By 100 C.E., the magical traditions of a multitude of nations began to mesh together into a common magical
milieu. Babylonian, Greek, Egyptian, Christian, Hebrew, and Persian holism began to hatch a new kind of catch all mysticism.
A broad based and well known corpus of charms and texts developed, and became more codified with the passing of each
decade.
By 400 A.D., the roots of western occultism had formed. It is common to see amulets of this period that
say things like: "Text: favor charm; a charm to dissolve a spell; an amulet and a victory charm: "aa emptkom basum, protect
me."
Charm of Hekate-Ereschigal Against Fear Of Punishment:
If she comes forth, let her say: "I am Ereschigal," holding her thumbs, and not even one evil can befall
her. But if she comes close to you, hold your right heel and say: "Ereschigal, virgin, dog, serpent, wreath, key, herald's
wand, golden is the sandal of the Lady of Tartaros," and you will prevail upon her.
"Askei kataski ern oren ir mega
semnur bau," three times: "Phobantia, remember, I have been initiated, and I went down into the chamber of the Dactyls, and
I saw the other things down below, virgin, dog," etc. Say it at the crossroads, and turn around and flee; because it is at
those places that she appears. Say it late at night, about what you wish, and it will reveal it in your sleep. And if you
are led away to death, say these things while scattering seeds of sesame--and it will save you.
"Phorba phorba breim
azziebua." Take bran of first quality, sandalwood, and vinegar of the sharpest sort, and from them mold cakes. And write his
name upon them, and so hide them, saying into the light the name of Hekate, and "Take away his sleep from so-and-so," and
he will be sleepless and worried.
It can be seen that at various points the author speaks as though anyone accessing
this spell would know the formula of Hecate:
"Phobantia, remember, I have been initiated,
and I went down into the chamber of the Dactyls, and I saw the other things down below, virgin, dog, serpent, wreath, key,
herald's wand, golden is the sandal of the Lady of Tartaros, I have looked upon thy face and seen the fates and heard their
voices. I am not for you, virgin, dog, serpent, wreath, key, herald's wand, golden is the sandal of the Lady of Tartaros".
Magic was a common study, and in some places the ancient ones were still worshipped. In Harran
and Edessa, the two final strongholds of the ancient gods, the Datu had taken up residence. They practiced their rites and
followed their paths. Training stayed mostly within families and among close friends.
Human nature is a volitile thing; and it came to pass, that an apprentice of the Datu, named "Hamin", had
ills with his Girra (master). The fellow left the Datu and and began to study under another magician of the current magical
traditions. Hamin took his incomplete training and filled in the gaps with pieces of the then current magical milieu--like
the one demonstrated above.
Hamin studied under this unnamed master till he far surpassed him in his skill, knowledge and power. He
is said to have located the old man's cache of treasure and writings, and to have then killed the old mage by foul means.
Hamin set himself up in style and began to recruit followers from the cities upper class and rich merchants. He trained
them in the new tradition that he had created, and the results were "The Hanochem" While the Datu were true
Hanochem (Initiates), Hamin Basterdised the word Hanochem (hanoch= secrets / em=the nominitive case thus initiates) and
styled it to mean "Eaters of Sin" (a play on the word Anachem "the defiled ones")
By 363 A.D., the Hanochem had grown
to substantial numbers. They had threaded into the upper-crust of Edessa, and possessed an abiding hatred for the Datu.
I will not detail the evils that the Hanochem perpetrated against the citizens of Edessa and beyond.
Suffice to say, "they were not very nice people."
Their worship hinged on all the Katu (negative) elements of magic, from both the common traditions
of society and of the Datu's tablet of fate. As such they venerated the ancient demons of Mesopotamian mythos:
1.
Azag (moth)
2. Ereshkigal
3. Katuallu (lamashtu)
4. Nergal
5. Kur
6. Tiamat
7. Lillith
8. Ngingazhida
9. Chemosh (NOTE: That there are two different Chemoshs in the system)
10. Other spirits of the first brood. (see
creation myth)
11. And several other underword deities and powers of Hebrew origin as well.
The part of all this
that is of note to us, is the story of a young man called Hirim. Hirim was the only living relative of one of the last members
of the Hanochem sect. Hirim received a written work that had been sent to him by his uncle. In the manuscipt, it tells of
how his uncle had been inducted into the Hanochem at a young age and had started to study. He had been an exceptional
student and quickly progressed.
The uncle (whose name is never mentioned) was made an assistant in the library of the Hanochem. There is
a brass vessel, locked beneath a lead sealed lid, he found the writings that pertained to the Datu. Between this
and a number of other incidents that cullminated in the death of his fiance, Hirim's uncle turned on the Hanochem and stole
the manuscipts. He went into hiding, drafted the writings to his nephew and went in search of the Datu. Hirim fled with what
we now call the "Red Book" and eventually joined both his uncle and the Datu. The Datu came against the Hanochem of Edessa
with magick, fire and sword. Most were killed, but seven escaped and went underground.
The Hanochem were not heard
from again for over a hundred years.
In 520 A.D., they surfaced again. By this time they had taken the fighting techniques of the Datu and had
developed them into a system called 'Red Fist", in direct contrast to the Datu's "White Palm". It was again in the city of
Edessa that the conflict took place. The details are poorly recorded and all that comes down to us is this:
"That
in 520 A.D., a group of sixteen Datu ambushed and defeated the last 21 Hanochem during their autumnal equinox rite; and that
one of the Hanochem had defected to the Datu before this happened. The identity of this betrayer was set aside, so that neither
he nor his students would ever suffer from it. He was given leave to maintain a body of Hanochem, so that in this way any
existing Hanochem would come forward and be brought to light."
In this way, the precept of the Hanochem were added to the Datu path:
1) The Red
Fist was integrated with White Fist.
2) The teachings of the Red Cup were integrated with the teachings of the White Cup.
3) Their meanings for the divinatory figures were added to the Datu meanings.
4) The Hanochem version of the creation myth was retained intact (It does not appear on the site.)
In this way the Datu Ways were balanced and centered as a teaching, and have evolved along the lines
of "a neutral approach to the arts of magick."
It was common up to my teacher's-teacher's time, for there to
always be both a body of Hanochem as well as a body of Datu. The Temple does not teach the Hanochem Path, because these teachings
have a high potential for abuse.
The motivations of the original Hanochem were not correct; but many of the techniques that developed out
of their tradition are highly effective and should never be lost. If taught without the intentions of 'evil' they can bring
the student vast growth.
