Eroto-comatose lucidity
Encyclopedia
Eroto-comatose lucidity is a technique of sex magic
known best by its formulation by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley
, but which has several variations and is used in a number of ways by different spiritual communities. A common form of the ritual uses repeated sexual stimulation (but not to orgasm) to place the individual in a state between full sleep and full wakefulness as well as exhaustion, allowing the practitioner to commune with their god.
advises that the more sexually experienced the aides are, the better the ritual works, and that the aides be members of the opposite sex. Religious scholar Hugh B. Urban, however, concludes that, for Crowley, aides of the same gender as the ritualist (e.g., homosexual activity) was the highest stage of practice of this ritual.
In the first part of the ritual, the aides seek repeatedly both to arouse the ritualist sexually as well as to exhaust him. The ritualist is generally passive in this regard. There is disagreement over whether sexual arousal is enough, or sexual orgasm must be eventually accomplished. Crowley and others argue that orgasm must be avoided. Although later practitioners conclude that orgasm does not need to be avoided, that was how Crowley originally formulated the ritual. Most practitioners agree with Crowley that every means of arousal may be used, such as physical stimulation, genital stimulation, psychological stimulation, devices (such as sex toys), or drugs (like hashish
, marijuana, or other aphrodisiacs). There should be enough aides so that if one aide tires another may take his or her place. Eventually, the ritualist will tend to sink into sleep due to exhaustion.
In the second part of the ritual, the aides seek to come close to awakening the ritualist through sexual stimulation alone. The goal is not to fully awaken her or him, but rather to bring them to the brink of wakefulness. Not all authors agree that the ritualist seer will be in a state between sleep and wakefulness, instead noting that exhaustion will lead to a trance, or "sleep of lucidity." The ritualist should be neither too tired or uncomfortable to aid in the trance-like state. Once the ritualist reaches a near-waking state, sexual stimulation must stop. The ritualist-seer is then permitted to sink back toward (but not into) sleep. This step is repeated indefinitely until the ritualist reaches a state between sleep and wakefulness in which communing with a higher power may occur. Some say a goal during this time is to not become "lost" in the trance-like state, but to remain open without directing an outcome. The ritualist may also conduct spiritual work while in this state, or witness mystical events. Exhaustion may not be necessary for the ritualist who is "bodily pure," Crowley writes.
and then sink into a deep and "undisturbable" sleep. Or they sink into total sleep. Jason Newcomb, however, concludes that sexual exhaustion achieved through repeated orgasm may also lead to the ritualistic state and does not necessarily end the rite. Frater U.D., however, has argued that the orgasmic moment should not be lost, and that the individual should strive to use the moment for spiritual or magical purposes.
Upon wakening, the ritualist seer could, for example, write down everything he or she has experienced, witnessed, or been told. At least one author concludes that what is desired should be focused on throughout the rite, and that the individual should not be distracted from it or free of desire.
Crowley also intended that when men do the ritual, any semen
(or "elixir") produced by orgasm must be consumed by the ritualist, possibly in a Crowley inspired "Cake of Light
".
the rite is much simpler as well as a solo effort. In this version of the rite, a lone individual repeatedly masturbates to orgasm, visualizing the end sought. Writer Benjamin Walker
has argued that this is how the rite was taught by Crowley. Chaos magic
practitioner Peter J. Carroll distinguishes such "autoerotic" rites with visualization from eroto-comatose lucidity.
. In this rite, the aides use only the mouth to sexually exhaust the ritualist, and the intent of the aides must not be to assist the ritualist but rather to transfer the ritualist's own magical strength to themselves. Crowley claimed that when the ritualist is pushed to the point of death from sexual exhaustion in this way, the ritualist's spirit is enslaved by the aides and his or her power transferred to the aides.
Michael W. Ford has argued for alternative rites as well. His concept of Luciferianism
incorporates Crowley's ideas about sexual exhaustion, but concludes that the ritualist's will is what sends the spirit forth to bond with higher power. Ford argues for two methods of attaining sexual exhaustion and ascension: "Via Lilith" and "Via Cain." In the Lilith ritual, the room should be draped in crimson and black; music which inspires dark emotions, contains chanting, or contains horrific sounds should be played; and images of Lilith
, Lilitu, and succubi
should hang in the room. In the Cain
ritual, both the room and ritualist should be adorned with fetishes
of the Horned God
and symbols of Cain, and Middle Eastern music
should be played.
Other authors, however, have concluded that the rite can be traced back much earlier. Occult historian Allen H. Greenfield
has observed that there was a deep interest in sexual magic
and sex as a spiritual tool which began in the early-to-mid-19th century and built throughout the century. A number of spiritual sexual rites and practices were either allegedly rediscovered or created during this period.
Crowley wrote in his work De Arte Magica that eroto-comatose lucidity is also called the "sleep of Siloam" and both Allen Greenfield and Newcomb note that this rite preceded Crowley. They point out that Paschal Beverly Randolph
("arguably the single most important figure in the rise of modern sexual magic") called this ritualistic state the "sleep of Sialam." Randolph first discussed the "sleep of Sialam" in his 1873 work Ravalette, but described it at the time as a once-in-a-century prophetic trance. In later writings, Randolph used the term as a more general form of clairvoyant sleep used to understand spiritual things.
Helena Blavatsky may also have taught the technique, calling it the "Sleep of Siloam." In her 1877 work Isis Unveiled
, Blavatsky wrote that the trance must be induced through drugs rather than sexual exhaustion. Later, Blavatsky altered her understanding of the rite to mean that drug-induced trance-like state in which a new initiate first comprehends spiritual things. This was described in Blavatsky's 1888 work Secret Doctrine, and she taught that the ritualistic state allowed the individual to either commune with the gods, descend into hell, or perform spiritual acts. Blavatsky taught this was a deep sleep, but Newcomb notes that modern ritualists do not enter sleep but rather a state between sleep and wakefullness.
On the other hand, sexual practices used for spiritual purposes are not new. Eastern traditions within taoism
and tantrism also incorporated sexual rituals.
and Psychic TV
.
Sex magic
Sex magic is a term for various types of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using the energy of sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result...
known best by its formulation by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, but which has several variations and is used in a number of ways by different spiritual communities. A common form of the ritual uses repeated sexual stimulation (but not to orgasm) to place the individual in a state between full sleep and full wakefulness as well as exhaustion, allowing the practitioner to commune with their god.
The rite
Crowley first described the rite in a tract titled Eroto-Comatose Lucidity. The ritual as described by Crowley involves one "ritualist-seer" and several aides. Donald Michael KraigDonald Michael Kraig
Donald Michael Kraig is an American occult author and practitioner of ceremonial magic. Kraig has published six books, including his 1988 introduction to ceremonial magic, Modern Magick...
advises that the more sexually experienced the aides are, the better the ritual works, and that the aides be members of the opposite sex. Religious scholar Hugh B. Urban, however, concludes that, for Crowley, aides of the same gender as the ritualist (e.g., homosexual activity) was the highest stage of practice of this ritual.
In the first part of the ritual, the aides seek repeatedly both to arouse the ritualist sexually as well as to exhaust him. The ritualist is generally passive in this regard. There is disagreement over whether sexual arousal is enough, or sexual orgasm must be eventually accomplished. Crowley and others argue that orgasm must be avoided. Although later practitioners conclude that orgasm does not need to be avoided, that was how Crowley originally formulated the ritual. Most practitioners agree with Crowley that every means of arousal may be used, such as physical stimulation, genital stimulation, psychological stimulation, devices (such as sex toys), or drugs (like hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
, marijuana, or other aphrodisiacs). There should be enough aides so that if one aide tires another may take his or her place. Eventually, the ritualist will tend to sink into sleep due to exhaustion.
In the second part of the ritual, the aides seek to come close to awakening the ritualist through sexual stimulation alone. The goal is not to fully awaken her or him, but rather to bring them to the brink of wakefulness. Not all authors agree that the ritualist seer will be in a state between sleep and wakefulness, instead noting that exhaustion will lead to a trance, or "sleep of lucidity." The ritualist should be neither too tired or uncomfortable to aid in the trance-like state. Once the ritualist reaches a near-waking state, sexual stimulation must stop. The ritualist-seer is then permitted to sink back toward (but not into) sleep. This step is repeated indefinitely until the ritualist reaches a state between sleep and wakefulness in which communing with a higher power may occur. Some say a goal during this time is to not become "lost" in the trance-like state, but to remain open without directing an outcome. The ritualist may also conduct spiritual work while in this state, or witness mystical events. Exhaustion may not be necessary for the ritualist who is "bodily pure," Crowley writes.
How the ritual ends
The rite may end in one of two ways. The ritualist may achieve orgasmOrgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
and then sink into a deep and "undisturbable" sleep. Or they sink into total sleep. Jason Newcomb, however, concludes that sexual exhaustion achieved through repeated orgasm may also lead to the ritualistic state and does not necessarily end the rite. Frater U.D., however, has argued that the orgasmic moment should not be lost, and that the individual should strive to use the moment for spiritual or magical purposes.
Upon wakening, the ritualist seer could, for example, write down everything he or she has experienced, witnessed, or been told. At least one author concludes that what is desired should be focused on throughout the rite, and that the individual should not be distracted from it or free of desire.
Crowley also intended that when men do the ritual, any semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
(or "elixir") produced by orgasm must be consumed by the ritualist, possibly in a Crowley inspired "Cake of Light
Cake of Light
Cake of Light is the name of the eucharistic host found within Thelema, the religion founded by author and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1904. It contains honey, oil, and particular bodily fluids for the base ingredients, and is usually cooked in the shape of a small, flat wafer. It appears by name...
".
Ordo Templi Orientis practice of the ritual
As practiced by Ordo Templi OrientisOrdo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis is an international fraternal and religious organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century...
the rite is much simpler as well as a solo effort. In this version of the rite, a lone individual repeatedly masturbates to orgasm, visualizing the end sought. Writer Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker
Benjamin Walker is the truncated pen name of George Benjamin Walker, who also writes under the pseudonym Jivan Bhakar...
has argued that this is how the rite was taught by Crowley. Chaos magic
Chaos magic
Chaos magic is a school of the modern magical tradition which emphasizes the pragmatic use of belief systems and the creation of new and unorthodox methods.-General principles:...
practitioner Peter J. Carroll distinguishes such "autoerotic" rites with visualization from eroto-comatose lucidity.
Similar rites
A similar rite of sexual exhaustion described by Crowley leads not to spiritual communing but a sort of vampirismVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. In this rite, the aides use only the mouth to sexually exhaust the ritualist, and the intent of the aides must not be to assist the ritualist but rather to transfer the ritualist's own magical strength to themselves. Crowley claimed that when the ritualist is pushed to the point of death from sexual exhaustion in this way, the ritualist's spirit is enslaved by the aides and his or her power transferred to the aides.
Michael W. Ford has argued for alternative rites as well. His concept of Luciferianism
Luciferianism
Luciferianism is a belief system that venerates the essential characteristics that are affixed to Lucifer, originally a name referring to the planet Venus when it rises ahead of the Sun....
incorporates Crowley's ideas about sexual exhaustion, but concludes that the ritualist's will is what sends the spirit forth to bond with higher power. Ford argues for two methods of attaining sexual exhaustion and ascension: "Via Lilith" and "Via Cain." In the Lilith ritual, the room should be draped in crimson and black; music which inspires dark emotions, contains chanting, or contains horrific sounds should be played; and images of Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
, Lilitu, and succubi
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
should hang in the room. In the Cain
Cain and Abel
In the Hebrew Bible, Cain and Abel are two sons of Adam and Eve. The Qur'an mentions the story, calling them the two sons of Adam only....
ritual, both the room and ritualist should be adorned with fetishes
Fetishism
A fetish is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a man-made object that has power over others...
of the Horned God
Horned God
The Horned God is one of the two primary deities found in some European pagan religions. He is often given various names and epithets, and represents the male part of the religion's duotheistic theological system, the other part being the female Triple Goddess. In common Wiccan belief, he is...
and symbols of Cain, and Middle Eastern music
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
should be played.
History of the rite
Aleister Crowley documented the ritual. However, Crowley may not have been the originator of the rite, and may have learned about it from a female student first.Other authors, however, have concluded that the rite can be traced back much earlier. Occult historian Allen H. Greenfield
Allen H. Greenfield
Allen H. Greenfield , also known by his ecclesiastical name Tau Sir Hasirim, is an American occultist, ceremonial magician, UFOlogist, writer, editor, and Gnostic Bishop of Ecclesia Gnostica Universalis who resides in Atlanta, Georgia. His book The Story of the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light is one...
has observed that there was a deep interest in sexual magic
Sex magic
Sex magic is a term for various types of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using the energy of sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result...
and sex as a spiritual tool which began in the early-to-mid-19th century and built throughout the century. A number of spiritual sexual rites and practices were either allegedly rediscovered or created during this period.
Crowley wrote in his work De Arte Magica that eroto-comatose lucidity is also called the "sleep of Siloam" and both Allen Greenfield and Newcomb note that this rite preceded Crowley. They point out that Paschal Beverly Randolph
Paschal Beverly Randolph
Randolph also edited the Leader and the Messenger of Light between 1852 to 1861 and wrote for the Journal of Progress and Spiritual Telegraph .2 as anonymous.3 under the pseudonym "Count de St. Leon".- References :...
("arguably the single most important figure in the rise of modern sexual magic") called this ritualistic state the "sleep of Sialam." Randolph first discussed the "sleep of Sialam" in his 1873 work Ravalette, but described it at the time as a once-in-a-century prophetic trance. In later writings, Randolph used the term as a more general form of clairvoyant sleep used to understand spiritual things.
Helena Blavatsky may also have taught the technique, calling it the "Sleep of Siloam." In her 1877 work Isis Unveiled
Isis Unveiled
Isis Unveiled, published in 1877, is a book of esoteric philosophy, and was Helena Petrovna Blavatsky's first major work.The book discusses or quotes, among others, Plato, Plotinus, the Chaldean Oracles, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the Bible, Pythagoras, Ammonius Saccas, Porphyry, Iamblichus,...
, Blavatsky wrote that the trance must be induced through drugs rather than sexual exhaustion. Later, Blavatsky altered her understanding of the rite to mean that drug-induced trance-like state in which a new initiate first comprehends spiritual things. This was described in Blavatsky's 1888 work Secret Doctrine, and she taught that the ritualistic state allowed the individual to either commune with the gods, descend into hell, or perform spiritual acts. Blavatsky taught this was a deep sleep, but Newcomb notes that modern ritualists do not enter sleep but rather a state between sleep and wakefullness.
On the other hand, sexual practices used for spiritual purposes are not new. Eastern traditions within taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
and tantrism also incorporated sexual rituals.
The rite's influence
The rite and other sex magic practices have had a strong cultural influence. Crowley's concepts have been seized on by bands as diverse as Killing JokeKilling Joke
Killing Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
and Psychic TV
Psychic TV
Psychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
.
External links
- Text of Liber CDLI (451) - containing Aleister Crowley's description of the ritual