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Interesting conversation this evening at the diner in between the Engineer and I.
A bit of background information, if you will: He's begun writing a book. Something about the modern practice of black magick. Though I believe that it may be morphing into something else. He's vastly facinated with Baphomet and the concepts which it holds and portrays. And tonight, he was telling me about a ritual he had worked out which involved using Baphomet as the prime center, as he/she/it embodies everything and all things.
To keep with the ritual order of things, as the Engineer likes to do, he wanted to call the elements/quarters. Specifically, using the four Princes of Hell to portray them. Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, and Belial. An interesting idea. But, my theory was that if you're working with a ritual that's using a being that incorporates duality and is all encompassing, then you also need to represent the White Hats (TM). I.E. the Archangels, as they're the opposing correspondents.
If you wanted to get truly tricky, you could use the Tree of Life as the diagram (instead of a circle). Call all eight beings, as the representations of the stations. Then use the Devil and God (the Demi Urge) as the heads of each faction of quarters.
Make sense yet?
heh.
The conversation grew convoluted and full of tangents. He balks (though he admits that he shouldn't) at the idea of using Princes and Archangels in the same ritual. I explained that if you're using an all encompassing being, like Baphomet, as your central focus, then you can't lean towards any kind of affiliation. The quarters that are called must also represent both sides of the coin. He was also a bit worried at the conflict which could potentially arise, using these corresponding energies. In my opinion, conflict of that nature is pure and powerful energy. And can therefore be used to boost your own. But, he was still a bit unsure with that idea. Instead, he thought that if you called them in the same direction, but looked up for the Archangel. And down for the Prince.
We also discussed black magick as being the art of the self. Even though I, personally, hold no belief with the concept of "white" or "black" magick. It's all the same to me, really. But, I can theorise and debate with the best of them on this matter. he's also got ideas for rituals involving using /yourself/ as the prime focus, on the basis that everyone is innnately divine and "you are your own god".
He wasn't sure what to use to open any kind of circle, or what to use as a representation of the elements. Being as how it was meant to be a ritual using yourself as the prime, I had the idea that you should call on the powers that make humans what they are. Brain, breath, heart, and sex. Not a half bad idea, if you ask me (which you didn't). I don't call corners or stations or anything like that, but I thought it was a fairly decent idea for a ritual.
Earlier this evening, I spoke to The Priest They Called Him about the information![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
madness237 found about the Grotto of the Magdalene. He was intensely interested and we declared that we should have a journey to France.
I wish I had the money to do such a thing. And not in the near future, but RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. Magdalene is as close to me as Saint Dymphna. And there would be nothing that I would enjoy more than going to the shrine where her skull is (allegedly) kept.
Six Feet Under is on now, so I'm going to soak that in.
A bit of background information, if you will: He's begun writing a book. Something about the modern practice of black magick. Though I believe that it may be morphing into something else. He's vastly facinated with Baphomet and the concepts which it holds and portrays. And tonight, he was telling me about a ritual he had worked out which involved using Baphomet as the prime center, as he/she/it embodies everything and all things.
To keep with the ritual order of things, as the Engineer likes to do, he wanted to call the elements/quarters. Specifically, using the four Princes of Hell to portray them. Lucifer, Leviathan, Satan, and Belial. An interesting idea. But, my theory was that if you're working with a ritual that's using a being that incorporates duality and is all encompassing, then you also need to represent the White Hats (TM). I.E. the Archangels, as they're the opposing correspondents.
If you wanted to get truly tricky, you could use the Tree of Life as the diagram (instead of a circle). Call all eight beings, as the representations of the stations. Then use the Devil and God (the Demi Urge) as the heads of each faction of quarters.
Make sense yet?
heh.
The conversation grew convoluted and full of tangents. He balks (though he admits that he shouldn't) at the idea of using Princes and Archangels in the same ritual. I explained that if you're using an all encompassing being, like Baphomet, as your central focus, then you can't lean towards any kind of affiliation. The quarters that are called must also represent both sides of the coin. He was also a bit worried at the conflict which could potentially arise, using these corresponding energies. In my opinion, conflict of that nature is pure and powerful energy. And can therefore be used to boost your own. But, he was still a bit unsure with that idea. Instead, he thought that if you called them in the same direction, but looked up for the Archangel. And down for the Prince.
We also discussed black magick as being the art of the self. Even though I, personally, hold no belief with the concept of "white" or "black" magick. It's all the same to me, really. But, I can theorise and debate with the best of them on this matter. he's also got ideas for rituals involving using /yourself/ as the prime focus, on the basis that everyone is innnately divine and "you are your own god".
He wasn't sure what to use to open any kind of circle, or what to use as a representation of the elements. Being as how it was meant to be a ritual using yourself as the prime, I had the idea that you should call on the powers that make humans what they are. Brain, breath, heart, and sex. Not a half bad idea, if you ask me (which you didn't). I don't call corners or stations or anything like that, but I thought it was a fairly decent idea for a ritual.
Earlier this evening, I spoke to The Priest They Called Him about the information
madness237 found about the Grotto of the Magdalene. He was intensely interested and we declared that we should have a journey to France.I wish I had the money to do such a thing. And not in the near future, but RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. Magdalene is as close to me as Saint Dymphna. And there would be nothing that I would enjoy more than going to the shrine where her skull is (allegedly) kept.
Six Feet Under is on now, so I'm going to soak that in.
