This book is intended to aid the student in acquiring enough information to not only move on to the Knight grade but also it enables the student to begin working with and the understanding of the spiritual and magical system which is known as The Gnostic Order of the Black Cross (GOBC).
As you may already be aware we are pretty complicated. First of all many people would call us eclectic but that isn't really true. Our influences come from a few different places but they are specific. We are composed of five major parts
1. Gnosticism- Which is a belief system that brings us out of the mundane world and helps us to unite with God. Many people understand it through some Biblical texts that were not included in the Bible.
2. Thelema- The philosophy taught by Aleister Crowley, it teaches us about our divine will and how to do it. It is best to quote the primary tenant of Thelema "Do what Thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the Law, Love under Will."
3. Hinduism- The religion of India. It teaches us to view the universe as a whole.
4. Kabbalah- The Mystical teachings of Judaism, which teaches us a very specific method to unite ourselves with the divine.
5. Voodoo- Our version comes from New Orleans and allows us to speak directly with God.
We also as a group are devoted to The Goddess we name Babalon but is also Kali, Ishtar, Inanna, Isis, Or many other names in many other cultures.
You might notice there was no mention of Wicca or Paganism in general. We as a group are magickal but not Pagan as is understood by the modern pagan community. We do respect those who are, but we simply aren't.
In practice we talk with Voodoo Loa (Gods), we call up angels and speak with them, and we stand for the freedom of man and our overall pleasure and happiness.
What follows is the initiation ritual for Incoming Student
Student
Setting – There is a large altar in the east with a veil closed in front of it, and three black and white checkered steps before it. On large altar is one lit white candle sitting on the top of a white ceramic tile. In the center of the temple is a basin of water large enough to place an adult in (i.e.- kiddie pool.) In the center is a large chalice with a candle inside it. This is surrounded by four candles in the cross-quarters- NE- Yellow, SE- Blue, NW- Black or Green, SW- Red. West of that is an altar with a black cloth on it and a pentacle in the center.
Officers- H- Hierophant, Male- Magus or Higher
P- Priestess, Female- Magus or Higher
A- Anubis/ Black Guard, either- Knight or Higher
The ritual begins with A to the west of the small black altar facing west, The Priestess is in front of the eastern altar to the North of the Steps. The Hierophant is to the South of steps in front of Altar in the East. All officers are facing West, all others are facing East.
H- “Do what thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law”
P- “Love is the Law, Love under Will”
A- “Let there be Light and there was light and it was Good”
H- makes this gesture-
P- says "L" making this gesture
A- says "V" making this gesture
H- says "X" making this gesture
A- “A ka dua
Tuf ur
Bi a’a chefu
Dudu nur af an nuteru”
Which means in Egyption - the light is mine, it's rays consume me.
H- "Yod"
P- "Heh"
A- "Vau"
All including officers "Heh"
P- "I"
A- "A"
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H- "O"
H- “Khabs Om Pekt”
P- “Konx Om Pax”
A- “Light in Extension”
A turns east to black altar bows, walks to black candle-
walks to red candle-
walks to basin-
, walks to yellow candle-
, walks to Blue candle-
walks to before steps and prostates himself, stay for 11 seconds, “Abrahadabra”, walk to P kiss, walk to H kiss, walk to veil-
A-“This is the mystery of life and death in the eternal wheel of our mother,” go behind the veil and take candle,
A-come back out at top of steps
“ The light is mine; its rays consume Me:
I have made a secret door
Into the House of Ra and Tum,
Of Khephra and of Ahathoor.
I am thy Theban, O Mentu,
The prophet Ankh-af-na-khonsu!
A-“By Bes-na-Maut my breast I beat;
By wise Ta-Nech I weave my spell.
Show thy star-splendour, O Nuit!
Bid me within thine House to dwell,
O winged snake of light, Hadit!
Abide with me, Ra-Hoor-Khuit!”
Walks straight west to once again stand facing east in front of black altar.
H- “I am creation”
P- “I am destruction”
A- “There is no difference” place white candle on the altar
All- Chant Ganesh Na Shadanam, Shada Nam Ganesha—10 times
A- Go retrieve candidate
P- when the candidate enters the temple A bring candidate before black altar facing East
A move behind candidate
P walk to just in east of Basin
P- “The time has come to move on to something newer, something better
That which was done in the past shall be a prelude to an ever greater future,
moving onward and upward
Changes are coming,
with one action leading rapidly to another
The forces are set in motion
Inexorably you move
towards the goals that you desire
A new stage of evolution is before you
The power you summon turns the wheel of heaven
The changes begin with tonight
and continue as you better yourself
and all that is around you
So it is and so shall it continue to be”
H- walk to just west of Basin face candidate and read “The Hymn to the Pearl" for the sake of space I have found a link that has the text with some introductory material. In the ritual just the text of the hymn would be read.
http://gnosis.org/library/hymnpearl.htm
P- “You have the song of tortured minds
A story of the purest pain
Impossible to read between the lines
Before the soul is slain.
Grating, incomprehensible madness
Forced into play
Breeding only the performance
Of an insane ballet.”
P- “The drama is of turmoil
So crushingly real
Directed, and casted
By a heart that won’t feel.
A mastermind, at work
The ultimate test
Of your own manufacture
The soul knows no rest.
A fight for survival
An exhausting brawl
Between compassion, and coldness
Do not let the mask fall.
The task is no light one
There is no time to stall
The manipulation of character
Tricked into building a wall.”
P- “Now is the time
To begin the task
To end this brutal crime
And remove the mask.
It is time to destroy the wall
An old friend is hard to kill
You must answer god’s call
For you have said it is your will.
To abide in the palace of Gold
Where you shall be free
Inside out of the cold
In the center of the heavenly tree.
So now your heart is warm
And your soul engaged
Unto a new life you will be born
When at last the knight is saved.”
A- move candidate to in front of basin facing East
H- move to the south on side of Candidate facing East
A- stand North of candidate facing East.
H- “ Repeat after me, --
I, your name, in the presence of these noble Knights
Do solemnly swear,
Never to reveal,
Any of the secrets,
Of this most Holy Order,
That I do know by the name,
The Gnostic Order of the Black Cross.
I swear as well to diligently set my sights as a student,
To the accumulation of the knowledge and skill,
Of the occult arts.
I will aspire to be worthy of the knowledge that this Order offers.
If I break this oath may the world turn it’s back on me
and reduce me to a simpleton,
outside of society.”
A- turn candidate to face west
H- “Out of the west do you come to the realm of Dawn.
In your darkness your awakened soul looked out in the shadow to find your kingdom.
The soil under your feet loosened and fell as your soul gazed forward into the darkness to ever find the path out of decay. In the heavens was drawn a symbol to light your way through your very own darkness. Your mother awakened you with her body.”
A- “Above, the gemmed azure is
The naked splendour of Nuit;
She bends in ecstasy to kiss
The secret ardours of Hadit.
The winged globe, the starry blue,
Are yours!!! Oh Hadit”
H- “You are the point within the circle”
P- “To me you must come. Journey to the east and look above you in the darkness to find my sign. I am the mother of life and my symbol is the sign of man surrounded by a circle. You are the metal of the universe and the stars are my body. Hold firm with both hands this Star.”
Anubis place pentagram on candidates chest and he must hold it with both hands.
P- “May it be to you a guiding light to leave the earth behind and find heaven within.”
H- “Drifting out of the World you found a foundation on which to rest. The beginning has passed and your light begins to light the universe as the moon lights the night sky.”
A- “May the Foundation cleanse your mind as you ascend to the source.”
P- “The air is sweet around you as you ascend unto me. It is through me that you will find my Lord. The sun rises in the east and you feel it’s heat upon your back, Yet still you turn towards the past with uncertainty for the future”
A- Cense the candidate.
H- “As you move backwards towards an unknown voice within yourself you feel as though you are surrounded. And I assure you that you are. I am the heat of transformation and the courage that you have shown brings me to your side. I hold you tightly as a brother.”
A- “I have been your guide for longer than you know and your anger, your fear and your hate must pass so you may find your serenity, your peace, and your love. I am the cold of your Mercy and that brings me to your side. I hold you tightly as a brother.”
P- “The cup of my Joy shall pour on you once more as you awaken to the dawning of a new day. I am your Queen of the East, I am Kali, I am Nuit, I am Erzulie, I am Miriam, I am Sophia. I am your mother. Come unto me, to me.”
H&A- have candidate fall back still holding pentacle fall back into water. Completely submerge.
H&A- turn candidate to face east. Make him stand with his arms outstretched with the pentagram in his left hand
H- “May the rays of the Sun envelope you into it’s embrace as your will is unleashed upon this realm.”
A- “Seek out the Beauty that truth can offer you.”
P- “From Maya you ascend to the glory of the Sun. Look ahead to your future Journey with my love.”
A- retrieve candle from black altar and hand it to H
H- “By the name of Legba and from the sign of light I give you the Sun’s Benediction.”
Run candle down and underneath candidates right arm then hand candle to A
A- “By the name of Vishnu and from the sign of light I give you the Sun’s Consecration.”
Run candle down and underneath candidates left arm then hand candle to P
P- “By the names of Raphael, Ra Hoor Khuit, and YHSVH and from the sign of light I give you the blessing of the Sun.”
Run candle from crown of candidate to the surface of the water then hand candle to A who returns it to the black altar
H- return to stand in front of the white pillar facing west
P- return to stand in front of the black pillar facing west
A- return to stand behind black altar facing east
P- “I now welcome you student, May you shine with your own radiance.”
A- “ Continue to develop and learn into the Knight you can be.”
H- “All hail The Sun is Risen”
P- “I”
A- “A”
H- “O”
All- “En Nomine Babalon”
This was the initiation ritual for the Student grade. The next post will be the introductory material for the lessons for a Student. It may take more than one post to cover the material.
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