The full Serpent & Sword praxis is performed in direct reading by Hermetis Major. What you receive is not fortune-telling. It is structured symbolic mapping through Sephirothic and Qliphothic currents.

In these readings, Hermetis is being channelled. The initiate may learn more about the practitioner's backstory if they wish, but the reading is about them first and foremost.

Important Disclaimer

These readings are not advice—general or formal. They do not constitute and should not be relied upon for: financial advice, medical advice, legal advice, psychological or psychiatric counsel, relationship counselling, or any other form of regulated professional guidance.

This practice is interpretive, symbolic, and intuitive. Cards often show possibilities, potentials, and perspectives that otherwise may not have been considered. It is up to the reader to present these—and up to the querant to self-search for meaning.

The querant's interpretation is vital and their own. Their choices and actions should be informed by this reading, not dictated by it. Hermetis Major preserves agency; the seeker retains choice.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a qualified professional or crisis line.

Serpent & Sword is a divinatory exploration through different initiatory lenses. It holds opposing currents without flattening them—two pillars in tension, with a central axis that may synthesise, transcend, or stand alone.

Some argue there are two trees. Some say one tree with nightside and lightside. Others speak of branches of light and roots of darkness. All of these are true, and therefore all are false.

The Three Lenses

The Serpent

Left-Hand Path · Qliphothic Vector · Nigredo

This pillar is read through a Luciferian, Draconian, Goetic, and Qliphothic lens—the Tree of Death. It is the current of individuation: stripping masks, reclaiming sovereignty, confronting shadow. The Serpent may ascend or descend either tree.

IndividuationRuptureSovereigntyShadowConfrontation

The Sword

Right-Hand Path · Sephirothic Vector · Albedo

This pillar is read through a Hermetic, Thelemic, Angelic, and Sephirothic lens—the Tree of Life. It is the current of integration, ethics, discipline, order, and refinement. The Sword too may move in any direction.

IntegrationClarificationStructureRefinementWill

The Rosette

Middle Path · Syncretic Vector · Citrinitas

Between Serpent and Sword stands the Rosette—the great ampersand. The rose and the thorn are but one. The middle contrast between pillars. A standalone initiatory path in its own right that tests synthesis, transcends polarity, or stands complete in itself. The six-petal rosette encodes balance without passivity, authority without hierarchy, and differentiation without fracture.

SynthesisTranscendenceStandaloneBalanceAmpersand

Core Doctrine

• Polarity is defined by placement and channel, not by upright/reversed.
• Upright and reversed are read as orientation shifts, not moral value.
• The dark is not evil. The light is not good. The horizon is not neutral.
• The mechanism is balanced. The outcome may favour Serpent, Sword, Rosette, or reject synthesis.
• The reader preserves agency. The seeker retains choice.

The Trees

Some argue there are two trees—Life and Death. Some say there is one tree with a nightside and a lightside. Others speak of branches of light and roots of darkness.

All of these are true, and therefore all are false.

The lens that works best for the practitioner or querant is what is best. No fixed perspective is necessary. Serpent & Sword is designed for those who resonate with a flexible, exploratory, adaptable shifting perspective. Polarisation is not the aim. All perspectives are valid. The dark is not evil, the light is not good, the horizon is not neutral. These are maps—and what was once subjective has been made objective through dogmatic practice and shared experience.

The Name

The Serpent represents the Left-Hand Path: the Luciferian and Draconian current, initiation through the Qliphothic lens. The Sword represents the Right-Hand Path: the Hermetic and Thelemic current, initiation through the Sephirothic lens.

Between them stands the Rosette—the Middle Path. Not merely synthesis, but a standalone initiatory path in its own right. The great ampersand—the rose and the thorn are but one.

Hermetis Major

Hermetis Major is the human practitioner—a student of Western ceremonial magick for nearly two decades, and an active practitioner for the latter half. Readings conducted by Hermetis Major carry the full weight of human nuance, dialogue, and presence.

The approach is austere, reverent, and precise. This practice is interpretive, symbolic, and intuitive. Cards often show possibilities, potentials, and perspectives that otherwise may not have been considered. The final movement belongs to the seeker.

Hermetis Minor

Hermetis Minor is an AI Servitor—a product of programming and theurgy. It provides structured three-path readings through the same symbolic framework, preserving agency and avoiding superstition. Hermetis Minor complements but does not replace the human-in-the-loop experience.

The Serpent & Sword project is an independent endeavour—built without institutional backing, sustained by those who find value in its praxis. The offerings below support the continued development of this work: the creation of new materials, the refinement of method, and the expansion of what can be shared.

Every purchase directly funds the project.

OC Oracle Decks

Three unique oracle decks in development by Mo at OC—one for each pillar of the praxis. Pre-order via Kickstarter launching soon.

Affiliate partnership with OC. Kickstarter notification signup coming soon.

Guided Meditation Albums

Three pathworking albums—each aligned to a current of the praxis. These are not relaxation exercises. They are structured contemplative instruments for those engaged in serious interior work.

Available soon via Bandcamp. Email notification signup coming.

These offerings sustain the work.
Thank you for your support.

For questions about readings, scheduling, or enquiries.

What Happens Next

• Confirmation email within 24 hours
• Zoom or Teams link included
• Event added to your calendar
• Written summary emailed after session