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A Beginning…

Welcome to Strange Aeons.

This site is dedicated to the occult use and religious practice of Cthulhu and other Mythos deities in the way of the Left Hand Path. It is similar to modern Theistic Satanism in that while I believe that Cthulhu and his cohorts exist in a metaphysical fashion, they do not necessarily exist in our world as physical entities. They are thoughtforms, though alien in origin, and exist beyond space and time, beyond the Gate of the Silver Key. It is my belief, which is shared by some, that Howard Philips Lovecraft was contacted by these entities through dreams and inspired to write the Cthulhu Mythos in order to spread these thoughtforms throughout mankind. And it has happened. The popularity of Cthulhu is such that his image is seen countless times each day on social media, has appeared in both films and cartoons, and even has children’s books written about him! He is a god, by sheer presence in modern culture. As an occultist, I feel we are seeing the rise of many new gods, and with the wonders of modern technology, their messages and worship spread like never before. I have dedicated my path to Cthulhu, specifically, though I respect and invoke other deities in the Mythos as well.

Lovecraft was a man, with human flaws specific to his own neuroses, upbringing, and the time period in which he lived his life. I will not be discussing those aspects of him here, though it is important that those are acknowledged and understood to be the reality of the man. He was also an atheist, and would likely find my ideas horrifying or at the very least, simply mad. What he believed is not important. Whether he was a xenophobe, or an outright racist, or possibly moderated his views towards the end of his life is a discussion for his biographers and those interested in the life and disposition of a man who was quite interesting and talented. But those discussions are not for this site. This site is solely dedicated to discussion of Cthulhu and others as a path to achieving personal enlightenment and self-deification as all different Left Hand Path religions follow. If this is not what you came here for, please do not read further. This is not for you.

And now a bit about myself. I am Xalthizan, and I style myself a Priest of Cthulhu. This is a literal title, as I am ordained by the First United Church of Cthulhu, an organization founded by Khurt Khave. His book, the Astronomicon Minorem, and the works of several others inspired me to fully dedicate myself to this particular path, though in no way does the FUCC require that for membership or ordination. If you are interested, please visit their site at fucc.it. My personal views expressed here may or may not align with the views of Khurt or other members of the FUCC, however, I find their organization an excellent church and encourage people who believe similarly to support them in their efforts to spread the worship of Cthulhu. I also encourage anyone with these inclinations to purchase and read Astronomicon Minorem from them as well. You will not be disappointed if you have any understanding of the occult.

Finally, to truly appreciate the content here, one must understand what one is getting into. These beliefs, and the ideas I will set forth are from the perspective of one following a Left Hand Path. Traditionally, the goals of LHP adepthood are self-deification and a rejection of traditional moral codes. I will be writing on the methods by which I use Cthulhu to achieve those goals in an occult manner. This is not a place where you will find spells to attract love, find wealth, or summon a shoggoth to eradicate your foes. Magickal practice is highly personal and should be unique to every practitioner. At the very most, I may recommend a type of ritual or spellwork that may assist in some goal, or speak on the nature of magick in and of itself, but I will not be handing out spells written for express purposes. There are plenty of sites on the internet for that purpose, some of them legitimate, but far more full of silliness. For those seriously interested in magick, but don’t know where to start, I’d recommend researching Chaos magick and reading Liber Null and Psychonaut, by Peter J. Carroll, or starting with the book Nocturnal Witchcraft by Konstantinos, and working your way through his Gothic Grimoire and Nocturnicon. Those authors are far more adept than I at giving the novice the start they need.

And so… are you prepared? Are you ready to face the madness, to shatter the illusions, and cross the Void? Will you pass through The Gate of the Silver Key and find yourself among the Great Old Ones? Will you face your fears? Will you face the pain and terror that comes from making oneself more than human? If you are prepared, and understand the risks, then read on, my friends…

 

Logical Thinking vs. Emotional Thinking – Sublimation of Fear

It has been said that the mind is the last sanctuary one has. However, a key part of developing mental discipline necessary to following a Left Hand Path is understanding the difference between thinking logically and thinking emotionally. When we allow our emotions to influence our thought processes, we tend to make snap decisions, which, more often than not, lead us down paths we’d rather not have taken. Logical thinking, however, allows us to analyze and execute a necessary action that should hopefully culminated in success in our endeavors. But how does this relate to LHP practice or belief? I will discuss that now.

First of all, I must say there are advantages to thinking emotionally at times. Logic is cold comfort, and offers only factual analysis of the situation. To be completely logical is to be devoid of empathy, and that lack can cause no end to issues. One must be able to understand the emotions of the humans around them so that we can understand why they are reacting the way they do. Even for someone such as myself, who prefers to use logic most of the time, I cannot eschew entirely the value of emotion. Of course, being human, and hopefully not afflicted with a mental disorder preventing the comprehension of emotions, it is nigh impossible to abandon emotion in its entirety. And nor is it healthy to. In fact, emotions can be extremely powerful in magickal practice, and achieving an effective psychodrama is extremely difficult, if not impossible, without emotional triggers. In fact, the ritual room is the perfect place to allow your emotions to flow. Utilizing anger, sadness, or even joy, one can charge the energies one is working with and achieve a proper magickal state. Any strong emotion will do for use with ritual, as long as it is relative to the intent of the spell one is casting. Logic itself has little place in the ritual room, as the energies and beings we are dealing with do not respond to logical thinking, but are attracted and controlled by human emotion. But the key here is to be able to control these emotions, to use them to one’s own advantage, rather than allowing them to do as they want. And thus is the place of logic in ritual. We must learn to understand and control our emotions, but allow them to be expressed as we wish, when we wish. Working up a state of pure rage from placid calm with nothing to incite you is not the easiest task in the world, but it can be done through psychodrama and mental control. As has been mentioned before, there is a Beast in every human, and we must subsume the Beast so that we control its actions.

Emotional thinking on a daily basis however, is to allow the Beast to have control. This is not a desirable state, frankly, because the decisions made by emotional thinking tend to be shortsighted and foolish. Were one to allow oneself to succumb to every pleasurable desire, or react to a dangerous situation employing nothing but fear, the unfortunate consequence can range from developing an addiction to a dangerous substance, or even death. Knee-jerk reactions very rarely lead to a positive or desirable outcome. For daily life outside of the ritual chamber, emotional thinking should, in my opinion, be kept to a minimum. It must also be set aside when dealing with the Old Ones. To them, human emotion is a primitive thing, and the primary emotion that humans feel when coming face to face with beings such as these is fear. Fear, in and of itself, is a generally useless emotion. It stems from our ancestors, and is an instinct which promotes survival of the individual. However, allowing oneself to succumb to fear limits one’s ability to perceive all facets of any given situation. To react according to fear blots out the ability to logically assess and come to conclusions based on observations. In the Dune novels, by the late Frank Herbert, the organization called the Bene Gesserit have a litany against fear which sums this idea up quite handily:

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

While much of their organization within the story leaves much to be desired, this one idea is an excellent practice for any seeking to face the Void and the ancient beings therein. Fear is the mind killer. It destroys all thought, turning us into wild animals, seeking to flee or destroy that which frightens us. From the Old Ones, there is no flight, for their reach is immeasurable, and fighting them is equivalent to a cockroach attempting to fight a human. Only through sublimating one’s fear can we even attempt to face these beings, to look upon them knowing that this is an entity that could crush our minds, drive us mad, and destroy everything that we are, and yet hold no fear. This is a good practice for daily life as well. Rather than feel fear, understand in the moment what it is you’re frightened of. Death? Bodily harm? Loss of job? These are consequences we seek to avoid, but being afraid will only lead to those possibilities coming to pass more frequently than not. The litany above is actually quite useful as a tool for sublimating fear, if one memorizes it and can recite it mentally when one feels fear. With proper training of one’s thoughts, it can be a mantra that can restore one’s mind to logical thinking.

Fear often paralyzes. It can cause confusion, and an inability to act according to whatever is occurring. One can limit this reaction by training oneself to suppress rising fear in an instant, allowing for logic to take its place and quickly analyze what the best possible outcome is for any given situation. This is quite difficult to achieve, but certainly within the realm of possibility, as many people have done so. Abandon such notions as “bravery” and “cowardice”, and only consider what is best logically when fear rears its ugly head. Utilize the most important resource available, your mind, and make decisions based on what you know to be your abilities and reasonable planning.

A further step in combating fear is situational awareness. Fear is much easier to sublimate when one is aware of one’s surroundings, and can make some predictions as to what may occur at any given time. A bit of healthy paranoia helps with this, understanding that one must be constantly aware of possibilities, and know how you plan to react should the worst occur. Obsessing over this, however, is not healthy, and can lead to the opposite effect of what we desire. As a side note, obsessing over any single thing is unhealthy, and causes one to abandon other viable and important subjects. Practice being aware of what occurs around you, and do not allow yourself to be lost in thought or go through life in a daze, unthinking and unaware. Being able to do that will allow you to combat fear before it ever comes forth, and you can give yourself the confidence needed to know what is necessary.

Now, how do these tools help us in our true goal, facing Great Cthulhu and the Old Ones in order to become something more than we are? As I’ve mentioned, fear is useless when confronting forces much greater than mankind. Fear of facing them can cripple you from even taking the first step. Sublimating your fear, while remaining cautious and aware of your situation, can allow you to go forth into the astral and travel to face these beings with the confidence that you will not be driven mad by the mere sight of their visages. You may think, I’m not afraid of Cthulhu. However, when faced by the presence of such a being, to feel its power, and to know, to truly experience the knowledge that this is a thing of power beyond comprehension that you see before you, you will feel fear. And you must sublimate it. Coming into the presence of Cthulhu, or any of the Old Ones, is not an experience that can be anticipated. It is not mere form, nor the strange sights you will see on such a journey that will inspire that fear, but something in their very nature arises every instinct in humanity to flee, else be destroyed. To learn from them, you must suppress this, and in doing so, you may yet earn a modicum of respect from a being that is indifferent to your entire species. The fear you will feel is greater than anything possible within daily life, it is more frightening than someone holding a gun to your temple and threatening to pull the trigger. Death is paltry compared to the Great Old Ones.

And so, utilize the tools I have written about above. Learn to sublimate your fear of the mundane and human, and then you may be able to sublimate the fear of the incomprehensible. Sublimate the fear of the unknown, which is, as Lovecraft put it, “The oldest and strongest kind of fear.”

In my next post, I will go into more detail on what I touched on above, the idea of disengaging logic while performing Magick. This will be my first post on actual magickal practice, and will deal with the sort of mind state necessary for achieving a proper psychodrama in the context of ritual or spellcasting, and can be applied to any type of magickal practice.

Iä Iä Cthulhu fhtagn!

 

Living as a Cosmicist

The philosophy of cosmicism states that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as a god, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence…

Cosmicism, also known as Cosmic Nihilism, is the philosophy developed by Lovecraft and used in his writings to express the horror of the insignificance of mankind. Above, I’ve quoted Wikipedia’s definition of the philosophy, but much more can be divined from interpretation of the idea. At its most basic level, being a Cosmicist means understanding that humanity is not everything it projects itself to be. Beyond the bounds of this earth, mankind has little impact. We have, at most, sent probes and satellites into space, and a few of our species on brief trips beyond the atmosphere. Otherwise, we are quite insignificant on a cosmic scale. We are not truly important, as our species has only existed for a few hundred thousand years. We have impacted our local environment, but beyond that, we are but a brief flaring of life in the universe, soon to be extinguished. The Great Old Ones see this, but mankind does not. Man is obsessed with his own importance, with humanity itself possessing an ego larger than any individual might.

So how does one accept this philosophy in everyday life without going mad, or slipping into a deep depression at the realization that any action, good or ill intentioned, affects nothing on any scale beyond one’s own personal reach? How does one come to terms with the idea that there is no higher purpose, no great destiny of humanity, and no divine plan for existence? It is simple, and yet not easy for beings possessed of such ego. One must first understand that one must live one’s life primarily for oneself. I’m not speaking of utter selfishness, but the hard truth is that no matter how many people one’s actions may affect, in the end, the only person who can judge your behavior is yourself. No god awaits your soul’s departure to sit in judgement of your behavior throughout your life, and no cosmic force notes your every action to grant reincarnation as a “lower” or “higher” being. Your actions mean nothing in the greater scheme of things, whether you are a selfless philanthropist that donates all of your time and money to helping the unfortunate, or a brutal serial killer who enjoys dancing around in the skin of his victims. You will not be granted entrance to some eternal paradise or damned to eternal torture. Only you can decide what becomes of your essence once your flesh has expired and is rotting in the earth. And in life, only you can make the decisions that will grant you what you desire. You make your life what it is. Outside forces may affect your situation, but only you can decide what to do with the cards you are dealt.

Second, once one can accept the futility of seeking some higher purpose to this existence, one must understand that while ultimately that the individual is the only judge of one’s actions, in the interim, humanity itself will judge your actions. The philanthropist may receive accolades, praise from near and far, while the serial killer might be caught, jailed, and executed. One must understand the society one lives in, in order to live their life to its greatest potential. You may not like that society, you may not wish to be a part of it, but in the end, one must work with the materials at hand. And given that fact, one must make their way in society to the best of their abilities, using the most important tool in the possession of every human, one’s mind. Intelligence, logic, and common sense can aid one in solving almost any problem, if applied correctly. While some may foolishly say something to the effect of, “I’m a nihilist, so I don’t have to be a moral person,” what one must realize is that morality, while not dictated by some divine being, is an imposition of society on the individual. Sure, you won’t go to hell for killing your annoying neighbor, but that sort of action is quite frowned upon by society at large. You will face consequences, most likely of the legal kind. Going to prison for murder will significantly hinder your ability to improve your situation in life, and beyond, as prison is not an environment well suited to improving oneself spiritually with the goal of self-deification. And on a much less drastic level, being unkind to those around you in general will also be a hindrance. At a minimum, it will cause a great deal of stress, which typically causes one to act on their emotions rather than logically analyzing a situation. That is not to say that unkindness is not warranted in some situations, but being generally an ass makes it difficult to progress towards your goals.

Humans are creatures of comfort and desire, in general. In short, most humans desire to be comfortable, however they as individuals define that. To that end, we realize that we must make goals for ourselves, and then must work to achieve them. Understand this about yourself and about your fellow humans, and you will be able to function well in society, whether or not you adhere to a moral code. Everyone is working towards some goal, whether that is to simply make it through another day of drudgery at work, or achieve self-deification and move beyond that which it is to be human. And most likely, they are working towards many goals at once. Every human desires something. Sex, food, enlightenment, whatever the case may be, and we must understand that while we are no concern of greater powers, we must concern ourselves with ourselves. So you, as the Cosmicist, must concern yourself with humanity as well for as long as you exist on this plane. But why, one might ask, should we be concerned with humanity in general if it’s all pointless? Well, though no higher purpose exists for humanity itself, it is of one’s own self interest to concern oneself with humanity as a whole, and with specific individuals, as both of these things can and will have an affect on you as an individual. The old saying is that “no man is an island”, and nothing can be more true. Humans are social animals, and while one may be able to do much by themselves, it behooves you to make connections and care for the people you choose to. These people may not be your blood relations, but connecting with individuals and genuinely caring about them is essential to living one’s life completely. Understand that you, too, are essential to their goals, and know that even while living primarily for oneself, you can help buoy these individuals and take joy from their accomplishments in addition to your own. Making a sacrifice of yourself in order to help someone you care for becomes no sacrifice when they return the favor, as they will when they have something you desire, be it tangible or intangible. Live for yourself, but know that the lives of others should matter to you, even as they matter to nothing else in the cosmos. It is our responsibility as humans to care for other humans, for there is no divine to do that in our stead. But it is also useful to make connections with people you do not necessarily care about. Understand that these people too have goals and desires, and while you may not care if horrible things happen to them, you might have a use for them. In these cases, it is necessary to mask your true self, and work with these individuals to meet your goals, sacrificing as necessary in order to gain a common goal.

And more difficult is caring for humanity in general. Now, this does not mean weeping at the misfortunes of others, or giving so utterly of oneself that nothing is left. You are, after all, living primarily for yourself. Moreover, one should concern oneself with the aspects of society that can affect the individual. It is critical to pay attention to what is happening in the world around you, and not allow yourself to become blinded to the big picture. Politics and societal change will affect your entire life, and if you wish to live your life in relative freedom and security, it is sheer irresponsibility not to pay close attention to these things. Else, you’ll possibly find yourself living in a religious dictatorship and quite uncomfortable indeed. Pay close attention to the activities of those whose ideologies are different from your own, who would force those views upon society at large, and fight them whenever possible. It is not necessary nor wise to attempt to force your own ideologies upon others, as that is antithetical to the freedom of choice that all individuals have, but many have this mindset, and as those who oppose that idea, we must not allow a forced ideology to be imposed on us, or anyone we care for.

In conclusion, to live as a Cosmicist, one must accept that humanity steers its own course, and within that, as an individual, you must work within society, and only you are responsible for your own behavior and fate. No one is there to hold your hand and tell you that “this is the right way”. For there is no “right way”. Only you can decide what is right for you. Make your own path, find others who share your desires and ideas, and care for them. It is not necessary to “love your fellow man”, but it is necessary to be aware of the state of the society you live in, and either avoid changes that would make life more difficult to you as an individual, or fight them in the way that makes most sense. Know that in the greater scheme of existence, we as a species are insignificant, but as individuals we can become much more than merely human. There is far more to existence than the three physical and one temporal dimensions that we inhabit. Great Cthulhu is out there, beyond time and space, and we too can achieve that sort of existence, once we move beyond the ego of humanity, and accept the ultimate self for all that it is.

Azathoth, the Blind Idiot God

What is Azathoth? This deity makes relatively few appearances in the Mythos, though from what is known, much can be understood. Azathoth, known as the Blind Idiot God, and the Daemon Sultan, is that which exists at the center of all things. It is the closest to an omnipotent deity as you will find in the Mythos, and truly the thought of it is mind-boggling. It exists outside of space and time, beyond any part of the multiverse, because it is the center of all things. Azathoth dreams all of existence into creation as he sleeps in the primordial nothingness, the Ultimate Chaos, as Lovecraft wrote in The Haunter in the Dark. To understand this concept, we must consider the scope of such a being, which is nearly impossible with our limited human minds.

Azathoth is the eldest of all the gods, as he is the origin of all things. Abrahamic religions speak of an omnipotent creator god, yet assign benevolence to him, as if such a thing could spare a thought to one meager species on an unremarkable rock in an average galaxy. For true omnipotence, true neutrality must be the nature of this being. Utter indifference, as taking any interest in one species or another would cause our reality to warp and change beyond anything we could recognize, should such a being who’s very thoughts form our reality, as I believe Azathoth to have done. It has long been an argument of mine, when speaking with Christians and other followers of Yahweh, the so-called Almighty God, that for a being to be truly omniscient, for it to know everything in even just our own universe, much less the infinite multiverse of infinite possibilities, that the mind of such a being must be truly incomprehensible. Nothing with such an open ended scope could even take much notice of humanity, nor truly notice much within the vastness of existence. And hence Azathoth is the Idiot. He who knows everything, but simultaneously knows nothing, for the complexity of it all would be beyond conscious knowledge. Such a being could not even interact with something on our level relative to it, not directly anyway, anymore than we as humans can interact with atomic particles without advanced machinery such as the LHC. It is on a level far beyond anything we can comprehend. It is the bottom-most layer, so to speak. The end-all, be-all of that which we understand to be existence itself. We are but dreams of its creation, as it sleeps beyond everything we can comprehend.

And to assign benevolence to such a thing? How could something be benevolent to creatures it is not even truly aware of? Are we truly aware of everything we dream? No. Many dreams are fleeting visions, forgotten the next morning upon waking, and Azathoth dreams of everything, all at once, for time does not exist for it. Time is of its creation, after all. A limiting factor, for as we count the hours, the years, the millennia, those are merely constructions by which we measure our existence until the dreamer wakes, ending everything with the opening of its eye, if it even has eyes. To Azathoth, our entire existence, the existence of all things that are, all that have been, and all that will be in the infinity of the multiverse, may but be in the fraction of a blink of an eye. To that mind, we are the fleeting vision. We are but a floating speck within its vision, nothing to remark upon. Even Great Cthulhu, to Azathoth, is but a dream. All that is, all that can possibly ever exist as we understand existence, any reality we may perceive, is to it as a momentary thought, a quiet musing, is to us. In Azathoth’s eyes, we are the fiction. What it perceives as reality is completely incomprehensible.

All of this thought, this speculation, is anthropomorphizing something utterly beyond our comprehension. It is the only way the human brain can come to terms with it. We cannot truly understand anything that we cannot describe accurately, whether that is a description of physical appearance, or mathematical equations that give us a sense of an object’s behavior. To truly understand Azathoth, we must be something beyond human, beyond flesh. We must ascend to godhood ourselves, and even then, our understanding will be limited, for even then will we exist within the dream. We may come to understand the dream itself, we may even be able to move between universes, even to step outside of time. But to move outside of the dream itself, entirely? Even a god would be consumed by the Ultimate Chaos. Nothing can be ordered outside of the dream. No laws, no physics, not even the basic three dimensions of space exist there. Nothing with any purpose can survive it, for it is the essence of purposelessness.

And so, how can we utilize Azathoth in furthering our own goals? Through worship? No. Worship of something so ultimate in scope is the same as a microbe worshiping the hair follicle it lives upon as its creator god, for the follicle is not aware of its existence, and understands nothing of the world of lifeforms thriving upon it. The microbe is not even aware that the follicle is but part of an even larger creature, which is in turn minute compared to its surroundings. Instead, we can use Azathoth as representative of that which is ever beyond us. Ever beyond the scope of conscious thought, and understand that our ego is nothing compared to such a thing. Consider yourself, in comparison to something so vast, and you will come to understand that there are things even the gods may not aspire to. Know that existence is both infinite from our perspective, and yet fleeting, finite, and ultimately pointless in the eyes of another. Knowing that, understanding that the perspective of such a creature exists, we can value that which we do know, and can aspire to. Never believe that any creature we can understand in the smallest of degrees can be truly all powerful. Never trust that an all powerful deity will place its hand upon the mortal man and guide him to some purpose. For the only being that truly holds existence in its mind does not care. It is blind, it is all knowing yet knows nothing, and it is incomprehensible to those consciousnesses it dreams into existence. We cannot understand it, yet we can make inferences into its nature, as I have done here. Use this knowledge, this mere scraping of the surface of that which by its very nature cannot be comprehended, to understand your own existence. For Azathoth will never be understood. Not in life, nor in death, nor ever, for once it awakens from its slumber, or completes the blink of its eye, we will no longer exist, and it will be as if we, and everything else that has ever been or ever will be, had never been in the first place. A fleeting dream, forever scattered into nothingness…

On Cthulhu

Cthulhu and the Ninth Wave by Fantasio (deviantart.org)

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – HP Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature

“The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation, or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.” – HP Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu

How can we comprehend that which is incomprehensible? In Lovecraft’s writings, Cthulhu is a being that can hardly be described, much less understood. For his basic form, we have but a pair of idols recovered from cultists in remote areas, vague and terrified descriptions from a sailor, and a bas-relief created by an artist with troubled dreams, as described in the Call of Cthulhu. Lovecraft later sketched an image of that idol for a friend in one of his letters. From this the world has inferred that he is a large being with the form of a man with a cephalopod for a head and dragon-like wings on his back. Many artists have drawn him in many different ways, though most remain true to this description. But this idea, the idea that he might even have a physical form here on this earth, is poorly understood. Cthulhu is not a being of this plane. His origins lie elsewhere, in another universe, beyond what we understand to be space and time. He reaches out through the Gate and touches our universe with his mind, his thoughtform making itself known to those sensitive to the Call. And at present, the stars are not right. The vibrations of our universe are incompatible with the matter that makes up Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones. But Cthulhu still Calls. His mind reaches across the vast cosmos and is answered by those who feel his presence. To be Called by Cthulhu is to be made aware of that which man fears the most: the great Unknown.

As Lovecraft wrote in the quote above, fear of the unknown is the oldest and strongest kind of fear. How can we, as humans, not fear that which we don’t understand or are even aware of? That answer lies within the individual. In order to conquer that fear, we must steel ourselves to strive to understand our place within the universe, accept it, and strive for greater significance. To a being such as Cthulhu, we are no more than ants, inconsequential, short-lived, and unintelligent. However, we do have enough sentience for him to recognize the value of contacting us. As a scientist might study insects, Cthulhu studies us, however, unlike insects, we can communicate with him, after a fashion. And therefore he Calls, making himself known to us. Why? What does he desire? Is it sacrifice, in the manner of the cultists in that Louisiana swamp? No, to the last. No, human sacrifice is a uniquely human idea, a conceit, if you will, that a being of far greater intelligence might be pleased by humans murdering one of their own in its name. Cthulhu, by his very nature and makeup, is not human. Cthulhu is alien in every sense of the word. Sacrificing another would merely be a useless act in trying to gain the favor of something that favors nothing beyond its own designs. And therefore we answer the second question as to what he desires. Great Cthulhu desires nothing more than his own continued presence in the minds of lesser beings. To exist, as gods do. Gods exist because the ideas that spawned them are coalesced into thoughtforms, creating on the non-material planes these beings that man worships. Man begat the gods, and the gods require us to survive. But Cthulhu, and those like him, are older than man. They were spawned from the very first sentient thoughts in the multiverse. Cthulhu spawned from fear, and hidden desire. Fear of the unknown, and the hidden desires innate to all sentient creatures. These emotions are primal and universal, and have always existed so long as life has existed somewhere in the multiverse. These beings have long existed, and shall continue to be once mankind is but a distant memory.

Which brings us to my first question: Why? To that, I say, we do not truly know. Whim? Certainly no desire to assist humanity. The why of it is not so important, only that it is. He exists, beyond space and time, beyond the reach of our pitiful attempts to learn the ways of the universe. Cthulhu is representative of fear, desire, and forbidden knowledge, and it is the natural human curiosity which drives us to seek out what is forbidden to us. Desires of the flesh, and satisfaction of the mind. Men go mad when they gaze upon Cthulhu because they cannot face the fact that what they see is actually their own darkest desires made manifest in their mind. Their illusions shattered, faith in paltry gods that may save them from themselves flying from their minds, they cannot accept that this is the nature of the human. This is the nature of all things sentient. This is the nature of the individual. This is the Beast.

And yet, that fear can be overcome. Man can surpass that fear, and accept that which he is. Man is more than the Beast which lives within him. Cthulhu reveals to us what we are and through him we can surpass it, by understanding that this is not the entirety of our being. Accept and temper the Beast, and it shall become a weapon in your hands to use at your own discretion! Allow the fear of these revelations to wash over you and fall to nothing. Defeat fear, and you will conquer this aspect of the self. Use your intellect and realize this aspect is but one part of the ultimate self, the true form of that which is you. Subsume the Beast, and integrate it into yourself. Do not allow it to conquer you, drive you to acts which are ultimately destructive and useless to further evolution. Evolve, become more than man, and achieve godhood!

Knowledge, too, falls within Cthulhu’s domain. A vast, superior, and incomprehensible intellect from long before man arose on this planet, the amount of knowledge this being has must be nigh-infinite. Man both craves and fears knowledge, walking a fine line between enlightenment and utter madness. Humanity will often seek knowledge that supports its own aggrandizement, yet fears knowledge that proves its inferiority. As Lovecraft wrote, as we gain knowledge, it will come to pass that as a species, we will find that we are but a tiny, insignificant species shouting, impotent, into the void. We strain to break our bonds, but in our current position, we are but children crying into the night, unheard and unremarked.

In general, humankind holds itself as the most superior species on this planet, perhaps, in the known universe. This is the ego of man, a fallacy encouraged by the religions of the world abasing themselves before an all powerful god. Humanity must realize its place, it must understand that it is no more significant than the smallest of microorganisms on the cosmic scale. The individual must realize the same, should they hope to even scratch the surface of that which is Cthulhu. Cthulhu is indifferent towards mankind because we are not even close to significant enough to cause something of that magnitude concern, for good or ill. Accept this position, accept that which you are, and only then can one move beyond that position. Abandon the ego inherent to our species, and accept the truth that we are far from the chosen creations of some all-powerful deity. Only then can the hope of self-deification come to light. Cthulhu must be the mirror, the truth seen through the eyes of those who feel the Call. The truth of ourselves, the realization of our own faults as a species, and the bare fact that we are primitive compared to beings that exist on planes beyond the four dimensions that we experience. We are nothing, in the eyes of the Great Old Ones… we can become more. We are the fetal spawn of the stars, and only through realization of our current position within the cosmic void can we grow beyond what we are and become greater, become gods in and of ourselves! Abandon ego, accept the primitive Beast within you and subsume it, and understand and accept the whole of your being.  In essence, you must know and preserve the ultimate self. To understand all aspects, more work than has been touched on here must be done. But conquering the fear, subsuming the Beast, and realization of your place in the universe by abandoning useless ego is the beginning of the path. Only once the ultimate self is realized in its completion can we move beyond what we are. Only then can the stars shift, and the vibrations of our universe become once again right for the manifestation of Great Cthulhu. Evolve, and the stars will be right. Become more than human, and a strange aeon shall come about, and we will be beyond space, beyond time, and beyond death. “That is not dead which can eternal lie, and in strange aeons, even death may die.” Then, and only then, will Cthulhu manifest. His rise shall indicate the end of humanity, for we shall be beyond that which it is to be human. He shall rise, and he shall be us!

Iä Iä Cthulhu ftagn!