Old dreams, new magic, or vice-versa.

[Ravenwalker]

This all started several months ago, and left me more than a bit unsettled at first. I've never been one to remember my dreams. On the rare occasions that I would normally remember them, they were totally lucid and under my control. Back in, I want to say, October-ish, I started having very different dreams than usual.

They were very simple, really. Nothing dramatic or outlandish, or even unrealistic per-se. They consisted simply of a first-person perspective of myself at a table, working with various implements and drawing out elaborate sigils in some type of substance (most likely just ink, but it's hard to say for sure -- the dreams were purely visual, nothing auditory or olfactory involved). I had never seen the symbols before in my life, with all of the studying that I've done, so it was a bit unexpected. This occurred over several weeks, and produced multiple full symbols that I've committed to memory. I remembered the images vividly enough to put them on paper, being sure not to complete them just to be on the safe side, and showed them to a friend of mine and fellow pagan. He said they reminded him of Enochian symbols. Naturally, this led me to look into the subject, and there were indeed similarities between the two. Since then, I've been studying Enochian rites off and on, but I've yet to find one that matches what was in the dreams. My best guess is that these are memories from a past life trying to reveal themselves. If so, that complicates matters even further in sorting them out, as Enochian rites are either very young (the last 400 years or so) or very old (3,000+ years) and are tied to a distinct set of divinities. Naturally without knowing what these rites are intended for, I'm reluctant to attempt them and have yet to do so, considering the power associated with Enochian magic and the inherent risk involved.

So here's the question that I pose to you:

What are your experiences with dreams unveiling mysteries that you are unfamiliar with? Have they been generally positive, giving you tools that can be applied to matters immediately at hand, or have they been fruitless or even damaging? Are there any tricks that you have for coaxing more information out of the dreams?

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

I've had a similar experience recently. I had a dream about practicing spells (wish I could remember these) and holding two amulets- basically disks of hammered metal. The amulets were last in the dream and stood most vividly in my mind. So far I have yet to find any historical matches.

I find my more usual types of dreams seem to help me unveil things going on in my mind or life at the present through interpreting the symbols I find there. I'm pretty adept at finding what my dreams mean in that regard. The other type of dreams, with which I include past-life regression:
I have been working on the only past life I can see at the moment, and this one seems to be quite old, possibly from the ancient Mediterranean. I'm lucky enough to have met someone that I knew in this past life, and working on it together has brought us more answers than we would have alone. However, attempts to define specifics (year, location, specific rituals, etc) are not coming easily. I decided to look at instead what my focus was in that life, or to phrase that another way, why I'm being shown that past life, what it is in essence. My only suggestion for you (out of my limited experience) would be to study Enochian magic and find what its core message is, its way of viewing the world and how that relates to you, what it means.

Best of luck and Bright Blessings

[Ravenwalker]

Well, that's the odd part. I've encountered multiple past-lives through regression and through actually crossing over key points in them (through "accident", mind you -- I was at a location for entirely different reasons and had a vision flash of a past-life -- very unpleasantly), ranging from this very region circa the early 1700s, England in the 1400s, Ireland around 700 BC (best guess there), and one odd glimpse of another in 17th century France. The Enochian aspect never once appeared in any of these, and as best as I can tell, is not connected to them.

Enochian magic connects so heavily to the Abrahamic traditions and its angels and demons, and in invoking those entities to grant boons to practitioners. The nature of it is so far from what I would normally consider that it resonated with me (which would be the unsettling part). I have no interest in the power of Solomon/Suleiman, simply out of having no interest in the risks attached. What I have pondered, however, is how that could relate to the rest of my world view. If I regard angels and demons in the Abrahamic sense to be the parallel to polytheistic deities and demigods, would those same principles of Enochian magic still apply, and what would the risks attached be? That thought alone was more unsettling than anything else, just because of the hubris implied by it. It's been enlightening to look into, but the implications are still disconcerting.

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

You've mentioned a past life that took place in 15th century England... to the best of my knowledge, John Dee and Edward Kelley invented Enochian magic in 15th century England, but the system seems based on earlier writings (including the Heptameron, a Grimoire supposedly written in early 1300s Italy). Is it possible you were aquainted with a predecessor of Enochian magic?

[Symandinome]

Id just like to point out its also possible it is an entity implanting these "dreams" in you in an attempt to get you to perform these rituals and use these sigils. Personally I wouldn't do anything with them and I am familiar with Ceremonial High Magick. I am very curious to see these sigils. You were smart to leave the sigil unfinished.

By the way have you just looked at Enochian sigils or have you also looked at the sigils for the 72 Goetic Spirits or in otherwords the 72 demons of the nether regions.

Angels and Demons are one in the same if you consider what they are "made up of" Even in Christianity it tells you that the demons were the angels that followed lucifer.

These types of entities have been present in all cultures worldwide so we shouldnt get to hung up on the Abrahamic view of these types of entities.

Working with these types of energies regardless of "angel" or "demon" can be very dangerous and should not be approached lightly.

I can tell from your posts you are very knowledgable and you already knew this but it was worth repeating for any others that may be reading this that arent as knowledgable as you are.

[Ravenwalker]

Enochian concepts trail back quite a bit further than Italian texts, just under different names. King Solomon and his bound demons, while not the most historically supported account, provide a mythic origin for the system, and certainly speak to the power and danger involved.

Could it be an outside source? Indeed, and this is something that I've been keeping in mind throughout the entire process. I've obtained copies of the Lesser Key of Solomon, several books on Dee's work, and the Enochian dictionary in hopes of sorting it all out. Haven't come across the exact sigils in any of it, which leads me to suspect either a variant sign or something belonging to an entity not cataloged in "conventional" Enochian texts (if there is such a thing as conventional here). What stood out to me is that not only do the symbols bear resemblance to the Enochian/Goetic seals, but they were clearly being made as part of something else; geometric designs surrounded the sigils, almost like a plan for a more potent talisman if that makes any sense (which honestly gives me even more pause).

And my friend raised the same cautions on the potential risks involved in Enochian and Ceremonial High Magic. I can't echo that sentiment enough. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I regard the higher-tier angelic figures as comparable to the various pantheons, so the idea of dealing with them on any sort of ritual level raises my proverbial hackles a bit. In no way do I consider it likely that control can be established over such a ritual within feasible means, and I'm not one to risk an uncontrolled ritual of this sort of potential power. Even lesser tiers are still more powerful and therefore more inherently dangerous to attempt to control (and run the risk of offending), so I have very little interest in using the rites as witnessed. I don't have that sort of hubris in me, and I strongly urge against novices attempting such powerful magic. And the way that I see it, "angel" or "demon" means nothing about temperament, considering that most angels are just as violent and destructive even if it is for different reasons.

I'm hoping that the visions are a reflection of a past life, and of one that I can somehow tap into to gain some insight to why I was shown these images. I haven't had the opportunity to do a proper regression since the dreams first began, but I've gathered what I need (including the time off -- full time college work and my near-full-time job make it almost impossible to get that) to do so tomorrow night. I'm hoping that the effort will be fruitful, or at least provide some information to point me in another direction for the answers. If it's a past life, excellent; I can zero-in on it and delve deeper with less-involved regressions once I discover the wheres and whens. If it's some outside entity, then I'm likely in for a long and winding road of discovery and possible frustrations.

[Symandinome]

i'd really love to see these sigils perhaps i will recognize something from them that might give you a different lead to look in to. Fresh eyes couldnt hurt. I dont recommend you posting them here but instead sending them in a PM. THis is just because of the delicate natue of the topic. If your unfamiliar with how to put a picture in a post or a PM this is how you would do it

write the post/PM as normal and copy the link from where ever the photo is stored and type [IMG] before the link and [/IMG} after the link and it will make the photo show in the post/PM

This is a very interesting subject for me and I would be happy to help anyway I can.