To: usenet From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva) Subject: Christian Magical Rite (Part 1 - Water/HS Baptism +ADDENDUM) (Was Pr..) Date: 11 Jan 1996 12:14:55 -0800 [Reposted from an elist] kaliyuga 49960107 Following on the series of posts which I've been pelting your way.... :> After we've been able to discern that we are sufficiently capable of 'baptizing' ourselves (whether in visualizations or whatever), then the utilization of the Formula comes into play. I checked into what you would call a 'dictionary' to ferret out some expansive ideations about the terms we're using and their possible implications. I also pieced through the New Testament (Blue Denim) for ideas about this and think I've been able to reach some very wonderful insights (no doubt catfood to you oldster Scripturemongers :>). The results of my delving follow as a BACKGROUND to an explication of the two parts (A/B) of the Preparation Part One (Baptism). In this way you can skip most of the latter part of this post if you aren't interested in the background or brainstorming fodder from which to participate in my construction. Peace be with you, tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com nagasiva -------- An Elaboration on the Formula of Christian Magical Preparation There are two (2) parts to this Preparation, of a sort of Yin/Yang quality, though definitely sequenced for the greatest effect possible. 1 Cleansing Danger: imperfection, impurity Catalyst: mage Agent: Holy Spirit Process: cleansing us of impurity, infusing us with power/spirit, washing clean our guilt and outmoded self-concepts (euphoric) Result: enthusiasm, ability, power, authority ------------ 2 Resolution Danger: arrogance, disdainful pride Catalyst: Holy Spirit Agent: Adversary Process: deflating overextended ego, excising presumptuous authority, resolving will, resisting the Adversary temptations (ascetic) Result: control, discipline, wisdom, skill ============ Part One: Baptism A -- Water Baptism The Templar Knights, Gardnerian Wiccans and Caliphate OTO folks within the esoteric community often make use of 'dipping' or 'baptism' for their initiation rituals, but seldom have I heard of it thought of as a standard element of ritual preparation as a whole. Perhaps this is a novelty of sorts and a utilization of a social acceptance rite for a personal refreshment and empowerment. I imagine the mage visualizing an immersion into water, simultaneously intending a suffusion of the conscious mind into the unconscious depths in a kind of pre-ritual oceanic escapade. One could intentionally and reverently enter into the River Jordan (perhaps with John the Baptist as Elijah (?) officiating). Many many alternatives are possible, depending on the need for imagination and divergence from Scripture. For example, perhaps we might lay down on our backs and be consumed by a whale or Leviathan, or merely sink into a glass of water (our visual focus). Rising back to the surface, we would feel our guilt melt away and all that we do not desire of ourselves within the rite would be shifted to the exterior edges of our consciousness (a relative 'purity'). I am not as yet sure whether a ritual (re?)identification need take place (the power of baptism is such that it shift identity and at this time it would be wise for us to (re-?)establish our magical identity. Of course we could utilize our hot-tub, bathtub, shower, local hot springs, isolation tank, or pool as a support here, moving what some would visualize into a more physical realm (therefore touching more deeply the unconscious mind via the flesh in preparation for a powerful ritual). B -- Baptism of the Spirit Emerging from the waters, as in the Gospel, and within our visualization, we would of course witness heaven opening up before us and the Spirit of God coming down unto us (or out from the center or up from below or whatever your preferred orientational schema might be) in the form of a dove (or some other form should you desire imaginative variation and know Christ/God differently). The dove would come down into our heart and reside there, ultimately leading us to the ordeal, the baptism of fire (in the desert, the subject of the next supplement to this series). We might begin speaking in tongues at this point, or effect an ecstatic catalysis of our choice in order to permeate the mind with the new Influence. I'm not sure how or whether it would be of benefit to utilize physical props for this phase of the Preparation. I thought of a fan or heater, set above us and turning on once the Spirit is to come down upon us, or perhaps confetti or some other airborne indicator which could cover us from head to toe and sever the ordinary from the nonordinary in a rushing momentum. Conclusion Next supplement will include the parameters and brainstorming on the ordeal of discipline. Notice how these twin elements of Preparation make up a natural enthusing and paring function, comparable to Spring and Autumn in their relation (growth/pruning), and consider the possible implications of the Boot/Beta-test paradigm below: (Programming Model) Programmer: God (WILL) Program: Jesus (MAGE) Boot-up: Water/HS-baptism (PREP1) Beta-test: Satan-temptation-ordeal (PREP2) Function: Healing/Teaching/Crucifixion/Etc. (WORK) I loved the idea of Satan as Cosmic Beta-tester. :> The other conception I had of Him was as Cosmic Cookie-Cutter. =========================================================== end of main doc BACKGROUND From _Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary_, by G & C Merriam & Co., 1981: {MY NOTES IN CURLY BRACKETS} baptize... [ME *baptizen*, fr. OF *baptiser*, fr. LL *baptizare*, fr. Gk *baptizein* to dip, baptize, fr. *baptos* dipped, fr. *baptein* to dip; akin to ON *kafa* to dive] 1 : to administer baptism to 2a: to purify or cleanse spiritually esp. by a purging experience or ordeal {PREP2 emph.} b: INITIATE c: to give a name to (as at baptism) : CHRISTEN.... christen... 1a: BAPTIZE b: to name at baptism 2 : to name or dedicate (as a ship) by ceremony suggestive of baptism 3 : NAME 4 : to use for the first time {interesting} baptism... 1a: a Christian sacrament marked by ritual use of water and admitting the recipient to the Christian community b: a non-Christian rite using water for ritual purificiation c *Christian Science* : purification by or submergence in Spirit 2 : an act, experience, or ordeal by which one is purified, santified, initiated, or named.... baptism of fire {note how 1 is PREP1 and 2 is PREP2} 1 : a spiritual baptism by a gift of the Holy Spirit -- often used in allusion to Acts 2:3-4; Mt. 3:11 (RSV) 2 : an introductory or initial experience that is a severe ordeal; *specif.* : a soldier's first first exposure to enemy fire {'enemy'/adversary} purify... 1a: to clear from material defilement or imperfection b: to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish c: to free from undesirable elements.... pure... 1a (1) : unmixed with any other mattter <~gold> (2) : free from dust, dirt or taint <~food>: (3) : SPOTLESS, STAINLESS b: free from harshness or roughness and being in tune -- used of a musical tone.... 3a (1) : free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes (2) : containing nothing that does not properly belong b: free from moral fault or guilt c: marked by chastity : CONTINENT.... ==================================== Key Bible Passages (Blue Denim!) - 'I baptize you with water to show that you have repented. But the one who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.' (Matt. 3:11 -- John the Baptist speaks to the Pharisees and Saduccees) 'Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit....' (Matt. 28:19 -- Jesus' spirit speaking to the 11 remaining Apostles) {'baptize in the name of....'; Cf. Christen and the the heavy emphasis on *naming* in magial theory} 'I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to Israel.... [Jesus] is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' (John 1:31-3 -- John the Baptist to an assembled crowd) 'Turn away from your sins, each one of you, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit.' (Acts 2:38 -- Peter to the people of Israel) 'Here is some water. What is to keep me from being baptized?' Phillip said to him, 'You may be baptized if you believe with all your heart.' (Acts 8:36-7 -- Phillip to an Ethiopian Official) {decent requirements for the self-baptism} Paul said, 'The baptism of John was for those who turned from their sins; and he told the people of Israel to believe in the one who was coming after him -- that is, in Jesus.' When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul placed his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them; they spoke in strange tongues and also proclaimed God's message. (Acts 19:4-6 -- Paul to the Ephesans) {'proclaimed God's message: 'Messenger' -- Apostle} It is through faith that all of you are God's sons in union with Christ Jesus. You were baptized into union with Christ, and so have taken upon yourselves the qualities of Christ himself. So there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are the descendants of Abraham, and will receive what God has promised. (Galatians 3:26-9 -- Paul to the Galatians) {I'd considered visualizing particular qualities of Christ as evident upon my body, even those which did not until later appear upon Him.} EOF From owner-fiatlvx@cmns.think.com Mon Jan 8 04:10:58 1996 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) with ESMTP id EAA27779 for ; Mon, 8 Jan 1996 04:10:58 -0800 Received: from Cmns.Think.COM.Think.COM (Cmns.Think.COM [131.239.2.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.11/8.6.5) with SMTP id EAA14615 for ; Mon, 8 Jan 1996 04:10:57 -0800 Received: by Cmns.Think.COM.Think.COM (4.1/Ultrix2.4-C) id AA22410; Mon, 8 Jan 96 07:17:57 EST ~From: nagasiva Message-Id: <199601081136.DAA23017@jobe.shell.portal.com> ~Subject: Christian Magical Rite (Part One - ADDENDUM) To: fiatlvx@cmns.think.com (Christian Magick Elist) ~Date: Mon, 8 Jan 1996 03:36:08 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <199601080455.UAA20735@jobe.shell.portal.com> from "nagasiva" at Jan 7, 96 08:55:29 pm Orientation: House of Kaos, St. Joseph, Kali Fornika, US -- Kali Yuga X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 4410 ~Sender: owner-fiatlvx@cmns.think.com Precedence: bulk ~Reply-To: fiatlvx@cmns.think.com Status: RO kaliyuga 49960107 Part One: Baptism Water/HS (ADDENDUM) I figured out the missing piece re: naming and identity in result of the baptism element of the Preparation. It has to do with the Childhood of God and the Confirmation (beautifully a reflection and validation of the orthodox), in which we are accepted by the Divine Parent as Hir Child. I present this as a comment on the essentials of the Part One posting. |An Elaboration on the Formula of Christian Magical Preparation |1 Cleansing | | Danger: imperfection, impurity | Catalyst: mage | Agent: Holy Spirit | Process: cleansing us of impurity, infusing us with power/spirit, | washing clean our guilt and outmoded self-concepts (euphoric) | Result: enthusiasm, ability, power, authority |I imagine the mage visualizing an immersion into water, simultaneously |intending a suffusion of the conscious mind into the unconscious depths |in a kind of pre-ritual oceanic escapade. One could intentionally and |reverently enter into the River Jordan (perhaps with John the Baptist |as Elijah (?) officiating). |Many many alternatives are possible, depending on the need for |imagination and divergence from Scripture. For example, perhaps we |might lay down on our backs and be consumed by a whale or Leviathan, |or merely sink into a glass of water (our visual focus). This would thus be 1a and 1b, Cleansing and Confirmation. The water baptism is the Cleansing, obviously, while, as the visualized dove enters into our heart and recognizes us as the Child of God, this constitutes the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 1a Cleansing Danger: imperfection, impurity Catalyst: mage Agent: mage/Elijah Process: cleansing us of impurity, washing clean our guilt and outmoded self-concepts (euphoric) Result: innocence, realization of our perfection, purity |Rising back to the surface, we would feel our guilt melt away and all |that we do not desire of ourselves within the rite would be shifted |to the exterior edges of our consciousness (a relative 'purity'). |...we would of course witness heaven opening up before us and the Spirit |of God coming down unto us (or out from the center or up from below |or whatever your preferred orientational schema might be) in the form |of a dove (or some other form should you desire imaginative variation |and know Christ/God differently). |The dove would come down into our heart and reside there, .... 1b Confirmation Danger: dissolution, dissociation Catalyst: God (in response to 1a) Agent: Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) Process: identification as the Child of God, resolution of role and magical identity, infusion of power/spirit, Result: enthusiasm, ability, power, authority |I am not as yet sure whether a ritual (re?)identification need take |place (the power of baptism is such that it shift identity and at |this time it would be wise for us to (re-?)establish our magical |identity. This is the part that had me confused at first, but I think I've got that integrated also. The Christian magician would embark and return upon the Journey of Christ as the Vessel of Change. That is, the result of this water-HS baptism must be the (re)affirmation of the fact that we are the Child of God and that SHe is pleased with us. I really enjoyed the confirmation in my Blue Denim. I render it into a magical rite thus: We hear a voice from heaven speaking to us, and permeating our being: 'This is my own dear Child, with whom I am well pleased.' As we are not Jesus we could of course have our own name in place of his as magical name within the rite (Tyagi Christ, for example), or we could accept 'Jesus' with the understanding that we are 'baptised in the name of Christ' and that this is sufficient (as all are Christ who are baptised into union through the Holy Spirit -- see Galatians 3:26-9 for more on that). I think it would be more powerful to adopt the more blasphemous variation, but could see how it might be incompatible with some Christian aesthetics. Having received the baptism of water and Spirit, we are thus ready for that white dove to lead us into the desert for the confrontation with the Adversary. Again, I leave this for Part Two. (Constructive) comment and review encouraged. Peace be with you, nagasiva@luckymojo.com (nagasiva)