Suggestions for the Novice
"1.This book is very easy to misunderstand; readers are asked to use the most minute critical care in the study of it, even as we have done in the preparation.
2.In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth, and the Paths, of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist. It is immaterial whether they exist or not. By doing certain things certain results follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them.
3.The advantages to be gained from them are chiefly these:
(a) A widening of the horizon of the mind.
(b) An improvement of the control of the mind.
4.The student, if he attains any success in the following practices, will find himself confronted by things (ideas or beings) too glorious or too dreadful to be described. It is essential that he remain the master of all that he beholds, hears or conceives; otherwise he will be the slave of illusion and the prey of madness. Before entering upon any of these practices the student must be in good health, and have attained a fair mastery of Asana, Pranayama and Dharana.
5.There is little danger that any student, however idle or stupid, will fail to get some result; but there is great danger that he will be led astray, even though it be by those which it is necessary that he should attain. Too often, moreover, he mistaketh the first resting-place for the goal, and taketh off his armour as if he were a victor ere the fight is well begun.
It is desirable that the student should never attach to any result the importance which it at first seems to possess. "
From Liber O, Crowley
1) Read the above statement outloud until you can do it without thinking. It is the basic protection against (unwanted) obsession. Failure to do this can lead to Religon.
2) Banish twice daily. Again, continue until is is automatic. Do not change the banishment for at least two months, without missing a day. I strongly suggest using the elements in the four directions for the first two months.
3) After two months, change to another form of banishing ritual. Continue to follow this learn and change cycle until you know the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentegram, the Star Ruby, and the Gnostic Pentegram Ritual, at least, and then begin to alter them. Change words, directions, order of events within the ritual. Blend them. Replace God-names and forms, and keep note in your journal of the effects. Practice banishing in Chaos language-when you have just an inkling of the 'feeling' you wish to project, open the mouth and make noise; howl, scream, moan, sigh.
Imagine you are making the noise and be silent.
Sensualize that you are walking about your room doing all these things while you sit in meditation.
Do the same, whilst you sit in another room- this is crucial- I have found it extremely helpfull to be able to banish a space I do not occupy.
4) Sit in near darkness and while gazing BETWEEN you hands, which are held just above your lap, imagine power/energy radiating from the fingers. From the palms. Dripping from your hands (I see/feel this as a liquid fog). Turn your hands palm up and let this fluid pool upon your skin. Gaze into it, without intention. With intention. Drink the Fluid.
5) Read horror novels of unknowable terrors, and as much as possible read only this for a month. How does your magick feel during this time? Read terrible occult fantasy novels, and again, how does this affect your work? Read Nietzche, afterwords B.F. Skinner. What changes?
6) Go to a lonely place, far from the habitations of men, and alone, walk until you find two trees that suggest a doorway, or portal between them. DO NOT WALK THROUGH! IF YOU WALK BETWEEN THOSE TREES, YOU WILL BE IN A SUBTLEY DIFFERENT UNIVERSE, FROM WHICH YOU CAN NEVER RETURN TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW! All you will be able to do is find another door, move even farther away from your world of birth. Think long upon this, until you are filled with terror and longing for this unknowable freedom. It would be a sort of death... nothing could ever be the same....when you feel the full weight of this...choice...upon you, walk between the trees. This is the Gate Of Chaos. While we cannot tell you what you may find, know that you DO NOT walk alone.
7) Do remarkbly idiotic things when you feel really sad or serious, and make crucial decisions whilst you feel happily deranged.
8) 'many have arisen being wise, and said 'seek out the glittering image in the place ever golden, and unite yourself to it'. many have arisen being foolish, and said 'stoop down into the darkly splendid world, and there unite with the black creature of the slime.' I, being beyond wisdom or folly, say unto you achieve both weddings' Crowley
9) Fantasize to the most appaling extremes scenes of horror and of banal contentment. Of the vivisection of animals, of feasting upon bread molded to slimy black, of dogs and lawnmowers and white picket fences, of not having sex because you know how much it displeases God, of saving fuzzy little bunnies from drowning and thereby getting the Best Girl In The World. Try to get really emotionally involved with this part. Switch back and forth REALLY REALLY quickly.
10) Create the ultimate invocation of something really, really nasty. Before the ritual, sit in silent meditation, and think about how stupid what you are going to is going to look from the outside. Laugh till you can't breathe, then do the rite. This works extremely well with the Chaos Collected rituals.
11) I welcome feed back on any of these points, and will happily asist if doing so is viable.
RAISE THE MANIFESTATION!!!
Fireclown