XEPER

By Ezikiel

I've been looking into the more ceremonial magics lately. Though I'm certainly not tired of my Psionic theories and training, it harkens back to the new beginnings to return to the craft I once held to passionately. In many ways, I've been writing and developing new Rituals to express myself through. There is one instance in particular I can think of, where I co-wrote with several other talented individuals a celebration and change ritual to bring balance between the soul and harmony into the life and body. It was an amazing working, and I plan to adopt it as my Vernal Equinox trademark go to working from here on out.

Because of my almost limitless inspiration from/for Greater workings, I've decided to pursue it and all of it's vested interests as far as I can. With my history of energy work, I assume that this will only help to encourage the success of the working to be much more adept.

Following in the vein of traditional magics has never interested me much, what with the heavily Judeo-Christian roots that many of the Thelemic systems use. No doubt, the names were replaced by paranoid magicians who thought that to preserve the true intent of Magic as a way of life, that it could just as easily take on their new religion as well. A testament to the ingenuity of their kind, but it still peeves me that I don't know the original names of power that predate the Judeo-Christian mythos. Perhaps that's why so many substitute their own names and semantic dogma to the same level of success. This same fact was the reason I started my study into psionics in the first place.

"If you can easily change the names of power, and even the whole system, why even bother with all that jazz anyhow?"

This is a question I've wanted to answer for many years, and after so long working "in the raw," so to speak, I believe I've found my answer this riddle. Using energy manipulation, and my degree system of Psionic programming and workings, adding that to the structure and elevated emotional states of the Gnosis magics, I have found that even though my level of success hasn't changed, but my mind is changing more readily. I'm awakening aspects of myself through Psionics, and channeling those awakened selves into a larger system though the Greater magics. I've been finding the tenous balance of my Right and Left hand, of my dayside and nightside. That center area of grey is my key to Xeper, I can feel it.

Of all these inspirations, I would be want without explaining how this all relates to the title of this post. The OVC (online vampyre community) generally accepts a Caste system of triumvirate work. The Ramkht, Mradu, and Kitra all have specific functions as they work energy, create a ritual space, and enact the Communion of the Ancients within the specific Houses. Each house has their own teachings, and some don't use this particular system at all, but through and through, my exposure to the OVC has seen these three "types" of vampyre almost omnipotent.

The Ramkht caste (or road) is the Priest. They are often called upon to settle disputes between houses, act as the vessel for scholarly materials, initiate and recognize the varying degrees of adept-hood within their house, and often times symbolized by their ability to fine tune and redirect energy and it's purpose. They are the mystics in other words- the aspects of all things metaphysical and the knowledge of how to apply these teachings.

The Mradu caste (or road) is often considered the warrior. They are the guardian of all within the temple, protecting it from the dangers of the community. They are enforcers, swords and shields of the family. Not only are their grounding abilities key to any ritual opening and closing, but their air of steadfast strength is also key to holding the walls of the temple solid, and allowing the temple to exist because they are the anchor. They are the sentry, constantly keeping watch over the working and adding their prowess in protective magics to keep all the Nightkind safe.

The Kitra caste (or road) is the constant companion. The healer and counselor. They act as the mediates, using their ability to cycle purify the energies of any given situation to it's fullest extent. They are the filter by which all of the sacred is experienced, channeled, and offer their services for the Ramkht to direct ad program that energy. The Kitra are the Seers of old times- they are the channel by which all energy can be focused from and through, they are the channels of all things sacred.

While my interpretation of these roads is well researched (from what I can tell,) I've obviously added my own archetype twist to the castes. Resonating strongly with Shamanistic and Celtic lore (it's in my genes, don't hate me) these archetypes in all cultures seem to epitomize the beauty of each road, at least to me.

Now, in my own studies, I've often found myself as more of a Ramkht. whenever I'm doing a working in a group (which granted, isn't all too often) I find myself redirecting and programming the energy, intensifying the intent of the ritual. With my scribe nature, I've got hundreds of pages of research notes and even more of journals, random essays, and articles. I'm not as much of a community organizer (mostly because the "community" at large isn't centered in Idaho), however I do often organize discussions, meet and greets, and pow-wow of all kinds in reference to the magical community. With the at home Dusty Grimoire discussion group, we've had attendance of over 15 people, many new to magic, to learn and grow as individuals.

Being a writer as well (don't laugh, I write good...) I've come up with several different rituals and working of my own devices. As a Ramkht, these tools are an important aspect of my Road. Ramkht are the scribes, but also the scholars. Any one magical text is an affront to the true self of the person working the ritual other than the person who wrote it.. Without writing our own workings, with our own symbols, and our personal understanding of the universe intricately laced throughout the delicate bits, the magic is useless. Anybody can get up and perform the Black Mass, but true will is preforming the Greater magics from your center, from using and understanding yourself well enough to perform your own magic. That is true magic. That is the way to understand the objective and subjective self. That is my Xeper.