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First steps to Enochian Magic: Below On the path of Enochian magick several important steps must be taken to effectively work the system. I have outlined the order in which I believe that the Enochian system can be used most effectively by someone who is new on the path. In magick the practitioner works to increase their command over the metaphysical forces, starting with the four elements. The magickian also aligns themselves with the energies inherent with the system so that they can, in a sense, become one with the system, then one with the source. When starting out with Enochian keep in mind that we are used to going to work or school every day for example, however if you remember the first day at school or a new job, you can see that there is defiantly a getting used to process. The fact that we already know how to walk, talk, communicate, write, work on a computer and memorize information helps us to lesson the getting used to process. However, with magick, most of the facilities used by the new practitioner have never been used before, or have been used very little. Each of our occult facilities need to be trained and strengthened. For the more experienced practitioner, starting to work Enochian magick is more like starting a new job. We have to learn what the bosses and co-workers expect of us, learn the job particulars, and figure out the social norms of that workplace. Next is a brief explanation of the work contained within each of the upcoming chapters. This is provided to give you some idea of how you will be working through the system, and what is involved. The complete description of each of these workings is in the chapters to follow. Each of the steps to working the system provided should be performed on a regular basis and mastered before moving onto the next step. The first few steps should generally take one to three months to complete, if you are fairly new to magick or Enochian. If you are experienced with magick, the practices will help you to connect with the Enochian energy stream in particular so that you will able to work the system more easily. I have given a brief outline of the practices below, then go into more detail about each point in later chapters. This is to give you a basic understanding of what the Enochian system contains, and what course of action you will most likely be following. The first step to work with Enochian is to start the meditations and exercises that are outlined in the next chapter. These are specific exercises to help align yourself with this particular system. These exercises are sort of like introducing you to the energy current. If one has a person to teach them magick, then this first step is where the teacher would direct you at the beginning. Since many people do not have a teacher at many points in their magickal practice I have tried to cover this important step in writing. There is no sense even bothering to practice magick if you do not have at least some basic meditation skills. This does not mean that you have to be perfect at it, or maintain a perfect state for a long period of time. Practicing meditation for 5-15 minutes a day is a good start. Meditation helps to get our conscious mind and ego out of the way so that we can get down to work. It is more difficult to perform magickal work when there is constant mental chatter going on inside one’s head. The second step is self assessment. Believe it or not, much of the population is very much unaware of themselves and their inner workings. We all have inner issues that we suppress and ignore. When people become unbalanced they are usually quite unaware of their state, yet their friends can see it very clearly. It is important to dig into the depths of yourself to see if this path is right for us, or even if magick is right for us. It is important to know who we are and how we think when we start working with the subconscious. Our subconscious barriers can get in the way if they are not realized and brought into the realm of consciousness. The third step is to study, memorize and get to know the Enochian letters. This can be done by constructing the great table, drawing the Enochian letters, meditating upon them, and traveling within them. Skrying the letters within the great table is an extremely good method of getting oneself into the Enochian energy stream. Each individual letter is said to be an angelic entity unto itself. With the contemplation and skrying of each letter, one has a much better idea of what the system is all about and how it is comprised. The fourth step with Enochian is to figure out which arrangement that you want to work with the watchtowers in. This is an arduous task, however if put off it can lead to a great deal of confusion later. To answer your question, no, there is not a definitive layout. This has been one of the debates about Enochian for years! The great table consists of four elemental quarters, which each contain four elemental sub quarters. As the magickal universe is made up of these base four elements, you can see why this diagram is so important. You can change your mind about the layout at a future point when you know the system better, however it is much easier to pick one and stick with it. To start, I have provided you with my perception of how the great table should be laid out according to the diaries of John Dee. If you have already been working with the GD tablets, you can stick with those, or look up my reasoning the decide between the two. There are at least 5 different possibilities that have been proposed by different authors with strong reasons to back them up. These will all be covered in a later chapter. Just choose one layout and start; as you work with the system you will get a feel for if it is correct for you or not. The layout of the great table in the original diaries is quite confusing and up for debate. However, eventually I think it is important to do the research and decide for yourself which of the layouts works for you and is most likely how the angels meant it. When working magick in general it is good to question how things were derived, and where they stem from, as opposed to just following another’s words. The fifth step is to connect with the four elements of the universe. Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the building blocks of our universe. They are also the foundation in which magick is built upon. As a correlation, when we are learning calculus, the elements would be equivalent to the numbers 1-9, as mathematics cannot be accomplished without these basic digits. When working magick, the deeper our connection and knowledge with these basic elemental principals, the better off we will be when we advance in the system. A four element foundation is contained within every system of magick. One of the ideas of magick is to bring these four elements into balance within ourselves. Our personality can easily correlate with the qualities of these elements. For example we may be too aggressive, or perhaps not assertive enough, or even both! There are examples that correlate with each of the four elements which will be discussed in detail in the chapter concerning the elements. We all have imbalances within ourselves, the idea is to work with these forces so that we use them equally in our day to day lives. Each of the elemental attributes has positive and negative aspects. When looking at things from this perspective it becomes obvious why one starts with the four elements in their practice. The sixth step is to start to construct your Enochian temple and your watchtower table or tablets. These temple tools are not necessarily needed, however they do greatly enhance the work. All a magickian really needs is him or herself, the tools work more as a focal point for the energies. They also contain symbolism that effects us deeply on a subconscious level that is very important in these workings. Also, the construction of the tools, tables and banners help the practitioner to get to know the Enochian energies more intimately. I believe that the construction of the temple, and the tools of working, tends to work as sort of initiation into the system. This works well alongside the 19 day working for gaining contact with the Enochian world. The great table is the most well known aspect of Enochian, it is the 12 X 13 table the contains the names of the elemental and sub-elemental Enochian entities. A ritual format must be decided upon. Utilizing many of the rituals already written is a good place to start if you are new to magick, or new to Enochian. After working with the system for awhile personal rituals can be constructed. It is important if you write your own rituals to write them with thought and logic, it is also important that the correspondences are correct! Another factor is to look over the various Enochian calls and prayers and decide which you will use. This is also the time to write some of your own prayers. John Dee has provided several easy to use, overtly Christianized prayers. However, the best prayers are always the ones that come from the heart of the magickian. The angels instructed Dee to construct a book of prayers. It would make sense that each Enochian mage would also benefit from constructing their own book of prayers. The book is to contain an oration to god, prayers for the god forces on the tablets, prayers for the heptarchy, prayers for the lesser angels of the four elements and prayers for the seniors of the tablets.
Skrying is an important step in enochian working. Skrying is not as important in many other systems, and oftentimes practitioners will not focus on this practice. However with Enochian contact with the angels is what the system is based on. Creating a connection between yourself and the angels of the system is a very important aspect of Enochian, as this is where you will gain your teachings as well as clarifications on the system. Traveling the 30 aethyres is an extremely important aspect of the Enochian system, and in a way, could be correlated with pathworking the tree of life in ritualistic Kabbalistic magick. The 30 aethyres are each a symbolic level of the magickal universe. Each aethyre contains information and angels within it that lead us to a higher understanding. As we ascend the 30 aethyres we are bringing ourselves closer and closer to the universal source. The aethyres also provide us with a tool that we can use to learn more about both the microcosm (ourselves) and the macrocosm. Within the Enochian system there is a well laid out working that allows the mage to get to know the angels as well as initiating themselves into the Enochian current. The 19 day working is the initial initiation that can be performed within the system. This working brings the practitioner through the seven planetary Kings and Princes. This 19 day working also helps the practitioner to connect with the god forces of the four elements represented by the quarters of the great table. Planetary workings would be the next step. Astrological workings would be the next step.
I have provided many sample rituals throughout the book. However, these ritual outlines only contain the basic instructions, and are only examples of what can be done in each instance. Enochian magick is extremely diverse and has many uses. I am personally quite sick of ‘cookbook’ books on magick that give the practitioner step by step instructions along with one ‘right’ way of doing things.. It is handy to have a guide so that you can learn magick; however the student doesn’t need their hand held to cross the street. This book is geared towards the student thinking for themselves! Don’t worry, the steps to constructing the rituals are all here. It is all outlined in plain and simple English, it is just not done FOR you. The main reason for this, is that when we are given something, and we follow it step by step, without much thought, or creativity from ourselves, we tend not to evolve! There are far too many practitioners out there who are following the cookbooks, not thinking for themselves who are stuck in a rut, and who have trouble when it comes to writing their own rituals. Also, the more effort that we put into writing an Enochian ritual, the more specific and specialized for our own personality and needs it becomes. The Enochian system tends to meld to the practitioner instead of vice versa. I have talked with many other Enochian practitioners, and we all get something different out of the system. Enochian tends to meld towards what we are looking for, and how our psyche is made up. Keep in mind however that there are several core aspects of the system that remain the same. For example, the great table and the aethyres tend to give similar experiences between people, yet each person experiences them slightly differently. Keep this in mind when working rituals that others (including myself) have written. These rituals work very well for me, however they may not for you. There are a few beginner rituals for the student to start with so that you may get to know what a ritual looks and feels like, and how to work with them. After these examples, there are detailed instructions on how to creatively construct your own path. I have decided not to write yet another book about ‘follow the leader’ or ‘simon says’ as there are hundreds already in print. I am emphasizing the creation of one’s own rituals as they become more advanced with the system. The student, also, is strongly advised to read other books on magick as well to glean the ritual process as it is not the primary focus of this work. Copyright 2005 Athena W.
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