 In this presentation I would like to talk about the foundations of draconian magic and answer some frequently asked questions about this magical tradition. I will speak about what draconian magic is, what the initiation looks like, how it manifests in the life of the initiate, and how to work with it in your daily practice. First of all, I would like to speak a few words about the draconian current in general. When you hear the word draconian, you probably think about dragons as the mythical monsters. On the one hand, this is correct, because the whole draconian tradition as a magical path is largely inspired by symbolism derived from mythological dragons and serpents. It's an old tradition, because depictions of dragons and monstrous snakes are encountered in the oldest civilizations, such as the Babylonian dragon goddess Tiamat for example. It's also a worldwide tradition, because these depictions and references to dragons are found on each continent in many magical and religious beliefs. Those ancient dragons, draconian gods, monsters and beasts usually represented the concept of darkness, chaos, or the harsh and violent forces of nature. And this is also what the draconian tradition is about. When we speak about the dragon, we don't mean an entity, god or spirit, it's a force, or an amalgam of forces that together form a powerful current. On the other hand, we have references to a serpent or dragon force existing within the human body as a potential for growth and evolution. This is represented by the image of the caduceus, with two serpents entwined around the pillar of ascent. So that's a force existing outside and inside of us. What is characteristic about this current? Well, first of all, it's very dynamic, it's always in movement, and it can also transform you in a very dynamic way. Working with draconian magic brings fast and concrete results in a short time. On the other hand, it's very chaotic, powerful and difficult to harness, like the force of a tornado. So you have to approach it step by step to be able to work with this force and learn how to control it. It's also very fiery, and that means fire as a symbol of both creation and distraction, but also as a sexual force or passion. And that means both being passionate about the path and working with it by means of your sexual energy. Some people might say that it's a dark path, but in fact it embraces both darkness and light, and the dragon itself is seen as a symbol that unites all opposites. Another question that needs to be discussed is about the initiation of the path. That's a question I receive on a regular basis. What will happen if I decide to walk the path? Well, for sure it will be changed, but how? That depends solely on you. Draconian path is very individual. Each initiation is different for each practitioner, and there is no role that would apply to everyone in the same way. I can only say that it will take you where you should be, which means it will help you realize your natural potential in the best way. So if your potential for growth lies, for example, in necromancy, it's very likely that the path will present you with opportunities that will help you develop this way. In this process you'll have to face your own demons, your weaknesses, fears, personal barriers and limitations. What these things are and how you choose to deal with them is up to you. What the path will bring for sure is a change, a sort of inner transformation. Your views on gold will change and evolve in the process too. So what you want from the path right now is not necessarily what you get, because in the long run, the path will make you realize that there are better, more suitable options for you to develop. The thing is, you won't know until you're there. So when you begin your journey on the path, you'll have to be able to flow with the current to open yourself to what it brings, to see every situation as a potential or a lesson that you can use to your advantage. It's a very personal path, based mostly on experience and a lot of practice. The next question we'll discuss is about manifestations of the current in our daily life. Many practitioners tend to focus on visions and insights received within their ritual space when they perform a ritual. Then they close the temple and go back to their normal life forgetting about the whole thing. That's not how draconian magic works. When you invoke the current, it will enter you, not your temple, or in other words, you are the temple for the current to manifest. So when you tune yourself to the current, it will keep flowing into your life. It will transform your views, perceptions, feelings, emotions, relationships, the way you interact with the world around you. At the same time it will present you with many opportunities, tests and challenges. These manifestations of the current may come through your interactions with other people, and you'll then meet strangers who will come up with unexpected offers or questions, who would challenge and push you to move forward or to overcome your personal barriers. They may also come in the form of situations. Unexpected, challenging, harsh, requiring you to act. There's always a lesson in such encounters, so you should keep an open mind and pay attention to all those unexpected situations in your daily life because these are often manifestations of the current. This is also the validation of your work, because if you only interact with the current within your ritual space and it doesn't affect you in any other way, then you're most likely dealing with a delusion created by your ego, not with a genuine force. In this case you may have beautiful visions and wonderful conversations with spirits and deities, but there's no growth and there's no initiation. What you have to look for are concrete, tangible manifestations of the current. We have already said that the draconian current is not only an outer force, but it also exists in the form of inner energy. This inner force within the draconian tradition is called the serpent or the dragon force, or a skundani. This is the energy, or a sort of consciousness that we are born with, and it's believed to be coiled at the base of the spine. It is also believed to be the life force of a human being and the vehicle of evolution, because when it ascends from the base of the spine and flows upward, it awakens psychic abilities, cleanses the body and the aura, and transforms and expands consciousness. From the left-hand path perspective we might say that this is the force that transforms man into God. Symbolically, it's represented as a rising snake or two snakes coiled around a pillar or a staff, which is symbolic both of the spine as the central channel for the kundalini flow and the path through which man ascends to Godhood. This however is a huge subject, and if you're interested in the draconian current, the kundalini force and the process of awakening, you will find more information in my draconian ritual book. Another question that we frequently receive is about the feminine symbolism in our work, especially in art and sergents. On the one hand, it is part of my personal path as I work a lot with female magic and my art and writings reflect this work. On the other hand, this is also related to the nature of the current itself. When we work with the draconian tradition, we often encounter an idea that the dragon is a feminine force, like Tiamat or Ta'ut for example, and the whole tradition derives from cults of the goddess, the mother, the primordial womb. Then, if we approach the cliff-off, there's a theory that the whole dark tree is feminine and its name means harlot or whore referring to Lilith. And it is also believed that the entrance to the dark tree is through the cave of Lilith, which is a feminine symbol, or between the legs of the goddess, which can be interpreted in many ways. The Kundalini force, which is the vehicle of initiation, is often thought to be feminine. It is Shakti that rises to unite with Shiva. The term ascending flame, which I use in my work, and in the work of the temple of ascending flame, can also be seen as a feminine force. And we can compare it to Shakina, Shakti, Lilith. There are many possibilities here. In other words, in whatever way we look at it, the feminine current is always dominant in this work. So the symbolism used in the sigils reflects all these aspects in a natural way. And finally, I'll also address here the question about the cliff and the Sephiroth. In what way they are different, and if we can use the same methods of work to explore them. When we look at the Tree of Life, we usually see it as a map, with ten realms and pathways connecting these realms. The same paradigm is applied to the dark tree. This makes the work of these realms logical and systematic. But when we speak about the cliff-off, nothing is simple or logical. We tend to view the Tree of Cliff-off as the negative reflection of the Tree of Sephiroth. The truth is much more complicated. When you enter the night side, you're suddenly faced with an endless mass of tunnels, pathways, power zones, spheres, worlds and dimensions. Nothing here has structure, and nothing corresponds in a direct way to the Tree of Life. When you walk with the Sephiroth, you're used to a coherent and logical structure, and each path leads from one concrete point to the other. The cliff-off and nothing like that. And not all methods of work that you use with the Sephiroth can be applied here. Magic of the night side is intuitive, irrational, and it has to be experienced to be understood. Some might say that the cliff-off are pure destruction, and the Sephiroth pure creation. Again, it is not that simple. I personally see the bright and the dark trees not as two separate concepts, but as one, and connected all the time, like you and your shadow for example. So when you access the bright side of the tree, you also access the dark one, and the other way around. You may choose to focus on one side only, but then there is no balance. I've heard a theory that the cliff-off are like shells on an ant. You have to go through them to get to the core of the fruit. So instead of seeing them as evil or negative forces, I see them as forces that challenge and test the practitioner. And these tests prepare us for successive initiations on the tree. The realms on the tree of life are ruled by archangels. On the dark tree we have archdemons. But if you do some research, you'll easily find out that all these beings are the old gods and goddesses that originally had no center associations. They simply embodied the many forces that the universe is composed of. These forces were creative and destructive at the same time. Of course, if you choose to see them as evil archdemons, you'll most likely see them this way. But it's only their outer form, and in their core the primal beings that you can work with to get to the very root of all creation and all destruction. And that's how we can access them, if we choose to forget about all prejudice and negativity that surrounds the dark tree. For more information about the temple and our work, check out our website, which is ascendingflame.com. And if you have any questions to me, you can contact me through my Facebook page or my official website.