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.
Sky, land, and sea,
