One morning while working with the Gnostic Thunderbolt, I realized why I have found it of limited use and even more limited application. The Gnostic Thunderbolt, as most of us are taught it, involves a strangely loose combination of chakras and pentagrams, two things that are commonly mashed into other systems without regard for their normal functions.

Those who aren't high Ceremonial Magicians, Satanists, or Wiccans may never have need for a pentagram at all. Even the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP), while everyone is familiar with it, is used more and more rarely as traditions develop and Chaotes cut the ties to their old masters.

Chakras have also fallen on hard times. They are seen (rightly so) as a part of Eastern spiritual practice that (wrongly so) has no place in Western occultism. Chakra practice has earned the stigma of "fluffy" in many circles, almost to the point that including chakras in a publication on Western occultism is sure to garner questions of authenticity and relevance.

But there is this ritual, developed out of the Gnostic Pentagram Ritual which was developed out of the LBRP, a strong Ceremonial Magical working. The Gnostic Thunderbolt is very powerful itself, but for someone with hangups on both chakras and pentagrams, it can also involve several unnecessary paradigm shifts.

I personally don't care for chakras (I think they're bunk) and I don't have any fondness for pentagrams (they don't symbolize power of any sort to me), but I really like the imagery of a thunderbolt. Because of this, I decided to experiment a bit with the Gnositc Thunderbolt and try to create my own variant of the Thunderbot that didn't require a lot of paradigm shifting that had no effect: something simpler, more efficient, and much more streamlined.

What I came up with, of course, is the Chronarchy Variant of the Gnostic Thunderbolt.

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Begin by standing, feet shoulder-length apart, hands slightly out to the sides, but comfortable.

1. Inhale. Starting just over your head, set the first point of the thunderbolt. Vibrate "Iiiii. . ." until the lungs are empty, and feel the electricity and power above you, ready to strike.
   
2. Inhale. Trace a straight line from the point atop your head down to your active hand. The line should roar down your arm with electricity and speed, and you should feel it slam into your hand, electrifying it. Vibrate "Eeeeee. . ." in a slightly lower tone from the last vibration.
   
3. Inhale. Trace a second line from your active hand to your passive shoulder, across your heart. Again, the line should roar through your body with electricity and speed, and again it should slam into your shoulder. Vibrate "Ahhhh. . ." in a lower tone.
   
4. Inhale. Trace the third line from your passive shoulder to your genitals. The electricity should again blast into you, humming and warming. Vibrate "Ohhhhh. . ." in a lower tone.
   
5. Inhale. Trace a fourth line from your genitals through your foot and into the ground, forming a line with shoulder-genitals-foot. Feel the bolt slam through you, and feel your body alight with the energy. Vibrate "Ooooooo. . ." in a lower tone.
   
6. Remain completely still and hold your breath for as long as possible. Concentrate your attention fixedly on the sound of your blood rushing through your veins, know that the rumbling you hear is the eternal explosion of the Thunderbolt. You are part of the Thunderbolt moving endlessly and mindlessly onward.
   
7. Continue to hold the image and sound in your mind while holding your breath. When you finally must breathe, envision the thunderbolt fragmenting with a tremendous roar and sending octarine sparks into and through you.
   
8. Repeat the seven steps above, drawing the Thunderbolts about you to describe a 3-dimensional shape of whatever kind suits you.
   
9. Declare your intent, such as, "We will that we never end where we had begun. We will that we shall begin." Or, "I declare myself prepared to do the Great Work of Magic!" Or, "We believe that this space is now cleansed!" Or, "I am free, I am powerful, and I will achieve my goal!"

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