Let’s get this out of the way from the outset: Glykon is hilarious.

and often thought of as a lie!

So when I approached Robert Fitzgerald about a ritual collaboration for this series, and he suggested one involving dream incubation a la Glykon, I was somewhat tentative. AND YET, we at Sphere + Sundry are not in the business of bossing around our collaborators! — each enjoys full creative control of their contributions.

We also fancy ourselves open to experimentation, and value humor as much as efficacy, so… that’s how we alll got here!

What I find fascinating about this is 1. even if Glykon *began* as a hoax, that does not mean he stayed one. Chaos Magic has a lot to offer on that subject, and Glykon’s Cult was very real, persisting for over 100 years. And second, the fixed star Ras Alhague — the one used to invoke Asclepius — kinda sorta belongs to a hoax itself, in the form of Ophiuchus, dread (alleged!) “13th Sign” of the perfectly complete with 12, thanks, Zodiac.

Perform in good faith (ideally multiple times), and do report back! Our powers combined, we can help breathe new life into a bygone snake-puppet cult!

Of the Rite, Robert offers:

The Transfiguration of Glykon is a votive ritual observance prefaced by a mythologem detailing a specific Apollon/Aesclepian lineage wherein the chimeric godling of Dream, Glykon, is praised and utilized as a means of oneiric healing. Long misunderstood, with its Cultus often ridiculed, Glykon is the supreme eidolon of the Aesclepian Healing Opus and ouevre entire. Maintaining a permanent home as the tutelary deity within the precinct of the Aesclepion dream incubation chambers, Glykon serves as the embodiment of the physis of Aesclepius.

Beneficial on all levels of being and sentience, the Glykonian rite allows the Adorant to process within their own Mind/Body complex transfigurative healing that derives from the energia of the deity itself. The Dreaming Self is ultimately purified, contributing to maximum physical and psychic health.

This ritual and accompanying text can be acquired standalone, or as a set including the items necessary for performing it: 5 ml Asclepius Oil,  1/2 oz Asclepius Incense + Powder, and 2.5 oz Salve.

To heighten the experience, adding snake shed/ materia to the Oil is ideal, but not required. The trimmings of a blonde wig, entirely optional.

For the visualization component, a high resolution image of Glykon can be printed, or this 3d rendering can be as a digital focal point for meditation [view in full screen]. I recommend taking advantage of the 360° exploration capacity to gain familiarity with all elements of the statue before settling on a compelling longer-term view. This model can also be explored with a VR headset.