The Black Work Hermetic Course

Red Work Course Series

The Red Work series of Courses is designed to take a practitioner through the stages of the esoteric Alchemical Great Work as performed by a Hermetic magician. Each Phase of the Work concentrates on specific aspects of initiation and integration, as well as practical applications of the Work.

Course 1: The Black Work

The Black Work lays the basic foundation of this series of courses. The overall structure and cosmology that forms the framework of this system is reviewed and long term and short term goals are established.

The Student learns the basic conjuration formula used throughout the course, and begins integrating initiatory forces into their sphere of influence, and learns to deal with the issues that arise as one pursues the Great Work. Gently.

Course 2: The White Work

This course begins with the attainment of the Supernatural Assistant. It can be an arduous and long process, or it can take a couple of weeks, depending on the Student's level of attainment and experience in conjuring spirits. Those who have completed the course work of the Black Work should be properly prepared to acquire the Supernatural Assistant without too much hardship.

The course provides an overview of the role of the Supernatural Assistant, and explores the relationship between the magician and the Assistant. This relationship has two branches, the strictly practical and the purely Theurgical, and the intricate web of connections between.

The Chain of Manifestation is reviewed, and introductions to the Seven Flames before the Throne are arranged. Relationships with the Elementals are again touched upon, this time with firmer relationships with the Four Princes are established.

Remember, the Black Work is for people totally new to magic in general, or those who want a solid foundation of stuff that I know works based on my experiences. It's a lot of work and is the most expensive. This is the Hermetic Magic Basics class, the stuff you'd study in the first few degrees of an organized lodge. There's a lot of core doctrine teaching, with explanations of your role in relation to the world around you and the spirits above (and below) you. There's also a fair amount of practical Work, the creation of your altar, the creation/accumulation of magical tools, and introductions to the conjuration process I use most frequently. We'll be doing conjure rites with the Elemental spirits, as well as learning to work in harmony with the Spirits of Place, the Genii Loci. This course includes an exploration of the Emanations of our Mother, the Spiritus Mundi. As we go through this process, we'll begin the Great Work, begin turning up the spiritual heat and seeing the things that stop you from being who you were meant to be rise to the surface where they can be observed, contemplated, and addressed as needed. This course will include the establishment of a firm foundation in the Sphere of the Moon from which the White Work can begin.

The White Work is some major heavy lifting. We'll be aiming to attain the Solar/Supernatural Assistant, and that will be the bulk of the Work. A lot of shit rises to the surface. Hopefully the Black Work we've done will prepare you. We'll also explore the relationship between the magician and the assistant, and we'll Work on exploring in closer detail the practical and spiritual applications of your relationship with the spirit. I'll go over the things I've learned about Goety at this point, along with some heavy-handed warnings and not-so-subtle admonitions to avoid a particular grimoire that bites. We'll end this course with a series of introductions to the 7 Planetary Governors.

The Green Work will explore the Seven Heavens in detail.

I've broken up the Black Work Course into three phases, naming them as pretentiously as I could. This is still a tentative outline, because there's more I want to cram in there somewhere. I can't seem to think of everything just yet, but this is the minimum of what I plan to cover:

Neophyte

Introduction

You have Cleansed me with Hyssop, Oh Lord: Banishing and Cleansing Rites

The Art of Contemplation

Self Assessment: Whoever therefore shall know himself...

Cosmology

In the Beginning: The Creation of the World

First Father, Nous, Logos, Workman, Governors, Man

Spheres of Emanation

The Emerald Tablet: Map of the Great Work

Meet the Family: Dad and the Uncle-Aunts

Where are you from?

Spiritus Mundi: Hermetic Animism

Chain of Manifestation

Genii Loci

Meet the Family: Mom? Is that you? And you had kids!?

What are you?

Elementary

Elemental Hierarchy

Four Angels of the Corners of the World

Princes of the Four Angles of the World

Meet the Family: The Cousins

What makes you tick?

Apprentice

The Altar: Table of Manifestation

Altar Layout

Elemental Weapons

Planetary Talismans

Constellations and Mansions

The Lamp

Miscellaney

What do you do?

Conjuration

The Table of Practice

The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals

Variations

Elemental Initiations

What do you want?

Magic without Tools

The Astral Temple

Dream Work

Path Working through the Spheres

How are you going to get what you want?

Magician

About that Great Work

Who are you?

What's wrong with you?

Meet the Genius

The Threefold Keeper

The Genius and the Evil Daimon

Conjuration of the Genius

On Working with the Genius

Spiritual and Practical Applications

An Introduction to the Seven Planetary Governors