Nothing is true, everything is permitted-- Excerpts from occult novel The Savior at the End of Time

Don't know who took a pic of this wonderful find. #subwaygraffiti #why

Excerpts from Chapter 2 "aurelio zosimo" from The Savior at the End of Time by Dionesia Rapposelli

Zosimo had a plaque on his office door. On it was inscribed a motto adopted by Commons enthusiasts of his brand of sorcery. The plaque read Nothing is true; everything is permitted. Popular lore had it that the 11^th century ascetic Islamic fundamentalist Hassan ibn Sabbah—a mystic and mastermind of an assassin squad—had said it right before he bit the dust at age 90 years, but the saying was actually penned and launched as legend by the 20^th century Commons beat poet and career drug-addict William S. Burroughs, in whom a romanticist fascination with Sabbah developed. Outer Plane Discordians and Chaos mages had cheekily spun lore about Sabbah and his alleged pronouncement into cult fiction, conspiracy, legend, and disinformation.

Those of small mind and little vision regarded the saying as an anarchist war cry. To them, the saying was tinged with hedonism of a kind more crass than the generally misconstrued motto expectorated by the notorious Victorian-era sorcerer-mage Aleister Crowley: “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” However, in modern parlance among those who adopted the motto Nothing is true; everything is permitted, it was simply an affirmation that all belief was provisional, not absolute. Because belief shaped perception, which modified behavior which modified circumstance, perhaps circumstance could be modified if belief that modified perception and behavior was deliberately fabricated rather than imposed as unquestioned convention.

But what Zosimo’s beliefs actually were or if he had beliefs or was ideologically ambiguous, ambivalent, or paradoxical was unclear. 

. . .  he had a certain method of educating his students about “meaning” in general. He seemed to like to provoke discussion about meaning with new students. Because his reputation preceded him at the Bythos Academy, freshman and other newbie ilk knew not to argue the point with the professor. They tried their damnedest not to be goaded into doing so, but a discussion would come up at least once every semester in which a comment about the need for “belief” in something or other would escape a student’s mouth.

The student would then argue that he or she really didn’t say what was said. Zosimo would be unmoved. He would stop whatever he was doing to begin the single-minded construction of a large and very detailed drawing of the word WHY??? on an old-fashioned easel chalk board before which he usually stood. Before class dismissal, he would interrupt his concentration to instruct the students to write meticulously referenced essays on why (regarding “belief”). The students would have three days to complete the assignment, in which time Zosimo would perfect his chalk-board mural.

Having collected all of the essays, Zosimo would return the tracts that he thought were plagiarized; contrived; or not long enough, original, grammatically correct, or appropriately referenced. Then he would gently place the remaining essays in the trash bin without comment. Those students who had their essays returned were doomed to do-overs. They also were tasked with returning at the end of the day to wash the gorgeous and painstakingly executed mural off the chalkboard.

In the end—despite that the topic was not exactly discussed—when students completed coursework with Zosimo, they knew whether belief was valid or not, and they knew that whatever ideas they had arrived at were okay and had nothing to do with Zosimo’s ideas. And that was the point. 

Qabalah, the Headless Ritual and the Stele of Jeu

http://www.deerapposelli.com

So, I’ve been working with a magical text called the Stele of Jeu, from the Greek Magica Papyri. As explained in a previous blog post, a variation of the text is known as the Bornless Ritual. It is also known as the Headless Ritual because the text is directed to a deity referred to as Akephalos—Greek for “Headless One.” The term could refer to any number of pagan headless deities, but I offered evidence in my previous blog post that 1) it related to the Divine Light in the form of Ra and other solar deities and 2) it spoke to self-actualization as that divine light.

“Headless” is also a term within Qabalah—and, although my mage friends scowled at me when I suggested it—I wondered whether there was a Qabalist influence in the Stele of Jeu, considering that it references Yahweh, Moses, and “the prophets of Israel” a lot--and also contains gematria that may point to the middle pillar and/or Pythagoric spirituality (using pythmenes--a technique in Greek gematria in which number values of words are reduced to a single digit). I contacted independent researcher Gary Lee, who specializes in Qabalist influences in ancient and medieval esoterica, for more clarity. He had serendipitously uploaded a paper to Academia.edu that included content on the significance of “headless” on the very day that I had decided to pursue my Stele of Jeu project.  His paper, titled The Visconti –Sforza Tarot: A Sacred Open Secret, continues his ongoing exposition on how the Visconti-Sforza Tarot acts as a mnemonic device for Qabalist revelation.

Lee explained that “Headless” refers to the Divine Man, in the form of sefirot 9 to 4. These sefirot correspond with the limbs of the body. Chessed (compassion) corresponds to the right arm, Gevurah (judgement) to the left arm, and Tiferet (Truth/Beauty) with the heart. These sefirot form the Emotional or Aetheric self. Netzach and Hod represent the legs and Yeshod the genitals—the physical self. The “head,” Lee explained, can be seen as the sefirot Da’at, which is the gateway/gatekeeper to the higher sefirot. The higher sefirot correspond to the higher faculties of the Divine Man. In other words, the head of the Divine Man manifests through integration of the mysteries of the lower sefirot and self-actualization at Da’at (ie, “crossing the abyss”). In his paper, cited above, Lee writes, “Headless” is in reference to the workings of the [Merkabah] Chariot in which one internalizes the Tree of Life as one’s body and this mnemonic system is one’s ‘Head.’”

Leo de Lux, the antihero of the fantasy fiction novel La Maga
and the Sorcerers and Magi Series
Visit the website for more character studies

Excerpt from the last chapter of La Maga

He felt light as a feather. He felt he understood what the term “Headless” meant as the integration of the Qabalist Tree of Life. . . the Crown  . . . the Vast Countenance . . . the White Head . . . the Headless . . .  whose God-name was the sound of the out-breath and in-breath. How did he get to this place, and why did it take so long?

He had been dreaming of lights. The dreams were vivid. They were full of color, texture, and tactility, but most of all, self-awareness.

When the lights first began to appear, Leo would find himself in a pitch-black darkness—an abyss. Curiously, he would not panic. A voice would say, “Look up.” Directly overhead would be a distant, small, and icy orb that would beam down on him like a watcher. Then he would be gazing at a brilliant and ominous full moon. Then, instead of the cool moon, Leo would see a cheerful sun at dawn on the crest of a flat horizon of a peachy pastel sky. From there emerged all sorts of stars and scenes and episodes.

In time he knew what these lights were. Space to Luminance, Luminance to Radiance, Radiance to Immanence. It was happening to him. It was no longer a conceited idea. It was no longer something he had been taught or had read about in a manual or treatise. He was approaching the supreme illumination—the culmination of the Great Work.

New Edition of the Novel La Maga Published Its "Harry Potter for Grownups"

A new edition of La Maga has been published by small publisher on the rise Night Horse Publishing house.  .   

It's Harry Potter for grownups, folks. And if you have the mind for the Western Mystery Tradition, and the  mystical, it is a good read.

Welcome to the Inner Plane and its tempestuous society of sorcerers and magi and an underclass of lowly folk practitioners and licit and illicit immigrants from the Outer Plane.

The series begins with the life and times of a lady mage named Sofia La Maga. Upon returning to her hometown in her magical world after long years of exile in the Himalayas, she befriends, mentors, and rehabilitates the troubled teenaged son of an imposing and elitist dignitary, the high sorcerer Leo de Lux. Strongly averse, then curious, then acquiescing, and ultimately exhilarated, de Lux  both falls for Sofia La Maga and also embraces a portended predestined role as the leader of a utopian movement that seeks to overturn an oppressive social system that not only gratuitously exploits magical persons of lesser status but persons like you and me who inhabit the Outer Plane. Magical fantasy is woven with insights from Eastern mysticism and Western esotericism in this first installment of the series. 

The series offers thought-provoking ideas about self and finding oneself and one’s true purpose in the context of magical fantasy and should be of interest to adult fiction readers drawn to magia, mysticism, and spiritual philosophy.

Reviews (refers to Kindle edition)

Sometimes it may seem like we need magic to find happiness. "La Maga: A Story about Sorcerers and Magi" is a sensual fantasy novel following lady mage Sofia la Maga as she returns home to help a troubled teen, who happens to be the son of a renowned sorcerer. A tale marked by sorcerers' exotic charisma as well as social unrest against injustice, and the repercussions of an unruly system of magic, "La Maga" is tempestuous soiree into mystic mysteries. 

The Midwest Book Reviewmidwestbookreview.com

“La Maga captures the otherworldliness of Harry Potter but tackles larger political, spiritual, and emotional issues. Soror’s writing style drew me in from Sofia’s awkward walk down the school hallway through her complicated relationship with Leo De Lux and a life-or-death magical battle and all the way to hope for what today might be called Occupy the Inner and Outer Planes! . . . La Maga is an engaging read for anyone who refuses to think that what we see is all that exists, a trip into a parallel universe that gives unique, playful form to the concepts of Shaktipat, Buddhism, folk magic, mysticism, the occult and adolescent rebellion all mixed together into a brilliant, poignant and ultimately timely story.”

“This is a novel of magic by a true expert in both Western and Eastern systems of magic and mysticism. The author’s knowledge shines throughout the narrative, exciting the reader with tastes of this-world esoterica amplified in to the scale of an amazing universe of multiple plains of reality. Within all the magical and metaphysical goings-on are stories of young love, generational conflict, and spiritual transformation. A source of enjoyment and enlightenment for young and old!”

“. . . I am also incredibly impressed with the depth of knowledge that the author appears to have for various mystical and spiritual arts from the mainstream to the more obscure. It’s a smooth read, peppered with layers of deep spiritual teachings and references should the reader’s interest be piqued. The mystical and spiritual details read like poetry, not preaching. It’s a skillfully rendered sensual work about magical beings that inhabit their world, and more surprisingly, our own.”

The Stele of Jeu from the Greek Magical Papyri ( Bornless Ritual ) Part 1 Akephalon is the Sun

This past month, I worked with the Stele of Jeu, a text from the Greek Magica Papyri Six years ago, I did some solo and group work with a medieval magical document called the Arbatel. It was an exciting time. When involved with the Arbatel project, I kept a blog about it. I intend to do the same with my work with the Stele of Jeu, which will shed light on context and also provide insight to other practitioners on new ways to make the text relevant and workable for them.

The Stele of Jeu is a tract within the Greek Magical Papyri and is designated as section V 96-172. The Greek Magical Papyri is a compilation of highly syncretic texts that date from the 2 century BCE to 5 century CE of Hellenized Egypt. They are Greco-Egyptian magical spells and are loaded with references to Egyptian, Greek, Gnostic, Orphic, and Hebrew deities—sometimes all in the same document.

Scholars have said that the Stele of Jeu is an example of an exorcism, given a recurring line in the document that requests deliverance from a spirit. Modern occultists, however, treat it as an exercise in self-transformation—theurgy or apotheosis—in which the aim is to identify with deity.

The document is popularly known as the Bornless Ritual based on interpretive ideas applied to it by late 19^th/early 20^th century occultists—namely founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley. It is also known as the Headless Rite because the text is directed to a deity referred to as Akephalos—Greek for “Headless One.” The term could refer to any number of obscure ancient headless deities and it is often assumed to refer to an Egyptian one, but it could refer to something else entirely.

  

John Colman Darnell  tells us in The Enigmatic Netherworld Books of the Solar-Osirian Unity, which deciphers hieroglyphic content from the tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI, and Ramesses IX,  that Akephalos refers to a Greco-Roman deity associated with the Egyptian Osiris in the form of—not a mummified god of the underworld—but a solar deity (Ra-Osiris).¹ The author provides consensus evidence, based on archaeological finds and Egyptology research, that the head of the headless form of Osiris is the sun and that the solar Osiris is one with Ra. The of concept of a solar/progenitor Osiris is affirmed in another scholarly text, which also points out that (and how) the Stele of Jeu associates Ra-Osiris (as Akephalos) with the god of the Hebrews.² The author also points out that the term Akephalos is associated with the Egyptian god Bes in two other sections of the Greek Magical Papyri.  Bes is a beneficent solar deity.

 Lines within the Stele of Jeu, while referring to epithets of both Osiris and Yahweh, also may point to Ra. For example:

You who created the Earth and the Heavens (Geb and Nut—technically Ra’s grandchildren by Shu and Tefnut),

. . .

You have made the Female (Tefnut) and the Male (Shu).

. . .

You have produced the Moist (Tefnut—goddess of moisture) and the Dry (Shu—god of air) and that which nourishes all life.

Also, just as the orator in the Stele of Jeu ultimately identifies with the supreme progenitor solar deity, so too do souls who successfully traverse the underworld become Ra in Egyptian afterlife spirituality.³ Just as Osiris becomes self-realized as Ra, so too does the worthy soul.

Reference to Phanes, an Orphic solar deity that personifies the Light of Creation and is associated with Eros (Life Force) and Aion (Eternal Cyclical Time), also may be read into the last lines of the Stele of Jeu, which say: “I am the Grace of Aion. My name is a heart encircled by a serpent.”  Phanes, according to the ancient Greek historian Diodorus (90 BCE- 30 CE), was identified with Osiris among the Orphics, and the neoplatonic apologist Proclus (412-485) identified Phanes with Dionysus, who was generally regarded in the ancient world as a Greek equivalent of Osiris.⁴

Although Akephalos is assumed, in occult circles, to refer to Osiris, it may sort of refer to God as the supreme Divine Light, known by different names in different cultures and most familiar to Egyptians as Atum or Amun-Ra. The Stele of Jeu calls the deity Osoronophris (“Beautiful Osiris”) and Iabas and Iapos (Samaritan names for Yahweh)⁵ and also uses Hebraic godnames and anagrams within the strings of “barbarous terms” within the text (e.g., Iao and Sabaoth). The Late Classical Era Gnostic deity Abrasax is thrown into the mix as is Aion and presumably Phanes. These names might all be being used in a syncretic way as terms for one redemptive/restorative and supreme divine principle.

The Truth is One. The wise know it goes by various names. Rg Veda I.64.46

Pink Lotus http:www.deerapposelli.com 

References

1. Coleman Darnel, John. The Enigmatic Netherworld Books of the Solar-Osirian Unity: Cryptic Compositions in the Tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramesses VI and Ramesses IX. Fribourg Switzerland: Academic Press, 2004, pp 115- 116  RE-Osiris p 452-453

2. LiDonnici, Lynn. “According to the Jews:” Identified (and Identifying) ‘Jewish’ Elements in the Greek Magical Papyri. In LiDonnici, Lynn; Lieber Andrea, eds. Heavenly Tablets Interpretation, Identity and Tradition in Ancient Judaism. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2007.

3. John H. Taylor . Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001 pp 30-32.

4. Alberto Bernabé and  Ana Isabel Jiménez San Cristóbal. Instructions for the Netherworld The Orphic Gold Tablets. Boston:Brill, 2008, p 144.

 5.  Hans Dieter Betz, ed. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation Including the Demotic Spells. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986, p  336.

Preparation for the Rite

Face north, “write the formula” on a parchment, “extend” across the forehead (ie, write the formula, which includes 6unknown godnames, and wear the parchment as a headband. The modern tradition has been that the formula is the godnames: Aoth, Abaoth, Basym, Isak, Sabaoth, Iao.) Say:

“Make all Spirits subject to Me so that every Spirit of the Firmament, the Ether, Earth and under the Earth, dry Land, or Water, Air Fire, and every Spell and Scourge of God may be obedient unto Me!”

The Oration

I invoke you, Headless One!

You who created the Earth and the Heavens,

You who created the Night and the Day,

You who created the Darkness and the Light.

You are Osoronnophris, whom no one has ever seen.

You are Iabas; you are Iapos.

You have distinguished the Just from the Unjust.

You have made the Female and the Male.

You have made the Seed and the Fruit.

You have made men Love and Hate one another.

I am Moses, your prophet, to whom you have revealed your Mysteries, the ceremonies of Israel.

You have produced the Moist and the Dry and that which nourishes all life.

Hear me, for I am the messenger of Phapro Osoronnophris, which is your true name, handed down to the prophets of Israel.

Hear me: Ar, Thiao, Rheibet, Atheleberseth, A, Blatha, Abeu, Ebeu, Phi, Chitasoe, Ib, Thiao.

Hear me and turn away this spirit.

I invoke you, awesome and invisible God who dwells in the void of the spirit.

Arogogorobrao, Sochou, Modorio, Phalarthao, OOO, Headless One.

Deliver this person from the spirit that restrains him.

Hear me: Roubriao, Mariodam, Balbnabaoth, Assalonai, Aphniao, I, Tholeth, Abrasax, Aeoou,

Mighty

Headless One, deliver this person.

Ma, Barraio, Ioel, Kotha, Athorebalo, Abraoth.

Deliver this person from the spirit that restrains him.

Aoth, Abaoth, Basym, Isak, Sabaoth, IAO.

He is the Lord of the Gods.

He is the one who the winds fear.

He has made all things by the command of his voice.

Lord, king, ruler, and helper.

Save this soul.

Ieou, Pyr, Iou, Pyr, Iaot, Iaeo, Ioou, Abrasax, Sabriam, Oo, Yu, Eu, Oo, Yu, Adonaie,
Now now angel of God
Anlala Lai, Gaia, Apa, Diachanna Choryn

"I am the headless spirit with my sight in my feet; mighty immortal fire;.

I am the Truth.

I detest the unjust deeds done in the world.

I am the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll.

I am the one who is the shower of life on the earth.

I am the one whose mouth is flame.

I am the one who begets and manifests. 

I am the Grace of the Aion.

My name is a heart encircled by a serpent.