runa trapezoid codex

Being the Ordenbuch of the Order of the Trapezoid

Edited by Eric Kauschen, GM. Tr.[Sir Gawain, K.Tr.]

ContentsIntroduction

I. CornerstonesA. Order Statement ........................................................................................................... 9B. Constitution of the Order of the Trapezoid ...............................................12C. Grandmaster’s Policy Statements .......................................................................18D. The Fons Honorum ...................................................................................................20

II. Elements of the OrderA. Rituals 1. The Sumbel .............................................................................................................24 2. Reflections on the Sumbel Rite ...................................................................30 3. The Elhaz Rite ........................................................................................................32 4. The Investiture Ceremony ..............................................................................35 5. The Grail Mass ......................................................................................................38B. Lodges

1. Dagon Lodge ...........................................................................................................442. Fenris .........................................................................................................................453. Munsalvæsche ......................................................................................................464. R’lyeh .........................................................................................................................465. Tindalos ...................................................................................................................47

C. Houses1. Haus of Surt ............................................................................................................502. Saundhaus ................................................................................................................503. Haus of Starry Wisdom ...................................................................................51

D. Master of the Trapezoid ..........................................................................................55E. The Champion of the Order

1. Sabayat of the Black Dragon .........................................................................56F. Order of the Trapezoid Reading List .................................................................60

III. Historical Documents of the OrderA. Commentary on the Oath of the Order ........................................................66B. The Satanic Heritage of the Order ....................................................................70C. The Evolution of Trapezoidal Insignia ............................................................73D. The Nine Angles: (Aquino and Flowers) .......................................................78E. The Polarian Method ................................................................................................91F. The Constellation of the Trapezoid ................................................................. 106G. Concerning the Quest ........................................................................................... 122H. The Spectrum of the Trapezoid ....................................................................... 124

IntroductionAt my investiture as a Knight of the Trapezoid in 1994 I came before a table of eight Knights, spoke my oath, signed it and passed it through the flame. I felt a sense of coming home. I had been in the Rune-Gild several years before, but when there was no one I could find locally or to contact I left due to a lack of inspiration on my part. Here I had found a group I could work with that I would get out as much, if not more than I put in. A group that not only welcomed contact between members, but encouraged it.

I had mentioned to Rudra at one point that the collection of papers he gave me prior to my entrance to the Order should be put together in a more formal manner and distributed to all Knights of the Order. This book would be like the Crystal Tablet was to Setians of the Temple. He liked the idea and developed what was the Codex Trapezoedicus. Because Rudra did not have a background in printing he asked me to produce the work for him. I took his words and the words of other Knights and created the first printed version of the Codex. I was proud of what I had done for the Order.

Now that the years have passed I am now the Grand Master of the Order of the Trapezoid, the realization of a vision I had when I first joined in 1994. What you hold in your hands are what you held when I created the first version, but now my words are in it as well. What I built from the instructions of another I now have the task of making my own. The Codex has been refined and expanded in areas that were briefly touched on before that I felt would benefit from expansion. I have kept all of the original writings and have built upon them because these writings are a legacy of the Order. You will noticed that there is an addition of the Rituals of the Order. I hope to see this area expanded in the near future. The rituals I have included are like those rituals in the Ruby Tablet. They are the works of Knights of the Trapezoid, but they are not necessarily rituals that we must all perform, but many of us have. We are defined by our actions because by our actions we are known and it was necessary in my mind to add something to the Codex that looked to the future and not only to the past history and rules and regulations.

Within these pages you will find information that is essential to every Knight of the Trapezoid. This will help the Codex to better define who we are and what we are. It is not a manual for how to act or live, but it has information that should make you think and hopefully the thinking will cause changes to occur. Use it well and if we are all lucky you will be inspired to add to the legacy.

Sir Gawain, IV°Grand Master, Order of the Trapezoid18 January 2004

The Cornerstones

Codex Trapezœdicus 9

The Statement of the OrderThe Lineage and Concept of the OrderStarted as an informal Order with the Church of Satan, it’s existence was first announced in the December 1970 edition of the Cloven Hoof:

The O.Tr. is the ‘board of directors’ and security staff of the Church. It’s functions are many, and its members are chosen by appointment, according to the special abilities and attributes of each. All Priests and Priestesses are automatically admitted into the Order, although the identities of most members of the Order are unknown even to each other. Members of the Governing or Grand Council of the Trapezoid are known only to the High Priest, who solicits their aid when required.

The name of the Order came from the strong Germanic elements of many of the early Church of Satan’s rituals which culminated in Anton LaVey’s Law of the Trapezoid.

With the founding of the Temple of Set by Dr. Aquino in 1975 the Order of the Trapezoid was continued as an alternate designation for all degrees of the Priesthood within the Temple. In 1981, the Order of the Trapezoid was reformulated as an Order for all members of the Council of Nine as well as all previous members of the Council.

During this time frame the Order of the Trapezoid was not an active order except in name. It was not until October 19, 1982 in Walhalla or the Hall of the Dead at Castle Wewelsburg in Wesphalia that Dr. Aquino conducted the now famous Wewelsburg Working to seek inspiration after the near destruction of the Temple at the hands of it’s second High Priest RKB. Out of this working the Order of the Trapezoid emerged as a true chivalric Order of Knighthood by the fons honorum of Dr. Aquino dedicated to the preservation of the Temple and as defenders of the Black Flame as well as the first active order within the Temple of Set.

In addition to this, the Order of the Trapezoid is an Order of Knighthood characterized by strict personal honor and faithfulness to the quest for the Grail. The Order is a knighthood in that its members are pledged to the traditional chivalric virtues as appropriate to each situation encountered. By honor is meant a sense of justice, ethics, and responsibility prior to personal comfort, convenience or advantage. This honor is known by one’s faithfulness to the Quest for the Grail, which is the self, soul, or psyche made perfect through conscious refinement and exercise of the Will. To come into contact with the Grail results in transformation of the individual into a state of dynamic existence energized by the psyche not by the physical body derived from the objective universe. Hence the Order

10 Codex Trapezœdicus

of the Trapezoid is the gate to psyche centric immortality beyond physical death.

As Knights of the Trapezoid we lead by example, and by our actions we are known. This is difficult to do and each Knight must find their own path within the Order and the Temple to explore this. The O.Tr. while to many seems to focus on the Northern European magical traditions has a much more expansive range of influence. Yes, Knighthood as it is known to most has been defined by Northern Europeans, but we have built upon this foundation to include concepts of Knighthood from around the world and even the universe.

Work Within the OrderThe Order of the Trapezoid enjoys a rich history of Northern European magical traditions such as the Runes and the work of the Fraternitas Saturni, we have several areas that our Knights focus on, but are not limited to as noted by our Grand Master Emeritus, Magus Stephen Flowers:

1. Magia Technica: Mad Labs, or operant technology2. Magia Geometria: The angles or operant geometry3. Magia Runica: The Way of Wotan, or theoretical and operant

“archanology” - The magical link between the subjective and objective universes

4. Magia Mythica: Rise of the Trapezoid, or the Trapezoidal Principles in temporal or “historical” experience. The use of operant meta-naratives.

5. Magia Quæstiones: The Grail-Quest and the Order of Chivalry, or the way of the warrior in the Initiatory Quest.

6. Magia Fantastica: Dreams through the Trapezoid, or the theory and practice of operant mythology and neo-mythologies with which the operator has forged a subjective [imaginative] link.

7. Magia Realia: Realmagie or LBM/GBM applied to alteration of sociopolitical reality.

8. Magia Genetiva: The study and practice of magical systems objectively linked to the operator by genetics or language

9. Magia Flammæ: Illumination by the Black Flame

These are a few examples to give those who are interested in the Order of the Trapezoid a better understanding of the work done within the Order, though Knights of the Order are again, not limited to these areas.

Publications of the OrderThe Order of the Trapezoid publishes Runes a newsletter written by Knights of the Trapezoid about their work within the Order. It was named in honor of the Runen newsletter of the Germanen Order, an esoteric society in pre- and post-World War I Germany. In addition this newsletter all Knights of the Order upon their investiture are given a copy of the Codex Trapezoidicus the Ordenbuch of the Order which chronicles our


history as well as offering insight into the work of the order.

Knights of the Order have published influential books, art and music available to the public. Some of these Knights such as Dr. Aquino, Ipsissimus Webb, Magus Flowers, Magister Kauschen and Priest McGranahan can be found with a simple search on the World Wide Web. Among our internal publication are collection of papers presented at Order events, such as the Runa and Nine Angles workshops.Lastly, the Order of the Trapezoid also maintains a website at www.trapezoid.org with it’s own intranet for members of the Order as well as an elist, trpzd-l for members of the Order as an electronic virtual workshop for the exchanging of ideas and thoughts as well as keeping our global community of Knights better connected.

Investiture into the OrderIf you are a II°+ within the Temple of Set and you have an interest in the Order you must contact a Knight of the Ninth Angle (a member of the O.Tr. who is also a member of the Priesthood of Set). They will work with you just as you have worked with a member of the Priesthood towards recognition to the II°. Upon completion of your work and approval by the Grand Master you will be inducted as a Knight of the Trapezoid by a Master of the Order or Lodgemaster of the Order through the taking of the Oath of the Order. What your work entails for entrance into the Order varies from person to person, but includes a final _rite of passage_ before your investiture that shows that you understand the responsibilities of the oath you are about to take and that you have an understanding of the Order into which you are being inducted.


Constitution of the

Order of the TrapezoidPreambleConsecrated by the Prince of Darkness, in his image as Wotan Hollenjaeger of the One Eye, the Order of the Trapezoid is a chivalric and mystical order of Knighthood dedicated to the quest for the Grail. This quest is signified by the eminence and understanding of the Black Flame as it shines through the mysterious prism of the Trapezoid, and the achievement of a highly dynamic state of becoming known as Walhalla!

The greater spirit of a true principle is what it signifies and does what it is. In the spirit of Walhalla, the Order of the Trapezoid is a highly dynamic and evolving entity. So that the Order will remain true to its greater spirit for generations to come, this constitution shall: define the structure, composition, and authority of its Knighthood; insure autonomy in the management of its own internal affairs; secure ownership of its property; and guard against potential corruption and abuses, either from other entities, or within its own ranks.

The Order of the Trapezoid comprises a Knighthood, among whom all are leaders. The highest authority for individual Initiation lies with the individual Knight. While the Grand Master shall have the authority and responsibility to govern the Order and its collective entities in accordance with his or her vision, and delegate this authority to other Knights through designations, appointments, and charters, this governance shall be directly accountable to the Knighthood, who possess the ultimate authority for its guardianship.

This preamble signifies the spirit of the laws that follow. No rules shall conflict with this preamble. Masters of the Trapezoid may attach, but not remove, written opinions and interpretations to this document as part of an historical record. This constitution, its amendments, and its attachments, shall be made available in their entirety to the Knights of the Trapezoid. Respecting the laws of the land, and the by-laws of the Temple of Set, they shall comprise the sole authority for the religious governance of the Order of the Trapezoid.

Article One: Temple Affiliation and Authority

Section 1.1 The Order of the Trapezoid is a religious order of the Temple of Set. All provisions of this constitution will be subject to the by-laws of the Temple of Set.

Section 1.2 In accordance with this constitution, the Order of the


Trapezoid will maintain absolute control of its own composition, structure, internal operations, and property.Article Two: Knights of the Trapezoid

Section 2.1 Membership in the Order will be comprised entirely of Knights of the Trapezoid. According to individual choice, members may be designated as “Knight,” “Dame,” “Sir,” or “Lady.” The insignia of the Knighthood shall be the seal of the Order and the Tiwaz rune.

Section 2.2 A Knight of the Trapezoid is so designated when he or she: 1) Has been recognized to the II*+ in the Temple of Set; 2) Has been sponsored into the Order by a Knight who is also a Priest or

Priestess of Set with the approval of the Grand Master 3) Has taken the Oath of Membership, in person, during an investment

ceremony conducted by a Master of the Trapezoid or Lodgemaster.

Section 2.3 In order to remain on active status within the Order, all Knights must maintain ongoing standards of membership as set forth by the Grand Master.

Article Three: Masters of the Trapezoid

Section 3.1 The Master of the Trapezoid is a special designation for a Knight who has demonstrated a unique and integrative vision of Trapezoidal Initiation through service to the Order as a leader, teacher, advisor, and researcher. Mastery within the Order of the Trapezoid will be signified by the Hagalaz rune. Nevertheless, the Master remains essentially a Knight of the Trapezoid.

Section 3.2 An active Knight is designated as a Master of the Trapezoid by the Grand Master when he or she has: 1) Demonstrated competence, and made significant contributions to the

Order as a Master of Function2) Demonstrated competence, and made significant contributions as a

Master of Form; 3) Created a master work representing a unique synthesis of his or her

experience as a Master of Function and Form. 4) Defended this work before a board comprised of Masters of the

Trapezoid.

Section 3.3 Unless otherwise designated by the Grand Master, the candidate for mastery shall conduct his or her work in association with one or more Houses of the Order. The Master of the Trapezoid shall derive his or her lineage from the Lord or Lady of a particular House.

Section 3.4 Any Master of the Trapezoid may inactivate or reactivate his or her mastery status upon written notice to the Grand Master. Reactivation must be approved by the Grand Master. In addition to this,


the Grand Master may inactivate a Master’s status subject to approval by two-thirds of the Masters of the Trapezoid. Inactivation of mastery does not effect the Initiate’s status as an active Knight.

Article Four: Knights Emeritus

Section 4.1 A Knight who resigns from the Order or the Temple of Set that has done “great works and service” for the Order may be designated as a Knight Emeritus. Knight Emeriti shall not have voting status in the Order.

Section 4.2 A Knight Emeritus who remains a member of the Temple of Set may reactivate his or her status following written notice to the Grand Master and the fulfillment of ongoing standards of membership for that year.

Section 4.3 A Knight Emeritus may obtain special permission to attend a private meeting or working of the Order from the Knight(s) in charge of that event.

Article Five: Resignations, Expulsions, and Reentry

Section 5.1 A Knight of the Trapezoid may retire his or her status in the Order pending written notice to the Grand Master, or by choosing not to fulfill ongoing standards of membership. This Initiate will thereafter be designated as a Knight of the Trapezoid (retired)

Section 5.2 The Grand Master retains the sole authority to expel a Knight from the Order of the Trapezoid. Expulsion of Masters of the Trapezoid must be approved by at least two-thirds of the active Knighthood. Expelled Initiates will have no designation.

Section 5.3 Retired Knights may reenter the Order of the Trapezoid through a process of sponsorship and written notice to the Grand Master no sooner than one year following resignation.

Section 5.4 Expelled Knights may reenter the Order following the approval of the Grand Master and two-thirds of the active Knighthood, and fulfillment of the same reentry criteria as retired Knights.

Article Six: Grand Master

Section 6.1 The Grand Master (Grand Master) shall be a Master of the Trapezoid who has been recognized to the IV*+ by the Temple of Set. Having the optimal vision for the Order at a given stage of its evolution, the Grand Master functions as a kind of monarch under a magical and social contract with the Knighthood. Each Grand Master is tasked with improving the standards of leadership over those of his


or her predecessor, and appointing a successor who will do the same. By exercising good leadership, the Grand Master is expected to wisely delegate his or her authority throughout the Knighthood. The insignia of the Grand Master shall be the Elhaz Rune.

Section 6.2 When, the Grand Master chooses to retire, he shall appoint a successor. If the Grand Master is unable to make this designation, then the designation shall be made by a Grand Master Emeritus. If no Grand Master Emeritus is able to make this designation, then the responsibility will fall upon the Masters of the Trapezoid. Designation of the Grand Master is subject to confirmation by two thirds of the Knighthood. In the event of competing designations among the Grand Master Emeriti or Mtr’s, the first designation to achieve two thirds approval among the Knighthood shall succeed the Grand Master.

Section 6.3 The Grand Master has the authority to issue and revoke charters to Lodges and Houses, set policies in accordance with this constitution, delegate his or her authority to other Knights; to include designating an active Grand Master on a temporary basis without confirmation, and interpret the laws of this constitution where conditions and details are not specified.Section 6.4 All decisions of the Grand Master are subject to veto or change by two-thirds of the Knighthood. Vetoes, confirmations, and modifications are conducted by a special voting procedure called by the Grand Master, any single Grand Master Emeriti, any combination of two Mtr’s and/or members of the Trihedron, or a petition signed by one third of the Knighthood.

Section 6.5 A former Grand Master shall be designated Grand Master Emeritus with all the rights and privileges thereof. The Grand Master Emeritus is an elder statesman and advisor to the Grand Master.

Article Seven: Trihedron and Staff

Section 7.1 The members of the Trihedron comprise the inner council of advisors and staff appointed by the Grand Master to delegate his or her authority and responsibilities.

Section 7.2 The Grand Master may appoint or terminate members of the Trihedron at his or her discretion. However, former members of the Trihedron maintain the ability to call a vote in accordance with section 6.04 up to six months after termination.

Section 7.3 The Trihedron shall at all times consist of at least three members: a Chancellor, a Chronicler, and a Marshall. Additional duties, such as a treasurer or councillor, can be delegated among these Knights or among additional appointments.


Section 7.4 The Chancellor shall be the Minister of the Interior of the Order of the Trapezoid. He or she shall oversee the status of the Lodges and Knights Errant. The Chancellor shall assume the role of Grand Master should the Grand Master be unable to fulfill the duties of his or her office, and unable to appoint a designated Grand Master. The Chancellor shares the authority to charter Lodges within the Order per Grand Master policy guidelines.

Section 7.5 The Chronicler shall be the minister of communications in the Order of the Trapezoid. He or she shall oversee the publication of Runes, facilitate interpersonal and electronic communications the minutes of Trihedron meetings, and the sacred Ordenbuch.

Section 7.6 The Marshall shall be the Minister of the Exterior of the Order of the Trapezoid. He or she shall oversee relations between the Order and the Temple, public relations and diplomacy, and sponsorship of candidates into the Order. The Marshall shall be the chief tyler of the Order Sumbel and commander of the Honor Guard.

Article Eight: Lodges

Section 8.1 The Lodges of the Order shall be geographically local organizations of the Order of the Trapezoid chartered by the Grand Master or Chancellor according to Grand Master policy guidelines.

Section 8.2 Each Lodge will conduct itself in accordance with its own unique rules and traditions, to include rules of entry and continued membership. All Lodge members must be active Knights of the Order.

Section 8.2 The affairs of the Lodges shall be administered by a Lodgemaster according to the rules and traditions of the individual Lodges. Any Knight of the Order may act as Lodgemaster.

Section 8.3 The Munsalvasche Lodge shall be the only non-geographically local Lodge of the Order. As the Grail Castle within the Order, the Munsalvasche Lodge shall represent the Knights Errant of the Order. The Lodgemaster of Munsalvasche is charged with guarding the Spear of the Order.

Article Nine: The Haus

Section 9.1 The Haus shall be a formal school within the Order led by a Master of the Trapezoid designated as the Lord or Lady of the Haus. They shall have complete autonomy to conduct their affairs according to rules and traditions set forth by the Lord or Lady of the Haus..

Section 9.2 A Haus must be chartered by the Grand Master, or self-


chartered by a Grand Master Emeritus acting as the Lord or Lady of that Haus.

Section 9.3 While only active Knights may have formal membership in a Haus, it is understood that the Haus itself may have extensions outside the Order and the Temple, or may itself be an extension of another school or organization. A Haus Lord or Lady may also choose to secede the House from the Order so as to develop it as an organization within or outside the Temple.

Article Ten: Insignia and Seal

Section 10.1 The insignia of all Knights of the Order of the Trapezoid shall be the seal of the Order: a pentagram, two points up, set within a trapezoid, with the bottom point intersecting its base. Three sixes shall be affixed between the upper four of these points. A tcham scepter with nine flames emanating from it shall comprise the base. A horizontal “Tcham scepter” shall be affixed at the middle of the pentagram.

Article Eleven: Finances

Section 11.1 The Order shall maintain a balanced budget administered by a designated treasurer. The Grand Master may set dues as part of ongoing membership requirements to offset reasonable expenses in the administration of the Order. The treasurer will submit a biannual report on all assets of the Order to the entire Knighthood. At any time a Knight of the Trapezoid may request to see the books of the Order.

Article Twelve: Constitution

Section 12.1 All articles and sections of the Constitution of the Order of the Trapezoid are subject to change pending a two thirds vote of the Knighthood.


Grand Master’s Policy StatementsThe following policies remain in force according to the authority of the Grand Master. In order simplify and minimize the size of the Constitution, most Order policies and guidelines will be contained within this section.

Sponsorship: The entry process is the discretion and authority of all Knights who are members of the Priesthood of Set. In addition to this, the Grand Master will approve the induction of all sponsored candidates contingent upon the sponsoring Knight: 1) Explaining the criteria for decision; 2) Describing the methods used to assess the candidate and arrive at the

decision; and 3) Stating his/her willingness to have all future actions and inactions of

the Knight reflect upon his/her own honor.

Investiture: Investment of the candidate must be conducted by a Master of the Order (M.Tr.) or Lodgemaster in a face-to-face setting

Temple Resignation: Knights who no longer have membership in the Temple of Set must provide written notice to the Grand Master of inactive status within 30 days of termination. Resignation from the Temple also includes resignation from the Order.

Reinstatement: Reinstatement of Knights who have retired, or have been expelled, must occur through sponsorship no sooner than one year following termination. Reinstatement will be reviewed more carefully than first-time sponsorship. Reinstatement is at the sole discretion of the Grand Master..

Lodges: The Grand Master or Chancellor will issue charters for the formation of Lodges provided that the following standards are met: 1. The prospective Lodgemaster provides a full description and mission

statement of the Lodge to the Grand Master and Chancellor to be included in the Codex

2. The Lodgemaster provides updates to the Grand Master and Chancellor on Lodge activities on a quarterly basis

3. The Lodgemaster assumes responsibility for the membership of the Lodge according to its own traditions

4. Lodge members meet locally on a regularly scheduled basis no less than four times a year. Lodges are encouraged to incorporate the Sumbel into at least some of their meetings/workings. All Lodges are expected to extend hospitality to Knights in transit. Munsalvasche shall be the only Lodge exempt from these standards.


Conflict Management: As the individual is the highest Initiatory authority, Knights are strongly encouraged to resolve conflicts among themselves in the most internal manner possible. Barring this, a third Knight may be called in to arbitrate the dispute, preferably one who is in as neutral a position as possible and one who is well-known to the conflicting Knights. Conflicts are to be officially presented before the Grand Master as a last resort.

Dishonorable Actions: As members of a chivalric order, Knights of the Trapezoid are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical manner. While specific standards of ethical conduct are not explicitly listed, Knights are minimally expected to treat each other with dignity and respect, to honor promises and confidences, to be truthful to one another in every sense, and to obey the laws of the lands in which they reside. Issues of possible transgression will be discretely reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In general, there are two classes of dishonorable actions: 1) Deliberate actions: which may be grounds for expulsion2) Mistakes: which can be corrected by the Knight taking responsibility

for his or her actions, and insuring that the damage is exceeded by the repair.

Court of Curia: In the event of unresolved conflicts or alleged dishonorable actions a Knight may ask the Grand Master to call a Court of Curia. This is a most serious action and should not be taken lightly. Each Knight will choose one Master of the Order. Each Knight will present their case to the two masters and the Grand Master. These three will decide the final outcome which may or may not be what is being asked for. The seriousness inherent in this is that if the Knight who calls the Court of Curia is judged to be wrong in their accusations they may have the actions they wish brought about levied against them or a lesser version of said actions. The final say will be up to the two masters and the Grand Master and from the time it is brought up it will not be discussed outside of the five individuals involved, nor afterwards will it be discussed or brought before the Court again.

Confidentiality: Only active Knights may take part in Order-only meetings or Workings, or copied into Order-only communications. Exemptions are when a Knight Emeritus has been extended a special invitation by the Knight in charge of that activity. Order candidates may be included in local activities at the discretion of the Grand Master and the local body according to their own traditions.

Allies: Persons outside the Knighthood who have made significant contributions to the Order of the Trapezoid can be designated as Allies of the Order by the Grand Master and Trihedron.


The Fons HonorumBy Sir Gawain, GM. Tr.

What makes a religious order of knighthood authentic? To many people Knighthood is simply a state of mind whereby if you believe you are a Knight, you are a Knight. But there never is, nor never was anything to this that would lend authenticity to one’s claim of Knighthood. I thought about this and did some research and came upon the phrase I had been looking for—Fons Honorum. Whether he was aware of it or not, during the reformulation of the Order of the Trapezoid by Sir Michael in Wewelsburg. He came forth as the Fons Honorum that gave the mark of authenticity to our Knighthood.

The first mark of authenticity for an Order of Chivalry is that the fons honorum must be proper and authentic. The term fons honorum is Latin and means font of honor. That is, the person who authorized the Order of Chivalry must hold the authority and right to so authorize. Arguments about whether an Order of Chivalry is valid always focus on the right of the Order’s fons honorum to found an Order. Generally, the fons honorum must be a regnant (ruling) Monarch or a Royal Person who is the head of a Royal House that was once regnant (that is, the Royal House once held authority over a geographical region, whether that was an empire, a kingdom, or a principality). The Head of a State which has a tradition of Knighthood can also act as a fons honorum (thus, the exiled Head of State of Poland could—and did—form an Order of Chivalry...but the Head of State of the United States could not because Knighthood originated by the government is not in the USA tradition—and is also not permitted by the USA Constitution).

Or, the fons honorum must be a high church official who traditionally (by historical right) holds the authority to found or Charter an Order of Chivalry. The Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs (Greek, Russian, Coptic, and so on) hold such right, as does the Latin Church Patriarch (that is, the Roman Catholic Pope). In the Eastern Byzantine tradition, Abbot-Bishops of established and functioning monasteries also hold the right because, to the Orthodox, monasteries are considered “Cities of God” very much like the old city-states of ancient Greece.

A pastime of select individuals in the field of Chivalry is to participate in heated arguments about who is and who is not a proper fons honorum. Some argue that only a regnant monarch can create Knights (and noble titles), while others point out that such an idea is not historically supported either in practice or in international law. Usually, the question is not settled, with one side saying “no” and the other side saying “yes,” with the listener (if there is one) having to decide which side to come down on. In addition to the fons honorum, some authorities also examine the structure and practice of the Order of Chivalry to help determine


validity. The “validity” arguments, while engaged in only by a few, nevertheless constitute a sort of “side show” in the field of Chivalry.

A second mark of authenticity (after the fons) is the form the Order takes. That is, does it consider itself an Order of Chivalry, rather than a fraternal order (a club). Additionally, does the Order maintain the practice of Chivalry and Chivalric Orders by receiving Knights traditionally, adhering to uniform (dress) codes, making Arms and knightly appurtenances available, and training its Postulants and Knights in the ancient code and arts of Chivalry (while expecting its Knights to practice those ancient codes)?

A third mark of authenticity is the traditional practice of annual (or biannual or triannual) meetings for training, fellowship, and Investiture. An Order of Chivalry must hold actual meetings and Investitures where Knights gather for the express purpose of chivalric activities.

So based upon these three guidelines that are accepted worldwide we are indeed an authentic Chivalric Order of Knighthood and by that acknowledgment we can proceed without any doubts or those doubts from people outside the Order. We are Knights and by our actions we are known.

The Elements of the Order


The SumbelSir Gawain’s Note: While the Sumbel is a simple, yet powerful ritual, in my experience I have found that in practice there left little time for action by the Knight’s involved and most of the ritual was spent sitting and listen-ing. This would work fine in a Sumbel of 3-5 Knights, but when the number reached up past ten and each Knight would engage in oratory fervor to see who could talk for the longest period of time the concept behind the Sumbel was lost. Those who created the concept of the Sumbel would conduct this ritual in a state of revelry more than oratory lengthiness. To talk too long between drinks would take them longer to become inebriated. I think we should keep in mind when we are having a Sumbel that if the ritual be-gins to drag on we should shorten our speeches and get to the point of the matter so we leave the area invigorated, not wanting to go to sleep for the evening. What is written here is based upon Sir Rudra’s original text. There have been a few minor changes made, but for the most part it has been left unchanged. The most important part we must all remember when partici-pating in a sumbel is to be succinct and precise in our words. To be anything other than completely focused ruins the ritual.

The Sumbel is one of the central rites of the Order of the Trapezoid. It is a shared totem within our system of Lodges, and a symbolic enactment of the two-fold Quest conducted by each individual Knight and Dame. It is both an elder tradition and recent experiment; one which has thus far achieved a fair measure of success along the spectrum of the Trapezoid. This section contains: 1) a brief history of the Sumbel; 2) an outline of its essential elements and structure; 3) an evaluation of its performance within the Order thus far; and, 4) an analysis of its metalinguistic relation-ship to the individual Quest to which each of us have sworn.

A. History

Historical and literary sources tell of ceremonial gatherings among North-ern European warriors. The Jorns-Vikings reportedly conducted feasts in which a drinking horn was raised in honor of gods and heros both living and dead. Boasts were made of deeds accomplished, and sacred oaths were sworn before the witness of all who attended. It was often the case that generous amounts of mead were consumed at these events, and these oaths could become quite ambitious by the end of the feast. Stories have it that there was many a time in which a Viking had to be reminded the next day of tasks to which he had sworn in the “heat of the moment.” These pledges were a sacred bond in any circumstance, and each Knight was accountable for his tongue no matter how loose. Such oaths could lead a Knight to great achievements or certain death.

In addition to the rites of the Jorns-Vikings, the Sumbel reoccurs in many legendary forms. Perhaps the most famous of these are the tales of King


Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, who gathered to tell of deeds wrought and pledge of those yet to be accomplished, of which the Grail Quest is the ultimate archetype. Wolfram Von Eschenbach describes how Arthur himself would build the table while at camp, from which Parzival, his greatest and most innocent Knight, had fulfilled his pledge of re-dis-covery and became the Grail King.

Sir Parzival of the Order of the Trapezoid knew well of these legends. He became one of our greatest Knights by enacting them in his own life. He was one of the first to conduct the Sumbel and taught it to Lady Lance, who spoke of it to Sir Ronald. But legend has it that once awakened, knowledge of the Sumbel can only be transmitted through physical demonstration with a living teacher. Soon after returning from a military rite of passage, Sir Rudra received this teaching from Sir James Chisholm, a Knight well-versed in the Northern mysteries. Sir Rudra applied this knowledge in establishing the Sumbel as a central rite in the revival of a Lodge system begun by Sir Parzival. Following the Grail Rite of XXIX, the original Lodge of the Order, Munsalvæsche, became the banner of all Knights errant. From this place where the shaft of the Spear is kept, the Sumbel has reemerged to signify the words and deeds of the individual Quest.

B. Elements and Structure

The requisite elements for Sumbel are few. One need only have something to drink, a container from which to drink it, a fair measure of inspiration, and one or more suitable witnesses. Yes, the Prince of Darkness most certainly counts as a witness. The basic structure of the Rite consists of four rounds of toasts. During a round, each participating Knight or Dame takes up the horn and loads it by making a hammer sign with a closed fist. The participant states the toast aloud, drinks from the horn, and then passes it to the next Initiate in a widdershins (counterclockwise) direction until the round is completed. The order of rounds are as follows: 1. Of the Gods: This may be to mythical entities, peters, runes or archetypes -principles in some form or another. This is the most abstract of rounds, but one which is important in setting the tone for the rest of the Sumbel. In the past, participants have sometimes chosen their toasts to fit a certain occasion. Some have linked them to toasts in subsequent rounds, or to those made by other Initiates. 2. Of Heros: These usually include, but are not limited to, ordinary human beings - both living and dead- who have committed extraordinary acts. Sometimes they are legendary figures. They need not be Setian, or even otherwise admirable. The only requirement is that the participant clearly explain the reason why the hero was chosen. It may be for a single characteristic or deed. Or it may be for a lifetime of achievements. In any case, the hero should illustrate an exemplary model from which other Knights and Dames might learn or derive inspiration. 3. Of Boasts: Setians are not known for their humility. All Knights and Dames are Setians.


Therefore, this round of boasts presents a good opportunity to show off. It is also a good opportunity for humor and play. Boasts can be of any deed or deeds accomplished. In many cases, the deed may fulfill an oath made in a previous Sumbel, thereby completing a “full cycle” of the rite. Because many of the oaths involve deeds in the objective universe, the possibility of failure and/or shortcomings are introduced as well. There have been many times in which a Knight or Dame has had to confront his or her limitations, reformulate the original plan, and/or redouble the effort for another attempt. 4. Of Oaths: This is the final and most solemn round. If a central flame is used. The participants may place some instrument over it (such as a dagger or sword) while making the oath. Oaths may be of a subjective or abstract nature, but more often they are made regarding Initiatory deeds to be accomplished in the objective universe.

These are the basics. And with the Sumbel, the basics are usually all that is needed. The Sumbel has been formulated for group rituals ranging from Lodge meetings to Order-wide Workings. In these latter formats, the rite begins and ends with a hammer struck nine times upon a table. The Nine Angles are invoked and assembled, with the central Black Flame ignited upon the ninth and maintained throughout the rite. Most Lodge meetings involve additional Work, with both common traditions and secret rites which vary from Lodge to Lodge.


C. Some Evaluations and Guidelines

At the time of this edition, it has been four years since the Sumbel has been actively applied within the Order. Since then, it has been utilized within four Lodges and two Conclave rituals. It has formed any number of strange alliances and situations among Knights most errant. The Sumbel has been performed in hotel rooms and garages; upon mountain tops, within caves, and across continents over the internet. It has been taught to numerous Setians in the Temple at large, and honorable humans in the World of Horrors. The Sumbel has even been taught to a group of corpo-rate managers.

To date, there have been only a few instances in which the Sumbel has been conducted in a strictly individual setting. Even the most personal-ized of these Workings have usually involved at least one other Initiate. Yet even in larger settings, the ritual has lent itself to a high degree of intimacy. Here, the individual Knight or Dame has often faced having to expose private aspects of his or her life to other participating Initiates. It is for this reason that mutual trust is absolutely essential to these Workings. The standing convention is that personal information spoken within a Sumbel remain among its participants unless explicit permission is given. Violation of this is a breach of trust, and therefore an act of dishonor. Here, com-mon sense applies. Prideful accomplishments are usually transmissible within appropriate Temple contexts. Covert manipulations in the World of Horrors may not be. Hers and principles are almost always shared at the discretion the participants, and sometimes generously so. Individual short-comings are private by default. So far, no one has reported a problem with this. Even so, no Initiate should feel compelled to reveal something that he or she does not feel comfortable sharing with others.

Over the last four years many successful cycles of oaths and boasts have been performed regarding deeds wrought by warrior Initiates in the objec-tive universe. However, the resistant nature of the OU has also provided ample opportunities for participating Knights to make mistakes.

Like the Norse Vikings, the warrior Initiate faces defeat every time he or she embarks on a task in the World of Horrors. Consequently, there have been a number of times in which Knights and Dames have had to face an unfulfilled oath before their peers. There is no dishonor in this as long as one remains true to his or her Self and fellow Knights. In fact. it is part of the process of Becoming that we confront our limitations in order that we exceed them. Hence, all participants should be supportive of each other’s struggles.Bearing in mind the tales of overambitious oaths among the drunken Jorns-Vikings, it is better for a Knight to commit to a realistic oath more aptly suited to his or her Initiation in the first place. Let the extra effort come from exceeding the oath rather than falling short of the mark. Time management and deadlines comprise the majority of oaths not achieved.


It is important to make the task a priority in one’s daily life. Some of the most effective tasks involve intensifying the Work of life that we have to face anyway, rather than adding another item to the “To Do” list.

Although one Initiate is usually designated to lead the Sumbel, all partici-pants will shape the Working with through their contributions. The tone of the rite is set with each toast by both its content and delivery. It helps to be clear and concise for the sake of pacing, especially with larger groups. The number of participants can strongly influence the shape of the rite as well. Two’s and three’s can be quite intimate. Fours seem to have a special geometry. Nine would seem to be the high end beyond which the rite may lose its intimacy and/or pace. It is to be kept in mind that if you have 5 participants and each speaks for 5 minutes in each round that you will have a sumbel that lasts roughly one hour and fifteen minutes. For the sake of convenience I would suggest that Sumbel’s be kept to one hour at the most. I would also suggest that Sumbel’s not be held too frequently. In one instance, a lodge I belonged to held a Sumbel every month and be-cause of that the oath part of the Sumbel lost it’s importance and sacred-ness. An oath is a very serious thing and to have to make an oath each month leads you to have twelve quests per year which you have to suc-cessfully complete. I would recommend quarterly or bi-annual Sumbels for the lodges. If you wish to do more that is up to you, but keep in mind that you should have a life outside the Order and too many quests will leave you with less time to do things such as eat, bathe and hold down a job.

There are many ways in which participants can derive inspiration from one another during the rite. As mentioned, participants may comment on previous rounds, or previous Sumbels performed by the same group. Noteworthy oaths and boasts may be affirmed by the table-pounding among those in witness. Needless to say, things can become quite interac-tive. Widdershins is not the sole direction a Sumbel can take.

A given rite can range through a number of moods in a short period of time. Sumbels often begin with quiet intensity in the first round, loosen-ing up during the tales of the second, becoming quite humorous during the boasts, and solemn during the oaths. But this need not be the case, and every rite has its own shape. Within the Lodges where the same participants conduct the Sumbel on a fairly regular basis, a chemistry usu-ally develops within the group. Rites within each of the Lodges have their own distinctive flavors. Within a given Lodge, the Sumbel can act as an egregore - a shared totem of its membership which becomes loaded over time by the words and deeds of its participants. As stories are told, les-sons learned, and deeds accomplished, the Sumbel- as-totem accumulates a history and potency within a group. These, in turn, are tapped into by subsequent contributors in a power exchange where the returns exceed the sum of contributions. Once built to a high enough level, the egregore of the Sumbel can be utilized for magical Work in which the act of oath-


taking can significantly tip the balance of success in favor of the Knight or Dame where the deed lies just beyond the realm of physically achieved probability.

D. The Sumbel and the Spectrum

Through the Sumbel, members of the Knighthood have contributed words and deeds covering the entire spectrum of the Trapezoid at various points in time and space. However, the Working itself most prominently stems from the band-widths of the Black Flame; Realmagie; the Grail Quest and the Order of chivalry; and The Way of Wotan - the odd Angles of the Spectrum of the Trapezoid.

Whether physically present or not, the rite itself is catalyzed by a central Black Flame that signifies both the individual and combined psychic forces that are willfully brought to bear upon its Works. The Sumbel mandates an active practice of honorable behavior through truth to Self, Quest, and the other Knights and Dames of the Order. Realmagie is accomplished through tasks in the objective World of Horrors. But most significantly, it links these objective accomplishments to the more subjective processes of inner transformation. This is a key point, because it is through the Way of Wotan that the Sumbel functions as an active means of enacting the magi-cal link between the twofold mystery of Runa - Work that is distinctive among the Knighthood of the Trapezoid.

Unlike many other kinds of Workings, the tasks performed through Sumbel provide the Knight or Dame with an tangible mirror for self re-flection, and a powerful tool for reshaping one’s Self and environment. It is here where the Initiate finds the secret of the eye and the fist inscribed on each of the Lodge Hammers; and where Thurisaz forms the Angle between Uruz and Naudhiz. It has been said that a ritual is like a symbol in motion. The rite of the Sumbel is symbolic of the Gift that is shaped by the Work of the Knight in Quest for the Grail: the absolute Truth which is every sought and never found. It is for this reason that Sumbel has come to represent the larger model of Work within the egregore of the Order, whereby its Knights and Dames transform themselves and their worlds through recognizable deeds which bring honor to the Trapezoid, and therefore gives us increase. The Sumbel is enacted every time a war-rior Initiate brings back the prize of his or her accomplishments. These accomplishments in turn are brought as trophies to the table of the Order through articles in Runes and regular reports to the Grand Master. And they are culminated in an annual Sumbel conducted at Conclave by repre-sentatives of the Lodges and the Knights errant of Munsalvæsche in honor of Sir Parzival and the Grail which is ever sought and never found.


Reflections on the Sumbel RiteBy Sir Harlequin, Dagon Lodge Master

Since its introduction to the Order by Grand Master Emeritus Rudra perhaps no single Work has become more synonymous with the Work of the Order of the Trapezoid then the Sumbel Rite. The Rite has been practiced in the Lodges of the Order and by the Order as a whole. Knights of the Order have even taken the Rite into the World, teaching it to Non-Order Initiates as well as those who do not consider themselves magicians at all. Oddly there has been little material related to how best to use this Rite as an operative magical tool and not simply as a kind of Setian Drinking Game. The success of Dagon Lodge Sumbel coupled with my preparatory research leads to a few comments on the Sumbel and how best to actualize it as a Magical tool.

The reemergence of the Sumbel as a practice in the contemporary World is tied directly to the Work of the Order of the Trapezoid. Grand Master Emeritas Polaris brought the Rite into the contemporary Asatru movement in 1979 with the publication of an article “The Sumbel” in Raven Banner 26, the organ of the Committee for the Restoration of the Oðinic Rite. Sir Polaris found his inspiration for this piece, since republished in his collection Green Runa, from a lecture by Paul Bauschatz at the University of Texas at Austin in 1976. In this article Sir Polaris discusses the likely origin of the word “sumbel” from a compound of “sum-” meaning “come together” and “-öl” meaning “ale” which combined suggest “”a gathering of the imbibing of inspired drink.” Additionally Sir Polaris notes examples of this practice found in Beowulf and in the “Lokasenna” and the “Hymiskviða” of the Poetic Edda.

Sir Polaris along with Master Mitchell Wade, now in Walhalla, worked over the years to spread the practice within the Asatru Movement. Their Work has in turn inspired additional Work to refine the practice, including James Chisholm, Knight Emeritus and onetime leader of the Ring of Troth, who taught the Rite to Grand Master Emeritus Rudra and our own Sir Setnakt, who has been instrumental in spreading the Sumbel into the wider Magical community.

Within the Northern Traditions there are two distinct lines of the Sumbel Rite, the Icelandic and the Anglo-Saxon, both of which have been remanifest within the Asatru community. Before moving on to the specifically Trapezoidal Sumbel we would do well to review these rites as they may offer inspiration.

In the traditional Icelandic Sumbel, such as the kind practiced within the general Asatru community is build around a pattern of three primary rounds. The first round is dedicated to the Gods and Goddesses of the Folk. The second round is dedicated to the actions of one’s ancestors and


heroes, often an indistinguishable category in traditional cultures. The third round is dedicated to one’s own actions. If a person is so moved they may take the opportunity following the third round to make an Oath before those assembled.

In the Anglo-Saxon Sumbel follows a similar pattern. The first round is dedicated to the Gods and Goddesses. A short interlude takes place, referred to as a “Bragafull” in which the leader of the Sumbel would make toasts or boasts to the activities of the Group itself. This would not be a full round but rather a single event. Following this the second round to ancestors would take place. An open ended set of rounds would follow about past deeds, recent insights and other information of use to the Folk as well as there being an option to take Oaths. The Sumbel would end when the Sumbel leader felt that the Rite had run its course.

The Trapezoidal Sumbel aims to isolate and enhance the core of the Sumbel rather then act as simply a historical recreation. The Trapezoidal Sumbel, though related to the Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon practices of Sumbel is a Rite that stands fully on its own. Where the historic Sumbels could range from rounds of three upwards to ten with Oath taking as an optional act the Trapezoidal Sumbel consists of Two Rounds of Toasts, a Boast and an Oath taking. Abstract principles often take the place of anthropomorphosized deities and the entire span of human endeavor in all times and places acts as our source for Heroic models. Finally there is no passing and the taking of Oaths is an integral rather then optional magical act.

Looking at the structure of this Rite a pattern emerges. The First round, either to Abstract Principles or Deities, calls upon the Causal Realm of Reality, where in the seed forms that underlie all manifestation rest. This force is then contracted into the realm of the Heroic Past, where the actions of another human being or human beings related to this Principle are spoken of with admiration. The contraction is taken forward from the Heroic Past and is brought into line with the actions in your own personal past that you may speak of with pride as a Boast that reflects the Numinous Force of the previous two rounds. Finally in this supercharged state, the Knight dedicates the accumulated energy to create the Matrix in which the Oath of Action in the World will take shape. It takes little imagination to see how this same pattern can be applied beyond the Sumbel as well.

Personal preparation for a Sumbel Rite should involve serious consideration of how each of the Rounds should be blended to create the highest level of personal inspiration and magical might, both for the individual Knight and for all others who take part. Disconnected Rounds with no relation either to each other or the final Oath should be avoided at all costs. The Operative Magic of the Order requires Passion and Precision and the Sumbel cuts to the very Heart of Walhalla. Woe unto the Knight who enters this Hall unprepared.


The Elhaz Riteby Sir Gawain, Grand Master

I first learned the Elhaz Rite many years ago when I was first a member of the Rune -Gild somewhere around 1987. The old Norse within the ritual was difficult for me to pronounce since I only had the book Futhark: The Handbook of Rune Magic to go by. I didn’t have someone working with me to correct my pronounciations, but I still did the best I could. This ritual stirred something inside me, but it just never seemed to give me what I felt I needed. During my time within the Rune-Gild I found myself facinated with the rune Ingwaz as well, but I didn’t know why. I soon left the Rune-Gild and in 1992 I started becoming interested in the Runes again. In my reawakened study I realized perhaps why the Ingwaz rune was important—It is the rune of gestation and it was trying to tell me to let it sit and wait for the proper time for it to come out.

I oddly enough decided to join the Temple of Set in 1992 because it gave me the opportunity to explore runes and much more. Not too long afterwards I was introduced to Lady Lance who began a Runic Studies Workshop. This workshop was very intense compared to other pylons I had been exposed to. We met every week and studied and focused our work on a rune that we would work with for a week and then discuss and work together on what we had discovered. One of the things that we used to start and end each of our meetings was the Elhaz Rite. We worked on memorizing this and pronouncing each rune and old norse line correctly and when my time came to recite the ritual from memory I received my payoff. It was one of those times where you feel like the planets and stars are perfectly aligned and focused upon you. You are at the center of the universe and you are in command of everything. The best part was that I realized this as I was performing the ritual not afterwards or a week or two afterwards and that fueled it even further. What I experienced that day was pure magic and so did everyone else in the room.

Since that time there have been several Knights within the Order who have worked with this ritual as well and I would like to see it come back into use. My experience was not a one time thing either. It was performed again at the beginning of the first DEV in Las Vegas and it electrified the room. Those who where in attendence where amazed and those who where at work performing the DEV noticed that not a single thing went wrong.

To quote from Sir Polaris’ Futhark: a Handbook of Rune Magic, “The Hammer rite is the strongest and provides maximal protection and isolation, the Hagalaz rite provides the most potent magical atmosphere and potential, and the Elhaz rite strikes a balance between these.” This is why Lady Lance chose the Elhaz rite to start each meeting and why it became repeated used by Knights of the Order. It gave us protection. Not from “evil” as some people like to think, but it protected us from our own failings which gave focus to our work within the chamber and it also gave


us magical power to synergistically advance the force of our magic. Why there was not more focus put upon this ritual I’m not sure but I feel that it is my duty to bring it back into more prominent use within the Order. Here is the text of the ritual adapted from the Hammer Rite in “Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic.”

The Elhaz Rite

Facing north relax your mind and decompress from your mundane life and focus your magical mind on the work you are about to do.

1. Beginning with Fehu in the north sign and send the runes of the futhark in a ring around you at the level of the solar plexus as far out as you feel necessary, but at the very least including everyone in the ritual chamber. Turn alwasy with the sun in a clockwise direction. The runes should form a coomplete band ending with othala next to fehu in the north. You may use a lodge hammer or in it’s absence you may simply extend your hand, use a wand or what ever else feels suitable to the situation.

2. Stand in the elhaz stadha with arms raised at approximately 45° on either side of your body. Visualize four shimmering bands of blue light running outwards from your body to the four quadrants. Let these bands expand until the form a large surrounding sphere of shimmering blue light with the red rune band at it’s equator. Now vissualize the vertical axis coming through your length from the infinite space above and from the infinite space below.

3. When the feeling is correct to the Knight they visualize the Elhaz rune burning red in front you and state with an authoritative tone:Elhaz î Norðri helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz in the North hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

Then turn 90° to the right and visualizing the Elhaz rune burning red in front you say:Elhaz î Austri helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz in the East hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

Then turn 90° to the right and visualizing the Elhaz rune burning red in front you say:Elhaz î Suðri helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz in the South hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

Then turn 90° to the right and visualizing the Elhaz rune burning red in front you say:Elhaz î Vestri helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz in the West hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

Then turn 90° to the right coming back to North visualizing the Elhaz rune burning red above you and say:


Elhaz yfir mér helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz over me hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

Then turn 90° to the right coming back to North visualizing the Elhaz rune burning red beneath you and say:Elhaz undir mér helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz under me hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

and finally coming back to your original starting point say:Elhaz helga vé thetta ok hald vörð![translation: Elhaz hallow and hold this holy-stead!]

4. Finally, center all the forces of the vé by folding your arms from the hammer or cross stadha in toward your center, with your fingertips touching at the solar plexus and say:Um mik ok î mér Asgarðr ok Miðgarðr![translation: Around me and in me, Asgard and Midgard!]


The Investiture CeremonySir Gawain, Grand Master

When I created this ceremony I wished to have something that I felt I never had. Too often an initiatory threshold fails to be marked with cer-emonial care and attention it merits. I wanted to create a ceremony that would serve as something that any Knight who was invested into the Or-der would remember for years to come and would not feel that this was something that was given very little thought, but something that as time went on they would find more significance in why the ritual was done as it was. What I present here is the full ceremony. I have yet to perform it as I have written below, but I have come close on several occasions. For those who will be performing the Investiture Ceremony I suggest you take this as far as you can. The preparation on your part will be just as meaningful to you as the ceremony will be to the one who is being inducted.

The Investiture

The Knight should fast on the day of his investiture. Not necessarily for the entire day, but perhaps for a few hours prior to the ritual to put them-selves in the state of mind that something different is going to take place. He should take a ritual bath or shower using a mixture of kosher salt (because it is mined), Olive Oil, and a fragrant oil such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Labdanum or whatever is appropriate to them. The Knight should wear a black robe and should have a red livery (the over garment worn by knights) with the sigil of the O.Tr. embroidered on it). Participating Knights may wear black livery’s with red sigil or purple if they are Mas-ters of the Order. These preparations are to reinforce that in becoming a Knight, they are a guardian of the Black Flame and of the Temple. This is something they cannot change and it should be taken very seriously. The ceremony takes place at 9:00pm in the evening.

1. Hammer 9x2. Elhaz Rite (preferable by an Adept Knight).3. Invocation to Set to the South (preferably by a Knight of the 3rd Angle).4. Invocation of the Nine Angles to the North (preferably by a Master of the Order).5. Consecration of the ritual implements: 5a. The Sword: Set we who protect the Black Flame stand before you tonight to bring another warrior to your guard. We empower this sword in your name to work our will this evening. Let it’s one edge cut to the truth and it’s other administer your justice. It has no scabbard for the sword has no mercy. 5b. The Spear: We empower this spear, the symbol of our will to stand with us. It is strong and like our will it does not bend. Let’s its strength be our strength. 5c. The Graal: “Hic lapis excillus, extat precio quoque villus. Spernatur


a stultis, amatur plus ab edoctis. (a green stone preferably an emerald or moldavite is used to make the sign of the hammer over the graal. The stone is placed in the graal at the end and the grail is filled with Athol-brose (see below) or another appropriate liquid.6. Consecration of the Knight-to-be: (the Knight to be comes for and stands before the altar. The one performing the rite stand before them with both hands raised). Great Set we call you forth to stand with us tonight and bear witness to the becoming of this new Knight in your army. This evening see through us as our eyes become the eyes of Set and welcome this new member to your guard. Let him/her know what he/she is becoming and show they what they must do. Give them understanding of their task so that they will understand why they are here and above all bring forth their sense of honor so that they will not now or ever turn against themselves and the quest.7. Affirmation of the Knight-to-be: 1 or 2 members of the order (preferable sponsors) will be called forth to speak on behalf of the candidate to affirm to all assembled that they are a wise choice for the order.8. Taking of the Oath: The Knight-to-be takes the oath of the Order hold-ing the spear and signs his name to the oath. Afterwards, he is presented the Graal and drinks from it to seal his Oath. The one performing the ceremony holds the sword and taps the Knight on the left shoulder, right shoulder and head saying, “by Oðin, Villi and Vé you are now a Knight of the Prince of Darkness.”9. The one performing the ceremony then whispers into the Knight’s right ear, “for the oaths you have given and received” and whispers into his left ear, “In remembrance of your lineage and its obligations.” Then looks the Knight in the eyes. “Welcome”.10. Hail Sir N. (whatever name the Knight has selected as his order name)!11. Hammer 9x.

AtholbroseMany people have asked about magical elixirs to use in their grail work. I offer this alternative to store bought mead/wine/ale as it is for the most part made by hand and has an interesting history behind it.

Atholbrose is an adaptation of a very old recipe that was used in the colder regions of Britain similarly to mead. It’s been bastardized today into “Bailey’s Irish Cream”, but this tastes much better. The nice part about Atholbrose is that you don’t need to ferment it and can mix it up a day ahead. The Duke of Athol of in Scotland was coming under siege of the Romans. He had a well outside his castle that he instructed his Knights to fill will oatmeal, honey and scotch whisky. When the Romans arrive they drank from the well and discovered the “mana from the gods” was con-tained inside. Upon consuming large quantities of the mix the Romans fell drunkenly asleep that night at which point the previously outnum-


bered Knights of the Duke walked out and slit the throats of the drunken Romans and celebrated their victory without the loss of a single man by drinking themselves into a safe stupor from the same well that was the downfall of the Romans.

The idea behind the ingredients is 3 fold. The oats are for sustenance, the spirit for inspiration and the honey for the sweetness of victory. Here’s the recipe (makes about 1/2 gallon and keeps for a month or two):

Ingredients 4 cups rolled oats 4 cups water 2 cups more water 4 cups Scotch or Irish Whiskey (it doesn’t have to be expensive) 1 cup honey (preferably heather honey) 2 cup cream or Half-n-Half

Equipment Needed Two large bowls Measuring cup Spoon Cheese cloth

Makes 1/2 gallon

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix oats and water, stir, let the mixture sit until the water is totally absorbed (overnight).

2. Add 2 cups more water to the mixture, let sit 2 hours.

3. Strain oat/water mixture through 2-3 layers of cheese cloth into a large bowl by squeezing and wringing globs of oatmeal through the cheese cloth until oats are nearly free of water. This is messy and requires a lot of effort! Reserve pressed oats for oat cakes.

4. Add scotch, honey, and cream to oat-water. Mix until all ingredients are blended.


The Grail Massby Sir Gawain, Grand Master

On September the 5th, XXXIII, the R’lyeh lodge hosted a workshop entitled “The Holy Grail: a Trapezoidal Perspective.” The culmination of this workshop was the presentation of a reformulation of the Grail Mass. There had been no text that defined the “Mass of the Holy Grail” that was supposedly celebrated by the Knights Templar and illustrated in the grail mysteries, so I set about to formulate my own from a trapezoidal perspective that would be meaningful to our Knighthood. This working was an outcropping of the Grail Rite that was performed at the Runa Workshop and also performed at Set XVII in San Francisco. I sought to incorporate elements of the Grail Mass that were illustrated in the various texts and various alchemical concepts that are used by members of the Order and the Temple. Below is the text of the Mass as it was performed. Those participating were given very little background other than what they heard during the presentations that day. I decided as a follow up to reprint the working in Runes and add a commentary section to the end to explain the symbolism further. While I thought at first to let those involved figure out the symbolism for themselves, I thought it best to explain some of the basic concepts to give a deeper realization that this is not in any way a form of Catholic Mass, Gnostic Mass or Black Mass.

Principals:Lancebearer, Swordbearer, Grailbearer, Fisher King

Procession{Bell 9x during procession}Celebrants assemble in chamber in a semi-circle around altar. Principles enter chamber in the following order:GrailbearerLancebearerSwordbearerFisher King

ElucidationGrailbearer [GB]: {Places Grail on Mount}Lancebearer [LB]: {Raises lance in salute to Grail. Places lance in front of grail pointing toward SB}Swordbearer [SB]: {Raises sword in salute to grail. Places sword behind grail pointing toward LB}Fisher King [FK]: {Removes stone from vault. Makes hammar sign over grail while reciting Latin mystery. Places stone in grail.}

FK: “I am the alpha, the beginning. I am he that you see when you look to


where you once where. I am that I was.” {pours water into grail}

GB: “I am the omega, the end. I am she that you see when you look to where you are going. I am what I shall be. {pours water into grail}

LB: “I bear the lance that bleeds. I am the Will that drives the quest. I am the fire that binds the quest. I am that I am.” {pours water into grail}

SB: “I bear the sword once broken, made whole. I am the intellect that gives the power to discern. I am the voice of reason. I am that I am.” {pours water into grail}

Affirmation

FK: “Let the mysteries of the grail be spoken.”

Celebrants [C]: “I am that I am and I am that I was, but what I am, is not what I was.”

FK: “Whom does the grail serve?”

C: “It serves myself”

FK: “Why does the Lance bleed?”

C: “As an offering of myself to mySelf.”

FK: “What is the sword once broken made whole?”

C: “A symbol of the rebirth of the Self.”

Manisola

FK: “Let he who seeks the grail come forth now and gaze upon its magnificence and glory.”

C: {Comes forth individually and places offerings on altar. Time is allowed for personal work with the grail, but no one must touch or drink from the grail. When finished each is addressed by the FK.}

FK: “Whom does the Grail serve?”

C: “It serves myself.”

FK: {bestows gift upon C with secret phrase.}

C: {after everyone is finished all partake silently of the offerings and reflect upon what has transpired.}

Missa Est


{Bell 9x while FK speaks}FK: “Tomorrow Munsalvasche will be gone, but let the memory of what you have seen and experienced here tonight be with you for eternity.”

C: {With the final ringing of the bell each departs in silence}


Commentary:

The following is a description of the symbolism used in the Grail Mass. There was much thought put into assembling a “code” as it were that was subliminally programmed into the ritual. For those who do not know this more becomes revealed to them each time the mass is performed.

The five parts of the Mass: Procession, Elucidation, Affirmation, Manisola and Missa Est are numbered in honor of the five points of the Pentagram. The four principals represent the four angles of the Trapezoid and together represent the Nine Angles.Each of the Principals has their own representations as follows:Grailbearer: Water, The feminine principal of the Grail, the tarot suit of cups, birth of the Spirit.Lancebearer: Fire, the Will, the tarot suit of wandsSwordbearer: Air, the Intellect, the tarot suit of swordsStonebearer: Earth, The masculine principal of the Grail (as illustrated in Eschenbach’s Parzifal), the tarot suit pentacles, the crystallization of the Spirit.

The mount which the Grail is placed upon is a black trapezoid with a golden plate resting atop it. The black trapezoid is representative of the onyx mountain where the castle Munsalvache is said to appear, the golden plate is representative of Munsalvache in its radiance. The two come together in a blending of darkness and light and Grail then comes into being inside Munsalvache. The Fisher King removes the stone from the vault and places it within the Grail. The stone is an emerald symbolizing the Grail as a stone that fell from the Crown of Lucifer. The latin mystery recited over the Grail by the Fisher King is, “Hic lapis excilis extat precio quoque vilis. Spernatur a stultis, amatur plus ab edoctis.” The translation of this is, “Behold this insignificant stone. Despised by fools, the more cherished by the wise.” The act of placing the stone within the Grail is a bringing together of the Feminine and Masculine principles of the Grail into one place. There is also a symbolic illustration of conception in this act.

In the elucidation of the Grail Mass, each of the principals utters a formula to bring into being the principles they represent within the Grail. As each formula is uttered they pour water into the Grail to infuse the essence of that principle into the Grail. I will leave the true meanings of each of the formulas to the individual.

Having illustrated the mysteries of the Grail the participants affirm their quest for the Grail with the words, “I am that I am and I am that I was, but what I am, is not what I was.” This is a translation from Gaelic that is the closest I can find to the formula of Xepera, Xeper, Xeperu. It is an acknowledgement by the Self that you can see where you have been, where you are and where you are going and that you are Aware of the

changes you have undergone on your journey and are Aware that you will still change in the future. Next is the answering of the three questions asked by the Fisher King. In the original mysteries, Gawain and Parzifal did not know what questions to ask or answers to give when the Grail appeared before them. The traditional answers and meanings of each can be found in Julius Evola’s Magic and Initiation of the Holy Grail. I simply restated them in a more Trapezoidal and Setian manner.

The Manisola is where participants come before the Grail and place an offering to share with those in attendance. This offering is an offering from the self to the Self. While each person may work with the Grail in their own way, none may drink from the Grail. We partake of the Grail by consuming the food brought before it. As each person leaves their offering they approach the Fisher King who asks them, “Whom does the Grail serve?” The answer, “It serves mySelf” is an acknowledgement that the Grail exists within each of us. The Fisher King then bestows his gift, a small emerald as an outward manifestation of the Grail. The Fisher King then whispers the phrase, “Hic lapis exulis.” Note the last word is not excilis, but exulis. Hic lapis exulis translates to “Behold the stone of exile.” This is not just a reference to the alchemical formula by which Adam and Eve were exiled from paradise, but also a warning of responsibility that the seeker of the Grail is solely responsible for their actions. By this act the galdor is fixed to both the stone and the seeker. When all have come before the Fisher King a period of time is left for all to partake of the food and reflect on the mysteries that have been illustrated before them.

When all are finished, the Fisher King proclaims the ending of the Mass with the reminder that while the Grail may disappear, it remains within each and every one of us.

Lodges of the Order


Dagon LodgeAmerican Northeast

In his House at Ashdod lord Dagon lies FallenBut he will establish His Place again!

Ba’bethu l’Ashdodu yaqom Baal-Dagon - the Litany of Dagon

February 23, XXXX Aeon of Set by Sir Harlequin

Founded on November 11, XXXIX Aeon of Set by the Knights of the American Northeast, Dagon Lodge rests firmly upon the shores from which the Shining Trapezohedron came forth.

Named for the Oceanic Amphibious God-Monster of Lovecraft inspired by Mesopotamian Lore, the Lodge seeks to provide for a forum for its Knights to explore the Spectrum and Constellation of the Trapezoid in a spirit of fellowship.

In his short story “Dagon” H. P. Lovecraft describes an enormous amphibious creature encountered by a stranded sailor. This figure would later reappear as the God of the Deep Ones and Patron Deity of the people of the fictional town of Innsmouth, a seaside town in New England. Lovecraft’s inspiration for this being came from the Mesopotamian God Dagon and Oannes, the Amphibious being which brought consciousness and the skills to direct it to Humanity from beyond.

The Lodge will explore the Mysteries of the Grail as they relate to three distinct but related areas: the Sanguine, the Oceanic and the Serpentine. This work relates to the hidden Inner Ring of the Seal of Runa and draws upon many obscure and at times Neo-mythological associations to the Grail. Related to this area of Work is the exploration of the Black Flame and its Manifestation through the course of human biological and social development.

The history, structure and application of Secret Societies and their role in the spreading of information, ritual and Initiation forms another important area the Work of the Lodge. From the Chivalric Guilds of Europe to the teaching societies of East Africa to the Tong of China Secret Societies have established modes of activity which allow for the maximizing of freedom and the necessary Initiatory exchange from Mouth to Ear. Towards this end the Lodge has been and will continue to explore and expand upon the existing repertoire of this fertile source of inspiration, method and lore.

The geographic and historical location of the Lodge plays an additional


role in its Work. Many of the important magical influences, both obvious and subtle, of the 19th and 20th Centuries of the Common Era find their origins of important moments within this area. The Lodge seeks to Understand and utilize this stream of dynamic stream of Becoming and to find a unique place within it. Towards this end the Lodge also acts both as an access-point for Setians in its geographic area to take part in open events related to the Work of the Lodge and the Order and as a source of information and inspiration of what has gone before us in the Place.

Fenris LodgeSoutheastern USA

“The chains that hold the Fenris Wolf are rent asunder, and the Wolf courses about. Brothers shall fight and slay one another; sisters’ sons shall break the bonds of kinship. It shall fare hard with the world: great whoredom, an axe-age, a sword-age, shields shall be cloven, a wind-age, a wolf-age, ere the world sinks in ruin. No man shall spare the other.” - Voluspa

The Fenris Lodge came into being in the year XXX of the Aeon of Set. The proposed path of Fenris is that of Self-transformation through the archetype of the beast.

The Fenris Wolf can be traced back to the mythology of Northern Europe. The unholy offspring of Loki and the giantess Angurboda, Fenris grew so large and unruly that the Aesir had to bind him with a magical cord forged by the dwarves. To talk the beast into submitting to what he was told was a test of strength, the Aesir had to swear an oath to turn him loose should he fail to break free of his own accord. Fenris agreed, on the condition that one of the Aesir place their right hand in his mouth as a pledge of good faith. The only one brave enough to agree to this stipulation was Tyr, who lost his right hand in the Wolf ’s jaws after the oath had been broken.

Fenris eventually breaking free of his bonds signifies the advent of Ragnarok, the battle between the Aesir and the Jotuns at the end of each cycle of fire and ice. During Ragnarok Fenris swallows Odhinn, who is in turn brought forth from the belly of the beast by his son Vidar, who creates a new heaven and a new earth by dividing Fenris in twain. Fenris represents the raw material through which creation and change may be effected.

The guiding ethos of the Fenris Lodge can be stated concisely as “leader-ship by example.” This ideal is proclaimed in the myth where Tyr sacri-fices his right hand for the benefit of his kinsmen. The fact that an oath had to be broken in order to serve a higher law illustrates the point that


the Black Magician must adhere to a strict code of ethics if he expects to be tolerated by the society in which he lives. Tyr is the Rune signifying a Knight of the Trapezoid, whose honor is known by his faithfulness. To affiliate with the Fenris Lodge the aspirant must take the Oath of the Order of the Trapezoid. Our criteria are rigorous. The Knight seek-ing affiliation must be sponsored by either a Knight of the Ninth Angle (i.e. a Knight of the Trapezoid who is also a Priest of Set) or a Master of the Order of the Trapezoid. The Oath is taken in a formal rite in which the celebrant, his/her sponsor, the Lodge Master and other affiliates are present. The central rite of the Fenris Lodge is the Sumbel, which is per-formed at least annually.

Munsalvæsche LodgeThe Munsalvæsche Lodge was originally founded as a local Lodge of the Order in the San Francisco Bay area by Mitchell Wade, M.Tr., now in Walhalla. Upon his passing the authority to run the Lodge was passed to Lady Lance who is now the Lodge Master of Munsalvæsche. The concept of the Lodge has been transformed into a Lodge to represent all Knights and Dames Errant Actively Working within the Order at any one time.

R’lyeh LodgeSan Francisco, Bay Area, USA

Who knows the end? What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise.

The R’lyeh Lodge is based in the San Francisco Bay area.

H.P. Lovecraft created R’lyeh as the ancient civilization of the old ones. In Lovecraft’s mythos the old ones were entities possessing enormous intelligence and power who once ruled the stars and planets from strangely angled towers. The lodge’s vision of R’lyeh is the creation of a Setian civilization with a focus on the future through the use of mad labs and technology, but also with a connection to the past. The stone city of R’lyeh can be thought to represent our eternal selves and our relationship to the cycles of the universe. The rising and sinking of the city of R’lyeh can be thought to represent the Lodge’s connection with the Past, Present and Future. While R’lyeh and the old ones are a myth of literature, the old ones can be considered a symbolic primordial foreshadowing of our ascension.

More than just a community, the Knights of the R’lyeh Lodge seek to


transform the culture of the region through their work. This work is something which manifests in the real world as a thing of substance that will live on for many years to come. The Knight or Dame of the R’lyeh Lodge is challenged to share this with other Knights and those outside the Temple and utilize the feedback they receive to strengthen their work. This sharing that each Knight or Dame does is what creates the Setian civilization.

Tindalos Lodge Outline of its History, Structure, and PurposeOriginally penned by Sir Ronald, 10 October XXV A.S.(Revised by Sir XuBennu, Lodgemaster, February XXVIII A.S.)

I. The History & Structure of the Lodge

1. The name for the Lodge is inspired by Frank Belknap Long’s story, The Hounds of Tindalos, and the Tindalos Working conducted by those Knights and Dames of the order who were in attendance at the Set-X Conclave. The Tindalos concept is one of a totipotent reality linked to the material realm by an assembly of strange angles upon which certain predatory entities, the Hounds, are known to be well traveled. If one explores the linguistic origins of the name Tindalos they may see the fiery potential that is inherent in the forms that are given expression by the Hounds.

Following its creation in the year XXV A.S., the Tindalos Lodge functioned actively and continually as a geographically based Lodge within the Lone Star State (Texas) until it was decided by the membership that conditions warranted its de-activation at the Set-XXI Conclave. With nearly three years having past since the Lodge was de-activated, the members of the Knighthood within the region of Texas and Louisiana sensed that the Hounds should again be awakened. So, on the evening of February 22/23, XXXVIII A.S., some time after Midnight, their terrors were summoned that the worlds might again know their fury and the fury of those who, by word and deed, would dare commune with them.

2. As before, the Knights of the Tindalos Lodge seek to embrace the spirit of the Hounds and move upon these strange angles. More specifically, they shall form the angles themselves, and therefore, the geometric structure of the Lodge.

3. This magical structure shall be as before. It shall be represented by certain symbolic elements that form the Churingae of the Lodge (e.g.: Lodge Name; Lodge Oath; Lodge Symbol; Invocation; & Drinking Horn).


Custom and innovation shall be blended in order to forge potent tools for the Knights and Dames who gather within its halls.

II. The Purpose of the Lodge

1. The purpose of the Lodge is to provide an egregore for individual and group work which is maximally conducive to the Quest of each Knight or Dame who participates. The goals of the Lodge are the same as those of the Temple in general and the Order in particular, to explore the true Will of the Self and induce dynamic states of Xeper.

2. What is unique about the Lodge is its focus around the deeds of the participating members, and for this reason, it will serve to not only encourage the process of individual Xeper, but mandate it through individually-directed, and increasingly maximized endeavors. This is accomplished through the performance of the Lodge Sumbel, where Knights and Dames shall speak of Principals, Heroes, boast of deeds done, and make Oaths of deeds yet to be done.

3. The Tindalos Lodge shall put a high emphasis on the chivalric aspect of the Order. Honor must take the form of Truth to the Self, to other members, and to the Quest itself. Truth shall be both the means and object of the Knights and Dames of the Order. It shall be that Graal, which is ever sought by those who have taken up the Quest.

Members of the Order who reside within Texas and Louisiana, and are interested in joining the Work of the Lodge, or traveling Knights or Dames who wish to sit with us in Sumbel, may contact the Lodgemaster, Sir XuBennu, for further information.


Houses of the Order


Haus of SurtMuspell burns bright and hot. That area is flaming and burning and is impassable for those that are foreigners there and are not native to it. There is one called Surt that is stationed at the frontier to defend the land. He has a flaming sword and at the end of the world he will go and wage war and defeat all the gods and burn the whole world with fire. Thus it says in Voluspa:

Surt travels from the south with the stick-destroyer (fire).Shines from his sword the sun of the gods of the slain.Rock cliffs crash and troll-wives are abroad, heroes treadThe road of Hel and heaven splits.

The region of Muspell represents the Blake Flame, which is located in the southern region of the World Tree. As Knights of the prince of Darkness we are charged with the re-establishment of the Temple, should there be acataclysmic event and the temple is destroyed.

The House of Surt provides warrior training for those knights who dare to Xeper on the warrior path.

The House of Surt explores the use of martial arts as an initiatory tool and magic. Additionally the House of Surt will provide workshops in self-defense and direct security operations at international and regional gatherings.

SaundhausSaundhaus was started to serve as a laboratory for working with the production and composition of music from an initiatory standpoint within the Order of the Trapezoid. In addition to this Saundhaus exists outside the Order of the Trapezoid in the form of a company used to put the practices and teaching within Saundhaus to the test in the outside world and also within the Temple as a separate order—The Order of Taliesin.

Those who are drawn to the Saundhaus are musicians, not just lovers of music. The techniques worked with will be centered around the metaphysical studies of music done by ancient philosophers such as Pythagoras, Plato and Nichomachus as well as the numerous modern composers and artisans who create, shape and define what music is, how it is produced and how it is presented.


Haus of Starry Wisdom Patty A. Hardy, Grand Master EmeritusApril XXX, AS

In April of the year XXXVII the House of Starry Wisdom became an Order of the Temple of Set. The following account of the roots of that Order is here preserved, to show the Trapezoidal vision informing its foundation and method. Knights of the Trapezoid who seek what is discussed here are encouraged to contact the Grand Master of the Order of Sebekhet.

Starry Wisom: The ConceptThe Starry Wisdom Hyperlodge is a school of sidereal philosophy within the Order of the Trapezoid. Starry Wisdom works with the Rise of the Trapezoid, Dreams through the Trapezoid, the Angles and other parts of the spectrum of the Trapezoid. The conceptual coherence of this spectral mix arises from the central subject of Starry Wisdom studies: the night sky and its historical, philosophic and initiatory impact on the origin, development and possible future of the psyche.While this thematic blend can be seen as several distinct bands split by the analytic prism of the Trapezoid, it is also reflected in the legacy the Temple of Set claims for its own. The ancient stellar cult of Set, attested to by archeological accounts of the unique tombs of the Setian Pharaohs and by Lockyer’s descriptions of Egyptian astro-architecture, remains part of our modern conception of the Prince of Darkness.

Starry Wisdom is a home for advanced Trapezoidal studies in these areas, and contributes to the development and refinement of the Angular Knighthood. Beyond this, the Hyperlodge applies its discoveries to the advancement of the Aeon of Set through the deeds of those who participate in its Work.

The intent of this Work is xeper, the personal and self-directed transformation of the individual towards psyche-centric divinity. The method is Polarian, involving oscillation between the poles of reason and creative intuition. Once the student has mastered the basics of Starry Wisdom, personal work becomes a springboard into the Unknown within and beyond. A number of goals present themselves:

• exploration of a specific perspective on the symbolism of the LHP,• comprehension of the ideas of eternity and infinity,• summary of the methods and tools born of the night sky,• probing the boundaries of Self linked to ideas of space and time, and• mastering the creation of universes into which the Self may remanifest.

The Hyperlodge suggests several methods of approaching these goals:• examining the origins of human orderings of space and time,• learning to consciously order the spatial and temporal structure of


one’s experience,• uncovering the true impact of celestial phenomena on terrestrial systems and events, and• equipping and experiencing the Self as a creator of universes.

The name of the hyperlodge comes from a fictional cult in H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, “The Haunter of the Dark”. The cult possessed a stone, the Shining Trapezohedron, through which they received hidden and unearthly knowledge. Lovecraftian neomythology, incorporating both rational and creative elements, is one of the chief sources of inspiration in the Works of the hyperlodge.

The Telos of Starry WisdomAs suggested by the name of the Hyperlodge, the Initiate of Starry Wisdom is engaged in a magical dialogue with an extraterrestrial or transhuman mentor. Time magic is also a facet of the work of Starry Wisdom. Tutelary spirits, and time magic, are not unknown in other magical systems. However, the theoretical premises of the magician constrain what is attempted as well as what is accomplished:

“The theoretical basis of Setian time magic comes to us from the Church of Satan’s experiments with Erotic Crystallization Inertia (ECI). Unlike the New Age practitioner who pursues ‘past-life regression’ and the recovery of hypothetical memories, the user of ECI sought ‘transtemporality’, the ability to manipulate time and use this skill to alter the relationship between past and present.”

“This difference of technique reflects the philosophical divergence of the RHP and the LHP: the New Ager regards himself or herself as a product of the past and essentially seeks justification for the present in past experiences, either real or fantasy. The Satanist using ECI savored the past to rejuvenate the present Self. Setians have expanded this method to include changing the emotional tone and representational framework of memories, again to aid Self-creation, and have begun to apply ECI to the future.”

Time-consciousness is one of the newest and most uniquely human capabilities. Alfred Korzybski spoke of man as the only ‘time-binding’ animal, and wrote a technical treatise on the implications of this fact. It is a trait intimately linked to our capacity for culture and our Self-awareness.“The dominant cultural models for thinking about time are crude, mostly unconscious, and tailored to the lowest common denominator’ appropriate to the natural cycle of agriculture and the repetitive work of the assembly line. There is evidence of vast differences among humans in their perception and awareness of time. Rifkin has discussed the extraordinary practical implications of this difference...Of utmost interest is the existence of a direct correlation between the exercise of power and the scope of planning, foresight and action in which the person habitually thinks that is, the way in which the person experiences and manipulates time.”


-Patty A. Hardy, “The Gate and the Key”

The Shub-Niggurath experiments attempted to bring a Trapezoidal Initiate into contact with the Self of the initiate in some future place and time during a Working in the here and now. Those experiments covered time spans ranging from a weekend to a year. Starry Wisdom has a more ambitious goal: to establish contact with the Self over spans of space and time so distant that the limits of scientific understanding and creative intuition must be stretched.Unlike the person who seeks counsel from an ancestral spirit to guide present action and shape the future, the Initiate of Starry Wisdom seeks counsel from the future accepting, in turn, the premise that this future Self has information of value and the desire to come into being by informing its past Self.

There are reasons to seek this contact. The interaction between the exercise of power and the time spans over which the individual plans and coordinates activities has already been mentioned. Philosophically, the process requires setting aside a purely mechanistic model of temporal experience in which willed self-actualization can play little part, replacing it by a teleological model. Magically, the contact cultivates a transtemporal perspective that can serve the Initiate in identifying limitations accepted by the psyche through its identification with its biological form, and in overcoming them, applying the technique described by the mathematician Hinton:

“...as a general type of progress from lower to higher, we make the following observations. Firstly, we become aware that there are certain limitations affecting our regard. Secondly, we discover by our reason what those limitations are, and then force ourselves to go through the experience which would be ours if the limitations did not affect us. Thirdly, we become aware of a capacity within us for transcending those limitations. and for living in the higher mode as we had lived in the former one.”- Charles Hinton, A New Era of Thought.

The topics of study and research of interest to Starry Wisdom are those which will aid the Initiate in preparing for this contact and identifying invariants that can serve as a Rosetta Stone. In this Starry Wisdom echoes the insight of Pythagoras and Plato—among others—who held that study of astronomy, geometry, music and similar disciplines readied the soul for comprehension of divine things.

The reading list of Starry Wisdom is meant to introduce the Initiate to the sidereal philosophies, theologies and cosmologies of several human civilizations. An Initiate who personally recapitulates some of the insights and discoveries of minds in touch with the night sky will see the past and the present with new eyes. From this perspective the symbolism of the Temple of Set and the Order of the Trapezoid will be understood


The Master of the Trapezoidby Sir Gawain, GM. Tr.

When Sir Rudra wrote his original guidelines regarding the Master of the Trapezoid he outlined a formula based upon the work of the Bauhaus that was extremely complex and difficult to attain. Mastery shouldn’t be simple and easy, but it should be attainable. To my knowledge there was not one person who attained the status of Master of the Trapezoid while Sir Rudra was the Grand Master. In addition to this, Sir Rudra’s outline while focusing on the concept of mastery barely touched upon the Order itself. One who followed Sir Rudra’s outline would indeed be a master outside of the Order, but there was nothing that touched upon Mastery within the Order.

Now I seek to change that. I seek simplicity and directness over complexity for the sake of a sheen of academia. As I mentioned before, Mastery is not easy and it shouldn’t be. One who is a Master of the Trapezoid must exude to those around them that they are a Master. If you need to ask, you simply aren’t a master.

A Knight’s work within the Order should demonstrate a deep focus, knowledge and understanding of what they are working with by presentations at Order gatherings, writings for Runes and other Order publications as well as their general attitude within the Order. In addition to this a Knight’s work should also move outside the Order to the Temple and the world outside the Order and Temple.

Master’s of the Trapezoid are also those who will be called upon to help move the Order forward using their talents to guide the directions the Order may journey into. Every Knight is a part of the life blood of the Order, but the Master’s are each like an individual heart pumping the blood along. Look to those who are Master’s for inspiration if this is something you seek. What is it in them that you see in yourself? Do you feel that you demonstrate your Mastery of the Order to those around you?

The Master of the Trapezoid though is not something that one seeks since it seeks them out. When the time is right it will become apparent to you and those around you that you are a Master.

The criteria I look for to be more specific is as follows:• The Knight must be a Knight of the Ninth Angle.• The Knight must have an area of focus within the Order which they

demonstrate a deep knowledge and understanding inside and outside the Order.

• The Knight will prepare an article for publication which will serve as the focal point of their work, similar to a “Master’s Thesis” in


Sabayet of the Black DragonBy Sir FenrisChampion of the Order of the Trapezoid, 1995ce–2001ce

During Trapezoid III it was my honor to be named champion of the Order of the Trapezoid by GME Ronald L. Barrett (Sir Rudra). Who placed in my hand the sword of the Black Dragon named in honor of the Late Priest Anton Haddad (Sir Schwartz Drachen) representing the office of Champion.

Sir Rudra had challenged me to carry on the tradition of Chp.O.Tr. By instructing the next champion in its lineage and use. Since then I had an edge ground on the Blade and have constructing a manual or Sabayet on the care and use of the weapon. The Sabayet is a living document to be passed on from Champion to Champion. Each adds their own experience and instruction so that the Sabayet will grow with each champion. Expressing the unique experience of each Knight.

Contents of the Sabayet of the Black Dragon consists of history, lineage, consecration of the Blade, swearing of oaths, casting of spells, and sword drills

Since receiving the Black Dragon from Sir Rudra I have used the weapon in my magical work on a regular basis, and used it in my martial arts practice. For the purposes of this article I will be focusing on a discussion of sword drills and developing internal power in order to wield the Black Dragon.

Sword drills fuse the spirit of the magician with the B.D. thus empowering the blade. The sword when fused with the spirit returns power to the magician. The magician then uses this power to enhance his/her work. Keep in mind that the Black Dragon is a sharp double-edged weapon. That can be used to manifest the Knight’s will in the Objective Universe. While at the same time it is a weapon of war that can be used to protect the life of the Knight. Thus it is important to keep the edge ground and stay well trained in its use.

Sword Drills

Sword drills develop raw skill in order to be proficient in martial skill with the Black Dragon the Knight must also train in applied skill with a training partner using either training (unsharpened) Blade or wooden blade. Suggestions for training in this method will be outlined in Volume I of the Sabayet.Volume II will be written by the next Champion.

The following is an outline of a curriculum designed to cultivate raw skill in the wielding of the Black Dragon.


Preliminary ExercisesWrist RotationsCutsThrustsFootwork

Preliminary

Preliminary exercises include breathing exercises designed to cultivate the Darth Ond in coordination with full body movement while loosening up the joints. Examples of theses exercises include rotations of the neck shoulder (rotator cuff), wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. All coordinate with the breath.Another preliminary exercise is to be performed with the Blade and is designed to train the body to work as one unit in a Mind-Body-Spirit integration through the nervous system. This is done with Blade in hand in a Rise, fall, Drill, Overturn manner. First with the strong hand then with the weak hand.

Wrist Rotations

Executed with Blade in hand with both strong and weak hands.

I. Swoop and ScoopII. Rotation to the Front and BackIII. Rotate Back to frontIV. Rotate OverheadV. Rotate lowers body

CutsCuts are performed in Angular Space

NeckRotator CuffWristsAbdomenAchilles Tendon

Thrustshrusts are executed on a 45* angle to the following targets

Sternal notch at the base of the throatSolar PlexusBladderKidneys

These thrusts should be cultivated to the six angles of the Hailstone


FootworkI have found the angles of the Trapezoid to be an efficient pattern for footwork, blade work, and empty hand. The idea is to move freely in angular space making ones movements appear to come from no where (void) striking and cutting from strange angles which are difficult to deflect, block, or parry.

Over the next several months I will be creating a Sword Form making use of the Trapezoid in both foot work and parry’s, cuts, and thrusts. This will train the mind to work in three-dimensional angular space while employing the Black Dragon simultaneously in the Objective and Subjective Universes.

Cultivation of the Darth Ond

To effectively wield the Black Dragon it is essential that the Black Magician use relaxed power so that the weapon becomes an extension of the self. Through exercise of the spirit the knight can wield the Black Dragon with a relaxed power easily making cuts and thrusts. While performing these cuts it advisable to be mindful of the blade at all times. Other wise one could loose a significant piece of flesh. As so while practicing magic. If the Black Magician is not mindful through out the working and extension of the will. One’s magic could go awry.

The power source being two fold using one’s spirit or ond enhanced by the Black Flame directed by the mind will manifest the will of the magician in the World of Horrors. This is accomplished through meditative breathing exercises.

Control of the breath is a common link between esoteric schools of both the East and Rune Craft. In that they use breathing exercises to cultivate the will. As a fighting tool diaphramic breathing lowers the center of gravity enhancing stability while charging the blood with more oxygen. Giving the warrior more energy.

There are no limits as to time place or activity in training the Darth Ond. For example one can train their Darth Ond while in the seated position, supine, walking, and performing martial, magical and yogic exercises. The idea is to cultivate this power and use it in every day life.

It is important to keep ones breath calm and coordinated with your movements. For example exhale while exerting force and inhale while returning to an on guard or neutral position. When executing multiple cuts it is important to coordinate them on the exhale. It takes a certain amount of time and effort to effectively wield the Black Dragon and this is where cultivation of the will come to play. For example there are times when one doesn’t want to train such as after a long day at work, dealing with relationship issues, or whatever comes up in one’s


mundane life. Wielding the Black Dragon during such times has given me the opportunity to transcend the mundane entering the world of the subjective. Where I can work on these challenges and then return to World of Horrors with a better perspective of what is transpiring. While using the Blade to work my magic changing the situation to better suit me.


Reading ListThe Order of the Trapezoid reading list is included here for those who would like to research further the various aspects of the Order. Where available the ISBN number has been included to allow for a more precise locating of the books in the various book search engines.

TRP-1 Title Author ISBNRunelore Edred Thorsson 0877286671

Rune Song Edred Thorsson

The Nine Doors of Midgard Edred Thorsson 0875427812

The Grail Legend Emma Jung and 0691002371 Maria-Louise von Franz

Hitler’s Secret Science Nigel Pennick 0854354646

Metapolitics Peter Viereck 0765805103 For Freedom Destined Franz E. Winkler 0914614029 The Divine Proportion H.E. Huntley 0486222543 The Collected Works of H.P. Lovecraft H. P. Lovecraft

The Atlantis of the North Jurgen Spanuth 0442213662

TRP-2Futhark Edred Thorsson 0877285489 The Runecaster’s Handbook: Edred Thorsson 157863136X


The Well of the Wyrd Stephen E. Flowers Fire and Ice Stephen E. Flowers The Mead Hall Stephen Pollington 1898281300

The Occult Roots of Nazism Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke 0814730604

The Poetic Edda edited by Lee M. Hollander 0292764995

The Well and the Tree Paul C. Bauschatz 0870233521

TRP-3Myths of the Ancient Norsemen Georges Dumezil

Volsunga Saga William Morris

The Prose Edda Snorri Sturlson tr. A.G. Brodeur

Myth and Religion of the North E. O. G. Turville-Petre 0837174201

Tesla: A Man Out of Time Margaret Cheney 0743215362

The Spear of Destiny Trevor Ravenscroft 0877285470

TRP-4The Secret of the Runes Guido von List 0892812079

The Truth about Teutonic Magick Edred Thorsson 0875427790

The Galdrabok: An Icelandic Grimoire Stephen Flowers 087728685X

Rune Might Edred Thorsson 0875427782


The Book of Ogham Edred Thorsson 0875427839

The Myth of the Eternal Return Mircea Eliade 0691017778 or Cosmos and History

The Road to Hel Hilda R. Davidson 0837100704

Teutonic Magic Jacob Grimm tr. J.S. Stallybrass

A History of the Vikings Gwyn Jones 0192801341

In Search of the Indo-Europeans J.P. Mallory 0500276161

Egil’s Saga Snorri Sturlson tr. H, Palsson and P. Edwards 0140443215

Black Runa Stephen E. Flowers

Fuer-de-Lance Thomas Bearden

The Secret King: Karl Maria Stephen E. Flowers and 1885972210 Wiligut,Himmler’s Lord of the Michael MoynihanRunes

The Secrets of Ancient Geometry Tons Brunes 0391011170

The Theoretic Arithmetic of the Thomas Taylor 0877282145 Pythagoreans

Secrets of the Great Pyramid Peter Tompkins 0060143274

The Occult and the Third Reich Jean-Michel Angebert 0070018502

Hitler’s Secret Conversations H. R. Trevor-Roper 0374939195

The Voice of Destruction Hermann Rauschning 1589801369

The Myth of the Master Race: Robert Cecil 0396065775 Alfred Rosenberg and Nazi Ideology

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Eric Hoffer 0060505915 Nature of Mass Movements

Astrology and the 3rd Reich Ellic Howe 0850303974

Adolf Hitler and the Secrets of the Col. Howard A. Büchner Holy Lance

Heinrich Himmler’s Camelot Stephen Cook and Stuart Russell

TRP-5Runes and Magic Stephen E. Flowers

A Book of Troth Edred Thorsson 0875427774

Wewelsburg 1933 bis 1945: Kult und Prof Dr. Karl Huser 3870883057 Terrorstätte der SS, eine Dokumentation


Historical

Documents of

the Order


Commentary on the Oath of the Order Sir Stephen Edred Flowers, GM.Tr.

Among the corner-stone documents of the Order is the Oath created by the Second Grand Master of the Order, Michael Aquino. By means of this Oath the Knight or Dame becomes part of the Order. In these few words are contained a world of power. So deep are these words in wisdom that I thought I further commentary on them would be useful in extending their significance among all those who have spoken them in their OathWorkings, and for those who will be speaking them in the future.

I do hereby swear fealty to the fylgia that is my immortal Doppelgänger and pledge obedience beyond death unto life eternal in Walhalla.

It is meaningful that the Oath begins with “I” the significator of Self-consciousness. This ego is sword to be loyal to its own higher Self, which is identified both as the fylgja and Doppelgänger . The Old Norse term fylgja man also be rendered in English as “fetch.” This is the Daimonic Self the indwelling Divinity of the Self. In ancient times this was often “seen” as a contra-sexual human image (a feminine for men, masculine for women)), as an animal (the symbolic character of which corresponded to the Principle, or neter, of the individual), or as a geometrical shape hovering out before the person. This is the magical double virtually identical in concept with the Egyptian ka. The Germanic mind-set would perhaps empathize more an “I” Principle connected with the Form of the fylgja than a pure “assumption” of that Form. The modem German term Doppelgänger indicates the (post-)modernity and timelessness of the concept, and also emphasizes the idea of an Essential Double in a parallel zone of the multiverse from which knowledge and power may be gained. It is to this indwelling magical self that loyalty (=faithfulness) is pledged.

The fylgja in all its aspects is the focal point of the Order. The Order is made up of the fylgjur of its Initiates. The fylgyur of the Knights and Dames of the Order share a certain Essence the intensified Form of the Gift of Wotan/Set-hen. It is to this individual fylgja and to the body of the fylgjur of the O.’.T.’. that obedience is pledged obedience to the higher purpose of Becoming within the Self and within the Order and cosmos.

Eternal life (= active Becoming) in Walhalla (= the Hall of the Fallen) is alluded to in the Wewelsburg Working and is the ancient teaching of the Erulians. [See “The Way of Wotan and the Left-Hand Path” in Runes III5.]

In the name of the Prince of Darkness, in his image as Wotan Helljäger of the One Eye, I accept the power to cast the Runes and to ride amidst the Walkyries through the storm of this world.


Here the power and Form of the godhead of the Order is invoked in an act of taking up the powers to cast Runes and to ride with the Walkyries. The godhead or Principle of the Order is identified as the Prince of Darkness = Wotan. [Actually he prefers the term “Drighten of Darkness.] A part of the symbiotic relationship between these principles is illustrated in the Woden/Set-hen Working in the Ruby Tablet. Wotan and Set are modalities of same Force or Principle. One Essential quality of the Wotan modality is its progressive character it is itSelf thrust forward on the cutting edge of Becoming. This is why this Form is the godhead of the

O.’.T.’. the Order of the cutting edge of the evolution of magical Forms. The one eye of Wotan indicates that he has pledged one of his eyes to the depths of darkness within Mimir’s Well to the Well of Memory or Reflection. This eye still sees in the darkness, and informs Wotan from the depths, while the other eye continues to see out over the world. This one eye has the power to synthesize or correlate the contents of the bihemispherical brain.

The upper eye sees into the core of the Mysteries of the objective universe and hence of Nature while the lower eye delves into the Mysteries of the subjective universe(s) and hence of the non-natural realm of Consciousness.

Casting the Runes is an active process. The power to do so indicates the magician’s ability to project and engineer the Mysteries (Runes) of congruousness and to able to read the import of these Mysteries as they interact with the world. To ride with the Walkyries is to project one’s Self into the realm of these embodiments of the higher magical Self and to become active there. Essentially the fylgja and the Walkyrie are similar entities. The Walkyrie is more non-natural in that it (she) may be sent directly from the Drighten of Darkness to attach itself to a Knight or Dame, while the fylgja is usually inherited from an ancestor or fellow Initiate. The purpose of the ride amidst the Walkyries is to become active in the process of causing this world to Become. A changing world is a stormy world and the storm is filled with thunder and lightning

What I am and what I have been are become as the ravens Huginn and Muninn, to fly ever higher and farther, and my Will is become as the spear Gungnir, which strikes as lightning amidst the thunder of Mjöllnir.

The first part of this statement is concerned with the peculiarly Germanic view of time with an emphasis on the “past” what I have been” as the Well of Memory. This is the storehouse of eternal Forms that inevitably shapes what any “present” Form is “what I am.” These aspects are synthesized in the Initiate, and are seen to work in the dyed of ravens Huginn (mind, cognition, Left-brain) and Muninn (memory, reflection, right- brain). These ravens sit on either side of an Initiate’s head and inform him or her of their realms of activity. Through them Initiates are able to project


themselves in order to learn ever higher (deeper) and more remote secrets (Runes). Huginn (cognitive thought) work is in the “what-I-am” and Muninn (reflective memory) in the “what-I-have-been.” Note that subtly in the grammar of the statement Huginn is identified with what the Initiate is in the present moment and Muninn is identified as what the Initiate has been. Cognition is a tool of the present moment, while memory is an eternal storehouse of Forms. Synthesized with inspiration these faculties lead to “future” transformations of self.

The second part of this statement reiterates the central position and power of the magical Will the Wotanic spear Gungnir to cause modulations in the subjective and objective universes. From the point of the spear the Initiate becomes omnijective. The lightning of Gungnir is primary and focused; the reverberation that follows the activation of the Will is the thunder of Mjöllnir. The Will is done in the objective universe through the consciously focused synthesis of the facets of the complex subjective universe.

From the twilight Tyr descends to place upon my heart the Trapezoid of the Dark Fire, that I may become more than I seem.

The twilight is a hidden reference to the synthetic mystery of dagaz (:~:), which is the Runic essence of the Dark Fire or Black Flame. From this realm, symbolically located in the polar region of the night sky, Tyr (Ziu) descends to place the Trapezoid upon the heart of the Initiate. This section is most profound. Tyr is the Principle of Judgment, of Measurement, of cognitive intelligence. When he is directed to place the [non-natural] Trapezoid of the Dark Fire of this enlightenment on the heart on the seat of the reflective/intuitive and emotive faculty a great synthesis is effected. In many ways this speaks of a dynamic combination of the values of the Enlightenment ([Neo-] Classicism) with “Romanticism” (sometimes more accurately called Germanticism or “Gothicism”). This synthesis is essential to the Order, and to its individual I initiates.

It should also be noted that the ancient Germanic peoples, like the ancient Egyptians, located the center of true thinking in the “heart” or core of the human body.

Once this synthesis is complete perhaps a long process in which the taking of this Oath may be the beginning, middle, or end the Initiate will truly be more than he or she seems. Few are ever faithfully able to say, with Nietzsche, that they “sacrifice in the Temples of both gods.” [For

Nietzsche these were called Dionysius and Apollo, for the O.’.T.’. they are Wotan and Tyr (Set).] For the Overman who can effect this synthesis, the emotive/intuitive and cognitive/analytical are brought under the control of the conscious Will on the path of Becoming.


My honor is known by my faithfulness.

This statement refers to the Chivalric character of the Order. It indicates that the honor (power) of the Knight or Dame is known and measured by other Knights and Dames within the Order by the degree of faithfulness (loyalty and discipline) to the ideal of the Order that the Initiate evidences. The key Working tool in effecting this part of the Oath is the Working of Sumbel.

Loki attest to this my seal:

With these words the god/etin, Loki, is directed to witness and confirm the act of the Oath-taking. Loki may, on one level, be understood as a “destroyer” aspect of Wotan. He has the power to dissolve Forms, and in so doing makes way for more advanced new Forms effected by the magical Will. Loki is the influence of destruction for the sake of transformation or evolution. Various aspects of this influence are seen in three of Loki’s offspring: the Fenris-Wolf, the Midgard-Serpent and the goddess Hel, who is Death. That the Initiate can use Loki, a “trickster god” to attest to an Oath shows a certain level of conscious control of the subjective universe.

This Oath, when spoken with full conscious intent, is a great Working. It is hoped that this analysis and commentary will aid in the realization of the purpose and power of the Order and of its individual Initiates. Walhalla!


The Satanic Heritage

of the Order [A version of this text was originally published in one of the “members only” issues of Runes (VI:2 1988, pp. 1-3. This version has been revised and expanded.]

On several occasions the GME of the Order, Michæl A. Aquino, has expressed his vision that one of the chief purposes of the O.’.T.’. is to transfer the best and the darkest aspects of the old Church of Satan into the Temple’s magical curriculum. The Temple of Set itself, as a magical entity, is the old Church of Satan in a new AEonic perspective, of course. But in concentrating on the Word Xeper, the Temple inevitably and nec-essarily, lost some of the old “flavor” of the so-called bad-old-days of the C/S. It is one of the tasks of the O.’.T.’. to recapture this Satanic æsthetic, or idiom, to preserve it, and to utilize it magically.

In this Satanic heritage is the essence of the Word of Indulgence. This Word—like all others—can be fraught with pitfalls. Those of Indulgence are perhaps more obvious than those of any other. Indulgence offers a two- edged blade. One edge represents those life-affirming aspects whose Darkness comes from their power to obliterate neighboring life-forms in their exuberance and lust for life pure unadulterated Life-Force. This edge of the blade is exemplified in many forms commonly called “evil” — from the witches’ sabbaths on the Brocken to the Nuremberg rallies of the National Socialists.

It might also be pointed out that there is often a high level of the absurd and the comical along this edge of the blade. Here there is a great deal of humor—black and even “obscene” as it sometimes is. This aspect of “Satanic clowning” is used to great effect by ASLV. It can protect one from hostile forces, it can screen out loonies—and most importantly makes the whole endeavor much more fun.

Here I am reminded of the philosophy expounded by Satan in A. Merritt’s Seven Footprints to Satan. This philosophy consists of three ele-ments: 1) amusement, 2) beauty and 3) “the game. The fact that Satan only plays with a stacked deck, in his own ritual chamber at least, shows that the third element is not what it seems. But on the face of it, Satan’s philosophy is one of pleasure and power, and represents the exuberant vitality of Indulgence at its best.

The other edge represents that great brooding and melancholy spirit of self-doubt and introspection (or German Innerlichkeit ‘inwardness’). This might at first seem to be the life-denying, or death-affirming, aspect


that is so often associated with the psychological temperaments of the northern climes (although not exclusive to them!). Here the character of the Darkness is obvious. Indulgence in both of these forms are central to the total Trapezoidal experience. Both of these threads run through the essence of what the O.’.T.’. expresses.

The power of this magical idiom is such that it can easily lead to imbal-ance, or to over-indulgence in one extreme or the other. This is where the missing element of the formula comes in: Xeper. With the Word Become a sense of Purpose is given to the Indulgence expressed by the two dark edges, and with Purpose a sense of balance is restored. Becoming main-tains Balance by means of its dynamism. (It is easier to maintain equilib-rium on a moving bicycle than one in repose.) Another missing element is the Word of Runa—the Hidden goal toward which we propel ourselves in our Quests. Indulgence is the two edged blade, Becoming the dynamic motion of the blade through space, and Runa the as yet unseen target of the stroke. Xeper enables Knights and Dames of the Order to pursue the darkest pathways outlined by the Trapezoid— directly to, and eventually through, the Barriers. Beyond the Barriers lies the eternal Hidden. The Temple context and conditions of Initiation (11°+) ensure a controlled and potent form of Indulgence in this fearsome branch of Satanic magic.

The O. ..T. . is constructed so as to enable its Initiates to Indulge in both the non-natural experience of that which lies without the barrier in the inorganic/non-mechanistic splendor of pure self-created abstraction, and in the experience of the natural things within the two poles between which the lightning of the Order flashes—the outer realm of pure geo-metric principles and the inner world of dare and sometimes chaotic forces. Esoterically this is exemplified in the ways in which the Third and Fourth Angles function in the Seal of Runa.

The Order seeks to exemplify the essence of Dar Romanticism —as out-lined by Dr. Aquino in the Charter of the Order. This Dar Romanticism is most obvious in German Romanticism—which has been called “Germanticism.” The essence of this is a “turning inward” of conscious attention. This leads to increased awareness of the self—personal and national. What one discovers in this journey within is a tangled web full of dark and (to some) often frightening corners. But what one feels is a profound sense of being—of life-force—which causes the heart to leap with exuberance and the passion of self-preservation. Here the Initiate practices the magical art of Self-indulgence, and literally experiences the diabolical — the downward (or inward) flow of consciousness to the depths of the Self. Here is the power to “Dionysian evil” — or magical sub-jectivism. Kraft durch Freude.

Romanticism is most often discussed in relationship to Classicism— which in terms of the history of ideas precedes the Romantic. The Satanic aspects of Classicism are now more difficult to imagine for everyone but


the Initiate. This “Apollonian evil” has at times virtually become a form of establishment thinking—due in large measure to the now all but lost and forgotten “Spirit of 1776.” Its virtues and powers are perhaps best defined as a sort of magical objectivism. Although the factor which keeps this from being truly an established way of thinking is the fact that this is not consciously understood for what it is, and even if one small segment of the whole is understood (by the politician here, or by the advertising executive there)—no one but the Satanic Initiate is able to synthesize this into a complete vision of reality. To add to its trickiness—the Initiate must also be able to balance the Dionysian with the Apollonian!

Classicism per se is characterized by an “outward fuming of attention—toward the cosmos and things outside the self. This leads to a desire for the discovery and use of precise and logical mathematical models of the description and eventual control of the environment—and even-tually of the psyche. “Black Classicism” is the Self-Aware application of the principles of Classicism balanced with a willful experience of “Dark Romanticism.” For Trapezoidal Initiates one implies the other— although for the non-initiate it is more natural to say one excludes the other!

The Satanic synthesis, based on Indulgence, is one in which Initiates are able to drink from the waters of both fountainheads—willfully and consciously Indulging as they desire. This is vastly superior to the “philo-sophical” compulsions of the non-initiate, but the Essences of these two principles remain outside, remain on the objective level. No pur-pose— other than pleasure and power—is given for the Initiate to Indulge in anything. But this dœs seem to be Essential to the Satanic magical idiom— the independent pursuit of pleasure and power in all their vari-ous forms, exalted and base.

The Trapezoidal synthesis is founded on the Word Become (German Werden). This brings any and all Indulgence into a completely new dimension—a higher purpose is cast forth to challenge the Initiate who can grasp it. The Trapezoidal Initiate is magically and ethically prepared to make maximum use of the Secrets of the Trapezoid in a way that the adherent of Indulgence was/is unable to do. It is for this reason that the Knights and Dames of the Order are also among the most magically fit to experiment in the more purely Satanic aspects of the heritage of our Order—and to do so with great effect and with great gusto.


Evolution of the Order of the Trapezoid InsigniaDr. Michæl A. Aquino

[Originally published in Runes IV:2, pp. 11 -1 5.]

For a recent XX issue of the Cloven Hoof, Anton Szandor LaVey wrote a one-page commentary concerning the Church of Satan origins of the Order of the Trapezoid and its insignia. It is an interesting story, though inconsistent in some respects with Anton’s original 12/V Cloven Hoof defi-nition of the Order [as cited in the Order’s Charter.]

According to this new commentary, the original O.Tr. was identical with the pre-1 Magic Circle, organized in 1957, that met at the California Street house. [If so, it was not previously mentioned, as during the Age of Satan the pre-1 group was always referred to formally and informally as the “Magic Circle”.] The idea for the O.Tr. insignia, continues Anton, came from the open-bottomed pentagram of a Costa Rican Satanist group, Los Hermanos Diablo, to which Anton added a surrounding trapezoid, the three 6s of the “Book of Revelation” and an upthrust trident, thus:

This emblem, says Anton, was worn for ritual use by all members of the Magic Circle. This I cannot verify, not having attended activities of the Church until IV—nor were any trapezoidal pendants in evidence at that time. Anton’s illustration for the cover of the February V Hoof, however, shows a procession of the Council of Nine departing a trapezoidal tower topped by a crescent moon (presumably one of the “seven towers of Satan” cited by William Seabrook in his Adventures in Arabia [see #6N]), and the hooded Nine are shown wearing trapezoidal pendants like that shown above. This seems to suggest that the pendant was originally the emblem of the Nine, rather than of the entire Magic Circle.


In non-ritual situations, continues Anton, the trapezoidal pendant was hid-den by an identically-shaped trapezoidal panel embellished with a picture of the bat-dæmon:

This, I might add, is a beautiful example of the LaVey artistic style, which combines graceful, flowing lines with claw-like twists and unexpected con-volutions. As a pre-teen child in the 1950s spending occasional weekends in Forest Knolls, a tiny forest community in the Marin County backwoods north of San Francisco, I used to admire the painted sign of a bat on one of the houses tucked away under the trees of Tamal Road. Twenty years later I mentioned this to Anton, and reamed to my surprise that he had painted it for the house’s owner, someone he called “Crazy Charlie”. [I suppose it’s just as well I never tried to trick-or-treat there back in the 50s!]

In any case, neither the trapezoidal pendant nor its bat-cover were in evi-dence around the Central Grotto by V/1970, when I was ordained to the Priesthood and appointed to the Council of Nine. Instead, at meetings of the Council which I attended that year, Councillors wore a fire-enameled copper medallion with the following seal:

The background of this medallion was black, with the trapezoid, trident,


and 666 in white. At the base of the medallion were red & yellow flames, from which the trident emerged. This medallion remained the only one used henceforth by the C/S Council of Nine through X/1975. For non- Council functions, Councillors normally wore the appropriate Baphomet of degree. Hence, apart from the Council meetings I attended in San Francisco, the only occasions on which I donned this particular medallion had to do with the chartering of Grottos on the ordaining of Priests and Priestesses. [Recall that, in the Church of Satan, Masters IV° did not have the authority to ordain; only the High Priest did. Hence ceremonies of ordi-nation required Council insignia.]

The next modification to the O.Tr. insignia took place around VII/1972, and appeared only on stationary. Here Anton had dropped the 666, restored the over/under arms on the pentagram, and contrasted a white-outlined trapezoid & pentagram with a solid black trident. On letterhead the trident emerged from the “o” of “Church of Satan:

For his Cloven Hoof essays as High Priest, Anton would occasionally sur-mount this insignia with a sketch of his own head, glowering appropriately [and without the text underneath].

The final variation on the O.Tr. insignia in the Church of Satan took place in 1X/1974, when Anton was serving as technical advisor to the motion picture The Devil’s Rain. In addition to composing ritual texts, coaching extras in Enochian changing, etc., he took a hand in the designing of sets. The altar cloth used by Emest Borgnine incorporated a plain pentagram containing the phrase “rege Satanas, but there were several more interest-ing and elaborate decorations in the background of the church for those attuned to such things. On the front of the balcony, for example, was:


... in white against black<. This is an excellent illustration, by the way, of the care which Anton devoted to his magical artwork. In addition to the penta-gram and central trapezoid motif, note that each side-panel has a total of nine horizontal lines, and that the terminus of the lines suggests the Laguz-rune, Key to the life-force/reincarnation — a not- inappropriate symbol for the theme of The Devil’s Rain. While I am not able to measure the actual painting above [the above reproduction was sketched from a videotape print of The Devil’s Rain, my guess is that the thickness of the lines, distances between them, and the overall proportions of the entire painting were mathematically precise. Probably none of the actors passing beneath the painting knew consciously about the symbols or proportions it incorporated, but Anton knew. And the effects upon both him and the actors & film crew may be deduced from the Law of the Trapezoid.

Within the Temple of Set, the Order of the Trapezoid was defined initially in X as the Priesthood, i.e. degrees III°+. while this was done as a matter of record, to restore the Order to the meaning it had had most prominently during the l-X period, nothing was initially done about the insignia—for the obvious reason that the Judeo/Christian symbolism of the “666” and Satanic trident seemed rather at odds with the Temple’s sans-J/C orientation. Also to be considered were the instructions of Set in the Book of Coming Forth by Night that the pen-tagram was to be “pure”, which you don’t do by cutting the bottom point off.

At a Set-I (XIV) Council of Nine meeting I proposed replacing the trident with a left-facing Tcham-sceptre, and at the same time the Temple adopted the policy that the O.Tr. would henceforth be used as the ex officio dignity for all present and past members of the Council of Nine. In XVI High Priest Ronald [K.] Barrett, who still felt that the pentagram should not be touched or abbre-viated by the trapezoid in any way, instituted this rather stark version of the emblem for the O.Tr. [The mathematical proportions of the lines and figures were no longer keyed to the phi-ratio, which adds to the rather unattractive appearance of the emblem.]:


It made a solitary appearance in the Scroll (Issue #VI-6) after which it was [mercifully] not used again.

The emblem that is used today for the O.Tr. was conceived in the Wewelsburg Castle, Westphalia, Germany during the Wewelsburg Working on October 19, XVII in the Hall of the Dead (Walhalla), was sketched out on a desk in the Wewelsburg caretaker’s office [when I returned the Walhalla keys to him fol-lowing the Working], as was drafted in precise mathematical proportions on a table in Eva Braun’s tea-room in the Eagle’s Nest at Obersalzberg. I could have done the drafting before then, but wanted the environment to be magically appropriate. There were a few tourists milling around the main room of the Eagle’s Nest, but as it turned out I had the wood-paneled tea-room to myself. See photo in Secret of the Lost Ark.]

The insignia is described in detail in the statement of the Order in the Crystal Table, but a few incidental comments might be added: In addition to the restoration of the phi-proportions, it was important to avoid all curved lines altogether; hence the head & tail of the Tcham-sceptre, the 666, and the flames (restored from the C/S medallion) were all “angled”. It will be noticed that the pentagram’s outline is complete, though it gœs through three different “media” at the bottom: the flames, the “W”, end finally the pentagram itself. All of the trapezoids are similarly unbroken, though several of them “change media” as well. Furthermore the angles of the flames together with those of the diagram above create more trapezoids and phi-ratios.


The Nine Angles A. INTRODuCTION

No other sign or symbol has had a greater influence on the workings of the Order of the Trapezoid than that of the Seal of the Nine Angles. In a series of Runes articles in the late 1980s the Seal was explored in-depth and from a Working perspective. The Seral is not just a sign or emblem conveying a cognitive message it is a true Working Key. In the strictest sense it is a symbol, i.e. an outward manifestation of a Principle. This outward manifestation can then act as a key to the unlocking of that Principle. In this case, however, the situation is not quite so simple as it might first appear. This symbol is multi-leveled, and multi-purposed. The full array of its secrets have not, even at this date, been fully unfolded— nor is it likely that they will ever be completely revealed. This is due to a Principle of Runic Working inherent in the Seal whereby the penetrating of one nexus creates at least one further nexus of mystery (and hence of power/energy) beyond.

B. THE NINE ANGLES OF THE SEAL by Stephen E. Flowers, GM.Tr.

Many Knights and Dames of the Order have probably been, like myself, fascinated by the powerful Working called “The Ceremony of the Nine Angles” created by GME Michæl Aquino for Anton LaVey’s book THE SATANIC RITUALS. It was always clear that the “nine angles” referred to nine angles made by the seal of the Order of the Trapezoid: a trapezoid superimposed over a pentagram, two points aloft.

What I wanted to do was identify the numbers of the angles and see what magic could be wrought with this knowledge.

During the Set VIII Conclave (held in New Orleans) I had the opportu-nity to discuss some of the conceptual background to the Ceremony of the Nine Angles with the Grand Master Emeritus. He then explained that in his conception the nine angles were beyond conventional (3-D) space


and that they existed more as qualities rather than loci in space. This is an ontological aspect that must be kept in mind constantly when consid-ering the characteristics and magical usages of the “nine angles.” In fact, the “nine angles” can not be confined to any two or three dimensional representation. However, on a symbolic or metaphorical level, useful and revealing insights may be gained by observing such models through the lenses of two and three dimensional perspectives.

Dr. Aquino has sent me a document in which he has outlined in some detail his concepts and interpretations of the nine angles. Here I will put the model of the “nine” angles” under those lenses of the two and three dimensional perspectives.

It seemed clear to me that the nine angles were defined by the Pentagram and the Trapezoid juxtaposed in the manner depicted in the Seal of the Order:

The history of this emblem is outlined in GME Aquino’s article “Evolution of the Trapezoid Insignia” in Runes IV:2 (March, XXI), pp. 11-16, printed as Appendix 2 in the present Codex. But a question always remained in my mind as to the likely location and enumeration (order-ing) of the nine angles when considering this figure. A likely answer came to me in two parts. First, it is said of the Ninth Angle:

From the Ninth Angle is the flame of the beginning and ending of dimensions, which blazeth in brilliance and darkness unto the glory of desire.

Therefore, it would seem clear that the Ninth Angle is defined by the nethermost point of the Pentagram from which the Black Flame arises. Even in LaVey’s conception the Infernal Flame blazed from this angle. Second, if we employ the principle of left-ward (counter clockwise or widdershins) motion in our analysis, all of the angles automatically fall into place. Only one ordering and enumeration is possible when we place the Ninth, or last, angle at the apex and, in a unilinear fashion we trace our way through the angles in a widdershins direction:


Thus a two-dimensional symbol of the ultra-dimensional reality of the Seal of the Nine Angles, the Yn’khe Rohz (as it is in Yuggothic), is actual-ized.

Practical magical uses of the Yn’khe Rohz range over a wide spectrum of possibilities. The tracing of the angles in this configuration is a power-ful mode of opening the Gates to other dimension. It can spark a higher understanding/Understanding of the process by which phenomena within the World of Horrors, and without it, come into being. In this regard the Seal of the Nine Angles most certainly can be linked to the enneagram as taught by Gurdjieff and his followers, or with the nine-fold sign known as the Valknútr (“Knot of the Elect”) and the Nine Worlds of Yggdrasill as found in the Germanic tradition. Another operative use of the “Yankee Rose” is an a paradigmatic channel for visualized images. Visions cast through these angles by the Will of the Trapezoidal Magician shall come into Being, just as all other things come into Being through the Nine Angles. Whole discourses could be devoted to these practical uses, which are better experienced in person rather than in writing. I urge you all to continue to experiment. Synchronicities and miraculous events have become “common” by using the secrets of the Nine Angles, since these first began being used in the Order in the late 1980s.

For now let us analyze the descriptions of the Nine Angles given in the Ceremony of the Nine Angles and begin to unlock the secrets of this sign. For the sake of clarity in this article I will only present the English versions of the texts, leaving the secrets of Yuggothic for another night.

From the First Angle is the infinite, wherein the laughing one cloth cry and the flutes wail unto the ending of time.

This is the angle of the Infinity of absolute unity—really the point, geo-metrically speaking. It is the unity beyond time and space, but from which both emerge. In it exist the full spectrum of emotional, spiritual polarity; joy and despair, pain and pleasure are one. In the wailing vibra-tions of the “obscene flute” endless manifestation in generated.


From the Second Angle is the master who cloth order the planes and the angles, and who hath conceived the World of Horrors in its terror and glory.

Dualistic ordering of the World of Horrors is revealed in the geometrical ordering of the basic building blocks of the cosmos by the master (note the lower case /m/) who has designed the World of Horrors. The point has become the line. Again an emotional polarity of terror and glory are invoked.

From the Third Angle is the messenger, who hath created thy power to behold the master of the World of Horrors, who giveth to thee substance of being and the knowledge of the Nine Angles.

This is the intermediary principle of the solid triangle—and hence the two-dimensional plane. This allows for a perspective on the dualistic uni-verse and provides geometrical solidity and thus the possibility of objec-tive knowledge of the objective (nine-angled) cosmos.

From the Fourth Angle is the ram of the Sun, who brought thy selves to be, who endureth upon the World of Horrors and proclaimeth the time that was, the- time that is, and the time that shall be; and whose name is the brilliance of the Nine Angles.

With four angles the three dimensional world becomes possible. Here the Trapezoid is crystallized, and with it the non-natural Form of the Self, or psyche, is also crystallized and becomes able to perceive time and at once seeks to master it.

From the Fifth Angle are the hornless ones, who raise the temple of the five trihedrons unto the Dæmons of creation, whose seal is at once four and five and nine.

With the Fifth Angle we enter into a new level or dimension. The Trapezoid is complete, and the Pentagram is now coming into being. The “hornless ones” are humanity, the physical vehicle that carries the Gift of Set and thus can become a creative (shaping) force in the World of Horrors and beyond. In this angle lies the root of the fully developed Seal of the Order which combines the numbers 4 + 5 + 9, which equals 18 (1 + 8 = 9) or 2 x 9. All of which shows the cyclical eternal return aspect of the number nine. The fifth Angle is the fulcrum of an ultradimen-sional lever of great magical power, four angles “above” it and four angles “below” it.

From the Sixth Angle is the sleep of the Dæmons in sym-metry, which cloth vanquish the five but shall not prevail


against the four, and the nine.

The Sixth Angle is a point of rest, of stasis, which is really stagnation. Symmetry is stasis. The stasis has sufficient power to crush the simple root form of the vehicle of the Gift of Set which arose in the Fifth Angle.

That is why it is imperative for the “hornless ones” to strive “upward” to the Ninth and “downward” to the Fourth Angle in order to Become and to be able to overcome the stasis and the death inherent in the Sixth Angle.

From the Seventh Angle is the ruin of symmetry and the awakening of the Dæmons, for the four and the nine shall prevail against the six.

The Seventh Angle is a tool, a weapon, used by the awakened psyche to smash the symmetry of the Sixth Angle. This act-of breaking through the barrier of symmetry and stasis needs help from the powers already gained from the Forth Angle, and also from beyond, from the Black Flame of Set itself. Between these two forces the Seventh Angle is activat-ed, the barrier is broken through and Becoming is accelerated.

From the Eighth Angle are the Masters of the Realm, who raise the temple of the eight trihedrons unto the Dæmons of creation, whose seal is at once four and five and nine.

This is the Principle embodied in the Masters of the Temple, who are the Masters of the Realm. A fully manifest principle of magical sovereignty is activated and it is responsible for the building and maintenance of the Temple — the greater vehicle for the working of the Black Flame in the world. From the Ninth Angle is the flame of the beginning and ending of dimensions, which blazeth in brilliance and darkness unto the glory of desire.

The Ninth Angle is the Black Flame itself, which in truth is the begin-ning and ending of the unfoldment of the Seal of the Order, as discussed above. In it is the root of light and darkness. In it is the source of the Will which is beyond all good and evil.These comments only scratch the surface of what this configuration can be made to yield to the Will of the Working Knight or Dame. As GM of the Order, I urge each of you to construct according to your Wills a sim-ple representation of the Seal of the Nine Angles of sufficient dimension to serve as a focus of concentration in your working chambers. Through Work with this configuration of lines and angles the power and utility of this elaborate Gate—or set of Gates—will unfold.


C. COMMENTARY ON THE SEAL OF THE NINE ANGLESby Michæl A. Aquino VI°, GME.Tr.

Generally speaking, some of these angles were taken from Pythagoras, who talked in terms of the significance of “numbers” rather than “angles.” From my readings on the subject, I am convinced that Plato’s discourses upon geometry and the significance of the various “Platonic solids” are essentially taken from Pythagoras’ work, just as Pythagoras cam up with these notions following his lengthy stay in Egypt as a priesthood initiate. Fascinating how these “trails” just keep going backward until-they vanish into the mists of pre-recorded history.

Bear in mind that the Ceremony of the Nine Angles was composed with-in the conceptual and iconographic limits of the Age of Satan. Nor was it intended to be an extensive, exhaustive “last word” on the angles or other included concepts; it was conceived as a nœtic vision and GBM expres-sion. The following comments pertain to my ideas at that time and delib-erately avoid embellishing the CNA with the more sophisticated concepts to which I have since been sensitized through my own work and the many brilliant examinations by other Setians.

FIRST ANGLE: Unity. The concept of the Universe as the totality of existence. Note that this dœs not admit to monotheism (except in the sense of Deism), because there is no room for conceptual distance between a God and a worshipper. The “laughing one” is Azathoth, who is “blind” and an “idiot” because in a condition of perfect unity there is naught else to see, not any knowledge of anything else possible. [Understand, of course, that I was taking H.P. Lovecraft’s gods rather beyond his story-telling version of them. I don’t in the least represent these as Lovecraft’s own ideas, although I rather think that he would not have found fault with such elaborations.] In geometry a singularity identi-fies a locus only; there is no extension in any direction. Even the locus is “both there and not., since it has no dimensions at all. Hence there are an infinite number of loci, for example on a one-inch-long line: an interest-ing mathemagical paradox.

SECOND ANGLE: Duality. The profound and necessarily total change of unity into symmetry and polarity (and its symbolic representations: Horus and Set, Yang and Yin, etc.) The “orderer of the planes and angles” is Yog, who is, as the shaper of energy and matter, described as the author of Earth in its matter/energy/evolutionary configuration. Note that in pure duality there is no room for judgment between the two; there is only one or the other. In duality geometry creates a single extension (a line).

THIRD ANGLE: This is a very critical stage, because the existence of a third element introduces the notion of choice between the two opposites, either absolutely or relatively (Aristotelian system) or of choice to aspire or not to aspire to universal perfections (= Platonic/Pythagorean system).


This is Nyarlathotep, otherwise Set, otherwise Lucifer/Satan, otherwise Prometheus, otherwise Thoth, who has created the power of perspective and the independent psyche of judgment. Here “knowledge” becomes possible; In geometry we now have the triangle, which is the most rigid of figures and also creates a two- dimensional plane. Note that, per the Book of Coming Forth by Night, the Horus/Set relationship actually fits into a threefold matrix rather than a twofold one. Set is an independent Intelligence with perspective upon the non-conscious objective universe on one hand and the chaos of the anti- objective universe (HarWer) on the other. The simple Horus/Set duality results from primitive Aristotelian thinking (so kick me, Tharrud Terclis!).

FOuRTH ANGLE: The Ram of the Sun (Shub-Niggurath/Amon) is a manifestation of the “awakened” human psyche as energized by the Messenger. It is thus that “Satan” is known to humanity: a personalized reflection, as it were, of the results of the Messenger’s Working. Satan’s other name (Lucifer) is that of light and enlightenment, hence the “bril-liance” of the Nine Angles. With the number four we have geometrically a three-dimensional displacement in space. Hence existence of matter and energy becomes possible. Hence time becomes possible, as the measure-ment of change in matter and energy.

FIFTH ANGLE: Humanity as the physical vehicle for the expression of the Satanic psyche as discussed in the Fourth Angle. Concept of the body as a necessary medium for the self-realization of the psyche, at least in its early stage. Translation of this into physical representation of suprænergy/matter Forms such as Set via the creation of images, building to temples, etc. A temple with five trihedrons is a four-faced pyramid (as Giza), the 4/5/9 seal is the seal of the Order of the Trapezoid: a marvel of integrated, interrelated 4/5/9 values. As noted elsewhere, even the addition of 4+5+9 = 18, which takes you into the “returning” qualities of 9 as expounded upon in Anton LaVey’s “Unknown Known” in The Satanic Rituals. In geometry 5 creates the pentagram, hence the Golden Section, hence the concept of perfection. This is why to Pythagoras (and his priestly mentors) 5 was the most sublime of numbers, and why the pentagram was used as the seal of the Pythagorean Brotherhood.

SIXTH ANGLE: If Crowley considered his Tenth [Ether to be accursed, then this would be the accursed (or should I say “hexed”!) of the Nine Angles. It is the hexagon and hexagram (also the seal of the Jews, authors and proponents of the world’s most nihilistic and self-hating monothe-ism.) The hexagon corrupts the Golden Rectangle; it adds an angle and a line to the pentagram and pentagon, thus destroying them. Six is sym-metry obese and unnecessary (two and four are quite adequate for the principle). The seeds of the destruction of the hexagonal forms are carried within them, however, for they necessarily embrace two trapezoids (the four) and the pentagrams defined by those trapezoids (the five); hence 4+5 (the nine).


SEVENTH ANGLE: the destruction of the status of monotheism by the addition of a line/angle to the hex. The legacy of the First Beast of Revelation and his sevenfold Seal and Star of Babalon (A.’.A.’.). The forces of the Æon of Horus overcoming those of the Æon of Osiris. Yet the only thing that can be said of seven is that it is an effective destroyer of six. It has no creative properties of its own; it has neither the strength of sym-metry nor the magical powers of its asymmetrical predecessors (1,3,5). Proponents of six-isms instinctively fear seven: They warn about such things as the seventh son of a seventh son, of the Seven Towers of Satan in Yezidi legend, of the Seventh Seal, of the Jewel of the Seven Stars. Seven is thus a harbinger of doom to six: a shadowing-forth of the Apocalypse to come. Geometrically and numerically, like the Æon of Horus, seven has an “identity crisis”. Additions or multiplications or powers of seven yield all sorts of random values and relationships.

EIGHTH ANGLE: The temple containing the trihedral angles is a trun-cated pyramid: the power of the trapezoid perfectly manifest in a golden Section-based three-dimensional structure. Thus its architects are the Masters of the Realm (the all-embracing term for the IV°+ in the original Church of Satan): the Sorcerers who beam from their towers the Powers of Darkness to rebuild the world corrupted by six and shattered by the seven, and their seal is the Seal of the Order of the Trapezoid (seal of the Priesthood of the original Church of Satan).

NINTH ANGLE: the culmination of this dynamic process: the Black Flame in its perfection: the will to power” of Nietzsche in a glory of desire: the extension of the Enlightened Will and Initiated Psyche throughout all dimensions of space, time, and thought: what in the Æon of Set would be Uttered as Xeper.

D. YN’KHE ROHZ: The Cycle of Nineby Stephen E. Flowers, GM.Tr.

In past issues of Runes both I and the GME Michæl Aquino have writ-ten on the meanings of the Nine Angles. One aspect of the whole Seal remained unexplained. How dœs the Ring or Circle of Nature (physic) around the Nine Angled relate to the entirety of the interior Nine Angles? This is important to know from a magical standpoint because it may hold a key for effective interactions between the subjective and objective universes.

On the day of the recent Temple-wide simultaneous Working (7/18/XXVII) I again turned my Attention to the Seal of Nine Angles or the Seal of RUNA as it is called when the Ring is added to show the intersec-tion of the Trapezoid with the Circle of Nature. Only later would I learn that much of the impetus behind the Working was Sir Dennis Mann’s ongoing exploration of the link between Chaos and Order. I hope this


Work bears some relationship to that exploration.

In previous articles on the subject I have established a location on the Seal for each of the Nine Angles and have placed the numerical identity upon each one. The use of this sign as a Gateway between dimensions and as a device for the visualizing of things that shall become manifest in the Is-To-Be have also been alluded to.

The schematic summation of our Work thus far appears:

The Angles and their Key-Words

The point of origin for most speculation on the Seal of the Nine Angles is based on the text of the “Ceremony of the Nine Angles” by Michæl Aquino and published in Anton LaVey’s Satanic Rituals. If we examine the texts which accompany each of the Nine Angles it is not hard to derive from them certain “key words” which sum up the meaning a par-ticular Angle has in the cosmology.

The First Angle describes CHAOS — which “is the infinite.” In the ancient Greek arithmosophy the One had many of the same connotations as our use- of the value Zero has If the One is everything, then it is nothing at the same time.The Second Angle is by contrast ORDER — there “is the master who cloth order the planes and angles.” Here duality comes into being and order becomes possible.

The Third Angle speaks of UNDERSTANDING — wherein the “power to behold the master of the World of Horrors” is given, as is “substance of being and the knowledge of the Nine Angles.”

The Fourth Angle involves temporal BEING — the self is brought into being and the threefold perception of time as past-present-future is brought forth.

The Fifth Angle is that of CREATION — as “the hornless ones raise the


temple of the five trihedrons unto the Dæmons of creation...” At this Angle the Trapezoid enters the Pentagram and Creation takes place.

The Sixth Angle describes DEATH or SLEEP — it “is the sleep of the Dæmons in symmetry.... Here balance to the point of stasis is obtained in preparation for further, more powerful transformation.

The Seventh Angle demonstrates BIRTH or AWAKENING — it “is the ruin of symmetry and the awakening of the Dæmons.... Here the stasis of the Sixth Angle is overcome by the imbalance and asymmetry of the Seventh.

The Eighth Angle manifests RE-CREATION as “the Masters of the Realm” raise the temple of the eight trihedrons unto the Dæmons of cre-ation.... CREATION is raised another octave.

The Ninth Angle is PERFECTION or REBIRTH — more technically per-haps it is the BLACK FLAME, i.e. “the flame of the beginning and ending of dimensions, which blazeth in brilliance and darkness unto the glory of desire..

If these key-words, along with the original enumeration of the Angles, are applied to the diagram of the Seal of the Order the following image emerges:

It should be noted that the Nine Angles as thus far discussed are in real-ity not entirely linear in the way they are manifested. In fact what we really have is a non-linear manifestation of the Angles as pure qualities not really a series of numbers in a linear, counting, sense. But it cannot be denied that on another level, there is true meaning in ordering the numbers of the Angles one through nine. This sequence is not the order in which we usually experience the effects of the Nine Angles, however.


The Outer Ring

As noted elsewhere the Third and Fourth Angles may be seen to intersect with the Circle of Nature surrounding the Nine Angled Seal. These are the direct Gateways between the world of the psyche — the Will — and the realm of Nature. It is through these Gateways (UNDERSTANDING and BEING) that the Will most easily affects the flow of natural events in the linear time/space continuum. The linear flow of the time/space con-tinuum in which we live—this world or complex of three dimensions — is the meaning of the Ring surrounding the whole of the Nine Angles. The Inner Ring

Previously undiscussed is the inner Ring of Nature the ring which touch-es the five points of the Pentagram. This circle defines the physical body of the individual. The five points of the Pentagram touching the Circle signify the five bodily senses—as Gateways to higher being. But gateways can be closed or misunderstood and act as easily (actually more easily) as blockages rather than conduits. This Ring remains unshown,

Hidden, in the Seal of RUNA.

I have here reproduced the Sigil of Baphomet as used by the Church of Satan along side the simplified Seal showing both Rings in place. By using these Signs as guideposts, the Initiate can comprehend the dis-tinctions between the psycho-cosmologies of the Church of Satan and Temple of Set/Order of the Trapezoid.

Historically, I might also note that the name of the Hebrew demon Leviathan (LVYThN) surrounding the space between the two Circles is significant. It is a five-lettered name, and so refers to the inner Ring. The Ophite (Serpentine) Gnostics knew well this symbolism behind Leviathan— who they identified with the Greek ouroboros the world-ser-pent which bites its own tail surrounding the inner cosmos. (See also the Norse Midhgardhsormr [= Midgard’s Worm] or Jormungandr [= Great Magical Staff].) Leviathan separates the temporal cosmos of the Earth and the spheres of the seven planets from the Realm of the Fixed Stars and


the Realms of Being beyond. The serpent guards the passage between the realms of change and flux and the realm of, being. (See Kurt Rudolph, Gnosis [San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987], pp. 67-70.) Leviathan, or the Ouroboros is the inner Ring of the Seal — whose number of Angles is not in reality five but seven. Herein is Hidden a great Secret.

The pure form of the Pentagram suspended within the Circle of the objective universe is the purest expression of the Temple of Set philoso-phy— it points to the ultimate goal of Initiation upon the Left-Hand Path. But at the same it conceals much—which can be revealed by delving into the Darkness between the lines.

The Angles through Chronological Time

As noted above the Nine Angles as thus far discussed do not directly reflect the manifestation of their qualities in temporal existence, i.e. in the mundane space/time continuum. But as magicians we remain highly interested in this mundane world, seeking methods to enable us to influ-ence events within it. The Circles hold the keys to this kind of manifes-tation. The outer Circle describes the cycles of Nature, the unfolding of events outside the self and in the objective universe. This is where we perceive chronological, linear time and witness the chains of cause and effect.

If, following logic previously established, we begin and end at the Ninth Angle and lay the nine points of the Angles in a counter clock-wise direc-tion around the outer Circle where they would most directly affect events in the Circle (note they only twice intersect the Circle itself) we arrive at the following image:

Here is a totally new ordering of the Angles—with the exception of the


Ninth Angle of course, which always returns to itself and is the “begin-ning and ending of dimensions.” This second ordering is the way in which we experience the effects of the Nine Angles in our temporal lives. So it is the key to the use of the Seal in influencing events in this world of five senses and three dimensions. The “inner ordering” is non-natural, transcendent, oscillating and non-linear, while the “outer ordering” is natural, temporal, cyclical and linear. The “inner ordering” always returns to the same eternal quality, while the “outer ordering” cannot return to the same place twice. The “inner ordering” always affects and gives shape to the events coming about in the ‘outer ordering.

Imagine yourself as the subject of a journey around the Circle. Notice the “story” told by the key words as arranged on the outer circle: (1) BEING has its Hidden origin in PERFECTION and precedes (2) BIRTH or AWAKENING. Essence precedes existence. At the Second

Temporal Angle BIRTH takes place—an idea is born, or some new state is awakened. After some while, a state of

(3) CHAOS is entered in which INFINITY is glimpsed. There can be no true

(4) CREATION without the state of CHAOS being first entered into. From that state comes basic

(5) ORDER (COSMOS). It is from this basic order that a (6) RECREATION can be brought about. These states of Creation and

Recreation follow naturally from the states of Chaos and Order which precipitate them. Then comes

(7) DEATH or SLEEP in which the subject of this cyclical journey must necessarily undergo a transformation. Beyond this is

(8) KNOWLEDGE or UNDERSTANDING—as the subject reaches a stage of PERFECTION as the object of that Knowledge becomes the Black Flame. Then, if it is so willed, REBIRTH may occur. This description is worded as if the journey undertaken were that of Initiation in a life-span—but in reality this Circle represents any cycli-cal development. Each ‘rebirth’ is an entry upon the next cycle at a higher ‘octave’ of the scale implied by the Circle.

The relative distances between the points on the Circle are also impor-tant. They show a kind of rhythm in the cycles of manifestation.

In a conversation with Sir Ronald Barrett, he accurately asked the ques-tion, since we have two qualities (or vectors) here, what is the angle between them and at what point do they come together. He knew the answer, of course, because the answer is almost always Hidden in an accurate question.

The two vectors forming the Great Angle between the qualities of the Seal and the Circle are what are referred to in the ritual text of Die Elektrischen Vorspiele (and in the tale by Frank Belknap Long, “The Hounds of Tindalos’) as “angled space” and “curved space.’ Both are


The Polarian Method [Portions of this section have been adapted from the seminal article “How to Be a Heathen first printed in Idunna 17 (1992), pp. 11-16 reprinted in Runes Xl:1. The ideas presented in an O.’.T.’. context here can be read in a purely Germanic one in the Gildísbok of the Rune-Gild.]

After hearing the Word RUNA, it fell to me to learn and develop myself and an objective method for unfolding the meaning of this Word. This was a long struggle- and one that is not yet at an end. But at this point, the method implicit in the seed-concept of RUNA has become clear. What is more this method has successfully been applied outside the Germanic tradition both by myself and by others. Here it is important to reveal the true nature and scope of the method, that it may be applied more perfectly by my fellow Knights and Dames of the Order.

The terminology of the presentation is unavoidably focused on the Germanic tradition. What the gist of the presentation should convey, however, is an example of how to use the method. This is the theory, my Work is its practice. Awaken, see, and act in your own Working formula with the information provided here.

For those who have the eyes to see, a new aspect of the Working Formula contained in the Foundation Working of the Elektrischen Vorspiele will be revealed here.

The chief secret of the Polarian or Runic (Arcanic) method of working is (0) be inspired by a Sense of Mystery (1) begin with the objectively known and only then (2) move to the subjective experience of things—and then (3) return to the objective with true Understanding. We must begin with what we know to be objectively true about a system.

Perhaps a word needs to be said here about the terms “subjective” and “objective” which will be met with more than once in the course of this manual. Both terms are double edged. That which is subjective belongs to the subject of action- if we are concerned with the action of think-ing then the thinker is the subject of the action, the dœr. The thing the thinker is thinking (thought) is the object, or perhaps even the thing that is being thought about. Therefore the subjective is the inner reality - particular to the realm of the dœr - while the objective is the outer real-ity. The double edge to these terms comes when we consider that if the subjective universe (inner operating principles of the “thinker”) is formed on the basis of illusionary unreality, all supposedly “objective” observa-tions of, or conclusions reached on, the nature of the outer world will be flawed and imprecise. If, on the other hand, the subjective universe has been formed on the basis of objectively real data and traditions, then that subjective universe will have become itself objectively real and hence its


knowledge and actions will have objective effects and reality. One must perfect the subject (and hence subjective knowledge) in order to become a truly objective operator in the universe. These ideas are essential in the application of the Runic method.

But the ultimate use of the Runic method rests on an even more com-plex foundation. A complete context for the knowledge must be real-ized before the experience of the knowledge can lead to Understanding. Runes did not exist in isolation in Elder times, they can not exist in a vac-uum today. The Runer must grasp the total culture in which the Runes emerged in Elder times- this includes the psychology and cosmology of the Elder Runers. We must come to understand the inner and outer workings of the world(s) in which the Runes first came to be understood in order to understand them completely today. This is a major premise of the Runic method.Culture

The whole issue of culture is often glossed over, especially among Americans. This is because there is usually only tenuous understanding of what all is meant by this term. When we speak of culture, we may meaningfully break it down into four types of culture- all of which blend-ed together give us a true picture of any given historical society, ancient or modern. There is 1) ethnic culture, 2) ethical culture, 3) material cul-ture, and 4) linguistic culture. These may be conveniently pictured as in figure 1.

ETHNIC ETHICAL

MATERIAL LINGUISTIC

CULTURE

All kinds of culture have to do with contact of some kind between real people. Humans are cultural animals. To survive we need to absorb, intel-lectually and consciously, tremendous’ amounts of cultural data or infor-mation. The faculty to generate culture and to absorb its contents is one of the things that separate us from the “other” animals. (Which is another way of saying what makes us something other than animals.)

Ethnic culture is a purely physical reality. It has to do with the reproduc-tion of the camel human reality - physical bodies - through sexual con-tact. It is, if you prefer the term, the “racial culture” of a people. In any holistic understanding of culture this must, of course, be accounted for


and discussed. When we look around the world today, we see cultures like that of Japan which has an almost entirely homogeneous ethnic cul-ture. This is also reflected in other aspects of their over all cultural model, which is to be expected. They constitute a true nation, in the original meaning of that word, i.e. people sharing a common birth (from Latin natio). The United States of America, on the other end of the spectrum, is not a true nation, but is rather a multi-national state.

Ethical culture is the most complex kind of culture, it touches all the other types, and is usually what most people think of when they think of culture at all. It has to do with everything that is contained in, and gener-ated from, the minds of humans (in that given culture). It contains the categories of everything from religion to political ideologies, to literary traditions, to economic systems. Ethical culture is the collective ideology - or spiritual systems - of a society. This is where a people’s psychology and cosmology are to be found.

Material culture is, on the other hand, all the physical objects created by a given society. The objects, all created by art (i.e. craft), are the artificial projections onto the physical world of the contents of the mind of ethi-cal culture. Often we know of a given historical culture only by means of the artifacts (objects of material culture) left behind in the archæological record. This is, for example, the case with the “Old Europeans,” the pre-lndo-European folk of the far western part of the Eurasian land mass.Finally linguistic culture is the language spoken and understood by a people. This is most intimately connected with ethical culture, for espe-cially in the case of historical cultures (those of the past) it is virtually only through linguistic records that we can determine what the content of their minds - of their ethical culture - was. Factors from the material culture also become extremely important here because it is only through tangible (i.e. material) records of the linguistic data that we can know the thoughts of the people of the past as directly as possible through actual inscriptions, contemporary written manuscripts, and so on. This is how they can speak to us most directly and most clearly over time, and we must hear them in this way to be sure of the voice of the past.

One of the things which most interests members of the Rune-Gild, for example, is the reawakening of our ancient deep-level culture. We like to go back in our minds and imaginations to a time when the cultural grid was a holistic one — where one could speak of the Germanic culture as a whole: Germanic folk, Germanic religion, Germanic art. Germanic language were one organic whole. If a sense of this wholeness can be regained, it can again make a positive impact on the individual and the culture to which that individual belongs.

This is a noble endeavor. But it is a difficult one to do well and reliably and with a minimum of subjective wish fulfillment. The establishment of a method is what is Needed.


For the most part the so-called neo-pagan movement is rife with subjectiv-ism. People reconstruct the “past” in the vision of their own private needs and prejudices. Neo-paganism is often not so much a religious or magical path as it is a system for the validation or justification of subjective biases. Sometimes these subjective notions result in effective and sometimes beautiful systems of practice: take for example Gardnerian Witchcraft. But their bases are nevertheless in the subjective needs and prejudices of the creator(s).

Postmodernism and the Paradigm ShiftAt this moment in time we stand at the brink of a Ragnarok- an epochal transformation of the world. This is not the “fundamentalist” version of the “end of the world” — a view that is also sometimes held by “funda-mentalists” in the Troth as well as in the Church! No, it is a true transfor-mation of the world. Remember that the word “world” means “the age (or epoch) of (a) man” wer-old (“Man-Age”). A human is a psychic entity more than a physical one. That is why we even now speak of “the world of Thomas Jefferson” or “the world of Guido von List” when we mean “the subjective constructs which shaped their views of their total environ-ments, natural and non-natural.” These “subjective constructs” are more technically designated by the term “paradigms,” or “patterns (of thought).. Individuals live their lives based on such patterns, and so do whole cul-tures. Each person, and by extension each true culture (as discussed above) is guided by an internal paradigm.

To understand the idea of a paradigm, as discussed here, and to under-stand how such a paradigm may be shifted or transformed, we can look at the last time we had a major paradigm shift in European culture. This came at the time of the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modem Age. The cradle of this transition was northern Italy, where the Renaissance - the “Re-Birth” (of ancient philosophy) - was instituted. But with each shift, there is a loss of power by the paradigm passing away, and a corresponding increase in power of a “new” (i.e. different) para-digm.In the case of the Medieval/Modern shift, a loss in power (prestige) was suffered by the Medieval paradigm because its “sponsor” (the Christian Church) had heaped so much abuse and misinformation on the people for so long, e.g. Crusades (which they lost), Inquisitions and the tireless suppression of knowledge and the human spirit, that most thinking folk had rejected it as a serious philosophy by 1500ce. Other positive develop-ments also occurred around this time: e.g. discovery of the “New World” (unaccounted for in the Bible), discovery of the heliocentric nature of the immediate cosmos, the development of independent wealth based on business/trade and the craft gilds, and the success of religious reforma-tion both in the north (Protestantism) and on a smaller but more radical scale in Italy with the Neoplatonists.


One word of warning against over-simplifying this process, however: “Nothing ever gœs away.” That is, despite whatever shifts might take place, the remnants of the old paradigms (often significant in influ-ence) remain virtually forever. The Middle Ages will never totally disap-pear (they are very much alive and well on cable television today, for example), just as a part of the ancient paradigm out-lived and once again superseded the Christian Middle Ages.

To the ancients there were many paths to “salvation.” To the Medievalist there was only One: Faith in Christ and obedience to the authority of His Church. To the Modernist there was also only One: Science and the idea of Progress. The “Myth of Progress” - the idea that the “human race” (as a whole) can be “saved” (i.e. perfected) by means of Reason in conjunction with rational cooperation and universal education.

The question has been with us since the middle of this century as to whether we are now in the throws of another of these paradigm shifts. Those who answer this question affirmatively have generically, and rather unimaginatively, dubbed the epoch into which we are moving “the Postmodern” “that which comes after the Modem. This question has been raised for two reasons: 1) the failure of the Modem paradigm (after almost 500 years) to deliver on its promises of universal happiness (human patience has apparently grown shorter over time, as the Middle Ages were tolerated for close to twice that length of time), and 2) the rapid growth of technology, information and communication over the past hundred years.

Postmodernism is marked by a lack of slavish following of universal rules (of life, art, or anything else). The individual, or voluntary groups of individuals, are free to choose pathways to individual (or group) “per-fection” based on the quality and power of the paradigm rather than on its universal appeal or supposed authority. To the Medievalist if it’s not Christian, it’s bad; to the Modernist if it’s not Scientific (and New), it’s bad. But the “Postmodernist” realizes that if it rings true it’s good, if it’s internally authentic it’s right. This attitude liberates the individual to return to the true traditions.

Most people today are still stuck in the Modem (or Medieval) paradigm. This gœs double for most “occultists” who are usually either supersti-tious Medievalists or confused Modernists. Those who belong to the sec-ond category hold “beliefs” such as: “Magic is just undiscovered Science.” This is a patently absurd notion, but one that could be expected from a Modernist. The reasons for this will become apparent in the next part of this section. True faith and science both have their noble (but limited) places in the process of possible human perfection. They are but stepping stones to a higher mode of being and understanding. This is the way it was to our ancestors. It is something that was forgotten by Medievalists (who put their faith in Christ and the institution of the Church) and


by Modernists (who thought Science would save the world), but which Postmodernists (Æonics) have rediscovered- or finally Remembered.Hear the Word, and forget no more!

The Nine Ways of Knowing:

In the Charter of the Order Michæl Aquino wrote: “[Dynamism] repre-sents an urge towards constant movement and evolution ...It differs from the Setian concept of Xeper in that Romantic dynamism is non- Platonic; it is suprarational rather than guided by logic, ethics and Nœtic appre-hension.” Since we have good reference works on how the Platonic sys-tem of “rational intuition” (nœsis) is supposed to work, and since it is so deeply ingrained in the Setian philosophy, it is now important to view the Germanic system to see just how this suprarational system can work.

The older stages of language were often replete with terms for “know-ing.” The ancient Germanic tongue was certainly one of these, as was the ancient Greek. Those who wish to study the Greek way, have, among other sources, Plato to guide their way. The Germanic language, from which our English is derived has its own special message. Each technical term had its special meaning and nuance. For example, the ancients had many words we would today translate with “soul” or “spirit,” but few of us have a good idea of what the real meaning of such words are. They did not have this problem. They had so many words for these experi-ences because they knew them so well. These words and concepts form a system of knowing which, if we learn what it means and how to use it, will unfetter our minds and open the gateway to great storehouses of power.

Luckily the modern Icelandic language, virtually identical to Old Norse, preserves this Epistemology in a living form:

Type of Knowledge Object of Knowledge huga-muna-vita4. rational intuition Run/Runar (Understanding) (Mysterious Principles) kenna-kunna-skilia3. logic stafir (scientific thinking) (Symbols)

2. trua hlutir (faith) (things)

1. sja/heyra sjon/hlodh (seeing/hearing) (appearances/sounds)

Table 1:1 Germanic Forms of Knowledge and their Objects


Seeing and Hearing

This table needs clarification. Knowledge always has a subject (knower) and an object (thing known): I know that. But there are different kinds of knowledge, and so different sorts of objects for those different kinds of knowledge.In Classical philosophy, of course, this is ground covered in the Greek language by the Philosopher Plato. But the Northern or Gothic system is not exactly the same as the Greek. It has some new lessons to teach.What we “know” when we see something is a visible, physical object — the “sight” of it. This is the gateway to knowledge and to ultimate wis-dom- but only if it is seen as a gate and not an end or reality in itself. But for most “what they see is what they get.. RUNA commands us to look through and beyond the visible (physical) universe of three dimensions and five senses to the hidden realm beneath and/or above the mere exter-nal world of appearance or images.

To acknowledge the mundane world and the temporal reality as the true one is to suffer from delusion.

Merely seeing and hearing (and sometimes guessing at) the appearance of reality hardly qualifies as “knowledge” at all. Humans should not be condemned to “think’ like this. Here “thinking” is reduced to believing everything which is presented to our physical eye as being the ultimate reality. Although all of us do at least occasionally- and most people do most of the time. This is the kind of thought that is based on nothing but totally subjective “evidence,” or worse yet on the subjective evidence of others. Seeing should not be the same as believing.

Today our world is sinking deeper and deeper into the idea that “image is reality,” when in fact mere image is precisely what reality is not. Yet we are encouraged by the image-based media (often agents of the etins and thurses) to “think” this is so.

Images can be used for inspired thought- but they must not be allowed to rule the mind from without. A generation raised on MTV is the result.

Trusting

True faith is a trust in the validity of things which have been received from authoritative sources- and which have been proven “real” by a long series of sensory observations (hearing and seeing). In a traditional soci-ety these authoritative sources are easy to identify. The priests and priest-esses of the national divinities, the tribal elders, and so on, or our own senses, when observed over a long period of time, and when we can be certain of our objectivity. This latter qualification is almost impossible without help from higher forms of knowledge. In our postmodem world


these authorities are more difficult to identify reliably.

When one believes, or trusts, one “knows” not merely appearances but the substances which lie behind or beyond them. These are the shares or lots of substance allotted to each thing — substances behind the vis-ible things. This meaning for this word is highly technical and grows out of its use in Runic operations. The hlutir are the physical objects onto, or into, which Rune-Staves are cut or carved. They are talismanic objects containing real power also. It is this deeper substance, also called efni (or elements or in the plural means) which is known through tru, or faith.

The distinction between “seeing and “believing” is demonstrated through time. The kind of “knowledge” provided by seeing (or hearing) alone is only momentary, fleeting and without its own substance. Those who merely see hold their eyes open as a parade of four-second images (MTV- style) pass before them- each is “real” at the moment, only to be replaced four seconds later with another “reality.” (By the way, four-seconds is the average length of time an image is displayed on the screen in a music video- the practice of the theory of delusion.)

On the other hand, those who are able to trust, or have faith are able to get past the momentary impression and realize the underlying, more per-manent, substance.

At this stage the person “knows” real things, but can only follow certain directions with regard to practice when dealing with things beyond the world of the senses. To this realm belong what we usually think of as “religion” — the correct performance of rituals, and so on. This is the level at which the vast majority of people are comfortable. As far as a healthy society is concerned, this is also the level at which most people should be satisfied. Beyond it is a realm of spiritual toil and anguish.

Skilja

Kenna Kunna

Knowing and Discriminating

There is a great gap which separates this noble trust from thought and true knowledge.


The Trapezoidal Initiate by character delves beyond what is apparent or even substantial. Beyond belief lies a complex realm of knowledge, expe-rience and understanding, beyond which lies the realm of thought and memory. The technical terms for all these types of “knowledge” reveal the inner workings of the elder Germanic mind- which we use as spring-boards to Runic understanding today.

The elder idea of true “science,” i.e. the methodical use of mental faculties to arrive at logically proven conclusions, begins with a threefold model:

Vita(to be fully conscious)

Huga(to think)

Muna(to remember)

Having built upon faith (tru) in substances (hlutir)- the individual begins to gather data intellectually. The verb for this activity in Old Norse is kenna: “to know.” This faculty is ultimately derived from the higher soul- concept of mind (hugr)- but more of that later. This knowledge is activated through the concept of kunna: “to have the ability to do some-thing.” When intellectual knowledge is activated - ideas become deeds - a person’s level of being, or substantial existence is raised. As this level of being is raised (which is the result of what we call Initiation) one’s ability to understand (skilya) is raised. The knowledge and ability to discrimi-nate, to divide real from unreal, reality from image, grows.

This process of gathering knowledge—acting on it and experiencing the effects of activation - must be practiced for a long time—while wisdom and understanding grow.

Understanding grows out of the experience of the practical application of knowledge.

In the technical language of the elder Runemasters the objects(s) of such understanding is/are the Runestaves themselves which are, of course, the true symbols for the structural realities underlying the substances of the world. More precisely Runes are divided into three aspects or manifesta-tions - stafr-hlodh-tala (shape/sound/number). At the point one under-stands what is meant by saying the Runes underlie the substance of the world- one begins not only to understand the world on a deeper level, but also the gate to higher Rune-Wisdom is opened. In initiatory terms, this marks the passage from Fellowship (the second level of initiation) to Mastery.


In more “classical” terms this triad of knowledge is tantamount to logic, or rational thought (Platonic dianoia) it is knowledge of the kind that we would today call “scientific.” It is essentially based on data, which are as often as not rooted in mathematics. As we have come to learn in the modem world, if you “have the numbers” concerning something it is likely that you will be able to manipulate or reshape that thing. You can control it because you have quantified it. To this realm of knowledge we would today ascribe all of the arts and sciences taught and researched on our universities. Universities are temples to this type of thought. Today credible knowledge seems to end here. Beyond it lies only mumbo-jumbo and ufo-ria. But such was not the case in our elder age.

Once such understanding or thought has been developed one is ready to cross another bridge into the realm of pure thought and memory.

Here one begins to hear and understand the speech of the ravens—Huginn and Muninn: Cognitive Thought and Reflective Memory.One gains the ability to think clearly using only abstract models (myn-dir) and the gateway is opened for one to begin to remember (muna) ultimate and innate forms of reality inherited from the Well of Wyrd and from our heritage in Valhalla. These “memories” also come in the form of abstract models- which some transform into visions of reality in the realm in which the “past” (=ultimate abstract reality) becomes the “future” (=the flexible flow of phenomena).

This triad of wisdom is reflected in more “classical” philosophy by “ratio-nal intuition” (Platonic nœsis)- the highest kind of knowledge.

One can not leap from belief into inspired wisdom- one must pass through the triad of rational thought. Long training in objective science (in whatever field) is necessary to cause the mind to function in a reliable manner. Then when it is refocused on more “spiritual” objects the knowl-edge it gains will be maximally reliable- or real.

Unfortunately we no longer have what are ordinarily thought of as tradi-tional schools for training in this total spectrum of knowledge. “Schools” such as the Rune-Gild are reawakenings of actual elder traditions, while the Order of the Trapezoid represents something out of another Time/Space dimension. The legitimacy and authority of such “schools” is derived not from the size of our buildings or the salaries of our faculty, but from the quality of our results.In “listening to the speech of ravens” one is eventually inspired to know reality in its most absolute sense. This is direct knowledge of the Runes (mysteries) themselves with no intervening models or conceptions. This kind of knowledge is ultimately facilitated by the spiritual faculty of wade . It is the effect of wode on hidge and myne that ignites the pure form of awareness which characterizes the absolute activity of inspired knowl-edge.


This scale of knowledge and this whole discussion of “pagan” bases of knowledge in general has been offered to give some sort of context for the body of this presentation. The point will be that the “reconstruction” of whole cultural systems must (at least according to the best kind of pagan knowledge) be based on objective criteria and data, but they must just as much be matters of actual doing- not merely ivory tower theoriz-ing. It is only through enactment of theory that knowledge becomes real. We can only learn the most important things through action and experi-ence.

How is it that we know how to put men on the moon, or build bombs that can destroy the world (proving that we are indeed gods of the plan-et) today- but we - as a species - in fact know nothing more about the most profound human problems of Love, Truth, Beauty, Justice, etc., than did our so-called “primitive” ancestors? “Progress’ can be seen clearly in technological fields because this kind of knowledge (technical knowledge) can be passed on in a system of belief from one person to another, from one generation to another. Each person, each generation, dœs not have to “reinvent the wheel.” But when it comes to those other things, those things which categorically cannot be passed on by authority from one person to the next, every person dœs indeed have to invent his or her own wheel. But not just any wheel will do. It has to be the right wheel. This is what initiation is all about. This further points to the methods used by philosophers which really can only put the student in a place where knowledge can be gained directly from the source. The teacher can not impart this knowledge, only create the conditions in which the knowledge can flow into the student.

THE WORK OF AWAKENING

The Germanic esoteric system was never killed- it was only “put to sleep.” This system can be reawakened in the culture- but only if it is reawak-ened in individual souls first. This can be said with confidence because in our Germanic world there is continuity between the past and the present in all four cultural areas in the grid shown above. Our old cultural system has been disestablished, but not killed- so it may be said not to be dead, but merely sleeping. We form a continuously identifiable ethnic unit, we hold to many of the old ethical traditions (see everything from concepts of “English Common Law” to the “Christmas” tree), we still create art based on Germanic concepts of abstraction, and we certainly still speak a language derived directly from that of our prehistoric ancestors. None of these categories is completely dead- all are just sleeping under a blanket of Christian/Middle Eastern overlay. It is also true that the same could be said for the Celtic. Italic. Hellenic, Slavic and dozens of other traditions.What the Order, and the Word RUNA, have done is create a working formula for the reawakening of our esoteric tradition. What follows is the theoretical and practical formula used to reawaken the lore of the Order. It is the same formula you will use in Rune-Work to reawaken your soul


according to the Germanic theory of knowledge given above.

The work of awakening comes in three phases. These do not follow in the linear pattern 1-2-3, however. That is, you do not start with the first work, finish it, and then move on to the second, and so on. Really we are involved on all three levels throughout our lives as long as they are dedicated to the long work of reawakening the hidden reality within. But, with this being said, wisdom must be applied at all times to discipline one’s self so that in the early part of one’s quest most of one’s time is spent on Process I, while relatively less time is spent on the latter two. As the years go on the balance will begin to shift, and relatively less time will be spent on the objective tasks and more time will be spent in the activating of what one has learned. It is in this latter stage that true understanding arises.

THE HIDDEN WORK is the unseen, unknown, suprarational inspira-tion which motivates you to seek the Mystery in the first place.

THE FIRST WORK is one of rational discovery or objective analysis — where the traditional record is examined in a scientific manner. On one level this is the work done in the second realm of knowledge shown above: in the kenna-kunna-skilja triad. On another level this is the ream-ing of basic knowledge, the Work of the Knight or Dame in the Order.

THE SECOND WORK is one of subjective synthesis — where the data gathered and analyzed in the first work is allowed to sink into the sub-jective universe or soul of the individual. Here it is allowed to become whole with your mind. This is the work done in the third level of knowl-edge shown above- where the contents of the hidge and myne (hugr and minni) are brought together. This inner synthesis is the major Work of the Fellow.

THE THIRD WORK is one of enactment- where the inner synthesis is activated, made to become effective in the objective universe. Here one comes to know (vita)- and such “knowledge” is tantamount to action. This action will be resisted and tested by the world, but such resistance will be seen to lead to refinement and perfection of knowledge. The very beginnings of the breakthrough into this type of Work is what marks the Work of the Rune-Master.

THE HIDDEN WORK

The Hidden Work comes upon us Mysteriously. Sometimes it comes and gœs, and the prospective Initiate is not even aware of its presence. Election often slips through the cracks of one’s attention. But for those who seize the inspiration the next phase is critical. Without losing the life-force present in the initial inspiration, one must move to the difficult First Work.


THE FIRST WORKRational Discovery or Objective Analysis

To begin the first work we have to ask ourselves one basic question: What do we have to work with objectively? Now at this stage we must remind ourselves that we are sticking to things that are a part of the objective record. What so-and-so might have “channelled” concerning the true nature of the old Germanic system is, whatever else it might be, not objective. To accept such material or ideas is simply to believe in the power of that individual to “channel” such things. You are dealing with “revelations” not traditions.

So what are the kinds of things that can tell us about the objective tradi-tion? These are mainly written sources for reasons outlined above. Dœs that mean that everything that was ever written about a culture is to be used without discrimination? Certainly not. Discrimination is of the high-est importance. The Norse word skilja- discernment, the ability to divide the real from the non-real, true from untrue, is the essence of this.

The sources must be used in the following order of precedence:

1. Internal contemporary texts2. External contemporary texts3. Archæological evidence4. Internal surviving “texts” (e.g. folklore)5. Secondary texts a. autochthonous (within the cultural tradition) b. comparative

Internal contemporary texts are ones such as the Eddas or runic inscrip-tions which give us some sort of direct insight into the minds of the hea-then Germanic peoples.

External contemporary texts are things such as the Roman or Greek historians’ and ethnographers’ accounts of the people indigenous to the North. Although their views may be skewed for one reason or another (and these must be examined) they did have more direct sources of raw information perhaps than we can today, and so remain tremendously valuable.

Archæological evidence is mute. It can not “talk,” that is, convey verbal information, without corroboration from textual sources. If a statue of an otherwise unknown god or goddess is dug up somewhere, and it can not be identified with some figure from the local mythology as recorded in texts, what are we left with? All that remains to us is some pretty wild speculation based on nothing but an image. But if that same artifact is to some extent “explained” by a textual source, then it becomes a great win-dow into the spiritual life of the people.


Again, this bears reiterating, all we can objectively know about a bygone culture must be found in an objective record - written or archæological - and all interpretations of that record must be held to judgments based on the objective record. To proceed otherwise is simply to be a believer in modern prejudices and prophets. To illustrate this with a concrete example, of the many rune books that came out in the 1980s, only my works were based on the actual tradition of runology well-known from the runestones, rune-pœms, and modern scientific runology itself. All the others freely altered or dispensed with (or more accurately were simply ignorant of) the traditional knowledge available in any good reference book on the subject- that is, if you couldn’t be bothered to go visit a real runestone. But books were written on the basis of these wild specula-tions, prejudices, and wishful thoughts. How to decide “which” runic sys-tem to use? In a way, I was faced with this same problem when I started my esoteric runic studies. But I realized that all foundations had to go back to some objective piece of evidence- to some runic inscription, to some Eddic or runic pœm, to some saga passage, and perhaps to some comparative piece of evidence- all else was interpretation. But it was inter-pretation based on the whole of the tradition, not just one select part of it.

Another slightly different class of primary evidence is provided by folk-lore. By folklore I mean customs, stories and all kinds of traditions that have been handed down in a continuous fashion from early times. Examples of this kind of evidence would be the folk-tales collected by the Brothers Grimm or the various country customs collected by folklorists throughout northern Europe. It is probably true that a great deal of this gœs back to pre-Christian, heathen, times. The problem is we can never know exactly how much of it is archaic and how much of it has been innovated or imported in the Christian era. Therefore folklore evidence must be considered as being secondary to the more archaic material. It can be used to fill in gaps in our knowledge, but on the evidence of folk-lore alone no reliable objective system can be created, nor can folklore evidence be used to overthrow the evidence from more archaic sources.

Finally actual secondary, scholarly, literature about the traditions must be considered. The huge body of scholarly work that has been done on the ancient Germanic religion, for example, is too rich and thought provok-ing to ignore. The present-day Runer should approach this literature as a record of contemporary men and women trying to make some ratio-nal sense out of the primary evidence according to certain intellectual rules by which their science is supposed to be governed. Inspiration, so important to the practicing Runer, is of much less importance to the scholar. But often inspiration can be drawn from their sometimes lim-ited conclusions. When making use of secondary scholarly literature you should try to find the most recent works possible. If the scientific aspect is being developed as it should be, the older literature will be accounted for in the newer, and the older will have been superseded by the more


comprehensive findings of the newer as well. Such secondary material can be divided into two classes: one which treats a given tradition from within itself and another which tries to compare one system to another, thereby illuminating further the more obscure of the two. Of course, this latter method must account for the ways in which one system or tradi-tion might be connected to the other. It is in this area that the work of Georges Dumézil is so important.

Now that we have reviewed the types of sources we will attempt to gain access to, the problem arises as to what exact questions we will attempt to answer with this data. The essentials of understanding any person indi-vidually, or any group of people collectively lie in knowledge of their view of the world, of themselves, of any gods or goddesses they might have, and in understanding the practices they use to act and interact within these various contexts, e.g. what rituals, spiritual technologies do they use.

In technical terms we must discover the traditional cosmology used by the folk-group in question. That is, what is their view of the order of the world. Also essential to this is the origin of the world, their cosmogony. Once you understand how a people view the world you have gone a long way toward understanding the very soul of the people.

The soul or psyche must also come under direct examination. Here we may try to reconstruct the traditional psychology of group, or imagine a new one. The Initiate must determine a hypothetical model for what a human being is in essence and how the individual relates to the whole (society and world). This in turn opens the door to study of the “sociol-ogy” — or how these individual “subjective universe” interact with each other in a given group.Usually a special category is enjoyed by the gods and goddesses of a peo-ple. The divinities are special exemplary models for human behavior and spirituality. By knowing the patterns inherent in the god-forms as well as understanding how the various god-forms relate to each other inside the system we will have a deep-level map of the ideals of the people in ques-tion.

Also essential to the whole process is an understanding of the “spiritual technologies” used by a people to communicate with their gods, to inter-act with them and/or with the world directly. Peoples usually have many rituals and customs to effect this part of life. Such customs and behaviors are usually at the center of revivalist efforts. The problem is often that the rituals are lost or only survive in sketchy outlines. At this stage we are primarily concerned with finding out what those outlines are. The only way to restore the soul to these outlines, and to flesh them out again in a robust fashion is to discover the soul of the people through the under-standing of the cosmology, psychology, sociology and theology — and then enacting the ritual elements regularly and physically. When postmo-dem Runers make the same sounds, gestures or motions that their ances-


The Constellation of the TrapezoidSir Rudra (Ronald L. Barrett)Grand Master Emeritus of the Order of the Trapezoid

0. INTRODuCTIONA true form is what it signifies, and dœs what it is. Thus begins the Form of Forms: a dialectic of ontology, function, and signification the hailstone that seeds the crystallization and dissolution of all universes.

Aristotle approached this seed in four dimensions as a categorical model for the inductive apprehension of every subject and object (i.e. experi-ence) of the human universe. Aristotle’s categories were:

1) Substance - the component parts of an experience (atoms, thoughts, symbols, events);2) Form - the shape (geometry) of an experience based upon the rela-tions (angles) between these elements; 3) Moving Cause - the specific historical sequence by which the experi-ence came into being; and, 4) Final Cause - the ultimate purpose and outcome of the experience.

Applying Aristotle to the Form of Forms, one discovers many nines. A true form is not only what it says and dœs, but also what it is made of, what it is shaped like, how it came into being, and the purpose of its becoming.

On the 21st of December, XXXI S, I, Sir Rudra the Howler, fourth Grandmaster of our Order, conducted a Vedic fire sacrifice and recast the Spectrum of the Trapezoid at the Marnikarnika cremation grounds in Varanasi, India. This article is dedicated to this work. It shall be entered into the Codex Trapezoidicus as a central reference source for the fourth iteration in the evolution of the Order of the Trapezoid. In the sections that follow, I will articulate the current Spectrum of the Trapezoid in the nine-fold spirit of Aristotles four.

I. MOVING CAuSE

On the 18th of January, XXII S, the Grandmastership of the Order of the Trapezoid passed from Sir Michæl to Sir Polaris. Largely due to the previ-ous work of Sir Michæl, Sir Polaris was to set two important precedents as the incoming Grandmaster. First, he was to be the first Initiate to assume the spiritual helm of the O.Tr. after it had become a real organi-zation with a knighthood and a purpose, but with its more recent devel-


opments not yet fully articulated. Second, this transition set a precedent as for the succession of Grandmasters within the Order system of the Temple of Set.

Appreciating these issues, the new GM applied good leadership within emerging Trapezoidal principles in two stages. In the first stage, Sir Polaris challenged the existing Knighthood to provide a written report of plans for Order-related work over the following year. The subsequent feedback provided important diagnostic data; a snapshot for the assess-ment of the Order at a particular moment in time.

In the second stage, the GM articulated this assessment within a trapezoi-dal framework. The essential understanding - then and now - was that, in addition to functioning as a shadow, gate, and mystery, the Trapezoid acts as a prism through which the light of the Black Flame is refracted. Light (coagula) refracting through prisms produces a spectrum (solve) by which the substance of the underlying source may be examined. The spectral entailment of this prismic allegory, with the individual bands produced by the specific foci of the Knighthood at a given time, provided the means by which the GM could articulate the state of the Order at a particular phase, or iteration, of its evolution.

Six months after the call for papers - with the angles of ontology, func-tion, and sign congruent - the Spectrum of the Trapezoid was first articulated in nine categories, which were later rearranged to juxtapose the Nine Angles of the Trapezoid, becoming the Nine Angles of the Spectrum:

First Angle: Mad Labs (operant technology) Second Angle: The Angles (operant geometry)Third Angle: The Way of Wotan (theoretical and operant runology) Fourth Angle: Rise of the Trapezoid (trapezoidal principles)Fifth Angle: The Grail Quest and the Order of ChivalrySixth Angle: Dreams through the Trapezoid (operant mythology and neomythology)Seventh Angle: Realmagie (LBM/GBM applied to sociopolitical reality)Eighth Angle: Magica Germanica (objectified magical systems; Runology to the FS)Ninth Angle: The Black Flame

Nine years after these categories were articulated, I became the fourth Grandmaster of the Order of the Trapezoid. Turning to the example of my teacher and predecessor, I sought to make his method of succession a tradition while simultaneously enacting the Orders new policy of annual Sumbel and reports. On the North Solstice, we conducted our respective rites and submitted our reports, thus rendering the new spectra. It was then up to me to correlate its contents, and plot the latest trajectory of the O.Tr. in angled space. This was no easy task. I had good data in hand,


however, and plenty of experience for having grown up in the Order, served as its Chancellor, and founded two Lodges and a House within it. I had my finger on the pulse of the Order, and a good sense of where we were heading. Yet even this was not enough. I needed to go to the source in the fashion of Ollie North II. I needed to go as deep as possible into the moving cause of the Order of the Trapezoid.

A return to Wewelsburg seemed appropriate for these purposes. After all, this was where Sir Michæl performed the working that reawakened the O.Tr. as a chivalric order of knighthood. A pilgrimage to the castle would be as much a working of apprehension, confirming and finalizing the new formulation, as it would be an operant working, casting the spec-trum into the World of Horrors from an auspicious location. Logistically speaking, the mission itself would be easy. I had the academic credentials, and for no additional cost, I could extend my European layover on my next trip to India. Even the lodging would be convenient, given that the castle had since become a youth hostel! It was an ideal plan, until....other angles came into play. During my course of studies, I discovered a for-mula within the Rg Veda:

Yajena Yajam AyajantaWith the Sacrifice, the Gods sacrificed to the sacrifice.

- Rg Veda X.90:16

This is the central formula of the oldest surviving religious text of any Indo-European culture. Designed as a manual on the theory and practice of sacrifice, the Rg Veda was first put to paper about 1600 BCE by Rsis (seers) who transcribed key elements of oral traditions among the war-like tribes of nomadic pastoralists that had migrated from the northern highlands of Central Asia and since settled along the Gangetic plains of the Indian subcontinent. An overwhelming amount of linguistic and archæological evidence indicate that these tribes were first cousins to the tribes that had settled in Northern Europe, hence the term Indo-European. Marcel Mauss, an 18th Century orientalist scholar, referred to them in more romantic terms as the Aryans, taken from the Sanskrit arya, meaning nobility.

Although the Rg Veda would later become known as the first of four sacred texts comprising the foundation of ancient Hinduism, its con-tents and authors bore little resemblance to current images of Hindus as sitar-playing vegetarians, pacifists, world-renouncers, Hare Krisnas, etc. The Aryan tribes who practiced early Vedic religion were basically cow-boys: horse-riding male-chauvinist fort-destroyers who worshipped cows because they ate them, and worshipped the Gods by sacrificing to them.


Why sacrifice? Because the gods themselves sacrificed.

Most Sanskrit scholars would agree that the passage in Rg Veda X.90 is a key formula to understanding sacrifice in Vedic religion. Sacrifice itself is created through an act of sacrifice, and this sacrifice - the dismember-ment of Purusa, the cosmic man - created the middle world of the mate-rial universe. Enacting the Form of Forms, the Gods actually sacrificed themselves to themselves. This signified the ultimate act of digestive transformation, a mythic model for the emulation of Gods by men. This would prove a recurrent theme in many other Indo-European myths and religious traditions; the most notable of these being the self-sacrifice by which Wotan first took up the Runes.

The structure of this mythic allegory was carried to present day India via a thousand different living traditions passed from teacher to student. Much of it was inspired by the epic and puranic literatures. There, Siva, the Dravidian avatar of Rudra, and god of destruction, created the middle world by performing the ultimate sacrificial act upon the cremation grounds of his Sacred city, Kashi (aka Banaras or Varanasi). Considered a microcosm of the Universe, the sacrificial grounds of Banaras - a man-dala of eight concentric rings marked by seven shrines each - is the place where time and space began, and someday, where it will ultimately be destroyed.Historically speaking, Banaras is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the most auspicious settlement of the Aryan peo-ples along the Ganges river, a sacred city that has persisted in its habits since the 9th century BCE. Needless to say, much has been written about its antiquity:

Twenty five centuries ago, at the least, it was famous. When Babylon was struggling with Nineva for supremacy, when Tyre was planting her colonies, when Athens was grow-ing in strength, before Rome had become known, or Greece had contended with Persia, or Cyrus had added lustre to the Persian monarchy, or Nebuchadnezzar had captured Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of Judæa had been carried into captivity, she had already risen to greatness, if not to glory. —M.A. Sherring (1868). The Sacred City of the Hindus. p.7.

There is another important difference between Banaras and its contemporaries: its present life reaches back to the sixth century B.C. [sic] in a continuous tradition. It we could imag-ine the silent Acropolis and the Agora of Athens still alive with the intellectual, cultural, and ritual traditions of classi-cal Greece, we might glimpse the remarkable tenacity of the life of Kashi. Today Peking, Athens, and Jerusalem are moved by a very different ethos from that which moved them in


ancient times, but Kashi is not. —Diana Eck (1982). Banaras, City of Light. p.5.

Mark Twain said it best. While visiting Banaras during his travels around the world, he stated that, Benares is older than history, older than tradi-tion, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together! This is true. Even Indians experience culture shock when they visit Banaras. It is not so much the architecture, because its buildings and temples have been perpetually smashed and rebuilt. It is not that the city has avoided becoming a tourist trap, because it has been preying on pil-grims and travelers for thousands of years. It is the living culture that has resisted change for all these centuries, conducting not only Bronze-Age religious practices, but also Bronze Age family and social relations, busi-ness dealings, local justice, medicine, and death.

In addition to preying on pilgrims, death is one of the major industries in Banaras. In the Kashi Kanda it is said that one achieves instant libera-tion by dying in Kashi. Many widows and elderly sadhus come for exactly this purpose. But even for those who die outside the boundaries of the mandala, it is most auspicious to have ones corpse cremated on the bank of the Ganges and ashes dumped in the river. So at the very center of the universe, within the central rings of the city, eighty bodies a day are burned in one of two major cremation ghats. Marnikarnika is the most famous of these ghats. It is the site where the universe was created by the first sacrifice, and where humans come to perform the ultimate sacrifice in the middle world. All this is witnessed by left hand ascetics in medita-tion, and by Lord Siva, as he performs the dance of the cosmic nataranj upon the pyres. In the sacred geography of moving causes, one cannot travel much deeper than Marnikarnika.

So on the night of the 21st of December, I set out to perform a Vedic fire sacrifice on the banks of the Ganges, assisted by two friends, a Sanskrit scholar and a sadhu. Halfway to Marnikarnika, we found a small Siva temple that was both open and unoccupied. There, we performed a small puja and conducted the fire ceremony. Following this, my scholar friend and I proceeded on foot to Marnikarnika along the ghats. It was a busy night, and her count confirmed mine: nine pyres were burning simul-taneously. We climbed to the roof of a major building next to the pyres, and I climbed out alone upon a two foot ledge on its clock tower, seventy feet above the scene, and just beneath a stone swastika at its cupola.

It was the perfect site. Not only could I take in the whole scene, but my fear of heights provided me with enough anxiety to perform my task rite with the appropriate intensity. You see, according to the left hand tradi-tions of the Aghori and others, meditation upon the cremation grounds is supposed to be an exercise in overcoming ones fears of death. Yet as an ICU nurse, I had cleaned up more than my share of corpses and was therefore not all that shocked to see someone’s grandmother being bar-


becued on the beach. The smell of burning flesh only made me hungry. On the other hand, being suspended on a thin ledge with no protection above this same grandmother - knowing that if I fell, I would suddenly become a corpse right next to her - allowed me to face my own death. It gave me the needed edge to make things happen.

What happened next could not be put into words. Suffice to say that the angles converged at Marnikarnika. From this convergence, I cast the Spectrum of the Trapezoid into the Universe.

II. FORMBefore rendering the new Spectrum of the Trapezoid, it is necessary that I further articulate the foundational structure through which it has ema-nated. After all, a lot has happened since the Spring of XXII. In particular, there are three major issues that need to be addressed by this new spec-trum:

First, the foci of the Knighthood has expanded beyond the original spec-trum by a significant margin. For example, the Knighthood is actively engaging Semitic, African, Meso-American, and Asian streams in addition to the Northern European staples of trapezoidal work.

Second, the researches of the Knighthood have brought us an increas-ingly sophisticated appreciation for the mysteries of the Trapezoid. That is, where once we took things for granted, we now have questions. And where once we questioned, we now have better questions. It is important that we have a common language for our work, but in our current lexi-con, if we say that a Knights work is in the First Angle because he or she is utilizing operant technology, then we will not likely speak to his or her understanding of that work or of his or her understanding of the Angles of the Trapezoid.

Third, the Order of the Trapezoid is transforming itself at a greater rate now than it was ten years ago. It is likely that our rate of change will occur in a logarithmic fashion, and that we will see the steep part of this slope (a.k.a. the elbow) within the next couple of years. A true form is what it dœs. In the spirit of Walhalla, the Order of the Trapezoid is a highly dynamic entity and becoming more so. We must therefore find a common language within the spectrum that will accommodate this dyna-mism.

The trapezoidal prism, or refractor, must be rendered in such a way so as to accurately signify the breadth of activities, depth of knowledge, and dynamic transformation of the Order of the Trapezoid. To accomplish this, we must no longer deduce the particulars of our experiences from preconceived notions of the trapezoidal mysteries, but to actively engage these mysteries in Aristotelian fashion, as open questions, inductively working from the particulars of our experiences to the unknown which


beckons us from the angular realm.

I will now articulate the latest form of the refractor using a three part dia-lectic of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis:

Thesis: The structure of the refractor is comprised of four major parts which comprise the foundation of the Order of the Trapezoid:

1. The Black Flame is the foundational source of the Order. Collectively, it is the central pivot through which the Order and the Temple are connected. Individually, it is the source and recipient of all becoming. In Vedic terms it is the sacrificer, the sacrificed, and the recipient of the sacrifice.

2. The Trapezoid is the foundational mystery of the Order. The form

of mysteries, Runa, is rendered in the yantra of its ultimate example. The Ceremony of the Nine Angles is a prime example of works which have rendered this mystery in spoken language. In the best spirit of Runa, the angles remain an open question. More works are needed.

3. The Grail Quest is the foundational activity of the Order. A Knight of

the Trapezoid is what he or she dœs. The quest for ultimate truth of ones endeavor is ever sought but never found, but the mystery of that truth can be found in its seeking.

4. Walhalla is the foundational state of becoming within the Order. A

qualitatively different state can be achieved above a certain threshold of transformation at any and all levels of individual Initiation. More is different.

Antithesis: In order to signify change, the refractor must change. It must therefore be capable of movement. To set the refractor in motion, a dia-lectic of internal contradiction, paradox, or ambivalence must be found within each of its particulars. Here, four riddles arise:

1. The Prince of Darkness can be found within the Black Flame How dœs one connect with the Prince of Darkness, and others who are similarly connected, without surrendering ones individuality?

2. Just what the hell is the trapezoid anyway? 3. How dœs one partake of a Grail that is ever sought yet never found? 4. Becoming is a process of change through time. How dœs one

change in angled space, where the arrow of time is no longer point-ing in a single direction?


A Pending Synthesis:

The Trapezoid is more than a prism through which the Black Flame is refracted. It is a communications device between the realms of curvilinear and angled space. The Knight of the Trapezoid stands with a foot in each of these realms. In the curvilinear realm, change happens along an arrow of time moving from past to future. Here, the past can be known but not changed, and the future can be changed but not known.

In the curved realm from which this paper is being written and read, the angular realm cannot be fully known. Yet despite this ignorance, I assert the following axiom: the self in curved space is but a three dimensional projection of a much greater self in angled space, not unlike a finger pup-pet poking through a soap membrane. There are other projections living in other times and places in curved space - ala Randall Carter - fingers wiggling around in an attempt to realize their own integration on the other side of the membrane. This is not to say that our individual identi-ties should dissolve into some transpersonal blob in RHP fashion, but rather that our unique and separate identities are, in fact, much larger than we presume. If your timepiece is still ticking after you have read this paper, then you are not fully individuated - not yet.

Through certain actions taken along our respective quests, a certain state of becoming can be achieved which allows us to communicate with ones Greater Self - ones own Mahatma of the angular realm - as well as other projections through this Greater Self. In this state of becom-ing, this Walhalla, the Self communicates with its Greater Self through the Trapezoid, thereby partaking of the much larger truth which is ever sought but never found. The light of the Black Flame therefore emanates in both directions. How the spectrum appears on the other side is any-one’s guess. But there are clues. As above so below.

III. SuBSTANCE

The nineness of Aristotles four precludes the possibility that I could ever talk about them as completely separate categories. While conceptually useful, such clear cut distinctions are impossible to put into practice. In the previous section, I had to discuss the particulars of the Trapezoid in order to describe its form as a refracting device. In this section, I must discuss the geometry of the spectra because: 1) the elements of these sub-stances are angles; 2) angles are, by definition, relational entities; and, 3) the geometry of form is all about relationships.

The previous spectrum consisted of nine categories of topical focus jux-taposed upon, and signified by, the Nine Angles of the Trapezoid. They were not, however, angles in themselves, nor was the signification mutu-al. In comparison, this spectrum will also be articulated using a common language of nine categories. This time, however, the categories are consid-


erably broader and more than topical. The spectra themselves will be sig-nified by actual angles formed by the intersection of these categories. In the spirit of Aristotle and Runa, the Angles of the Trapezoid will remain an open question. So juxtapose as thou wilt, because the angles of this spectrum will share the essential attributes of the trapezoid as we have experienced it over the years - that is, they will be internally and external-ly contestable, perpetually changing, and capable of more permutations than all the calamari in Rl’yeh.

As previously stated, a spectrum comprises an important set of diag-nostic data. Through spectral analysis, one can determine the nature of things that can never be reached, such as when astrophysicists determine the composition of stars in distant galaxies: the smallest substances within the largest objects from the greatest distances in space and time. This sort of starry wisdom becomes useful when we expand the allegory of the spectrum to determine not only substance, but position, as we plot our trajectories in angled space.

In the passages that follow, I will describe the shared coordinate sys-tem by which a Knight may plot his or her own course utilizing angles formed by the intersection of categories in 2-3 complete dimensions of trapezoidal work. Inspired by the previous spectrum, the first two dimensions represent a 3x3 Cartesian grid generating nine coordinates, or angles, which describe most of the major works within the Order. The complete third dimension is inspired by Sir Setnakt’s articulation of Xeper, in which a 2x2 grid is used to generate four cardinal compass points. The three dimensional spectrum is designed for more advanced work. I will describe each of these dimensions, and the categories within their axes, in sequence, and take the reader through the plotting process in a step-by-step manner.

FIRST DIMENSION: Starting with the X Axis - Topical Focus

The topical dimension of the Trapezoid has been simplified into three very broad categories:

Traditional Systems: Any and all cultural systems - art, science, language, philosophy, cosmology, religion, magic, politics, or sport - that have been taught and practiced in continuity for at least two generations beyond the death of their founders. Examples include the Runes, quantum mechanics, Islam, Greek, expressionism, and Kung Fu.


Neo-Traditional Systems: Any and all cultural systems that have yet to be taught and practiced for two generations beyond the death of their founders. Examples include chaos magick, chaos theory, Elvis worship, Klingon, jazz fusion, and Jeet Kung Do.

Operant Systems: The jewel of topical foci within the Order consists of any and all actions performed in the real world as part of ones Initiation. This includes heroic deeds and adventurous rites of passage such as climbing a mountain, earning a degree, jumping out of a plane, and publishing a book. It also includes less auspicious deeds, such as getting up for work, managing a conflict, and doing the dishes. Anyone who says that they dont have enough time to do Initiatory work, dœs not understand Initiation.

SECOND DIMENSION: Adding the Y Axis - Methodology

A methodology is a strategy for understanding something. Methodologies are typically informed by a particular theory or world view. They, in turn, inform the specific methods by which some unit of knowledge is obtained, analyzed, enacted, and communicated.

The Polarian method is a prime example of a methodology. It is strongly influenced by a Platonic (i.e. Neo-Pythagorean) theory of knowledge. This theory involves two major ways of knowing: 1) dianoia - systematic and rational knowledge, such as inductive and deductive logic (Plato preferred the latter); and, 2) nœsis - leaps of super-rational intuition that are reli-able and useful only after the Initiate has had adequate dianœtic prepara-tion.

Similar theories can be found in the interpretive studies of sign and meaning, such as semiotic abduction (a cross between hypothesis for-mulation and accurate guesswork), and the verstehen (understanding) of hermeneutics. Regarding the latter, Wilhelm Dilthey once proposed that the understanding of a foreign horizon of meaning could be achieved only through some pre-understanding based upon a set of shared experi-ences between the interpreter (i.e. Initiate) and the interpretant (i.e. mys-tery). This criteria of pre-understanding forms the dianoia of trapezoidal methodologies. These methodologies are the platforms from which the Knight makes a nœtic leap toward deeper understanding a given mystery.


Ontogenic: A variant of Magica Genetiva, this methodology is based upon the pre-understanding that comes from ones own primary culture; that is, the linguistic, ethnic, ethical, and material environment under in which the Initiate was raised during the first twelve years of life. Why twelve years? Because 75% of the biomass of the human brain develops in the first twelve years of life. During this time, the neurologi-cal microstructure of the brain is actually shaped according to the specific cultural medium under which it is raised. Brains grown in English are structurally different than those grown in Japanese, and so on. Such dif-ferences provide enormous intuitive advantages to the Initiate who is seeking a mystery within the culture in which he or she was raised.

Ethnographic: A methodology based upon the pre-under-standing that comes from shared experiences in a living culture other than the one in which the Initiate was raised. Ethnographic methodolo-gies need not entail a visit to a far away place. One could learn a second language, or practice a martial art that was founded in another culture. The only catch is, the shared experience must come from a face-to-face interaction with a living vessel of that culture. For example, one who learns Hebrew and studies Kaballa from Jewish mystics is employing an ethnographic methodology. One who learns Kaballa solely out of a book is not.

Phenomenal: A methodology for understand-ing a culture based upon a pre-understanding that is independent of developmental or lived experiences. A phenomenal methodology is how one understands the inner meaning of a culture when texts and archæo-logical remains are the only data available. A Jungian would say that this pre-understanding is rooted in the collective conscious. A Freudian would say that it is based upon the psychic unity of the unconscious shaped by universal experiences in early childhood. A contemporary Hindu would say that it is based upon the experiences of previous lives. Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty would call it phenomenology, but none of these guys could ever agree on its meaning. I challenge the Knights who are doing this sort of work to develop it further.


With two axes of the spectrum articulated, we can now generate the Spectrum of the Trapezoid in two dimensions in the form of a table, or in this case, a simple Cartesian grid.

By filling in the blanks, one arrives at nine angles formed by the intersection between two tripartite coordinate axes. This is fancy language for a simple task, but I use it in order to remind us of the angular implications. The nine coordinates generated thus far are relations (angles) between six categories. Examples are provided in the works below with the disclaimer that they are grossly over-simplified. Furthermore, these are my own interpretations. They do not necessarily reflect the interpretations of the Knights described:

Traditional-Ontogenic: As far as the ancient northern streams have made their way to Texas via his German immigrant ancestors, the work of the Rune Guilds Yrman-Drighten and the Magus of Runa is an exemplary model of this coordinate. Other examples include Sir Schwartz Drachens teaching of his family’s system of Wu Shu, Lady Mariko’s return to her Japanese martial studies, and the (German) romantic affairs of Sir Harborym, Sir Faustus, and Lady Giftzahn.

Traditional-Ethnographic: My own work with the traditions of Northern India is ethnographic in a very formal sense. Sir Hassein’s acquisition of Northern European languages from living speakers is as well. Dame Patricia’s recent visit to the islands off the coast of South Carolina further awakened ancestral memories in a strange collision between the strange and the strangely familiar.

Traditional-Phenomenal: Sir Setnakt’s work with the mysteries of Ancient Egypt will affect the course of the Temple, and if successful, insure that Xeper will never be forgotten again (i.e. the neotraditional reawakening of the traditional will someday be traditional in its own right). Sir Waldemar’s explorations into precolombian Mesoamerica. Sir Hassein’s recent connec-tion with the Temple of Amn.

Neotraditional-Ontogenic: This is a tough one. Although there must be an abundance of examples, the reports would not (and do not) reflect them in the absence of a specific inquiry. Anyone who played on a computer before middle school, partook of the works of Magus Disney, or used electronic


music in a ritual should be familiar with this coordinate of Trapezoidal work. ECI workings are often full of this stuff, as are many of the works of OSOM.

Neotraditional-Ethnographic: Sir Loki’s work with the newer aspects of heretical Islam. Sir Odysseus and Sir Brian’s interlude with the I.O.T. Sir Sokaris’ artistic endeavors and participant observation at the Renaissance Fairs. Sir Sheila’s correlation of Setian cosmologies. Anyone who has par-ticipated in DEV, Nine Angles, or SN working, or had any Initiatory contact with the Church of Satan or the Order of the Trapezoid. Anyone left out?

Neotraditional-Phenomenal: Lovecraft pins the needle at this coordinate. LaVey deserves mention as well, although he might be better placed under the separate category of plagiaristic-utilitarian. Within our current ranks, Sir Cthulhu has worked on a Trapezoidal lexicon. Sir Rogers work with resonance strikes a deep cord within my own central work. The impact of Sir Michæl’s rendering of the Ceremony of the Nine Angles has had a pro-found influence on Trapezoidal cosmology.

Operant-Ontogenic: This covers just about any socially or materially objec-tifiable deed performed in the context of ones own primary culture. Sir Waldemar’s work with the Velikowsky folk is shaking the ground were standing on. Lady Guineviere recently completed an anthropology degree under the crunch. Sir Sigfried II is learning to scuba dive in order to per-form underwater workings. Lady Lance has been performing her workings in the air for some time. Setting sights a bit higher, there is Starry Wisdom among the ranks of amateur astronomers. Back on Earth, Lady Lillith’s Arkte Element nobly enacts the protective aspect of chivalry by rescuing mistreated animals.

Operant-Ethnographic: Foreign travel as a rite of passage is one of the most intense examples of this sort of work. It would be an understatement to say that my own travels to India have been transformative. Yet, on an individual level, this is small stuff compared to Lady Mariko’s migration to the U.S. as a teenager. This same coordinate is also occupied by the military adventures and misadventures of Sir Michæl, Sir Sokaris’, Sir Dennis, Sir Baldur, Sir Xu Bennu, Sir Loki, Sir Sheila, Sir Daniel, Sir Sigfried II, and myself.

Operant-Phenomenal: Some of the most cutting edge works within the Order can be found at this coordinate. The dreamwork of Urdh’s House. The mad lab and sci-fi cinematic contributions of Sir Sigfried. Sir Gawain’s production of the Symphony of the Nine Angles. Sir Rogers Parameters and Runic March. Sir Arktos astronomical explora-tions of the Hyperborean mysteries. Sir Xu Bennu’s compilation of the Necronomicon.

As I stated before, these examples have been simplified into single cat-egories. It should be apparent to the reader that most of these works


could find their respective locations in more than one set of coordinates. A foreign journey combines work with traditional and operant systems. Neotraditional systems are often produced from a combination of tradi-tional elements. Ontogenic intuition is often synergized by the ethnogra-phy of subcultures and their regional variations. And dreamwork is likely to confront a collage of images from every combination discussed thus far.

It is up to the individual Knight to determine the position of his or her own work, and to consider the positions of others. The coordinates of the Trapezoid should be simple enough to work with in the begin-ning, providing a general framework for developing ones own system of Trapezoidal work. In the end, however, they should be difficult enough to defy full articulation, providing food for thought and impetus for further development.

It is likely that this 3x3 framework will be spectrum enough for most of our projects, most of the time. For those Knights conducting advanced work in specialized areas, a more complex articulation of the spectrum is needed. In the next dimension, I will articulate the elements for 6x6x6 coordinate system that integrates the system above with the Four Paths of Xeper described by Sir Setnakt.

THIRD DIMENSION (incomplete) Adding the Z-AXIS - State of Development

A true entity signifies what it is, and is what it dœs. Walhalla is a highly dynamic state of becoming. Therefore, the coordinates which signify the spectrum of works within the Order should also be highly dynamic. I know of no better way to articulate this dynamism than by the alchemi-cal dialectic. And I have experienced no greater expression of this dialectic than the Vedic formula of self-sacrifice by which the spectrum has been cast.

Sacrifice is the ultimate act of transformation on the southside of the Trapezoid. It is a dialectic of parts and wholes which European alche-mists have termed solve et coagula. The solve part of this dialectic refers to something that has been rendered into more than one part, whether by digestion, dissolution, destruction, or deletion of the previous whole. These pieces are then reconfigured - with pieces added or removed as needed - and recombined to create a new whole, coagula, whose proper-ties are greater than sum of its parts, and different from the previous whole. This may all sound a bit kinky, but when you think about it deep enough, you will find that this dialectic describes every single change pro-cess in the World of Horrors. Those who study this process in the world of matter call it chemistry. Those who study this chemistry in relation to


the world of spirit call it alchemy. As below, so above.

The coordinates of the Z-axis that describe the developmental sate of works within the current Spectrum of the Trapezoid are: thesis, antith-esis, and synthesis.

First formulated in 1837 by a young Hegelian named Heinrich Chalybaus, these three terms were used to signify the dialectical relations between parts and wholes. But why make things complicated? Why not just say solve et coagula, or better yet, part and whole?

Lets try it out. Say that I am plotting the position of my Initiatory work within the Spectrum. This work involves doctoral research on the stigma of leprosy patients in Northern India. It also involves spiritual interac-tions with a sect of Left Hand Path ascetics known as the Aghori.

Using the first two axes of topic and methodology, I could plot a number of coordinates for this work, with two registering more strongly than the rest. At this stage of the game, I identify my leprosy work as operant-eth-nographic, and my work with the Aghori as traditional-ethnographic (the order of terms is arbitrary). These two comprise my first set of coordi-nates, or angles, within the spectrum.

I then plot the developmental state of these angles. Given that I have finalized and defended my proposal for the leprosy project, I can say that it is currently in a state of synthesis (operant-ethnographic-synthetic), a state which will not last long when the project actually begins in a year. Unlike the leprosy project, however, my work with the Aghori is already well underway. Here, I have confronted internal consistencies in their philosophy, and cannot determine whether their LHP theurgy is like that of the Temple, or more like what the Temple would regard as RHP. This unanswered question forms the root of a deep ambivalence I have for these folks, and this ambivalence is throwing this part of my work into an irritating, but very useful, form of chaos.


Suppose that Lady Lance calls me on the phone. She asks me how things are going with the Aghori. I could tell her that the work is in solve and explain why this is so. This term might well be appropriate for the pur-poses of such a conversation. However, if I am to achieve some synthesis with the Aghori aspect of my work, and some synthesis between this aspect and the leprosy aspect, then I must first resolve these inconsisten-cies. By using at least two different coordinates for this dissolved state of my work, I force myself to think more closely about the exact nature of these conflicting elements and the specific relationships between them. Which of these shall be the thesis? Which shall be its antithesis, and why?

The beauty of this tripartite structure lies in its properties of self-simi-larity and self-return. Thesis-antithesis is the solve part, and it itself is divided. This division signifies the tension between synthetic (thesis) and dissolved (antithesis) states of development. Within this, <antithesis> is itself divided in a similar way. One can apply the same reasoning to dis-cover the converse in the direction of synthesis.

In which direction dœs this structure spin: toward dissolution or syn-thesis? It dœs not matter because it is a dialectical structure, and the ele-ments of any dialectic always beget their counterparts. Neither solve nor coagula are ends in themselves, but preludes to one another. Unlike dual-istic oppositions, which are stagnant, dialectics are in constant motion. They are constantly changing, because they are the process of change itself.

Some tips for using the Z-Axis: Find some aspect of your work which has some internal tension, paradox, unanswered question, or missing ele-ment. This tension need not arise from conflicting relations, but there are several which have been tried and true: matter/spirit, freedom/determin-ism, universal/particular, self/other, male/female, LHP/RHP, etc. Separate the component elements (or non-elements) which represent this tension into the optimal number of useful pieces (you need not have only two). Then draw lines between these elements and determine the relationships


Concerning the Quest By Setnakt, Lord of the House of the Ninth Angle

The formula of the Order of the Trapezoid is the Quest. The object of the Quest was Seen in the Hall of the Fallen in Wewelsberg on October 19,XVII.

The object of the Quest is self-preparation. One prepares one’s self to make sure the Black Flame does not fail upon the Earth. In simple terms this means that if the Temple of Set were to be wiped out tomorrow, the individual Knight could recreate it.

The Quest is often wrongly interpreted as a “Follow your bliss!” sort of thing. I can Quest for this, you can Quest for that and so forth.

No.

The Quest is fixed; the items collected for the Quest vary. The Oath that binds us is to that part of ourselves that the Drighten of Darkness assigned to us.

There are things that must be gathered in the Quest, there are rewards that come Serendipitously for gathering them, there will be an historical effect of the Quest that will so benefit the world that something as strange and dark as the Temple will be tolerated and respected.

I will speak of what must be gathered first, then the rewards, than the effect on world history. I will be Informed by the maxim of Lady Guiniviere, “History often repeats itself but it is rare when consciousness does.”

Here is what must be gathered if you personally must recreate the Temple of Set:

a. You must have networks to draw from. Maybe its fellow businessmen, or women’s groups, or academics. You must have a group that trusts you and you have shown yourself as being worthy of respect.

b. You must have a base. You must have land, or enough money that you aren’t living hand-to-mouth.

c. You must have communication skills. You are going to have write and talk.

d. You must have magical skills. You will need them to survive.

e. You must have access to a system that you can articulate the Temple’s essence into. If something destroyed the Temple of Set, it is going to knock off the next thing that looks and sounds exactly like the Temple


of Set. Therefore, you must deeply Know another way that people can make contact with the Prince of Darkness.

f. You must have skills at covert communication.

g. You must have learned the art of inspiring yourself, because you will have to go it alone for years.

h. You must have a handful of administrative skills, practical knowledge of the world and its laws, so that you can set up whatever you need to set up and be able to run it for a awhile. This probably means you had better have some real experience of running something.

i. You must have direct experience of Communication with your Flyga. You have to have received mysterious Gifts and the opening of strange Doors, so that you know you are still pursuing the unique fact of Darkness that you alone can see.

The rewards for such Quests are oddly enough the very things that generally distract form Initiation. You will have wealth, skills in the world, strong friends, and all the things that an “average person” is said to want. Few however can actually Quest, the practical aspects will seem too hard and not romantic enough. It is more fun to play at Initiation and brag of feats of Will rather than make a sustained effort at acquiring what you would Need to actually recreate the Temple.

The effect for the Temple is obvious in increasing its resources. The effect on who the Temple will attract is pretty obvious as well. What is not obvious is that when knights go on quests; say the Christian Knights in the late Middle Ages the things they bring home are civilization-changing items. Serving an idiot god they still managed to assemble the material for the Renaissance. Ashe OTR goes to its next level of manifestation, we can must Remember the meaning of the Wewelseberg Working and seriously prepare ourselves to bring about a Second Renaissance.


The Spectrum of the TrapezoidStephen E. Flowers, GME

The spectrum of foci encompassed by the Trapezoid is many rayed. This particular mix, which many non-initiates might find somewhat bewildering, perhaps derives from the Understanding of Anton Szandor LaVey. He has what might be called a sort of ‘trape-mania.’ Throughout all his writings and ideas, he at one time or another found his way to make reference to the trapezoidal form. According to him, the seventh Tower of Satan of the Yezidi was trapezoidal, John Dee’s shew stone was a trapezohedron, etc. I think that this geometrical pattern acted for him as a magical instrument by which the contents of the objective magical universe were analyzed and coordinated.

This article is an attempt to articulate the spectrum of present O.Tr. interest foci in order to crystallize further the Work of the Order-- present and future. In addition, this is preparatory to the compilation of an Order-specific Reading List for which the nine categories discussed here will be the basis. By the way, there is a method to the seeming madness which orders this list.

1. The Black Flame In the beginning and the end of all Order-specific endeavors and Work is the fundamental understanding of the power and meaning of the Gift of Set and of the Black Flame. Without this no Knight or Dame can be expected to Work through the Nine Angles-- it is the guiding light of the journey. As far as the RL is concerned, all works in “The Gift of Set” category, plus all code-1 books on the Temple RL would be implicitly included.

2. Magica Germanica When viewed from the proper angle, the black and gray magical systems generated in Germany from the Renaissance to the twentieth century form a special O.Tr. focus. These include the old Rosicrucians, the Strikte Observanz lodges of Freemasonry (from which the doctrines of ‘Secret Chiefs’ was derived), the Bavarian Illuminati, the old O.T.O. (Kellner/Reuss/Hartmann/Klein), and the Fraternitas Saturni. Through this prism the Initiate can explore the shadowy background of modern occult orders, and the valuable aspects of sex-magical operations of the O.T.O. and the Pentalphic grade of the FS. This affords a particularly Trapezoidal, Setian, and Wotanic perspective on these practices unknown elsewhere.

3. Realmagie Probably the most controversial aspect of our Order is related to he darker chapters of the history of this century. This is summed up quite well in the Temple RL category 14. Through this lens the Initiate can see ‘evil’ most directly, can glean practical


insights into how magic works on a broad scale in the objective universe of the twentieth century, and can feel the force of power for the sake of power.

4. Dreams through the Trapezoid It is through the fictions, through the dreams, of certain ‘magicians’ working in the nineteenth and twentieth century that many aspects of the Trapezoid first came into focus, or were re-focused. Among these are the operas of Richard Wagner, the fantastic literature of HP. Lovecraft and his school, as well as the film-makers of the Expressionist period in Germany and their heirs. This fictional magic and the use of neo-mythologies (e.g. that of Cthulhu, or the many modern myths spawned in the horror/sci-fi genre of film and literature) is a fundamental part of the O.Tr. mandate. Especially advanced Lovecraftian and Yuggothic studies are at home in the Order-- for it is after all from the ORDER OF THE SHINING TRAPEZOHEDRON (see Lovecraft’s “Haunter of the Dark”) that the name of our Order was inspired. The H.P.L. category (7) of the Temple RL is, of course, one key-stone to this focus.

5. The Grail-Quest and the Order of Chivalry The O.Tr. is first and foremost an order of true chivalry-- the Oath that every Knight and Dame takes makes the character of this clear. Chivalric Work -- as determined by the Initiate and his or her fylgja -- is absolutely necessary for all Knights and Dames in the Order. This Work takes on the form of a Quest-- the aims of which are self determined, the method of which is, however, chivalric. That is, it is bound by the Initiates’ Oaths of honor and faithfulness. The focused aim or aims of this Quest can be understood as the Grail. As an Initiate focuses and refocuses this aim, the form of this Grail becomes ever sharper-- but only the individual Knight or Dame can chart the course of this Quest. In this area of Work the Initiate can explore the Grail-mythos in all its ramifications-- but also Warrior Traditions in general-from ancient Germans and Romans, to medieval knights of Europe, to the samurai of Japan, to the Central Asiatic warriors of Tibetan, Mongolian, or Sufistic traditions. Each may have something to teach of the Art of the Questing Warrior. The Quest, like the Black Flame, should be fundamental to the Work of all Order Initiates.

6. Rise of the Trapezoid The ‘history’ of how Trapezoidal principles rose up, are rising up, and shall rise up is a broad focus that encompasses ‘Atlantean’ mythology (cf. Thule), the ancient Egyptian and Pythagorean schools of geometrical practices, the growth of knowledge concerning n-dimensions and extra-dimensional space, and the actual growth of our own Order in this Aeon of Set. There is great magical value in the exact


observance of objective and subjective history. This lends balance and wisdom to the practical application of the principles learned.

7. The Way of Wotan Essential to the understanding of the O.Tr. and essential to Working within it, is the comprehension of the meaning of the ‘W’ in the seal of the Order. This cannot be entered into fully here (see the description of the Order in the Crystal Tablet p. 5), but one aspect of it refers to the Prince of Darkness in his form of Wotan. This is the form referred to in the Oath of the Order, and in its greatest and most exalted aspect it was with this Form that Dr. Michael A. Aquino, High Priest of Set, made contact in the Wewelsburg Working of October 19, XVII which inspired the reconstitution of the Order. The Germanic path of magic has long been an obscure one as far as practical work in the English-speaking world is concerned-- but it is a path that has always been ruled by a form of the Prince of Darkness. This focus of OTr. Work is on this Germanic magical path and on that defined by the Runes as it is just now re-emerging in Trapezoidal Form. Focus in this area involves the study of the Way of Wotan as it was in the ancient past, as it is Remanifesting now, and the projection of this into the future.

8. The Angles Basic to the premise of the O.Tr. are the magical principles of the angles and planes-- not only of space, but also of sound and color. It is this principle of Geometrical magic that gives the Order its distinctive character-- that makes it unique in the history of magical orders. The application of these geometrical precepts in magic, as well as in art, is essential to O.Tr. Work. In the magic of measurements we gain a window to the application of scientific and technological principles to magical Work. The mainstay of this focus is the study of n-dimensional and non-Euclidian geometries (in addition to more conventional ‘sacred geometry’) for application in •practical magical Work. This theme already weaves its way through several Temple RL categories.

9. Mad Labs Trapezoidal Working Chambers and the technologies involved in their design, construction, and operation are all basic to Order-specific Work. This technology includes that of Nikola Tesla, Wilhelm Reich and others. What is learned in theory and applied provisionally or subjectively is put to the full test in a GBM context in the grand magical synthesis which a TWC represents. ‘The noble Work of Sir Roger Whitaker, M.Tr. has taken us several quanta further in this area. This is a subject for extensive practical experimentation-- and a matter requiring maximal networking among Initiates doing technical/practical work. Our goal in this focus is at least two-fold, 1) to push the use of Trapezoidal techniques to their limit in a GBM context on an Order-wide scale,

and 2) to make possible and practical the employment of TWCs by all Initiates of the Order.

These nine foci can be taken separately, in various combinations, or in toto by each individual Knight or Dame and converted into an order-specific magical curriculum or code for a Trapezoidal Grail-Quest. As mentioned before, these will be the general categories under which works will be listed in an O.Tr. Reading List, which should appear before the end of the year. In this pre-Conclave time, I felt as GM it would be valuable for all within and outside the order to view (in a way perhaps never so explicitly stated) this sometimes mind-boggling spectrum of the Dark Fire as it is filtered through the shining Trapezoid.


On the cover:Walhalla! The ritual chamber of the Wewelsburg Castle where in 1983 the Order of the Trapezoid came into being as a religious chivalric order of knighthood within the Temple of Set by the Fons Honorum of Dr. Mi-chael A. Aquino, High Priest of the Temple of Set.

The contents of the book are for the possession of invested Knights of the Order of the Trapezoid only. If this book is found or you if see it being sold please send it to the main of-fice of the Temple of Set:

Order of the Trapezoid c/oTemple of Set

P.O. Box 470307San Francisco, CA 94147

[email protected]

All writings contain herein ©2004 Order of the Trapezoid