I Test Datura Veneziana, Christopher Penczak and ... The Hand Arrives!

Enjoying Black Jack's (in Boston, not Cambridge) vegetarian ravioli: half butternut squash ravioli, half stuffed vegetable ravioli, smothered with broccoli rabe and artichoke hearts, all tossed in pesto, garlic & olive oil. YUM!

As I said, I have been reading a group of magickal best selling authors: I’d already started Grimassi’s Italian Witchcraft. and Oberon Zell-Ravenheart’s Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard for solid refresher and background information, finding it helpful. I did take "Wicca 101" at Enchantments back … er … back in the Stone Age, so I definitely do need a solid refresher. Hence Christopher Penczak, Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Raven Grimassi and Donald Craig’s introductory structured courses,

Right now in Apprentice Wizard, we’re in the process of coming up with magickal names and aligning ourselves with color preferences and associations. Magickal names was fun. And by "fun" I mean: not as easy as it looks. You had to try and match your Life Path number with the number of your magickal name – in my case, my Life Path is a 9, so all of the letters of my new magickal name had to add up to 9 as well.

Datura Veneziana? I sorta liked it. I’ll mull on it for a while.

The February Full Snow Moon went visually missing thanks to a day of snow and rain and yet still had an impact on the hormonal side of things. Apparently, it doesn’t matter whether the moon is visible or not for its impacts to be felt. Translation: I was horny as hell unexpectedly and intensely interested in things of a romantic nature during the days surrounding the full moon, and it seemed to keep going. I made the decision: yes, I want to invoke a spirit. For myself. Yes, the purpose and reason for doing so is fairly self evident.

So – what I have learned so far: invoking and generating spirits are functions of intent, will and an enormous amount of studying on the process of doing it. I’ve been told that learning the process is out there if you know where to look. Out of the teachers I have investigated lately, Christopher Penczak seems the most likely to provide the type of instruction that works best for me: he’s mostly logical, he does his historical research, he doesn’t try to pass anything off as traditional when it isn’t, and he doesn’t get all silly over things. He’s also nowhere near as judgmental as I am, so I could probably learn from him better ways to react to things I find distasteful or ridiculous. I only wanted to once chuck his book across the room – an excellent statistic, as I often want to toss other people’s books at least once a page after encountering something so inane it made me want to scream.

Penczak’s one logical misstep so far came from The Witch's Heart: that I had to love myself before anyone else could love me. That doesn’t even coincide with the basic foundation of all things "magickal" – I think he should have said, "To draw someone to me, I need to will them to draw close to me." Did he understand Crowley’s Thelema? "Do as thou wilt shalt be the whole of the …"

If I WILL it, someone will come to me and love me. No magickal law ever said anything about my having to love myself. In fact, I don’t even know what "loving myself" actually means. That I’m an expert at performing "the greatest love of all"? I’m a narcissistic twit? I play with myself in public? I’m not even sure "loving myself" is a good idea. That’s Tinkerbelle and her sparkly wand stuff, not witchcraft. It’s based entirely on whether or not I WILL it so. So, yeah … I think Penczak really dropped the magickal ball on that one.

I mean, think about it. Has he actually read any newspapers lately? He has just gone through an exercise of defining what love is, for each person, so obviously, he’s aware that people do define love differently. Women who stay with men who beat them up define love in their own way. Women who are morbidly obese have to define love another way. Sick, ill, crippled, mentally ill – how do these people define love? How about women who have been through a horrific relationship and no longer trust love as they once knew it? Do they love themselves, or have they erected walls so high most men can’t be bothered to climb them? Should they be denied love in his universe? Methinks he needs to rethink that part of the chapter, because my first reaction was, "Huh?? That can’t be right."

And I’ve also learned: be careful what you wish for, but not because something unpleasant happened. Actually, it was a result of something lovely happening. Once I had made the decision to go ahead and work diligently for this outcome, I was laying in bed wondering what this relationship would be like. Oddly enough, it almost felt like anticipating a first date: what would he look like? Would I be able to see him, or would he be invisible? Would he be with me all the time, or only occasionally? Would we have fun, or would he be serious and pretentious and (*yawn*) boring? Could he get seriously kinky if I wanted him to? What would he get out of the relationship? I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of it, but would he be okay with the reality that I was, at least temporarily, perhaps longer, partially paralyzed; given to painful spasms that twisted my legs and feet into knots when I least expected them? What would HE get out of the …

… a male hand closed around my ankle. I say "male" because the grip was large and masculine and hard. I felt each and every finger of this hand. I gasped and then squeaked and then – forgive me! It was instinctual! – pulled my foot back in surprise. The hand disappeared. It happened so quickly I thought I had imagined it; then I knew for a fact that I hadn’t. A warm bolt of electricity sizzled through me – head to toe – I was so startled and then excited when it happened. I was still tingling from the experience a good thirty minutes later. It was a warm, luscious, delicious tingling, and EVERYTHING in me was tingling – not just my ankle. I can’t explain it any other way.

"I’m not afraid! Please come back!"

But that was the only physical sensation I had (so far). Later, I was annoyed that both cats were out of the room – I was sure that had they been there, both of them would have reacted to the presence, however brief, and I might have anticipated the appearance somewhat; not been taken so much by surprise by it.

But it did make me realize that I needed to be very clear and very specific as to what I wanted and needed from the relationship, AND to build a strong enough relationship in the spirit world so that I could very clearly hear what it was HE wanted and needed from the relationship. He’d let me know he was there. We just needed to start building this structure between us, and then move into it It gave me something very definitive to look forward to, and gave me something to work towards. And yes, I just ended both of those phrases with a preposition. So sue me.

Naturally, as soon as I made that decision, a government agency who shall remain nameless decided to show up the very next day for a biannual inspection of the facilities which I call "the office". This is primarily the focus of my entire job, being able to produce any record they needed in 30 seconds time, so I now had to work some awful hours for two weeks straight. Exhaustion and high-level stress set in. I was too exhausted to do anything beyond go to work, come home, collapse, go back to work, etc.

I decided to attend a (for want of a better description) three-hour "Commune With and Learn From a Tree" workshop in New Hampshire, to be held a few weeks from now, on a Saturday. With my own history, and being able to hear trees under adverse circumstances, I suspected this was the direction I should be headed, and wondered if perhaps the spirit hand had originated from within a grove. I loved that idea. I wondered if he was also going to mention the Italian "Moon Tree" that Raven Grimassi mentioned in his Italian Witchcraft book.

Given my propensity for getting seriously lost and misdirected within a matter of minutes anytime I went anywhere, I decided to take a "trial run" trip to the workshop site on a peaceful Sunday. I immediately knew there was a huge difference between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, when I did get seriously lost and didn’t even blink an eye … if I were in Massachusetts, I would have been shrieking and banging the steering wheel in a rage. In New Hampshire? Meh. Passed though a beautiful and peaceful area of New Hampshire, and thought, "I would love it here." If the commute is survivable, maybe I’ll move.
 

Fallen Angels, Apprentice Wizards and Corset Damage

"He (Eros) smites maids’ breasts with heat, and bids the very gods leave heaven and dwell on earth in borrowed forms."

Seneca, Phaedra, 290ff

I just began flipping through Oberon Zell-Ravenheart’s Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard. I’ll say one thing for the book – even though it is aimed at a much (oh, MUCH!) younger audience, there is still something to be said for good foundational footing – I have a lot of respect for the intelligence of the authors of many of the Enochian Magick books I’ve begun to read, but many of them assume a basic pre-foundation of experience or knowledge that not all of their readers have. On the other hand, a downside of the audience age bracket for this particular grimoire is self-explanatory: no, I will NOT be asking my parents if I am allowed to read the book, thank you very much! } :=\

One thing I hadn’t thought about: just how many names are used for magickal folk of all spiritual persuasions: wizard, vizier, mage, sage, mystic, Druid, bard, magician, alchemist, sorcerer, sorceress, enchanter, enchantress, soothsayer, seer, necromancer, prophet, philosopher, shaman, cunning man or woman, witch, wicca, pagan, priest, priestess, and the last, warlock, which is actually a huge insult (meaning: traitor or liar, in Old English). I’m sitting here, trying to remember if I’d heard any other descriptive words for magickal beings ... "wise woman" would probably fall under wizard (same root: wys), but Susun Weed pretty much made that phrase her own with her Wise Woman Herbal Series.

Anyone who has been reading this blog knows just how fond I am of "rules" when we’re talking about magickal behavior. Sometimes it’s good to have rules – can you imagine the hell that driving anywhere would be if there were no "rules of the road"?

Corset advertisement, 1869

But way too many women have been raised in such tightly corseted* lives that they can’t live without binding their fellow witches in non-traditional, christian restraints, and that is where they lose me completely. And they should lose everyone else as well, but too many women are so familiar with those ropes and restraints it feels natural to them, and they see nothing wrong with binding everyone else.

*And to show you how bad corsets are, read an essay on corsets in the "Mistaken Perfection" blog, which only seemed to exist in 2010, unfortunately.

"The corset has been blamed for causing dozens of diseases, from cancer to curvature of the spine, deformities of the ribs and displacements of the internal organs, respiratory and circulatory diseases, birth defects, miscarriages, and "female complaints", as well as medical traumas such as broken ribs and puncture wounds."http://mistaken-perfection.blogspot.com/2010/01/structured-torso-bindings-of-corsets.html

Needless to say, when I opened a chapter in Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard and read, "Rules of Wizardry", my first thought was, "Oh no ... here we go ..." and prepared myself to throw the book across the room.

Luckily, one wizard’s "rules" are another witch’s "common sense" – and I was delighted to discover that his "rules" were along the lines of, for example: "never invoke something you can’t banish". Well, *duh*!!! But yes, there are a lot of people without a lick of common sense, so there you go.

Another "Rule" I particularly appreciated: Question Authority!!!

Fortunately, none of the listed rules were anything remotely like the stupid Tinkerbelle girly-girly white glove wicca-christian rules, so I relaxed. No enforced "christian" morality that stripped real witches of their power. No non-traditional nonsense or political correctness which the women of the United States are cramming down everyone else’s throats and then calling it "witchcraft". None of that. Nice.

I realize it’s probably not the best idea to study more than one book at a time, and while Apprentice Wizard does mention sexuality as a sacrament briefly – and trust me, I think that’s awesome! - I am still researching the topics of incubi, succubae and spirit lovers. Not an easy assignment, as one has to research the subject while slogging through the christian carryover of labeling everything that even veers in the direction of human sexuality as demonic. Far too many so-called "witches" are paying that forward when they write their books. They need to stop and think about what they’re teaching people, and too many witches are not doing that. We need to be seriously questioning this crap!

And so, to conclude the list of "fallen angels":

17. Tûrêl. Other Names / Variants: Turiel, Turael. Meaning of Name: "rock of God". One of the 200 angels listed in The Book of Enoch who followed Semyaza in the descent from Heaven to cohabit with the daughters of men, an incident touched on in Genesis 6. The sigil of the fallen Turel is pictured in The Secret Grimoire of Turiel, p. 39. As Turiel, Turel is a messenger of the spirits of the planet Jupiter; also, a messenger for the angel Sachiel or Setchiel.

18. Yomiel or Jômjâêl in later translations was the 19th Watcher of the 20 leaders of the 200 fallen angels that are mentioned in an ancient work called the Book of Enoch. Michael Knibb translates the Ethiopic version of his name as "Day of God". The Ethiopic Book Of Enoch., Knibb, Michael A., Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1978, repr. 1982.

19. Sariel, 'Command of God', is one of the archangels mainly from Judaic tradition. Other possible versions of his name are Suriel, Suriyel (in some Dead Sea Scrolls translations), Esdreel, Sahariel, Juriel, Seriel, Sauriel, Surya, Saraqael, Sarakiel, Jariel, Suruel, Surufel and Sourial. Suriel is sometimes identified with Ariel, Metatron, and Uriel. In 1 Enoch, he is one of the four holy archangels who is "of eternity and trembling". In Kabbalistic lore, he is one of seven angels of the earth. Origen identified Suriel as one of seven angels who are primordial powers. In Gnosticism, Suriel is invoked for his protective powers. He is commemorated in the calendar of the Coptic Orthodox Church on 27 Tubah.

Like Metatron, Suriel is a prince of presence and like Raphael, an angel of healing. He is also a benevolent angel of death (one of a few). Suriel was sent to retrieve the soul of Moses. It is said that Moses received all his knowledge from Suriel, (although Zazagel is credited also with giving Moses his knowledge).

According to the Book of Enoch, Sariel (same angel as archangel Saraqael (communicants of God) & Azrael (whom God helps) according to Al-Qur'an (angel of death, malaku I-mawati) was one of the leaders of angels who lusted after the daughters of men. They descended to the summit of Mount Hermon, in the days of Jared, to acquire wives and lead men astray**. Sariel specifically taught men about the course of the moon. Knibb's translation of the names of the Book of Enoch says it is possibly "light of God" or "moon of God" however he is listed as Araziel. His name is also listed as Arazyal and Asaradel in some 1 Enoch translations. The name being a combination of sa'ar and 'God'. In the book of 2 Enoch he is usually listed as the fourth angel with the name of Samuil or Sariel.

"Sariel" Artwork:  http://www.elfwood.com/art/a/n/andreak/sariel.jpg

Judaic-Christian texts say Sariel is the angel of death attributed to the fifth angel Apollyon. Some Enoch translations for Sariel use Arazyal/Araziel/Asaradel which in its anglo translation sounds very similar to Azrael. If Azrael is the same as Sariel he is one of the four Islamic angels in conjunction with Mikhail, Djibril, and Israfil. The name Azrael is listed in Muslim and Islamic theology as the angel of death "forever writing in a large book and forever erasing what he writes: what he writes is the birth of man, what he erases is the name of the man at death". We also see parallels in Rabbinical lore for Sammael, Falasha for Suriel, and Azrael in the Arabic.

Sariel is identified as being the same angel as Saraqael, said in the Book of Enoch to be the fifth archangel, set over spirits who sin in the spirit, change into all virtues, to eradicate particularly widespread vices of a city or a whole district and transform into all virtues. Before the identification of Sariel/Saraqael as the fifth archangel, however, the Book of Enoch identifies Sariel as one of the fallen host's "chiefs of tens."

And those are the 20 fallen angels.

**Note the interesting variation on the fallen angels ... the Book of Enoch said nothing about "leading men astray", only about lusting after women who were "unclean", and then teaching the women (their wives) those special skills; and teaching about the moon almost sounds like the earliest form of Dianic witchcraft. I don’t know where that variant now involving men came from, but it sounds like sleeping with "unclean women" and teaching them cool stuff wasn’t enough for the men who passed along the written stories; they had to throw the whiny "we were led astray!" in later versions to show how bad those darn angels REALLY were. Riiiiight.

Sariel is an excellent example of why christians can never be trusted as a source on angelic beings: is he a bad guy or a good guy? Is he a fallen angel or an archangel?

And again, the reasons as to why they were categorized as demons in the first place had everything to do with the uncleanliness and filth of women and nothing to do with the angelic beings themselves. So you’d think at some point, this would be noted and discarded as a solid reason for something being evil, but ... women are STILL filth in the judeo-christian-islamic world, no matter how polite a veneer they all try to slap all over it, so there you go.

Seven more days until the next full moon, on the 25^th of February.  This one is called the Full Snow Moon.  One guess as to why!