WORKING THE NAMES: SOME THOUGHTS ON SHEM ANGELS
My upcoming course on the Shemhamforash Angels is a unique opportunity! Unlike others, such as the seven planetary archangels, these angels offer a diverse and intriguing approach to their study and practice. Their names, which have multiple spellings, reflect this diversity and how they are perceived and worked with. While some traditions provide a primary method for approaching the Shem Angels, many must be further developed to be more practical. This aspect of the Shem Angels, their potential for practical magic, is what initially fascinated me.
What intrigued me about the Shem Angels was their practical nature, as evidenced by the correspondence list they come with. Unlike the common perception of angels dealing with significant picture issues, the Shem Angels are more practically minded. They have a historical connection to the older Decans system of magic, which was initially intended to address health and illness issues. However, the specific ceremonies or rituals to activate the Decan energy have only sometimes been passed down. This is where the Shem Angels come in, offering a potential bridge between ancient and Abrahamic spiritualities and a unique opportunity for practical magic.
Reviewing the old Decans systems, we can see that they were initially intended to address disorders in the body—many health and illness issues. Each Decan was also a spirit all its own, with zodiacal rulerships and materia correspondences. What has not always made it to our modern day is specific ceremonies or rituals to activate the Decan energy or infuse it into a particular talisman.
These impulses continued the shift of the Decans toward being what we know now as Shem Angels. I am still determining how and when this transformation happened from Decan to Shem. What I LOVE about it, though, is it is a point of intersection between ancient spiritualities and Abrahamic spiritualities—a place of dialogue and synergy. I can see enormous potential, for example, with working with the established Shem Angel correspondences and reconnecting them with their older Decan purpose of strengthening a person’s health and body’s healing properties. There is a lot of untapped potential with these Angels, the potential that rivals the current fixation on working with goetic demons to “get stuff done.”
My “Working the Names” course is not an in-depth exploration of the Shem Angels in its first iteration but offers a practical and tangible way to connect with these angels. You can generate tangible results by discovering your Ruling Angel and setting yourself on a path of practice. I invite you to join me in this unique opportunity to explore the Shem Angels and their potential for practical magic.
The link to the course is here: https://www.theblackthorneschool.com/courses/working-the-names/ .
See you in class!
