"I will honor the hallowed tools of my craft, and so will I hold fast to the comrade at whose side I stand, and I will defend our altars and our hearths, alone or supported by many. This world I will not leave a diminished inheritance, but greater and better than when I entered it. I adhere to the tenets of justice, wisdom, and compassion. Let the gods be my witness: Zeus, Hermes, and mighty Athena."
Princess Danaë of Argos lay imprisoned by her father within a bronze tomb. In a golden shower—of light, you dirty thing—Zeus, king of the heavens, planted his immortal seed within the womb of the princess. From their union, the hero Perseus was born.
Mother and child escaped to Seriphos, where Perseus would grow, unhindered, into a demigod. Until Polydectes, with the hots for Danaë, used his position as ruler of the island to be rid of her interfering son. He set upon Perseus the task of killing the dreaded Gorgon Medusa.
Athena appeared to him in a dream, outfitted in the glorious livery of war, along with her brother, the fleet-footed (and handsome) Hermes. The gods offered powerful gifts: an adamantine harpe sword from Zeus, winged sandals from Hermes, and a mirrored shield from wise Athena. Some say he was also gifted with a helm of invisibility from Hades.
When the hero reached the Gorgon's lair, he passed the stone statues of the many who had been frozen by her gaze. If he faced this threat with imperfect courage, he would become one of the stone people. With Athena's favor, he gleaned her wisdom: use the shield not only to reflect blows, but also to reflect sight. Then, form a strategy. Then strike.
Eyes closed, yet with precision, Perseus swung his sword and beheaded the writhing dread.
Looking back, the first weeks of 2020 were the deep silent inhale before the storm. But there were hints and clues, if you knew how to taste the wind, that something catastrophic was coming. A few of us, drunk on the bitter black liquid of peering into the darkness in the world, saw the signs and sought shelter and protection.
Amid the shrieks and howls of misinformation and folly of the first weeks following the escape of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus through China's borders, there was little practical recourse in the physical world for the average person. We resolved not to be average.
Rather than sit and watch, we chose the only path that offered us something hopeful. The path of magic.
It was a strange, twisted, and overgrown path that we followed to reach the Perseus Protocols. The many conspiracies and outlandish claims surrounding the virus sprang up like weeds. It has always been clear that the virus is real, that it is horrible well beyond its deadliness, and that we have only just seen the beginning of its effects. But we perceived that a concerted and pernicious will was certainly driving at least some of its impact.
The complicated figure of Lilith arose in our discussions, prompted by her recent appearances in various media. Was it possible that her name was being invoked in its demonic aspect as a way to propitiate the virus, encourage its spread? There were many signs that convinced us this was the case.
How could we defend against such a thing? Did we even want to? Lilith was, and still is, after all, also invoked as a protector of women. And what would we do? Cast spells? Create protective amulets? These seemed feeble in the face of chaos.
The answer was theurgy, with a bit of ceremonial magic for good measure. If by our own power we could do little, then by the power of a god we might be able to make a difference. Through dreams, explorations of the astral plane, consultation of oracles, and lively debate, we interpreted the symbols and ideas that became salient to us.
A silver thread of spider silk connected Lilith through the ages to the famed monster Medusa. First there was the connection to the lilitu, the demons of Mesopotamian myth. The magicians of ancient Sumer and Babylon protected themselves from these demons through the use of Demon Bowls. Hundreds of years later, in Greece, the spiritual descendants of both Lilith and the Demon Bowl appear in the form of Medusa and the Gorgoneion.
The gods who had aided Perseus in his quest to defeat Medusa would perhaps be willing to do so again. Athena came to us in dreams, and we knew we were on the right path. It was she who would guide us.
We crafted a ritual in which we would re-enact the key moments of Perseus' story: the bequeathal of the godly implements and the defeat of the creature. We invoked the gods Zeus, Hermes, and Athena, using the Hymns of Orpheus, on the day of Jupiter, in the hour of Mars. We propitiated, and before the light of Athena's altar, we imbibed an alchemical spagyric of immunity. Amongst the smoke of our offerings, we toasted the wise goddess, and made our fealty with libations. A feast of food and drink closed out the rite, and from there we walked the halls of Dionysos.
It didn't take long for our efforts to bear fruit. A golden apple, let's say. While the rest of the world despaired behind the iron bars of lockdown and quarantine, we sustained and even thrived. Madness tinged our thoughts, like everyone else, but the consistency and assuredness of Athena's presence gave us clarity. In response to new information or guidance, we adjusted, modified, and expanded. We brought in a fourth member, and added propitiation of the much feared, but ever relevant, Ares.
We knew that we were protected from the virus, and protected from the worst social and physical ills coming as a result. But we knew that if we only protected ourselves, we weren't accomplishing much. We wanted to become soldiers in Athena's army. Her cadre of special forces mages. We wanted to protect our loved ones as well, extending Perseus' mirrored shield beyond ourselves. And we wanted to anticipate and mitigate the effects of the darkest forces at work in our world.
We cannot do all of that alone.
So here is our siren call: join the Perseus Protocols.
Together, we will explore the mysteries of the darkness and the light, building our relationship with the gods, so that we may extend our shield as far as it will go. There is great change and turmoil already underway. Here is our path to emerging from it with purpose and power, to devote ourselves to a better world.
In the posts to come on this blog, we will explore in more detail the Rite of the Perseus Protocols, its philosophical and magical underpinnings, and many other related topics. We invite you to learn and perform the ritual, and engage with us in our quest for further illumination of our new practice. Should you choose to join in our endeavor, we ask nothing of you other than that you share with us your thoughts and experiences—and that you always face the world with perfect courage.
Joyful, wily Hermes is our companion and our guide through this blog. May he carry this message on his winged feet through the ether, to reach your eyes. To beckon you. With a wink and smile beneath his golden blond curls, he reaches out his hand. You know you want to take it.
Until next time, my friends,
Caduceum
