It’s so interesting seeing objects collected over a period of time coalesce during a ritual/ceremony.
Today: A small bookshelf, a candle holder from my mother, a beeswax candle from my aunt, 2 cups from different antique market, and a stone from an estate sale, and a few other items, (all acquired over the span of many months, some over years) came together as both altar and ceremony.
Spirit erupts through moments of time. It waits patiently as you pick up the threads over the span of days, weeks, months, and years. Then suddenly, in a matter of minutes, a passing tapestry is formed. A spontaneous animism. Suddenly the Spirit, from a few loci of its innumerable divisions, yields up its Oracle. It moves through you, and the pieces of place around you as wind through a flute.
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Something I think many people's practices are missing, especially those doing spirit work with big name spirits, is that the work doesn't stop once you pact with the spirit.
For example, in grimiore magic demons like Lucifer have many subordinate beings under him, and texts mention that he can be a busy spirit with a large domain so he may send his subordinates in his place to fulfill your requests. Part of your work should be learning those spirits under Lucifer, asking them for names and seals, pacting with them too. Grimiores also often have workings in them that focuses on specific spirits to make the work happen, such as Lucifer showing up in some weather workings.
The work doesn't end once the spirit is sitting on your altar with you feeding them endless offerings. There is stuff to be done after that. Especially in regards to getting to know these big name spirits betters, because the spirit playing the part of Lucifer in your spirit court might be a very different being from the one in mine (See this post of mine that explains my thoughts on this concept more deeply).
Beyond just finding spirits who are under those you've pacted with and finding work specific to your spirits, the magician should also seek to know the spirit they've pacted with in relation to themselves and their environment. These being don't exist in a vacuum, and aren't defined by internet lore. They are larger and more mysterious than that, and a curious magician should embrace that mystery
"The first principall spirit is a king ruling in ye East, called Bael. he maketh men goe Invisible, he ruleth over 66 Legions of Inferiour spirits, he appeareth in divers shapes, sometimes like a Catt, sometimes like a Toad, sometimes like a man, & sometimes in all these formes at once. he speaketh very horsly This is his Character wch is to be worne as a Lamen before him who calleth him forth, or else he will not doe you homage."
Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis, The Lesser Key of Solomon, Detailing the Ceremonial Art of Commanding Spirits Both Good and Evil
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this is my effort on writing a master post for all stuff related to Archangel/Angel Uriel in Scripture and out of scripture, in grimoire, and in modern Qabbalaistic/Cabbalistic Tradition. To say the least I will use a lot of this as inspiration for my prayers, evocation, conjuration of Uriel as some of the grimoire's ones feel slightly lacking and I want to expand on more quotations here. I will also include evocation reports later on to this same post from other blogs online.
Jake Stratton Kent's Testament of St Cyprian First Volume:
THE MOST PROMINENT ANGELS of Judaic and Christian traditions frequently converge with the Four Kings theme, with its Greco-Chaldean background. There are coherent traditions linking the angel Raphael to Boel and Bael. The whole Four Kings theme connects with solar vice-regents,of whom Michael is certainly a per-eminent type, more recognizable in the PGM than the grimoires,but ever present. His reputation for conquering – or commanding – demons makes him the patron of magicians and exorcists of many traditions. Similarly the angel Uriel appears to be convergent with Oriens. Firstly Uriens, Urian &c. are known variants of the latter name, and appears frequently in Germanic and other folklore, with likely Jewish influences. He appears – as Urian – in Goethe’s Faust, where he presides over the Walpurgis celebrations on Mount Brocken. In this, as other contexts, his name is synonymous with the devil, aptly since Lucifer is close to identical with Oriens of the grimoires.
Secondly Uriel has a rather dark reputation; Enoch speaks of him presiding over thunder and terror. As good a place as any to begin recounting this is with the so-called reprobated angels. A church council convened in Rome in 745 CE reprobated seven angels, which is to say they were no longer recognised or approved by official doctrine. This was by no means the beginning of the Church’s opposition to angel worship; which frequently involved magical practices both by the clergy and the laity. Problems with angels can be traced to Paul, as in Colossians and Galatians. The unorthodox nature and wide distribution of angel magic in Judaism and Christianity need not be considered in detail. What matters is that the reprobated angels included Uriel, Raguel and – tellingly– Sabaoth; these are prominent in the papyri and the Testament of Solomon, as well as on many ancient amulets.
Uriel (Greek Ouriel) means Light, or Fire, of God, and though uncanonical the name is truly ancient, and signs of his veneration for apotropaic or magical purposes are widely known. The literary traditions identify him as a regent of the Sun (probably all four angels could claim this, as could the Four Kings). God's fire and solar connections make his a significant name in linking the angels with the kings. Solar and fiery connections imply angelic equivalent of Helios and Vulcan. Like Raphael, Uriel presides over Hades, while Michael's chthonic connections are writ large already; in the syncretic iconography of the period Michael holding balances mirrors Anubis as an underworld judge and psychopomp. In the same way that angels were used in Jewish magic as substitutes for pagan figures, 10th century Arabs credited Solomon with the discovery of iron tools (Sarah Iles Johnston, 'The Testament of Solomon from Late Antiquity to the Renaissance,' in The Metamorphosis of Magic from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period). This effectively assimilates one patron of magic to another, Solomon substitutes for an Idaean Dactyl. To take this prescriptively, given his prevalence in the PGM Dammeneus is a likely candidate.
Uriel in II Esdras represents hopes of salvation in the new age of Christ, while the equally uncanonical Book of Adam and Eve has him preside over repentance essential to eschatological hopes. While the apocalyptic literature often portrays collective or universal eschatology, it is not a great stretch to connect the dramatis persone with individual eschatology, and from there to magic in general; the very sphere where late pagan, Jewish and Christian folk beliefs overlap. Just as ministering angels converge with our aerial spirits as protectors of ascending souls; so the chief angels converge with our kings, their commanders, among whom of course is Uriel. As Ouriel he appears in the ToS and is among the angels of the papyri: in the rite called Sword of Dardanos his name is among those on the sword (PGM IV:1716-1870). Amulets of the 1st through to the 6th centuries name him frequently prior to his reprobation in 745; and later magical traditions reflect this background, with varying degrees of camouflage.
Among the most important references to Uriel in the grimoires, as many readers will be aware, are the Operation of Uriel Seraphim (MS Grimoire of Armadel) and its analogue Divination by the Word of Uriel (GV); (for an in-context account see True Grimoire, 'The Art Armadel'). In this he plays the role of intermediary or angelic vice-regent, accessing any or all of the seven angels: Alithael, Anael, Raphael, Gabriel, Cassiel, Sachiel, Samael. The first of these is likely a mistranscription for Michael; which makes Uriel his superior in this particular system. There is a good bit of interchange of roles among the four elemental angels, much as with the Kings.
Scripture
Book of Enoch:
2 Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is over the world and over Tartarus.
12 Then said Uriel, one of the holy angels, who was with me, and was chief over them, and said: "Enoch, why dost thou ask, and why art thou eager for the truth? These are of the number of the stars of heaven, which have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and are bound here till ten thousand years, the time entailed by their sins, are consummated."
The book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven, the relations of each, according to their classes, their dominion and their seasons, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months, which Uriel, the holy angel, who was with me, who is their guide showed me.
65 In like manner twelve doors Uriel showed me open in the circumference of the suns chariot in the heaven, through which the rays of the sun break forth: and from them is warmth diffused over the earth, when they are opened at their appointed seasons.
1 And in those days the angel Uriel answered and said to me: "Behold, I have shown thee everything Enoch and I have revealed everything to thee that thou shouldst see this sun and this moon, and the leaders of the stars of the heaven and all those who turn them, their tasks and times and departures.
Testament of Solomon...in book of Enoch
And Solomon said to him: "Tell me, O demon, to what zodiacal sign thou artsubject." And he answered: "To the Water-pourer. And those who are consumed with desire for the noble virgins upon earth, these I strangle. But in case there is no disposition to sleep, I am changed into three forms. Whenever men come to be enamoured of women, I metamorphose myself into a comely female; and I take hold of the men in their sleep, and play with them. And after a while I again take to my wings, and hie me to the heavenly regions. I also appear as a lion, and I am commanded by all the demons. I am frustrated by the archangel Uriel, the
power of God."
I Solomon, having heard the name of the archangel, prayed and glorified God, the Lord of heaven and earth. And I sealed the demon and set him to work at stone-cutting, so that he might cut the stones in the Temple, which, lying along the shore, had been brought by the Sea of Arabia. But he, fearful of the iron, continued and said to me: "I pray thee, King Solomon, let me go free; and I will bring you all the demons." And as he was not willing to be subject to me, I prayed the archangel Uriel to come and succour me; and I forthwith beheld the archangel Uriel coming down to me from the heavens
Likewise also the sixth said: "I am Error, O King Solomon. And I will make thee to err, as I have before made thee to err, when I caused thee to slay thy own brother. I will lead you into error, so as to pry into graves; and I teach them that dig, and I lead errant souls away from all piety, and many other evil traits are mine. But I have an angel that frustrates me, Uriel."
The third said: "I am called Arôtosael. I do harm to eyes, and grievously injure them. Only let me hear the words, 'Uriel, imprison Aratosael', and at once I retreat.
2 Esdras 4
4 Then the angel that had been sent to me, whose name was Uriel, answered 2 and said to me, “Your understanding has utterly failed regarding this world, and do you think you can comprehend the way of the Most High?” 3 he said to me, “Go, weigh for me the weight of fire, or measure for me a blast[a] of wind, or call back for me the day that is past.”
Jewish Encyclopedia
Name of an archangel. Of the four chief angels, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, who preside over the four quarters of the globe (Jensen, "Kosmologie der Babylonier," p. 163), and who are frequently grouped together, Uriel is generally, but not invariably, mentioned last, although in this quartet his name is frequently replaced by that of another angel, thus showing the diversity of his nature (e.g., Fanuel, Enoch, xl. 9; Aniel, Stübe, "Jüdisch-Babylonische Zaubertexte," p. 26, Halle, 1895; Nuriel, "Seder Gan 'Eden we-Gehinnom," in Jellinek, "B. H." iii. 138). He is likewise one of the seven archangels, being the prince of the angels and of Tartarus (Enoch, xx. 2, where his name is given first in the list of the angels). According to Kautzsch ("Apokryphen," ii. 250), Lusken ("Michael," p. 36), and others, Uriel is the angel of thunder and earthquake, and is, moreover, the divine messenger who warns the son of Lamech of the end of the world, and bids him hide (Enoch, x. 1-2); he appears in a like capacity in II Esd. iv., where he propounds three difficult problems to Ezra and instructs him. Of these problems the first was, "Weigh me the weight of the fire," a demand closely connected in concept with the name "Uriel" ( = "the fire of God"), for its derivation from (= "light of God," "glory of God"; Kohut, "Angelologie," p. 33) is erroneous, as is, consequently, the attempt to identify the angel with the Zoroastrian "Hvarenah" (= "glory"). The second question addressed to Ezra was concerned with the waters in the depths of the sea and above the firmament, and thus with the two "tehomot," as well as with the underworld (Sheol, Hades), this being in entire harmony with Enoch, xx. and designating Uriel as the archangel of fire and of Gehenna, where flame is the chief element. In the passage under consideration this same spirit also speaks of the wind.
In medieval mysticism Uriel is represented as the source of the heat of the day in winter, and as the princely angel of Sunday, the first day of the week, thus agreeing fully with the explanation of his nature already given. Later authorities, however, brought his name into association with (= "light"), misled in part by the legend that Uriel instructed (enlightened) Ezra. "Why is he called Uriel? On account of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, since through him God makes atonement and brings light to Israel" (Num. R. ii. 10). Conforming to this view, subsequent writers identified him with Raphael, the revealer of secrets (Zunz, "S. P." p. 476), and his name was written on amulets intended to "illumine" the soul for sacred studies ("Sefer Raziel," p. 42b). Uriel is mentioned also in the magic papyri (Wessely, "Griechischer Zauberpapyrus," Index, Vienna, 1888; idem, "Neue Griechische Zauberpapyri," Index, ib. 1893; Lusken, l.c. p. 71), and in Babylonian incantations (Stübe, l.c. p. 23), while according to a French rabbi of the thirteenth century the repetition of Uriel's name ten times in one breath in the morning brings good fortune for the day (Schwab, "Vocabulaire de l'Angélologie," pp. 47, 304). On Uriel in the Piyyuṭ see Zunz, l.c., and on accounts of him in Christian writings comp. Lusken, l.c. p. 114. See also Raphael for data concerning the four angels as a group.
Aaron Leitch in facebook group
He is the Angel of the Earth Triplicity, of Assaiah (where he directs the motions of the Planets) and the Underworld, and he is the Intermediary Angel through whom other angels can be contacted. Oh and he is also an angel of the Sun. [...] as you research the Solomonic texts you'll find him all over. There are several spells calling on him for divination purposes in Arthur Gauntlet. His name is used in a word-square to help you (or a skryer) perceive the HGA in Abramelin, he was the primary point of contact for Dee and Kelley throughout the Enochian journals, another divination spell focused on him appears in the True Grimoire, and a likely related ritual using him as an Intermediary between the mage and the Seven Archangels is indicated in the Grimoire of Armadel.
Uriel being the angel of the earth element because he appears to Dee and Kelley as the intermediary and also in Verum for a divination spell as well as delivering procephies (divination) to Enoch, Noah and Ezra and Geomancy is an earth divinatory system so it all makes sense. The rest are harder to accept. A chthonic angel.
Uriel is the intermediary thanks to his Solar attributes, not his association with Earth. (Intermediaries are almost always Mercurial or Solar.) I'm not sure why you have a hard time with the concept of a chthonic Archangel. Lucifer is a chthonic Archangel. Samael has chthonic associations, as does Cassiel. And that doesn't even get into Michael's role as psychopomp. And how about Inanna's descent? Or Jesus, for that matter? The list goes on and on. ALL celestial beings are considered powerful and immortal because of their ability to pass into and out of the underworld at will, without dying.
The Archangel Uriel By Rabbi David Cooper
The archangel Uriel, whose name means “light of God,” was the messenger sent to Noah to announce the coming of the Flood. As the story of the Flood captured the imagination of many commentaries, there is a fairly wide array of angels mentioned by different commentators. Some say it was Raziel—the angel connected with Adam and mysterious book—who gave Noah the same book so that he would have the instructions on how to build the ark.
The late professor Gershom Scholem of Hebrew University, who popularized the study of Kabbalah a half-century ago, said that Raziel and Uriel were one and the same. Indeed, from a mystical perspective, both have identical numeric values in which the Hebrew letters of each of their names add up to 248, which is a kabbalistic proof that there must be a distinct relationship between these two angels. Another way of saying this is that the revelation of “secrets” (Raziel) brings a special “light” (Uriel) that raises one’s Awareness of the nature of Presence.
There are many descriptions in various traditions of a powerful light that glows when one is experiencing a high level of consciousness. This is Uriel, the archangel that rules over all the luminaries of the heavens. It’s light so penetrating, Uriel is the primary guide that one can use to navigate through the darkest places of our minds. Indeed, one of Uriel’s primary tasks is to guide an army of angels into the depths of the Netherworld.
Uriel normally carries the light of mercy, when forgiveness reigns. However, its name can change to Nuriel, which also means the light of God, but it is a kind of light that represents the harsh severity of pure justice and absolute payment in kind for one’s misdeeds.
Uriel, then, is the angel we wish to evoke when we have been carried into a depth of darkness, and perhaps despair that requires a special light, an all encompassing light of mercy and wisdom that will guide us out. We must be aware, however, that it is also a light of illuminated truth, which means we must be prepared to see and recognize aspects of ourselves and of the situation that are possibly key elements of the blindness that has caused this darkness.
Uriel is connected with the special light that glows within all beings, a light so clear and so bright, we can see it right in front of our faces even in total daylight. Most commentators agree that Uriel stands directly in front of the Throne and therefore should be envisioned as a light in front of us that we are continually entering.
William G Gray's Magical Ritual Methodl
The Archangel of Light is Uriel—the Light of God. He is said to preside over the luminaries, and he personifies the "other side" of Michael the Fire Archangel. Hence Uriel faces Michael across the Magic Circle. He was said to be the Lord of Awe, inspiring a sense of deepest respect for the wonders of Creation, and he could "put the fear of God" into human hearts. Those who have experienced natural cataclysms and disasters such as avalanches, earthquakes, floods, or the like, will know just how terrifying Uriel can be. On the other hand, Earth may be peaceful and wonderful. We have lost a great deal of contact with its natural power and beauty since we have been living so exclusively among the artifacts we have made from it. There is a lot to re-learn about absorbing energies from Earth at source, rather than from the mechanisms by which we adapt these at present. Perhaps Uriel has the means of teaching us.
Uriel is traditionally shown holding a Book of Wisdom. He is to be regarded as "Light" in the sense of Knowledge and Experience—our main reasons for being humans on this Earth. In the end it is Earth that provides us with all the bits and pieces whereby our knowledge has been put into practice to make this planet habitable. All physical things are made from Earth of one kind or another, and every World has its own particular sort of Earth which can be adapted in equivalent ways once we learn the secrets of handling it. This is why we must seek the acquaintance of Uriel, the Earth-Intelligence. Uriel it is, who links our consciousness with Earth so that we may penetrate its secrets and enter its amazing treasure-house. The Keys are in Uriel's hands.
From the "Book of Enoch", we read that Uriel controls the forces of the Earth's behaviour in its Cosmos. In those days of course, it was believed the Earth stood still, and all the heavenly phenomena took place around it. Nevertheless Uriel gave Enoch some sound advice when he said; "Look on the Book which Heaven has gradually distilled and reading what is written in it, understand every word of it." The comparison of Knowledge with a distilled essence is rather interesting, since it shows a practical technique for learning. From a whole mass of information (Mass Earth) we must extract its spirit by a process analogous to distillation. Immediately we are reminded of Alchemy, the Emerald Table of Hermes in which: "it ascendeth from Earth to Heaven" etc, and the significance of the Ros-Cross, or Dew-Cross, where the Key was not the Rose in the centre of the Cross, but the apparently insignificant drops of dew (Ros) or quintessence of Wisdom lying on its petals. That was the real significance of the Symbol. By using the Four Elements (Cross) properly (proportionately), we arrive at the essence of them all expressed as Golden Dew. The dew was golden because it was the Golden Dew of Wisdom.
It reflected the Light of the True Sun, and this is the Light personified by Uriel, when he reflects true Knowledge.
This idea of condensing all Wisdom to a single Golden Drop is an ancient Magical one, known as the Operation of the Elements. It was told of the Magic Cauldron, in which Fire was applied to Water through Earth (the Cauldron) and the resultant Air (steam) eventually condensed to the sacred Drop. This took a year and a day, or a complete Cosmic cycle, during which every possible natural influence should have been experienced, synthesised, and summed up into a single potency.
According to Occult Cosmogony, the whole of Creation arose from a Single Word "uttered" above the "Face of the Water", out of which developed every type and instance of subsequent consciousness. This was the Divine Way—OUT. Our task is to collect and re-form or distil all this variety of awareness and energies into single drops until we have arrived at the Ultimate.
This is the Human Way—IN. If we ever become able to "utter" such a Word ourselves, we too shall be "as Gods", and the whole process will continue anew. Epitomisation to an Ultimate degree is a Divine Science. The Earth-Symbol is a Seed, holding in itself all the life preceding it, and all the life that will come forth from it. Uriel will teach us how to produce these Seeds of Consciousnes from whence we can populate our Inner Cosmoi.
William G Gray's Ladder of Lights
The Archangel of the North, Auriel, is the Intelligence needed to maintain the fertility of earth, and the formation of minerals therein, including coal and oil. Whether above or below ground, the fruits of the earth are Auriel's concern, together with the chemical balance of the soil. What with highly poisonous sprays and other man made toxins affecting the earth, Auriel must be a worried Being. In addition to this, we have underground atomic tests to consider. Into Auriel's province come seismic disturbances, volcanic eruptions and the like. One good unbalance of earth-energy would certainly destroy a fair percentage of humanity.
Netzach Chapter
BRIAH, World of Creation: Archangel HAMIEL, PHANUEL, or AURIEL.
Sometimes this Archangel has been written Hanael which means nothing but "I, the God". As one of the Great Four however, this Being is no less than Auriel the Light of God, with alternative titles of Hamiel, Grace of God, and Phanuel, the Face (appearance) of God. The combined meaning of these Names is summed up in the ancient blessing:"The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee."
As the Light (perception) and Face (the perceived), of God, Uriel provides us with an ability to make God-Images by the help of the Elohim. By means of Uriel we become aware of Gods. This is strictly a faculty of soul as distinct from an ability of mind. We know Gods by feeling them. No amount of purely intellectual conjecture will bring us into intimate God-contact. Love is the surest cement for sealing Humanity and Divinity together. Aided by the Light of Grace directed by Uriel, we can see Divinity everywhere, even in the stones beneath our feet, one reason why Auriel is attributed to Earth, which is a "face" or appearance of Divine manifestation.
According to legend, Auriel (in his Phanuel aspect) was the Angel who wrestled with Jacob and changed his name to "Israel" (Prince of God). During this encounter Jacob received the mystical maiming that made him into the Lame King. Some read a castration significance into this, but such is a doubtful interpretation, since ritual laming was even in those days an old established custom among herding tribes. Its origin was most probably to lame a valuable breeding male beast (the herd “king”) so it could not wander away any great distance from its owner. Another point was that if the animal was adequately fed and did not waste energy in running around, it had all the more inclination to breed. The ancients reasoned that what worked with an animal should work with a man, so some tribes deliberately lamed their “King-breeder”, whose principle function then became one of fertilising selected females so as to produce the best possible tribal stock. Israel certainly obeyed the command to be fertile.
Applied to Netzach this analogy fits very well. Auriel directs energies away from the athletic to the artistic field, and turns exuberance into exhilaration. We are “lamed”, or limited in one direction so that our potencies may be applied elsewhere. Victory is achieved by sacrifice and life emerges from death. Auriel is the creative Angel of Netzach, and consequently the patron of all arts arising from the feelings of a soul. Here we are on the Orphic Path, and we may soar to heavens of happiness or swoop to hells of sorrow with equal speed of alternation. Both experiences extend the soul through Inner dimensions of its own reality.
As the Archangel of the Face (Appearance) of God, Auriel is responsible for our perceptions of Divinity in even the most ordinary ways. It is all very well for isolated Mystics to have blinding visions of spiritual heights unreachable by common mortals, but Divinity should be closer to us than that. The light of Auriel brings Divinity to the very doorsteps of our hearts by the magic of love. It is to be hoped most of us experience the wonder of “falling in love” at least once in a lifetime, when the Indwelling Divine Principle of an ordinary human becomes aware of its counterpart in another mortal. This is also possible in connection with other than human individuals. Something of such a nature may take place between human and Divine principles in natural or artificial factors.
It may be that under favourable circumstances of emotion and environment, a culminating rapport is made between the soul of a human, and Divine Spirit manifesting through material or emotive levels. Perhaps the combined factors might be an exceptionally beautiful sunset in ideal surroundings with just the right music. Whatever the externals are Outer and Inner Divinities meet with a surge of power that must be experienced to be appreciated. No words can describe this happening. Everything suddenly “comes alive” with startling clarity accompanied by a sense of “rightness” and an actual knowledge of Divine Presence such as cannot possibly be told by any human means. We have literally fallen in love with God - manifestation, and touched Heaven while we are on Earth.
Experiences of such a nature are essential for the growth and development of human souls, for they make Divinity a real and integral part of their nature. We can talk and think of Gods and metaphysical values for lifetimes getting no nearer their reality. A single flash from Auriel will put us closer to God in an instant than centuries of our muddling speculations. Once that Light touches us we no longer guess, we know, yet we shall never be able to explain our knowledge any more than we can explain colour to a blind person. Nothing but love works such a miracle, and this indeed is the secret of Netzach.
It will be appreciated that these love - experiences are matters of degree. They may be intense to a point almost beyond bearing, or so gentle and constant that their effect is scarcely perceptible. It is all a question of the stimuli - pattern applied to a soul and the reactive ability of the soul itself. There is nothing to be gained by exposing a soul to a stimulus it is unable to handle without injuring itself. Soul - damage is harder to repair than injury to physical tissue, and its effects are more contagious than infectious diseases of the body. The stimuli - patterns necessary for maintaining a healthy soul are the Keys of the Mysteries and form the basics of most religions.
Both Churches and Mystery Schools are very much concerned with setting up artificial patterns of stimuli calculated to place the participants in direct contact with Divinity, and so evolve their souls into what they should become. This is the entire reason for ritual, which utilises every single known soul - stimulus, making patterns of these as a framework of experience in which the soul can operate. Given a balanced combination of Hermetic and Orphic ritualism, any soul will be provided with a field of action in which it can work its own good or ill. Mystery Schools try to grade their rites according to the type of souls involved, so that each soul operates in its own best field. Churches, on the other hand, seek to offer rites having the greatest appeal for average souls, with minimal harm to them, even if maximum good is equally unobtainable. Both Systems have their successes and failures, for the human soul is very far from its peak of perfection.
Auriel is the Archangel of Light who shows us God through love, yet Love is represented as blind, and it has been said; “No man hath looked upon the Face of God (Phanel) and lived.” This simply indicates that Divinity and Love is not to be seen, but felt and become. Sight implies objectivity and a sense of difference between the seer and the seen. God is thus not to be looked at, but loved and entered into union with. Loved and Lover must become one. So Auriel indicates. It has been aptly said; “Love makes the world go round”, and this might very well be Auriel’s motto, since the Archangel of Earth and its fertility. When we invoke him, we should think of him as the bearer of Divine love reaching us through even the most mundane media, and certainly by means of all the stimuli available in our churches, temples, lodges, or natural surroundings whereby a soul intentionally approach Divinity.
With the feeling of God - hood in itself, a soul can climb the Tree of Life, otherwise there will be little point in making the effort, and according to the Light of God (Auriel) in us, so shall we proceed. The Light motif is found everywhere throughout the Tree with all varieties of meaning, for not only is it a Tree of Life, but also of Light, from which it begins and ends. Qabalistic Mysteries are essentially those of Light, which also signifies Truth. The mysterious breastplates of the High Priest were called Urim (Lights) and Thummim (Truths) so that the interdependence of those two essential Principles might be given their proper significance, and show that Light reveals Truth.
Many are the speculations as to the use of those magical stones. All indications are that natural or artificial light was passed through the Urim so that it illuminated the Thummim in such a manner that oracular interpretations were made possible. The Urim was most probably a primitive lens capable of projecting a beam of light across a temple, and the message it conveyed to a conscious mind arrived subjectively by auto - hypnosis. Both Urim and Thummim were certainly an optical device of some kind to which the priests attached religious significance.
Leaving Auriel to shine gracefully in the Creative World of the Gods
Gareth Knight's A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism
Uriel is one of the 'great Archangels of the Four Quarters. In the East is Raphael; in the South, Michael; in the West, Gabriel; and in the North, Uriel. The first three Archangels have already been described. Uriel is a great figure built up with the dark greens and browns of Earth and who, in his inner aspects, represents the primeval Light of God Himself, and who is much concerned with the great teachers who have periodically come to Earth. Thus in the East is the great source of healing, in the South the great source of balance and protection, in the West the great source of vision, and in the North the great source of teaching. Uriel is also connected. with. Michael
as a great balancing force and is behind the great cataclysms of Earth such as are described in the legends of Atlantis, Sodom and Gomorrah.
Grimorium Verum( Divination by the word of Uriel)
Uriel, Seraph, Josata, Ablati, Agla, Caila.² I pray to you, and I conjure you, through the four words that God said to his servant Moses: Josata, Ablati, Agla, Caila, and by the nine heavens wherein you abide,³ and by the virginity⁴ of this boy who is before you, that you appear without delay, visible within this bottle, for revealing the truth of that which I desire to know, without counterfeit, and afterward I will dismiss you in peace and good friendship, in name of the most holy Adonay!⁵
The Complete Magician's Tables By Skinner
This order is exactly repeated in a number of other Kabbalistic texts.
In front of me Uriel
On the right hand Michael
Behind me Raphael
On my left hand Gabriel
David Rankine noted in his recent book⁴⁴ a traditional Jewish prayer said at night before retiring which echoes the same directions:
“In the name of YHVH The God of Israel: At my right hand Michael. At my left Gabriel. Ahead of me Oriel [Uriel]. Behind me Raphael. Above my head the Shekinah of God!”
the Grimoire of Armadel
IN THE FIELDS OF BABYLON
URIEL is a Spirit who did reveal unto the Prophet Esdras every description of Prophesy, he did also aid the Children of Israel in the Camp of the Babylonians. He teacheth natural Sciences, Physic, and Medicine. He is to be invoked on a Wednesday, before daybreak. Thus is his Character (see Figure 5).
In this Sigil there be taught the method of understanding what and of what Kind were those twin Souls (namely) Henoch. The faculties of the Mind and Understanding are purified, and these also in such a manner that they may be exalted from the lowest degree unto that which is most perfect of all. By the which composition also there can be a transmission made of the participating Power or that power of communication of the comprehension of Spirits.
Between The Pillars
Written: March 4th, 2017 | Edited: 19th March 2019 Hello, and welcome to my blog! There’s all kinds of things here, from New Age to full fle
“The key to any manifestation, is to give it complete focus. Stop being divided and make decisions without fear or hesitation. Look at where the manifestation happens. Do not force it, for it is born first in the Unconscious"
“Don’t confuse the mind. Choose one point of focus, build the altar around it”.
“You, as a magician, strive for mental discipline. The same must be done for the body. As Above So Below. You reject negative, depressing, or inhibiting thoughts such as self pity, though they are gratifying, the same must be done for bad physical habits. It will be painful and hard at first, but rewarding. Do not indulge the body! Learn to abstain!”
“All four Great Planes are made of vibrations. They vary in degree, but the Earth plane, your body, does not differ from the mind and soul. Sound is what controls this plane, as thoughts control the mental, and emotions control the emotional plane. The body is identical in nature to the mind and soul”
“Conscious resolve does not mean anything, if the Subconscious programming goes against it. Right now, think of all the people who have pledged to go to the gym. They are motivated, and want to push themselves, but most of them will lapse, because the subconscious will resist anything that goes against it’s conditioning. Magick is not a short cut, so do not scorn it. It is the KEY! The Key to all change, to all things! Magick is the key to the lock that is the subconscious. With Magick, you can condition yourself as you please.”
Invocation of Archangel Uriel by Frater S.C.F.V.
By Frater S.C.F.V. This Novena has been without a doubt the single-most magically intense series of operations I’ve ever attempted… To invok
“Gaze not into the Crystal pretending you were a separate individual “Adam” gazing into a separate stone through which to gain a vision of an Angel. That which gazes, the seeing itself, and the seen are all the Supreme itself. Let all phenomena fall away. Rest as the primal No-thingness. And as That, gaze as the Void into the Void, as God into the Wisdom and Mysteries of the Mind of God. Then see what comes forth.”
“How could such a thing be done? Cast aside all of your thoughts and concepts about Him, all that has ever been thought, is thought now, and ever will be thought. For the Divine is greater than the greatest and beyond actual and possible cognition. Out of compassion, God permits his children to relate to Him through metaphors — even “Children” and “Father” and “He” are metaphors. But do not confuse metaphors with truth. No concept of God is true. God is beyond all concepts. If you wish to know what He is like, you must leave all concepts behind and dive, unhelped and unsupported, directly into the Abyss of not-knowing itself. There alone, in complete non-knowing and non-seeing is Divine Seeing and Knowing to be found, and not by “you,” but of Him, through Him, and by Him alone…”
“Turn to the Most High repeatedly for guidance, for He knows all and you do not. Do your best to learn all you can. Study fervently. Practice each moment as if it were your last opportunity to serve. Work for your clients as if they were your own children or parents. Care for them with just as much seriousness, tenderness, and yet, humour. Lose not compassion. Step into your fear to do what you have never done before, reaching out to mentors, resources, and peers to carry you through. Turn all over to God and all will come out well in the end. For He from whom all possibilities come, all is possible and without Him, nothing is.”
“The very question is meaningless. There is no “human” separate from Nature. How can you connect with what you already are? Does your wrist need to practice to connect with the arm? They are already beyond connected; they are One. Instead, realize that in truth, there is no human apart from Nature, and therefore no need to connect one to the other. As you stand in the forest, cast aside your human identity, emotions, and thoughts about “how to connect.” Silently, without knowing what you are doing, in complete surrender of all ideas, drink in the forest and simply be. Natural Unity is. Apparent disharmony veils only eternal harmony in the Whole. Rest in the inter-being that alone is. Let all be as it is, entrusting it all to the Power of the Eternal. In That which is beyond all questions and answers, your question will be answered by seeing that there is no need for a question. No solution is needed when there is no problem. Let “how” drop. Be in its absence. In such fullness, what question is there of “how to connect”?”
“all that need now be said has been.”
The Chaplet of Saint Uriel the Archangel
Zohar and Kabbalah(From Sefiras)
When he opens his mouth to utter the evening prayer an eagle comes down on the weekdays to take up on its wings the evening prayer. This is the angel called Nuriel when coming from the side of Hesed (Kindness), and Uriel when coming from the side of Geburah (Force), because it is a burning fire.
Zohar, Bereshit 17:190
The sixth palace is the palace of Will corresponding to the conduct of Tiferet. In this palace are the four archangels; Michael to the right – south, corresponding to Chesed. Gavriel to the left – north, corresponding to Judgment. Rafael, forward – east, and is an intermediate conduct between Chesed and Din. Uriel backward – west, and is sometimes called Nuriel. This too is an intermediate conduct, therefore when it inclines toward Chesed it is called Uriel, but when it inclines toward Din it is called Nuriel. The Acronym for these angels is ARGaMa”N-ארגמ"ן (purple).
The Beginning of Wisdom 9:10
and Uriel appears there like a mighty lion crouching over his prey. When the priests and the Israelites saw this they rejoiced because they knew that the sacrifice was acceptable to the Holy King. Then another holy fire from above came down to meet the fire from below, and men trembled before their Master and repented.
Zohar, Tzav 19:129
[The Zohar] continues: “The name of that lion is Uriel, as its face is the face of a lion.” The mystical meaning of the name El is Ḥesed, which is the mystical meaning of [the] right [side]. That lion, which is the light of Ḥesed, [the light of giving, ] as stated, is called Uri-El, that is, the light [or] that is drawn from the name El. His face is to the right, which is the mystical meaning of bestowal, in the mystical meaning of the verse: “And all four had the face of a lion on the right side” (Ezekiel 1:10).
Sulam on Zohar, Introduction 97:5
Rabbi Aba said, Uriel was a high angel and he was perceived in the form of a strong lion, reclining on the altar and consuming the sacrifices. When the children of Yisrael were not so worthy, they used to perceive the form of some impudent dog reclining over it. The children of Yisrael then realized that they had to repent, and they repented. "He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey" refers to the sacrifices that must be completely consumed by fire during the night, such as burnt offerings. "And drink the blood of the slain" (Bemidbar 23:4) means that the Holy One, blessed be He, will carry on battles with their enemies for them.
Balak: Verse 479
Similarities with Chaldean Oracle to the above verse:
If you speak to me often, you will perceive everything in lion-form. For neither does the curved mass of heaven appear then nor do the stars shine. The light of the moon is hidden, and the earth is not firmly secured, but everything is seen by flashes of lightning.,
90....from the hollows of the earth leap chthonian dogs, who never show a true sign to a mortal. For you must not gaze at them until you have your body initiated.
Being terrestrial, these ill-tempered dogs are shameless. they enchant souls, forever turning them away from the rites.
Sefer ha-Bahir
And who are these archons? They are three. This teaches that the Power, geburah, is the archon of all the holy forms on the left side of God, and that is Gabriel, and on his right Michael is archon over all the holy forms, and in the middle, which is the Truth, Uriel is the archon of all the holy forms. And every archon [rules over] twenty-four forms, but his hosts are innumerable, according to Job 25:3.
And who are the Officers? We learned that there are three. Strength (Gevurah) is the Officer of all the Holy Forms to the left of the Blessed Holy One. He is Gabriel. The Officer of all the Holy Forms to His right is Michael. In the middle is Truth. This is Uriel, the Officer of all the Holy Forms {in the center].!" Each Officer is over 24 Forms. But there is no reckoning of his troops, as it is written (Job 25:3)
Alright, here's my second Tumblr book review! My focus in all these reviews will be on the magic, folklore, or polytheism in each book, especially when reviewing fiction. For nonfiction, I might talk more about the writing, quality, etc. I’ll do my best to cross out any spoilers for fiction (like this).
Everyone was reading it and I didn't want to. The description sounded too pop-fantasy, glib, and I didn't care. But when everyone at work was singing its praises, I gave in. I'm glad I did!
Don't get me wrong: it is pop-fantasy, at least in terms of writing style. In its defense, the characters unfold throughout the book, and by the end I cared about them much more than expected. But literary laurels aside, the magic systems and attitudes were compelling from the beginning, which is (as we know) a big selling point for me.
Before I dive deeper, I just want to note plainly that a katabasis is a descent, often into the underworld. That's what the title means.
In fiction, I enjoy a limited magical system and a short tool belt of acceptable materia magica. Maybe because real magic is so variable, it's relieving to imagine a form of sorcery that's so clear cut. Chalk was a nice choice. The idea of it being empowered by millions of years of chthonic energy tied in nicely to the generally necromantic focus of this dark academic world. And there's always something satisfying in a magician drawing symbols with chalk — it's just nice. Natural chalk is made from stone that formed from sea shells over millions of years. The material component to Kuang's magic system is purely chalk, until our protagonists realize their chalk doesn't work in Hell. I like this; if magic works because you're bending reality, putting logic out of place (more on that soon), then the necromancy of this dead chalk-stuff in the midst life makes some sense, but that dead thing needs to be coated in life's blood when the context flips to maintain the paradox. Or that's how I understood it. There's an innate power to all that dead residue, but in the context of Death itself, it just fades away unless it's bled on.
I mentioned paradox already, and that was my favorite mechanism of the magic in this book. Magic operates in Katabsis by applying logic, math, and language to activate paradoxes against reality. "If this is true, and this is also true, but both can't be true at the same time, this bowling ball can't not float." Which is not how real magic works. I hope that's clear to everyone. BUT it's kind of close. Let's get into it.
I gab a lot about the use of precedent in magic; and indeed you'll find it's wielded in sorcery across the world. Look at the Greek Magical Papyri for a thousand examples. A spirit or divinity may be much more likely to play along with your goals if you can point to the precedent of them having provided similar aid in the past. It can go much deeper than that, and get weirder, but that's the general concept. "Help me with this, as you have helped this person, and this person before. What's one more time for you?" But Katabasis is a work of fiction, so the magical system needs to be understandable and acceptable to a vast crop of readers. Enter math. Magic math, magic science — the sort of magic that's totally objective, and not at all culturally squishy, is the sort of magic that fits really neatly into a modern novel. So the magic in Katabasis works because math works.
I would argue that real magic is legal more than it's mathematical; that it is social before it is scientific; that its atoms are the stuff of poetry more than the stuff of physics. But I still like that Kuang's magic points to an argument, and the cosmos respond with acquiescence. The mechanics of this are sort of fuzzy, but in this book it does not appear that spirits are responsible for literally lifting the bowling ball in my previous example of paradox, rather that reality itself bends to accommodate the issue. However, Kuang does fold in a line that was startlingly close to less objective, spirit-based magic: when the god of death taunts magicians for thinking themselves so clever, believing they are outwitting all the world, meanwhile the spirits and cosmos are only playing along to indulge them.
The belief of the sorcerer, or rather the suspension of logical disbelief and implausibility, is also functional in Katabasis. I don't think belief is so necessary in real magic, but sure! Extreme refusal to believe could get in the way of a magical operation — just as much as it could get in the way of a good conversation. I really enjoyed that she incorporated the logic and linguistics so deeply. Those felt like the truest moments, when I could hear in flashes the characters thinking just like real sorcerers.
I was delighted that Kuang's academics discussed the practicalities of Orpheus and Dante alike. This necromantic genealogy was another pleasing kinship with our own world. I don't want to travel down into the murky specifics of the spirits of the dead or the gods that this book conjured. I don't think they're the point. Nor do I think they're mechanically interesting. They work for the novel, but I don't think they're meant to distract us, and they won't.
If you want your next book to be fun but grim, clever but consumable, dark and academic, this could be for you! I hope you enjoyed my nerdy vivisection of it. Reach out if you've read or end up reading the book!
So I’ve been a little quiet lately. I’m going to be doing a lot of updates to this blog soon. I will still keep writing as I always have, as it’s something I literally just do all the time, so please don’t worry because I’m not going to stop with the poetry any time soon.
For the last few days, I have been working on an astrological compatibility chart (synastry) for a friend, so I have been very busy.
Next week, I am off work so from then I will be revamping things a bit and start posting a bit more about my spiritual work.
As a brief explanation though for those curious, I am a practitioner of Chaos Magick, which is the idea of using belief as a tool. Chaos magick operates on the principle that you can adopt all different kinds of spiritual principles and use them at will as they were intended and then choose to use something different, even contradictory at will. This is called paradigm shifting or belief shifting. Chaos magick also allows you the freedom to work with your own correspondences and even invent your own systems of magic.
One of the main things Chaos magic utilises, is a practice called sigil magick. Sigil Magick works by allowing you to craft your own magical symbols using several methods. The most commonly used one is derived from taking a statement of intent, removing all of the repeating letters and vowels and then taking the remaining letters and creating a monogram out of them which looks like a little picture made from the letters. The best way to do this is to generate a little monogram so the letters are not consciously recognisable. The next step is to forget your intent. If you can deliberately do so then this process is quite fast. The idea is that lusting after the result will prevent it from working.
Sigil magic is kind of like planting a seed in the unconscious mind, which you allow yourself to do the magic for you. This is thought to be where all kinds of primal forces, which came from former evolutions, reside. These primal forces are what the inventor of sigil magic called atavistic nostalgia, literally what your body remembers of its ancient ancestry.
To plant the sigil, chaos magicians work with various altered and trance states of mind, some of which are naturally occurring. Often we use things like meditation, a sudden shock, holding breath until you can’t, drumming, various rituals. There are many myriad ways to plant a sigil. My favourite way is to blow all of the air out of my lungs until I gasp, while staring at the sigil. In the moment, when you gasp, your conscious mind is briefly forced to be silent which allows the sigil to enter into the unconscious uninhibited. Once the sigil has been implanted, you must then destroy it, commonly by burning it.
While I use many chaos magic specific techniques, I also work with an array of different systems at various times. Much of my very favourite work comes from working magic, which is my English heritage. Now, by this, I don’t mean Wicca. I tend to find I do a lot of work with bible magic, old English charms and the grimoires.
A grimoire, meaning grammar in old French, is a magical instruction book, showing techniques for rituals which can put you in contact with spirits. They also contain various spells which are not full summoning rituals, but are instead simpler workings designed to get results for various needs. The most well known grimoire is known as The Goetia which is the first part of a compilation of different magic books called The Lemegeton or The Lesser Key of Solomon. This book has a bit of a reputation as these spirits are considered as being demons. However, I know from my own practice that if you treat them with respect and don’t approach these practices from a place of fear, all will usually be fine. However, these practices are not for inexperienced practitioners. Before working with grimoires, it is important to know how to banish, to make sure you follow spiritual cleansing routines, learn how to make holy water. Be sure you know what you are doing so you know how to deal with it should anything go awry. Much easier then, it is to begin with various levels of simpler spell work and to get confident before approaching the bigger rituals.
While I am big fan of traditional magic practices such as these, I am by no means an advocate for doing things to the letter. Experimentation is really the only way to even get this stuff to work nowadays, since we no longer have access to a lot to the items, or trades people like blacksmiths etc who you need to get to do the work in front of you. My own practice is a blend of ancient rites, Christian prayers and using what is available to me in the 21st century. Much of this stuff was only made operable to me at all because of chaos magic.
While these two sets of interlinking ideas make up the bulk of my practice, I do work within many other systems. I am fond of modern witchcraft, which seems to be like Wicca but eschewing a lot of the old restrictions, the sexism and some of the other more odious elements (for instance, no you do not need to be naked to do magic, that’s just silly). I also work a lot with runes and rune magic, as well as with the Norse gods. I have a deep and long running connections to Taoism, particularly with the divination book, the I Ching which has literally saved my life (it drew my attention to what would have been an electrical fire in my old flat, I wouldn’t be alive without that divination). I actually have much to say on the I Ching but I will save that for another post, however I will say it has taught me so much and I have an immense amount of gratitude towards the oracle since it has come into my life. I also have worked a lot with Thelema, particularly engaging in the book of Thoth Tarot as well as some Golden Dawn practices. However my preferences for magic are mostly rooted in older traditions, mainly grimoires, European folk magic and British cunning craft.
All this aside, I have also been divining for others for many years now and I know many systems of divination inside and out. I am particularly knowledgeable about tarot, mainly following after the Rider-Waite system of tarot, developed by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamala Coleman-Smith of the Golden Dawn. As I have previously mentioned, I work with Runes and The I Ching. I also work with something called Geomancy, which was very popular during the renaissance, and came before tarot. Geomancy is actually very ancient but is still widely used in a lot of African and Middle Eastern countries. It’s methods have been preserved in the fourth book of occult philosophy, attributed to Cornelius Agrippa (his three books and fourth book are about 500 years old and contain a lot of source material for many of the magic books that came after). Geomancy works by poking holes in a box of blessed dirty until your intuition tells you to stop. You count the holes and then work out if it’s odd or even, then generate the various diagrams, which are eventually arranged into a table of astrological houses and read. You can also generate the numbers using a pen and paper or using coins, or dice or various other methods. I will probably demonstrate this stuff soon. As I have already mentioned, I am into astrology, although I am really only just learning at the moment. I also practice scrying, which is the act of causing visions using a crystal ball, black mirror, bowl of water or various other reflective surfaces. I also have my own, self invented system of dice magic which I am currently working on updating.
I will be offering my various divination services soon.
Anyway, thank you for reading my big, long infodump. I will post more cool stuff soon x