Lunar rituals and "LIBER QOPH vel HECATE"
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@Edward Mason said
"How a lunar deity could have become the Atziluthic Name of the sephirah at the top of the Fire Pillar is a real mystery."
But the sephiroth are balanced. So though Chokmah is the Root of Fire, its color in Atziluth is a watery blue. Though it's titled Ab, the Father, the word Chokmah is a feminine noun in Hebrew, as is its translation in Greek (sophia), Latin (sapientia), and German (Weisheit), and Wisdom is personified as a woman in various allegories. Its number, 2, is the number of the High Priestess in the tarot, which corresponds to the moon, and P F Case (among others) sees The High Priestess as a representation of Chokmah in one of its aspects.
I'm just sayin'.
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@Edward Mason said
"What does intrigue me - and I doubt anybody could trace the process of how this happened - is the fact that Iah or Yah is the God-Name on the Tree of Life associated with Chokmah. How a lunar deity could have become the Atziluthic Name of the sephirah at the top of the Fire Pillar is a real mystery. I'm tempted to guess there is no connection, and that it's just one of those curiosities that crop up to tempt us into over-speculation. But .. ?
"93 Edward
I pondered that question when researching the Stele and one far-out idea that came to mind was that the ancient Egyptian lunar deity Iah/Yah might be the origins of the Yah-weh cult when the Hebrews were in Egypt – keeping in mind the fact that aside from the Merneptah Stele there is hardly any archaeological evidence to support the Biblical story.
Btw hieroglyph V28, the Khonsu weave, signifying Iah, was presumably the inspiration for Crowley’s otherwise rather bizarre poetic paraphrase:
O thou that glitterest in the moon!
I weave thee in the spinning charm;
I lure thee with the billowy tune.93 93/93
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@Veronica said
"I see lunar rites as my celebration of my feminine nature, of my emotional side, of my shadow self, of the beauty, and peace, and wonder that lays with in the mystery of the Moon, and its pull on us."
*"La nuit est belle" *
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How interesting!
"O thou that glitterest in the moon!
I weave thee in the spinning charm;
I lure thee with the billowy tune. "Thus the feminine is a "weave" and, as someone else pointed out, a "reflection."
And another herself has pointed out, "I am receiving" is a necessity to her.
Personally, I love this lunar rite.
[edit] but wait, I'm ignorant
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I have to say that this thread epitomizes my entire experience in the magickal/pagan community over the course of my life.
We had an earnest question plus earnest answers. We had a disagreement. Some tangential aspect of esoterica came up and people got all scholarly.
All we need is a fire and someone to get naked and we have every party I've ever been to.
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93 Puck,
Who you're specifically adressing this question to is playing coy, as is his teaching style. In an early degree of a certain Order an adoration which you speak of is taught. Maybe it was already mentioned in this thread, what do I know?.
93's
A.
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@Allogenes said
"93 Puck,
Who you're specifically adressing this question to is playing coy, as is his teaching style. In an early degree of a certain Order an adoration which you speak of is taught. Maybe it was already mentioned in this thread, what do I know?.
93's
A."
If you are referring to Jim, he has been anything but coy with me. Thus far, every question I have asked he has answered.
However, I don't screw around. If I wanted to ask just Jim a question I would PM him. I asked everyone, and I meant everyone.
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@Allogenes said
"93,
Excuse me. Just trying to help.
93's
A."
Apologies if that came across as harsh, it was not intended. I just wanted to get across that I, myself, was not being coy in starting the threads I do. While I do get huge benefit from Jim's knowledge, I also really do want input from everyone.
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I am enjoying this thread very much, thank you Puck for sharing those lovely rites to begin with, who wrote them?
Edward Mason asked
"Could it be that Thelemites are more likely to do something constructive about fixing the balance than anyone else? That we don't accept each other as final authorities? We create a lot of our own rituals, and we're not afraid to try something new. It's as if the Presiding Committee at Archetypal HQ said, "Well, the Christians aren't going to do anything - let's try the small but raucous rabble and see if they'll come up with some constructive channeling of energies to fix the old imbalance."
thats why I'm here.I firmly believe that change starts on a individual level first, as a shift in belief/perception. I have shifted myself and watched how the things around me have had to shift as well, shift or fade away.
I am very interested in particpating in groups that are working towards balance, harmony, and fine tuning. I have loved the words of MK Gandhi Be the change you wish to see in the world" for a long time, and take them to heart.
I do believe that low and high magickal practioners alike have a hand at bringing change into the worlds, but for the past 20 years I have watched the tree huggers in my worlds do little to effectively change anything other then personal drama, (which is a a start, but it never gets much farther).
I dont like a lot of what I see in the world, so I am working on changing what I see.
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@Angel of Death said
"I am enjoying this thread very much, thank you Puck for sharing those lovely rites to begin with, who wrote them?"
Liber Qoph, a ritual of the type like Liber Resh, is credited to Horus/Maat Lodge and may have been written by Orryelle Bascule (unless Orryelle Bascule is only the author of the commentary on Liber Qoph).
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@Takamba said
"
@Veronica said
"I am enjoying this thread very much, thank you Puck for sharing those lovely rites to begin with, who wrote them?
"Liber Qoph, a ritual of the type like Liber Resh, is credited to Horus/Maat Lodge and may have been written by Orryelle Bascule (unless Orryelle Bascule is only the author of the commentary on Liber Qoph)."
I found this document about Crowley and Luna. In it this rite LIBER QOPH vel Hecate is said to be by Orryelle Defenestrate (same Orryelle probably).
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93
By comparison, this may be of interest:
@Frater Aleph Ben Ali said
"
Liber Gimel vel Lunae
(For 9 days after the New Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Selene in thy waxing, even unto thee who art Selene in thy Brightness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios caresses the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(For 5 days either side of the Full Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Artemis in thy brilliance, even unto thee who art Artemis in thy Fullness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios blazes on the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(For 9 days before the Dark Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Hecate in thy waning, even unto thee who art Hecate in thy Darkness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios concealeth the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(The Orison)
Ceaseless change that is stability!
I adore the Light on thy Breast
Supreme and excellent Goddess
Who makest the Godes and the blessed
To tremble before thee: -
I, I adore thee!Appear within the navel of Nu!
Lighten the ways of the Ka!
Open the ways of the Khu!
The ways of the Khabs run through
To stir me and still me!
AOM! (The Vedic Gayatri Mantra can be inserted here) Let it thrill me!
The light is mine;
Thy beams embrace me:
I have wrought the secret gates
Into the groves of Selene,
Of Artemis and Hecate.
I am thine Athenian, O Chaos,
The prophet (insert your own name or motto)By Babalon my breast I beat;
By Therion I weave my spell.
Show thy star splendor, O Nuit!
Bid me within thine house to dwell,
O winged snake of light, Hadit!
Abide with me Ra Hoor Khuit!"As published in The Solstice, 2009 and Black Pearl v.1 n.3. I hope the author doesn't mind me posting this here, it says in the article to "feel free to pass it on to friends and other practitioners."
93's
A.
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@Veronica said
"I am enjoying this thread very much, thank you Puck for sharing those lovely rites to begin with, who wrote them?
Edward Mason asked
"Could it be that Thelemites are more likely to do something constructive about fixing the balance than anyone else? That we don't accept each other as final authorities? We create a lot of our own rituals, and we're not afraid to try something new. It's as if the Presiding Committee at Archetypal HQ said, "Well, the Christians aren't going to do anything - let's try the small but raucous rabble and see if they'll come up with some constructive channeling of energies to fix the old imbalance." thats why I'm here.I firmly believe that change starts on a individual level first, as a shift in belief/perception. I have shifted myself and watched how the things around me have had to shift as well, shift or fade away.
I am very interested in particpating in groups that are working towards balance, harmony, and fine tuning. I have loved the words of MK Gandhi Be the change you wish to see in the world" for a long time, and take them to heart.
I do believe that low and high magical practioners alike have a hand at bringing change into the worlds, but for the past 20 years I have watched the tree huggers in my worlds do little to effectively change anything other then personal drama, (which is a a start, but it never gets much farther).
I dont like a lot of what I see in the world, so I am working on changing what I see."
I actually saw it mentioned on another post here and googled it. Found this wiki which had a link www.egnu.org/wiki/The_Universal_Rite . It's under "adorations".
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@Allogenes said
"93
By comparison, this may be of interest:
@Frater Aleph Ben Ali said
"
Liber Gimel vel Lunae
(For 9 days after the New Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Selene in thy waxing, even unto thee who art Selene in thy Brightness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios caresses the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(For 5 days either side of the Full Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Artemis in thy brilliance, even unto thee who art Artemis in thy Fullness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios blazes on the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(For 9 days before the Dark Moon)
Hail unto thee who art Hecate in thy waning, even unto thee who art Hecate in thy Darkness, who travellest across the heavens in the absence of the Sun.
Helios concealeth the splendor of her brow, and Hermes ever guideth through her realm.
Hail unto thee through the abodes of N.O.X.(The Orison)
Ceaseless change that is stability!
I adore the Light on thy Breast
Supreme and excellent Goddess
Who makest the Godes and the blessed
To tremble before thee: -
I, I adore thee!Appear within the navel of Nu!
Lighten the ways of the Ka!
Open the ways of the Khu!
The ways of the Khabs run through
To stir me and still me!
AOM! (The Vedic Gayatri Mantra can be inserted here) Let it thrill me!
The light is mine;
Thy beams embrace me:
I have wrought the secret gates
Into the groves of Selene,
Of Artemis and Hecate.
I am thine Athenian, O Chaos,
The prophet (insert your own name or motto)By Babalon my breast I beat;
By Therion I weave my spell.
Show thy star splendor, O Nuit!
Bid me within thine house to dwell,
O winged snake of light, Hadit!
Abide with me Ra Hoor Khuit!"As published in The Solstice, 2009 and Black Pearl v.1 n.3. I hope the author doesn't mind me posting this here, it says in the article to "feel free to pass it on to friends and other practitioners."
93's
A."
I like that one.
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@Shunyata said
"
I don't think it will serve any purpose at all, but in a Thelemic context I would not recommend a lunar adoration. The moon does not generate light but only reflects the light of the sun, and that poorly. To adore the moon would be to idolize illusion."Why does the Moon get such a bad rap? While she does have negative aspects, she is also the counterpart of the Sun, and so symbolizes our relationship to the Divine, as we are reflections of the Supernal Lght. She is also an aspect of Nuit, the Starry Heavens. In ancient times she was attributed to Artemis, the Huntress, sister of Apollo. Among the Greeks she was Demeter, a fertility goddess. In Qabalistic terms she is referred to the number Nine, Yesod, and so expresses the doctrine of stability-in-change. The permutations of nine are in accord with the phases of the Moon, and as she waxes and wanes the cycles of earth are thereby affected. In addition to being a "poor reflection," she is also a gracious and integral part of our Universe.
As far as Lunar working is concerned, there is no particular reason to discourage its practice.
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the puck, 93
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I actually saw it mentioned on another post here and googled it. Found this wiki which had a link www.egnu.org/wiki/The_Universal_Rite . It's under "adorations"."There's a different Lunar adoration on that list.
93 93/93,
Edward
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awsome thread, i wasnt raised pagan, but paganism (or witchcraft more accuratley) is my religious foundation, and i love to see thelema and the old ways mix as in my opinion they should.
another note, how exactly would one perform a lunar rite/ritual thelemicly?
instead of the wiccan casting the circle, would one work with the rituals of the pentagrams and hexagrams?
like LBRP, LBRH, then GRP invoking water, and GRH invoking luna? then go on to reciting the adoration then banish the planets, and elements and LBRP?
correct me if im wrong. -
@hepuck said
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However, I also feel that we are whole, existential beings, and that as such we are situated in relation to all four worlds, and that equilibrium and proper relation can (and in my opinion, should) be attempted in each of them.In addition to this, I very much possess the impulse towards symmetry Crowley mentions in Book 4, part 3 in the chapter on equilibrium. It seems there should be rites of the earth and rites of the Moon in addition to those of the Sun, and that the pagan sabbats and lunar rituals fulfill that need."
I agree with your sentiments, thepuck; I am a Neo-Pagan and Thelemite. Ceremonial Magick is great, so is philosophy and yoga, but people need magick in their daily lives. Everything about life is magickal, and as human beings we need to care and feed for all of our bodies, not just the spirit, but our soul, our ghost, and our physical body. I think nothing should be subtracted from ceremonial magick, but I think one is missing out on life if you don't participate magickally in a more Pagan, day to day kind of way. One needs to look out for the health of one's ghost, or astral body or whatever one wants to think of it, and Paganism facilitates that. Also, society needs religion; ceremonial might be fine for certain adults who are called to that vocation and have the resources and educational background to handle it, but you can't really grow up in it or form a society without the lower forms of magick.
It has been stressed in the best books that all the Sephiroth are equally holy, no matter how low on the Tree (purity is a different issue) and therefor Paganism, and/or Yesodic rites are equally important. Also,I don't limit Paganism and Yesod to the Goddess and Female principle, because the earthly Pan, Devil, Horned Beast that is the lower male, simpler-musical, magickal (but not the more sophisticated magick of Hermes/Thoth), sexual, happy-go-lucky part of us has been equally suppressed by Christianity.
AtlasItch, what you wrote about the New Aeon and the NOX formula resonated with me, even if a few of the particulars might be mistaken.
@Veronica said
"I have read some recent scientific evidence that is stating that during mitosis, the earliest parts of cellular division there is a significant period of time when the newly forming entity is existing with no brain, but that the heart has been clearly evloved.
I do believe that this little bit of information provides the magical worlds and spiritual paths with much to chew on. Our heart, our source for emotions, feelings, and the chemical recations that transpire with in the biological structure is the first driving force of our being, not the analitical, logical, rational mind.
As a very girlie girl, I am shinning my best when I am allowed the freedom to express my inner emotions and feelings of love towards all the beautiful manifestions I see in my world.
I am in love with this world, with the beauty I see and rejoice at any opportunity to express that love. I see lunar rites as my celebration of my feminine nature, of my emotional side, of my shadow self, of the beauty, and peace, and wonder that lays with in the mystery of the Moon, and its pull on us."
Nicely put Veronica; I agree.
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It’s interesting to compare Crowley’s comments on the lower and higher aspects of the Moon, Atu XVIII The Moon and Atu II The High Priestess. In the lower aspect the moon, as a material body, reflects the light of the sun and represents illusion. In the higher aspect the moon is clothed in light, the material body having disappeared, and the dazzling brilliance of this light veils the Spirit. “This light is the menstruum of manifestation, the goddess Nuith, the possibility of Form.”
Similarly, there seem to be two aspects of NOX mapped onto the Tree, the first aspect mapped from Malkuth to Netzach, symbolized by Khephra bearing the solar disc in its mandibles and moving toward the coming dawn, and the later aspect coming after crossing the abyss and being reborn in the womb of Babalon.
Continuing with this illusion vs. reality thought, I wonder if the confusion over these two aspects is why people may believe they’ve attained to 8=3 without doing the requisite A.A. gradework – cf. Frater Achad? Frater Achad's letter cited in the preface to Liber Aleph in which he writes about the "Glamour and Lies and Madness of the Supernal Paths" sounds more appropriate to Crowley's comments on the lower aspects of the Moon...
Any opinions?