The Orphic Hymn to Helios

Hear golden titan, whose eternal eye with broad survey, illumines all the sky. Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, and to all eyes the mirror of delight. Lord of the seasons, with thy fiery car and leaping coursers, beaming light from far. With thy right hand the source of morning light, and with thy left the father of the night. Agile and vig'rous, venerable Sun, fiery and bright around the heav'ns you run. Foe to the wicked, but the good man's guide, o'er all his steps propitious you preside. With various founding, golden lyre, 'tis mine to fill the world with harmony divine. Father of ages, guide of prosp'rous deeds, the world's commander, borne by lucid steeds, immortal Zeus, all-searching, bearing light, source of existence, pure and fiery bright bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years, agile and warm, whom ev'ry pow'r reveres. Great eye of nature and the starry skies, doom'd with immortal flames to set and rise dispensing justice, lover of the stream, the world's great despot, and o'er all supreme. Faithful defender, and the eye of right, of steeds the ruler, and of life the light. With founding whip four fiery steeds you guide, when in the car of day you glorious ride. Propitious on these mystic labours shine, and bless thy suppliants with a life divine.


Extracted from The Orphic Hymns

The Orphic Hymn to Selene

 

Hear, goddess queen, diffusing silver light, bull-horn'd and wand'ring thro' the gloom of night. With stars surrounded, and with circuit wide night's torch extending, thro' the heav'ns you ride. Female and male with borrow'd rays you shine, and now full-orb'd, now tending to decline. Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon, whose amber orb makes night's reflected noon. Lover of horses, splendid, queen of night, all-seeing pow'r bedeck'd with starry light. Lover of vigilance, the foe of strife, in peace rejoicing, and a prudent life. Fair lamp of night, its ornament and friend, who giv'st to nature's works their destin'd end. Queen of the stars, all-wife Artemis hail! Deck'd with a graceful robe and shining veil. Come, blessed goddess, prudent, starry, bright, come moony-lamp with chaste and splendid light, shine on these sacred rites with prosp'rous rays, and pleas'd accept thy suppliant's mystic praise.

 

 

Extracted from The Orphic Hymns

To Call upon Hermes

 
Sacrifice cassia bark and recite, I invoke you celestial messenger of the Theoi who courses through the air with golden winged feet, you who collect the sustenance of immortals and mortals alike, O many-named one, of various skill, who knows things hidden beyond the heavens and beneath the earth, founder of the words of speech, pleader of Dike, the Moirai’s fatal thread and dream divine you are, who brings full mental powers by your own gracious form and mind. ΟΣΕΡΓΑΡΙΑΧ ΝΟΜΑΦΙ!


Extracted from The Papyroi of Iakkhos

To Invoke Bakkhos

Recite whilst sacrificing Dionysian aromas,

You I call, loud-sounding and divine, fanatic god, a two-fold shape is yours. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! Your various names and attributes I sing, O first-born, thrice begotten, bacchic king. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! Rural, ineffable, two-formed, obscure, two-horned, with ivy crowned, euion, pure. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! Bull-faced, and martial, bearer of the vine, endued with counsel prudent and divine. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! Triennial, whom the leaves of vines adorn, of Zeus and Semele occultly born. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! Immortal daimon, hear my suppliant voice, give me in blameless plenty to rejoice. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke! And listen gracious to my mystic prayer, surrounded with thy choir of nurses fair. Ο ΒΑΚΧΟΣ, I adore you and you I invoke!

Holding up high the incense brazier face the east, look up to the heavens and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Look to the earth and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Look within yourself and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Turn clockwise to the south and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Turn clockwise to the north and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Turn anti-clockwise to the west and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ. Turn anti-clockwise to the east and chant ΕΥΟΙ Ο ΙΟ ΒΑΚΧΟΣ.

Thus spoke Iamblikhos concerning Gods and Daimons

Iamblikhos refers to two classes of spiritual beings as gods and daimons. The invisible gods were the spiritual beings that inhabited the realms of heaven, whereas the visible gods were the stars and planets, and the gods residing in temple statues. Iamblikhos identified these gods as being restricted to general principles governing the occult mechanisms of the macrocosm and microcosm. For things governing more particular earthly affairs, the individual would seek out the assistance of a daimon. As Iamblikhos states in his sometimes intricate philosophical language,

For both the visible and the invisible gods, indeed comprehend in themselves the whole government of whatever is contained in all heaven and the world, and in the total invisible powers in the universe. But those powers that are allocated a daemonical prefecture, distributing certain divisible portions of the world, govern these, and have themselves a partible form of essence power. They are, likewise, in a certain respect, connascent with, and inseparable from, the subjects of their government... In short, that which is divine is of a ruling nature, and presides over the different orders of beings; but that which is daemonical is of a ministrant nature, and receives whatever the gods may announce, promptly employing manual operation, as it were, in things which the gods intellectually perceive, wish, and command. The gods, therefore, are liberated from the powers which verge to generation; but daimons are not entirely purified from these.

Iamblikhos,  On the Egyptian Mysteries

Thus Revealed the Fallen Egregoroi

Through this rebellious act committed by the Egregoroi, the daughters of Man were led astray. But great teachers they were revealing to men the knowledge of clouds, the signs of the earth, and the passage of celestial bodies. Azazel taught the delights of carnal pleasure; Shemyaza enchantments and root-cuttings; Penemue the bitter and the sweet; and Kadseja the wicked smiting of spirits and demons. And to the mortal beautiful maiden Ishtahar was revealed the Explicit Name of God.

Chapter XV from the Book of Enoch

1. And He answered and said to me, and I heard His voice: 'Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous man and scribe of righteousness: approach hither and hear my voice. 2. And go, say to the Watchers of heaven, who have sent thee to intercede for them: "You should intercede" for men, and not men for you: 3. Wherefore have ye left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourselves with the daughters of men and taken to yourselves wives, and done like the children of earth, and begotten giants (as your) sons? 4. And though ye were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourselves with the blood of women, and have begotten (children) with the blood of flesh, and, as the children of men, have lusted after flesh and blood as those also do who die and perish. 5. Therefore have I given them wives also that they might impregnate them, and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on earth. 6. But you were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life, and immortal for all generations of the world. 7. And therefore I have not appointed wives for you; for as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven is their dwelling. 8. And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling. 9. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men, and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called. 10. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling, but as for the spirits of the earth which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling. 11. And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, do battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble: they take no food, but nevertheless hunger and thirst, and cause offences. And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them.