virus: Grimoire of Chaos Magick by Julian Wilde (in part)

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Grimoire of Chaos Magick

Julian Wilde

A PRIMING - foreward

The purpose of this book/manual is solely to aid the reader in his/her
unfolding/developing/inner
growth/individuation. This magickal process must inevitably be accompanied by
some pain, doubt and
disillusionment. We have endured (but so far SURVIVED!) years of
conditioning and repression and to
break free from this protective but limiting shell is an act of courage and perhaps
for some of us, an act of
desperation.

Modern life, as lived by most of us, seems to conspire against our being 'awake'.
The robotic self,
originally evolved as a necessary/defensive element of human consciousness, has
now become almost too
efficient, assuming more and more authority and allowing us to sleep far more
than is 'good' for us, for
instance, to drive a car adequaely whilst engaged in conversation. Difficulties
arise when the robot begins
to operate where/when it is not necessary/appropriate, undermining free will and
narrowing our choice of
alternative attitudes/decisions/actions.

It is time we awake to our own ignorance. By injecting energy into our
perceptions and learning to
assimilate the increased feedback we may confidently expect from such an act of
positivity/commitment,
we are able to penetrate more deeply/participate more fully in/to living
situations.

To always rule, rather than to be ruled by, the robot, to constantly maintain
one's high level or
attentiveness, is virtually impossible. One split-second of inattention and we may
find ourselves
floundering once more in habitual/pre-programmed modes of
attitude/communication/action. It can prove
enormously difficult throughout even one lengthy conversation to never slip into
some half-hearted
agreement or skate over irksome/uninteresting points until some new/random
phrase re-kindles our
flagging concentration. When reading books we often selectively skip passages
or even whole chapters
when the contents fail to stimulate us sufficiently (or fail to confirm our
prejudices/mental fore-closures).

These tendencies, though minor in their manifestation, are symptomatic of our
incredible reluctance to
really PAY ATTENTION - to information around us, to other people, even to
ourselves (what our bodies,
minds or feelings are trying to tell us) and yet a high level of inner attention is
essential for the great
magickal work, whether you call the goal of that work enlightenment, liberation
or inner growth.

It seems that to achieve this necessary high level of awareness (= balance =
being centered) one must have
a motive (sincere desire for wisdom/power/freedom), something at stake
(sanity/self-esteem/emotional
independence) or simply a passion for/an obsession with the unfolding of the
self/self-programming/magickal experiences etc. As one enlightened master once
remarked, "By passion is
the world bound, by passion it may be released." Motive however is not enought
- one also needs
methods, practical techniques for changing, sharpening and directing awareness.
These practiques lead one
through various experiences/conclusions to a deeper understanding, a freer
creativity and an emotional and
mental liberation.

The journey though is not an easy one - many great seekers/warriors/magickians
have suffered both
mental and physical turmoil as a consequence of their spiritual/sorcerous
experimentations - Gopi Sharma,
one of the leading exponents of Kundalini Yoga, underwent years of anguish and
torment, one of the
Merlins, Merlin Wylte, lost and finally regained his sanity. Not for nothing are
shamans dubbed "the
wounded healers" - many great "travellers" are/become deeply divided beings on
the quest for
enlightenment/emancipation/individuation.

The quest however, is a glorious one - a path of doubt and faith, disillusionment
and joy, ensnarement and
freedom, and can ultimately lead to the pinnacle of human achievement - to
discover and express the
(more) real self/selves.

Chaos magick, when not in the hands, hearts and pens of elitists or those who
have exchanged old
ideologies and "isms" for a new, equally restrictive set of beliefs and practices
(and prejudices), is an
eclectic, umbrella term for the sum and total of all magickal endeavor, from so-
called primitive shamanic
practiques to the most sophisticated hermetic or kabalic systems. It may include
elements from wicca,
tantra, oriental metaphysics, "Crowleyanity" and anything else that could
conceivably prove
useful/relevant/beneficial.

Chaos (perhaps in future it should be reffered to as Khaos or Kaos to distinguish
it from the banal or
dictionary use of the word) magick is not simply another system, another
alternative to mainstream
tradition, a new, provocotive flavour for jaded magickal appetites. It is any
technique that works, any
world-view that proves helpful - it is the employment of any beneficial systems
coupled with an awareness
of the limitations of that system and an urge to transcent such restrictions. It
leads/should lead to the
creation/evolution of a much more individual, personalised world-view/set of
magickal practices. Chaos
magick is non-political (unless practiced by politicians), non-sexist, non-ageist
and non-racist (unless of
course it is employed by those who still harbour doubts or prejudices in these
areas). Above all, it is
non-missionary - it cannot be, for there is no set system to sell, no mandatory
beliefs to embrace or reject
and no compulsory practices or festivals to observe or scorn. Chaos magick is a
constant state of
unfolding/flux/uncertainty. The character Paul in Frank Herbert's "Dune"
concludes that the path of
certainty is also the path of stagnation or even death. If you, the reader have any
certainties about
magickal law/gender-roles/occult leadership/spiritual companionship - prepare to
shed them now...

Chaos magick is YOUR magick - if and when you find it/you.

It is the author's sincere wish that this manual will be of help on your journey.
All
concepts/rituals/practiques/belief-patterns contained herein are presented as
working models only, awaiting
your personal touch to be experiences, explored, understood, altered and
ultimately transcended. The
book may at first glance appear to contain much that is theoretical/conceptual
and a lesser amount of hard,
sharply-defined practical work. This is not so - what you bring to the exercises
by way or
attitude/approach has great bearing on the ultimate results. It is perhaps worth
repeating that the
chaos-activity presented here is deliberately open-ended, purposely susceptible
to adaption/transformation.
This book is merely your ticket and programme for the great game - YOU are
the main action...

Feanor

currently in chains.

AN INVENTORY

A DEDICATION to you, dear reader

A DELINEATION - the void/chaos flow

A DENUNCIATION - new gods/old gods

A COMPARISON (1) - shamanism

A COMPARISON (2) - the Church Of Ka'atas

AN AFFIRMATION - integration with chaos

THE PENTACLE OF KA'ATAS - protective/inspirational talisman

A FUNCTIONING - the threshold-dwellers

A WILLING - cultivation of 'varjra' awareness

A SUMMONING - invoking/visualising Baphomet

A CONDEMNATION - crowley/christians

A DELIVERING - prayer to god/ess of chaos

A MEDITATION (1) - the skeleton

A MEDITATION (2) - the tower

A MEDITATION (3) - the space meditation

A MEDITATION (4) - the crystal chamber

A DECLERATION of intent for the Ka'atas Church

AN INITIATION - chaos initiations

A CREATING - alternative element-invoking

A WORKING (1) - baphomet/Ka'atas ritual

AN APPRAISING (1) - the lessons of wicca

AN APPRAISING (2) - Austin Osman Spare - his real contribution

A DIVINING - 'package-deals' and alternatives. The Leaves of Fate.

A WORKING (2) - balancing the elements - two alternatives, the crowley tarot
and the
wiccan/shamanistic.

A PROTECTING - psychic attack, the protective circle, the safe place, the
fight-flight reversal,
web-dancing, candle magic, chakra cleaning, problem-burying, shape-shifting,
talismans.

A PENETRATING - 'sex magick

A CORRECTING - the workings of chaos

AN ALTERING - states of awareness, over-breathing, music, dance, chanting,
rebirthing, touch-and-trust
exercieses, bio-gnosis (plant-lore), habit breaking, the black-out

A REITERATING - a review of pertinent/important statements

A RECOMMENDING - further reading

A DEDICATION

My greetings to you, fellow-seekers/warrirors of the/your new aeon! Those of
you who have begun to
sense the emergence of chance and universe-whim as an increatingly relevant
and desirable force in your
lives, those who have begun (if tentatively) to flirt with the universe, those who
have climbed the tree of
ancients and uncouvered an empty (deserted?) nest, those who have with bated
breath summoned
Azathoth of The Book of Dead Names and unleashed instead a force
recognisable as dear old
Gonpo/Set/Typhon, those who have played a diceman, those who have
recognised/wished to actualise
more pertinence in the writings of Moorcock, Brady, Tolkien and Castenada
than in Regardie, Fortune or
even Crowley, those who have turned their back on a golden dawn and have
flown instead to the
rainbow-jagged darknes of Vajrana (the tantra-gnostic Shambala), those with
jaded magickal appetites,
those who wish to live in their own univerese and not in someone else's - this is
for you in the fond hope
that it will inspire/encourage you enough to sweetly/awe-fully disturb your
magic and your life.

WARNING - this publication encourages disorganisation.

A DELINEATION

There is/can be a force, an essence, an energy, that flows through, around and
into all things, material and
immeterial. It is (temporarily) all things and the spaces between - it is/can be all
things and yet it also
posesses nothing-ness. It accretes material forms in various stages of
complexity. It is what it touches - all
interactions and relationships are it's by-products. It is infinite and beyond the
comprehension of the
finite/linear/filing cabinet mind.

Further, it is non-spiritual, inhuman, eternal, limitless, the womb and grave of
every form and substance,
every thought and dream, every law, both known and unknown. Some call this
energy/force/state/essence
the voide and approach it with a highly sophisticated system of applied
psychology. Some, clinging to a
golden vision of here-after/there-before, call it dream-time. Some call it chaos
and revere it joyfully with
bizarre rites and practices.

This force moves, manifests, grows, develops, unfolds, reacts, stagnates and
dissolves by chance, whim,
coincidence, random selection, developing tendencies, cause-and-effect
(reaction) and perhaps other
laws/processes we have yet to find any suitably ludicrous name for.

One should/can choose to seek to become more aware of this flow, then
(usually) move with it or
alternativelly physically/mentally/emontionally accelerate, divert or influence the
process and/or it's
manifestations and effects within the bounds of a specific chain of
events/situations. Both these options
are inaugurated/enhanced by the utilisation of meditation, imaginations,
visualisation, sigilisation, rituals
and that insatiable urge-to-persue called will. The process/science of sensing and
influencing this
energy-flow is known to most of us as magick.

The new-aeon shaman/witch/seeker/warrior must choose as his/her field of
action the point where the
mind touches the rest of the universe, the collective unconscious - this is where
imagination is stretched to
the limit (ie - laws or probability are ruptured, where anything becomes possible
it it is wooed or persued
intensely enough). This is where your dreams, records, books and drugs take
you occasionally - it is an
unexplored or under-developed part of your totality.

First however you must endure an undoing, a ruthless spring-cleaning of beliefs
and attitudes - otherwise
this virgin inner landscape could become merely a repository of accumulated
junk and sleeplily/foolishly
accepted trivia rather than the site of development, the hunding ground, the
temple of your new
world-view.

NOTE - in the mythos/perspective/world-view of the I.O.T., the writings of
Moorcock etc., chaos is
balanced by an apparent other-half, its polar opposite, known as Order or Law.
This creates unnecessary
tension and dichotomy. It seems much more expedient, not to say realistic, to
assume that it is the
workings and structurings of law/order that are a wilful by-product/an aberration
of chaos - there is no
ultimate law of Law - only the eternal play of chance, however it may manifest.

A DENUNCIATION

I grow wary/weary and increasingly intolerant of those organisations/movements
(the I.O.T. and a few
other notables excepted) that seek to codify and delineate every tiresome aspect
of an increasingly
over-blown and irrelevant world-view. Theosophic/Kabalistic/Monotheistic lore
is/should be dead, further,
is evil, is rigid, is sexist, is status-ridden, is of a past we should have
outgrown/disowned. It is time for new
god/esse/s/daemons - learn to call them - they will always answer.

Most of the old god-forms are buried beneath a ton of superstition, dogma and
diseased comprehension.
Only a few have been cleansed by gnosis and a fresh perception/application of
belief. Use them until you
can outgrow them.

Beware of any systems of borrowed belief - trust only in 'systems' or
accumulations of belief that can be
seen or felt to be advantageous. Judge a god/ess by what he/she/it can do for
you, physically, mentalls,
emotionally - if your god answers not the call in the night then give your
allegiance elsewhere. Trust
practice - test theory.

The void/collective unconscious cannot manifest in a vacuum - that is, it will
tend to assme these forms
already recognisable/usable by the perciever and will be as
useful/powerful/knowledgable ultimately as the
subconscious urges/impulses of the perceiver him/herself. These forms
(gods/angels/daemons) ie - all gods
are a wish-fulfillment of their devotees - this is not to rob them of 'reality'. For
anything you can imagine
already is/is becoming... but just how strong is your patron? Will he/she/it (you)
bring you money when
you need it? Has he/she/it (you) ever let you down? In other words, is your
reciprocation with your god(s)
of a sufficient percentage of your totality to effect the more mundane levels of
your reality, your everyday
life? Have you learned to rupture reality/distory probability?

To enlarge the area of your perception/effectiveness, to re-create your god(s),
this is all you ow
him/her/them - to worship, to "approach constantly with many rites", to flex
your psychic muscles, to
strengthen magickal will - this is your fealty.

For some seekers/warriors this process is not so easily/comfortably achieved
with many of the deities of
the past six or seven millenia. (ie - if the great guardians of Tibet were so
powerful, how come the Chinese
over-ran and eventually destroyed so many templs? Why did the ancienct gods
of Egypt allow Roman
dominance? Nearer home, why didn't Andrasta (long may she be remembered!)
cover and blind the
marching legions with her nightmare wings and allow/assist our greatest queen
to sweep to a just victory?)
Fate/whim/chaos is strongest - Jesus has to undergo his torment (this is my
beloved son in whom I am
well-pleased?), Odin is doomed to die by Fenrir the wolf, Arthur's great
accomplishment is the validity of
the failed dream.) It is chaos/universe will that we should be revering/entering.

Unless you already enjoy an intimate and untarnished symbiosis with an 'existing'
deity, it is time for a
new, flexible, personalised cosmology, my brothers and sisters! You will have
your own gods (archetypal
personalities of your own choosing), your own names for them, your personal
animal or tree allies/totems,
your own techniques of invocation and integrations, your own world-view.

A COMPARISON (1)

The world of the shaman

The collection/accumulation of techniques and beliefs known as shamanism pre-
dates all organised
religion. The witch-doctor, the medicine man, the primitive sorceror of the hunt,
all have much in
common and would have little difficulty in relating to each others practices - and
yet shamanism remains
an intensely personal and relevant system of application - each 'wise man' (or
woman), through a result of
his own cultural heritage, retains and enjoys a fresh inter-relationship with those
spirits, ancestors,
animal-allies and supernatural beings that probe beneficial to him and his work -
all progress is made
through a fresh personal application of the inherited world-view. It is interesting
(and perhaps reassuring to
some of you/us) to note that from eskimo to aborigine, in many cases the
shaman is a misfit, sickly,
reclusice and tempramental.

note - being psychically awakened is not being 'spiritual' - manufactured notions
of good or evil created by
generations of guilt and fear/anxiety, both agents of castration/immobilsation,
have no place in the world of
the shaman. Power/effectiveness is all - a good shaman is a shaman that can get
results. (Pure spirit or
life-force, even thought 'manifesting' or being percievable in human form as it
often does/is, is patently not
human and need not therefore partake of human concepts such as compassion,
charity etc.) It seems to
me that man/woman will become whatever they really want/will to bo, despite
(or perhaps because of)
his/her professed religion/code of living. Buddhism, one of the more tolerant of
systems, was capable in
Tibet of great intellectual fascism, resulting in poverty and oppression for a great
percentage of the
populace. Christianity's charity and compassion is balanced by it's arrogance and
hypocracy. Nowhere
does it seem that a religion/system has totally subdued or overcome mankind's
'worse' instincts. Everyone
I speak to claims that their particular path has made them a "better" person. The
world should therefore be
a much more sane, hopeful place than it is.

Initiation into the practiques of shamanism are usually preceded/inaugurated by
serious illness, feverish
dreams/visions, a death-experience or by a personal, usually harrowing trial by
isolation and psychic siege,
resulting in a life-long symbiosis with alternative planes of reality/mobility.

The shaman uses few props in his or her work (healing, locating food or lost
objects, divining or scrying) -
a rattle, some coloured sand, a drum or flute, some healing or hallucinogenic
herbs - relying instead on
his/her own inherent or developed talents. Some rituals are of course employed -
at times of great need or
for ceremonial/celebratory purposes.

The line of initiation, where it exists, many shamans being called/evolved
through personal crisis and
subsequent inner changes of perception, is similar to a guru-chela relationship ie-
the 'teachings' are passed
from individual to individual and does not therefore lend itself too easily to
institutionalisation and mass
propagation. Though some teachings (usually myths or creation) are always
transmitted, shamanism is
essentially an ever-changing, on-going process, as rigid, as flexible, as simple or
as complex as its
practitioner(s).

It is a mistake to assume/deduce, as so many occultists (and shamans!) do, that
we have somehow fallen
from grace in that we are not so attuned to the environment, not so psychically
'sharp' as our ancestors,
and that this is inevitable. The abilities are still within us, merely(?)/albeit
submerged beneath centuries of
technological development and a massive over-load of information input. The
power can wither/atrophy,
as indeed it has for the vast majority of humankind, but can be rediscovered/re-
employed by the strong
and determined. As magickal talent (inter-action with chaos/the void) has no
recognisable or even
theoretical limits, it must also be true to say that the accomplishment of the past
can be equalled or even
perhaps bettered.

A COMPARISON (2)

The Church of Ka'atas

For the past twenty or so years I have, at first unintentionally then with growing
understanding and
eagerness, gradually evolved my own paradigm/reality perspective. Studying and
practicing Wicca and
Tibetan Tantra and flirting (albeit seriously) at various times with orthodox
Buddhism, Hinduism, Zen,
Greek and Egyptian mythology, Spiritualism, automatic drawing and writing,
hypno-regression, Tarot,
Kabala, drugs, rock music, Jungian psychology, meditation, yoga, trance states,
ritual magic, Taoism,
Faery-lore etc etc, has led to my developing, accepting and utilising a much
more personal mythos/world
view. This has crystalised around my perception of the flowings/manifestations
of the void/universe whim,
and the face/form my subconscious mind has affixed/attributed to the source of
these flowings. In other
words I have some how created/discovered/cognized my own god (or rather, the
head of my personalised
pantheon)

This being, which I obviously/expediently regard as omnipotent, variously
manifests as a wise old man,
sometimes oriental in feature, sometimes more european/celtic, a wizened,
almost mummified-looking
black-skinned kali-type hag or a strong and beautiful maid marian archetype
(both perhaps representations
of my anima), a demonic half-bestial face semi-obscured by rainbow-splintered
blackness, a
futuristic-feeling 'crystal-master', a very Tibetan-looking Baphomet (a bi-sexual
Yamantaka!), a jester, or
as aspects of more familliar deities such as Herne, Diana or Anubis. 'His' most
constant and notable
(though by no means inevitable) feature throughout these
expressions/representations is a pari of clear
green eyes, piercing, cool and totally inhuman.

I have tested this force for power/effectiveness over other 'supernatural'
entities/energies and also for
some kind of moral integrity - a laughable and perhaps hypocritical stance/action
I am forced to agree, but
no-one wants to become the plaything of a decieving/malignant
wizard/demon/manitou do they? I have
asked for occult wisdom, money, for advice, assistance in enterprieses and of
course for protection more
than once - and I have found/detected an unsettling aloofness, traces of sardonic
humour, a certain
impatience, and yet a tenderness where/when least expected - all no doubt facets
of my own persona -
perception is intentional (even unknowingly) and therefore subject to
sense/character distortions.

This entity has been known to me by various names and titles that have changed
as my awareness and
utilisation has evolved/improved. I now know 'Him' (the void-face must
ultimately be sex-less or all sexes,
gender being as arbitary a categorisation as race of physical size) as Ka'atas.

I am joyful/creative/effective in the world of Ka'atas (pronounced ca as in cabin,
ay as in sway, tas as in
tassel - the accent being on the central syllable - Ka'atas) and yet I have achieved
nothing you are not
capable of, given time, facilities and motivation. I offer clippings from my own
Book Of Shadows/Chaos
Catalogue only for you to peruse, emply if you wish, until you
presonalise/adopt/outgrow/weary of it all.

To accept my reality except as a temporary station or viewing platform is not
only insulting to us both but
perhaps also mutually harmful - the Church of Ka'atas needs no bishops and no
flock - only
warriors/wolves/seekers - and they will/must evolve their own approach to the
infinite/ultimate.

note - the term 'church' is a convenient term of reference, like 'temple', 'coven' or
even 'gathering' -
nothing more. No inference should be dran from it's usage.

AN AFFIRMATION

I AM NOT A NUMBER, NOR ANY RESULT OF NUMBERS

I AM NO CIRCLE, SQUARE NOR TRIANGLE

I AM NO PUPPET OF THE MOON, STARS AND PLANETS

NOR AM I A MECHANICAL PRODUCT OF MY INPUT TO DATE

I WILL NOT BE LABELLED, CONTAINED, DIVIDED

AND SUPPRESSED BY THE WORLD'S OBSOLETE SYSTEMS

I AM NOT AN AUTOMATON

I AM A THINKING, FEELING ENTITY

PART OF ALL THAT IS AND MAY YET BE

I AM NOT A PLAYTHING OF THE GODS

FOR I CAN AND HAVE EXHIBITED FREE WILL

IN THE FACE OF CATASTROPHE AND OPPOSITION

AND I HAVE MET MANY GODS

AND NONE HAVE SOUGHT SUCCESSFULLY TO HARM ME

IN THIS LIFETIME I HAVE SO FAR SURVIVED

ALL SLANDERS AND CONFRONTATIONS

I MISTRUST AND DISOWN EVERY ASSEMBLY OF OPPRESSION

THAT CONSPIRES IN MALICE AND FEAR

TO ACHIEVE EARTHLY AUTHORITY

THUS SETTING BACK TREACHERY UPON ALL THAT LIVES

CLINGING TO OUT-MODED MODELS OF REALITY

AND REGURGITATING IDEOLOGIES

THAT RESULT ONLY IN DEATH AND STAGNATION

I AM SPAWN OF CHAOS

AND I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IN THE WORKINGS OF THE VOID

WHICH IS NAKED REALITY AND SUPREME FANTASY

AND ENDLESS BECOMING

I CHOOSE TO PRAISE CHANCE

FOR ALL IS BLESSED BY CHANCE

AND CHANCE TAKES ALL BACK TO ITSELF

BE-WITH-ME!

AVATAR/ATAVAR OF THE FIRST AETHYR

KA'ATAS!

FACE OF THE VOID

SELF BEYOND ALL-SELF

OTHER BEYOND ALL-OTHER

MASTER MANITOU!

IT IS MY WILL TO DWELL IN DEEP WAKE

AND TO PUSH EVER FORWARD THE BOUNDS OF POSSIBILITY

THE PENTACLE OF KA'ATAS

The pentacle (which can be employed as a protective or inspirational talisman if
so desired) is here
depicted in the inverted/destructive/chaotic mode. At the centre is the sigil of the
Lords (and Ladies) of
Entropy - eight arrows radiating out in all directions (in all dimensions). This
symbol is itself a
self-sufficient and powerful talkisman. The three lightning flashes are vajra-
initiations and represent
illumination of the mind, heart and body. The eyes are the eyes of Ka'atas - they
are his most notable and
constant feature throughout numerous guises/manifestations. To the lower left is
the world-snake/the
serpent of eternity - a symbol of cyclic happenstance and ultimate stability - a
sigil of Law. This is
balanced to the lower right by the winged serpent (kundlini, if you wish) - the
eternal now - the urge to
enlightenment. The upward-pointing triangle (masculine) contains the horns of
penetration, creation and
destruction, illuminated by the candle flame of spirit. Together they form a
trident, an old symbol of
psychic/spiritual fire. (note also the Hindu/Buddhist trisula and the nordic rune
eolh-secg - eel-grass, that
burns and cuts when grasped by the unwary.) The downward (feminine) triangle
contains the three phases
of the moon (the triple goddess) which combine mystically to create a solar eye,
the gaze of flame.

The pentacle is surmounted by a rune or sigil of infinity, an inverted alpha and
omega combined. In this
illustration I have used the greek alphabet for clarity, but any characters similar
in meaning will suffice.
This reprisents the rejection of conventional space/time values.

A FUNCTIONING

The role of the Threshold-Dwellers

There comes a stage in our awareness-expansion/shift of perspective when our
personality - all that we
suppose we are, all that we have thus far identified with - is threatened. An
increase of perception and
comprehension necessitates that sooner or later we must stand at the boundary
of our conscious mind,
ready to shift our identity from finite to infinite, from earth-consciousness to
universe-consciousness -
from age/sex/class/race awareness to transcendent awareness (see A WILLING)
- from human identity to
an alien vision. This threatens the ego, and our minds, as protective as ever,
begin to throw up barriers,
diversions, hinderances.

These projections often take the form of eagles, vultures, hawks, hags, were-
wolves, serpents, dragons or
wrathful, fear-inspiring deities. To accept/identify with/transcend these
guardians/custodians of the
subconscious mind's treasure is a primary task of the warrior/wise (wo)man.

The 'eagle' as defined in Castenada's book 'The Eagle's Gift' is of this nature and
function - so are
Baphomet and Abraxas, the compound god/goddess forms of the psyche. (I met
the eagle for the first time
as a child whilst unconscious in the dentist's chair - it was to be a further 20
years before I understood the
fearful experience of being torn from the body and then 'twanging' back in agony
time after time as the
eagle toyed with me.)

We revere and initially fear these entities for they are destroyers of the ego,
stealers of the life-spark, the
daemons that slam us, screaming helplessly, into yet another (premature)
becoming.

They are the Dwellers on the Threshold, the doorway to liberation and infinity -
they must be faced and
overcome - better yet, we must learn that they are our key to an enlarged reality-
model. To fear and
worship them (ie - keep at a distance) is not nearly enough - they must be
invoked and employed time and
time again. We must become them - then look beyond.

Just as the ancient Greeks would have expected to encounter the frightening
goat-god Pan (from whom
perhaps we derive the emotional term 'panic') in some lonely/inacessible forest or
mountain landscape, so
also must we be prepared to meet such guardians/threshold-keepers when we
tread intentionally or by
accident into the more remote or hitherto avoided areas of our mind, the
shadowy realms of impulse,
desire and fear. When we act upon or because of such instincts, we can never
accurately predict the
outcome of our deeds unless magickal intent is an intentional/integral part of the
process.

It is no use clinging to the human view-point - intelligence/ability to inter-act to
mutual benefit with
environments (physical and otherwise) exists everywhere - the human perception
is but one note on an
infinitely large keyboard. One does not squint at a beautiful/breath-taking
landscape or panorama through
half-closed eyes, and likewise one cannot appreciate chaos with a half-shut
mind. In face, attitudes and
actions that are above/outside the normal limits of human probability and
purpose, beyond
ego-control/interference are probably more 'natural'/universe-whim-harmonised
than our normal, everyday
postures, both mental and physical.

Consider as many alternative stances as possible (believe in at least one
improbability before breakfast!).

Knowledge/absorbtion of the Threshold-Dwellers is the birth-rite of a cosmo-
gnostic entity.

A WILLING

The cultivation of the 'vajra' awareness

The point where our conscious minds meet the sub/un-conscious, ie- the rest of
the universe, is the field
of action for the magickian.

Two important aspects of the magickal will must be fully understood, and that
understanding then
punched irrevocably into all future programmes. In other words two seemingly
opposite or polarised
attitudes/stances/pre-requisites for the action, both vital to the magickian's
survival/success, must become
'second nature'.

These are two aspects/extractions of the drive towards 'eros' and 'thanatos' - life,
posession, control, light,
love, desire, focus and decay, disintegration, death, darkness, disorder.

The first necessary (and much misunderstood) stance is the need to remain
'centred', self-aware, to retain
one's 'spirit', to achieve self-posession (rather than posession or disintegration
through some external
agency), to seek an uninterrupted stream of consciousness/awareness whatever
may happen, be it
calamity, death or rebirth/becomings. It is a channeling process/tendency, an
identification of the self as
seperate/disengaged from the rest of the universe.

The second is the need to transcend the human view-point (see A
FUNCTIONING), to realise the
narrowness, arrogance and ultimate impotence of one's present perception and
to seek a re-alignment of
one's will/vision to that of the universe/void/chaos flow. It is a diffusing process,
an identification with
something larger than the human perspective (that can, unchecked or abused,
lead to false bliss, a nirbanic
torpor, a capitulation of drive/energy).

Held/practiced together these two polar opposied create a third, highest stance.
As usual the tantrists have
a word for it. The word 'vajra' or 'dorje' can either mean a diamond ie- that
which is compact/focused,
symmetrical/crystalised, unbreakable, immutable, untarnishable (part of the drive
to eros/control, order,
posession) or a thunderbolt ie- that which is frightening, all-powerful, ego-
destructive, disintegrating (part
of the drive to thanatos/disorder, ego-death). 'Vajra' therefore may also be held
to mean both stances
(diamond-eros and thunderbolt-thanatos) together/simultaneously. This captures
nicely the feel of the third
stance so let us call it the vajra-awareness.

As a bolt of lightning (the thunderbolt) strikes the earth, swift, random, brilliant
(ILLUMINATING!), so
too must the vajra-awareness be instantly in response, cultivated to be
active/reactive to changing
emotional states, rebirths, disasters and environments, being one with the
lightning, being the lightning,
flowing at one with all but retaining the diamond-hard yet infinitely flexible self-
ness in the midst of
conditions, manifestaions and becomings. The vajra-awareness is what it touches
yet it retains its
self-ness, wherever it alights there is totality and purity, where it is not are
ignorance and eventual
suffering.

The vajra-awareness, then is a conscious integration/inter-action with all that is -
an eternal balance
between self-knowing/posession and immersion in the ceaseless flux of the
universe.

THROUGH THE ECSTACY OF THE SPIRIT AND JOY ON EARTH