A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

The methods and techniques outlined in The Miracle of New Avatar Power by Geof Gray-Cobb

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radarlove23
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A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#1 » Sat May 12, 2018 4:30 pm

Hiya, pals! Welcome to Pan-anal Panama!

This here is going to be a faithful log and account of my work with the NAP system. I will be popping into this thread from time to time to give updates, and I strongly encourage feedback and witty banter! I realize some of this might get a bit dry, but I will try to interject the occasional knee-slapper to keep you engaged.

This first post will simply be an assessment of my current ritual practice and background, so that you can get to know me a little better.

Sex: Male
Age: 40ish
Location: West Coast US, large city
Religious Background: Roman Catholicism (lapsed)
Esoteric Studies Background: (Teens)Wicca, Paganism, Druidry, Discordia, Pendulum & Runic Divination; (Twenties)Angelology, non-traditional and Gnostic Christianity, western magickal organizations; (Thirties)Hermeticism, Alchemy(both western and Taoist), tarot, Chaos magick, Gallery of Magick modern grimoires

Daily Work: Dream Journal, Gratitude Journal, Tarot (one card draw), Energy body stimulation, dantian energy storage, and chakra stimulation using Robert Bruce's techniques (amounts to about 30min of energy work), 5-10 minutes of basic meditation, extensive work on my personal grimoires, ritual practice, ritual log, and was doing cardio & strength training for gounding purposes but suffered a hernia last month while lifting weights so I'm trying to find other grounding activities until I can heal the hernia.

Current Ritual Praxis: Damon Brand's Ritual Opener, Basic Call, assorted spellwork, Ritual Closer, Sword Banishing Ritual once or twice a day

Most recently finished almost all of the workings from Brand's Wealth Magick...a series of intense divinatory readings and synchronicities called me to stop the Clauneck working four days into it, and led me directly to you guys and NAP. Someone might have actually been pushing me this way for a while as I've been spending the past month making ridiculously in-depth pendulum charts, despite only hearing about NAP this week. Numerous synchronicities have been extremely clear that I'm headed in the right direction with this work.

The Plan: I'm very tempted to just integrate elements of NAP into my current practice and eliminate the sillier bits, go with a standard Kabalistic Cross & Middle Pillar, etc...but I get the feeling that the silliness might be important to NAP, at least at first. Maybe it helps keep you relaxed and loose, the goofy schlock...so I will be performing the rituals from NAP exactly as written, adding and excluding nothing until I get some concrete direction to do so. Not sure how to integrate the act of emotional alchemy into it yet but I will find a way.

The Proposed Layout: Ankar YHVH, Gate Opener, Central Pillar, Fountain, Part A Ritual/Call to Arzel, spellwork...and then I guess all that's left is to return to mundanity, right?

The Intention: I wanna win all the moneys! Nah just kidding. I mean I obviously need some money, I have rent to pay and mouths to feed. And I would definitely love the thrill of winning some, but a one time jackpot win is a pain in the ass and does little for my personal development. No, I intend to enhance my perception and intuition so that I can better sense opportunity and danger, and so that I can strengthen the communication between myself and my incorporeal pals. I then intend to increase my wisdom so that I know how to apply my skills to those opportunities, and finally I intend to increase my courage so that I can seize upon those opportunities without hesitation. I plan on increasing these three attributes one at a time, only moving on from one when I sense that enough progress has been made. Winning the occasional scratcher ticket should then happen as a mere side effect. ;)

The Quandry: It would be an understatement to say I was called to NAP...I feel more like I've been pushed towards it by one of the forces I've been working with. I'm not sure which one, but I'm pretty certain that they are trying to establish a stronger connection. There are a few possibilities.

Nitika - Damon Brand's Magickal Cashbook was one of the first Gallery of Magick books that I read and from the very start I lamented treating Nitika like a banker and desired a deeper form of contact. Even if he is something of a banker, I'd rather sit and have a conversation with my banker than use the drive thru. Shortly before being led to NAP, I had asked for $2k because we got hit with a huge tax bill. Maybe this is loan approval.

Michael- Michael and I have a connection that goes all the way back to my baptism as a baby. He has been my patron saint for some forty years and divination indicated that it is likely that it was him that called off the Clauneck working.

Arzel/Raziel- Have been working with him a lot through GoM books and have been strongly desiring a deeper connection. His position as psychopomp or mediator makes him ideal if I want to strengthen my connection.

Elubatel- Worked with him for part of the Wealth Magick working and see that he is a big part of this system. No bullshit, he scares me. I worked with him under the constraints of Ebuhuel and Atuesuel before so nothing too severe happened, but I share a one room abode with a spouse who is subject to depressive episodes and can't have my work here endangering those around me. But maybe my call to this is a statement that I have misjudged Elubatel, and that deeper contact will clear up those misjudgements.

Of course, it could always be someone or something else entirely. I'm still not sure whom to reach out to first, but I'm thinking Nitika or possibly Labezerin. Both seem like they could help with that perception and intuition, and I'd rather they teach me to fish than just chuck sardines at me. I have no intention of using magick to get rich- I live a humble life and don't like to be tied down by too much "stuff". I do however have every intention of using magick to get by and pay the rent without actively or excessively contributing to parts of an economical system that I view as corrupt.

Scheduling: I plan on doing this every day, though there are two days a week where I may have absolutely no time to myself and on those days I may have to do the work completely silently. I have a standard day every week during which I make my offerings of attention, gratitude, and love to assorted saints, angels, servitors, and helpers. If this system requires that, they will likely be made on the same day.

So there you have it, a total background on me and my plans for NAP. I have some ritwork from GoM to finish up before I start going crazy on NAP and I want to re-read MNAP to make sure I've got everything right and maybe even start reading ANAP a little before I start the working, but I will keep you guys updated!

If you have any suggestions or advice, do let me know!

*looks up* *puts on binoculars*

Jesus necromancing Christ that is a big wall of text...sorry, guys! Next post will be shorter!

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Dominus
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#2 » Sat May 12, 2018 6:14 pm

One suggestion would be to think about dropping the Brand additions and work with NAP cleanly within itself. Underneath the seemingly silly veneer, is quite a comprehensive modern grimoire. And most of what Brand has added is either pointless, or suspect ... as his claim that Arzel=Raziel which is plain error, but it does make it look like he did something besides plagiarize.
Cheers,

Prov

=============
Ars non Fortuna


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radarlove23
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#3 » Sat May 12, 2018 8:17 pm

Provenant wrote:One suggestion would be to think about dropping the Brand additions and work with NAP cleanly within itself. Underneath the seemingly silly veneer, is quite a comprehensive modern grimoire. And most of what Brand has added is either pointless, or suspect ... as his claim that Arzel=Raziel which is plain error, but it does make it look like he did something besides plagiarize.


EXCELLENT to know, sir! I was already pretty much planning on going strictly by the ritual as laid out by Cobb, and your advice cements it for me! Thank you!

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WolfAmongSheep
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#4 » Mon May 14, 2018 12:28 pm

Oh come now. You're being too hard on Saint Cobb and Saint Brand. They both plagiarized from other sources (they both admit they took from other sources) and neither provided references.

Provenant wrote: And most of what Brand has added is either pointless, or suspect


He did add a few visuals and a couple suggestions to get more involved with the work that most newbs would find useful (ie., creating the cashbook, tracing over sigils, etc).

... as his claim that Arzel=Raziel which is plain error, but it does make it look like he did something besides plagiarize.


Ehhh...yeah, that didn't make sense to me either. But, it was one of the first things that I researched when I was starting out. It helped me understand the importance of finding things out for myself and not always accepting things at face value. That's a valuable lesson right there.
Of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust is definitely the pick of the litter ~ Anon

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Dominus
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#5 » Mon May 14, 2018 11:04 pm

Not being hard on Cobb at all. He did a bang up job of hunting through spirit catalogs, and combining a roster of spirits with a method of working based upon his own experiences and training. He produced a modern grim that can take a complete neo and get them working operative magic in spite of themselves.

I'm not going to spend too much time saying what I think about Brand's operation. But what I've seen has been simply rehashing with a hell of a good marketing operation. And, when "they" (really I believe it's just he) do come up with something new, it's likely an error. But it smells new. ;)

Beyond that, I'll just leave it at YMMV.

But certainly, I think anyone who is working with the entities that GOM and NAP share ... will be happier with NAP.
Cheers,

Prov

=============
Ars non Fortuna


jeff grayhair
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#6 » Mon May 21, 2018 5:34 pm

This is very strange.I just purchased Brands "72 Angels of Magic".I will continue to call the gatekeeper Arzel as outlined in the NAP system.When I was using NAP at first I was gung ho and really put myself into it.I must have read that book at least 8 times.To be honest I was finding it hard to get passed the fluff and cheesy testimonials.I read some of Carl Nagel's work and it was almost like reading Cobb's book.My will is strong but my mind keeps getting in the way to perform the NAP system with any kind of consistency.I know it sounds like I'm beyond lazy since the system is so easy.Im curious about Brand's work and see what that has to offer.

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Silenciumetaurum
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#7 » Mon May 28, 2018 5:23 am

jeff grayhair wrote:This is very strange.I just purchased Brands "72 Angels of Magic".I will continue to call the gatekeeper Arzel as outlined in the NAP system.When I was using NAP at first I was gung ho and really put myself into it.I must have read that book at least 8 times.To be honest I was finding it hard to get passed the fluff and cheesy testimonials.I read some of Carl Nagel's work and it was almost like reading Cobb's book.My will is strong but my mind keeps getting in the way to perform the NAP system with any kind of consistency.I know it sounds like I'm beyond lazy since the system is so easy.Im curious about Brand's work and see what that has to offer.


Jeff,

These are common experiences. The first thing to do is "own the system." By this, I mean you have to approach NAP in a way that resonates with you—that feels right. When Brother Butterball recommended it to me (I think, about 12 years ago), I felt like I had to master the system as Gray-Cobb gives it. The "vanilla system," I guess you could call it. Then I encountered Brother Moloch's modifications and they really worked for me. Then, after internalizing that (and learning about the history and intertextuality of the spirit names and techniques), I felt like I had an intuitive understanding of how to work it my way. So owning the system means research, persistence, ongoing practice, and keeping the faith.

I think Gray-Cobb intended this. He was an extremely subtle and clever magician-writer. Those silly stories contain suggestions for ways to work the techniques but you have to read with that in mind. Everything he gives you (esp. the Magic Mentor, the astral techniques, the silly games about testing your NAP, the cosmic chart, pendulum work, and the attracting-banishing work) is designed to draw you into a lifelong study of the occult. This is the author's genius and his primary contribution. Yes, you could just stick with the chants, get the benefits from them, and stop. But the chants are there to help you set yourself up so that you can become a serious occultist. You do the money chants, the success chants, the love chants, get rid of your enemies, and protect yourself. THEN you start really learning from the other things and you find yourself reading more books on say, astral projection, demonology, kabalah, planetary magic, and so on.

NAP is a 101 survey course that never ends and, much like Don Kraig's Modern Magick (which I also found enormously useful early in my development), it's meant to be a primer, not the last word on anything. This is also a key difference between the Gallery of Magick books and NAP. I think the GoM material is useful, but it doesn't encourage you to develop. It gives you one approach. If you want another, you have to buy another book. But NAP gives you a library catalogue of approaches and encourages you to keep investigating. You just have to keep on with it and read it like an archaeologist entering a pyramid for the first time: everything is significant; everything must be noted and studied. This is also how to study any grimoire, which is another subtle lesson taught by NAP.

Still, I like the 72 Angels of Magick a lot. Try this intertextual grimoire experiment:

1. Perform the ritual of Omemiah, who gives "the power to research well," and ask for deep insight into the NAP system. While performing that for the 11 days, do the Chant for Success and the Invocation to Give Secret Knowledge. Think of these as all together. Keep a daily journal of the insights that come to you.

2. During or subsequent to step 1, get a pendulum (I am fond of either making one out of a significant knickknack or finding one made from my birthstone but YMMV) and begin to work with yes/no and the chart on page 124, asking various spirits in the chants to teach you about how to use them. Buy a ouija board (or any spirit board) to use as a better pendulum chart. Then run an experiment where you pray over the board and ask for various spirits to come through. Converse and learn. Write everything down.

3. At this point, you should have a lot more subjective insight about these systems and, if you're lucky, your UPG will be ringing off the hook. Do the work to meet the Magic Mentor at this point. Go through the process step-by-step. The MM is a teacher and also a familiar. Keep on with the previous practices listed here and run a new experiment, using the MM to teach you how to use a simple traditional grimoire like The Black Raven (http://www.studioarcanis.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=16252&p=178556). If this line of inquiry appeals to you, follow the subsequent grimoire studies given in that linked post.

4. Set up the Cosmic Chart (page 196) and begin to experiment with the attracting-banishing ritual (page 145). Read Planetary Magick: The Heart of Western Magick by Denning and Phillips (http://a.co/a83WWU2) and Practical Planetary Magick by D'Este and Rankine (http://a.co/gTcnHIs). I would also at least begin reading Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy and / or Barrett's The Magus.

5. By now, if it hasn't happened already, a new direction in occult studies will open up for you. You may want to investigate membership in occult groups (online, in person), specialize in a particular practice, or begin studying the esoteric side of a religion. The point is that you will have a good education in basic occult work. But never stop NAP. It's a foundation that can serve you well for a LONG time.

S+A
Aradia: Letters from the Dark Moon

If something is hard, do it more. Don't run away.

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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#8 » Mon May 28, 2018 5:49 am

radarlove23 wrote:Elubatel- Worked with him for part of the Wealth Magick working and see that he is a big part of this system. No bullshit, he scares me. I worked with him under the constraints of Ebuhuel and Atuesuel before so nothing too severe happened, but I share a one room abode with a spouse who is subject to depressive episodes and can't have my work here endangering those around me. But maybe my call to this is a statement that I have misjudged Elubatel, and that deeper contact will clear up those misjudgements.


In my UPG experience, Elubatel is humorless and severe. He works for me, but he does so down to the letter of what I ask and nothing more.

I think approaching NAP on its own terms (without the GoM) material is a solid first step. If you want to use GoM, I believe that indicates there is something inside you that is directing you to it. In that case, I would recommend using one grimoire to open the secrets of another (as I recommended to Jeff above).

If I had a partner beset with depression, I would design a working or dedicate a spirit to preventing her from perceiving or being otherwise influenced by my magical experiments. A simple hybrid hoodoo-sigil way of doing this is to make a sigil on paper that expresses this intent and burn a white tea light on it daily, with both paper and candle dressed with frankincense. Fiery Wall of Protection oil / powder is also useful to use as dressing. If she's Catholic, too, put a small wooden crucifix (the kind that come with a base so they can stand up on your table) behind it and say the good old prayer to Saint Dymphna, the folk saint of mental health:

Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of
mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with
Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need.
(Mention it.) Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those
who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of
Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.
(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.)
Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.

http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/prayer-to-st-dymphna.html

This is a prayer used in Catholic conjure all the time and it does work, especially if you carry the mark of a Catholic baptism. There are other ways to do this, though. Just the dressed sigil and tea light could take care of it.

S+A
Aradia: Letters from the Dark Moon

If something is hard, do it more. Don't run away.

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WolfAmongSheep
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#9 » Mon May 28, 2018 10:21 am

radarlove23 wrote:
Elubatel- Worked with him for part of the Wealth Magick working and see that he is a big part of this system. No bullshit, he scares me. I worked with him under the constraints of Ebuhuel and Atuesuel before so nothing too severe happened, but I share a one room abode with a spouse who is subject to depressive episodes and can't have my work here endangering those around me. But maybe my call to this is a statement that I have misjudged Elubatel, and that deeper contact will clear up those misjudgements.

Of course, it could always be someone or something else entirely. I'm still not sure whom to reach out to first, but I'm thinking Nitika or possibly Labezerin. Both seem like they could help with that perception and intuition, and I'd rather they teach me to fish than just chuck sardines at me. I have no intention of using magick to get rich- I live a humble life and don't like to be tied down by too much "stuff". I do however have every intention of using magick to get by and pay the rent without actively or excessively contributing to parts of an economical system that I view as corrupt.


As far as Elubatel goes, you really don't have to use his chant as part of the system, if he bothers you that much. It will work fine without him. You could also invoke Ebuhuel and Atuesuel (or all eight of the angels of omnipotence, for that matter) in the success chant to balance out his energies. They are compatible for this invocation.

NAP is a portable system, if you're worried about doing it at home. I have done it many times in my car while at the local park. You can also do it sitting on the toilet at work. Just be quick, before your legs fall asleep.

On that note, if you wanted to work on your issues with wealth, you could afford a larger house, so you can have a backyard or a tea/meditation room to do your rituals in. Just because you have money doesn't mean you are part of the "corrupt system." ;)
Of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust is definitely the pick of the litter ~ Anon


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radarlove23
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Re: A Man, A Plan, A NAP- Pan-anal Panama (A NAP Log)

Post#10 » Mon May 28, 2018 5:50 pm

Silenciumetaurum wrote:
radarlove23 wrote:Elubatel- Worked with him for part of the Wealth Magick working and see that he is a big part of this system. No bullshit, he scares me. I worked with him under the constraints of Ebuhuel and Atuesuel before so nothing too severe happened, but I share a one room abode with a spouse who is subject to depressive episodes and can't have my work here endangering those around me. But maybe my call to this is a statement that I have misjudged Elubatel, and that deeper contact will clear up those misjudgements.


In my UPG experience, Elubatel is humorless and severe. He works for me, but he does so down to the letter of what I ask and nothing more.

I think approaching NAP on its own terms (without the GoM) material is a solid first step. If you want to use GoM, I believe that indicates there is something inside you that is directing you to it. In that case, I would recommend using one grimoire to open the secrets of another (as I recommended to Jeff above).

If I had a partner beset with depression, I would design a working or dedicate a spirit to preventing her from perceiving or being otherwise influenced by my magical experiments. A simple hybrid hoodoo-sigil way of doing this is to make a sigil on paper that expresses this intent and burn a white tea light on it daily, with both paper and candle dressed with frankincense. Fiery Wall of Protection oil / powder is also useful to use as dressing. If she's Catholic, too, put a small wooden crucifix (the kind that come with a base so they can stand up on your table) behind it and say the good old prayer to Saint Dymphna, the folk saint of mental health:

Good Saint Dymphna, great wonder-worker in every affliction of
mind and body, I humbly implore your powerful intercession with
Jesus through Mary, the Health of the Sick, in my present need.
(Mention it.) Saint Dymphna, martyr of purity, patroness of those
who suffer with nervous and mental afflictions, beloved child of
Jesus and Mary, pray to Them for me and obtain my request.
(Pray one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be.)
Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.

http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/prayer-to-st-dymphna.html

This is a prayer used in Catholic conjure all the time and it does work, especially if you carry the mark of a Catholic baptism. There are other ways to do this, though. Just the dressed sigil and tea light could take care of it.

S+A



Wonderful advice all around, good sir S+A! One of the reasons I've actually been taking so long updating this thread is that I've been carefully crafting my General Purpose invocation to mitigate any effects that my workings might have on my spouse. It can be a tricky balancing act, trying to limit the side effects of a working while still keeping available means of manifestation open. Since this main working is about deeply changing or amplifying my intuition and perception, I'm also crafting elements of the invocation to safeguard my own sanity. I'm aware of the consequences of weakening that perceptive filter too much.

I think that due to the internal nature of manifestation of this particular working I should be safe with invoking Elubatel for success. If it were a more external working like something for money I would be concerned about external unpleasantness stressing out my loved ones.

I loved your advice to Jeff above...I do intend on returning to some of GoM's work at some point, and will probably specifically do the Omemiah working as you described, but I want to get really comfortable with NAP first. I was guided to it for a reason, that much I'm certain of. I do feel a little limited by the spirits Cobb chose to use, and hope that my deeper learning of this system with allow me to make better use of some of the Shem angels, etc, who have more to offer my path and whose agendas closely align with my own.

By the by, I think it was you in another thread who recommended A Letter To Robin to someone...thank you! Reading that thing is like reading the Handbook for the Recently Deceased but once you chew through it it is a fantastic source of info on pendulum dowsing, one of the best I've ever read! Now that I'm done copying something like twenty pages of notes on NAP and assorted threads here, I need to start copying notes from L2R as well! So many wonderful recommendations from you guys on this site- thank you all so much! You, BBB, and BroMo are going to have to receive co-authorship credits on my personal grimoire!

I'll make an update post today or tomorrow to let everyone know where I'm at on the project and what's coming up!

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