Bardon’s Genies and the Magic of Abramelin

Bardon’s Genies and the Magic of Abramelin by “One of the Hermetic Four” (translated by Richard Tschudi by permission of Emil Stejnar)

(Note: this article appeared first in the magazine “Anubis” issue 1 0, December 1988)  A short while ago the Verlag Diedrich issued a new edition of “The book of the “True praxis of  divine magic” by Abraham from Worms. This critical text-edition with commentaries and case   studies shows that there is an increased interest in the classical books of magic, but the real    sensati sensation on happene happened d a few months months earlier earlier.. In a small small print-r print-run, un, a photoc photocopi opied, ed, inconsp inconspicu icuous ous manuscript with the misleading title “Das Schutzengelbuch” (The guardian angel book”) was  published. The author, Emil Stejnar, tells us about a discovery of great importance in the history of  occultism: Franz Bardon, whose books strongly influenced the German speaking occultism in the  first few decades after World War II, drew from the Magic of Abramelin. The author of the following article sets out to deal with Stejnar and his school of magic. Access to this magical discipline will be difficult and not easy for many pragmatic magicians; Stejnar feels at  home home with with the the trad tradit itio iona nall magi magicc and and with with its its spir spirit it mode modell and and many many of his his form formul ulat atio ions ns (catchp (catchphras hrase: e: angel) angel) are findin finding g an inner inner resista resistance nce with with the generat generation ion of magici magicians ans of the th outgoing 20 century. But one should not make the mistake to debated worldviews and forget the   praxi praxis: s: be it: it: “inv “invok okin ing g spiri spirits ts” ” , “sen “sendi ding ng out energ energie ies”, s”, “to “to progra program m the the unco unconsc nscio ious us  parapsychologically or “creating an information field” is only a simile, a symbol of the one and   same procedure. What happens magically, magically, perceived from template template of the particular particular world view at  the times times always speaks the language language of the the receiver. receiver. No model is “more “more right” than than the others. others.  From the practical point of view, Stejnar's method shows great effectiveness, if one believes the  growing number of followers of this method.  Frater Erec

For a few months now, “The Schutzengelbuch” (The Guardian-Angel Book) by the Viennese occultist Emil Stejnar is causing some furore in the German speaking occult-scene, because what a fists view appears to be a book b ook full of morals and piety, is in reality a new, highly effective method of contacting the genies of the Abramelin Magic. The author is a Bardon student who earlier   presented a key to the magic of the Freemasons with his book: “Exerzitien für Freimaurer” (Spiritual Exercises for Free-Masons). In the “Guardian Angel Book” he describes how one can open the door  to the world of the Genies. Gen ies. With the method of the mystical evocation it is p ossible for people who are not trained in magic to contact certain beings or entities.

These Genies were described for the first time by the Jew Abraham von Worms. In 1387 he made known a few hundred names and the method how the sigils (which are necessary for the evocation) can be obtained in his book: “The book to the true practice of divine Magic”. Over the span of the centuries this book was published several times in different editions and with various titles. Anybody who seriously devotes oneself to magic has sooner or later to grapple with the system of  Abramelin. The book was appreciated like no other, and it seems that many researchers of Hermetics only got access to Hermetics at all, with the help of this book. Crowley, Papus, Levi and Musallam were able to evoke their angel successfully with this book. Dion Fortune describes it as the mightiest and most perfect system of Magic. Unfortunately the book is in its present German an d English editions so mutilated that it became completely worthless for practical work. Although it is still one of the most sold works of Magic, Stejnar is after Crowley one of the few persons who were able to contact the Genies – and he developed a system that can be comprehended and worked successfully by anybody. Stejnar owes his success to a rare reprint of 1725. Although he actually knew the content already, he was so fascinated by the old volume that he decided to do the retreat and exercises which last for one and a half years. The demands of the ritual are simple and easy to fulfill. Any shaman has to p ass through far more rigorous ordeals than those that Abramelin demands from his readers. The magical utensils are easily obtainable. Besides a prayer room (oratory) especially dedicated to this work the only other  accessories are: an altar, magical headband, wand, oil and incense. Furthermore the adept has to lead an honest and secluded life. He or she should during the operation only be active as a social worker, or do artistic or handicraft work, but should not run a business. Seclusion, fasting, prayer and meditation will cause to increase the medium ship of the neophyte during the course of the 18 months so that he or she will understand and realize the messages of on es personal genius. In a special ceremony (a child is meant to be the medium) the sigils of the genies will become visible on an oil covered silver plate. With these sigils these beings can now b e called and are to the service of the adept. Let Stejnar speak for himself: “I observed the instructions of the old book exactly. At that time I was living in a big apartment house. The apartment besides the apartment where I was living became available I rented that place and established myself there. I was separated from my family yet close enou gh to be provided for  with food etc. In this separate apartment I had a sleeping room, a prayer room, and rooms for my astrological consultation practice. I sold my jewelry business so that I could dedicate my self  completely to the Work. I had no difficulties to lead the prescribed way of life. At that time I was already on the PATH for 20 years and I was very familiar with the different practices. During the course of the first year I did not notice any great difference, except for an increased clairvoyance. This increase in clairvoyance was actually disturbing for my astrological practice. Only towards the last half-year incidents together with experiences – ab out which I do not want to

report at this time – happened. They caused an inner transformation. This manifested mainly in more and more lucid dreams and the ability to leave the physical body consciously after the second or  third dream-phase. Then shortly before the Abramelin operation came to the end the following happened: I fell asleep during a meditation and was dreaming that it was now the time to perform the ritual of  making visible the sigils. In this experience, I saw in fast sequence the sigils on the silver plate and t I copied them. In doing so I had the certain feeling that I already knew the sigils. After the tenth sigil I heard myself saying; “But this Bardon’s “Milon” of the Zone girdling the earth. Then I woke up. This was with certainty not an out of body experience but a very vivid vision, the kind of vision I would get later on when a being wanted to give me a message. It is presumably easier for both sides to make contact if they “meet in the middle” so that none has the leave ones own plane or sphere. No “consciousness-vehicle” has to be created (for example an “astral-body”), but it is sufficient to amplify the “thought images” in order to make contact. I immediately got both books and compared as I did many times before the names of the spirits of  Abramelin and those of the genies of Bardon. This time I realized at once: The difference can be found entirely in the sequence by which the names are listed. Bardon listed the genies in chronological order in the twelve zodiacal signs, starting with the first degree of the sign and ending with the thirtieth. Abraham von Worms in con trast describes the 360 heads in a different order. He bundled first, all twelve of the first degree of each sign and then lists all twelve of the second degree of each sign and so forth. This is not completely ground less, because later it was explained to me by the Genies that there is a correlation between the angels of each degree in the different signs. For example all the first and second degree Angels or Genies are  positive, electric. They work with the electric fluid of the fire-element and are responsible for  everything that that has to do with creativeness, personality and strength. The ninth, tenth as well the nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-ninth and thirtieth degree in con trast have by some means or another to do with the water element or with the magnetic fluid. Because of the law of polarity, the influences from the zone girdling the e arth are also arranged analogous to the elements, and the heads (of the zone girdling the earth) use the services of   beings responsible for the implementation of the work in the material world. This led to the false assumption that the princes of the elements which had been demonized by the Catholic church, like Lucifer, Belial, Santania, ect. are ranked above the heads of the zone girdling the earth or  therefore the ecliptic. But in reality it is like this: if for example the Genius Malacha. the second intelligence in the sector of Aries uses the service the subordinates of Lucifer, whereby this is not effectuated by Malcha itself, but by a subordinate entity. But not only the quantity – the five elements – are joining the heads of the zone girdling the earth together but also its effects, therefore the quality. For example: every 26th and 27th degree of each zodiacal sign are in some way connected with transformation or magic. The heads of the 21st and 22nd degree are in charge of authorities and justice. The heads of the 3rd or 4th degree of each sign are in charge of love, sex and sexual magic.

In practice it is of great value of course that for a specific wish one contacts more than one head (Genie) and one assembles a team. Paschan the 169th head conveyed this knowledge to me and inspired me to design my highly effective amulets and to charge them at the best appropriate time. The individual heads are not only working together but can be contacted easier at certain times. Of all this I became consciously aware bit by bit by my contact with the different intelligences. I now realized at last that I am already in possession of the names of the seals they  belong to and I was able to conclude the experiment which was to last for 18 months seven days earlier.” Even if this story sounds fantastic, there is no doubt that Stejnar speaks the truth and that he was able to make contact with the genies. Although many thousand readers of Bardon’s books also studied the book of Abramelin, it was not apparent to any of these readers that the spirits and genies are identical. It is more than coincidence that the seals were exactly revealed at the time when the 18 months were up. Instead of seeing the seals on a silver-plate he found them in the  books by Bardon. It is the success that counts. For example Crowley describes the conjuration of  a Spirit for the purpose of finding a buried treasure. Instead of finding a buried treasure he received an inheritance; but Stejnar was able to deliver more poof of his contact with the Genies. He made contact with the 12th and 40th head of the Zone girdling the earth in order to learn more about the genies of the Sun and Moon sphere. To his surprise it turned out that the names of the genies which are listed in Bardon’s: “Practice of magical Evocation” are entirely wrong in the way they are listed. We cite from Stejnar’s “Schutzengelbuch (Guardian Angel Bo ok)”, page 4: “The names of the Genies of the Sun and Moon hierarchy are however, because of a regrettable mistake by the publisher, left in the secret code which Franz Bardon and his friends used in their  notes. Two of the angels: “Concarion” for the Moon-sphere and “Bialoth” for the Sun-sphere called my attention to this mistake when in my occult researches I occupied my self with the Moon- and Sun sphere. The decoded names of the Moon-sphere correspond in reality with the 28 stations of the moon from the old traditional sources as they are mentioned in the different occ ult works for example by Agrippa von Nettesheim. The 45 angels of the Sun, yield, when decoded well known names of fixed stars. They are not the actual names of the entities; the Fixed stars and the Moon stations respectively. They only make it possible for us to find the best time for a contact with these beings. I will give below the key to this secret cipher in order to finally remove this mistake for which Franz Bardon is no t to blame. He passed away shortly, after the  printing of his work in Czechoslovakia. It was necessary to bring the manuscript to the West an d Bardon had no possibility to rectify the manuscript. The first Sun-Angel is named by Bardon Emnasut, deciphered the name becomes Algenib, which is a fixed star in the constellation of Aries. The second Sun-Angel Lubech, when deciphered  becomes Sirah, the third one’s name according to Bardon is Teras which becomes Baten, as well in the sign of Aries. The same applies to the 28 stations of the moon. The letter A by Bardon has to be transcribed as E, a B with Bardon becomes an R ; CH is H; D is M; E is A; F is V; G is W; I is Q; K is Z; L is S; LH is SCH; M is L; N is G; O is U; R is T; S is  N; P is F; T is B; TZ is K; U is I; V is D; W is P; Y is J; ZH is CH; Z is C.

According to this key all the other names of the Sun- and Moon stations can be translated  properly. The angels that can be found out with this method are only accessible by high initiates and are not obligated to the Pilgrims of this covenant. The names o f the angels which are standing behind these moon stations and fixed star locations I might describe in my second volume for the prists and masters. As well, the individual angels of our covenant can be evoked easier at certain times than the others. Each one occupies a certain degree in the ecliptic, and during four minutes of each day he can be contacted more easily. For the pilgrims however this is not of importance because for the time being only a passive contact with the angels is aimed for and this is possible at any time. I will give more instructions about this to the masters. The spiritual attitude to the characteristics of the invoked angels is more important than his name and seal. Franz Bardon transferred him self mentally to the respective sphere of each angel and described the 360 places of the zone girdling the earth qualitatively. The names of these places come from older records and are unfortunately, in part, listed incorrectly as well, in the book  “The Praxis of magical Evocation”. In contrast to the Angels of the Sun- and Moon spheres, the angels of the zone girdling the earth can nonetheless be used successfully in the way they are listed in the book by Franz Bardon. Although the names which I describe are to be preferred  because the angels respond sooner to these names. The pilgrim should at first only contact the angels which I list in my book. They are especially close to human beings because of the amulets which I have made; their path to the terrestrial realm is easier. The radiant seals which I made created a point of contact which makes it easier  to create a new connection. The more seals of an angels that are available, the better his influence can be utilized.” For the sake of completeness at the end of this article, are given the correct translations of all by Bardon incorrectly listed names of the Moon-Stations as well the names of the heads of these stations and also the names of the 45 fixed stars when deciphered with the secret alphabet. Only because the researches by Stejnar, “The Praxis of magical Evocation”, which is a standard work in the magical literature, became useful. Let us hope that that the publishers Bauer and R üggeberg finally will correct the mistakes which obviously can on ly be explained by the inability of managers of the publishing houses to u nderstand the essence of magic. Not only was Stejnar given the task by the Genies to rectify the mistakes in the book: “The Praxis of magical Evocation” and this inspired him therefore to write “The Guardian Angel Book”. Through the “Praxis of the mystical Evocation” which Stejnar disclosed for the first time, it  became possible to make contact with the Genies even for persons not trained in magic. This  becomes possible through an indirect pact which the reader makes with the Genies as soon as he/she connects with the covenant. This invisible brotherhood between the humans and the genies of the zone girdling the earth again becomes again public, without oat, membership-fee or  other commitments. Every reader can become a member of the covenant as soon as he/she avows him or herself to the brotherhood. After he/she, during a full-moon night signs his/her pledge it will suffice to do a short daily meditation at the home altar. As long as he or she avow

themselves to Truth, Justice and Goodness, every head (Genie), which he/she calls up with a simple contact ritual and his seal, will be assisted. That these are not empty promises of the Genies is shown by the thousands statements of success which have been received. German and Austrian magazines are printing series about the miracles experienced by the happy pilgrims. Not only house-wives, grand-mothers and youths have a Genie altar at home or are meeting for joint devotional prayers, but also renowned esoterists, shamans and magicians already walk this path and declare the effectiveness of this method to contact the Genies of the covenant. Whoever ever tried the invocation of a being, knows that the most secret medieval invocation formulas only very seldom can lure a gnome from behind the oven. One gladly uses the simple method of Stejnar even if it smells strongly of incense.

Appendix: Moon Stations

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

ALNATH ALBOTHAIM ACHOMAZONE ALDEBORAM ALCHATA ALHAMA ALDIMIACH ALKAYA ALCHARF ALGLETH ARDARPH ALZARPHA ALHAYRE ACHURET ALGARPHA AHUBENE ALCHAS ALCHOB ALCHALA ABNAHAYA ABELDACH ZODEBOLUCH SOBADOLA CHADEZOAD SADALACHIA ALPHARG ALCHARYA ALCHATH

Moon Genies

Gabriel Aniziel Geniel Azariel Sekeliel Dirachiel Michael Amnedial Barbiel Ardefiel Neciel Abdizuel Jazekiel Ergediel Ataliel Azernel Adriel Egebiel Amuziel Kiriel Bethunael Geliel Requiel Abrimael Aziel Tagriel Athemiel Raphael

Sun-Genies – Fixed Stars

1. ALBENIB 2. SIRRAH 3. RATEM KAITOS 4. MIRACH 5. EL NATH 6. ALAMAK 7. ZAURAK 8. ALKYONE 9. ALDEBARAN 10. RIGEL 11. NATH 12. PROPUS 13. SIRIUS 14. WASAT 15. PROCYON 16. PR ÆSEPE 17. KOCHAB 18. MERAK 19. REGULUS 20. ALIOTH 21. MIZAR 22. ALKOR 23. BENET

24. VINDEMIATRIX 25. BOOTIS 26. ARCTURUS 27. SCHALE 28. KREUZ 29. WAAGE 30. ZENTAURI 31. AKRAB 32. RAS ALGETHI 33. RASAL HAGUE 34. ETAMIN 35. BOGEN 36. WEGA 37. ALBIRIO 38. ATAIR   39. BRUST 40. HORN 41. SAD NASCHIRA 42. SADALMELEK   43. DENEB 44. ACHENAR   45. MARKAB

For more information about Emil Stejnar and Franz Bardon visit: www.archivhermetischertexte.at