The Vortex Rite
Due to legalities imposed by the IOT, I am unable to post the Vortex Rote in
its entirety. The Vortex was written by Peter Carroll, and the IOT has chosen to
restrict any exact reprint, in any medium, of the original work. So much for
that.
There is nothing in copyright laws, however, to keep me from describing the
ritual to you (I checked), so here's a synopsis of the rite. Keep in mind that
this is not the original form in which it was presented by Carroll; however, all
of the elements of the working are reproduced in my own words.
- Stand up.
- Take a few good, deep breaths. Relax.
- Stomp your foot on the floor and cry out HUT (meaning "start")
- Extend both index fingers and bring them together in front of you. Say
XIQUAL UDINBAK, which means roughly "manifest chaos". Visualize a
point of light at your fingertips.
- Separate the fingers so that you draw a vertical line before you. Say
XIQUAL UZARFE, D'KYENG. This means, roughly, "manifest aethyr, Planck's
constant". Aethyr is buzzing with potential, Planck's constant is total
contraction. Visualize the astrological symbol for Saturn at the top of the
vertical line, and the Greek letter "psi" at the bottom.
- Bring the index fingers back together, but keep visualizing the lines and
the symbols at either end.
- Draw a line with the fingertips perpendicular to the first line, saying
XIQUAL KUDEX, EACHT (roughly, manifest light and darkness). At either end of
the line, visualize, respectively, a sphere of light and one of total
blackness.
- Repeat step 6.
- Draw another line at a 45-degree angle to the first two. Say XIQUAL ASHARA,
DIJOW - roughly, manifest fire and air (they also mean energy and time,
respectively). A variety of symbols can be used to represent the two,
including personally-created sigils. I tend to use the old alchemical
triangles myself, but that's just the traditionalist in me talking.
- Repeat step 6.
- Last line! Perpendicular to the one in step 9, with the phrase XIQUAL
THALDOMA,NOBO (roughly, water and earth, or space and mass). Just like step
9, really. Use whatever symbols do it for you.
- Take your time, and make sure that you can fully visualize all of the
lines and symbols. Don't try to control color; just let it come to you as it
will (this is one way to discover your octarine).
- Say XIQUAL ONGATHAWAS (manifest the vortex), and make a gesture with your
left hand which suggests setting a wheel spinning to you. This can range
from the twitch of a finger to the sweep of an arm.
- Use your breath to speed up the initial spin. With each inhalation and
exhalation, make the whirl go faster and faster. Keep doing this until it
appears 3-dimensional, as if you could thrust your arm into it.
- Your vortex is now open! Shout out XIQUAL CHOYOFAQUE (manifest the work of
chaos), or, if so inclined, some other phrase. It can be in any language you
choose. It really doesn't matter (this is true of all the steps outlined.
Using a weird tongue like Ouranian Barbaric helps distract the conscious
mind, and thus the psychic censor).
- Go about whatever business you've set out to do.
- When you're all finished with your vortex, get the visualization strong
again.
- Point the index finger of your left hand at it and query ANGBIX (how?)
Then your middle finger and ask POHUTH? (why)?, and finally your thumb with
the question WOKAC? (what?). These are the three basic questions of
materialism/science, spirituality/religion, and magick, respectively, per
Carroll's aeonic theories.
- See the triangle formed by the three outstretched fingers? Visualize it as
a sort of volume control, a solid triangle. Turn the "knob"
counterclockwise to shut the vortex off, with a shout of AEPALIZAGE "immanentize
the eschaton." For a full description of what the Eschaton is, it's
best to refer to Carroll's works, then come back here and post about it so
everyone can disagree with each other until we figure out what exactly an
eschaton is to each of us :=}
Of course, different people find variations on this working which have better
effects for them. This is only how I myself do it - for myself, I find that
using a tone of voice matched to the intent of the working(s) to follow the
vortex does better for me. Another person I've worked with draws the lines in
different planes, rather than as four lines on a flat surface. In any case, the
basic symbolism is a mimicry of the process by which the universe itself
manifested from quantum soup.