Chapter 1

Preface

✦

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
Brigham Young University

http://www.archive.org/details/magicalritualofsOOIvie

THE MAGICAL RITUAL

Binal}

OuunaM

cie cAiiiAU> U <^eAi^KUl

A- Mcnograjny of the/
GNOSIS,

Scc/ IPane^ ^.

THE TETRAGRAM.
tf^au:edb vny aw KaJbabbstuy cUsiqn/.

Sc£.' Ih^c-' 2?.

THE MAGICAL RITUAL

OF THE

SANCTUM REGNUM

INTERPRETED BY THE

TAROT TRUMPS

TRANSLATED FROM THE MSS. OF

6LIPHAZ l6vI

AND EDITED BY

W. WYNN WESTCOTT, M.B.

MAGUS OF THE ROSICRUCIAN SOCIETY OF ENGLAND

WITH EIGHT PLATES

LONDON
GEORGE REDWAY

1896

PROVO, UTAH

PREFACE BY THE EDITOR

This translation of a previously unpublished work
by the late Alphonse Louis Constant, or, as he pre-
ferred to call himself, Eliphaz Levi, is published with
the consent of its possessor, Mr. Edward Maitland,
the eminent coUaborateur of the late Dr. Anna
Kingsford, to whom it was given by the Baron
Spedalierij so well known as the friend, disciple, and
literary heir of Eliphaz Levi. The original MSS.,
which is in the handwriting of Levi himself, is
written upon pages interleaved with the text of a
printed copy of a work by Trithemius of Spanheim,
entitled De Septem Secundeis : the edition was
published at Cologne, and is dated 1567. This work
of the Abbot Trithemius is a very curious and
interesting dissertation upon the ruling of the world
by the seven great Archangels, to each of whom in
succession is allotted a period of 354 years and 4
months. The Archangels are referred to the Planets

vi PREFACE

of the ancients, and their successive periods of
dominion are taken in the following order : —

Orifiel
Anael

representing

Saturn
Venus

Zachariel

Raphael

Samael

Jupiter
Mercury-
Mars

Gabriel

Luna

Michael

Sol

The first course of these rulers ended in Anno Mundi
2480. The Noachian Deluge is placed at 1656, in
the reign of Samael. The destruction of the Tower
of Babel (see Tarot Trump, No. XVI., page 63)
occurred in the Second reign of Orifiel; the life of
Abraham in the Second reign of Zachariel ; the life
of Moses in the Second reign of Raphael ; Pythagoras,
Xerxes, and Alexander the Great in the Second
Solar reign of Michael.

The era of Jesus Christ comes in the Third reign
of Orifiel.

The Third reign of Anael began in 109, A.D.
,, ,, Zachariel ,, 463
,5 ,, Raphael ,, 817

,, ,, Samael ,, 1171

Gabriel „ 1525

,, ,, Michael ,, 1879

L6vi appears to have been deeply impressed with

PRE FA CE vii

this system of Rule by Archangels, and Edward
Maitland, in his life of Dr. Anna Kingsford, refers
to this volume with approval.

Under the heading of *' Notes" the editor has
given a short description of each Tarot Trump at
the end of each chapter, and also a few notes on
the mystical meanings assigned to the Tarots by
Eliphaz Levi in his other works j some of the views
of P. Christian are added. To facilitate reference
to such information, a table is added here specifying
the places to which the student can turn for further
opinions and more detailed descriptions.

Court de Gebelin. Le Monde premitif analyse. Paris.
1773-82. Vohime 8,

Etteilla or AUiette. Philosophie des hautes sciences.
Amsterdam. 1785.

Etteilla. Lecons theoriques et pratiques du livre du
Thot. 1787.

Tarots Egyptiennes ou Grand Etteilla. 1830.

Etteila. Maniere de se recreer avec le jeu des Tarots.

1783-5.
Levi, Eliphaz. Nom de plume of Alphonse Louis
Constant.
Rituel de la Haute Magie. Paris. 1861. Pages
344-356 give the several descriptions and mean-
ings of the Tarot Trumps ; but the whole chapter
entitled "Le livre d'Hermes," pages 332--384> is

viii PREFACE

concerned with the subject. These Trumps are also
allotted to Lunar days at pages 265-269.

Dogme de la Haute Magie. Paris. 1861. The tenth
chapter has especial reference to the Tarot ; but
the whole volume is divided into chapters which
relate to the Trumps.

Histoire de la Magie. i860. Refer to pages 46, 81,
and 109.

P. Christian. Histoire de la Magie. Paris. Special
descriptions and occult meanings of the Tarot
Trumps are given on pages 1 14-13 1.

Papns. Le Tarot des Bohemiens. English translation
by Morton. George Red way. 1896.

Wirth, Oswald. Le livre de Thot.

Waite, A. E. The Mysteries of Magic, a Digest of
the Writings of Eliphaz Levi. London. George
Red way. 1886. See pages 242-265.

MacGregor Mathers, S. L. The Tarot, its Occult
Significance. George Redway. 1888.

Willshire, W. H. A Descriptive Catalogue of Playing
and other Cards in the British Museum. 1876.

Chatto, W. A. Facts and Speculations on the Origin
and History of Playing Cards. 1848.

The ordinary reader who has made no special
study of the magical writings of Eliphaz L^vi, nor
of the Kabalah, may consider that, however inter-
esting the subject-matter of many of the following
chapters, the connection between the Tarot Trumps
and the details given under each heading is but

PREFACE ix

slight. It must be understood that there is in all
cases a direct relation between card and subject;
but the keys which connect them are missing by
intention of the author, and yet are obtainable by
study of Levi's other works.

The twenty-two Tarot Trumps bear a relation to
numbers and to letters; the true attributions are
known, so far as is ascertainable, to but a few
students, members of the Hermetic schools : the
attributions given by L6vi in his Dogme and Bituel,
by Christian, and by Papus are incorrect, presumably
by design. The editor has seen a manuscript page
of cypher about 150 years old which has a different
attribution, and one which has been found by several
occult students, well known to him, to satisfy all the
conditions required by occult science.

The eight coloured plates with which this volume
is embellished are facsimile copies of Levi's own
drawings ; they add greatly to the charm of the work,
and are a credit to the publisher and to the artist
who executed them. The design on the cover is the
monogram drawn by L6vi to represent the "Com-
pletion of the Great Work," see page 45. The Cross
— four, multiplied by the triangle — three, gives
twelve the complete number of a cycle : the Hebrew
letter Tau represents the Universe.

X PREFACE

'^ The Mysteries of Magic, a Digest of the Writings
of l^liphaz L6vi," by Mr. A. E, Waite, published by
Mr. Red way in 1886, has had so large a circulation
among English readers, that the editor anticipates
a cordial reception for this little volume.

London, February 1896.

THE MAGICAL RITUAL OF THE
SANCTUM REGNUM

THE MAGICIAN -LE BATELEUR

Listen to the words of Solomon which he spake to his

son Rehoboam : " The fear of God is the beginning

of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the knowledge

and love of Him who is the Source of all good, and

the supreme Reason, whence all things do proceed."

Adonai had passed an eternity in heaven, and then

created Man ; so a time on earth is given to man to

comprehend Adonai. In other words, the knowledge

which man attains concerning the Supreme Being

springs from the faculties which have been bestowed

upon him at his creation, in order that he might in

his turn formulate an image of the Being who has

sent him into this world.

2 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

By Intelligence man conceives the ideal of God,
and by Will he should turn to good works. But
human will when without works is dead, or at any
rate is only a vague desire : the same is true of a
thought not expressed in language; it is not a word,
but only a dream of the intelligence. An imagina-
tion is not a realised thing, it is only a promised
something, while an act is a reality. For the same
reason there is no piety without prayer, and no re-
ligion without worship. Words are the formal and
social reality of ideals, and ceremonies are religion
put into practice; there is no real faith unless it
shows itself by actions prompted by faith. A for-
mulated expression in words, confirmed by actions,
demonstrates the two powers of a human soul. To
work it is necessary to will, and to will it is necessary
to formulate the desire. Actions imply ideas even if
the ideals are not themselves translated into acts.

Thought is the life of intelligence, words show the
creative force of thought, while actions are the last
effort of words, and the desirable complement of
words. Words have been spoken, thought has been
translated into action ; by the act of creating, speech
has taken place.

A word is the requisite formula of a thought, an
act is an exhibition of will. This is why prayer is

THE MAGICIAN 3

a necessity, and may obtain all that it asks. A prayer
is a perfected act of the will, it is a link connecting
human words with the divine Will. All ceremonies
consecrations, ablutions, and sacrifices are prayers
in action, and are symbolic formulas; and they are
the most potent prayers because they are transla-
tions of word into action, showing will power and
persistence, seeing that they require more con-
strained attention than silent prayer, or prayer ex-
pressed in words ; and so they constitute real work,
and such work demands a man's whole energy.

Notes.

The First Tarot Trump is named Le Bateleur,
and in English is spoken of as the Magician. L^vi
remarks in one of his works that the arms and
body of the figure bear a resemblance to the first
letter, Aleph, of the Hebrew alphabet, in some
packs of the oldest designs; but the student will
do wisely to consult his intuition, if he have no
adept instructor, as to the true attribution of this
or either of the other trumps of the Tarot.

The Magician stands by a table holding a magical
wand in his left hand ; before him on the table are
lying other implements suitable to his task, such

4 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

as a dagger, cup, and pantacle. His face expresses
assurance, and intelligence beams from his eyes.

Levi elsewhere defines its occult meaning to be
God, spirit, unity; and man as a reflection of God.
P. Christian, in his Histoire de la Magie, says that
this card represents, in the Divine world, the Abso-
lute One; in the Intellectual world, Unity; and
in the Physical world, Man; and that man should,
like God, work without ceasing, for a state of willing
nothing and doing nothing is hardly less fatal than
evil doing.

THE PRIESTESS— LA PAPESSE

Depth is equal to height, darkness is contrasted
with light, matter is but the garment of the spirit.
That which is below is like that which is above.
The breath of God is borne along over the waters,
and the waters remain aloft carried on by the breath
of God. That which we call the Breath of God is
the Life Essence spread over the worlds ; it is that
warm luminous fluid which gives a soul to the
planets ; the common reservoir of progressive animal
life; the universal basis of the sympathies between
bodies, and the medium of love between souls ; it is
the vehicle of the will, and common basis for all the
varied modifications of the Creative Word. The Breath
of the mouth of God leads to the corresponding
human breath. God said, " Let us make man,'* and
man answers, " Let us make to ourselves a God.**

When God made creation manifest as a temple.
He illumined the planets as light-bearers. He decor-
ated the earth with flowers as an altar. He gave
mysterious properties to metals and plants, and He

6 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

drew with His finger circles, triangles, and the
cross, as eternal pantacles, traced in living fire upon
the immense vault of the skies. The Magus should
imitate his God upon this earth, his dwelling.

Know, Will, and Act ; these are the three essen-
tials for sacerdotal and royal high magic. Matter
and form are instruments placed in the power of
the Magus, his acts should be dependent on the
Word, and so shall none of his deeds be lost, and
his teachings shall be preserved.

You then who desire to understand the mysteries
of this Science and to perform marvels, consider and
tremble lest you have as yet failed to attain to know-
ledge and wisdom ; for if so, you stand on the brink
of an abyss ; stop, ere it is too late. But if you have
secured the Lamp and Wand of Initiation, if you are
cognisant of the secrets of the Nine, if you never
speak of God without the Light which proceeds from
Him, if you have received the mystical baptism of the
Four Elements, if you have prayed upon the Seven
Mountains, if you know the mode of motion of the
Double Sphynxed Chariot, if you have grasped the
dogma of why Osiris was a black god, if you are free,
if you are a king, if you are in truth a priest in the
temple of Solomon — act without fear, and speak, for
your words will be all-powerful in the spiritual king-

THE PRIESTESS 7

donij and the breath of God will follow the utterances
of your mouth, and the powers of the heavens and of
the earth will be obedient unto j^ou.

Notes.

The Second Tarot Trump represents a seated female
figure, crowned with a tiara, and holding a book in her
hands ; it is partly concealed by her mantle. She has
a veil around her head, and some old cards show the
horns of Isis upon her head-dress. Some authors who
discredit the great age and Egyptian origin of the Tarot
symbols have asserted that this card was intended to
represent the fabulous Pope Joan. This character
was said to be an Englishwoman of great learning,
ability, and vice, who was chosen Pope in a.d. 855,
succeeding Leo IV. Both Protestants and Roman
Catholics have now rejected the story as a groundless
fiction. L6vi, in his Dogme de la hmde Magie, throws
out the suggestion that this trump represents the
Greek Juno, and he assigns as its occult meanings —
the house of God, and of man ; sanctuary, the Gnosis,
the Kabalah, the dyad, woman and maternity.

The Rosicrucians considered this card to be Isis,
the Great Mother, Soul of Nature. P. Christian
gives as its meaning — Occult Science awaiting the
initiate at the door of the sanctuary.

Ill

THE EMPRESS— VIMPERATRICE

You should before all other things study and under-
stand the sacred laws of Nature. Discern the Father
Spirit and Mother Spirit, and recognise the sex aspect
of the two breaths, and the soul of their movements ;
learn how the black female seeks the caresses of the
white male, and why the white male does not disdain
the dark woman. The white man is Day, or the
Sun ; and the black woman refers to Night, and the
Moon. It is necessary to know the names and powers
of the twelve precious jewels which are included in
the crown of gold referred to the Sun, and the names
also which are allotted to the chief of the powers of
the Moon. You will then require to be familiar with
the keys of the Fifty Gates, the secret of the Thirty-
two Paths, and the characters of the Seven Spirits.

These Seven Spirits are, Michael of the Sun, Gabriel
of the Moon, Samael of Mars, Raphael of Mercury,
Zachariel of Jupiter, Anael of Venus, and Orifiel of

THE EMPRESS 9

Saturn. These govern the world in successive order,
and the completion of their seven ages of ruling
power constitutes a Week of the Time of God.

You must learn also the plants, colours, perfumes,
and musical notes which correspond to the seven
planetary powers ; and it is essential to retain those
correspondences with the utmost exactitude. Thus
when it is required to do perfect magical work, the
procedure of each day is different in many par-
ticulars.

On Sunday you must wear a purple robe, a tiara,
and golden bracelets ; you must arrange about the
altar or tripod, garlands of laurel, heliotrope, or sun-
flower ; you must use as a fumigating incense cinna-
mon, frankincense, saffron, and red sandal- wood ; you
require at your right hand a golden wand set with a
ruby or a chrysolite; and your operations must be
carried out between one hour past midnight up to
eight in the morning, or between three in the after-
noon and ten in the evening.

On Monday you should wear a white robe with
silver ornaments, with a collar of three rows con-
sisting of pearls, crystals, and selenites ; a tiara
yellow with the letters of Gabriel in silver. The
proper perfumes are those of camphor, white sandal-
wood, amber, and cucumber seeds ; the garlands for

lo THE MAGICAL RITUAL

the altar should be of armoise {query^ mugwort,
artemisia), evening primrose, and yellow ranunculus.
Avoid with care anything of black colour; use no
cup or vessel of gold, silver only, or clear white china
or pottery. The same hours as before mentioned for
the Sun, but use rather the night hours.

On Tuesday the colour of the robe should be fiery,
or rusty, or of blood colour, with a girdle and
bracelets of steel ; the wand should be of magnetised
steel ; a sword may also be used and a consecrated
dagger; garlands of absinth and rue; an amethyst
and steel ring on the finger should also be worn.

On Wednesday the robe should be green or of
shot silk many tinted ; the necklet of pearls, or of
glass beads containing mercury; the perfumes are
benzoin, myrrh, and storax; the flowers for the
garlands are the narcissus, lily, the annual or
perennial mercurialis, fumitory, or marjoram; the
precious stone is the agate.

On Thursday the robe of scarlet, a lamen of tin
upon the forehead, bearing the symbol of Jupiter and
the three words Giazar of Fire, Bethor of Water,
and Samgabiel, also fiery ; the perfumes for incense,
ambergris, cardamon, grains of paradise, balm, mace,
and saffron. The ring should contain an emerald or
a sapphire; the garlands of oak, poplar, fig-tree, or

THE EMPRESS ii

pomegranate ; the wand of glass or resin. The robe
should be made of wool or silk.

On Friday the robe of azure blue, its decorations
of green or rose colour, the wand of polished copper ;
the perfumes are musk, civet, and amber ; crown of
violets; garlands of roses interspersed with boughs
of myrtle and olive; the ring ornamented by a
turquoise. Lapis lazuli and beryl should decorate
the crown or diadem. The operator should hold a fan
formed of swan's feathers, and should wear around
his loins a circlet, being a copper plate on which is
engraved Anael, with its sigil, and on a circle sur-
rounding these the words Ave Evah ; Vade Lilith.

On Saturday the robe should be black, or dark
brown, with appropriate designs embroidered in
orange-coloured silk. Around the neck should be
worn a chain and lamen formed of lead engraved
with the name Saturn and his sigil, with the addi-
tion of the words Almalec, Aphiel, and Zarahiel.
The proper perfumes for the incense are scammony,
aloes, sulphur, and asafoetida. The wand should
be ornamented with an onyx stone, and the proper
garlands are of ash, Cyprus, and black hellebore.
Upon the onyx on the wand there should be en-
graved with a consecrated tool, during the hours
of Saturn, a figure of the double-faced Janus.

12 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

Notes.

The Third Tarot Trump, the Empress, represents
a seated female figure upon a throne, crowned with
twelve stars, and holding in her left hand a sceptre
surmounted by a diamond-shaped emblem, or a
globe; she has wings, and by her right side is
emblazoned on a shield the black eagle. This figure
is the Greek Aphrodite-Urania, and corresponds to
the figure in St. John's vision, clothed with the Sun,
crowned with twelve stars, and having the Moon
beneath her feet.

L^vi gives in his Rituel its meanings as the Word,
the ternary, plenitude, fecundity, nature. See also
Waite, page 255. Christian, page 116, allots Isis to
this trump. This is erroneous ; no examples of the
Empress ever show horns, while several Priestess
cards of the oldest types do show the horns of Isis
upon her head.

THE EMPEROR— VEMPEREUR

The clothing of a Magician should be new, clean, and
woven by a virgin; magical implements should be
new, and consecrated by prayers and incense.

The Magician needs to be abstinent, chaste, and
devoted to the Work. His spirit and heart must be
free from other claims upon them, and his will power
devoted wholly, perseveringly, and with intelligent
faith to the success of any great work, and to the
results of his scientific occult performances. Magical
operations should commence with Exorcisms of air,
earth, and water, and end by Consecrations with fire.

The Exorcism of Air is performed by breathing
forth toward the four cardinal points, by the Word,
and by repeating this invocation : —

^'The Spirit of God brooded over the waters, and

God breathed into L.'^an the breath of life.

"The Spirit of God filled the universe; in it all

things exist, and in it is the Word of Power.

14 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

''May the Word be in my spirit, and so may all
things be subservient to me.

*'Be ye exorcised then, ye beings of Air, in the
Name of Him whose breath first filled all things
with the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The Prayer of the Sylphs should then be recited.

[This will be found at length in Levi's Rituel de
la haute Magie, p. 78, and in English in A. E.
Waite's "Mysteries of Magic,'' p. 122, the only error
being his heading, " Prayer for the Sylphs " ; it is
the prayer of the Sylphs for a nearer relation to the
divinity.]

The Exorcism of Earth is performed by the sprink-
ling of consecrated water, by the breath, by the
Word, and by the burning of incense suitable to the
day of the ceremony. Then recite the Prayer of the
Gnomes.

[See Levi, Rituel^ p. 84; and Waite, p. 125.]

The Exorcism of Water is performed by the laying
on of hands, by the breath, by the Word, and by
sprinkling upon it consecrated salt mixed with a
little of the ash taken from the censer, and duly con-
secrated. The Water is to be sprinkled around by a
brush composed of sprays of vervain, periwinkle, sage,
mint, valerian, and basil; these are to be tied with
a thread taken from a virgin's distaff, to a handle

THE EMPEROR 15

of the wood of a nut-tree which has not yet borne
fruit. Upon this handle you must engrave, with the
magical dagger, the characters of the Seven Spirits.

The Salt is consecrated by reciting over it the
following Latin prayer : —

" In isto Sale sit sapientia, et ab omni corruptione
servet mentes nostras et corpora nostra, per Chokmah,
et in virtute Ruach Chokmael; recedant ab isto
phantasmata hjldd ut sit Sal celestis, Sal terras et
Terra salis, ut nutrietur bos triturans, et addat spei
nostras cornua tauri volantis. Amen."

Then this Latin prayer over the ashes from the
censer : —

'' Kevertatur cinis ad fontem aquarum viventium,
et fiat terra fructificans et germinat arborem jucundi-
tatis, et incensum suavitatis, per tria nomina Binah,
Chokmah et Kether, in principio et in fine, per Alpha
et Omega, qui sunt in Spiritu Azoth. Amen."

While you sprinkle the mixed salt and ashes into
the water, recite : —

"EmittesSpiritumO Tiphereth, et creabuntur omnia
nova in his ergo sit semen venturi sseculi. Amen."

Exorcism of Water.

** All powerful Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, whose voice is heard in the great waters, who

i6 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

didst cleave the waters of the Red Sea to make a
passage for the children of Israel, and then didst
cause the sea to swallow up the Egyptians who were
pursuing them, Mi Kamoka Baalim Jehovah, thou
whose altar, composed of the Twelve Jewels, is be-
neath the waters of the sacred river, deign to bless
this water and to banish from it all baneful influences,
Shaddai, Shaddai, Shaddai (breathe three times over
the water). By the great names, Araritha, Eloah va
Daath, Elohim Tzabaoth and Elohim Gibur, may this
water be consecrated for the service of those who are
about to invoke the Divine Powers for the benefit of
their souls. Amen."

Then the Prayer of the Undines should be recited.

[This is found in the Rituel^ P- Si, and in Waite,
p. 123.]

To perform the Exorcism of Fire, cast upon it salt,
incense, and sulphur, while you pronounce the names
of Anael, Michael, and Samael; the prayer of the
Salamanders should then be recited.

[This is to be found in the Biticel, p. S^, and in
Waite, p. 124.]

You must thoroughly understand that elemental
beings are souls of an imperfect type, not yet raised
in the scale up to human existence, and that they
can only manifest power when called into action by

THE EMPEROR 17

the adept as auxiliaries to his will, by means of that
universal astral fluid in which they live. The king-
dom of the Gnomes is assigned to the North, the
Salamanders to the South, the Sylphs to the East,
and the Undines to the West.

These Elemental beings are related to, and bear an
influence over persons, according as they are of one or
other of the four Temperaments. The Gnomes are
related to the Melancholic type, Salamanders to the
Sanguine, Undines to the Phlegmatic, and Sylphs to
the Bilious Temperament.

Their symbols are those of Taurus the Bull for
Gnomes; Leo the Lion for Salamanders; the Eagle
for Sylphs ; and the sign of Aquarius for Undines.

Their Bulers are respectively Ghob, Djin, Paralda,
and Nicsa.

The combination of these four types of face and
being represents the Created Universe, a complete
and eternal entity, Man in fact, the Microcosm ; and
this is the first formula of the mystical explanation
of the enigma of the Sphynx.

Notes.

The Fourth Tarot Trump represents a crowned
emperor reclining against a throne, holding a sceptre
in his right hand ; the sceptre ends above in a lotus

1 8 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

flower. In modern tarots the throne is decorated
with a black eagle. The older design showed the
emperor's body as representing a right-angled
triangle in general outline, and the legs are crossed,
the whole suggesting the Athanor of the Alchemist.
Levi, in his Rituel^ gives the following meanings
to this card : The Porte, or government of the
Orientals, initiation, power, the Tetragrammaton,
quaternary, and the cubical stone.

Christian considers that on the human plane this
trump means the realisation of actions directed by
the science of truth, the love of justice, the force
of will, and organic work.

THE PENTAGRAM.
Senjj of thht/ Mixj^ooosmy.

THE POPE, OR HIEROPHANT—LE PAPE

To control the Will power and make it subservient
to the law of Intelligence — this is the Great Work
of our sacerdotal art. Ceremonies are made use
of to educate the Will by means of the Imagina-
tion. Ceremonies which are performed without
intelligence and without faith, in the absence of
the higher aspirations of the soul, are but super-
stitious observances which tend to degrade those
who take part in them. It is an error to attribute
Magical Power to ceremonials, for Magical Power
exists only in the trained Will of the operator. For
this reason is the Magical Axiom true, that the
Sanctum Eegnum — the Divine Kingdom — the King-
dom of God — is within us. I.N.E..I., Intra nobis
Regnum Del ; and hence also is it that great
marvels can be shown by the Pentagram, which
is the seal of the Microcosm ; for the Microcosm is
the reflection of the Macrocosm ; the Microcosm

is Man and his human Will ; he is the reflection of

20 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

the Universe, which is the Macrocosm. The Man
whose Intelligence has received culture can by his
Will Power, exerted through the Pentagram, con-
trol and command the powers and beings of the
Elements, and restrain evil elementaries from their
perverse works.

The Hexagram is the symbol of the Macrocosm ;
it is often called the Seal of Solomon. It consists
of two interlaced triangles; the erect triangle is of
flame colour, the inverse triangle is coloured blue.
In the centre space there may be drawn a Tau Cross
and three Hebrew Yods, or a Crux ansata, or the
Triple Tau of the Arch-masons. He who with
Intelligence and Will is armed with this emblem has
need of no other thing, he should be all potent, for
this is the perfect sign of the Absolute.

This is the Monogram of Hermetic Truth ; it
expresses the subject of the Great Work. It is
made up of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin letters, and
the mode of expressing this ideal in the presence of
un- initiates is by the word Azoth, or by the name
Magnes : other Magi have applied to it the titles of
the flying dragon of Medea, and the serpent of the
mystical Eden.

THE HEXAGRAM.
Syrrihoh of the^ Mojorocxysrru.

A ZOT H.
MoTLogrcuru of Her^rrutuyThuthv.

Se^ jP.xgcy W.

THE POPE, OR HIEROPHANT 21

This is the high and incommunicable Tetragram
traced in a Kabalistic and Hermetic design. All
initiates, even of the first grade, will at once under-
stand its symbolism.

This emblem is the monogram of the Universal
Gnosis ; it is formed of Greek and Latin letters ;
it expresses by symbols the secrets of the Wheel of
Ezekiel, and the Book of St. John the Evangelist;
it includes the sign of the Labarum of Constantino.

This emblem naturally shows the word ROTA ;
but viewed in the light of the Kalabah, the word
TAROT.

These Characters, with the Philosophic Cross,
include all science in esse, and those who are initiates
of the Grand Arcanum need no further symbols or
emblems; nor do those adepts who know the true
but concealed meanings and powers of the words
JAKIN and BOAZ, which are related to the two
Pillars at the Porch of the Temple, one of which was
of white marble, and the other of black, while both
were decorated with Brazen ornaments. By these
Characters the spirits of evil nature are bound and
held in control; by these also, if the operator be
just and pure, he makes himself known to angels

22 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

and may incline them to his aims. For indeed
nothing can resist in magical arts the combined
powers of the Pentagram, Hexagram, and Tetragram
divine.

All other signs, seals, and symbols are but
arbitrary, and the keys of their meaning may be
found in the Steganographia, or the Polygraphia of
the Abbot Trithemius of Spanheim, or else in the
magical treatises of Peter of Abano, of Paracelsus,
of Arbatel, or of Cornelius Agrippa.

Notes.

The Tarot Trump numbered 5, named the Pope,
Hierophant, or Jupiter, represents a crowned ruler
bearing a tripled cross wand in his left hand : he is
seated between two pillars. The meanings assigned
by El. L6vi are — religion, philosophy, symbolism,
law, instruction, and demonstration. The right hand
of the Pope gives the sign of occult wisdom, and not
the usual papal benediction.

P. Christian decides that this card shows in the
Divine World, Universal Law; in the Intellectual
World, Religion; and in the Physical World, such
inspiration as is communicated by the Astral fluidic
force.

THE LOVERS^UAMOUREUX

Ever bear in mind that Equilibrium results only
from the opposition of forces ; the active has no
existence without the passive; light without dark-
ness produces no form ; and affirmation can only
triumph over negation. Love again gains accession
of strength from hate, and that hell is the heated
soil of silch plants as shall bear root in heaven. It
should be known also that the great Fluidic Agent
which is called the *' Soul of the World," and
which is delineated with the horned head of the
Cow of Isis to express animal fecundity, is a blind
force.

The power which the Magus wields is composed
of two opposing forces, which unite in love and
disjoin in discord; love associates contraries, while
hate makes similars to be rivals and enemies ; hatred
succeeds to love when by saturation the void has

become filled, unless the full cannot become empty;

24 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

but the usual result is an equilibrated saturation, due
to mutual repulsions.

From these considerations can be deduced the
existence and causes of sympathy and antipathy
between persons, and so the means of becoming
loved can be shown to those who are good as well
as wise and discreet.

Sexual love is a physical manifestation ; repugnance
and pain may be forgotten by those who are under
its sway. This is a form of inebriation arising from
the attraction of two contrary fluids; and at the
conjunction of the positive and negative poles there
results an ecstasy and orgasm during which the loved
one seems the brilliant phantom of a vision.

When the conjunction has set up the state of
equilibrium anew, attraction is succeeded by repul-
sion ; and very often an exaggerated amour leads to
an unjust share of disgust.

All created beings participate either in the positive
or negative attitude of the universal sympathetic
fluid, and may help to maintain or re-establish a
Sympathy ; but it is necessary to distrust knowledge
while it is imperfect, and not to expose oneself in
suggesting remedies to the risk of administering
poisons. Enchantment by means of any object
which has belonged to a beloved one is often a

THE LOVERS 25

magnetic operation leading to useless and yet
dangerous results; it is better to establish new
currents of force, to produce a void where satiety
exists, for the surest means of regaining the affec-
tion of man or woman is to bestow some signs of
love on another.

Consider the bodily and mental disorders which
result from solitude and its accompanying fluidic
congestions, due to want of equilibrium; — such are
nervous maladies, hysteria, hypochondriasis, megrim,
vapours, and insane delusions. It will be possible
also to understand the ailments of maidens, and of
women of an uncertain age, of widows and of celi-
bates. Inspired by the natural law now under con-
sideration, you may often predict the future course
of a life, and may cure many such ailments, often
by distracting the attention when unduly fixed, and
so may the Magus become as great a physician as
Paracelsus, or as renowned a Diviner as was Cor-
nelius Agrippa. You will come to understand the
diseases of the soul ; the fact that learned and chaste
persons often hunger after the pleasures of vice will
be noticed, and so will it be observed that men and
women steeped in vices turn at times to the consola-
tions of virtue; and thus you may predict, without
striking a blow, the occurrence of strange conversions

26 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

and of unexpected sins, and great astonishment will be
shown at your facility in discerning the most carefully
concealed secrets of the heart and home. Girls and
women may be by such means of divination shown
in dreams the forms of lover and husband; such
confidantes are potent auxiliaries in magic arts;
never abuse their position, never neglect their in-
terests, for they are good gifts to the Magus. In
order to possess an assured sway over the heads and
hearts of women, it is essential to obtain the favour
of both Gabriel the Angel of the Moon, and of Anael
the Angel of Yenus.

Certain female evil demons must be overcome and
cast down ; foremost of these are : —

Nah6mah, princess of the Succubi of the dreams of
men.

Lilith, queen of the Stryges, tempting to de-
bauchery, and destroyer of maternal desire.

Nah6mah presides also over illicit and sterile
caresses.

Lilith rejoices in strangling in their cradles chil-
dren whose origin has been soiled by the touch of
Nah^mah.

The truly wise master of the Kabalah understands
the concealed meaning of these names, and of such
demoniac evil powers, which are also called the

THE LOVERS 27

material envelopes or cortices, or shells of the Tree
of Life, soiled and blackened by the outer darkness ;
they are as branches which are dead, having been
torn off from the Tree, whence issue light, life, and
love.

Notes.

The Tarot Trump numbered 6, which is named
in French packs L'Amoureux, is commonly called in
this country The Lovers. The design shows the
Sun above, whence issues Cupid armed with a bow
and arrow; below is a man standing between two
women, who represent Virtue and Vice. The mean-
ings assigned by El. Levi are — equilibrium, anta-
gonism, union, interlacement, the conflict of two
triads.

P. Christian says : *^ In the Divine World this
card teaches the knowledge of good and evil ; in the
Intellectual World, the equilibrium of necessity and
liberty ; and in the Physical World, the relation of
cause and effect.

YII

THE CHARIOT OF HERMES— LE CHARIOT

The Chariot of Hermes has attached to its car a
white and also a black Sphynx ; each of these sym-
bolic animals propounds an enigma to the neophyte.
The word of the White Sphynx is Jachin. The word
of the Black Sphynx is Boaz. The former word here
signifies Love ; the latter word here signifies Power.
Samael guides the White Sphynx, Anael guides the
Black Sphynx ; because attraction is set up by con-
traries. Hermes, seated in the Chariot, touches the
Black Sphynx with the point of a sword of steel, but
the White Sphynx with a sceptre of gold.

It is after the type founded by the Thrice Great
Hermes that the Magus learns how to use the Magical
Wand and the Sword to control good and evil powers
and beings.

Evil beings fear the sword because their astral

forms are subject to wounds and to being severed by

such a weapon. White spirits obey the consecrated

THE CHARIOT OF HERMES 29

magical wand because of its correspondence to the
type of the Wand of the God-sent magician Moses.

Formation and Consecration of a Magical Sword.

The sword-blade of steel should be forged in the
hour of Mars, and new smith's tools should be used.
The pommel should be of silver, made hollow, and con-
taining a little quicksilver ; the symbols of Mercury
and Luna, with the monograms of Gabriel and Samael,
should be engraved upon its surface. The hilt should be
encased with tin, and should have the symbol of Jupiter
and the monogram of Michael engraved upon it; see
Cornelius Agrippa, De occulta PhzlosopJiia, liber iii.,
cap. 30. There should be a small triangular copper
plate extending from the hilt up the blade of the
sword a short distance on each side ; on these should
be engraved the symbols of Venus and Mercury.

The guard should end in two curved plates on each
side ; on these, the words Gedulah, Netzach upon one
side, and Geburah, Hod upon the other, should be
engraved ; and in the middle between them engrave
the Sephirotic name, Tiphereth.

Upon the blade itself engrave upon one side Mal-
kuth, and upon the other side the words Quis ut
Deus,

30 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

The Consecration of the Magical Sword must be
performed on a Sunday during the Solar hour and
under the invoked power of Michael. Drape the
Altar, prepare the Tripod, and burn therein the wood
of laurel and cypress, consecrate the fire, and then
thrust the blade of the sword into it, saying, " Elohim
Tzabaoth, by the power of the Tetragrammaton, in
the name of Adonai and of Mikael, may this sword
become a weapon of might to scatter the beings of
the unseen world, may its use in war bring peace,
may it be brilliant as Tiphereth, terrible as Geburah,
and merciful as Chesed." Withdraw the sword from
the fire, and quench it in a liquid composed of the
blood of a reptile mixed with the sap to be obtained
from a green laurel : then polish the blade with the
ashes of vervain carefully burned.

Formation and Consecration of the Magic Wand.

Choose the wood of an almond or nut tree which
has just flowered for the first time; the bough
should be cut off at one blow by the magical sickle.
It must be bored evenly from end to end without
any crack or injury, and a magnetised steel needle
of the same length must be introduced. One end
must be closed by a clear transparent glass bead, and

THE CHARIOT OF HERMES

the other end by a similar bead of resin : cover up these
two ends with sachets of silk. Fit two rings near the
middle of the wand, one of copper and one of zinc,
and supply two portions of fine chain of the same
metals ; roll them round the wand, and fix the ends
into the wand close to the ends. Upon the wand
should then be written the names of the Twelve Spirits
of the Zodiacal Cycle; their sigils should also be added.

Aries .

Sarahiel

Taurus

Araziel

Gemini

Saraiel

Cancer

Phakiel

Leo

Seratiel

Virgo .

Schaltiel

Libra .

. Chadakiel

Scorpio

Sartziel

Sagittarius

Saritiel

Capricornus

. Semaqiel

Aquarius

Tzakmaqiel

Pisces .
1 1 /-^

■T~»

. Vacabiel

Upon the Copper Eing engrave in Hebrew letters
from right to left the words " The Holy Jerusalem,"
H QDShH JEUShLIM ; and upon the Zinc Ring
engrave in Hebrew letters from right to left the
words ^^The King Solomon," H MLK ShLMH,
Heh Melek Shelomoh.

When the wand is complete, it must be conse-
crated by invocations of spirits of the Four Elements

32 THE MAGICAL RITUAL

and the Seven Planets by ceremonies lasting over the
seven days of a week, using the special incense and
prayers as already described for each day.

The consecrated Wand, and indeed all magical
implements, should be kept wrapped in silk, and
never allowed in contact with any colour but black ;
and it is well to keep them in a cedar or ebony box.

With this Wand duly made and fully consecrated,
the Magus can cure unknown diseases, he may en-
chant a person, or cause him to fall asleep at will,
can wield the forces of the elements and cause the
oracles to speak.

Notes.

In this chapter L6vi describes the Tarot Trump
No. 7, the Chariot; in his Rituel he assigns its
meanings, as — Weapon, sword, sacred septenary,
triumph, royalty, priesthood.

In respect to this card P. Christian writes that
in the Divine World it refers to the dominance of
spirit over natural force ; in the Intellectual World,
Priesthood and authority; in the Physical World,
the submission of matter to the intelligence and
will-power of man.

This seventh key is figured in Levi's Rituel in a
full-paged plate facing page 332.

YIII

JUSTICE— LA JUSTICE

You must never forget that the priest is a king, and
the wise man is a judge. There are in this world
both the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich,
there are both the ignorant and the learned. The
former are ever the servitors of the latter ; but if the
former do their works worthily they thereby become
worthy of admission to the concourse of masters,
while the useless servants are to be cast away. It
is well, therefore, to teach men how to serve well, so
that they may come forward into a place of power.
All things upon this world, and all below the surface,
belong to the domain of man.

Created beings roar, groan, hiss, coo, and weave
around man as a centre; man alone speaks to his
fellows and to God ; and the voice of God upon earth
is spoken through man. The science of life is written
in the Book of Nature, but man alone can read it.
The wise and powerful translate the words of this

33 C

34 THE MAGICAL RITUAL