NOX a night soul-journey

NOX A NIGHT SOUL-JOURNEY

NUIT’S VEIL COVEN DARK CIRCLE COLLECTIVE

“nocturnal and forgotten powers

womb of space

the void

nadir of dreams

and the way of trance

in the whirling dance of the mercurial djinn

in deserts of solitude

something comes

in the silence

psyché

what is written in the sands?”

by Ozpagan

“Make open the way for my soul,

my spirit, and my shadow,

for I am equipped

so that I might shine forth

as an equipped one [ie one who is whole],

make open the way for me

to the place where

Ra, Atum, Kheperi, and Hathor are.”

From the Stele of Ankh-af-na-khonsu.

Liber AL vel Legis

NOX A NIGHT SOUL-JOURNEY

Introduction

There are times in our lives when all external wisdom fails and the only way forward is to discover a new path and new strengths within the Self. This is when we know we are ready for change and we can confidently undertake the journey of Initiation.

The NOX ritual is a reconnecting bridge across a desert where pieces of ourselves lay disconnected, lost and forgotten. The ritual is a passport to the retrieval of knowledge of the soul and our destiny. It can provide us with the tools that will enable us to undertake a crossing of this desert as a necessary step toward selfinitiation and retrieval of personal power.

In indigenous cultures it is usually the shaman who undertakes initiation of these types. Using vision quests and spirit journeys these soul-journeys frequently entail the undergoing of ordeals before the shaman can serve their cultures in the role of a spiritual leader. In the old European cultures this role of spirit men and women was undertaken through the eyes of the witch, wizard and warlock, the seers into the dark, those who used magick to shape and navigate their psychic journeys. Using the techniques of dream-incubation, a renewed vision of soul will carry us through the psychic experiences of the NOX ritual.

Outline

In practical terms the NOX ritual is performed as trance-dance ritual, combined with visualisation and mantra for the purpose of personal initiation through visions. The ritual blends meditation and the creation of a transpersonal sacred place with an energetic form of ritual Magick involving the whirling dances of the Sufi and a drummed rhythms of Zaar trance.

The objective of this ritual practice is to assist participants to enter an inner, nocturnal world by combining the progressive stages of meditation, mantra, visualisation, ritual, dance and trance. The practicum builds on a widening depth of experience in self-exploration and a reconnection to the forgotten powers of the psychic reality.

Experiences may manifest through a great variety of spontaneous psychic forms. These can including clairvoyance experienced as both precognitive and pastlife recall. Also deeply intuitive insights in the meaning of reality, and even the transpersonal, sometimes called Samadhi; this is a deep meditative trance state in which the mind becomes still and enters an awareness of the present moment and meaning of the infinite.

When we open ourselves to the NOX somnium, we may enter an initiation that passes us through the four archetypes of Nuit as the infinite possibility, Hadit as the one-pointed finite reality, Babalon as the joy of embodied incarnation, and Therion as the power of embodied incarnation.

"In the whirling dance of the mercurial djinn."

THE RITUAL

Outline of the Ritual There are six steps to the rite: 1. the Meditation, 2. the Mantra, 3. the Visualisation, 4. the Rite, 5. the Dance, 6. the Trance.

The ritual always takes place at night and preferably in a large open area. All lights are extinguished except for one candle-lantern. This should be masked so that no direct light will distract the ritualists and placed either near or upon the ritual pantacle. The ritual commences with the contemplation of the NOX pantacle (an example of which is in the header of these pages). The pantacle acts as a mandalagateway, or opening into our minds, the expanse of the Night within.

Next the mantra is chanted. While still focusing upon the pantacle, the ritualists use the mantra to invoke the energies of NOX. This induces a light trance in preparation for the visualisation.

Next the guided visualisation is read or recited slowly and in a low voice. The visualisation describes to the ritualists the psychic space where the ritual is to be performed. The ritual that then follows requires a dynamic Principal to take the part of Anubis, as the ‘psycho-pomp’, the guide of souls. In the final stage of the rite a dynamic whirling dance is performed for the purpose of entering into deep trance. It is the role of the principle ritualist who leaps first through the psychic dark circle and into the uncharted realms.

Finally, at this point, the whirling Sufi dances are accompanied by the Zaar rhythms beaten out upon drums, rattles and gong, assisting participants into an altered state of consciousness. Gradually all the ritualists and participants will fall into trance and the lights are drowsy so that everyone is completely immersed in darkness.

After, when the psycho-pomp feels it is time to return, a light is rekindled and a repeat of the centering ritual is performed..

A detailed instruction of the rite follows.

LIBER PRIMARIUS

Nuit the great archetype of Night.

An intimation of the philosophical stance of the Dark Circle Collective.

Dark Circle Collective encourages the development of a personal philosophy through magickal experience. Consequently, the Collective has no dogmatic position and offers a personal interpretation of magickal ideals.

Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law

Behind Nature we acknowledge the existence of an Eternal Metaphysical force. This force has Dark and Light aspects, both of which are equally valid. These aspects manifest in the great variety of Gods, Goddesses, Demons, Angels, Archons and the like; names change according to culture and tradition. Nature is the outer form of this Force and hence all matter is to be considered sacred, nothing is profane. Evil is ignorance and has no metaphysical reality. The aim of existence is to achieve Self Knowledge. Self Knowledge or Initiation can be achieved through a wide variety of spiritual technologies, of which Sorcery, Witchcraft, Magick, Hermeticism and Shamanism are examples. Ritual Initiation is simply the acknowledgment of personal experience.

Love Is The Law Love Under Will.

Authorised by the Dark Circle Collective.