Evocation of the Olympic Spirits: Bethor

Having identified certain weaknesses and imbalances in my character and Natal Chart relating to a strong Fourth House Saturn and an underactive Twelfth House Jupiter, I decided to undertake a magickal working with the goal of boosting the influence of expansive, Jupiterian energies in my psychosocial sphere. Having never worked with this particular branch of Spirits before, I decided to apply the principle of the expansion I sought into my practices by evoking Bethor, the Olympic Spirit of Jupiter. The Arbatel of Magick describes him as follows:

Bethor governeth those things which are ascribed to Jupiter: he soon cometh being called. He that is dignified with his character, he raiseth to very great dignities, to cast open treasures: he reconcileth the spirits of the aire, that they give true answers: they transport precious stones from place to place, and they make medicines to work miraculously in their effects: he giveth also familiars of the firmament, and prolongeth life to 700 yeares if God will.

His Character

He hath under him 42 Kings, 35 Princes, 28 Dukes, 21 Counsellors, 14 Ministers, 7 Messengers, 29000 legions of Spirits.

Timing

The talisman was consecrated in a subtle circle made with sea salt and spring water during the first planetary hour of 6 on the day of 6 with 1 in  9° ¡ and Luna in  8° ™. The rite itself was performed during the second planetary hour of 6 on the same day, with Luna in 12° ™.

Method

After the talisman containing Bethor’s seal was consecrated at dawn, it was placed in a blue cloth bag and put aside until the second planetary hour of Jupiter. Immediately before the rite, the temple area was thoroughly cleaned and swept and a ritual bath infused with cedar was taken, in which a hymn to Jupiter was recited. Once the hour of the rite came, Bethor’s seal, drawn in purple ink on blue paper, was unveiled and placed beneath a black crystal ball next to a deep purple candle on the altar. Cedar was burnt in a thurible, a white robe was worn, and the only elemental weapon used was the wand. 

Ritual Structure

LBRP

Hexagram ritual invoking Jupiter.

Invocation of the HGA.

Invocation of the Most High God[1]

Conjuration of the Spirit Bethor[2] 

Appeal to the Spirit

Licence to Depart

Banishing

Results

The spirit came after the fourth repetition of the Conjuration and slowly manifested as a faint blue-white light that surrounded the glass receptacle. The light appeared to be flecked with millions of stars, like an infinite and vast night sky that was lit by so much stellar light that its blackness appeared blue. Taking this as a sign of the spirit’s presence, I made my requests to it, which included asking to receive familiars from the firmament and to be dignified by aspects of expansion that were in accord with my innermost Will. Receiving no acknowledgement of my requests, I closed my eyes to get a better astral impression of the Spirit so I could establish a clearer line of communication with him. 

Once I did this, the vague imprint of the millions of stars that hovered around the glass receptacle darkened into a black night sky that shone with the light of thousands of galaxies. In this deeper state of concentration, I felt my connection to Bethor growing, though my perception throughout the rite was that he was far too large in his scope to perceive in anything but a small glance. In this state, I asked him to reveal his nature to me and was shown a vision of nothingness. From this nothingness, the universe came into being from a fixed point and proceeded to expand into the infinite void. With this vision came Bethor’s explanation that he was the essence of unbound expansion, and explained that the danger of this expansion was losing sight of one’s centre. He clarified what he meant by explaining that his own energy had become depleted and had become worn and old from the amount of energy he had expended. To remedy this, he said he desired to be ‘rejuvenated’ in order to be ‘reminded of his youth.’ He also warned me that the expansion he instigates has no means to stop of its own accord and could only be restricted by invoking the energies of Saturn. 

Acknowledging his advice, I asked if he would agree to the things I asked of him. He affirmed his consent, but asked for a sacrifice of blood as part of the covenant. I understood that this offering would be the act that started a cycle of energy exchange that would suit us both. Once this was agreed, Bethor’s presence - which felt somewhat distant and elevated throughout the rite - departed, and his seal was daubed with a tiny amount of blood drawn from a razor.

Analysis

The general feel of Bethor was distant, powerful and not at all like the experiences I’ve had with the regular Planetary spirits. The sense of a grand, cosmic scope was present, yet not wholly perceivable, and was reflected in Bethor’s explanation that the force it regulated was that used in the physical expansion of the universe. This makes the scale of its potential power vast, being somewhat akin to that of the demiurge, though its role was specifically stated as being the expansive, 'Brahma' principle, which, understood in the context of the cosmogony of the Big Bang, is quite significant.

The blood sacrifice Bethor required and was given seemed necessary if any magical result was to be expected. With 4 being the number of the Demiurge Father Gods such as Jupiter and Yahweh, its multiplication by 11, the number of the magical force of  אוד –‘Od,’ brings us to the Hebrew word דם – ‘Blood.’ Blood therefore provides the means by which the power of the Olympic Spirit (which is essentially a demiurgic godform) is attracted and realised. 

Its desire for a blood sacrifice to enable it to ‘remember its youth’ brought to mind the blood sacrifices that Yahweh demanded in Exodus 24:6. In this passage, the bowls in which the sacrificial bull’s blood is collected seal the covenant between himself and Israel. The blood used in this covenant was divided between the altar, representing Yahweh, and the bowls, representing his chosen people. With the Hebrew word for Blood -דם - having a value of 44, this division is represented amongst the Hebrews by the sacred number 22. However, when this is recognised as two separate, distinct portions of blood, it can be understood as 44 x 2 = 88 (denoting חכלל – ‘Redness’). When added to the numerical value of the ‘Bull’ (שור = 506) from which the blood was shed, this duality of ‘divine’ and ‘human’ portions of blood gives us the number 594, which, as 5+9+4 = 18, signifies the word חי  – ‘life.' With 594 also equating to 54 (אגנ – ‘Vessel’) multiplied by the magickal number 11, the ‘vessels’ used in the blood sacrifice become symbolic of the divine manifestation of power in the realm of Malkuth while granting the godform receiving the sacrifice the energies they require to feel ‘rejuvenated.’

In the context of this rite, Bethor’s seal acted as the 'vessel' for the blood and the sacrificial action was the ‘First Cause’ or covenant through which an agreement to exchange energy for mutually beneficial purposes was established. In other words, the ongoing energy I offer through this covenant will be accepted by Bethor as a sacrifice and will be reciprocated in magical and spiritual expansion which, when realised and acknowledged, is once again returned back to him in the form of devotion and praise. And so the cycle goes on until a suitable Saturnian energy is invoked to halt it.

Conclusion

In summary, this invocation was different in scale and scope than that of the regular Planetary Spirits. Despite the slow start, the visual manifestation of Bethor as a cosmic sky around the glass receptacle verified that this was a powerful working. The vision that followed was strong but distant, and featured an exchange with a largely benevolent character whose request for blood came with the condition of it being a small, nominal amount (though having once completed a failure-driven week of Liber Jugorum, I wouldn’t have had a huge problem with more). The level of Bethor’s proclaimed power places it high on the scale of material power. This scale is true to the text of the Arbatel, which states that the Olympic Spirits are the seven Rays or Emanations of the One True God. In this context, this order of spirits can be understood as being akin to the ‘Seven Spirits of God’ in the Book of Revelation, the ‘Dynamis’ or ‘Virtues’ of St. Paul, or the ‘Chief Princes’ of Daniel. Beyond the restraints of Judeo-Christian thought, they can be thought of as the physical governors of the seven Planetary spheres within—but not beyond— the material plane of existence.

In the days following the rite, there was a distinct alteration in my attitude to the principle of expansion, and the outer world has provided me with multiple possibilities to take advantage of this alteration. Of interest was the fact that the opportunities for this expansive energy came during the seven day period when the rite was being devised and prepared for, with the events themselves coming over six consecutive days four days after the rite was performed. After this flush of activity, the initial rate of expansion slowed, but still remains an active and ongoing phenomenon that has made its presence most strongly felt in the social, intellectual and magickal aspects of my life. 

The decision to start recording my magickal practices and discoveries in this blog is a product of this expansion, which I hereby dedicate to Bethor while actively encouraging you to seek him out if he appears to offer what you need.

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[1] Rawlinson MS D1363

[2] As above.