Working with Orias: the stars, transformation, and dignities

Orias, the stars and their mansions, and transformation

Orias is described in the Grimoire Companion notes as a Marquis who teaches the virtues of the stars and mansions of the planets, transforms men, and grants dignities. Those three points belong together, and they are worth keeping together. The virtues of the stars, in traditional language, are not a vague sense that the stars matter. They are the particular qualities, times, and places associated with each star and each planetary mansion, and the way those qualities are understood to act in a working, a person, or a matter. Learning those virtues is a study, not a single reading, and it needs time, notes, and repeated observation.

Transformation, in the same notes, sits alongside that study, and that is a practical point. A person who studies the stars and their mansions, over time, is changed by the study itself: how they time a working, how they read a situation, how they speak about a matter, and how they carry themselves in a room. Dignities, in the same way, need a specific form: standing in a particular place, with particular people, for a particular matter, not dignity in general. Be specific about which of those three points you are actually working for. A working for study is not the same as a working for transformation, and neither is the same as a working for a dignity in a particular matter.

Incense fits Orias work because the room itself is part of the study. Incense fills the space you are working in, it marks the time as set apart, and it stays with you through the working, in a way a spoken word does not. When you light incense for spirit work and spellwork with Orias, you are changing the room you are working in, and you are changing your own attention along with it. Give the room a moment to settle after lighting, before you speak, and let the scent remain present through the working, rather than rushing from lighting to speaking.

Incense is not background scent

Incense is not background scent for this work. It is part of the working itself. That is a good place to start, because it corrects a habit many practitioners bring into the room without noticing it. We are used to scent in ordinary life being pleasant, or atmospheric, or something that makes a room feel nicer. In ritual work, incense does a different job. It marks the time as set apart, it fills the space you are working in, and it stays with you through the working, in a way a spoken word does not.

The incenses offered here are hand made, each batch when you order it, unless a batch has just recently been made. They are of a quality that Athena uses herself for magical work, well enough that she uses them successfully for spirit work, work for clients, as well as her own spellwork. That made-to-order point matters here, too. It means the incense has not been sitting, opened and closed, through other people's orders. It is made for your order, and then blessed before it is sent out.

Ventilation matters, in a practical sense that is easy to overlook when you are focused on the ritual side. A room that is completely sealed will fill with smoke quickly, and a room that is wide open will lose the scent before the working is done. Find a balance that works for your space: enough air to breathe comfortably, enough containment that the scent remains present through the working. Do not leave a burner unattended, and use a safe burner, on a heat-proof surface, away from curtains, papers, and anything that could catch. If you have sensitivities to smoke, test carefully, ventilate well, or choose a different form of working.

Being clear before you begin

Before you do anything, be clear about the matter itself. If you cannot state it in one sentence, you are not ready yet. Write it down, leave it overnight, and come back to see if it still reads true. That pause is part of the work, not a delay in it. A petition that tries to cover every possible outcome usually covers none of them well, and a vague working is hard to read afterwards, because you will not know what changed, or whether the change had anything to do with the work.

Work from the system you already follow for Goetia work, and from the teaching you already trust in that system. A general article like this one is not a substitute for proper teaching, and it should not be used to invent a purpose for a spirit you have not studied. If the matter is a legal matter, a safety matter, or a medical matter, deal with that matter in the ordinary world first, or at the same time. Ritual work is not a substitute for a lawyer, a doctor, or for leaving a dangerous situation.

Preparing the room and yourself

Preparation is most of the work. Clear the space you will use, physically, and set it aside for this purpose. Put away the things that pull your attention elsewhere. If you have a regular working space, use it. If you do not, choose one place and use it consistently for this working, so the place itself starts to carry the association. Set out the incense and seal before you begin, along with anything else your practice calls for, so you are not fumbling for a tool halfway through.

Then prepare yourself. Bathe, or at least wash your hands and face, and change into clothes you do not wear for ordinary errands. This is not about looking a certain way for anyone else. It is about marking, for yourself, that this time is set apart. Eat simply beforehand if you can, and avoid starting a working when you are exhausted, drunk, or already agitated. A clear head is a working tool, just as much as any seal, oil, or incense is. Know what you are going to say, in your own words, before you begin.

A simple working order, to adapt to your own practice

The following is a general order, not a fixed script. Adapt it to the system you already work in. First, prepare the room and yourself, as above. Second, set out the seal, tool, or candle you will use, and the oil and incense if your practice calls for them. Third, light the incense and let the space settle, deliberately, naming the purpose in your own words. Fourth, speak your petition, clearly and once, rather than repeating it until it loses its shape. Fifth, sit quietly for a time and listen, rather than filling every moment with more words. Sixth, close the working properly, in whatever way your practice requires, and put the tools away in their proper place.

Afterwards, write down what you did, when you did it, and what you noticed. Not what you hoped would happen, but what actually happened, in plain language, over days and weeks, not just on the night itself. That record is what lets you tell, weeks later, whether anything changed, and whether that change had anything to do with the work. If nothing changes, that is also information. It may mean the petition was unclear, the timing was wrong, the work was not appropriate, or simply that the situation needs a different approach.

Keeping a record, and knowing when to stop

Do not repeat the same working endlessly in the hope that repetition alone will force a result. Do the work properly, once, observe, and then decide, calmly, whether a second working, a different approach, or no further working is the right next step. Repetition without reflection is not persistence. It is noise. A working that is honest about that is more useful than one that pretends otherwise.

Care for the physical tool is practical, not mystical. Keep it clean and dry when you are not using it, away from other objects that could scratch or damage it, and handle it as a working tool rather than as decoration. A tool that is looked after is a tool you will actually use, and a tool you actually use is the one that teaches you how to work with it well.

Orias Goetia incense

I hand make this myself, in small batches, when you order, and I bless it myself before it is sent out. It is made by hand, for this work, and not mass produced. I make no promise about what it will do for you, only that it is made for this work. This is Orias incense, for spirit work and spellwork with Orias, hand made in small batches when you order, of a quality I use myself for magical work.

If you want it for that work, this is the one I offer: Orias Goetia incense, $44 CAD. View the product

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