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This is a short essay on a rite I developed. It seems quite
effective.
Indeed it was MUCH more effective than I anticipated. It rapidly
showed itself to be a powerful but potentially dangerous magickal
working.
Unfortunately it is written entirely in a male context. I did not
wish to speculate on how to adapt this rite for use by female
mages. I'm sure that they are very capable of doing this
themselves and would almost certainly do a better job.
According to HPL Shoggoths were (originally) mindless creatures
created as servants/slaves by the Great Old Ones. They could
assume whatever form their master wished in order to perform their
task. Shoggoths are unruly servants becoming more intelligent and
rebellious the longer the are employed. Eventually they may
attempt to destroy their masters. HPL also wrote that Shoggoths
are sometimes seen in visions from hallucinogenic plants.
Magickal traditions from around the world contain formula for
creating magickal creatures as slaves/servants. These creatures
can be created in what ever shape is needed or desired by the
magician. These magickal creatures are called "Tulpas" or
"thought-forms" by the Tibetans. In "Mystery and Magic in Tibet"
Alexandra David-Neal tells how she created such a Tupla as an
experiment. The Tupla became more and more independent and
troublesome as time went on. Eventually Ms. David-Neal had to
discontinue the experiment because of the Tulpa's growing power.
Mr. G.H.Estabrooks in his book "Hypnotism" writes of his attempts to
create a self-hypnotic pet polar bear. "The technique of
autosuggestion is difficult, but it can be mastered. Once the
subject has obtained this mastery he will find that not only can
he produce, say, hallucinations in the trance itself but can
actually suggest posthypnotic hallucinations to himself. It does
sound weird but it can be done. . . . Auto suggestion gives us an
excellent device with which to study many strange things. The
writer had a 'pet' polar bear which he was able to call up merely
be counting to five. This animal would parade around the hospital
ward in most convincing fashion, over and under the beds, kiss the
nurses and bit the doctors. It was very curious to note how
obedient he was to 'mental' commands, even jumping off a three
story window on demand.
But auto suggestion has a certain menace which this phantom bear
illustrated. He became so familiar that he refused to go away. He
would turn up in the most unexpected places and without being sent
for. The writer was playing bridge one evening and almost through
his hosts into hysterics by suddenly remarking, 'There's that damn
bear again. I wish someone would shoot the beast.' He also had a
nasty habit of turning up in dark corners at night, all very well
when one realized he was just made of ghoststuff but rather hard
on ones' nerves for all that. So he was banished and told never to
return. It was fully a month before the writer felt quit sure that
his ghostly form would not be grinning at him over the foot of his
bed during a thunderstorm. "
The magickal and shamanic writings of the world also record the
way in which magickally created entities can become independent
and troublesome. Sometimes even dangerously rebellious. Tibetan
Buddhists and shamans from around the globe say that these
"thought forms" or magickal creatures can be seen when in the
gnostic state caused by entheogenic plants. Thus we can see that
these Tulpas (sometimes called egregors in western traditions) are
closely related to HPL's Shoggoths.
Both Shoggoths and Tulpas are created entities. Both are servants
or slaves and can assume any form needed by their masters. They
both can become rebellious. Shoggoths as well as Tulpas are
sometimes seen after ingesting entheogenic plants. Thus I think
that there is a fairly firm link between HPL's Shoggoths and the
thought-form entities of Magick and Shamanism.
Creating a Shoggoth In this section we'll look at some practical
considerations related to creating a Shoggoth (thought-form
entity). There were many techniques for creating thought-forms
throughout the history of magick and shamanism.
We must consider which of this multitude of techniques is most
appropriate for magickally creating a Lovecraftian Shoggoth.
The word Shoggoth is, according to Kenneth Grant, related to the
Chaldean word "shaggathai". Shaggathai translates as "fornication"
and provides a significant clue as to what methodology should be
employed. "Beth Shaggathai" which means "House of Fornication" may
be related to or even a progenitor of HPL's "Pit of Shoggoths".
The idea of a link between "Shaggathai" (fornication) and Shoggoth
is not as strange as it might first seem. The use of sexual energy
in creating thought-form entities is a particularly old and
powerful technique.
This technique is particularly suited for creating violently
powerful and unpredictable entities such a Shoggoths. Indeed
poltergeist phenomena are almost without fail associated with to
pubescent children. The upheaval and dynamic release of sexual
energy at puberty can, especially in the emotionally disturbed or
repressed, result in a "poltergeist". Thus it might seem that
techniques using sexual energy are, perhaps, the most suited for
creating a Shoggoth. The classical technique involves direct
manipulation the sexual fluids to create the thought-form entity.
HPL's description of a formless Shoggoth as a viscous mass of
protoplasm seems reminiscent of this technique. Some of the
formula for creating a Homunculus are particularly potent forms of
this methodology.
A
medieval prescription for making a homunculus was to place manure
in a vessel to which the magician would add his sperm three times
accompanied with the appropriate word formula and visualizations.
This process would begin the entity's existence.
Next the magician would place drops of his own blood in
the vessel each day for forty days. At the end of these forty days
the Homunculus would be mature and allowed to exit the vessel.
This technique is particularly powerful and dangerous because of
the use of blood. The magician must always use only his own blood.
This is because the blood of others can be very difficult to
control. However, this technique is still dangerous and difficult
to control even when using one's own blood. The escaping energy
from the blood can be directly manipulated to incarnate the
entity. Indeed HPL in "The Dunwich Horror" says that certain
entities "can not take body without human blood." The use of ones
own blood is a dangerous technique that should not be attempted by
novices. The above formula for creating a Homunculus will be
adapted below as a method for generating a Shoggoth.
The Rite
You must first decide the function that the Shoggoth will
serve. Once you have determined what the task of the Shoggoth will
be you must create a sigil that represents this purpose.
Prepare a container with the Sign of the Elders on the outside of
the lid and the talisman of Yhe on the inside surface of the lid.
Place the sigil on the bottom surface of the container.
You must choose a form for the Shoggoth to assume that is both
consistent with its task and with the nature of Shoggoths in
general. (H. R. Giger's works are a good source for Shoggothic
images.)
Place the container on an altar dedicated to Shub-Niggurath.
(Shub-Niggurath is chosen because of the Black Goat's association
with fertility and thus creating new life.) The working space
should also be set up with the colors (black and brown), symbols
(goat, tree, inverse pentagram, etc.), and sounds (a recording of
a goat baying and drumming work very well), etc., associated with
Shub-Niggurath.
The magician begins the Rite thus:
Facing the altar he takes up his dagger and inscribes his circle
(normally a magick circle is not used in Cthulhu oriented magick.
However, in rite we must endeavor to keep any unwanted influences
from removing energy from the Shoggoth or swaying the direction of
the rite)
He then returns the dagger to its place on the altar. He faces the
physical representation of Shub-Niggurath and declares:
"Shub-Niggurath is the Lord of the Woods. From the Wells of Night
to the Gulfs of Space, and from the Gulfs of Space to the Wells of
Night, ever the praises of Great Cthulhu, of Tsathogguau, and of
Him Who is not to be Named. Ever their praises and abundance to
the Black Goat of the Woods.
Ia! Shub-Niggurath! The Black Goat with a Thousand Young!"
"Shub-Niggurath, Great Lord of the Woods, giver of Life, bestow
your productivity to this rite. Confer your fertility. The
portents of your fecundity are rejoiced. Ever praises to
Shub-Niggurath the Black Goat of the Woods. Ia! Shub-Niggurath."
The Magician now removes his (black) robes and opens the container
and begins to stimulate himself as he faces the sigil of the
Shoggoth. He should carefully visualize the form chosen for the
Shoggoth in the container. As the energy builds he should envision
the energy going into the Shoggoth vivifying it. Deliberate
over-breathing can be used to strengthen the ASC and energy of the
rite. As the point of orgasm approaches the magician calls forth:
"(Name chosen for the Shoggoth)! Come forth!"
As he climaxes he should allow his mind to be overwhelmed by the
sensations, eliminating completely (as possible) conscious
thought. In this blank state of mind the Sigil (which the magician
should be looking at) is the UNconscious focus and directs the
energy. The magician allows his sexual fluids to land on the Sigil
energizing it and incarnating the Shoggoth.
After this the container is shut and the magician says:
"Thanks and praises to Shub-Niggurath The Black Goat."
"Ia! Shub-Niggurath"
He then makes the Sign of Koth followed by the Elder Sign. He then
closes this portion of the rite in his customary fashion.
The above process should be repeated three times on three days
(the may or may not be consecutive).
The next stage of the rite is
"feeding" the Shoggoth. Again, a magick-circle is advisable. The
magician should enter whatever form of excitatory gnosis he feels
suitable. Next, the magician opens the container with his left
hand and makes the Elder Sign with his right hand. He then takes
up his dagger and draws a small amount of blood. As the blood
drops on the Sigil he calls forth:
"(Shoggoth's name)!, I command you to feed and grow powerful so
that you may serve my will!"
"I command you to feed and grow powerful so that you may serve my
will!"
"I command you to feed and grow powerful so that you may serve my
will!"
"(Name)! Drink my blood and take body!"
As he does this he VERY INTENSELY visualizes the form of the
Shoggoth. If he wishes he can envision the Shoggoth growing
slightly. "Imagining" the Shoggoths form clearly is VERY important
to the success of this rite.
Each time this is repeated the image of the Shoggoth should become
more and more clear and independent. As the days pass the Shoggoth
should seem to appear as soon as the container is opened before
the magician even tries to visualize it. This process is repeated
every day for 37 more days. The entire rite takes forty days to
complete. On the last day, after "feeding" it, the magician
commands the Shoggoth thus:
"(Name)!, I command you to leave your receptacle. Enter the world
and perform your task as I will. Go forth and (state the task
assigned to the Shoggoth). SO I COMMAND!"
He then makes the Voorish Sign and destroys the talisman of Yhe
and the Sign of the Elders on the lid of the container. If the
function of the Shoggoth is fairly permanent (i.e., a Guardian of
a location or object)
the Shoggoth may need periodic "recharging" This can be done with
either sexual energy or any other method of imparting magickal
energy the mage deems fit.
The Shoggoth should be VERY powerful as thought-form entities go.
It should also be (or rapidly become) fairly independent and
capable of autonomous action. With continued existence and use the
Shoggoth will seem to develop its own "personality" and can become
troublesome. If the Shoggoth becomes rebellious it may be
necessary for the magician to destroy the Shoggoth. A standard but
thorough banishing and the destruction of the Sigil should
suffice.
Any comments or suggestions welcomed.
This rite should not be attempted by novices!
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