Ave,
Thanks to a youth misspent almost entirely by reading fantasy and sfi-novels, my internal idea of what a wand should look like and the reality of the Golden-Dawn style wands are quite different. In the GD the wands are quite plain and direct in their symbolism...the only wand that has struck me as "beautiful" is the Lotus wand. The rest of them make sense to my symbologically but just plain do not speak my soul artistically. They feel like tools, plain and simple. That isn't necessarily bad....I'm just of the opinion that the perception of something as being full of beauty makes it easier to sacred-ize it, to coin a horrible term.
I've made a few for use in hoodoo/spirit work and energy work that I'd like to share (wands were not used frequently in traditional Hoodoo...but this is a living tradition,a birthright of sorts..... and hoodoo is mine to do with as I will. So, now there are Wands. You're welcome.) Hoodoo has always had a practical Spirit. If it works, we use it. Many European grimoiores were put to work by old school practicioners; the wand was not unknown to our forebears.
**A quick side-note: yes, I am a black dude. However, when I say "our" forebears in reference to Hoodoo I mean "our" as in every American. Hoodoo is beyond doubt rooted in African-American culture and tradition, and would not exist without it....but we are Americans, and Hoodoo is an American Art and available to all of us. Many rootworkers and conjures of the past where of mixed ancestry or Caucasian descent, so don't think you're being fake when studying Hoodoo, or that black folks are giving you the stink-eye. Those who do are the same kind of fools who look askance at White folk who listen to the blues....which would be a near-dead art if not for our Caucasian brothers. Pay them no mind at all.
In hoodoo/spirit work, I may make a wand, discuss with the entitiy whether it is pleasing, and dedicate that wand to the entities service. I would then use that wand in the creation of preperations underneath that entities rule, as a symbol of the entities active influence within. This would invove stirring for potions/elixirs, touch in healing work, grinding herbs , blending oils. One way to do this is to think of the wand as the entities Phallus, which you use to impregnate the preperation with it's influence while stirring/grinding/touching.
Here are some pics of some wands I have made, out of Crystal, driftwood (great stuff because it feels "neutral" in correspondence, and is interesting in form), Coral, Gold leaf, and various stones-those being dependent upon the entities preference.
Thanks to a youth misspent almost entirely by reading fantasy and sfi-novels, my internal idea of what a wand should look like and the reality of the Golden-Dawn style wands are quite different. In the GD the wands are quite plain and direct in their symbolism...the only wand that has struck me as "beautiful" is the Lotus wand. The rest of them make sense to my symbologically but just plain do not speak my soul artistically. They feel like tools, plain and simple. That isn't necessarily bad....I'm just of the opinion that the perception of something as being full of beauty makes it easier to sacred-ize it, to coin a horrible term.
I've made a few for use in hoodoo/spirit work and energy work that I'd like to share (wands were not used frequently in traditional Hoodoo...but this is a living tradition,a birthright of sorts..... and hoodoo is mine to do with as I will. So, now there are Wands. You're welcome.) Hoodoo has always had a practical Spirit. If it works, we use it. Many European grimoiores were put to work by old school practicioners; the wand was not unknown to our forebears.
**A quick side-note: yes, I am a black dude. However, when I say "our" forebears in reference to Hoodoo I mean "our" as in every American. Hoodoo is beyond doubt rooted in African-American culture and tradition, and would not exist without it....but we are Americans, and Hoodoo is an American Art and available to all of us. Many rootworkers and conjures of the past where of mixed ancestry or Caucasian descent, so don't think you're being fake when studying Hoodoo, or that black folks are giving you the stink-eye. Those who do are the same kind of fools who look askance at White folk who listen to the blues....which would be a near-dead art if not for our Caucasian brothers. Pay them no mind at all.
In hoodoo/spirit work, I may make a wand, discuss with the entitiy whether it is pleasing, and dedicate that wand to the entities service. I would then use that wand in the creation of preperations underneath that entities rule, as a symbol of the entities active influence within. This would invove stirring for potions/elixirs, touch in healing work, grinding herbs , blending oils. One way to do this is to think of the wand as the entities Phallus, which you use to impregnate the preperation with it's influence while stirring/grinding/touching.
Here are some pics of some wands I have made, out of Crystal, driftwood (great stuff because it feels "neutral" in correspondence, and is interesting in form), Coral, Gold leaf, and various stones-those being dependent upon the entities preference.
Those are some of the wands I've made for work-as yet undedicated to anyone/thing in particular. Dremel+Hot glue+Epoxy=good times. The hot glue is good for holding items in place, and the epoxy makes it stay for good.
I got a response from my tutor, saying I should begin the devotional work necessary to build the relationship with the HGA. I've got a bit of that going-it is essential for effective divination, in my opinion- but do not yet have the full Knowledge and Conversation. As I move into the 4=7 and the final grade of the Outer Order, this has become the most important part of the work. I've decided I'm going to build up the classic way-through earnest, relentlessly regular, heartfelt prayer. I initially planned on making a Rosary, and had set about making the beads when I stumbled upon an awesome post of Fra. Rufus Opus' (here) about St.Michael's Chaplet-instead of the classic rosary, I've made prayer beads for working through the Chaplet. I've begun the prayers, and felt an immediate connection and sense of presence. This was a great find-thanks to Fra. RO!
The beads themselves came out lovely-I painted them simply, in a royal purple, and fired them in the oven for an hour. After cooling, I strung them on string and then varnished the lot (the varnish makes the string itself stronger. I'm sure I could have just purchased something like it that was smoother/or more professionally done...but this is magic, baby. Now they have that certain something....)
Ave,
ReplyDeleteI really like the wands the beads you've created! Very interesting stuff.
So... You're saying your tutor now is stressing that you work towards the K&CHGA. I'm familiar with the post from RO, but I'm not familiar with how you're using it for the HGA.
I've been using the prayers from Liber Samekh (minus the pentagrams and the circle, etc.), just the Bornless Invocation and the barbarous names. I haven't made full contact, either, and I agree -- the presence is definitely there.
I've also had a couple brief visions in connection with it as well, but it was revealed to me that his full identity is as yet unrevealed to me.
Anyway, was just curious what your approach has been for K&CHGA.
In LVX,
-Fr. R.
Ave Fra.R.,
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad you like them!
I've heard that Liber Samekh is very effective-I haven't worked any of the Thelemic rituals (the Stars Ruby and Sapphire, Samekh, etc) and haven't personally experienced their efficacy...but all signs are pointing toward Samekh getting the job done.
I understand the full Knowledge and Conversation as being a fully developed relationship and clear channel between myself and my guiding spiritual intelligence-as for what exactly that Spirit/Angel is, well....your guess is as good as mine.
I think of it as the little God, and the Knowledge and Conversation as the Little Union. I think that intimate connection with the HGA is a small intimation of what full Union with God is like-and I am certain that the former is a necessary precondition to the latter. I do know that the warm, enveloping feeling I get when in it's presence is the same I used to get as a lad, when praying for guidance in Church. I know that when I am in dire straits, and I feel my magics have failed me and I'm at my wit's end, it's the HGA that answers my prayer with comfort, and inspiration for solving whatever problem....this usually involves it pointing out how I created the situation myself, and that my magics were working fine and I was too dense to perceive the results. Good times.
My approach is going to be two-tiered...rigorous prayer, 3 times a day, with the chaplet/prayer beads, and raising my consciousness through rising on the planes using the Enochian Aethyric magic. Between the two, I think I can stretch my hand out enough to grasp hers.
That's the plan, anyway-we'll see how it goes!
In LVX,
Fra.AIT
Love the wands, and thanks for the heads up. I had quite forgotten about that post, I'm glad it's making ripples. I'm totally expecting the tidal wave to come.
ReplyDeleteOne of the people who helped me the most in my HGA-days believed firmly that everyone's HGA was Michael, archangel of the Sun. We each have our transitional experience with Michael according to our level of development and personal purpose in life, according to him. He was a BOTA trained Master, and I respect him to this day.
I don't think we all get Michael or a part of him as our HGA, but the whole Solar initiation aspect is undeniable. Mine was tinged with Saturn, a lot. Still is. One of my first, and I think best, blog posts was about falling in love with Binah.
I hope you post what you can as you go through this. There's too little real experience with the HGA that gets talked about, and too much theory and postulation that gets thrown around by the readers and studiers of magic(k). I'm looking forward to reading about as much as you can put into words. :)
Thanks Fra.RO-I'll definitely be posting as I work with the HGA. That bit about Michael is interesting, and makes plenty of sense correspondence-wise.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree that you're Binah post is excellent! Especially the part about Saturn's role in death and limitation being malefic only if one is passive.....too few magicians understand this, I think.
If there had been Hoodoo wands traditionally then I would say you damn sure nailed it!
ReplyDeleteOne of my Nkisi directed me to fish out certain pieces of drift wood from the Mississippi the day after my Palo initiation. The pieces she directed me to are reasonable images of her emblems.
Fair warning- I might be scamming on your idea. The results are amazing.