The Tridentine Mass as a Form of the Augoeides Invocation
-
The Tridentine Mass (as well as the various other rituals such as Benediction and Adoration of the Host, the special Solstice and Equinox celebrations (called Easter Vigil and Christmas Vigil, respectively) contain valuable information to the practicing Magician.
I see the FORM of the Tridentine Mass (as opposed to its CONTENT) to be a potentially perfect Augoeides Invocation, if the intentions are correct. I mean this as a private ritual, not public. What follows is a first draft Magickal analysis of the Tridentine Mass and some hints to its possible uses:
- First of all, having a separate language set aside just for ritual, such as Latin, automatically exalts one's conscious. Add to this that EVERYTHING is chanted according to very strict musical modes dictated by the Sacred Sciences of the Greeks and Egyptians; a study in and of itself.
- You have a sacred and consecrated space (and these traditionalists take this VERY seriously, contrasted with the casual, social emphasis of the Novus Ordo (or new Mass).
- The use of ornate, expensive magickal weapons and garb.
- Dark, cave-like surroundings lit with bees-wax candles, facing East.
5a. The Aperges, or magickal cleansing with water and hyssop (a holy herb; makes me wonder what other "holy herbs" might have been used
. - The Sign of the Cross - Substitute the Qabalistic Cross and LBRP.
- Psalm 42, with its, "Send forth Thy light and thy truth: for they have led me and brought me to thy holy hill and Thy dwelling place..." could be viewed as the stated magickal goal of the operation, or at least that which expresses the aspiration and intention of the Magician.
- Confiteor- The Confession. This helps to ritually cleanse and purify the Adept as a preparation for the later Invocation. Also, as in other places, one asks for aid and help form the HGA and the Angels and Saints (Magisters and Magi?).
- All this has so far been done at the steps at the foot of the alter. The alter is then approached and incensed or purified with Air (or Fire).
- The famous Kyrie, or Lord have mercy, chanted in Latin and Greek. To me this is like, "Oh Lord (Adonai, HGA,) help me, please." A very sincere request for aid and an expression of the pure intention of the Adept.
- The Gloria.-- the Sung praises of ADNI. Compare to the "Unity uttermost shown, I adore the might of thy breath..." etc.
- The Epistle and Gospel - Letters or Sacred Texts, common to most traditions.
- The Sermon - Traditionally less emphasised in Catholicism, but probably more prominent now as influences/competition from Fundamentalists increases. Obviously unnecessary for a solo Magician, but some form of writing or teaching may be substituted, such as a diary or essays etc.
- The Creed - It is good for a Magician to consciously agree with what he/she believes subconsciously. It should be written by the Adept them self, and not by any other individual. However, similar ideas will naturally occur among individuals practicing the same spiritual techniques (religion) such as, "Love is the law, love under will." and "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." etc.
- Here begins the Mass of the Faithful, which subdivides the Mass Proper into two parts, the previous part known as the Mass of the Catechumans. It is important to remember that old Churches used to have a screen dividing the alter and Tabernacle from the eyes of the faithful in the main part of the church, so in essence, the ritual was inaccessible to all but the Priests and Acolytes.
15.The Offertory - The ancient Hebrews would sacrifice a lamb (and also a goat that they would wipe with blood to carry their sins and then release this into the wilderness). So there was a sacrifice and an atonement. However, how does the FORM benefit us now? Well, the Offertory is a time to prepare what it is you are going to offer up, which in this operation is one's self. This can be looked at from various different levels. Using the formula of the Tetragrammaton, the self is the He final, the Daughter, who is being prepared for her Divine Marriage and Union with her Spouse, the Augoeides. Or it can be looked at from the psychological point of view, as the ego and all that entails (our usual and normal state of consciousness and self-ness) being prepared for union with the Super-Ego. Then one can say also from the rational plane, the plane of thought. Are you self-slain? Have you slayed your point-of-view and can you do so at will and see another point-of-view also at will? etc. Lastly one could look at it form the point of view of consciousness itself. Will you raise your consciousness? Will some greater consciousness descend? There is definitely a theme of self-sacrifice, and the Offertory is the time to prepare for that, to compose oneself for the enflaming that comes next. - Further incense here, perhaps of a different type than the initial purification.
- Washing of the hands. - Again purification through water.
- The Preface and Sanctus - Praise and Thanksgiving. This attitude reflects the necessary attitude of the Soul to the Spirit. I would also add the idea of "Lust" as another possible attitude of the Soul as Lover.
19.The Canon Proper - Here, with much aid from various entities such Gods and Goddesses (God the Father, Holy Ghost, Mary), Angels, Saints etc. and of course Adonai, the Sacrifice is consecrated. Here we also have the union of opposites, the union of Shiva/Shakti, male/female, Ying/Yang, the Sperm as Host, and the Cup as Womb (or vagina). As an aside, I would assert that consecration may not the right term here, but rather the action of enflaming oneself. The idea I'm trying to convey is that the union that will take place is not a result of what the Magician has done directly, but the result of conditions conducive to the operation that the Magician has set up. He/She creates a Magickal vortex where the conditions proper for the Union to occur are created. - Communion - Ingestion of magickal substance. Whether the substance is bread and wine duly consecrated, or the magickal fluids of the sex operation, or hallucinogenic substances, the Union/Yoga occurs for the self with the Self. After this operation is complete, what remains is something new and glorious, the creation of something that partakes of both consciousnesses.
- Various post Communion prayers and the Final Sign of the Cross. - the License to Depart, various prayers of thanksgiving, and the safe and gentle return of consciousness to its normal state is appropriate here. LBRP and QC.
(It just occurred to me, but I wonder if there is any Tarot Trump connection here with this process???)
So, I am suggesting that the FORM of the Tridentine Mass is an excellent formula for the High Magickal Operation of Yoga (Union). The CONTENT is culturally/socially/politically dependent, and should be treated with those considerations in mind. Crowley borrowed heavily and eclectically from many religious traditions and practices, and I do think he would have appreciated intelligent, creative, and analytical Magicians creating their own Augoeides Invocations. What I expose here in the Tridentine Mass is a skeleton that is probably much older than we realise, but a structure none the less on which to build our own Barge, our own ship to carry us to the top of the Holy Mountain and to the highest reaches of Heaven.
-
Quite nice!
"a structure none the less on which to build our own Barge, our own ship to carry us to the top of the Holy Mountain and to the highest reaches of Heaven."
I'm sure the imagery above was *(http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib800ship.html:pkr666vv)
-
@nderabloodredsky said
"1. First of all, having a separate language set aside just for ritual, such as Latin, automatically exalts one's conscious. Add to this that EVERYTHING is chanted according to very strict musical modes dictated by the Sacred Sciences of the Greeks and Egyptians; a study in and of itself.
- You have a sacred and consecrated space... "
Ye--...
acheummm.
cough....
excuse me....
something in my eye...
... I'll have to get back to you later....
-
@Labyrinthus said
"
@nderabloodredsky said
"1. First of all, having a separate language set aside just for ritual, such as Latin, automatically exalts one's conscious. Add to this that EVERYTHING is chanted according to very strict musical modes dictated by the Sacred Sciences of the Greeks and Egyptians; a study in and of itself.- You have a sacred and consecrated space... "
Ye--...
acheummm.
cough....
excuse me....
something in my eye...
... I'll have to get back to you later...."
Do I detect some sarcasm??
That's OK, but just to be clear, I am not promoting the Roman Catholic Tridentine Mass itself, only that one could use the structure of Ritual as an outline to build your own, which I think has been done before? Hmmmm... Let's see.... I think I recall..... Wait ...I believe someone named Crodey, or Crowly or something did that once?
-
@Steven Cranmer said
"Quite nice!
"a structure none the less on which to build our own Barge, our own ship to carry us to the top of the Holy Mountain and to the highest reaches of Heaven."
I'm sure the imagery above was *(http://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib800ship.html:3gevzeo6)
"I wish I could take credit for that.... Just thought is sounded poetic!
-
I don't remember the source, so I can't vouch for this, but I remember reading that Crowley wrote the gnostic mass after watching, and being inspired by, the tridentine mass.
-
@nderabloodredsky said
"Do I detect some sarcasm??"
None at all. I had made nearly all the same observations that you listed and it was refreshing to see someone else not only saw it but went to a fair amount of trouble to lay it all out so plainly. Thank you.
I had more to say but I had a 'ritual' commitment of my own that I had to attend to.
The Tridentine Mass is a beautiful ritual steeped in ancient tradition, as you said. The content is not that bad either, if you ask me. So there is one line where they pray for the conversion of the Jews... so what? I think they mean it in a nice way.
I did not make a study of it but I skim-read through Crowley's Gnostic Mass and it was just page after page of closely copying the Tridentine ritual. I read somewhere that Crowley made Frater Achad convert to Catholicism and receive the sacraments up through Confirmation as part of his training. If true, I would bet there is an interesting story behind all that.
-
@Labyrinthus said
"I read somewhere that Crowley made Frater Achad convert to Catholicism and receive the sacraments up through Confirmation as part of his training. If true, I would bet there is an interesting story behind all that."
Crowley did not make Achad convert to Catholicism, crazy Fr. Achad did that on his own and probably under the influence of the "Universal Brotherhood" which was a Roman Catholic occult infiltration group.
Yes, I believe the guy was an absolute whack-job, completely off his rockers, and insane in the clinical sense of the word. He may have experienced very high and exalted states of consciousness, but failed miserably to manifest his attainment.
72
-
@TheSilent1 said
"crazy Fr. Achad did that on his own and probably under the influence of the "Universal Brotherhood" which was a Roman Catholic occult infiltration group."
I had never heard of this Universal Brotherhood and tried to find more info and got only something about it having to do with Theosophy. The words " "Universal Brotherhood" which was a Roman Catholic occult infiltration group" are out there but only as part of articles that did not make much of a sensible presentation.
Do you know where reliable info on that can be found?
-
@Labyrinthus said
"
@nderabloodredsky said
"Do I detect some sarcasm??"None at all. I had made nearly all the same observations that you listed and it was refreshing to see someone else not only saw it but went to a fair amount of trouble to lay it all out so plainly. Thank you.
I had more to say but I had a 'ritual' commitment of my own that I had to attend to.
The Tridentine Mass is a beautiful ritual steeped in ancient tradition, as you said. The content is not that bad either, if you ask me. So there is one line where they pray for the conversion of the Jews... so what? I think they mean it in a nice way.
I did not make a study of it but I skim-read through Crowley's Gnostic Mass and it was just page after page of closely copying the Tridentine ritual. I read somewhere that Crowley made Frater Achad convert to Catholicism and receive the sacraments up through Confirmation as part of his training. If true, I would bet there is an interesting story behind all that."
Sorry I mistook the tone there, Labyrinthus. I agree that some of the content is quite beautiful and we use a lot of it in Western Magic; as I'm sure you know, one of the most glaring examples being the last part of the Pater Noster compared with the Qabalistic Cross.
The Tridentine Mass and Christmas Vigil are some of the grandest Pagan events I have ever witnessed. You start out with consecrated fire, then make three deosil processions outside of the Church, which being traditionally designed is surrounded by a low wall of interlocking Vesica Pisces. I'm giddy with mirth as I contemplate that Female symbol as I walk down the main isle and see stone engravings in the floor of long-slender candles with flames spurting forth that any normal, non-brainwashed human being would instantly recognise as Phallic! Then there are these fantastic statues of the Goddess and Archangels, all these Saints, and of course, lots of incense. Oh, and the Chant, if its done well rivals anything the Tibetans do, and I love that as well.
It is well known that the early Church built their churches directly over (or just adapted) the Temples of the Ancient World in Egypt, Greece and Rome, and I think the same was done with some of the Rituals. I mean everyone knows that Easter and Christmas are Equinox and Solstice events that have been celebrated in Ritual since pre-historic times.
However, the Mass as it is, without the proper initiation, has really become a propaganda tool and false-substitute for the real and genuine spiritual experience. It's too bad, but its time, in that incarnation has passed. It must be torn down. But what to build in it's place? That is one of the questions I have sought to answer above.
There is a gulf of understanding that separates the initiate from the ignorant with regard to symbol and religion, and this ignorance is exploited by the ruling elite to facilitate control of the populace and retain control, (which is fundamentally a question of denying the Universal Law of CHANGE). Take the 2000 year domination of ROMAN Christianity, colonisation, slavery, war etc. in the West. Take the oppressive caste system of the Hindu. Take the current persecution and occupation of Tibet etc. etc. etc.
-
@nderabloodredsky said
"...as I contemplate that Female symbol as I walk down the main isle and see stone engravings in the floor of long-slender candles with flames spurting forth that any normal, non-brainwashed human being would instantly recognise as Phallic!"
I don't think it is brainwashed so much as stultifying indifference. I recall being openly taught by the priest as a teen in our church group that the candles on the alter were phallic symbols. The beeswax topped with a golden tip cocked at an angle specifically to present a phallic symbol. I bet 80% of the kids in that room completely forgot what the priest said within a few years. The masses are not ignorant because of any concerted effort to make them that way... they are ignorant because they choose to be that way. Most people would rather watch an episode of "Dancing With the Stars" than read a book about the stars.
War, slavery, etc. have been a part of all human cultures throughout history but for some reason the ROMAN culture gets slammed for it like no other. I just don't get it. The traditions and efforts of the Roman Church dragged an ignorant, superstitious, human sacrifice practicing, warlike people, kicking and screaming, out of ignorance and stupidity and gave rise to the most powerful civilization on the planet. Why perfection is expected of one Church while others get a pass makes no sense to me.
@nderabloodredsky said
"It's too bad, but its time, in that incarnation has passed. It must be torn down. But what to build in it's place? "
If its time has truly passed then there is no need to tear it down -- it will simply die a natural death. And a new organization will rise in its place, naturally, according the general level of Consciousness of the masses.
-
I was speaking with some atheist skeptic friends of mine about "the Church." You see, they are beginning to develop a post-critical appreciation of the power of symbol and ritual (all former Catholics but me), and we came up with the most peculiar comparison: we toyed with the idea of comparing the survival strategy of the Roman Church to that of Apple Computer, Inc.
It spawned such an interesting discussion for us (having mixed feelings about both) that I think I'll just leave it there without taking any position on it at all.