Yahoo needs to start propitiating the spirits of Mercury already. They’ve got terrible communications problems.
Yahoo execs: I suggest the virgin daughter of your CEO offered to the Kraken.
(Yes, I am looking forward to the release of Clash of the Titans, why do you ask?)
The Genius and the Evil Daimon are entities with a long history in the Western Mystery Tradition. The idea of the good and evil spirits assigned to people is so ingrained in the American culture that I grew up watching cartoons that frequently showed a character with a little angel with a harp on one shoulder and a little red devil with horns and a tail on the other, each giving the person advice. More often than not, the character would listen to the devil. How typical of mankind.
The term “Genius” as I’m using it in this post loosely comes from Agrippa’s Third Book of Occult Philosophy, chapter xxii. Technically, “Genius” is supposed to refer only to one part of the three-fold good Daimon that preserves the person it’s assigned to. The three parts are the Holy part, which is roughly speaking the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA) of the Abramelin ritual, the Genius or “Nativity Angel,” a Spirit whose nature is determined by the placement of the stars at birth, and the Daimon of your Profession, who influences how successful we are at our chosen line of work. Agrippa refers to all three parts singularly in the title of the chapter, “That there is a threefold keeper of man.” Since it’s a singular entity, and he only gives instructions on deducing the name of a Genius, and not the HGA or Professional Demon, I’m referring to all three parts of this one entity as the Genius.
The earliest reference to the Genius that I’ve found so far is in the Corpus Hermeticum, written in Hellenized Egypt. In The Divine Pymander, it says:
This is the Logos talking about how he works with those who are pious. While it might look like a bit of a stretch, the Logos and the HGA are of the same Spirit. In Agrippa’s record written roughly 1200 years later, this corresponds to the Holy part of the Genius. Agrippa frames it thus:
Agrippa says of the Genius specifically:
In other words, the Genius is what can guide you to the roles and responsibilities you are incarnated to accomplish.
In addition, being the only part of the threefold keeper of human beings that you can get the name of from your horoscope, the Genius can also be used to establish conversation with the rest of the threefold keeper, including the HGA and the Daimon of your Profession. By “used,” I mean you can converse with it through conjurations and establish a relationship, discovering the things that are needed to be done in your life to prepare you for the next step in your Work.
As you Work with your Genius, a momentum builds up. You don’t have to choose to be a decent, pious person always choosing to do good and be kind to small furry animals, or help old ladies across the street. You don’t have to choose to be offended by injustice when you see it. You don’t have to try to find wisdom or insight in your studies. And you don’t have to make yourself seek your Race and Value in God.
Instead, you find yourself naturally doing these things. You find character flaws revealed, and the means to change them. You find yourself naturally pursuing Virtue over Vice. You stop sabotaging your progress towards your goals, and you find yourself knowing and understanding things intuitively about yourself and others around you. Glimpses of the future come in sureties felt in evaluating potential outcomes of situations. Mysteries unravel before your very eyes.
This spirit’s influence on your life can be enhanced through practical exaltation of the spirits name, which I’ll discuss below.
Heading back to The Divine Pymander, it goes on to say:
57. And such an one never ceaseth, having unfulfiled desires, and unsatisfiable concupiscences, and always fighting in darkness; for the Demon always afflicts and tormenteth him continually, and increaseth the fire upon him more and more.
Here is the Evil Daimon, sent by God to punish the wicked with insatiable desires. My experience with this entity leads me to believe that this Demon drives you to the point where you have to turn to God to find relief from your passions, or die of despair or overdose. If you refuse to do so, when you die you return as a more brutish man, or an animal, or even a plant according to Plotinus. The further from God you turn in your life, the further from God you result in your next, each incarnation resulting in less and less opportunity to turn from God until you are a plant with no choice but to turn to the Sun to live.
People always have some degree of a relationship with this spirit. Like the cartoon characters listening to the little red demon on their shoulder, we have spent our lives listening to and following the advice of the evil daimon. A momentum builds up with the Evil Daimon just like with the Genius, and soon you find yourself surrounded by chaos and madness, if you give too much into the temptations this spirit whispers to you.
Like the demons discussed in Section 2.6, The effects of the Evil Daimon can be curbed.
To Work with these entities, the first thing you’ll need is their name. These are discovered through your horoscope, as discussed in Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book 3, at the end of chapter xxvi:
Ok, did you catch all that? No? Well, fortunately I’ve got a spreadsheet I use to make the process a little easier. I don’t know how the renaissance magicians managed without the power of modern technology.
I’ve got all the Hebrew letters associated with the degrees for the Good Genius and the Evil Daimon lined up with their appropriate degrees. To determine the name, you get a horoscope of the your birth, and write down the degrees of the sun, moon, ascendant, and part of fortune. Then you find the syzygy, and that’s the fifth letter of the name. The syzygy is the location of the moon at the closest full or new moon to the date you’re charting. To find this, you get another horoscope of the time of the nearest full or new moon, and write down the degree the moon is in. Pretty simple, eh?
No, not really. It’s a bit of a pain in the hindquarters, honestly. But this is worth it.
Once you’ve got their names, you can conjure and commune with your Genius by creating a Lamen of the spirit. Spell out its name in Hebrew in a circle with the names of God written around the perimeter. I use the Celestial Script from Agrippa, and the Lamen looks like this (That’s YHVH in the script, you’d need to change the name to use it):
Poke a little hole in the top, and you wear it during the ritual. Conjure the spirit in a crystal or other scrying medium and you’re all set.
On the flip side, you’ve got the Evil Daimon’s name. I intend to bind mine in a lead-lined spirit pot.
In fact, I’ve got this idea for a multi-purpose talisman. I’ve got a log that I’m carving to serve as a means to exalt the Genius and bind the Evil Daimon at the same time. I’ll be burning incense and candles in the top where the Genius name is inscribed in gold leaf, and the Evil Daimon will be bound in the hollowed-out, lead-lined base.
It should look something like this when I’m done:
Tomorrow is the day I do a ritual to help the jobless. I spent the summer unemployed, and I’m digging my way out, and it fucking sucks. I’d like to do my part to help anyone in a similar situation. Unemployment is right around 10%, and I heard the “real” value is closer to 17% on NPR last night. That’s almost 2 out of every 10 people you know.
I’ve had two people ask to be mentioned in the rite. Either you don’t think it’s going to help, or everyone who reads my blog is employed and is only friends with employed people. I know it’s not going to hurt to be mentioned, Bune’s really good at getting people jobs that pay a decent amount. I landed this job two weeks after conjuring Bune.
Email me your name or anyone you know who needs the help, it’s totally free.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love being a magician? I’ve talked about it, I’m sure. I don’t know. It’s a freakin’ blast. It’s a fabulous trip.
Ideally, one day, this is all I’ll do for a living. I mean, I’ll have made enough to live without having to work all the time, and I’ll be able to just do magic all the time. I really like writing about magic too, because to do the research, I have to do magic. It’s awesome stuff.
Last weekend, I started playing with directing specific forces through the different spirits. I usually ask God to grant Michael power to accomplish the task at hand, for example, but this weekend, the task at hand was empowering Bune to take care of some things for me. The idea to do weekly “riches maintenance” rites came shortly after doing that.
This Thursday’s rite is going to be the Power of God flowing into Sachiel, and then flowing into Bune on behalf of the jobless. I suppose eventually I’ll start including the different Archangels of the constellations too. God-Constellation-Planet-Terrestrial Spirit. Makes sense, follows that whole chain of manifestation I’m always going on about.
It’s good strong magic, too. Come to think of it, I’ve been getting a pretty strong buzz off my rites for the last few weeks. Ever since I started the daily prayers and the … oh. Yeah.
I’ve been doing the Supernatural Assistant Course along with my students. I guess that would explain it.
That was quick.
If anyone has a desire for such handcrafted items to go along with the courses, I’m open for taking commissions. Next year I may start offering a Modern Angelic Grimoire Kit, if there’s any interest. Those Tables of Practice are fun to make.
In other news, I’ll be doing a Bune ritual Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s ritual is for anyone who is unemployed to get a job. I’ll be conjuring Sachiel of Jupiter to empower Bune to bring a job that pays all the bills “plus some left over” as Moloch says. If you or anyone you know is currently unemployed, email me their name, and I’ll mention them during the rite.
I prefer to mention people to spirits during rituals using their name and their mother’s maiden name, as in “David Thomas, son of Maria Angelos” the way the Sefer Raziel recommends. The Sefer Raziel does it this way (I suspect) because you always know who a person’s mother is, even when you can’t be sure of their paternal ancestry. You might think your dad is your real dad, but secretly be the son of an affair with the mail man. The mother, on the other hand, is harder to be wrong about. I understand in this day and age that people would be hesitant to give out their mother’s maiden name to a complete stranger, so I’ll settle for the full name of the person. This is free for the unemployed.
Friday’s ritual will be a “riches maintenance” rite. I’ve found that Bune, being what he is, will gladly bless me with riches, usually within two weeks after conjuring for it. Unfortunately, being what I am, I will do a ritual, get some riches, spend them, then when I’m flat broke do another ritual and have to wait two weeks for the windfall. To be a bit more proactive, I’m going to begin performing a weekly riches maintenance rite that keeps the money coming in. I don’t know what the results will be, but it’s going to be a fun experiment.
If you want me to mention you during this rite, click the “Mention me to Bune” buy now button over on the right on the blog under the “RO Miscellany” category. I’ll be charging $26 (because Bune’s the 26th Spirit of the Lemegeton’s Goetia) for this piece of the scheduled rite. This is what you’d click if you’re already employed and want a better job.
And remember, all monies earned between now and December 25th go directly to the “MERRY CHRISTMAS, RUFUS OPUS” fund, which will be spent on making this a Merry Christmas for me and my family. It’s totally going for a good cause.*
*Not tax deductible.
A while ago, I burned a Table of Practice into a piece of craft wood and stained it a nice pale oak color. It turned out nice, but I never got around to actually using it. I tend to use The Box mostly these days. Seems a waste to just keep it around, so it’s up for sale if you’d like to have it. Some of you may recognize it from the pictures in the Modern Goetic Grimoire.
It would come in handy for the Hermetic Merkavah course too.
It measures 5.5 or 6 inches across, I can’t remember and the ruler is ALL THE WAY in the other room. I’m including the crystal ball stand I made with it, but you’ll have to supply your own spherical stone to put on it. The pic below shows MY stone on it, and you totally can’t have it.
$45 buys this Table of Practice and scrying stone stand for your very own. If you’re interested, drop me a line. I’ve only got one, so it’s first come, first served.
There’s a Star of David with a Yod in it, a Pentagram, a Maltese Cross, and IHVH inside the stand, and the names of the four Archangels around the outside in Celestial Script.
After talking it over a bit, I’ve changed the price of the Hermetic Merkavah course to $65. I was thinking that after 12 weeks, I’d be wishing I’d charged more when I priced it at $85, but in retrospect, it was probably just greed. Refunds will be issued to anyone who already purchased the course at the higher price. Sorry for any inconvenience.
The “Buy Now” button on the right of the blog under “RO Courses” has been updated and will now charge the appropriate amount.
Lesson 1 is about ready to go, and I’m really itching to get started on the course as soon as possible. This one is going to be a lot of fun. We’ll be fleshing out the process I covered in the Modern Goetic Grimoire of receiving the initiations into each of the planetary spheres represented in the Magic Circle of the Lemegeton’s Goetia.
Is there, when you really think about it, any other kind?
The Acquiring the Supernatural Assistant Course is coming along nicely, and I’m very happy with the results many of the members are seeing. And so far there hasn’t been much of the shit storm I was concerned about. Of course, this is still pretty preliminary, but I’ve found that the majority of the students have been called to the course at a time in their life where this kind of ritual would be most effective. Many have already been through the Dark Night of the Soul, faced their Gethsemene, and are ready to receive the Solar Helper.
But it’s time to start taking orders for the next course in the series, Hermetic Merkavah. Where Course 1 takes the student through the Alchemical Black Phase of the Work and the White Phase, the Hermetic Merkavah Course begins the Green.
In this course, we’ll be focusing on both the macrocosmic initiations and the physical manifestations associated with each of the Archangels of the Planets and their legions of Spirits.
We will be using the Modern Angelic Grimoire as the primary text book, and we will progress upwards through the spheres based on Ptolemy’s model of the cosmos. I’m thinking we’ll spend about two weeks on each planet, receiving the initiations into the sphere, receiving attunements and instruction in accessing the powers of the spheres in our daily lives, and actually getting stuff from each planet in our physical lives.
The course will include anecdotal insights I’ve gained about creating talismans, and I’ll detail the steps I take to create the planetary talismans in the appropriate metals, or their equivalents. Heat, beat, repeat, and engrave sums it up nicely, but I’ll go into more detail in the course.
Looks like it will be a 17-week course, altogether. The Lesson Plan is as follows:
Lesson 1: Hermetic Merkavah – The path of the Hermetic Magician’s ascent through the spheres is described in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes, and detailed in the Corpus Hermeticum. The system I’m calling Hermetic Merkavah utilizes a relatively simple system of conjuration, initiation, and contemplation to accomplish the Hermetic Great Work. This lesson provides a detailed overview of the Great Work within the Hermetic discipline, and the functional tools necessary to accomplish it using the techniques of the Modern Angelic Grimoire.
Lessons 2-8: The Planetary Spheres – One lesson for each of the seven spheres of the planets. These will include a conjuration ritual for each Archangel of the Planet, a sample oration, and tips and tricks on receiving initiations into the spheres. These lessons will include personal experiences with the entities, the skill sets I’ve seen improved by working with the specific entities, and suggestions of manifest things to ask for from these spirits. Each lesson will have an initiatory piece and a practical piece.
Lesson 9: On the 8th and the 9th Spheres – This lesson addresses the Sphere of the Zodiac, and the Sphere of the Prime Mover.
Making Planetary Talismans – An eBook summarizing my experiences in creating talismans in the appropriate planetary metals or other materials. Most of my techniques are crude and primitive, but there will be no sculpey. If you want to use plastic clay, go ahead, the spirits don’t care, but lately I’ve come to hate the stuff.
The Course launch date is tentatively set for December 15, 2009, depending on the response I get. Being the holiday season, I know there’s a lot going on for many of us, and starting a course when most sane institutions of learning are going on vacation or break is maybe a little bit unrealistic. It will start no later than January 1, 2010. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new year.
I will create a Yahoo Group for this course as well, but it will be mainly for questions and answers, and a forum to discuss our results.
This course will provide all the initiations I advocate in the Modern Goetic Grimoire. I expect to launch the Modern Goetic Grimoire course in January, if not sooner as well. If you have already received initiation into the spheres represented in the Magic Circle, you’re already ready to begin the Goetic Work. However, taking this course will provide you with practical experience that will aid you immensely in Working with the more materialistic aspects of the spirits of Goety. Working with the Angels gave me the skills and talents that I needed to efectively Work the “demons” of the Lemegeton’s Goetia, and provided instruction and guidance in contacting and working with spirits of the dead and spirits of location.
Due to the amount of work involved, the duration of the course, and the overall potential for results received, the course will be $65 for each student. Graduates of this course will receive a discount on Course 3: Goety. None of the courses are prerequisites for the next, because I simply don’t know what you’ve been through in your path and can’t say that you haven’t attained the initiations to be successful in the next course. However, I can use monetary incentives to guide you to the initiations I’ve been through that I credit with my success.
Students currently in the Supernatural Assistant Course should abstain from this round of the Hermetic Merkavah Course, as you should be conjuring the SA nightly right about now, and not worrying much about any other spirit than Michael or your Genius. And of course, the students of the Supernatural Assistant Course receive a discount on the Hermetic Merkavah Course. It’ll be here when you’re finished with your current Work.
After due consideration, it is with a heavy heart that we must come to the inevitable conclusion. While they have provided a level of amusement, and potentially furthered some few of our overall goals, we must weigh their meager contributions against the fundamental discord brought by their practices.
When they first appeared on the scene with their “chaos magick,” they presented themselves as an enemy of the conformist traditional approaches to the occult that most of us represent. Over the years they tried to gain respectability, and have come to be almost accepted, or at least tolerated as co-representatives of the Great Work by most of us. However, the inherent cognitive dissonance demanded by their approach to occult manipulation of events has always left them weakened in actual practice. Their internal schisms have left them splintered. Their comparatively weak results have left many of their own adherents disillusioned. The Ice Magic wars and the split between RAW/Timothy Leary Immortalists and the IOT/Peter Carroll Pact over the “immortality pill” has left them without even a cohesive front. There isn’t even a single figurehead bearing their standard.
These so-called “Justified Ancients of Mumu” were brought into the fold in hopes that they would reach the conclusion that their approach is juvenile and ineffective. I believe that those who will learn from their mistakes have, and the remaining adherents have already attained the degree of wisdom and insight that they are capable of attaining. It is time for those who have moved beyond the limits of belief system shuffling and have found the true power of magic in their personal Work to join the traditionalists among us and leave behind forever their affiliation with these miscreants.
I accept the “Information Model” as a valid representation of “Truth,” and hereby move that adherents to that approach be exempt from the disaffiliation.
For the rest of them, there is little hope of transcendence. Their crippled spheres of influence are too small to be of much use to us overall. In recent months, I’ve personally spent as much time breaking false programming resulting from their influence as I have furthering the transcendent enlightenment of humankind. I find that more and more students have come to me using the vocabulary of egregore and servitor, and have even found their viral memes retroactively manifesting in traditional tomes. John Greer, who has done us all a great service in translating the Picatrix with Christopher Warnock, recently demonstrated the degree of infection they have brought by weaving their philosophical tenets into his dissemination of the Alternate View we have crafted. His reference to “Hagbard’s Law” will, unfortunately, lead more people to read the diseased harmonic tome they used to infiltrate our culture. Another crop of magicians will inevitably be infected by their crude and ignorant approach to the forces of chaos and order, resulting in more loud-mouthed inexperienced chaoates muddying the streams and causing more distraction.
It is a dangerous weakening of the potent forces we represent in this plane.
Continued sanction of their practices by traditionalists will result in a repeat of the 1990s. Do any of us want to face that mindset at this stage of our Work? We know the 30-year cycle is repeating, as it always does, and the 1980s have about run their course. We can’t afford to have that degree of potential Workers distracted by the infectious madness of Discordia. While it is inevitable that the repetitious cycle will result in some renewed interest, we must make a concentrated effort to limit this madness.
While they claim to not want to upset the apple cart, and while they pretend not to want to cause any harm, they are clear in their actions that if one doesn’t like what they’re going to do, one had better watch out because they are coming through. We are left with but one option.
It’s time to kick out the JAMs.