 virgin go

ook for free on: www.abika.com 14 virgin goddess (in this case 'virgin' in the original sense of meaning 'unmarried) mates with the young solar god, who has just displaced his rival. this is probably not their first mating, however. in the mythical sense, the couple may have been lovers since candlemas, when the young god reached puberty. but the young goddess was recently a mother (at the winter solstice) and is probably still nursing her new child. therefore, conception is naturally delayed for six weeks or so and, despite earlier matings with the god, she does not conceive until (surprise) the vernal equinox. this may also be their hand-fasting, a sacred marriage between god and goddess called a hierogamy, the ultimate great rite. probably the nicest study of this theme occurs in m. est

he wonderful herb, whose leaf will decide if the coming year shall make me a bride* in addition to the four great festivals of the pagan celtic year, there are four lesser holidays as well: the two solstices, and the two equinoxes. in folklore, these are referred to as the four 'quarter-days' of the year, and modern witches call them the four 'lesser sabbats, or the four 'low holidays. the summer solstice is one of them. technically, a solstice is an astronomical point and, due to the procession to the equinox, the date may vary by a few days depending on the year. the summer solstice occurs when the sun reaches the tropic of cancer, and we experience the longest day and the shortest night of the year. astrologers know this as the date on which the sun enters the sign of cancer. this year

craft get any book for free on: www.abika.com 21 reading an ephemeris or did not live close enough to salisbury plain to trot over to stonehenge and sight down its main avenue, they celebrated the event on a fixed calendar date, june 24th. the slight forward displacement of the traditional date is the result of multitudinous calendrical changes down through the ages. it is analogous to the winter solstice celebration, which is astronomically on or about december 21st, but is celebrated on the traditional date of december 25th, yule, later adopted by the christians. again, it must be remembered that the celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown, so the june 24th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown (our june 23rd. this was shakespeare's midsummer night's eve. which bri

onal date of december 25th, yule, later adopted by the christians. again, it must be remembered that the celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown, so the june 24th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown (our june 23rd. this was shakespeare's midsummer night's eve. which brings up another point: our modern calendars are quite misguided in suggesting that 'summer begins' on the solstice. according to the old folk calendar, summer begins on may day and ends on lammas (august 1st, with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking mid-summer. this makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. although our pagan ancestors probably preferred june 24th (and indeed most european folk

gust 1st, with the summer solstice, midway between the two, marking mid-summer. this makes more logical sense than suggesting that summer begins on the day when the sun's power begins to wane and the days grow shorter. although our pagan ancestors probably preferred june 24th (and indeed most european folk festivals today use this date, the sensibility of modern witches seems to prefer the actual solstice point, beginning the celebration on its eve, or the sunset immediately preceding the solstice point. again, it gives modern pagans a range of dates to choose from with, hopefully, a weekend embedded in it. just as the pagan mid-winter celebration of yule was adopted by christians as christmas (december 25th, so too the pagan mid-summer celebration was adopted by them as the feast of john

h of john, the prophet who was born six months before jesus in order to announce his arrival. although modern witches often refer to the holiday by the rather generic name of midsummer's eve, it is more probable that our pagan ancestors of a few hundred years ago actually used the christian name for the holiday, st. john's eve. this is evident from the wealth of folklore that surrounds the summer solstice (i.e. that it is a night especially sacred to the faerie folk) but which is inevitably ascribed to 'st. john's eve, with no mention of the sun's position. it could also be argued that a coven's claim to antiquity might be judged by what name it gives the holidays (incidentally, the name 'litha' for the holiday is a modern usage, possibly based on a saxon word that means the opposite of yu

l. indeed, midsummer's eve in spain is called the 'night of the verbena (vervain. st. john's wort was especially honored by young maidens who picked it in the hopes of divining a future lover* and the glow-worm came with its silvery flame, and sparkled and shone through the night of st. john, and soon has the young maid her love-knot tied* there are also many mythical associations with the summer solstice, not the least of which concerns the seasonal life of the god of the sun. inasmuch as i believe that i have recently discovered certain associations and correspondences not hitherto realized, i have elected to treat this subject in some depth in another essay. suffice it to say here, that i disagree with the generally accepted idea that the sun-god meets his death at the summer solstice

d alter-ego, the god of darkness. it is the time of the year when night conquers day. and as i have recently shown in my seasonal reconstruction of the welsh myth of blodeuwedd, the autumnal equinox is the only day of the whole year when llew (light) is vulnerable and it is possible to defeat him. llew now stands on the balance (libra/autumnal equinox, with one foot on the cauldron (cancer/summer solstice) and his other foot on the goat (capricorn/winter solstice. thus he is betrayed by blodeuwedd, the virgin (virgo) and transformed into an eagle (scorpio. two things are now likely to occur mythically, in rapid succession. having defeated llew, goronwy (darkness) now takes over llew's functions, both as lover to blodeuwedd, the goddess, and as king of our own world. although goronwy, the h

throne and begins his rule immediately, his formal coronation will not be for another six weeks, occurring at samhain (halloween) or the beginning of winter, when he becomes the winter lord, the dark king, lord of misrule. goronwy's other function has more immediate results, however. he mates with the virgin goddess, and blodeuwedd conceives, and will give birth- nine months later (at the summer solstice- to goronwy's son, who is really another incarnation of himself, the dark child. llew's sacrificial death at harvest home also identifies him with john barleycorn, spirit of the fields. thus, llew represents not only the sun's power, but also the sun's life trapped and crystallized in the corn. often this corn spirit was believed to reside most especially in the last sheaf or shock harves

his twin, his 'weird, his 'other self, the god of darkness. they are gawain and the green knight, gwyn and gwythyr, llew and goronwy, lugh and balor, balan and balin, the holly king and the oak king, etc. often they are depicted as fighting seasonal battles for the favor of their goddess/lover, such as creiddylad or blodeuwedd, who represents nature. the god of light is always born at the winter solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening days, until the moment of his greatest power, the summer solstice, the longest day. and, like a look in a mirror, his 'shadow self, the lord of darkness, is born at the summer solstice, and his strength waxes with the lengthening nights until the moment of his greatest power, the winter solstice, the longest night. indirect evidence supporting

gle? my readers who are astrologers are probably already gasping in recognition. the sequence is astrological and in proper order: leo (lion, virgo (virgin, libra (balance, and scorpio (for which the eagle is a well-known alternative symbol. also, the remaining icons, cauldron and goat, could arguably symbolize cancer and capricorn (representing summer and winter, the signs beginning with the two solstice points. so llew is balanced between cauldron and goat, between summer and winter, on the balance (libra) point of the autumnal equinox, with one foot on the summer solstice and one foot on the winter solstice. this, of course, is the answer to a related bardic riddle. repeatedly, the 'mabinogion' tells us that llew must be standing with one foot on the cauldron and one foot on the goat's

WILLIAM WESCOTT NUMBERS THEIR OCCULT POWER AND MYSTIC VIRTUES

for the sun. it occurs in revelations xiii. 18. 121. 666. in addition, 666 is also the diameter of a circle whose circumference is 2093, which is the diagonal of a square whose sides are 1480, the number of christos. it is also the sum of the numbers 1 to 36. it is also the number of syene in greek, a place in egypt at which, if a pit be dug, said, eratosthenes, the rays of the sun at the summer solstice shine perpendicular into it. 700. the talmud says there are 700 species of fishes, and in eiruvin, 18. i, it says that god plaited eve s hair into 700 braids. 753. 753 b.c, the founding of the city of rome. it is also the number alike of abram with sarai 243 and 510, and of abraham with sarah 248 and 505, the change which led to parenthood. 780. ophis--serpent, and sophia--wisdom. 801. 80

eses ii came to the throne in this year, b. c. 1378. the reputed year of the birth of christian rosenkreutz, founder of the rosicrucian philosophy. 1408. christian rosenkreutz founded this arcane society in germania. 1459. the date of writing of the hermetic romance of the chemical wedding, by c.r. 1461. the egyptian sothic period, calculated by the heliacal rising of sirius, the dog star, at the solstice. 1480. christos, in greek numeration meaning anointed. according to the canon this number exhibits an imnumbers--th eir occu lt power an d mys tic vir tu es by w. wyn n wes tcott portant measure of the cosmos, and was the foundation of the scientific pantheism upon which christian theology was built, it was a part of the gnosis and was derived from the priestly astronomers of egypt. 123

ZALEWSKI GOLDEN DAWN ENOCHIAN MAGIC OCR

forthcoming material zalewski will be writing for llewellyn, has been put into actual practice by the zalewski's, as well as by ra horakhty temple on a larger scale. the student will find no untried practices or theories. xiv some of the additional books being written by zalewski for llewellyn are: z5, commentary on the 0=0 ceremony; commentary on each of the elemental grade rituals; equinox and solstice rituals of the golden dawn; golden dawn tarot; and sex magic of the golden dawn. these ere just a few of more than 20 books which they have either finished or are presently writing. we all hope this series of golden dawn books makes the material clear and will serve as a guide for the student who feels this is his path. those who might wish to work in a golden dawn temple under the guidan

o compose a synthetic name relating to the sun entering virgo and the introduction of the air element, which in itself represents spirit or unification with the part of the kabbalistic soul called the ruach or "breath" the sign of orisis slain! this represents the forces of the equinox. l the sign of the mourning of isis! 183 the hands here are in a semi-arc position which shows the sun at summer solstice and links with the life force of osiris. v the sign of typhon and apophis! the hands show a further movement of the arc, which represents the sun at winter solstice, thus representing the forces of darkness. x. the sign of osiris risen! this shows the combination effect of the energy from both the equinox and solstice forces. the energy here is then brought down in an even flow, thus ceme

ZALEWSKI SECRET INNER ORDER RITUALS OF THE GOLDEN DAWN OCR

-enrichment. in autumn, the sun's entry into libra stirs into activity the opposite influence of venus. it is no longer the life of the personal self which is of importance, but the unifying influence of the planet of love which impels us to search for that other our higher self and to prepare for that inner consummation which will lead to rebirth and a new life. we may remember that after winter solstice, we celebrate the birth of jesus during this half of the solar year. the coming six months are therefore under the influence of the spiritual life of union. it is thus in a sense dual or, rather, under the influence of a duality which should be merged into unity or oneness. our ceremony is a presentation of this solar drama showing its effect on man, and its interpretation lies chiefly wi

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK SPELLS

witchcraft and the early christians after the formation of the christian church, the worship of the old deities and the old ways were banned and the nature festivals supplanted by christian ones. the christians were pragmatic, however, and pope gregory, who sent st augustine to england in ad 597, acknowledged that it was simpler to graft the christian festivals on to the existing festivals of the solstices and equinoxes. so, easter, for example, was celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which is where it remains today. in the same way, the crosses on the hot cross buns that we eat on good friday were originally the ancient astrological signs for the earth, and were eaten to absorb the power and fertility of mother earth. hot cross buns were stil

arnated in several lifetimes and to have entered willing bodies, including the sixth-century bard taliesin. wiccan rituals are held at esbats and sabbats. an esbat is a monthly coven meeting, traditionally held 13 times a year during each full moon. the eight sabbats are described in the chapter seasons and festivals (see page 245, and celebrate the eight major divisions of the celtic year on the solstices, the equinoxes and the old fire festivals. these festivals mark the coming of early spring, the start of the celtic summer, the first corn harvest and the start of the celtic winter. there are also many lovely ceremonies to mark the transitions in the life cycle, such as handfastings, or weddings, and rites of passage to welcome recently deceased wiccans to the familiar circle whenever t

s- the better-quality ones may state the number of hours, but with practice if you always use the same type of candles, you will be able to assess how long they will last. then you can choose one to match the occasion- either one that will have burned through by the end of an evening in a dusk ritual or one that will last for up to 12 hours for an all-night vigil candle, for example on one of the solstices. practitioners of strict ceremonial magick say that you should never use a candle that has been lit for another ritual or purpose and should not use these afterwards for household illumination. however, since candles are so expensive and since you will only be performing positive magick, there is no reason why ritual candles should not be adapted for everyday use. candles from harmony an

gricultural societies. it was formalised by the celts, although some historians believe that it was predated by an earlier threefold division that celebrated the beginning of winter, midwinter and midsummer, and was perhaps linked to the movement of the herds. the wheel of the year co-exists with the wider seasonal divisions of the year and incorporates the four solar festivals; these fall on the solstices and the equinoxes, the astronomical marker points of the ebbs and flows of cosmic energies. between each of these solar festivals, which are known to witches as the lesser sabbats, is one of the four great fire festivals that are major rites in the wiccan and neo-pagan calendar, as they were to the celts. it is interesting to note that the wheel of the year is mirrored almost exactly in

at the times i have suggested or adapt them to your own clime. you may, indeed, find that if your ancestors came from another land or continent, your seasonal energies resonate more with theirs. even if you live in sydney or florida, it may be that come november you instinctively hibernate; in this case, you may find the celtic pattern right for you no matter what the barometer says. because the solstices and equinoxes are astronomical measures- that is they depend on the movement of the planets and stars- the dates will vary by a day or two depending on the year. i have written in several of my books about the folk and religious lore behind seasonal festivals and there are many other good books on this subject. in this chapter i mainly focus on the way they amplify the positive energies

ific archangels, colours, crystals, herbs, incenses, ritual tools, etc. receptive hand: the hand you do not write with. used for receiving energies. see also power hand. rede: a rule or moral code. the wiccan rede states: an [if] it harm none, do what you will, and so ensures all magick has a positive intent. sabbat: one of eight special days of the year on which wiccan celebrations are held- the solstices, the equinoxes and the celtic fire festivals. samhain: the celtic fire festival of the new year, celebrated at the end of summer. scrying: seeing magical images in a reflective medium, such as a crystal ball, mirror or a natural moving source of inspiration, such as fire, water or clouds. the word 'scry' comes from the anglo- saxon word descry, which means 'to perceive dimly. shamanism:

ADDTLS

ed to the cardinal signs,(a,d, g, and j) h c are referred to the kerubic or fixed signs,(b, e, h and k) w a are referred to the mutable signs,(c, f, i, and l) h (final) b are referred to the elements,(d, c, a, b) as to the reasons of this latter attribution, s.r.m.d. says that the four cardinal signs are called the most fiery because they are most solar in nature. that is, the 19 equinoxes and solstices occur when the a is in these signs. the kerubic or fixed signs are considered watery because they are the most shining and glittering in nature. the remaining four mutable signs are called the most airy because they are the most subtle in nature. while the four elements are the most earthy because their operation is mainly terrestrial. incidentally, instead of the usual bsymbol, the plan

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

der the great guidance of v.v.v.v.v. the new comment each element- fire, earth, air, water, and spirit- possesses its own nature, will, and magical formula. each one may then have its appropriate ritual. many such in crude form are described in the golden bough of dr. j.g. frazer, the glory of trinity! in particular the entry of the sun into the cardinal signs of the elements at the equinoxes and solstices are suitable for festivals. the difference between 'rituals' and 'feasts' is this: by the one a particular form of energy is generated, while there is a general discharge of one's superfluous force in the other. yet a feast implies periodical nourishment. al ii,37 "a feast for the first night of the prophet and his bride" the new comment there should be a special feast on the 12th day of

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

n of great erudition- a french savant- m. de sacy, finds several most singular statements in the book of enoch "worthy of the most serious examination" he says. for instance "the author (enoch) makes the solar year consist of 364 days, and seems to know periods of three, of five, and of eight years, followed by four supplementary days, which, in his system, appear to be those of the equinoxes and solstices. to which he adds, later on "i see but one means to palliate them (these 'absurdities, it is to suppose that the author expounds some fanciful system which may have existed before the order of nature had been altered at the period of the universal deluge" precisely so; and the secret doctrine teaches that that "order of nature" has been thus altered, and the series of the earth's humanit

t the centre of this cross, the lotus being an egyptian and hindu type of the four quarters. the four quarter arcs, if joined together, would form an ellipse, and the ellipse is also figured on each arm of the cross. this ellipse therefore denotes the path of the earth. sir j. y. simpson copied the following specimen[[diagram, which is here presented, as the cross of the two equinoxes and the two solstices placed within the figure of the earth's path[[vol. 2, page] 547 variations of the symbolism. the same ovoid or boat-shaped figure appears at times in the hindu drawings with seven steps at each end as a form or a mode of meru" this is the astronomical aspect of the double glyph. there are six more aspects, however, and an attempt may be made to interpret a few of these. the subject is so

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

ntity of man is drawn higher and ever higher to the ray that supersedes the first, until, from ray to ray, the inner man is drawn into the one and highest beam of the parent-sun. thus "the events of humanity do run coordinately with the number forms" since the single units of that humanity proceed one and all from the same source- the central and its shadow, the visible sun. for the equinoxes and solstices, the periods and various phases of the solar course, astronomically and numerically expressed, are only the concrete symbols of the eternally living verity, though they do seem abstract ideas to uninitiated mortals. and this explains the extraordinary numerical coincidences with geometrical relations, as shown by several authors. yes "our destiny is written in the stars" only, the closer

CASSANDRA EASON A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

witchcraft and the early christians after the formation of the christian church, the worship of the old deities and the old ways were banned and the nature festivals supplanted by christian ones. the christians were pragmatic, however, and pope gregory, who sent st augustine to england in ad 597, acknowledged that it was simpler to graft the christian festivals on to the existing festivals of the solstices and equinoxes. so, easter, for example, was celebrated on the first sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox, which is where it remains today. in the same way, the crosses on the hot cross buns that we eat on good friday were originally the ancient astrological signs for the earth, and were eaten to absorb the power and fertility of mother earth. hot cross buns were stil

arnated in several lifetimes and to have entered willing bodies, including the sixth-century bard taliesin. wiccan rituals are held at esbats and sabbats. an esbat is a monthly coven meeting, traditionally held 13 times a year during each full moon. the eight sabbats are described in the chapter seasons and festivals (see page 245, and celebrate the eight major divisions of the celtic year on the solstices, the equinoxes and the old fire festivals. these festivals mark the coming of early spring, the start of the celtic summer, the first corn harvest and the start of the celtic winter. there are also many lovely ceremonies to mark the transitions in the life cycle, such as handfastings, or weddings, and rites of passage to welcome recently deceased wiccans to the familiar circle whenever t

s- the better-quality ones may state the number of hours, but with practice if you always use the same type of candles, you will be able to assess how long they will last. then you can choose one to match the occasion- either one that will have burned through by the end of an evening in a dusk ritual or one that will last for up to 12 hours for an all-night vigil candle, for example on one of the solstices. practitioners of strict ceremonial magick say that you should never use a candle that has been lit for another ritual or purpose and should not use these afterwards for household illumination. however, since candles are so expensive and since you will only be performing positive magick, there is no reason why ritual candles should not be adapted for everyday use. candles from harmony an

ricultural societies. it was formalised by the celts, although some historians believe that it was predated by an earlier threefold division that celebrated the beginning of winter, mid-winter and midsummer, and was perhaps linked to the movement of the herds. the wheel of the year co-exists with the wider seasonal divisions of the year and incorporates the four solar festivals; these fall on the solstices and the equinoxes, the astronomical marker points of the ebbs and flows of cosmic energies. between each of these solar festivals, which are known to witches as the lesser sabbats, is one of the four great fire festivals that are major rites in the wiccan and neo-pagan calendar, as they were to the celts. it is interesting to note that the wheel of the year is mirrored almost exactly in

at the times i have suggested or adapt them to your own clime. you may, indeed, find that if your ancestors came from another land or continent, your seasonal energies resonate more with theirs. even if you live in sydney or florida, it may be that come november you instinctively hibernate; in this case, you may find the celtic pattern right for you no matter what the barometer says. because the solstices and equinoxes are astronomical measures- that is they depend on the movement of the planets and stars- the dates will vary by a day or two depending on the year. i have written in several of my books about the folk and religious lore behind seasonal festivals and there are many other good books on this subject. in this chapter i mainly focus on the way they amplify the positive energies

ific archangels, colours, crystals, herbs, incenses, ritual tools, etc. receptive hand: the hand you do not write with. used for receiving energies. see also power hand. rede: a rule or moral code. the wiccan rede states: an [if] it harm none, do what you will, and so ensures all magick has a positive intent. sabbat: one of eight special days of the year on which wiccan celebrations are held- the solstices, the equinoxes and the celtic fire festivals. samhain: the celtic fire festival of the new year, celebrated at the end of summer. scrying: seeing magical images in a reflective medium, such as a crystal ball, mirror or a natural moving source of inspiration, such as fire, water or clouds. the word 'scry' comes from the anglo-saxon word descry, which means 'to perceive dimly. shamanism: p

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

d christianity in rome, they used the symbols and myths of the mithric rituals. mithra's sacred day was sunday because he was, like jesus, symbolic of the sun. mithra worshippers called this the "lord's day" and they celebrated the main mithra festival during what is now easter. mithra initiations were held in caves adorned with the signs of capricorn and cancer, symbolic of the winter and summer solstices. he was portrayed as a winged lion (the sun) standing within a spiralling serpent. the lion and the serpent are, of course, major symbols of the serpent cult/illuminati. the roman church encompassed the mithra eucharist into its "christian" rituals. mithra was claimed to have said "he who shall not eat of my body nor drink of my blood, so that he may be one with me and i with him, shall

DAVID ICKE THE BIGGEST SECRET

roman-persian god, and in greece andasia minor they had dionysus and bacchus. these were sons of god who died so our sinscould be forgiven, born of a virgin mother, and their birthdays were on. december 25th!mithra was crucified, but raised from the dead on march 25th- easter! mithran initiationstook place in caves adorned with the signs of capricorn and cancer, symbolic of the winter90and summer solstices, the high and low points of the sun. mithra was often portrayed asa winged lion, a symbol for the sun still used by the secret societies today. referencesto the lion and the grip of the lions paw in the master mason degree of freemasonryoriginate with this same stream of mystery school symbolism. initiates into the rites ofmithra were called lions and were marked on their foreheads with

DICTIONARY GLOSSARY OF OCCULT TERMINOLOGY

with it, by handling the object and reading the psychic (q.v) impressions from the object itself. pyramid power: the supposed occult virtue concentrated inside pyramidal structures by their triangular planes. it was believed by some to heal the body, restore vigor, sharpen razor blades, and effect other wonders. a variation on the idea of the cone of power of witchcraft (q.v- q- quarter days: the solstices (q.v) and equinoxes (q.v, which fall at quarter intervals around the wheel of the year- r- raphiel: pronounced "rah-fay-ehl" the archangel (q.v) and cosmic guardian of the east and elemental air. in the tradition of christian mysticism, raphiel is the "healer, guardian of wind and tempest" reduction, theosophical: a method of numerology where the digits of a number are added together to

DION FORTUNE MYSTICAL QABALA

from the above that yesod-luna is ever in a state of flux and reflux, because the amount of sunlight received and reflected waxes and wanes in a twenty-eight day cycle. malkuth-earth is also in a state of flux and reflux in a twenty-four hour cycle, and for the same reason. likewise malkuth-earth has a three hundred and sixty-five day cycle, of which the phases are marked bythe equinoxes and the solstices. it is the interacting set of these tides which is all-important to the practical occultist, because so much of his work depends upon them. the charts of these tides have always been kept secret, and some of them are exceedingly complex. as these concern the secret workings, the genuine and legitimate occult secrets, which are only given after initiation, they cannot be dealt with in the

DION FORTUNE PSYCHIC SELF DEFENSE

lously sought for. when did the trouble start, and where? having obtained as detailed information as possible on these two points, set out to see whether any occult significance is to be found in it. note the dates carefully, and turn them up in an ephemeris of those years, and observe how the moon stood in relation to them, also the planets. observe whether they fell on or about the equinoxes or solstices. note also the days of the week upon which they occurred. if you found that all the crises of the case occurred on thursdays, or round about the vernal equinox, or at the full moon, you would have a piece of information which was of 77 of 103 considerable significance. you would be sure of one thing, at any rate, that you were dealing with a case in which the invisible psychic tides play

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

ng to growth, evolution, and balance. the church maintains a retreat house in the cascade mountains and a nearby moonstone circle constructed by menhirs where some of the annual major festivals (sabbats) are held for those members who reside in the northwest. like most pagans, the church follows a cycle of worship including eight major gatherings evenly spaced through the year and anchored in the solstices and equinoxes, and lesser biweekly gatherings (called esbats) at the new and full moon. the church has been in the forefront of claiming a place for contemporary paganism in the larger religious community. the church joined the interfaith council of washington state, and pathfinder served two terms as its president. pathfinder also serves as a member of the religious advisory commission

an history is an important task for individual church members. in the church s understanding, the gods create reality. in their diversity and their transactions, divine vectors are established. the human task is to achieve balance by relating to the divine vectors. worship is both communal and personal. communal gatherings are held on the full moon in july (at the birthday of the gods) and at the solstices and equinoxes. at the festivals, the myth of a particular deity may be reenacted. various magical rituals are also used, though no particular rituals have been prescribed. most worship centers upon personal shrines which members erect in their own dwellings. members also practice forms of divination. the church of the eternal source inspired a number of other experiments in egyptian paga

jected outward into space) meets the eliptical, the path that the sun appears to take as viewed from earth. as people observed the heavens in ancient times, among the first phenomena that became noticeable to them were the apparent movements of the sun, especially the different points on the horizon at which it rose day after day, and the variant length of days. the longest and shortest days (the solstices) and the equinoxes were important markers in the annual calendar, as were the points halfway between each of these days, signaling as they did important activities in the agricultural season. very early these points became ritualized, the occasions for feasts and celebrations. in astrology, the spring equinox is the beginning of the new astrological year. at that time the sun enters 0 ar

calendar has become dominant. the ancient calendar was anchored in the observation of the movement of the rising sun as it traveled north and south along the eastern horizon. the most northerly point coincided with the longest day of the year and the most southerly point with the shortest day. halfway between, the day and night would be equal. these four days became known as the summer and winter solstices and the spring and fall equinoxes, and they, along with four additional days, half way between the solstices and equinoxes, provided an overall framework for community activity. in the modern world, no longer tied to an agricultural cycle, the points on the solar calendar have become the holidays that assist in defining the wiccan faith. while there are records of ancient european tribes

s worshippers. then in 1983, she purchased a farm in rural wisconsin that included a large wooded area, and dedicated it as a national pagan retreat area named circle sanctuary (the new name adopted by the church. the farm became the residence of a small community and the site of regular rituals, especially the major pagan festivals which mark the solar cycle approximately every six weeks (at the solstices and equinoxes and halfway between. it also became the location for a round of summer programs, including the annual pagan spirit gathering. in 1984, fox and alan ended their relationship. two years later fox married dennis carpenter, who now functions as the high priest for circle. by this time, circle sanctuary became the focus of two controversies: one within the pagan community over t

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

es, and the sides of mountains. thirdly, the markings are on soft, sandy soil, unsuitable for any heavy vehicle to land on. maria reiche, an expert on nazca, has commented: i m afraid the spacemen would have gotten stuck. story cited professor kosok of long island university, who first mapped and photographed the mysterious markings from the air in june 1941 and discovered apparent alignment with solstices and equinoxes. perhaps the markings were the largest astronomy book in the world. similar astronomical ground markings have been discovered in what is termed the glastonbury zodiac in england. while the ideal viewing position for such markings as nazca is from a point about 600 feet above the plain, it does not necessarily follow that they were actually designed for viewing from the air

ed to be a sure remedy against enchantment. order of bards, ovates& druids a british druid order that claims to continue the traditions of the ancient bardic and druid order. one order is concerned with the arts, history, and archaeology and performs outdoor ceremonies. the initiatory order undertakes mystical studies. public ceremonies are arranged at ancient sites based on the summer and winter solstices and the equinoxes of march and september. after the distance program was initiated in 1988 over 7,000 people have joined the order. address: po box 1333, lewes, e. sussex, bn7 1dx england. website: http/ www.druidry.org. sources: order of bards, ovates& druids. http//www.druidry.org. march 8, 2000. order of elect cohens an occult masonic group founded by martinees de pasqually (ca.1710.1

ence. the collective s activities, from designing classes to dealing with domestic concerns to public political protests, stemmed from the religious society of friends (quakers. these concepts and method of decision-making fostered close bonds among participants. concurrently, reclaiming collective began four public sabbat rituals at the cross-quarters and four issues of a small newsletter at the solstices and equinoxes. the collective wrote a statement which appeared in each issue of the reclaiming newsletter: reclaiming is a community of san francisco bay area women and men working to unify spirit and politics. our vision is rooted in the religion and magic of the goddess.the immanent life force. we see our work as teaching and making magic.the art of empowering ourselves and each other

ured by the easily observable point of the sun s daily emergence on the eastern horizon. through the spring, as the days grow longer, the sun appears to rise at a point slightly further north each day and then as the days reach their longest, it appears to pause and then start moving south. as the shortest day of the year is reached, it again pauses and starts north. the points of the pauses (the solstices, and half way between them, when the length of the day and night are equal (the equinoxes, formed four easily marked points in the years. they, and the four additional points halfway between them that mark points in the planting and harvest process, became the eight evenly spaced holidays of the ancient world. during the middle ages, the ancient pagan practices were invoked to supply con

w poet and mystic philosopher. he was an advocate of neoplatonism, but also ascribed to the via negativa, the mystical doctrine that holds that the deity can only be understood as a negation of all attributes (which are in themselves limiting and human in our thoughts. he considered this view essential to the preservation of jewish monotheism. solovovo, count see perovsky-petrovo- solovovo, count solstices as ancient peoples began systematic observation of heavenly phenomena, they noticed the wandering habits of the sun, easily measured by its changing location at its daily rising. over half a year the rising point would be a little further to the north each day and then it would appear to pause and begin moving south. in the northern hemisphere, it would reach its northernmost point just

devil was merely the ritual leader with his crown of stag s horns.and often a nobleman in disguise. witchcraft, he alleged, had come down from the stone age as a fertility religion that honored the god of death and what comes after (in other words, rest and reincarnation) and the great mother goddess of nature, love, and pleasure. these new witches celebrated a cycle of eight festivals a year.the solstices and equinoxes and the four cross-quarter days between them: lugnasadh or lammas (loaf-mass) at the beginning of august, a harvest festival; samhain (hallowe en) a festival honoring the ancestors; brigid or oimelc, at the beginning of february, a feast of creativity and new beginnings; and beltane, at the beginning of may, celebrating the new growing season. new moons and full moons were

GILBERT AE WAITE A MAGICIAN OF MANY PARTS

burah, and chesed. there was a portal grade for the fourth order, in the world of the supernals (atziluth),butno rituals for grades corresponding__fratersacramentumregis143to the first three sephiroth were ever worked, although waite began to construct them towards the end of his life. there were also a number of additional ceremonies for the consecration of a temple,thefestivalofthe equinox, the solstices, and the installation of a celebrant. as theordergrew it was felt desirable to separate the firsttwoorders from thethirdand fourth, and in 1922.the higher grades were gathered under theordosanctissimusroseaeetaureaecrucis.between 1926 and 1928 waite produced a series of rituals specifically for theos.r. eta.c.which he termed collectively'thebook of life in the rose; this he revised conti

GOLDEN DAWN RITUALS SADD

ou mayest acquire the astrological attributions of each square (zodiacal for servient. the columns are attributed to the triplicity of the kerubic square atop, and the rank by the quality. 21 y d cardinal signs: a d g j h c kerubic signs: b e h k w a mutable signs: c f i l h b elements: d c a l the four cardinal signs are the most fiery because they are the most solar in nature. the equinoxes and solstices occur when a is in these signs. the kerubic or fixed signs are attributed to h and are considered watery because they are the most shining and glittery in nature. the remaining four mutable signs are considered the most airy because they are the most subtle in nature. the four elements are most earthy, their operation being mainly terrestial in nature. note: the reason the l symbol is us

GRAHAM HANCOCK FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS

altiplano. the effect was of a giant stockade, almost 500 feet square, rising about twice as far above the ground as the sunken temple had been interred beneath it. had the kalasasaya been a fortress then? apparently not. scholars now generally accept that it functioned as a sophisticated celestial observatory. rather than keeping enemies at bay, its purpose had been to fix the equinoxes and the solstices and to predict, with mathematical precision, the various seasons of the year. certain structures within its walls (and, indeed, the walls themselves, appeared to have been lined up to particular star groups and designed to facilitate measurement of the amplitude of the sun in summer, winter, autumn and spring.9 in addition, the famous gateway of the sun, which stood in the north-west cor

uthern hemisphere, on the other hand, 19 precise figure from the death of gods in ancient egypt, p. 205. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 231 everything is literally upside down: there winter begins on 21 june and summer on 21 december. the equinoxes, by contrast, are the two points in the year on which night and day are of equal length all over the planet. once again, however, as with the solstices, the date that marks the onset of spring in the northern hemisphere (20 march) marks that of autumn in the southern hemisphere, and the date for the onset of autumn in the northern hemisphere (22 september) marks the onset of spring in the southern hemisphere. like the subtler variations of the seasons, all this is brought about by the benevolent obliquity of the planet. the northern hem

the sky occupied by that particular constellation. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 233 beneath the clear and unpolluted heavens of the ancient world, it is easy to understand how human beings might have felt reassured by regular celestial motions such as these. it is equally easy to understand why the four cardinal points of the year the spring and autumn equinoxes, the winter and summer solstices should everywhere have been accorded immense significance. even greater significance was accorded to the conjunction of these cardinal points with the zodiacal constellations. but most significant of all was the constellation in which the sun was observed to rise on the morning of the spring (or vernal) equinox. because of the earth s axial precession, the ancients discovered that this c

d intricate piece of machinery. and, like a millwheel, like a churn, like a whirlpool, like a quern, this machine turns and turns and turns endlessly (its motions being calibrated all the time by the sun, which rises first in one constellation of the zodiac, then in another, and so on all the year round. the four key points of the year are the spring and summer equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices. at each point, naturally, the sun is 3 the reader will recall from chapter twenty-five how yggdrasil, the world tree itself, was not destroyed and how the progenitors of future humanity managed to shelter within its trunk until a new earth emerged from the ruins of the old. how likely is it to be pure coincidence that exactly the same strategy was adopted by survivors of the universal d

f the four bacabs is used as a technical allegory intended to shed light on the phenomenon of precession of the equinoxes. the bacabs stand, in short, for the system of coordinates of an astrological age. they represent the equinoctial and solstitial colures, binding together the four constellations in which the sun continues to rise at the spring and autumn equinoxes and at the winter and summer solstices for epochs of just under 2200 years. of course it is understood that when the gears of heaven change, the old age comes crashing down and a new age is born. all this, so far, is routine precessional imagery. what stands out, however, is the explicit linkage to an earthly disaster in this case a flood which the bacabs survive. it may also be relevant that relief carvings at chichen itza u

e between 22.1 degrees (the closest point that the axis reaches to vertical) and 24.5 degrees (the furthest it falls away from the vertical; 2 the eccentricity of the orbit (i.e, whether the earth s elliptical path around the sun is more or less elongated in any given epoch; 3 axial precession, which causes the four cardinal points on the earth s orbit (the two equinoxes and the winter and summer solstices) to creep backwards very, very slowly around the orbital path. we are dipping our toes into the waters of a technical and specialized scientific discipline here one largely outside the scope of this book. readers seeking detailed information are referred to the multidisciplinary work of the us national science foundation s climap project, and to a keynote paper by professors j. d. hays a

ved as framing, supporting and defining a precessional world age. these were what astronomers call the equinoctial and solstitial colures and were seen as hooping down from the celestial north pole and marking the four constellations against the background of which, for periods of 2160 years at a time, the sun would consistently rise on the spring and autumn equinoxes and on the winter and summer solstices.22 the pyramid texts appear to contain several versions of this diagram. moreover, as is so often the case with prehistoric myths which transmit hard astronomical data, the precessional symbolism is interwoven tightly with violent images of terrestrial destruction as though to suggest that the breaking of the mill of heaven, that is the transition every 2160 years from one zodiacal age t

GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 3

nces at heathen maymeetings can be reckoned in with the rest. to christian zealots all dancing appeared sinful and heathenish, and sure enough it often was derived from pagan rites, like other harmless pleasures and customs of the common people, who would not easily part with their diversion at great festivals. hence the old dancings at shrovetide (p. 770n, at the easter fire and may fire, at the solstices, at harvest and christmas; a minuter examination than has yet been made of the proceedings at these holidays would bring out many things more clearly. afzelius 2, 5 informs us, that to this day stories are afloat in sweden of dances and reels performed by the heathen round holy places of their gods: so^ the ignis fatuus is called hexentanz (schm. 2, 148, slovto. vezha, prop, witch; even

christians had, beside the great festivals, many days in the year marked by something special, above all st. john's; and almost every holy day stood in a particular relation to sowing, planting, cattle-breeding and the like. the dan. skjer-torsdag in k, 168-9 is maundy thursday. hardly ever was a nation so addicted to day-choosing as the christians in the mid. ages. the old heathen yule-days and solstices coincided with christmas and st. john's (see suppl. closely connected with angang and day-choosing is another widely diffused superstition. as a prosperous day's work depended on a favourable encounter at early morning, as the escort of ivolf or raven augured victory; so a ti'ibe on its travels was guided to its place of settlement by a divinely missioned beast. under such guidance colon

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

hey laid aside that name for day, which of itself bespoke his kinship with the gods. eeckoning by nights instead of days does indeed rest on the observance of lunar time (p. 708, but may have another reason too, the same that prompted men to count winters and not sum mers. the heathens used to fix their holy festivals for, or prolong them into, the night, especially those of the summer and winter solstices, as we see by the midsummer and christmas fires; the fires of easter and may also bear witness to festal nights. the anglo-saxons kept a hcerfestniht (on. haustnott, haustgrima, the scandinavians a hokunott (f. magn. lex. 1021. beda in his de temp. rat. cap. 13 has preserved a notable piece of informa tion, though its full meaning is beyond our ken: incipiebant annum (antiqui anglorum po

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

nearer together, and communication between the seen and the unseen worlds is noticeably easier than is commonly the case. often there is an astronomical basis for the phenomenon, as in the case of the festivals of the two st. johns who are said to be the patron saints of freemasonry- one occurring on june 24th, and the other on december 27th- obviously aiming respectively at the summer and winter solstices, though wrong by a few days because of the maladjustment of the medieval calendar. michaelmas day is evidently an attempt to mark the autumnal equinox, though now it is a week behind time; still, it is one of the occasions which i have mentioned, and each year advantage is taken of that fact to make the wonderful interchange of forces which i am about to try to describe- though again, as

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

ple quite near to that of jehovah. there is considerable uncertainty as to whether balkis, queen of sheba, was a real person, or only a personification of astarte. bro. ward explains that the festivals of the two patron saints of freemasonry, s. john the baptist in summer and s. john the evangelist in winter, are only a perpetuation of the feasts of the old fertility cult at the summer and winter solstices; that similar cultural rites are found in other lands, teutonic, celtic and greek, that they also survived among the essenes, and that the knights templars brought back from syria a story very similar to that of the 3. the tale of jonah, he remarks, has always been understood as a myth of death and resurrection, and he also was sacrificed to appease a deity, and obtain salvation for othe

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

the birthdays of the gods--the murder of osiris--the hermetic isis--the symbols peculiar to isis--the troubadours--the mummification of the dead. 45 the sun, a universal deity the solar trinity-christianity and the sun--the birthday of the sun--the three suns- the celestial inhabitants of the sun--the midnight sun. 49 the zodiac and its signs primitive astronomical instruments--the equinoxes and solstices--the astrological ages of the world--the circular zodiac of tentyra--an interpretation of the zodiacal signs- the horoscope of the world. 53 the bembine table of isis plato's initiation in the great pyramid--the history of the bembine table--platonic theory of ideas--the interplay of the three philosophical zodiacs--the chaldean philosophy of triads--the orphic egg. 57 wonders of antiqui

hyte was instructed concerning the creation of the universe, the personalities of the gods, the laws of nature, the secrets of occult medicine, the mysteries of the celestial bodies, and the rudiments of magic and sorcery. the druids had a great number of feast days. the new and full moon and the sixth day of the moon were sacred periods. it is believed that initiations took place only at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. at dawn of the 25th day of december, the birth of the sun god was celebrated. the secret teachings of the druids are said by some to be tinctured with pythagorean philosophy. the druids had a madonna, or virgin mother, with a child in her arms, who was sacred to their mysteries; and their sun god was resurrected at the time of the year corresponding to that at whic

es. porphyry, in his cave of the nymphs, states that zarathustra (zoroaster) was the first to consecrate a cave to the worship of god, because a cavern was symbolic of the earth, or the lower world of darkness. john p. lundy, in his monumental christianity, describes the cave of mithras as follows "but this cave was adorned with the signs of the zodiac, cancer and capricorn. the summer and winter solstices were chiefly conspicuous, as the gates of souls descending into this life, or passing out of it in their ascent to the gods; cancer being the gate of descent, and capricorn of ascent. these are the two avenues of the immortals passing up and down from earth to heaven, and from heaven to earth" the so-called chair of st. peter, in rome, was believed to have been used in one of the pagan m

e supreme deity, by the very knowledge of which man and his god are made consciously one. with the giving of the name, the new initiate became himself a pyramid, within the chambers of whose soul numberless other human beings might also receive spiritual enlightenment. in the king's chamber was enacted the drama of the "second death" here the candidate, after being crucified upon the cross of the solstices and the equinoxes, was buried in the great coffer. there is a profound mystery to the atmosphere and temperature of the king's chamber: it is of a peculiar deathlike cold which cuts to the marrow of the bone. this room was a doorway between the material world and the transcendental spheres of nature. while his body lay in the coffer, the soul of the neophyte soared as a human-headed hawk

ines indicate to what corporeal member, organ, or disease, the herb or other substance is related. the favorable positions in relation to the time of year are shown by the signs of the zodiac, each house of which is divided by crosses into its three decans. this influence is further emphasized by the series of planetary signs placed on either side of the figure. click to enlarge the equinoxes and solstices. the plane of the zodiac intersects the celestial equator at an angle of approximately 23 28. the two points of intersection (a and b) are called the equinoxes. p. 54 25,920 years (authorities disagree concerning these figures) this retrograde motion is called the precession of the equinoxes. this means that in the course of about 25,920 years, which constitute one great solar or platoni

was celebrated when the sun reached its most northerly position, and the day appointed was june 21. after that time the sun began to descend toward the equator, which it recrossed southbound at the autumnal equinox, september 21. the sun reached its most southerly position at the winter solstice, december 21. four of the signs of the zodiac have been permanently dedicated to the equinoxes and the solstices; and, while the signs no longer correspond with the ancient constellations to which they were assigned, and from which they secured their names, they are accepted by modern astronomers as a basis of calculation. the vernal equinox is therefore said to occur in the constellation of aries (the ram. it is fitting that of all beasts a ram should be placed at the head of the heavenly flock fo

nto the house of god, and standing thus at the gates of sanctuary they are a reminder that jehovah is both an androgynous and an anthropomorphic deity. as two parallel columns they denote the zodiacal signs of cancer and capricorn, which were formerly placed in the chamber of initiation to represent birth and death--the extremes of physical life. they accordingly signify the summer and the winter solstices, now known to freemasons under the comparatively modern appellation of the "two st. johns" in the mysterious sephirothic tree of the jews, these two pillars symbolize mercy and severity. standing before the gate of king solomon's temple, these columns had the same symbolic import as the obelisks before the sanctuaries of egypt. when interpreted qabbalistically, the names of the two pilla

tyrdom he feels that he partakes of the glory of god; secondly, it is the symbol of humility, patience, and the burden of life. it is interesting that the cross should be both a symbol of life and a symbol of death. many nations deeply considered the astronomical aspect of religion, and it is probable that the persians, greeks, and hindus looked upon the cross as a symbol of the equinoxes and the solstices, in the belief that at certain seasons of the year the sun was symbolically crucified upon these imaginary celestial angles. the fact that so many nations have regarded their savior as a personification of the sun globe is convincing evidence that the cross must exist as an astronomical element in pagan allegory. augustus le plongeon believed that the veneration for the cross was partly

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

ytanic religion that four of the great annual witch festivals are derived. these are the nights of october 31 (halloween; february 2 (candlemas; april 30 (beltane, and august 1 (lammas. of these, beltane and halloween are the more important. the four solar fire festivals of the druids are also observed, though to a lesser extent. these are midwinter, spring, midsummer, and autumn as marked by the solstices and equinoxes, and these together with the preceding four make eight sabbats, or festivals, of the witches' year. the practical import of the sabbats is this: halloween, candlemas, beltane, and lammas mark the beginning of each quarter of the solar-tide cycle; first the tide of destruction and winter is initiated with halloween, the feast of the dead, the first day of the witches' year

and the second, the height. in the past, their observance differed with location. for instance, in some parts of europe, beltane was celebrated as the summer festival, while in others, midsummer was accorded the same honour instead, with identical symbolism. of the two varieties, however, the so-called great sabbats of candlemas, beltane, lammas, and hallows appear to be the older, antedating the solstices and equinoxes which sprang directly from the advent of a more sophisticated astronomical science, characteristic of the druids. but nowadays all eight appear on the witches' calendar,and you can take your choice which you will celebrate. of course, most witches celebrate the grand sabbats of hallows and beltane, if not all four. some ardent practitioners even fit all eight in, but they a

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

it come to flesh. 77 77 the sabbats the eight witches sabbats listed herein are presented in gaelic. the purpose of this is to recognize the great celtic heritage which is present in the craft and its blood. our whole exploration and the system within our work is based upon the celtic system of the four greater sabbaths. these are: imbolg, beltane, lughnasadh and samhain, while the equinoxes and solstices are spring, summer, autumn and yule tide. these are times of shifting forces, when the witch draws great power from the earth that can be distilled by the control of the will. such powers are fleeting, so each sorcerer must capture and employ what they can while they can. the sabbaths are a time of gathering with ones family, both on the earth and on the astral plane. the disciplines of

MICHAEL WYNN THE SOUL TRAVELERS

e supreme deity, by the very knowledge of which man and his god are made consciously one. with the giving of the name, the new initiate became himself a pyramid, within the chambers of whose soul numberless other human beings might also receive spiritual enlightenment. in the king's chamber was enacted the drama of the "second death" here the candidate, after being crucified upon the cross of the solstices and the equinoxes, was buried in the great coffer. there is a profound mystery to the atmosphere and temperature of the king's chamber: it is of a peculiar deathlike cold which cuts to the marrow of the bone. this room was a doorway between the material world and the transcendental spheres of nature. while his body lay in the coffer, the soul of the neophyte soared as a human-headed hawk

MORALS AND DOGMA

sarily touch upon these two lines as well as upon the holy scriptures; and while a mason keeps himself circumscribed within their precepts, it is impossible that he should materially err" it would be a waste of time to comment upon this. some writers have imagined that the parallel lines represent the tropics of cancer and capricorn, which the sun alternately touches upon at the summer and winter solstices. but the tropics are not perpendicular lines, and the idea is merely fanciful. if the parallel lines ever belonged to the ancient symbol, they had some more recondite and more _fruitful_ meaning. they probably had the same meaning as the twin columns jachin and boaz. that meaning is not for the apprentice. the adept may find it in the kabalah. the justice and mercy of god are in equilibr

st esteem; they believed that true philosophy, the greatest and most salutary gift of god to mortals, was scattered, in various portions, through all the different sects; and that it was, consequently, the duty of every wise man to gather it from the several quarters where it lay dispersed, and to employ it, thus reunited, in destroying the dominion of impiety and vice. the great festivals of the solstices were observed in a distinguished manner by the essenes; as would naturally be supposed, from the fact that they reverenced the sun, not as a god, but as a symbol of light and fire; the fountain of which, the orientals supposed god to be. they lived in continence and abstinence, and had establishments similar to the monasteries of the early christians. the writings of the essenes were ful

t distinction of caste, who felt themselves inspired by god to instruct men. those who so associated themselves formed a society of prophets under the name of samaneans. they recognized the existence of a single uncreated god, in whose bosom everything grows, is developed and transformed. the worship of this god reposed upon the obedience of all the beings he created. his feasts were those of the solstices. the doctrines of buddha pervaded india, china, and japan. the priests of brahma, professing a dark and bloody creed, brutalized by superstition, united together against buddhism, and with the aid of despotism, exterminated its followers. but their blood fertilized the new doctrine, which produced a new society under the name of gymnosophists; and a large number, fleeing to ireland, plan

oss; the winged ones referring to kneph, the winged serpent-deity of egypt; whence the name of _navestock, where one of them stood. temples in the shape of a cross were also found in ireland and scotland. the length of one of these vast structures, in the shape of a serpent, was nearly three miles. the grand periods for initiation into the druidical mysteries, were quarterly; at the equinoxes and solstices. in the remote times when they originated, these were the times corresponding with the 13th of february, 1st of may, 19th of august, and 1st of november. the time of annual celebration was may-eve, and the ceremonial preparations commenced at midnight, on the 29th of april. when the initiations were over, on may-eve, fires were kindled on all the cairns and cromlechs in the island, which

ses. lucian tells us that the bull apis, sacred to the egyptians, was the image of the celestial bull, or taurus; and that jupiter ammon, horned like a ram, was an image of the constellation aries. and clemens of alexandria assures us that the four principal sacred animals, carried in their processions, were emblems of the four signs or cardinal points which fixed the seasons at the equinoxes and solstices, and divided into four parts the yearly march of the sun. they worshipped fire also, and water, and the nile, which river they styled father, preserver of egypt, sacred emanation from the great god osiris; and in their hymns in which they called it the god crowned with millet (which grain, represented by the _pschent, was part of the head-dress of their kings, bringing with him abundance

on the medals of the kings of comagena, and capricorn on those of zeugma, anazorba, and other cities. on the medals of antoninus are found nearly all the signs of the zodiac. astrology was practised among all the ancient nations. in egypt, the book of astrology was borne reverentially in the religious processions; in which the few sacred animals were also carried, as emblems of the equinoxes and solstices. the same science nourished among the chaldeans, and over the whole of asia and africa. when alexander invaded india, the astrologers of the oxydraces came to him to disclose the secrets of their science of heaven and the stars. the brahmins whom apollonius consulted, taught him the secrets of astronomy, with the ceremonies and prayers whereby to appease the gods and learn the future fro

r boudh was represented to have been crucified. all the planets known to the ancients were distinguished by the mystic cross, in conjunction with the solar or lunar symbols; saturn by a cross over a crescent, jupiter by a cross under a crescent, mars by a cross resting obliquely on a circle, venus by a cross under a circle, and mercury by a cross surmounted by a circle and that by a crescent. the solstices, cancer and capricorn, the two gates of heaven are the two pillars of hercules, beyond which he, the sun, never journeyed: and they still appear in our lodges, as the two great columns, jachin and boaz, and also as the two parallel lines that bound the circle, with a point in the centre, emblem of the sun between the two tropics of cancer and capricorn. the blazing star in our lodges, we

able laugh. every year the old world puts on new bridal beauty, and celebrates its whit-sunday, when in the sweet spring each bush and tree dons reverently its new glories. autumn is a long all-saints' day; and the harvest is hallowmass to mankind. before the human race marched down from the slopes of the himalayas to take possession of asia, chaldea, and egypt, men marked each annual crisis, the solstices and the equinoxes, and celebrated religious festivals therein; and even then, and ever since, the material was and has been the element of communion between man and god. nature is full of religious lessons to a thoughtful man. he dissolves the matter of the universe, leaving only its forces; he dissolves away the phenomena of human history, leaving only immortal spirit; he studies the la

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

are rituals of the elements and feasts of the times. each element fire, earth, air, water, and spirit possesses its own nature, will, and magical formula. each one may then have its appropriate ritual. many such in crude form are described in the golden bough of dr. j. g. frazer, the glory of trinity! in particular the entry of the sun into the cardinal signs of the elements at the equinoxes and solstices are suitable for festivals. the difference between 'rituals' and 'feasts' is this: by the one a particular form of energy is generated, while there is a general discharge of one's superfluous force in the other. yet, a feast implies periodical nourishment. 37. a feast for the first night of the prophet and his bride! there should be a special feast on the 12th day of august in every year

REGARDIE ISRAEL THE COMPLETE GOLDEN DAWN

ire are referred to the cardinal signs, t% 6 m. heh and water are referred to the kerubic or fixed signs 'd q lll. vau and air are referred to the mutable signs# rrg% x. heh final and earth are referred to the elements, a va 8. as to the reasons of this latter attribution, s.r.m.d. says that the four cardinal signs are called the most fiery because most solar in nature. that is, the equinoxes and solstices occur when the sun is in these signs. the kerubic or fixed signs are considered watery because they are the most shining and glittering in nature. the remaining four mutable signs are called the most airy because they are the most subtle in nature. while the four elements are the most earthy because their operation is mainly terrestrial. incidentally, instead of the usual earth symbol, t

RUBY TABLET OF SET

e natural and magickal forces? 8. what is necromancy? 9. explain the doctrine of opposites. how is it significant to magick? 10. what is the emerald tablet? who authored it, and what can you tell us about the author? 11. what is meant by "solve et coagula" 12. what are the three components of the alchemical stone, and what are the four steps of joining them? 13. explain what you can about the two solstices and the two equinoxes. 14. what does the word "satan" mean? 15. what is the difference between satanism and humanism? 16. what can you tell us about the word "demon" 17. please name and tell us something of the crown princes of hell. 18. what is the value (if any) in celebrating "le messe noir" 19. what is magick? 20. explain the difference between greater magick and lesser magick? 21. i

y out- that all initiation is merely russian roulette in fancy dress? but here the understanding that had so far come so powerfully and clearly failed me. it was as though the wewelsburg, having discharged a "battery" that had remained charged for 40 years, had no more current to provide. having drunk at this magical fountain of youth, however, i myself felt energized as i had not since the north solstices of v and x. the hall of the dead now seemed an insulation against random discharge of this energy. action must now give way to reaction; how should i direct this reaction? in considering this, my attention came to rest on the concept of the order of the trapezoid. as will be recalled, this concept as employed by both the church and the temple has gone through many adjustments and redefin

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

s; the highest confucian ideal. resurrection: the rising of jesus christ from the dead three days after his crucifixion, or death on a cross. xxvi world religions: almanac words to know rig veda: the central scripture of hinduism, a collection of inspired hymns and songs. rosh hoshanah: the jewish new year. sabbat: holidays practiced by wiccans throughout the year, including the summer and winter solstices, the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, and four additional holidays between these four. sacrament: a sacred rite, or ceremony. sadhana: ascetic person. saint: a deceased person who has been recognized for living a virtuous and holy life. salat: daily prayer. salvation: the deliverance of human beings from sin through jesus christ s death on the cross. samhain (samhuinn: neo-pagan holiday ce

that have led to exploitation of the natural world and damage to the environment. neo-paganism, for many, is a way to embrace a simpler, more natural way of life that does not depend on the tools of modern technology and that respects the natural world. because neo-pagans feel close to the cycles of nature, holy days tend to include the first day of each of the four seasons: the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes (the solstices are the points in the year when the day is the longest and shortest; the equinoxes are the points of the year when the hours of day and night are equal) this emphasis on seasonal changes reflects the geographical origins of many neo-pagan religions. neo-pagan groups tend to have similar beliefs. they follow a belief system that is either

ted. some witches, however, prefer to practice wicca 142 world religions: biographies gerald brousseau gardner on their own and are called solitaries. not all wiccans practice witchcraft. some merely believe in the nature elements of the religion. wiccans worship the goddess and may also worship the god, according to gardner s teachings, and celebrate sabbats and esbats. these sabbats include the solstices (the two longest days of the year, the equinoxes (the two times a year when day and night are equal in length, litha in the summer, yule in the winter, ostara in the spring, and mabon in the autumn. other sabbats include imbolic on february 1, beltane on may 1, lughnasadh on august 1, and samhain on november 1. this celebration calendar, also called the wheel of the year, is used by most

ugh the eighteenth centuries. neo-pagan groups, including wicca, tend to have similar teachings. they follow a belief system that is either duotheistic (believing in two deities, typically a god and a goddess) or polytheistic (believing in many deities. neo-pagans feel close to the cycles of nature. holy days tend to fall on the first day of each of the four seasons, that is the summer and winter solstices (respectively, the longest and shortest days of the year) and the spring and autumnal equinoxes (the first day of spring and autumn. the emergence of wicca as a modern religious movement can be traced to the 1950s in england and the efforts of a british civil servant named gerald gardner, who wrote extensively on witchcraft. later, in 1974, a number of wiccans gathered in minneapolis, mi

TEXE MARRS CODEX MAGICA SECRET SIGNS MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS AND HIDDEN CODES OF THE ILLUMINATI

lemnly holding a finger to his mouth to remind the frolicking members of the hell-fire club that "what happens here, stays here."8 rome also had the mystery goddess angerona. her statue showed angerona as a beautiful woman holding a finger to her mouth "the emblem of secrecy and mystery."9 angerona watched over the sexual promiscuity goings-on at various orgies connected with the festivals of the solstices and the changing of the seasons. the mystery religions of the romans and other peoples especially needed the utmost secrecy because, during the higher initiations, the unspoken names of the hidden or unknown god, or gods, was often revealed. as the christians gained in numbers and influence, they began to properly understand that these names were actually synonyms for satan, lucifer, the

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

ty in which the ancient rituals originated. the tortures of the inquisition brought forth all manner of obscene versions of the black sabbat, and perhaps the great majority of such testimony is suspect. it must be pointed out that descriptions of the black mass were derived from confessions achieved by torture, as well as from accounts of medieval christians who observed pagan celebrations of the solstices, midsummer, and so forth and who collectively designated the participants as satan-worshippers. however, numerous scholars of witchcraft, sorcery, and satanism generally agree on the following order of service for the observance. the sabbat began with the ceremonial entrance of the participants, led by the high priest or high priestess of the coven (a coven is traditionally comprised of

THE GOD OF THE WITCHES

emaster.the sabbaths were held quarterly, on the second of february (candlemas day, the eve of may, the first ofaugust (lammas, and the eve of november (all hallow e'en. this shows a division of the year at may andnovember with two cross-quarter days. such a division belongs to a very early calendar before theintroduction of agriculture. it has no connection with sowing or reaping, it ignores the solstices andequinoxes, but it marks the opening of the two breeding seasons for animals, both wild and domesticated. ittherefore belongs to the hunting and pastoral periods, and is in itself an indication of the extremeprimitiveness of the cult and points to a very early origin, reaching back possibly to the palaeolithic era.cormac, archbishop of cashel in the tenth century,[40] refers to these m

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

o that consciousness seems to occupy two points simultaneously, the ray may be called reciprocating. an ordinary ray of will is sent forth like an a arrow to the object of desire; a reciprocating ray forms a bridge. sabbat: the preferred spelling for the eight pagan festival days observed by mod- ern witches. these days form the spokes of a wheel, when the year is consid- ered to be a circle. the solstices and equinoxes, called the quarter days because they divide the year into equal quarters, are bisected by the four pagan festivals oimelc (february 2, beltane (may i, lughnassadh (august l, and samhain (october 31, which are termed the cross-quarter days. the sabbats are distinguished from esbats, which are lesser celebrations that may be observed irregularly throughout the year, but are

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

by rolling it up and cutting it off at the feet, the fairies are able to steal away the essence of personality. perhaps the result would be coma or death. or perhaps the man or woman whose shadow was stolen and carried off to the underworld would slowly waste away, a fate that sometimes befalls those who displease the fairies. 44 soul flight quarters of the year abductions are more common on the solstices and equinoxes that fall on the quarters of the year. these are the days when the fairies leave their land and move abroad on the roads used by mankind. it is very unlucky to travel at these times. they remove to other lodgings at the beginning of each quarter of the year, so traversing till doomsday, being imputent and [impotent of] staying in one place, and finding some ease by so purni

WICCA EIGHT SABBATS OF WITCHCRAFT

t that i must diverge from the opinion of robert graves and other writers who have followed him. graves believes that at midsummer, the sun king is slain by his rival, the god of darkness; just as the god of darkness is, in turn, slain by the god of light at midwinter. and yet, in christian folk tradition (derived from the older pagan strain, it is births, not deaths, that are associated with the solstices. for the feast of john the baptist, this is all the more conspicuous, as it breaks the rules regarding all other saints. john is the only saint in the entire catholic hagiography whose feast day is a commemoration of his birth, rather than his death. a generation ago, catholic nuns were fond of explaining that a saint is commemorated on the anniversary of his or her death because it wasr

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