Arakiel

Arakiel Araqiel • Aretztikapha • Arteqoph • Arashiel
Second Dekadarch
Great Plowman • Conqueror of Earth
Corruptions	Arakiba, Artaqifa, Urakiba, others
Name meaning	"Earth god" (Araqiel) "Conqueror of earth" (Aretztikapha)
Associations	Earth, agriculture, practicality, geology, geography, land ownership, power over a geographic area
Teachings	Agricultural techniques, animal husbandry, mining, geology, prediction of earthquakes, cultivation and management of land
Traits	Serious, practical, grounded
Symbols	Sickle, plow, ox, other farm tools, silver crown, bundle of wheat
Preferred offerings	Grains, grain heads of wild grasses, corn husks, peanut shells, fruit tree leaves, beeswax, honey, domestic animal meat and blood, livestock sacrifices

Arakiel or Araqiel, also called Aretztikapha, is the second Dekadarch and the Watcher of earth, agriculture, practicality, geology, geography, and land ownership. He is worshipped mainly by Satano-Grigorists, who celebrate his dedicated holiday on June 8th every year. His symbols include the sickle, plow, ox, and bundle of wheat.

Role in the Grigoric Narrative

Arakiel played a major role in advancing agriculture, increasing the amount of food available through irrigation, animal husbandry practices such as selective breeding, and other agricultural techniques and technology. Arakiel also taught knowledge of the earth and of rocks (geology), mining of ores and gemstones, and prediction of earthquakes. He may have also advised rulers and landowners on managing their land.

Name and identity

Etymology

The name Araqiel is derived from araq ("earth") and il (god); therefore, it translates directly to "earth god" or "god of earth." The name Aretztikapha derives from ereṣ ("earth" in Hebrew) and taqaf ("to conquer" or "to overpower") or təqīfā ("mighty"), therefore translating to "conqueror of earth" or "mighty earth." Aretztikapha may be a later Hebrew port of the name Artâqîfâ, which means the same thing, but originates from the Ge'ez language.

Some people claim that Aretztikapha means "world of distortion" or "world of coercion," based on the Hebrew word for "earth" combined with the verb kāfaf ("to bend, bow, or coerce"), but this is highly unlikely for linguistic reasons and also has no basis in the Watcher's actual nature.

Variants

Many variants of the names Arakiel and Aretztikapha have been recorded.

Acceptable variants

The Grigorist Temple of Satanael accepts the variants Arakiel, Araqiel, Araqu'il, Aretztikapha, Arteqoph, and Arakib.

Full list of variants

The following list includes most of the known variants of Arakiel's names. Inclusion in this list does not imply the Temple's approval or disapproval of any particular form of the name; it simply exists to document known variants that refer to the same Watcher. Many of these variants are corruptions of the name.

Known variants: Arachél, Araciel, Arakab, Arakeb, Arakib, Arakiba, Arakiel, Araqael, Araquel, Araqiba, Araqiel, Araqu'il, Araquiel, Arathak, Arathakimbra, Aretstikapha, Aretztikapha, Aristiqifa, Arkas, Arkiel, Arqael, Arstikapha, Artaqifa, Artaquifa, Arteqoph, Atarcuph, Atarkouph, Atarkuph, Urakaba, and Urakiba.

False conflations

Arakiel has not been involved in many false conflations, but there is a case of a corruption derived from a certain translation of the Book of Enoch, in which a Watcher named "Urakibarameel" is listed. This is a concatenation of two names, "Arakiba" (Arakiel) and "Rameel" (Ramiel).

False distinctions

Some authors incorrectly assume that Arakiel, Aretztikapha, and Arakiba are distinct beings. Sometimes, Arteqoph is also assumed to be a distinct being by those who overlook the name's linguistic equivalence to Aretztikapha.

Personality

Arakiel has a rather serious, but down-to-earth personality. He appreciates being shown proper respect by his worshippers. He is very prosaic and grounded, typically giving practical and hands-on advice. His presence feels strong, but not in the same way as that of the Watchers who are more directly associated with power.

Relationships

Other Watchers

He is especially close with some of the Watchers in his tribe, particularly Dekariel (the Watcher of animal husbandry) and Shasuwil (the Watcher of horses, donkeys, and beasts of burden).

Appearance

Arakiel appears as a tall man in his early thirties with shoulder-length wavy blond hair, green eyes, and large, broad black wings. His hands are relatively large and rough, and his build is like that of a man who does manual labor.

Garments

Arakiel wears a silver crown atop his head. It is made of plain silver, with no gemstones or inlays, and no particularly intricate design. Despite its simplicity, it is still dazzling, and it suits him quite well. He typically wears a plain linen waist-cloth and almost never wears anything that covers him above the waist.

Accessory objects

When he appears, he frequently holds a bundle of wheat in one hand and a bronze sickle in the other. He also occasionally appears with other farm tools. When Arakiel appears holding a large reaping scythe rather than a small sickle, it typically indicates that there is a potential of great reward if the practitioner follows his advice regarding the matter about which they contacted him.

In Satano-Grigorism

Worship

Satano-Grigorists worship Arakiel as the second of the twenty chiefs of the Watchers. He is most often prayed to for aid relating to gardening or farming, as well as for insight in all matters that require a grounded, "down-to-earth" attitude. Some Satano-Grigorists have found him helpful in matters related to trade work because of its practical, hands-on nature.

Offerings

Burnt offerings preferred by Arakiel include grains, corn husks, peanut shells, fruit tree leaves, honey, beeswax, propolis, and the meat or blood of domestic animals. He also appreciates sacrifices of animals commonly kept as livestock. The most common offerings given to him by Satano-Grigorists are grains and legumes, including wheat, barley, rye, corn, rice, beans, peas, and peanuts. The dry seed-heads produced by wild grasses, which resemble miniature versions of domestic food grains, can also be gathered and offered to Arakiel. The most appropriate incense for him is musk incense.

Holiday

In the Satano-Grigorist tradition, the dedicated holiday for Arakiel and his tribe is Kabādu Araqu'il, celebrated annually on June 8th. Satano-Grigorists celebrate Arakiel's sacred day by offering to him, doing rituals to him, praying to praise him, and thanking him for his teachings to humanity.

In other religions

Yahwism

Arakiel is mentioned in the Book of Enoch. Like the other Watchers, he is viewed negatively by Yahwists, who condemn the Watchers for their rebellion against Yahweh, their sexual sins, and their teachings to mankind.

Occult traditions

Modern occult information concerning Arakiel specifically is sparse. The few occultists who have written on Arakiel have a very different understanding of him than Satano-Grigorists do. Online occult blogger VK Jehannum briefly mentioned Arakiel in his blog post "Invoking the Grigori Pt. I," stating that he was "partially possessed" by each of the Watchers listed in the post (Arakiel, Kokabiel, and Sariel). Jehannum claims that "Arakiba’s possession strengthens the witch’s connection to the spirit animal, empowers one for necromancy, strengthens the witch’s capacity to process death energy, and increases one’s aptitude for destructive magick." The validity of these claims is dubious.

Sigils

The sigil of Arakiel is known.

🎨

This article needs images. You can help Grigoripedia by adding suitable images with captions.

Textual references

🕳

This section is empty.

See also

• Asbe'el
• Kokabiel
• Tamiel