When asked for advice from an aspiring artist, H. R. Giger’s agent wrote an excellent reply. It can be found under the last entry, scroll down towards the bottom.
Aspirants to the Great Work would do well to interpret this and apply it to their own lives. Mysel
I received a bit of feedback this morning from on the grimoire from one of the recipients. He said some generally kind and praising things, and then said:
"Now the criticism part of the e-mail. I would have liked some more angels in the grimoire or maybe some magical advice or guidance the archangels have themselves given to you. Have you tried lesser angels in this system? If so record what you did and your results so that the readers can experiment for themselves. "
I think this is excellent advice, and would be a worthy addition to future revisions.
Now I’m mentioning this because the guy went on to say, "I hate handing out negative advice I am always afraid someone will take it the wrong way."
I want to tell everyone who got a draft of the grimoire: I write for a living. I have VERY thick skin. Satan is a kind and gentle friend compared to the editors I’ve worked with in the past.
This is NOT negative advice. This is constructive criticism. I need honest feedback to make it the best it can be. I’ll be charging for this thing, and I want it to be worth the money.
I received a bit of feedback this morning from on the grimoire from one of the recipients. He said some generally kind and praising things, and then said:
"Now the criticism part of the e-mail. I would have liked some more angels in the grimoire or maybe some magical advice or guidance the archangels have themselves given to you. Have you tried lesser angels in this system? If so record what you did and your results so that the readers can experiment for themselves. "
I think this is excellent advice, and would be a worthy addition to future revisions.
Now I’m mentioning this because the guy went on to say, "I hate handing out negative advice I am always afraid someone will take it the wrong way."
I want to tell everyone who got a draft of the grimoire: I write for a living. I have VERY thick skin. Satan is a kind and gentle friend compared to the editors I’ve worked with in the past.
This is NOT negative advice. This is constructive criticism. I need honest feedback to make it the best it can be. I’ll be charging for this thing, and I want it to be worth the money.
The Guf is the lowest form of soul in some kabbalistic cosmologies. It consists of the actual body we wrap ourselves in. The word “guf” is the source of the English word “goofy,” so you can get an idea of how this soul is viewed in the cosmology of things.
I was talking to a friend today about the horrifyingly embarrassing moments that crop up in my mind as I’m falling asleep, eliciting an audible groan or whimper. I was relieved to know that I’m not the only one that experiences these things, but that doesn’t really help get rid of the horror that still comes when I remember these kinds of events.
The best example I have is when I went down to the end of a shooting range to hang a paper target, and the drill sergeant guy yelled “CEASE FIRE!!!!” at the top of his considerable lungs to get everyone else (who were still shooting) to take a break so I didn’t get killed. Everyone looked over at me, and I’m standing there like an idiot where about thirty people were shooting. Not a happy moment.
What gets me is that this happened almost a decade ago, and to this day, I groan out loud remembering it. I’ve tried to “reclaim” that part of my brain to get rid of this response. Kraig has a retroactive magick section (I think) in his Modern Magick book, and I tried that. I tried going back and reliving the moment in my mind, trying to replace it with a different memory. I’ve tried rationalizing that I’d never been to a shooting range before, I was at the far end of the shooting range, and everyone else was at the other side, where I had assumed they wouldn’t shoot me… but nothing’s worked. It’s always in that light hypnogoguic state between waking and sleeping that I remember standing there in the crisp autumn wind with a crowd made up of fathers and sons and war vets looking at me like I was Forrest, Forrest Gump.
My friend suggested that we can’t forget this kind of thing for a reason, that it serves some purpose. I can see how it can aid survival to never forget how stupid it is to steal a dinosaur’s egg while you think the thing is sleeping, but this was just embarrassing. Socially embarrassing. Sure, we’re pack animals, and it’s required to not do something stupid in public to not get ostracized… but that’s stretching it a bit.
So on a seemingly unrelated tangent, I was reading through Plotinus’ Fifth Ennead. Not too far in, it says:
“A double discipline must be applied if human beings in this pass are to be reclaimed, and brought back to their origins, lifted once more towards the Supreme and One and First.”
“Reclaimed” jumped out at me. I had literally just been talking about reclaiming, so looking for an answer to this question, I read on…
“There is the method, which we amply exhibit elsewhere, declaring the dishonour of the objects which the Soul holds here in honour; the second teaches or recalls to the soul its race and worth; this latter is the leading truth, and, clearly brought out, is the evidence of the other.”
So there are two disciplines required to accomplish the returning to the Source, God, which sums up Plotinus’ idea of what I think of as the Great Work. The discipline of stating the dishonour of things the Soul holds dear here, and the remembrance of the race and worth of the Soul.
Respect of others is what my Guf-Soul holds dear, so dear that an embarrassing moment haunts me for years, permanently ingrained in my neural paths. Dishonouring the “need for respect from others,” (hmmm, pride, perhaps?) isn’t too difficult. I recognize that the opinions of those rednecks at that moment aren’t really that important.
Teaching the Soul its race and worth though… How does this apply in the context of a mortifying memory? The Soul in the Guf at that moment was of God and was God. The value of that Soul is inestimable. How can teaching the Soul its race and value make the horror of that moment go away?
I don’t have an answer, but I do know that I was particularly Guf-ey that day. I’ll be holding these two things together in my mind as I remember what happened, and see what comes of it. Educating the Guf as to its value and source may indeed be the key to getting rid of that disgusting horror.
Ahh, the Elemental Kings… I’m just going to jump into this with minimal preamble. It’s been a long week already.
In the Second Book of Occult Philosophy, Chapter 7, Agrippa provides a table that presents the Scale of the Number Four. In this Table, the Kings of the elements are listed as the Four Angels ruling over the corners of the world. Under them are the Four Rulers of the Elements, the Four Princes of Spirits, and the Four Princes of “Divels, offensive in the Elements.”
| Fire | Air | Water | Earth | |
| Four Angels ruling over the corners of the world. | Michael | Raphael | Gabriel | Uriel |
| Four rulers of the Elements. | Seraph | Cherub | Tharsis | Ariel |
| Four Princes of divels, offensive in the Elements. | Samael | Azazel | Azael | Mahazael |
| Four Princes of spirits, upon the four angels [angles] of the world. | Oriens | Paymon | Egyn | Amaymon |
Personally, when I work with the Kings of the Elements, I prefer to work with these Angels. I’ve got an angelic connection in general with my Work, and I figure if it’s working as well as it is, why mix things up?
For years, I’ve thought the LBRP got the angels from the Bedtime Sh’Ma, a Jewish version of “now I lay me down to sleep.” I was very pleased to discover they are also considered the angels of the corners of the Earth in Agrippa’s system. The GD got most of their stuff from Francis Barrett’s The Magus anyway, and that was plagiarized from Agrippa almost 100%. Seeing the angels here as the Kings of the Elements has helped me further understand that Angels can share names without sharing their personage. I mean, Michael, King of Fire isn’t going to be the same as Michael Governor of the Sun. There are similitudes, of course, but that doesn’t make them the “same” being. Even if they were the same being, in the office of the King of Fire, Michael will not be behaving as the Governor of the Sun.
One nice thing about discovering these guys are the Kings of the Elements is that I’ve been doing the LBRP in ignorance for years. I’ve managed to build up as decent a relationship with them as can be hoped for, considering the depths of ignorance I was wallowing in.
If you look at the sigils of the ten countenances of God in the Magical Calendar, you’ll see that the names of the angels ruling the planet/sphere are written on one side of the talismans along with the names of their respective Angelic Orders. I believe these are the Orders from which each Angelic King draws their legions of helpers. In working with these spirits, I’m placing the names of the Angels on their talisman along with the name of the Order of Angels presented here.
These spirits represent the malefic aspects of the elements. While Michael might represent a controlled flame, like a candle or a hearth, Samael would represent a burning house. Both are aspects of Fire, and it is important to note that the Princes of Divels are under the authority of the Kings of the Elements.
These four Princes represent the “neutral” spirits of the elements. They are like the worker bees of the elements, in my experience. They, and their assigned legions, are the ones that oversee the manifestation of the elemental manifestations of the directives of the spirits higher up in, uhm, hierarchy.
Now, with the above overview in mind, and remembering the way magicians work with the hierarchies of the spirits, a multitude of possibilites becomes available to the resourceful magician. In terms of the Great Work, we know from the Divine Pymander chapter of the Corpus Hermeticum that the Logos (manifested as the HGA in my interpretation of this system) abides with the righteous and sends an evil Daemon to confound the impious through their sphere of sensation, causing them to be further removed from their memories of their race and value as manifestations of God.
Later in the series, I’ll be getting into more practical work with the Kings that specifically relates to the topic of the four Kings and the eight Princes listed by Agrippa.
I did a ritual the other day with the Four Kings that has shed a lot of light on the subject in general in my personal Work, and I’ll be posting about it separately.
I’ve recently started monitoring my blog stats, and there are hits coming in from all over the world, but not one from Africa. My favorite country in Africa is Ethiopia, and I’d damned well better start seeing some traffic from Addis. Ethiopians from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church would make ideal Neo-Platonic magicians, their history has perfectly attuned them for it. Plus they have a sense of humor that is sadly lacking in the modern Western Mystery Tradition.
With that in mind, I’m writing this blog post as a magickal act. 🙂
Agrippa places Ethiopia under the influence of Saturn. Therefore:
Thou Spirits of I conjure thee, in the name of Jehovah Elohim, by the Powers of the Thrones, to send forth in overwhelming flame thy Angels, Intelligences, and Spirits to bring to this blog my brothers from Addis.
Tzaphkiel, I conjure thee by Jehovah Elohim. My simple request is more Ethiopians, please.
Amen.
HERMES, the God who presides over language, was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests; and the power who presides over the true science concerning the Gods is one and the same in the whole of things. – Iamblichus, On the Mysteries
I’m guilty of a terrible crime. If I belonged to an Order, a militaristic organization of magicians with a hierarchy of supervising rank and file to whom I would be accountable, I’m sure I’d frequently be demoted for Conduct Unbecoming a Magician.
Fortunately, I belong to no such Order. There’s no person who has been through more initiations in charge of me. There is no committee of flesh and blood to which someone can report me. There is no chain of command that I must obey.
There is no code of conduct.
People have these rather stupid ideas of what someone who is “into magic” should look like. They have these ignorant expectations of how Adepts, Masters, and Illuminated Saints ought to behave. They think we should all be like Jesus, turning the other cheek, striving to be gentle and kind, never cursing, never harsh, never subject to raw emotion. As a result of the refinement of the process of the great Work, we’re supposed to be Heroes, with the powers of the Gods and the approachability of mortals.
I’ve met some really powerful magicians, folks who are incredibly illuminated. You can feel the power of their spheres radiating outward from them into the universe around them. Talking to them leaves the weak-willed fawning and gibbering like tweens at a Jonas Brothers concert.
They get angry, depressed, and violent like anyone else. When they do, the world has suddenly collapsed for these dweebs, and they’re left looking like the little girl dressed up like Princess Padme-Amidalla in the Natalie Portman interview video I posted a while back.
Now don’t be all thinking I’m bitching about people that I think I’m better than. I’m not. I have these stupid pedestals in my heart and mind that I put people on too. I’m no better. I’ve learned to take it in stride when my heroes turn out to be human, though. I’ve lowered my expectations. I try to remember some basic things when I meet people I think are really cool:
These three little precious jewels serve to remind me not to set unrealistic expectations on people that they can’t live up to.
WTF does any of this have to do with Iamblichus?
It has a lot to do with the opening he made in his refutation to Porphyry: HERMES, the God who presides over language, was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests.
Hermes, the god who presides over language. Patrick Dunn has provided a better explanation than I can about the role of language and symbol in magic in Magic, Power, Language, Symbol: A Magicians Exploration of Linguistics. If you haven’t read it, you should. We who are Hermetic Magicians are priests of the god of Language. As a Christian, a believer in the Word of God made flesh, I am even more aware of my role as priest to this god in my magical practice.*
Language is symbolic of something else. There’s a difference between the words we use and the things we refer to, the meanings of the words. Different people have different meanings for the same words.
It’s important that we understand that words and our interpretations of them are not the things they represent. Hierophants, for example, are simply “interpretors of the Mysteries.” They aren’t perfect ascended masters, wizened and ready to do everything perfectly in every interaction with every person. There is no job description for Hierophant that includes “having reached my idea of what a Hierophant should be.” Anyone who can interpret the mysteries in a way that provides initiation into the mystery to those seeking his or her advice is qualified. If you expect your Hierophant to be perfect, you’re in for a shock.
The same is true for any spiritual mentor. If the person you’re learning from is in the flesh, they are capable of being wrong about things. Don’t deceive yourself, or you’ll be running head first, full speed towards disappointment. Keep your definitons real, your expectations managed, and at the same time strive for the ideal, knowing that the words, symbols, and entities we interact with are representative of the ideal, not the ideal itself.
* No, I don’t have Hermes as a god before God. That’s against the Law.
I’ve recently started monitoring my blog stats, and there are hits coming in from all over the world, but not one from Africa. My favorite country in Africa is Ethiopia, and I’d damned well better start seeing some traffic from Addis. Ethiopians from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church would make ideal Neo-Platonic magicians, their history has perfectly attuned them for it. Plus they have a sense of humor that is sadly lacking in the modern Western Mystery Tradition.
With that in mind, I’m writing this blog post as a magickal act. 🙂
Agrippa places Ethiopia under the influence of Saturn. Therefore:
Thou Spirits of I conjure thee, in the name of Jehovah Elohim, by the Powers of the Thrones, to send forth in overwhelming flame thy Angels, Intelligences, and Spirits to bring to this blog my brothers from Addis.
Tzaphkiel, I conjure thee by Jehovah Elohim. My simple request is more Ethiopians, please.
Amen.
I’ve recently started monitoring my blog stats, and there are hits coming in from all over the world, but not one from Africa. My favorite country in Africa is Ethiopia, and I’d damned well better start seeing some traffic from Addis. Ethiopians from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church would make ideal Neo-Platonic magicians, their history has perfectly attuned them for it. Plus they have a sense of humor that is sadly lacking in the modern Western Mystery Tradition.
With that in mind, I’m writing this blog post as a magickal act. 🙂
Agrippa places Ethiopia under the influence of Saturn. Therefore:
Thou Spirits of I conjure thee, in the name of Jehovah Elohim, by the Powers of the Thrones, to send forth in overwhelming flame thy Angels, Intelligences, and Spirits to bring to this blog my brothers from Addis.
Tzaphkiel, I conjure thee by Jehovah Elohim. My simple request is more Ethiopians, please.
Amen.
The last of the free versions of the Modern Angelic Grimoire went out last night. Thanks for the many responses, and those who received the drafts, I ask that you send any feedback on errors, grammar, content, or usability after you've read it. Any questions about specific aspects, or requests for more detail will likely make it into future revisions.
So far the best editorial critique I've received has come from Fr. Servitor Lucem, a wascawy wabbit who really DOES magick. (Shocking, I know!)
Kathy McDonald (whose outstanding Work has been documented on the Solomonic and Ritual MAgic yahoo groups if you havent' read them) made some excellent comments as well, and that lead to correcting the spelling of the Tzadkiel lamen in the final version (It's a Qoph, not a Kaph).
Their critiques made Version 0.3 the best of the lot. I can't thank them enough.
I'm probably going to work with Moloch and his publishing outfit to get some hard copies available, eventually. For now though, if anyone wants an electronic draft, you can have a PDF emailed to you for a donation (minimum of $7.95, USD).
By the way, I accept donations through paypal at my blog site now for anyone who wants to make me rich. It's that little button on the right up in the corner.
Feel free to give me your tithe. I promise to make sure it goes to the Lord's work. 🙂