The invisible Dark Matter and Energy that makes up over 90% of our universe according to scientists has long been explored by magicians and mystics, even if they have not understood it.

The Western Magical tradition is based around the Tree of Life, a medieval propaganda invention to convert Jews to Christianity that continues to persist. Unfortunately the Tree is badly equipped to allow any understanding or comprehension beyond the very narrow limits.

The two leading lights are Michael Bertiaux and Kenneth Grant. Unfortunately, their writing styles are very difficult to understand, and it is very easy to be intimidated at best, or at worse terrified.

Stuck in the Tree

The primary technique for accessing Universe B is via various points on the Tree, particularly Daath. Frater Achad proposed entirely inverting the system. Kenneth Grant sees the Tree as three dimensional; the Paths become tunnels. As a result of writing The Tarot and the Magus, I was lead to the inevitable conclusion as to the invalidity of the Tree, and that there were other techniques, systems and structures that expand the magical prowess of the magician, and not limit it.

Egyptian Roots

Careful reading of Kenneth Grant’s books reveals the structure of Universe B. I found that there is a strong Egyptian flavour that is entirely at odds to the Golden Dawn vision of the Gods, since they are anachronistically connected to the Tree of Life. Reverting back to authentic models, the landscape is populated with Egyptian architecture, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Kenneth Grant agrees, using the Sekhet-Aarhu, which he associates with the Elysian fields. Sekhet relates to the Lioness, and sounds like Shakti. The topology of Amenta is also revealed. A fascinating aspect of the visions is the low lighting levels — there is no light source like the Sun, but there is illumination, something similar to dusk.

Kenneth Grant mentions three levels within Universe B:

• Air, Nuit
• Hills of Hathor
• Amenta, Tunnels of Set

Nuit describes the perpetual night, illuminated by starry light, and occasionally by the moon. The Hills of Hathor include Egyptian temples. Below the Earth are the Tunnels of Set. These Tunnels are not accessed via the Tree, but by other techniques, which I will describe. The tunnels are rarely straight; they twist and turn in all directions, often becoming incredibly narrow — you may have seen them in dreams, perhaps with a guide.

The Scary Stuff — where is evil?

Kenneth Grant describes Universe B in terms of the Qlippoth, “abnormal, perverted lusts”, extra-cosmic and extra-terrestrial for “demons, giants, elementals, dwarfs, monstrous, bestial”. Hardly inspiring is it? Why would you want to go there? The reason for the terrifying imagery is Grant’s use of the Tree as the access point, and it naturally distorts visions and perceptions as “evil”; my experience is of entities in the wrong place. Where focussing on diabolical takes place, the magician is dis-empowered, embittered, and becomes increasingly paranoid.

Gates to the Other Side — the Guardians

The greatest of the Guardians is your Holy Guardian Angel, but of course he is placed on Tiphareth, which completely emasculates the power of your HGA. In my book The Tarot and the Magus, the singular becomes plural, so that you have many Holy Guardian Angels associated with Liber 231 and the Atbash code, with no relationship to Tipareth.

Grant cites 131, Baphomet, and Mako, son of Typhon. 71, also of LAM, who is particularly powerful, but he needs to be separated from the Tree of Life to be properly understood.  555 is considered by Grant to be the “Tunnel of Kteis leading to Universe B”, ie the vagina, a method we shall come back to. Bertiaux depicts Choronzon as guarding 16 Doors and 11 Gates. The sum of 27 immediately suggests the Lunar Mansions as another method. Yuggoth, a Lovecraftian invention, represented by Nu-Isis according to Grant is another source. As well as the wonderful spirits of Liber 231, we have their cousins, the Sky Gods of the Goetia; 72 is related to OB, the Serpent.

Several years ago I found I had accumulated a pile of notes on the Tree which was over a foot high. Looking through the notes, I was shocked to realise that after nearly twenty years of study, I had made no progress — a dead-end.

Sex Magick

Sex magick is a technique of accessing Universe B. As mentioned before, The gateway is through the vagina. In one sense, sexual union is also the union of the Universes.

Prepare the sigil, you then project awareness, penetrating and permeating sigil in the crystal. ‘Vibrate’ the name of the spirit into the woman, or astral form of the woman, until she assumes the form of the spirit. A Door of Power will then appear in Sekhet-Aarhu which you can enter.

Writings on Universe B

Kenneth Grant lists a number of western authors who have written on Universe B:

• Abbe Boullan
• Michael Bertiaux
• Aleister Crowley
• Emmanuel Swedenborg
• JK Huysmans
• Arthur Machen
• JP Lovecraft
• Carlos Castaneda
• Baudelaire
• Dion Fortune

I have not studied the writings of a number of these authors, so if you have any insights, I would be grateful for any pointers. I would add William Blake to the list.

Conclusion

The ultimate is not to have the dichotomy of universes. In reality there is no sharp dividing line. We can easily live in both worlds, enjoying the benefits of both. The Dark Matter and Energy were part of the early stages of the Big Bang, so to incorporate them is to know our Roots. Fear is engendered by separation and ignorance. The reality is that Universe A and Universe B have never been separate — it is only by our cultural and ignorance that we are in this mess. To live in Universe A and B together is to walk with giants in the landscape, to have spiritual powers easily at our disposal, to work with spiritual powers to benefit of us both.