NOX: a night soul-journey workshop

• A two-day workshop intensive
• Two sessions. Duration: 16hrs
• Theory and ritual practice
• Trance-dance and drumming
• Beginner to Intermediate

 

SUMMARY

In many cultures Magick is the practice of working with the psychic reality. No matter what level of experience you may have in the practice of Magick or ritual, the NOX workshop will significantly progress your studies in the Western Mystery Traditions. The NOX is a practical and experiential workshop designed to introduce the student to one of the core ritual practices used to initiate the orginal members of Dark Circle. Tim Hartridge is a founding member of Dark Circle and has taught the NOX ritual for some 25 years.

 

Even a small star shines in the darkness. (Finish proverb)

 

There are times in our lives when all external wisdom fails and the only way forward is to discover a new path and new strengths within the Self. This is when we know we are ready for change and we can confidently undertake the journey of Initiation. The NOX ritual is a reconnecting bridge across the desert of No-knowledge; a passport to the retrieval of Soul-knowledge. It can provide us with the tools that will enable us to undertake this crossing as a necessary step toward Self-Initiation.

 

My name is Nut,
i the untouchable dark
respond to me
elaborate my formless form
i can lead you to the origin of all things
you can briefly become me
then instantly you generate him
the single point of awarenss
ever contracting within himself
excerpt from an invocation to Nuit
by Bec Sonkkila

 

SCHEDULE

The day combines an alternation through the theory and practice of ritual, dance and trance in preparation for the evening ceremony. We start at 1pm and conclude around midnight. A follow-up darshan or reflection on the experiences is held the following day introducing techniques in symbol immerson and amplification. The complete two-day workshop and follow-up darshan fee is $200, or for those repeating the ritual the fee is $25. There are a limited number of places.

 

NOX was a truly transformational and healing experience...I experienced energy so powerful that it racked my body back and forth like a serpent, drum rhythms I've never played before, then I turned into a cat!!!! I feel like I've been to voodoo land and back! Clare

 

The NOX ritual is a highly stylised rite, incorporating a number of practices drawn from the Middle-East as well as the Western Mystery Traditions. These include dances from the Sufi (also called Dervish), a sacred dance practice of whirling combined with chanted mantra and inspired ritual from the Thelemic Magickal tradition.

 

The Sufi call the whirling dance-rites semâ, which means “listening”. In the early part of the first day we will practice listening, while learning the trance-rhythm as we play zaar drumming and intone the NOX mantra. We will then proceed to the techniques of the whirling-Dervish dances, followed by the ritual practicum.

 

This weekend has been a mind-blowing, life-changing event. The energy in the rituals was beyond the scale of anything else I have experienced before; the loving, caring community made me feel at home. Rebecca

 

Throughout the afternoon we'll examine the Qabalah of the NOX rite, including it's many Tarot and Gematria attributes. We will explore the use of other practical elements such as the magickal correspondences of incense, colour, animal totems and ritual tools. We will explore the inner meaning to pilgrimage and the stories and myths of “night soul-journeys”

 

We will break for dinner around 6pm, and use one of the inexpensive local cafe-restaurants for a relaxed meal. Afterwards we will head back to the ritual space to prepare for the ritual.

 

It was so great to be among so many good people. It was an experience I will always remember and treasure. I enjoyed each & every workshop & ritual ...the NOX raised my Kundalini.. Kay

 

The night is dedicated to the immersion into the NOX rite, but before the main rite we will undertake a special induction ceremony where we become members of the Circle, sharing sheesha, fruits, wines, water and dance. As the hour of zikr (“way of remembering”) arrives, our camp-fires are dowsed to reveal the Night setting for our ritual.

 

The group ritual work is designed to help trigger an inner transformative experience or true Initiation. This will be your chance to undertake a personal night soul-journey in your own “way of remembering”. Via the ritual and trance work practiced earlier in the day you will enter profoundly deep levels of the psyche, and from an oasis of sóma you will enter the sacred spaces of insight.

 

...I was one of the first to be taken in beyond the veil; it was the biggest celebration I had encountered for a long time! I felt like a ‘priestess’, feasting on wine, fruit and smoking strawberry tobacco. Yum! The dancing around the cauldron was magical, I allowed my body to move the way it wanted. At one point...it was like I was in my home land, South Africa, and we were dancing on the dirt around the fire and I imagined there was nothing but stars above us. It was so beautiful! I had never danced so ecstatically in all my life! Dorianne

 

The workshop on the following day is the darshan. This session is designed to share the experiences from the ritual of the previous night in greater depth. During this session a number of practical techniques are introduced to working with the retrieved inner-psychic experience. The methods include: an introduced approach to working with visions and dreams for individuals and in groups; trancing and retrieval of visions; using symbol immersion; and the amplification of experiences through myth and fairytales. The experience is an intimate one, and one which is shared as the sacred mysteries with your magickal peers.

See registration link at top of page

Author references: Aleister Crowley, Kenneth Grant, Lon Milo DuQuette, Jan Assmann, Athon Veggi & Allison Davidson, David Tacey.