Self-Initiation into the Necronomicon

Current


Asenath Mason



Introduction
This essay is a part of the workshops on the Necronomicon Gnosis which I held in the spring and in
the summer of 2008. It was written down as a response to numerous questions about the practical work
with the Lovecraftian magic, which I received after the release of my book Necronomicon Gnosis - A
Practical Introduction. The question that was asked most frequently was what to begin with?, how
to attune yourself to the Necronomicon Current? The simple answer would be: by intense and
systematic practices devoted to the main godforms of the Lovecraftian lore meditations on their
symbols and names, pathworkings, invocations, etc. In this sense it works as all other magical systems
the more time we devote to our work with the Necronomicon Gnosis, the more sensitive and open
we become to its stellar transmissions. And although this might seem obvious to a more advanced
practitioner, the beginners are often discouraged by a complex and alien pantheon of the Lovecraftian
lore and by the thought that all of this is merely a fiction. Thus, before we begin our adventures in the
realm of the Lovecraftian magic, we should realize one basic thing - all existing versions of the
Necronomicon and other related texts, as well as the Cthulhu Mythos prose, even though cannot be
treated as historical sources, they may still serve us as an inspiration to our own work with this magic.
Disbelievers often mention the common argument that the author himself admitted that all stories were
merely a literary fiction and the name Abdul Al Hazred was invented by him in childhood, inspired by
the reading of Arabian Nights. But as a response we can say that all mythological gods have been
invented by humans in earlier or later times, and if we look at this issue from this point of view, the
Great Old Ones seem no less valid than the ancient gods from worlds mythologies. There is a great
span of time between their appearance in culture and magic, when we compare them to ancient lore, of
course, but still they are all just inventions of human minds, born as a response to the contemporary
needs of worship and identification. In the present times people no longer need e.g. agricultural
deities, like our ancient ancestors, and the invention of more modern lore, to which the Great Old
Ones belong, seems more suitable for present needs. Hence, their alien, intangible nature, hybrid
manifestations, destructive force, and an enormous evolutionary potential which seems to be a
response to the fast development of science, quantum physics, experiments with the DNA code, etc.
The Lovecraftian entities represent in a way this scientific progress, which is both fascinating and
threatening, as the greater part of all these phenomena still remains unexplored and it is common to be
afraid of the unexpected and the unknown. Perhaps this is the main reason why this lore has been
gaining such an enormous popularity in the contemporary literature, art and esotericism.
It is, however, wrong to associate the Lovecraftian entities with any particular mythology. They are
alien, cosmic forces of human evolution and they might be identified either with all mythologies or
with none, as they represent the inherent evolutionary progress of human mind. We can draw some
comparisons, like between Dagon and ancient watery gods such as Oannes. Shub-Niggurath roughly
represents the concepts of a female principle associated with dark goddesses, like Lilith or Kali, but at
the same time Shub-Niggurath can be identified with the wild gods of nature, such as Pan.
Nyarlathotep, as a character walking among people on the earth, has a few hundred avatars and
represents the concept of the trickster, the adversary, the devil of the witches Sabbaths, the personal
Shadow, and many others, which allows us to compare him to a large spectrum of mythological gods.
The serpent god Yig might correspond to other mythological serpent deities, like Quetzalcoatl of the
Aztecs. It is more difficult to draw any associations between the earth mythologies and the typically
cosmic deities like Cthulhu, Azathoth, or Yog-Sothoth, which manifest as hybrids, completely alien to
human perception, and thus they do not resemble the typical mythological gods.
In numerous online libraries or bookstores we will find a lot of Necronomicons and other related
texts, like Al Azif, De Vermis Misteriis, The Book of Dagon, The Rlyeh Texts, and many
others. It is not the subject of this essay to discuss whether these texts are genuine grimoires or hoaxes,
invented to meet the needs of the market, greedy for the modern mythology. Real or not, there have
been many magicians who have found them useful, and usually whoever works with these texts,
admits that theres something in them. But this is not the matter of the texts themselves: the key to a
successful practice is in the mind of the practitioner, and the reason why these rituals and ceremonies
do work is the belief and focus. The real magical power is not contained on the pages of any book but
within the human mind, and a mind of a creative individual can transform fiction into a genuine
experience. This is how the Lovecraftian magic works. The Necronomicons and the Cthulhu Mythos
stories may serve as an inspiration for the exploration of the labyrinths of individuals minds, and
become a tool which allows the magician to delve into the depths of consciousness. And since their
nature is more up to the modern times, they often replace the ancient godforms in the contemporary
occultism.
This essay will present a few methods of how to begin the work with the Necronomicon Current and
how to use the Lovecraftian grimoires which at first glance seem too complicated or useless for a
modern practitioner. Necronomicon Gnosis can be viewed as a set of tools and techniques which allow
for a better understanding of the cosmic and evolutionary concepts represented by the Great Old Ones
and other Lovecraftian entities. As there exists none single genuine version of the Necronomicon,
there is also no singular approach to this kind of magic and an intelligent adept is free to invent his
own methods of work, limited only by his own creativity and imagination. We must remember that as
a magical system, the Necronomicon is genuine enough for those who are able to grasp its
intangibility and get into contact with forces which transcend far beyond human rationality and
perception.

Self-Initiation on the Ritual and Ceremonial Level
Self-initiation into the Necronomicon Current usually occurs on two levels, which in the further
initiatory process intertwine or merge into a powerful magical path. A magician usually starts the work
and builds the Temple of the Great Old Ones in their minds by building it on the mundane level. Here
we might make use of the numerous Necronomicon-related texts and grimoires. The Lovecraftian
grimoires and the Cthulhu Mythos lore, even though most of them claiming to be of Arabic origin,
paradoxically bears a great resemblance to the Western esoteric tradition. A magician does not have to
follow the exact directions of how to prepare the temple or ritual tools, however, as these descriptions
often seem ridiculously complicated, but we might adjust them to our needs and available materials.

Build your temple
This aspect of the Lovecraftian magic is purely ceremonial. Depending on the grimoire, we are told to
prepare a kind of a special temple for the work with the Necronomicon entities. In Al Azif, for
instance, this is a outdoor construction, made up of a circle of stones in the open area, where each
stone represents either the particular cardinal direction or a planet and has a proper symbol carved on
it. In the middle of the circle we have an altar with the seal of Yog-Sothoth (who is the deity
representing the concept of a gate to the alternative reality) and names of the most powerful deities:
Azathoth, Cthulhu, Hastur, Shub Niggurath, and Nyarlathotep. Around the altar there are four stones
which refer to the four cardinal directions, and around these - seven stones representing the planets,
the Sun and the Moon. The whole space encircled by the stones constitutes a Gate through which the
summoned forces can manifest. Quite complicated and you need at least a big garden, which might be
a bit difficult these days. More or less similar descriptions are found in other Lovecraftian grimoires.
Generally, to practice the Necronomicon magic outdoors it is enough to go out into the wild and find a
dark and solitary place where you will not be disturbed. It must be a place that would stir your
imagination, where you could feel the surroundings coming alive shadows moving around you,
nature and winds whispering messages, the earth pulsating at the rhythm of your hearts beating. It can
be an ancient stone circle, a dark forest, a grove, or generally some kind of place that would give the
impression that the border between the worlds is thin and it is easy to get into contact with forces of
the irrational. Specifically for the Lovecraftian magic, this does not have to a place in nature this
could be as well an old urban area: an abandoned industrial buildings, closed subway tunnels, old
ruined buildings, and others. There you can visualize a gateway through which the Great Old Ones
will manifest to you.
When you, however, prefer to set up your temple indoors, you can decorate it with the imagery related
to the Lovecraftian lore. There are no ancient depictions of the Necronomicon entities but the
modern art is quickly filling this mythological gap and you can find a lot of posters, statues, and other
visual representations of the Great Old Ones. The setting must affect your imagination, so feel free to
put in your ritual space these items which you think are best for you. Sigils and diagrams are suitable
as well.

Prepare your ritual tools
You can also go a step further and prepare special ritual tools which will be used only in the work with
the Lovecraftian magic. Here we have a wide variety of choice, depending on which Lovecraftian
grimoire we will choose as a reference. Among the tools that you can actually fashion, more or less
following the instructions, we can mention the sword of Barzai (a ritual sword), the incense of Zkauba
(used for some ceremonies), the vessel of Balon (a kind of a scrying vessel), the ring of Hypnos (used
for dreamwork), and many others. Even though they come from the popular Necronomicon hoaxes, if
you believe in their power and put enough effort in making them, probably they would work.

Embelish your ceremonies with signs of power
One of the Lovecraftian grimoires mentions special signs of power which can be used in ceremonies.
These are the sign of Voor that symbolizes the power of Great Old Ones, the sign of Kish that opens
gates and destroys barriers, the sign of Koth that seals the Gate, and the sign of the Elder Gods that
hinders the power of Great Old Ones and is used in exorcisms (1).
Nyarlathotep and Temple work
Now that we have the ritual space and tools prepared, it is time to choose the entities most suitable to
begin our work with. Here two godforms are suggested. One is Nyarlathotep, the other Cthulhu. Why
these two? Nyarlathotep is one of the leading deities in the Cthulhu Mythos because of his role as an
intermediary between humans and the Great Old Ones. He is the one who leads man to the stars and
through the path to divinity. And he often appears in the shape that can be understood and grasped by
man usually in a human form. This is important, because it is easier to visualize an anthropomorphic
god than a hybrid with thousand of tentacles and bubbles. For instance, in Lovecraft's story Dreams in
the Witch House we see him as a black, thin figure, with a ghastly pale skin, dressed in long black
robe and a hat. Its quite significant to notice that in the story he acts as an intermediary between the
adept who makes a pact with the Great Old Ones and their representative, the god Azathoth. The
protagonist, Walter Gilman, is drawn to the Other Side, where in a dark chamber he signs his name
with blood into the black book and makes a pact with the dark forces a typical theme in the Western
esoteric tradition. Nyarlathotep performs here a similar role as the intermediary devil, such as
Mephistopheles in Faustian legends. Nyarlathotep is thus the intermediary between the Outer Forces
and humanity. He is the Left Hand Path initiator who destroys everything and ruthlessly shatters all
weaknesses of our minds. He is the Crawling Chaos who opens the gate to the Outer Void through
which the Great Old Ones can enter our consciousness. Nyarlathotep is thus the beginning (the
initiator of communication with the outer gods) and the end - the destroyer and the principle of
disintegration. He is said to have 999 avatars, which appear in all cultures, religions in mythologies
worldwide, from the dawn of time till now.
Thus, it seems logical to choose him as the first entity to work with when we start our adventure in the
labyrinths of the Lovecraftian magic. Besides, Nyarlathotep, as one of very few Necronomicon
entities, is the character that can be encountered in the outdoor workings, out there in the wild, as well
as in our ritual space indoors. We can work with him through a wide variety of techniques: simple
meditations and elaborate pathworkings, invocations and evocations, scrying, dream and astral
workings, and even through such types of magic as necromancy or sex magic. Of all Great Old Ones it
is easiest to establish contact with him, and then through him we can find access to other, more cosmic
and alien principles.

Dream level
The other way to attune yourself to the Necronomicon Current is not through ceremonial workings but
through a more subtle awakening of the unconscious, i.e. through dream work.
Cthulhu
Here, of course, we have Cthulhu, the Lord of Dreams. As dreams are the key to unconsciousness, this
kind of magic is one of the most important techniques in exploration of Necronomicon worlds and
meeting its entities. Cthulhu lies "dead but dreaming" in a sunken tomb in R'lyeh the city
representing the depth of the unconscious. Although he is dormant, he has the ability to contact
humans through dreams - sending visions and dreams about the old times and about gods who ruled
the world at the beginning of time. In Lovecraftian prose such transmissions take the form of hideous
nightmares, but they can be a very useful tool in the work with the Necronomicon current if someone
willingly opens his mind to the call of Cthulhu.
Similarly as Nyarlathotep, Cthulhu is described as the high priest of the Great Old Ones, the one
who can communicate with humans and act on the behalf of other cosmic deities. While Nyarlathotep
acts mostly through the material plane and can be met in the waking world, Cthulhu acts through
dreams and the realm of sleeping. Its not usual to hear his voice spontaneously, but we may help our
subconsciousness to open itself for these transmissions.


Dream Magic
The techniques for dream work with the Lovecraftian magic do not actually differ much from other
dreamworking methods, but it is worthwhile to remember some hints. For example before going to
sleep we can read a story from the Cthulhu Mythos, either random, or devoted to Cthulhu or other
chosen entity. Or we can watch a movie with a Lovecraftian theme, like The Call of Cthulhu From
Beyond, Dagon, etc. Then, while falling asleep we visualize the scenes from the story or mentally
focus on the names or images. It is also recommended to memorize some descriptions, and then, while
falling asleep, use them as a gate to enter a conscious dream. This demands a good visualisation skill
and clear focus. If you do it right, the scene should continue in your dreams.
The same procedure can be applied to a meditation on a sigil or an illustration representing Cthulhu
a focused meditation prior to sleeping, and then trying to fall asleep while visualizing the image. When
you do this kind of a meditation, try also to establish link with the entity through the picture itself
gaze into it and send a mental message to invite Cthulhu to your mind. You can also create your own
sigil or draw your own pictures. Or instead of a visual representation, you can meditate on a mantra. I
recommend the classical mantra: "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn" or simply
"Cthulhu R'lyeh Fhtagn. Or while falling asleep, fill the room with the smell of an incense which
youll be using only to the Necronomicon workings. The alternative is a quiet Lovecraftian music.
The voice of Cthulhu
When your dreams become filled with visions and atmosphere from the Lovecraftian prose, that would
mean that you are on the right way with your work and your consciousness has been awakened to this
kind of gnosis. You may receive the "call" of Cthulhu in dreams as a mysterious voice or a message
spoken in a monotonous manner, enigmatic and apparently without meaning. Then follow visions of
slimy temples and monoliths located in a huge, forgotten city. You can also see names, images,
symbols, mantras, and words of power that can le later used in conscious communication with these
forces. A conscious entering into such a dream allows for clear contact with Great Old Ones and other
akin entities who exist on the border of the dreaming and waking worlds.
An example of a Cthulhu dreamworking which combines several techniques can be found in my book:
Necronomicon Gnosis: A Practical Introduction. There youll also find some more information about
how to work with the Lovecraftian dream magic.



(1) The pictures are provided in Al Azif or in my book Necronomicon Gnosis A Practical
Introduction

Lodge Magan, Dragon Rouge Poland