The Stellar Transvocation

In a Nutshell

This is the main daily ritual of the Dragon Book system. It's a theurgic rite, binding the yourself to the constellation Draco via certain areas of your body. It consists of a main rite, with fourteen supplemental spells.

Where to Find It

Starts on pp145, ritual text begins pp151. Ends pp181.

What It Does

Basically, it's a theurgic rite, where you assume the godform of the Dragon. This is accomplished through focusing on fourteen 'dragon-points' (the stars of the constellation of Draco), and aligning them with fourteen points of your body (hence the title 'The Pact of Blood and Starlight'). This is pretty much the core of the daily practice of the system.

Time of Practice

This is the main daily rite of the DBoE system. You're supposed to start it on either the first full or dark moon after the Midwinter rite. Chumbley seems to contradict himself here, but the most logical arrangement seems to be to do it after the Rite of the Black Moon on the first dark moon after Midwinter. It should be noted [on pp149] that on the first working, following on from Black Moon, you should work all fourteen points. From the next day, do it as normal (1 point per day).

The cycle of practice involved here is known as 'The Count of the Two Serpents'- it defines when certain points should be practiced according to the phase of the moon. There's a handy chart of the various correspondences involved here on pp147-8.

The idea of the Count of the Two Serpents is that if starting on a dark moon, you start with the tongue, then do one point each day, with the tail on the full moon (14 days/points later), and then go back from tail to tongue for a further 14 days, ending up on the dark moon, and so on and so forth.

It seems that on Full Moons, Chumbley intends you to do all fourteen points. It's unclear as to whether or not he means it to be done every new/dark moon in addition to Black Moon or not. All fourteen are also done at the Thu'ban Rite.

You stop doing it during the last lunar month of the year, while doing KA.

How To Do It

It should be done before the home shrine.
 * 1) Perfume the Dragon Vessel with incense
 * 2) Make an offering of light with a candle
 * 3) Open with (the basic form of) the Hallowing
 * 4) Bow before the Dragon Vessel
 * 5) Recite invocation (pp152)
 * 6) Insert relevant spell for the point you're working with
 * 7) Close with the (the basic form of) the Hallowing