SHORT INTRO BIO
Denny Sargent (a.k.a.: Aion,
Hermeticusnath), writer, university teacher and practicing Eclectic
Ritualist, was
first introduced to Mythology & Magick in New York where he grew
up. He has since his early teens been accepted as a member of a
number of initiatory groups and esoteric associations.
In 1979 he
received his BA in Education and History. During this time he was one
of the founding editors of Mandragore, a journal of magick and eclectic
ritualism published in New York City. In 1981 he was awarded an
MA in Ancient History/Cross Cultural Studies from Western Washington
University where he also taught History for three years. His research
has included the magickal/religious traditions of Egypt, Sumeria,
Greece, Rome, China, Japan, South East Asia. India, Europe and Pacific
Northwest Indians (Kwakiutl). In the early 1980's he helped
found, write and edit Aeon and Kalika, journals that were concerned
with contemporary ritual practice and creative mythology.
From 1980
until today, the Western Magickal Tradition, Tantrika and Taoism have
formed increasingly important foci for his studies and writing.
In the mundane world he has taught at several colleges and academies
specializing in ESL and is currently an ESL Teacher Trainer teaching
Seattle University classes.
He has written for many different Pagan
and magickal magazines like Green Egg and Pangaia which carried his
column Worldwide Rituals for several years.
Denny taught and lived
and wrote for four years in Japan. There he was also a journalist for
Eye Ai Magazine, City Life News, Via Magazine, Tokyo Today, The Japan
International Journal, The Japan Times Weekly, The Tokyo Weekender,
Mini-World and the Asahi Evening News. Denny continues to engage in
extensive traveling and on-site research in Australia, China,
Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Hawaii, Mexico, Thailand, Costa
Rica, Peru, Nepal, Egypt, Cambodia, America and other countries
Interview with Fr.AION
Interview questions from Fr.KERVAL 93
from Brazil
Done 1/16/07- Aion 131
1-for me your
strong relationship with The God Pan is a kind of spiritual
marriage…so, how much has union transformed D.Sargent in a
magickal force known as AION
That is one of the most insightful questions anyone has ever asked me.
I was a Pagan in the 1970s, initiated into Wicca at 14 yrs old and
really just always knew I was a feral critter- most at home in the
woods- then I wnt camping alone in the mountains and BAM met Pan- I
wrote a poem about that first encounter:
PURPOSEFUL AIMLESSNESS
To reverse
unnatural ORDER of things
to untangle the twisted knots of
reversable inconsistents one must...
Dance
illogically ssspin & sing
Those songs never uttered
never known
...irrational...
evoke those presences
never felt
to see the
unknowable
realize the impossible
to find that which you
do not seek
That which you've always had
in your hands
Love and merge with the
fearful chaos
of life....laughing
And in such pursuits
ever mark ye
the print of the hoof...
After that, at college, in a state of walking trance one day I
‘got’ my motto- All Into One Into None- it seemed in a burst of insight
to me to be the formula of all attainment of Gnosis- at least from my
point of view.
= AIOIN- a few days later, I not being a Qabalist at that point, a
Soror of our circle (in NYC- The Grove of the Star & Snake)
informed me that my fixation- Pan- was 131 and so was AION- - I
realized that the second ‘into’- wasn’t really there in the formula-
because once Unity (one) exists- it is NONE- Kether is Tao….something
like that.
It was only later I discovered that Aion was a god form- another long
conversation-
Back to Pan- yes, spiritual, sexual, mental, emotional, energetic- the
Loa Pan possessed me in a sense-
But it wasn’t until years later that the Godform tapped me- slapped me
actually- and made me write the Book of Gate
http://www.psychicsophia.com/TempleofPan
Over the period of a few years- The wild coast of WA state, the San
Juan Islands (also wil) and…New York City! Such a sense of humor.
2- does…”all into
one into none” a kind of dissolution of your being into yourself, a
kind of creation & destruction of all your creative magickal will
into a concrete force in universe?
It is a recognition that the flashes of awakening I have had reveal a
terribly simple truth- the Is Nothing…
The line I like to use a lot is:
“There is Nothing, it Plays- that is ALL”- Pan indeed.
No matter what magickal paths and avenues I pursue, I always come back
to Taoism & the Tao
The root of being is non being.
3-is the mask of
AION a kind of astral magickal form of psychic energy transformed
into this physical plane?
Holy shit. I don’t know. What a questions!
I guess so- it is just a mask for some energy- when I was living as a
caretaker of a ski lodge in the high mountains (really) I had the
vision of each being as a ‘donut’ of energy, up & out , like a
magnet w/2 poles but- a hollow center- void filled ☺
Maybe Im that.
A big happy Tao-filled donut of orgone.
4-do you think its
important for you to respect nature to understand its powers and
attributes and to use it as integral parts in our innerself?
More than anything. Nature is All- Pan is merely a lens of the Goddess-
As the Tao The Ching says (not to beat this Taoist thing to death here)
‘How do I know all this is true? By observing Nature’
We damage Gaia, we kill ourselves.
5-talking about
nature…people think paganism is to worship dieties inside nature.from
my perspective paganism in its powerful facet is to know, understand
and to dominate with wisdom the cosmic laws which “inhabits” the earth.
Your opinion?
Im in agreement EXCEPT the word/idea of Dominate- quite the opposite.
The more one strives, the more harm one creates- to do without doing, a
terribly hard thing to do in this world, is my goal- I love sailing- no
one dominates in sailing. You steer, tack, come about, read the tides
and currents, cut the sails and feel your way with the wind and
weather. That is life when following your True Will- you are following
your Orbit- nothing more. When sailing, the smaller the ripples and the
wake, the faster and smoother you are going. Nature provides
everything- we have but to shut up, peel away the layers of
programming, REMEMBER what we always have known and honor all things on
the earth as alive. I once talked to an Uulchi Shaman (from Siberia)
and she said that the primary feeling one should always have when being
on the earth, with every footstep, is gratitude! THAT is paganism,
being (pagani) ‘of the Earth!)
6-man adapts its
own reality through senses.does a perfect way for man to understand his
own reality is to learn not to see but observe?
Neither, it is to KNOW: Thus Tantra, which means ‘to weave’- the
core of true Magick was never lost in the Tantrik lineages as it was in
the West due to the Xian plague- the core mysteries, the weaving of the
senses, of the sexes of all energies- this is magick
This is the same as GNOSIS or Knowing- the Western equivilant formula
is that of the Sphinx: Know, Will, Dare and Be Silent…
.
7-and from such
point (to observe) self-knowledge which patterns do you see in the
actual society to be “optimistic” for a kind of magickal evolutive
awakening?
Evolution is a painful process, it means change, change is always hard
because we become comfortable with our island-realities that float upon
the chaos universe- by saying ‘I am____’ or I have____’ we can exert
some stability and perceived continuity in our lives, make some sort of
order- the problem is that we then see all inescapable shifts, changes,
losses as disasters and towers- pain that we seek to avoid….yet Nature
and Evolution, either fortunately or unfortunately (depends on POV)
done ‘care’ obout the emotional security of individuals- there are
larger patterns at work here….
We are in general living longer
We have greater food supplies
Medical advances extend lifetimes
Information has exploded expidentially & pervasively
Something is slouching towards the new Bethlehem to be born….
8-in my opinion we
are in a magickal current moving from death to rebirth and from rebirth
to death (magickally talking) constantly. In which way do you think it
affects or help our magickal path to self-evolution?
LOL!
All of those concepts are dust- matter is energy, energy is matter- one
becomes the other- nothing is lost or found- only transformation. Or
the echo of it, exists…
Even that is a silly pile of dust-
I cant believe Im doing this- quoting myself….oy!
In my Book of Pan it says:
# No-thing has changed or ever was. All illusions change as rapidly as
That-which-projects-illusion changes. I am the Stage and incorporate
all Pieces in the Game as well as the Player
# Each Seed has an essence which it must fulfill as it grows... a rock
is there? Around. Lightening? A new shoot. Disease? A new branch. Until
it too becomes thatwhich will be a Seed again
# Nothing dies, the wit is to ask what is not always alive!
That says it better than I could
9-or do you think
nothing which is evolutive or involutive exists,when we break the
limits of your own perceptions and illusory universe?
No thing…….can/not……………..exist.
10-by the fact
universe is an illusion which emerges from nothingness. This illusion
,maya, malkkuth is the object from magickal work at earth is one of the
principal points in magickal with the purpose to complete the energy’s
circuit necessary for change?
Any map will do- maps that have been used by generations build up
both positive mana and momentem that can help you as well as ropes of
dogma and belief that can limit or restrict you- so, 2 aspects, one
action
Each World Image is a Gameboard, a mandala, a TREE-
“My hair, the trees of Eternity’
“Live like a tree walking” – AOS
I see the pattern in my hands outstreatched- look at your palms- 10
fingers = 10 spheres- the Tree of Life is encoded in our physical being
….and matter and energy are the same, so….
11-now,tell us
more about your actual activities with the magickal community and
your project “ the book of pan” ?
I am currently what could be called a ‘tantrick householder’ – a
wonderful title that Tantrick magick gives to those who choose a
magickal path alng with the mundane path od spouse, parent, worker etc-
I honestly see the most magickal things in my life as my work (Im an
ESL Teacher Trainer) and my family- especially my teenage autistic kid-
It is all magick- every day is some sort of initiation-
In terms of what others might call magick….
My art is #!- Im a ceramic artist, I ceate ritual vessels- some I sell
through a new age store, the larg hand built poeces are being collected
for a potential show- as I slide into o;ld age, I see myself as a
magickal ceramic artist- I got a new throwing wheel for my 50th
birthday and plan to create a studio at my home- I started with clay
magick in 1974- got very serious (a number of shows) decided the life
was too hard and slid into teaching ESL for 18 years- I now return…
I am also an author- mostly ‘occult’ books- and I see this as a crucial
arena for expressing myself to a wider magickal community- my books are:
BOOKS PUBLISHED:
Heal The Earth, An Environmental Textbook, Dawn Press,
Japan 1991
Global Ritualism, Myth and Magick Around the World, Llewellyn
Publishing 1994
Web site: http://www.psychicsophia.com/globalritualism.html
The Magical Garden, (with Sophia), Andrews McMeel
Publishing 2000
Web site: http://www.psychicsophia.com/magicalgarden/
The Tao of Birth Days, Tuttle Publishing 2001
Web site: http://www.psychicsophia.com/taoofbirthdays/
Your Guardian Angel & You, Redwheel/Weiser 2004
(out now)
Web site: http://www.psychicsophia.com/YourGuardianAngel/
Columns: Tokyo Today, City Life News (Tokyo), Pan Gaia
Magazine (USA)
Coming soon- published by Redwheel/Weiser : CLEAN SWEEP also titled,
Banishing!
I am hoping to do, in the future, books on Tantrika, Ancestor shrines,
Shinto and other topics-
The Book of Pan – mostly just bit on the web now at:
http://www.psychicsophia.com/TempleofPan
Is a looooong-term project I have to tackle- it is a whole system of
Nameless Aeon magick centered on a transmission I received-
The web site tells more.
For the record, beginning in 1972(?) I have been initiated and
involved with:
Pagan Way
CAW (church of all worlds)
Welsh Traditional Wicca (several covens)
CES (chirch of the eternal source)
The Grove of the Star & Snake (NYC)
The OTO (Kenneth Grant’s version- Iam an ex member- booted!!)
QBLH
Ordo Chaos
(Im missing a few others…Oh, Cult of Isis, Cultus Euphoroa….etc)
Nath Tantrik Lineage (Gurudev Mahendranath- I was initiated as a
tantrik in 1980)
Tibetan Buddhism (Sakya initiations- Green Tara, 21 Tara)
And, of course, the HML – horus maat lodge, which I helped found in – I
think- 1979
All of this is fun and interesting and means very little- most of
the interaction I have with the wider occult community outside of my
close family & friends- is through some elists and the HML
I manage the HML website (http//:www.horusmaat.com) and also edit a
much wider-audience web zine called SILVER STAR –
http://www.horusmaat.com/Silverstar
12-you travelled
here to Peru ,south America,which were the principal magickal
transmutations performed in such sacred land? Any sacred plants
consumed in your shamanic trips to meet god pan,heheh?
Sophia and I love to travel- we loved Peru but didn’t do any formal
rituals with indigenous peoples- but we did do many impromptu rites
earthing the Double Currest at various amazing & glowing sites –
like Macchu Picchu
Some of the key symbols we encountered- the stepped inca cross-
resonated powerfully for us…they are now part of our inner reality
13-all of us,has a
kaos in our innerself. To explore one and another different
magickal paths always mixing,experimenting,aborting…this is the sense
which you feel,understand kaos,in magickal context?
14-nowadays
technoshamanism or technoanimism,sems as to observe cyberspace as the
realm of mystical,magickal discovery and evolutive advance? Your point
here?
I think I said it all in my essay on cyberlodges:
http://www.horusmaat.com/silverstar/SILVERSTAR4-PG47.htm
15-does cyberspace
& magickal space are purely manifested in imagination,built by your
own thoughts & feelings?
Great question-
Yes and no ☺
We connect with others in many ways and that connection- as abstract as
it is in cyberspace- is as real as anything else- and as a
Taoist/Buddhist I truly think nothing IS real…
I once did a radio show pushing a book (Global Ritualism) and on it a
tech guy talked about cyberspace being the exoskeleton of a greater
consciousness or being- a group mind of the human race (what some call
N’Aton)- this is the evolutionary hope I think.
That being said, fantasy becomes reality- sci fi ideas like cloning-
total fantasy 20 years ago- have manifested- wwhat is the relationship
between cyberspace and the ‘akasha’ or magickal universe?
This is the great work =- to discover
Quantuum physics, string theory- all point to us creating our own
reality via perception- if so, then cyberspace and its limitlessness
opens up the possibilities of such manifestation to a galactic level!
I think, in this vein, we can ‘find’ ‘explore’ and/or ‘create’ magickal
realities in cyberspace- here is one example from my life- Starstone
temple:
http://www.horusmaat.com/silverstar/SILVERSTAR5-PG5.html
16-is one of the
principal goals at maat magick the preparation to our
meeting,knowledge,understanding of our specie with no- human
intelligences beyond any rational,irrational,logial,illogical platform?
Im just not sure of that for myself- I know that is what Nema thinks.
I guess so, since I think that we are going to end up doing that
eventually anyway-
But- and here I do have some strong feelings- it has become trendy in
the new occult movements to focus on interstellar ort alien beings- it
seems to me to be a bit Xian (they will save us!) and there is a real
possibility of mistaking the map for the territory here.
Inner work is inner work- I have see Cthulhu, Lam and any number of
other alien beings in dream- with some very wild and powerful results
(the Lam dream coincided with my bathroom mirror being inexplicably
flung across the room & smashed by noone…) but- what are we talking
about here? It is inner individual spiritual work- the ‘source’ of such
alien touches are inner- if they are ‘real’ is unimportant.
Nema and I have chatted about this- she has written and oftyen said
that humanity has to get its own house in order- I think she told me
once that alien intelligences had ‘quarentined’ earth until we evolved
properly-
SO- the key is this: we have to DO IT OURSELVES- all the alien stuff
wont help if we poison/nuke the planet- we have to evolve and awaken as
a species- no external force can help us in this great work- like a
bird emerging from a shell…
17-incubating the
maatian facton in our consiousness are we entering in an inner magickal
world balanced by synthesis and reintegration of our own senses?
Ha! That is completely up to you!
If you mean as a species, well, it seems to me that as the force and
fire of Horus electrocutes the planet, the instant-karma of Maat is
right behind it- a good example is Al Gore and his movie about global
warming- and suddenly- storms! Snow! Wake up call!
As a whole, our senses are being torn a bit away from the
mass-drugged-TV-stupor & sleepwalking nightmare of (what AOS called
so perfectly) THE HELL OF THE NORMAL.
18-when developing
a ritual we must be open to influx of “internal” & “external”
consiousness.an intense,intuitive transrational and ecstatic state of
self perfection and realization of reality in its fundamental and
ultimate aspects?
Here is a long snip from my book GLOBAL RITUALISM about this very thing-
Chapter 12
REVIEW
As we blithely swing through the myths, religions,
cultures and rituals of the world, it should be obvious that we are
only catching select glimpses of a number of massive subjects, like
views from a train window as it rushes through numerous countries and
odd landscapes. Yet just as days of these glimpses can bestow a sense
or feeling about a foreign country, so too (it is hoped) will this
overview generate some interesting ideas and conclusions concerning
ritual activity. This study of comparative religions and mythologies,
through the lense of rituals and ritual patterns, leaves us with a few
basic conclusions that neither call for belief nor encourage disbelief;
1. All cultures in every part of the world seems to
evolve myths and beliefs in similar ways if left to organically evolve.
2. Philosophical religions such as Buddhism, Islam
and Christianity sprung from (usually in reaction to) one of these
"organic" natural myth/belief systems and proceeded to impose their
teachings in an overt and "non-organic" manner.
3. The natural myths/beliefs/rituals of
pre-philosophical religious systems never truly disappear, they simply
reemerge in whatever system is imposed. Thus the Goddess became the
Virgin Mary, the Black Virgin of Guadelupe, the "sister" of Mohammed,
the "mother" of Buddha and so forth.
Again, without attaching any positive or negative
qualities, let's look just at ritual-making activity and come to some
general conclusions;
1. Human beings, no matter where they live on
the planet, are ritual-making creatures.
2. There are two main goals of all ritual activity
and these two goals are often inextricably entwined; to insure
prosperity and to access the divine or spiritual.
3. Virtually all of the more complex rituals in the
world generally follow the set pattern or "ritual blueprint" outlined
in this book, to wit;
Establishing Intent
Banishing
Creating the Sacred Space
Centering the Space
Invocation/Evocation: Magick
Offerings & Sacrifices
Concluding
"Postmortem" & Results
4. Though myths, myth systems, rituals, concepts of
divinity and ideas about the "spirit world" are widely different around
the world, most of these differences are essentially superficial. The
points of similarity are remarkable and in this light certain
generalizations can be made about all ritual-making cultures.
A. The divine is accessible
through a world (or dimension or state of mind) that is different from
the usual one.
B. Certain individuals, either
through natural gift, heredity, divine grace, hard work or ordination
may act as channels to/through this "other" dimension/world etc. and
thus have access to the divine.
C. The divine manifests in many
forms and with many different "personalities." Even the most
monotheistic cults agree to this in some sense.
D. Though the divine is manifest
in numerous powers, gods, forms, aspects, spirits, energies and so
forth, most ritualists accept that these many are indeed One (even if
this One is actually None). Even the most extreme polytheistic cults
agree to this in some sense.
E. The forces, powers and
physical manifestations of Nature (especially the human body) were the
first energies to be seen and ritually dealt with and are indeed the
root of all religious/myth systems of the world, whether they are now
acknowledged as being so or not.
The term "archetype" has been use rather liberally
in this text to indicate one of many powers, patterns, forms or
energies that are apparent and manifest in virtually every culture and
that seem to be deeply rooted within the Group Unconscious mind. Most
of these archetypes have historically been so identified with natural
forces or powers that they are seen as virtually identical, though
variations, shifts and differences are common.
These universal archetypes emerge in cultures in the
form of gods, spirits, kami, kachina and any number of other labels for
"immensely powerful supernatural being." Such personified natural
powers as the Earth Mother/Father, the Sky Father/Mother and the Sun
God/Goddess are all examples of trans-cultural archetypes.
One thing that seems to be a universal constant is
simply the existence of this archetypal complex, this system of humans
interacting with their creative intelligence, the various layers of
their unconscious mind and the world (physical and spiritual) around
them in search of the divine or magickal. Ritual, in a sense, is
humanity's method of attempting to find or create meaning and order in
the universe.
There are two anthropological schools of thought as
to why myths, ritual patterns and what has been referred to as
archetypes are so similar around the world, it is simply not important
to this treatise as to which is correct, but they may be of interest to
the reader.
The first school of thought points to dissemination.
In other words, these traditions, ideas and archetypes were formulated
somewhere (one could guess Africa, along with the origin of the
species) and then were spread by intercultural contact throughout the
world.
The second school of thought insists upon "parallel
evolution." The idea is that all people around the world have within
them these same archetypes because they share a "group unconscious" or
"genetic mind" from whence these patterns and powers emerge into the
myths and cultures of different lands, in (of course) slightly
different ways.
In either case, the conclusions concerning the
similarity of myths, rituals and deities still stand and, for all
practical purposes, the reason why this is so may matter little to the
practicing eclectic ritualist.
What is vital to the modern ritualist is that a true
appreciation as to the inner and historical lineages of the forces,
ideas and rituals he or she is working with is important to his or her
work. Aside from the aspect of it being novel and interesting, the fact
that there is very little "new under the sun" means that he or she is
(whether he or she realizes it) working with concepts, ideas and
practices that reach back into the dawn of human consciousness. In the
face of comparative ritualism, the concept of "traditions" or "direct
lineages," while still having power and validity, pale in comparison to
the literally infinite store of deeply identical ritual tradition and
practice as it has evolved in all places throughout time.
It is strongly suggested that a course of actual
ritual practice, creation and development be combined with a wide
ranging absorption of religious, anthropological, biological,
mythological and historical data from any and all cultures that seem to
"call" to one. Since we all share common genetic material and possibly
a "group mind," ideas of which cultural myths and practices are
"correct" are becoming less and less significant. A look at the "world
music" scene gives us vision of eclectic ritualism as it should
be viewed today. Much as electric guitar, African talking drums,
Japanese shakahatchi flutes, Greek mandolins, and so on are being
combined, so too can ritual aspects be blended. Jazz, Rock, Souk, Juju,
Pop and Latin styles of music all seem to be exclusive and disparaging
forms, each is a unique and intense expression of a particular culture.
Yet in the last few years we have seen adventuresome artists and other
musical "ritualists" combine and mate these various musics into new and
vital forms of expression.
Let this interesting and unique pattern of musical
progress be a model for the emergence of a new and more progressive
form of Eclectic Ritualism, a movement that has existed for some time
but in a fragmented and almost unconscious manner.
Most ritualists today who fall outside or on on the
fringe of organized religions or cults are indeed eclectic ritualists.
Yet the overall phenomena, what it signifies, how it seems to be
evolving (generally, always generally! Everyone's way is different and
unique) has not before been examined. Now that we have seen how
rituals, myths and methods of reaching the divine around the world seem
to follow similar patterns and conform to certain general beliefs,
let's examine the practical application of these disassociated ideas
and techniques for the practicing eclectic ritualist today!
19-how would be
the perfect world in the AION’s reality and how would you represent it
into a world, picture,number from your creative perspective?
>;-)=
Following are 2 pages from the TAO TE CHING that I think also summerize
a perfect reality for me….though, of course, words are useless…
25
Before the universe was born
there was something in the chaos of the
heavens.
It stands alone and empty,
solitary and unchanging.
It is
ever present and secure.
It may be regarded as the Mother of the
universe.
Because I do not know it's name,
I call it the Tao.
If
forced to give it a name,
I would call it 'Great'.
Because it is
Great means it is everywhere.
Being everywhere means it is eternal.
Being eternal means everything returns to it.
Tao is great.
Heaven
is great.
Earth is great.
Humanity is great.
Within the universe,
these are the four great things.
Humanity follows the earth.
Earth
follows Heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
The Tao follows only itself.
29
Do you want to rule the world and control it?
I don't think it can
ever be done.
The world is sacred vessel
and it can not be
controlled.
You will only it make it worse if you try.
It may slip
through your fingers and disappear.
Some are meant to lead,
and
others are meant to follow;
Some must always strain,
and others have
an easy time;
Some are naturally big and strong,
and others will
always be small;
Some will be protected and nurtured,
and others will
meet with destruction.
The Master accepts things as they are,
and
out of compassion avoids extravagance,
excess and the extremes.
20-a high pleasure
to have this long interesting conversation with you AION…”there is
nothing but all” keep on dancing with PAN!!!! IO Kaos!! IO PAN
Indeed-
ALL=PLAY=ALL
Or is it
PLAY=ALL-PLAY
Anyway, Joy & Play to you & yours!
HA!
Aion
FINALLY finished
1/16/07