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21290000? ago

Part W >

Article 4 >

By Omar Zaid

The Abyss

Central to Satanic magic is the concept of the Abyss. The word Abyss comes from the Greek word abussos meaning bottomless [a-, not + bussos, bottom]. In reference to Satanic magic however, it is considered to have a number of different meanings which are used by different groups. Firstly the abyss is more commonly understood as being a reference to the Satanic underworld wherein Satan and his demonic army reside. This interpretation largely stems from Christian sources, most especially Revelations in the New Testament: ‘And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth: and there was given to him the key to the pit of the abyss. And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.’ According to Andrew Collins, writing in The Black Alchemist, (ABC Books. 1988), the Friends of Hekate and associated individuals have used this form of symbolism in their magical activities where they have utilized the apocryphal imagery of the Christian bible in an attempt to construct a magical version of the Antichrist.

A second interpretation of the abyss comes from the Order of Nine Angles who suggests the abyss is located where the world of causality meets with the world of a-causality. Whilst the former is understood primarily as rational and physical, the latter is understood to be irrational, non-physical and magickal. This understanding of the Abyss as a gateway between two different worlds has long past associations with the concept of the Temple as a gateway to the world of the gods. This in itself is interesting bearing in mind that many pre-Christian Temples, upon which Christians built their churches are believed to be situated on ley lines, which carry two currents of energy around the planet. It is this belief that is reflected in the theory that the Abyss is a location point where the magical worlds and the mundane worlds collide. Yet this gateway is also believed to exist within the human psyche at the point where the conscious and the unconscious meet and it is from this point that the Satanic magician draws forth his magical power through the medium of Satanic ritual.

Magical use of the abyss from this perspective varies according to the tradition of the Order of Nine Angles. One may utilize the tarot cards as pathworking images to explore the hidden side of the human psyche, the side that normally remains untouched in the abyss. Alternatively, the individual may undertake a specific ritual that draws forth the powers or energies contained within the abyss as they are, that is without any form of imagery or symbolism. This ritual involves a long and arduous walk – 80 miles over two days for males, 56 miles for females – followed by a ceremonial ritual where the individual invokes the chaotic energies of the Abyss by visualizing a crystal filling with darkness whilst continually chanting the word “chaos.” Entrance into the abyss, if successful, will result in changes of consciousness that will culminate in the individual himself becoming such a gate between the two worlds. Speaking less esoterically this means that the individual will, by virtue of the changes in consciousness that include the crystallization of the astral body, be able to manifest magical energies without recourse to the procedure of magical ritual. Symbolism is therefore no longer necessary although it may still be used by the new Master or Mistress.

The third interpretation of the abyss comes from the Society of Dark Lily who teaches that it is symbolic of the journey from Initiate to Adepthood. As such, the Satanist passes through the Abyss over a long period of time in order to attain Wisdom: the ‘Abyss is that awful thing you go through or go across to get to where you think you want to be, that is, Adepthood.’  The method whereby the Satanist passes through the abyss may vary from individual to individual. The Master who leads the Society of Dark Lily suggests however that there is only one method to cross the Abyss and that is that the individual must ‘subdue [his or her] subconscious mind.’  By subjugating one’s subconscious mind the individual gains complete control over his or her actions and reactions, thoughts and feelings. Here then every part of the individual’s mind – both conscious and unconscious (or subconscious) is understood and controlled [This is the goal of Rudoph Steiner’s exercises in the Spiritual Science of Anthroposophy].

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