Monday, December 02, 2013

Praesent

"If ignorance is bliss, then wipe the smile off my face."~Rage Against the Machine

Hello dear readers,
Let's take a moment to address something that can be sorely lacking in this tradition, and that is practical application of your studies.

Besides being the classic debate between being an armchair magician and a practical magician, this also addresses mental masturbation vs real world application. I know many, many people that walk this path and do quite well with it from a spiritual development perspective, but I also know a great number of people that are content to simply do a ritual or see a visualization, and then close the ritual, and go about their day as if nothing happened. To be blunt, that's really sad. If you're workings are not causing changes of a positive nature in your personal paradigm, then you're simply mentally masturbating: doing something that feels good just to get that rush from it. I remember those days when I was much, much younger, and while to the youthful of heart and mine those times can be quite fun, I can also assure you that it is far better to see changes in your life as a result of your ritual.

On this particular path, if you're not seeing those physical manifestations and changes, then you're being fed to beings that you may not be aware of. This is the path of the strong, and by strong, I mean those that have the guts to eviscerate themselves to the multiverse and all those things that come with it in order to grow, experience, and change.

So, which are you? I've been both throughout the course of this path, and I can say that while the harder road to walk is the one that produces changes in your personal paradigm, it's also the way that can be much more rewarding in the long run. Take heed, though, as you may find that this puts you at odds with many others. When this veil is removed, though, it's much like ignorance being lifted. The true light of illumination can come in, and many more wonders of the multiverse open themselves to you. Enjoy those dark fruits and know that you have now taken the first step "into a much larger world." (Thank you Obi-Wan Kenobi!

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Carpe Noctem

"It's the most wonderful time of the year."~Andy Williams

We find ourselves at truly one of the most, if not the most, wonderful time of the year. It is the season of the dad, but more importantly, energetically, this is the time that the veil is the thinnest between the worlds. We can use this time to reach through the veil and make stronger contact with who and what we will. Of course we all know that we can do this any time of the year, but it's just that now it is easier, which also means that we can manifest things in a larger fashion. When we apply our intent, we may find that things tend to manifest bigger and more pronounced than we originally intended, but this isn't a bad thing. However, it does serve as a warning for us to consider what our intent actually is.

This point is the one that I would like to drive home more than any other during this time of the new moon. Are you ready for your wildest dreams to manifest bigger than you had envisioned? Have you contemplated just what it would take to juggle those largely manifested plans if they are bigger than you think?

After all of this rambling, the question may simply be: "What does this have to do with the draconian left-hand Luciferian Atlantean tradition?" When walking this particular path, it is wise to keep the wisdom mentioned above in mind, for when we plan, we don't plan like others. We plan for what's biggest, not what's worst. One of the reasons we do this is because part of the consciousness of Lucifer is that of expansion, and of seeing things outside the circles of time, as you will. When working with Lucifer in particular, we find ourselves almost constantly standing at the precipice, ready to jump, yet still seeing the inky blackness that exists before us. During this time of the thin veil, we are in the best position to jump into that inky night, knowing that the ink will coddle us. Are you ready?

Sunday, October 06, 2013

Organizationem

Have you ever noticed how many groups on the Left Hand Path lack a structure? I've seen a lot of groups that align themselves with this current, and one of the few things that they have in common is a lack of hierarchical structure. For example, you generally don't find LHP groups, whether lodges or otherwise, that follow a structure of someone at the top (formally), then someone (or multiple people) under them (formally), and a structure that one can go up through the ranks, so to speak, beginning at a novice and moving up through adepthood. I find this interesting, to say the least, and I also don't perceive this as a bad thing, but rather a different "thing." Let's look at why this might be the case.

Many years ago (circa 2004 or so) I looked into joining the (then) Typhonian OTO. I sent a letter to them seeking more information, and I received an informational brochure back, discussing their structure. I noticed a lack of formal structure, and when I inquired, I discovered that this was intentional, and that it was more of a free form setup and system. This surprised me, but I understood the idea behind it. Now, almost 10 years later, I've noticed that most LHP groups follow this free flowing system, and this pattern has caught my eye.When I inquired, I found out that the reason for this was that the emphasis was on personal growth, and was set up this way so that the aspirant could work on their own timeline and through their own methods. This justification has been true more often than not in the LHP, and I completely understand it. I don't necessarily see this informality as a bad thing, but rather something to take note of because it seems to be a dominant trait when it comes to LHP groups. What this tells me is that practitioners of the LHP are more focused on personal gnosis, growth, and individuation, than other currents. Again, I reiterate, this doesn't seem to be a bad thing, but rather something that does make sense. I can only think of one group that isn't this free form, and I've heard that it is because at the top there is a pride of egos (pun intended), so it's more like a cult of personality, rather than a functioning body (name withheld to protect the guilty).

While I respect this trait of the LHP and work with this idea on a regular basis, I also find it ironic. The reason I find it ironic is that some of the most ancient and potent LHP deities are known for being heavy and structured. Entities like Set, Shaitan, etc, are known to correspond to Saturn, so it would actually make sense to me that LHP organizations would be more draconian and heavy handed with their structure; much more darwinistic and machiavellian, rather than not, but interestingly enough this is not the case.

What this lack of formal structure tells me is that the LHP is a current of individuals, and quite honestly, rebellious, individual people that don't adhere to or follow structure in a formal way, and for these traits alone, I love them all dearly. It's kind of like a metaphysical "fuck you and your rules" mentality, and that dose of rebellion is needed (IMO) in all arenas of life. After all, it's that kind of mentality that breeds progression and change. On a funny note, it's quite the Samael (poison of "God") behavior, too! Without an injection of poison, the immune system of an organism doesn't develop immunity to said poison.

This also means that the LHP is more conducive to solitaries working with the material, and again, to me, this is a good thing. I encourage everyone to contemplate this idea because it's more common than not, and when this is considered, I've discovered a lot of wisdom that has come from it. One of those points of wisdom is that it means that each and every group out there has something that can be taken away from it, so if one is used to one structure and goes to a different structure, they shouldn't outright reject the second group because it doesn't match the first. After all, they're not clones of each other, nor should they be, really. There are enough clone groups out there attached to other currents of magical energy.

Of course this doesn't mean that a structured group wouldn't work for LHP teachings, but rather if another organization like that existed, it would simply be in the minority.

Fascinating, isn't it? It's irony at it's core, yet so, so practical. Personified chaos, in a way, but also sometimes restrictive. After all, spirit needs a vessel to fill.


Thursday, September 05, 2013

Sapientia Saeculum

It never ceases to amaze me that so many people in the world correspond emotions to their deities. Have you ever stopped to really think about that? They care not for what we may know as pleasure or pain. They have no true concept of hate, or of love. They. Simply. Are.

I've noticed this fallacy quite often, and it seems to cross into all belief systems. I knew a lady one time that would only work with Lilith because if she worked with a different goddess, Lilith would get mad at her, in her eyes. I never did break it to her that that was proof of the lower vibrational being masquerading as Lilith, and vamping her, though, because it was her belief, and who was I to challenge it? If someone wants to live in denial or ignorance, that is their choice after all, and they are only ready to understand something different when they are ready to ask questions that challenge these beliefs.

I notice this a lot, particularly on this path, but really magick in general. As soon as someone refers to their deity as being sexual, happy, mad, whatever, internally I roll my eyes and think to myself that this person really doesn't know what their doing. After all, if they did, they would quickly realize that their deity or deities are beyond such human trappings, and would improve what they're doing.

What would these beings care about such details, anyway? After all, they exist on the energy and the power of all of their believers built up over centuries, so, sorry, but they really don't care about something so transient. They see time on a much larger scale than any human does, yet that is the dangling carrot that drives the true seeker forward, isn't it? It's that desire for wisdom that is immortal and timeless, and yet just as practical now as it was when it was first developed.

What does this have to do with the LHP, in particular this type? Really, nothing more than just a warning to those that might just be beginning their travels. If you see your deity "angry," then guess what? That being is not them. One of the best ways to protect yourself against such a psychological pitfall is to know everything you possibly can about the deity you're working with; every scrap of information should be found and researched. Every abstraction should be noted and studied, as abstraction of this type is the form of the higher mental plane, and thus is above emotions. This also means that in order to communicate with said deities, the best way to do it is through symbolism, rather than words.However, a lot of this type of thinking could be considered as something common that Lucifer would do, but that's just my thought.

I encourage everyone to think about how they look at their deities, and to apply this line of thought to them. Especially worth noting is how your perception of them may change. And if your perception doesn't change because you already see them this way, then begin to see things from their perspective; the perspective that exists outside of our understanding of time, and to look at what you know in a new light.

LVX

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Ego and the Left Hand Path

"I guess it's my ego"~Tricky

In a published essay a few years ago I wrote about the mental perils of walking this path, and yet I find that one point should be reiterated here because I see far too much of it in society relating to this path: Ego.

I see far too many "magicians" out there that are full of themselves everywhere, but it particularly seems to be a stain on the LHP. I don't get it. Why? Why is it there, on this path above all others?

I can only guess that it's due to lack of self-confidence, or overcompensation, but whatever the cause, it's really pretty sad. Although, to be fair, when it's spotted, it makes it easy for the discerning mind to know who to avoid. I guess that's the silver lining, right?

But why, dear gods, would anyone have that complex when walking the path of awakening the sleeping dragon? Some could say it's a sign that the dragon is awakening, but that's pretty pretentious right there. If you're waking the sleeping dragon, to have a large ego is a step away from success. Why? Because a dragon doesn't know about such matters: a dragon takes action based on wisdom, or doesn't bother with trivialities of such nature. Oh, and a dragon doesn't go seeking to give that wisdom, either. Beings come to them when seeking wisdom, but hey, that's humility right there, which is a sure fire trait of the LHP.

LVX


Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Satan is not Lucifer!

Now that we're standing in the dark light of the black Sun, let's take a moment to talk about the current itself, in particular, "who's who." I realize that there is a tendency to lump a lot of things together because it's convenient, but that's not really a wise way to proceed. For example: Satan and Lucifer. They are NOT the same being, yet it is common for people to lump them together into the same being or character.

Really? Besides being sad, that's just ignorant. It's a convenience mechanism more than anything else, and the proof of this is in the history and etymology of these two beings. Let's start off with Satan. The word Satan, particularly in the writings of the Old Testament of the Judeo-Christian Bible, simply means adversary. We all know that eventually this term came to mean a source of evil, but in the context of it's first use, it simply had the above meaning. In the Old Testament, Satan was even a member of a council that served under the Judeo-Christian god, so he wasn't even evil at all! It is believed that the name has its roots in Arabic, and was "Shaitan," which means "evil spirit." If we look at it earlier than that, we see that there is a strong influence from Zoroastrianism, and that characteristics of Angra Mainyu (comparable when it comes to correspondences addressing what we're discussing) made their way over to Satan. Pre-dating Zoroaster, we find that the polarity between Angra Mainyu and the god of widsom, Ahura Mazda wasn't codified, thus eroding the idea of an ultimate source of evil, which Satan is known to be. Thus, when we look at Satan, we find a Christian convention developed through the centuries, but yet ultimately Christian. Hence, if you work with Satan in any form, you're working with a Christian or Islamic deity, at best! To me, that's about the antithesis of draconian, but hey, that's just discernment talking.

Now let's turn our attention to Lucifer. Really, the only way we arrive at his name is through transliteration, but the meaning of his name is more commonly known: "Shining One, Morning Star." The word that is most often quoted for this is "Helel." This definition is more the norm than the exception. If you look at more contemporary writings, you quickly find that Lucifer is actually vulgar Latin, and refers to the planet Venus in her morning star form. When Christian developed its roots, what quickly occurred was that Lucifer was the name of the morning star before his fall from grace, as it were, and after said fall, he became Satan. Here again, on this level, we're brought back full circle to Christianity, with one glaring exception: the deity never existed, unlike Shaitan! It is also easy to see how this idea of a morning star got the vulgar Latin attached to it, as a previous deity was associated with the morning star (Attar) from the Canaanite tradition. When you study the story of Attar, it becomes clear that a lot of the same elements were carried over and heaped upon Lucifer. Lucifer is much more draconian than Satan, especially when you consider that the whole ego-fall-rise again motif is common in many belief systems throughout the ancient Middle East and Europe, and it completely fits with the draconian left hand path tradition, or at least it fits better than Satan does.

Can you work with the two deities from the perspective that they are so intertwined to be one and the same? Yes, of course you can. Just remember though, that if you do this, you're Christian, and while you can lie to yourself and say that you're not, what you're working with is a Christian development of these two radically different beings. Hence you're development will have Christian overtones to it, and you'll tie into the Christian karma that is there, too.

Am I splitting hairs, here? Damn right I am. As has been pointed out in so many left hand path books that I've read, and even Ancient Wisdom books, discernment is one of the most important and valuable tools one can have when walking the draconian path. To me, the serious draconian student will work with them independently of each other, and not together, because once they're blended, you become Christian, and I don't know about you, but that's not my path when walking the draconian left hand path tradition. It's always wise to know what you believe, and why, after all, and a lot of times this takes us deep into history and study.
In nomine draconis,


Saturday, June 08, 2013

Ascensio

"He went like one that hath been stunned,
And is of sense forlorn:
A sadder and a wiser man,
He rose the morrow morn."
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

So now dear friends we find ourselves emerging from our cores. This is our return, so to speak, from all of those things that we embraced previously. We find ourselves standing in the light of illumination. On the surface this idea seems very white light and fluffy bunny, but all of us know better. We know that the illumination we now have is of our own personal power. This is the light that comes from the draconian path, the light of the start within, so to speak. This is the light of realizing that we are our own sources of light, and that light does not come from an external source. 

When we embrace our darkest core and its sense of being, we learn to embrace and recognize who and what we are, both animal and human. We realize that although we may feel removed from the animal kingdom, we are largely animalistic, and this realization gives us power; sheer, unbridled, raw, visceral, power. We realize that we are the sum of our parts, and that because of this, we are greater than any one individual part, whether that part is our animalistic side or our human side. We create our reality to a large degree by having inner harmony with ourselves. This ascendance is one that can propel us light years ahead of others simply for the fact that we realize what we are, and when we realize this, we open up to ourselves with honesty and acceptance. 

But with this ascendance comes sorrow, for we realize certain things that others do not, and we pay the price of some lost innocence, replaced with the cold wisdom of experience and stark realization. It is obvious to us that certain paths should not be followed, but rather certain paths should be forged with ourselves as the trailblazers. Part of this wisdom is in realizing that there is no stopping point for ascension, or rather that the final destination is somewhere out there when it comes to linear time. 

I encourage you to contemplate this, especially when put into context of where you're at on your path. What wisdom has been gained? What price has been paid? And, more importantly, was it worth it?

LVX,
Bill

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Descensum

"In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?"
~William Blake, "The Tiger"
Greetings fellow travelers!
You may see a format change with this blog, but rest assured, it is because I am still becoming comfortable with this more than anything. If it isn't obvious, it is worth point out that there is a theme so far to these blogs. We've had the oracle of death and death itself, and now follows the next logical step: the descent.

Let's cut straight to the chase on one point: The descent has nothing to do with going to a place below, but rather in some ways it is the descent out of physical form. This is reinforced by the fact that ascension doesn't necessarily mean climbing to a higher place, per se, but rather a more expansive state of consciousness. The idea of the underworld as being "under" is an ancient idea, and quite frankly is not worth going into here. Here I will focus on the descent itself. I consider this a descent because it is an adjustment of consciousness that takes us to our individual cores. 

Aeons of time have held the beliefs that we can go inwards to our very core, the deepest recesses of our minds, if you will. (And if you can name the source of that phrase, kudos! Impressive!) The Greeks understood this to the degree that their god Hermes was known as a psychopomp, which is a fancy way of saying that he could travel to the underworld and come back unscathed. In this way he was a soul guide. I won't get into the astrology et. al. of Hermes as a character, but what I want to point out here is that his existence proves that a strong, common belief is that one can travel to their core and come back unscathed, and his existence proves that if he can do it, anyone can do it.

The Draconian Left Hand Path Luciferian Atlantean tradition is heavily steeped in our ability to go to our individual cores, and embrace what exists there. Existentially, then, it stands to reason that we're the ones with the guts, and as they say, "no guts, no glory." We're the ones that are not only willing to go to our cores, but to come back with knowledge and application of it.

What exists at our cores are the things we don't ~want~ to face. I enjoy what I find there; do you? Have you made the journey? Trust me, it's worth it. When you look your greatest weaknesses, inhibitions, and *gasp* fears, and embrace each of them with boundless love and acceptance, we put ourselves in a position to achieve so much more power than the average person. We don't choose the path of the one that wants to ascend away from it, but rather we're the one's that love the ugly and the unclean, because we call it ourselves, and by working with these parts, we become complete, further awakening the divinity within. 

So up in irons, my friends! (That should be an easy one to get. ;) ) Enjoy your descent, and remember, as the comedian Bill Hicks said: "Remember, it's all just a ride."

IA!


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Thanatos

"I will give you sanctuary in these hymns of thanatos"~Otep

Hello, dear friends. It has been 74 days since my last.... oh, wait; not confession, since confession implies sin, and we all know that there is truly no such thing as sin. Its a tool of those that prefer to rule through fear and shame. But anyway, just a passing thought, although it has been 74 days since my most recent blog entry, which brings me to this point. Greetings and welcome.

Let's talk about death, or as it was known in ancient Greek, thanatos because this applies now, right? But that idea would imply that there is a time that it is not about death, and that is scientifically impossible because we live in a physical reality. Hence any time that time exists, so does death. I love that thought. After all, that's a large part of the draconian left hand path tradition. When we accept that death can occur at any time, we free our minds from societal limitations, thus moving us one step further along our individual paths. 

It is the month of April, and we are very early on in the year, so we are still in a position to decide how we want our magical year to flow. I have been highly enjoying the Temple of Ascending Flame (http://ascendingflame.com/index.html) material, but of course I have *cough* projects that are occurring as well. 

But how about you? How are you approaching this year? What steps are you going to take on the Draconian Atlantean Left Hand Path? Whatever steps those are, just remember that as you move forward, you slow dance with death, and what a danse macabre it is!

So relax, enjoy, and know that we walk a path that most shun, for here be dragons!
 

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Necromonteion

Technically, this is a restart of a blog that I had under this address many years ago. However, it was formless and void, and nature abhors a vacuum. Thus, with renewed focus and vitalization, I'm beginning this blog anew to discuss matters of specifically the left hand path; in particular the draconian left hand path tradition. I hope that you enjoy what you read, and that is spurs you to deeper thought about your path.

There's not going to really be any regularity to when I post on here, but I will do my best to keep it timely. Suffice to say that it will be completely guided by the muse, and will thus be very fluid and stream of consciousness oriented.

So let's start off with what, exactly, the left hand path is, before we tackle the draconian nature. This is actually a fairly easy question to answer, and has an answer that is not scary in the slightest. However, if you feel so inclined, you can make the journey scary, but really, that's up to you. Basic magical ideas tell us that there are the two 'hands' of magic: the right hand path and the left hand path. As you progress deeper in magic, though, even these thoughts will evolve. For now, though, they are useful nom de plumes.

An easy way to understand the right hand path is through the lens of the solar phallic deity cults that have risen to prominence over the last few thousand years. Also lovingly and affectionately known as white lighters, etc, they are people that approach things from that perspective. I'll skip the details because I firmly believe most of us know one or two people like that, and that is sufficient for now.

However, with the light there is the dark, and thus we arrive to the left hand path. The left hand path is the path of the night. In ancient times the left hand path was the path that occurred after dark. It occurred covertly, and worked in shadows. Usually, but not always, it worked with energetics and beings that were not solar-phallic. Of course some members did work with them, but in reality, it was more like a scientist and an experiment.

While characteristics of the right hand path have to do with bringing in light, and working towards the greatest growth and good of all, the left hand path is a path to inner power. This is the power of the individual. In short, as has been stated before, this is the path associated with recognizing and cultivating the god within.

See? Like I said: pretty un-scary, huh?

LVX
Bill