You probably already know the Hexagram is a popular device within planetary magical operations, often used for conjuring (calling enticingly) or evoking (calling with authority) the various planetary powers. Intended initially for only the seven classical planets, the hexagram is both a seal of solar power & authority and a symbol of our soul’s connection to cosmic forces, making it an optimal sign for planetary or macrocosmic work.
ARARITA Already
Many readers are doubtless familiar with the common incantations, vibrations, et al of the standard hexagram rituals. I use and often recommend a variation, indeed a “lite” version, if you will, for simple planetary proceedings. To set this up I’ll remind us all that a hexagram is two interconnecting triangles (gasp), which of course consist of three lines each (duh!)
My easy formula calls for one or two syllables of a divine name and one proper name of a relevant planetary angel or spirit per line drawn. To be specific, this sequence is:
For the first triangle:
Initial line call to Chief Planetary Angel (different from Archangel)
Second line call to Olympic Spirit of planet
Third line call to Primary Planetary Intelligence
At this point sound A-RA-RITA
(For those unfamiliar this is a Hebrew notaquarian (anagram) representing the phrases: One, His beginning, one His individuality. His permutations are One. Here it is pronounced with emphasis so that:
A (ah) represents the first line in the triangle.
RA (rah) represents the second line.
RITA (ree-tah) represents the third and final line of the first triangle.
While tracing or drawing the second triangle:
Fourth line call to Chief Planetary Spirit
Fifth line call to Primary/Secondary Planetary Angel (primary or secondary depending on source, also on school of magical thought)
Sixth line call to King of the Angels of the Air ruling on the weekday of the planet
A second ARARITA just like the first, except of course your tones are corresponding to the three lines of the second triangle. It is important to know and put your focus where each tone is attributed, as these are no mere lines, but the six pathways to connect the stars subject to our sun, and the six channels to the six heavenly gates whereby our soul can walk among the gods or summon them to be with us in our world. You are proclaiming the ONE, or oneness, unity, etc. of God, Goddess, Divinity, Tao, Spirit, YHWH, Nature, Shiva, Maat, call it what you like. As you declare with intent this great oneness that includes you and everyone/thing else you know it is proper that you send energy along these sacred channels and in the process touch each of the stars or powers that govern the cosmos.
More precisely still and using, as an example, the evoking hexagram of Saturn (shown below) this formula looks (sounds) like:
- Cassiel
- Aratron
- Agiel!
- ARARITA!
- Zazel
- Arauchiah
- Maymon!
- ARARITA!
Enter Your Evocation or Conjuration
Incantation and Appropriation.
A little unpacking…
The Chief Planetary Angel is often simply called the angel of a particular planet, as referenced in works like High Magic by Skinner and King, Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Agrippa, and multiple other works. This being answers directly to the Archangel and is otherwise lord and ruler of all angels, spirits, and intelligences of the planet.
The Olympic Spirit is the celestial governor provided by the Arbatel of Magic and a handful of other documents. Names will vary per magician, as the name provided in literature is subject to change during ritual if this is prompted by the spirit. This, I believe is an issue of multiple agents servicing the same role.
The Primary Planetary Intelligence is a key executor of the planet’s will, or of the magician’s will as it were, answering to the Chief Angel and commanding the Chief Spirit along with any number of other spiritual creatures within the planet’s sphere of power. This being, possibly an angel, need not necessarily be native to the same sphere or planet and is serving a station. This is the primary intelligence because it rules over the planet in the planet’s ruled zodiacal house, so Agiel is Intelligence of Saturn in Capricorn, for example. This creature is listed typically along with the main magical square or Kamea for a planet, found in many writings.
The Chief Planetary Spirit is the being listed alongside the Intelligence and with the planetary square in such books as High Magic (Skinner and King), Three Books of Occult Philosophy (Agrippa), The Magus by Francis Barrett, et al. I have always assumed this is not an angelic spirit, but I could be mistaken. Contrary to some lore, all angels are spirits but not all spirits are angels.
An angel is a very specific class of being, under which elementals and other specific spirits of nature may be filed. Often called “messengers of God” or “messengers of the gods”, these are spiritual entities with clear roles and responsibilities within the context of natural and cosmic processes. Such “processes” range from aspects within the ecosystem of a forest creek to the nuances and complexities inherent in a single human being. By this token planetary spirits may be angelic, but the fact that deliberate language is at play causes me to think otherwise.
Spirit, in this context, refers to the Essence or essential and intelligent nature of a planet or sphere of power (causal agency, etc.). Intelligent but either not fully sentient or unable to make decisions in a manner you and I would recognize as such an ability. Perhaps a good analogy is that of a person who is ruled by their passions. In this manner a planetary spirit is an unbridled expression of the planet’s nature. It is through the name, authority, and/or mark (sigil) of the Intelligence that a planet’s spirit may be directed for a coherent purpose.
This brings us to the matter of Primary or Secondary angel. Perhaps it would be better to say “another high-ranking angel”. That should quell most of the, I’ll call them “administrative assistant” ritual magicians who see this and can’t resist the urge to school little ol’ me in light of my clear ignorance.
What I mean by primary is the angel whose name is derived directly from the Hebrew name for the planet itself. For Mars, Madim in Hebrew, this is Madimiel. For Mercury, or Kokab, we have Kokaviel. Some suggest this being is synonymous with the Chief angel, so that Kokaviel and Raphael, Madimiel and Samael, (and so on for each planet, Shemeshiel and Michael et al) are one and the same. It’s obviously possible, but I do not think this is the case. I believe angelic numbers are vast, leaving room for many stations of rulership and command.
I am not aware of a Shabtaiel and this could very well be a plain matter of ignorance. Regardless, I have inserted Omeliel, the “Dark Blade of God”, listed first among Saturnine angels upon the well-known Pentacles of Solomon. Dark, gloom, blade, sword, etc. are derivatives of the components of this word (Omiel), hence I extrapolate “Dark Blade of God”, which fits nicely into my own ethos.
It is a matter of debate, whether this angel is the lord and commander of the planet’s other spirits, answering only to the archangel, or is a high-ranking angel subservient to the Chief Angel. In other words, not everyone believes the Chief Angel, as represented alongside the planetary squares, intelligences, and spirits of the classical seven planets in numerous books and documents, is part of the true hierarchy. Magic can sometimes feel a lot like religion, with so many different schools of thought arguing about who holds the truth and who lacks discernment, having been led astray by tricksters.
The King of the Angels of the Air for the day of the week corresponding to the planet worked with, is a figure who turns up in the Heptameron and a few other sources. Note that some interchange “Angels of the Air” with “Spirits of the Air”, but I do not. I am specifically referring to angelic beings who, while within the dominion of a planet, freely move about our world as they attend to tasks and phenomenon relevant to their planet’s influence and rulership.
These beings may be a servitor class of angel, dual purposed in nature. They have work to be done within their hierarchy and for the purpose of fulfilling the planet’s role as a causal agent or force of creation (and destruction) PLUS the obligation to serve intermediately, such as at the call of a magician or by request of another authority.
Touching the King’s name with your magic, as with other angelic beings or deities, means you also touch, however lightly, this creature’s authority. That’s all we’re doing here with these angelic and spiritual names; punching in the numbers of a combination or cycling through a ring of keys that ultimately, by way of order and authority and hierarchy, grants us access to the planet’s sphere of power.