The Maat Continuum

                               FOUNDATION
                              by Sor.'.Nema
         published in "Cincinnati Journal of Ceremonial Magick"
                        Volume I, Number 5, 1983
                             with permission
                    

 The feather-and-flame ritual, performed regularly to strengthen the
 link with Maat, will manifest the phenomenon of channeling as a
 side-effect. To employ the rite in pursuit of the channeling effect is
 a perversion to be avoided at all cost; persistence in the perversion
 results in the loss of direction and Will. As a side-effect, channeling
 must be handled with caution.
 The process involves an exaltation of consciousness, in which knowledge
 appears without the usual processes of reasoning, logic, sensory
 perception or instruction. The knowledge itself can be apprehended as
 abstract conception, visual imagery, or silent speech, It can be a
 purely Inner experience, or it can manifest in words written without
 mental direction, automatic drawing, musical improvisations, etc.
 Channeling content can be addressed to the one who acts as the channel,
 to a companion, or to the Priesthood; these are private, or particular
 channelings. There is also material transmitted concerning time-events,
 presentations of "theory" and symbols pertaining to the nature of
 existence and being, and rituals of general application.
 One must never mistake the particular for the general; this mistake is
 a root of fanaticism. Practices prescribed for an individual must not
 be represented as universal formulae.
 The danger of the channeling process lies in its close resemblance to
 passive mediumship. In the latter case, a trance state occurs, and
 Astral entities can take advantage of the openings produced by the
 state. The inexperienced or constitutionally vulnerable individual,
 unless adequately protected by prior establishment of unity with the
 True Self (Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel), is
 thereby subject to delusion, distraction, obsession or possession.
 All who experience channeling should watch it from the Observer, the
 Hadit-point of the Bindu. Doubt everything. Test it. Verify it. Seek
 experienced counsel. Truth will survive challenge's weapons; disguised
 attachments, desires and delusions will not.
 The channelings should be recorded in one' s Magickal Record, and
 subjected to Qabalistic verification. Sensory clues, such as colors,
 scents, forms and number, should be checked against the appropriate
 columns in 777. In many circumstances, the Tarot and the I Ching can be
 used as additional means of verification and clarification.
 Verification should be performed in all cases, but it is particularly
 important for those channelings which give suggested rituals, formulae
 and words of power. The expected results should be outlined, the nature
 of the forces employed should be specified, and the alignments,
 gestures, words and instruments to be used (colors, incense, etc.)
 should be congruous to the nature of the proposed working.
 Channelings for communication beyond the brotherhood of Initiates most
 often takes the form of art, be it graphic, verbal, musical,
 architectural, dance. mime, etc. It is the responsibility of the
 Magickian's artistic sense, in these cases to attest to the truth of
 the channeling. Producing such art incurs Karma, unless the ego-self be
 eliminated from participation. Art is True insofar as the artist is
 absent.

                                   ***

 There are a number of Astral allies working the Double Current. These
 entities occasionally assist the Magickian within the Upper Astral;
 their consciousness is as extensive as Man's - more so, in fact. Their
 spectrum of operational fields begins in the Sphere of Yesod
 (Foundations, the Racial Unconscious, dreaming), and extends its
 natural expanse to a trans-Kether of its own Universe. Their Tree is
 shifted up a plane, and although there are congruencies in the upper
 spheres, our astral allies can only interact effectively with us in
 Yesod, which is their Malkuth.
 Again, caution is urged. The fluidity of the Astral planes renders
 proper verification of experiences more difficult. One has to be able
 to recognize the nature of entities encountered on the Astral planes
 during the encounter. Our allies are not offended by the presence of a
 Diamond Shield about the aura; like all surviving sentient beings, they
 have armor of their own.
 There is a simple method of "field analysis" to determine the nature of
 an Astral entity. Since Yesod reflects Tiphereth, the procedure is to
 radiate the essence of the Sun of the Hawk and the negative radiance of
 the Black Flame. The allies will match the radiance intonal or harmonic
 frequencies; alien entities will flee or be rendered immobile. The
 radiance may be engendered by visualizing a sunsphere bearing the Eye
 of Horus, and a black flame speckled with stars. Vibrate the mantram
 LUTIS NITRA* and your astral body will emit the envisioned radiance.
 *Lutis nitra = 654, Ra(6) Hoor(5) Khuit(4); also 456 by metathesis; 456
 = IPSOS.
 Our allies lend assistance to work on the Astral; they function as
 guides, definers, unveilers and poles for opposition-energy work. Many
 of them are, by nature, suns, and are spending a Cycle in this plane to
 balance themselves. Others are moon-affinities and are the true natives
 of the Astral plane.
 Active working on the Astral consists, in the main, of setting in
 motion events that will manifest in the Kingdom via "natural" means.
 There is much to learn from the nature of this Sphere, for it indicates
 the proper manner of working within it. One deals with seeds and
 subtlety. The Astral allies are more at home here than is Man;
 therefore it were wise to heed their advice. We are also able to assist
 them by constructing diagrams, or "machines" in the Kingdom that effect
 changes in the Astral menstruum. They direct the pattern, and by
 earthing it on paper as a talisman, the desired frequency changes
 occur.
 The Astral planes are valuable in workings that need to span time and
 distance, but that do not require the manipulations of the substrata
 (ychronos and chthonos). Each act should be planned for the minimum
 effort; although imperceptible to the inexperienced, the astral planes
 offer an energy-consuming resistance, somewhat akin to moving under
 water.
 Another feature of the Astral planes is the access to the Forgotten
 Ones. These entities are, basically, the gods of our genetic structure.
 They are the successful survival-factors that have been covered, in the
 individual and racial Unconscious, with the veneer of conscious Mind
 and civilization.
 They persist, and are the most powerful natural source of individual
 Magickal energy. By finding the Forgotten Ones and using their power
 (by invocation, techniques of Atavistic Resurgence, etc.), the
 consciousness is propelled in a quantum-leap to the level of a native
 of the beginning of the Aeon of Maat. This is not an entirely safe
 method, in that it impossible to identify with the survival-lusts of
 our ancestral selves and become trapped in prehuman consciousness.
 Again, firm grounding in the viewpoint of the Observer, or Hadit, can
 prevent this mishap. It in no way diminishes the intensity of the
 experience, but it does permit the Willed release of energy in the
 trajectory of voluntary mutation, The beast-self is henceforth
 available to the consciousness, and under the control of Will,
 Likewise, the seed of gestalt-consciousness is also present. Such an
 operation, then, canbe considered a restoration of full Human
 consciousness, past, present, and future. It' s a not inconsiderable
 benefit to be able to employ all of one's faculties.
 An additional note of caution is needed regarding the Forgotten Ones.
 While it is relatively safe to invoke them on the Astral planes in
 strictly controlled physical workings, one should not employ their
 energies beyond these spheres. The Forgotten Ones are of Man's origins,
 and assisted us from the ocean to the cave. However, for a certain span
 of our unrecorded history, our survival-force was controlled and
 employed by entities from "beyond" our Universe.
 Known as the Elder Gods, these beings attempted to extend their sphere
 of influence beyond their own environs, and selected pre-Man as a
 potential instrument for the purpose. Alien beyond human imagining,
 thev cannot truthfully be construed as evil". Their main purpose is to
 devour, and since their structure is incomparable with "our" Universe's
 physics, they can but eat by means of the life-forms native to our
 Universe.
 Their attempted employment of the proto-race constituted a conflict
 with the development of Man's autonomy; they were therefore escorted
 back to their own realm and the Gateway was sealed. Since the Manhattan
 Project, however, the seal was dissolved. These alien entities are
 presently preparing for another attempt in "our" Universe. They have
 not forgotten the keys to the Forgotten Ones - indeed, they have
 periodically managed an occasional breach in the fabric of space/time
 before the Gateway reopened. (See the works of Hieronymus Bosch, H.P.
 Lovecraft, etc.)
 The Elder Gods exist outside our tree, as it were, and the Gateway is
 in the non-Sphere of Daath. There is a type of hidden connection
 between Yesod and Daath, and therefore there exists some danger of an
 Elder God-Forgotten Ones tie being re-activated. Maatian gestalt
 consciousness is able to prevent such tie-reactivation, but the degree
 of such consciousness available via the Forgotten Ones Working, alone,
 is not sufficient to re-seal the gateway. The force of the gestalt
 seals the gate by a process of absorption. The following ritual will
 open general connections of consciousness with the Forgotten Ones.
 Employing the Observer will permit success in using the prirnal force
 of the genetic gods, if the limitation of planes be well observed.


                    INVOCATION OF THE FORGOTTEN ONES

 To employ IX* Work as the source of the manifestation-substance for the
 invoked Forgotten Ones is exceedingly dangerous and potentially
 harmful, unless both partners are of equal mastery, and the working is
 undertaken as a dual invocation. To engage in the work with an
 uninitiate, or one of a lesser level of competence, would be exposing
 him or her to forces beyond his comprehension or control. This would
 likely result in obsession, insanity or death, no one can assimilate
 another's demons for him.
 Generally speaking, it were wiser to operate VIII*, invoking Maat
 during the initial phase and imbuing the Elixir with her essence of
 Balance and Truth.
 The Site for the actual invocation ritual should be out-of-doors, in a
 wild and isolated spot - on the edge of water, in a clearing in the
 woods, in a cave or on a cliff of a hill or mountain. Personal
 preparation consists of fasting for the previous twenty-four hours,
 subsisting only on water or herb tea. One should also maintain sexual
 continence for seven days prior to the working.
 The ritual items to bring to the working are the wand, chalice, sword
 and pantacle; wine, water, and a drug of choice (if any). Also required
 are blankets or a bedroll, kindling for the fire, a small drum or other
 musical instrument and a portion (1/2 to 1/4 pound) of raw and bloody
 meat. A live animal or bird for slaughter would be even more effective,
 but the meat will suffice.
 A pit for the fire is dug to the west of the chosen altar area, and the
 fire is kindled at sundown. It should be of a size to avoid human
 notice and of dry, non-smokingwood. The sun is bidden farewell with
 reverence; after its disk has disappeared, the area is thoroughly
 banished and a circle of eleven foot diameter is scribed with the
 sword. (Ordinarily, the Magickian of Maat doesn't work within a Circle
 since his essence is one with the Universe; How ever, in a Forgotten
 Ones working, the Circle is used to contain his demons.)
 In the period from twilight to dark, the hands, mouth and the genitals
 are purified with water, the wine is imbibed and the drugs taken. Music
 is played or chanted until full night. All these actions are offered to
 Nuit.
 At this point a type of trance should obtain; the Magickian should be
 extremely cautious to maintain his consciousness at the balance between
 the suspension of Rational Mind and the detached surveilance of his
 actions by his Observer.
 He puts by his instrument and approaches the altar-place from the east.
 He fills the cup with wine, adds wood to the fire, and takes up his
 wand, proclaiming:
 "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
 "It is my Will to invroke Maat and the Forgotten Ones, to the evolution
 and awakening of Man."
 "By the same mouth that drinks from the cup of BABALON, shall the
 Elixir be devoured. By the same mouth that swallows up the Cosmos,
 shall the breath of Man Awakened be exhaled."
 He places the pantacle at the center of the altarplace, then allows
 blood to fall upon it from the meat. He rains blood also into the wine
 within the cup, then puts the meat on the pantacle, like a platter,
 thus identifying the flesh with himself.
 "I invoke Maat, She Who Moves!"
 "I invoke Maat, Truth, Justice and Righteousness!"
 "I invoke Maat, the Black Flame!"
 "Black pearl within the crystal lotus, AUMGN."
 He here begins the VIII*, chanting repeatedly: "ABRAHADABRA, IPSOS,
 MAAT", envisioning the Black Flame dancing and obliterating the
 Universe.
 The Elixir is received by the flesh-offering on the pantacle, with a
 portion of it to the wine in the cup. He move s to the north, facing
 south across the altar. At the length of his armspan, the Magickian
 thrusts his wand upright into the earth at his right (west) and his
 sword point down at his left (east). He lies prone upon the earth, with
 arms outstretched so each wrist touches, and is bound by, the
 respective weapon. He concentrates and projects his perception downward
 into the rock strata below him, and upward into intergalactic space,
 chanting the Names of the Forgotten Ones into the Earth. As he chants,
 he feels the hunger induced by his fasting, and calls to mind the wine
 and the meat on the pantacle. He constantly reinforces the triangular
 lines of power - from the Forgotten Ones he is invoking, to the hunger
 within his body, to the flesh on the altar - while maintaining a
 parallel awareness of the binding forces on his wrists from the wand
 and sword. He chants:
 "No'!"* Megor-Marduk! Loroo!..." and the other Names that will arise
 from him. He opens.
 *"'" represents a glottal stop.
 They will come through the gateway of his hunger, devouring him,
 raising his body to its knees. They will lunge him toward the altar,
 restrained by the wand and sword.
 He projects his consciousness into the elixir-meat and the Elixir-wine,
 then commands his weapons to release his body. The hands will pull the
 weapons from the earth and violently cross them again on the earth to
 the south of the altar. The body crouches above the altar and the
 flesh-offering. The consciousness within the Elixir-meat and Elixir
 wine surrenders to the hunger and to the gods within the body, and is
 consumed.
 At this point the body should be commanded into the bedroll and its
 warmth - the night chill, combined with the fasting and the violence of
 the working, would leave it vulnerable to illness. The body assumes a
 fetal position.
 The working continues, with no conscious directing, as follows: The
 Forgotten Ones, inhabiting the body by invitation, and thus by the
 conscious Will, have devoured the flesh and wine that have been charged
 with the Elixir. The Elixir itself, produced by the Magickal
 Consciousness and inhabited by this Consciousness, is the invoked
 essence of Maat as the all-consuming Black Flame.
 The Magickian is eaten by the Forgotten Ones, who are eaten by the
 Black Flame, who is eaten by the body. This leaves a vehicle full of
 nothing, through which Tao and the Double Current may flow unimpeded.
 However, since the normal Inner barriers have now been removed, the
 demons generated by the enduring conflict of the Forgotten Ones and the
 civilized conscience will begin manifestation on the Outer. As each one
 arises, it must be controlled, understood, and assimilated. This part
 of the working may take some time to complete; therefore, the Circle
 isn't struck, but is contracted and carried with the Magickian until
 the exorcism process is finished. The demons are not confined to a
 triangle, but kept from causing trouble by the Magickian's Circle. (His
 demons are perhaps the only possessions a Magickian can rightfully
 claim as his own.)
 With the dawn, the Magickian arises, gathers his weapons and equipment
 and departs.
 In subsequent daily experience, he will become aware that a new balance
 has been struck. He has a new sense of unity with the under-currents of
 the life-flow, and will find this of great use in nonverbal
 communication with others. Through his Art he will establish links with
 the Unconscious of others; he will assist them to meet the Forgotten
 Ones in controlled circumstances that will do no harm. He is also ready
 to begin work on a world-scale.
 The Forgotten Ones have access to Man on the Astral planes, mainly in
 the dream-state. Those sections of humanity who exist in starvation
 conditions, in poverty that has practically negated civilized
 consciousness, are the hunger-gates of the Forgotten Ones. These
 starvelings have thin, if indeed any, barriers between the waking
 (reason) and dreaming (primal drive) states.
 Their physical strength may be too depleted for the bearing of arms,
 but theirs is the massed power of the Forgotten Ones. The
 demon-conflicts of the fortunate nations (the "chosen" of the bright
 gods), are petty when compared with the dark powers gathering within
 the hunger of the starving.
 The Task here is to channel and direct, under strict control of Will,
 the presence of the Forgotten Ones into the lives of the fortunate, by
 invoking the essence of the starving under the dual forms of
 Shiva/Kali. The ignorance, greed, selfishness and cupidity of the
 surfeited segments of humanity must be brought to balance with the
 despair, apathy, hunger and injustice which is the lot of the starving
 ones, That in Man which is withering has begun a gangrene infection of
 the segments that claim health and prosperity. Man must be healed,
 whole, and strong to meet the return of the Elder Gods.
 Based within the newly-balanced link with the Forgotten Ones, the
 Magickian extends his consciousness through the Astral light. He
 interweaves the dreams of the starving with those of the fortunate,
 bringing the forces of Nightmare into play. The Race Unconscious must
 be aroused to full consciousness on a planetary scale, by whatever
 means will prove effective.