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Diaryland
The Merging of Theurgy and Goetia February 19, 2009 @ 1:40 p.m.
Order of the Necronomicon Forum
[quote][i]When God began to create the Heavens and the Earth, the Earth was Formless and Empty (Tohu v'Bohu). Darkness was over the Surface (literally, Face) of the Deep (Tehom), and the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) was hovering over (lit, moved upon the Face of) the Waters. And Elohim said, "Let there be Light," and there was Light. [/i]
- First words of the Bible - Genesis 1[/quote]
Elohim has been recognized for ages to be a plural word that is grammatically treated as Singular. Elohim delineates the mystery of Many within One, and shows that the Elder Gods of Sumer are in fact One in Essence, manifesting through diversity. Elohim is the mystery that reconciles monotheism and polytheism.
Elohim gives birth to Light through means of the Ruach - literally, breath. Apsu, the Fresh Water, is the first emergence of Elohim's breath-spirit. Fresh and Salt Water give birth to the first, muddy dimensions and perceptions of being - the primordial soup of Lahmu and Lahamu. By the miracle of Light, the senses - and thus the Mind - are now capable of a whole new world of perception.
The Lord of the element of Air - En-lil, the discursive mind - sunders the One into Two on a whole new level. By Enlil's sword, Anshar and Kishar - Two Poles of the One Axis - become Anu and Ki - Heaven and Earth divided by Air. The Patriarchal Father-King, B'el Marduk the Righteous, later completes the separation, and slays the Leviat`an of the Deep (Tehom/Tiamat). He further divides our brains into Left and Right, Right being Righteous in his world, and Left being Sinister.
[quote]God saw that the Light was Good, and He separated the Light from the Darkness. God called the Light "Day," and the Darkness He called "Night." And there was Evening, and there was Morning�the First Day. [/quote]
European magicians of the Solomonic tradition similarly divided magic primarily into two categories: Goetia, and Theurgy. This division, like the Necronomicon's division between the Ancient Ones and the Elder Gods, is artificial and exoteric. The original magi of Persia promulgated dualism as a useful teaching tool in the course of their religious and spiritual ministries, but the masters of the system always understood that One Unity existed behind the masked faces of Ahura Mazda and Ahriman. Similarly, in our own bodies, when we rise above the abyss of air in our throats, we discover that the Left Brain controls the right side of our bodies, and the Right Brain, the left side. We discover a reversed polarity, which is ultimately Crowned at the top of our heads by Unity. The Crown of Anu - Anshar, the North Celestial Pole - is a similar expression of Unity within the Macrocosm.
Notice that in the above quote, it is the masculine, potential force that creates the separation (sin) of Light and Darkness - Day and Night - and that the reason for this separation was His perception of the Light as Good. Theurgy, which the high magicians of Europe clung to as the "pure and true teaching of the magi", is the magic of Heaven, Light, and the more masculine forces of the Universe. The Theurgic books of the Solomonic canon include the Pauline Art, Al-Madel Art, and the "Greater" Key of Solomon. Theurgia is represented in the Necronomicon by the 7 planetary gates, of which Marduk's 50 are a jovial subset. Warlock has rightfully called these "the initiatory gates". The Light of Heaven manifests through the Stars - the Watchers - and our local Sun is the force that drives not only all life on Earth, but all evolution. The Moon is an embodiment of Heaven's Light reflected in the Waters Below. Theurgy is the means to create positive changes in the world by drawing Down inspiration from Above, and the disciples of Light seek God and Truth through positivity.
[quote]And if you perform these operations often, you shall see things becoming dark; and the Wanderers in their spheres shall no more be seen by you; and the stars in their places will lose their light, and the Moon, by whom you also work, shall become black and extinguished.
[i]And Aratagar shall be no more; And the Earth shall abide not.[/i]
And around you shall appear the Flame, like Lightning, flashing in All Directions, and All Things will appear amid thunders. And from the cavities of the Earth will leap forth those who from Heaven to Earth came, dog-faced, and you shall bring them down.
And the sign of your race is this: [The Arra/Pentagram] [/quote]
Goetia, in essence, is identical to sorcery, dark witchcraft, chthonic religion, and both necromancy & negromancy; for the dead and their teachings are the fertile, black earth from which new life can grow and prosper. Goetia is also linked to al-chemy, as Aegypt's native name was Khemet - literally, the fertile "Black Earth" bestowed by the blessing of the Nile river.
For the most part, goetia is condemned in the writings of the high renaissance magicians as "base, low, and corrupt". High magicians, who were scholars and clerics of at least the middle if not the upper classes, lived in towns and fortified cities that actually occupied the high grounds geographically as well as socially and economically. When they "looked down" upon the "lower" forms of magic, they were [b]literally[/b] looking down upon the valleys, and the poor, common folk of the lower classes who lived in them. Low magic was the applied religion of old paganism - the original witchcraft.
The neo-paganism of our times has recovered only part of this tradition. Modern paganism has made great progress in restoring the recognition of the Moon and the Four Elements. It has, however, only begun to integrate both the higher spheres beyond the moon and the lower, subterranean fonts of infernal and telluric magic. The latter were the domain of the Templars' Baphomet and the cults of the Goat, and the alarming success of these infernal cults in the Middle Ages triggered an inquisition, whose result was what Wiccans call "the burning times".
Witches and necromancers didn't have time or money for the lofty, philosophical concerns of high magic. They had to focus on staying alive and making ends meet. This makes perfect sense in light of the hierarchy of needs outlined by the psychologist Maslow; people can't worry about enlightenment when they have bills to pay! To that end, witches and necromancers turned to spirits of the most local spheres and habitations, and those whose aid was the most useful and practical. Witchcraft strove to make due with whatever was at hand, and in this respect it outshone high magic in its appreciation and utilization of the spirits and gifts of the earth, such as precious stones, plants, and animals - gifts of the first three circuit-world-dimensions.
Medieval witchcraft and sorcery couldn't afford the luxuries of high ceremony and expense. Even today, pagans tend to come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and hermetic, ceremonial magicians from middle to upper classes. The ruling classes have their own ruthless magics that are amply detailed by the works of conspiracy theorists. One of, if not [b]the[/b] most powerful among the groups, is the corrupt survivors of the Bavarian Illuminati.
As Nietzsche pointed out, monotheism is abused in order to create a religion of slaves. Voodoo has enjoyed tremendous success in Haiti due to the relative success of a slave revolt - the first successful one in modern history. The success of the revolt, however, terrified the 'white' world, and led to harsher and more inhumane treatment of what slaves remained. Haiti continues to be poor, isolated, and condemned by the western world, but the transplanting of Voodoo to America and its growing popularity there may signal a change of fortunes.
The Necronomicon incorporates both theurgy and goetia, but its main drive - its real identity, and the reason why people are drawn to it - is its nature as a book of goetia, sorcery, witchcraft, and necromancy - a "book of dead names". Unlike the "cults of the Ancient Ones" it warns against, it strives to make one a master of the Light tradition BEFORE introducing them to the Dark. This is healthier in the long run for the vast majority of people and beings on planet earth, as those who master the Dark before seeking the Light generally tend to wreak great pain and suffering upon themselves and others. They remain trapped in vicious cycles of sadism and masochism until their gnosis of suffering is complete and they are ready to integrate the Light with the Dark. I met such a dark master during my time living in Southern Oregon. Together, we began to assimilate the wisdom of each others' paths, and to undo curses that had haunted us our entire lives.
Jews also made use of both goetia and theurgy, but the age when all of Europe trembled at the might of the great Jewish wizards passed with the coming of the scientific enlightenment. The emphasis of the Kabbalists shifted away from practical, applied magic towards more theoretical concerns (Theory literally means "Contemplation/Viewing of God" - an occupation in which it is entirely easy to lose oneself). The Jewish wizars, called Masters of the Name (Baalim Shem), might have faded completely into obscurity. Fortunately, their tradition was crowned and completed by Israel son of Eliezer: the Baal Shem Tov - Master of the Good Name. The Baal Shem Tov is the founder and primary prophet of modern Chasidic Judaism, chasid meaning "pious".
All mastery comes through the Merging of the Two into One, which is called The Great Marriage. This is the combination of Gold and Silver, Sun and Moon, Male and Female, and even Heaven and Hell. Henry Cornelius Agrippa, the great Renaissance mage who compiled the critically influential "Three Books of Occult Philosophy", was critical of both theurgy and goetia, and strove to outline in his third book on religious magic and spiritual mysticism how both might be transcended. The Crown and its achievement is embodied in those psalms which are magically said to create and maintain harmonious marriage, and in the three Works of Ishtar the Queen we find in our own tome.
[quote]Listen, O daughter; consider and give ear;
Forget your people and your father's house.
The King is enthralled by your Beauty;
honor Him, for He is your Lord.
The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift,
men of wealth will seek your favor.
All glorious is the Princess within her chamber ;
her gown is interwoven with Gold.
In embroidered garments she is led to the King;
her virgin companions follow her
and are brought to You.
They are led in with joy and gladness;
they enter the palace of the King.
Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.
I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise You for ever and ever.
- Psalm 45:10-17[/quote]
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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