Samael in images

When I wrote Samael, it played in front of my eyes, just as if I were watching a movie.  I could see each scene so clearly. I knew exactly what each character looked like, what they sounded like, what they smelled like.  And the same for the locations - each house, each field, each wood.  Part of the joy of reading a book is, to me, making one's own assocations; of putting one's own imagination to work.  And so I did wonder about making up a Pinterest board for Samael.
But, then again, I thought how much I'd love to see the inspiration behind some of my own favourite books.  Movies are never quite the same because so often the author is not part of the equation (though the Harry Potter series is an exception of course).
Anyhow, I have made the board (and also ones for the two sequels) so do take a look and tell me what you think.
In the meantime, a few of my favourite images...

This is how I imagine Tabitha...slowly emerging from ice, becoming more real as Gen moves towards her, away from her own mother...

Not quite Zeke, but not far off really...the body's there, and the tatts... Not too surprising that Gen feels a frisson, huh?

The sound of the violin echoes through Samael.  Both Samael and Zeke play exceedingly well - as they prove at their epic battle at the band's gig.

Something so poignant and macabre about this image.  All those lost children... dead childhood. Abandoned toys in Samael's chest. Who stole them?

So nearly Star.  Star's hair is usually neon pink - and she prefers Converse most of the time...but I'm sure she'd have a go at orange and DMs... And yeah, she really shouldn't smoke - it will wreck her skin and give her foul breath!

No picture of Samael?  Of course not. I know exactly how he looks.  But how you think he looks...well, I leave that to your imagination.  Some loves should never be pinned down and dissected too far. :-)

On sigils, words and magic

Samael gives Gen a necklace with his sigil, or magical sign, attached.  It’s a risky move on his part as knowing someone’s true name can give you power over them.  In ceremonial magic, a mage may use the sign that represents the true name of an angel or demon in order to summon the being – and ask or demand it does your will. 

Kabbalah teaches that letters possess energy so that, when you combine letters to make words – and specifically names – with intent -  you are performing magic.  Words are powerful.  Why do people never realise this?  Why do people use words so carelessly?  Be extremely careful of the words you use and how you use them – there could be long-lasting ramifications!

In Tanit, the sequel to Samael, sigils are used in a different, more creative way.  Instead of just using them to summon or control entities, they are also employed to manifest outcomes.  Instead of borrowing a traditional accepted form, the mages make their own.  And you know what?  You could too. 

Why are sigils so powerful?  Because the conscious mind cannot perform true magic – in fact thought inhibits magic.  It’s the subconscious mind which performs magic. You need something that is liminal, that can float between conscious and unconscious, some way of planting magical intent into the subconscious so it can unconsciously manipulate quantum potentiality to bring *physical* results.

What is that liminal something?  Yup - sigils.  A sigil is a sleight of hand trick to breach the barriers of the subconscious.  You can achieve the same effect via shamanism (employing altered states of consciousness through drugs or deep  meditation or disordering the senses through sound) or via traditional ceremonial magic (which also uses symbols but that takes a heck of a long training).

Sigils, on the other hand, are quick. 

It’s not chance, by the way, that the name sigil is also used in modern circuit boards, in computer programming – a sigil is a mystical circuit diagram.  By using sigils you are programming, you are creating, you are manifesting an outcome.  Think about it.  Seriously. 

How you make a sigil depends on your proclivities.  They can be physical or mental or even virtual, but physical sigils are far easier to control.  Visual sigils are the most common but you can create audio sigils or even tactile sigils.  What you create usually depends on your preferred mode of communication – whether you are predominantly visual, auditory or kinaesthetic in your approach to life.

Basically a sigil consists of the words of a statement of intent reduced into an abstract design.  The sigil is then charged (there are various methods) with the will and intent of the sigil-maker. 

Shall I tell you how to do it?  Nah.  Go find out for yourself…  It’s not that hard.

Now, here’s another interesting thing…  A hypersigil is an extended form of sigil – a work of art created with magical meaning, intent and will. I’ve experimented with these over the years, in various forms.  Interesting, huh? 

The 42 Assessors

Samael takes Gen onto the astral plane, up, up, up through the pathways, the keys, of the Tree of Life to the sephirah, or sphere, known as Geburah.   

Geburah is home to the Halls of Justice, where – after death – we are met by the Forty-Two Assessors.  These spiritual judges look deep in our eyes and question us, one after another, as to how we spent our time, this life-time, on Earth.  The questions are asked in quiet even voices and there is no possibility of lying; there is no wriggling out of it; no avoidance; no mitigating circumstances. 

We simply cannot lie.

The truth wells up from inside us.  We speak the truth, despite our fear.

Nobody is perfect. Nobody is totally pure.  But we can only hope.  

The Questions of the Forty-Two Assessors

1.       Hast though given due thought to the body inhabited by thee?

2.       Hast thou lived the fullness of time allotted to thee?

3.       Hast thou refrained from being unclean in body and mind?

4.       Has thou loved with the body, only where the heart is also?

5.       Hast thou had knowledge of those forbidden to thee?

6.       Hast thou kept thee only to the sword or the distaff?

7.       Hast thou respected the bodies of the younger brethren?

8.       Hast thou stolen?

9.       Hast thou taken food and drink to excess?

10.   Hast thou killed?

11.   Hast thou spoken unjustly in anger?

12.   Hast thou looked upon the goods of others in envy?

13.   Hast thou known jealousy?

14.   Hast thou spoken ill of any man or woman in anger?

15.   Hast though been undiligent in work?

16.   Hast thou profaned the mysteries?

17.   Hast thou known pride in thyself that is false?

18.   Hast thou strayed from the path allotted thee?

19.   Hast thou lusted for precious metals?

20.   Hast thou been too worldly?

21.   Hast thou been just in thy dealings in the market place?

22.   Hast thou replayed all debts promptly?

23.   Hast thou been generous to the needy?

24.   Hast thou lied to gain from others?

25.   Hast thy tongue been as a viper to cause laughter in others?

26.   Hast thou been a friend?

27.   Hast thou hated another to the exclusion of all else?

28.   Hast thou lent thy body to any from the other side?

29.   Hast thou been thy parents’ joy?

30.   Hast thou honoured all faiths that are of the Light?

31.   Hast thou given time to be at peace with the gods?

32.   Hast thou turned aside from wisdom given in love?

33.   Hast thou listened to that which is not for thy ears?

34.   Hast thou lived in the Light?

35.   Hast thou been a sword for the weak?

36.   Hast thou enslaved any other life?

37.   Hast thou faced the mirror of self?

38.   Hast thou taken the words of his mouth from any man as thy own?

39.   Hast thou known that all journeys end but to begin?

40.   Hast thou remembered all the brethren of the Earth, and been compassionate to those younger brethren who serve thee as beasts in the field and the home?

41.   Hast thou ever worked man or beast beyond its strength in thy greed?

We may feel rather small after this.  After all, who hasn’t gossiped?  Who hasn’t sniped or been mean or eavesdropped?  Who hasn’t fallen out with her parents, or told the odd lie?   

However there is one last question which may save our souls. 

The forty-second assessor asks this question:  Is there one upon the Earth who is glad thou hast lived?

It’s our get out of jail card.  Just maybe.

Footnote for maths geeks like Gen....think about Sedenions.... The Tibetan Book of the Dead has 58 angry demons and 42 happy Buddhas - hence 100 in all = 5 * 16 + 2*10 = 100 distinct units in the interlinked 5-fold "unit quaternion" ensemble. Soooo.....we have the 42 Assessors and then focus in on one of the seven isomorphic box-kites; then focus in further on the second box-kite which has its struts defined by upper vs. lower case letters, and the triple zigzag analog being the "all lowercase" sail..  Or not. :)

The beach

The wave was vast, a wall of water and, for a moment, I panicked.  I couldn’t see ‘my’ surfer.  How ridiculous was that?  My surfer.  But no, there he was and – Oh My God – could he surf?  These weren’t the gargantuan waves of Hawaii or California but they weren’t tiddlers either and he rode this one like a pro, swooping low, slicing through, not a foot wrong. 

As he neared the beach my heart did a double flip.  That tall, sinewy body, albeit clad in a full body suit, was oh so familiar. So too the long blonde hair, wet tendrils down his neck. 

I stepped back, my hand flying to my mouth.  As he jumped easily off the  board and stalked through the water towards me, I could only say one word.

‘Samael.’

‘Genevieve.’

My heart gave such a lurch I thought it would jump clean out of me.  I knew I should be wary; I knew I should confront him about the stuff in the chest – but my body was telling me a whole different story. 
A smile simmered round those slim cool lips.  I felt my body tug towards him, as if we were magnets inexorably attracted, unable to resist.  He scooted the board onto the sand and shook out his hair, like a dog.
‘Hey, I’ll get wet.’
‘So?’  He grabbed my hands and pulled me towards him.  I felt my body slam into his rock hard chest, my thighs rubbed against wet neoprene.  He let himself fall backwards into the water, pulling me with him, twining his hands into my hair. I tried to pull away, tried to remember my doubts, but it was impossible.
Then his lips were on mine and my senses fell into overload.  Every cell of my body tingled at his touch.
‘It’s not fair,’ I gasped, freeing my mouth for a moment.  ‘I’m virtually naked and you’re all covered up in a wetsuit.’
'That can easily be remedied,’ he said, kneeling up and reaching behind his shoulder to tug down the zip.
‘Oh.’ I felt myself flare red. ‘I didn’t mean that.’
‘I know you didn’t,’ he said with a grin, shrugging his arms out of the suit and pulling it down, revealing a broad chest and the start of a serious six-pack.  A silver chain hung round his neck, with what looked like a magical symbol dangling from it.  He pulled me up and stared down at me, his head slanted to one side.

‘I’m sorry I left you. There were things I had to do.’
‘Like what?’  There was probably a simple explanation, right?
‘Just things.’  He shrugged and stroked a tendril of hair from my face.

From Samael, Chapter Twenty

On Protecting Oneself from Demons

Can you summon demons?  Oh yes.  Should you summon demons?  Probably not.  

Actually demons tend to find us, rather than vice versa.  And when they do?  Well then…you can’t run…you couldn’t run fast enough.  You could fight.  Fighting is always an option.  But you need to be strong.  Before it gets to that stage, you need to protect yourself. 

Kate Bush obviously knows about this.  In her song, Lily, she includes a potent Kabbalistic protection ritual… listen to it…

And she’s right. You can protect yourself with the Elements. With Angels. With Fire.

Stand up straight.  Imagine yourself here, now.  Your feet are rooted on the ground, solid, protected by Earth.  Now feel yourself straighten, as if someone had affixed a string to the top of your scalp and were softly tugging it.  You are connected to Heaven by Air.  Your shoulders relax; your chest softens.  You are pulled to your heart by Fire.  Your hips are centred; your tail tucked under. You are drawn to your sexuality by Water. 

Now then.  Stretch out your hands ahead of you.  Say out loud, or in your head: “In the East, Raphael.”  Imagine a great figure, his face the brightness of the sun, his robes shimmering amber and gold, standing before you. A flaming pentragram shoots out to the furthest point in space and reflects back Divine Light.

Sweep your hands up over your head so your fingers point behind you. “In the West, Gabriel.”  Another vast figure protects your back – you can feel rather than see the great wings of violet and silver, folded; sense his green eyes.  Again, sense that pentagram shooting out.

Stretch out your right hand.  “In the South, Michael.”  Orange cloak thrown back to reveal his breastplate of gold; his sword tinged with fire.  And again, a pentagram... 

Stretch out your left hand. “In the North, Uriel.”  A figure so tall, so silent. He is robed in black and yellow, his eyes grey and far-seeing, so sharp it is said he can see infinity.  And yes, once more, to infinity indeed (maybe not beyond!).

“I stand tall and strong, in the circle of Fire.  About me flame the Pentagrams; behind me shines the Six-Rayed Star.  Above my head is the Glory of God, in whose hands is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.”

There are mantras too...protect yourself by chanting them on a daily basis, to attune yourself with the powers of Light...

This is the one Kate Bush uses....

The Gayatri

O Thou who gives sustenance to the Universe,
From Whom all things proceed,
And to Whom all things return,
Unveil to us the face of the true Spiritual Sun,
Hidden by a disc of golden light,
That we may know the truth,
And do our whole duty
As we journey to Thy Sacred Feet.

Or there is this...

Mantram of the Disciples

I am a point of light within a greater Light.
I am a strand of loving energy
Within the stream of Love divine.

I am a point of sacrificial Fire,
Focused within the fiery Will of God.
And thus I stand.

I am a way by which men may achieve.
I am a source of strength, enabling them to stand.
I am a beam of light, shining upon their way.
And thus I stand.

And standing thus, revolve
And tread this way the ways of men,
And know the ways of God.
And thus I stand.

“The potency of a mantra (or mantram) depends upon the point in evolution of the one who uses it. Uttered by an ordinary person it serves to stimulate the good within and to protect. It will also prove of beneficent influence upon one's life and environment. Uttered by an adept or initiate its possibilities for good are infinite and far-reaching.”
 A Treatise on Cosmic Fire, by A.A. Bailey

Then again....you could simply not go after demons in the first place...  :)

Gen should have thought about this...If only she'd known...right back when it all began....

Tanit - the sequel starts

Well, I gave it a shot.  I started Tanit, the sequel to Samael, at the beginning of November to tie in with NaNoWriMo.  I really hoped I could get 50K words under my belt by the end of the month.  But it didn't pan out. 
I found that having to write to order in quite such a formulaic way just didn't suit me.  But it did give me a kickstart and the book is coming on pretty well. 
This time the focus moves to London.  Gen is back living at home with her dad and stepmum and trying to fit into school after the events of the summer.  She's feeling pretty low. 

Everyone around her seems to be doing great. Her mother and Vivienne are all loved up and have returned to Texas. Zeke has a record contract and is flying.  Star is living her deam as part of a strange alternative circus, The Circus of the Macabre. 
Meanwhile Gen has hit rock bottom.  She's lost her man, lost her mojo and now she may be losing her home.  To make matters worse, there's a creepy guy following her and some crazy idiots are trying to break into hell.  The dead are coming back to life and an ancient (and madly unhinged) goddess is regaining power.
Zeke reckons it's time to call in the cavalry but, oops, the archangels seem to be deserting their posts in droves.
This time it isn't just Shadowcombe in danger - it's a whole city.  While everyone else seems hell-bent on leaving the abyss, Gen has no choice.  She has to find Samael.  She has to find a way back in.