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This is a rough transcript of my presentation on the Angels of the Zodiac that I gave at Leaping Laughter Lodge in Minneapolis this last Saturday. A longer and more detailed treatment of this material can be found in the new limited edition anthology Liber Spirituum, currently available from Azoth Press.
Most of the attention of the Western magical tradition seems to be directed at the systems of the elements and planets. To some extent this has to do with how most schools and teachers structure the magical path. First, students learn to work with the elements during their “Outer Order” work, and then work with the planets to perform “Inner Order” operations. The signs of the Zodiac are attributed to the second sephira, Chockmah, and therefore from a sephirothic perspective represent a higher level system than the previous two.
However, in addition to this sephira, Liber 777 attributes the signs of the Zodiac to twelve of the twenty-two paths on the Tree of Life, and these attributions are used for practical Zodiacal magick. These operations are performed in a similar manner to the planetary work, and involve conjuring the appropriate angel by the appropriate divine name. In this form the signs represent forces of the natural world, and it is not necessary to have attained realization of Chockmah in order to work with them.
The terms “Angel” and “Demon” are thrown around a lot by organized Christianity, and they are generally defined in a simplistic manner. Angels are good, and Demons are evil. Obviously, though, this is little more than a value judgment than a technical distinction. In the real world, spirits may be classified as Celestial or Cthonic, according to their particular natures. Celestial spirits are attributed to sky and the stars, while Chthonic spirits are attributed to the earth and the underworld.
According to Christian dogma, Celestial spirits are good spirits called angels and work for God, and Chthonic spirits are evil spirits called Demons and work for Satan. The real spirit world is far less organized; you cannot determine how a spirit will be disposed towards you as a magician based solely on its sphere of influence. While it is true that in general, Cthonic spirits tend to be more hostile and Celestial spirits tend to be friendlier, the various spirits have individual personalities just like humans do. So there are plenty of hostile Celestials and friendly Cthonics.
I use the term Angel for the purposes of this presentation because the spirits of the Zodiac are clearly Celestials. Just try not to let the term fool you. Celestials can differ substantially from the orthodox Christian description, so you need to work with them on their own terms. It is far better to approach them in a firm but friendly manner than it is to threaten or try to coerce them. Just like people, spirits tend to return the treatment that they receive.
According to Liber 777, the following powers are attributed to the twelve signs:
Table 1. Signs and Powers
As you can see, these powers allow for many useful practical operations. In order to employ them in a ritual context, you start by constructing the angel’s sigil, and then conjure the angel using the proper god-name and ceremonial forms. From there, the charge and license to depart are pretty much the same as in any other magical operation.
First off, we need the angel names and the corresponding godnames for the signs. These can be found in the column labeled “Geomantic Intelligences.” In Magick Without Tears, Aleister Crowley writes of these intelligences:
Much as the god-names used in the standard pentagram and hexagram rituals are referred to as “God-Names in Assiah,” this implies that the angels of the signs are those zodiacal entities which are most affiliated with Assiah, which is the most material of the four Qabalistic worlds and attributed to the element of Earth. Therefore, these angels are well-suited to all manner of practical magical operations according to their particular powers.
The angels of the Zodiac are named as follows:
Table 2. Angels of the Zodiac with God-names
The sigil of the Angel is constructed by tracing the name onto the Kamea of the ruling planet. Kameas are called “magic squares” in mathematics, and relate the sigil to the number associated with its ruling planet. So, for example, the sigil for Melchiadel should be traced on the Mars Kamea, since the planet Mars rules the sign Aries.
First, you break the name down into its Hebrew spelling, provided in the table above, and attribute each letter to the corresponding gematric number. Melchiadel would therefore be:
Mem (40)-Lamed(30)-Kaph(20)-Yod(10)-Daleth(4)-Aleph(1)-Lamed(30)
The Kamea for Mars is 5 x 5, so the highest number found in it is 25. Therefore, the numbers above 25 should be reduced by the Qabalah of Nine Chambers method so that they can be traced onto the square. This reduces Mem from 40 to 4 and Lamed from 30 to 3. You start your sigil with a small circle, and end with a short line perpendicular to the direction of tracing. So the completed sigil for Melchiadel looks something like this:
Table 1. Sigil of Melchiadel
You do not need to include the numbers of the Kamea or the grid itself as part of your sigil, but they will not negatively impact your operation and they make the sigil easier to trace.
Planetary operations are affected by planetary hours, and zodiacal operations are no exception. Each sign is ruled by a planet, and belongs to a sect. The sects are nocturnal and diurnal, that is, night and day. Planetary hours for Zodiacal operations can be calculated just like those for planetary operations with a single additional step.
To calculate planetary hours, divide the hours from sunrise to sunset into twelve equal parts, and the hours from sunset to the following sunrise into twelve equal parts. The first twelve parts represent the hours of the day, and the next twelve the hours of the night. You then start with the first hour of the day and attribute to that hour the planet that rules the day. So you would attribute the first hour of the day to the Sun on a Sunday, the Moon on a Monday, Mars on a Tuesday, and so forth.
Then you attribute each subsequent hour to the next planet in sequence, according to an arrangement called the Chaldean order. This order is as shown here.
Saturn --> Jupiter --> Mars --> Sun --> Venus --> Mercury --> Moon
When you get to the end of this sequence, you just start over with Saturn. This lets you assign a planet to each hour of the day and each hour of the night. If you delve deeper into this and look at how it works across multiple days, you will see why the planets are attributed to the days of the week as they are. The first hour of the next day always represents the next planet in the sequence.
For Zodiacal operations, then, each sign has a ruling planet and a sect, diurnal or nocturnal. So to find the hours attributed to a sign, find the hours of the ruling planet during the day or night, depending on the sign’s sect.
Table 3. Signs, Rulers, and Sects
This system is set up according to the idea that the Sun rules the diurnal sect and the Moon rules the nocturnal sect. This is why the Sun and Moon only rule one sign each. The other five planets each rule one diurnal sign and one nocturnal sign. For example, the diurnal aspect of Mars is attributed Aries, while the nocturnal aspect is attributed to Scorpio.
So Aries, a diurnal sign ruled by Mars, corresponds to the Mars hours of the day. Taurus, a nocturnal sign ruled by Venus, corresponds to the Venus hours of the night. And so forth. Your results will be better still if you can perform your operation on the proper day – Tuesday for Aries, Friday for Taurus, and so on. This makes timing for Zodiacal operations slightly more complex than planetary operations, but the closer you can get to the proper time, the better your working should go.
A more involved method employs al-Mubtazz or the Victor of the chart. This is sometimes anglicized as “almuten” in astrology programs. It refers to the strongest planet at the moment you begin your operation, and it is calculated using a formula based on the position of the Sun, position of the Moon, ascendant, House position, and a number of other factors. The formula itself is beyond the scope of this presentation, but if you have software that calculates it, you can use the Victor in place of the planetary hour.
The full method can be found in Hermann of Carinthia's The Search of the Heart, translated and edited by Dr. Benjamin Dykes. Note that I recently posted how to perform the full calculation here.
You still should conform to sect, so cast during the night or day depending on the sign. But beyond that, you will get good results if the Victor is either the planet ruling the sign, or the planet exalted in the sign. If you can choose, rulership is the stronger of the two, but both will work.
Table 4. Rulership and Exaltation
So the example here would be for an Aries operation, you would want the Victor to be Mars because Mars rules Aries. But because the Sun is exalted in Aries, you could substitute a time when the Sun is the Victor and still get good results.
In addition, I highly recommend making use of simple electional timing for any Zodiacal operation.
Once you have selected the time for your operation, you will want to set up the temple accordingly. The basic arrangement should look something like this.
Figure 2. The Temple
The Table of Practice can be of the Trithemian design, something like the Enochian Sigillum Dei Aemeth, or some other sort of custom piece specific to the sign. I have a set of flashing color tablets that I use for my own Zodiacal operations. The crystal in its frame is what you would use if you plan on scrying, and the candles on either side allegedly help with that. In this configuration, the sigil should be placed under the crystal.
The method of placing the candles on either side of the crystal is one of those things some scryers absolutely swear by, so I include it here even though it does absolutely nothing for me personally. My recommendation, though, is that you at least try it out and see because it apparently does work really well for some people.
If you’re not scrying, the position shown above for the crystal is where you would place your spell focus. It could be something like a candle, or a talisman bearing the sigil. Ideally, Zodiacal talismans should be made from the metal appropriate to the ruling planet, but they can also be drawn onto paper or parchment.
Incense is considered an important component for most grimoire operations. Looking through the incense smoke into the crystal helps to produce a sort of guided mosaic effect that allows you to see the spirit when it manifests. Liber 777 includes incenses for all of the signs, and these days even the hard-to-find ones can be tracked down online.
Table 5. Incenses
The one exception to that is ambergris, which is hard to obtain in many countries that prohibit whaling. This includes the United States. However, synthetic versions are available online that are very close to the scent of the real thing and should work just fine. Also, I have been informed that there is (very expensive) legal ambergris available online.
If your spell has an external target, either a similarity or contagion link to that target should be placed within the Table of Art. This could be a photograph, a drawing, or even something like hair or fingernail clippings. These go on top of the sigil so that they will be in direct contact with the Angel when it manifests.
Once you have the sigil created and the temple set up properly for your operation, the basic ritual structure should be familiar to anyone who has read up on my ritual methods.
Table 6. Colors
Some of the Golden Dawn traditions use the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram for Zodiac signs. I follow the directions from Crowley’s Liber O, so I use the Greater Hexagram instead. Each of the signs is associated with an element, so the Greater Pentagram should be a viable way to access them. But as my focus is primarily on practical magick, and the hexagram is macrocosmic rather than microcosmic, I find it to be more appropriate for my own work. Some magicians use both figures, as a sign may be thought of as the overlapping of a planet and an element, but that strikes me as superfluous.
As always, though, my advice is the same. These are my opinions, informed by what has worked well for me in my own practice. If you have a method that works well for you, by all means stick with it whether or not it agrees with my recommendations.
Some groups teach that even if you have already performed the Keyword Analysis during the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram in the opening, you still use it to begin and end the Greater Ritual of the Hexagram. I don’t do that. As I see it, once the Keyword Analysis is done, it’s done. I might use it here if I were working microcosmically and only opened with the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, but I rarely if ever do that. So for the Greater Hexagram, I just go to each of the quarters in turn to make the hexagram, complete the circle, and return to my place.
This is generally followed by what I call a unification statement. A number of magicians I know use the Orphic Hymns in this capacity for the planets, and I wanted to come up with something similar for the signs. So I settled on adapting my statements from Liber 963, which was written by Crowley and J. F. C. Fuller. As designed, Liber 963 is a practice by which the aspirant recites a series of texts on a daily basis. The middle section of the text consists of thirteen sets of statements. The first twelve are attributed to the signs of the Zodiac, and the aspirant is instructed to recite the chapter corresponding to his or her rising sign. The thirteenth chapter, representing “the unity of all things,” is provided for those who do not know their rising signs.
With each section there are thirteen verses, one attributed to each of the twelve signs and a final verse for the sun. Instead of selecting one of the thirteen sections, I instead went through them in order and took from each the one verse attributed to the sign in question. I assembled them together in order, and finished up with the final verse of the “unity” chapter. So for Aries, this admittedly involved method yields the following statement, which I quite like.
Not everybody likes their rituals as wordy as I do, so if you happen to fall into that camp, let me suggest that just the 13th verse, beginning with “O Thou Unity of all things,” can be used on its own and is a perfect encapsulation of the principle embodied by the hexagram keyword ARARITA. The keyword stands for "Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temurato Achad", meaning "One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One.” Thus, it implies the unity of all things.
After the unification statement, you would follow up with the Conjuration, Charge, and License to Depart. The Conjuration consists of repeating a phrase such as this three times. Again, the example given is for Aries.
You then vibrate just the name of the Angel, Melchiadel, until you perceive it within the Table of Art. This might be an image perceived in the crystal, a change in temperature, a general sense of presence, or all of the above. Usually the effect is perceptible, but not particularly flashy, so don’t expect something like you might see on television. Once you perceive the Angel, stop the chant.
The Charge should be crafted carefully in advance, taking into account the Angel’s sphere of influence, the injunction you intend to issue, and any limitations that you wish to place upon it. Celestials like these Angels tend to be smarter than most Chthonic spirits, so they usually can discern your intent and are not quite as literal. Nevertheless, if the path of least resistance for the outcome you want involves some bad or negative consequence, you still will want to rule it out just in case.
This would be the point at which any offerings to the Angel would be given. Offerings can be of many different sorts. You can look up spices, herbs, types of alcohol, and so forth that might be appropriate. Candles also work well. If necessary, place a small container for these within the Table of Practice. When you present the offering, make a statement such as this.
Note that when working with Zodiacal angels, to some extent you are trading speed for power compared to planetary and elemental spirits. Zodiacal spirits are capable of, in effect, moving Heaven and Earth to accomplish your charge, but they are slow. You always want to give spirits some sort of timeline in which to work, but keep in mind that with these entities that timeline will probably need to be longer than you are used to. At the same time, the results can prove much more powerful than those produced by other spirits.
Finally, the License to Depart is similar to the Conjuration.
Depending on the nature of the rite, you would close with either the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram to “detach” from the objective of the spell if you intend it to go out into the world and work independently, or with the Qabalistic Cross on its own if you intend that a connection between you and the objective of the rite remain while it works.
This, then, represents an overview of my method for working with the Angels of the Zodiac. If you would like to pick up a much more detailed treatment of this material, it may be found in the new limited edition anthology Liber Spirituum, currently available from Azoth Press.
Most of the attention of the Western magical tradition seems to be directed at the systems of the elements and planets. To some extent this has to do with how most schools and teachers structure the magical path. First, students learn to work with the elements during their “Outer Order” work, and then work with the planets to perform “Inner Order” operations. The signs of the Zodiac are attributed to the second sephira, Chockmah, and therefore from a sephirothic perspective represent a higher level system than the previous two.
However, in addition to this sephira, Liber 777 attributes the signs of the Zodiac to twelve of the twenty-two paths on the Tree of Life, and these attributions are used for practical Zodiacal magick. These operations are performed in a similar manner to the planetary work, and involve conjuring the appropriate angel by the appropriate divine name. In this form the signs represent forces of the natural world, and it is not necessary to have attained realization of Chockmah in order to work with them.
The terms “Angel” and “Demon” are thrown around a lot by organized Christianity, and they are generally defined in a simplistic manner. Angels are good, and Demons are evil. Obviously, though, this is little more than a value judgment than a technical distinction. In the real world, spirits may be classified as Celestial or Cthonic, according to their particular natures. Celestial spirits are attributed to sky and the stars, while Chthonic spirits are attributed to the earth and the underworld.
According to Christian dogma, Celestial spirits are good spirits called angels and work for God, and Chthonic spirits are evil spirits called Demons and work for Satan. The real spirit world is far less organized; you cannot determine how a spirit will be disposed towards you as a magician based solely on its sphere of influence. While it is true that in general, Cthonic spirits tend to be more hostile and Celestial spirits tend to be friendlier, the various spirits have individual personalities just like humans do. So there are plenty of hostile Celestials and friendly Cthonics.
I use the term Angel for the purposes of this presentation because the spirits of the Zodiac are clearly Celestials. Just try not to let the term fool you. Celestials can differ substantially from the orthodox Christian description, so you need to work with them on their own terms. It is far better to approach them in a firm but friendly manner than it is to threaten or try to coerce them. Just like people, spirits tend to return the treatment that they receive.
According to Liber 777, the following powers are attributed to the twelve signs:
| Sign | Power(s) |
|---|---|
| Aries | Power of Consecrating Things. |
| Taurus | The Secret of Physical Strength. |
| Gemini | Power of Being in Two or More Places at Once, and of Prophecy. |
| Cancer | Power of Casting Enchantments. |
| Leo | Power of Training Wild Beasts. |
| Virgo | Invisibility, Parthenogenesis, Initiation. |
| Libra | Works of Justice and Equilibrium. |
| Scorpio | Necromancy. |
| Sagittarius | Transmutations, Vision of Universal Peacock. |
| Capricorn | The Witches’ Sabbath so-called, the Evil Eye. |
| Aquarius | Astrology. |
| Pisces | Bewitchments, Casting Illusions. |
As you can see, these powers allow for many useful practical operations. In order to employ them in a ritual context, you start by constructing the angel’s sigil, and then conjure the angel using the proper god-name and ceremonial forms. From there, the charge and license to depart are pretty much the same as in any other magical operation.
First off, we need the angel names and the corresponding godnames for the signs. These can be found in the column labeled “Geomantic Intelligences.” In Magick Without Tears, Aleister Crowley writes of these intelligences:
“The first thing to remember about Geomancy is that although the various intelligences are attributed to the twelve signs of the Zodiac they all appertain to the element of earth.”
Much as the god-names used in the standard pentagram and hexagram rituals are referred to as “God-Names in Assiah,” this implies that the angels of the signs are those zodiacal entities which are most affiliated with Assiah, which is the most material of the four Qabalistic worlds and attributed to the element of Earth. Therefore, these angels are well-suited to all manner of practical magical operations according to their particular powers.
The angels of the Zodiac are named as follows:
| Sign | Angel | Spelling in Hebrew | God-name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Melchiadel | Mem-Lamed-Kaph-Yod-Daleth-Aleph-Lamed | YHVh (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) |
| Taurus | Asmodel | Aleph-Samekh-Mem-Vav-Daleth-Aleph-Lamed | YHhV (Yod-Heh-Heh-Vav) |
| Gemini | Ambriel | Aleph-Mem-Beth-Resh-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | YvhH (Yod-Vav-Heh-Heh) |
| Cancer | Muriel | Mem-Vav-Resh-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | HvhY (Heh-Vav-Heh-Yod) |
| Leo | Verachiel | Vav-Resh-Kaph-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | HVYh (Heh-Vav-Yod-Heh) |
| Virgo | Hamaliel | Heh-Mem-Lamed-Aleph-Lamel | HhVY (Heh-Heh-Vav-Yod) |
| Libra | Zuriel | Zayin-Vav-Resh-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | VhYH (Vav-Heh-Yod-Heh) |
| Scorpio | Barachiel | Beth-Resh-Kaph-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | VhHY (Vav-Heh-Heh-Yod) |
| Sagittarius | Advachiel | Aleph-Daleth-Vav-Kaph-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | VYHh (Vav-Yod-Heh-Heh) |
| Capricorn | Hanael | Heh-Nun-Aleph-Lamed | hYHV (Heh-Yod-Heh-Vav) |
| Aquarius | Cambriel | Kaph-Aleph-Mem-Beth-Resh-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | hYVH (Heh-Yod-Vav-Heh) |
| Pisces | Amnitziel | Aleph-Mem-Nun-Yod-Tzaddi-Yod-Aleph-Lamed | hHVY (Heh-Heh-Vav-Yod) |
The sigil of the Angel is constructed by tracing the name onto the Kamea of the ruling planet. Kameas are called “magic squares” in mathematics, and relate the sigil to the number associated with its ruling planet. So, for example, the sigil for Melchiadel should be traced on the Mars Kamea, since the planet Mars rules the sign Aries.
First, you break the name down into its Hebrew spelling, provided in the table above, and attribute each letter to the corresponding gematric number. Melchiadel would therefore be:
Mem (40)-Lamed(30)-Kaph(20)-Yod(10)-Daleth(4)-Aleph(1)-Lamed(30)
The Kamea for Mars is 5 x 5, so the highest number found in it is 25. Therefore, the numbers above 25 should be reduced by the Qabalah of Nine Chambers method so that they can be traced onto the square. This reduces Mem from 40 to 4 and Lamed from 30 to 3. You start your sigil with a small circle, and end with a short line perpendicular to the direction of tracing. So the completed sigil for Melchiadel looks something like this:
Table 1. Sigil of Melchiadel
You do not need to include the numbers of the Kamea or the grid itself as part of your sigil, but they will not negatively impact your operation and they make the sigil easier to trace.
Planetary operations are affected by planetary hours, and zodiacal operations are no exception. Each sign is ruled by a planet, and belongs to a sect. The sects are nocturnal and diurnal, that is, night and day. Planetary hours for Zodiacal operations can be calculated just like those for planetary operations with a single additional step.
To calculate planetary hours, divide the hours from sunrise to sunset into twelve equal parts, and the hours from sunset to the following sunrise into twelve equal parts. The first twelve parts represent the hours of the day, and the next twelve the hours of the night. You then start with the first hour of the day and attribute to that hour the planet that rules the day. So you would attribute the first hour of the day to the Sun on a Sunday, the Moon on a Monday, Mars on a Tuesday, and so forth.
Then you attribute each subsequent hour to the next planet in sequence, according to an arrangement called the Chaldean order. This order is as shown here.
Saturn --> Jupiter --> Mars --> Sun --> Venus --> Mercury --> Moon
When you get to the end of this sequence, you just start over with Saturn. This lets you assign a planet to each hour of the day and each hour of the night. If you delve deeper into this and look at how it works across multiple days, you will see why the planets are attributed to the days of the week as they are. The first hour of the next day always represents the next planet in the sequence.
For Zodiacal operations, then, each sign has a ruling planet and a sect, diurnal or nocturnal. So to find the hours attributed to a sign, find the hours of the ruling planet during the day or night, depending on the sign’s sect.
| Sign | Ruler | Day | Sect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Mars | Tuesday | Diurnal |
| Taurus | Venus | Friday | Nocturnal |
| Gemini | Mercury | Wednesday | Diurnal |
| Cancer | Moon | Monday | Nocturnal |
| Leo | Sun | Sunday | Diurnal |
| Virgo | Mercury | Wednesday | Nocturnal |
| Libra | Venus | Friday | Diurnal |
| Scorpio | Mars | Tuesday | Nocturnal |
| Sagittarius | Jupiter | Thursday | Diurnal |
| Capricorn | Saturn | Saturday | Nocturnal |
| Aquarius | Saturn | Saturday | Diurnal |
| Pisces | Jupiter | Thursday | Nocturnal |
This system is set up according to the idea that the Sun rules the diurnal sect and the Moon rules the nocturnal sect. This is why the Sun and Moon only rule one sign each. The other five planets each rule one diurnal sign and one nocturnal sign. For example, the diurnal aspect of Mars is attributed Aries, while the nocturnal aspect is attributed to Scorpio.
So Aries, a diurnal sign ruled by Mars, corresponds to the Mars hours of the day. Taurus, a nocturnal sign ruled by Venus, corresponds to the Venus hours of the night. And so forth. Your results will be better still if you can perform your operation on the proper day – Tuesday for Aries, Friday for Taurus, and so on. This makes timing for Zodiacal operations slightly more complex than planetary operations, but the closer you can get to the proper time, the better your working should go.
A more involved method employs al-Mubtazz or the Victor of the chart. This is sometimes anglicized as “almuten” in astrology programs. It refers to the strongest planet at the moment you begin your operation, and it is calculated using a formula based on the position of the Sun, position of the Moon, ascendant, House position, and a number of other factors. The formula itself is beyond the scope of this presentation, but if you have software that calculates it, you can use the Victor in place of the planetary hour.
The full method can be found in Hermann of Carinthia's The Search of the Heart, translated and edited by Dr. Benjamin Dykes. Note that I recently posted how to perform the full calculation here.
You still should conform to sect, so cast during the night or day depending on the sign. But beyond that, you will get good results if the Victor is either the planet ruling the sign, or the planet exalted in the sign. If you can choose, rulership is the stronger of the two, but both will work.
| Planet | Rulership | Exaltation |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Leo | Aries |
| Moon | Cancer | Taurus |
| Mercury | Gemini, Virgo | Virgo |
| Venus | Taurus, Libra | Pisces |
| Mars | Aries, Scorpio | Capricorn |
| Jupiter | Sagittarius, Pisces | Cancer |
| Saturn | Capricorn, Aquarius | Libra |
So the example here would be for an Aries operation, you would want the Victor to be Mars because Mars rules Aries. But because the Sun is exalted in Aries, you could substitute a time when the Sun is the Victor and still get good results.
In addition, I highly recommend making use of simple electional timing for any Zodiacal operation.
Once you have selected the time for your operation, you will want to set up the temple accordingly. The basic arrangement should look something like this.
Figure 2. The Temple
The Table of Practice can be of the Trithemian design, something like the Enochian Sigillum Dei Aemeth, or some other sort of custom piece specific to the sign. I have a set of flashing color tablets that I use for my own Zodiacal operations. The crystal in its frame is what you would use if you plan on scrying, and the candles on either side allegedly help with that. In this configuration, the sigil should be placed under the crystal.
The method of placing the candles on either side of the crystal is one of those things some scryers absolutely swear by, so I include it here even though it does absolutely nothing for me personally. My recommendation, though, is that you at least try it out and see because it apparently does work really well for some people.
If you’re not scrying, the position shown above for the crystal is where you would place your spell focus. It could be something like a candle, or a talisman bearing the sigil. Ideally, Zodiacal talismans should be made from the metal appropriate to the ruling planet, but they can also be drawn onto paper or parchment.
Incense is considered an important component for most grimoire operations. Looking through the incense smoke into the crystal helps to produce a sort of guided mosaic effect that allows you to see the spirit when it manifests. Liber 777 includes incenses for all of the signs, and these days even the hard-to-find ones can be tracked down online.
| Sign | Incense |
|---|---|
| Aries | Dragon’s Blood |
| Taurus | Storax |
| Gemini | Wormwood |
| Cancer | Onycha |
| Leo | Olibanum |
| Virgo | Narcissus |
| Libra | Galbanum |
| Scorpio | Siamese Benzoin, Opoponax |
| Sagittarius | Lign-Aloes (Aloeswood) |
| Capricorn | Musk, Civet, Myrrh |
| Aquarius | Galbanum |
| Pisces | Ambergris |
The one exception to that is ambergris, which is hard to obtain in many countries that prohibit whaling. This includes the United States. However, synthetic versions are available online that are very close to the scent of the real thing and should work just fine. Also, I have been informed that there is (very expensive) legal ambergris available online.
If your spell has an external target, either a similarity or contagion link to that target should be placed within the Table of Art. This could be a photograph, a drawing, or even something like hair or fingernail clippings. These go on top of the sigil so that they will be in direct contact with the Angel when it manifests.
Once you have the sigil created and the temple set up properly for your operation, the basic ritual structure should be familiar to anyone who has read up on my ritual methods.
- Begin with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram or Star Ruby.
- Open the operant field by following the banishing pentagram ritual with the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram or Star Sapphire.
- Invoke divinity using the Middle Pillar or Elevenfold Seal from Liber V vel Reguli.
| Sign | Natural Color | Complement |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Scarlet | Emerald Green |
| Taurus | Red Orange | Green Blue |
| Gemini | Orange | Blue |
| Cancer | Amber | Indigo |
| Leo | Greenish Yellow | Violet |
| Virgo | Yellowish Green | Crimson |
| Libra | Emerald Green | Scarlet |
| Scorpio | Green Blue | Red Orange |
| Sagittarius | Blue | Orange |
| Capricorn | Indigo | Amber |
| Aquarius | Violet | Greenish Yellow |
| Pisces | Crimson | Yellowish Green |
Some of the Golden Dawn traditions use the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram for Zodiac signs. I follow the directions from Crowley’s Liber O, so I use the Greater Hexagram instead. Each of the signs is associated with an element, so the Greater Pentagram should be a viable way to access them. But as my focus is primarily on practical magick, and the hexagram is macrocosmic rather than microcosmic, I find it to be more appropriate for my own work. Some magicians use both figures, as a sign may be thought of as the overlapping of a planet and an element, but that strikes me as superfluous.
As always, though, my advice is the same. These are my opinions, informed by what has worked well for me in my own practice. If you have a method that works well for you, by all means stick with it whether or not it agrees with my recommendations.
Some groups teach that even if you have already performed the Keyword Analysis during the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram in the opening, you still use it to begin and end the Greater Ritual of the Hexagram. I don’t do that. As I see it, once the Keyword Analysis is done, it’s done. I might use it here if I were working microcosmically and only opened with the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, but I rarely if ever do that. So for the Greater Hexagram, I just go to each of the quarters in turn to make the hexagram, complete the circle, and return to my place.
This is generally followed by what I call a unification statement. A number of magicians I know use the Orphic Hymns in this capacity for the planets, and I wanted to come up with something similar for the signs. So I settled on adapting my statements from Liber 963, which was written by Crowley and J. F. C. Fuller. As designed, Liber 963 is a practice by which the aspirant recites a series of texts on a daily basis. The middle section of the text consists of thirteen sets of statements. The first twelve are attributed to the signs of the Zodiac, and the aspirant is instructed to recite the chapter corresponding to his or her rising sign. The thirteenth chapter, representing “the unity of all things,” is provided for those who do not know their rising signs.
With each section there are thirteen verses, one attributed to each of the twelve signs and a final verse for the sun. Instead of selecting one of the thirteen sections, I instead went through them in order and took from each the one verse attributed to the sign in question. I assembled them together in order, and finished up with the final verse of the “unity” chapter. So for Aries, this admittedly involved method yields the following statement, which I quite like.
1. O Thou snow-clad volcan of scarlet fire, Thou flamecrested pillar of fury! Yea, as I approach Thee, Thou departest from me like unto a wisp of smoke blown forth from the window of my house.
2. O my God, Thou Mighty One, Thou Creator of all things, I renounce unto Thee the crimson lust of the chase, and the blast of the brazen war-horns, and all the gleaming of the spears; so that like an hart I may be brought to bay in Thine arms, and be consumed in the unutterable joy of Thine everlasting rapture.
3. O Thou flame of the horned storm-clouds, that sunderest their desolation, that outroarest the winds; I swear to Thee by the gleaming sandals of the stars, to climb beyond the summits of the mountains, and rend Thy robe of purple thunders with a sword of silvery light.
4. O Thou Sovran Lord of primaeval Baresarkers, who huntest with dawn the dappled deer of twilight, and whose engines of war are blood-crested comets. I know Thee! O Thou flame-crowned Self-luminous One, the lash of whose whip gathered the ancient worlds, and looseth the blood from the virgin clouds of heaven.
5. O Glory be to Thee, O God my God; for I behold Thee in the smoke-veil'd fire of the mountains: Thou hast inflamed them as lions that scent a fallow deer, so that they may rage forth the Glory of Thy Name.
6. O Thou mighty God, make me as a white ram that is athirst in a sun-scorched desert of bitterness; I beseech Thee, O Thou great God! That I may seek the deep waters of Thy Wisdom, and plunge into the whiteness of Thine effulgence: O Thou God, my God!
7. O Thou effulgence of burning love, who pursueth the dawn as a youth pursueth a rose-lipped maiden; rend me with the fierce kisses of Thy mouth, so that in the battle of our lips I may be drenched by the snow-pure fountains of Thy bliss.
8. O Thou God of the Nothingness of All Things! Thou who art neither the fivefold root of Nature; nor the fire-crested helm of her Master: O Thou who art not the Emperor of Eternal Time; nor the warrior shout that rocketh the Byss of Space! I deny Thee by the powers of mine understanding; Raise me in the unity of Thy might, and suckle me at the swol'n breasts of Thine all-pervading Nothingness; for Thou art all and none of these in the fullness of Thy Not-Being.
9. Ah! but I rejoice in Thee, O Thou my God; Thou cloud-hooded bastion of the stormy skies; Thou lightning anvil of anglel swords; Thou gloomy forge of the thunderbolt: Yea, I rejoice in Thee, Thou all-subduing Crown of Splendour; O Thou hero-souled helm of endless victory! I rejoice, yea, I shout with gladness! till the mad rivers rush roaring through the woods, and my re-echoing voice danceth like a ram among the hills, for the Glory and Splendour of Thy Name.
10. O my God, suckle me with truth and be merciful unto me, as I humble myself before Thee; for all my agony of anguish is but as a quail struggling in the jaws of an hungry wolf.
11. O woe unto me, my God, woe unto me; for all my works are as a coiled-up sleeper who hath overslept the day, even the dawn that hovereth as a hawk in the void. Yet in the gloom of mine awakening do I see, across the breasts of night, Thy shadowed form.
12. O what art Thou, O God my God, Thou eternal incarnating immortal One? O Thou welder of life and death! Thou whose breasts are as the full breasts of a mother, yet in Thy hand Thou carriest the sword of destruction! O how can I cleave the shield of Thy might as a little wanton child may burst a floating bubble with the breast-feather of a dove?
13. O Thou Unity of all things: as the sun that rolleth through the twelve mansions of the skies, so art Thou, O God my God. I cannot slay Thee, for Thou art everywhere; lo! though I lick up the Boundless Light, the Boundless, and the Not, there still shall I find Thee, Thou Unity of Unities, Thou Oneness, O Thou perfect Nothingness of Bliss!
Not everybody likes their rituals as wordy as I do, so if you happen to fall into that camp, let me suggest that just the 13th verse, beginning with “O Thou Unity of all things,” can be used on its own and is a perfect encapsulation of the principle embodied by the hexagram keyword ARARITA. The keyword stands for "Achad Rosh Achdotho Rosh Ichudo Temurato Achad", meaning "One is His Beginning; One is His Individuality; His Permutation is One.” Thus, it implies the unity of all things.
After the unification statement, you would follow up with the Conjuration, Charge, and License to Depart. The Conjuration consists of repeating a phrase such as this three times. Again, the example given is for Aries.
Come unto me, Melchiadel, angel of Aries, by the name YHVH (yah-WEH). Manifest your presence now within this Table of Practice and answer my behest. AMEN.
You then vibrate just the name of the Angel, Melchiadel, until you perceive it within the Table of Art. This might be an image perceived in the crystal, a change in temperature, a general sense of presence, or all of the above. Usually the effect is perceptible, but not particularly flashy, so don’t expect something like you might see on television. Once you perceive the Angel, stop the chant.
The Charge should be crafted carefully in advance, taking into account the Angel’s sphere of influence, the injunction you intend to issue, and any limitations that you wish to place upon it. Celestials like these Angels tend to be smarter than most Chthonic spirits, so they usually can discern your intent and are not quite as literal. Nevertheless, if the path of least resistance for the outcome you want involves some bad or negative consequence, you still will want to rule it out just in case.
This would be the point at which any offerings to the Angel would be given. Offerings can be of many different sorts. You can look up spices, herbs, types of alcohol, and so forth that might be appropriate. Candles also work well. If necessary, place a small container for these within the Table of Practice. When you present the offering, make a statement such as this.
Unto you, Melchiadel, I offer this [whatever the offering is], appropriately prepared, that my intent may be accomplished swiftly, skillfully, excellently, and with a perfect and thorough completion, if not by one means then by another. AMEN.
Note that when working with Zodiacal angels, to some extent you are trading speed for power compared to planetary and elemental spirits. Zodiacal spirits are capable of, in effect, moving Heaven and Earth to accomplish your charge, but they are slow. You always want to give spirits some sort of timeline in which to work, but keep in mind that with these entities that timeline will probably need to be longer than you are used to. At the same time, the results can prove much more powerful than those produced by other spirits.
Finally, the License to Depart is similar to the Conjuration.
Melchiadel, by the name YHVH (yah-WEH) I hereby license you to depart unto your proper place without causing harm or danger to man or beast. May the peace of the almighty, living, and true God be ever present between us, and may you come quickly at my call when properly conjured by these sacred rites of magick. AMEN.
Depending on the nature of the rite, you would close with either the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram to “detach” from the objective of the spell if you intend it to go out into the world and work independently, or with the Qabalistic Cross on its own if you intend that a connection between you and the objective of the rite remain while it works.
This, then, represents an overview of my method for working with the Angels of the Zodiac. If you would like to pick up a much more detailed treatment of this material, it may be found in the new limited edition anthology Liber Spirituum, currently available from Azoth Press.
43 comments:
Very informative as usual! I actually had a dream last night/this morning where I saw a very intricate designed talisman (sort of like the lattice structure on Mosques) in a purplish hue. I was also shown the Hebrew letter/symbol for Qoph (Christian/Baptist here). I then met a woman dressed in a deep purple pantsuit who I later realized was a spirit/Angel, and not a real human being. She appeared this way to not scare me(lol).
I don't remember a word of the conversation (she was really doing all the talking) but felt maybe I should be trying to contact this Angel during my awake state. Could this have been Amnitziel?
Possibly, yes. Amnitziel is attributed to Qoph and the associated King Scale colors for the path are crimson and ultra-violet. I could see the purple as an allusion to the blending of those two colors, though of course you can't normally see ultra-violet with your physical eyes.
I am attempting to make a sigil tonite for Amnitziel, but it isn't working to well with the Kamea of Jupiter. Too many of the number values/letters are missing. Is there somewhere I can download a copy of a sigil or is it okay to use the Kamea for the Moon and/Rose Cross.
For the Jupiter kamea which goes to 16, you will need to reduce the values to single digits using the Qabalah of Nine Chambers method. Amnitziel is Aleph-Mem-Nun-Yod-Tzaddi-Yod-Aleph-Lamed or:
1-40-50-10-90-10-1-30.
So you reduce the numbers to:
1-4-5-10-9-10-1-3.
All of those are on the Jupiter kamea, so the name should map fine using those values. You use the same trick whenever you come across values that are too large for the kamea.
I was over thinking it. I finally read for comprehension and was able to make the sigil. Guess Mercury Retrograde was fogging my brain a bit. Lol! Thanks for your help!
Can the angels of the Shemhamforash be conjured using an adaptation of this ritual? Instead of the geomantic intelligence one would address the godhead to send one of the angels corresponding to that sign.
Or is there a different ritual for those angels. I was thinking of calling on the the way Frater RO works with planetary forces, but i think adding the operant field and GIRH of the sign would add additional force to the ritual, besides creating a propper space for the spirit.
Probably. I have not done it myself, but really, just about everything I do as far as practical magick goes is similar to this ritual. You will need to create a sigil for the angel on the appropriate kamea, and use that as a spell focus. For zodiacal and planetary aspects, use kamea of the ruling planet. For elemental aspects, use kamea of the Moon. Once you have that done, here are the steps to do pretty much any operation in my book.
1. Operant Field.
2. Divine identification.
3. Greater Ritual corresponding to the force conjured.
4. Conuration/Charge/License to Depart.
5. Closing.
1. can be LBRP/LIRH, 2. can be Middle Pillar, 5. can be LBRP or just Qabalistic Cross, depending on the purpose of the ritual. And that's basically it.
This structure is quite adaptable, and once you get it down you have a lot of options at your disposal in terms of spirits to conjure.
Yup that's what I was thinking when I asked you. I use these steps for every ritual that focuses on contacting spirits, and that's the reason why i had asked you about using them for working with the lunar mansions. Heck, I practically do the ritual without even looking at the paper on which I've written them. I've performed Frater RO's method of conjuring multiple spirits a couple of times, using a field model opening, but those rituals targeted balancing the specific planetary energies inside my own sphere, not materialistic results.
About the sigils, can't I use their specific ones, rather than creating them myself?
http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/leitch-shemhamephoresh.html
Sure, you could use any other corresponding sigil from the tradition as your focus, too. You don't need to use the kamea method if you have other sources for sigils that you trust.
He he that's wonderful! Aaron Leitch talks about a specific Psalm for each angel when conjuring them, but i think I'll have no problem getting them to come with this ritual pattern.
Thanks alot for your answer!
Hi Scott ¡¡
I do not know if someone has tried to work on their natal planets, on the blocking aspects, I believe that now can be tuned an invocation for it to the Shen Angeles, more than anything is an idea for example I will follow the location of the Golden dawn but Obviously I use the operant field, the tarot arcane related to the decanate where the planet falls,I think it is very interesting and powerful, the magic link will be the decanate letter (minor arcane) will be a mainly zodiacal invocation because for example my natal Saturn falls 20º Taurus,I believe that the invocation although with solemnity should be simple, could be the sphere of venus since this Angel belongs to degrees of Taurus and venus is related
Could call the zodiacal arcanum of taurus would previously draw the permutation of taurus with YHVH, after this would call the Shen divine name, MMN would later call Shen Angel NUMEMEHIAH for those dense energies to become the opposite, What do you think?
It seems like the general idea is sound. I probably would try something a little more general first to see if you need anything this complex, but if a more general Taurus rite fails, I can see it being something to try.
One thing that I would change is to use YHHV for the godname rather than YHVH. That variation is the form of the Tetragrammaton specific to Taurus. If you do try this, let me know how it goes. I'm always interested in hearing about the outcomes of magical operations and experiments.
Of course I was referring to the proper permutation, I will give more data nonetheless. From my point of view here these correspondences will help to construct the rite:
YOYOLAEL 20 to 25 taurus
decan ruler by Moon
Minor key.six pentacles
major cards.Hierophant and High Priestess
Hebrew Divine Root.YYL
Divine name taurus YHHV
Archangel Asmodel
I believe that when we refer to a card and an Angel, we are saying that Angel works at that level within the tree of life, and if for example we work with wands-fire-atziluh we have to descend the Angel's potential until asiah,I will try but I think it will be interesting in some cases to invoke the angelic choir so that the effect of that Force shen go down to Asiah.Of course the tarot card would be an important magic link, next to a photo, with auric witnesses if we have them and the secrecy of the Shen Angel above (I love to use the table of Tritemio)
Oh, okay. That just was not clear from your message. It seems like your attributions should be fine, so let me know how it goes when you try it out.
Hi ¡¡
It would be interesting to perform the minor ritual of the hexagram to clean the Temple area from time to time,To clear Temple of all influence and obviously to the Magician?
I do the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram every day, along with the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. It's a good practice. Is that what you're talking about?
BTW, don't call the "lesser" rituals "minor." That just adds to the confusion that's already out there. The whole Greater/Lesser thing is stupid enough as it is, and I only use it because it's the original GD terminology that everyone knows.
In fact, the "lesser" rituals are in no way inferior to the "greater" rituals and vice-versa. They are different kinds of rituals that do entirely different things.
Hi Scott
Then I understand that you use the banishing pentagram ritual and the minor banishing hexagram daily to clear and clear the Templi and the Aura from disturbances, whereas when you perform Practical Magic and you use the operant field you already use the invocation version of the hexagram but of invocation instead banishing.
The minor ritual of banishing hexagram cleans or makes of filter especially for the disturbances of astrological origin, I think.. Or perhaps acts as a filter that negates the negatively shaped waves of a planet
No, I use the Lesser Invoking Hexagram daily. I only use the Lesser Banishing Hexagram if I run into problems and need to shut everything down. But that is a pretty rare occurance.
Hi Scott,
If the following Invocation is used to Tune the Space for working with Aries, would it be most appropriate to create all of the sigils using the Mars Kamea, or only MELKIDAEL?
One book uses the Golden Dawn Rose for all of them, taking it from the Sepher Yetzirah, but I noticed that you use the Ruling Planet's Kamea for the Archangel. I've also seen another source using the Planetary Kamea to create all of the sigils, so I'm a bit confused. Thanks.
"In the name of YHVH,
the Archangel MELKIDAEL (Mehl.Kee.Dah.Ehl),
of the Angel SARAHIEL (Sah.Rah.Hee.Ehl)
and of the Angel of the House AYEL (Ah.Yehl),
I invoke ye, ye Forces of the Sign of TELAH (Teh.Lah)."
Only angels and other spirits get/have sigils. YHVH is godname, so you don't sigilize that. Telah is not a spirit, it is literally the Hebrew word for Aries. So no sigil there. If Ayel is the name of a House, then it's not a spirit - no sigil there.
I haven't personally worked with Sarahiel in conjunction with Melkiadel, but if you're calling in another angel tracing that angel's sigil on the kamea would be appropriate. I have also found, though, that rituals work fine calling on the angel, spirit, and intelligence of a planet as long as the angel's sigil is present and you work through the hierarchy, so while it's entirely appropriate it might not be necessary.
I haven't done much work with the Rose Cross sigil generator because it feels more artificial to me than the more mathematical Agrippa method. I know a number of magicians who work with it and get good results, but here on the blog I present the methods that I personally use and which work best for me.
Thanks, Scott. You cleared up a LOT of confusion for me.
Concerning the things the don't get Sigils (Godname, House, Sign, Planet or Sephira), are these things usually spelled out in Hebrew during a conjuration, or do I only do that for the Archangel, Angel or Spirit? Thanks again.
When I am working magick I never spell anything out in Hebrew, I just say the words. The spelling is just for making the sigil, and is only shown in my rituals for the purposes of constructing them. I find that at least in some cases, spelling out the words rather than pronouncing them seems to limit their effectiveness.
It makes more sense to me that if you were going to spell out the words, you would only do it with the sigilized names. But I recommend against doing it at all.
Thank you, Scott. The few times that I have spelled out the words were when I was consecrating tools according to the Modern Magick instructions. If spelling them out is not necessary, then I'm actually happy to do away with that. I did not find it decreased anything, but I did find it very cumbersome. I also did not have much to compare my results to at that time.
Concerning the elemental weapons, do you put all of the sigils and Hebrew on them?
If not, do you follow the same rules with that that you explained to me for ritual (No Sigils for the God Names or anything other than the spirits themselves, if I understood you correctly)?
At the very least it is not necessary. And it is cumbersome.
My elemental weapons are constructed more along the lines of Crowley's recommendations from Liber Armorum:
https://www.sacred-texts.com/oto/lib412.htm
So for the most part I don't have a bunch of Hebrew and/or sigils drawn on them. I think what you're suggesting here is correct, though - generally godnames like YHVH are written on tools in Hebrew but not sigilized.
If I do, say, a cancer ritual, in the hour of the Moon on a Monday by night, what is considered the night of the Monday ? The sun-mon night or the mon-tue one ?
Should I specify a time restriction in my charge even for a working for inner change? Like « transmuting fear into courage ».
In the Western magical tradition, days run from sunrise to sunrise. So the day of the Moon would be from sunrise on Monday to the following sunrise on Tuesday.
As for time limits, I generally use them for all kinds of work. With zodiacal work, though, it can be a good idea to specify a longer time limit than you would for an element or a planet, depending on what you are doing.
So I would use a time limit even for making a talisman / enchantment ?
Oh, with a talisman you do not need a time limit. A talisman can be created that will just run without a specific limit. The "time limit" there is effectively instant - you use a charge like "empower this talisman to transmute fear into courage" and the talisman is empowered right at that point.
Can i use Zodiac Angels for stuff in relation to rulling Planet?
Like Aries can be used for Mars things!I got the impression that Zodiac Angels are powerfull ,guess because they reside in star constelations.
I usually use the planet if the planet is the best match for what I want to do. For your example, Aries is the power of consecrating things and Mars is works of wrath and vengeance. Pretty different, all things considered. So the angel of Mars is going to be better than the angel of Aries at doing things related to cursing and/or protection from cursing. If you were looking at using a zodiacal angel for cursing or protection like that, a better choice would be Capricorn, which rules "the evil eye."
As for relative power - when looking at elemental angels versus planetary angels versus zodiacal angels, there is a trade-off between speed and power. Elemental angels are fast but they're best at smaller probability shifts. Zodiacal angels can do big shifts but they need time to work. Planetary angels are somewhere in the middle, so to speak. It's not that one class of spirit is more powerful than the others, it's more about how they work.
Very good presentation and clarification.
Zodiac angels could be used for earthly matters (mundane life)?
For example, when we are under the sign of Aries, consecrating a talisman for defense or under libra for love?
Thanks a lot.
They absolutely can be used for mundane applications. The powers don't necessarily exactly match the ruling planet, though. According to Liber 777, Libra is for "works of justice and equilibrium" and Aries is for "the power of consecrating things." The consecration power can be used for anything, so you could consecrate any kind of talisman (including for defense) by calling on the angel of that sign. Libra, though, is more about justice and balance. So for example, if you were in a relationship that was out of balance, calling on the angel of Libra would work great to restore that equilibrium. It might not work as well for a standard love spell.
'The first thing to remember about Geomancy is that although the various intelligences are attributed to the twelve signs of the Zodiac they all appertain to the element of earth.' “God-Names in Assiah,” implies that the angels of the signs are those zodiacal entities which are most affiliated with Assiah, which is the most material of the four Qabalistic worlds and attributed to the element of Earth.'
Then there will be angels of signs that appertain to the other 3 elements which are Atziluth, Briah and Yetzirah, otherwise why this claim? Who are the zodiacal angels of the other 3 worlds?
The Qabalistic worlds are attributed to the elements, but they are not primarily elemental. And yes, there are additional names associated with the other three worlds besides Assiah.
You can look up some of those names here:
https://hermetic.com/crowley/libers/lib777/table-iii
Planetary intelligences are attributed to Yetzirah and spirits are attributed to Assiah.
Aside from the planetary intelligences and spirits, which I use all the time, I haven't done a lot of work with the rest. So I can't necessarily give you much practical advice for working with them.
Hmmm so there are the 'Angels of Assiah' who are ruled by the 'Archangels of Assiah' so Raziel rules over the Auphanim of the zodiac but because there are no such things as '12 zodiacal heavens', so we don't have the same hierarchy of Briah -> Yetzirah -> Assiah for the zodiac that we have for the planets. The name 777 gives them is also their class for some reason. Like 'Auphanim' (angel name), while also called the Auphanim (class).
Planetary archangels are Yetzirah angels, planetary intelligences are also Yetzirah angels, while the spirits are Assiah. Then some of these are also angels of briah like Raphael, Michael, Tzadqiel which is confusing so forget about that. And the angels of the decans is not helpful either.
I think the point is, there is no known hierarchy of zodiacal angels from Atziluth to Assiah that any ancient mage ever bothered to record.
Yes, there is a some complexity to it and some good opportunities for experimentation.
Also bear in mind that the Qabailistic system that this is based on only dates back to the late 1400's at most, with Mirandola. The Kircher arrangement, which gives us the letter attributions, only dates back to the 1600's. So any magician more ancient than the Renaissance would not have even tried to arrange the spirit attributions in this way.
@Samat I've derived the angel names from the choir names attributed to the sephirot and have worked with a few so far. From Auphanim I got Auphan and he seems like a pretty cool guy. So if Raziel is attributed to Binah then Auphan would be attributed to Yetzirah, given that choirs of angels are usually attributed to Yetzirah? Possibly. Also, if you look through 777 for long enough you'll come across a list of assistant angels of the signs. Are they attributed to Yetzirah? Again, possibly.
That definitely sounds by their name 'lesser assistant angels' to be true. They may not be the hierarchy Agrippa wrote about, but Gary St Nottingham uses this method of invoking both the archangel and the lesser assistant angel for an operation like Agrippa in his book 'Ars Angelorum' which gave me the idea.
That sounds like it should be logical and workable. The question would be whether going through that hierarchy produces better results than just calling on the zodiac angel.
Scott you said 'Zodiac angels rarely appear in any visible manner in my experience. They
do show up pretty quickly, though, based on my ability to sense them.'
I hope this does not extend to spirit vision scrying/pathworkings because the whole point of those pathworkings is to meet those angels. If you have pathworked to Raziel and spoken to him, I think it is possible to speak to them all.
I mean visible to eyes-open scrying methods, at least for me. Better eyes-open scryers might have a different experience of that.
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