Consecrations of Solomonic Linens, Tablet of Lights, Aspergillum, Incense, Scrying Crystal, and a Crucifix of Art

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Since today is the last waxing-Mooned Day of Mercury of the Lunar month before the Moon returns to its waning phase, it is a big day for me as a Solomonic magician. I did no less than 4 hours of ritual today, divided between three Hours of Mercury with some additional time thereafter in each case for supplementary prayers. In addition to that, I fasted throughout the day and did additional prayers and singing in between Hours of Mercury while crafting Solomonic tools and painting my Solomonic Circle.

I woke up before Dawn, performed a Ritual Bathing, in the Sufi Ghusl method I have long used, ate a small meal of toast with peanut butter and an apple, and prepared my tools for the first Hour of Mercury.

During the First Hour of Mercury, I consecrated a series of incenses as Holy Incense following the Key of Solomon method, with suffumigations, purifications with Solomonic Holy Water, and anointing with Solomonic Holy Oil.

I also consecrated the Tablet of Lights used in Balthazar’s Solomonic candle magic methodology, which I plan to experiment with in its fusion of Solomonic methods with Hoodoo/Conjure techniques, as well as a secondary plate for drawing circles on the Tablet of Lights that I call the Plate of Circles.

In addition, I consecrated the Solomonic Linens to wrap these two tools. Over the Incense, Tablet of Lights, Plate of Circles, and Linens, I prayed Psalms 72, 118, 124, and the Benedicite Omnia Opera.

In the Second Hour of Mercury, I inscribed the Sigils and Names of God as given in the Key of Solomon‘s Book II, Chapter 20 method for the linens in a number of separate wrappings to be used for all of my Solomonic tools. I also cut the Aspergillum used for sprinkling water according to Key of Solomon’s Book II, Chapter 11 method and blessed and consecrated it as well.

Between the Second and Third Hours of Mercury, I continued to paint the gold around my Solomonic Circle:

Finally, in the Third Hour of Mercury, I Solomonically consecrated a Gold-plated zinc-alloy Crucifix of Art to be worn around my neck for protection during the exorcism of Soror C.R. that I will soon be performing… I hand cleansed it with soapy water before I consecrated it, then suffumigated it, cleansed it with Holy Water, anointed it with Holy Oil, and recited the exorcisms, blessings, and Psalms over it.

Finally, also during this Hour, I Solomonically consecrated my Scrying Crystal for use in the invocation and evocation of Angelic beings and the seeing of Holy visions, suffumigating, sprinkling, and anointing it as with the Crucifix of Art.

All in all, it has been a very exhausting, but beautiful day. I saw sparks around the Circle at times, and felt like my heart opened up more in faith and loving devotion. Preparing and consecrating each of these tools according to the grimoire is an act of devotion, of faith, of love, and of magic in its own right.

These rites should not be rushed through, but done with presence, care, and due consideration, for as the pseudo-Agrippa, the author of the Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy, points out, grimoiric magic strongly relies on the consecrations used to invest the tools with Spirits of their own according to their shamanistic roots:

“And now we come to treat of the Consecrations which, men ought to make upon all instruments and things necessary to be used in this Art: and the virtue of this Consecration most chiefly consists in two things; to wit, in the power of the person consecrating, and by the virtue of the prayer by which the Consecration is made.

For in the person consecrating, there is required holiness of Life, and power of sanctifying: both which are acquired by Dignification and Initiation. And that the person himself should with a firm and undoubted faith believe the virtue, power, and efficacie hereof.

And then in the Prayer itself by which this Consecration is made, there is required the like holiness; which either solely consisteth in the prayer itself, as, if it be by divine inspiration ordained to this purpose, such as we have in many places of the holy Bible; or that it be hereunto instituted through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the ordination of the Church.

Otherwise there is in the Prayer a Sanctimony, which is not only by itself, but by the commemoration of holy things; as, the commemoration of holy Scriptures, Histories, Works, Miracles, Effects, Graces, Promises, Sacraments and Sacramental things, and the like. Which things, by a certain similitude, do seem properly or improperly to appertain to the thing consecrated.”

~ The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy

 

Consecration Ritual for a Solomonic Lighter of the Art

By Frater S.C.F.V.

One idea I had on this past waxing-Mooned Day of Mercury was to make a Solomonic Lighter of the Art.

To go about it, I painted a barbecue lighter white during the Hour of Mercury on the Day of Mercury when the Moon was waxing.

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HELPFUL TIP: Should  you choose to craft your own Lighter of the Art, I recommend leaving a little space unpainted around the switches that activate the fire in the lighter. If you paint too closely to the switches, paint can slip into the grooves and render the switches unmovable and the lighter, unusable. I learned this lesson the hard way; paint got into the grooves, the switches ceased to function, and I had to start over with a second lighter. How often our magical wisdom grows from foolish mistakes…

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For this method, having painted the handle of a barbecue lighter white or eggshell white acrylic paint, you will need:

• Consecrated Solomonic Holy Water
• Consecrated Pen/Marker of the Art (see this post for my method for consecrating it)
• Consecrated Solomonic Holy Oil (see this link for my method for making it),
• Consecrated Solomonic Odoriferous Spices (Incense),
• Consecrated Solomonic Linen or Silk in which to wrap the finished tool
• An Altar, Holy Table, or Table of Practice on which to work as well as a Seat, Chair, or Stool on which to sit (recommended, but not required)
• A Solomonic Circle like the one in the Key of Solomon, a temporary chalk-traced Solomonic Circle, or a Circle traced in the Earth with a Black-Handled Dagger if you have one (my Circle, shown in an unfinished state in this picture is a combination of the Key of Solomon’s Consecration Circle and the Goetia of the Lemegeton‘s Circle, and contains all of the Divine Names in both)

Having prepared all of these things on a prior date, place all of your tools in the Circle and begin the operation in the Hour of Mercury on the Day of Mercury (Wednesday) when the Moon is waxing.

HELPFUL TIP: To determine the current Moon phase, see this site. To determine the Planetary Hours for a given day, calculate them yourself or use this site.

EXORCISM AND CONSECRATION OF THE SOLOMONIC LIGHTER OF THE ART

Sprinkle the Lighter with Holy Water, suffumigate with consecrated Incense, and anoint it with consecrated Holy Oil and say:

I exorcise thee, O Creature of Fire, by Him through Whom all things have been made, so that every kind of Phantasm may retire from thee, and be unable to harm or deceive in any way, through the Invocation of the Most High Creator of all. Amen.

After this thou shalt add:–

I exorcise thee, O Creature of the Lighter, by Him Who alone hath created all things by His Word, and by the virtue of Him Who is pure truth, that thou cast out from thee every Phantasm, Perversion, and Deceit of the Enemy, and may the Virtue and Power of God enter into thee, so that thou mayest give us light, and chase far from us all fear or terror. Amen.

Draw these characters with the Pen of the Art:

Bless the Lighter of the Art:

Bless, O Lord All Powerful, and All Merciful, this Creature of Fire, so that being blessed by Thee, it may be for the honour and glory of Thy Most Holy Name, so that it may work no hindrance or evil unto those who use it. Through Thee, O Eternal and Almighty Lord, and through Thy Most Holy Name. Amen.

This being done, suffumigate the Lighter of the Art with the Spices of the Art once more, sprinkle it with the Holy Water, and anoint with the Holy Oil.

After this thou shalt repeat over the Lighter of Art, the following Psalms:

Psalm 150

¹ Hallelujah!

Praise El in his holy place.
Praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his mighty acts. Praise him for his immense greatness.
³ Praise him with sounds from horns. Praise him with harps and lyres.
⁴ Praise him with tambourines and dancing.Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
⁵ Praise him with loud cymbals. Praise him with crashing cymbals.

⁶ Let everything that breathes praise Yah!

Hallelujah!

Psalm 117

¹ Praise YHVH, all you nations! Praise him, all you people of the world!
² His mercy toward us is powerful.
YHVH’s faithfulness endures forever.

Then pray over the Lighter of the Art:

O Lord God, Who governest all things by Thine Almighty Power, give unto me, a poor sinner, understanding and knowledge to do only that which is agreeable unto Thee; grant unto me to fear, adore, love, praise, and give thanks unto Thee with true and sincere faith and perfect charity. Grant, O Lord, before I die, and descend into the realms beneath, and before the fiery flame shall devour me, that Thy Grace may not leave me, O Lord of my Soul. Amen.

After this thou shalt sprinkle it with the Water of the Art, and incense them with the usual perfumes, and anoint with the Oil a final time. Then wrap the Lighter of the Art in a consecrated Silk or Linen of the Art.

***

And each time thou shalt wish to kindle this Lighter of the Art thou shalt say:–

I exorcise thee, O Creature of Fire, in the Name of the Sovereign and Eternal Lord, by His Ineffable Name, which is YOD, HE, VAU, HE; by the Name IAH; and by the Name of Power EL; that thou mayest enlighten the heart of all the Spirits which we shall call unto this Circle, so that they may appear before us without fraud and deceit through Him Who hath created all things.

A Final Note on the Sigils Used in the Method

As a final note, when I shared this method with my esteemed Solomonic colleagues, it was very well-received by all but the most hyper-traditionalists who preferred to fumble over flint rather than to benefit from a more efficient way to spark the same “Creature of Fire” used to light the Candles and Incense of the Art.

Personally, having tested both the traditional flint and the consecrated Lighter of the Art, I haven’t found any magical difference in efficacy or potency from using the former rather than the latter. On the contrary, since the Lighter of the Art has an added layer of consecrations and Sigil-based empowerment to it, it seems to have proven even more effective than the flint in my experience.

For a sampling of some of the interesting feedback I received, the learned Mr. Christopher Hartleigh Low said the rationale of method made sense to him as he had already turned a Zippo into a Solar talisman. The equally learned Mr. Aaron Leitch asked if the Sigils used were the Sigils on the Candle in the Key of Solomon were of Wax Angels or Fire Angels. My response was that although I had consulted multiple manuscripts and secondary sources, I was unable to find a definitive answer as to the derivational origins of these sigils in my research. In terms of reputable secondary sources, Joseph H. Peterson’s edition sadly didn’t have any footnotes clarifying the sigils given here.

It’s worth noting that the Sigils used in this method are identical to those used on the Solomonic Candle of the Art in the Key of Solomon Book II, Chapter 12, which is what prompted Mr. Leitch’s very fair question. Although I’m open to evidence to the contrary, it seems to me that these sigils are a mixture of sigils for Angels governing both Wax and Fire since they appear in the Grimoire in a context that provides exorcisms and blessings of both “Creatures of Wax” and “Creatures of Fire.”

If so, then the Fire Angels can watch over the lighting of the Candles and Incense and the Wax Angels can add their power and influence to the lighting of the Candles by virtue of the Wax that melts during the lighting. If, as it turns out, the sigils entirely pertain to Wax Spirits, then they can still exercise the latter virtue. In any case, following the grimoire, I re-exorcise the Fire each time I light a candle or incense anyway.

 

Hebrew Errors in the Circle in Mathers’ Key of Solomon Book 2, Chapter 9

this site While I’ve been doing intensive research in various manuscripts of the Key of Solomon and Lemegeton and working on my Circle, I’ve been learning some fascinating things, in some cases discovering errors that I haven’t seen mentioned in any other sources.

For example, in Book 2, Chapter 9 of Mathers’ Key of Solomon, Mathers’ diagram shows the Hebrew text of “Who is like unto thee, oh YHVH?” from Exodus 15:11 added in the second Band of the Circle.

However, in almost every source I’ve seen, and in both Mathers’ original presentation and Mr. Donald Tyson’s presentation thereof in Serpent of Wisdom, there are many mistakes in the Hebrew given for this verse (this site quotes the erroneous text as a transliterated “MI KMIK BALIM IHVH”, for instance).

I looked the passage up in the Hebrew Tanakh to verify and in case anyone else is constructing a Circle and wants to include this verse, here is the correct Hebrew as it should be written, shown in the context of the full verse from the Hebrew Tanakh:

If you compare with the transliterated text “MI KMIK BALIM IHVH” that Mr. Tyson and Graycloak Grimoires provided above, you’ll notice the following errors:

1. An unnecessary and additional Yod in “KMIK,” which should rather be given as Kaph-Mem-Kaph-Heh and would be transliterated “KMKH” in English.

2. A word-final Kaph in “KMIK,” which should instead be a Heh, giving KMKH, as explained in point 1.

3. “BALIM” is fairly close to the actual Hebrew, but it contains a superfluous Yod once more. “BALM” would be a more accurate English transliteration.

4. “IHVH” is fine, but I personally prefer “YHVH” as the English transliteration of that word.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone who would like to use the verse in their own Circle. In my own, I used the corrected Hebrew text, which I integrated into the Goetia Circle.

Here is a picture of my Circle in an incomplete stage along the process of constructing it, which shows how the corrected and rectified Hebrew text of Exodus 15:11 was integrated into the tail of the ouroboric Serpent, which I corrected with its tail properly placed in its mouth following a suggestion from the wise Dr. Stephen Skinner:

As a final note, when I shared these corrections in my friend Mr. Aaron Leitch’s Solomonic group, many members agreed with them and were grateful for them. Indeed, the post was approved by Dr. Skinner himself. However, some members wondered if it would be better to integrate the corrupted Hebrew in order to stick “closer to the Grimoires” or correct it as I did.

Personally, I am against sticking to the Grimoires’ erroneous Hebrew out of a misplaced devotion to erroneous ‘traditionalism’ when the errors can be easily corrected and very much in favour of making the corrections.

There are at least three very good reasons for proceeding in this way.

1. First, as my Medievalist scholar friends like to point out, few people in England and Britain in the Medieval and early Renaissance period spoke Hebrew, and as a result, their Hebrew tended to be very corrupted, and such sketchy Hebrew therefore made it into the Grimoires.
2. Second, practical experience has revealed that using correct Hebrew is more magically potent, simply because in this way, the invocations, conjurations, and Names used actually reflect their proper way of being written and the power contained therein. This is true both from a traditional magic perspective and from as diverse-seeming a perspective as the yogic view that mantras are not simply symbols of Divine powers, but rather are those powers in instantiated form.

   Therefore, if the Words of Power are riddled with errors, then their potency is reduced and conversely, if correctly written or intoned, their powers are augmented. There is no need to take my word for this point, or the words of the traditional Masters from both the Grimoiric and yogic traditions, however; it is enough to try both the correct Hebrew and the garbled Hebrew in ritual and see which produces more efficacious results.

3. The original Grimoire writers did the best they could and that their mistakes are unintentional. If so, then correcting them is actually more in line with their original intentions than leaving them uncorrected; if they knew better, they wouldn’t have included the errors. So far, no Spirits have objected to this rationale, so it works for me.

That’s my view on the matter, but feel free to experiment and come to your own conclusions, dear friends. 🙂

 

Consecrations of Solomonic Holy Water, Holy Oil, Pens of the Art, and a Lighter of the Art

Date: April 18, 2018

Time:  7:33 – 8:04 A.M.

Sun Phase: The First and Second Hours of Mercury on the Day of Mercury

Moon Phase: Waxing

Planetary Day: Day of Mercury

Planetary Hour: Hour of Jupiter into Hour of Mars

Activities: Consecration of Solomonic Holy Water, Consecration of the Bottle of Art, Consecration of Solomonic Holy Oil, Consecration of Solomonic Pens of the Art, and Consecration of a Solomonic Light of the Art, all following Key of Solomon methodologies

I woke up, did a ritual bathing according to the Sufi ghusl formula, and then exorcised and consecrated Solomonic Holy Water in the first Hour of Mercury on the Day of Mercury before placing it in a consecrated bottle wrapped in consecrated linen, all prepared according to the Key of Solomon’s instructions.

I then finished the Hebrew lettering and Medieval calligraphy on my Solomonic Circle:

In the second Hour of Mercury, in the afternoon, I consecrated Solomonic Holy Oil. My method here is a combination of Frater Asterion’s, Key of Solomon formulae, and ideas from the Heptameron and Book of Raziel:

CONSECRATION OF THE BOTTLE OF THE ART IN WHICH THOU WILT PLACE THE OIL

First, have handy the consecrated Holy Water and Odoriferous Spices (Incense). Take the Bottle of Art to be used and suffumigate it and sprinkle it with Holy Water.

Then say:

I exorcise thee, O Spirit impure and unclean, thou who art a hostile Phantom, in the Name of God, that thou quit this Bottle, thou and all thy deceits, that they may be consecrated and sanctified in the name of God Almighty. May the Holy Spirit of God grant protection and virtue unto those who use this Bottle of Art; and may the hostile and evil Spirit and Phantom never be able to enter therein, through the Ineffable Name of God Almighty. Instead, may the Holy Spirit of Adonai use this Creatures of Bottles to add Divine Potency and Holiness to all that all Creatures of Oil, Water, or other Holy Substances Placed Therein. Amen.

Bless and sprinkle with Water, Oil, and Suffumigate with Incense saying the following conjuration three times:

Hamiel, hel, miel, ciel, joviel, Nasnia, magde Tetragrammaton. O powerful God, grant the prayers of those who invoke you, and bless these small vials prepared in your honor, through all your works. Amen.

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CONSECRATION OF SOLOMONIC HOLY OIL

Have on hand the consecrated Bottle, Holy Water, and Odoriferous Spices (Incense) as well as a consecrated Silk or Linen in which to wrap the Bottle of consecrated Oil.

Suffumigate the oil, sprinkle holy water on it and say:

I exorcise thee, O Creature of Oil, by Him Who hath created the plants by which thou wast made, that thou doth empower and infuse with the Blessing of the Most High and render Holy and Hallowed all that thou annointeth, and that thou uncover all the deceits of the Enemy, and that thou cast out from thee all the impurities and uncleannesses of the Spirits of the World of Phantasm, so they may harm me not, through the virtue of God Almighty Who liveth and reigneth unto the Ages of the Ages. Amen.

Say the 7 Penitential Psalms: 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, 142:

Psalm 6

O YHVH, do not punish me in your anger     or discipline me in your rage. ² Have pity on me, O YHVH, because I am weak.     Heal me, O YHVH, because my bones shake with terror. ³ My soul has been deeply shaken with terror.     But you, O YHVH, how long . . . ?

⁴ Come back, O YHVH.     Rescue me.     Save me because of your mercy! ⁵ In death, no one remembers you.     In the grave, who praises you?

⁶ I am worn out from my groaning.     My eyes flood my bed every night.     I soak my couch with tears. ⁷ My eyes blur from grief.     They fail because of my enemies.

⁸ Get away from me, all you troublemakers,     because YHVH has heard the sound of my crying. ⁹         YHVH has heard my plea for mercy.         YHVH accepts my prayer. ¹⁰ All my enemies will be put to shame and deeply shaken with terror.     In a moment they will retreat and be put to shame.

Psalm 31

I have taken refuge in you, O YHVH.     Never let me be put to shame.         Save me because of your righteousness. ²         Turn your ear toward me.         Rescue me quickly.         Be a rock of refuge for me,             a strong Metsuda to save me. ³ Indeed, you are my rock and my Metsuda.     For the sake of your name, lead me and guide me. ⁴         You are my refuge,             so pull me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me. ⁵ Into your hands I entrust my spirit.     You have rescued me, O YHVH, El of truth.

⁶ I hate those who cling to false gods, but I trust YHVH. ⁷ I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.     You have seen my misery.     You have known the troubles in my soul. ⁸ You have not handed me over to the enemy.     You have set my feet in a place where I can move freely.

⁹ Have pity on me, O YHVH, because I am in distress.     My eyes, my soul, and my body waste away from grief. ¹⁰ My life is exhausted from sorrow,     my years from groaning.     My strength staggers under the weight of my guilt,         and my bones waste away. ¹¹ I have become a disgrace because of all my opponents.     I have become someone dreaded by my friends,         even by my neighbors.             Those who see me on the street run away from me. ¹² I have faded from memory as if I were dead     and have become like a piece of broken pottery. ¹³ I have heard the whispering of many people—     terror on every side—         while they made plans together against me.             They were plotting to take my life.

¹⁴ I trust you, O YHVH.     I said, “You are my Elohim.”

¹⁵ My future is in your hands.     Rescue me from my enemies, from those who persecute me. ¹⁶ Smile on me.     Save me with your mercy. ¹⁷ O YHVH, I have called on you, so do not let me be put to shame.     Let wicked people be put to shame.     Let them be silent in the grave. ¹⁸ Let their lying lips be speechless,     since they speak against righteous people with arrogance and contempt.

¹⁹ Your kindness is so great!     You reserve it for those who fear you.         Adam’s descendants watch             as you show it to those who take refuge in you. ²⁰ You hide them in the secret place of your presence     from those who scheme against them.     You keep them in a shelter,         safe from quarrelsome tongues. ²¹ Thank YHVH!     He has shown me the miracle of his mercy         in a city under attack. ²² When I was panic-stricken, I said,     “I have been cut off from your sight.”     But you heard my pleas for mercy when I cried out to you for help. ²³ Love YHVH, all you godly ones!     YHVH protects faithful people,         but he pays back in full those who act arrogantly. ²⁴ Be strong, all who wait with hope for YHVH,     and let your heart be courageous.

Psalm 37

¹ Do not be preoccupied with evildoers.     Do not envy those who do wicked things. ² They will quickly dry up like grass     and wither away like green plants. ³ Trust YHVH, and do good things.     Live in the land, and practice being faithful. ⁴ Be happy with YHVH,     and he will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Entrust your ways to YHVH.     Trust him, and he will act on your behalf. ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like a light,     your just cause like the noonday sun. ⁷ Surrender yourself to YHVH, and wait patiently for him.     Do not be preoccupied with an evildoer who succeeds in his way         when he carries out his schemes. ⁸ Let go of anger, and leave rage behind.     Do not be preoccupied.         It only leads to evil. ⁹ Evildoers will be cut off from their inheritance,     but those who wait with hope for YHVH will inherit the land.

¹⁰ In a little while a wicked person will vanish.     Then you can carefully examine where he was,         but there will be no trace of him. ¹¹ Oppressed people will inherit the land     and will enjoy unlimited peace. ¹² The wicked person plots against a righteous one     and grits his teeth at him. ¹³ Adonay laughs at him     because he has seen that his time is coming. ¹⁴ Wicked people pull out their swords and bend their bows     to kill oppressed and needy people,     to slaughter those who are decent. ¹⁵ But their own swords will pierce their hearts,     and their bows will be broken. ¹⁶ The little that the righteous person has is better     than the wealth of many wicked people. ¹⁷ The arms of wicked people will be broken,     but YHVH continues to support righteous people. ¹⁸ YHVH knows the daily struggles of innocent people.     Their inheritance will last forever. ¹⁹ They will not be put to shame in trying times.     Even in times of famine they will be satisfied. ²⁰ But wicked people will disappear.     YHVH’s enemies will vanish like the best part of a meadow.     They will vanish like smoke. ²¹ A wicked person borrows, but he does not repay.     A righteous person is generous and giving. ²² Those who are blessed by him will inherit the land.     Those who are cursed by him will be cut off.

²³ A person’s steps are directed by YHVH,     and YHVH delights in his way. ²⁴ When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst     because YHVH holds on to his hand. ²⁵ I have been young, and now I am old,     but I have never seen a righteous person abandoned         or his descendants begging for food. ²⁶ He is always generous and lends freely.     His descendants are a blessing. ²⁷ Avoid evil, do good, and live forever. ²⁸ YHVH loves justice,     and he will not abandon his godly ones.     They will be kept safe forever,     but the descendants of wicked people will be cut off. ²⁹ Righteous people will inherit the land     and live there permanently. ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous person reflects on wisdom.     His tongue speaks what is fair. ³¹ The teachings of his Elohim are in his heart.     His feet do not slip. ³² The wicked person watches the righteous person     and seeks to kill him. ³³ But YHVH will not abandon him to the wicked person’s power     or condemn him when he is brought to trial. ³⁴ Wait with hope for YHVH, and follow his path,     and he will honor you by giving you the land.         When wicked people are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵ I have seen a wicked person acting like a tyrant,     spreading himself out like a large cedar tree. ³⁶ But he moved on, and now there is no trace of him.     I searched for him, but he could not be found. ³⁷ Notice the innocent person,     and look at the decent person,         because the peacemaker has a future. ³⁸ But rebels will be completely destroyed.     The future of wicked people will be cut off. ³⁹ The victory for righteous people comes from YHVH.     He is their fortress in times of trouble. ⁴⁰ YHVH helps them and rescues them.     He rescues them from wicked people.     He saves them because they have taken refuge in him.

Psalm 50

YHVH, the only true El, has spoken.     He has summoned the earth         from where the sun rises to where it sets. ² Elohim shines from Zion,     the perfection of beauty. ³ Our Elohim will come and will not remain silent.     A devouring fire is in front of him         and a raging storm around him. ⁴ He summons heaven and earth to judge his people: ⁵ “Gather around me, my godly people     who have made a pledge to me through sacrifices.”

⁶ The heavens announce his righteousness     because Elohim is the Shophet. Selah

⁷ “Listen, my people, and I will speak.     Listen, Israel, and I will testify against you:     I am Elohim, your Elohim! ⁸ I am not criticizing you for your sacrifices or burnt offerings,     which are always in front of me. ⁹ But I will not accept another young bull from your household     or a single male goat from your pens. ¹⁰ Every creature in the forest,     even the cattle on a thousand hills, is mine. ¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains.     Everything that moves in the fields is mine. ¹² If I were hungry, I would not tell you,     because the world and all that it contains are mine. ¹³ Do I eat the meat of bulls or drink the blood of goats? ¹⁴ Bring your thanks to Elohim as a sacrifice,     and keep your vows to Elyon. ¹⁵ Call on me in times of trouble.     I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”

¹⁶ But Elohim says to wicked people,     “How dare you quote my decrees         and mouth my promises!¹⁷ You hate discipline.     You toss my words behind you. ¹⁸ When you see a thief, you want to make friends with him.     You keep company with people who commit adultery. ¹⁹ You let your mouth say anything evil.     Your tongue plans deceit. ²⁰ You sit and talk against your own brother.     You slander your own mother’s son. ²¹ When you did these things, I remained silent.     That made you think I was like you.         I will argue my point with you             and lay it all out for you to see. ²² Consider this, you people who forget Eloah.     Otherwise, I will tear you to pieces,         and there will be no one left to rescue you. ²³ Whoever offers thanks as a sacrifice honors me.     I will let everyone who continues in my way         see the salvation that comes from Elohim.”

Psalm 101

¹ I will sing about mercy and justice.     O YHVH, I will make music to praise you. ² I want to understand the path to integrity.     When will you come to me?

I will live in my own home with integrity. ³ I will not put anything wicked in front of my eyes.     I hate what unfaithful people do.     I want no part of it. ⁴ I will keep far away from devious minds.     I will have nothing to do with evil. ⁵ I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor.     I will not tolerate anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart. ⁶ My eyes will be watching the faithful people in the land     so that they may live with me.         The person who lives with integrity will serve me.

⁷ The one who does deceitful things will not stay in my home.     The one who tells lies will not remain in my presence.

⁸ Every morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land     to rid YHVH’s city of all troublemakers.

Psalm 129

“From the time I was young, people have attacked me . . .”    (Israel should repeat this.)² “From the time I was young, people have attacked me,     but they have never overpowered me. ³         They have plowed my back like farmers plow fields.         They made long slashes like furrows.” ⁴ YHVH is righteous.     He has cut me loose         from the ropes that wicked people tied around me. ⁵ Put to shame all those who hate Zion.     Force them to retreat. ⁶ Make them be like grass on a roof,     like grass that dries up before it produces a stalk. ⁷         It will never fill the barns of those who harvest             or the arms of those who gather bundles. ⁸ Those who pass by will never say to them,     “May you be blessed by YHVH”     or “We bless you in the name of YHVH.”

Psalm 142

Loudly, I cry to YHVH.     Loudly, I plead with YHVH for mercy. ² I pour out my complaints in his presence     and tell him my troubles. ³         When I begin to lose hope,             you already know what I am experiencing.

My enemies have hidden a trap for me on the path where I walk. ⁴ Look to my right and see that no one notices me.     Escape is impossible for me.         No one cares about me.

⁵ I call out to you, O YHVH.     I say, “You are my Machseh,     my own inheritance in this world of the living.” ⁶ Pay attention to my cry for help     because I am very weak.     Rescue me from those who pursue me     because they are too strong for me. ⁷ Release my soul from prison     so that I may give thanks to your name.         Righteous people will surround me             because you are good to me.

Kindle the coal or light some consecrated Frankincense. Take the Book, or printed text, in the left hand and the vessel or bottle of Oil in the right, and hold it in the smoke of the Incense, saying the following conjuration 3 times:

O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, put thy blessing upon this creature of oil, that it may fill up the power and virtue of its substance, so that neither the enemy, nor any false imagination may be able to enter it, and grant it the power of seeing the spirits of heaven, earth and hell once I anoint mine eyes with it and to hear and understand them once I anoint mine temples with it, in thy great name Adonai Tetragrammaton and through the power of our Lord! May whatsoever it anoints be made Holy and empowered with Thy Blessing! Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Amen.

It is done.

***

Thereafter, I consecrated the Pens of the Art (permanent markers and chalk markers in this case), which I will use for drawing sigils and characters according to the following take on the Key of Solomon’s instructions for the Ink:

CONSECRATION OF THE PENS OR MARKERS OF THE ART

Light Incense of Art. Sprinkle the markers with Holy Water, anoint with Holy Oil, suffumigate with the Incense and say:

I exorcise thee, O Creature of Ink, by ANAIRETON, by SIMULATOR, and by the Name ADONAI, and by the Name of Him through Whom all things were made, that thou be unto me an aid and succor in all things which I wish to perform by thine aid.

Pray the following 3 times:

ADRAI, HAHLII, TAMAII, TILONAS, ATHAMAS, ZIANOR, ADONAI, banish from these pens all deceit and error, so that it may be of virtue and efficacy to write all that I desire. Amen.

Cense with the Incense and say:

ASOPHIEL, ASOPHIEL, ASOPHIEL, PENTAGRAMMATON, ATHANATOS, EHEIEH ASHER EHEIEH, QADOSCH, QADOSCH, QADOSCH; O God Eternal, and my Father, bless this Instrument prepared in Thine honour, so that it may only serve for a good use and end, for Thy Glory. Through thy power, let whatever operations in which it is used come to fruition and great success, for the Power and Glory are yours alone, now and forever. Amen.

***

I also consecrated my own invention, the Lighter of the Art. As this post is getting rather long, I will save that method for a future post.

Continue to the Consecration Ritual for a Solomonic Lighter of the Art for that post.

Consecration of Solomonic Bottles and Burins

Date: April 13, 2018
Time:  3:58 – 4:28 P.M.
Sun Phase: Setting
Moon Phase: Moon in 25 degrees Pisces in the Lunar Mansion of Batn al-Hut, appropriately enough, the Fish
Planetary Day: Day of Venus
Planetary Hour: Hour of Mercury
Activities: Solomonic Exorcisms and Consecrations of Bottles for Holy Water and Holy Oil and Solomonic Burins of Art

For my Burin consecration approach, I drew on both the Key of Solomon and British Library, Lansdowne Manuscript 1203. 74 folios. 4 of the Veritable Clavicles of Solomon.

In the Hour of Mercury, I set up the Altar in the Solomonic Consecration Circle with candles, consecrated Myrrh incense, a container of Salt and Quartz, two Burins, consecrated candles, Solomonic Holy Water, and a consecrated Marker of Art.

For my Bottle consecration methodology, I drew on both the Key of Solomon and British Library, Lansdowne Manuscript 1203. 74 folios. 4 of the Veritable Clavicles of Solomon.  Accordingly, I exorcised and blessed the Bottles for Holy Oil and Holy Water with suffumigations and sprinklings, saying:

I exorcise thee, O Spirit impure and unclean, thou who art a hostile Phantom, in the Name of God, that thou quit these Bottles, thou and all thy deceits, that they may be consecrated and sanctified in the name of God Almighty.

May the Holy Spirit of God grant protection and virtue unto those who use these Bottles; and may the hostile and evil Spirit and Phantom never be able to enter therein, through the Ineffable Name of God Almighty.

Instead, may the Holy Spirit of Adonai use these Creatures of Bottles to add Divine Potency and Holiness to all that all Creatures of Oil, Water, or other Holy Substances Placed Therein. Amen.

I then blessed and sprinkled with Water, Oil, and Suffumigated with Holy Incense saying:

Hamiel, hel, miel, ciel, joviel, Nasnia, magde Tetragrammaton.

O powerful God, grant the prayers of those who invoke you, and bless these small vials prepared in your honor, through all your works. Amen.

Then I crafted the Solomonic Burins, for use in engraving Pentacles as per the Key of Solomon. Different manuscripts differ in when the symbols on the Solomonic Burin are to be inscribed. As Joseph H. Peterson points out, Key of Solomon Manuscripts Ad. 10862, but Aub24, Mich276, L1202, K288, and Ad. 36674 all say to do it in the Day and Hour of Venus. Key of Solomon Manuscript Sl3091 says to do it in the Hour of Mercury. To integrate the two, I did it in the Hour of Mercury on the Day of Venus.

As the Key of Solomon text says, “the Burin is useful for engraving or incising characters.” In the Day and Hour either of Mars or of Venus thou shalt engrave thereon the characters shown,

and having sprinkled [with Holy Water] and censed it [with consecrated Incense] thou shalt repeat over it the following Prayer three times:–

PRAYER.

ASOPHIEL, ASOPHIEL, ASOPHIEL, PENTAGRAMMATON, ATHANATOS, EHEIEH ASHER EHEIEH, QADOSCH, QADOSCH, QADOSCH; O God Eternal, and my Father, bless this Instrument prepared in Thine honour, so that it may only serve for a good use and end, for Thy Glory. Amen.

Then pray:

I conjure thee, O Creature of Burin, by God the Father almighty, by the virtue of the heavens, of the stars, and of the angels who preside over them; by the virtue of stones, herbs, and animals; by the virtue of hail, snow, and wind; that thou receivest such virtue that thou mayest obtain without deceit the end which I desire in all things where I shall use thee; through God the creator of the ages, and emperor of the angels. Amen.

Having again perfumed with consecrated incense, oil, and Holy Water, thou shalt wrap it in cloth, and pray:

DANI, LUMECH, AGALMATUROD, GEDIEL, PANI, CANELOAS, MEROD, LAMIDOC, BALDOC, ANERETON, METRATON, TUANCIA, COMPENDON, LAMEDON, CEDRION, ON, MYTRION, ANTON, SYON, SPISSON, LUPRATON, GION, GIMON, GERSON, AGLA, AGLAY, AGLAOD, AGLADIAMERON, Angels most holy, be present for a guard unto this instrument. Amen.

Having completed these Rites, I wrapped the consecrated implements in white Silk and closed the Temple. I felt very peaceful and light by the end of the work. It is beautiful to see all of these preparations slowly coming together for my more involved Solomonic work to come. The Solomonic approach is very attentive, thorough, and prolonged. Every step is to be taken in a spirit of faith and sincerity. Done in this way, each of these Rites becomes its own meditation and the result is a very contemplative and fulfilling experience.

 

Solomonic Consecration of the Tin for a Key of Solomon Jupiter Pentacle

On the Day of the Moon in the Hour of Jupiter, with the Moon in 10 degrees Aquarius in the Lunar Mansion of Sa’ad al Ahbiyah (Mansion 25), I lit the odoriferous incense of Frankincense and said over the Tin, to be used later in the creation of a Key of Solomon 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter:

I exorcise thee, O Creatures of Metal, by ANAIRETON, by SIMULATOR, and by the Name ADONAI, and by the Name of Him through Whom all things were made, that thou shalt both be unto me an aid and succor in all things which I wish to perform by thine aid.

Then I prayed:

ADRAI, HAHLII, TAMAII, TILONAS, ATHAMAS, ZIANOR, ADONAI, banish from this Creature of Metal all deceit and error, so that it may be of virtue and efficacy to attain all that I desire to attain thereby. Amen.

I then suffumigated the metal in Frankincense, and began to inscribe the Consecratory Characters within the metal.

I continued until the end of the Hour of Jupiter, with more to do in another Hour of Jupiter. As the Hour of Mars began, I turned to the prayers. Holding the metal over the Frankincense, I began to pray:

Be ye present to aid me, and may my operation be accomplished through you: ZAZAH, ZALMAII, DALMAII, ADONAI, ANAPHAXETON, CEDRION, CRIPON, PRION, ANAIRETON, ELION, OCTINOMON, ZEVANON, ALAZAION, ZIDEON, AGLA, ON, YOD HE VAU HE, ARTOR, DINOTOR, Holy Angels of God; be present and infuse virtue into this Metal, so that it may obtain such power through you that all Names or Characters thereron written may receive due power, and that all deceit and hindrance may depart therefrom, through God the Lord merciful and gracious, Who liveth and reigneth through all the Ages. Amen.

Then, while repeatedly swirling the metals through the Frankincense smoke repeatedly, in a kind of hypnotic series of circular movements, I began to pray in an increasing state of ecstatic absoruption:

Psalm 72

By Solomon.

¹ O Elohim, give the king your justice
and the king’s son^[a] your righteousness
²         so that he may judge your people with righteousness
and your oppressed people with justice.

³ May the mountains bring peace to the people
and the hills bring righteousness.
⁴ May he grant justice to the people who are oppressed.
May he save the children of needy people
and crush their oppressor.
⁵ May they fear you as long as the sun and moon shine—
throughout every generation.
⁶ May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass,
like showers that water the land.
⁷ May righteous people blossom in his day.
May there be unlimited peace until the moon no longer shines.

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
⁹ May the people of the desert kneel in front of him.
May his enemies lick the dust.
¹⁰ May the kings from Tarshish and the islands bring presents.
May the kings from Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
¹¹ May all kings worship him.
May all nations serve him.

¹² He will rescue the needy person who cries for help
and the oppressed person who has no one’s help.
¹³ He will have pity on the poor and needy
and will save the lives of the needy.
¹⁴ He will rescue them from oppression and violence.
Their blood will be precious in his sight.

¹⁵ May he live long.
May the gold from Sheba be given to him.
May the people pray for him continually.
May they praise him all day long.
¹⁶ May there be plenty of grain in the land.
May it wave in the breeze on the mountaintops,
its fruit like the treetops of Lebanon.
May those from the city flourish like the grass on the ground.
¹⁷ May his name endure forever.
May his name continue as long as the sun shines.
May all nations be blessed through him and call him blessed.

¹⁸ Thank YHVH Elohim, the Elohim of Israel,
who alone does miracles.
¹⁹ Thanks be to his glorious name forever.
May the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!

²⁰ The prayers by David, son of Jesse, end here.

Psalm 118

¹ Give thanks to YHVH because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.
²         Israel should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
³         The descendants of Aaron should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
⁴         Those who fear YHVH should say,
“His mercy endures forever.”

⁵ During times of trouble I called on Yah.
Yah answered me and set me free from all of them.
⁶ YHVH is on my side.
I am not afraid.
What can mortals do to me?
⁷ YHVH is on my side as my helper.
I will see the defeat of those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to depend on YHVH
than to trust mortals.
⁹ It is better to depend on YHVH
than to trust influential people.

¹⁰ All the nations surrounded me,
but armed with the name of YHVH, I defeated them.
¹¹ They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me,
but armed with the name of YHVH, I defeated them.
¹² They swarmed around me like bees,
but they were extinguished like burning thornbushes.
So armed with the name of YHVH, I defeated them.
¹³ They pushed hard to make me fall,
but YHVH helped me.
¹⁴ Yah is my strength and my song.
He is my savior.

¹⁵ The sound of joyful singing and victory is heard
in the tents of righteous people.
The right hand of YHVH displays strength.
¹⁶ The right hand of YHVH is held high.
The right hand of YHVH displays strength.
¹⁷ I will not die,
but I will live and tell what Yah has done.
¹⁸ Yah disciplined me severely,
but he did not allow me to be killed.

¹⁹ Open the gates of righteousness for me.
I will go through them and give thanks to Yah.
²⁰ This is the gate of YHVH
through which righteous people will enter.

²¹ I give thanks to you,
because you have answered me.
You are my savior.
²² The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
²³ YHVH is responsible for this,
and it is amazing for us to see.
²⁴ This is the day YHVH has made.
Let’s rejoice and be glad today!
²⁵ We beg you, O YHVH, save us!
We beg you, O YHVH, give us success!
²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of YHVH.
We bless you from YHVH’s house.
²⁷ YHVH is El, and he has given us light.
March in a festival procession
with branches to the horns of the altar.
²⁸ You are my El, and I give thanks to you.
My Elohim, I honor you highly.

²⁹ Give thanks to YHVH because he is good,
because his mercy endures forever.

 

Psalm 124

A song by David for going up to worship.

¹ “If YHVH had not been on our side . . .”
(Israel should repeat this.)
² “If YHVH had not been on our side when people attacked us,
³ then they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger exploded against us.
⁴ Then the floodwaters would have swept us away.
An overflowing stream would have washed us away.
⁵ Then raging water would have washed us away.”

⁶ Thank YHVH, who did not let them sink their teeth into us.
⁷ We escaped like a bird caught in a hunter’s trap.
The trap was broken, and we escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of YHVH, the maker of heaven and earth.

I then began to recite the Benedicite Omnia Opera, feeling lightheaded and ecstatic, still swirling the metals through the Frankincense smoke repeatedly, as I prayed in a rhytmic, trance-like pace:

O all ye Works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Angels of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Heavens, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Waters that be above the Firmament, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Stars of Heaven, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Showers and Dew, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Winds of God, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Fire and Heat, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Winter and Summer, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Dews and Frosts, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Frost and Cold, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Ice and Snow, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Nights and Days, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Light and Darkness, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Lightnings and Clouds, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O let the Earth bless the Lord : yea, let it praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Mountains and Hills, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Green Things upon the Earth, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Wells, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Seas and Floods, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

 O ye Whales, and all that move in the Waters, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O all ye Fowls of the Air, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O all ye Beasts and Cattle, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Children of Men, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O let Israel bless the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Priests of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever. O ye Servants of the Lord, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye Spirits and Souls of the Righteous, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O ye holy and humble Men of heart, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

O Ananias, Azarias and Misael, bless ye the Lord : praise him, and magnify him for ever.

I then conjured the metal, saying:

 I conjure thee, O Creature of Metal, by all the Holy Names, YHVH, ADONAI, AGLA, EHEIEH that thou obtainest efficacy and strength, and becomest exorcised and consecrated, so that none of the things which may be written upon thee shall be effaced from the Book of Truth. Amen.

So ends the first round of exorcisms, consecrations, and carving in the metal. Until the next appropriate Hour of Jupiter… I retire into sleep, lightheaded, exhausted, with a full and grateful heart…

Pillars of Jachin and Boaz 2.0

For the past 10 years, in my personal Temple, I had used Pillars made from PVC pipe placed in the very shaky foundations of foam squares, with painted foam tetrahedrons on top, that I carved out of the crumbly foam material by hand. The result as it appeared after finishing the painting over 10 years ago can be seen in the image on the left. I call these Pillars 1.0.

The result was, to say the least, very unstable, very apt to fall over or be knocked over by a zealous Zelator, and after many years of wear and tear, both pyramids ended up falling apart, and both bases utterly crumbled into dust, without exaggeration!  In short, I was left with Pillars that could no longer stand, what echos of the fallen Temple of Solomon!

Thankfully for these humble Pillars, however, this Solomonic magician was able to work on them to help them rise again. This time around, in 2018, I endeavoured to learn from my previous mistakes. Foam would be out of the question as a building material. Moreover, I wanted to build them such that they could have lights within the red capitals, as was the case in the original Golden Dawn temples, and is mentioned in the Neophyte Ceremony. Thus, it was clear that I would have to make some very different design choices here. I debated many options and consulted many Fraters and Sorors for ideas along the way.

In the end, the bases of Pillars 2.0 were made from sturdy red ceramic. I chose the size to balance stability with the room they would take up in our small Temple space. The red ceramic bases were filled with black and white polished stones, which I exorcised and consecrated according to Key of Solomon procedures after taking these pictures.

To add additional stability, the Pillars were filled with additional stones of the matching colours–black in the black Pillar and white in the white Pillar–and filled with sand, following the wise council of my friends Frater Morgan Eckstein and Frater Joseph Max. The sand was also Solomonically exorcised and consecrated.

Although both the wise Frater Nick Farrell and Joseph advised me against using glass Pillar capitals, I opted to use metal wire-frame capitals nested within glass bulbs to hold them and function as back-ups should the Pillars be knocked over and the bulbs shatter. The reason Nick and Joseph both advised against glass capitals is that both had witnessed horror stories of Fraters knocking over not one, but both pillars, tipping over the Altar, dropping Dadouchos censers, sending hot coals and flaming incense flying everywhere, and other nightmarish scenarios come true. Hopefully, our Temple will have better luck! May the Lord of the Universe bless them and protect them, Amen!

In the end, I only used glass capitals because the lanterns with the inset holders for tealights were light-weight, affordable, and transparent enough to still show the flickering light of the tealights through their glass forms when lit. Following Nick and Frater João Pedro-Felliciano’s intelligent advice, I opted to use electric flickering tealights rather than actual candles so that if they ever should fall over, there would be no risk of fires.

Before varnishing the bulbs, I tested them to make sure that the flickering lights could be seen through them in a dark Temple, and sure enough, they provide the perfectly visible illumination, consistent with the Neophyte Grade Ritual’s allusions to “veiled” lights:

The Lamps that burn, though with a veiled light, upon their summits show that the Pathway to Hidden Knowledge, unlike the Pathway of Nature – which is a continual undulation, the winding hither and thither of the Serpent – is the straight and narrow way between them.

The result in these Pillars:

Here are the “finished” pillars just prior to the Solomonic exorcism and consecration of the stones. I’m not entirely sure that I will leave the tops of the bulbs in their undulating ridged form. I may attempt to craft some red tetrahedrons and overlay them on top, as my inner G.D. traditionalist always wants to keep those elements as intact as possible.

Alternatively, I am also considering exorcising and consecrating the glass bulbs with painted or engraved sigils for the Solomonic candles in the Key of Solomon overtop. A final possibility is to do the Solomonic consecrations and sigil-markings and overlay the tetrahedrons over the consecrated capitals. We shall see. I await inspiration one way or the other.

For now, however, these Pillars 2.0 are fully-functional and I am quite happy with the fruit of all of these many hours of work invested in many coats of paint, varnishing exorcising, and consecrating with Solomonic Oil, Incense, and Holy Water. Light in extension!

Pathworking on the 28th Path of Tzaddi (צ)

Date: April 6, 2018
Time: 7:45 to 8:25 A.M.
Sun Phase: Rising, Morning
Moon Phase: Third Quarter, 66% illuminated, Moon in 27 degrees Sagittarius, in the 21^st Zodiacal Mansion of Al-Baldah
Planetary Day: Day of Venus
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Moon
Activities: LIRP, Pathworking on the 28^th Path of Tzaddi (צ), QC, prayer

I performed the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram in red robes with the Rose Cross Lamen and a red-green striped nemyss within the inner Temple. Then I projected through a violet astral gateway emblazoned with the Hebrew letter Tzaddi (צ) and prayed for help in travelling along the Path, being initiated into its Mysteries, and integrating its energies.

I saw the Violet path emerging below me, joining the Base of the Pillar of Mercy—Netzach (נצח) or Victory—to the lunar Sphere of Yesod (יסוד). I landed in a pool of clear water next to a mighty white-watered waterfall. I stepped out of the water onto the shore and surveyed the scene. This pool and waterfall were located in a jungle-like area with open plains around as well. I vibrated the Letter of the Path TZADDI (צ) and its Divine Name, YHVH (יהוה) until the vision crew crisper. As I vibrated Tetragrammaton, brilliantly sapphire blue fish came to the surface of the cool water. I was reminded that Tzaddi (צ) means “fish hook” and that this Path is often seen as reflecting in higher form the Piscean energy of the Path of Qoph (ק), where I had also landed in water at the beginning of the Pathworking.

I soon noticed that this Path was much more ‘shifty’ in its forms than the other Paths I had worked previously. The scene initially seemed sunlit, but then it darkened into night, lit only by star-light and the moon, I interpreted as the Tarot card of the path, the Star, and the light of the connecting Sephirah of Yesod (יסוד).

I asked for a Guide to lead me through the Path, but strangely, none came at first, which was unusual. I had to repeat the calls and requests several times until an entity appeared. It was a grey wolf, but as I greeted him with blessings in the name of YHVH (יהוה), it shifted form, first into a human-bodied entity with a wolf’s head, almost like the Egyptian neter (Spiritual Force) Wepwawet, whose name means “the Opener of the Ways,” which was often thought to mean the ways through the Underworld, appropriate symbolism for a Guide along a Pathworking.

He returned my blessings in a deep and coarse, but calm voice. I asked him if he would guide me through the Path and he said yes. Then surprisingly, he shifted form once more, this time into a large white Dire Wolf with a sapphire-blue water gourd around his neck. He invited me to climb onto his back so he could carry me to “the Queen of the Stars, who will reveal to you what you wish to know.” I couldn’t help but be reminded of my Pathworking through the Path of Resh (ר) in which I also wrote upon the back of a white animal spirit, in that case, a horse.

The Dire Wolf carried me through winding paths of starlit jungle. In the distance, I heard animal sounds, which may have been monkeys. I also saw a toucan-like spirit perched on the branch of a jungle tree. The vegetation reminded me of some of the trees and shrubs I had seen in Mexico while exploring the Mayan ruins.

As we traveled, I asked the Wolf if he could explain to me the core teaching of the Path of Tzaddi (צ). He reminded me that the Zodiacal attribution of the path was the Kerubic Sign of Aquarius (♒), whose name means “the Water-Bearer.”

“The meaning of Aquarius (♒) or Water Bearer has a hidden significance. Within your body, the bladder is not the only “water-bearer.” The Heart also “bears” the symbolic ‘water’ of blood, and carries within it, physical water.”

(It occurred to me that blood plasma is over 90% water.)

The Tarot card of the Star depicts a nude “Water Bearer,” which I realized during this Path, was in fact a veiled reference to Aquarius, to which both Tzaddi and the Star are Attributed. 

“The region of the Heart is also where emotions are subjectively felt,” the Wolf continued, “and emotions are the manifestations of the Elemental Water; thus, the Heart, as bearer of emotions, is also a Water-Bearer. And a heart in Love feels warm and seems to shine, like an Inner Sun. Tune in therefore, to Love and you will feel the spiritual Light. Without it, your Heart Center will be darkened and will bear only dark and cold Waters.”

I found the notion of the Heart as Aquarian or ‘Water Bearer’ very interesting. Certainly in the Golden Dawn system, the Sun-Tipharet-Adept-Christ-Osiris symbolism is very prominent. The connection to the Inner Sun notion reminded me of what the Alchemist Solar spirit Rashael had told me on the Path of Resh (ר), namely that “The Heart is the Sun within. Gold is its Nature, but how many mistake it for lead!” The Heart as Sun and yet, bearer of Water… fire and water united in the symbolism of Hearthood. It reminded me of the union of Water and Fire Triangles around the yellow solar T of Tipharet and the Tau cross in the Banner of the East.

I thanked the Wolf for his wisdom. At last, we stopped before a great and gigantic Tree. This Tree had vast green boughs and reminded me of the giant Tree in the Animal Kingdom park in Disney World in Florida, which, much to the amusement of Qabalists, is fittingly named the “Tree of Life.”

On the front of the Tree was a great door, and with the Wolf’s arrival, it slowly opened. The Wolf told me he would wait for me at the doorway as I crossed the threshold. I entered and in the dark space, saw a wooden throne upon which was seated a beautiful naked woman. She was entirely nude except for a Crown of Stars upon her head, a Scepter whose top depicted the Sigil of Aquarius (♒), and featured a light-blue crystal, and a silver necklace around her neck that suspended a light blue crystal between her breasts.

I knelt before her and offered her blessings and respect in the Name of YHVH (יהוה). She greeted me and invited me to approach. I asked her if she would kindly initiate me into the Mysteries and Energies of the 28^th Path.

She invited me to approach and kneel before her.

“This Path is a Path of awakening the Heart, of tuning in through energy and emotion. The Way of Tzaddi (צ) is a Way of feeling, poured and balanced by the Water Bearer. Ours is not the Way of thinking and intellection, on which you rely all too much. If you would learn the Mysteries of this Path, you must leave Reason at the door and draw from deeper wells. Draw from emotion, from clairvoyant attunement, and from sexual power. Tell me, do you find me arousing?”

She was very beautiful, but her question made me blush out of guilt as I thought of my girlfriend.

“Ah, I see,” she said, as if tuning into my feeling.

“Then tune into your love for her.”

At once, my girlfriend appeared before me, nude, and with love and light in her eyes.

“Now, cease to rely on thinking. Tune into her with feeling. Start with your sexual feeling for her. Feel it fully. Do not think about it. Feel!”

I felt sexual arousal arising up from within me as a powerful serpentine energy.

“Now, as she pleasures you, tune into her through the Love of your Heart and the Passion of your Sexuality.”

My girlfriend began to slowly please me orally and I felt the sexual energy begin to rise up from my basal chakra.

“Let the sexual energy rise up through your central Column, your Middle Pillar. Think not about it, nor hold it back. Be fully present with the energy of your Love.”

I practiced tuning in to the pleasure and the sexual arousal, as well as the Love I feel for my girlfriend. I attempted to surrender and allow the sexual energy to rise up, up, up…

However, somewhere near the solar plexus, it seemed to stop moving, as if hitting a barrier. At once, I felt a rush of fear and a tensing up, the opposite of surrender.

“Surrender to it, give in, let go,” the Queen encouraged me.

However, the fear was too strong and I could not surrender.

“Ah, what a blockage there is in you!” she exclaimed.

She then took her Scepter and began to whack at an energetic ‘barrier’ within my spinal column. With each whack, this barrier, which appeared as a crystalline blue glass-like ‘floor’ or ‘ceiling’ within me, began to crack. It cracked more and more with each blow. Although light began to stream through the cracks, it would not shatter entirely.

“You have more work to do on this one than we can resolve in one night. Tune then in directly to the Love in your Heart.”

This was easier for me to connect to and achieve than to bring the sexual energy up into the Heart chakra.

“Receive then your Aquarian Love,” said the Queen.

(My girlfriend is an Aquarius)

With these words, my girlfriend pulled my sex inside of her as I lay on the ground and she was on top of me. She began to moan.

“Be fully present with her. Think of nothing! Simply connect to the feeling, to the pleasure from below and the Love from above and within…”

The Queen then pressed her Scepter to my heart center and said:

“Receive the Initiation of the Path of Tzaddi (צ).”

She then took out a white “fish hook” of energy an slammed it into my Heart Center. As she did so, she projected a flood of warm energy through my Heart that flooded through my Sphere of Sensation and blended with the Love and the sexual pleasure. It all came to a flush of White as a kind of spiritual orgasmic crescendo shone through me.

After it faded out, the image of my girlfriend faded away and I found myself again in my Robe.

“Return to your body and tune into feeling and emotion. See with the Heart, not only with the eyes or the Mind! Let the Water Bearer of your Heart be balanced in life and emotion. Harmony is the Way of the Adept.”

I thanked her for her teachings and offered her Offerings of Roses and bread and honey as thanks, presenting the same to the Wolf.

I thanked both again, left, walked on through the forest, and stood before the entrance to the Temple of Yesod (יסוד). As its doors openened, the scene faded out…

I found myself again in my Astral Temple. I performed the Qabalistic Cross to equilibrate the Aquarian / Star / Tzaddi (צ) energy and performed some freeform prayers, then sat back into my body and tuned into feeling and sensation.

Later in the day, I drew a Rune for guidance in how to apply the Wisdom of this Path, and drew Ansuz, Odin’s Rune, the Messenger Rune. Ansuz is primarily Odin’s Rune and represents communication, creativity, controlled and divine power. Spiritually, it is the rune of prophecy and revelation. It also encompasses the ideas of wisdom and good advice. It might also refer to a test or to the answers to questions being available, but not yet recognized. The meaning is that we need to be sure not to ignore a message simply because we don’t like the content. I also take it to mean that I should practice tuning in deeply through other forms of ‘communication,’ such as energetically, emotionally, and intuitively, rather than simply intellectually or through verbal language.

Preparing for Solomonic Work

Today is Easter Monday, a time of symbolic rebirth, renewal, resurrection, and, as Rudolf Steiner points out in his “Easter as a Chapter in the Mystery Wisdom of Man,” symbolic of initiation into a higher phase of life, of a new beginning born from the death of the old.

On this day, the Day of the Moon, the Moon is in the 18th Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb (the Heart), which is also known as the Caduceus, which links it Hermetically to Hermes Trismegistus. Magically, this makes purchasing tools for use in magic fruitful. According to Abenragel (11th c.), when the Moon is in this Mansion, it is a good time for “receiving honours and power,” or in my case, buying some of the tools I will later purify and consecrate for a ritual with this Jupiterian purpose. The Picatrix notes that this Mansion is “for healing” and protection of the home.

On this day, in the Hour of Jupiter, I purchased a large plate that will become my Tablet of Lights for the Solomonic Candle Magic system of Balthazar that I’ll be using it for. The smaller plate will be used to draw circles on the larger plate. The incenses of Myrrh and Frankincense will be used in various rites. The Apple incense will be used in a Jupiter ceremony, since as Agrippa points out in his Three Books, it is sacred to Jupiter. I also have a circular tin box painted in gold finish, which will be used to make a Jupiter 2nd Pentacle of Solomon. I also purchased chalk markers, which will be consecrated Solomonically, small glass bottles for storing consecrated oils and Holy Water, and a blue votive candle, which will be offered to Sachiel, Archangel of Jupiter. All of these were purchased during the Hour of Jupiter on this magical Easter Day of the Moon.

The only item shown here not purchased on this day is the earthenware Censor, which was gifted to me by my mother many years ago. This Censor has holy roots; it was hand-made by the Trappist Cistercian Monks at the Abbey of Notre-Dame du Lac in Oka as part of their service to the Divine. How appropriate for it to be used in my own prayerful Magic!

A new phase of Solomonic magic is about to begin…