Intellect is the eighth bead on the blessing cord. Intellect is the air of Hod. This sephira has a great deal to do with the mind, communication, and thought. In Hermetic thought we are all part of the great divine mind. Since the divine mind is in everything, everything therefore has a level of consciousness to it. We need to see ourselves and the way that we think separate from the universe because without the illusion of limits to the mind we can’t function as individual entities. Nevertheless, we remain connected to the divine mind at all times. The divine mind makes up many different kinds of cells, like our brain cells, to make up its own divine “brain”. Every part of the divine mind has a function and can be talked to and communicated with. To take it further everything is alive and responsive. One of the methods of this communication is to go into meditation and speak with it’s intelligence.
When I use the word “intelligence” in this case it is to say that there is always a spirit that overlooks any type of manifestation. When it is plants, the New Agers like to call the intelligence of a plant species the Deva of the plant. This spirit looks after and directs the spiritual medicines and energies of a species of plant. You could think of it as the higher self of the plant or its over soul. Many believe there is an oversoul or group consciousness that looks after spiritual “families” and that would be the intelligence of that group.
So when I use the word intelligence of (fill in the blank) I am talking about its overarching spirit. For this blessing cord meditation I spoke to the intelligence of my garden to talk about what plans I should make for the garden for this summer. I got advice about what plants to add, which ones to move, and what to do to fertilize so what I wanted to grow would come back.
You don’t have to limit it to plants. You could talk to the intelligence of your place of work, a corporation, your town, your coven, or anything that can be grouped or identified as an individual entity. They all have an overarching intelligence.
Another way Intelligence can be used is with the planetary energies in the grimoire traditions. These angelic beings are said to direct and mediate the energies of the seven wanders of the ancient world. The seven wanderers were the planets and luminaries the first astrologers could track moving through the sky. Each one has an angelic spirit that watches over its energy, just like a deva would for the energies of the plant species. These are the planetary intelligences listed in Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy.
- Nakhiel: Planetary intelligence of the Sun. Good for purposes aligned with the sun traditionally such as Health, wealth, personality, success, aligning with true will, or friendship. He is listed with helping to gain success and elevation. Heals can speed up journeys and bring people to you quickly. Which is an attribute I would associate more with mercury.
- Malka: Planetary intelligence of the Moon. Good with the purposes aligned with the moon such as Emotion, the home, psychic awareness, dreams and clairvoyance. Plus Malka’s own personal talents of helping people be happy and affable, improving a bodies health, increasing wealth and driving away enemies.
- Graphiel: Planetary intelligence of Mars. Good for martian qualities like hunting, military success, surgery, war, physical strength, courage, lust, athletics and competition. Graphiel’s own personal influences can help one win conflicts and bring forward anyone who has a conflict with you. He can teach you how to stop the flow of blood in a wound.
- Tiriel: Planetary intelligence of Mercury. Mercury influences business, learning, communicating, writing, medicine, teaching, and any exchange of money or information. Tiriel’s personal gifts are to help p in improving learning, obtaining knowledge, giving eloquent speeches and presentations, he can help you be more sociable and easy to get along with. He can give answers in dreams and helps you avoid poverty.
- Jophiel: Planetary intelligence of Jupiter. Jupitarian blessings include wealth, prosperity, mercy, generosity, health, luck, money and expansion. Jophiel’s personal abilities can help with gaining favor of those in authority, and appeasing enemies, dealing with difficult situations, and can reveal lies and illusions.
- Hagiel: Planetary intelligence of Venus. Purposes aligned with venus are beauty, friendship, attraction art, music, luxury, love and pleasure. Hagiel is personally good at ending strife and hardship, can help you gain love, aid conception, and can help create or dissolve enchantment.
- Agiel: Planetary intelligence of Saturn. Saturn influences the elderly, aging, bones, structures, destruction, death, Inheritance, taxes, discipline, and limitation. Agiel can help with safe births, prevent miscarriage, he also can help with influential people like bosses, judges or anyone in authority.
You can connect to the intelligence of any group of beings with this meditation or connect to the intelligence of a planetary force. It is up to you.
Meditation of Intelligence
Hold the eighth bead of the blessing cord. The bead of intelligence, the blessing of air in Hod.
Count yourself down into a meditative state.
Allow the screen of your mind to expand until it is a sphere around you. Feel a sensation of rising as your sphere begins to fill with a orange light. Resonate the God name El-oh-heem Tza-ba-oth.
Feel the mercurial orange light around you like mist. Think of the intelligence you would like to speak with. If you know its name resonate it, if you don’t just keep thinking about it’s title. The mist will begin to clear and you find you are in the home of the intelligence you want to speak with. What do your surroundings look like? Do any details stand out to you?
You will see the intelligence you called upon by thought an name. They may come from the misty orange light or may be there waiting for you.
Say hello. Ask the questions you want to ask. Be polite as if you were a guest in someones home. Ask if there is a name that the intelligence wants to be called if you don’t know its name. Ask if there is anything you can do to help it. You might ask if there is a particular symbol you can use to call it in the future.
when you feel like you are done communing with this intelligence. Thank it for its time with you. step back and allow the orange misty light to envelop the intelligence and its home, obscuring it from your sight.
Feel a gentle decent as the light begins to fade from your sphere. It returns to normal coloring and then shrinks back to normal size.
Count yourself up to waking consciousness.
Give yourself clearance and balance. Ground if necessary.
Contemplation
Everything has a level of consciousness and intelligence within the divine mind. How is your communication with these intelligences setting you up for success or failure? How can you open up to cooperation with the intelligences around you?