Olympic Spirits Of Arbatel, Following strictly only the text of the grimoire Options

I've been preparing for evocation of Ophiel for a while now and I'm faced with a dilemma.

Most of the ritual diaries that are available on the net seem to be using a ritual basis from the Goetia (triangle, circle etc) accompanied with GD rituals instead of the actual grimoire text which doesn't mention any of these. Instead, the Olympic spirits are described as angelic beings:

"There are seven governors or different offices of the Olympians, which God has established for administering the entire fabric of the Universe. And their visible stars are ARATRON, BETHOR, PHALEG, OCH, HAGITH, OPHIEL, PHUL, according to the Olympic speech. Each of these has under them a considerable heavenly militia."

Also, the only requirements according the grimoire for the evocations are faith, pious life and prayers to God (which are also included in the text) and the use of the name and offices of the spirit and it's seal.

For protection only faith in God is required if I'm reading the text correctly:

"...For neither evil daemon nor ill fate can harm one whose help rests in the Most High. Truly any of the Olympic spirits might teach or effect whatever is portended or appropriate to their star, however without divine permission nothing can be accomplished. Indeed it is GOD alone who enables them to accomplish it. All things obey God the creator, whether supercelestial, celestial, sublunary or infernal. Therefore strive for this that GOD LEADS you in all everything you undertake, and EVERYTHING WILL COME TO A HAPPY AND DESIRED OUTCOME, as the history of the world testifies, and daily experience shows. With the pious there is peace, but 'there is no PEACE for the wicked', the Lord says."

Also:

"The HUMAN SOUL is the SOLE producer of wonders, to the extent that it is joined with the chosen spirit; once joined it will reveal what you desire. Therefore you must proceed with CAUTIOUSLY in acts of MAGIC, lest we be cheated by sirens and monsters, who are also attracted to the HUMAN SOUL. Therefore always hide under the WINGS OF THE MOST HIGH, lest you offer yourself to be devoured by the roaring lion. For those who desire worldly things are hard pressed to escape the snares of SATAN."

"CARE must be taken not to mix experiments, but each one should be simple and by itself. For GOD and NATURE have ordered each towards a fixed and destined end.... ....In the same way are sayings, which when spoken, the visible creations and invisible creatures immediately show obedience, whether from our world, such as the aqueous, the aerial, or subterranean, as well as the Olympic, supercelestial, infernal and even the divine.

Strive therefore for the greatest simplicity, and strive to obtain from God knowledge of the simple things. The rest can only be acquired by experimenting."

So, if I'm to follow the instructions in the grimoire to the letter, no circle, triangle or any sort of altar is to be present in the evocation?

Feel free any mistakes I've made reading the text. :flamesuit on:

This post has been edited by ComaOfLoss: Sep 14 2009, 08:16 AM

Old post that I took interest in because I have been working with the Arbatel and the Olympic Spirits for about nine months now. I have had great success in contacting these entities as a solitary practitioner and also working with a group of 3 other occultists. I approach them as more or less outlined in the Arbatel and not as in other grimoire that are based on the Solomonic paradigm. The Arbatel seems to be influenced by Neoplatonic and pre Socratic philosophical concepts. One meditates, focuses on Godhead and then through that evokes the Olympic Spirit and focuses on the sigil. Impressions and communications may follow. The Spirits are archetypal entities that relate information about the microcosm and macrocosm (they can be mapped on the body as well as the cosmos), and they are to be communed with, not commanded. They each may show you a form and give you a specific name to be called by. Ophiel is currently the governor of the present age, according to the Arbatel (Hagith was the governor during the era of author of the Arbatel as well as John Dee, et al). Ophiel, which means "serpent of God" is a reference to Mercury and the secret fire and is the Olympic Spirit that links together all the other Spirits from Phul to Aratron as if it were the scaffolding on which everything else is positioned and contained within Aratron.

I have friends who are bent on following planetary hour charts and insist that I do the same in my Arbatel work. I've put in the effort, even casting circle according to Roscrucian planetary rigamarole only to fall asleep or get dead air when all is said and done. The Olympic Spirits, in my experience, are put off by this sort of thing and could care less about what hour we decide they are supposed to be governing.They are somethng much bigger than our puny paradigms. I generally either focus on the ruling day or else the ruling mansion of the moon. Some Olympics might mostly be quiet with you and others might gate crash on other Spirits' ruling days. A group of us also had an interesting time doing dream work in which we visualized the sigil of the Olympic Spirit ruling the moon mansion whle fallilng asleep. I deciphered the number codes and the Seal of Secrets in the Arbatel in this way. The practicality of the Arbatel, however, does not exactly come through evocation of Olympic Spirits but in understanding how to get a grip on the overall energy of any given day in accordance with the Olympic ruling the day, the moon mansion, and the various archangels ruling the particular day, season, month, and moon phase.