Saturday, January 03, 2009

Angels and Angels

There are Angels and then there are Angels. Pretty much all of the spirits I deal with are "angels" in the strictest sense of the word. The strictest sense of the word itself is "Messenger." Angeloi, in the original Greek, was used to indicate a messenger. As theology mutated and transformed across the centuries, the word "Angel" became specific to the messengers from God who were doing only what we humans would consider good. At least, those of us humans that benefited from thier actions. I doubt the Angels that visited Lot in Sodom or Gamora would be considered particularly beneficial to the Sodomites or Gamorians. The Egyptians probably weren't too fond of the Angel of the Lord after their firstborn were slaughtered either.

Nevertheless, when I started getting into conjure magic, I went after Angels first, rather than demons, because they had a better reputation in my mind. Even if they weren't particularly nice all the time, at least, I felt, I could remain confident that anything they brought about in my sphere would be for the good in the long run. The same, of course, couldn't be said for demons, right?

A few years later, I'm faced with the truth that the spirits I call Angels aren't that different than the spirits I call demons. Or elementals. Or Sirits. In fact, they can all be called angels or daimons, it means about the same thing.

So when I started with the Enochian Angels, I didn't go into it believing that just because they have the word Angel in there that they necessarily were celestial beings that traverse the seven heavens. Nor do I think they are particularly interested in making my life great. Judging by what they had Dee and Kelley doing for a while, and what they tend to tell people ("You're great, I have a mission for you... SPREAD THE WORD!") in general, I am careful with them. They wouldn't be the first "angel" that tried to do harm to someone.

I'm finding that the angels of Enoch ermind me a lot of the spirits of the Goetia. Both are angelic, but they are both also concerned with things of this world. Things of this world. I've been waiting for a sign, even asking for one directly, that the Angels of Enoch are more than spirits of the realm of the Earth. A neat system that provides a direct channel into the realms of the elemental spirits.

I don't know right now though. They haven't "done" anything yet. I've had neat dreams and visions, interesting insights about healing, and things like that, but there hasn't been anything dramatic that would convince they are worth more than the mental stimulation I get from working with them.

The other night, I brough Bune along with me. While Adoeoet was there, I asked Bune if it was a Goetic Spirit. He said it was not. I asked Adoeoet what he thought of Bune. He didn't really see him. They were obviously of different "species" of spirit. Bune wasn't uncomfortable in Adoeoet's presence, and Adoeoet didn't even notice Bune there.

But what kind of spirit cares about how clean things are, but can't see another spirit? Soror Gimel's visions of them being "busy" during storms and othersmake me thiink they're like the spirits within the elements, right, but they just seem to lack something. There's a hollowness to them that I can't quite pin down.

Well, I haven't worked with many, that's for sure. So far it's an interesting journey, but it's way too early to do more than wonder. Conlusions reached now are sure to be meaningless.

3 comments:

  1. Interesting, I've noticed a lot of people working with the enochian system comment on how the 'Angels' don't seem to function within their preconceived notion of what an 'Angel' is, but its an interesting idea that they are elemental and goetic in nature, I'm not sure I buy it, but it does seem interesting, something to ponder on...

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  2. Here's a notion. What if all the Enochian spirits are artificial elementals created by Dee and Kelley under the guidance of just one spirit, PELE? That's why they feel hollow: their tin spirits, servitors.

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  3. I've been wrestling with the same issues myself, but as I've told you before, I tend to hold my judgement. The amorphous nature of spirts I have found to be somewhat universal in my own experience. It's almost like a game. One thing I am certain of it that they can both appear with fixed imagery and also mold themselves to our perceptions. I always think back to the exhortations I find in Solomonic magic for the spirit to appear in a "pleasing shape".
    After reading Tyson's Tetragrammaton I was left with just enough doubt about the nature of Enochian entities to be troubled. I still use Enochian formula, but the apocalyptic perspective and sense of trickery involved in Dee and Kelly's communications kind of smack of what I call the "Necronomicon Syndrome". ;)
    Auriel first appeared to me as a 'vampire', but then, after I realized it was a trick, said: 'Just kidding.'
    We laughed.
    Angels can, like the God that made them, have a sense of humor too.

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