Rituals/Equinox Ritual of the Serpent Lord
From Sekhet-Maat Lodge
By Frater Arun ben ZyGoat
Performed at Sekhet-Maat Lodge:
(September 20, 2003 ev)
First published in Lion & Serpent 9, no. 1.
Temple
Upon the floor is a Hexagram composed of two triangles. One triangle is made of rose petals, at each point of which is a Priestess station. The other triangle is made of green ribbon, at each point of which is a candle.
In the East, behind a veil, is an Icon of the Seven-headed Serpent Lord. On either side of it are standing icons of a caduceus and a trident. The veil is closed at the beginning of the ritual.
Officers
Priest, in red robe and mask of the Serpent-Lord.
Three Priestesses, attired as Sacred Concubine-Dancers.
Preparation of Participants
The First Priestess informs them that all will be participating in the Qabalistic Cross during the Banishing, and will proclaim an ecstatic verse from Liber Al during the climax. This verse is:
“I am the secret Serpent coiled about to spring: in my coiling there is joy. If I lift up my head, I and my Nuit are one. If I droop down mine head and shoot forth venom, then is rapture of the earth and I and the earth are one.” (II.26)
The participants are directed to familiarize themselves with this verse. This is the preparation of the Mind of the Congregation.
The Second Priestess brings forth consecrated wine and glasses and, offering them to all the congregation, directs them to drink with the verse:
“I am the Snake that giveth Knowledge and Delight and bright glory, and stir the hearts of men with drunkenness. To worship me take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet and be drunk thereof!” (II.22)
This is the preparation of the Soul of the Congregation.
The Third Priestess, when the door is opened to the Temple, will anoint the forehead of each congregant with a small dot of Abramelin Oil, using her middle finger, as they enter. With each, she will say:
“Burn upon their brows, o splendrous serpent!” (I.18)
This is the preparation of the Body of the Congregation.
The Banishing
Once all are assembled in the Temple, a bell is rung 1.7.1. At this point, the Priestesses are at the angles of the rose triangle of the hexagram, and the Priest is in the center. The Congregation is standing along walls of temple. Once the bell has been rung, Priest and Priestesses together proclaim:
“Apo Pantos Kakodaimonos!”
All present together perform the Qabalistic Cross from the Star Ruby. Upon completion of this, the Priest and Priestesses perform the pentagrams, the Paean to Pan and the ending, each remaining at their station of the hexagram, but turning to the appropriate direction at the appropriate time. All then perform the Qabalistic Cross together again.
Ritual
I. Opening
Priest and Priestesses together chant:
“Om Namo Nagarajaya”
slowly and solemnly, nine times. This mantra means “Om! Hail to the Serpent King!” There is then a long pause in Silence.
Priest: “How shall we dispel the sorcery of the Slave Gods?”
Priestesses: “We will awaken the Lord of Light!”
Priest: “How shall we fertilize the dark Egg of Spirit?”
Priestesses: “We will awaken the Lord of Life!”
Priest: “How shall we renew the Garden of Delight?”
Priestesses: “We will awaken the Lord of Love!”
Priest: “Let us exalt ourselves in Adoration!”
Bell rings 1.7.1.
II. Seven Adorations Of The Serpent Force:
Priest: “Hail Unto Thee, Ouroborous! Self-devouring, Self-creating
circumference of All! Ananta! Leviathan! Endless Ocean of the
Void! By the Sign of the Circle we Summon Thee!”
Priest and Priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Hail unto Thee, Nucleous! Forever spelling the names of
God within the genetic sanctuary of our Cells! O Secret Coiled
Wisdom of the Ages! O scripture written by the Invisible Hand
upon our Flesh and in our Blood! By the Sign of the Cross we
conjure Thee!”
Priest and priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Hail unto Thee! Eternal One, who swims through Time with
Life and Death as your chosen Rhythm! Dancing Lord of the Aeons,
disguised as Us, delighting in our play! By the sign of Union we
Invoke Thee!”
Priest and Priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Hail unto Thee, Uraeus! As Isis awakens Osiris by Her
touch, may the sleeping spark of Royalty Rise to Rejoice in our
Crown of Rapture! As Kings and Queens let us dispel the curse of
the Slave Gods!”
Priest and Priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Hail unto Thee, Kundalini! As Shakti awakens Shiva with Her Dance upon His corpse, may the Triple Flame of Spirit ignite
within our Hearts! May the Light impregnate Night with Delight!”
Priest and Priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Hail unto Thee, Hadit! As Babalon awakens the Beast upon
Whom She rideth, may the Limitless Love dissolve all Pain and
Pleasure, all Life and Death, all Darkness and Light into ever
spiraling Joy of Orgasmic Union!… World without end, ARARITA!”
Priest and Priestesses: “Om Namo Nagarajaya!”
Priest: “Our Father Who art within Us: Hallowed be the Ten Horns whereby the Sephiroth are Pierced and made Fertile! Hallowed be
the Seven Tongues of Thy Seven Faces whereby the Seven Lotuses
of Babalon are Thrilled into Bloom! Hallowed are the Lion and the
Serpent whereby slaves become Kings and worshipers become
Gods! Thy Kingdom awakens at the touch of Thy Crown! Thy Body is
reborn at the opening of Thy Eye! Thy Garden rejoices as the
Serpent of Wisdom dances upon the Tree of Life! Om Namo
Nagarajaya!”
Priestesses: “Words alone are not enough! Thy body must burn
upon the altar of Joy!”
III. The Dance of Arousal
The Priestesses begin to dance in place but in a serpentine manner as if to seduce a Living yet formless Force into the Temple. The Priest beholding this begins to dance also, leaving his station and gradually orbiting the outer perimeter of the hexagram. He approaches the priestesses and dances with them one at a time. As he connects with each, they all chant longingly:
“Put on the wings and arouse the coiled splendour within you!” (I.61)
When he returns to the center of the hexagram, the priestesses chant together three times:
“Put on the wings and arouse the coiled splendour within you!”
The music and rhythm rise in intensity and tension throughout this dance. At the conclusion of the third chant, the Temple falls Silent.
Priest:
“I am the Heart; and the Snake is entwined
About the invisible core of the mind.
Rise, O my snake! It is now is the hour
Of the hooded and holy ineffable flower.
Rise, O my snake, into brilliance of bloom
On the corpse of Osiris afloat in the tomb!
O heart of my mother, my sister, mine own,
Thou art given to Nile, to the terror Typhon!
Ah me! But the glory of ravening storm
Enswathes thee and wraps thee in frenzy of form.
Be still, O my soul! That the spell may dissolve
As the wands are upraised, and the aeons revolve.
Behold! In my beauty how joyous Thou art,
O Snake that caresses the crown of mine heart!
Behold! We are one, and the tempest of years
Goes down to the dusk, and the Beetle appears.
O Beetle! The drone of Thy dolorous note
Be ever the trance of this tremulous throat!
I await the awakening! The summons on high
From the Lord Adonai, from the Lord Adonai!”
(Liber LXV, I.1)
IV. Climax
The Priestesses rush forth and open the veil to reveal the Icon of the Serpent Lord. It is lit with candles before it and there are many small scrolls bearing smaller images of it. The musicians launch into ecstatic dance rhythms as the Priest and Priestesses instigate dancing. They also begin, at irregular intervals, to call out:
“I am the secret Serpent coiled about to spring…”
to encourage the congregation to do the same. As they dance, they gradually give out the scrolls to the congregation. There is no ending ceremony – each congregant is free to dance and to utter as they Will, being fully identified with the Serpent. Wine may also be included in the offerings before the Serpent Lord.
The entire ritual is intended to instruct all present in the true methods of invocation, all of which require the ecstatic use of the body in conjunction with mind and soul. Dance is the most accessible of these.
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Categories: Rituals | Events | Anno 04:11 | 2003 ev
