First Open Source Gnostic Church

From Ecclesia Gnostica Universalis

The Holy Guardian Angel or Guardian Spirit is an ethereal minor god known during classical times as the daimon or daemon. Also known as the genius, this guardian spirit is the personal attendant spirit of an individual.

The term Holy Guardian Angel was coined, or at least first written about, by Abraham of Würzburg, the author of The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. The term was subsequently used by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It was also adopted and used by Aleister Crowley in his formuation of Magick.

The term Guardian Spirit was used in preference to the term Holy Guardian Angel by Shri Gurudev Mahendranath in order to divest the concept of woolly religious thinking.

Knowledge and conversation

Mathers and Crowley wrote about "attaining the Knowledge and Conversation" of the Holy Guardian Angel. Following Abramelin the Mage, this was to be achieved by an extended magical retreat of three to nine months. While Abramelin simply prescribed extended prayer, Crowley proposed the use of an ancient ritual from a Greek magical papyrus known as the Stele of Jeu the hieroglyphist^[1] which Crowley redacted and called Liber Samekh.

Writings of Tau Aleph on the HGA

On the HGA/Daimon

I really think the phrase "Holy Guardian Angel" misleads a lot of people.

Crowley also referred to the HGA as "Daemon" or "Genius." This would of course relate to Socrates' Daimon. According to Plato, the daemon was the nous or divine mind in every human. I have also seen this equated with the Muse, and also with the qabalistic concept of the Neshamah.

Neshamah is derived from the verb 'nesham' meaning to breathe. It is attributed to the upper triad of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah. This would make sense of the fact that one "loses" ones "angel" upon the accomplishment of "Crossing the Abyss." Conversation implies a duality, two entities talking. Upon the "Crossing of the Abyss," one has integrated/been-integrated-into Binah, the intuitive soul. The apparent duality between ones perceived self and ones higher intuition has dissolved.

Putting this together with Crowley's comments about "Pranayama and Its Parallel in Speech, Mantrayoga" in Book Four would indicate that the advanced practitioner can achieve K&C of HGA through the use of pranayama alone, while those who have achieved a lesser degree of concentration may resort to the use of mantra or barbarous names. Full ceremonial ritual may aid those who fail to achieve the necessary concentration with mantra alone.

If this is true, and I have reason to believe that it is, then:

1. The "HGA" is not a separate entity from our "Self."
2. The "HGA" is a separate entity from our "Ego."
3. No particular form of ceremony is required to achieve K&C.
4. Practice of pranayama and/or mantra and/or barbarous invocation is required to achieve K&C.
5. K&C is a "state of mind," out of which one can slip after the initial attainment. Repeated use of the techniques in (4) can be used to reenter the "state."
6. Ones "HGA" may give one a superior mantra or method for achieving the "state."
7. Eventually, one should be able to maintain the "state" for increasingly longer periods of time such as to be (almost) always in K&C.
8. At this point, the practice of pranayama should be sufficient to maintain/restore the "state."
9. Persistence in the practice of pranayama beyond the point of K&C is likely to result in "Crossing the Abyss" and Samadhi.

A few more observations: the "HGA" may speak whatever language(s) you do, but this would be a translation of a conceptual level which transcends language. "Conversation" with the "Angel" involves the accurate conversion between the concepts of the Neshamah and the symbols of the Ruach, and vice versa. The study and use of qabalah or any other applicable formal system can facilitate accurate translation. In Socrates' case, the terminology of his philosophical pursuits satisfied this need.

However, the "HGA" may use some other means of communication than language, such as visions, images, dreams. It is possible that language would overly limit the ability of the "HGA" to communicate. Quite possibly all channels/senses would be utilized, including language, vision, sound, smell, taste, touch. Could even be like an acid trip, only making more coherent sense ;-)

I think that attaining the K&C of HGA is much simpler than one would gather from studying Crowley. Though note that this does not imply that it is any easier to accomplish. I hope, though, that my effort at cutting through the apparent complexity makes it easier for those who aspire to get started with the practice, rather than get hung up on trying to figure out how to proceed.

On Liber Samekh as a Morning Ritual

I heartily agree with the recommendation to perform Liber Samekh daily as a morning ritual, especially after working it intensively as an HGA working. One of the results of having studied some Dzogchen with Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche was to revise Samekh into a shorter form intended for seated use. This is based on a ritual used in the Dzogchen community which is incredibly similar to Samekh, the major difference being that the central invocation is based on Sanskrit instead of Graeco-Coptic formulae.

Here's my rendition:

The Rite of the Holy Dzogchen Angel

First, do some pranayama to clear the breath. Then...

Each part is done three times before going on to the next part. The circled Tibetan letters (A) are part of the ritual, and pronounced 'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah' where they occur (once). The first part is a banishing, visualizing expanding and purifying spheres of variously coloured light dissolving and cleansing the environment. Next is homage to the guiding principles (originally Guru, Deva, Dakini). Finally, the invocation itself. I vibrate it seated, focusing on the corresponding chakras. One can also make the signs of the elements (i.e. of Shu, Thoum-aesh-neith, Auramoth, and Set from Magick: Book Four), if desired. It can strengthen the ritual considerably, and helps to ground it into the physical. Finally, the last part is done only once, to 'seal' and dedicate the energy.

Because it doesn't require much ritual motion, it is also workable by a group. I find that it helps the group to find/communicate with its 'group angel'. Though some tell me that such a thing can't exist, I find no problem imagining a composite manifestation of individual non-physical spirit beings. If every being did it at once, it would be an invocation of N'Aton.

References

Further reading

• Tau Aleph. The Rite of the Holy Dzogchen Angel.
• Shri Gurudev Mahendranath. The Londinium Temple Strain.
• Shri Gurudev Mahendranath. Legend of the Elusive Kingdom of Shadows.