To say this weekend was awesome would be a sad understatement. At Dove & Serpent Oasis here in the Valley of Atlanta, Georgia, we hosted James and Nancy Wasserman for a Gnostic Mass Workshop, a lecture on his new book, In The Center Of The Fire, (which I was unfortunately unable to attend), and a performance of the Gnostic Mass.
James giving his talk about his book IN THE CENTER OF THE FIRE
at Java Monkey Saturday night.
First of all, meeting these people was a priceless opportunity. They were both very friendly, down to earth people who really lack the pretentiousness that many of the supposed "greats" in the occult community possess. They are both very direct and no-bullshit in their approach to instruction, but human enough to establish a genuine connection with people. They weren't busy getting their egos stroked and any who were interested had ample opportunity to talk to them and get to know them a bit, as well as purchase books and get them signed. How awesome.
James giving his workshop on the gnostic mass.
I figured that given the circumstances of the weekend, all Mass roles would have been decided in advance, but apparently not! Jim (James) wished for the participants of the rehearsal aspect of the Workshop to go into Mass the next day, therefore the role of positive child fell into my lap. Though it was at first a bit nerve wracking, what an awesome opportunity to officiate in a Mass with the Wassermans as Priest & Priestess, Brother Volo Adamo, our Body Master, as deacon, and Sister J. as negative child! This was only my second time childing and wow, what an incredible time.
Temple setup with them was interesting. Mostly, we straightened up and got ready, and then I sat in meditation as Jim performed the Star Ruby before the Mass. Even that much was enough to get a buzz going and so I knew I was in for quite a time. After preparation, we all had a Mass Team group hug, and Jim grabbed onto each of us, smiled, and said, "This is going to be great!" Oh, and it was.
We used their temple gear, which was pristine and beautiful. Particularly their robes were stunning and added a special distinction to this already special Mass. Nancy was graceful, beautiful, and tender in her approach, awakening and arising the "man among men" who was to become Priest of the Sun. Her invocation of Nuit was very intimate and personal and I think we all felt her touch then. Jim's performance as the priest was stunning and invigorating. I have envisioned how I thought the Priest role ought best to be performed, and his was right in line with my concept of that. He was convincingly full of fire and fury at the right times, and soft, subtle, and humble at the right times. There was a smooth, streamlined effect between Priest & Priestess and a perfect balance struck that really immersed all the participants in the current established by the rite. All in all, it was passionate and sincere.
Of particular interest, I loved that he held his intonations and really allowed the vibratory formulae to build and build. There is something to be said for charging through it, but his approach is similar to my own in that the practitioner allows resonance to build in himself and in his environment. And it certainly carried through!
Particularly during the flame of adoration, I was experiencing pain, tension, and heat that I don't usually get, at least not to this extent. I don't know about others, but Sister J. and I felt like we were on fire! One could feel the energy just pulsing and at times it was difficult to maintain posture.
By the time the Priest turned to the congregation and declared, "There is no part of me that is not of the gods", the man known as James Wasserman was clearly obliterated and shining through him was something else entirely. One got the sense, as he intended to teach us at the workshop, that those words at the time were the absolute truth for him and you could just... See it. And feel it. He had been thoroughly broken down and was a conduit of this force, no part of not-god was even left anymore.
Thanks also to Sister J. who, without her nudge upon my back once or twice, I'd have not known when to begin my walk behind the deacon! It was good to have someone who literally had my back there.
I hope to get the chance to attend more lectures and workshops with them in the future, and hopefully even participate in Mass with them again! Who knows? Perhaps I can deacon the next time.
