Subject: Blood and blood sacrifice
The following article appeared in Magic Pentacle, Winter, 1993, Vol 4, No 2. It is reproduced here with Permission, exactly as it appeared originally. I have ben requested that it should not be copied to other lists or echoes. Article begins:
Questions from the Neophyte Grade:
IN MAGICAL AND MYSTICAL RITES
A Napier student is responsible for me writing this article, although his question actually was: "What is the festival of Taurobolium? Do people still celebrate it?" The answer to the second of these questions is simple. No.
But the answer to the first question proved to be much more complex. Because it gives rise to so many matters of importance to modern Magic and Wicca, especially in the way in which non- Pagans view it, I decided to extend my original answer and this article on Blood Sacrifice in magical and mystical Rites is the result.
I am indebted to Diana White for her invaluable help in preparing this article, although any faults are mine not hers. Other sources of information have been the books of Barbara Walker.
THE TAUROBOLIUM was a sacred initiation rite, rather than a festival. It was a form of baptism used in the Graeco-Roman mysteries of the Great Mother Goddess, Cybele, and her consort, Attis.
The Cybele mysteries derived it from similar, but NOT the same, initiation rites in the Iranian Mysteries of Mithras, Lord of the Sun. They, in turn, appear to have derived their rites from more ancient mysteries, relating to even more ancient Goddesses, such as Anahita, Goddess of the Male and Female Flows, Inanna of Sumer, and Anat.
In turn, the worshippers of these goddesses derived their mysteries from the most ancient of all Mother Goddesses, Kunti, the ever-virgin lover of all the gods, who could take innumerable men into herself without losing her essence. Her origins are lost in the mists of Central Asian antiquity, whence the Aryan tribes swarmed into India, Iran and Eastern Europe.
Kunti is no longer formally worshipped anywhere, but her name survives among the common people of every country from India to the Western Isles and the Americas.
A REGENERATIVE BATH In the Cybele rite, it took the form of a regenerative bath. The initiate descended into a pit and was bathed in the blood of a bull, which was sacrificed above him so that the blood poured down through a grating and over the initiate. There are also references to a Criobolium, which involved the slaughter of a Ram or sheep, hence no doubt the actual, historical reality behind such metaphorical Christian hymns as "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb."
There is strong evidence that it was a rite of regeneration and rebirth. Sometimes inscriptions about the Taurobolium refer to the initiate as 'renatus', which means reborn, while others refer to the day on which a person undertook the Taurobolium as their 'birthday.'
Underlying the rite, which has not been practised in fifteen or sixteen centuries, are the ideas of the strength and virility of the Bull, and the power of its blood as its life-substance.
However, in the most ancient, purely Iranian [Persian] versions of the Mysteries of Mithras, the life-substance of the Bull is stated to be its semen rather than its blood.
It was only as the ancient mysteries travelled through the Semitic lands of Western Asia on their way to Greece and Rome that the concept of blood sacrifice was substituted for the more ancient rites involving semen.
A perusal of the Hebrew Scriptures [the Old Testament] will reveal how important blood and blood sacrifice was in that particular Semitic religion, for example.
BLOOD IS A LIFE-ESSENCE FOR WOMEN
In the most ancient forms of the Mysteries, which were open only to the women of the tribes, blood was almost certainly used.
However, for women, blood is a life essence. No woman has to kill or injure to get blood. Every woman has blood available every month. The matriarchal Mysteries needed no blood- sacrifices to get the blood they needed for their rites.
When the patriarchal invaders from the north conquered the matriarchal tribes, the Mysteries were taken over by men and turned into religions.
Because they lacked a monthly flow, the males who led the patriarchal religions had to find other sources if they wanted to use blood in their rites, and so the custom of blood-sacrifices arose.
SEMEN IS THE MALE LIFE ESSENCE
However, even under the patriarchies, those males who guarded the older Inner Mysteries preserved the life-supporting nature of the Eternal Wisdom by using the male life-flow, semen, in their deepest rites.
In this modern age, when it seems important to use life-substances in a rite, men should not use blood, which involves at least the destruction of tissue and, at worst, the death of an organism. To be involved in such destructive rites brings self-destruction.
MODERN RITES
In due course, mature students of the Mysteries are able, if they wish, to learn in what ways, both in the ancient Mysteries and by modern magicians, semen and other creative life substances are used to intensify the flows of energy raised during a Magical Working.
This is not just some higher grade secret. It is rather that sexual magic, whether solitary or in partnership, requires considerable magical skill and discretion; and can unfortunately too often go wrong. Mature apprentices should consult the Mage or Witch who is instructing them.
Article ends.
Be blessed. Michael Freedman, S.G.
Subject: Five Gates of the Scorpion
At 10:23 PM 16/6/96 -0700, Charla wrote:
"In Scorpio, the Spark of Light descends into the womb of the fertile Mother. 'If the grain will not die, shall it live again. Here are celebrated the Mysteries of the Five Gates of the Scorpion."
Is there any more you can say about the Five Gates of the Scorpion?
I rather thought I already had in an earlier post: Briefly, the particular rite for the Scoprio Ingress is one in which the Five Ministers of the Elements display certain 'mysteries', i.e., objects with mythological and spiritual significance accompanied by appropriate readings and chants.
Air: A scorpion;
Water: A bowl heaped with ice [fixed water] and
Fire: A bowl with leaping flames, shown side by side.
Earth: A scythe.
Spirit: An eagle.
I am sure I have said this already together with quotes from the chants to
Hades and Persephone, the deities of this rite.
Be blessed. Michael Freedman, S.G.
Subject: Re: Blood and blood sacrifice
At 02:07 AM 18/6/96 +1200, I wrote, quoting Alys Goldenthorpe:
THE TAUROBOLIUM ...
The initiate descended into a pit and was bathed in the blood of a bull, which was sacrificed above him so that the blood poured down through a grating and over the initiate. There are also references to a Criobolium, which involved the slaughter of a Ram or sheep, hence no doubt the actual, historical reality behind such metaphorical Christian hymns as "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb."
As a footnote to Alys' great article.
A few years ago, a couple of strangers arrived several hours too early for one of our communal rites and found us still getting the sanctuary ready for the evening ritual. I shall never forget the startled looks on their faces as they walked in without knocking to see the Prior of the Guardians skipping and leaping round the Santuary with a tambourine in his hand, banging it on elbow, knee and bottom, while singing in raucous Salvation Army style, "Washed in the blood of the Bull, of the Bull! Washed in the blood of the Bull!"
Be blessed. Michael Freedman, S.G.
Subject: Solstice Blessings
May All Blessings of the Summer Solstice be shared in our Great Family ...
And winter solstice Greetings from the southern hemisphere, as we sit in the cold, pitch darkness of the Longest Night, listening to the Lutoslavski Requiem [I havent checked spelling], the coldest music I know.
This is followed by the recitation of Three Creation Acounts, Maori, Sefer Yetsirah, Bereshith] against a recorded background of crashing surf and earthquakes; and the bringing of the Light out of Darkness. and the lighting of the ten candles in the Sefiroth of the Tree of Life that is on the great, oval Holy Table at the centre of the Central Court of the Sanctuary. Then each Minister and Witness lights their own candles from the Malkuth light and joining in chanting the Hymn of Light.
Here is the first of the Creation accounts [Maori]
from the increase the swelling;
From the thought the remembrance;
from the remembrance the desire;
The Word became fruitful;
it dwelt with feeble glimmering;
it brought forth night.
The great night,
the long night;
the lowest night;
the highest night;
the thick night to be felt;
the night to be touched;
the night unseen;
the night following on;
the night ending in death.
From the nothing the begetting;
from the nothing the increase;
from the nothing the abundance,
the power of increasing,
the living breath.
It dwelt with empty space;
it produced the firmament which is above us;
the atmosphere which floats above the earth;
the great firmament above us,
the spread out space dwelt with the early dawn.
Then the Moon sprang forth.
The atmosphere above dwelt with the glowing sky.
Then the Sun sprang forth.
They were thrown up above as the chief eyes of heaven.
Then the Sky became light;
the early dawn;
the early day;
the midday;
the blaze of day from the sky.
Be blessed.
Michael Freedman, S.G.
Subject: Fiery words
Seeing as everyone is hurling fiery words about at the moment, here is something from our Sagittarius rite which is done round a bonfire on the Fire altar which is in the garden behind the Sanctuary.
THE FIERY VISION OF ENOCH-METATRON
Hear the words of Enoch-Metatron, Angel Prince of Ha-Shekinah:
496 thousand myriads of encampments of angels has the Holy One in the heights of the seventh heaven, "Araboth Raqia", which is the Land that once was Waste and is now made Whole. In each of these encampments stand 496 thousand angels.
All stand before the Throne of Glory of 'Eloah Shekinah in four hosts. And at the head of these four hosts stand the Princes of 'Eloah Shekinah. On the right stands Mika'El; and on the left stands Gavri'El. Before the Throne stands 'Uri'El; and beyond the Throne stands Rafa'El, each at the head of their hosts of Angels.
Some of the Angels sing Qadosh, and some of them sing Baruk. And when the time comes to sing the Qadosh, there goes forth first the Spirit as a whirlwind from before the Holy One and bursts upon the armies of 'Eloah Shekinah; and in that moment thousands of thousands of the angel hosts are transformed to burning arrows;
thousands of thousands into fiery flashes;
thousands of thousands into glowing coals;
thousands of thousands into flames;
thousands of thousands into burning fire;
thousands of thousands into winds;
thousands of thousands into flaming fire;
thousands of thousands into sparks;
thousands of thousands into all the fiery molten forms of light;
thousands of thousands into males,
and thousands of thousands into females,
until each take upon themselves
the Yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven;
and set their hearts on singing Qadosh
and praising 'Eloah Shekinah in the heights.
Then shall everyone sing the Thrice Holy Hymn, while a minister tolls the Great Bell of the Sanctuary twelve times.
Qadosh 'Eloah, Qadosh Shekinah, Qadosh 'El Chai, chanenu !
Qadosh 'Eloah, Qadosh Shekinah, Qadosh 'El Chai, chanenu !
THE CENSING OF THE ALTAR
The Celebrant shall take incense and cense the Fire altar
Sanctify and bless this Holy Place,
Prepared by thy people for the Glory of Ha-Shekinah
At the intercession of the Mighty Archangel Mika'El, who stands at the Right-hand side of the Fiery Altar,
And of the Mighty Archangel Gavri'El who stands at the Left-hand of the Fiery Altar;
And of the Mighty Archangel Rafa'El who stands Before the Fiery Altar;
And of the Mighty Archangel 'Uri'El, who stands Behind the Fiery Altar;
And of the Mighty Archangel Yahu'El who stands Above the Fiery Altar,
And of the Brother who stands below the Fiery Altar; And Thou, 'Eloah Shekinah, in their Midst.
Welcome as the incense smoke, let our praises rise to Thee
May thy Holy Presence kindle within us The Fires of thy Steadfast Love
and the Flames of everlasting Compassion.
"It has been said by one of the Wise among the Greeks:
This world is the same for all. It is the same for the gods and the same for humankind. Noone has made it. This world was for ever, is now and ever shall be a living Fire, with its measures kindling and its measures going out.
"Everything is Fire.
"The transformations of Fire are first, to the Living Sea. Half of the Living Sea is the Earth, and half of the Living Sea is the Whirlwind.
"It has been said by one of the Wise among the Chaldeans: All things descend from the One Fire; and the Second perfected all things and handed them over to the Nous or Mind. What Mind says, it says by understanding.
The Soul or Psyche being a bright Fire, by the power of the Second and the Mind, remains immortal and is the mistress of Life. She fills up all the recesses of the world. When all the channels are interwoven, she performs the Work of incorruptible fire.
"For the Fire which is First did not enclose Power in matter by works but by Mind; for the framer of the Fiery World is Mind of Mind, who clothed fire with fire, while preserving the flower of its own fire.
"Thence comes a fiery Whirlwind, drawing the flower of glowing Fire, flashing into the cavities of the world; and all things from thence begin to extend downwards their wonderful rays.
"There were of old those who called the Whirlwind of Fire by the name of Ophion, the Serpent Fire and tell a different tale of how the world we know began.
"In the beginning, Eurynome, the Goddess of All things, rose naked from Chaos, but found nothing substantial for her feet to rest upon. Therefore She divided the Seas from the Sky and danced lonely upon the waves.
"She danced from the North towards the South and the wind of her passing, which was set in motion behind her, seemed to be something new and apart with which She could begin a work of creation.
"She wheeled about and caught hold of the Whirlwind and rubbed it between her hands and behold! the great and fiery serpent Ophion.
"Eurynome danced with the fiery serpent of the Whirlwind to warm Herself. She danced wildly and more wildly, until Ophion coiled about those divine limbs and was moved to couple with Her. So Eurynome was got with the child of the Whirlwind.
"She assumed the form of a dove, brooding on the waves, and in the process of time laid the Universal Egg. At her bidding, the serpent Ophion coiled seven times about the egg and warmed it with his Fire, until it split in two and out of it tumbled all the things that exist, her children: Sun and Moon, planets and stars, the earth with its mountains and rivers, its trees, herbs and every living creature.
Here ends the Fire Myth."
Be blessed.
Michael Freedman, S.G.
Subject: blue moon....
At 05:51 AM 30/6/96 -0700, kallah wrote: Let's say the sun is in Gemini and the Moon is in Sagittarius (I seriously doubt this]
Tch.Tch kallah. I make *all* my magical students learn the basic elements of astrology and so should you. *wags rebuking finger*
A Full Moon is full because the sun is on the opposite side of the Wheel of the Zodiac. The sun was in Gemini at the beginning of June, so the Moon had to be in its opposite sign, Sagittarius. The next Full Moon [30th June/1st July] will see the sun in Cancer and the moon in Capricorn.
I hope you enjoy your drumming expedition. We have a fine Chinese drum in the Sanctuary, about two feet across. It is painted in traditional stye, with the Dragon on one side and the Pheasant on the other, for Emperor and Empress. It is used the Autumn Ritual throughout the chanting of our pagan version of the Irish Breastplate Hymn.
There are also a pair of [soggy] tablas and a small "monkey drum" here, but I can no longer drum. Arthritis and spasticity dont make for good rhythm. My apprentice has his own fine hand drum which he has decorated with a full set of runes all around the rim.
There used to be all day dawn-to-dusk drumming at Midwinter around the crater of Mount Eden for more than 20 years, organised by a percussion group called From Scratch. As many as a hundred people used to attend. It has been intermittent and poorly attended in recent years because certain religionists laid complaints with the police and city council about the noise. The complaints failed in court because the complainants lived several miles from the mountain, and it became clear that they had acted on religious grounds. But the manhandling by police on that occasion as they dragged people off the mountain has led to many people preferring to stay away now.
Nobody seems to have noticed our Midsummer Salute to the Dawn from the peak of Mount Eden. Our invisibility spells must be working *grins*.
We got worried one year when we saw a group of about sixty people sitting around on the other side of the crater from the peak, looking as though they were holding a prayer meeting. The Prior of the Guardians, who is a highly intelligent man, took a stroll around the carpark. He reported that ther were no One Way Jesus bumper stickers; and that one car had a rear window sticker saying "My other car is a broom." He concluded, rightly as it turned out that they were not a Christian prayer group getting ready to wage "spiritual warfare" on us. They were a Women's Spirituality Group, led by Juliet Batten, whose books on Southern Hemisphere women's rituals are best sellers in New Zealand and Australia.
Be blessed.
Michael Freedman, S.G.