“To Cure the Sick and That, Gratis:” Successful Healings Using Hybrid Solomonic-Conjure Methods

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. Introduction: Healing by Fire, Oil, and Herb

After having three people near me require healing in a short period of time and wanting to help them as best I could, I plunged into analyzing 13 different Conjure and Rootwork Formulas for Healing Oil in an attempt to better understand how they work so that I could optimize a Healing Oil to help those around me.

Having created my own 11-Herb formula, I designed a method that would enable me to promote the healing of three individuals within the same working. The method ended up being a hybrid form of Solomonic magic and Rootwork, which, combined with the Healing Oil formula, ended up producing results which, to me, were nothing short of amazing…

B. Talismanic Design: At the Crossroads of Health and Illness

As the base of this method, I opted to use my consecrated Tablet of Lights, which I made following Balthazar’s (2018) Solomonic Conjure method. This method involves consecrating a dedicated surface (e.g. large white plate in my case) using formulae from the Key of Solomon adapted to the task (Peterson, 2004).

In Balthazar’s original method, consecrated chalk markers are used to draw relevant symbols–often Key of Solomon Planetary Pentacles relevant to the task at hand–on the Tablet of Lights. I have previously used such chalk markers, which I consecrated along with white chalk on the Day of Epiphany both in my own home Temple and by Mass at Church using hybrid elements of the Key of Solomon, Carmelite Chalk Blessing, and Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (Peterson, 2016). However, today, I opted to use consecrated glass markers, that is, markers that are water-soluble, so can be washed off, and useful to write on both glass and ceramic, as well as dry-erase markers. Both ended up tracing very clear and vibrant lines on the Tablet service, which can be helpful information who are looking for a tool for this purpose, that is, to inscribe magical figures in a robust but non-permanent manner.

More and more, however, instead of lifting Pentacle designs for the Tablet from particular grimoires as in Bathazar’s original method, I have been communicating with my Spirits and asking them to guide me to draw the design needed for the ritual at hand. The idea is to continue to work within the scope of the tradition, but enlivened, guided, and tailored by the relationships I have with my Spirits. These designs seem to “flow from the pen,” one part at a time, as if the Spirits were saying “draw this. Now write this name. Now draw this.” Then, looking back at it, the whole gestalt or pattern comes into view, but not from a place or rational forethought, calculating, or planning-in-advance, like an epiphany or a vision.

To quote the Science Photo Library: This is a “17th century engraving symbolizing the search for knowledge in alchemy. The naked figure is the god Mercury or Hermes, the messenger of the gods. In each hand he holds a caduceus, his symbol. The two other men carry a sword with a serpent wrapped around it, and a sword with a cockerel on it; these are both symbols associated with Aesculapius, the god of medicine. The Sun and Moon represent the two alchemical essences. In Greek mythology, Hermes was believed to have power over sleep and dreams. Aesculapius was believed to dispense medical knowledge by using dreams. Image from 1677.”

In this case, I was drawn to produce a form that started out with the structure of a Caduceus, referencing healing and Hermes Trismegistus, and therefore, magic. However, this design omitted the serpents. Instead, another “pole” was added to form a Cross with a Rose in the Center, in refence to the Rose Cross. The Fama Fraternitatis, one of the fundamental manifestos of the founding of Rosicrucianism, says that Rosicrucian Brotherhood do not “profess any other thing than to cure the sick, and that gratis.”

As this was a ritual for healing done for free, out of love and a wish to be of service, it seemed appropriate. In addition, in reference to the Caduceus, it is worth noting that I did not know this at the time, but it was revealed to me later that another reason the Spirits had me draw the Caduceus is because the Waxing Moon was moving from the Lunar Mansion of Al-Iklil (the Monkey, for protection) and into the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus – to heal and prevent illness) at the very time I would end up performing the candle working…

The Three 3 Initial Rosicrucian Manifestoes: the Fama Fraternitatis (1614), the Confessio Fraternitatis (1615), and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (1616). It’s worth noting, as Samuel Robinson has pointed out, that there is also a fourth Rosicrucian Manifesto, which is the Speculum Sophicum Rhodostauroticum (1618).

In addition, the Crossroads and the 5-Spot pattern of Hoodoo inspired the structure of this Talismanic figure. At the top, a golden Sun was drawn to symbolize both Keter as the Sephirotic Source of Light in the Kabbalistic system and the Light of Healing, itself a reference to the Golden Dawn Neophyte Grade Ritual (“the Light hath Healing in its Wings”).

The Caduceus wings have seven sections, seven for the 7 Planets, 7 Archangels of the Heptameron/ Lucidarium system, and 7 Olympic Spirits of the Arbatel system. When I reached out to the Archangels and Olympic Spirits to see who would assist with this work, the two triads of Raphael-Michael-Sachiel (Mercury-Sun-Jupiter) and their corresponding Olympic Spirits (Ophiel-Och-Bethor) stepped forward.

Therefore, the Angels’ names in Hebrew were included alongside the Olympic Spirits’ standard Sigils from the Arbatel. Finally, a powerful Divine Name of healing, YHVH Rapha (“God of Healing”) was included at the top of the Talismanic figure, to rule over and energize all of its contents, as well as to drive the “energy” of the healing involved in the ritual itself.

The herb “Self-Heal,” a central ingredient in my personal Healing Oil formula.

C. Foci and Curative Aims: The 3 Targets of the Work and Their Ailments

This hybrid ritual was targeted at three individuals, all of whom I know and care about, two here in Montreal, and one, a friend in Nigeria, Africa.

First, J.P., here in Montreal, has been complaining of “muscular pain going down my sides, great nausea making me throw up and making it hard for me to keep any food down, and disrupting my sleep…” His ailment was a physical one that impacted his psychological experience (e.g. by disrupting sleep).

Second, C.L., also in Montreal, has been suffering from “a burning feeling in my mouth, swelling around my gums, redness, pain, and a general lack of energy, like I’m exhausted all of the time and can barely get anything done…” Therefore, her issue was both physical and psychological.

Finally, C.O., in Nigeria, Africa, has been struggling with a debilitating “pain in my waste and stomach which makes me barely able to stand up, it’s so bad…” This is a strongly physical issue that is causing him significant distress.

I advised all three individuals to consult their doctors about their issues and explained that if needed, I would recommend them to consult a doctor afterwards as well. In addition, I explained to all three people that my approach is one of holistic healing, that is, combining (1) Western medicine with (2) herbalism, and (3) the spiritual, magical, and alchemical uses of herbs. They agreed.

D. Fixing the Candles and Preparing the Body: Ritual Preparation and Set-Up

Having already infused and prayed over my 11-herb Healing Oil, I set it out along with 3 light-blue candles. In Rootwork, light-blue is a colour that is used in candle magic for healing, peace, and spirituality.
Each of the three people to be healed was designated their own candle. I took a pin with a light-blue head at the end of it, and used this to inscribe each candle with the aim of the working for that person. In addition to their full names, the following specifications were inscribed in their respective candles:

For J.P.: “healing, no pain, no nausea in stomach, good appetite, joy, freedom, peace.”

For C.L.: “healing, no burning, pain, or swelling in mouth, energy, joy, peace, love, free.”

For C.O.: “healing, no belly pain, no waist pain, freedom, peace, joy.”

While carving the candles, I looked at photos of the targeted person and repeatedly focused on seeing the candle as an extension of that person, such that my work on the candle connects back to them. I continued to pray until all three candles were inscribed.

Thereafter, I dressed each candle with some left-over 11-Herb Healing Blend and the 11-Herb Healing Oil, drawing the Oil towards me as I dressed it to symbolize drawing the healing towards the client, and ensuring the Oil and Herbs were thoroughly rubbed into the candles.

The bottoms of the candles were warmed and they were then stuck to the Tablet of Lights to fix them in their positions.

The Tablet fixed with the candles was then placed on the dedicated spirit table I have reserved for Raphael and Ophiel in my Temple Room. As noted above, consulting the Archangels and Olympic Spirits, I inquired who wished to help with the healing work at hand and the Jupiter Archangel Sachiel and Sun Archange Michael and the Arbatel Olympic Spirits Bethor, Ophiel, and Och indicated that they would be willing to assist. Therefore, I included the 3 Angels’ statues and the 3 Olympic Spirits’ Arbatel Sigils on the table as well.

In addition, a candle was anointed with Healing Oil and fixed to be offered up to God on behalf of the Spirits, as well as water to refresh them, offerings of Herbs to energize them, and Sandalwood incense. Finally, stones connected to my work with these different Spirits were also included on the table as loci of their power and symbols to bolster the sympathetic resonances of Jupiter, the Sun, and Mercury to be called upon.

In terms of ritual preparation, it is worth noting that 3 days of Cleansing Herbal Baths were completed followed by 7 Nourishing Herbal Baths each night. No alcohol was consumed during this time. No drugs either. Abstinence from masturbation, etc. was also strictly maintained. Food was eaten in moderation.

On the day of the Ritual, I took a purifying Herbal Bath while praying and cleansing myself with Hyssop, Rue, Basil, Mint, Rose, Lavender, and Cocoa Butter. Donning my standard Solomonic regalia, I put on my white robe, Lion Skin Belt, priestly stole, a white cloth wrapped around my head, with my Abramelin Crown over that. Under the robe, I wore my Medallion with the 7 Archangels and 7 Olympic Spirits upon it, anointed in Fiery Wall of Protection Oil. I was nudged to also include the Bell of Art, my Solomonic Wand, and a Wild Turkey feather foraged during my time in Ontario. I brushed my teeth and put on cologne to remove any unappealing odours that might displease the Spirits, a method inspired by Dr. Stephen Skinner. Then I entered the Temple to begin the work.

D. By Invocation, Oil, and Flame: A Hybrid Solomonic-Rootworking for Healing

Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2022. 10 PM to 2:30 AM.
Planetary Timing: Oil and Powder made in the Day and Hour of Mercury. Consecrated and empowered and candlework for healing done in the Hour of Jupiter given work to be done with Sachiel and Bethor.
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent in Libra, good for bringing balance and harmony to situations magically (e.g. health to bodies imbalanced by symptoms and disease).
Lunar Mansion: Al-Iklil (the Monkey, for protection) on cusp of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus to heal and prevent illness).

Having completed my Ritual Bath and put on my ritual clothing, I entered the Temple and begun the ritual by delivering a battery of knocks on the Raphael spirit altar and on my Ancestor altar. I asked my Ancestors to assist in the healing work to be done and asked for the Ancestors of the three people in question to also come to their aid.

I then picked up the Bell of Art and rang it repeatedly in a Cross Formation while saying “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…” I then proceeded through a series of extensive prayers to God as Adonai Rapha, the Lord of Healing, asking for His aid, that He might be glorified through the miracles of his healing work in these three people’s lives and cited multiple healing miracles in the Bible as testaments to Divine Power and asking that similar works be done here. As a side note, the method of citing relevant stories or historiolae (a kind of incantation incorporating a short mythic or scriptural story that provides the paradigm for the desired magical action) as precedents in magical work is discussed in detail in Agrippa’s Third Book of Occult Philosophy.

Next, through prayers by the Divine Names pertaining to healing (YHVH Rapha, Adonai Rapha, and El Elyon Rapha), I called the Angels and Olympic Spirits and throughout used Divine Names of Healing, Adonai Rapha, YHVH Rapha, El Rapha. I lit the Spirit offering candle and 3 Sandalwood sticks symbolizing 4 different triads of 3: One candle for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; One candle for Michael, Sachiel, and Raphael; one candle for Och, Bethor, and Ophiel; One candle for J.P., C.L., and C.O. I offered the candle and incense to the Most High God in their names and then invited the Archangels, Guardian Angels of myself and the 3 targets, the Olympic Spirits, and the Ancestors of myself and the three people to find in them sources of power, refreshment and fuel for their work. The herbs in the Oil and glass of Water were similarly offered with additional prayers said over them.

Next, I cleansed all of the tools and myself with a combination of Solomonic Holy Water made by myself according to the method in the Key of Solomon and some Holy Water consecrated by a Catholic priest and gathered from a Cathedral.

I then asked for the Angels’ and Olympic Spirits help to empower the Healing Oil in the bottles on the altar and anointing the candles, as well as the Healing Sachet Powder also on the table, with the virtues of healing as specified by the Roles of the spirits of the Herbs included in the Healing Oil (please see my article on Healing Oil for more details). I asked for God’s healing power and will to extend the Good and Love to enliven and empower the Oil and Powder as well. I then anointed the heads of each Archangel, my own forehead, and the Sigils of the Spirits with some of the Oil to create a connection between them, myself, the Oil in the bottles, and the Oil on the candles symbolizing the three people to be healed.

Next, I lit the candles for the three people to be healed and prayed that they be linked to their human targets in order to benefit and heal them. I picked up the Turkey Feather I had personally ceremonially gathered while out in a forest, holding my Solomonic Wand in the other hand, and began to use the feather to rhythmically and repeatedly waft the exorcised and consecrated Sandalwood spoke over the Angel statues, Spirit Sigils, Bottles of Healing Oil, Jar of Sachet Powder, myself to cleanse me as the practitioner, and the Tablet of Lights and three Candles of the people to be healed.

While doing so, I prayed personalized prayers for J.P. C.O., and C.L. in turn, praying about exactly which aspects of their bodies and minds needs healing (e.g. for J.P., his belly pain, nausea, and appetite to be healed, and for peace, joy and a feeling of comfort to come to his mind; for C.O. for his waist and belly pain to be healed and for his mind to be filled with peace, joy, freedom from worry and physical pain; for C.L. for her mouth to be free from burning, pain, and swelling, for her lethargy to be enlivened with energy, and for peace, freedom from physical and mental ailments, and a feeling of comfort to fill her mind).

Next, I recited prayers for the Sick from Agostino Taumaturgo, as mentioned in the Healing Oil Article. This was followed with praying Psalms 147, 46, and 27 over the Oil, Powder, and Candle work.

Finally, I asked the Angels and my own Guardian Angel to coordinate with the 3 targets’ Guardian Angels to coordinate their healing, and for my Ancestors to work with their Ancestors to effect their healing as well. I asked each of the 11 Herb Spirits included in the Oil to assist with each of their roles and the 3 Olympic Spirits to help assist the healing in each of their spheres (e.g. Mercury – changing illness to health, governing the crossroads of sickness and health, assisting communication with doctors as needed, etc.; Sun – bringing healing light into the situation, illuminating the causes of the illness and obstacles to health so that the Lemongrass can clear them as a road-opener; Jupiter — expanding health and joy and peace of mind) working in concert with the Archangels. I then prayed more prayers to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit again praying for the healing with total confidence that it would come about and giving thanks in advance for the wonders to follow.

I then recited a final series of prayers, closed the Temple, and invited the spirits to continue to enjoy the Offerings while completing their work.

E. Carromancy: Reading the Wax

Examining the candles the next day, I was surprised to see that J.P’s candle was still burning, many hours longer than usual. This suggested to me that the Spirits were still working on him. In addition, I I noted winged forms in the wax that reminded me of Angels, suggesting their work in intervening in the situation. The wax flows that were circular were largely clockwise, suggesting that the work was being done and the healings were progressing. Some substantial wax floods had appeared near C.O.’s candle on the left, suggesting that the impact of the work might be more significant than expected. Finally, some petal-shapes were observed near all three candles, suggesting positive results would flow out of this work. The days that come brought results greatly in harmony with these ‘pictures in the wax.’

Appearance of the wax the next morning, with J.P.’s candle still burning.

E. Astonishing Results: Documented Healings in Action

The next morning, I woke up feeling grounded and a deep and sustained sense of well-being that stuck with me the whole day. I did not remember the last time I felt this clear, joyful, and at peace… I wondered if this might have been an outcome of the ritual, being in the presence of the Angels and Spirits, Divine blessing, the power of the Herbs in the Spiritual Baths, or a combination of all of the above. Either way, I was grateful for it.

I reached out to C.O. first in the morning and asked how he was feeling since I completed the ritual on his behalf. As he was so far away, I could not get some Healing Oil to him, at least not as urgently as he would need it, so the results that he would share could only have come from the candle working, prayers, and intervention of the Spirits.

I was filled with awe at what he shared, for the Lord and Spirits had acted quickly… C.O. said that “My condition has improved tremendously–l can now sit and stand freely! Just little pains which l know will clear up within the next few days. Whatever you did worked like a miracle. I thank the Triune God for using you as a vessel to get me up and running again. I am grateful, brother. May God meet you at your point of need, just like he has used you to meet me at my point of need. I feel born again in mind, body, soul & spirit. I even slept like a baby too!” I told him that I was so happy to hear this and gave glory to God for this blessing. C.O. said “This is the fastest healing ever. God bless you…”

I went to see C.L. and gave her some of the Healing Oil. I instructed her to rub some of it into her cheek over the area of her mouth that was burning, swelling, and reddening. She agreed and rubbed some into her cheek in my presence. Not even minutes later she said “I can’t believe it but… the pain is really going down… wow… what’s in this??” I explained the 11 Herbs in the formula and what role each played as well as how I had spiritually prepared them and which Spirits I had called upon. She said she was “so grateful…” and had tears in her eyes. I checked in with her again in the afternoon and she said she had just applied a little more of the Healing Oil and that “my pain continues to be much lower… and my obstacles to contacting a doctor seem to be gone too… I already got a dentist appointment! Thank you!” Glory be to God! This was the second successful healing.

Finally, after work, I took a vial of Healing Oil and went to see J.P. I asked him how he had been feeling since this morning. He said “I woke up already feeling better… it seems like I had been very constipated. Today, I finally had gas and was able to go the bathroom… My nausea is gone. The pain in my belly area is significantly lower.” I praised God once again and thanked the Spirits for this third healing miracle… I instructed J.P. to keep rubbing some of the Healing Oil into his belly area over the parts that hurt. He said he would also rub it into his painful shoulder and see if it helps with that as well. I wished him all the best and he thanked me for my care and attention in this matter.

On the second day after the work, I checked in with C.O. to see if the healing remained stable or if the situation had changed. C.O. reported “I feel 99% better. It is only minor aches and pains now…” Praise God and the Spirits for their work!

When I checked in with C.L. She reported that when she used the Oil, rubbing it in to her cheek, she felt “a wave of comfort wash over me, not just my mouth, but my whole body… My mouth pain continues to be gone. The burning feeling is gone. I have an appointment with my dentist just to be safe, but I feel so much better.”

Finally, to my surprise, I received a phone call from J.P., the most skeptical of the three, who does not believe in magic; J.P. never calls me, so this made his reaching out even more striking. He said “not only am I feeling better with my stomach pain and nausea and eating better, but there’s something else. I have been rubbing the Oil into my really painful shoulder and… it feels much better. Like I can lift my arm in ways I haven’t been able to for a long time… So thank you..”

Healing candle for M.D.A.

F. Additional Healing Work: More Complex and More Intensive

With the above work thus completed, I thought I was done with healing work for a while. However, shortly after the above work was completed, my dear friend M.D.A., who has taught me a great deal about Esperitismo and often helped me with spiritual work when I was in need, fell very sick shortly after I did the above workings.

I asked if he would consent for me to do some work for him and he agreed as he was truly struggling with everything from fever, soreness, cramping, diarrhea, loss of taste, irritated red eyes, a weight on his chest,, coughing, and fever chills… He tested for COVID-19, but tested negative. To make matters worse, his immunosuppression made the illness, whatever it was, hit him even harder.

In an attempt to help M.D.A., I followed essentially the same procedure as above, inscribing and dressing the candle with the Healing Oil, calling on Michael, Sachiel, and Raphael as well as Ophiel, Och, and Bethor in the same way as before, giving the same offerings, and even using the same Psalms. Checking with my Spirits, they did not require me to do a complete new Tablet of Lights set-up for him, saying I could use the same plate set-up as I had used for the previous work, simply placing M.D.A’s candle at the base of the Cross structure inscribed on the plate. This, I did.

The Moon remained waxing in the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb (the Caduceus to heal and prevent illness), which was fortuitous for the work at hand. The only difference with this working is that I rubbed some of the Healing Sachet Powder I had made on the outside of his candle as I did not have any of the herbal mixture left over. I prayed that all of his symptoms would disappear and that he would be heal again and that even his fibromyalgia pain would decrease. I poured my heart into this ritual for my dear friend and closed the Temple. I called on his Guardian Angel and his Ancestors, as well as my own, to assist in the work.

At the end of the night, after leaving his candle burning, I saw that it had burned in a very interesting way. The candle burned down the middle, but an outer shell was left. Also, a skull-shaped hole had appeared on the right side. Divining from the wax, my sense was that this healing was not going to be as easy or as simple as the others. The Spirits were “drilling down the middle” into M.D.A’s core bodily issues and symptoms of the illness, which were affecting his internal organs and assailing his immune system. His wax pool was pulled over the Sigils of Och and Bethor as well as the Name of Raphael, suggesting that these spirits in particular were working on him. The skull hole did not strike me as implying he would die; instead, it suggested to me that an Ancestor spirit would help in the work.

The next morning, I checked the candle again and the “walls” of wax had melted down, but two points of the wax folded in, pointing at the center of the candle. This suggested to me that the illness was still hitting him, “stabbing” him with symptoms as symbolized by the wax points. Another image that came to me was that the illness “had its teeth or claws” in him and was not going to let go easily. Still, some progress had been made with help from his Ancestor, as seen in the melting down of the wax walls.

I checked in with M.D.A. on Messenger and he confirmed my suspicions; not only was he not feeling better, but he was feeling worse! All of the above symptoms had intensified… He was definitely getting “stabbed” by the illness, with more suffering than before. I explained to him that sometimes, healing work brings results that come quite quickly, and other times, for more complex situations or more serious conditions, the work can provide more strengthening, clearing obstacles to healing, and facilitating communication with the right professionals, through the process. This can especially be the case when the odds are stacked against the healing, such as in the case of immunosuppression. As much as we try to ease the work of combating illness through magical means, Nature, Divine Will, and the work and abilities of the spirits also can affect the outcome. As a result, I mentioned above, “nothing is guaranteed” with healing work and the help it brings does not always come in the form we expect.

Nevertheless, I pointed out that there were good signs and it looked like an Ancestor of his was going to assist in the work. He told me about his great-grandmother who was apparently an extremely accurate diviner with tea leaves and had some magical abilities. I suspected she might be the “skull-shaped hole” I saw in his candle wax. M.D.A confirmed that she was actually one of his working Ancestors in his Espiritismo work and he thought “she would definitely step in.” Magic can be truly amazing sometimes and sometimes things will happen that we could not have made up as they seem too perfect. However, as we were talking about M.D.A’s grandmother and great-grandmother, he suddenly stopped and said the following:

What’s more, he had a feeling he was going to receive assistance from an Ancestor, because that same day…

The next morning, I checked in with him again and he confirmed that his pain level remained significantly lower than it had been to the point that he was able to “go to sleep pretty comfortably.” I noted possible impacts from Rosemary and Thyme, two Herbs in my Healing Oil formula, which were included to help ease sleep and facilitate sound dreaming. He also noted that his fever had gone down to 36.6 degrees, which was strange to him since he still felt feverish.

Healing Candle Work set-up for M.D.A., myself, and R.C.

G. “Physician, Heal Thyself!:” Three More Candle Workings for Healing

I was not finished working towards my dear friend’s healing, however, nor were the Spirits. In fact, I got a nudge that I had to another candle working for M.D.A to strengthen the work already being done.

What I was not prepared for however, was the impact that all of this healing work done in a short period of time was going to have on me as the worker. I found myself dreadfully sick with a bad cold: sore throat, coughing, and higher body temperature, but still under fever. I was COVID-negative, but still feeling awful.

At the same time, another friend, R.C., messaged me to say that she was also feeling quite sick with a cold of her own and asked if I could help. As she lived in Montreal not far from where my plans were taking me today, she consented for me to pick up some personal concerns (e.g. some of her hair) to use in the working, which I did. We both were masks and maintained social distancing while I picked up the hair. I gave her some of the Healing Oil too to rub on her throat, chest, and forehead while saying prayers to help connect the Healing Oil I was going to use on her candle to her as well. She agreed to do so.

My plan was to do a healing working for M.D.A, myself, and R.C. at the same time.

For my work on myself, I started by making a hearty chicken soup with lots of pepper as well as Thyme, Rosemary, and Basil. I prayed over the Herbs, asked for their help in bringing healing, and then recited Psalms 49 and 50 over it before eating it.

That night, I made the following Healing and Sleep-Supporting Spiritual Bath, including and requesting the aid of the following Herb spirits:

• Chamomile
• Self-heal
• Althaea
• Angelica
• Thyme
• Mint
• Rosemary
• Lavender
• Honey

I also made a chamomile tea to go with this. I prayed Psalms 49 and 50 over the tea and bath, while they both steeped. I drank the tea, did the bath, and went to bed immediately after air-drying.

The next day, on the Day of the Sun, I consulted with my Spirits as to how to proceed. This time, I was to use a different Talismanic design on the Tablet of Lights:

This time, the Heptameron / Lucidarium sigils for Michael and Raphael were to be drawn in a Cross, forming an ‘Angelic Crossroads.’ Sachiel’s sigil was included over the Cross, with Yeshua (Jesus) written in Hebrew underneath. The standard Arbatel Sigils of Bethor, Ophiel, and Och were included in the bottom right ‘quadrant’ of the plate.

Finally, YHVH Rapha (God of Healing) was included along with four crosses marking the points of the Angelic Cross. The three candles for M.D.A, myself, and R.C. were placed on the middle arm of the Cross.

All three candles were inscribed with a yellow-headed needle, as it was the Day of the Sun, with the full names of those included and the following words:

M.D.A. “complete recovery, full healing, freedom, peace”

Myself: “no pain, no fever, no cough, full healing”

R.C.: “no pain, no fever, no cough, full healing.”

I dressed each candle with Healing Oil, while drawing the healing from top of the candle to the bottom. I added my own hairs, conveniently collected from my beard trimmer to my candle, R.C.’s hair to her candle, and as I had no personal concerns for M.D.A, I simply did prayers for him while anointing the candle and gazing at his picture. I asked that each candle be linked to the healing of the person whose name was carved into it and used to eliminate their pain and illness and replace it with health and wholeness.

The Moon was waxing in the Arabic Lunar Mansion of Al-Balda (The City or The Desert), which Christopher Warnock points out is a a good time to “end a situation,” in this case, by bringing illness to an end.

Before I started this working, I refreshed the water glasses of all of the Angels, Saints, Ancestors, and Olympic Spirits with whom I have active spirit tables in my Temple room. I asked each to aid the work according to their abilities. I knocked on my Ancestor altar and asked my Ancestors to assist the work, also calling on the Ancestors of M.D.A and R.C.

The Operation proceeded as above, still working with Archangels Michael, Raphael, Sachiel and Olympic Spirits Bethor, Ophiel, and Och, still offering 3 sticks of Sandalwood, but with different Psalms; this time, I was nudged by my Spirits to use the potent combination of Psalms 3, 67, and 77. I invited the Spirits to pray the prayers with me for added efficacy.

This working produced a deep feeling of peace, reverence, and thick spiritual presence in the room. The energy felt comforting and reassuring. The candles burned strong and clean during the ritual and the Spirits’ candle did as well. My final prayers addressed Christ as the Master Healer, and played on the wording in Luke 4:23, in which Yeshua muses that the people would surely say to him “Physician, Heal Thyself” (Ἰατρέ, θεράπευσον σεαυτόν), or healer, heal yourself. I asked that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit help me to do just that.

H. Carromancy: Interpreting the Candle Wax

The next day, I went to interpret the wax from the three candles and saw the following. First, in M.D.A‘s candle, I saw a fairly clean burn with minimum pooling. One of the “points” that was previously pointing towards the center of the candle after the previous working, suggesting the illness still had its “claws or teeth” in M.D.A, was now pointing away from the center and off to the left. I interpreted this to mean that the illness was ‘opening up’ and clearing, but still affecting him. Finally, I also saw that some of the wax was “bending over” away from the center of the candle, suggesting that the illness is starting to submit. But it will take more time before it’s fully resolved.

Second, my own candle appeared a series of happy petal-like shapes, suggesting a positive result would be coming for me. No issues, just a flowering of results that would likely come surprisingly quickly.

Finally, R.C.’s candle showed that her own issues were “standing up” to the attempts to heal them, suggesting it might take a little longer than expected for her healing to come through, but she would get there. There was a wall of protection around her that was assisting (small wall of wax on the right); at the same time, this wall of wax could also suggest that the illness itself was “putting up walls” and resisting the work. As it turned out, the results of the Operation were in many ways fully consistent with what the wax suggested.

I. Health in Abundance: Results of the Final Candle Working

The next day, I felt remarkably better. My throat felt much less painful, my coughs were few and far between, I had no fever, and my drippy, runny nose had returned to normal, such that I was breathing easily again. By the end of the day, my symptoms were all down by about 95%. it was the fastest recovery from a cold I’ve ever had.

It’s worth noting that when I discussed the healing work I had been doing with my Hoodoo teacher Aaron Davis and how I had become sick in the process, he noted that he had also experienced this and decided, as a result, not to do healing work for more than 2 people per day. He also recommended that after every healing work I do in then future, I do a strong cleansing bath. He also pointed out that in my Clinical work, I am also “outputting a lot of healing energy as it is,” so doing magical healing on top of that can drain us and make us susceptible to illness. I noted his advice and plan to practice it going forwards.

Thereafter, I checked in with M.D.A and he informed me that there were significant improvements and he had tested negative again for COVID-19:

He had some lingering symptoms, but it was clear that the worst was behind him and he was on his way to a complete recovery.

Finally, I checked in with R.C. and she reported that a number of her symptoms had improved as well. She agreed to continue to use the Oil until her condition was completely healed and thanked me for my help.

All I can do is quote Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, Oh Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory glory, because of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

H. Concluding Thoughts on Magical Healing in Practice

Healing work is being of service. For those on the Rosicrucian path, it is a central feature of their spiritual work and approach. If we make ourselves available to heal, drawing on help from our Spiritual Allies and the Herbs given to us, we can sometimes witness true miracles, miracles that inspire humility, reverence, and bolster faith in a big way, just as Yeshua’s miracles did to many in his own time. For the Christian mystic called to the “Imitation of Christ,” prayers and work for healing can be a vital practice that brings wholeness, health, and love to the suffering and the ill. However, healing is a universal human concern and people on many Paths will also feel a call to it. If so, I hope that reading the workings above will yield some helpful ideas for how to approach healing in a way that harmonizes with your own tradition.

By way of closing reflections, I can say that I I feel so grateful to have been a part of these workings and to be blessed by witnessing people getting helped, both with access to the Oil and locally and without directly even being able to access it, in another province (M.D.A) and even in another country on another continent (C.O.). What’s more, I felt truly awed by the power of the Divine, of Angels, Spirits, and Ancestors, working together through the means of magic and prayer to work wonders. Some of these healings were nothing short of miraculous and helped bolster my faith that I am on the right path and doing the work I am meant to do to be of service.

Of course, suffering and illness are perennial human realities and, as such, the work of healing will never be done. Healing, as I humbly see it, is part of an ongoing path of service to the community and co-labouring with the Source of All healing to soothe the sufferings and symptoms of injury and illness. Individually, our own healing as practitioners is also never done, as we strive to work through all of our own shadows, sufferings, and issues; bringing spiritual work into those dark inner spaces can be a fruitful avenue for light in extension.

I. References

Balthazar. (2018). Solomonic Candle Magic. Course Bundle purchased from the author, no longer available online.

Peterson, J. H. (2004). Key of Solomon. [online eBook] Esoterica Archives. Available at: http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/ksol.htm

Peterson, J. H. (2006). The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. [online eBook]. Esoterica Archives. Available at: http://www.esotericarchives.com/moses/67moses.htm

Evocation of Archangel Michael: Cyprianic Warnings, Cleansing Miasmatic Tools, and Breaking and Reflecting Back Curses

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Date: Sunday, September 20, 2020.
Sun Phase: Set.
Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent at 19 % Illumination in 19 Degrees Scorpio.
Mansion of the Moon: #5, al-Kalb (the Caduceus)
Planetary Day: Day of the Sun.
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Sun.
Activities: Ritual Ablutions after 6 days of Daniel-fasting with no sex, alcohol, or meat; Prayers; Opening by the Bell of Art; Conjuration of Angels of the Lord of the Four Directions as per Heptameron; Conjuration and Evocation of Michael to visible appearance; Ritual cleansing of miasmatic contaminated objects; Curse-Breaking and defensive reflective magic against past and future curses; License to Depart; Prayers.

After 6 days of Daniel-fasting, no sex, no alcohol, and no meat, I felt an inner nudge to call on Michael for assistance in the current work on which I have been focused for the past week. It was the Hour of the Sun on the Day of the Sun with the Moon waxing in the Lunar Mansion of Al-Kalb, the Caduceus. This Mansion is very much in harmony with some of the work with which I would seek the Angel’s help, particularly, as Christopher Warnock notes, for defensive work. In addition, as Volguine notes, al-Kalb “exerts an especially favourable influence for exposing enemies,” and as Agrippa indicates, is useful for ” revenge from enemies” and “frees captives.” All of the above were highly appropriate for the work at hand.

I cleansed myself with ritual ablutions for purification, garbed myself in a white robe, my L-skin belt, and my Sacred Magic of Abramelin Crown, and picked up my Key of Solomon Wand. After sounding the Solomonic Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle, as per the Hygromanteia, I enterered the Circle then sounded the Bell to each of the full Quarters, as per the Key of Solomon.

In the Circle, Michael’s spirit Table with his statue was placed in the current direction of the Sun as assessed with astronomical software. The Table also featured offering candles; a glass of fresh water offered to God on behalf of the Angel; a vessel filled with a cleansing mixture of Holy Water, Florida water, and waxing Moon Rain Water; my Black and White-Handled Knives as well as Lemegeton’s Goetia Pentacle to be cleansed from recent miasmatic contamination; the Black Mirror of Art; the Heptameron Sigil of Michael, and other tools.

For the Evocation of Michael, I began a new method emerging from a synthesis of methods of Conjuration from the Arbatel and Heptameron Grimoires. After practicing a method for sealing the Spirit Body I learned from the Esperitista, I began the prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 14, modified to include the name of Michael:

O Lord of heaven and earth, Creator and Maker of all things visible and invisible; I, though unworthy, by thy assistance call upon thee, through thy onely begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord, that thou wilt give unto me thy holy Spirit, to direct me in thy truth unto all good. Amen. Because I earnestly desire perfectly to know the Arts of this life and such things as are necessary for us, which are so overwhelmed in darkness, and polluted with infinite humane opinions, that I of my own power can attain to no knowledge in them, unless thou teach it me: Send me therefore thy Spirit Michael, who may teach me those things which thou wouldest have me to know and learn, to thy praise and glory, and the profit of our neighbour. Give me also an apt and teachable heart, that I may easily understand those things which thou shalt teach me, and may hide them in my understanding, that I may bring them forth as out of thy inexhaustible treasures, to all necessary uses. And give me grace, that I may use such thy gifts humbly, with fear and trembling, through our Lord Jesus Christ, with thy holy Spirit. Amen.

After additional prayers, I prayed a modified version of the prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 21:

Omnipotent and eternal God, who hast ordained the whole creation for thy praise and glory, and for the salvation of man, I beseech thee that thou wouldst send thy Spirit Michael of the solar order, who shall inform and teach me those things which I shall ask of him; Nevertheless not my will be done, but thine, through Jesus Christ thy onely begotten Son, our Lord. Amen.

As per the Heptameron, I proceded with the Conjuration of the Angels of the Quarters for Sunday:

At the East. • • Samael. Baciel. Atel. Gabriel [*Fabriel]. Vionatraba. • •
At the West. • • Anael. Pabel. Ustael. Burchat. Suceratos. Capabili [*Capabali]. • •
At the North. • • Aiel. Aniel, vel Aquiel. Masgabriel. Sapiel. Matuyel. • • At the South. • • Haludiel. Machasiel. Charsiel. Uriel. Naromiel.

Finally, I proceded to the Heptameron Conjuration of Michael for Sunday, holding the Wand of Art, with my Solomonic Sword linked to Michael near at hand:

I Conjure and confirm upon you, ye strong and holy Angels of God, in the name Adonay, Eye, Eye, Eya, which is he who was, and is, and is to come, Eye, Abray; and in the name Saday, Cados, Cados, Cados, sitting on high upon the Cherubin; and by the great Name of God himself, strong and powerful, who is exalted above all Heavens; Eye Saray, maker of the World, who created the World, the Heaven, the Earth, the Sea, and all that in them is in the first day, and sealed them with his holy Name Phaa; and by the name of the holy Angels, who rule in the fourth Heaven, and serve before the most mighty Salamia, an Angel great and honourable; and by the name of his Star, which is Sol; and by his Sign; and by the immense name of the living God, and by all the names aforesaid, I conjure thee, Michael, O great Angel, who art chief Ruler of the Lords day; and by the name Adonay, the God of Israel, who hath created the world, and all that therein is, That thou labour for me, and fulfil all my petitions, according to my will and desire, in my cause and business.

I performed additional prayers and Conjurations, additional purifications and sprinklings with the Holy Water mixture, offerings of Candles and Water to God on behalf of the Angel, and sat down.

I began to gaze into the Mirror while continuing to vibrate and chant the name MICHAEL. Then I entered a free-flow rapid stream of prayers and free-form Conjurations, while gazing into the Mirror. I continued and continued until the room began to fade darker and the Spirit Table appeared to shine brighter. Mysterious lights and streaks began to drift around the Circle, indicating the presence of the Spirits.

Then the offered candles dimmed down before flaring up again and I heard an infinitely warm and rich voice speaking into my mind while a light seemed to concentrically glow and fade into the center of the Mirror. I recognized the arrival of Michael with an immensity of warmth and light, a terrifying power but a comforting loving presence…

M: “Greetings Adam, Son of Adam,” the warm voice said, playing on the familiar title “Son of Adam” for humankind and my literal name.

I greeted the Angel with love and respect and asked if I could ask both his insight and his assistance with things in harmony with the Will and Nature of God. I began by asking the Angel for his impression of the cessation of my work with “St. Cyprian of Antioch” and the processes involved with ending that work such as severing the pacts, destroying the ritual tools, burning and smashing the statues, etc.

M: “You have done well. Did I not warn you that that “Saint” was no Saint, but a legion of Liars and Impostors? Did I not warn you lest you fall into a pit of deceit? This, you did. But now, at least, you shall be clear of your folly.”

I repented of my foolishness in believing the spirit’s lies about who it was and what it claimed to be doing and that I had not listened sooner.

M: “Be comforted, you are not alone. This legion of “Cyprians” draws new fools every day by the force of their greed, lust for power, gullibility, and arrogance. Some of these impostors mean well, but most are dark and intend nothing but deception and destruction to their own gain. Being Sons of Hell, they turn those who follow them into even worse Sons of Hell than they are. Fools under their sway among you humans propagate their lies and illusions and catch more souls in the web of their deceptions. Many are those who fall into their snares. Many are those who are puppets in their clutches. Many are those who are food on which for them to feed. Many are those who stumble into the pit alongside them. Truly, they will reap the fruits of their folly in destruction worse than they imagine. Tell your humans to beware lest they be prey for Liars more cunning than they!“

After hearing these chilling words, I asked how I could possibly express this to them when they so fervently believe the opposite about “Cyprian.”

M: “It is not for you to make them believe or disbelieve. You can put point to the cliff towards which they stumble and warn them that they are in danger of a terrible fall. Some will listen. Most will not, and ignoring all warnings, plummet off the cliff to their destruction. Then their “Cyprians” will abandon them, laughing at their demise. And they will be shocked, but it will be too late. The Jaws of Evil gape wide to catch, devour, and consume the unwary. But you humans trust lies and ignore the truth. You take darkness to be light and light to be darkness, but some among you, might, by Grace, understand.”

I explained that I had already destroyed all of the statues, implements, and tools of my work with “Cyprian and Justina” and dismantled and cleansed the Table on which those tools and statues had once stood.

M: “You did well, but have more to do, as I see, you know. Pick up your Knives and Pentacle. Wash them in the Water (Holy Water, Florida Water, Rain Water). Then press each in turn to the head of my Statue. Three times through flame. Then ground them against the blade of your Sword and leave them on my Table.”

I did as I was instructed for each item in turn. When I touched each item to the head of the Statue, I seemed to feel a flush of energy, like a vibrating wave of warmth flooding through my forehead.

I thanked the Angel for his help with this and asked if it was acceptable to use the Mirror of Art with him, as I had never done so before, and had many who cautioned against using the dark Mirror with Angels, favouring instead, the Crystal.

M: “Is my name not upon the Mirror’s back? You can use it. Next time, use also the Triangle with it. I will help you with the Triangle to focus on my Presence and those of others whom you Call. Fear not the Triangle will offend. Is it not my Sigil inscribed three times upon it? Should I be offended by my own name, when the concentrating power is mine by grace of His (God’s)?“

I was surprised to hear him invite me to use the Triangle for communicating with him as I had only ever seen it recommended for malevolent daimons, but I was remembered of the Table of Art in some grimoires, which employs a triangle shape. His logic was sound, and who was I to argue after all?

I asked him if he could give me a visual of his face in the mirror.

M: “Have I not shown you before? Why do you ask for a Dream when you could have Reality? My face is no face. My wings are no wings. But focus anyway and see.”

As the room darkened once again, I seemed to see a vague outline of a face in the Mirror. Resembling a man. Strong. Mature. Wise. And then it faded out.

M: “Dreams upon Dreams. Symbols upon Symbols. Your kind hunger for these, but they are pale substitutes for Truth.”

I asked the Angel about another matter about which I had been wondering and never asked, Heaven and Hell. I asked “is there really a Heaven and a Hell? The answer that came was cryptic and enigmatic, but profound and incisive:

M: “Heaven and Hell are both metaphors and literal. They are metaphors for your feeble mind to relate to that which you can neither understand nor relate. Their literal Truth is more than you can understand and not what you imagine. You think in time and space but they are neither in time nor in space.

Do not confuse imagination for Truth or image for Being. Is it your business to know all things or that of the One who made all things? Some things will not fit in terms your mind can grasp. Your reason is a pale light, like a candle in the dark. Yet you expect it to light up the whole universe. How can a candle light the universe?

The Mysteries of God are beyond conception. And Heaven and Hell are Mysteries of God. Yet you humans try, in vain, to conceive despite this fact. And then you cling to the models you have made, the shades of your ill-conception, and call them God’s. How are they God’s? You made them.

They are like children’s drawings. Yet you take them to be accurate maps of the entirety of Being. Would you navigate by the crayon map of a child? Of course not. Yet you try to navigate the Unknowable by your mind’s crayon maps and call that “knowledge.” That is not knowledge, but make believe. Instead of make believe, simply believe. In what? What God will give you to know.“

I was reminded of the Espiritista’s recommendation that I drop the overanalytic machinations of my mind and lean more on sensation and experience. I asked the Angel if he had any recommendations for working with the Cuadro Spirits that the Esperitista had shown me:

M: “You will learn in time. Trust the one I sent to teach you and whom I sent you to learn from. He will show you the way. He is a friend — was his name not a hint from me? Continue with your baths and prayer. More will be revealed in time.”

I asked if the Angel had any insights or guidance to offer to better serve my Social Work clients:

M: “Continue to learn and listen. Humble your heart, listen well to criticism and suggestions, and trust in God. He will give to you what you are to say and do. When they speak to you, those in your care, listen to them as if God Himself were speaking to you. For how will you know when he is or is not? You cannot. Therefore listen with a humble heart and have faith.”

I turned to the final matter about which I was concerned. I asked if others had indeed worked malefic magic against me as the Esperitista had indicated and I had already suspected:

M: “Yes. Two men, in fact. But I will help. God nurtures and protects those who choose Him, who are those whom He has chosen. Their curses will be sent back upon their heads, magnified threefold in accordance with God’s Justice to the ones He loves and calls His own. I will tend to that. For you, forgive them. Leave it to God and do what I tell you now.”

The Angel instructed me to proceed with working defensive spiritual work to reflect back all past and future curses from this point on, such that they will be magnified and strike back three times as severely as what they intended for me. He did not permit me to share everything involved in this, as it was private and so that those men who sent the curses, one of whom reads this blog, could not counter them. He prevented only for me to share this:

M: “Take up my Mirror. Reach into… [redacted] and trace three times [redacted]. Cast… [redacted] in each direction in turn, saying… [redacted]. Pick up the Sword, trace a Cross in each direction, then stab that direction, proclaiming [redacted]. Call on God by the Names… [redacted] and recite the incantation “The curses thou send now to me, / Turn back around and go to thee, / The curses thou send now to me, / reflect back to thee now times three.” Continue with [redacted] and [redacted]. All will be taken care of. Your Father is a loving and faithful. He will protect and nourish you with all you need to know and do. My Sword will cut through all according to His will.“

This charm will remain in place going forwards from now on as an enduring Ward and defensive work against any who would work malefic witchcraft against me again.

I thanked the Angel again for his wisdom and insights, as well as his much-appreciated help. After a series of final prayers, I prayed the second prayer from Arbatel Aphorism 21:

“Forasmuch as thou camest in peace, and quietly, and hast answered unto my petitions; I give thanks unto God, in whole Name thou camest: and now thou mayest depart in peace unto thy orders; and return to me again when I shall call thee by thy name, or by thy order, or by thy office, which is granted from the Creator. Amen“

I thanked Michael once more and proceeded with more prayers then gave the License to Depart to the Angel and the other spirits previously Conjured. Just as suddenly as he had come, he was gone.

I sounded the Bell to the four Quarters in reverse Order and formally closed down the Temple.

With Love for Sister Lion: Consecration of an Ethically-Sourced Lion Skin Belt

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. The Belt of the Lion: An Introduction to the Historical and Textual Roots of the Lion Skin Belt as Magical Implement

The lion skin Belt of the magical Art is arguably one of the most elusive, fascinating, and, in our contemporary context of sensitivity to animal ethics and environmental concerns, controversial of all magical objects. While not an essential or major magical tool in the vast majority of texts that compose the Western grimoiric corpus, it remains a powerful tool with a rich and ancient history. As I aimed to explore this mysterious tool in both theory and practice, I determined to ground myself not only in the historical context in which the Belt of the Art took on its meanings and virtues, but also in a sensitivity to the ethics surrounding its creation. If I was to attempt to craft such a tool, I would need to do it in a way that did not reinforce illegal poaching, promote the further endangerment of lions, who remain an at-risk species globally, or involve any disrespect to the spirit of the lion from which the skin had originated. In this article, I will aim to share some of the historical and traditional background from which the lion skin Belt emerged and how I approached its procurement, crafting, and consecration in the context of an intimate relationship with the spirit of the lioness I now lovingly refer to, in the style of St. Francis of Assis, as Sister Lion.

Since the revival of the Western grimoire literature, the legendary lion skin Belt of Art has entered into the consciousness of the magical community primarily through a single text — the Lemegeton’s Goetia. This sixteenth-century grimoire instructs the magician, in preparing for magical Operations, to prepare “a sceptre or sword; a miter or cap, a long white Robe of Linnen, with shoes and other Clothes for y^e purpose also a girdle of Lyons skin 3 Inches broad, with all the names about it as is about the uttermost round [part of the] Circle.” (Peterson, 2021). Mr. Joseph H. Peterson (2021) notes that the lion skin Belt reference appears to have originated from “the experiment of Bealphares in Scot, which says it can also be made from “a hart’s skin” i.e. deer or buckskin. Compare also Sloane 3824 110.”

The key symbolism and Agrippan occult virtues of the lion skin belt surround courage, royalty, boldness, and fearlessness. All of the traditional materia used for this purpose–a lion skin, a hart skin, or a harlot’s garment–all embody this bold, fearless, brave aspect. The key magical function of this Belt of Art, regardless of which of the aforementioned versions of the Belt one chooses to craft, is therefore, to imbue the magician with these virtues and also provide one layer of magical protection to the Operator who steps into the magic Circle to conjure spirits.

Panel with striding lion. ca. 604–562 B.C.. Babylonian. Via the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

To this point, the ever-insightful Jake Stratton-Kent has noted that “boldness is the criterion hence ‘the smock of a harlot’ alternative etc. — see Albertus Magnus.” Jake illuminatingly adds that “the Goetia is known to be part cut and paste, it borrows substantially from Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft, for example, for its spirit catalogue, which also includes belts of bearskin and of snake. Another possibility, not necessarily excluding the former: it is sympathetic magic to induce courage in the face of demons. References to this lead to the Book of Secrets tradition, which encourages folks to wear thongs of lion skin for this purpose, or the smock of a harlot. Both lions and harlots are bold, and items once belonging to them can transmit this quality.”

In addition to the virtue of boldness, the connection between the lion, as “Kinge of the Jungle,” and royalty imagery symbolizing mastery, power, and authority, is evident in multiple grimoires from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern periods. One such example occurs in the Sword of Moses, which provides a spell “to go before king or lord,” which instructs the magician to say an invocation “over a piece of lion’s skin dipped in black hemp (?) and pure wine, and take it with thee” (Peterson, 1998). This anointed and consecrated lion skin piece effectively becomes a kind of talisman, which carries “kingly” authority with it in a way that would enamor the magician to the “king or lord” before whom s/he would present him/herself.

The roots of the lion’s skin belt tradition stretch back through history far beyond the Early Modern, Renaissance, and Medieval periods, however. In his Magical Techniques and Implements Present in Graeco-Egyptian Magical Papyri, Byzantine Greek Solomonic Manuscripts and European Grimoires: Transmission, Continuity and Commonality (The Technology of Solomonic Magic), Dr. Stephen Skinner (2013) indicates that the magical tradition of using a lion skin Belt has its roots in Ancient Egyptian magical practice. In his words,

“The skin of any big cat, especially a lion, was held in awe, as it related to the fierce goddess
Sekhmet. Sekhmet also had associations with magic.1341 High Priests of Sekhmet were often
associated with magic, such as Heryshefnakht, who was both Chief of Magicians and High
Priest of Sekhmet. On the reverse of the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus (which dates from
1700 BCE) the title of one spell refers to “the demons of disease, the malignant spirits,
messengers of Sekhmet,”1342 which identifies this goddess also as a ruler over evil spirits. If
that is so, then wearing a belt made of her animal’s skin conferred a certain authority on the
magician. The leopard skin of the Egyptian priest and the lion nemyss1343 is met with within
the European grimoire tradition in the form of a belt made of lion skin. This practice lasted
through to the 17th century, and a belt of lion skin is recommended in the 1641 Goetia.”

An Ancient Egyptian inscription of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet.

To explain the magical rationale for this practice, Dr. Skinner suggests “that this practice originally related to Sekhmet, but later it may simply have become part of the dress of the magician designed to cower the spirits. The thinking being that any man who had mastered a lion – as he was wearing its skin – must truly be powerful, and so the belt of lion skin would be like wearing a ‘badge of courage.’”

Interestingly, none of the grimoires specifies a necessary gender for the lion from which the Belt is to be made. While the male lion, with his majestic mane, and epithet “King of the Jungle” is an obvious choice, the female lion is equally fierce, being the one who does the majority of the hunting (Packer, 2019). In addition, as Van Binsbergen (1992) notes, “most of many lion-associated divinities in Ancient Egypt were female (for example Matit, Mehit, Mentit, Pakhet, Sakhmet, Menet, and especially Tefnut).” The image of a female lioness protecting the magician like her own cub or beloved has magical sympathies that are well in harmony with the protective features of the Belt of Art as a talismanic object.

The idea of a male or female lion being a source of protection was well-attested in both Rome and Egypt. For instance, in Chapter 19 of Plutarch’s famous De Iside et Osiride, (2nd century C.E.), Osiris returns from the underworld to help prepare his son Horus for the battle with Seth. Osiris asks Horus what animal he considers most useful for those going to battle. Osiris expects him to answer ‘a lion’, but instead Horus answers: ‘a horse’. When the father expresses his surprise at this answer, the son explains, hardly convincingly, that a lion merely enables one to defend oneself, while a horse allows one to pursue the enemy and to vanquish him (Van Binsbergen, 1992). Be that as it may, horse skin belts seem conspicuously absent from the grimoiric tradition, at least to the best of my knowledge.

From right to left: Isis, her husband Osiris, and their son Horus, the protagonists of the Osiris myth, in a Twenty-second Dynasty statuette.

An invocation for this kind of mastery over the lion as implying the ability to have similar mastery over spirits can also be found in the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, which features a notable prayer under the heading of the “magical laws of Moses.” In this prayer, the magician invokes the righteous authority of the Lord of Hosts, praying “Oh, Lord, arise, that mine enemies may be destroyed and that they may fly; that those who hate Thee may be scattered like smoke — drive them away. As wax melteth before the fire, so pass away all evil-doers before God, for God has given Thee the kingdom. Pour out Thy wrath over them. Thy wrath seize them. Thou shalt stand upon leopards and adders, and Thou shalt subdue the lion and dragon. With God only can we do great things. He will bring them under our feet” (Peterson, 2019). According to the magical logic of this passage, if it is a symbol of power to subdue a lion, then it is even more powerful to call upon the Creator of the lion with the awe-inspiring power to subdue all lions.

Nor is the association between the lion and kingly authority and iconography exclusively localized to Egypt. Grant (1951) describes an archaeological excavation of the burial site of an Tangayikan chieftain in present-day Tanzania, which unearthed a kingly headdress which was common to many burial sites of chieftains in the area. This elaborate piece was made out of a combination of precious Kibangwa shell and the skin of a lion. In Grant’s words:

“In the matter of dress we see that the Kibangwa shell is the principal object of the royal regalia, and only chiefs are allowed to wear it with the lion skin. The head-dress (crown) is the same in every case and is made from the tail and part of the rump of a lion skin, the tail being split lengthwise and so forming two tails; the remainder of the skin goes transversely over the head from back to front, and an encircling band secures it. On the transverse piece of skin, rather nearer the crown than the forehead, is fixed the Kibangwa shell.”

Dr. Skinner also cites a 3rd century B.C.E. evocation in Mesopotamia reported by Menippus, an author who lived in Gadara, and later in Thebes, in which he alludes to the practice of a magician wearing a lion skin in Graeco-Egyptian magic:

“[6] I resolved to go to Babylon and ask help from one of the Magi, Zoroaster’s disciples and
successors; I had been told that by incantations and other rites they could open the gates of
Hades, take down any one they chose in safety, and bring him up again. I thought the best thing
would be to secure the services of one of these, visit Tiresias the Boeotian, and learn from that
wise seer what is the best life and the right choice for a man of sense. I got up with all speed and
started straight for Babylon. When I arrived, I found a wise and wonderful Chaldean; he was
white-haired, with a long imposing beard, and called Mithrobarzanes. My prayers and
supplications at last induced him to name a price for conducting me down [to Hades].

[7] Taking me under his charge, he commenced with a new moon, and brought me down for
twenty-nine successive mornings to the Euphrates, where he bathed me, apostrophizing the
rising sun in a long formula, of which I never caught much; he gabbled indistinctly, like bad
heralds at the Games; but he appeared to be invoking spirits. This charm completed, he spat
thrice upon my face, and I went home, not letting my eyes meet those of any one we passed.885
Our food was nuts and acorns, our drink milk and hydromel886 and water from the Choaspes,
and we slept out of doors on the grass. When he thought me sufficiently prepared, he took me
at midnight to the Tigris, purified and rubbed me over, sanctified me with torches and squills
and other things, muttering the charm aforesaid, then made a magic circle round me to protect
me from ghosts, and finally led me home backwards just as I was; it was now time to arrange
our voyage.

[8] He himself put on a magic robe, Median in character, and fetched and gave me the cap,
lion’s skin, and lyre which you see, telling me if I were asked my name, not to say Menippus, but
Heracles, Odysseus, or Orpheus.”

Menippus, by Velázquez.

The connection to Herakles (Ηρακλής) here is culturally significant. Both Greek mythology and Greek iconography often depicted Herakles–later Latinized as Hercules–as wearing a lion skin draped over his head as an emblem of his mastery over the mighty lion, and therefore, powerful in his own right. For instance, a noteworthy late 6th century Greek vase called the “Kyknos Krate” depicts the Greek hero wearing the lion skin as shown on the far left of this reconstruction by Barov (1998):

In addition, the setting of the evocation in the 3rd century narrative from Menippus quoted above, namely, Mesopotamia, strikes me as relevant to the present article for another reason. Herakles was not the only legendary Ancient hero who clad himself in a lion’s skin as an emblem of power and boldness. Indeed, the eponymous hero of the Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Akkadian during the late 2nd millennium B.C.E., also famously clad himself in a lion’s skin. Perhaps surprisingly, however, Gilgamesh did not don the lion’s skin in a context of triumph, but rather of mourning the passing of his dead friend and comrade Enkidu. In this extreme state of his grief, the hero pulls out his hair, tears off his clothes, vows not to shave–an oath reminiscent of the later Biblical Nazarite vow which will be taken by Samson, Samuel, and others in the Hebrew Tanakh–and runs into the wilderness, clad only in a lion’s skin, in search of Utnapishtim (Luke & Pruyser, 1985). Utnapishtim, in the Epic, is the only mortal who survived the archaic flood and gained immortality, a Mesopotamian quasi-precursor to the Jewish Noah. From Utanipishtim, Gilgamesh hopes to learn the secrets of the gods which allow the transcendence of earthly mortality.

The Magician, as a universal symbol, shares features with both Herakles, as a bold figure with the courage and authority to dominate other-worldly powers, and Gilgamesh, as a hero who aims to move beyond earthly death and aspire to Divine mysteries (Luke & Pruyser, 1985). Indeed, Gilgamesh later turns his lion-skin cloak into a sail for the boatman Ushanabi’s boat to help safely convey them across the sea to Utnapishtim; the lion skin, thereby, takes on the symbolism of not only a protective covering of one attuned to the wilderness, but also of conveyance to a holder of spiritual power (Luke & Pruyser, 1985). Magicians have long shared Gilgamesh’s yearning to transcend the bonds of mortality and learn from the spirits beyond. Such was the way of the Initiate from the time of the Ancient Greek mystes who sought Immortality in the Rites of Eleusis, or in the Mystery rites described in lines 26-51 or 475-820 of PGM IV, to the Christian Mystic who sought mystical rebirth in the eternal Life of Christ, who was famously referred to as “the Lion of Judah” (Van Den Berg, 2003). Perhaps it is fitting, then, that the magician’s Craft should feature a lion’s skin implement that girds the Magician in the power, boldness, and mythological emblems of heroism and kingship.

“Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assyrian palace relief (713–706 BC), from Dur-Sharrukin, now held in the Louvre” (Delorne, 1981).

B. Befriending the Lion Spirit: Ensuring the Ethical Provenance of the Belt and a Practical Animistic Approach to Lion Spirit Work in a Christian Grimoiric Framework

Inspired by this rich history and the magical virtues promised by the Lion Skin Belt of Art, I therefore took on the great challenge of acquiring the means of making it in a loving and respectful way. As already pointed out in the introduction, it was essential to me that if I was to make such a Belt, that the skin should come from an ethical source, that is, not from illegal poaching or from the illegal skin trade that continues to endanger this beautiful and majestic species the world-over.

Moreover, it was important to me not only from an ethical perspective, but also from a spiritual perspective, that the skin be properly obtained because I would be inviting the spirit of the lion associated with the skin to join my spiritual family and to live in my home. It is also worth stating by way of context that I am by nature a passionate animal lover and lover of cats in particular. Protecting endangered species is a cause dear to my heart, as is caring for local animals in my area. To this end, I made sure that every cat I ever owned was a rescue from a non-kill shelter. Therefore, out of love for these beautiful animals, I resolved that unless I could find an ethically-sourced skin, I would never endeavour to make or acquire such a Belt.

Firmly adhering to this resolution, it took me a staggering 16 years to find a skin that met the ethical criteria I had set out. Over the span of the intervening years, I encountered several skins for sale, but always from dubious sellers and often with no clear provenance identified, which made them likely the product of distasteful poaching. Let any prospective skin purchaser be warned that if you cannot ensure the provenance of the skin from a vet-able local source in its country of origin, you will likely be supporting poaching, which I would strongly discourage.

At last, the fortuitous breakthrough came when a dear friend of mine, who lives in an African country whose name I will not share out of respect for his wish to remain anonymous, informed me that a skin was available from a reputable individual in his area. It was important to me that this information was coming to me from a man I know and whose character I respect, which leant credence to the fruits of his research. The skin in question came from a lioness who was not illegally poached, but killed by a local farmer in defense of his herd, which the lioness had been hunting. My friend took special care to research and discuss the provenance of the skin to ensure it was not improperly obtained and thankfully, this dear lioness’s skin passed all the tests. At last, I had found the skin of a lion whose memory and spirit were not dishonoured for money, but whom I could honour through a loving, reverential, and respectful approach.

It took careful work with my Spirits to ensure the safe conveyance of the skin to my home, bearing in mind international laws and proper protocols, as well as all ethical concerns. I will not share any more about this process both out of respect for the wishes of my friend who helped me in this difficult process and to whom I remain most grateful, and because I do not wish to involuntarily promote illegal poaching and its injurious impact on the endangered lion population. However, I will say that it took us nearly a year of careful and diligent work from start to finish simply to acquire the skin even after we had identified it.

Before anyone asks, I would like to emphatically state from the outset that I do not and never will sell lion skin Belts, nor will I assist anyone else in the procuration of such an item for legal, ethical, and spiritual reasons. This is the first and the last such Belt that I will make. There will be no exceptions. This is a hard and absolute rule to which I am bound by my conscience, reason, and Spirits, secured by an Oath that I shall not break.

The packages were remarkably unopened and arrived unharmed, aided by the protection and support of the Angels of Mercury who were called upon to ensure its safe conveyance and transmission.

In any case, after 16 years of searching and a full year of work to acquire the belt, I was overjoyed to say the least when it finally arrived safely at my house. Raphael, Kokaviel, Savaniah, Ghedoriah, and Chokhmahiel were highly effective at ensuring it arrived here safely after my prior work with them to support the legal transmission of the skin to Canada. The unconsecrated and uninscribed skin was mailed from its source country in Africa in the Day and Hour of Mercury. I was carrying my 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter for good fortune when the lion skin finally arrived at my house on the Day of Jupiter.

From the time the lion skin arrived at my house on Thursday, I felt a shift in myself in sympathy with the energy of the spirit. I felt more aggressive without knowing why. There was also some poltergeist phenomena — an object on the kitchen table where I had been storing the Belt package, waiting to open it in the Day and Hour of the Sun, spontaneously moved by itself. Strange noises were heard in the house, their source unknown. Then, today, a bottle cap spontaneously fell off the stove and landed on the floor. No one had touched it.

Before I share how I began to work with the spirit of the lioness, consecrated the skin, and inscribed it with the requisite Names, it would perhaps be helpful to offer some context in terms of my spiritual and philosophical approach to the process.

My approach to the Belt was grounded, not only in the grimoiric texts and history we have explored above, but also in the animistic worldview from which the roots of grimoiric magic spring as Aaron Leitch (2009) in Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires and Jake Stratton-Kent (2010) in Geosophia have lucidly showed It is no coincidence that the Operator in the Key of Solomon speaks to the fire of the candle as a conscious being, directly addressing it as “O Creature of Fire” — this is a remnant of an animistic mode of spiritual relating that harkens back to the earliest roots of magic itself (Peterson, 2004).

Indeed, the grimoires emerged from an attuned awareness to what B.J. Swayne (2018) has eloquently dubbed a “World of Spirits,” a view of nature as en-spirited, brimming with spiritual beings investing and inhabiting all things. It is notable that it was not only with the objects and materials (materia magica) that the magician aimed to work, but also with the spirits that embodied the stones, plants, places, and in this case, skins, of the natural world. This is the case because both the materials and the spirits carry the “occult virtues” with which the magician works and which Agrippa describes in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

To paraphrase the 19th to 20th century Austrian Jewish and Israeli philosopher Martin Buber, what I strove for in relating to the spirit of the lion, was not what he called an I-It relationship, which is purely a instrumental subject to object relation in which “I” as the magician simply see a skin as an “object” and “tool” (Scott et al., 2009). Buber, Instead, I strove for an I-Thou relationship between a human spirit and a lion spirit, in which we would forge a magical We in the mysterious dialogic in-between of ritual encounter (Charmé, 1997; Watson, 2006).

I was blessed in my life to have been blessed with the chance to learn from two Indigenous Elders from the Kanien’kehá:ka People here in Montreal, Canada. Both taught me the importance of approaching the spirits of natural things and beings–like the lion in this case–with care, respect, and reverence, and I determined to do precisely this in my magical approach to the Belt of Art of the Goetia.

Such an approach is harmoniously resonant with the spiritual worldview of one of my most beloved saints, St. Francis of Assisi, who spoke to his “Brother Sun and Sister Moon” and preached sermons to birds, fish, and even flowers (Hughes, 1996). Like St. Francis, I, too, would come to call the spirit behind my Belt of Art, Sister Lion, and to approach her with love.

Thus it was that with great excitement, on Sunday, September 15, 2019, I came to perform a moving ritual to begin my relationship with the spirit of the lioness whose skin would come to make up my Belt of Art. Having patiently and excitedly waited for this Day and Hour of the Sun, I performed Solomonic bathing to purify myself and entered the Temple, setting the lion’s skin and fur on the Altar surrounded by statues of Raphael and Michael, my Altar Cross, water, unleavened bread, incense, and candle offerings, the Sigils of Och and Ophiel as well as of Michael and Raphael, Holy Oil, and Holy Water.

C. From Fear to Friendship: Ritual Consecration of the Lion Skin belt and Relational Work With the Lioness Spirit

Date: Sunday, September 15, 2019
Sun Phase: Set.
Moon Phase: Gibbous in Aries.
Mansion of the Moon: Al-Butayn, which the Picatrix says is useful for “removing anger,” which is appropriate for helping to pacify an agitated lion spirit.
Planetary Day: Day of the Sun.
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Sun.
Activities: Solomonic bathing; opening by Bell of Art; greeting spirits of the four directions; offerings to the spirits of my spiritual Court; conjuration of the lion spirit; working with the lion spirit; purifying and consecrating the skin; obtaining consent of the spirit to proceed with preparing the skin; temple closing.

The photos in this article were after the closing of the Temple and the giving of the License to Depart.

I opened the Temple with prayers and worship to God and asked for help in facilitating the work and for aid from St. Francis of Assisi in communicating with the animal spirit as he had excelled in doing, Raphael for supporting communication, and Michael for helping to calm and soothe the powerful spirit of this lion linked to the Sun in Leo and sphere of his rulership.

I rang the Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia and then sounded it to each of the four Cardinal Directions as per the Key of Solomon, blessing and greeting the spirits of each direction as I did so.

I made offerings to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the name and honour of the Saints, the Seven Heptameronic Archangels, Uriel, the 7 Olympic Spirits, and my Ancestors. I made an additional offerings in thanks to Raphael and his four subsidiary Angels Kokaviel, Savaniah, Chokhmahiel, and Ghedoriah in gratitude for helping the lion skin to safely arrive to my home.

Thereafter, under the aegis of my Patrons and the Most High, I performed a conjuration of the lion spirit and began to directly address the spirit directly, inviting her to come in peace and be present with me in the Temple.

When her spirit arrived in the Temple, I observed an interesting phenomenon. A cloud of incense smoke broke away from the stream of smoke from the incense and drifted directly over the lion skin where it hovered for a moment before disippating.

The lion spirit appeared to be  aggressive and scared at first. I saw images of roaring and felt her presence as volatile and unstable. However, I was able to calm her with a gentle approach, cradling her skin and petting it softly, giving offerings, and clarifying that I did not wish to harm her in any way but only wished for her friendship and our mutual benefit.

Originally, she presented images of growling and baring her teeth at me in my mind. When I moved my fingers over her fur, however, I had a flash of the African farmer who had killed her to protect his animals from her. Suddenly I understood — she saw humans as a threat. She had fear and aggressiveness around the traumatic moment of her death.

Gently and gradually, however, I was able to calmly shower her with gentleness and the kindness of my approach, offering her water for her thirst, food for her hunger, incense for her spirit to play through, and candle fire for warmth. The more I stroked her fur and held it close to me, the more her spirit seemed to relax. I wished her to know that I was friend, not foe, a protector of her spirit, not a threat to her life, a haven of safety, not a harbinger of death.

As her spirit began to relax, the images of the growling lioness gradually dissolved, burned up in the incense smoke. Images of the purring, beautiful creature gradually replaced them. I seemed to sense the “edgy quality” of her spirit softening into a more gentle, relaxed state as the ritual proceeded. The transformation reminded me of a cat releasing tension and relaxing into a comfortable sleep while purring.

The whole experience warmed my heart tremendously. I fell in love with this beautiful animal sister, with the beauty of her spirit, and felt great gratitude to be able to welcome her into my spiritual family. As the ritual wound to a close, I asked for the lion spirit’s permission to write the nomina magica on the Belt for her protection and mine and received an image of a purring lioness in response, which I interpreted as agreement.

I prayed for the Most High God to bless her and calm her fears, to free her from suffering, and aid us in our work together. I kept praying for her and speaking with her and I asked for all of the spirits in my Court to also welcome her and protect her. I also invited her spirit to take up safe residence in the Belt if she wished and to see it as a safe home for her if God willed. I asked her to not threaten but to protect those who live in my house as if they were her own pride, for she is now a member of my family. The images of the purring lioness continued while I continued to caress her skin, holding it close to my heart.

At last, I returned the skin to the Altar, invited the spirit to rest there and be refreshe there as long as she wished. Then I closed the Temple, and left the room feeling like a great deal of tension had dissolved from my home and feeling a great deal more at peace.

D. Consecrated Ink and Spiritual Markings: Inscribing the Belt of Art

Consecrating the Belt of Art and befriending the spirit of the lion are important aspects of the processs of preparing this legendary magical implement. However, the Belt of the Lemegeton’s Goetia in particular also requires the inscribing of extensive Names of Power upon the skin, which is no small task. As in the case of the Goetia Circle, I wanted to make sure I proceeded properly and meticulously. I undertook the painting as a ritual in itself, not preparation for the magic, but intimately part of the magic. Following the instructions of the Lemegeton’s Goetia grimoire, I inscribed all of the Names from the Goetia Circle were inscribed on the belt as per the Lemegeton’s instructions in Ink of Art consecrated according to the Key of Solomon method. As I painted, I prayed, sung spiritual songs, and burned offerings of incense and candles. I spoke gently to the lioness spirit and prayed for her and for our work together.

As we have already seen, the Lemegeton’s Goetia instructs the magician to prepare “a girdle of Lyons skin 3 Inches broad, with all the names about it as is about the uttermost round [part of the] Circle.” (Peterson, 2021). To quote my work in the Crafting a Solomonic Circle article, which explains the origin of the Names of Power used on both the the Legemeton’s Goetia Circle and the Belt of Art:

“As I studied the Hebrew words–written in Latin characters in the original manuscripts–it soon became clear to me that the letters in the outer circle of the Goetia Circle had originated in Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1531). As a side note, this very fact tells us that the Lemegeton text cannot, therefore, be older than 1531, and is probably considerably younger.

More specifically, the Hebrew words around the ring of the Circle come from Chapter 13 of Agrippa’s Second Book of Occult Philosophy (1531), a Chapter which is entitled “Of the Number Ten and the Scale Thereof.” In this Scale, Agrippa provides a Table with 10 Columns devoted to the 10 Sephirot of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. These Columns supply the Hebrew Names of God, the Sephirot, the Angelic Choirs, the Archangels, and the names of the “Spheres of the Celestial World” which were transliterated into English characters in the ring of Names around the Goetia Circle.

Realizing that these were originally Hebrew names, Mathers and Crowley restored them to their original Hebrew. I agree with this decision and decided to go along with it in my own Circle. In the Goetia Circle, however, only 9 out of the 10 columns were included; the Malkut column was omitted. Some Magicians have argued that the reason for this was that the Circle itself represented the Sphere of Malkut, and therefore the names were not needed. This is a fair argument, although one with which I humbly and respectfully disagree.

Caption: Image from the “Scale of the Number Ten” from Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy (1531).

It seems to me that the Malkut column contains key Names of God, Sephirot, Angelic Choir Names, and Archangelic Names, which if omitted, deprive the Circle of additional protection and talismanic power; conversely, if added, they add an additional layer of talismanic and protective power to the Circle as well as a greater sense of holistic and unified completeness.

Through this addition, the physical Circle then becomes a potent and complete mandala of all of the Powers in the Four Qabalistic Worlds mapped around the Magician; in effect, it becomes a completed microcosmic mandalaic representation of the macrocosmic forces that Agrippa (1531) lays out in his Ten Scale. Therefore, I transliterated the Names from the Malkut column in Agrippa back into Hebrew and followed the same symbolic conventions as Mathers-Crowley edition (e.g. using the astrological sigil of the associated Planet, in this case Earth).

An additional issue that anyone who wishes to construct a version of the Lemegeton’s Goetia Circle must face is the issue of the Hebrew.  Unfortunately, there are many errors in the Hebrew both in the original manuscripts in the Mathers-Crowley Hebrew as well.Mr. Gilberto Strapazon has done some excellent work in meticulously correcting these errors in his own take on the Goetic Circle. When you add together my work with Mr. Strapazon’s, the result is the following list of Names for the 10 Columns of Agrippa’s (1531) Ten Scale, all in their original Hebrew, which are to be written in the outer Circle.

Here are the corrected Names for the original 9 columns used in the original Lemegeton’s Goetia Circle as transliterated back into Hebrew by Mathers-Crowley, with credit to Mr. Strapazon:

In addition to the above, my restored version of the 10th column Earth/Malkut Names, which are to be written after the Luna Names, is as follows:

With the above duly laid out, we can now return to the process of inscribing the names on the Lion’s Skin Belt of Art. A useful tip I learned from this process was to use a tape measure to calculate equal segments of the Belt so that I could divide the full length of the Belt evenly among the different divisions of Agrippa’s (1531) Scale of the Number 10 from the Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

Please note that this tip would also work in exactly the same way if you wished to use a Harlot’s garment to make your Belt of Art. If you go that route, I would recommend using either a scarf or an actual belt given to the “Harlot” in question — please pardon my use of the original grimoire language here, with all due respect and love to our contemporary sex workers.

My approach to the Belt did not limit itself to a unigrimoiric or single-grimoire approach, however. That is, I did not only include the Hebrew Names from the Lemegeton’s Goetia, but took a transgrimoiric or multi-grimoire approach and drew also on the Heptameron, Arbatel, Armadel, Abognazar, and Frater Ashen Chassan’s Gateways Through Light and Shadow.

As readers of Light in Extension will likely have noted by now, my general magical modus operandi tends to be transgrimoiric; that is, I enjoy synthesizing material from multiple grimoires, as could be seen, for instance, in my approach to the Wand or the Bell of the Art.

More specifically in this case, and after drawing some inspiration from my spiritual Court, I added the 7 Archangel Sigils from the Heptameron as well as the Seals of the 7 Arbatel Olympic Spirits in their corresponding Planetary sections. Special thanks are due to Andy Foster for the idea of dividing the Belt into sections to facilitate the organization of nomina magica.

As a practical tip to any budding Belt-inscriber who is wondering how to evenly divide the full length of the belt into sections, the formula I used to calculate the length of each division of the Belt is simple:

1. First measure the total length of the Belt.
2. Then divide that total by 10 to obtain the length of each section.
3. Next, clip the tape measure to the belt to fix it in place.
4. Then, go along starting from the left hand side and draw a short line at each division of the length you calculated above.
5. Finally, extend the lines to their full length after removing the tape measure.

Voila! You will now have 10 equal sections. As a side note, the same method also works for dividing up sections of the Goetia Circle, although measuring is much trickier because you have to measure in a spiral. I found that too difficult, so I did it visually, approximating by eye. That resulted in somewhat uneven sections, unfortunately. Thankfully, for the Belt, this process is much easier since we are only working with a rectangular shape rather than in a spiral, so I would recommend measuring rather than eyeballing in this case.

In addition to the aforementioned Seals from the Heptameron and Arbatel, I also included Sigils of Uriel from the Grimoire of Armadel, Iophiel, Raziel from Abognazar, and Metatron and Sandalphon from Frater Ashen Chassan ‘s Gateways Through Light and Shadow were added to balance out the remainder of the sections.

The completed Belt, with all sigils and nomina magica inscribed appears as follows:

E. The Belt of the Lioness as Offering An Ongoing Relationship: Concluding Words On A Boundless Subject

In conclusion, the lion skin Belt of art remains, both a fascinating artifact in the history of magic, and a living tool in contemporary or those who feel called to craft, care for, and employ it. Far more than a tool, however, if rightly pursued in the spirit-centered manner of grimoire traditionalism, I would suggest that the Belt offers he means to forging a powerful connection with the spirit of the Lion from whom it originated. Traditional magic is largely centered on relationships, and the Belt of Art provides a possible focus for such a relationship, not only with the spirits conjured while wearing it, but with the lion spirit him- or herself. If we are to cultivate a meaningful, loving, and respectful relationship with such a spirit, however, we must first ensure that we found it on a skin that is ethically sourced in order to care, not only for the spirit, but the living species to which it belongs. Therefore, and in closing, I hope that a key take-away message of this article shall be that if we cannot ethically source such a skin–and I repeat that it took me 16 years to do so–then it is far better not to purchase lion skin at all and thereby risk promoting illegal and disastrous poaching in the process. After all, even by grimoiric standards, a deer or Hart skin’s will work as well–and can offer a similar means for a relationship with an animal spirit–and a “Harlot’s garment” is easier than either of those to come by, and not a modicum less boldly worn by a confident magician.

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Stratton-Kent, J. (2010). Geosophia – The Argo of Magic. Brighton, UK: Scarlet Imprint.

Swayne, B.J. (2018). Living Spirits: A Guide to Magic in a World of Spirits. United States: Independently Published via Amazon.

Van Binsbergen, W. (1992). The leopard and the lion: An exploration of Nostratic and Bantu lexical continuity in the light of Kammerzell’s hypothesis. Cite Seer. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.616.1348&rep=rep1&type=pdf [Accessed 2 March 2021].

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Solomonic Mercury Magic: Consecrating the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Pentacles of Mercury

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Sun Phase: Dawn
Moon Phase: Waxing at 99.8% Full in Aquarius.
Mansion of the Moon: #25, Sa’d al-Ahkbiyah (the Lucky Star of the Hidden)
Planetary Day: Day of Mercury.
Planetary Hour: 2nd and 3rd Hours of Mercury.
Activities: Solomonic Ritual Bathing with Hyssop; Offerings to the Most High in the name of Saint Cyprian of Antioch, and to the Angels; Engraving the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Pentacles of Mercury; Solomonic Bell Sounding to the Spirits of the Quarters; Prayers of Intent; Inscribing the Vigil of Raphael with his Sigil from the Heptameron; Tracing out the 3rd Pentacle of Jupiter on the Tablet of Lights; Conjurations of Raphael, Kokaviel, Savaniah, Ghedoriah, and Chokhmahiel; Spirit Petitions and Consecrations of the Pentacles; Prayers and Temple Closing.

In the past two weeks, a number of factors coalesced to inspire me to plan to do some serious work with Mercury tonight. First, after nearly a year of work collaborating with fellow magicians in 3 different countries, we were able to purchase the skin of a non-poached lion killed by an African farmer for hunting in his field. We were able to divide the hide between 5 magicians in 4 countries on 3 different continents to each be able to fashion lion skin belts for grimoire work and thereby honour the spirit of the lion while also not supporting the poaching trade.

The challenge, however, lay in safely shipping the belt across multiple international borders. One of the aims of tonight’s work was to seek the aid of Mercurial spirits for helping to ensure that the belts arrive at the homes of their rightful owners.

Second, it seemed to me that while I was going to be opening the Temple and invoking Raphael, it would be a fitting occasion to also fashion the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Mercury Pentacles from the Key of Solomon. I would be able to use these Pentacles to experiment with their capabilities and also support my work in communication and clear thinking to serve the people in my care in my professional practice.The Moon is currently in the 25th Lunar Mansion of Sa’d al-Akhbiyah, which, according to Christopher Warnock, is excellent for growth, protection, and studies and intellectual activities. As I interpret these aspects of this Mansion’s image, they are all rather auspicious for Mercury pentacle work of the kind I was anticipating. The Lucky Star of the Hidden resonates with the occult virtues of the 3rd Pentacle of Mercury in its power to reveal hidden knowledge and mysteries.

In the 2nd Hour of Mercury on the Day of Mercury, I printed my ritual script as well as paper versions of the Pentacles. These, I cut out, and reserved to be placed on the Altar in before the evening ritual work. Throughout the day, while serving my clients, I reflected on the nature of Mercury and read writings from Sam Block, Frater Acher, and Frater Ashen Chassan about the Olympic Spirit of Mercury, Ophiel, and Archangel Raphael to begin to attune myself to the Mercurial energy more deliberately.

I performed a Daniel fast to prepare myself inwardly for the spiritual work to come.As the 3rd Hour of Mercury approached, I set up the Temple for the ritual, placing Raphael’s mensa (spirit table) facing the current location of the planet Mercury in the night’s sky, as calculated by the astronomical Sky Walk 2 application.

On the Altar, I placed my Tablet of Lights with the 3rd Pentacle of Mercury drawn in chalk marker consecrated on the Day of Epiphany.

I used the same consecrated Epiphany chalk to write ELOHIM TZABAOT (אלהים צבאות) and draw the Heptameron’s Sigil of Raphael on the Vigil candle.

I also wrote out a petition asking for the empowerment and consecration of the Pentacles to be made and for help in communication, thinking, and the safe transportation of the lion skin belts to their intended recipients.

I wrote this petition on the back of the 3rd Pentacle of Mercury printed in the 2nd Hour of Mercury on the Day of Mercury with the Moon waxing.

I folded the petition up and placed it on the underside of the Vigil candle to be offered to Raphael.
With the Temple duly prepared, I purified myself with Solomonic hyssop bathing while praying for help and success. In this process, I did a total confession of sins in the style of the Key of Solomon Book I, Chapter IV, “The Confession To Be Made By the Exorcist.“ I then donned my scapular of Saint Cyprian, white Solomonic robe, priestly Stole, and placed my Cyprianic Rosary around my neck. When the Hour of Mercury began, I immediately began to draw the 2nd and 4th Pentacles of Mercury in ink consecrated in the Day and Hour of Mercury on the twin surfaces of a foldable mirror. I obtained the inspiration for this unorthodox Pentacle construction from reading Agrippa’s First Book of Occult Philosophy Chapter XXIX, in which he writes that:

“Things under Mercury are these; amongst Elements, Water, although it moves all things indistinctly; amongst humors, those especially which are mixed, as also the Animall spirit; amongst tasts [tastes] those that are various, strange, and mixed: amongst Metals, Quick-silver, Tin, the Slver Marcasite; amongst stones, the Emrald [emerald], Achates [agates], red Marble, Topaze, and those which are of divers colours, and various figures naturally, & those that are artificial, as glass…”

I placed Topaz on the Altar to add to the Mercurial occult virtues of the setup. However, the key words here are that even artificial glass and, by extension, plastic, would be Mercurial, and thus, useable for talismanic purposes. It seemed to me, therefore, that a foldable pocket mirror could be used to make Mercury Pentacles. The mirrors are silvery and reflective like quicksilver, sacred to Mercury, while made out of artificial glass, sacred to Mercury, and with plastic backing of “divers colours,” also sacred to Mercury by the extension of the logical esoteric principle laid out by Agrippa above.

After finishing drawing the Pentacles on the two mirror sections of the foldable mirror in consecrated Ink of Art, the 2nd Pentacle on the top and the 4th Pentacle on the bottom, I took my consecrated Solomonic burin and immediately engraved both Pentacles into the glass. The result was a foldable double-Pentacle that presented as innocuous and ordinary on the outside…

…while containing two Key of Solomon Pentacles engraved with a Solomonic burin and inked in consecrated Solomonic Ink of Art concealed in its interior:

Having finished engraving the Pentacles, I took them into the Temple, folded the double-mirror shut, and placed it atop the folded petition directly under the central Vigil candle for Archangel Raphael. I then picked up my Bell of Art and positioned myself outside the Circle of Art. I sounded the Solomonic Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle, as per the Hygromanteia, then sounded the Bell to each of the full Quarters, as per the Key of Solomon, saying “I greet and bless the Spirits of the (direction) with great love and respect in the Name of Adonai!” I continued greeting the Spirits of the Above and Below and all other directions. As I did this, I began to see sparks of light flickering around the Circle, suggesting the presence of Spirits.

I picked up my Solomonic Sword and commanded malevolent daimons in all directions to depart in the name of Yeshuah and traced over the Circle with the Blade as recommended by Dr. Stephen Skinner. I then formally opened the Temple in the name of YHVH. I then unwrapped my Solomonic Wand from its white covering and began preliminary prayers.

I lit four large candles in each of the Four Directions as offerings to the Most High. I dressed an additional orange Vigil candle for Raphael with Solomonic Holy Oil, Parsley, Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Essential Oil; these herbs and spices are associated with Mercury according to Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy for their variegated and multi-partite natures. I also added Savoury, which some magicians also regard as sacred to Mercury.

I used my Solomonic Wand to trace Holy Anointing Oil in the form of a cross on the unleavened bread offerings to be presented to the spirits in the way Raphael had taught me. I then sprinkled these with the Mercurial herbs and spices to link them to the spirits to be conjured through the sympathetic resonance of their occult Virtues.

I also prepared offerings of orange candles for the four Holy Angels to be conjured under the authority of Raphael, namely, Kokaviel, Savaniah, Ghedoriah, and Chokhmahiel. These were placed around the central Vigil on the Epiphany chalk-drawing of the 3rd Pentacle of Mercury, which facilitates communication with the Mercurial Angels.

Formally presenting the offerings to my Patron St. Cyprian of Antioch, I asked for his help in conjuring the Good Spirits and received a vision of his face in my mind speaking “it shall be done.”

I then proceeded to Solomonically exorcise and consecrate all of the tools to be used (e.g. fire, incense–along with a batch of all new Frankincense I purchased recently–wax, etc) using the usual Key of Solomon formulae. I should note that the talismanic base–the foldable mirror–was exorcised, sprinkled with Holy Water with my Solomonic Aspergillum of Art, suffumigated with consecrated Frankincense, and anointed with Holy Oil traced in the form of the Cross prior to my engraving it.

I then proceeded with the conjuration of Raphael in the Nameof ELOHIM TZABAOT (אלהים צבאות), giving several knocks on his table, offering prayers to God, and formally invoking him. I felt a glowing, warm, radiant presence begin to fill the room, the familiar sense of Raphael.

I asked Raphael to confirm his presence through a physical manifestation, first by increasing the flare of his Vigil candle flame, which he did, then by moving the filament of incense smoke distinctly to the left, which he did as well.

I then asked the Spirit to swear by the blood of Christ that he was indeed the holy Angel Raphael, which he did. I invited him to partake of the bread, candlefire, incense, and water on the table offered to God on his behalf. A notable streak of light moved along the outside of the Circle after this.

I asked the Angel if he would please bless me by helping me to consecrate the Mercury Pentacles on the Altar and enliven the Olympic Spirit Seals and Angelic Sigils on the Altar that they might facilitate communication with the spirits.

“It shall be done if it is God’s Will…”

boomed a loving, warm voice in the interior of my consciousness,

“…but only if you use these tools for Good ends and if it is your time for their use. If you try to use them for evil, you will receive no help from me and surely reap what you sow. But whatever Good uses you put them towards to God’s Glory, I will strengthen and assist.”

I bowed, humbled myself, and expressed that I was grateful for this and would respect it as best I could. I did not know what he meant by “and if it is your time for their use” — I would find that out in the shocking and dramatic events that would folllow in the days to come — but I continued with the ritual in a spirit of faith.

I then asked for Raphael’s permission to proceed with conjuring four additional Mercurial Angels under his authority and the aegis of the Divine name ELOHIM TZABAOT (אלהים צבאות), and he nudged me to proceed.

I proceeded to conjure the four Angels in turn, briefly speaking with each in turn, asking it about its particular specialty, and inviting it to use its specialized skill towards the success of the Operation.

First, I conjured Kokaviel, lighting his candle as I did the conjuration.

I found myself nudged to vibrate his name in a resonant, harmonious, and very drawn-out tone, and felt myself attuning to a spirit newly arriving. When the spirit arrived, I observed a very peculiar effect. The candle flame offered to him visibly dimmed very low and then swelled in a golden swell of light before stabilizing. I interestingly observed precisely the same effect when each of the other three spirits arrived after him, which I found very interesting, as I had never seen that effect before, let alone four times in a row.

I greeted Kokaviel with great love and respect and invited him to partake of the offerings. I tested his identity by having him swear by Divine Names, a trial he passed, and verified his presence with physical confirmation by asking him to move the incense smoke noticeably to the right.I invited Kokaviel to present a vision to me to give me a sense of his nature. I saw a vision of a blue-robed elderly man with white hair and a white beard. When I asked the spirit about his nature, he said:

“Mine is the power of the penetrating intellect, the mind that pierces through barriers and limitations to reveal secrets and knowledge, the power to bypass boundaries and reveal hidden depths. The penetrating power of Mercury is my domain.”

I asked if he would use his penetrating Mercurial power to help penetrate and enliven the Pentacles and help ensure that the lion skin belt would penetrate all obstacles to arrive to me.

“It shall be so,” answered the spirit.

Second, I conjured the great spirit Savaniah, who appeared entirely different from Kokaviel. After observing the same dimming and flaring candle effect as with Kokaviel, the spirit appeared as a flashing, flickering being resembling a golden light with rapidly-moving wings that reminded me, somewhat humorously, of the Snitch from Harry Potter. I greeted him with great love and respect and invited him to partake of the offerings. The incense smoke began to billow and move left and right fascinatingly when I asked for physical confirmation of his presence. He confirmed his identity by swearing by Divine Names.

When I asked what his office was, Savaniah answered, in a voice that spoke rapidly and in a scintillating tone:

“Mine is the power of conveyance, of transmission from origin to destination, of the current of movement, of the transfer of information in communication and matter in travel. All that darts from here to there, all that travels, all that is transmitted partakes of my power under the authority of Raphael.”

Savaniah seemed to be in constant movement, flittering back and forth, to and fro like a darting insect. How different he was from the wisely stationary Kokaviel with the warmly penetrating presence…I asked Savaniah to please convey the current of Mercurial power into the Pentacles and also to help endue them with the power to facilitate the conveyance of information in communication and the conveyance of the lion skin belts to our homes.

“So shall it be”

was the response.

Third, I conjured the great Ghedoriah and observed the same dimming and flaring candle effect. Ghedoriah appeared to me as being of golden light, but wearing a long red cape. As with the other spirits, I greeted him with great love and respect, invited him to partake of the offerings, sought physical confirmation of his presence, tested his identity, and asked him for his office. Ghedoriah’s voice was deep, ethereal, and almost reverent sounding.

Ghedoriah spoke, saying:

“Mine is the Mercurial power to manifest change, transformation, the bringing into being through shifting the patterns of consciousness, mind, and matter.”

I asked him if he would please imbue the Pentacles with the power to cause changes and transformations, in harmony with the purpose of the 2nd Pentacle of Mercury, which causes changes in events sometimes contrary to Nature, and the purpose of the 4th Pentacle of Mercury, which causes transformations of knowledge and understanding through revelation of hidden knowledge. I also asked if he could transform circumstances to help ensure the safe transmission of the lion skin belts to their destinations.

“The changes will come”

was the answer.

Finally, I conjured the great spirit Chokhmahiel. After the same dimming down low and then flaring up of the flame on the candle offered to him, I astrally perceived a charming, intellectually pleased-sounding laugh. Then a warm voice came as the spirit introduced himself. As with the other spirits, I greeted him with great love and respect, invited him to partake of the offerings, sought physical confirmation of his presence, tested his identity, and asked him for his office.

Chokhmahiel said:

“Mine is the Mercurial manifestation of Divine wisdom. Mine is the power to coordinate disparate elements into harmonious changes in harmony with the Good, for such is the role of wisdom, to bring the right elements together to produce better ends.

Mine is not mere understanding, the grasping of a concept, or mere knowledge, the registering of information, but the power to draw on both and direct them to manifest improvements to situations. When reasoning blossoms in wisdom of mind and action, my power is manifest.”

I asked him if he could please use his wisdom to empower the Pentacles to provide wisdom in thinking, communication, and the wise conveyance of the lion skin belts. Chokhmahiel seemed to speak through a smile,

“Of course, if it is wise.”

I thanked Raphael and all of the spirits for their assistance. I then prayed closing prayers of thanksgiving, worship, and gratitude to God for all of His help and requesting His aid, wisdom, power, and support in guiding me to use these Pentacles in ways in harmony with His Will. I exorcised and consecrated the golden Altar Cross on the Altar, which had not yet been consecrated. I then snuffed out the Quarter candles, leaving the offering candles to Raphael and the four spirits burning on the Altar.I invited the spirits to remain as long as they wished to partake of the offerings, and then gave the License to Depart in the Name of ELOHIM TZABAOT (אלהים צבאות), bidding them to return to their planes but to come swiftly when called, with love and respect. Tetelestai – it was finished.

Results:

• August 16, 2019 – While the main double mirror-engraved Pentacle continues to rest beneath the Vigil of Raphael, I carried one of the consecrated paper 4th Pentacles of Mercury I made with me to work today. Communication was a breeze all day. I was stunned when a client who usually refuses to meet with me and speaks in gibberish when he does speak witb me not only accepted to meet with me today, but spoke lucidly when we did meet! Since this was the first time this had occurred in months of working with this client, nothing else having changed, I can only attribute it to the effects of the Pentacle and the work of the Spirits who empowered it. Hail to thee, mighty spirits!
• Sunday, August 18, 2019 – The candles offerered to Kokaviel, Savaniah, Ghedoriah, and Chokhmahiel have all burned cleanly down to the base of the Tablet. Raphael’s Vigil continues to burn clean and clear. Today, while carrying the paper 4th Pentacle of Mercury at Church, I felt myself conversing easily with my fellow brothers and sisters. Much to my surprise, a woman in the worship band came down from the stage and walked all the way to my pew to speak with me during the meet and greet time where we shake hands and offer peace to one another. She told me “I know we’ve never spoken, but I felt drawn to speak with you for some reason…”
• We had a wonderful conversation for which I was very grateful. Meanwhile, the main engraved Pentacles continue to be worked upon by the Angels beneath the Vigil candle of Raphael still burning on the Altar…
• 
• Monday, August 19, 2019 – While I was carrying the paper 4th Pentacle of Mercury, I received a call from a low-income elderly friend with cancer who called me in desperation saying that she had received a Seizure of Property notice from the Montreal Municipal Court and had to pay nearly 2,500.00 $ in fines. She asked if I could help her and call the Courthouse on her behalf. I did so and explained that she had neither the finances nor the physical ability in her advanced age to do community service to repay her debts. I asked how she should proceed. I felt the Spirits of the Pentacle working on my communication as I learned about an organization I had never heard of that advocated for people in situations like these.
• The next day, on August 20th, I accompanied my friend to that organization, carrying the Pentacle. The worker there helped us to work out a repayment plan where my friend wous only have to pay the Court 5$ per month and she would be safe from repossession! She was so happy and relieved she had tears in her eyes. Glory be to God!
• 
• Tuesday, August 20th, 2019 – While carrying the paper 4th Pentacle of Mercury, I went to work and was alarmed to find out that we had a mandatory meeting in the afternoon at the same time I had previously booked a session with a client that took months to book because she repeatedly refused to meet and cancelled the previous session. I did not have high hopes that she would accept to reschedule the appointment later in the week. When I called her to ask if we could reschedule with the Pentacle on my person, I was shocked by her answer: “sure, no problem.” What?! Huh?! It was that easy. I was stunned. That same morning, as I studied and wrote about Matthew 6:21, I felt a flood of insights into the verse and felt the Holy Spirit was revealing things previously unknown and unseen to me in the verse and the Ancient Greek language in which it was written. I was filled with wonder and gratitude at it all as I remembered the Key of Solomon‘s description of the Pentacle as bestowing the power to help the magician “to acquire the understanding and knowledge of all things created, and to seek out and penetrate into hidden things…” Thus far, I had learned that it had the power by the grace of God to reveal not only spiritual knowledge, but also practical knowledge, such as the knowledge of legal recourses and previously unknown organizations I used to help my vulnerable friend in need…
• 
• Wednesday, August 21, 2019 – Catastrophe Strikes: Today, I had a very difficult meeting planned, so I decided to borrow the engraved mirror 2nd and 4th Pentacles of Mercury to help me through the day. The began wonderfully, but soon took an unexpected turn when the double-Pentacle of Mercury spontaneously fell out of my pocket. The 4th Pentacle of Mercury remained impeccably preserved, but the 2nd smashed to pieces on the hard tiled floor on this Day of Mercury of all days… I was reminded that Mercury rules all transportation and I immediately felt the impact of the broken Pentacle. As soon as I stepped onto the metro carrying the broken Pentacle, the power immediately went out on the entire train. I mean within moments of me embarking. I was shocked. But that wasn’t all. When the emergency lights came on, they were followed by an announcement to say that there was smoke throughout the tunnel of a complete metro line. It was down and had to be evacuated. What’s more, 3 other metro lines in the system were down. Dear God… I took this picture after the emergency lights came on in the train:
• 
• Later in the day, I reached out to the Holy Archangel Raphael and asked if he would kindly bestow some insight what had happened with the shattering of the 2nd Pentacle of Mercury. What followed was well-deserved severity. The Angel informed me that
• “You suffered the consequences of two great blunders, O Son of Adam. First, for your hunger and greed for power. Your work now is to center on the 4th Pentacle of Mercury and on knowledge, wisdom, understanding, revelation of Mysteries, and communication, gifts in which I can aid you through the 4th Pentacle. For that reason, I did not destroy the 4th and you find it unharmed. In your greed, however, you tried to claim the wonder-working of the 2nd Pentacle of Mercury as well. That is not for you now. Had you asked me, I would have guided you on this point — have I yet misled you in any matter? Rest assured, I will guide you when the time has come to work with the 2nd Pentacle. But that time is not now. Therefore, your 2nd Pentacle has been destroyed. Be encouraged — you will remake it when the time to learn its lessons has come.”
• “Your second blunder was to take the Pentacle from the Altar before my Candle burned to its base. You removed it prematurely and presumptuously without consulting the Wisdom of God first, preferring instead to rely on the foolishness of your own intellect. This was a break of our protocol and a violation of the working. Had you asked me, I would have instructed you in this — that you would not remove the Pentacle from the Altar until at least the morning of the Day of Jupiter a week after its consecration. But again, you chose to lean on your own understanding rather than on the ways of those who could instruct you in wisdom. Be cautioned against meddling with great Forces you do not understand — lest the Forces disrupt your world and bring you to a halt, like a stalted train.”
• 
• I understood what that last sentence meant all too welll. It was a clear reference to the incident with the train. apologized sincerely, regretting my own errors. The Angel responded with a a glowing feeling of loving warmth and consolation.
• “You are forgiven. Did I not say that this is a time of initiation into wisdom and learning for you? Next time, humble yourself and ask. I am happy to help. Did I not teach you in the ways of scrying and the consecration of the bread of Offering? Why should I fail you now? I delight in teaching you what you can use to bless others as God Wills.“
• 
• I thanked the Angel sincerely and asked what I should do about the broken Pentacle. The Angel explained:
• “Remove and deconsecrate the remaining shards from the case that houses them. Pray over them that the Most High removes all blessings and virtues bestowed on them and that they be restored to naught but shards of glass. Dispose then of them. If you do this, no more negative consequences will follow you. Repent of the spirits, learn, and do not repeat the blunders of today in the freshness of tomorrow. If you return the 4th Pentacle to the Altar until my Vigil has burned to its base, the protocol will be restored and we will complete the work.“
• I agreed to do all of these things. Before the Day of Mercury came to a close, all these things were accomplished as the Angel instructed. I placed the engraved Pentacle back on the Altar beneath the Vigil candle of Raphael as the Angel instructed.
• 
• Examining the water goblets (Fuentes) offered to St. Cyprian of Antioch and the Angels, I noticed a tremendous difference. Both goblets were offered at the same time from the same container of filtered water. The Angels’ Fuente was crystal clear. Saint Cyprian’s on the other hand, was absolutely filthy, a dark, murky white. I understood immediately that Saint Cyprian had shielded me from negative consequences I would have incurred from the Spirits angered by the involuntary smashing of their Pentacle. I thanked the great Saint for his help, threw the murky water out of my house, thoroughly cleansed his goblet with soap and water, and then offered fresh, clean water in thanks both to him and to the Spirits. The image below shows the striking contrast between the clear water offered to YHVH on behalf of Angels on the right and the murkiness in Saint Cyprian’s water on the left:
• 
• Friday, August 23, 2019 – With the protocols all rectified, the Vigil is burning smoothly this morning. These candles normally burn to their base within 7 days. We’re 9 days in now and it’s still going strong.
• Today, I received four bottles of Florida water. Prompted by the spirit, I added them to the Altar, asking the Lord to exorcise them and bless them to serve in the cleansing, exorcism, and purification of magical tools. Note that Florida water is highly flammable. The only reason I felt comfortable adding them to an Altar with a burning candle is that the Vigil candle is nearly out and well protected by its casing and ceramic base. Do not place Florida water near any unprotected open flames and beware placing it near glass-cased vigil candles that are at risk of shattering. It can be difficult to work in an exploded Temple…
• 
• Saturday and Sunday, August 24 and 25: The Pentacles continue to sit on the Altar and the Vigil continues to burn.
• 
• Monday, August 26th: This 6-day Vigil candle has been burning for an amazing 12 days. I had an intuitive nudge that Raphael and his Angels will finish their work on the Pentacles tonight. The candle will be out by morning.
• 
• Tuesday, August 27th: The Vigil candle is out. I approached the Altar this morning and asked Raphael if I coupd respectfully begin to carry the 4th Pentacle now. I received this reply from the Angel: “Yes, thank you for your patience. Take it freely. May it aid you in accomplishing all good works involving communication and discovery of hidden truth.” Thanking the spirits for their help, I picked up the Pentacle and reverently and gratefully slipped it into my pocket.
• 
• Tuesday, August 27, 2019 – Against all odds, I was informed by my fellow magician in the U.S. that the lion skin belts had been safely conveyed across international lines all the way from Namibia, Africa into the United States. Customs had not even opened the package, but allowed them through any way! Not only did they safely arrive, but they safely arrived one day early!
• September 4-11, 2019: The spirits continue to oversee the safe transmission of the belt aided by respect for permits and laws. On the Day of Mercury, September 4th, it arrived in Denver, Colorado. On the Day of Jupiter, overseen by my Patron Sachiel, it arrived in San Francisco, California. On the Day of the Sun, September 8th, overseen by my Patron Michael, who rules over Solar animals like Lion, the belt crossed the U.S. Border into Canada. Raphael and his four Angels continued to oversee its transmission until the belt arrived in my city in Montreal on the Day of Mercury, September 11th.
• September 12, 2019 – As promised by the Angels, on the Day of Jupite while I carried the 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter, my Patron Sachiel gave me the good fortune of ensuring the belt safely arrived in my home. Hail to you, Holy Angels and great Archangel Raphael! Thank you Lord and Source of all Good!
• September 15, 2019 – In the Day and Hour of the Sun, I opened the package and did a ritual to welcome the spirit of the lion into my spiritual Court. I calmed the spirit’s fear and distrust of humans, nurtured her with soothing and offerings, brought her under the protection of my Patrons. I obtained her consent to work together for our mutual benefit and permission to inscribe nomina magica on the inside of the belt for our mutual protection.
• 
• I’m so grateful to the One who made us both Who generously brought us together and to all of the spirits He allowed to assist us in this matter. I thanked them with additional offerings offered to God on their behalf for all of their help. Hail to you, Holy Raphael, Kokaviel, Savaniah, Ghedoriah, and Chokhmahiel! Hail to you dear Sachiel and Michael! Hail to you Holy Angels of the 2nd Pentacle of Jupiter and all praise and worship to the God who made us all, spirits and matter, lions and men! Thank you, thank you!
• 

Words and Wonder: Mysterious Synchronicities and Covert Solomonic Consecrations by Easter Mass

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A. An Unexpected Trinity: Trifecta of Mysterious Synchronicities

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, the Holy Day on which Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, which enabled him to complete his mission of establishing the New Covenant, liberating humanity through faith from their ancient legacy of erroneous action that missed the mark (hamartia, sin) of the Good Willed by God, and to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within us as a sanctifying, guiding, and empowering Force. My upcoming article Charismata Magica: Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Solomonic Grimoires will go into into some depth of how the latter event impacted the grimoire authors and how the Fruits, Graces, and Gifts of the Holy Spirit play fascinating roles within the European grimoire tradition.

As I was fading off to sleep, I was contemplating some passages of Scripture that I had recently read and the idea occurred to me that perhaps it would be ceremonially and spiritually fitting for me to commemorate my return to Christianity through a water Baptism. I had already been Baptized by water once within the Catholic Church and completed all of the sacramental initiations up to and including Confirmation, but after my long time away from the faith studying other traditions, a new Baptism might be appropriate. Still, I had never heard the Pastor of my Church speak about water Baptisms for adults in the entire year I had been attending this particular Church and I was not sure how they handled such things.

In the morning, I began to celebrate Easter by reading from the New Testament. My attention was called to 1 Corinthians 15 in the Amplified Bible, which reads:

1 Now brothers and sisters, let me remind you [once again] of the good news [of salvation] which I preached to you, which you welcomed and accepted and on which you stand [by faith].

2 By this faith you are saved [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], if you hold firmly to the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain [just superficially and without complete commitment].

3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],

4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised [and Reaurrected] on the third day according to [that which] the Scriptures [foretold],

5 and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve.

6 After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].

7 Then He was seen by James, then by all the Apostles,

8 and last of all, as to one [b]untimely (prematurely, traumatically) born, He appeared to me also.

9 For I am the least [worthy] of the Apostles, and not worthy to be called Apostle, because I [at one time] fiercely oppressed, [killed Christians,] and violently persecuted the Church of God.

10 But by the [remarkable] grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not without effect. In fact, I worked harder than all of the Apostles, though it was not I, but the grace of God [His unmerited favor and blessing which was] with me.

11 So whether it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed and trusted in and relied on with confidence.”

Humbled by this reading, I took a ritual bath to prepare for Church, worshiping the Most High through worship songs and Psalm passages as I do every morning.  Then, I walked to Church with Soror R.A. Along the way, she expressed some doubts about how we could possibly know whether Christ had really been Resurrected and what ancient textual evidence there was that Christ even existed. I told her about the extra-biblical evidence for Jesus we have from Tacitus and Josephus and about how, until recently, many archaeologists had doubted whether Pontius Pilate had even existed until 1961, when the Pilate Stone was unearthed, which bore the inscription, as translated from Latin into English:

“To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum
… Pontius Pilate
… prefect of Judea
… has dedicated [this]“

Further evidence was revealed in 2018 when a ring that had been discovered in Herodium near Jerusalem and which bore the inscription “of Pilates” was deciphered using advanced photographic technology.  To quote the Jerusalem Post,

It reads “of Pilates,” in Greek letters set around a picture of a wine vessel known as a krater, and is said by archaeologists to be only the second artifact from his time ever found with his name. Kraters are a common image in artifacts of that time and place.”

We arrived at Church and joined in the worship. When the Pastor began to deliver his Easter Message, however, I was blown away by not one, not two, but three synchronicities, a veritable trifecta:

(1) For the first time ever, the Pastor described the procedure for Water Baptisms for Adults and explained that an opportunity for Water Baptism would be happening within the next two weeks. He also explained that they were accepting sign-ups for anyone interested. I was amazed given the reflections that had come to me the night before. I wondered if the Holy Spirit had given me a Word of Knowledge through that.

(2) The Pastor described the archaeological and textual evidence for Christ and Pilate, including the very Pilate Stone I had discussed with Soror R.A. Her mouth fell open in awe when he started to discuss this.

(3) The Pastor then went on to analyze 1 Corinthians 15, the very passage I had been nudged to read that very morning! I bowed my head, humbled at this, giving thanks and honouring the mysterious ways of the Holy Spirit, who abides in all of the faithful and guides, teaches and sanctifies them from within as they learn to walk in the Spirit in whom they “live, move and have [their] being” (Acts 17:28).

B. Phylactery, Cauldron, and Daggers: Covert Solomonic Consecrations by Easter Mass

On this auspicious Easter Sunday, Day of the Sun, I performed Cryptoconsecratio by Mass–covert consecration of magical items performed in Church–of the gold disc phylactery depicted above, which features the names and sigils of the 7 Heptameron Archangels and the 7 Olympic Spirits of the Arbatel De Magia Veterum traced over with a consecrated Solomonic Burin of Art.  Since gold is a soft metal, it is fairly easy to engrave; a compass and ruler facilitated the tracing of the circle and straight lines respectively.

By way of context, I have already established relationships with all 7 of these Archangels and with the Olympic Spirits Bethor and Aratron, the latter two relationships of which I began back in 2010 when I first conjured those two spirits to assist with making Pentacles of Jupiter and Saturn respectively. In the coming year, however, I plan to begin work with all 7 of the Arbatel Olympics and wear this phylactery in work with them. I also plan to wear the seal under my shirt in daily life for general protection and to faciliate maintaining my connection with the spirits represented within it.

Out of respect for traditionalism, however, I have to point out here that this seal combining Heptameron and Arbatel spirit names and sigils does not occur in either the Heptameron or the Arbatel, although the sigils of the Archangels and Olympics contained here are exactly rendered as depicted in those two grimoires. As I learned through the kind sharing of knowledge from my friends BJ Swayne, Billy Ashford-Webb, Chijioke Onyeogubalu, and Andy Foster, I was able to learn that this combined seal was designed by the talented Frater Asterion. Through additional research, I traced it back to a 2011 post he made on Solomonic Magic, which is accessible here and in which Asterion refers to it as his Planetary Lamen. 

Frater Asterion explains the structure of his design and the traditional inspiration for it in this way:

“This pentacle was inspired by a figure in the last book of Faust’s Magia Naturalis et Innaturalis, only he used Olympic Spirits alone and I used Archangels too. My blog banner is based on that, if you look closely. I wrote [the Names] in Latin characters for illustrative purposes, for my upcoming book to be published in Romania, Cartea Arhanghelilor (The book of Archangels), and also as a didactic chart for my personal students.”

Through his own diligent research, Billy Ashford-Webb was able to locate the original diagram in Magia Naturalis et Innaturalis from which Asterion derived his inspiration for this combined Arbatel and Heptameron phylactery:

Frater Asterion’s sleek and efficient design, with its inclusion of the Arbatel and Heptameron Sigils of the Olympic Spirits and the Archangels suits my purposes well as defined above and was accepted under the guidance of the Angels and Olympics involved. Please note that although I have received commission requests from several people to craft a version of Asterion’s Planetary Lamen, I will not be doing any of these. Frater Asterion retains the copyright and all credit for his own design work. Anyone who would like their own version of this lamen to be crafted should message him directly. 

In this same Easter Sunday Mass, I also performed Cryptoconsecratio by Mass on my new White-Handled Knife, Black-Handled Knife, and also the Cauldron consecrated to Gabriel that I alluded to in a prior post. All of the above were covertly carried into Church in a backpack, which I prayed over during the Mass. Before the Mass, I exorcised these tools and the phylactery and consecrated them with Solomonic Holy Water and consecrated and exorcised Frankincense, both prepared according to the instructions of the Key of Solomon, before bringing them with me to Church. 

The experience was powerful and moving as always and the trifecta of mysterious synchronicities made it even more so. Glory to you, YHVH, El Eloah, Adonai Rapha, Glory to Yeshua Risen, Glory to the Holy Spirit who lives and works within us! In the name of Yeshua, we give thanks and praise. Amen.

 

Solomonic Invocation of Archangel Anael and Emergency Petition for a Friend

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Date: Friday, March 15, 2019
Sun Phase: Afternoon
Moon Phase: Waxing in First Quarter in 12 degrees Cancer in the Nathra Mansion of the Moon
Mansion of the Moon: Thurayya
Planetary Day: Day of Venurs
Planetary Hour: Hour of Venus
Activities: Ritual Bathing; Oratio dicenda quando induitur vestis; Dressing Candle for Anael; Preliminary Prayers; Offerings to the Most High, to Ancestors, to Patron Saints and Teachers, and to the Angels; Heptameron Prayer; Invoking the Angels of the Four Directions as per Heptameron; Conjuration of Anael;

A dear friend of mine, whom I will refer to as S.H. to preserve her privacy, is presently in an emergency situation where she is at risk of becoming homeless in a two week period. As a result, I felt moved to invoke the great Archangel Anael on the day of Venus in the Hour of Venus for help with the situation and also to go deeper into discussions of Divine Love with the Angel. The Moon today is in Lunar Mansion #8, al-Nathra, which is useful for actions of love and friendship. It is an appropriate time do a loving gesture with the Archangel of Venus on behalf of a friend.

I completed a 3-day regime of ritual purity in preparation, culminating in today. After a ritual bath, I got into my white robe (while reciting the Heptameron prayer for donning the vestments, “Oratio dicenda quando induitur vestis”) and put on my stole, put on my Cyprianic rosary, scapular, Cyprianic bracelet, and Solomonic Pentagonal Figure. Proceeding to the Temple, which had already been arranged prior to the beginning of the Planetary Hour, I sounded the Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia. Then, I entered the Circle, and began preliminary prayers to the Divine while asperging the Circle, Altar, and all Instruments of the Art with Holy Water.

The Altar featured a green Altar cloth, which looks blue in these images, a large green candle, a small green candle dressed with St. Cyprian Oil and Thyme, which is sacred to Venus according to Agrippa’s First Book of Occult Philosophy, Chapter XXVIII, a Virgin Mary Statue, a censor with stick incense placed inside my Cauldron consecrated to Archangel Gabriel, Epiphany Holy Water, bread and water Offerings to Anael, my Wand, a vial of San Cipriano Oil, my Bells, a scrying Crystal, and the seal of Anael on Virgin Paper set on a golden Laurel Wreath. I took up my Solomonic Sword and traced over the outer line of the Circle with its point. With the Circle thus sealed, I put down the Sword and picked up my Solomonic Wand.

First, I presented Offerings to the Most High El Elyon and asked for His Help in sending His servant, Anael to be present with me and aid me in this Operation of the Art. Next, I presented Offerings to my Patrons, including St. Cyprian of Antioch, my Ancestors, the Angels and Archangels, and the Olympic Spirits, requesting their help in this Operation. The Offerings included exorcised and consecrated goblets of spring and filtered water, candle offerings, bread, and for Anael, a green candle dressed with St. Cyprian Oil and Thyme, bread sprinkled with Thyme, and incense. I asked St. Cyprian to assist me in conjuring Anael with the aim of learning more about the Divine Wisdom and assisting a friend in need.

After more preliminary Prayers, I formally opened the Temple for the Solomonic Invocation. I felt an intuitive nudge from my Spirits to proceed with the Heptameron conjurations and prayers in Latin today, so I obliged. The Altar was set up to face the current location of Venus in the sky, which was determined using an astronomical program. Standing facing the Altar in the direction of Venus, I took up my Wand and the grimoire in the other hand and began the opening prayers.

I said the opening line “O Angels [sic] supradicti, estote adjutores meæ petitioni, & in adjutorium mihi, in meis rebus & petitionibus” then called the Angels that rule the Air on this Day, intoning their names 3 times each in their respective directions, then praying “O vos omnes, adjuro atque contestor per sedem Adonay, per Hagios, etc…”

Having called the Angels of the 3rd Heaven ruling the Day in their respective Quarters I proceeded to the Conjuration of Friday to invoke Anael, namely:

Conjuro & confirmo super vos Angeli fortes, sancti atque potentes, in nomine On, Hey, Heya, Ja, Je, Adonay, Saday, & in nomine Saday, qui creavit quadrupedia & animalia reptilia, & homines in sexto die, & Adæ dedit potestatem super omnia animalia: unde benedictum sit nomen creatoris in loco suo: & per nomina Angelorum servientium in tertio exercitu, coram Dagiel Angelo magno, principe forti atque potenti: & per nomen Stellæ quæ est Venus: & per Sigillum ejus, quod quidem est sanctum: & per nomina prædicta conjuro super te Anael, qui es præpositus diei sextæ, ut pro me labores, &c.

I then did a second complete Conjuration in English, adding my intent for the ritual and petition, and requesting help from the Divine, my Patrons, Saints, Ancestors, and Teachers for help in making it succcessful.

Then, I began to chant the name ANAEL for an extended period of time while waving the Wand in rhythmic motion, facing the direction of Venus. I continued and continued, my chanting growing in intensity and melodic harmonies while tracing his Sigil in the air with my Solomonic Wand until I felt a shift in the energy in the room, a sense of loving warmth begin to grow like light over the horizon at dawn. I saw sparks of light and drifting spiritual ‘tracers’ outside the Circle. Then Anael’s offering Candle flared up. I welcomed the Spirit and asked the Spirit in the name of Tetragrammaton to confirm its presence if it was indeed here by moving both incense sticks’ streams of smoke to the left in unison. This happened immediately, confirming the Spirit’s presence.

I greeted the Spirit with great love and respect and thanked the Archangel for coming and being present for this ceremony. I then knelt before the Altar, placed Anael’s offering candle behind the Crystal Ball and began to scry into the flame through the crystal in the pyrocrystallomancy method taught me to by Raphael in a previous conjuration. I then asked the Angel to assist me in tuning into his presence. I gave him consent to manifest sensations, emotions, and thoughts, to draw on my memory to facilitate the communication, and to guide me in inducing appropriate states of consciousness to facilitate the attunement.

Still kneeling, I then proceeded to scry into the Crystal until a pulsation began to emerge in the center of my forehead, my vision began to darken out while the fire in the crystal began to grow brighter. Then I saw a kind of misty-light like effect swirl around the outside of the Crystal. In the process, my eyes grew heavier and heavier and I heard Anael speaking into my mind, suggesting that I could close my eyes and need not strain them. In any event, they fell closed of their own accord without me having much say in the mater…

I greeted the Angel with great love and respect, which Anael reciprocated with his warm, adrogynous voice, saying “greetings, Child of God” with great affection.

I asked if he could give me a revelation-image of his presence and immediately I saw a beautiful winged figure, this time appearing with long blonde hair and an emerald robe, with a face of pure light. To my surprise, however, the image shifted into a green winged heart, which then morphed into a sprout germinating out of the ground and growing into a grove of verdant trees.

I asked Anael what this vision signified and he spoke in the poetic way he sometimes does, the words appearing smoothly spoken into my mind in the Angel’s voice while my forehead continued to pulsate with the throbbing light feeling:

“My form is an image of Love,
The green of Nature, which is love growing into life,
The heart of the World, the sprouting of new love,
The growing wisdom of love extending outward,
The forest an image of love growing out in waves.”

I asked the Angel if this was an image of Divine Love. The Angel replied:

“God’s Love is far greater than this,
Greater than your human mind,
Which thinks in time and bounded, limited concepts
Can fathom.”

I asked if the Angel could give me an analogy as to what Divine Love is like.

“The Divine Love that sustains the universe is like an ocean,
Every form and phenomenon that appears is like a droplet in that ocean,
Always embraced by the ocean, always part of it, and yet appearing separate,
Seeming to change like the waves on the service,
Yet ever still and eternally held like the ocean depths,
This is what God’s Love is like.”

I asked Anael if he could share more about the nature of Divine Love:

“God’s Love holds the entire universe within it, excluding nothing.
Creation itself was the flowering of that eternal Love into the sparking-forth of Time,
A Love so infinite it could bloom into finitude, a Love so vast it could pretend to be Other,
There is not a particle that appears in this world that is not held by that Love,
That Love is the particle, and the particle is that Love,
Do not imagine that it is Other than you.
The Love, the God, and the Creation are only different in appearance, not in Reality,
It is Love itself that brings-into-being phenomena, phainomenon, means appearing-into-view, through the Power of that Love, which Loves to Appear and be Appeared to.”

When asked if God’s Love was like human life in any way we could relate to, Anael replied:

“Not quite! Your human love is often conditional,
Bound by expectations, limited by arising and subsiding in Time,
Exclusive of some, inclusive of others.
God’s Love is entirely different from that.
And yet even finite human love is but an appearance
of that Love without which nothing is.
God’s Love never began and will never end.
God hates no one; His Love never turns to hate as human love often does.
It does not exclude or include in a dualistic sense.
It is not earned, nor can it be lost.
It has no expectations and no conditions;
It is you humans who make up the requirements and conditions!
It cannot be approached or moved away from;
It is always available at all times,
More subtle than the subtlest,
More intense than the greatest Starry inferno,
Small enough to hold the tiniest particle,
Vast enough to embrace all that is, was, and ever shall be,
Who can say what it is like?
It is here and now, always available.
But your Father
–and Father and Child are just metaphors to try to help you humans understand–
Loves you so that He sets you free to turn away from Him,
To forget Him, to pursue your own ideas,
Giving you everything that was ever created,
Present with you in every moment,
And yet how ungrateful you humans are!
Despite that ingratitude, His Love never retreats a step from you,
Never distances itself as you humans do when you pull away in hurt.
God’s Love never fails, nor ever leaves you.
Whenever you wish, it is given fully, nothing held back.”

Hearing this, I wondered why we seem so unaware of it. Anael explained:

“There are no barriers to God’s Love except the ones you imagine there are.
Imagining there to be barriers, you make up stories about how to “earn” God’s love.
In so doing, you miss the mark of the Good and the True,
And imagine that your “sin” disqualifies you from Divine Love,
Nothing could be further from the truth!
God loves you before you stumble, while you err,
And after you have realized your mistake.
Does a good father see a child stumble and hate the child for acting out of ignorance?
Of course not! Do you imagine Divine Perfection to be less than that?
Confession, the changing of minds,
The honest admission of where you’ve missed the mark,
Is a Gift to yourself from yourself;
Your Father does not need it, but He asks for it for *you.*
In so doing, your lighten your heart,
And your imagine barriers to His Love dissolve,
So that you become more aware of what is always here.
Truly, your humanness is but a wave in this ocean.
Your ultimate nature is far beyond an ephemeral animal form bound by Time;
In loving God, you realize yourself and He realizes Himself in you;
“You” and “Him” are but metaphors to help you try to understand,
But in Truth, there are no two things, only in appearance,
Only in Love-appearing for the play of change in Time.
But how could you possibly understand?
You cannot. But as you surrender your ignorance,
The Truth reveals itself, without requiring a word.
For Truth was silent for billions of years before the first human spoke.
The “Word” itself is metaphor,
A Mercy to a human mind.”

I thanked the Archangel for these beautifully rich, although humbling, words and proceeded to my request for the Angel to assist my dear friend S.H., who is at risk of becoming homeless in a few weeks. I asked if Anael could help as best he can. Before Anael, I prayed to God, to whom belongs all of Creation, all homes, and all riches, to extend His Goodness and thanked Him for what he’s doing to help his Child S.H.

After the prayer, Anael reassured me:

“We were working on your friend’s problem before you and she even asked.
Tell her that help will come, though not necessarily in the way she expects.
Tell her also that although she has felt as though God’s Love and presence had retreated from her, they have always perfectly been there;
It is only her imagination that has shifted,
And made what was not so, appear to be so.
If she corrects her imaginings with right understanding,
She will have a transformation of mind,
And the ever-present Love will reveal itself,
Unlosable, unfailing, and ever-here for her.
Tell her also that the matter she is worrying about
That she did not tell you has already been addressed.
Her part is to do what she can and act on what you and others have shared with her.
God and we will attend to the rest.
From our perspective, it is already done.
From your perspective, it will come.
Trust and have faith. All will be well.
God does not forsake His Beloveds,
No matter how you humans may imagine He does.”

I thanked Anael for this great kindness and help and asked if I could publish the record of this conversation and pass on these words to S.H. Anael replied:

“Yes, but do not pass on what I am about to tell you. It is for you alone.”

I will not reveal what was said next, but I can say that after I heard it, I felt a wave of warmth flood through my body. Tears formed in my eyes, and I felt as though the Angel’s wings were wrapping around me in the way Soror R.A. often described to me.

Finally, I asked the Angel if he would be willing to be my Patron and to speak with me again so that I could continue to learn from him.

“It shall be so, Child of God. Keep up the good work you are doing in service of others. Sanctification can feel like difficulty,
But that is only the process of transforming your ignorance and arrogance,
Changing your mind.
That too, God only wants for you,
Because Eternal Freedom Wills that you be free from all that you imagine binds you.
From our perspective, you already are;
From yours, you will seem to be.
Patience and humility reconcile the two views. ”

With tears in my eyes, I thanked the Angel deeply. I continued to kneel there in his presence for what felt like a long time, simply abiding in that clean, clear, loving safety and warmth.

At last, I stood, thanked the Angel for coming and invited him to partake of the offerings and go at his own leisure. Then I did the License to Depart to all of the Angel and Spirits called in the four Quarters as per the Heptameron‘s procedure. With final prayers and sprinklings, I closed the Temple with the pulsing in my forehead finally beginning to dwindle, but the warmth in my heart continuing to kindle.

Update – May 1st, 2019: All of the Angel’s words came to pass as described. Through gigs and her tax return, my friend was able to earn enough money to pay for her rent for May. Another friend from the community also helped her to write a letter to enter a business partnership with local stores to sell her excellent oils and other products. I believe the Angels and the Holy Spirit were at work in this. She has also had several job interviews in the past month. I was confident one would pan out eventually. As the Angel had said, “help will come, though not necessarily in the way she expects.” That is precisely how it did come. As Anael had said, “her part is to do what she can and act on what you and others have shared with her.” This is precisely what she did do and she was blessed for her hard efforts — a few weeks later, she was hired at a job she loves and now enjys a financial stability she never knew before. How often answers to prayers and magic come through seemingly naturalistic means, while we are waiting for some supernatural manifestation to appear in the sky…

The “the matter she is worrying about that she did not tell you has already been addressed” was a problem she was having in communicating with a partner who did not care about her spiritual path, which was so central to her values and what was important to her. They tried to work on it, but the resolution ended up being them parting ways. The Angels and Holy Spirit had left openings for it to be addressed through communication or through parting ways so that each could be free to be with a partner better suited to them. There was no fatalism here; there were options, both of which would resolve the problem. The second was the way things went. It was hard at first, but ended up being for the best. Such is the Way of God and of the Holy Angels.

Hail to you, Holy Angel Anael. Thank you for your help and guidance, thank you for your wisdom. We praise the Lord God in your name and honour and humble ourselves before Him in gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This we pray in Yeshua’s Holy Name. Amen.

Solomonic Invocation of Archangel Gabriel and Cauldron of Art Consecration

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Note: This article and all images contained herein are Offerings of thanks to the great Archangel Gabriel, not unto my glory, but unto the glory of the Most High. May all of the praise and honour be to Him and Him alone. All photos were taken after the Temple was closed. All communications from the Angel are shared here with permission for the extension of the Good for the benefit of all beings and the accomplishing of the Divine Will. May all beings be well, blessed, and free from suffering, amen!

Date: Monday, January 14, 2018
Sun Phase: Set
Moon Phase: Waxing, First Quarter (58% Illumination, as close as possible to the 50% suggested by the Heptameron) in 3 degrees Taurus
Mansion of the Moon: Thurayya
Planetary Day: Day of the Moon
Planetary Hour: Hour of the Moon
Activities: Solomonic Ritual Bathing with Hyssop; Crafting Gabriel’s Sigil; Dressing Candles for Cyprian and Gabriel; Preliminary Prayers; Offerings to the Most High and to Saint Cyprian of Antioch; Heptameron Prayer; Invoking the Angels of the Four Directions as per Heptameron; Psalm 103 Recitation; Conjuration of Gabriel; Exorcism and Consecration of the Cauldron by Cyprian and Gabriel; Scrying with Gabriel; Temple Closing 

For the past few days, I have felt a strong call not only to consecrate my new Cauldron of Art, but to invoke the Archangel Gabriel as well as my Patron St. Cyprian of Antioch for help in the process.  I was receiving a strong nudge, of the kind I often receive from Saint Cyprian or the Holy Spirit, that Gabriel would have a message for me. Therefore, I began a 3-day regime of ritual purity in preparation, culminating in today.

The timing for the Operation was appropriate. The Heptameron requires in “Of the Manner of Working” that if possible, “Let the Moon be increasing and equal, if it may then be done;” at 58% illumination, the ‘equal’ requirement was almost perfectly met  (Peterson, 2008). In addition, the Moon today is in the Lunar Mansion of Thurayya, which is, as Picatrix (12th century) says, proper for “the acquisition of all good [things].” Agrippa (16th century) adds that it is good for “happy fortune and every good thing.” It is especially a good time for new creative ventures and asking for assistance and favours.

After a ritual bath with hyssop, I got into my white robe and stole, put on my Cyprianic rosary, scapular, and Cyprianic bracelet, and covered my hair with a black covering.  Proceeding to the Temple, which had already been arranged prior to the beginning of the Planetary Hour, I sounded the Bell of Art three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia. Then, I entered the Circle, and began preliminary prayers to the Divine while asperging the Circle, Altar, and all Instruments of the Art with Holy Water.  I then took up my Solomonic Sword and traced over the outer line of the Circle with its point. I put down the Sword and picked up my Wand. 

First, I presented Offerings to the Most High and asked for His Help in sending His servant, Gabriel to be present with me and aid me in this Operation of the Art. Next, I presented Offerings to my Patron, St. Cyprian of Antioch, of Frankincense, a Candle dressed with Chili, Mugwort, and San Cipriano Oil, and bread drizzled with Maple Syrup. I poured his previous week’s offering of Spring Water into the Cauldron on the Altar and sprinkled it with Mugwort. I asked St. Cyprian to assist me in exorcising it, which I proceeded to do, while rubbing it with water from St. Cyprian’s water glass as Conjureman Ali recommends. I then asked if the Saint would bless it for use in all Operations of the Art and empower and charge it with prayers to the Most High and his own skill in the Art.

With this done, I proceeded to the Heptameron Prayer prior to Conjurations. I then asked Cyprian to aid me in bringing to the Circle those Spirits I would call and similarly called upon the Holy Spirit to aid me in this way. Then, I took up the Bell of Art and my Wand and then called the appropriate Angels of the First Heaven, ruling on Monday, as per the Heptameron, as follows:

• From the East.
  • Gabriel. Gabrael. Madiel. Deamiel. Janael.
• From the West.
  • Sachiel. Zaniel. Habaiel. Bachanael. Corabael.
• From the North.
  • Mael. Vuael. Valnum. Baliel. Balay. Humastrau.
• From the South.
  • Curaniel. Dabriel. Darquiel. Hanun. Anayl. Vetuel (Peterson, 2015).

Next, I sang Psalm 103 and then, while holding the Wand, proceeded with the Heptameron Conjuration of Gabriel. I performed the Conjuration in song-like vibratory pitch, slow and powerful. When it was done, I suffumigated and sprinkled Gabriel’s Sigil, which I had drawn in the Day and Hour of the Moon during the waxing Moon at its ‘equal’ stage, and stared at while vibrating Gabriel’s name over and over again. I continued in this way until I felt his presence in the room growing stronger. His presence struck me, as always, as powerful, incredible ancient, and yet warm and compassionate. I gave him consent to speak into my mind, or through the incense smoke, or otherwise to guide me how best he would like me to communicate with him on this day.

To begin, I asked him to confirm his presence by moving the three streams of incense smoke visibly to the left, which he promptly did. Then, I welcomed him, knelt before the Altar, and blessed him with great love and respect and offered him gifts of incense, bread drizzled with maple syrup, a blue candle dressed with Saint Cyprian Oil, Mugwort, and White Sesame (sacred to the Moon). I asked him if the Offerings were acceptable to him and a deep, warm voice began to speak in my mind, feeling quite distinct from my own, saying:

“These gifts were not necessary. But the kindness of your heart is appreciated.”

I told him I was glad to hear this and how grateful I felt that he was here. I reminded him that I had always felt a loving connection with him and hoped I could learn much from him as he accompanied me on the journey of life.

I then asked him if he had any wisdom to offer me at this point in time. His message was as profound as it was moving:

“O Son of Humankind, turn your vision to this candle flame you have offered unto me. To we Angels, this is what your human lives are like — a fleeting flame, that burns for the flash of a moment. Just as soon as it came, it is gone. For us, your entire human history, all that has passed, is now, and ever shall be, is but a flame of this same kind. Simply a flash of light in the darkness. The light of your life is not even yours, but a gift from your Lord, a sharing of His Light. And yet, how arrogant are your fellow human beings! How great you exalt yourselves, while fleeting flames!”

I felt so humbled by his words as I knelt before the Altar. I confessed my own shortcomings in this area, the many ways in which I had missed the mark. I then asked the Archangel what we, as individuals can do to help our fellow human beings in this time when we fleeting flames are so exalting ourselves, so out of balance, and seemingly so lost. The great Angel replied:

“First, notice the fragility of human life. How easily blown out is a small and flickering flame. Give thanks for the light bequeathed to you. Then tend to your flame. Having tended to your own flame to strengthen it, tend to the flames of those with whom you share your world. Let your every meeting with another strengthen their flame, not weaken it. And as you strengthen them, so shall you be strengthened.

Then turn to the flames as yet unlit, flames only to be lit hundreds and thousands of years from now, the flames of future beings. Let your actions now, tend to their flames then. Tread lightly on the Earth, lest, in seeking to strengthen your own flame, your actions blow out theirs. Many among you are desperate and hurting. We see you and we help you as best we can as we are Willed to do. You are not alone. Show your fellow beings hope as you have been shown hope. Strengthen them as you have been strengthened. Nurture the Light bestowed on you. For your Father is in you as you are in Him. And all you meet are but Him in disguise.”

I thanked him for his wisdom. Then, out of curiosity, I asked Gabriel something I had long wondered. How did Mary, mother of Yeshua, respond when Gabriel went to see her and told her she would give birth to a son? Asked this question, his presence in the room seemed to brighten as if resonating with a fond and beautiful moment and he said:

“She was surprised, as any would be. But she was humble. She surrendered to God’s Will. She did not elevate herself, but lowered herself, grateful. Her life became an offering, for she knew the blessings bestowed on her would be given to all.”

I asked Gabriel if he would aid me by touching and blessing this Cauldron of Art for work to extend the Good as is the Will of the Most High. I was instructed to place the candle I offered unto him into the Cauldron and place his Sigil over the rim of the Cauldron.

Then Gabriel spoke these words:

“As this candle flame’s light fills this Cauldron, so, too does my Light bless it now. Use it for good or not at all.”

I said I would and then asked Gabriel for another request. Would he bless me with the honour of formally becoming one of my Patrons, to guide me in life and in my service to others, and lead me deeper into the Divine Mysteries? Much to my joy, the Angel replied:

“As you have asked, it shall be. If you humble yourself and nurture the flames in others, then I will nurture the flame in you. Wherever you are, I too, will be. When you worship your Father, I will be there by your side. As God is in you, so be in God, for you and your Father are One. And there is none that do not abide in Him. Some know it, some do not. Nurture those who know and those who do not alike.

The wise know this: to humble yourself infinitely is to realize the Divine infinity in you. If you are willing to lay yourself so low as to be Nothing, then you shall realize the Nothing that is All. If you raise yourself up, you shall be brought down, but if you bring yourself down, you shall be raised up. To those who offer themselves for the good of the All, the All will be offered for the good of them. Receive by giving.”

I asked if there was any final thing that the Archangel would like to show me before we closed.

“Gaze carefully into the Candle flame within the Cauldron.”

I did as instructed. Soon my gaze begun to fade out, distant and yet close. Both of my hands gripped the Altar on either side. I remained there for a few moments. And then a peculiar thing began to happen. My perspective seemed to zoom out, so that I could see my body kneeling before the Altar. Suddenly I became aware that Gabriel was not confined to the candle flame, to the Cauldron, or to the Altar. Instead, he was all around me, everywhere I looked and everywhere I could not see. His massive presence with thousands of wings surrounded the entire Circle…

Gazing within the Cauldron, the perspective shifted out further and further and further. Until I saw the whole Earth in Gabriel’s embrace, his vast white Wings of light wrapped around it, nothing out of his reach…

“Remember the smallness of the candle flame…” He said.

I thanked him for his presence and invited him to enjoy the Offerings as long as he pleased, as I did to Cyprian. I then thanked the Angels and Spirits of the Four Directions for their presence and aid, blessing them with the Bell and with prayers each in turn. I gave the License to Depart to all spirits present and then formally closed the Temple, leaving the candles offered unto Cyprian and Gabriel flickering in the Temple.

A humbled, but joyful loving feeling glowed within me for hours after the Operation. How grateful I feel for even a moment in the presence of Gabriel. How grateful I feel for all of the beautiful candle flames whose light adorns my life, my friends, family, students,  colleagues, Fraters and Sorors, and loved ones. How they bless me with their light. May I always remember my responsibility to each of them and never take them for granted. I close with these all-important words of an Angel far wiser than this humble flame…

“First, notice the fragility of human life. How easily blown out is a small and flickering flame. Give thanks for the light bequeathed to you. Then tend to your flame. Having tended to your own flame to strengthen it, tend to the flames of those with whom you share your world. Let your every meeting with another strengthen their flame, not weaken it. And as you strengthen them, so shall you be strengthened.”

Frater S.C.F.V on the Glitch Bottle Podcast

Glitch Bottle #033 – Solomonic Bells, Wands & Consecrations (Oh My!) with Frater S.C.F.V.

By Frater S.C.F.V

I recently had the great pleasure and honour of appearing on Alexander Eth’s fantastic Glitch Bottle podcast.  We discussed my own multitraditional spiritual background, Solomonic grimoires, Dr. Stephen Skinner’s interesting typology of magic, Mystery, and religion, Wand traditions, Bells and Trumpets of Art, Circles, binding, Consecration by Mass, scrying, cryptoconsecratio, Angelic invocation, and a host of other fascinating topics of magical theory and practice. Please feel free to share any comments or questions you may have. Thank you!

In LVX,
Frater S.C.F.V.

Michaelmas 2018: An Invocation of Archangel Michael and the Archangel’s Exhortation to Humanity

By Frater S. C. F. V.

Happy Michaelmas, Amici! Michaelmas, which is also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels is celebrated by the Catholic and Anglican churches today, September 29, 2018.

It’s worth noting, however, that although the Serbian Orthodox Church observes the feast, most Eastern Orthodox Churches. Moreover, the Greek and Romanian Orthodox honour the Archangels as well on their equivalent of the Western Michaelmas, but they also include the Cherubim and Seraphim and celebrate the Feast on November 8th instead.

For my celebration, I began by performing a ritual bath as well as some preliminary worship. Thereafter, I cleaned the Altar, applied a fresh red altar cloth for Archangel Michael, and cleaned all offerings vessels. I arranged the Altar, and prepared the offerings for Michael and the other Angels. These included incense, a red candle fixed with chili peppers, Solomonic Holy Oil, and cloves, and a glass of wine. I also offered the Angels fresh orange slices spiked with three cloves to symbolize the Trinity of Divine images in the Christian “symbolic theology,” to quote Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, that is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three clove “nails” qll suggest the three Nails in the Holy Cross, three Supernal Sephirot, 3 Pillars of the Tree of Life, and the G.D. Neophyte Triangle or Triad of Manifestation (“two contending forces and one eternally uniting them”).

Thereafter, I entered the Temple, placed the Offerings on the Altar, and formally opened the Temple with the initial Offerings to the Godhead. Thereafter, I picked up my Solomonic Bell, sounded it three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia and then, from within it, sounded the Bell thrice to each of the Quarters, greeting the Spirits of the East, South, West, and North with great love, respect, and blessings of Adonai.

Next, I proceeded to give Offerings to Saint Cyprian and began to pray and recite Psalms while holding my Solomonic Wand of Art. Saint Cyprian received his own fresh glass of Spring Water, a candle dressed with San Cipriano oil, Sage, Cinnamon, and All-spice, and Church wafers.

I opened with some prayers to God offering worship, an announcement of my intention to celebrate the Archangels with gratitude and gifts, and a prayer to Saint Cyprian asking him to assist me in the invocation of Michael.

I then used the prayer from the Heptameron to ask for God’s help in calling Spirits and proceeded to a formal Invocation of Archangel Michael.  After prolonged additional conjurations and vibrating Michael’s name while gazing into the crystal with his candle burning behind it–a method I call pyrocrystallomancy, or fire-crystal-divination as shown to me by Archangel Raphael–I felt the Archangel’s presence begin to build in the Temple.

I found it noteworthy that the last time I had invoked the great Michael, his arrival in the Temple was marked by a series of sparks erupting from his candle.  This time, his manifestation in the room was experienced in the expansion of his incense smoke and the omset of intense flickering of his Offering candle.

Much like in the last invocation, however, his presence felt strong, but kind, fiery, but composed, comforting, but unwavering, and above all courageous and ready to act immediately as needed.  Upon his arrival, I greeted him with great love and respect and Offerings of his fixed and dressed candle, the oranges and cloves, the glass of wine, and and Musk incense, sacred to the Sun as per Agrippa, as gifts of friendship.

At this time, I informed the Archangel that my intention was primarily to celebrate his Feast Day, but that I would also be grateful for any insights or wisdom he may wish to offer, not only to me, but to my fellow human beings who might read this ritual journal entry. As a side note, for the sake of respect and decorum, I always obtain a Spirit’s consent to share what they reveal to me, provided it is not explicitly secretive or deeply personal in nature, in which case I do not share it.  Michael has always granted the permission as he considers it a form of Offering to share wisdom for the purpose of edifying others.

I asked Michael to help me to optimally attune my consciousness and biopsychospiritual state in order to best me able to communicate with him and asked Saint Cyprian to help me to send and receive clear messages to the Angel.  This process of tuning in is, to me, like tuning a radio receiver to receive the clearest possible sound of a particular radio station’s broadcast.

Scrying into the Crystal as Michael’s candle burned behind it, I gave the Archangel permission to speak into my mind or into my body via sensations or emotions. I asked him questions as I gazed through the crystal and received his responses immediately in a deep, stern, but kind, and warm voice.

When asked if the traditional depictions of Michael are how he really appears, he said “no. These are appearances that I assume for you,” meaning human beings.

I then asked him if he could give me a closer impression of what he looks like without assuming the images he takes on so as not to frighten us. He asked if I was sure. I wondered if he had been asked this before only to have people be terrified by the result. I said that I was certain.

My eyes grew heavy and fell closed before a vivid vision began to reveal itself.

Before me, I first see a handsome and slightly androgynous male figure clad in red robes and armor and bearing a mighty sword. Behind him, two large white wings stand elegantly unfolded to each side of his armored frame.  As I watch, the image of his clothing, wings, and human-like features begins to stretch and distort. It grows and grows, beyond a height slightly taller than my 5’11 frame to grow larger and larger. Before I know it, the great Michael’s vast form is entirely filling the horizon in every direction. Wherever I look, his massive form is there.

The colours in his initial self-presentation gradually begin to fade out. Now, there is but a vaguely anthropomorphic being of golden light towering over the entire planet Earth… At last, even this last faint hint of a human-form distends into a totally incomprehensible and unrecognizable ‘mass’ of pure golden light, voiceless, and staggering in its incredible power…

The whole experience lasts only a few moments before the vast, cosmic figure shrinks back down and resumes the familiar human-esque form in red robes and Angelic wings.

I open my eyes and resume gazing at Michael’s candle’s flickering flame from through the Crystal.  I thank the great Archangel for this impressive vision, feeling humbled by the realization thay even this only really represents a fraction of what Michael is “really like.”

As this is a day of celebration of Michael and all other Angels as well as their primordial relationship with human beings, I ask the Archangel if he has any words of wisdom to guide humanity at this moment in our history. He begins to speak these words:

“Yes. Know that whatever you face, however alone you may feel, however desperate things may seem, there is always hope. Wherever you stand, you stand not alone. My Sword executes justice in accordance with Divine Will balanced with love and compassion. Many are the Angels who storm to your aid when you are in struggle, if only you knew. Be encouraged and take hope. In your darkest nights, our light shines brightly to join with yours.

Beware most of all the tendency towards self-absorption and self-centeredness, the gateway of all sin, that is, of all missing of the mark of excellence, virtue, and holiness. Temptations always come in the same forms: questioning your value, shaming you, tempting you into feeling entitled, and fanning the flames of greed and victimhood. All of these appeal to the baser constructs of human self-centeredness.

If you are absorbed in yourself, you become blind to value beyond value for you. You lose yourself in greed and hatred, entitlement and cruelty, attachment to illusions and arrogance. All the while, you hold your imaginary self up as an idol to be worshiped. What folly!

Human destruction always stems back to excessive self-centeredness. It is for it that you destroy the planet, that your people kill, rape, lie, deceive, and manipulate and glorify yourselves on your media, begging to be worshiped so that your artificial image of self can feel real. All of this is falsehood. Cut through it. Humility is the gateway to wisdom, not self-centeredness and arrogance. What room is there for growth in one who believes themselves already to be large and great? Turn back from illusions to Truth, from the imaginary to the Real, and humble yourself in relationship to That. For your greatness is only in your realization of always having been That, and not in the little “you” you pretend to be. Humble the “self” you’re not and embrace the Self beyond all concepts and images, the Eternal and the True.” 

When asked what humans could do to be more like the Angels, the Archangel’s reply was:

“Surrender illusions to Truth. Trust the Good, which is the same as the Will of God. Do it without hesitation out of Love for its nature. Surrender self-centeredness and dwell in the awareness of Divine presence. Live to serve and love the service. Find your meaning not in what you can get for yourself, but how you can strengthen and give to others. Serve the Whole you Are, not the part you take yourself to be. In truth, not even the Angels separately exist. The same is true for human beings; it is only your wrong thinking that makes you take yourselves to be cut off from one another. Nothing is cut off. Nothing is apart from God. We know this. Purify your mind of wrong notions and be open to learning from that Wisdom which is beyond your finite understanding.”

Finally, when asked if humans are missing anything important that we should be attending to, Michael replied:

“Yes. Frankly and boldly consider the impact of your actions as a relative human being. You are always influencing everyone around you, whether neutrally, for the worse, or for the Good. Own your part in the problems you blame on others. Own the impact of your actions. Minimize the harm you cause and maximize the Good. Wake up from the dream of self-absorption before your greed and ignorance destroy the Earth, your fellow human beings, and other creatures alike.  We Angels have watched your kind since you first emerged. We have seen you do great things, and great atrocities. Ultimately, all things that arise, pass away. But even an ant leaves footprints in the sand.

Contribute not to the collective self-destruction. Own your part to play in the Whole you are, go beyond worshiping yourself to serving your collective Self appearing as all beings, God, the Divine, beyond the One and the All forever, yet ever Present as all in all.

And yet, you appear as a human being living a human life, and while you do, I encourage you to be humbly mindful in your humanness that you always have the power to transform hateful, greedy, wrathful ways into ways that bless more than they curse and help more than they hinder. Those who surrender to this transformation not only help, but are helped; for as you do unto others, so it is done unto you.

In truth, there is neither “you” nor “others,” only That One beyond Oneness at play with itself. Therefore, give up the game of fighting yourself imagined as “other” and learn to Love the One in All, the All in One, and That beyond All and One alike. This is the Way of the Angels and the Way of God, if you would only understand…”

Humbled by this, I thought it best to end the session in humility, contemplating more than suggesting, listening more than speaking. What more could I say? I thanked the great and Ancient Michael for his presence and invited him to go in peace or to stay with me to pray and enjoy the Offerings given in the honour of him and all of the Angels and Archangels.

I sat in silence for what felt like a long time, silently reflecting and abiding in Michael’s presence. Relatively, we seem to be human beings communicating with Angels or living blissfully unaware of their existence. Absolutely, the only Reality there is, is beyond the dreams of unity and diversity alike, as the Angels have pointed out to me time and time again. Relatively, we seem to be a separate individual, member of a family, a society, a species, a planet.

But this too, is part of the dream. Nothing stands alone; nothing is cut off. While we continue to dream this dream of human consciousness, Michael seems to me to suggest, we may as well make it as happy as possible and live it as meaningfully as we can, which is to say, in greatest harmony with our highest ideals: harmony, kindness, strength, encouragement, wisdom, and love.

For if we harm others, we harm our Self in disguise, our Beloved, the Divine itself. Therefore, let us Love the dream of others, the wonder and miracle of God appearing in the form of the vast diversity of the universe, or multiverse, which we behold, in awe-struck wonder…

Magic is a game within the Divine play, God experiencing Itself as both Angels and human beings in conversation about Itself. What fun! And yet, how head-spinning to our finite human minds!

Ah! I’ve said too much already. It’s time to return to the infinite wonder of ever-open silence.

Before I do, two final words:

Happy Michaelmas!

Novena of Saint Cyprian 2018 Day 7: Invocation of Archangel Michael

By Frater S.C.F.V.

On this Seventh Day of my 2018 Novena to Saint Cyprian of Antioch, September 23, 2018, I arose and performed a ritual bath and worship. I listened to a sermon and attended Church, where I encountered an amusing synchronicity — the same passage from Micah that I had prayed the night before turned up in the morning’s sermon! I was even more amused when a passage cited immediately after that in the Church sermon then turned up in the Orison work in Dr. Mal Strangefellow’s Cyprian Orisons for the day!

With my stomach aching with fasting, I went on with the day’s activities. As the Hour of the Sun on the Day of the Sun ruled by Michael approached, I took another ritual bath and fixed the offering candles for the ritual to come. For Cyprian, I fixed a candle with San Cipriano Oil, cinnamon, and all-spice:

For Michael, the candle was fixed with Holy Oil, clove, and cedar, the latter two of which are both included in Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s Book I, Chapter xxiii. How we shall know what Stars naturall things are under, and what things are under the Sun, which are called Solary.

In addition, I placed fresh cedar leaves, reverently picked from a local tree on my walk home from Church under the scrying Crystal in order to receive their sympathetic “occult vertue,” to quote Agrippa. Additional cedar was included in the brass cauldron of Offerings as well as in pieces in the fixing of Michael’s candle.

At last, I entered the Temple, where I began, as usual, with offerings to God and prayers. I picked up my Solomonic bell, sounded it three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia and then, from within it, sounded the Bell thrice to each of the Quarters, greeting the Spirits of the East, South, West, and North with great love, respect, and blessings of Adonai. I proceeded to give Offerings to God and to Saint Cyprian and began to pray and recite Psalms while holding my Solomonic Wand of Art.

I then used the prayer from the Heptameron to ask for God’s help in calling Spirits and proceeded to a formal Invocation of Archangel Michael, Angel of the Day of the Sun and of Sunday.

After prolonged additional conjurations and vibrating Michael’s name while gazing into the crystal with his candle burning behind it–pyrocrystallomancy, as shown to me by Archangel Raphael–I felt the Angel’s presence as his candle literally began to spark in explosive little pops. It was the first time I had ever seen this happen and it was definitely a highly solar mode of appearance, which reminded me of solar flares.

Michael’s presence felt strong, but gentle, fiery, but composed, secure and unwavering, and above all courageous and ready to act at a moment’s notice. Upon his arrival, I greeted him with great love and respect and Offerings of his fixed and dressed candle and Musk incense, sacred to the Sun as per Agrippa, as gifts of friendship.

At first, I greatly struggled to communicate with Michael. It felt like trying to tune into a radio frequency that kept going in and out of focus. I would ask him a question and get a hint of an answer, but then it would trail off… I would re-ask the question and again the same would happen.

Frustration began to arise because of all of the Invocations in this series for Saint Cyprian’s Novena, Michael’s was the one to which I was most looking forward. However, I remembered Saint Cyprian’s advice from a prior ritual session, “persevere!” And so I did. I tried scrying into Michael’s candle directly (pyromancy), but it was not of much more help. After an hour of trying, and completely at my wit’s end, I asked Saint Cyprian for guidance as I held my Solomonic wand in one hand and the miniature Crook from his statue in the other.

As I pressed Cyprian’s Crook to my forehead, out of the mists of the black space of my mind, Cyprian slowly began to walk into view. I asked him how better to communicate with Michael since I seemed to be so out of sync with him today.

His answer was exceedingly strange to me and was one which I had never before read anywhere. He told me to “take two sprigs of cedar and place them behind each of your ears. Place another under your tongue.” I didn’t understand why at first, but I trusted him and did it. After some time remaining like this, I took the piece of cedar from under my tongue and placed it on top of the scrying Crystal.

I then resumed scrying into the Crystal and lo an behold, I finally broke through into being able to speak with Michael. It was as if the cedar had harmonized me with his solar nature and ‘tuned’ the Crystal so that he could more easily communicate through it and through me. Ah, the power of Agrippan “occult vertue” and sympathetic resonance! And great thanks to Saint Cyprian!

I asked Michael about his station and office and as I gazed into the flickering Crystal, he spoke words into my mind in a bright and friendly voice without the formality of Cassiel:

“Mine is a role of illumination and protection, of might and defense, of aid and swift action.”

I asked him if he might share with me something about the key to the courage he so embodied and his reply was:

“True courage comes not from trusting oneself, but from trusting the Source of all courage. As He Wills, I act. And if I act as He Wills, what cause is there for anything but courage? What can be lost when the Source of all is behind us? What is there to fear when the Source of all Might lights our way?”

When asked if he could offer guidance on building inner strength, he said:

“Fortitude, too, comes through trust. Remember past victories and take encouragement in them now. Trust not your own strength, but God’s infinite Might. Cast your weakness on Him and let His strength guide your next steps.”

I asked him if he might show me a vision to better appreciate his nature, and closing my eyes, an ethereal scene emerged:

An Angel with a face that shines like the golden Sun, stands clad in red robes, streaming like flames. A sword that blazes as bright as the core of a Star, is licked by tongues of pinkish-red flame. The figure swiftly courses to action. No hesitation. Only acting as ordered, as Willed. No reluctance, only execution. Pure efficiency, fiery might.

I thanked the great Archangel for the gift of this vision and asked if I could share what he had shared with me with others for their edification and our mutual growth.  He said yes, but only if I added also this final exhortation, the last thing he shared with me:

“Be quick to act with strength, slow to believe you are weak.
Be quick to do the courageous, slow to cower and wait. 
Be quick to do the Good, slow to do the evil.
Be quick to trust in God, slow to distrust yourself.
Be quick to listen to counsel, slow to offer your own.
Be quick to learn from others, slow to begin to teach. 
Be quick to strengthen hope, slow to surrender to doubt.
Be quick to build up others, slow to knock them down.
Be quick to speak to empower, slow to weaken resolve.
And quick to reach for wisdom, slow to cling to old ways.
Act before cowardice can take hold–
Let courage quicken you, and be quick to act with courage.”

Having said these final words, his candle flame abruptly went out, much to my surprise, as that had never happened before with any other Spirit.

I sensed he was preparing to charge off out of the Circle, so I thanked him for his presence and asked him to come again in friendship to share his wisdom. I received a warm feeling of–how appropriate–encouragement, after which his incense burned out. Just like that, as swiftly as he had come, the great Archangel was gone.

I said a final set of prayers and closed the Temple. Hail to thee O Michael! May we act with courage like you! Hail to thee O Cyprian! May your mastery of mystery grow in us! Praise to thee O Source of Strength, Adonai, may we learn to trust in You!