21st Century Demonology – Part 5: Cast Index, Ceremony, and the Metaphysic Ecosystem

“There all paradoxes seem to obtain actually, contradictions coexist logically, the effect is greater than the cause and the shadow more than the substance. Therein the visible melts into the unseen, the invisible is manifested openly, motion from place to place is accomplished without traversing the intervening distance, matter passes through matter. There two straight lines may enclose a space; space has a fourth dimension, and untrodden fields beyond it; without metaphor and without evasion, the circle is mathematically squared. There life is prolonged, youth renewed, physical immortality secured. There earth becomes gold, and gold earth. There words and wishes possess creative power, thoughts are things, desire realises its object. There, also, the dead live and the hierarchies of extra-mundane intelligence are within easy communication, and become ministers or tormentors, guides or destroyers, of man. There the Law of Continuity is suspended by the interference of the higher Law of Fantasia.” –The Book of Ceremonial Magic, Arthur Edward Waite, 1913

“Astra regunt homines; sapiens dominabitur astris et poterit notis cautior esse malis.” An ancient Latin phrase, these words have been translated as “Hee, over all the Starres doth raigne, That unto Wisdome can attaine”(Gabriel Rollenhagen). Today, this phrase is colloquially remembered as “The wise man will be the master of the stars,” and it is has survived for so long due to its poignancy, and onion-layered interpretations. This is not meant to imply that this phrase has more than one interpretation, per se, but rather that the stark and blunt level of knowledge contained here can be applied to essentially any and all fields of the esoteric, the occult or magick.

To the uninitiated, “astrotheology” may sound like some hip New Age moniker for a new religion, but in actuality, astrotheology is the etymological underpinning of any and all religious, esoteric studies. Even religions such as Christianity and Islam—which hardly acknowledge the astrotheological origins of their practices—will be the first to have a disciple point to the sky when asked where Heaven is located. It is absolutely crucial to understand the astrotheological etymology of demonology in order to really grasp a concept of the practical, archetypal uses of evocation and invocation. This is one of the true natures of the ancient science of astrology that birthed astronomy; and modern daily-horoscopic understandings could not be further from the truth here.

In terms of how to rule these stars, however, it is a much more complicated explanation—something that this series and its prior works have attempted to illustrate. Likely the most important idea of focus is the intention—or whether or not someone is performing White or Black Magick. Newcomers be warned, because half of the black magick practiced was/is done out of an ignorance of magickal practice and outcome, and not because of a deeply abysmal misanthropy.

While it is very important to be using proper symbols and psychological triggers (ceremony) for certain altered states, these ceremonial practices will tend to vary from person to person as they always have, and the ultimate judgement between White or Black Magick is intention. But not just intention—unclouded, and fully directed intention. Even if a person has true intention, these intentions could, unbeknownst to them, still be of a completely egoic nature that can lead to disastrous results. Always know what you are doing! If you cannot write a Magickal Ceremony for Dummies book, then you are not ready for Goetia, or any ceremony. A practitioner does not need to be an expert or master (a person becomes an expert with practice) but beginner magicians are learning to swim in a pool of sharks.

Still, once the intentions are clear, it can be a bit difficult for beginners to figure out which of these entities are evil and which are positive. Again, the key is intention in any case—there is a direct, archetypal-informational intention that someone is conjuring when they are conjuring “entities,” and if they do not understand the true nature of the symbols they are using, the results can as well be disastrous. However, these ideas are not always so straightforward, hence it is really left to the individual’s own careful research.

Take, for instance, the notion of prayer in war-time: Both armies and both cultures that these opposing armies represent, are praying. What are they praying for? The death and destruction of their enemy—total militaristic domination, if they are not praying for even more grizzly ideas than these. Some of these people, who are less judgmental, may even admit on some level that they are praying to the same god, but the overall question does not budge: who is correct here? Is “God” sitting upstairs, deciding between the two armies, wondering why people call him so many different names? Are all these people delusional in a completely materialist reality? The answer to both of these questions is clearly a resounding, “No,” and ultimately what philosophers and theologians are left with when contemplating this answer, is “Demonology.”

As a mere after-thought, the philosophical ideas of Animism may hold a wealth of understanding to the ideas of demonology. Indeed, this is quite theoretical, but if a tree or any plant had a type of electromagnetic resonance (a type of “soul,” per se) then how would that resonance interact with a human resonance, given the chance? What about a book for that matter? Even deeper, is the wonderful theory of a type of “sleeping animal demon;” this theory proposes that one of the primary metaphysical functions of the animal, especially the mammal, is that of an electromagnetic conductor, like a massive radio antenna that is constantly broadcasting.

Sure, it needs a lot more scientific investigation, but it really does make a person wonder why something like a Koala Bear sleeps for over 20 hours a day, and has still managed to thrive in its natural habitat. If it is commonly considered in the occult that a human “transmits” to the electromagnetic “etheric” realm during sleep, where their souls wander, then why would many or all animals not do the same thing? It seems that, if this is the case, anything with a brain, would be doing this on some level. Could this explain a great deal of paranormal activity? Giving a ghostly encounter the deeper context of something like a venomous snake biting a human when provoked, this idea may be a crucial piece to the puzzle that is missing.

In this work, the deeper electromagnetic nature of what can be called the “Metaphysic Ecosystem” has been laid out in general working theory. It has always been esoteric belief that the spirit realm is heavily, heavily populated, like the bacteria in a person’s gut or on their skin—or all the life of an ecosystem of nature, like the Amazon Jungle—all serving a natural and irrevocable functions. In the jungle, there is life no matter where a person turns—look to the leaves on the trees, or to the decomposing matter off to the side, or inches below the soil, or next to a flourishing stream of water, and there is an abundance of life that would likely pass unseen without careful and detailed inspection.

Beginners Guide to Metaphysics, Your Esoteric Initiation, and this series, 21st Century Demonology, have all been an attempt at providing a window for the newcomer to peek their heads into. A person who only reads any or all three of these series, is by no means an adept, and they are oftentimes not even a beginner—they are beginning, and there is a large contextual difference between the two.

For those beginning, it is a crucial rule in any research, especially occult research, to always find your way to the primary source material if it is at all possible. If the source material cannot be found, then the entire notion is suspect until further analysis can be done(see the Trivium and Quadrivium Methods of Learning for more details on how to conduct personal research that you can rely on). Once a person is ready to assess the information properly, the dive into the source material must be taken!

Whether you are an adept, a beginner, or are merely beginning, this long list of prescribed material contains crucial and necessary knowledge for any esoteric studier or practitioner. Use at personal discretion and with great caution, for these ideas have been kept in detail from the public for most of their lifetime as concepts, and what’s more, a majority of the authors of this total knowledge have suffered untold persecutions throughout history, often of the deathly variety. Esoteric Knowledge like this is not “coffee-shop” reading—this is some of the lifeblood material of human history’s greatest thinkers, and these studies should not be considered anything less.

Rule over your stars wisely, brothers and sisters—and study intently.

[accordion title=”21st Century Demonology Continued” close=”0″]Part 1: Esoteric Sciences, Fortean Cryptozoology, & Beyond
Part 2: Folklore, Sleep Paralysis, and Brain Waves
Part 3: Theurgy and Jacob’s Ladder to the Stars
Part 4: Media Metaphysics & Shamanic Trances
Part 5: Cast Index, Ceremony, and the Metaphysic Ecosystem[/accordion]

CAST INDEX – ANGELS / DEMONS / ARCHETYPES

The Key of Solomon the King (translated by SLM Mathers–1888) http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/kos/index.htm
The Lesser Key of Solomon (translated by SLM Mathers and Aleister Crowley–1904)  https://krystallnacht.com/lib/Magick%202/Grimories/The%20Lesser%20Key%20of%20Solomon.pdf

Arbetal de Magia Veterum (translated by Robert Turner—1655) http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/arbatel.htm

The Red Book (C.G. Jung–collected for publication in 2009)  http://www.academia.edu/7180450/Carl_Gustav_Jung_The_Red_Book_Liber_Novus_english.ocr_no.images

CEREMONY – PRACTICE / APPLICATION

Chaoism and Chaos Magic (Peter Carroll–1999)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos283.htm

Rituals and Spell Objectives and Design in Eight Magics (Peter Carroll–1999) http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/chaos/octarine.txt

The “Internet” Book of Shadows (Miscellaneous – compiled by SacredTexts.com)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/index.htm 

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (Arthur Edward Waite –1913)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/bcm/

Pow Wows / Long Lost Friend (John George Hoffman–1820)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/ame/pow/index.htm

Sixth Book of Moses (translated by Johann Scheibel–1849)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/moses6/index.htm

Seventh Book of Moses (translated by Johann Scheibel—1849)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/moses7/index.htm

The Magus (Francis Barrett—1801)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/magus/index.htm

The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage (translated by SLM Mathers—1900)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/abr/index.htm

FURTHER READING – HISTORY / CULTURE / ETYMOLOGY

Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft (Walter Scott—1830)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/scott/index.htm

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology (St. John D. Seymour—1913)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/iwd/iwd00.htm

History of the Devil: Demonology in Northern Europe (Paul Carus—1900)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/evil/hod/hod14.htm

Folklore of Shakespeare (T.F. Thiselton Dyer—1883)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/sks/flos/index.htm

The Book of the Law (Aleister Crowley / “Aiwass”—1904)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/engccxx.htm

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall—1928)

http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/index.htm

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WIBvL975Mw, http://www.triviumeducation.com/, http://www.academia.edu/11376712/Sapiens_Dominabitur_Astris_Defining_the_Wise_Man_and_Debating_Free_Will_in_Late_Medieval_and_Early_Modern_Astrology, https://archive.org/stream/mediaevalattitud00wedeuoft/mediaevalattitud00wedeuoft_djvu.txt, http://www.witchesandpagans.com/sagewoman-blogs/druid-heart/druidry-animism-and-the-meaning-of-life.html, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=DZSRKNw-lTE