Alchemy: Tonights Work

Separation first then a slight heating of the white sea until it gave of a vapour.

Let the sea cool of in a cast of iron.

Let then the sun set in the still surface.

But let it be a sun of two, not of six regardless of its colour.

*Results*

The Mercury is much cooler than anticipated. The Sulphidic part causes it to bubble now and again.

Most satifactory!

New Orders And Claims Of Transmission

I mentioned that i wish there was an order like “The Irish Order of Thelema” in a Swedish version (degrees connected to culture, history and the land + the law of liberty) and got the response that i should found one.

Fact is, i once did found an order that survived and initiated for years (even in my absence). It was meant as a Hermetic order including the GD techniques but also several other traditions. It had a degree system inspired in part by the Scottish Rite (though the rituals where unique to it) and in part on the tree of life.

(Me and one other person still has charters to the Ordo Arcanae as it was called).

I noticed a “wee” problem that i had suspected.

Many orders (i am initiated to quite a few) have a founding myth that is sometimes taken too literally and they seem to want to make claims on tranference that on closer inspection just isnt there (to me a charter is a charter, no charter is no charter).

I avoided that and got the feeling that the order would have been more popular (not that that was a goal) if it seemed as ancient as much of its content and if i pretended to have a lineage to a lot of other historical or semi historical societies.

If simply having a member initiated to several high degrees and such of defunct orders was enough (say a GD 5-6) i could claim a “lineage” to the Bavarian Illuminati, Memphis / Misraim, Royal Arch, The Odd Fellow FLT degrees, certain (contemporary) templar degrees, Rocicrucianism, The Golden Dawn, Several Swedish degrees,  some neo druidic degrees , AND John the Baptist, Apostles John, Peter and James (i dont).

So could almost anyone by extension if they are initiated to any mystery school (if nothing else since that one will claim such a lineage).

How hard would you say it would be to have a newly founded order get traction and what would be its major obstacles?

Liber DCCLVII: The Lesser Pentagram Ritual Of Da Shiznit

Ok, so i was tired and reeeeaaaly bored and there is not much booze around:

 

Perform the Kabbalistic cross thus:

Touch forehead and vibrate: Dude

Touch gender: Da crib

Touch right shoulder: Da powa

Touch left shoulder: Da sweet lovin´

Touch breast: Da bling an´da swagger, fo´eva an´eva.

word!

 

Facing east trace pentagram and piercing it with a Mercedes hood ornament vibrate:

Nero

Turn to south and repeat vibrating: Olsen twins

Turn to west and vibrate: Scorpion King

Turn to north and vibrate: Snoop Dog

 

Invoke the guardian principles around da circle:

Before me: Butterfly knife

Behind me: Moonshiners

On my right hand: Arsonists

On my left hand: Weed

 

Raise thine arms and voice in da paian: Eheieh Shiznit ( i am da shiznit)

 

Give the signs of swagger witch are described in tradition as:

• The sign of Snoop Dog (traversing the circle deosil with a slightly bouncy walk, really enjoying your company) *Malkuth*
• The sign of da bling (Lifting your lamen up and smiling like a radiator) *Tiphareth*
• Sign of “I pity the fool” (Point and stare) *Daath*
• Sign of da biatch (an “S” like movement with right hand, index finger extended, head “bobbing” from side to side)   *Binah*
• Sign of “Whos your daddy” (Slapping movements with right hand while moving pelvis to and fro)   *Chokmah*

Repat Kabbalistic cross

 

Honestly, i´m not sure if anyone should actually PERFORM this ritual.

Damn, i´m going to hell!  

Ps: Gematric value of “Shiznit”    (Shznt) is 757, hence the name of the ritual.

The names around the circle are Fire = Shin, Gemini = Zain, Scorpio = Nun , Earth = Tau.

Rough

One rough part with any system of attainement, including Theurgical Ceremonial Magick, is that you have to face sides of yourself that you hate or have a hard time forgiving.

There is just no way getting past the negrido stage of alchemy.
Rebuilding without destruction would just be adding.

Doesent mean i have to enjoy it.

L.V.X. I.N.R.I.

 

Gnostic Catholic Mass In Gothenburg

The altar at Sekhet-Maat Lodge in Portland, Oregon, with Graal and Paten.

 

This sunday i will attend mass at the Homo Est Deus Lodge and local Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica congregation in Gothenburg.

It will be quite a thing that i have been looking forward to.

Despite having been a Thelemite since decades i havent recieved the Eucharist since 96.

I will look into baptism and Confirmation too.

 

An unofficial Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica seal
Design by R. Labhart

Powers Of The Sphinx

Eliphas Levi:

  Our first introduction to the Four Powers of the Sphinx comes from Lévi’s most popular work, Transcendental Magic:

“To attain the SANCTUM REGNUM, in other words, the knowledge and power of the Magi, there are four indispensable conditions–an intelligence illuminated by study, an intrepidity which nothing can check, a will which cannot be broken, and a prudence which nothing can corrupt and nothing intoxicate. TO KNOW, TO DARE, TO WILL, TO KEEP SILENCE–such are the four words of the Magus, inscribed upon the four symbolical forms of the sphinx.”

http://hermetic.com/osiris/onthepowersofthesphinx1.htm

Aleister Crowley:

The Four Elements are the “Forces of Nature, each in its Balanced Strength” represented by the four Kerubic beasts that compose the Sphinx. Like Lèvi, Crowley identifies the Sphinx with the Adept or Magus, who employs the Four Powers to become “whole, Himself, containing all Things in true Proportion.”
Crowley’s definition of the Sphinx continues in Chapter 152:

“This then is the Adept, who doth Will with solid Energy as the Bull, doth Dare with fierce Courage as the Lion, doth Know with swift Intelligence as the Man, and doth Keep Silence with soaring Subtlety as the Eagle or Dragon. Moreover, this Sphinx is an Eidolon of the Law, for the Bull is Life, the Lion is Light, the Man is Liberty, the Serpent is Love.”

 

http://hermetic.com/osiris/onthepowersofthesphinx2.htm

 

Sign	Symbol	Element	Virtue	Latin	Emanation
Leo	Lion	Fire	Will	Velle	Light
Scorpio	Eagle/Dragon	Water	Dare	Audire	Love
Aquarius	Man	Air	Know	Scire	Liberty
Taurus	Bull	Earth	Keep Silence	Tacere	Life
[Sun]	Ankh	Spirit	Go	Ire	Law

Here am i, floating in a tin can… (Thelemic Banishing Meditation)

The Ritual:

There has been all kinds of speculations by the usual “experts” on the attributions of the Star Ruby pentagrams.

However, suffice to say that for this work i attributed them to the Parzufim thus:

Therion-Nukvah (Malchut)

Nuit- Zeir Anpin (Chesed,Geburah,Tiphareth,Netzach,Hod,Yesod)

Babalon-Imma (Binah)

Hadit-Abba (Chokmah)

Laying on my back ,relaxed,on my bed i performed the silencing gesture (Apo Pantos Kako Daimones) in the Godform of Hoor Paar Kraat (physical movement but astral/mental “sound), allready banishing any intruding ideas, thoughts, emotions,forms or what have you.

Letting the very ideas of the Partzufim “bleed” out of my forhead as i formed the pentagrams, very literally, “aright on my forehead”, only to let them hurl themselves into place as i mentally vibrated the names.

Therion at my feet.

Nuit at my left.

Babalon at my head.

Hadit at my right.

In every case astrally letting the Godform of Hoor Paar Kraat (me) make his sign and complete the circle.

Salvador Dali

Formulae:

I let every idea, thought,emotion,form, the whole universe, time and space, dissolve while (astrally) vibrating the mantra “Aumgn” thus drawing the whole to a point, creation, berashait, a Hoor Paar Kraat state.

Having done this as far as i dared/could i (mentally) intoned:

Lashtal

Thelema

Agape

Abrahadabra

Fiaof

Letting myself only consist of those formulas.

Performing the qabbalistic cross, adding those sephiroth.

Now, all there was in the universe was a being consisting of above formulae and sephirotic forces (all else would add itself automatically as the sephirotic way of completing the microverse and getting back to Tikkun).

Ending with “Io Pan” to create an influx and allow the Kav to revigorate.

Repeating sign of silence as i begun.

Salvador Dali:Crucifixion

Analysis:

This should probably not be done regularily.

This “floating” feeling can make one quite disoriented.

Even thinking about walking around with the hexagrams in front and back of you and the rest of it doesent help (or perhaps thats exactly what it is doing).

As a matter of fact i´m experiencing a rather “faint” feeling.

*It should be said that i just came out of food poisoning* [A stupid time to perform advanced mystical work , i know, bite me]

On the other hand, resisting change would nullify the whole work.

Dali: Crucifixion Scetch

The way the guardians are placed in a sence places Kether at the feet, while the cross places it at the head (thus corresponding quite nicely with the gemmatria of the words of the cross).

Banishing “everything” (oneself included) to the point of a form of Dhyana (only leaving enough “self” to realize one has left some “self”. Stopping short of hurling oneself into the abyss for which i´m not ready) only to reconstitutionalize oneself consisting only of the cross and the formulas (obviously, the sephiroth of the cross and the formulas will beget the missing ones, or rather,already have, since i have physical form. The invoked ones will however dominate) is also a bit disconcerting (no pun intended).

It should be said, though obvious, that one should not think of oneself as if lying on something, but as floating in emptyness during the ritual.

During the invokation of the guardians and the rest of the text in Greek i let my astral body slide up in the usual Tau angle and position in the circle only to return to “lying” directly after (by now there would be no “up” or “down” anyway. All is relative only to the circle.

Ritually, this is very simple. On the surface it is just a form of laying down Star Ruby meditation.

Mentally, it is difficult, and rewarding.

Refocus

I try to refocus on Hadit. Somehow i have relenquished my rightful place as the centre of my universe and the ravenous usurpers have been fighting over the spoils.

However, a large part of my work Will have to be what is not traditionally thought of as ritualistic.

The sacrament of eating healthy and sleeping at the right time.

The ritual of moving my arse back to town, its every shimmering window or neon sign being a star of my beloved Nuit.

And just generally to assimilate the teachings that has been part of me back into my life.

I have lived part of my life for others recently, and thus betrayed them.

(Damn i am poetic sometimes *Reaches for Absinth*)

Forn Sed – The Fennoscandic Perspective

Perhaps one thing i can observe in Scandinavian Forn Sed (exept for the temporal, non emphasis on the “Viking Age”) is a perspective that is more Fennoscandic.

There are discussions on wether the Sámi influenced the magic known as “Sidr” or not and i get the feeling that people outside of Scandinavia might see the different linguistic and ethnic groups as more historically “distinct” than they are.

They are different linguistic branches but they are also living next door.

During parts of our history (Sweden was a “superpower” for a while) both Finland and Estonia where parts of  the Swedish empire.

To a Swede it is only natural that both Finnish and Sámi influences are very present in our language and culture since long back.

An area close to where i live is called “Finnveden” (“The Finn  Woods”) because it was inhabited by forrest Finns.

Linguistics

There are three major official languages in Sweden, the same as in Finland: Swedish,Finnish and Sámi.

There are loanwords between all three and in some cases loanwords have even come back to the original language.

One such case being the cityof Haparanda in Sweden, the name is a loan from the Finnish “Haapa Ranta” (“Aspen Beach”).

“Ranta” in turn is a loanword from the Swedish “Strand” (“Beach”).

So, from Swedish to Finnish and back to Swedish again.

Seite, Sidr and so on

When it comes to religion and cult practices one might draw conclusions from the likness of “Seidr” and the Sámi “Seite”.

Stabben: A siedi(worshiped stone) inBalsfjord.

Seite is a word from Sámi religion but is more a matter of a natural idol than a methodology or discipline. It is often a large rock, oddly shaped tree or other natural formation.

The symbol of goddessBeaivi, hypostasis of the Sunand breeder of mankind. It’s also the pattern for tradtional Sami ritual drums.

The Noaide (“Shaman” in lack of a better term) IS however using a Bodhran like drum and a singing voice (there  is a distinct Sámi way of singing called “Joik”) and i imagine contemporary practitioners of “neo seidr” see “utesittning” (“sitting out”) a bit in that fashion (Shamanic trance work).

Solveig Andersson, jojk “bjiejjie”

Some have speculated that Galdr may be influenced by Joik but the same has been done with Kulning / Kauking and that sounds very different and has a different vocal technique.

Kulning / Kauking (Sweden / Norway)

However, trying to produce some artificial “separateness” between the languages because they are not related (ignoring region as a factor) is simply denying connections that are there acording to any etymologist i have read.

The Sámi God Horagalles is often also called Tiermes.

Sami people worshipping Horagalles or Tiermes. Copper engraving by Bernard Picart from Cérémonies et coutumes religieuses de tous les peuples du monde(1723–43)

Horagalles is also called Thoragalles and have been called Thoron or quite simply Thor.

He is described as wielding a hammer (sometimes two), creating thunder and fighting the obstructing powers, protecting man. He often has a nail or piece of flint in his head (my own speculation draws paralells to the shard from Hrungnirs weapon left in Thors forehead).

“Horagalles” pretty much means Þórr Karl (Thor Man).

The fact that Sámi is an Ural language and Norse a Germanic one has no real bearing (nor any arguments for them being different cultures. They are still in the same region).

The Finnish “God of thunder” is called Perkele, probably connected to Perkunas. He too has a hammer is connected to oaks and so forth.

Now, Perkunas is Baltic, not Uralic.

The Sámi moon goddess is named “Mano”.

Who influenced whom, when,if and how is open to speculation but to pretend there are no likenesses is simply being obstinate.

In all fairness totally unrelated cultures, like the African Dahomey and Yoruba cultures also have a world pillar and an axe wielding “God of thunder” (Xangó / Changó) but there there is no regional closeness or etymological connections (obviously).

Indigenous

One must remember that the Sámi are indigenous to this region and where here before there even was a distinct Germanic culture or language.

It is perhaps (?) easy to think of the Sámi as some native nomads inhabiting some corner of Fennoscandia but in reality their traditional land took up (about) half of todays Sweden and Norway and Norse people would have been in frequent contact with them.

The area traditionally inhabited by the Sami people.

Sweden in the 12th century before the incorporation of Finlandduring the 13th century.

  Geats

  Swedes

  Gutes

They would have been in southern Norway already ca.8300 BC – 7300 BC as the Fosna/Hensbacka cultures.

Archeology shows that people reached Utjoki in Finnish Lapland around  8100 BC.

The Germanic culture didnt come into being until around 1800 BC.

Map of the Nordic Bronze Age culture, around 1200 BCE

During the Iron Age and Viking Age there was heavy taxation on the Sámi by the Norse.

It is believed that a lot of Sámi where assimilated into Norse culture.

There are no proof of direct battles but there are folkloric sources naming the “Stalo”, interpreted by preacher Laestadius as Vikings, that where hostile.

Finns

There is research ongoing that might prove the first pre glacial, Neandethal finds in the Nordic countries.

Otherwise people of the Kunda and Swiderian cultures reached Finland as the ice withdrew ariound 9000 BCE and are believed to be the ancestors of the Finns and the Sámi.

Written history in Finland starts after a Swedish conquest. Iron Age is considered to have lasted 500 BC until c.1150 AD, by what time the Swedes where present.

There where Viking settlements in Finland and a lot of both commercial contact as well as plundering since pre Christian times.

There was Swedish rule in Finland through Birger Jarl since around 1249 (Second Swedish Crusade).

Wars with Finns are described in the Sagas and in legends (though “Finland” or “Finns” in this case could mean either what we call Sámi or Finns in this case).

“It happened one summer that King Agne went with his army to Finland, and landed and marauded. The Finland people gathered a large army, and proceeded to the strife under a chief called Froste. There was a great battle, in which King Agne gained the victory, and Froste fell there with a great many of his people. King Agne proceeded with armed hand through Finland, subdued it, and made enormous booty.”

Ynglinga Saga  (taking place in the 4:th century)

Norna Gests Thattr tells of Finnic Kvens and Curonians raiding in Sweden in the 8:th century.

Karelians are blamed for raiding and burning Sigtuna 1187 according to Erics Chronicle 1335.

According to Saxo and Snorri many heroes of Scandinavia had Finnic roots.

According to Egils Saga Norway had conflicts with the Kvens 873.

Divinities (Norse)

Völund (Wayland) is described as the son of a Finnic (Sámi) king in Völundskvida.

The hero Völundr the ‘ruler of the elves’ (vísi álfar), sometimes thought to bedwarves, nicknamed ‘dark elves’ (dökkálfar)

Hilda Ellis Davidson theorizes that Skadi may have had Sámi connections. She is a skier, archer and hunter and a cult in Hålogaland, northern Norway might have thrived because of this (a place where Norse and Sámi people would have lived in close proxemity) and that her split with Njördr might be symbolic of  a similar split between her cult and that of the Vanir.

Skade (1893) by Carl Fredrik von Saltza

Conclusion

All i am really trying to say is that this separateness of the Norse people that seems to be a picture held by some  outside of Scandinavia is usually not the one held by Scandinavians or Nordic people, neither is it shared by scholars.

The Norse people, as far as evidence goes, seems to have been anything BUT separate, especially from those neighbouring them, they where influenced  in both language, clothing, religion, jewlery and a number of other things.

I dont speak for other Nordic or Swedish people but i would be surprised if i cold find even one Swede with an interest in history that could imagine Swedish pre history/history separate from that of Finland and Sápmi.

That naturally spills over in Forn Sed too…..it being “Forn” and all.

(Finnish, Sámi or other historians / archeologists / anthropologists, feel free to correct anything incorrect here. Especially Stone Age pre history is not my forte).

Some GOOD Things About US Asatru

Since i have aired my frustration sometimes, and perhaps (unintentionally) in a way that might seem like i´m targeting whole groups rather than certain tendencies (some of them “fringe” but that might have bigger consequences in the long term) it feels only fair that i also open my mouth about some pros.

There are whole groups as well as very learned individuals within heathenry everywhere outside of Scandinavia and some basic things we do will be the same or similar,others might differ, and in my view that is how it should be.

Even in the public cult, Norse customs where more “related” than “the same”.

Cult practices differed some. Things where not identical but certain cult practices or customs where of a similar nature rather than the “same” in every detail.

Among the Sviar (Swedes) the king was part of the cult, in Iceland they had a republic from the get go with a cult reflecting this for an example.

Some good stuff

“Lightning Across The Plains”. http://heathenfolk.blogspot.se/ From the blog “Kansas City Heathen”

 

• American heathenry seem to congregate more and often form in “kindreds”. These are not only a support system but also a place for a number of social activities, learning and everything else that comes from getting together.The Havamal says that “Men delights in the company of men” or in short, mankind has a place to grow in eachothers company.

Chieftain Mark Ludwig Stinson, kids and adults from the Jotuns Bane Kindred

• Scandinavians might be surrounded by Norse history and artifacs and their culture might be a direct extension from things of both pre Christian, and later nature. But familiarity breeds contempt. As they say, you dont miss something until it´s gone. It is very easy to get blind to the things right in front of you.
• For the same reasons, a person outside of Scandinavia will have to actually look for information. They cant just relax and pretend to know simply by virtue of being born in a certain place. With some non Scandinavian heathens i get the feeling they really hit the books. You value something more if you worked for it than if you got it for free it is said.
• Without being naive, freedom of speech and religous freedom are traditions that are at the core of what built the US. Despite right wing wingnuts it is a good place to be of a different religion (some Euopean countries only recently got religous freedom, though nobody would enforce the law ).
• Heathens outside of Scandinavia have often managed to adapt the customs to their circumstances, mindsets and time in a way that seems to work for them. I have seen kindreds and individuals all over the world that are both impressive and very interesting. Related but distinct so to say.

Heathen Freehold Society of BC conducting a baby naming ritual at Midsummer.

In short, i might speakout at historical inaccuracies or give my own opinions on things. But i do like the fact that heathenry has, and always had, different faces.

Every country and region has its own history, ancestors, tastes and circumstances and heathenry, being orthoprax in nature, has room enough for that. As a matter of fact i would say it thrives on that. We connect with our ancestors and the vaettir of our homes. If that produced identical results something would be strange. Heathenry is supposed to offer strength, not get in the way and every group has its örlög and there is more than one way to flog a horse.

Til ars ok frithar!