(This is a review by my friend Jessica. The original can be found here.)

I had no idea what to expect when my friend Shiva announced that he and his partner, Kala, were producing and starring in an erotic film along with some close friends. I believe that one or both of them even used the word “porn.” Someone who has never met Shiva may have suspected that this was simply a creative way for him to get laid by multiple women. I immediately ruled out this possibility. Some one who doesn’t know Shiva may have expected the type of porn one can pick up anywhere. I knew not to expect any Barbie Doll figures (though Kala happens to have a gorgeous body naturally) or dildos or cum shots or basically anything nonorganic and misogynistic. So, yeah, I only knew what not to expect. Shiva is one of the most unique and intelligent people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, not to mention his creativity and immense amount of spiritual energy, so I eagerly awaited the release of the film wondering how the mystery of content would unfold. The only clue I had is in the very title of this film, Babalon Rising. I had previously read about Jack Parsons and his experiment with Crowley’s powerful ritual. I suspected that the film would be laced with magick.

I was finally able to download Babalon Rising over the weekend. I sat down to watch it with a great sense of anticipation on Saturday afternoon, and, no, I didn’t just have a hard on to see Shiva naked. I demanded something that went beyond graphic sex. The film exceeded my expectations. It, in fact, affected me quite deeply.

Babylon Rising is not laced with magick as I suspected, but rather IS magick. Sensuality, poetry, music, psychedelia, and invocation come together to create a powerful ritual, which is so intense that I broke out in goosebumps and decided to take a breather the first time I watched it. I didn’t return to the ritual until Shiva assured me that the conclusion of the film would bring me back out of darkness and into the light, which proved to be true.

The sexual aspect of Babalon Rising is tasteful and gorgeous. No one appears to be acting. It is pure love and pleasure and joy. Unlike typical porn movies, there is much kissing and tenderness and smiling. The visual effects Shiva used for these scenes create the impression of an orgy while glorifying the beauty of the female body.

The powerful spiritual aspect of this film doesn’t exclude those who know nothing of the occult. It, in fact, invites them to open their minds and hearts to experience something new and thrilling and perhaps even life altering. For those who are familiar with Crowley’s work, come revel.

I have touched upon what Babalon Rising is not and upon what it is, but I have left much to be discovered. If I have peaked your curiosity even the slightest bit I encourage you to use the below link to preview the film and order a copy. In fact, I dare you to.

http://houseofecstasy.com/babalonrising.html

Just got an interesting reaction from my friend Jessica to my new film BABALON Rising.

“Shiva sent me a link to download his new film, which I plan to write about soon. Shiva and his partner Kala are a little more (into) Crowley than I am, though I do admire some of his work.. The movie, which Kala stars in, portrays a beautiful mixture of sensuality and magickal ritual. I found that as the ritual intensified I was starting to feel off kilter, not quite right. I broke out in goosebumps. I began to wonder about what ramifications the film may have on my mind, spirit, and environment. I decided to pause it for a bit and venture out onto my steps into the glorious day to enjoy a mug of hot tea.”
(you can read the whole post here)

To which I say why the goosebumps? And is that bad? She comes to a wise decision of just observing her reactions and just being with it. The most effective cure to rid any recurring negative emotions is to allow oneself to experience it fully and consciously and just be with it. It will lose its power over you by degrees if you keep it up.

This is true with fear and releasing fear is an important component of magickal/shamanic work. The film follows the arc of a typical ritual/initiation….a gradual ascent into “magickal space” that leads to an intense climax and a joyful feeling of liberation after. But the dark/scary/intense part is a necessary component of the process. This is sometimes called “Chapel Perilous” or “The Dark Night of the Soul” or the phrase “breakdown precludes breakthrough”. The idea that major evolutionary breakthroughs in consciousness often precede a time of crisis as the old self meets the new ideas and feelings and they can feel uncomfortable or frightening until the new information/emotional patterns is assimilated and the person experiences rapid personal growth.

In the pagan/occult/magickal community, these are vividly re-enacted on the willing aspirant in the form of initiations. These often involve some form of trial, test where the initiatee is brought to a place of terror, while simultaneously being given the keys to integrate the whole experience. This brings them to either a higher state of consciousness or if not done properly or at the right time, it can lead into a place of mental instability.

From the beginning, I envisioned this film as being a ritual unto itself. That is that anyone who intently watched the film would participate in the ritual. The ritual is an invocation of the force known as BABALON, who I believe is more easily understood and worked with in her form as a powerful and fierce Goddess who comes to assist in human evolution and bring in the new Aeon at this crucial time in history. Few like to ponder it, but the very earth itself, that supports all life is the equivalent of a cancer patient in their later stages. SOMETHING has to happen for us to wake up and SOON!

And what is holding the humanity back from a golden age of peace and harmony with the earth? Mainly religious fanatics and their stupidity, narrow mindedness and fanatical desire for control over others and their war against the earth and nature.

Believe me when I say that I have no problem whatsoever with anyone’s religious beliefs as long as they do not interfere with me in any way. In turn, I will not interfere with them. This should be the defining characteristic America (where I live), but sadly this is not the case. None of these religious groups will stop until the unbelievers are subdued or better yet, killed.

I should state clearly here that although I am an “unbeliever”, I do believe in not only the power of thought, but the power of collective thought. I believe that Gods and Goddesses, while not real in a physical sense are powerful forces acting on the group mind. If people worship a God that states that its OK to oppress or kill unbelievers (as most major monotheistic religions do), it is possible to summon opposing Gods and Goddesses powerful enough to match them.

The religion I know the best from life experience is Christianity. Their nemesis is Satan/Lucifer of course, but on a more specific and visceral level there is the unholy trinity of the Antichrist, the Beast and “the whore of BABYLON”. The mere mention of these beings can send shivers down many a Christian’s spine. In the Bible, in the book of Revelations, there is a fierce battle where these beings come to ravage the earth and God comes down for an awesome CGI epic ending.

What most do not stop to ponder is this is GOD’S book after all…and maybe it is just a teensy bit biased. Take a look at the very beginning story in the Bible. The serpent comes and tempts Eve to eat the fruit which will make her have the knowledge of good and evil and so be “like God”. Needless to say God is rather displeased with the outcome.

Read with the right frame of mind, the Serpent is actually the hero of the story offering growth and evolution to humans, while God wants to hold them down. Note that this pattern has been repeated with the whole history of the Christian religion. The church has ruthlessly forbidden most forms of knowledge through the ages and have in fact actively killed scientists, herbalists, healers and other evolved humans with “forbidden knowledge”. The Christian faith itself is the enemy of knowledge as clearly stated in their OWN BOOK!

Lucifer, the bringer of light is an archetype mirrored in the story of the Greek God Prometheus, who brings “forbidden light” to humans and for his bad deed is sent to “hell” (he’s chained to a rock by Zeus, the “father” god and has his liver eaten daily by an eagle).

Lucifer, the Beast, the Antichrist and BABYLON the GREAT are monstrous to Christians because they come with knowledge, wisdom and power to destroy their faith. And destruction is a scary thing. If the story of Revelation was told from Lucifer’s point of view, it would be written quite differently.

I am for human evolution, liberty, knowledge and wisdom.Therefore I side with Lucifer and his comrades and actively invoke these beings and assist them into coming into our world. I encourage you to invoke them as well. Summon them in your mind and sit with their energy. You will find that this will give you “secret knowledge” and greatly speed up your conscious evolution.

And just thinking about them and sending them energy allows their foot in the door of our collective consciousness where the real action is…and when their foothold gets strong enough watch out because there will be an epic battle, but I don’t believe in the Bible so why should I believe in the Bibles ending? Besides, it’s far better to die fighting for life and liberty than to live in slavery and ignorance, but it’s my hope that we will make the quantum leap of evolution, create “heaven” here on earth and sing and dance in the garden of Pan. And if this does not happen right away, inspired by Prometheus we can keep carrying the torch through the darkness.

I’ll close with a poem by Kala from the film:

Become

where She appears naked in the middle of the street
admired, desired, loved and loving the people who smile
and strip down to nothing, lay down their clothes
for Her bare feet to walk upon
and follow Her into the newest day.