How many courses are there going to be?

Excellent Question, Martialus.

The Supernatural Assistant course is Course 1. Soon there will be the Hermetic Merkavah course, followed by a Goetia course. Eventually there may be a course on Working with the Elemental Kings as well, though I suspect it will be a lesson or four in the Neo-Platonic System of Magic course.

So there will be at least 4 Courses in the foreseeable future. And more as I go onward.

The day I achieved Knowledge and Conversation with my Holy Guardian Angel is the day the keys to the kingdom were handed to me; without that, I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am today. So I'm starting with that, calling it "Acquiring a Supernatural Assistant" as a nod to the fact that it isn't the same thing as the HGA rites of Abramelin or Samekh. Those rites are so misrepresented that 99% of the people undertaking the path have no idea what they're getting into, how to recognize what they acquire, or even what to do with it once they have it.

I aim to fulfill my own destiny, my own Will, and do my part in manifesting a generation of magicians fully empowered and willing to become exactly what the Great Work turns us into: fully conscious human beings restored to our rightful place in the cosmic hierarchy, standing firm with the powers of Creation at our fingertips, with the knowledge and wisdom to use those powers as we see fit. Mad Alchemists, tempered in the fires of our passions, hardened and forged by our joy and our pain, and empowered by the light of God.

Still yet more about the Supernatural Assistant

Sam Johnson says:

1. Are there any prerequisites? Or can people without any significant experience follow this?

No, there are no prerequisites. I'm starting here, and then I'm heading through the Modern Angelic Grimoire, and eventually I'll get to the Goetic one. I'm recreating the process of initiation I went through in course form.

2. Are there any *actual* requirements for participants during the course? Ideally everyone would follow the homework and the course as it comes, but failing that due to other commitments at least we'll have the know-how on hand for the future. We'll have lost the one-on-one help with you, of course, but still. Is this fine?

Hmmm. I see what you're saying. I'm thinking the courses will stand alone. St. Balthazar said on the Lemegeton list that in the grimoire traditions, the books became the initiators, and that's a great way to encapsulate my intent. The books and course work will give you the steps, and when you follow them, you get the Supernatural Assistant. I think you'd stand more chance of doing the work consistently in a group, where there's some accountability, some social pressure. You'll be doing the work solitary, but you'll have help.

Whole thing sounds great and I'm grateful you'd even do something like this, but I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of it. Thanks.

You're off to a good start. You're taking into account where you're at in life, and weighing the commitment thoroughly. That's the kind of approach that results in success.

In practice, we'll be talking about 30-45 minutes per day, split up between the morning when you wake up and the evening before you go to bed. The actual time spent in the Work is relatively small, and I think it fits into the schedule of your average working wo/man or even single mothers of three kids. I'll be timing the initiations to occur on the weekends (Saturn-day or Sun-day), and there are three time slots that can be used each day, so chances are good you'll be able to find one that fits into your schedule.

What You Get with the Supernatural Assistant Course

A Supernatural Assistant! Isn't that enough?

No? You mean, you want to know what comes with it specifically for $75? You get my warm and kind advice, my best wishes, and a lot of encouragement. You get my undying thanks for the money. What more do you need?

Ok, sorry, I crack me up.

NOTE: I fixed the link this afternoon.

Course Stuff

The course comes with the following:

• eBook: The Neo-Platonic Basics - It's a cleaned up and slightly modified/expanded version of the series of blog posts I wrote as I went through some transformations in the first year after making contact with my own "Supernatural Assistant."
• ebook: The Modern Angelic Grimoire - In case you don't have it, we'll be referencing this book for some of the initiations.
• The names of your Genius and Evil Daimon (for those who don't have them yet)
• Conjuration Ritual for the Genius (this is different than the conjuration of the Supernatural Assistant)
• Your Own, Personal, Genius Lamen.... something you can wear on your chest, to make you your best.... (sung to the tune of your own personal jesus; you'll get an image file that you can print out, or draw out by hand on virgin parchment in the light of the Moon while suffumigating it in the smoke of strange alkaloid herbs)
• Conjuration rite for the Supernatural Assistant (performed nightly after Lesson 3)
  
• Membership with the Yahoo group
• Personal coaching from yours truly, unless you really get on my nerves or turn out to be some kind of lunatic. If the latter is true, you still get no refunds; I mean it, I'm totally spending the money as soon as it comes in.
  

Tentative Course Outline (Subject to change):

• Lesson 1: Intro and Overview (Nov. 6) - Includes the the evolution from the Supernatural Assistant into the HGA over the last couple of thousand years, an overview of the three-part ruler of the soul, and the role of the Genius from Agrippa's Three Books of occult Philosophy. This will give you some insight into working with your Genius.
  
• Homework: Self Assessment - You'll get a template to fill out that prompts some self-assessment and contemplation that will help you prepare for the process to come. You won't have to send it in or post it, but you can if you think it will help you stay honest with yourself and others.
  
• Lesson 2: The Power of Prayer (Nov. 13) - Includes an explanation of "enflaming yourself with prayer," the key to building up an ecstatic relationship with God. Explores Crowley's early training and how he figured out the Secret of Prayer.
  
• Field Trip: Visit a Charismatic Christian Church (totally optional if you think you'll burst into flames when you cross the threshold, or have bad experiences you don't want to remember)
• Homework: Daily Face-Time with God. Here beginneth the transformation that leads to attainment.
• Lesson 3: Can you smell that smell? (a.k.a. Conjuration of the Supernatural Assistant) (Delivered when appropriate) - Includes an analysis of the Stele of Jehu, the Greek Magical Papyri that's actually called "Acquiring a Supernatural Assistant," and Crowley's Liber Samekh. Also includes the conjuration rite you'll be using.
  
• Homework: Solar Initiation by Michael, Archangel of the Sun
• Homework: Conjuration of the Genius
  
• Homework: Continued daily prayer
• Homework: Nightly conjuration ritual of the Supernatural Assistant (Should take 10-30 minutes)
  
• Homework: Update self-assessment.
  
• Lesson 4: Working with the Supernatural Assistant: Practical Applications of your blossoming relationship.
  
• Homework: Solar/Saturn Initiation by Michael and Cassiel.
  
• Homework: Continued daily prayer
• Homework: Continued Nightly conjuration ritual of the Supernatural Assistant

At this stage, chances are pretty good that you'll be going through some serious hell.

• Lesson 5: The Map of Hell - Personal observations on the landscape of Hell as it manifests in your life; includes some advice and techniques I found were useful in dealing with the layers and layers of crap that tend to come out in the process.
• Homework: Stay Alive. Keep at the Work. Even when you hate it. Even when you're convinced it's all in your head. Even when you think it's all from Satan. Een when you really want to quit. Even when you're so sick of hearing me say "it gets better" that you're ready to shove my keyboard up my ass to see if I can still type it then, motherfucker! (Seriously.)
  
• Lesson 6: The Stairway to Heaven (Is Sitting in Hell) - Reflections on the initiatory journeys we've been through and preparation for Hermetic Merkavah, to be explored in full in the Seven Heavens Club. (Or the Hermetic Merkavah course. I haven't figured out what to call it. I thought the Seven Heavens club was a witty nod to Pat Baker, but I figure it may be too cheesey.)
  

7 Winds Mirror Sold Out

For those interested in the Mirror of the 7 Winds Chris had available at Renaissance Astrology, it's too late, you totally missed it. He may take pre-orders for the next time he can make them though, but that's late next year, and there are only so many he can make at one time.

Awesome Opportunity

Chris Warnock, of Renaissance Astrology fame, is offering a Mirror of the Seven Winds. Based on an intricate ritual from the Picatrix, the Great-Granddaddy of all Grimoires, this item is something you should totally consider buying. He does the etching and seven-day suffumigations according to the requirements of the book, and the benefits are amazing.

The Picatrix says, "... if you gaze into the mirror and watch it well, know that in it will appear men, winds, spirits, demons, the dead and the living and all of them will be obedient to your command." It's a lot like the Table of Practice that I have in the Modern Angelic Grimoire, and the Scrying Media all in one. I highly recommend it, not only because it's useful, but it comes empowered to accomplish what we need it to do as magicians.

Chris Warnock is an Adept of the art of Astrological Magic. There are few magicians or occult craftsmen I'd trust to do the kind of operations he does on this mirror and have them be effective. I usually take advantage of the elections he posts on his page, and do my own magic based on the appropriate timing, but when it comes to Picatrix stuff, there's no one I know of who would be more capable of creating an empowered talisman than Chris.

Once received, the Mirror is consecrated to the magician when the Moon is conjoined to Venus. At that point it's yours and yours alone. The Spirits of the Winds are powerful allies in the toolkit of the magician, and they are a set of spirits I can't wait to begin working with regularly. If I had the time, I'd totally be conjuring them ASAP. They've been calling to me for years. There's a Tower of the Winds somewhere, in Italy or Greece, or Europe. I don't remember. But ti's beautiful. I saw a picture of it a long time ago, and have wanted to conjure these spirits ever since. With Chris' offering of the mirror, it's an opportunity we shouldn't pass up.

Acquiring the Supernatural Assistant

The first step in the empowerment process for people to have the kind of success I've had with the Angels and Daimons of the grimoires, in my oh so humble opinion, is Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel.

"But RO, that takes foooooooorrrreeeeeeevvveeeeerrrrrr...."

6 months, 11 months, two whole weeks...

The time frame of how long it takes depends on a lot of variables; your personal religious bias, which traditional approach you pick, and most importantly, what your personal experience is with God. Abramelin purists have their opinions on what is proper, and graduates of the Samekh operation have their opinions on what is proper. I've seen Aaron Leitch argue that the spirit of the Abramelin operation is different than the one contacted through Samekh. I've had arguments and debates about the subject for years. Regular readers of the blog know my opinions on the subject, and those opinions are definitely not accepted globally.

So, to help clear the air a lot, or muddy the waters further, I'm going to start a course based on my experiences with the Genius, the HGA, and the Supernatural Assistant. I don't think I'll call it "Attaining Knowledge and Conversation with the Holy Guardian Angel," even though that's what I personally think it is. Instead, I'm going to call it "Acquiring the Supernatural Assistant." I'm focusing on functionality of the spirit rather than the belief system it applies to. You can call it whatever you want, but I'm calling it the Supernatural Assistant.

There will be three branches to the operation: Daily Prayer, Weekly Conjuration, and a One-Time Initiation. I'll provide the basic stuff you need to accomplish the goal. You'll get a ritual conjuration to perform, an overview of the evolution of the "HGA" in Western Magical Thought, and how it fits into the system that I've developed based on traditional sources. (I've realized I can't really call it a traditional system any more. Disappointing, that, but honest at least.)

We'll also have a Yahoo group, open only to members of the class. We'll be able to discuss things that are happening without fear of slams or appearing stupid in front of allegedly wise and experienced practitioners of the art.

Now, think about this carefully. Weigh out where you're at in your life, and what the possible consequences may entail. Going through this process is a lot like the black stage of the Alchemical Work. A lot of negative shit rises to the surface. Addictions, anger management issues, things you're in rebellion over, and god knows what else. It's rarely a pleasant journey to the candy land. It's usually painful and catastrophic. You learn that you're a fucked up asshole who hurts people for fun, if that's what you are. There's no room for hiding from yourself. If you're a loser, then it will become apparent to yourself and others. It truly sucks at times.

Why the fuck would anyone go through this shit on purpose? "For the joy set before him, Christ went to the cross." When you come out on the other side, you'll be better equipped to deal with life than ever before. You'll know who you are, you'll know what you're supposed to be doing with your life, and you'll have intimate access to the spirits that manifest your reality on a daily basis. There will be no aspect of your life that is beyond your influence, and few that are beyond your control.

The operation's goal is to get the Supernatural Assistant, but the process itself makes you a magician. It's hard to explain to people who haven't gone through it, but when we're done, you'll totally understand. Everything negative that is revealed to you during this process turns from a weakness into a strength. Life won't be all roses and perfect, you'll still slip and forget you're a magician from time to time, you'll still have bills and taxes and people who suck in your life, but you'll never be alone. You'll have someone with you forever who will be able to help you, no matter how badly things may be going.

I don't know how long it will take you. Based on previous experiments, less than half of the people who start will finish. Some folks will have already been through hell in their lives and have as easy of a time as I did, and two weeks of doing a daily ritual will be sufficient. For others, the process may take a year of Mondays.

There are NO REFUNDS, and no guarantees of success. I'll spend the money as soon as I get it, I guarantee that much. Your success will be dependent on a number of factors, primarily your devotion to the Work.

You will have me to talk to at least once a week, and daily on the group, as long as I have an hour or so to address any questions. You'll have your other classmates to talk to as well. I'm thinking it's going to be easier to do if you're not going through it alone.

The first class will be shipped on November 6th. That's the official date of Samhain this year, if my sources are accurate. I'll have to check with Lavanah to make sure, she's usually on top of things. I'm only going to be starting one of these courses every three months. Due to the closeness of the 6th, you can sign up for this course through November 15th.

I'll be taking us through both Saturn and the Sun on this trip, so gear up, hold your breath, and pray for safe passage.

To enroll, click on the buy now button below the Courses on the right of the blog. Assuming I've set it up right, you'll get an email link. Send me your email contact information, and I'll add you to the group.

Coming soon: The Seven Heavens Club: A course of initiation through the seven planetary spheres.

Important Article on "The Secret"

Brother Stenwick has an article up that if you haven't read, you should, especially if you've fallen into the trap of The Secret. I especially like how he applies the logic of The Secret to the presentation that killed people.

My boss has a "The Secret" quote a day calendar on her desk. She faithfully reads each one each day. She got it as a gift from her best friend, so she tries to keep up with it in case there's anything to it. She also wore a bracelet with eyes on it to a meeting with our Project Sponsor to keep away the influence of the evil eye. We got to talking hoodoo and laying a line of brick dust across the conference room door to see who could or couldn't come in.

I think she's a mundane type who watches a lot of stuff on TV, and learned hoodoo from The Skeleton Key movie. She might be a root doctor for all I know though. Life is weird.

But the pervasiveness of The Secret is annoying. If I wrote a book that presented real magic that could do most of the stuff that people think The Secret promises, no one would buy it. (Actually, I did, I wrote the Modern Goetic Grimoire, but I didn't get into some of the stuff that using it can do, I figured people would figure it out on their own and from the spirits themselves.)

I really appreciated Scott's article on the subject today. I hope it clears some things up in the whole Mind Over Matter front. When people realize that Mind is Matter, and that the manipulation of one is the manipulation of the other, life will be easier for most people, but people need to understand what MIND matter is made of. (Hint: it ain't mine, and it ain't yours.)

On Piracy...

It's unfortunate, but due to the lack of scruples among some of my audience, I've had to institute a Goetic working to protect my eBooks from theft. After spending months writing the book, to have someone give it away because they believe information should be free makes me want to kill.

Calmer heads prevailed, fortunately for at least one idiotic fucktard. The intercession by a wise and patient person on your behalf is a good thing to have, and I hope someone does the same for me if I ever do something that stupid.

But from now on, anyone who pirates my work will be fair game. 10/25/09 in our current calendar system is the date it's being instituted. If you've pirated my work, loaded it to torrents or whatever in the past, I suggest you make ammends post haste. Remove it immediately and pay restitution, or incur the wrath of the Guardians.

I think it's really stupid to pirate occult works from living authors, especially those who write books about Goetia. Did you really think I wouldn't curse you? Really?

And please note, I don't give a shit what you think about the freedom of information, copyright law, or whatever. I wrote it, I charge for it, and as far as me and my spirits are concerned, you bought the right to read it and do the work. If you upload it to a torrent, you're toast.

Please note that all purchases are covered under the usual Legal Disclaimer.

MGG Comments...

For those many wonderful and totally blessed people buying my grimoires, THANKS! Just so you know, when I charge for the order, you should be receive a link to download the files. Google's supposed to be sending that out, and I think it's working great, but for folks looking for a file attached to an email like in the OLD DAYS... Those days have gone.

Now, Jason pointed out something that I should probably mention. As a substitute for Holy Water, I suggest using water that you've soaked asfoetida in it, for those heathen infidel pagans who are opposed to slipping into the Catholic Church lobby and filling up a flask with some holy water. Jason's erudite comment was along the lines of, "Dearest Frater, the odoriferous output of the herb aptly known as "Devil's Dung" is so strong that it would indeed banish spirits, yea, even the wife, kids, dogs, cats, and neighbors should one soak this pungent herb in water."

So if you choose to go that route, use a teensy, itsy bitsy, tiny little part of the herb or resin or whatever. Apparently, it's not a pleasant experience for the human or the spirits. But honestly, just go get Holy water from the Catholics. Catholics are about as close to pagan Roman traditions as you can come anyway, really. At least they adapted the pagan rites, instead of trying to reconstruct them based on archaeological digs and Ursula K. Leguin novels.

Which reminds me... Eh, I'll get to it in another post when I'm not so hot under the collar. I'm trying not to fuck up and go ballistic on ass hats. I had a humbling experience last weekend when I read in a couple of blog posts around the web that I had inspired or helped people by my own writing and stuff, so I'm all trying to be a decent inspiration and hierophantical and shit. But man, I'm TELLING you, there are some stupid motherfuckers on the planet. I'll leave it at that.

Modern Goetic Grimoire: Stats and Table of Contents

The Modern Goetic Grimoire is different than my other eBooks mainly in size. While the Modern Angelic Grimoire is only 32 pages long, including the cover, the Modern Goetic Grimoire is 157 pages, including the cover. I go over a great deal more information, and try to lay out the framework of what it is that make a Goetic Magician successful.

In addition, I lay out three practical areas of Goetic Magic for magicians: Necromancy, Genii Loci, and the Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia. I provide basic techniques for working with these three types of spirits, but the spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia get the bulk of the attention. I've included a description of each spirit in modern English based on my experiences and communications with the spirits. All the traditional attributes of the spirit are touched on, but I describe them from a modern perspective.

Below is the Table of Contents from the book. From this, you can get a better idea of the types of things I cover specifically.

Introduction
  The Magician Apprentice
The Goetia
  The Goetia of the Lemegeton
  The Initiatic Key of the Lemegeton's Goetia
  The Process of Manifestation
  The Role of the Magician
  Man's Position as Expressed in the Magic Circle
  Practice Exercise
Chthonic Initiation
  Initiatic Conjurations
  The Supernatural Assistant
  The Initiatory Ritual
The Spirits of Goetia
  Necromancy: The Lost Art of the Goetic Magician
  The Genii Loci
  Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia
     The Ranks of the Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia
     Qualities of the Spirits of the Ranks
  On Selecting the Right Spirit
Practical Magic
  Necromancy
     Part One: Working with the Nephesh for Practical Results
       Tools
       Process
     Part Two: Working with the Ruach
       Tools
       Process
     Part Three: Exorcism
       Tools
       Process for Exorcising a Site
       Process for Exorcising a Spirit Accosting a Person
  Working with the Genii Loci
     Tools
     Process
  Conjuring the Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia
     Circles, Figures, and Rings
     The Ritual
       Tools
       Process
The 72 Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia
Appendix I: Goetic Blog Posts
Appendix II: The Spirit Pot

There are a lot more things I wanted to cover, but time being what it is, I'll have to wait for other opportunities. As it stands, I provide all the materials you will need to begin performing Goetic Magic as safely and effectively as possible.

The Modern Goetic Grimoire: Questions and Answers

Ahhhh, Saturday, day of rest...

Right.

Someone wrote me an email asking for more info on the Modern Goetic Grimoire. They asked very intelligent and insightful questions, just the kind of thing I'd want to know before buying a grimoire:

I would like to know if it is actually a formula of evoking the demons and working with them, but much simpler and direct than the traditional Goetia method.

First, it's not only a book on conjuring Daimons. It addresses that, yes, and in detail, but "Goetia" is a class of magic that includes much more than conjuring only the 72 spirits of the Lem's Goetia. Traditionally, Goetia included necromancy, working with the genius loci, and a lot of what we would consider Theurgy today.

That said, the answer is a resounding Yes. The sections that address conjuring the daimons present a simple and direct formula for working with the 72 spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia. Older versions of the grimoire, like Weier's Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, also present a "much simpler and direct" formula for working with them than that which is found in the Lemegeton's Goetia. My approach is somewhere in between Weier and the Lemegeton, but it is a lot closer to the spirit of Weier's apprach.

Like the Modern Angelic Grimoire, you can, I believe, begin conjuring the daimons using only the materials found in the Modern Goetic Grimoire. But if you follow the advice I give in the book, you won't be rushing into anything as quickly as you do with the Angelic Grimoire.

Also if they are willing to serve: I guess there's no binding in your grimoire, so can I make sure they will want to fulfill my instructions.

Yes, they are willing to serve; but you are correct, there is no "binding" in my grimoire. The Spirits are already "bound" to you out of a relationship which you have forgotten, but they have not. They honor old friendships and alliances. (Like the Elves did in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie The Two Towers by showing up to fight and die at Helm's Deep. Totally not in the book, but a neat touch.)

As for "make sure they will want to fulfill my instructions," I've found they are always eager to fulfill my instructions. That doesn't mean that you always get what you want. Even when you get exactly what you ask for, there are times that you get nothing that you wanted. It's called the Monkey's Paw effect, and I address it in the book.

Before performing any Goetic Magic, I think it's very important that the magician is properly prepared. I outline a system of initiations I went through before going into Goetia, a series of changes to my personal sphere of influence to which I attribute my own success. At the same time, there's a "paradigm" shift that has to occur in the mind of the magician.

The Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia are not opposed to us and the rest of the universe. They are completely in harmony with the Will of the Mind from which they manifest. Their role in the universe, however, is to cause insatiable desires in the hearts of "impious men." Impious means you have not only forgotten your Divine Race and Eternal Value, but also have no active relationship with the Monad and the Intelligences he emanated to manifest his Universe. Going into Goetia thinking they are your enemies, or that they intend you harm out of some kind of intrinsic malice is a mistake. Goetic Magic is a lot like the cave that Yoda sends Luke into in the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back. You find what you take with you.

Like any style of magic, there is no guarantee of success. Even those who follow the Lemegeton's instructions in the Goetia (conjuring by curses and threats, and torturing by fire) suffer failures. More often, I suspect, than those who use the "spirit friendly" approach I advocate in my book. If you go into it expecting them to be unwilling slaves, you'll see everything they do from that perspective, and you'll misinterpret a lot of what happens. I made that mistake early in my Goetic Magic attempts, and I suffered the consequences. I'd rather keep other people from doing the same kind of stupid things I did.

One of the most important lessons of any magical practice is that, "Sometimes the magic works. Sometimes, it doesn't." If you think the spirits are unwilling slaves, you'll blame your failures on their rebellious nature, rather than finding out why the magic failed and finding a way to make it succeed.

And finally, [I'd like to know] if there's any risk of attack/trouble with this method.

I have never had a demon attack me, the way I suspect you mean. However, there is always an element of risk associated with any magical act, no matter how benign. A friend used chaos magic to lose fifteen pounds. She lost the fifteen pounds, exactly. The fat went right into her bloodstream and clogged her liver, causing her pain and suffering that lasted years.

But for every risk, there is a mitigation. I work in Project Management, and for any project you set yourself to accomplish, there are certain risks that have to be identified and planned for. Nothing ever works exactly as we expect it to. Risk Management is the art of forecasting potential events, doing what you can to lower the chances of the risks appearing, and planning what to do in case the risk does manifest.

With the 72 Spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia, the biggest risk you face is the manifestation of their negative attributes in your life.Vepar is a good example. Say you want to protect a Naval shipment for your cousin in Iraq. You conjure Vepar, and the shipment arrives safely. Later you learn that the crew also suffered a rare skin disease that caused really bad acne-like sores that lasted three days. Causing putrefying sores is one of Vepar's other abilities.

To mitigate this risk, you would have specifically told Vepar to cause any sores to appear on the crew of their enemies, not on the crew of your allies, or simply told him that you didn't want any sores to manifest at all. It's the kind of thing you don't think of when you're conjuring a spirit, looking only at the good things they do.

In the Modern Goetic Grimoire, I cover a series of initiations that will mitigate most of the risks that come with Goetic Magic. That doesn't mean that your magic will be fool-proof, or that you will never have any problems. When I teach Necromancy, for example I also teach what to do if a shade follows you home from the graveyard. It's a risk. There is a solution.

Other spirits cause other kinds of trouble in your life. Dealing with the spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia is always risky, no matter what method you use. The system I present has a lot more in it that will protect you from the more dangerous effects of working with these spirits than you will find in any of the traditional grimoires. I believe the traditional grimoires were not supposed to be stand-alone systems of magic. They are note books, quick reference guides for magicians who are also performing the appropriate and required Theurgical magic that is discussed at length in Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

It was assumed and not written, I believe, that the magician who would pick up the Lemegeton would already have performed the rites outlined in The Art of Drawing Spirits into Crystals, for example, or would understand that the Magic Circle was a representation of what it was that keeps a magician safe. I teach that in detail in the Modern Goetic Grimoire.

By nature, the spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia are designed to cause trouble, but only in the lives of impious Men. If you follow the techniques I provide, you will not be "impious," you will have established relationships with the spirits that will protect you from the kinds of things I think you're worried about. You will also have the skills to deal with any troubles that do arise.

When you conjure the spirits of the Lemegeton's Goetia, you are performing what I think is "Left Hand Path" magic. You are working with spirits who have a close affinity to your passions and desires. If you are at the mercy of your desires, ruled by your lust and greed and appetite, you will most likely cause more trouble in your life by evoking the spirits designed to inflame these passions. If you have mastered your passions and use them to aid you in accomplishing your Will, you will be as safe among them as you are alone.

At Last, the Modern Goetic Grimoire is Available

Well, due to the fact that I am EMPLOYED now (thanks Bune!), I've worked non-stop to get the book finished and available. I had hoped to publish it through a legit publisher of real life paper books, but I don't think I'll be having much time to get that project moving any time soon. So, for those happy with an eBook emailed to you, it is available now to the right of this post on the blog, or on my Products and Services page.

One of these days, I'll combine it with the Angelic Grimoire and submit it to a publisher for real. I'll post more about it after I've slept some. I'm beat.

Enjoy!

Some Changes

As I am almost ready to make the Goetic Grimoire into an eBook available for your purchase, I've decided to make some changes to the blog. You may notice no more Google ads. Much as I was LOVING the nearly $2.75 per month they generated since the blog's inception, I'm done with that. I usually enjoyed the ads they picked from my post contents, but frankly, it wasn't worth it. So no more ads for stuff like that.

I still want to make some money off the site, so I've added an eBooks area over to the right, beneath the list of people following the blog. You can currently purchase the Modern Angelic Grimoire there, and soon the Modern Goetic Grimoire. If I get around to publishing them both together as a complete set on paper and everything, you'll be able to order things from there.

Also, if any of my readers have services, products, or even just something sitting around they'd like to sell, I'll consider posting your ad on the right, above, or below the posts. Sort of like Craigslist, a simple text and/or hyperlink ad, or a single jpeg/gif ad. Nothing extravagant. Low weekly rates. :)

Powerful People

This article on Quintal's blog is great insight into what it is that makes a man or woman powerful. I don't necessarily agree with what everything the author says 100%, but it's aim is undeniably what you always wanted in life.

An Apology

Heh, I went to type in the blog post, and apparently I've had a different apology I offered before.

Anyway, I'm sorry Josephus. I totally over-reacted. I don't think you advocate abusing children. I think literally interpreting scripture is dangerous, and I place the rod and child thing in the huge bucket of scripture labeled "allegory." But that's beside the point.

The point is it was 3:00 in the morning my time, my wife has an ear infection causing her vertigo, and I have had to be two parents instead of one, while nursing someone who isn't even able to walk to the bathroom without throwing up because of the nausea. I had published your comment and my rebuttal after walking her back to bed. Stopping to check email at 3:00 am isn't a wise choice.

I'm tempted, sorely tempted, to delete the thing and pretend it never happened. But this blog is supposed to be about the things that I go through in my attempts to accomplish the Great Work, and this qualifies as being part of that. Much as I hate the whole self-help focus of the occult, there is an aspect of personal growth in the Work that deals with the impulses of the Nephesh.

Scribbler asked if this was related to the recent Goetia Work. It might be. I suspected my wife's illness may even have been part of that, as it came the day I finished uploading the images into my grimoire file. But divinations indicate that's not the problem, and I went to the Spirits themselves and specifically ensured their influence wasn't directed in any way that might result in further outbursts, illness, or anything like that.

I think it was just me reacting badly to stress. I tend to do less magic when I'm stressed, and it usually results in more stress. Consistent Sphere work, performing at least weekly visits to each of the planetary realms and speaking with the Intelligences thereof tends to lead to periods of peace, strength, and wisdom. I get caught up in it and stop the Work, and then things fall apart.

So no, I don't think it was my Goetia Work that brought this on as much as it was my inconsistency in Practice.

Here's your change...

In case someone doesn't read the comments on my blog the way I have to, here's one on my post about being "trapped" by the kids:

Josephus said... "When I look at the kids I know, my own and others', I can't help but wonder how in the living fuck magicians ever used them as scrying assistants."

Not that difficult to understand. 1,000 years ago the world was different. The main reasons you wouldn't be able to do that today are:

1)Wii.
2)Hours and hours of TV per day.
3)Stupid and uneducated parents,(not in the academic sense)
4)Stupider, uneducated teachers(in the academic sense as well)
5)Constant psychological overstimulation, mostly by the above. (Gee, I wonder why so many kids "need" Ritalin?)

A thousand years ago kids didn't have this. They also learned "unimportant" things like respect(especially for elders), obediance (you can't teach that now cause it's "child abuse")and how to sit still for more than 5 minutes.

Just my 2 cents.

 Josephus, here's your change:

 I don't know what rock you crawled out from under, but the neanderthallic shit you've dragged out with you makes me want to punch you repeatedly in the face until you die and the mortician has to try to reconstruct your face from a photo and your mother still doesn't recognize you. What kind of fucking MORON thinks child abuse instills respect and obedience? You're a fucking waste of human flesh. There isn't a pit low enough in hell, there isn't a torment in Serbia that is sufficient for you. Stop reading my blog, Josephus. I don't want you or ANYONE like you learning from me. Anyone agree with fucktard? Get the fuck off my blog.

My kids are respectful and obedient. Out of love, not fear.

Trapped!

For two days, I was chained in a basement room about ten feet by ten feet square, fearing for my life should I venture out. My home had been invaded by miniature alien creatures from our own planet: other people's kids.

We had a sleep over. 5 kids under the age of 8, plus two thirteen-year-olds who stayed in my eldest's room unless they were skating. I've stood in the stinking clouds of hell's minions, and I'd rather face demons than other people's kids.

If you have kids that are brats, keep them at home. My youngest daughter was a brat for a year or so, and we didn't let her go anywhere until she demonstrated she could play unsupervised without being a little ... selfish human. You know if your kid is an evil selfish monster. If they are, keep them home, for pity's sake.

When I look at the kids I know, my own and others', I can't help but wonder how in the living fuck magicians ever used them as scrying assistants. They won't even sit still for five minutes, let alone act right for the durtion of a ceremony. "Gabriel is showing me a cup with silver water in it. He's pouring it into a golden stream... I gotta pee!!!"

Ibeh-geh. Screw that. My inner child can handle it.

On the Paths

Jason recently posted about the Left and Right Hand Paths of mysticism and magic. From the comments, I can tell there's a lot of different understandings of what the LHP and RHP are all about. Jason's post explains that he's addressing the role of passions of the mind in your practice. Those of the LHP, sez he, attempt to use the passions in moderation, following Paracelsus' famous axiom that it is the dose that determines the poison. Those of the RHP, he says, attempt to avoid the passions altogether.

Fr. Resurgere sees Thelema as LHP, and Christianity as RHP. Apuleius sees LHP as anything not socially acceptable, and RHP as anything socially acceptable. K. Sequoia has an understanding of LHP/RHP closer along the lines to my own, judging by her Feri blog: the LHP is Service-to-Self-oriented, on the surface, while the RHP is Service-to-Others-oriented, again, only on the surface. (Any mis-categorizations can be clarified in the comments, and I apologize in advance. Nothing summed up ever quite communicates the whole.)

My own comment was made in passing, and Jason mentions the point I was making in passing in his post:

... you do personally kind of have to pick one approach or the other for yourself, at least until you can transcend the whole shibang and deal with causality as such ...

When you get into any path, you'll soon find yourself doing both LHP and RHP Work. Thelemites help little old ladies carry in their groceries, and the Blake OTO lodge in my area has a Toys for Tots thing they do throughout the year. Many fervent Christians and Pagans are some of the most materialistic and selfish people you'll ever meet. Hell, I'm a Christian who conjures demons and quotes Crowley as often as the Bible, and I can rarely get through a post without swearing.

But like Jason says, eventually you transcend LHP and RHP. Let these two asses be set to grind corn. It's such a waste of time worrying about it. Worry more about why you still need a label to describe yourself than picking one, sez I. There's nothing more selfish than a RHP person; they're doing it for themselves, yo. There's nothing more giving than a LHP person; you just don't want what they're giving most days. ;)

I like the idea that it's about passions more than the target of your actions. Even in that paradigm of the dichotomy (dichotomies got pradigms!), there's still going to be times when the RHP person uses ecstatic mystical exercises to attain, and there will be times when the LHP person subdues their passion to gain control over it. We're all ambidextrous in practice, and creating terms and conditions to apply to these terms is ... well, it's not turd polishing, but it's still pretty useless.

Fuck the LHP/RHP bullshit. Do magic, for yourself and others, and have fun. YOU are but an EYE; what eye none knoweth.* Skip witches, hop toads, take your pleasure! For the play of the Universe is the pleasure of YOU.

* Yeah, I said it, and yes, yes it is unsuited for your Grade. Because you've got EYES. And you're READING THIS. But I don't care anymore. I'm sayin' it because I got to.

Holy Goetia! (and a brief Chaos Magic Bash, and the Secret to Magical Power in General)

Argh!

I spent the last two days drawing ut all 72 spirits' seals from the Lemegeton's Goetia by hand for my Goetic Grimoire. I'm finally finished scanning them all into the computer (I drew them on 3 sheets of paper, and then broke them into 73 image files, 2 fer Bune). Now I get to modernize their descriptions, and add my own commentary on the ones I've Worked.

I recently said on a message board that you can "literally sketch their seals on a piece of paper and have them start manifesting in your life." I meant, of course, if you sketch it with the intent to conjure them. There's no underestimating the power of intent. Agrippa even mentions that it is the intention of the magician that determines what spirit we receive.

He was speaking in the context of Spirits who are different entities, but share the same name. There's a minor debate among traditionalist magicians about whether there are more than one spirit with the same name, or one spirit that can be in multiple places at once. I haven't had any problems with that part of magic in general, so I don't really give a shit which is true.

But a fellow magician recently mentioned that he believes the seals of the Goetia function the same as the sigils of chaos magicians. My hackles rose, of course, and I quick fired off a response basically saying that the difference is seals of spirits are revealed, sigils of chaos magicians are created by the mage, and you get weak results from Chaos Sigils as a result because most magicians haven't done the work to get the power to have the right to dictate reality by drawing the sigils. My standard line of shit, I suppose.

But I've been thinking about it a lot today. Having just drawn out 73 seals, and feeling the awareness of the Spirits of the Lem's Goetia turn towards me en masse, I know there's inherent power in the Seals that just isn't there in Chaos Magic sigils, no matter how much spooge the average adolescent mage pumps into them. At the same time, I know people who can draw the Seals and have nothing whatsoever happen at all, even though they are totally intentionally trying to get in touch with the spirits.

And furthermore, I know some folks who are chaos magicians who swear they get the same results from their Chaos tech that I get from the traditional seals. I don't doubt them at all. I think they get the same mediocre results from both because (and here it comes, the big reveal) the amount of power you have access to in Spirit Conjure magic is directly proportional to the amount of power you have as a magician.

Initiated magicians who have received empowerment and authority from their relationships with the spirits, specifically the 7 Governors of the Planetary Spheres, have more power to fuel their intent than magicians who don't have any initiation, experience, or empowerment.

And there's the Source of the power of the rituals. The spirits of the grimoires are spirits that have power to make things happen spiritually by their Will and their Status in the overall hierarchies. They were made to work with magicians in accomplishing our Wills. Human beings, on the other hand, simply aren't in the same class as the spirits. We have the ability to create new things because we're made in the image of God, but we aren't the Spirits. We're the Magicians. There's a difference. We're the fulcrum between the manifest and unmanifest, but they're the ones that oversee the transition between the two. We give form to their powers in Magic.

So, I'm thinking the degree of initiation of a magician, the degree of empowerment we have is what determines the degree of our results in our magical activities. A magician can craft a sigil to represent their desired outcome, but to make it manifest, they need to be able to direct the Powers and Principalities (and Thrones, Dominions, etc.). Without the empowerment, it's an un-intent-ed sketch, and nothing more.

But man, by the time I was done drawing out those seals, I could feel their eyes on me. I explained what I'm up to, and they understood I wasn't specifically, intentionally conjuring them. They went back to their business, and I went back to mine. I understand why there aren't a lot of these things on the market. Writing this thing has taken a great deal of awareness and control.