Ordeal of the Grimoire Armadel

Recently, I posted an article that explained the mystery of the Grimoire of Armadel and showed how it could be made into an operational grimoire. The days leading up to this revelation were filled with the inspiration of a higher genius other than my own, guiding my steps and allowing me to solve a puzzle that I have been pondering over for many years. Now that the mystery is resolved (at least as far as I am able to determine), I wish to assemble the steps necessary to fully deploy this grimoire. What I have discovered is that I already possess the ritual tools to do most of this work, and these rites are part of the standard lore for the Order of the Gnostic Star. I will have to revise one ritual, add alternative angel invocations to another, and write two new rituals. The ordeal itself is very time consuming and probably can’t be done in a single autumn and winter season, unless one has nothing else to do. Living a normal life, working at a job to pay the bills, spending time with one’s significant other, family and friends (in other words, having some kind of social life) would preclude completing this operation in a single season, at least for me. So I am suggesting that this ordeal be done in phases, and how one would go about doing that will be the topic of this article.

Members of the E.S.S.G. will have all of the lore at their disposal to perform this ordeal; those who are outside will have to build up that lore themselves. I don’t believe that this task is too difficult or incapable of being realized by someone outside of the Order, nevertheless, it will require some creativity and invention. Where I call for the invocation of various archangels, Qabbalistic pathworkings and the generation of talismans, all of these are tasks that the accomplished ritual or ceremonial magician would have at his or her disposal. However, a magician possessing the ingenuity to pull all of these pieces together is where the real creativity is required. The structures used in combining these various facets together would characterize a system of magick that is probably unique to the Order, but they would not be beyond the abilities of a crafty magickal practitioner.

I would also have to assume that what I have derived as the operational methodology to plumb the mysteries of the sigil characters found in this grimoire is only one of many different ways. I invite other magicians to find a methodology to activate this grimoire, and I look forward to a lively exchange between individuals with different magickal perspectives.


The Ordeal

The Ordeal is divided into three phases: the preliminary tasks, the ordeal introit, and then the actual ordeal (Mysterium Gateway). The preliminary tasks may take a full season to implement, but the introit and actual ordeal should be done serially, one immediately after the other, and should only take a couple of months to complete. Let’s look at these steps and determine what needs to be accomplished to fully activate the ordeal.


Preliminary Steps

The ritual magician has basically two preliminary tasks to accomplish before the ordeal proper can be started. These tasks involve the invocation of twelve archangels and the production of six talismans. I will now discuss each of these two preliminary tasks in greater detail.

During the course of a season, the ritual magician should perform a separate and distinct invocation for each of the following archangels. I would also recommend that a charged linking parchment containing the sigil signature of this spirit be produced, and a proper liber spiritum, or book of spirits, be kept. The liber spiritum should be a small blank book consisting of a page or more of notes and other information kept on each invoked archangel. These twelve archangels will be called again when the actual ordeal is performed, so the ritual magician will have to have an established link maintained and kept active with all of these spirits. I would recommend that the magician contact each of these archangels once a month for the duration of time between seasons when one will be required to perform the ordeal.

Another alternative would be to perform the archangel invocations every weekend in such a manner so that three archangels would be invoked every week for a period of one month. I will probably decide on using this alternative method for the actual ordeal, requiring a full month packed with invocations just prior to the activation of the ordeal. This would make the archangelic invocations more recent and active for the overall ordeal. 

The following is a list of the archangels who are to be invoked as part of this preliminary working. You should note that six of these angelic spirits will not be used in the Uriel as Seraph Operation working; they are only engaged when an associated sigil character is used to produce a vision or gain some kind of occult knowledge.

The following list of archangels is given a Qabbalistic context; they are associated with a Sephirah and the Qabbalistic world of Briah. This is done so that the invocation can have a matrix of correspondences, allowing for greater ease in identifying and performing the invocation rite. (An asterisk marks an archangel as not being a member of the Uriel as Seraph Operation.)

 Anael - Netzach (alt.)
*Camael - (Khamael) - Geburah
*Caphael - Malkuth - (alternate for Sandalphon)
 Cassiel - Binah (alt.)
 Gabriel - Yesod
*Haniel - Netzach
 Michael - Hod
 Raphael - Tiphareth
 Sachiel - Chesed (alt.)
*Thavael - Kether - (alternate for Metatron)
*Zadkiel - Chesed
*Zaphkiel - Binah

The next set of tasks is to generate six talismans. In the grimoire only six Olympian spirits are referenced, but I decided that it would be more useful (and more powerful) to articulate these planetary intelligences as talismanic elementals. My reason for making this decision is that two of the planetary intelligences should have a decided negative or inverted quality, since they are associated with negative visions and occult knowledge in line with diabolical spiritual aspects. This ability to bend the working and interpret it in a negative manner would require a more nuanced approach than just invoking a planetary intelligence. A talismanic elemental is a spiritual intelligence that can be contrasted and modified in a subtle manner, making it fit a visionary aspect that is different than its essential meaning. Additionally, using talismans allows for a degree of portability and materialization that would not occur with just an Olympian spirit.

To facilitate these tasks, I have looked over and chosen six specific talismanic elementals, but I have decided not to use the waning moon aspects to generate two negative or “curse” talismans. All of these talismans will not be directed outwardly, but instead will be used to foster visions and wisdom. I believe that using negative talismans to facilitate this inward process would be very ill advised, so I will instead make each and everyone of the talismans during the waxing moon. I will then use two of them to help determine occult insights that could be construed negative or diabolical.

The following is a list of the talismanic elementals and their associated lunar mansions. The textual description of the talismanic element is separated from the sigil character quality with a hyphen.

Phaleg - Mars of Water - Lsrahpm (mansion #28): protection against dark forces, able to draw or catch opportunities or romantic partners - arcana of necromancers (neg.)

Ophiel - Mercury of Fire - Anodoin (mansion #21): protection for one’s home, geomancy - sacramental regeneration (pos.)

Bethor - Jupiter of Earth - Aczinor (mansion #24): star of fortune, produces great material gain - occult knowledge of angels of darkness or demons (neg.)

Phul - Moon of Earth - Lzinopo (mansion #14): domestic security - creation of souls (pos.)

Aratron - Saturn of Air - Hipotga (mansion #17): reverses ill fortune - destiny of souls (pos.)

Och - Sun of Fire - Edelprna (mansion #11): generates the charisma and power of great leaders - creation of angels (pos.)

To generate these six talismans, the magician will have to plan and perform each magickal operation at the exact auspicious time associated with the targeted mansion of the moon, particularly while the moon is waxing. I would assume that producing these talismans would probably take several months to complete. Therefore, producing the six talismans should occupy the magician’s very first steps in building up the required elements before proceeding to the next task.


Ordeal Introit

There are three steps to be performed for the introit of the ordeal. These steps are: performing the Qabbalistic pathworking to activate the nine paths from Aleph (#11 - Atu 0 - Fool) through Tet (#19 - Atu XI), performing the invocations of Samael and Uriel, and performing the Uriel as Seraph Operation working. I will discuss each of the steps separately. 

Qabbalistic Pathworking - Using the Order’s ritual of the Double Tetrahedral Gate, perform a complete pathworking ritual to realize the essence of that Qabbalistic path in association with the angel of the Hebrew letter. The magician will use all of the strategic correspondences associated with a Qabbalistic path, including all of the Sephiroth of Kether through Tiphareth. Interestingly, these nine paths are associated with spiritual aspects that are either at or above the Greater Abyss. Once these nine pathworking rites are completed, the nine pathways are pulled together into a pattern where they form an Enneagramic gate. The enneagram thus becomes the foundation for the grimoire based ordeal. I noticed a curious thing when I was developing this combined structure; the nine pathways form a pattern of nine gates. As a fan of the movie “Ninth Gate,” I found this to be quite intriguing (and amusing).

The next step is where the magician invokes the archangelic spirits of Samael and Uriel, in that sequence. This would be a two step process, involving two separate and distinct operations. The archangel Samael is the key to all of the dark or infernal occult knowledge associated with the infernal princes and their servitors, and Uriel is the key to all of the greater occult knowledge. Uriel also acts as the control and central angelic spirit for the entire Armadel operation.

My research has essentially shown that Samael is considered the angelic equivalent of the great adversary or spiritual antagonist, who acts as the agent of ordeals, challenges and tests that are placed on the initiate through the authority of the Godhead. Samael is the initiator who teaches through crisis and internal conflict. Another name for that spirit is Satan or Shaitan, however, this spirit is not considered synonymous with the Devil, since there are five infernal princes who fit that role without equivocation. It seems that the archangel Samael is perceived in his Qabbalistic and Jewish role as divine adversary and official challenger (devil’s advocate). This is at least one piece of evidence that would support the idea that the Grimoire of Armadel is not so much a Christian grimoire as it is a product of European occultism. A purely Christian grimoire would probably identify Samael directly as a variation of Satan. To invoke Samael, I will build a custom ritual just for that purpose – I have a few other rites in my repertoire that can act as a model.

Uriel is the archangel associated with heavenly fire (illumination), salvation and he acts as the mediator for all spiritual mysteries. In many ways, he is analogous to the archangel Ratziel, who is the angel associated with Chokmah (Wisdom). I have decided to make Uriel an alternative angelic intelligence to Ratziel, and assign the Sephirah Chokmah to him. Therefore, I will use the matrix of Chokmah and the Qabbalistic world Briah to invoke the archangel of Uriel.

The Operation of Uriel functions as a mechanism to pull the eight archangels, six talismans and the nine pathways together into a seamlessly complete magickal structure. The foundation of this rite is the Enneagramic Gate, which uses three distinct gateways (West, North and East) superimposed onto the magick circle to form powerful overlapping structures. Upon the Enneagramic Gate is placed a septagramic gateway that uses the four Angles and an Ascension Gateway to establish a septagramic vortex grand gateway. The grand gateway is erected by using the points of the Western and Eastern watchtowers and the Ultrapoint, forming an equilateral triangle.

A central circle is drawn in the center of the magick circle, opened via the opening portal gesture, and within it, the Uriel as Seraph Operation working trigon is installed. Upon this trigon is installed the eight sigils for the eight archangels that have been already invoked and the six talismans that have already been charged and activated. The Enegramic Gate, the Septagramic Vortex Gate and Grand Gateway have joined all of these aspects together, along with the six talismans, which are set on the trigon to form a hexagram. A final invocation is recited to invoke the seraph archangelic spirit of Uriel, as the union of all of the seven archangels, six talismans, and the nine angels of the Qabbalistic pathways. After the working is done, all of the structures of the working are sealed – to be used whenever required. The completed Uriel working establishes the portal through which the sigil characters of the Grimoire of Armadel are fully activated.

Once the Uriel Operation is completed, then reestablishing it only requires a specialized macro rite that will unseal all of the nodes and reactivate the spirit of the archangel Uriel as Seraph. The magician is now able to perform a working at any time. There are some steps that must be performed initially, but glossed over for subsequent uses.


Mysterium Gateway - Armadel Working

The final step is the Mysterium Gateway, which is where the sigil characters of the grimoire are fully activated and deployed by the magician. The Mysterium Gateway can be performed at any time, since all of the preliminary steps have already been completed. The core working of the Armadel ordeal has only eight simple steps, and these are listed as the following:

1. Preparations - meditation, purification, fasting - saying of the Mass and a Benediction rite.
2. During the saying of Mass (the first time), the First Character is blessed and charged with sacrament. The magician will then perform a powerful meditation session where he or she bonds with the First Character as a personal lamen. The special sigil character for the ordeal working is also blessed and charged by the sacraments of the mass.
3. Erect a pyramid of power ritual chamber and empower it with the occult system of the tetra-sacramentary. This consists of using and deploying sacramental hosts blessed from each of the four Masses for the sacramental systems of Thelema, Thanatos, Agape and Eros, and these are set to the four Angles. (Each of the Four Angles represents a complete magickal circle with altar and wards, and a magickal system unto itself, so the over-arching magickal circle for this working consists of the overlapping of four magick circles.)
4. Self Anointing is performed with a special charged chrism, then performing the Godhead Assumption and finally, summoning the Higher Self as the HGA to act as an intermediary.
5. Opening of the Uriel as Seraph Operation construct to manifest the angelic aspect of Uriel as the union of all of the twenty-two elements. The active Uriel Operation trigon is the mechanism where the special sigil character is installed.
6. Erect the Grand gateway using the points of the North and South Watchtowers and the Infrapoint to establish an inverted equilateral triangle. The three Paths of Wisdom are also activated to empower the grand gateway, each path represents one point of the triangular gate. (The two grand gateways form a grand hexagram in the center of the magick circle.)
7. Using the sigil of the associated ruling spirit, summon that spirit to charge, bless and open the mystery of the associated sigil character. Acquire a deep state of trance and seek the ruling spirit to reveal a vision of the mystery. The magician may assist in setting the theme for this mystery through reading and meditating on the appropriate text (in this case, a specific passage from either the Apocryphon of John or the Trimorphic Protenoia). If one of the infernal spirits is the ruling spirit, then the archangel Samael is used as the intermediary.
8. Once the vision is completed, then close the gates and seal all of the nodes of the rite. The blessed and consecrated sigil character may be accessed again in the future in a fully consecrated magick circle where a Mass and Benediction have been performed. (It should be kept in a liber spirtum for that purpose.)

So, all of the above steps represent what I believe must be done to fully activate the sigil charcters of the Grimoire of Armadel. As you can see, there are a lot of steps in this ordeal. Some of what I have written here might be obscure or completely opaque to the magickal practitioner who is outside of the Order. Yet I believe that an adept magician should be able to manage to figure out all of these various steps and produce something that will work effectively.

A practicing ritual magician needs to build the following ritual mechanisms in order to activate this grimoire and perform the associated ordeal.

1. A ritual to perform talismanic magic using the lunar mansions.
2. Archangel invocation rite for all 14 archangels.
3. A ritual to perform Qabbalistic pathworking and summon the angel of the Hebew letter.
4. Develop and write the Uriel as Seraph Operation ritual working.
5. Develop and write the Mysterium gateway for the Armadel operation

The other ritual structures and mechanisms are not critical parts of the overall ordeal. They are additions that lend a certain aesthetic quality and unity to it. These ancillary ritual structures are also quite unique to the way magick is worked in the Order, but they do have a powerful effect when used. This is due to the prismatic power structures that make up the ritual structures used in the Order. A fuller explanation of these mechanisms would require the magician seeker to become a member of the Order. As you can see, membership doth have its privileges.

Frater Barrabbas

Grimoire of Armadel - A Curious History and Enigmatic Use

Of all of the old grimoires, the one that intrigues me the most is called the Grimoire of Armadel. I am intrigued because not much is known about this grimoire, and the class of magickal lore it contains seems to have no peer. It is supposedly associated with an unknown author who bears the mysterious name of “Armadel.” This grimoire has a curious history and an even more enigmatic use. Some occultists have looked through the book in vain for some clue as to how to use it, since the actual text is very terse, obscure and doesn’t make a lot of sense. The lack of any in-depth instructions has made this work rather challenging. One could make the argument that the grimoire either requires the simplest of magickal regimens (such as candles, incense and prayer) or that it’s incomplete. My opinion is somewhere between these two arguments, so that would mean that I believe that there are some parts missing, but there is enough to make it work – as we shall see.

The current edition that is still in print today was published by Weiser in 1995, but a first edition was published in 1980. Prior to that, the manuscript had never been published. Of the two editions, the second has a more thorough introduction, written by William Keith. The first edition had an introduction penned by the late Francis King, but it was less substantive than what William Keith wrote in the second. The original manuscript was translated by Samuel MacGregor Mathers when he was living in Paris, but it was never published during his lifetime. Mather’s translated manuscript was later acquired by Gerald Yorke, and it was only then that it was subsequently published.

There’s also a new book recently out that claims to make full use of this grimoire, called the “Grimoire Armadel Ritual Book” written by Kuriakos. A blurb from the advertisement for this book says the following:

“This Grimoire of Armadel Ritual book is the most powerful and yet simple Magick you will ever do! You only need a candle, bell, rope and incense and 10 minutes to do each ritual.”

Considering that the each of the spirits listed in the grimoire was supposed to be conjured to activate the sigils or characters found in the book (using the classical five step methodology), it would be far too easy if the magickal operations were that accessible or simple to execute. Certainly, if that were the case, others would have already solved the mystery of this grimoire when it first came out thirty years ago. Nevertheless, since I have not read this book, I won’t pass any judgement on it, leaving it to my readers to judge for themselves if they are curious. I have found the various contents of this grimoire to be anything but simple and easy to access, but that’s just my opinion.

Perhaps the first thing that anyone would need to know to penetrate the mystery of the Grimoire of Armadel, at least from the standpoint of the tradition of grimoires, is to know where it came from and when it was originally created. Unlike many other grimoires, there is only one known manuscript copy in the world, which is MS 88, kept in the Bibliotheque l’Arsenal in Paris. The manuscript, written in Latin and French, was probably produced in the early 18th century. The fact that it has such a low catalogue number shouldn’t indicate that it was older than other manuscripts, since the numbering system may or may not indicate a manuscript’s chronological placement in the catalogue. There are over 12,000 manuscripts kept in that library.

The library of the Arsenal in Paris has over a million books and other papers, and even in the late 19th century, it was quite voluminous. Yet of all of the occult books, manuscripts and grimoires to be found in that repository, only two were translated by the occult scholar and founder of the Golden Dawn, Samuel MacGregor Mathers – the Book of Abramelin and the Grimoire Armadel.

In his introduction, William Keith wondered why Mathers bothered translating this work since according to him it was both derivative and a late edition to the various families of grimoires. Did his teachers, the secret chiefs, instruct him to translate this book? No one is now able to answer that question, since Mathers, and all of his immediate associates, have passed away. Yet any occultist or magician can immediately appreciate the importance and power of this grimoire by simply examining it. From a literary perspective, William Keith is probably correct, the Grimoire Armadel did not seem either impressive or particularly revelatory. However, from an occult perspective, it is easy to see why Mathers spent his time translating this manuscript – the sigils and various characters, all in color, are quite astonishing and impressive, even to the lay occultist.

Scrutiny of the manuscript revealed, even to Mathers, that the original grimoire was probably written in German, since there appears to be some word usage and terms that are obviously poorly translated from that language into French (such as Kanssud for Sud Kante – p. 30, Man for One – p. 31, etc.). The chapters have grandiose liturgical titles written in Latin that seem to have little to do with the actual content of the chapter, which typically consists of a short paragraph and either the sigil of a spirit or the enlarged magickal character of some visionary process, or both. Yet the sigils and characters are of a remarkable nature that are not found in any other grimoire, although there are some sigils and characters in other grimoires that might be analogous. However, the names of the various spirits are taken from other grimoires, such as the Heptameron, the Arbatel, Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy and the Grimoire of Pope Honorius. One can easily guess that the Grimoire Armadel came after these books and manuscripts, since it uses the spirit names from these traditional sources. However, the sigils and characters are unique, representing the greater contribution of this work - but the rest was apparently derivative.

The name Armadel should not be confused with other similar names found in the famous grimoire titles of history. There is the Almadel, which is the fourth book of the Lemegeton or Lesser Key of Solomon, and the Arbatel, which is a grimoire of planetary magick derived from the occult teachings of Paracelsus. The name Armadel has no known definition, so it would seem to be a proper name, possibly indicating the name of the author. William Keith cites another grimoire in the arsenal entitled “Armadel’s Grimoire ou la Cabale” (MS 2494) and a grimoire in the British Museum “The True Keys of King Solomon by Armadel” (Landsdowne MS. 1202), both of these manuscripts contain the name “Armadel” although there is no clue as to the identity of this individual - he is not an obvious historical person.

Originally, I had assumed that the name Armadel was of Hebrew derivation, but the closest I could come to the actual name was ORAM-MAD-EL, or God’s Mighty Wisdom. Other authors have considered that the name Armadel was a variation of Almadel, but I disagree. I think that they are distinct, since Almadel incorporates skrying, and Armadel performs extended conjurations with sigil characters to induce visions and obtain knowledge. As I have said, I believe that the name Armadel is probably a proper name. 

According to William Keith in his introduction (p. 11), the name Armadel is referenced in a book listing occult books and manuscripts, written by Gabriel Naude in 1625. In that bibliographical book on occult works, Gabriel states that there are five basic categories for the practice of the magickal arts, and except for one, these were documented classes of literature well known to the occult literati of the time:

• Trithemius - art of invention,
• Theurgy - art of elocution,
• Armadel - art of disposition,
• Pauline - art of pronunciation,
• Lullian - art of memory.

Of course, all but Armadel represent a verifiable literary source for the magickal arts; yet it would seem that back in the early 17th century the “art of disposition” was an important magickal practice. We must thoroughly examine the contents of the grimoire and compare it to other works if we wish to fully comprehend what is meant by the art of disposition.

“The Grimoire of Armadel claims to conjure spirits that (judging from their descriptions) affect the disposition of the magician, rather than grant specific powers or perform definitive duties, as do spirits in other grimoires,” so states William Keith. However, the kinds of operations that this grimoire performs appear to involve the gaining of knowledge, wisdom, deep mystical insights and even a kind of enlightenment. That type of magick was considered the “art of disposition, ” according to various obscure references, and it was believed to be a form of magick that had the greatest effect on the individual practitioner, granting him or her a kind of gnostic wisdom or illumination. Certainly, this particular practice in the art of magick would have been greatly admired in its time, only to be obscured and then superceded by the more grandiose types of material based magick, such as those found in forms of angelic, talismanic and goetic magick.

Another grimoire that might be considered similar to the Grimoire of Armadel would be the Notary Art of Solomon, or the Ars Notaria, as it was called. It was supposed to be the fifth book of the Lemegeton (Lesser Key of Solomon), but it’s usually excluded because no version or published book has been able to capture the incredibly intricate and beautiful illuminated characters and sigils (notae) that fill up whole pages, formed from the calligraphy of various strange words of invocation. The purpose of the words of invocation and the notary devices was to assist the wielder to acquire certain spiritual and occult knowledge directly, without the outer apparatus of learning. It would seem, then, that this grimoire, which has been dated to at least the early or middle 13th century (and is actually independent of the Lemegeton), would be of the same class of grimoires as the Grimoire of Armadel. Both manuscripts claimed to instruct and assist the operator in a form of magick that would powerfully impact his mind, revealing hidden and occultic wisdom – thus they were grimoires of the art of disposition. 

There are probably other grimoires in various collections and libraries that could be classified as belonging to the magickal art of disposition. One could easily categorize a lot of the higher ritual magick that I work as belonging to this category, making it probably one of the most important of all of the categories of magick that are practiced in the Order. At some point in the career of the magician, there is a noticeable shift from working magick to exclusively achieve material objectives to acquring hidden knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately, enlightenment. Some never make that transition, and others seek it without having the solid base of the mastery of practical magick. However, the art of magick that is used to gain knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment is the art of disposition.

Additionally, I have assumed that the Grimoire of Armadel was part of a family of grimoires that originally came from Germany, representing a group of books on magick as profound and famous as the Book of Abramelin, Sepher Raziel, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses and the Grimoire of Pope Honorius. Where it fits into that tradition will only be determined when a German original is found, or at least other versions of the same Grimoire. I have already done a little bit of research and writing on this grimoire manuscript in my article on the Old Grimoires (as of yet unpublished). I have decided to quote a paragraph or two to share what I have discovered.

“The Grimoire of Armadel also comes from this [German] tradition, but only a poor Latin and French edition was available to Mathers for translating, and much later printing. We can hopefully anticipate the eventual discovery and publishing of a more fresh translation from a currently unknown German version. However, few have ever gazed upon the sigils and characters found in the Grimoire of Armadel and not marveled at them, even though the ritual lore to activate them is extremely sparse, and there seems to be no way to actually use any of the sigils and characters (without recourse to other materials). The Grimoire Armadel probably has its origins in the late 17th to early 18th century, and represents the last flowering of this tradition.

Owen Davies, in his book (Grimoires - A History of Magic Books - p. 97), has speculated that the Armadel manuscript may have been part of a collection of hundreds of confiscated magical books held for safe keeping by the lieutenant general of the Paris Police force, Marc-René de Voyer d’Argenson, who was investigating the massive occurrence of occult fraud in Paris in the early 18th century. These grimoires found their way into the library of his grandson, Marc-René, 3rd marquis d'Argenson, whose huge collection of books was purchased by the King’s brother (Count of Artois) in 1785 and became part of the famous Bibliotheque l’Arsenal of Paris. Eventually, the grimoire was discovered languishing in that manuscript collection over a century later by Mathers, who immediately saw its value and translated it.”

The idea that the Grimoire of Armadel had been confiscated from some cunning man or sorcerer for hire in Paris in the early 18th century is quite intriguing. Who originally owned the manuscript, how was it produced and where did it come from? These questions will never be answered. Since there are some references to the name Armadel in the 17th century, then it would seem likely that the grimoire was produced sometime anywhere from the mid to the late 17th century, so it wasn’t actually as recent a work as it might have seemed, yet it was produced later in time than other classic grimoires. This should not devalue the importance of this book, since it can be reasonably shown to be part of a historical context that occurred at the height of the great age of grimoires. Where the 16th century established the foundation of the tradition of ceremonial magick, the 17th century saw it become refined and developed into a form that we would recognize today. Most of the grimoire manuscripts that exist in libraries in the present era are from the 18th century or later, when such books were copied and translated as a sort of clandestine industry for wealthy collectors and amateur practitioners.

An examination of the Grimoire of Armadel shows that it suffers from some disorganization, since the chapters follow no observable order. In fact the title page in the original manuscript is at the end instead of the beginning, leading some to speculate that perhaps the book was written from back to front. However, the order of chapters for the first two chapter groups is not important, since each of them can stand alone with their associated spirit name and sigil, offering revelations and visions with their use that are unique and distinct. The broader chapter group sections could be considered separate books whose titles consist of the words “theosophy”, “sacro-mystic theology” and “qabalistical light,” obviously characterizing the presentation of arcane occult knowledge associated with various mysteries of the Bible. Most of the chapters are concerned with highly obscure Old Testament mysteries, but there are some New Testament mysteries presented as well.

It has been said that this grimoire is somehow more Christian than other grimoires, but I find that opinion to be superficial, since there are many grimoires that are Christian based, such as the Ars Notaria, Liber Juratus, Arbatel, Grimoire of Pope Honorius and numerous others. The infusion of Qabbalistic concepts into this grimoire would show that it had a blending of Jewish and Christian elements, but like many of the grimoires from that time it was produced by and for Christian ceremonial magicians. One could also assume that the would-be practitioner engaged in special rites of purification, atonement, and receiving the sacraments of the Mass, although this is not specifically stated. However, seeking the protection of Saint Andrew and Saint Thomas and the obscure references to a “Misterium Stile” would seem to indicate that the sacraments and blessings of a Catholic liturgy would characterize the spiritual background for this working.

The array of spirits found in this grimoire demonstrates the varied mixture of traditions that were plumbed to fashion it. They are associated with the ten Sephiroth, the Olympic spirits of the Arbatel (omitting Hagith – Venus), and include the addition of four of the planetary archangels found in Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy. There are also spirits associated with the Hebrew letters, from Aleph to Tet (for the numbers 1through 9) and two previously unknown archangels. In addition, sigil characters are found for five infernal princes, Mephistopheles (spelled Hemostopile), and two possibly unidentified goetic demons (for a total of eight altogether). The operator is instructed to steadfastly refuse to be seduced or deceived by the infernal spirits, seeking only to achieve the knowledge associated with the sigil characters. It is interesting to note that the archangels listed in the first book also number eight, and they may have been used in conjunction with the eight demonic spirits, functioning as a type of magickal controlling device. In all, there are thirty-seven spirits, not including the three groups of spirits associated with the Paths of Wisdom, which would then combine to make the mystic number of 40.

Five demon princes listed in the grimoire may have been culled from the Grimoire of Pope Honorius, which was a German grimoire dated from the early 17th century. Mephistopheles would also fit into the context of German grimoires, most notably, the Faustian branch. The demons Brufor and Laune are of unknown derivation, but Brufor could possibly be Brulefer, which was a demon found in the Grimoirum Verum. Most of these demonic spirit names demonstrate an ultimate German context for the Grimoire Armadel.

There are also three sigil characters for the spirits of the paths of Force and Counsel, Joy and Love and Charity (Paths of Wisdom). It would seem that these sigil characters are used to consecrate the altar and magickal tools with some kind of empowered chrism, but the directions are torturously obscure. The rest of the sigils and sigil characters are associated with one or more spirit and some mystery or vision.

Since all of the spirit names are taken from other magickal traditions, it would seem that a simple activation of this system would likely require the invocation of the spirit and the inclusion of the special sigil or sigil character, acting as a mechanism to aid the magician in acquiring some extended vision or specific occult knowledge. Thus the operator would have been required to be knowledgeable and have in his possession copies of the Heptameron, the Arbatel and the four books of Occult Philosophy of Agrippa. The magician would very likely perform invocations of these spirits and have access to them before actually activating the sigils and sigil characters of this grimoire, although this is speculation on my part – the invocations may have been performed as part of the working. The magician would also have been expected to know the Bible in a very intimate manner, perhaps indicating that possessing a printed copy of the Bible would also have been a requirement for this system of magick. This fact would have also determined the location of the source of the grimoire as Germany (or possibly England or the Netherlands), since mainstream Catholics were forbidden from owning or reading the Bible, unless they were clerics or church doctors.

The actual sequence of operational steps associated with this grimoire are somewhat difficult to fathom, since the layout of the chapters appears to be jumbled and out of sequence. However, since the title page is at the end of the manuscript instead of the beginning, one could consider this as a clue to the actual operational sequence of the grimoire. As noted previously, a few critics have said that the order of the chapters is completely reversed, with the ending chapter actually the first chapter, and there is some merit to this speculation. However, it’s overly simplistic to just reverse the order of the chapters, but I believe that a careful examination can readily reveal the actual operational sequence. The following sequence of chapters is based upon my own analysis and should not be considered the final word. (The sequence of operational steps would be called the “Rational Table or Qabalistic Light.”)

1. Characters of Michael - basic preparations – fasting, initial prayers, special considerations.
2. First Character - where the operator fuses himself into the working by applying his initials to a character that is produced on parchment and worn under his vestments near his heart, acting as a kind of phylactery.
3. Vision of Dust - (Raphael and Pelech as Jesus) – possible reference to the receiving of sacraments as a means of establishing a high degree of piety.
4. Vision of Anointing – possible reference to the purity of one’s self and personal consecration.
5. Concerning the Paths of Wisdom – consecration of the temple, vestments and tools. (These sigil characters are used to aid the magician in achieving the grace necessary to perform the work – extracted from the end of Book II)
6. Preparation of the Soul – parts 1 and 2 – consecration of the magick circle. (One would have to borrow an example from some other grimoire, since there is no image of what that magick circle would look like.)
7. Conjurations – first and second, and the license to depart.

In addition, there is a character sigil for the operation of Uriel Seraphim, which would seem to be the foundational operation for the working. This character sigil is found at the very beginning of the book, before the introduction – there is no accompanying text to reveal its purpose or use. Perhaps this indicates that Uriel Seraphim is the key to this system of magick, and that the magician should invoke Uriel Seraphim using this combination of character sigils. There are also sigil characters representing the other seven archangels found in the first and second books (yet the sigils are different than what is displayed in those books), so these would also be included. It may be that this large array of sigil characters, with a triangle in the lower center, would have been possibly placed in the center of the magick circle, acting as a powerful protecting and empowering mechanism. There are also words of power or evocation placed on both sides of the triangle. The one on the left uses the archangel name Michael, and the one on the right, Gabriel.

Once these items have been performed and established, the magician could proceed through the various operations involving all of the other spirits in the grimoire, beginning first with book 1, the “Theosophy of Our Forefathers” and proceeding through book 2, the “Sacro-mystic Theology of Our Forefathers.” I would assume that each sigil character would be operationally activated only after the spirit had been properly invoked, using the system outlined by Agrippa’s 4th Book of Occult Philosophy and found in the directions contained in the Arbatel. I would also assume that the magician would not actively invoke either the infernal princes or the goetic spirits, using instead the power of the “seraphim” Uriel and the eight archangels to aid in the revelation of these spirits.

Special notice can be given to the fact that the normal operational steps of constraining and binding the spirit are omitted. It is my opinion that since a classical invocation has already been performed, these steps would not be required to activate the sigil characters.

Another minor anomaly is that the name of the archangel Gabriel is shown in the grimoire three times. The archangel Michael is shown twice, as is Zadkiel and Samael. Yet all of the sigils or characters used in the repetitions are different. Gabriel and Michael also appear in the operation of Uriel Seraphim, their unique sigils are shown with five other archangels and their names are used in the left and right hand words of evocation. There is also a parenthetical clue placed under the name of Gabriel, appearing as the central archangel, with the word “oriens” (East?) indicated below it. What all of these anomalies signify is unknown, but it would seem that Gabriel, Michael and Uriel may play key roles in the operation of the grimoire.  Another note, the archangels Caphael and Thavael are unique to the Grimoire of Armadel – they are not found in any of the angelic lore or literature.

Finally, I have found in the grimoire an odd association with Jesus and the name “Pelech.” After looking over various possible Hebrew words, I have determined that the word Pelech is very likely the Hebrew word “Pelach,” which is the masculine pronoun from the verb root PLCh, which means to be sliced or broken apart. This association, in my opinion, represents the aspect of Jesus Christ as the sacramental wafer of the Eucharist as well as the Crucifixion. (It might also indicate some alchemical operation.) So it would seem that my guess about the chapter entitled the “Vision of Dust” is a very obscure reference to receiving the sacraments, specifically the host of the Eucharist. I would also suspect that such an oblique reference might symbolize that the host should be used in the magick circle, to fortify and amplify the sacral power of the working. The obscure wording could be justified if it was meant to protect the operator from being accused of performing diabolical ceremonial magick, or at the very least, committing sacrilege.

To recap: the Grimoire of Armadel is a very peculiar manuscript of ceremonial magick. An analysis of its various chapter components has revealed that the operational sequence was deliberately made obscure. This grimoire requires the knowledge and use of other grimoires, most notably the Heptrameron, Agrippa’s Occult Philosophy and the Arbatel. The key to operationally using this grimoire requires re-establishing the operational sequence and also performing classical invocations of the various spirits before performing the sigil character operations. The art of Armadel appears to be a system of magick that assists the operator in acquiring visions, insights, occult knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately, spiritual enlightenment. It is a system of magick that can be found in other systems of magick where spiritual knowledge is considered more important and personally empowering than material powers and achievements.

While I was still in the process of examining this grimoire, I did make use of the three sigil characters of the Paths of Wisdom many years ago, and have found them to be extraordinarily powerful and very useful. They are used to adorn the gateway keys that I use in the performance of ritual magick. As time goes on, other parts of the grimoire will be incorporated into the ritual system of the Order as well. Since I have determined the actual operational steps and the requirements for making this grimoire fully functional, I need only to build a system of magick to use the special sigil characters.

Once I have activated these sigils and characters, I will likely find that their impact upon my conscious mind will produce a very different result than what is described in this grimoire. It will give me the insight and wisdom to write my own Gnostic pagan version of this obviously Christian grimoire. I might want to use the Gnostic books of the Apocryphon of John and the Trimorphic Protenoia as the spiritual background for this new grimoire, since they are personally important to me and to the Order. Religions and creeds may differ, but the over-arching spiritual wisdom contained in these sigil characters goes far beyond the tenets of any one specific religious perspective. As they are part of the spiritual and cultural matrix of the Western Mystery Tradition, they are also accessible to one and all.

Frater Barrabbas

Abramelin Lunar Ordeal

This is the second part of this article - where I actually specify the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal as an alternate to the normal 6 month or 18 month ordeal.

The lunar ordeal requires six to seven weeks of intensive magickal workings. It is begun at the advent of the New Moon, and proceeds without interruption or deviation for the duration of the ordeal. If one begins this working, then it must be completed or not begun at all. Once started, it must be performed entirely and without interruption. I suspect that there might be repercussions that would occur for an aborted ordeal, and the extent of those repercussions would depend on how far into the ordeal one progressed before quitting. If you don’t have the resources or time to perform this ordeal through all three phases of ritual work, then I would advise you not to begin. All of the rituals that are to be used in this ordeal must be completely understood and familiar to the magician.

(The fifth weekend may require a break from the activity, depending on the lunar phases. For an early start, the magician will actually get ahead of the lunar cycle, and have to wait for the final two workings to complete the working in the final full moon.)

Basic practices and requirements for this period of working are as follows.

• Daily meditation - to be performed at least once or twice a day (at waking, and then before retiring). These practices should use asana, pranayama, mantra and mandala to establish the proper mind-state. Then contemplation on the intent of the working as well as seeking a special kind of illumination or grace from the Deity.

• Partial fasting - eat lightly and often - avoid excessive meals. Eat less meat than usual or become vegetarian (dairy, eggs, vegetables and fruit).

• Keep a special journal - note down everything - from dreams and musings to the actual results of the ritual workings.

• Weekends are reserved for at least two major magical workings. These times must be reserved and not be used for anything else. Saying the magical mass and other liturgical ceremonies (a benediction) will generate the proper atmosphere and energy for these workings, this would include a circle consecration rite. Also, one should spend at least an hour or more meditating before performing the ritual working. I would recommend that the ritual workings be performed on either Friday and Saturday night, or Saturday and Sunday night. I would not recommend skipping a day between the weekend workings.

• Special emphasis should be placed on observing the phases of the moon, particularly when they change. These times should involve some degree of meditation and focused awareness, particularly if they occur during the waking period.

The first part of the ordeal covers four weeks, representing the full cycle of the moon from new, to full and then back again to new. During the weekend ritual workings, the magician will invoke the four Seraphim and Cherubim for the four Elements, starting with Earth, then Air, Water and finally, Fire. This activity will require separate ritual workings for each Super Archangel invoked, so for each of these four weekends, two invocations will be performed on separate evenings. The Archetypal Gate ritual will be used to invoke the Super Archangels.

Performing an invocation of just one of these powerful angels during a period of three to six months would be more than adequate for any aspiring magician. However, we are proposing invoking all eight of these entities in a single period of a month! You can easily see why this would be a very intensive series of workings, and also why it would be prudent to not start this ordeal unless one were intent on completing it. The reason for invoking all eight of these angels is that the magician is seeking full and total illumination, and the combination of Seraphim and Cherubim would inspire and teach the magician all that is required to achieve this end. Not completing the ordeal would show a high degree of superficiality and insincerity, which might set up a very terrible backlash or wave of retribution, since these entities do not suffer fools gladly and have the power to punish as well as grant requests. If the magician is not fully convinced of the “rightness” of this ordeal, then he may receive a warning from the very first angel invoked, and such a warning should be immediately acknowledged and obeyed. If, on the other hand, the magician receives blessings and grace from all eight of these angels, then that would indicate that one is prepared and ready to meet the challenges of the next two weeks.

The fifth weekend has nothing scheduled, so it would be a time of rest, meditation and contemplation. It is also a time when the magician can charge and consecrate the magickal ring, which is used in the Bornless Invocation rite to establish a material link between the Bornless One and the magician. It’s also necessary to have this break point to catch up on any other required work that might be done. The break usually occurs because the lunar cycle may start early in the week with the first working weekend, and this will cause the workings to get ahead of the actual lunar cycle. It’s critically important that the final working be performed exactly on or just prior to the timing of the full moon.

The sixth weekend continues the activity of the previous four, and the magician uses the Archetypal Gate ritual to invoke an Elemental Godhead to act as the central and unifying entity to the ogdoad of angelic spirits. It’s assumed that the magician will discover which Elemental Godhead to invoke by successfully invoking the previous eight super archangels, or that information might be communicated in some other fashion. The magician may further qualify that central entity and even make it representative of one’s personal Godhead; but the qualification does not replace the basic Qabbalistic Elemental Godhead, it only augments it.

The next evening working is where all of the previous entities and structures are brought together into a complete synthesis. This is where the magician establishes the holy ogdoad of four Seraphim, four Cherubim, and the Elemental Godhead. This is done through the artifice of the magical structure of the octagon. The four Seraphim are each summoned and set to one of the four Watchtowers, and the four Cherubim are summoned and set to one of the four Angles. The Elemental Godhead is summoned and set to the Ultra-point, and all nine points are drawn together to form an octagonal vortex. Over this vortex structure is set the triple gateway - the double gateway with an ascension gate. Then all of these entities and forces are drawn together as the collected focus of the Ultra-point is drawn down into an inner circle, and into the heart and soul of the magician, where one performs a deep trance .

The basic premise of the Triple Gateway is to establish three concurrent gateway ritual structures - the Western Gateway into the underworld, the Eastern Gateway of the “Coming forth by Day”, and perhaps a gateway of ascension. The gateway of ascension would occupy the Western and Eastern points of the circle, and the Ultra-point - drawing all of the points of the three gateways together into a grand gateway. The purpose for this ritual is establish the mystery system of the three phases of the Lunar ordeal, which represents a trigon of the moon. This ritual is called the Triple Tetrahedral Gate ritual, and the companion rite is called the Ogdoadic Godhead Vortex rite - both to be used on the second evening of the sixth weekend.

The completion of the workings for the sixth weekend brings the ordeal to the point of the first quarter phase of the moon. This is the last major phase before the full moon occurs and completes the ordeal. The final weekend can be either just before or just after the full moon - even to the point of the next lunation cycle type.

The final weekend working is where the magician starts the process by performing a kind of macro ritual during the previous evening, drawing down the Element Godhead into one’s person, and assuming all of that power, authority and majesty prior to actually performing the Bornless Invocation rite. The magician will then perform the Triple Tetrahedral Gateway rite a second time to ensure that the Element Godhead is present for the next and final working. Thus all of these entities and forces are drawn together as the collected focus of the Ultra-point is drawn down into an inner circle, and into the heart and soul of the magician, where one performs a deep trance and begins to summon the Bornless One.

After this rite, the magic circle is not sealed and the magician spends the evening alternately dozing and meditating until the next day. A solemn high mass is said in the morning, and a meditation vigil and partial fast is adhered to (bread, water, and some dried fruit and cheese). Intense ablutions are also performed to prepare for the final evening working.

The last evening is where the magician performs the newly revised Bornless rite in its entirety, including the assumption rite. This is followed with an evening of meditation and deep trance, and the next day with another mass, this time aligned to the holy spirit as a form of thanksgiving. Then the magician seals the temple and avoids entry into it for at least a week (seven to nine days). After that time, the magician re-enters the temple, says a mass, sets the magic circle, and then performs once more the Triple Tetrahedral Gateway rite, and at the climax of that ritual, charges a specially made book containing all of the magical squares of the Abramelin system, as well as other sigils and characters (like those from the Grimoire Armadel). This book will be blessed by the HGA and fully activated. The magician then would only have to re-enter the Triple Tetrahedral Gateway in order to access the internal spiritual chamber of the Bornless One and seek to unleash the powers of one or more of the squares or sigils. Once unleashed, a magic square can be used at any time or place, even kept on the magician’s person when in the mundane world. The Bornless One would also teach, guide and give assistance in mundane matters to the magician - but the Eneagramic Gate would be the mystikon domain where all of that would be possible.

Also, on the following Full Moon, the magician will perform the third rite in the Bornless rite series, and this called the Bornless Envisioning rite. This is where the magician, fully vetted with the Bornless One, will perform a divination task that will project one’s highest will (i.e., the Will of the Deity) into the material world. Preparation would include determining what that will consists of and what are the mundane steps that the magician is expected to perform to fulfill it. During the period of that month from the invocation and assumption of the Bornless One, the magician will have determined the nature of that mystery.

A synopsis of this ordeal would be as follows:

1. Begin ordeal on the advent of the new moon
2. First weekend - invoke the Seraphim and Cherubim of Earth
3. Second weekend - invoke the Seraphim and Cherubim of Air
3. Third weekend - invoke the Seraphim and Cherubim of Water
4. Fourth weekend - invoke the Seraphim and Cherubim of Fire
5. Sixth weekend - invoke the Elemental Godhead, establish the Ogdoadic Tabernacle  and open the Triple Gateway
6. Seventh weekend - re-open the Triple Gateway, perform a vigil, and then perform the Invocation of the Bornless One with the Assumption rite.
7. Ancillary workings include the unleashing of the Abramelin grimoire (7 - 9 days) and the Bornless Envisioning (next Full Moon).


This is the revised version of the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal and all its various steps and tasks. The magician who undergoes this ordeal should remember that he or she is performing this ordeal under completely different circumstances than the original ordeal, whether consisting of the six month, three phase double lunar version or the 18 month solar cycle version. Since claiming to have successfully completed this ordeal carries with it a certain notoriety or fame, the magician who completes the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal should always state that he or she has undergone a modified version of this working and not claim to have performed the traditional one. I strongly advise this since it would be disrespectful to those who have undergone the traditional ordeal and also quite misleading, which would not be faithful to the aim of this revised version.

Keep in mind that not everyone would agree with this revised version, and that others, who are highly respectful of tradition, wouldn’t see it as being the same thing. There is certainly a place for those who would seek to perform the traditional ordeal and for those who have found alternative approaches. So we, as magicians, celebrate both the traditional approach and creative re-interpretations.


A note about the demons and their servitors: In the original book there are an ancillary set of tasks that consisted of summoning and mastering the unredeemed spirits, namely the demonic kings and their dukes, and that these same demons gave servitors who operated the many magic squares. It is my belief that summoning demons and gaining servitors from them is magically superfluous. This is just my opinion, of course, yet since I have rewritten the entire ordeal then I can also modify the manner that the magical squares are deployed. Some have found this linkage between the magic squares and the demons troubling, and some have sought to white-wash or explain it away as some kind of cathartic ordeal. Yet in all versions of the book, it is quite plain that the purpose of invoking and manifesting the HGA is to gain mastery over the demons, to seek from them servitors to perform tasks directly, or to use them to empower and activate the magic squares. It’s also possible to seek from the HGA or the demons additional magic squares. The magic of the Abramelin system is powered by demonic spirits existing in a rigid spiritual hierarchy, even if they are completely dominated and mastered by the magician through the assistance of the Godhead and the HGA.

It’s my belief that the HGA, who is like a personal godhead for the magician, can do all of these tasks. If one is successful in invoking the HGA into some form of manifestation, then there is little need to command demons to do certain tasks. The power of the magician’s magick, the depth of his wisdom and the strength of his will, fortified and magnified greatly by the HGA will enable him to perform any working or accomplish any possible objective. The Abramelin book dictates that the magician should not summon the HGA unless absolutely required. My theory is that the HGA would become ever-present to the magician who successfully invoked it into manifestation, and that the magician would function almost like an avatar, having the vision and depth of a godhead acting through his conscious mind. It could be easily argued that such a great accomplishment would allow the magician to find a route to complete enlightenment and union with the Godhead, and that all of the other operations may seem irrelevant or even grossly petty to such a mind-state. So for this reason, I doubt needing the supernatural intercession of demons to perform magical feats - they should be possible by the magician’s will, fortified as it is with the power, wisdom and majesty of the Augoeides.

Frater Barrabbas