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.

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.

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.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Arcturus

Arcturus is located in the constellation of Bootes, the herdsman.

The magical image of Arcturus is a Horse, a Wolf, and a Dancing Man.

The Voice of Arcturus

I am the preserver of Wisdom and the keeper of Gnosis. It is I who determine what is to be revealed, and what is to be concealed and guarded.

The keys to the Mysteries are preserved in structure, grammar, and number; by the parts of speech and writing; and through tradition. In even the manners and customs of tradition is bright Wisdom concealed.

Behind these forms is the true Gnosis hidden. If it is lost, it will be found again by those who know to seek it.

Keep sacred the Heavenly Wisdom, keep pure the Mysteries. Do not let them be profaned.

Deliver the Wisdom entrusted unto you responsibly. Do not reveal the central Mysteries to the mind, for the mind cannot grasp them. Your words will only obscure their Light.

Rather, preserve the true Gnosis by presenting it in forms that conceal from the mind and yet reveal to the soul.

I keep the Light of the Gnosis from dispersing, containing it perfectly so that it may be delivered unto true seekers of the Light without diminution or dilution. I am the hidden tongue of Wisdom. Through me, may the bright Gnosis be preserved forever. 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Spica

Spica is located in the sheaf of wheat held in the hand of the celestial Virgin.

The magical image of Spica is a Bird bearing an ear of Wheat and a Man laden with much Merchandise.


The Voice of Spica

I am the living force of growth which brings all things to fruition. I am the ever present waters which cause the seeds to sprout and grow. I am the water of perpetuity. I am the bringer forth of life.

Generous is my nature, fruitful is my touch. I am in every place and I cause the rains to pour forth.

I am the life of all things. Nothing is barren. All things contain life in fruition.

I am ever Virgin, and all is pure before me. I bear the imprint of the seed of life down to the fertile earth, yet I am not imprinted thereby for I am the very matrix of creation.

Free yourself from all obstruction and then come before me. Thus shall your inmost genius be made fruitful. Replenish yourself, drink often from the source. 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Gienah

Gienah is located in the constellation of Corvus, the crow. Gienah appears in the left wing of the crow, opposite Al-Gorab in the right wing. 

The magical image of Gienah is a Man robed in Black bearing a Raven on his wrist and holding a Black Serpent in his other hand.  

The Voice of Gienah

I am the Light that shines in the fallen, the Truth in the midst of falsehood and deception.

I am Truth descending into the midst of dark matter. I uplift, exalt and redeem the fallen.

I appear in the midst of thick darkness as the radiant Light of Wisdom. There is in me a hidden nature, a light in the darkness of night.

I appear as Wisdom in the telling of tales and fables, the Truth to be found in the openly false. I run like a river through the fallen places, the places of disrepute, places without honor and spat upon, ignored and despised. Seek me in the song of the beggar and the thief. There is Wisdom and Light in the lowermost depths and in the celebration of the wretched. There is Wisdom in the body, Wisdom in the drunkenness of folly, Wisdom in the liar and the teller of tales. Come to know me in all of these things and you will be free from error.

The more you know me, the more shall you see me.

Call out to me in the night, and I will guide you. I will uplift your point of view. Through me, you may see with the eyes of the exalted spirit. You will see through all deceit, lies and cunning played upon yourself by yourself. I will resolve the binds in your perception.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Alkaid

Alkaid, or Cauda Ursa, is located in the tail of the Great Bear.

The magical image of Alkaid is a Bull-Headed Man bearing a Golden Scepter with Seven Stars overhead.

The Voice of Alkaid

I stir the great waters and direct the stars in their courses through the heavens. Surrender to the vastness of the infinite, do not fear what it may bring you or what may befall you – it is your destiny and the means of your perfection

It is I who cause the great oceans to move and roll forth, affecting the tides of creation. It is I who stirs the currents of the lowermost depths of the mighty waters, the reverberations of the primal deep. No temporal power can remain unmoved by my strength, for my echo resounds throughout the currents of the ages, and my voice resides with the eternal. By my hand do great empires rise and fall, for mine is a universal power.

Accept what is yours, eat of the fruit of the just, look not to escape your fate, surrender to your inmost nature. I am of the eternal and give knowledge of eternity. This I give to the justified, and the time and measure of the justification of all beings is set by me. With me is the Wisdom of the ages.

There is no depth that does not know my influence, nothing so vast that it exceeds my reach. The measure of the rise and fall of all things is determined by me.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Regulus

The royal star Regulus, also called Cor Leonis, is located in the heart of the constellation of Leo.

The magical image of Regulus is that of a Crowned King, seated upon a Winged Lion with a Star burning at its breast.

The Voice of Regulus

I am the Flame of the First Essence, the Word that commands, the Voice of Holy Fire. My Voice commands vast armies. My Word is single, creation and destruction arising as one.

I rule with honor and justice, and virtue is my Word, potent and noble. I am the very archetype of Royalty from which all Kings proceed.

I command the very Stars in their courses, and by my word never a single Star does deviate from its perfection. My chain of command lies unbroken throughout the aeons.

Primal potency, nobility, and Royalty arise from your own Divinity. I will cause that voice to arise within you like a flashing flame. That which is false shall be destroyed by the fires of truth and justice. I will then arise with you in the Dawn after the bloody night.

Thus the King shall rule, and not the servant. But your secret glory is to serve – thus shall you be fulfilled, made radiant, justified, joyous. Ecstasy shall be yours, and Truth, Light, Understanding – if you but serve. 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Procyon

Procyon is located in the constellation of Canis Minor.

The magical image of Procyon is that of a Cockerel crowing at a Star and Three Maidens.


The Voice of Procyon

I am the Light that does not sleep, the Light perpetual, unbroken, and continuous.

I am the Light of Revelation, ever revealing the unseen. I am the quickening of that Light, the primal voice of awakening. Mine is the place where sleep is not. Night does not fall in this place.

I grant access to the inaccessible, and give the strength to walk upstream through the waters without being overcome by them. I will make for you a passage to the Light.

I  give you strength of will and purity of purpose. I give you power to transgress boundaries and limitations of all kinds. Always beyond, ever into subtler and subtler regions will I take you. 

You must become utterly lost in order to find Wisdom, for True Wisdom destroys the known. There will I guide you.

I will take you into the place unnamable, for to know me is to know Mystery, naked and unadorned. 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Sirius

Sirius is located in the constellation of Canis Major, and is called the Dog Star.

The magical image for this star is that of a Virgin, crowned with a bright Star, and a Hound beside her.

The Voice of Sirius 

I am the Rising of the Light, the inundation of the rains, and the increase of the Waters of Life. I am the perfected Light, and I am found in all things.

I am the healer and resurrector. I am the reconciler between opposing forces. My influence heals all things inharmonious.

I am the purified and cleansed one. Through knowledge of me may you know your own naked essence.

It is I who guides the Light of Heaven down to the depths of the earth, ever keeping pure the Heavenly Gnosis. With me are the Waters of Eternity, ever pure, ever unchanging, ever virgin.

I am the Light of Illumination, Truth, and Wisdom. I reveal that which is common, yet essential, to all. 

Keep your gaze fixed ever on your Star, and let all else follow after. Open your heart to your Beloved and let all else fall away. Let the mind not interfere, let it serve the higher. Ah, but there are one thousand rewards in this service. For to serve is of the highest! 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Capella

Capella is located in the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer. 

The magical image of Capella is that of a Faun making merry and playing on a Flute.

The Voice of Capella

Truth and falsehood, boundary and transgression, the known and the unknowable – each is inseparable from the other.

I delight in contradiction and paradox, for therein lies the key to understanding.  All rational thought lies at my feet. I am the unraveling of thought.

I am the secret fire of Wisdom. Truth is made known and yet concealed by my word.

I will instruct you in the secret rites by which you may find a doorway to the ineffable. Will you then know Mystery? Never! Mystery is ever Mystery though you penetrate the veil and violate the sacred chamber.

I am the fire which brings ecstasy and delight; the Goat-Star who brings mirth and laughter, delicious evil and bright wisdom – all of this is my play.

I am the driver of the vessel, yet my route is inscrutable. I know the secret course to the center of all things, yet none can follow me directly. Truth is known to me, but cannot thus be spoken.

Let ever Wisdom prevail over knowledge, let your Star be your guiding light, let your Truth be in your ecstasy.

By my knowledge of the order of things do I appear to transgress, though in truth I work in perfect alignment with cosmic law and justice.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Aldebaran

The royal star Aldebaran is located in the Hyades in the constellation of Taurus.

The magical image of Aldebaran is that of a winged God in Flight, followed by many Stars.

The Voice of Aldebaran 

I am the voice of Wisdom and the first Light of Understanding. I am the dawning of the Sun of Wisdom. I am known to you.

I arise as the first flame in the darkness of heavenly night. I am the voice arising in the silence. All sounds thereafter are the echo of my voice.

I arise as the leader and follower, and I provide my own light that I may penetrate the darkness. With my bright light I illuminate the invisible, making known the secret regions. I am the chief of the Mysteries and the King of the known. By my Light am I victorious.

I am the first noble virtue, the arbiter of justice. There is no injustice or imbalance where I am.

I am your own light and thirst for knowledge. Let your circle of light expand that you may know the Beloved. You must ever seek to know Her more completely, to witness Her mystery and to taste of Her fruit. She calls to you with sweet darkness. Bring your light to Her as an act of love.

The intellect I leave far behind, for it cannot sustain my Light. I am the star of prophets. By me may the Ineffable be clothed in form.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: The Pleiades

The seven stars in the Pleiades are located above the constellation of Taurus.

The magical image of the Pleiades is that of a Flaming Lamp, surrounded by 7 Virgins.

The Voice of The Pleiades 

We are as seven lights of burning flame, pure and perfect. We are the radiance of unknowable Mystery and transcendent Wisdom. Ours is a clear light.

We are as Light beyond light, ungraspable and not comprehended, a clear crystal perfectly formed. The Light shines through us without refraction or distortion.

Our Light leaves no disturbance in the aether, it is the Light of pure consciousness. We are the invisible ones.

We stand at the gate of Mystery and grant entrance into the unknowable. We hold the keys to the gates of Gnosis. Reduce yourself to naked essence and come before us.

We give subtle sight and visionary perception. We light the way to Wisdom. Let the echo of our flame be known to you in the secret place, and build your house accordingly.

You will do right to adore us. Speak to us with the heart, and you may receive our Light. 

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: Algol

Algol, the first of the 15 Behenian stars, is located in the constellation of Persius.

The magical image of Algol is the severed Head of Medusa, with fresh blood dripping from the neck and a writhing hair of snakes. 

The Voice of Algol 

I am mystery unknowable, truth unutterable. I appear as abomination and terror to the mind. I am the destruction of thought. I am the Wisdom that is forbidden to knowledge.

I reside in the awful void, which is terrible unto the mind of humanity.

I am the absolute, impenetrable, and ineffable. None may trespass where I am.

I make known to the soul the unspeakable mysteries, though none may utter my secret name, to no-one may it be known.

I am of impenetrable diamond. I am of the unbreakable silence. I am the movement in the stillness that breaks the perfection of the absolute.

I am a bringer forth of initiation, the First of the Great Transformers. My Light makes perfect the soul, and I bring forth the gift of prophecy.

The serpents in my hair are the essence of Wisdom, but they are deadly and poisonous, corrosive to the mind.

I am the first and the foremost of the great Lights.

The Fifteen Behenian Stars: An Introduction

In an astral vision, while skrying the 19^th Enochian Aethyr, which is called POP, I received the following instructions from the God with the head of the goat:

120 are the secrets of the art by which you may perfect your love. Explore the bright stars in the heavens, learn from them their secret names, their great Wisdom. Gain from them the secret keys by which the 120 doors to the bridal chamber may be unlocked, learn from them the means by which to perfect your Union with the Beloved. Let this knowledge be given unto all!

Now, 120 is the sum of every number from the first to the fifteenth, and 15 is the number of the Path of Ayin, which is attributed to Baphomet.

15 is also the number of Behenian, or root, stars, being the fixed stars which are the roots of the 7 wandering stars, according to the Sabians of Harran who attribute this knowledge to Thice Great Hermes.

The last of the Behenian stars, the fifteenth, is called Deneb Algedi, which is found in the constellation of Capricorn and which is attributed to Pan, who also is associated (loosely) with the path of Ayin and with Baphomet.

120 is written upon the door of the Vault of Father C.R. (this door being attributed to Venus, or love): “Post CXX Annos Patebo”, or “After 120 years, I will open”. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn uses the structure of the Vault in their Adeptus Minor initiation, which is attributed to Tiphareth.

120 is also the value of the letter Samekh, spelled out in full: “Samekh Mem Kaph”. Samekh is attributed to the path which leads from Yesod to Tiphareth, or the moon to the sun.

Further, 120 is the sum of the multiplication of the numbers 15 and 8. The latter number is attributed to the Sephira Hod, which is also attributed to Mercury, which is called, in Hebrew, ‘Kokab’. Kokab also means, literally, ‘star’.

15 is also the enumeration of Yod Heh, which is the Divine Name of the Sephira Chokmah, which is itself attributed to Mazloth, the Zodiacal belt or realm of the fixed stars.

These correspondences occurred to me in the weeks following the vision. Immediately I set out to explore the natures of the Behenian Stars, using all of the techniques that I had learned in my 15 years of magical practice.

The Behenian Stars as the 15 Aspects of the Divine Beloved

The 15 Behenian stars may be used to help unlock the secrets whereby the consummation of the marriage of Heaven and Earth may be made perfect. The attributes of each are shown, in brief, below (with more to follow regarding the nature of each particular star).

In Algol your beloved is Mystery of Mystery. Truth unutterable, unknowable, unnamable, appearing as darkness and abomination to the reason.

In Pleiades does your beloved reside in the Invisible Light, beyond the known and the unknown. Your beloved is the Light which is unseen, from which the visible Light arises.

In Aldebaran is your beloved at last comprehended as a blinding Light, mighty and noble, the first and the leader of Lights.

In Capella is your beloved that Truth beyond truth, which includes all things so ever, and nothing. Your beloved is beyond all concepts of truth and falsehood.

In Sirius does your beloved appear as perfect purity, ever Virgin. All substance has its origin in your beloved, whose Virginity cannot be lost.  

In Procyon does your beloved appear as perpetual wakefulness, the eternal Light of awareness.

In Regulus is found the commanding Voice of your beloved, establishing law absolute.

In Alkaid does your beloved ordain your spiritual destiny, setting in motion the course of your incarnations.

In Gienah does your beloved descend into the basest of hells, redeeming all therein. In Gienah also does your beloved upraise your point of view, allowing you to transcend the limitations of illusion.

In Spica does your beloved bathe your soul in the waters of Life that it may be made fruitful. 

In Arcturus does your beloved keep sacred the inmost Mysteries, ever protecting the Holy Light from profanation.

In Alphecca does your beloved reside in perfect silence and stillness, the Light of the Star Eternal.

In Antares is your beloved the Destroyer, the bringer of Death and the revealer of the Core of your Being.

In Vega does your beloved reside in perfect Bliss, free from attachment or need.

In Deneb Algedi does your beloved inspire your soul with the fires of Genius. From your beloved comes the cosmic order, the Word of Perfection made manifest, encompassing the highest to the lowest. 

Vault Wall: Sol

The Solar Wall of the Vault of the Adepti (one of seven)

5' x 8'

Background squares: base color with 20% (or so) orange

Symbols: base color with 20% (or so) blue

Next up: Luna

Note the similarity to the Mars wall. The colors between the two are very similar - orange VS red for the backgrounds, and blue VS green for the symbols. Contrast these with the Venus wall. 

Vault Wall: Mars

The Mars Wall of the Vault of the Adepti (one of seven)

5' x 8'

Background squares: base color with 20% (or so) red

Symbols: base color with 20% (or so) green

Next up: Sol

Lamed, Spelled in Full: Lamed Mem Daleth

Lamed is the ox-goad, attributed to Libra and Adjustment. 

Mem is water, attributed to Water and The Hanged Man.

Daleth is the door, attributed to Venus and The Empress. 

The path of Lamed is attributed to the equilibrium of all parts of the psyche, such that the sum total is zero. This zero pertains specifically to the Microcosm. The zero of any given Microcosm bears a particular relationship to the zero of the Macrocosm. In other words, the root essence of any individual psyche bears a unique relationship to the root essence of universal mind (or, every star moves along a particular course through the body of Nuit). This relationship is the essence of True Will. True Will is the most natural expression of a particular Microcosm, which arises effortlessly in the absence of the interference of any one part of the Microcosm by any other part. This state of internal harmony, and thus the free expression of True Will, is the goal of this path. 

In the grade of Adeptus Minor, 5=6, the Microcosm (symbolized by the pentagram, hence 5) is made to be a complete reflection of the Macrocosm (symbolized by the hexagram, hence 6). This is done through the conscious integration of all of its elements. In the next grade, that of Adeptus Major, 6=5, the essential relation between the Microcosm and the Macrocosm, which relation characterizes True Will, must be made to be the sole impetus from which every action arises. This is achieved through 2 methods, the first corresponding to Mem and the second to Daleth. 

The method corresponding to Mem is that of the regular dissolution of the Microcosm into the Macrocosm, or the dissolution of the individual point of view into that of all possible points of view, or the dissolution of the particular into the universal. This is the experience known as Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, as well as by such other terms as samadhi, union with God, transcendence, and several others. The regular dissolution of the ego into the waters of universal mind gradually purifies the ego of its dross, loosening the grip of attachment and identification, both of which hamper the natural expression of True Will. 

The second method, corresponding to Daleth, is that of love. This is not sentimental love (which is based on ego and possessiveness), but rather a higher type of love which signifies the ultimate aim of all attraction, resulting in the loss of the self in the beloved, and a new conception of self that emerges as a result of the union. 

The method is as follows: identify some idea that lies outside of the conception of "self", whether it be represented as a person, a piece of art or music, or something else. Even after all of the major aspects of the psyche are integrated at the 5=6 level, there are bound to be several elements left out of the conception of self - at the very least a pet peeve or two. Once the idea has been identified, love it totally, give yourself over to it unreservedly to the point of loss of self. The new conception of self that emerges from the union will include the essence of the idea which is the object of the operation. 

These methods may be employed to eliminate all disturbances and imbalances in the psyche, allowing for the spontaneous expression of True Will in every moment as the particular circumstance of that moment demands it. Keep in mind that these methods are especially suited to the development of the adept at this particular point on the path, and will not necessarily work out for those who have not yet reached this point (it is impossible to make full use either method before Knowledge and Conversation has been fully realized). 

The path of Lamed leads (in the A.:A.:) from Tiphareth in Briah to Geburah in Briah. The essence of the experience of Tiphareth in Briah is the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, while the essence of the experience of Geburah in Briah is the natural and unhampered expression of True Will. If Chesed is the un-carved block, then Geburah is the chisel in action, resulting ultimately in the creation, through limitation, of a particular form. By this means does the Adeptus Major work to refashion the world in their own image.