Now we get to the meat of the matter. This is the post I’ve been looking forward to the most. Unfortunately, I’m short on space. My posts don’t look that big when I’m writing them, but then they’re huge on the blog. So I’ll keep it brief. I did finally break down and get a web page hosting service, so as soon as I find some nifty templates and do some quick-and-easy plug and play stuff, I’ll have a web site with the space for the huge rambling dissertations I’m fond of writing. 😀

1.3.1 Why we Work with Spirits

In the NP system, we work with the Spirits to get closer to God. This is called theurgy. Iamblichus, a student of Plotinus, taught that working with the Spirits was a means to purify the sphere of the magician, to make it more like the creator and less like the created. He recognized that when you conjure up a Spirit of Mars, you’re working with something on a higher level, and that something has emanated something into what eventually manifested as you. As it is more pure, its very presence close to your sphere purifies your own sphere, restoring a bit of the awareness of your own divinity as it relates to the powers over which that particular spirit presides.

From the Thomas Taylor translation of Iamblichus’ Theurgia (Section IV, Chapter II):

“in all theurgical operations the priest sustains a twofold character; one, indeed, as man, and which preserves the order possessed by our nature in the universe; but the other, which is corroborated by divine signs, and through these is conjoined to more excellent natures, and is elevated to their order by an elegant circumduction, this is deservedly capable of being surrounded with the external form of the Gods.”

1.3.2 How we Work with Spirits

The chapter I quoted from is in the context of how Iamblichus taught that we are to interact with spirits. He was addressing an argument from Porphyry, another of Plotinus’ students, who asked why a mortal man in the flesh would be conjuring a “superior” being, and then turn around and command it to act in such-and-such a way. (I’m paraphrasing.)

The answer is that while yes, we are in matter, we are of two parts, the divine and the flesh. The divine aspect of the self has existed since before time within the One, God, who emanated down through all the spheres and beings and elements and stuff-ness of everything. The flesh part is the temporary shell of the divine spirit, and while it is lower in the cosmic hierarchy, the spirit within is still in authority. Therefore, the magician surrounds the material part of themselves with the symbols of the divinity within, and petitions the higher spirits to appear using the classic conjuring orations from such sources as the grimoires.

The Spirits (and I’m including the “gods”, angels, daemons, elementals, or whatever else you would call them in your branch of the Western Mystery Tradition) appear in response to the conjurations because they have a vested interest in us. They are also aspects of the One within us. However, they are of a different form, and in that form they don’t have the same capacities that we do. Once they appear, the differences in the nature of our emanation place us in a position of authority over the spirits, and we are therefore able to “command” the spirits to do our bidding.

Now, the basic formula for conjuring the spirits is pretty simple. You surround yourself with the things the spirit has an affinity for. Each Spirit is responsible for emanating an aspect of the One into the material realm. Michael, Archangel of the Sun, is responsible for emanating the things that manifest with a solar nature in the material realm. You surround yourself with the things that have solar properties to get his attention, and conjure him in the name of God that describes his function. Now, as a ceremonial magician, the best thing you can have that Michael has emanated into the material realm is his Arch-angelic Seal that he revealed to magicians. His Name itself is the means he revealed himself to this realm. The names of God that are associated with him are also revealed by Michael into this realm in order to establish contact with him.

So to conjure Michael, you would burn some solar incense, wear the seal of Michael, and conjure him in the Name of God associated with the Sphere of the Sun, “Eloahv Da’at.” (Your spelling may differ.)

When Michael appears, you explain your need, remembering that yes, he is superior to you in some ways, but at the same time, you are his boss (in a VERY spiritual way). That is to say, the Logos within you is the same Logos Michael receives his orders from.

If you’re commanding the Spirits from the authority of the part of yourself that is the flesh, you’ll get no results. As a Christian, I know that I have been “Born of the Spirit,” and my work with my HGA has resulted in certain “initiations” that grant me the awareness of my Roles and Responsibilities in the cosmic Hierarchies, so I’m getting pretty consistent results. Not always pleasant from the mundane perspective, but always beneficial.

So the proper order for conjuring the spirits is:

1. Be right with God. Know your place. “Thou hast cleansed me with hyssop, oh Lord!” and so forth. (Remember in the Exorcist, the priest kept chanting, “It is not I, but Christ that commands you…”)
2. Have the seal of the spirit.
3. Call the spirit (“Thou spirit Michael, I conjure thee here in the name of the Most High God, in the Name of the Logos-Christ within me, in the name Eloahv Da’at, to appear before me in this crystal…”)
4. Explain what you want from the Spirit. (It’s a good idea to get confirmation that it understands, and have it tell you how it will do what it agrees to.)
5. Thank the Spirit, and bid it to go and do as it agreed.

Pretty simple, eh? The rest of the details of the various grimoires and such are cultural necessities. That means that when the Almadel has you make a Beeswax Angel Conjuring Device, you make a Beeswax Angel Conjuring Device if you expect to work with the spirits of the Almadel. If you’re OK with working with something that MIGHT be LIKE the spirits of the Almadel, you’re free to make your own adaptations, but the results are not guaranteed. I must stress, you have to know the rules before you can break them.

The three stages of Classical Education are Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. Grammar teaches the basic building blocks, Logic teaches how the building blocks are assembled, and Rhetoric is the stage where you demonstrate your understanding of the pieces and parts by assembling them in new ways.

The Grimoires themselves contain the elements of the Grammar stage. Lists of spirits. Means of contacting them. Performing the instructions in the Grimoires brings you in touch with the Spirits, who teach the Logic stage. After you’ve been “initiated” you advance to the Rhetoric stage, and you can make things up based on your knowledge and understanding gained from research AND experience. I’m not advocating Chaos Magick, but I’ve grown to recognize the elements of Chaos Magick that are true in certain contexts. What gets on my nerves is that Chaos Magick doesn’t give magicians the context necessary for success. :sigh: I’ve ranted on that elsewhere.

So much for keeping it brief. 🙂

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.”

2.4.1 – Four Angels – The Kings

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.

2.4.2 – Four Rulers of the Elements – Angelic Orders

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.

2.4.3 – Four Princes of “Divels,” Offensive in the Elements

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.

2.4.4 – Four Princes of Spirits

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.

2.4.5 Working with the Elemental Kings and their Princes

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.

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.”

2.4.1 – Four Angels – The Kings

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.

2.4.2 – Four Rulers of the Elements – Angelic Orders

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.

2.4.3 – Four Princes of “Divels,” Offensive in the Elements

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.

2.4.4 – Four Princes of Spirits

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.

2.4.5 Working with the Elemental Kings and their Princes

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.

Sorry about the hiatus. It’s been a long couple of weeks. Don’t conjure Jupiter spirits for wealth and prosperity if you don’t want to work your tail off.

On with the Joys of Making Talismen!

Note: A friend suggested that the plural of talisman is talisma. Dictionary.com says it’s Talismans. I prefer Talismen, because it makes me think of them as little “men,” entities in their own right. However, I make fun of people who would rather be wrong because they like it better, and hypocrisy has been rearing its ugly head in my sphere too much recently. I’ll leave the title for consistency’s sake, but going forward, it’s “Talismans.”

2.3.1 – What’s a Talisman?

A Talisman is a symbol or seal inscribed or drawn on an item in order to attract the forces represented by that symbol. In Solomonic work, you can draw a seal of a spirit on paper surrounded by the appropriate names of God or what have you, and that is a talisman. Solomon’s Ring is a talisman. My Spirit Pot is a talisman. Franz Bardon’s Fluid Condensers are talismans. Your consecrated elemental weapons can be considered talismans. A talisman is any physical representation of a spiritual force or being that draws the powers of that force or being into the manifest realm.

My favorite talisman story is Joseph Smith’s (thanks, Scott!). He carried a tin Jupiter Talisman drawn from Agrippa’s planetary tables with him wherever he went. I think there’s a record of it on his person when he was arrested on the way to Utah with his Mormons, and he was wearing it when he died.

2.3.2 – What is a Talisman good for?

Talismans are used for a number of things. Agrippa has the planetary tables that can be inscribed on their appropriate metals, and these will bring healing, joy, love, martial prowess, or whatever planetary energy you’re interested in drawing down at the moment. The astrological weather is important to consider when inscribing these things though. A planetary talisman is a long-term snapshot of the qualities of the rays of that planet when it was created. I have a Mars talisman I created while Mars was in Sagittarius and nicely aspected by other planets.

In the previous post, I talked a little about how we work with the planets using their Intelligences and Spirits. A key way to get these guys’ attention is by calling them by name while holding their planetary talisman in your hand. The Talisman is already drawing the forces conducive to the spirit’s manifestation, and when you conjure it by name or seal, it’s easier for that spirit to appear. That’s great for specific Workings, but there’s a more sublime purpose behind creating talismans in your pursuit of the Great Work.

If you’ve read my book, A Modern Angelic Grimoire, you know about the Table of Practice. The Table of Practice I discuss in that book is based on the one from Trithemius’ Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals. A magician conjuring a spirit places their skrying media (a crystal ball or bowl of water, for example) in the center of the Table. The Table has the seven planets’ symbols and the names of the angels that rule them around the outside edge, the names of the four angelic elemental Kings, and a Triangle with symbols in the corners:

From a friend in Australia, I learned of a more elaborate Table of Practice described in the Ars Paulina. She created a beautiful Table of Practice, painting the seals of each planet on wood, then coating it with a few coats of polyurethane. It’s incredible.

I had been making various talismans for specific Workings, a couple of lead talismans to bind some wandering spirits for my mother-in-law, and a Michael talisman for some other exorcism rituals, and it “occurred” to me to create a talisman for each of the planets that could be easily transported, a portable Table of Practice and seven specific talismans of each planet for specialized planetary work. I did so, and as I completed each of the talismans, the beams of that sphere would be focused directly into my own sphere. When I had finished the seventh talisman, I had a complete microcosm of the planetary spheres. Shortly after this, I received an epiphany, which will be discussed in more detail when we get to Section 3.0. For now, know that putting the talismans together in their appropriate places on your altar space creates a harmonizing and stabilizing effect in your sphere, and serves as a long-term ritual that continues to adjust and attune your sphere as you go on about your business.

The Table of Practice, by its very existence, eliminates the necessity of the pentagram and hexagram rituals of the Golden Dawn. It takes longer to make, but the investment of time and effort takes place early on, and the return on the investment is awesome. You end up with the permanent effects of the pentagram and hexagram rituals in your sacred space.

2.3.3 – Making the Talismans

When you make a talisman, you are interacting directly with the spirit that rules the forces you’re “trapping” in the object. The result is a change in your own sphere in relation to the forces you’re working with. You get a little wiser, a little more knowledgeable. At the same time, as you’re engraving the metals, or smelting the alloys, or sanding the nearly-finished product, you receive guidance, instruction, and are led to insights about the nature of the entity or forces you’re working with. It’s a very contemplative and meditative exercise that requires long periods of trance-state brain activity. Making a talisman results in taking a step in the Great Work.

Making talismans is fun, too. I use a dremel tool, fiberglass resin, the metals of the planets (Lead, Tin, Iron, Gold, Copper, Mercury, and Silver), wood, and other appropriate materials. I’ve learned a bit about metallurgy, wood carving, embossing, and how not to use a propane torch in your kitchen. There are risks associated with heavy metals, like lead and mercury, and risks associated with natural things, like the toxicity of Yew, and proper precautions must be made. This should never keep you from making the talismans though.

Taking the proper precautions is part of the experience, and teaches you aspects of the planets the metals represent as well. Saturn inappropriately concentrated in your sphere will have the spiritual equivalent of the effect of inappropriate amounts of lead in your body. Integrating the Moon into your sphere has a similar effect to drinking silver nitrate, and combining the lunar energies with solar energies inappropriately will block the ability to absorb and process the solar powers, the same way silver nitrate blocks the ability of the body to process sunlight into Vitamin D when you go into the sunlight after taking too much silver.

The process I follow when I make a talisman consists of identifying an opportune time astrologically, when the planets associated with the talisman are well aspected. Then in the right hour, I’ll conjure the appropriate spirit, and then perform the Work required to make the talisman. While I’m working, the spirit communes with me, and that interaction is wonderful. Then when it is finished, I’ve got a physical representation of the powers I want to work with. Then I can use it at the right time.

When I do a solar rite, I’ll use my solar talisman. Right now, for instance, I’ve got a stand with a picture on it over the top of an orgone generator that’s resting on my talisman of the Sun. The Talisman’s forces are being focused up through the orgone generator, enhanced by the properties of the generator, and then “beamed” into the picture. It’s an entire ritual performed without requiring the conjuration of any spirits, or the drawing of any circles, or the waving of any elemental weapons.

That’s the beauty of talismans, but at the same time, you don’t want to make a talisman for every magickal act. There are occasions where you don’t need a permanent or even long-term representation of a spiritual force. It’s tempting to make a talisman for every spirit you want to work with, but ultimately you’ll end up with a few hundred talismans and nowhere to put them. As your ritual space becomes more and more cluttered, your life will get more and more cluttered. Use good judgment in determining what you really want the talisman for, and remember it’s a long-term investment.

I’ve got this spirit pot with Bune in it, for instance, and I. will. for. the. rest. of. my. life.

Unless I decommission it.

2.3.4 – Decommissioning Talismans

When you’re ready to move on to the next step, you can decommission the old talismans you’ve got hanging around. When creating them, you poured a lot of time and effort into identifying the seals and symbols required, gathering the elements, and putting them together. Some indications that it’s time to decommission the talisman are that it has accomplished its desired outcome, or you’ve discovered the properties of the forces you worked into the talisman aren’t in harmony with your intent. The spirit of the talisman might be directing you to decommission it, or you might be prompted by your HGA to eliminate this force from your sphere. When these things happen, you need to break the talisman down to its component parts and thank the spirit of the talisman for its work. For metal talismans you’ve engraved, melt the metals again to restore them to their “blank” state. Wood materials you can burn and scatter the ashes somewhere where they will be sent to the ends of the world, like a convenient river or a stiff breeze. Paper talismans should be burned as well.

Note: Mercury and lead cannot be dumped in nature. You’ve got to extract Mercury and store it properly in glass or iron. Lead you can melt under a filtered ventilation system, and reuse later.

Tin and copper and any other planetary metal can be pretty easily melted using a propane torch and some creative research on Google.

If you can’t melt your talisman, like if it’s iron that you’ve engraved, you can file down the images, and then sand them down until the iron is blank. Drop the lump in some salt for a while too, or anoint it with Holy water. Try to keep the materials you’ve put into your talismans, if possible. You’ll have another use for them eventually.

In Section 1, we established that the planetary spheres represent aspects of God radiating down from the highest heavens into the manifest realm. Each sphere has a governing spirit and legions of spirits that are responsible for manifesting the aspects of that sphere into the material realm, and specifically into the sphere of the magician. We also established that these governors are under the authority of the Logos, and that the Logos is within every magician. Consequently, the Governors of the planetary spheres are under our authority as magicians.

In order to access this authority, we must first get to the point where we reclaim our Race and Value, as Plotinus put it. There are various means to accomplish this. My personal favorite is being Born Again in the Spirit, but I’m a ecstatic Christian, so what can you expect? The major downfall of this method is that the best environment for receiving this rebirth, or “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is in a fundamentalist charismatic Christian Church, and while the spirit of God is awesome, the people in the churches… well, they aren’t exactly… centered. Usually.

Within the Western Mystery Tradition (WMT), other means exist. Knowledge and Conversation with your Holy Guardian Angel (K&CHGA) is one way. I personally believe this is a necessary first step in every magician’s practice. Once this has been accomplished, you’re guaranteed access to the Governing Spirits of the Planets, and you can begin to work with them to harmonize your sphere with theirs, thus eliminating the stumbling blocks in the areas of your life that are governed by their assigned rays. Integrating the powers of the planetary spheres into your own sphere results in progress along the Great Work, the elimination of character flaws that hinder your satiety, and wisdom in the realm governed by that particular sphere.

For example, if you’re chronically unlucky in business, this could indicate that you’re out of tune with the sphere of Mercury. In such a circumstance, you would conjure the Governor of Mercury, and ask it to integrate the powers of Mercury into your sphere. Soon after the ritual, you’ll find that patterns of inappropriate behavior become apparent in your life. When you’ve identified these patterns, you work with your HGA to change these patterns of behavior, isolate the root cause, and reclaim that part of your life, putting it in its proper place. Eventually, you’ll find that you’re not ruled by misfortune in areas of business, instead you’re dictating through Mercury how your success in business will manifest in your sphere.

This can be applied to the other planets as well. Agrippa gives the following attributes to the planets in chapter xxxviii of Book 3:

The Spirits of the Planets have their own hierarchy. Different Grimoires provide different interpretations, but for the sake of simplicity, each planet can be said to have an Intelligence that acts as a mediator between the lower realms and the higher realms, and a Spirit that acts as a mediator between the higher realms and the lower realms. The magician (generally speaking) works with the Intelligences on matters of spiritual growth, and the Spirits in matters of material manifestation. The Spirits, while extremely powerful, are placed under the authority of the Intelligences.

For Work that results in material gain, like fabulous riches, you might start by working with Your HGA to identify the best means to get the fabulous riches to manifest in your life, and identify the appropriate planet to work with. This could be Jupiter, if you want to get rich by gaining promotions and responsibilities in your career, or the Sun, if you want to discover fabulous riches that were previously hidden, or Mercury, if you want to get rich through quick-witted transactions. Your HGA will guide you to the appropriate planet.

Once you’ve identified the appropriate sphere, you’ll want to ascend to the Intelligence of the sphere and enlist its aid in preparing you to receive the manifestation, and in getting its help in directing the Spirit to manifest the riches in the best possible way in the material realm. Then you would conjure the Spirit of the planet, and give it detailed instructions. the Spirits of the planets are incredibly powerful, but not necessarily intuitive. They’ll often do what you say, not what you want. That’s why it’s important to work with the higher spirits first.

Now, if you’re in a hurry, you can also choose to work directly with the lower spirits, those closer to the material realm. Each of the spirits and angels in the various Grimoires are usually listed with some reference to their planetary governor, and you would work these spirits through the authority of their higher-ups.

In the next section, I’ll get into Talismen, the most effective means I’ve found to direct the rays of the planets into your personal sphere.