Opuscula Magica 2 by Andrew Chumbley

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PUSCULA AGICA

Volume I I

Essays:

Wite cra and Crooked Path Sorcery

An rew D Chumbley

With illustrations by the Author



Opuscula Magica Published By THREE HANDS PRESS, 2,0II Table of ContentsAn Imprint of Xoanon Publishing, LLC

Series Editor: Daniel A. SchulkeForeword to Volume 11

Essays, Preface and Art © copyright Andrew D. Chumbley I992,-2,003.

© Copyright Elizabeth Spedding 2.0II, Preface

Foreword and Notes t o TextsMagick is Not For All

I'7 © Copyright 2.0II Danie l A. Schulke, All Rights Reserved.

"The Sabbatic Cultus: An Interview With Andrew D. Chumbley" The Crooked Path Part s 2I

© Copyright I996 Robert Fi tzgerald and Andrew D. Chumbley.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this The Crooked Path Part 2publication may be reproduced in any

form without written permission fromThe Sabazian Torchthe copyright holders.

Xoanon Limited and Three Hands Press thank Gnosis For the Flesh Eternal

the following for their kind assistance in the preparation of this volume:

A Scattering of Dust From the W1ng of the Mot h 6 3

Elizabeth S pedding

Robert Fitzgerald The Cult of the Divine Ar tist 73Clive Harper

Michael HowardA History of Teachings of the Crooked Path

8zGavin Sem pie

Barry William Ha leSeven Shades of Solitude

Michael Staley

James Dunkq ultus Sabbati Dream, Provenance, and Magistq 97

Three Hands PressIgg?o San Pablo Avenue 'I'hc Sabbatic Cultus:

Box GgzgIOI

Richmond Vista, CA 948o6 At> lntcrvicw with Andrew D. Ch umbley

www. threehandspress.corn

Notes on lfi» 'I'cxts; Volume 2 zz8

Bust Jacket Besign by l~ob EamesLettcrprcss wnp» printed by 1>cpendable I.et tcrpress, .'i:»~ I:ranrisco, (:aliforl~ia

I'il)c i)in Ail>g lay I't'l l u>g('ll I'list)kl>u>t)cry, I'It'rkt'lt'y, (',:>lllornl;1

Forewor

Opuscula Magica It,he first volume of collected essays of

Andrew Chumbley, took as its theme 'Witchcraft and the

Sabbatic Tradition'. As a magical dominion, this latter termdenotes a. vibrant strand of Trachtional Witchcraft emergent

from the present-day magical order Cultus Sabbati, of which

Chumbley served as Magister from z99z until his death in

zoo4. These articles served as an exegetic periphery to his

seminal magical text Asoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft

oanon I 2, 200 2 . I on st t err va xn conce rns are

practices of Trachtional Wit chcr aft oper ative wit hin th e

Cultus, from the simple spell- craft of the Kn ot ted Cor d

charm — originating in En gl ish fo lk -so rcery — to mor e

advanced rites of sexual vision-induction. Importantly, the

works identify the Dr eam and Dre am -so rcery as a key

feature distinguishing the Sabbatic Arca num from ot her

forms of Witchcra ft.

The present collection continues Chumbley's exposition

of the Craft of the Witches' Sabbath, but in addition treats

Crooked Path Sorcery, one of its central boches of lore and

practice. A concealed by-way of magic, the Crooked Path is

linked in particula.r to British cunning-craft, Chumbley's

first, and on-going, contact of initiatic power. Manifesting

through the dual-presence of healing and harming, cursing

and blessing, it wends these extremit ies to r eveal the 'dar klyilluminant' road which lies between and beyond.

As a sorcerous metaphysic it is adumbrated in the ma gical

principles of Opposition and Inversion found in Chumbley's

Qutub (i99)), but reached the height of mystical articulation

in the ophiolatrous rites of his Dragon Book of -Essex'Rather.

1. ' I 'l>~ ri 1 «8 () I 1 I 1« IIrtfgo'l1 t«iok <)t I ssex w«r« i » i I i;Illy»»I» i I«st i» I',sscx from 19<) 2-1<) 99; arid

i» N<»'IlI A»1«rit '1 In)»11<)<)HIt) I l>«pr«s«»I„«x;>«I«J hy;»1»»>«r ««11 ol tlsc (.:Ult»s Sabbati.

I'1>lili~zti~»i t~l tl1«gi i»>tiit«1~ ~i l>«~liilt tl l~yXiii»~~» I ii»iI«il i» II>c»«» l»t»r«,

IO Foreword ForeMtord

than the mere exposition of such as an occult manifesto, the limiting the use of pla nts to hea lin g mechc inalsimplicia,Draconian rites are the Crooked Path in its actuated form, traditional oral teachings emphasise the role of herbs as

become vital through the manifest ingenium of the living specified conveyors of magical virtue. Thus Poison and itsbody of its Initiates. Aside from the Drag on B-ookitself, the manifold concerns are a part of this — from the destruction

genesis of the rites of Crooked Path Sorcery are spoken of, of life, to cursing or the causing of illness, to the mystical

in part, in the essay included herein "A Hi stor y of C roo ked Transmutation of Venom unto Ne ctar — for illum inat ion,Path Teachings".' healing, pleasure, or indeed any purpose the practitioner may

It is tempting to co nsi der Cr ook ed Path Sorcer y a require.4'philosophy of witchcraft' ; however due to its serpentine This implicit ethos of the Crooked Path encompasses thenature, ethos is far closer to the mark. This relates to the fact recognition that Nature can be both dangerous and fearsome,

that Traditional Witchcraft, at its root, is not a religion, it is despite man's attempts to paint her otherwise. By inclusionfirst and forem ost a body of pr ac ti ces, info rmed by an of the All-possible — including the repugnant, disturbing,indwelling genius. Born of the natura l coit ion of pow ers and incomprehensible — the sorcerer's relationship with thewhich Wise-Craft fosters, the Crooked Path may be seen as World is unfettered, and a. host of previously-imprisoneda perpetual dance between the stat ions of H ol in ess and powers liberated.

Heresy, Tradition and the D ev ia tio n of the Pa th . Ea chmomentary stance must be held in equipoise, the practiti oner Daniel A. Schulkefully aware of the summit of'its potentials, as well as their

weaknesses, ultimately knowing that mediative integration

will render all duality false and illusory. In witch-lore, this

identification of severance and bifurcation with the Crooked

Road is embodied in numerous forms, one of which is the

Arthana, or double-edged blade. Qf'it, Chumbley writes:

To contemplate the double edge of -the Arthana's blade is to

mindfully approach the realisation of the crooked Path's

essential nature For it re.veals the Path of Sudden Change, the transmutative power which may liberate or destroy; and which,

like the knife, may cut through the bonds of fateful

imprisonment or sever the veryflow of life

Mirroring the f'ateful division of the knife's edge is the

historical exemplar of wort bane,a cor-pus ofherblore h aunti ng

a number of Traditional Witchcraft lineages. Instead of

z. See also my article 'The Ophidian Sabbat', Starfire,Voi. 2 No. 4, mort

g. Dragon Book fr:seox-(i s~)<)y)

Preface

Throu hout my work as Arti st, Scribe, and Practition« o f

the Arte Magical, I have sought to expound and encirc e t e

mysteries of magic in the most concise, comp• •

lete and subtle

manner. 'Practise not, but become' is the path and point o

m S ell. It is thus important for each to realise that the

Secrets of Magic are too complex to be art icul ated using any

1 t ti on or systematised form of communication. Instea,imi a

one must become it in st ant ly: — in Silence, by Wi , y

Cunnin, by Knowing. For those who misunderstand this

secret, the pages of this book are already closed.

The Sabbath of the Witches, the cornuco pic night-festival

of'sorcerers, is the vehiculum for the Wisdom of our present

cunnin; it is from this arena of Magical Power that I haverarefied the rinciples here-in set forth. Woven by many

hands and threads of historical continuity, the Sabbatic

Current roceeds from a hidden companie of adepts w o

have called their Art 'T ra dit ion al Wi tc hcr aft' , yet whos e

uintessence is Nam eless. The Tr a it io n is m ot e in• •

ra matic charms and formulae of spell anct circ e-cra t,

au mented b ro t oc ols of the Arte Magical through specific

tcachin s, customs of initi ation and oath, all resichng beneath

distinct and concealed spirit-patronage.

The inner arcana of the T ra di t i onal %' i tch -Cu t isprimarily concerned with high sorcery of a tru y mystica

stature, the 'Gods' or initiating intelligences of which are

t ltose revealed to the initiate by Visionary Illumination. It is

t lie outer forms which are 'religious' and 'pagan' in concern;

t lie Ad turn of the Cult is concerned with the muta i ity o

I)@lief and thc reftnement of the Magical Quint essence o

Is l(.'cllltlqllcs alld Practices. All aie operat1ve modes

;tttd fi I ).'witltit tl Sttn <:ttrr'tt I 'P ttrc Magi,and sp t

() I t I1 t,'I t Iv I l 1c A t"tIs t .

Preface

Many who read these art i c les when they wer e f ir st MAGICK IS NOT FOR <LL

published found them of value and asked where other such

works have appeared. This response led me to conc lude th at l.f- h . . a ll - 1. - . „ . . • . k

a collation of such scattered essays would be apposite. I feel is not for all. Admittedly, in a theoretical sense, Ma. ick

that the most obvious aspects of the Craft have been written cou be used by everyone and some might argue thatabout time and time again, and it is both timely and needful all peopte use it if only in an uncon scious mann er. Thi s is no

to present a deeper perspective, one drawn directly from a more than theoretical speculation aimed at a rosy icture of

surviving traditional lineage of cunning-folk. It is therefore t e world in which everyone is equal. The pla.in truth is that

that I welcome the opportunity t o pre sent this volum e of Magic is practised only by the few, even amongst occultists.

essays specifically appertaining the deeper mysteries of the uc assertions might well lead to the conclusion tha.t I

Sabbat. The present work thus treats with both the practices am advocating a form of Spiritual Elitism and erha s this is

of the Traditional Craft, and Crooked Path Sorcery, an inner so. It is not so much that I am ad vo cat ing it, but mere ly

metaphysic of the Sabbatic Arcana. My aim is thus to present stat(ng the facts which so many modern 'occultists' attem t

an introductory range of co nce pts based upon cu rr ent to ignore or whitewash over with their New A e e alitarian

practices within Traditional Witchcraft and to demonstrate morals. Beyond the art if ic ial hi era rchi cal stru cture s of

the hidden metaphysics which many seemingly simple Craft tempora society and the spiritual hierarchies of man occult

practices contain. In doing so, I will also show examples of actions there is a small body of True Initiates; not necessaril

comparative practices and concepts from ot her mag ico t e Secret Chiefs or Hid den Master s but eo le wh o ha ve

religious belief systems. become the Magick which they practise. It is not for me to

As Seekers unto the Arte M agi cal, we may over look th e say whether or not such 'True Ini tia tes' are memb ers of some

ages and gaze over the succ ession of cent uri es from a. idden sodality, but it is per haps a useful part of ma ic al

privileged viewpoint, for ours is a Present abundant with lore practice for us to believe 'as if they were, for such a belief'

and learning. Looking back through Myth we may see many gtves an aggregate cohesion between the Adepts of'eve Path

threads, allegories, legends, and ancient trad iti ons. These, in and so in turn may lead us to a convergent source for all

merging, form the Witches' Sabbat, that revel of gods, men Magick.

and beasts, where time is set aside and the mundane order part from the egalitarian fallacy of the New A e there is

usurped by an eternal rite ingrained upon the depths of the a so a good deal of nonsense regarding the term 't radi tio nal '.

psyche. Unknowingly we met and worshipped, and from'I'ae whole spectrum of occult paths is beset with ' en ui ne

those 'ghosts' of our Truth, the myths and faerie-tales, our t ra itional teachers' and the like. Such over-sincerit y smacks

rites became immersed in a collective dream which men have (it simple falsehood, but it is non ethel ess useful in obsc

named 'The Sabbath of the Witches'. tltc Real Traditions from the expl oit ation of the ul l ib le

tn;tsses. Bttt what are these 'Real Tradtttons'>

Today I see th1s as Truth and ver11y, the Dream has fleshed tt ( tsc(tsst ttg thc "1<e;tI Traditions' I can only speak from

p( t s(hatt;t exp( t t( ttc(, whiclt is as valid or as invalid as that ofAndrew D. Chumbley t 1(' ll('xt c t(ll'I;tt't tl. II(lt s(> I'll':ts I 'lilt c()l lccl '( lcd, I would

M;ty I ()()(~e.v.

MAGICK IS NOT FOR ALLI8 OPUSCULA MAGICA II

consider myself to practice the Traditional Sorcery of' theNone can deny that the idea of an ancient and secret cult

Witch's Sabbat. Some may think that such a claim is toosurviving throughout the millennia is a fascination and is

outlandish or obscure to prove or disprove.something in which we would like t o beli eve; we may chsmiss

The term 'Traditional' is normally confined to some sensei t as ano ther symptom o f th e m ode rn pen chant fo r

of historical continuity with a specific emphasis upon an oral

conspiratorial theories or perhaps see it as an intuitive hunch.

or theophanic teaching which is pa ssed on from person toRegardless, many believe 'as if it were the Truth. I would go

erson over successive generations. This is a useful deftnttton

• •

further and suggest that it is this very 'as if belief which has

when a. p l ied to the nat ive prac t ices of Magick wi th i nexisted for millennia; do not most societies possess their

rimitive societies where, f'o r instance, each generatton asdevils, sorcerers etc., and it is this very belief in such things

i ts s i r i tua l gu ide o r Sh ama n. Bu t whe n app l ied towhich has reified itself in the reality of Witchcraft Today.

Trachtional European Witch craft i t has numer ous problemsWhether or not the Cu lt has alw ays existed is perh aps

in attaining credible authenti city. Th ere have been manyitnmaterial. Yet the belief in its antiquity is an integral and

claims by modern witc hes to 'Tra diti onal' or He re di tar y'1)ecessary facet of our prese nt magick.

authenticity but there is no definitive or concrete evidenceI have encountered Wi tch craft pra ct ices of both a

to build a.n acceptable historical picture of the traditionatraditional and a hereditary nature but cannot conclusively

Witch Cult — or so most historians say. prove this using acceptable historical evidence, and so my

The roblem is that we cannot penetrate the historical< xperience is only strictly valid within the field of my own

veneer of the Inquisition and the Malleus Maleficarum; ourI i Ic and within the lives of those who might trust my word.

view oint is constantly clouded by the Christo-myth ologi zedSo for the sake of giving some authenticity to my own

histor of the wo rld . But we ca nnot s im ply d isc ard the( I;lims of Traditional Witchcraft I must offer an alternative

ossibility of the Witch- Cult's traditional continuity because(IcIlnition of 'Tradition'. Without doubt there is historical

( vidence for continuous magical f olk bel iefs th roug houtit is nigh impossible to prove.

To m mind there is enough evidence for us to believe 'asI',Ilropcan History and ther e is an as if belief i n the exi stence

if the Wi tc h-C ult has a lways exist ed. First ly , there a.() I Witches and Sorcerers etc., but f' or myself the tradition of

continuous stream of ma gi cal sy mbo lism th ro ugh outI l l< Witch-Cult is not s im ply one of or a l, th eop hanic,

European history, obviously varying from regton to regton';lp<)stol ic' or hereditary succession. It is rather an atavistic

and from period to per iod but n on et hel ess possessing atl';)Alt(on it is no t n ec ess arily a cont inuou s line age of

de ree of consistency for us to believe in the existence of aI I lit i;It's bitt n)ore a periodic and metempsychotic resurgence

magical tradition. Secondly, this may be backed up y t e< ) I Wi tel) I)Iood. It possesses a degree of historical continuity

archaeolo ical evidence for the continuous use of magicalil) tll:lt its 'I~',tchings are more or less consistent in their

charms for many hundreds of years e.g., witch bottles, wax orI)l'Ill( II) lc's I I"()111 I I actlt1oncr to Pra ct it io ner , but i t is n ot

cia eff i ies, Wit ch 's La dders of knot s, hex m ark s onwl)<)lly Jape<)J:)I)t (Ipon vis ible or te mp or al me ans of

buildin s etc. This at least seems to infer the existence of a.I)('I'I)('I l I(It I()11.

ma. ico-ritualistic trachtion of beliefs at a. 'folk' level if'not at

the level of an organized cult.



20 OPUSCULA MAGICA II

I would assert that the Secret Tradition of Sorcery exi sts THE CROOKED PATHas both a. Reality and as a. Belief. Its Reality is in the fact that

in every century certain men and women are born with an Part I

innate knowledge and passion for the Ar te Ma gi cal, far

outreaching that of their contemporaries. Its belief lies in thehe following paper is a br ief outl ine of ce rt ai n

minds of everyone; in the myths of clandestine sabbats and m agical procedures in it ia l ly der ived fro m t he

ancient primeval cults; in the collective fantasies of Gods, Practice of Petro Voodoo and Sab batic Cr aft, and

Demi-Gods and devils. The Belief held in the minds of the consequently devel oped acco rchng to th e K nowl ed ge

Many has its realization in the Flesh of the Few. received via the Practice of Dream Control and Reification.

This is the result of private discussions and workings between

In the End as in the Beginning: Magick is not for all. myself and fellow students of the Arte and is intended to

«ffer some groundwork for further developments of method

and technique within the field of occultism.

Petro Voodoo is the sinistral corollary of Rada Voodoo and

is characterized by its dark and de eply passionate nature, in

(listinction to the benign and almost familiar manner of'

l4>da. Originally the dist inct ions between Ra.da and Petro

werc geographical and tribal but today the distinctions are

predominantly due to the differing nature of the Loas (Gods;t(td Spirits) in terms of their fields of operation and their

(I(»>canour in ritual interaction with Man via Possession.('I'l>ose interested in the historical origins of the various

l«rt»s, t(anchot( et famniof V,oodoo and the associat ions

l~( t ween Petro and the diverse Congolese tribal variations of

;( 'I'ctro' nature, are referred to the suggested reading list

li( l»w For some possible guidelines.)' I'ltc Loas oF Petro are distinguished by their strong, willful

;t(tJ ltighly emotional behaviour, marked with a capacity for

s t((I(I((t 'oFFbcat' changes of te mp er ame nt. In my o w n

(I(;tlittgs witlt I 'c tro Loa ., it is th ese sudd en shift s and

(l('1(:tti(butts itt t»ood which they exhibit that seem to bear a

(llr( ct ('( I:tt t(ittsl>ip with surges of a deeper Current of Power

ittl((t (ttittg tlt( it ()w(i pcrs()tt:tgcs; indeed, it seems that the

I ((;ts;tr( 'p(rs()ttil ictti otts' oI: tta vistic nuances within the

V('l(l(l() t t t t It't'('lit ((I l()l ('('t y.

THE CROOKED PATH PART IOPUSCUI.A MAGICA I I

the 'Horse' or Possessed Vessel of the Loa. In Petro the PathPetro Voodoo is of special interest to t he occulti st since its

Spirits are renowned masters of magical power and will affectis not so straight — the rhythms played upon the gros-haka and

great enchantments for the Sorcerer. This is not inexpensiveti b-akabattery of drums make use of off-beats or 'space

— i f on e r equi res some s ervic e o f th e Pe tro Lo as th en on emarks' to punctuate or syncopate the Path of Invocatory

must promise them something of value in return, and beSound. These off-beats are suddenly thrown into the Music

assured, the Petro Loas always collect their debts and in no to create doorways, to rend asunder the illusory veils of Ti meand Distance, and thus open a Portal for the Loa to enter the

way suffer fools gladly.

In rituals, those possessed by the Petro Loas are welcomedEarthly Point of Summoning. This instantaneous tearing

by the sharp cracking of a whip and with a libation of theopen of a. Gateway is simultaneous with the whip's cracking

strongest rum — these expressions typify their character — the Crooked Pat h b etween th e di vi de d ha ecce ity o f th e

and exemplify the services which they requir e to be rend eredSummoner and the Summoned is realized and made flesh;

unto them. In working with the Petro do not exhibit weaknessthat is, the Body of Man is filled with the Spirit of the Loa

or pride but shine in th eir pr esence with the same evilInvoked.

tinted and cunning humour whi ch they thems elves present.This method of summoning and its conceptual structure

The Petro will admire the character of a Sorcerer who isl>as its counterparts in the Sabbatic Mysteries — the role of

prepared to give as good as he gets; but should one at tem pt the off-beat or 'space-mark' within Petro Voodoo is recip

to deal with them with the pompous attitude of the ceremonialrocated in the concept of'Inbetweenness' within the Sabbatic

magician or with a'paradigm-shift ing' i rrespective ofhonour,Arcana. as expounded by A.O. Spare and subsequently de

then expect to be toy ed wi th me rc il essly, laughed at andveloped by myself in T he Aloe'tiaas the concept of'Other ness' .

>pare's concept of the Neither-Neither is the Key to an uneventually taught to know better!

Fulfil the Oaths taken in the required parachgm of Beliefi lcrstanding of the 'I nbe twe enness concepts' with in the

before shifting to ano the r par adi gm. Do not s ee th os eciitttext of'the Sabbatic Mysteries. By the Neither-Neither

Techniques which demonstrate the Mutability of Belief as ant ltc Sorcerer avails himself of the Kia — the Power)Ka of I, an

excuse for the breaking of Oaths or as a reason for MagickAlis<>lute of Perfect Muta bili ty whi ch surge s fort h fr om

without due reverence for Power. Aim towa.rds the Voudonl~~ twixt every 'Thi s' and 'Th at' . It is a me ans wh ereb y the

Ideal of the Syncretism of All Bel iefs)paradigms within the

>~~rccrcr steps beyond and between the 'Points' of the Sum

!»<ii>cr and the Summoned, and becomes entirely an ImmiDivine Forms of the Root-Lo a.

The 'offbeat' changes of behaviour exhib ited in th oseit<artcc to their Manifestation. He is the 'Space-mark' which

possessed by the Petro Loa have their cognate alignments andlies iit syzygy with the Inbetweenness-Point of Man's Spirit,

reciprocation in other aspects of Sorcery. Firstly, in terms ofwlticl> dwells «part in an apparent 'White Darkness'. t + t =

the Rhythmic Path of Summoning — in Rada. Voodoo the Loat ll(' I slglt Is given a stgntft.cance.

are called down by rhyt hmic pat tern s specific to each Loa ,( >etc l»igI>t bc cast forth into that Void o f W hit e D ar kne ss

played upon the manman, segondand hulabattery of drums; thelay tltc stiddcit 'bra;tki»g' or punctuation of the Invocatory

sound or drum's voice is the avenue of return for the Loal(ltythi»:tit J:ttt;tiit tIttt<i tltatcot»piete 'otherness' of Entity

wllllst ()I1('s c()rp()rcilllty INp()sscsscd ol:tllg»cd with a Loaunto its earthly point of con tac t:



OPUSCULA MAGICA II THE CROOKED PATH PART I

so might one employ off-beats' of W111 and Belief to focus This is only a summarized outline of t he Cro oked Path but

one's consciousness upon a Sigil whilst the Physical Body is I hope it gives some insight into its method of working. This

possessed/aligned with the cognate Atavistic impulse of that is not just another theory for our magi to ponder in their

Sigil. The pivotal aspects of these methods are identical ivory towers but a working pa thway f' or those True Sorcerers

to divert one's subjectivity or sel f-con sciousness through awho 'go forth in Darkness as in Light amid the Living and

sudden punctuating 'off-beat' and allow one's physicality and the Dead'.

spiri tual ity to obt ain a con ju nct ion wit h th e Am bi en t When Men awake they forget their dreaming lives, and

Void/Kia, created v ia a r i tu al i s t ic yet d iv ert ive act to when Men dream how m uch of th ei r wa ki ng do the y

syncopate the Temporal Influence of the Psyche. remember~ The Twain hold a tragic distortion for each other .

An interesting application of the met hod invo lves the use Therefore be not mere men but awaken to that inexorable

of 'behavioural off-beats ' with i n the cont ext of D re am Otherness of the Sorcerer.

Control Practices. The idea is quite straightforward but

requires the ability to emanate immense Will Power at a

given instance and may be applied to any dream wh atsoever .

When dreaming and an inkling of awareness dawns onSuggested reading list :

you, at that instant grasp the self-awareness of the dreamthrough your Will and awaken in the dream. Should the

Divine Horsemen -Maya Deren. Documentext, I989.

dream be mundane and of no obvious value to you, then by Voodoo in Haiti -Alfred Metraux. Shocken Books, i9yz.

the sudden emanation of your Wi ll , f orc e your self to do

something com pl etel y ou t of cont ext wi th in theTell My Horse -Zora Hurston. J.B.Lippincott Company, i938.

circumstantial normalcy of the Onei ric Re ality. Cults ofthe Shadow -Kenneth Grant. Mul ler, typal.

This sudden 'behavioural off-beat' tears open the fabric of

the illusory and flickering drea.m, and pushes you through a. Secrets of Voodoo -Milo Rigaud. City Lights, i969.

doorway into the Void — the Veritable Gate of Eden, where

Wisdom surfeiting that of any Magician's Desires awaits. The

aim of this method is to gain awareness of' the DreamingBody and consequently for the S or cere r to em pl oy hi s

Dreaming Body as the Vehicle of his Otherness, and even to

realize the s imult aneity of h i s Pr esent En ti t y and i t s

Othernesses as they are focused in the aggregate Form of the

Self-as-Dreamt. This method also permits the Sorcerer to

utilize the stasis of Awareness which occurs in Possession by

shifting his Psyche to the Dream-Body whilst his Flesh is

ridden by the Gods.

THE CROOKED PAT H

Part 2

n the first part of this article I defined a method of

Dream-contro l, the fun dame ntal praxes of wh ic hinvolve an 'off-beat' of behaviour in order to bring a

sudden and instantaneous clarity to the Dreamer. By 'off

beat' I mean any act which will break the normality of the

Dream and thus interrupt the Ubiety of the Dreamt Reality,

causing the Dreamer to realize himself as the Determinant

o f h is own One ir i c Ci rc umst ance . The 'o f f -b ea t ' ac t

punctuates the flow of unconsciously accepted 'normality'

;tnd presents a chance for immediate transformation.

In Dreaming, such a tec hnique may br in g imm ens e

pleasure, a joy at realizing the malleability of our own internal«<instructs, at dest royin g the f ut il e pa tt ern s of so ci al

«~>nditioning, and yet also at th e r eal iza tion of ce rt ain

«ltangeless 'Forms'.

It provides the practitioner with a mea.ns to explore and

t~> recreate his own Psy che. But used sol ely wit hi n th e

( >tteiric Realms this technique of the Crooked Path may

s«dttce the unwary sorcerer into the mire of his own self

it»portance. He may believe himself able to shape his Waking

l,it~ in the same manner as his Dreams .' t 'h is is not untrue, but it is a dangerously effective illusion!

'li~ become burdened with Self-importance is of no value

t<~ tlt« 'I' t-ue Sorcerer. All too often I have heard 'occultists'

i I;tit» responsibility for world catastrophes and accidents,

wit~ tt qttit« frankl y the ir own li ve s are not hi ng but a

J«ttt<>ttstrttio» of in ep ti tu de and p ow 'e rle ssness. Self

i ttt p~~rt t ttc« is o»ly of use as a veil in one's own cunning, but

tts;t lt«:trt J~ lt c(tt>victiotc it ts jttst another w eight to be carri ed

0 I' t)t t t tJ.

OPUSCULA MAGICA II THE CROOKED PATH PART II 29

Great Minds contain no opinions, merely Ideas . THE HONOUR OF A SORCERER — TO KEEP SILENT

AUSTIN SPARE

The World is well lostfor love,

(I would also refer the reader to the Teachings of Huang PoI>ut Honour is lost well for nothing

in regards to dem onst rat ions of P owe r as mer e se lf WILLIAM SHAKE SPEARE

aggrandizement.)'I he concept of 'Honour' is something close to the heart of

Realize yourself to be as unimportant as a mere mote of >»any a mage with whom I am acquainted. It is the value of'

dust, but even then you may transmit such Power 'as if' you (»>e's word, not only in the view of one's peers but also of

were the Very Hub of the Universe. This is one of the aims (>ne's Gods.

of the technique which I have expounded; it will provide a

rigorous yet pleasurable internal disci pline, but in orde r toFor every Word he speaks A man will pay in kind

avoid its pitfalls one must practise a reciprocal technique inverse 6$

one's Waking Life. Cattle die; Kinsmen die; you likewise must die At a certain level any Sorcerer of worth wil l dep art f rom But the Voice of Honour never dies

the well-worn pa ths tr od den by h is Brot her s and or imv o asearne a oo name.Companions of Ar te: he wi ll b egi n to dev elo p his own verse 7$, HAVAMAL

'system' and operate as an autonomous and unique centre of

Magical Power. It is at this point that he has become the very When serving or working with a specific god, spirit or loa,

embodiment of the Tradition. Yet given the unique character ;»>(I when one is bound in any way thereto by an Oath, it is

of each Sorcerer it is consequently rather difficult, if not (>I' t' he utmost importance that one fulfils that Oath. It is of

presumptive, to expound a specific set of guidelines regarding »(> (tse claiming that the Oath was only valid wit hi n th e

any form of 'Behavioral Sorcery'. Nonetheless we may enter I>;»",>digm of'your Belief and that now that you have gained

into a discussion of certain inferential principles from which y(>(>r desired result, by a mere paradigm-shi ft, you ma y escape

each practitioner may select whatever might be of util ity. This > I >( (>bligations of this Mag ical Oath . T his is a demonst rat ion

is preferable to any attempt at defining a set of rules by which (>I';> broken and lazy Will. If used in regards to personallya Sorcerer should conduct himself. ( >'(;> t (. J obsessional elementals, such a side-step will leave the

(>l>s( ssio»,>l entity silently gestating in your Psyche, awaiting

;»>y (>pp(>rtt>»ity for a sudden emergence as an unexpected

;>(( i(I(»t, disc;>sc, neurosis etc. And if one expects such a

(lisI>l;>y (>I Jisl>o»o>>r to work with entities such as those of

I ('t >'() V()(>(I()(), I()r »>st;»>cc, tl'>et> the answer >s quite simple:

I<;>k:> I.(>(t lh;>k:»;»d <lt>cdc at>d a host of others don t believe

i» y(>t>r p;»".>(Iig»>sl 'I'I>(y»>l>y ~>(I»»>'(' l\ c»»»ing natu re, but a

((»»»>(»> (I>('>t, I tl>i»k»(>tl



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THE CROOKED PATH PART II30

Primarily, the concept of a Sorcerer's Honour must be to turn around and la ugh at you rse lf and you r se lf

e xamined by each for th em sel ves, in the L ig ht or t h e importance, yet not diminish th e sanctity of your Art e wi th

Darkness of their own Na tu re. Bey ond the Ho no ur we common buff'oonery.

exhibit towards others there is the Ho no ur we af fo rd If you cannot overcome yourself, then all battles are lost.

ourselves. ave ou con ronte oronz o n an cr o ss e t e ss ut

still have that drink problem ? Have you sought to confro ntTo whom is the Trespassbut the Se pl the Very Devil Himself but remain intimidated by mere men

ALE I STER CROWLEY and their weaknesses~)

THE COURAGE OF A SORCERER — TO DARE THE PATH OF A SORCERER — TO WILL

The true mettle of the Sorcerer lies in his ability to become '1 he Will of the Sorc erer is its own di re ct ion . It may be

his own Self-Overcomer. By his intelligence to examine and sensed, manipulated and applied through a myriad of

observe himself and his position in the Worlds of Gods and different techniques but it is essen tially a Power that is

Men. And having come to such a realization of his own ittstinctively grasped - used without deliberation but with

powers — his talents, flaws, manners, habits etc.— to set Itttcnt. It is the fundame ntal driv ing force of a Magi cian.

about the task of sorting the wheat from the chaff. I ) csire is its motivation and Belief endows it with a mediating

This does not mean some self-congratulatory analysis of structure necessary for its function. These three powers

your finer qualities and an accompanying blindness to your It;trncssed in unison are the conduits of these inscrutable

glaring weaknesses, nor does it mean that you just sit there tiirccs we refer to as 'Magical Currents'.

and tacitly accept this as another concept to be assimilated '1'hc nature of these 'currents' may best be grasped through

as an 'intention', never to be realised as a practice. What it ;t tttystical cipher of symbols and cryptograms, but on an

does mean, however, is a challenge to achieve Personal Power itttttttivc level it is something one may just 'understand' and

and Technical Excellence in your Arte. Treat it as a Method ;tblc to arti culate. When you co nv erse wit h cer ta in

o f'Self '-L ove and Sel f-Wa r. S tr iv e to c on qu er y ou r own l imi t s. i tt Jividuals the re i s a c er tain a mb ie nc e e ma na ting f ro m a nd

Do you possess a sense of something uni quely 'I" bey ond t l tn)t tgh them. This is th e ' Cu rr ent ' th ey tr ans mit . I

and yet innermost to the Circle of your Personal Power' ? ( ~~ t' s() t t:tl 1 y judge a tree by the fru it it bears . Th is is a fair wayGrasp this and remain aloof though seemingly lost amid the t i > r«cognize Those through whom the Cu rr ent is

round of Life; this is the Nobility of the True Sorcerer. The Itl;tllI l«srI llg. 1)0 they bear the hallmarks of Creativity and

essence of this nobility is to look upon oneself with an Open I t tspir;tt i~~»r Such people are unafraid of the modern pseudo

Eye, to be able to walk the full circle of one's possibilities and Illt~•ll«ct lllll tcl1dcncy to be embarrassed by 'really believing'

yet be able to relinquish attachment to all that lies within its it t t lt it tgs:tb~>v«, b«1ow and beyond the mundane. They have

arena. Flexibility is an important aspect of this path — the ltttt' l«i1 tlt«t»sclv«s headfirst int o d ee ply em ot iv e an d

ability to change and accept change, to use the forces of'the i>list,~sit~tt;tI st:tt«s;t »J l t av c co mp lc tc ly 'e ns or cel led'

World which act upon you to work for you. Then to bc able tlt«»ts«lv«s wit lti» tlt«('.t s«itt~itts «ttclt;»ttntcnt of Self -Lov e.

OPUSCULA MAGICA I ITHE CROOKED PATH PART II

32

Even when we may, as Illuminated occultists, perceive that You may grapple with sorcery by Theory alone

'Belief in Itself is the significant 'Object' and the 'subject' of —it will be a lovely defeat .

our belief is arbitrary and may be t ransmut ed according t oALEI STER CROWLEY

our desires, we may avoid the reduc tion o f ma gick t o a. mereTo Know, To Will, To Dare, To keep Silent the seare the

psycho-dramatic juggling of man-made archetypes by seekingFour Powers of the Sp hin x and are in th em se lves the

those 'entities' of Belief which are Constant despite therhythmic determinants of' a Sorcerer's Power, the very

metamorphic nature of our believing. Such Constants I be percutience of the Current which he is able to transmit.lieve may reveal the Quintessential Principles of Our Arte

Returning to the initial objective of this article I will,principles mediated by word and glyph by which we may infer having thus expou nded a fe w basi c id eas reg ardin g aand transmit Our Gnosis, rather than attempt to systemize Sorcerer's demeanour, seek to exemplify a reciprocatingand categorize it through a. process of de-mystification. technique of the Crooked Path, to balance that of Dream

Like a trusting child hurl yourse flinto the arms of Mystery control which I have already given.

Sheis your Mother It was the straying that found the path direct

AUSTIN SPARETHE GNOSIS OF SORCERY — TO KNOW

The Gnosis of a Sorcerer is the Realization of Himself as anIf'one uses a simple device such as a mantra or gesture as a

Avatar of the Magical Curr ent — it is th e I l l um in ati vec«c in one's dreams for the 'off-beat' act then it is equally

Revelation of the Inter conn ected ness between every facet ofsiinple to use the same device in a mirrored fashion to cue a

the Whole Nature and of h is own aff in i t ies with in tha tI < ciprocal act in one s waking sphere. This is one's 'point' of

matrix. It is his own 'Knowledge', the Sum Body of the PowerI l>betweenness: a simple device upon which to pivot one' s

to which he has made himself available and is able to transmitI r;>nsilient metamorphoses of emotion and behaviour. Such

from the highest mysti cal state to the lowes t and mos t;I I> axis, created by repetition amidst an ob sessive atmosphere,

sl>I>uld be the mediator of the 'I' — the Absolute of one' searthbound state of being.

On the level of book learning and knowledge we may study l f> >I<flic>1ess.

for decades but this may provide nothing beyond the skillsl<cpcat the mantra/ gesture at all mom ents of in te nse

which are specific to this self-same field of physicalI l»I>tion and thus create an as sociation bet ween hi ghly

development — unless we have grasped the subtle essence ofcl»~>tive states and the sound/movement. One may employ

the Gnosis, the Grimoire of which we, as Magicians, are thei)>;>1>tl;>s~ cstu.res or s eci ic sensat ions. en at an esi r e

Living Truth, the Very Flesh of Magick. Yet this being so, wei i>s»;I> I in wal<ing behavi our one ha s an i mm edia te

may by study and the discipline required therefore, refine andI I>l>l>ccti<>I> or l»cans of accessing the required emotive state.

develop our work to greater degrees of understanding. ThisI'I) I' I I>c c()l»pctcl>t So>ccrcr It is wise to practise this for its

is perhaps vital for us in order to avoid generalizations ofI>wl> s;>l<c, ll>:>>I;>il> a flexibility of >cmperament and in order

technique and for us to realize the extremely specif>c andII> Jc>cl'I» ll>c flic pcl I f>l>cl'y of (.~l>c s cf>>otive potential. The

subtle nuances of the Arte Magical.KI y is >I> il><1>llgc I>l>cscll;>bsI>liltcfy il> oi>c's moods but a t the

OPUSCULA MAGICA II

THE SABAZIAN TO RC H

same time remain aloof, detached and above all 'untouched'

by the shifts in emotion. Those able to differentiate between n a recent advertisement for specialist books available

specific integers of emot ion and work o ut the per son al from the Atlantis Bookshop the newly published work

associations between these Apotheoses of Sensation and The Witches Sabbathby Austin Osman Spare was described

specific mnemonics such as colours, sounds, smells etc., will by its pubhsher Fulgur as a 'Goddess inspired account of

eventually be able to establish the emot ive anal ogue of what Wiccan worship' . The popu lis t ter min ology of mod ern

is known as 'The Alphabet of Desire'. One may then employ occultism may have led to th is de scr ipt ion rai sing a few

Gestures or Words to li nk t he se 'no des' or In te gers of eyebrows a.mongst both the would-be protagonists of the Zos

Sensation — this is the cor oll ary of the Ma gi cal Ci rcl e, Kia Cultus a.nd the initiates of Gardnerian(Alexandrian

remote but forever close at hand. Wicca. But to those initiates and good journeymen of' the

T hat which you pr esen tly are not — th is is your Crooked Path familiar with, or part of, witchcraft traditions

'Otherness'. The impressions we create by our behaviour in pre-dating the initiatory lineages of Gardner and Sanders,

other peoples' awareness are part of this Ot her ness: t hey are such a description evoked a true smile of cunni ng!

outside of our Self. Thus by allowing oneself to express the It is refreshing to see a ste p towa rds the l in gui st ic

emotive types of One's apotheo ses of sensation we may cast rectification of'the terms bandied about in occultism with an

the Circle of Our Emotions around the still, calm centre of ;tpparent ease irrespective of their exact and meaningful' I'. We em anat e a. 'Body' of O th er nes s i n wh ich o th er p eo pl e u sage by those t o w ho m s uc h t er ms ar e t ru ly re le va nt , i .e .

will invest their belief because they must 'believe' something practising initi ates of the Sab bati c Mys ter ies. (Such as

about 11s 1n order f'o r us to exist in th eir me mo ry. Th ese 'Wiccan', pronounced 'witchan' from the Anglo-Saxon weica,

memories of us are the Atavisms of Our Oth ern ess, projected pronounced 'witcha', meaning 'wise', thus 'Wiccan' = ' Wis e

'shabtis' and mimet ic bodi es bearing fort h our S pel ls of (')ne'. Wicca = masculine. Wicce = feminine. Verb -to practise

Desire. Wicca = to 'wiccian'. The word also has a sense in which it

By sheer cunning one's Body of Ot her ness may becom e t»cans 'to bend or to twist', hence 'The Old and Crooked

like a many-faceted entity having both cacodaemonic and I'ath.'

aga.thodaemonic funct ions wi thi n th e sp he re of o ne 's The reclamation of our ma gic al language is a. serious

interactions with Men, Sp irits and God s. tt t>Jertaking and is a. rightful part of our spiritual and culturalBut Beware — The True Circle of Arte must be a. Perfect itiltcritance: it is never an att empt to di ct ate to any one

Sphere upon every level and str ata of Be ing and m us t wltcthcr or not they may rightfully call themselves a witch,

encompass every nuance of one's entity. This is a task beyond lit t t rather to show the value of these descript ions as 'Wo rds

the ken of most mere mortals and may be the Making or the <il I'ower' and not merely as labels denoting a dabbler in

Very Destruction of both the Mage and the Idiot alike! spells. (:crtaitily the operative fields and techniques inferredliy sttcl>tert»s as sorcery' and 'witchc raft' do over lap and co

A Man in seeking overmuch for the Path < xist, bttt tt<ittctltclcsspossess distinct meaningin themselves.tvillmissit even though it lay at hisfeet Att(it lier cx:it»pic is 'sha»iati', a term covering a multitude

1il"sitts';tlittttd:tttt itt Ncw Ag<. spiritttality. In actuality the

OPUSCULA MAGICA I ITHE SABAZIAN TORC H

word has the fol low ing or igi ns: Sram = the Ved ic roo tThe Sabbath of the Witch es is the primitiv e and archetypal

meaning 'to heat oneself from within, to practise austerst<es .form of the Magical Rite. It is in this sense an eidolonin the

Sama«a = Prakit circa 3oo CE, Sr<<mana =Sanskrit, Saman = Platonic sense of 'form'; it is also glyphic in that its image of

Tun usic. The word 'sha.-man' is Chinese and first occurs inan Arcane Saturnalia 'twixt Gods and humans encodes a

this recognisable form in the works of one Yuan Hung 3z8complete body of occul t lor e. It is a vast and pro fo und

376 CE. The subs equent mig rat io n of t he wo rd i nto personification of the most primal states of entity and force,

European literature was presumably via anthropolog<cconvergent within the accumulated iconography of untold

research, although I cannot as yet clarify its transition intoeras of believing. Here I speak of 'belief' in a transmundane

the modern vernacular terminology of this and other fief lds sense, a belief in the Othernessbeyond our present ubiety. The

of practice and research.inner aspect of the witch cult is a Gnosis of the Sabbatic

B a linguistic virtue through countless links in the chainMysteries, transmitted both psychically and physically by the

of language a word applied to one driven by vocation tolineage of initiates and by oral and ritual means. This catena

ractise the austere disciplines of ascesis/aesthesis, has comeis preserved by a ritual act known as 'the passing on of the

to denote an a.rchetypal embodiment of someone who haspower', a gesture of contact between the initia tor and i nit iat e

literall become magick itself. Yet sadly on the other handwhereby the power is tr ans mit ted and cha nnel ed fr om

this noble term has been applied to the rather lacklustre an person to person.

superficial practises of the so-called New Age. Certain y anyWhere th is l ine of in it ia .tory heredity is bro ken the

occult is t with gen uine pow er may em pl oy sha ma n<ci <ivisible thread 'the Path of the Returning Dead' -a covenant

techniques within his practical schemata. of working, but the«> perpetuate the cultus bin ds the cho sen ini ti ate to be

archety e of 'The Great Shaman' is forever an ideal, an eidos,reincarnated. Occultists and historians alike have all too

and as such serves as an inspirati on.I < < quently refused to accept the possible existence of a catena.

With re ard to the witch cult, a.nd to the distinctions and<>I initiates stretching back from the present to far antiquity:

similarities; linguistic, technical, practical etc., between those< l>cy doubt the existence of the Traditional Craft, perhaps

traditions preceding the magical revival of the moth century,;<sking such to step for war d and be cou nte d wi th du e

there is certainly an issue afoot, namely the exact nature an dI < <stof 1.c1.ty.

validity of the o lde r tr adi t io ns of the cul tus and the ir

'I'hose with the eyes of historical acumen may cast their

rela.tionship with their resurgent coun terpart s Alex andr<an,g;<zc over the ages and see the footsteps of the cultu s in myth,

Gardnerian et al. To proceed in this line of inquiry I mustl<>ll<lorc, symbol and icon — it is all there! This is almost

resume the rea der to be a« fa i t wi th t h e wo r k s a ngr;<sped in I?r Carlos Ginzburg's Ecstasies Deciphe-ring the Witches

terminology of certain authors upon these subjects: Carlos'<«hb<tlh.where ,the micro-historical analysis of folklore, cult

Ginzburg, Kenneth Grant, A,O. Spare, Doreen Valiente,s<<rvivals, <.:hristian Inquisitorial stereotyping of witchcraft

Mar aret Murray, etc. To my mind the issue may be viewed «;<I. pr<ividcs an image of the Wit ches ' Sabbath as a collage

directly from an initiatory stance, and from such a po<nt I«I <»;><iy diA<.re<it i<illucnccs. From an initiatory stance this

must osit bo th in ner and outer aspects to the Mag tcal<»;>y sec<» lil<c a dissc<»inativc prcscrvc against the loss of the

Current transmitted by the Books and initiatory lincagcs owl)<)l<:>s w<)«ld bc <.I)a<)cad il' tlic c«lt«» werc constant in

thc Witch-Cult.I«<'<>>:><><) <'igidly <erg:><>iz<'d as;><«i<'tl»)doxy.

OPUSCULA MAGICA IITHE SABAZIAN TORC H 39

Even when the kno wle dge possessed by an initi ate iswe will ever know. For those initiates of the Old Craft the

fragmentary he or she must look into folklore, old books andemphasis is upon the pres erva tion of a ce nt ral body of

paintings to seek out that which has been lost. In my ownprinciples and the constant refinement of the ways in which

experience of the Traditional Craft there seems to have beenthese principles are applied.

a consistent re-integration of' those techniques, symbols andIt is in this respect that the chstinctions between in ner and

myths unearthed by the occult revival of the 2,0th century outer aspects become apparent. The outer forms of the witch

back into the original framework of the trachtion. It is in thiscult are in the most part constituted from religious believers.

function of the 'preservers of wisdom' that the outer aspectsThe emphasis is strongly placed on the celebratory nature o f

of the witch cult have their value. The initiatory forms of thethe Mysteries and as such their rites are practised as the

Craft which have become most accessible, i.e. Gardnerianautotelic re-affirmations of religious beliefs. This is valuable

and Alexandrian, have serv ed, in a li m i te d wa y, as aas far as the traditionalist is concerned as it will ensure the

storehouse of images. Despite the ever-present problem ofpreservation of the rites and symbols even when they are not

validating their historical integrity they contain key aspectsfully understood by those practising them. Nonetheless it is

of the Old Craft rites, such as the basic framework of thediametrically opposed on one level with the deliberate and

rites; exorcisms, salutations to the four q uart ers and a circleconscious use of humank ind's r elig iosity as a tec hniq ue

casting chant. encoding the tr ansm utabi lity of' bel ief ra the r th an anEven in the pre-moth century literature of ritual magic the

«mphatic dogmatizing of the Forms i n whic h we bel ieve. It

same preservative fun cti on ma y be obs er ved in theis the power of believing itself rather than the p ower of i cons

phraseology of certain texts. Perhaps this is because theii> which we believe that is the key disti ncti on.

solitary ceremonial magician, often a 'man of letters', hasThe initiate of the Old Craft will believe to make a thing

served as the Man in Black for covens of the Traditional Craftt rue rather than because he or she, might consider a thing to

— hence thei r m ethod s o f work in g hav e acted in a symb io ti cp<)ssess an inherent truth. This is not to say that he or she

manner and consequently the ri tu als used to day are adisbelieves in the innate power of certain facets of magical

sublimation of the most integral formulae of many paths.ic<inography; rather tha t he or s he w il l be l ed t o th e

Rumours abound in the shadowy historical mythos of ther("llisatlon that all such f acets are expressions of the pur e

modern occult revival, especially when it comes to the origin

t'<ir<» known as The Witches' Sabbath.

of certain cultic groups. For instance, there is the story that(>ther important chstinct ions lie in the are a of cult ic

Mr Aleister Cro wley was int roduced at a fairly young age intoi>rg tttisation and the fundamental premises of intent and

the witch cult perpetuated by Old George Pickingill, but duei i>8 ividtial ity. Even when the pagan faith s we re those held b y

to some uncertain disenchantment went his own way onlyt I i«i»:tjority of people in Britain it does not necessarily follow

later to have a hand in the reconstruction of certain Wiccanlli;tt tlat«rit«s practised by the present day Wiccan or

rites with Gerald Gardner. Also, it should be noted that the»I lt«rwis«;tt-« tltc self-same rites practised by the orthodox

late A.O. Spare, an exponent of the Sabbatic Mysteries, hadl~ri«stlt<)~its»l; tn ti qu ity . I'e rhaps the ri tes of seas onal

contact with both Crowley and Gardner, but exactly whichi «l«br tt it~it:tr«v«ry si»filar or are the cognate equivalents of

formulae were passed on and by whom I very much doubt i f

4o OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THE SABAZIAN TORCH

r ites pract ised fo r m an y c en tu ri es , bu t t he se w er e t he r it es I t is because of this loosely kni t o rg an is at io n of t he c ul t, so

practised by the pagan priesthoods in pubhc for all to see. loose as to appear non-e xistent, that it has consi stently

They were the rites of a rel igi ous faith held to bin d our slipped through the fingers of'many historia.ns. Since they

c ommuni ti es t oge th er . T hi s s ame f un ct io n i s t od ay p er ha ps l ook for th e f oo ts te ps of 't he ol d c un ni ng m en i n t he du st of

aspired to by the Alexandrian form of the Craft. libraries, it is not likely that they will have much luck. Despit e

The secret p ra ct ic es o f t he p ries th oo ds were, an d s ti ll a re , thi s self p re se rva tion al e li ti sm e ns ur in g the lon ge vi ty o f t heq uite distinct f ro m ( al th ou gh i nt er pe ne tr at ing w it h) t he c ult, it has m ean t t ha t f 'r om t i me to t im e a d e g re e o f

o uter v ei ls o f r el ig io us s ymbo lo gy . I t m ig ht e ve n b e s aid tha t k now led ge i s l os t whe n a n in it i ate c he s an d fai ls t o p as s o n

the majority of the social figureheads in a pagan community, either their knowledge or po wer. For instance, an entire body

a ltho ug h p erha ps s eem in gly o rc he st ra ti ng c er tain r i te s a nd o f lore relat in g to the rev eren tial d ev ot io n o f a nc es tral f orms

f'estivals, were not actuall y of the i ni ti at ory li nea ge, but has been reduced to a single rite of remembrance, Samhain

nonetheless fulf'illed such roles as that of a judiciary. I say this or 'The Night of the Returning Dead', but fortunately, thanks

because from my own experience of the Qld Craft, trachtions to a few people, this has been remedied.

a re few in num ber a.nd al ways have been due t o t he s pe T wo examples of th e o ut er e xp ression of t he S abb at ic

cialised nature of the r it es. For i nst ance, in Essex the major it y c urrent a re p re se nt ly i n t h e p ub l i c d o m ai n : n a me ly th e

o f init iat es were, and st il l a re , sol it ary p ra ct it io ne rs o f t he coincidental p ub li ca ti on i n t h e s am e y ea r o f The Witches

Arte, some coming together periodically to practise the Mys Sabbathby A.O. Spare and my own book TkeAsoetia:A Gri>ttoire

teries, but others remaining separate, only joining the other of Sabbatic Craft It shou.ld also be said that there is a conscious

ini ti ates in the reg io na l c ov en whe n rea ll y n ec ess ary. The na intent t o re-emph as is e the tec hn iq ue s of Drea m Rei fi ca tion ,

t ure of the coven's r ites often are a combi nat ion of tr ad it io na l t ogether w it h t he r ea ff i rm a ti on of t he v i ta l an ce st ra l a nd

formulae with a working procedure/symbology dictated by <>phidian mysteries within the cultus. Spare's book details the

the predilections of'the male/female leader of the group. basic ritual procedures and litanies as used in his own resume

B ecause of the tendency of each i ni ti at e t o speci al ise in hi s ~ >f a trad it io n p as se d t o h i m v i a p sy c hi c i n d uc t io n a n d

or her own a reas o f the A r te , suc h as wo r t cun n ing , ii>spiration ofhis " witc h-m oth er", Mrs Pat erson. Because of

mediumsh ip o r e nc ha ntmen t ( t h es e s pe cial iz at io ns v arying it»mense creat iv it y an d ps yc hic ap ti tu de Spare ac ted as a true

immensely from one village to the next, let alone from one n posoireand oracle for this current. His book bears a strong

c ounty t o a no th er ) i t i s c hf f ic ul t t o p r es en t a p ic t ur e o f d istinct ion t o a lm os t e ver y o th er a cc oun t o f t he S ab ba ti c

o rganizati on. T o do so woul d be a superi mp os it io n o f w is hf ul M ysteri es; t hese o the r a cc ou nt s b ei ng f or th e m o st p a rt

t hinking o n t he p a rt o f o c c ul t i st s w i th a p en c ha nt f o r t «llcctivc solely of the outer aspects of the cult .

romanticising about the past. In fact it is difficult to make ' I'I> is particular work of Zos exemplifies another important

a ccurate s ta te me nts a bo ut t h e o ld w i t c h c u l t sin c e ma ny ; tsl>cct <>f thc witch cu lt . This i s i ts emph as is u po n ind iv id ua l

teachings are passed on by wo rd o f mou t h and ea ch visi~>t>:tt>J t»ost importantly the necessity upon the part of

successive generat ion o f ini t iates adds a l it tle to the myth and t l>c itt Jividt t: tl i t> it i t tc to a ttain a point of di rec t and personal

manifests a little of the Sabbat's Grand Dream. ct>itt:tet witl> thc ittitiatit>g it>tclligcnccs of' the magical

cttt'rcttt. It> Spinttt;tlist ter»tittt>l~>gy thcsc arc so-called spirit

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THE SABAZIAN TORCH

guides', being the ancestral and discarnate familiars of the perhaps pertinent to po int ou t tha t such tech niques as trance

practitioner. Critics of my own book and that of Spare have mediumship originate in primal shamanism, but in the West

often remarked upon i ts s ubj ect iv i ty and th us l i mi ted are often cl assi fied as Sp i r i tua l ism. Dev o id o f the

relevance to others. They are missing the point. Anyone romanticism imbued by a tribal ethnicity such methods are

initiated into a genuine tradition will realise that although often looked upon as absurd by some ceremonial magicians

the path of the initiate is underpinned by certain guichng although it is the practical effectiveness of any method thatprinciples or 'universals of sorcery', it is nonetheless true that validates it.

his or her progr ess will be det erm ined by the powe r of To the initiates of the Sabbatic Tradition, the Sabbat is

personal vision. Each candidate must walk the pa.th alone, thus the very Sigil of Magick itself. By its corpora of rituals,

until, his eyes being opened by the initiatory illumination of contemplations and practices within the earthly cycle of the

the Mysteries, will see about him his own subtle compatriots, temporal compass, the cult reifies and obtains a state of

a host of attendants each bearing an arcane truth of the Way. circumincession with the eternal Cycle of Arte, patterned in

In much the same manner as the inner point of contact the symbol of the Ouroboros. They step into the atemporal

between the enti ty Shai tan-A iwaz and Cro wl ey, Spare zones of boundless power, participating in that which for

achieved an inner contact with a guiding spirit of the old most is called 'Myth'. E ach manifests the Grand Dre ami ng

Sabbatic Mysteri es; and it mi ght eve n be sai d th at suc hof Spirit in the Ve ssel of inc hvidual mort al perc ipi ence,

praeterhuman intelli gences are yet the ministers or mediator s transmitting the lightning-bolt of arcane illumination unto

between humankind and the Gods of an anterior worship to the Now of the Present Flesh.

that of the worship of clay gods by humans. For as both It is from such a point of contact with 'Otherness' of the

Crowley and Grant have stat ed, the true and hon our ed Fternal, an interpenetration of the mundane and temporal

traditions of magick have their origins in and beyond the vessel of the magus with the anc ient and tr ansm undane

depths of Sumerian antiquity. powers of witc hdom and mag ist ery, that creates such a

I would like to profer an analogous point in regard to the fountainhead of wisdom wi th i n th e in it ia te. Thi s is a

origins of the Sabbatic Tradition, since the word 'Sabbat' is characteristic of the In ner My st er ies of Ma gi ck, but one

itself Sumerian in its root form: Sabat tumean-ing 'The Day which is somewhat difficult to reaffirm with the intellective

of the Heart's Rest' (Also Persian Azzabbat = the forceful processes of rationality. We must remember that we are

occassion . stu o it s co nt ext u re ev in ce in t e re i ion s Healing with the visionary experiences of the sum Body of

of Ancient Sumer / Akk ad shows that the word 'Sa bbat' I t> itiates, the inchviduals unto whom the custodianship of our

denoted a. lunar rite of magical wors hip compl etely in accord ( i~>osis is entrusted for its inevitable inheritance by the future

although of certain obvious di ffer ences due to its time an d people of witch blood. This is a key point in the Traditional

place in history, with the inner Mysteries of the cultus today. Witch-Cult, and is perhaps the reason for its imme nse veil

The methods whereby the ' in ner poi nt of c on ta ct' is ~il secrecy and reservation to all but the very few. Many may

obtained are numer ous. In Cr ow le y's case i t was v i a pr;>ct ise the outer r i t es, but few ma y pe ne tr ate the ir

ceremonial magick and with Spare the means was that of an t~;>cl>i>>gs, let:>1onc refine and advance those teachings in

aesthetically-channeled mode of trance-mediumship. It is 'ice<)rcl wll ll «11 /ill'Iel sellse of I asslon alld V1slon.

GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAI.

A Brief Introduction to the Lore Of the Sabbatic Craft Tradition

With reference to the transmission

Of the Quintessential A-roe tic 'Current

n seeking the Quintessence of Magick we must seek

within ours elves, as unique stars shining within the Body

of the Void shining with the Single Flame of Magical

Power. We must not look further than the Present Moment,

nor strive towards an ever-distant Idol of Perfect ion; rath er

we must grasp the Secret NOW. For the Arcanum of the

Quintessential Current lies within our flesh, in the matrix of

our present incarnation. Its Mysteries permeate the crimson

tides of our blood with the theophanic quickening of the

Spirit. Within the Vessel of the Body Ent ire the Pri mal

Atavism of the Magician is thus enshrined: the Fire of theI',lder Gods is set ablaze within the adytum of Man. In the

very moment of its self-realisation this arcanum transmits

the spark of the init iat ing ata vism, its power r eveals the

i>;>tivity of the Eternal Mage.

Within the Tradition of the Sabbatic Mysteries the Primal

Atavism of the Mage is called 'the First-born of Witchblood'.

It is revered as the Fiery Serpent of He aven inca rnate w ithi n

ll>e Red Earth of Flesh and Blood. It is thus evoked as the

I'rilnordial Indweller of the Land, as the Soul of the

M <ii>dane Autochthon, the Ances tor/A nces tress unto wh omt l>e i'i rst Vision was given and unto whom the gift of magical

sp~ eel> was bestowed. The descent of the S tellar Serpent into

M;>I> i» the Redeeming Fall of Lucifer (Lumiel) into the

W~irld ~if Matter (Adam). This downward or reificatory

I ui>si»tssioi> of divine pneuma sacrifices the nature ofboth

Al>gal:>t>d M~~rtal Man, but through Death it begets the

l.ivii>g li>it i;>tv: tl>e M:>n of [.ight. Aris ing f rom t his myst ical

ag;>p:>e ~il l.~iv«;>i>d l>cath, tIic l t>it iat ic Ent ity pos sesses the

l>ll'//Nlcllll('//()l Adl'll1) ')lid tile SlclelY'll (enosis of Ll let fcr. The

OPUSCULA MAGICA Ig GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL

powers of the First Initiate were thus made manifest upon the sacrif ic ia l mur der wh ic h th e ade p t com mit s i n

Earth. Through the Word thereof, the Logos of the First overthrowing his own dualistic or unillumined nature. The

born, the Divine Vision of Self-Realisation was cast forth reverence in Sabbatic Rites for the 'First Murderer of Man'

throughout Time: the Gnosis passed on from soul unto soul, is thus an en cr ypt ed de vo tio n to t he Pat h o f Self'

f rom mind unto mi nd, th ro ugh the sacred mediu m of Transcendence.

language (the Sacred Alphabet), and so the Arcana of Cain is customarily called 'the Master of Horsemen'. The

Eternity are perceived in the Moment by Us, the Present'horse' in this context may be interpreted as the body of

Inheritors of Witchblood. mortal flesh, the steed of Matter which the spirit 'rides' in

the possession-trances that arise from the rites and praxes of

th.e.y .tthe Fallen Angels] taught them charms and inagical arte. The charm below is a cipher of Cain's spiritual

enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them horsemanship.

acquainted with plants .. ..A...nd Azazel taught men to make

swords and knives, and taught them to know the metals of the 'Here's to the Horse with the four white feet,

earth and the art of working them with the chesnut tail and mane;

a spot on his breast and a star on his brow,THE BOOI(. OF ENOCH, CH. LXI X.

and his Master's name was cain

According to Sabbatic Craft Tradition, the 'First-born' ofA TOAST OF THE HORSEMAN S WORD SOCI ETY

Magick is named 'Cain', He who received the Sign of Exile,

the Mark of the Beast, upon his brow. Cain is considered to Man is the Horse, the four white feet are his palms and

be the child born of the union betwixt Lilith and Samael s(iles, the chestnut tail and mane are the 'reddened hair' of

between the Man and Woman of Light — They in whom the i lie head and the genitals, the spot on the breast is the heart

Serpent first indwelt. In this interpretation Adam and Eve the place of oath-taking, and the star on the brow is the

are perceived as the Man and Woman o f Pr ofane and Mor tal s(i called 'Witches' Mark'.

Nature, whereas Samael and Lilith are the self -same entit ies, As the Horseman's Lord, Cain is ide nti f ied with th e

but infused with the in i t i a t ic spark or nume n of d i v i ne Itl;icl<smith, the Master of Fire and Metal. In this context he

ophidian power. Numer ous impl ic i t s of ste l lar lore are is i lic archetype of'the first artificer, the first knower of skills

concealed in the salvific deed of the Heavenly or Northern ;iii<I t;tlcnts. As the tender of the alchymic f ornax, the Forge

Serpent's descent. These form a focus of devotion in the I i('( «I thc Azoth, he is referred to as 'the Man-in-Black' and

Draconick Mysteries of the Sabbat as celebrated by the ;is s(i( l»»ay bc identified with the Burnt or Blackened God

Synomosia Dracotaos, an Albionic Cult us of Cr ooke d Path Sli:iitai> «r Sct-an, within whom the Peacock-fire, the

Sorcery. 5('v('Il t()llgllcd 1.1ght is concealed. Within Sabbatic Tradition

In a further developm ent of o ur my th , Ca in is th e ' i l i ( M;i i i i ( i I<i; ic l< ' is f igured as the De vil , the Gr ea t

embodiment of the I l l um ine d On e, the In i t i a ted Sel f , ( imp(is( r,:iii() i» iii literal ter(»s c o n si de red to be the very

whereas his brother, Abel, is the Profaner, the Inf'idc1 or i iitity (il I >('itli. Ill c(»lltclHpor'll y pl"axis hc is thus called

Uninitiate. The biblical account of Cain's frat(-icidc dcnotcs (IIi('»I its I >('v(ll,;is M;il'I itzll;tel, 5;l I(i;1('I, ()i lis Apelhjuj.



OPUSCULA MAGICA II GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL

As 'Death' or Thanatos, the Great Opposer is summoned consciousness or more often the State of Hypnagogia. The

as the Sovereign Witch- fat her of the Sa bbat and is evoked as Fourth Road is the Trance State Itself: the State of Silent

a deified form of the first initiate. Cain as Witchfather is Knowing or Gnos is. The Sabbatic Tea.ching is that where the

paradoxically his own Sire, and thus — as the Consort of Four Roads meet the Power of'Death resides. As the God of'

Lilith — is both Child and Lover. His role as Transgressor is the Cross'd-Roads he leads the As pir ant th ro ugh the

thus extended to embrace the prototypal murderer to that of Psychostasis of the Initiatory Ordeals, thus granting him

the first incest. This signifies the Transgressive Way of communion with the 'Living And the Dead of All Blessed

Mystical Return, the Path which leads us back to the Red And Wise'.

Earth or Womb of Our Origin. To enter this Path, one seeks In summary, the instantaneity of Self-illumination is the

not by the forwards embrace of Life, but by a backwards immediate result of contact with the innermost sanctum of

embr'ace — an en-trance into Death. our own being. By entering the cross-roads of our aware

The god-form of Cain as the Skull-masked God is nesses we enter the gnostic states of the Lord and Lady

perceived as the very 'entity' of our own death. Our shadow the Initiatic Conclaves of Cain-Mahazhael and Liliya. Whilst

is seen to mark the place of our final return to the dust, and these Mysteries are transmitted thro ugh conte mporary lin

is thus ritually entreated as the Gateway to t he at avist ic eages of Traditional Wit chcr aft, they may also be cognized

lineage of the Living Trachtion, as the Way of the Spirit by any Receptive Mind as Immed iate R ealisations of Magi calprocession which leads betw ixt the Fi rs t- bor n and th e Heredity. Herein is the arcanum: the unveiling of the eternal

Last-dead of all Witchblood. The open'd grave becomes the spirit-procession th e co nt in uit y of all past and future tran

birth-road for the Returning Ones of Eld. sitions of entity through which the Inchvisible 'I' will pass

As the present children of these Mysteries we may enter is attained by going-forth to the Sabbat, the Mystical Rite

into communication with the souls or atavisms of our magical at the 'Cross-roads' or Transvocatory Point bet ween all Space

heredity through the gateway of our own bodi es. Thi s may and Time. At this Point lies our Eternal Ancestry: the Grave

best be described in terms which are at once both mystical is the Womb of the Qu int essence Azoth.

and practical. For present purposes a swift gloss must suffice...

In the present-day recensions of the Elder Craft, we are'The Great Sorcerer draws Power fromhisowe Death Now!'.

taught that Liliya or Lilith, the Primal Goddess who is LifeFor the sake of our present context it is im por tant t oI tself, mus t b e c al le d u po n a t t he P l ac e w he re t hr ee r oa ds d emonstr at e th e p ar al le l be tw ee n t he S abb ati c T ri -u ni ty o f

meet. These three roads are the three stat es of awareness Liliya, Mahazhael a.nd Cain, and the Thelemic Triad of

Waking, Dreaming and Sleeping. The Goddess is the Babalon the Scarlet Woman, Therion the Great Beast, and

Continuity of Awareness — the 'cross-roads' state in which their union in the Bastard-child. The interpretation of Cain

the Adept abides after the accomplishment of contemplative, as thc bastard progeny hinges upon his being the fruit of no

ritual and votive disciplines. 's;>i>ctioi>cd' or worldly marital union. Born of all Nature, he

Beyond the Meeting-place of. the three roads there is the i» t l ic s i i ig lc ~)f l 'spr ing of ' thc Grea t M othe r ' s va st

F ourt h R o ad . T h t s t s e n t e r e d t h r o u g h a n y S t a t e o f . c ~iliciIpiscc1icc wit li:>II l'.iiit y f o r s hc r i dc th t he T ho us an d

'Inbetwccnncss', such as a i it uall y in duce d hia tus o f



$0 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL

limbed Beast of all Existence and from that divine whoredom complete body of ma gic al dis cipl ines and lor e wi th ou t

the Heart-union is enfleshed as Cain. compromising the germination of pe rsonal insight. ( Thi s

The magical practitioner is then to be self-realised as a. manner of Teaching is alcin to the Sufic technique known as

unique child of Life and Death. One may visualise oneself as the 'scatter ' metho d). Onc e the ar ca num is re al is ed

the Silent Self-speaking Child, perfect in ipseity upon the autonomously by the inchvidual, the function of a group circle

F ire-pet al led L ot us t ha t g ro ws f ro m t he g rav e of o ne' s sel f w ill be e vi den t a s a. me ans t o r ef in e t he a wa re nes s o f t heconquered mortahty. One is thus Seth IIa -kh-arad,the prodigal Quintessence.

child uniting all Holiness and all Heresy; the self-born of By going forth through the Gateway of the Cross'd-Roads

Babalon, Scarlet 'Flow-er' of all W oma nhoo d; the S ole Son the aspirant meets face-to-face the Catena of the Mighty

(Sun) of Heaven arisen from the Grave of Conquered Dead, not only those of his own metempsychotic lineage, but

Natures — fro m th e Bl ac k- of- man y-colo ursEar th o f all Kindred of Our Arte to which he is bound by the

Ancient Khem. Bet ween the Nu it a.nd the Hadi t of all Covenant of descent from the Fi rst Ini tia te.

Extremities, one is both the Path and th e Tr ave lle r. The He enters the Circle of the Living and the Dead to dance

awakening of oneself to the inner arcanum of Thelema is in co-eval rings of momen ts, days and epochs, hand-in-hand

truly the opening of the Visi onary Eye; it is not the cli nging with Gods, Beasts, Men and things of Spirit and Flesh as yet

t o any creed, but i t i s t he cr ee dless living of G no si s! I f t hi s unnamed. T hi s V is io n i s t ha t o f t he G re at S ab ba t t h e

secret can be grasped then the Vision will transmit. Prototype or 'Form' of Magical Quintessence from which all

Returning to the matter of the Sabbatic Teachings, I have 1»agical rites and practices take their patt ern. It h as be en

attempted to outline, albeit in a. very basic manner, the crux called 'The Communion o f the Saint s', 'The Sabbath of the

of' a Body of Lore, whose elegant simplicity and yet highly Witches', in antiquity 'The Sabaziorum', and in the times of

intricate nuances cannot be given a just expression by words Ancient Babylon 'Sa-bat'. To some this Vis ion is ful l of '

alone. But nonetheless this outline wi ll suf f'ice to impart to glorious imagery, where angelic nymphs will l ead t hem

the reader a sense of the approach to the Quintessential c;1rousing and singing to feasts of delightful superabundance.

Current which the Sabbatic Craft Trachtion may grant the Yet to others it is an infernal pilgrimage, traversing gulfs of

Aspirant. In essence it focuses upon the individual as a. centre p;>in upon ladders of kni ves, jostl ing wit h con cupi scent

of power and emphasizes via the stress upon an individual's IIIIrdcs of half-for med Satyri and Succubi unto the oft '

sta.te s o consciousness — t e vit a im oI 't anc e o on e' s l~lIIodied altar, where the Anus of the Goat is kissed as though

personal magical vision of the World. This approach assumes it werc the tender lips of a Proserpinian Virgin.

form in group pract ice as well as in the solit ary observance 'I'lIc unity of these disparate representations lies in an

of the Tradit ion. Ra th er tha n pr im ari ly att emp ting to I I I I agni area of Sabbatic Lore — t he T each ings r egarding the

external ize the Qui nt essence v ia a unit y of d if fe re nt I I;IIIci;>1>d the L'ye. These are magico-aesthetic formulae

initiatory streams — by bringing together indiv iduals skilled i ~ II I@I'IIIg 11po» the In na te P ur it y of Per c ep ti on . To

in such to facilitate a 'working group' — its p rim e obje ctiv e . Ii cIII»plIsl1:> realIsation of th is or ig in al ba sis of ou r

is to a llow the ind ividual asp iran t to discover the Un i ty of l11 111 p( iIIII, I»:111y III:Igic: Il teel>I11ques have been evo lved for

Magical Power Wit hin , whi lst engaging him or l~eI III a I III' sellsIII'y Il'IIIlsIIIlssIIIII 11( II11.' (. 111111tcssellfIal CufferIt v1a

GNOS IS FOR THE FI.ESH ETERNALOPUSCULA MAGICA II

Art — whether that be pictorial, musical, sculptural, terpsi'Black Eagle', as well as the metempsychotic inductions of'the

chorean or martial.Sabbatic Lore faci l i ta ted by h is p ra ct ice of ' At avi st i c

Many of these techniques involve the transgressive ethosResurgence. It was through the personage of Zos that the

which marries the innate purity of intent with the outwardSabbatic Current conjo ined with the Oph id ick Nu me n

'blasphemy' of action. The Forbidden is used as the tool for transmitted through the O.T.O. The symbiosis of the two

perceptual rectification and the re-alignment of the senses streams is attained par excellence via the Zos K ia C ul tu s,

to their 'Virgin' condition. Such methods are fundamentallywhich may be seen as both an 'atavism' of' the Sa bbatic C ult

akin to the Panchamakara teachings of the Vama Marg andtoday and as the 'Portal' for the insurgent vitality which is

the One-Life/Short-Path teachings of the Bon -po andpresently revivifying the Circle of Artist-initiates.

Tantric Mystics of Tibet and Nep al.It is perhaps pertinent at this jun cture to st ate my own role

The Full Embrace of Abomination is endured to gainin these matters as a whole and to comment, as much as is

intercourse with Tru e Bea uty and Un de rs tand ing. Th ispermitted without breaching the law of' secrecy, upon the

alchemy of aethesis is glyphed in the myths of the Sabbat by present form of the Cultus Sahhati

the transmogrification of the Osculum Ivfaee —the ForbiddenContrary to the views of'some historians, anthropologists

Kiss — into the 'Sacr ific ial' Hei ros Gamos of the Vi rg o;>nd occultists, there are traditions of magic, witchcraf't and

Sabbati. Similarly, the tra nsf orma tion of th e Me du si nesorcerous practices in Br it ain and Eu ro pe wh ic h hav e

Witch- Queen into the flowering visage of an Aphrodite.continued from ancient ti mes, through the m edieval period

;>nd into our own modern tim es. The substrata of folk magic,

(It is of note in comparison to the One- Lif e/Sho rt-P ath ~i(ttimes fused with and inseparable from the High Magical

that there is an ident i ty wit h the 'Fo urt h Roa d' of th e fr;editions, has maintained a continuity through centuries,

Sabbatic Teachings and the half-coil of the Kundal ini or Fire ;> I though it must needs be said that each generation inte rpr ets

snake, which is in total three-and-a-half coils. The identity :>i>d applies the Mysteries differently.

between the 'Short Path ' — the Hal f- coi l or In te rst i t i a l 'I'he tradition to whi ch I be lo ng is tha t of the Sabbat ic

Route — and the 'Fourth Road' is explicit upon a. study of (: r;1 ft or Cultus Sabhati,which, after discarding nominalisations,

common techniques and aims within both the practical and ii>;>y be understood as a magical tradition preserved by a

the mystical fields of Wytcha and Tantra). ij ii'act lineage of Outer Initiations. In basic terms, the Cultus

i;ii> bc said to transmit the te achings and practices of Englis hWith regard to the magico-aestheticism of Sabbatic Lore, ('.iii>i>ii>g-craft or rural folk magic, but as generations have

we have a direct cultic precursor in Zos vel Thanatos (Austin i'I>;>i>ged their character, so our tradition has changed its

Osman Spare), whose own artistic and magical work greatly lid~ ~ Jcs ol practice, presently evolving to w hat may be u nder refined this specific area of the Tradition. He was himself an sl iii>3;>s "I'n1>sccndcntal Sorcery': a unity of practical spell

Initiate of the Sabbatic Mysteries — in the Outer via. the si'1 I t;> t> J g~>~est ic inysticism. The essence or 'Cu rren t' of th espiritus lineage of Old Ms. Paterson and the Salem Witch (',tel(its is i>:>tive t~> l)ritaiii, although it is mythopoetically

cult , and upon the In ner v ia th e ps ych ical ly indu ctive ,~ iiJ t() h» ii>(~~re>>cd by tl>e sell- sainc c<irrent fro m An ci en tinitiations caused by traff'ick with intrusive familiars' such as , illl'l ie/' wlllcll prese llt ly ll>f()l ills tl'Ie 1IllleI saIl ctll m of th e



OPUscULA MAGIcA I I

O.T.O. (hence the etymology of Sabbat = Sa Bat,the Lunar

festival of Inanna). Other mythopoetic derivations could

place the impetus elsewhere, even unto the very Gate of

Eden. But in truth, the power of the Cultus is derived from

the land whereon its circle is cast, wheresoever that may be.

Within our present time the Cultus is assimilating the webof currents transmitted from the many occult power-zones

upon and beyond the Mundane Sphere, not by outer union,

but by direct apprehension of the Quintessence.

The Lineage of Ou ter In it ia t i ons, (wh ich has bee n

unbroken since before the inaugu ration of the Th el emi c

Era), is preserved by a. means simply called the 'Passing-On

or Passing-Over of Power'. It is usually a gesture of contact

between the Initiate and the Initi ator a c c om pa ni ed by the

reception of the Pa ss- word, and a lso th e W ord s of

Benediction: "May the Blessing Be". It is of note that this

blessing and gesture are identical to that preserved in certain

Sufic and Dhu'lqarneni Circles, the words being translated

directly as 'Mubarak Bashad' "May the Blessing Be". A

cognate means of thi s 'Pas sing-O n' wi ll be fo un d in th e

tradition of 'The Horse-Whisperers', a secret society closely

l inked to certa in forms of the Old Cr af t — he nc e th e

relevance of the 'Master of Horsemen' or Cain as the First

Initiate. Certain forms of C raft F reemasonry, contemporary

Voudon, vastly ancient Bon-po, as well as the aforementioned

Sufic and Equine-totem sects et al, preserve an initiatory

gesture to impart the power of their current from Initiator

to Initiate. Within the Sabbatic Craft this is only bestowed Q j L

when the aspirant has fulfilled a preparatory period of nine

months and a novitiate period of'one year and a day, during

which they are taught and tra ined in the man ner of th e

tradition. There are other means of t his 'Passing-On', such

as the purely metempsychotic, which preserves the Inner E 1 R

Catena of W'itchblood. There is also the Eroto-inductive L I 6means, which is only used once by an initiator in his or her

OPUSCULA MAGICA IIGNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL

l ifetime in order to pass on not on ly the 'P owe r' of th e Initiates, the Gateway through which the Mighty Dead of

Tradition, but also a certain secret authority. According to Witchblood will once more go forth in Shadow and in Light

custom the worthy Initiate must be of the opposite gender, upon the Earth'. The physical book is only a visible means to

thus ensuring the alternation of masculine and feminineread from and thereby gain access, through the subtleties of

emphasis in the t each ings, and also en gendering the symbolic inference and psychic perichoresis, to the Great

'Children of the Elder Gods' — those sired in the precinctsUnwritten Grimoire of Magick — that which is the 'True

of the Sabbatic Conclaves. Form' of the Aloe tia 'A.sPresent Magister of the Cultus Sab

It is also important to point out another aspect of my own bati, I have initiated thi s Work in accordance with bot h the

work, because it bears upon the relevance of the Zos IGa principle of preserving the integral Body of the Teachings

Cultus and the work of future adepts within these Mysteries.and the ethos of their perpetual refinement. This is not

This is the matter of the individual Initiate's responsibility, straightforward, nor is it a light responsibility; one must en

not only to preserve the lineage and its lore, but also to refine, sure that whatever one adds or subtracts does not diminish,

expand and subhmate it in accordance with personal vision imbalance or confhct with the Harmonyof the Totality. This

and predilection. Zos, in his formulations within The Witches' concerns all who are at present conjoined in similar endeav

Sabbathand in his Grimoire of Zos,transmuted the Sabbatic ours within the field of the Arcane; with all due honour I ex

Lore as a natural conse quence of his own ar ti st ry, but

press my blessings, gratitude and encouragem ent to tho se

nonetheless he did not detract from its Corp us of Wi sdo m. True Companions of the Way.

What his words do not impart his pictures most assuredly The Principal Methodology of the Sabbatic Arcana is

do. Likewise in my own recension of the Tradition within Sorcery, and therefore it is necessary for me to define what

At,'oetia, A Grimoire of the Sal»batic Craft(From Asoth, Zoa, Aroa,et is meant by 'Sorcery' in this context. Its meaning as employed

al; hence Quintessence, Lif'e and Death, and cognate ideas} in the Cultus Sabbati is in agr eement wit h i t s corr ect

I have redefined the Body of Sabbatic Lore and have sought definition via the roots of etymology: ensorcel/ensorcellment

to reconstruct the entire framework of the Tradition in ac= encircle, meaning 'to bewitch' or 'to bind by witchcraf't'.

cordance with its present aim of reifying the Qui nte ssential Hence this implies the method of encircling' or binding' as

Current of all Magick. Certainly the work reflects my personal a. means of control and influ ence wi thi n the ma ni pul ati ve

vision, but the 'Lore' encoded therein is a direct 're-enflesh procedures of' Magickal Power. It is usual for occultists to

ing' of the Tradition as a. Whole, drawing in strands of sym maintain a. simple error of technicality to strengthen their

bolism and technique from many paths to express their align practical ineptitude. In the use of 'Sorcery' as a name for

ment with in the Qui nt essentia l -Azoetic Curr ent. Thu s specific magical procedures the erro r of te rm in ol ogi cal

having focused the Gnosis of the High Sabbat upon the Inner Inaccuracy is most common. The ter m is usual ly restrict ed to

as a repository for the Unifying Current - th e Magick of A ll t l>osc operations which rely upon the use of material bases,

Aeons — the task is now to reciprocate this upon the Outer. i>r «rc located strictIy upon a fixed level of magical processes.

The Mystical Grim oire Azoetia is the Telluric I oint of i.«: th« I,<incur/S«xttal Strata Entity. The error extends further,

Ingress for the reification of the Quintessential (.;urrtl»t. It «I:>ssilyit>g tl>« ".i~)r««r«r':>s;> I'ractitioner of 'lhlack Magick'.

is the 'Living Truth of Artc, the Very I Iesh of th«Sabbat's I'i)rtl1ll'1t«ly t l1«s««l'n»1's ill'« IMII tl lltlls.



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL

Sorcery embodies the technique of 'Binding' as the means Upon the Intel lect ual Plane i t acts via. the 'eidos' of the Gods

of controlling Magical Forces, and hence may best be defined and Powers as 'cogent principles of philosophical enquiry'via a definition of' that technique: the 'Ideas' which specific god-forms represent. Similarly it

may be applied upon the Emotional level via the sensoryThe act of Binding is the deliberate limitation of a

corollaries of the Sacred Letters; upon the psycho-sexual levelForce or State of Entity by Will, Desire and Belief,

via the use of specific eroto-cognit ive and org iastic for mulae ;in order to give that Force or Stat e of Entit y aupon the mundane level via the ritual iconography and the

specific Form or Icon, and hence give its Power ause of fetishistic bases to earth or ma ni fes t the Po wer

focus and an intensity imminent to self-realisation.Invoked; and upon the ata vist ic level via the anc estral ,

This definit ion is not r estr i c ted to any one le vel. I t totemic and elemental powers communicated with and used

functions from the Highest to the Lowest Strata. of Being. by the Practitioner as delegatory exte nsions of his present

Upon the Transcendental and Mystical Plane it is operative ent1ty.

via the 'Forms' of the Elder Gods and through the Abstract This only glosses over the Practice of Sorcery, but it clearly

Magical Principles that are embodied in the Sacred Alphabet. exemplifies its rel evance to the Ad ep t. As d ef in ed 111

ref'erence to the Azoetic Current, Magick is the Force Itself,

the Transmutability of the Quintessence (Azoth) of All

Nature; and Sorcery is the Method par e xcellence of the Art e

Magical used to control that Force. Its advantage is primarily

its technical precision in working with the extremely specific

nuances of the Magical Current, whilst maintaining the

Sanctity of Mystery via their understanding and control

through the cryptogrammatical meta-language of the Sacred

Alphabet. The ramifications of the system are complex and

intricate, but it exists as an holistic 'entity'. Its understanchng

should be undertaken not solely upon an in tell ectual or

rational plane, but rather by 'feeling' an intuitive knowledge

:lnd by virtue of sudden realization: a. deep and tacit gnosisl»arried to the lightning-swift illumination.

'I 'hc notable distinct ion in the So rcery of the Az oet ic

t ',(Irrcnt is that it is 'the Sorcery of the Crooked Path'. It is

l()yal solely to the deviation of the unique intent; it defines,«

I'( I il) cs and achicvcs its secrct ends, and in doing so conf ron ts

© lllc linlits of Nature's own horixon. By the transilient dance

() I I llc Adept lr()nl thc ()i d 1'Icsll to t hc New - - f' rom A bel

«~ +« ll Ill() t.(llll llc pcl 'pclll(lilyI'cl Clcs I ll(lt wl) lcll llc Is riot: tile



60 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I GNOSIS FOR THE FLESH ETERNAL 6z

Body of Otherness. He is thus not only the Gateway for the THE EXVOCATION

Returning Dead but the Ga te way for T ho se who a re

'Beyond' and 'Between' the borderlines of Possibility. I: O' Thou Colossus of Phantasie,

In consequence of thes e arcana I giv e th e fo ll ow in g who art the Mote and the Motion of All Creation,

magical formulae, which I hope will serve as a precis of these the Ephemeral Masquerader of Chaos.

ideas, and that if used as daily objects of contempl atio n maytransmit and enflesh the Quintessential Current to the 'Pure Ever-changing are thy Names ;

of Hand and Eye'. All Names but no Name will suffice to call Thee.

Of these formulae, The Soliloquy of Alogos should be used

upon waking and The Exvocation upon retiring. This order Thy Kingdom is the Horizon that encircleth me.

should be reversed at the Full Moon and the New Moon.

By mine Inscrutable Sorceries,

THE SOLILOQUY OF ALOGOS Thou art Here, this Very Moment: Transvoked.

That the Circle lieth empty.I: O' Thou Sole Arcanum - Panphage, Pangenetor, Panfornicatrix,

who art the Wanderer within the Labyrinth of every Possibitity.

In this Void enflesh anew the Alogos of I.A Cipher of Cryptograms concealeth the Metatheses of thy Name

Grant us the Flesh: Protosarkia.

Thou hast no kingdom beyond Transciency, Incarnation to That which hath yet no nature.

who art exiled amid perpetual metamorphoses

I.ead us not. For we are the Path ItselfBy this Sorcery of Will, Desire and Betief:

The Sole Prae-determinant of That which shall Be: NOW.Thou art Here, this VeryMoment: Enme shed

From this Form give forth the Necroloque:

the Death Speech -of Atavism

Grant us the Immediacy of Our Futurities:

Transference between all Otherness

Lead us to meet the Ever coming C-haos

with a tranquil embrace and ennoble us with thy So/itude

Spare us no Sensation: That we may attain Gnosis within Ekstasis

For Thine is this Illumination: the Living Truth of/: NOW



A SCATTERING OF DU ST

F ROM THE WI NG OF TH E M O T H

The Sabbat of the Witches exists in Dream, in the mystical

reality born of Mankind's ancient physical heritage; it is adimension separate and in acces sible to the co mp any of

common folk. The wor ld-f ield of the Sabbat is reached solely

by those who dare to sip from the Graal of the Serpent' s

venom. From darkest bane comes golden benison: the

blessing of Sight, the journey of the Eye into the Forbidden

Realm. The heart of the Sabbat lies within the Isle of Faerie,

veiled in the mirage-mist of phantasies — a kingdom far out

to sea, from whose shore whispers are caught, heard by spirits

and then carr ied downw ind in t im e on th e br eat h of

countless lips. Among the whispers I have heard: 'The Sabbatis a reality in the Fle sh'.

The 'flesh' of' the Sabbat permeates the Earth beyond a

hymen-veil of impenetrable fire: it is a subtle entity sensed

in sudden omen, in the visions caught by the dreamer's eye,

in the augur of beast-track and bird-flight, in the rapture of

fascination, in the unaccountable leaping of spirit through

the fissure of twilight... in the sudden turning of Chance that

opens a book before your eyes with the greeting glance of

i»ystery. The carnal menstruum of F aerie lies forever outsi de

of'the commonplace and it is therefore forever unreal in the

eyes of the worldly, and yet it is thus, in Sacred Unreality or

1) ivine Absence, eternally sacrosanct and beyond profanation

ii> the Otherness of the spectral realm of shadow.

It>the market-place where all men may walk, the shadow

w~~rld is talked of'in words double of meaning. Silence and

s~'crccy scen> to gttard the lips against their vain out-pouring,

;tttd yct it is ;t St :tt c ol (:o tss ciousness that is the Ver y

Arc;ti>tlitt, 'I'hc Secrct c:tidal>ot bc divttlgcd save by its own

hatt(':tits,;titd silcttcc is its gti:trdi:»t.



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I DUST FROM THE WING OF THE MOTH

Books a.nd essays by academics and occultists endeavour and symbol- are tr ansi ent, they se rve the in it ia t e as

to make comment, debating upon the historical veracity of 'vehicles'for the coherent directing of energetic activities

the Witch-cult, or seeking to present a magico-religious involving Belief, Desire, and Will. The vehicle of Intent may

version of Sabbatic lore; there are few who distinguish the be aligned to the benefit of a social context — the witch

symbol from the symb olize d or who di scer n suff ici entl y serving the community — or it may be wrought according to

between the footprints of the dead left behind in historicalprinciples of reversal and be fashioned so as to oppose the

fragmenta and the living foot which has passed by and moved perceptual limitati ons created by a cultu ral bo undar y of

onward. All too often a shell remains, whilst the life which values. Temporally the processes utilized in the cult are often

once occupied it has evolved. The witness seeks to guess at undertaken in silent knowing, seemingly but reflections of

that which made the historical imprint of the 'witch' within external and circumstantial imposi tion, but at c ertain ti mes

the context of society, and yet that which is sought is, by its the cult or the individual becomes fully self'-conscious of the

very nature, non-societal in its central field of operation. This a-temporal and temporal realities of the Cultus. That which

is not to say that the witch, spirit-medium or sorcerer is once was held to be secret emerges when needful into the

without social funct ion, but it is to sa y th at the so ci al, Outer, for within the Circle new knowledge arises and must

economic and religious functi ons are an external aspect. This be nurtured ar ight. Grai n mus t be sown , te nded , and

does not demean the role of the 'wi tch ' as the media tor harvested; all things according to thei r season. Du ring the

between the wo rl ds, as he ale r an d soot hs ayer, but present phase of the Sabbatic Tradition, the Cultus Sabbati

contextualizes the 'witch' in a manner w hich t akes into f ull a Body of Initiates — is creating a focal cohesion between

considerat ion the inne r or i n i t i a t ory und erst anding in comparative lineal streams of initiation in the Old Craft; this

conjunction with the external and socially functional aspects. process is one of self-realisation and manifestat ion for Tho se

It is always possible to analyse the societal contexts in whic h who walk the twilight path betw een the worlds.

a type of the witch-cult or practice appears; however this is The Dream of the Sabbat, the Vision imparted to the

peripheral and circumstantial to the i nmost and a- tempor al Artists of the Divine, is reified according to the motivation

nature of the initiatory body. The reality of the Dreaming of Magical Power. The func tion of the Cu lt or B od y of

Cultus will remain hidden, hidden save to the Dreamer Dreamers is to manifest the revelation of the nigh t-j ourn ey

initiates who 'go forth by night and make manifest by day'. within the praxes of sorcery and thereby establish a path of

Discussions with in the publi c do mai n regar ding the transmission for energetic knowledge to the Physical. The

initiatory activity of the Cultus are undertaken solely when path creates the way toward liberty from circumstance. The

it is deemed functional or advantageous to purpose. It ma y phrase 'to go forth by night', frequently occurs in the folklore

serve well for comment to be made in juxtaposition to the surrounding the witch: the night-flying hag upon the besom,

evolving perspectives of academia, or in response to the the strega or night-owl, the meteoric streak of witch-fire, the

changing environments of social and religious needs, but it omen-bearing mare of sleep, are amongst the most common

is in response to the ebb and flow of the Ma gical C urren t th at c)r associated in>ages. To go forth by night' is an initiatic

the outer activities of the Cultus are aligned. For!» n>ust. f!t pl!rase ol !»any iiitcrprctations and may be found in both

function. The masks of externality -the religious for!», i>a!»e il! ICI(.'1!t Qlld p! csellt cllty recc l ls tons of !"t t u al . T he

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I DUST FROM THE WING OF THE MOTH 6y

following example, 'The Chant of Going Forth by Night', 1s Lord of Animals. The Wild Hunt is a symbol cast forth froma charm belonging to certain covi nes of tradi tion al Cr aft a. deep strata within the c urr ent of t he S abbati c Myst erie soperatives in Essex; it is taken from an unpublished grimoire and may perhaps be viewed as the shamanic precursor of theentitledThe Book of Effigies: la ter cult ic manif estat ions involv in g the th eme of th e

'night'as the arena for a secret battle or conclave of magical

O' Fair bio-od'd Children of Elphame, activity. In a temporal sense one may posit a progression ofO'Dark bio-od'd Kin of the Snake, 'types' of night-journey, an evolution from the solitary spirit

Yethat are wed in the Battle ofNight dream, through the variations of the Wild Hunt to the forms

In Midnight 's Field 'neath Calling Moon; of the S pirit-battle for the cr ops, leading to a spectacle of the

Ye Leapers o' er the Turnstile, Sabbatic orgia. In opposition to the view which describes a

Ye Keepers of Meadow and Gate; temporal evolution based upon the religious and folkloric

We turn thrice about this Place in your honour; patterns underlying the Sabbat, one may, from an initiatic

We dance with the Hidden Folk of the Grain standpoint, describe the dif fering ma nif estat ions of th e

We here do meet for the harvest to fight, night-journey as variations emanating from a single energetic

'ere back to our dust we go once again core of knowledge. The initiat e may experience various forms

O'Dark blood-'d Children of Elphame,of'the night-journey, for the cbffering manifestations express

the strata of a single mystery which may be partaken of aO'Fair blood-'d Kin of the Snake,

temporally. Within the present phase of the Tradition theYethat are masked in skin veil an-d birth cloak-,

vehicle of thi s spec ifi c mys tery has been named by on eYe that go forth 'pon Embertide Night; initiate 'The Spirit-Hu nt C ovena nt'. This naming is assumedCome ye hither and take ye our hand, as a nominative mask of an initiatic stream of knowledgewith horse sweat -and leaf bane, allied to the Body of the Cultus Sabbati.

With toad hove an-d Wolf grain The night-journey may be an individual undertaking or

AO Hele and Hail and Blessed Be! may, given the appropri ate conte xt, become a co llec tive

activity. (The reader is referred to anthropological studies

The Night is the domain beyond the gate of the twilight. regarding the Benandantiof Friuli, Italy [Ginzburg] and the

It i s , the re fo re , the ' s ta te ' wh ich l ie s be t we en th e Dona de lafueraof Sicily [Heningsen] as relevant examples of'i nbetweenness of the Dawn or D us k. G ener ally the phr ase c ults of ni gh t- tr ave ll ers.) W it hi n t he E s se x C ra ft m an y

refers to the sloughing of the waking form and the spirit initiates undertake solitary practices involving dream-control

t ravel undert aken in th e dr ea mi ng f orm . T he ' Ni gh t' ma y a nd thereby 'going fort h by n ig ht ' t o t he S ab bat or A st ra l

function as the glyph of an ani mal for m i nt o wh ic h th c Conclave; the solitary experiences are then commingled to

i nitiate 'goes forth' in or der to t raverse the land or air. T hc F orm a coll ect ive m yt h r e if ie d t h ro ug h ri t ua l p r ac ti ce s

European folk-motif of the Great Wild I-Iunt is perhaps thc ii>volvii>g scvcral initiat es. In this inst ance the lon e spiri t

most apposite collective image: a cavalcade offends, beasts, drca»s FLli>cti~)t>s syi»biotically with the collective activity

and spirits lead by thc (>ace» oF thc I'airics <ir tl>c I l~iri>cd lllyl.l lie "lily l<ll(>wll his l lic ( >i"c'll Wild I Il .»l t.

68 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I DUST FROM THE WING OF THE MOTH 69

In order to accentuate the idea of a. single knowledge with Elements within folkloric representations of Witches,

various manifest and temporal forms, yet with an a-temporal Witch-cults and thei r acti vit ies, reflect and encr ypt the

core, an example may be given. I was personally told by a initiatory reality of the Sabbatic Tradition. The matter of thef'ellow Crafter of the pra cti ce used by Buc kin ghamsh ire distinguishing birth-trait such as being born beneath a specialwitches only three initiatic generations back. He said that the 'planet', or with the caul or the blood-red naevus, recalls the

witch, alone or in the company of fellows, would sit astride a anthropogenetic stigmata borne by the kindred of the Sabbat:forked stick or horse-headed stave and 'go forth by night the Mark of Cain. The caul and the stain of blood are signs

amongst the fields, richng through thick and thin in order to which put the individual outside of the normative birth-statemake the land fertile'. T his pr actice was undertaken by the of the community; they place the individual in the Otherness

Weican at Lammas or as soon as the first field had been beyond the ordinary world. It is thus that one is 'marked' asharvested; one could then 'ride' through the 'thick' of the s pecial or differ ent, and thus as something ambig uous o f

uncut sheaves and the 'thin' of the stubble. The steps of the possible supernatural benevol ency or ma li gna ncy. Such'ride' were danced into the land in order to dispel or appease characteristic signs of separateness may be seen as the

the old, the powers of decay, a.nd thereby to usher in the new, underlying physiognomical truth from whence the belief inthe powers of increase. If a dream should chctate an alteration the so-called 'Devil's Mark' arose within the diabolic form of

of the practice, then the dream would be the motivation for the Sabbat. To the initia.te the Sigillum Diaboliis both literallythe evolution of cust om and pra xis. An Af ri can par all el 'the Devil's Pinch' and yet is also the intangible sign worn

worthy of consideration is the Kapsiki belief in the spirit upon the brow; it is the Mark of Cain, the invisible mark

walkers' of Kelengu;these are people whose shadow leaves the which distinguishes the true-born of' the Craft blood-lines

body at night in order to go for th in spi ri t- bat tle for the from the Profane.welf'are of the crops. The 'spirit-walkers' bear close similarity Folklore has preserved the shell, the living reality hasto the Benendanti Both .groups are formed of individuals born survived and evolved. Within s everal Br iti sh recen sions ofwith a distinctive trait such as a caul, they leave their bodies Sabbatic Lore there is a myth which has been passed downat night in shadow or animal form, and then go forth to act both orally and in written form which recall the descent of'for the fertility of the land. The KelenguBenan,dantiand Weican Witch-blood from Preexistence to the Present-day through

occur with in cul tura l ' locat ions wid ely separated geo the transmission of the Primordial Creative Fire. There are

graphically, and yet, as examples of night-travellers, share the variant forms of the myth known to me from sources in Eastsame strata of:spiritual activity. The indi vidual o f either group Anglia, South Wales, and Cheshire, all of which are from'goes forth by night' in order to fight for the harvest and the operative lineages of Craft practice. The mythic constructbenevolent power of nature. This is a complex matter and serves to encode certain core teachings regarding the nat ure

distinctions may be drawn between the cited examples, but of the lineal. descent and the raising of magical power. It ismy reference is made solely for infe renti al pur pose relati ng dressed in the language of'a. daemonological gnosis fusedto the a-temporal core of 'Sabbatic' activity. t~igcther through practical application and bearing the signs

wliich tt. II <~l- its p:tss:tgc thr ough nu me rou s cu lt ur al

cllvII()llltt cllfs, tl\e (() lI11(lilt/()lls ol n!ttivc foll<-imagery --the

70 OPUSCULA MAGICA II DUST FROM THE WING OF THE MOTH 7I

Black-smith and Forge — combine with Middle Eastern sor The Ritual of the Sabbat, or the 'Eightfold Rite' as it is

c eries and Luci fer ian symbo li sm r ed ol ent w it h t he i ma ge ry o ften called by i ni ti ate s of l in eal d escent in t he O ld C r af t ,

in the 69th chapter of the Book of EpochI.n essence the myth may be regarded as the phy sical apotheosis wit hin th e

tells of the El der G ods, t hei r pr e- exi st ent ial state of negati vi ty, e volving seque nce of m yt hi c a nd fo l kl o ri c p at t er ns wh ic h

the Creation and the emanation of the Ancient Fire to the have underlaid the Sabbat; it is the summit of the temporal

R ace of the Watchers, on thr ough the i nt er mar ri age of th e p rogression of t yp es. F rom t he i ni t ia ti c a nd a- te mp or alOld Ones and Man, the interpenetration of the Flame and perspective it is a rule or matrix of'principles which underlies

the Seed of Samael and Lilith, the spawning of Cain and his the multitude of magical and votive procedures; the entire

role as the Lord of Horsemen. Fragments of the myth have spectrum of magical procedures are the temporal emanations

r eached the surface, the ma.rket-place where al l me n m ay o f the matr ix. Th e E ig ht fol d R it e i s t he se t of so rc er ou s

walk; the entirety of the kn owl edge tell ing of the M ar k processes which articulates the transmission of the Magical

w hich sets the M is e- bl ooded aside f rom t he C la y- bor n i s Current from a V oi d- st ate, thr ough num er ically a.ttributed

found within a State of Awa.reness it cannotbe divulged. steps of emanation, to the Living and Vital Reality of' the

T here are numer ous facets which may be drawn out f ro m F lesh. The pri nci ples of the rit e com bi ne i n many var iat ion s

the centra l mythi c for m o f the W itches ' Sab bat and according to the purpose of the practitioner, and it is thus

explicated within the initiatory sense; the themes of the that various recensions of the Old Rite maybe found within

N ight-j ou rney, the D ev il's Mark , the tr an sfo rm at io n of ma n the lineal streams of Sabbatic Cr aft. Var iat ion of ex pr ession

t o beast, the r ol e of th e b es ti al fr om a s t he f am il ia r, th e u se based upon t hi s set of m ag ical p ro cesses also occurs beyond

of poisons for trance, and the iconostatic function of' the the context of those individuals who might recognize the

diabolic symbolism -all are aspects emanating f'rom the terms used herein; this diversity remains obfuscate to the

Dream-vision witnessed by initiates in various and diverse externalist's eye for it is the concealed geometry of 'States'

forms. What t hen i s th e f un ct io n o f D r ea mt S ab bat , and which unifies the practit ioners wi thin the C ir cl e.

what is its connection to — its realization in — the Flesh' ? The essential purpose of the Eightfold rite is to provide

M ystery is best understood wi thi n M ys tery; wi thi n t he t he mediating struct ure for th e D re am , S pi ri t- Vi sion or

cipher of myth and symbol the lore of the Sabbat is written Night-Journey experienced by the initiate in order f' or the

i n subtl e c om pl et io n. S ab ba ti c L or e l i es w i th in i t s o w n t ranslation of the onei ri c per cept ion t o a f or m ha vi ng ut il it y

domain: the Circle of Arte. The Circle is the extent of the within the diurnal perceptual realm. The circle is called 'the

Sorcerer's Body, it is glyphed by a ring of ashes upon the earth bridge between worlds', i t is the pl ace that is not a place, the

or in the min d's eye as a rin g of fla me. On e m us t no t time that is not a. time, and it is thus the domain where the

differentiate here between the expr essions of' the domai n, p erceptual bo und ar ies of w a ki ng a nd d r e am in g i n te r

but one should realize the single identity of t he Cir cle beyond peisctrate to re-establish the living substance of the sorcerer.

its manifest forms. It is within the Horizon of Gnosis called l<y our Vision we recreate the Self.

'The Circle' that the Magical Current is transmitted, this is 'I'hc i»ysteries ol'the Sabbat are the mysteries of Life and

the power which translates the spirit-whispers ol (;>et'ie to 1>e;)tl>, A)r tl)c S;)bbat is tlute:>rclsetypal rite of'magick. With in

practical knowledge: I'orce to 1'~~ri». its siiht le gv~~i>i@try t l>~' steps <il i»;>I> imp~) l> the path of nature



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I

are glyphed, encoded in a. primal script of rite, symbol, andTHE CULT OF THE DI VI NE AR TI STgesture. Through ritual we reflect our und erstand ing of the

world and seek to portray its patterns as though we were the

Gods speaking in soliloquy. The pantheon of the chvine and The Cult of theZosand the Kia exists between the images which are

the infernal reside within the house of the body. The forces presented here to define it, for it is through the gateway of imaginal

of Star, Moon, and Season are masked, clothed in a similitude interaction that the numinous reality of the Divine Artist cometh forth! to our mortal forms and are named 'Lord and Lady', and

through the very forces of nature the Lord and Lady speak.

Perchance the mask and the masked are both part of the same

veil woven by the mind. That which is behind the veil is the The Magical Cu rr ent is the v ita l en erge ti c

mystery at the heart of th e Sab bat : the Rit e of E l de st continuum which motivates the activities of initiated

Worship. sta.tes of entity within the univ erse. Its manif estation

in the World is determined by the forms through which it is

transmitted. The vehicles of transmission are manifold and

are specialized to fulfil the requirements of Time, Place and

Purpose. Such vehicles are both visible and invisible upon the

Earth; some are perceived as bodies of initiates, either as

inchvidual avatars or col lect ively a.s Magical Order s or

Schools of Thought, and others as ranges of consciousness

— zones of specia lized perceptual act iv ity. The la tter ex ist as

aggregates of imaginal, astral and cognitive entities; the

nature of this form of tra nsmi ssion may transcend, and yet

permeate through, the l i min al bou ndar ies of te mpo ral

structures. There are forms which partake of both the subtle

and the gross, having their existence as Dreaming Entities,

as noumenal matrices beyond the common scope of linear

cognition and which, as Pure Idea, transgress the limitationsof the Mind to penetrate the atavistic strata of Matter to

achieve expression through the Living Flesh.

The Divine Art ist i s the po ssessor of this sagacity of the

carnal; his is the mind traversed by the lightning-bolt of

inspiration; from his gestures the World of Man is illumined

the u>stai»cd fire ofheaven translated to the parchment of

I|.'allty. I his Is tile llvatal 0( the itos and the Kia, the Genius

~>l the I I:ilia a»d !lie I :ye!

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THF CULT OF THE DIVINE ARTIST

Where the veils of temporality are parted, blown asunder by Wherever the fulguralis strikes, the omen-bearing lightnin g

the zephyr's kiss, there lies the World-field, set at the heart bolt,— there too is the Divine Artist!

of' the summer-land, the domai n where t he ancient f olk of T he spectra. of his ex pr essio n th e scope of all

Elphame hold covine.consciousness; the nature of hi s ex pr essi on — th e vit al

'Pon embertide night 'neath a moon-black sun, in the energetic fleshing of ma gical aest hesis, such is his form cast

ragged ring of the Serpent-path. Like moths we are f'orever through eternity: One Body divided between the pantheon

drawn back to the Secret Fire of Eld, to leap in the flame of incarnate of Man! Such is the Gnosis of the Divine Artist.

our own self-recreation, to once more reclaim our memories The temporal manifestation of this Gnosis utilising the

from the dust....once more the Sabbat-tide is come! name of the Zos Kia Cultus seeks to attain an hypostasis of

Here the course of witchblood flows a r i ve r- wr eat h of the Magical Current, a vehicle specialized for the reification

scarlet to encircle the Isle of the Blest; here the step of' the of the Inherent Dream . Its votar ies meet alone... in a great

wise doth noctivagant turn — to trace its crooked dance to company of spirits; its rites are held within secret conclaves

the primal musick of Pan. that are states of the heart and mind, sometimes amid the

Here Nature fornicates a.nd takes its own pleasure 'twixt thrall of the Astral, sometimes amid the circles of the Adept,

Gods, Men, Beasts and Spir i t s : One Bo dy 'm id st the and ofttimes unbeknown to all...in solitude.

cornucopia of ' in te rnecine venerie. Her e Fl esh is th e

transgressor: the maker and breaker of its own law. The Body

extends to embrace all other s.

This is the meeti ng-place of the Art is t s Di v i ne, the The Current of the Zos and the Kia was transmitted through

Conclave that is met beyond the pillars of the twin twilight, the work of'Zos vel Thanatos, the artist known in the world

in a time that is not a time...in a place that is not a place. In of men as Austin Osman Spare (r886-r9g6). Its jnceptjon

the Night of the Mighty Dead we gather, shedchng the skin partakes of the work of an on-going ini tia tic l ineage, of which

of our mortal circumstance, flying forth cross the borders of Spare was an adept; this being known as the Tradition of the

kingdom and age to the Sabbat of the Dreamer. Sabbatjc Mysteries. Having no name, but that which Time,

By many names you may call us, in many books you may !'~ace and Purpose require, the Sabbatic Tradition has passedread of us, from many mouths hear tell of us... in the myths (n)m hand-to-hand, mind-to-mind, throughout and beyond

of days past, in tales of were-and-faerie-folk, in half'-caught i»ortal reckoning of Time.

glimpses at the crossing of Dawn and Dusk. Here a hand is ! t was from his initiatrix, the Witch-mother Paterson, that

stretched to you from the Circle-dance of the Deathless... ~i~s v< ~ '1 ha»atos was inducted into the Cra ft of the Wi se ,

hear this voice that speaks to you from mystery! ;>I) J thefts placed his mark within the book of its ancestral

vent;ility. ! Iir«ugh his unique sl<>ll as an artist he evolved hjs

r<'c<'~>sl»l'I (>( 5;>bb;>tie l<~r<, tip( specialized system of

s<»'~ <'ry l~iwt);>s t l>L' Wily ()( ill(' /()s «ll() tll<' /(ja.



76 OPUSCULA MAGICA II THF. CULT OF THE DIVINE ARTIST 77

This sorcerous unification of art and magic establishes the

conscious recognition of awaren ess functioning wi thi n th e

field of magical aesthesis. It is this very quality of recogni tio n The ethos of the Zos Kia Cu lt us uni fie s the summ it of

that marks its singular importance, for it permits the Self mysticism with the depth of fetishistic diablerie. Its subtle

knowledge of artistic genius and thus marks our progression metaphysical bases are Zos 't he B od y con si de red as a

upon the path of incarnating the Primal Dream of the Divine whole'and Kia 'the Absolute of the Ot her '; these are theArtist. This Self-knowledge of perceptual evolution and its Sorcerer and the Out-reach of his Entity to embrace Total

implic i t ethos of cr eat iv i t y has acc reted the f orm of Awareness in freedom. The means of reif'ication utilised by

transmission known as the Zos Kia Cultus. its votaries are as diverse and unique as is the nature of

This step of attainment was achieved in t9)z through thegenius; and yet given the initiatic context of its origination

collaborative work of Zos vel Thanatos and Aossic Aiwass; there are certain magical praxes which identify the mu ndan e

the latter being a Grand Master of the Typ hon ian Ordoworking of the Cultus. It is here that one must distinguish

Templi Orientis. The Zos Kia Cultus may thus be viewed between the specialized nature of the Zos Kia Cultus as both

from an initiatory perspective as a bridge between two a manifest Body of Art ist -in iti ates and as a zone of activity

ancient streams of occult tradition, the Sabbatic and the within the range of consciousness through which magical

Typhonian. aesthesis is generated. Its essence should be und ers tood

Our present purpose within this statement is to clarify without nominalization; its naming is for the self-conscious

the nature of the Zo s Kia Cu lt us, to d em ons trate the activity of the initi ate wit hin.

integration between the atempo ral gnosis impli cit in th e

chosen form of its transmission and the temporal work of its VI

votaries as relating to the interaction of the aforementionedThe lineal descent of the Gnosis which has come to be

initiatic streams.

A midst these words let the re ade r seek not fo r t hemanifest through the Way of the Zos and the Kia traces a

lightning-flash of the K ia, f' or it strikes wheresoever it desires;pathway back to the very fount of witchblood's origins; for it

is said in lore that the Initiatrix of AOS derived her wisdomit is thus I bid the reader to remember:

from the Elder Gods, the Gods that were before the gods of

men. This in it ia t ic prov enance is true of a l l fo rm s ofThe lavv of the Kia is its ovvn arbiter, beyond necessitation, vvho I raditional Craft .

can grasp the nameless Kia? Hovv fr..e.e.it is, it has no need of

sovereignty without lineage, vvho dare claim relationship According to the words of Ken neth Grant the specifi c

lh>cal stream of' the Zos Kia Cu lt us is in fo rm ed by an

THF. BOOK OF PLEASURE, AQS Ai>amerindian magical current. This impetus was transmitted

tl)n>Ltgh thc tribe of the Na ra gans ett Ind ians and lat er

Seek not, for Thou art Thatwhich Thou scckcst! sitr(;>ccdwitliin thc Salem Witch-cult. It was from this latter

s()llIYC tlat;1lI «tel s()fl cl11mcd lier dcrtvatlon.



78 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THE CULT OF THE DIVIN E ART IST 79

It is said that she worked within covens of this lineage Standing at the Crossroads'heart, the eyes be not open, nor be closed .

which were operant within vari ous regions of Great Brita in, Being neither awake nor asleep; not dreaming nor conceiving .but oftimes in the South of Wales. These covens achieved Facing neither noontide nor midnight, the daybreak nor the dusk

converse with the tr ans mund ane source of th eir p ow er gazing between the twilight's horizon, mirror m-asked in summoning: wait

through the tutelary spirit which has come to be known as Beyond the mask of the familiar, the vulture so-ul of desolation wakes

Black Eagle. This Spirit was bequeathed to AOS b y hi s And there at the heart ofinbetween, a rustle of shadow quickening, speaks witch-mother, and its function is to serve as the point of The saying of silence unfolds black wings reaching out for theflesh, into now and

transference between the El der Go ds and the pre sen t here; blood beckons swathes of memory uncoiling,

initiates of the Cul tus. It is the Gr and Fam ulu s for th e rushing out on winds of ancient night

Magical Force which has manifested through the Way of the Rapt in this embrace hear the voice of the Old One

Zos and the Kia, and carries with it the k armi c herec hty ofhear the song of the returners shrilling over desert sands, across solitudes of

its previous mediums. It is therefore that certain initiates ofancestry; words of the animals, breathing colours beating hard upon the skin of

the Cultus Sabbati and O.T .O hav e been led, wi thi n th esight, chasing ciphers across the windows of the dreaming eye

Time present, time past, time that is not here no-ne of these are,present phase of the Tradit ion, to f orm c ells spec ifically to

yet shall swiftly become; I dreaming I — thou art that,evoke Black Eagle in their attainment of communion with

and every configuration of strangeflesh becoming the Elder Gods. It is of note that Black Eagle is represented

Follow the beat of an eagle's wing through the caverns of the heart,by AOS as both a personage and, more frequently, as a mask;backwards into night......

there is here a subtle key to the inter preta tion of its n atur e

and its true origins.

The work thus far achieved with in cells of the Cul tu sVI I Sabbati has permitted us to obtain knowledge concerning

enti t ies such as Bl ack Ea gle wh ich ex ist wi th in t he

you know that I am near and am presently among youAs the. aforementioned range of consciousness. The traffick held

Darkness bears in from the Gate of Twilight and draws my with such entities obtains the requisite insight into the subtle

wings around you, so I come to you In the atmospheres of realms where-in magical aesthetic activity occurs gestativelythe Shadow I surround as Dream. Thereby subtle manoevu res of the Dr eam ing

Body have been realised and the function there-of reified

An Oracle received by Alogos. through the appropriate media. This statement is an example(Winter I993 e.v) ofsuch.

This work, as with the previous work of Zos vel Thanatos,

Here follows a Vision of Black Eagle derived from Frater is part of an on-going process. This path leads on; the futuresDr'ku Aleaos Sottoz: ii>to which it pcnetrates may transmute the veracity of these

w~>res; the patl> will tilr1i «-new. Let us not seek it, for we are

'llr«at/y Its «II IY«t l()l I,

80 OPUSCULA MAGICA II

A HISTORY OF THE TEA CH IN GSVI I I

OF THE CHOO~ED PATH

This transilient path strikes across all borders; who seeksithin the Cultus Sabbati, the Initiatic Vehicle of the

to confine it impr isons hi mself. Magi cal Aesthesis is boundSabbatic Craft Tradition, there are a number of

solely by the horizon of the Possible as witnessed by thespecific bodies of teaching, ritual and initiation.

imaginal eye of the seer. The skin of reality is its virgin canvas,Herein I shall briefly address the history of those bodies of'the prima materia subject to the mutative impressions of thelore of which I am the personal author and for which there

Other. The Divine Artist, forever renewed and strengthenedare textual manifestations, extant or penchng issue from the

through the disciplines of the path, casts forth his spirit toCultus via Xoanon.

bodies new and unsullied by preconception.The Way of the Lonely Road, The Lore of the Magical

It is the visionary capacity of the Human entity that is theQuintessence, and The Sorcery of the Crooked Path are

stigmata of the Kia's thundercrack, for the ability to drawthree notable examples of distinct bod ies of lore operat ive

from the unkn own dep ths of t he ps ych e her alds thewithin the Sabbatic Trachtion. Each of these has its main

emergence of a creative force which will rend the hmit of thepoint of manifestation in oral transmission within our closed

Carnal and evolve a flesh beyond aught that we might guesscircle. This being said, each has its t ex tual poi nt/ s of '

at. Such is the New Sexuality! Such is the Way of the Zos and

the Kia! manifestation in the Outer, namely the published grimoires:The Grimoire of the Golden Toad(oooo), Azoetia (t992, 2002),

QQfnb (I99$) and The Draconian Grimoire(publication date toMay the Blessing be

be announced). I shall firs tly speak of th e Ma gi calUpon all who drink from the Cup of this Mystery!

Quintessence; secondly, the Lonely Road, and lastly, the

Crooked Path.

The Teachings of the Magical Quintessence form a centre

and a foundation for the pre sent man ifestat ion of t he

Sabbatic Tradition. The notion of the 'Magical Quintessence'

refers to the Lumina, the source-point of sorcerous power,

and to the d i rect appr ehension of that sou rce wh ich

continually manifests as the IM ow led ge of the L iv in g

I Sorcerer. The Body of Lore relating to this pivotal arcanum

4 is encapsulated and enci pher ed in th e Gr im oi re Aloe tia'

*4 Therein the Quintessence is reified within the trachtional

P»arcana of the so-called 'Eightfold Ri te' and t he Twen ty-t wo

A~s i .et ters of the Sorce rer 's Al ph abet . To tho se who

4 co»iprehe»d it» glyphs and code-signs Aroetia is an open

b~i<~k; t<~ ~)tl>ers it rei» aiI>s sealed, w arded by it s pa tr on

ct:1! I I Ii | I1,

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I A HISTORY OF CROOKED PATH TEACHINGS

I n I99z t hi s w or k f ir st saw pub li cat ion and i n m an y w ays originally formed by myself'and Frater A.D. in the Year I992,

it served as an augur for the new phase of activity in the and has continued in various forms since that date and with

Sabbatic Tradi ti on. By the bl essings of Providence it has also v arious shi ft s i n p ar t ic ip an ts . T h ro ug h t he wo r t hy a n d

operated as an epistle to many far-flung Wayfarers of the demanchng efforts of this Cov ine the act uality of 'C rook ed

P ath and has thereby brought about a new cross-f er ti li sat ion P ath Sorcery' was man if est ed and i t i s t hu s t ha t t he te rm

between several individuals and lineages of the Elder Faith.'Crooked Path' ente red the voc abular y of the Sa bba tic

A new edi ti on of t hi s b ook wa s r ecently pub li shed; i n m any T radition and hence passed int o t he b ro ader l exi con of t he

ways it holds the seed-essence of the Crooked Path and has A rte Ma gi cal as a w ho le . W h il st t h e t er m d oe s o cc ur

o perated as a vehicle for the ongoi ng i ng ression of the cur ren t previously t o ou r w or k i n a fe w s ca tt er ed hi st or ica l so ur ces,

through a.nd beyond the Cultus. in no wise do such instances comport a congruent sy stem or

The Way of the Lonely Road is the specialised Body of corpus of sorcerous praxis such a.s presently exists. It is

Lore pertaining to Soli tary In it iat ion, a parti cular exempl ar t herefore i mp or tant t o e m ph as is e t ha t i n t e rm s o f t he

o f which, r el at in g t o t he M y st e ri es o f T o ad ma ns hi p, i s S abbatic Tradit ion th e t er m ' Cr oo ke d P at h' i s u ti li sed t o

detailed in The Grimoire of the Golden ToadThi.s work provides denote a specific Body of Lore with a distinct cycle of ritual

a personal account of the Toad-bone Ritual, its oneiric and praxis, a specialised cosmology, a particular pa ntheo n, and

visionary exper ie nces for t he aut hor , as well as an account of most signif ican tl y - a d is ti nc t s or ce rou s i de ol ogy .

its location in the ongoing manifestation of the Sabbatic Many ask: 'What is the Crooked Path~'. To that question

C orpus. A n a ca de mi c a nd h i st or ic al c ou nt er pa rt t o t h i s t here are many answers, depending on the enqu irer and t he

personal treatment of Toad-bone Magic i s also provided in context of their enqu iry. One might an swer in st r i c t l y

m y essay 'The L ea pe r B et we en' , u se fu ll y i ll us tr at in g t he historical t er ms, saying t hat th e C ro ok ed P at h i s a. Body of

origins, developments and continuity of this solitary praxis Practices and Teachings derived from the Co lu mn of th e

t o the present-day. For those parti cularly concerned with t he C rooked Path, and w hi ch i s m an if es t ( in b ot h I n ne r a nd

Path of the Hermit there is also the article entitled 'The Outer) via. the Grimoir es of Fra. Alogos and other ini tia tes

Seven Shades of Solitude', herein incl uded. T hi s addresses o f the D ra co ni ck G no si s. O ne m i gh t a n sw er t h at t h e

the important noti on of sor cerous autonomy, a matt er Crooked Path is the living actuality of 'doing the practices

i ntri nsi c t o t he i ni ti at ic un de rs ta nd in g o f t he S ol it ar y M ag e, t hemselves', for onl y t hus can a. meaningful answer be fou nd .

as well as to the ethical st ance of Cro oked Path S orcery as a On another level, I have often said that the Crooked Pathwhole. is the sorcerous consciousness that links successive 'lightning

Moving on to the provenance of Crooked Path Sorcery, I bolts' of'instantaneous magical realisation from mo ment to

s hall rel ate a f ew h is to ri ca l f ac ts w hi ch h av e h er et of or e i noment and whi ch, by an ever-devi ating et hos of ind ivi dual

remained unspoken outside of initiatory parameters. The i»tent, generates and maintains a continuum of ev er-pr esent,

B ody of Lore, R it ual an d I ni ti at io n k no wn a s ' Th c S or ce ry h ut ever-transf or min g gnosi s. One may add to t hi s t hat t he

of the Crooked Path' derives wholly from within an inner t,'roof<cd I'ath is dcfincd by congress with the patron

c ir cle o f t he Cu l tus Sa bb at i, n a me d ' Th c ( . : olu niu o f t l >c ( I:>i(»o(>s (~f' it's tc;>cl>i(>gs; t'hose who have worke d ' Th e Cal l

Crooked Path'. This Quadr iga (a circle of f(iur «dcpts) was t() Axr:t t.((()iial' will bc i(i a p()sitio(i to:tsccrtain thc veracity

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I A HISTORY OF CROOKED PATH TEACHINGS

of this statement. Furthermore, the Crooked Path is to serve by the knowledge and initiatory background of individual

with both left and right hands, to know the Ways of Healing brethren. Nonet heless, to assist others to gain some glimmer

and Hurting, Blight and B lessing — and to be poised in of the actual ethos of the Crooked Path, it may be useful to

equilibrity betwixt with one-pointedness of Intent. direct the reader to some historical parallels, bearing in mind

The interplay of magical curr ents assists the manifest in each case that cultural meani ngs will v ary widel y from our

context for trans mission of the Cro oked Path th ro ugh own discourse, even if the affinities of ethos seem apparent.various methods, each suited to context and character. The One exemplary corollary may be found in the instructions of

Cultus Sabbati, whic h is, in essence, an oute r vei l for a the Bon Zijid (videNorbu, I99), Drung, Deu and Bon, pp.

witchcraft tradit ion t hat has no fixed name, serves to ensorcel 2o4-6) concerning 'contradict ion in ter ms of behaviour and

and focalise many Sabbatic and folk-magical streams in a. coherency in terms of sense' (spyod lam 'gal shing donla 'brel). For

coherent harmony. Adjunctive to this primary context, our example: dwelling i n fie rce places conflicts with behavio ur,

links with Tantric, Sufic, Voudon, Gnostic, and Western but if it serves to reduce everything into one's power it

Magical L ineages and ord ers per mit s an o ve ra rch ing corresponds with the sense. Wrathful actions conflict with

viewpoint, with an eye to the "patternings" evidenced in the behaviour, but if they serve to consolidate the teaching they

congruencies between diverse practitioners and circles. This correspond with the sense.

provides a direct capacity to turn c irc les wit hin ci rcles, and Another corollary may be fo und in va ri ous fo rms of

thus empower the Greater Engine of the Current's Will in V oudon p rax is , th is is par t i cu l a r ly no tab le in the

manifestation, reification, and importantly, rarefaction of the methodologies of sp ir it -c ong ress, ancestral rev erenc e,

Vehicle to higher modes of consciousness. geoglyphic tracery, and so forth. Indeed, it must be noted that

In the activation of this programme of work there is the another of the founding initiates of The Column was himself

necessity for the li nks in the ma gi cal chai n to be fo rg ed a student of an Haitian bokor, and it is thereby that a very

through Initi ation and for mal tr ansm ission of teac hings. specific current of inspiration and knowledge came to merge

Without these, there is no "achkhari" as maybe seen in circles within the init ial work of the Croo ked Path. It coul d be

which function well, but m istake " realisations" of one plane perceived that the notion of 'serving with both hands' as

f or "in it ia ti ons" t ha t t r an sf or m a t e v er y l e ve l. T hi s i s, f ound in V oudon pl ays a specific role in the C ro oked Pat h

however, a vastly complex and subtle matter: as we rightly ethos. This is notable for its direct analogue in the cunning

know, some adhikaris need only "inner" activation. One craft ambidexterity toward both healing magic and cursing.

might even say that an adept should aspire to Mastery via the In purely initiatic and textual terms relating to the work

Lonely Road, as well as the Crooked Path. of The Column, some additional historical clarity is required.

If one were to seek for some histor ical corol laries to t he It was the intent of The Col umn of the Cr ook ed Path to

present lore of the Croo ked Path, one woul d do wel l to incarnate a grimoire of Cr ooked P ath Sorcery and eventually

remember that thi s is not th e same as aski ng about the to publish it. The work of ma rufest ing the praxes took several

actualities of inspiration upon the Column. The answer to years and an it»i»easurable amount of'effort on the part of

that latter enquiry is primarily di rect spirit -cong ress, oneiric tl>e (.:olili»i>'s bretl>rcii; to then' the Scribe gives manifold

revelation, and vision, all of which is»c ccssarily co»ip~ntndcd s;>liitati<~l>s. I<y i~)<)p I h:>J c~>i»plated tlute textual corpus of



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I

The Draconiatt Grimoire and a private edition was published

internally within the Cultus. Since that time the practices of

the Crooked Path have begun their transmission into the

outer court of the Cultus and thus into the Companie of the

Serpent-cross and Ku- Sebi ttu. At pr es ent the fo rm al

initiatory transmission of this lore is wholly contained withinthese circles of practitioners. (Where some have claimed

otherwise, they are wholly mistaken) . Within these initiatory

parameters the ritual, oral and textual transmissions of the

Crooked Path are ongoing and diverse in form. Even when

the Draconian Grimoire is eventually published, the inner?»»

transmissions of the rites will be maintained, juxtaposing the

broader literary and individualistic manifestations with the

maintenance of inner magical continuity.

For those readers of'this comment ou tside these initi atic

parameters I can only request patience; the book will see

daylight in its own season. In the meantim e, I have sought to4;».~(?:,~?» .

provide some basic glimpses into this body of lore via ar ticle s

and the work Qutub For.anyone requ i r ing a genu in e .'4 /

introduction I recommend working the Rite of the Opposer,

'The Call to Azra-Lumial', 'The Call to Mahazhael', or 'The?

Call to Liliya Devala'; all of which are now published. As time

passes, there wil l no dou bt be fur the r prepa ra to ryQ,©~g$~Q + ?-% o:,'. , , ' " ' , '. „ ;" ,.: . ~ ' '.. »,*. ~~

manifestations. Readers of Qutubor The Cauldron journal w il l?

Z

be aware of the practices thus far pub lished by myself'and(

other Cultus ini tia tes. Those who wis h to asc ertai n the''I

nature of' this Path in trut h ar e adv ise d to engage in it spra.ctice; the published rites will avail t he receptive ind ivid ual

with a gateway for congressus with the patron spirits of the /

Path themselves.

Having spent a decade reifying these M ysteries per sonally

and with the invaluable assistance of certain most fine adepts,

I hope the readers will understand my desire to clarify thePath's provenance and draw some lines of'dchnition. An

initiatory path must be re spec ted and wh ere I se c th e

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I

SEVEN SHADES OF SOLIT UD Eintegrity of the Crooked Path upheld, I rejoice and will lend A brief disquisition concerning the Subtil Degrees of the Lonely Road,as much support as I can. set forth in accordance tvith the Gnosis of the S abhatick Craft Tradition

Yet wheresoever I see it s in te gri ty abu sed I l ay an

irrevocable Curse of Hell-thorn and Harrow: the Blackthorn olitude is a Muse to Those whom it loves. It is a masked

of Sabatraxas to your heart, even unto the ruin of kith and wanderer that meets the Mage as the oldest of frien ds,

kin. The very nature of the Path demands this stance uniting as the most worthy of enem ies, as the most constantboth Benison and Malison. In the Name of the Intercessor yet elusive lover, as the wisest and most cun ning teach er, as

of the Crooked Path, it is so! angelic solace or as hellish torment , as a prayerful e ireni con

The manifest work whi ch I ha ve ove rseen in the last finally answer'd, as a battl e-f ield from wh ich th ere is no

decade will, I hope, be greatly expanded in the forthcoming escape. Its mask is all that we make it, for Solitude elects its

years. For ten years I have ostensibly been the sole voice of friends by a divination of mirrors: it determines the nature

communication to em erge from w it hi n t he cl osed ci rcle of o f its m or ta l r el at ion s a cc or chng t o i ts ow n M y s t er y' s

the Cultus. This has had its bl ess ings and cur ses, but reflection in each and eve ry soul . The on e wh o d ar es

for tu na te ly thi s s it ua tion i s n ow ch an ging . I n th is la st ye ar , s urrender unto the s ky -s pa cious abyss of the I solate shal l f in d

the Cultus issued the work Ars Philtronby Daniel A. Schulke. his self more in his own self-losing, for the vast profundities

T his is th e f ir st v ol um e i n a n i m po r t an t s er ie s o f w or k s o f the soul shall be surr ender'd unt o h im . Ye t he wh o f ea rs

relating to the Mysteries of the Verdel et or Green M agist er the merely quiet and da rk by way s of th e so ul 's

of the Sabbatic Trachtion. Other works by other brethren are unaccompanied wandering, does he not make himself the

also in preparation: I, for o ne, eagerly await the fru iti on of evoker of his own demons? If we are too plagued by the

their work in published form. I would earnestly entreat my ghosts of our own making, how may we seek the good counsel

fellow students of the Pat h to a pp re ciat e the gra dual ly of the spirits and gods which partake, in equal measure to

unfolchng v is ion which we are att empt ing to man if est. ourselves, in the All-Oneliness of Existence>

Patience, attention to the spirits, steadfastness of will, and Like a child, first gazing into a looking-glass, perplexed at

heart-felt application of praxis are called for. the mimicking twin who dances and gestures — and 'lives'

Those who know me, heart unto heart, in rite, by missive, on the other side, we often mistake the reflections of our own

article or book, will hopefully comprehend the scope, depth, spir itual condit ion for a tr ut hf u l un de rst anding of an

and value which the Teachings of the Sabbatic Craft hold for external world around us, misunderstanding the lessons

me; to all who can meet with me in this spirit-communion I which the masquerade of Solitude brings before us. How

dedicate all such labours. I entreat such compatriots to often we make masks and costumes for our gods in our own

remember that the Warding of the Circle is a task we share likenesses; how often we paint the hosts of heaven with our

and that it is a duty which requires our constant vigilance. own shadow-play, joining star unto star, belief unto belief, in

configurations born wholl y of our own aff ini ti es. Indeed,

there are veils upon veils which reveal to us our ow n arc ana,

but which i f f a l se ly take n as a final comprehension of

'tntth' c<ittcc;tl &~~i»»s that which we aspire to seek. Wisely

wc ittttst t»;tkc ()ter w;ty tl>Nitlgl> tlute i»axe of mirror'd altars.

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I90 ~<V~N ~HADES Or SOLi TUBE

T ransgressing all well-kept bo rder s of hi st ory and cul tu re , w ith no o th er s e xc ept f or h is o wn b r et h re n, h is m ag ic al

t he Way of the Sorcerer, the so-called 'Faith of C ai n', i s that b lood-r el at ives. I t i s t he s ol i tu de o f o ne w ho en j oy s t he

which heeds the spirits beneath the heels of the Wanderer; pleasures and inspirations of self-company, yet is content to

it is the Way of Knowledge which comprehends the living share in the commu nion of di sco urse and prac tice wit h

zodiac of Desire, the 'how' of' Believing, and the tools by Fellow Companions of the Way , whe ther in u nn am ed

which such Knowledge can be wilfully applied: the Sigil and sodality or i n forma l convocat ion . Though such a man or

Stave, the Will and the Word of Magical Power. For those of woman may engage in worldly activities and interactions to

this Faith, the so-called Wytcha and Curren, it is the Circle such an extent as circumstance dictates, all such affairs are

o f the Arte Magi cal whi ch f orm s the Perfect M ir ro r i n w hi ch kept in their own pl ace, without cont act or i nt ru sion i nt o t he

the Mysteries of Solitude may be sought. sphere of practice and magical discourse.

Drawing from a di ver sity of per sonal exper ience — as a The Hermit of C on vocat ion resides under the patronage

p erpetual a pp re nt ic e, a c on st an t j o ur n ey ma n, a nd a s a of the so-called 'Faithf 'ul Gods', the Assembly of the Si xteen

P residing Magister of both C ovi ne and Lodge — the C ir cl e Witch-fathers and W it ch -m ot he rs. To such a. practiti oner

o f Arte has yielded up it s O wn -B ei ng of S ol it ud e accord in g t he gifts of spi ri tual c om mu ni on , c om mo na li ty o f p ur po se ,

t o many subtil degrees of understandi ng. Al th ough I o ft en d iversity of p er spect ive, m ut ua l s up por t i n t r av ai l, w is e

practise in assembly and convocation, if a man be defined by counsel and guidance are bestowed.

his greatest predilection and most frequent manner of ritual

observance, then I am in tr ut h a so li tar y mag ici an in th e II) The Second Solitude is the Hermitage of Sacred

time-honoured custom of English cunning-craft. If I may say Marriage. This is the solitude of the practitione r who engages

this of myself, then it is indeed true of all whom I have known magically with no other than his or her own sole magical

and held dear as True Brethren of the Faith. It is from such partner or chosen ritual consort. This is the solitude of the

experiences as my meagre years have garnered that Seven Mage who enters the harem of the Sole Other, the adytum

Shades of Solitude have become known to me, and it is these of the Muse's devotions. When the insp ira tion of one' s

gradations of the Lonely Road which are set forth below. perfect loneliness is not other than the manifest presence of

Each of the 'shades' represents a. particular predilection of one's beloved the door unto this h ermi tage has truly ope ned.

practice - a disposition of the Will and an orientation of the The Hermit of Sacred Marriage resides under the patronage

Soul upon mystical pilgrimage toward the summit of of Liliya and Mahazhael, the Witch-queen and King of theattainment. It is cer tai n tha t each of th e seve n degr ees Faithful Gods. The blessings of this spiritual station are the

possesses its own wisdom, but this is solely true for each at clixirs of the Love-feast, the Eucharist of flesh and blood, the

their own specific level of' operation and unde rstan ding. well-spring of Love as inspiration, the mirror of gazes from

From another perspective each mode becomes fol ly, being whence dreams take flesh, the secret of union, and many

limited to a dua li stic view tha t obs cures the Gn osis of l»orc, cxcccding great virtues of the heart.

Solitude in its Own- bein g. I I I) 'I l>c 'I 'I> i rI >t<>dc is thc I lcr mi tage of t h e

I) The First Solitude is thc I-I<.rmlt:>gc of Co>lvoc'>llo». I'I >s J < rl> yl»al>, 'I'i>i. i. tl>, li t<> 3 I n w h o a ba nd ons all

sol>«>dc of t]>c pl.;>ctltl<»><.rwh<> c»gtgcs i»ti»»: tcIy <><>t w:>rd pl>yNi<'ul «'»»I>;»>y, < s<.l>< wi»g;>ss<>ci;>t I<»> with all



OPUSCULA MAGICA II SEVEN SIIADES OF SOLITUDE

o thers, men and w om en, f ri en ds and f oe s al ike. T hi s is t he t he first magician, and the M as ter of al l t ru e- bor n u nt o t he

s olitude of one who d raw s i nw ar d t o t he ci rcl e of hi s ow n Crooked Path of Sorcery and Wit chdom. The att ai nm ent of

self'-brotherhood — the arena of his own mental and sensory this station is its own reward, for its understanding yields up

faculties, and who engages with none but the spir i ts, genii its own merit: Mastery.

and deities of the Path.

The Hermitage of the Journeyman resides under the V) The Fifth Solitude is the Hermitage of the Transgressor.

patronage of Abel or Habil, He who is perpetually overcome This is the solitude of one who wilfully steps outside the

in the Ordeals of Initiation. It may also be seen to resideworld of morta l man as an act of magical power, whose path

under the auspices of the Witch-father called Qinaya Habil transgresses the 'boundaries of the city' and crosses over the

Zhiva, He who is known as 'The Resurrector of'Abel', whomany borders of convention, daring to go f'orth into such

watches over all such deeds that succeed in the transmutationdomains and regions as remain uncharted or forb idden . T hi s

of Will through self-sacrifice. The gifts bestowed at thisis the Way of the One who perpetually acknowledges the

station of the soul are num erous and i t is wi th in th issearch for Cain, the Initiated Man of Witch-fire, and who

hermitage that any true aspirant must secure himself inconstantly engages through self-overcoming in the mystical

introspective contemplation if he is truly to comprehend thesacrifice of Abel, the Profane Man of Clay.

orientations and dispositions of his own nat ure. By abidi ngThe Fifth Solitude is the hermitage of one who passes

long hours in the companie of this sohtude one may find the beyond the pale of any kingdom, government or rulership,wellspring of the magical power within oneself. By actively save that of his chosen deity or intent. It is the condition of

sojourning there, in the very ebb and flow of th e cu rr en tone who actively engages in magical praxis 'outside' the

within, the voice of oracles may be heard from the de pths ,parameters and gravities of custom, convention, or rules of

the visions of the night shall arise in clarity, and to the Mostmankind, whether such boundaries be the outer physical

Blessed the Faithful Gods shall come f orth, unmasked and inlimitations of spatiality, appearance or behaviour, or the

patronage to the Will.inward limitations of spirituality, mentality, moral awareness,

emotional sensibility, sexuality, and so fo rt h. It i s t he

IV) The Fourth Solitude is the Hermitage of the Magister. hermitage of the laughing saint who prays with equal mirth

This is the solitude of one who reali ses Self-vision as its own in graveyard or brothel, chapel or thicket. This is the path of'

autonomy, who has attained to the Kno wl edge of th e Pathone who seeks for the Gnosis of Liberty, who walks without

according to both Tr adi t ion and Re vel at ion, who may attachment to fear or hope into the Tameless Wilderness of

participate in ritual praxes with or without others, without his own Self-vision.

compromise or deficiency to the realisation of Intent. This The Hermitage of the Tra nsgressor resides under the

is the Hermitage of One who indwells the so-called 'Place of patronage of Qayin Azhaka: the Heresiarch, the Initiate

Power' . I t is the St at i on of th e So ul th at pr es ides in ;tttained in the Deific Assumption of'the Cainite Wisdom,

magisterial equanimity over the Convo cation ol th e Vi sib le tl)e lilt))»it)ed ( ')))c ~)f tl)c 1)raconick Stars of Heave n.

and Invisible, both Inwardly and Outwardly, l.iberty is tl)e p) i))cip) I virt t)e ol this station, together with

The k lermit~ge of th e M ag )s ter re sides t)))der t l) e ) l)e )»yr):td )t)td it)t)))@less,trc;ti):t wl»clt the l ler»)it t»ay f'ind

patronage ol (;:)ill, tile s() cltllcd 'I'irst 1)()l ll ()t Wltcltbl()()8', Ilt Ills NII(')'lt ) lilt'I Nt'ct't'tl).)'Ill.



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I SEVEN SHADES OF SOLITUDE

VI) The Sixth Solitude is the Unbounded Hermitage of the dina, the crown-stone of Lumial, the Angelic Soul of WitchSelf-Beholder. It is the solitude of one who looks into the

blood. It is the luciferian Bone-charm of wisdom that movesPolish'd Surface of the Exis tant and be holds t he self-s ame

upstream against the Current of All-that-Is: the Power of theface of ipseity. Unto the Hermit of the Sixth Solitude, All Void in constant becoming as the Flesh of the Initiate.that-Is is Self-as-Other ness: Self-realisation is enfleshed in

The Hermitage of Seth resides under the patronage of thethe Mirror of' the World. Unto him Belief' is made All Elder Gods, the Gods that were before the mortal gods ofPossible. The Gnosis of this Arcanum reveals the Adept's mortal men. The gift of Seth is secret.Own-Being in uni on wi th a l l th at ex is ts.Th is i n n e r

hermitage is attained when the Circle of the Arte Magical is We may conclude by summarising three main views ofreahsed as the constant and stainless mirror of all possible

Solitude: External, Internal, and Secret.magical acts, in which all ri tual s are temp oral f acets of the The External View of Solitude is that arising from physicalOne True Sabbat.

isolation, that is, from the seclusion of the self from all others.All actions of the Arte Magical participate in the nature of In this view one is dee med alon e in ter ms of ext er nal

the Circle's pristine condition and are, in f'act, the 'gra.ndreferents. By virtue of external solitude the practitioner

array' or projection of its innate and self-illumined state as dwells apart from the company of man and woman, and isGnosis Absolute. All magical acts dance as seeming

thus able to focus all intent in such deeds as are needful of

reflections in the mirror of the circle, but, when the mirror quiescence, introspection, and outer tranquillity.is recognised as being untouched and unmarked by any

The Internal View of Solitude is that arising from initi aticaction, the circle is finally realised as one's own luminous and isolation, that is, from the realisation of the uni que autonomyquintessential Being. of the self, independent of external factors. In this view one

The Hermitage of the Self-Be holder resi des under the is deemed alone in terms of internal referents, in that onepatronage of the Dr aco nick God n am ed 'A zh deh a', the has attained to an inner solitude which functions irrespectiveAncient Serpent of Light , who se scales are the skin of the

of the presence or absence of others. By vir tue of int ern alWorld, forever shimmeri ng with the seasons of Life and solitude the practitioner may dwell alone or in the presenceDeath. The gift of this station of the soul is Knowledge, the of man and woman, he may partake in praxes of an individualVision of the Design of Power. or collective nature without bias or compromi se; all may serve

to empower the position of his spiritual equipoise. HavingVII) 'Th e Seventh Solitude is the Hermitage of Seth, theattained to a realisation of magical autonomy the Mage may

Arch-magister ia l Off ice of One -agai nst-Al l . This is theserve as Initiator unto all Asp ira nts, for all Othe r is the

Great All-Oneliness: the Sacred Marriage that divorces all mirror of his own Selfhood.Other. All outward circumstance, every mode and relation

The Secret View of Sol i t ude is the natu ral stat e ofof magical operation — whether congregati onal, connubia l, existence: the primordial condition of I as Void.solitary, autonomian, trans gressive, or panentheist ic, is of no

difference: the Millstone of the Circle has ground All-that wisely wemust makeour ray through the maze of mirror'd altars Is unto a single spark, the Self-shining Lumina. This seed of

slowly, slowly,toward anil. 1~tyond the crac1~called 'Midnight' luminous awareness Is tIlc resufrect111g shard of tile i ll lal ag



CULTUS SABBATI:

PRQVENANCE, DREAM,

AND MAGI STRY

The Sabbatic Craft is a name for a Nameless Faith. It is a

term used to describe an ongoing tradi tion of sor cerou swisdom, an initiatory path proceeding from both immed iate

@~7- ~ A

vision and historical succession. In a historical sense, the

Sabbatic Craft is usefully set against the background of bo th

rural fo lk-magic, the so-cal led Cunn ing -craft , and the

learned pract ices of Eur opean high r i tua l magi c. Th e

mecheval and early modern magical observances of cunning

k IY men and wise women were broad and varied in form, but

invariably rooted in pragmatic deeds of healing, love-magic,

wortcunning, curing and cursing.

Where the practices of cunning-folk overlapped with

• k)those of the high ritual magic traditions, the calling of angels,

the apparatus of astrol ogy, and Lati n in can tat ions were•k'

yf integrated into the magic of the everyday. Notably, these

rituals, spells and formulae employed the ichom of the

predominant religious culture, namely Chri stia nity, often

melding folk religiosity in a seamless blend unique to each»»

kindiv idual pract i t ioner. Alt hough r i tua l ma gic ia.ns and

cunning-folk alike used Christian formulae in their praxes,

one could argue that this religious language was naturally thek

timely idiom of narration for magical rites. However, beneath

the shifting of language and culture, the immemorialm ethodologies and tool s of ma gic al ri tua l th e spi r i t

't revocation, ritual circle, wand, knife, sigil, cord, knot, charm,

*y V

starry aspectation, flora a.nd fauna, invocation, exorcism an d. 4»C

so forth — remain more or less constant .

An important dimension of magical and folk religiosity

was the oneiric or dream realm. Peripheral areas of European

fnllJore rctaik> vestigial knyths which relat e the one iri c

location of' witch knot titigs, fairic convocations, and the

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I DREAM, PROVENANCE AND MAGIST RY 99

nocturnal flight of the Wild Hunt. Merging with Christian generation, the simple teachings of rural magicians have

theological conceptions the background of folk belief assisted grown, coalescing with their longevity to establish traditions

in the formation of the stereotypical witch ritual we know as with rites of initiation and formal induction. Readers here

The Mitches' Sabbath .From an esoteric perspective it is are well-advised that the Cultus Sabbati is a closed circle and

considered that the Sa bbat h is th e as tr a l or dr eam according to long-standing custom, those who ask for entry

convocation of magical ritualists' souls, animal selves, and a are refused. Initiation is by invitation only. Where the spirits

vast array of spirits, faeries and otherworldly beings. It is so will it, a path shall be found.considered that the true location of the Sabbath is at the The circle of the Cultus Sabbati holds dear the spells and

Crossroads of waking, sleeping and mundane dreami ng, th at customs which generations past have bequeathed. The use of

is, in the state of'True Drea ming t he r ea lm inwhich the psalms, biblical divination, oral customs of ritual praxis have

Lady Moon, the nocturnal sun, illumines a world beyond the remained with us, merging amidst a greater body of lore,

reach of the uninitiated. some old, some new ye t al l co ns tan t in viv if icat ion fro m

The teachings of the cunning-f olk h ave come and gone for the timeless wellspring of dream. For as time passes, the circle

the most part from moder n Eur opean cult ure, but here and hearkens to the spirits pa tron to its h eri tage, a.nd through

there fragments of lor e have been passed down to th e dream and spirit-mediumship the circle fleshes itself and

present-day. In instances where the custodians of lore and moves forward. The authenticity of our work does not rest

ritual have been ardent students of the magical artes, the 1n ant1qu1ty, 1t 1s act1ve through present and on-go1rlg v1s1oil.fragments have coalesced to est abli sh str eams of se lf Traditional Sabbatic Craft often employs demonologicalconscious tradition. Where two or more of these streams names and imagery as part of a. cipher to convey a gnosis of

conjoin a. river is born, and thus it is that the present-day Luciferian self-liberation. Similarly, and as aforesaid, rituals

Cultus of the so-called 'Sabbatic Tradition' emerges. may utilise Christian forms and terms, both as a part of long

Cultus Sabbati is a body of magical initiates who practise standing custom and as part of a sorcerous intent to willfully

both solitary and collective rituals, whose lineal tradition/s re-orientate cultural accumulated 'belief' to magical purposes.

descend, in both oral and textual forms, from surviving 19th The positive and negative aspects of this arcanum are dealt

century cunning-folk and ritual magic practice. It is not with in my book Asoetia (Xoanon, I992) under the name 'The

claimed that we practice the very same rites, spells and so Iconostasis of Belief' and readers are directed there for mor e

forth of the I6/zpth century cunning-folk, for it is the very detailed understanding. One must be wise to discern the usenature of these things to change their form and mann er. On e of veil upon veil: the use of demonological terms should notmust remember that rituals are ensouled with practise, that bc misconstrued as advocacy for vulgar 'Satanism', 'black

spirits as well as men and women pass on and teach the Arte I)) agic' or such like; neither should our positive use of Judaeo

Magical . As the gen erat io ns pass, some lore re ma ins c ons ta nt , t '.I) r<stia)) terms imp ly a dh eren ce in an y c on ve nt io na l s en se.

some does not i t c ha ng es, evolves and adapts according to '! 'I)c S;)bbatic (.'.raft uses sorcerous teachings of a specialised

time, need, and insight. In the last century thc streams of' g(1()st)c cll'll",Ictcl', ll(I o(lfc1 p;)rt' of which combines a coded

custom and 01al tiaclit1011 have flourishe 111 SIT)all circles of l ls(' ()I b()tll !.<tell('I Ic 'l l ld (. i l l 'Is t() p ;Ig \I) 1'c111)s. 011c must

ritual observance, and in being passed from gc()c<;tt(()II t() I)( c;II'('l'<Il t<) I<It('I'pI'< I I Itis„ it is:I t(st! I'cw pass bey<)nd It.

IOO OPUscULA MAGIcA I I

THE SABBATIC CULTUS:it. (It is seriously recommended that all sincere students and

AN I N T E R VI E W WI T H A N D R E W D . C H U M B L EYseekers aspiring to any form of Traditional Craft be on due

guard; test all those who speak of these matters, and hold fast

solely to that which is of good repute, sound counsel, andBy Robert Fitzgerald

demonstrable integrity)

A defining feature of the Cultus is its specialised use of theRF. Please give some personal background information on

mythos of the medieval and early modern European yourself, Andrew D. Chumbley, the entity also known as the

Witches'Sabbath as the basis and idiom for i ts r ituals and Grand Magister Alogos Dhul'qarnen Khidir of the Cultus

Sabbati. Interests, influences, environmental circumstances,practices. This is not simply an indwelling of the past or

human contrivance, but rather a spirit-taught reification ofetc.

the Sabbath's potent oneiric reality in an ongoin g trachti onAC. I am a Cunning Man living in a rural village within the

of magical practice. The whole comp lex of i magery that is thecounty of Ess ex, Eng land. As t o m undan e pe rs onal

Witches' Sabbath is esoterically understood as the atemporalinformation, that is my business! I am older than some and

reality of our ritual. When perceived anew through praxis,younger than others; richer than some and poorer tha n

dream and spirit -med iumsh ip, the myr iad mot ifs of th eothers. To give information about one's personal life to those

Sabbath yield new wisdom and serve as wholly appositewhom it does not concern is an exercise in vanity; it dest roys

cyphers for the tea chings of on eir ic fl igh t, ata vistic the freedom which mystery permits. As to my magic, that istransformation, wortcunning, divination, ritualisation, dual

my life and all else is diversion from an und ersta nding of me.observance, spirit-worship, and so forth.

Vision is my wealt h. Thi nk of me what you wil l fr om mySabbatic symbology has thus been utilised to encode and

responses to your questions. To some of my br ot her s andnarrate the teachings accumulated and still developing in our

sisters of the Art e I am kn ow n as Al og os Dh ul 'qa rne ntradition. Dreaming and the mutual translation of dreamt

Khidir ; to others I am kn own dif fe rent ly. The name isritual and ritual-as-dreamt form the basic rationale and con

indicative of my state as an autonomous initiated entity: atext for our work. The active discourse between initiates and

sorcerer of the Crooked Path. I parti cipate in m any init iati cour spirit-patrons inspires and motivates this dreaming. This

contexts and in many capacities, some are evident from myis demonstrably manifest in the magical artistry of individual

work and others are not. As to the title of 'Magister' — this

initiates, whether through text, ritual performance, song, tap indicates my position within the Body of Sabbatic Initiatesestry, craftsmanship, or image. Where the spark of vision

known as Cultus Sabbati. The reader should bear in mindleaps, where inspiration is communicated..... the path strays

that the name Cultus Sabbati i s an appellation assumed by aanew. So mote it be!

magical trachtion for a purpose; the trachtion predates and

will outlive any such outer forms, The Sabbatic Cultus is

li ifof med by cate11ae of initiatory succession maintained over

;i li<iniber <if gcncrat.ious; its origins lie in h ere dit ary f' olk

iiugic;>ii J iii t lie types ~>( witchcraft as peculiarly evolved by

OPUscULA MAGIcA II THz Sxaa<Tic CUx TUs I03

the cunning folk of' the Isle. The Cultus has developed over especial emphasis upon the ance stral form s of wo rs hipthe years through a fusion with a variety of initiatory streams connected thereto. This work will surf ace within the Out erand magical mystical currents; t his is evidenced by the tran s at some t ime in the f ut ure. I am also in vol ved in th ecultural influences shown in the text of Azoetia T.he Azoetic manifestation of Ophidian energies through my activity( rrimoire operates as a presently functioning recension of the within the Northern Kaula Sect of the Tantric Tradition.Sabbatic Lore and should provide the interested reader or This sect or clan of tantrikas derives from Ranchi in Uttarapractitioner with the ne cessary materials for the alignment Pradesh, India. I received initiation into this sect from the<) I their work to the current. The Cultus itself is not open to Tantrika. Sri Vilasanath and I have subsequently been;>pplicants; we choose our members or rat her 'p ower ', in the invested wit h th e f ul l I)aramI)araof the l i nea ge. Thesl»;pc of signs and portents, chooses them for us. The title of' responsibility of d irec ting the sect has now been given to meM;>gistcr indicates the level of one's initiation, predomi nant ly and this will, if the Gods so direct, permit the creation of ant l>c extent of one' s inn er vis ion and th e sc ope of on e' s accessible point of ingress for the Seeker into the sorceriesI(»<) wl edge; it implies the ability to ar ticu late that k nowl edge of the Crooked Path. The sect and its struct ure have evolved:>s;> c<)rpus of teachings and to be able to transmit that from and will serve as a. point of cohesion for a number of different<)»c's scIFto an aspirant. The ti tle also ind icates the ability to cultural streams of magical energy. Although the authorityI(»>et i<)» as a point of cohesion wit hin and bet ween vari ous upon which the sect is founded derives specifically from the

<«»t(xts with in whic h the te achi ngs wil l man if est and Tantric Tradition, I have been in struc ted to broa den the<)I)<'»': t<' For example, within cells and covines. I seek to act parameters of the sect's activiti es to emb race all f 'orms of;>«<)>(Ii»g to the need of' time and p lace. At some m ome nts Ophidian Magick.<)»< i» t l>c (guide and at others the Guided.

RF. Your art work whic h I ha ve seen in you r two book s,It I'. Wl»; t c()»»ection do you or the Cultus Sabbati have with Asoetia and Qutub, as well as between the covers of StarfireVol.I <.'<»»ct I> (<r>»t's Typhoni an O. TO ., an% r w i t h t h e s o

t, No.<), while wholly original in execution, seems to owe a<;>II< (I ( «pl>i Ji»» (.;urrcnt in general? debt ofhonour to, and bear the influence of, the art of'Austin

Osman Spare. Is this a fair approximati on, and, what role hasA( ',. '( ',<)»»cctio»s' operate on a. number of levels. I speak to

Spare's art and magick played in your own work and the works<)»>( I)( <)pic >»J do not speak to others; speech and silence

of the Cultus Sabbati as a whole~;»'<' I)()> I> I()»'»s ()I co>1»cct>of>. As sotr>cot>e ot>ce said: You can

sl>;»< tl>( I;>tl>, h(>t »otyour seeps. Thc Cultus has affiliatory AC I am often flattered by the compar>son that >s made by> I;»i », I iI, t; » > b r I- t r ad it io> , I i h n ai nt ain a some critics between my art and tha t of th e lat e Aus tin«)>»I);»:>I)I< ii»(;>I:»>tiqt»ty, b(>t I a>» u»able t<) disclose the («sman Spare. One might perceive a similarity of ambience('x<>('t >»'> '(' () I;»>y s(>( I» 'cl'>f >()»sl»p '>t' p> csc» t. As t<) thc <)r oF style between certain of the more representationalw<)>l(»»'<'g'»'(I t() fl>c («pl»(I>l»> ( t» lc»t I '»»»>voivccl w>t'I> picccs i» Aroetia and some of Spare's pen, ink and pencil;»»»»I)<'r <)I I»gl>ly tr»»c<):>rc r(>ly»>g tl>csc I> <>w»>gs,bl>t t I>c co»>p(» ">so>1 c«L>ld >>ot bc cxtet>ded to the»>y8(('»'('s »> l> vc>'y p()tc » t »>< »» '>('>' l»>(I w> tl > ( <>I I>g> (>pl>tc (>I't'w()>'Ic c()» t>»»ccI w>tll»» »y scco»CI book, Qgtul) .



IO4 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I

Within Qutub the aesthetic influence stems predominantly

from the Kufic style of' I slamic calligraphy, incorporatin g

some of the tal ism anic rep resentat ional styles of Suf ic

esotericism. I would certainly admit to a debt of honor to

both the pictorial and the literary style of Zos vel Thanatos;

I owe a debt of honor to all whom I consider to be my

spiritual ancestors. One should be respectful of the Mighty

Dead; one should not forget the Blessed and the Wise that

have preceded you, lest they forget y ou! In rev iew s of my

work I have read of comparisons with Crowley, Grant, Spare,

etc; this tells me everything about the influences upon the

reviewers and the extent of their reading; it tells very little

by way of an accurate appraisal of my work within the entire

field of world esotericism. Any comparison tells me about

the Comparer. Austin Spare 's own invol vement in th e

Sabbatic Tradition will inevitably have drawn him into

similar fields of sorcerous praxis as myself, and it is certain

that the current of ma gical aesthesis as it is tran smit ted

within the context of the Sabbatic Mysteries will manifest in

s imi la r ways th r ough ch f fe r en t a r t i s t -m ed iums. Th is

similarity occurs because of the spirit-f ami li ars possessing,

obsessing or over-shadowing the ar tists being the same or of

the same ilk.

RF. Are you at hberty to divulge in richer detail Mrs.

Paterson's South Wales Wit ch- Cu lt, i. e., its present day

location, lineage and practices. What co nnect ion, if any, does

this lineage have with self-same depictions within the works

of Arthur Machen and the Celtic Witch Tr adition i n general>

AC. With regar d to the charac ter of Mr s. Pat erson, her

identity, role and relationship to Spare, there is much to tell,

but it is not my place to divulge this information. As to thc

lineage of her wit ch-c ult, one could say that it has been

passed down via its Grand Familiar, Black L'aglc, to worthy

OPUSCULA MAGICA II THE SABBATIC CULTUS IO7

recipients, but once again I cannot speak of this. Others willAC. How does one gauge the extent of an influence? To

do so in their own time. Much work has been undertaken in a.nswer your question exactly I would have to say, 'None'. I

this area and one may say with certainty that the Current offind nothing within the philosophy of Thelema which is not

the Zos Kia is flourishing within its chosen initiates. There already present within the innate metaphysics of mine own

is much which others may choose to reveal, both regardingmagical praxes, if not all magical practices. Will is vital. To

the lineage and prac tices of the "Z os -K ia", and th euse Will in one's magical praxes denotes an understanding

unglimpsed majority of Spare's artwork and literary outpu t. of magick's methodology, it does not comport any connection

The latter revelation will break a number of pre-conceptions to the theophanic transmissions of the Master Therion or

which surround AOS and will hopefully shatter the masks any other Mage. If'however by 'philosophy of Thelema' you

assumed in the Zos Kia. Cultus mythos, thus permitting a mean the magical philo sophy or doc tr ine of Ma gi ck as

freedom of belief which will allow the Zos Kia Current expounded by Crowley in his var ious works, then I woul d say

strange new f lesh in whi ch to m an if est! The f or emo st that there is a degree of'influence upon the techniques of

exposition of Aust in S pare's aesthetic, hterary and magi calceremonialism which I have used, but I would say that there

work is enshrined within the recently published book, Zos Kia are other influences which are more evident. It is h owever

by Gavin W. Semple, published by Fulgur, zppp. This is important to understand and give due credit to the fact that

essential reading for the cognoscenti in these matters. the work of Crowley has permitted us all a greater freedom

upon the Path; he and certain others of his era openedRF. Discuss the concept you call 'Magical Aesthesis'. gateways through which knowledge became accessible. The

greatest influence upon me is the current of magick itself and

AC. "Magical Aesthesis" denotes the states of perception if that current, by i ts very natu re, carr ies with i t suc h

utilised within the practices of sorcery ranging from the knowledge as is transmitted by such enti ties as Ai wass, then

V irgin S tat e t o t he sp ec ia li ze d t ra nc e- st at es w it hi n t h e one must admit to a fusion of t heir in fl ue nce wi th on e's own

assumption of god-forms as the vehicular modes of traffick innate magical knowled ge. I have studi ed the wo rks of

w ith t ra ns mu ndan e e nt it i es . M ag ica l A e st he si s m ea ns Crowley and have integrated much of what I h ave f ound to

magical perception. The V irg i n S tat e r ef 'ers to the resonate with my personal i nclin atio ns. An emph asis upon

unconditioned percept ion of the w or ld, unal tered by social t he Wil l c au ses one t o c on si de r i ts r ol e. T he V o i ce o f

and cultura l in f lu ences; i t is th e sta te of l ibe rt y i n Zarathustra has found its echoes in many places; the knell ofconsciousness attained through purification of the senses. the Great Noontide has resounded within me! Others could

The formulae of Ae sth esis as found in Azoetiarefer to call me a Thel emite and they wou ld do no wr on g. .. to

gradations of perceptual states or means of manipulating paraphrase. I would not choose to do so since it would limit

states via contemplative and ritual praxes. the parameters by which an aspirant might perceive my own

worl< and it would also encourage preconceptions in regardRF. How much of an influence has the philosophy of t<>;i pars()leal assess'»e~~t of The rio n's work . I se ek toThelema had upon your particular magickal praxis'? tr>iiscci>J;>II wl>() I>:>vs g~iiie beh~re;! will Iiot merely repeat

T<Lr; SAVBATiC CULTUS IO9Io8 OPUSCULA MAGICA II

the magic of dead men! Someone once said to me, ' .A..nd RF. You have writ ten that Bl ack Eagl e (th e ent ity who

Therion climbed to the summit of attainment; he looked down, surveying inspired both Mrs. Paterson and informed AOS) serves as a

all of his followers ..a.nd spat!'And as I have said, 'Accursed aremedium of transference between the Elder Gods and the

present Cultus SabbatiB.y 'Elder Gods' are you referring tothe Followers and the Followed!'

the name and concept as concei ved by the wr it er H .P .

RF. Would you say that the concepts of' the Grand Famulus

Lovecraft> If so, would you then accordingly consider that

Black Eagle and the Emissary Nyarlathotep are one and thezoetictermino o an t e re ore re resen t t e s am e

same?an%r similar ideas (definitions)?

AC. One should be careful to show discernment in theseAC. 'The Elder Gods' is a phrase used for a long time within

matters and to distinguish between the types or forms of thethe rites and spells of Traditional Wit chcr aft; it denotes the

Familiar or Servitor Spirit. There are several distinct formsGods which existed prior to the god- forms fashioned b man .

of this energetic manifestation: the Ancestral Familiar; theThe phrase can be found in exta.nt ritual texts belongin to

Servitor evoked by a single adept; the automata. projected andin i tia tes of the Cul tus Sabbat i and oth er branc hes of

personified by an individual and/or a group; an in trusiveTradit ional Craft , A co nn ecti on made by the ou ts ide r

spirit evoked from outside of the individual(group; a catalyticbetween the use of the phrase in question and the concept as

entity who serves solely to ene rgi ze the wo rk ing s of a . ound within the works of' H. P. Lovecraft is indigenous to

magician, but is in it se lf se emi ngly una lt ered by s uc htheir perception alone; if that connection is useful in workin

interaction; the entity which is bound to locality of placewith the concept then that is of some benefit. However, one

an%r time, and so on. As to the distinction between themust question whethe r or no t su ch an i den ti f i cat i on

Grand. Familiar and the Eg re gor e... The latt er is, to myreaffirms conceptual presumptions and what the nature of

understanding, a synergetic nexus created by the collectivesuch pre-experiential concepts denotes about the perceiver.

intent of a. group of magi cians; it is given form th ro ughIf the reader is inclined to know, if that may be done, what

visualization or any other unified perceptual attitude adoptedthe phrase 'The Elder Gods' signifies, then I would advise

them to work with such modes of sorcery which will facilitateby the collective. It may or may not be a distinct aut onomo us

being in itself. Without the collective mind to support it, itdirect experience. As to the question of whether or not Black

may decay or just cease to function. The Grand Familiar as

Eagle can be id ent i f i ed wi th t he Lovec raf t ian ent i t y

summoned within the Aloe'tia is the sovereign tutelary spiritNyarlathotep, my resp onse is the same as bef ore. The*

which serves the Races of Wit chb lood . One ini ti ate willidentification is yours and its usefulness is relevant solely to

perceive it differently from another; its forms are many andyour perception. If you were to work with t he ent ity k nown

diverse, its totalit y embr aces all of the var ious types ofas Black Eagle you would not ask such questi ons; you may not

manifestation which are po ssible for such a state of bei ng.be able to phrase a question about it.

The Familiar is the entity, or entities, which tend the field of <i'. ! lease «cscrtbe l>ow thc (;uterus Sabbatithe sorcerer's otherness, that is, they arc cxistcnt as the !<lack 1.ogle. i»odiis ~ipsera indi, < tc,extension of thc Sorccrcr's «warciicss bcyotid thc vchiclc of

tlute Acsli.

IIO OPUscUI.A MAGIcA I I T»E SAeaATIC CUIXUS

AC. The methods of evoking Black Eagle are diverse and subtleties involved in the evocation of an entity such as Black

require the sorcerer to be able to withstand the most extreme E agle could no t b e d is cu ssed i n a co nt ex t s uc h a s t hi s

ordeals upon all levels. I would not advise anyone to begin interview.

on this path, but nonetheless I would not deter any who seek

to commune with this entity. The methods used within the RF. What is the origin of the belief that the Primal Goddess

Cultus Sabbati adhere to many arcane formulae passed down must be invoked at the meeting-place of three roads?

to us, but these have remained secret and will remain so; it

would be disrespectful to my eld ers to imp art sub tle tie sAC. The origin of many beliefs li es in their native land: the

outside of the circle. One method derived from Spare's ownritual context of their manifestation. That is to say, the circle

methodology can be given; it is simple and serves as a goodof Arte is the place of origin for such a teaching and the fiel d

preliminary. One should gaze at the portrait of the Spiritof consciousness is the territory from whe nce th e teach ing

Black Eagle, allowing one's eyes to follow the lines round andwas extracted and translated as something knowable. If you

around, in and out of fo cus un til dr awn in war d to th eare asking as to the historical orig ins in a mund ane tem poral

presence of the spirit. This technique was used by Spare andsense, then I could proffer various possible answers. One may

can be applied to anyone with eyes. Many seeming magicians, find the notion of evoking the Goddess at the junction of

occultists and such-like indulge in the imagery of 'evil' andthree Roads in a wide number of ancient belief systems. The

darkness; they play at it, adorning themselves with macabre trimorphic forms of the God dess are evident thro ughout

frippery, thinking themselves to be weird by feigning interestAsian, Classical Greek, Hell enic and No rt he rn Eu ro pea n

in the most ave rage and pr edi ctable for ms of s oc ia lmythology. With i n th e Tant r i c sy ste m th e Godd es s

unacceptability. They have suff'ered insufficiently to knowKundalini is evoked from the crossroads-state of three and a

better. I am sure that there are many such people readinghalf coils. Within the Greek recension of'mysteries the triple

these words, thinking to the mselves that I c an't poss iblyHecate is summoned at the crossroads where crimi nals we re

mean them. I do! In seeking out the Di ff ere nt, you havehanged and the soc ial out sid ers conv ened. One mu st

clothed yourselves in a new unifo rm. You have m ade yourdifferentiate between the Symbol and the Symbolized.

own normality! You have not grasped the meaning of the RF. Would you say that the junction of the Four Roads isword, 'evil'; it means 'to be beyond, to be outside the limits

similar to Crowley's N.O .X. concept ?

of the normal'. And it is only a matter of time before thereality of True Otherness will playwithyou. Those who move AC. One migh t cho ose to tr ans pose the symb ology of'beyond the acceptable forms of sociability very often move <:rowlcy's N.O.X. concept onto the Sabbatic symbology ofin to a new soc i a l are a where the i r d i f f ' e rence is thc Crossroads of'Four Paths. Such a transposition mightaccommodated by similarly different types and thereby scrvc somconc who utili zes the The lemi c fra mework f ornormalized. This is a ste p to wa rds Ot her ness, but of 111)dcrst;)1)dil)gci)1)ccpts cxtcrior to that system. A si mila rit ytemporary, and minor function: one must step outside and 1»;)y bc Jr;iwt) by tlirt)sc wl)<) cl)nose to compare the twowalk alone. In the Desert of Solitude onc tnay pcrchancc I'ind syl))bi)lie rcprcsctt t;lt 1<) tl~",;lily stlcllc()lll pllrlsoll Is tlscfttl onlytrue allies: with such I will discllss th(. Artc I' acc to face, 'I'hc ills()1Ill' ilNIt Iiti IIItittt'Nl 1''('ilI 111)iI('1'slillli'Illlg ()! t llc i)ylllb ()ll zcd .

4



OPUSCULA MAGICA I I > >1>: SABBATrc CULTUS II3

RF. Could you elaborate upon your concept of Tabu and its void Eleven equidista11t points lay around 1ts c1rcumference

intimate relation wit h the Fet ish ? How la rge a rol e do t ese points were all interconnected by paths of scintillatin

shamanic Fetishes play in your work? How does one invoke energy. At each point were pai rs of let ters; these letters were

the Fetish's essence (especially if it is an animal part such as h ebraic characters in the mode of temura known as ALBM.

a feather, skull, claw or talon) and align it to one's will or This correspondence is articulated within the text in a clear

intent? and yet subtle ma.nner. Each point is called an Aat or Hou se

o Power; to each Aat is attributed, as in the vision, a pair of

AC. If one picks up an object, a piece o f clothing for i nstance, l etters. T he m ys te ri es of ' t he A at s a nd t h e L e t t e rs a r e

which belonged to a dead lover, one will evoke memories of expounded through the eleven sections of the second art of

t hat per son vi a chrect no st al gi a. On e w ou ld r em em be r t he ir t e G ri mo ir e. T he v isi on i s also described in bot h p oe ti c and

living presence. There migh t be act s wh ich on e mig ht theoretical contexts. The identification with the cabalistic

perform; a touch or ges ture whi ch wo uld he ig hte n th e alphabet was part of the vision, but one must look to a level

intimacy. There might be associations of music, l ighti ng, of principles symbolized by any s uc h ci ph er. Th eperfume, which one might recall in order to accentuate the cosmographic diagram seen in the vision is named, "The Ma

remembrance of the lover. One would do it all quite naturally of Possibility"; it is a direct evolution of the hidden 'form'and without thought. It would happen! The silent voice rom whence the Tree of Life, the Tree of Yggdrasil and other

w hich creates and or der s such an act m igh t b e d ef ine d as i ts s uch comparat ive w or ld -m od el s w er e d raw n b y se er s of t heTabu or Law. One may evoke the essence of a fetish which past. As the path progresses through time it wi ll b e fo und

incorporates the use of animal relics via an identical nos talgic t at v is ionaries wil l perceive the Hidd en F orm of ' th e

empathy. Identification is essential. One must find the bones Possible in clearer and more functional wa s.

or claws of a beast, one must imbibe it s environ ment dir ectl y.

In doing this one will 'hear' the voice of the spirit directing RF. A great deal of the text of The Asoefiais taken u

your actions exactly — imparting the Tabu of the fetish. own evocatfons, invocations and spel ls, often manany pages 1nengt . How is the reader to utilize/memorize such passages

RF For the benef1t of our readers couldyou please elaborate or ts t e po)nt of these incantations merely to serve as an

upon the core teachtngs of The Asoetf'a. 1 own collecttvely as inspiration for the reader/ acolyte to receive and channel their

the Formulae of the Eleven Cells of the Azoth' and theown grimoires and sigillae, or does their value lie betwe enAethyric Cells called 'the Aat'. In particular I would like to the letters and word s of ' thei r com pos it io n ( . .on (e.g. your

b etter u nd er st an d t he n u m er a ti on s ( an d c o mb i n at i on s s tatement at boo k's end to, ' Mi st ak e no t t hi s B oo k f or t he

thereof) given to these 'Cell s', which I fo und som ewh at Words upon its Pages.')?

unclear. Also do the Twenty-Two Holy Letters correspond

in any-wise to the Hebrew Alphabet' ? C. Thc Aloe tia is constit'uted by many rites and for mul ae

wl)(ch coul J bc c;Illcd 'pcrs()I)al', but any magical text has an0

AC The elevenfold structure found w1thin the second part '1(llll(>l 'llld Il s(>Ill'c(' ()t IIlspll"'III(>11. Tl)c .)pclls with in th e

of the Azoetic Grimoire is derived from a vision in which I '.gypf I(Ill l)(>(>k (>1 I ll(' I i('113 w('I'(' balll, "If ()Il(.' I IIllc ol 'l I)o tl )cI ",perceived a. circle traced out in light upon the expanse of the

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I THE SABSATIC CULTUS

w ritten by i ndi vi dual s and could at t he t im e of w ri ti ng b e number of ways throughout Qutub within the course of t he

called 'personal'. One might consider that thei r cont ext was e vocatory poem, th e c om me nt ar y an d a nn ot at io ns. T he

different and that a known religious construct supported any teachings of the Crooked Path will be made fully explicit in

personal religious writings. However, if' the reader is a further publications.

sorcerer of some skill they might f'ind that th e fr amework Some might draw parallels between the Eastern Teachings

which supports the Azoetic Gr im oire and its spells is one of the One Life(Short Path, the Path of' Blame as practiced

which transcends the outer form of any si ngl e mag ico by the Mullamatiyah Sufis, and those of the Crooked Path.

r cligious system. T hose who w ish t o u ti li ze t he f or mu la e There is sufficient material for the present wit hi n Qutub for

within the book shoul d r ead t hem di re ctl y f rom th e t ext and t hose receptive unt o it s E ssence. The d ef in it io ns of t er ms

visualize the imagery described therein. They should adapt within this book are for its cont ext and for its purp oses;

I l>cm according to their own needs and in the l ight of t he ir b eyond the pages of books the C ro ok ed P at h i s a r ea li ty

( )wl> place upon the path. T hi s ap pr oach shoul d be evi den t w hich transcends the di vi si ons of th e L ef t an d R igh t H an d

I();>i>yone possessed of an inkling of initiative; the book is Path dichotomy.

writ tcii so as to remain closed to the profane.

RF. Could you expound upon 'the doub le-form of th eII I '. I I;>vc you had any congress with the entity known as Lam Opposer'. Would you equate this being with that of

()I' A I>l >li>l>trah? Baphomet~

A( ,'. Y(s! I l>ave done some workin t his area and have draw n AC. The Oppo ser is the god- f 'orm of tra nsgression; i ti>iy ()wii c()I>ctusions from that work. However, I have not personifies the essential ethos of the Crooked Path and is theI i;i(I;> s(1 I I icic»t answer from anyone else wo rkin g in thi s ar ea totem of the s or cerous men tal i ty . I ts d oub le- f 'orm is.is I() I l>c i>at»re of the entity in question. Is it an intrusive or perceived in contemplating the two sides of a knife edge or; I(I I ()1>()1»()lis entity; is i t a g od -f or m a s s um ed b y a n the bifurcation of the serpent's tongue. One may discuss theii>l( lligciicc; is it a god -f orm ass umed by a ma gi cian for double-form in dualistic positive/negative terms or in male)('()111111(ll> I l>g with transm undan e ent it ie s~ As t he or ac le female polarized terms. In the former mode the positives;iyclI> 'Il is all in the Egg'; As I reply, 'The Egg is the food of form is the attitude adopted by the sorcerer in order to be atI li(,) ii;il<c'. one with a given environment of belief, that is, to use the

surroundings, irrespective of their nature, as the vehicle forI< I'. I i> I)riel could you descri be what i s meant in y our boo k

one's path. The negative form is the conscious inversion of< >utub1)y 'll>( I'oli>t al>d t'hc Crooi<ed Path'.

thc forms of belief which are imposed upon oneself from

()utsidc and the use of their inverse forms as the vehicle ofA<'. . ' I ' I>c I ' ( ) i i>t is ' ( .>nc=pointcd»css thr oughout a l l

< '.()1>s(.i()(isi>css'; ii <<c»()tcs thc state of' la s Ab so lu te . T heoi>c's path. Thc kcy is alternation between the two forms

<,I'()()I<(' sp ec >;>ll/ ccl soi"eel ()(ls l>ppf o'>ch to;>cc()r<Iil>g t() tl>c iiccd s of >hc so rc erer . In s im pl e an d

ill(lstrat.ivc tcri»s: tl>c p()sitivc >pplication of thc opposer.( sist( I>(<; i> is J( I'ii>c(I by ii>I(. rci>c(. al>d ii»plic:>tio» iii a



ZI6 OPUSCULA MAGICA I I I I I E i)ABBATIC CUL TU S II7

f orm al lows o ne t o m o ve u ns ee n w i t h i n an y giv e n is a Living and Vital Reality. Khidir is the Ini tia tor of many

environment of beli ef and to ut il ize it w it hou t i nc on gr uenc y, i nvisible silsilah — i ni ti at ic c ha in s o f s uc cession; he i s t he

e ither within one's own i nt er nal bel ief str ucture or in t he Master of the O rder w hose conclaves are opened wi th i n

system within which one is moving. The negative application dreaming.

liberates one from the imposition of belief-forms upon one' s

perceptual purity by the deli berate over- turni ng of tho se RF. Lastly, what are you currently working on? Any purely

imposed f'orms; the inverse belief'-forms being taken as the illustrated books/texts in the near future~

expressions of one's own intent. An understanding of this

secret reveals one reason why the Sabbatic Initiate could AC. I shall be working on the text of Azoetiain order for a

utilize the demonic symbology imposed upon the strata of revised edition to be published i n a couple of years. The first

folk-magic during the Inquisition; it also reveals why such an edition has completely sold out. As to new mate rial I am

initiate could go to a Christian church without offence to working on a number of projects at the present time, but I

himself or any others. One should bear in mind that the two never speak of these in detail before they are comp lete. The

forms or modes of'praxis are means to the realization of the nature of such works will tend t owards demonstrat ing clear

Opposer as the Force which t ran sgresses all Nature . In and practical applications of the Quintessential Current and

male(female terms the double form of the Opposer is further the exposition of the Cr ooked Path G nosis. Beyond

Shaitan and Lilith, the Father-form of the Transgressor and this ... I am silent!

the Witch-mother of the Serpent's Kin. These typify the

bifurcation of the Ophidian Current, the Red and Black

Snake. Remember, the Crooked Path eternally transgresses!

It may cut the feet of th e unw ary who seek to wal k it .

Baphomet is a sym bol or to te m of a sp ec if icbody of

knowledge, that knowledge being a fo rm of g n os is

transmitted via the Templars. It is Abufihimat, the Blackened

Head of Wisdom. It has a compable, but culturally specific,

nature to that expressed in the forms of'the Opposer.

RF. Would you equate 'Khichr, the Green One' within Qutub

with Gustav Meyri nk's 'Chi dher Gre en' (th e Wan der ing

Jew) within The Green Face~

AC. Yes! Salaam alakum! The Spir i t of Kh id ir wand ers

through the book and the reader. Beware! Do not mistake

this as figurative or symbolic, the spirit of the Verdant One



NoTES II9

Notes on the Texts, Volume IIThe Crooked Path Part r

PrefaceChaos InternationalNo. rg, Summer I992

The dissemination of African sorcery into European, British,One of two very diff'erent introductions written in z996,

and European-American witchcraft practice is historicallyfollowing submission of proposals for an essay-collection to

complex, but the parallels of magical stance and methodology

three publishers in England. The first of these, revised two are notable. In particular, the intersection of Voudon withyears later but not published, was used in Opuscula MagicaVol.

the Witch-Cult is a matter also given some discussion in 'AI (20? o). This second, shorter introduction did not advance

History of Cro oked Path Teachi ngs'. At the tim e of th ebeyond a preliminary draft, and is published here for the first

essay's composition, Andrew was in volve d wit h aspe cts oftime. It echoes certain concerns and language expressed in

'The Sabazian Torch'.Petro Voudon, Tantrik praxis, and their integrative cross

potentiations with Traditi onal Wit chcraf t rit es. For example,

the 'Horse' in the Sabbatic Mysteries is allied with Cain, andMagick Is Not For A11

by extension the sorcerer himself, who steps into his shadow.Chaos International No. r2, r992

Similarly, the concept of 'White Darkness' mentioned herein

Qn the surface, 'Magick' is a rejoinder to the increasingly is also discussed in greater detail in the soon to be released

social popular occultism of the late I98os and early I99os, Dragon Book -of Essex,particularly in the 'Rite of the Mystery of

advocating a return of the Art Ma gi cal to its root s of con the White Sun'.

cealment. Importantly it confronts the New Age fallacy of

occultism as egalitarian, and stands as an implicit reminder The Crooked Path Part 2,

that those who promote this view have no problem excluding Chaos InternationalNo. z4, Winter? 992,

those whose views they find offensive.The essay concerns applications of the Four Powers of the

Beyond th is, i ts h ie rarchy of co nce rns inc ludes theSphinx, or, as Andrew expressed their unified form, 'To Dare

historical pers istence of the wi tc h- cul t , as wel l as i t sto Know the Will of Silence.' The essay provides a rare

exclusionary nature — both of relation to magical secrecy.glimpse of the author as magical teacher — at once severe and

Here Belief as a sup reme in te ger of en ch ant ment iscompassionate. Qf particular note in his exposition of the

underscored, not only in its active form within the magician's powers is the equation of Kee pin g Sil ent wit h Ho no ur, acircle, but as a passive or latent power beyond it.

virtue integral to the tradit ional wi tch- cult and one oft enThe essay is printed here as published, without further

neglected in both the theory and practice of Magick. Theauthorial revision. Together with his I99 o essa y "A Sho rt

essay concludes with an exposition on the nature of the 'BodyCritique and Commentary Upon Magic", first published in

o( Otherness' a concept lying at the heart of Crooked PathSkoob Occult Review, it is a. germinal portrait of the Artist and

Sorcery.Scribe, revealing the passion, erudition and talent for magical

explication that would see their flowering in a few short

years.

I20 OPUSCULA MAGICA II

The Sabazian Torch cosmogony and the Sabbatic Mysterium. Wh ils t some of t hat

The Occult Observer,Vol. II No. 4, z993material remains, the essay it ultimat ely became is one of the

The Cauldron,No. 73, August z994 clearest examples of an Exordium of Sabbatic Gnosis. Due

to editorial conflicts regarding the content of the journal, the

The essay was completed in late Oc tobe r z99 2,. The present article was not published in Waratahand languished for some

form is from a handwritten r evision of z996, and represents years. In late zoo3 Andrew made several additional revisions

a 2)o-word expansion over the originally published form . to the piece in preparation for the article's inclusion in an

essay compendium from Three Hands Press.

Gnosis For the Flesh EternalA Scattering of Dust &om the Wings of the Moth

Originally titled 'Wi sdom for th e New Fl esh', the article was Chaos International No. z9, Autumn z99g

was first published in the Typhonian journal Starfire(Vol. I Talking Stick issue XX, Winter z99$

N o. g, December z994 ), and m or e rec en tly in th at

publication's anthology Ecpyrosis(2oz 0-zozz). Of the genesis Andrew was enaged in the writing of 'Moth' in the weeks

of this article, editor Michael Staley writes: immediately following Midsummer z995. It emphasises not

o»y the oneiric substratum of the witches' night-feast, but

Andrew wrote this article in the early to mi-d i-ggos, at the time when uses dreamlike language and metaphor to convey it. It isan affiliation was beingproposedbetweenthe Typhonian O T O. an.d notable for its openness of' presentation of otherw ise 'veil ed'

Cultus Sabbati Whi.lst the formalisation of this affiliation was in lore.

progress, Andrew and I met from time to t ime, and I suggested that

he write an article for the forthcoming issue ofStarfire on the 'The Cult of the Divine Artist

Sabbatic tradition which powered Cultus Sabbati 'Wisdo.m for the The CauldronNo. 77 August z99g

New Flesh'was the result There .were many good articlesin thatissue Starfire,Vol. II, No, z (z996)

and Andrew'sis one ofthem His pe.nchant for ornamental language Widdershins, A Volatile Journal of MagicNo. 6, z997

and archaic punctuation was never particularly to my taste, but it was

the substance of the article which shone through, no matter the Unifying diverse strands of Magical Aesthesis, the article

expressionin which it was couched Andrew .also provided two superb provides a vivified and original anaglyph of the vector s of the

pieces ofartwork togo with the article, and they are amongst the best Sabbatic Current and Zos Kia Cultus. Following its inaugur

artwork we have published inStarfire. publication in The Cauldron,it then appeared in Starf i re

Michael Staley writes:

In November z998 Andrew revised and retitled the article,

with an additional z,poo words added for Waratah, journal of At the time that this articlewaswritten, the affiliation between

the Australian O.T.O. This expansion and added cohesion Cultus Sabbati and the Typhonian O T O had .b.een.reified, and

was done at the encouragement of Rober t Fi tzg erald, inseveral initiates from both Orders were working together This wa.s

order to empha s ise res onances be tw een T he l emi c to lead to theformatfon ofa commonlodge,later named'Ku Sebittu' A~drew wts by now taking a keen tnt<'rest in the Zos Kia (.'ultus



I22 OPU$CULA MAGICA 1I N(:)TK$ I23

a vehiclefor magical aesthesisfoundedin1952byKenneth Grant and of this lodge-covinc, as well as having prac tised the B lackAustin Osman Spare — and he discussed this in his correspondence Eagle working, I can attest to the severe and harrowing ti des

with Grant of atavism it unleashed, poetically adumbrated in this essay.Consideration of the Zos Kia Cultus leads naturally to a Upon pub l ica t ion, the d e f t l y -w r i t ten 'C u l t ' an d i ts

consideration of the role of the artist as a medium for divine accompanying illustrations by Helen Oliver electrifiedinspiration, and this was thestarting po-intfor the article An.drew American occult rea dersh ip, but the ess ay was also notthen went on briefly to consider Spare's concepts of theZosand the without its detractors. Amongst the most amusing criticismsKia, before focusing on Spare's familiar spirit 'Black Eagle' A.t this I heard of 'Cult' was the accusation that Andrew filled thetime Andrew and several colleagues had recently developed and article with neologisms and 'words that don't exist'. This

undertaken workings designed to get en rapport with Black Eagle, came from a person with gra duate deg rees in English, bututilising a reproduction of Spare's i9y7 watercolour drawing as a who was apparently unfamiliar with the O ED .gateway Out of these workings arose the 'Vision of Black Eagle'which

appears in section VII of the article A History of Crooked Path TeachingsAs well as a black and white reproduction of Spare's drawing 'Black

Eagle', and the Seal of Zos Kia Cultus, Andrew provided an item of Written in Autumn of 2oo2„ this homily was originally

his artwork which is particularly fine, and which in some of its composed in response to several occult dabblers' misuse of

elements, anticipates the style of artwork inQutub upon which he the term 'Crooked Path'. After being circulated amongst

would have been engaged at the time when this article was written several Cultus Sabbati initiates, it was initially prepared for

internet posting, but never published. It was revised later that

Having met Andrew the year before, as editor of%'iddershins same year, with the int ent of f' ur ther dev elop ment andI was pleased to publish 'C ult ', a.s an educated interest in publication in the future, immediately preceding release of

Austin Spare a.nd his relation to wit chcr aft was gr owing i n The Dragon Book o-f EssexIt app.ears here in print for the firstAmerican occult circles. Yet a good deal of this attention time.

emerged from a literary approach to AOS, rather than an Here, as in 'The Crooked Path Part I', Andrew touches onactive magical one. The not ion tha t for ces oper ative in magical influences culturally exterior to British Witchcraft,Spare's work were being worked with magi cally, from a and their resonances as linked via Crooked Path Sorcery.witchcraft perspective — rather tha.n that of Chaos Magic

However, more than a mere pastiche of magical symbol andwas of great int erest and ran cou nte r to a na rr ow and system, he is careful to emphasise fields of mutuality. This

entrenched orthodoxy. distinction is further clarified in the following extract from

The re if icat ion of the Sabbati c Cur re nt thro ug h correspondence with a fellow initiate:

conventicles of Traditional Witchcraft also had personal

relevance. The first American lodge of the Cultus Sabbati, TheCrooked path will extract the essence from any form it touches:

under the preceptorship of Robert Fitzgerald, began its work i t reiftes the core arcanum and re directs it -to its own tortuousity In .

in May I998, and both the rites of the Ku-Sebbitu and doing» it realfses the Magical Quintessence in all forms and

Draconian Corpus began in earnest. As a founding member demonstratestheinnate ulility %acl%rm as a modeof transmission

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I N )'i'

OPUSCULA MAGICA I I N~)'i'>:s

All practitioners of the Art Magical borrow, beg and steal from aught and Purpose". An expanded form of the article appeared a

that fascinates them, but there is a hidden ethos which distinguishes year later in The Cauldronw,herc it took on its revised title and

the Crooked Path from aught else If.one can apprehend this, then one expanded form, which a lso was placed on the website.

will clearly realise the dissimiliarity with superficial integrationism

The Rite of the Opposer expresses this ethos succinctly The Sabbatic Cultus:

An Interview With Andrew D. ChumbleySeven Shades of Solitude Esoterra: A Journal of Extreme Culture Issue 6, r996The Cauldron No. 98, November oooo

The f irst of two p ub li shed int erv iews with A nd rew, i t'Seven Shades' is a further extrapolation of Crooked Path originally appeared in the American journal Esoterra,and

Sorcery, the gnostic states of'magical isolation An drew calle d reveals a more con fr onta t ional subject tha n the on e'The Way of the Lonel y Road'. Here form and num en is interviewed six years later for The Cauldron(for which see

given to various solitary and cenobitic practices of Trachtional Opuscula Magica I) In a .letter to the intervi ewer shortly aft er

Witchcraft, each arising from the mythic stances of Cain as its publication, Andrew r emarked :

first sorcerer and exile-u pon-t he-p ath. In a l ett er to The

Cauldron editor Michael Howard, dated Autumnal Equinox The interviews conducted by yourself are more to my palate than the

of the same year, Andrew wr it es:

musical/satanic band interviews To b.e honest, Robert, I was both

amused and saddened by the pathetic anti christi-an 'musicians'from

Here is the article as promised Iho.pe it is not too long, nor too Norway It is on.e thing to burn a church down, it is another to steal

dpi cult an'd wordy It gets somewhat dificult for the average 'witch' its fire and enflame its god forms with alien vitality Shal.low

after thefirstfew syllables Ihave .been wanting to clar ify thesestrands reactionary att itudes which destroy the art of any spiritual tradition

of thought for a long while now Althou.gh the basis of this article are devolutionary and cast a dishonourable reflection upon the genuine

derives fromThe Dragon-Book, I have elaborated and drawn seekers of the way

out various implicit meanings to make a broader and more congruent As an artifact of the mid- I 99 os, it bears many of the magicalpicture Ithink th.is will be a first To the .best of my knowledge no atmospheres of the time, such as the work undertaken inone has really considered the types ofsolitary praxis and their roles in formal affiliation between Cultus Sabbati and the the nthe magical pilgrimage

Typhonian O.T.O., a collaboration which would be formallydissolved in 2,000. Of the interview, Fitzgerald remarks:

Cultus Sabbati: Dream, Provenance, and Magistry

The cauldron No ?o4. Over the years there have been many critics of the magazine and this

interview in particular,butI remain proud of it, as it is an honest The initial form of the article appeared in May moor on the expression of the nature of my magical discourse with Andrew The.

Cultus Sabbati section of Caduc eus Books' on-li ne Occ ult questions reveal my own points of obsession at the time, as well as my Art Gallery. One month later it was published as the order's carly undrrstandittg (~/ thr 'tabbatic I radilion ''Itis answ.ers, which

manifesto on the Xoanon website as "Xoanon: I'rovcnancc sr1vrdto bt oadt'n tltt sp/'t< rt <>/ hts trt(lgtcal 'actfvtty and tn/lucnccs,

also tlisplay thr pttt tie ttlar rtttttttng/tt p~rssrssnl unde r scrutiny



Opuscula MagicaVolume 2. was published

by Three Hands Press in cooperation

with Xoanon Limited at Midsummer,2.0II in an edition strictly limited to 88I

hand-numbered copies. Of this are II

slipcased copies in full sienna morocco

for private distribution, I44 slipcased

copies in quarter morocco and taw ny

cloth, and pz6 copies in tawny cloth

with letterpress dust jacket.

Opuscula Magica 2 by Andrew Chumbley

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