Abramelin, day 32

Morning rite went okay. The theme of boundaries continues to pervade. It’s funny; I consider myself to be very assertive bordering on near aggressive, very outspoken, and incredibly far from being a pushover. It appears that these boundary issues are very select and pertaining to very specific things in my life. I need to watch these things more carefully and examine why they’re the exception to the rule and not the rule. An important email, in fact, was just sent, as those boundaries are yet again being tested.

Also something I’m noticing coming up: bullies and how I react to them. I’ve always had an allergy to them, but it seems that I am crossing paths with them more often than not during this time. And when they do, I confront…and typically the shit hits the fan because they don’t like that. XD I’ve just dealt with two in the past five minutes alone, interestingly enough both of them appear to have similar opinions except one is being passive-aggressive about it, and the other is just being…well, aggressive.

Naturally it’s kind of obvious to note that boundary pushers typically are bullies. And sometimes–and more often than not–they are also abusers.

Another thing that is coming up in combination with bullies: abusers and cult leader types, elements of my past bad experiences with esoteric orders and groups coming into play and helping some people who have come forward to me about their own experiences. A lot of this stuff bridges my experiences in the occult communities with that of the Hellenic pagan. Brings back a lot of memories and lessons learned the hard way. I hope I can help people to better absorb theirs and let them know they’re not alone and they too can heal.

Healing has honestly been the theme of the Abramelin working so far. Burn, heal, and evolve. Cleanse, purge, and elevate.

Evening rite went well. I’m a bit punchy right now; I feel the need to seriously do some purging and I’m about to collapse right now. That whole past revisiting/reclaiming thing is slamming forth in the form of wave after wave, and with it comes the opportunity to work through issues in a way which is positive to both me and others. I welcome and accept that opportunity. Tonight was definitely priestessing night.

Abramelin FAQ

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.

Abramelin, day 31

I just realized that I’m technically now in the second half of phase 1, if using the Mathers’ version. I have essentially “signed myself up” for six months to start but as I’ve been telling my HGA (and anyone reading this blog) it’ll take as long as it takes. Not here for a drive thru and fries with that to go.

Morning rite went well. I leave to go back home today and it’s back to my regularly scheduled rites and location. My dreams were both normal, and not. My subconscious had a lot to rant my about in regards to personal boundaries. Again with the pendulum: I’m typically either super militant about them to the point where everything and everyone is shut out, or I have massive issues with people who start disrespecting them and treating them as a joke. Needs to be somewhere in between. This is a universal problem on the Internet, “real life”, etc. Issues with my family later on confirmed that feeling. Tests, tests, and more tests.

I had an interesting conversation with others today about our relationships with the gods, how specific ones have affected our lives, etc. It was wonderful to talk about things I normally don’t feel comfortable sharing with a great many people.

Evening rite went well. I missed being in my temple room.

Abramelin, day 30

Lots of dreams about my friend last night, lots of weirdness. No nightmares per se and slept well otherwise.

Morning rite went well. Where I’m staying I have an eastern window! I usually just face east, no window. The fresh air and sunlight is nice.

Not surprisingly, I’ve had my first share of negative commentary whining that I’m “profaning my angel” by blogging this and my experiences. First of all…anyone reading this can tell that there are some matters I speak very obliquely about. I’m not baring my soul here. Secondly…it’s between me and my HGA. On day 30 I think I’d hear or perceive something if there were a problem. In any event, my task is simple: inspire others to get out there and do the work. Since I’ve started posting I’ve had all sorts of private messages telling me them that my Abramelin posts have inspired them to get back into the fray, so to speak, and do the Work. That shit THRILLS me. I live for that. For that reason and that reason alone, I cannot see what I am doing as a bad thing.

I took my oath publicly because it’s not a private oath. I’m holding myself accountable. Others have done the same.

I believe in what I’m doing, and by the gods, I will see this through.

Abramelin, day 29

Morning rite went well. I think I dreamed about my friend last night, far too many clues: the hair, the singer moving to Canada, and starting up her own city. I commented ages ago, wondering about whether or not there were entire cities of the dead. And there was so much white everywhere, and strange things like talking and blinking dolls.

I feel like this entire experience right now is a treasure hunt, with one clue leading to the next. I’ve traced it back to my days back in the Golden Dawn all the way through to my third Portal initiation (long story) in 2007 and a conversation with EHNB around Sept/Oct of the same year. After rambling at me in Enochian, he had but one word to say to me, and he said it over and over again: “Evolve.” He gave very little instruction, mostly just imagery.

Honestly…I feel good. Better than I have in a long time. I think I’m on the right track towards many, many important things. I hope that I am right. I had a lot of insights while driving, which I tend to do. I also needed the time to myself to meditate.

Tonight I did the crystals in the corners of the room and the one representing the Abramelin altar thing in my room here while I stay over visiting my family. I think I did okay and it went okay. Travel need not be such an obstacle I can’t work around it. As I said earlier…no excuses.

And tomorrow is yet another day.

Abramelin, day 28

Wow, my dreams last night were fucked up. NO idea what brought those about, but seriously not cool. Some serious purification/cleansing is in order. Cleanse and purge indeed.

Morning rite went well, considering.

Day went okay. A few trying moments at work from the usual suspects but otherwise fine. This evening however was…chaotic. Too much multitasking to try to get stuff done, wound up completely fried.

I did however reach some valuable insights on a longtime problem that’s been troubling me, and I think it’ll also help me immensely with the Abramelin operation. I need to sit on it and meditate some more on precisely how to go about it, but I think I’m finally off on the right track. There are also some things I want to guard myself from in the process, and I think I touched upon a few of them tonight. In essence, I need to reclaim some stuff that was lost but without discarding stuff I’ve gained. Already in realizing what I need to do I have found myself pulled back today into shit I haven’t been involved with in years, including some old Internet habits which will Serve Me No Good. I may need to cut back on my Facebooking or find a way to be more moderate with it. I’m sorry, folks, but I have a big mouth and when I see certain things I have to speak up. It’s a huge part of my personality for better and for worse. At times it’s beneficial and at times it sucks me into drama llama which is more distracting than useful. I will however admit to enjoying batting around the occasional Internet troll with my paw (insert cat imagery here). They amuse me far more than they annoy me.

Today’s theme at work, in dreams, and online seemed to be all about Bullies and How to Respond to Them. It seems that for the most part and in most cases, humor utterly disarms them. Unfortunately in some settings that’s not always possible.

Evening rite went well. It’s interesting how I have these little quiet insights that slip into my mind, sometimes while doing the rite. They’re useful. Tomorrow I leave to visit family, and as promised, it’s “do your best and forget the rest”, as Tony Horton of P90X fame would say. If you can do the Abramelin while sick and unable to leave your bed, you can do it while traveling. I put some crystals consecrated with Abramelin oil in the corners of the room and on the Abramelin altar, and plan to bring those with me as sort of my traveling temple room, so to speak. I won’t be able to do candles, incense, etc but I can still do the prayers and keep up the fight.

No excuses. All obstacles are a part of the rite and are a necessity to growth.

Also some nice insight in abundance and attracting abundance not just in terms of health and wealth but also time. I never feel like I have enough. It’s time to start attracting some more.

Didn’t get to do much of the purification and cleansing I wanted to, but I got some laundry from my bedding done. It’s a start.

Abramelin, day 27

Morning rite went…okay. Whining has escalated to begging and pleading. I know that my life cannot remain the way it’s been, and I cannot continue to live it like this. I won’t say that I’m typically terrified of change, but when you’re more afraid that things will remain the same versus changing, it’s typically a sign.

I gotta say though…I am feeling FRIED. Like “I need a vacation” fried. Is this normal? I’m feeling very off balance, out of sync, and drained. Maybe it’s the stress, I don’t know.

Finished reading Joe Vitale’s The Remembering Process. About to reread a few books I haven’t read in a while that I know are pretty useful. Definitely will need to think of other good books to read which I haven’t yet which would be useful as sources of inspiration. I could use some.

Evening rite went well. Am incredibly tired and will undoubtedly pass out not long after posting this.

Abramelin, day 26

Morning rite went well. I continue to be under the impression that my HGA is not impressed with my bullshit, but I have no idea how much of that is projection. I am my own worst critic, after all.

I am down to my last couple of tealights so bought some more today.

Work was trying, but I actually got a 5 alarm fire resolved so that was good. I wish for more days like today in that regard.

Lots of personal bullshit and issues to toss onto the pyre, some of them ongoing for years. I decided to take a long walk home today and I don’t know if it was good for me or not. I did get drenched due to the torrential downpour. Spoke with a friend after, got some insights, and now it’s like someone let the air out of the balloon. I’m so fucking exhausted. I’m painfully aware of how many people depend on me for one thing or another and I’m barely reliable for myself. Ugh.

Seven years is a long time for a Dark Night of the Soul, isn’t it? I’m very nearly there.

Evening rite went well. I found myself praying for one thing over and over again: I want to be awake. Please help me to wake up.

Cleanse and purge.

Abramelin, day 25

Morning rite went well. I think. Painfully aware of how much bullshit I need to purge.

Finished the Holy Guardian Angel book today. I plan to digest, read some more personal development books, then give it a re-read.

I am realizing that I don’t have a lot of quiet time. I go to work, I workout, I watch tv while I workout, I go online, etc. I need to cut back on the amount of time I spend online and use it for reading, meditating, etc. I think I’m entirely too used to distracting myself from all of the stress I typically have on a regular basis.

My mortgage refi closing has been delayed, tentatively scheduled for my birthday. Ha. Taxes are filed. Job is still…well.  I am finding myself less and less motivated due to the amount of stress they put on me and the lack of any positive feedback when I bust my ass to get everything done. I am also painfully aware of the fact that the team I am on is a leaky boat and I’ve been given a thimble to help get the water out. I am thankfully poised and prepared financially should I get laid off for any reason so no stress there–I’ve prepared for that well in the past month or so.

I am trying to focus on one day at a time, but there are days when I feel like I’m flailing. Today is one of them. I need to manage my time better or I will not be able to keep up with the changes as they occur. I am doing my best to remind myself that everything, absolutely everything, is a part of this rite. I will not have any false separations.

I had a dream a few nights ago that I accidentally brought my Hellenic pagan name into a work related chatroom and it was…awkward. I really need to become self employed.

Evening rite went okay, but I just feel inadequate to do much tonight. I don’t know if I’m being too hard on myself or I’m just recognizing that shit needs to change and I cannot fall back into old patterns.

Abramelin, day 24

Morning ritual went well. Some whining but to be expected, I suppose.

Last night was an amazing ritual with my coven. At some point during it, I realized for better or for worse, I had to let go of something. In the process of doing so, it was like everything just burst wide open. Astral sight very nearly melded with physical sight, and I could see for a few moments so many people and their connections to spirit and to everything. I could see the energy running through the participants like a strong electrical current. No matter what I could do, grounding was impossible after that and I was dizzy and spacey. I left at a semi-reasonable hour, fed the cats, did the evening Abramelin rite, and went to bed.

Today was trying. As in, trying my patience. Lots of personal issues I’m fighting with. I went for a long walk to and from meeting a friend for dinner and it helped.

I did many, many short divinations today for people on behalf of Apollo and it was good. However, I am now exhausted and I ran out of time to get my laundry done, particularly for my bedding.

It must be said…everything I needed to know or comprehend from my conversations with my HGA has been through watching the tv show Supernatural. If you have not seen the show, do. They even use Enochian. Anyhow, Castiel IS my HGA. The temperament is terribly, terribly similar, and attempting the hell to communicate can be…interesting. 

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I’ve been reading the Holy Guardian Angel book from Nephilim Press, and there’s an essay in there that’s very spot on in my experience with the HGA. Years ago, I achieved conversation with my HGA. I took it as K&C because hey, who wouldn’t? I learned the VERY hard way that there’s conversation, and then there’s knowledge and conversation. I don’t think it’s intuitive; I think it’s an easy error that people make often. Without a basis of comparison, how would you know? And who would? After years of studying and practicing magic, it’s very gratifying (and often humbling) to know that I am still a Dumbass Neophyte.

Evening rite went…okay. I had the immediate impression upon stepping into the temple room that I was in desperate need of a scolding. I apologized for my continued bullshit and expressed a strong and sincere interest in removing my bullshit. While tomorrow is another day, I don’t know how to get myself straightened out. I need further communion with Apollo.

Attempting the hell to communicate continues. Cleanse, purge, etc.