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Workings with Lilith

April 17, 2018July 24, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged astral plane, binah, dark goddess, darkness, deity, demon, Expereinces, gamaliel, goddess, invocation, kaali, kabbalah, lilit, Lilith, Lilitu, magic, magick, malkuth, mind, mother, nehemoth, night, Occult, qliphoth, queen, repression, satariel, seal, seigil, sex, sexuality, shakti, spirit, subconscious, yesod45 Comments

Written: April 17th, 2018 | Edited: 24th March 2019

As promised, my experiences with Lilith. I will do Lucifuge Rofocale soon, I promise, but there’s a few more things I want to write about before that.

Ok, so Lilith. Perhaps one of the most popular mythical figures of our time, and possibly the only figure of such popularity that doesn’t come from Hellenic paganism.

I mean, think about the relative obscurity of most minor characters that only “sort of” fit into the Biblical mythos. Those that have maybe a few sentences referring to them. Unlike them, Lilith has a robust set of non canonical myths about her, several romanticized origin histories, a large spiritual following and a prominent position within pop culture. And the reason is pretty obvious: sex.

Now, I don’t mean to discredit all the other exaltations of Lilith that one would find online and in books. There is an abundance of sensationalized “summon a succubus” literature about her that hide behind click-bait titles (unfortunate consequence of her nature), which inevitably involve mimicking edgy teen novels and possible blood sacrifice.

But, when you dig past all the bullshit written by people who don’t really know anything about magick, you’ll find a wide variety of material on her. Some are just about summoning her for a sexual experience, while others regard her as a pagan deity. Some simply talk about her past and mythos, while others talk about first hand experiences. And trust me, when it comes to Lilith, you really have to dig to find genuine occult stuff. You have to go deep into forums to find that one guy opens up about his genuine occult experience with Lilith. Maybe because of her nature, people are even uneasy to talk about an actual experience, especially one that’s more complex. I don’t think I need to elaborate more, you get exactly what i’m saying.

I’m just going to go ahead and acknowledge all these, and then go in a completely different direction and talk only about my personal encounters, all of which are confusing and inconclusive. Unlike all my other posts, this one is actually going to be about something that I never truly managed to accomplish to a satisfying level, despite years of trying, and now i’m past the point where it has much merit to me. So take everything with a grain of salt.

So, right of the bat, this is not a single detailed experience on an invocation, nor is it a guide on how to actually invoke Lilith. It’s a random collection of events, experiences and thoughts. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting anyway. Let’s begin.

Update (2019): Oh look, I’ve already triggered edgy novice magicians who’ve convinced themselves that certain deities and traditions are their “property”, and that the very existence of someone who has approached what they do from a different path is offensive. You know what that reminds me of?
Christian fundamentalists. Those who act like the very existence of something outside of their narrow interpretation of the Bible is evil. I empathize with all such people, but I have low tolerance for such nonsense.

Also I finally broke through to Lilith properly this year.
I don’t want to add it here, because I don’t want to change the nature of this post. I’ll write about it in coming months. It happened as my magickal practice (I follow the GD tradition) led me to overcome my repressed sexual aspects. After that it was easy.

Lilith in Religion

Ok, first off, get rid of any misconceptions you may have of her from New Age cults. Those stories have their place, but I usually take a very objective approach.

Lilith starts out as a minor character in the Talmud. Unlike what many believe, she was not a Goddess who was perverted, but simply a demon who preyed on men at night, stole babies and was sexually deviant. She was also blamed for sleep paralysis. The dark seductress archetype.

From the purely Biblical standpoint, that’s more or less all she is. As far as I know, she’s mentioned only a few times in scripture, usually associated with demons, and living in the middle of a desert (the Kabbalistic symbolism is important though).

Probably what the oldest conception of Lilith was like.
(Source- My Dream, My Bad Dream, 1915, by Fritz Schwimbeck)

It is speculated that the inspiration for her character, or at least name, might have come from older Sumerian spirits called Lilitu, which appear prominently in the Epic of Gilgamesh, but it’s unclear whether or not there is a real theological connection.

Also, a Sumerian relief sculpture of a woman with bird talons has been making its rounds, with people claiming that it is Lilith depicted as a Goddess. However, I actually bother to fact-check, and it seems historians now believe this is a depiction of the fertility goddess Ianna. So, in religious theology Lilith had a minor role.
And hey, I understand that Lilith often appears the same way. Both Ianna and Lilith connect to the same archetype, but my point is that the people who made this sculpture were not depicting “Lilith”, either by name or nature. As far as they were concerned, this was Ianna/Ishtar. I go into details about this goddess in my post about pentagrams.

This is Ianna, NOT Lilith!
(Source- British Meuseum)

In folklore, she takes on multiple roles, which at times tie in to other deities/spirits that have similar characteristics. Sometimes, she is said to steal babies from their cot, much like evil Fae. She is also blamed for causing wet dreams, especially in the more sexually repressed periods when the Church condemned sexuality. She is said to be a seductress and enchantress who tempts men, especially to the Greeks who already connected her to figures like Circe and Pandora (the old version as a sly sorceress, not the innocent little girl who opened a box). She is also said to be the mother of succubi/incubi. Often, she is associated with the sacred feminine, the new moon, sexual deviance etc.

Sometimes, in some niche movements, she is associated with the primal feminine force, and associated with the Hindu Goddess Kaali. As a Vedic Hindu myself, I do not take this perspective, as the two are fundamentally different. Both can, however, be seen as a manifestation of the archetypal Shakti. Both Kaali and Lilith are present in the Hermetic kabbalah, more on that later.

This is Kali. Also not Lilith!
(Source- Dolls Of India)

Adam’s First Wife

Now, this is the one story that made Lilith popular. It’s not Biblical cannon, bear that in mind. You all know the story of Adam and Eve. This is something of a prequel to that.

It goes like this: In the beginning God made Adam and Lilith, as the first man and woman. Unlike with Eve, they were actually made equal, from the same substance, and they lived in the Garden of Eden with everything provided, but couldn’t eat from the Tree and all that (you know the drill.)

However, when the time came to have sex, Lilith took great offense to the fact that she had to be underneath Adam. She wanted to be on top, and Adam refused (and I’ve no idea why anyone would oppose that, lol). He insisted that he could not be under her as she was not fit to be on top. She insisted that they were created equal, and they had a fallout (the first marital disagreement).

In her anger, she utters the ineffable name of God (which is important if you are familiar with Kabbalah) , and rises in the air, demanding his aid, but God strikes her down for pronouncing the name. She then leaves the Garden, disillusioned, and no one is able to stop her. Adam asks God what the hell just happened, who then sends three Angels (Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof) to bring her back. They find her at the edge of the sea, and try to get her to come back.

She refuses, and tells them that she was would bring sickness to infants forever. Now of course, that’s less than ideal for the angels, so she promises that if she sees the names of these three Angels written on an amulet that the infant was wearing, she would leave it alone.

She later meets Samael (or Lucifer/Satan, depending on which version you’re using. From a magickal perspective, it should be Lucifer) and has kids with him, thus becoming mother of all demons, and his consort. After this, God created Eve from Adam’s rib, specifically to ensure she was tame.

In some of the newer retellings of this story, Lilith sometimes becomes the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the Apple, instead of Satan/Samael/Lucifer. In this case, the theme of the story changes from the Devil being a trickster or an adversary to Lilith being envious and spiteful. It also shifts the focus from Mankind as a whole to a personal rivalry between Lilith and Eve. It also makes it so that Eve isn’t seduced by the Devil’s charm, but rather fooled by Lilith.

A gist of this tale.
(Source- The Fall of Man by Cornelis van Haarlem, 1592)

It’s a story loaded with metaphor, symbolism and bizarre political commentary all at the same time, and I have a suspicion that it was also a way to sell amulets and/or validate the Hebrew practice of using amulets to cure illness (which works by the way).

I’m actually very impressed that people in that time period were thinking about such complex sexual and political themes. The blatant hint at gender inequality (that would have been prevalent at the time) is evident, though i’m not sure if Lilith is meant to be positive or negative.

A lot of New Agers and feminists claim that this was the original story of Lilith, and that the evil patriarchal Jews omitted it so as to remove her traces, ensuring that no one would ever know about the “first feminist”.

Unfortunately, this story is not actually from the Talmud, but from an 8th-10th Century work called the Alphabet of Ben Sira. As I mentioned, it’s very important, but not canonical. There is no evidence, that this was originally part of the Talmud or Torah.

(Also for the love of fucking GOD stop making shit up. Having your own interpretations is a good thing, but it’s incredibly pathetic to come up with fake conspiracy theories and events that never happened. I saw this way too much when I was doing research. Baseless bullshit without even so much as a mention of a source. People writing articles literally come up with their own make believe events, and every other person then copy/pastes it. I mean, at LEAST have it based on some personal gnosis. Don’t push political ideology into magick. It is profane.)

I’ve said on this blog before that it doesn’t matter what the original story of a Spirit is, and that all myths and legends about a Spirit are relevant, especially the ones which are popular. So, this story, which is effectively Biblical fan-fiction, is much more relevant to Lilith as far as magick is concerned than the orthodox Judaic version, because the former has become very influential over the centuries.

Lilith has been a positive figure for sexual deviance and magick for sometime now, as evidenced in the Goethe’s 1808 work Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy, in which she is the wife of the legendary magician Johann Faust. This was one of her first appearances in Romantic (i’m talking about the era, not the genre) literature, after which she continues to make several appearances in various fictional works.

Faust and Lilith by Richard Westall (1831)

Nonetheless, when it comes to politics I lean to the Right, and I absolutely despise the distortion of history and truth for the purpose of pushing a political narrative (feminism and new agery in this case). You don’t get to rewrite history, no matter how noble you think your purpose is.

Lilith was not omitted from the Bible, she just didn’t have a big role in it to begin with. She was not a pagan Goddess either, and was seen as simply another demon, until the rise of occultism in the Middle Ages, when she becomes prominent.

Lilith in the Hermetic Kabbalah

On the Tree of Life, Lilith is the first Sphere of the Qliphoth, also known as Nehemoth (Whispers), the dark side of Malkuth. Lilith is also the ruler of the second Sphere, known as Gamaliel (Polluted of God), the dark side of Yesod. Therefore, she essentially represents the temptations/desires of the material plane, as well as the repressed sexuality in the subconscious.

“Yesod is the place of the final forms that become matter in Malkuth. The Gamaliel are the Misshapen and polluted images that produce vile results. The outer form is the order of Ogiel, ‘those Who Flee from God’.”

To Gamaliel, Lilith is attributed and “is the grand lady of all demons. The demons are sometimes considered to be the children of Lilith and is said to be the woman who comes to men in their dreams.”

Update (2019): I forgot to mention, but Lilith has a much higher aspect relating to Saturn. I have not dealt with this aspect her, but it would relate to Binah/Satariel. This is the relation to Ishtar/Ianna and Kaali as well, since all 3 would have their highest aspect in Shakti.

Additionally, Lilith is attributed to the 29th path, which connects Malkuth to Netszach. However, the GD made a clear distinction between this “lilith” and the Lilith of Nehemoth. A better, more modern attribution to this path would be Black Isis. The idea is that as one approaches Netszach, you would first be greeted with the claw and tooth aspect of Mother Nature, the dark goddess, Black Isis, and it’s seeming cruelty and horror. But then you’d emerge from the Path into Netszach, where you would understand White Isis, loving and benevolent. This is basically one of the mysteries of the Hermetic Kabbalah, but it shines light on an important aspect of Lilith. It is related to the true understanding of the Sacred feminine.

Lilith in Pop Culture

Lilith is certainly an interesting figure today, regardless of whether you are into the occult, or even religious. She certainly has a political angle to her.

The Far Left sees her as a patron of feminism, the first “strong, independent” woman who don’t need no man (even though she’s literally the partner of Samael, who practically saved her and gave her emotional support like a Knight in shining armor), and goes against the evil “cisgendered, hetenormative patriarchy and it’s evil Jewish male God”.

To the Religious Far Right, she’s an evil reprehensible figure who represents degeneracy and is an embodiment of Sin, a female counterpart to Satan who tempts men away from God (even though religion enforces sexual repression, which inevitably leads to perversion, which is what actually brings about degeneracy, like a toxic self made cycle, and Lilith could literally release one’s repression and bring an end to perversion. You’d think the religious would love the idea of Lilith, but they’re too busy watching porn and hating themselves for it)

On the other hand, normal people see her as a neutral figure. Modern depictions show her as a much more complex figure, which goes past the simple good/bad dichotomy of monotheism. She is a beautiful seductress, and a powerful enchantress. She’s a tragic anti-hero who stood up to authority, but at the same time became dark and twisted. Both positive and negative at times. If you think about it, she’s perceived EXACTLY the same way as the modern version of Lucifer: the charismatic cosmic rebel who stood up against evil, but also does some pretty evil stuff. Just as she seduces men, he seduces women.

(Source- Kostas Kiriakakis)

Despite the desire to see the world as good and evil, characters and stories of incredible complexity have been around since the beginning of Civilization. People have always understood that things just aren’t that simple.

And, even if Lilith does represent a clear archetype from an occult point of view, this archetype itself is much more complex. Sure, plenty of figures represent the same archetype, but we’ve humanised these archetypes to the point where we may as well start treating them as humanised characters instead of simple, one dimensional components of the psyche. Another, more theistic perspective is that as man has evolved, he’s come to develop a greater understanding of the cosmic forces and beings that he shares the cosmos with, and so instead of fearfully rejecting reality, humanity begins to embrace it.

And after all, can you blame poor medieval peasants who were just trying to get by, for being scared of the rebellious, deviant nature of Lilith? Historically, our ancestors face a lot of suffering and hardship. They needed things to stay simple and organised. I blame them for nothing. But you see, we don’t live in those times. We’re far better off, and we have no excuse for being fearful or cowardly. If anything, do it to honour your ancestors who struggled so much to give us this world. Do not fear things, just because they are complicated and dark.

Too heavy? Ok, let me stop now and get to the actual workings. Sorry, I tend to rant (I’ve literally been sat here typing for 2 hours)

Nonetheless, Lilith has now, like many such figures, become prominent in a variety of media, such as games, movies and anime, in which her portrayals vary wildly from a demon, to a tragic anti hero, to even a protagonist. The name has become so symbolic that it is no longer even attributed to the mythical character itself, but even used for others, just as a descriptive name for a character’s personality. The name has become synonymous with strength, rebellion, and power, as well as deviance, depravity, and evil.

In fact, the lore of Diablo makes some very direct references to her story, despite her never appearing in the game. She is essentially a positive figure.

Lilith, as a demon and antagonist, in the TV Series ‘Supernatural’
(I’ve watched segments. But, the occult inaccuracies are annoying)

Lilith Asami, a protagonist in the fantasy anime Trinity Seven
(The anime is good, but “questionable”. Basically, don’t watch if upset easily)

Invocations

I have worked with Lilith several times, and I’ve never truly had any success that I can call definitive. Most of these weren’t even recorded in my diary, and did not follow any single format. I tried out a bunch of things, and some work better than the other. Instead of giving you a single set of instructions, I’ll just give you a general overview of my experiences.

So first off, you may know that there isn’t actually an official sigil of Lilith from any of the old grimoires. However, I can confirm that it works better if you use one. If you search the internet, there are exactly 2 contemporary sigils of hers that are relatively well made. I used this one:

Other than that, you would usually use a black candle, and perform the ritual on a Monday in the hour of the Moon, or, alternatively, on a New Moon’s night. Naturally, the New Moon has stronger correspondences.

Now, there is something on the internet called “the letter method” of calling her. The letter method is GOOD, regardless of your purposes. For whatever reason, most of methods are either really niche and specific to certain cults/LHP groups, and not really suitable unless you follow their tradition and read their literature.

However, the letter methods works very well. It essentially involves writing out a letter on a black piece of paper (preferably with pencil). This letter will contain whatever “desire” you have from Lilith, be it the summoning of a succubus (not recommended, follow up post coming soon), or the gaining of knowledge, or anything of the sort. You do this during the ritual, and then burn up the note. I usually throw it in a stone cauldron I happen to have. And yes, this is exactly how some people usually make pacts with Goetic spirits, though in this case it is regarded more as a prayer rather than a contract. (Like a letter you write to Santa instead of what you show the Lawyer 😀 )

During her invocations, I have found that having an offering, especially liquor, is good. I usually offer up homemade beer (This is a Shinto method, trust me!).

I would avoid any inherently Christian incenses (like Frankincense or Myrrh, given her mythology). Jasmine works well.

I’ve tried many, many different chants. Honestly, I found all to work more or less the same, and not that effective. My personal opinion is just call out to her, repeat her name, or make your own chant.

Update (2019): FYI, use the demonic enn to invoke Lilith. Works very well.
Also you may use an image/statue instead of seal. That’s what I do these days, because it appeals to my Hindu sensibilities.

Now, one thing to keep in mind. Lilith has a very strong presence when the Invocation is done right. In fact, even all the one off, quick invocations I tried, without taking time or place into consideration, with just a candle, have a strong effect. And it’s important that you understand this, so you don’t get scared when it happens.

Credits- Vampire Kingdom on DeviantArt

When she comes, it gets very hot (and very intense), and you get sweaty. Your pulse will speed up, your breathing will be shallow and rapid. You might get dizzy. The first time it happens, it can be unnerving, but try to stay focused. There are also certain other spirits which have this effect.

Don’t worry. Unless you’re doing something severely wrong, like having raw meat dripping with blood in front of you (yes, I’ve known people that stupid) you won’t pass out or anything.

I have never actually had full visual manifestation, even on the astral. But when the stuff above happens, you can be assured she has arrived. When you calm down, you know she’s listening.

I treat her generally as a Deity, so it’s usually not a case of exchange. I’ve never made a deal with her. Just made a offering of liquor, and sometimes incense too, and it’s always worked out.

Also, it’s important to have a very clear idea of what exactly it is that you want. I’ve found that with her, indecisiveness is a bad idea, since in that case the ritual never actually amounts to anything and eventually her presence fades.

I’ve also closed many rituals on my own because of the lack of manifestation/interaction, or because it was just taking too long. Sometimes, it just gets hot and nothing happens, and at times I just got frustrated or plain bored. So, Initiative is Key.

Always have a clear plan when dealing with Lilith as she does not really offer prompts or help. You’ll get nothing unless you ask, and once you do, it will be sure to manifest. Generally, knowledge is a good idea. Strange as it may sound, keep your sexual thoughts at bay. All i’ve found is that they distract me and break the trance, and it leads to nothing. In fact, her presence is not even strongly sexual, which I found odd.

Now, sexual insights or developments may occur AFTERWARDS in many different ways, but right now i’m talking about what happens during the ritual itself.

And again, these are just my personal expereinces. Yours may vary wildly.

Update (2019): Another thing she helps with is honing the psychic senses. And yes, she specifically told me last time, when I actually had a ‘conclusive’ experience, that her presence isn’t meant to be sexual for most people. She’s the dark goddess, the ‘black Isis’.

Apparently she also takes offence when she’s associated with weird, “degenerate” fetishism. Hmm, maybe we should make her a Right wing goddess instead, huh?

jk.

What I Learnt

Every person, no matter what gender or culture they come from, feels SOME guilt regarding their sexuality. It’s one of those things often repressed in the subconscious.

This was one of the few reason I invoked Lilith. Over the course of several invocations, I went all sorts of places. Falling into degeneracy and indulgence, to the most severe asceticism and repression of my libido. I just couldn’t get it right. I looked into what various religious and spiritual paths say. Some say to embrace your libido, others say that it is what leads to darkness, still others say to explore further, and actually delve into the darkness.

I gained various insight from Lilith, and I finally made a breakthrough after the very last invocation I ever did. I can’t really explain it, because the only way to get it, is to experience it. Because we all know that moderation is the key, but just knowing something and actually practicing it are two very different things. Lust, libido and sexuality are really just like hunger.

You can curb your hunger with two bags of chips and coke, or with a nice balanced meal. But, if you start living on nuts and fruits, you’ll loose your mind and start craving junk food. You have to find that balance, and still understand that certain things are off limits. Just like certain foods are just too bad for you, certain thoughts are too unhealthy and need to be purged. But, you have to allow yourself some wiggle room.

However, you also stop eating when you’re full. No matter how delicious your meal is, overeating will make you fat, unhealthy and sick. It’s the same concept.

Through invocations with her, it was as if I finally came to terms with my own thoughts and desires. But treat it as yet another need to be fulfilled. When the need is not there, or when it is satisfied, don’t follow it down the rabbit hole, for that is where degeneracy lies. As Gandhi would say, take as much as you need, not as much as you want. Excess is unhealthy, and ultimately detrimental to magick. Although, sexual force is also an integral part of magick and spiritual alchemy. I think this is why it makes sense for her to be the one who tempts Eve.

Side Note: By the way, I’m still not fully there yet. Sexuality is a very intrinsic aspect of human beings, and I come from a very conservative culture (perhaps a bit too much). So I’m still working on sexuality, and sorting stuff out. But invoking her helps greatly. At the very least, you learn to accept that it’s something that needs to be dealt with. It is no wonder that the three places which have the least amount of sexual openness (India, the Middle East and Japan), are also the highest consumers of porn.
On the other hand, the Western nations have gone too far, and that’s leading to the opposite problem of low sexual satisfaction and toxic relationships. At the end of the day, a place like India has one of the most sexually satisfied populations, because most people are very monogamous and have sex after marriage. Unfortunately, they also watch porn like no tomorrow.
On the bright side, the Scandinavian countries have figured it out. Basically Denmark.
Damn you Danes, give us your secrets!
Then again, it is also a very small nation with a small homogeneous population, so who even knows if anything they do will work anywhere else.

Lilith interacts a lot through dreams, and it usually has a healthy outcome. Perhaps that is why people from fundamentalist backgrounds are drawn to her. She helps unclog a lot of problematic stuff in the subconscious. Maybe you’ll even have better luck, and not stumble through it like I did. She is also incredibly powerful in helping you hone your psychic senses. She can’t give you gifts you don’t have, but at least she can enhance what you do have (cue immature joke about D size).

Another thing I learned, that most people know already, is that your sexual fluids are representative of life force. It’s powerful, and produces a strong state of consciousness.

Now, this next part is also important. Listen and try to understand. This post is over 3000 words so I won’t elaborate much, but this bit is crucial. What I’m about to say I learned from Archangel Gabriel, and confirmed through Lady Lilith.

Sexual energy can imbue things with living energy. After all, it is used to create literal life, but also consecrate talismans and sigils. Be careful WHAT exactly you direct this force at. I know most people do not think of this, but most people aren’t occultists either. I would be very careful what this energy is consumed for.

Whatever it is directed at, can potentially enter the subconscious directly, and can also bring forth new entities in the astral (to those who are well read, you’ll know that both these statements are essentially identical).

Every time this energy is released, a new entity is born. Certainly, it can be used for very powerful magick, as well as self energizing and empowerment, and even to connect spiritually with a partner.

Be careful that it is directed at good, healthy thoughts, or something at least desirable and beneficial to you personally. Even if you sink into depravity sometimes, do not direct the released energy itself into anything depraved. It WILL mess with you.

That moment of release is crucial to the health and well being of one’s physical, mental and spiritual body. That is also why people have different opinions on masturbation. Those who direct sexual energy at themselves or let their mind go blank, enjoy the act and feel great afterwards. Yet others who direct it at longings, pornography, or some sort of unnerving/guilty fetish will say they feel terrible and unhappy, and hate themselves for it.

Right now, I genuinely believe that the Astral Plane is overrun and horribly polluted with gross entities born from pathological sexual desires, much more so than it has ever been, thanks to the availability of all manner of things to satisfy any desire you may have on the internet. On the internet, the thought becomes visual, and with a huge number of iterations.

Are you familiar with the lore of Warhammer 40k? You know that thing that happened to great and mighty race of the Eldar? That.

That is very close to the occult truth of the matter (as many things in 40k are). With every release of this life force into horrific or degenerate thoughts, ideas or visions, the more they grow and become alive. As the name suggests, Gamaliel: The Polluted of God. I also believe that succubi and incubi, at least most of them, are also such entities. Again, believe is the keyword here. I can’t be sure, but I am very certain.

On the other hand, a release of repressed subconscious desires requires an encounter with Gamaliel. There is no other way. Self-Righteous and indignant suppression only makes the problem worse (and that’s why there’s so many pedophiles in the Church). Lilith has little tolerance for such intolerance towards sexuality. She’ll just say “fuck you then” and leave. As I said, she also find sexual fetishism to be bothersome.

In other words, like most women, she is very difficult to understand and easily upset (please don’t smite me for that Mother Lilith)

Seriously though, read about Warhammer 40k. Look up the “Fall of the Aeldari“

Learn from Lilith. Learn control in the face of temptation and desire. And once you do, you shall no longer be ruled by your own lust. Instead, you shall be in control. And most importantly, it is about accepting yourself. It is a perspective on the Sacred Feminine only a few things can give you.

(Credits for Cover photo- Blackwell Art)

Thank you! This has been a long post written over the course of 3 months, about Lilith, the Goddess of the New Moon and first wife of Adam, a ruler of the Qliphoth, and the archetype of lust and fantasy. A great Spirit to work with, try not to do anything stupid.

Now, as I’m sure, I said many awful things at some point or another. If you have been offended, please feel free to leave me an angry, pointless comment that I will ignore : )

(If you have actual criticism/praise/thoughts, let me know! I am actually a pretty nice person)

If you liked this post, please follow my blog for other such stuff.

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

Thank you, and have a nice day. Until next time.

~White Raven

Timing Your Magick (Astrology Simplified)

January 1, 2018June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged astrology, ceremonial magick, christainity, cycles, days, energies, hermeticism, hinduism, insight, kabbalah, magick, months, moon, new age, Occult, paganism, planets, power, religion, ritualism, simplified, spiritual, spirituality, sun, vedanta, vedas, years, zodiac5 Comments

Written: Janurary 1st, 2018 | Edited: 24th March 2019

Hello! It’s me, Raven. I have a post about Lilith, and then a few about Lucifuge Rofocale coming in the next few weeks, so be excited. For now, have something more simple and mundane ^_^

Today i’m here to tell you about astrological timing. People sometimes obsess over when is the “correct” time to perform magick, and this happens to a great degree within the more elaborate ceremonial tradition, though sometimes even folk traditions have this, and almost every religion in the world has certain times of the year or month or day that are considered auspicious.

At times these may seem arbitrary. Why is Christmas on the 25th? Why is 3 am the witching hour? Why do certain types of yoga at sunrise? Well, this is largely based on something that is universally shared by all cultures: astrology.

Not only is it universal, it seems most of the time people’s interpretation of astrology was also the same, surprisingly. You could say this was Synchronicity at play, or you could say that ideas were shared by cultures as they interacted with each other, or you could say that we had the same ideas of astrology based on archetypes that are common to all human beings, and the product of evolution.

Regardless of what you think, astrology is important, and thanks to the rapid spread on information on the Internet in this day and age, it is effectively the same across the planet.

And let’s be honest, it works. Anyone who’s delved into spirituality proper, knows that astrology works. We don’t know if it’s due to forces we can’t understand yet, or if it’s simply psychological, but it works, and there’s no denying it.

I mean, they recently did a study in which they found out that the amount of sunlight hitting the Earth’s surface at any given particular time, affects whether people make good or bad economic investments. I mean, just think about how insane that sounds from a traditional scientific perspective, and yet it seems like it’s true. So who knows how deep the rabbit hole goes? And of course, if it works, why not use it?

Credits:Blue Flame Magick

Imagine, if humanity had never utilised the principle of gravity, to make projectiles, pumps, weights etc. until Isaac Newton discovered it. And ultimately, he wasn’t even fully right. Einstein would give a better hypothesis a century later, and even that was only proven to be true in 2017: THIS year.

Bottom line is, humanity would be very far behind if it refused to utilise principles that we knew existed, just because we didn’t fully understand them. That’s the whole idea of the occult.

Astrological times

In most modern systems of Magick, astrology is a preferred way of planning your rituals, spells, invocations etc. Ultimately, I think you should always keep astrology in mind when you go about your daily business. Start viewing planetary hours, phases of the moon, retrogrades etc. the same way you view the days of the week, hours of the clock, months and years. Just like you know that it gets colder in December, and so you go buy clothes for the winter, without thinking too much about it, you should train yourself to know when it’s, say, a Mercury retrograde, or when the Moon is waning.

However, astrology is fairly confusing, especially to someone not fully familiar with reading charts. As far as I know, I’ve never seen a simplified explanation of the various different factors affecting astrological times, or how to plan magick in accordance to them.

Either I see a new age explanation that condemns it, or something that merely tells people to do things at certain times, without actually giving a reason for it. Sometimes, when you do find it, you get an exceptionally elaborate explanation for seeing when EVERY planet is perfectly aligned, and the moon and the sun are in a specific sign and house, and everything is calculated right down to the degree and minute, in a complex chart that many people may not know how to read.

That’s useful of course, but not exactly convenient for the average magician. So, i’ll focus on the most important aspects, and break it up into sections, based on different types of celestial bodies.

Phases of the Moon

Credits: NASA/Bill Dunford

The most basic and simple thing to keep in mind, of course, is the phase of the Moon. The Moon goes through one complete cycle in about 27-30 days. This has two stages, the Waxing stage, in which the Moon grows larger, going from the New Moon to Full, and the Waning stage, in which the Moon reduces in size and goes from Full to New.

By the way, that’s also the reason a Month is around 30 days long. It’s based on the Moon cycle, though I guess it’s been shifting for centuries, and now the Moon cycle usually begins at ends about halfway through each month. I’m sure at some point it matched each month exactly.

(Unless, of course, you’re reading this 4000 years from now, in which case, it probably does. Good for you!)

The only thing to bear in mind is this:

Magick to bring things to you, or invoke, is best done during the Waxing moon, when it’s growing. The waxing moon is a time for activity and growth. It’s a good time to start things.

Magick to send things away from you, or banishing, bindings etc, is best done during the Waning moon, when it’s shrinking. This is a time for reflection and cleansing. A good time to end, not start, things.

The Full moon is usually considered to be a very powerful time to do anything spiritual. The New Moon is considered a dark and empty time. Also powerful, in the opposite way.

One last thing: every two to three days, the Moon moves from one sign to another. During the transition, the Moon is said to be Void of Course. Generally, this is a bad time to do magick, as the Moon is said to be unstable. So, if you’re planning any ritual, it’s good to have some sort of calendar that tells you when the Moon is void of course, so you can avoid those periods, which can range anywhere from 30 mins to 24 hours, if not longer. I’d suggest using an app for this purpose. I have one called “Void of Course calendar” on android.

Planetary Days

Most people probably know about planetary days. A week has seven days, and each day corresponds to one of the seven traditional planets of astrology. Most are named after the Norse gods corresponding to the planet.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar, it goes like this:

Sunday: Sun’s Day
Monday: Moon’s Day
Tuesday: Tyr’s Day – Mars
Wednesday: Woden’s (Odin’s) Day- Mercury
Thursday: Thor’s Day – Jupiter
Friday: Freya’s Day – Venus
Saturday – Saturn’s Day

Credits: Cafe Astrology

Now, you may have noticed that I started with Sunday, and not Monday. This is because the Sun is associated with beginnings, not the Moon. The week is traditionally meant to begin on Sunday and end on Saturday, as Saturn is associated with endings.

In fact, the reason everyone’s so miserable on Monday is because the Moon is associated with emotions and feelings. It’s an unnatural imbalance to start the week on Monday. The reason for this imbalance is because Christians used to attend Church on Sundays. They didn’t END the week with Mass, they BEGAN the week with Mass. Sunday was always the first day of the Week, but these days, few people actually attend weekly Mass, and so Sunday has become considered the Week “end”. This is an ancient concept, and Sunday was originally the day of the worship of Ra in Egypt (and other sun gods, to some varying degree in other cultures). Put simply, the Day that has been named the holy day (holiday, lol) of the Sun, should be the beginning of the week, regardless of culture.

Credits: Mortimer Arms

The real “weekend” should be Friday, associated with love, creativity, gratitude and celebration, and Saturday, the day of rest, reflection and endings. That’s why Jews don’t do shit on Saturdays.

Amusingly, it seems the Muslims got it right. Most Islamic cultures count Friday as a weekend, and usually people don’t work or work half days and then go to Mosque later. There’s a reason you feel so happy on Fridays. It’s your natural instinct. And I’m going to say that’s also why weekends go by so fast and people don’t get anything done. People want to party and make plans and enjoy on Saturday, and the energies of Saturn drain them, and then they spend Sunday recuperating, when they should be starting the next week. Friday, the day of celebration, is wasted on trying to finish work. And hey, i’ve been to Europe and noticed that people there too work halfday on Fridays. I’m beginning to think it’s only here in the East that people work full Fridays. (Maybe that’s why everyone is insanely stressed out, huh?)

Now of course, we can’t change the world around us, but we can use what we have learnt. All I can say to you is: stop working late on Fridays, and stop wasting your Sundays. Finish up everything by Friday afternoon, and then treat it like your weekend’s begun. Get on with your weekend plans. Chill out and rest on Saturdays, and around Sunday noon, start preparing for the coming week. Treat Sunday as the beginning of your week, and Saturday as the end, and follow this as much as you can.

I’m at a point where it’s natural for me to think like this. In fact, in my previous post, I talked about Assiatic path workings, in which one must meditate on each Sephiroth for seven days. I used to start each week long meditation on Sunday, not Monday, and it worked out great.

As for magick: all spiritual and magickal endevours can be classified under one of the seven planets. Do your magick on the Day of the planet under which it falls. And extend this to your daily tasks, and do tasks on their corresponding planetary day. The same would apply to invocation and evocations of any Spirit or deity, who also correspond to planets.

Sunday- Beginnings, Goals, Achievements, Self, Light, Heaven, Divine, Purity, Prayer
Monday- Water, Emotions, Astral plane, Dreams, Visions, Reflection, Cleansing
Tuesday- Fire, War, Victory, Passion, Sex, Lust, Movement, God, Strength
Wednesday- Air, Learning, Magick, Meditation, Knowledge, Divination, Travel, Commerce
Thursday- Money, Finance, Treasure, Leadership, Generosity, Kindness, Expansion
Friday- Earth, Celebration, Love, Fertility, Gratitude, Nature, Goddess, Wealth
Saturday- Darkness, Death, Endings, Rest, Introspection, Delay, Business, Legality, Justice, Destruction, Binding, Banishing

I avoid doing any magick on Saturday, unless it’s specifically Saturnine magick. Sunday is good day for almost any and every type of Magick.

Saturn Eclipsing the Sun, photo by Cassini probe

Planetary Hours

Source: http://www.astrology.com.tr/planetary-hours.asp

Now, a slightly more complicated concept, specifically relating to Magick. Each day has 24 hours, and you know that already.

However, each hour of each day is also ruled by a planet. Any planet, is strongest on it’s Day and in it’s own Hour. So, if you want to do a ritual for Money, you want to do it on Thursday (Day of Jupter) in the Hour of Jupiter, as it would be strongest at this time.

However, it is important to note that the planetary hours change on each day of the week. They’re not fixed like the hours on a clock.

On the day of any planet, the hour in which the sun rises, is the first hour of the Day, and the hour of that planet. So, for example, sunrise on Tuesday marks the beginning of the Hour of Mars, as well as the Day of Mars.

Here, we have another example of how modern standardization affects tradition. The sun rises at different times in different regions, and in the old days people would usually say that the Day began at sunrise and Night began at sunset, and still do, because of natural instinct. This has been the case since the dawn of man.

But, for the sake of international convenience, we have decided that the new day begins in any region at 12 am, or 00:00 hours. Generally speaking, modern systems of time keeping don’t designate a beginning for “night”, and, because of modern electrical lighting, we don’t need to worry about night. We do divide the day into two halves, but that is separated at Noon, 12 pm, or 12:00 hours, exactly 12 hours after our designated beginning of the day. It makes no real sense but it is the accepted norm.

This is good for time keeping, but terrible for Magick. The day, according to astrology, begins at sunrise, and night begins at sunset. I’m sure you can see that a problem arises.

That means, once the clock hits midnight on a Monday, Tuesday begins according to accepted norm, but from a spiritual point of view, it’s still Monday. Tuesday will only begin when the sun rises, which in most places would be between 6 and 7 am.

That is why when I write about my rituals, i’ll specifically use the words like “Day of Mars” and “Day of the Moon” instead of Monday and Tuesday, and I recommend making this switch. It may still be the Day of Moon at 2 am, even if most people would call that Tuesday.

(I know it’s confusing. Try to keep up, i’m trying my best)

Now of course, you can adhere to the norm when it comes to general communication, but, for your personal work and for magick, start viewing the day in terms of astrological hours.

Also, bear in mind that the astrological hours don’t necessarily match the hours on the clock. The sun does not always rise on 6 or 7 am sharp. It may, for example, rise at 6:22 am. And, these hours are not always exactly 60 minutes long. They’ll depend largely on where you live, and naturally, they change with the seasons, with the sun rising early in summers and later in winters, for example.

Update (2019): In ancient Japan, a brilliant man named Hisashige Tanaka created a mechanical clock called The Myriad Year Clock, which was finished in 1871. It has been called the “most complicated timepiece ever made” because the dial shifts with the seasons and years, and tells traditional Japanese time. It’s quite impressive, so you may be interested. I think in 2016 a Japanese artist took inspiration from it and created a wristwatch which did the same thing. There’s a documentary on it, so find it if you can.)

And once again, the best way to track this, is with an app or a program. I have a free app on my Android phone, which takes in your location and then tracks planetary hours for you. Other than that, just remember, the first hour after sunrise is ruled by the Planet of that day. It’s called “Planetary Hours” by ‘thereisonlywe’.

So, the first hour after sunrise on Tuesday is the hour of Mars, and on Wednesday, it’ll be the hour of Mercury. Roughly speaking, only the hour of the Planet that corresponds to that day is really important, and it comes 4 times a day, every 7 hours. The other hours between this are ruled by other planets. Although if you have magick that utilises the energy of two planets, you could mix and match this.

Generally, in most places of the world, since the sun will rise between 6 and 7 am, the hour of that day’s ruling planet will come again between 1-2 pm, then between 8-9 pm, and again between 3-4 am. At least, that is the case where I live, in North India.

And THIS is why 3 am is the witching hour. If you think about it, throughout all of history, and even today, it’s difficult to be open about practicing magick. Generally, you want to keep it hidden and not really get others involved. And of course, you want to avoid distractions too.

That means the best time to do magick for most people is around 3 am. I’m sure there’s much more to it, but from a astrological standpoint, this would be the reason. At 3 am, not only is the planet of that day powerful, but it’s also a time when everyone’s usually asleep and there will be very few disturbances or interruptions. Even most animals will be asleep. And you know, darkness if a good simulator of the pineal gland.

One last thing. You know that every 7 hours, starting at sunrise, is the hour of the planet of that day. But, how do you know which planets rule the other hours, without an app or a program?

Well, luckily, the planets have a set pattern, which is based on their order in astrology. I don’t remember what EXACTLY is the basis for this order right now, but i’ll write about it later if I can find it. Right now, just memorise the order so you know which hour comes after which. The order is:

Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter

You may have noticed that this hourly order is different from the order on which the days of the week are based. Again, I don’t remember exactly why the order is how it is, but I’m pretty damn sure there’s a laboriously intricate 10 page Golden Lecture lecture on it somewhere, like there is on all matters.

Retrogrades

Planets generally have two kinds of motions: direct and retrograde.

Other than the Sun and the Moon, all planets go retrograde at SOME point, and during this period they appear to be moving in the opposite direction in the night sky. This is largely an illusion due to their orbit, but it still affects us. All you need to know is that when a planet goes retrograde, Magick corresponding to that Planet does not work very well. Generally, other aspects of life ruled by this planet also suffer, or are reversed.

Now, Planets don’t go retrograde very often, and when they do, it can be for weeks, months, or sometimes even most of an year. The only retrograde the people generally care about is the Mercury retrograde, because it is common. In fact, as I write this, we’re coming out of what has been an especially troublesome Mercury retrograde.

Keep an eye out for Retrogrades, and you’ll be able to expect crazy shit.

Here’s an interesting anecdote. Pluto, which rarely goes retrograde, did so in 2016, and was in retrograde for most of that year. I remember, when 2016 started, and someone told me Pluto would be in retrograde that year, I remarked that we would probably see some weird shit.

I said that lots of people might die, virus might spread, and, most importantly, some extremely wierd political events would occur. The political authority (establishment) would suffer somehow.

Personally, I thought yet another dictatorship would fall. And, as you all know, in 2016 many, many celebrities died, there was a Zika outbreak in Africa, ISIS lost it’s capital in Mosul, Brexit happened, AND, the big one: Donald Trump won the US election.

In India, we had a big thing: demonetisation, and 85% of the currency was scrapped literally over night, in a bold attempt to catch tax evaders. After all, Pluto also rules money and hidden wealth. All of this was in line with the retrograde.

You can use astrology to predict things, and at least have a generic idea of what may happen. It’s much better than going overboard with weird conspiracy theories and urban legend.

Update (2019): 2020 is a very important year. In the last few years, Saturn and Pluto have moved intro Capricorn, and begun to break down established Order, traditions and societal structures. This is all in preparation of the Age of Aquarius, and the transition is now fully upon us. Hippies in the 1960s kept talking about it, but now it’s literally happening. Next year, Jupiter moves into Cancer. All the pieces are set, and things shall begin to happen.

Source: Inuyashiki (no, I have not seen the anime)

The Sun

That’s the major bulk of it. However, there’s a few other things to keep in mind, and these are largely based on the Sun.

Night and Day

The Night and Day cycle of course. Regardless to say, daytime and nighttime are good for invoking and banishing respectively. As I said, I do almost everything at Night, but you can still keep this in mind. Also, invoking Gods and Deities is better in the Day, while Night is good for Spirits and Demons. The Nighttime is also when one should beware of more dangerous influences, especially ‘ghosts’, and take extra precautions. We’re psychologically wired to feel fear in the Dark, especially in locations away from human civilization. But to face the darkness is an Occult act, to go boldly and encounter the unknown.

The Morning (or Sunrise), Noon, Twilight (or Sunset) and Midnight are especially powerful times. The Sun is pretty important, and it’s energy and influenced rises, hits a peak, then fades and disappears over the course of the Day. Consult the legend of Ra, and how he changes forms as the day goes by. Our mood is greatly affected by the Sun. bright sunlight brings joy, happiness and optimism.

Seasons

The seasons are important for folk magick. Generally, you have Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Sometimes, like in India, you also have a Monsoon. Different folk rituals and festivals are based on this cycle. For example, Spring is full of life and beginnings, Summer is about light, warmth and fertility, Monsoons are about rain, growth and nature, Autumn is about barrenness, transformation and death, Winter is about coldness, endings, rebirth and darkness. Consult your local traditions to understand this better.

From a Eastern spiritual point of view, Spring is the first season of the year, as it brings warmth and life. That’s why most Eastern cultures celebrate New Year in April. This is also a harvest season for the East, but not the West, because in most Western countries it snows in Winter so they don’t traditionally plant anything.

The reason the West starts the year on January 1st is because the Romans considered January to be the first month, as it was the month of Janus, the God of Beginnings and Doorways. Western culture is greatly influenced by Rome, and of course, it’s after Christmas so it ties in to the Western holiday season.

Many in the East have big celebrations in April, and many countries also treat it as the start of the Academic and financial year. It’s largely dependent on whether you live in the West of the East. I recommend going with what’s naturally done in your region. However, I start new, important things in April-May, including important Magickal phases. Both January and April have great power.

Months and Zodiac

The Months are important too, as they correspond to the Sun moving through the Zodiac. The Sun moves through each Zodiac sign in about 30 days, same as the Moon cycle. Of course, this has been shifting for centuries as well, so these days the Sun moves from one sign to the next around the 20-22nd of a Month. The Sign that the Sun is in is important, as Magick relating to that Sign is more powerful. The Moon sign also matters, but not as much as the phase of the Moon.
You may also take into account the Signs that the other planets are in, but the Sun and Moon matter the most.

Solstice / Equinox

Each year, we have a Summer and Winter Solstice, and a Spring and Autumn Equinox. Both are important in folk and ceremonial traditions. On each Equinox, the Day and Night are equal, and so these are days of balance and stability.

The Summer Solstice is the longest day, and the energies of light are very strong. It is the height of the Sun’s power. But, after that days start getting shorter, and it marks the waning of the Sun’s power. The Winter Solstice is the longest Night, and the energies of darkness are more powerful. The Greeks believed that the veil between the Mundane and the Spiritual world are thin, and it is easy for things to cross over. But, days start getting longer after this, and it marks the Sun’s revival. Thus, we celebrate Christmas.

Again, refer to local traditions for more information on this. Each Equinox and Solstice marks the official beginning of each season.

Years, Decades, Centuries, Millenia

Finally, years, decades, centuries and millennia matter, but not that much. Usually, each Year is ruled by a specific Zodiac sign. Each decade, there’s generally a miniature paradigm shift in the world, and about every half century, there’s a major one.

Every century or two, the outermost planets, Uranus (84 years), Neptune (160 years) and Pluto (250 years), complete one orbit. They also move from one zodiac sign to the next every couple of decades, and this causes significant changes in magickal energy and causes major changes in the world, as well as generational divides.
These things matter less for Magick and more for those who like to observe current events and study history. This may give you new perspective.

Some Stuff to Muse Over

And, I want to leave you one last thing. Here, it stops being practical and becomes largely philosophical, abstract and unscientific. It’s based on Hinduism, as well as astrology and some theoretical science. I see no harm in sharing ^_^

Roughly every 2000 years, we move from one astrological Age to the next. As you may have heard, we’re currently moving out of the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius.
The Ages can be grouped into groups of 3, and thus, every 8000 years can be considered on Grand Age or Cycle. After the cycle ends, a new one begins and causes a rise and fall of human civilization. This, in accordance with astrology, could be further grouped into 3 sets of 4, that is 12 Ages ( one for each Zodiac) after which it repeats, making a grander cycle of 24,000 years. Generally, 72 of these grander cycles, or 1.7 million years, is said to be the lifetime of the archetypal Man (Adam, Manu etc.).

Interestingly, about 1.8 million years ago the early hominids spread across Europe, Africa and Asia, from wherever they first originated.

Every 230 Million years or so, the Sun completes one Orbit around the Milky Way. Currently, we do not know if our galaxy has any such cyclical motions. The Universe is about 14 billion years old, and may live for about 5 billion years more. Of course, this is all hypothesis and we barely know anything about the nature of the Universe. However, from a occult point of view, the Universe should also have cycles, of creation and destruction, which in modern science are called the Big Bang and Big Crunch.

If our cycle of creation ends, it should be followed by a cycle of destruction of equal length. Brahma, the Creator, goes to sleep, as to him, one creation cycle is one day, and one destruction cycle is one night, and Shiva the Destroyer, awakens.
After a hundred cycles of creation, even Brahma is said to die and a new Brahma will be born.

Ultimately, we can only theorise. We know nothing, and that’s totally fine.

That’s all for now, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. There’s plenty of other cool stuff here, so stick around and have a look, and follow me for more content like this. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

If you’re feeling triggered about something, leave a comment, telling me how angry or upset you are ^_^

That’s all for now, until next time.

~White Raven

The Tree of Life in Assiah: My Journey

November 17, 2017June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged alchemy, assiah, body, Earth, elements, Expereinces, golden dawn, great work, hermeticism, hinduism, initiation, journey, kabbalah, magic, magick, new age, Occult, order, philosophy, religion, self initation, self transformation, spirituality, tree of life6 Comments

Written: November 17th, 2017 | Edited: 20th March 2019

I just realised I have not written anything on here in about 4 months. Well, you know what Magick is like. Every now and then you’re thrown into a state of chaos and forced to figure things out in order to move ahead, both in life and along the path of mysticism.

Anyway, let’s get to today’s topic: My 10 week long journey, traversing up the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in the Plane of Assiah.

What is Assiah?

There are four planes of existence, and most systems of magick acknowledge this. There’s many variations, and lots of different perspectives of course, but in Ceremonial Magick we classify them according to the four elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire.

Each element corresponds to one of the four Planes of Existence: Assiah (Physical plane), Yetzirah (Astral plane), Briah (Archetypal, or Etheric plane), and Atziluth (Creative plane).

This is a very complicated topic, and an entire book could be written about it (check out Israel Regardie’s The Tree of Life), so don’t get upset if I simplify things quite a bit for the sake of convenience.

Assiah is the name of the first world, and corresponds to the element of Earth. It is the plane of material reality and matter. Put simply, this world in which your body exists, that you currently inhabit and are full conscious of.

The screen on which you read this, and the material it is made of, is part of Assiah. Not just matter, but your family bonds, personal relationships, your career, wealth and psychical well being, are also part of Assiah. From the fundamental particle, to everything you can physically perceive in the Universe, as well as any bonds or attachments you form to material reality, are part of Assiah.

And when it comes to the Magician, the part of him that anchors him to Assiah, is his physical body, and extends to his personal, subjective reality, aka his ‘Kingdom”, or Malkuth, the 10th Sephiroth.

This diagram is mixture between Hebrew and Japanese (Shinto/Buddhist) cosmology I found. They are very similar.

Now, each of the four planes corresponds to one of our four bodies, or vehicles. No doubt you’ve heard of people learning to use their astral body, which new agers dub as “light body”, and sometimes even using their etheric body. It’s interesting how many beginner spiritualists enthusiastically dive into these higher worlds, without focusing on the first, most crucial one: the physical one.

Malkuth corresponds to the GD Grade of Zelator, and it is during the first phase of this grade that one builds his body in Assiah. It is essential that one master his body, and gain a certain degree of mastery before going much further. Even if you don’t follow the GD system, it’s never too late to revisit something simpler. I like to think that it doesn’t matter when we do stuff, as long as we do them.

In this post, I want to talk about each sphere. The exercise basically involves entering each Assiatic House, of which there are 10, each corresponding to a Sephiroth in the Tree of Life. You meditate on each house for a week. During this process, your earthly qualities are brought out, and you’re forced to face them, as they reintegrate into your body, now awakened. Sometimes it’s pleasant, sometimes not. But it’s all worth it at the end.

Olam Yesodoth |Earth | The Elements

Olam Yesodoth is Hebrew for “Sphere of the Elements”, and corresponds to Malkuth in Assiah. This was the very first week and I did not know what to expect. The way I see it, Olam Yesodoth corresponds to the Physical Body and the base physical feelings and desires. It is also as low as a man can go on the Trees. We magicians are used to dwelling somewhere in Yetzirah and Briah, so falling to Assiah can be rough. You must make your way to Yetzirah once again, and re-live all of the material stages of development, which as you may know is the “lower” or “baser” nature of man.

Perhaps it has to do with learning empathy as well. Suffer like those on the lower rungs, those still in Assiah, and perhaps you will see what motivates and drives them, and why you cannot understand them. But, it is also a realisation and acceptance of your own lower nature, and how you’re also human at the core.

After all, each human being in reality spans from Malkuth in Assiah to Kether in Atziluth. He is just not fully aware of this yet.

During this first week, I just lost all will to do anything. I was exhausted, tired and bored. Everyday, i’d come home and just sort of lie on the floor, until I could eat and sleep. I watched some videos, but mostly I just wanted to sleep. It was as if the very vitality was sucked from me. This is how I used to be before I got into spirituality, and I had forgotten how being tired all the time even felt. I’d gotten out of the habit of sleeping during the day, so I never actually did so this time. This week was lazy and uneventful. I shudder to think that many people do live like this on a daily basis. (But the age of Aquarius is starting to I am certain it shall end. It already is starting to appear visibly in society)

Levanah | The Moon

Levanah is the Hebrew name for the Moon, and corresponds to Yesod in Assiah, which corresponds to the genitals and one’s libido. So, what do you think happened?

Let’s just I had a heightened libido during this week, and I took care of it however I could. It was like being a hormonal teenager, or a pervert. Another week of nothing, just realising how perverted one’s mind can be, and how easy and tempting it is to give in to complete lust.

I imagine this is the path that leads to hedonism. Usually, somewhere along that line, people get “saved” by religion or spirituality. I’m one of those people who got into magick early, so I have little experience with such feelings, except as a younger teen, and that’s my only reference point.

Kokab | Mercury

Now, things started to get kind of interesting.

Kokab is the Hebrew name of Mercury, corresponding to Hod in Assiah. This, I feel, must correspond to the digestive system and food habits. During this week, I suddenly had stomach problems, like acidity and aching. See, when I was younger, I used to have this problem perpetually. Then, it sort of improved as I got older and stronger, but now it was suddenly back, and I was forced to take a long hard look at my diet.

Ever since I became a magician, I decided to eat healthy, but I never REALLY did. I quit meat, and cut down on junk food, but I still sort of cheated and ate some shit. During this week, it ALL went. Anything and everything: cafeteria snacks, soft drinks, sugar, chips (or crisps), most biscuits, juices, and processed food. I began to prefer Sattvic food (look it up), and boy, was it great. I didn’t quit delicious food, I just quit the stuff that’s bad but pumped full of enough chemicals to make you think it’s “delicious”, when it’s really just addictive.

My health, body and energy levels improved dramatically, and I ended up saving a lot of money too. It’s strange when you realise how much we actually need to eat, and how much we actually eat. Two balanced meals a day is actually enough, along with fruits and nuts at certain times. Everything else, I see as an occasional luxury. Although, I still drink coffee, the holy nectar : )

Black of course. And home brewed, like it should be. None of that instant 280 g of sugar per cup bullshit (we got Starbucks in India. Not the biggest fan). I’m not saying be a vegan, but all religions and spiritual practices recommend a certain kind of diet, from the ancient Egyptian priests to New Age gurus, from the frugal yogi to the rich Mason. They aren’t just all saying mumbo jumbo meant to keep you from happiness, trust me. Eat clean, pure and high vibration foods as much as possible. It’s worth it. After some time, you won’t even miss that can of coke you drink daily.

Nogah | Venus

Nogah is the Hebrew name of Venus, corresponding to Netszach in Assiah. I can’t actually tell which part it corresponds to, and my best guess is going to be the stomach.

You ever skip a meal or two? Or just go hungry for a day? You start to feel sort of sad, or depressed, or have pessimistic thoughts, and you’re not sure why. Nothing severe, just sort of a negative feeling, that disappears immediately after you eat a nice meal.

Well, it’s because your brain runs on Glucose, and without that, your moods get erratic. Furthermore, low blood sugar is known to cause depression. Well, for that reason or some other, this week I got depressed. Severely.

Like REALLY depressed. People keep pointing out that simply being sad is very different from real depression. Well, what I felt was more like real depression. I wasn’t sad, really, nor was there any particularly negative thoughts. I just couldn’t find the motivation to do…anything at all.

I simply could not get myself out of bed in the mornings. I didn’t feel like playing games, or reading, or even watching a movie. It took everything I had just to do my daily ritual. I couldn’t enjoy anything. At times, I even felt energetic, and motivated, but couldn’t channel it into anything, or be happy doing anything. In fact, not just happiness, I couldn’t even feel angry, or sad, or emotional. It was just dark, and empty. Made me understand what it would be like to have no purpose in life, and no reason to live. It was desolate.

I also had a SEVERE crisis of faith. In magick, in the Divine, in the Self. I didn’t want to continue. Just give up, and become a nihilistic atheist. What if all this was a sham? What if all my prior success was just one big coincidence? What if nothing had meaning after all? What if I was just going mad?

Update (2019): This crisis of faith was basically me passing through Paroketh (The Veil) in Assiah. This lies above Hod/Netszach, and below Tiphareth.

But this was promptly restored. I ended up reading a Hindu blog about the lack of faith. Hinduism approaches the idea of faithlessness very differently than, say, Christianity, so I ended up feeling reassured after that. It doesn’t condemn you for not having faith, but assures you that you need to stay true to yourself, but also tells you rather sternly that no one will save you but you, so get your shit together and figure it out. At the very least, it says that whatever you’re feeling is true and real, that you’re not just “wrong” for these feelings. It says if you’ve ended up an atheist, then it’s better to be one than force faith. At the same time, if you choose to be faithful, then you have to find that yourself. Anything else would be empty.

Go find your salvation, or accept your life. Whatever gives you satisfaction. Don’t worry about what any scripture says, since ultimately your life is yours. Just as Arjuna had to go face a war, and do his duty as a warrior. Krishna was with him throughout, but never raised his weapons, though he was the Lord of the Universe.
No one saved Arjuna. No divine miracles were performed, none of his sins were pardoned. There were no Gods on his side, and no angels singing in the sky. The future for him, looked bleak and bloody. But still he fought, and won.

All he was given was a sermon, and a vision. And the he rode out to meet his fate.

Shamash | The Sun

Finally, in the 6th week, I left the lower spheres behind and entered Shamash, the Sun, corresponding to Tiphareth in Assiah.

The Sun corresponds to your Heart, and what is in it. This is where the Self is.

This was a great week. It’s difficult to put into words, but this week I was at my creative best, and I put in a lot of work. The desire to succeed and produce something good, to improve my skills and let the Higher Genius flow through, became very strong. And so, I ignored everything else, and I put in the work. This week jump-started the main goal of the Zelator grade: that of mastering the element of Earth. Now that the lower nature had been overcome, every week from then on brought more positives than negatives. This was when I felt better again. Christ has been resurrected.

Maadim | Mars

This was an intense phase. Maadim, as you can guess, is Mars, corresponding to Geburah in Assiah. The energies of this week were so strong, that their influence remained with me long after the week was up, and even after the entire exercise was up. Eventually, they faded, but they left a permanent impact upon my beliefs and opinions, which I don’t think will ever go.

Maadim is fiery and intense, and thus, deeply connected to your religious, political and social beliefs and opinions. Even though we magicians should be depolarised, we’ll always have some subjectivity, and certain leanings. Maadim polarised me to a immense degree, but due to this, it changed my thinking. Or rather, helped me think for myself rather than simply be led on by whatever was told to me by any side.

I wouldn’t say it put anything new into my mind, but brought out and laid bare what was already there. In a way, it forces you off the fence, and makes you take a stance in life, and after the week was over, I was much more certain of where I wanted to be in life, and even after I centered and grounded myself later, these things became a part of me, because they resonate with me deeply, though I never realised this before.

I wouldn’t say I, or anyone else is forced to submit due to social norms. Rather, we’ve accepted certain norms from birth, and never truly questioned them, or how we feel and think. Imagine North Korea: most of the world’s actually just a milder version of it. We were taught certain things were good and accepted, and we shunned everything else so strongly we never gave them a chance. For me, entering the occult was part of stepping out of the firelight.

A majority of the people are stuck in such a state of indecisiveness and neutrality, making it easy to sway them to either side, with enough incentive.

I remember, one night I didn’t even sleep, because I was too agitated at my own thoughts, and how far they could go. At the same time, I also recognized an intense hate, and maniacal rage. I understood, for the first time, how The Nazis must have thought and felt as they unloaded their rage onto those whom they deemed to e responsible for their suffering. Though I understood this, I couldn’t help but be swayed by it, and it would be long before I would calm down.

Nonetheless, it is important to understand this inner monster that is Mars. Only by understanding it, can you control it and use this energy to constructive ends. Interestingly, this is not only how the tyrants felt, but also the heroes. Both Hitler and Churchill. Same energy, just depends on where you direct it.

Anyway, i’m much more sure of myself now, and much more confident.

Update (2019): Ultimately, these feelings would stay with me for the next year and a half, and then it would take another 6 months before I could call them “resolved”. I thought everything could be fixed by having a logically coherent political ideology. But humans aren’t “logical”. We’re too complex, reality is too fucking complex.

India was having quite the political crises at the time, and I was too willing to take sides.

I never did anything physically, but mentally I went DEEP. But eventually I went so deep, that an abyss opened up in my belief systems. Suddenly everything collapsed, and I realised the futility of it all. This was partly shown to me by higher forces. They showed me the sheer intricacy of this system and society we have built over 2.3 million years, and our place in the cosmos.

Maybe it was just be transitioning from the idealism of my teen years to the realism and practicality that marks adulthood. But at least I gained the ability to think for myself. I was freed from the fear of social conformity.

Tzedek | Jupiter

Tzedek is the name of Jupiter, and corresponds to Chesed in Assiah. Now, bear in mind that the energies of Mars were still very active and strong.

Tzedek rules our ability to be reasonable and think clearly. Just as Maadim is the Right Shoulder, the force and power behind our dominant hand, Tzedek is the Left Shoulder, the hand of mercy and receiving. I calmed down somewhat. I believe all that really happened is that I was able to see the OTHER side of every argument. I didn’t agree with it, but I could somewhat relate to and appreciate other opinions. At the very least I felt a bit more merciful. During this period I just stopped and began to reflect, looking upon the long, long road ahead of me. The Golden Dawn self initiation is no joke after all. It’s not quick or easy.

I also became confident and my opinions became set in stone, after being tossed up and rapidly changed in the chaos of Maadim, they were cemented by Tzedek. At the same time, I was made to come face to face with my out of control tendencies I started to not enjoy any sort of mindless indulgence anymore.

The paths from Tiphareth to Geburah, and then to Chesed also represent overcoming the Shadow. This was all aspects of my Shadow I’d discovered. You could say this was a period when I became less hedonistic and much more disciplines, and almost monastic.

Shabbathai | Saturn

Shabbathai is Saturn! It corresponds to Binah in Assiah. This corresponds to the Right hemisphere of the brain. It rules intuition, subjectivity and creativeness. The sacred feminine, the subconscious, and Chaos.

With this, I crossed the Abyss (not the big one, but just the “Abyss” in the context of this 10 week exercise. A part of me crossed a part of the Abyss, you could say) and enter the Supernal Triad in Assiah.

This was a strange week. I felt the prevalence of of two emotions: agitation and lethargy. I’d get easily riled up and angry over stuff, especially the news. The Maadim energies were coming back.

For some idiotic reason, I also got the idea of pulling all nighters to work, as Saturn also rules over hard work and rigour. However, every time I tried, I’d always end up falling asleep anyway and waking up tired and annoyed. It’s not like I haven’t stayed up before, but during this time I just couldn’t.

I worked hard though, on all my work, and it felt good. The rigour and pain taught me much, and to accomplish things after giving it your best just feels so much more rewarding, and your work naturally gets better. However, it also brought with it just a tinge of sadness and loneliness…

If I was to use one word for this week, it would be “internal turmoil”, but it was all for the better. By the end of it, I’d made a habit of avoiding any and all agitating and polarising stuff. I had developed a dedication to more important things in life, and all other things just became less important, especially things that simply to satisfy the Ego. My opinions did not change though, but the obsession was over.

Mazloth | Neptune | The Zodiac

Now we enter the great Sphere of Chokmah, to which Mazloth corresponds. This sphere rules over the Zodiac, as well as the planet Neptune. It is the Left hemisphere of the brain, and thus, it is divine logic, higher intellectual thought, the conscious, and Order. The sacred masculine.

This was a good week. I became wiser, and calmer. The Maadim energy finally began to subside and balance out. I began to prefer positivity, and things with higher value.

I felt much, much less drawn to negative, weird, and sensational things. Despite having previously thought I knew the “truth” in Maadim, I now realised that I could take nothing for granted. The rabbit hole goes very, very deep. I mean, I began to read some of the actual history and literature about my own country, and it’s leaders, including Gandhi.

Man! Imagine finding out that you’ve been blatantly lied to, through every imaginable medium, from school textbooks to movies, about every aspect of your culture and society. It’s not a pleasant thought. And this brought with it, a new sense of nationalism. The kind that everyone swears they do not have, or shun, until they actually start looking at stuff objectively. It brought to light both good things and bad things.

Not the lowly, shitty “nationalism” that involves claiming the achievements of your ancestors and finding scapegoats that you can blame. Not the kind that make you insist that anyone who doesn’t see things your way is “anti national”. No, more of an understand of where you’ve come from, and how many sacrifices have been my by your ancestors. I began to think about what it all meant, to belong to a place, to call it your home, and also what responsibility that might bring. What are we meant to do, by “belonging” to a nation. What does it mean to love one’s “Motherland”, or to hate it’s “enemies”?

But. as Buddha said “All is Illusion”.

My country is just one example. I began to develop a habit of looking “deeper” into things, to understand and perceive reality with an objective mind, and learn to follow my gut and intuition.

I had new ideals to strive for. Real ideals.

Rashith ha Gilgalim | Uranus | The Pole Star

You’d think the Crown, the sphere of Kether, would be some kind of amazing, revolutionary phase. Rashith ha Gilgalim corresponds to this highest sphere. It means “The Great Swirlings”, refering to the Pole Star, and the stars that circle around it, as well as Uranus, the Father of Thought.

It rules the Pituitary gland (master gland). Unlike what I imagined, this week was fairly mundane. I had a bitcoin mining craze for a day or two, until realising my GPU wasn’t really fit for it. I went and bought some new clothes.

By the end of the week, I had normalised again. All the energies the past 10 weeks had brought settled down and began integrated. I became whole again.

It felt like I was no longer swayed and controlled by the forces, but instead that all these new forces and energies I had discovered and been exposed to had become tools in my arsenal, reserved for when needed.

As I returned to being a mundane fellow, I knew I had changed internally, and irreversibly. I had become a wholly new person, one who had awakened every earthly force that existed withing him.

Thus, I ended my journey up the Tree of Assiah, and prepared for the rest of the grade of Zelator. There was still a long road ahead.

I follow the self initiation methods given in the book Kabbalah, Magick and the Great Work of Self transformation, by Lyam Thomas Christopher. It’s probably the most popular around right now for those who want to self initiate using the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn tradition. Highly recommended if you’re serious about magick and spirituality.

Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed reading that, and would like to read more of my work. In that case, why not follow my blog?

Trust me, it’s great! And sometimes, it even makes sense! Other than that, do check out some other stuff I’ve written.

If you have hate for me or want to get into a long, pointless, time consuming debate about philosophy, leave a comment!

Well, that’s all for now. Do check out some of my other writings, you’ll probably find something useful. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until Next time.
~White Raven

Invoking Gabriel for Emotional Insight

June 4, 2017June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, archanegl, armadel, christianity, conjuration, da'ath, emotion, emotional balance, encounter, evocation, expereince, gabriel, grimoire, hinduism, holyliving one, invocation, islam, judaism, kabbalah, magick, Occult, paganism, real, religioun, ritual, solomon, spirituality, summoning, watcher, water2 Comments

Written: June 4th, 2017 | Edited: 20th March 2019

I have returned, like Osiris, arisen from the grave, after spending months and months in hibernation.

Okay, I’ll cut the drama. This post is about the Invocation of Gabriel, but I feel like I do have enough people who read regularly, small though that number may be, that I should write a few words about my absence.
I’ve not written anything here in months, and that’s because I was first busy in real life, and then, as I became free, the time had come for me to advance in magickal grade, and I had to finish up everything from the previous grade that I’d been putting off.

I also started putting stuff on the YouTube channel. There will now be a full series on Tarot there, so go check that out if you want.

Surprisingly, in this time is when I think I gained the most readers I ever have, and got a lot of messages. Most were quite nice, and made me feel good about this place. However, several were quite concerning.

I have decided to be a bit more responsible and reserved about what I write, especially regarding the Goetia. I’m merely sharing my experiences, and it’s meant to inspire others. These are not meant to serve as lessons. I am not a professional exorcist, and I don’t want anyone to think so, nor be responsible for anyone doing something stupid and getting trapped. I feel I already put repeated cautions and warnings in these posts, and it’s usually fine. But magick is fickle, and it draws a lot of mentally ill people. And I got nothing against them, but I don’t know how to deal with that either. Usually it’s not even people who’ve done something stupid with magick, they just think they have. Maybe someday I’ll be mature enough to know what to do in such a case, but not right now.

Anyway, now that’s done, let’s get started.

The Name Gabriel (גבריאל)

(remember, Hebrew is read from the right to left)

I shall begin by explaining the name. Gabriel is the Cardinal Angel ruling in the North, over the alchemical element of Water.

The name Gabriel (in which the “A” would be pronounced the way you pronounce Arsenal, rather than how you pronounce Gabe) translates as “God/El is my Strength”, though you may also interpret it as “The Strength of El/God”.

(At times I have seen people say “Gavriel”, and it’s true that in old Hebrew that would have been an alternative pronunciation, but as far as I know, in modern Hebrew it may only be read as Gabriel, as Beth only becomes a Veth if it has a point inside).

It is comprised of the letters Gimel-Beth-Resh-Yod-Aleph-Lamed. By the way, the letter Gimel itself represents Strength. The numerical values of this would be 3+2+200+10+1+30= 246.

Gabriel in Religion

In Judaism, Gabriel, along with Michael and Rapahel, is considered among the most important Archangels. Although not called so in the Old Testament, he/she is called so in the Book of Enoch, and thus one of the Seven Judaic Archangels.
His primary mention is as the “Man in Linen” in the Book of Daniel, where he serves as an interpreter to Daniel’s vision. It is suggested that he is a warrior, and fighting some sort of War. Naturally, he is generally thought of as an Angel of Might and Protection, standing at God’s Left Hand (in other words, on the Pillar of Severity, which related to the element of Water, his element), and leader of the angelic choir known as Kerubim.

In Christianity, Gabriel is fairly important and has more or less the same role as he has in Judaism. He is venerated as a Saint in the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican tradition.

Like all Angels, Gabriel is only mentioned in passing in the New Testament, as Christians rarely venerate Angels by name, probably because the Church has made them terrified of ever doing anything that’s “against” the Bible, including Angelic veneration. No offence, of course 🙂
He is generally considered to be the One who will blow the Trumpet that initiates the Day of Judgement. This is the most striking and common association of Gabriel, as the harbinger of Rapture.

In Islam, Gabriel is called Jibril, and of all Angels, he is the most important in this religion. Jibril is said to be the one who delivered the Quran to Muhammad, their prophet, and is thus highly exalted as the Angel of Revelation. There’s more to this but, honestly, i’m not that familiar with Islamic tradition.

Here’s an interesting thing: due to Islam and it’s spread to the East, Jibril/Gabriel is also the most easily recognized Angel by the people of non Angelic traditions like Hinduism and Sikhism. Eastern Spiritualists, from India, all the way to Japan, will think of him/her as the “go-to” Angel, if they ever need one, and so it is quite common for depictions of Angels in the East (though rare) to bear resemblance to him.

For example, during Rath Yatra these past couple of year, which is an important festival in the Indian state of Orissa, venerating the local deity Jagarnath, I’ve noticed they’ve been putting white angels on all four sides of the roof of the chariots. All of these angels hold a trumpet and are modeled after Jibril. Another instance is that a few years ago, I was in Mumbai, at the airport, and there was a particular set of artistic fixtures, depicting 12 angels. All of them were dressed like Jibril and blowing trumpets.

Look closely at the little golden statues on the chariots. Sorry but this is the best image I could find. Orissa is a bit….behind on the whole mass communication stuff.

Also, in a recent Japanese anime, called No Game, No Life, there’s a winged character called Jibril. She is not meant to be an angel, instead a technologically advanced species, and has nothing to do with religion.

But it is interesting that when the Japanese want to name a winged character that looks like an Angel, they usually choose the name Jibril or Gabriel. In fact, even in Japanese media where they are depicting angels, they like to take Gabriel as the protagonist. Gabriel connects very much to people in the East.

Gabriel in Magick

In ceremonial magick, and some other systems as well, Gabriel is regarded as the Cardinal Angel/Watcher of the West, and thus, she is associated with the element of Water, and the Moon. Since water also corresponds to Scorpio (as well as Pisces and Cancer), so does Gabriel. Bear in mind though, that unlike with the other Watchers, you wouldn’t use the symbol of Scorpio to Invoke Gabriel.

Not actually sure why (yet), but it seems the GD asked us to use the head of an Eagle instead, which symbolises the Holy Living One of Water. The Eagle is apparently an exalted sign of Scorpio. Maybe it is because Scorpio has much darker associations than Leo, Taurus and Aquarius.

She also deals with the subconscious, as it is the dark, shadowy, watery, passive and feminine, much like the West, where the Sun sets (Ra is his aged form, Atum). Thus, she will also be associated with darkness, endings, and the Twilight (fitting for one who heralds the end of the world).

In fact, it may be that using Scorpio would Invoke Gabriel in her darker aspect as the Bringer of the Apocalypse. And ya know, I like my sanity.

On the Tree of Life she is placed on Yesod, the Foundation, which deals with our emotions, the Nephesch (animal soul) and the Sacral Chakra. Her colours are orange and blue, which is from the GD flashing colours. She may also be seen in silver, violet or brilliant light blue (like ice. This is how she comes to me.)

As such, she shall be regarded, like the other three Cardinal Angels, as the highest Authority ruling over the angels, spirits and demons associated with Water.

I used the seal given in the Grimoire of Armadel, which says this regarding her:

“CONCERNING GOD, THE PRESERVER, THE DESTROYER, AND THE CREATOR

(GABRIEL and his Spirits) These Spirits do teach you all kinds of Mysteries. Thus is the Character.

In this Sigil is taught what Mysteries the Lord God is willing to permit to operate in Creation, through the uncontaminate Inner Knowledge whereof also (Abraham) did rule and govern himself and went forth by the command of the Lord God to travel in the Land of Chanaan, wherein also he sojournrned and was buried by his two (Sons) in a Mystical Sepulchre, that is to say in the Cave near unto Cariatarbee, wherein also Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were interred. Now this same Cariatarbee is Hebrew Mambre, and Ephrata. In this land did Abraham behold Three and Adore One, and thus was it counted unto him for righteousness. In this Sigil is taught Who be those Three Persons meet to be adored, and how they do harmonise together; also as concerneth the Angels and Men what Mysteries they do operate; also how they do harmoniously act through Created Beings, Angels and men. All these things be shown forth in the Letters and in the Sigil herewith given, through their Number and Combination.”

“OF THE LIFE OF ELIJAH

GABRIEL is a Spirit who did teach unto the Prophet Elijah all the Mysteries of Divinity. He is to be invoked on a Thursday before Daybreak. His Power is very Great, and he can do you great good, in the which he will instruct you. Thus is his Character

In this Sigil there be taught the Methods of restoring and transplanting both health and mental force.”

An interesting thing that I would point out is that the Preserver, the Destroyer and the Creator are, in Hindu mysticism, the three aspects of the Supreme Being (the All). The Preserver is Vishnu, the Destroyer is Shiva and the Creator is Brahma, and they together form the Holy Trinity/Trimurti in Hinduism: the first emanations of the All, and above all other gods.

Ultimately, they can be thought of as sitting on the Three Supernals on the Tree of Life.

Elijah is a Arbrahamic prophet and one who could work miracles, such as raising the dead and being able to influence natural forces like fire and wind.

Since water is a feminine element, in Magick we visualize Gabriel as a woman.

Associations

Name: Gabriel/Jibril
Rank: Cardinal Angel/Watcher/ Archangel
Quarter: West
Sphere: Yesod
Zodiac: Eagle (Scorpio), Pisces/Cancer, The Moon
Element: Water
Colour: Blue and Orange, Violet, Silver, Light Blue
Metal: Silver
Incense: Jasmine
Numbers: 9 (Sephiroth), 246 (Name)

Prep Work for Invocation

So, the last Invocation i’d done, some months before this one, was of Uriel, and i’d been told that my Altar, which i’d always make by New Age standards, was far too cluttered and lacked a focal point. So this time I took heed of that, and made it more traditional.
I normally have a candle, a crystal ball and incense, but this time I decided to symmetrically work from the outside to the center.

At either side of the Altar, I put a blue and orange candle (a LOT of shit went down in acquiring those candles, for various reasons. But that’s a story for another time)

I used a stick of the corresponding incense, which is jasmine, and kept it to the right, out of view, but close enough that the smoke was flowing over the Altar. The focal point was my crystal ball, and around it a crescent of 9 smaller stones, open towards me. Between me and the ball were the seals.

Finally, towards the back I had a cup with holy water, and a bell and ring, both made of silver. Bells are often rung in Eastern rituals to call forth Spirits.

Simple, clean and stacked with symbolism. I did the ritual on the Day (Monday) and in the Hour of the Moon, while it was waxing. The essentials for this ritual would be a seal, a blue candle, and circle. Water and Incense for extra energy. Everything else was personal choice.

The Invocation

As always, I did my preliminary recitations and banishing, some other formalities, and then invoked the element of Water, and then I began my chant.

Update (2019): For the preliminary work I suggest casting a circle and doing the LBRP. You can also do the Middle Pillar or Hexagram ritual if you want.

To invoke the element of water, trace the invoking pentagram of Water in blue, and vibrate ELOHIM TZABAOTH as you do it. Then trace a symbol of an Eagle (a simple outline of an eagle’s head from the side, with a beak sticking out and a dot for the eye), vibrating EL as you do.

Remember to do the same at the end of the Ritual, this time with the banishing pentagram of Water.

I usually chant whatever comes into my mind at the time, when I’m already moved by emotion after the initial invocations. I don’t record it anywhere, and usually have forgotten what I said by the time the ritual is done. So I can’t tell you what my invocation was, but you’re welcome to formulate your own. Just make sure it’s something that appeals to you and moves your Heart.

Update (2019): These days I prefer to write them out before hand. the Latin Vulgate is a good source for inspiration when it comes to invoking angels.

Anyway, as I continued my invocation, the first thing that happened was that my incense, which was just billowing around randomly, became rhythmic. It’s never done that before, but very soon my incense was circling in a spiral shape, curling around like a helix. It was wafting through my candles. As it did so, it would become illuminated, and glow purple, and then dissipate. It’s hard to describe it in words, but I felt like it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen during a ritual. Part of me was tempted to stop, and take a picture. But i’m not that stupid, so I pressed on.

Eventually, I felt weightless and my vision went blurry, and this continued until manifestation. Interestingly, at the moment of manifestation, all of a sudden I became very alert, and conscious. With Raphael and Uriel I had been overwhelmed with emotion, but with Gabriel I was buzzing with energy, like i’d had a coffee.

Interaction

Gabriel’s manifestation was very strange, and unlike anything else I’ve seen, in that I could not see her face. Her skin appeared black, but not as if it was dark, like with Samuel, but instead as if a bright light was shining behind her, and casting a shadow.

I’m still not sure why this was so. maybe it symbolised the sun shining behind her, setting in the West. On the other hand, her clothing itself, appeared an icy, neon blue flecked with snowy white. Her wings were also light blue, glowing so bright that it looked white, and here hair looked like it was long, and down to her waist.

Imagine a royal bathrobe, but the robes were open down the middle, and where her skin would be, that is her face, hands and the middle of her torso, were just black, as if blank. Very strange. But nonetheless, Gabriel had come, in all her glory.

Update (2019): She’d appear to me again years later (this year). Her appearance was the same, but now I could see her electric blue eyes, dark blue hair, and stern, yet kindly face. Imagine someone who is kind, but for that reason they are stern and rigid, so that they can push people to do the right thing, even if it’s uncomfortable. Her face is very serious, though you can also sense a deeper sense of caring. That’s what she’s like.

Artist: SpecialSpaz/Deviantart

She told me various things, and some of it I’ll write about here.

She primarily told me stuff about my emotional state, and it would be pointless to go into that here without any context. But put very simply, she talked of the subconscious mind, and it’s nature, and how it should be kept in check.

“The subconscious is watery, and much like water, or this incense, it flows freely, as long as it is allowed to. It will spill and spread in every direction, it is untamed and unstable, and that is reflected in the nature of emotions. It is associated with the Moon, which tugs at the ocean to cause waves, and does the same to the subconscious.
The Cup represents the container, and it can be used to control and contain the water. it corresponds to Binah, and thus to Saturn”

Now, as you may know, while Yesod is the Nephesch, Binah is the watery, feminine principle among the Supernals. In a way, you could think of it as a higher manifestation of Water, and Yesod as the lower. It is due to this that Saturn and Moon get along so well.

While the Moon is the raw, untamed animal soul, aka the subconscious, Saturn represents discipline, rigor, hardship and struggle. It represents Laws and Control. Saturn also rules over the Earth, and thus the Physical Body.

When I invoked Gabriel, I was going through a phase of being susceptible to subconscious impulses. Part of magick is surrendering control to the Higher Self, but that’s hard when the Nephesch is just waiting for the opportunity to flood my mind with every imaginable indulgence, constantly resisting. When the Magician tries to make progress, the subconscious is very acceptableness to temptations from it’s lower, darkened realms.

This story should make a little more sense now

But according to what Gabriel said, the key to controlling the Moon, is Saturn. You see, the Moon must be reigned in, indirectly, by adhering to Saturnine principles. Now, Saturn is generally a planet you want to keep more or less out of your life, as it brings hardship, but it seems the only way to control one’s emotions is through that hardship Putting one self through Saturnine rigour, that is restraint, and discipline, is what will teach how to control the subconscious. FYI, this MAY be what Yoga was originally designed for, by the Sages who created it.

(I am NOT supporting asceticism or self harm. I do NOT condone it or recommend anyone to do it. No spiritual enlightenment is found by destroying your body, the anchor of your soul. I make this very clear. I am not a fan even of the mild asceticism recommended by Regardie)

I incorporated into my life, a practice of restraint. I started first with what was most easiest, restraining myself from indulging in food, learning to bear some hunger. This then was extended to my sexual activity, and later it naturally went to my other urges. I was able to remain much more calm, and centred. When the subconscious realises it is no longer being catered to, it naturally changes course, creating positive waves, in hopes that those would be heard instead.

The kind of discipline taught in Martial Arts is another good example

No wonder then, that many religions have mandatory fasting periods. This is an ascetic practice, with the intent of teaching one to control himself.

Gabriel also spoke briefly about the charging of talismans, which basically became the key for me to fully understand the elusive ritual known as the Mass of the Holy Ghost.

Update (2019): You can read about how I make talismans here, and here for seals.

She also spoke regarding the symbolism of her trumpet, and how it signifies the “end times”.

“When the Trumpet is blown, the dam breaks open, and the waters of the Nephesch flood forth into the Consciousness, carrying with them the pollutants that it has acquired. The waters will be purified, but Man must face the horrors it has brought forth”

Most likely, this is a reference to a specific stage of a magician’s progress, as ultimately all Magicians must face their inner demons in full force (although you start dealing with your own darkness pretty much from the moment you become inclined to this path). I think it has something to do with Da’ath.

That is more or less how the encounter went for me, and I must say, it was quite rewarding. I’m still working on many of the issues I had meant to gain insight into, but progress is definitely being made.

And that about wraps it up for now. I hope you had fun reading this, and maybe even learned something, or simply found insight ^_^

Remember to follow the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Anyway, until next time..

~White Raven

Curses: When and Why to Use Them

March 26, 2017June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged bad, black magick, casting, curses, death, good, harm, hex, justice, karma, magic, magick, morality, negativity, Occult, punishment, religion, ritualism, rituals, sorcery, spell work, Spells, spiritualityLeave a comment

Written: March 26th, 2017 | Edited: 20th March 2019

Hello! I am White Raven, and welcome to my blog. Today, I felt like writing about a more controversial topic: curses, and when to use them. This may not sit well with everyone who reads this, but after all, the blog is dedicated to the balance between duality, so it would be hypocritical on my part to lean solely on the Pillar of Mercy.

What Is A Curse

Curse. noun
1.a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.
2.an offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance.

In Magick, I feel a curse is a culmination of these two definitions. First off, a curse is not just defined as something meant to cause harm to someone, but also as a form of justice. The idea of deities, priests, and sorcerers cursing humans and each other is common in religions. Also note that it specifies that curses are “offensive”. We can say they are offensive as opposed to “defensive”. They “express” our anger. Put simply, curses are a projective form of magick.

Both definitions of curse insist that it is spoken, because when it comes to curses, what we say and how we define it makes big difference.

If defensive magick, which may involve things like veiling or purification, is your shield, then offensive magick, aka curses, binding, banishing, is your sword. Curses aren’t just cast on humans, but also sometimes on Spirits to bind them. Almost always, it is when the other party has actively moved against you and is trying to harm you.

Why I Would Use A Curse

Well, since i’m talking about sword and shields, i’m going to use the metaphor of a warrior.

Why? because I love metaphors and like explaining things in them. The Law of Correspondence: As Above, So Below, is the reason why metaphors work so well.

Anyway, imagine a magician (or witch, mage, magus, shaman, light worker, healer: whatever you call yourself) is a knight. A knight usually wears armor. It is natural for him, as a knight, and this usually protects him from most things. He can walk around a town without fear. He may be pelted with stones, shot with an arrow, or maybe some drunk peasant tries to punch him, but all of it will be deflected by his armor. This is how a magician is, once depolarized, on the Middle Pillar.

However, eventually he has to leave the town’s safety, and enter a battlefield, commanding his army. But, he is shot with an arrow. Now, he has his shield, which he will raise, and deflect it, which was the primary function of shields. Technically speaking, as long as his shield is raised, he should not be affected by oncoming projectiles as he does his work.

However, what happens when he is faced with an enemy in front of him. Maybe a knight, maybe even a peasant with a pitchfork. No matter how strong and noble, the knight can’t just stand their with a raised shield. He is compelled now to strike. Not to mention that in some ways, that is the only way to progress.

That is essentially how curses are. You don’t really need to use them, as long as you follow magickal etiquette, banish properly, cleanse, or whatever else you do. Sometimes, you will have to shield or veil yourself, and you won’t be harmed. It has only been in rare cases, that I’ve had to actively use magick in order to stop someone from harming me. This is usually if the threat if somewhat serious, or maybe someone became too much of a problem for me to ignore them.

Every now and then, you have to be severe. You have to take on a violent persona, and lash out, or this world and it’s shadows will overwhelm you. You can’t always be the Saint, like Jesus, or Osiris, or Krishna. You also need to be the avenger, like Moses, Horus, or Kalki. It was because Osiris, the Egyptian God King was too meek, too trusting and too merciful that his throne was usurped by Set, the God of Chaos. That is one of the lessons of that story.

This is The Last Judgement by Michelangelo. Notice how differently he depicts Jesus from how he is normally depicted teaching or being crucified.

We have strength and the ability to fight for a reason. Being a magician does not mean sitting by as while others harm you, and abuse your lack of courage. Standing for ideals and the Light is good, but that usually also means fighting for them. Just like Jesus got nailed to a cross, in the same way he comes back to fight evil as the Avenger. The romanticized idea that is fed to us, is that we should be humble and keep our head down, to turn the other cheek, and that God/the Gods/Karma will punish the one who wrongs us.

But, in Magick, isn’t the whole point to exalt yourself to the level of Gods, to take responsibility for your own life? Then, naturally, you also need to protect yourself.

Though I wouldn’t say it is your job to judge who is good or bad. I would curse purely out of self interest, for myself or for someone or something close to me, and not become some magical vigilante, because that sounds like a one stop journey to ego inflation.

Certain emotions like “hate, jealousy, self pity, anger” are considered “low vibration”.

These are the emotions of the lower, shadowy part of Malkuth. The Pillar of Severity has things like ambition, pride, honour, discipline, justice, etc. These are what should be harnessed when doing this type of Magick. This is what differentiates offensive magick, from baneful magick, soldier from murderer.

Everytime you do the LBRP, you are utilizing this kind of magick, as you are banishing something. It is the Magick of Mars and Saturn.

If utilized for the correct reason, which will usually be to bring justice or to save yourself and the things you care about from malice.

But What About Karma?

Ah, Karma. Perhaps one of the most misunderstood and misused terms in today’s world.

Now, first off, I’ve noticed this trend where people refer to karma as a Buddhist concept. Karma was simply borrowed by Buddhism. Karma is a Hindu, or more specifically, a Vedic concept, originating in ancient India. All religions and spiritual philosophies borrow from each other, but let’s not forget who started them.
I might as well be calling Angels an Islamic or Sikh concept. Now, wouldn’t that annoying?

Anyway, back to Karma. These days, Karma has kind of become the go-to thing for deciding “morality” in ceremonial magick and witchcraft.
I guess the Abrahamic religions outright say that Magick is “devil worship” (or rather, they don’t say so, but have been mistranslated and interpreted in this way). So, I guess people looked elsewhere, and they stumbled upon “karma”.
But, Karma has been quite distorted. In the West, it’s become attached to the ideals of “absolute good and bad”, and in the East, it’s become a discarded tool of social control.

Let’s talk about karma for a bit, since that’s probably the only reason anyone clicked on this post. I’ll get to morality later, and stop there.

Karma, you see, is not a philosophical or spiritual concept in the Vedas itself. Karma is just a word. It literally means “action” in Sanskrit, and even in archaic forms of Hindi.

Karma itself does not denote anything. In a spiritual sense, it was usually paired with the word Dharma, meaning faith or duty (in the sense that it is your purpose in life, discovered spiritually and followed with faith).

The whole idea in the Vedas was that your Dharma: what you believe you are meant for, should be in line with your Karma: what you do in the world. And ultimately, it placed dharma over karma, in other words, the mind over matter, thoughts over actions (I know it’s confusing. Dharma is one of those words that does not have a real English translation) This is the central theme of the Bhagvat Gita.

In the sense we’re talking about here, Vedic philosophy said that your karma (actions) would come back to you. They did not make this as a reward and punishment system, as it has now become. There was no God regulating karma, it was simply a cosmic force of nature. The Law of Attraction, the recycling of energy, give and take. For every reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction. All of these things fall under Karma.

So, if you were kind to people, they would be kind to you, if you were cruel, cruelty would come back, if you stole from others, stuff would be stolen from you etc. etc. You know how they say poverty is a mental state, rather than physical one. It’s basically an extension of that. How you think or act would determine how the World was to you. It also meant how you acted would profoundly impact not just your life, but the lives of those around you, your children and perhaps even your descendants for ages to come.

You can pretty much see that this was how the Vedic sages interpreted the Hermetic Law of Correspondence, which states As Within So Without, and is the basis of mental alchemy and the modern New Age concept that everything you perceive is merely a reflection of your internal state. The Vedas took it a step further by stating that whatever you sent out, would return to you.

This is also in line with our Tree of Life, which, as you probably know, is represented as a closed circuit. Whatever you send out from within (Kether) into the world (Malkuth) will simply return to you, and having passed through all the spheres, will be magnified ten fold.

Another thing about Karma was that it carried over into your next life, meaning karma is constant. Everything sent out will eventually come back, no matter how long it takes. In Vedic and Puranic mythology, it is suggested that not even Gods are not free of Karma. People even began to say that karma could be inherited by one’s children, and that one should live “justly” so that his descendants would not suffer. Epigenetics could be said to be at play here too.

That is the concept of Karma. It is a passive, subconscious force, not a conscious one, like some deity. It is a very deep concept, much more than simply a justification to not act and let “karma” meat out punishment. Karma will certainly do so, though it might take generations, or even the person’s entire life. You might live and die without acting against that which harms you, and karma might just have a real affect after you’ve been destroyed. Or perhaps, you were the instrument that karma chose to correct your own life?

Put very simply, whatever thoughts and emotions you have in your head during the casting of a “curse”, is what will manifest on the target, and is eventually what will return, multiplied tenfold.

So What Does This All Mean?

From what I just said, it should be evident what the trick is to cast offensive magick. All magick is done with the goal of aligning yourself with the Will of the Higher Self. You should always stay true to the Will. And if someone crosses your path and hinders you, he is not only trying to lead you astray, but he himself is astray from his own Will, because a person’s Higher Self will never be to stop other’s from reaching their’s.

Thus, you have the right to protect yourself by whatever means necessary. Do not cast for baser emotions, born of gross impulses, like hatred, jealousy, anger etc.
Even if the other person has wronged you and acts on these things, don’t let that affect you. Karma, being passive, won’t see who was in the right and who was in the wrong, it will just fuck you both up. Cast only with the highest intent. So, say, if someone has gone against you, you might want to try casting for justice, which is an incredibly powerful force, or to banish the person from your life. I’ve known a person to do magick to remove a person from their life, but with pure intent. The NEXT morning this person got a job somewhere far away, and disappeared. I’ve known people to call on Saturnine justice, and for the target to die. Apparently that was perceived by the Universe as justice.

There’s a saying in India that “a curse uttered by an innocent man is like the fury of Hell itself”. This is true, because when someone who is normally good, pure and kind is angered enough to curse you, even just in words, then you must have done something incredibly evil, and so the sheer force generated by their anger will consume you. On the other hand, when someone is always pissed off and upset, their anger means little.

If someone is in your way, perhaps you could bind them, with the motivation being self preservation. And personally, I always put in the thought that the target is not “evil” or “wrong”, simply misguided. He has wandered off his path into mine, and I simply want him to be corrected, and be taught a lesson if necessary.
Instead of trying to play God and passing judgement, simply save yourself and leave the Judgement up to the Universe, or, more specifically, Karma. I also have very, very little patience for evil people. I won’t pretend to be a saint.

At time I am tempted to burn someone’s soul and cast it into the Void, and torture it immensely. But I control myself, because I don’t want to end up as evil as them. For a magician, sometimes simply being very angry is enough to cause people to suffer..a lot. Be vigilant of your anger, especially if you’re normally a calm and chilled out person.

The ancient European motif of Orboros, is a very good representation
of Karmic Law, as well as how Energy moves within the circuit of
the Tree of Life

And, don’t hold grudges. Whenever i’m done casting a curse, I always forgive the person and let it go. I’ve done my work, and now i’m protected and can pursue the Will. What has to be done to this person, is now up to the Universe, and his own Will. Not my concern, or problem. I will not let this person become so important that he drags me into the pit into which s/he has cast him/herself.

But be careful here. Even if your thoughts, ritual actions and words are okay, your emotions are raw and can betray you. Especially try to reign in your anger. The emotions are the most powerful in this type of magick, and will ultimately decide what is sent out. I’ve had times when I lose my temper or patience, and really have to struggle to be in a calm state when casting magick, or i’ll just send a torrent of fire towards someone. The anger of a Magician is a powerful and devastating thing, and I think this makes us much more susceptible to the Ego, rejecting which is the whole point of Magick.
Be vigilant of your anger, especially if you’re normally a calm and chilled out person. An apple will first go rotten to the core before it can spoil the bunch. The bunch might be saved, but the first apple is done for, and I don’t want to be the apple.

But Morality Matters!

Yes, but please keep in mind that magick, karma, the deities etc are not bound to morality. Morality itself is a human concept. It has it’s basis in human nature, which is essentially the same among humans and always aspiring to perfection, but even so, morality differs greatly not just among people, but even cultures and changes with time. What was considered immoral 200 years ago might now be perfectly moral, and vice versa. Morality is in Chesed, so it is one of our highest intellectual traits. However, this refers to the “perfect” morality, symbolised by figures like Solomon. Most human morality is relegated to Yesod, since it is usually just repressed emotions and societal conditioning.

Christopher Hitchens once said something like ‘it is useless to say that you need religion to be moral. After all, most people are not really moral. If you were in a situation where no one was watching, you would be immoral. You would steal if you could. Priests have been known to rape children”. Click here to watch the clip. It’s insightful. I’m no atheist, but Hitchens had some very good points.

I mean, if you think casting curses is wrong, is it because you have a genuine love for the aggressor, or are you just scared of karmic repercussions? Perhaps you pretend that you are good and moral, but really you’re just a conformist and don’t like to act in ways that would break this imagined figure of you as the perfect being?

(If this is harsh or struck a chord, I’m sorry. I once had to be told this exact same thing before I could break my own illusion of imagined morality and righteousness)

But still, if you don’t want to do something, or feel uncomfortable or immoral doing it, it’s your call at the end of the day. If you don’t feel like it’s right, don’t do it. Morality is subjective, but so it Magick, and indeed our entire reality. The way I reconcile this is stay true to my gut feeling and instinct, because it is not clouded by societal or religious norms, which will always confuse us and bog us down.

Remember, our personal morality is at the end of the day, derived from evolutionary instincts, which is further refined and made better over time. Your gut instinct can provide a greater moral code than any religion or even Law. They are important, but not absolute. The Absolute Morality of God, which would technically lie in the cosmic Chesed, is not what actually exists down on Malkuth.

Besides, don’t rely on curses for everything. This is only for rare exceptional cases, almost always against other magicians or really fucked up people, who roam this world like hyenas hunting for dead carcasses. Otherwise I restrain myself and fight my battles and resolve conflicts normally. Magick is, after all, a way of life, not specific rituals or “superpowers”.

And If Someone Dies?

Ok, elephant in the room huh? First off, i’ve never actually cast a death curse on someone, because i’m really not keen to know what the repercussions are. If you think about death, it’s absoluteness, and how human society has viewed it since the very beginning, and how causing the death of someone who is not actively trying to kill you is viewed: I’d not want to do it, and no amount of theory and reassurance can convince me otherwise.

Of course, i’m not sure this will apply in every scenario, nor am I telling you what to do, and I can’t really stop you if you’ve decided to kill someone. Killing someone is different from everything else because it means depriving them of the chance to improve. You’ve got no business violating someone’s Will to that extent. The Karmic energy that returns will be dire: pure Plutonian force reverberating through the Tree, magnified 10 fold, hits you one day.
But as we know, nothing is absolute and things change. Just be responsible. Anyway, moving on.

But what if someone died, and you didn’t intend them to? What then? Say, someone you know is getting harassed or abused, and you cast Magick to remove that person from their lives. Perhaps your intent was solely for the benefit of the person, and in fact, you wanted BOTH people to be better off, and the person you cast against still dies. Will Karma kill you? No.

See, you did not intend for someone’s death. You left it up to the Higher Law of Saturn. It was this higher law that decided that this person would die. It’s technically not your responsibility.

But, say you don’t want that (like any normal, sane human). Well, that’s why we have statements of intent, and they are important. When formulating the statement of intent, go ahead an specify what you want happening, and what you don’t, like someone dying or being badly hurt. I’m not a religious preacher, so I won’t say that, but please use your head and don’t do something that will come back to haunt you. You could add “and let neither man nor beast be harmed by this ritual”, or simply “let this person learn a lesson, but not face permanent harm or death”.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to you. if you like my content, and would like to see more, consider following my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until next time
~White Raven

Archangel Uriel tells me about Manifestation

March 4, 2017June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, Archangel, archangel uriel, armadel, body, conjuration, Earth, expereince, focus, good vibes, grimoire or armadel, healing, kabbalah, Knowledge, magic, magick, new age, Occult, philosophy, prayer, religion, soul, spirit, spirits, spirituality, summoning, universe, Uriel, vibrations, white raven16 Comments

Written: March 4th, 2017 | Edited: 19th March 2019

Hello, and welcome to my blog! There’s all kinds of things here, from New Age to full fledged Ceremonial Magick. Stay a while, see if you like something. I am White Raven, and today I’ll be telling you a story, that I hope you will find entertaining and informative.

I have a tendency to write long posts, but have patience. I promise it’ll be worth it.

In all forms of Ceremonial Magick, there are four chief Archangels, each attributed to a cardinal direction and alchemical element. They are often called the Watchers.

Uriel is the Angel of Earth, in the West. A little while ago, I invoked her, and this is my personal experience, what methods I used, what I learned, and what happened afterwards. I have also got invocations of Raphael and Gabriel.

The Name and It’s Meaning

Uriel, pronounced “Ooriel” or “Auriel” means “God is my Light”, though you may interpret it as “Light/Glory of God” or “God, the Light”.
It also has a more unsettling interpretation as “Fire of God”, but we’ll get to that later when I talk of the more martial aspect of Uriel that has pretty much been dropped in New Age traditions.

It’s spelled אוּרִיאֵל, and so the numerical correspondence is 1+6+200+10+1+30=248. Interesting fact: there are 248 positive commandments in Judaism, and said to be 248 parts of the body in the Torah.

It originates in Babylon, where people spoke Akkadian, an ancient Semitic language from which Hebrew and Arabic come. Many angelic names come from Zoroastrianism and their 7 aspects/children of Ahura Mazda, known as the Immortal Ones.

In Religion

Note: I will refer to Uriel as “she” but it should be noted that in Abrahamic scripture Uriel is male. While undoubtedly of supreme importance in Magick and the occult, Uriel’s standing in the Abrahamic religions is kind of sketchy, and i’ll go over this briefly.

In Judaism, only the first three Archangels are mentioned by name, and Uriel is only ever named when there is need to add an Angel for the fourth cardinal direction, though he/she is usually seen as one of the 7 holy archangels.

She is generally considered to be the “illuminator” and the source of heat and light, but Uriel also turns martial (from a modern perspective) very quickly. Uriel is often identified as the Angel with the flaming sword who guards the gates of Eden. There is an important mystery here, related to the Path of the Flaming Sword, that can be seen on the Tree of Life if you connect all 10 Sephiroth. If the Triad is the Garden, where do you think Uriel would stand? ^_^
Understand this and the entire post will make a lot more sense, as well as her “darker” aspect.

She was also named as the Angel overseeing “thunder, earthquakes and calamities”, as well as the one who checked for the name of God written in blood outside the homes of the Jews in Egypt. So, along with Illuminator, Uriel also becomes the Angel of Repentance. This is mostly due to the Abrahamic perspective of what “illumination” was, being the same to them as conversion to their faith and repenting one’s sin. (Hint: it involved a lot of bloodshed, mainly of Pagans, who were usually actively at war with the monotheists, except hat one time they got together to build Solomon’s Temple, which the Pagans would later lay siege too.)

In The Book of Enoch, Uriel is mentioned first as the ruling Angels of Tartarus, and he is also seen as the ruler of Gehenna, which is the Jewish equivalent of “Hell”, or more specifically, the Greek Fields of Punishment. He guides Enoch, the Abrahamic patriarch and also warns Noah of the Flood. Again, connect this to the position of Uriel on the Tree.

In Christianity, Uriel’s story is dependent upon the source you use, but she is generally thought to be one 7 Archangels by the Pseudo-Dionysus teachings. Though she is depicted in Catholicism when talking of the 4 Archangels, she not canonized ,and so her relevance is only to the Orthodox and Protestants. Some interpret her as the Angel of Light, especially Orthodox, while to others she is the Angel of Fire. The Anglicans consider her a Saint.

Within Islam, the 4th Archangel is Azreal, the Angel of Death, so Uriel is not an important part of the religion.

In Magick

In Magick, Uriel has long been regarded as an important Archangel, and is found in several grimoires and sources. In the Grimoire of Armadel, which I’m using here for her seal, she is mentioned as:

“Spirit who did reveal unto the Prophet Esdras every description of Prophesy, he did also aid the Children of Israel in the Camp of the Babylonians. He teacheth natural Sciences, Physics, and Medicine”.

“In this Sigil there be taught the method of understanding what and of what Kind were those twin Souls (namely) Henoch. The faculties of the Mind and Understanding are purified, and these also in such a manner that they may be exalted from the lowest degree unto that which is most perfect of all. By the which composition also there can be a transmission made of the participating Power or that power of communication of the comprehension of Spirits”

Within the Golden Dawn system, she is the Archangel ruling in the North over Earth, generally depicted holding a book or an Earth Pentacle, strong and unwavering. Her symbol is that of a Circle with an equal armed cross, a “plus” inside. The Arms are generally the colours of Malkuth. The Bull, which is incidentally an animal of the Underworld, can be associated to Uriel, as the Holy Living one of Earth is in the form of a Bull.

Uriel is, strangely, not the Ruler of Malkuth, making her the only Watcher who does not rule a Sephiroth. Nonetheless, she will be placed on Malkuth. She stands instead as the protector of Knowledge, and hers is the flaming sword. However, I invoked her as an angel of Malkuth and watcher of Earth. To invoke her other aspect is not something I am ready for, yet.

And I’m guy who’s invoked Yog Sothoth without any bad consequences. I do know what I’m doing, so trust me when I say I don’t feel ready to Invoke Uriel as the guardian of Knowledge.
Tell me if any of you try though, those who get what I really mean. I’m interested to hear about it.

As for astrology, she is not attributed to any Planet since she rules the Earth itself, and her Zodiac sign will be Taurus primarily, and Virgo/Capricorn secondly.

Associations

Name: Uriel
Rank: Archangel, Cardinal Angel (Watcher), Guardian of Eden and Keeper of Gehenna in Tartarus
Element Ruled: Earth
Quadrant Ruled: North
Zodiac: Earth/Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Sephiroth: Malkuth
Colours: Black and White (Magick), Green (Alchemy), Orange (Abrahamic)
Magick Symbols: Pentacle of Earth, Equilateral Cross, Flaming Sword
Other symbols: Fire, Scroll, Book

Prep Work and Altar

Uriel is the Archangel of Earth, so there isn’t really a specific time or hour when she is strongest. I just did my invocation on a Monday, at midnight, and it worked out fine. Just like with Rapahel, I used the sigil and made a name plate to go along with it, which has Uriel’s Hebrew name in black on white.

I decided to take a slightly more traditional approach than usual, using a crystal ball.

The crystal in question was a sphere of Blue Anhydrite (anhydrous calcium sulfate). The New Agers call it Angelite, so it seemed apt (also, it’s the only crystal sphere I own, and ideally I’d prefer obsidian).

I put it on top of an Earth Pentacle, and used some stones leading out from the centre to divide the altar into 4 halves, the way the alchemical symbol for Earth is, in which I then put the sigil and name card, a bowl of Earth, a bowl of Salt and the Ace of Pentacles Tarot Card. When it comes to the altar, I don’t really have a scheme, and just let my imagination run wild for each Ritual.

I used a Green Candle and vetiver root as incense (though the Golden Dawn recommends patchouli for Malkuth, vetiver is more suited to my culture).

When I felt like the Altar felt complete and the associations were correct, I pointed it towards the North, did all the preliminary stuff, and began the Invocation.

Update (2019): For the preliminary stuff, I recommend the LBRP, and then Invoking Earth. For this, trace a green invoking pentagram of Earth as you vibrate ADONAI HA’ ARETZ. Then draw a black symbol of Taurus in the centre as you vibrate ADONAI.
Remember to do the same again at the end of the ritual, this time doing a banishing pentagram. The LBRP will also suffice, since it also banishes Earth.
You can also try the more complex meditations prescribed by Gareth Knight, but when I did this ritual I didn’t know any of this and still had success. This is all for that extra umph.

The Invocation

I called to Uriel, and she came. Uriel, ruling over a feminine element, appeared to me as a pleasant lady with short hair, wearing something that looked like a dark kimono. It was the same colour as blackish, fertile earth, the way it would look after tiling. Around her waist was a white belt.

She held a book, and that was it. No wings, or anything spectacular. I guess you would say she was very grounded, which makes sense. She had a sort of protective, wise and motherly feel about her, perhaps because as humans we usually regard the Earth as our mother. And of course, that androgynous, ideal perfection that’s characteristic of Angelic beings, which I have always considered breathtakingly beautiful, though somewhat distant and inhuman (which I guess it is).

At first I was trying to manifest an image in the crystal ball, but instead my eyes kept being drawn to the candle flame. That’s where the manifestation began to happen, but I began to try and force it on the ball, but that broke my trance, and I took some time to go back and see Uriel in the fire.

At this point Uriel suddenly spoke, and told me not to have divided attention.

“The key to any manifestation, is to give it complete focus. Stop being divided and make decisions without fear or hesitation. Look at where the manifestation happens. Do not force it, for it is born first in the Unconscious.”

She also told me to not have a cluttered altar, which is how I’ve seen many altars done these days, and how I did them until this point.

“Don’t confuse the mind. Choose one point of focus, build the altar around it”.
Normally, I’d just have a candle, but I had a crystal ball right next to it, and my eyes kept switching from one to the other. I guess that was some valuable insight for me. After all, the ancient grimoires have very simple settings. It’s only these days that people make overly complex altars. Or maybe it’s just me. I used to keep it simply, maybe it’s time to go back.

Update (2019): Since then I’ve always built simple, focused altars, and it’s worked GREAT!

Next, she told me about the physical body, and how to make it better.

“You, as a magician, strive for mental discipline. The same must be done for the body. As Above So Below. You reject negative, depressing, or inhibiting thoughts such as self pity, though they are gratifying, the same must be done for bad physical habits. It will be painful and hard at first, but rewarding. Do not indulge the body! Learn to abstain!”

The body will naturally try it’s best to match your self image, so first, I’d suggest developing a positive one in the mind, before you go trying to change the body itself.

“All four Great Planes are made of vibrations. They vary in degree, but the Earth plane, your body, does not differ from the mind and soul. Sound is what controls this plane, as thoughts control the mental, and emotions control the emotional plane. The body is identical in nature to the mind and soul”

I thought about this. Sound is essentially produced by vibrations, and as you know, EVERY atom in the physical plane vibrates. Everything technically produces sound, even if it’s inaudible to us. I think she meant that what we hear, the vibrations that enter us are what are the major influencing our bodies the most. Light also vibrates, so I guess vision also matters, but if you think about how many people we talk to, how much music we listen to, i’m sure she meant sound. During a ritual, there’s only so much you can decorate the Temple and visualise, but you can speak infinitely. Even as a type this, and even as you read this, there’s a voice in your head narrating this to your mind. Your eyes are not the main input for this data. They are telling that voice what to say.

Finally, I asked about a personal problem, namely, how to overcome my chronic habit of procrastination (as I write this sentence, it’s been almost a month since I began this article. Of course, I was very busy for about 2 weeks, but even so I put it off longer than I wanted to.

“The solution is simple, use Magick”

Gee, thanks. Why didn’t I think of that before.

No, really, I was confused, but then I realised it was very obvious.

“Everything is contained and controlled by the Subconscious, which is altered with Magick. The Conscious mind does nothing but observe and interact with the World. It is not what controls your actions and behaviors.”

I should mention, this ritual was done a little after New Year’s.

“Conscious resolve does not mean anything, if the Subconscious programming goes against it. Right now, think of all the people who have pledged to go to the gym. They are motivated, and want to push themselves, but most of them will lapse, because the subconscious will resist anything that goes against it’s conditioning. Magick is not a short cut, so do not scorn it. It is the KEY! The Key to all change, to all things! Magick is the key to the lock that is the subconscious. With Magick, you can condition yourself as you please.”

That made me think. Magick of course, does not just mean rituals. It is a perspective, a way of thinking. I’ll admit, at this time I wanted to get to working out, but I knew that, like before, I would lapse. You see, I’m quite bad at keeping schedules. Daily workout, or studying back when I was in school, even daily yoga: things which were tough, were things I could not keep up. But, there is one daily thing that I’ve been able to keep up: My magickal practice. When I started this routine, I surprised myself that I had not just let it drop.

I asked Uriel’s help in reaching bodily perfection, and thus sealed this into my subconscious. After that, I’ll happily say I’ve managed to workout every single day. Naturally, it is difficult to properly describe every single change that took place in life. After all, self transformation is an continuous process, but this is a gist of what it taught me.

Update (2019): Since then I’ve always built simple, focused altars, based on her advice and it’s worked GREAT!
I’ve also learned to stop procrastinating in the past 3 years, based on her advice. Heck, now I’ve become that guy who schedules his day hour by hour, week for week. To an extent, life is so different I couldn’t ever go back. If I don’t schedule things or be productive, I feel bored.
I’ve also grown older and more mature, but at the time this was what I needed. I could have never imagined finishing work on time or waking up at 7am then, and I was full of self loathing. I also understand that she revealed some very important mysteries, which I could not appreciate fully at that time. I’m also very fit. At the time I could not even imagine not being skinny and potbellied. Now I feel weird if I don’t work out and do yoga each day. As I’m editing this post, I’m just realising that I’m actually not the same person as 3 years ago. I guess no one is. We all change, like the mutable Earth of Virgo. It’s up to us if it’s for better or for worse. So, I say if you need help and advice for your life in the physical plane, finances, careers, body goals etc, call on Uriel for help.
Many magicians I’ve met become infatuated with the spiritual and mental compenent of magick, but totally lose interest from the material world (aka the “real” world) and withdraw into their homes. They will call on the great Archdemons of the black Legions, but to wake up at dawn or go jogging, to deal with annoying co-workers and keep deadlines is torture to them.
Are they strong or weak? You tell me.
Do not be like that. If you’re like I was, raise yourself up.

Thank you for reading. I hope you found my account interesting and motivating ^_^

If you enjoyed this, you might want to consider following my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until next time
~White Raven

Evoking Gremory, the Great Duke

January 20, 2017July 24, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, Angels, Ars goetia, ceremonial magick, conjuration, daemon, demon, duke, expereince, female, feminine, golden dawn, Gremori, Gremory, Grimori, guide, hexagram, hinduism, kabbalah, lesser key of solomon, love, new age, Occult, OTA, paganism, pentagram, Poke Runyon, poliel, red, relationships, religion, sexuality, solomon, spirits, spirituality, summoning, venus28 Comments

Written: January 20th, 2017 | Edited: 15th March 2019

This is about the Goetic Evocation of the Duke Gremory.

In my previous Goetia post I had mentioned how I hadn’t had the need to Evoke Goetic spirits for a long time. In fact, the last time I evoked a Goetic spirit was before I Invoked Samael, which is the very first post on this blog.

So naturally, in that time I’d learned a lot, and I brought all that into this Evocation of Gremory. It is heavily inspired by the methods of Poke Runyon, and I must say, it worked better than I’d ever expected.

Update (2019): These days I use some of the methods from Paganism, Hinduism/Buddhism, Demonolatory and Christianity far more. The traditional devotional methods, with chanting and drama work far better for me than formal western ritualism.

Info From The Ars Goetia

“The Fifty-sixth Spirit is Gremory, or Gamori. He is a Duke Strong and Powerful, and appeareth in the Form of a Beautiful woman, with a Duchess’s Crown tied about her waist, and riding on a Great Camel. His Office is to tell of all things Past, Present, and to Come; and of Treasures Hid, and what they lie in; and to procure the Love of Women both Young and Old. He governeth 26 Legions of Spirits, and his Seal is this, etc.”

Always keep Seals facing down, and preferably in a container. Don’t leave them lying around, especially face up. These are sacred objects.

Nature of the Spirit

At first glance, she seems to be the same as the rest, with a crown riding an animal, with the powers of divination and of procuring love. There’s many, many spirits in the Lesser Key that have these two skills, but out of all these, Gremory does stand out, for two reasons. One, of course, is that she appears to be one of the very few, if not ONLY spirits who appears as a woman. Several Goetia appear female, in practice, but in the book, every single one is referred to as “He”, meaning the author imagined them to be all male. Except Gremory, who is explicitly called “she”.

Traditional depiction of the Spirit

Also, it is specified that Gremory helps you gain the love of “young and old” women. As I said, many Spirits of the Goetia can help you get love, both romantic or otherwise, but this Spirit is the only one for whom age is specified. I find that odd. It seems to imply that Gremory deals with very specific tastes of people, helping you procure the love of people who are considerably younger or older.

My interest of course, was in the divination aspect of it all. I mostly call on the Goetia for information and understanding, or to make changes in my perspective.

About of the Spirit

I have not found any mythology about the Spirit, outside of the Ars Goetia and the Pseudomonarchia Daemonica, but at this point, that’s become a pretty common occurrence with Spirits which are not evidently important, and I’ve written about this before, so I wont rant about it.

The name Grimori is derived from both English and Italian. Grimoire, as you probably already know, means a “magickal textbook” in French (the Ars Goetia is a grimoire), and consequently, in English, and probably came from Frankish, Greek or Latin.

The Italian word for grimoire is grimorio, and the plural is grimori. So the name of the Spirit here literally translates as “textbooks of magick” in Italian.

I personally believe that Gremory is simply the anglicized version of Grimori. Or, it has something to do with Sodom and Gamorrah, like someone pointed out. Though that sounds like the usual Abrahamic fire and brimstone nonsense to me.

Let me guess: there was some well-of pagan city in the Middle East that the monotheists decided they hated. Maybe it has sexual freedom.
At some point disaster struck, as is inevitable, and they rejoiced by writing about it as God’s wrath. To me, using metaphorical names for cities you despise instead of real ones betrays cowardice and the inability to face enemies boldly.

Associations

Name: Gremory
Rank: Duke
Number: 56
Planet: Venus
Metal: Copper
Sphere: Netzach
Incense: Rose
Tarot: Two of Pentacles

Element: Earth
Angelic Counterpart: Poliel
Ruling Archangel: Uriel
Ruling King: Göap

Preparation of Ritual

I did this on the Day and in the Hour of Venus. I know the Goetia says to do it on very specific Moon days, but I ignored that for once. The Moon was 24 days old, and it doesn’t make too much of a difference anyway. The best results may be on specific days, but really, it’ll work whenever you do it, as long as you know what you’re doing.

First of course, I cleansed myself and the room, put on my ritual garb, and anointed my temples.

I had with me the Seal of the Spirit as well as the angel Poliel (given in Poke Runyon’s book), in green on white paper, as well as the Pentagram and Hexagram of Solomon, around my neck like they do in the OTA.

I also drew the Sigil of the Spirit on the other side. This is the first time i’ve done so, and it means I’ll have to make a new Pentagram every time I evoke a new spirit. I don’t do this anymore either, but you can if you want.

I put the Angelic and Demonic seal on top of each other, both face down, on the Altar, which faced North, along with the incense, the Hexagram, face down as well, with a Green candle in front of the Triangle, which is fitted with a black mirror, and my stones in a crescent shape.

The Black Mirror used by the OTA

I used the black mirror scrying method. I’ve tried this method only twice before, but I think this will be my choice for all evocation from now on, because it worked so well.

I meditated on Venus for a while, listening to binaural beats of the corresponding frequency, then I started the ritual, with my preliminary banishing and declarations (you know, generic stuff), then sat down facing North and began.

Update (2019): This was the one and only time I used the full OTA method, as an experiment. While it is powerful, I no longer use many aspects of it, as I mentioned at the start. I no longer use the black mirror, opting for incense instead. I also do not draw the Sigil of the Spirit on the other side of the Solomon Pentagram. The intent of that is to bind and control them, and that conveys fear.

Calling on Poliel

Normally, when you call on a Spirit, you should invoke their Angelic counterpart from the Shemhamphorash first.

The Shemhamphorash says to recite ~~Psalms 145:14~~ Psalms 144:14 (from the Latin Vulgate, which is fundamentally different from the standard Bible when translated).

More so I began by petitioning Uriel to send to me this Angel, and then began to recite the verse.

I must say, I was skeptical at first, since I don’t really use the Bible for anything, but this worked ridiculously well. I finally understand the whole obsession of western occultists with the Old Testament. This might be the fastest connection I have ever made with a Spirit or Angel. I recommend the Latin Vulgate for any Shemhamphorasch Angel, and the Demonic Enns for the Daemons of the Goetia.

I very quickly slipped into a trance. I must have recited it for maybe 2 minutes and I felt a very strong, very substantial presence in the circle. When I opened my eyes, the candle was tall, steady and bright, and I could almost feel Poliel standing behind my in the circle. There was no visible appearance, but I wasn’t going for one either.

If I had to define his presence in a picture, it would be this.

“Greetings, kind one”
That’s new.

I requested the Angel to stay with me and aid me in the Evocation of Gremory. The Angel agreed, and I felt invigorated and courageous, and I knew I had Poliel on my side.

I definitely recommend calling Shemharphorash angels before the Goetic spirits. They will aid you greatly, even if it’s just for guidance. However, I do not reccomend that for full fledged deities in the Goetia, nor for High demons like Belial.
Especially not for the ones who are also pagan deities. Some may take offence. It depends on the daemon itself really. You will usually be guided.

For the lesser ones, you may have to call the angels just to get in touch. But then again, I tend to stay away from lesser demons and angels anyway.

Evoking the Duke

And now the real work begins.

I started with the Bornless Invocation. I don’t use the one given in the Mathers/Crowley Goetia. I use the OTA version, because it’s much shorter, but with the Egyptian names given by Crowley.

I’m sure the original works for many people, but in my opinion, Crowley and Mathers completely butchered the barbarous names and all it does it break my trance rather than create it. The later Egyptian version created by Crowley (and used by Regardie) works better, but is still needlessly long and pointless.

After repeating it thrice, I went on to the Conjuration itself, of which, once again, I have my own version, inspired by Poke Runyon’s, since I find the one in the Goetia far too long, drawn out and a bit too Abrahamic. I recited this thrice as well. At this time, I did not know about the demonic enns, or I’d probably use that instead.

All this while, I stared into the mirror, and I think at the end of the third time, the Spirit must have come, as it should, and I felt a light presence.

But I was not able to feel a full connection, so I kept chanting as the presence grew stronger, because I generally don’t welcome a Spirit until they have given a substantial and evident sign of manifestation. So, I kept chanting.

The Spirit grew impatient. As I chanted, I heard some guy outside, yell “oh my GOD!” and at that moment my candle, which I was holding, fell off the holder, face down onto the mat and went off, and I was left alone in the dark. Accident? Well, as Master Oogway would tell us, “there are no accidents”.

Anyway, so now I knew the Spirit had come. I lit the candle again, I turned up the Sigil, pulled off the cloth covering the Hexagram of Solomon, and gave my greeting to the spirit.

“Oh my god what is wrong with you. Here I’ve been trying to talk and yet you ignore me and continue to chant, you really need to be more mindful of your surroundings, even in trance, and have some faith in the spirits you call” (Yeah, definitely a female spirit. no offence)

She sounded pissed off at first, but then she calmed quickly and greeted me too. Since I was using a black mirror, I only saw her face. She certainly was a woman, and looked almost like a Princess and wore a crown, with long black, kind of unruly hair, and a eyeliner, which seemed to across her face, like a band. She looked like a warrior princess, if that makes any sense, with the hair and band with the crown.

She also felt and talked like that. She certainly had a royal presence, but at the same time also a rebellious, somewhat intimidating energy.

She regarded the Hexagram with a hint of disdain, saying it had been used to make her obey for centuries.

Update (2019): I use neither the Pentagram nor Hexagram given in the Goetia these days. Unknown to me, at the time my own Hindu upbringing would clash with the Abrahamic style rituals. Took me a while to fully understand this, and caused me, as I said at the start, to alter my rituals to make them more comfortable. I opted for the Hindu approach in the end, since it is ingrained into my subconscious anyway.

She is said to have the power of divination, and I asked her questions in this regard. She wanted me to get to the point, and also said she could pretty much do anything, but could not bend people against their will for prolonged periods of time (no Spirit can. They can only bring about a permanent change in your own psyche)

She also told me some fairly important things regarding desire and relationships, mostly personal, but here’s a little tit bit, for what people desire from a potential love interest.

“In this world, there are many things unintelligible, and you cannot understand them, so you must trust yourself. All people want is love, and in return, ask and they will give the same. You must be open, restless, loving and caring. No one demands much, a true partner wants love. Do no break their heart. People will test you, and you cannot give in. Each person will appreciate certain traits. Find that, and embody it. Cowardice will do no good. Be loving”

I then asked her about her history, and her “fall” from heaven (which is pretty much the mythos for all Goetia) to which she replied:

“I never actually fell. I have been worshiped under different forms for a long time. Nonetheless, my primary role for the past several centuries has been that of a daemon, and so that is who I am at the time”

I asked her if she could name a Goddess she had been worshiped as.

“People have seen me as a war goddess. Research, and you will find. I was, and am, a certain war goddess who rides a camel, and my colour is Red. She is close to you, but not very well known among the people. I have also been venerated by the Japanese as Rias Gremory, which is close to my Goetic form”.

If you don’t know, Rias Gremory is a demon from an anime. The anime is amusing at best and questionable at worst, but eh, what are you gonna do? The Japanese need their absurdism. The first season was ok, for a teenager. The rest was shit.

This isn’t from that anime, just a picture I found.

Closing and Post Ritual

I thanked her for coming, and then gave the License to depart 3 times, and her energy faded. I then gave the license to Poliel, and then ended and closed the ritual.

Of course, then I was excited to search for the Goddess she had told me about.

I merely typed into Google, “goddesses who ride camels”. After all, there aren’t many, nor are there that many polytheistic religions which have camel motifs. The result surprised me. I understood what Gremory meant when she said it was close to me.

The answer is Momai Maa. A Hindu goddess from the Indian state of Rajasthan. (FYI, where I live is a 6 hour drive from there). She’s not a well known goddess, but these days she is considered to be an aspect of the Hindu Goddess of War, Durga, who usually sits on a Lion, and is well known.

In fact, you might have heard of her even if you don’t live in India, as she’s a fairly prominent member of the Hindu pantheon. She was also pretty important in my family. Aleister Crowley’s depiction of the Thelemite goddess Babalon riding the Great Beast, is inspired by the image of Durga.

Many local Indian goddesses were identified as different forms of Durga when Hinduism spread across the subcontinent and brought more and more communities under it’s umbrella (which is better than erasing them, like the Abrahamists did i Europe and the Middle East). The deity itself is probably a much more ancient motif. Rajasthan is a desert state, so camels are an important symbol there.

Momai Maa is depicted holding a trident (called a Trishul), a sword, a lotus and a an instrument, and seated on a camel, wearing red clothing.

So Gremory was 100% correct. Momai Maa is a local, non Vedic goddess, so you won’t know of her unless you really look. If you’re ever doubtful about your magick, or want to confirm that the Spirit you’re talking to isn’t just a figment of your imagination, ask them questions like this without fear, things that you can check for validity immediately after. It really will strengthen your faith and confidence.

Anyway, that’s it for now. Sorry it was long, I’m currently trying to train myself to not ramble on and write shorter stuff.

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out my other stuff, and follow my blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

This is White Raven, signing off.

Cleansing and Banishing the Sacred Space

December 28, 2016June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged banishin ritual, banishing, christianity, clean your room, cleansing, healing, hexagram, holiness, holy water, lbrp, magic, magick, new age, Occult, paganism, pentagram, philosophy, prayer, protection, religion, spirit, spiritualityLeave a comment

Written December 28th, 2016 | Edited: 14th March 2019

This is a follow up to my previous post about the time I had trouble with an entity.

One of the few things that unite magicians, witches, shamans, tantrics and all manner of people within the Occult, is actually a simple routine that all of us share: namely, the act of cleansing and banishing, be it via ritual, smudging, sprinkling holy water, or all of it combined. This is an important routine, though it may seem small. The same way we brush and bathe daily, wash our clothes and clean our house from time to time, we must do so with our sacred space, not just physically, but also energetically. I’m a ceremonial magician, so naturally for me that means my ritual implements and temple room.

People in general, already clean their bodies physically, and many do so even mentally. As a practitioner of magick, I find this to be one of my very important practices.

There are plenty of ways to do it, depending on system and preference of the individual, and can be easily found online. I just thought that today i’d write my own method too, and some thoughts to go with it.

Why Must We Cleanse

Everything is essentially energy, from Matter to Spirits. Ancient philosophies have professed this for centuries, and new advancements in Quatntum Physics hint at a confirmation. Problem is, this energy needs to keep flowing. If allowed to assimilate, it tends to stagnate, and degenerate into harmful energy, “demons” or “shells” if you may.

When you let dirt or garbage accumulate, and it becomes a breeding ground for insects and rodents, which in turn causes disease. This is the physical manifestation of this principle, but it extends further too. This is why we clean ourselves daily, and routinely clean our homes, is it not? What would happen if you stopped brushing?

The same happens with thoughts and spirits. When people overthink their problems or try to focus on too many things, they becomes stressed, and too much stress can lead to burnout, illness or even death.

On the other hand, it is always said that everything invoked in a ritual should be banished at the end of it. If allowed to linger, it will be reduced to something bad, like fresh food, which must be eaten immediately. If you just let it sit on the table, it will become cold, soggy, eventually rot, and be reduced to mulch, at which point you probably shouldn’t put it in your mouth. And this brings me to an interesting point.
It’s not necessarily “evil”. Mulch isn’t “evil”.
But, it is no longer something human beings can eat. Even if it’s not something that’s intentionally causing harm, it’s still going to.

All three are linked of course, and you cant have one without the other. Dirty and disorganized surroundings means a mind in disarray and the existence of “demons”. You won’t see a Saint living among trash.

So, cleansing is vital. I’m sure you knew that already, since i’m essentially just repeating things everyone else says, but I thought it would add structure to this post ^_^

Physical Cleansing

Other than cleaning yourself and your house routinely, it is also important to keep your surroundings clean and organised.

When I was a teenager, like most teens I never really bothered doing so. My room would be cluttered, I’d have old junk and papers everywhere, and I was somewhat a hoarder. But this is the worst thing you can do. Don’t let things pile up. All of these habits were reflected in my magick and life.

All around the world, in every culture, there is some kind of routine cleaning of the house that takes place. In Europe and North America, this is seen in Spring cleaning, since Spring is usually seen as the first season of the year, and many Asian countries even celebrate New Year at this time. Here in India, we do it around the festival of Diwali, when people clean out their whole house, throw away lots of old junk, give away clothes for charity, as well as forget old grudges. You have to keep clearing out old things so new things can come in.

Personally, I do so around every 4 months. I throw out everything I don’t need, clean up the place, and organised things neatly. A good environment leads to good magick. Of course, things begin getting cluttered within a few weeks, but it’s easily managed.

As far as the Temple goes, it is obviously important to keep it free of anything foreign. Many people even have completely empty rooms for ritual work, while others have ornate Temples and they don’t let outsiders even enter.

I don’t have a Temple at the moment. I keep my ritual implements in a box, so that it does not get too dusty, and I try to keep the room I do rituals in relatively clean. Unlike your house or room, Ritual Spaces are a bit more fickle. If you’ve ever been to a Hindu temples, you’ll see that shoes are not allowed inside, and for this very reason.

Also, I generally take a ritual shower and wear fresh clothes before I do Rituals. This is something else found in Hinduism.

Most ceremonial magick grimoires also advise you to do so, and even anoint yourself with oils and perfume.

Just think of dirt to be a direct representation of stagnant energy, and cluttered areas to represent clogged and disorganized energies.

Mental Cleansing

There are many things that people do to achieve a clean mind, like meditate, do yoga, work out etc.

I ground myself everyday with the Middle Pillar, and then meditate afterwards, generally at the beginning of the day. I let all my thoughts and worries fade away. It helps me get clarity, and calmness, especially after hectic or stressful days. In other words, I refuse to carry thoughts from one day to the next or brood on them.

I actively pay attention to sad and depressing thoughts, and try to banish them as soon as they come. It’s not exactly easy, since I’m someone who used to get easily depressed. Before I became a magician, I used to spend a lot of time brooding, and getting pulled into depressive and neurotic thought patterns, which would then make me sad and demotivated, and I’d basically do nothing but sleep and surf the web. That’s how I spent a big chunk of high school. I had even stopped art for almost 5 years. And if I was like that in what is essentially the most carefree time of my life, I shudder to think what I would’ve been like in Senior Secondary, college, and the rest of my adult life.

Now, I’m vigilant. I reject depressive thoughts as soon as they arise. They keep appearing, tempting me to fall down a spiral of depravity, but I just kick them back into whatever hell they came from. Every now and then, of course, I do get sad or depressed (like any normal human beings), and then I shudder to imagine that once upon a time this used to be how I felt almost all the time. I remember the first time I did it. I was thinking about something, and I felt a wave of depression wash over me, and a familiar descent into dark ideas. Then I stopped myself, and simply said “i didn’t invite you to fuck with me. leave, now”, and I almost could physically feel my thoughts residing and me returning to normal.

Anxiety, dark thoughts, overthinking and worrying aren’t the only thing cluttering the mind. Nietzsche, a philosopher I greatly admire, believed that human beings are stopped from reaching their true potential because they allowed their mind to be cluttered by meaningless things, especially lust.

I can’t say about lust, but I try to keep my mind free from things which clutter it: anything that does not serve a purpose. I don’t dwell on things that are meaningless to me, or get easily agitated.

I can’t say I always manage all this perfectly. After all, I am still learning. But over time, I’ve become quite good at handling my moods, emotions and thoughts. I rarely ever get depressed these days, and for me that is a great achievement.

Failure to cleanse your mind can lead to the accumulation of stress, and then people begin to rely on various things to cope, like smoking, excessive drinking, or drug abuse. At the very least, it leads to depression, eating disorders. Excessive masturbation too, to make themselves happy.

Trust me, I know. I’ve seen so many people around me slowly and hopelessly go down that path, and if you don’t cope, then you just get more and more depressed like I was.

Besides, as you grow as a magician, any and every thought or emotion can manifest immediately. I’m not even kidding. So it is even more important for magicians to watch their mental state, because sometimes even entertaining certain dark thoughts can cause them to manifest. I’ve known people to die, because a magician got angry at them. And this will affect you much more than it will affect others, you being probably more sensitive to spiritual energies.

Spiritual Cleansing

As I said before, pretty important to clear your spiritual energies from time to time. I learned the hard way what happens when you don’t. For me, daily banishing rituals, and, as I mentioned before, grounding, handle this quite well. These days I also do daily yoga, to calm down and focus my Will.

Most modern magicians are not monks and sages, who have the luxury of living atop mountains, in caves and monasteries. I, for one, live in a densely populated city (among the most populous in the world, in fact), travel through big crowds and have interactions with many people. This is even more amplified with the existence of the Internet, when energy travels freely and rapidly all over the globe. In fact, it is the closest thing we have to a physical manifestation of the Human Collective Unconscious.

It’s good to clear my energies from time to time, though this varies from person to person. There are some people who absorb energies easily, and for them it is even more important to spiritually cleanse themselves. I am not one of those people, but I have known such people, who fall ill easily after going to crowded places or travelling a lot, since they basically act like sponges and take in everything that comes their way. Remember, every exchange, even every glance, is an exchange of energies. If someone looks at you and has bad thoughts, even that is a tiny exchange.

Then there is the issue of rituals. As a ceremonial magician, I banish before and after every ritual, as is often done within the Golden Dawn system. I don’t allow any unneeded energy to linger, and I think witches and such also do the same. This means not only preliminary banishing, but also banishing anything invoked or evoked during a ritual, be it a spirit, or a particular planet or element, and even guardians of the quarters, all released from the working, or in very rare cases even exorcised (if they’re actively trying to harm you. more on that here), by name.

Even with Gods and high Demons/Angels, even if you don’t give them the license to depart, you do formally close the ritual. Maybe you thank them.
Basically you return the heightened energies to normal (or at least, as normal as they are in your life). In fact, when magicians move out from a place, they often do an elaborate cleansing and formally close the Temple for good. If you just pack up and leave, those energies you left behind tend to stagnate. Personally, I think most haunted houses and structures are due to this. This is probably why it happens in places where someone died and never got their final rites, and so the energies of grief and sorrow, or pain and unfulfillment never actually got resolved.

Rituals I use to Cleanse and Banish

Smudging is the first thing. This is something witches, neo pagans, and even people of many religions do, including the pagan religions of the Africans and Native Americans, and any modern magickal traditions that stem from them, in order to clean a space.

Smudging is an old tradition. You’re basically cleansing with fire and air, the male elements. There are many herbs that people use. Common examples are sandalwood, white sage, and frankincense. I have all three, though normally I use frankincense. You can’t just send out the stagnant energy into the world and leave a Void, so generally I smudge with the intention to transform, not just banish. Send out the old and bring in the new, in other words, transmute the harmful into the useful.

Generally I use a censer and use my hand to spread the smoke around making sure to get it in every nook and cranny. I also keep the windows open, to allow everything to leave. I swear, after smudging a place, it literally looks like it’s glowing in a warm, clean light, as if someone applied a photo filter.

Just like cleansing with fire and air is smudging, cleansing with the feminine elements: water and earth is also done. I generally do this by sprinkling holy water around a place. This is done in Christianity and Hinduism too. Holy water is often made of water and salt (the salt is the Earth).

The origins, of course, are Greco Roman, where things were consecrated by sprinkling them with holy water using a branch of rosemary.

The next thing of course, is the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, which I use as my primary banishing ritual, since it pretty much covers everything. I do it daily, and before and after I do any ritual, no matter how big or small. I even do the LBRP before I begin smudging rituals, and do it at the very end, after the whole house is smudged.

I do the LBRP along with a daily Middle Pillar Ritual. The LBRP banishes all elemental energies, while the Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram banishes planetary energies.

Cleansing and Banishing usually go together, and essentially ensure that nothing harmful can ever linger around. No matter what I do, as long as I maintain these practices, things are fine. I should mention, of course, that I don’t fuss too much on the physical aspect of it.

Everything begins first with the mind after all, and I find that as long as I do daily LBRP and Grounding, and keep myself clean, it usually reflects onto everything else, be it my temple or my surroundings. My mind has a lot more powerful impact on my surroundings, than they have on my mind.

In reality, most commonly I will just do the Pentagram and Hexagram rituals, but I do some smudging from time to time too. I’ve basically stopped holy water at this point, because I find it’s not needed for me. But if you were to ever attend a full fledged group ritual, perhaps performed by some Occult order or Witch Coven, they’d be using all of these techniques together. Really, it’s like looking in a mirror. It’s better to wash yourself, than scrub the mirror in vain.

Anyway, i’ll stop rambling now. Good day to you ^_^
Be sure to follow the blog and you can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until next time, this is White raven signing off.

When an Evil Entity Invaded

December 28, 2016June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged banishing, curse, demon, entity, evil, exorcism, exrocise, gods, healing, kill, magick, new age, Occult, pagan, paganism, parasite, phantom, prayer, protection, religion, spirit, spirits, spirituality, transformation., zombie4 Comments

Written December 28th, 2016 | Edited: 14th March 2019

On this blog so far, I’ve written about various invocations and evocations in a pretty carefree manner. I’m not one of those magicians who likes to add a bunch of smoke and mirrors and make things seem crazy and otherworldly, or at least, more than they already are.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t encounter problems. Like the Ancient Egyptians, I don’t like to focus on or describe harmful or problematic incidents. I learn my lessons, and stop dwelling on them. Still, shit gets weird sometimes when you practice, and you just have to accept that. The pay off though, of self realization and empowerment is completely worth it.

There is a reason for writing about this specific incident. This is a two part post. I was about to write a post on space clearing. You know, the standard routine smudging and cleansing with holy water most of us do. I wanted to write about how I do it, but first, I decided to write about a little thing that happened to me where I used it to get rid off something very problematic.

It was a little reminder that even though it’s routine, it’s pretty important to do it. Anyways, without further ado, allow me to tell you a little story. This is very different from everything else on the blog, so sit tight.

Ok, so one fine week, suddenly, things started going wrong. As in, more so than things usually go wrong. It’s difficult to pin exactly when and why this happened, and if it was associated with any particular event.

I got a sore throat, and ended up missing two crucial college lectures. At the same time, my mood started swinging quite badly, even for me, and I was generally pissed off all the time.

When I say crucial, I mean really kind of pointless, but taught by a particular teacher who was the kind of person that is miserable inside and an asshole towards everyone. She’d made it so that if you missed a single lecture, you’d have no clue what was going on, and they wouldn’t help you whatsoever, and also be an asshole about it (don’t worry, I’ve forgiven them by now).

That’s how I initially perceived it. Looking back on it though, everything turned out okay, and I did quite well on that particular course. At the time though, it caused me quite a bit of stress, because the classes kept happening and I was falling behind and didn’t know what to do. Naturally, when your mood goes bad, everything in your life changes to match your mood. Things go wrong and awry, and don’t work out in your favour.

During this frustrating period, I ended up having a pretty big beef with someone I knew. I had to do something about it. Being young and naive, just waking up to my own magickal potential, I accidentally cast a curse, which is the only time in my life I’ve foolishly cast a curse of that nature. It was fueled by hate, and desperation, and I thought was the way to go. I suppose deep down I knew it was wrong, but desperation can be a hell of a force.

When people become a threat to you, there are very specific methods of shielding your self, or binding them. I’ve even written about one. You’re not really supposed to hurl a ball of hatred and anger at them, because it’s just going to harm you further.

When I did the ritual, I very specifically said I wanted a certain person to be taught a “lesson they wouldn’t forget” (and they did), but that was just my wording. However, the emotions I was feeling at the time were deeply resentful and angry, and my throat, still not healed, was just making me more furious, and all that energy was added to the spell. I think this curse might have increased the effects I would face in the coming week. Bear in mind that all the bad shit happened first, before I cast the curse. The curse itself was not responsible for what happened, but a byproduct of it.

In fact, before I cast it, I had an inkling, like a little voice in my head telling me that the person I was going to curse was a magician and I should stay away. The one thing to keep in mind when casting magick against someone is to think very carefully if they are themselves a magician or have one working for them, because that complicates things a lot more. Generally I listen to those gut feelings very carefully, because that’s the voice of the Higher Self, but for whatever reason, in my delirium I ignored it, thinking “no way a person so depraved could be a magician”.

Lol, how wrong I was. Who said depraved magicians who suck the energy of others don’t exist. I don’t know if they were one, because they did seem to learn their lesson, but I have a feeling they might have had shields and my curse might have backfired, but I cant know for sure.

Update (2019): I’ve met such people throughout my life. They’re barely human, sunk to the depths of hate and depravity. They’ll drag you down with them, do everything in their power to make the world a worse place. Once upon a time (such as when I cast this curse), I hated and feared their influence. Now however, I completely shut them off. Their spiritual energy is parasitic and ugly, and generally they’re not fully aware of what they’re doing. I do not give them even a foothold within my own space and mind, casting them out immediately. Maybe they deserve mercy, but not mine. They deserve neither my time nor energy. Let them seek help, and only then may someone spiritual seek to give them love and acceptance. But if they insist on being a burden to the world, I certainly want to have nothing to do with them. If they send parasitic entities after you, exorcise it without mercy. Return it to the Void, to the Womb of the Great Mother so that the energy may be transformed into something good.

Anyway, so couple of days later, in college, a different mentor drops the bomb on us, telling us about a pretty large assignment that needed to be done by Friday. It was already Tuesday afternoon, and if we wanted to submit by Friday afternoon, we had just 3 days.

I had stuff to do on Friday, so I wasn’t planning to come on that day. This meant I had to finish this mammoth task by Thursday afternoon. Now, we all know colleges like to give mammoth tasks and incredibly tight deadlines, and most of my classmates knew it wasn’t really serious. After all, no way could anyone finish it, at least completely. Most people would present about 30-75% on Friday and get an extension. It’s more of a token way of saying “look, i’m working sincerely”.

But not me, and this is further indication that the energies around me at the time were clogged and my mind was confused. I somehow came up with a really time consuming idea, and decided to do that for my assignment, and I was already short on time. Even my mentor said I wouldn’t be able to finish, but I stuck to it. For some reason, I had decided to be overly enthusiastic and ambitious with that one particular thing.

Pointless, of course. I worked almost every hour between Tuesday and Thursday, staying up both nights, but I kept running into problems. My measurements would turn out wrong, i’d run out of important supplies, certain pieces of stationary broke down or went missing, one night I split dirty paint water all over my floor by mistake, and little annoying things just kept happening.

Also, a little thing happened that I really should have paid attention to at the time. Someone in my home had this little dream. In it, they woke up in the middle of the night by the sense of urgency and panic, and saw, floating at the foot of my bed, a zombie. Well, not really a zombie, but the figure of a person, who looked lifeless, like a husk. It had vacant, glassy eyes and a dark mouth, and it had nothing below the torso, so it was hovering.

I should’ve paid more heed to it, because it was most likely a warning. I don’t really want to make this sound all paranormal and cheesy, but that was how it was. Any magician worth his salt would take note of this, but me, being busy as I was, ignored it.

I carried my nearly finished wreck of an assignment on Thursday morning to college, hoping to finish by afternoon, but, lo and behold, after my first class we were informed that my mentor was absent, and so class was cancelled.

That was music to everyone’s ears, but not mine. Why? Because it meant i’d have to come on Friday. So i’d stayed up like a moron trying to finish my work, only to realise I had more time. This extension helped though, because when I got home, I was beginning to realise things were way too problematic than they should be, and my throat wasn’t getting better for some reason.

And then came the icing on the cake. I needed to present a certain document for something very important, but this document could only be printed by a lawyer, and you’d need to go to a district court to get it done, and I had no time to do it, since it was already Thursday evening, and I needed it by the next day.

Once I got home, I calmed down, and did an invocation of Mars, to help me fight all these problems, and destroy these obstacles that kept needlessly popping up (including my prolonged coughing). After this invocation, I was gargling, and I spat out a hell of a lot of mucus, thanks to Mars purging my system, and felt a lot better. I was sure my throat was cured. Something worried me though, because even though I felt clear and refreshed, but the mucus I had spit out, was almost reddish in colour. It was red.

Anyway, after this invocation, I tried to arrange this document to be printed without having to go to Court. At least my cough was gone, right?

WRONG. Well, not entirely. Next morning, I woke up early and somehow finished my work to a meaningful level. I wanted to go to college early and submit and come home immediately.

It was here that I learned that my younger brother had suddenly got a cough, and here that I realised that something might be wrong. When I had banished my cough, why had it passed on to my brother? It should just go, not linger about.

Anyway, so I’m rushing off to college, and it takes me about an hour and a half to get there by train. JUST when i’m almost to the last station, I receive the most idiotic message ever. The totally-urgent-assignment-that-needs-to-be-given-asap-or-ya’ll-gonna-fail submission had been postponed. To Wednesday. Go figure. There’s something about being almost at college and realising you didn’t have to come at all, or stay up finishing a wreck of an assignment and you should’ve taken it easy. And of course, class was cancelled, again, so I just changed trains and headed home straight away. That legal document thing didn’t work out.

I was pretty stunned the whole return trip. I wasn’t used to this many things going wrong all at once, and this is when I realised that I had not done a cleansing or cleared my energies in a while, and that’s especially important for people who encounter lots of people everyday, or even travel with them, like in a public transport. I also started thinking about the entity.

I’ll be honest, I have no clue what was wrong at the time. Maybe it was my hateful curse, maybe I’d crossed someone, or something (though I can’t recall pissing any spirits off). It could just be a build up of chaotic energies, or maybe my agitation, or maybe something to do with planetary transits. After all, your reality is like a reflection of yourself. The mind gets agitated, and everything around it becomes agitated.

So, I calmed down, first off all. I came home, and I was conveniently alone, so I did a full fledged cleansing, which was overdue, both of myself, and of my home, which I will write about in the second part of this post.

I will mention one unusual, rather weird thing though. It’s the one thing that adds a somewhat magickal vibe to this otherwise mundane tale of college stress.

I started smudging in the living room, which has a balcony attached. When I cleanse, I usually open up all the windows, including my balcony door. However, even with the door open, there’s a screen door before it, which was closed AND latched.
So, after I’d smudged all around the house in a circle, I returned to the living room, and started waving the smoke around in the last un-smudged patch on the house, further towards the screen door, and at then suddenly, the screen door FLEW open, with a crash. I mean it was flung open, almost completely, and a gust of wind went out of the house. It was as if something has just been forced out through my incantations. I stood silent for a few minutes, then continued and finished.

I was stunned, but when I looked at the latch, it was still in the “closed” position, but it had come off the hook. At that moment, I fully comprehended what I had been dealing with. Something substantial enough to open a locked door and leave. I stood silent for a few minutes, then continued and finished.

Everything worked out well after that. My own agitation would be cured, though it would take a couple of days. That assignment I was worried about? We’d end up getting almost 2 months, and I did the whole thing again, properly from scratch, and things returned to normal.

So kids, what have we learned today? Cleansing is important. It’s like bathing and brushing. Click here for the next part.

Update (2019): So, as I mentioned before, this was a time when I did not understand the dangers of evil entities. Later on, I would realise that this was due to Delhi, the city where I studied, being infested with parasitic entities. The Muslims call it the “city of Djinn” for a reason. It is also a city with no patron Hindu deity.

These days, I use a talisman to protect myself. It works very well, and you can read about it here.

Another thing I want to mention is that I did run into the exact some entity in 2018. Handled it much better this time. I was rather tired after returning from Delhi, and when i was doing my daily rituals, I had the immediate sense that something was behind me, attached to my aura. I commanded it to come before me, and it was forced to detach and appear in front of me. It was a similar looking entity, but it looked more industrial, or mechanical. It had the same phantom like energy, and the lack of intelligence.

Now though, I was much better at magick. I instantly called on the energy of Mars, into Genburah, and from my right shoulder I drew out a ball of red energy. I fashioned it into a spear, and with it I impaled the parasite, with a calm and steady force. It was killed instantly. I then did the Sign of the Enterer to push it out of my aura, and the sign of silence. I traced the Equilateral cross and cast it into the Earth. I thanked Mars for his help, and asked the Great Mother to receive this energy for recycling.

The key is to be firm in your intent and resolve. Uninvited entities are not fucking welcome to come near you, or harm you. Let the Universe be very aware that you live on your own terms. Most non magicians don’t realise this. They are unable to make it clear that they aren’t to be messed with. Recall that scene from Lord of the Rings, where Gandalf tells Bilbo in a booming voice, “Do not mistake me for a conjurer of cheap tricks, Master Baggins..” as the air darkens behind him. Don’t get angry. Just be very, very firm.

So yes, that is how you deal with phantoms, parasites and zombies.

Be sure to follow the blog, and you can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

Until Next Time
~White Raven

Invocation of Archangel Raphael

November 23, 2016July 24, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged air, Angel, aquarius, Archangel, armadel, beings, ceremonial magick, christianity, entities, god, healing, invocation, islam, israfil, judaism, kabbalah, magic, magick, new age, Occult, pagan, paganism, philosophy, prayer, raphael, religion, ritual, satanism, spirits, spirituality, summoning, watcher, zodiac17 Comments

Written November 23rd, 2016 | Edited: 13th March 2019

Summary of my experience with Raphael.

Good guy Raphael, forcing war councils to be adjourned with sheer optimism.
(Scene is from Makai Ouji Devil’s and Realist, Ch 32)

What? Extremely irreverent to depict mighty Archangel of Air, Ruler of Hod/Tiphareth, and Divine Healer as a comical, flamboyant optimist, you say?

Well, it’s sort of true, at least for me, and clearly the person who wrote Makai Ouji.

I invoked Raphael recently. Looking back on this blog, I realised I only ever share posts about demons and darker angels. So I figured, why not share one about a more popular, light side Spirit, and one who holds incredible power and position. You know, to maintain the balance, as the blog’s name implies and not lean toward a single Pillar. So, give it up for Archangel Raphael!

This is an invocation done using the Grimoire of Armadel

This ended up insanely long, please bear with me

“Let me show you, what happened to Nagini”

The Name Raphael

Raphael is the name of the Archangel of Air. It is Hebrew, and translates as “God, who heals”, “Healing of God, or “God, The Healer”.

It originates in Babylon, where people spoke Akkadian, am ancient Semitic language from which Hebrew and Arabic come. Many angelic names come the 7 aspects/children of Ahura Mazda (God), known as the Immortal Ones, in Zoroastrianism.

In Hebrew it is spelled with the four letters Resh-Pe-Aleph-Lamed, R-Ph-A-L (רָפָאֵל), and it’s value is 200+800+1+30= 1031.

The common name we use, Raphael, is the Latinised spelling of this name.

The Arabic name for Raphael is Israfil ( إسرافيل‎), or Israfel, which means the “Burning One”, although in Hebrew lore, that title is generally given to Uriel. In Magick, this name is used in an Invocation of Thoth. All other times, we call him Raphael.

Abrahamic Mythology

Before we move to the Magick, a quick look at Raphael from the traditional point of view.

To the Jews, Raphael is the 3rd most important angel, placed immediately under Mikhael and Gabriel, and one of the seven Archangels of Heaven. He is also one of the four highest Archangels, associated with Healing, known to have cured several important figures of ailments, such as Tobit, whom he accompanied on his journey through the desert. He overcame the demon Asmodeus, saving Raguel’s daughter Sarah from him, and binding the leader of fallen angels Azazel. He is sometimes depicted as a Serpent.

In Judaic lore, he rules the order of Auphanim (which are in the Sephiroth Chokmah), he stands to the West of the Throne of God, and is associated with one of the four rivers in Eden, very simply put. Look, we have a lot to get through.

“Sir! Would you be interested in-“
“I’m sorry, I have to go. I’m totally busy. I have exams. I’ll miss my train. I’m sure you’re doing something cool though. Really!”

To the Christians, Raphael is very similar to the Judaic Raphael, since both religions have the same source texts. In Christianity, due to the lack of complex Judaic theological structures, he is almost exclusively associated with healing Tobit and defeating Asmodeus, and in the New Testament, thought to be the Angel who healed the people at the Pool of Bethesda.

He is venerated as a Saint by the Catholic Church, as well as the Orthodox, exalted in several Renaissance artworks, sculptures and literature, as well as revered by many Protestant sects and called the “Divine Physician”. He is also sometimes mentioned as the one who brought the Ancient Mysteries to Solomon, though at times it is also Mikhael.

In Islam, it is more difficult to draw parallels, since it has different theology, and since it is a strongly monotheistic religion, and does not clearly define any beings or spirits other than Allah (God) and Mohammed. To the Muslims, Raphael, known as Israfil, is one of the four Archangels who were sent to fetch dust from all corners of the Earth to build Adam, and who will herald the apocalypse with Trumpets, and is said to have tutored the Prophet. Said to have four wings and be a master of Music and Languages, he sings hymns and melodies for God.

Non Abrahamic Sources

Though these are older than the Abrahamic version, Archangels as we perceive them come from Abrahamic sources. That’s why I’m writing this second, and this is just for information. It’s mainly literary connections I can draw.

The Archangels originate from Zoroastrianism, as I said previously, meaning the equivalent of Raphael is the Amesha Spenta known as Haurvatat, meaning Perfection of Health.

Since he is like a snake, that would link him to the serpents of Mercury’s Caduceus. Remember, the Caduceus is also associated with healing, which is why the WHO emblem is derived from it. It originates from the story of Asclepius who was revered by the ancient Greeks as a God of Healing and whose cult involved the use of snakes. (The symbol itself is called something else, but it’s clearly derived from the Caduceus).

And, Mercury also ruled travelling, and Raphael traveled over a fair distance with Tobit.

As far as Egypt goes, he is associated with Aquarius, and the Holy Living One/Kerub known as The Man. While “The Man” is the higher symbol of Air associated with Aquarius, Raphael is associated Libra. This association means balance.

Within Magick and the Occult

Being an angel, Raphael is predominant within Ceremonial Magick, and being a cardinal angel and Watcher, he plays a variety of roles.

First and foremost, Raphael is one of the ruling Angels on the The Tree of Life. He rules the sphere of Hod (Glory) or Tiphareth (Beauty). In Hod is the Healing aspect, while in Tiphareth is the aspect associated with Beauty and the guiding light.

Hod is associated with Mercury, which Raphael rules, further strengthening the connection to Magick, and we’ve already established Raphael’s links to Mercury symbolism.

Raphael is also one of the four Archangels of the Quarters, ruling in the East, once again, becoming the first Angel that the Magician faces towards. Being in the East, he rules Air, which is also ruled by the Planet Mercury.

Raphael thus also rules the Zodiac Sign of Air, which is Aquarius, and so this also connects him to it’s ruling planet Uranus, a higher octave of Mercury. Seeing as it is currently the Age of Aquarius, or at least, we can say that the transition has begun, Raphael is the overseer of the current/coming astrological Age.

And here, you see the 4 kinds of ways in which human beings react to Magick.

As the ruler of Hod, his Qliphotic counterpart of the Archdemon Andramelech, whereas his cardinal counterpart is Amaymon, Demonic King of the East and Air.

Within the Egyptian Ceremonies, there are four Kerubs in each Cardinal direction. The lower counterpart, aka the elemental King associated with Raphael is Paralda, the King of Air.

What Raphael Represents

So, in essence, Raphael corresponds with the ability of our body and mind to heal itself regardless of damage, as well as the ability of the Earth to heal itself against the odds (the story of Tobit is full of odds against him. Think about how Beijing, being immensely polluted for decades, reverted back to having clear air and blue skies with cars being banned for just 2 weeks). Healing leads to Beauty. Mercury to Sun.

Along with that, Raphael represents the conscious mind, our thoughts, decisions, reason and logic, and what we project onto the world, and the progress of Science, which in turn, lends to the progress of Medicine, which are among the few key things that lead humanity into the Age of Aquarius, but also the Ego contained in it, which is why he is connected to Serpents. The Ego is greatly strengthened when we place the Conscious mind over the subconscious.

“Sir, are you sure it’s suppossed to be pee coloured”
“Shut up Jane. This is going to be The Future. Once we decide if it’s profitable”

UPDATE (2019): I keep talking about the association of Raphael with Hod and Mercury. In Yetzirah, Raphael rules Hod, and this is the healing aspect. In Briah, Raphael rules Tiphareth, and the Sun. This is his other aspect, associated with Beauty. In each case, Mikhael rules the other planet. So in Briah, Mikhael rules Hod, while in Yetzirah, Mikhael rules Tiphareth. For this reason, the two angels overlap a lot. While their enegy and presence is very different, they share a lot of sphere of influence. For example, Raphael heals, while Mikhael cleanses. Raphael rules beauty, while Mikhael is the beautiful face of God. Raphael rules science and medicine, while Mikhael rules the rational mind and critical thinking. I often struggled with trying to understand why Raphael was so often places on Sun and Mikhael on Merury, even though it should be vice versa. I now know that this is because of the differences between the Tree of Life in Yetzirah and Briah.

Of course, then one might say Mikhael is also the ruler of Fire. The thing to remember, that took me so long so fully accept, is that the Tree of Life and all the myth and correspondences, are simply systems of classification and metaphors for profound things that are beyond full comprehension. These are not the literal or even the highest Truth. So your subjective interpretation may be more useful to you than mine. Even here, I am simply giving the definitions used by the Golden Dawn, and the mythologies and narratives used by different cultures, and the reasoning given by historians, for the sake of reference. My own perspective deviates significantly at times. This is all just a basis for you to build Knowledge upon.

Associations

Name: Raphael
Sphere: Hod/Tiphareth
Planet: Mercury/Sun
Sign: Libra, Gemini, Aquarius
Element: Air
Direction: East
Colours: Yellow and Purple (Air), Orange (Hod), Green (Healer)
Incense: Lavender (Hod), Sandalwood (Air)
Metal: Mercury/Gold

Armadel

As always, I used the Seal of Raphael, given in the Armadel

I found something interesting though: usually, the Armadel has two sets of sigls for the Archangels, first the characters and then a circular seal. Minor angels have characters and no seals, but most major Angels who have seals almost always have characters. For whatever reason, Raphael has only a single seal.

The paragraph on Raphael also has a very lacking description as well, mentioning just the story of Tobit. I only took the Seal from the Armadel, but it’s not a Book I’d use for this particular Spirit’s invocation. There is another popular Seal of his given in the Faust Magicka. There is also a set of characters given in Poke Runyon’s Book of Solomon’s Magick

As for the seal itself, O Theos is Greek for ‘O, God’ and Agios means ‘Sacred/Saint’, then there’s Raphael and Adonay, a Hebrew Godname. The two “X” shapes are the first Hebrew letter Aleph.

Prep Work

So, it just happens so that in my daily life I need to go into and pass through the most polluted city on this planet. (You can hear more complaining, along with how I purged a parasitic spirit here, and how I eventually made a talisman to protect one from pollution here)

For a few weeks, I’d been having cold like symptoms, after there was a sudden spike in the smog levels. Initially I believed it was a flu, but it stayed for far too long without causing any fever or headaches. Eventually, I decided that it must be the pollution causing the sneezing and runny nose.

Often I’d wake up completely fine, but upon entering the city, the symptoms would come back. It must have been tiny particles of pollutants constantly entering through my nose and my body attempting to get rid of them.

There wasn’t a lot I could do, and eventually it just grew worse. I’d been meaning to invoke Raphael for a while, and so I decided to call on him for guidance and healing.

I did this invocation on the Day (Wednesday) and in the Hour of Mercury. You can read about astrological timing here. I don’t get Lavender where I live, so I used Sandalwood, for Air.

On the altar I placed a Yellow Candle for the East and Air, at the center, and a white feather, a dagger, along with the incense and the Seal. I also had a small bit of mercury on there. All you really need is a Yellow/Green/Orange candle, the seal, and incense. You may put an offering if you want, and that’s good. Stones associated with the Angel are optional.

Like in the Samael ritual, I listened to Binaural beats of the Mercury frequency to get into the corresponding trance. I don’t use it these days because I can get into trance easily, but if you’re new to meditation then it’s very helpful.

Invocation

I did my initial banishing, castings, consecrations, proclamations and all that stuff that we magicians like to waste 10 minutes on, and sat down. Before starting, I traced the invoking Pentagram of Air, visualizing it out of bright yellow light in the East. How you start rituals is totally up to you.

UPDATE (2019): To Invoke Air, trance an Invoking Pentagram of Air in bright yellow, and trace the Purple symbol of Aquarius inside it.
As you trace the Pentagram, Vibrate the godname SHADDAI EL CHAI. As you trace the zodiac symbol, vibrate YHVH.

And the end of the ritual, remember to banish Air by tracing the banishing pentagram of Air and zodiac symbol again, vibrating the same godnames. Do this in the East.

I decided to mimic my Samael ritual, chanting a hymn from my heart, saying whatever came to mind. You can also prepare any chants or invocations that appeal to you.

I started slipping into a trance, and I don’t always write down the hymns, so I don’t remember it well. It involved calling on Raphael, first describing and visualizing his form and symbols, then using his many titles and achievements and mythos, moving to a more emotional plea, and a kind of devotional “surrender”, and then chanting his name repeatedly. In the end, I was left vibrating his name, swaying back and forth staring at his sigil.

It took me a long time to reach the climax, because my attention kept wavering, and so I kept breaking my trance and having to go back into it. Once I start a ritual, I like to see it through, so I kept going. I was not about to stop now.

It grew very hot eventually, after lots of chanting, and my body went into deep relaxation. Invoking Light Spirits is very different from Dark Spirits. Beings of Light lack concreteness, and come as very abstract energies, feelings and thoughts. Unlike my experiences with Darker angels like Samael, there’s no “peak” of awareness where your, instead, you drown into a deep trance and at the climax of the ritual, you feel extremely exalted. With darker beings it is more like an Awakening. With being of light it is more like Empowerment.

The deep relaxation almost made me want to lie back, and fall asleep, but I willed myself to go on. And then Raphael came.

Usually, there is some kind of appearance, like a reflection, or a thought, an image, or just the smoke or darkness appearing like a person, but with Raphael, it was just pure and strong emotional force. I had somehow managed to invoke the force, without the form.

I asked, or rather, almost prayed for the form, and continued to chant, although I could already make out “I am here. I am here.” in my head, but I chanted. Why? Maybe it was the 4 am delirium, or stubbornness. Not the the best thing in a magician.

Appearance

Regardless, finally Raphael appeared in the flames. And he was beautiful, and androgynous. He had long, yet kind of masculine black hair, but a very beautiful, bright and androgynous face, and a slender frame. He was wearing a white shirt, like the kind they used to wear in the 18th century, which was yellowish white. and had a dark purple kilt like thing at the waist. That was it. Strangely, no wings, dramatic symbols, abstract visions, except when I closed my eyes and there were many balls of light.

Interaction

I began by greeting him and thanking him for coming. He said he always answered whenever he was called upon, by anyone.

I asked him about my illness, and asked for help with healing. His reply was along the lines of “do not worry, it will be done by the time you awaken. Health is easy to achieve, but you must help me too”

I asked him what that meant, and he said “stop putting junk in your mouth”, and I was hit with a bunch of images going through my head, of all the bad food I had eaten, mostly of me eating hot chocolate powder directly out of the jar.

“Do you think you can consume things like that and be okay?”
“Bu-“
“The human body is easily affected. Your immunity is lowered by consuming poisons. If you want to no longer be affected by the pollution, you must do everything to strengthen the body.”
“But I eat good food. I’m vegetarian”
“Such things are merely tokens, if you continue to counter it by eating junk directly from it’s packaging incessantly to fill your stomach. And with that, you must refuse to acknowledge any weakness. Practice discipline.”

So, then I promised to be more careful, and closed the ritual. At first I wondered if I needed to give Raphael the License to Depart, since he is literally invoked with every LBRP.

“I am always here.”

Update (2019): Lilith would tell me years later that most of the time the “License to Depart” is useless for higher and powerful beings. It is only used for lesser spirits that you have bound by a ritual, which happens usually during planetary working. Often, most deities and angels, and even higher demons, do not need one. Least of all, the Watchers. It is better to say “I release all spirits bound by this ritual. I thank thee, and bid thee farewell.” Often for important beings, like Lilith herself, or major angels and gods, address them directly and thank them as well. This also applies to any spirit you have called on by name, or for whom the ritual was designed.
For lesser spirits, she suggested adding “return now to your homes and habitations. Leave, without causing harm or mischief, to man or beast, and the let the peace of God be between you and me. Amen. Good bye.”

Post Invocation

The next morning, my runny nose was nearly gone, and would disappear over time. It came back every now and then when I traveled by train, but I would will it away, refusing to indulge it by sneezing or wiping my nose, much like you ignore annoying people. Eventually, I’d make a talisman to protect me.

I also began to watch my diet, as in I stopped eating the hot chocolate. Not an issue really, because I had finished the jar right before the invocation. But nonetheless, tried to eat as much real food as possible, and not snack a lot. Even if I snacked, it would be a sandwich or some lemonade, instead of chips, biscuits and other things.

I’d been in the process of stopping the routine of soda and softdrinks. I ended up buying a can one day, but immediately the thought came to me that it was bad for me. And yeah, once you start leaving this stuff, it tastes less and less satisfying over time. You actually begin to notice the drowsy, sickening and demotivated feeling you get after eating them.

Update (2019): Over the years I’ve eliminated almost all the shit from my diet. I’ve also gotten rid of things that do not suit me. It is different for each individual. I do still eat chocolates though. But the Aztecs used it for magick, so it can’t be all that bad, eh?

I also stopped the rare consumption of Red Bull, because if anything is poison, it’s that. A few day ago, I saw a video titled “If Energy Drink companies were honest with us”, and yeah, that sealed my decision.

At first, my body craved the sugar rush, but I decided to not give in, and it went away.

Of course, I still eat peanut butter out of the jar. But somehow, seems like peanut butter is good. Once again, I didn’t stop completely. I’m not the guy who cringes if someone offers me some Coke. But, I don’t crave it.

Conclusion

So yeah, that is my experience with Raphael. I expected as much. Angels and Archangels are supposed to help you make big changes with your life, and this was helpful. Anyway, this is White Raven signing off. If you liked this, leave a like, and comment your thoughts.

EDIT 2020: As of July 2020, I’ve written a new book on the Tree of Life and Kabbalistic theory. I’m quite proud of it, and you can check it by going to the Books tab, or clicking right here.

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Until next time
~White Raven