We have received quite a few emails from people living in other countries, wondering if the Necronomicon Tradition involves worshipping chthonic entities? If we review the words of the Mad Arab, along with what is found in history concerning chthonic deities and the worship of them. We will begin our discussion by comparing what is revealed in the Book of Calling:
“And if thou performest these operations often, thou shalt see things becoming dark; and the Wanderers in their Spheres shall no more be seen by thee; and the Stars in their places will lose their Light, and the Moon, NANNA, by whom thou also workest, shall become black and extinguished..”
The above words by the Mad Arab illustrate clearly that the Initiate of the Necronomicon Tradition work by the Moon, or DinGir Nanna. Later in the Urilia Text, the Mad Arab observes the following:
“And with these incantations, and with others, the sorcerers and the she-sorcerers call many things that harm of the life of man. And they fashion images out of wax, and out of flour and honey, and of all the metals, and burn them or otherwise destroy them, and chant the civilizations. And they cause plagues, for they summon PAZUZU. And they cause madness, for they call AZAGTHOTH. And these Spirits come upon the Wind, and some upon the Earth, crawling. And no oil, no powder, suffices to save a man from this inquity, save that exorcisms handed down and recited by the able Priest. And they work by the Moon, and not by the Sun, and by older planets than the Chaldaens were aware.”
The Mad Arab identifies in the above passage that the worshippers of the Ancient Ones “work by the Moon, and not by the Sun.” This indicates that the Initiate of the Necronomicon Tradition is a worshipper of the Ancient Ones. Simon mentions this indirectly in the tome’s Introduction:
“In both the European and Chinese cultures, the Dragon or Serpent is said to reside somewhere “below the earth”; it is a powerful force, a magickal force, which is identified with mastery over the created world; it is also a power that can be summoned by the few and not the many….Therefore, the Goddess of the Witches has two distinct forms: the Ancient One, Goddess of the Dragon-like telluric Power which is raised in Magickal rituals, and the Elder Goddess, Defeater of Death, who brings the promise of Resurrection and Rejuvenation to her followers those who must reside for a time after death and between incarnations in what is called the “Summerland”. “
From the above passage, we basically learned, as we have discussed many times in prior articles, that the “Dragon” is conjured when the Initiate calls upon the Kia Mass Ssaratu. In the work of Yoel Natan, we find some interesting information about the pre-Islamic world. Let us take note of what is mentioned in Moon-O-Theism Volume I, page 74:
“Many ancient astral deities such as the gods associated with the sun and moon were considered both heavenly and chthonic, underworld deities. During the night the sun was thought to be traveling through the underworld, so the night-sun was worshipped as a chthonic or underworld power.”
Let us compare the words cited above with the words of the Mad Arab and how the Mesopotamian sun deity Shammash in entreated:
“The arms should be held over the head in the attitude of a Priest of SHAMMASH, and the eyes must behold the Spirit of the God SHAMMASH, even though it be the time of the Sleeping of SHAMMASH behind the Mountains of the Scorpion.”
Pagan Heart Magazine of April 2005 published an article entitled Worshipping the Underworld, which can be accessed by the following link: http://www.oocities.com/the_pagan_heart/Articles/Festivals/April05A.html The article states the following:
“The Greek word khtonios means “of the earth”, or “subterranean”. It refers to the aspects of the gods that mainly connects “with the underworld, death, and with the life-giving and life-sustaining aspects of agriculture”. The chthonic deities are the gods of the wheel of life, the primal forces of nature – death and fertility. These are the original gods from the times before humanity became civilised and made the gods bathe and dress up with fine clothes and scented oils. These deities needed to be placated, entreated, worshiped – not bargained with.”
Further evidence that the Necronomicon Tradition is a chthonic rite can be seen by what is stated in the Book of Calling
“Know, fourthly, that it is become the obligation of the Priests of the Flame and the Sword, and of all Magick, to bring their Power to the Underworld and keep it chained thereby, for the Underworld is surely the Gate Forgotten, by which the Ancient Ones ever seek Entrance to the Land of the Living, And the Ministers of ABSU are clearly walking the Earth, riding on the Air, and upon the Earth, and sailing silently through the Water, and roaring in the Fire, and all these Spirits must be brought to subjection to the Person of the Priest of Magick, before any else. Or the Priest becomes prey to the Eye of Death of the Seven ANNUNNAKI, Lord of the Underworld, Ministers of the Queen of Hell.”
From what we have discussed so far, we can say that the Necronomicon tradition is a chthonic rite. Interestingly, Vadge Moore wrote about the value of chthonic energy and worship in Chthonic: From beast to Godhood. The article can be accessed by clicking on the following link: http://www.rosenoire.org/articles/chthonic.php The article states:
“The chthonic process is an occult “awakening” that includes the very lowest instinctual elements of the human psyche leading to the very highest elements. It is the base, primordial material that the psyche needs in order to evolve and grow. Chthonic is the soil, the fertilizer, and the dark, primitive unconscious material that can turn the beast into a god. Chthonic is depicted in all myths as the Underworld, Hell or Hades. Jungian author James Hillman considers this Underworld to be the residence of the soul, the place the hero must descend in order to find his essence….Chthonic can be defined as great Mother Nature or as representing the cycles of nature. According to Neumann, “Mythologically, the phallic-chthonic deities are companions of the Great Mother, not representatives of the specifically masculine. Psychologically this means that phallic masculinity is still conditioned by the body and this is under the rule of the Great Mother, whose instrument it remains.” In other words, the chthonic gods represent the primal instincts that come to us directly through nature. .. One problem we encounter in the spirituality of this contemporary Western world is a distinct lack of depth or of darkness. Too many people want to immerse themselves in the light and airy, feel-good religions of the New Age movement and refuse to face the dark, evil aspects that have always been part and parcel of all myths and all religions. As Moore suggests, “The deepening of religion – making it earthy and chthonic – is one of the greatest challenges facing religion in the West today. Without depth, religion can become too sweetly spiritual and top-heavy with its focus on higher consciousness and the idealized moral life.”… It is precisely this “commitment to darkness” that can heal the split in mans’ divided nature. Without the chthonic element of our psyche we are left rootless, non-instinctual, and completely deaf to one half of our being. We, in the West have a long tradition of ignoring (or flat-out rejecting) that which seems to us unholy. It’s time to embrace the darkness, sink into our depths, and awaken the sleeping, coiled splendor that lies hidden in our true nature. We need to return to, what I like to call, a Chthonic Gnosticism or a Chthonic Hermeticism and raise an army of Chthonic Gnostics willing to sink into their depths and redress this tremendous imbalance. It is believed by some scholars that the North European paradise known as Valhalla is actually located beneath the earth as a chthonic Eden (as opposed to the more widely believed location in the sky). We can descend into this chthonic realm and enjoy the company of the gods and heroes that reside there. Most importantly one must never forget: Demon Est Deus Inversus. “
The Mad Arab proposes the same thing that Vadge Moore cites in his work, which is why we read the words that follow in his Second Testimony:
“Know that the Seven Spheres must be entered in their times and in their seasons, one at a time, and never the one before the other. Know that the Four beasts of the Spaces claim the blood of the initiate, each in their own time and season. Know that TIAMAT seeks ever to rise to the stars, and when the Upper is united to the Lower, then a new Age will come of Earth, and the Serpent shall be made whole, and the Waters will be as One, when on high the heavens had not been named.”
