Invocation of Archangel Iophiel

Somewhat recently, I performed a lengthy invocation of Samael, the Archangel of Mars, to establish a barrier of protection around my property.  It did not occur to me to photo-document the procedure, as it is not my usual habit to do such a thing.  However, I did take the rare step of writing up the entire process for publication – which I posted here.

Once the protective work was done around our home, we decided it was time to make offerings and invocations to one of our house patrons, the Archangel Iophiel, Intelligence of the planet Jupiter.  It would be a great counterbalance to the martial forces at our property borders, and who couldn’t use an influx of divine benevolence and prosperity into one’s home and family?  Iophiel has been a trusted friend for a very long time, and offerings to him were long overdue anyway.

My first evocation of this Archangel goes back a long way, and he has been a trustworthy friend to me and those close to me ever since.  In case you are unfamiliar with him:

Iophiel is the Intelligence of the planet Jupiter and the Archangel who tends the Garden of Eden.  In some traditions he is one of the Seven Spirits that Stand before the Face of God.  He presides over vegetation and produce, fertile fields and livestock, feasting and friendship, prosperity and happiness.  Think of Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Present, and that spirit’s connections to Jovial gods such as Odin and Zeus.  He is also an angelic Prince of the Torah, and as such is one of the companion angels of Metatron.  Of course, Jupiter has his stern side as well.  He is the grizzled warrior, quick to draw his weapon and strike when moved by Honour.  It was Iophiel’s duty to drive the fallen Adam and Eve from the Garden – and it is implied that he guards the Gates of Eden with the Sword of Ever-Turning Flame to this day.  If you’re looking for blessings from Paradise, you have to go through this Archangel.  Fortunately, he likes humans and wants you to have those blessings – so long as you are willing to work or fight for the right to have them.

As it happened, we were preparing to make a trip to the Florida Pagan Gathering’s Beltaine festival.  I was invited to give three lectures and sell a few books, and my wife was going to sell custom henna tattoos.  It made sense to make the offerings to Iophiel before we undertook such a business venture.  And since the festival started on a Thursday, it seemed particularly appropriate to make the offerings at dawn of that very day.

The first thing I did was create the invocations I would use (following the general instructions given in chapter seven of Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires), along with the basic ritual I would follow to make the offering.  Here is the final product:

Offering Ritual for Archangel Iophiel

It is best to choose a Thursday when Jupiter is well aspected in the heavens, and better still if he will be above the horizon by dawn of that day.  The most powerful times of year to do this ritual are when Jupiter resides in the signs of Sagittarius or Pisces.  (In America, Thanksgiving is also a good time for this work, as it is a Jupiterian feast day.)

On Wednesday evening, cover a table or altar with a blue or white cloth. Place a talisman and/or image of Archangel Iophiel upon the altar. (If it is a talisman, place it in the center. If an image, set it toward the east facing westward.) You will need a censor and an incense of Jupiter.

(Note: I use four ingredients for incense of Jupiter:  1 part cedar, 1/4 part clove, 1/8th part nutmeg and apple pectin.  (The last two don’t smell great to me when they burn, so I add very little.))

Also prepare all elements of the offering to Jupiter: Four blue seven-day candles.  Four glasses of water. A glass of milk, A glass of a fruity wine (such as reisling) or honey mead. A plate with four pieces of bread and honey. And fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, cereals, and/or flowers – all in groups of four.

On Thursday just before sunrise, wash yourself and don the white robe. At sunrise, set the offering to Jupiter upon the table.  If there is a talisman for the angel, it should be placed in the center. (If one of the candles occupies the center, place it directly on top of the talisman.)  Around this arrange the food offerings. You may also add any gift offerings for Iophiel, or items you wish for Iophiel to touch – such as tin trinkets, talismans, stones, oils, written prayers or petitions, etc.

Light the candles and the censor with the proper exorcisms, and add fresh incense to the coal. Then exorcise and consecrate the offerings with the sprinkler and censor.

Then move to the eastern side of the working space, facing outward.  If you have a consecrated bell or trumpet, sound it and recite the following call (or one similar to it):

In whatsoever place ye may be, ye spirit(s), who are invited to this feast, [NNN] come ye and be ready to receive our offerings, presents, and sacrifices!

Move to the south and repeat – first sounding the bell or trumpet, then the call.  Do this again in the west and the north.

Finally, return to standing west of the altar facing eastward, and recite the following invocations:

Prayer to El

El, strong and mighty, who reignest from thy Holy Mountain. Thou who art the Source of the Spring of Life. Who sendest the dew of Heaven to the dry earth, and the divine Manna to the hungry. Thou who art jovial and beneficent, and delight in feasting and bounty and Mercy. Great King who’s throne abideth upon a firm foundation. I ask that you bless and sanctify this offering, that it may be pleasing unto You and Your Angels.

I ask, also, that you send to me the holy Archangel Iophiel: who standeth before Thy Face, a companion of Metatron, a prince of the Torah, the mighty Intelligence of the Jupiter star, and director of the Jovial spirits of the earth: that he may also enjoy these offerings, and be pleased with them, and bear our prayers of thanksgiving unto Thy Celestial Throne. Amen + Amen + Amen + Amen +

4 Psalms of Jupiter

Psalm 104: “Bless the Lord, O my soul… ”

Psalm 113: “Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants…”

Psalm 112: “Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man…”

Psalm 125 (Iophiel’s Psalm): “They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion…”

(Note: Psalms 113, 112 and 125 are associated with talismans of Jupiter in the Key of Solomon.  The talisman associated with Psalm 125 actually has Iophiel’s seal upon it.  I discovered Psalm 104 myself, while searching for a quintessential Jupiter Psalm (- although, upon later reflection, I suspect Psalm 104 is intended as Solar….))

Invitation to Iophiel

I invoke thee, Iophiel, mighty intelligence of the Jupiter sphere! Ye who descendeth from Mercy and Lovingkindess!

Iophiel, Good, Fortunate, Sweet, of Good Will, Honest, Pure, Wise Angel of Joy and Judgments!

Iophiel, who protecteth the garden of Paradise. Revealer of Truth, excelling in all goodness, Lord of Riches and Wisdom!

O Iophiel, you have been the protector and benefactor of my family. When we have called upon you in times of need, you have stood close beside us. Come thou forth and partake of these offerings, which we have prepared in thy honour and to the glory of El most high. May you find them pleasing and empowering. I ask that you offer your blessings to my home and family, and bear our offerings and prayers of thanksgiving to the Divine Court. We petition thee for success and prosperity in all of our undertakings, and that the light of thy wisdom should guide and keep us at all times. In the name of El, Most High god of Zion, Amen.

Repeat the Invitation four times.  Then, share in the feast you have offered to the Angel – taking bites of each food item and sips of the wine and milk.  Leave the remaining offerings in place until the blue candle burns completely away (and no less than four days). Place the remains in a natural place, into running water or at a crossroads.

– End –

So there you have a basic Solomonic invocation and offering ritual – suitable for inclusion in any personal grimoire.  Plus, with an understanding of occult philosophy and a little common sense, you can use the above as a template to create similar rituals for any Planet or other force of nature.  Let’s take a look at this ritual in action:

Ritual of Iophiel Journal Entry

On the Wednesday night before we left for FPG, I cleaned up the temple room and set up an altar for Iophiel:

Erecting the Altar

In this picture, you see the basic altar set-up.  The blue cloth is visible.  Iophiel’s statue has the place of honor in the East, presiding over the altar itself.  In the center is a Jupiter talisman that was consecrated at the mother temple of the Golden Dawn – so it is not specifically a Iophiel talisman.  The censor is in place, and I have ready the invocations I created along with the Bible from which I will read the Psalms.  The pen and strips of paper in the upper left corner had been consecrated according to the Key of Solomon some time before.

Petitions for Iophiel

At the Feet of Iophiel

The pen and paper were used to write out petitions or notes to Iophiel.  Each adult in the house wrote their own personal message, concerning the household or workplace, etc.  You can see my rather generalized request for Jupiterian blessings in the photo.  After writing their notes, each person folded their paper four times toward themselves. It is not required for anyone to read aloud or reveal to anyone else what is in their note.  These were then laid at Iophiel’s feet upon the altar, along with any personal talismans we desired Iophiel to touch and bless during the rite.

Cornucopia Jupiter Offerings

Here you can see the Jupiterian offerings we gathered for Iophiel.  Four kinds of grain/cereal, apples, grapes, green pepper (due to its sweetness), four ears of corn, honey, wine and a blue glass that will hold milk.  (Notice how these Jupiter offerings look as if they spilled out of a traditional cornucopia.)  I would have offered Iophiel honey mead if I could have located some in time.  However, I was able to get Reisling – a fruity wine that comes in an appropriately-colored blue bottle.

Also, I usually include bread to go with the honey.  However, as we were gathering the offerings, my wife inspired me to bake my own “Jupiter cakes” out of the grains I wanted to offer – so I did just that:

Jupiter Cake Ingredients

Here are the ingredients for the Jupiter cakes.  Four kinds of grain: flour, cornmeal, oatmeal and barley.  You can choose other grains and cereals as you wish, but I would suggest keeping the barley.  It has a particularly strong association with Jupiter.

I put 1/4 cup of each of the four grains into the mixing bowl, and added 1/2 cup of milk.  Then I mixed it together with my hands.  (For an added kick, recite one of the Jupiter Psalms as you do so.)  The result is something like biscuit batter:

1/4 cup of each grain

1/2 cup of milk

Mix together with your hands

I then poured the batter in four portions onto a greased cookie sheet and baked them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  The result smelled wonderful.

Jupiter Cakes before baking

Jupiter Cakes after baking

Jupiter Cakes on Iophiel’s Altar

Finally, the finished cakes were placed on a blue plate and set – still warm – on the altar.  Dawn was still a couple of hours away, so I covered them with a white cloth.

Before Dawn

I then arranged most of the offerings upon the altar – saving the fruits, vegetables and milk that needed to stay in the refrigerator until the last minute.  I also found a bundle of wheat in the temple (we had used some stalks from it in a previous offering), so I included four stalks from it on this altar as well.  (Note, at this time I did not know to use four candles for Jupiter, nor to include water.  Remember that a single candle will always work in a pinch, but always include water!)  There was nothing left but to wait until dawn to perform the invocations.

At Dawn

Here is the altar at dawn.  The camera flash makes it hard to see, but the window has been opened to allow the rays of dawn to fall upon the altar.  You can see I’ve brought in the fruits and vegetables – each one divided into four pieces.  (There were 16 grapes.)  There is now milk in the glass, the wine is opened and the honey poured upon the Jupiter cakes.  The candle and the incense were lit with Solomonic exorcisms, and then the altar was exorcised and sprinkled with the holy water sprinkler.

Holy Water and Sprinkler

Finally, it was time to recite the invocations and the Psalms, calling Iophiel down to enjoy the offerings of thanksgiving.  After the ritual was complete, I received the strong urge to partake of the offerings.  So I took a sip of the wine, a bite of an apple and a green pepper, and a nibble of one of the honey-covered Jupiter cakes with a swallow of the milk to wash it down.  (The cake tasted pretty good, actually.)  I could feel Iophiel’s presence coursing through me – enhanced considerably by the eucharist.  I invited the others in the house to also share in Iophiel’s feast – which the Angel seemed to greatly enjoy.  (In fact, I got the message that it would have insulted him if we had not done so.)

We left the altar as you see it above and two of us left for the festival.  (Others in the house were invited to go in once to share the offerings, and otherwise stay out of the temple room.)

Results

I didn’t know it yet, but I was already holding in my hand a good omen that Iophiel was with us.  I had received my royalty check a few days previously, and had not bothered to open the envelope.  I planned to deposit it in the bank on the way to the festival – so we could stop and pick up some last-minute necessities – and only read the enclosed statement once I got to the teller window.  I found a heavier check than I expected, and a notice that The Angelical Language, Vol. II is being translated into French!  This was certainly starting our trip off on the right foot!

I’ve already posted my write-up of the wonderful time we had at FPG Beltaine.  The business side of the venture went very well.  We didn’t get rich – but I sold out of my copies of Secrets of the Magickal Grimories and even sold a few of the Angelical Language books.  Carrie did very well selling henna tattoos.  We took home a worthwhile profit even after spending all-too-much on new toys and treats for ourselves and gifts for our friends.

Throughout the four days we were away from home, we saw small omens and indications of Iophiel’s presence with us.  For example, one of the very first gifts Carrie and I were given by friends at the festival was a bottle of home made honey-mead – the very drink I had wanted to offer to Iophiel!  On the way home, a completely random (and uncharacteristic) action on my part resulted in the discovery and repair of what was nearly a major vehicular disaster.  Instead, it cost us 20 minutes and a mere $40 to repair and get on our way.  Further down the road we took another uncharacteristic action by stopping at a u-pick blackberry farm, and actually stood in the baking sun picking fresh blackberries from vines grown in our native home soil.  Iophiel the gardener was pleased.  At last, we made it back home to examine the altar:

Altar after four days – 1

Altar after four days – 2

Altar after four days – 3

After four days, we came home and found the blue candle burning its very last bit of fuel.  (Meaning it had burned the entire time we were gone.)  When it finally went out, it had been exactly four days – and you can see in the above photos how fresh the fruit and vegetables have remained.  They have obviously dried out a bit, but there is no rot or discoloration and not a bug to be found.  Once we took these off the altar, we saw discoloration and rot set in within a day, and flies had already begun to investigate it.  The food items – along with the petitions we had written – were wrapped up and tossed into a nearby river soon afterward.

Because I had obtained honey-mead and fresh blackberries during my Beltaine adventure, I felt it appropriate to offer them to Iophiel as an extra thanks for all of his help throughout the trip.  We, of course, all shared some of the mead and berries.  This offering is on the altar as I write, and will remain there for four days.  Also pictured is a new mortar and pestal I bought at the festival – I made sure the first incense made in it was Iophiel’s:

Secondary Iophiel Offering

And that brings to a close my Solomonic invocation of the Archangel Iophiel – our friend and family protector.  I am happy to report a general increase in our finances and household organiziation since re-invigorating Iophiel.  As I stated before, this invocation was long overdue!  I hope this has been informative for you in your own practice.

Zorge,

Aaron