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.”

Aligning with the Source: Unlocking Hidden Meanings of “Worship” in Hebrew, Greek, and English

By Adam J. Pearson

“Whoever gives reverence,
Receives reverence.”

~ Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī in the Masnavi-i Ma’navi (Persian: مثنوی معنوی‎) (Sidek, 2015).

1. A Brief Introduction to the Idea of Worship in Postmodern Context: Recovering a Key to Wise Living and Right Relationship with Being

“Worship” is a fascinating concept that has in some ways become foreign to contemporary life and thought in a society that is increasingly saturated with postmodern nihilism and narcissistic self-worship.  Indeed, in the 21st century, many of us have come to believe that there is no longer anything worthy of worship at all beyond perhaps  ourselves and our material aims.  As the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously pointed out first in The Joyful Science (1882) and then once more  in Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1892), our post-18th century Enlightenment commitment to materialism and scientific reductionism brought about the momentous shift in Western culture. of the “death of God” in Western culture.  In our pursuit of “progress,” we alienated ourselves from the Source and Ground of our being by denying its existence altogether.  As Nietzsche presciently realized, the result was nothing short of cataclysmic. Without even realizing it at the time, we dismantled the foundations of our culture’s value systems, ethical systems, and centuries-old approaches to giving life meaning as such.  The result was a void that we aimed futilely to fill with consumerism, egotism, capitalism, a disenchanted positivist metaphysic, and, in the 20th century, with radical political ideologies like Communism and Fascism (Knight, 2006).

Unfortunately, the cultural and philosophical condition that emerged from this trading of the Absolute for nihilistic relativism was incredibly disatisfying.  As a consequence, postmodern people now live with an inner void that they do not know how to fill.  The chief modes of filling the void that we attempt to deploy–hedonism, the pursuit of power and fame, social media narcissism, absorption in technology and current affairs, and addictions to sex, gambling, pornography, shopping, and many other forms of escapism–all fall flat (Supamanta, 2015).  It is as if, in our rightful casting out of the bathwater of Biblical literalism, unscientific superstition, dogmatic morality, and the apparent homophobia, transphobia, ethnocentrism embedded in Western culture’s preeminent Scriptures, we also threw out the baby of our only hope for true sustenance.  If so, perhaps a radical reframing of the meaning of worship–that deep human capacity to humble ourselves before the Infinite and the Source of all Good, however defined and by whatever name–could help us to fill our infinite void with the only thing large and lasting enough to fill it.

In its deepest sense, as mystics of all of the world’s traditions from Christian Desert Fathers to Sufi Muslims, Jewish Kabbalists, Buddhist sages, and Hindu yogis have long noted, worship involves the bowing of the apparent individual self before the Self of all, that Reality which is “One without a second,” to quote the Upanishads (Sarma, 2016).  Worship, in its most practical and yet mystical sense, implies the right alignment of the human being with the Good at which it is wise to aim if we wish to live a meaningful life that benefits the individual, the family, the community, the society, and the commonwealth of being more than it harms.

Nor is the notion of worship as irrational or impractical we often assume.  Indeed, in order to do anything at all, we must presuppose a value structure (Peterson, 2002).  This structure posits that what we are doing is more valuable that what we opt not to do instead.  For this reason, we believe that it is reasonable to sacrifice the latter for the sake of the former — a gesture which captures the core of the theme of sacrifice and offerings in spiritual life more generally and certainly throughout the Biblical narratives (Peterson, 2002; NIV, 2018).  The object of this value structure, we might fairly call “the Good” following Plato’s lead in The Republic (Πολιτεία,), for at our best, when our nihilistic despair and malevolence do not consume us, we value goods, work for goods, and aim for things we believe to be good for us as well as for our families,  friends, colleagues and societies (Baltes, 2017).  If all of our rightly-aligned actions are aimed at the Good anyway, in this precise and technical sense, then perhaps an attitude of worship–or of honouring and humbling ourselves before the Source of everything we aim to achieve in all of our actions–is not as irrational as we have innocently assumed.

Moreover, if we are properly aligned towards the Good then perhaps worshiping its Source is akin to ensuring that we live gratefully, in balance with the natural world, and in service to extending to apparent others the blessings that have been extended unto us. The Good in us then bows to the Good in others and seeks to extend itself.  If we live in this way, we are in the state that Buddhism, in its Noble Eightfold Path, aptly calls ‘right relationship‘ with being (Cozort & Shields, 2018). By all accounts, the Ancient Yogis also knew this truth well.  It was no coincidence that they greeted one another with Namaste (नमस्ते)-– “The Divine in me bows to the Divine in you” — and served the Divine in the apparent Other through karma yoga, the yoga of action, as taught in the Bhagavad Gita (Easwaran, 2007; Mukherjee, 2016).

Nor is this deep teaching foreign to Christianity and Judaism, for as the Call of Abram reveals, the nature of blessing is to extend the Good that has been given to us to others, such that after receiving a blessing, we become one.  As God says to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing, . . ., and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (NIV, 2018).  Is there any worthier way to live than to live that to live in such a way that we bless and benefit others and ourselves more than we harm? What could possibly be more practical, valuable, psychologically sustaining, evolutionarily-supported, ethically commendable, or wiser than that?

It seems appropriate, therefore, that to make the practical shift from serving the little “me” to serving the greater “Me” that includes all of us, the Divine by whatever name or symbol we refer to it appearing as All–Meister Eckhart’s ‘Godhead’ in manifestation–is, in a sense, the core of spiritual maturation itself (Fagge & Jackson, 2016).  And yet, how often do we believe that we are “too good,” “too smart” and “too modern” for something as “antiquated” and “superstitious” as worship?  Such views are understandable, and yet also bitingly ironic, especially since we have not really ceased to worship.  Our worship has simply gone underground and become unconsciously submerged in our anxious and fragile egotism, the last refuge of the despairing nihilist (Llanera, 2016).  Indeed, our worship remains evident in our enacted values, the values we act on, regardless of what we say we value.  Having decimated the foundational myths and strengthening stories to which our ancestors turned for empowerment and consolation against the vicissitudes and tragedies of life, our postmodern cultures have instead shifted towards worshiping ephemeral, unlasting, and ultimately unsatisfactory pleasures, power, wealth, fame, and a narcotized sense of “happiness” above all (Deutschmann, 2011).

If a worshipful attitude of a transcendental Source of all Good is not foolish or outmoded, but rather wise and replenishing, then it may be valuable to revisit the roots of our very notion of worship as a civilization deeply embedded in Judaeo-Christian thought in order to obtain a replenished and deeper understanding thereof.  What did “worship” originally mean in the Biblical sources on which Western civilization was founded, those stories that lie at the very bedrock of our culture and which we casually dismiss only to our own detriment?  To attempt a provisional answer to this challenging question, this article, we will explore the fascinating meanings of the original Hebrew and Greek words that pepper the original texts of the Torah and New Testament in their original contexts.  Having done so, perhaps we will be able to return to the subtle denotations and connotations of our own English term “worship” and see it with fresh eyes.

2. Glory and Humility: Blossoms of Worship in the Hebrew Tanach

Before diving into specifics, it can be helpful to first survey the beautiful panorama of Biblical worship as a whole.  As Theopedia (2019) explains, in the Biblical texts, “worship is an active response” to the Divine “whereby the mind is transformed (e.g. faith, repentance),” we are reoriented towards the Good after ‘sinning’ or missing the mark — the literal meaning of hamartia (ἁμαρτία), from hamartánein (ἁμαρτάνειν), “the heart is renewed (e.g. love, trust), and actions are surrendered (e.g. obedience, service).” From the Biblical perspective, this is all done in accordance with the Divine Will,” which is the will-to-the-Good, “and in order to declare” the Divine’s infinite worthiness as the Source and Ground of all worth.  Seen in this way, worship for the Biblical authors is nothing less than a celebration of all that is good and worthy itself as symbolized by its transcendental Source.

Several Hebrew words are employed in the Tanach to refer to worship. These include:

• 1) Shâchâh (שָׁחָה) – This term literally means to lower or prostrate oneself, and is translated in the King James Version of the Old Testament as “worship” (100 times), “bow down” (54 times), “do obeisance” (9 times), “do reverence” (5 times), “fall down” (Psalms 72:11; Isaiah 45:14;), “crouch” (1 Samuel 2:36), “humbly beseech” (2 Sam 16:4), or “make to stoop” (Pro 12:25) [See Strong’s Concordance #7812] (Theopedia, 2019).  As it turns out, prostration as a form of worship and self-humbling seems to be a human universal.  It is found at once among Orthodox Jews, devout Muslims, Hindu bhaktas or devotees, Christian mystics, and Tibetan Buddhist monks, to name but a few examples (Smith, 2016).

• 2) Abodah (עֲבוֹדָה‬) – literally means to work in any sense, but by implication, to serve. It is used more than 250 times in the Torah, most often translated as “serve” and 31 times in conjunction with shâchâh (see above).  However, three times the translators of the English Standard Version of the Bible chose the word “worship” as a translation of abodah (2 Sam 15:8; Psalms 102:22; Isaiah 19:21) [See Strong’s Concordance #5647] (Theopedia, 2019).  Interestingly, worship through service in the Hebrew abodah sense is roughly equivalent to the core meaning of the term karma yoga in the Hindu tradition, especially within the Bhagavad Gita (Easwaran, 2007).

• 3) Dârash (דָּרַשׁ) – In Ezra 4:2 and 6:21, the English Standard Version translates this term meaning to seek as “worship” [See Strong’s Concordance #1875] (Theopedia, 2019).  Darash captures the willingness to seek to be in the presence of the Divine, to “seek out” the revelation of Divine Presence in all things.  As the New International Version translates the same verse from Ezra 4:2, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon, King of Assyria, who brought us here.”

• 4) Yârê’ (יָרֵא) – In Joshua 22:25, the ESV translates this term meaning to fear or hold in reverential awe as “worship” [See Strong’s Concordance #3372] (Theopedia, 2019).  The form of worship captured by yare involves a heart-expanding, awe-inspiring, reverential wonder at the nature of the Divine that stills the mind, opens the heart, and elevates the spirit.

Photography by Janelle Awe.

• 5) Atsab (עצב) – In Jeremiah 44:19, the King James Version translates this term as meaning to carve or fashion as forms of “worship [See Strong’s Concordance #6087] (Theopedia, 2019).  This form of worship involves making things for the Divine as offerings, such as cakes in the Jeremiah verse, but also artwork created in honour of God.

In these five Hebrew words, we can identify some of the key harmonics in the melodies of worship that resonate throughout the Torah.  For the Ancient Hebrews, worship encompassed a wide spectrum of meanings which ranged from humbling ourselves (shachah) to acts of service (abodah) as offerings, seeking out (darash) the Divine Presence, contemplating the Divine in reverential awe (yare), and crafting things (atsab) in the honour of the Divine.

3. The Kiss of Faithful Love: Greek Nuances in New Testamental Worship

While the Hebrew words offer deep insights into the modes of worship among the Ancient Israelites and suggest fresh ways to approach worship today, the Greek words for worship in the New Testament shed further light on this most intimate and cosmic of human actions.  The following comparative analysis heavily draws on Scott J. Shifferd (2015)’s insightful synthesis of Greek lexica, which

“defines each of the six Greek words by [its] use in the Scriptures and confirmed by five other sources consisting of Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, George Ricker Berry’s Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament, Arndt and Gingrich’s A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, and Barclay M. Newman Jr.’s A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament.”

Shifferd (2015) also supplements his comparative synthesis of each Greek term with  Dr. Everett Ferguson’s definition of each word to further support his definitions of the terms.

According to Shifferd (2015), the first and most prominent word for “worship” in the New Testament is

1) Proskuneo (προσκυνέω) – Of the six Greek words for worship, this word comes the closest to representing the common meaning of ‘worship’ in English [See Strong’s Concordance #4352].  Supported by the lexical sources above, the most precise and consistent definition of this term is to worship by prostrating or bowing much like the Hebrew term shachah (Shifferd, 2015).  In the New Testament, the act of proskuneo consists of homage directed to the Divine or towards a noble human being, and worshipers show this homage by tokens of reverence.

Interestingly, however, proskuneo is never used as a synonym for any meetings or the group activity of assemblies in the New Testament.  Out of the fifty-nine appearances of the word in the Gospels and Epistles, proskuneo is only mentioned once in reference to an assembly.  This reference occurs in 1 Corinthians 14:25, where the Good News of the Gospels inspires conviction in an outsider who responds with ecstatic worship (“as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare, they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really here among you!”) (NIV, 2018).

According to the New Testamental texts, the worshiper may proskuneo the Divine,  including sacrificial and temple worship in passages such as John 4:20, 12:20; Acts 8:27, 24:11; and Revelation 11:1.  Interestingly, the New Testament depicts proskuneo being used both to honour, as in Mark 10:17 when a man worships Christ by bowing, and to ridicule.  An example of the latter occurs in Matthew 27:29, where Roman soldiers mock Christ as the King of the Jews by the act of proskuneo or bowing towards him.

About proskuneo, Dr. Everett Ferguson affirms that

“The most common word for worship in the New Testament is proskuneo (“to kiss the hand”, “to do obeisance”, “to prostrate oneself”).  It had the most specific content of the words for worship: to bow or fall down before an object of veneration.  Since it could also be done before a human being of higher rank from whom a benefit was desired, its frequent occurrences in the Gospels in reference to Jesus do not necessarily indicate acceptance of his Divinity or Messianic status by those who approached him in this way, a situation that is more ambiguous in Matthew 8:2 and 9:18 than in 28:9, 17; note the mocking used in Mark 15:19. From this specific act came a general usage for “worship” or “acts of reverence” (John 12:20; Revelation 14:7). It could be directed toward human beings (Acts 10:25, in this case rejected), the idols of paganism (Acts 7:43), the Devil or his agents (Matthew 4:9; Revelation 13:4), Angels (Revelation 22:8), or towards the Divine (Revelation 7:11).

2) Latreuo (λατρεύω) – Synthesizing the lexical sources mentioned before, Shifferd (2015) suggests that latreuo means precisely to serve in a priestly and, or sacrificial manner [See Strong’s Concordance #3000].  Latreuo is, therefore, roughly analogous to the Hebrew term abodah (עֲבוֹדָה‬), meaning worship through service.  The noun form latreia also suggests sacrificial and priestly service to God.  As numerous uses of latreuo affirm throughout the New Testament, latreuo captures the notion of specific ritual acts of service done to glorify the Divine (e.g. ritual sacrifices and ceremonial offerings).

As Shifferd (2015) reveals, translators of the most popular English translations of the Scriptures translate latreuo as “worship” at least three times or more instead of as “sacrificial service; compare, for instance the following examples:

KJV – Acts 7:42, 24:14; Phil 3:3; Heb 10:2
NKJV – Acts 7:42, 24:14; Phil 3:3; Heb 10:2
ASV 1901 – Luke 2:37; Phil 3:3; Heb 9:9
NASV – Rom 12:1; Phil 3:3; Heb 9:1, 6, 9, 10:2
NIV – Luke 2:37; Acts 7:7; 42, 24:14; Rom 9:4, 12:1; Phil 3:3; Heb 9:1, 9, 10:2, 12:18
NRSV – Luke 2:37; John 16:2; Acts 7:7, 42, 24:14, 26:7, 27:23; Rom 9:4, 12:1; Phil 3:3; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 8:5, 9:1, 6, 9, 14, 10:2, 12:28; Rev 7:15, 22:3
ESV – Luke 2:37; Acts 7:7, 42, 24:14, 26:7, 27:23; Rom 9:4, 12:1; Phil 3:3; Heb 9:1, 9, 10:2, 12:28; Rev 22:3 (Shifferd, 2015).

In the New Testament, latreuo is consistently used to refer to religious rituals, especially ritual offerings, fasting, or prayers, and in every single use of the word, worshipers direct their service toward the Divine or something considered to be a deity (e.g. a Pagan idol).

Similarly, Dr. Ferguson reports that latreuo meant

“to perform religious service” or “to carry out cultic duties”; noun latreia. It is used in the New Testament for pagan worship (Acts 7:42; Romans 1:25), but properly belongs to God alone (Matthew 4:10).  The word most often designates Jewish worship (Acts 7:7; 26:7; Romans 9:4; Hebrews 8:5; 9:1, 6, 9; 10:2; 13:10).  That worship included fasting and prayers in Luke 2:37.  A metaphorical use of the word occurs in John 16:2. Paul used the word to describe his service to God in Romans 1:9, another instance of his use of cultic language for his service to the gospel; cf. 1 Tim. 1:3; Acts 24:14; 27:23.  Christian worship is contrasted with Jewish worship in Phil. 3:3 (connected with the Spirit and with Jesus) and Hebrews 13:10 (referring to the sacrifice of Jesus). Christian worship is described by this word in Hebrews 9:14 and 12:28, as is the heavenly worship in Revelation 7:15 and 22:3. Latreia for Christians is no longer the temple sacrifices but the rational offering of their bodies as living sacrifices in doing the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).”

3) Leitourgeo (λειτουργέω) – means specifically to minister in an official manner [See Strong’s Concordance #2356].  In the New Testamental texts, this word refers to public civil acts of religious service in a theocratic nation like Israel, also similar to the meaning of abodah (עֲבוֹדָה‬) (Shifferd, 2015).  In addition, in the New Testament, the term also refers to the ministry of Christians as they act in their office of being priests or Pastors who share the “sacrifices” of Christ.  Further building on Shifferd’s analysis (2015), Dr. Everett Ferguson remarks that

“The English word “liturgy” is derived from the Greek leitourgia (verb leitourgeo), a word referring to public service (cf. Romans 13:6), but used in Jewish and Christian literature of the early Christian era predominantly for religious service.  The broader sense of non-cultic service may be illustrated by 2 Corinthians 9:12 and Romans 15:27, the contribution for the needs of the saints, but even here there may be a metaphorical use of the sacrificial meaning (as in Philippians 2:17, cf. 2:30).

The common use of the word in the New Testament, reflecting the Greek Old Testament, is for the Jewish temple service (Luke 1:23; Hebrews 9:21; Hebrews 10:11), and thus it is used also for Jesus’ priestly ministry (Hebrews 8:2, 6).  Paul uses this family of words for his preaching ministry (Romans 15:16), and this fact along with usage in early extra-canonical Christian literature, may give the meaning of “preaching” or specifically “prophesying,” for the only usage of the word in the New Testament in the context of a Christian meeting, Acts 13:2.

4) Threiskeia (θρησκεία) – is also sometimes translated as either “religion” or a system of beliefs about worship by the lexical sources reviewed by Shifferd (2015).  There are six occurrences of this term in five verses of the New Testament Scriptures [See Strong’s Concordance #2356]. Shifferd (2015) suggests that the word “religion” meets threiskeia’s definition the best in every single occurrence of the word in the New Testament while the lexica and Dr. Ferguson do not show a preference of “religion” over “worship.” To Shifferd’s point, it is worth noting that both “religion” and threiskeia do not have a verb form, unlike “worship,” because both terms refer to a belief system as is evident in Acts 26:5.  Dr. Ferguson adds that threiskeia 

“refers to Judaism in Acts 26:5 and the worship of angels in Colossians 2:18.  Its only application to Christianity in the New Testament occurs in James 1:26-27, where true religion is defined in terms of good deeds and right conduct.  In contrast to “worthless religion,” which does not control the tongue, “pure and undefiled religion” is care for widows and orphans and keeping oneself unstained by the world.

5) Sebazomai (σεβάζομαι) means to venerate in fear, or more properly, a state of overwhelming reverential awe [See Strong’s Concordance #4573]. In this way, sebazomai is the rough equivalent of the Hebrew term yârê’ (יָרֵא).

In The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today, Dr. Ferguson (1996) affirms that

Sebazomai and cognates meant “to worship” in the sense of show reverence.  It was used for the worship of the Pagan deity Artemis (Acts 19:27). . . .  The participle is used for Gentiles who reverenced the God of the Jews several times in Acts – e.g., 13:43, 50; 17:4, 17.  The only express reference to Christian worship is Acts 18:13, where the Jews charged Paul with teaching “people to revere God in ways…contrary to the law.”

6) Eusebeo (εὐσεβής, ές) means to show respect for the Divine through doing one’s duty much like the Sanskrit term dharma [See Strong’s Concordance #2152]. According to 1 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 3:12, and Titus 2:12, this term is often used to enjoin respectful and pious living in dutiful action on behalf of the Divine.  As Everett Ferguson (1999) explains:

“Eusebeia – a general word for piety, or devotion – could also refer to worship. In Graeco-Roman literature, it almost always refers to cultic activities involving paying proper adoration. With reference to deity, it meant the attitude of dutiful ritual observance and obligation. With reference to human beings (especially the duty to parents) it meant the attitude of respect and loyalty to another person. But, in every case, it referred not just to the attitude (as often do the English words “devotion”, “piety”, and “godliness”) but also to the [dutiful] activity by which the attitude was expressed.”

As Shifferd (2015) explains, Paul uses this verb for the common Greek senses of Pagan worship through dutiful observances in Acts 17:23, as well as for fulfilling duties and obligations to members of one’s family in 1 Timothy 5:4.  Although eusebeo may refer to worship in some contexts, the word for faith, pistos, can as well. In 1 Timothy 5:4, Christians are “to practice piety” toward their family or faithfulness in the sense of honouring their familial duties (“if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.”).   Eusebeia, therefore, refers to a way of honouring the Good, or the Divine as its supreme symbol and Source, by doing our duty in relation to acting it out.

4. Returning Home: Ancient Resonances in English “Worship”

Now that we have deeply explored the Hebrew and Greek words for worship with their many-splendored hues and nuances, we can return to the English word “worship” with a view to unpacking its own fascinating valences.  As Douglas Harper (2018) reveals, the etymology of the word “worship” captures similar connotations to both Hebrew terms like yârê’ (יָרֵא) and Greek terms such as sebazomai (σεβάζομαι):

worship (n.)
Old English worðscip, wurðscip (Anglian), weorðscipe (West Saxon) “condition of being worthy, dignity, glory, distinction, honor, renown,” from weorð “worthy” (see worth) + -scipe (see -ship). Sense of “reverence paid to a supernatural or divine being” is first recorded c. 1300. The original sense is preserved in the title worshipful “honorable” (c. 1300).”

Shifting from etymology to semantic definition to reveal additional layers of meaning, the Oxford English Dictionary (2008) states that worship is

“1a: homage or reverence paid to a deity.
b acts, rites, or ceremonies of worship.
2 adoration or devotion (worship of wealth)
v. 1 tr. adore as divine; honor with religious rites.
2 tr. idolize.
3 intr. attend public service.”

In these various levels of meaning, we can see echoes of the Greek and Hebrew meanings we have already explored.  For example, “worship” in the English sense closely parallels proskuneo.  Both “worship” and proskuneo refer to reverence in a broad sense while also encompassing religious ritual acts of service like sacrificial offerings (Shifferd, 2015).  In addition, both terms are used to refer to reverence presented to the Divine or to people who are considered to be of a higher position and deserving honour, much like yârê (יָרֵא) and  sebazomai (σεβάζομαι).  There is one difference between these terms, however.  Proskuneo is never used to represent the collective action of a religious assembly though the English word “worship” is used that way today (Shifferd, 2015).

In addition, according to the American Heritage Dictionary (2010), worship is

1. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object.
   The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. Ardent devotion; adoration.
2. Chiefly British Used as a form of address for magistrates, mayors, and certain other dignitaries: Your Worship. v. wor•shiped or wor•shipped, wor•ship•ing or wor•ship•ping, wor•ships v.tr.
3. To honor and love as a deity.
4. To regard with ardent or adoring esteem or devotion. See Synonyms at revere. v. intr.
5. To participate in religious rites of worship.
6. To perform an act of worship. [Middle English worshipe, worthiness, honor, from Old English weorthscipe : weorth, worth; see worth1 + -scipe, -ship.]

In these definitions, we can find all of the Greek and Hebrew meanings we have discussed represented in layers of meaning within the English term.  Clearly, the common English definition of worship is broader than sacrificial and priestly services, latreia.  “Worship” is broader than sacrificial and temple worship, and worship may include prostrating oneself in honour like shâchâh (שָׁחָה) and other acts of reverence such as doing good unto others or abodah (עֲבוֹדָה‬).  Latreuo is captured in the use of ‘worship’ to refer to priests who glorify the Divine by means of their spiritual offerings as in 1 Peter 2:5 (Shifferd, 2015).

Finally, according to the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, worship means:

1 : to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power.

2 : to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.

3 : to perform or take part in an act of worship, sacrifice, or service.

These three meanings capture some, but not all of the subtle Hebrew and Greek meanings we have explored such as leitourgeo or public civil acts of service, and more particularly, it can refer to sacrificial services (Shifferd, 2015).  However, leitourgeo also contrasts with the English definition of “worship” that does not consist of such public and civic services.  Services of this type can include or exclude altogether the actions of proskuneo and latreuo, as Shifferd (2015) points out.  Indeed, we might argue that leitourgeo might better be translated “to minister” and not “to worship.”

To compare the English with some of the other Greek terms, the English definition of “worship” only matches threiskeia in the way that “worship” can refer to “religion” as a belief system.  Semantically, “religion” is broader in scope than “worship” because the word “religion” entirely encompasses a belief system consisting of both doctrine and practice while “worship” may be expressed only as broad as the practice of a religion (Ferguson, 1999).  Similarly, according to Shifferd (2015), sebomai mostly encompasses the English definition of “worship”, although there are no passages that present sebomai as the act of prostrating oneself while the English words “worship” and proskuneo do.  Indeed, the term “venerate” is as synonymous in meaning to sebomai as “worship” is to proskuneo (Shifferd, 2015).

5. The Raising of the Bowed: Concluding Words on the Worshipful Life

As Scott J. Shifferd (2015) points out, “apparently from these dictionaries, worship is to honor, revere, and venerate the Divine and, or the noble person, and that the act of worship consists of rituals, offering gifts and, or simple acts of humility and reverence like prostrating oneself” as is common in the Biblical texts.  In the Tanachic and New Testamental understanding, a life lived worshipfully itself becomes worthy of worship, or of favour and honour.  The Sufi Muslim quote from Rumi that opened this article captures the same core meaning and paradoxically reciprocal meaning — “those who give reverence, receive reverence” (Sidek, 2015).

While those who venerate are venerated, those who are blessed–and thereby glorified– but do not reciprocally glorify and give thanks to the source of their blessings fail to extend the Good that was extended unto them.  In this way, the juicy grapes that grew on the vine of their life fail to ever culminate in the fine wine they could have produced; instead, they wither on the vine. This unfortunate case of blessings and reverence given but not returned roughly captures the Biblical meaning of ‘curse.’ This converse meaning is evident in Genesis 12:2 in which God promises Abram that because he is blessed and becomes a blessing unto others, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you” (NIV, 2018).

Similarly, just as we are shown to be worthy of love because we love others and the Divine, so will be receive honour if we give it to others.  Therefore, these texts suggests, blessing, reverence, love, and honour–all core components of worship as such– are all rightly balanced when they are symmetrically structured and the receiving matches the giving. When it does not, we have fallen into sin and missed the mark of the Good through hamartia (ἁμαρτία), a situation that requires reorienting ourselves to the Good through repentance, worship, and gratitude. A worshiping life becomes a worshipful life.

In short, our wise ancestors have long known that worship is profoundly central to a life lived in proper alignment with the Good in the face of all of life’s sufferings and malevolence.  Such an orientation to life and to being itself buttresses us against the storms of life and places us in the optimal position to enjoy life’s greatest fruits.  In so doing, it offers a strengthening path to victory and perseverance above all. Far from obsolete, worship remains supremely relevant to us today, for it offers us a key to unlock the fulfillment we seek, fill the inner void within, and to play on Nietzsche, resurrect the God we’ve killed like Christ triumphantly rising from the tomb.

References

Baltes, M. (2017). Is the Idea of the Good in Plato’s Republic beyond Being?. In Studies in Plato and the Platonic tradition (pp. 21-42). New York: Routledge.

Cozort, D., & Shields, J. M. (Eds.). (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics. Oxford University Press.

Deutschmann, C. (2001). The promise of absolute wealth: capitalism as a religion? Thesis Eleven, 66(1), 32-56.

Easwaran, E. (2007). The Bhagavad Gita. Bombay: Nilgiri Press.

Fagge, M., & Jackson, G. (2016). The Godhead Beyond God and Proclus’s Henads: A Reading of Eckhart’s Trinity. Medieval Mystical Theology, 25(1), 57-68.

Ferguson, E. (1996). The Church of Christ: A biblical ecclesiology for today. Grand rapids, Mi: Eerdmans.

Harper, D. (2018). Worship. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 2, 2019 from https://www.etymonline.com/word/worship#etymonline_v_10853

Isenberg, S. R., & Thursby, G. R. (2018). Esoteric Anthropology:” Devolutionary” and” Evolutionary” Orientations in Perennial Philosophy. Religious Traditions: A New Journal in the Study of Religion/Journal of Studies in the Bhagavadgita, 7.

Knight, K. (2006). Transformations of the Concept of Ideology in the Twentieth Century. American Political Science Review, 100(4), 619-626.

Llanera, T. (2016). Rethinking nihilism: Rorty vs Taylor, Dreyfus and Kelly. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 42(9), 937-950.

Mifflin, H. (2010). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.  New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Mukherjee, R. Karma Yoga: A traditional perspective. Yoga Mimamsa (48)1: 37.

Nietzsche, F. (1966). Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1892). Trans. Walter Kaufmann. New York: Penguin Books.

NIV – New International Version Bible. (2018). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Peterson, J. B. (2002). Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Toronto: Routledge.

Sarma, D. S. (2016). The Upanishads. New Delhi: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Publishing.

Shifferd, S. J. (2015). The Greek words for the Biblical definition of worship. Seeing God’s Breath. Retrieved January 2, 2019 from https://godsbreath.net/2015/03/05/greek-words-for-worship-in-the-bible/

Sidek, S. S. M. (2015). The Concept of Generosity in Rumi’s Mathnawi: An Analysis. Doctoral dissertation, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC): International Islamic University Malaysia.

Simpson, J., & Weiner, E. S. (2008). Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

Smith, A. C. (2016). Prostration as Discourse: A Comparative Literary, Semiotic, and Ritual Analysis of the Action in the Qur’an and Hebrew Bible. Doctoral dissertation, Claremont Graduate University.

Supamanta, L. (2015). Economy of life: a Buddhist view. The Ecumenical Review, 67(2), 192-202.

Theopedia. (2019). Worship. Retrieved January 2, 2018 from https://www.theopedia.com/worship

Spirit Offerings: Introductory Reflections on Types and Principles of Ritual Offerings in Magical Practice

By Frater S.C.F.V.

Balinese spirit offering photographed by Teri Genovese.

Introduction

One of the most common questions new Magicians who wish to work with spirits in traditional ways often ask is what kinds of offerings to make. This is a fantastic and very respectful and attentive question.  My esteemed colleagues have written a great deal on this important subject — see for example the amazing Ritual Offerings book from 12 practicing occultists including Aaron Leitch, Zadkiel, Frater Ashen Chassan, Brother Moloch, Joshua Gadbois, Denise Alvarado, Jason Miller, Nick Farrell, Sam Webster, Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero, and Gilberto Strapazon.

I cannot recommend this amazing book highly enough and what I have to share below are only a few humble footnotes from my own experience to add on to what they have already eloquently said there.  Dr. Stephen Skinner, Joseph H. Peterson, Jake Stratton-Kent and others have offered many helpful pointers on the subject as well.

In this brief prolegomenon to a more rigorously researched and comprehensive future article on the subject, I will aim to unpack why one might want to consider giving offerings as part of working relationships with Archangels.  I will explore some often less discussed forms of offerings such as offerings through action and sharings of spirits’ acconplishments. Finally, I will aim to outline four key principles to govern offerings and share some concrete examples to illustrate the central concepts this article strives to elucidate.

Offerings to Archangel Michael by Fr. Aaron Leitch.

Offerings to Archangels in Historical and Magical Theoretical Context

One common question among new ceremonial magicians is how to proceed with making offerings for Archangels.  The comments below were shared as “notes from the field” based on my own experience in this area grounded in grimoiric tradition. From the outset, it is worth noting, as Dr. Alexander Cummins points out, that early modern literature is fraught with reservations about making offerings to Angels.  These include worries that it might entail idolatry, lead to accidentally feeding demons who might then harm the Magician, or that it is not necessary since the Angels neither require nor can digest physical food or some ethereal substance contained therein.

There are, however, some traditions of offering food to Archangels, as on the Feasts of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on September 29th in the Catholic liturgical calendar. I once read about a similar practice from the Iberian peninsula, in which the sense was seemingly that the gesture of offering the food was meaningful to the Angels, because it was an act in harmony with their own nature of kindness, gratitude, respect, and loving consideration for others, quite analogous to a charitable action. In Agrippan terms, such gestures could be understood as embodying the sympathetic virtue of generosity in the service of the Good and of God, which is also in the nature of the Angels.

When I make offerings to the Angels, this is more or less the way in which I understand what I’m doing from a contemporary perspective, which is “traditional” in the sense of being in keeping with the offering-based philosophy as a way of structuring spirit work that runs through the Western esoteric tradition.  For instance, in Iamblichus’ Theurgia, the great Neo-Platonic philosopher and theurgist comments on how he understands the giving of offerings to celestial beings who would seem not to require them.  There, he writes:

“But,” it is remarked by thee, “the things that are offered are offered as to sensitive and psychic natures.” If, indeed, they consisted of corporeal and composite powers alone, or of such as pertained merely to the service of the physical organism, thou wouldst be correct. But since the offerings partake also of incorporeal ideals, special discourses, and simpler metres, the peculiar affinity of the offerings is to be considered from this point alone.

And if any kindred relationship, near or far away, or any resemblance is present, it is sufficient for the union about which we are now discoursing. For there is not anything which is in the least degree akin to the gods, with which the gods are not immediately present and conjoined. It is not, then, as to “sensitive or psychic,” but actually to divine ideals and to the gods themselves, that the intimate union is effected so far as may be.”

This seems like a sympathetic argument to me, on the basis of certain things being worth offering because they “partake of the nature” of the spirits in question in some form.  Iamblichus’ argument is here made in reference to gods, but we might take a similar approach to Angels, especially if we are working through a Heptameronic or other similar system that ascribes Archangels as ruling over Days and Planets.  Things of the same nature as a spirit are in harmony with them, and therefore, can be helpful to create the kind of sympathetic resonance that facilitates the work with the Angel in ritual. This remains so even if the Angel is not interested in actually ingesting or eating the thing offered.

It is definitely the case that arguments have been made against offerings to Angels as being idolatrous.  We can reply to this objection through the Catholic distinction of veneration versus worship.  The right way to make an offering to an Angel from a Catholic perspective is be to offer it to God in the “name and honour” of the Angel.  In this way, we are worshiping the Divine, but venerating the Angel, showing love, gratitude, and respect.

The Angel Offering The Fruits Of The Garden Of Eden To Adam And Eve by J.B.L. Shaw.

Respecting Preferences and Incorporating Sympathetic Correspondences

As a general rule, I’ve found that it can be helpful to ask the spirits if they have any preferences for offerings and then proceeding accordingly. This applies across all realms from the chthonic and elemental to the Angelic, Archangelic, and Divine.  What spirits sometimes ask for can be surprising; as Jake Stratton-Kent has noted, for instance, it might be something as simple as an egg.

When we don’t yet know a particular spirit’s preferences, however, it can be helpful to look into the grimoires for correspondences that are sympathetic to their nature. This is especially true for herbs, incenses, colours, foods, and other readily-offered things. Often, the spirits will enjoy these offerings, grounded as they often are in hundreds of years of Magicians’ work with them, and I will continue to use them or tweak them over time with the same spirit. Many spirits offer things that involve some sacrifice on our part, even something as small as giving up a glass of wine from a bottle as a libation to them.

A libation being poured as an offering at a symposium – Attica red-figure cup, ca. 480 B.C.E.

A Concrete Example of Offerings in Practice

As a concrete example to illustrate the point of how grimoiric correspondences can be applied to select offerings, yesterday, I lit a Vigil candle for Archangel Sachiel, Archangel of Jupiter and Thursday as per the Heptameron. I also offered him unleavened bread wafers, a classical Tanachic offering that works for many spirits, and which also has correspondences with Church wafers that work with Jupiterian priestly connections.  The latter also works with the sympathetic symbolism of Christ as King of Kings, Kingship being a Jupiter-ruled quality.

In addition, I offered Sachiel some Applewood incense, Apple being sacred to Jupiter as per Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy and a blue container-framed white candle inscribed with his Heptameron sigil in white. Blue is one of the colours that is traditionally associated with Jupiter. Moreover, Sachiel’s Vigil candle was dressed with Solomonic Holy Anointing Oil and dry Basil, Basil being associated with Jupiter as per Agrippa.

In addition, the bread and incense as well as additional candles for each spirit were also offered to four additional Jupiterian Spirits who operate under Sachiel, whom I also invoked for help in consecrating two 2nd Pentacles of Jupiter from the Key of Solomon and a Jupiterian Ring, namely Netoniel, Devachia, Tzedeqiah, and Parasiel. I used a framework from Balthazar’s Solomonic candle magic method here. The rationale here involves invoking the Most High, then the Archangel of the Planet, then Angels under that Archangel for help with a particular petition. This is a classically goetic approach of working down through spiritual hierarchies as Jake Stratton-Kent and others have shown. I’ll share a picture of my Altar setup from this ritual as an example to illustrate the point below. This setup was done on my Altar of Saint Cyprian of Antioch and under his watchful eye, which is why the Altar features his enlivened statue as well.

Photographs and Sharing Spirits’ Accomplishments as Offerings

However, offerings can go much deeper than what is offered in ritual. All of my pictures of ritual setups for work with particular spirits that I share on Light in Extension are also offered up to the spirits involved as well as the recognition and exposure they get from these, as are the articles I share about the operations for my own records and the benefit of others to share ideas for their own work.

When a spirit asks me not to photograph something or write about it, I respect the request. Generally, however, I have found that they have appreciated such sharings made in a respectful context as it has often led others to work with them.  It also demonstrates gratitude for their work and the relationships built up with them when offered in their honour and not to our own glory.

A colourful ritual offering at a unique Hindu temple on the outskirts of Madurai photographed by Dr. Allocco.

Actions as Offerings

In addition, we can make offerings of a still other sort, namely of actions. An action that is in harmony with a spirit’s nature, particularly if it is impressive, can be sufficient to motivate them to action even if they do not physically or spiritually require it. To illustrate the principle involved here, let us consider the rather humorous example of some rather inventive ants.

Suppose a group of ants were to gather together in your kitchen one fine morning. They had decided to venerate you, in all your dazzling human wonder, as a powerful Giant and request your aid in procuring food for their queen.  In other words, they wanted to petition you via a spell.

Suppose that in order to attract your attention, these craft ants decided to all click their feet synchronously to sound out something roughly analogous to your name. On top of this, they traced an amazing honey Sigil to you on your floor, reading “HELP US,” followed by your name, which they gave to you as an offering.

Now, you might not need their offering at all; in fact, it might be somewhat of a nuisance, since they had to dirty up your beautiful kitchen floor in order to create it. However, since you are a good-humored individual, you might be rather amused by their gesture and the effort and pains they took to create it. Thus, even if you didn’t remotely need their offering or particularly want to lick honey off of your own kitchen floor, you might accept the offering anyway and say “what the heck, what help do you want, ant friends?” And if all they wanted was a spoon of sugar for the Queen, you might even be willing to oblige them given how trivial such a small gesture of help seems from your own lofty perspective as a mighty Giant to a humble ant. Perhaps the situation with offerings to Archangels is something roughly analogous to this.

Examples abound of actions in harmony with the natures of various spirits that we can perform for them as offerings. For instance, Aaron  Leitch cultivates a garden as an offering to the Archangel Anael.  Martial arts training sessions or military service can be offered up to Martial Spirits, such as Samael, Archangel of Mars and Tuesday. Romantic gestures can be offered to Venusian spirits as can works of art, music, dance, and other works of Beauty. Study sessions and intellectual work can be offered up to Mercurial spirits and Angels of Mercury. Gestures of kindness to make others smile can be offered to Solar spirits. Offerings of advocacy for the vulnerable and wronged can be offered to Archangel Michael. Healing work, herbal medicine, studying contemporary medicine and so on can also be offered to Raphael as well as simple gestures like dropping off soup or medication for a sick friend.

As two other common examples commonly represented among the magical community, for Pagans who work with the Graeco-Egyptian Magical Papyri (PGM), gestures done in harmony with the nature of a god can also be offered. For Christians, prayers can be offered by ending them in the name of Yeshua / Jesus, or acts of forgiveness or loving gestures can be offered unto him and to God the Father more generally.

More generally speaking, to extract a general principle from these concrete examples, any action done in harmony with the teachings of a deity can be offered as a gesture of love, respect, gratitude for what was learned, and sympathetic harmony with their nature. In this way, the “occult virtue” of the spirits in question, to borrow a term from Agrippa, begins to become instantiated in our lives. In the process, we increase our sympathetic harmony with the spirits and facilitate future work with them.

My experience has been that Archangels particularly love when we do good deeds in harmony with their nature and offer these in gratitude for what they have done for us. Progressively alchemically transmuting more and more of our lives into doing things that benefit not only ourselves, but also our families, friends, communities, and societies has the added benefit of not only enriching our lives, but also meeting the grimoiric requirements (e.g. in the Key of Solomon, Arbatel, etc) for living a good and honourable life as part of the lifestyle of the Magician in the ideal these texts advocate. Any such gesture can also be offered to the Holy Spirit for magicians who work with him. In addition, periods of meditation on the nature of a Spirit or their class (e.g. Angelic, Elemental, Planetary, etc) can also be offered to the spirits. Often they will reciprocate with images, insights, or other manifestations.

A collection of red beverages offered to spirits at a Thai Spirit House.

Four Underlying Principles of Offerings

Indeed, it seems to me that there are a few foundational principles that underlie all offerings.

One of these, which is so central to Archaic Goetia as Jake Stratton-Kent has shown in Geosophia, but also to the more offering-based Christian magical systems, is reciprocality.  Reciprocality means that both we and the spirits benefit from our work together, them through offerings and time with us and us through their teachings, magical help, and how we grow in the process. This principle ensures balance and harmony, key aspects of virtue as Aristotle, Siddhartha Gautama, Kung-fu-tzu and others have pointed out, but also central features of the Adepthood ideal.

Another principle is respect – treating spirits with the same respect we ask of them. In this way, we show them that we care enough about them and what they are doing for and with us to show them we respect them by making meaningful sacrifices on their behalf.

A third is gratitude, not taking them for granted, but appreciating the gifts they offer us. Gratitude is a powerful force in all human relationships; it deepens love, enriches friendships, improves work relationships, and ensures gifts receive the recognition they deserve. The same holds true in spirit work. Just as we love those who are grateful for our actions to help them, spirits seem to delight in the same way in gratitude. Just as we are more likely to want to help the grateful than the ungrateful, those who display haughty attitudes of unappreciative demandingness and entitlement, so are spirits more likely to help Magicians who show them the same courtesy.

And a fourth is sympathy, ensuring that the offerings are in harmony with their nature and preferences. As the examples discussed above have indicated, proper offerings should always be in some way in harmony with the nature of the spirits to whom they are given. Just as an appropriate gift for someone who only listens to metal music is not the latest country album, but a metal album they do not yet own, or a shirt of their favourite band, the appropriate offering for a spirit is not one that is contrary to their nature, such as a sword for a Venusian spirit, but in harmony with it.

Conclusion

Spirit offerings are one of the most ancient forms of human spirituality recorded by anthropologists.  To those of us in the contemporary world who continue to feel the enduring call to work with the spirits, they are an essential technology and technique of inestimable value.  Indeed, ritual offerings hold the power to amplify our magic and deepen our relationships with the spirits with whom we work.

Carrying Our Ancestors: Brief Words of Consolation for a Grieving Magician

By Frater S.C.F.V.

A fellow Magician named Michael recently shared that he had experienced his mother dying in his arms only a few days earlier. He had two Pentacles of Jupiter from the Key of Solomon that he had consecrated for her. He wanted to know if he had to deconsecrate the Pentacles now that she had passed on or if he could leave them on her Altar as he preferred to do.

Here was my response to him, based on my own experience, which I share here in case it might be able to offer some consolation and encouragement to others who may have also lost people for whom they cared very deeply:

I’m so sorry to hear about your mother, Michael. I cannot imagine what you must be feeling right now.

I can, however, encourage you with the news that there is no need to deconsecrate the Pentacles.  On the contrary, I would place them on your ancestor Altar along with pictures of your mother.  I would also ask her to bless them so that they might continue to bring benevolent Jupiterian influences to you and your home as well as to your ancestors. 

Our beautiful magical tradition is rich enough to encompass not only the living, but also the dead, and the expansiveness of Jupiter can reach out to encompass your mother as well as it does you while you continue your path on our fair planet.

Whenever you wish to commemorate your mother, you could sit in front of your ancestor Altar, make a small offering on the behalf of her and your other ancestors, and then hold the Pentacles in your hands. She will be there with you in spirit, present and looking after you.

Please know that she will never truly be “gone.” We carry our ancestors with us wherever we go, in our DNA physically, in our hearts emotionally, in our minds in our thoughts and memories of them, and in our spirits in our shared connections with them which persist far beyond the grave. As we carry our ancestors, so do they carry us. 

Wherever you are, there your mother will also be, along with your other ancestors from both recent and long and distant generations.  No matter how alone you may feel, you never truly can be.  For you will always be helped and held by your ancestors from behind the scenes of the visible as you move forward with the journey of your life.

I will pray for you and your family during this difficult time. Hang in there. ❤

Sincerely,
Adam.

Novena of Saint Cyprian 2018 Day 5: Invocation of Archangel Anael

By Frater S.C.F.V.

On Friday September 21, 2018,  I began Day 4 of my Novena to Saint Cyprian of Antioch by waking up early to ritually bathe and worship with a full and open heart. Thereafter, I entered the Temple. I took up my Solomonic bell, sounded it three times before entering the Circle as per the Hygromanteia and then again 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 Anael, Angel of the Day of Venus and of Friday. After prolonged additional conjurations and vibrating of Anael’s name while gazing into the crystal with Anael’s candle burning behind it–pyrocrystallomancy, as shown to me by Archangel Raphael–I felt the Angel’s presence as his candle flared up. Anael’s presence felt warm, gentle, and comforting. I further asked Anael if he–I say he out of respect for Hebrew tradition, although “he” felt somewhat androgynous or beyond gender to me–could confirm his presence by moving the stream of incense offered to him noticeably to the left and so it happened immediately.

I greeted the Archangel with great love and respect and offered him–I say him, although “he” felt somewhat androgynous to me–Offerings of a lavender candle and Incense. I then asked if Anael could show me in the Crystal or in my Mind a vision of his office and role. Nothing happened for a moment and it occurred to me that the Crystal was somewhat smudged; therefore, I lifted it and wiped it clean, before replacing it over Anael’s Sigil from the Heptameron:

After anointing his Seal with Holy Water and Saint Cyprian Oil, I saw a vision of a beautiful Angel in flowing emerald green robes, graciously tending to countless hearts, like a Mother or Father gently consoling infant children. How tender, we all are, at heart, despite the veneer of adulthood, the phantasms of fear, and the hardness of past hurt that grow within us in the battlegrounds of life experience… Trough all of this, the heart remains ever-vulnerable like a child. And behind the veil of ordinary life, Anael tends to these vulnerable hearts, loving them as Christ did when he said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:15-17).

I asked Anael if he could kindly present a sense of how God Loves, or what is the heart or innermost nature of Divine Love. As I gazed into the Crystal filled with flickering fire, Anael spoke these words into my mind:

“Divine Love is complete, always and eternally. It encompasses the Inner and the Outer. It loves without cause or reason. It is unconditioned, unrelenting. It has neither motive nor aim for gain. It loves only because to love is its Nature, and the Nature of what it loves is naught but lovable in its eyes.”

When asked how we humans, with all our faults and psychological challenges, can come to love as God loves, Anael answered:

“When you love your fellow humans, be not hindered by the superficial appearance. Love the heart of the child within as God loves His children. The unconditionally innocent heart is worthy and lovable without cause; God loves in this way, the hearts of his creation, long in patience. The power to love in you images the Divine power of love. Trust it over the fear that seems to cover it and guide you away. First love, then act with discernment.”

These words resonated with a well-known verse, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because He first loved us”  (1 John 4:18-19).

When asked how we can learn to love ourselves, in the relative human sense rather than the Ultimate Divine Self that appears as all, as God loves us, Anael replied:

“Cast aside the barriers you build up as reasons not to love. The seeming barriers are mere illusions. They are fabrications of falsehood. To be lovable and worthy is your nature; this is the Divine Truth and how God sees you. Therefore, model God’s vision as your power to love mirrors God’s own unfailing love. Regard yourself nakedly of all your concepts about “me.” In the absence of the concepts, the love that is already there will reveal itself. You cannot be unloveable in truth; you can only seem to think you are.”

I asked if Anael could transmit to me an influx of the loving energy that is his nature. I was moved to place my Solomonic Wand of Art to my forehead. Immediately, a flow of warmth, loving force flickered and waved through my Sphere of Sensation, feeling cleansing, warm, safe, gentle, comforting, encouraging. The feeling was familiar — the ordinary, every day feeling of loving and being loved, an exoterically mundane phenomenon that hides an esoteric Mystery of infinite profundity: the core of the Divine Nature.

I thanked Anael with great love, respect, and gratitude and asked if he had any final things he would like to show me. As I gazed within the Crystal, I saw what Anael described as “an image of Love” — a heart set ablaze with fire. Is that not how it feels, to be passionately in love? As if our hearts are burning with wildfire altogether beyond our control? True love is effortless and all-consuming; is this not how the Divine loves? I was reminded of Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” 

As the image of the burning heart blazed in the Crystal, Anael spoke these final words of encouragement:

“Oh Son of Adam, leave your fear behind and dive deep into love through trust. For what is more fulfilling, a life sullied by fear, or bathed in love?”

I thanked Anael with a deep bow for his insight, teaching, guidance, and help. I asked if he would accept from me the gift of loving friendship and be willing to come again to teach me and worship with me and received a “yes, with joy” as a reply. It occured to me at that moment that “Haniel,” an alternate name for Anael, means “Joy of God” הניאל‬ or חַנִּיאֵל‬, “Grace of God” (El). I asked Anael if he would help me to learn to live and love and service of others more deeply and if I could share what he had shared with me for the greater good of others. Both questions received affirmative in the form of shifting in the candle flame.  I closed the invocation by inviting Anael to go in peace with the blessings of God or feel free to remain in worship for the final prayers.

I then said the final prayers and thanked Cyprian with the OSC’s Canticle of Saint Cyprian and asked him for his continued guidance and Patronage. The Cross hanging from his Statue began to slowly and gently wave as I said these words. With this done, I closed the Temple, leaving the Offerings of candles and incense to complete their burning in thanks.

 

 

Pathworking on the 28th Path of Tzaddi (צ)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She invited me to approach and kneel before her.

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

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

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

“Then tune into your love for her.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(My girlfriend is an Aquarius)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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