The next morning, Solomon gave the ring to the boy and told him to throw it at the chest of Ornias and say, "King Solomon summons you here." The boy complied. Ornias tried to avoid the command by offering the boy all the riches in the world. The boy refused, and Ornias reluctantly appeared before Solomon, who demanded that he reveal his identity and purposes. Ornias, bound by the ring's magic, was forced to obey. He confessed he was the offspring of the archangel Uriel, and could shapeshift into the forms of a beautiful woman and a lion. In the form of a woman, he had sexual power over sleeping men.
Solomon ordered Ornias to cut stones for the temple, but the djinni was terrified of the withering power of iron tools.' The iron at the time was very pure, a form called magnetite. If djinn are composed of plasma, which can be affected by magnetic fields, then the magnetic energy given off by the ore might have been harmful to them.
Ornias cut a deal with Solomon to produce the prince of the djinn in exchange for his freedom. He took Solomon's ring and threw it at Beelzeboul.9 The prince gave out a mighty roar of flame, but was forced to appear before Solomon. Beelzeboul said he was the first angel in the first heaven, and he alone was left of the angels who fell from heaven. He ruled all the souls in Tartarus, (the underworld)." He had a son who haunted the Red Sea, who one day would return in triumph. He said he incited men to murder, wars, sodomy, lawlessness, heresy, and all manner of wicked deeds. "And I will destroy the world," he vowed.'
Solomon sentenced Beelzeboul to sawing blocks of Theban marble. The other djinn howled in protest at this degrading treatment of their prince, which surely must have strengthened their resolve to have revenge against humanity. Beelzeboul was helpless, and he agreed to summon all djinn for the king.
The Testament of Solomon gives a catalog of some of the djinn summoned to appear. Solomon forced them to tell their names, how they harmed people, and how they could be thwarted, or nullified, by angels. Some of them appeared in monstrous, half-human, half-animal forms, while others attended him as fire or wind.
The first was Onoskelis, who appeared as a half woman, half mule. She said she was born from "a voice of the echo of a black heaven, emitted in matter."" She lived in caves, ravines, and precipices-some of the favorite abodes of djinn. She strangled and perverted men. Solomon sentenced her to spinning hemp ropes for the temple construction.
Onoskelis' birth is an interesting statement; today, we know that much of the multiverse is composed of what scientists call "dark matter" and dark energy. It is called "dark" because we cannot see it; scientists can only observe its effect on the visible matter in our universe. Any reference to a dark heaven or universe could be interpreted today as originating from another dimension.
The second djinni forced to appear was the powerful Asmodeus (Asmodai), who was enraged at being subjected to such humiliation. He said he was born of an angel and a mortal woman, and his star burned bright in the heavens.13 Asmodeus angrily informed the king not to ask many questions because his kingdom and glory would soon end. The djinni then gave a chilling prediction of the battle cry still believed today to be held by many djinn resentful of humanity: "And your tyranny will be short over us; and then we will again have free range over mankind, so as that they will regard us as if we were gods, not knowing, men that they are, the names of the angels set over US. 1114
Angry, Solomon had Asmodeus bound more tightly and flogged with ox hide thongs. The djinni was forced to describe how he ruined marriages and love relationships, drove men to insanity, and caused them to commit murderous deeds. Asmodeus confessed how the archangel Raphael had taught men to exorcize him with the smoke of burned fish gall and livers." He also revealed the secret of his knowledge of the future: he could fly up into heaven and eavesdrop on angels.
Solomon sentenced Asmodeus to be weakened by iron, to carry ten water jugs, and to make clay by treading it with his feet. This was a great humiliation, for as you recall from page 18, Iblis told God that as a being of fire he would not bow before Adam, an inferior creature of mere clay. Asmodeus groaned terribly at his enslavement, but was forced to comply.
Solomon summoned other djinn. Some gave names that described their functions, such as Power, Strife, Deception, Jealousy, Error, and Battle. In addition to creating chaos and mayhem, they confessed to causing specific diseases and illnesses.
Lore tells us that the proud djinn were angry and embittered at the harsh treatment Solomon had given them. The only djinni not subjected to the slave labor was Iblis. A story goes that one day Iblis visited the temple site to comfort his djinn.
"How do ye fare?" he asked them.
"We have no rest in our condition," they answered.
"Do ye draw stones from the quarry, and then return empty thither?"
"Yes!" they replied.
"Then ye have some ease!" Iblis said.
Solomon overheard the djinn talking on the wind, and he punished them by ordering them to carry loads to and from the quarry.
When Iblis came again to comfort the djinn, they complained about the increase in their burdens. He said, "Do ye sleep at night?" When they said yes, he replied, "Then ye have some ease!" Solomon retaliated by ordering the djinn to work day and night.
Again Iblis came to comfort the djinn, and they complained. Iblis responded that when situations seem to be the worst, conditions improve. According to one version of the story, Solomon died before the temple was 16
According to The Testament, however, Solomon completed the temple, installed the Ark of the Covenant within it, and rested in glory. He had another significant djinn encounter when Adares, the king of Arabia, appealed to him to use his power to banish an evil spirit, a powerful wind djinni who was killing people and animals. Solomon gave a servant a wine flask and his magic ring, and told him how to capture and seal the djinni in the flask to imprison it. The servant did so. When presented to Solomon, the djinni stood up inside the flask and made it walk around. Solomon tricked this djinni, Ephippas, and another djinni from the Red Sea, Abezithibod (Abbadon), to raise a very large and heavy pillar into the air. He froze them in the air, as they held the pillar aloft.
Solomon would have lived out his days in peace and grandeur, according to The Testament, had he not fallen madly in love with a Jebusite woman. The priests of Moloch promised him the woman if he would bow to the gods Moloch and Remphan. He did, and the blessing of God left him for the rest of his days.
According to Rumi's Masnavi, God tested Solomon after the temple was finished. Solomon's magical ring was stolen by a djinni named Sakhar, who assumed the king's shape and impersonated him for forty days. Solomon was forced to wander about the land and beg for bread. After forty days, God restored Solomon to his rightful place, and the king began his worship inside the temple.
The stories about Solomon reinforce central themes in djinn history: outcast, abused and shamed, unable to exert their full powers in the world they coveted, their repressed resentment increased. Some djinn shrugged off the indignities and went about their lives and affairs, avoiding human contact. Others vowed revenge, biding their time over the centuries for the perfect opportunity to strike back.
It's clear that at one time humans enjoyed a more direct contact with the djinn, the latter of whom were unhappy with their situation. Knowing this, Solomon imprisoned an unknown number of djinn in brass bottles laced with iron, and sealed them with lead and a magical talisman. Some of the djinn were also held captive in magic rings made of rubies and fire opals. Many powerful but innocent djinn were also imprisoned at the time because Solomon feared that in the future, they may cause trouble for mankind.
Djinn Classifications
Before we continue presenting our research of the djinn, it's important that we clarify a few things. Djinn who choose to live next to humans or interact with them are known as aamar. Young djinn are called arwaah. Djinn who have evil intentions are called shayteen, and the more powerful djinn leaders are known as afrit. This identification of djinn is a very broad one, mu
ch like describing a person as only listening to one kind of music, or only enjoying one kind of food to the exclusion of all others. We shall see in the chapters to follow that djinn social structure is quite complex.
HE FOLLOWING ACCOUNT FEATURES PHIL'S djinn experiences during a trip to Saudi Arabia in December of 1995. On his trip to the Middle East, he was able to make a number of important connections and contacts. The purpose of this trip originally had nothing to do with the djinn, but as Phil traveled from country to country he heard more of this ancient race and decided to make learning about them a priority.
Phil's Uncertain Journey
During my tenure in the United States military, I served with a number of individuals who today are in influential positions not only in the American government, but also in two foreign countries, one of which is Saudi Arabia. On a trip to the Middle East in the 1990s, I discovered that a fellow soldier I knew from our service in the Vietnam War was now a high-ranking member of the security force of the royal Saudi family. At the time I was in Israel, and sent him a telegram explaining that I would like to visit him and asking if he could arrange entrance through customs without a hassle. Within twenty-four hours, I received an invitation to join him at his home, not far from the royal palace, and one of the only luxurious places in the country. I can only refer to this person as "Jack," becaues he's an American in service to a foreign power and his position requires a great deal of anonymity. I have not heard from him in more than ten years, and as of the writing of this book, have no idea of his current situation.
I arrived at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and went through customs. The officer there looked at my passport, paused for a very long time, looked at me again, and turned to his computer screen. I got a little worried and the people behind me in line began to step back as though they knew something was wrong. The customs officer then got on the phone and spoke in Arabic, a language I don't understand. He called over two nearby soldiers and had them escort me to a security room. I grew more worried. You see, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the ruling monarch at that time, had recently suffered a stroke and was unable to perform his duties as king. Many feared that dissidents would use this opportunity to seize control of the government. Perhaps my friend had already left the country, or was jailed by whoever was in control. You can understand my growing concern, thinking I might also be jailed because of my past military association with Jack.
A half hour later, a soldier walked into the small room. Speaking almost perfect English, he identified himself as Captain Yar- ramish and told me a car was waiting outside to take me to my destination.' I tried to ask him where I was being taken, but he insisted that I not ask any questions. We walked out the security area of the customs building. My mind flashed to an incident Jack and I had in Bangkok back in 1970. I said to myself, "Surely he must have forgotten about that by now!"
Outside was a white stretch limousine. The captain got in with me and we began our journey to our destination. I thought, "Well, they sure aren't going to take me to a prison in a limo, but then again, Jack always had a strange sense of humor." As we drove through the city, I was shocked at the living conditions: people were still living as they had lived in the eighteenth century. We must have passed forty gas stations on our trip and the price was no more than ten cents a liter!
Soon, we found ourselves in the upper-class part of the city. Here, the homes were fantastically large with very expensive cars in the driveways. The difference between this area and the poor section and outer fringes of the city was like day and night. The wealthy Saudi people lived much better than Americans, and the neighborhood I was now riding through would put Beverly Hills to shame. It was clear that there were two financial classes in this country: the extremely wealthy and the poor.
We stopped at a gate with two guards who waved us in. The car pulled into a long circular driveway. As I got out of the limo, Jack appeared, and greeted me with a smile and a hug. We went into a small villa they had prepared for me and we sat down to have a drink. Jack told me he had the rank of colonel in the Saudi security force, a position he had been in for the past five years. He asked me about my life since we last met. I told him that for the past thirteen years, I had been teaching science and had written a number of books on various topics. He looked at me, laughed, and said,"Yes, but that's the cover story. What are you really doing?" I couldn't get Jack to believe that I was nothing more than a science teacher-he was certain I was in the Middle East doing some type of reconnaissance for an intelligence agency. Jack said we were invited to a dinner party that evening with a member of the royal family. He then excused himself to attend to his duties, and recommended I get some rest.
A Strange Dinner Party
As soon as Jack left, I fell into a deep sleep. Not too much later, I was awakened by a knock on the door. It was a secretary from the royal family asking me if I was ready for dinner. What seemed only like a few minutes of sleep was actually several hours! I must have been very tired, since it is not normal for me to sleep so deeply, especially in a strange place. I let the gentleman in and apologized for not being ready. He seemed quite upset and insisted that I hurry because Prince Khalid bin Fahd was attending the dinner party and it is a custom and show of respect that the guests arrive first and wait for royalty to make their entrance.
As I hurried to get ready, dressing in the tuxedo already cleaned and pressed for me, the gentleman identifying himself as my "advisor" gave me brief instructions on behavior and social protocol in the Arab world, especially in the presence of royalty. The instructions for proper behavior made me feel like I was back in medieval times. In a strict serious voice, he told me, "We must arrive before His Highness. When he enters the room, if you are sitting, you must stand. If you are talking, be silent. If you have a drink in your hand, set it down. If you have a cigarette, put it out at once. Most importantly, do not walk up and introduce yourself. You must wait for His Highness to come to you."
Those were just the instructions for the cocktail party-there were more concerning the dinner: "Do not walk over to the table until the servant asks all present to do so. Stand by your chair and wait for His Highness to sit first. Do not look at His Highness unless he is addressing you, and under no circumstances talk to the prince. His Highness will make a toast, so be sure you stand and hold the wine glass with your right hand and look at His Highness when he gives the toast. After the toast, you may say `Thank you,' `Very nice,' or `Hear, hear.' Make sure you take one long drink and that Prince Khalid lowers his glass before you do."
After he had finished, I jokingly replied, "Is that all?" My advisor looked confused when I said, "Do you think after the toast I can give him the Vulcan salute and say `Live long and prosper?"' Of course, I was just kidding around, but my advisor didn't see the humor in it. As we drove to the palace, I was reminded that I was not in America-disrespect in even the slightest form was taken as an insult.
At the palace, I entered the hall and started to mingle. I must have looked quite sharp in my black tie tuxedo-many foreign dignitaries whose names I couldn't remember thought I was an ambassador for some western country!
One of the servants called us into the main dining room. All the guests, including myself, stood around a large table. My position was second from the right of the head of table and I was quite excited to think I was going to sit next to the prince. At that moment, another servant walked in and said that Prince Khalid had been called away on urgent business, and he apologized to all his guests. However, the prince's cousin was to take his place and would settle all business in His Highness's name after dinner. The cousin entered the room with two large bodyguards, and everyone bowed. He sat in his chair and everyone did the same. I was thankful there was no toast and that dinner was served promptly.
The royal cousin looked to be about thirty-five years old. The other guests addressed him as "Excellency" so I assumed he was a minister in the Saudi government. My friend Jack was sitting next to
me on the left and he whispered that it would all right to ask a question. Before I could open my mouth, his Excellency looked at me and asked if I was an American, and why I was visiting his country. I replied that I was interested in learning more about the djinn. When His Excellency heard the word djinn, his expression changed from neutral to one of concern and excitement. He seemed surprised to hear the word djinn come from a westerner, and it seemed to catch his interest! "The djinn!" He said the word so loudly, the entire table went silent and everyone looked in his direction. "I will tell you about them. They are very real and live in my country." The story he proceeded to tell me is unverified, but His Excellency seemed very serious; I believe it is the truth. I will relate the story to the best of my memory.
To CATCH A DJINN
His Excellency said that a special unit in the United States military had been trying to capture a djinni for many years. His government would allow military and scientific missions into certain parts of the desert where djinn are known to enter our world. He said that the United States was after a technological device that allowed djinn to pass through solid walls and through dimensional windows. When I asked if they ever caught one, he replied that he wasn't sure because that kind of information would be classified at the highest level. I found this an interesting comment, and related it to a similar incident of a few years earlier in Pine Bush, New York, where numerous residents had reported a considerable amount of military activity in that area. The military's official explanation was that they were doing "training exercises," but a past associate of mine who is now in intelligence informed me of a different purpose. According to my associate, the military was supporting an operation being undertaken by a special unit to capture an "interdimensional alien" using a portal in that area of the country to enter and leave our world. The main objective of this operation was capturing its technology.'
The Vengeful Djinn: Unveiling the Hidden Agenda of Genies Page 4