Notes From an Angelic Working: 2

The third hour of Sunday is devoted to Mercury: our conjuration began with a calling of Venaquiel, the angel who rules the third hour, followed by the invocation of Asmiel, Mercurial duke. Getting Asmiel to appearance was more challenging: we needed eight recitations of the invocation (eight being a Mercurial number). When he arrived he flickered in and out, in varying pale translucent colors which danced like the colors on an oil slick, or like light playing on a mercury glass ball.

(Lykathea points out that we ate not long before doing this conjuration, so we might be "heavier" and more grounded, hence the difficulty in getting him to appear. I suspect it also has something to do with Asmiel's mercurial nature: being brought to solid and tangible appearance is antithetical to his element).

I asked him for assistance in writing my book in progress (The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook) and in getting my poppy manuscript (Papaver somniferum: the Most Dangerous Ally). Lykathea asked him for assistance in her educational goals. After we made our requests we gave the License to Depart: he vanished quickly. A few minutes later Lykathea noticed that the sunlight filtering into the room was flickering and shimmering rather like Asmiel, so he appears to have stayed around for a bit.