Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes

Greetings Students!

If you’re local to the Tampa area, we are giving the Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes again this spring!

March 6 – April 17

Ceremonial Magick uses ritual and invocation to move us closer to the Divine Self.   Come learn the basics of Ceremonial Magick from initiated ceremonial magicians, Carrie Mikell & Aaron Leitch – adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  If you want to experience Ceremonial Magick (aka High Magick or Theurgy), this class is for you! Course Topics include the following:

•Class 1: History and Basic Terms of Ceremonial Magick – Diagrams & the Qabalistic Cross

•Class 2: Basic Rituals & Correspondences

•Class 3: Pentagrams & the four Philosophical Elements

•Class 4: Hexagrams & the seven Planets

•Class 5: Talisman Creation & Consecration

•Class 6: An Angel Evocation

Class starts Sunday March 6th and continues over the following five Sundays, 1-3:30pm.

Cost is $25 per class with a $75 deposit that will pay for the last 3 classes in the series.

Please call Mystikal Scents at 813-986-3212 to register. Limited to 12 students.

9545 E. Fowler Ave
Thonotosassa/Brandon, FL. 33592
813-986-3212
www.mystikalscents.com

For more info (map, directions, etc) see the Facebook Events page.

——-

P.S. – For those who are still hoping for Skype classes:  I’m afraid that Skype was not sufficient for the purpose of online classes.  We have another option – a bit more expensive but worth it in terms of quality and functionality.  As things move forward, we will post further info on this subject.

Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes

Greetings Students!

If you’re local to the Tampa area, we are giving the Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes again this summer!  In fact, classes begin next month!

July 5 -August 2

Ceremonial Magick uses ritual and invocation to move us closer to the Divine Self.   Come learn the basics of Ceremonial Magick from initiated ceremonial magicians, Carrie Mikell & Aaron Leitch – adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  If you want to experience Ceremonial Magick (aka High Magick or Theurgy), this class is for you! Course Topics include the following:

•Class 1: Basic Terms of Ceremonial Magick – Diagrams & the Qabalistic Cross

•Class 2: Basic Rituals & Correspondences

•Class 3: Pentagrams & the four Philosophical Elements

•Class 4: Hexagrams & the seven Planets

•Class 5: Talisman Creation & Consecration

•Class 6: An Angel Evocation

Class starts Sunday July 5th and continues over the following five Sundays, 1-3:30pm.

Cost is $25 per class with a $75 deposit that will pay for the last 3 classes in the series.

Please call Mystikal Scents at 813-986-3212 to register. Limited to 12 students.

9545 E. Fowler Ave
Thonotosassa/Brandon, FL. 33592
813-986-3212
www.mystikalscents.com

For more info (map, directions, etc) see the Facebook Events page.

——-

P.S. – For those who are still hoping for Skype classes:  I’m afraid that Skype was not sufficient for the purpose of online classes.  We have another option – a bit more expensive but worth it in terms of quality and functionality.  As things move forward, we will post further info on this subject.

Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes

Greetings Students!

If you’re local to the Tampa area, and you missed out on the Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes last spring, you have a second chance this summer!  Classes begin July 6th!

 

July 6 – August 10

Ceremonial Magick uses ritual and invocation to move closer to the Divine.   Come learn the basics of Ceremonial Magick from initiated ceremonial magicians, Carrie Mikell & Aaron Leitch – adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  If you want to experience Ceremonial (or “high”) Magick, this class is for you! Course Topics include the following:

•Class 1: Basic Terms of Ceremonial Magick – Diagrams & the Qabalistic Cross

•Class 2: Basic Rituals & Correspondences

•Class 3: Petnagrams & the four Philosophical Elements

•Class 4: Hexagrams & the seven Planets

•Class 5: Talisman Creation & Consecration

•Class 6: An Angel Evocation

Class starts Sunday July 6th and continues over the next five Sundays, 1-3:30pm.

Cost is $25 per class with a $75 deposit that will pay for the last 3 classes in the series.

Please call Mystikal Scents at 813-986-3212 to register. Limited to 12 students.

 

9545 E. Fowler Ave
Thonotosassa/Brandon, FL. 33592
813-986-3212
www.mystikalscents.com

For more info (map, directions, etc) see the Facebook Events page.

——-

Live Too Far Away To Attend?

We are still working on an online version of these classes.  However, there is even better news for long-distance students!  We have been speaking with other adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn who want to give these same classes in their local area.  The first will be this fall in the Long Island, NY area.  I will be posting more about this as the event approaches – and, who knows, if this catches on you might someday be able to take these classes in person.  🙂

Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes

Just one more week to register for the classes! 🙂

Ananael (The Secrets of Wisdom)

Greetings Students!

If you’re local to the Tampa area, we are giving the Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes again this spring!  In fact, classes begin next month!

March 2 – April 6

Ceremonial Magick uses ritual and invocation to get closer to the Divine Self.   Come learn the basics of Ceremonial Magick from initiated ceremonial magicians, Carrie Mikell & Aaron Leitch – adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  If you want to experience Ceremonial (or “high”) Magick, this class is for you! Course Topics include the following:

•Class 1: Basic Terms of Ceremonial Magick – Diagrams & the Qabalistic Cross

•Class 2: Basic Rituals & Correspondences

•Class 3: Petnagrams & the four Philosophical Elements

•Class 4: Hexagrams & the seven Planets

•Class 5: Talisman Creation & Consecration

•Class 6: An Angel Evocation

 

Class starts Sunday March 2nd and continues over the next five Sundays, 1-3:30pm

View original post 109 more words

Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes

Greetings Students!

If you’re local to the Tampa area, we are giving the Ceremonial Magick 101 Classes again this spring!  In fact, classes begin next month!

March 2 – April 6

Ceremonial Magick uses ritual and invocation to get closer to the Divine Self.   Come learn the basics of Ceremonial Magick from initiated ceremonial magicians, Carrie Mikell & Aaron Leitch – adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.  If you want to experience Ceremonial (or “high”) Magick, this class is for you! Course Topics include the following:

•Class 1: Basic Terms of Ceremonial Magick – Diagrams & the Qabalistic Cross

•Class 2: Basic Rituals & Correspondences

•Class 3: Petnagrams & the four Philosophical Elements

•Class 4: Hexagrams & the seven Planets

•Class 5: Talisman Creation & Consecration

•Class 6: An Angel Evocation

 

Class starts Sunday March 2nd and continues over the next five Sundays, 1-3:30pm.

Cost is $25 per class with a $75 deposit that will pay for the last 3 classes in the series.

Please call Mystikal Scents at 813-986-3212 to register. Limited to 12 students.

9545 E. Fowler Ave
Thonotosassa/Brandon, FL. 33592
813-986-3212
www.mystikalscents.com

For more info (map, directions, etc) see the Facebook Events page.

——-

 

P.S. – For those who are still hoping for Skype classes:  I’m afraid that Skype was not sufficient for the purpose of online classes.  We have another option – a bit more expensive but worth it in terms of quality and functionality.  As things move forward, we will post further info on this subject.

 

Greetings Fratres et Sorores!

Ok, so it must be the right time of year for new anthologies containing brand new essays from yours truly.  😉  Kerubim Press has just announced an upcoming book entitled Commentaries on the Golden Dawn Flying Rolls by the Golden Dawn Community:

Commentaries on the Golden Dawn Flying Rolls – Front Cover

This new collection contains all of the original Golden Dawn “Flying Rolls” – which are extracurricular lectures and essays on a variety of occult topics that circulated among adepts of the original Order.  These Flying Rolls were written by adepts like Wynn Westcott, Samuel Mathers, Moina Mathers, Edmund Berridge, Florence Farr, Annie Horniman, J.W. Brodie-Inns and Percy Bullock.

But Waite!  There’s more!  😉  Each and every Flying Roll is followed by a brand new commentary intended to elaborate upon the topic of the Roll itself.  Some of them serve to clarify what is in the Roll, while others add to it with updated modern views.  And the authors included here are no less impressive than the Flying Rolls’ original authors.  You’ll find plenty of recognizable names like Chic and Tabatha Cicero, Peregrin Wildoak, Sam Webster, Joseph Max, Nick and Paola Ferrell, Samuel Scarborough, Eric V. Sisco, VH Fra IOV, Frater Yechidah, Ian Cowburn and Morgan Drake Eckstein.  And many up-and-coming authors such as Deanna Bonds, Lauren Gardner, Jayne Gibson, Christopher Bradford, Liza Llewellyn and Rachael Walker.  Plus, of course, me.  🙂

And that merely scratches the surface of the good folks who contributed their time and work to this anthology.  This book is the end result of one of the most massive inter-Order cooperative projects in the history of the Western Mystery Tradition.  Almost every major Golden Dawn Order – and a few smaller groups and private Temples – came together in a spirit of community and fraternity to make this book a reality.

Click here for the full announcement from Kerubim Press.

I have made two contributions to this project.  The first goes along with Flying Roll XX: The Elementary View of Man.  However, what I have written is not a mere commentary upon the Flying Roll, but is in fact an updated re-write of the original Golden Dawn lecture Ritual U: Man – Microcosm (which is necessary to read and understand in order to grasp the concepts of Flying Roll XX).  Man – Microcosm is an often-overlooked lecture that was part of the original adept curriculum, and contains some of the Order’s most important teachings on the human soul, qabalistic psychology and the Great Work itself.  My hope is to revive interest in this particular lecture, and re-establish it as a foundational study for all students of the Golden Dawn.

My second contribution is a commentary upon Flying Roll XXXV: On the General and Particular Exordium of the Z Documents.  The General and Particular Exordium is an introduction of sorts to the Z Documents – the secret wisdom and symbolism of the Golden Dawn’s Magick of Light revealed to Mathers by his spiritual contacts known as the Secret Chiefs.  They are possibly some of the most profound and useful pieces of received knowledge in the entire Western Mystery Tradition.  However, few Golden Dawn students understand what the Exordium is supposed to mean.  It is essentially a Gnostic poem intended to “set the stage” for all the mysteries revealed in the Z Documents.  Therefore, I break down the Exordium and explain what it means in Gnostic terms, and how it reflects on the mysteries of the Golden Dawn.

Fratres et Sorores, you do NOT want to miss out on this one!  🙂 🙂 🙂

Greetings to my students!

After I gave my Ceremonial Magick classes in North Carolina (six classes of material packed into two sessions!), one of my students asked me to take her to the store’s bookshelves and show her my best recommendations for further reading.  Now, back home in Florida, we are reaching the last few classes of the course – where we finally begin to take all the basic rituals, correspondences and theory and put them together in rituals of practical magick.  Once we are done, I suspct my current students are also going to want resources for further reading and study.

Even outside of my classes, I know many of you reading this blog are solitary practitioners.  And I’m sure you would also like to know which books I recommend to futher your understanding of the Western Mystery Tradition and the practice of Hermetic Ceremonial Magick.

So, I’ve made this blog entry for both groups of students and practitioners.  Much like the post I made concerning books about Babylonian and Semitic myth and magick, I will here gather the titles that I have found most useful in my own Ceremonial Magick studies – both when I was a solitary seeker and even still today.

We are very fortunate today, in that we have dozens of great resources that seekers in previous generations have had to do without.  I hope you will find this list useful in your studies.  🙂

The Essential Golden Dawn : An Introduction to High Magic – Chic and Tabatha Cicero

A great general introduction to the Western Mystery Tradition as a whole.  It traces the historical development of the WMT and introduces the student to many of the basic theories and philosophies behind our magick.  Some of the basic rituals are also included.

Modern Magick: Twelve Lessons in the High Magickal Arts – Donald Michael Kraig

This is where it all started for me!  When I was handed my first copy of this book, I was already practicing my own intuitive forms of magick (much akin to Hoodoo, really).  But after just one look inside this book, I knew I had found something vastly important and powerful.  I made up my mind then and there to put myself through the (at the time) Eleven Lessons – and the rest is history.  This is not specifically a “Golden Dawn” text, but it does focus on Golden Dawn rituals and techniques, and I highly recommend it as an introduction to the practical side of the Hermetic Arts.

Self-Initiation Into the Golden Dawn Tradition: A Complete Curriculum of Study for Both the Solitary Magician and the Working Magical Group – Chic and Tabatha Cicero

The Ciceros created this resource with the solitary practitioner in mind.  They gathered a very large amount of the Grade curriculum of the Outer Order of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, then expanded it with extra-curricular study material.  Then they created a ritual process of Self Initiation by which the solitary seeker can progress through the Grade material.  The Self Initiation rituals will certainly not make you a member of an Order, but they will introduce you to the forces invoked in each Grade of the Outer Order.  There are even quizzes at the end of each Grade, so you’ll know when you’ve incorperated enough knowledge to move on to the lessons of the next Grade.  This textbook is so useful, it is even used as a study guide by students of the H.O.G.D. itself.

Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple – Chic and Tabatha Cicero

There have been several different editions of this text under different names.  You can also find the material split between Creating Magical Tools and Ritual Use of Magical Tools.  The above-linked version is the one I found and used many many years ago – in fact I think it was the first Cicero book I ever owned.  It outlines in exhaustive detail how to build all the tools, furniture, robes, talismans and other ritual paraphernalia associated with Golden Dawn magick.  Though you certainly won’t have to build everything you find in this book to practice at home, it contains enough to set up a fully functioning Traditional G.D. Temple.  Plus, it gives you the magickal theory behind each tool along with the rituals to conscrate and use them.

The Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot – Tabatha Cicero and Chic Cicero

This is a Tarot Deck, but it does come with a book.  If you’re going to get into Golden Dawn magick, you’re going to be using the Tarot.  And this deck is specially made for use in Golden Dawn ceremonies.   (I still prefer the Smith-Waite deck for divinations, but this deck can’t be beat for G.D. work!)

The Golden Dawn: The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites & Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order – edited by Israel Regardie

This is where it all started – at least for those of us practicing the Golden Dawn today.  After 1900, the original Order of the Golden Dawn split into several different groups.  One of them became the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross, which still exists today.  Another became the Alpha et Omega, which closed its doors sometime in the 1940s.  And another became the Stella Matutina – which was the branch joined by Israel Regardie.  The Stella Matutina closed most of its doors in the middle of the 2oth century.  (Only one Temple remained, but it had changed its name to the Order of Smaragdum Thallasses – better known as the Whare Ra Temple – and operated secretly in New Zealand until 1978.)  Before the bulk of the Stella Matutina Temples died away, Israel Regardie decided to save the Tradition by publishing the Order’s papers.  This decision was controversial, but most today agree that it saved the Golden Dawn.  This book is that publication – so you can see for yourself where it all began.  This was the book used by Chic Cicero to found his own Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn – which is by far the world’s largest and most successful Golden Dawn Order today.  This book also serves as the “advanced manual” that takes you to the next step beyond the Ciceros’ Self Initiation… book.

The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic – edited by Israel Regardie

A good companion volume to The Golden Dawn above.  This book contains a lot of early Golden Dawn material that didn’t make it into the first book.

A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life – Israel Regardie, Chic and Tabatha Cicero

This is one of the books by Israel Regardie that the Ciceros greatly expanded and then republished for the modern student.  It is an excellent exploration of the Tree of Life and the magickal and Hermetic concepts that it embodies.  In my intro classes, I give you the basics of the Tree of Life – but this text will take you to the next level and beyond.  It includes guided meditations to introduce you to the energies, correspondences, angels and other magickal beings associated with every Sephirah and Path of the Tree.

The Middle Pillar: The Balance Between Mind and Magic – Israel Regardie, Chic and Tabatha Cicero

The is another Israel Regardie original, expanded and republished by the Ciceros.  Without a doubt, this is one of my favorites.  It outlines the psychological aspects of Qabalistic and Hermetic practice – that is how the material interfaces with and changes your psyche.  While I am no fan of the “psychological theory of magick” that does not mean there is no psychology at all involved in its theory and practice.  I describe it this way:  Magick is not “a form of psychology” any more than an engine is “a car.”  Yet, without an engine a car is just a dead thing and doesn’t get you anywhere.  How magick affects your mind, and how your mind affects your magick, it extremely important to understand.

Godwin’s Cabalistic Encyclopedia – David Godwin

This is a wonderfully useful resource for anyone studying the Western Hermetic Qabalah.  Godwin has gathered every Hebrew name and term he could find, given them in English and Hebrew characters, their Gematira values and explained what they mean.  As an appendix, he has also included a copy of “Sepher Sephiroth” – which gathers even more Hebrew words and phrases according to their Gematria values.  (Kind of a 777 for the Golden Dawn crowd.)

Prometheus Rising – Robert Anton Wilson, Introduced by Israel Regardie.

And speaking of understanding psychology, this book is an absolute must-read.  It is an easy-to-understand operator’s manual for your brain – complete with exercises.  And the concepts it teaches are, as I said above, extremely important to your own spirutal development and your successful use of that thing called Magick.  ( I drew upon the material in this book in my own Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires.)

Ishtar Rising: Or, Why the Goddess Went to Hell and What to Expect Now That She’s Returning – Robert Anton Wilson

See above.  I consider this to be the second half of Prometheus Rising.  And, as the title suggests, this book focuses upon the sacred feminine within all of us – and even explains why magick and witchcraft have returned to our culture  in a big way.  Highly recommended!

(NOTE:  I will soon be adding a list of traditional Qabalistic texts to this list, such as the Zohar and Sepher Yetzirah.  Stay tuned.)

The following books were not part of my own early studies into Ceremonial magick, but I believe they are potentially useful to today’s students:

Experiencing the Kabbalah: A Simple Guide to Spiritual Wholeness – Chic and Tabatha Cicero

“Kabbalah, a spiritual system grounded in symmetry and logic, is rarely addressed in a format that is suitable for beginners. Experiencing the Kabbalah goes against the trend, however, by presenting both historical and practical information on the Kabbalah that focuses on experiencing this ancient spiritual system rather than just reading about it. Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero accomplish this through a sort of ritual drama that they call “Walking the Tree of Life.” It characterizes each Sephiroth (different aspects of the divine) of the Kabbalah as a person, from the stable Malkuth to the enigmatic Kether, granting readers a fuller understanding of the Sephiroth and the paths between them. Experiencing the Kabbalah is an innovative guide for beginners as well as informative reading for adept practitioners.”

Making Talismans: Living Entities of Power – Nick Farrell

“Discover the secret keys and practical techniques to turn mundane objects into “living entities of power,” bringing real change in your life. By pooling magical practices from shamanism, paganism, the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn, and Dion Fortune, Making Talismans offers training and techniques for performing advanced magical talismanic operations.”

King Over the Water: Samuel Mathers and the Golden Dawn – Nick Farrell

If you are interested in the history of the Golden Dawn, this is a great place to start.  This book explores the life and times one of the founders of the G.D. without the usual lens of myth and legend surrounding him.  Spoiler alert!  Mathers was a fallible human being like the rest of us.  😉

Mathers’ Last Secret REVISED – The Rituals and Teachings of the Alpha et Omega – Nick Farrell

The Alpha et Omega is the branch of the Order founded by Mathers after the original group split apart.  This book is a good companion to King Over the Water, as well as Regardie’s The Golden Dawn.  It contains the rituals used by Mathers’ A.O. before it closed its doors in the 1940s.  Here, you can see how things were done in the A.O. as opposed to what the Stella Matutina was up to on their side of the fence.

By Names and Images: Bringing the Golden Dawn to Life – Peregrin Wildoak

“The Golden Dawn (GD) system of magic is the main source of the esoteric and magical wisdom and techniques practiced in the West today. While the rituals and bare teachings of the tradition have been published for sixty years, the inner workings and esoteric keys that empower those rituals have largely remained unpublished or unexplored in contemporary works. By Names and Images remedies this lack by providing detailed and clear instructions for the visualisations, spiritual connections and energetic practices required for every major GD practice and ritual, as well as several unpublished techniques. Focusing on the meanings and use of sacred names and practical techniques of visualisation, the book thoroughly explores meditation and divination, purification ritual, invocation and evocation, grades of initiation, and direct experience of the inner realms. Also covered is an explanation of the Qabalah and its use as a magical framework. While the book is sufficiently practical and clearly explained to be of huge benefit to a newcomer to magic, its primary aim is to allow people already practicing the Golden Dawn system to do so more effectively, and to be touched by the amazing spiritual blessings the rituals offer.”

This list is certainly not exhaustive – I could have included many further books by authors like Pat Zalewski, John Michael Greer and others.  And I could have included even more by authors like the Ciceros and Donald Michael Kraig.  However, I think this list is certainly more than enough to give you a sound start and a well-rounded understanding of the Golden Dawn and its magickal tradition.  It will also help you to avoid wasting your time and money on books that are of lesser quality, or just re-hashes of what has already been written by the fine authors listed above.

There is also a lot of good material still in the works, too – so I’ll likely be expanding this list in the future.  Meanwhile, if this list isn’t enough to keep you occupied, check out this post listing the best Golden Dawn, Hermetic and Rosicrucian blogs out there – so you can keep your eyes on the ever-developing Western Mystery Tradition.  🙂

In LVX

Aaron

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

Greetings, Fratres et Sorores!

I recently posted the following questions about G.D. Color Magick to Pat Zalewski’s ‘Golden Dawn Group’ forum.  I think you folks will find it interesting as well.  This is a subject that has been all-too underexplored, and I think these questions need to be asked as a starting point to further discussion.  You are all, of course,  invited to reply with your own findings.

Original post:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/golden-dawn-group/message/16022  (I highly suggest you check out the developing thread there as well as the comments section here.)

Greetings

I would love to see some discussion of the Golden Dawn’s theories of color magick. It is a subject that gets glossed over quite a bit, at least in the published literature. Primarily, I would like to hear some of your thougths on how the colors were applied in a practical sense.

I have seen it stated that the Queen Scale colors are receptive, and should therefore be used when we wish to draw something to us. The King Scale colors, on the other hand, are active and should therefore be used when we wish to project an energy outward into the world. On the surface this might seem to make sense. King = Active and Queen = Passive is pretty basic. Plus, the Minutum Mundum has the Sephiroth in Queen Scale and the Paths in King – as the Paths transmit energy from one place to antoher while the Sephiroth receive it.  (BUT – more on this later.)

However, this interpretation seems overly simplistic – and comes with some significant problems. For example, the walls of the Vault are in the King Scale, but I see nothing about the Vault that indicates its intent is *only* to radiate energy out into the world. During initiations and much of the Vault work I have seen, they are used to draw energy into the Vault and the adept working therein.

Another interesting conflict comes with the Minutum Mundum itself. When we view that diagram from the Four World perspective – an entire Minutum Mundum in each World – what we call the “Sephiroth” technically reside in Atziluth. (Consider their analogy with the Gnostic Aeons in the Pleroma, which is evident in the Sephir Yetzirah – Chapter 1.) Then, in the following three Worlds are the Archangels, Angels and Astrological/Planetary Spheres respectively. Meanwhile, the walls of the Vault represent the Planetary Spheres that make up the physical universe or Assiah.

The conflict here is that the Sephiroth are given in the Queen Scale while the Astrological Spheres (represented by the Paths) are given in the King. One would *think*, in the Golden Dawn, that the pure Sephiroth should be in the King/Atziluth Scale and the Planetary Spheres should be in the Princess/Assiah Scale. Yet this is not the case.

That brings us back to the King = Active for the Paths and Queen = Passive for the Sephiroth concept. I called this simplistic before, because it does not illustrate a complete understanding of the Sephiroth. Each individual sphere covers a series of “stages” that run from the Receptive (receiving the energy from a previous sphere, so that the two energeis are mixed) to the Static (the pure force of the sphere in question) to the Active (transmitting its energy to the next sphere, where we find a new mixture). Much the same can be said of the Paths – which receive energy on one end and transmit it at the other.

Finally – NONE of the above even addresses the meanings and uses of the Prince and Princess Scales. These two scales are hardly ever mentioned.

I think that Olen Rush has shone some light on these conflicts, when he shared his Minutum Mundums in the different Scales.  (UPDATE:  Also see this link.)  It suggests that the usual diagram we see is just one example, illutrating one point. Other Minutum Mundums are possible – at least one for each of the four Worlds (for starters).

But how should this translate into practical work? In my experience, the Queen Scale color of a Sephirah is used when invoking the forces of the Sephirah itself – meaning the *entire* realm of the Sephirah in question, including its Divinity, Archangelic, Angelic and Planetary forces. This is usually done for spiritual advancement (and we might assign it to Ma’aseh Berashith). Meanwhile, the King Scale color of a Planet it used when we want to focus upon an Assiatic planetary sphere – usually for practical magick (so we might assign it to Ma’aseh Merkavah). Thus, for example, we would use Orange for Hod work and Yellow for Mercury work.

But why should that be? Why would we not use the King Scale for Hod, and the Princess Scale for Mercury? (And, of course, the Queen Scale for work with Michael Hodiel and the Prince Scale for work with the Beni Elohim?)

And, along the same lines, why are the Prince and Princess Scales hardly ever used at all? What are their proper uses?

Obviously there is a lot of material to study here – and I wonder how some of our past and present adepts have made use of the Scales in their own magick.

To aid in this discussion, here are some helpful links.  I’ll update this post with more links as things progress:

The Four Color Scales

The Rose and the Scales by Bill Heidrick

LVX

Aaron

Finding the Name of an Angel from a Horoscope (an Example)

Greetings, Angel-workers!

As many of you know, I believe John Dee was given the Angelical alphabet for more than just writing the perfected Holy Book of Loagaeth.  As the angels revealed the mysterious characters in the shewstone, they stated that the alphabet was “preferred before that which you call Hebrew.”  I strongly doubt the Angels wanted Dee to get all Jewish people of the world to begin speaking fluent Angelical!  Dee himself likely knew enough Hebrew to read untranslated Jewish texts (or at least get the gist of them), but he wouldn’t have had any use for Angelical in such tasks.  He did, however, make use of the Hebrew alphabet in his occultism – much of it drawn directly from Agrippa’s ‘Occult Philsoophy.’  You can read for yourself what Dee was studying:  It begins in  Book III, chapter 24  and continues until chapter 28.

It seems obvious to me that Dee’s angels wanted him to use Angelical in place of the Hebrew alphabet in all of Agrippa’s tables, charts and methods of encrypting/decrypting Divine Names.  This is perfectly in line with Agrippa himself, who asserts that his methods can be used with any alphabet.

I’m sure many of you have already read my essay on this subject:  The Angelical Alphabet.  (Read it now at the link, or you can find it in ‘The Angelical Language’, Vol I.)  Over the years since I published it, I have been contacted by several students who wish to make use of the techniques, but need further illustration of the process.  The Tables of Ziruph, especially, can be confusing until you get the hang of their proper useage.

So, I am making this blog as an example of how to use the information outlined in ‘The Angelical Alphabet.’  Though I will make reference to Agrippa’s work along the way, I will be using the Angelical Alphabet in place of Hebrew.  (There will be only one exception to this – and I will make it clear when I am discussing traditional Hebrew Angels.)

Also note:  In this blog, I will use the English-letter equivalents of the Angelical , so we do not have to worry about Enochian fonts.  Where necessary, I will mention the letter by its Angelical name.  If you want to see a chart of the alphabet and the names of its letters, refer to the Angelical Alphabet essay linked above.

In my essay, I describe this technique in a section entitled ‘Of Finding Out the Names of Spirits and Geniuses from the Disposition of Celestial Bodies.’  This has various uses.  If you decode the name from your own natal chart, you have discovered the hidden name of your Nativity Angel. This is one of your Guardian Angels (not the same as Abramelin’s ‘Holy Guardian Angel’), who can speak or assist you with any part of your life covered by your natal chart.

On the other hand, you can also draw up a horoscope for magickal timing – finding a place and time where the stars are fortunate toward your goal or sympathetic toward the Angel(s) you wish to contact. If you then decode a name from this chart, you will have an Angel who is set specifically over your magickal goal. It is then possible to use other standard magickal arts to create a sigil for the Angel, a Talismanic Image, summon it or work with it however you choose.

Let us assume you wish to work with the planet Mars (the planet of agression, strength, protection, etc.). Therefore, you will naturally try to find a time when Mars is strong and well-aspected with the other planets. It is best if Mars himself is above the horizon, and even better if one can find such a time that falls upon a day and hour of Mars. For our purposes, we shall pretend we drew a chart with the following dignities and aspects:

Ascendant: For our purposes here, we will suppose the Ascendant was at 1 degrees Aries.

Luna: 1st House, 17 degrees Aries, with no dignity (meaning neither good or bad). Luna attempts to help the Detrimental Mercury with a Trine aspect, though Mercury is the stronger of the pair. Luna does gain some power for residing in a sign ruled by Mars.

Jupiter: 3rd House, 8 degrees Gemini, in Detriment. Inconjunct with Saturn so that Fate and Fortune are mis-aligned. It is also in opposition to Venus (Fortune and Passion are oppossed here) – which means it is hindering Venus’ attempt to aid Saturn. This maelific Jupiter seems more powerful than Saturn or Venus, if you consider a Detriment to be more powerful than no dignity at all.

Saturn: 8th House, 8 degrees Scorpio, with no dignity. It is inconjunct with Jupiter (Fate and Fortune are not working well together), but Venus is attempting to lend some Passionate support in a Semi-Sextile. It gains some power for being in a sign ruled by Mars (our planet of focus).

Venus: 9th House, 6 degrees Sagittarius, with no dignity. As stated above, Venus is in opposition to Jupiter and Semi-Sextile with Saturn. Both Saturn and Venus are relatively weak, and they are overpowered by the Detrimental Jupiter.

Mercury: 9th House, 15 degrees Sagittarius, in Detriment. This is generally bad news for magick or communication. It is in Trine with Luna, which alleviates some of the negativity – but sadly Luna has no dignity and is therefore weaker than the Detrimental Mercury.

Sol: 10th House, 1 degrees Capricon (thus cusped with Sagittarius), with no dignity in either sign. He has no aspect with any other planet, however he does happen to reside in the sign of Mars’ exaltation. Not particularly strong in the chart, but Mars should lend him some power.

Mars: 11th House, 26 degrees Capricorn, in Exaltation. Without a doubt Mars is the most powerful and fortunate planet in this chart. Not only is he Exalted, he forms no negative aspects with other planets.  He is also above the horizon, which is always a plus.

Once you have found this magickal time and drawn the horoscope, it is time to decode the name of your Angel. As Agrippa teaches, one must first assign letters to all 360 degrees of the chart.  Beginning with Pa (B) in House 1, degree 1 and moving counterclockwise (that is, with the natural order of the signs), assign one letter of the Angelical Alphabet to each degree, repeating the alphabet (From Pa to Gisg) over and over until you run out of degrees. In my essay I have done this work for you, and provided easy reference tables to find the letter of any degree in a horoscope.

Next, consider the aspects of the chart – specifically the strongest and most fortunate aspects that will aid you in your work. Unfortunate and weak aspects can be ignored.  The planets fall in the following order upon our example chart, starting from the First House and moving counterclockwise:

Luna, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Sol, Mars

The fortunate and/or strong aspects we wish to keep are:

Luna,  Saturn, Sol, Mars

That is, the two planets that reside in the signs ruled by Mars, the Sun residing in the sign of Mars’ Exaltation, and Mars itself.  The Angelical letters associated with their degrees on the chart are as follows:

Luna: 1st House, 17 degrees = R (Don)

Saturn: 8th House, 8 degrees = M (Tal)

Sol: 10th House, 1 degrees = U/V (Van)

Mars: 11th House, 26 degrees = L (Ur)

To compile the name, you have a couple of choices.  One is simpler and, in my opinion, less powerful – and that is to simply take the letters as they fall counterclockwise around the chart, starting with the First House and moving to the Twelfth.  In our example, this gives us:

RMUL

Agrippa suggests we add “El”, “Yah”, “On” or “Yod” to the end of the name.  However, since we are using Angelical rather than Hebrew, I feel we can dispense with that convention.  Thus, the resulting name above could be pronounced Remul, Ramul or even Ramvel, Ramuel, etc.  When spelled in Angelical characters, it would only have the four letters Don (R), Tal (M), Van (U/V) and Ur (L).

The other, more powerful, option is to organize the letters according to their strength in the chart – strongest letter first, weakest letter last.  If you have done your work correctly, that should place the letter of the planet you are working with first in the name.  In our example, the aspects fall into this order of power:

1) Mars:  In Exaltation, no negative aspects.

2) Sol:  No dignity, no aspects, in sign of Mars’ exaltation.

3) Luna:  No dignity, trine with Mercury, in a sign ruled by Mars.

4) Saturn: No dignity, inconjunct with Jupiter, semi-sextile with Venus, in a sign ruled by Mars.

The above results in the following:

LURM

In this case, our angel’s name would be Lurem.  Technically speaking, both Lurem and Remuel should be different aspects of the same angel, but Lurem will be the more powerful of the two.

If you have reason to search for the demon or “negative angel” from the same horoscope, you follow a similar – yet inverted – process.  First, you must have the name of the good angel.  Then, you need to write the alphabet into all 360 degrees of the chart as before, except this time you place the first letter into the descendant – or the 1st degree of the seventh House – running clockwise around the chart.  (Again, I have done this work for you in my essay.)

Now, you need only look at the degrees of the letters of the angel’s name.  For each degree, take the letter from the spot 180 degrees opposite of (that is, in opposition to) the angel’s letter.  In our example, we have:

L: 11th House, 26 degrees.  Opp: 5th House, 26 degrees = X (Pal)

U: 10th House, 1 degrees.  Opp: 4th House, 1 degrees = E (Graph)

R: 1st House, 17 degrees.  Opp: 7th House, 17 degrees = I/Y (Gon)

M: 8th House, 8 degrees.  Opp: 2nd House, 8 degrees = Z (Ceph)

Thus, the name of the demon is XEYZ – which we might pronounce Zayz or Zay-zod.

Using the ‘Tables of Ziruph’ (More Examples)

In my Angelical Alphabet essay, I also explain the uses of Agrippa’s ‘Tables of Ziruph’ – as found in his ‘Occult Philosophy’ Chapter 27.  You will find the section in my essay entitled ”Of the Calculating Art of Such Names by the Tradition of Cabalists’ – though I have again replaced the Hebrew in Agrippa’s charts with Angelical.

Simply put, the Tables of Ziruph allow you to find more angels (or demons) in the same hierarchy as the original name.  This is based on the nine-choir cosmology of Dionysus, which groups the angelic hierarchies into three groups of three.  From highest to lowest they are:  Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, Dominations, Powers and Virtues and Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

When you use the above-illustrated method of finding an angel’s name from a horoscope, you are technically getting the name from the lowest choir of Angels.  With the ‘Tables of Ziruph’ you can use that angel’s name to find the name of his Archangel.

The Angel and his Archangel should be all you need for practical purposes- however you can find the names of yet higher entities if you desire.  Enter the name of the Archangel into the ‘Table of Ziruph’ and you will produce a Principality.  Enter the Principality’s name into the Table and you will produce a Virtue.  Continue this process and you can take it all the way to a Seraph at the Throne of God.

For our purposes, I will assume you only need to find the Archangel who governs our Angel of Mars named Lurem:  Remember the angel’s name is spelled LURM (Ur, Van, Don, Tal), which was compiled from the planets Mars, Sol, Luna and Saturn in our horoscope.

Look at the ‘Ziruphic’ Table of Planets in my essay.  Look for the first letter of our angel’s name in the line called the “Entrance of the Good Angels.”  (Ur is the eleventh letter down that column.)  Now, scan leftward along Ur’s row in the table until you reach the column of the letter’s planet Mars (three columns to the left).   In that column we find the letter H (Na) – so that is the first letter of our Archangel’s name.

Now, find the second letter of our angel’s name – U (Van) – in the “Entrance of the Good Angels.”  (It happens to be the 19th letter down.)  Since this letter was associated with Sol, we need to scan leftward along that row until we reach the column of Sol (two columns over) – where we find the letter C/Ch/K (Veh).  This is the second letter of our Archangel’s name.

Follow this same process for the remaining letters of the angel’s name.  If we find R (Don) in the “Entrance of the Good Angels” and scan leftward to the column of Luna, we find that the third letter of the Archangel’s name is N (Drux).  Finally, if we find M (Tal) in the “Entrance of the Good Angels” and scan leftward to the column of Saturn, we find that the last letter of the Archangel’s name is Q (Ger).

Putting these new letters together, we have: HCNQ.  It seems like a bit of a tongue-twister, but we might pronounce it Hay-sen-ohk.  (I note the similiarity of this name to the word Cnoqod, which means “servant.”)

If you wanted to find the next name up the hierarchy – in this case a Principality – you would use the exact same process to enter the Archangel’s name into the ‘Table of Ziruph.’

If you wished to find the Archdemon that governs the demon in your chart, you would simply follow the same process as above – except you would enter the letters of the demon’s name into the table from the “Line of the Evil Angels” instead.

One More Thing about the ‘Tables of Ziruph’

In the above examples, the method of using the ‘Tables of Ziruph’ depends on first finding the name of an angel or demon from a horoscope.  This way, each letter in the name has a specific planet assigned to it.  However, what about using the ‘Tables of Ziruph’ with the name of existing Angels – who do not come with planetary aspects assigned to each letter?

For this purpose, I will drop the Angelical and return to the Hebrew Agrippa used in his charts.  So if you want to follow along, you will have to refer to Agrippa’s ‘Occult Philosophy’ Chapter 27 and his Ziruphic Table of the planets.

Let us begin by assuming you are working with a Hebrew Solar Angel -such as the Intelligence of the Sun Nakhiel (Nun, Kaph, Yod, Aleph, Lamed).  Further, we will assume that Intelligences such as Nakhiel are “Angels” by the Dionysian hierarchy, and we will use his name to generate an Archangel.

First, prepare the name of Nakhiel by removing the “-el” suffix.  If our Angel had a “-iah”, “-iod” or “-on” suffix we would remove that as well.  (This is because we will be adding one of these Divine Names directly to the Arhcangelic name we generate.  As stated previously, I do not follow this convention at all for Angelical names – but  I do follow it for Hebrew names.)  This leaves us with the letters Nun, Kaph and Yod.

Since we are dealing with an Angel entirely related to the Sun, we simply need to enter these letters into the “Entrance of the Good Angels” and scan leftward to the column of Sol (the very center column) for every letter:

N (Nun) = Z (Zain)

Kh (Kaph) = Ch (Cheth)

I (Yod) = A (Aleph)

This results in a name with the letters ZChA.  And, since we are using Hebrew, I will add one of the Names of God “El”, “Yah” or “On” onto the end of the name.  Agrippa suggests that “Yah” is used only for good angels and “El” can be used for angels or demons.  (He does not mention the proper use of the Greek “On.”)  Personally, I don’t find much support for this concept among the angel and demon names I have studied.  Thus, I suggest simply adding the Name of God that fits best linguistically in the name.  For “ZChA”, I think “El” fits the best – giving us the final result of:  ZChAAL or Zachael, which we might pronounce Zak-ay-el.

Thus, Zachael is an Archangel who governs Nakhiel.  You could further enter ZChA into the ‘Table of Ziruph’ – using the colum of Sol for all letters – to find a Solar Principality that governs Zachael.

I will bring this blog post to a close here.  I hope the above illustrations have been useful to you in putting this material into practice.

LVX

Aaron

Jul 14, 2010

— In magical_working_group@yahoogroups.com, “davidc” .. wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
>   I have always wondered why there is NO ‘Paths’ from “Chokmah to Geburah” or “Binah to Chesed”? The “Lighting Flash” follows the Paths all the way down the Tree to Malkuth, but there is NO Path between Binah and Chesed for it to follow? WHY? Could this be, what some say, the “Hidden or Secret Paths”?
>
>   Also, there are three Paths from Malkuth. I thought that the first Sephiroth you go to from Malkuth was Yesod. But yet you can also go to Hod and Netzach. So, if Yesod is the first Sephiroth from Malkuth, why then are there Paths to the other two? When you go to Yesod there are Paths to Hod and Netzach, but it would seem you could “bypass” Yesod? This dos NOT seem right to me. I am NOT an expert, by no means, on this subject- believe me, but I can not figure this out!
>
>   Any thoughts ya’ll might have on this would be GREATLY appreciated, really!
>

I’m glad this thread was just resurrected, as I missed this question the first time around.  Your questions might just be answered by the Tree of Life and its relationship to the Expulsion from Eden.

In the Golden Dawn 4=7 Grade, you are taught that Adam resided in the Tiphareth of the pre-Fallen Tree of Life, while Eve resided in Yesod where she (as Isis) upheld the two Pillars.  Tiphareth was then where Da’ath is today, Yesod was in Tiphareth’s spot, and Malkuth was also one slot upward into the astral realm.  When Eve let go of the Pillars to reach down into Malkuth (and the Tree of Knowledge) the Middle Pillar collapsed into its current state, creating a gulf between the Supernals and the rest of the Middle Pillar- Da’ath.  However, there is another view…

Imagine a Tree of Life that looked much as it does now, but with Malkuth elevated into the position that is currently held by Da’ath.  The other spheres are in the same positions as they are now – but Malkuth itself is the active bridge between the Supernals and the lower Sephiroth.  There are two Paths you’ve never seen before – connecting Malkuth directly to Binah and Chockmah.  The two paths connecting Malkuth to Hod and Netzach are still there, but flow in the opposite direction – from Malkuth *downward* into Hod and Netzach.  Yesod, the Foundation, is actually the bottom-most sphere of the Tree, and Da’ath is a black gulf separating the Tree/Eden from the Kingdom of Shells.

In this model, Adam resides in Malkuth – the kingdom, the actual Garden itself.  It is not Eve who causes the Fall, but Adam.  By his act of disobedience, he let go of his hold upon Abba and Aima – thereby shattering the Paths that connected Malkuth to Binah and Chockmah.  It fell downward, swinging like a pendulum dangling from the three lowest Sephiroth, and came to rest beneath the Foundation of the Tree- directly on the boarder of the Kingdom of Shells.  The lowest part of Malkuth, which the Golden Dawn colors black, is the place where the two Kingdoms intersect.

LVX
Aaron