OCH-An angel much honored in occult lore. In one tradition Och is considered a protecting or patron angel of alchemy, granting knowledge and wisdom to individuals who are able successfully to invoke his aid. He is also called upon by supplicants seeking other benefits from him, such as an extended life span. To assist him, Och is accompanied by a group of angels or spirits numbering 35,536 legions (according to the scholar E. A. Wallis Budge in his Amulets and Talismans). While other beings and angels bear the same title (such as Uriel), Och is ranked in some lists as the angel of the sun. (See also Sun, Angels of the)

OFANIEL-Also Ophaniel and Opanniel, the generally recognized chief or ruling prince of the angelic order or choir of the thrones, called in Hebrew the ofanim after their leader. As the ofanim are also termed the wheels and the "many-eyed ones," Ofaniel is known as the keeper of the wheels and even the angel of the wheels of the moon, the wheels of heaven. He is described in the Third Book of Enoch in glorious terms. While revered in some aspects of Jewish lore as the head of the thrones, Ofaniel is only one of several angels proposed as heads of that angelic choir; other candidates are Raphael and Orifiel, although in the complicated lore of angels, these angels, including Ofaniel are termed the heads of the order of ophanim, and Hebrew equivalent of the cherubim.

OFANIM-The Hebrew name for a choir or order of angels that is considered synonymous with the later choir of the thrones. Also known as the galgallim (the wheels), ofanim (also ophanim) means "the wheels," a reference to the traditional description of these angels as the wheels of God, serving as the wheels of the heavenly chariot. In the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel they were said to be wheels within wheels, their rims full of eyes, the latter description thus providing their other common name, "many-eyed ones." By custop their chief is the angel Ofaniel. Thus it is hardly surprising that the ofanim (or ophanim) have been placed in various positions in the lists of the angelic choirs over the years. In the accepted compliation of nine choirs, they have occupied the second, fifth, and ninth places.

OG-In Jewish legend, a member of the nephilim, the giants who were born out of the union of women with the fallen angels. Og is said to be a descendant of the infamous fallen angel Semyaza. He is mentioned in the Old Testament in the Book of Numbers (21:33-35) as the king of Bashan, who went out with an army to crush Moses at Edrei. The Lord, however, delivered him into the hands of the Lawgiver, and thus Moses "slew him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was not one survivor left to him...This is consistent with the legend that Moses was able to slay the huge Og by attacking his ankle. There is yet another legend, however, that proclaims that only Og, of all the nephilim, was able to survive the Great Flood by hiding on the roof of Noah's ark.

ONAFIEL-An angel given the title angel of the moon-although other angels with this post are said to be Gabriel, Zachariel, and Yahriel-by the poet Longfellow in The Golden Legend. While the poet initially (in early editions) names Gabriel the angel of the moon, in subsequent versions he uses the name Onafiel or even Ofaniel, the latter derived by transposing the n and the f in Onafiel. It is generally agreed that Onafiel was the total invention of Longfellow, based on the real and famous angel Ofaniel.

ONAYEPHETON-An angel or a spirit who was mentioned in the famous work on sorcery by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, The Greater Key of Solomon. According to this source, Onayepheton can be summoned by the competent sorcerer and compelled or convinced to assist them. he is also believed to be an angel used by God to raise the dead to life anytime the Lord chooses to do so.

ORDERS, ANGELIC-One of the terms used for the hierarchy of angels as it has been proposed over the years by numerous experts, theologians, and writers. Other names used for the angelic orders include the angelic choirs and angelic lists. According to accepted custop, based on Pseudo-Dionysius, there are nine orders of angels organized into three triads: first triad-seraphim, cherubim, and thrones; second triad-dominations, virtues, and powers; third triad-principalities, archangels, and angels. Each order also has its own precise functions, attributes, and duties as well as its own precise functions, attributes, and duties as well as its own ruling prince or chief.

ORIFIEL-An angel with a varied portfolio depending upon the list or traditional source of information about him. Also called Orifel, Orfiel, and Oriphiel, he is often termed the ruling or governing angel of the planet Saturn, termed this in the custop of the mystical Qabalah. Orifiel is also ranked among the archangels in the lists compiled by Pope St. Gregory the Great (r.590-604), with such other notables as Uriel, Raphael, and Michael; Orifiel, however, does not appear in any other major lists of the accepted archangels, placing some question on the matter of whether he truly belongs among the select angels of heaven. In yet another source, he is ranked among the angels belonging to the order or choir of thrones.

ORIGINS OF ANGELS-See under Creation of Angels.

ORIOKH-An alternate name for the angel Ariokh, the companion of the angel Mariokh. The two were commanded by God, as recorded in the Second Book of Enoch, to give their protection to the great patriarch Enoch while he was writing his famous works (See Enoch, Books of). The angels also had the task of guarding the descendants and family of Enoch, thereby ensuring their survival during and after the Great Flood. (See Mariokh.)

ORION-An angel appearing in the epic poem Der Messias (The Messiah) by the German poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724-1803). According to this work, Orion is the guardian or protecting angel of St. Peter. Occultist Eliphas Levi, among others, posited a connection or correlation between the angel Orion and the famed archangel Michael; one of the most obvious ones is in the constellation Orion (called the hunter) and the military or warrior attributes possessed by Michael.

ORMAZD-Another name for Ahura Mazda, the supreme deity of the Zoroastrian religion, which dominated the Near East and the Persian empire for many centuries.

OTHEOS-An angel or spirit, mentioned in a number of occult works, invoked by sorcerers as a help in finding treasures, perhaps lost, buried, or hidden.

OUZA-See Uzzah.

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