Workings with Lilith

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.

vhavxy3

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).

sleepparalysisthumbnailProbably 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.

british_museum_queen_of_the_nightThis 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.

goddess-kali-ql29_lThis 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.

481px-cornelis_cornelisz-_van_haarlem_-_the_fall_of_man_-_wga05250A 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.

tumblr_nvnyxnuish1rv2dfko1_1280Faust 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.

436(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.

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

78a1854d18cc19b1b3e7ef1134d25fff39931165_hqLilith 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:

lil-2

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. 

lilith_and_the_seven_deadly_sins_by_naeloj-da9k7deCredits- 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).

6f88a9d5a88d5874a0e7cbeb0485496a

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)

3c433caef93ea74c7673b1c0f3d1b94bSeriously 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

Invoking Gabriel for Emotional Insight

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-annunciation-the-angel-gabriel


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

the_white_angel_gabriel_serbiaIn 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.

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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.

rathyatra-1-editLook 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.

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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.

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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

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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.

water_angelArtist: SpecialSpaz/Deviantart

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.

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.

garden-of-edenThis 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.

6088_shaolin-640-1The 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.

emotional-balance

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

Invocation of Archangel Raphael

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

raphael1raphael2raphael3raphael4Summary of my experience with Raphael.

raphael5Good 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

8535ab32e6275aa20c5581ed0e53eaa2“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.

giovanni_biliverti_-_the_archangel_raphael_refusing_tobiass_gift_-_wga2195“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.

saint_raphael

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.

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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.

V0024875 Astronomy: Saturn with his scythe, riding in his chariot. En

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.

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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.

b53ac5c3610cd5174e85057cca38d235And 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.

kerub-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.

raphael-the-archangel-08

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.

02032012_jobs_medical_science_slideshow“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.

tf627

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.

Follow my blog for more content. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

 Until next time
~White Raven

Tetahatia: Armadel Invocation

Written August 17th, 2016 | Edited: 8th March 2019

The Grimoire Of Armadel contains a comprehensive method of invoking several Angelic as well as demonic spirits, and contains a list of several such entities, along with their characters, seals and specialisation. It was this method that I had used for my invocation of Archangel Samael. Perhaps the most striking part of the book is that it gives a style on Invoking Angels with seals and conjurations. Often, magickal grimoires exclusively contain demonic material. Angels are usually invoked through overtly Abrahamic prayers, and not for any specific purposes. This has changed in modern times, but we are referring to a different period.

I recently decided to use the Armadel again, this time invoking a more obscure spirit known as Tetahatia. This spirit had held my interest ever since I first laid eyes upon the Grimoire. He has a rather unexpected nature as far as Angels are concerned.

However what I learnt from him was very different from what I expected, and today I’m going to share my experience, and also my interactions with him.

Side Note: Tetahatia falls into that category of spirits who do not have any mythology or lore attached to them. Unlike the Archangels, Demon Kings, Olympian Gods etc. many of these minor beings did not play a big role in religion, and thus did not make it into folk lore or pop culture. That also means very little art, hymns, associations or anything else. Most of these spirits are found exclusively within the occult grimoires.

Most of the Angels in the Armadel are in other sources, so it’s easy to find material on them, as people often work with them. But for Angels mentioned only in the Armadel, and not in other places, it can be tricky. The Armadel does not mention ranks or orders of spirits, so you cannot use general associations based on Planets or the Tree of Life.

I was not able to find any reference to Tetahatia in any occult books I own, though I may stumble upon it some day. He is also not mentioned in the Shemhamphorasch, or in any other Grimoire. A google search will simply yield links to the Armadel, and to occasional questions about Tetahatia from curious people like myself. So I went into this invocation without much to go on, except what’s in the Armadel itself.


About the Angel

The Armadel says the Tetahatia is the Angel of Science and Virtue, and protected our forefathers from their enemies, and will do the same for those who call on him. Though it might be made to sound as if it’s referring to Christians of the past protected from pagans, to me “forefathers” seems to mean Magi of the past, protected from those who would seek to slander and persecute them, or hinder the Great Work.

This is mentioned under the Title “Cave of Ephron”, which refers to the ‘Cave of the Patriarchs’ in Israel, which is, like all things Israeli, sacred to the Jews, Christians and Muslims, although mostly to the Jews, and is said to be the resting place of important Abrahamic figures, including Abraham himself.
Ephron is the fellow Abraham purchased the site from. It is said that Angels protected the place from outsiders, and that seems to be the only relation to Angels of Protection like Tetahatia.

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Coming back to the Armadel, it goes on to give a sigil for Tetahatia, and says that with it one can learn how a “blinding darkness may be produced, or a thing terrible unto one’s enemies, also how a blessing may fail hereon”.

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So, as you can tell, Tetahatia is an Angel of Defensive magick, as well as Knowledge of Sciences and Virtues.
You can also see why many people would be attracted to him. After all, everyone wants to get back at their enemies, get revenge and other such meaningless things (revenge can be healthy, but in today’s society it is a debilitating obsession to most, and a path into depravity). He also seems to perform a function not commonly found among Angels, but in Demons. Even Angels of War, such as Samael, have been demonised and discredited by religion. It was strange to find an Angel that will teach you to harm your enemies.

Then again, I guess Jews, Muslims and Christians have spent most of their history wanting to kill everyone. And hey, no offence if you’re either, but let’s be honest, the Crusades didn’t fight themselves, and it ain’t Buddhists who run all the evil international banks 😀

(Seriously, I’m joking. Please don’t get me put on some list!)


Prep Work

Seeing the nature of the Spirit, I decided to use a red candle on my altar. Instead of making some incense, I used an incense blend I recently bought, containing frankincense, laban and a bunch of other things. 

Other than my red candle and incense, I only put a few more standard items on my altar, like some stones, and nothing else. One special item I put was a steel dagger, again, given the nature of the Spirit. I did the ritual on Wednesday, in the Hour of Mercury, at Night.

Due to the lack of mythology for the spirit, I decided that I would need my own incantation, so I created one in Latin. This is what I came up with:

tetahatia venit angelus virtutis

I then applied my anointing oil and entered the circle.


The Invocation

It was a pretty standard invocation. After casting my circle, doing the preliminary banishing and saying some declarations, which I always do, I sat down to meditate with my mind fixed on the flame, and began to chant, and in a little while slipped into a trance.

I did not chant for a specific number of times or anything, since I don’t know of any number associations for this spirit, I just kept chanting.

Soon, my eyes dimmed, and my heart began to race, but it still beat softly, in an almost subdued fashion. Eventually, I felt very hot, and the candle began to glow brighter and formed an aura, and I knew the spirit would appear soon.

Suddenly, the flame grew very large, and I began to see a figure inside. Tetahatia was here. I then greeted the spirit, and we began to talk.


Appearance

I saw multiple appearances of Tetahatia. In the flames he appeared as a feminine man, with curly hair that seemed would be brown down to his shoulders, wearing a sleeveless clothing that looked extremely Greek, but not what a man would wear, but what a woman or child would wear in Athens. Superimposed on him, the candle’s glow made his wings, but his wings were shaped like curved cross-guard of a sword, as if a giant sword was part of his body.

My eyes closed and I saw a more vivid, yet unclear image, which probably conveyed more about the spirit than a simple illusion in a candle flame. It was a vast, blackish space, and there was a feeling of huge gaping emptiness in all direction. In this space, floated the vague figure of a man with his arms stretched out. His wings were still a cross guard, but something like a sword’s blade also appeared to stretch out from underneath him. It seemed there was some light in the area, like orbs  going around the place, as if held by the figure’s gravity, and pointing towards him like comets. At some point, I saw just a sword and no man.

Make of that what you will.


Interactions

I first asked him what he was supposed to be, to which he replied that he was an Angel, of the Order of the Seraphim.

seraphim1

He told me he was indeed an Angel of Science, Virtue and Protection, but also dealt with espionage, subversive activities, and hindering those who attack you.

“I am both with and without Light”

I then asked him how we should produce a “blinding darkness” for our enemies. His answer was quite befitting an Angel, not at all what I expected, but neither was I disappointed. I’ll mention some of it here.

Enemies may be blinded by their ignorance. No spell can blind a person more than his own ego, ignorance and fear (these are essentially the things a magician strives to subdue). He also said that a large number of people today were blinded to a degree by these very things. They are reactive, polarised, and cling to their fear, arrogance, pride, anger and hatred, and nourish them. These things can be used to blind them, and keep them from harming you.

blinded_by_pride_by_prettty_lush

It makes sense actually. We are conditioned from childhood to have large, dysfunctional egos. This ego is what blinds us from seeing the truth about anything, since people are far too polarised to look at anything objectively. It also binds us from living the life we want. In case of Magicians, the danger of having an overblown Ego is even greater!

He told me that instead of using spells or wishing ill on others, I should use their own ego to stop them from causing me harm. You don’t so much produce a blinding darkness to harm others, but simply send them away from you by turning their face towards their own darkness, and using it. He said it was something to use on those stopping you from doing your own Will, not on the innocent, for then you yourself will have darkness within you which will blind you. He also listed various methods of doing this, some “ethical”, some not.

I asked him though, if he was an Angel, shouldn’t he love all of humanity?

“I am an Angel, and capable of such love for humanity, but you are not the same right now”

He said there was a balance to be maintained. Those who are following their Path, have the right to protect themselves from the deviated ones who get in their way, otherwise all who are true will be pulled back down.

He said that the way of escaping this darkness is to focus on one’s true Will. In other words, this darkness can only blind he who has succumbed to his ego and does not do his Will, and instead interferes with others.

“Never lose sight of the Will!”

UPDATE (2019): I understand now what he meant. At the time, I was far more naive, and much more easily angered. That is why he said “you are not the same right now“. He was not referring to the human condition, but my condition at the time. He was also right, that following your true path will slowly subdue the Ego. When he spoke of causing a blinding darkness, he meant that people who are blinded by their ego are easily manipulated. When you clash with such people, the natural instinct is to fight. But that’s wrong. The correct response is to be diplomatic, to raise yourself above them. Often, that fills them with even more rage and anger, because they cannot imagine not being taken seriously, and their mind is muddled. When you think with a calm, clear head at all times, you can see the true intention of people. You can see when they want to subvert you, or harm you. Often, humouring them while keeping them at arm’s length is the best strategy. When you aren’t infatuated with your Ego, you can tell people what they want to hear. This feeds their arrogance, but does not bother you.

All in all, the calm, collected and focused person can very easily manipulate those think highly of themselves (and that’s the majority of the human population). The more you deal with situations calmly and objectively, the clearer it will become how this is done. It is not wise to use it on the innocent, as that is what a psychopath is. But it is good to hone this tool, and a great passive defense against harm. It is the power of not reacting strongly. He who reacts, is “blinded by darkness”.


Conclusion

I think I pretty much understand everything the Spirit said. It’s actually some pretty standard and generic stuff in Magick, but with a new perspective. It’s not quite what people would expect after reading the Armadel, but it is true.

People end up destroying themselves in the most spectacular fashion due to their own Darkness. No person can harm another, as much as he can harm himself. I feel like this darkness within is often taken lightly, and can be a great tool to hinder enemies without dragging ourselves down to their level. After all, one does not need to use hatred and anger or even produce negativity, but “let people’s own darkness blind and smother them” (Tetahatia used those exact words). Those who can rise out of it will do so themselves).

I am not saying this is something that should be done, but it’s important to know what we can, and can’t do, before we decide if we should. If a drunken man keeps flashing a light in your eyes, you are justified to hold up a mirror and blind him, rather than pick a fight. After all, he simply needs to turn off the light if he wants to see again. 


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Until Next Time
~White Raven

Why Your Magick Seems to be Failing

Written August 17th, 2016 | Edited: 8th March 2019

Magick, like all other fields pursued by humanity, requires dedication, practice, study and commitment. That is why dabblers usually end up quitting before they actually find anything. We’re all familiar with the former “occultists” who tried out the occult for something very simple like money or love, didn’t actually bother learning anything, and eventually quit because it didn’t work, either because they didn’t put any effort into it, or they did put effort into it but didn’t know what they were doing and screwed themselves. Then there’s the average atheist who did a ritual once, just so he could boast about how it did not work and shut out spirituality entirely.

But why then, does magick sometimes not work, especially when we’re new? The thing to remember is: Magick always works. It may not seem to work, but it always causes some kind of change in you or your surroundings. So perhaps the real question is, why does magick sometimes not work the way you want it too. Just by thinking, praying or even focusing your intent on something, you do magick. You use your intent to move your hand, and your brain sends electrical signals to the muscles of the hand to move according to your Will. This is magick, and everything is really just an extension of this principle, from casting a spell for money to Invoking the Gods of the Zodiac.

There’s plenty of little factors which determine the degree to which your magick will work. I think everyone knows that. However, people get confused and target the wrong factors; superficial things like the appearance of your tools, your circle, the time at which the magick was done, the incantations spoken etc. Sure these things affect, and greatly aid your magick, but they’re just extensions. The key to magick lies, not in the external, but in the internal: on your physical, mental and emotional states.

Now, i’m not going to go on a lecture regarding how magick works, but i’m going to give you a little list of things that may not be obvious, especially to a newcomer. Someone really ought to do so, so i’m doing it. Bear in mind though, that you will grow and become more capable with experience. I myself have a lot to learn.

However, mentioned here are things I wish someone would have told me when I first started out, so I would not have blamed lack of ritual tools and such when my Magick didn’t quite work out. That’s all for dabblers who feel there is only one way of doing magick,  while the real mistakes are often subtle and simple. Guess what, it doesn’t actually matter if you levOsa or levioSA.

harrypotter4


You Masturbate Too Much

Though this isn’t the biggest, or even the most important, i’m going to put this on number one, and make it a bit long, since it is this very topic that made me write this article. Because this is apparently a really important factor that for some reason no one wants to mention.

All the grimoires say things such as “you shouldn’t be defiled by a woman” before a ritual, whereas religion says to be celibate. Modern adepts say don’t be celibate but abstain, and science says sexual repression is unhealthy. Som traditions say sexuality is the literal key to magick, while others act like ejaculation is the greatest and most evil sin the magician can commit. The internet is full of polarised opinions about sex and masturbation, and they usually don’t focus on the magickal aspect. The ones that do, usually talk about sexual rites, not spirituality in genera;. I can talk about it, from personal experience, instead of tiptoeing around something that forms one of the central pillars of the human being.

So, first off, we know most religions condemn masturbation. No, this is not just false superstition, and like all religious tenets, it’s based on some reality. On the other hand, Science has shown us that sexual repression is unhealthy and leads to problems. Then there’s this thing called the NoFap community on the internet, which is basically a community of people who stopped masturbation, usually those who had become too addicted to it, and talk about the positive experiences they have had (keep in mind, they aren’t celibate). They’ve even got some broscience to back it up. I don’t know about it’s validity, but I do understand the spiritual side of things. And then you have guys like Crowley, who it feels didn’t do sex for magick, but rather did magick for sex (jk).

There’s a good discussion that could be had regarding the Sacral Chakra, Yesod and Gamaliel, but put simply, your body contains a reserve of creative force, and the crucible for this is Sephiroth of Yesod, or the Sacral Chakra. This energy is physically represented by the sexual fluids, just as the life force is represented by blood. This creative force is what is used to push you onto Tipareth and Kether, above Yesod, or manifest things on Malkuth, below Yesod. It is the raw energy reserve that is used for magick, like fuel. It is also used whenever you do things in daily life, and urges you to be creative and accomplish things.

Making sense yet? Naturally, this energy is constant and does not deplete, except in the most extreme circumstance, which is during sex, when humans perform their highest act of manifestation, that is creation of life. So when you masturbate, you’re wasting this energy on nothing more than pleasure, and giving it away. Why do you think they say “sex sells” and constantly surround us with sexual stimuli? Because they want people to continue wasting all their creative energy and being creatively exhausted. We wonder why so many people are unfulfilled in today’s world, and it is because today’s world glorifies sex and masturbation, and makes you think it is the path to success (Wolf of Wall Street). Yes, it relieves stress (so does meditation), but you need to work first to accumulate stress.  

masturbate-advice-duck-yeah-science-bitchThings like this abound the internet. Though healthy, they make it seem like doing it a lot is good. Disagreeing get’s you branded a religious lunatic or a toxic male. I should make it clear, i’m NOT saying it is a bad or immoral thing or saying it makes you a “loser”. I’m not that stupid. A magician should also learn abstinence, even though it is considered taboo these days, much like masturbation was in the old days. 

So, put simply, stop masturbating often. I’m not saying practice celibacy (just as bad), but abstinence. Today people have become slaves to lust. Learn to control that. Advanced magicians say it like it’s very easy, but they’re middle aged and don’t feel it so strongly. They already have a degree of sexual control. I know first hand how difficult it is, especially at early adulthood, to let go of it, but work towards it. Once you learn to control your lust, you’ll gain an incredible amount of control over your life. And you’ll suddenly realise just how powerful magick is. It will also benefit you in life, you’ll be stronger and motivated. That does not mean kill your sexual passions, or repress them. That will lead you down a much, much worse path into hell (it is no unknown fact that celibate priests turn into pedophiles. To stop this, some monks become eunuchs, but that is extreme asceticism)

One thing that confused me at first was the concept of sex magick. After all, if masturbation could be used for manifestation, it can’t be bad right. I’ll say this: in a ritual setting, none of the above matter. I don’t know why, but in a ritual masturbation is an effective tool.

I can’t say exactly how to go about it, for it is different for each. But remember this, every time you spill this energy, it takes time to replenish. Know thyself. It is up to you what you want to do about it. Don’t go into the circle spent, unless the ritual demands it.

Trust me, eventually lust will become just another feeling you can choose to feel when you want. It shall no longer rule you. 

UPDATE (2019): I’d like to add a bit to this, since I’ve learned some new things over the past few years. Sexuality is one of the hardest things that a magician has to deal with. First off, the context does matter. Masturbating to pornography will leech your energy like hell. That is something most people can agree on, stop masturbating to porn. Casual sex is fairly tricky too. I’d be careful with getting too promiscuous.

The release of sexual energy is a potent tool for magick, so never waste it. Ideally, when you release, the aim is to let the energy nourish your own energy body, or to direct it at magick, or at your partner (who will direct theirs at you). Masturbating to porn releases the energy into other sources, usually perverted fantasies, or at things other people want you to focus on (why do you think all the porn companies will put their logo on the corner of the screen. It acts like a sigil that you direct your energy at, which then helps them get richer).

Another thing is that it is different for men and women. I’m not going into how or why, but men loose a lot more from orgasm than women, and are capable of doing it a lot less to. So, it is more important for the male magician to control his lust. Men also more easily fall victim to it.

There’s a difference between lust and free sexual expression. Use your own intuition to know that. Usually, you’ll know innately what is right and wrong.

Yet another thing is that abstinence is not the same as repression. What we want to do is control and tame our own sexuality, not clamp down on it. This leads to a stagnation of sexual energy, and a break in connection with spiritual forces. It leads to that sexuality emerging as a negative force, and tormenting you since you refuse to face it.

Finally, know that total abstinence leads to an “ungrounding” of the magician. Usually, you need SOME rajasic energy to remain interested in the world, or you very quickly drift away and become monastic. That’s good if you want to be a monk, but not so good otherwise. Most people who abstain totally, either become monastic or make up for it with other practices, like eating meat. If you are vegetarian like me, you will have to engage in some degree of sexuality. Besides, most magicians usually do not want to become monks. Another thing I have noticed is that for artistic or creative people, total abstinence leads to a decline in creative insight and ability. There’s a reason most creative people are also sexually eccentric. There’s a connection somehow, since Netszach, the Sephiroth of pleasure, is also the Sephiroth of creativity.


You Don’t Have A Clear Intent

Magick will bring you exactly what you want. Though it sounds less poetic, the Universe does not give you what you need or deserve, but what you want. (Well, it shows you what you need, but ultimately you have to agree to it. It’s your life. Free Will, not even the Gods can take that from you.)

Your magickal practice should include understanding yourself and knowing exactly what you want.

focus

Yes, it is not wise to be greedy or become infatuated with the result, but when you cast magick, you need to focus on your goal completely: spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically. If you want something, focus on that, and not on the money to get it. If you want sex, don’t cast for love. If you want manifestation of a spirit, don’t be afraid and expect to see it visibly. This will take practice and focus.

Whatever magick you do, be it ceremonial magick and sending out the intent, crafting it into a sigil, or asking a deity to help you in something, be very clear what you want. It shows you have a clarity of thought. And like I said, don’t just think about it and speak it, but feel it as well. Don’t fret about seemingly impossible things that you don’t think can happen. All things are possible with Magick. Leave the little details to the Universe, just know what you want. Lack of this clarity will undermine your magick. Same goes for hesitation or unwillingness. Don’t want something? Afraid of something? Don’t cast for it. Magick is like a bullet, once you pull the trigger, it will go exactly where you pointed it initially, and can’t be stopped. If you stand in front of it, you’ll only get hurt.

I should mention, that very often you may not know what you want. You may think you want something, but you really don’t. Sometimes you may want something because you think it is the right thing to have, but deep down you know it isn’t for you. The reason I’m adding this here is because I have, at one point, had the entire heavenly and infernal host deny me something I really wanted. “Want” is a bad place to be. I just use the word for convenience, but it’s really about the feeling that you already have what you need. The feeling of abundance is important, because it will put you in a place where you can get whatever you need. When you begin to “want”, you enter a state of poverty and the magick stops working. Sometimes, very rarely, in matters of great importance, the Universe will purposefully deny you from going down the wrong path. Usually there is learning to be done before what you want can actually be given. 

Recall the story of Hercules or Promethues or Moses. Sometimes, getting what you think you want prematurely can do more harm than good. Heck, take the classic story of Midas.

Personally, I’ve had times where I cast for something, but was not clear about my intent, and got caught up on little ways, confusing the Universe and having my magick manifest in way I did not intend, or expect, or even want.


Contradictory Actions

You can’t expect to be given loads of money if you yourself are greedy or stingy. You can’t expect everyone to love you, yet hate yourself or others. Don’t confuse the Universe and your own subconscious with having mismatched magick and actions.

contradiction

It’s as Aleister Crowley wrote, you need to become a receptacle for the force you are trying to attract. In other words, you must act according to what you want. If you act against it, it is almost like actively seeking to nullify any magick you have done. And this applies to life in general, not just magick.

You have to match your actions to your Will, and your desires, and most importantly, to your Will. Not just actions, but even thoughts and emotions. In fact, as it says in the Bhagvat Gita, it’s better to be true to your thoughts and act accordingly, than do false actions which match your intent but contradict your thoughts and emotions, or you’re just a hypocrite. (Be true to your nature, and seek to change it to be your ideal self, than pretend and force that ideal on yourself)

So, for example, if I want to become knowledgeable about something, and do magick for it, I will need to lower my defenses, ditch my beliefs and opinions and allow myself to become a blank slate, in order for knowledge and wisdom to come, even if it makes me uncomfortable. A simpler example is if you want to have money coming in, you have to be generous and open with money, rather than being greedy, or constantly worrying about having more money. Maybe you want that perfect job, but spend large amounts of time on unrelated tasks, and don’t actually take the opportunities you’ve been give.

It’s that story of the man who asked God to save him from a flood, but refused to get on all the boats that were sent to help him. 


Lack of Belief

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You know what they say, you gotta have faith! Put simply, if you don’t believe in the magick that you do, it won’t work. That’s why non believers who try magick with the purpose of proving it doesn’t work usually end up doing so. Of course, there’s more to it than just that, such as practice: you can’t pick up a guitar for the first time in your life, and expect to play the solo for Master of Puppets, and then proclaim that heavy metal is bad music, just because you can’t play it, but lack of belief is still the basic issue. I mean, you also gotta believe that Master of Puppets is one of the greatest metal songs of all time, or how will you ever make yourself learn that tough fucking solo?

Magick is deeply rooted in your faith. That is why people of various religions who believe in a form of divinity, usually experience that divinity, and then feel that their religion must be the right one, since it worked wonders, not realising everyone else felt the same, including the skeptic who strongly wanted to disprove what they felt.

Proponents of purely atheistic occult (aka dabblers, i’m not referring to Luciferians and Gnostics) use this to say that magick is all in the mind, and has no external influence whatsoever, since mere lack of belief nullifies it. But you see, the magick isn’t really nullified, and it’s the disbelief, and desire for it to not work, rather than lack of belief that causes this.

As we’ve already established, when you do a magickal operation, your intent and emotions mean a lot. When you do an operation, you need to add to it the belief that it will succeed. After all, you want it to work, right? It’s like hitting the “send” button when you type a message to someone. But when you believe it will not work, or even strongly desire it to not work, that will be the magick you cast. In other words, your magick will manifest, in the form of not manifesting, since you basically cast magick for you to not get results.

Funny isn’t it. Your magick needs to work only once, and then you will know for sure that it works, but you always have to make that leap of faith, and just have complete trust that it works, especially in the face of new experiences. In fact, one reason why magick works so well the first time for many people, is because they go into it having no clue what to expect. Sometimes, they just do it out of curiosity, and are shocked by the result.

In a way, not believing in magick is better than believing there is not magick. With lack of faith, you are still open. But once you have faith in the invalidity of faith, then you’ve sealed your self. Belief is more powerful than skepticism. And a bit of skepticism is always good to have anyway.

All those quotes about faith, in all religious doctrines, were there for a reason. You must believe in “God” to know “him”. You get what you want, including not getting what you want if that’s what you really want. People who believe they will never be happy will never be happy. Belief is at the root.

“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?”
– John Lenon


Practice

This goes without saying, but even if your magick isn’t working quite how you want it, it will grow over time. Practice makes man perfect (I know, I’m an artist. I can compare two art works just a few years apart and see the enormous difference in them). The more you do, the more you’ll learn, and the better you will become. just just stick to it, and focus on doing your true Will, and eventually you will be well on your way.

So there you have it. There’s many more things I could say on this topic, but these basic points are things I feel it is always important to keep in mind. Besides, the masturbation thing was the important thing i wanted to discuss, because I feel no one covers it and it’s fairly important. But don’t worry too much, it’s okay to make mistakes. If you don’t make mistakes, you’ll never learn anything new!

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

So then, until next time..

~White Raven

The Pentagram and Its Many Meanings!

Written August 3rd, 2016 | Edited: 6th March 2019

Of all the symbols associated with magick and the occult, the pentagram is the most popular and recognizable, almost the emblem of Magick. And even as all the occult symbols infiltrated and found a place in the mundane world, the pentagram was above all else, as it is the common symbol for perfection, and even found on the flags of nations, both communist and capitalist. When little kids draw space in art class, they use the Pentagram for stars, and the Pentagram is what dominates the Walk of Fame. Several religions have also incorporated the symbol throughout history, and it has it’s origins all the way back in Mesopotamia. It was eventually co-opted in both Persia, and Rome, and lived through till the Byzantine era. later, the Turks would conquer Byznatium and adopt it, and it would be carried to all corners of the world. The symbol itself is archetypal, and several different meanings have been denoted to it over the millenia.

But what is the true meaning behind this famous and popular symbol? Like all symbols in Sacred Geometry, the Pentagram has several layers of information encoded into it. Much of this information transcends into higher planes, and the Pentagram might just be the lower visual manifestation of some profound higher thing. But anyways, today I’ve made a handy list of the multiple meanings on the Pentagram, as well as the inverted version of it, so you don’t have to read a hundred different sources to understand all the different associations. This isn’t an exhaustive list, just the different interpretations offered by different branches of the Mysteries.

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Note: Pagans sometimes use the word Pentacle, but Pentacle refers to vast range of symbols. So, when I say Pentagram, I mean five pointed Star. I’d actually suggest against using the word Pentacle. For example, all the Seals of the Greater Key are referred to as “Pentacles”.


In Sacred Geometry

The symbol of the Pentagram is part of sacred geometry, meaning it is made of very exact and precise proportions which are considered holy.

“God is the Great Geometer of the World”

Although “Pentagram” refers to only the star itself, it is generally depict it enclosed in a circle. While this circle is very important, just the star itself is sufficient.

The Pentagram, naturally, adheres to the Golden Ratio, and is constructed on five straight lines. The regular pentagon is the middle is 108 degrees at each inward angle. The Isometric triangles on the outside are 72 degrees on the base and 36 degrees at the top. If you joined all five corners of the star, it would also form a regular pentagon. The star itself can be divided into many other pentagrams.

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And if you want to draw one, you can do so easily with a compass or protractor, or even straightedge. So there you have it, a bit of math of those interested. I know I hated math, but this info is useful if you ever need to construct or draw a Pentagram, which is very likely for magicians. All the numbers used in it’s construction: 36, 72, 108, are sacred numbers, most commonly used in Judaic and Hindu mysticism.

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The Unity of the Five Elements

This is the most important meaning of the pentagram, which is Universal, regardless of which philosophy or tradition you follow.

In Kabbalah, the top left hand represents Water, then going clockwise it is Fire, Earth, Air. The top hand represents their sum total as Spirit.

5elements

Put very simply, the Pentagram= Air+Water+Fire+Earth= Spirit. And since everything is created of the elements, the Pentagram represents the sum of everything in the cosmos, aka the All/Divine, as well as the mirror image of it, which is Man, who hosts the Spirit.

Often, the circle around it can be interpreted as the material/manifest world, in which all 5 elements are contained and restricted, or the Divine Unity which binds all together.


As Tetragrammaton

The letters YHVH, pronounced Yehovah or Yahweh, is the Hebrew name of the Divine. These days it has become corrupted as “Jehaovah”, the patron deity of Israel and the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition. But the original mystical name YHVH does not refer to a specific deity with human attributes. It’s is a mystical name, made from the Hebrew letters Yod-He-Vav-He.

Each letter represents one of the four elements, Yod is the sacred Fire, with He being Water, and the Womb of the Great Mother. Vav is Air, or the Son born from the Union of the Male (fire) and Female (water). The second/last He is the Lesser Mother, or Bride of Vav, representing Earth. YHVH = Fire Water Air Earth.

This name, YHVH, is called Tetragrammaton, and so the Pentagram represents Tetragrammaton, as you can tell from the above discussion. I write this separately because there are multiple symbols that are used for the Tetragrammaton, not just the Pentagram, but the Pentagram itself is the sum of all elements, which IS Tetragrammaton. This might not be making a lot of sense to those of you who are new to magick, but try to keep up. You’ll understand eventually.

When the Tetragrammaton is depicted as a Pentagram, is often looks like this (as far as I know, the first depiction like this was by Eliphas Levi).

tetragrammaton

As you can see, the Pentagram is combined with other symbols to give the full meaning. The figure of Tetragrammaton is what is used as one of the Seals of Solomon.

So in simple terms, the Pentagram represents The Divine, or rather when the Divine is depicted as Tetragrammaton, the symbol for it is the Pentagram.

You might notice that the Pentagram is five pointed but YHVH only has the four elements. There is VERY long and complex reason for that, laboriously conceived by our great mages of the Golden Dawn, who perhaps enjoyed tedious and mind numbingly long thought experiments. I won’t go into it here, it’s not important if you just want to understand the Pentagram.

But for what it’s worth, the five lettered name is YHSVH, with the letter Shin representing Spirit. The name then spells Yeheshuah, and that is the original Hebrew name of Jesus.

(mind blow?)

By the way, that is why the old symbol of the Five Wounds of Christ was an inverted Pentagram, before it’s association with Satanism. There’s literally medieval Churches which have the Inverted Pentagram in their spires.


As A Symbol for Man/Spirit

Now that we’ve established that the Pentagram represents the sum of all elements, and the Divine. However, Man is said to be the reflection of the Cosmos too. You may have heard how God made Man in his image, and also that God dwells within us. This, the Pentagram becomes a symbol for the Human Spirit (which is basically the same as the Divine). This is best captured in Hinduism, where Brahman (The Cosmos) and Atman (the Soul) are considered identical.

“As within, So without”

(Note: For anyone actually confused when I say Man, I also mean Women. Please no bully)

Man is made of the four elements, together form and house the Spirit. This is the pentagram. One might say that the spiritually awakened man, who has the five elements working in harmony within him is the Pentagram. Each element can be represented with separate symbols too. For Earth (the physical body), the symbol if the Cross.

An interesting depiction of this is Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, where you see a person eagle spread in the form of the Pentagram, representing the Five elements, superimposed on a person standing with his arms out and tilted upwards in the form of the Cross (or specifically, the form of a man hanging on the Cross, known to the Christians as the image of the Crucification), representing the material body of Man. (Of course, this image itself has it’s own multitude meanings, as does the Cross).

leonardo

While performing the LBRP, which is a basic ritual in ceremonial magick, this posture of the Pentagram is assumed at the end by the magician, to invoke the five elements within him. The Pentagram is both the Microcosm (Man) and the Macrocosm (The Cosmos)

EDIT (2019): According to Da Vinci himself, this symbol shows Man has the perfect blueprint of the Universe, made in the Golden Ratio (this is his official definition. He was definitely an Occultist). I won’t break down the image here, but it’s got some very strong symbolism. According to me, he is showing the Mundane, that is the Earthly vessel of Man, as well as the Sacred, the Awakened Man, as the same being. Or perhaps, like the symbol of Christ, he wants to show the emergence of the Awakened Man upon Crucifixion of his flesh. This is the same concept shown in Hinduism by the Lotus emerging from the mud.

Secondly, I should mention that the Pentagram enclosed in the circle represents Man, and so it is used as the symbol for the Earth element in many traditions. When I say “symbol” I mean implement. For example, in the Golden Dawn, Fire is represented by a Wand, Air by a Dagger, and Water by a Cup. The element of Earth is often symbolized a wooden Pentacle. Although the actual Pentacle has a Hexagram on it, it is depicted with a Pentagram on tarot cards. 


Lady Venus

Venus is the Goddess of Love and Fertility, called the Morning/Evening Star. The Pentagram is closely associated with her as well, and this might be why we use it to depict stars in general. It should be noted that Venus rules over fame, drama, music and the arts. This is probably why the Pentagram is the symbol of celebrities and stardom.

pentagram_of_venus

If you look at the orbit of the planet Venus throughout the cycle of 8 years in the Earth’s sky, you will see it traces a rough Pentagram shape.
There is a lot of astronomy and math behind this, which I wont claim to fully understand. Google it if you want.

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EDIT (2019): The Pentagram is not the Kabbalistic symbol of Venus. That would be the Seven sided star, or Heptagram. Nonetheless, the Five Pointed Star is a powerful and important symbol of the Sacred feminine.

When we are talking about Venus, we often mean the “lesser” aspect, known to the Greeks as Aphrodite Pandemos. This is the well known Goddess of Love, Sex, and fertility. This is the Heptagram Venus. This Venus, in Hellenic mythology, was the daughter of Zeus.

However, Venus is also the symbol of the Sacred Feminine itself, in it’s higher aspect. This Venus, known in Greece as Aphrodite Ourania, was born from the castrated phallus of Uranus falling into the Sea (Neptune). This is the ancient aspect known as Ishtar/Ianna in the Middle East, and as Shakti in India. This aspect is rightly symbolized by the Pentagram.

Remember how we discussed at the start that the five pointed Star first emerged in Mesopotamia? Well, in Mesopotaia, it was the symbol of Ishtar, and in Egypt a symbol of Isis. In Rome it was that of Venus, and even later in Christian Byzantine, it was used as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. All of these deities represent the same force.

Ishatr was known as Astarte to the Greeks. Astarte. That’s why the Pentagram is symbol commonly called a “Star”. Mind blown?

Well, the “star” in question, at the time, referred not to the planet Venus, but to Sirius, or the “Tear of Isis”. It was the brightest star in the Sky, and it’s heliacal rising symbolized the ancient Egyptian New Year. The festival is still celebrated in Egypt.


Spirit Over Matter

You might have noticed how each arm of the Pentagram represents one of the elements, but the Spirit is the one on top. While the opposite of each element is depicted on the arm opposite to it, the Spirit, having no opposite, is on top. Even when you see Pentagrams with a different combination of the elements, the Spirit will always be on top.

The reason should be obvious. The Spirit is separate to the other elements. The Pentagram also depicts the message that the Spirit is superior to the material body, hence, “Spirit over Matter”, and here by “Matter” I mean “flesh”, or one’s Earthly life, desires and ambitions.

A thing to note here is that the astrological symbol of Venus also depicts this.

2000px-venus_symbol-svg

It’s a circle over a cross. Remember what I said about the Circle of the Spirit and how the physical body is shown as the Cross. The Circle is over the Cross, so once again, “Spirit over Matter”. I think it’s interesting how the Pentagram is a symbol of Venus, and the message it contains is  contained in the astrological symbol as well.

In magick, it can be said to symbolise the exaltation of Spirit over Matter.


Inverted Pentagram

So, now that we know that the Pentagram is symbolic of Spirit over Flesh, we can see what the Inverted Pentagram stands for.

The Inverted Pentagram is structurally the same as the Pentagram, so it symbolizes the same Unity of Elements, The Spirit but now it is flipped, with the Spirit BELOW the four elements. You know what that means: the Inverted Pentagram depicts “Matter over Spirit”.

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The Inverted Pentagram and it’s strange message have their own significance. You’ll be interested to know that the Second Degree of Witchcraft is symbolised by this Inverted Pentagram. I’m not a witch though, so I don’t know what exactly they do in this degree.

The Inverted Pentagram stands for a message that opposes what the Pentagram stands for, and this can be seen in the astrological symbol for Mars, which is the opposite of Venus.

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As you can see, this time the Cross of Matter, which is now in the form of an arrow, is above the Circle of the Spirit.

The Order of the Eastern Star, which I believe is the Sisterhood associated with the Freemason Brotherhood, use an inverted Pentagram to show the Union of the elements.

EDIT (2019): In magick, this is the exaltation of Matter over Spirit, and is the opposing counterpart to the normal Pentagram. In this way, the upright Pentagram become the Key to access the Angelic forces above the realm of Matter, while the inverted version is for the Infernal forces beneath Matter (hence why Inferno lies under the surface of the Earth, while Heaven is symbolised as being in the Sky. It wasn’t just primitive people being superstitious. It was symbolic.)

We talked about how the Kabbalistic symbol for Venus was the Heptagram. Well, the Kabbalistic symbol for Mars in the Pentagram. Mars and Venus are strongly connected too. In Kabbalah, the Pentagram would a more male symbol.

I’d love to get into, but Kabbalah is just far too much for this already long article. In Kabbalah, the Pentagram (and the number 5) represent Kinetic energy, or motion. This is perhaps the most clear reason why the Pentagram is used as a symbol for Magick. It is the symbol for invoking any and all spiritual and mundane forces. It is Symbolic of force itself, and magick relies heavily on Invocation and Evocation of forces. It is like a spinning water wheel, helping you harness the latent energy of water and turn it into power. I could go on and on, from one thing to the next.


The Right and Left Hand Paths

The Pentagram and the Inverted Pentagram have been symbols in the occult for a very long time. The distinction was not commonly used by ancient magicians. It is generally seen as a modern new age idea. In ancient traditions, they would have been used together.

Eventually, there was the divide within the occult between the Left and Right Hand Paths. One of the primary differences between the two was whether God was inside us, or outside us. Now yes, I know that there’s a lot more to this, relating to the history of Black and White magick, and a long history of philosophical and ideological struggles, and we can argue about that forever.

But this was the first time the LHP and RHP properly came about. LHP believed that God was inside us, and so we should serve the Self only, so they chose the Inverted Star, which was Flesh over Spirit. This was probably influenced by the founding of atheistic Satanism at the time. The RHP guys said that God was external, a theory which had already been believed by the Church for centuries, and so they believed in serving others, and picked the normal Pentagram, Spirit over Flesh, which they interpreted as serving others before self. And so they argued whether God was within, or without.

One could say that the split was also between Hedonism and asceticism. If the Divine is external, then Spirit must be exalted over Matter. After all, we must sacrifice everything for the greater good. On the other hand, if all Divinity is within, then why not be self serving? Why not exalt the Matter over Self?

EDIT (2019): Lots of angry people have said that I never did justice to this topic here, and I know. This post is about the Pentagram, so I merely give an introduction to the RHP/LHP split in the Occult, and how they each used their Pentagram. It’s just so that new people an have a basic understanding. I myself do not ascribe to either, and follow the Middle path. And the way I see it, this was of thinking is only growing, as the old absolutist worldviews decline.


The Satanic Pentagram

Well, as you know, the RHP/White Magick and the LHP/Black Magick are still two existing streams within magick. I’ve made it clear how I don’t buy into that idea, but I still have to admit that they’re there. And obviously, even though the utterly polarized Serving Only Others vs Serving Only Self thing is more or less gone, an ideological divide over various other issues still exists, particularly over White and Black magick. The Inverted pentagram has a more common symbolism associated with it.

You’re probably familiar with it: it’s the image of a Goat head, which is Satan, superimposed on an inverted Pentagram with an outer circle that has five characters, which, which spell Leviathan. It is often called the Satanic Pentagram.

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This is the symbol for the religion of Satanism, which today is an atheistic, philosophical religion present largely in the USA. The philosophy and ideas they believe in are also present within the LHP, and so this symbol has also become an emblem for many Black Magicians. The symbol of the inverted Star now represents the collective ideologies of the LHP, as the normal Pentagram sometimes represents the ideologies of the RHP. 

I don’t mean that people will always show it with the goat head, and most of the times you’ll simply see an inverted Pentagram, but this does not simply mean “Serve only Self” anymore, but instead represents the ideas and beliefs that the LHP stands for, as oppossed to the ideas and beliefs of the RHP, which are often depicted by stylised variations of the the Pentagram, which also no longer really means “Serve only others”. I’ll leave it at that.

Remember again how the Inverted Star is linked to Mars. Well, Mars rules the sign of Aries, and it’s symbol is the goat head. 

EDIT (2019): I should say that this largely affects modern traditions, especially those derived from the New Age. The way I see it, true, complete and authentic traditions reject ideologies entirely, accepting that the world is complex and each person must chart his own path.

You may object, but I personally hold that the LHP/RHP split is superficial. There is only one Magick, one force. Duality is ever present, and we must live in it, but it comes form the One.

Secondly, I say that no perspective is totally correct. I venerate both dark and light Gods, and respect the Gods and practices of others. To me the split is the sign that a practitioner is still polarised and blinded by himself. When I originally wrote this article, I was not confident enough to make such a statement. But now I am. This is not the fault of people, because they simply have not experienced the spiritual process fully yet. Suffering teaches empathy, and empathy leads to an end of polarity.


Elemental Pentagrams

The Pentagram is used to invoke forces. We established this before.

Within a ritual setting, the Pentagram can be used to represent each of the other four elements as well. This depends of exactly which of the five points you begin tracing from, and which direction you go:

pentagrams

So, in short, there is an Invoking and Banishing Pentagram for each of the four elements, making 8, and 4 for Spirit, both for passive and active, making 12. Technically, these Pentagrams can be used to Invoke and Banish pretty much all magickal forces, depending on how they are used. This is the primary use of the Pentagram for the magician. You will see it in a variety of rituals.


Concluding Note

As you can see, the Pentagram has a vast plethora of encoded and acquired meanings. You will often see people use it in different ways and give a different explanation for it, and remember, over time it may very well acquire even more meanings and associations. In this article I tried to give as clear an understanding as I could manage, starting simple and slowly building up the layers. I follow the Hermetic Kabbalah, so I have a bias towards the Kabbalah in general. There’s probably more about Pentagrams that I missed out. As I discover them, I shall continue to edit and update this post.

EDIT (late 2019): Yeah that’s not really happening. While I updated each post on this blog this year, any new ideas, experiences or insights I have will always be written as new posts. I hate changing old work, but I also don’t like bloating them with extra content. Remember, when on my blog, always read the latest post, and you’ll know where I currently stand on most things. For one, I can actually write now without spelling errors, and in more eloquent prose. At the very least, I no longer sound like a 19th century philosopher. Now I just sound like a 20th century philosopher!

Who knows, maybe we’ll get to the 21st one day. Lol amirite mah dudes. #sorelatable #pepedidnothingwrong #ihatehashtags. But I think I might scare away all my older, sophisticated readers in their 30s and 40s. You know, millenials 😛

All symbols in the occult have many meanings built on top of one core meaning, such as the unity of five elements in this case, but even that is a condensation of many things into one symbol, and the end result is a huge amount of energy contained in a single symbol. That is why these are called Symbols of Power. They too follow the Law of Rhythm, and over time grow, evolve and adapt, growing in power, influence and popularity. They are archetypal.

So remember, whatever the Pentagram means to you, it may mean something else to another person, and both of your interpretation is as valid as the other.


Well that’s it for now. Be sure to follow the blog. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

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.

Until we meet again

~White Raven

A Powerful Invocation of Lucifer [Pt 3]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 4th March 2019

Part One | Part Two


Interactions with the Morning Star

So I began with the standard greeting you normally give spirits, and went ahead with the ritual. I first asked him for help with some personal things, which he readily agreed. He behaved not like a Goetic demon, meaning there was no pact involving “I’ll do this for you, and in return you give me this”, but rather like a Greek deity. As you know, you don’t barter with those Gods. Instead, you revere them, and make frequent offerings, and every now and then, ask for things in return. You won’t incur their wrath if you don’t always repay every wish with a offering (although this depends on the God. Lesser Gods can be wrathful, but “true” Gods don’t). Anyone who’s pagan will understand.

Perhaps he is a Greco-Roman deity after all, rather than a Abrahamic Demon. Or maybe that’s just how I perceived him. To be honest, I was too overwhelmed with emotion to say much. He did say though “don’t get swayed by emotion! be calm and in control”.

I continued talking to him. He had a hell of a lot to say. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long invocation before. He talked endlessly for about an hour, and I wrote down everything. That’s probably why this post is so big, but then again, the Bringer of Knowledge will obviously end up imparting lots of knowledge. That’s what he’s known for. Let me write some of the generic things he said, that he’d want publicly shared. You may have heard some of these before.

“When you’re indulgent, carefree, fun and loving, you become a beacon and everyone is attracted to you. These are what make some shine and stand out, and be adored..”

“Call on me, and you shall have what you want…”

“Indulgence, euphoria, relaxation, sex, light, attraction, charm..I am in all of these..”

“Control your emotions”

“To an extent, I am of Pluto. I am also of the Sun, Venus, Mars and Neptune, and even the Moon. All planets, in fact..”

“No I don’t hate humanity. I find you amusing…”

Did he hate Mikhael? The moment I asked this, I swear I heard a laugh to my right (the direction in which Mikhael is invoked during LBRP), but I was in a trance so I can’t be sure. Lucifer too seemed somewhat amused. Seems this question comes up a lot.

“None can hate Mikael. We are on the same side, but our energies don’t mix. Water and oil do not mix, but would you say they hate each other?…
He is Seraphim. You don’t mess with them..
I love him as a brother. We really were brothers in one life, you know, but now we are transcended..
We may have taken physical bodies many times, and even fought..”

Then again, I also fight with my brother. All brother fight, don’t they. Who else are you gonna try your mettle against? (These are metaphors anyway for deeper mysteries).

“We did fight, but we are not enemies. On the plane we are on, hate, anger, pride and jealousy are meaningless..”

At one point he asked me if I was tired from writing. I started to say, “ok i’ll end the ritual”, and he was like “That was a question! I did not give you leave to quit. Are you tired? Or will you continue? It’s your choice, you are the master of this circle!” That was his drill sergeant side. I decided to continue.

(Once again, stunningly similar to Mikhael)

I asked what he was to the Goetia.

“I am to them, like a god and overseer!”

“I create, I destroy..”

“I like fine things, like poetry, prose, art and such. I also like brewing and cooking..”

And I was hit with a bizarre image of Lucifer in a kitchen, with an apron, chopping veggies.

“Yes, I am an Angel, mighty and ancient! At first, you did not know me, and you were afraid. Fear binds you to your plane, but where I am, there is no fear..”

What is your opinion on all those who fear and shun you as the Devil?

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“I want them to fear me. It is my job to scare the weak and ignorant. Only he who overcomes this fear, may glimpse at the light that is me…
My kingdom is light and wisdom. The ignorant fear wisdom, like rats in sewers fear the light. One must strive to overcome this fear, or my presence will burn away his senses and shatter his small and narrow system of petty beliefs, superstitions and mindless morals. I am of Pluto! I transform ignorance to knowledge, but I will shatter the ego of those too stubborn to accept knowledge…
Thus, I masquerade as the Devil, to protect those who are not spiritually ready. They rely so much on their ego, doubt and arrogance, that if I shatter it, they will be lost”

EDIT (2019): You will notice here, that this statement was tinged with an pride unique to Solar spirits. It is in their nature, so usually you don’t question it. What Lucifer meant here is actually fairly common knowledge. Human beings have deeply rooted belief systems, and if these collapse, everything in their lives falls apart. This is the reason most Occult orders warn against premature revelation of Knowledge, and why even I am careful what I write on a public blog. Even in my own self initiation, things are revealed to me slowly, like “droplets from an ocean into the body of time”. Even I, at times being suddenly shown the falsity of my own actions or thoughts, have felt myself collapse internally, and felt bitter, angry, alienated, or nihilistic. Magicians usually have the strength to work through such periods, like Job, or Arjuna. But many people don’t, and like Cain they become bitter and resentful. Lucifer said this in his capacity as a mighty God of the Zodiac.

However, for human beings (or more specifically, magicians) it is not the right frame of mind to have, to shun the “weak” or the “ignorant”. Fundamentally speaking, all magicians and occultists are bound to the same limitations as all humans. Even if it is true, that we are somehow greater than them, I have found through personal experience that raising yourself on a pedestal leads to nothing but isolation, suffering and being cut off from the Higher Self. One of the teachings of the Golden Dawn is humility. Don’t look down on others. Everyone is suffering, even the demons and angels and gods. Suffering is constant. And everyone tries their best. There’s something extremely evil about dismissing someone who is doing their best to be up to your standard, as “lesser”.
Trust me, I’ve seen remnant traces of the caste system, belonging myself to the Brahmin caste, and what such beliefs do to people. The sense of entitlement that comes from belonging to a “pure” of “high” bloodline like tear your humanity apart.

/endrant.

“I like Luciferians, but I wish they’d talk to me more”

If you don’t know, many Luciferians are atheists and don’t actually believe in Lucifer, or magick in general. They think it’s all an illusion of the mind. I’ve dealt with many theistic Luciferians though. In general, I respect them, even the atheistic ones. Although I am more rooted in tradition and orthodoxy, I can understand the need for a rebellious current. I also partly tap into that rebellious current.

“For me, burn fat in a container of gold, or a candle which is yellow or white. Sing, dance, indulge and create! Let there be celebrations! Reject all oppression, liberate yourself from fear through knowledge.”

“Party hard. Partying means doing that which you love, not just drinking and pleasuring (unless one enjoys that the most)”

“Destroy ignorance wherever you see it, and seek knowledge”

Destroying ignorance is not the same as destroying the ignorant. That’s the fine line between the Just and the Tyrannical.

“He who is happy, has found the answer”

The candle burned for 13 hours straight. This is interesting because normally ghee lamps burn for a few hours.


Post Invocation

As he said, he will give you what you want, and very quickly. But it works only with things you truly want, things you REALLY desire, especially material things, so please don’t go begging Lucifer to get you a girlfriend or asking him to fulfill petty whims and fancies that you can easily do yourself or with your own magick. 

Imagine you’re out shopping, and you really need something, but can’t find it, even after searching in multiple shops. You don’t even need an altar or circle. If you simply call out and ask Lucifer to give that thing to you, chances are it’ll show up in the next five minutes, or in the next few hours at most. Lucifer is very quick and gives you what you really want or need. In exchange, set out nice food or beverages for him from time to time, draw him or compose poetry or music in his honour. Or just burn candles. Whatever you’d normally do for a pagan god.

Most invocations will have a positive impact on your life, but this one had a specifically material one! 

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So in short, Lucifer’s specialty is granting your deepest desires, particularly material, and very quickly, and teaching you things that will help you broaden your mind or stuff that’ll make you an interesting person.

He is a great deity to work with if you’re experienced. 

Thank you for reading. Please be sure to follow the blog for more content. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus

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.

Until Next time
~White Raven


Personal Opinions on Lucifer, Written 2019

So, it has been about 3 years since I wrote this post. Over this time, this has been one of the most popular topics on the blog, and many people have contacted me specifically asking about Lucifer. I thought I should make some clarifications.

My opinions on Lucifer are still more or less the same. He is a Solar deity, and most of the association are still there. By now I’ve realised that even the story of his Rebellion and Fall from heaven tie into the symbolism of the Sun/Tiphareth. In the Microcosm, the Mind is associated with Lucifer. It is the vibrant, sparkling light that guides us in the darkness, and the gateway to all knowledge. However, there is the ever present tendency of Man to become infatuated with his own Mind, much like the tendency of Lucifer to forget that he is also part of the Cosmic Plan, of the One. Thus, Lucifer become a reservoir of the the rebellious energy that destabilizes Order, and creates Chaos. This is neither good nor bad, but contextual. In an oppressive Tyrannical system, it is precisely this energy that is needed for the liberation of the Individual. The Individual MUST see himself has exalted above the group, as special and powerful in order to stand a chance against Tyranny. Perhaps this is why most people drawn to Lucifer come from a fundamentalist Christian background. 

However, in a different situation this same energy can lead to the collapse of Civilization. In a free, liberated society, Chaos simply causes degeneracy, alienation and the breakdown of tradition and order. Even if a magician feels he does not need these things, he must not forget about the countless people who rely on it. They are not lesser just because they are seemingly weak.

In such a case, the energy of Lucifer becomes dangerous, and often it is the Orderly and disciplined energies (such as Mikhael/Michael) that are needed for people to make sense of things, and have structure and meaning in Life. Perhaps this is why the reverence of Archangel Michael is so common in the regions of the world where there is currently a lot of uncertainty, such as high crime rates or lack of trust of the government.

Lucifer is what he is. It is dependent on the situation of the Magician to decide whether that is what is needed. Generally, the darker spiritual forces, like Lucifer, Kali, Samael etc. bring Feminine Chaos, while the lighter forces, like Mikhael, Indra, Christ, bring Masculine Order. The key is to balance the two forces, like the ancient Taoist wheel of Yin and Yang. 

Those are some of my reflections on this topic.

A Powerful Invocation Of Lucifer [Pt 2]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 1st March 2019

Part One


Associations

Great, now that we’re past all that theory, let’s get to the good stuff. People often try to force Lucifer into a single planet, but this is impossible. Lucifer is a very vast and powerful spirit and, almost like the Archangels, and has many aspects and is associated with multiple planets.

I’ve come to find that Lucifer is a spirit of opposites. He is principally a Solar and Plutonain spirit. Those two are polar opposites. I know, Pluto may not be commonly associated with him, but think of his most popular mythology. He was “cast out” of Heaven. All Plutonian spirits have a mythology of loosing something that is rightfully theirs, like Hades and Osiris, but later regain it in some way, either in myth or in their worship. Hell, the Planet Pluto itself was cast out of the Solar System, despite being so important for so long. The archetype of one being cast out of paradise is an ancient one. After all, it is the fundamental and most basic idea that all things in all of creation, from Gods to insects, were “cast out” of the perfect unity and balance of the Supreme One (Ain Soph Aur, not YHVH, which is beneath that), and this is the reason for suffering. The Hermetic philosophers and Vedic Sages both proclaimed this.

Lucifer becomes very important in this era as the Bringer of Light (transformed into an Angel of Light indeed. The Bible was right, lol). The Aquarian current is picking up, and with it comes a breakdown of old, accepted social structures and norms. This isn’t “good” or “bad”. It just is. 

Lucifer is also associated with Venus, as the bringer of light, and Mars, as the rebellious Angel and ruler of Hell. Again, two opposite Planets. One might say that the Martian aspect of Lucifer is now the being we call Satan (I do not have personal gnosis of this).

Lucifer also has a Neptunian aspect, as he is very deeply associated with fantasies, drugs and indulgence. I guess, since Neptune is the higher octave of Venus, and Pluto is of Mars, that’s another polarity. Remember, don’t go on about how his myth is “corrupted” and go digging to find his original legends, if there are any. I don’t know why people treat Gods as poor helpless beings whose name got tainted. These are powerful, ancient spirits for crying out loud. They often ensure their mythology gets remembered a certain way, and even change according to people’s beliefs in them. Everything happens for a reason. As Above So Below.

When you invoke him, although he’ll carry all his attributes, his strongest will be based on how you choose to perceive him, and on his post popular mythos at the time. Ideally, you’d want to invoke him in his Solar or Venusian aspect, as the Bringer of Light, his strongest parts, at least these days. Thank all the heavy metal songs, religions, anime and video games created honoring him as the hero (or anti hero) and all the love from pagans and satanists.

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So, these is all the stuff he is associated with: Sun, Venus, Neptune, Pluto, Mars, Light, Darkness, Morning, Night, Dawn, Knowledge, Rebellion, Pride, Lust, Charm, Angels, Gold, Silver, Rebirth, Transformation, Alchohol, Drugs, Fantasy, Stoicism, Calmness, Fine Arts, Music, Phoenix, Leo, Lion, Peacock, Yellow, Golden, White, Light Blue.


Lucifer and L.V.X

For those who don’t know, L.V.X is a Golden Dawn formula, used in the Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram. LVX is how you’d write Lux in Latin, meaning Light. It consists of 3-4 poses,one for each letter.

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I’m connecting it to Lucifer because of the fact that it means Light, but also something else. If you at Lucifer’s most common seal,  you should be able to see pretty easily that it appears to have been constructed from the letter LVX. That’s not just a coincidence.

The upside down triangle also represents Water, and the Sacred Feminine, but also the Chaos that unbalances Order. I feel like the curved lines and the V also seem to represent a goat/ram’s head.


Prep Work for the Invocation

For this invocation, I used the following seals from the Grimoire Verum. One (the ones below) I made from black paper, with silver writing, and another (the one above) on white with a gold seal and then some holy names in red and blue, like you’d do for Angelic seals. I think i captured all planetary energies properly.

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I prepared the following incense:
Lemon Grass
Myrrh
Sandalwood
Orange Peel Powder
There was some other stuff, but these were the prime ingredients.

I decided not to use a candle, and instead used a golden (brass) lamp with milk fat (called ghee), the kind people use for Hindu deities. I felt like i should use it, and followed my intuition. Into the liquid ghee, I added 3 drops of some essential oils.

Right before the ritual, I also anointed my temples and eye lids with Fairy Salve.

EDIT (2019): I no longer rely on anointing my eye lids in order to sense spirits. Over time with practice, your psychic senses become more sensitive.


Pre-Ritual Manifestation

A Ritual is complete before it is even done. The actual ceremony is just a formality. When you focus your Will on it, the Spirit you are going to invoke comes to you, and the energy gets stronger and stronger, and so does your intent, until the actual ceremony when it is released from the mind. It is not rare for things to happen in the days leading up to the ritual. The prep for the ritual went very smoothly, and I also came to realise many things in my meditation that would help me in the ritual.

I was out of ghee, so I went to buy some, and I was informed that the ghee which normally came in cartons had been stopped, and replaced by a much nicer looking jar of ghee from a different company. The processed ghee used to be refined, so it was white, but this new ghee was unrefined, and was a golden in colour. To anyone confused, butter that you normally buy is basically salted, frozen ghee.

Here’s the most notable thing: I planned to do the ritual on a Sunday morning, around sunrise. Of course, the hour in which the sun would rise on Sunday would be the hour of the sun. I wanted to start in that hour and end in the next hour of Venus. Now, i’m not a morning person, and I knew that I would not be able to wake up so early (there’s a reason I do all my rituals at night), so I decided to stay up that night. I got to around 4:30, and I’d done all the prep. It was a little while until dawn, so I thought i’d rest my head for 15 minutes or so. Biggest.Mistake.Ever.

I awoke again around 8:45 am. Sock followed confusion as I realised I had fallen asleep, and was 3 hours past when I had to begin. I was a bit devastated.
Now, normally i wouldn’t be so upset, and just do it anyways, but you see, I had something important to do around 9.

However, just then I was informed that the person who was meant to show up at 9 wouldn’t be coming. Lucifer himself had made time for me, so it was wise not to postpone anymore, despite it being a different time than i’d planned. It’s best not to try and control everything. I did the ritual at 10 am.

EDIT (2019): Also bear in mind that at the time I was rather undisciplined and unable to wake up on time or keep schedules. These days I wake up at 7 am, with the Sun. Discipline IS important for all occultists and spirtualists. Even if you’re a rebellious Luciferian, do wake up on time. Staying up all night becomes a worse and worse idea as you get older.


The Ritual

Timing

I think it’s important to mention when I did the ritual. I did it on a Sunday, in the Morning. The next day was Monday, day of the Moon, as well as a Full Moon. Monday Full Moons are very strong, but what’s more, Tuesday was June 21st, the Summer Solistice, when the day is the longest in the year. As you can see, it was a period of incredible Light, when the Sun and Moon would be very powerful, and when better to invoke the Bearer of Light.

The Altar

On the altar, I had the seals of Lucifer and the lamp forming a triangle, my container with burning incense to one side, which was my offering (along with the ghee, of course). I placed six stones in a crescent shape around the lamp. It included peacock stone, jade, sun stone, lapis lazuli, and some others.


Appearance of Lucifer

Ah, and now, I can finally get to the actual invocation itself. Lucifer’s energy had been growing all week, and now reached it’s peak.

I cast the circle as I normally do, and did a standard LBRP, and you may do it however it is done in your tradition. Lucifer is powerful, and doesn’t normally need very fancy rituals or gestures.

By now, the atmospheric pressure of the room had increased dramatically, and I could feel an intense, warm energy pushing on my chest, where Triphareth and the Solar Plexus Chakra are.

I didn’t prepare an invocation in advance, instead chanting what comes to mind at the time. I called out to Lucifer, and asked him to come, into my temple and circle and me.

EDIT (2019): These days I write and memorise invocations before hand. It makes it easier to conduct the ritual smoothly.

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I used some of his many names and titles, as is normally done in invocations: Helel, Helel Ben Shahar, Lucifer, Bearer of Light, Bringer of Dawn, Morning Star, Son of the Morning, Lord of Light, Father of Night, Illuminater, Lord of Inferno, Angel of Rebellion, Mighty Dragon etc. as well some of his achievements.

Lucifer came fast, and when he came my astral vision was filled with golden light. When you invoke, you often see the spirit in many forms, but I’ve tried to get some distinctive characteristics. He has white wings, and white golden hair, and pale, white skin. There is golden fire all around him. He wore a golden band on his head, and at some point he had a flaming torch, I think.

At one time, he was a pool of orbs of light. At another time, he stood in a dark forest on a pedestal of tree branches. I also had a glimpse of his court, but it went away very quickly, and when I did see it, my mind could hardly perceive it’s glory. I could make out a large, grand white building, towering columns of lapis lazuli, and intricate blue green or black stone floor. I saw glimpses of royal garment and this time his wings were in peacock colours, like the wings of Isis. The court was very disorienting, and I felt like I was falling  off into golden clouds, but someone caught my hand and brought me back to my immediate vision, with Lucifer before me in the golden fire. In fact, he himself seemed to be made of that fire. “Don’t fall off now, or you’ll be overwhelmed”. As far as I can tell, his voice is soft, and silky, yet firm. Yeah, I can imagine him seducing everyone with that voice.

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The feeling I got from his was of warmth, but also of dissociation. He was emotionless, and calm, not at all like the common depiction where he is supposed to be angry, broody, sly, rebellious, indulgent and out of control. He felt both masculine and feminine, and very charming, but also distant: like a person at a party who could probably seduce anyone he wanted, and drink and dance and lose control, but chose instead to sit in a corner and talk to people and keep their attention. He felt like someone who’ love to enjoy and laugh, making everyone around them happy. But, if needed, he can be a harsh teacher. He’ll give you some tough love, like a drill sergeant (interestingly, the same as Mikhael).


Part Three

A Powerful Invocation of Lucifer [Pt 1]

Written July 29th, 2016 | Edited: 1st March 2019

“What is it that you desire?”

That’s Lucifer’s catchphrase from the Fox series by the same name. Lucifer is perhaps among the most popular mythological characters ever to make it into modern mass media, be it serials, movies, video games, anime, books or anything you can imagine (the only ones more popular would be the Greek gods).

Not just media; Lucifer has been a crucial figure of countless beliefs and philosophies, especially in occult in this Age of Information (or whatever you choose to call the current age). Lucifer is an extremely powerful entity, that all magicians can work with, regardless of your system.

I should mention, this is based on personal experience. I’m by no means a satanist, black magician, left hand practitioner or Luciferian, nor am i Wiccan, a light worker or a right hand practitioner. I’m not going to impose my personal beliefs on you, or get into the philosophical debate surrounding his origins and nature. There are some things man cannot comprehend yet, so i’ll leave that stuff to others. You may choose to think of him as the Lord of Hell, a pagan deity, an angel or just a spiritual force.

What is important here is the way to invoke the spirit Lucifer, and my experience with him. I hope that by reading this you can plan your own invocation, and benefit from him. I’m sure Lucifer will be happy that i’m spreading the word about him.

I cannot guarantee that your experience will be the same. The best way to learn is by actually calling him, if you wish to. The choice is yours.


Abrahamic History on Lucifer

There’s no way I can go into the entire history of Lucifer in mythology, or I’d be typing hundreds of pages. I’ll touch on the main points, which you should then research in your own time. Familiarising yourself with the spirit being invoked is very important, and everything’s there on the internet if you know where (and how) to look.

The first instance of him is in the old Hebrew Bible, where the word helel is mentioned, literally meaning light bearer. In Greek, this became heosphorus/phosphorus, the bringer of dawn/light, and finally Lucifer, in Latin, meaning morning star. These are all commonly associated with Lucifer. The titled Helel ben Shahar is also used.

This name was being used for the King of Babylon (whom the monotheists hated), probably Nebuchadnezzar II. It talked about how he had fallen to Earth. Interestingly, this name became like a title, and was also used for John the Baptist and Jesus himself! Overtime, it came to be the name of the Devil when he was an angel, before his fall, although the Bible does not mention “Lucifer” in it’s long list of the devil’s names, most of which were names of pagan gods. The fact that there have been at least two bishops in history named Lucifer, would indicate that once upon a time it was a common Catholic name (not to mention Jesus and John).

In the Hebrew version of Revelation Jesus calls himself helel. They normally write “I Jesus, am the Bright Morning Star” in modern English versions. What this means, is up to you to decide.

Note that Lucifer was never the same as Satan. Shaytan is the Islamic name for the devil, taken from Judaism. Both Islam and Judaism have a different story of the devil from Christianity, usually deciding that it is the Archangel Samael. Keep in mind that initially the Abrahamic holy scriptures were a vast, convoluted plethora of original and stolen myths, and took centuries of reinterpretation to arrive at the holy books we have today. The more I go into it, the more confusing it gets. 

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One important thing I should mention is that the Hebrew Bible does say “Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light” but modern translations say “masquerades” instead of “transformed”. You should check out Eliphas Levi’s work on Lucifer for more on that. This may be a reference to the alchemical process. The implications are very deep.


Pagan and Occult Lucifer

Contrary to popular belief among new agers, Lucifer is NOT the Babylonian Sun god. That would be Shamash. In early new age Witchcraft, Lucifer was considered the sun god and counterpart of the moon goddess of Diana. In pagan mythology, this was normally her brother Apollo. They did get the part about Lucifer being Solar right though.

Lucifer is only mentioned by name in the Sibylline Books, which the Romans used for prophecy. It says he fights in the Battle of the Constellations on the back of Leo (thus the association with Sun). This might be where the idea of the Antichrist riding the Great Beast comes from. The Great beast is often depicted as a lion, and one of the names of the Antichrist is Appolyon, a name for Apollo. You see a pattern yet?

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I’m not saying the Christian stories aren’t referring to important archetypes. Of course they are, like all other mythology. But the Christians chose to present their scripture using distorted pagan symbolism. For example, they could have used any Hebrew/latin names for evil and destructive forces, but they chose the names of Pagan deities. They could have shown their symbolic tyrants as fictional Kings, but they chose known Kings of enemy Kingdoms like Ramses II or Nebuchadnezzar. A big chunk of the confusion comes from the willingness of Abrahamists in the olden days to distort facts in order to attain political goals. And hey, I get: they were pretty persecuted under pagan rule, but we have to be very careful with names. Often, when Christians use words like Appolyon, their referring to something very different than what Greeks meant when they said “Apollo”.

Other than early Witchcraft and Eliphas Levi, both hailing Lucifer as the Morning Star and Bringer of Light, he is also mentioned by John Weyer, who lists him as a Crown Prince of Hell. He is mentioned in the Goetia as well, at least in Mathers’ version, but only once, in the section about King Paimon.

In early Catholic demonology, he was one of the seven Crown Princes of Hell, but eventually demonology fell out of favour in Christianity, and all the princes were condensed into one “Devil” for the sake of convenience.

Rudolf Steiner placed him as the Light, and the adversary of Ahriman, a Zoroastrian spirit of everything evil and unholy: the Darkness.

Lucifer is also there in the Enochian System, you just need to look for it. The name itself in associated with ‘brightness’ in Enochian.

And in the good ol’ Tree of Light, Crowley and his contemporaries put a being called Lucifuge in the Qliphoth. This name means “he who flees from the light” as oppossed the name Lucifer, “he who brings the light”.

EDIT (2019): I have a post on Lucifuge. Lucifuge is not Lucifer, but the two are connected. Click here

The most important would, of course, be the Grimoire Verum, in which his seals and invocation are given. In this book, the seals of other princes like Leviathan, Beelzebuth etc are also given. This is about all the reading material I can personally give you.

My current personal opinion on Lucifer is given at the very end of all three parts.


Part Two

 

A Visitation from King Bael

Written June 4th, 2016 | Edited: 28th February 2019

Well, so recently I was visited, and given a warning from the first Goetic King, Bael. I had never worked with him before, and a lot of the things he said were not new to me, so this is not a post where I reveal some mind boggling information or teach evocation. No, I want to talk about the way in which Bael contacted me, as I’ve frequently heard of things like this happening.\

This evocation was part of a larger ceremony, but the focus this time is just how powerful synchronicity is, and how a spirit is able to manipulate events far beyond our control, in order to execute their Will, without being told by a magician. Some people believe that Goetic spirits are nothing but demons or servitors, unable to do anything without us in the physical, and inferior to us. Constructs without a Will. I’m open to all ideas, but I lean away from this particular line of thinking. At least in personal experience, it seems to me that Spirits, Gods, Demons, Angels etc do have a Will of their own, and even some servitors do as well. I won’t claim to know how, or say that I understand it fully. But as far as i’m concerned, the correct approach to all magick to treat everything as simultaneously both internal and external.

I will share what the evocation consisted of, and what Bael told me. It was he who sought me out, and we did not to form a contract. One might say it is a bad idea to call a spirit simply to chat, and I would wholeheartedly agree, but this was still something I went ahead and did it anyway. I don’t suggest going ahead and calling any old spirit who wishes to speak with you, but exceptions are made when it comes to great spirits, such as Goetic Kings.

EDIT (2019): On second thought, don’t just go evoking every entity that wants your attention, regardless of who they are. Only do so if you have a strong gut feeling and actually want to go through with it, or hope to learn something. Consult your guides, or gods, or ancestors etc.


A Background on the Spirit

According to the Hebrew bible, Ba’al was the name of the primary god of the Phoenicians (and of course the monotheists in their paranoia decided that he was “Satan’s assistant”). In some Semitic languages spoken in the Levant during the Late Antiquity, Baal meant “lord”, and so this name was given to the first and principle spirit of the Goetia, the first king. Bael is apparently a french corruption of Baal, and for better or for worse this is the final name which made it into the Grimoire.

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According to the Goetia, Bael is a king, who rules over 66 legions. He makes you invisible/invincible, depending on which version you look at. This really just means he can protect you on the astral plane by essentially veiling you from enemies and threats. Since he is a king, his seal is to be made in Gold. In the  Dictionnaire Infernal by Colin de Plancy, he was depicted as having a head of a toad, cat and man, on a set of spider legs. You can easily look it up in the Ars Goetia, Lesser Key of Solomon by S.L Mathers.

There is also, the fact one of the Asura Kings in Hindu Mythology was named Baal, or Bali. Usually worshiped as Mahabali, he is the ‘benevolent ruler of Asuras”. The word Asura is similar to Goetia, as in it does not mean ‘demons’, but is equated to ‘demon’. Personally, I think Bael is Mahabali.


How Bael Initiated Contact

So, how did Bael get me to notice him? It’s a weird story actually. I had this evocation planned for a Sunday, and i was thinking about it, while absentmindedly scrolling through a social media site, when, lo and behold, a picture of Bael appeared. My first reaction was to be really confused. Like most magicians, i’m not too open about my practice, so it’s not like I ever follow occult pages.

Then, the post fully registered in my mind, and I was amused. It was not a post about magick at all, but an article by a Gaming magazine about how the game Doom, which released this year, could be made “better”.

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In the article, they listed many ways to make the game better, but whats stands out if the section where they said how the demons could be made cooler, and then listed off some Goetia, saying these should be added to the game. I assume the author just googled “list of classical demons” or something in order to find some traditional literature, and stumbled upon the Goetia.

And out of all the things he wrote about the game, he chose the picture of Bael as the thumbnail, even though it had nothing to do with the game, and that’s how I was able to notice it. When things like this happen, it’s good to take notice. Bael had used his power to influence a random author halfway across the world to stumble upon the Goetia, include them in an article (he may have influenced the article itself), make sure Bael’s name and picture was in, and then choose that as the thumbnail to appear on my wall as I think about evocation. Impressive? Yeah, pretty freaking impressive.

I meditated on it, until I heard a distant voice that I recognized as Bael, saying I should evoke him as soon as possible, as he had something to tell me.


Preparation for Evocation

Bael is a fiery spirit, ruled by the Goetic Ruler of the South, Göap.
Ideally, as a King he should be evoked on Sunday in the Sun’s Hour. Best would be when the Moon’s age is even numbered, as it is said in the grimoire (2,4,6,8,10,12,14).
His Zodiac is Mars is in Aries, element is Fire, and ruling Archangel is Mikhael.

However, this time I went ahead and performed the ceremony during the waning moon, at a random time at night. The only thing I actually did right was the incense, which was a mixture of Frankincense and Martian Incense left over from when i’d done an Invocation of Samael. I also prepared and consecrated his seal. These are two things I never skip, because the seal and incense are easy to prepare, so no point skipping it. For more on timing, click here. 


The Visit

Bael came quickly, but not as visibly as I wanted. It was a fairly quick ceremony, so I was satisfied with just animal faces in the smoke. It was mostly animals of ferocity, and royalty, constantly morphing. I could make out a lion, dragon, goat, ram, wolf, and at one point a man with a face like a dragon/lion hybrid. Yes, I did see the frog. No spider legs though. There was a sense of grandeur.

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This is roughly how it went:

I asked “Are you King Bael?”. this is basically a formality, since you usually know intuitively if the spirit is an impostor. “Yes, I am..”

“Welcome! Great King!”
“Greetings, Magician”
“King Bael, did you call me through an internet article?”
“Yes, I did infact call thee! I have things to say….”
He spoke kinda in a semi formal, archaic manner of English, the kind you’d find in the Goetia. Well, after this he rambled on.

“I am a Powerful King, who can teach divination, and other such great knowledge. I can veil you from danger, and render you invisible to others. I can tell you what your enemies think, and how to use them”

“That’s good and all, but you must have a reason for initiating contact, King”

“You see, human, I wished to work with you, and I wanted to tell you something important: All that you see, sense and feel are lies! Do not think, feel. Trust not your vision, for it can deceive. The external senses can lead people astray. That, is what you call the ‘temptation of Sathan'”

Pretty much knew that already, but then he said some other things that I wont talk about here. It was a warning, that I somewhat understood. Also, in one of the grimoires (Armadel or Goetia, can’t recall which), it does say to be wary of the ‘temptation of sathan’. 

I then asked if he wanted something in return, even though we’d not made a contract. It was more like he’d introduced himself. “You need not make an offering, though you would be kind to do so.” He then said some more thing. When telling me how to protect myself from the threat, he said things like
“Do what you can”
“Pray to the Lord”
“Have faith in the craft”
“Seek out knowledge”

“Work with me”
“Remember Me”
“Honour me”

Sorry, what? Here folks, we have the principle King of Inferno telling me to ‘pray to the lord’. That was new. But Spirits don’t often say everything through words. They speak simply, and don’t use phrases, idioms, gestures etc, the way humans do. They make up for this by showing visions and sending emotions. 

He said some pretty dark, grim things as well, which, again, I wont write. Then, I simply gave the license to depart, and bid him farewell.


Conclusion

All that stuff about the Goetia being evil and deceitful and whatnot, and yet King Bael helped me out. So far, i’ve only had positive experiences with them. They can be harsh, but then again, so can the Angels.
“As above, so below…” is a well known Axiom in the occult, but the second part is “..as Below, so Above.” Those who fear the Goetia as evil often forget this bit. It’s not just that the Spirits are reflection of you, you are also a reflection of them. If you evoke the Goetia with preconceived notions of them beings demons, then that’s how they’ll come. To a bitter and hateful person, even Angels can appear oppressive and tyrannical (and often they do, to those unwilling to bear responsibility for their actions). Remember, even Christ has an aspect as the harsh Judge and Avenger.

So there we have it, my encounter with Bael. Remember, the spirits are always there, and if you catch their attention, they’ll try to get in touch. Learn to read omens, and you will benefit greatly.

EDIT (2019): I have concluded since then that the warning was sincere. Bael is in fact, the same as Ba’al, the chief fertility Deity of the Canaanite people. He is simply a forgotten, distorted God, the same as Astarte or Amon, and not a true “demon” in the way Belial or Azmodeus are. However, in Goetic evocation, we are perhaps connecting to lower aspects of these Gods, rather than those exalted faces communed with during true Invocation. Thus, my interaction with him was akin to an interaction with a pagan diety, rather than a true Infernal ruler. So the language he used makes a lot of sense. I never ended up working with him, but his warning were of Great help at the time, to protect me against certain influences.
Unlike Demons, the old Hebrew deities simply want to be remembered and honoured. Monotheism has not been kind to the Pagan gods or their people, especially in the Middle East (in stark contrast to say, the influence of Buddhism/Doaism in the East, where it has merged nicely into old polytheistic traditions). I would still say that you should be cautious when dealing with any Goetic spirits who were not former Deities. The ones who are closer to djinn, though helpful, can be tricky to work with. The demons even more so, especially to someone not fully prepared and full of fear. Seek solace in this though: everything, at the end of the day, is according to the Divine Plan of the Ain Soph, the One, the All Mind.


Well, that’s me done. Be sure to follow the Blog for more content. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus.

Until we meet again.
~White Raven