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On the Scourge of NIGREDO, and the Alchemical Path of the Practicus.

      Referring back to the image of My Nigredo, I would share some ideas on the role of the Scourge.

      The Scourge strikes our skin and we feel the pain of inhabiting this vehicle of flesh and blood and bone. It echos the Buddhist doctrine of Dukkha; the suffering of existence of life on Earth, or qabalistically; Malkuth. As this sphere is the first step of the Path, Dukkha is the 1st of the 4 Noble Truths, and for the Alchemical work, the first step is Saturnus, the Lord of Time and Limitation and thus the Sickle and the Hourglass are theirs, reminding us that all that is born into this world, will suffer and die in the bonds of Time.
      For those who still live in the Aeon of Osiris/Asar, the Suffering god, and live in its concepts of sin, guilt and morality, the longer they will beat themselves with this scourge and feels its pain and suffering, and even blame a Devil and its sulphurous breath for the evils and sins of the world we live in. They will await that great day of the fires Judgement and Resurrection, that they will be saved by their faith-in-hope of such a lie.
       For those whose Life has been consumed in the Fire of Thelema, and Liberty in its Law; have awakened to the Light Aeon of Horus/Oros. The Scourge's sting is now the Lash of ecstasy, and will thrill them with the Lust of the Light, to awaken, arise and puruse their Path even as a Child overcomes gravity, begins to stumble, to walk and to run!
      The Fires of Calcination have been kindled under the flask of the Practicus, even as the Fire of The Aeon, which are also the Plutonian fires that illumine that which is Hidden and Concealed; and this comes upon us even as Hades upon Persephone.
      And so the Penitent's Hood is as the Helm of Hades, the Hermit's hood that is black to the blind, seeing only suffering. But for those unto whom the Hoodwink of Initiation is removed shall reap the abounding Joy in Silence.

LaetA Participationem In DolorEs Mundi=L.A.P.I.D.E.M. 

Lashes

93!

     The following illustration was the accompanying image for the "Nigredo" poem of the previous post. It has been sketching away in my head for some time now, and it manifested for a Hermetic themed art show at The Hermit's Lamp. Many of us in the western mystery tradition know the importance of keeping a written record of one's life in relation to our Path. I am also working on keeping a visual record of the same more intentionally. And so I seek to draw a series of these alchemical steps as they unfold.

     Nigredo is the first step in Alchemy, when the Primateria is burnt to ashes. The Crow is a traditional symbol of this process, as is the skull. The ingredients shown are; the left flask is Saturnian, the right is Solar, as Phosphorus. Below is the Scourge of Sulphur, whose lashes are Fiery Serpents (Seraphim). Each of them containing symbols and glyphs of the process and accompanying forces at work. In the background is "the Rood Cross set upon the mountain" dispersing the clouds. 

     I will be making more entries the more I study this seal upon the phase of the Work.

Nigredo.

The skull always smiles,

Tooth by tooth

It gleams-

Picked clean;

By oily crow’s head

And sulphur’s lash

In brimstone's light

Its shadow cast.