Indulge me for a moment, dear reader, as I express some frustration.
One thing left.
The Jupiter knife. That is the last piece in this stage. Once I have that I will have all the basic items prescribed by the True Grimoire to begin the work in earnest. Or at least to move on to the parchment steps. While not every thing I have gathered so far has been properly consecrated it has none the less been procured.
Except for this knife.
For several months now something has been coming up during the one hour on a Thursday each month when the window opens. Especially with work. Is there a correlation there? What is the lesson I am supposed to be learning by this delay?
In reading the Grimorium Verum Yahoo Group archives about the knives it seems that this knife was the first tool for some to procure. It makes sense in that it is mentioned first in the book and requires no spirit sigils in its consecration. But of course I'm doing things ass backward.
The quest continues.
Thank you for my childish rant. I feel better now.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Further Meditations on Surgat
In the course of working with Surgat I have been receiving more information on his nature and ways to work with him.
Thinking of Surgat in shamanic terms he is the "Opener of the Ways". In this way he has connections to Charon the Ferryman. He helps the magician to transverse barriers and penetrate membranes but he is not a spirit of transportation. He is stationary in the sense that he remains at the gateway; Charon never leaves the river.
Surgat's symbol is the open archway, or better yet, an arcade of open archways. The post and lintel and the vaulted arch both work but the vaulted arch is better. The open arches also reinforce my thinking of Surgat as an airy spirit as they carry connotations of ventilation and the movement of air. I also saw what at first appeared to be a starburst but which resolved into a vision of an infinite number of paths extending into a vanishing point. Doors were open before me as far as I could see and the straight paths extending forever forward until they all met at a point on the horizon.
Then I was reminded of a time in my youth in which I had violated a person's trust and gone snooping where I wasn't welcome. I was told that not all locks are meant to be opened. Whoever places a lock, be it literal or metaphoric, put it in place for a reason. I was told of the potential violating nature of breaking a lock. It was characterized as a kind of rape. I received another warning on the opening of gateways which was to remember that when doors are open they are open both ways. Opening a door for yourself could open it for others as well.
Thinking of Surgat in shamanic terms he is the "Opener of the Ways". In this way he has connections to Charon the Ferryman. He helps the magician to transverse barriers and penetrate membranes but he is not a spirit of transportation. He is stationary in the sense that he remains at the gateway; Charon never leaves the river.
Surgat's symbol is the open archway, or better yet, an arcade of open archways. The post and lintel and the vaulted arch both work but the vaulted arch is better. The open arches also reinforce my thinking of Surgat as an airy spirit as they carry connotations of ventilation and the movement of air. I also saw what at first appeared to be a starburst but which resolved into a vision of an infinite number of paths extending into a vanishing point. Doors were open before me as far as I could see and the straight paths extending forever forward until they all met at a point on the horizon.
Then I was reminded of a time in my youth in which I had violated a person's trust and gone snooping where I wasn't welcome. I was told that not all locks are meant to be opened. Whoever places a lock, be it literal or metaphoric, put it in place for a reason. I was told of the potential violating nature of breaking a lock. It was characterized as a kind of rape. I received another warning on the opening of gateways which was to remember that when doors are open they are open both ways. Opening a door for yourself could open it for others as well.
 |
| Gate surmounted by the eagle, another symbol of Surgat |
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Astrachios Prayer
In Jake Stratton-Kent's True Grimoire he gives his reconstruction of the Prayer For Success.
Jake Stratton-Kent goes into some detailas to the potential derivations of each of the names in his Testament of Cyprian vol. 2 and I won't go into that here. What I want to present here is just another bit of UPG.
UPG? Unverified Personal Gnosis. In other words, information from spirits or divination that may or may not be true in an objective way. Which is funny to say about any thing in the occult. Ultimately it's all subjective so one works with the information one discovers as they may.
At any rate, I digress.
I asked my tarot cards "what is the relationship between Scirlin and the spirits of the Astrachios prayer?". Without going into the specific cards I drew, I interpreted the reading as Scirlin influences the internal world of the magician, the Verum spirits influence the external world of the magician. This is the pattern I've been using. When I want the world to be rearranged to my advantage it is Astrachios et. al. I call upon. When I need to figure out a problem or need instruction it is Scirlin I call.
So far I have had success using this model. I have had requests fulfilled by making requests of the spirits of the Astrachios prayer.
This is another route of study in this practice. I'll be posting more thoughts as I progress.
Astrachios, Asac, Acra Bedrimuliel, Silat, Arabonas, Irehalem, Ideodoc, Archarzel, Blautel, Baracata, Adonai, Elohim, Emagro, Abragateh, Samoel, Geburahel, Cadato, Era, Elohi, Achsah, Ebmisha, Imachadel, Daniel, Dama, Elamos, Izachel, Bael, Scirlin; Genium Domos.In the grimoire this prayer is listed as one to recite several times a day as one fasts and prepares for the evocations. I have found it is a powerful prayer to recite as a daily practice. I have been viewing this prayer as a list of 28 names of spirits who can help guide me as I learn this magic.
Jake Stratton-Kent goes into some detailas to the potential derivations of each of the names in his Testament of Cyprian vol. 2 and I won't go into that here. What I want to present here is just another bit of UPG.
UPG? Unverified Personal Gnosis. In other words, information from spirits or divination that may or may not be true in an objective way. Which is funny to say about any thing in the occult. Ultimately it's all subjective so one works with the information one discovers as they may.
At any rate, I digress.
I asked my tarot cards "what is the relationship between Scirlin and the spirits of the Astrachios prayer?". Without going into the specific cards I drew, I interpreted the reading as Scirlin influences the internal world of the magician, the Verum spirits influence the external world of the magician. This is the pattern I've been using. When I want the world to be rearranged to my advantage it is Astrachios et. al. I call upon. When I need to figure out a problem or need instruction it is Scirlin I call.
So far I have had success using this model. I have had requests fulfilled by making requests of the spirits of the Astrachios prayer.
This is another route of study in this practice. I'll be posting more thoughts as I progress.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Meditations on Surgat
As I get closer to making my Surgat talisman I have been thinking quite a bit about this spirit. Here are a few of my thoughts.
Jake Stratton-Kent, in his book Geosophia vol. 2, aligns Surgat with the 25th Mansion of the Moon which begins at roughly 9 degrees Aquarius. This apparently follows attributions he has set up using the Kabbalistic Tree of Life as the outline with some astrological correspondences. I think there is great merit to his list of correspondences but it is my belief that perhaps Surgat is misattributed.
In the Grimoire of Pope Honorius Surgat is also called Aquiel. I don't think it is too far of a stretch to imagine this might indicate a relation to Aquila, the constellation called The Eagle. The stars in Aquila extend from the middle of Capricorn to just the first few degrees of Aquarius. A little far perhaps to match with JSK's attribution but really close. The major star in Aquila is Altair which these days sits at about 1 degree Aquarius. So far I take all this as confirmation that I'm on the right track; three occurrences of the Aqu- prefix. For astrological timing in works of Surgat I will use Altair as the indicator star. Altair falls directly in the middle of the 24th Mansion of the Moon.
Surgat Correspondences, part 1
1. the star Altair
2. the first degree of Aquarius
3. the Eagle, the constellation and by extension the mythic figure.
4. the element Air
Let's look at the mythic figure of the Eagle. In Classic Greek myth there are two prominent occurrences of the Eagle. First is in the story of Ganymede who was kidnapped by Zeus in the form of an Eagle. Ganymede became Zeus's water bearer and is commemorated in the constellation Aquarius. The second reference to the Eagle occurs in the imprisonment and punishment of Prometheus. Everyday the Eagle would eat Prometheus's liver as part of the punishment for giving the gift of Fire to humanity. In both of these cases the Eagle is an agent of imprisonment. This attribute supports Surgat's qualities as one who has providence over things locked or shut. Surgat is the only spirit in the Grimorium Verum described as dangerous. Perhaps it is this quality that makes him so dangerous.
Surgat Correspondences, part 2
5. the fox
6. Sunday
7. locks and keys
In Book 2 of the Grimorium Verum we have a spell using the auspices of Surgat called To Open Anything That is Shut or Locked. In this section we have a spell to enchant a lodestone with the power to open all locks. For my talisman I am taking this ability as more metaphoric than literal. At any rate, in the description of the spell we are given more correspondences.
Surgat Correspondences, part 3
8. lodestone
9. St. Andrew's cross (X)
10. the number 3
11. lead
12. the "lunar plant" and by extension The Moon
The glyph for The Moon also shows up in Surgat's sigil as do the slightly modified glyphs of Venus and Mars. It is a rather peculiar sigil. Let's analyze its elements.
At first glance this sigil looks a bit like a frowning face turned sideways, the eyes formed from the glyphs of Mars and Venus, the mouth formed by the glyph of The Moon. The "head" is formed by an ellipse with two lines on the left seeming to form an arrow and two more lines at the top forming a triangle. With the inclusion of the three planetary glyphs I can't help but see this ellipse as an astrological chart. The lines on the left forming the arrow indicate the direction the houses are counted and the direction of the planets as they travel around the circle of the represented zodiac. I'm not sure what to make of the triangle at the top of the ellipse. Perhaps it indicates the Midheaven. In the Grimorium Verum only Frimost and Surgat have explicit astrological glyphs in their sigils. The ellipse and arrow in Surgat's sigil suggests cycles; moving around a circle, beginning, traveling, and ending at the beginning. It could also indicate the span of a year or simply the passage of time.
I will continue these contemplations as I seek to work further with this spirit.
XXX
Surgat, spirit of the Grimorium Verum.Jake Stratton-Kent, in his book Geosophia vol. 2, aligns Surgat with the 25th Mansion of the Moon which begins at roughly 9 degrees Aquarius. This apparently follows attributions he has set up using the Kabbalistic Tree of Life as the outline with some astrological correspondences. I think there is great merit to his list of correspondences but it is my belief that perhaps Surgat is misattributed.
In the Grimoire of Pope Honorius Surgat is also called Aquiel. I don't think it is too far of a stretch to imagine this might indicate a relation to Aquila, the constellation called The Eagle. The stars in Aquila extend from the middle of Capricorn to just the first few degrees of Aquarius. A little far perhaps to match with JSK's attribution but really close. The major star in Aquila is Altair which these days sits at about 1 degree Aquarius. So far I take all this as confirmation that I'm on the right track; three occurrences of the Aqu- prefix. For astrological timing in works of Surgat I will use Altair as the indicator star. Altair falls directly in the middle of the 24th Mansion of the Moon.
Surgat Correspondences, part 1
1. the star Altair
2. the first degree of Aquarius
3. the Eagle, the constellation and by extension the mythic figure.
4. the element Air
Let's look at the mythic figure of the Eagle. In Classic Greek myth there are two prominent occurrences of the Eagle. First is in the story of Ganymede who was kidnapped by Zeus in the form of an Eagle. Ganymede became Zeus's water bearer and is commemorated in the constellation Aquarius. The second reference to the Eagle occurs in the imprisonment and punishment of Prometheus. Everyday the Eagle would eat Prometheus's liver as part of the punishment for giving the gift of Fire to humanity. In both of these cases the Eagle is an agent of imprisonment. This attribute supports Surgat's qualities as one who has providence over things locked or shut. Surgat is the only spirit in the Grimorium Verum described as dangerous. Perhaps it is this quality that makes him so dangerous.
Surgat Correspondences, part 2
5. the fox
6. Sunday
7. locks and keys
In Book 2 of the Grimorium Verum we have a spell using the auspices of Surgat called To Open Anything That is Shut or Locked. In this section we have a spell to enchant a lodestone with the power to open all locks. For my talisman I am taking this ability as more metaphoric than literal. At any rate, in the description of the spell we are given more correspondences.
Surgat Correspondences, part 3
8. lodestone
9. St. Andrew's cross (X)
10. the number 3
11. lead
12. the "lunar plant" and by extension The Moon
The glyph for The Moon also shows up in Surgat's sigil as do the slightly modified glyphs of Venus and Mars. It is a rather peculiar sigil. Let's analyze its elements.
At first glance this sigil looks a bit like a frowning face turned sideways, the eyes formed from the glyphs of Mars and Venus, the mouth formed by the glyph of The Moon. The "head" is formed by an ellipse with two lines on the left seeming to form an arrow and two more lines at the top forming a triangle. With the inclusion of the three planetary glyphs I can't help but see this ellipse as an astrological chart. The lines on the left forming the arrow indicate the direction the houses are counted and the direction of the planets as they travel around the circle of the represented zodiac. I'm not sure what to make of the triangle at the top of the ellipse. Perhaps it indicates the Midheaven. In the Grimorium Verum only Frimost and Surgat have explicit astrological glyphs in their sigils. The ellipse and arrow in Surgat's sigil suggests cycles; moving around a circle, beginning, traveling, and ending at the beginning. It could also indicate the span of a year or simply the passage of time.
I will continue these contemplations as I seek to work further with this spirit.
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