Almadel experiment

Last Sunday marked my first working of the Spring equinox, East quarter of the Almadel. This art is found in book four of five in the Lemegeton.

The wax tablet, candles, and other equipment were all fashioned the previous Sunday on the Spring equinox. It took me from the first hour of the sun on Sunday (around 7am) till about 5pm that same day with no breaks in between. ( kitchen was a mess!)

The oratory was set up and the practice commenced at the same hour the following Sunday. The creation and decided form of the proper Almadel tablet took many previous months of planning and researching to feel I was working with a cohesive system that made sense. (At least to me) A couple of the divine names were somewhat confusing at the initial reading. They seem to have been translated from Hebrew to Greek, and then back into Hebrew again. It was the first time I had seen TETRAGRAMMATON spelled out with Hebraic letters instead of using the YHVH. Other words seemed to be misinterpreted from their original translations. All in all it was not too difficult after comparing the three or four Almadel versions I came upon thanks to Joseph Peterson.

The morning of the operation began with my sense of alignment and magical focus lacking. The previous week (after the creation of the Almadel) was full of other interests, distractions and obligations which did not necessarily lend to a focused-magical state of mind. Nevertheless, the procedure was worthwhile with the effects that occurred after a couple recitations of the initial invocation. I’m hopeful further operations in this art will be more successful as I continually became distracted by minor irritations during this particular experiment.



There were a few issues which seemed to detract from what might have been a seamless scrying experience. First, the uncomfortable position of kneeling which I didn’t think would be such a bother kept me from maintaining my focus. ( The text dictates you should be kneeling all the while).

The tending of the coal and incense of mastic caused me to take my eyes and mind from the alter a couple times. Finally, the reading of the invocation from the parchment seemed to switch my mental state between two opposing functions. (Memorized and internalized invocations have always worked best for me, but this one mentions reading it from parchment).

Despite these distractions, I managed to perceive the arrival of a “mist” which seemed to envelope the whole of the Almadel structure. The text reads the angel will descend upon the Almadel as a mist and then be seen clearly in the crystal stone. The mist substance materialized after a second or third reading of the invocation and seemed to cause the whole apparatus to glow/shimmer slightly. This drew in my gaze and after a moment I beheld a rather lovely face wrapped in white ( white hair or hood, I couldn’t tell) that seemed more on the feminine side with a steady expression. I studied the face in the crystal ball a moment, transfixed and rather surprised as my state of being did not seem adequate for such a viewing. I picked up my invocation written on parchment and read my petition aloud. I remember feeling a bit anxious, afraid the vision would disperse before I was able to make my desires known. ( I have trouble reading and using my senses to astraly gaze at the same time) I received little acknowledgment when I was done reading save for a sensation of ‘pleasantness’ as the ‘mist’ seemed to lighten then disperse.



During this session I wasn’t able to hear any messages that might have been transmitted yet later I seemed to receive slight alterations in my thinking and ‘mental perceptions’. My mind and attention have been busied with countless particulars of daily life. In the ecstatic persistence of securing all the items needed for medieval type grimoric work, I’ve found I’ve neglected the time and space needed for clear perception of the untainted mind…and/or WILL. I chastised myself before and after for not maintaining this state I had worked so hard to achieve those many years ago. A realization and humbling return to basics has been my lesson this week. ( and many following ones I imagine). I don’t really consider this experiment a success of anything as my perceptions of the being seemed filtered past clear communication. ( at least on my end). I am confident in the merit of the Almadel art as a working system but feel I will need many more Sundays to achieve any report with the Angels of the four Altitudes.

JUPITER TALISMAN

Jupiter Talisman

   Today is my birthday. (yay!) St. Patty's is a great birthday for an Irish decedent,.... but instead of getting wasted, I thought I'd get up early and do some magick beginning on the hour of Jupiter.
  I had been planning to create a certain talisman on this day for a few months now. My birthday would be falling on a THURSDAY and only a couple days away from the full moon! Along with some other favorably astro goodies I thought it would be a perfect time/day.

My primary endeavor was to create one of the Jupiter talismans listed in the Veritable Key of Solomon, which David Rankine and Stephen Skinner had published. I want to share with you my procedure after I had done all the essential work. This operation was most wonderful in each aspect and I enjoyed it immensely.

Veritable Key of Solomon

With this experiment, I could care less about further results as the whole procedure was worth every ounce of work and ingredients that went into it. ....but I have a confident sense that ALL will work according to its design. :)

   The talisman I created is the one listed on page 249 but described on page 248, which reads: -"The talisman of Jupiter given here is excellent for protecting yourself against all evil spells, for luck in games of chance and even luck in business, according to the report of Wierus who gives us the method for creating it..."

Its method for creation reads below:

 "Take a plate of red copper ( the footnote reads 'You would normally expect a talisman of Jupiter to be engraved on a tin plate'- which seems obvious but I went with what the book stated) and engrave this pentacle on it, just as you see on the previous page. Make it on a Thursday at the hour favorable to Jupiter and during the waxing of the Moon..."
   It then lists a prayer in Latin which you are to recite three times while making the talisman. Then you are to perfume it with the incense of Thursday (Which I will relate below) and then rub cedar resin onto it with wood aloes and wrap it in a lemon colored silk cloth and carry it on your person.

Now before I get into the actual procedure, let me get to the incense for Thursday and reiterate the importance of planing your magical experiments ahead. Gathering needed ingredients can take more time than you ever expected from first reading.

Here is what is listed for the 'Manufacture of Perfume for Jupiter for the day of Thursday':

"Rowan berry, wood of aloes, Storax, Benzoin, powder of Lapis Lazuli, pieces of chopped up peacock feathers; ground up and mixed with the blood of two or three swallows or the brain of a deer; make a paste out of this and make pellets for your use in the rituals of the Art on the day of Thursday under the auspices of Jupiter and the Spirits who rule its influences."

Ingredients

I'll say this now and state that I was missing some of the listed ingredients above. I did not include either swallow blood nor the brain of a deer. I am a traditionalist, but have not used any animal bio material as compound to my incenses. I like to keep incense I've made for as long as I can and bio material will putrefy quickly if not used. I used some of the supplements Aaron suggested in his Secrets book to account for this. I do not doubt the effectiveness of the animal material but I had absolutely no sense of inadequacy from the compound I made.
  The rowan berries were bought from an occult dealer in England. I had Benzoin and wood of aloes left from a purchase from Alchemy works but had to buy Storax from them.
  Lapis Lazuli stone is easy to come by, but pulverizing it into a powder took some effort and patience. Peacock feathers were bought at a local craft store. All in all, the ingredients were not too difficult to come by.
  The most challenging part was finding the cedar resin which the book stated should be rubbed on the talisman with aloe woods after you cense it. I looked and looked and couldn't find CEDAR resin for sale anywhere. Not local or on-line.

 Luckily, Colorado has cedar trees and some amazing ones were located in a place called Garden of the Gods not five minutes from my house. I know of the method for collecting resin/sap but it was the dead of winter here and the 'sap just don't flow' well at that time. I decided to see what I could find and was fortunate to discover that (some of) the trees already had grains of sap on them. So I didn't have have to harm any trees to collect the resin and I left a generous offering to the trees/land/nature spirits in the area. ( This gesture is somewhat pagan but one I follow religiously on a constant basis in one form or another. My motivation to magick has always been one of beneficial interactions between all manner of spiritual beings and myself/others) It took me two days of collecting with a few hours out each time to get enough ingredient.


Creation of the seal did not take very long but used up the complete first hour of Jupiter to the minute. I cut out a disk of the red copper and equal one of tin and decided to adhere them together.
( I think the copper is well suited although attributed to Venus. I added the tin disk for the sake of correspondence and intuition. I etched out the sigil and name of Bethor which is listed in the key, page 184)

During the process I received a small cut, ...and on a whim, traced out the glyph of Jupiter on both backs of the metal before I sealed them together. I recited the Latin prayer once as I began, again after I had almost finished engraving it, and once more before I perfumed it. I also said the English translated version after I began sealing it with the resin.
 I performed the majority of the ritual were my financial alter is located and do weekly rituals on Thursdays. It seemed appropriate. The incense is pretty amazing and seems well suited for the operation. (Go figure)

After the talisman was completed and wrapped up in the yellow silk, I placed it in my pocket and went downstairs with the incense burner to my oratory/magical lab. I set the blue incense burner on the Jupiter seal which is engraved on my 'Table of Art'. (Ars Paulina style). I sat at the alter, lit the holy candle, and meditated. I recited the Jupiter Prayer, invocation, and conjuration.
   Magick was working as these three verses caused instantaneous energy and awareness of spiritual beings around me. Empowering, invigorating and other sensations I cannot completely define filled me as well as the room. Light seemed to radiate beyond natural luminescence and visions of beings could be scene everywhere out of the periphery of my vision. I kept focused on the central candle flame and let the entire experience unfold as it wished.

I say it every day, but I'll say it again. I love magick :)

Financial Altar

Other tin Jupiter Talisman

Back of copper talisman

Happy birthday to me...heheh