Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Tarot Consecration Ritual

Just recently, I got two  fantastic new tarot decks. The first one I got was Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck with three versions of the Magus card (three magi?).  This deck was fantastic!  I love the Hebrew letters and astrological equivalents! the only thing that I dislike is the fact that the hebrew letters are in awful handwriting so the gimmel (ג) looks like a nun (נ) and the nun looks like a kaph (כ) &c.  Also, I don't like the "loop in the zodiac" thing and the whole "but the star is not tzaddi (צ)" madness, making the order of the trumps all messed up. 

However, the other tarot deck that I got is fantastic. the name of that tarot deck is the "Hermetic Tarot".  It has all of the classic Hebrew and astrological correspondences, including the modern planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto).  It has all of the traditional golden dawn symbolism (which I verified in SIITGDT and the Book of Thoth).  But the best part is that it says the names of the Shem-ha-mephorash angels (verified in SIITGDT, 777, and the back of Andromeda Klein [Really!])

Well anyways,  i decided to make a consecration ritual for them. It is based off of the Modern Magick talisman ritual, which in turn I realized is based off of the Golden Dawn Neophyte initiation ritual (almost identical to the one in SIITGDT).  It also includes the "invocation" of HRU seen in the Book of Thoth and the booklet for the Hermetic Tarot.  Well, here it is!

1.  Begin with Opening by Watchtower, LBRP, BRH, and if you want, rose cross ritual and SIRP.
2. Place the deck outside of the circle in the south-west.
3.  Take the outer wand of double power* in the right hand,  dagger in the left,  and cross them over the deck.  Say: "Before I entered this magickal circle, I was alive yet not alive.  Once inside I have been born anew.  So too are all things outside this circle without true spiritual life. Hear now, O Tarot,that thou mayest enter, but thou may not move on."  (* there is no use for any other higher wand.)
4. Bring the deck into the circle with the dagger.  Say: "Now O Creature of the Tarot,  Become a dwelling place of knowledge of hidden things and become thou a body for the magnificence of HRU."
5. Place the deck at the foot of the altar and say: "in the name of HRU, and by the powers and forces invoked here this day/night, I proclaim that I , [motto], shall invoke the to form a true and potent link between my human soul and that spirit of the Tarot summed up in the name of HRU.  I proclaim that this tarot deck be charged in order that knowledge of true and hidden things may be mine so that I may be able to preform  the great work an be better able to assist humanity.  may the powers of HRU witness this, my solemn pledge."
6.Put the Tarot deck in the middle of the altar.  Put down the dagger and hold the wand by the white half.  Say: "I now invoke the powers of HRU into this temple.  In the name of HRU, Be here now! know that all is in readiness to consecrate this Tarot deck.  Aid me with thy power that I may cause the great angel [HGA] to give life and strength to this tarot deck."
7. Put down the wand and pick up the dagger.  Go the the east and face west.  While creating the lesser invoking pentagram of earth (earth?), say:  "I invoke thee IAO, that thou wilt send  HRU, the great angel who is set over the operations of the secret wisdom to lay his hand invisibly upon these cards of art that I thereby may obtain true knowledge of hidden things to the glory of thine ineffable name, Amen. "
8. With water, trace a cross and (water) triangle on the deck while saying " I purify with water."  Trace a cross and (fire ) triangle over the deck with incense while saying "I sanctify with fire." Pick up the dagger and say/bang "So / mote / it / be /! " (/ = bang).
9.Go clockwise to the southeast with the deck.  say: "Unpurified and unsanctified, thou canst not enter the gate of the west."
10. Purify and sanctify as before, but instead of the "so mote it be," say "Creature of the tarot, twice purified and twice consecrated, thou mayest approach the gateway of the west."
11. walk into the west and say: "Before thou canst come into the light, thou must first come out of the darkness.  yet fear not he darkness of the west for there is no place that God and the light of God are not.  Theirfore, take on manifestation before me without fear.  For in the west is he in whom fear is not.  And now that thou knowest this truth, pass thou on."
12.Circumambulate the circle once, and go around again, stopping at the north east.   repeat 9 and 10, changing west to east, twice to thrice.  say: "to become a tarot deck, strong and true, thou must pass from darkness into light, from death into life.  To do this requires the light which shines from within the darkness, though the darkness comprehendeth it not.  By the will of god I can control a speck of light which ariseth in the darkness.  I am the exorcist in the midst of an exorcism. Therefore take on manifestation before me for I am the wielder of the forces of balance. Now pass thou on unto the double cubical atlar of the universe."
13.go to the west and repeat step 7.  say  "thus do I potently conjure and exorcise thee-" put down dagger and pick up wand and deck and hold on high while proclaiming "Creature of the tarot; long hast thou dwelt in the darkness, quit the night and seek the day!"
14. Place the deck on the altar, and hold the wand vertically above it.  say:
"By all the names, powers, and rituals already rehearsed, recited, and preformed, I conjure upon thee power and might irresistible.  Khabs Am Pekht, Konx Om Pax, light in extension.  as the light hidden in the darkness can manifest therefrom, so shalt thou become irresistible."
15. preform the Middle pillar ritual and project its energies into the deck.  when you finish, proclaim "It is done!"
16. hold your hands in the air and say: "let the white brilliance of the divine spirit descend upon this creature of the tarot and fill it with the glory of thy majesty that it may be unto me an aid to aspire to the great work." Draw a blue invoking earth pentagram and say: "Glory be unto thee, lord of the land of life, for thy splendor flows out rejoicing even to the ends of the universe."
17. hold out the deck so that it can be seen outside the circle. circumambulate while saying: "Behold all powers and forces that are here in attendance.  I am pure. I am pure. I am Pure.  Take witness that I have duly exorcised, purified, initiated, enlivened, consecrated, and empowered this creature of the tarot by the power of HRU and by the exaltation of my own higher nature."
18. touch the tip of the air dagger to the deck, say: "By the powers of air", touch the deck with the pentacle, "and of earth," tough the deck with the fire wand, "and of fire,"  and sprinkle the deck with water,
'and of water," pick up the wand by the white half and hold it on high," and by the secret names of the divine presence who works in silence and whom naught but silence can express, I declare by my rights earned by practice of the arts magickal that this tarot deck is charged and consecrated. So mote it be!"
19.say: "not unto me but unto thee be the power and the glory forever and even beyond the ends of time.  I  thank thee for allowing me to enter thus far into the temple of thy divine mysteries.
20. finish with closing by watchtower, LBRP and BRH.

just because I'm paranoid about being sued,
Kraig, Donald Michael. Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2010. Print.

TL;DR? SRY!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

new books, etc.

I've recently bought a few new books to add to my occult library:
• Blue Brick (Magick, liber ABA ) by Aleister Crowley (fantastic and amazing!)
• Liber 777 by Aleister Crowley (very usefull)
• The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley (interesting view on tarot)
• The magicians workbook by Steve Savedow (an attempt at saying the same thing in liber ABA, with less words, but still ok)

Also, I bought a couple of new tarot decks:
• Thoth tarot (interesting and thelemic)
• Hermetic tarot (the best tarot deck in the entire world)
• Crows Magick tarot (gave it away the day I bought it)

I love most of what I bought and I plan on reading/using them all.  I also plan on writing a tarot consecration ritual and posting that.