The Awakening of the Genii
We have already discussed that the goetic approach to cleansing and harmonizing the mind involves inactivating destructive, or, in Traditional terminology, demonic matrices.
In order to carry out such a transformation, it is necessary to:
1) correctly diagnose which specific destructive matrix is connected to the undesirable property of the mind-stream that the practitioner wants to get rid of;
2) delineate as fully as possible the boundaries of the matrix that is subject to inactivation, that is, to study its properties in as much detail, “character,” and energy;
3) detect and identify the “hooks” by which it holds in the mind — that is, determine the “weak points” of the psychocosmos that served as the Gates for the demon’s entry;
4) determine which distortions of the stream of consciousness’s essential properties these “hooks” are;
5) weaken the flow of energy through destructive channels, that is, stop feeding the demonic matrix, and
6) direct this energy into a constructive channel by activating the corresponding “correct” matrix of the mind, for example, in the image of the corresponding Genius, and do this
7) study as fully as possible the properties and characteristics of this “constructive” matrix, delineate its contours and boundaries.
Namely, in order to remove a particular destructive pattern from the mind, it is not enough to stop “feeding” it with your energy; you must also lay a new, correct path for this energy, otherwise it will inevitably return to the destructive channel. This is precisely why Traditional paths of mind development include two components — cleansing and awakening, that is, goetic and theurgic approaches.
It is not hard to notice that goetia in this context is, first and foremost, a set of methods for identifying, classifying, and “dissecting” destructive matrices, aimed at 1) discovering their alienness to the mind and 2) finding ways to weaken and inactivate them.
It is clear that for a demonic pattern to become entrenched in the mind, it must “mimic” its own desires and inclinations; otherwise, of course, it would be rejected at the stage of primary obscuration. Therefore, “tearing off the mask” from a destructive matrix very often turns out to be not easy at all. Thus, the first step toward liberation consists of acknowledging the mind’s “corruption,” the presence of a certain pathology within it, and not merely “random mistakes” or “missteps.” Only after such a statement can one find internal resources and motives for healing, that is, to return desires to their natural direction.
However, to “expel” the demon, to inactivate the destructive matrix, is only half the task. As long as the mind is not fully realized or enlightened, there always remain “shaded areas” in it, which means that new entrances for demonic invasion can arise, new foci of destructive activity. Therefore, for harmonious functioning of the mind, it must either instantly reach full enlightenment (which is theoretically possible but rarely achievable in practice), or — “drain” the affected areas by redirecting energy out of them — into strong constructive matrices.
Accordingly, theurgic approaches are inextricably linked with goetic ones, and can include both “general” and “particular” methods of awakening the mind.
“General” theurgic approaches are paths for activating “nonspecific” Higher matrices that possess a broadly evolutionary impulse, harmonizing and ordering the psychocosmos as a whole. These may be invocations to the gods of various pantheons, as well as “tuning” the mind to idams or aeonic deities. Clearly, activating such matrices globally redistributes the energetic landscape of the psychocosmos, strengthening its constructive aspects and weakening destructive streams. That is, any theurgic operation deprives demonic matrices of nourishment and therefore serves both cleansing and actualization of the mind-stream.
At the same time, as we already mentioned above, “general theurgy” usually does not touch what is “happening in the shadows” of the mind, and even when it shifts the main currents of energy in an evolutionary direction, it cannot fully exclude the development of destructive matrices in areas of the psychocosmos closed off from “daytime attention.” Therefore, all myths, all archetypal scenarios of the development of being and mind, include periodic “demonic rebellions,” awakenings, and surges of destructive activity, which gains strength in the shadows and sooner or later tries to “storm heaven.”
Therefore, alongside “general health-improving” practices of High Theurgy, any not-fully-enlightened being should apply more “pointed,” more specific methods aimed at neutralizing and inactivating particular demonic “nests,” particular destructive matrices, in order to prevent the spread of darkness in the mind.
And it is precisely to such methods that the aforementioned “awakening of the Genii” is one such method, as are other “shemhamforash” methods of liberating the mind.
Let us recall that by a “Genius” the Hermetic tradition refers to the “pass-through” aspect of the Gates of mind, which is usually distorted and manifests as the “Goetic Gatekeeper,” that is, a kidemone. In other words, one could say that a Genius is a potential of harmonious manifestation of that stream of energy whose actual form is the Gatekeeper.
Accordingly, the “awakening” of a Genius is, in fact, the expulsion of a demon through “taking its place” by another energetic structure. We have already noted that this is not about “re-educating” the demon itself, about its “being made constructive,” since the principle of destruction, the possibility of distortion, does not disappear or cease to exist; however, the possibility of its manifestation in a given mind-stream is minimized.
A Genius is not a “kinder demon”; it is its “good twin,” which does not remove the Gatekeeper from the Universe, but takes its place in a given mind-stream. Clearly, the risk of the return of destruction, of a reversal, still remains; however, with sufficient vigilance and control over energy streams, this risk for a given matrix can be minimized.
And the awakening and activation of a Genius, like any theurgic act, requires understanding the nature of this matrix, its properties and attributes. At the same time, since in this case we are only talking about a potential matrix that does not have, in its macrocosmic aspect, its own “perfect” manifestation or carrier, the methods of “Theurgy of the Genii” are similar to Aeonic Yoga approaches, Vajrayana, or the Abramelin Ritual, which also operate with “speculative” images and categories. And in exactly the same way as in Aeonic yoga, the images of the Genii in visualizations do not have a fixed form; they can take angelic shapes or resemble deities of known pantheons, or even appear as radiance or sound, and their only fixed component is their names, which, when interpreted from competent Kabbalistic positions, provide a sufficient body of information for the practice of activating these matrices (as we discussed in detail in our book “The New Lemegeton, vol. 2”). For example, Vehuiyah, the Genius of Creativity, “Elevation in God,” is associated with fiery energies and usually takes expansive forms, while Ieliel, the Genius of Cognition, is associated with librarians and scholars.
It is also obvious that “Theurgy of the Genii” is a “firefighting” method for treating the mind, which, without combining it with High Theurgy, can turn into endless “patching holes,” when the inactivation of one demonic matrix is replaced by the awakening of another, and so on. Therefore it is important to monitor both local and overall health of the psychocosmos.
Thus, the task of development — that is, cleansing and actualization — of the mind is the primary activity on any Path that leads from destruction and conditionedness to harmony and freedom. And if this task is addressed comprehensively, using effective methods and competent approaches, then achieving significant progress within a single lifetime seems possible, and this progress turns out to be strategic, achieved not simply by displacement or neglect, but by genuine harmonization of the mind.
Good evening. Thank you. I’m curious, could the Epictetus be those very Geniuses?
Hello.
The difference between the Geniuses and other beings – angels, demons, epiklets – lies in the fact that Geniuses are “potential programs” that exist only as an “ideal possibility,” without their own manifestation. One could say that Geniuses are the energy of “pure passage through the Gates,” the ideal form of any Transition. In this sense, any beings can serve as carriers of the energy of Geniuses: the same energy, though in a distorted form, is borne by the Goetic Gatekeepers, while in its “pure” form it can manifest in both angels and humans.
Epiklets are “servant” spirits of the Interstice, performing an organizing, structuring role within it and (usually) serving the Archons or Aeonic deities.
Greetings.
Are there distorted matrices of angels and their expressions, or are they only potential, like the matrices of geniuses to the chimeras?
Hello.
The distorted matrices of the angels are the Grigori:
https://enmerkar.com/en/myth/the-grigori-who-keep-the-balance
https://enmerkar.com/en/myth/grigori-and-the-condensation-of-vortices
https://enmerkar.com/en/myth/semiyaza-the-sky-tearing-toward-the-earth
Thank you. For some reason, I initially got the impression that this was not a distortion but rather a result of their conscious choice.
That’s right; for the beings themselves, it’s their conscious choice, but for their matrices, it’s a distortion.
Hello, thank you for the article. Could you tell me how to work through a global distortion in consciousness related to a misunderstanding of the principle of freedom (bad caprice, eccentricity, or, on the contrary, the desire to impose control), which in astrology is described by Lilith in Aquarius?
In theory, it makes sense to approach this through the development of responsibility, seriousness, etc. However, this “demon of eccentricity” is so cunning that it suddenly takes hold, intruding into creativity and relationships. It is very hard to resist.
I feel a deep connection to the pantheon of northern gods in terms of both blood and worldview. A similar manifestation there is represented by Loki. How can this untamed, eccentric logos be replaced while being a woman?
Hello. As is known, astrologically Lilith in Aquarius corresponds to a deep trauma stemming from the inability to be “like everyone else,” and at the same time, the inability to consistently be oneself. Hence the drive for hyper-individualization, the fear of structures (such as family), and the tendency toward destruction through irony or sarcasm. From this perspective, the transformation of these states requires the elevation of Aquarius and, thus, a transition from Lilith to Uranus. This will contribute to the development of a proper essential center and the restoration of connections.
As for the female equivalent of Loki, I would suggest the image of Gullveig/Heid – a witch who came to Asgard and “seduced” the Aesir. Her nature is temptation, the destruction of illusions, but at the same time, it is about restoring the connection to deep forces. There is an opinion that this is the “dark” aspect of Freyja, who knows passion and power, and at the same time facilitates transformation and unity.
Yes, the desire to mock can be very strong, often to one’s own detriment. I can easily rise to Uranus and enter the group flow as well, but it’s very difficult to hold onto Uranian energies for long. I couldn’t have even imagined about Gulveig… Thank you, I’ll think it over.
Greetings to you, Enmerkar. I wouldn’t want to take too much of your attention, but after connecting with the image of Hecate (for some reason, I intuitively chose this aspect), I feel something quite unusual.. Dreams, signs, and so on. Euphoria (after all, Hecate was said to bring happiness to “evil wives”). And last night, a couple of large, plump geckos invaded my workshop and began to engage in mating rituals right before my eyes.) These creatures are extremely timid, so their brazen behavior was quite surprising. They are chthonic beings, and their passionate animation symbolically coincides with theories about Hecate as the dark aspect of Freyja.
In general, it’s all very, very interesting.)
But I hardly know anything about this goddess-witch; there is so little information.. I managed to find out some things through divination, but still.. The idea arose to create her portrait. Either in oil (in which case it would be quite lively), or in watercolor, which would bring spontaneity and meditativeness. I don’t know which technique to choose and whether it’s appropriate at all.. I found no information on rituals associated with Hecate, except that she somewhat embodies seidr..
If you have any thoughts on this matter, please share. But in any case, I am grateful to you for the idea. Perhaps it is best not to force it, and everything will unfold in its own time..
As far as I understand, Freyja-Heid is the very energy of Seyta, which can be used either for good or for the accumulation of material wealth. In other words, Heid is the ability to penetrate “to the other side,” into the omnipotent environment of Utgard, and to bring back various resources from there. Her image as Gulveig (“The Power of Gold”) represents the temptation to use this resource for “petty,” material goals, which leads to falls and defeats. Accordingly, any Rites of Passage, of passing through the Gates of Asgard (that is, from chaos to ordered reason) are repetitions of Heid’s path. Therefore, while practicing such transitions, it’s important to invoke Freyja (Vanadis, the force of fertility), and not Gulveig (the corruption of materialism).
I believe that the seidkons themselves were not interested in material wealth. Essentially, they, like the Karelian rune-singers, often lived on the road and did not accumulate riches. The external glamour, the jewels, seem to be merely props for the völvas, which were completely unnecessary for the rune-singers. I feel that Hela is somehow connected to death, but I don’t yet understand how. Those archaic songs that the völvas sang have long been forgotten; even in the Middle Ages, they were barely remembered. But sometimes, they suddenly resurface. When UraN kicks in. Thank you, you have spoken words that are very important to me right now (about Hela’s path), confirming an image I saw long ago.