Do what
thou wilt shall be the whole of the law
In the Western mystery tradition there is often
a practice of setting space, through rituals of ‘banishing’ or of circle
casting. Many of these rituals, such as the Star Ruby, and Lesser Banishing of
the Pentagram also have a cosmological element. But how does this setting of space relate to
the individual who fills this space. In
many banishings there is an implicit or explicit centre, such as the casting of
the caim in traditional witchcraft, when the stang is placed at the centre of
the circle as the bile or world tree.
The term casting a caim comes from Celtic
Christianity in which Celtic Christians created space with a circle at which
they formed the centre. The physical casting of a circle and the reciting of
the caim was also a gesture of protection. An example of a Caim verse is as
follows:
Circle
Me Lord
Keep
protection near
And danger
afar
Circle
me Lord
Keep
hope within
And
doubt without
Circle
me Lord
Keep
light near
and
Darkness afar
Circle
me lord
Keep
peace within
Keep
Evil Without
May you
be a bright flame before me,
May you
be a guiding star above me,
May you
be a smooth path below me,
And a
loving Guide behind me,
Today,
tonight and forever.
I used to speak a variation of this when I worked and lived with
children with intellectual disabilities, and these words were spoken in a
circle before bed. To consciously stop and use such an affirmation is quite
something in strengthening a sense of centre. The term caim means enclosing or
encasing.
Another such affirmation is found in the lorica of St. Patrick.
Lorica is a latin word meaning breastplate (as in armour). A rendering of the breastplate
is as follows:
I arise today
Through a mighty
strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief
in the Threeness,
Through
confession of the Oneness
of the Creator
of creation.
I arise today
Through the
strength of Christ's birth with His baptism,
Through the
strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the
strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the
strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.
I arise today
Through the
strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience
of angels,
In the service
of archangels,
In the hope of
resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers
of patriarchs,
In the
predictions of prophets,
In the preaching
of apostles,
In the faith of
confessors,
In the innocence
of holy virgins,
In the deeds of
righteous men.
I arise today,
through
The strength of
heaven,
The light of the
sun,
The radiance of
the moon,
The splendor of
fire,
The speed of
lightning,
The swiftness of
wind,
The depth of the
sea,
The stability of
the earth,
The firmness of
rock.
I arise today,
through
God's strength
to pilot me,
God's might to
uphold me,
God's wisdom to
guide me,
God's eye to
look before me,
God's ear to
hear me,
God's word to
speak for me,
God's hand to
guard me,
God's shield to
protect me,
God's host to
save me
From snares of
devils,
From temptation
of vices,
From everyone
who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.
I summon today
All these powers
between me and those evils,
Against every
cruel and merciless power
that may oppose
my body and soul,
Against
incantations of false prophets,
Against black
laws of pagandom,
Against false
laws of heretics,
Against craft of
idolatry,
Against spells
of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every
knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul;
Christ to shield
me today
Against poison,
against burning,
Against
drowning, against wounding,
So that there
may come to me an abundance of reward.
Christ with me,
Christ before
me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath
me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my
right,
Christ on my
left,
Christ when I
lie down,
Christ when I
sit down,
Christ when I
arise,
Christ in the
heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the
mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every
eye that sees me,
Christ in every
ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty
strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief
in the Threeness,
Through
confession of the Oneness
of the Creator
of creation.
The above caim affirms space through the Christian God, and St.
Patrick’s lorica describes a truly Celtic Christianity, in which both the Gods
and the land are acknowledged. In many ways the lorica is also reminiscent of
something else, being the song of Amergin.
I am a
wind on the sea,
I am a
wave of the ocean,
I am the
roar of the sea,
I am a
bull of seven battles,
I am a
hawk on the cliff,
I am a
teardrop of sunlight,
I am a
gentle herb,
I am a
boar enraged,
I am a
salmon in a pool,
I am a
lake in a plain,
I am the
vigour of man
I am the
meaning of poetry,
I am a
spear on the attack (pouring forth combat),
I am the
god who fires your mind.
Who
lights the mountain's stony places?
Who
announces the ages of the moon?
Who
tells the place where the sun will set?
Who
calls the cattle from the Sea King’s house?
On whom
do the cattle of the Sea King smile?
Which
troop, which god takes a knife through gangrene?
Penalties
in a spear - enchantments of wind?
Aspects of this song of Amergin can also be
found in the Wesh Taleisin materials.
In a postmodern, and mostly post Christian age
words calling upon God and deity as the ultimate directing forces seem almost
empty. I do not arise in the strength of God, but in my own strength. Nietzsche
has declared that God is dead and Sartre has pointed to the fact that in an age
when old meanings are dead, that we must create meaning. I believe in myself,
in my self-determinism and in the law of Thelema as recognising these. Within
the Irish Order Of Thelema there has been an attempt to address the need for a
new expression of these old caims and loricas, appropriate to the time and
outlook of the age we live in, while still drawing on and respecting these
innovations as naturally evolving out of streams of historical practice. The
Order has thus devised a breastplate of thelema.
The Breastplate of Thelema
I Arise today in
a mighty Strength!
In the refuge of
Nuit!
By the light of
Hadit
With the
strength, force, vigour of Ra Hoor Khuit!
I Arise today
Through the rite
of Cath, to Freedom in Discipline!
Through the rite
of Fis, to purity of purpose!
Through the rite
of Blath, to prosperity in growth!
Through the rite
of Seis, to the ordered harmony of one with all!
Through the rite
of Mide, to secret source of the sacred Flame!
I Arise today,
individual and eternal!
In the balance
of elements, in the harmony of spheres.
In the Strength
of the New Law, and love under will.
I Arise today in
Light, in Life, in Love, in Liberty!
I Arise today through
the strength of Heaven,
The Light of
Sun, Brilliance of Moon,
Speed of
Lightening, Splendour of Fire,
Swiftness of
Wind, Depth of Sea
Stability of
Earth, Firmness of Rock
I Arise today
against Bonds of Ignorance!
Against
falsehood and restriction!
Against Fear and
weakness, inaction and apathy!
I Arise today
against interference or interruption!
Against deceits
of Slave Gods!
Against Unjust
Law of Old time past!
Against every
superstitious and tyrannical Power
that may oppose
the Welfare of the Human Race!
I Arise today
With my own
strength to pilot me
my own might to
uphold me
my own wisdom to
guide me
my own eyes to
look before me
my own ears to
hear for me
my own word
manifest within me
my own path
before me
Unto the
fulfillment of will!
The Light of
Hadit within me,
The Blue and
Gold of Nuit around me
The Red Flame of
Ra Hoor before me
True Brethren on
all sides of me
True courage
within me
Sacred ground
beneath me
One star above
me
Harmony on my
right
Battle on my
left
Prosperity
before me
Knowledge behind
me
Power in height
Power in breadth
Power in Depth
Thelema in the
Heart of everyone who thinks of me
In the mouth of
everyone who speaks of me
In the eye of
everyone who sees me
In the ear of
everyone who hears me
I Arise today in
a mighty Strength!
In the refuge of
Nuit!
By the light of
Hadit
With the
strength, force, vigour of Ra Hoor Khuit!
This
is a very special piece for me as it makes reference to both the Gods (Gods of
the self as Nuit, Hadit and Ra Hoor Khuit) and to the land through the provincial
qualities of the island. This affirmation through the powers of the provinces
also charts the journey of the initiate of the elemental cycle within the
Order. It also makes reference to ‘arising against’ tyrannical and limiting
forces, as a flip side to having freedom is opposing forces that will thwart
that right.
I
hope the evolution towards this modern lorica, which by all means can be used
as a fortifying affirmation, has been of some interest to my readers. One thing
which leads me to write this was a comment in a book I recently read about the
obsession with banishing to the extent that it almost cancels out invocatory work
with fortifying forces. Perhaps, like the caims and loricas of old, such a
piece could serve to protect and fortify, invoking the energies of the aeon and
the island.
I
finish with a recitation of the Breastplate
Love is the law,
love under will
This breastplate can be found on the Irish Order of Thelema website - www.irishorderofthelema.com
ReplyDeleteNOTE: Not from my pen, but personally very important