Lamen

Thelamen is a tool of the ritual magician, a symbolic device meant to embody the spirit of it's owner's magical intent, or, as in many magical orders, a badge of rank or grade. In a way, it is like a personal coat-of-arms or even a shingle announcing one's vocation. A lamen most often represents an individual or the collective intent of a magical group or organization.

The practice of creating lamens was popularized by medieval and renaissance magicians, most notable of which was the "Holy Table" of John Dee and Edward Kelly. Originally, these were consecrated to an angel or spirit as a means of maintining a connection or 'line of communication,' as it were, by creating a symbolic focus.

The lamen as a personal device was popularized by the Golden Dawn and it's progeny, after the ephod worn by Hewbrew priests and the breastplates of the egyptian magicians. GD initiate Aleister Crowley further expanded upon the idea, making the device specific to the magician, to facilitate a connection between the mage and the angel or higher genius. The lamen is typically worn over the heart, in the place of Tiphareth.

In Ritual magick, The Holy Guardian Angel or HGA represents one's higher genius, or divine self. The phrase comes from the fourteenth century grimoire The Sacred Magick of Abramelin the Mage, and is most commonly employed in Thelema, where it is considered the ultimate goal of all operations.