I’ve been getting a lot of questions since I started, so I’m going to do what I’ve been talking about doing and am finally doing an Abramelin FAQ. I will update/correct/add to it as needed.
Q. What is the Abramelin? Is this some sort of medical procedure or something?
A. The Abramelin rite comes from a book called The Book of Abramelin by Abraham the Jew and is an intense spiritual and magical operation designed to put you in contact and essentially unite with your Holy Guardian Angel, often abbreviated as HGA. There are currently two translations of the work, one by MacGregor Mathers, one of the founding members of the Golden Dawn, and another recent translation by Georg Dehn. The Dehn one was based on a more complete surviving manuscript and details an 18 month operation versus 6.
You can read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Abramelin
Q. What is the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA)?
A. You will get somewhat different responses to this question depending on who you talk to. Some say that it is the equivalent of your higher self; based on my own experiences I would vehemently disagree. I think that the HGA can assist you in connecting with your higher self but that they are not the same thing. Nor should it be confused with a “supernatural assistant” who can run errands for you. Closest analogy I can think of, honestly, is the notion of the agathos daimon or “good spirit” among the ancient Greeks. As always, YMMV.
Essentially the Holy Guardian Angel accomplishes what it says it does on the tin; it’s your holy (sacred) guardian (protector) angel (divine messenger). In achieving knowledge and conversation, you will have a far greater chance of success in terms of spiritual and magical evolution, accomplishing the Great Work AKA your True Will, etc.
Q . What is this “knowledge and conversation”?
A. It’s a lovely euphemism coined to express both unification and communication with your HGA. Many people achieve the “C” in K&C (knowledge & conversation) and confuse it with the full deal. I myself was guilty of just that for years and like (an uneducated) virgin, it’s really hard to tell if you don’t know. “Knowledge” refers to knowledge in the Biblical sense; the unification is essentially a hieros gamos or sacred marriage between you and your HGA. For some this is subtle in experience, for others not so much. People tend to think it’s a single event and you’re done, but the reality is more that when you “achieve” it, it’s the first step of many and is an ongoing process. Same is true for simply achieving “conversation”…obviously. 😉
Q. Is the Abramelin text available to read online?
A. The Mathers’ translation is. You can find it here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/abr/
Q. Are you doing the Mathers version or the Dehn version?
A. A bit of both, as I’m using both versions for my working. I’ve essentially “signed up” for the six month version but with the intent of going longer if it needs to take longer. I’m about getting this done right and completely, and not about the speed or length of time in which I do it.
Q. Are there other accounts of people’s experiences with the Abramelin?
A. Yes, there are. One excellent one is After the Angel by Marcus Katz and Lon Milo DuQuette. There are other works out there either in blogs or books, but some of those books are out of print. Google and you will find. 🙂 Another good book that just came out is a limited print release by Nephilim books, a collection of essays entitled simply Holy Guardian Angel. If you want to buy it, I recommend doing so ASAP before they run out as they’re only printing 500 copies. I own it myself, and it’s incredibly good. I highly recommend it.
Q. Do you plan to blog your entire experience or just part of it?
A. I plan to blog as much as I can based on time, comfort level, and what my HGA deems appropriate. So far I have found it to be immensely invaluable, and I hope others will find it useful as well.