Eternal Order of the Magi

ETERNAL ORDER OF THE MAGI

“ And YHWH said, let there be lights in the firmaments of the heavens
to divide the night from the day (sun and moon); and let them be for
signs (stars) and for seasons, and for days and years.”

First Book of Moses, the Book of Creation Chap. 1 verse 14

And so begins the reverent occasion of your initiation into the First Degree of the Eternal Order of the Magi, into the rank of Mage of the Signs. Please Note: Mage is a neuter term which you are welcome to use, it is most common. The plural is of course, “Magi.” But women may also use the title Maga of the Signs, and men Magus (Latin) or Magos(Greek) of the Signs. See other ranks of the EOM at the bottom of the Study Hall page.

You have read the following two paragraphs before in the Introduction to our Order. But please read them again now, since they pertain to initiations.

In the darkness of ages past, and out of the ashes of the oldest civilization of the northern hemisphere, an ancient order set about to master the very powers of heaven itself. Trained by the Angels and the Great Watchers of the Divine, they learned sublime and powerful magiks. Magik so powerful it could alter the very fabric of reality. The power of the Magi was unmatched in the ancient world and they fought with many demons and dark entities to free humanity from demonic strife and tyranny. The Magi are the watchmen of the Heavens. The earliest astronomers, they new and understood the way in which the heavens worked. They were also the earliest navigators of the seas, as well as the navigators of the ship of that which the Divine revealed unto man. They have kept the truth alive, so that no man may put asunder that which the Divine has ordained.

The ancient Magi understood that with great power comes an even greater chance that the power would be used for dark and selfish reasons. They understood the Divine truth of the sacred balance, the Yin and Yang, the destruction of the self for the greater service of the Divine. So the Order trained only those people whom the Divine hand-picked. And those who were chosen readily sacrificed the self for the Divine, answering the call to service not when it was convenient, but when they were called. On the day of his or her initiation into the order, each candidate made a sacred pledge to the Divine Light; that the power given to them and channeled thru them would be used only for spiritual illumination and for the good of all mankind, even within earthly battles. Should such a pledge be broken, the magus or maga would be cast from the Order and teachings of the Order would be literally taken from the offender’s mind.

Our Eternal Order of the Magi has that power and that task in the current century. We can, if need be, remove teachings from a mal-adept’s mind. We’ve only had to do it twice in the history of our Order, thankfully, so don’t worry about it too much. Just focus on your own growing power as a Mage. Feel it coursing thru you, awakening ancient callings and missions. Your destiny is near, oh so near….

Gather your supplies for the Initiation:

Find yourself a place where you can be alone and concentrate. This area should be outside or near a window so you can see the stars clearly. If the weather is cloudy, you should wait for another night. Seems annoying to have to postpone it, but you really need to be able to see the stars—and they need to see you.
You will need a saucer or a shallow bowl that you can place water in. If you have a bowl with a metallic bottom this is perfect. If not simply place a small mirror or a piece of tinfoil in the bottom of it. You will need a dark color candle. Arch-Mage Frater Kathurii uses a midnight blue to match the night sky.
You will need a piece of paper, parchment if you can, and an ink pen. A real ink pen with a nib on it is perfect as opposed to a ballpoint pen. If you are really ambitious, make a flat clay tablet, keep it moist, and have a stylus of some kind ready to write on the clay with. Clay can be found at any craft store, the stylus can be wooden or metal or even an exacto knife.

You have heard the call and passed the tests
The Divine has ordained it through us that you be counted among his Eternal Order of the Magi. The time is at hand when Terra (Earth) is experiencing the birthpains that St. John the Revelator wrote about. The messages in the Apocalypse, a supposed “ending time,” are there for those who have an ear to hear and an eye to see. The message is there for the Magi to watch for. Keep in mind that all endings are also beginnings and do not fear apocalyptic thinking.

In the days of old, the Magi would gather in a group to initiate the new members who were usually relatives of the next generation. Magi passed their secrets only to their own children and grandchildren, nieces or nephews, and in rare cases to a few hand picked non-family members. These days the Order has been lost to materialism and neglect and a new dynasty has been formed. You have been called here.

Now the Divine will initiate you into the Order

We do not wield the Divine on a stick, but rather we have the following guidelines to prepare YOU so that the Divine may do Its work.

1. Clear your mind of all excess, and picture a blank wall in the Temple of the Divine.

2. Think only of that blank wall. (You should have as much of this rite memorized as possible to make it easier.)

3. Place your candle and bowl of water together in front of you in a window sill and/or small table or if you are outside. Place them on something that enables you to comfortably look into the water when you are sitting on your knees. Be sure your container of water has the reflector (mirror or tinfoil) in it.

4. When you are ready to begin, inhale deeply and as you exhale, light your candle.

5. Cup your hand around the flame then touch your forehead, lips and chest one right after the other in a fluid motion. This is a magikal salute to the Power of the Light, often called “the Life Force” by Magi.

Now you might have some nastiness or other forms of yuck weighing on your conscience, so it is customary to make a confession at this time. Do not think of confessions as something only “Catholics do.” The use of the confession to clear the mind of negativity, clear the soul of excess baggage, exist in many many religious traditions. The confession has another purpose besides ridding you of excess. It also deprives the Accuser, the Adversary, the Deceiver from being able to accuse you of hiding your sins, of lying to God/dess as the Adversary himself does. The concept of Judgement Day states that at some point we will each be held accountable for our wrongdoings. (There is even a Tarot card called Judgement). You don’t what the Shaitan Accuser to be able to stand up and say you are harboring misdeeds and hiding things from the Divine.

The wording of the following confession is Catholic, it’s true, but at least it’s in English and covers everything! As you say the words, picture any error that applies to you as being burned up by the candle flame. Tis a small flame that nevertheless represents the fiery life-giving Sunstar itself.

Remember, you can’t possibly have committed ALL these sins, but perhaps at one time you did commit some of them. Keep in mind the concept: “If the shoe fits wear it.” In this case, “If the sin fits, burn it!”

Prayer of Forgiveness

Mighty Lord of the Heavens and Wise Sophia of Earth, before Thee I am as a grain of sand, overwhelmed and humbled in your vast divine presence. I am not yet perfect. I make mistakes. Before Thee I do confess my sins, and lament them, for it is my desire to be perfect; yet in my current form, it seems I can never hope to be. For I have been selfish. I have been narrow-minded. I have caused harm and sadness to those around me. In the presence of your Perfection, I am as a filthy rag. I am sorry. It is my desire to rise above such mistakes to become broad-minded for living a life of Love, sharing my knowledge and power with all those in my realm of influence. I confess and lay before you all my errors, that they may trouble me no more. With Thy divine Love and understanding, I can lay aside the guilt and remorse at my failure; Your Grace can wipe away all tears. With Thy divine guidance, I can learn from my mistakes, move forward, and not repeat my sins.

Before you now I am humbled, but a blank slate, now free from guilt and shame, ready to be carved into the glorious being you have designed me to be!

I thank thee oh Great Divine!

My Father, My Mother, My God! Thou Who art and Who will forever be the Pure Ineffable Name of ALL, I belong to Thee.

The Confession having been finished with great humility, and with the inward feeling of the heart, the Magus or Maga will recite the following prayer:
PRAYER OF THE MAGI

O Ancient of Days, shed upon me the Divine Influence of Thy Mercy,
for I am Thy Creation.
I beseech Thee to defend me from mine Enemies,
and to confirm in me true and steadfast faith.
Through Your Divine Wisdom did you construct the signs in the heavens
For us to understand your will.
You decreed it Let those who have an ear hear.
Let those who have an eye, understand”
Lord and Lady I beseech you now in front of your Holy assembly,
and under your divine creation
to open my heart and soul unto you.

O Ancient of Days, who did instruct Adam in the Revelation of the Stars.
O Ancient of Days, who did instruct Enoch in the Revelation of the Stars.
O Ancient of Days, who did instruct Noah in the Navigation, Using the
Stars.
O Ancient of Days, who did instruct those to leave records and to pass on
O Ancient of Days, instruct me now and forever in your ways.
Grant me your guidance to see your revelations in your works as they are
shown to me
By You and those you choose on Terra.
Protect me now and forever from False teachings that may lead our Order to
destruction

O Ancient of Days,
I commit my Body and my Soul unto thee,
seeing I put my trust in none beside Thee;
it is on thee alone that I rely;
O Lord my God, aid me;
O Lady Wisdom my Queen, hear me
in the day and hour wherein you shall reveal Yourself or your Message or
your Mysteries unto me
I pray Thee by Thy Mercy not to put me in oblivion,
nor to remove me from Thee.

O Lord be Thou my succor,
Thou Who art the God of saving.
O Lady make me a new heart according unto Thy loving Kindness.
These, O Lord, are the gifts which I await from Thee, O my God and my Leader,

Thou who livest and reignest unto the Ages of the Ages. Amen.

Ancient of Days, who hast formed unto Thyself great and Ineffable
Wisdom, and Co-eternal with Thyself before the countless Ages; Thou Who in
the Birth of Time hast created the Signs in the Heavens, and gave form to
Terra, the Sea, and things that they contain; Thou who hast vivified all
things by the Breath of Thy Mouth, I praise Thee, I bless Thee, I adore Thee,
and I glorify Thee. I fall to my knees before thy throne
Be Thou propitious unto me and dislike me not; save me and succor me, even
me the work of Thine hands. I conjure and entreat thee by Thy Holy Name to
banish from my Spirit the darkness of Ignorance, and to enlighten me with
the Fire of thy Wisdom;

Take away from me all evil desires, and let not my speech be as that of the
foolish.
O Thou, Divine, the Living One, whose Glory, Honour, and Kingdom shall extend
unto the
Ages of the Ages

Divine Ancient of Days, shed your light upon me
Let your Force infuse me
Show me your sacred revelation. Open mine eyes unto the heavens.
Let me see as Elijah saw, and you showed Elisha.
Lay upon me the wisdom you bestowed upon Daniel for seeing your signs
And understanding them.
Most Holy Ancient of Days count me as one of your Magi.
Open your Mysteries unto me,
and write your Name upon my forehead.
Amen.

At this point dip your hand into the water and sprinkle water over your head
Seven times. This is a divine Number and was especially important to
the ancient Magi.

Now is the time between you and the Divine. Do not rush this. On your knees
look at the water, watch the movement of the flame against it. Maybe you
can see the reflection of the stars in the water as the Magi of old did in
their specially built structures. Picture in your mind, try to “see” it in
the water, a blank wall. Yes, a blank wall. Concentrate on nothing
but the blank wall –it exists in the Halls of the Divine. On this wall the
Divine will now write your name, the name you will be known as to your fellow
Fraters and Sorors. This name may be as ordinary as your given name, or as
special as a magikal name, it may make no sense linguistically or seem peculiar.
Our knowledge is not the Divine’s. Write it down then go back
to the water.

Watch the water. Perhaps the Divine will show you the path of stars and planets
of things to come, perhaps a sacred symbol will appear, if so draw the symbol
on your paper. If it does not happen do not worry, such messages thru the
use of visual “pictures” will in time come whether you see something or nothing
at all in the water. If you are unable to see anything, your
message will most likely come later when you sleep, in a dream.

When you feel it is time to move on, place your hand into the water.

Touch your head, recite: Your Will be reflected through me
Touch your chin, recite: May your words, be what I utter
Touch your left cheek, recite: Your Judgment
Touch your right cheek, recite: Your Mercy
Bow your head, recite: And thy glory through your empty vessel,
as I am.

Now Mage of the Signs, we must tell you that our Sacred symbol is the trident.
Sometimes even today we carry a staff, like a tall walking stick, and at
the top of the staff should be a three-prong shape like the Greek letter
Psi.
[Image]

The Greek letter psi, similar to the top of a mage’s staff. It is interesting and not at all coincidental that the greek letter psi stands for the Psi Facility, or the ability to use the inner power of the psyche (greek for “soul”) otherwise known as “psychic abilities,” or “psychic arts.” Use your personal soul-connection, the Psi Facility is in every mage. It’s been downloaded, it’s been installed, all you have to do is open the program and start using it. If the computer analogy doesn’t quite make sense to you, try this: A powerful but steady workhorse with beautiful strong lines accompanies you everywhere you go. He would be glad to assist you plow that field you’ve been hacking at with a broken hoe. He even has the harness and plow with him. Take up the reins, step between the plow handles and put your soul-power to work for you.
[Image]

The European Rune letter, Algiz. Note its similarity to the Greek Psi. The Phoenician alphabet has this letter, too, as does the ancient Etruscan.

Don’t confuse the trident, or our three-branched wisdom staff, with the “pitchfork” Shaitan carries to supposedly torment souls in hell. The trident of the Magi, is the sacred staff or rod, the symbol of Three. Another basis for our staff tradition is Aaron’s Rod, which you recall possessed magikal powers directly from God, and is often shown in illustrations as a flowering
rod, with three little flowering branches coming out of the top. Researchers for the Lord of the Rings film (2001) designed a tall wizard’s staff for the character Gandalf which closely resembles the magi staves of the ancient world. It had small prongs at the end which could even hold a crystal or other magikal element if required. Our magi often create their trident staff with a ring under the three prongs as a reminder of the One Divine, and the Ring-Pass-Not (protective “hex”) just as the ancient magi made their staves. You might look into making yourself a staff or rod, it doesn’t have to have 3 prongs at the top if you can’t manage that detail. Your staff is a sign of office, the mark of a mage.

And now the Password: To be granted passage in the next Study Chamber, you will need a certain Key Word of Passage, or “password.”

Either the Arch-Mage or Arch-Maga of our Order will now whisper this passage word in your ear:

…Gnosis…

Gnosis. You have certainly seen this word before, passwords are often
such “normal” sounding words, almost disappointing! There is a hardfast
rule for Magi of all traditions, especially Western. And that is: To
Know, To Will, To Dare and To Keep Silent. Gnosis (knowledge) is perhaps
the most important of these because it is the foundation for the willing,
the daring and of course you gotta know something first in order to keep
silent about it.

So take this key word to heart, never forget it, and it will serve you well.
(Not to mention get you into the next Chamber of our Order)

Go now Magus/Maga of the Signs, and be at your guard,you are counted now
as dangerous by the enemy. Hold fast and true…
and without fear.

As soon as you are able, please send a quick report of your Initiation experience including date and time performed, to the Mystery School.

Put EOM 1st Init Report in the subject line.

Prayer of Forgiveness originally written by Sir Kathuros, but adapted (softened) by Soror Delilah Ra in May 2007.