#rufus opus

[chirotusinfinitum]

Regular Practice

I’ve always had difficulty establishing a regular practice. This has caused me an undue amount of stress in my magical career, as the most common advice I got from more established magicians was always “have a daily practice,” or at the very least “meditate regularly.” I still don’t meditate, and perhaps I would benefit from it, but I have managed to build a daily practice for myself. I have…

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[derangedrhythms]

It is changeable, a chameleon taking on whatever symbols fit into our context to reveal as much as we can stand to hear, every chance it gets. It shows up as “totem animals” and talking lizards that never existed, nor ceased to exist. It has no shame, and will be a beggar or a King, whatever is necessary to get your attention when it must.

Frater Rufus Opus, Never Again Alone, published in ‘The Holy Guardian Angel: On the practice and experience of the Holy Guardian Angel’, ed. Michael Cecchetelli

[ivy-kissobryos]

Hello! How do you like Rufus Opus methods of planetary talismans and consecration vs something like greater key planetary pentacles

From what I remember, Rufus Opus has a very easy script to follow, invoking the Divine Creator, the Spirit Mundi, the angels etc. I loved the ease of it, along with his usage of the Orphic Hymns for the consecration. However, the pentacles of the Clavicula Salomonis have also proven to be amazing, particularly the first and second pentacle of Venus. I don't mind using the associated psalms to consecrate them either. To be honest, I find myself more often writing my own hymns to the planets / their spirits, mixing and matching verses from the Orphic Hymns, the PGM, and the Picatrix. I tend to just use whatever method I find most suitable to make initial contact with the spirits/angels of the planets, and then do my own thing from then, with their guidance, not particularly sticking to a single piece of text.

Not sure if it helps you, but I'd say experiment around and see what you like best!

[arcane-offerings]

Rufus Opus, Severn Spheres (Charlotte, NC: Nephilim Press, 2014). Hardcover edition. 145 pages. Limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies (516/1000). https://www.ebay.com/itm/254691075090

[this-isnt-magic]

any text or source you recommend going to when consulting seven spheres in terms of double-checking it’s information? I just ordered it online because I’m now interested in planetary workings and I’d like to have as much on hand.

Firstly I would look at Francis Barrett’s The Magus, where the original Drawing Spirits into Crystals (DSIC) manuscript comes from. The link for it on Esoteric Archives is [here]. Similarly, I would look over the Heptameron for obvious parallels and exploration of angelic conjuration; link [here].

You can also check out Ashen Chassan’s “Gateways Through Stone and Circle” to see his experiences conjuring angels using the same ritual, but with far more attention to the details of DSIC. Reading his book with Seven Spheres is quite fruitful. 

Sam Block over at The Digital Ambler blog recently published what is essentially a Master’s thesis-length exploration of DSIC, drawing on all these books alongside his own experiences. You can start reading the posts [here]. His blog is a treasure trove of resources on DSIC and other forms of ritual magic; you can read it all sequentially or skip around to the topics that most intrigue you about the ritual procedure. If you have a question about DSIC and Seven Spheres, he’s probably answered it somewhere across those many posts - they’re extremely comprehensive. Best of luck!

- Mod D

[frateriac-blog]

This is my Table of Practice and Trithemius Wand. As mentioned in an earlier post, the purpose of these tools is to evoke the angels of the various planets for purposes of theurgy (initiation into or learning about) or thaumaturgy (asking them to help you accomplish something you desire).

The Table is pine. The Wand is Gabon Ebony.

They were made according to basic instructions found in Rufus Opus’ Seven Spheres, in Barrett’s 1801 translation of Johannes Trithemius’ The Art of Drawing Spirits Into Crystals, and a review of photos on the internet.

I chose the Hebrew Alphabet for the lettering on the Table of Practice because I like it better, and because I had better stencils. I traced the letters in pencil and then filled them in with black acrylic paint, then covered the whole thing with several coats of clear gloss lacquer. 

The wand was also coated with clear gloss lacquer. 

Why gloss? Personal preference. You do need a protective coat of lacquer, though. Otherwise the letters, particularly on ritual tools, will smear.

Note that I am using this Table of Practice to evoke elemental angels and powers because according to Franz Bardon, Donald Kraig and others, it is very important to be initiated into the four elements prior to advancing further. 

[hugleikinn]

Seven Spheres pt.1

Last week I started working the Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus. 

Aside from the fact that I believe the table of practice/setup he presents is somewhat wonky, in more than one way, I quite like the concept of a quite easily workable, streamlined system, especially when one has been a lazy occultist. Bite sized rituals in regular doses are what one needs. 

Also, it helps one lowkey stock their minibar with a good excuse.

The pic on top is From the Jupiter working last Thursday. 

I do have some plans of working more closely with JPT and VNS in the future, so the setup is a bit much, as I used the occasion to consecrate a Jupiter centered permanent mini altar. A similar overthetopness will be going on this Friday for Venus. 

Nevertheless, it was interesting and I do feel something has been set in motion, as this happened later that evening for a start: 

My partner comes home, without knowing the days program:

“Got this awesome movie for us to watch tonight”

Me: “ What is it?”

“It’s called Jupiter Ascending”

***

I did Mars yesterday, but neglected to take any pictures, so that is a bummer. 

Hopefully, I will remember to take a photo of the opulence of the permanent Venus setup, though, because I went through the trouble to get almost everything in pure copper for it. 

Stay tuned.

[ohthewitchery-blog]

Planetary magic and Seven Spheres

So, I'm reading Seven Spheres by Rufus Opus. I'm more of a folk and low magic kind of person, so I felt that it was time for me to learn a bit more about high magic. It's a good read, way less pompous than a lot of occult authors tend to be and actually explained a lot of the concepts in a reasonable fashion (at least, to this ceremonial newbie). What other books on that topic would you all recommend that are kind of in that same vein? I'd prefer ones that are fairly introductory, simply because I'm not terribly well acquainted with the topic, but I'll take whatever suggestions you have!