Olympic Evocations Options

Greetings,

I did not to post this in the Arbatel thread since my questions don't deal explicitly with the text, but rather with any methods used to call forth the Olympic spirits . I have been working on evoking these spirits with mixed results. I am always experimenting with new methods as the simplicity of the Arbatel instructions are both a blessing and a curse.

First let me outline my practice which is a mix and match of traditions and schools:

I prefer to work at night, thus I use the last planetary hour of the Spirit in question (usually c. 3am). I use salt to mark the physical circle and mark the cardinal locations with extreme precision (proper orientation is important in my practice). I also mark the topocentric location (azimuth) of the corresponding planet with the Spirit's sigil on the circumference of the circle. This gives me a specific location where to direct the conjuration and focus my will, I don't use a scrying mirror or a triangle.

The practice begins with the MP, LBRP, LBRH, and (if needed) a charging of the astral sphere using the divine names. I perform the Akephalon Invocation ( Bornless Ritual with the original nomina barbara from the Greek Magical Papyri). For about 15 to 20min, I chant a Sanskrit Planetary Mantra to align and tune myself and my working space to the appropriate planetary energy. This is followed by the conjuration to evoke the spirit. I started using the original Latin and English translation of the Arbatel invocation, but have now switched to the first conjuration of the Greater Key. Once the Olympic presence is felt, I make my petitions, give them the license to depart, and then close with the LBRP. That pretty much sums up my practice in a nutshell.

The times I consider successful are when a distinct chill electrifies my spine and I can "see" astral shadows lingering about the circle. The closest I came to a physical manifestation was with Phaleg when the whole room outside my immediate sphere filled with a red-colored fog/light (too dense to be light, too thin to be fog (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )...but silence! Occasionally I hear strange sounds, but nothing intelligible from the spirits themselves.

I'd appreciate any comments or critiques of my practice and please, please, share what you have found useful.

Here are some more direct questions::

1. Have you found any correlation b/w success of the operation and the phase of the moon? (not just with Phul, but with any of the other governors).
2. Lighting! How do you light up your ritual area, and how does the lighting affect the manifestation? ( I have experimented with 1 candle, 4 candles, oil lamp, and no light)
3. Should I abandon the Planetary Mantra in favor of a planetary invocation using the GHR? Can I do both, or does this seem like over-kill, perhaps focusing too much on the planet and not the Spirit itself?
4. Should one evoke the Spirits using their offices rather than their names(i.e. Governor of Sol, etc. ) ? From what I've heard it seems the names to which they respond tend to change.
5. Is a welcoming of the Spirit necessary (such as in the Goetia)? This is not mentioned in the Arbatel, but can perhaps explain why I have been unable to converse with these beings despite their apparent presence.
6. Lastly, what can I do to enter into conversation with the spirits????

Thanks in advance.

This post has been edited by Faustopheles: Feb 15 2007, 12:21 AM

I have never done an evocation solely of an Olympic, nor am I familiar with the Arbatel, but I have some suggestions based on various bits of information that have been imparted to me over the years and my general approach to planetary workings. They may be useful things to consider in your experiments.

In terms of decorating the temple I would use appropriate 777 correspondences for the sphere in question, e.g. an appropriate number of candles in the correct colour, anointed with an appropriate oil. Any corresponding gemstones I might have would be on the altar along with appropriate herbs strewn around the place and a planetary incense burning. I would also play music appropriate to the sphere, i.e. anything dedicated to or inspired by the Powers in question (you can't go wrong with a copy of Holst's "The Planets" for such things...cheap too). If I am feeling really creative occasionally I have picked up cheap fabrics from a local store and made tabards in the planetary colour to wear over normal temple attire.

In terms of time I would use the appropriate planetary hour, and ideally select a time when the planet in question is unaspected by any others or is positively aspected with either the Sun or Moon alone. I would avoid periods when the Moon is VOC for all evocations if possible. Additionally a period of waxing Moon would be preferable, but all these factors are ideals. I would definitely try and avoid any time when the planet in question is inconjunct with the Sun.

In terms of the operation itself I have a couple of suggestions. I think your idea of using a GHR is a good one. I would also consider the possibility of Opening By Watchtower. I know that the Olympics are aerial spirits, but I would do this in order to make use of a Spirit Chain. There are two options I can think of:

1) A traditional qabalistic chain running right down to the Olympic Spirit in question.
2) An Enochian chain, calling on Carmara, Hagonel and the appropriate "B" for the hour in question, then calling on the Seniors of the planet in question, with the request that they allow the Spirit to attend you quickly and without undue hinderance of passage.

This second one may seem odd, but based on things I have been told in the past it could prove to be effective in terms of strengthening your manifestation, which seems to be the objective here.