Questions On Hga's, Want some info on identfying ones HGA Options

Greetings all,
Some time ago in one of my operations I had an angel present itself to me giving me its name and I was able to very clearly see it without a scying device..Its name is Lelayon. This angel had sayed close to me after revealing itself and I'm wonder if indeed its my HGA.. I looked it up in the listing of angels and sure enough it's listed under the number J-1 and also listed in the Kamea of the Angels of Saturn.
Since I'm a Capricorn and Saturn is my ruling planet it seems to fit. As from what I've read so far your HGA is usually related to your birth chart..
I can hear this angels voice very clearly and usually don't have to do more than vibrate his/her name to call it forth any thought on this?

Thanks Love and Light

My views of the HGA are reflective of fairly modern western esoteric belief, and as such I do not interpret the term literally. I think of the HGA as that which connects 'you' to the divine, possibly viewed as a 'higher self' of sorts. and I view the magnum opus as being basically a merger with this divine self.

all of which I am sure some would agree with and some would not. really it's all a matter of paradigm, which is almost like a semantic difference of opinion, in that it's an approach to an interaction, a way of modeling and understanding it... but it's always, in part, an abstraction, like all paradigms. hehe, musta ate my chaote wheaties today

I don't think so, but it is possible. Always be wary of any spirit who shows up uncalled. Test it, test it, test it. If everything checks out then proceed but slowly. Just be cautious.

I don't think so, but it is possible. Always be wary of any spirit who shows up uncalled. Test it, test it, test it. If everything checks out then proceed but slowly. Just be cautious.

Thanks Fio, It showed itself during a working involving Raphael, I gave it Lux signs which it returned, and a an invoking penta of air which didn't have any effect...I'm thinking maybe perhaps its a familiar? It seems benign at least by the energy it generatesand it'sapearence.I did banish it afterward and it was gone but seems to come quite easily like it's just on the edge of my perception.
Just because it seems good' should I still be wary of it?Ps it looks like a higher angel
Thanks foryour help Sincerely Lightning

My views of the HGA are reflective of fairly modern western esoteric belief, and as such I do not interpret the term literally. I think of the HGA as that which connects 'you' to the divine, possibly viewed as a 'higher self' of sorts. and I view the magnum opus as being basically a merger with this divine self.

all of which I am sure some would agree with and some would not. really it's all a matter of paradigm, which is almost like a semantic difference of opinion, in that it's an approach to an interaction, a way of modeling and understanding it... but it's always, in part, an abstraction, like all paradigms. hehe, musta ate my chaote wheaties today

Hi Kath. Do you believe in gaurdian spirits asigned to oneself from birth? some strike that,many believe as Crowely all sprits are manifistations of the ID(sub-concious) ... I myself through my experiences take the otherside ofthe coin that there are definatley beings of higher planes and lower.. that can come forth as it were lol...I do belive in the higher self though; as when I perform rituals in my etheric body(astral) I take that to be my higher self or an aspect thereof.
Thanks for the input..Love and Light
Levitus Maximus

I don't really believe in *anything* assigned to a person from birth, guardian, guide, or 'other'. That's a fairly RHP perspective, it involves notions like a 'divine plan' and things of that sort, which I also do not believe in. In other words, that sort of thinking strikes me as just part of the general monotheist way of thinking in our western culture, even within the occult.

I also wouldn't agree with equating the HGA with a buried portion of the ID... that I would call a "shade" as per Carl Jung's writing on that topic.


I would view an HGA as either a divine aspect of self, separate from the normal conscious mind, (aka a 'higher self').
OR, as basically a spiritual bodhisattva being (one who has achieved enlightenment, but sticks around to help others out of the sea of Samsara).

The HGA is not a separate angel assigned to you at birth. Rather it is a divine being who is a collection of the memories of all your past lives. So it is a higher aspect of yourself but has a distinct and different personality. The writings on the subject are a bit conflicting because it is a part of you and separate at the same time. At least that has been my experence.

I hope that helped rather than muddy the waters further.

In my case, I sometimes describe my relationship to a deity-being (which closely echoes an HGA interaction as well as the primary spiritual interaction of several other paths), as like so... it's not so much that She's a part of me, it's honestly more like I'm a part of her. if she's a tree, i'm a leaf on that tree. and my spiritual path is all about trying to transmute myself from a leaf into a seed (or a branch, depending on your perspective), and start something new and different rather than this seasonal death stuff.

all of which sounds a bit... well, it seems to place myself into a sort of subordinate role. There is some truth to this, in that I am not as huge, powerful, knowledgeable, etc. as she is. But our interaction is not hierarchial at all. it's an intimate relationship, and it is teamwork oriented.

The HGA is not a separate angel assigned to you at birth. Rather it is a divine being who is a collection of the memories of all your past lives. So it is a higher aspect of yourself but has a distinct and different personality. The writings on the subject are a bit conflicting because it is a part of you and separate at the same time. At least that has been my experence.

I hope that helped rather than muddy the waters further.

No Thanks Fio,More is better, I think I have three things going here: HGA's, Gaurdian Spirits and I think when I said about I considered my astral body as perhaps part of my "higher self" I think "magical self" may be a better description of the latter.
I myself belive my Higher self or HGA is part of me but also separate ..isn't the path of true adeptship(RHP) to unite oneself with this Higher self until the two are one? I would think thats what it really means to attain the "conversation with ones HGA".
I myself do believe I have gaurdian spirits in this case angels either assigned or aquired that have definately saved my hide and continue to do so: This is a very complicated area when we factor in all the different belief systems and various paths of different people . As for me I welcome the discourse as it will bring light on all the different factors involved.ha ha!
I know some of the american indian paths belive in animals gaurdians-Totems if my memory serves me right- I think that there are many truths but all will merge or become parallel at somepoint imo...PS wouldn't someone from the LHP believe they have gaurdian daemons? or would they be considered servitors?
brightest blessings (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bye.gif)

In ceremonial magic, especially ceremonial magic since the turn of the 20th century, the "chosen ideal " (ishta devata or yidam) in a guise similar to the oriental one is called the Augoeides or Holy Guardian Angel.

The term Augoeides means “luminous being” in Greek. The term was used by a Neoplatonist named Porphyry who lived during the 3rd century and was the student of the father of Neoplatonism, Plotinus. Plotinus referred to it as a personal daimon in commentary on content from Plato (10th chapter of the Republic and the end of Timaeus, also Phaedo). It is described as a perfect, divine idea of oneself to aspire to. Through it, a person transcends the limitations of his incarnation and circumstance . See Plotinus. Our Tutelary Spirit. From the fourth tractate of the third Ennead. Translated by Stephan MacKenna. London: Penguin Books. 1991.

Kabala and Hermeticism figured into early medieval mysticism, and later Neoplatonism, which sort of disappeared with the ascendency of Christianity and was rediscovered in about the 15th century. In the 14th century, a book surfaced called The Book of Abramelin, attributed to a German Jewish Kabbalist. It outlines material on ceremonial magic and specifically is a very long and involved magical operation to realize a “Holy Guardian Angel.” After attaining this, one is promised all kinds of magical powers not unlike siddhis known in yoga (eg,, powers of magical flight, materialization, longevity, and other special powers).

At the turn of the 20th century (1897), this book was partially and somewhat inaccurately translated by Samuel MacGregor Mathers, who was the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He conflated the term with the Neoplatonic term Augoiedes. Aleister Crowley, who belonged to the Golden Dawn and spun off the Ordo Templis Orientis and other lodges from it, began to do work with and write about the Holy Guardian Angel and developed his own ideas about what it was and rites about achieving it. You can find these rites online. The idea is more or less the same as in Hinduism and Buddhism and Neoplatonism—to become your divine ideal and become empowered by it. For Crowley, this was to realize your true self and True Will.

Liber VIII: The Ritual Proper for the Invocation of Augoeides
www.themagickalreview.org/classics/liber_0008php

Invocation of the Augoeides, The Luminous Self
Being the Invocation of Holy Guardian Angel / True Willhttp://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/GoldenDawn/augoeides.htm

Drury, Nevil. Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult.San Francisco. Harper & Row. 1985. p. 119
Holy Guardian Angel. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Guardian_Angel>.
Sutin, Lawrence. Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley. New York. St. Martin's Griffin. 2000 Addendum



Among magical practitioners, it is also not uncommon for them to relate to what you might call a spiritual guide or even an entity or projection that is experienced as a presence that acts as an astral lover a mentor or ideal to the point that it becomes a personal godform. These entities might considered to be an HGA. Whether they are real spiritual entities or projections or fragments of one’s own consciousness is a point that a person needs to decide for himself.

This post has been edited by SororZSD23: Jan 2 2010, 09:53 AM

In ceremonial magic, especially ceremonial magic since the turn of the 20th century, the "chosen ideal " (ishta devata or yidam) in a guise similar to the oriental one is called the Augoeides or Holy Guardian Angel.

The term Augoeides means “luminous being” in Greek. The term was used by a Neoplatonist named Porphyry who lived during the 3rd century and was the student of the father of Neoplatonism, Plotinus. Plotinus referred to it as a personal daimon in commentary on content from Plato (10th chapter of the Republic and the end of Timaeus, also Phaedo). It is described as a perfect, divine idea of oneself to aspire to. Through it, a person transcends the limitations of his incarnation and circumstance . See Plotinus. Our Tutelary Spirit. From the fourth tractate of the third Ennead. Translated by Stephan MacKenna. London: Penguin Books. 1991.

Kabala and Hermeticism figured into early medieval mysticism, and later Neoplatonism, which sort of disappeared with the ascendency of Christianity and was rediscovered in about the 15th century. In the 14th century, a book surfaced called The Book of Abramelin, attributed to a German Jewish Kabbalist. It outlines material on ceremonial magic and specifically is a very long and involved magical operation to realize a “Holy Guardian Angel.” After attaining this, one is promised all kinds of magical powers not unlike siddhis known in yoga (eg,, powers of magical flight, materialization, longevity, and other special powers).

At the turn of the 20th century (1897), this book was partially and somewhat inaccurately translated by Samuel MacGregor Mathers, who was the founder of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. He conflated the term with the Neoplatonic term Augoiedes. Aleister Crowley, who belonged to the Golden Dawn and spun off the Ordo Templis Orientis and other lodges from it, began to do work with and write about the Holy Guardian Angel and developed his own ideas about what it was and rites about achieving it. You can find these rites online. The idea is more or less the same as in Hinduism and Buddhism and Neoplatonism—to become your divine ideal and become empowered by it. For Crowley, this was to realize your true self and True Will.

Liber VIII: The Ritual Proper for the Invocation of Augoeides
www.themagickalreview.org/classics/liber_0008php

Invocation of the Augoeides, The Luminous Self
Being the Invocation of Holy Guardian Angel / True Willhttp://home.earthlink.net/~xristos/GoldenDawn/augoeides.htm

Drury, Nevil. Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult.San Francisco. Harper & Row. 1985. p. 119
Holy Guardian Angel. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Guardian_Angel>.
Sutin, Lawrence. Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley. New York. St. Martin's Griffin. 2000 Addendum
Among magical practitioners, it is also not uncommon for them to relate to what you might call a spiritual guide or even an entity or projection that is experienced as a presence that acts as an astral lover a mentor or ideal to the point that it becomes a personal godform. These entities might considered to be an HGA. Whether they are real spiritual entities or projections or fragments of one’s own consciousness is a point that a person needs to decide for himself.

Thanks for your detailed response SororZSD23, Thats cool that you site your sources.
What you were refering to as a personal guide is kinda what I thought about this angel: Lelalyon" .My understanding of an HGA was limited soI reasoned It may even be a familiar of some sort, as I aquired it during a successful evocation of the sylphs when it presented itself.
As I stated in other posts here about this, I tested it with pentas and signs and it was true.
I made a Sigil for it using the Rose as its the only system I'm practised at. Another member sugested I scry for it's "true" sigil but I'm not quite practised at skrying to where I would be confident enough it would be accurate. Another thing I will add about this particular entity is that when I looked for it I found it listed as an angel of Saturn and figured to use the planetary Kamea-(square of saturn) to make it's sigil. I'm stil checking my work making sure I did it correctly as I have only "intuitions" and the texts,and as teachers
As you wrote in this post, the concept of HGA has a long and precarious history to say the least lol and people have wide and varried perceptions of what they are. For me GD style methods are what seems to work and what I'm drawn to.
I know to some the rose method as far as sigils goes seems archaic, until I get better at scrying I'll have to make due.
Thanks for this info as every piece is very helpful to me.

In Love & LVX , Sincerely Levitas

This post has been edited by Lightning777: Jan 11 2010, 09:40 PM

YOur welcome, Levitas. I am glad that the post was appreciated. I am not into theurgy in my magickal pracitce so I may not be the best person for you to bounce ideas off of--but I like to research and deconstruct stuff. I don't think of HGAs or other perceived entities as beings in and of themselves. I believe that they are either 1. projections for our own consciousness or 2. conscious entities that take the form and role of whatever we are able to imagine them to be or need them to be in relation to our own consciousness and psychology, which is limited by being part and parcel of a physical body and nervous system. I have had entities present themselves to me as guides through out my life under different conditions. Even though they have different forms and personalities, I kind of suspect that they may be all the same amorphous entity and that takes on the form and manner that I need it to so that I can then interact with it. Indeed, this is what God is considered to be in nondualistic Vedantic Hinduism.