# I'm going to undertake a six-month occult ritual - ask me anything **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 1, 2025, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475 "2025-04-01T22:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/21 "2025-04-02T00:37:37Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > That sure does sound like something the God of the Jews would be perfectly happy with. Can you explain what you mean by that? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/22 "2025-04-02T00:42:23Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > That sure does sound like something the God of the Jews would be perfectly happy with. As I said, the authorship is the subject of some debate (Georg Dehn, who compiled a modern edition of the German manuscript, argues that it may have been written by the famed sage Yakov “MaHaRil” Moelin, for example) and there’s a possibility that it was edited by a Christian at some point (E.g. the Bible quotations in the text appear to be from the Latin Vulgate rather than the Hebrew, and there is a partial Hebrew manuscript which contains Talmudic references missing from the other manuscripts). The text wasn’t published in print until 1725 and the oldest manuscripts we have are in German and date from 1608, 150 years after the date when the book says it was written in 1458. It’s quite possible that as originally written it was specifically meant for Jews only, but modern practice of the Abramelin is done by people of many faiths. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/23 "2025-04-02T00:43:35Z")
**Exodus 34: 11-14** (KJV) Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/24 "2025-04-02T00:46:13Z")
From the Song Of Solomon > [@Solomon](#): > > Thou shall take joy in the comfort of her breasts Perhaps my favorite passage in the Torah. Deeply moving. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/25 "2025-04-02T00:48:15Z")
Nitpick: the Torah is the five books of Moses. The rest of the OT is called the Tanakh in Hebrew. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/26 "2025-04-02T00:52:37Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Although it is a Jewish ritual, the author insists that it can be performed by a person of any religion (even pagans can do it, he asserts) as long as they acknowledge some sort of Supreme Force. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > **Exodus 34: 11-14** (KJV) I’m not sure where you get that from @Smapti’s post ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/27 "2025-04-02T01:34:49Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > I did this once on the advice of a strange man named Sloof Lirpa. I just got this. I assure you this is not a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/28 "2025-04-02T01:37:31Z")
Fair enough. But you have to admit it was a distinct possibility. (in my case, it _was_ a joke) ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/29 "2025-04-02T01:39:32Z")
Seriously? Because when I read **Dr.Strangelove** ’s post, everything suddenly made sense again. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/30 "2025-04-02T01:40:50Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > Seriously? Seriously. I’ve been planning this since January. I actually didn’t realize today was April Fool’s and would’ve waited to post it if I had. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/31 "2025-04-02T01:42:43Z")
If it had been, I would admire your attention to detail. Tell us again after midnight.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/32 "2025-04-02T01:43:33Z")
This sounds like a massive undertaking and I wish you all the best. I know I do not have the fortitude to undertake something like this. I about lost my mind on a three day silent retreat some years ago. Best wishes that you find what you are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/33 "2025-04-02T02:05:31Z")
Will you watch the news? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/34 "2025-04-02T02:12:34Z")
I will keep abreast of current events, because these days, unlike in the 15th century, one needs to know what’s going on in the world and how it can affect your life. I won’t be commenting on it, though. Those of you who are tired of hearing my opinions about Donald Trump, the Democrats, and Luigi Mangione will probably enjoy the break. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/35 "2025-04-02T02:28:11Z")
I guess it makes as much sense as me planning to travel to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/36 "2025-04-02T02:36:35Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I guess it makes as much sense as me planning to travel to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage Heh. True. As I’ve been studying the operation, I found that a lot of cultures around the world have this same basic concept of a personal spirit guide that can be contacted through a process of isolation and ascetism. The Santerian initiation to the priesthood is very similar. Ancient Romans called it a genius. Kami in Shintoism are of a similar nature to the HGA. Emerson’s Oversoul is a similar concept, as is Siddhartha’s meditating to achieve enlightenment. A lot of Native American tribes have similar practices. Medieval Japanese monks practiced a rite called sokushinbutsu which was sort of a way of skipping the cycle of reincarnation and ascending directly to Buddha-hood by living an increasingly ascetic lifestyle until they forced themselves to die of thirst. Jesus going into the desert for forty days and confronting Satan is possibly an early recollection of the rituals the Abramelin evolved from. This particular way of doing it appeals to me because it doesn’t require a specific religious belief (the practitioner is advised to be well-familiar with the customs of Judaism, though you aren’t required to keep kosher or keep the Jewish Sabbath as long as you observe some form of weekly day of rest), is entirely self-guided and doesn’t require you to join a cult or swear a blood oath or sacrifice a ram or gain the approval of a council of elders or anything that extreme, and can be performed almost anywhere as long as your intent is pure. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/37 "2025-04-02T02:39:42Z")
The problem is that they are different all their aspects-what they look like, what they say, what they do etc., but _you_ are sticking them all under the label of “spirit guides” because you need to see some sort of sameness that just isn’t there. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/38 "2025-04-02T02:44:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > This particular way of doing it appeals to me because it doesn’t require a specific religious belief The Devil is part of which non Abrahamic religions again? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/39 "2025-04-02T02:47:10Z")
It’s not solely my observation. Aleister Crowley (who I consider to have been a smart fellow but also something of an egotistical jerk, and I wager a lot of you think the latter part of that is a good description of myself) was of the same mind about the HGA being a concept that many cultures have described in similar ways. > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > The Devil is part of which non Abrahamic religions again? If you want to argue with me about the metaphysical authenticity of the process I’m not particularly interested in going down that path. Many modern occultists identify the Devil and the evil spirits as described in the book with Jungian archetypes and parts of the subconscious mind. The entire notion of spirits could be simply a pre-scientific-method way of describing aspects of the human mind which people in those days didn’t have the scientific language or psychological background to talk about more accurately. I’m open to the idea that the spirits are either part of myself or external beings with their own inherent existence. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475/40 "2025-04-02T02:59:59Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > I know I do not have the fortitude to undertake something like this. I about lost my mind on a three day silent retreat some years ago. When I first started reading about it I didn’t think it was something I would have the fortitude to carry out either. I hope to prove myself wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-undertake-a-six-month-occult-ritual-ask-me-anything/1016475.md?page=3)