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Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
An Introduction to the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
of the Esoteric Order of Dagon
Written for All Prospective Members
by AShT Ch0zar SSaratu'.'1103
Bill Siebert (as frater PVN) was a co-founder of Math of the ChRySTAL
HUMM, a Shamanic/Alchemical Thelemic Powerzone near Ithaca, NY.
As LA-BAJ-AL, Mage-&-Watcher, he is one of the 3 founding Sovereigns
of the Chthonic-Auranian OTO, a branch of the Ordo Templi Orientis
dedicated to exploration-&-union of the Dark/Light Mysteries of all ?onic
formul?.
As AShT Ch0zar SSaratu, Bill is the Alchemist-co?rdinator of the Mis
katonic Alchemical Expedition of the Esoteric Order of Dagon, a
Lovecraftian Mystery School descended from the Sirius mystery cults of
?gypt Babylon & Sumeria, by way of Gateways within creative individuals
who are capable of Dreaming the Mythos & making it accessable even to
those who do not believe their dreams to be real.
This paper is designed to acquaint prospective expedition members with
the work of the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition, including requirements
for affiliation with the Esoteric Order of Dagon.
The Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
The Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition is field-trip oriented R-&-D
community which operates within that sentient web of initiates known on
the outer as the Esoteric Order of Dagon (EOD). From my perspective, the
Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition operates hand-in-hand (perhaps tentacle-
in-hand may be a better euphemism) with the Chthonic-Auranian Branch of
the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO).
It is assumed that each applicant to the Miskatonic Alchemical Exped-
ition of the EOD is a functional Thelemite whose understanding/apprecia-
tion of the Mythos is based upon direct personal magickal experience with
outr? energies, not merely an academic interest in the literary genre of
weird fiction or a sociological/psychological interest in those who chan-
nel/advocate the Mythos. That is to say, each applicant is expected have
an understanding/appreciation of Will, Love, and personal responsibility
from a Thelemic perspective, be willing/able to put these precepts into
practice in his/her daily life, & be willing/able to function as a Thele-
mite within magickal community. Each applicant is further expected to
share on-going records of magickal workings, dream diaries, fiction,
essays, &/or evocative Art which demonstrates his/her vital connection
with the Mythos as a magickian or a mystic. Magick may be defined as
causing change in conformity with Will. Mysticism (in this context) may
be defined as a passive link with the Mythos which generates syncretistic
harmony &/or disolution into the Mythos itself.
Initiation into (or affiliation with) the Chthonic-Auranian OTO is by
no means mandatory for affiliation with the Miskatonic Alchemical
Expedition. Members of other branches of the OTO, as well as autonamous
Thelemites are welcome within the ranks of the Miskatonic Alchemical
Expedition. The Esoteric Order of Dagon does not require acceptance of
Liber AL vel Legis as a requirement for membership. The Miskatonic
Alchemical Expedition does, however, require that each of its expedition
members accept Thelema and live by the code of Will, Love, & Personal
Responsibility. Whether you accept the veracity of Crowley's channeled
writings is up to you -- concepts are important, not packaging!
I strongly urge all those interested in active participation in the
Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition to apply for membership into the EOD.
Although it is possible to work with the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
in the short-run without formal affiliation with the Esoteric Order of
Dagon, I do not recommend this course of action for the long-term. I find
that formal affiliation is synonymous with commitment. The on-going work
of the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition involves deep serious personal
commitment -- not only to the Great Work, but to the community in which we
work/play/grow/explore (both individually & collectively). Hangers-on
often become dead weights. We are building an ever-growing group gestalt,
whose food is a shared information base & an ever-evolving group
mythology. Personal Commitment to the group is a first step towards
formulating perfect love & perfect trust which is our primary sacrament.
The Focus of Our Work
From my perspective, the work of the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
is always evolving & does not really fit into neat categories. Chaos does
not lend itself to description in a linear essay format. Although I have
chosen to speak of the work of the Expedition as though it could be
separated into neat little boxes, such categorizations can be misleading.
Needless to say, the little boxes I portray are my own.
[I once had a vision of entering the abyss by a rear entrance. All of
the various gods, demons, angels, and other sundry beings were lounging
about playing poker, skiny-dipping in the great sea, and otherwise
enjoying each other's company. Then someone saw me & began shouting over
a PA system: "Qliphoth to your shells! God/desses to your Spheres!
Everybody get into your boxes!" -- In the abyss (as in this world)
everything overlaps. Neat boxes exist only in the minds of those who
choose to separate their life experience into categories.]
On an individual basis, members of Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition
utilize techniques of conscious dreaming, astral projection, & self-
induced trance states to explore the realms of dream, nightmare, &
vision. As we re-enter normal waking consciousness via the gateway at
Da?th <which (to me) typifies the energies of Herschel (Uranus)>,
expedition members focus their dream images into conscious awareness &
outward expression via Hod (writing, scientific/magickal technique, etc.)
or Netzach (Art, Music, etc.). It is within this realm that exploration
reifies personal initiation within the here-&-now.
On a group basis, members of Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition utilize
Shamanic (Netzachian) & Ceremonial (Hodian) magickal techniques to focus
their individual consciousness & the gestalt of the group itself thru
the astral gateway at Yesod and into the worlds of dream, myth, and
creativity. These expeditions are undertaken as group endeavors to
manipulate/explore the worlds of dream without the need to give-up waking
consciousness.
On the Dangers of Over-Specialization
It is my feeling (based on personal observation of my own imbalances &
much research over the past two decades) that over-emphasis on individual
exploration can lead to introversion & isolation which borders on the
pathological. A solitary magickian wakes-up alone. S/He becomes aware of
his/her inherent trans-dimensional nature apart from a community of
peers. S/He works the Path of the Hermit in order to tap-into his/her
initiated self. Adepts of this path progress rapidly to become Masters
of the inner planes, but often at the expense of being able to relate to
their fellow humans as anything other than tools for their personal trip.
For within the initiatory context of vision & dreamspace, everything is a
projection of the self outward (a diagnostic tool to speed integration of
personality) &/or a spirit sent to guide the initiate upon his/her path.
It is easy for a hermit to become an exalted adept --yea, even a God. But
(all too often) s/he is not able to perceive the initiation of others who
work analagous formul? of attainment. Smug superiority over his/her
magickal comrades coupled with fear/loathing/disdain of those whom s/he
considers to be mundane often limit the degree to which such individuals
are able to manifest their true natures in the here-&-now.
Aleister Crowley, Nicola Tesla, Austin Osmun Spare, and H.P. Lovecraft
all spring to mind as examples of initiates who woke-up alone. Each was
a genius. Each had a profound effect on the world I live in. Yet, each
was severly imbalanced in his relationships with other people. Tesla was
perhaps the most extreme. He could not tolerate being touched. He felt
it disturbed his subtle magnetic fields. He once moved a thousand miles
from his home simply because someone put his arm on Tesla's shoulder! Of
these 4, I feel that Crowley worked most diligently to balance his soli-
tary inner plane Workings with connection to community (being tapped-into
non-solitary sex magick probably helped a lot)! But in community, he act
ed as though he were the most advanced initiate on the planet. Based on
the number of people who moved in-&-out of his life, it would seem that
he was somewhat difficult to be around for protracted periods of time. He
surrounded himself with people whom he used as tools &/or endeavored to
re-form into images of himself. I learned a lot from Crowley. But, after
many years of being a Hermit, I am now working to balance my exalted Her-
metic initiations with group interactions within a community of magickal
peers.
On the other hand, I am finding that those who work almost exclusively
in community (Wo/Men of Earth) can also grow in an imbalanced manner. As
my personal experience with this formula is more limited than my hermetic
experience, I can more readily perceive the weaknesses of Wo/Men of Earth
than their strengths. The Hermit perceives the Universe as being a tool
for his/her personal initiation. Hermits are cosmic children. The Multi-
verse is their school & playground. Wo/Men of Earth are cosmic parents.
Sometimes they get so caught-up in being responsible that they seem to
have forgotten how to play.
When Hermits & Wo/Men of Earth clash, it is often over the role of
healing/nurturing. The Hermit wants to play games of initiation & create
heroic mythologies. The Wo/Man of Earth wants to play parent or healer.
There are times/places for games of high initiation, and times/places for
games of healing & nurturing. When these two currents work in balance,
everything is copacetic and magick flows on all levels. To me, the
positive interweaving of the magicks of the Hermit & the Wo/Man of Earth
create a space in which the godform of the Lovers can manifest.
Problems arise (from my perspective) when time/space has been set-aside
for initiatory game playing, and True initiation occurs. Under such cir-
cumstances, the flow of raw magickal power thru an unfolding gestalt can
sometimes be mis-perceived as a symptom of a disease process (e.g.,a
psychotic episode, life-threatening physical ailment, magickal attack,
etc), rather than as a positive initiatory experience. A Wo/Man of Earth
who is not able to tap-into his/her Hermetic godform has a very strong
tendency to intervene in a nurturing/healing way -- even when nurturing
intervetion could well be counter-productive to the Work-at-hand.
From my perspective, a gestalt is a functional magickal organism. Each
individual within that gestalt takes on specific function(s). Sometimes a
person will breathe as though s/he is hyperventilating, or somebody else
will stop breathing, altogether. Neither is dangerous. During one
initiatory experience, I stopped breathing for over an hour (timed by a
clock) without any serious repercussions other than a splitting headache
the following day. While in another gestalt, a very powerful Hermit was
work ing intimately with Fire. A Wo/Man of Earth attempted to intervene--
for she felt that the Hermit might hurt herself. The Hermit was self-
possessed enough to laugh at the Wo/Man of Earth, then pick up some hot
coals to demonstrate that she was able to care for herself -- magickal
reality was maintained!
But such a high degree of self-possession is rare, even among highly
skilled Hermits, when they operate in a group gestalt. Worry trips (no
matter how well-meaning) can throw me off-balance. I might have suffocat-
ed had I been surrounded by well-meaning nervous nellies who wanted to
rush me off to a hospital. The woman who handled fire could have been
seriously burned if her certitude faltered at the wrong moment. This is
why I have a much easier time manifesting paranormal phenomena in my
solitary work. As a Hermit, I have become quite used to clocks running
back wards, and seeing strange alien beings looking out at me from my
bathroom mirror.
[By the way, I became aware of paranormal manifestations years prior to
beginning my researches with psychoactive sacraments.]
In my opinion, a Wo/Man of Earth who is over-due for an extended
magickal retirement is real prone to ground the group's energy whenever
s/he feels threatened by feelings/thoughts/phenomena which clash with
his/her reality framework. In extreme cases, lack of emphasis on
individual personal development seems to manifest as an underdevelopment
of an individual's Hadit-Point, making him/her susceptible to major freak-
outs during group workings. I perceive freak-outs as being related to
feeling a loss of center when each individual Hadit-point merges into the
group gestalt.
If a freaked-out person gets sick (allergy attack, faints, etc.) &/or
projects his/her dis-ease outward onto an empathic receptor in the group
gestalt, the group energy is effectively re-focused from High magick to a
medical/psychological emergency, which (it would seem) is more normal to
some than the initiatory paranormal universe which I prefer to inhabit.
By dampening, stifling, or distracting group energy, the imbalanced
Wo/Man of Earth effectively limits/disperses exponential initiatory
growth which gestalt consciousness engenders, unless s/he can be brought
to balance by other members of the gestalt.
This is where I feel the Lover comes into play. Those who embody the
godform of the Lover are able to relate to both the Hermit and the Wo/Man
of Earth without losing center, and without becoming judgemental of where
the other person is coming from. A Lover is able to relate to each of
the wonders/joys/responsibilities/challenges of being a Hermit and of be
ing a Wo/Man of Earth -- without losing perspective on that which
transcends each separate task. A Lover is a Peacemaker who unites all in
Love under Will. Lovers are (from my perspective) a godform which
ameliorate the functioning of Hermits within community, and Wo/Men of
Earth within paranormal reality.
Mathew Henry once commented that peace is such a precious jewel that
he would give anything for it but truth. The godform of a Lover is some
times attempted by those who do not really understand what is like to be
a Hermit or a Wo/Man of Earth. In such an instance, the ersatz Lover may
attempt to smoothe things out, without really being able to catalyze
resolution. Such practices (in my experiences) lead to a fracturing of
community. To me, a Lover is functional as a balance-point between
Hermits & Wo/Men of Earth only insofar as s/he is able to relate to both
via personal experience, not just empathy.
I speak of Hermits, Lovers, and Wo/Men of Earth as though they are
separate beings. Such over-specialization (if it really existed) would
be ridiculous! I am working on all three grades --as is everyone I know.
The appropriate balance of Hermit, Lover, & Wo/Man of Earth within each
of us is a highly delicate & ever-evolving balance, which we explore and
fine-tune on an on-going basis. I encourage (& expect) each Expedition
member to work/play/explore with those individuals/groups he/she/they may
feel are appropriate, using whatever techniques he/she/they deem useful--
There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt!
Affiliation with the Esoteric Order of Dagon
We cannot initiate anyone into the Esoteric Order of Dagon. We do not
feel that initiation of this kind can be conferred from without --it em-
anates from within as the result of personal exploration & synthesis.
Initiation is a personal process of flowering/unfoldment. Initiation is a
side-effect of getting in-touch with one's self, and discovering/creating
relationships between one's self & the rest of the Multiverse. Although
the EOD does not confer initiation, we are willing (yea, even eager!) to
recognize initiates by the fruits of their labors --their magickal and
creative output.
If it is your will to seek affiliation with the Miskatonic Alchemical
Expedition of the Esoteric Order of Dagon, please send me a personal
letter stating your will in this matter. Let me know what you feel you
have to offer our group & what you are looking to get from your
association with us. Please include your biography (earth-plane as well
as magickal), along with any pertinent information about yourself & your
personal explorations which you are willing to share at this time. I
would really appreciate a recent photo of yourself, along with your birth
data (date/time/place). If you are involved (or have past affiliations)
with other magickal groups (local/regional/international), please tell me
of your experiences with them insofar as you are able without violating
any confidentialities or oaths of secrecy.
Acceptance into the Esoteric Order of Dagon requires some form of
evidence of your activity in the Great Work. Evidence can include any/all
of the following: samples of your dream record, records of Magickal Work
ings, essays on magickal technique/philosophy, creative magickal fiction
&/or Art (or photographs of your Art) which demonstrate your connection
with the Mythos. Those who are new to communicating their visions may
find it useful to use fiction as a vehicle of expression.
Dream fragments which provide detailed description of rituals, alien
beings, bizarre settings, &/or actual text (words or artwork) from astral
books or manuscripts are particularly useful to other dreamers. But even
brief fragments of dreams can sometimes provide a key word or image which
another dreamer is seeking. If your artform does not lend itself to writ-
ten or pictorial evidence, please discuss your work with me. Together I
am sure that we can come up with some method for you to demonstrate your
activity in the Great Work.
At present, the existence of the EOD is somewhat in question. Some
years ago when I dropped out of contact with Soror Azenath of R'yleh
lodge, the protocol for new members was straightfoward. Since then,
Soror Azenath has turned-over conrol to a lodge in England <whose name I
am not at liberty to divelge>, which has in turn gone silent upon the
outer due <I am told> to political harassment of esoteric Orders in
Britain.
The Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition operates under a charter which
preceeds the <now silent> British lodge's sanction. We seek contact with
other EOD members who operate without benefit of a central clearing-house
as well as those alchemist-dreamers whose path leads them to the EOD for
the first time. Although the EOD is not functioning on the outer thru
the auspices of our Brittish lodge, we of the Miskatonic Alchemical
Expedition invite your cooperation and participation in Thelemic/Love-
craftian/Shammanic aspects of the Great Work.
Neither the EOD nor the Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition charges dues
or initiation fees. You are expected to pay only for those goods & serv-
ices which you specifically request. Donations to help pay for postage
&/or to support our on-going publishing projects are always welcome. As
material flows into the Expedition library, I will make it available to
other Expedition members who request them. We encourage expedition
members to submit material to the Black Moon Archives.
To paraphrase Robert Anton Wilson, information can only be communicated
among equals. The Miskatonic Alchemical Expedition is based upon co?per-
ation & sharing of information. I am asking you to submit personal infor-
mation to me for evaluation. It is only fair that I make my material
available to you. Elsewhere on this bbs are probably other files which
pertain to the work at hand. To view a greater breadth of my work, write
to Black Moon Archives, Box 19469, Cincinnati, OH, 45219-0469 for a
complete listing of all their archive material. Black Moon has a file of
magickal papers by dozens of contemporary magickians, including hundreds
of pages by me <listed under PVN and other pseudonoms> -- much of it
un-edited un-expurgated raw diary material. Black Moon will send you
copies of any/all of their material for 12? per pg plus shipping.
New and newly revised material of mine will also appear on
Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral (504) 891-0693 and other fine bbs's.
Immortalist Copyright
This essay is produced under Immortalist Copyright.
We who plan to live forever live by a set of rules which transcend
common law and mundane morality.
We who live outside of law are, by neccessity, honest.
I freely give permission for anyone to reprint this essay
<in whole or in part> so long as this c/r notice remains appended.
If you find the ideas contained herein to be of value,
feel free to reprint this document,
or use my ideas in whatever way you will.
I plan on living forever.
All energy exchanges eventually balance.
If it be your Will to support this work,
I appreciate your feedback.
Comments/suggestions/ideas feed my evolution.
I especially value emanations of your personal experience.
I also value financial contributions, both large & small.
Get back to me (PVN) via my mailbox on
Mumbo Jumbo Kathedral (504) 891-0693
or write me at PO Box 56667,
New Orleans LA 70156-6667
PVN
NOTICE
As of the thirty-first of October 1992 e.v.,
the `Um-Ur-Atwiel / Shub-Niggurath lodge
of the Estoteric Order of Dagon
is opened under the auspices of
frater AShT Ch0zar SSaratu '.' 1103 and soror AShTRT-`g-PAR '.' 703
All aspirants and members of the E.O.D. in the New Orleans area
interested in explorations of a Chthonic nature
are sincerely invited to contact:
PVN or Lilith via E-mail on
Mumbo Jumbo Jumbo Kathedral (504) 891-0693
or write PO Box 56667,
New Orleans, LA. 70156-6667
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