DISEÑOS DE MESA

" ... Then Diana went to the fathers of the Begin­ ning, to the mothers, the spirits who were before the first spirit ... "

-Charles Leland,

T

his chapter is an enhanced and expanded version of one from my earlier book U'llys of the Strega (relating the Witchcraft Tradition of Old Europe in Italy). In this book I have focussed on the views of Wicca concerning those beings known as the Watch­ ers. Aspects of Wiccan belief not shared by the Strega (Italian witches) are included here, along with certain tenets not covered in U'llys of the Strega. The key fact is that the Watchers, by whatever cultural name employed, were known in ancient Mesopotamia long before the Italians or Celts came to learn of their existence.

The Watchers is a concept common to most Wiccan Tradi­ tions, although they are viewed differently by the various systems within Wicca. In this chapter we will look at the oldest form of the Watchers, dating back to the early Stellar Cults, as well as the modern concept of Watchers as Elemental Rulers, as employed in many Wiccan Systems today. Among the Witches of southern Europe, the Watchers are called the Grigori, particularly by the Tanarric witches of Italy who are known as the Star Witches. The Tanarra have preserved the ancient Stellar Mysteries and it is through their teachings that we can understand who the Watch­ ers really are in a higher sense. The fact that ancient stellar secrets were preserved in Italy is apparent in the writings of Amerigo Vespucci. He accurately described the constellation of the Southern Cross and mentioned that it was visible from ancient Mesopotamia. I lis description was written long before

any Western navigator had sailed far enough south to see this con­ stellation as a whole. It was also written before any Westerner would have known that the constellation was entirely visible from Mesopotamia in ancient times.

In the witchlore ofltaly the Watchers are referred to in an old Strega myth (recounted in Leland's Aradia-Gospel of the Witches, published in 1 890). In this tale we find the words: ''Then Diana went to the fathers of the Beginning, to the mothers, the spirits who were before the first spirit .... " These spirits are the Grigori, also known in some traditions as The Old Ones. The Watchers are an ancient race who have evolved beyond the need for physical form. In the Mystery Teachings they once lived on the earth and may well be the origin of the legend of ancient Atlantis or Lemuria. In some legends the Watchers were said to have origi­ nally come from the stars. It may even be possible that the Watchers have a connection with ancient Egypt. In the Mystery Teachings of Egypt, one of the password phrases to gain access to the temple was: "Though I am a child of the earth, my Race is of the stars."

In _{the early Stellar Cults of Mesopotamia there were four}

"royal" Stars (known as Lords) which were called the Watchers. Each one of these Stars "ruled" over one of the four cardinal points common to astrology. This particular system would date from approximately 3000 B.C. _{The Star Aldebaran, when it marked the} Vernal Equinox, held the position of Watcher of the East. Regulus, marking the Summer Solstice, was Watcher of the South. Antares, marking the Autumn Equinox, was Watcher of the West. Fomal­ haut, marking the Winter Solstice, was Watcher of the North.

Towers as a form of worship were constructed bearing the symbols of the Watchers, and their symbols were set upon the tow­ ers for the purpose of evocation. These towers were called Ziggu­ rats (cosmic mountains) and were said to have been 270 feet high. In part they served as primitive astronomical observatories, and were built with seven terraces representing the seven known plan­ ets of their era. During the "Rites of Calling" the Watchers' sym­ bols were traced in the air using torches or ritual wands, and the secret names of the Watchers were called out.

THE WATCHERS 1 0 1

In _{the Stellar Mythos the Watchers themselves were gods who}

guarded the Heavens and the Earth. Their nature, as well as their "rank," were altered by the successive Lunar and Solar Cults which replaced the Stellar Cults. Eventually the Greeks reduced them to the Gods of the four winds, and the Christians to principalities of the air. Their connection with the Stars is vaguely recalled in the Christian concept of heavenly angels.

Cabalists organized them into Archangels, which I assume they derived from the early Hebrew concept of an order of Angels known as the Watchers. According to this belief the Watchers were ruled over by four great Watchers known as Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Auriel. The Hebrews no doubt borrowed this whole concept from surrounding cultures which were Stellar and lunar in nature. The Hebrew religion was highly eclectic in ancient times.

In _{many traditions of \Vicca these Ancient Beings are the}

Guardians of the Dimensional Planes, protectors of the ritual cir­ cle, and witnesses to the rites which have been kept down through the ages. Each of the ruling Watchers oversees a "Watchtower," which is now a portal marking one of the four quarters of the rit­ ual circle. In _{ancient times a "Tower" was a military fighting unit,}

and a "Watchtower" was a defending home unit, similar to a National Guard.

Originally the Watchers were "lesser gods" who watched over the earth and the heavens. Among Italian Witches the Watchers were the Guardians of the four entrances to the Realm of Asteris, which is the home of the gods in Strega mythology. In modern \Vicca they are often conceived of as rulers of the Elemental King­ doms, known as the Lords of the Watchtowers. The Elder tradi­ tions of \Vicca believed them to be ancient gods known as the Old Ones who guarded the portals to the Other World.

Outside of the \Viccan structure, the Watchers are most easily linked to the Judaic/Christian concept of "guardian angels." In _the

Old Testament (Daniel 4: 1 3-1 7) reference is made to the

lrin,

or Watchers, who appear to be an order of angels (in early Hebrew lore the lrin were a high order of angels who sat on the supreme Judgment Council of the Heavenly Court). In the

Apocryphal Books

�{Enoch lllld]ubilt·t·.r,

t he Watchers are mentioned as Fallen Angels

who originally were sent to Earth to teach men law and justice. In

the Secret Book of Enoch, the Watchers (called therein Watchers) are listed as rebellious angels who followed Sataniel in a heavenly war. Gustav Davidson, in his Dictionary of Angels, portrays the Watchers as a high order of angels known also as the Watchers. In

Rabbinic and Cabalistic lore, the "good" Watchers dwell in the Fifth Heaven, and "evil" Watchers dwell in the Third Heaven. The Watchers of the Fifth Heaven are ruled over by the archangels U riel, Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel. In _{the Apocryphon of Genesis,}

it is said that Noah is the offspring of a Watcher who slept with Bat-Enosh, his Mother.

In _{the Dictionary of Angels, the Watchers are listed as the Fall­}

en Angels who instructed humankind in the ancient arts. The most common associations found in various texts on Medieval magick regarding the Watchers are as follows:

Araqiel: Armaros: Azazel: Barqel: Ezequeel: Gadreel: Kokabeel: Penemue: Sariel:

taught the signs of the earth.

taught the resolving of enchantments. taught the art of cosmetics.

taught astrology.

taught the knowledge of the clouds. taught the making of weapons of war. taught the mystery of the Stars. taught writing.

taught the knowledge of the Moon. Semjaza: taught Herbal enchantments. Shamshiel: taught the signs of the Sun.

It is these same Angels who are referred to as the Sons of God in the Book of Genesis. According to Christian mythology their "sins" filled the Earth with violence and the world was destroyed as a result of their intervention. This, of course, is the Biblical account and has little to do with Wiccan beliefs. Richard Cavendish, in his book The Powers of Evil, makes references to the possibilities of the giants mentioned in Genesis 6:4, being the

THE WATCH ERS 1 03

Giants or Titans of Greek Mythology. He also lists the Watchers as the Fallen Angels that magicians call forth in ceremonial mag­ ick. Read

Genesis

6:1-7 for the background in Biblical reference. Despite the debatable accuracy of information in most books by Cavendish, he does draw some interesting parallels and even men­ tions that the Watchers were so named because they were stars, the "eyes of night."

St. Paul, in the New

Testament,

calls the Fallen Angels "princi­ palities": "For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers ... against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in High Places." It was also St. Paul who called Satan "The prince of power of the air," and thus made the con­ nection of Satan (himself connected to "a star,"

Isiah

14: 12-14) and etheric Beings, for they were later known as Demons and as prin­ cipalities of the Air.

This theme was later developed by a French theologian of the sixteenth century named Sinistrari, who spoke of Beings existing between humans and angels. He called them Demons, and associ­ ated them with the Elemental natures of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. This, however, was not a new concept but was taught by certain Gnostic sects in the early days of Christianity. Clement of Alexandria, influenced by Hellenistic cosmology, attributed the movement of the Stars and the control of the four Elements to Angelic Beings. Sinistrari attributed bodies of fire, air, earth, and water to these Beings, and concluded that the Watchers were made of fire and air. Cardinal Newman, writing in the mid-1800s, pro­ posed that certain angels existed who were neither totally good nor evil, and had only "partially fallen" from the Heavens. This would seem to support Davidson's text which places the Watchers in two different "Heavens."

Many modem Wiccan Traditions view the Watchers as Ele­ mental Rulers, "Lords" of the four Elements of Creation: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. These Elements are believed to be empow­

ered by spiritual creatures known as

Elementals.

Within the Ele­ ment of Earth dwell the

Gnomes,

within Air the

Sylphs,

within Fire the

Sa/a1111mdt•t:r,

and within Water the

Undines.

These Elemental

Paralda,

for Fire

Djin

and for Water

Necksa.

In some \Viccan Tra­ ditions, such as the Alexandrian, old Roman deity names for the gods of the four winds are used instead: Boreas, Eurus, Notus, and Zephyrus.

In _{part, the modem use of elementals associated with the}

Watchtowers originates from the works of Dr. John Dee and his research into Enochian Magick. In Enochian Magick there is a great emphasis on the Elemental Quarters and the Watchtowers. Some people feel that Gerald Gardner incorporated these things into \Vicca through his contact with Aleister Crowley. Crowley was very much involved in Systems of Ritual and Magick that incorporated Enochian and Egyptian Teachings. However, the presence of these aspects in The Old Religion actually stems from a much older magickal theology.

In _{the Mystery Teachings of \Vicca there appear two sets of}

portals within a ritual circle: the Elemental Portals and the Watch­ er Portals. In the diagram pictured here you will note a circle with­ in a circle (see illustration). The corridor section that lies between the circles is called

The World between the Worlds.

From a meta­ physical perspective this dimension must exist in order for mag­ ickal/ritual energies to flow between the Worlds. It is here that the Elemental Portals come into use, as they represent the access points to the Plane of Forces (Elemental Plane), which exists between the Physical and Non-Physical (Astral) Dimensions. See chapter seven for a much more detailed examination· of the inter­ play of the dimensions.

Just beyond the Elemental Portals, lying directly on the

other

side

of the corridor, are the Watcher Portals. While the Elemental Rulers

guard

the immediate portals between this World and the Plane of Forces, the Watchers

guard

the direct access points to the Astral Plane. This is where the aspects of Low Magick (Elemental) and High Magick (Astral) come into play. Low magick is more simplistic and High Magick is more ritualized. Essentially it is the difference between Shamanism and Ceremonial Magick.

My purpose in presenting these associations is to show some examples of how a central theme can be divided and transformed. Today, even among Craft Traditions, there exists a f.\Tl'at deal of

THE WATCHERS 1 05

B

B

Circle Portals

Elemental doorways (A) open into the magickal corridor between the worlds. Astral portals (B) border on other side of corridor (the Watch­ towers).

confusion concerning the Watchers. Some systems view them as Elemental Rulers, Demi-Gods, Guardians, Spiritual Teachers, or Planetary Intelligences. All of these concepts are indeed aspects of the Watchers. The Watchers also are associated with the Juda­ ic/Christian angels, but those associations are so distorted and biased that they serve only to cloud the issue.

To really understand the Watchers we need only look to their role in Wtcca as a religion. Our first encounter with these entities usually occurs when casting a ritual circle in which to practice the rites. Thl· Watdwrs arl' called, or evoked, to guard the circle and

to witness the ritual. The guarding of a ceremonial circle is self­ explanatory, but why are the rites to be witnessed?

In _{answering this question, let us consider the relationship that}

exists between a Wiccan and the Watchers. When someone is first initiated, he or she is brought before the quarters where the Watchers have been evoked. The initiate is then presented before the Watcher and the initiate's Craft name is revealed. This is the first step in the bonding that must take place. From that moment on, the initiate is "watched" and aided. This bond also serves as a safeguard, for every act of magick that a Wiccan performs is observed and noted by the Watchers.

The Watchers guard the portals to the astral realms, and can allow a magickal act to establish itself in the astral substance, or can dispel the charge. This is why certain gestures and signs of evoca­ tion such as the pentagram were designed, so as to "announce" a trained practitioner (that is, one who had sworn not to misuse the arts). There is a definite link between the "powers" of a Wiccan and their rapport with the Watchers.

In _{the lore of Wicca it is the Watchers who assist in the spiri­}

tual growth of a Wiccan and who "escort" him or her to the next realm after physical death. Nothing is ever hidden from the Watchers, and in the end a Wiccan may come to know them as either the "Dread Lords of the outer spaces," or as the "Mighty Ones, the Guardians." This is not to be viewed as a situation in which these entities will "get you" if you're not "good

/

' but rather as an assurance that Karma will be delivered promptly.

Among many Neo-Wiccans there is a tendency to dismiss the concepts of

good

and

evil,

and to view things as simply

cause

and effect.

This new philosophy grew from a rejection of the Judaic-Christian teachings concerning Satan and Hell. However, the vast majority of ancient religions typically personified evil in their myths; it really is an ancient concept pre-dating Christian­ ity. Many Neo-Wiccans view Karma as simply an energy of action and reaction, and have dismissed the ancient concept of Divine Intervention, as well as the role of the Watchers as "Lords of Karma."

THE WATCHERS 1 07

Stewart and Janet Farrar, in their book

The Witches' U'ay,

per­ haps best relate the role of the Watchers in their discussion con­ cerning the Lords of Karma:

We have spoken of Karma as an almost impersonal process, set

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