Making and Consecration of a Black Mirror and Lunar Condenser
using Golden Dawn techniques
The following is the magickal record of the making of my scrying mirror. I am admittedly untalented as a scryer (I'm much more of a Dee than a Kelly), but that only means I must devote more effort than someone with the natural "knack" for it, so I decided to make a special scrying tool by my own hand.
The mirror project has proven useful, and the mirror has enabled me to attain scrying visualizations more effectively than ever before.
The ritual is composed as a solo working, but could be adapted to group work, where I recommend opening the Hall in the Grade of 2=9.
Construction
Mirror frame: Wooden disk 12' in diameter. Nonagon (9 sided solid) painted in silver around circumference of viewing side, with space for nonagon-shaped mirror disk in center. Center area has silver leaf Seal of Luna on bare wood. Obverse side solid black with line drawing in silver leaf of a Nonagram (9 pointed star). Astrological symbols inscribed on each side, according to traditional G.D. attributions of the geometric points.
Mirror surface -- glass with flat black backing, treated with anti-reflective coating to reduce reflections to a minimum.
Ritual for Fluid Condenser Charging
A Fluid Condenser is a talismanic "potion" in which
the magician has
captured Lunar essence to charge and periodically re-charge the
Mirror.
Materials:
- On black cube altar: lesser Elemental instruments, Lamp, moon incense, white/black candle "pillars", central red candle, Atu 18 (The Moon), bell, small glass mortar.
- Fluid condenser ingredients: tincture of jasmine oil, mugwort, rosemary, frankincense, sample of white gold, needle to draw blood, olive oil, glass vial.
- Music: Angelite Women's Choir, "La Vox Mysteries"
(Light from near full moon shining in from east window onto the altar.)
Notes:
The purpose is to create a "homeopathic" material basis, rather than a concoction using mixed of herbs in quantity (which in my experience can be quite messy.) For this, only a small sample of each elemental herb was needed: one twig of rosemary (fire), a small chuck of mugwort (earth), a lump of frankincense (air). The Jasmine (water) was the tincture of the oil base, so of course it was present in greater quantity than the others. But as it is the element of Water, which rules the intuitive arts, it thus is in keeping with the intention of the work.
The rest of the ingredients were dipped into a small quantity of olive oil and removed, then the olive oil was added to the mix.
The gold sample (an 18kt white gold ring) supplies the element of Spirit, by heating it over the central red candle and dipping it into the oil, releasing gold molecules into the mixture.
The blood endows the device with a portion of the magician's symbolic life-force. In keeping with the homeopathic nature of the basis, the amount of blood was only that which covered the very point of the needle, which was dipped into the final mix.
Ritual:
Phase 1:
1. Banish with Lesser Pentagram ritual and take Refuge with three "Ahs".
2. Perform Hexagram Ritual of Luna.
3. "Hekas hekas este bebeloi!" & general incantation to banish unwanted and impure influences and powers; banished with Water and Fire.
4. Take the Lotus Wand by the Spirit band, circumambulate three times, give Adoration to the East.
5. Take Sphere (Planetary) Wand by the Luna band, and say, "In the name of Levennah, by the power of Gabriel and the Kerubim, I summon the Spirit of Schad Barschemoth ha-Shartathan to empower this operation!" Bell is rung nine times.
6. Make statement of intent: "It is my will to create a condensing fluid with the essence of the astral energies of Luna/Yesod [to what end?]; to use this fluid to empower a black magickal mirror [?]; to employ it as a scrying device in the service of the Order [?]; to obtain and wield the power of astral sight [?]; to do the Great Work of Magick.
7. Perform Middle Pillar, concentrating force around Yesod/Shaddai el Chad and circulating it around that Sphere (corresponding to the Swadisthana or Sex Chakra) before sending it down to Malkuth/Adonai ah Aretz to finish.
8. Mix the fluid, as described in the notes above. The jasmine tincture oil is poured into the Elemental Cup. A small, mortar-like glass receptacle is filled with several drops of olive oil, and each herb sample is stirred in it, while it is dedicated to the element it represents. Then the herb is removed and the oil added to the Cup with, "Bring the power of _{element}_ into this Fluid." This is repeated for each Element. The gold ring is heated in the flame of the central red candle and dipped into the Cup after all other Elements have been added. Then a drop of blood is drawn from the left ring finger (in fact, all that was needed was for the needle to break the skin and "see red"), then the point was dipped into the Cup.)
9. Cup is raised to the Moon and dedicated to Yesod, Luna and Levennah.
10. Fluid is decanted into the glass vial.
11. Contemplation of the powers of the Moon, chanting: "Luna, Yesod, Levannah, Shaddai el Chai" nine times. Bell is rung nine times after the chant.
12. Dip finger tip into fluid, and trace over the Seal of Luna on prepared mirror frame, along with doesil spiral in the center. (Seal will be later covered by mirror glass and remain unseen.)
13. Reverse circumambulate, banishing Pentagram ritual, close and dismiss.
14. Dedicate Merit and banish with laughter!
Phase 2:
The next night (5/15/03) was a total eclipse of the Moon. From Inspiration Point above Berkeley, I exposed the mirror frame and the fluid condenser vial to the light (!) of the eclipsing Moon at totality, performed the Middle Pillar with the objects first held over my head and then brought down to the Yesod center, envisioning "drawing down the Moon." Continued until the first edge of light returned to the disk of the Moon. The objects were then sealed in their black silk bags.
Upon returning home, placed both objects on altar, again bathed in the light of the (now brightly lit) full Moon through the east window, and left them in it as long as the Moonlight lasted.
Comments:
- It seemed to me that the tincture oil, while still the clear, gold color is was before the operation, seemed to have pinpoint specks suspended in it, which neither rose nor sank, but would float around within the oil when disturbed, and then assume fixed positions, as if trapped in amber. The flecks sparkled in the candle and moon light, an my impression was of a miniature encapsulated universe, a golden sky filled with stars.
- In the process of anointing the Seal, I first made the "cross" shape over it at a 45* angle to the "X" shape of the Seal itself. I instantly felt a feeling of nausea and "wrongness" to this action. I 'backed up' one step in the process, ringing the bell nine times, then drew the cross figure aligned with the seal. The nausea vanished.
- I'm convinced that the knells (bell strokes) for operations dedicated to Yesod/Luna should be spaced thus:
Three fast, three slow, three fast -- | | | - | | | - | | |
In the doing of it, I intended at first to have them evenly spaced groups of three. But upon ringing the first three strokes on my bell (a hanging bell in a frame), the swinging of the bell itself threw off my rhythm, so my second battery got "spaced apart" inadvertently. I immediately felt the "rightness" of this, and completed the battery with the third group of knells spaced closely like the first group.
In our Lodge a similar rhythm is used in the Zelator ritual, where we have spaced the knells: | | | | - | | | - | | |, as per the indication in the handwriting of the original Cipher. I recommend we test a similar rhythmic spacing (as described above) for the Theoricus ritual in our Lodge work.