D&C 50 and Abramelin

D&C 50 is a ritual text. It's not just a good doctrinal insight, it's a true ritual, and the reason you can tell is because it has some interesting parellels to the most famous ritual in Western Esotericism- the Abramelin.

Now I get some people are going to say "eww Abramelin, that's ritual magic, that's demonology, that's goetic, that's evil"

Which is understandable, but stupid. Yes, figures like Crowley have attempted the Abramelin, often with questionable interpretations. But their misuse doesn’t invalidate the original structure of the rite, which is deeply rooted in moral purification and spiritual discernment. They have nowhere else to go because nothing else has any sort of spiritual power unless they go full Eastern Esoteric. Even then, most of them prefer a sort of syncretism in their magick.

The whole Abramelin has roots in the traditions of naming/binding demons. Think Lesser Key of Solomon. Goetic magic. True names, binding, all that kind of thing.

Additionally, most of the Abramelin is basically "you should spend 18 months living a good life, fasting, praying, doing charity without recognition"

The isolation, clothing, and ritual prescriptions are less about esoteric flair and more about cultivating intentionality, focus, and detachment from distraction

The goal of the Abramelin, which we need to define here, is to gain the knowledge and conversation with your Holy Guardian Angel. Once you do that, you then go and bind the demons of hell and you kinda can make them do your bidding

“No man is possessor of all things except he be purified and cleansed from all sin. And if ye are purified... ye shall ask whatsoever you will… and it shall be done.”

I mean… that sounds a lot like “living in such a way to not impede contact with the Spirit of God will allow you to ask and receive things”. The companionship of the Holy Ghost and the K&C (knowledge and conversation) of the Holy Guardian Angel (HGA) are… parallel if not basically the same thing.

Once you receive the K&C from your HGA, you then spend the rest of the ritual binding these spirits to do your bidding. Some of them have specific familiars they will grant you that you can ask to do certain things (find lost items, comfort people in need, etc).

“All things are subject unto him… the life and the light, the Spirit and the power… the spirits shall be subject unto you.

The “spirits” here seem to be the spirits and spiritual phenomenon that were common among the early Saints. They were warned that there were many false spirits- but they weren’t warned that they were all false spirits. There appear to be some true spirits which when if you see them manifested the Elders are to pray to receive that spirit to determine its provenance. And then if it is not of God they are given power over that spirit (presumably not to do your bidding in this case, you are to proclaim that it is not of God, but not with railing accusation or boasting or rejoicing. Similar cautions about continence are present in the Abramelin).

The command to "edify" (D&C 50:23) is especially meaningful when understood in its 1828 Webster sense — to build up spiritually and morally. The Abramelin ritual centers on the construction of an altar as a literal foundation for spiritual work, mirroring the metaphorical altar of purification and discernment that D&C 50 describes.

To sum up, the Abramelin and D&C 50 deal with:

1. Discerning true from false spirits

2. Purification to gain power over spirits

3. Receiving power/light from God

4. A spiritual hierarchy of obedience and testing
   

Finally,

“And the day cometh that you shall hear my voice and see me, and know that I am”