We constantly tell people in Emergent Magick that you should be practicing with a group. Yet there are so few good examples of group ritual out there. So I thought I would share this.
Headless Group
Items Needed
4 Poster
boards – AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ
Book with
incantations inscribed
1 Poster
Board – Constellation of Orion
Crowns
Two small
bowls
Bandanas
(blue, yellow, red, brown)
Markers
Black cards
Abramelin Oil
Rattles
Skull masks
4 hand
instruments
2 sheets/blankets
Roles
Incantor – The Incantor holds a book,
wears black robes, and will be given a crown
Anointers – Carrying bowls of Abramelin
Oil, and crowns
Elements – Wear color coordinated
clothes if possible (shades of blue for water, shades of red for fire, shades
of yellow & white for air, shades of brown and black for earth.) Wearing
colored bandanas and carrying instruments (drum for earth, strings for water, brass
for fire, wind instrument for air)
Gods – Naked with a blanket or sheet to
hide under
The Mighty Dead – Wearing skull masks
and carrying rattles
Drummers – (Zey and Toast)
Preparation
Hang four
posters with AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ on each wall. Hang the poster
with the Orion constellation on the ceiling. Pass out all props and a black
card and markers to the participants.
Background
(Have every participant inscribe their black card with “AŌTH
ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK” as the Incantor explains the background.)
There are several theories on how magick works, from it
being a purely psychological construct, to manipulating natural energies. We
call these models of magick. Most see magick as a combination of these principles.
One of the oldest is the spirit model. It is the belief that
a magician contacts the spirits—be they ghosts, gods, or spirits of animals or
objects—in order to effect things physically and metaphysically. This is the
basis for the oldest religion, animism. Which is still practiced by
hunter-gatherer societies today.
The image of the shaman or magician being headless comes
from prehistory. One of the oldest megalithic structures that pre-dates
civilization, Göbekli Tepe, shows numerous headless figures wearing ceremonial
belts. It is the idea that the magician has their head in the spirit world. Numerous
ancient burials have been discovered with the head separated from the body, and
the imagery cuts across times and cultures. It symbolizes the journey all
shaman take to learn how to communicate with the spirits and to speak for the
tribe.
We are about to perform a version of a ritual called the
Headless Rite. It is one of the oldest magical rituals ever recorded, believed
to be Egyptian in origin, and first written of in a series of documents
referred to as the Greek Magical Papyri that date from 200 BCE to 500 AD. The
purpose of the Headless Rite is to send an invitation to the spirits letting
them know you are open for dialogue. The words AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH
IAŌ have no direct translation. They are a magical cipher. The name of the
Headless One who acts as an intermediary with the spirit world. The cards you
are creating become a talisman to carry with you, a sort of spirit calling
card. Many who have performed this ritual report strange events and dreams
about dogs. The dog being the animal spirit that guards the underworld.
So this is real old school, and originally written for a
single participant. I have done my best to orient this to a group ritual, but
it still has some old school elements—like a single person reciting most of the
lines. But I have written in many roles and activities for the ritual that I
hope make it more interesting.
Let’s blow our heads off!
ABCs
We will start with a quick ancient Egyptian banishing. Then
the drummers will start a slow beat. Everyone will be anointed with Abramelin
Oil. Abramelin Oil is another very old school magical tool, a scented anointing
oil used since Ancient Egypt. Everyone will also be given a crown to make them
one of the rulers of the heavens and earth. Those in the outer circle will
start dancing clockwise, chanting ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ. The inner
circle will be the Mighty Dead (representing our ancestors), the Elements
(representing the rulers of all spirits of objects and place), and the gods
(the spirits of the outer world). The Incantor will recite the incantation, and
summon the spirits. They will start dancing counter-clockwise when called. Once
the spirits are called, participants will start entering the circle and
approach any one of the spirits. The spirit will lift their crown off,
symbolizing taking off their head. Headless participants will then start
dancing counterclockwise until we have a big mosh pit. The ritual ends as the
drummers climax and everyone cheers.
Banishing/Invocation
The spirits should mentally invoke any representation of the
type of being they are portraying. Everyone else shouts the words SET-WA SET-WA
SEM YEOW (away, away all travelling spirits in Coptic Egyptian), then cups
their hands to their mouths and blows air, visualizing that breath as a force
blowing away all negativity.
Anointing
The gods and the anointers approach the Incantor. The
anointers are carrying the Abramelin Oil and the crowns. The Goddess anoints
the Incantor’s forehead. The God places a crown on the Incator’s head. They
both say, “I make thee a ruler of the Earth, the spirits, and the
heavens.” The gods then go under
blankets until they are called. The elements stand in place until they are
called. The Mighty Dead sit on the floor until they are called.
The Incantor turns to one of the anointers, anoints them
with oil, gives them a crown, and says, “By the power of the Gods I make thee a
ruler of the Earth, the spirits, and the heavens.” The one he anoints repeats
the process with the second. Then both anointers bless each participant (but
not the spirits) in the same way until all have been anointed and crowned. The
anointers then join the outer circle.
The Calling of the
Headless One
The drum beat picks up to a medium tempo. The participants
start to dance and chant ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ.
The Incantor speaks:
“Subject to me all daimons, so that every daimon, whether
heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic, might
be obedient to me and every enchantment and scourge which is from God.
I summon you, Headless One, who created earth and heaven,
who created night and day, you who created the Light and the Darkness; you are
Osonnophris whom none has ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iapos; you have
distinguished the just from the unjust; you have made female and male; you have
revealed seed and fruits; you have made men love each other and hate each
other.
I am Threskiornis your prophet to whom you have transmitted
your mysteries celebrated by Avinsthr’l; you have revealed the moist and the
dry and all nourishment; hear me.
I am the messenger of Pharoah Osoronnophris; this is your
true name which has been transmitted to the prophets of Avinsthr’l.
Hear me,
I call the spirits of the four elements. (The elements start
dancing counter-clockwise. They at times shout and wave their arms at
participants in the outer circle and play their instruments.)
ARBATHIAŌ REIBET ATHELEBERSĒTH ARA BLATHA ALBEU EBENPHCHI
CHITASGOĒ IBAŌTH IAŌ;
I call upon you, awesome and invisible god with an empty
spirit, AROGOGOROBRAŌ SOCHOU MODORIŌ PHALARCHAŌ OOO.
Holy Headless One, deliver me from the daimon that restrains
me,
ROUBRIAŌ MARI ŌDAM BAABNABAŌTH ASS ADŌNAI APHNIAŌ ITHŌLETH
ABRASAX AĒŌŌY;
Mighty Headless One, deliver me from the daimon which
restrains me. MABARRAIŌ IOĒL KOTHA ATHORĒBALŌ ABRAŌTH,
Deliver me,
I call the Mighty Dead! (The Mighty Dead start dancing
counter-clockwise. They at times lunge and wave their arms at participants in the
outer circle and play their rattles.)
AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ.
He is the Lord of the Gods; he is the Lord of the Inhabited
World; he is the one whom the winds fear; he is the one who made all things by
command of his voice.
Lord, King, Master, Helper, save the soul,
I call the Gods Themselves! (The Gods start dancing
counter-clockwise. They can interact with the outer dancers as they are
compelled.)
IEOU PYR IOU IAŌT IAĒŌ IOOU ABRASAX SABRIAM OO YY EY OO YY
ADŌNAIE,
Immediately, immediately, good messenger of God
ANLALA LAI GAIA APA DIACHANNA CHORYN.
We become the Headless Daimon with sight in his feet; We
become the mighty one who possesses the immortal fire; We are the truth who
hates the fact that unjust deeds are done in the world; We are the one who
makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll; We are the one whose sweat
falls upon the earth as rain so that it can inseminate it; We are the one whose
mouth burns completely; We are the one who begets and destroys; We become the
Favor of the Aion; our name is a Heart Encircled by a Serpent; Come Forth and
Follow.
The Incantor approaches one of the gods and they remove his
crown. The Incantor then starts beckoning the participants to enter the circle.
The participant can approach any spirit and that spirit will remove their
crown. After their crown is removed the participant continues chanting but
dances counter-clockwise.
After all crowns are removed the drummers crescendo. When
the drumming stops, everyone shouts to Orion.