Table of Contents
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR
I. THE MAGICIAN---LE BATELEUR
II. THE PRIESTESS---LA PAPESSE
III. THE EMPRESS---L'IMPERATRICE
IV. THE EMPEROR---L'EMPEREUR
V. THE POPE, OR HIEROPHANT---LE PAPE
VI. THE LOVERS---L'AMOUREUX
VII. THE CHARIOT OF HERMES---LE CHARIOT
VIII. JUSTICE---LA JUSTICE
IX. THE HERMIT---L'ERMITE
X. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE---LA ROUE DE FORTUNE
XI. FORTITUDE---STRENGTH---LA FORCE
XII. THE HANGED MAN---LE PENDU
XIII. DEATH---LA MORT
XIV. TEMPERANCE----LA TEMPERANCE
XV. SATAN---THE DEVIL---LE DIABLE
XVI. THE TOWER----LA MAISON DE DIEU
XVII. THE STAR----L'ETOILE
XVIII. THE MOON---LA LUNE
XIX. THE SUN---LE SOLEIL
XX. THE LAST JUDGMENT---LE JUGEMENT
XXI. THE UNWISE MAN---LE MAT
XXII. THE UNIVERSE---LE MONDE
THE KABALISTIC PRAYER
LATIN INVOCATION
PLANETARY CONJURATION
NOTE BY THE EDITOR
THE CONCLUSION. BY ELIPHAZ LEVI
OCCULT AND RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. FROM THE MSS. OF ELIPHAZ
LEVI
PREFACE BY THE EDITOR
This translation of a previously unpublished work by the late Alphonse
Louis Constant, or, as he preferred to call himself, Eliphaz Levi, is published
with the consent of its possessor, Mr. Edward Maitland, the eminent collaborateur
of the late Dr. Anna Kingsford, to whom it was given by the Baron Spedalieri,
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 alloted a period
of 354 years and 4 months. The Archangels are referred to the Planets of
the ancients, and their successive periods of dominion are taken in the
following order:----
Orifiel representing Saturn
Anael | Venus
Zachariel | Jupiter
Raphael | Mercury
Samael | 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) occured 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 AD
The Third reign of Zachariel began in 463 AD
The Third reign of Raphael began in 817 AD
The Third reign of Samael began in 1171 AD
The Third reign of Gabriel began in 1525 AD
The Third reign of Michael began in 1879 AD
Levi appears to have been deeply impressed with 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; 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. Volume 8.
Etteilla or Alliette. 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
meanings of the Tarot Trumps; but the whole chapter entitled "Le livre
d'Hermes," pages
332-384, is concerned with the subject. These Trumps are also allotted
to Lunar days at
pages 265-269.
Dogme de la Haute Magic. 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. 1860. 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 114-131.
Papus. Le Tarot des Bohemiens. English translation by Morton. George
Redway. 1896.
Wirth, Oswald. Le livre de Thot.
Waite, A.E. The Mysteries of Magic, a Digest of the Writings of Eliphaz
Levi. London. George
Redway. 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 Levi, nor of the Kabalah, may consider that, however interesting
the subject-matter of many of the following chapters, the connection between
the Tarot Trumps and the details given under each heading is but slight.
It must be understood that there is in all cases a direct relation between
the 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 Levi
in his Dogme and Rituel, 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 Levis 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 Levi to represent
the "Completion 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.
"The Mysteries of Magic, a Digest of the Writings of Eliphaz Levi, by
Mr. A. E. Waite, published by Mr. Redway 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.
I. 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.
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
imagination 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 religion 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 formulated
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
couplement 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 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 translations of word into
action, showing will power and persistence, seeing that they require more
constrained attention than silent prayer, or prayer expressed 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. Levi 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 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 Absolute 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.
II. 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 decorated the earth with flowers as an altar, He gave
mysterious properties to metals and plants, and He 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 essentials 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 knowledge 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 kingdom, 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 you.
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 AD 855, succeeding
Leo IV. Both Protestants and Roman Catholics have now rejected the story
as a groundless fiction. Levi, in his Dogme de la haute 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.
III. THE EMPRESS---L'IMPERATRICE
You should before all other things study and understand 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 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 particulars.
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 sunflower; you must use as a fumigating incense cinnamon, 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 afternoon and ten in the evening.
On Monday you should wear a white robe with silver ornaments, with a
collar of three rows consisting of pearls, crystals, and selenites; a tiara
yellow with the letters of Gabriel in silver. The proper perfumes are those
of camphor, white sandalwood, amber, and cucumber seeds; the garlands for
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 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 surrounding 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 additions 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 engraved with a consecrated tool, during the hours of Saturn,
a figure of the double-faced Janus.
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.
Levi 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.
IV. THE EMPEROR---L'EMPEREUR
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 Exorcisms 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 Man
the breath of life.
"The Spirit of God filled the universe; in it all things exist, and
in it is the Word of Power.
"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 sprinkling 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 consecrated. 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 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 hylae ut sit Sal celestis, Sal terrae et Terra salis,
ut nutrietur bos triturans, et addat spei nostrae cornua tauri volantis.
Amen."
Then this Latin prayer over the ashes from the censer:-----
"Revertatur cinis ad fontem aquarum viventium, et fiat terra fructificans
et germinat arborem jucunditatis, 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:-----
"Emittes Spiritum O Tiphereth, et creabuntur omnia nova in his ergo
sit semen venturi saeculi. Amen."
EXORCISM OF WATER
"All powerful Father, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose voice
is heard in the great waters, who 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 Kamako Baalim
Jehovah, thou whose altar, composed of the Twelve Jewels, is beneath 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. 81, 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 Rituel, p. 83, 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 adept
as auxiliaries to his will, by means of that universal astral fluid in
which they live. The kingdom 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 Rulers 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 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.
V. 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 Imagination. Ceremonies which are performed
without intelligence and without faith, in the absence of the higher aspirations
of the soul, are but superstitious 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 Regnum---the Divine
Kingdom----the Kingdom of God----is within us. I.N.R.I., Intra nobis Regnum
DeI; and hence also it is 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 the Universe, which is the Macrocosm. The Man whose Intelligence has
received culture can by his Will Power, exerted through the Pentagram,
control 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 nd 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.
This is the high and incommunicable TETRAGRAM traced in a Kabalistic
and Hermetic design. All initiates, even of the first grade, will at once
understand 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 Constantine.
This emblem naturally shows the word ROTA; but viewed in the light of
the Kabalah, 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 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 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. Levi 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.
VI. THE LOVERS---L'AMOUREUX
Ever bear in mind that Equilibrium results only from the opposition of
forces; the active has no existence without the passive; light without
darkness 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 such 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; 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 repulsion; 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 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 affection
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 celibates. Inspired
by the natural law now under consideration, 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 Cornelius 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 consolations of virtue; and thus you may predict, without
striking a blow, the occurrence of strange conversions 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 interests, 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 Venus.
Certain female demons must be overcome and cast down; foremost of these
are:-----
Nahemah, princess of the Succubi of the dreams of men.
Lilith, queen of the Stryges, tempting to debauchery, and destroyer
of maternal desire.
Nahemah presides also over illicit and sterile caresses.
Lilith rejoices in strangling in their cradles children whose origin
has been soiled by the touch of Nahemah.
The truly wise master of the Kabalah understands the concealed meanings
of these names, and of such demoniac evil powers, which are also called
the 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 meanings assigned
by El. Levi are----equilibrium, antagonism, 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.
VII. 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 symbolic 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 contraries. 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
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 containing 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 Philosophia, 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 Malkuth, and upon the other
side the words Quis ut Deus.
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 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 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.........................................................Vacabiel
Upon the Copper Ring engrave in Hebrew letters from right to left the words
"The Holy Jerusalem,"
H QDSHH JRUSHLIM ; 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 consecrated by invocations of
spirits of the Four Elements and the Seven Planets by ceremonies lasting
over the seven days of a week, using the special incense and prayers 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 enchant 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 Levi 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.
VIII. 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 book into creeds and symbols for the instruction of the feeble and
ignorant. When you speak to such as are like children, speak as to children.
Do not sell the secrets of wisdom, and do not divulge them to pander to
curiosity.
A man should form his opinions in freedom, and thus he may resemble
the ideal of divinity. Cast not the pearls of mystic science before those
of low and evil mind who have no knowledge, those whom the Testament calls
swine. To such persons, whether you speak the truth, or veil the truth,
there is but misunderstanding; deception haunts them, they estimate all
things by a faulty conscience. You may dazzle them by the glancing of the
sword, but do not let them approach the wand or clavicule. If you wish
to have no need to fear an evil person, make him fear you. Remember the
conduct of Moses before Pharaoh. Do not put faith in the benevolence of
a priest of idols, nor in the sincerity of a pretender to wisdom, for these
men will hate you as a destroyer of their livelihood and domination. Keep
a steady watch against being placed in danger by accepting the caresses
of a woman; remember how Samson was decoyed by Delilah. Do not be familiar
with any woman when alone with her, or in the dark; remember Orpheus and
Eurydice. Make yourself beloved of women, that they be made happier; but
never love any woman so much that you cannot be happy without her. As to
the beings of the elements, the love which they have for a Magus immortalises
them, whether Sylphs, Gnomes, Undines, or fiery Salamandrines, but the
love of such beings by a Magus is insensate and may destroy him. Be ever
intelligent and just to such elemental beings, and you will be rewarded
with happiness because of your good actions.
Notes
The Eighth Tarot Trump, named Justice, represents a seated female figure
robed and crowned, holding a sword in the right hand and a pair of scales
in the left hand. Levi gives as its meaning the equilibrium of attraction
and repulsion. P. Christian gives similar meanings, adding in the Physical
World it refers to Human Justice, which is always fallible and tinctured
with personal motives or personal emotions.
IX. THE HERMIT---L'ERMITE
When the adept has provided himself with the Magical Sword and Wand, he
yet needs a Magical Lamp whose beams will chase away all the phantoms of
darkness. (The Lamp is figured at p. 103 of the Rituel of Eliphaz Levi,
but does not quite correspond to the description here given.) Four metals
should enter into its composition: gold, silver, brass, iron. The foot
of iron, the knot of brass, the reservoir of silver, and a golden triangle
above this, and erect in the middle; from each side springs an arm composed
of three tubes of gold, silver, and brass, twisted together; there are
nine wick burners, three on each side arm, and three above the triangle
over the reservoir; upon the iron foot is engraved an Hermetic triangle,
with the symbols of Mercury above, Sol and Luna below; around the rim of
the semiglobular base is fixed a brazen serpent; and above the globular
part, between it and the brazen knot, there should be an androgyne figure
with male and female heads, whose arms are stretched over the globe. Engrave
diverse forms on the brass knot; and upon the silver cup must be placed
the Hexagram with the letters of the Tetragrammaton in its centre. Upon
the golden triangle above engrave a God surrounded by rays, as a symbol
of the fecundity of the infinite and eternal. On each side of the reservoir
for oil, fix a ring, and hang chains to these rings----one of silver, one
of iron; by these chains the lamp may be suspended, or carried by the magician.
The wicks for the burners should be of new linen threads, but dyed, the
three on the right blue, the three on the left red, and the three middle
wicks gold coloured.
The Lamp should be lit from a consecrated fire, but the greatest effect
arises when the Lamp burns without wicks and without oil; lighted only
by the Lux of the Universal Fluidic Agent, or by one of the material elementals
of Water.
The light of this Magical Lamp should work marvels, it should illuminate
the consciences of men and women so that you may read them, and should
enable you to recognise each type of spiritual being. The magician should
not attempt any serious ceremonial until he has grasped the Wand, and illumined
the Lamp; just as in common life, if you want to walk safely in the dark,
you must carry a candle and try the ground before you with a staff.
Notes
The Tarot Trump numbered 9 is named the Hermit. It represents an aged
man enveloped in a mantle leaning on a staff, and carrying a lantern. The
alloted meanings are wisdom, goodness, and morality, according to Eliphaz
Levi in his Rituel.
P. Christian writes: "In the Divine World the meaning is absolute wisdom;
in the Intellectual World, prudence; and in the Physical World, circumspection,
the proper guide of human actions."
The Magical Lamp is figured by Levi in his Rituel at p. 103.
X. THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE---LA ROUE DE FORTUNE
The Wheel of Ezekiel is the type on which all the Pantacles of the Higher
Magic are designed.
When the adept is in the blessed possession of a full knowledge of the
powers of the Seal of Solomon, and of the virtues of the Wheel of Ezekiel,
which is indeed correspondent, in its entire symbolism, with that of Pythagoras,
he has sufficient experience to design talismans and pantacles for any
special magical purpose.
The Wheel of Ezekiel contains the solution of the problem of the quadrature
of the circle, and demonstrates the correspondences between words and figures,
letters and emblems; it exhibits the tetragram of characters analogous
to that of the elements and elemental forms. It is a glyph of perpetual
motion. The triple ternary is shown; the central point is the first Unity;
three circles are added, each with four attributions, and the dodekad is
thus seen. The state of universal equilibrium is suggested by the counterpoised
emblems, and the pairs of symbols. The flying Eagle balances the man; the
roaring Lion counterpoises the laborious Bull.
Kether, the Crown; Tiphereth, Beauty; and Yesod, Foundation, form a
central axis; while Wisdom, Chokmah, equilibrates with Understanding, Binah;
and the Severity of Justice, Geburah, makes a counterpoise with the Mercy
of Justice, Chesed; similar conceptions are the contests between Eros and
Anteros, between Jacob and the Angel, Samael and Anael, Mars and Venus.
The Philosophic Cross and the Greek monogram of Christos are comparable
also to this magical wheel.
In order that a consecrated talisman shall give real help to you, it
must be well understood, and the correspondences realised; for a pantacle
is an ideal materialised, made visible, made portable, and may contain
as much knowledge as a book. It is an image of some part of God and His
works, it is as a card of the eternal kingdom.
Consider well the aim to be accomplished, and the powers to be invoked;
select the symbols, emblems, and letters with the greatest care, seeking
Chokmah and Binah from that spark of the Divine which overshadows you,
and then trace, mark, or engrave your chosen design upon a plate of gold,
silver, or of Corinth brass, or cut it on precious stones, or draw it upon
virgin parchment. When the work has been skillfully and accurately finished,
then submit it to consecration with prayers and invocations of the Four
and of the Seven, using suitable perfumes in the incense; after which wrap
up the talisman in clean silk and place it in a cedar casket, and it will
be effectual to carry it always about with you.
Notes
The Tarot Trump marked 10 is named the Wheel of Fortune; the card shows
a wheel supported on two upright beams. Hermanubis stands on one side,
and Typhon on the other; above is the Sphynx holding a sword in its Lion's
jaws. Eliphaz Levi alleges that Etteilla, who made a superficial study
of the Tarot, is answerable for a more modern form of this card, in which
the beings around the wheel are a man, a mouse, and a monkey.
The meanings of this Trump are said to be paternity, virile force, manifestation,
and principle. P. Christian remarks that on the Physical plane the card
points out the varying changes of the so-called fate or fortune.
This key is figured by Levi in his Clef des grands mysteres, page 117.
XI. FORTITUDE---STRENGTH---LA FORCE
Listen now to the secret of strength. A constant dropping will wear away
a stone, and in the end will perforate it. The aim to which you ever devote
your will power will be at length attained; you begin to succeed as soon
as you begin to will success. Real will power is not a privilege in the
hands of the multitude. To exercise true will power you must be free; no
one of the multitude is free; to be free is to be the master of your life,
and over others. To learn how to will is to learn how to exercise dominion.
But to be able to exert will power you must first know; for will power
applied to folly is madness, death, and hell.
To mistake the means for the end is an absurdity.
To mistake for the end that which is not even a means is the acme of
absurdity.
You are the master of all the events you can overcome. Things for which
you have an imperious need are masters over you.
Things you possess the right to desire, you have the power to obtain.
You must be ever watchful in the exercise of your will, and be heedful
that you do not fall into a position of dependence from want of exertion,
from simple idleness.
Men who are to contend together in a race must go through a long and
severe training.
Magical ceremonies may be regarded as a sort of gymnastic exercise of
the will power, and for this reason all the great teachers of the world
have recommended them as proper and efficacious. In any religious sect
only those who carry out the external observances are reckoned as real
supporters of the cause.
The more one does, the more one can do in the future.
To live a life guided by the caprice of the moment is to lead the life
of an animal; this may conceivably be a life of innocence, but it is a
life of submission.
Those who watch, those who fast, those who pray, those who refrain from
pleasure, those who place body at the command of mind, can bring all the
powers of nature into subjection to their purposes. Such as these are the
world's masters; such men alone do works which survive them.
Never confound the slaves of superstition and fear with such masters
of nature.
To abstain from pleasant things through fear is to enslave the will;
such conduct tends to lower rather than to raise your position.
To live like an anchorite, without the superstitious ignorance which
leads him to such a course of life, this is wisdom indeed, and power is
the reward.
Notes
The Eleventh Tarot Trump represents an erect female figure, robed and
crowned, closing with her naked hands the jaws of a furious lion, and yet
showing complete ease and self-possession. Its meaning is persevering strength
and indomitable energy. Christian considers that it typifies that Principle
which underlies the exhibition of power, and then Moral Force, and lastly
Physical Force.
XII. THE HANGED MAN---LE PENDU
The number Twelve completes a cycle, and this highly mystical Trump represents
the Completion of the Great Work. This startling design might be also represented
by a cross above a triangle within a Tau, that is, by four multiplied by
three and enshrined in a Universe.
The pack of Tarot Cards, otherwise the Book of Taro---which word is
an anagram of Rota, a wheel or cycle---consists in truth of a magical,
hieroglyphic and kabalistic alphabet, to which are added four decades,
and four quaternions, which enshrine the mystic significance of the Wheel
of Ezekiel. The true aim of the Great Work is to volatilise the fixed after
having accomplished the fixation of the volatile.
By a mystical rectification and a subsequent sublimation is the Universal
Medicine to be obtained, and so is also the art of the Transmutation of
metals; by which art indeed even the most gross and impure substances may
be at once changed into pure and living gold. But no one will succeed in
this magical transmutation until he has learned to despise earthly riches,
and is content with the holy poverty of the true adept. So, then, if any
one attains to this sublime secret, he will treasure it with almost superhuman
care, and it will so never be divulged to any other human being; it must
be self attained. The secret matter of the Philosopher is composed of volatilised
Salt, of Mercury which has been fixed, and of purified Sulphur; this perfected
Matter is the Azoth of the philosophers. The Salt is only to be volatilised
by condensation from the Seven rays of Sol, which are the respective soul
essences of the seven metals. The Mercury is fixed by saturation with the
Solar essence. The Sulphur is purified by the heat of the Seven luminous
rays.
When a man is fully initiated he has a knowledge of all those processes,
and he knows that he holds these secrets under the penalty of death. The
Taro can preserve you from the danger of such punishment, by rendering
you incapable of the commission of such a crime. Remember the histories
of Prometheus and Tantalus. The former stole the sacred fire from heaven
and transferred it to the earth. The latter violated the privacy of nature
to seize the secrets of divinity. Remember also the fate of Ixion, who
attempted to ravish the Queen of the Sky. Remember also the Cross and the
Stake. Ponder over the long martyrdom of Raymond Lully, the inconceivable
sufferings of Paracelsus, the madness of William Postel, the wandering
life and miserable end of Cornelius Agrippa. Love God, gain wisdom, and
preserve unutterable silence.
Notes
The Twelfth Tarot Trump, named the Hanged Man, is the most closely veiled
of all Tarot hieroglyphics. Its real meaning is now known to but very few;
there is the gravest doubt whether Levi knew it himself. Papus, who has
produced a work on the Tarot, gives a clearly faulty explanation. Neither
Etteilla nor Court de Gebelin grasped the hidden meaning. But its significance
has in some cases been found by clairvoyant visions, and in a few by intuition.
The key is held by such as know rightly to which Hebrew letter it belongs
and the correspondences of that letter.
The picture shows a man with his hands tied behind his back, and a rope
is seen tied around his ankles, the other end being attached to a beam,
so that when the card is held with its number at the top, the man appears
to be hung up by his feet. Levi in his Dogme gives the following statement:-----
"This hanged man, then, is the Adept bound by his engagements, spiritualised,
as is shown by his inverted position. He is Prometheus subjected to everlasting
torture as a punishment for his glorious theft; or similarly he is Judas
the traitor, and his sufferings threaten any one who should reveal the
Great Arcanum. Lastly, to the Kabalist, this hanged man, who corresponds
to his twelfth dogma, that of the Promised Messiah, is a protest against
that Saviour whom the Christians worship, and they seem to be still saying
to Jesus, 'How canst thou save others, thou who couldst not save thyself?'
"
XIII. DEATH---LA MORT
An effort must now be made to learn the truth concerning the greatest and
most consoling, yet also the most formidable of the Minor Arcana----concerning
Death. Now, in truth, Death is but a phantom of your ignorance and fear.
Death has no existence in the Sanctum Regnum of existence. A change, however
awful, demonstrates movement, and movement is life; those only who have
attempted to check the disrobing of the spirit have tried to create a real
death. We all are dying and being renewed every day, because every day
our bodies have changed to some extent. Be troubled lest you soil and tear
your bodily raiment, your coat of skin, but fear not to leave it aside
when the time has come for a period of repose from the work of this world.
Leave not your material garment for ever, until the time for your departure
has come; that is, destroy not your own life, for it may be that you would
awake to find yourself naked, chill, and ashamed: it may be too that such
a corpse feels its own necropsy. Do not attempt to preserve the bodies
of the dead, let nature do her work at once; let there be no worship of
a dead body, for it represents but the ragged old clothes of a life.
Do not grieve for the beloved dead, for they are even more alive than
you. If you regret the loss of their affection and support, you may still
love their memory, and waft messages to them, and perchance may receive
an answer; for by the aid of the Keys of Solomon the barriers of the thither
world, the plane of disembodied beings, and even of the heaven, may be
raised for a moment.
Understand well that the life-current of the progress of souls is regulated
by a law of development, which carries the individual ever upward, and
there is no tendency to a natural fall. Souls shall only fall who elect
to descend and choose the evil rather than the good. The material plane
on which you live is a prison to you, and if souls fall and come back to
it, they become again imprisoned.
If you desire to communicate with those who have passed on, you must.
But be warned in time against many deceptions, for your fancied souls
in heaven may be but phantoms of the air; elementaries, shadows of humanity
energised by elemental beings; mere senseless astral forms, and of no more
value than the mirage of dreams.
Necromancy, and Goetia, which is Evil Magic, do produce such shells
and demons, apparitions of deceit. If, however, you are an adept of the
True White Higher school, you will at all times condemn and challenge the
practice of such fatal science.
The only possible mode of communion with souls of a higher sphere, who
have passed beyond the terrestrial aura by reason of the change called
Death, is by dream or ecstasy; but on waking to common consciousness there
will be no recollection present in the mind of what has passed, because,
owing to the change of plane, each idea necessarily suffers a change of
form---a recurrence of the dream, or a return to the ecstasy, recalls what
has gone before.
It is a curious fact that most persons fail to remember anything of
good and happy dreams, even althought they do often recall dreams of sin
and folly and absurdity; the reason being that these latter are more closely,
and good ideals are less closely, related to our very materially minded
lives on earth.
Now if the purely minded adept and pupil of the Higher Magic does seriously
aspire to communion with a soul on the plane above him, the true way is
as follows.
But again you must take warning that unless the aspirant is pure, and
the strong with health, and wise in procedure, there will be grave risk
of disordering the mind, or of catalepsy, or even of death.
Every puerile and commonplace thought must be banished from the mind,
for if this be not done, and if a ceremony of such awful solemnity be entered
upon lightly, frivolously, or from a vain curiosity, there will come a
moment when the dread "King of Earth" will appear and punish. The mind
and emotions must then be raised to a pitch of sublime exaltation proceeding
from a pure and disinterested love. Bring to remembrance all the sweet
sayings of the departed one, formuate her aims and good efforts, collect
around you all that belonged to her and reminds you of her face, form,
and personality. Observe the dates of her birth and death (and of any special
events which have drawn you two together); choose such a day. Prepare for
this date by daily retiring to a quiet room, if possible where she has
lived, or where she has been, and pass an hour there in darkness, or at
least with the eyes shut, pondering over her words and ideas, conversing
in imagination with her as listening to her conceived answers. When the
day comes near you must for seven days, and should for even fourteen days,
abstain rigorously from useless communications with other persons, from
follies, from demonstrations of affection to all others, and from every
form of physical and mental excess; take but one meal a day, and drink
no stimulant nor narcotic liquids.
When the fateful day has come, take a portrait of the beloved one, a
sun picture is the best (photograph), or if a painting, it should be one
executed with the greatest care and detail. With great care and delicacy
prepare the room and the collected objects which have belonged to the deceased,
make them all spotlessly clean, and give especial care to the portrait;
place it in a good position, and decorate the frame with the flowers she
loved. During the day you should pass several hours in the chamber alone,
seated in contemplation of the portrait and the ideas and reminiscences
of the dead friend.
When the even has come you must bathe, and clothe yourself in clean
linen, and put on a white mantle. Enter the sacred chamber, fasten the
door and perform the Conjuration of the Four Elements. Upon a chafing-dish
you then burn wood of the laurel, with aloes and incense. There must be
no other light in the room. When the wood and incense have burned down
and the fire is at the point of extinction, then in a deep and solemn voice
call three times in succession upon the name of the beloved dead one. This
you must do with all your force of heart and of spirit, with intense will
power; close the eyes, cover them with the hands, sink on your knees and
pray.
Then at last, after a solemn pause, call softly and with sweet voice
the name of the loved one three times; and open your eyes, and see----------.
Notes
The Tarot Trump, No. xiii., is named Death, and represents a human skeleton,
armed with a scythe, mowing the grassy soil, upon which are seen human
remains. To this Levi in his Rituel assigns the meanings dominion and power,
rebirth, creation, and destruction.
P. Christian writes: "In the Divine World the meanings is constant change
of form; in the Intellectual World, the ascent of human spirit to divine
spheres; and in the Physical World, natural death following decay of the
material envelope."
XIV. TEMPERANCE----LA TEMPERANCE
If you desire long life and health avoid all excesses, carry nothing to
extremes. Once more preserve the equilibrium; you must neither abandon
yourself to the benignities of Chesed, nor restrict yourself to the rigours
of Geburah.
So when you have passed beyond the mortal sphere by the allurements
of ecstasy, return to yourself, seek repose and enjoy the pleasures which
life supplies for the wise, but do not indulge too freely.
If you feel fatigued by the tempting fascination of a prolonged fast,
then take food and drink; but if you have loss of appetite from generous
diet, then fast by all means. If you are feeling the seductiveness of womankind,
seek relief from women.
You must learn to overcome all passions, and conquer all tendencies
to folly. But let there be no misunderstanding. To vanquish an enemy there
must be no running away: true victory can only follow meeting him face
to face, joining in a struggle, and so showing your command over him.
It is related of Paracelsus that he became intoxicated daily, and sobered
himself by violent exercise; thus he was found strong as a man with sangfroid,
and yet possessing all the animation of alcoholic stimulation.
You should repose for as long a period as is expended in the preparations
for and in the actual operations of magic; spend the hours of rest upon
the bosom of Mother Nature, and in the chaste embrace of Nature's sweet
restorer, Sleep.
Pass alternately from the triangle to the circle, and from the circle
to the triangle.
Temperate the wine with wter, and rectify the water with wine. Wine
is the emblem of Truth; yet it is not well to pour out either, in pure
form, to ordinary men and women; some dilution with water is very desirable.
Know that the Luminous Septenary has as its enemies, and as obstacles,
but acting also in some ways as auxiliaries, a Dark Septenary of averse
forces.
If a man abuses the high forces of the Septenary of Powers, his errors
form the Seven Capital Sins.
Give but little wine to the one who easily gets intoxicated; and, in
like manner, give but little occult instruction to those who make light
of it, who abuse instead of use, and so change truth into error.
Notes
The Fourteenth Tarot Trump, named Temperance, shows the Angel of Occult
Wisdom and Power holding a goblet in each hand, and pouring from one into
the other the two essences whose union form the Elixer of Life.
Levi in his Rituel assigns to this card the meanings of the heaven of
the Sun, temperatures, seasons, motions, and the chances and changes of
life.
P. Christian remarks that the figure represents the genius of the Sun;
in the Divine World, the perpetual alterations of life; in the Intellectual
World, the creation of ideas which constitute the moral life; and the Physical
World, the combinations of natural forces.
XV. SATAN---THE DEVIL---LE DIABLE
Come hither now and let us consider without fear this great one, the bugbear
of the Christian creed, this ghost of Ahriman, the monstrous androgynous
sphynx of Mendes; it is the synthesis of unbalanced forces---a Demon.
The Devil is truly Blind Force. If you help the blind, you may be served
by him; if you let the blind lead, you are lost.
Each element and every number has its demon, because each element and
every number enshrines a force which ignorance may put to evil purposes.
The same sword by which you defend your father, may also slay him.
Know then that the demonic force of each entity must be conquered by
knowledge and good purpose. Avoid darkness where demonic power prefers
to manifest; fight it in broad daylight, and fearlessly. The Devil, one
day, desiring to stop the progress of an adept, broke one wheel of his
chariot; but this true adept compelled the Devil to curl himself up on
the wheel and act for the time as its tire, and so drove on, reaching his
destination even sooner than he would have done if the Devil had let him
alone.
Meditate deeply on this old allegorical epigram, Aude et Tace, and when
you have seized its occult sense, tell no other of your success.
The symbolic representation of the Devil shows a multiple, disharmonious
and anarchic sort of sphynx, typical of confusion and disorder. Note this
maxim:----A devil is a magnetic current consisting of a concourse of blind
and perverse wills.
When certain superstitious mystics relegated intelligence and reason
to the Devil, they reversed the Absolute. That is to say, they chose as
their God him who was truly the Devil, and they attributed the malice of
Satan to the True God.
There is no child with even ordinary sense who is not more learned than
the Devil.
The Devil is even of lower grade than the beings of the Elements. He
is doubtless more powerful, but he is as blind as poor Samson became. But
to enable the Devil to pull down the pillars of a temple, you would have
to lead him to the pillars and say to him, There they are.
No true Magician ever made any attempt to evoke the Devil, for he knows
where the Devil is always to be found; but he may order the Devil to work----and
the Devil obeys.
In Black Magic, the Devil means the employment of the Grand Magical
Agent for a wicked purpose by a perverted Will.
Notes
The Fifteenth Tarot Trump is said by Levi to be the only one that Etteilla
understood. This Etteilla was an illumine hairdresser who published a work
on the Tarot, making grave alterations of the designs collected by Court
de Gebelin, a much more reliable authority. His true name was Alliette.
The card shows an altar upon which stands a demon in human form, to
which are added horns, long goat ears, and bat-like wings; he holds a torch
in his left hand; two smaller demons, one male the other female, stand
on the ground beside the altar. Some authors say the figure is that of
Baphomet, the idol which the Knight Templars were said to worship.
Christian alleges that this demon represents the Typhon of Egypt, the
genius of misfortune; and as related to the three worlds it refers to Predestination,
Mystery, and Fatality.
XVI. THE TOWER----LA MAISON DE DIEU
Do you know why the Fiery Sword of Samael is stretched over the Garden
of Delight, which was the cradle of our race?
Do you know why the Deluge was ordered to efface from the earth every
vestige of the race of the giants?
Do you know why the Temple of Solomon was destroyed?
These events have been necessary because the Great Arcanum of the Knowledge
of Good and of Evil has been revealed.
Angels have fallen because they have attempted to divulge this Great
Secret. It is the secret of Life, and when its first word is betrayed,
that word becomes fatal. If the Devil himself were to utter that Word,
he would die.
This Word will destroy each one who speaks it, and every one who hears
it spoken. If it were spoken aloud in the hearing of the people of a town,
that town would be given over to Anathema. If that Word were to be whispered
beneath the dome of a Temple, then within three days the Temple doors would
fly open, a Voice would utter a cry, the divine indweller would depart,
and the building would fall in ruins. No refugee could be found for one
who revealed it; if he mounted to the topmost part of a tower the lightning-flash
would strike him, if he tried to hide himself in the caverns of the earth,
a torrent would whirl him away; if he sought refuge in the house of a friend
he would be betrayed; if in the arms of the wife of his bosom, she would
desert him in affright.
In his passion of despair he would renounce his science and knowledge,
and, condemning himself to the same blindness as did OEdipus, would shriek
out----"I have profaned the bed of my mother."
Happy is the man who solves the Enigma of the Sphynx, but wretched is
he who retails the answer to another.
He who has solved the secret and guards its secrecy is as the "King
of Earth"; he disdains mere riches, is inaccessible to any suffering or
fear from destiny, he could await with a smile the crash of worlds. This
secret is, moreover, profaned and falsified by its mere revelation, and
never yet has a just or true idea came from its betrayal. Those who possess
it have found it. Those who pronounce it for others to hear have lost it----already.
Notes
The Tarot Trump numbered 16, and called Le Maison de Dieu upon cards
made on the Continent, is commonly known in this country as the Tower of
Babel. It represents a tower struck by lightning; two men are seen falling
headlong; these are said to be intended for Nimrod and his chief minister.
Levi assigns several meanings to this card; weakness, changes, subversions,
and the heaven of Luna.
Christian explains this card as meaning the punishment of pride, the
ruin of such as impiously attempt to penetrate the secrets of divinity,
and on the human plane, the occasional reverses of fortune.
XVII. THE STAR----L'ETOILE
You must become thoroughly acquainted with the planets and also with the
fixed stars. When their names are mastered, their influences must be learned;
you must discover the particular hours and in what sign the Psyche of the
World pours forth from her two goblets the waters of life like two rivers.
Learn both day and night hourse, in order that you may select such as
are most suitable for the work you wish to perform.
The midnight hour is marked by the special tendency toward the appearance
of phantoms. The first and second hours, which follow, are solemn and sad
for those who are ill or are sleepless. During the thrid hour the sufferer
from insomnia falls asleep; the fourth, fifth, and sixth are calm, and
lead to a healthy repose in sleep.
The seventh and eighth hours of morning are of a voluptuous nature;
the ninth, tenth, and eleventh are very suitable for works of friendship;
the mid-day hour is a time of heedlessness and languor in summer, and of
a sense of well-being in winter.
You should find your own particular Planet in the sky; your intuition
should guide you in discovering it; and when found you should salute it
with reverence every night that you see it shining down upon you. The genius
of this star must be invoked in your conjurations, and the allotted name
of the star may be worked out by means of the learned tables and Kabalistic
permutations designed by Trithemius and Agrippa.
You should then make a talisman of sympathy to connect the planetary
forces with yourself; make it of the metal of the planet which presided
at your birth (the lord of the ascendant of your natus); engrave upon this
plate of metal the sign of the Microcosm with the numbers of your name,
the numbers related to the planet or star, and the name of the genius.
When you are seeking divine inspiration gaze at your star, holding the
talisman with your left hand pressing it against your heart; if it be daytime,
or the star be invisible, gaze upon the talisman itself, and recite the
name of the genius or spirit of the star, three times.
When you see the star become brilliant and glitter in response to your
aspiration, be of good hope for success; but should it be seen to pale
at your glance, then be very prudent and take the greatest care of yourself.
Notes
The Tarot Trump numbered 17 is called the Star. It represents an entirely
nude female figure kneeling on land and sea, and pouring a liquid out of
a vase in each hand; the streams form a river at her feet. Above is str
of eight rays, and seven smaller stars surround it. There is a bushy tree
growing at her right side, and upon it the bird of Hermes has alighted.
The meanings given to this Tarot Trump by Levi are: Immortality, thought,
the influence of idea upon form, the heaven of the soul.
Christian gives us its meanings: Immortality, the internal illumination
which guides men to choose the better path, and hope. He says the figure
is represented nude to point out that even when man is robbed of all his
possessions, he may still retain hope.
XVIII. THE MOON---LA LUNE
The Moon exercises a very considerable amount of influence upon the magnetic
fluid of the earth, as is shown by the ebb and flow of the waters of the
seas; you should then examine carefully the effects of the influences of
the Moon in her several phases, and take note of the days and hours of
the Moon's course. The quarter of the New Moon is favourable for the commencement
of all magical enterprises; the first quarter gives an influence of heat,
the full moon an influence of dryness, and the last quarter a cold influence.
These are the special characters of the days of the Moon, distinguished
by the twenty-two Tarot Keys and the signs of the Seven Planets.
I. The Juggler, or the Magus. The first day of the Lunar course: the
Moon was created, says Rabbi Moses, on the fourth day.
II. The Gnosis, or La Papesse. The second day, whose genius is named
Enodiel, the fish and
birds were created; it is propitious for the works of occult science.
III. The Mother, or Empress. The third day saw the creation of humanity.
The Kabalists often
call the Moon by the name Mother, and allot the number three to her:
this day is propitious
for generation.
IV. The Despot, or Emperor. The fourth day is baneful, for on this day
Cain was born; but it is a
powerful day for unjust and tyrannical acts.
V. The Pope, or Priest. The fifth is a day of happiness; it was the
birthday of Abel.
VI. The Lovers, or the Struggle. Birth of Lamech, a day marked by contest
and anger; suitable for
conspirators and for revolt.
VII. The Chariot. Birth of Hebron; a day very propitious for religious
ceremonial.
VIII. Justice. Death of Abel; the day of expiation.
IX. The Hermit. Birth of Methuselah; a day of joy for children.
X. The Wheel of Fortune. Birth of Nebuchadnezzar; a day for conjurations
of plagues; a baneful
day: reign of brute force.
XI. Strength. Birth of Noah. The visions of the day are deceitful; but
children born this day are
healthy and long lived.
XII. The Hanged Man, the Tau. Birth of Samael; a day favourable for
Kabalah and prophecy, and
for the accomplishment of the Great Work.
XIII. Death. Birth of Canaan, the cursed son of Ham; an evil day and
an evil number.
XIV. Temperance. Benediction of Noah. On this day Cassiel of the hierarchy
of Auriel presides.
XV. The Devil, or Typhon. Birth of Ishmael; a day of reproof and exile.
XVI. The Tower. Birth of Esau and Jacob; the latter is predestined to
ruin Esau.
XVII. The Star. The Ruin of Sodom and Gomorrah; this day is under the
rule of Scorpio. Health
for the good, ruin for evil persons; dangerous when it falls on a Saturday.
XVIII. The Moon. Birth of Isaac; a day of good augury.
XIX. The Sun. Birth of Pharaoh; a day of danger.
XX. The Judgement. Birth of Judah; a day propitious for divine revelations.
XXI. The World or the Sphynx. Birth of Saul; a day for physical force
and material prosperity.
XXII. Saturn. The birth of Job.
XXIII. Venus. The birth of Benjamin.
XXIV. Jupiter. The birth of Japhet.
XXV. Mercury. The Tenth plague of Egypt.
XXVI. Mars. The passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites.
XXVII. Luna. The victory of Judas Maccabeus.
XXVIII. Sol. Samson carries off the gates of Gaza.
XXIX. The Tarot Trump called Le Fou, the unwise man; a day of abortion.
Notes
The Tarot Trump, No. xviii., represents the Moon in the sky letting
fall drops of dew; below is the land on which stand two towers, and between
them are a dog and a wolf; in the foreground is water in which a crayfish
is swimming.
The occult meanings ascribed to this trump by Lev are: The elements,
the visible world, reflected light and symbolism.
Christian says that the meanings are the abyss of the infinite; the
shadow which enshrouds the human ego when it accepts the rule of the instincts
unchecked by spiritual aims; and on the lowest plane, the assaults of hidden
enemies.
XIX. THE SUN---LE SOLEIL
The Sun is the centre and source of all high Magical force, and this force
nourishes and renews without pause that latent Light which is the grand
agent manifested in magnetism and vital energy.
The Sun is the central and yet universal magnet of the stars. It has
two poles, one possessing attractive force and the other repulsive force;
it is alone by the balance of these two energies that it maintains cosmic
equilibrium and universal motion. The Sun it is which bestows radiance
upon the planets and meteors, it is of the principle of Fire, and in this
world it is the source of phosphorescence of the sea and even of the scintillation
of the glow-worm. It is the heat of the Sun which constitutes the stimulant
essence of the generous wine from the fruit of the grape, and which brings
to perfection the luscious sweetness of all fruits. It is the Sun which
awakens the dormant energies of all beings in spring time, and which prompts
to the enjoyment of all the sweet mysteries of sexual love. It is the Sun's
force which courses in our veins and palpitates in our hearts, and it is
the light of the Sun which empurples our blood and makes it resemble the
purple redness of wine. The Sun is the sanctuary of spiritual beings who
have been loosed from the ties of earth life, and there is the blazing
tabernacle in which resides the Soul of the Messiah. You place your altars
where the Sun's rays fall upon them, and renew the sacred fires upon them
from its rays. When you consecrate a talisman or pantacle you open up a
path along which a solar ray may pass thence into it during the ceremonial.
When the adept seeks to heal the sick or relieve any pain he raises
his hands towards the Light and Heat of the Sun, and then lowering them
he touches the sick man, saying, "Be thou healed if thou hast faith and
will." The perfumed flowers and leaves to be used as incense should be
dried in the Sun's rays, notwithstanding the fact that flowers and leaves
gathered in darkness have more potency than those plucked by daylight;
because plants exhale their aroma in sunlight, and close up their pores
to preserve it during the absence of the creating rays. Gold is the special
metal of Sol, and it tends to augment the solar force in all with which
it is brought into contact.
A golden lamen applied to the forehead renders the mind more open to
and receptive of divine influences.
A golden talisman worn on the breast over the heart increases the force
of emotions which are good and benevolent, while it tends to banish impure
passions.
Notes
The Nineteenth Trump represents the Sun shining above in the heavens
and casting its rays upon two children, who stand holding each other's
hands; a wall of masonry is seen behind them. In some old cards this wall
is garlanded with flowers.
The meanings given elsewhere by Levi are: The Prince of the heavens,
the summit, the head: he remarks that some examples of this card show a
child mounted on a white horse and waving a scarlet banner. Christian believes
that this Trump represents the passage from earth life to that of the unknown
future.
XX. THE LAST JUDGMENT---LE JUGEMENT
These are the Privileges and the Powers of a Magus; and first are recited
the Seven Grand Privileges:---
Aleph. 1. He sees God and is able to commune with the Seven Genii around
the throne.
Beth. 2. He is above the influence of all pains and fears.
Ghimel. 3. He has authority over High Spiritual Powers, and can command
Infernal forces.
Daleth. 4. He is the master over his own life, and can influence the
lives of other men.
Heh. 5. He can never be taken unawares, nor weakened, nor overcome.
Vau. 6. He understands the reasons for the Present, the Past, and the
Future.
Zain. 7. He holds the secret of what is meant by the Resurrection from
the dead.
The Seven Major Powers are:------
Cheth. 1. The power of making the Philosopher's Stone.
Teth. 2. The possession of the Universal Medicine.
Yod. 3. The knowledge of the mode of Perpetual Motion, and of the Quadrature
of the Circle.
Kaph. 4. The power of changing any base matter into gold.
Lamed. 5. The ability to coerce wild beasts, and to charm serpents.
Mem. 6. To possess the Notorial Art and to have universal knowledge.
Nun. 7. The power of discoursing with knowledge and learning upon any
subject, even without previous study.
The Seven Minor Powers are:-----
Samech. 1. To know in a moment the hidden thoughts of any man or woman.
Ayin. 2. To compel any one to act with sincerity.
Peh. 3. To foresee any future events which do not depend upon the will
of a superior being.
Tzaddi. 4. To give instantly wise counsel and acceptable consolation.
Qoph. 5. To be always calm and content in the most grievous adversity.
Resh. 6. Never to feel love or hatred unless it is designed.
Shin. 7. To possess the secret of constant wealth, and never to fall
into destitution or misery.
These Privileges are the final degree of Human Perfectibility; these
are open to attainment by the elect, by those who can dare, by those who
would never abuse them, and who know when to be silent.
Tau. In conclusion, Magi can control the elemental forces, calm tempests,
heal the sick, and raise the dead. But these things are sealed with the
triple Seal of Solomon: initiates know of them, this is sufficient; as
to other persons, whether they deride you, or whether they are overcome
with fear at your audacity, what matters it to you?
Notes
Levi gives the whole of this chapter in his Dogme, pages 79-83, as a
quotation---perhaps from this treatise.
This Twentieth Tarot Trump shows, at first sight, a representation of
the judgement day. An angel blowing a trumpet and carrying a banner is
flying overhead. Below is seen a figure with his back toward the observer,
rising from a tomb. On each side is an imposing human figure, one male
and one female, who also seem to be rising from the earth. Levi gives as
its meaning the generative force of the earth, vegetable life, and eternal
life.
Christian describes this card as a symbol of the resurrection.
XXI. THE UNWISE MAN---LE MAT
Do not ally yourself either in affection or interest with any one who is
not an earnest student of the higher life, unless you can completely dominate
him, and even then be sure that you either recompense or chastise him according
to his deserts; for the profane person hears many truths, but understands
none; his ears are large but have no discretion. The profane passes his
life in giddy risks, deluded with vain desires, listening to imaginary
promptings, and with his eyes fixed on fancied sights. You may think he
is pleased with your aims, but the truth is that he is absorbed by his
own follies; the profane has no appreciation of the truth, and feels no
real affection. The profane is imprudent and shameless; he discloses things
which should be kept concealed, and attracts to himself brute forces which
may devour him. That which he most neglects is himself; he wears his vices
as a blazon, but they are an ever-present burden to him, yet he does not
recognise that they are a constant source of weakness. Make it a definite
rule of life always to avoid:----
1. Such as are ever judging and condemning their parents, who despise
their fathers and have no true affection for their mothers.
2. All men who show no courage, and all women who have not modesty.
3. Those who do not maintain their friendships.
4. Those who ask for advice, and then do not take it.
5. Those who are never in the wrong.
6. Those who are always seeking the impossible, and who are obstinately
unjust to others.
7. Those who, when danger is present, seek only their own safety.
All such persons are neither worthy of your confidence nor of your love.
Fear contamination from them; avoid then. Yet even as you yourself must
also avoid the follies of life, be careful not to put yourself in an attitude
of superiority to the conditions of existence merely from a false pride,
and never stoop to debase yourself to the level of the brute creation;
rise above the common ways of life, and never become the slave of custom
and conventionality. Treat the habits of ordinary life as others treat
the weaknesses of childhood. Amuse the crowd to prevent personal injury,
but never address it except in parables and enigmas; such has been the
mode of conduct of all the great Masters of Magic, and in such an attitude
there is wisdom.
Notes
We are now met by an unexpected difficulty, for Levi has written this
chapter No. 21, following the No. 20, the Judgement, without any notification
that the card referred to is not that numbered 21, which is the Universe,
but the sole unnumbered Trump of the set. Of other authors, some have numbered
the Universe Moon or Fool as 0 or as the 22nd. The fact remains that in
all packs the Universe is numbered 21, and it will in this tract be considered
after the next chapter, which clearly refers to it.
In this chapter, where an author refers so much to the profane, the
Trump Le Fou is clearly indicated. It represents a wayfarer walking along
a road and carrying a burden slung over his shoulder; he has a staff in
his right hand. Behind, he is attacked by a tiger which has alread fastened
on his clothing, while his face shows that he is as yet ignorant of its
attack. In his Rituel, Levi assigns to this trump the somewhat incongruous
meanings of the sensitive, the flesh, and eternal life.
Christian gives another description of this card. Instead of the design
described above, he says that the 20th trump should represent a blind man
carrying a wallet and coming into contact with a broken obelisk, upon which
is couched a crocodile with gaping jaws; the meaning assigned by him is
the inevitable punishment of sin. This blind man, he says, is the symbol
of humanity, which is the blind slave of matter. He numbers this card 0,
but places it between numbers 20 and 21.
XXII. THE UNIVERSE---LE MONDE
Do you now understand the Enigma of the Sphynx?
Do you know the thought which exists in its human head? the love which
pervades it woman's bosom? the labour denoted by the loins of the bull?
the struggle which the lion's claws can wage? the beliefs and the poesy
of its eagle's wings? Yes, you know that the Sphynx refers to Man.
But do you know that the Sphynx is one and alone, and remains unchanged,
while as to man,----is not each one a Sphynx of a different synthesis?
In some there is the head of a Lion, such as it drawn on talismans of Fire;
these are descendents of the Salamanders. Others have the head of a Bull,
or of an Eagle or Ibis. Each of these has its divine counterpart, and this
it is which the wise men of Egypt depicted in those hieroglyphic figures
which the profane scholars of our time find so ridiculous and misleading.
May they be forgiven from the recesses of the Tomb of the divine Hermes.
It is by reason of this diversity of divine inspiration, and its influence
over the human will, that the wise have formed such diversified pantacles
and talismans. All initiates have had faith in the efficacy of symbols
and emblems. How else could the Word be expressed without letters and characters,
and why should not letters and characters express the power of the Word
they represent.
Write the words "I love" upon a golden jewel and wear it upon the breast;
then every time you feel its touch, will not the idea of your love arise
in the mind? and I tell you that this jewel, magnetised by your will and
your faith, will deflect from you and will extinguish all the attacks directed
against you. If you pass through the heat of fire, this will be as a breeze
of fresh air to you. If you are in danger of drowning, this will bear you
up amid the waters. Never then condemn the use of amulets, pantacles, talismans,
and phylacteries. Unfortunate is the man who is not impressed by the appearance
of any image, and who does not bow his head before any symbol.
But each wise man should have his phylactery or talisman, as every Master
has his clavicule. Such are the talismans of Hermes; there are others of
Solomon, of Rabbi Chael, and of Thetel; there are other signs used by Paracelsus,
by Agrippa, and Albertus Magnus.
The symbols of Abraham the Jew gave rise to the emblematic designs of
Nicholas Flamel, which again differ from those of Basil Valentine and Bernard
of Treves.
All embody the same ideas, but according to the special form of consecration
speak another idiom of the language of the hieroglyphics.
If you become initiated you will at length make and vary your own talismans
and pantacles; you will choose the proper hours, select your perfumes and
compose your own invocations, upon the models you may find among the various
clavicules of Solomon. Ponder carefully over this axiom: "The man who addresses
to a Power unknown to him words which he does not fully comprehend, makes
a tenebrous prayer to the spirit of darkness; in other words, he invokes
the devil. All that happens in the world, that is devoid of justice and
right, has the devil for its author. Remember also that he who consults
the oracles abdicates in some part his liberty and makes an appeal to fateful
forces.
The true sage directs or corrects the oracle but he never consults it.
Saul was already conquered and lost when he consulted the Witch of Endor.
In the difficulties of life consult in preference the Sphynx.
Is it a decision that is needed, ask it from the human head.
Is it affection that you desire, ask it of the woman's breast.
Is it help and protection that you need, ask the Lion's claws to afford
it.
Are you poor and ignorant, invoke the power of the Bull, and work yourself.
Do the struggles of life weary you, take the Eagle's wings and raise
yourself on high above the earth.
The Sphynx only devours those who fail to comprehend her; she will obey
any one who has learned the answer to her riddle.
All the forces of Nature correspond to human forces, and are dependent
on the will in its sphere of action: constant use of will power extends,
the sphere of its action.
Man (and by man I do not intend either fools or profane persons)----man
is worth whatever he believes himself to be worth; he can do whatever he
believes himself capable of doing; he does whatever he really desires to
do; he may at length become all that he will to be.
He, who was not mad, and yet could say, "I m the only Son of God," was
the only Son of God. Examples of the past may be re-acted at any time:
the types are still existent, and can be brought again into action.
Would you become a Moses, or an Elias?
Would you re-live the career of Paracelsus or of Raymond Lulli? Then
learn all that they knew, put your faith in the doctrines they believed,
do the acts they did; while awaiting the result, be sober in body, calm
in mind, work and pray.
THE KABALISTIC PRAYER
Be favourable to me, oh ye Powers of the Kingdom Divine.
May Glory and Eternity be in my left and right hands, so that I may
attain to Victory.
May Pity and Justice restore my soul to its original purity.
May Understanding and Wisdom Divine conduct me to the imperishable Crown.
Spirit of Malkuth, Thou who has laboured and hast overcome; set me in
the Path of Good.
Lead me to the two pillrs of the Temple, to Jakin and Boaz, that I may
rest upon them.
Angels of Netzach and of Hod, make ye my feet to stand firmly on Yesod.
Angel of Gedulah, console me. Angel of Geburah, strike, if it must be
so, but make me stronger, so that I may become worthy of the influence
of Tiphereth.
Oh Angel of Binah, give me Light.
Oh Angel of Chokmah, give me Love.
Oh Angel of Kether, confer upon me Faith and Hope.
Spirits of the Yetziratic World, withdraw me from the darkness of Assiah.
Oh luminous triangle of the World of Briah, cause me to see and understand
the mysteries of Yetzirah and of Atziluth.
Oh Holy Letter s, Shin.
Oh ye Ishim, assist me by the name Shadai.
Oh ye Kerubim, give me strength through Adonai.
Oh Beni Elohim, be brothers unto me in the name of Tzabaoth.
Oh Elohim, fight for me by the the Holy Tetragrammaton.
Oh Melakim, protect me through Jehovah.
Oh Seraphim, give me holy love in the name Eloah.
Oh Chashmalim, enlighten me by the torches of Eloi and the Shekinah.
Oh Aralim, angels of power, sustain me by Adonai.
Oh Ophanim, Ophanim, Ophanim, forget me not, and cast me not out of
the Sanctuary.
Oh Chaioth ha Kadosh, cry aloud as an eagle, speak as a man, roar and
bellow.
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, Shadai.
Adonai, Jehovah, Ehyeh asher Ehyeh.
Hallelu-Jah. Hallelu-Jah.
Hallelu-Jah.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
This prayer should be made use of every morning and evening, and it
should be recited as a preliminary to all grand magical and Kabalistic
ceremonials; it should be recited when facing the orient with the eyes
raised to the heavens, or fixed on the Kabalistic emblem of the sublime
Tetragrammaton, which you will find drawn for your instruction on an accompanying
page.
So soon as you apply both body and soul to the Higher Magic you will
have to defend yourself against all the blind forces of the world and of
Hades. Earth will send the Bacchantes of Orpheus and the temptresses who
assailed Samson and Solomon, even the stones will rise up and hurl themselves
at you; Hades will send its Larvae and Phantoms to attack you. As a defence
you will possess the Divine Word, the aura, the magical sword, the magnetic
wand, the consecrated water, and the sacred fire, but above all the vigilant
power of your invocation.
If you are Royal you may rely upon revolts and counterplots to force
the spiritual powers to obey you. Perform the conjuration of the Four by
means of the Pantacle of Ezekiel, and proceed by the Septenary and the
Triadic method, and by the Pantacle of the Hexagram of Solomon, which latter
is the Symbol of the Macrocosm.
For the conjuration of the Tetrad, the Four, you bring into action the
powers of the four elements duly consecrated, and you must trace in the
air and upon the earth the pentagrams of fire and water; then make four
expirations of the breath, and recite----making the cross----Nicksa, Ghob,
Paralda, Djin.
Fluat udor per Spiritum Elohim.
Let the waters flow on, through the spiritual energy from Elohim, or
ye Undines must roll back throught the influence of this consecrated water.
Maneat terra per Adam.
Let the earth remain solid through Adam. Work, ye Gnomes, as I will,
or return to the earth in which I can imprison you by this Pantacle.
Fiat firmamentum per Elohim.
The firmament must persist through the Elohim. Submit, ye Sylphs, or
pass away by the current of my breathing.
Fiat judicium per ignem.
Let the decree be carried out by the Fire. Ye Salamanders, be calm,
or be coerced by the sacred fire.
You may formulate the Undine as an angelic form with the eyes of death;
the Gnome as a winged bull, the Sylph as an eagle chained, and the Salamander
as a gliding serpent.
LATIN INVOCATION
O caput mortuum impero tibi per vivium Serpentem
Kerub impero tibi per Adam
Aquila impero tibi per alas Tauri.
Serpens impero tibi per Angelum et Leonem.
The Conjuration of the Heptad----the Seven, is made with the Magical
Wand and fumigations by means of the Seven Planetary Spirits.
PLANETARY CONJURATION
In the name of Michael, whom Jehovah decrees to command Satan!
In the name of Gabriel, whom Adonai decrees to command Beelzebub!
In the name of Raphael obey Elohim, thou Sachabiel.
By Samael Tzabaoth, and by the name of Elohim Gibur, lay down thy weapons,
thou Adramelek.
By Zachariel and Sachiel Melek, submit to the power of Eloah, thou Samgabiel.
In the divine and human name of Shadai, and by the power of Anael, of
Adam and of Chavah, thou Lilith retire, leave us in peace, thou Nahemah.
By the holy Elohim, and by the power of Orifiel, in the names of the
spirits Cassiel, Schaltiel, Aphiel, and Zarahiel, turn back, thou Moloch,
there are no children here for thee to devour.
You must then trace in the air and upon the earth, with the Magical
Wand, the famous and powerful Hexagram, the Seal of Solomon.
The Conjuration of the Three is performed with the Tetragrammaton, pronouncing
three times in a deep sonorous voice the Three letters of the Great Name;
tracing in the air and upon the earth the signs of the four radii of the
Wheel of Ezekiel's Vision, with the words Yod, Heh, Vau, Heh, and then
make the sign of the Cross.
You should well understand that the names Satan, Beelzebub, and others
like them, do not mean spiritual personalities, but rather legions of impure
spirits.
My name is Legion, said the Spirit of darkness, because we are numberless;
in hell, the kingdom of anarchy, it is number which makes law, and progress
is inverse; for there the most degraded are the least intelligent and most
weak. Thus the law of fatality compels the demons to descend when they
believe and wish to rise; and so those whom I call the Chiefs are the most
powerless and the most contemptible of them all.
Those evil spirits which form the crowd, tremble before a Chief who
is unknown, impacable, and deaf, never speaking, and whose arm is always
raised to strike. To this phantom are given the names of Lucifer, Adramelek,
and Belial; but this phantom is but the shadow of God disfigured by their
perversity, and remains among them to torment and terrify them for ever.
Be guarded in the words you speak. Speak not of God, unless you are
illuminated. All the images which you create, whether of God or of other
ideals, remain imprinted on that luminous medium---the Astral Light of
the soul, and of the world; and there is that Book of the Conscience which
shall be opened and its records revealed in the Last Day.
Know that the Human Brain, although it receives, does not make any visible
record of impressions; otherwise they woud be engraved upon the grey matter
of the Brain and anatomists would see them there.
The nerve substance does not perceive and collect, by reason of this
essence (the Astral Light), the living and ineffaceable pictures of the
spiritual atmosphere which you evoke. You may even by sympathy, present
or past, with the desires, evoke the impressions of other persons; and
thus it is that you can communicate with those who are dead and even perceive
the bodily form they have thrown aside, and which they must retake when
the grand Consummation arrives and the world is transfigured.
To such as ask you where Paradise and Hell are situated, you should
answer: Paradise exists whereever you speak the truth, and do the right;
Hell is present wherever you speak that which is false, or do that which
is evil.
Paradise and Hell are not localities, they are states, and the contrasted
states will remain to eternity; even as good must ever remain in opposition
to evil; as the essential of a personality is opposed to that of Intelligent
Existence, which is Liberty.
The plastic universal medium, the unsubstantial substance, which is
light, motion, and life, this androgyne magnetic force, receives, preserves,
and communicates all the forms and images which are the impressions of
the Word: this it is which gives form and colour to plants; it is this
which stamps upon the fruit of a mother's womb the impress of her thoughts
and desires.
It is this which produces apparitions and the sensible visions of exaltation
and ecstasy when Superior Spiritual Powers communicate to us by the correspondences
of the Word, or when Inferior spirits seek to mount to our plane by sympathy
with our grosser passions.
There is no real isolation in this world, there is no point of form
and no variety of thought which has not its correspondence, item by item,
through analogy, with that which is above, as well as that which is below,
in the infinite and finite worlds. This is the true ideal of the mystical
Ladder of Jacob whose rungs are bound together by the two Pillars of Light,
and which provide for the unbroken circulation of Intelligence and Love
through the vast areas of the Universe.
Nothing entirely new happens under the Sun; causes lead to new causes
and effects precede these. Prophetic intuitions are but the result of a
consideration of the analogies between the past and the future, read in
that luminous volume composed of such mobile yet incorruptible characters
as are the waves of the sea.
Hence it follows, that to divine----is to see.
Each man bears his earthly future in his natural character, and he has
his character imprinted on his face and in his hands, in his natural movements,
in his glances and his voice.
Each personal will has at its disposal three modes of force----moral
power, instinctive power, and physical energy. Moral power is that solidarity
which exists between all truly spiritual souls; instinctive power is the
solidarity subsisting between the impulses and resistances of material
substances. To each of these forces there is a corresponding form of life.
The middle or Instinctive force acts upon us without our active participation
when our Moral force is in abeyance, and when one desires to give it free
play one must slumber, or at least sleep more or less.
There is a voluntary slumber, as there is an involuntary or physiological
sleep. Voluntary slumber is somewhat lucid, because it does not absolutely
break away from reminiscence.
Prophecy and Thaumaturgy are Natural faculties.
The Re-animation of the Dead in the case of certain men and under certain
circumstances is not a thing naturally impossible. At the moment of death
the soul finds itself free from, yet near, the earthy tenement it has just
left, and if the really vital organs have not been destroyed, it can be
recalled by one whose will has tremendous force. Death is only absolute
when the vital organs have lost their integrity.
Examples of re-animation are not infrequent, but when they occur the
occurance of death is denied, and the facts observed are explained by saying
that the person was only in a trance or lethargy.
To deny that death has occured in these cases may be permissible, but
public opinion should have the courage of its convictions and should always
deny it.
O thou who art now wise, thou hast been an infant; what has become of
the infant? it has passed away, but you still live.
You have been a youth, he has passed away, but you are still with us.
You were once a young man; what has become of that young man? you still
live. You are now a man of full years, or perhaps even an old man; what
will become of you, old man? You will die, but you will exist for ever.
Yet each of your stages of development has left its corpse, only you do
not happen to have seen it. Only believe then that your last corpse will
not be appreciable by you, and so you may rest in a peaceful immortality.
You have but to undergo one more transformation before you remount to
that source of life from which you once sprang.
Transformation results from eternal motion, which is the essential law
of vitality; check this and enforce a stability at any stage of evolution,
and you create a real death.
-
Behold thyself then, by natural law, immortal.
Would you then be for ever the slave of secondary causes, or will you
become their controller?
Will you submit to them, or will you choose the high alternative of
directing them?
If you will become a Master, set free your spirit by relying on the
Hermetic Stone, and exercise your Will Power through the Word transmuted
into action. Join to an Intelligence, really set free, an all-powerful
Will, and you will find yourself Master of the powers of the Elements.
L.P.D
Liberty, Power, Despotism. Power is correct equilibrium between Despotism
and Liberty. This is the solution of the Enigma of three letters which
Cagliostro the Initiate formulated to represent the Kabalah of political
and social stability.
Liberty is Chokmah.
Despotism is Binah.
Power beneficent is Kether.
Liberty is Gedulah.
Despotism is Geburah.
Power beneficent is Tiphereth.
Liberty is Netzach.
Despotism is Hod.
Power beneficent is in Yesod.
In the essence of the First Cause, Liberty has Necessity as a counterpoise;
this Necessity is the despotism of Supreme Reason, and resulting from this
equilibrium is a Wise and Absolute Power.
If you seek to be absolute, be first wise; and if you are wise, be then
absolute. To be a Master you must be free; to be free you must have attained
the mastery of yourself.
Liberty is Jakin.
Despotism is Boaz.
Power is represented by the Temple Gate which was between them.
Four phrases constitute and include all that is required for the possession
of High Magical Power.
To know.
To dare.
To will.
To keep silence.
Knowledge is represented by the Human head of the Sphynx.
Courage, by its Eagle's wings.
Will, by the Lion's claws, and the loins of the Bull.
Secrecy, by its stony silence and by the hidden answer to its enigma.
When the pupil has grasped the meaning of, and can carry into practice,
these four requirements, he may then receive permission to Love.
-
Every force corresponds to all forces, and may become all powerful in
the hands of one who knows how to direct and use it.
Each form of weakness has a similarity to all weaknesses, and may become
a slave to one who is strong and knows how to avail himself of it. Through
the knowledge of this secret, the Magus commands the forces alike of heaven
and hell, and they can but be submissive to his Will.
Realise clearly that an intelligence which is Free is of necessity both
just and wise. Nero and Caligula were possessed of despotic will, but their
intelligence was not free; intoxicated with absolute power, they were attacked
by vertigo. Absolute will power unguided by a right Reason is the quintessence
of the Devil; and here is the explanation of the secrets of Black Magic,
which leads to madness of mind and poisoning of body. Hence the sorcerer
is said to give himself to the Devil, and in the end the Devil will wring
his neck.
-
You will now need to learn the last secret of magical force and the
final grade of human will power.
It is Resistance to the Universal Attraction; this is the conquest of
nature, it is the Royal Authority of Soul over Body----it is Continence.
To have the power and opportunity to do what give pleasure, yet to abstain
because one wills it; this shows the Royal power of Soul over body.
Happy is the man who can be so placed, and yet so act: thus it is that
the most sublime use of liberty is absolute obedience. Without obedience
no society can continue to exist. This is why the Magi worshipped the Christ
in the stable at Bethlehem. Christ, that son of God, greatest of initiates,
and the last initiator.
But Christ had, as all great teachers have had, one teaching for the
people and also an esoteric doctrine.
To John, the beloved disciple, he confided the deepest mysteries of
the Holy Kabalah; and John in after years revealed or reveiled them in
his Apocalypse, which is indeed a synthesis of all earlier magical, prophetic,
and Kabalistic works.
The Apocalypse requires as its key or Clavicula the Wheel of Ezekiel,
which is itself explained by the hieroglyphs of the Tarot.
Notes
This final card, numbered 21 in the actual Tarot Trumps, and called
Le Monde, represents an angelic or human figure floating in the air, almost
nude, and holding a short wand in each hand. The figure is more female
than male. Around her is an oval garland of leaves, and outside of this,
at the four corners, are placed the Kerubic emblems of a man, lion, eagle,
and bull. This figure, says Levi, is Truth, and the mystical meaning is
the Microcosm, or the resume of all in all.
Christian draws the garland circular, and as formed of roses; the Kerubim
are placed at the four cardinal points, and not at the angles of the design;
he says its meaning is the Eternal Reward of a life well spent.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR
The very curious manuscript volume, from which the preceding pages have
been translated, concludes with a passage which appears to retract the
whole of the foregoing instruction. It is a very notable illustration of
the second mind of its author. Mr. Waite, who published an English translation
of much that Levi has written, has in his Preface called especial attention
to the evidence that Levi was drawn in a most mysterious fashion in two
different directions by opposing forces. From his early training he tended
to be a devout Catholic; from his Hebrew studies he became a Kabalist and
a Magician. So even in this short occult treatise we find him, after carefully
giving magical instruction through twenty-two chapters, making at its end
a solemn recantation, and pointing out that the duty of a Christian is
to the Church of Christ, which is the best and highest aim to which a man
can attain.
THE CONCLUSION. BY ELIPHAZ LEVI
One last word remains to be said. When the Temple is rebuilt, there will
be no more sacrifice upon its High places. Centuries have passed since
Hermes and Zoroaster lived and taught. A voice greater than that of the
Soul of the World has imposed silence upon the Oracles.
The Word has been made Flesh; a new symbol of salvation by holy water
has replaced the magical ceremonies of the day of Luna. The sacrifices
to Samael on the day of Mars are surpassed by the heroic severities of
penitence.
The sign of the Gift of Tongues and the Christian code have replaced
the sacrifices to Mercury.
The day once sacred to Jupiter is now devoted to the sign of the Kingdom
of God in man by the transubstantiation of love under the forms of bread
and wine.
Anael has vanquished Venus: Lilith and Nahemah are consigned to Hades,
and the sacred rite of marriage gives divine approval to the alliances
of men and women.
Lastly, extreme unction, which prepares a man for a death of peace,
has replaced the sad offerings of Saturn; and the priesthood of light gives
forth illumination on the day sacred to the Sun.
Glory be to the Christ, who has brought to their completion the symbols
of the Ancient Mysteries, and who has prepared the reign of knowledge by
faith. Will you now be greater than all Magi? Hide away your science in
the recesses of your mind. Become a Christian, simple and docile; be a
faithful servant of the Church, believe, mortify yourself, and obey.
OCCULT AND RELIGIOUS MAXIMS. FROM THE MSS. OF ELIPHAZ
LEVI
Every idle word is a fault.
Show your learning by your actions.
The Word is Life, and the First Principle of Life.
The quality of a life is shown by its actions.
An idle word is either without meaning or is of the nature of a lie.
An idle word in religious matters is a sin.
He who is content with idle words is as if he were dead.
He who does not make his worship manifest has no religion.
Better is superstition than impiety.
God judges actions rather than vain thoughts.
He who is religious will do works which accord with the Word of his
religion; he who has no religion and believes not in any word, yet he also
must be judged by his actions, for to every man shall it be according to
his works.
True religion is that which showeth a form of worship which is pure
and living; the perfection of worship, however, lieth in self-sacrifice,
which is complete and enduring.
The beauty of self-sacrifice is taught in the Church of Christ, Catholic
and Roman; and it is an article of faith, that any one who denies himself
and takes up this cross, and follows the Mediator to the Altar, assumes
at once the offices both of Priest and Victim.
No man ever saw God at any time.
Before the dawn of the Microcosm, Azoth was the Flying Eagle and the
Royal Lion; it was the Mastodon of the Earth and the Leviathan of the Sea.
When the human-headed Sphynx appeared---Azoth became Man among men, and
Spirits among Elementals. Every substance can and should become Azoth by
adaptation.
In Azoth is the Principle of the Light, which is the Quintessence of
Splendour and Gold. This is the grand Secret of universal Transmutation.
No man has ever seen the Light; but we see by reason of it those objects
which reflect the light.
There is nothing occult which shall not be known: there is nothing concealed
which shall not be revealed.
The Kingdom of God is within us.
Initiation passes from East to West.
Intelligence passes from South to North.
Power passes from North to South.
The Word is the garment of the Truth.
God wields not absolute, but regulated power.
To tell the Truth to those who cannot understand it, is to lie to them.
To unveil the Truth to such persons is to profane it.
