Altars

Rituals, spells, prayer, meditation and magical acts.
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Seeker666
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Altars

Post by Seeker666 »

Hey guys, I wanted to ask about the role of altars and shrines on the brotherhood, and what would go on one. What are the bare basics of what a star of Azazel altar would be. I'm getting ready to build mine and wanted to ask what I needed to have. Perhaps we can share photos of them here if everyone wishes to. Thanks! Looking forward to your responses
"Eritis sicut Deus, Scientes Bonum et Malum"- Mephistopheles
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Heith
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Re: Altars

Post by Heith »

Seeker666 wrote:Hey guys, I wanted to ask about the role of altars and shrines on the brotherhood, and what would go on one. What are the bare basics of what a star of Azazel altar would be. I'm getting ready to build mine and wanted to ask what I needed to have. Perhaps we can share photos of them here if everyone wishes to. Thanks! Looking forward to your responses
I have never seen a "Official SOA altar" anywhere. Some members have altars, others don't, and they are all different- just like all members are different. In my opinion the purpose of an altar is to be a key that opens the doors for you, so you should put things on it that you feel are significant. I tend to change my altar from time to time, and keep it rather simple.
Tulihenki
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Re: Altars

Post by Tulihenki »

I also think that altar is changing and always reflects something from the inner temple and it's altar, so that archetypes manifests in the eyes of a worshipper - be it conscious seeing or not.

With honesty and dedication altar is always looking exactly way it should be and by the same principles it changes form and becomes more purely shining channel of Truth.
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Seeker666
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Re: Altars

Post by Seeker666 »

Ah, yes. That makes sense Heith. And indeed Insanus, though I hadn't given thought to the altar essentially building itself... Very interesting :) and that the archetypes change with the inner temple...
"Eritis sicut Deus, Scientes Bonum et Malum"- Mephistopheles
Fomalhaut
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Re: Altars

Post by Fomalhaut »

I have been planning on building a physical altar to my house for a while but as I am travelling for most of my time, I have decided to use unity of my heart and my conscious for the prayers and rituals as my altar that I am having during the trips.
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become."
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Nefastos
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Re: Altars

Post by Nefastos »

I built for myself an altar in 1999, and have done daily or almost daily work with an altar since. For me, it forms an important focus, the central point of my work in the physical world. It's very useful for my kind of temperament that is not very well grounded or down to earth. It's also a telling synchronicity that I established a physical altar at the same time as the philosophical foundation was formulated in Polyharmonia.

Some details to those who are interested, not to say these are in any ways required or important to any other people than myself:

Right now my altar's base is an old hollow table, wherein I keep incense. Over it is a black cloth (sometimes it's been white velvet instead), and over the cloth there's a black spectrolite stone slab. On the slab there's the most sacred piece: a smaller casket, seldom opened, holding special cut gemstones; it's like an "altar on the altar", the sanctum sanctorum. On the casket there's black velvet cloth, and upon the cloth, a silver pentagram, a crystal ball resting upon a tripod, and a special brass icon. At the stone slab, there are vajra & bell surrounding the casket, as well as a stone water basin, a plate for incense, & an hourglass. In front of these there's often a book from where I read my prayers (Fosforos). Also on the table there are candleholders at the right & left sides of the casket, plus ceremonial misericordia (an athame of sorts) and a stone chalice. Surrounding the altar are my rosaries, some other ceremonial jewelry, my staff, a crucifix (inverted) over a mirror, & a metal sun disc. Just recently I was happy to find a perfect cube-shaped stool to keep at the front of the altar. Inside the empty stool are my personal ritual scriptures, so I can literally meditate upon them.

My first altar was somewhat unlike this, having instead some heavily desecrated icons, a sigil of Mephistopheles receiving the blood sacrifices (my own), protestant crosses instead of crucifixes... and an ash tree. Also, the table was circular, not square.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
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Seeker666
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Re: Altars

Post by Seeker666 »

Nefastos wrote:I built for myself an altar in 1999, and have done daily or almost daily work with an altar since. For me, it forms an important focus, the central point of my work in the physical world. It's very useful for my kind of temperament that is not very well grounded or down to earth. It's also a telling synchronicity that I established a physical altar at the same time as the philosophical foundation was formulated in Polyharmonia.

Some details to those who are interested, not to say these are in any ways required or important to any other people than myself:

Right now my altar's base is an old hollow table, wherein I keep incense. Over it is a black cloth (sometimes it's been white velvet instead), and over the cloth there's a black spectrolite stone slab. On the slab there's the most sacred piece: a smaller casket, seldom opened, holding special cut gemstones; it's like an "altar on the altar", the sanctum sanctorum. On the casket there's black velvet cloth, and upon the cloth, a silver pentagram, a crystal ball resting upon a tripod, and a special brass icon. At the stone slab, there are vajra & bell surrounding the casket, as well as a stone water basin, a plate for incense, & an hourglass. In front of these there's often a book from where I read my prayers (Fosforos). Also on the table there are candleholders at the right & left sides of the casket, plus ceremonial misericordia (an athame of sorts) and a stone chalice. Surrounding the altar are my rosaries, some other ceremonial jewelry, my staff, a crucifix (inverted) over a mirror, & a metal sun disc. Just recently I was happy to find a perfect cube-shaped stool to keep at the front of the altar. Inside the empty stool are my personal ritual scriptures, so I can literally meditate upon them.

My first altar was somewhat unlike this, having instead some heavily desecrated icons, a sigil of Mephistopheles receiving the blood sacrifices (my own), protestant crosses instead of crucifixes... and an ash tree. Also, the table was circular, not square.

your altar sounds truly lovely.... I love the idea of your Casket.
a Vajra bell? how does one use that?
and i've always liked the idea of an inner temple, but have no idea how to "go there"
or "form one"
is there any music or anything you play in your temple? to bring the mind to the work at hand?
"Eritis sicut Deus, Scientes Bonum et Malum"- Mephistopheles
Tulihenki
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Re: Altars

Post by Tulihenki »

Seeker666 wrote:and i've always liked the idea of an inner temple, but have no idea how to "go there"
or "form one"
Sometimes I have a ''bad'' habit to use poetical language instead of more exact ways - I'm trying to learn also the latter way and at least combine them at more strict manner.

By an inner temple I meaned one's Master or Ego inside, so my idea of physical altar reflects always something from there, if the altar is made really by honesty and dedication.

I believe that there are also temples and altars in the astral planes, which are sometimes called, inner temples, but I think that focusing to them can be a major side way.
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Heith
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Re: Altars

Post by Heith »

Nefastos wrote: It's very useful for my kind of temperament that is not very well grounded or down to earth.

This might be why I have never found altars to be particularly interesting (unless I would play a more active part on this) as other type of approaches work better for me, mainly art. I sometimes find places in nature that feel significant and spend time there. I generally find these places more interesting to build to be places of worship than anything I would have indoors. I have done some of my most significant workings outdoors and find that I meditate best when there's something to do at the same time. I am calmer when I move.
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Nefastos
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Re: Altars

Post by Nefastos »

Seeker666 wrote:a Vajra bell? how does one use that?


Vajra (Dorje in Tibetan) and bell are two polarities of the spiritual search ceremonialized. Vajra, or the Lightning-Sceptre or the Diamond-Sceptre, is usually held in the right hand, while the bell is held in the left hand. I, however, use them in reversed manner, holding the bell in the right hand & the vajra in the left, then crossing these to my chest at the beginning of the theurgistic practice.
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
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