Grimoire of the Necronomicon

by Donald Tyson

  No Master should attempt to walk this path who does not possess an innate fascination for fighting and for warfare. This is the way of the warrior. Cthulhu favors the brave and the devoted. He looks with scorn upon those who are timid and have not the heart to endure the rigors of his discipline. To the victorious in battle he sends good fortune, but to those who strive and fail he is less generous, and those who flee from combat earn only his disfavor and should avoid all attempts to invoke him as his disciples.

  Training for this way involves physical exercise to strengthen and harden the body, mock combat to hone the skills of the warrior, and the study of fighting techniques and the use of weapons. Boxing is a useful method of training. Actual full-contact sparring against opponents that tests the proficiency of the disciple is essential. Success in training cannot be assumed without trial by combat. Eastern fighting arts are also useful for their rigorous exercises and the hardships they impose on the body. Military training of the kind that is given to new recruits is suitable for this path.

  The physical training on the way of Yig is intended to make the body healthy, flexible, and perfect in its balance and beauty. The disciple of Yig seeks the sinuous body of a dancer. By contrast, the physical training of Cthulhu must achieve a hardening of the flesh, so that it can endure blows and abuse with indifference. The disciple of Cthulhu seeks the body of a champion.

  In addition to physical conditioning, the will must be hardened and honed to a sharp edge, so that it is equal to all challenges and can pierce through doubts and confusion. It is useful to pray to Cthulhu for courage and strength both of the body and of the mind while walking this martial path. Cthulhu will not turn away from those who invoke him with a sincere and steadfast heart. Although he lies sleeping beneath the waves, and cannot send his thoughts outward unaided, those who seek him through prayers and invocations are able to reach his dreaming mind, which extends to meet them. In this way the lord of war can find his disciples in their dreams, where he teaches them courage and fortitude.

  An image of Cthulhu should be maintained persistently before the inner sight of those who walk his path. When it becomes vague, it must be renewed in the imagination. Frequent prayers of praise and thanksgiving should be spoken in the name of this lord, and when difficulties arise, his disciples should call upon him for courage and strength. He will stand with those who are bold of heart.

  At some point in the training for this path, the disciple of Cthulhu will be tested and will either emerge from the test victorious, or will fail. Failure is not fatal in itself, but may merely be a way for the lord of battle to harden the will of his true followers by showing them the bitterness of defeat. Those who fail are tested more rigorously than those who achieve victory. If their will is not broken, they emerge the stronger for it. The discipline of Cthulhu is not for the weak, nor for the faint of heart.

  The night of the lunar cycle on which the ritual to open the Gate of the South on the path to the black throne may be conducted is the third quarter, when the waning face of the moon is half illuminated, bright on the left side and dark on the right. The ritual is begun at midnight, as the day of the third quarter commences. If the first attempt does not succeed in opening the gate, the true warrior of Cthulhu will persevere until all obstacles are overcome and the gate yields. Without fear the disciple will pass through in the astral body and confront waiting Nyarlathotep, who will lead the way to the steps of the chaos mount.

  Masters who choose to walk this path remain soldiers of Cthulhu, and may wish to have his seal tattooed somewhere upon their skin as a mark of their dedication to the way of the warrior. The seal tattoo is a choice, not a requirement, and is left to the judgment of those who walk the paths of the seven lords. The disciples of Cthulhu serve the Order as guards and when necessary, as enforcers of discipline, or to defend the temples against foes. The other members of the Order, regardless of their rank, should look to the disciples of Cthulhu for aid and protection. To walk this difficult path is a noble attainment.

  The emblem of this path is a dagger or other edged weapon. It may be either practical or symbolic. For example, a folding knife may be worn exposed at the belt, or a pin or pendant in the shape of a dagger or sword may be worn as jewelry. The emblem indicates to other members of the Order those who are the disciples of Cthulhu. For this reason it should always be visible to others.

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  Way of Dagon

  The Gate of the West is opened on the path to the black throne by following the way of Dagon, which is a discipline of study and scholarship, particularly involving the arcane arts or ceremonial or high magic of past ages. All serious scholars of religion and magic walk the path of Dagon, whether they know it or not. Through the acquisition and analysis of abstruse knowledge, the mind is transformed and rendered fit to open the West Gate.

  Through the acquisition of knowledge and the exercise of reasoning, the perception of reality is altered. A deeper and more meaningful awareness of the universe and the human place in it is attained. Reality as we know it arises in the mind. By transforming the mind, reality is transformed. By controlling the mind, reality is controlled. By commanding the mind, reality is commanded.

  Among the lords of the Old Ones, Dagon is the greatest scholar. Although Yig keeps more ancient secrets, and Nyarlathotep is more crafty, the learning of Dagon is as vast as the oceans in which he dwells. His children, the Deep Ones, excel in metallurgy and the crafting of fine cloths and jewelry. They are artisans and architects beyond compare. Their statuary is as fine as any carved by the ancient Greeks. Their stone monuments defy time. It was their gift of energy rays to the aristocratic rulers of Atlantis that led to the destruction of that island empire, when the rays were misused in civil war.

  The studies of those who walk this path will vary from disciple to disciple according to natural inclination, but they must seek to be proficient in astrology and in the mythologies of Persia, Egypt, and Greece, in the Kabbalah of the Hebrews and the teachings of the Gnostics, in spiritual alchemy and in the understanding of occult symbols, in the teachings of the Platonists and the Pythagoreans, in the books of Hermes Trismegistus, and in the tarot. The way of Dagon is the way of the wizard, a word derived from the word “wise.” His disciples must know the angels of Enoch and their calls, and the hierarchies of heaven.

  Not all of this knowledge is necessary to open the West Gate, but all of it is desirable in a true child of Dagon. It is the process of study, of stretching and opening the mind, that allows the alteration of consciousness that will open the gate. No one may predict which area of study will provide the key to the gate. The seeker should study those subjects that most strongly engage the interest. The mind knows what it needs, and will acquire the necessary skills if given the opportunity. Be guided in your studies by the inner voice of Dagon, who will speak to you in your dreams.

  The danger on this path is to become so obsessed with the acquisition of facts that the capacity for learning is stunted. Only when the mind remains uncertain of what it knows can new knowledge be acquired. An arrogant mind is a closed mind, and a mind closed can never open the gate. The seeker should embrace uncertainty, and run after any teaching that throws his thoughts into chaos. When he feels his reason slipping away, and the very ground of reality turn to sand and begin to shift under his feet, he is approaching the necessary condition of mind to open the West Gate.

  Challenge everything! Never assume a thing is so, but turn it on its head and see the truth that is inherent in its opposite. A mental condition must be cultivated in which no matter is perceived as either true, or not true, but is seen to be both true and untrue simultaneously. This is the practice of Zen, where the certain is cut away bit by bit until only uncertainty remains—but before it can be cut away, it must be acquired. There is value in the ancient learning. The disciple of the West Gate must see its truth, see its falsity, and yet see both at the same time with
out conflict.

  In this way the perspective of the mind is elevated above the mundane to the sublime, and Dagon begins to interest himself in the progress of his disciple. Dagon cares nothing for those who are sure of their wisdom. He embraces in his finny grasp only those who are sure that they know nothing. In loss there is gain. In uncertainty comes truth. When the mind is filled, and then emptied, the gate is opened. Unless the disciple of Dagon is looked upon by other members of the Order as more than half-mad, he has made no progress on his chosen path.

  The night of the lunar cycle given to the ritual of opening the Gate of the West is the third night before the night of the new moon, when the waning lunar crescent is as thin as a bow, and rises late in the east. The ritual should be begun at the midnight hour that commences that third night before the darkness of the moon. If the mind of the disciple is ready, Yog-Sothoth will open the gate and Nyarlathotep will stand waiting to escort the scholar of Dagon safely through the dangers along the path to the foot of the chaos mount.

  Thos who follow the path of Dagon may wish to wear his seal tattooed in black ink upon their skin, as a token of their respect and loyalty. If they prefer, they should carry the emblem of this lord on their persons at all times when they are in the presence of strangers, for it is a proclamation of their chosen path of attainment. The emblem of Dagon is the book or scroll, which may be an actual book, or the symbolic representation of a book. The ancient practice of wearing a written prayer rolled up inside a small ornate cylinder of silver, which is then hung on a chain around the neck and serves as a pendant, is admirably fit for the emblem of Dagon.

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  Way of Yog-Sothoth

  The ways of the three inner gates differ from the ways of the four outer gates in forcing the seeker to turn inward. The outer gates are approached through the manipulation of physical externals: body training and posture for the North Gate, sensuality and sexual excess for the East Gate, dominance and martial discipline for the South Gate, and the acquisition of knowledge for the West Gate. The first of the inner gates is the Upper Gate of Yog-Sothoth, which is associated with the direction of the heights. Yog-Sothoth is the great gatekeeper of the cosmos. Those who walk his path in search of the black throne do so through the perfection of scrying and astral projection.

  Astral projection is an inward discipline since the astral planes cannot be found through outward travel, but only when the mind journeys toward the center, as it does during dreams. The disciples of Yog-Sothoth will be those Masters who have shown a natural talent for seeing visions, and for separating the subtle body from its shell of flesh. Both skills involve the opening of gateways, and are related. In scrying, distant scenes of the astral world are viewed as though through a window, whereas in astral projection the subtle shell of the disciple of Yog-Sothoth seems to travel through a door to be present at those scenes.

  This difference is merely a matter of perception. The astral planes are inner realities, and no travel through space is needed to reach them. In scrying the astral world is a painting; in projection the astral world is a stage play. It often happens that a vision will transform itself into an astral setting that surrounds the viewer, as the window becomes the doorway.

  Those who scry are useful to the Order, since they possess the ability to divine future events and to peer into secrets and mysteries. There are four traditional mediums for scrying, each in harmony with one of the four lower elements. It is best to select one of these elemental mediums and persist in using it, unless it becomes obvious through repeated failure that it is the wrong element for the person using it. Then, another element should be tried. However, the disciple of Yog-Sothoth must avoid jumping from one element to another capriciously. Find the element that resonates with your own inner nature.

  Scrying by fire involves gazing at flickering flames, glowing embers, or the flame of a lamp or candle, as a way of abstracting the mind and opening the window on the astral world. Any glowing source of light can be used to focus the attention, but open flame is the traditional source.

  Scrying by water in its most ancient form is the use of a silver basin or crystal bowl filled with water as a kind of mirror in which the astral images reveal themselves. Also under this element is scrying by means of mirrors and crystal globes, which are both watery by their natures. Also involved in this elemental class is the sound of voices or other noises heard in running water or in waves.

  Scrying by air uses rising smoke and the scent of incense, tobacco, or some other fuming substance to abstract the mind. It produces a kind of daydream in which visions are viewed. Scrying by air may also be done by gazing at clouds. It sometimes involves the perception of sounds or voices heard on the wind.

  Scrying by earth is the casting of lots of different kinds for sortilege. In the pattern in which the lots fall can be discerned images. Divination by tarot is of this type, since it relies on the order of cards dealt after they have been shuffled. So, too, is divination by tea leaves, and geomancy, which relies on the random marking of points in the ground to determine the geomantic signs that are interpreted.

  Projection of the astral form can be done during dreams, in which awareness is regained and the dreamer takes control of his will and begins to move freely within the dream, and beyond the dream. By those possessed of sufficient natural ability, it can also be done during waking, while lying on the back on a bed or rug, and then it seems that the astral body rises and separates itself from the physical body.

  The astral body does not move through the physical world, however. It moves through a world of its own substance, an astral world in which astral scenes are viewed and entered. This may at times appear identical to the physical world, so that the traveler is deceived into the belief that he travels across space on the material plane. This is illusion. All astral travel is on the astral planes. How could it be otherwise? The astral body cannot enter the physical world, nor can the physical body enter the astral world.

  Since all transition through the gates is astral, except in the most exalted and potent of circumstances, which are rarely to be encountered during the course of an entire lifetime, it might be assumed that the way of the Upper Gate is the quickest and best approach to the black throne. This is untrue. A disciple of Yog-Sothoth may undertake numerous astral journeys and never meet Nyarlathotep, and without the guidance of Nyarlathotep, it is impossible to find the black throne amid the innumerable astral planes. It is true that the opening of a gate is almost always an astral event—but skill in astral projection alone does not guarantee the black throne. It is but one of seven disciplines, each of which may lead to attainment if diligently pursued.

  When the disciple of Yog-Sothoth feels ready to attempt the opening of the Gate of the Heights, it should be done on the night of the lunar cycle just prior to the night of the full moon. The ritual of opening is begun at midnight, at the start of the day before the day of the full moon. On this day of each lunar cycle, Yog-Sothoth is exalted, and the barriers between realities thin. If the Gate of the Heights fails to open, or Nyarlathotep fails to present himself as guide to the chaos seat, the ritual may be attempted again on the night just prior to the night of the full moon of the next lunar cycle.

  Those who follow the way of Yog-Sothoth may wish to adopt his seal as a tattoo, to proclaim their devotion to his teachings and his service. Or, they may prefer to wear the emblem of this lord of the Old Ones, which is a key, or the representation of a key in the form of jewelry. If a true key is worn, the best kind to choose is a door key since it represents the opening of portals. An antique door key makes an attractive pendant.

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  Way of Nyarlathotep

  The discipleship of Nyarlathotep that opens the Gate of the Depths is one of communication with the spirits of the dead and the underworld. Nyarlathotep is god of the dead and of necromancy. It is an inward path that involves the practice of invocation, but
concerns those planes of the astral realm that are chthonic, belonging to darkness and decay. It is the way of the grave and of dead things. Spirits of men and women who have died, but not wholly departed, and other spiritual creatures who were never human, are summoned from the underworld for the purpose of acquiring their knowledge or service.

  Men dwell in the middle realm. Yog-Sothoth presides over the astral planes of the heights, being a god of the upper air, and Nyarlathotep rules the astral planes of the depths. In truth there is no height or depth in the astral world, which does not occupy space, but it is convenient to distinguish the celestial and chthonic realms in this manner. It is one of Nyarlathotep’s functions to escort the dead to their dark caverns, where they restlessly await the final dissolution of their shells, when they will be caught up like leaves in the whirlwind of the chaos vortex that forever circles the black throne. The decay of the flesh is only one kind of decay. After it comes the decay of the subtle body, and with it the human identity. The older a shade of the dead becomes, the less he remembers of his earthly existence, but the greater his power grows over both the dead and the living.

  Ghosts of the dead are the army of Nyarlathotep. They go everywhere, see everything, hear everything. They feed on the life-force of the living things, or on the newly dead from whom the heat has not yet departed. They walk our nightmares in tormented guise, filled with pain and despair and anger. Those dead the longest are recognized as demons, for all humanity has departed from them, and they have forgotten their former names. When a shade of the dead forgets its name, it loses all traces of its human identity. Yet it may acquire or be given a new name, a demonic name that has power over it. Necromancy is concerned with the names of the dead, for in their names lies power over these restless spirits.