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.