As it was told to the Elves of the Ancient World by the noble Dragons

Before the World, there was nothing. There was not even Void, for there was nothing of substance to set it against and say, "There is void". But there came into being a Thing, at the heart of the World which was not yet made; an Egg, huge and mottled with many colours. It lay in the Void, which the Egg created by it's own being, cradled in the Silence which had not yet been named.

And the Egg cracked open, and the noise of it's breaking came into the Silence and spoke a word, so that the Silence also was named and broken. Then Time came into being, for the word spoken was, "Begin."

Out of the Egg crawled five Dragons. Looking about themselves, they saw the Void and it draw back as they perceived it and thus they made a space in the Void, in which to set the World; and their breath made the Void around them bright with stars. Their names are lost in the beginning of Time, but they are known to us by their forms and by the words they spoke.

The first of the Dragons to hatch from the egg had scales of burnished brass, edged with flickering fire; his claws were flame and his eyes were as rubies, glowing in the Void. He looked about and saw the Void and that it was cold and empty. Then he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the Void. When the word came into the Void, it was a word of Fire. And with that word came into being fire and lava; and also the Salamanders, children of volcanos. And the word he spoke was set in the Void as the Fire which burns at the heart of the world.

The next of the the Dragons to hatch from the egg had scales of burnished bronze; his claws were sharp edged like glittering mica and his eyes were as jet. He looked about and saw the Void and that it was without substance or form. Then he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the Void. When the word came into the Void, it was a word of Earth. And with that word came into being the rocks and earths and mountains and plains and the gems and gold of the earth; and also the Dwarfs, children of the mountains. And the word he spoke was set in the Void, surrounding and taming the Fire.

The third of the the Dragons to hatch from the egg had scales of verdigrised copper; his claws had the luster of pearl and his eyes were as sapphires. He looked about and saw the Void and that it was still and without sound. Then he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the Void. When the word came into the Void, it was a word of Water. And with that word came into being the springs and lakes and rivers and oceans and the bright-scaled fish which live in them; and also the Dolphin, children of the sea. And the word he spoke covered the barren face of the world, girdling the Earth.

The fourth of the the Dragons to hatch from the egg had scales of silver; his claws were hard and sharp as diamond and his eyes were as many-faceted crystals. He looked about and saw the Void and that it was airless and without voices. Then he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the Void. When the word came into the Void, it was a word of Air. And with that word came into being the air and speech and birds and the dreams of all living creatures; and also the Elves, children of the Moon. And the word he spoke covered the World, Earth and Sea alike.

The last of the the five Dragons to hatch from the egg had scales of finely wrought gold; his claws were lances of golden light and his eyes were as emeralds. He looked about and saw the Void and that it was barren and without life. Then he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the Void. When the word came into the Void, it was a word of Life. And with that word came into being sunlight and the plants and animals of the Earth; and also Men, children of the Sun. And the word he spoke filled the World with life.

Then the Dragons were well pleased with the home they had built amid the Void. And having spoken their own True Names to make the World, they found their being was spent and they said, "Let us enter this World we have made and sleep there, that our own words may come back to us and refresh us." The Dragon of Fire went into the heart of the World to sleep, and with his own being keep the Fire hot. The Dragon of Earth slept under the mountains, in all the deep places of the World. The third Dragon, the Dragon of Water, made his bed in the depths of the ocean, his sleeping thoughts running in all the waters of the world. But the Dragons of Gold and of Silver set themselves above the World, to watch over it even in sleep.

---

But when the five Dragons had departed to rest in the homes they had made, the Egg stirred again. And from it's shards crawled the last Dragon, the sixth Dragon.

He was a Black dragon, yet also bright. His scales were of well-forged steel, edged with all the colours of the rainbow. His claws were of obsidian, sharper than any sword in the world and his eyes burned with a cold flame. Smaller and weaker than his brethren, he had lain longest in the Egg. And being young and eager to leave the Egg and look about them, his brothers had heeded him not, but trampled over him, tearing his wings and scales with their claws.

Yet, laying near to death in the Egg, his brothers words came back to him from the Void and by hearing them he drew new strength. In the echoes of the word of Fire he heard burning and ruin; in the echoes of the word of Earth he heard earthquakes and the lust for gold and gems; in the echoes of the word of Water he heard drought and flood; in the echoes of the word of Air he heard nightmares and lies; in the echoes of the word of Life he heard famine and pestilence.

And when he came forth form the Egg and looked toward the World his brothers had made, he spoke a word and the word was his own name and with it went forth part of his own being into the World. When the word came into the World, it was a word of Darkness. And with that word came into being the terror of Endless Night and the perversion of his brother's Words; and also the Shades, children of the Darkness.

And the last Dragon, the Black Dragon, sleeps not, for he has no home in the World. Awake, he moves at times through the World, seeking to turn it to his own liking. He passes through the heart of the World, and his brother the Brass Dragon of fire stirs in sleep, and the Fires at the heart of the World spill forth to it's ruin. He moves through the deep places of the Earth and the Copper Dragon moves but does not awaken, cracking and shaking the Earth. Walking through the depths of the sea, he disturbs the dreams of the Bronze Dragon of Water and the sea rises in storms or drowns the land. And when he moves through the sky, the Sun and Moon, the Dragons of Gold and of Silver, are darkened by his passing.

For the Black Dragon turned his eyes to the World with both lust and hate; he desires ever to possess it and thus to take his brothers' names from them and have power over them, yet ever he fears the power of their names, who have from the first been greater than he.

The Draconic Code

My Companions are Sea, Land and Sky.
My Shield is Reverence for Life.
My Armour is Tranquillity, and Insight.
My Weapons are Fortitude, and Awareness.

Deconstruction of the Draconic Code:

The Draconic Code is offered to the practitioners of Dragon Magick as a workable code of ethics.

Line One: My Companions are Sea, Land and Sky

here Sea Land and Sky are in reference to the three dragons that symbolise the past, the present and the future. By making these dragons/realms your Companions, you are ascertaining that you are existing in the moment.

Line Two: My Shield is Reverence for Life

A shield is always our first line of defence. By constructing our shield with Reverence for Life, we are aligning ourselves with our ancient ancestors who understood the value, and sacredness of the food they consumed. We ackwnowledge the worth of each living being, be it plant, animal or human. All are connected and apart of each other.

Line Three: My Armour is Tranquillity, and Insight

Our Armour is the attitude that we clothe ourselves in. By choosing to clothe ourselves in Tranquillity, and Insight, we are seeking to project an attitude of calmness while looking below the surface before formulating opinions. Seek to see behind the masks that others choose to wear, and then ascertain a course that will lead to the greatest benefit for all.

Line Four: My Weapons are Fortitude, and Awareness.

Weapons are tools which should be used as the last line of defence. By selecting Fortitude, and Awareness as our weapons, we are proclaimin that obstacles will not stop us. Obstacles are only steppin stones on the way to our goals. Awareness is a combination of sensibility, perception, alertness and discretion. By always remaining aware of your surroundings, actions, and attitude you can maintain a greater balance, and move forward towards your goals with honour.

Reproduced with the kind permission of Parker J. Torrence

Dragon Path For Beginners

The most important thing to know when practising Dragon Magick is that you've got a connection with dragons. You don't have to absolutely adore them; you at least have to see them, think about them, or just know that they are there. Wanting to be a Dragon Mage is very hard work and should be considered greatly before taking the first step.

The first step to becoming a Dragon Mage would be to find your Guardian Dragon. Not all Dragon Magi have guardians but most do. You can't spend your days waiting for a guardian to come. Often, you can't use magick to 'buy' yourself a guardian either. If you have one, you'll know. A Guardian Dragon is not a "puppy dog." The younger the dragon the more excited he/she usually is to be the guardian of a human, but you must remember that dragons do grow and so do humans. Even the smallest dragons need to be treated with the utmost respect. I have never seen a dragon disrespect a human but I have seen the opposite.

The easiest way to find your Guardian Dragon is to wait for them to reveal their presence. If for sometime now you have been feeling energies and witnessing items being knocked over, this can at be your Guardian Dragon. One thing you must remember though is when you do feel a dragon in your house it does not mean that it's "your" Guardian Dragon. Sometimes it can take years for a dragon to decide to be someone's guardian. And also, Dragon Magi don't even need guardian dragons, so just because there is one in your house or one that's been following you for years, unless he/she tells you otherwise, don't jump to conclusions and think that you have a Guardian Dragon.

Once you have communicated with your Guardian he/she will be your key to other worlds. Most of us can astral on our own, but to find a Dragon Guide we usually need to be allowed in worlds that consist of dragons. For those who have been in other astral worlds and saw rouge dragons, this could either mean they have been banned and are solitary, or they are guardians of some other being. Dragons are solitary beings, but they do all live together on one plane. There may be other dragon planes, but I myself have only been to the one, so I can only talk from experience. If you can enter this world with your Guardian Dragon you will find yourself overwhelmed with the amount of dragons that live on this plane. Not all of these dragons are going to be your friend so you'll have to tread carefully.

Few people make it to this stage because once they find a Guardian Dragon they think that's all they need to practice Dragon Magick and become a Dragon Mage. Finding your Dragon Guide is very important to follow the Path of the Dragon.

On the astral world you may either feel two things: A force so powerful that you want to cringe, cry and retreat the way you came. Or you'll feel a faint calling from one of the Dragons. The first Dragon to approach you on this world is most likely your Guide, but don't assume it just yet. What till he/she announces it.

So, you now have your Guardian Dragon, and your Guide, and are ready to start the Path of the Dragon. Your guide will be like a teacher. I have 2 guides. One for magickal purposes and one for spiritual. Though I should warn you that the Path of the Dragon is not magickal for the first few stages. You must commit yourself to a path of spiritual knowledge and wisdom first. Your guide will set out tests for you just like any other teacher and you will be informed on whether you pass or not. If you do pass you go up a level. If you fail, you repeat.

Author Unkown But Appreciated

THE ELDER
DRAGONS OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS

          Being the greatest of Dragons, the two Elder Dragons are the most difficult
to describe. They embody the principles of Light and Darkness on a cosmic level, most similar to Yin and Yang. They are balanced opposites in harmony. Working with them is like touching pure active or receptive, two concepts very difficult to grasp. I personally work with the Great Dragons of the four elements most. They are far easier to work with and communicate. This is in no way to state that they are impossible to work with, only that it is difficult to do so due to their vast powers. Approach Them as you might approach the Tao in Chinese philosophy, with respect and reverence. I see Them as the living embodiment of the principles of Yin and Yang, Night and Day, Darkness and Light. It is also important to remember that 'evil' and 'good' is neither one's sole domain, They contain both, as do we.
          The Elder Dragons are invoked primarily as an augmentation to any other
working you are performing. They are called upon to help balance the work you are
performing and to lend that certain something extra.
 
 

 "Light of the Spirit, Symbol of the Sun
 Be with me now 'till the spellwork is done.
 Help me balance all Karma and force
 'till i reach the end of my life on this Earth
 Guide me and teach me, O' Dragon of Light
 Lend my magic your Power this Night!"

  "Dragon of Darkness, Your Power will run
 until the time my magic is done
 teach me your secret, the dark not to fear
 For dark is receptive, not terror or tear
 Dreams of the Spirit soar with the Night
 wrap me in guidance, You, balance of Light"

The Path to be coming a dragon mage for the experienced. After being in contact with your guardians and you've found yourself a guide on the astral world it's time to work with the inner self. Like the path of the magician the path of the dragon mage is very similar to start off with. Your guide will help you through this processes.

1 Self Discovery - knowing yourself.

This journey can be difficult at times but the most important thing to remember is to be honest with yourself. Without honesty you'll end up in more trouble than you started with. Self discovery comes first in any magickal discipline. Very occasionally a truly exceptional student can define him/herself through the process of learning, but most times you HAVE to learn about yourself first. While I am sure you are exceptional, that very quality should show you why knowing yourself is indeed critical to the process. During this process you should find out what triggers make you behave the way you do. With those triggers known you can start learning the discipline needed to bring magick into your life. Accomplish this and you can start living a magickal existence.

For example, many entities on other planes of existence routinely use your fears against you. If you come into conflict with them and you are afraid of small spaces and do not know it, or have not over come it, you may perceive yourself as suddenly being trapped in a small narrow space. This can paralyze you with fear, sapping your will to do anything to defend yourself, unable to move, caught in a fit of blind, helpless panic. This is an extremely common tactic.

Self-knowledge allows the practitioner to utilize the most powerful tool available. It is not in a spell book, it cannot be bought, although it can be "sold", it is Will. How can 'Will' be sold? Easy, drink or eat to excess, take drugs, do anything that weakens the disciplined life you must lead to be a true dragon mage. When you know yourself, you can use your will to very potent effect.

Unless you truly understand what drives you, you will never develop the Will to use Magick effectively. Let me repeat this as it is a most critical point, unless you truly understand what drives you, you will NEVER develop the Will to use Magick effectively. Will is the key to magick. Knowing yourself is the key to Will. Control of the mind becomes easy when these techniques are applied. The mind is not used to discipline. Teaching it is a long process. It takes years. Once applied, the discipline will become second nature. You will gain confidence, self-control, and be able to apply lessons in a useful manner for the rest of your life.

If what drives you is selfish that is all right, 90% of the accomplishment in the world are done for selfish purposes. Including the "altruistic" ones. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are doing something for someone else's benefit when your true motive is to get noticed/praised/patted on the back/revenge/one up a rival/ well, you get the point. What is the pleasure/ benefit you receive from your actions? This is knowing yourself, your motives. This is your True Will. Every spell or process you do in accordance with your True Will will be much more powerful and likely to succeed. Doing these spells for any reason aside from your True Will dooms it to failure.

2. Fear of probing the hidden areas in your soul.

There will be Trauma in re-living some of the memories and in re-experiencing the actions that caused problems in the first place, but sometimes the only way to heal a deep penetrating wound is to cut it open and let it heal from the inside out instead of outside in. This is a dangerous stage. Many loose their nerve here and go never to return, either into insanity or away from this path altogether. This is not from the study of dark areas of magick, but from remembering past traumas, such as abuse, molestation, and other things.

This is a necessary step in order to know yourself. It cannot be avoided. During this time it is advisable to have someone to help you through the trauma associated with these memories. This person can be a concerned friend, a psychologist or a loved one or lover. My wife was my stability just as I was hers. Whomever you choose, they can commiserate with you as you try to deal with different traumas, slap you when you are too self-indulgent and self-pitying and so on. Your "guard" must to be someone you know and trust implicitly. They must also know you well enough not to let you fall into any self-deluding or self-pitying traps. Make no mistake, they will happen. People want to exculpate themselves from blame.

3. Acceptance of the dark self.

Most never get here. "Better buried than stinking again," is the attitude many use to keep from getting here. Learn to live with the scars. Don't glory in them, but acknowledge that they have taught you something.

Coming to terms with your own personal dark side is important. It cannot be ignored. Dealing with the trauma that happened caused by things that happened is something else entirely. Different people deal with memories and trauma in different ways, but you need to learn to recognize when a bad experience is affecting your judgment or actions so that you can break out of that cycle. Until you break out of a particular cycle of behavior, it will continues to affect you in many ways, most notably by setting up the circumstances of your own destruction. An example of this is a person who is married and lying to their spouse about having affairs. The pattern of behavior can be due to an unresolved problem of the past where the cheater learned that this behavior is "ok". Another instance is the person who has learned not to trust anyone to be reasonable or worthy of trust as the result of mistreatment as a child.

4. Doubt of yourself, your environment your family and even the Gods. The belief that "I am not really doing this... It's all in my imagination."

This is NORMAL. Self-doubt is a good tool to keep from becoming another Napoleon or Hitler. It teaches us. And while self-confidence is a good thing, too much leads to hubris.

With two exceptions*, all of us have been trained by society to disbelieve anything that we cannot verify with our five primary senses . While many are willing to acknowledge that there may be other senses we possess, few are ready to come out and say "Yes, I can see into other worlds and interact with the beings there." Society would brand them as a freak and do it's best to destroy that person for non-conformity. Since few people are brave enough to withstand ridicule or societal destruction, we learn to ignore those things we can't rationally explain. Remember, while this stage is normal, it is critical that the prospective Dragon magi advance beyond this stage.

Again, a percentage of people will get this far and give up. Part of coming to terms with your self is to look at your confidence problems. Many of us who are attracted to this kind of work have very vivid imaginations. It is only natural that some of us may decide we are crazy and nothing we are experiencing could have happened on this plane of reality. Please, remember, "As you believe, so will it be". If you believe that you are imagining it all, then you will be.

5. Peaceful Acceptance, of the Dark, and the Light.

Inner Peace is a stillness of soul that many would call "steady". Acceptance of yourself and the wisdom to over come in this area. The concept is self-explanatory.

Generally, this is the goal of all magickal systems, in which the practitioner finds him/herself and accepts him/herself as s/he is. Because of that acceptance the magician is now self-actualized, at peace and able to love everyone because s/he is no longer dependant upon others for his/her happiness. Able to discover new worlds of connection to everything within him/herself, this is the "gold" that the Alchemists were after.

6. I am no longer a mere mortal, I feel so Olympian and distant from humanity.

This is one final phase that some magickal practitioners have spoken to me about, and that is disconnectedness with normal people. While it is normal to pity most of humanity and the fact that they do not understand things as you do, and that they MUST live in a world ruled by sorrow and misery instead of in a world of joy and wonder, one must not ever think they are less than us.

When it comes to believing your better than the human race and other people on the planet this is usually where you've taken a wrong turn. Sure, your at peace with yourself you understand the ways of life and have accepted who you are, why not share this with the rest of the world? A lot of people try to heal others in this type of situation, to show them the 'way' the path to enligtenment�?

Healing is a dangerous skill. In order to heal someone, you must first know how to harm him or her as well. THIS IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS. You are mucking around with someone else's body, mind, or soul. You can do PERMANENT harm to them unless you know exactly what you are doing and why.

Megalomania and hubris are a part of this too. The scales must balance between doubt and this condition, tipping in neither direction. These emotions can grow naturally out of the previous stage. It is related to knowing that YOU did something that was good and right, that you made a difference and that YOUR spell changed the world in some way that you CAN see. With that knowledge, the immediate reaction is usually, "OH BOY! I can do anything I want to do because this stuff REALLY does work!"

This is a dangerous stage. The problem here is "I have some training, I can do anything I want and no one can stop me." Kind of like a beginning student in Martial Arts who is getting an inflated ego. Usually the Master will have to knock them down a few notches to get them to understand that there are bigger and badder things out there.

It is believed by many people that it is impossible to go through all these steps within one life time�?some of the eldest people are still dealing with life tramas and accepting the dark. The key is to work on yourself while receiving lessons from your Dragon guides. They can see through you and into your spirit so they'll know the progress your making. The further with these steps you go the further your training as a dragon mage will take you. A lot of these steps are used for a magickian as well. It's always important to know yourself when working with magick.