The Specular System for Beginners
The Specular System is an occult tradition that focuses on the use of magickal energy to create change in your own life and the world around you according to your own will. It draws on concepts from Chaos Theory, Witchcraft and Postmodernism to do so. If you’re curious about what it’s all about, this guide will help you to get started with the Specular System on your path to discovering more about your magick and yourself!
What is the Specular System?
The Specular System is a 21th-century conception of practical occultism, developed in Brazil during the 2010s by the occultist Lua Valentia. It draws on a great many older currents, including Chaos Magic, Hermeticism, Thelema etc. It is highly influenced by Tommie Kelly's The Forty Servants.
The Specular System aims to create change in conformity with will. The Specularis believe that change occurs naturally in accordance with will; it is up to us to align ourselves correctly with its flow.
As above, so below – we cannot change our reality without changing ourselves. Nothing happens unless first in a dream – dreams shape reality as much as actions do. To control our future, we must first control our thoughts – thus controlling what we experience in waking life (what occultists call consciousness). It follows that nothing happens without intent behind it; events occur because someone or something wants them to happen, even if subconsciously.
The central text of the Specular System is Valentia’s Via (published as part of a series, The V.V.V.V.V.). Other important works include Valentia's books Oneiroi, Ronda, LiberFem etc. Each one has their own approach to the Specular System: some are theoretical and philosophical, others teach practical techniques such as astral projection or lucid dreaming.
The basic concepts of the Specular System
Specula is a technomagickal egregore that seeks to create and develop art, magic and freedom. Specula was first created in September 2016 to the Brazilian audience. The egregore has thousands of astral beings. Some of these beings are public. The egregore also has an astral city, which is called Liran Van Garden. Astral beings rest in Liran when they are not working. The most famous astral being is Ronda, who attracts prosperity. Every Speculari has a sigil, which is a magical symbol that represents them. They also have a mantra. Every Speculari has a well-defined astral function. Check the functions of the Specularis to see which one suits you the most. Every Speculari also has a unique correspondence table. You can consult this table on the Specula site or in the book Via, The Grimoire of Specularis. The book is currently being translated into English. Before summoning a Speculari, do a banishment. Banishing, when done right, ensures that no unwanted energy is part of the process. We also recommend that you perform a banishing at the end of each process. The recommended one is the Chaosphere Banishing, but you can choose whatever you prefer and you can also create your own. We also recommend that you know the Specula Protection and Security Protocol so that you don't have any problems during your journey.
The Specular System is an anchor
The Specular System is an anchor within the Chaos Magic meta-system; which means you can randomly choose your beliefs, experiment with magick how you like and then safely return to your home: Specula. There are no right or wrong ways of seeing things, as long as it works for you. If a thing changes too much from its original meaning, we will correct that belief using our patent pending what-the-heck method. If something stops working (or doesn’t work), we will change it accordingly until it does work again. We encourage you to ask questions! Ask yourself what if you could be anything? What if anything was possible? Step out of your comfort zone, but then return to Specula with more knowledge to share.
The Path To Becoming A Speculari
A Speculari believes in personal freedom and self-ownership. The only person who can truly change you is yourself. Through study, self-understanding, and personal growth we move forward in life feeling more fulfilled than before. On your path to becoming a Speculari you need to realize that your life belongs to no one but yourself—no external force has control over your actions or emotions. Do what you will with confidence and liberty.
Now that you have decided to learn the Specular System, it’s time to start your journey. You will first need to set a goal and look at your current situation objectively. For now, take some time to think about what it is you want in life. If you are looking for success then focus on that while keeping an open mind when deciding what classes or books would be best suited to your needs as a chaos magician.
Discipline is your best teacher
Being good at self-promotion will never help you build something of lasting value – only hard work will give you that. You need discipline to build a business or even shape your body into something good-looking and well-functioning. Discipline makes you able to progress steadily despite setbacks, fear or any adversity. You’ll quickly discover which parts of yourself deserve more focus and which ones are best left alone.
The V.V.V.V.V. series
V.V.V.V.V. consists of the following books written by Lua Valentia: Vero, Via, Vox, Vida and Valentia. V.V.V.V.V. is a reference to the occultist Aleister Crowley's personal motto: "Vi veri veniversum vivus vici", which means "By the power of Truth, I, while living, have conquered the Universe".
In fiction, the motto was first mentioned in Robert Nye's novel Faust (1980). It also appears in Alan Moore's graphic novel V for Vendetta.
The Speculari Training
The Speculari training starts on January 23rd and finishes on December 23rd. From January to July, the magician must practice the Liber MMM as written by Peter Carroll. From May to July, the magician also needs to finish the 40 days of Chaos Quadragesima: A 40 day Sigil Magick Challenge created by Tommie Kelly. The magician must follow the Security and Protection Protocol and needs to activate the circuit of Self-esteem every week.
The second phase of the training is focused on the presentation to each one of the Specularis, as written on Valentia's Via.
Current 108: The importance of Nature
Current 108 is a movement of occultists who love life. Current 108 is based on Solarpunk and its two aspects of sustainability and inclusion. We believe Nature has a right to thrive. Our practice includes solar magic, witchcraft, and healing magick as well as many other flavours of spirituality/religion that add color to our lives. We value community above all else. Anyone can be a current 108er, provided they hold solarpunk values in high regard; you do not need to be an experienced witch or magician to join us!
Specula's Security and Protection Protocol
Specula's safety and security protocol consists of: Cleansing; Sleep hygiene; Banishing; Energisation; Sealing; Shielding; Visualisation & Grounding. In other words, the magician should banish 2x per day; should cleanse their space and themselves everyday or at least during the decrescent moon; should take care of their sleep hygiene everyday; should take care of their levels of energy; should seal their house and themselves; should shield the exterior of their house (once a week); should work on their visualisation techniques and should ground after every spiritual work.