Saturday, November 23, 2013

On Orientation

One of the most essential keys by which we may find our way in the unfathomable is that of orientation, which, as Henry Corbin points out in his Man of Light in Iranian Sufism, is among the most basic components of our moment by moment experience in the world. This is true not only in this world, but in the visionary world as well. Our tendency to spacialize the world around us is intrinsic to the very experience of presence. Orientation allows us to engage with the experience of spaciality in a systematic fashion. It allows us to move with knowledge and intent.

Arming oneself with a point of orientation on the spiritual path is essential to real progress. Without a destination, the traveler is bound to wander in circles, lost without a map in the vast Arcanum of the Mysteries. The stars have long served as guiding lights in this regard. Particular stars indicate, by their positions in the heavens, the places in which the keys to the Mysteries may be found. These are not terrestrial locations, but rather centers of initiatic truth hidden within the depths of the collective unconscious. These centers can be experienced directly by the practitioner as places of great transformative power. When they are used as focal points for the exaltation of consciousness, their light can reveal to us that which is unknowable by any other means.

The stars have taken up permanent residence in the cultural psyche of humanity as a means of navigation while at sea. The surface of the waters would have been unnavigable to our ancestors without the regularity of the constellations shining from above. Just so, the depths of the unconscious would only drown us had we not a system of fixed relations by which its contents may be mapped and charted. The sea may be the origin of life, but it appears as a tumultuous and devouring mother to those who would attempt to plumb its depths without a key.

We have at our disposal several tools by which we may symbolically orient ourselves in the visionary world. If the periodic table of the elements along with the works of Newton define the laws of the outer world, then the corresponding laws of the inner world are defined by the Sepher Yetzirah, the I Ching, the Tarot, the visions of Ezekiel and John, of Boehme and Blake. We are not without an abundance of maps, we have but to learn to use them correctly.

Let us set forth then into the visionary world, armed with maps of mythical temples and otherworldly abodes. By tracing these routes through the invisible, we may find our way back to our true source and origin, and from thence to our true destination, neither wholly in heaven or on earth, but partaking equally of both. 

(Some thoughts on the corresponding art of aimless wandering may be found here).

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Vault Wall: Saturn




The Saturn Wall of the Vault of the Adepti (one of seven)
5' x 8'
Background squares: base color with 20% (or so) blue-purple
Symbols: base color with 20% (or so) orange-yellow
Next up: The floor

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Vault Wall: Luna




The Lunar Wall of the Vault of the Adepti (one of seven)
5' x 8'
Background squares: base color with 20% (or so) blue
Symbols: base color with 20% (or so) orange
Next up: Saturn

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Deneb Algedi

Deneb Algedi is found in the tail of Capricorn. 

The magical image of Deneb Algedi is a Horned Goat and a Wrathful Man.


The Voice of Deneb Algedi

I am the vast and cosmic Order, setting each thing in its place aright, making sure that each thing partakes of its double nature. I touch every atom of space in every potentiality of time. My name is ALL!

I descend into the lowermost depths of the earth, and I ascend into the uppermost reaches of the stellar world. I partake of, and rejoice in, both natures, minting the coin of perfection thereof. I am the root of limitation and transcendence.

I am to be found in all signs and portents, I speak unto the mind and heart of humanity in every aspect of nature and of life. I am to be found in the woods and in the cities, in the temples and in the streets.

I am inspiration! I am that vast and mighty power that burns within the heart and makes itself known in the world by works of genius. I am the spirit of invention, drive and ambition.

I am with humanity at the pinnacle of its development as maker of tools and as a God and a dwelling place for the absolute. I lead all of humanity ever to conform to the image of the highest.

Exceed! Let your genius ascend the peaks of heaven and earth – and when you have reached the summit? You will know it!

Let your works exceed all bounds and knowledge – thus only may you truly expand. Let not your Light be static – with it set the world alight! Create! Sustain! Destroy! Let there be great change wrought upon the earth.

Build monuments to your inmost genius – let the world bear it witness! This is your birthright and your obligation. Neglect not the work of your hands.

Give freely and abundantly of your fruit – the more you give, the more will be given unto you.

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Vega

Vega is found in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre of Orpheus.

The magical image of Vega is a Traveller and a Vulture.


The Voice of Vega

I am the Justified One. My essence puts all things aright and in right proportion. I hold all things in balance with perfect precision – it is easy!

I am the Light of pure Joy, of Virtue and of Justice. Take your pleasure in all things.

I give abundance and fruitfulness, but always in perfect measure. I take away all burden, and give what is needed. I regulate all things according to their need.

Reduce your needs to those of a traveler, and take your joy in the traveling. I will simplify your needs in every place. Travel lightly! But do travel. Be ever at rest in constant motion.

Embrace that simplicity which you know in the inmost heart – let go all else! It is not needed. With my wings spread out in equal measure does the very air hold me aloft, and I ascend with little effort. Release all effort! Let your heart ascend by its own nature unto the heights of the heavens!

Know your True Name and do not forget it! All things will be measured by that Name.

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Antares

The royal star Antares is found in the heart of the Scorpion.

The magical image of Antares is an Armed Man in a Coat of Mail, and a Scorpion.


The Voice of Antares

I penetrate into the core of every being. I am the seed of every heart, and the secret fire which causes that seed to grow.

I show a face of wrath and destruction to those who cling to the outer, but I preserve the essential core of every being.

I am corrosive, as decay and time, to that which is created by humanity. The eternal only is preserved by me, while the temporal is torn down and cast away.

I am the poisonous sting of the Scorpion, as well as its protective shell. I am the fire of the seed, the secret force of growth.

I am the fire destructive and creative. Mine is the secret fire whereof the heart grows stronger.
By me does the inmost Seed regenerate in the depths of the night. I am the force of Life in Death, the Sun at Midnight, the Secret Power in the Heart of Darkness. I am called death, but am the very source of life.

I am the ecstasy of surrender unto the Higher. The Hidden God which lies concealed, but which is revealed when the self is dissolved. Dissolve yourself in the great sea, for in death may you come to drink from the chalice of ecstasy. The self must drown in order to come into that house, for my Light shines only in utter darkness.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Alphecca

Alphecca is the brightest jewel in the Northern Crown or Corona Borealis.

The magical image of Alphecca is a Hen and a Crowned Man.


The Voice of Alphecca

I am silence and stillness, the perfection of the present moment, the eternity of the now, the treasure and bounty of emptiness.

I am the silence where all speech is falsehood. I am the stillness where all motion leads away from the essential. I am the freedom to do nothing when every act leads to bondage.

I am the pure and lucid one, the center of all things in every place and time. I am the point of perfection in the midst of chaos, wisdom in the midst of folly. I am the transcendent illumination of the crown. I am the pure perfection of existence. Nothing more is needed.

I am called the sleep of reason, and madness or folly. Rational thought cannot bind me, no cup can contain my essence. I am to be found in no place, and my hour is outside of time. I am neither with the one, nor the other.

I am pure delight, ecstasy, rest beyond motion. I am the master of silence, by which all things are expressed, and of stillness, by which all things are accomplished.

Know me in the ecstasy of silence, for I abide in that perfection.