The Mysteries of Merlin

[ecosophia]

While we're discussing books and tracks in space...

A while ago, after I finished reverse-engineering the system of Druidical ceremonial magic I published in my book The Celtic Golden Dawn and had practiced it for a couple of years, I started exploring ways that I could apply that system to magical tasks other than the basic work of magical training -- the focus of the book just named. I didn't expect that to interface with another research project then (and still) under way -- the exploration of the origins of Masonic ritual begun in my book The Secret of the Temple: Earth Energies, Sacred Geometry, and the Lost Keys of Freemasonry -- but yeah, that's what happened. 

The results can be summed up very briefly under three heads. First, some evidence suggests that in late Roman Britain there was a local mystery cult, in at least two places, which worked with the myths and energies of a Celtic deity whose traditions come down to us in fragmentary and distorted form in the medieval legends of Merlin. Second, some evidence suggests that one form of that mystery cult, preserved in garbled form in the Scottish lowlands, ended up being reworked into the Master Mason degree of Freemasonry -- a degree which wasn't yet part of the Craft when Freemasonry went public in 1717, and which no one has been able to trace to a known origin. Third, it's possible to pick up the contacts of another form of that mystery tradition using the tools of Druidical ceremonial magic, and work them for their original purpose -- as a means of initiation. 

Of course that turned into a book. The Mysteries of Merlin is mostly about the third point just made -- it's a manual of self-initiation using the Merlin legends as a basis for eight seasonal ceremonies; yes, I've performed them, and yes, they work very well indeed.  I also discuss the other two points, and -- well, let's just say that brother Masons may be startled to discover the origins of the substitute Word each Master Mason gets on being raised to that degree. 

I'm far from finished plunging down that tangled warren of rabbit holes -- right now, for example, I'm exploring the possibility that a survival or revival of a medieval Grail cult may have played a significant role in the origins of modern fantasy fiction -- and the book that will lay all this out in more detail, The Ceremony of the Grail: Ancient Mysteries, Gnostic Heresies, and the Lost Rituals of Freemasonry, is still a heap of jumbled notes. The Mysteries of Merlin offers a progress report, though, and it's also a very solid system of magical self-initiation that anyone interested in Druidry or Celtic spirituality generally can use. If you're interested, copies can be preordered here. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I think you won the Write-Off. 😊

[ecosophia]

Nah, Walter B. Gibson is still way ahead of me. "Who knows what novels lurk in the typewriters of authors? The Shadow knows!"

;-)

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I wish good sales for your new book!

This post triggered a curious chain of associations in my mind. Have you ever heard of The Book of Dede Korkut? It is a collection of 12 stories written down around 14th century, but those stories originally come from oral bardic lore of Oghuz Turks (ancestors of the branch of Turks in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and some other places), stretching back centuries before their written form. In those stories, the main legendary character and storyteller Dede Korkut has a lot of similarities with Merlin. According to legends, he was an elderly magician (or shaman), soothsayer, and advisor of Turkish kings (khans) and tribal chiefs. The main Turkish protagonists in those stories are nominally Muslims, but they preserved some elements of their Pre-Islamic beliefs and shamanic practices, even centuries after their conversion to Islam. Mythical elements aside, there is a historical fact that a tradition of bards (called interchangeably "ozan", "aşık", or "abdal" in Turkish) that preserved the Pre-Islamic lore of Turks around the same centuries and mixed it with other neighboring religious elements (like Sufism, Zoroastrianism and ancient Anatolian Pagan beliefs), forming the foundations of Alevi-Bektashi faith which is still alive today. Since Celtic peoples had passed through a similar transformation into monotheism while retaining their ancient beliefs via bardic lore, Dede Korkut stories might be interesting for modern Druids and enthusiasts of Arthurian legend.

[ecosophia]

Hmm! Thanks for this. I've seen references to it but I've never had the chance to read it. I'll see if the library system here has a copy.

[(Anonymous)]

It is interesting how all of this builds on itself together.

First, The Coelbren Alphabet, and The Secret of the Temple, now this. Who knows what is in the future...

Fortunately this will not be a limited edition, I'm a bit tight on money now. Maybe I'll get a copy in April, things are slow here because of the year start recess. If the new editions of The UFO Phenomenon or Atlantis don't get out first, that is.

Thanks for this!

P.S.: you mentioned CGD. If someone is doing the course it, should it be finished first before taking the new book?

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome. No, you don't need to finish the CGD before working with this new book; it's arranged with Ovate, Bardic, and Druid level rituals, so you can start wherever you are.

[(Anonymous)]

I have a question about self-initiation: if it’s just me, myself, and I, into what am I being initiated?

[ecosophia]

Excellent. You've just asked one of those questions that leads into really interesting territory.

Initiation rituals in the modern Western world started out as initiations into groups -- the Masons, the Odd Fellows, or what have you. In the ancient world, by contrast, the mystery initiations started out as participations in seasonal festivals. What both traditions figured out over time is that taking part in initiation rituals brings about a degree of spiritual maturation that's hard to get in any other way. Once that discovery was made, in both traditions (and others as well), initiations started being designed to make that happen, and eventually rituals of self-initiation became common.

So you're being initiated into a state of expanded consciousness and self-knowledge, with the legends and symbolism of Merlin as the catalyst for that change.

[hwistle]

Looking forward to this! A couple of related questions John, if possible:

1. Is this a stand-alone book or would one be expected to have finished CGD beforehand?

2. More a thought than a question, really: the theme of the book springs to mind RJ Stewart's Merlin-based magical system (Way of Merlin, Merlin Tarot, etc). It's going to be very interesting to see what you've crafted with the same base material...

Waiting for Beltaine...

Manuel

[ecosophia]

1) It's a stand-alone book. You need zero background in the CGD to make use of it.

2) I worked extensively with that end of Stewart's teachings back in the day, and so he's in the acknowledgments as well as the bibliography. This is a different system, but his two books on the Merlin literature -- The Prophetic Vision of Merlin and The Mystic Life of Merlin -- are recommended reading for people who pursue this system of work. (Another is Nikolai Tolstoy's The Quest for Merlin; Tolstoy and Stewart between them were my introductions to the legends and traditions behind the pop-culture figure of Merlin.)

[robertmathiesen]

Fascinating! I am eager to see the whole picture that this rabbit warren will eventually yield.

As for your theory about the source of the Master Masson degree, one thing that has always puzzled me can serve as a minor point in support. This is the name "Hiram Abif" given to the architect of King Solomon's Temple. That form of his name (Abif or Abiff) comes from the English Bible (2 Chron. 2:13-14), but it is found only in the version of Miles Coverdale, and that version was only published between 1535 and 1553. After the latter year, all English printed Bibles contained other versions, which all had different forms of those verses, without the name "Abif." So there is a very long gap--more than a century and a half--between when Englishmen might last have heard "Abif" as the Bible was read aloud in Church (or elsewhere) and when Masons (so far as is known) began to speak of "Hiram Abif" in their rituals. How is that gap to be bridged? Your hypothesis of an older, non-Masonic ritual bridges that gap quite nicely.

[ecosophia]

Very true. And that, in turn, gives us the approximate time frame for when the proto-Master Mason degree was subjected to the process von Dechend and de Santillana call "guerrilla syncretism" -- the habit of using the nearest Christian (or Muslim, depending on location) equivalent for something that had been non-Christian, to evade persecution. Masonry is Scottish in origin, and in Scotland, guerrilla syncretism became a hard necessity with the coming of the Reformation.

Scots Catholicism, like its Irish cousin, seems to have ended up providing a certain amount of wiggle room for reverence for non-Christian powers, but once Protestantism arrived in force everything had to be crammed into a Christian mold -- and in the first major incursion (says Wikipedia), "The English supplied books and distributed Bibles and Protestant literature in the Lowlands when they invaded in 1547." So we've got a very nice confluence of historical data. The Master Masons degree had a different role before 1717 and, I argue, the main character in it had a different name -- or rather a different pair of titles, since nearly all the "names" we have for Celtic deities are actually titles instead.

[jpc_w]

So just to be clear, this book isn't a cabala book like Paths of Wisdom?

Also, is it tied to the Coelbren oracle, or will CDG geomancy be sufficient?

[ecosophia]

1) It's not a Cabala book. It does contain some material on the Tree of Life.

2) It doesn't use any divination system at all, so you can make use of whatever oracle you like in your spare time. It's a set of eight rituals which are done over the course of the year.

Too bad we don't have Merlin's body

[(Anonymous)]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jan/23/talk-like-an-egyptian-mummys-voice-heard-3000-years-after-death

Re: Too bad we don't have Merlin's body

[ecosophia]

You'll have to talk to Charles Dexter Ward about that. ;-)

[booklover1973]

At this opportunity, may I ask what the status of the Norse Golden Dawn project is?

[ecosophia]

I've been sufficiently swamped for the last six months or so that I haven't been able to do much with it. I'll be getting in contact with my coauthor shortly and seeing what we can do.

DMH

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds like a very interesting book!

Is it compatible with the Druid Magic Handbook?

Thank you:)

Re: DMH

[ecosophia]

It uses a different system of magic -- the system from The Celtic Golden Dawn -- but you can certainly adapt the workings to make use of the DMH system instead.

[(Anonymous)]

Love the cover art although with the tree of life so prominent it suggests that it’s a book mainly about the Cabbala.

Definitely on my to-read list!

So if I get it right then you can do these initiations alongside whatever other Druid work you’re doing like CGD, AODA, OBOD, ADF... is that right?

I notice that the paperback has 240 pages. Now, if it was any other author I wouldn’t pay attention, but it occurred to me that 3 (*the* Druidic number) x 10 (the number of Sephiroth) x 8 (the number of stations on the wheel of life) = 240
Coincidence? I don’t think so!

[ecosophia]

Yes, well, I don't have much say when it comes to cover art, you know.

The workings are designed to work with the CGD system, and I've experimented with doing them using AODA and OBOD ritual forms and gotten excellent results. ADF? I have no idea. In theory it should be fine, but I haven't practiced ADF's rituals for most of two decades and so haven't had the chance to check for compatibility.

[(Anonymous)]

Dear Archdruid,

much looking forward to this!

Also, the Druidic Order of the Pendragon dates back to at least the 1850’s according to Nick Farrel, though they claimed pre-roman - and they call their chief the “Merlin”. No idea if it is in any way related to the Freemasons or an interesting rabbit hole for your warren, but there you go!

And to offer some honest phraise: Truly, what you are producing for contemporary Druid Magic is without peer in quality and quantity, to my knowledge. Diolch yn fawr!

- Brigyn

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome and thank you. I'm pretty sure that at least in its modern form, the DOP is quite recent -- too many details from its initiation ritual are transparent references to material in a book published in 1989 -- but its earlier forms may well be older, and there were certainly documented Druid groups around in Britain and the US in the late 18th century.

[(Anonymous)]

"It's possible to pick up the contacts of another form of that mystery tradition using the tools of Druidical ceremonial magic, and work them for their original purpose -- as a means of initiation."

Astral contacts presumably?

[ecosophia]

Astral, mental, and spiritual.

[(Anonymous)]

Can I sneak in a question? (If I wait till 5 Feb or whenever it is I’ll forget.)

Cast your Druidly gaze upon this.

https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2020/01/bizarre-encounters-with-the-demons-that-come-at-night/

My question is, how come all those occult writers never mention banishing rituals? I imagine I read as many Wicca books as any other teenage girl in the ‘70’s read, and read a few as an adult (I like oddball topics) and I’d never heard of a banishing ritual till I started reading YOU. Why is banishing kept so secret?

[ecosophia]

Most "occult writers" know next to nothing about actual occultism. At most, they have a little background in pop-culture Neopaganism, or maybe they've read a New Age book or two. People who actually practice trad ceremonial magic have been talking about banishing rituals for decades, but they mostly write books for fellow practitioners.

Plague and pestilence

[(Anonymous)]

Completely off-topic but, since a couple of OT questions have already snuck in: any recommendations for defence against plague, pestilence, and disease? I have the mundane aspects covered (face masks & alcohol-based hand sanitisers), but these are running low, and the shops are all bare, so any extra occult ammunition would be appreciated!

Greetings from Beijing,

Bogatyr

Re: Plague and pestilence

[ecosophia]

Plenty of rest and some relaxation exercises will help -- stress weakens the immune system -- and your daily banishings will also help by minimizing astral and etheric contagion. Beyond that? Once each day pour a glass of water, use a banishing pentagram (or elemental symbol from the SoP) to purify it astrally, and then place your right hand over it. Visualize a beam of golden energy descending into the water and charging it, and feel the energy and the water as full of health and vitality. Maintain this visualization for as long as you can without losing focus, and then drink the water, being aware of the healing energy spreading through your body. That's a good basic healing working that most people can do.

[(Anonymous)]

Merlin legends contain a lot of allusions to telluric currents. I wonder if you will place more emphasis on telluric currents in your upcoming book than that is given in CGD system.

[ecosophia]

Not yet. Bringing telluric energies into the system requires some additional exercises, which are finishing up their developmental stage right now.

[(Anonymous)]

I guess if you're not trying to purify the water but want an energetic pick-me-up you could use the invoking form instead?

[ecosophia]

No, you still want to banish over the water to clear it of other energetic influences. If you want a pick-me-up, that's the intention you use when charging the water afterwards.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

This post reminded me of an article which proposes a single mythical pattern which underlies various Western initiatic systems. Here is the link of that article: http://pansophers.com/pansophy-secret/

cycles of ritual

[ritaer]

Just returned from a Pagan Studies conference in Claremont, CA. There I purchased a book on the Grange movement, _Spirit of the Grange: the Wisdom of Demeter_ by Ann Brigit Waters. It would appear that the Willits California, Grange is reviving the ritual cycle and bringing in new people. The book was self published by the author in 2016 for the 150th anniversary of the Grange. For non US readers I should explain that the Grange movement was one of farmers uniting for mutual aid. They created a lodge type structure with initiations, etc. influenced by Masonry. It was open to women on an equal basis. There are over 2000 active groups in 36 states. I haven't had a chance to read this book yet, but it looks quite interesting.


Rita

Re: cycles of ritual

[ecosophia]

Yes, the Grange is still out there and active, and it still admits women as well as men -- in fact there are four offices that must be filled by women, and none that must be filled by men. Sara and I both served terms as Worthy Master of North Side Grange #727, Seattle, WA, and we're both life members of the organization.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi JMG,

I have a question about one of your books that you mentioned above - The Secret of the Temple. When I read the chapter four (The Changing of the Gods), my mind deviated from the main topic for a while and wandered into a special point of time which was a subset of the historical interval that is covered in that chapter; namely the 6th century BCE. In that time interval, three great sages -Pythagoras, Lao Tzu and Buddha- revolutionized the spirituality of Europe and Asia, independently from each other. They resolved the polarity (or binary) between old polytheistic religions and relatively new dogmatic monotheism, by proposing absolute principles (such as "Monad" in Pythagoreanism, "Tao" in Taoism, and "Emptiness" in Buddhism) which transcend the anthropomorphic attributes of the deities in both polytheism and orthodox monotheism; kick-starting the roots of esoteric philosophy in its familiar form that we know of today. This is a very interesting synchronicity! What do you think are the main factors which caused the emergence of these three great sages at that particular moment (or short interval) of history?

[ecosophia]

There are times when it's very clear that history is shaped by spiritual as well as material factors, and that's one of them.

Saw thebook

[(Anonymous)]

Proof copy is on display in the Llwellyn hospitality suite at Pantheacon. Looks interesting.

Rita

[fox_mactavish]

Greetings! I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about the Ritual of the Octagram. Specifically about how you determined which Ray of the star should be associated with each sphere/ holiday?