The Starry Cave

Poison supports medicine and resistance forges what is good to take a clear shape, light comes from darkness and the river of Dão is constantly flowing with and against to maintain the greater cosmic harmony of flux and movement. As our hand of restraint set limits in our life – either for ourselves or for others – and our right hand gives and bless in abundance, in such way we replicate the cosmic experience and its flux it be daybreak or full moon, new moon or the sojourn of the Sun to the Halls of Death. The exhalation is life and it is supported by the inhalation and death. Contrast is the cosmic experience and this also takes place in our lives – the problematic issue is when we get too obsessed with defining qualities to what emerges in the experience of being. Recognition of blessings is good – but so is the recognition of antagonism because this supports our blessings. In this lies mystery upon mystery.  If we accept this dynamic we will also become aware of God’s signpo...

“Define me – and I shall escape it…”                                  -  Liber Combusta No matter how much we try to define what ‘witchcraft’ is it will still preserve its mystery – and I believe this is how we recognize the presence of the traditional pedigree that constitutes the witches’ arts and crafts. At the core of what defines a witch we find the mark and the blood. No matter what continent we turn to we find that the icon of the witch is steeped in otherness. She or He is that which escapes definition and by this linguistic poverty the western tendency is to paint the witch with diabolic strokes and the ink of forgotten nights – and indeed; the witch is a child of night – because it is in the night – under the rule and breath of the Moon – that the ancient blood is quickened. The idea of the witch or sorcerer being someone not of this world, something unruly, untamed and potentially de...

“Just because a man is fucking crazy doesn't make his opinion less fucking valid.“ -          Mr. Jack In Gregory Dark’s   Little Fish, Strange Pond   from 2009 (renamed   Frenemy   for its DvD release 2010) the viewer is confronted with the fact that expectation is the bitchy mother of disappointment.  Certainly when you see the wild beard of Zach Galifianakis on the cover you do expect a movie that entertains in a childish way, like   Hangover   (2009). For sure you are not expected to be challenged, having your mind fed or that Matthew Modine is the star of the movie.  The movie is the work of a trickster from presentation to last line of the script. Not only this, but the movie, intended or not, has a spiritual relevance as it documents the works of Orisa Èsú (a deity very much like Hermes, Mercury, Janus and similar trickster spirits) in the world masterfully interpreted by Matthew Modine. I have no idea ...

Just at the South of the Carpathian mountains where the river Danube flow through the centre of Balkan, Serbia, surrounded by Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and a whole network of history told in these lands and amongst its neighbors. Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman remains still linger on as drafts of a memory remarkably close in this land rich in lore and myth. This is the land of the dragon people and it was here the dragon Lucifer is said to have fallen. The river Danube is the home of prehistoric strains of Beluga and several other emissaries of Dagon himself that keep even the water rich in legend and dragon lore. So, here at the shores of Danube the cunning meeting between two witches took place in the days prior to the summer tide washing over the land scolding people, land and waters with its fiery rays. The shores of Dagon’s veins seems a most proper canvas for sharing some parts of our conversations in the form of an interview with Radomir Rade Ristic , author of the book Balkan...

In a Traditional Craft cuveen the Magister with his stang represents Ol’ Hornie. By this office he is also referred to as ‘the Devil’, but we cannot confuse this identification of Devil with its normative Christian content, as a force in anti cosmic opposition with the divine plan, hence the content read into the office of ‘a Satan’, or in modern vernacular, a prosecutor. We need to focus on the horns, if they were given to Moses by Michelangelo or by the Church to the uncanny spirits of the land and nocturnal manifestations of domestic beasts. There is much to say of the stang and its importance, such as its retrieval by Cain after the sacrifice of the shepherd, Abel and how it also took shape as the crosier of the Episcopal station, also seen as an office of Shepherds.    The stang alone represents the world tree, the axis mundi, what enables ancestors to commune with angels in the field of the living. The one who holds the axis is Ol’ Hornie, the Magister, who stands in ...

“John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. ”  -  John 3: 27 Sometimes the star of enlightenment hits us profoundly, it can be anywhere and with great power. Today while reading The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet edited by David Rankine I came across a passage of such effects, which I quote here: “Man is ordained a Magician from the womb of his mother that would be a true magician. Others that have taken upon them this office are unhappy. To this agreeth that which John Baptist saith No man can receive any thing to himself unless it be given him from above.” ( The Grimoire of Arthur Gauntlet p. 71 ) This passage is interesting because of many things; one is that some weeks ago a lengthy sequence in Michael Cecchetelli’s most valuable translation of two grimoires in Crossed Keys where from page 177 an onwards the Gospel of John is provided as a universal remedy flanked by the seven psalms, the litanies of the Saints and Our Father. ...

Michaelmas have been subject for shifting dates, varying from the fast in honour of the Cross in the Orthodox Church spanning from the 14th to 27th of September and until 11th of October as was the day of the Old Michaelmas. Legend tells that on this day Satan was thrown out from heaven and landed in brambles, hence the blackberries should not be collected after this date as Satan defecated upon the berries on this day and made them poisonous. Other stories of probably East European origin informs us that the bramble and blackberry was formed by the Devil as his response to grapes, hence its praise name as The Devil’s Grapes. Henry Corbin in his brilliant presentation of Ishmaelite Sufism comments that the Balance represents the four pillars of the Temple of the Ka'bah supported by the four archangels Seraphiel, Michael, Gabriel and Azrael, each one of them being conceived as the heart of the four main prophets, Adam, Abraham, Jesus and...

To become wise is a consequence of a life lived with interest. It is about approaching the signposts in our life with interest.  I believe wisdom begins with love, honesty and honour as it reflects in humble interest in what we share with our fellow men and women. What we share with all is this journey as divine beings in the human shape. Many of us journey through this world of mystery, experience and abundance on the horses of anxiety and restriction. They are no good horses. These are horses that always seek the return to their muddy barn of safety. Safety is good, but it should be enriched by the experiences we make in our journey.  It is in the journey itself we meet abundance, wisdom and people. It is the men and women in our journey that brings across the wisdom that makes us abundant. In every meeting with a person we are confronted with restriction and abundance, to hold or to give. It is the left hand that makes duels with the right hand. We are the eternal caduce...

F. Goya - El Aquilarre Para ler este texto em Português, clique aqui The role of the Devil in Witchcraft can be a confusing mystery for some. After all the image of the Devil is veiled in evil and misanthropy and many Christian denominations and churches have made themselves depending on him to support their gospel. You turn to God because you need to hate evil, translated into the Devil. Evil, like sin, is to miss the point, and hence all good intentions directed by a mind lacking alignment with heart can be a brooding evil insofar as it evokes negative vibrations to the life of others and your own. The Devil is known by his horns and cloven hoofs, his pointed tail and trident. He is known by many names and as the architect of details. We find him in crossroads and caves, at the tavern and the racetrack, in the dance and in every choice of life. He is someone we can’t escape because he will appear in any crossroad as the one who challenges you to ...

Para ler este texto em Português, clique aqui Ifá is a faith that values Love over all things, because Love is that cosmic glue that appeals to the soul in such way that it desires to discover its station and destiny. The modern ideals are often Love defying, because to love is a sign of weakness in the face of ambition. Ifá teaches us that the immortal ones descended to Ile Ifé – literally ‘House of Love’ and from here kingships were established. Love is understood as a power that contracts upon the cosmic benevolence and give release to peace, tranquillity and joy – what we understand to be iwa rere, a happy or good character which final prise is abundance, the fullness of all good things. Character/iwa is a complex concept. Ifá teaches us that iwá was born restless and curious; she had a tendency of being drawn towards the world of matter and intrigue by her passionate nature. If we look t the concept of iwa from the perspective of Plato’s Symposium and Timaeus it would appear tha...

: reposted here by kind permission of Azoth Kalafou Obeah is one of the more unknown and obscure African traditions of Sorcery. While Santeria, Umbanda, Candomblè are getting a broader and broader reputation Obeah is still veiled in a great deal of secrecy.  This is understandable when you view the complexity in this earth-religion. The word Obeah or Obi is it self a word shrouded and obscured in secrecy. The most understandable meaning of the word can be translated into ”occult power” meaning a powerful engine used to empower spells for witchcraft as well as other forms for  practical magic and communication with the gods. It is assumed that the Ashanti and the Dahomeyans is the carrier of the wisdom of Obeah. That it was slaves from west and-north-Africa that brought this current of power to Jamaica and Trinidad-Tobago. The tradition of Obeah captures several lines of occult transmission. The Obeah it self is best seen as an multi-differe...

Pathos, Prospect & Pilgrimage   Lilium Umbrae Cuveen is sworn to allegiance by blood and troth to the Maid and Magister of The Clan of Tubal Cain. We have taken the shadow and the lily to speak for us. A mystery from within, but still aside, that rides upon the scales of Hydra as she is mirrored from Draco. Here we find the raven that drinks the chalice of first blood. The mystery repeats in an enigmatic variation upon timeless truths. As above so below – as the poles support each other and gives stability in its fluid flow of light such are mother clan and all daughters. From the starry pyre at the circles heart the blood flew and flows in truth and troth to the ideals of honour and beauty! This shall be our pilgrimage, upon the scales of the serpent to be as one in blessed diversity that always manifests the hunger of union. The Dragon's Road The Dragon is father of wis...

Last month a mother was charged and indicted on charges of cruelty and neglect of a child she tried to rescue from death threatening illness. For her the solution was found in the traditional faith Palo Mayombe where body, soul and spirit were made subject for healing. As the sensationalist reportage tells, the mother ‘exposed her daughter to the bloody rituals of the Palo Mayombe faith’. The nature of these bloody rites consisted in receiving some cuts to the body where medicine was placed and to consume the heart of a chicken that had been offered to the spirit of healing. The child also witnessed ‘the decapitation of a goat’. When the police went to the paleros house they found the following horrors:     “Dolls, a shrine, religious statues, bones, machetes and bundles of sticks bearing numbers and names were among artifacts found at the home. The items, some of which had blood and animal hair on them” The defence was of course one of re...

Afrodite and Hefestos Para ler em Português, clique aqui Classical astrology gives the rulership of the signs Aquarius and Capricorn to Saturn. Aquarius is the day house of Saturn, where he finds his joy and Capricorn his night house, where he is truly at home. Saturn is considered by Bonatti and William Lilly to be diurnal, cold and dry. Lily comments further that he is ‘earthy’ and ‘the author of solitariness’. By reference to the same two masters of the starry lore we find that Saturn exalts in Libra, a sign ruled by Venus. The renaissance mage Marsilio Ficino comments several places in his master piece De Vita Libri Tres that this is a mystery he denies comment. This shrouds Saturn, the genii of the mandrake and the nightshades in a most curious and interesting light if perceived from the perspective of a traditionalist. Capricorn is a sign vital and stubborn; it is the fertility of the earth that seeks to dominate its place and space and whatever is on its place and space. Up...

Para ler este texto em Português, clique aqui. Ifá speak in several odu’s about the descent of spiritual forces on earth. These tales, often from the family of Ogunda, Ogbe and Ofun , speaks about the desire for spiritual forces to join with matter, to make roads on earth. The roads on earth were made by Tobi Od e , whose name means ‘the hunter who possesses great skill’. Prior to Tobi Od e and his successful opening of the roads on earth ( Ikole Aye) , there were other attempts of clearing the earthly wilderness for spiritual passage. Ikole Orun (the divine realm) had a desire to merge with Ikole Aye (the realm of earth visible and invisible). The first attempt was made by Obatala, the King of the white cloth and dreams. He made a cutlass of silver ( àdá fadàkà ), the metal of the moon, to cut his way through the earthly vegetation, but the silver blade got bent and destroyed. The lord of dream used dreams to cut through matter and thus opened a particular road for ingress b...

  (Para ler este texto em Português, clique aqui)   The odu Ifá Ìkáwónrín says: Ìká ènìyàn kìí wòn ohun tire kí ó tóó seé This was translated by Karenga in the following way:  “The wicked do not weight their conduct before they act” Now, the idea of wickedness must be addressed. In this context wickedness is a direct reference to the yoruba word Ìká . Well, the dictionary translates this into wickedness and cruelty, and in Ifá theology we know Ìká as the principle of control as it relates to Obaluwaye . Further, the word ìkálára simply means ‘emotions’, but imbalanced emotions. It is the upsurge within to control your environment in conformity with what pleases you.  It is interesting to see that the odu Ìká meji is an odu manifesting Obaluwaye , the spirit of infectious disease that rules the hottest hours of the day.  If Obaluwaye is out of control, the result is cholera, malaria, smallpox and hot feverish deaths all over, due to a lack of controlling...

(Para ler este texto em Português, clique aqui) Tradition must express some particular facets to be rightly referred to as tradition, or else it is a pretender to tradition, a pseudo tradition. A tradition needs to express a traditional world view and it also needs a succession of knowledge ultimately revealing connection with spirit, most commonly through the human intercessor that serves as the intermediary in the chain of transmission. As for the latter, the chain of transmission, it would be sufficient to point to the extent of quarrels and battling egos happening between so many African derived faiths in the New World to at least suggest that the connection with source is at best faulty given the purely profane presentation given to the timeless mysteries. This is further revealed in how people in assuming the role of priests and priestesses automatically institutionalize dysfunction of various kinds. This dysfunction reveals itself in plays of power ranging from lies, dece...