summoning circles

24
Mar
2013

Starry Tree: Names and Circles


kalstreeThis is a list of the various Names that I got from my skrying experiments. I’m putting them all in one place for ease of use for those who mentioned interest in engaging them. For those less familiar with the Qabalah I’ll be listing the Hebrew Sphere Name as well as the planetary association. I’ll link to each post about my experience as references for people. Also at the end I’ll explain how I was taught to make a circle with them.

Qabalistic Name: Malkuth
Planetary Association: Earth (sometimes)
Sphere Name: Almak
Angel class: Chomal
God Name: Meltar
Ruling Angel: Sh’miral

Qabalistic Name: Yesod
Planetary Association: Moon
Sphere Name: Timarin
Angel class: Shaqaran
God Name: La’andras
Ruling Angel: Clarshitel

Qabalistic Name: Hod
Planetary Association: Mercury
Sphere Name: Kirahl
Angel class: Sheno
God Name: Phorahlin
Ruling Angel: Tzamaron

Qabalistic Name: Netzach
Planetary Association: Venus
Sphere Name: Feonin
Angel class: Chilmarit
God Name: Shero
Ruling Angel: Milara

Qabalistic Name: Tipareth
Planetary Association: Sun
Sphere Name: Shaal
Angel class: Formin
God Name: Hemian
Ruling Angel: Miniset

Qabalistic Name: Geburah
Planetary Association: Mars
Sphere Name: Sixmaraan
Angel class: Charaam
God Name: Gerabba
Ruling Angel: Sharama

Qabalistic Name: Chesed
Planetary Association: Jupiter
Sphere Name: Sharat
Angel class: Gillarus
God Name: Sharadifel
Ruling Angel: Behrat

Qabalistic Name: Binah
Planetary Association: Saturn
Sphere Name: Ereen
Angel class: Golmtzah
God Name: Sharrom
Ruling Angel: Konshal

Qabalistic Name: Chokmah
Planetary Association: Zodiac / Uranus (Modern)
Sphere Name: Kurrian
Angel class: Shellin
God Name: Kurasis
Ruling Angel: Shetsin

Qabalistic Name: Kether
Planetary Association: Primum Mobile / Pluto
Sphere Name: Sheta
Angel class: Coraf
God Name: Eerah
Ruling Angel: Saytaraan
On another visit with Konshal I was given the instructions on how to make a Circle. While not required for contacting these Angels it can help, and now instead of the traditional Circles such as in the Goetia or Heptameron I use this Circle. Most major rituals that need an elaborate Circle this is my go-to unless I really have a reason not to. It’s fairly similar to the Circle from the Heptameron in structure.
Ideally you should make an outer circle that is nine feet across. If you don’t have the room for nine feet I find a multiple of nine based on your body works best, so nine of your feet lengths, or nine hand-widths. I feel the Circle has to be personal and basing the proportions of the circle on your body are a great way to do this. Inside that you draw a circle that is eight units across, then another that is seven units, and lastly one that is six across. This will give you three rings, and a central circle. In the central circle draw an equal-armed cross that is aligned with the cardinal directions, so the lines go from North-South, and East-West. Then outside of the largest circle at the ordinal directions (North-East, South-East, South-West, North-West) draw a five pointed star with the point facing the centre of the Circle. If you’re not instructed to use a triangle, or place it a specific direction for the spirit you’re working with, draw one. Make an equilateral triangle pointing away from the Circle in the direction of the element of the Sun sign, which is explained more below. You don’t have to call them into the triangle like some systems suggest, but having a triangle is important to the construction.
Now the largest ring will house the Names related to the month. Based on what sign the Sun is in, figure out what Angel rules the corresponding planet: Aries=Mars=Sharama, Taurus=Venus=Milara, and so on. From here figure out the element of the sign, and then the associated direction of the element, it doesn’t matter what system you use as long as you know the correspondence. (Often I use Fire-North, Water-East, Earth-South, Air-West, but a lot would disagree there) Once you know the appropriate direction for the element put the Angel’s Name in that direction of the outer ring. Then going clockwise at the other direction points put the Sphere Name, the God Name (so it will be opposite the Angel’s name), and lastly the Class of Angels (or if you’ve been given a name of one of them specifically use that). While not required here I usually say a small prayer as I’m writing, something like “Hail to thee Sharama, ruler of the Sixmaraan, General of the Charam, in the Name of Gerabba I call you here as the Voice of Aries to open the ways and watch this circle.”
In the second ring, the middle one, go the Names associated with the day: Sunday=Sun=Miniset, Monday=Moon=Clarshitel, and so on. Starting in the same direction as the outer circle write the Names clockwise in the same other Angel, Sphere, God, Class of Angels. Again I generally say a small prayer as I work.
In the inner most ring you will place the Names associated with the Planetary hours. Again they’re written in the same orientation as the outer ring, and the same order. Again a small prayer wouldn’t be out of place.
Lastly you have the inner circle that has been quartered. Here you put four GodNames, what Names are up to you. Personally mine include Kali, Eerah, Cosmos, and one other. While not required I recommend they be Transcendent/Immanent, or Universal. What I mean is some Gods are equated more or less with Reality itself, the Universe is their Body, and they are the Universe. This isn’t to say anything against Gods of specific spheres; Aphrodite, Ganesh, Thor, Anubis, and so on. But the centre of the Circle is meant to connect you to the Ultimate, the Highest, so you’re looking more for the Ultimates here. The Gods that are Reality, that all others are formed from. So with my Circle you have Kali, which is an uncommon, but not unheard of view of Her as the Ultimate. Eerah, the God Name I was given for Sheta, the Kether equivalent. Cosmos, because it’s the fucking Cosmos.
So that’s how Konshal taught me to make a Circle with these Names, and as a way of integrating them into my magick and shifting away from the Judeo-Christian Names/Forces I was looking to minimize in my practice.
circleHere is an example based upon the time of writing. It is currently Aries, ruled by Mars, so I’ll be using the Names given to me by Sharama, and the starting in the North because Aries is Fire, and Fire is North (in one system of many). It is Sunday, ruled by the Sun, so that means the Names from Miniset are used, same orientation as the outer ring, so all the Angel Names face the same way, all the Sphere Names, etc. Lastly it’s the Hour of Jupiter, so it’s Behrat in the last ring. I didn’t include stars around the illustration, but they and the triangle should be there. While not required I sometimes draw appropriate symbols between the Names. So in the Outer Ring I might draw the symbols for Mars, Aries, and the Seal of Sharama.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
17
Aug
2012

Creating and Consecrating Ritual Chalk


Also titled
Magick Chalk: Beyond Mary Poppins

I was asked by some magickal associates of mine to share the ritual and recipe for my magickal chalk. Magick chalk? You read right, so before I begin, why in the hells would you need magick chalk?
The primary use I have for my consecrated chalk is creating magickal circles, specifically circles like the Heptameron style, used to invoke the Divine forces and establish stability and authority before a major magickal working. When I clear out a space, I generally like to draw a line and protective glyph at the door to keep things out. (I could do the same without anything, but I like grounding it into the physical) Writing petitions, drawing sigils, really anything you could write for in magick works well with the chalk. As a note, this type of chalk may scratch chalk boards, but works well on stone and pavement, and even dark or tough cloth. My portable summoning circle is a huge piece of denim and it works on it.
The ingredients are simple:
1 tablespoon eggshell dust. (Wash and dry eggshells from a few eggs, I was told six, but I just collect and use, and grind into a powder. I use my magick coffee grinder for that, use a strainer to get only the finest particles.)
1 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon hot water (at least, I’ve had to use up to five in some cases)
½ teaspoon ash from a copy of the Headless Ritual written in dragon’s blood ink (One sheet of paper produces 1/2 tsp of ash, if you want to make more chalk at once use a small amount, but I don’t recommend using less than 1/8 tsp)
(A few drops of food colouring if you want, but the ash will muck up the colour)
Simple, stuff we all have lying around. Mix the water, flour, and ash into a paste, then mix in the eggshell. It’s a balance, but add a bit of water if too dry, and a bit more flour if too wet. It should be like a clay or dough. Mix it up. Roll it on a piece of wax paper to get it into the shape you want. It could make several pieces, or one depending on how thick you make it. I suggest thicker, as it is less likely to break that way. Roll a piece of paper towel around it, and let it set and dry for a few days.
Why do I use the Headless Ritual in making this? I’m sure most people know the basic history, it was originally used as an exorcism (which makes it highly appropriate for drawing warding and protective glyphs), but the structure is that of a powerful invocation. That’s why in the Golden Dawn and Thelemic traditions it got rephrased into calling to, and connecting with your Holy Guardian Angel. This part of the invocation I feel makes it ideal for all the other uses of the chalk.

Click for a larger version to print or transcribe

So how do you make the ash? Did you think I wasn’t going to touch on that? At dawn, noon, or an otherwise convenient solar moment I write out the ritual text in dragon’s blood ink, and to be honest, I cheat. I print it out in Greek, and then trace the letters. While I do this I either recite the ritual, or pray to my HGA to abide Within. When I’m done I light my candles of the three pillars, and burn incense in an attempt to represent the four elements. (I use Earth-Myrrh, Air-Mastic, Water-Sandalwood, Fire-Copal) Then I properly perform the ritual. I use the version given in the Mathers/Crowley Goetia. It contains the best segment on authority to me “Hear me, and make all Spirits subject unto me: so that every Spirit of the Firmament and of the Ether: upon the Earth and under the Earth: on dry Land and in the Water: of Whirling Air, and of rushing Fire: and every Spell and Scourge of God may be may be obedient unto Me.” This is why I use incense of four elements, rather than anything else, to tie it into that. After I’ve completed it, I command and pray that my force imbue the text. Then I burn it while repeating that prayer. A few times I feel like it didn’t “stick” and I perform the Headless Ritual again, I’ve done it up to four times to get it just right. Of course then I claimed I did it once for each element, not because I couldn’t get the forces flowing.
To consecrate the chalk, on Sunday in the hour of Mercury, or Wednesday in the hour of the Sun, or any good Solar/Mercurial moment, I place the chalk on my altar. Lighting the candles I perform the ritual, and again command the force to reside in the chalk, to bless it, enliven it, to make spirits obedient unto it, to make it the most badass piece of chalk.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
01
Mar
2011

Secrets of the Shattered Name


Sorry for the lack of posting. The last few weeks have been hectic. I took very ill for a while -an unusual occurrence for me-, I’m preparing for some large ritual work so getting and making supplies along with ritual purification, and lastly now is that time of year when professors like to believe that you have no course other than theirs and try to cram in as many tests and assignments as they can before exam period. While my obligations are lightening they are still heavy for the next two weeks or so. As such I haven’t had time to write up a proper post. Below is an article I wrote for a friend’s book on demons, as I mentioned last time I posted such an article the format of the book changed so my article was excluded though the information was still used to some extent. Hopefully I’ll get something original up here soon, and if this week continues in the same manner it begin I’m sure it will be amusing. This article continues Hebrew characters which appear to post correctly on my end, hopefully they display properly for everyone else.
Intrinsically bound to the nature and use of the demons in some the Judeo-Christian magick systems would be the names of their controlling angels. Perhaps the most important set of angels would be the Shem ha’mephorash angels, or the angels of the Interpreted Name, also translated more poetically but less accurately as the Divided Name, or Shattered Name. The Shem ha’mephorash angels are a collection of 72 angels that were carefully devised or discovered –depending on your interpretation– by early Jewish Mystics.
The Names of YHWH are many, and many were considered lost by the Jewish Mystics. In an attempt to discover the lost Names, the mystics applied a variety of Qabalistic techniques to a variety of names and verses to try to discover more. In one attempt they focused on the number 72, one of the Sacred Numbers associated with YHWH’s name, because of how it enumerates in a triangle.
י (10)
יה (15)
יהו (21)
יהוה (26)
72
Writing a Name or a Word in this pyramid style of increasing letters was a method of making a token of increasing or calling upon the Name or Word, writing a Name or Word with decreasing letters was a method of banishing the influence. Because of the importance that was put upon the number 72, for this and other reasons, the mystics searched for an incident in the Torah where one verse had 72 letters. After a long study of the Torah they came across three such verses that happened to be in a row, in English names and notions that would be Exodus chapters 14, verse 19-21. These three verses were written atop each other, the first verse being written normally (which in Hebrew is right to left), the verse below being written left to right, and the final verse being written normally again. To further decode these verses, the mystics read them downward, forming seventy-two sets of three letters each, and at the end of each triplet a divine or angelic suffix was added, either Iah, or El, as those are the most common suffixes in Angelic names. This gave the mystics seventy-two Angels with which to work. The Shem ha’mephorash includes many angels that are unfamiliar to many people, such as Mabahiah but also contain some of the more common or popular angels, like Michael (though the spelling is just slightly different, so it is unknown if this refers to the Michael).
Early modern translations of the Goetia from the nineteenth and twentieth century often began with a single word of warning “Shemhamephorash.” This was often not understood, though the Golden Dawn took it as advice, and began to pair up the Goetic Demons, of which there are seventy-two, with the Angels of the Shem ha’mephorash. Their attempt was admirable and according to some did create a workable magickal system, but more recent developments have cast their attributions into disfavour, if you take Dr. Rudd as correct at least.
One interpretation of the warning of “Shemhamephorash” at the introduction of the Goetia, is that it is advocating for their use as a protective force, but at the time the grimoire was written the use of the Shem ha’mephorash was so widely understood and applied, that it didn’t require repeating. In much the same way, many magick and psychic books don’t include Shielding, Centring or the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, because it is expected that people either already know this, or it is not repeated because it can be easily found anywhere. Another possible reason is that the Shem ha’mephorash was a part of the Goetic grimoires, but was later removed or lost in a transcribing/translation of the text.
Recently the Goetia of Dr. Thomas Rudd, an associate of John Dee, has come to light, and it is one of the earliest translations of the Goetia that has been recovered. The trait that sets this book from other versions is its inclusion of the Shem ha’mephorash. In it, each Goetic Demon is linked to an Angel of the Shem ha’mephorash, which is regarded as its controlling Angel, and it is this Angel that helps contain the Demon on a one-on-one basis, while the magickian works with them. The Angels are simply applied to the Goetic Demons in order, a thought which did not occur to the Golden Dawn, and as such their correspondences of the Goetic Demons with the Angels are different.
Not all who work with the Goetia have accepted this new finding, some feel it is unnecessary, whereas some feel it was Dr. Rudd’s personal addition to the system, rather than something that was a part of the system from an earlier time. The good magickian would be wise to take time and experiment both ways, before falling into such an opinion.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick
11
Jan
2011

The Secrets of the Summoning Circle


This article was originally written for a “flavour” article in a friend’s Dictionary of Demons book. The format of the book changed and my articles got cut, though some the information was still incorporated into the book. I’ve slightly edited it from the original format to be a bit more personal and experiential rather than just cold theory.

The Circle is probably one of the most important, and misunderstood tools in the arsenal of a magickian who works with Demons. Anyone who has flipped through a text on summoning Angels or Demons has come across a Summoning Circle, but probably with no more explanation than the method of drawing it, and that the circle is important to use.

Over the course of time the design of the circle has changed, and the importance of it has shifted. In modern magick, more than ever, the circle is being deemed unimportant, or simplistic. The Summoning Circle is being replaced by Psychic Shields, or ritual belts, or a simple visualized bubble. This shows, among other things, a tendency to interpret the Summoning Circle as merely a form of protection when dealing with Demons, when in fact it is far more than just that in some interpretations.

Before the modern interpretation of the Summoning Circle, the most common alternative Circle was published in the Mathers/Crowley translation of the Goetia. This circle was written over the image of a spiralling snake with the names of each of the Sephiroth, with the Names of Gods, Angels and Forces associated with each Sephiroth. This was an adaption, or a simplification of an earlier form of Summoning Circle that appeared in one of the earliest serving texts on Summoning Demons, the Heptameron.

In the Heptameron, which is a Grimoire that predates the Goetia, the Summoning Circle was at once the most simple and most complex form it would take. The Heptameron styled Circle was not a constant Circle like the other ones, in the sense that the design changed depending on the Season, the Day of the Week, and the Hour of the Day. In each case of Season, Day and Hour, there is a set of Angels associated with that period, and with the Heptameron system, to create the Circle, one must know and use the Names of the Angels associated with each of these periods. The belief was that each Angel had a period of power, and through working with that Angel in their ruling period, you had the ability to control the other Spirits in your work. I find there is something about skilfully directing your attention to specific forces and Spirits to create your Circle, rather than just toss out all the Names you can think of to cover everything. In magick when you have a goal you direct your attention to the appropriate entities, you don’t call upon everyone you know to help you get a job or deal with an abusive co-worker that would complicate matters.

The Construction of the Summoning Circle, when interpreted through the lens of Qabalistic Magick, revels that the Circle is much more than just a form of protection. The following section presumes the most basic familiarity with the Qabalah and the structure of the Tree of Life, which can be picked up in any introductory text. The world that we live and operate in is Malkuth, and represented by the number ten. The Sephiroth above us is Yesod, which is represented by the number nine. The Summoning Circle has an outer circle of nine feet, representing the demarcation of the world we live in, and the magical world involved in the magic. Above Yesod is Hod, which is represented by the number eight, above that Netzach represented by the number seven, then Tiphareth represented by the number six. Within the nine foot circle, there are three smaller circles, each a foot less than the one before, the magickian stands in the smallest circle that is six feet across. The magickian is in the circle of six feet, surrounded by seven, eight, nine, and lastly the entire world beyond.

It is in Tiphareth, that the human can first truly touch the Divine in a pure form. In every Sphere below Tiphareth the Divine is only accessed in a filtered form, like coloured light from a stained glass window, whereas in Tiphareth the Divine flows down uninterrupted, like the sunlight before it hits the coloured glass. By standing in the concentric circles, surrounded by the appropriate Names, the magician identifies their place in the Universe. The first Circle of Yesod separates the magical realms, from what is outside of it, Malkuth, the world of the day to day existence. In the centre circle the magician identifies their place in Tiphareth, the place of their direct connection with the Divine.

In this sense it is understood that the magician is not operating through the power of the Angels, but by knowing what Angel and God Names to surround themselves with, the magician is able to gain access and place themselves in a higher sphere, that of Tiphareth; this grants the magician access to all the power that the Divine will bestow on them. The power is no longer that of the Angels, but that of the Magickian, in their most Divine Aspect.

This Qabalistic interpretation of the Summoning Circle focuses more on the empowerment of the magickian than just their protection. This is not to deny the role of protection in the circle, but it is a manifestation of the magicians Divine Will that they are protected, rather than simply being protected and aided by outside forces. The protection the Circle offers is through the magician becoming a conscious manifestation of the Divine in this world, and it is this same access to Divinity that is what grants them the power to control the Spirits. It isn’t about threats and borrowed power, but existing in the natural order of things and helping to bring the Spirits into line with that order through the tasks they are given.

I don’t know if it was merely a confidence boost as I started to uncover this system and interpretation of the Circle but I’ve found my workings more successful and easier with this Circle. Before I felt like I was grappling with some power and trying to wrangle it to keep the Goetic entities under control, but now when I work with them it feels more relaxed, I don’t need to really control them because their obedience is a natural part of the Divine order which I’m consciously accessing. The best way of explaining it sometimes is almost Taoist in nature, that in the Circle I’m in Tao and the Goetic obedience is part of that Tao, no force, no struggle, simply nature taking its course. As with all things I think people should at least try it out, see what they think of this style of Circle. I’ve explained the why, and you can find the how in the Heptameron. Personally mine is slightly altered from the Heptameron but the theory behind it is the same.

It is not just the nature of practices that change over time but the understanding of practices, the whys get lost in the whats. Tracing a practice to earlier times occasionally leads to a now irrelevant practice but can also lead the magickian to a greater understanding of what they’re supposed to be doing in the modern form.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick