kabbalah – Page 4 – Between The Pillars

Encounters With the King Paimon

October 31, 2016July 24, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged are goetia, conjuration, contract, daemon, demon, djinn, dromedary, Encounters, evocation, Expereinces, goetia, growth, kabbalah, key of solomon, King, King Paimon, lesser key, magic, magician, magick, Paimon, solomon, spirit, spirit work, spirituality, summoning, white raven38 Comments

Written August 17th, 2016 | Edited: 11th March 2019

I’ve been into Magick and occult for a long time now. I’ve learnt a lot, and I’ve encountered all sorts of stuff. One recurring thing was, evocations of the Ninth Goetic King, Paimon. For some reason I had an affinity for this particular Spirit over all others in the Goetia. The very first ritual I ever performed, was in fact an evocation of this King.

I’ve called on him many times, but there was always a fairly big gap in between, meaning every time I summoned him, I was always much more knowledgeable, experienced, and more mature than the previous time.

I want to share a brief description of the events that transpired each time, and what results I got. Evocations of this Spirit give me a timeline, a way to chart my growth as a magician.

I’m not sure what purpose this serves, but eh, who cares. I feel like writing this.

Background of Spirit

“The Ninth Spirt in this Order is Paimon, a Great King, and very obedient unto LUCIFER. He appeareth in the form of a Man with a feminine face sitting upon a Dromedary with a Crown most glorious upon his head. There goeth before him also an Host of Spirits, like Men with Trumpets and well sounding Cymbals, and all other sorts of Musical Instruments. He hath a great Voice, and roareth at his first coming, and his speech is such that the Magician cannot well understand it unless he can compel him. This Spirit can teach all Arts and Science, and other secret things. He can discover unto thee what the Earth is, and what holdeth it up in the Waters; and what Mind is, and where it is; or any other thing thou mayest desire to know. He giveth Dignity, and confirmeth the same. He bindeth or maketh any man subject to the Magician if he so desire it. He giveth good Familiars, and such as can teach all Arts. He is to be observed towards the West. He is of the Order of Dominations. He hath under him 200 Legions of Spirits, and part of them are of the Order of Angels, and the other part of Potentates. Now if thou callest this Spirit Paimon alone, thou must make him some offering; and there will attend him two Kings called LABAL and ABALIM, and also other Spirits who be of the Order of Potentates in his Host, and 25 Legions. And those Spirits which be subject unto them are not always with them unless the Magician do compel them. His Character is this which must be worn as a Lamen before thee, etc.”
~Ars Goetia, Lesser Key of Solomon

Stop staring at it now, move along.

Paimon is a Goetic King. I have been unable to determine what his name means. It may be derived from Peyman, which in Persian means Oath or Promise, although personally I feel it has a European origin. “Mon” is a suffix that may be added to the name of a Daemon (spirit). In Prakrit, Pai mean’s “Lord”. In Chinese, it’s a variation of Bai, meaning white.

He does not really appear in any religion mythology. There was an Arabic God called Arsu, or Ruda, who rode a Dromedary, and protected travelers and caravans. Supposedly this was Paimon. He never told me this specifically, but this is the impression I get.

He is chiefly a Spirit of Knowledge, and also rules over money (not wealth, but money in particular). Thus, one could say he also represents the gaining of money, and the status and influence that brings, as well as infatuation with money that binds and enslaves people. I often make spiritual art that can be used for channeling (none of it is on this blog…at the moment). I’ve had an energy worker look at my art of Paimon and say that “binding” was a sensation they got. Others have had Paimon tell them about the true nature of money and what it represents.

An interesting thing to note is that the wording of the Goetia seems to imply that he is the most powerful Spirit, who has a huge number of functions. He rules over 200 legions, meaning of all the Goetic Spirits, he rules the highest number.

Paimon is a popular spirit to work with for many Magicians, probably because he covers a lot of ground, and seems to be particularly wise and friendly in nature.

Nature of the Spirit

Name: Paimon
Rank: King (Sun)
Number: 9

Zodiac: Mercury in Taurus, First Decan
Angelic Counterpart: Haziel
Element: Earth
King: Ziminar
Archangel: Uriel
Colours: Gold (Sun), Orange (Mercury), Green (Taurus), Greenish-Blue (Personally channeled)
Direction: West, North West

Sphere: Tiphareth
Incense: Frankincense
Stones: Any stone associated with the Sun, Lapis Lazuli
Metal: Gold

Experiences

1. The Noob and the King

The first actual ritual I ever performed in my life was an Evocation of Paimon (ambitious I know). I basically had no idea what I was doing. I had spent the week making a wand (not a proper symbolic wand, just a wand), and my circle, as well as a rough Triangle on white paper. I put my wand, and a dagger on the altar, along with a rough seal i’d drawn with pencil on black paper. Back then i didn’t know about incense, so I just used an incense stick. I could not find an incense holder, so I held up the stick with a bit of clay. I put it in the centre of the Triangle.

After that, I just did the LBRP, and the called out to The Spirit in various ways. I had not memorized any invocations (heck I barely remembered the LBRP), so I read out the Bornless Invocation, and then just called out in a language resembling that of the Goetia, but not quite so harsh and Abrahamic. I believed, and believe to this day, that “As Above, So Below” also means that if you call out to a Spirit/Deity/Demon/Angel expecting it to have evil and malice, you will certainly bring forth those emotions.

“Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself”, was said by the Buddha.

After about 30 mins, I’d begun to feel strange, but, being so new, i was expecting PHYSICAL manifestation (as in I expected a physical demon to appear in the tiny room. (In hindsight, if that had happened, I’d be scarred for life). So I kept calling.

To be honest, I think I wanted it to work, but really didn’t expect it to work. By this time I’d kind of lost faith. I was beginning to think it wouldn’t work since I’d not done everything according to the book. Despair and faithlessness began to take hold, and in my frustration, I shut my eyes in frustration and chant even more….

…and then I saw him, and nearly jumped out of my skin.

Or rather, I suddenly saw the vague shape of a man, robed, holding some kind of scepter in one hand, and a sword in another, with a face that looked like it was pale and elderly, but at the same time I had the sense of a more grand, beautiful figure adorned with jewelry. I was pretty terrified, since it only now dawned on me what I was truly doing. I hadn’t really thought this through, so I just asked for the first thing that came to mind, and promised to venerate him in art, in return.

I then closed gave the license to depart, and closed the ritual.

Over the next few days, I kept waiting for the request to be fulfilled, actively looking around me and being alert at all times. Naturally, it did not happen, and now I began to doubt magick itself. Eventually, I decided that it must not have worked, and then forgot about it. The moment I did, my request had been fulfilled within a few hours!

I was pretty amused, and excited at the same time. It did not manifest exactly as i’d wanted, and that’s when I realised that it was important to be very specific when you ask for stuff. Also, being so doubtful and paying attention is like admitting you don’t have faith in it, and so it won’t work. But I didn’t care, since this was my first practical success.

UPDATE (2019): I find it interesting that in the 2018 horror film “Hereditary”, they ended up depicting Paimon with a scepter too. Even though none of the public artwork of him has that. Then again, those guys used real Occult chants (and so probably called upon various energies, and probably poured their fear and horror into it, due to ignorance).

2. By the Book

The next time I evoked him, it had been some time since the first ritual. In this time I’d learnt a bit more about Magick, and had done some Planetary and Candle stuff, and made some oils, incenses and such. I’d also made a better Triangle, this time as a Black Mirror.

Now that I knew about associations, I burnt proper incense in a censer (Frankincense and Myrrh). I had a proper seal, drawn in Gold ink upon black paper (I have an article about seals, check it out!). I’d also made the Seal of Solomon, the one with Tetragrammaton on it. I did this invocation on the 4th moon Day, on a Sunday in the Hour of Sun.

On my altar i’d put a candle, the Seal, some Lapiz Lazuli and a Sun stone. Outside the circle was the Triangle, propped up and with the Incense in front of it. I had candles outside all four corners of the circle. As you can see, I went more by the Grimoire.

I did the LBRP, once again read the Bornless Invocation, and then did my calls, this time reading it from the Ars Goetia (meaning it was far more Abrahamic than I feel comfortable doing). At one point, from the corner of my eye I saw a little ball of light shoot across the room into the Triangle. Needless to say, it startled me and broke my trance, but I continued. In those days I had to struggle and be very still in order to maintain anything resembling a real trance.

Eventually he appeared, sort of, but not in the mirror, but a vague face reflected in the glass holder of the candle. I made the declaration that he should come when I call upon him in the future. I was under the assumption that such contact needed to be made before further interactions with a Spirit, not even realising that I’d already called him before and that counted as first contact. Medieval Grimoires truly are a poor resource for beginners, because they’re so muddled and confused themselves.

Again, the lack of manifestation disappointed me. I think at the time I was too concerned external things like signs of physical manifestation, the incantations, the incense and such.

I should mention now, even here, I did not use curse, constraints and such. Demons don’t like to be tied up and forced to listen to our problems. No one does really, least of all human beings.

And fair enough. Life is suffering for all, and no one has time to hear you whine.

I ended the ritual soon, having figured out many issues with it, and disappointed at the lack of proper contact.

I decided to ditch formal invocation and go with my heart, put out offerings, ditch the Bornless Invocation (for the time being), and not have so many candles. This was the middle of Indian summer, and I was sweating so much due to the heat I couldn’t have continued even if I wanted to.

3. An Experiment

The following Tuesday, hour of Sun, I decided to do an impromptu invocation. I wanted to see just how much I could strip away from the Grimoire ritual and still have it work.

This time I had no incense, just a candle, the Seal of Paimon, my wand and that’s it. I didn’t even use my physical circle, just cast one myself. I did this facing East too.

I did the LBRP, and then informally called out, saying what came to mind. It worked..well, sort of. I encountered two of the King’s princes, and got some questions answered. These were the ones mentioned in the Goetia: Labal and Abalim. I asked them a lot of questions, including questions of how to correctly perform rituals like this.

This experiment yielded some strange results, But that’s a story for another day. I was told not to do too much unplanned work for real results, as in try to do it on a Sunday, have incense and offerings, and at least my circle. At that point I was still new to magick, and I think I still needed all the external aid I could get. I was also told not to become to obsessed with formalities, and focus more on the Evocation itself than on the ritual.

After this I stayed off rituals for some time and focus on study. The next ritual I’d do would be the Samael Invocation, which is the first post I made on this blog!

4. Great…no, Grand Success!

I finally got success, and performed the ritual as I would like to.

This was done on Sunday, hour of Sun, Waxing Moon. I don’t remember which phase, but as a general rule of thumb I try to do it on the days mentioned in the Grimoire, so it must have been the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th or 14th day.

I had the incense, the candle, the stones, both Seals of the Spirit and of Solomon, the circle and the mirror, and an offering of Milk and Honey.

Before this ritual I listened too some Binaural beats corresponding to the Sun Frequency, to get into the corresponding trance.

After casting my circle and doing some initial declarations, I began to chant, calling the spirit. I kept calling, and chanting, slipping into trance.

After a bit, everything in the room suddenly creaked, as if the air pressure had dropped suddenly. I’d heard this was supposed to happen, so it was a good sign. I also felt kind of heavy. I took this as a sign that the spirit had arrived, so I reached out mentally, and could get a response.

Since it is a Spirit of Knowledge, I had some questions prepared that I asked him. This was the first time I used pen and paper to communicate, and that’s what I usually do these days, channeling the voice of the Spirit onto paper, and then projecting my conscious thoughts back to it.

I can’t write all of it here, but some of it would eventually help me prepare my anointing oil, and in my Invocation of Lucifer, and lots of other insight would come later. I’m reading through it as I write this, and I can see in hindsight there was some stuff I didn’t understand back then.

He did tell me about the supposed “ranking”, saying it was more complicated that just rank and number of legions a spirit ruled. As Kings, both Bael and Paimon were kind of equal, and the number simply referred to correspondences. They both had their functions, and though it may seem like it to us, he wasn’t “superior” to the other King simply due to having more legions.

UPDATE (2019): Bael is the same being as the Cannanite deity Ba’al.
The Bael of the Goetia is simply a lower aspect of the deity, that is reached through evocation. Ba’al is also important because he rules the Qliphoth called Harab Serapel (which is also a lower aspect of the God). Through proper Sumerian rites of Invocation, his higher cosmic form as the God of Fertility can be reached. For my evocation of Ba’al/Bael, click here.

It was then that I perceived that the shadows in the room were reflecting in such a way that it appeared as if a hooded figure was sitting cross legged from me. It was very vague, but still there.

I also asked questions about the nature of the Goetia, about offerings and such, as well as about the existence of the spirit itself, like “are you a demon, or a God” and “are you an independent being, can you go to ‘heaven'” and “is your existence similar to humans, but without a body?”

“I have lived many lives, in many places, as gods, as demons maybe. I cannot recall it chronologically. I am many things at once. You, to whom time is linear, cannot be made to understand this. Reality to me is different than to you. I am more than a mere thought form that exists in your head…”

I inquired further, and tried to make sense of it all. Of course, now I know a little more about it than I did back then, and am now realising how meaningless it is to ask about the “nature of existence” in such linear and physical terms.

It advised that instead on a Q/A session, one could also write out their intent and evoke the spirit, and ask for all the stuff to be answered later as insight or information that one comes across. I prefer to chat though.

He also said that he was most amused by humanity, and liked to converse with them, rather then just fulfill demands. Then again, he IS a Demon, so let’s put a pin on that for now. Remember, they are here to test us, and challenge us. Primarily, to make us pay our karmic dues, and in that process, both we and they evolve.

Update (2019): I now know that these things are more complicated. At the time I was a massive introvert. Paimon was trying to get me to open up, because he knew I was verbally gifted.
I enjoy conversation too, but I was too shy back then to realise that. Now I understand that King Paimon’s nature is very similar to my own personality, which is why I was drawn to him in the first place. Many spirits, deities and angels I’ve evoked and invoked don’t have that affinity for communication. Paimon is unique in this.

5. Good Business

This ritual was much the same as the previous, in terms of altar and invocation, done a few months after. This time I tried some thicker incense, and no mirror. I also put some anointing oil this time, and had both seals of Solomon (including the one with the Hexagram).

I remember there was a gust of wind and distant thunder when I was doing the ritual calls.

One difference would be that this time, I would keep the Spirit’s seals face down, until he gave sign of arrival, and then turn it, symbolically making the spirit appear. I was also wearing a silver ring, and ritual garb.

The smoke was thick enough for him to appear in it, almost androgynous this time. The vibe you get from him is similar to what you’d get if you met a scholar, appearing as a hooded fgure, with long hair falling around his shoulders. I almost regarded him as a “acquaintance” of sorts, and he did that same. In fact, I think my greeting was “Hello, old Friend” and he said “Hello, Magician”.

~~Yeah, in hindsight….I suggest not doing that to any old spirit you invoke.~~

This time I made a simple contract, and gave a more “intense offering”.What i’d wanted manifested quite exponentially, and before the night was up! I was pretty satisfied this time. Finally.

I have done one more evocation since then, and this time the spirit was wearing a traditional Arabic crown, and looked more like a King, with longish hair.

So there you have it. How I went from a novice to doing a successful evocation. It’s been quite some time since then. These days I’ve found far easier and effective ways of controlling my life and reality, without having to barter with the Goetia. Nonetheless, I do have a connection to this particular Spirit.

But I know how Goetic magick is one of the most tempting aspects of Magick, and I was very deeply interested in it for a long time, so I decided to write this little post. I think it’s safe to say most magicians begin with Goetia, and in the beginning there is a strong obsession with it, before your mind slowly reaches a state of more calm.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with it, but at the end of the day you have to train the Will to be steady and focused, to achieve your own goals without using magick as a crutch. When that happens, magick becomes integrated into life, and is more than just a tool. The Goetic spirits too, have a much more important role as spirits of knowledge, inspiration and insight. Fulfilling pacts is one of the more minor things they do, as Paimon informed me.

UPDATE (2019): These days, I rely on Goetic spirits mainly for knowledge or information. Guidance too at times. Because of their nature, they are more like humans than many other higher beings, like Gods. Maybe it’s because of their extensive interaction with humanity, but they seem to understand our unique perspective far better than most other Orders. having said that, I rely more on planetary magick than anything else. But Goetia has it’s place, and it is extremely good for magicians who are starting out.

I hope you enjoyed reading it, as I enjoyed writing it. 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 next time.

~White Raven.

Tetahatia: Armadel Invocation

September 10, 2016June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, armadel, focus, god, gray magick, grimoire, invocation, kabbalah, magic, magick, middle path, new age, pagan, protection, religion, seals, solomon, Spells, spirit, spirituality, tetahatia, white raven, wicca5 Comments

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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

Until Next Time
~White Raven

Why Your Magick Seems to be Failing

August 17, 2016June 11, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, doesn't, evocation, failing, focus, guide, implements, intent, invocation, kabbalah, magic, magick, masturbation, new age, not working, Occult, pagan, religion, ritual, sex, sexuality, Spells, spirit, spirituality, universe, wicca, work10 Comments

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.

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.

Things 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.

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.

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

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!

August 3, 2016July 24, 2020Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, devil, evocation, five pointed, god, guide, hermeticism, invocation, kabbalah, LHP, magic, magick, new age, Occult, pagan, pentagram, religion, RHP, ritual, seals, solomon, Spells, spirit, spirituality, wicca, witchcraft14 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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:

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

Samael: An Almadel Invocation

May 9, 2016November 25, 2021Posted in UncategorizedTagged Angel, Archangel, demon, evocation, hermeticism, invocation, kabbalah, magic, magick, new age, religion, samael, spirituality16 Comments

Written May 9th, 2016 | Edited: 25th February 2019

Bear in Mind that everything written here was written by a young, novice occultist who was just starting to write.

A few weeks ago I did an invocation of Samael, and it was also my first experience working with the Armadel. If you want to know more about it, try the Grimoire of Armadel by S.L. Mathers.

The invocation was done on Tuesday in the Hour of Mars during the waxing Moon. I do pretty much all my magick, except bindings/exorcisms, during the waxing moon. I’m a non traditional person, so I did not follow the working EXACTLY as it was prescribed in the book, instead taking John Dee’s advice on following your heart and doing what your gut tells you when invoking angels. I think this is a good title for my first blog post, and I hope you find it informative.

EDIT (2019): Generally following the gut instinct is good. I am a very traditional practitioner these days, but it also happens so that many Grimoires have incomplete or misleading information in them, and are heavily influenced by personal bias. However, the Armadel is not one of those. On the other hand, many grimoires, like this one, have needlessly long rituals and formalities that are not needed for a modern practitioner who knows what he is doing.

Who is Archangel Samael?

The first thing before any invocation is getting a good background on the spirit being invoked, and luckily for me, I’ve read about and worked with Samael since the beginning. Mythology often is not a record of stuff that literally happened, but stories our ancestors wrote in an attempt to understand and explain the natures of beings on higher planes, but which often ended up altered and corrupted over the ages.

EDIT (2019): All “workings” I had prior to this were mostly meditations and channeling. None of it should be considered on the same level as an actual Invocation. I largely did not know what would happen either.

In the Talmud, he is the ruler of the fifth (sometimes seventh) Heaven, and the Angel of War and of Glory, who rules over the Planet Ma’adim (Mars), although on the Tree of Life the ruler of Mars is Kamael. He is part of the heavenly host, but also rules Death.

Samael means “the venom of God” in Hebrew. In the story of Adam and Eve, Samael is the Serpent who tempted Eve into eating the fruit, so naturally they equated him to Satan/Lucifer. The reason his name varies is because all of this stuff was taken from many different sources. I’m not going to get into the history of these two religions, but in the Serpent story he is specifically called Samael, not Satan or Lucifer (the Eden story is much older than the more recent rebellion story, going back to Mesopotamia).

It is written that he later left the Garden and became Lilith’s consort, and they had a son, the Angel Sariel. There’s many later stories of him, but most of these came around AFTER all the drama that happened to Christianity in the late Roman Empire.

EDIT (2019): The account I had given of Samael is derived from different sources both archaic and contemporary. The story of HIM being the Serpent largely comes from the meditations of Sufi saints. The Judeo-Christian mythology has many versions and interpretations.

At other times in Hebrew lore, he is known as the Angel of Death, whose job is to collect souls of the dead. He also plays the role of “accuser” and “destroyer”. There are three other stories of him I found.

One, where Jacob, an important Biblical figure, saw him in the highest heaven, tall and with burning eyes, and was informed by Metatron that this was the Angel of Death, Samael. This comes from the Book of Enoch. He is the Angel who protected Esau

He is also the one who stopped Abraham from killing his son, although in the Bible it does not mention Samael by name. I believe this interpretation comes from Samael Aun Weor.

He was said in Rabbinical writings to be the patron of Edom/Rome. Naturally this is false, because the Romans were pagans, and did not pray to angels. I think this might be because Samael was the Angel of War, and the patron of Rome was Mars, the God of War.

I guess the Rabbis, being Abrahamic, equated Mars to Samael. Also, since it is said the Romans crucified Christ, I guess this was a good way to put them in bad light. Remember, by now Samael was already equated to Satan and Lucifer, and this way they could make it sound like the Romans worshiped Satan himself (ah, glorious misinformation).

Now, to the occult. As I said, Samael rules Mars, but is not on the Tree of Life (he’s on the Qliphoth though. This might hint at his role in ruling the “darker” aspect of Geburah), or even in the Shamharphorasch. Kamael rules the sphere of Geburah, which happens to be associated to Mars, but there’s still space for flexibility.

Samael has become pretty important as an Archangel distinct from Kamael to modern occultists, especially since he is part of the seven Archangels in Armadel, and is said to rule over the occult, magick, jurisprudence (fancy word for legal studies) and necromancy, and is also a protector against evil and threats (in the Christian occult sense, he was said to be the protector of missionaries in foreign lands).

EDIT (2019): This may be because Samael has inherently “foreign” or alien qualities about him. Being both an entity of Darkness and Light, he would be associated with both the Known and Unknown. Protector in a foreign land is pretty good archetype to assign to him.

He is the Angel of Death, Destruction and Wisdom (also Lust and War) and I think he suits the planet Mars, but suits Saturn too. The God Mars was also known to be a bit of a rebellious kid, so I feel Samael too, rules of rebellion, liberation and freedom. After all, rebellion is often violent, and his might be the source of the story of Lucifer’s Rebellion and the subsequent War in Heaven.

An interesting thing of note is that he is both ruling over Wisdom and Death. I could not help but think about how the Hindu God of Death, Yama, is also known to be very Wise.
The idea that there is wisdom after death is common. And the Serpent of Wisdom and the Serpent of Destruction are also a common occult themes (think of the Caduceus)

He’s basically the average emo teenager’s dream. Before the occult, I too was an emo teen, so I guess now you know how I got drawn to Samael.

EDIT (2019): I was never emo, just very interested in spirituality, but never content with organised religion.

The Altar

The altar that is given in the Almadel, is for use in evocation. Since this was an invocation, I did not make a physical almadel, which is basically a wax altar with stuff written on it. Instead, I just took my altar table and laid it out for Samael. I don’t have a picture of it, but this is what was on it:

My dagger and wand
Samael’s seals (I made both of the seals from the book, one round, one square)
Incense
A red candle
A Black Feather
A Red Stone

I had actually made two swords out of cardboard just for fun, years ago. I placed these of either side. You can probably put a real sword, knife or dagger.

EDIT (2019): All you really you need is one Seal, maybe with the Angel’s special behind it, a red candle, a circle and some incense. For Samael, some iron might be nice too.
Everything else is optional. Do what feels right, build a space that will help you Invoke. Remember, these are simply to aid YOU, not help them come. They come when called.

The Incense and Seals

The incense I used was of the Martian variety. So in other words I just threw in Martian herbs in a mortar and pestle until I was satisfied. Most are common kitchen ingredients. I put in:

Chilly Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Cardamom
Red Chilli, dired and ground
Ginger
Garlic
Coffee (Samael seems to like coffee)

After it was on the charcoal, I also added a few drops of Basil Essential Oil.

For angels, incense in enough. They don’t care if you give them food, as they are not Gods. You can choose to give alcohol, whiskey in this case, but I didn’t.

EDIT (2019): Offer whatever you can. Be generous. It’s not about the offering, it’s about gratitude, and the willingness to sacrifice. These things extend way beyond just Rituals. A poor man who will share his bread with you is more virtuous than the millionaire who has to unwillingly decide to give you the last sip from his day old bottle of champagne. This is Jupiterian law.

Now for the seals. I made both seals on some cartridge paper. I made them both in the Hour of Mars.

The Invocation

I did not follow the actual language of the Almadel, instead choosing to just call out to Samael. I listened to some binaural beats with the frequency of Mars.

I stared into the flame, entered a trance, and then just began chanting whatever came to mind. I can’t recall exactly, but it was a Hymn for Samael. I did not track what I said, but that’s fine. It’s your choice really, you can chant like this, memorise official invocations, or just do whatever feels right or is part of your own tradition. The best would be hymns and mantras, be they your own, channeled, or historical. There is nothing wrong with ready out of a paper either. Angels tend to come immediately, and so did Samael.

Samael’s Visit

So first of all, he scolded me about a bunch of stuff I was doing wrong, specifically when I asked for guidance. He said I had to stop obsessing over divination and try to do my own thing more. I asked him some personal things too, and this being an invocation, I also gained many things and insights that have helped me on my path, some during the invocation, and some after. He also told me to be strong and overcome my fears. I’m not going to talk too much about the personal stuff, but about more generic stuff.

His energy feels hot, intense, and powerful, like a warrior, but it’s also got a sense of liberation to it, as if you’re a freedom fighter, and you just defeated your oppressors. On the other hand, he also gives off the feeling of a wise Hermit, who has seen a lot and has a lot to teach. I actually asked him to help me learn certain things too, and so far I have had good results.

I’m going to clear out the devil myths too. I asked him straight up if he was Satan. He said no, that’s just Church propaganda. Was he Lucifer? He said there was indeed a being by that name, but he was not him. He said he was not Azazel either, or a Goetic king, or even a demonic king. At the time I forgot about the Qliphoth.

He said people have a tendency to succumb to greed, and tend to use his power’s for evil. He does teach necromancy, magick and calling on him can make you energised and give you fighting strength. It’s easy to see how all these things can be used for harming others. THAT’S the meaning behind the Eden story. He can lead you to wisdom, but one can be tempted to use that knowledge and power for Evil, as many often do (cough the media cough the politicians). War and revolution too, though they led to death and destruction, were necessary for Universal balance.

EDIT (2019): Samael is indeed a Ruler of the Qliphoth, as well as the Archangel of Mars. Samael is considered the Highest among the Qliphoth, over even the sphere Thaumiel. Given how the Qliphoth is generally said to be the result of unbalanced forces in Geburah, this has a lot of implications.
Secondly, the Eden story means FAR more than just this. But the simplest way to put it is this: Kamael is the Archangel of Geburah, while Samael is the archangel of Mars. The Sephirothic angels and Planetary angels can differ in some cases.

So, did he hate us and want us to commit evil? Of course not, he, like all the other Archangels, played a certain role and wanted to help. He also reminded me that “good” and “evil” are just a matter of perspective, and from his perspective the Universe looked very, very different than what it looked like to us. For example, a pacifist might say War is evil, a pro life activist might say Death is evil, a fundamentalist Christian might say knowledge is evil, and to the layman, the word necromancy sounds evil and deranged.

He also played another role, which was to guide the dead souls.

He told me there were no “rulers” of planets, and both he and Kamael were associated with Mars, much like both Michael Jackson and David Bowie were associated with Music. But do either of them rule music? No, even if you call them King of Pop. Music is it’s own thing. However, Kamael is the Angel of Geburah, not Samael.

After that I thanked him and ended the ritual.

There is one important thing I have learned from him, which is protective shielding, but i’ll go into that some other time.

EDIT (2019): At the time, I was not capable of understanding anything beyond this fairly crude metaphor. Of course, multiple Beings can be assigned to the same Sephiroth/Planet. I did not understand at the time that all these were simply systems of correspondence. Also, for protection click here or here or here.

So, I guess this is it for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this rather long post. It’s my first post, and I appreciate feedback, so I can improve my future posts. Farewell for now. You can also follow me on Instagram @WhiteRavenMagus