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Magick
The Magickal Mystery Tourist
A simple definition of Magick is a difficult task since there is so much to understand so I will take you on a very brief tour!
“A short definition that will really explain its nature and describe the field of its operation seems practically impossible. One dictionary defines it as "the art of applying natural causes to produce surprising effects." Havelock Ellis has ventured the suggestion that a magical act is a name that may well be given to cover every conceivable act in the whole of life's span. It is Aleister Crowley's suggestion that "Magic is the science and art of causing changes to occur in conformity with will." Dion Fortune slightly modified this by adding a couple of words-- "changes in consciousness." The anonymous mediaeval author of The Goetia, or Lesser Key of King Solomon has written a proem to that book where occurs the passage that "Magic is the highest, most absolute, and most divine knowledge of Natural philosophy . . . True agents being applied to proper patients strange and admirable effects will thereby be produced. Whence magicians are profound and diligent searchers into Nature." ….The Meaning Of Magic by Israel Regardie
There are many of the ritualistic practices and behaviors of the any traditional theosophical and philosophical courses of study that have a deep and mysterious connection. Holographically speaking the silver cords and golden threads that binds Magick, Philosophy Religions and Science has ran throughout the history of man.
While on my spiritual quest I have encountered many, many various forms and studies of Magick, and often times without even calling it Magick. I have discovered too, that many who walk this earth have not a clue of their participation in Magick on a daily basis, because it is all around us But just like Magick, there is Science, Religion and Magick in all that is!
The most common belief is that Magick has a strong attachment to some form of mysterious rites. Magick can effect many outcomes, some good and some bad, depending on the type of magick and the intentions of the practitioner.
Commonly we have all heard of the types of magic that are denoted by various colors. It is said that"Black magick" is performed with the intention of harming another being, either as a means of building the practitioner's power or as the goal itself. The underlying ideology upon which black magick is based ,states that the practitioner and his or her pursuit of knowledge and/or physical well being are more important than other concerns, theological or ethical. "Green magick" involves the practitioner's attuning himself or herself to nature and the world around him or her. "White magick" is where the practitioner attunes himself or herself to the needs of human society and attempts to meet those needs. This is a form of "personal betterment" magick, and does not entail harming other beings. "Grey magick" is magick that is neither green, nor black, nor white, and which usually replaces the absolute stand of these realms with an ethical code that is particular to the practitioner. It is a type of magick all its own, and may be used for many different purposes. "Folk magick" is an eclectic collection of herbalism, faith healing, curses and hexes, candle magick, and other workings that have thrived in rural areas for centuries. There is also the term, "hedge wizard or witch," which refers to an individual who attempts to practice magick with little or no formal training. “
I am sure that as long as man has walked this earth there have been the histories of the oral traditions of Magick. The Mystery Schools from Lemuria, Atlantis, Egypt, and Greece reportedly taught the secrets of how to master life and the environment. This included knowledge about healing, slowing the aging process, controlling the weather, eliminating harmful insects, alchemy, and how to use crystals for power systems.
Where Do We Begin?
The craft of magick is thought to have begun with the Egyptians, and the earliest recorded magic is found in an Egyptian papyrus dated around 1700 BC. It depicts an illusionist named Dedi of Dedsnefu showing tricks to a Pharaoh. Dedi was also thought to have entertained the slaves who built the Pyramids and his performances included the famous 'Cups and Balls' trick, which is still widely performed today!
The ancient Greeks and Romans were also intrigued at the idea of magick and in particular by the art of deception. Magic devices were built into temples and pyramids that enabled doors to open unaided and wine to flow magically from the open mouths of statues. The Priests of that time used these miraculous effects to secure their power over the god-fearing folk of the times.
But magick actually has two forms. The stage or trick form as we all know and then the true meaning of "Magick" related to science of willing change. This knowledge, known as the 'secret science', was protected so that others would not abuse the knowledge. Much as patents are protected in this day and age the secrets of Magick were well guarded. But if one digs around all the information available today you can certainly learn a lot without being the accepted initiates of the existing mystery schools around the world. The books and knowledge is out there. Perhaps it was planned to pass on to a future age when the mass of humanity would be evolved enough to inherit it. Perhaps the layers of history have brought us to the time when it can all be accepted. Perhaps the hologram is just about complete?
The first documented mystery school is Thoth.
Thoth Mystery School
Greek and Roman mystics in documents loosely attributed to the Egyptian God Thoth described the Mystery of Hermes Trismegistus, the “three-times great”. Thoth, or Tehuti, (Atlantean name) was the scribe of the Gods, the inventor of writing, and was usually depicted in hieroglyphics with the head of an Ibis bird.
One tradition holds that Thoth was the architect of the Great Pyramids of Giza. It is said that below the Giza plateau lays a network of tunnels containing the real history of Egypt, including the mystical history of the temple initiates. The central truth of these records is permanently inscribed on Emerald Tablets that have yet to be discovered.
They remain buried in the area of the Sphinx. Yet they are seen by the eye of the initiates Ð the Light Travelers, as an open portal to the ancient truth. ( http://www.crystalinks.com/thothms.html)
Isis, Temple of Light and the Light Travelers
"The cult of Isis was widespread in the Egypt of the dynastic period. From Egypt it spread northwards to Phoenicia, Syria and Palestine; to Asia Minor; to Cyprus, Rhodes, Crete, Samos and other islands in the Aegean; to many parts of mainland Greece - Corinth, Argos and Thessaly amongst them; to Malta and Sicily; and, finally, to Rome. In the first century BC, Isis was perhaps the most popular goddess in the Eternal City, from which her cult spread to the furthest limits of the Roman Empire, including Britain: her only rival was Mithras. - Barbara Watterson, The Gods of Ancient Egypt
"Renowned for her skillful use of witchcraft and magic, Isis was particularly remembered by the Ancient Egyptians as 'strong of tongue', that is being in command of words of power 'which she knew with correct pronunciation, and halted not in her speech, and was perfect both in giving the command and in saying the word' 'Egyptian Magic'. In short she was believed, by means of her voice alone, to be capable of bending reality and overriding the laws of physics." - Graham Hancock, Fingerprints of the Gods
Isis' magic was allied to the wisdom of Thoth and given to mankind as a skill in Healing; she was also responsible, as the counterpart of Osiris, for teaching the household arts to women. She taught them weaving and spinning, and how to grind the corn. Her strongest appeal was to the sorrowing wife and devoted mother - every woman could identify with her and she has been seen by some commentators as the archetype of a cult that continues in the Christian churches to the present day." - Richard Patrick, Egyptian Mythology
An interesting note is Isis was given an immaculate birth similar to that of the Christian Mary. Isis is often shown as the Egyptian Madonna with her son Horus in her arms. The son of Isis and Osiris.
The Way of the Essences
About 1BC the first of three Jewish sects was a tribe called the Essenes. The Essenes were considered perfectly organized in a mystic hierarchy and highly intellectual culture. They held secret ceremonies, lived by the stars concocted natural remedies and practiced the laying of hands. An Essene Male at age twenty would take a solemn oath. He would then wear the white robe of materialization of the power of his baptism and the purity of his soul, which had to protect him from the many contradictions of the world.
The staff, or cane, which he also received on this occasion, symbolized his knowledge of the secret laws of life and his ability to use them harmoniously for the successful accomplishment of his task.
His oath required him to respect the earth as a living, sacred and intelligent being. This living knowledge of the laws of reincarnation (laws of evolution and mercy) and of the laws of destiny (laws of cause and effect) allowed the hierophants to choose a mission which corresponded exactly to the work which the soul had come to earth to accomplish. In order to maintain contact with it, to honor it and to participate in its healthy evolution, he had to be in contact with the ground through his feet--and, sometimes, his whole body. This is why the Essenes were often barefoot and established the practice of cleansing the feet. It is has been said that Jesus Christ was a member of the Essene Tribe and that is where he learned his magickal abilities that are sited in the parables. The Essenes were also strong on predictions and the use of psychic and kinetic energies.
Sacred Gematria
The schools of sacred Geometry or Gematria began in the Greek times, where numbers were viewed as cosmic principles with both material and spiritual aspects “Isopsephia,” the Greek word for gematria were widely used in Mesopotamia. The word gematria is that it derives from the Greek word gematria, which is an alternative spelling for geometria, "geometry," but literally, "land surveying" (LSJ s.v. gametria, geometria; OED s.v. gematria). This is suggestive of its use in Egypt, Greece, Babylonia and perhaps other places for laying out temples and other important buildings based on numeric associations to planets. But it was soon noted that everything within the universe could be equated to esoteric interpretation of words by means of the numerical values of their letters. The founding and refining of this practice was attributed to Pythagoras.
Pythagorean League
Pythagoras founded a philosophical and religious school, in Croton of southern Italy, which had many followers. Pythagoras was the head of the society with an inner circle of followers known as mathematikoi. The mathematikoi lived permanently with the Society, had no personal possessions and were vegetarians. They were taught by Pythagoras himself and obeyed strict rules.
The beliefs that Pythagoras held were [2]: -
(1) That at its deepest level, reality is mathematical in nature,
(2) That philosophy can be used for spiritual purification,
(3) That the soul can rise to union with the divine,
(4) That certain symbols have a mystical significance, and
(5) That all brothers of the order should observe strict loyalty and secrecy.
Both men and women were permitted to become members of the Society; in fact several later women Pythagoreans became famous philosophers. The outer circle of the Society was known as the akousmatics and they lived in their own houses, only coming to the Society during the day. They were allowed their own possessions and were not required to be vegetarians.
The standard spellings of the Gods' names were formulated according to isopsephic principles under the influence of the Pythagorean League c. 500 BCE
Greek numerals go back "at least to the end of the fourth century B.C.";
According to ancient biographies (Diogenes Laertius 8.1-15) - which might not be entirely factual - Pythagoras, when a young man, became an initiate of all mysteries in Greece; he studied with the Phoenicians, learned Egyptian and studied with the priests there, and then went to be initiated into the mysteries on Crete. He claimed that in a previous life he was a son of Hermes, and that his divine father had granted him the gift of keeping his memory from one incarnation to the next. Pythagorean doctrine was kept secret until Philolaus (born c.470 BCE) published three books of it. It has many connections with Orphism, although their exact relation is not clear. (For a scholarly study see Walter Burkert's Lore and Science in Ancient Pythagoreanism.)
It is apparent that Socrates (who also wrote nothing) and Plato (c.429-347 BCE) were both Pythagoreans, and, according to Diogenes, Plato bought copies of Philolaus' books for 100 minas (about 100 pounds of silver) as soon as they were available. Certainly some of Plato's dialogues, such as the Timaeus, are filled with Pythagorean esoterica.
A Neopythagorean revival began in the first century BCE and continued until it developed into Neoplatonism in the third century CE. It remained the dominant Pagan philosophy until the emperor Justinian ordered the Pagan schools closed in 529 CE. Among its more famous proponents were Numenius, Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, Proclus and Hypatia. It is from these philosophers that most of the numerology of the Pythagorean Tarot is drawn. (For a comprehensive collection of Pythagorean writings, see Kenneth Guthrie's Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library. Two excellent sources for Neopythagorean numerology are Robin Waterfield's translation of The Theology of Arithmetic (attributed to Iamblichus) and Thomas Taylor's Theoretic Arithmetic, which is drawn from many sources.) (OCD s.v. Neoplatonism, Neopythagoreanism)
The Neopythagoreanism of second century CE Alexandria was also one of the principal sources of Gnosticism, the group of esoteric religions that flourished in that society, which also gave us the Hermetica (the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus), the Chaldean Oracles and a number of other esoteric texts. This was also the cultural breeding ground for Plutarch's theosophical writings, Zosimos' alchemical work, and Numenius' Neopythagoreanism (which was, in turn, influenced by Gnosticism). (OCD s.v. Gnosticism)
Later, in the fifteenth century, when Plato and the Hermetica were first translated into Latin, a new efflorescence of Neopythagoreanism nourished the Renaissance at the Platonic Academy of Lorenzo de'Medici. Indeed, Renaissance art is saturated with Pythagorean and Hermetic symbols, and this is the cultural context in which the Tarot was born. A later, seventeenth century, efflorescence merged with the alchemical tradition, influencing philosophers such as Isaac Newton, Thomas Taylor and John Dee, and artists such as Shakespeare, Spenser and Blake, for Hermetic and alchemical themes are apparent in many of their works. (See Edgar Wind's Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance for the influence of Neopythagoreanism and Hermeticism on the Renaissance. The works of Dame Francis Yates, such as Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition and The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age, are a good introduction to seventeenth-century Hermeticism.)
Alchemy
Pythagoreanism had a one-sided exaltation of the mind and knowledge and its corresponding denigration of the material world and body. In this respect the alchemical perspective, which sees spirit embodied in matter and matter as a means of purifying and ennobling the spirit, is more balanced. This is expressed in the well-known alchemical maxim, "as above, so below." The masculine knowledge, Logos and spirit - the dry solar consciousness - requires its complement, feminine compassion, Eros and soul - the moist lunar consciousness. (In this respect it has some similarities with Tantric Buddhism.) The wisdom of the alchemical tradition is especially needed in our time.
Alchemy perhaps grew out of the secret lore of the first metallurgists. Their view was that metals were born out of the womb of Mother Earth, and that Nature caused them to develop toward ever-greater nobility (manifested in gold); the earliest alchemists viewed their work as cooperating with Nature to hasten this process. Because early alchemists sought their goal through a combination of technology, magic and divine aid, we find in many cultures stories of an early generation of smith-gods and divine metallurgist-magicians (e.g. the Cabiri in Greek myths). Typically, they are also teachers of ecstatic dance and initiators into sacred mysteries of transformation. (See Mircea Eliade's Forge and Crucible.)
The doctrine of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire), a central principle of European alchemy, developed out of Greek philosophy. They appear first in the writings of Empedocles (c.493-c.433 BCE), who was a Greek shaman (iatromantis - healer-seer - in Greek). Closely connected is the idea of the opposed qualities (hot/cold, moist/dry) that give the elements their character, which was an outgrowth of Pythagorean speculation. Plato and Aristotle explained the relation of the elements and the qualities, and refined the theory into the form that it took in all later European alchemy; they also added the fifth element, the Quintessence, which is critical to the alchemical process, since it is the celestial principle that reconciles opposing mundane qualities. (See A. J. Hopkins' Alchemy: Child of Greek Philosophy.)
The Tree of Life Kabbalah, Qabalah
Qabalah is the Western Mystical term, but it is derived from the Judaic esoteric and historic tradition of Kabbalah. Kabbalah is Hokmah Nestroah meaning “Hidden wisdom” The hidden wisdom that was only passed from one generation to the next by oral tradition. It is in this oral tradition we find the basis for all religious and philosophical traditions that are generated from the Cradle of Civilization. All the relationships to the God of Abraham, be it Muslim, Judaic or Christian go back to the traditions found in the Kabbalah.
Only through the traditional Kabbalistic rites of passage could one attain this deep level of knowledge. Because Kabbalah contains the wisdom to everything it was a closely guarded secret. It was believed that one that was unprepared could be driven mad by such truth. And so, it wasn't until a man of knowledge had reached the age forty that the the ancient wisdom was taught and shared.
Then somewhere in the early fifteenth century, a very affluent family was able to get a Judaic scholar to commit to paper the once oral traditions. Once it was committed to paper the secrets began to be shared throughout the esoteric communities.
Since the Kabbalah contains the answers to so many wisdoms it has inspired many secret societies to develop and has been the foundation for many scholars. Its wisdoms have been carried in to all forms of Science, Theology, Philosophy and Magick throughout the world.
Today's Western Qabalah is founded on the same principals as Kabbalah and honors many of the same practices without the orientation to Judaic religion.
With the Qabalistic use of gematria (the esoteric interpretation of Hebrew words by means of the numerical values of their letters), has become a standard esoteric technique and is a major part of traditional tarot interpretation. Through the other explorations in to the forms of divination a strong connection can be seen to all forms of ancient wisdoms including Runes and the I Ching.
The combination of non-Jewish Kabbalah and ritual magick has been kept alive outside Judaism until the present day, although it has been heavily adulterated at times by hermeticism, gnosticism, neo-platonism, pythagoreanism, rosicrucianism, christianity, tantra and so on. The most important "modern" influences are the French magician Eliphas Levi, and the English "Order of the Golden Dawn". At least two members of the G.D. (S.L. Mathers and A.E. Waite) were knowledgeable Kabbalists, and three G. D. members have popularized Kabbalah - Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, and Dion Fortune. Dion Fortune's "Inner Light" has also produced a number of authors: Gareth Knight, William Butler, and William Gray.
Today there are many books and interent sources to uncover the secrets of Qabalah.
More Old World Secrets
Scottish Knights of Templar
The Knights Templar were founded in 1118, to protect pilgrim routes in the Holy Land by Hugh de Payen in the reign of Baldwin II who granted quarters in Jerusalem on the site of the Temple of Solomon; hence the name Knights of the Temple or Knights Templar. The secular overlord was the Count of Champagne with spiritual leadership given by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Order of the Holy Grail, -founded by Joseph of Arimathea in 54AD at Rheddae (Rennes le Chateau) France. This order exists in an unbroken lineage of succession from that time.
Its purpose is to preserve, protect and Quest for the Holy Grail. Within this order is the Merovingian Gnostic Church, which contains the Templar High Priesthood that performs the Grail Rites.
The protectorate of the Merovingian families and lineage is the Knights Templar-Strict Observance, whose esoteric system is contained in the Order of Illuminati, founded in 1776.
The primary teachings of the O.H.G. is contained in the Merovingian Bible which was translated by Thomas Jefferson, himself a Grand Master of the Strict Observance-Knights Templar. The Merovingian Bible, also called the Book of the Holy Grail contains the doctrine of the Hidden Church i.e. Merovingian Gnostic Church.
Druids
The word Druid means, "knowing the oak tree." The "Druids" were the priests of the Celtic religion. They remained in power through the fourth century AD. There are two beliefs concerning the development of this group. One traces their origin to the Ancient Order of Druids (AOD) by Henry Hurle in England in 1781. This group repeatedly split due to internal dissension into many separate organizations. By 1918, there were five groups attempting to perform solstice ceremonies at Stonehenge; all were breakaway groups from the original Ancient Order of Druids. In 1912 the American branch of the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids, was founded. AODA is a Druid church of nature spirituality, rooted in the Druid Revival of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and offering an opportunity for modern people to experience the teachings and practices of traditional Druidry in today's world.
Pagan Beliefs of Witchcraft & Wicca
Paganistic beliefs and rituals blended with those of other Indo-European descended groups, and over several centuries spawned such practices as concocting potions and ointments, casting spells, and performing works of magic. These practices, along with many of the nature-based beliefs held by the Celts and other groups, became collectively known as witchcraft. The term witch, which means to "twist or bend," has its origin in the ancient, Anglo-Saxon word "wicca," which is derived from the word "wicce," which means "wise." Witch is also related to the German word, "weihen," which means, "to consecrate or bless." Some say that the origins of the witch date back thousands of years, to the days when the goddess was worshiped and humanity had great reverence for the powers of nature and for women as creators of new life. In theother traditions of pagan philosophy, this is said to relates to the concept of "Gaia," or "Mother Earth," which views planet earth as essentially a living being. Prior to the 14th century, witchcraft came to mean a collection of beliefs and practices including healing through spells, mixing ointments or concoctions, dabbling in the supernatural, divining or forecasting the future, and engaging in clairvoyance. Groups holding to other beliefs and rituals often branded witchcraft as "demon-worship." After North America was discovered and Europeans began migrating to the new land, witchcraft came into practice by some of the early, colonial settlers. Since it had previously been branded as "demon-worship," witchcraft was forbidden throughout the North American colonies. Despite this decree by the powers of the day, some colonists secretly practiced witchcraft knowing they would be hanged or burned if caught. It has been said that certain rituals performed by early-American witches helped shield their settlements from attacks by Native Americans.
Suggested Reading:
For an indepth look at this ancient history "Forbidden Rites: A Necromancer's Manual of the Fifteenth Century," a general introduction to medieval magic, containing a little-known handbook from the late Middle Ages, by Richard Kieckhefer, a professor at Northwestern University and an acknowledged expert on medieval magic and witchcraft.
"Forbidden Rites" consists of an edition of a medieval Latin text preserved in the Bavarian State Library in Munich, a manuscript that few scholars have noticed. The book offers detailed analysis of the text and its contents, discussion of the historical context, translation of representative sections of the text, and comparison with other necromantic texts of the late Middle Ages.
Like many medieval texts for the use of magicians, this handbook is a miscellany rather than a systematic treatise. It is exceptional, however, in the scope and variety of its contents - prayers and conjurations, rituals of sympathetic magic, procedures involving astral magic, a catalogue of spirits, lengthy ceremonies for consecrating a book of magic and other materials.
With more detail on particular experiments than the famous 13th-century Picatrix and more variety than the Thesaurus Necromatiae ascribed to Roger Bacon, the manual is one of the most interesting and important manuscripts of medieval magic that has yet come to light.
Editor Claire Fanger includes chapters by Richard Kieckhefer and Robert Mathiesen on the "Sworn Book of Honorius," Michael Camille on the Ars Notoria, John B. Friedman on the Secretum Philosophorum, Nicholas Watson on the McMaster text, and Elizabeth Wade on Lullian divination. The work also includes Juris Lidaka's edition of the Liber de Angelis, and an overview of late medieval English ritual manuscripts by Frank Klaassen.In addition, Penn State Press regularly publishes books on medieval topics, the newest being "Heretics and Scholars in the High Middle Ages 1000-1200," by Heinrich Fichtenau and translated by Denise A. Kaiser; An Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons, A.D. 400-600" by Christopher Synder and "Schools of Asceticism: Ideology and Organization in Medieval Religious Communities" by Lutz F. Kaelber.
Natural Magick
The Fifteenth Century seems to be a leaping off place for the brave and great minds that dare to challenge all tradition. Probably one of the first notable thinkers and writers of that era would be the man responsible for a book called Natural Magick.
Giambattista della Porta (ca. 1535-1615) brought this group of men together, meeting periodically at his home in Naples and performing experiments and investigations there. Imitating the many literary clubs then flourishing in Italy, they called themselves Otiosi (i.e., Men of Leisure) and made it a condition of membership that each man must have contributed a new discovery or fact in natural science. Their Accademia Secretorum Naturae was soon suspect, from its name and deeds, of dabbling in the occult. Della Porta was denounced to Pope Paul V and called to Rome to explain the reports of witches' salves and necromantic arts. Happily justifying his devout search for truth and his campaign against charlatans, he returned cautioned but unblemished and was able, later in life, to help establish and become Vice-President of the Academy of the Lynxes (its name symbolized the struggle of scientific truth against ignorance), of which Prince Federico Cesi was President and Galileo the most illustrious member.
When the first short version of this book was published in Naples in 1558, Elizabeth I was just ascending the throne of England, Francis Bacon and William Shakespeare had not yet been born, and the theory of Copernicus was but an unpopular guess based on insufficient evidence. When the present English translation of the expanded book was published, just a century later, the intellectual group that was to become the Royal Society within the next few years was not yet formally organized but dispersed in Oxford and London, inconspicuous in the distress and disorder preceding the Restoration.
To read the excerpts available on the Internet from the book Natural Magic:
A Magickal New Growth of Secret Societies
Below is a brief description of the societies that developed after the 15th Century. To help you learn more I will provide links to pages with information about the groups.
The Book of Shadows
Early in the 16th century Henry Cornelius Agrippa visited England and his friends among the Oxford Humanists - John Colet and Thomas More in particular. Some academics have deduced from his own words that he formed a society in England at this time (circa 1510). I believe that there still exist a "Books of Shadows" (membership books) of witches' covens, for which the earliest entries date back to the 16th century and there are all kinds of websites on it as well. Unfortunately there are too many to include here.
Accademia dei Lincei (1600-1630), the Accademia del Cimento (1657-1667), and the Royal Society of London, and indeed all manifold groups into which science is now formally organized, was documented and started with the book Natural Magick.
AMORC, which stands for Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis.
THE ROSICRUCIANS- ("Rubeus Rosae Aurea Crucis")
WORLDWIDE ROSICRUCIAN FRATERNITY
The Rosecross Fraternity (today "World-Wide Rosicrucian Fraternity") was established in the beginning on the 15th of March 1941. At the end of 30´s, Julian Elías Buchelli, a South American Master of Spiritual Sciences and personal disciple of Dr. Gerard Encause (Papus; 1865-1916) living in Paris, France - at that time Grand Master of the Rosicrucian Order for Spain, France and in fact for all Europe -, made contact with several practitioners of Occultism in South America and other places of the world such as with R.S. Clymer who lived in the North-America (USA).
O.T.O or Ordo Templi Orientis - Carl Kellner the spiritual father of (Renatus, Sept. 1, 1851 - June 7, 1905), a wealthy Austrian paper chemist. Kellner was a student of Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and Eastern mysticism. Although officially founded at the beginning of the 20th century e.v. O.T.O. represents a surfacing and confluence of the divergent streams of esoteric wisdom and knowledge which were originally divided and driven underground by political and religious intolerance during the dark ages. It draws from the traditions of the Freemasonic, Rosicrucian and Illuminist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, the crusading Knights Templars of the Middle Ages and early Christian Gnosticism and the Pagan Mystery Schools. Its symbolism contains a reunification of the hidden traditions of the East and the West, and its resolution of these traditions has enabled it to recognize the true value of Aleister Crowley's revelation of The Book of the Law.
Scottish Freemasonry or Freemasons, very little has come down to us that testifies to the English Masonic tradition before the later part of the17th century. Basically a group formed by the stone masons that built castles and cathedrals. “In forming Freemasonry, they were trying to make better men and build a better world. As the means of teaching in those days was by allegory and symbolism, they took the idea of building as the central allegory on which to form their system. The main source of allegory was the Bible, the contents of which were known to everyone even if they could not read, and the only building described in detail in the Bible was King Solomon's Temple, which became the basis of the ritual.”
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn® and the Ordo Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis, R. R. et A. C.® are two divisions of an initiatic and magical Order which were founded by high-ranking Freemasons (Woodman, Wescott, and MacGregor Mathers) in England in 1888 and 1892 respectively. Although the exact origins of the Order remain obscure as well as controversial, its historical importance lies primarily in its brilliant synthesis of mythical and magical material from such varied sources as the Fama Fraternitatis (the first published Rosicrucian document), The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Cornelius Agrippa, Tycho Brahe, and John Dee. Since the publication of salient aspects of the Order's theurgical system by Israel Regardie, the Order has impacted nearly every aspect of the western esoteric community. Today the Ordo Rosae Rubeae et Aureae Crucis, R. R. et A. C. operates Temples of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn around the world, as well as a fully consecrated Vault of the Adepti.
Through the kind gift of Cris Monnastre, the R. R. et A. C. has recently come into possession of numerous items of the late Dr. Israel Regardie's personal magical accoutrements that he had given to her in 1982. Among these items are Regardie's Elemental Weapons, complete Rosicrucian Chess set, and Rose Cross that he inherited from Elsa Barker (Elsa Barker was an important historical link in the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega between Mathers' Ahathöor Mother Temple, No. 7 in Paris and the Temples of the A. O. in the USA).
The Gnostic Catholic Church
“The Gnostic Catholic Church was founded in 1907 e.v. by Jean Bricaud, Gérard Encausse and Louis-Sophrone Fugairon; the latter two having been bishops of Jules Doinel's Gnostic Church (1890) before Doinel's abdication as Patriarch. In 1908 e.v., Theodor Reuss appears to have received episcopal consecration and primatial authority in the Gnostic Catholic Church from Encausse, Bricaud and Fugairon in gratitude for his issuance to Encausse of a patent for the Masonic Rites of Memphis and Mizraim. The same year, Encausse, Bricaud and Fugairon changed the name of their church to the Universal Gnostic Church, leaving Reuss exclusive authority in the Gnostic Catholic Church. As with all his other affiliations, Reuss incorporated the Gnostic Catholic Church into the system of O.T.O.
Aleister Crowley coined the name “Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica” when he wrote the Gnostic Mass for O.T.O. in 1913 e.v. Reuss translated the Gnostic Mass into German and published it in 1918 e.v., adopting it as an official rite of the Gnostic Catholic Church; and proclaiming himself "Sovereign Patriarch and Primate of the Gnostic Catholic Church," as well as Gnostic Legate to Switzerland for Bricaud's Universal Gnostic Church. Reuss's publication of the Gnostic Mass constituted the formal acceptance of the Law of Thelema by the Gnostic Catholic Church, and its formal declaration of independence from Bricaud's Universal Gnostic Church.”
Thelema - The religion known as Thelema was founded in 1904 by the English poet and mystic Aleister Crowley (1875 - 1947), who is regarded as its prophet. Those who follow the path of Thelema are called Thelemites.
Chaos Magick
Chaos magick was first noted back in the books of Giambattista della Porta. Chaos magick is constantly changing; hence the name. One of the very best sites for information on Chaos magic was created by a fellow IO Student. He has created a wonderful resource library full of complete text.
In Closing
Though my studies have been many I have learned that I am only a beginner at remembering the magick within me! I have much to learn. And with my patron Goddess, The Huntress Artemis to guide me, I have many forest to conquer.
DO WHAT THOU WILT SHALL BE THE WHOLE OF THE LAW !
If LOVE IS THE LAW, LOVE UNDER WILL ! and EVERY PERSON IS A STAR then I know that within me…
I Am Magick!
When the chill of earth black-breasted is
uplifted at the glance
Of the red sun million-crested, and the forest
blossoms dance
With the light that stirs and lustres of the
dawn, and with the bloom
Of the wind's cheek as it clusters from
hidden valley's gloom:
Then I walk in woodland spaces, musing on
the solemn ways
Of the immemorial places shut behind the
starry rays;
Of the East and all its splendour, of the
West and all its peace;
And the stubborn lights grow tender, and
the hard sounds hush and cease.
In the wheel of heaven revolving, mysteries
of death and birth,
In the womb of time dissolving, shape anew
a heaven and earth
Ever changing, ever growing, ever dwindling,
ever dear,
Ever worth the passion glowing to distil
a doubtful tear.
These are with me, these are of me, these
approve me, these obey,
Choose me, move me, fear me, love me,
master of the night and day.
These are real, these illusion: I am of them,
false or frail,
True or lasting, all is fusion in the spirit's
shadow-veil,
Till the knowledge-Lotus flowering hides
the world beneath its stem;
Neither I, nor God life-showering, find a
counterpart in them.
As a spirit in a vision shows a countenance
of fear,
Laughs the looker to derision, only comes
to disappear,
Gods and mortals, mind and matter, in the
glowing bud dissever:
Vein from vein they rend and shatter, and
are nothingness for ever.
In the Blessed, the enlightened, perfect eyes
these visions pass,
Pass and cease, poor shadows frightened,
leave no stain upon the glass.
One last stroke, O heart-free master,
one last certain calm of will,
And the maker of Disaster shall be stricken
and grow still.
Burn thou to the core of matter, to the
spirit's utmost flame,
Consciousness and sense to shatter, ruin
sight and form and name!
Shatter, Lake-reflected spectre; lake, rise up
in mist to sun;
Sun, dissolve in showers of nectar, and the
Master's work is done.
Nectar perfume gently stealing, masterful
and sweet and strong,
Cleanse the world with light of healing in
the ancient house of wrong!
Free a million million mortals on the wheel
of being tossed!
Open wide the Mystic portals, and be
altogether lost!
…Aleister Crowley
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