Showing posts with label Kolyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kolyo. Show all posts

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Meditation: Visiting the Black Goddess at Imbolc



Our tradition uses guided meditation to help impress certain symbols on our members' consciousness. Below is our Imbolc meditation. It takes place at the Northern Gate of the compass, the place of air and midnight.  It is the home of the Black Goddess, whom we know as Kolyo. To use this meditation let yourself relax comfortably and picture yourself drifting downward and inward to the third realm, the lower realm. The third realm is a place of darkness and mystery.  Let yourself sink down into the third realm and rest there peacefully.

Meditation: Visiting the Black Goddess, Kolyo


You awaken in the darkness on a windy, snow-covered plain. The frozen ground crunches beneath your hands and feet as you rise and look to the North, trying to make out the shape of the gate you know must lie ahead in the darkness. A gust of icy wind greets you, making your eyes water.

The plain is nearly barren in all directions, with the exception of a naked Willow tree, its branches sparkling in the cold, clear starlight. You walk carefully through the frozen landscape, having made the tree your first goal.

When you arrive under the drooping branches, you find a staff leaning against the trunk. You examine the markings and decorations on the staff and then continue along your northward path, now utilizing the staff for greater stability on the sometimes treacherous and slippery earth.

A movement in the shadows catches your eye and you turn your head just as it reaches your side and brushes your leg. The cat stands for a moment, its back arched and looking up the path you are walking before lifting its face to look at you. It meows. You reach down to touch the friendly animal, but it bolts forward, just out of your reach. It meows again and takes a few steps forward. You follow, and the cat picks up the pace, jogging on its silent, padded paws.

A night bird swooshes very close to your head, startling you. You can see the faintest paleness of its wings, but you can hear no evidence of it, even as you watch it fly ahead. Far away, you think you hear the hoot of barred owl.

Looming ahead of you is a stony archway – two large rock pillars capped by a third massive stone. A dolman. Beyond this strange gate, you see nothing but more of the same night-covered and frozen plain. You could easily walk around this dolman door, but instead, you walk right up to it.  The cat rubs its side against one of the pillars, and you can see that the owl has perched on top. The dolman is covered with strange markings and symbols carved into the stones. Some are unfamiliar to you, but others have deep meaning in your mind. (Pause.) You see an owl with large eyes carved into one of the rocks along with the Willow tree rune and a cat.

Your ears perceive a whistled tune as you pass beyond the arch, and your eyes search the darkness for the one who is blowing the eerie music. You can see so little that you must trust to your hearing instead, and you follow the sound until you are aware of a small, darkly-cloaked figure standing just a few yards away. You are close enough now to hear her breathing.

The small figure holds up her hand in warning. “Come closer, Child. But be wary of your footing.” You walk forward more slowly, using your staff to judge the safety of each step. As you breech those last few yards between you and Her, you are aware of a wind that seems to come from the ground, and you realize that you are standing together at the edge of a steep and treacherous cliff. You brace yourself and know that you are secure, even at this height.

Turning your attention to Cloaked One, you can see very little of her face, as it is shrouded in both her hood and the darkness of the night. Her out-held hand is gloved. You cannot clearly see the color of her hair, although you can see an interplay of light and dark in the strands. She holds a staff, and sometimes it seems she leans upon it. At other times, it seems like a weapon she is holding at martial ease.

Her voice is clear and ageless.

She speaks to you. “This is a place of knowledge, of wisdom, and of strategy. It is a place of contemplation, a place of counsel. It can be bitterly cold here, and the Truth that you seek can be both illusory and fleeting.” (Pause.) She hangs a lantern from the end of your staff and lights the wick. “But knowledge and thought are not always cold comforts. They can be the light one needs on the darkest nights of the soul.”

She lashes a sharpened metal tip onto her staff, transforming it into a spear. She pulls a single arrow from the quiver at her side, removing the arrowhead and feathers. She holds the newly fashioned wand in one hand and holds up a single finger of the other. “Weapons are tools wielded for either attack or defense. But they are just tools. The most useful tools can be used in both peace and war.” She pokes you with her finger. “And the greatest tools are the ones that lie within.” She gives you the wand, grasping your hand for a moment and whispering a message only for you. (Long pause.)

You thank her, and after a moment more of looking at you, she turns back to look over the cliff. Knowing that the time has come to leave, you turn and walk back through the darkness.

You pass out of the dolman and cross the plain, led once more by the cat and owl. You pass under the Willow tree, returning the staff that you borrowed. Sitting down again in the frozen field, you close your eyes and breathe deeply, coming back to yourself.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Liber Qayin -- complete text



In the summer of 2013, as we headed into Lammas, Natalie and I received this work. It is a channeled gospel given to us freely. We now give it to you. Though we have made available printed versions of this text, we feel strongly that it needs to be publicly available to those who need it. (c) 2013 Asteria Books

The accompanying art is by John Birkel, and her retains the copyrights to those pieces.
 
The Black Book
Lilith - Sophia
 

1)      In the beginning there was only me.
2)      I am the darkness.
3)      From the wind in the night I came.
4)      I am called Lilith.
5)      The Elohim fashioned me from Wind and Blood and dark, rich Earth; for I am the womb of the world, and I am its tomb.
6)      I was made equal to the first man, Adam, fashioned of Fire and Words and red Clay.
7)      We lived together in the Garden of Eden, and the world was ours alone.
8)      Adam and I lay together, and I conceived a daughter by him. She was Eve, the mother of all races.
9)      Eve was my treasure, the Light I brought forth from my Darkness.
10)  But she was also my rival. For I am the Darkness in the Light.
11)  Ever have Gods and Men been drawn to her radiance, the promise of a jewel in the night.
12)  And only those most truly called to be among the Wise might turn from that brightness toward my shades for succor.
13)  I first used magic when Adam abandoned me to consort with our daughter. I transformed myself into an owl and flew away to the Land of Nod.
14)  There, I howled against the wrongs of Adam. There, I raged against my torn and jealous heart that both loved and hated in an instant.
15)  There, I inhabited the Tree of Wisdom and learned all its Mysteries.
16)  And mine is the sad, cruel song of Knowledge that shrieks in the darkness.
17)  I used the magic of conjuration to bring the spirit of Azazel into the world, and he came as a serpent to liberate my daughter.
18)  At the serpent's urging, Eve ate the fruit of my deep knowing and was enlightened. She took the spirit of Azazel and the flesh of Adam within her womb and brought forth two sons.
19)  Cain the Gardener bore the spirit of Azazel; and Abel the Shepherd bore the spirit of Adam.
20)  Before there is peace, there must be strife. Knowledge brings pain, and Wisdom brings peace.
21)  And so my grandson Cain was cast into Nod for slaying his brother Abel.
22)  In Nod, I took Cain for a lover and taught him all magic. Through this magic Cain founded the first cities and built the first temple.
23)  When I first passed from this world, the Elohim made me a spirit of many names.
24)  I am the spirit of wisdom and peace. Sophia.
25)  I am the great weaver and the giver of fate. Kolyo.
26)  I am the darkness of chaos. Tiamat.
27)  I am the dark road of death and am called Life-in-Death. Hekate.
28)  I am the Wellspring of Holy Blood. Sang Real.
29)  I am the owl of wisdom and strategy. Athene.
30)  I am the source of all magic. Diana.
31)  My seal is the white lily of peace. Lilith.
32)  I returned to life as Na’amah, the sister of my beloved Tubal-Qayin, who was Azazel restored to flesh. Together we brought magic to the people of the earth.


The Red Book
Azazel Qayin

1)      When all souls were One Soul, I was with God.
2)      When all the worlds of Heaven were made manifest – creation upon creation – I was with God.
3)      When all the people of this sphere were formed and given the Breath and Word of Life, I was with God who is All that is and was and shall be forevermore.
4)      My eyes were on the All That Is, and my song was first in the Heavens.
5)      And I saw the fashioning of all things and the Mysteries that lie within them. I saw the Fire that is Life and Wisdom and Magic, and this fire shown in each plant and person and creature. It shown from each stone and each drop of water. Each wind that blew carried the fiery Word of Life.
6)      I watched All and gloried in the One that is both Creator and Created.
7)      And I was with God, and I was God.
8)      The Lilitu knew me as she looked upon the Tree that is both Life and Knowledge. And when she called to me, I came as the serpent that she might know transformation.
9)      And when she called to me to free her child by means of Wisdom, I offered Eve all the sweet fruits of the One.
10)  To me, Eve bore a son of wisdom and magic, and when I came into the world as a man I took his name and became Tubal-Qayin.
11)  For Cain the Gardener was the first man of Fire, bearing the Mysteries within his Blood and upon his brow.
12)  And Cain my son wandered in the wilderness, learning All That Is from Lilith and shaping civilization from the wild places.
13)  And he was the scape-goat, the one driven out to bear the sacrifice that is required of magic.
14)  And my name has been called Azazel, the scape-goat of God. For in the time of my Great Fall, I did turn my eyes away from that singular focus on All that I might teach those of mankind who would learn.
15)  And I brought unto the people of Babel the green Fire of Life and Wisdom – the Light of Heaven.
16)  And so I am called Lucifer, the Light Bearer, for I bring transformation and freedom.
17)  And this Light shines from the depths of All, and it is in the Blood of All.
18)  For I am the Blood, the line and legacy of Cain – sprung from Lilith’s fountain and carried in Eve’s cup.
19)  Mine is the forge – fire of change.
20)  Mine is the anvil – rock of existence.
21)  Mine is the water – tempering creation.
22)  Mine is the bellows – breath of life.
23)  Heaven and Earth are combined in my work, for the stars of the sky shed both iron and gold to be wrought among the elements of the world.
24)  Heaven and Earth are combined in you, O Child of the Stars who is fashioned from clay.
25)  And my forge is the Cunning Fire that fuels your Will.
26)  And my anvil is your Heart, wherein all Mysteries are revealed.
27)  And my water is the Witch Blood that links the line of Cain through the Ages.
28)  And my bellows is the Word of Magic that creates the World.
29)  Even as Heaven and Earth are joined in you, and as the angels of Heaven did join with the daughters of Earth, so too is all that is celestial met with all that is infernal in the crucible of alchemy.
30)  And so shall it be that the equal-armed cross shall be a sign among those who bear my Blood and Fire.
31)  And I shall meet my Witches at the crossroads, where light and dark, day and night, above and below, Life and Death are joined in the Mysteries.
32)  And I will be the Devil to those who do not Know – tempter and guardian of Knowledge, both seductive and appalling.
33)  For I am the Serpent in the Tree, the Stang on the Hill, the King of the Spiral Castle, and the Devil at the Crossroads.


The White Book
Ishtar Eve


1)      Thus spake Ishtar-Eve, consort of Qayin:
2)      I am the Bride, the Queen of Heaven, the joy upon the Earth.
3)      My names have been many and beloved, as the stars of the heavens, for I am Asherah, Aphrodite, Babalon, the Magdalene, Aradia, Inanna, Astarte.
4)      I am the Light in the Darkness, the star-fire of your soul, the hope and joy and pleasure of Gods and men. And I am also Death-in-Life, the little death found in the arms of love.
5)      I am all possibility without limit.
6)      You see in me the ocean or the vast starry heavens, opening into the fruition of your dreams. And so I am.
7)      And if you have Wisdom, you tremble before me.
8)      For I am untempered Life come rushing to meet you, unbounded Love poured upon you like the Sea.
9)      Mine is the Garden of Paradise, the rosy bower, the fruitful place. For I was begotten in the Garden, and I am all that is fertile.
10)  Know of my Love, and find the path to Understanding.
11)  For first among all the creatures and beings of the world did I love my Mother, dark and secret and wise.
12)  And from her root did my blossom spring.
13)  And She was called Lilith, the Lily of Peace; and my name was called Eve, the Star of the Evening.
14)  And ever has this been my sigil within the sky.
15)  My Mother sent my liberation through Wisdom, the serpent’s path through the Tree.
16)  And I took for my own the Golden Apple of Understanding that I might know myself.
17)  For I am called Gnosia, the golden lady of Knossos.
18)  Deep is my love, and broad. For no woman is so unlovely, no man so unworthy, no child so unnoticed that I do not hold them deep in my heart.
19)  Qayin is my mate, and I am his Queen. I am the Starry One, Astarte and Asteria, that is his Muse, the fodder for his forge.
20)  His fire and my ocean combine in ageless alchemy.
21)  I am the Great Whore with kohl black eyes and robes the color of the sky – the woman of Babel, of Babylon, of Ur, who civilizes the wild beasts of men with the magic of my sex.
22)  I am the Mother of Giants, the Mother of Faeries, the Mother of all Mankind; for in my first coming did I lie with my father-husband Adam and give birth to the race of Men.
23)  And when I came to the desert as Ishtar, I did meet Azazel-Qayin at the ruins of Babel and unto him I bore the Nephilim.
24)  And ever have I been the White Lady, Queen of Elphame.
25)  Qayin is my love, and I am his consort. But I am made to love all the world, even his brother whom he reviles.
26)  For Qayin is the Lord of the Witches, and the Adonai is Lord to all Mankind.
27)  Adonis, Tammuz, Damuzi. Peaceful Prince and beautiful Shepherd. My undying, youthful love.
28)  This lesson you must heed:
29)  That Love and Life and Liberty come at the price of blood and tears that are like my ocean.
30)  For in the earliest days of Men did I bear two sons.
31)  One was called Abel, and the other was called Cain. And they were the joys of my world. Both were beloved of me, and I of them.
32)  For Abel was like his father, and he was as a prince of our paradise; bright and beautiful.
33)  And Cain was like my Mother, whom I adored, with a dark secret fire.
34)  But Cain slew Abel, and I mourned for my great loss, for my beloveds; for truly they were both lost to me.
35)  Yet ever in the tales of men is this sorrow and loss repeated in Love’s white name.
36)  The beautiful and bright Shepherd, Prince of Peace, is sacrificed on the altar of Love.
37)  And ever does he return, young and whole and vibrant and willing, that he might once again show mankind the Way.
38)  He is the Christos, anointed by my Holy Waters in the name of Love and Light, and he is my ever-green lover.
39)  And I am his Magdalene.
40)  The rose of my love is stained crimson with the blood of his sacrifice.
41)  For it is unto me, the Lady of Love and Life and Liberty, that all blood sacrifice must be made and for whom all War must be waged. And so it is that I am She of Love and War, for both are bought with blood.
42)  The first thrust of Love and the passage of Birth are marked with my crimson seal, the Rose of Blood, my red flower.
43)  You may have neither Life nor Freedom nor Love without paying the price, for these are the deepest magics.
44)  My mother Lilith-Sophia is the source, the Fountain, the Sang Real, the Holy Blood.
45)  And I am Eve-Babalon, the vessel, the chalice, the San Graal, the Holy Grail.
46)  And I am the first of the Witches.
47)  For in the beginning did my mother Lilith-Sophia, who is the Wellspring of all Witch Blood, and the Serpent-Azazel whose Blood is the Fire of Magic bring me to the fruit of enlightenment, where I did taste Wisdom and find Understanding.
48)  And when they fell and became flesh again, as Na’amah and Tubal-Qayin, I was the flame-haired woman at the Ziggurat of Babel.
49)  And I knew them. And I loved them.
50)  And together we were three – the fountain, the bloodline, and the vessel.
51)  Ever have we remained so, and our names have been called Diana, Lucifer, and Aradia.





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