Rufus Opus

Tag: Courses

Tag: Courses

  • The Green Work Course Outline

    I just realized I never posted the Green Work Course description. That would explain some things. I believe I assumed people would be able to just read my mind. Since registration is still open (until Friday!), I might as well post it now.

    Ok, so the Red Work series of courses takes you through four phases of the Great Work. Phase 1 is the Black Work and Phase 2 is the White Work.

    In Phase 3, the Green Work, the magician undergoes a series of initiations into the celestial spheres of the planets and fixed stars. You begin a technique of traveling through the spheres, and receiving spiritual attunements that bring you into harmony with the spheres around you. You’ll meet the Intelligences of the Planets, the Archangels of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac, and you’ll be on speaking terms with spirits whose names won’t be mentioned at this time. At the same time, you’ll be getting deeper into your understanding of who you are in the grand scheme of things in the universe at large.

    You’ll also be performing practical magic with these spirits, learning the ways each of the Planetary legions of spirits manifest things here in the material realm. During this stage of my Work, I began manifesting the kinds of abilities that normally get classified as “psychic phenomenon” in the secular world, or the “Gifts of the Spirit” in Charismatic Christian circles.
    This is also the phase that involves a lot of crafty talisman making, strange tool creation, and the fun stuff that looks a lot like Hoodoo and Pow Wow if you stare too long. You’ll meet gods and goddesses, angels and spirits, and entities that exist at every level consciously at the same time.

    In this course, we’ll be focusing on both the macrocosmic initiations and the physical manifestations associated with each of the Archangels of the Planets and their legions of Spirits.

    We will be using the Modern Angelic Grimoire as the primary text book, and we will progress upwards through the spheres based on Ptolemy’s model of the cosmos. I’m thinking we’ll spend about two weeks on each planet, receiving the initiations into the sphere, receiving attunements and instruction in accessing the powers of the spheres in our daily lives, and actually getting stuff from each planet in our physical lives.

    The course will include anecdotal insights I’ve gained about creating talismans, and I’ll detail the steps I take to create the planetary talismans in the appropriate metals, or their equivalents. Heat, beat, repeat, and engrave sums it up nicely, but I’ll go into more detail in the course.

    Looks like it will be a 17-week course, altogether. The Lesson Plan is as follows:

    Lesson 1: Traveling the Spheres – The path of the Hermetic Magician’s ascent through the spheres is described in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes, and detailed in the Corpus Hermeticum. The system I’m teaching in the Green Work utilizes a relatively simple system of conjuration, initiation, and contemplation to accomplish the Hermetic Great Work. This lesson provides a detailed overview of the Great Work within the Hermetic discipline, and the functional tools necessary to accomplish it using the techniques of the Modern Angelic Grimoire.

    Lessons 2-8: The Planetary Spheres – One lesson for each of the seven spheres of the planets. These will include a conjuration ritual for each Archangel of the Planet, a sample oration, and tips and tricks on receiving initiations into the spheres. These lessons will include personal experiences with the entities, the skill sets I’ve seen improved by working with the specific entities, and suggestions of manifest things to ask for from these spirits. Each lesson will have an initiatory piece and a practical piece.

    Lesson 9: On the 8th and the 9th Spheres – This lesson addresses the Sphere of the Zodiac, and the Sphere of the Prime Mover.

    Making Planetary Talismans – An eBook summarizing my experiences in creating talismans in the appropriate planetary metals or other materials. Most of my techniques are crude and primitive, but there will be no sculpey. If you want to use plastic clay, go ahead, the spirits don’t care, but lately I’ve come to hate the stuff.

  • The White Work Outline

    As I said previously, the Supernatural Assistant was moved to the White Work course.

    This course picks up where the previous left off. At this point, the student will have gone through the important parts of the Black Work. Along the way, we’ll have performed Natural Magic, Ceremonial Magic, and attained the guidance and begun integrating the harmony of the Genius. Major issues to deal with will have been identified and the process of working through them will already be under way.

    So, in Alchemical terms, it’s time to turn up the heat.

    If you’ve been through an initiatory system that provided you with the basics outlined in the Black Work course, you’re ready to begin here at the White Work. This Course is designed to put you in direct communion with the Supernatural Assistant. This is a trimmed down version of the original Supernatural Assistant course. Some things have been shifted to the Black Work, so it costs less too.

    Tentative Course Outline (Subject to change):
    • Lesson 1: Intro and Overview – Reviews the evolution from the Supernatural Assistant into the HGA over the last couple of thousand years, some general myths vs. realities of having the Supernatural Assistant, and a general understanding of what we’ll be doing throughout this course on the esoteric level of your soul. 
      • Homework: Self Assessment – You’ll get a template to fill out that prompts some self-assessment and contemplation that will help you prepare for the process to come. 
    • Lesson 2: The Power of Prayer – Includes an explanation of “enflaming yourself with prayer,” the key to building up an ecstatic relationship with God. 
      • Field Trip: Visit a Charismatic Christian Church (totally optional if you think you’ll burst into flames when you cross the threshold, or have bad experiences you don’t want to remember)
      • Homework: Daily Face-Time with God. Here beginneth the transformation that leads to attainment.
    • Lesson 3: Can you smell that smell? (a.k.a. Conjuration of the Supernatural Assistant) (Delivered when appropriate) – Includes an analysis of the Stele of Jehu, the Greek Magical Papyri that’s actually called “Acquiring a Supernatural Assistant,” and Crowley’s Liber Samekh. Also includes the conjuration rite you’ll be using.
      • Homework: Solar Initiation by Michael, Archangel of the Sun
      • Homework: Continued daily prayer
      • Homework: Nightly conjuration ritual of the Supernatural Assistant (Should take 10-30 minutes)
      • Homework: Update self-assessment.
    • Lesson 4: Working with the Supernatural Assistant: Practical Applications of your blossoming relationship.
      • Homework: Solar/Saturn Initiation by Michael and Cassiel.
      • Homework: Continued daily prayer
      • Homework: Continued Nightly conjuration ritual of the Supernatural Assistant
    At this stage, chances are pretty good that you’ll be going through some serious hell.
    • Lesson 5: The Map of Hell – Personal observations on the landscape of Hell as it manifests in your life; includes some advice and techniques I found were useful in dealing with the layers and layers of crap that tend to come out in the process.
      • Homework: Stay Alive. Keep at the Work. Even when you hate it. Even when you’re convinced it’s all in your head. Even when you think it’s all from Satan. Even when you really want to quit. 
    • Lesson 6: The Stairway to Heaven (is Sitting in Hell) – Reflections on the initiatory journeys we’ve been through and preparation for the Green Work. 
    Follow up…
    • Lesson 7: Theurgy et Goetia – At this stage, the successful student will have a one on one communion with their Supernatural Assistant. In this final course, I will discuss various possible next steps for the magician. This is a point in the Work where the student can stop and spend some time, as I did, exploring the various applications of the new relationship. I think it’s good to spend a while here Working with the Supernatural Assistant. 
      • Theurgy: The Supernatural Assistant serves as a direct manifestation of aspects of Deity that you just don’t get any other way. It is a gate as well as a key to higher powers, and provides understanding of deep mysteries.
      • Goety: The Supernatural Assistant does a lot of the same things that the demons of the Goetia can do. It saves a LOT of time and pain. The relationship you develop with this spirit also provides a level of protection that is very useful if you happen to run into infernal spirits in general, as you’re taking a walk in the park on a sunny day, or dabbling in demonology – you know, the casual demonic encounters one faces in life. This section discusses some lessons learned over the last few years, as well as exploring the practical niceties that come with having the SA as an active and conscious friend in the Work.

  • The Black Work Course Outline

    Ok, so the Black Work Course is going to be freaking AWESOME. It’s what I should have come out with first. The SA has been moved to the White Work Course, and Hermetic Merkavah’s over in the Green Work. 8th and 9th sphere stuff is coming in the Red Work Course. Whew. Dude. Lots and lots of work to do.

    I’ve broken up the Black Work Course into three phases, naming them as pretentiously as I could. This is still a tentative outline, because there’s more I want to cram in there somewhere. I can’t seem to think of everything just yet, but this is the minimum of what I plan to cover:

    Neophyte

    Introduction
    • You have Cleansed me with Hyssop, Oh Lord: Banishing and Cleansing Rites
    • The Art of Contemplation
    • Self Assessment: Whoever therefore shall know himself…

    Cosmology

    • In the Beginning: The Creation of the World
    • First Father, Nous, Logos, Workman, Governors, Man
    • Spheres of Emanation
    • The Emerald Tablet: Map of the Great Work
    • Meet the Family: Dad and the Uncle-Aunts
    • Where are you from?

    Spiritus Mundi: Hermetic Animism

    • Chain of Manifestation
    • Genii Loci
    • Meet the Family: Mom? Is that you? And you had kids!?
    • What are you?

    Elementary

    • Elemental Hierarchy
    • Four Angels of the Corners of the World
    • Princes of the Four Angles of the World
    • Meet the Family: The Cousins
    • What makes you tick?

    Apprentice

    The Altar: Table of Manifestation

    • Altar Layout
    • Elemental Weapons
    • Planetary Talismans
    • Constellations and Mansions
    • The Lamp
    • Miscellaney
    • What do you do?

    Conjuration

    • The Table of Practice
    • The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals
    • Variations
    • Elemental Initiations
    • What do you want?

    Magic without Tools

    • The Astral Temple
    • Dream Work
    • Path Working through the Spheres
    • How are you going to get what you want?

    Magician


    About that Great Work

    • Who are you?
    • What’s wrong with you?

    Meet the Genius

    • The Threefold Keeper
    • The Genius and the Evil Daimon
    • Conjuration of the Genius

    On Working with the Genius

    • Spiritual and Practical Applications
    • An Introduction to the Seven Planetary Governors

    • The Red Work Series of Courses

      Courses are now available for registration. See the links on the right on the top of my blog for more information. I’ll be writing up detailed descriptions over the next few days.

      I’m only running the Black, White, and Green courses right now. I’m sure that will be enough for me to handle at one time. Since I’m only one person, I’ll be providing materials on the following schedule:

      • Black Work: 1st lesson July 16th, additional lessons every other week.
      • White Work: 1st lesson July 23rd, additional lessons weekly.
      • Green Work: 1st lesson July 23rd, additional lessons every other week.

      Remember, the Black Work is for people totally new to magic in general, or those who want a solid foundation of stuff that I know works based on my experiences. It’s a lot of work and is the most expensive. This is the Hermetic Magic Basics class, the stuff you’d study in the first few degrees of an organized lodge. There’s a lot of core doctrine teaching, with explanations of your role in relation to the world around you and the spirits above (and below) you. There’s also a fair amount of practical Work, the creation of your altar, the creation/accumulation of magical tools, and introductions to the conjuration process I use most frequently. We’ll be doing conjure rites with the Elemental spirits, as well as learning to work in harmony with the Spirits of Place, the Genii Loci. This course includes an exploration of the Emanations of our Mother, the Spiritus Mundi. As we go through this process, we’ll begin the Great Work, begin turning up the spiritual heat and seeing the things that stop you from being who you were meant to be rise to the surface where they can be observed, contemplated, and addressed as needed. This course will include the establishment of a firm foundation in the Sphere of the Moon from which the White Work can begin.

      The White Work is some major heavy lifting. We’ll be aiming to attain the Solar/Supernatural Assistant, and that will be the bulk of the Work. A lot of shit rises to the surface. Hopefully the Black Work we’ve done will prepare you. We’ll also explore the relationship between the magician and the assistant, and we’ll Work on exploring in closer detail the practical and spiritual applications of your relationship with the spirit. I’ll go over the things I’ve learned about Goety at this point, along with some heavy-handed warnings and not-so-subtle admonitions to avoid a particular grimoire that bites. We’ll end this course with a series of introductions to the 7 Planetary Governors.

      The Green Work will explore the Seven Heavens in detail. This will be at least a 17-week course, if I remember the outline right. Haven’t checked lately. The goal in this stage is to establish relationships with each of the Seven Planetary Intelligences, Archangels, and Governors. We’ll obtain initiations into each sphere, and integrate those forces over time. We’ll also be Working with the Spirits, Angels, and Legions of the planetary spheres, exploring the ways they affect the material realm, and ways we can increase our abilities to work in harmony with them in our daily lives.

      When we have enough people who are ready, we’ll begin the Red Work, where we start knocking seriously on the gates of the Eighth Sphere and take the next steps in the transformation into Powers.

      Before signing up for the courses, take a look at where you’re at. The people who succeeded in the Supernatural Assistant Course were those who had been through some version of the Black Work course I described above. Witches with an initiatory tradition, Rosicrucians with an initiatory tradition, people who had done the “grunt work” that needs to be done to start getting you clear and prepared for the communion with the Supernatural Assistant. If you’ve been through that already and feel confident that you’ve dealt with the happy horse shit that comes out in the early Work, start at the White Course.

      If you’ve been through the Supernatural Assistant Course and feel ready (VG, I’m looking at you), start at the Green Course.

    • All Courses Canceled and (ugh) Refunded

      Due to the really long time it’s taking me to get my shit together, I’ve canceled and refunded all of the second round of courses I sold right after the fire. It was a really stupid idea to even try to run any courses during this time.

      For those interested in the courses anyway, I’m working with Jason Miller to take over teaching the courses. His work and my own have a similar vibe, and he’s got years of experience and wisdom on me. He’s the only one I would trust to walk people through the Red Work series of courses as I originally envisioned it.

      My apologies to all who signed up and were wondering for months WTF was going on.

    • Courses!

      All courses are still on track and on schedule to begin January 4th. Please sign up quickly for either the Supernatural Assistant or Hermetic Merkavah courses. The courses will begin Jan. 4th, 2010. If you wish to participate, the best thing to do is buy the course before January 4th.

      If you need time to make the payment, and still want to start the course with everyone else, please email me at frredactumopus@gmail.com with the subject “Course!” and I’ll see what I can do. Honestly though, speaking from a lot of painful experience, if you need a while to save up $75 for the course, you need to work on your money management skills first. Magic doesn’t make you magically better at handling money, and most of my problems come from that.

      And the furnace/water heater burning down the house. sigh.

      Anyway, yeah, courses are on track for the 4th of January. Tonight I’ll be setting up the yahoo groups and inviting those who have paid already…

      Ah crap! I just remembered my software for the charts is on my other computer at home in the office that was destroyed by fire!

      Shit shit shit. Hopefully the computer will be ok. It was off the floor when the water was flooding.

      Shit.

      Hmmm.

      Well, in the worst case scenario, you’ll be getting charts based on free software until I can get the good stuff working again. Man, what a freaking pain in the ASS.

      Public Service Announcement: Don’t have a fire in your house. Take some time and check your furnace and water heater, make sure there’s nothing nearby that can catch on fire if they suddenly shoot out a flame. We don’t know what started our fire, exactly, but we did have stuff in the room near the furnace. It was a foot or more away from the furnace, but if a flame shot out… yeah, it was a STUPID place to store shit.

      Sorry for the tangent, my mind is in many places, and you’re sort of stuck with a “screendump” at this point.

      Anyway, courses are on track, and things should be back to “as normal as they get” soon enough.

    • Cool Stuff about the Supernatural Assistant

      Hey everyone!

      Man, I just wrote a bunch of posts to the Supernatural Assistant Course yahoo group about the things you can get using the Supernatural Assistant. I forget how cool it is sometimes. Here are some quick reminders for anyone else who forgot, or who might need a reason or two to Acquire a Supernatural Assistant.

      From the PGM:

      • When you go abroad, he will go abroad with you; when you are destitute, he will give you money.  
      • He will tell you what things will happen both when and at what time of the night or day.  
      • If anyone asks you “What do I have in mind?” or “What has happened to me?” or even “What is going to happen?,” question the angel, and he will tell you in silence.  But you speak to the one who questions you as if from yourself.  
      • When you are dead, he will wrap [up] your body as befits a god, but he will take your spirit and carry it into the air with him. For no aerial spirit which is joined with a mighty assistant will go into Hades, for to him all things are subject.  
      • Whenever you wish to do something, speak his name alone into the air and say, “Come!” and you will see him actually standing near you.  And say to him, “Perform this task,” and he does it at once, and after doing it he will say to you, “What else do you want?  For I am eager for heaven.”  If you do not  have immediate orders, say to him, “Go, lord,” and he will depart.  In this fashion, then, the god will be seen by you alone, nor will anyone ever hear the sound of his speaking, just you yourself alone.  
      • And he will tell you about the illness of a man, whether he will live or die, even on what day and at what hour of night.  
      • And he will also give [you both] wild herbs and the power to cure, and you will be [worshipped] as a god since you have a god as a friend.  

      These things the mighty assistant will perform competently.

      Pretty handy, eh?

      As you likely know, I’m especially interested in the part that happens after death. I suspect it’s a transformation akin to the Rainbow Body. I could be wrong, of course. It may just be a spiritual transformation the Ruach goes through that empowers it to become a member of the Angelic Choir of “Powers.” If so, that would be pretty cool too. After I die, feel free to petition me for aid in your own endeavors, and if I’m a Power, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.

      Another cool thing about the list is how it reminds the magician that the SA is invisible to others. See my post from the other day on physical manifestations.

      It ties into the urge new members of the group of people with this “mighty assistant” feel to tell everyone everything about everything that Crowley warns about too. Even magicians from the first centuries AD had to struggle with acting like what they experience is true and valid for all mankind. Their mentors back then made sure their students weren’t acting like fruitcakes in public. “But you speak to the one who questions you as if from yourself” indeed.

    • Warnings

      Members of the first Red Work Course 1: Acquiring a Supernatural Assistant are seeing success in their efforts, and I recently posted some of Crowley’s notes on Liber Samekh to the yahoo group that helped me integrate the experience while I was going through it.

      I haven’t read Crowley’s notes on Samekh in years. Great stuff. I especially like this part:

      In the same way the Adept almost always begins by torrential lyrics painting out
      mystical extravagances about “ineffable love”, “unimaginable bliss”,
      “inexpressible infinities of illimitable utterness”. He usually loses his
      sense of proportion, of humour, of reality, and of sound judgment. His ego is
      often inflated to the bursting point, till he would be abjectly ridiculous if he
      were not so pitifully dangerous to himself and others. He also tends to take his
      new-found “truths of illumination” for the entire body of truth, and insists
      that they must be as valid and vital for all men as they happen to be for
      himself.

      It is wise to keep silence about those things “unlawful to utter” which one may
      have heard “in the seventh heaven”. This may not apply to the sixth.

      It’s funny, I go through this with every deeper level of initiation I experience. I think I’ve mellowed out some with this whole thing, I rarely post “The Key to All Power in the Universe!1!!1!” posts over my revelations these days, but once in a while it still bubbles up and over. I can’t help it, and honestly, I think it serves a purpose. Reading through other people’s Revelations of the Key to Everything has helped me a great deal, so maybe it will help others as well. My Keys to Everything may be different than yours, but seeing the doors mine open may make you see a door you missed, and urge you to find your own Key to open it. I know that happens to me a lot. Like POS doing Jason’s daily exercises reminded me to do my own. It helps.

      So I disagree with Crowley, whimper and sob when you feel your HGA, there’s nothing “unmanly” about expressing the pleasure and pain of being with Purity. And don’t be afraid to go on about “ineffable love” and “inexpressible infinities of illimitable utterness.” It’s important to remind people that this is what it feels like when they forget, or inspire them to feel it for themselves if they haven’t yet.

      But do be careful to remember that it’s not necessarily as valid and vital for all as it happens to be for yourself.

      I try, really I do. But if I can do this and get the results I do, so can you! Just try it, it’s freaking brilliant. Gushing chakras, revelations of knowledge, and worlds of practical techniques await you! It’s all right there.

    • Hermetic Merkavah Course Announcement

      The Hermetic Merkavah Course that was tentatively scheduled to start Dec. 15th has been moved to January 4th, currently. I may have to extend the start date yet again.

      Please note that you do not have to have completed the Supernatural Assistant Course to take the Hermetic Merkavah course, though it would help a great deal if you haven’t already established a relationship with your HGA, Agathosdaimon, Genius, or Supernatural Assistant. I would make it a requirement, but I have too many friends who I know have attained K&CHGA already, and don’t need to take the course.

      Furthermore, the Archangels of the Planets have relatively low risk associated with them. Don’t get me wrong, they can (and do) cause catastrophic events on a regular basis, but they are still eager to Work with magicians regardless of their initiatory status. They confer upon people the powers of their spheres with or without the assistance of the Supernatural… uhm. Assistant. (I hate when I use words like that, but I just shoveled the sidewalk and driveway and don’t feel quite up to rewriting.)

      So, if you’ve used the Modern Angelic Grimoire before, and want to participate in a series of initiations into the Spheres of the Planets, do feel free to participate.

      Also, if you’ve read the Modern Goetic Grimoire, you know I advocate initiation into each of the spheres represented in the Magic Circle. This course is designed to accomplish that very thing. It’s exactly what I went through prior to having the significant success I found when I began Working with the Spirits of the Lemegeton’s Goetia, the Dead, and the Spirits of Place (Genii Loci). When we get to the Goety course, we’ll be doing some un-traditional conjurations of the spirits. It’s entirely reliant on the initiations and empowerments of the Archangels of the Spheres, and the Supernatural Assistant. I don’t want anyone taking the Goety Course who hasn’t 1) been through initiations into the ten Spheres and 2) attained something like K&CHGA. I’ll be taking your word for it because there’s no way to tell, and if you would lie about something like that, you deserve the torment you’ll likely be calling down on yourself.

      But someone like St. B. or Brother Stolowitz, people who have already performed extensive conjure magic are totally qualified and welcome to take the Goety Course. The spirits we’ll be conjuring in the Goety course are all Terrestrial. If you know what I mean, and are confident that Terrestrial Spirits aren’t any threat to you because you’ve worked with them before, then I’m not at all worried about you.

      But if you’re not comfortable cavorting with the demons of the Goetia, chances are good that the Hermetic Merkavah Course will give you the experience you need to feel at home conjuring and directing the forces of the Sublunar Realm. After you’ve stood in the presence of Archangels and receive the empowerments they offer, you’ll see the so-called “Demons” for what they are in the overall scheme of things.

      The Hermetic Merkavah Course is also the most spiritually transformative Course I’ll be offering. This is the Course that takes us through the Green Phase of the Work. We’ll be receiving intimate instruction in the subtle and gross manifestations of each Sphere in our lives. Weaknesses become strengths, emotional scars are healed, and the prime material of the Self undergoes extensive growth, crystallization, and passes through many shimmering colors as it realigns to the currents of the Spheres.

      This is the phase that brings the side-effects of the Work that manifest as the “Fruits of the Spirit,” or the “Gifts (Kerygma) of the Spirit” in the Bible. You may be more familiar with terms like “Psychometry,” or “Remote Viewing.” These are tricks that the spirits teach you directly, techniques of awareness-shifting that allow you to sense the hidden bits of creation directly.

      It’s going to be a fun course, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it manifests in people’s lives.

    • Hermetic Merkavah Update

      After talking it over a bit, I’ve changed the price of the Hermetic Merkavah course to $65. I was thinking that after 12 weeks, I’d be wishing I’d charged more when I priced it at $85, but in retrospect, it was probably just greed. Refunds will be issued to anyone who already purchased the course at the higher price. Sorry for any inconvenience.

      The “Buy Now” button on the right of the blog under  “RO Courses” has been updated and will now charge the appropriate amount.

      Lesson 1 is about ready to go, and I’m really itching to get started on the course as soon as possible. This one is going to be a lot of fun. We’ll be fleshing out the process I covered in the Modern Goetic Grimoire of receiving the initiations into each of the planetary spheres represented in the Magic Circle of the Lemegeton’s Goetia.