The Seven Olympic Spirits of the Arbatel: Aratron to Phul

The Olympic Spirits are the seven planetary governors named in the Arbatel of Magic, published at Basel in 1575: Aratron of Saturn, Bethor of Jupiter, Phaleg of Mars, Och of the Sun, Hagith of Venus, Ophiel of Mercury and Phul of the Moon. Between them they govern 196 provinces of Olympus and rule the world in succession over a cycle of 490 years. This pillar gives each spirit its planet, province, seal, timing and the courses, grimoires and articles that teach it.

This pillar gathers all seven Olympic Spirits with their planetary rulership and offices, alongside every course, grimoire and article we publish on each of them.

Key facts about Olympic Spirits

Spirits: 7 — one per classical planet
Source text: Arbatel de Magia Veterum, Basel, 1575
Provinces of Olympus: 196, divided among the seven
Governing cycle: 490 years, each spirit ruling in turn
Study material here: Course, grimoire and article per spirit

The Arbatel and its seven governors

The Arbatel de Magia Veterum was printed in Basel in 1575 and is unusual among grimoires: short, published rather than clandestine, written in an elevated and devotional Latin, and openly concerned with wisdom rather than with treasure or compulsion. Its surviving portion, the Isagoge, presents forty-nine aphorisms, and within them the seven Olympic Spirits — Aratron, Bethor, Phaleg, Och, Hagith, Ophiel and Phul. Each governs one of the classical planets and a share of the one hundred and ninety-six provinces of Olympus. The text also gives a governing cycle: the seven rule the world in succession, each for four hundred and ninety years divided among them, so that history itself is read as passing through planetary seasons. That framing tells you the register of the whole system — these are stewards of eras and orders, not errand-runners.

The seven spirits and their provinces

Aratron governs Saturn: time, structure, limitation, the transmutation of substances, solitude and the discipline of long work; the Arbatel assigns him forty-nine provinces. Bethor governs Jupiter: expansion, fortune, dignity, reconciliation with those in authority, the gathering of resources; forty-two provinces. Phaleg governs Mars: courage, conflict, command, decisive action; thirty-five provinces. Och governs the Sun: health, longevity, gold, mastery, the perfection of a craft; twenty-eight provinces. Hagith governs Venus: beauty, attraction, art, relationship and the transmutation of copper; twenty-one provinces. Ophiel governs Mercury: intellect, communication, learning, commerce and the swift arts; fourteen provinces. Phul governs the Moon: cycles, water, dreams, the healing of the body and the silver arts; seven provinces. The descending count from forty-nine to seven is itself a teaching about scope and speed.

Timing: planetary hours and days

Olympic work is governed by planetary timing more strictly than most grimoire traditions. Each spirit is approached on its own day and in its own hour — Aratron on Saturday, Bethor on Thursday, Phaleg on Tuesday, Och on Sunday, Hagith on Friday, Ophiel on Wednesday, Phul on Monday — with the planetary hour calculated from local sunrise and sunset rather than from clock time. Students often underestimate how much this matters. Working a Mercurial question in a Saturnine hour tends to produce a slow, heavy, obstructed result, and the mismatch is usually the explanation when a well-prepared operation feels inert. The courses in this pillar teach the calculation of unequal planetary hours directly, because without it the timing instructions in the Arbatel cannot be followed accurately at any latitude or season.

Character and seals of the Olympic Spirits

Each spirit has a character — a seal or sigil given in the Arbatel and its manuscript descendants — used as the focal point of the working. In practice the seal is drawn on clean material in the metal or colour of the planet, consecrated in the spirit's hour, and kept as a standing link rather than destroyed after a single use. The Arbatel's own instruction is notably restrained: the operator is told to be sober, to pray, to ask for what is honourable, to keep the secret of the work, and to be content with a single question well asked. That restraint is the method, not a preamble to it. Olympic practice rewards patience and specificity, and it responds poorly to volume.

Why the Olympic Spirits suit serious students

For a student who finds Goetic material dramatic and angelic material abstract, the Olympic system often lands exactly right. There are only seven relationships to build, each maps cleanly onto a domain of ordinary life — time, fortune, courage, mastery, love, mind, body — and the planetary framework connects directly to astrology, alchemy and the wider Western tradition. The small number is the point: seven relationships can be genuinely known within a couple of years, where seventy-two cannot. Many practitioners here work the full septenary as a single curriculum, one spirit per planetary week, cycling through the seven several times and deepening on each pass.

A working sequence through the seven

Begin with Ophiel or Phul rather than with Aratron. The Mercurial and Lunar spirits are quick to answer and forgiving of imprecise phrasing, which makes them good teachers of the method itself; Saturn is slow, exacting and unimpressed by an unprepared operator. Learn the calculation of planetary hours first, then build one seal, then run a full cycle with one spirit — its day, its hour, one clear question, a written record, a formal close and a note of what changed over the following week. Below, each of the seven has its own study article, course and grimoire, arranged in the traditional planetary order so that a student can either follow the sequence or enter at the spirit whose province matches a present need.

The 7 spirits

Aratron — Governor of Saturn: structure, endurance, boundaries and long work.
Powers of Aratron — Discipline, Structure, Long-Term Success · Attunement of Aratron: The Keeper of Transformation and Manifestation · Olympic Spirit Aratron · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron
Bethor — Governor of Jupiter: expansion, patronage, dignity and increase.
Olympic Spirit Bethor · Powers of Bethor — Expansion, Honor, Wealth, Leadership, and Spiritual Authority · Attunement of Bethor: divine order, sacred abundance, noble protection, and exalted timing · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron
Phaleg — Governor of Mars: courage, decisive action and defence.
Powers of Phaleg — Courage, Decisive Action, Strength of Will, and Conflict Mastery · Attunement of Phaleg: Spiritual Command, Unbreakable Will, and Warrior Sovereignty · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron
Och — Governor of the Sun: vitality, mastery, healing and recognition.
Powers of Och — Illumination, Confidence, Recognition, Vitality, and Personal Success · Attunement of Och: Prosperity, Healing, Joy, and Divine Power
Hagith — Governor of Venus: harmony, art, relationship and beauty.
Powers of Hagith — Love, Attraction, Beauty, Harmony, Emotional Balance · Attunement to Hagith: Magnetism. Beauty. Reconciliation. Sacred Attraction. Emotional Sovereignty. · Olympic Spirit Hagith · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron
Ophiel — Governor of Mercury: learning, communication, commerce and craft.
Powers of Ophiel — Communication, Learning, Trade, Adaptability, and Intellectual Skill · Attunement to Ophiel · Olympic Spirit Ophiel · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron
Phul — Governor of the Moon: cycles, dream work, purification and flow.
Powers of Phul — Intuition, Dreams, Emotional Insight, Fertility, and Psychic Sensitivity · Attunement of Phul: Intuition, Dream Power & Emotional Healing · Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron

Courses & attunements

Grimoires, ebooks & downloads

Olympic Spirits: Mastering the Heptameron

Frequently asked questions

What are the Olympic Spirits?

They are the seven planetary governors named in the Arbatel of Magic of 1575: Aratron of Saturn, Bethor of Jupiter, Phaleg of Mars, Och of the Sun, Hagith of Venus, Ophiel of Mercury and Phul of the Moon. They govern 196 provinces of Olympus between them.

What is the Arbatel?

The Arbatel de Magia Veterum is a short grimoire printed at Basel in 1575. Unusually for its genre it was openly published, devotional in tone, and concerned with wisdom rather than compulsion. Its surviving Isagoge contains 49 aphorisms and the account of the seven Olympic Spirits.

How many provinces does each Olympic Spirit rule?

Aratron 49, Bethor 42, Phaleg 35, Och 28, Hagith 21, Ophiel 14 and Phul 7, totalling 196 provinces of Olympus.

What is the 490-year cycle of the Olympic Spirits?

The Arbatel states that the seven govern the world in succession across a cycle of 490 years, each ruling in turn, so historical eras are read as carrying the character of their governing planet.

Which day and hour should I work each spirit?

Aratron on Saturday, Bethor on Thursday, Phaleg on Tuesday, Och on Sunday, Hagith on Friday, Ophiel on Wednesday and Phul on Monday, each in its own planetary hour calculated from local sunrise and sunset rather than clock time.

Are Olympic Spirits demons or angels?

Neither, in the Arbatel's own terms. They are described as governors of the planetary orders — stewards of provinces and of historical eras — and the text approaches them devotionally rather than through binding or compulsion.

Which Olympic Spirit should a beginner start with?

Ophiel of Mercury or Phul of the Moon. Both answer quickly and forgive imprecise phrasing, which makes them good teachers of the method. Aratron of Saturn is slow and exacting and is better approached once the discipline is established.

What is an Olympic Spirit's character or seal?

Each spirit has a sigil given in the Arbatel, used as the focal point of the working. It is traditionally drawn in the planet's metal or colour, consecrated during that spirit's hour, and kept as a standing link rather than discarded after one use.

Are Olympic Spirits the same as planetary spirits or intelligences?

They overlap but are not identical. Agrippa's planetary intelligences and spirits come from a different scheme with different names and sigils. The Olympic Spirits are specifically the seven governors of the Arbatel.

Do I need astrology to work with the Olympic Spirits?

You need planetary hours, which is a small and learnable piece of astrology, not a full chart practice. The courses here teach the calculation of unequal planetary hours directly.