The Pellar's Garden

+ I give honor and worship to you, Glorious and Beautiful Trinity, Glorious Mother of Light Barbelo, Our One Mediator Alethia, and the Great Mother of Life, Sophia. I sing your praises with a pure heart and pure thought. Blessed are you and your endless Aeons, for in you is all matter reconciled, and through you all Darkness is but smoke. Through you, Holy Trinity, are all things made clear and pure, and your light burns away all ignorance. Your Power and Glory, Your Light and Word, Your Majesty, and the Aeons of Blessing and Consultation are glorified. For you are God, the foundation of all grace, life, and truth.

I honor and glorify all deities, all archangels, all angels, all celestial spirits: all you who are of the Great Mother, who subsist in Her Righteousness and are nourished by Her Light, purified of all darkness and malignancy.

I honor and revere the terrestrial gnomes, the undines, and the salamanders, Scirlin, and all of their Chiefs. You who are nourished by the Light of the Mother and are upheld by the decree of her Wisdom and sustained by the Way of Truth.

I adore and glorify the Son of Majesty, the Morning Star, Christ King; The Only Begotten Son who came forth from the Outer Aeons and was born into the world of Matter through the Blessed Mirror, the Holy Virgin Mary, Shahael. He taught the ineffable mysteries and declared the Way of Truth, and he gave the wisdom of the Great Trinity in all languages; he distinguished the death from life, darkness from light, and the righteous from the wicked.

From you every grace has been known to the World of Matter, and Zoe and Alethia have been known to every tongue and every being within the realm of Darkness. He himself became, for living souls, the redeemer of the oppressed, the comforter of the sick, and the shepherd of souls.

I worship and glorify the Demiurge, virtuous and true; the one who raised the foundations of the cosmos with his power and who, through the descent of the Son into the World of Matter, was taught of his true origins and made wise by the Teacher of All Beings.

I honor and glorify the Great Luminaries the Sun and Moon and the holy powers within them; through which the Trinity accomplishes the great work of liberation and reconciliation, they overcome the powers of Satan, enlighten all beings, and guide the soul.

Glory to you, Shahael, Created Wisdom, Virgin of Light, who reflects the Light of Alethia-Sophia. You stand as the Queen of Heaven and the Queen of the Great Concourse of Saints.

I give and honor and worship to Samael, Azrael, Cain, and all the Soul Gathering Angels, and all who serve the court of Silver Maiden and the Horned Shepherd of Light. I further give honor and work to the Twelve Maidens of Light that reflect the Light of Shahael and serve her in her work of reconciliation of the sparks of light.

Glory to you, Bright King of Mind whose light has inspired the souls of prophets, saints, mystics, and sages. You who are the Bright Light of a thousand eyes, judge, bright observer, where you set all things to die. We give honor to Acamoth who stands at the center of the Palace of the Sun, to the Bright and Fiery Archangel Michael, and to all of the Angels that stand in the Court of Queen and King of the Sun.

I honor and give worship to the Concourse of Saints who have been reconciled and have broken the cycle of rebirth. For we know that you offer the prayers of those living before the Veil alongside the Aeons and Angels. We honor and glorify those that have come before, those that exist, and those that are coming into existence, that they may pray for us, give us guidance, and be a light on our path to becoming.

By the grace of the Trinity, Bythos-Barbelo, Nous-Alethia, and Theletus-Sophia; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; May we come into the true wisdom, guided by perfect faith, and service to all. Amen +

Gloria, Gloria, Gloria Mater Shahaël. Mater Angelorum, Regina Caeli.

May the Blessed Dove Open our lips so that we may sing your praises, 

Eternal praise and honor unto you Mother of Light,

To the Greatest Life Giver, the Great Theotokos, the Great Mirror of Sophia’s Uncreated Light,

May your Light overflow within us Celestial Mother, may it harmonize our inner-cosmos that we may see the Light of Christ the Morning Star clearly, and that we may sing of your honors Radiant Mother. 

Glory to you, Splendid Queen who sits in the center of the Palace of the Moon,
Glory to you Created Wisdom,  Great Spotless Mirror of Virtue,
Eternally and Unfathomably Blessed art you Immaculate Virgin,
You who issued the fiat at the beginning of Eternity,

Glorious Maiden of Light, Seat of Wisdom, Great Teacher of the Gods,

Glorious and Blessed are you Maria Soteria, Ark of the New Dispensation, Barer of the Morning Star,

May our hearts burn as yours does for the care of the poor, sick, and oppressed.

Born within you is all salvation for you are the Ark of Liberation,

Great Ark, may the Light of the Morning Star be born within us as it was within you,

Great Advocate, for you sit at the feet of Christ our Liberator, pray for us,

Mirror of the Eternal Light of the Trinity, Mother of God, may your compassion be upon the whole world and may you pray for us unceasingly now and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Luminary of the Sun

From Mephgazub flows the vital essence of the cosmos; just as the physical Sun gives to the physical planets, so does Mephgazub give to the celestial sphere. As such, he conducts the choirs of the Celestial Gods, giving to the cosmos order and divine law, illuminating the souls of the sages, philosophers, and poets.

As the demiurge of the celestial sphere, he is the Stellar IAO, and as such, he elevates the Soul further into harmony with IAO and the cosmic order. He also remains the seniormost Celestial Deity even when he is not the Chief of the age. As the lawgiver, he oversees all vows, pacts, and oaths and punishes oathbreakers. He also oversees all matters of justice and punishes the greedy with a ravenous appetite for more until it ultimately consumes them.

Colors: Yellow, Scarlet, and Purple

Metal: Gold

Foods: Mephgazub likes foods that are both sweet and sour in taste, as well as foods that are bitter and sharp. He also likes grains such as rice and maize.

Flora: The herbs that are part of his chain are those that grow in open and sunny places. Those that smell pleasant and are aromatic, they should also have yellow or red flowers. Examples are citruses such as lemons, citrons, and oranges. As well as marigolds, saffron, safflower, sunflowers, peonies, laurel, and rosemary

Fauna: The eagle, rooster, phoenix, nightingale, peacock, swan, vulture, lion, crocodile, horse, bull, goat, glowworms, sea-calf, crabs, starfish

Trees: Sacred to him are the bay laurel, ash tree, walnut, pecan, palm trees, frankincense, copal, orange tree, lemon tree, citron tree, myrrh tree, cedar tree

Inner Astrology: He rules over the brain, heart, and the right eye. He gives unto the body its vital essence

Patronage: He is the patron of the leaders of towns, villages, and cities; Of sages, mystics, and philosophers; of goldsmiths, treasurers, and coppersmiths; of musicians, poets, and storytellers

Enn: Mephgazub! Mephgazub! Mephgazub! Samanthros Jaramtin Algaphonteos
Zapgaton Osachfat Mergaim Hugal Zerastan Alcasatti Mephgazub! Mephgazub!
Mephgazub!

Under him in his chain is the order of the muses that act as His sylphic messengers that aid him in ordering the cosmos. Further are the spirits of Leo known as the Shelhabiron, who control the flow of the vital essence in the cosmos and the body.

His sacred day is Sunday, and the first hour of that day is the ideal time for offerings and devotion

At the hour of the Sun on the Day of the Sun, while facing the sunrise, burn unto the Radiant Father an offering of Frankincense and pour unto him a libation while chanting His enn. After the offerings are presented, sit with your hands resting upon your lap; let your right hand rest upon your left.

Before I begin, I must stress that demonolatry is the worship or veneration of beings typically considered demons in Christian society. My own tradition is rooted in three major currents of traditional witchcraft. The first is the grimoire tradition of witchcraft. I mostly root my practices in the Verum, but I also root certain practices in the Discoveri, and I cross-reference with the Black Pullet and Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. Further, the second that I root my practices in is the Cainite tradition. Especially, as it manifests in the Sabbatic practice of Andrew Chumbley and the Liber Falxifer tradition. The third tradition I root my practices in is the one that most impacts this article: folk-witchcraft and the ideas of folk healers such as the Cunningfolk and Pellars. This will act as a brief overview of the theological background of this blog

IAO

IAO, pronounced Yah-oo or EE-AH-OO depending on the tradition, is the ultimate monistic source of all things. It is the underlying cosmic law and order. IAO can be understood as the Godhead, the Fountainhead, Being, God, or simply All. This aspect of the Godhead can not be understood through discursive thought but only through experience. Through self-culture and through contemplative practices on the Divine Names. Worship of IAO is also seen as an active process in which we reintegrate ourselves by becoming active participants in creation through our careers and within our communities.

Luminaries

I will not be talking about Gods per se, as my theology is monistic, with luminaries (or radiant/shining ones) who act as intermediaries between us and IAO. The role of Luminaries is to draw our souls towards IAO, alongside their various cosmic roles. Alongside the three leaders of the Luminaries (Lucifer, Astaroth, and Beelzebuth) is the gatekeeper and overseer of all ritual, Scirlin.

Further, there are the Astral Spirits, such as the Olympian Spirits Och and Phul the Olympian Spirits. The Celestial Spirits are ruled by the Olympian Spirits who in turn change leadership every 490 years according to the tradition of the Arbatel. In this tradition it is Ophiel, the Olympian of Mercury, that currently governs all Astral Spirits until 2390 when the Olympian Phul will become governer.

Further, there are the Elemental chiefs such as Bael and Paymon who rules over the sublunar sphere of the cosmos.

The Soul

Before I continue, I do need to touch on how I understand the human soul based on the ideas taught by lay theologians and folk magic. Or, more accurately, how I understand our three bodies. Before a soul is incarnated, it first originates as a fragment of Divine Light. This is represented by the Peacock Feather. As this light travels through the Astral realm, it takes on the qualities of the Celestial Spheres and is clothed by the Olympian and other Stellar Spirits that govern that realm. This is called the Astral Body. As the soul enters our realm, it takes on a body composed of all four elements, which is called the elemental or physical body.

One can imagine that a theology of the soul as bodies can have serious repercussions on how the afterlife is viewed. Firstly, I believe in both reincarnation and a persisting afterlife. The Divine Spark that falls from Lucifer’s wings is reincarnated, while the astral body returns to the Celestial sphere as a radiant fire. An astral body, however, that develops strong attachments can remain in the elemental sphere as a shade, and souls that are reincorporated into the Wings of Lucifer become, for lack of a better word, “saints” and are honored as part of the Mighty Dead in the Land of Nod. Others, after the Divine Body separates to reenter the cycle of rebirth, may become grave grims, gnomes, or other terrestrial and elemental spirits due to the nature of their death.

The Dead

Firstly, the guardian of the gates of the dead in my system is Nebiros, who oversees all spirits of the graveyard. This includes the guardian grim spirits, which, depending on tradition, are the first person buried in the graveyard or the first person buried at the beginning of the year. As I stated in the section above, the dead can end up in a wide array of afterlives, from Elemental Spirits to the Mighty Dead, or they may become Celestial Spirits or dangerous shades that need to be elevated.

Further, in my system, Qayin and Qalmana are the rulers of the Land of the Dead and the teachers of all ancestral wisdom. Within the Land of Nod, there are found the Children of Cain, who teach and inspire the various arts. The thirteen Mighty Dead are:

• Enoch, who invented stone masonry, sculpting, and city building
• Irad and Mehujael, who taught sailing and shipbuilding
• Methusael, who taught writing and wrote the first pacts and books of sacred rites, which he learned from the salamanders.
• Lamech, who established the sacred art of being horseridden and whose prophecies were ununderstandable to the uninitiated. It would be his arrow that would finally slay his grandfather Qayin
• Jabel, he would teach the art of tanning and how to turn the skins of animals
• Jubal would teach the art of harp playing and sacred charms
• Na’amah, from her, we would learn the arts of spinning and weaving.
• Tubal-Qayin, who first constructed a furnace, worked in metals, and dug subterranean caves in the mountains. From him, we learned the art of blacksmithing and all handy crafts

The dead, be they the mighty dead or the beloved dead, are seen as the sources of all creativity and life and are partners with the Luminary and Elemental spirits as craftworkers within the spiritual ecosystem held together by the ebbs and flows of IAO.

Why I left Paganism Part 1