The Stang and the Devils Pitchfork

Cunning Meet! 

I have to admit that I started out, like so many others, reading fluffy books on “everything-you-like-is-Wicca”. I was a self-professed Pagan, a self-professed wiccan (not understanding what that, as a cohesive, initiatory tradition really meant) and that was my ‘religion’. The teenage me seems so far away. As a teenager I was lucky enough to stumble upon the Cauldron, a journal of Witchcraft and folklore, and I subscribed, not knowing what I would find in those pages would be very different. In writing with the editor Michael Howard, he finished a reply to me with a glyph of the symbol of the stang, the forked staff of traditional witchcraft. I had come from a world of pentagrams and triangles, so this symbol enthralled me, it had real mystery, and I wanted to know what it meant. Though I got a first answer from Michael, today I continue asking this question, much further on my path, knowing a lot more, yet also realising how very little I know.

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The stang is a working tool of traditional Witchcraft. Traditional witchcraft in its widest sense has been defined by Michael Howard in his Children of Cain as “any non-Gardnerian, non-Alexandrian, non-Wiccan or pre-modern form of the Craft, especially if it has been inspired by historical forms of witchcraft and folk magic” (p.6). I believe such a definition is important in taking the work itself as central, and not any antiquated ideas of argued longer (and thus more valid) lineage. It also allows individuals such as myself, without lineage or pedigree to work from this base of inspiration, which is a spiritual inspiration and tangible relationship with a current of work.

Examples of such traditional witchcrafts include those described by Nigel Jackson, Robert Cochrane, Joe Wilson, Michael Howard, Andrew Chumbley and many others. Traditions like the Feri tradition of Cora and Victor Anderson are also ‘traditional’ by this definition, but with very different inspirations from most others in this field. On a certain level the afro-American traditions (Voodoo, Santeria, Palo, Quimbanda, Obeah) are also operatively very close to traditional witchcraft. 

The Stang, The Devils Pitchfork & Diabolical Witchcraft

Those of you who have seen contemporary depictions of the devil have also seen the three pronged pitchfork. This threefold fork is of course derived from the trident of Neptune/ Poseidon, and may be a deliberate demonization of ancient Gods. Before even Neptune we find this trident as that of Shiva, another figure who is often vilified. Symbols also have a way of surviving and lying in the background of our consciousness, waiting to arise and meet the clear light of day. This is the case for me with the stang.

The Threefold devils trident can also be seen as a natural evolution of the two pronged stang of traditional Witchcraft, which is used to denote (amongst other things) the Horned God of Witchcraft. It is with this two pronged stang that we must begin our exploration.

A lot of the lore around the stang comes to us through Roy Bowers, better known by his craft name of Robert Cochrane. Robert Cochrane claimed to be a ‘traditional witch’ at a time when Wicca was emerging as one of the predominant and preeminent pagan traditions. Cochrane is the originator of the Clan of Tubal Cain, a Witchcraft covine, and later a common body of lore, or loose

tradition (Cochrane Craft) that is highly influential in the modern emergence of ‘traditional’ Witchcrafts today. The stang takes the role of an altar in Cochrane Craft, as well as its role as a ‘working tool’. It is a staff with two forked prongs made, according to Cochrane, out of ash. This correspondence links it to the word tree of Norse mythology.

Horns are often seen as cosmic sense organs, mediators and interpreters of the energies of the universe. Modern belief in horns as cosmic mediators endures in the agricultural practice of biodynamics today.

Sarah Lawless states a variation of the stang, with three prongs is especially lucky.

Three-pronged staves were considered especially lucky and powerful as were trees growing in the same formation. This is because they resemble a human being with the center as torso and the prongs on either side the arms. Two and three-pronged staffs are representatives of the World Tree as an anthropomorphized figure. We find the three-tined stave in ancient art being held by Hades, Poseidon, and Shiva. Is it a fisherman’s spear, a pitchfork, a hay-fork, or a magical tool? Maybe it’s both… Often the ancients did not separate the magical and the mundane for magic can be practical also.[i]

In the barn I have a hay fork with two prongs, a contemporary stang, and I like the idea of the tools of witchcraft being the tools of everyday life. There are several depictions, usually woodcuts, of Witches flying to their sabbat on pole or a pronged staff. This is quite a specific image, and may show some level of continuity with older folkloric practices with such pronged staffs. The stang used in contemporary Witchcraft is also sometimes a hay fork (2 prongs), or a set of horns, or a horned skull on top of a pole.
The stang is also often adorned with a candle or lantern between the ‘horns’. This is an image we are familiar with through Eliphas Levis depiction of the Baphomet, as well as in some depictions of the devil in tarot decks (e.g. the Morgan Greer).

In traditional Witchcraft this is the light of gnosis and wisdom or cunning light.

The

polarity of the two pronged stang can easily be interpreted as male and female, but in the Baphomet we find the sacred androgyne illumined by the spirit light. There is still polarity through both male and female characteristics and in the ‘solve’ and ‘coagula’ on Baphomets arms, but these are reconciled in the central depiction of the spirit fire.

The ‘phallus’ and entwining snakes is indicative of both Mercury, the mediator, and the polarities of the nadis of vedic anatomy as Ida, Pingala and the reconciliation in Sushumna.

As an expansion of this thought, the spirit fire can be seen as the activation of the 7^th Eastern chakra, and the risen kundalini.

The spirit light can further be seen as connected with the initiation of a witch as there are teachings in many traditional Witchrafts about the passing of power – the initiation of the serpent of fire, and planetary ascent. As such the fire connects us to a tradition, a line of power, either within the line of a Witch tradition or in the understanding of power and life as a bequest of the ancestors. 

So will I now claim that the devils pitchfork is a demonization of the horned God of a nature religion? I will not take the road of denying the rich heritage of Witchcraft accounts running parallel to Gerald Gardners Wicca which are subversive, individualistic, ecstatic and gnostic. The aims and values of traditional witchcraft are different from Wicca. It can be interpreted as left hand path, the path of individuation. This witch was not a nature worshipper so much as a force of nature, and represents a threefold heritage of mysteries.

Though relatively unrelated, the use of the three pronged fork is also to be found in the Afro-American ‘watchcraft’ called Quimbanda, and is associated with the deity Exu. 

Robert Cochrane’s Three Branches of the Craft

                                                                                                     Robert Cochrane, both in dealing with Justine Glass and in transmissions to his successor Evan John Jones, describes three distinctive branches of Witchcraft. These he described as the male mysteries, the female mysteries and necromancy.

The male Mysteries

It is not difficult to imagine that the stang as a two pronged fork relates to the Horned God found throughout Witchcraft, both in contemporary and antiquated forms.

An initial image found in many witchcraft traditions is that elongated working tools, being the wand and athame in Wicca, have a masculine nature. The uprightness of the stang which is placed in the ground either at the north of the circle (often called the compass) or in the centre as axis mundi, also has connotations of the phallic maypole. A study of ancient depictions of phallicism, from ancient mystery cults to Catholic churches shows a long held reverence for this symbol. I recently had to laugh as a friend of mine published a book on the ogham, and published a bio picture of an ogam stone between his legs, all very Freudian, and though I agree that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, the mind inevitably goes to think of the archetype, the phallus. This was true long before Freud I’m sure and needs to be acknowledged as a natural connection that we make.

The top of the stang offers two prongs, reminiscent of horns. The Horned God in witchcraft is often the stag horned Carnun or Cernunnos, however in many traditional depictions of the Witches sabbat from medieval times the Horned God is the goat. A third depiction of the horned God is in the form of the master, or man in black. Some accounts of traditional witchcraft give a male leader called a magister or man in black, he is also sometimes called the horned man, Old Nick or the devil. It can be interpreted that this horned God is either a physical person in the coven representing these principles, though it may also be a description of the God at the ‘astral sabbat’. There are common themes around the Horned God in traditional witchcraft, though the name given and lore varies somewhat from clan to clan. It is beyond the bounds of this work to give a fuller description of the God. Still this, with the previous indications on the Baphomet, in some way gives a sense of how the stang might relate to the male mysteries. 

The Female Mysteries

The stang, as well as having a phallic element concludes with a two or three pronged fork which can be seen as representing the yoni or vagina of the woman. As a two pronged stang the central staff splits and forms an implied recepricale between the two forks. This is analogous with the cup of Wicca in a symbolic way.

The depiction of the Goddess in traditional Witchcraft is very different from the maiden, mother and crone of contemporary Paganism. Still we find a threefold Goddess in the form of the three norns. The norns are the Nordic form of this tripartite grouping. In Britain they were the Wyrd (weird) sisters – being the three witches in Shakespeare’s Macbeth; in Slavic world Sudice (with different regional names), in Ancient Greece the Moirai and in Rome the Parcae. In all these cultures the Goddesses are depicted as weavers and spinners. So what does all this have to do with the stang? I have a long history with textiles, particularly with spinning and weaving (never got as far as dyeing). In spinning there is a traditional tool called a distaff which is used to hold unspun fibre in such a way that it will not get ravelled. It is used to feed a spinning wheel or spindle. There are many forms of distaff but a traditional form of the distaff is like a dwarfed stang with either two or three prongs. The word distaff is also used as an adjective to describe the female or ‘distaff’ side of the family.

The image of the norns is one of female mysteries. Textiles are a wonderful analogy for magical work, and of prophesy. On one hand there is the prophesy aspect, which though not an exclusively female quality, it is archetypal that when we think of prophets, seers and mediums, the qualities of a woman seem to fit better with this image.

The image of weaving as fate defining is quite magickal, and is taken from the norns as both seers and definers of fate. These images can be taken into magickal work through simple spinning, and finger or card weaving (almost without cost beyond the yarn) with colour symbolism, number symbolism (the number of strands), focused intent, and chanting. The result can take its place on the altar or be given to a person. Such ‘cords’ could also be used later for cord magick. Another, more simple working is to find a naturally occurring distaff in a hedge and dress it by wrapping with yarn or fibre. Come to think of it, there are a lot of possibilities for textile magick, but perhaps I will return to this subject another time. 

Necromancy (spirit work)

The third branch of witchcraft is necromancy. Having been asked the question a few times, I would like to clarify that necromancy is not about having sexual intercourse with corpses. That is necro-philia (love of dead bodies). Necromancy is prophecy from the dead. It is the work with the ancestral line, both literal ancestors and spiritual ancedents.

In more general terms spirit work is an integral part of traditional witchcraft. This extends to spirit work with the being of plants, working with animals, and finally with human ancestral spirits. This work often includes magickal work, including working with physical substances and fetishes including animal feathers, bones, spirit bottles with herbs or roots, and has included (in older forms of magick) included the use of human remains. Suffice to say this is frowned upon these days, though a spirit altar with animal skulls and pictures of the ancestors might be an appropriate modern method of working. Sarah Lawless has written a number of excellent pieces on spirit work in all the living kingdoms. These can be found on her website (listed below in the endnotes).

I would like to add a note on this third path as it relates to the cunning light. The cunning light, also called the fire of Cain or Quain, and sometimes called the serpent fire (kundalini?) is the light given to humanity by the Gods when humanity was in its infancy. This event is described in the tale of Prometheus stealing fire from heaven. It is potentially in all humans, and the passing of power in traditional witchcraft speaks to an initiating or awakening of the cunning light. Those who are awake to this divine spark and work out of it are said to bear the mark of Cain. This is represented by the middle prong, candle or lantern between the outer horns of the stang. This is an ancestral inheritance, and another aspect of spirit work.

The themes of these three areas, being male mysteries, female mysteries, and spirit work and initiation are extensively described in the book Tubelo’s Green Fire by Shani Oates. I recommend this book to anyone who has felt a resonance with these themes. 

Casting The Caim - The Stang As The World Tree 

In traditional witchcraft there is an equivalent ritual to casting the circle used in Wicca. This is called either laying the compass, or casting the caim. Some who work with traditional witchcraft use the stang to draw the circle and set the stang as the centre of the circle by driving it into the ground, prongs up, at the centre of the circle. In this instance the stang take on the significance of the axis mundi, the axis of the world. This is often rendered as a great world tree, both in the Norse tradition as Yggdrasil and in many shamanic cultures. As a world tree it can be climbed, down into the realm of the dead, or up into the realm of the Gods.

The Stang As An Altar 

In many forms of traditional Witchcraft there is no altar, only the stang which takes on similar significance. In Cochrane derived witchcrafts the stang is placed in the north to represent the horned God as gatekeeper to the other or spiritual world. This is significant in the light of Gizenburg’s theses around the Witches Sabbath as an astral/ hallucinatory happening.

***

Over the last number of years I have heard several references to the stang being used in Wiccan ritual. As a non-initiate I do not know if this has been a longer term practice, or if it is a development arising from its use in traditional witchcraft but I find the idea of cross fertilisation and growth interesting.  Many aspects of the stangs use in the context described here may also transfer to other groups using the stang.

Whatever your path, may the cunning light be ignited, may it burn bright, and may you see a clear path before you. 
Flax, flag and fodder/ Cunning Part!

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[i] Lawless, Sarah The Witch Of Forest Grove http://witchofforestgrove.com/

Towards A Thelemic Witchcraft

The Irish landscape often calls on us to find forms that resonate with the land, and in the esoteric community in Ireland there is a large presence of Witchcraft traditions and practitioners. In Thelema there are also streams of witchcraft, both implied and expressed more explicitly. There has been work on the Island to form a thelemic Witchcraft that continues. But what are the origins and impulses of a thelemic tradition of Witchcraft? The following hopes to begin to explore this question.

Aleister Crowley and the Paganising of Magick

One of the first hurdles we encounter in forming a Thelemic Witchcraft is the bad reputation Aleister Crowley has in Pagan circles. This ‘reputation’ is often based on misunderstanding and rumour though in the world beyond Paganism Aleister Crowleys star seems to be very much on the rise. Many people in the esoteric community were surprised to see Aleister Crowleys name on the BBCs list of the 100 most influential Britons (nestled, at number 73, between King Henry V and Robert the Bruce). He is (to my eyes) the only obvious occultist on the list, overlooking such British bright stars as Gerald Gardner and John Dee. It may seem easy as a pagan to write off Aleister Crowley as a stuffy ritual magician, but the dynamic evolution of his work during his life sees it become ever more ‘Pagan’. Though the method of science was applied, Crowleys ritual becomes ever more ecstatic, wild and improvised over the years.

Elements of Crowleys work (work with sun and earth, polar deities as Nuit and Hadit, sex magick) are reflected in much of contemporary Paganism and in his own lifetime Crowley indicated a need for a ‘new pagan cult’. In writing to Charles Stansfield Jones (Fr. Achad) he said the following:

“I hope you will arrange to repeat this all the time, say every new moon or every full moon, so as to build up a regular force. You should also have a solar ritual to balance it, to be done at each time the Sun enters a new sign, with special festivity at the Equinoxes and solstices. In this way you can establish a regular cult; and if you do them in a truly magical manner, you create a vortex of force which will suck in all the people you want. The time is just ripe for a natural religion. People like rites and ceremonies, and they are tired of hypothetical gods. Insist on the real benefits of the Sun, the Mother-force, the Father-force, and so on, and show that by celebrating these benefits worthily the worshippers unite themselves more fully with the current of life. Let the religion be Joy, but with a worthy and dignified sorrow in death itself, and treat death as an ordeal, an initiation… In short, be the founder of a new and greater Pagan cult”.

Wicca

I see a lot of resonances in the words above with Witchcraft as it exists today. As we know, the founder of Wicca, Gerald Gardner, was a thelemite and incorporated many elements of Crowleys writings into his rituals. Perhaps Wicca, in its very beginnings, was a real effort to reflect some of these values.

From the Charge of the Goddess, who calls on us to ‘Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess’, to the Wiccan rede, which seems to be very strongly derived from the law of thelema, there are many diverse and hidden elements of Crowleys Thelema in Wicca.

One element which has seemingly been removed is the more biblical/ gnostic mythology. This stream, and the potential for its expression in Thelemic Witchcraft is to be found in the less popularised witchcraft tradition of ‘Traditional Witchcraft’.

Traditional Witchcraft

Wicca has had huge exposure since the 1970’s on through books and media. Less well known, but very important is the stream of traditional witchcraft. Traditional Witchcraft includes, but not exclusive to, the work of the Clan of Tubal Cain, Cultus Sabbati, Hedge Witchery, Sabbatic Witchcraft, Cunning Craft and more.. Michael Howard describes traditional witchcraft as “any non-Gardnerian, non-Alexandrian, non-Wiccan or pre-modern form of the Craft, especially if it has been inspired by historical forms of witchcraft and folk magic”.

The stream of cunning folk quite naturally draws in Crowleys work as a natural progression of an existent way of working. Cunning men were rural or small town magicians who provided magickal services and often worked with traditional manuals of magick including Agrippa’s Three Books Of Occult Philosophy and Barrett’s The Magus. It is conceivable that with such comprehensive books as Crowleys Magick being published, that Cunning Folk also drew on these sources. The Cultus Sabbati draws links to cunning craft and expresses particular links to the impulses of the OTO:

Although the lineal descent of the Cultus Sabbati from sources, which are defined as belonging to Traditional Witchcraft, is herein - given the present context - the moot point of interest, it is also pertinent for the reader to bear in mind that our lineal descent by other roots has affiliations with a catena of High Magicians dating back many centuries, namely the O.T.O, and has established links upon the inner with various other bodies of transmission and thus the contexts in which the nature and functions of the Cultus Sabbati may be interpreted are many and diverse (The Cauldron #74)

Another element of Traditional Witchcraft that is important and different from Wicca and the idea of nature religion is the idea of transmissions of civilisation, or cultivation. This is found strongly in classical Paganisms also. In traditional witchcraft there is the important figure of Tubal Cain (akin with Weyland and Gobniu), the primitive smith who bends fire to his will. This is intimately connected with the idea of gnostic, awakened wisdom, and a breaking point in human evolution. Another element of this is the so called witches mark, also identified as the mark of quain (or Cain). Crowley identifies this mark as being one and the same as the mark of the beast in Revelations. This stream of divergent, gnostic knowledge and the idea of the mark can be found in both Thelema and traditional witchcraft.

The work with entheogens is also to be found in the Craft, and is at least implied in Liber Al, though I feel this subject needs wider context if it is to be understood properly.

Many more elements are strongly correlated here, and though there are several traditions, the underlying compatibility is very promising for future developments.

The Rocket Man And The Witchcraft

Jack Parsons, rocket scientist and thelemite was a pioneering mind, and had a unique vision of thelema and witchcraft. Only fragments of his corpus of work exist, but from what we can piece together he was developing a system he called ‘the Witchcraft’. It drew both on the gnostic thelemic stream, and those nature based elements found in Wicca. He left us a fragment of writing called WeAre the Witchcraft, showing admirably the seeds of what could have unfolded into a thriving and unique tradition. Here, for a feel for this work, is an extract from We Are The Witchcraft:

WE ARE THE WITCHCRAFT. We are the oldest organization in the world. When man was born, we were. We sang the first cradle song. We healed the first wound, we comforted the first terror. We were the Guardians against the Darkness, the Helpers on the Left Hand Side. Rock drawings in the Pyrenees remember us, and little clay images, made for an old purpose when the world was new. Our hand was on the old stone circles, the monolith, the dolmen, and the druid oak. We sang the first hunting songs, we made the first crops to grow; when man stood naked before the Powers that made him, we sang the first chant of terror and wonder. We wooed among the Pyramids, watched Egypt rise and fall, ruled for a space in Chaldea and Babylon, the Magian Kings. We sat among the secret assemblies of Israel, and danced the wild and stately dances in the sacred groves of Greece. In China and Yucatan, in Kansas and Kurdistan we are one. All organizations have known us, no organization is of us; when there is too much organization we depart. We are on the side of man, of life, and of the individual. Therefore we are against religion, morality and government. Therefore our name is Lucifer. We are on the side of freedom, of love, of joy and laughter and divine drunkenness. Therefore our name is Babalon….Our way is the secret way, the unknown direction. Our way is the way of the serpent in the underbrush, our knowledge is in the eyes of goats and of women.

Some very gnostic images arise in these words. In recent years certain strands of this work have been picked up by the author Peter Grey whose two books, The Red Goddess and Apocalyptic Witchcraft develop threads compatible with this manifesto.

Rosaleen Norton: The Witch of Kings Cross

From the traditions of Britain, and the new thinking of Parsons in America, we go even further afield to Australia to find our next source – Rosaleen Norton, known in Australian media as the Witch of Kings Cross. Norton was an artist whose work often depicted esoteric themes including Pan, Lucifer, kundalini and Hecate amongst others.

Early on in her career Norton self-identified as a Witch, claiming that she was born as one, and was essentially self-taught.

Norton worked with a series of deities, but in her Witchcraft work had two primary deities, Pan and Hecate.

We know Pan well in Thelema from the formula of N.O.X., or the night of pan, as well as the ecstatic Hymn to Pan by Crowley, which arose from his sex magickal work with Victor Nurnburg. This said, the rise of Pan far predates Crowley or Norton and arises in the beginning of the Industrial age. Poets, writers and philosophers suddenly become aware of Pan, God of the wilderness of Arcady. In her own way Norton felt drawn to the wilderness, the unknown and the chthonic. A certain dark stream runs through Nortons work, and rather than engaging in the politically correct Witchcraft of today, she actively promoted the idea of the witch as the dangerous and the unknown. The upright and the averse are an important polarity in thelemic initiation, and the underworld currents form an important stream in the western tradition.

Her identification with the Horned God Pan was for her an expression of all the other Gods and attributes. She identified with Panthiesm (Pan = all; theism= god) and with Pan as the entire being of nature.

On the polarity to Pan she placed Hecate, Goddess of night, and the hidden mysteries, the hidden face of nature. She was also the gatekeeper to Hades, the underworld and thus to death. In very recent years the cult of Hecate has seen a major revival, but Norton was a pioneer in working with this queen of witcheries. Norton also worked with Lilith as associated with night.

Norton also related to Lucifer as the giver of hidden knowledge – this is significant in its similarity to the gnostic transmissions found in both traditional Witchcraft and Thelema. It is also evident from what we know of Norton that she had a long and abiding interest in Crowley, though how this expressed itself in her Witchcraft work is only partially clear.

Beyond the interesting deities used by Norton, she also worked with a lot of traditional methods – trance work, the astral sabbat and flying ointments (entheogens) and developed new methods of sex magick, including more woman friendly, and sado masochistic forms, but substantially based in the ideas of Aleister Crowley.

The Obeah And The Wanga

In Liber Al vel Legis, the Book of the Law, there is a reference to the Obeah and the Wanga. Though Crowley obviously had no clue what these were, and made some contrived interpretations in some of his commentaries. The words obeah and wanga are from African Diasporic religions, which are by all accounts Witchcrafts. Into this category fall Quimbanda, Palo, Voodoun, Hoodoo, Santeria, Rootwork and more. This is a vibrant tradition and way of working, but very far from all of the other Witchcrafts described. How can we turn to these expressions of Witchcraft, particularly in our culture. Are there ways of working that will transfer to our work here, on the island of Ireland? Only time will tell.

One thing that becomes clear for me is that here in Ireland, and in many places around the world, the work of Witchcraft is stirring.

As it has stirred before, the seeds of the Witchcraft are stirring and calling, deep within the earth. Some of us hear this call. Fewer still will answer. May this work begin anew.

FURTHER READING

Ginzburg, Carlo Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath

Gwen (Michael Howard) Light From The Shadows

Chumbley, Andrew Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft

Rankine, David & d’Este, Sorita Wicca: Magickal Beginnings

Gray, Peter The Red Goddess

Gray, Peter Apocalyptic Witchcraft

Drury, Neville Rosaleen Norton’s Contribution to the Western Esoteric Tradition (dissertation – available online)

Originally published in Fortified Island #1

The Golden Chain and The Lonely Road - Chumbley

A typological study of Initiatory Transmissions within the Sabbatic Tradition

by Andrew D. Chumbley

Initiation, the passing -on of power, the step of the mortal foot across the threshold of the gods, the hearing of the watchword, the reception of the book, the dreaming-draught sipp'd at midnight, the lonely stand in the heart of the Wild....many are the ways of induction into the Circle of the Sabbat, many the waymarks - the moments of realisation - that lead the Spirit through the winding ways of all ecstasy!
In its essence, initiation is the entrance of an individual into a Mystery and the ingress of that Mystery into the individual; it is a simultaneous rarefaction and reification; a nuptial union of Self and Other in the mirror'd circle of Gnosis. Whilst the essence of the matter may be 'pointed to' by such a description, the truth of initiation is of necessity a secret that cannot be divulged; it is the Grand Arcanum, the Mysterium that forever dwells beyond... in Silence profound and deep. And yet, by considering the outward appearances of initiation, the forms which it assumes in terms of perceptible manifestation, we may enter into discussion and endeavour to arrive at a comprehension of its diverse arcana. 

 If justice would be done to its subtleties the manifold complex of initiatory 'forms', as extant within contemporary Cunning Craft praxis, deserves a broad and detailed study. In the following pages an attempt will be made to accomplish this, to distinguish between the 'types' of initiation which may occur for a Seeker upon the Path of the Elder Craft, and furthermore to define the various strands of magical transmission which may be considered as 'lineages' or 'chains of gnosis' in and of themselves. In attempting to do this I shall admittedly be drawing directly from my own experience, specifically from that which I have gained as the present Magister of the Cultus Sabbati. Consequently, a subjective delimitation of the topic is inevitable. Indeed, because the 'Tradition' of the Elder Craft is of so many guises and localised variations, no definitive account of initiatory processes may even be tenable. 

Undoubtedly omissions and generalisations will occur and for these I offer an apology in advance. Nonetheless, it is hoped that the broad schemata as given below will serve to clarify and to deepen an awareness of the matter in ways hitherto unexplored. With this intent the following article is offered as a stepping-stone to the wiser future of the Way and its children.

 
Passing the Fire-brand of Tubalo-Lucifer: Ritual Initiation
 

The customary method of entrance into the Sabbatic Tradition is via formal ritual induction. This can take various forms, ranging from the simplest act of ritual 'authorisation' to the so-called 'Grand Array' of the full Sabbatic ceremony. Within the Cultus Sabbati there are various concurrent lineal streams, and it is from their example that I shall draw in the discussion below.
The founding lineage of the Cultus is that of 'The Red Snake', descended from a Buckinghamshire stream of Cunning-craft practice and folk magic. In terms of its outward expression through ritual practice it has changed with each successive generation, but at its core a body of sorcerous principles is maintained and it is upon this 'Alphabet of Arcana' that each generation 'fleshes out' its own particular mode of practice. In terms specific to ritual initiation, the principles informing the general process are observation, dedication, formal tuition, and ritual focus. In manifestation these principles combine in a process lasting a minimum of twenty-one months, culminating in the focal apotheosis of a final initiatory ceremony.
From the previous Magister of this lineage I was taught that a candidate is chosen by signs and omens, and that it was forbidden for any outsider to ask directly for initiation. The omen-chosen candidate is firstly 'watched' for a period of time, no less than nine lunar months. During this time, called 'The Gestation', the candidate is observed for clear indications of the requisite skills and characteristics which the Path will demand. If deemed suitable, the candidate is then asked to undergo a ceremony called 'The Rite of Dedication'. This formally acknowledges their aspiration and magically 'places the step' onto the Path.

After the Dedication Rite a period of formal instruction begins, lasting one year and one day. During this time the novitiate and initiator embark on a pilgrimage which leads both full-circle around the horizon of the Sabbatic Mysteries. For the candidate, the deed of walking the circle becomes a journey around the perimeter of the soul, a microcosmic quest to ensorcel the All-Possible of his or her own Self-existence. 

Having successfully passed through the period of tuition and the various ordeals and austerities which it demands, the novitiate is 'summoned' - formally entreated to undergo the Rite of Initiation. The Initiation Rite is 'the Seal of the Mysteries' and serves as the focusing context for all that has passed between the aspirant and the Initiating Power (the Initiator in all its forms: the physical teacher, the spiritual guide, the familiars and guardian-spirits of the path, the diverse lessons of praxis, the dreams, visions, and solitary realisations, et alia). All that constitutes the 'Initiator' confronts the Seeker and guides him into the True Circle of the Arte Magical. 

 In the singular magical act called 'The Passing-On of Power' all is drawn within the One; the Initiate, Initiator, and the Mystery of the Rite itself are aligned to open the way for the 'new-born child of Witchblood'. The act of the 'Passing-On' confers the 'power' of all the Tradition, its knowledge, customs, and craft. Once this 'Power' has been received, it is the task of the newborn initiate to realise the arcana for himself - to realise his own autonomy and to go forth anew according to the signs and omens of the way.

In summary, this is the way in which initiation occurs within our own circle of practise. The exact details of its process will doubtless vary from one instance to the next, but the core principles are maintained; for they are the very manner in which 'the firebrand' is passed from one generation to the next. In the fulfilment of his 'Making' the initiand is ritually 'authorised' to act as an autonomous participant and representative of the Tradition. His or her name is entered into the Book of Lineages and the names of fellow brethren are communicated.
Within the ambit of the lineage in which the above process is actuated there are no grades or degrees beyond the principal initiation ritual, although it must be stated that some traditional lineages, such as The Black Boar and The Serpent-Cross, do utilise graded structures. In the case of the Black Boar lineage, for example, a Three Degree system is operated, broadly based upon the Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master grades of Freemasonry and medieval Craftsmans' Guilds. In this system the First Degree corresponds to the Dedication Rite; the Second Degree marks a mid-way stage - suitable if someone does not possess the requisite ability to receive the full empowerment; and the Third Degree corresponds to the final Rite of Initiation.


Although it may be affirmed that in the Cultus Sabbati there are no additional grades of attainment that apply to all individuals, it must paradoxically be stated that a strict hierarchical division of roles is traditionally operated. The offices of Elder, Magister, Maid, Priest, Priestess, Summoner, Seeress, Verdelet, Chronicler and Ward, are based wholly upon the skills that individuals possess and demonstrate; the 'raising' of an individual to any such position is furthermore subject to the consent of both Brethren and Spiritual Patrons.
As aforesaid, within the Cultus different 'lineages' of Craft observance operate concurrently, sometimes crossing, sometimes remaining categorically distinct. What is it that distinguishes one lineage from another? It is primarily the particular knowledge and characteristic customs of a particular Master-Pupil chain of transmission which marks one from another. Because of this, a single practitioner may study under different teachers to receive different bodies of knowledge and to receive to 'power' of distinct lineal paths of the Sabbatic Gnosis. So long as each lineage is appreciated for its own autonomous integrity, an individual can possess authority in a number of different streams without compromise. A broad experiential basis is commendable, but it is the unique transmission (see below) which validates the path of such a wayfaring Journeyman.

Of all the diverse aspects involved in the process of formal ritual
initiation it is the focal role of the final apotheotic Rite and the ability
of its central deed, the Passing-On, to act as the 'Seal of Power' for all
initiatory relations which is of paramount importance. For those of the
Path, the reception of the 'Power' activates the spiritual bloodline: the
legacy of the Fire-brand from the Elder Gods, from Old Tubalo the
Light-bringer, through the Race of the Watchers and the Companie of Faerie,
down through the golden chain of hand-to-hand-to-hand....to now.
Midnight's Lightning: the Lineage of Unique Transmission Vision
An Omen-bearing Bolt of Light held in the hands of the Daemonic
Gods: an intercession trespassing fates, a revelation that brings forth to
flesh the link between the visible heart of Man and the Invisible Heart of
the Mysteries. Such is the Way of Midnight's Lightning!
The Spirit-bestowed Vision that reveals itself to the Mind of the Seeker
incepts and passes the Power for the Lineage which we may call: 'The Unique
Transmission'. Whether within the conclaves of a formal ritual catena of
initiates or in the subtil 'cavern' of solitary practice, whether called
forth by intent or made manifest by a sudden epiphany of the Gods, the Power
of Revelation is bestowed solely to its chosen vehicle, the divinely-elected
individual, and there-in it 'incarnates' - as a faculty, an opening of the
inner eye that directly apprehends the Mysteries.
For certain individuals there is an innate capacity to comprehend the
Mysteries of the Witanic Path, to understand without learning. Such may be
an indication of rebirth within the transcarnational lineage of Witchblood,
or a sign of new dispensation: a Master of the Lonely Road. For there are
some to whom all outward rites are but a blessing, a confirmation of that
which has been attained by interior disposition. Such individuals enjoy a
rapport with the Gods and possess a clarity of Vision that cannot be learned
or taught, such souls are born into the House of Cain and bear His Mark
within.
Moment by moment, the Way of Midnight's Lightning is a tortuous path for its
adherent. One is dependent upon divine favour and openness of heart to
maintain the continuity of inspiration, and yet its blessings far outweigh
its bane. For there is a Solitude in this Path, 'a Marriage that divorceth
all Other', in which Perfect All-oneliness may be realised.
Within the ambit of 'Unique Transmission' one may consider that an appointed
individual may receive entire bodies of lore, whole Rites and Mysteries. In
such instances, the ritual authority to teach others and to incept a lineage
for a specific corpus of knowledge is divinely sanctioned. Whilst any man or
woman may claim to have received a 'vision', the motives of such claims are
made apparent by certain external signs; as the Gospel teaches: 'one must
test all things and hold fast to that which is good'. If your path leads you
to meet with a true beholder of the Mysteries, an initiate without mortal
intercessor, then consider yourself blessed indeed. To learn from such a
person could reveal more of the Craft than any store of knowledge
accumulated through the passage of years. From experience I would counsel
caution and prudence, but if truth be found then I believe we should respect
those who have gained the favour of the Divine.
To speak boldly, I consider that the Lineage of Unique Transmission, as
incepted by the self-recognition of one's innate 'seed of light', is a
prerequisite for all who practise the Arte Magical. Perchance all Beings may
possess that spark within themselves, but the rubicon between initiate and
uninitiate is the self-recognition of that spiritual seed. For unless that
inchoate germ of the magical life awakens to itself there can be no growth,
no quickening of the soul-fire. The Unique Transmission is Old Fate's
blessing: the secret rapport between the Gods and the Soul; no other may
tell of it. Its outward signs are inspiration and knowing, married in an
indefinable state whereby a man becomes Mage.
Within the Cultus Sabbati 'the Way of the Flaming Torch' and 'the Way of the
Lightning-bolt' are known as 'The Dragon's Horns'. It is considered a worthy
aspiration for a Wayfarer to realise the union of the twain: the non-dual
path of the Double-way. Because of this dual emphasis, it is considered that
only those with the capacity for receiving teachings and who bear the marks
of 'unique transmission' - whatever the degree of manifestation - should be
invited into the formal sodality. A witch born to the Path may still spend
many years struggling to make manifest that which lies within and yet by
vertu of the Traditional Rites an uncommon fate may be swiftly seized; unto
such individuals the process of tuition is in truth a Path of Remembrance: a
reclamation of ancient birthright.



Mystery Rites: the Lineages of Magistry


A customary demonstration of 'Attaining the Dragon's Horns' (the Union of
Unique Transmission and Lineal Empowerment) is for an initiate to compose a
Grand Mysterium or Mystery-rite. Such rites are comprised of diverse
'oracular' utterances, magical ordeals, and highly specialised modes of
initiation into specific 'states' of magical rapport with powers and
entities. The composer of a Mystery-rite is known as its Master or Mistress,
and it is at their behest that the rite is performed or its textual form is
transmitted to others. In and of themselves Mysteria of this kind are Grand
Initiations serving to convey the lineages of certain spiritual entities or
magical techniques.
Within the higher body of our magical lore, known as 'The Gnosis of the
Crooked Path', there are numerous examples of such advanced workings. For
example, 'The Rite of the Turnskin'. This is an initiatory procedure
intending the entrance of the aspirant into the circle of therionic
atavisms: the Zodiak of Living Forms. By passing through its ordeals the
Skin-leaper's Arte is impressed upon the flesh; the bestial ancestry of an
individual is 'raised', made self-conscious in his sentient physicality; the
animal-headed god is realised!
Another notable example is 'The Devil's Masquerade': the initiation rite of
Draku-Ezhu, the 'Grand Famulus' of the Crooked Path Teachings. This
particular Mystery-rite obtains the meeting, soul to soul, between the
Aspirant and the Deity.
In the stream of Sabbatic Wisdom descended from Yelda Paterson through Zos
vel Thanatos (Austin Osman Spare), there is a line of transmission
facilitated by the 'passing -on' of a spirit-familiar. In its contemporary
manifestation this arcanum has itself 'fleshed out' via the medium of a
Mystery-rite, 'The Black Eagle Rite', simply named after the spirit itself.
This instance in itself serves to illustrate that a certain type of magical
lineage is principally conveyed via the inheritance of spirit-familiars. One
might consider that the animal-totem, be it Eagle, Snake, Fox or Boar,
functions as a 'mask' for the informing sentience of such traditions.
Mystery-rites, in and of themselves, communicate the Lineages of Magistry
and serve to transmit the states of magical attainment needful for the
on-going realisation of their diverse and specific currents. The absorption
of thought, word and deed in the all-consuming process of such rituals (many
being of great duration and procedural complexity) facilitates the
saturation of the mundane self with the magical ambience of a state or
entity. Herein the impress of the Unseen Initiator upon the matrix of
sentience or 'Mind' is most powerful and efficacious. In practice,
Mystery-rites comport additional 'degrees', adjunctive zones of empowerment,
to which an aspirant has access and in which he or she may gain authority.


Self-initiation


If by predilection one is led to the Craft and the only means of entrance
there-to is by an initiation self-performed, then let that gate be freely
and rightly chosen. If the individual is led there-to by dreams and
portents, and is told how to perform such a rite then a Way of Unique
Transmission is revealed. If a person accomplishes such a task, then I do
not consider anyone else - high or low - has the right to doubt that which
essentially does not concern them. In fact, it is wiser for us to respect
those who enter the Path by such means, for Witchblood's heart is reached by
many veins.
Distinction should be made between those with Vision and those without. If a
person is without signs or inner guidance, and merely engages in a
prescribed formula of self-induction according to the dictates of some other
mortal authority, then from whence does their apparent empowerment derive?
If a prescribed formula or text is used, then one must truly engage with its
spiritual essence and seek to establish an interior connection. Fulfilling
an outward process of ritual is not initiation; unless the interior link
between Self and Other (whether that Other be Man, Deity, or Spirit) is
attained then no initiation exists. If a prescribed formula is used and
signs ensue, then a link is assured, but it is best if a rite of
self-initiation is principally constructed according to divinely-received
lore.
Can a Self-initiate initiate others? If the basis of their Self-initiation
is by a lineage of direct and unique revelation and if a corpus of teachings
derives from such an epiphany, then we must be confident and affirm the
ability of one to teach another, to pass on that which the Gods have
revealed, if only to assist a student to gain self-initiation for
themselves. If the Gods reveal themselves then it is with a courage that
equals their blessing that we must claim our own spiritual authority and
legitimisation. The truth of our vision is aptly tested by this need for
bravery; to stand alone, a Masterless One among Men, is a fate most rare.
Remember, a tree is known by its fruit; communicable inspiration is the
proof of spiritual empowerment.
 
Imaginal Transmission
 
It is sometimes found that self-initiates suddenly 'invent' a history for
their own legitimisation; curious tales of hereditary teaching or of
meetings with nameless strangers may occur. Instead of dismissing such
claims out-of-hand, we might be wiser to encourage such people to work with
their imaginations and discover what it is that is trying to manifest
through them. The 'falsehoods' may in some instances be adumbrations of
something more interior, but first such individuals must be made aware of
the inner process whereby phantasy assumes the guise of historical reality.
A refinement of method is required in order for us to recognise the imaginal
fore-shadowing of spiritual presence. As aforesaid, communicable inspiration
is the simplest sign of veracity. Where a genuine interior activity is
augured and imaged-forth in phantastical invention, let us consider that the
Divine Imagination contains its own denizens - the 'messengers' of godhood,
and that the shadows thereof may impress themselves in 'types' conducive to
the perceiver's apprehension. The open mind thus behold the whispering
daimon as an ancestor - an elderly forbear, or as a stranger, a 'black man'
bearing a curious gift of book, beast, or secret salve. The Sabbat is an
astral conclave, a state of gnosis in ecstasy, its impress upon Mind is
beyond all simple reckoning. If we can guide well in instances where its
activity is fore-shadowed in the play of imagination, an individua l may gain
insight and succeed in establishing an interior link with the current, above
and beyond the mere outward show of an apparent 'history'. Imaginal
Transmission may therefore serve as a means of attaining a lineage of direct
revelation.
For the sake of caution, it is perhaps wise for us to speak plainly: where
genuine inspiration is absent and tall stories abound, we must beware.
Whilst counselling a degree of closer analysis, I consider that those who
make a deliberate pretence of initiatic provenance in any way or form are a
danger to themselves, to naive seekers, and, in the broader sense, to the
historical comprehension of the Craft as a whole. To such people the curse
shall be of their own calling.


The Rites of One: Solitary Initiations


When talking of self-initiation, we are in a way guilty of using a misnomer.
Initiation is always a matter of relation, whether between Master and
Apprentice or between an Individual and the Deities and Powers of the
Mysteries. This being so, a ritual performed b y oneself is in truth never
really so, for the gods and powers that one calls upon are, in union, the
Other to our self: the Gods are the 'body of the Initiator'. There is always
a relation between ourselves and that which masks the Mysteries. And yet we
may say that we are alone in the flesh and in this sense call the processes
of self-induction the 'Rites of One' or Solitary Initiations.
Aside from solitary rites which manifest by way of Unique Transmission,
there are certain Craft rites which have strict prescribed formulae and
which must, of necessity, be performed alone. The Toadsman's Rite called
'The Waters of the Moon' is a well-known example. This requires a man to
find himself a toad, to impale it upon a blackthorn and thereafter to let
its body be flensed by ants. Then, taking its bones to a stream on a clear
full moon night, the would-be toadsman should cast the bones into the water.
All the world will howl and clamour, a-seeking to distract the attention
from the one bone that will move against the current; this is the Charming
Bone, said to have power over animals. Thereafter the man should take this
bone and keep it upon his person. The next three nights he should sojourn
alone in a graveyard, seeking for the power of magic. On the third night it
is said that the 'Devil' will come and try to tempt the bone away from its
possessor. If the Devil succeeds, the rite has failed. If you can keep the
bone no matter what reward is offered, you are then an initiate of the
Toadsman Rite.
As can be seen, this is not a simple procedure and will inevitably place its
operant in a position requiring independence and courage. Using the same
principle is a solitary Mystery-rite of the Crooked Path called 'The Wreath
of Seven Laughing Skulls'. This requires the practitioner to deliberately
seek out lonely and frightening places, and there to call forth the 'demons'
which produce the sensations of terror and danger. These demons are then
ritually confronted, the task of the practice being to transform the
apparent 'poisons' or mis-aligned sentiences into 'nectars' or benefic
states of potent magical gnosis: to realise the Union of Purity and Perfidy.


Oneiric Initiation and Transmission: the Silver Thread and Road of Green


A principal way in which knowledge is transmitted within the Cultus is via
dreams. Many of our rites are derived through the medium of lucid or
clear-eyed dreaming; their messages being 'fleshed out' using the bases of
traditional ritual structures, but enhanced and developed as the dream so
dictates. It is indeed considered a talent and a blessing from the Gods if
someone has the power to dream viridically - that is to dream true, with a
mind made green, 'fertile as Old Eden'.
As in the matter of Unique Transmission, if someone receives a dream of
initiation into the Sabbatic Mysteries, then that dream is considered to
impart its own lineal transmission: the Lineage of the Silver Thread. It
does not comport the same empowerment as that of formal ritual induction,
but then neither does a formal rite carry the same power as a dream wherein
one meets with the Gods face-to-face. Often these matters overlap and
provide insights into the other. However it must be stated that
dream-initiation is considered to be a valid mode of induction and as
aforesaid constitutes its own path of empowerment. Where dream-teachings are
ongoing, there the pilgrim may be said to 'walk the Green Road' - the way of
Elphame. It is considered a sign of magical veracity if one's magical name
was dreamed, by oneself or one's teacher. Furthermore, an oneiric origin for
a Mystery-rite is held in great esteem and is considered a guarantor of its
spiritual provenance as a boon from the Faithful Gods, the Witch-Fathers and
Wise-blooded Mothers.


Entheogenic Initiation: The Witches' Supper


Another form of initiation is that which is bestowed through the sacramental
use of entheogenic or psychotropic agents. Within Traditional Craft
observance this is a method of psychic transformation used principally by
experienced adepts as part of their on-going solitary initiation into the
Mysteries. Here it must be stated that the use of such substances is the
responsibility of the individual and that such practices must be undertaken
with due respect and caution. Furthermore, the use of such substances is
confined to reverential and sacramental consumption.
The range of the Wort-cunner's pharmacopoeia is as broad as the world -field
itself. In practice, different practitioners develop a rapport with
different plant-spirits and these become their especial advisors and
dream-empowering allies. Amongst the most frequently used plant-familiars
are those inhabiting Belladonna berries, Hemp, Syrian Rue, Black Hellebore,
as well as the entheogenic forms of mycotrope such as Liberty Cap and Fly
Agaric, collectively known as 'Crow's bread'. Also known is the Unguentum
Sabbati or Devil's Salve. This is an ointment used by some practitioners to
'leave the flesh behind' and travel in the Wild Hunt.
In communal rites wine and bread is commonly used as the 'Sacrament o f the
First Murder'. These are consumed as the flesh and blood of Abel, the body
of profanity which must be resurrected or re-integrated into the body of
Cain or the Initiatic self. The incorporation of more potent elements into
the Witches' Supper depends wholly upon the rite and its assembly.
In solitary rites, it is known that in some forms of Old Craft an
entheogenic elixir has sometimes been used to assist in the creation of the
initiatory apotheosis: 'The aspirant, after being mentally prepared by his
or her sponsor, and drinking of the potion, is left alone to spend the night
by three stones that stand overgrown in the centre of the wood' (Taliesin,
'A Wood in the West Country', published in Pentagram, August, 1965). This is
somewhat reminiscent of the medieval Alpine initiatory potion which provoked
its drinker to have 'all of a sudden the sensation of receiving and
preserving within himself the image of our art, and the principal rituals of
the sect' (Ginzburg. C., Ecstasies: Deciphering the Witches' Sabbath, 1989).
It is believed that unto those possessing the needful magical capacity a
plant-familiar will reveal itself - that it contains within its 'bestowed'
state of consciousness the memory of all previous practitioners'
experiences: the leaf retains the tales of the pilgrims once passed by. This
is of great use where a specific body of knowledge has become fragmentary
and must be restored using magical techniques.


Sexual Means of Lineal Succession: the Agapae of the Wise


In some traditions of the Old Craft it is said that initiation into the
'familial group' or Clan was firstly by sexual intercourse between the
aspirant and the seniormost initiate of the opposite gender. We may
conjecture as to the veracity of this. It may have been used to 'bind' an
individual into the kinship group, to make them of the One Blood. Needless
to say, we must exhibit great caution in matters so easily abused.
Regardless of historical provenance, if sexual union is employed as a
general means for induction after the formal year and a day tuition, then
absolute trust must be a prerequisite and all parties must see through their
commitment, without question or faltering. However, to my mind, initiation
via sexual action is generally best confined to higher rites as operated
between individuals of suitable adeptship. To write from experience, I was
taught that a Magister can pass on his power via sexual means only once in
his life. This might be to his chosen successor, if female, or to his own
Consort in the Craft.
We must also consider that sexual initiation can occur in the dream-state
and that the 'consent' of the aspirant may be an irrelevant consideration.
It is rather a case of personal sacrifice to the deity. From my knowledge of
both male and female adepts in the Elder Craft, the gods can and will take
lovers and by their 'elixirs' convey strange knowledges, far beyond the
grasp of mortal aspirations.
Furthermore, we should also give thought to the transmission of gnosis
between adepts via their own sexual fluids. A fully empowered consort is a
vehicle for the magical current, his or her blood and bodily fluids are
media for the powers of the Arte and its patron deities. In rites performed
by higher adepts of the Sabbatic Mysteries the Witches' Supper is literally
of 'flesh and blood' - of semen and vaginal elixirs. For it is known that
the seasons of the Moon are refracted through the vessel of the Priestess
and that the issue of her sexual mouth contains the secrets (secret-ions) of
the gnosis in a fluidic hypostasis. Likewise the seed of a Priest is the
numinous medium for the powers of the Godhead and for the concealed
radiances of the Sun. In rites employing a Seeress as the so-called
'Ophidian Oracle', a trance-state is actuated by cunnilingus and the lucid
post-orgasmic dream of the priestess is guided by external manuductive
passes and verbal conjurations. As can be seen, if one considers it deeply,
such matters cannot be operated effectively between inexperienced aspirants.
As such I conclude that it is best for such matters to be remain the
preserve of those capable of deploying their arcana with knowledge and love.
Textual Transmission: The Way of the Book
Although we may exchange money for text, money alone will never purchase
initiation, neither will text alone permit us to enter the Sabbat. And yet,
if one is possessed of the suitable capacity, lineage may be given by means
of formal textual transmission. In such an instance, the pages of a rite are
formally given by a Master or Mistress to an aspirant and the spiritual
wardens of the Book are bestowed as familiars or guides to the Book's new
owner. In cases where face-to-face tuition cannot be accomplished, a
one-to-one mode of textual transmission is sometimes utilised, most often
accompanied by a psychic linking between Bestower and Recipient. The Lineage
of the Serpent-Cross is one such example of a Sabbatic lineage externally
supported by textual transmissions and internally augmented via psychic
connectivity. In its case, the original motivation of the lineage is
oneirically derived and its method of implementation is in accord with
dream-tuition.
Where the Lonely Road guides us, where the Black Book - the Grimoire
Unknown - is revealed as a tome of some Mage's labours and from his own
hand is passed on to another, there let the spirit pass all power by the leaves
of the Book.
Omen and Element: the transmission of Spirit-Knowledge by Chance and
Circumstance
In addition to the above contexts, initiatory transmissions of another kind
may be gained through sudden 'chance' events. Perhaps only those who have
experienced such matters directly will possess an inkling of what I am
attempting to convey, but sometimes the most subtle of events - the fall of
a feather - the turn of a card - the opening of a book, can forth-show the
presence of one's spiritual guides and bring to light an imminent turn in
the path. The meetings between Man and Spirit cannot be confined to the
formal circumstances of rite and ceremony; interaction will occur where the
paths of fate cross and the aspirant is receptive, whether he or she knows
it or not.
In addition to omens, magical initiations of an especial kind can be granted
by the subjection or experiential immersion of the self in elemental power.
To pass over fire is to learn the forge's secret. To fall amid the rushing
waters and be spared is a blessing from the undines. To walk at night
through storm-wind and gale, to ascend a great peak of barren rocks; each
possesses its own arcana. We can submit ourselves to such vital trials and
seek them out with an intrepid heart. To the Master of the Lonely Road such
ordeals are allies, companions and advisors upon a path with but few mortal
compatriots.
Conclusion: Initiation is a Bridge with One End
Whilst it is evident that there is a broad range in the typology of Sabbatic
initiations as operative in the contemporary observance of the
Cunning-craft, such differentiation does not adhere to artificial borders;
type is not strictly separated from type. In the reality of practice, one
form overlaps with another and numerous combinations arise according to
circumstantial requirements. Nonetheless, an awareness of different types
permits us to gain a more refined comprehension - a subtle discrimination
between the myriad forces acting through a situation, thus enabling us to
state with greater clarity the spiritual provenance of our own individual
work.
Although initiation obtains greatest intensity when focused through a single
pivotal event, whether that be a ritual or a vision, the process of
initiation is an on-going event, a tortuous road or 'crooked path' linking
moment to moment, ecstasy to ecstasy in a continuity of being. Within the
overall complex of this continuum we may define specific strands which
combine to facilitate the transmission of gnosis to the individual;
I. The Lineal Transmission of Thought:- every nuance of the mental continuum
which bears the fruit of realisation fulfils the lineage of Thought between
the Primordial Mind - the Skull-palace of Cain - and the Present Mind, the
Skull-vessel of the Initiand. The thoughts which lead a man onto the path,
the thoughts which guide and serve in his choice-making, the thoughts which
transform the mundane into the substance for the Praeternatural Gold of
Noetic Alchemy, the thoughts which re-cognise the State that is ours in
eternity, the thoughts which flash forth in sudden ardour and goad a man to
heights of inspiration; these and an infinity of others are the gateways of
Liliya's Wisdom.
II. The Lineal Transmission of Word:- the breath which carries the Password
in the formal rite of induction is literally considered to be the same
breath carried down through the bodies of each successive Master or
Mistress; it is the 'Pneuma', the vital air of illuminative life; it is the
'One Breath', the Hyperborean insufflation from Cain to his kin. In
attenuation, this Mystery is conveyed through every word - every act of
speech, whether in waking, vision, imagination or dreaming - which conveys
the gnosis of the Arte Magical to the individual aspirant.
III. The Lineal Transmission of Deed:- every action is an interaction
between Self and Other, and is therefore a potential transaction between the
aspirant and the Initiator. The opening of the eyes, the placing of the
step, the turning to-and-fro between directions, the on-lay of the hand, the
sojourn, the flight, the labour, the rest....all may show forth the Work of
Mahazhael's Hand.
0/IV. The Great Lineage: the Path of True Witchblood:- Whether it is by
kinship, rite, vision or divine election, that one is made a 'knowing
witch', it is by birth and by birth alone that one is chosen and branded
with the Sign of Liberty: 'The Mark of Cain'. Solely Those whose aethyr
bears this seal of power partake in the One True Lineage of 'Witchblood'.
Though its design is cast though countless ways, it is ever the Path of One.
........................................
The force of the Initiator, the Spirit of Perfect Gnostic Realisation, is
perpetually acting upon the field of consciousness. Upon that great vista we
call 'Mind' the impress of the Initiating Power is perceived in instants of
direct revelation; the Spirit of Cain reifies at the 'cross-roads' of
fateful possibilities, in axial moments which transect the borderlands of
spirit and flesh. When each and every moment, in and of itself, is linked in
a continuum of gnostic rapport with the ingressing force of the magical
current, then we have attained Mastery upon the Path, but until that time we
must seize each chance and turn each opportunity into a tryst between the
soul of Man and the Spirit of Initiation. In the Name of the Nameless, so
must it be!