Sieidi and sacrifice

by Aquila

Sieidi is a sacrificial stone, fell, mountain, or sometimes a tree, that has some prominent features compared to the surrounding environment. An unusual big rock in otherwise barren landscape or mountain with noticeable facelike shapes could have been chosen as a holy place of sacrifice.

Sieidi is a loanword from Sámi languages. It was chosen as the name of the lodge because it portrays some of the depths of our lodge work and because it’s locally important in the areas where the lodge was founded. Although we accept members internationally, the work was started in the arctic regions of Europe where Sámi culture has crucial importance and history.

Stone is a sturdy and balanced object and this kind of symbolic dimension is a good base for long-lasting work. It maintains it’s form throughout the year, through all weathers and conditions.

Historically these sacrificial stones were often worshipped in hope that they would ensure the livelihood of the worshippers and in return the spirit of the stone received a part of the herd that was slaughtered, antlers, blood etc. Nowadays most of us are not herders or hunters and we do not have so direct connection with the nature. Because of that it would be pointless to commit sacrifice in the same way as in the old days, especially if we have no actual connection to such customs. If one has found a place of personal importance in the sense of considering the place holy there are other options that should be done. The greatest sacrifice is to commit and dedicate your life to serve a certain spiritual path.

In the system of Star of Azazel the holy places are seen as locations of ”geochakra”, a power place in nature (or in cities often in cases of churches, chapels, etc.). This place is a key point of several physical, psychic and spiritual powers. Some nature spirits might reside in such locations but our goal is not to worship them or any single power of the place but have a more holistic approach, for example the idea of pilgrimage that is a long term process and includes many different phases and parts during which our personal being finds a meaningful connection to this location. The idea of making one single sacrifice (of food, blood, money, some personal item etc.) is not necessarily a good idea because we have no reason to conciliate the spirits and because we need to think of the nature and what actions serve it best and not just our personal ideals of how some specific sacrifice should be done. If you still wish to sacrifice something concretely there are alternative possibilities. One of them is to eat at the holy place. When you do it ritualistically the food is transformed and sacrificed. Other option is to bring a natural object that you have found intuitively and place it somewhere at the location. Various concrete or abstract objects of sacrifice have different meanings and will work in differing ways depending on the way the sacrifice is done.

As our work is especially centered on nature and life therein, we should always be aiming toward actions that don’t cause damage and suffering to nature and animals. Though the forces of nature sometimes show their strength, we as humans do have certain power over nature both in magical and physical sense and should always take this into account and have loving attitude toward our younger brethren of nature.

The magic of Sieidi works by the simple idea of getting what you give. This also gives basis to the work done within the lodge as all time given and all deeds done are seen as giving something and receiving something in return. In the context of pilgrimage and retreating into wilderness we can symbolically think of ourselves as the sacrifice sent into the desert. Here we give ourselves and in the extent that we’re able to understand, receive something beyond.

Aspects of Retreat

by Aquila

This writing is based on the aspects used by Star of Azazel. You can read about them from azazel.fi/en or from Book of Paths. In this blog post I will try to find ways to approach these aspect with different kind of retreats in mind. If you are not that familiar with these aspects you might still get the idea of their use.

Black Aspect

To people with emphasis on black aspect complete isolation from other people, including connection via internet, is recommended. A remote place, cabin or shelter in vast wilderness could be perfectly suitable. If possible, the best season for this is during late autumn and in the middle of winter when the amount of sunlight is limited (in the northern regions). Optimally you could concetrate on the very basic operations of living and appropriate spiritual practices based on mortification. This practice can be formed of fasting (also including deprivation of speech, music, internet etc.), contempation of death, specific ritual approaches and other individually thought out activities. Because the energy levels might be lower than usually and the potential cold season, physical activities should not be too draining. Keeping this in mind a warm place with fire and enought heat, an ascetic cabin, is possibly the best option.

Red Aspect

Red aspect is based on will and due to that it can also include challenging physical action, climbing, running and generally more sporting outlook although the occult inner side should always be kept as the priority. In this sense the retreat could be arranged so that physical challenges can be united with the spiritual practices. In Black aspect the retreat should always be done alone but with Red emphasis it can be either solitary or group practice. With Red emphasis it is recommended not to have too much of a gap between the ways of life during retreat and normal daily life. These both should be arranged to balance and support each other by learning skills, taking care of your physical condition and reflecting your life through the experience gained during and after the retreat. To leave behind the petty predispositions and self-indulgence the strength and insight you gain will be used in the greater process of sacrifice.

White Aspect

With White emphasis the retreat can be organized on intuitive progress. The beauty and greatness of nature and creation will get special attention to be meditated upon. All elements of Nature will have equal importance in the work and their balance within the pilgrim himself should be noted when making decisions on how to proceed. Though many various methods can be merged into this practice generally a slower pace and harmonious state should be the key elements that are seeked.

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Often all these aspects will be present simultaneously and retreats will have elements from all of them. Such mixing of elements is fine though in some cases it might be better to give attention to one aspect over others. If you are already familiar with the more devotional ways of retreating you might realise that your experiences already follow these different aspects and that they manifest naturally. If so, some analysing could be made to interpret their meaning and whether certain elements should get more space in your personal practices. Following the seasonal rhythm of the year is also a potential way of arranging these aspects to give a new depth to experiences and the methods used.

 

Arnošt Hofbauer: Pilgrim, oil on canvas, 1905.

Of our goals

by Aquila

In this writing I will clarify some points about the aims of the lodge Sieidi. Our emphasis on Red and Grey should also be analysed, though this is a task that each member has to do on their own as well.

As written in the Book of Paths, Grey is the colour of a hermit and a pilgrim. Some could interpret our lodge to be in somewhat opposing mindset toward civilisation and society. Though there might be some truth to this it doesn’t mean that we are just completely anti-civilisation and anti-society. Such misinterpretation would easily lead to a situation where the initiate would suffer of pressure and questions that can not be solved as we have grown to be part of the world and it would do us no good to forcefully try and separate ourselves from the surrounding society. The strife that we might have with the world around us can be used to gain insight in those areas of life that we still need to resolve and it will help us to find more balance compared to simple antagonism. These insights lead us to the emphasis on Red aspect and the inner vision of union of opposites and the aspiration to ascend our strength toward higher goals and ideals. The symbol of this process is the mountaineer who unites his body, mind and spirit to reach the summit. The Red Path goes through the wilderness and we will follow this symbolism in appropriately tangible ways.

The objectives of the lodge are to:

1. Develop methods of retreat in the spirit of Star of Azazel

We are using the ritual formulas of the brotherhood in natural surroundings and between varying time scales. These retreats can be done alone or in small groups. Group retreats will mostly follow a form of a wilderness hike during which the amount of physical work, ritual practices and other activities is carefully balanced. Solo retreats can also be done by hiking or simply retreating to a chosen location for extended times. The duration might vary from few days to months. Mountaineering, if possible, in a contemplative way is also encouraged as a way of uniting physical and spiritual work. We can look at all these practices as forms of asceticism.

2. Explore and study nature’s holy places and forces

This work demands a combination of studying the locations and finding a suitable way of honouring the forces therein. In this work the initiates are expected to form a long relationship with the location (or to find applicable methods of working with the forces of nature in general). What were the local traditions to honour this place, if any? Do you have a good reason to follow them or should you do something else? Follow your intuition, be careful and don’t expect to be ”accepted” immediately; seek out the place, walk around, give your salute and return some other day. Maybe you’ll feel more welcome the next time. If you climb or hike a mountain you might not feel like it’s friendly or inviting to you. No, it’s totally cold, rocky, windy and frightening but every now and then you’ll see signs of something else as well. Expect to be tested. If you have bonds, through family and ancestors, to certain locations and practices you might be able to connect to them more easily.

3. Study mythology and folklore as parts of holistic way of life

What can we learn from the old traditions and mythologies as occultists aspiring to unite different paths? We have huge vaults of information but often we can not just use it as it is. Those things were said and done in times different to ours so we have to give them suitable interpretations and new forms and understand what is possibly outdated nowadays and which ideas can still be useful. Basically the thin line between such ideas is only a matter of realisation and creativity. Holistic way of life is about making all aspects of life to serve the Great Work and aiming to be in balance with your body, mind, soul and spirit. We can learn from the old as well as the new.

4. Support the members of the lodge in their spiritual efforts concerning the lodges themes

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5. Serve as an official lodge of the brotherhood by following it’s basic principles and participating in it’s work

These two goals will help us to connect to the lodge and the brotherhood. We will discuss our mutual work and share our experiences, knowledge and learn from each other as otherwise it would be completely useless to have any lodges or a brotherhood. The Star of Azazel is the basis of our work and we will follow it’s principles. We will also take part in projects with other lodges and members of the brotherhood.

The aforementioned interpretations of the symbolism of the lodge and it’s objectives contain many such accents on the issue that might be solely my personal interpretations. The lodge members are free to share their own visions and interpret the lodge symbolism and to form their own practices if the already existing possibilities are unsuitable.