Introduction to the Draconian Path (Part 2)
What is Draconian Path?
The first thing that I am going to unveil is the great mystery, the Draconian Path, as we know it today, is a modern practice. It has no origins in the annals of history, far from it. Although there are people who claim that this has a much older origin, this is not the case. The first known order that begins working with this path and shapes it is Dragon Rouge in the 1980s. Thomas Karlsson, founder of the order was inspired by the work of Kenneth Grant and other occult sources. Years later, the order became popular thanks to the musical band Therion. At the same time, Karlsson took from other sources to organize his order, so he was inspired by the existing models of the Tree of Life, to form the initiatory degrees of his order, only that instead of using the Light Tree, he used, and continues to use, the Tree of Shadows or Tree of the Qlipoth. Although I do not share the hierarchical and bureaucratic methods of the order, it cannot fail to recognize that many of us have emerged from Dragon Rouge, not only me, orders such as the ancient Magan Lodge, Mandragora Nox among others. It would be very unfair of me not to mention this, as I have always considered Dragon Rouge courses to be excellent and have all the information for a Neophyte to become a true Initiate. There is no more mystery than this, the path indeed finds inspiration in very ancient cultures, such as Sumer, Babylonian, Egyptian, among others. But it is not possible to say that there is an uninterrupted lineage, because there is no such lineage, it is because of this that everything is so experimental, the little material that there is on the subject, are writings of modern magicians, people of the current world who strive to transmit what they have discovered and put it into a book.
As I have said, the Draconian Path is inspired by different religions, myths and ancient knowledge, where the Dragon and the Serpent play a key role in the vision of this culture, these beings are associated with the Primal Chaos, with the Darkness, play the role of Adversaries and have a fundamental role in these mythologies. Following this idea, it is possible to work with the path from many different points of view, we can work with Tiamat, the Dragon Goddess of the Primal Void, or with Leviathan, another figure related to the Void. But the work on the path is not limited only to Dragon Gods or Serpents, but also to dark figures who have been misunderstood or given a devilish form due to ignorance or the bad intention of others. Thus, Lilith plays a hegemonic role in the entire initiation process, but so does Samael, her dark consort. Lucifer is another emblematic figure who plays a fundamental role and who appears with different masks and each one can play a hegemonic role in the initiation, this will be discussed later when you talk about the gods themselves.
If we take all this into account, we can simply deduce that the lineages on the path are almost non-existent, the initiate soon discovers that there is no other initiate who can lead him along the path towards self-deification, but you can establish a temporary alliance either to work on advanced projects or to receive instruction from those who have already gone through the same process. But this trip, and I will not tire of saying it, is something completely personal, each one has his trip. And this journey, at first, is to enter into one’s darkness, it is to come into contact with our personal Shadow, our taboos, fears, fantasies, and repressed desires. This process has an intimate relationship with Alchemy, here the concept of Solve or dissolution is the first thing that the magician does, he begins by disintegrating all those aspects that do not serve in his being and that therefore hinder his work on the path, to then go through the process of Cuagula or integration. In other words, the initiate immerses himself in the darkness of his being, eliminates what is useless, and brings to light his conscience those aspects that were asleep or blocked, whether due to fears, doubts, conditioning, etc.
Of course, this can be dangerous if there is no balance, something that should always be kept in mind, not because we find something inside us that seems dark, macabre or considered taboo by the society in which we live, we have to put it into practice, simply we have to understand it as a part of our self and learn to control, the first ordeal in initiation is that, to control the Shadow or we will be controlled by it and this will lead us to complete self-destruction. Again, the keyword here is balance, and it is for this very reason that I cannot recommend undertaking this journey to people without the maturation of mind and life, as it could lead you along paths from which you will have no return.
Following the Sinister Path is not wearing black clothes and listening to dark music, or wearing an inverted pentacle around your neck, if that is your fashion, go ahead, but do not confuse following a dark path with wearing in black. Moreover, I have known a person for many years, she is an advanced person on the path, and with a big smile on her face and colorful clothes, she has carried out the most perverse rites, and the darkest forms of magic. Darkness is something that is carried within and is inherent in every human being, do not let appearances fool you. However, that does not mean that you cannot express yourself, through art, music, or wearing in black, all forms of self-expression are more than welcome on this path.
Finally and to close this chapter, something that you will have to take into account from now on, this is a path that lasts forever, it is not a hobby or a pastime, it is something serious that must be done seriously. Practice makes perfect, but you should not fall into obsessions or mystical delusions, you need a ground wire, this wire can be anything far from magic, a movie, read a novel, paint a picture, go out with friends, studying gardening, this is also an essential part of the magician’s balance. As the path has quick results, perhaps much faster than other paths, it is easy to fall into an attitude of superiority, error, we are all learning something here, we are all human beings, some choose or have been chosen by the path, but that does not it makes us better than anyone, neither wiser nor outside the system, those who claim to be enlightened, as a rule, are not, those who have reached an advanced stage do not boast about it all the time, it is simply not necessary.
Having said all this, let the journey continue …
Ho Drakon Ho Megas!
Daemon Barzai