Goetia Errors

Perhaps the most famous of Goetic grimoires is the Lesser Key of Solomon, or the Lemegeton's Goetia. It's everywhere you look when it comes to conjuring demons, and most of my readers know I'm o exception. I use the spirits of the Lem's Goetia frequently, and with great success.

In a recent post to the Grimorium Verum yahoo group, a magician expressed her frustration with the grimoire, and questioned the spirit-friendly approach many modern traditionalists are adopting in their approach to these spirits. She had performed a conjuration of the same spirit three times and failed to get her desired results each time. She was questioning whether the spirits of this grimoire just sit around and do nothing if they aren't constrained by all the curses and threats of the Lem's Goetia, and any success that happened was mere coincidence.

This is pretty typical, in my experience. Magicians see that Bune bestows riches on a man, and do a Bune rite to win the lottery. They lose and torture the spirit's seal. I'm totally guilty of that myself, in my early operations. Never mind that I totally screwed up the rite, or that I was completely inexperienced in working with the spirit at all.

In my Modern Goetic Grimoire, I attempt to dispel some of the bullshit that surrounds this grimoire. Most of it is in the minds of the magician. Expectations run high, and the spirits "fail" a lot when you expect them to deliver something beyond their abilities. That's why over the years I have tried to tell people frequently that you need to conjure different spirits if you don't get the results you seek, or conjure them in a different way. Above all else, ask them why they aren't doing what you want, ask them to show you how to use them to accomplish your end result. Simply telling a spirit to make you rich isn't going to make you rich, unfortunately. Jason Miller addresses the relativity of the concept of "rich" in his Sorecerer's Secrets, and I think his insight is invaluable.

The chief failure of Goetic magic lies not in the system or the spirits of the system, but in the magicians themselves. They think that following the steps blindly will result in huge payoffs. They are only in it for what they want, not for what the system is designed to provide. Bad news, greed heads and lust-maddened sex fiends, the primary purpose of the Lesser Key is to provide you with knowledge. It's a pantheon of professors, highly skilled in providing you with the information obtained traditionally in a liberal arts degree from an institution of learning. They can do things on the side, like make people fall in love or get you rich, but the way they do it is seldom lines up with our expectations.

The first impulse is to question the system or the efficacy of the spirits. Some even question the efficacy of magic itself. To me this is like a person who builds a doghouse for the first time questioning the efficacy of their hammer if it turns out to look like shit. Magic is an art like many others, and requires dedication and experience to understand how to use it effectively. Conjuring the spirits is relatively easy, but understanding them and how they work takes time.

So if you're a new conjuring magician and you've tried to win the lotto and failed, or tried to sleep with the boss's daughter and failed, don't blame the spirits. It's your inexperience primarily that's causing the failures. Learn from the spirits, their primary role is to provide an education. Use them for this first, and the side benefits will roll in like the tides.

On Tyche, Goddess of Fortune

Tyche is a lovely lass, oft maligned by the unfortunate, yet turned to by the masses in times of trial. She is, in person, nice enough, yet pensive. There's something in her face that speaks of both a willingness to help and an inability to do so in all cases. She is a power under authority, and is as much a servant of the Fates as the rest of us are. She can be a mitigating force in all endeavors, bringing opportunities to escape doom, and yet she cannot tell you what those opportunities are. She has been accused of being fickle, but usually by those who think they deserve more than they get out of life.

I recently printed out a picture of the Lady Fortune carrying the babe Pluto and her cornucopia, with her Orphic Hymn on the side. I burned some Frankincense, as indicated by the hymn, and read the hymn aloud to her, seeking her aid in acquiring a paying position, something more reliable and better able to meet the expenses I've gathered over the years than the periodic windfalls I've been getting the last couple of months. She is sitting above my altar now, and within a week of petitioning her, two employers contacted me and scheduled interviews. Considering that in the last month and a half I've only had two interviews, I consider it fortunate to have these opportunities arise.

Yet in my line of work, this is the time of year that work picks up. The government's fiscal year begins in October, so between the last weeks of September and November, there are usually a large number of contracts awarded and support teams hired. In this economy, there are thousands of people available to companies with college degrees and specialized experience in particular fields, and the Human Resource departments of most corporations have their pick of the best at hand. Since I've never managed to complete college, my resume usually ends up at the bottom of a pile of potential candidates, despite ten years of experience in my field. It's annoying, I promise.

So there are constraints that Tyche works within, as there are for all spirits that we turn to in magic to accomplish our will. They all work within the bounds of Natural Law, leaving coincidence and synchronicity as their calling cards. Two interviews within a week of the conjuration is the kind of coincidence I've learned to interpret as a successful result.

It's interesting to me that I turned to Tyche for this operation. I've worked with Bune and the Archangels of the Planets primarily for the last few years for acquiring income and cash windfalls. I've been very successful with these spirits, and even in this dry spell I've managed to get everything I needed in spite of very ugly circumstances with their help.

It was Iamblichus who sent me to the gods. Kathy McDonald left an encouraging comment on my Iamblichus post from last week indicating her disagreement with my interpretation of the gods as the Intelligences of the planets. This drew my attention to the fact that I don't work with deities much. As a Christian, I give more weight to the Monad than any other deity, and I've never really been that interested in the personalities of the Names of God as they manifest within the different spheres beyond tapping into their vibration to aid in conjuring their relative spirits. I know the Monad, what interest have I in "lesser" manifestations of its glory?

Yet this pride is a weakness. I realize now that the Monad manifested as these deities on purpose. Tyche is the goddess of Fortune, as well as the Fortune of God. Likewise, Zeus is the god of Lightning, and the Lightning of God, Aries the god of War and the War of God. To truly know God, I need to know not only the details surrounding the chain of manifestation through the spheres, I need to know his personality a he expresses it through the gods and goddesses of the spheres.

I could go through the Sephiroth of the Hebrews, and get to know him through the Names of God revealed in each of the spheres, and I may do that at some point. It's more appealing in some ways to stick to the Judeo aspect of my Judeo-Christian heritage. Growing up, it was engrained in me that the gods of the pagans were demons, after all, and demons are servants of Satan, fallen beings of darkness and evil, right? I mean, that's what the evangelicals taught me.

But in my Work, I've learned to read. Literacy has ever been the enemy of those who would rule by exploiting ignorance. The Greek text of Paul that was included in the Bible that says the gods of pagans are demons doesn't say they are demons at all. It says they are Daimons. Messengers. Spirits. It is the weak faith of the immature Christians that Paul says makes him refuse to eat meat offered to pagan gods, not any intrinsic uncleanliness within the meat itself. He often says in his epistles that he would not have his brethren in Christ be ignorant, yet the doctrine of pagan gods as demons is entirely based on ignorance. Like all spirits, they are manifestations of divinity accomplishing their assigned tasks on behalf of their assigned sphere of influence, including their people. Tyche is as much a god of my own as she is of any pagan.

On Reading Golden Dawn Blogs for Fun and Enlightenment

In a recent exchange of posts, the good Fraters Dean Wilson and Nick Farrell, two of the grand total of five Golden Dawn members I know and/or respect (the rest of the GD folk make me queasy when they start going on about how the LBRP is a really deep ritual) are having a discussion about their costumes they wear when they do rituals.

It seems that there are a lot of potential layers to a GD ritual costume. When they dress up and do magic, there are robes that go with certain offices, and in addition to these they have sashes they wear that indicate their grades within the order. These two magicians (again, two of the five GD folk I respect) are discussing the wearing of the Grade Sash during an initiation. Nick is against the idea, and Dean agrees, listing several good reasons not to wear the grade sash during an initiation. They all look good to me. If I were leading a GD order, there would be no sash wearing during initiations.

Ok, that said...

Do they get badges to sew on their sashes? Do they get special badges if they sell the most cookies in the Order? If they collect one of every badge, do they turn into the superhero known as the Mighty Bee!? 

Which brings me to my main point: Item number 5 of Dean's list indicates that "Sashes and grades are notorious for inflating the ego..." How in the living fuck is that possible? I'd be MORTIFIED to be seen in wearing that silly getup. You're a grown man (or woman) playing dress-up! And you're going to let your COSTUME give you an ego problem that will somehow klooge up the "energies" of the initiation?

Disastrous consequences, my friends, disastrous indeed.

Speaking of GD folks that I respect, I haven't made much mention of one of my favorite recent additions to the list of blogs that I follow. The fellow's name is Fr. AIT, and he's got a blog where he discusses his magical pursuits.

Most of my regular readers know that teasing the GD about their sashes is the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to my feelings of that particular interpretation of the Great Work. Years ago, I had an outright hostility and vehement animosity towards the organization, a seething contempt brought on by the antics of the outer heads of the EOGD, the HOGD, and Toth-Hermes 2.

This only began to change after I learned that a traditional grimoiric magician that I respect deeply also happens to be a leader of a Golden Dawn order. He was the first GD person I knew who wasn't an absolute dick the majority of the time. Hardly ever, in fact. Since then, I've met a (very select) few others, and have slowly grown to accept that for some people, the Golden Dawn is a useful path that produces true spiritual transformation.

Fr. AIT is one of these fellows. I found his blog a few months ago, and his experiences in the spheres paralleled my own. He was reporting results completely in harmony with what I find in the Seven Heavens when I do the Work. He was actually DOING the MAGIC of the Great Work, and it was effective, even with the hexagrams, pentagrams, and Kircher Tree of Life they use. So I've been reading with interest as he talks about the things he does.

Today, he posted a neat article about the New Moon, and I figured out what it is about the magicians I respect who are GD. They do practical magic in addition to their Grade Work. They aren't afraid of their magic. It's not all in their heads. They didn't read the Kybalion and decide that it's all mental psychological therapy in ritual form, they actually expect their magic to aid them in changing the universe according to their will.

His blog is called Heavens Under Earth, and it's a good read.

The other GD members I respect don't, for the most part, post their affiliations or grades online. They're embarrassed by the antics of the more public personalities that represent their order, but they are compassionate in their judgment. I won't list them because it's their call to let people know their affiliations if they're interested.

Chaplet of St. Michael: Christian Merkavah

I love my friends. Their belief systems and interests run the gamut of what you may find in the occult. I've got obscure branches of Buddhism, initiates of the Golden Dawn, initiates of the OTO, Neo-Pagan Wiccan High Priests, Tantrickas, Voudou priests, Root Doctors, and a whole slew of folks who implement the practices of Agrippa and other traditional magical systems.

The other day, one of my friends sent me a link to the Chaplet of St. Michael the Archangel. I'm an advocate for going through the Spheres and Working with the Spirits of each sphere to gain initiation into the powers of said sphere. The Boss of the Realm gives you access to and insight into using the powers represented by each sphere. This helps you in your daily life, because it changes you and makes you more powerful, more able to influence the way your life manifests directly, consciously. Understanding how things manifest, you're able to see what stage of manifestation each situation is in, and you can forecast what might come based on your understanding of where in the process of manifestation different parts of your life are in.

In addition, initiation into the spheres grants you additional authority, for lack of a better word, in dealing with the spirits of that sphere. Lunar rituals I do after being initiated into the Sphere of the Moon by Gabriel will be more effective because of the knowledge and experience received. That doesn't mean that prior to initiation the rites would fail, it just means I'll be better able to direct the spirits of the Moon when I do Work with them.

The Chaplet of St. Michael is a very Catholic prayer that takes the person through the spheres of the Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominions, Powers, Virtues, Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. In the prayer you intercede with Michael the Archangel to have him run interference between you and the choirs. When I see things like this, I understand why Otter always said everyone's HGA is Michael.

Those familiar with the ranks of the Choirs of Angels by Dionysius the Areopagite  will see that each of the spheres of Agrippa's Scale of the Number Ten are represented, with Man, the "angelic choir" of the Earth represented by being the recipient of the effects of the prayer. The following table may help provide insight:

Sphere	Choir	What the Choir does for Man
Sphere of the Prime Mover	Seraphim	grant us grace to leave the ways of wickedness and run in the paths of Christian perfection
Sphere of the Zodiac or Fixed stars	Cherubim	make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity
Saturn	Thrones	infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility
Jupiter	Dominions	grace to govern our senses and subdue our unruly passions
Mars	Powers	protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil
The Sun	Virtues	preserve us from evil, an suffer us not to fall into temptation
Venus	Principalities	fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience
Mercury	Archangels	Give us perseverance in faith and in good works, in order that we gain the glory of Paradise
Moon	Angels	grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted hereafter to eternal glory

"Grant us the grace to leave the ways of wickedness and run in the paths of Christian perfection." How many perfect Christians do you know? Christian perfection is considered positional in Christian theology. We don't think we are perfect in our daily actions, we recognize that we make mistakes, we aren't perfect in everything we do. At the same time, we recognize that we are perfect by God's grace. He forgives the failures and the mistakes because he loves us. The Monad-First-Father sees us in our imperfect state, but accepts us anyway. Grace is a gift given in spite of the imperfections. It comes from God seeing past the temporary imperfections caused by living within the boundaries of space-time in the material realm to the perfect Ideal person that is made in his own image.

Notice that the grace requested from the Sphere of the Prime Mover is the grace to leave the paths of wickedness and run in paths of Christian Perfection. In some doctrines of Christian theology, this points to the concept of "progressive sanctification." We aren't perfect, but we're being made more perfect over time. The paths of wickedness are marked by the sinful acts delineated in the ten commandments. From a magical point of view, "sin" can be considered those things we do that keep us from our true power and authority. We don't want to stop sinning just so God will love us, because that's not how his love works. He loves us anyway. That's grace. We want to stop sinning because sin has as much power to create as any other act. A choice made that falls in the category of "sin" will result in your universe manifesting things that are not going to get you closer to God. The closer to God you get, the more authority, empowerment, and magical talent you get.

At the same time, it's grace that empowers you to turn away from sin. Grace is the fuel that powers the engine for more Grace.

It comes from the sphere of the Prime Mover. I think it's interesting that it's not associated with Jupiter. Most Judeo-Christian systems basically put God the Father in Jupiter. He is Jove-Jehovah, Lord of Grace and Mercy for most Christians. But the grace spoken of here isn't from Jupiter. It's from the pre-manifest sphere. Before it can even be expressed by the Word, the grace to overcome wickedness and walk in perfection exists. Acknowledging this and seeking the manifestation of this truth in our lives leads to more authority and more responsibility. With more responsibility comes more pay; the rewards of doing the right thing are lavish.

I think it's interesting that the Cherubim are called before the Seraphim in this ritual. Either the Catholics have a different cosmology than Agrippa, or they approach the Sphere of the Prime Mover after going through the Sphere of the Zodiac, or Fixed Stars. I don't know which, but I'm thinking you can't really approach the Prime Mover until you've been to the Sphere of the Fixed Stars, maybe.

From the choirs of the spirits of the sphere of the Zodiac, they seek to be made "worthy" to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Charity in Christian theology can best be understood by thinking of Compassion in Buddhism, I think. It doesn't simply mean giving to the poor. Originally, it meant "love." The sphere of the Zodiac is "above" the spheres of the planets. It is the source-realm, where the thoughts from the Mind of God are expressed in Words by the Logos.

In this sphere, the rite seeks the aid of the spirits in being made worthy. When I see worth mentioned in spiritual activities, I'm reminded of the Race and Value spoken of by Plotinus in the Enneads. Understanding our divine Race and our eternal Value gives an understanding of our Worth. In this rite, we are calling on the spirits of the Cherubim to make us holy enough to manifest compassion, or charity. We need an initiation into this sphere to understand that all things are connected, equally valued manifestations of the Mind of God. When we can appreciate the value of ourselves and others, and the things in our world, we will have compassion. When we see that evil is as much a part of the plan as good, and that it all works together, we can truly begin to love our enemies.

The Cherubs guarded over the Ark of the Covenant, the physical manifestation of the agreement between God and Man under the dispensation of the Law. This ritual implies that to truly fulfil the Law (which Jesus said required only honoring God and loving your neighbor as yourself) you must first be changed so that you can understand compassion.

From the Thrones of Saturn, the prayer seeks humility. Saturn is the sphere of boundaries, of limitation, and the demarcation of the beginning of a thing and the end of a thing. By accepting the limits as they are, as manifestations of God's Will in the Universe at large, by being humble, we are able to say, "This is where the thing stands as it is now." By removing the desires we have to change a thing, we can understand where it is and why it is where it is.

For example, I'm currently unemployed, and I need more money coming in than I have in order to sustain my lifestyle. I've already had to make cutbacks in my expenditures to manage to survive. Wanting a solution, I've been focusing on getting more income. I've been focusing on what I think will solve the problem.

Humility is not setting aside what I want, necessarily. It manifests in seeing things as they really are. Understanding that this phase of my life involves insecurity allows me to approach things differently. Accepting that I'm unemployed is necessary for me to be able to take appropriate action. Knowing this phase of my life has a beginning means that it also has an ending, and being humble enough to step back and see the facts, instead of arrogantly pursuing solutions allows me the insight to take appropriate action rather than reacting out of fear and anxiety. Pride and arrogance can become confidence and ability in the heart of a humble person.

From the Dominions, we seek the grace to govern our senses and subdue our passions. Jupiter here is representing the authoritative structures of our reality. Jupiter governs corporate management, and state governments. It is also the ability to rule over ourselves.

Modern self-help authors have tapped into the understanding that we program ourselves through our senses. The programmer's axiom "Garbage in, garbage out" is applied to out minds. Books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad (which I finally read, and recommend), or The Secret teach people to monitor what goes into the brain and what comes out of it. We're taught that by controlling what comes through our senses, we gain control over what manifests in our lives. Affirmations of positive things result in positive manifestations. Studying ways to make money brings about ways to make money. The power to manage what we experience in order to accomplish what we desire comes from the spirits of Jupiter, the Dominions.

And speaking of desires, the other side of what we're seeking in this prayer is the power to subdue our passions. As Buddhism teaches, desire is the root of sorrow. Many times we get caught up in the passions for our desires to the point where we lose sight of charity and humility. Last week I did magic to make other applicants for a job I wanted botch their interviews. While it was a good strategic approach, I still didn't get the job because I didn't control the passion for the job enough to see that it wasn't the right job for me. Instead of seeking the Saturnine understanding of the job in humility, I leaped into trying to dominate the situation in ignorance and pride. Rather than hire me when everyone botched their interviews, they brought in someone else that wasn't in the lineup when I did the ritual.

If I had the grace to subdue the passion I had for getting that job, I would have been able to understand indications from the interview that revealed this wasn't the right job for me. In retrospect, after finding out I didn't get the position, I can see how they needed someone with different skill sets, and that I would have been out of my element. Their deadline made it impossible for them to accommodate ramping up my skill sets to their need.

Passions of the flesh and lower parts of the spirit, like the Nephesh, are traps for those who are not seeking God. Thinking more money would fix all our problems, allowing fear to chain us to careers that ensure continued wage slavery, these kinds of mistakes in our understanding result in passions for things that will not bring what we really want, which is usually peace of mind. A sports story the other day on the radio talked about how a champion of football once said, "If you're not enough of a man without winning the superbowl, what makes you think you'll be enough of a man if you do win?" Thinking like this separates our desired outcome from the (usually) wrong association with whatever passion we have. Wanting to win to be a winner is more honest than wanting to win to be a better man. If you're a better man, you will win. Be the better man first, and the inevitable results will follow. The trap of passion is confusing the result with the true goal.

Man, this post is getting much longer than anticipated. I could keep analyzing the Chaplet for you from a Christian Neo-Platonic point of view, but I'm sure you can figure out the rest. Mars protects against the devil, or "evil daimon," the Sun preserves us and keeps our thoughts golden, Venus fills us with obedience (the true spirit of obedience, like following true will for thelemites), Mercury gives endurance in our good works so we get the prize for selling the most candy (sorta),  and the Angels of the Moon aid the HGA in transforming our flesh into the Rainbow Body.

Ok, it doesn't SAY that, but it's what it means.

Anyway, this prayer outlines the types of things we're supposed to be doing in our Magical Work. It outlines the daily goals. The link Jason sent has it in Latin too, how cool is that?

The Role of Spirits in Divination

Earlier today, I was reading Iamblichus, and I came across Section III, Chapter Eighteen. He's continuing to argue with Porphyry about Magic. Porphyry and Iamblichus had both been students of Plotinus, but Porphyry applied his education in contemplation and philosophy, while Iamblichus moved to Egypt and pursued the Theurgic arts. Porphyry sent one of Iamblichus' students a letter challenging the presumptions of the Theurgists, and Iamblichus' response, "On the Mysteries," has become a fabulous tool for gaining insight into the Hermetic magical practices of their day. For Neoplatonic magicians, this stuff is pure gold.

Iamblichus has been explaining and correcting the assumptions of Porphyry throughout the work, taking Porphyry's letter apart piece by piece, much like you see on heated discussions on message boards today. It's an ancient tradition, these flame wars. Iamblichus was a bit more polite than most of us modern folks, but you can still feel the heat.


In Section III, he's addressing questions Porphyry raised about divination. I've been into divination lately, out of a frustrating lack of insight into what I'm supposed to be doing with my life to bring more instant solutions to my outstanding problems. What I've found is that I don't have nearly the grip on interpreting prophecy that I thought I did. I'm tackling Geomancy hard core though, so part of it might be an unfamiliarity with a new system. I did a tarot reading the other day that was truly magical.

But in Chapter XVIII, he turns to the role of Spirits, whether Divine, Angelic, or Daimonic in the role of divination:

ANOTHER contest, however, awaits us, not less than that in which we have been before engaged, and which you immediately announce, concerning the causes of divination,  "whether a God, an angel, or a daemon, or some other power, is present in manifestations, or divinations, or certain other sacred energies." But our reply to your question is simply this, that it is not possible for any thing to be performed in a manner adapted to sacred concerns in divine works, without the presence of some one of the more excellent natures, as inspecting and giving completion to the sacred energy. And where the felicitous operations are perfect, sufficient to themselves, and unindigent, of these the Gods are the leaders. but where they are media, and in a small degree fall short (164) of the extremes, they have angels as the powers that perfect and unfold them into light. And it is the province of daemons to effect those operations which rank as the last. But the right performance of actions which are effected in a divine manner, is entirely to be ascribed to some one of the more excellent natures. For since it is not possible to speak rightly about the Gods without the Gods, much less can any one perform works which are of an equal dignity with divinity, and obtain the foreknowledge of every thing without [the inspiring influence of] the Gods. 

So depending on the type of divination you're doing, you'll be working with either a God, an Angel or a Daimon if you're going to be effective. The "energy" that makes the divination work comes from the presence of the spirit.

Most of our divination practices fall into the "media" type, using various forms of sortilege, using some form of divinatory device to see into the future. These, he explains, "have angels as the powers that perfect and unfold them into light."

Iamblichus separated the types of spirits that we deal with into classes of Gods, Angels, and Daimons. Heroes, too, but those were humans of divine descent, which magicians are aware of being. Gods are the intelligences of the Planets and the spheres above the 7 planetary spheres. In the Greek pantheon, the planets were considered to be the celestial representations of the Gods. Mars was Mars, Venus was Venus. When they worked with "Gods" in their rituals, they were working with the divine aspects of the planetary spheres, or those of the Fixed stars, or higher.

When Iamblichus talks about Angels, he's talking about the spirits that are a phase more dense than the Divine spirits. In my cosmology, his "Angels" are my "Spirits" of the planets. They are closer to matter and can speak through the influence of whatever physical objects we use in divination.

The Daimons he refers to are the terrestrial spirits closest to matter. These may include the Genii Loci, the natural spirits of the land around any given location. River spirits, tree spirits, and even local Heroes can be considered Genii Loci. The Daimons he refers to may also also include the Spirits of the Goetia, or even some aspects of the Enochian Angels.

So when performing a divination ritual, it's important to include the appropriate spirit for the job.

Reading this in Iamblichus, I remembered this isn't the only place I've read about conjuring the appropriate spirit before performing a divination lately. Jason Miller covers this detail in Sorcerer's Secrets. If I remember right, the little book of card descriptions that came with the Crowley Toth Deck included an invocation of a specific spirit before performing the reading too.