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.
I was wondering, I don't really know much about Solomonic and how it works, but usually I heard negative things about how it approaches the spirits and deities it Interacts with. I'm sure that you have a different one, considering you're also a folk practitioner, but I was wondering how this approach was to both the Spirits involved and Solomonics per se, if it isn't too much nosy as a question.
Thank you in advance ❤️
Hey there, I am doing well. thanks for the ask! This is a really great question.
Solomonic magic, and it's approach towards spirits from a solomonic magician and folk witch:
The type of approach I assume you're referencing is how grimoire and ceremonial magic can seem coercive and domineering. Which I understand from the perspective of someone new to this style of magic. With the threats of chains, hell fire, and more it can seem heavy handed. Especially if you are coming from a paradigm that humanizes spirits. This way of compelling spirits would seem disrespectful because you wouldn't talk to another person that way, so why a would you do so with a spirit? (the meat of this post is below the read more to spare my followers)
Well what I think is important to have in mind is the paradigm these texts and traditions operate from. The people who originally did this style of magic, and documented it, typically didn't view these spirits as their equals. When you read these texts there is an air of having a divinely given right to command spirits. As this comes from the idea that we are made in god's image and have aspects to us spirits don't have that give us this position over them. Something to also keep in mind about these methods is that, the magi is playing the role of solomon and stepping into that name and power. These spirits are pacted with solomon, know solomon, and know they are to come under the terms of their agreement. If you show them that you aren't solomon, and that you don't know the proper protocols they are gonna notice and not obey. So there is a level of theater involved in solomonic magic that people stepping into it need to understand. You ARE solomon during ritual, and so you have the right to command these spirits. And if you want them to obey you better be convincing.
These magicians are using different philosophies and beliefs than you find in most modern occult practices too. Pulling from things like theurgy, Iamblichus' works, neoplatonism, and other emerging philosophers. Where it is believed the magi has authority to do these things because of factors like their knowledge of the divine, their use of divine names and forumules, and their lifestyles. They were not so much concerned about how the spirits they are calling "feel" because they deemed them lesser than the divinities who's name they were calling them under. Because the type of spirits who classed as goetic were thought to simpler spirits, only capable of specific tasks or feats.
Within modern history there is a lot of fear around goetic/solomonic magic because of the idea of these spirits bucking back. Within the text the answer is very simple as to why the spirit might not be complying, and the answer is typically something the magician did or didn't do properly. Not in a blaming sorta way, but more so that the necessary tools and precautions weren't followed. Maybe the names weren't said right, the tools were improperly made, the magician wasn't properly chaste and cleansed, ect... The reasons could be many. Any perceived danger isn't because of the method of conjuration, it would be because of an unprepared magi.
Now I myself have tried a handful of grimoires within solomonic magic (such as, the Greater and Lesser Keys, Verum, Crossed Keys, Book of Oberon, the Books of Moses, and more) with mixed results and varying amounts of sucsess. I have been able produce spirits into physical form/sight with their methods, but I've also had situations blow up. So, a lot plays into why something might succeed or fail.
One consistent thing I've observed tho, is not once has a spirit been upset by the means I conjured them through. Meaning, not once have they been mad at me for threatening them should they not answer me. They aren't not coming because I used a god name they dislike or felt I was bully. The reasons they've refused me were for things like using the wrong incenses so the smells in the room were inhospitable to them, for facing the wrong direction upon their arrival so they thought I was disrespecting them by not showing my face, or for working closely with angelic spirits they are in opposition of. Something that seems important to these types of spirits is respect, and in my experience they respect authority and when they sense you lacking it they take advantage. So if people aren't comfortable taking on the role of solomon, like I mention earlier, they might struggle with this.
My perspective on this becomes a little different when you start to take these systems into a more dressed down folk magic setting. Tho i still all the same mechanics, such as divine names, authority, the tools, ritual clothes, ect. I don't try and shoehorn goetic spirits into say pagan systems because it makes me comfortable. I try to respect the spirit's grimoiric origin and approach them through that within my folk practice. So for example, I've started using a goetic spirit pots within my occult practice. Where I make permanent spirit houses for my goetic spirits that are worked in a more folk magic way, but the pots themselves are made using grimoire methods.
I have my own thoughts on the nature of goetic spirits, but that's a whole other post. To circle back to how these types of approaches impact the spirit, I really haven't seen evidence that the spirits have an opinion. They are following divine order they were put into this position to follow, there are no thoughts or feelings about it.
Demonolaters would have very different thoughts on that than me, but I stay out of their lane and they typically stay out of mine.
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)
for anyone who still makes pentacles, does anyone actually wait for the moon to be in an earth or air sign, or do y’all just make sure it’s waxing + planetary day and hour? I never bothered w the moon’s sign and mine always turned out alright
As a Cunning person and Animist Witch I have a lot of respect for Ceremonial magicians. The grimoire tradition has been a great influence on folk traditions of magic and Witchcraft. But the ways in which the cunning folk and witches of the past would have used the grimoire tradition, It was in a very practical way. We didn't concern ourselves with intricate circles on the floor and specifically timed rituals. To Folk practitioners like myself, magic is a tool that can be wielded at any time to work your will. I'm not claiming that folk magic and traditional forms of Witchcraft are in any way Superior to ceremonial magic or the grimoire tradition Because it is not. But I'm shocked that I still encounter The classism and pompousness of ceremonial magicians. Who think that they're magic is somehow better than my "peasant" magic. This is a pretty old divide, many European and American Cunning folk were treated the same way. I find it frustrating because often when one looks at the spells in the grimoires you can see the folk magic that they come from. Especially if you studied folk magic for as long as I have. Making effigies of a person To cause them to quarrel with other people that's Old sympathetic witchery. The sharing of magic doesn't just go one way, You got from us. We get from you. It's fair. And our animist ways are not inherently anti -grimoire tradition. We just approach Spirit working with a different framework. And we may understand what spirits and God(s) are differently. But I think that a little respect goes a long way. I don't have to agree with everything that you do for me to believe that you are a capable magical practitioner. I don't even agree with every Folk magician and Animist Witch. But that doesn't mean that I think that they're wrong.
"In summary therefore, the main conclusions of this thesis are:
i) There is a considerable amount of commonality between the methods and equipment of magic in the PGM, Hygromanteia and Clavicula Salomonis.
ii) There is a clear line of transmission from the Hygromanteia to the Clavicula Salomonis which is identifiable down to the very detailed level of Solomonic method and specific pieces of equipment. Therefore there can be no doubt that the Hygromanteia is the forefather of the Clavicula Salomonis.
iii) There are two main exceptions to the above point:
a) The skrying chapters in the Hygromanteia, have not been passed on to the Clavicula Salomonis. These skrying methods are however found almost word-forword in an 11th century Jewish source. Accordingly, either Jewish sources supplied these chapters to the Hygromanteia, or were derived from it.
b) The pentacles chapters in the Clavicula Salomonis do not derive from the Hygromanteia, but probably come from the manuscript Sepher ha-Otot, or from a related source.
iv) There is no clear line of transmission between the PGM and the Hygromanteia, but the high degree of commonality makes it certain that the PGM was a major contributor to the contents of the Hygromanteia. The Testament of Solomon was also shown to be an
important contributor to the Hygromanteia.
v) A number of magical techniques were identified, such as precise timing of rites by day, hour and Moon phase, strict purification, fasting, use of specific incenses, use of shared nomina magica, and techniques such as threatening spirits with the names of their superiors, or the impersonation of a god to ensure compliance from the spirit.
vi) Equipment used for protection of the magician including the protective floor circle and the phylactery/ourania/lamen, are common to all three texts.
vii) There is a definite sequence to the procedures of ‘Solomonic magic’, foreshadowed in the PGM, but precisely defined in the Hygromanteia and the Clavicula Salomonis, and identified as the ‘Solomonic method.’
viii) The pentacle section of the Clavicula Salomonis was derived from the Sepher ha-Otot, or a cognate Hebrew source. A crude cut-down version of these pentacles was used in the Hygromanteia to construct the ourania/lamen, and the pentacles found in versions
of the Clavicula Salomonis are less detailed, and with less complete Hebrew. Therefore either the Sepher ha-Otot is contributory to both the Hygromanteia and the Clavicula Salomonis, or a common ancestor informed all three texts.
ix) The meaning of -µαντεια as used in chapters 47-58 of the Hygromanteia embraces evocation and skrying as well as just divination.
x) Although Hebraic god names like Adonai, Iaō and Sabaoth are frequently found in the PGM, the Hygromanteia and Clavicula Salomonis, they were divorced from the methods of Jewish magic.
xi) The Sepher Maphteah Shelomoh manuscript of 1700, instead of being evidence of the Jewish roots of Solomonic magic, was in fact a translation of a Latin/Italian manuscript of the Clavicula Salomonis, and therefore not its source.
xii) A full set of correspondences of stones, herbs and beasts, has become split off from the Hygromanteia, prior to 1440, leaving just a few zodiacal and planetary herbal correspondences. These correspondences reappear in other grimoires, such as the Sepher Raziel, or in separate lapidaria, herbaria or bestiaries, but are not carried forward into the Clavicula Salomonis.
xiii) The so-called Mithrasliturgie, is neither a Mithraic text nor the liturgy of any religion, nor is it a magical text, but a procedure for a solitary Mystery rite, designed to confer immortality upon just one initiate.
xiv) A new translation for the Ephesia Grammata has been proposed, as an example of how knowledge of the techniques can sometimes help to decipher the meaning of nomina magica.
Speculative Conclusions about the origins of the Hygromanteia:
xv) The date of composition of the Hygromanteia was probably late 6th/early 7th century, with a major redaction occurring in the early 13th century.
xvi) The place of composition of the Hygromanteia was probably Alexandria, with the text being subsequently taken to Constantinople. The author was Greek educated and not a Christian.
xvii) The Hygromanteia may have been written or compiled by Stephanos of Alexandria (and Athens) in the late 6th century, and brought by him to Constantinople.
xviii) The title Hygromanteia was originally only applied to the last chapters 47-59.
ix) The most likely title of the Hygromanteia is The Magical Treatise of Gathering and Directing the Spirits, or the Magical Treatise, although it was probably originally called the Ἀποτελεσµατικὴ πραγµατεία."
Stephen Skinner, Magical Techniques and Implements present in Graeco-Egyptian Magical Papyri, Byzantine Greek Solomonic Manuscripts and European Grimoires: Transmission, Continuity and Commonality, 2013, pp. 377-379.
A new bb appears! I ended up with a 2nd Edition, because I can't read, and I love it. It's absolutely, 100% guaranteed to ruin my reading list, but I accept this fully. If I end up wanting to work the grimoire, I may buy another edition when it comes out, but for now this is perfect.
Joining my ever growing library of grimoires, my bibliothèque infernale so to speak, is the Black Letter Press second edition of the Red Dragon aka the Grand Grimoire or Le Dragon Rouge
A diabolical Grimoire mainly dealing with the lengthy ritual to summon and pact Lucifuge Rofocale, the demonic Prime Minister of all Hell. The book is sprinkled with various acts of wickedness from the art of conversing with the dead, to boiling a cat to make you invisible and to comically make people dance nude via a magic snuff box.
Black Letter Press produce beautiful occult books along with a smattering of prose and poetry. I’d encourage you to check them out.