Light and Shadow (or Angels and Demons)
Light and Shadow
Roland Matthews (2019)
Over ten years ago I got the idea to combine the 72 angels of the Shem-ha-Mephorash with the 72 spirits of the Goetia and put them together on the 36 pip cards of the lesser arcana in the Tarot. This seemed to be an easy concept, considering how the 36 pips are related to the astrological decans and how both the Goetia and Shem-ha-Mephorash are as well. The latter two traditions have 72 because they have two beings associated with, or ruling, the day and the night of each decan. They just appeared to fit together so well and be a mirror reflection of each other, but I wasn’t sure what this could mean or how to use this information, until now.
The Shem-ha-Mephorash, or 72-fold name of God, is generated by taking the three biblical verses of Exodus 14: 19-21 and placing the letters back and forth in a grid. Each of these verses has 72 letters, and when read in this manner, they create 72 names of three letters each with either EL or Yah added to the end. Each name represents an angel who rules a quinance, or five-degree section of the zodiac (or a day and night ruler of each decan, a ten-degree section of the zodiac). The daemonic spirits of the Goetia: Clavicula Salomonis Regis as translated by Mathers are allegedly the very same lower creatures that were summoned and put to work by none other than King Solomon the wise. The sources and etymology of their various names is a subject of debate among magicians and is too large of a topic for this discussion. However, like the Shem-ha-Mephorash, they too are given association with the decans, but are specifically separated by day and night. There is a bit of confusion over which angel to pair with which daemon because the Aurum Solis, an hermetic order started in 1897, begins the Shem-ha-Mephorash angels with the first quinance of Leo instead of Aries, while the Goetia begins with Aries.
Now that you have 72 angels and 72 daemons, what do you do with them? According to some traditions such as those found in The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage, one is to contact and communicate with their own personal higher self or Holy Guardian Angel first and foremost before they are to approach contacting the other spirits. This is not only done as a protective measure, but also as a form of proof of authority and connection to the divine in order to receive the respect of the lower spirits which are to be summoned. But how does one do this? There are many paths and methods to achieve this lofty and important goal, and one of them may be to use the Hellenistic Astrology technique of finding the Master of the Nativity.
According to Vettius Valens (120 – 175 CE), this method originated with Petosiris (c. 100 BCE), but the only surviving complete version is from Porphyry (c. 300 CE). The Predominator, the best dignified chart point of either the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant, is used to find the Master. Whichever planet is the domicile or house ruler of the Predominator is the Master of the Nativity, also known as the oikodespotes geneseos, or captain of the ship. The Co-Master, or sunoikodespotes, is found by looking at which planet is the bound or term lord of the Predominator, and can be used to determine the possible length of one’s life. The Lord of the Nativity, or kurios, can be found by examining the dignity of other chart points and determines the success of one’s life.
Cornelius Agrippa in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy discusses a method to find the name of one’s guardian angel where one places each letter of the Hebrew alphabet on each degree of their natal chart starting at the Ascendant in zodiacal order. The letter on the degree where a planet is located is used to spell the name, which if one is using the classical planets and not the newly discovered outer planets, should result in a 7-letter name. Conversely, placing the alphabet in reverse order starting at the Ascendant and going in clockwise direction will give the name of one’s evil daemon when using the letters where the planets are located. I think one could also use the location of the antiscia in a similar fashion.
The biblical story of Salome, and how she danced with 7 veils for the head of John the Baptist, is possibly rooted in a much older Sumerian myth of the descent of Inanna into the underworld to save her lover Tammuz. In this myth, Inanna has to remove an article of clothing in order to pass through the 7 gates of the underworld to reach and recover Tammuz. This is a reflection of the descent of the soul into the material plane, which takes on 7 burdens from each planet prior to birth. If one were to view the 7 ‘deadly’ sins as restraints or veils which obstruct our knowledge of the guardian spirit, they could use these techniques to remove any restrictions. These sins could be represented by the planetary antiscia, and removed one by one through the use of names and sigils until communion with the spirit is obtained.
On a physical level, one could use the 7 planetary herbal spagyrics to aid in this endeavor. On a psychological level, the Goetic spirits can be related to the subconscious and the angels of the Shem-ha-Mephorash to the conscious mind. In alchemy, one must unite the white Queen, or lunar force, with the red King, or solar force, in order to produce the mercurial child, or philosopher’s stone. In the Kabbalah, the concept of partzufim relates elements of the soul with sections of the Tree of Life. The Shekinah, or the divine presence of spirit within matter, is the bride and must be married to the Ruach or Zeir Anpin (which is also symbolized by the planets) in order to reach the Yechidah or Arikh Anpin. It is through the process of theurgy that we ascend into the spiritual and descend again in order to manifest change in the material. So, just as when one makes an amulet, we must first invoke the planetary angels and intelligences before the power of the spirit can be utilized.
For an example, lets use the natal chart of someone who is deceased so that no offense is given. Richard Harris, who portrayed as his last role the beloved headmaster and wizard Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films. Looking at his natal chart, we see that he was born in the morning, so he is of the Day sect. However, both the Sun and the Moon are both considered to be weak because the 12th and 3rd houses where they are located are cadent, and so we must default to the Ascendant as the Predominator of his chart. Since his Ascendant is in Scorpio, the domicile lord Mars is therefore the Master, or oikodespotes. He could have performed rituals to request aid from Mars to alter his fate. Also, he could have made a Mars amulet using a ruby, or red coral and iron. The term lord of the Predominator, or Co-Master, would either be Venus or Mercury depending on whether you used Ptolemaic or Egyptian bounds. He died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 72 which is close to the greater years of life given by Mercury. Since Mercury is in Virgo, the sign of his rulership and exaltation, in the 11th house, and in sextile aspect with both benefics, it would be the obvious choice for the Lord of the Nativity, indicating a successful career.
Using Agrippa’s method of finding the name of one’s guardian angel, we start with Venus, which is conjunct with the Ascendant, having the letter Cheth. Then Saturn has the letter Vav, the Moon has the letter Vav, Jupiter has the letter Aleph, Mars has Gimel, Mercury has Tau, and the Sun has Nun. This results in the angelic name Chuvagathan, or Chuvagathanel if we choose to add the angelic suffix. This name has the numeric value, determined by gematria, of 474 or 1,124 if Nun final is used. The value 505 comes by adding the last Aleph Lahmed. 474 has the same value as the word Da’ath, the sephirot of knowledge. 505 has the same value as Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and 1,124 has the same value as Cholam Yesodoth, the material sphere of elements associated with Malkuth, the Kingdom. The reverse order suggested by Agrippa produces the daemon name of Otahazabba with the value of 96. If we use the same reverse order but look at the planetary antiscia points instead, we obtain the demon name Thabaramanatzam with the value of 822 or 1,382 depending on whether or not we use Mem final. The decans for the angel name would be related to the 7 of Cups, which has the angels Chahaviah and Melahel with the daemons Naberius and Vapula. These would aid Richard in replacing lust with love. The next decan of the angel name would be the 2 of Pentacles with the angels Veshriah and Lekabel with the daemons Berith and Haures, who could aid by replacing sloth with taking an active stance. The next decan of the angel name is the 4 of Pentacles with the angels Mendel and Keveqiah with the daemons Forneus and Cimejes who can replace envy with self-confidence. This is followed by the 3 of Cups, the angels Yebamiah and Rahael with the daemons Gusion and Uvall, who replace gluttony with good judgment. Then comes the 4 of Cups, the angels Mevamiah and Hayayel with the daemons Sitri and Haagenti, who can aid in replacing anger with courage. The next decan is the 10 of Pentacles, the angels Hihayah and Laviah with the daemons Bathin and Murmur, who replace greed with compassion. The last decan of the angel’s name is the 2 of Swords, with the angels Mebahel and Yezalel with the daemons Sallos and Orobas who can aid in replacing pride with humility. Keep in mind that the Goetic spirits also have other qualities and abilities that are listed under their names in the grimoire, while the angels have psalms that can be read or sung with theirs.
In conclusion, the Master of the Nativity can give a clue as to which planetary materials to use in an amulet. The location of the planets in the natal chart show the letters of the name of your personal guardian angel and its reflected shadow, depending on whether you choose to use the Agrippa method or the antiscia points. The angels and daemons associated with those decans can give you a large supply of various sigils and attributes to add to your amulet and invocation. This will hopefully allow you to find the balance between light and shadow within your own psyche and soul in order to conjoin them, producing the magnum opus, or philosopher’s stone within your being. Under the guidance of your personal guardian and the vehicular power of your daemon, you may find the individuation, self-actualization, and manifestation of being the best, purest, and most authentic version of yourself that helps you to fulfill your life’s purpose.
