#headless rite

Preparation: Headless Rite

1. The only real requirements is a piece of paper or parchment on which to write the words of power:

AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ 2. Be clean. Be in a space that is clean. (Optional if you are doing this someplace atmospheric like an abandoned train tunnel. Whatever floats your boat.) 3. As for candles and incense, these are largely theatrical. Use new candles if you are going to have any and probably stick to frankincense. For the Four Kings component, if you are performing this outside, I recommend some rum to pour out as an offering. If this is unachievable, then carry the incense with you to each quarter. 4. Locate the constellation Orion. I use one of the many available stargazing apps for this. Even during the daytime, just wave your phone around pointing at the ground until you find it. If anything, having the stars under the earth is more appropriate anyway. You will perform the rite in the direction of Orion.

The Headless Rite

Face north, touch your left temple and then your right temple with the parchment, and read aloud what is written on it six times:

AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ

Then say: Subject to me all daimons, so that every daimon, whether heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic, might be obedient to me and every enchantment and scourge which is from God.

(Note: If you invest in a nice piece of parchment and put some effort into the writing, the first part of the Headless Rite can be used in any number of situations, and the parchment itself becomes something of an apotropaic charm.)

Move from facing north to facing the direction of Orion and continue. I summon you, Headless One, who created earth and heaven, who created night and day, you who created the Light and the Darkness; you are Osoronnophris whom none has ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iapos; you have distinguished the just from the unjust; you have made female and male; you have revealed seed and fruits; you have made men love each other and hate each other. I am Moses your prophet to whom you have transmitted your mysteries celebrated by Israel; you have revealed the moist and the dry and all nourishment; hear me. I am the messenger of Pharoah Osoronnophris; this is your true name which has been transmitted to the prophets of Israel. Hear me, ARBATHIAŌ REIBET ATHELEBERSĒTH ARA BLATHA ALBEU EBENPHCHI CHITASGOĒ IBAŌTH IA; subject to me all daimons, so that every daimon, whether heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic, might be obedient to me and every enchantment and scourge which is from God. I call upon you, awesome and invisible god with an empty spirit, AROGOGOROBRAŌ SOCHOU MODORIŌ PHALARCHAŌ OOO. Holy Headless One, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune, ROUBRIAŌ MARI ŌDAM BAABNABAŌTH ASS ADŌNAI APHNIAŌ ITHŌLETH ABRASAX AĒŌŌY; mighty Headless One, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune. MABARRAIŌ IOĒL KOTHA ATHORĒBALŌ ABRAŌTH, deliver me from all restraining daimons and misfortune, AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ. He is the Lord of the Gods; he is the Lord of the Inhabited World; he is the one whom the winds fear; he is the one who made all things by command of his voice. Lord, King, Master, Helper, I call upon you, IEOU PYR IOU IAŌT IAĒŌ IOOU ABRASAX SABRIAM OO YY EY OO YY ADŌNAIE, immediately, immediately, good messenger of God ANLALA LAI GAIA APA DIACHANNA CHORYN. I am the Headless Daimon with sight in my feet; I am the mighty one who possesses the immortal fire; I am the truth who hates the fact that unjust deeds are done in the world; I am the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll; I am the one whose sweat falls upon the earth as rain so that life can begin; I am the one whose mouth burns completely; I am the one who begets and destroys; I am the Favour of the Aion; my name is a Heart Encircled by a Serpent; Come Forth and Follow.

At this point, move to face east and continue on with the invocation of the Four Kings. It is worth mentioning that you can effectively cut the performance into two completely separate standalone rituals at this juncture. I use a variant of the Four Kings ritual below as part of my regular offering practice (more on that in later chapters). If you have rum, pour out a quarter of it as you begin the invocation, otherwise take the joss stick or censer with you as you perambulate the directions.

I invoke the Four Kings of the four corners of the earth. Most noble and ancient spirits, be with me now. O Eastern Oriens, most shining, most excellent King, who reigns over and commands the Eastern Regions, whose Kingdom began with the founding of the world and shall endure until the end of All Things. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Oriens, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Turn around and face west. Pour out some rum. Continue.

O Thou Paymon, King most glorious, who holds powerful dominion in the Western Regions of the Heavens. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Paymons, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Turn back to the north, pour some rum, and continue.

O Thou Ariton, King most strong, whose Mighty Empire reaches into the cold regions of the North. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Ariton, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Face the south, pour the last of the rum, and continue.

O Thou Amaymon, King most noble, ruler of the southern realms. I conjure and invoke thee by the most high and holy Names of God, do thou here manifest, clothed with all thy power. Amaymon, I conjure thee, by the virtue and power of the Creator, and by the virtue of virtues.

Return to face the direction of Orion and finish.

I’ve never entirely understood why magicians use bad second-hand poetry when they could use first class second-hand poetry or write their own shitty poetry.  Admittedly, there are more examples of the latter than the former (see: Andrew Chumbley).  The assumption often seems to be that if it’s old then it’s good, but that is patently un-true.  If millions of dead people prove the validity of a thing then we would still be saying that leukaemia is un-treatable 1.

Most living traditions produce new material.  Capoeira has a wealth of old songs, but young capoeiristas still write new ones.  An inspired song has as much (or more) power as an inherited one.  It’s all about what the words are imbued with.  I doubt that there is much traditional poetry in Chumbley’s work. The core material may come from an older tradition, but the voice is too consistent across his published work for it to come from other sources.  He either created it whole cloth or he gussied it up.  People find it potent nevertheless.

The bones of the work and what it is intended to mete are more important.  In Britain poets held the power to kill or maim with satire alone. That is a tradition that continued well into the Christian era.  As an example, see this Welsh englyn attributed to Gwerful Mechain (c. 1460-1502, trans. Katie Gramich), which calls on no god or power beyond the poetic form:

Hey Anon! Goooooood question 😊

Yes I regularly use invocations. Now it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to make profound changes in terms of personality, but the invocation is just simply used to tap into the energy and powers of what you’re invoking. Your allowing whatever deity or spirit to use you and temporarily have a form of dominance within you.Hence why mainly invocations focus on the higher spirits, that is to say the angelic, the celestial. Surely you want change for the better. That is why evocations are external and primarily used for the lower spirits, the demons. You don’t really want a demon in your mind, body and soul. I’m not saying you get a straight up Hollywood possession but as a general rule of thumb, invoke the higher spirits and evoke the lower spirits. Purely for safety.No saying that I have invoked demons. And can personally assure you that I didn’t start vomiting blood and speaking in Aramaic. It was fine.The most frequently used invocation I employ, as I hope every magician uses, is of course the Bornless rite. Don’t be afraid friend, use of the bornless will you bring you closer and closer to the divine. It’s used to call upon the heavenly powers, it brings about a torrent of insight and change within the magician. It opens you open to such a surge of energy that it really is somewhat orgasmic to perform. As soon as you begin “thee I invoke, the bornless one!” You are on the path to spiritual betterment and empowerment, so please don’t be afraid!

The personal transformation within me has been profound. My eyes were once closed now they are fully open.

Don’t fear the unknown, embrace it with a loving heart and open mind and you’ll experience the fantastical.

We constantly tell people in Emergent Magick that you should be practicing with a group. Yet there are so few good examples of group ritual out there. So I thought I would share this.

Headless Group

Items Needed

4 Poster boards - AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ

Book with incantations inscribed

1 Poster Board – Constellation of Orion

Crowns

Two small bowls

Bandanas (blue, yellow, red, brown)

Markers

Black cards

Abramelin Oil

Rattles

Skull masks

4 hand instruments

2 sheets/blankets

Roles

Incantor – The Incantor holds a book, wears black robes, and will be given a crown

Anointers – Carrying bowls of Abramelin Oil, and crowns

Elements – Wear color coordinated clothes if possible (shades of blue for water, shades of red for fire, shades of yellow & white for air, shades of brown and black for earth.) Wearing colored bandanas and carrying instruments (drum for earth, strings for water, brass for fire, wind instrument for air)

Gods – Naked with a blanket or sheet to hide under

The Mighty Dead – Wearing skull masks and carrying rattles

Drummers – (Zey and Toast)

Preparation

Hang four posters with AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ on each wall. Hang the poster with the Orion constellation on the ceiling. Pass out all props and a black card and markers to the participants.

Background

(Have every participant inscribe their black card with “AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK” as the Incantor explains the background.)

There are several theories on how magick works, from it being a purely psychological construct, to manipulating natural energies. We call these models of magick. Most see magick as a combination of these principles.

One of the oldest is the spirit model. It is the belief that a magician contacts the spirits—be they ghosts, gods, or spirits of animals or objects—in order to effect things physically and metaphysically. This is the basis for the oldest religion, animism. Which is still practiced by hunter-gatherer societies today.

The image of the shaman or magician being headless comes from prehistory. One of the oldest megalithic structures that pre-dates civilization, Göbekli Tepe, shows numerous headless figures wearing ceremonial belts. It is the idea that the magician has their head in the spirit world. Numerous ancient burials have been discovered with the head separated from the body, and the imagery cuts across times and cultures. It symbolizes the journey all shaman take to learn how to communicate with the spirits and to speak for the tribe.

We are about to perform a version of a ritual called the Headless Rite. It is one of the oldest magical rituals ever recorded, believed to be Egyptian in origin, and first written of in a series of documents referred to as the Greek Magical Papyri that date from 200 BCE to 500 AD. The purpose of the Headless Rite is to send an invitation to the spirits letting them know you are open for dialogue. The words AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ have no direct translation. They are a magical cipher. The name of the Headless One who acts as an intermediary with the spirit world. The cards you are creating become a talisman to carry with you, a sort of spirit calling card. Many who have performed this ritual report strange events and dreams about dogs. The dog being the animal spirit that guards the underworld.

So this is real old school, and originally written for a single participant. I have done my best to orient this to a group ritual, but it still has some old school elements—like a single person reciting most of the lines. But I have written in many roles and activities for the ritual that I hope make it more interesting.

Let’s blow our heads off!

ABCs

We will start with a quick ancient Egyptian banishing. Then the drummers will start a slow beat. Everyone will be anointed with Abramelin Oil. Abramelin Oil is another very old school magical tool, a scented anointing oil used since Ancient Egypt. Everyone will also be given a crown to make them one of the rulers of the heavens and earth. Those in the outer circle will start dancing clockwise, chanting ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ. The inner circle will be the Mighty Dead (representing our ancestors), the Elements (representing the rulers of all spirits of objects and place), and the gods (the spirits of the outer world). The Incantor will recite the incantation, and summon the spirits. They will start dancing counter-clockwise when called. Once the spirits are called, participants will start entering the circle and approach any one of the spirits. The spirit will lift their crown off, symbolizing taking off their head. Headless participants will then start dancing counterclockwise until we have a big mosh pit. The ritual ends as the drummers climax and everyone cheers.

Banishing/Invocation

The spirits should mentally invoke any representation of the type of being they are portraying. Everyone else shouts the words SET-WA SET-WA SEM YEOW (away, away all travelling spirits in Coptic Egyptian), then cups their hands to their mouths and blows air, visualizing that breath as a force blowing away all negativity.

Anointing

The gods and the anointers approach the Incantor. The anointers are carrying the Abramelin Oil and the crowns. The Goddess anoints the Incantor’s forehead. The God places a crown on the Incator’s head. They both say, “I make thee a ruler of the Earth, the spirits, and the heavens.”  The gods then go under blankets until they are called. The elements stand in place until they are called. The Mighty Dead sit on the floor until they are called.

The Incantor turns to one of the anointers, anoints them with oil, gives them a crown, and says, “By the power of the Gods I make thee a ruler of the Earth, the spirits, and the heavens.” The one he anoints repeats the process with the second. Then both anointers bless each participant (but not the spirits) in the same way until all have been anointed and crowned. The anointers then join the outer circle.

The Calling of the Headless One

The drum beat picks up to a medium tempo. The participants start to dance and chant ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ.

The Incantor speaks:

“Subject to me all daimons, so that every daimon, whether heavenly or aerial or earthly or subterranean or terrestrial or aquatic, might be obedient to me and every enchantment and scourge which is from God.

I summon you, Headless One, who created earth and heaven, who created night and day, you who created the Light and the Darkness; you are Osonnophris whom none has ever seen; you are Iabas; you are Iapos; you have distinguished the just from the unjust; you have made female and male; you have revealed seed and fruits; you have made men love each other and hate each other.

I am Threskiornis your prophet to whom you have transmitted your mysteries celebrated by Avinsthr'l; you have revealed the moist and the dry and all nourishment; hear me.

I am the messenger of Pharoah Osoronnophris; this is your true name which has been transmitted to the prophets of Avinsthr'l.

Hear me,

I call the spirits of the four elements. (The elements start dancing counter-clockwise. They at times shout and wave their arms at participants in the outer circle and play their instruments.)

ARBATHIAŌ REIBET ATHELEBERSĒTH ARA BLATHA ALBEU EBENPHCHI CHITASGOĒ IBAŌTH IAŌ;

I call upon you, awesome and invisible god with an empty spirit, AROGOGOROBRAŌ SOCHOU MODORIŌ PHALARCHAŌ OOO.

Holy Headless One, deliver me from the daimon that restrains me,

ROUBRIAŌ MARI ŌDAM BAABNABAŌTH ASS ADŌNAI APHNIAŌ ITHŌLETH ABRASAX AĒŌŌY;

Mighty Headless One, deliver me from the daimon which restrains me. MABARRAIŌ IOĒL KOTHA ATHORĒBALŌ ABRAŌTH,

Deliver me,

I call the Mighty Dead! (The Mighty Dead start dancing counter-clockwise. They at times lunge and wave their arms at participants in the outer circle and play their rattles.)

AŌTH ABRAŌTH BASYM ISAK SABAŌTH IAŌ.

He is the Lord of the Gods; he is the Lord of the Inhabited World; he is the one whom the winds fear; he is the one who made all things by command of his voice.

Lord, King, Master, Helper, save the soul,

I call the Gods Themselves! (The Gods start dancing counter-clockwise. They can interact with the outer dancers as they are compelled.)

IEOU PYR IOU IAŌT IAĒŌ IOOU ABRASAX SABRIAM OO YY EY OO YY ADŌNAIE,

Immediately, immediately, good messenger of God

ANLALA LAI GAIA APA DIACHANNA CHORYN.

We become the Headless Daimon with sight in his feet; We become the mighty one who possesses the immortal fire; We are the truth who hates the fact that unjust deeds are done in the world; We are the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll; We are the one whose sweat falls upon the earth as rain so that it can inseminate it; We are the one whose mouth burns completely; We are the one who begets and destroys; We become the Favor of the Aion; our name is a Heart Encircled by a Serpent; Come Forth and Follow.

The Incantor approaches one of the gods and they remove his crown. The Incantor then starts beckoning the participants to enter the circle. The participant can approach any spirit and that spirit will remove their crown. After their crown is removed the participant continues chanting but dances counter-clockwise.

- COYOTE 696 OV 23

In Ritual Illumination the magician applies various ritual acts of divination, enchantment, evocation and invocation to himself for self improvement. As with all acts of illumination the changes attempted should be specific rather than vague and general. The magician may find it useful to prepare a more elaborate "lamp" perhaps in the form of a mandala representing his self or soul for this conjuration. One effect of ritual illumination is often to force the magician to choose between Atman and Anatta. If he works within the paradigm of Anatta, the hypothesis of no-soul, then illumination is a matter of the addition or the deletion of certain patterns of thought and behaviour. If the magician works within the paradigm of Atman, the doctrine of personal soul, or Holy Guardian Angel, then he faces a more complex, dangerous and confusing situation. If a personal soul is presumed to exist but without a true will then the atman magician can proceed as if he were an Anattaist. If a true will is presumed to exist then the conjuration must be directed towards its discovery and implementation. The author has avoided treading too far along this path but has observed the process go spectacularly wrong in numerous cases. Those who wish to attempt it are counselled to avoid accepting as true will, anything which conflicts radically with ordinary commonsense or "lower will", as it is disparity called in this paradigm.

One of my least favorite conjurations! Hooray~!. My initial plan was to try out the Heptagram rite (PGM XIII. 760 -930) followed by a modified version of the Headless Rite aimed at communion with my HGA with the goal of addressing a personal issue. Unfortunately all did not go as planned. As I was setting up I got a call from work that I needed to address immediately which took a lot of my allotted ritual time. I decided to proceed with THOF but save the Heptagram rite for later as I was now fairly pressed for time.

The Headless Rite bothers (fascinates) me.  From the Chaos Protocols:

“I am the Headless Daimon with sight in my feet; I am the mighty one who possesses the immortal fire; I am the truth who hates the fact that unjust deeds are done in the world; I am the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll; I am the one whose sweat falls upon the earth as rain so that life can begin; I am the one whose mouth burns completely; I am the one who begets and destroys; I am the Favour of the Aion; my name is a Heart Encircled by a Serpent; Come Forth and Follow.”

I love this section of the rite.  It makes perfect sense to me.  Expression, boast, inhabiting haecceity. In terms of adherence to the original it is not the best, though.  Here’s Stratton-Kent’s translation from the original papyri:

“I am the headless spirit, having sight in my feet, strong, the immortal fire, I am the truth, I am he who hateth that ill deeds should be done in the world, I am he that lighteneth and thundereth, I am he whose sweat is a shower that falleth upon the earth that it may teem, I am he whose mouth ever burneth, I am the begetter and bringer forth, I am the Grace of the World, My name is the heart girt with a serpent: Come forth and follow.” Stratton-Kent asserts that the rite was originally an exorcism/banishing ritual that has since been adapted for invocation, particularly of one’s holy guardian angel, and prior to inviting visions.  However, as Stratton Kent points out in relation to Crowley’s use of the rite, a magician “producing a ritual for a specific purpose, on synthetic lines, overlooks the possibility that that what he is adapting has a life of its own”.

Stratton-Kent analyses much of the content of the ritual, but not the format of this piece of poetry.  What most interests me is that this segment of the rite takes a similar format to other inspired poetry.  For example, compare it with the Song of Amairgin White Knees, which is early Irish (translation by Du Jubainville because I like his poetry, though the translation is not the most accurate): “I am the wind that blows upon the sea I am the ocean wave; I am the murmur of the surges; I am seven battalions; I am a strong bull; I am an eagle on a rock; I am a ray of the sun; I am the most beautiful of herbs; I am a courageous wild boar; I am a Salmon in the water; I am a lake upon a plain; I am a cunning artist; I am a gigantic, sword-wielding champion; I can shift my shape like a god.”

SAB)AÔTH, (S)ABAÔTH, in the name of ISAAC's SABAÔTH-IAÔ

In my humble opinion, nobody out there has this right. It is through personal experience with the Headless Rite, or I should say the Headless One, that I have come to my conclusion. In vision I have stood face-to-facelessness with him more than once, and in a solar eclipse, I was shown an astral form of what his face looked like as a man.