Group Headless Rite

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.

The basic message of Chaos magic is that, what is fundamental to magic is the actual doing of it – that like sex, no amount of theorizing and intellectualisation can substitute for the actual experience

Phil Hine in Condensed Chaos  (via the-swamprat)

All magick.

scrollofthoth:

Babalon Rising, the best idea you will have all year. http://www.babalonrising.com/

Babalon Rising 2018

June 7-10, 2018
Theme: Beth/Magus

Ages 21+ ONLY!

The Babalon Rising Festival is a place for occultists of all kinds to come together to discuss and perform magick and ritual, and to live the law of Thelema in a clothing-optional, primitive camping environment. Babalon Rising encourages self-exploration, spontaneous ritual, and lively magick.

Located in southern Indiana.

Please note, Babalon Rising is not an OTO event. Pan-Thelemic means that it’s for all who believe in doing their will. There are pagans, chaos magicians, traditional witches–just about every magical community is represented. 

You can practice whatever you want. You can practice any way you want. But from my perspective, you cannot divorce the Devil from witchcraft. The Sabbat exists to call the Devil. A witch is someone outside of society. The Adversary. They are against the power that holds sway. They are against the social norms that hold people back. They are against the control of the priests and the rich. To be a witch is to be the other, the scapegoat, the enemy. And no being in the universe serves that role better than the Devil.

If you exist culturally in the West then the Devil has always been with you. You can’t escape him. He is in your blood and your bones, and he was known to your ancestors for generations. He was not always the Faustian boogyman, though he’ll play that role too. He was the one who had dominion over the Earth and if you needed something done here, calling on Jehovah and his angelic mafia would get you no joy.

Pray to God if you like in the bright light of day. Call to your “higher” self and beg. But under the stars, next to the fire, dancing in the moonlight, that’s not God dancing with you.

I ain’t afraid of the Devil no more. The Devil is a friend of mine.

Babalon Rising, the best idea you will have all year. http://www.babalonrising.com/

Babalon Rising 2018

June 7-10, 2018
Theme: Beth/Magus

Ages 21+ ONLY!

The Babalon Rising Festival is a place for occultists of all kinds to come together to discuss and perform magick and ritual, and to live the law of Thelema in a clothing-optional, primitive camping environment. Babalon Rising encourages self-exploration, spontaneous ritual, and lively magick.

Located in southern Indiana.

Emergent Magick: Tribe

scrollofthoth:

Few books of magick will
tell you that the most important work a magus does is finding, creating, and
maintaining a circle of fellow magi. We call this the magus’ Emergent Tribe, or
just their tribe, and it is one of the cornerstones of Emergent Magick.

The benefits of having an
Emergent Tribe are numerous and pervasive. Even a well-practiced magus that has
a detailed and well developed paradigm benefits greatly from having the
perspective of others. Without it they have no way to know if their own magical
work has any connection to a greater consciousness.

A magus can build their
own tribe or find one that fits their needs. The choice depends mainly on an
individual magus’ skill in organizing and the availability of like-minded
individuals in their vicinity. Most magi end up traveling far and often to
gather with those of similar skills and goals. Even if you create your own
tribe, unless you are in a large metropolitan area, travel will probably be
necessary. If magick is a priority in your life you will find a way to get
there.

In fact, a magus should
have relative stability in their life and basic income. In traditional
Kabbalah, a practitioner had to be married, in their forties, and have their
own property before they could begin learning. There’s some wisdom to this, as
a magus with a means to support themselves have the resources, time, and
experience needed to be a contributing member of their tribe. No one’s saying
you need to be rich. In fact, some magi excel at living at the fringes. No
matter if you have a mansion in the city or a cabin in the woods, access to a
car and the ability to pay for a few tanks of gas every once in a while goes a
long way. A magus should at least be good enough at Operative Magick to pull
that off.

Emotional and social
stability must be achieved in advance as well. Bringing your own drama to a
tribe only distracts from doing the work of magick. Nothing breaks a tribe
quicker than those who always bring their problems with them. While your tribe
should be a means of physical and emotional support when necessary, it’s up to
the individual magus to give more than they receive.

The internet has made
finding a tribe easier than ever. Note, this does not mean you can join a
Facebook group or an internet forum and call it a tribe. The internet can only
help you find and facilitate the necessary face-to-face meetings. A good place to
start would be to look for a local neo-pagan or magick themed gathering near
you. Favor those that are communal and have participatory rituals over those
that just offer seminars and participants have individual accommodations. Many
festivals offer camping which should be taken advantage of. You want to get to
know perspective tribe members as well as possible before committing. Spending
a weekend in the elements and rough accommodations makes for the perfect test
of a person’s ability to live harmoniously with others.

The Order of Emergent Magi
participate in the Babalon Rising Festival (www.babalonrising.com) every June.
It serves as an excellent venue to find others interested in developing a
magick based tribe.  The Starwood
Festival (www.starwoodfestival.com) near Athens, Ohio also provides a good
environment.

Do you have experience with seals of Solomon and how to effectively implement them in you’re ritual/life?

In my experience the seals are a symbolic language that certain spirits understand or at least recognize. They can be useful for some basic form of communication. I have also found that tarot cards can be used in the same way. I believe that many spirits have difficulty communicating with us and many magical systems–Enochian, goetia, etc.–are tools to break the language barrier.

The thing to be mindful of when using the Solomonic techniques is that those who created it tended to have an adversarial perspective on the spirits. This is not always a bad thing, as there are many spirits who don’t really give a fuck about us and would be happy to use us for their own devices. My philosophy is that I don’t even want to deal with a spirit like that, but it’s impossible to really know until you make contact with them.

So I’m not saying all of the spirits in Solomonic goetia are like that. And some respond well to more diplomatic methods. They are in general, however, more alien than many other spirits magi deal with, and thus their motivations and methods are more difficult to figure out. 

In general, I follow the Teddy’s Big Stick Philosophy (

“speak softly, and carry a big stick”) when dealing with any spirits. I approach with respect and kindness, but I can whip out a stick if I need to. The Solomonic tools are that stick.

This is a wand I created for goetic evocation. It’s based loosely on instructions given in multiple grimoires. Notice the pointy end? That’s for demon stabbing.

In EMK, “Magick is the art of altering consciousness.” While the statement seems succinct enough; it requires additional explanation and agreeance on the terms within the definition itself.
     The most elusive word is consciousness. Not surprisingly, since modern science and philosophy has yet to come to a consensus on what consciousness is, how it is created, what possesses it, and if it even objectively exists. We make no claim to ultimate truth, but consciousness in the context of EMK has certain characteristics.
      In EMK, everything a magus can perceive contains consciousness. Including the magi themselves. However, all things contain differing levels of consciousness. Levels of consciousness varies among different instances of the same object, from animal to animal in the same species, and from person to person. Consciousness also exists in non-corporeal entities and ideas.
     Not surprisingly, this brings Emergent Magick in line with the first human belief system—animism. In animism all things–rocks, rivers, animals, etc.–contain their own spirit. In most respects, spirit is synonymous with consciousness.

Frater Threskiornis, Emergent Magick