The Grimoire of Vokaor

The Grimoire Of Vokaor By Katara Zunmir The Grimoire of Vokaor 2010 First Printing © Katara Zunmir All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or reprinted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission from the author, with the exception that the full and unadulterated PDF version may be freely distributed. To contact the author for permission or with questions, send email to owlspirit@owlspiritsnest.com. Acknowledgements I want to thank my husband, Jason, who greets my weirdest ideas with the phrase “How can I help?” He contributed greatly to the Primal Grid, and in general keeps the ground beneath my feet from turning to quicksand when I’m not looking. I want to thank Tom and Laura Crepeau, Patty Sobel, and Nancy Cotton, for their help with developing this grimoire. They variously contributed to elements of the Primal Grid and provided an overall (in)sanity check, including pointing out a few spots with rather large holes. They’ve also been friends through thin and thick, and downright weird. Dedication I dedicate this grimoire to everyone who has stepped off the common road to walk the Unknown Path, to my teachers who have delivered wisdom and the occasional clue-by-four, and my Honored Dead, Bobbie Bosworth, Rosemary Kooiman, and Bill Wauschek. The Grimoire of Vokaor Contents Introduction................................................................................................... 1 Creation ......................................................................................................... 3 Primal Grid..................................................................................................... 5 Correspondence ............................................................................................ 8 Primals ....................................................................................................... 8 Void ......................................................................................................... 10 Chaos ....................................................................................................... 11 Order ....................................................................................................... 12 Energy ...................................................................................................... 13 Matter...................................................................................................... 14 Consciousness ......................................................................................... 15 Archetypes/Deities ...................................................................................... 16 Void ......................................................................................................... 16 Chaos ....................................................................................................... 16 Order ....................................................................................................... 16 Energy ...................................................................................................... 17 Matter...................................................................................................... 17 Consciousness ......................................................................................... 17 Rituals .......................................................................................................... 18 Creating a magic circle in Vokaor ............................................................ 18 Closing a magic circle in Vokaor .............................................................. 18 Primal Pillar Center/Cleansing ................................................................. 19 Lightning Bolt Banishing .......................................................................... 21 X-Blast ...................................................................................................... 22 Daily Observance ..................................................................................... 23 Sample Ritual: Job Change ...................................................................... 23 Sample Ritual: Focus and Energize for Goals .......................................... 24 Meditations ................................................................................................. 26 Journey Through the Primals .................................................................. 26 Void Meditation ...................................................................................... 27 Chaos Meditation .................................................................................... 27 Order Meditation .................................................................................... 28 Energy Meditation .................................................................................. 28 Matter Meditation .................................................................................. 28 Consciousness Meditation ...................................................................... 28 Tools ............................................................................................................ 29 Divination .................................................................................................... 31 Additional Information................................................................................ 33 Symbol Usage .......................................................................................... 33 Spelling and Pronunciation Guide ........................................................... 35 Appendix: An Idea of Connectivity.............................................................. 37 Connect the Dots .................................................................................... 37 Great Web ............................................................................................... 38 Reincarnation .......................................................................................... 38 Nature of the Nodes ............................................................................... 39 Application to Magic ............................................................................... 40 Notes on the Appendix ........................................................................... 40 Glossary ....................................................................................................... 41 Vokaor Grimoire 1 Introduction I've been doing magic for about 11 years. At the beginning, it was mostly things like candle magic, since my introduction to magic was through my introduction to Wicca. Eventually, I also did some work with ceremonial magic, runes, sigils and chaos magic, as well as research into any number of things. Somewhere early on, I read The Magician's Reflection by Bill Whitcomb. It presented the idea that, not only does a magical system not have to purport to be a thousand years old, there are steps to creating your own system. I've since run into other books that talk about creating your own magical system (Stealing the Fire from Heaven by Stephen Mace being a good one) and so the bits and pieces have run through my head time and again. Why create my own system? (The smartass part of me says "why not?"). Whitcomb mentions that one of the problems with old systems is that we don't necessarily have the same cultural context to work from as the magicians of hundreds or thousands of years ago. In those cases we need to learn context as well as the magical system. When we create our own systems, we are still doing a fair amount of work, but the context (and therefore relevance) is more applicable to the here and now. Besides, I occasionally like letting my creativity run amuck. I wanted to begin at the beginning, to make a magical system that didn't rely on any specific currently existing paradigm, such as the five classical elements, nor was based within a known mythology, such as the Elder Futhark, for the purpose of both exploring what may have fallen inbetween the cracks in those systems and to challenge myself and others to not only think outside the box, but to start before the concept of boxes. In my mind, this required:  beginning with a cosmology (as described in the opening section on Creation)  manufacturing building blocks for the system (the Primals, including their associated meanings and symbols)  combining those blocks and exploring how they could be used magically (the Primal Grid and most of the grimoire) Vokaor Grimoire  2 exploring how that cosmology might be used to interpret the world around us (Appendix A). Vokaor (Void, Kaos, Order) is a work in progress, as any useful system (or magician) should be. Any updates will become available via http://www.owlspiritsnest.com. I would be interested in feedback, changes, additions to the system and can be contacted through the same website. Vokaor Grimoire 3 Creation First, there was the Void. Nothing of nothing, and that’s all there was. After some uncountable time, as there was no measurement of time or concept of time or anything to have the thought of time, tension built up in the Void and a ripple snapped across it, like a muscle held too tight that jerks to relax itself. That ripple was Chaos. Other ripples followed and Chaos flowed in the Void. Chaos bumped into Chaos and combined and Order was formed. Chaos grew and changed and formed Energy. Order grew and changed and formed Matter. Chaos and Order met in the Void and intertwined and became the Spark which is Consciousness. These all continue to exist, to change and grow in many forms: Void, Chaos, Order, Energy, Matter, and Consciousness. They come together and pull apart, ebb and flow and interact. Those we think of as deities have more Energy and Consciousness and less Matter than those we think of as human. Vokaor Grimoire 4 The arrows in this Creation Map show the direction of how the Primals were originally formed. This does not restrict their continued relationship. Instead, think of the relationships as two-way paths. The numbers in the diagram match the order in which the Primals are mentioned in the Creation story and match the numbers listed in the Primals Correspondence chart . Vokaor Grimoire 5 Primal Grid The Primal Grid shows the six Primals in combination. The columns show the major Primal and the rows show the minor (or secondary) Primal. Each cell in the table describes the application of the minor Primal to the major one. For example, Chaos applied to Consciousness can be seen as confusion or indecision (a chaotic mind). Consciousness applied to Chaos, on the other hand, produces mysticism. Another way to look at it is that the Primal listed at the top of the column is a larger portion of the mix than the Primal named at the left of the row. For a description of the Primal Grid possible combinations, see the section on Symbol Usage. The actual values in the Grid were obtained by a mixture of deduction, intuition, meditation, and inspiration on the part of myself, my husband, and several friends. The letters were assigned to the elements in the Grid using a random method, with the exception of the vowels. As vowel sounds are made without tongue touching teeth, it seemed sensible to assign those to combinations involving Void. See the description of the Void meditation for a bit more information. The symbols shown in the second Grid were created in a light trance state. Some are more pictographic in nature, having some resemblance to a physical representation related to the meaning of the Primal combination, while others are more abstract and were pulled from somewhere deeper in my subconscious. For example, the symbols on the row of Matter represent clouds and wind (Matter applied to Void), a dipper holding water (Matter applied to Chaos), a crystal (Matter applied to Order), a flame (Matter applied to Energy), mountains (Matter applied to Matter), and the individual spirit contained within a form (Matter applied to Consciousness). Vokaor Grimoire Primal → Seconda ry ↓ Void Chaos 6 Void Chaos Order Energy Matter Consciousn ess I (as in kite) Potentiali ty Darkness Silence Unknown O (as in pop) Ethereal plane Ā (as in hay) Destruction Creation Ē (as in sleep) Creation Ō (as in pope) Unlimited capacity Black hole Ū (as in cube) Hidden things Dark matter Ah (as in hah) Limitless being M Change Uncontroll ed Growth Cancer Sh Cycles Ebb and flow Tides S Growth Creativity Fertility Abundance N Stasis, Stability Stagnation Determinism Physical structures Immobility Inertia W Magnetic field Attraction T Quantum field Magic K Conflict Power Force Protection Ñ Man-made objects Manifestati on H Confusion Indecision J Motion Travel D Ethereal spirit Ghost Personal connection with deity Connection between individual spirits Capability for thought Manifestation L Individual spirit, soul Order Uh (as in pup) Planetary systems Energy Eh (as in set) Expansio n Dark energy Exploration V Emotion Explosion Big bang Life force beginning (lightning striking the sea) Matter A (as in cap) Air Wind, sound, vibration I (as in him) Zen nomind, nothingness Meditation B Water F Crystals Y Fire Th (as in earth) Earth X Mysticism Psychic abilities P Fundamentali sm Rigidity Organization R Masculine principle Generative life Z Feminine principle Corporeal life Consciousness G Communicati on Learning Frequencies and spectrums Effort Time Thh (as in breathe) Electricity Plasma Ch Wisdom Knowledge Logic Teaching Mathematics Ha Deity Vokaor Grimoire Major → Minor ↓ Void Chaos Order Energy Matter Consciousness Void 7 Chaos Order Energy Matter Consciousness Vokaor Grimoire 8 Correspondence Primals Category Void Chaos Order Energy Matter Consciousn ess Greek Philosophi cal Creation1 Direction Chakra Darkness Chaos Night Day Erebus Air Above Crown (7th chakra) West Heart (4th chakra) North Throat (5th chakra) South 2nd and 3rd Below Root (seat or feet) Deity Iikanar Mayvtohx Uneenchuf Thabñyz Flavor Hunger, bland Black, white Citrus Salty Sweet Sour, lime Olive green, aqua 1 Ahh 10:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Day the sun enters Scorpio. Approx. October 23. Maroon, russet Thhgewo r 2 Cinnamo n Blue, red East Third eye (6th chakra – being connected to all other life forces), 3rd chakra (sentience) Haxchadi Green, brown, yellow White, purple 3 Aye 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Day the sun enters Pisces Approx. February 18. 4 Oh 6:00-10:00 p.m. 5, 99 U 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Day the sun enters Virgo. Approx. August 23. Day of the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year). Day the sun enters Cancer. Approx. June 21. Symbol Color3 Number Sound Time4 0 Eye 2:00-6:00 a.m. Celebration Night during the Winter Solstice (longest night of the year). Sun enters Capricorn . Approx. December 21. 2 Eee 6:00-10:00 a.m. Day the sun enters Taurus. Approx. April 20. Vokaor Grimoire 1 9 Based on one of the Greek creation myths, as described in The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. “Some say that Darkness was first, and from Darkness sprang Chaos. From a union between Darkness and Chaos sprang Night, Day, Erebus and the Air.” 2 Note that “thh” is pronounced like the “th” in “these”, not like the “th” in “earth” 3 Russet comes from determining the color for the number 12345678. Maroon is the middle color in the spectrum (based on hex numbers for colors). Aqua is the color for the number 3141592 (pi without the decimal). Olive green is opposite maroon on color charts. Yellow is associated with earth in tattvas. 4 Times are given for a day with 6:00 a.m. sunrise and 6:00 p.m. sunset (the equinoxes). Sunset and sunrise are actually the dividing times, with each Primal’s time period adjusted to more or less than 60 minutes, so that the three daylight Primals have an equal amount of time and the nighttime Primals have an equal amount of time. Vokaor Grimoire 10 Void Primal Pair Void of Void Void of Chaos Void of Order Void of Energy Void of Matter Void of Consciousness Phoneme I A E O U Ah Primary Meaning Potentiality Destruction Creation Unlimited capacity Hidden things Limitless being Additional Meanings Darkness, Silence, Unknown Creation Destruction Black hole Dark matter Color black red White black gray Symbol lavender Vokaor Grimoire 11 Chaos Primal Pair Chaos of Void Chaos of Chaos Chaos of Energy Chaos of Matter M Chaos of Order S T K Chaos of Consciousness H Pho-neme O (as in pop) Ethereal plane Akashic record Violet Change Growth Quantum field Power Confusion Uncontrolled Growth Cancer Dark red on Dark green Creativity Magic Force Indecision Green Lavender on bronze Maroon Gray Symbol Primary Meaning Additional Meanings Color Vokaor Grimoire 12 Order Primal Pair Order of Void Order of Chaos Order of Order Order of Energy Order of Matter Order of Consciousness Ch Phoneme Uh Sh N G Ñ Planetary systems Planets, stars, meteors, orbits Cycles Stability Communicati on Man-made objects Wisdom Ebb and flow, Tides Learning, Frequencies and spectrums, Time Work, constructi on, crafts Yellow and red Sea green Stasis, Stagnation, Determinism, Immobility, Inertia brown orange Steel blue, iron gray Knowledge, Logic, Teaching, Mathematics yellow Symbol Primary Meaning Additional Meanings Color Vokaor Grimoire 13 Energy Primal Pair Energy of Void Energy of Chaos Energy of Order Energy of Energy Thh Energy of Matter J Energy of Consciousne ss D Phoneme Eh V W Primary Meaning Expansio n Emotion Attraction Electricity Motion Ethereal spirit Additional Meanings Dark energy, Exploration Explosion, Big bang, Life force, beginning (lightning striking the sea) Magnetic field Plasma Travel All shades of blue Pink Bright white, electric blue Light green Ghost, Personal connection with deity, Connection between individual spirits, Capability for thought Indigo Color Dark red Symbol Vokaor Grimoire 14 Matter Primal Pair Matter of Void Matter of Order a Matter of Chaos B Phoneme F Matter of Energy Y Matter of Matter Th Matter of Consciousnes s L Primary Meaning Air Water Crystals Fire Earth Individual spirit Additional Meanings Wind, sound, vibration # yellow # Counting, pendulums # # soul Blue Translucent white Red Brown, green Purple Symbol Color # Typical Western magical tradition associations for earth, air, fire, and water apply. Vokaor Grimoire 15 Consciousness Primal Pair Consciousn ess of Void Conscious ness of Chaos Consciousnes s of Order Consciou sness of Energy Consciousness of Matter Phoneme i X P R Z Primary Meaning Zen nomind Mysticism Fundamental ism Masculin e principle Feminine principle Additional Meanings nothingness, meditation Light blue Psychic abilties Rigidity, Organization Generative life Corporeal life lavender Olive green Gold Silver Consciousness of Consciousness Ha (exhaled breath ) Symbol Color Deity All colors, rainbow Vokaor Grimoire 16 Archetypes/Deities Each of the Primals has an archetype or deity that represents and manifests the power of the Primal. The description of the nature and visible manifestation of each archetype was developed through meditation on the Primal and then modified based on further meditations on and conversations with the deities. The names were derived via random methods, with the adjustment that the initial sound is based on the letter associated with the Primal in the Primal Grid. Void The archetype of Void is sexless, cloaked in shadow and hard to see. The voice echoes and the eyes are gray, peering out from the dark. The name is I k Q n Q r (pronounced Iikanar). Iikanar is the most enigmatic of the archetypes, the most foreign, as a true and complete void can’t be experienced by human beings. Chaos mAvtohx The archetype of Chaos is (pronounced Mayv-tohx) or Mayvtohx, who is also a trickster and chameleon. Sex, features, clothes and all aspects of appearance are subject to change, although there are two preferred manifestations. The first is female, lithe and strong, with purple eyes, goth/punk attire, and large, black, feathered wings. This incarnation is more closely tied to that which destroys in order to create. When in this appearance, Mayvtohx may be known as Mayv. The second is a young man with bright yellow, spiky hair and mismatched clothes of bright colors. This is the avatar that most encourages people to try new and different experiences, but he is also likely to be perceived as a troublemaker or trickster. When in this appearance, Mayvtohx may be referred to as Tohx. Order unEnCf The archetype of Order is called (pronounced Uneenchuf). The Master of Order has aspects of a king, of Jupiter, and of Vokaor Grimoire 17 Capricorn, an administrator and organizer. He appears as a male with brown hair and eyes. He is about 7 feet tall and well-built. He makes an imposing figure. Uneenchuf is impeccably dressed in a dark blue suit, white shirt and tie. The tie has clockfaces on it, showing that Uneenchuf is the creator of time. Energy The Lord of Energy has control of electricity and fire and all manifestations of energy. He has a slight, electric blue, tinge to his skin and has bright red hair. His eyes are pale blue. He has a lithe and muscular body and dresses in yellow, orange and red. He is enthusiastic, extroverted, and changeable in his interests and desires. He can manifest fire, electricity, lightning, etc. at will. His name is Thhgewor. ZgewOr (pronounced Thh-gew-or) or Matter TabNyz The archetype of Matter is (pronounced ThahbÑyz) or Thahbñyz, and is female. Her skin is black and she smells like warm, fertile soil. Her hair is dark green and her eyes are silver. She is naked, except for her jewelry. She wears necklaces and bracelets made of many materials. Her jewelry includes items made from stone, metal, clay, and plastic, as matter both “natural” and “man-made” fall under her purview. She can manifest physical items at will. Consciousness HxCQdi The archetype of Consciousness is called (pronounced HaXChaDi) or Haxchadi, and is both sage and priestess. She is a mature woman with emerald green eyes and long dark hair peppered with gray. She has a mature but strong body. She wears flowing robes of purple and carries a staff. Vokaor Grimoire 18 Rituals Creating a magic circle in Vokaor 1. Stand in the center of the room, facing east. Hold your arm out, palm out. Draw the sign for Void, then draw the circle (all casting is done deosil) while saying “First, there was the Void. Nothing of nothing and that’s all there was.” 2. Take up incense or something else to represent Chaos. Draw the sign for Chaos, then draw the circle while saying “In the Void, a ripple occurred, and Chaos was formed.” 3. Take up a crystal or something else to represent Order. Draw the sign for Order, then draw the circle while saying “And Chaos bumped into Chaos, and Order was formed.” 4. Take up something to represent Energy. Draw the sign for Energy, then draw the circle while saying “Chaos grew and changed and formed Energy.” 5. Take up salt or dirt to represent Matter. Draw the sign for Matter, then draw the circle while saying “Order grew and changed and formed Matter.” 6. Take up a candle to represent Consciousness. Draw the sign for Consciousness, then draw the circle while saying “Chaos and Order met in the Void, intertwined, and formed the Spark which is Consciousness.” 7. Draw the sign for all the Primals together (Vokaor) and say “Everything that is or is not comes from these Primals. I declare this space as a place of all and nothing, where everything is possible. It is so.” Closing a magic circle in Vokaor 1. Walk Consciousness candle back around the circle (widdershins) and put it out when the circle is complete. Begin circle by saying “Consciousness sleeps.” 2. If a bowl of earth or salt was walked around, crumble some and say “Matter dissolves.” Vokaor Grimoire 19 3. If incense or something was used to represent Energy, walk it around again and put it out at the end. When you begin the circle, say “Energy disperses.” 4. If a crystal was walked around the room to represent Order, pick it up again and walk it around the circle. Begin the circle by saying “Order falls back to Chaos.” 5. Walk the circle widdershins, putting out incense or candle at the end of the circle. Begin the circle by saying “Chaos becomes Order.” 6. Walk the circle one last time, with palm facing out. Begin the circle with “The Void is, and is Not.” 7. “This place is now normal space. The Primals are and always will be. Take that knowledge with you.” Draw the Vokaor symbol. “It is so.” NOTE: Alternative to carrying around one item that represents each Primal is to have some number (perhaps 6 for each) of some item to represent each Primal and to place those items around the room when walking the circle to create the space. When closing the space, pick up the items as the circle is walked widdershins. Possible items to use with this approach include: Void – always walk the circle for Void empty-handed Chaos – six different items (crystal, coin, incense, toy, stick, bit of silly putty, as possibilities) Order – quartz crystals Energy – AAA batteries Matter – rocks Consciousness – candles (alternative is to have 6 candles around the room and light them and put them out as appropriate) Do not mix methods. Either carry a single item around for each Primal or place objects around for each Primal. Primal Pillar Center/Cleansing Similar to the Kabbalistic Middle Pillar or the beginning section of the Gnostic Pentagram Ritual (from which this has been adapted), the purpose of this ritual is to center the magician and open the central energy channel. Vokaor Grimoire 20 This can also be used as a cleansing/banishing process for the magician. For centering, use steps 1 through 16, for cleansing/banishing, use the entire ritual. These are labeled Primal Pillar Centering and Primal Pillar Cleansing, respectively. There is an overlap between the 7 primary chakras and the points in the body used for the Primal Pillar, with the exception that the second and third chakras are combined into one that houses the Energy Primal. The steps for the ritual are as follows. 1. Stand or sit in a comfortable but upright stance. You are trying to align your energy centers in a vertical orientation. 2. Place both hands on top of your head, covering the crown chakra. Slowly separate your hands and move them down to your sides (or your lap if you are sitting). This is opening the crown chakra to allow the Void connection to take place. 3. Visualize a funnel or cone shape above your head. Through it, visualize a bright light or stream of energy coming into you through your crown chakra. Note that this flow continues throughout the rest of the ritual. As each sphere of light is visualized, it remains filled as the energy flows downward. This is your connection to the Void. 4. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel I (pronounced like “eye”). 5. Visualize the light flowing down to your forehead (third eye), where it gathers in a small sphere. This is your connection to Consciousness. 6. Vibrate the sound of the short vowel Ah (pronounced “ahh”). 7. Visualize the light flowing down to your throat, where it gathers in a small sphere. This is your connection to Order. 8. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel E (pronounced “ee”). 9. Visualize the light flowing down to your heart, where it gathers in a small sphere. This is your connection to Chaos. 10. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel A (pronounced “ay”). 11. Visualize the light flowing down to your belly, just below your navel, where it gathers in a small sphere. This is your connection to Energy. 12. Vibrate the long vowel O (pronounced “ohh”). 13. Visualize the light flowing down to your root chakra. You may see this space between your feet or at the base of your spine or just Vokaor Grimoire 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 21 below the base of your spine between your legs. This is your connection to Matter. Vibrate the long vowel U (pronounced “you”). If you are doing the Primal Pillar Centering, send the energy through your base to the ground. Spend a moment experiencing the flow through all six points. If you are doing the Primal Pillar Centering, place your hands back on top of your crown chakra, breathe deeply and relax, and let the visualization fade. You are done. If you are doing the Primal Pillar Cleansing, continue. Vibrate the long vowel U (pronounced “you”). Begin drawing the energy back up, as if the pathway through which it flowed downward is now a straw pulling it back upward. When you’ve drawn the energy back up from the Matter sphere to the bottom of the Energy sphere, pause. Vibrate the long vowel O (pronounced “ohh”). Continue drawing the energy back up until you get to the bottom of the Chaos sphere, then pause. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel A (pronounced “ay”). Continue drawing the energy back up until you get to the bottom of the Order sphere, then pause. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel E (pronounced “ee”). Continue drawing the energy back up until you get to the bottom of the Consciousness sphere, then pause. Vibrate the sound of the short vowel A (pronounced “ahh”). Continue drawing the energy back up until you get to the bottom of the Void funnel, then pause. Vibrate the sound of the long vowel I (pronounced like “eye”). While vibrating this sound, visualize the energy spewing out the top. As you finish vibrating the I, clap your hands above your head once. You are cutting off the stream of energy. Place your hands on the top of your head, overlapping and sealing back up the crown chakra and closing the Void connection. Lightning Bolt Banishing The purpose of this ritual is to act as a space/magician banishing similar to the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or the Gnostic Pentagram Ritual. Vokaor Grimoire 22 Note that there is a banishing lightning bolt and an invoking lightning bolt. The invoking bolt is drawn from the top downward, then up partway to the right and down again. The banishing bolt is drawn from the left to the right, downward toward the left and across to the right. Only the banishing bolt is used here. Begin by facing east. While drawing the banishing bolt, intone the sound for Consciousness – “Ah”. Continue the line around to the south. Face south. While drawing the banishing bolt, intone the sound for Energy – “Oo”. Continue the line around to the west. Face west. While drawing the banishing bolt, intone the sound for Chaos – “Aye”. Continue the line around to the north. Face north. While drawing the banishing bolt, intone the sound for Order – “Ee”. Continue the line around to the east. While facing east, point downwards and draw the banishing bolt, drawing the last line out to the horizon. While drawing, intone the sound for Matter – “Uu”. Point upwards and draw the banishing bolt, drawing the last line out to the horizon. While drawing, intone the sound for Void – “I”. X-Blast This ritual can act as an alternative to the Lightning Bolt Banishing or can be used to focus and send out the Primal force of your choice.        Stand with your feet at least shoulder width apart. Raise your arms above your head Cup or bend your hands, as you will be gathering the forces around you. Pause and concentrate on the Primal you are gathering. Start vibrating the sound for the specific Primal (“I” for Void, “Aye” for Chaos, “Ee” for Order, “Oo” for Energy, “Uu” for Matter, or “Ah” for Consciousness). If you are combining more than one Primal, vibrate the sounds in whatever manner you feel is right for the situation. Move your arms apart, so that your arms and legs form at X Move your arms down your sides and in to meet at your waist. Vokaor Grimoire    23 For a banishing or cleansing, move your arms apart and out to the side, as if you are shoving your gathered force to the floor and through it. To send the force out somewhere, move your arms from your waist out in front of you and to the side. To send the force into something (as to charge an amulet), do not separate your hands when your move them away from your waist. Instead push into the object. Daily Observance The purpose of this is to act as a daily observance/acknowledgement of the Primal Avatars, or essentially a salute to the deities of Vokaor.        Stand straight. With your hand or wand, point to the ground and draw the symbol for Void ( I ) and say “Iikanar”. Point to your left hip and draw the symbol for Chaos ( m ) and say “Mayvtohx”. Point to your right hip and draw the symbol for Order ( n ) and say “Uneenchuf”. Point to your left shoulder and draw the symbol for Energy ( Z ) and say “Thhgewor”. Point to your right should and draw the symbol for Matter ( T ) and say “Thabnyz”. Point upward and draw the symbol for Consciousness ( H ) and say “Haxchadi”. Put both hands above your head, palms facing forward and touching at the thumbs and index fingers (forming somewhat of a hexagram) and say “I salute you all.” Sample Ritual: Job Change This ritual is an example using many of the components of ritual described in this grimoire. It is a relatively formal ritual. Purpose: Celebrate transition from old job to new job Vokaor Grimoire 24 Preparation: Other than the normal tools for casting the circle, have a shirt or other article of clothing to represent the old job and another to represent the new job. Also have a robe with a hood. Begin the ritual wearing the article of clothing from the old job. Perform the following:  Lightning Bolt Banishing  Cast circle  Primal Pillar Opening  Transition and Meditation  Primal Pillar Closing  Circle closing  Lightning Bolt Banishing Transition is as follows: “As I leave the old [take off old job shirt] I leave behind anything that does not serve me well And I carry with me All my knowledge and experience and relationships.” “As I take on the mantle of the new [put on new job shirt] I open myself to new knowledge and experiences and relationships That will enhance my life.” “As I walk with Haxchadi [put on robe] I also walk beside Iikanar Into the new, the unknown, the Void. I do this with hope And I do it willingly.” Follow by meditation. Sample Ritual: Focus and Energize for Goals This is an example of a more simplified approach to a Vokaor ritual. Both this and the more formal approach described previously are valid within the system. Vokaor Grimoire 25 Purpose: Do a ritual/spell to increase my focus, discipline and energy in obtaining my goals. Preparation: Create a sigil based on the symbols for effort, knowledge, manifestation in astral, manifestation in physical. I had also created a chant using the syllables for the four symbols (G, Sh, D, Ñ). Perform the following:  Declare “*Your magical name+ calls!”  Cast circle.  Chant the syllables while holding the sigil in front of the flame until part of the sigil was obscured by discolorization and/or the paper catches fire and/or you start to hyperventilate. Drop the paper into a cauldron or other safe place.  Follow by meditation.  Close the circle.  Declare “*Your magical name+ says farewell.” Vokaor Grimoire 26 Meditations Journey Through the Primals You are standing in front of the double doors to a fortress. On the door, you see the symbol of Vokaor engraved in the wood. You use the door knocker and the sound is deep and solid. The doors open for you of their own accord and you enter. At the center of the fortress is a tall stone tower. You enter the tower and climb the spiral staircase. As you get to the top, the skies darken. Soon there is thunder and lightning. You’re a little frightened by being so high up that you feel in the middle of the storm, but you are fascinated by the lightning. The storm gets closer and closer and you will yourself to become a part of it. You reach your hand up to the sky and suddenly you are hit by a bolt of lightning. It blasts you up into the air but you are unharmed. Instead, you seem to be riding the storm. The sky crackles and snaps around you. You feel stronger, energized, alive. You continue to move upwards and the sky around you slowly changes from the storm to a network of light. You float through the net. You reach out and touch a strand of light and experience a burst of illumination. Your mind is filled with answers and more questions. Take a moment to absorb this as you float upwards. As you drift upwards the network of light breaks up and various geometric shapes are formed, spheres, cubes, pyramids, all made of light. The shapes come together and drift apart, reminding you of fruit and seashells and crystals. You float further upwards. The shapes of light start moving faster and faster and are blown apart like fireworks that never fade. The sparks of light dance around you, rising, falling, swirling, as far as you can see but moving through you as well. You feel that these sparks are you, the same as your flesh and bone and spirit. As they move through you, parts of what you think of as “you” goes with them. Parts of you dance and swirl across infinity, then slow, Vokaor Grimoire 27 becoming thinner and smaller. You become part of the Void, nothing of nothing. After some uncounted time, there is a spasm in the Void. Sparks of light appear and start to move, slowly at first but getting faster. There’s another spasm, and more lights appear. Some of the sparks bump into each other and stay together. They start to form shapes. One of those shapes is you. You see spheres and pyramids and cubes. You feel yourself getting heavier. The shapes of light around you reform and create a network of color. You move downward and feel yourself becoming more solid. The network of light begins to break down and some of it becomes lightning, lightning aiming at a tower. You work your way down through the storm and land on your feet on top of a stone tower. You say goodbye to the storm and walk down the staircase to the ground level of the fortress. You walk through the door to the fortress and out. You turn around to see the doors closing behind you, but you remember how easily they opened for you and you know you can return any time you wish. Void Meditation The Void meditation is one approach toward reaching a no-mind space. Other approaches may be used as well. In this one, the idea is to use the vowels (all of which are associated with Void in some combination) as a type of mantra or song to occupy various parts of your brain. There is no prescribed order and, unlike a typical mantra, is not meant to repeat in a specific order or in any order. The sound may remind you of Native American chants (provided you don’t know the language being used). By using only vowels, you are keeping your mouth and throat relaxed and open as vowel sounds are made without closing lips, touching tongue to teeth, etc. Do not worry about creating a song or using all the vowels or give yourself any grief if you accidentally throw a rogue consonant into the mix. Let things flow. Chaos Meditation This meditation is to allow a little chaos in so you connect with Chaos. You may want music in the background, but make it wild, jangly, industrial, or perhaps sung in a language you don’t know. Then, dance to it, wildly and with abandon. When your mind stops, you’ve reached the point you are looking for. This is a good time to collapse to the floor and just let the world spin. Vokaor Grimoire 28 Order Meditation The Order meditation uses repetitive movement or sound to occupy the ”must keep busy” part of your brain. Repetitious work that keeps your hands busy but only requires minimal brain work, such as polishing silverware (or jewelry or your sword collection) is good. This is also the category where the use of mantras falls. Using Ohm or another, longer mantra will give you a focus. This is different from the repetitive motion, which frees part of your mind. The mantras give you something to focus on also, but you don’t want your mind wandering away. Both types of meditation have benefits. The repetition allows the gentler part of your brain to do the work. The mantra helps you not-think. Energy Meditation For the Energy meditation, light lots of candles. Work up a sweat. Expend some energy. The purpose of Energy meditations is to raise your energy level and connect you to the Primal force of Energy. Matter Meditation Bang a drum. Ring a bell. Physical activity gets you in touch with your body, which is Matter and the source of how you perceive Matter. There is some overlap here with the types of things you may do to get in touch with Energy. Conversely, you can do Matter meditations that get you in touch with your body in other ways. Get a massage. Make the eating of chocolate a sacrament. Another approach is to get very familiar with a physical object (such as a rock or a toaster) and then to place yourself into it via visualizations. Touch the object, smell it, if possible taste it, listen to it. What are the colors, textures, components? What would the object look like from the edge of its surface? Behind, above, or below it? From inside of it? Consciousness Meditation Analytical exercises such as math or brain games, which exercise your mind, are prime examples of a Consciousness exercise. Concentrating on determining all the nuances of a focal point, such as a tarot card or mandala, also fall under Consciousness meditations, as does focusing on such a target and letting your mind wander and open. Vokaor Grimoire 29 Tools Many magical traditions use multiple tools, often with each tool relating to one element. Vokaor uses one tool that represents all of the Primals. The Primal wand can be used in the same manner as a wand, athame or sword. One possible method of creating the Primal wand is described below. The materials are as follows:      Wooden dowel, ½” diameter, length approximately 12”  One of these: Seashell, piece of coral, bone, antler, or other part of something that once lived to represent Consciousness  Glue, Beacon 527 or something similar Wooden ball or “doll face”, which has a flattened side, 1” diameter PVC pipe, ½” diameter, 2” length Crystal that will fit in the end of the PVC. Copper wire (note that copper wire can be found in colors, you may want to select a color appropriate for energy) To create the wand: 1. Cut dowel and PVC to the correct length 2. Stain wood or paint in an appropriate color. The wooden items represent matter, so brown or green are best. 3. Paint chaos star on ball. 4. Glue dowel and ball together 5. Paint the PVC an appropriate color, black is best. 6. Glue PVC to the end of the dowel so they overlap about ½”. 7. Glue crystal into the other end of the PVC, leaving about 1” between the crystal and the end of the dowel. The space inbetween represents Void. The crystal represents Order. 8. Paint or carve onto the dowel one or more of the following symbols: Vokaor symbol, Vokaor hexagram, the Primals, your magical name or sigil. 9. Glue copper wire to dowel, starting at the ball end and wrapping it clockwise around the rod to the base of the PVC. The copper wire represents energy. 10. Use the end of the copper wire to wrap around the shell or other item to attach it to the dowel. Vokaor Grimoire 30 Vokaor Grimoire 31 Divination Since Vokaor can be seen as using the number six as a base (for the six Primals), it is reasonable to use that in a divination system. It isn’t a far jump to go from the number six to a cube to dice. Therefore, one possible divination method is to take six wooden cube of a reasonable size (probably not more than one inch per side) and paint them to create Vokaorin dice. I used three cubes and painted them each with the same colors, as described below. I then wrote the symbol for each Primal on the appropriate side, but with a different color so that the cubes could be ordered as primary, secondary, and tertiary. The colors and the sides I used are as follows: Void – Black opposite Consciousness – White Chaos – Aqua opposite Order – Russet Energy – Blue opposite Matter – Yellow The colors for the symbols are Primary – Green, Secondary – Red, Tertiary – Orange. These colors where mostly determined by the practicality of what would be visible on the colors used for the sides of the cubes. To use the Vokaor dice in a divination, concentrate on your question and toss the dice. The dice should then be laid out left to right, primary, secondary, and tertiary, as determined by the color of the symbol. There are then several ways to interpret the dice. You may look at the dice in pairs using the Primal Grid. You would use the primary and secondary to determine the first cell on the grid, then the primary and tertiary, and lastly the secondary and tertiary. You could also look at the primary and secondary to determine the first cell on the grid, then add the tertiary Vokaor Grimoire 32 symbol in as if you are making a lower level grid. A third option is to look at the symbols individually and see what impressions you receive. As an example, I did a throw of the dice related to a roommate situation. The dice came up with Order as the primary, Void as the secondary, and Consciousness as the tertiary. My first inclination upon seeing these was to interpret it as “We need to restore order and avoid over-thinking the situation.” I found this useful as I tend to try to be logical but logic isn’t always useful in an emotionally-driven situation. Other interpretations can be:  Be creative (Order + Void), be aware of rigidity (Order + Consciousness), and have a Zen, go with the flow approach (Void + Consicousness).  Think out of the box, don’t use the same methodology that hasn’t been working (Order + Void = Creation + Consciousness = new thought). Like any divination system, it will take a certain amount of practice to get the feel for what can be communicated. Vokaor Grimoire 33 Additional Information Symbol Usage When creating sigils that may have both positive and negative interpretations, one of two symbols can be used as part of the sigil to indicate which type of meaning is intended. For positive/constructive/beneficial intentions, a small, two-loop upward spiral can be used: For negative/destructive/harmful intentions, a small X-like figure can be used: These can be mixed in with whatever other symbols are used to create the sigil. For example, the symbols for order-order (stability) and chaos-matter (conflict or protection) can be combined to protect a home or to bring discord. Adding the positive symbol would help create a protected space. Using the negative symbol would create conflict and disruption. When using Vokaorian letters in combination to make sigils or meanings, the process is called Primal Derivation. The depth and complexity of the combination is indicated by a number attached to the word Primal. The six actual Primals are First Degree Primals and are indicated by “Primal(1)” or “Primal1” or simply “Primal”. Characters and meanings pulled from the 6 X 6 Primal Grid are Second Degree Primals and are indicated by Primal(2) or Primal2. Any characters or meanings derived from the combination of Second Degree Primals are Third Degree Primals and are designated by Primal(3) or Primal3. This would continue as needed. The level of degree of a symbol is one lower (or more, depending on your viewpoint) than the lowest Primal used in its construction. For example, First Degree Primals (which are atomic – there is nothing that is combined to create them) are combined to form the Second Degree Primals, as shown in the Primal Grid. Any grid or device used to display such symbols Vokaor Grimoire 34 is named by the level of Primal used to create the grid, as in the Primal Grid displaying the Second Degree Primals. Note that a combination of something with itself produces itself. For example, in the Primal Grid, the combination of Order and Order produces the symbol for Order. If, in a Second Degree Primal Grid, there was a combination of Chaos-Order and Chaos-Order, that spot on the Second Degree Primal Grid would show the same symbol as the Chaos-Order coordinate on the Primal Grid. There are some symbols that are auxiliary and are outside the Grid, although it is possible that some might fit in a Grid that hasn’t yet been derived. The two symbols described above that are designed to fine tune sigils are examples. See the Auxiliary Symbol Table for a listing of these. Auxiliary Symbol Table Name Symbol Beneficial Intention Completion Harmful Intention Vokaor Description Used for adding positive/constructive/beneficial intentions to a sigil or spell. The completion symbol represents a balance and coordination of the six Primals. It is used to indicate wholeness, completion, entirety. It can be used at the end of a spell, writing, inscriptions, etc. to indicate an ending that encompasses everything that was intended. Used for adding negative/destructive/harmful intentions to a sigil or spell. Symbol of the entire system. It is similar to an infinity symbol that has been turned sideways and opened up. The bottom part of the symbol (closed) represents order. The top part (open) represents chaos. The two dots represent as above, so below, as below, so above. The Vokaor symbol can be used as an initiator in a set of symbols in the same way Vokaor Grimoire 35 as the Completion symbol is used to indicate the finish of something. Spelling and Pronunciation Guide A few general rules have been developed to help ease problems with translations between words that have been created specifically for Vokaor and English. Vokaor has a fairly clear dividing line between long vowels and short vowels as they are represented by different symbols. English depends on contexts which may not apply to a word being translated into English. Since the Vokaor font is likely not available everywhere where one is writing words from Vokaor, long vowels will be translated into English as double letters. See the Translation Table below. Several other symbols represent sounds that are letter combinations in English. These are also described in the Translation Table Translation Table Symbol Description Long I as in kite Spelling ii Long A as in hay aa Long E as in sleep ee Long O as in pope oo Long U as in cube uu Ah, as in an inward breath ah Ha, as in an expelled breath. ha Vokaor Grimoire 36 Like the “th” in breathe or these. thh Like the Spanish ñ ( akin to nya) ñ Font a b c d e f g h I j k l m a bc d e f g h I j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z no p q r stuv w x y z A B C D E F G H I J K L M AB C D EF G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z N O P QR STU V W X Y Z Vokaor Grimoire 37 Appendix: An Idea of Connectivity Connect the Dots When I did my initiation for the Autonomatrix, a chaos magic guild, I did a meditation that gave me some insights. I’ve spent some time exploring those insights and other related ideas. I realized there was some overlap with Vokaor and so present these ideas here. During the meditation, I saw myself floating in space, getting small enough to see between the parts of the atom, into quantum space1. A line from the Tao Te Ching came to me. "So the profit in what is is in the use of what isn't."2 This also reminded me of a discussion on tantra that occurred previously. Several of us had held on to the edges of a blanket. When one bit of the blanket was tugged, we all felt it. It was an interesting demonstration of how everyone, every thread, is connected. I now saw that this view was insufficient. I am actually not one mass connected to the rest of the universe; I am in multiple places at the same time. Imagine a “connect the dots” picture where all of the background is also made of dots. I am a dot here, a dot there, connected below and above and through other dots. The dots that make up "me" change and the pattern of dots that are me can be added to and subtracted from. Understand that the dots, that make up the universe (and me) are not laid out in a twodimensional or even three-dimensional structure. Think of it more as pandimensional. Our dots or nexuses or nodes occur in the physical, but also the ethereal as well. It's why we can travel to the astral plane, part of us is already there. It doesn't matter if we are travelling only in our heads or imaginations, as all of our parts are connected but not all contiguous. This is also why our minds work in so many layers, why it is so hard to have all the parts of your brain concentrate on one thing at a time. You know what I mean here - you're reading this and thinking about it and scratching your nose all at the same time. This quote from the Multimind chapter in Peter J. Carroll’s The Apophenion describes this phenomena. “Consciousness has the odd subjective property that it seems to have the ability to flit from doing one qualia or state to another , and often of doing several at the same time. All this does seem paradoxical if you insist on having only a single consciousness, the Vokaor Grimoire 38 ‘me’ or the ‘I’. On the other hand if we assume that all ‘our’ qualia and states exist as separate consciousnesses, then it makes considerable more sense.”3 It's also why it is so powerful when you do focus on one thing. Bringing all (or most) of the layers of your mind (parts of your consciousness) into alignment is the means for magic, it's gnosis. When we don't scatter our energy, we can accomplish amazing things. Great Web I use the term “Great Web” to describe the "all" that is the stuff of the universe, what connects us all. I wanted a term that was more mystical than "quantum field," less primal than "primordial chaos," less monotheistic than "God," and less philosophical than "Tao." In my meditation, I then had an image of the Great Web (giant spiderweb with stars behind it) and a bunch of other symbols floating in and around it. The symbols (yin/yang, pentagram, Autonomatrix symbol, and phoenix) all occur as anchors/access points to the Great Web. I think these and other symbols and what they represent are methods for us to approach understanding something we can't really understand (okay, sounds rather Taoist of me after all, and I'm good with that). I think understanding that these (and many more) symbols are methods of approaching the indefinable both helps us inch toward it and allows for us to be okay with someone else using a different doorway or different access route. My new understanding of being a connect-the-dots pattern in the Great Web felt like a shift in my core (or probably more accurately in several of my consciousnesses). It deepens the connection between ‘me’ and the rest of the universe. It's no longer like someone else affects me by tugging on my arm to get my attention. Instead, the pull is on my molecules. Reincarnation If we take the idea of a pan-dimensional set of nodes to another level, literally, there is the basis for reincarnation. What if, in each incarnation, our nodes more or less form a layer, and this incarnation's layer is on top of the previous incarnation's nodes. Maybe remembering past lives or having some experience that connects us to whatever "other" we were previously occurs Vokaor Grimoire 39 when a nexus from this life overlays one from a previous life? When nodes line up sufficiently, we get a glimmer of what went before. In some ways, you can picture this like a seven-layer cake. Each incarnation is a layer of cake, separated by time in the Summerland (or Void or wherever you may think you go in-between lives, provided you believe in reincarnation at all) as represented by the layer of crème or icing. Have you ever baked anything, and stuck a toothpick in it to see if it's done? If it isn't quite done, the toothpick comes out with a little bit of batter on it. I know that you don't bake a cake with the icing on it, but go with the imagery for a minute. If you did that, you would be moving tiny amounts of cake and icing through the layers as you move the toothpick. That would be the process of remembering or possibly seeing the future. And what, I hear you say, does the toothpick represent? Meditation? Intuition? Astral travel? Those things that help us see past and forward in any case. But going from the cake metaphor back to the nodes (which are a metaphor anyway), nodes aligning between layers wouldn't even have to be in contiguous layers, hence getting things from past lives but not necessarily the most recent one. Nature of the Nodes Taking this back to a more basic question, what are those nodes made of? Are they all the same? This is where there is a tie-in to Vokaor. It seemed to me that the nodes that make up me and everything else in the universe could be made of the six Primals and all their combinations; that is, a node could be 100% one of the six Primals or could be two or more Primals in combination. Node connectors, or filaments, are also made from Primal material. Nodes and filaments both vary in size. They can grow and shrink. New nodes can form and old ones can dissipate (not be destroyed, but separate out to become parts of other nodes and filaments). How do nodes know they are a part of some specific entity? They don’t necessarily. A node knows which other nodes it is connected to through its filaments. A node may be aware of other nodes in proximity to it that aren’t connected, in something akin to radar, and may know the nodes connected to the nodes it is connected to itself. The node can stretch out new filaments to hook up to other nodes that it finds. There is no need for a single entire vision. This relates back to the discussion of multimind and is a system that more mirrors every day reality than the nodes having either a DNA-type coding or a fractal pattern inherent in each one. We don’t know everything Vokaor Grimoire 40 that is going on, even in our own physical bodies. If we did, we would be consciously aware as soon as an illness entered our body, but we aren’t. Our “immune system” nodes don’t have much conversation with our “consciousness” nodes. Application to Magic Magic is the intentional manipulation of nodes and connectors. To have an effect on something, use magic to change the proportion of the Primals involved. For example, see the sample ritual on focusing and energizing for goals. The basis of that ritual is to increase Energy, Consciousness, and Matter in necessary amounts. This approach can be used for any purpose. Notes on the Appendix 1 For an interesting discussion of some experiments about being able to affect the quantum field, read The Field by Lynne McTaggart (Harper Paperbacks, 2008). 2 Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, trans. By Ursula K. Le Guin, Shambala Publications, Inc, 1997, p. 14. 3 Carroll, Peter J., “The Apophenion”, Mandrake of Oxford, 2008, p.33-34. Vokaor Grimoire 41 Glossary Primal – One of the six essences or elements that are the basis for the universe in Vokaor. These six Primals (Void, Chaos, Order, Energy, Matter, and Consciousness) are combined infinitely to create everything and nothing. Primal Derivation – The process of combining Primals to create new meanings and symbols. Vokaor – A magical system based on the Primals. The name Vokaor is derived from Void, Kaos (an alternate spelling of Chaos), and Order. Vokaorian – An adjective used to describe something as being a part of the Vokaor system. Vokaorin – A magician well-versed in the use of Vokaor.