Grimoire of the Necronomicon

by Donald Tyson

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  The Three Ranks

  Three ranks mark the levels of attainment among members of the Order of the Old Ones—Servant, Master, and Lord. All disciples who follow one of the seven ways pass through these grades, but not all attain the third and highest. Those who withdraw in fear before they reach the third level reject the Order, but they cannot reject the Old Ones, since they remain bound to them by their initial oath of obedience for the remainder of their lives, and at death their souls are taken, as are the souls of all others. They are not entered into the pages of the black book beneath the throne of chaos, for that honor belongs only to those who have attained enlightenment by means of one of the seven paths. No, they dance and whirl like dried husks in the wind around the chaos seat, becoming part of the dark maelstrom, and are lost in it.

  A petitioner to join the Order of the Old Ones becomes a Servant of the Order when he accepts the mark of the Old Ones, and recites the oath of obedience. To be a Servant of the Order is to carry out the commands given by the Masters of the Order. These commands concern the maintenance of the Order, the fulfillment of the works of the Old Ones upon the earth, and the study of ritual magic, which is the main duty of all Servants.

  No Master or Lord shall abuse his power by demeaning Servants of the Order, or by commanding them to perform unsuitable works. All members of the Order serve the Old Ones, whatever their rank. As they hope for favor and aid from their higher masters beyond the gates of Yog-Sothoth, so should they give favor and aid to those of lower rank who stand in need. Any Master who abuses a Servant is to be cast out and cursed. Any Lord who abuses a Master or a Servant is to be cast out and cursed.

  Servants conduct themselves at all times with utmost humility toward their brothers and sisters in chaos, aware that their rank is the lowest of the low, and that they have no station of authority within the Order. Yet toward those outside the ranks of the Order they conduct themselves as lords, for so much higher are they in attainment than even the wisest and most powerful man or woman who has not taken the oath of obedience to the Old Ones. They do not boast, or threaten, but bear themselves with dignity, and when a demand is made that they speak about forbidden secrets, they respond with silence. The wishes and wants of the uninitiated are like the barkings of dogs, unheeded by the wise.

  Where formal temples of the Order are maintained, it will be the duty of Servants to clean and repair them. It is also their task to guard these temples and ensure that they are not violated by the uninitiated, and to watch over them to prevent thefts and vandalism. Servants must study within the temples, where temples are available. Masters shall guide them in their studies. In those regions where no temples have been established, Servants may receive instruction at the homes of Masters, or where required by necessary in parks, plazas, or other private or public spaces in such corners and at such times when conversations will not be overheard.

  The office of Servant is to carry out the more mundane works of the Old Ones. Servants perform whatever tasks are necessary to service the temple, or to aid the work of Masters or Lords. Servants share in the conduct of the cycle of weekly rites to the seven lords of the Old Ones when these rites are worked within temples or in stone circles beneath the stars where members of the Order gather. They shall receive higher instruction from Masters concerning communications with the Old Ones that are psychically sent, or given in dreams.

  In this way, Servants began to form the personal ties of communication with the lords of the Old Ones and their lesser familiar creatures that will support their higher work in the Order. Through meditation and astral projection they seek the conversation and instruction of the Old Ones. They determine which of the seven paths they shall walk to the throne of chaos, whether through one of the four outer gates or one of the three inner gates, and begin their preliminary training for the future quest.

  Servants may petition to be elevated to the rank of Master after the elapse of one full year following the date on which they assumed the rank of Servant. They shall be examined on the equinox that follows most closely the date of their petition by a Master who has held that rank for at least one full year, if such is available, and if they demonstrate by their responses that they understand the astral workings of the rites, the fundamentals of general ceremonial magic, and have attained the ability to project their awareness on the astral plane and to perceive astral events, the Master may grant them the second rank. Servants who fail the first examination may petition for testing on the next equinox, and so on until their knowledge and practical skills have been deemed acceptable, and the second rank granted.

  A solitary practitioner who wishes to adore and work the rites of the Old Ones, having no Master to judge his fitness, shall assume the lowest rank of Servant and shall study with diligence and daily practice the rites for a full year. If he then believes himself fit for elevation to the second rank, on the equinox following the completion of a year of study, he may to be tested by the lord he has chosen for his mentor on the path to the black throne. This should be done ritually, within the stone circle, on the astral level. Absolute honesty is required, for if the higher lord denies the request, the judgment of the lord should be accepted until the next equinox.

  A solitary magician who joins a temple of the Order of the Old Ones, and who has at some previous date advanced himself in rank to the rank of Master, must be tested by the Master or Masters of that temple, and must accept their judgment regarding his fitness to hold his self-adopted rank. If they so order it, he shall be demoted back to the rank of Servant for further instruction, and tested on the next equinox.

  The mundane duties of those who hold the rank of Master involve executive decisions regarding the establishment or removal of Order temples, the acceptance of petitioners into the lowest rank of Servant within the temple, the disciplining of Order members both by overt and occult means, the casting out and cursing of members who have wantonly violated their oaths and obligations, and the composition of instruction guides for aiding the studies of Servants. Masters shall also compose and conduct unique rituals of magic for the attainment of desired purposes that forward the work of the Old Ones or benefit the lives of members of the Order and their agents.

  The esoteric duties of Masters involve sustaining links of communication with the lords of the Old Ones, for the purpose of receiving occult wisdom in dreams and through psychic channels, and maintaining the continuing prosperity and good fortune of the Order, as well as engaging in the quest for personal attainment that leads by one of the four outer or three inner ways to the ninety-three steps of the throne of chaos, where their names are entered in their own blood on the pages of the Necronomicon.

  When receiving communications from the Old Ones, they may be assisted by Servants who have demonstrated uncommon aptitude as psychics—for know that passive psychic perception is innate and does not need to be studied, although study and practice will strengthen it and render it more reliable. Some members of the Order will, by their natures, be more open to communications from the Old Ones, even though they be of the rank of Servant, and wise Masters will understand when and how to make use of their gifts.

  In their personal quest to stand before the black throne, there is none who may aid the Masters, since the needed transformations in body and mind can only be accomplished by the individual who walks along the way—they cannot be conferred by other Masters, no matter how long their seniority or what their level of attainment, no, not even by Lords. There is no set period for this quest, which may require one year or twenty years. Only when a Master succeeds in opening the gate of Yog-Sothoth on his chosen path will Nyarlathotep consent to become his guide, and only when the Crawling Chaos has revealed the way will the Master be enabled to walk the path, which is fraught with difficulty and peril, to the very steps of the black throne. This is a process of becoming that may require years of dedicated ritual work.

  Those
who succeed in reaching the black throne on the astral level shall sign their names in blood in the Necronomicon and receive a private mark on some part of their body from Nyarlathotep, as a token of their obedience to him and to the Work of the Trapezohedron. Or, they may choose to receive the mark of Azathoth in place of the mark of Nyarlathotep—this is a matter of personal choice and no coercion may be used to influence the choice. After returning in awareness to their physical bodies, they will find this mark, usually in some hidden place, when they search for it. This elevates them to the rank of Lord, for as the lords of the Old Ones rule the higher spheres through the gates of Yog-Sothoth, so do the Lords of the Order rule this lower sphere of men and beasts. Good fortune is theirs by virtue of the favor of the Old Ones, and they have the power to grant fortune to others or to withdraw it from those who have displeased them.

  The Lords of the Order shall maintain lines of communication with each other, no matter where they dwell or have their circles. In division is weakness, but in union is strength. All serve the Old Ones, regardless of rank or nation. There shall be no factional disorder between temples or leaders, but all division must be resolved by reasoned discussion. There is but one Necronomicon of which all others are mere copies, one stone circle of the art in many places, one gate of Yog-Sothoth that opens on many worlds, and one throne of chaos to unite all discords.

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  The Seven Ways

  The seven ways to the attainment of the throne of chaos are not to be found on any map, but are represented thematically by the seven directions of space that surround the stone circle, and by the lords of the Old Ones associated with those directions. Four of the ways are linked with the outer lords and are not beyond the capacity of most devoted practitioners, but three of the ways are tied to the inner lords and require the utmost dedication. Of those three, the way of the center, which is the path of Azathoth, is the most daunting. As a consequence, most disciples are advised to attempt one of the outer gates that are marked by the threshold rods beyond the stone circle. Let it be understood that no path is more worthy than the other six, for all lead to the same destination, the throne of chaos.

  It is the primary work of self-perfection for Masters of the Order to walk their chosen ways until they attain the black throne. Only by daily devotion to his path of attainment shall a Master be enabled to open the gate of Yog-Sothoth upon that way, and obtain the guidance of Nyarlathotep, the soul and messenger of the dancing gods. Only when guided by the Crawling Chaos shall a Master attain to the lowest of the ninety-three steps at the base of the chaos mount and climb them to the black throne.

  The north gate is the way of Yig. It involves physical austerities and self-sacrifice, and the disciplining of the body through sustained postures and controlled breathing. Masters who follow this path will control their diet and will harden their bodies with daily exercise. They will cultivate self-discipline through denial of their impulses and passions. Trials of physical endurance that expose the body to hardship and fatigue will open the north gate. Masters who walk this path must take care not to damage the vehicle of their flesh through an excess of zeal. They make Yig their patron lord, and call upon this lord of the Old One for strength to endure, and for guidance in their austerities.

  The east gate is the way of Shub-Niggurath. It relies on heightened sexual energies to awaken psychic and magic abilities. Masters who walk this path submerge themselves in pleasurable sensations, and indulge in various forms of sexual excess, in order to achieve the maximum arousal of sexual energy from its sleeping place at the base of the spine. They make the obscene goddess Shub-Niggurath their patroness and invoke her unceasingly into their lives, and into their beds. She comes to them in dreams and lies with them, and whispers the secrets they require to open the east gate. Masters who worship Shub-Niggurath as the key to the gate must have a care to avoid becoming so lost in pleasure that they forget their higher purpose.

  The south gate is the way of Cthulhu. It requires intense training of the will, until it is made into a sharp weapon that can thrust through all obstacles and dominate all opponents. Masters who tread the path of Cthulhu use martial exercises of the body and mind to increase determination, training in combat with the knife, the sword, the staff, and the gun, as well as with the bare hands. They practice concentration and visualization, until they can hold their intention unwaveringly for hours on any object or idea, and can conceive images in their minds with all the clarity of normal vision. They may acquire the ability to project their thoughts into the minds of others, and even to direct the actions of others with thought alone, just as mighty Cthulhu once commanded his worshippers from his house on R’lyeh with thought alone. They are able to pierce veils of deception and illusion, to see deeply into the hearts of other men. Their potent will gives them command over lesser beings.

  The west gate is the way of Dagon. It is the path of the intellectual study of arcane knowledge. Masters who tread this path become scholars of all forms of the occult arts, and seek learning from ancient books and revered teachers both in this material sphere and on higher astral spheres. Their study includes the making of sigils, the vibration of words of power, various forms of divination, the use of gates and portals, and also the summoning and commanding of spirits. They make themselves wise in the lore of the higher realms and their inhabitants. They call upon Dagon, who is as old as time and great in wisdom, as their patron lord, and request that he instruct them in the subjects they must study in order to acquire the degree of attainment that will win the approval of Nyarlathotep, for only the chaos that crawls can guide the way to the black throne.

  These are the four outer gates: the north gate of Yig is the way of physical discipline and austerities, the east gate of Shub-Niggurath the way of sensual indulgence, the south gate of Cthulhu the way of willful dominance, and the west gate of Dagon the way of deep scholarship. All gates are different in appearance, yet all open on dark and perilous roads that end at the black throne of Azathoth at the vortex of ultimate chaos. It is difficult to walk these roads, and impossible to avoid wandering into the wilderness without a guide. Only Nyarlathotep can show the way. Open the gate through your devotion to the path you have chosen, and the Crawling Chaos will await you on the other side. Obey his instructions, and he will lead you to the black throne.

  Approach to the throne may also be had through the three inner gates of the higher lords, but these ways are more difficult and fraught with dangers that cannot be predicted. The inner gates are so termed because they are marked by the altar rods at the center of the stone circle, and are associated with the vertical axis of space.

  The upper gate of Yog-Sothoth is opened by the perfection of the art of astral travel and familiarity with the spiritual creatures that dwell on the astral planes, each of which is a separate world with its own landscape and inhabitants. The blue rod of the altar marks its way of approach. Projection of the astral shell is of necessity the study of the disciples of all seven gates, but those who place themselves under the guidance of Yog-Sothoth seek to excel in it and to master its use. This first of the inner ways differs from the four outer ways in not employing an external training or discipline—for the way of Yig concerns perfection of the body, the way of Shub-Niggurath the exploration of sensations, the way of Cthulhu mastery of combat and the will, and the way of Dagon the study of texts and other outwardly recorded teachings.

  The lower gate of Nyarlathotep is passed by dedication to dark works of necromancy, and close communication with the shades of the dead. The orange rod of the altar marks it. By the creatures and trappings of death is the disciple exalted and perfected. He makes as his study all dead things, and all trappings associated with death and the tomb, and acquires wisdom from the shades who flock to his circle. To follow the way of this inner gate is a perilous undertaking for the disciple, who suffers a threefold return in consequence for any outrage he may commit against the sanctity of the
dead, either knowingly or by chance. Nyarlathotep will guide him in learning the skills of necromancy, but will not protect him from the consequences. Only those with a natural affinity for death should choose this approach to the black throne.

  The central gate of Azathoth is opened by means of meditation on nothingness. Although it is marked by the yellow rod of the altar, no transition along a path is necessary in order to pass through this inner gate, since it resides at the center of the self. Those who choose to follow this path return to where they began, and discover the black throne by seeking within their own mind and heart. Yet it is necessary to venture far through tangled wildernesses of confusion and doubt before the end of the quest is attained. Meditation is done in a seated posture. The mind is made as empty as that of Azathoth, and the eyes are closed to simulate the blindness of the lord of chaos. Music and chants may be used as an aid in meditation, but in the end there is only silence.

  When at last you stand at the lowermost step of the throne mount, the heavens of chaos filled with the darkly glittering vortex of lost souls that forever mingle their howls of despair with the uncertain music of Azathoth’s cracked flute, you must climb the steps without assistance. Then will your months or years of training on the quest be tested, for each of the ninety-three stairs on the hell mount is a test. Nyarlathotep will watch in amusement but will not intervene. If you falter, your soul will be ripped away from your astral body on the whirling wind and lost before it can be dedicated to the Work of the Trapezohedron.

  If you reach the throne, Nyarlathotep will remove the Necronomicon from its shadowed space beneath the black seat and set it open upon the very air itself. You will be given the chance to turn its pages, if you dare. Then the Crawling Chaos will cut your astral body so that you bleed, giving you a mark that you will wear for the remainder of your earthly life, and beyond, for the mark made in the astral shell shows itself upon the living flesh. From this blood you must sign your name in the book of the laws of the dead, and must pledge yourself body and soul to the Old Ones and their higher purposes.