Why Abramelin At All?

Oct 21, 2010

Greetings, folks!

It’s that dreaded time again – time for another Abramelin Rant!  lol

I am amazed at how often I find myself asking the question:  Why would one choose Abramelin at all?

Let me elaborate that question a bit:  Why is the Abramelin Rite so popular among modern Western occultists, when they quite obviously believe the entire Rite is bullocks and nonsense?  They sure talk about Abramelin a lot, and make claims that they intend to undertake (or claim to have undertaken) the process.  Yet the greatest bulk of these folks will tell you that the Book of Abramelin is full of crap, that the rules don’t have to be followed and that you can simply “reinterpret” things as you see fit (aka “making it up as you go along”).

I just can’t wrap my mind around this attitude.  You pick up a grimoire that is rumored to possess great power.  You read it and, personally, decide it is all nonsense.  This decision usually comes before one has the slightest understanding of what the Rite is actually intended to achieve.  (Most think it’s simply an over-elaborate evocation ceremony directed at your Higher Self.)  Then, you immediately begin to tell the world you are going to undertake the process.

WTF?

I can give you my own theory on this phenomenon.  When you have performed the Rite of Abramelin, it comes with a certain social status.  It places you in a category set apart from most Western occultists, and even gains you respect among the ATR communities (and those directly associated with them) who already have a grasp of what Abramelin is really all about.  Therefore, there is real social value in claiming you are an initiate of Abramelin.

But, of course, this doesn’t mean one should lower oneself to actually *doing* the Rite as the book outlines it!  That would smack of true dedication, self-sacrifice and- frankly- effort.  And that’s just not cool among Gen-Yers and my fellow Gen-Xers, I’m afraid.  It is far better to write your own personal Abramelin Rite.  No need to study it!  And there is *certainly* no need to read the original German manuscript (now easily available in English thanks to Dehn) to learn what the Rite looked like before its translation into French.

Then, once you’ve performed this personal ritual you’ve named “Abramelin”, you can go out into the world and proclaim yourself an Abramelin initiate.  You can get all the status without putting in the work.  And, best of all, you can show everyone how you knew more than Abramelin himself.  That you could make a better version of the Rite without even knowing a thing about it.  After all, you’re just that cool!

What is most upsetting about this, is that these folks will then do their best to stop others from performing the Rite properly.  They convince neophyte aspirants that they achieved without following the book, and thus no one should bother following the book.  Then those neophytes fall into the same trap, performing Abramelin-inspired evocations rather than the actual initiatory process the text lays out.  Then *they* go out into the world proclaiming themselves Abramelin Masters, attracting gullible aspirants, and the cycle repeats.

This brings to mind the warning Abramelin gave to Abraham:  Regardless of how many people claim to have undertaken the Rite, there are only a small handful of people on the planet who have actually achieved it.  It is my sincere hope that someday there will be hundreds, even thousands, of Abramelin initiates out there.  However, in my experience so far, the number of true initiates remains in the single digits.

In my opinion, if one believes Abramelin is nonsense, then one simply shouldn’t perform it.  If one believes they can make a better version, then one should do so and name it after themselves.  why name your creation “Abramelin”?  Especially if you think Abramelin is bullocks, why tarnish the name of your Master Rite with that silly Abramelin name?

That way, those of us who are “arrogant killjoys” can be left in our little Abramelin sandbox to mentally masturbate with one another.  You will be left to rise to adepthood and take your place in history.  Everyone wins.

LVX
Aaron