What it Takes to be a Solomonic Mage

[vovin]

A brilliant post by Aaron Leitch on the Solomonic discussion list this morning. Lets discuss

Greetings ye Mages of Solomon (and battle-hardened survivors)!


A great discussion has arisen on the Solomonic Group about some of the harsh realities of working with the Angels and spirits of the grimoires. I thought you would find my recent post on the subject interesting- and you can read the original post to which the following is a reply here:


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solomonic/message/11455


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Re: confusing sentence in petersons lesser key of solomon


Wow, Frater... you have learned what other Solomonic mages inevitably learn:
the Angels and spirits of the grimoires demand *a lot* from those of us who call
upon them.


And it's not just about working with demons - even the Angels can bite. It's
not a value judgement, nor a reason to avoid the grimoires like the plague.
However, if someone is looking for magick to make their life easy and happy -
they should look elsewhere. For the demons, Angels, spirits, and intelligences
of the grimoires, you have to be (or become) a strong and hardened individual.


I have experienced this first hand more than once. The biggest one was not a
house fire, but an incident where I was attacked with a knife. The man's excuse
was robbery, but I am convinced his intention was to kill me. Thankfully, the
voice of my Guardian Angel was with me through the entire ordeal - and by
following Her instructions from one moment to the next, I not only survived but
was able to disarm the attacker and cut him up pretty bad.


That attack came just days (less than two weeks IIRC) after I called upon the
Archangel Iophiel for help with my living conditions. After the attack, I
suddenly found very Jupiterian things occuring in my life. I was suddnely a
hero - not just to my peers but also to the executives in the company where I
worked. (Jupiter can grant you honour and goodwill among folks in positions of
authority.) I suddenly found myself with brand new clothes, glasses and other
things that I had been unable to afford for a while. And when my boss was
transfered to another location (only a week or two after the attack), she
refused to move unless she could take me with her. That resulted in a dramatic
increase in my available work hours, and thus a larger check every payday.
Hell, folks even brought me food and other things free of charge while my
stitches healed!


Now I am sure there are those who will have a hard time accepting that asking an Angel for help could result in a violent attempt on your life. Of course, those who have worked with Angels (or at least read the Old Testament) know better.


Iophiel wasn't being evil to me - in fact I think it was just the opposite. For
me, it resulted in all of the above-listed Jupitarian benefits (and more). Not
to mention the changes it made within me - having lived through and even
triumphed in a life-or-death situation like that. Thus it brought me closer to
what Jupiter embodies. (Think of the kind of person Zeus would require you to
be in order to hang out with him.)


Also, it was unanimously agreed, had *anyone* else been at work that night, they would have been killed. Thus, Iophiel was merely asking me to do my job as a shaman - to protect my community and take the harsh shit onto myself - in payment for the benefits I was about to recieve.


Of course, this is an extreme example. I've worked with Iophiel for many many
years. He always comes through, and only that once did it result in something so
unpleasant. But then again, I do not believe I had ever asked Iophiel to make
such a dramatic change in my life before. (I didn't ask him for money to pay
off a few bills, but to change my life-situation entirely.) Plus, Iophiel knew
from the start that my attacker would not succeed. Thus one can argue that-
from the Angelic standpoint- my life was never actually in danger.


What is most important to see in this story is that the Angel changed who I am-
both to myself and to those around me. By doing that he changed my station in
my community. And because of that I got what I asked for/needed. Those who
want the Angels or spirits to simply let them win the lottery or be awarded
large sums of cash should keep that well in mind.


As for the infernal spirits - I think I've posted here before about what
happened when I accidently let the Abramelin demons get out of control once.
(Flies, boils, money problems and more - right out of the Book of Job!) Both
Frater RO and Abraham the Jew are correct: the demons are NOT little pet dogs
for us to play with. They are bigger and badder than you think, and your
well-being is not their slightest concern.


LVX
Aaron