Reinventing the Almadel --A Tool to Evoke the Angels that Turn the Wheels of Time and Space

To everything there is a time and season for every purpose under heaven. –Ecclestiastes 3.1

By way of reading up on a 17^th century magical book called the Grimoire Armadel, I stumbled upon images related to another text called the Ars Almadel (or Almandel), which is Part 4 of the Lesser Key of Solomon (also known as the Legemeton, compiled in the 17^th century). The Almadel, which may be related to a medieval text called the Alrnandel,[1] describes the construction of 4 wax tablets, measuring 6 x 6 inches. They are used to evoke solar angels in their appointed times and seasons. See these blog posts on the Almadel Experiment by Frater Ashen Chassan for a more true-to-form information and imagery related to reconstruction of the Almadel:

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

The Almadel that appears in the Legemeton is a modified version of an earlier German text, which may be a version of an earlier Latin text that, in turn, may reflect earlier Judaic and Persian influences.[1] Although the earlier versions were meant to be tools to contact angels of the 12 “heights of Heaven” (that is angels corresponding with the zodiac or celestial houses associated with the solar year), the 17^th century text mainly focuses on angels associated with the 4 quarters of space.[1]

In any case, in my life as an artist, mystic monger, and person fascinated with the history of magic in European culture, I woke up one morning feeling compelled to make an adaption of the Almadel. I had been making low, 24 x 24 inch tables, the tops of which are giclee canvas prints of my digital art.  I decided to fit all of the Almadel tablets into 1 digital 24 x 24 inch image. In doing so, I also had to make some decisions about how I wanted to adapt and modify the material I was working with.

Angel for Every Time and Season

Ancient Romans and other polytheistic cultures believed that all things were governed by spiritual principles, which they generally referred to as deities. This pantheistic idea of governance was somewhat maintained in the early Christian era, but the deific governors were reframed as angels and demons. This seemingly was a way to maintain a familiar paradigm but side-step forbidden concepts about polytheism and pantheism. Instead of a deity-driven world; the world was driven by angels and infested with demons all under God’s heaven and subject to God’s will, which the magician could invoke.

One of the higher aims of medieval high magic was to be in perfect alignment with the energies of the universe, and so we find magical books, such as the Picatrix, that are loaded with tables, mnemonic wheels, and instructions about what spirts are in charge of every aspect of time and space. Thus, at any given moment in any moon phase in any season, a mage may know the most auspicious actions to take, what actions to avoid, and which spirits to align with and which are most active and reachable at that very moment.

The Almadel tablets are one example of magic tables that are used to contact these spirits. These and other types of medieval magical and alchemical mandalas may be the Western equivalent of Eastern mandalas and yantras. In both traditions, the product is an assemblage of shapes, patterns, symbols, and magical words that have mystical or magical significance to the initiated, and the construction and use of the product is ritualistic.

My Image – My Process

I completed my version of an Almadel table early on a Sunday morning on this October’s new moon. That is, I added the god names to the image, created in PhotoShop Elements, on a Sunday before dawn, as instructed by the text of the Ars Almadel.

Earlier in the week, I layered images of the angels of the compass points and the zodiacal ecliptic with a tawny green-blue background. The inclusion of the zodiac is an acknowledgement that the table is meant to evoke the associated angels.

I also decided to add the Pythagoric anacrostic of the 72 names of God to the vertices of the 4 corners of the table top. This flourish was inspired by a passage I read in an article by Prof. Julien Véronèse in the scholarly journal Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft[2] in which Véronèse describes a table mentioned in the 4th book of the 13^th century Kabbalist text the Liber Razielis Archangeli. It describes a rectangular table on which “76” names of God are to be written and the table “brandish[ed] toward the sky and the cardinal points for seven nights while reciting a prayer to the Lord.” Yes, I intend to try this as a consecration/”charging” of the table once the actual table itself is made.

Another element of my image consists of 3 concentric circles of words. The innermost rung consists of the names of the 12 angels assigned to the solar mansions (the zodiac). The middle rung contains the names of the 28 angels associated with the lunar mansions (as given by Agrippa), as the revolutions of the sun and moon are inextricably linked The outer circle is a passage from a canto called Omnia Sol Temperat from a medieval book of poetry called the Carmina Burana. The poem is about human love and the foibles of romantic devotion, but these lines here become a statement of spiritual devotion. I was inspired to include the poetic passage in the image after reading that earlier versions of the Amadel say that the evoked angels will become devoted to the mage and vice versa, securing the spiritual redemption of the mage.[1]

Omnia sol temperat purus et subtilis   

Ama me fideliter

Fidem meam nota;

De corde totaliter et ex mente tota

The sun warms all, pure and gentle

Love me faithfully!

Mark my loyalty;

Completely, in my heart and in my whole mind

The squares themselves all measure 6 x 6 inch, in accordance with instructions within the Ars Almadel. They appear in their appropriate colors; white for spring/east, rose for summer/south, green for autumn/west, and black for winter/north. The god names and designs of the Almadel differ somewhat in different historical copies of the text. Those within my image are mostly aligned with copies of the Almadel housed in the library of the University of Freiburg and the National Library of France.[1]

The stars in that version are supposed to be hexagrams, per instructions about placing the “pentacle of Solomon” in the 4 corners of the square. (The word “pentacle” could refer to a seal, not necessarily a 5-sided shape, in magical texts). Other versions of the Almadel show pentagrams instead of hexagrams. I decided to add pentagrams instead of hexagrams to remind of the 5 angels associated with each square that are named in the Ars Almadel.

As for the god names and terms written on the squares in my table top, the words on each square are identical but some words have been modified from what appears in the original template used. Namely, I chose to use corrected spellings (eg, Primeumaton [Prime mover] instead of Primeuiuaton and Henotheon [One God] instead of Henoytheon) and used more standard spellings of names or switched out some names for others found in other versions of the Almadel. I also replaced the term Selem with “Salem” (Peace) and the term Jatha with Yasha (Deliverance). Why? 1. It is important for the ritual tool to make sense to me as I basically self-initiate myself into its use and 2. Numerous scholars who conduct research on god names and voces magicae note that magical terms can sometimes be garble of what was once an intelligible word or phrase. The garbled term can then becomes standardized with repeated use--and so we find grimoire with the same seemingly unintelligible terms, meant to have magical efficacy, used again and again.

When I complete the Table, I intend to do evocation work with it as I had done with the Arbatel some years ago. In building decorative tables, I have plans to also build tables for ritual and magical use, like this Almadel table. The next to be featured will be an adaptation of the famous 12th plate of the Azoth the Philosophers (and yes, I take commissions and sell them). I’ll keep you posted.

References

1. Jan R.Veenstra.  The Holy Almandal. Angels and the Intellectual Aims of Magic. In Jan M. Bremmer, Jan R. Veenstra, eds. The Metamorphosis of Magic from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period. Louvain: Peeters. 2002:189-229

2. Julien Véronèse. God's Names and Their Uses in the Books of Magic Attributed to King Solomon Magic. Ritual, and Witchcraft. 2010;5(1):30-50 

The Olympic Spirits Part 2 Ophiel The Intelligence of Mercury

Sixthly [is the wisdom of] the ministers of punishments in Hell and also those who are obedient to God. –from Aphorism 9 of the Arbatel

Ophiel is the Olympic Spirit associated with the planet mercury and the Roman God of the same name.

The name Ophiel , which first appears in a medieval book called the Arbatel is a mash-up of Greek and Hebrew terms. Ophis means serpent in Greek and El means God in Hebrew,  Therefore Ophiel means Serpent of God. This might be a reference to the caduceus of Mercury

Ophiel is said to rule 14 Provinces. This translates into the equation 7 x 2, making Ophiel’s value 2. Its geometric form is the line, indicating time and space structure and cohesion. It is represented in a diagram described in the Arbatel called the Seal of Secrets of the world as the lines radiating from the center of the seal and dividing it into eighths. We know this because the Arbatel tells us that Ophiel has 100,000 legions. If we do a simple algebra, we come up with the equation 100,000 = (8 x 12.5) x 1000.

12.5 represents an eighth of the Seal.

The term “100,000 legions” also may mean that Ophiel extends from the center into limitless space from the depths to the heights. We find this idea in the quote from the Arbatel that the sixth wisdom is the “wisdom of the ministers of punishments in Hell and also whose are obedient to God” –a reference to the realms of angels and demons  but also, our own consciousness. 

Sachiel-- Know Thyself

Apsara, Original digital art by Soror ZSD23

I got certified in hypnosis last November. I thought that most people thought of hypnosis as a quirky way to stop smoking or lose weight or break a phobia. But whenever I mentioned that was studying hypnosis to anyone, the only thing they wanted to know is whether I knew anything about past life regression. Well, as part of my training, my classmates and I did briefly dabble with it. When it was my turn to be regressed, I had at least one experience that not only moved me but was rather jaw dropping to the 2 other classmates I had been working with during that particularly session. I’ll keep the details to myself for now. But the experience and also the awareness that this is where peoples’ interest about hypnosis lies has made me interested in pursuing specialized certification in past life regression.

I do not want to study past life regression because I am particularly curious about whether I have lived before. I don’t want to study or practice it as an antidote to fear of death. I certainly do not want to study or practice it to assure someone that they were Julius Caesar or Marilyn Monroe in a past life. I do want to practice it to assist folks in drawing on messages from visionary consciousness to help then better understand and navigate their present reality—feel more comfortable in their own skin and okay and with choices made based on what their soul says rather than what they think they are expected to do.

Message from Sachiel

The face of Truth is covered by a golden disk. Remove it, oh Lord of Life, that I may behold its beauty. Oh Lord Who Allows Us to Thrive, the only seer, the Judge, the Sun, son of the Lord of Being, spread out thy rays and gather thy light so that I may behold they radiant form!

That Being in that light there, that, too, am I.

May this life return to air and the immortal! Then may this body end in ashes. Oh, my mind, remember! Remember what has been done. .Mind, remember. Remember what has been done. .Remember. --From the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 5:15:1-3.

Excerpt from The Sex Lives of Sorcerers

Bellaluna Drago was a fallen fairy because having had the ill-fortune of becoming some sinister Renaissance necromancer’s pet (and Michael knew who that fiendish bastard now was), she had haplessly done something despicable that led to the necromancer’s and her own ruin. She was now clawing through lives and worlds in atonement. Her redemption had come. Michael felt privileged to play a role in it.

“There is a saying in the alchemical texts that goes like this,” Michael murmured. “The dragon only dies when he is killed by his brother and sister at once; not by one alone, but by both at once. That is, by the sun and moon.’ You and me,” he said.

“We’re compelled to create stories for the whys and wherefores of things in an attempt to trump a wild card, which is existence itself. Existence happens despite us and also is a product of our own making. It’s a bit of a paradox,” Michael continued.

Camael: Howling at the Moon

I have no rant or bright ideas for today, but since I have already begun providing quaint little messages from the angels I am meditating on each day, I thought I ought not interrupt the momentum.

No, but wait, I do have something to say...

The great thing about realizing that what I have to say, in my creative and spiritual endeavors, is irrelevant or obscure is the liberation of it. It takes the pressure off trying to be heard. I can, instead, sit back and wonder why I want to be heard. I can drop the bad habit of expecting or needing approval or recognition like I did when I was a child working for that gold star or the pride of having Mommy tack some ouvre onto the refrigerator door…  It’s okay to fade into the woodwork, be contemplative, focus on the bigger picture and the grand scheme of things…

Camael means “sight of God.” This angel is said to not do much but lurk and watch. For me, he is a boy and his obediently long-suffering hound dog standing in the desert, patiently biding their time through thick and thin.

Today's message from Camael (also known as Chamuel and Samael)  is the Serenity Prayer:



God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Excerpt from La Maga from Chapter 7 The Daughter

They parked. Lady Vinca Blanco Sortiar pulled out a black scrying mirror. She spritzed water on it and turned it toward the light. She and Professor Camael Magus gazed into it intently. Mirelle leaned in to study it as well. She had to push up close to Professor Camael to do this. She smelled his cologne. It was something with vetiver and sandal and torturously titillating to whiff.

“Are these the girls?” Lady Blanco asked Mirelle.

The mirror held an image of the inside of Homunculus Tongue. It was a dingy, rustically wood-paneled place that had tables scattered around facing a stage. 

“That’s Tina—Serpentina—Hamadryad.” Mirelle pointed to the wiry girl with the dark, pin-straight hair. “That’s Karen.” She pointed to a more imposing and husky young woman with red hair and ruddy, freckled features.

“Karenia brevis,” Professor Camael snickered. The others in the SUV turned quizzical glances at him. The consul's brother, de Lux Magus, shook his head and tapped his brow as if something very stupid had occurred. He seemed to be even more grave and snobby than Consul de Lux Sortiar typically was.

“Karen Ea Brevis. You know her?” Mirelle asked.

“The affectations of young magical persons never cease to amaze me,” the consul’s older brother quipped.

Lady Blanco was smiling smartly but sort of compassionately—or maybe it was pathetically. The consul was clucking and shaking his head. “Does Karen Ea Brevis sound like a magical name to you, Mirelle?” he asked.

Mirelle simply blinked. It didn’t .She waited for the punch line.

“Karenia brevis is the name of toxic microscopic algae, the proliferation of which causes a phenomenon known as Red Tide,” the consul announced. “Do you know what Red Tide is with your ties to the Creole South—the Gulf Coast of the U S A, Mirelle?”

Professor Camael and the others gaped at her, as if hanging on to her answer.

“Red water that kills everything in it and can kill you if you eat anything fished up out of it and takes your breath away and makes you wheeze if you stand on the shore near where it settles,” Mirelle recounted.

“What kind of person would choose such a name for herself?” the consul asked bitingly.

Lady Blanco told the consul to stop picking on Mirelle. “So she’s got an adversary now. That’s the spice of life. A little excitement. Every young sorceress should have an adversary. Otherwise, she might as well get a job as a radiology technician or something in the Outer Plane, don’t you think, Leo?”

The consul simply nodded distractedly.

Lady Blanco turned back to Mirelle. “Are you a maga or a sorceress, Sweetie?

Mirelle told her that she hadn’t decided.

“Yes, why do people have to be one thing or the other? Why is that, Leo,” Lady Blanco quipped.

The consul didn’t reply.

Lady Blanco grimaced. “He’s ‘distracted,’ Sofia La Maga.  Who knew.” she uttered to Mirelle. 

Calling on the Angels

A few years ago, I did .some meditation and dream experiments with. the Olympic spirits, which are the Roman gods re-positioned as planetary intelligences in a late medieval book called the Arbatel.  But medieval and modern magic have a much greater interest in angels associated with the seven planets:  Michael, Gabriel, Camael, Raphael, Sachiel, Haniel, and Caffiel. Evoking them is my new project.

I had been trying to do with for years with fits and starts and little success.  A reader even  had had some correspondence with me regarding my Arbatel working telling me that I ought to try my luck with evoking angels.  Of course, his point was to immerse myself in the complexities of hoary Rosicrucian/HOGD and Enochian norms.  Ain’t got time for that.  Especially that I rather feel that I’m approaching an intimate part of myself when I do this stuff--or at least that I am being intimate with something I share the intimacy of Being with in a monistic paradigm. 

Now that a few years of an oppressive work and commuter schedule has become part of my past, I have returned to meditative practices.  I have been spending part of my meditation time in traditional silent meditation and the other half fixating on the sigil of the angel associated with the day of the week and seeing what insights and impressions appear to me.  This time, rather than sharing my impressions in a diarist approach, I intend to share my impressions through a series of paintings in the coming weeks and months.

Very many people claim to be in contact with angels, whether they be occultists, New Agers,  Christians, or others.  Some have even made a nice business of it.  But working with spiritual entities, which are really parts of ourselves, is highly individualized. I think it would be good to approach these projects in a personal and highly individualized way but also in a way in which  practitioners can hold some insights close to their hearts and share others in a free and open exchange about self revelation and commiseration rather than in a way that sets someone up as a self-proclaimed “specialist”or authority. It is fine to be inspired by someone else’s experience, but, ultimately, you have to have your own. Frankly, there is no one there to deliver you, you must deliver yourself.

In my period of stops and starts regarding angel evocation, I had wanted to make the project a group one, but could not muster the interest—either in a Facebook group that I briefly relaunched—or in a small “grove” of women I have been circling with for a few years. Is it a shame? I don’t know. But I have launched my project finally on my own and am letting you know.

Michael's message for today...Love yourself.

Excerpt from The Fallen Fairy, from Chapter 7 A Giant Pink Dragon

She closed her eyes and envisioned the sky as if jettisoned into the vault of night: the myriad of stars spied when the evening was clear and the moon was new. The scintillation before her eyelids was merely the effect of over-breathing from stress and sobbing. Still, with wet eyes and bitter endearment, she held the image of Michael in her mind and while uttering the name envisioned his angelic namesake. Micha-el, “Who is like God”: a towering archangel, shining white and made of fiery light who subdues chaos and guides and protects souls as they traverse the spheres. He was the crown of the secret fire and guardian of the interspaces between the end and beginning.

Bella let it embrace her. She imagined it being virile and great, like Michael had been. She let it pity her tenderly and gently command the cessation of tears. Its potency grazed her face. Her sinuses, impacted with bitter tears, cleared. Then she could breathe. A calm feeling overcame her.

So she rested with that feeling of communion with that presence (whether it came from within or without) until dusk descended and then night.