E L I P HA S L E VI S

T RA N S C E N D E N T AL MAG IC
TRA N S CE N DE N TA L M A G I C
I TS D OCTR IN E A N D RI T UA L

EL I P H A S LE VI

A C O M PLE TE TRANS L ATI O N OF

D O G ME E T R I TUE L DE LA HAU TE M AG I E

W I TH A B I OG RAP H I CAL PRE F AC E

A R TH U R E D W AR D W A I TE
AU T R OF DE IL
V WO R I IN
SH P
”
FRAN C E ETC ETC
HO , . .

I N A L E N G R A VI N G'
b
'

IN CL UD I N G A L L TH E OR I G

A N D A P OR TR A I T OF TH E A UTH OR

LO N D ON

GE ORGE R E D W AY

1 89 6
 B I O G RAPH I C AL PRE FACE

E LI PHAS L EVI ZAHED is a p se udo n ym which was adopted in

his o c c ul t writin gs by Alphonse L ouis C onstant and it is ,

said to be the Hebrew equivalent of that nam e The .

author of the D ogma t Ritu l de la H ut M a gic was

e a a e

born in hum ble circumstances about the year 1 8 1 0 being ,

the son of a shoemaker Giving evidence of unusual

.

intell igence at an early age the priest of his parish con

,

ce ive d a kindly interest for the obscure boy and got h im ,

on the foundation of S aint Sulpice where he was educated ,

without charge and with a vie w to the priesthood He

, .

seem s to have passed th rough the course of study at that

seminary in a way which did not disappoint the expecta
tions raised concerning him In ad dition to G eek and
. r

L atin he is believed to have acquired considerable knowledge

,

of Hebrew though it wo uld be an error to suppose that any

,

of his published works exhibit special linguistic attain ments .

He entered on his cleri cal novitiate took m inor orders and , ,

in due course becam e a deacon being thus bound by a vow ,

of pe petual celibacy S hortly after this step he was

r .
,

suddenl y expelled from S aint S ulpice for holding O pinions

contrary to the teaching of the Ro man C atholic C hurch .

The existing accounts of this expulsion are hazy and in ,

co rporate un likely elem ents as for example that he was

, , ,

sent by his ecclesiastical superiors to take duty in country

places where he preached with great eloquence what how
, ,

ever was doctrinally unsound ; but I believe that there is

,

no precedent for the preaching of deacons in the L atin

*

C hurch Pending the appea ance of the biog aphy which

. r r

has been for som e years promised in F ance we have few r ,

available m aterials for a life of the A bbé C onstant .

In any case he was cast back upon the wo l d with the

,
r ,

lim itation s of priestly engage ments while the priestly career ,

vi BI OGRAPHI CAL PREFACE

was closed to him —and what he did or h o w he contrived ,

to support hi mself is unknown By the year 1 8 3 9 he had , .

m ade som e lite ary f iendships including that of Alphonse

r r ,

E squiros the fo gotten author of a fantastic o m ance entitled

r r
”
, ,

The M agician a n d E squi os int oduced him to G a nn e a u r r ,

a distracted prophet of the perio d who had adopted the ,

dress of a woman abode in a gar et and there preached a ,

r ,

species of political illuminism which was apparently con ,

cerned with the esto ation of la w a fle lég timzté He was

r r
f
’

z
’

.
,

in fact a second incarnation of Louis XVII com e back

”
.
,

to ea th for the fulfilment of a work of regeneration T

r .

C onstant and E squiros who had visited h im f o the pur ,

r

pose o f sco fiin g were carried away by his eloquence and

, ,

becam e his di sciples S om e elem ent of socialism m ust have .

combined with the illum inism of the visionary and this a p ,

pea s to have bo ne fruit in the b ain of C onstant taking

r r r ,

shape ultim ately in a book or pam phlet entitled The Gospel

”
,

of Liberty to which a transient importance was attached

, ,

foolishly enough by the imprison m ent of the author for a

,

term of six months There is som e reason to suppose that .

E squi os had a hand in the production and also in the

r ,

penalty His inca ce a tion ove C onstant cam e fo th un

. r r r, r

daunted still cleaving to his p ophet and unde took a kind

,
r ,
r

of ap stolic mission into the provinces add essing the

o , r

country people and su ffering as he himself tells us

, , ,

persecution from the ill disp o se d i But the p ophet ceased -

r

M . Pa pus, a c o n t em o ra r p y F
lt ist in a n e x t en de d s tudy o f t h e
re n ch o c c u ,

D o c t rin e o f El ip h a s Lévi a sks sc o rn fully : , W h o n o w r e m e m b e rs a n y

t h i n g o f Pa ul Augn e z o r Esquiro s j o urn a li st s pre t en di n g t o i n i t i a t i o n a n d
,

p o si g s pro fe so rs o f t h e o cc ul t sc ie n c e s in t h e sa lo n s t h e y fre que n t e d ?

n a s
” ,

N o d o ub t t h e y a re fo rg o t t en but El iph a s L evi st a t e s in t h e H istoz r e ale la

’

, ,
,

M a g ic t h a t by t h e p ubli c a t io n o f h is ro m a n c e o f Th e M a gi c ia n ” E squiro s
,

fo un de d a n ew sc h o o l o f fa n t a st ic m a gi c a n d gives suffi c ie n t a c c o un t o f h is ,

w o rk t o sh o w t h a t it w a s in p a rt s e x c e ssive ly c urio us .

1 A wo ma n wh o wa s a ss o ci a t e d wi t h h is missi o n wa s in like ma n n er sup

p o se d t o h a v e b ee n M a ri e A n t o in e t te —
‘

, , ,

S e e H isto ir e d e l a M argie 1 c 5 ,
. . .

I A vi c io us st o ry wh ic h h a s re c e ived re c e n t ly so me publi c i t y in Pa ris

, ,

c h a rg e s C o n st a n t w i t h sp re a d i n
g a re p o rt o f h is de a t h so o n a ft er h is re l e a se
fro m pris o n a ssum in g a n o t h e r n a me imp o sin g up o n t h e Bi sh o p o f E ve ux
, , ,
 BI OGR PHI A CAL PREFACE vii

to p ophesy presu mably for want of an audience and la

r , ,

te lég timité was not resto ed so the disciple etu ned to

’

c ra z r ,
r r

Pa is whe e in spite of the pledge of his diaconate he

r ,
r , ,

effected a unaway match with M dlle N o émy a beautiful

r .
,

gi l of sixteen This lady bore him two children who died

r .
,

in tender years and subsequently she dese ted h im Her ,

r .

husban d is said to have tried all expedients to procure her

i but in vain and she even fu ther asserted her
’
“
re t u rn ,
r

position by obtaining a legal annulment of h e m a riage on r r ,

the g oun d tha t the contracting parties we e a m inor and a

r r

pe son bound t celibacy by an irrevocable vow The lady

r o . ,

it m a y be added had other dom estic adventu es ending in ,

r ,

a second m arriage about the year 1 8 7 2 M adam e C onstant .

was not only very beautiful but exceedingly talented and , ,

after her separation she becam e fam ous as a sculptor ex ,

h ibit i g at the S alon a nd elsewhere under t h e na m e of

n

C lau de V i gmy It is not impossible that she ma y be

n .

still alive ; in the sense of her artistic genius at least she , ,

is som ething m o e than a m em ory r .

A t what date Alph nse Louis C onstant applied hi m self o

t o the stu dy of the oc cult sciences is unce tain like m ost r ,

othe epochs of his life The state m ent on page 1 4 2 of

r .

this t anslation that in the yea 1 8 2 5 he ente ed on a

r ,
r r

fateful path which l e d h im thr ugh su ffering to knowledge

,
o ,

m ust n t be understood in the sense that his initiation took

o

place at that pe iod which was indeed ea ly in boyhood r ,

r .

It obviously efe s to his enrolm ent am ong the schola s of

r r r

S aint S ulpice which in a sense led to su ffe ing and per

, , ,
r ,

haps ultim ately to science as it certainly obtained h im ,

educati n The episode of the New Alliance —so G a n e a n

o n

term ed his system —c onnects with transcendentalism at le a st

.

a nd o b t a in i n g a lic e n c e
pre a c h a n d a d min ist e r t h e s a c ra m en t s in t h a t
to
di o c e se t h o ug h h e w a s n o t a p ri e st
, H e is re pre se n t e d a s dra wi n g l a rge
.

c o n gre a t i o n s t o t h e c a t h edra l by h is p rea c h i n

g g but a t l en g t h t h e j udge ,

w h o h a d sen t en c e d h im un m a sk e d t h e i m p o s t o r a n d t h e sa c ril eg i o us fa rc e ,

t h us t e rmi n a t e d dra m a t i c a lly .

I n c ludin g Bl a c k M a gic a n d pa c ts w it h Luc ife r a c c o rdi n g t o t h e silly ,

c a l um n i e s o f h is e n e mi e s .
viii BI O GRAPHI CAL PRE FAC E

on the side of hallucination and m a y have furnished t h e ,

required impulse to the mind of the disciple but in 1 8 4 6

a n d 1 8 4 7 certa in pam phlets issued by C onstant un de
,
the r

auspices of the L ib a ire S ociéta ire and the L ib i e P h a l r ra r

a n sta i n n a shew
r e that his incl inations were still towards
S ocialis m tinctured by religious aspirations
, The period .

which intervened between his wife s de se rt io n and the ’ ’le

publication of the D ogma da l H uta M g I n 1 8 5 5 was a a a i c, ,

that probably which he devoted less o m o e t occult

, , r r o

study In the interim he issued a large D ictionary of “

”
.

C hristian Literature which is still extant in the e n c yc l o ,

p a e d ic series of the A b be M igne this work betrays no

leaning towards occult science and indeed no acquaintance , , ,

the ewith What it does exhibit un mistakably is the in

r .

t e ll e c t ua l insince ity of the author for he assu m es therein

r ,

the m ask of pe fect orthodoxy and that accent in matters of

r ,

religion which is characte istic of the voice of Rom e The r .

D og m d l H uta M g ic was succeeded in 1 8 5 6 by its c o m

a a a a a

panion volum e the R itu l both of which are he e t anslated a ,

r r

for the —first tim e into E nglish It was followe d in rapid .

succession by the H i t i l l M gi 1 8 6 0 ; L Clef las s o re ae a a e, a a

Gr ds M y te s 1 8 6 1
an a secon d edition of the D ogm at
s re ,
a

Ritu l to which a long and irrelevant introduction was

a ,

unfo tunately prefixed 1 8 6 2 ; F bl s t Symbol 1 8 6 4 ;

r ,
a e a es ,

L So i
a da M audo
r c er a beautiful pastoral idyll i mpressed n, ,

with the h t a b li tique ; and L S cien c l as E p its 1 8 6 5

ca c e c a s a e a s r , .

The two last wo ks inco po ate the substance of the r r r

a mp h l e t s published in 1 8 4 6 and 1 8 4 7 .

The preca ious existence of C onstant s younger days was

r
’

in one sense but faintly improved in his age His books .

did not co mm and a la ge ci culation but they secu ed him r r ,

r

admi e s and pupils from whom he received rem uneration

r r ,

I m t t b d t d d fi it ly t t h i g bl m t M d m C
us no e un e rs o o as e n e a ac n a e o a a e on

t t f th h d pt d H h b dw pp h i g m iddl lif
h w it h d w h —t ill
s an or e c o urse s e a o e er us a n as a ro a c n e e

h ild—
.

wh en e f m h lg l p t t
re er d th s a c ro er e a ro e c o rs, an e

run a wa y ma rri a g e wh ic h b ega n by fo rsw e a ri n g w a s un der t h e c ircum st a n c es , ,

litt le b e t t er t h a n a seduc t io n t h i n ly l ega lise d a n d it w a s a ft e rwa rds n o t im ,

p ro p erly disso lve d .

 BI O GRAPHI CAL PR EFACE ix
in return for personal or written courses of instruction He .

was com m only to be found chez lui in a species of magical

vestm ent which m a y be pardoned in a French magus and
his only available portrait —p e fix e d to t his volum e
, ,

rep esents h im in that guise He outlived the Franco

r .

German war and as he had exchanged S ocialis m for a sort

,

of t anscen dentalised Impe ialism his po litical faith m ust

r r ,

have been as m uch tried by the events which followed the

siege of Pa is as was his pat iotic enthusiasm by the reverses
r r

which culminated at S edan His cont adictory life closed in . r

1 8 7 5 am idst the last offices of the church which had al m ost

expelled him f om her bosom He left m any m anusc ipts
r . r

behind h im which are still in course of publication and

innu m e able letters to his pupils—Ba on Spedalieri alone
, ,

r r

m —
possesses nine volu es have been happil y p eserved in r

most cases and are in som e respects more valuable than

,

the form al treatises .

N o m dern expositor of occult science can bea any

o r

com pa ison with Eliph a s Levi and amo g ancient e p o si

r ,
n x

to s though m any stand higher in authority all yield to

r , ,

h im in living interest for he is actually t h e S pi it of m odern

,
r

thought fo cing an answer for the tim es from the old

r

oracles Hence there a e g eater nam es but there is no r r

influence so g eat —
. .
,

no fascination in occult literatu e ex

r r

c e e ds that of the F ench m agus The othe s are surrende ed

r . r r

to specialists a d the typical serious students to wh m all

n o

dull a d un eadable m asterpieces are dedica t ed di ectly or

n r ,
r

not ; but he is read and appreciated much as we read and ,

appreciate new and delightful verse which through som e ,

conceit of the poet is put into the vestu e of C haucer

,
r .

In dee d the w itings of Elip h a s Levi stan d as regards the

,
r ,

g and o ld line of i itiation in relatively the sam e position a s

r n ,

the E arthly Paradise of M r William M orris stands to

the C ante bu y Tales There is the ecurrence to the
r r . r

O l d conceptions and there is the assumption of the old

,

drape y but there is in each case the n e w spirit The

r
”
.
,

incom municable axiom and the great arcanum Az oth , ,

 BI O GRAPHI CAL PR EFACE

Inri and Tetragrammaton which are the vestures of the

, ,

occult philosopher are like the cloth of B uges and hogs , r

heads of Guienne Florence gold cloth a d Ypres napery , ,

n

of the poet In both cases it is the year 1 8 5 0 t g in a

. a sa ,

m ask of high fantasy M oreover the idle singer of an .

,
“

empty day is paralleled fairly enough by the p or and “

o

obscu e scholar who h a s recovered the leve of A chim edes

r r r .

The compa ison is intentionally grotesque but it obtains

r ,

notwithstanding and even admits of develop m ent for as , ,

M r M or is in a sense voided the r a isoa d ét of his poetry

’
r ra ,

and in exp ess contradiction to his own m u nful question

,
r o r ,

has endeavou e d to set the crooked straight by betaking

r

him self to S ocialism so Eliph a s Levi sur ende ed the rod , r r

of mi acles a d voided his D octri e of M agic by devising

r n n

a one sided and insince e conco dat with o thodox religion

-
r r r ,

and expi i ng in the a ms of my vene able m aste s in

r r r r
”
theology the descen dants and deca dent at tha t of the
“
,

imbecile theologians of the m iddle ages ” But the one is

, ,

.
,

as the othe was a m a n of sufficient ability to m ake a

r ,

para doxical defence of a position which rem ains untenable .

S tudents of Elip h a s L evi will be acquainte d with the

qualifications and stealthy ret actations by which the som e r

what uncom p om is ng position of in itiated superio ity in

r i r
”
the D oct ine and Ritual had its real significance read
r ,

out of it by the late wo ks of the magus I have dealt r r .

with thi s point exhaustively in anothe place and there is r ,

*

no call to pass over the sam e ground a second tim e I .

propose athe to indicate as briefly as possible som e new

r r

consi de ations which w ill help us to u de stan d why the e

r n r r

were grave disc epancies between the D oct ine and Ritual
r r
”
of T anscen dent M agic and the volum es which followe d
r

these In the fi st place the earlier books were written

. r ,

m o e expressly f om the standpoint of initiation and in the

r r ,

language thereof ; they obviously cont in m uch which it a

would be m e e folly to construe after a literal fashi on and

r ,

S t h C iti l E
ee y p fix d t Th M y t i f M gi
e r ca D ig t f
ssa re e o e s er es o a c . 3. es o

t h W i ti g
e f E liph
r L evi L d : G g R dw y 1 886
n s o as . on on eo r e e a . .
 BIO GRAPHI CAL PR EFACE xi
what Elip h a s Levi wrote at a later pe iod is not so much r

discrepant with his earlier instruction —though it is t his

also—as t h e qualifications placed by a modern t ra n sc e n
de n t a l ist on the technical exaggerations of the sec et sciences r .

For the proof we n e ed travel no further than the in t ro duc

”
tion to The D octrine of Magic and to the Hebrew m anu ,

script cited therein as to the powers and privil eges of the

,

magus Here the literal interpretation woul d be insanity ;

.

these claims conceal a secret m eaning a n d are trick e in ,

their ve bal sense They are what Eliph a s Le i hims elf

r v
”
.

terms hyperbolic addin g : If the sage do not materially and

,
“

actually pe form these things he a c co mplish e s others which

r
”
,

are much greater and m ore admirable (p But this .

consideration is not in itself sufficient to take account of the

issues that are involved ; it will not explain for exampl e , ,

why Eli ph a s Levi who consist ently teaches in the D octri ne

” ,

and Ritual that the dogmas of so called evealed religion - r

are nurse ta l es for children shoul d s ubsequently have insisted

-
,

on their acceptation in the sense of the ortho dox C hurch by

the grown m e of science and it becom es neces sa y he e to
n ,
r r

touch upon a m att er which by its nature and obviously , , ,

doe s o t admit of complete elucidation

n .

The p ecise period of study which produced the D octrine

r

and Ritual of Transcendent M a gic as its fi st li t erary r

result is not indicated with any certainty as we ha ve seen , ,

in the lif e of the author n o do I regard Eliph a s Levi as

,
r

constitut ionally capable of profound or extensi e book study v .

Intensely suggestive he is at the sam e tim e without m uch

,

evidence of depth ; splendid in gene al isation he is without r ,

accuracy in detail and it woul d be difficult to cite a worse

”
,

guide ove m ere m atte s of fact His History of M agic is a

r r .
“

c a se in po int as a philosophical survey it is a dm irable and ,

there is nothing in occult literature to app oach it for r

lite rary excellen c e but it swarm s with historical ina c

,

curacies ; it is in all respects an accom plished and in no

way a erudite perform ance nor do I thi nk that the w iter
n ,
r

much concerned hims elf with any real reading of the

b
xii BI OGR APHI CAL P REFACE

authorities who m he cites The French verb p ourir . a rc

represents his m ethod of study and not the verb app o ,

r

f on di
. r L et us take one typical case There is no occult .

writer whom he cites with more satisfaction and towards ,

whom he e xhibits more reverence than William Postel and , ,

of all Po st el s books there is none which he mentions so

’

oft en as the Cla is A bs on dito u m a Con stitutio na M a n di

v c r

y e t he had read this m inute treatise so carelessly that he

missed a vital point concerning it and apparently died ,

unaware that the symbolic key prefixed to it was the work

of the editor and not the work of Poste l It does not .

therefore see m unreasonable to affi rm that had Levi been

left to hi mself he would not have got far in occult science
, ,

because his Gallic vivacity would have been blunted too

quickly by the horrors of m ere research ; but he did some
how fall within a circle of initiation which curtailed the
necessity for such research and put h im in the right path
, ,

m aking visits to the Biblioth eque N ationale and the Arsenal

of only subsidiary i mportance This therefore constitutes
”
.
, ,

the importance of the D octrine and Ritual ; disguised

indubitably it is still the voice of initiation ; of what school
,

does not matter for in this connection nothing can be

,

spoken plainl y and I can ask only the lenience of deferred

,

judgm ent f om my readers fo my honourable assurance

r r

that I a m not speaking idly The grades of that initiation

.

had been o nl y partly ascended by Eliph a s Levi when he

r
”
published the D oct ine and Ritual and its publication ,

closed the path of his progress as he was expelled by S aint

S ulpice for the exe cise of private judgment in m atte rs of
r

doctrinal belief so he was expelled by his occ ult chiefs for

,

the undue exercise of personal disc etion in the m atter r

of the revelation of the m ysteries Now these facts explain .

,

in the first place the importance as I have said of the

”
, ,

D octrine and Ritual because it represents a knowledge

,

which cannot be derived f om books they explain secondly

r , ,

the shortcomi ngs of that work because it is not the result ,

of a full knowledge ; why thirdly the lat er writings contain

, ,
 BI O GRAPHI CAL PR EFACE xiii

no e vidences of furthe r knowledge ; and lastly I think that , ,

they mate rial ly assist us t o understa nd why there are retracta

tions qualifications and subterfuges in the said later works
, , .

Having gone too far he natura lly attempte d to go back and

, ,

just as he strove to pa tch up a species of modua ivan di with v

the church of his childhood so he ende avoure d by throw

, ,

ing dust in the eyes of his rea ders to m ake his peace with ,

t hat initiation the first law of which he had indubita bly

,

violated In both cases and quite naturally he failed

.
, , .

It rem ains for me to state W hat I feel personally to be

the chief limitation of Levi namely that he was a tran
, ,

sc e n de t a list but not a mystic and indeed he was scarcely

n , , ,

a transce ndentalist in the ac cept ed sense for he was

f undamentally a mate rialis t —a materialist m oreover who
,

, ,

a t tim es approached perilously towards atheis m as when he ,

states that God is a hypothesis which is very probably

neces sa ry he was m oreover a disbe liever in any real
, ,

c ommu ication with the world of spirits

n He defines .

mysticis m as the shadow and the buffer of intellectual

light and loses no Opportunity to enlarge upon its fals e
,

illum inism its excesses and fatuities There is therefore

, , .
, ,

no way from ma n to God in his syste m while the sole ,

a venues of influ x fro m God to m a n are sacram entally and ,

in virtue m erely of a tolerable hypothesis Thus ma n must .

remain in simple intellectualism if he woul d rest in reason ;

the sphere of material e xperience is that of h is knowledge ;
a n d as to all beyond it ther e are only the presumptions of
,

a n alogy . I subm it that this is not the doc trine of occult

science nor the swmma m b
, on um of the greater initiation ;

t ha t transcendental pn e umatology is m ore by its o wn ;

hypothesis than an alphabetica l system a rgued ka bba lis

tically ; and that more than mere mem ories can on the same
assumption be evoked in the ast al light The hierarchi c r .

order of the visible world has its complement in the invisible

h ierarchy w hi ch analogy leads us to discern be ing at the
, ,

sa me time a process of our perception rather than a rigid

la w governing the modes of m anifestation in all things seen
x iv BI OGRAPHI CAL PR EFACE

and unseen ; initiation takes us to the bottom step of the

ladder of the invisible hierarchy and instructs us in the
principles of ascent but the ascent rests personally with
,

ourselves ; the voices of some who have preceded can be

heard above us but they are of those who are still upon the
,

way and they die as they rise into the silence towards which
, ,

we also must ascend alone where initiation can no longer

,

help us unto that bourne from whence no traveller returns

, ,

and the in fl ux e s are s a cram ental onl y to those who are below .

A n a n notated translation ex c eeded the scope of the present

undertaking but there is much in the text which follows
,

that o ff ers scope for detailed criticis m and there are points ,

also where fu ther elucidation would be usef ul O n e of the

r .

m ost obvious defects the resul t of m e e carelessness or undue

,
r

haste in writing is the pro mise to explain or to prove given

,

points later on which are forgotten subsequently by the

,

author Instances will be found on p 6 5 concerning the

. .
,

method of determining the appea ance of unborn children by r

m eans of the pentagra m ; on p 8 3 concerning the rules .

,

for the recognition of sex in the astral body ; on p 9 7 .

,

concerning the notary art on p 1 0 0 concerni ng the m agic al

.
,

side of the E xercises of S t Ignatius ; on p 1 2 3 concerning .

,

th e alleged sorcery of G ra die r and Girard ; on p 1 2 5 con

n .
,

cerning S c h roep ff e r s secrets and formulas fo evo c ation ; on

’
r

p 1 3 4 concerning the occult iconog aphy of C affa el In

.
,
r r .

some cases the promised elucidations appear in other places

than those indicated but they are m ostly wanting altogether
, .

The e are other perplexities with which the reade must deal
r r

according to his judgment The explanation of the quad

.

ratu e of the circle o n p 3 7 is a childish folly ; the illus

r
'

t ra t io of perpetual motion on p 5 5 involves a m echanical

n .

absurdi ty the doctrine of the pe petuation of the same r

physiognomies from gene ation to generation is not less

r

absurd in he edity the cause assigned to cholera and other

r

ravaging epidem ics m ore especiall y the refe ence to bacteria

, r ,

seems equally outrageous in physics There is one other .

matte to which attention should be directed ; the Hebrew

r
 T ABLE O F C ON TE N T S

B I G RA I CA L PRE FA C E
O PH

E X LAN ATI N
P O F IGU RE C NTAIN E D I N T H I
O F TH E S O S WO R K

THE D OC TRINE OF TRANSCE ND E N T M A GI C

I NTROD U CTI O N
CHAPTER I TH E CAND I DATE Un it y o f t h e D o c trin e —Q ua l ifica t io n s
. .

n ec e ss ry f o r t h e A d e pt
a

C HAPTER I I TH E PI LLARs O F THE TEMP LE F o un da t io ns o f t h e Do c

t rin e— Th e Two Pri n c iple s —
. .

Agen t n d Pa t ie n t a

CHAPTER III TH E T RI AN GL E O F S O L O M O N Un iversa l Th eo l o gy o f

. .

th e C h ia d Th e Ma cro c o sm
-

CHAPTE R IV TH E TETRAGRAM M gica l Virt ue o f t h e T et ra d

An a lo gie s n d A da p ta t io n s —
. . a

a Eleme n ta y S pirit s o f t h e K bb a l h
r a a

C HAPTER V TH E PENTAGRA M Th e Microc o sm a n d t h e sign t h ere o f

—Po wer o ver E lemen ts a n d Spirits
. .

C H AP TE R VI MAGI CAL E Q U I L I B RI U M A c t io n o f t h e Will—Impulse

a n d Re ist a n c e — Se xua l l o ve—Th e Plen um a n d t h e Vo id
. .

CHAP TER VII THE F I E RY S W O RD Th e S a n c t um Re g num—Th e

se v e n A n g e l s a n d se v e n G e n ii o f t h e Pl a n e t s—
. .

Un iversa l Virtue o f
t h e Se p t e n a ry

C HAP TER VIII R EAL I SATI O N A n a lo gica l re pro duc t io n o f Fo rc es

I n ca rn a t io n o f I dea s— Pa r ll e lism —
. .

a N e c e ssa ry A n t a go n i sm

C HAPTER I X I NITI ATI O N Th e M gic l La m p M a n t le a n d S ta ff

Pro ph e c y n d I n t ui t i o n —
. . a a , ,

S ec urit y a n d sta bility o f t h e I n it ia t e in

t h e m idst o f da n ge rs—
a

E xerc ise o f Ma gica l Po wer

C HAPTE R X TH E K ABBALAH Th e S eph iro t h —Th e Semh a m ph o ra s
Th e Pa t h s a n d G a t e s— Beresc h it h a n d M e roa va h —
. .

G ema t ri a a n d
Te mura h
xv u
 TAB LE OF C ONTENT S
M AGI C C AIN M g t i C t —S t f
PA G E

C HA TER X I TH E
— —
P . H . a ne c ur re n s e c re s o

g t rea T lk i g T bl Fl idi M if t t i
suc c e ss e s a n a es u c an es a ons

C A T R X II T G REAT W RK H m t i M gi —D t i
H P E HE f O er e c a c o c r n es o

H m — M i v f t h W ld—Th g d d iq
. .

Th ue

A th —Th H g d M
er es e ner a o e or e ra n an un

a nor e an e an

C A TER X III N E C R M AN CY R v l ti f m t h t h W ld
H P O e e a ons ro e o er or

S t f D t h d f Lif —E v t i
. .

ec re s o ea an o e oc a ons

C A TE R X IV T R AN MUTATI N Ly t h py—M t l p
l—
H P S O S. ca n ro u ua o sses
—Th E li i
.

i mb y i t t
s o n s, o r e f Th W d f C i r on c s a e o so u s e an o rc e e x r

C gli t
of a o s ro

C HA TER X V B L AC K MAGI C D m m i Ob i —U b
Gi d—
P e ono an a sess o n s r an

di —
. .

G ra n Th w k f M E d d M i vill
er ra r e or o . u es e r e

P X
C A dTE Rh —F
H VI B W M D g f — P w Ef lif d I TC H E N Ts an e r o us o rc e s o er o e an

d P i ipl —
. .

t ea t R m di
ac s anP ti fP lu r nc es e e es “
ra c ce o a ra c e s s

C A TE R XVII A TR L GY K wl dg f M by th Sig f t h i
H

l gy —
P S O O no e e o en e ns o e r

N t ivi t y— Ch i m y—M t p py Pl t d
. .

Ph e o o sc o ane s an

S t —Clim t i y —P di t i by m
a re n o o ro an c

a rs f A t l R
a c er cl e a rs re c ons e a ns o s ra e vo u

t io n s
C TE R X VIII C H RM AN D P I LTRE V m M gi
H AP
—Th J t t t t N pl —Th
. A S H S . en o o us a c

P wd o d P t f S
e rs a n ac s o o rce re rs e e a ura a a es e

E vil E y S p t it i —T li m
e- u e rs ons a s a ns

C A TE R X I X T S T N E
H P P IL ER E LA GA AL U
HE O O F TH E H O S OP H S B S.

i — —Si g l A l g i
.

Wh t t h i S t a W h y it i S t
s one s s a one n u ar na o es

CHA TE R XX T U NI E R AL M E I C INE E x t i f Lif by

G o ld—Resurr ec t i o n —
P . HE V S D . ens o n o e

m e a n s o f Po t a bl e Abo lit io n of Pa i n

C A TE R XX I D I INATI N D re a ms S
mbul ism
o mn a Pr esen t i
Sigh t—D ivi
H P V O

m t —S —
. .

en s ec o n d na tor y Inst rume n t s Allie t t e a n d h is

disco v eri es c o n c e rn n g i th e T a ro t
CH A T E R X XII S UMMA RY AN D GEN ERA L KEY
P . F U R S E C RET O F TH E O

S C IE N CE Th K bb l h M gi Al h my M g t i m
S . e a a a a c c e a ne s or

Oc cul t M e di c i n e
 TAB LE OF C ON TE N T S xix

TH E RIT UAL OF T RAN S CE ND E N T M A GI C .

I NTRODU CTI O N
C HA T R I P RE ARATI NS Dispo si t i o n s a n d Pri n c ipl es of M a gi c a l
—P
P E . P O .

O pe ra t i o n e rso na l Pre pa ra t i o n s o f t h e O pe ra t o r

C H AP E T R II MAGI CAL E Q U IL B U I RI M A
lt ern a t ive use o f o rc es F
—S
‘
. .

Opp o si t i o n s n ecessa ry in t h e Pra c t i c e imult a n e o us a tt a c k a n d

re sist a n c e — S
Th e wo rd a n d Tro we l o f t h e B uilders o f t h e T e m ple

CHA TE R III TH E TR IANG LE PAN TACLE S Use o f t h e Tri a d in

M a gica l S a c rific es—
P . OF .

C ju ti Tri a n gl e o f e v o ca t i o n s a n d
Tr ia n gula r Co mbin a t io n s—
on ra ons a nd

Pa n t a c l e s— Th e Ma gica l Tride n t o f
Pa ra ce l sus

CHAP TE R IV TH E C ONJ U RATI ON OF THE FO U R O ccul t E l emen ts

a n d t h e ir Use—
. .

Ma n n er o f o ve rco min g a n d subj ec t i n g E lem e n ta ry

S pirits a n d Ma l e fic en t Ge n ii
CHAPTE R V TH E B LAZING PENTAGRA M Use a n d C o n se c ra t io n o f t h e
. .

C HA TE R VI TH E MED IU M AND MEDIAT R A ppli t i on o f W ill to

Ag t —
P . O . ca

Grea t
th e Th
en e N a t ura l Medium a nd th e E xt ra -n a tura l
Medi a t o r
CHAP TE R VII TH E EP A O F T S M S S TEN RY ALI AN
erem o n ie s, V e st C
—
. .

men ts , a n d Pe r fume s pro p er t o t h e se v en da ys o f t h e w e e k Co m

S
p o sit i o n o f t h e e ven Ta lisman s a n d o n se cra t i o n o f Ma gica l In C
st rumen t s

C A TE R VIII A WARNING
H P . I M P RUDE NT Prec a utio n s n ec es
To T HE .

sa ry fo r t h e a cc o m plish m e n t o f t h e G rea t Wo rks o f Sc ien ce

CHAP TER I X THE C E REMO N IAL O F INITIATE s It s en d a n d in ten t io n

.

CHAPTE R X TH E K EY OF O C CU LTIS M Use o f Pe n ta c le s—

.

Th e ir
a n c i e n t a n d m o de rn m st e ri es — e o f Bibli c a l o bs c uri t i es —
. .

y K y E z ekie l
a n d St Jo h n

CH APTE R XI TH E TRI P L E CHAIN Me t h o ds o f its fo rma t i o n

. .

CH AP T E R X II TH E G REAT WO RE
. It s Pro ce sses a n d S ec re ts—
. Ra y
mo n d Lully a n d N ich o la s Fl a mel
CHAPTER X I II N EC RO MAN C Y Ce remo n ia l fo r t h e Resurre ct io n o f
. .

t h e D ea d a nd fo r N ec ro m a n c y

C H AP TER XIV T RAN MUTATI N Me t h o ds fo r c h a n g in g t h e n a t ure

in gs— Th e Ri n g o f Gyges—
. S O S.

of th Wo rds w h i ch a c co m plish Tra n s

mut a t i o n s
XX TAB LE OF C O NTEN T S
P m
CH APTER XV TH E S A AT S R CE RE R Ri t e s a n d spec i a l
S bb t h —Th
. BB H O F TH E O S .

e vo ca t i o n s o f t h e a a e C o a t o f M e n de s a n d it s wo rsh ip
- A
be rra t io n s o f C a t h er in e de Me dec is a n d Gill es de a va l , o rd o f L L
z
Re t

CHAPTER X VI W IT C H C RAFT AND S ELL C i l

—M
. P S . e re mo n a fo r t h e sa me

ode o f d e fen c e a ga n sti t h em

CHA TER X VII TH E W RITING STAR D i vin a t i o n by ta rs S

— —H w t h
P . O F TH E S .

Pla n i sph e re o f G a fl a r el
'

o e D e st in ie s o f M e n a n d mpires E
ma y be rea d in He a v e n
CHAPTE R X VIII ILTR DMAGNETI S M C m p it i Ph il t res
—H in fl ue n c e D est in ies—
. PH E S AN . o os on o f

ow to Re m ed i es a n d Pre ve n tiv es

CHAPTE R X I X TH E M AS TE RY O F TH E S U N Use o f t h e Ph ilo so ph ica l

S t o n e—
. .

Ho w it must be p rese rv ed disin t egra te d a n d rec o m po se d , ,

CHAPTE R XX TH E T H AU M ATU RG E Th era peut ics—Wa rm a n d c o ld

Insuffi a t io n s—
. .

Pa ss es w i t h a n d wi t h o ut c o n t a c t I m po sit i o n o f
h a n ds D ive rse virt ue s o f sa liva Oil a n d W in e — —
-

- In cuba t io n a n d

CHAPTER XX I SIN
C E CE O F THE PROP H E Ts e re mo n ia l fo r C
—
TH E
—
. .

D ivin a t o ry O p era t i o n s Th e C
la vic l e o f Trit h e mius Pro ba ble
E
fut ure o f uro p e a n d o f t h e wo rl d

CHAPTER XX II TH E B O OK OF HE M R E S. A ft er wha t ma n n er a ll
—A
.

i is i co n ta n ed in t h e lt wo r k of He rm es n tiqu it y o f
b o o k—La b o urs —Th
sc e n c e o c cu

t his of C o ur t de G e bel in a nd o f E tt e ill a

—
e

Th e ra ph im o f t h e H e br e w s a c c o rdin g t o G a fl a re l Th e Ke y o f
'

— S
Willi a m Po st e l A b o o k o f a in t M a r t in Th e true sh a pe o f t h e —
Ark o f t h e o ven a n t C
I t a lia n a n d Ge rma n T a ro ts h in ese C
—
Ta ro t s A G e rm a n M
e da l o f t h e si t e en t h c e n t ury x
n iv ersa l —U
—
Key o f t h e T a ro t It s a pplica t i o n t o t h e ymb o l s o f t h e p oc a lypse S A
— Th e se v e n sea l s o f t h e C
h ris t i a n K a bb a l a h o n c l usi o n o f t h e —C
e n t rei wo r k

SUPPLE MEN T TO TH E R I T UA L .

THE N UCTE M E R ON OF APOLL ON I U s or T YANA

TH E N U C TE M E R O N ACC O R D ING To T H E H E B RE w s

I N D EX
E XP LANA TI O N OF THE F IG U R E S C O N TAI NE D
I N THI S W ORK .

FI G URE I Th e G rea t S ym bo l o f S o lo mo n
Th e D o uble Tri a n gl e o f S o l o m o n re pre sen t e d by t he t wo A
. .

,
n c i en t s

o f t h e K a bb a l a h ; t h e M a c ro p rO S O pus a n d t h e M i c ro p ro so pus ; t h e

Go d o f Ligh t a n d t h e G o d o f Re fl ec t i o n s ; merc y a n d ve n g e a n c e ;
t h e wh i t e J e h o va h a n d t h e bl a c k J e h o va h .

FIG U R E II Sa ce rdo t a l E so t e ri c ism m a kin g t h e sign o f E x c o mmun i ca t i o n

. 26
A sa c erdo t a l h a n d ma kin g t h e sign o f eso t eric ism a n d proj e c t in g
t h e fi gure o f t h e d e mo n in it s sh a do w A bo ve a re t h e Ac e o f
.

D e n i e rs a s fo un d in t h e C h i n e se T a ro t a n d t w o supe rp o se d t ri a n gles
, , ,

o n e wh i t e a n d o n e bl a c k It is a n e w a ll eg o ry e xpla i n in g t h e sa m e
.

myst e ries it is t h e o rigi n o f g o o d a n d e vil it is t h e c rea t io n o f t h e

de m o n by m yst e ry .

FI GURE II I Th e Tria n gl e o f S o l o m o n
.

F IG URE I V Th e F o ur Gre a t K a bba list ic N a me s

.

FI GURE V Th e Pen t a gra m o f F a ust

.

FI G URE VI Th e Te tra gra m o f t h e Zo h a r

.

FIG UR E VI I Addh a N a ri gra n d I n dia n Pa n t a c l e

.
-
,

Th i s p a n t h e ist ic ima g e re pre se n t s Re li gi o n o r Trut h t errible fo r ,

t h e pro fan e a n d gen t l e f o r i n i tia t es It h a s mo re t h a n o n e a n a l o gy

.

w i t h t h e C h e rub o f E z e ki e l Th e h uma n fi g ure is pla c ed b e tw ee n

.

a b ri dl e d bull a n d a t i ge r t h us fo rm i n g t h e t ri a n gl e o f K e t h a r
, ,

Gebura h a n d G edul a h o r Ch ese d

, , In t h e I n di a n sym bo l t h e fo ur
.
,

ma gic a l sign s o f t h e T a ro t a r e fo un d in t h e fo ur h a n ds o f Addh a

N ari— o n t h e si de o f t h e in it i a t e a n d o f m erc y a re t h e sc e p t re a n d

t h e c up o n t h e side o f t h e pro fa n e re pres en t ed by t h e t i ge r a re t h e

, ,

swo rd a n d t h e c irc le wh i c h l a t t e r m a y b e c o m e e i t h e r t h e rin g o f a

,

c h a i n o r a n i ro n c o lla r O n t h e side o f t h e i n i t i a t e t h e go dde ss is

.
,

c l o t h ed o n ly w i t h t h e ski n o f t h e t ig er o n t h a t o f t h e t ige r i t se l f

sh e w e a rs a l o n g st a r S p a n gl e d ro b e a n d e v e n h e r h a i r is v e il ed
-
,
A .

fo un t a in o f mil k sprin gs fro m h er fo reh ea d fa lls o n t h e side o f t h e

,

in it ia t e a n d a bo ut Addh a N a ri a n d t h e t wo a n im a ls it fo rms a ma gic

,
-

c irc l e e n c l o si n g t h e m in a n i sl a n d wh i c h r e pres e n t s t h e w o rld

, Th e .

O d d e ss we a rs ro un d h e r n ec k a m a gi c c h a i n fo rm e d o f iro n lin ks
g ,

o n t h e side o f t h e p ro fa n e a n d o f in t e lli ge n t h e a ds o n t h a t o f t h e

in it ia t e sh e b e a rs o n h er fo reh e a d t h e figure o f t h e lin ga m a n d o n ,

e it h e r side o f h er a re t h re e supe rp o sed li n es wh i c h re pr e se n t t h e

e q uilibrium o f t h e t ri a d a n d re c a ll t h e t rig ra m s o f Fo R i
- .
,
xx ii EXPLANATION O F THE FIGUR ES
F IGU RE VIII Th e Pe n t a c l e s o f
. e ki e l a n d Py t h a g o ra s Ez .

C
Th e fo ur h e a d e d h er ubi m o f E e ki e l s p ro ph e cy , e pl a i n e d by t h e z ’
x
d o ubl e t ri a n gl e o f o l o mo n S
B el o w is t h e w h ee l o f e ki el , k ey o f
. Ez
a ll pe n t a c l es, a n d t h e a n t a c l e o f Py t h a o ras Th e c h e rub o f
p g .

z
E eki e l is h e re r e pres e n t ed a s it is de sc rib ed by t h e p ro ph e t It s .

fo ur h e a ds a re t h e t et ra d o f Me rc a va h it s six w in gs a re t h e se n a ry
of B ere sc h it h . fi
Th e h um a n gure in t h e m iddl e re pre se n t s r e a so n ;
t h e e a g l e s h e a d is fa i t h t h e b ull is resign a t io n a n d t o il t h e li o n is
’

w a r fa re a n d c o n que st T h is symb o l is a n a l o go us t o t h a t o f t h e
.

x
E g yptia n S p h i n , but is m o re a ppro pria t e t o t h e K a bb a l a h o f t h e
H e b re w s .

FIGU R E I X Th e Sa bba t ic G o a t Th e B a ph o me t o f M e n de s
. .

A pa n t h e ist i c a n d ma gica l fig ure o f t h e Abso lut e Th e t o rch .

pl a c ed b et we en t h e t wo h o rn s re presen t s t h e e quilibra t in g in t e ll i
g e n ce o f t h e t ri a d T h e g o a t s h e a d w .h i c h is syn t h e t i
’
c a n d un it e s , ,

so m e c h a ra c t e ri st i cs o f t h e d o g b ull a n d a ss r e p resen t s t h e e x c l usive

, , ,

re sp o n sibili t y o f m a t t e r a n d t h e e x pia t i o n o f b o dily s in s in t h e

b o dy Th e h a n ds a re h um a n t o e xh ibit t h e sa n c tit y o f la b o ur t h e y
.
,

ma ke t h e S ig n o f e so t e ric ism a b o ve a n d be lo w t o impress myst e ry o n ,

i n i t ia t e s a n d t h ey p o in t a t two lun a r c resc en t s t h e upp er b e in g wh it e

, ,

a n d t h e l o w er bla c k t o e x pl a in t h e c o rrespo n de n c es o f g o o d a n d e vil

, ,

m erc y a n d j ust ic e Th e lo w e r p a rt o f t h e b o d y is v e il e d p o r t ra yi n g
.
,

t h e myst e ri e s o f un iv ersa l g e n era t i o n w h i c h is e x pre sse d s o l e ly by ,

t h e symb o l o f t h e ca d uc e us Th e b e lly o f t h e g o a t is sea l e d a n d

.
,

Sh o ul d be c o l o ure d g re en t h e se m i c irc l e a b o v e sh o uld be bl ue the -

pluma ge rea ch in g t o t h e brea st sh o uld be o f va ri o us h ue s Th e

, ,
.

g t h a s fe ma l e bre a st s a n d t h us its o n ly h um a n c h a ra c t er ist i c s a r e

o a ,

t h o se o f m t e rn i t y a n d t o il o t h erw i se t h e sign s o f re de m p t i o n
a
,
On .

it s fo reh e a d b e t we en t h e h o rn s a n d b e n e a t h t h e t o rc h is t h e sig n
, ,

o f t h e m i c r o c o sm o r t h e p e n t a ra m w i t h o n e b ea m in t h e a sc en da n t
g , ,

symb o l o f h um a n in t e llig en c e wh i c h pl a c e d t h us b e l o w t h e t o rc h , , ,

ma ke s t h e fl a me o f t h e l a t t e r a n im a g e o f d ivin e re ve la tio n Th is .

Pa n t h eo s S h o ul d be sea t e d o n a c ub e a n d it s fo o t st o o l sh o uld be a ,

sin gl e b a ll o r a b a ll a n d a tri a n u l a r st o o l In o ur d e sign w e h a v e

, g .

g iv en t h e fo rm er o n ly t o a vo id c o m plica t in g t h e fi gure .

F IGUR E X Th e T ria n gle o f So lo mo n

.

F IGU RE X I Th e Tride n t o f Pa ra ce lsus

Th is triden t symb o l o f t h e t ria d is fo rm ed o f t h re e pyra mida l
.

, ,

t e e t h sup e rp o se d o n a G re e k o r L a t in t a u O n o n e o f it s t ee t h is a .

jo d wh i c h o n o n e side pi erc e s a c resc en t a n d o n t h e o th e r a t ra ns

, ,

v erse lin e a figure wh ich reca lls h ie ro glyph i ca lly t h e z o dia ca l sign o f
,

t h e Cra b O n t h e o pp o si t e t o o t h is a c o mp o si t e S ign reca llin g t h a t

.

o f t h e Tw in s a n d t h a t o f t h e Li o n
~
B etwe e n t h e c la ws o f t h e C ra b is.

t h e sun a n d t h e a s t r o n o mica l c ro ss is se en in p ro xi m i t y t o t h e li o n
, .

O n t h e mi ddl e t o o t h t h e re is h ie ro glyph i ca lly de pi c t e d t h e figure o f t h e

c e l est i a l se rp en t w i t h t h e S ig n o f J upi t e r fo r it s h e a d
, By t h e sid e .

o f t h e Cra b is t h e wo rd O B IT O o r B eg o n e R e t ire ; a n d by t h e s ide , ,

xx iv EXPLANATION OF THE FIG UR ES
FIG UR E XV Th K y f Th t h
. e e o o

F IG U RE X VI G t i C i l f Bl k E v t i d P t
'

. oe c rc e o ac o ca ons a n ac s

F IG U RE X V I I
S d X VIII D iv
. i f l h
an t t k f m Ag ipp . e rs n ern a c a ra c e rs a en ro r a,

P t
e er o f Ap mb f G im i
ono , a d th d m t f thnu er o r o res , a n e oc u en s o e

t i l f U b
r a o G df r an ra n 301
er , 3 02

F IGU R E X I X K bb li t i ig
. f O i
a a s c s ns o r on 316

F IGU RE XX I f l Ch t f th Tw lv Sig f t h Z d i
. n ern a a ra c e rs o e e e ns o e o ac 31 8

F IGU RE XX I M gi S q . f th Pl
a t y G c di g t ua res o e ane ar e nII a cc or n o

Pa ra c e lsus 3 6 1 , 3 62

F IGU RE XX II Ch . i
ar ot o f H e rmes, se ven t h Key o f t h e Ta ro t 365

F IGU RE XX III Th . e Ark of th e Cv o en a n t 371

F IGU RE XX IV A p . oca lypt ic Key—Th e S e ven S l

ea s o f S t Jo h n 376
 IN TRODUC TION

BEHIND the veil of a ll the hieratic and m ystica l a ll egorie s

of an cient doctrines be hind the shadows and the stra nge
,

ordeals of all in itiations under the seal of all sac red

,

writings in the ruins of Nineveh or Thebes on the crum

, ,

bling st ones of the old te mples and on the blackened visage

,

of the As syrian or E gyptian sphinx in the m onstrous or ,

m arvellous paintings which inte rpret to the faithful of

India the inspired pages of the Vedas in the strange ,

e mblems of our old books of alche my in the ceremonies ,

at rec eption practised by all mysterious societies traces ,

are found of a doct ine which is eve ywhere the sam e and
r r ,

everywhere carefully concealed O ccult philosophy se em s

.

to have been the nurse or god m other of all intellectual -

forces the key of all divine obscurities and the absolute

, ,

queen of society in those ages when it was reserved ex

e lusively for the education of priests and of kings It .

reigned in Persia with the magi who at length perished as , ,

perish all masters of the world because they abused their ,

power ; it endowed India with the m ost wonderful tradi

tions and with an incredible wealth of poesy grace and
, , ,

terror in its emblem s ; it civilised Greece to the music of

the lyre of O rpheus ; it concealed the principles of all the
sciences and of all hu man intellectual progress in the bold
calculations of Pythagoras ; fable abounded in its miracles ,

and history attempting to appreciate this unkn own power

, ,

becam e confused with fable ; it shook or strengthened

empires by its oracles caused tyrants to t emble on their
,
r

thrones and governed all minds either by curiosity or by

, ,

fear For this science said the crowd the e is n othing

. , ,
r

impossible ; it c ommands the elem ents knows the language ,

of the stars and directs the planeta ry courses ; when it

,
4 THE D O C TRINE OF T RANSCEND EN T MA GI C
speaks the moon falls blood e d from heaven ; the dead rise
,
-r

in their graves and articulate ominous words as the night

wind blows through their skulls M istress of love or of .

hate the science can dispense paradis e or hell at its

,

pleasure to hum an hearts ; it disposes of all forms and ,

dist ibutes beauty or ugliness ; with the rod of C irce it

r

alte nately changes men int o bru t es and anim als into me n ;
r

it even disposes of l ife or death and can confer weal th on

,

its adepts by the transm utation of m etals and immorta lity

by its quintessence or elixir compounded of gold and light .

S uch was magic from Zoroaster to M anes fro m O rpheus to ,

A pollonius of Tyana when positive C h ristianity at length

, ,

victorious over the brilli ant dr eams and titanic aspirations

of the Alexandrian school da ed to launch its anathema s
,
r

publicly against this philosophy and thus forced it to ,

become m ore occul t and mysterious than ever M oreover .

,

strange and alarming ru m ours began to ci culate concerning r

initia t es or adepts ; these me n were everywhere surrounded

by an ominous influence ; they killed or d ove ma d those r

who allowed them selves to be carried away by their honeyed

eloquence or by the fam e of their learn ing The women .

whom they loved bec am e S tryges their chil dren vanished at

,

their nocturnal m eetings and men whi spe ed shudderingly

,
r

and in secret of bloody orgies and abom inable banquets .

Bones had be en found in the crypts of ancient temples ,

shrieks had been heard in the night harvests withered and ,

herds sickened when the magician passed by D iseases .

which defied medical skill a t times appeared in the world ,

and always it was said beneath the envenom ed glance of

, ,

the adepts At leng th an universal cry of execration went

.

up against magic the mere name becam e a crime and the

, ,

comm on hatred was formulate d in this sentence : M agicians

”
to the flam es ! as it was shouted so m e centuries earlier
”
To the lions with the C h ristians ! Now the m ultitude
never consp ires except against real powers ; it possesses not
the knowledge of what is true but it has the instinct of
,

wh a t is strong It remained for the eighteenth century to

.
6 CTRINE
THE D O OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
study of this book and h a s merely sus pecte d its whole
,

importance It is in fact a monumental and extraordinary

.
, ,

work strong and Simple as the architecture of the pyrami ds

and consequently enduring like those—a book which is the
, ,

sum of all the sciences which can resolve all proble m s by

,

its infinite combinations which speaks by evoking thought , ,

is the inspirer and regulator of a ll possible conceptions the ,

m asterpiece perhaps of the hu m an m ind assuredly one of ,

the finest things bequeathed to us by antiquity an universal ,

key the name of which has been explained and co mpre

,

hended onl y by the learned William Postel an unique text , ,

whereof the ini tial charac ters alone exalted the devout spirit
of S aint M artin into ecstasy and might have restored reason ,

to the sublime and unfortunate S wedenborg We Shall .

S peak of this book later o n and its m a the m atical and precise ,

explanation will be the com plem ent and crown of our

conscientious undertaking The origina l alliance of C hris .

tia n it y and the science of the m agi once it is thoroughly ,

demonstrated will be a discovery of no second rate import

,
-

ance and we question not that the serious study of ma gic

,

and the Kabbalah will lea d earnest minds t o the reconcilia

tion of science and dogm a of reason and fa ith heretofore , ,

rega rded as impossible .

We have said that the C hurch whose Spe cial o ffice is the ,

custody of the Keys does not prete nd to possess those of

,

the Ap oca lyp se or of E zekiel In the opinion of C hristians .

the scientific and magical clavicles of S olo mon are lost ; yet ,

at the sa m e tim e it is certa i n that in the do main of in

, ,

t e l lige n c e r uled by the Word nothing which has been ,

wr itten can perish ; things whi ch me n cease to understand

simply ceas e to exist for the m at least in the order of the ,

Word and they enter then into the domain of enigm a and
,

m ystery .Furtherm ore the antipathy and even open war

, , ,

of the official church against all that belongs to the real m

of m a gic which is a kind of personal and em ancipat ed
,

priesthood is allied with necessary and even with inherent

,

causes in the social and hierarchic constitution of C hristian

 IN TRODUC TI ON 7

sa cerdotalism The C hurch ignores

. magi c —for
sh e m ust

either ignore it or perish as we Shall prove later on ; yet

,

she does not the less recognise that her mysterious founder
was saluted in his cradl e by the three magi—that is to
say by the hie ratic ambassadors of the three part s of the
,

known world and the three analogi cal worlds of oc cult

philosophy In the school of Al exandria magic and C hris
. ,

t ia ni ty al m ost joined hands under the auspi ce s of Amm o n ius

Sa c c a s and of Plato ; the doctrine of Herm es is found al m ost
in its entirety in the writings attributed to D enis the Areo
p g
a it e ; and S yn e sius sketc hed the plan of a treatise on
dr ea ms which was la t e r on t o be annotated by C ardan and
, ,

c o m posed hymns which m ight have served for the liturgy of

the C hurch of S wedenborg could a church of the illuminated

,

possess a liturgy With this period of fiery abstractions a n d

.

impassioned warfare of words there must also be connected

the philosophic reign of Julian called the Apostat e beca use
,

in his youth he m ade an unwilling profession of C hristianity .

E veryone is aware that Julian was sufficiently wrongheaded

to be an unseasonable hero of Plutarch and was if one may , ,

say so the D o n Q uixote of Roman C hival ry ; but what most

,

people do not know is that Julian was one of the illu

min a t e d and an initiate of the first order ; that he believed
in t h e unity of God and in the uni versal doctrine of the
Trinity ; that in a word he regrette d nothing of the old
, ,

world but its magnificent symbols and its e xceedingly

gracious images Julian was not a pagan he wa s a
.

Gnostic a llured by the allegories of Greek polytheism who ,

had the misfortune to find the nam e of J esus C hrist less

sonorous than that of O rpheus The E mperor personally
.

paid for the academic a l tastes of the philosopher and

rhetorician and after aff ording himself the spectacle and
,

satisfa ction of e xpiring like E paminonda s with the periods

of C ato he had in public Opinion already thoroughly C hris
, ,

t ia n ise d anathe mas for his funeral oration and a scornful

,

epithet for his ultimate celebrity .

Le t us S kip the little me n and s m all matters of the Bas

8 THE DO CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
Em pire and pass on to the M iddl e Ages
,
S tay take .
,

this book ! Glance at the seventh page then seat yourself ,

on the m antle I a m spreading and let each of us cover our ,

eyes with one of its corners Your head swim s does it .

,

not and the earth seem s to fly be neath your feet ? Hold

,

tightly a n d do not look around

,
The vertigo ceases ; .

we are here S tand up and open your eyes but take care
. ,

before all things to make no C hristian S ign and to pronounce

no C hristian words W e are in a landscape of S alvator .

Rosa a troubled w ilderness which seems resting after a

,

storm ; there is no m oo n in the sky but you can distinguish ,

little stars gleaming in the brushwood and you can hear ,

about you the S low flight of great birds who seem to whisper ,

strange oracles as they pass L et us approach silently that .

cross ro a d am ong the rocks A harsh funereal trumpet winds

-
.
,

suddenly and black torches flare up on every side A

, .

tumultuous throng is surging round a vacant throne ; all

look and wait S uddenly they cast them selves on the
.

ground A goat headed prince bounds forward among

.
-

them ; he ascends the throne turns and by assu mi g a , ,

n

stooping posture presents to the assembly a hum an face

, ,

which ca rrying black torches every one comes forward to

, ,

salute and to kiss With a hoarse laugh he recovers .

an upright position and then distribute s gold secret , ,

instructions occult m edicines and poisons to his faith

, ,

ful bondsm en M eanwhile fires a e lighted of fe n

.
, r r

and alder piled over with human bones and the fat of
,

executed crim inals D ruidesses crowned with wild parsley

.

and vervain im m olate unbaptised child en with golden knives r

and prepare horrible love feasts Tables are Spread m asked -

.
,

m e n seat them selves by half nude fe m ales and a B c c h a -

, a

nalian orgie begins ; there is nothing m issing but salt the ,

symbol of wisdom and imm ortality Wine flows in stream s .

,

leaving stains like blood ; obscene ta lk and fond caresses

begin and presently the whole assembly is drunk with wine
, ,

with pleasure with crim e a n d singing They rise a dis

, , .
,

ordered throng and haste n to form infernal dances

, .
 I N TR OD UC TI ON 9

Then com e all legendary m onsters all phanto m s of night ,

mare ; enorm ous toads play inverted flutes and blow with
their paws on their flanks ; l imping scarabaei mingle in the
dance ; crabs play the castanets ; crocodiles beat tim e on
their scales ; elephants and m amm oths appear habited like
C upids and foot it in the ring ; finally the giddy circles break ,

up and scatter on all sides E very yelling dancer drags

.

away a dishevelled female L a mps and candles form ed

.

of hum an fat go out s moking in the darkness C ries .

are heard here and there mingled with peal s of laughter

, ,

blasphemies and rattlings of the throat C om e rouse you

, .
,
r

sel f do not make the S ign of the cross S ee I have brought

, ,

you home ; you are in your own bed som ewhat worn out ,
-
,

possibly a trifl e shattered by your night s journey and

,
’

dissipation ; but you have witnessed som ething of which

everyone talks without knowledge you have been initiated
into secrets no less te rible than the grotto of Triph o n ius ;
r

you have been present at the S abbath It rem ains for you .

now to preserve your reason to have a wholesom e d ead of

,
r

the law and to keep at a respectf ul distance fro m the

,

C hurch and her faggots .

Would you care as a change to behold som ething less

, ,

fantas tic more real and also mo e truly terrible ? You

, , r

S hall assist at the execution of Jacques de M olay and his

ac complices or his brethren in m arty dom D O not r .

,

however be misled confuse not the gu ilty and the innocent !

, ,

D id the Te mplars really adore Bapho m et ? D id they o ffer

a shameful salutation to the buttocks of the goat of M endes ?
What was actually this secret and po tent association which
imperil led C hurch and S tate and was thus destroyed un
,

heard ? Judge nothing lightly ; they are guil ty of a great

crim e ; they have allowed the san ctuary of antique initiation
to be entered by the profane By them for a second tim e
.

have the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and

evil been ga thered and sha red so that they might becom e
,

the m asters of the world The sentence which conde mns

.

them has a higher and earlier origin than the tribunal of

10 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
pope or king : O n the day that thou ea test thereof thou ,

shalt s urely die said God Himself as we see in the book of

, ,

Genesis .

What is taking place in the world and why do priests ,

and potentates trem ble ? What secret power threatens tiaras

and crowns ? A few madm en a e roaming from land to r

land concealing as they say the philosophical stone under

, , ,

their ragged vesture They can change ea rth into gold and
.
,

they are without fo o d or lodging Their brows are encircled

by an aureole of glory and by a Shadow of ignominy O n e
has discovered the universal science and goes vainly seeking
death to escape the agonies of his triumph h e is the -

M ajorcan Raym ond Lully A nother heals i maginary

.

diseases by fant a stic remedies giving a form al denial in ,

advance to the proverb which enforces the futility of a

cautery on a wooden leg—h e is the m arvellous Paracelsus ,

always drunk and always lucid like the heroes of Rabelais , .

Here is William Postel writing a ve ly to the fathers of the n

’ '

C ouncil of Trent informing the m that he has discovered the

,

absolute doctrine hidden from the foundation of the world

, ,

and is longing to share it with them The council does n o t .

concern itself with the m aniac does not condescend to con ,

de mn h im and proceeds to examine the weighty questions

,

of e fficacious grace and suffi c in g g ace He whom we see r .

perishing poor and abandoned is C ornelius Agrippa less of ,

a m agician than any though the vulgar persist in regarding

,

h im as a m ore potent sorc erer than all because he was som e

times a cynic and myst ifie r What secret do these men bear
.

with them to their to mb ? Why are they wondered at

without being understood ? Why a e they condemned n u r

heard ? Why are they initiates of those terrific secret sciences

of which the C hurch and society are afraid Why are they
acquainted with things of which others know nothing ?
Why do they conceal what all me burn to know ? Why n

are they invested with a dread and unknown power ? The

occult sciences ! Magic ! These words will reveal all and
give food for further thought ! D e o mn i r e scibili t ga iba s a

da m a liis .
 I NTROD UC TI ON 11

But what as a fact was this m agic ? What was the

, ,

power of these me n who were at once so proud and so

persecuted If they were really strong why did they not ,

overcome their enemies ? But if they were weak and foolish ,

why did people honour them by fearing them 7 D oes m agic .

I S there an occult knowle dge which I s truly a p ower ,

which works wonders fit to be compared with the m iracles

of authorised religions ? To these two palm ary questions
we make answer by an affirmation and a book The book .

S hall justify the a ffirmation and the affirmation is this

,
.

Y es, the e exis t ed in the past and there exists in the pre
r ,

sent a potent and real magic ; yes a ll that legends have said
, ,

of it is true but in contrariety to what commonly happens

, , ,

popular exaggerations are in this ca se not only beside but

, ,

below the truth There is indeed a formidable secret the

.
,

revelation of which has on c e already transformed the world ,

as testified in E g yptian religious tra dition sym bolically ,

summarised by M oses at the beginning of Genesis This .

se c rw w m w t m f a ta l Scienc e of good and evil and the ,

cons equence of it s revelation is death M oses depicts it .

under the figur e of a tree which is in th cen t e of the e r

Terrestrial Para di se is in proximity to the tree of life and

,

has a radical connection therewith ; at the foot of this tree is

the source of the four mysterious rivers ; it is guarded by the
v g pj me and by t he
sygg
the
fi

Oi E z e kie L
mt h e fi bl ma l s pm

Here I m ust pause and I fear

. .
nx m ,

alread y that I have said too much Yes there is one sole uni .
, ,

versal and imperishable dogm a strong as the suprem e reason

, ,

S im ple like al l that is great ; intelligible like all that is

, ,

universally and absolutely true ; and this dogm a has been

the parent of all others Yes there is a science which
.
,

confers on ma n powers apparently superhuman ; I find them

enu m erat ed as follows in a Hebrew manuscript of the
sixte enth century
These are the powers and privileges of the ma n who
holds in his right hand the clavicles of S olom on and in his
left the branch of the blossoming almond N A lep h —H e
,

. .
12 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRA NSCEND EN T MAGIC
beholds God face to face without dying and converses , ,

fam iliarly with the seven genii who command the entire
celestial army 3 B ett —H e is above all a fflictions and all
. a

fears J Ghimal — H e reigns with all heaven and is served

by all hell 1 D a l th —H e disposes of his own health and
. .

‘
e

life and can equally influence that of othe s a H a —H e

. .

r . .
m

nor overwhelmed by
di sasters no
” — !;
future I D z a in —
fl v~ ~r m , “ o

the reason of t h e p ast _ _

He , . .

possesses the secret of the resurrection of the dead and the

key of i mm ortality .

S uch are the seven chief privileges and those which ,

rank next are as follows

n Chat h To find the philosophical stone to T lia —To
.
~ -
. a

enjoy the universal m edicine J o l — To be ac quainted . e _ _

with the laws pi p erp ejl a l m fie m a n i u mo sitio n to

3 Cap h —To
h

dem onstrate the quadrature of the c ig c l e . .

Sha g? RE E SE not only all m etals but also the earth

“

itself and even the refuse of the earth 5 L a me d —To sub

,

. .
,

due the m ost ferocious anim als and be able

serpents w em—To
.

words which
'

. r
~

p ossess the A s N t a ia w h ich gives r the universalosciencer .

J N m— To speak l e a m e dly o n all gubje c t s without

a
p e .
_ ,
r

p a ra t io and without
n study .

These finally are the seven least po wers of the m agus

D S m ach —To know at first sight the deep things of the
, ,

a .

souls of men and the mysteries of the hearts of wom en

—
.

1! H ir
a m To force nature to make him free at his pleasure
I:P l a —To foresee all future events which do not depend on
.

a superior free will or on an undiscernible cause I:Tsa l c a

—To give at once and to all the m ost efficacious consolations

. .
,

and the m ost wholesom e counsels P C p h To triu mph over

adversities u Resch —
. o .
-

To conquer love and hate I) S bin

. . .
» a .

To have the secret of wealth to be always its m aster and ,

never its slave To know how to enjoy even poverty and never
—
.

beco m e abject or se able

mi n Ta m L et us add t o theser .

three septenaries that the wise ma n rules the elements stills ,

14 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C

Gnostic s represented it as the fiery body of the Holy Spirit

it was the object of adoration in the se cret rites of the
S a bbath and the Temple under the hieroglyphi c figure of ,

Bapho met or the And ogyne of M endes Al l this will be r .

proved .

S uch are the se crets of occult philosophy such is m agic ,

in history ; let us now glance at it as it appears in its books

and its achievements in its initiations and its rite s The
, .

key of all m agical alle go riés is found in the tablets we have

a l rea dy m en t i n e d and these tablets we regard as the work
’ g ,

Of Herm es A bout this book which ma y be called the

.
,

keystone of the whole edifice of occult science are grouped ,

innum erable legen ds which are either its partial translation

or its commentary renewed endl essly under a thousand
different forms S om etimes these ingenious fables combine
.

harm oniously into a great epic which characterises an epoch ,

though how or why is not clear to the uninitiated Thus the .

,

fabulous history of the Gol den Fleece both resum es and

veils the Hermetic and ma gical doctrines of O rpheus and if ,

we recur only to the mys t erious poetry of Greece it is be ,

cause the sanctuaries o i E gypt and India to some extent dis

m a y us by their resources and leave our choice e mbarrassed ,

in the m idst of such abundant wealth We are eager m ore .

,

over to reach the Th e ba d at once that dread synthesis of all

,
’ ’

r ,

doctrine past present and future that so to speak infinite

, , , , , ,

fable which com prehends like the D eity of O rpheus the two
, , ,

extre mities of the cycle of human life E xt aordin ary fact . r

The seven gates of Thebes attacked and defen ded by seven ,

chi efs who have sworn upon the blood of victim s possess ,

the same significan ce as the seven seals of the sacred book

interpreted by seven genii and assailed by a m onster with ,

seven heads after being opened by a living yet imm olate d

,

lamb in the allegorical work of S t John The mysterious

,
.

origin of (E dip us found suspended from the tree of Cyt h e ro n

,

like a bleeding fruit recalls the symbols of M oses and the

,

narratives of Genesis He makes war upon his father

whom he slays without knowing—alarming prophecy of
.
,
 IN TRO D UC TI ON 15

the blind emancipation of reason without science ; he then

m eets with the S phinx — the sp hin x that symbol of symbols , ,

the eternal enigma of the vulgar the granite pedestal of the ,

science of the sages the voracious and silent m onster whose

,

invariable form expresses the one dogm a of the great uni

versal mystery How M i. change d into the
-
duad
and explained by th C t ria d ? In more common but more
h

e mb e m a t c terms what is that anim a l which in the m orn

I ,

ing has four feet two at n o o mg nd three in the even g ?

M m
, g fl
g h a 1
1 3 4 ‘
fb

Philosophically speaking how does the doctrine of ele men

u

the ultim ate reason of allegories and numbers the final ,

message of all sym bolisms ? (E dipus replies with a simple

and terrible word which destroys the Sphinx and makes the
divine King of Thebes ; the answer to the enigm a is M a n !
r

U nfortunate ! He has seen too much and yet with ,

insufficient clearness ; he must p e sgn t ly e pia t e his calam i r h

x
‘ um MN s
I m -
s n: m l

blind ess
'

t pus a nd imp egfggt c l a ir

oy nce b a vo l u t
fi x ‘ ‘
a
g g g ry n v
m ’ m '
,

and then vanish in the midst of a storm like all civilisations

fi

which m y at any tim e divine the answer to the riddle of

a

the S phin x without grasping its whole import and mystery .

E verything is symbolical a d transcendental in this titanic n

epic of hu ma n destinies The two hostile breth ren express .

the second part of the grand m ystery divinely comple t ed by

the sacrifice of Antigone ; then com es the last war ; the
brethren slay one another C apaneus is destroyed by the ,

lightning which he defies Amp hia ra iis is swallowed by the ,

ea th and all these are so m any allegories which by their

r , ,

t uth and their grandeur astonish those who can penetrate

r ,

their triple hieratic sg p p e zEsc hylus ann otated by Bal .

,

lanche gives only a weak notion concerning them whatever

, ,

the prim eval sublimities of the Greek poet or the beauty of

the F rench critic .

The sgere t book of antique initiation was not unknown to

qf Achilles , with minute

” pM
re c ision M y “
“ w k m a ws M
‘
L o f
. But the gracious fi ctions
16 THE D O CTRINE OF TRAN S CEN D EN T MA GI C
of Homer replaced speedily in the popula memory the r

simple and abstra ct truths of prim eval revelation Hum anity .

clung to the form and all owed the idea to be forgotten;

signs lost power in their m ultiplication ; magic also a t this
pe iod becam e corrupted and degenerated with the sorce ers
r , r

of Thessaly into the m ost p ofane enchantm ents The crime r .

ro ugh t forth its deadly fruits and the science

i M m w M
,
-
‘ o m '

and l erecte evil vinity

" w fl “ n

d
fl

Ev i
“

9 g pd
f o i E fi
E L Qj fi l é glfl i
E di
M e n w m bf the light took refuge in the shadow of b
.
__

, ,

substance ; the drea m of the void which is filled by God , ,

soon appeared to be g eater than God him self in their eyes r ,

and thus hell was created -

.

When in the OOII I SF O I th is work we m ake use of the

‘

, ,

consecrated term s God Heaven and Hell let it be thoroughly , , ,

understood once for all that our m eaning is as far removed

, ,

fro m that whi ch the profane attach to them as initiation is

distant fro m vulga thought God for us is the AZOT of r .
, ,

the sages the efficient and final p inciple of the great work
,
r .

Retu ning to the fable of (E dip us the crim e of the King

r ,

of Thebes was that he failed to understand the sphinx ,

that he destroye d the scourge o f Th e be s without b eing pure fl fi

f mou a
e tliéifihi t ip na e i
f
‘

co
e plst ja h
l s
l m hi e
§ p p o l e a
a s . _
.

The plague in consequence avenged speedily the death of

, ,

the m onste r and the King of Thebes forced to abdicate

, , ,

sacrificed himself to the terrible manes of the S phinx m ore ,

a l ive and voracious than ever when it had passed fro m the

domain of form into that of idea (E dipus divined what .

was ma n and he put out hi s own eyes because he did not

see what was God He divulged half of the great arcanum .
,

and to save his people it was necessary for him to bear

, ,

the remaining half of the terrible secret into exile and the
t om b .

A fter the colossal fable of (E dip us we find the g racious

poem of Psyche which was ce tainly not invented by , r

Apuleius The great m agical a canum reappears here under

. r

the figure of a mysterious union between a god and a weak

m ort al abandoned alone and naked on a rock Psyche .
 I N TR OD UCTI O N 17

m ust remain in ignorance of the sec et of her ideal royalty r ,

and if Sh e behold her husband she m ust lose h im Here .

Apuleius co mm entates and interp ets M oses but did not r ,

the E lohim of Israel and the gods of Apuleius both issue

from the sanctuaries of M em phis and Thebes ? Ps yche is
the siste f E ve or rathe i s E —
_q
r
_
o ,—
v e s iritua ised
p ,
l m u
Both
m w m
r,
p Mn
a a t nr .o n -m
wN u
M
“
.

desire to kno w a n d lose innocence for the h OnOur of the

‘ (

ordeal Both deserve to go down into hell one to bring

.
,

back the antique b ox of Pandora the other to find and to ,

crush the head of the old se pent who is the Symbol of r ,

trme mn dmf e vil Both are giiiltyOI t h f c rim e which m ust

I

i
fi

r
.

be expiated by the Prom etheus of ancient days and the

L ucifer of the C hristian legend the one delivered the other , ,

overco me by Hercules and by the S aviour The great

, .

secret is therefore the lamp a n d dagger of

the apple of E ve t h e Sa Cr e d fira of Prom
, ,

“
etheus th e
, _
_ “ us e “ .
,

burning sceptre of Lu cifer but it is a lso M o ss of ,

“

t he Redeem er To be acquainted with it sufficiently to

.

abuse or divulge it is to deserve a ll sufferings ; to know it

as one should know it nam ely to m ake use of and conceal
, ,

it is to be m aster of the absolute

, .

E verything is contained in a S ingle word which consists ,

of four letters ; it is the Tetrag am of the Hebrews the r ,

AZ OT of the alchem ists the Thot of the Bohem ians or , ,

the Taro of the Kabbalists This word expressed after so .

,

m any m an ne s m eans God for the p ofane m a n for the

r ,
r ,

philosophers and imparts to the adepts the final word of

,

human s ciences and the key of divine power ; but he only

can use it who understands the necessity of never evealing r

it Had (E dip us instead of killing the S phinx overcom e

.
, ,

it harnessed it to his chariot and thus entered Thebes he

, , ,

would have been king without incest without misfortunes , ,

and without exil e Had Psyche by meekness a n d a ffection

.
, ,

persuaded Love to reveal him self she would never have lost ,

Lo ve. N ow Love is one of the m ythological i m ages of the

,

great secret and the great agent because it a t once expresses ,

an action and a passion a void and a plenitude a shaft and

, ,

B
18 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
a wound The initiate s will unde st a nd me and on a ccount
. r , ,

of the profane I must not speak mo e clearly

,
r .

A fter the m arvell ous Gol den A ss of Ap leiius we find no "

p ,

m ore magical epics S cience conquere d in Alexandria by

.
,

the fanaticis m of the m urderers of Hypatia beca m e Chris ,

t ian or rathe
, ,
concealed itself under C hristian veils with
r,

Ammo n ius Sy e sius and t h e pseudonym ous author of t h e

,
n ,

books of D ionysius the Areopagite In such tim es it was .

needful to excuse miracl e s by the garb of superstition and

science by an unintelligible language Hieroglyphic writing .

was revived ; pa n t a cl es and characte s were invented to r

summ arise an entire doctri ne by a Sign a whole sequence ,

of tendencies and revelations in a word Wh at was the end .

of the aspi ants to knowledge ? They sought the secret of

r

the great work or the philosophical stone or the perpetual

, ,

m otion or the quadrature of the circle or the u ni versal

m edicine—formul a s which often saved the m f o m pe rse c u
, ,

tion and hatred by causin g the m to be ta xed with m ad ness .

and all signifying one of the phases of the great magical

secret as we shall shew later on This absence of epics
,
.

continues t ill our Rom nc e of th e Rose but the rose symbol a -

,

which expresses also the mysterio us and magical sense of

'

D an t e s poe m is b orrowed fro m the tran scendent Kabbalah

’
, ,

and it is time that we should have recourse to this im m ense

and concealed source of universal philosophy .

The Bible with a ll its allegories gives expression to the

, ,

religious knowledge of the Hebrews in only an in c omplete

and veiled manner The book which we have m entioned .
,

the hieratic characte rs of which we shall explain subse

quently that book which William Postel names the Gen esis
,

of E n o h certai nl y e x isted before M oses and the prophets

c , ,

whose doctrine fundamenta lly identical with that of the

,

ancient E gyptians had also its exotericism and its veils

, .

When M oses spoke to the people says the sa cred b oo k ,

allegoricall y he placed a veil over his fa ce and he removed

, ,

it when addressing God ; this accounts for the alleged

Biblical absurdities which so e x ercised the sa tirical powers
 I NTROD U CTIO N 19

of Voltaire The books were only written as m emorials of

.

tradition and in symbols that were unintelligible for the

,

p ofane The Pentateuch and the poems of the prophets

r .

were moreover elem entary works al ike in doctrine ethics

, , , , ,

and litu gy the true secret and tra ditional p hilosophy was
r

not commi tted to writing until a later period and under ,

veil s even less transparent Thus arose a second and .

u n known Bible or rather one which was not comprehended

,

by C hristians a storehouse so they say of m onstrous

, , ,

a bsurdities for in this case believers confounded in the

, , , ,

sa m e ignorance spea k the language of sceptics ; a me nu

,

ment a s we affi rm which comprises al l that philosophica l

, ,

ge nius and religious genius have ever acco mplished o r

im agin ed in the order of the sublim e ; a treasure e n c o m

passed by thorns ; a diamond concealed in a rude a n d
opaque stone : our readers will have a l ready guessed that
we refer to the Talm ud How strange is the destiny of the .

Jews those scapegoats martyrs and saviours of the world a

, , , ,

people full of vitality a bold and ha dy race which perse

,
r ,

c ut io n s have always preserved intact because it has not ,

yet a ccomplished its mission ! D o not our apostolical

traditions decla re that aft er the decline of faith among ,

the Gentiles salvation shall again co m e forth out of the

,

hous e of Jacob and that then the c rucified Jew who is

,

a dored by the C hristians will give the e mpire of the world

into the hands of God his Father

O n penetrating into the sanctuary of the Kabbalah o n e
is seiz ed with admiration at the sight of a doctrine so
logical so simple and at the same tim e so absolute The
, , , , .

e ssential union of ideas and signs the consecration of the

m ost funda mental r e alities by primitive chara cters ; the
trinity of words letters and numbers ; a philosophy simple
, ,

a s the alphabet profound and infinite as the Word ;

,

theorems more complet e and l uminous than those o f

Pythagoras ; a theology which may be summed up on the
fingers ; an infinite which can be held in the hollow of a n
infant s hand ; t e n figures a n d tw e nty two letters a triangle
’
-
, ,
20 THE D O C TRINE OF TRA NSCEND EN T MAGI C
a squa e and a circle these are the entire elem ents of the
r ,

Kabbalah These are t h e component principles of the

.

wri tten Word eflection of that spoken Word which created

,
r

the world ! All truly dogmatic religions have issued f o m r

the Kabbalah and retu n therein ; whatsoever is grand or r

scientific in the eligious d eam s of all the illu m inated

r r ,

Jacob Boehm e S wedenborg S aint M a tin &c is borrowed

, ,
r , .
,

f o m the Kabbalah all m asonic associations owe to it their

r

secrets and their sym bols The Kabbalah alone consec ates . r

the alliance of universal re ason and the divin e Word ; it

establishes by the counterpoise of two fo ces apparently
,
r

O pposed the eternal balance of being ; it only reconciles

,

r eason with faith power with liberty science with mystery ;

, ,

it has the keys of the p esent past and future r , ,

To becom e initiated into the Kabbalah it is insu fficient ,

to read a n d to m editate upon the writings of Reuchlin ,

Ga l a t i us Kircher or Pio u s de M i andola ; it is necessa y

n , ,
r r

to study and to understand the Hebrew w ite s in the

"

r r

collection of Pisto ius the S epter Je t ira h above all ; it is

r ,
z

ne cessa y also to m aster the great book Zoha ead atten

r r, r

t ive l y in the collection of 1 6 8 4 entitled K bba la D n ud t ,

a e a a ,

the t eatise of Kabbalistic Pneu matics a d that of the

r ,
n

Revolution of S ouls and afterwards to ente bol dly into the r

lum inous da kness of the whole dogm atic and allegorical

r

body of the Tal m ud Then we Shall be in a position to .

understand William Postel and can a dmit sec etly that ,

r

apart from his very prem ature and ove generous drea ms r-

a bout the e m ancipation of wo m en this celebrated learned , , ,

il luminated m a n coul d not have been so m a d as is p e r

tended by those who have n o t read h im .

W e have sketched rapidly the history of occult philosophy ;

w e have in dicated its sources and analysed in a few words
its p incipal books This work refers only to the sc ience but
r .
,

m agic o , athe m agical power is com posed O f two things a

r, r r, , ,

science a d a force ; without the force the science is nothi g

n n ,

or rather it is a danger To give knowledge to power alone

, , .
,

such is t h e S uprem e law of initiations Hence did the .

22 THE D OC TRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
treated of the occult s ciences ; thus finally the Fren c h , ,

Re volution daughter of the great Jo h a nit e O rient and t h e

,
n

ashes of the Templars spoliated the churches and blas,

p e me d the allego ies O f the divine cultus But all do ctrines

h r .

a n d all revivals rib m agic and conde m n its m ysteries

p r e sc e ,

t o the flam es and to oblivion The rea son is that each

.

cul tus or philosophy which comes into the world is 3 .

Benjamin of hum anity which l ives by the death of its

mother ; it is because the symbolical serpent seem s ever .

devouring its own ta il ; it is because as essential condition ,

of existence a void is necessary to every plenitude Sp a c e

, ,

fo r every dim ension an affirmation for e a ch negation ; it is

,

the ete rnal re al isation of the ph oenix allegory .

Two illustrious scholars have already preceded m e alo n g

the path I a m travelling but they have so to speak S pent, , ,

the dark night therein I refer to Volney and D upuis t o

.
,

Du puis abo ve all whose i mmense eru dition h a s produced

,

only a negative work for in the origin of all religions h e

,

h a s seen nothing but astronom y takin g thus the sym bolic ,

cycle for doctrine an d the calendar for legend He w a s .

deficient in one branch of knowledge that of true m agic , ,

which comp ises the secrets of t h e Kabbalah D upuis

r .

p a ssed through the antique sa ct uaries like the prophetn

E ekiel over the plain strewn with bones and only under
z ,
a

sto od death for want of that word which collects the virtu e
,

of the four winds and can m ake a living people of all the
,

vast ossuary by crying to the ancient symbols : Arise !

”
,

Take up a new form and walk ! Hence the hour has

come when we must have the boldness to attempt what n o
one has dared to perform previously Like Julian we
‘ ’

.
,

woul d rebuild the te mpl e and in so doing we do not believe

,

that we shall be belying a wisdom that we adore which ,

also Julian would him self have been worthy to adore had ,

the rancorous and fanatical doctors of his period permitted

him to un de stand it F or us the temple has two pillars on
r .
,

one of which C hristianity has inscribed its name We have .

,

therefore no wish to attack C hristianity ; far fro m it we

, ,
 IN TROD U CTI O N 23

se ek to explain and a cc omplish it Intelligence and will have .

al t ernately ex ercised their power in the world ; religion and

philosophy are still at war in our own days but they must ,

end by agreeing The provision a l object of Christianity was

.

to establish by obedience and faith a supernatural or religious

, ,

equality am ong me n and to immobilise intelligence by faith

, ,

so as to provide a fulcru m fo virt ue which came for the r

dest rric t io n of the aristocracy of sc ience or rather to replace , , ,

that aristoc acy already destroyed Ph ilosophy on the

r .
,

c ontrary has laboured to bring back men by liberty and

,
.

reason to natural inequal ity and t o substitute astuteness for

,

virtue by in augurating the reign of industry Neither of .

the two Operations has proved complete and adequate ,

neither has brought me n to perfection and felicity What .

is now dream ed al most without darin g to hope for it is an

, ,

alliance between these two for ces SO long regarded as con

t ra ry and the e is good ground for desiring their union for
,
r ,

these two great powers of the human soul are no m ore

O pposed to one another than the sex o f m a n is O pposed to

that of wo m an ; undoubtedly they di ff er but their appar

y m
,

spositions co e onl
“

M ary di m f r t o

m eet and unite .

There is no less proposed therefore than an universal , ,

solution of all proble ms ?

N o doubt since we are concerned with explaining the

,

philosophical stone perpetual m otion the secret of the great

, ,

work and of the universal m edicine We shall be accused .

of insanity like the divine Paracelsus or of charlatanis m

, , ,

like the great and unfortunate Agrippa If the pyre of .

U rban Gra n die r be extinguished the sullen pre sc ript io s of ,

n

silence and of calum ny remain We do not brave but are .

resigned to them We have not sought ourselves the pub

.

lica t io n of this book and we bel ieve that if the tim e be

,

co me to produce speech it will be produced by us or by

,

others We shall therefo e re main calm and wait

. r .

O ur work has two parts ; in the one we establish the

Kabbalistic and magical doctrine in its entirety ; the other
24 THE D O C TRINE O F TR N O A S ENDENT MAGI C
is consecrated to the cultus that is to ceremonial magic
, , .

The one is that which the ancient sages te m ed the clavicle r ,

the other that which rural people still call the grimoire .

The num bers and subjects of the chapters which correspond ,

in both parts are in no sense arbitrary and are a ll indicated

, ,

in the great universal key of which we give for the first

,

ti me a complete and adequat e explanation Let this work .

now go its way whe e it wills and becom e what Providence

r ,

d eterm ines ; it is finished and we believe it to be enduring

, ,

because it is st ong like all that is reasonable and con

r ,

sc ie n t io us
.

E LIPH AS LE VI .
 TH E

DOCTRINE OF TRANSCENDENT MAGIC

l N A

TH E CAND I D ATE

D I SCIPLINA ENSOPE KE TE R

WHEN a philosopher adopted as the basis for a new apoca

l yp se of hu man wisdo m the axiom : I think therefore I
”
,

am , in a measure he unconsciously altered from the stand ,

point of C hristian revelation the old conception of the

,

S upre m e Being I a m tha t I a m said the Being of beings

.
,

of M oses I a m he who thinks says the ma n of D escartes

.
, ,

and to think being to speak inwardly this man m a y affirm ,

like the God of S t John the E vangelist : I a m he in whom

and by whom the word m anifests —I n p rin ip io e t ver bum c ra ,

N ow what is a principle ? It is a groundwork of speech it

, ,

is a reason for the exis t ence of the word The essence of .

the word is in the principle ; the principle is th a t which is;

intelligence is a p rinciple which speaks What f urther is .
, ,

intellectual light ? It is speech What is revelation ? It

.

is also speech ; being is the principle S peech is the m eans , ,

and the plenitude or developm ent and perfection of being is

the end To speak is to create But to say : I think
”
. . ,

therefore I exist is to argue from consequen c e to principle

, ,

and certain contradictions which have been adduced by a

great writer La me n n ais have abundantly proved the philo
, ,
~

sophical imperfection of this method I a m therefore so m e

thing exists —would appear to us a more primitive and
. ,
28 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCE ND EN T MAGI C
simple foundation for experim ental philosophy I AM .
,

T HE REF O RE B EI N G E XI ST S E g o um gui sum— such is the . s

fi st evelation of God in m a a d of ma in the world

r r n n n ,

while it is also the fi st axio m of occult philosophy mm: r .

“
Ir/ N f ume Being is being Hence this philosophy having
. .
,

that which is for its principle is in no sense hypothesis or ,

guesswork .

M e curius T is m egistus begins his ad m irable sym bol

r r ,

known under the nam e of the E m erald Table by this three ,

fold affirm ation : It is true it is certain without error it is , ,

of all t uth Thus in physics the true confirm ed by ex

r .
, ,

i n c e ; in philosophy certitude purged fro m any alloy of

p e r e ,

e or ; in the dom ain of religion or the infinite absolute

rr ,

truth indicated by analogy ; such are the first ne c essities of

true science and magic onl y can i mpart these to its adepts
, .

But you before all things who are you thus taking this
, , ,

wo k in your hands and p oposing to read it ? O n the

r r

pedim ent of a temple consecrated by antiquity to the God

of Light was an inscription of two wo ds : Know thyself ” r .

I imp ess the same counsel on every m a n when he seeks t o

r

app oach science M agic which the me of old deno minated

r .
,
n

the s n tum g n um the holy kingdom or kingdom of God

a c re , , ,

magn um D ei exists only for kings and for p iests

,
A re you r .

priests ? Are you kings ? The priesthood of m a gic is not

a vulgar priesthood and its royalty ente s not into com pe ti
,
r -
a

tion with t h e prince s of this world The m onarchs of .

science are the priests of t uth and thei sovereignty is r ,

r

hidden f o m the m ultitude like their prayers and sacrifi c es

r .

The kings of science are me n who know the t uth and the r

truth has m ade free according to the specific p om ise given

,
r

by the m ost m ighty of the initiators .

The m a who is enslaved by his passions or worldly pre

n

judices can in no wise be initiated ; he m ust alter or he will

never attain ; hence he cannot be an adept for the word ,

signifies a person who has attained by will and by work .

The m a who loves his own opinions and fears to part with
n

the m who suspects new truths who is unprepared t o doubt

, ,
30 TH E D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
a spe cies of relative o mnipotence and can ope ate super r

hu manly —that is after a m anner which transcends the

,

no m al possibility of me n Thereby many celebrated hiero

r .

p h a nts ,
such as M ercu ius Tris m egistus O siris
r O rpheus , , ,

Apollonius of Tyana and others whom it might be danger

,

ous or unwise to nam e came after thei death to be adored

,
r

and invoked as gods Thereby othe s also according to

. r ,

tha t ebb a n d fl o w of opinion which is responsible for the

- -

caprices of success becam e emissaries of in fe rn us or sus

,

p e c t e d advent urers like the e m

,
peror Julian A puleius the , ,

enchanter M erlin and that arch sorcerer as he was termed

,
-
,

in hi s day the illustrious and unfortunate C ornelius

,

Agrippa
To attain the s tum egn um in other words the kn o w
a nc f
r , ,

ledge and power of the m agi there a e fou indispensabl e ,

r r

conditions— a n inte lligence illuminated by study an intre ,

p idi t y which nothing can check a wi ll which nothing can ,

break and a discretion which nothing can corrupt a n d

,

nothing intoxicate To KN OW To D AR E To W I LL TO K EEP

S I LE NCE—such are the four words of the ma gus inscribed
.
, , ,

upon the four symbolical form s of the Sp h in x These four .

words can be com bined after four m anners and explained

four tim es by one another ” .
,

O n the fi st page of the Book of Herm es the adept

r

is depicted with a large hat which if turned down would , , ,

conceal his entire head O n e hand is extended towards .

heaven which he seems to c omm an d with his re d whil e

, ,

the other is placed upon his breast ; before him are the chief
symbols or instruments of science a n d he has others hi dden ,

in a juggler s wal let His body and arms form the lette r
’
.

Aleph the first of the alphabet whi ch the Jews borrowed

,

fr om the E gyptians to this symbol we Shall have occasion

to recur later on .

The m agus is truly what the Hebrew Kabbalists call the

M icr op r oSOp uS that is the crea tor of the little world
, , Th e .

first of all magical s ciences being the knowledge of one s self ’

S ee t h e Ta ro t ca rds.
 THE CAND ID AT E 31

so is one s own creation first of a l l works of science ; it

’

contains the othe s and is the principle of the grea t work

r , .

The term however requires explanation S uprem e reason

, , .

being the sole invariable and consequently impe ishable

—
r

principle what we term de t h being change hence the

a —
intelligence which C leaves closely to this principle and in ,

a m anner identifies itself therewith does hereby m ake itself

, ,

unchan geable and as a result im mort al To cleave in

, , , .

variably to reason it will be understood that it is nec essary

‘

to attain independence of a ll those forces which by their

fata l and inevitable movem ent produce the alternatives of
l ife and death To know how to suffer t o forbea r and to
die—such are the first secrets which place us beyond reach
.
, ,

of a ffl iction the desires of the flesh and the fear of ann ihila
, ,

tion Th e ma n who seeks and finds a glorious death has

.

faith in imm ortality and universa l hum anity believes in it

with h im and for him raising altars and statues to his ,

memory in token of eternal life .

M a n b e c om es king of t h e brutes only by subduing or

tamin g them ; otherwise he will be their victim or slave .

Brute s are the type of our passions ; they are the instinctive
forces of nature The world is a field of battle where libert y
.

struggles with inertia by the Opposition of a ctive for ce .

Physical laws are millstones ; if you cannot be the miller

you m ust be the grain You a re called to be kin g of .

t h e air water earth and fire ; but to reign over these four
, , ,

a n im als of symbolis m it is necessary to conquer and e n

,

ch a in them He who a spires to be a sage and to know t h e

.

grea t enig ma of nature must be the heir and despoiler of

the Sphinx ; his the human hea d in order t o possess speech ,

his the eagle s wings in order to s c ale the heights his the
’

bull s flanks in order to furrow the depths hi s the lion s

’

,
’

talons to make a way on th e right and the left before and ,

be hind .

You therefore who seek initiation are you learned a s

, , ,

F aust ? Are you insensible a s Job ? N o is it not so ? ,

But yo u ma y be come equ al to bo th if you will Have yo u

. .
32 TH E D O CTRINE OF TR ANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
ove come the vortices of vague thoughts ? Are you wi thout
r

indecision o cap iciousness ? D o you consent to pleasure

r r

only when you will a n d do you wish for it o nl y when you

,

shoul d No is it not so ? N ot invariably at least but

?
, ,

it m a y becom e so if you choose The sphin x has not only a .

m an s head it has wo man s breasts ; do you know how to

’ ’

resist fem inine charm s ? No is it not so ? And you laugh ,

outright in replying vaun ting your m oral weakness for the

,

gl orification of your physical and vital force Be it so ; I .

allow you to render this hom age to the ass of S terne or

Apuleius The ass has its m erit I agree ; it was consecrated
.
,

to Priapus as was the goat to the god of M endes But .

take it for what it is worth and decide whether ass or ma n ,

shall be maste He alone can possess truly the plea sure

r.

of love who h a s conque ed the love of pleasure To be r .

able and to forbear is to be twice able Wo m an enchains .

you by your desi es ; m aster your desires and you will e u

r

chain her The greatest injury that can be inflicted on a

.

ma n is to call him a cowa d N ow what is a c owardly r .

,

person ? O n e who neglects his m o al dignity in order to r

obey blindly the instincts of nature A s a fact in the .

,

presence of danger it is natural to be afraid and seek flight ;

why then is it sham eful ? Because honour has erect ed it
, ,

into a law that we m ust p efer our duty to our inclination sr

or fears What is honour from this point of View ? It is

.

universal pr e se n t ie n c e of im m ortality and appreciation of t h e

m eans which can lead to it The last trophy which ma n
.

can win from death is to t iumph over the appetite for life r ,

not by despai but by a m o e exalted hope which is con

r, r ,

t a in e d in faith for all that is noble and honest by the u

, ,
n

divided consent of the wo ld To learn self conquest is r .

-

therefore to learn life and the austerities of stoicis m were

,

no vain pa ade of f eedom To yield to the fo ces of

r r r

nature is to follow the stream of collective life and to be ,

the slave of seconda y causes To esist and subdue nature

r . r

is to m ake one s self a pe sonal and im perishable life ; it is

’
r

to break free fro m the vicissitudes of life and death E very .

 THE CANDIDAT E 33

ma n who is prepared to die rather than renounce truth and

justice is most truly living for imm ortality abides in his
,

soul To find or to form such men was the end of all

.

a ncient initiations Pythago as disciplined his pupils by

. r

S ilence and all kinds of self denial ; candidates in E gypt

-

were tried by the four elem ents ; and we know the self
inflicted austerities of fakirs and brahmans in India for
attain in g the kingdom of free will and divine independence .

All m acerations of asceticism are borrowed from the initia

tions of ancient mysteries ; they have ceased because those
qualified for initiation no longer finding initiators and
, ,

the leaders of conscience becoming in the lapse of tim e

as uninstructed as the vulgar the blind have grown weary
,

of following the blind and no one has cared to pass through

,

ordeals the end of which was now only in doubt and despair ;
fo the path of light was lost
r To succeed in performing
.

som ething we must know what it is pre posed to do or at ,

least must have faith in som e one who does know it But .

shall I stake my life on a venture or follow som eone at ,

chance who him self knows not where he is going ?

We must not set but rashly along the path of the tra ns
c e n de n t sciences but once started we m ust reach the end
, , ,

or perish To doubt is to becom e a fool ; to pause is to

.

fall ; to recoil is to ca st one s self into a abyss You ’

n .
,

therefore who are undertaking the study of this boo k if

, ,

you persevere with it to the close and understand it it will ,

make you either a m onarch or a m adm an D o what you .

will with the volum e you will be unable to despise or to

,

forget it If you are pure it will be your light if strong

.
, ,

your a rm ; if holy your religion ; if wise the rule of your

, ,

wisdom But if you are wi cked for you it will be an

.
,

infernal torch ; it will la cerate your breast like a poniard ;

it will rankle in your m emory like a remorse ; it will people
your imagination with chimeras and will drive you through ,

folly to despair You will endeavour to laugh at it and will

.
,

only gnash your teeth ; this book wil l be the file in the fable
w h ich the serpent tried to bite but it destroyed all his te eth
,
.

0
34 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGIC
Le t us now enter on the series of initiations I have .

said that revelation is the word As a fact the word or .

, ,

spe ech is the veil of being and the characteristic Sign of

,

life E very form is the veil of a word because the idea

.
,

which is the m other of the wo d is the sole reason for the r

existence of forms E very figure is a character every char

.
,

acter de ives from and returns into a word F or this reason

r .

the ancient sages of whom T is m egistus is the organ fo rmu

,
r ,

late d their sole dogm a in these te m s That whi ch is r

above is like that which is below and that which is below ,

is like that whi ch is above In other wo ds the form is . r ,

”

proportional to the idea ; the shadow is the m easure of the

body calcul ated with its relation to the luminous ray ; the
scabbard is as deep as the sword is long ; the negation is
in proportion to the contrary affirm ation ; production is
equal to destruction in the m ovem ent which preserves life ;
and there is no point in infinite Space which ma y not be
regarded as the centre of a circle having an extending
circumference indefinitely receding into space E very in .

dividua lit y is therefore indefi i tely perfectible since the

, ,
n ,

moral order is analogous to the physical and since we ,

cannot conceive any point as unable to dilate increase and , ,

radiate in a philosophically infinite circle What can be .

a ffirm ed of the soul in its totality m a y be a ffirm ed of each

faculty of the so ul The intelligence and will of m a n are

.

instru ments of incalcul able power and capacity But in .

t e llige n c e and will possess as their help mate and instru m ent -

a faculty which is too imperfectly known the omnipotence ,

of which belongs exclusively to the domain of m agic I .

speak of the i magination which the Kabbalists term the

,

D ia p ha n e or the T n slucid
, Im agination in effect is like
ra .
, ,

the soul s eye ; therein forms are outlined and preserved ;

’

thereby we behold t h e reflections of the invisible world ; it

is the glass of visions and the apparatus of magical life ; by
its intervention we heal diseases m odify the seasons drive , ,

d eath away from the livin g and raise the dead to life be , ,

c ause it is the imagination which exalts the will and gives

 THE CAND ID AT E 35

it a hold upon the universal agent Im agin ation determines .

the S hape of the child in its m other s wom b and decides ’

the destiny of m e n ; it lends wings to contagion and di ects ,

r

the weapons of warfare Are you e xposed in battle . .

Believe yourself to be invulnerable like Achilles and you , ,

will be so says Pa acelsus F ear attracts bullets but they

,
r .
,

are repelled by courage It is well known that persons with

.

am putated lim bs feel pain in the very m em bers which they

possess no longer Para celsus operated upon living blood by
.

m edicating the product of a bleeding ; he cured headache

at a distance by treating hair cut from the patient By .

the science of the imaginary unity and solidarity of all parts

of the body he anticipated and outstripped all the theories
, ,

or rather all the experiences of our most celebra t ed ma g ,

n e t ise s rHence his cures were miraculous and to his nam e

.
,

of Phi lip Theophrastus Bombast he deserved the addition of ,

Aure o l us Paracelsus with the further epithet of divine

,

I m agination is the instrument of th e a d p ta tion of the a

wo r d . Im agination applied to reason is gen ius Reason is .

one as genius is one in the m ultiplicity of its wo ks There

, ,
r .

is one principle there is one truth there is one reason there

, , ,

is one absolute and universal philosophy Whatsoever is .

subsists in unity considered as beginning and returns into ,

unity considered as end O n e is in one ; that is to say all .

,

is in all Unity is the principle of num bers ; it is also the

.

p inciple of motion and c onsequently of life The entire

r , , , .

human body is summ ed up in the unity of a single organ ,

which is the brain All religions are sum med up in the

.

unity of a single dogma which is the affirm ation of being ,

and its equality with itself whi ch constitutes its m athe ,

ma t ica l value There I s only one dogm a In m agic and it is

.
,

this The visible is the manifesta tion of the invi sible or

-
, ,

in other term s the perfect word in things appreciable and

, ,

visible bears an exact proportion to the things which are

,

inappreciable by our senses and unseen by our eyes The .

m agus uplifts one hand towards heaven and points down

the other to earth and he says : Above imm ensity :Below
, , ,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
i mmensity still ! Immensity equals immensity — Thi s is .

true in things seen as in things unseen .

The first letter in the alphabe t of the sacred language ,

Al eph 3 represents a m a n exten ding one hand towards

, ,

heaven and the other to earth It is an expression of the .

active principle in everything ; it is creation in heaven

corresponding to the omnipotence of the word below This .

letter is a pa n t a c le in itself that is a character expressing

, ,

the universal science It is supplem entary to the sacred

.

signs of the M acrocosm and the M icrocosm ; it explains the

m asonic double triangle and the fi ve pointed blazing sta ;
- -
r

for the word is one and revelation is one By endowing .

ma n with rea son God gave him speech ; and revelation

, ,

m a nifold in its form s but one in its principle cons ists ,

entirely in the universal word the interpreter of the ,

absolute reason This is the significance of that term so

.

m uch m isconstrued ca th o lic ity which in m odern hieratic

, , ,

language m eans i f a llibility The universal in reason is

,
n .

the absolute and the absolute is the infallible If absolute

, .

reason impelled univers al society to believe irresistibly the

utterance of a child that child woul d be infallible by the
,

ordination of God and of all hum anity Faith is nothing .

else but reasonable confidence in thi s unity of reason and in

this universality of the word To believe is to place con
.

fi de n c e in that which we as yet do not know when reason

assures us be forehand of ultim ately knowing or at least
recognising it Absurd are the so called philosophers who
.
-

c y
r ,
I w ill never beli eve in a thing which I do not know
S hallow reasoners ! If you knew would you need to believe ? ,

But m ust I believe on chance and apart from reason ? ,

C ertainly not Blind and haphaz ard belief is superstition

.

and folly We ma y believe in causes which reason compels

.

us to admit on the evidence of effects known and appreciated

by science S cience ! G eat word and great problem !
. r

What is science ? We shall answer in the second chapter

of this bo ok .
38 THE D O C TRINE OF TR ANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
That which is above equals that which is below says ,

Hermes Here then is t h e duad serving as the m easu e of

. r

unity and the relation of equality between above and below

,

form s with these the triad The created principle is the .

ideal phallus ; the created principle is the fo m al c t e s r

‘ ’

r .

The insertion of the vertical phallus into the horizontal c t e is '

form s the st a uro s of the Gnostics or the philosophical cr ss ,

o

of masons Thus the intersection of two p oduces four

.
,
r ,

which by its move ment defines the circle with a ll deg ees
, ,
r

thereof .

It is man ; a is wom an ; 1 is the principle ; 2 is the

word ; A is the active ; B is the passive ; the m onad is

Bohas ; the duad is Jakin In the trigram s of P ohi unity . ,

is the yang and the duad is the yin .

yang yin

Bohas and Jakin are the nam es of the two sy mbolical pillars
without the chief door of S olomon s Kabbalistic temple In ’
.

the Kabbalah these pillars explain all m ysteries of a n

t a go n ism whether natural political or religious and they
, , , , ,

explain also the p oc reative struggle between the m a n and

r

the wom an for according to the law of nature the woman

, , ,

m ust resist the m a and he must entice or overco m e her

n, .

The active principle seeks the passive p inciple the p le um r ,

n

desires the void the serpent s jaw attracts the serpent s

,
’ ’

tail and in turning upon him self he at the sam e tim e

, , , ,

fl i es and pursues hi mself W oman is the c eation . r

of man and universa l creation is the bride of the First

,

Principle .

When the S uprem e Being became a creator he e ected a ,

r

jod or a phallus and to provide a place in the fulness of the

,

uncreated light it w a s necessary to hollow out a c t eis or

,
‘
 THE P I LLAR S OF THE TEM PLE 39

trench of shadow equivalent to the dim e n sro n determined

by his creative desire and attri bute d by h im to the ideal
,

jod of the radiating light S uch is the mysterious lan guage

.

of the Kabbalists in the Talmud and on account of vulgar ,

ignorance and malignity it is impossible for us to explain or

,

simplify it further What then is the creation It is the

.
,

mansion of the creative Word What is the c t e s ? It is . I

the mansion of the phallus What is the natu e of the . r

active principle To diffuse What is t hat of the passive .

To gather in and to fructify Wh at is ma n ? He who .

initiates who bruises who labours who sows Wh at is

, , ,
.

wom an ? S he who forms reunites irrigates and harvests , , , .

M a n wages war wom an brings peace about ; m a n destroys

,

to create wom an builds up to preserve ; ma n is revolution

, ,

wom an is conciliation ; ma n is the father of C ain woman ,

the mother of Abel What m oreover is wisdom ? It is

.
, ,

the agreem ent and union of two principles the mildness of ,

Abel directing the activity of C ai m a n guided by the n,

sweet inspirations of woman debauchery conquered by ,

lawful ma iage revolutionary energy softened and subdued

rr ,

by the gentleness of order and peace p ide subjugated by ,

r

love science acknowledging the inspirations of faith Then

, .

hum an scien ce becom es wise and submits itself to the in fa l

,

libilit y of u ni versal rea so n instructed by love or unive sal

,
r

charity Then it can take the nam e of gnosis because it

.
,

knows at least that as ye t it ca nnot boast of knowing

perfectly .

The m onad ca n only manifest by the duad ; u n ity

itself and the notion of unity at once constitute two .

The unity of the M acrocosm reveals itself by the two

opposite points of two triangles Hum an unity fulfils .

itself to right and left P imitive m a n is androgynous

. r .

A ll organs of the hum an body are disposed in pairs ,

excepting the nose the tongue the um bilicus and the

, , ,

Kabbalistic jod D ivinity

. one in its essence has , ,

two essential con ditions as the fundam ental grounds of

its being—necessity and liberty The laws of suprem e .
40 THE D O C TRINE OF TR ANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
reason necessitate and rule liberty in G o d, who is of
n ecessity wise and reasonable .

To m ake light visible God has m erely h yp o t h e t ica t e d the

shadow To manifest the truth he has permitted the
.

possibil ity of doubt The shadow bodies forth the light

.
,

and the possibility of erro is requi site for the temporalr

m anifestation of truth If the bu ckler of S atan did not

.

intercept the spear of M ichael the might of the angel would ,

be lost in the void or m anifested by infinite destruction

launched below from above D id not the heel of M ichael
.

rest ain S atan in his ascent S atan would dethrone God or

r , ,

rather he would lose hi m self in the abysses of the altitude .

Hence S atan is needful to M ichael as the pedestal to the

statue and M ichael is necessary to S atan as the brake to
,

the locom otive I n analogical and universal dynamics one

.
_

leans only on that which resists Furthermore the universe .

,

is balanced by two fo ces Which m aintain it in equilibrium

r ,

the force which attracts and that which repels They exist .

alike in physics in philosophy and in religion ; in physics

, ,

they produce equilibrium in philosophy criticism in religion

, ,

progressive revelation The ancients represented this mystery

.

in the confl ict between E ros and Anteros the struggle ,

between Jacob and the angel and by the equilibriu m of the ,

golden m ounta in which gods on the one Side and demons

,
 THE P ILLAR S O F THE T EMP LE 41

on the other hold bound by the symbolic serpent of In dia .

It is also typified by the caduceus of H e rm a ubis by the two n ,

cherubim of the ark by the twofold sphinx f the chariot of

,
O

O siris and by the two seraphim respectively black and

, ,

white Its S cientific reality is demons trated by the pheno

.

mena of polarity and by the universal law of sympathies

,

or antipathies .

The undiscerning disciples of Zoroas t er divided the duad

without referring it to unity thus separating the pillars of ,

the te mple and endeav uring to halve God C onceive the

,
o .

absolute as t wo and you must immediately conceive it as

,

three to recover the unity principle For this reason the .

,

m ate ial ele m ents analogous to the divine ele m ents are
r , ,

unde stood firstly as four explained as two and exist

r , ,

ultim ate ly as three .

Revelatio n is the duad ; every word is double and sup ,

poses two The ethic which results f om revelation is

. r

founded on antagonism which results fro m the duad ,

.

S pirit and form attrac t and repel one another like sign ,

and idea fiction and t uth S up e m e reason necessitates

,
r . r

dog ma when co mm unicating to finite intelligences and ,

dogm a by its passage from the dom ain of ideas to that

,

of form s participates in two worlds and has inevitably two

, ,

senses speaking in succession or simultaneously that is to , ,

the spirit and the flesh S o are there t w o forc es in the .

moral region one which assaul ts and one which curbs and
,

expiates They are represented in the mythos of Genesis

.

by the typ ical person a lities of C ain and Abel Abel .

O ppress e s C ain by reason of his m oral supe iority ; C ain r

to get free i mm ortalises his brother by slaying him and ,

beco m es the Victim of his own cri me C ain could not suffer .

the life of Abel and the blood of Abel s uffers not the sleep
,

of C ain In the G ospel the type of C ain is replaced by

.

that of the Pro digal S on whom his father fully forgives ,

because he returns after having endured much .

There is m ercy and there is justice in God ; to the just

He dispenses justice and to sinners m ercy In the soul of .
42 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGIC

the world which is the universal agent there is a current

, ,

of love and a current of wrath This ambient and all .

penetrating fluid ; this ray loosened from the sun s splendour ’

and fixed by the weight of the atm osphere and the power of
central attraction ; this body of the Holy S pirit which we ,

term t h e universal agent while it was typified by the ancients ,

under the symbol of a serpent devouring his tail ; this

electro m agn etic ether this vita l and luminous caloric is
-
, ,

depicted in archaic monum ents by the girdle of Isis twice ,

folded in a love knot round two poles as well as by the -

,

serpent devouring his own tail em blem atic of prudence and ,

of S aturn M otion and life consist in the ext em e tension r

”
.

of two forces I would thou wert cold or hot said the

.
“
,

M aster A s a fact a great S inner is m ore really alive than is

.
,

a tepid effeminate ma n and the fulness of his return to virtue

, ,

will be in proportion to the extent of hi s errors S he who .

is destined to c ush the serpent s head is intelligence which

r
’

ever rises above the stream of blind forces The Kabbalists .

call her the vi gin of the sea whose d ipping feet the i
r ,
r n

fe r a l dragon st up e fie d by delight crawls forward to lick

n , ,

with his fiery tongues These are the hieratic m ysteries of .

the duad But there is one and the last of all which m ust
.
, ,

not be m ade known the reason according to Herm es Tris , ,

m e gist us being the m a l c o m p re h e n sio

, of the vulgar who n ,

would ascribe to the necessities of science the imm oral

aspect of blind fa tality By the fear of the unknown
”
.

m ust the crowd be restrained he observes in another ,

place and Ch ist also said : C ast not your pearls before
, r

swine lest t ampling them unde their feet they turn and
, ,
r r ,

rend you The tree of the knowledge of good and evil of

.
,

which the fruits are death is the type of this hieratic secret ,

of the duad which could only b e misconstrued if di vulged

, ,

and would lead comm only to the unholy denial of free will ,

which is the principle of m oral life It is hence in the .

essence of t hings that the revelation of this secret m eans

death and it is not at the sam e tim e the g eat sec et
, r r

of m agic ; but the arcanum of the duad leads up to that

 THE P ILLAR S O F THE T E M PLE 43

of the tetrad or m ore correctly proceeds theref o m and

,
r ,

is resolved by the triad which contains the wo d of the , r

enigm a p opounded by the sphinx as it was required

r ,

to have been found in o der to save the life atone for r ,

the unconscious crim e and esta blish the Kin gdom of ,

(E dip us .

In the hieroglyphic work of Herm es the Tarot called also , ,

the book of Thoth the duad is represented either by the

,

ho ns of Isis having her head veiled and an open book

r ,

partially concea led under her m antle or otherwise by a ,

sove eign lady Juno the Greek goddess having one hand
r , , ,

uplifted towards heaven and the other pointed to earth as ,

if formulating by this gesture the one and twofold dogm a

which is the foundation of magic and begins the m arv ellous ,

symbols of the E merald Table of Herm es In the Apoca .

l yp se of S t John there is a reference to two witnesses or

m artyrs on whom p phetic tradition confers the na m es of
ro

E lias and E noch—E lias m a n of faith enthusias m m i acle ;

, , , r

E noch one with him who is called He m es by the E gyptians r ,

honoure d by the Ph oenicians as C ad m us author of the ,

sacred alphabet and the universal key to the ini tiations of

,

the L ogos fath e of the Kabbalah he who according to the

,
r , ,

sac ed allegories did not die like other m e n but was t ans
r , ,
r

ported to heaven to return at the end of tim e M uch the

,
.

sam e statem ent is m ade of S t John him self who re c overed ,

and expla ined in his Apocalypse the sym bolism of the word
of E noch This resurrection of S t John and E noch e x
.
,

p t e d at the close of the ages of ignorance w ill be the

e c ,

restitution of their doctrine by the comprehension of the

Kabbalistic keys which unl ock the temple of unity and
universal philosophy too long occult and reserved solely for
, ,

the elect who perish at the hands of the wo ld

, r .

But we have sai d that the rep oduction of the m onad by r

the duad leads of necessity to the conception and dogm a of

the triad so we com e now to this great number which is
, ,

the fulness and perfect word of unity .

44 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C

TH E TRIAN G LE OF S O LOM O N

P LE NI TUD O VOCI S BI NAH PH YS I S

THE pe fect word is t h e triad because it supposes an in

r ,

t e llige n t principle a speaking p inciple and a principle

, r ,

spoken The absolute revealing itself by speech endows

.
, ,

this speech with a sense equivalent to itself and in the ,

un derstanding thereof creates itself a third tim e Thus also .

, ,

the sun manifests itself by its light and p oves or makes ,

r

this m anifestation efficacious by heat .

The triad is trac ed in space by the heavenly zenith the ,

infinite height connected with east and west by two straight

,

diverging lines With this visible triangle reason compares

.

another which is invisible but is assum ed to be equal in

,

di m ension ; the abyss is it s apex and its reversed base is

parallel to the horizonta l line stretching fro m east to west .

These two triangles combined in a single figure which is

, ,

the six pointed star form the sac ed symbol of S olom on s

-
,
r
’

se al the resplendent star of the M ac ocosm The notion

, r .

of the infinite and the absol ut e is expressed by this Sign

which is the grand p e ntacle—that is to say the most
,

simple and co mplete abridgm ent of the S cience of all

thin gs .

Gramm ar itself attributes three persons to the verb The .

first is that which S peaks the second that which is spoken

,

to and the third the object In creating the Infinite

, .
,

P ince speaks to himself of himself S uch is the explana

r .

tion of the triad and the origin of the dogm a of the Trinity .

The ma gica l dogma is also one in three and th ee in one r .

That which is above is like o equal to that which is below r .

Thus two things which rese mble one another and the word
,

which signifies their resemblance make three The triad

is the universal dogm a In magic —p inciple realisation
.

. r , ,
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
itself to all—the religion whic h is hi erarchic and c yCIYc ,

having allegories and i mages fo children an exalted p h ilo r ,

S ophy for grown m e n sublime hopes and sweet consolations

,

for the old .

The primeval sages when seeking the First of C auses

, ,

beheld good and evil in the world ; they co nsidered the

s hadow and the light ; they com pared winte with spring r ,

age with youth life with death and thei conclusion was
, ,
r

this : The First C ause is be n e fice n t and severe ; it gives

a n d takes away life Then are there two contrary principles
.
,

the one good and the oth er evil exclaimed the disciples of ,

M a nes
. N o the two principles of universal equilibrium are
,

not contrary although contra sted in appearance for a singul ar

, ,

wisdom opposes one to another Good is on the right evil .

,

on the left but the suprem e excellence is above both

, ,

applying evil to the Victory of good and good to the

a m en dm ent of evil .

The principle f harm ony is in unity and it is this which

o ,

imparts such power to the uneven numbe in m agic Now r .

,

t h e m ost perfect of the odd nu m bers is three because it is ,

the tril ogy of unity In the trigram s of Fo hi the superior

.
,

t iad is co mposed of three yang o m asculine figures be

r , r ,

c ause nothi ng passive ca n be ad m itted into the idea of God ,

c ons idered as the principle of production in the th ee worlds r .

F or the sam e reason the C hr istian trini t y by no m eans

,

perm its the personification of the mother who is implicitly ,

included in that of the son For the sam e reason also it

. .
, ,

is contrary to the laws of hi eratic and orthodox symbology

t o personify the Holy Ghost under the form of a wo m an .

Wom an co m es fort h from m a n as natu e com es fo th fro m r r

G o d ; so C h ist ascends Hi mself to heaven and assu m es the

r ,

Virgin M other : we speak of the ascension of the Saviou r,

a d the assu m ption of the M othe

n of Go d G o d considered r ,

as Fathe has nature for his daugh t er ; as S on He has the

r, ,

Virgin for His mothe and the C hurch for His b ide ; a s
r r

Holy Spirit He regene ates and fruc t ifie s hum anity Hence
, r .
,

in the t igrams of Fo hi the three inferio gi correspond

r , r n
 THE TRIAN GLE OF S O LO M O N 47

to the three supe rior ya ng for these trigrams constitute a ,

p a t
n a c l e like that of the two triangles of S olo m on but ,

with a triadic interpretation of the six points of the blazing

sta r .

Dogma is onl y divine inas much as it is truly h uman

that is to say in so far as it sum s up the highest rea son of
,

humanity ; so also the M aster whom we term the M a n ,

God called Him self the S on of M a n Revelation is the

, .

expression of belief accepted and formul ated by universal

reason in the hu man word on which account it is said that ,

the divi ity is hum an and the hum anity divine in the M a n
n

God We affi rm all this philosophi cally not theologically

.
, ,

without infri nging in any way on the teaching of the

C hurch whi ch condem ns and m ust always condemn
, , ,

m agic Paracelsus and Agrippa did not set up altar

.

against altar but bowed to the ruling eligion of their

, r

tim e ; to the elect of science the things of science ; to ,

the faithful the things of faith , .

In his hy mn to the royal S un the E m peror Julian gives ,

a theory of the triad whi ch is almost identical with that of

the illuminated S wedenborg The sun of the divine world .

is the infinite S piritual and uncrea ted light which is

, , ,

verbalised so to speak in the philosophical world and

, , ,

becom es the fountain of souls and of truth ; then it

incorpora t es and becom es Visible light in the sun of the
third world the cent al sun of our suns of wh ich the fixed
,
r ,

stars are the ever living sparkles The Kabbalists co mpare

-
.

the S pirit to a substance which rem ains fluid in the divine

m ediu m and under the influence of the essential light its
, ,

e xte ior however beco ming solidified

r , like wax when ex, , ,

posed to the air in the colder realms of reasoning o of r

visible forms These shells envelopes petrified or carni

.
,

f ed were such an expression possible are the source of

l , ,
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
errors or of evil which connect with the heaviness and
hardness of the anim al envelopes In the book Zohar .
,

and in that of the Revolution of S ouls perverse S pirits ,

or evil dem ons are never n am ed otherwise than as shells

o ti
c r ces The co tices of the world of spi its are transparent
. r r ,

while those of the m ate ial wo ld are opaque Bodies are

r r .

only tem porary shells whence souls have to be liberated ;

,

but those which in this life obey the body com pose for
themselves an inte io body o fl uidic shell which after
r r r , ,

death becom es their prison house and torm ent until the
,
-
,

tim e arr ives when t hey succeed in dissolving it in the

warm th of the divine light towards which however the , , ,

burden of their grossness hinders them from ascending .

Indeed they can do so only after infinite struggles and

, ,

by the m ediation of the just who stretch fo th their hands ,

r

towards them D uring the whole period of the process

.

they are devoured by the interior activity of the captive

spirit a s in a burning furnace Those who attain the
,
.

pyre of expiation burn th emselves the eon like Hercules r ,

upon M ount E tna and so are delivered from their su fferings

, ,

but the co urage of the m ajority fails be fore this ordeal ,

which seem s to them a second death m ore appalling than

the first and so they remain in hell which is rightly and
, , ,

actually eternal ; but therein soul s are never precipitated

, ,

nor are they ever retained despite themselves .

The three worlds correspond together by m eans of the

th irty two paths of light which are the steps of the sacred
-

ladder ; every true thought corresponds to a divine grace in

heaven and a good work on earth ; every grace of God
m anifests a truth and produces one or m any acts ; re c ip ro
,

cally every act affects a truth or falsehood in the heavens

, ,

a grace or a punishm ent When a ma n pronounces the

tetragram—say the Kabbalists —
.

, the n ine heavens sustain

a shock and then all spirits cry out one upon another
,

Who is it thus disturbing the kingdom of heaven ? ”

Then does the earth communicate unto the first heaven
the sins of the rash be ing who takes the E ternal Name
 THE TRI AN GLE OF S OLOM ON 49

in vain and the accusing word is transmitted from

,

circle to circle from star to star a n d from hierarchy to

, ,

hierarchy .

E ve y S peech possesses three senses every act has a

r ,

triple bearing every form a triple idea for the absolute

, ,

corresponds from world to world by its forms E very de .

termination of human will modifies nature affects philo ,

S ophy and is written in heaven

,
There are therefore two .

fatalities the one resulting from the U ncreated Will in its

,

ac cord with wisdom the other fro m created wills a ccording

,

with the necessity of secondary causes in their corresponden c e

with the First C ause There is hen c e nothing in different in
.

life and o u apparently most sim ple resolutions frequently

, r

determine an incalculable series of benefits or evils above ,

all in the affi nities of our diaphane with the great magical
a gent as we S hall explain elsewhere
,
.

The triad being the fundam ental principle of the whole

,

Kabbalah or sacred tradition of our fathers was necessarily

, ,

the fundamental dogm a of C hristianity the apparent dualism ,

o f whic h it explains by the intervention of a harm oniou s

and all powerful unity C hrist did not put his teaching
-
.

into writing and only revealed it in secret to his favoured

,

di s ciple t h e one kabbalist and he a great kabbalist among

, , ,

the apostles S o is the apocalypse the book of the gnosis

.

o r secret doct ine of the first C hristians the key of which

r ,

doctrine is indicated by an occult versicle of the L ord s ’

Prayer which the Vul gate leaves untranslated whil e in the

, ,

Greek rite which preserves the traditions of S t John the

, ,

priests only are perm itted to pronounce it This versicle .

,

com pletely kabbalistic is found in the text of the Gospel ,

ac cording to S t M atthe w and in seve al Hebrew c opies , r .

The sacred word M a l c h ut h substituted for R ether which is ,

its kabbalistic correspondent and the balance of G e bu a h ,

r

and C hesed repeating itself in the circles or heavens called

,

eons by the Gnostics provide the keystone of the whole ,

C hristian temple in this occult versicle It has been re .

t a in e d by Protestants in their N ew Testam ent without their ,

D
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRA NSCEND EN T MAGI C
recove in g its lofty and won derful m ean ng which would
r i ,

have unveiled to them all the myste ies of the apocalypse r .

But it is a tradition in the C hu ch that the m anifesta tion r

of these myste ies is held over to the last tim es

r .

M l c h ut h based upon G e bura h a d C hesed is the tem ple

a ,
n ,

of S olom on having Jakin and Bohas fo its pillars ; it is the r

adam ic doctrine founded for the one part on the resign a , ,

tion O f Abel and for the other on the labours and self , ,

reproach of C ai ; it is the equilibrium of being established

n

on necessity and liberty stability and motion ; it is the ,

de monst ation of the universal lever sought in vain by

r

A rchi m edes A scholar whose whole talents were e mploye d

.

in being obscure who died without seeking to be understood

, ,

resolve d this sup em e equation discovered by h im in the

r ,

Kabbalah and was in d ead of its s u ce transpi ing if he

,
r o r r

e xp esse d hi m self m ore clea ly

r We have seen one of his r .

disciples and adm irers m ost indig a nt perhaps in good faith n , ,

at the suggestion that his m aster was a Kabbalist but we ,

can state notwithstanding to the glory of the same learned

ma n that his esearches have app eciably shortened our
,

,
r r

work in the occult sciences and that the key of the trans ,

c e de t Kabbalah above all indi cated in the arcane versicle

n n ,

recently cited has been skilfully applied to an absolute

,

reform of all the sciences in the books of H oe é Wronski n .

The secret vi tue of the gospels is therefore contained

r

in th ee words and these three wo ds have established

r ,
r

th ee dogm as and three hierarchies Al l science reposes

r .

upon three principles as the syllogism upon three term s ,

.

The e are also three distinct classes o three original

r ,
r

and natural ranks am ong m e n who are called to advan c e , ,

f om the lowe to the higher The Jews term these

r r .

three se ies or deg ees in the p og ess of spirits A siah

r r r r , ,

J e t i a h and B iah The Gnostics who we e C hristian

z r ,
r .
,
r

Kabbalists called them Hyle Psyche and Gnosis ; by

, , ,

the Jews the suprem e circle was nam ed At il ut h and by the z ,

Gnostics Plerom a In the tetragram the triad taken at the

.
, ,

beginning of the Word expresses the divine copulation ; ,

 THE T ETRA GRAM 51

taken at the end it exp esses t h e female and maternity

,
r .

E ve has a nam e of three letters but the pri mitive A dam is ,

signified simply by the letter Jo d whence Jehovah should ,

be pronounced Jeva and this point takes us to the great

,

and sup em e mystery of magic em bodied in the tetrad

r , .

4 1 D
'

TH E TE TRA GRAM
G E B URAH C HESED PO RTA LIB RO RUM ELE M E N TA

IN nature there are two forces p oducing equilibrium and r ,

these th ee constitute a single law He e then is the triad

r . r , ,

resum ed in unity and by adding the conception of unity to

,

that of the triad we a e brought to the tet ad the first

r r ,

squa e and perfect num ber the source O f all num erical c m
r , o

bin a t io n s and the p inciple of all form s

r Affirm ation nega .
,

tion discussion solution such are the four philosophical

, , ,

ope ations of the hu man mind

r D iscussion conciliates .

negation with a fl i ma t io by rendering them necessary to

r n

each other In the sam e way the philosophical triad

.
, ,

em anating fro m the antagonis m of the duad is completed by ,

the tetrad the four squa e ground of all t uth According

,
- r r .

to the consec ated dogm a there are three persons in G o d

r , ,

and these three constitute only one D eity Three and one .

provide the conception O f fou beca use unity is required r,

to explain the three Hence in al m ost all languages the

.
, ,

nam e of God consists of fou lette s and in Hebrew these r r ,

four are really three one of them being repeated twice that
, ,

which exp esses the Wo d and the creation of the Word

r r .

Two a fl i ma t io n s m ake two corresponding denials either

r

possible or necessary Being is declared nothing is not

.
,
.

The affirmation as Word produces affi rmation as realisation

52 THE D O CTRI NE OF TR ANSCEND ENT MAGI C
or incarnation of the Word and each of these affirm ations ,

c orresponds to the denial of its opposi t e Thus in the .

,

opinion of the kabbalists the nam e of the dem on or of evil,

is composed of the sam e lette s as the name of God or good r

ness but spelt backwar ds This evil is the last eflection

, . r

or i mpe fect m i age of light in shadow

r rBut all which .

exists whether of good or evil in light or darkness exists

, , ,

and m anifests by the tetrad The affirm ation of unity sup .

poses the numbe four unl ess it turns in unity itself as in a

r ,

vicious ci cle S o also the triad as we have already o h

r .
,

served is explained by the duad and resolved by the tetrad

, ,

which is the squared unity of even numbers and the quad

ra gul a r base of the cube unity of construction of solidity
n , , ,

and of m easure .

The kabbalis tic tetragram J o dh eva expresses God in , ,

humanity and humanity in God The four astronomical .

cardinal points are relatively to us the yea and the nay of

light —east and west— and the yea and nay of warmth
, ,

S outh and north A s we have already said accordin g to the

.
,

sole dogm a of the Kabbalah that which is in visible nature ,

reveals that which is in the dom ain of invisible nature r ,

o

secon dary causes are in strict proportion and analogous to

the m anifestations of the First C ause S o is this First .

—
C ause invariably revealed by the cross that unity m ade up
of two that key to the m ysteries O f India and E gypt the
, ,

Tau of the patriarchs the divine sign of O siris the S t a u o s

, ,
r

of the Gnostics the keystone of the temple the symbol of

, ,

occult m asonry ; the cross central point of the junction of ,

the right a gles of two infinite triangles ; the c oss which

n r ,

in the French language seem s to be the fi st root and funda r

mental substantive of the verb to believe and the verb t o

grow thus co mbining the conceptions of science religion
, , ,

and progress .

The g eat magic agent manifests by four kinds of pheno

r

m ena and has been subjected to the experim ents of p ofane r

science under four nam es—caloric light elect icity magnet

,

, ,
r ,

ism . I t has al so received the nam es of Tet ag a m Inri r r , ,

 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRAN S CE ND E N T MAGI C
athanor of the highest grade of Herm etists The i c o mmuni . n

cable axiom is ka bba list ic al ly enclosed in the four letters of

the tetragram arranged in the following manner

in t h e letters of the words AZ O TH and I NRI written kab

ba l ist ic a ll y ; and in the m onogram of C hrist as e mb oidere d r

on the laba um whi ch the Kabbalist Postel interp ets by

r , r

the word R O TA whence the adepts have form ed their Taro o r

,

Tarot by the repetition of the fi rst letter t hus indicating t h e

, ,

circle and suggesting that the word is put backwards Al l

, .

m agical science is co mprised in the knowledge of this secret .

To know it and have the courage to use it is birm an o m ip o n

te nce ; to reveal it to a profane pe son is to lose it ; to eveal

r r

it even to a disciple is to abdicate in favour of that disciple ,

who henceforward possesses the right of life and death over

his m aster —I a m speakin g from the m agical standpoint
, ,

and will certainly slay h im for fear of dying himself But .

this has nothing in comm on with deeds qualified as murder

in criminal legislation ; the practical philosophy which is t h e
b asis and point of departure for our laws does not recognise
the facts of bewitchm ent and of occult influences We .

touch he e upon extraordinary r evelations and a e prepared

r ,
r
 THE T ETRAGR AM 55

for the unbelief and derision of incredulous fanaticism

volta irean religion has also its fanatics p the great shades , a ce

who must w be lu king sullenly in the vaults of the

no r

Pantheon wh ile catholicis m stron g ever in its p actices a n d

, , r

prestige chants the office overhead

, .

The perfect word that which is adequate to the thought

,

which it expresses always virtually contains or supposes a

,

tetrad : the idea with its three necessary and correlated

,

forms then the im age of the thin g exp essed with the three
, r ,

term s of the judgm ent which qualifies it When I say .

“
Bein g e xists I affirm impli citly that the void is non
,

existent A height a breadth which the height sub divides

.
,
-

longitudinally a depth separated from the height by the

,

intersection of the b eadth such is the natural tetrad c o m

r ,

posed of two lines at right angles one to another Nature .

also has four m otions produced by two forces which sustain

each other by their tendency in an opposite di ection Now r .
,

the law w hich rules bodies is analogous to that which governs

m inds and that which governs m inds is the very m anifesta
tion of God s sec e t —that is to say of the mystery of the
,
’
r ,

creation I m agine a watch having two parallel sp ings with

. r ,

an engagement which m akes them wo k in an opposite dire c r

tion so that the one in unwinding winds up the other In .

this way the watch will wind up itself and you will have
, ,

discovered perpetual m otion The engagem ent shoul d .

be at two ends and of extrem e accuracy Is this beyond .

att a in m ent ? We think not But when it is found out the .

inventor will understand by analogy all the secrets of nature

—p rog ess i di ect p op or tion to th r ista
r n r The absolute
r e es n ce .

m ove m ent of life is thus the perpetual consequence of t wo

contrary t endencies which are never opposed When one .

seem s to yield to the othe it is a spring which is winding r,

up and you ma y expect a eaction the m om ent a n d

,
r ,

characteristics of which it is quite possible to foresee and

determine Hence at the pe iod of the most extrem e C hris
. r

tian fervour was the reign of ANTI CHRI S T known and pre
dicted But Antichrist will prepare and determine the
.
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRAN S CE ND E NT MAGI C
second advent and final triumph of the M a n God This -
.

again is a vigorous and ka bba list ic a l conclusion contained

in the Gospel pre mises Hence the C hristian prophecy c o m
.

prises a fourfold revelation : 1 Fall of the old wo ld and . r

t rium ph of the Gospel under the first advent ; 2 Great .

apostasy and coming of Antichrist ; 3 F all of Antichrist .

and recurrence to C hristian ideas ; 4 D efinitive triu mph of .

the Gospel or S econd A dvent desig ated under the nam e of

, ,
n

the L ast Judgm ent This fourfold prophecy contains as

.
,

wil l be seen two affirmations and two negations the idea

, ,

of two ruins or universal deaths and of two resurrections ;

for to every conception which appears upon the social
horizon an east and a west a z enith and a nadir m a y be
, ,

ascri bed without fear of error Thus is the philosophical .

c oss the key of prophecy a n d all gates of science m a y be

r ,

O pened with t h e n t a c l e of E zekiel the centre of whi c h is

p a ,

a star formed by the interlacement of two crosses .

Does not hum an life present itself also un der these four
phases or successive transformations—birth life death im , , ,

m orta lity ? And remark here that the i mm ortality of the

soul necessitated as a complement of the tetrad is kab
, ,

ba list ic a lly proved by analogy which is the sole dogm a of

,

t uly universal religion as it is the key of science and the

r ,

unive sal law of nature As a fact dea t h can be no more

r .
,

an absolute end than birth is a real beginning Birth .

proves the pre existence of the hu m an being since nothing

-
,

is produced from nothing and death proves imm o tality

,
r ,

since bei g can no m ore cease to be being than nothingness

n

can cease to be nothingness Being and nothingness are.

 THE TE TRA GRAM 57

two absolutely irre c o n c il e a bl e ideas with this difference that , ,

the idea of nothingness which is altogether negative issues , ,

f m the idea itself of being whence nothingness cannot

ro ,

e ven be understood as an absolute negation whil st the ,

notion of being can never be referred to that of nothingness ,

a n d still less can it co m e forth theref o m To say that the r .

world has been produced out of nothing is to advance a

m onstrous absurdity All t hat is proceeds fro m what has.

been and consequently nothing that is can eve m ore cea se

,
r

to be The succession of forms is produced by the alterna

.

t iv e s of movem ent ; they are the pheno m ena of life which

replace one another without destroying them selves All .

things change ; nothing perishes The sun does not die .

when it van ishes from the horizon ; even the m ost fi uidic
form s are im m ortal subsisting always in the permanence of ,

their m iso n d et e which is the combination of the light

’
r ,

with the aggregated potences of the m olecules of the first

s ubstance Hence they are preserved in the astral fluid
.
,

a n d can be evoked and reproduced acco ding to the will of r

the sage as we shall see when treating of second sight and

,

the evocation of m em ories in necrom ancy or other m agical

works We shall return to the great m agical agent in the
.

fourth chapter of the Ritual where we shall co mplete our ,

indications of the characteristics of the g eat arcanum and r ,

o f the m eans of recovering this tre m endous powe r.

Here let us a dd so me words about the fou magical r

e le m ents and ele m entary spirits The m agical elem ents are .

in alchemy salt sul phur m ercury and azoth ; in Kabbalah

, , , , ,

the ma cro pro so pus the microprosopus and the two m others ;
, ,

in hieroglyphics the m a n eagle lion and bull ; in old

, , , ,

physics according to vulga r names and notions air water

, , , ,

earth a n d fi e But in m agical science we know that water

,
r .

is not ordinary wate fire is not simply fire These

r, ,

e xp ressions conceal a more recondite m eaning M odern .

science has deco m posed the four ele m ents of the ancients ,

a n d reduced the m to a nu mber of so called si m ple bodies - .

That which is sim ple however is the primitive substance , ,

 THE D O C TRIN E OF TRANSCEND ENT MA GI C
properly so call ed ; there is therefore only one m aterial
-

elem ent which always m anifests by the tetrad in its form s

, .

We shall therefore preserve the wise distinction of element

ary appearances ad mitted by the anc ents and shall recog i ,

nise air fire earth and wate as the four positive and visible
, , , r

elem ents of m agic .

The subtle and the gross the swift and slow dissolvent , ,

or the instrum ents of heat and cold constitute in occult , ,

physics the two positive and negative principles of the

,

tetrad and should be thus tabulated

,

M erc ury
W a t er.

Thus air and earth rep esent the m ale principle ; fire and
,
r

water are referable to the fem ale principle since the philo ,

sophical cross of p a n t a c le s as al eady a fii rme d is a prim itive

,
r ,

and elem entary hieroglyp h of the lingam of the gym o n

sophists To these four elem entary form s correspond the

four following philosophical ideas —S pirit M atte M otion
.

,
r, ,

B est .A s a fact all science is com prised in the understand

,

ing of these four things which alchem y has educed to three r

the Absolute the Fixe d and the Volatile—refe red by

,

- r
, ,

the Kabbalah to the essential idea of God who is absolute ,

reason necessity and liberty a threefold notion exp essed

, , ,
r

in the occult books of the Hebrews U nde the nam es of . r

 59
THE T E TRA GR AM

;
li
and Binah for the di ifl w x
le
Ke t h e r , C h o c h ma h ,
fi f h f v

Tip h e re t h C hesed and G e bura h in the m o r

world w
'

, ,
hich
of J escd Hod and N e t sa h in the physical i e i de a of t h e
, ,

togethe with the m oral is contained in t le tenth chapter

r ,
l
Kingdom or M a l ch ut h we shal l explain in t b ,

this theogony as rational as it is sublime m ancipation by .

N ow created S pirits being called to

, ,

ordeal a e placed from their birt h between

,
r
eir power t o
two positive and two negative and have it To discover ,

affirm or deny good to choose life c oss is the

,
r
the fixed point that is the fixed c c ,
their initial
,
,

first problem which is given them b a? by “

conquest must be that of thei r own th som e
bei ng d awn som e to the nor th oth
r ,
they are ,

to the right others to the left ; an

,
can they
not free they cann ot have the
,
These u e m a n c p n
take flesh o t h erW se than n a n 1
re those Wt h the i i

pated spirits slaves of the four ,

they people the
ate of servitude .

d im pe r
nate and h vmg the fifteenth
fe c t m e n We shall return to this
.

ons
chapter which treats of enchantments W h l c h t h e anc ent
.

That 8 also an occult t ra d1 t i o n four ages m the wo lds

i
1
y .
’

r
were led to admi t the exi stence of fiwul a r t hat these ages ,

g
only it was not m ade known to the fou seasons of
'

r
succes
glere
ey
and if is yet to
of p ophecy a n d r
,

unity to the tetrad we shall ,

the conceptions of the divine Here the doct in e r

of the initiates and that of t h the domain of t h e
be c o m
 E DO C TRI NE OF TRANS C END EN T MAGI C

5 n E

TH E PE NTAGRAM
G E BURAH ECCE

HE REUN TO we have
a id and abstract
r
posed the m ag c al dog ma n l t s m ore i i

we can procla m w o wse s

i
now enchant
1
m ents beg now °

ln

rs and reveal the m ost secret t h m s

The pen tagram S g m l
.
g .

s the do m nat on of the m nd overi i i

the elem ents and by
8 s1 gn are enchai ned the de m ons of
,

the air the S pirits 0 1 1

e the phanto m s of the wate and

,

gh osts of earth E qu r ,
r,

ed with this sign and suitably dis

.

infinite th ough the m edi um of r

re the soul s eye and you will be

’

mi m st e e d unto by l e
r
,
g 8 of angels and hosts of fien ds
And now in the first
.

3 0 8 let us e st a bhs h certai n p rm

,

c ip l e s The e is no £
r
»

S ible wo ld ; the e are however

.

‘
r r
m any deg ees O f p e rfe c
r
, ,

m in organs The body is the

coarse and as it were .

e peri shable cortex of the soul

t .
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRAN S CE NDE NT MAGI C

a re occasioned by reflections f om the diaphane of waking r

p e sons
r and above
, all of the
,
m agnetiser D ea m,is vision . r

p oduced by the ref action of a ray of t uth The chim e ical

r r r . r

f antasy is hallucination occasioned by a reflection The .

t e mptation of S t Anthony with its nightm ares and its ,

m onste s represents the confusion of reflections with direc t

r ,

r ays S o long as the soul st uggles it is reasonable ; when

. r

it yields to this specie of invading intoxication it beco m es

,

ma d To disentangle the direct ray and separate it f o m

.
, r

the re fl e c t io — such is the work of the initiate Here let

n .

a s state distinctly that this work is through all ti m es

a cco m pli shed in the wo ld by so m e of the flowe of r r

m ankind that there is hence a perm anent revelation by

,

i ntuition and that the e is no insupe able ba ier which

,
r r rr

sepa ates souls because there a re no su dden inte uptions

r , rr ,

a nd no abrupt wall s in n ature by which m inds can be

d ivide d f o m one anothe r A ll is transition and blending r. ,

a nd assu m ing t h e perfectibility if not infinite at least i

, , ,
n

d efinite o i hu m an faculties it will be seen that every person

, ,

.can attain to see all and therefore to know all The e is , . r

no voi d in natu e ; all is people d There is no t ue death

r r
”
.

i n natu e ; alive
r S eest thou that star ? asked
”
.

N apoleon o nal Fesch N o S ire I see it said . .

,

did When great me n .

a e accuse d of having been superstitious it is because they

r ,

beheld what e mains unseen by the crowd r M e n of genius .

d iff e f o m sim ple seers by their faculty of sensibly c o m

r r

m u ic t i g to othe m e n what they them selves perceive

n a n r ,

a n d of m aking the m selves believed by the fo ce of e n r

t h usia sm and sy m pathy S uch persons a e the m ediu m . r

o f the D ivine Wo d r .

Let us now state the manner in which visions operate .

All form s correspond to i deas and there is no i dea which ,

h a s not its p op e and peculia

r fo m rThe p im o dial light r r . r r ,

w hi ch is the vehicle of all i deas is the m othe of all fo m s ,

r r ,

a d t ans mits the m fro m e m anation to e m anation m erel

n r
y ,

!di m inished or m odified according to the density of the

 THE P EN TAGRAM 63

media S econdary form s are reflections which return to

.

the font of the e manated light The form s of objects .

,

being a m odification of light rem ain in the light where ,

the reflection consigns them Hence the ast al light or . r ,

terrest ial fl uid which we call the great magnetic agent is

r , ,

saturated with all kinds of im ages or reflections N ow our .

,

soul can evoke these and refer them to its diaphane as the
, ,

kabbalists term it S uch i mages are always p esent to us

. r ,

and a e o nl y e fl a c e d by the more powerful impressions of

r
‘

reality during waking hours or by preoccupation of the ,

mi nd which m akes our i m agination inattentive to the fl uidi c

,

panoram a of the astral light When we sleep this spectacle .

,

presents itself spontaneously befo e us and in this way r

dreams are produced—dreams vague and incoherent if some

,

governing will do not rem ain active duri g the sleep giving n , ,

even unconsciously to our intelligence a direction to the ,

dream which then t ansform s into vision Anim al m a g

,
r .

n e t ism is nothing else but an artificial sleep p oduced by r

the volunta y or enforced union of two wills one of which

r ,

is awake while the other slumbers that is one of which -

,

directs the other in the choice of reflections for the trans

formation o f d eam s into visions and the attain m ent of
r ,

truth by m eans of im ages Thus somnambulists do not .

,

actually travel to the place where they are sent by the

m agnetiser ; they evoke its i m ages in the astral light and ,

can behold nothing which does not exist in that light .

The ast al light has a direct action on the nerves which are
r ,

its conducto s in the animal economy transmitting it to

r ,

the brain whence also in the state of so mnambulis m it is

, , ,

possible to see by m eans of the ne ves without being r ,

dependent on radiant light the astral fluid being a latent ,

light in the sam e way that physi cs recognise the existence

,

of a latent calo ic r .

M agnetis m between two persons is certainly a won derful

discove y but the m agnetising of a pe son by him self
r , r ,

accomplishing his own l ucidity and di recting himself at

will is the perfection of magical a t The secret of this
, r .
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRAN S CE NDE NT MAGI C
great wo k does not rest for discovery it has been known
r

and practised by a great number of initiates above all by ,

the celeb ated A pollonius of Tyana who has left a theory

r ,

concerning it as we shall see in the Ritual The secret of

, .

magnetic lucidity and the direction of the pheno m ena of

m agnetis m depend on two things—the agreem ent of m inds
,

and the co mplete union of will s in a di ection which is , r

possible and determined by science This is for the opera .

tion of m agnetism between two or m ore persons S olitary .

m agnetis m requires preparations of which we have spoken

in our initial chapter when enu merating and establishing ,

in all their difficulty the essential qualities of a veritable

adept In the following chapters we shall fu ther elucidate
. r

thi s important and fundamental point .

The e m pire of the will over the astral light which is the ,

physical so ul of the four elem ents is represented in m agic ,

by the pentagram whi ch we have set at the head of this

,

chapter The elementary Spirits are subservient to this

.

sign when em ployed with understanding and by placing it , ,

in the circle or on the table of evocations they can be ,

rendered t actable whi ch is magically called to im prison

r ,

them L et us b iefly explain this m arvel All c eated

. r . r

bei gs com m unicate with one another by signs and all

n ,

adhe e to a certain nu mber of truths expressed by deter

r

minate form s The perfection of forms increases in pro

.

portion to the detachm ent of Spirits and those that are not ,

overweighted by the chains of matter recognise by intuition ,

out of hand whether a Sign is the expression of a real powe or r

of a precipitate will The intelligence of the wise m a n there

.

fore gives value to his p a n t a cl e as science gives weight to his

,

will and spi its comprehend this power imm edi ately Thus
,
r .
,

by m eans of the pentagram spirits can be force d to appear ,

in vision whether in the waking or sleeping state by them

, ,

selv es lea din g bef o r e our diap h a n e th eir r efl ectio n , w h ich exists
in th e a str a l l ig h t if th ey h a ve lived, o r a r efl ec tio n a n a log ous
,

t o t hei r Sp iritua l log os if t hey ha ve Thi s not lived on e a r th .

explains all visions and accounts for the dead invariably

,
 THE P ENTAGRAM 65

appearing to seers either such as they were upon earth or

, ,

such as they a e in the grave never as they subsist in a

r ,

condition which escapes the perceptions of our actual

organism .

Pregnant wo men are influenced m ore than others by the

astral light which concurs in the formation of the child
, ,

and pe petuall y o ffers them reminiscences of the form s

r

which abound therein This explains how it is that women

.

of the highest virtue deceive the m alignity of observers by

equivocal resem blances O n the fruit of their m arriage
.

they imp ess frequently an im age which has struck them

r

in dream and it is thus that the sam e physiognomies are

,

perpetuated from generation to generation The Kabbalistic .

usage of the pentagram can therefore determine the appear

an c e of unborn children and an initiated woman might
,

endow h e son with the cha acte istics of N ero or Achill es

r r r

as m uch as with those of L ouis X IV or Napoleon We . .

S hall in dicate the m ethod in our Ritual .

The pentagram is called in Kabbalah the Sign of the

m icrocos m that S ign so exalted by Goethe in the beautiful
,

m onologue of Fa u t : A h how do all my senses leap at

s ,

this Sight ! I feel the young and sacred pleasure of life

bubblin g in my nerves and veins Was it a God who .

t aced this S ign which stills the vertigo of my soul fill s

r ,

my poor hea t with joy and in a mysterious rapture

r , , ,

unveil s the forces of nature around m e Am I m yself a .

God ! All is so clear to m e ; I behold in these Simple lines

the revelation of active nature to my soul I realise for .

the first tim e the truth of the wise man s words : The ’

world of spi its is not closed ! Thy sense is obtuse thy

r ,

heart is dead ! Arise ! Bathe O adept of science thy , ,

breast still enveloped by an earthly veil in the Splendours

, ,

of the dawning day (F u t Part i so I ) a s , . . .

O n the 2 4 t h of July in the year 1 8 5 4 the author of ,

this book Eliph a s Levi made experim ents of evocation with

, ,

the pentagram after due preparation by all the cerem onies

,

which are indicated in the thirteenth chapter of the Ritual .

E
 THE D O C TRIN E OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
The success of this experim ent deta ils of which as regards , ,

its principles will be found in the corresponding chapter of

,

this our doct inal part establis hes a new pathological fa ct

r , ,

which m e of tru e scien c e will admi t without d ifficul ty

n .

The repeated experience in a ll three t M e S gave results , ,

t uly extrao dina y but positive and unm ixed with ba ll uc i

r r r ,

nation We invite sceptics to m ake a conscientious and

.

intelligent attempt before sh ugging their shoulders and r

s m iling The figure of the pentagram pe fected in accord

.
,
r

ance with science and used by the author in his experiment

, ,

1 S that w hi ch is found at the head of this chapter and it is ,

more perfect than any in the keys of S olo m on o in the , r

m agical calendars of Tycho Brahe and D uc h e n t a u We .

m ust howeve
,
remark that the use of the pentagram is
r,

m ost dange ous for operators who are not in possession

r

of its complete and perfect understanding The di ection of . r

the points of the sta r is in no sense a bit a y and ma y r r r ,

change the enti e character of the operation as we shall

r ,

explain in the Ritual .

Paracelsus that innovator in m agic who surpassed all

, ,

othe initiates in his unaided practical success affirm s that

r ,

every m agical figure and eve y kabbalistic sign of the pan r

taeles which compel spirits m a y be reduced to two which , ,

are the synth esis of all the others ; these are the S ign of the
 MAGI CAL EQ UI LIBRI UM 67

r the seal of S olo mon the form of which we

,

M a crc given and now reproduce here and that of the

o t e n t even than the fi rst —that is to say
.

, ,

M icro he provides a most minute de sc rip

occult philosophy If it be asked how a Sign
.

e so much power over spirits we inquire in ,

the whole C hristian world bows down before the

cross The S ign is nothing by itself and has no ,

f om the doctrine of which it is the summary

r

N ow a S ig n which sum s by their ex

, ,

o ccult fo ces of nature a S ign which has

r ,

elem entary spirits and othe s a power r

own natu all y fi lls them with respect and

,
r

their obedience by the e mpire of science

ignorance and weakness By the penta .

S ured the exact proportions of the great

of the philo
great work .

in which the quintessence can be

conformable to this figure and the quintessence
,

represen te d by the S ign of the pentagram .

M A GI CAL E Q U I LIB RI UM

TIPHE RE TH UNCUS

inte lligen c e is necessarily reasonable God in .

,

y m a y be only a hypothesis but he is a hypo

, ,

good sense on hum an reason To personify .

son is to determ ine the divine ideal

and reason—these are the g eat and
.

of the Kabbalis ts who nam e reason

,

h o c h m a h and libe rty Binah in their first

, ,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRAN SCEi NT MAG
ical
ia
g
“ ad
divine t iad Fata ty will and power gh is F li 3

:
r .
, , ,

triad whi ch cor esponds in things h uma n fi éh e ii g

o l
,
r
n
g
Fatality is the inevitable sequence of e ff e c gt c
e” h t h e o
determ ined orde Will is the directing fac l dd! W1 11
r . i '

e
forces for the conci l at on of the l berty of p M the i i i t

necessity of things Power is the wise a pph tl e did . t

which e nl ists fatality itself in the a c c o mp lis he o l e

p
desires O f the sage When M oses sm ote the el f b ; .

)
not create the Spring Of water he revealed it t th all ,

because occult science had m ade it known t o the

y )
m eans O f the divining o d It is in like m a vs are r . r
)

m i acles O f m agic ; a law e iS t S W h iCh is ig

r x ,
l

vulgar and m ade use of by the i itiate c 1 are n .

1
often diamet ically Opposed to comm on ideas is the
r .

the c owd believes in the sym pathy of thingd that

r

alike and in the hostility of things contrary I ature ,

n
O pposite which is the true law It used to be i t io a l .

n
natu e detests the void but it should be said takes
r ,

desires it were the void not in physics the m t ‘

In all things the vulgar min d h a lg i

, , ,

O f fictions .

shadow for eality tu s its back upon light a esist

r ,
sg i rn ,
n
r
in the O bscu ity which it projects itself fl never
r .

natu e are at the disposal O f one who knows li fatal

r

them A e you m aster sufficiently of yourselfdrunk

. r

intoxica ted ? Then will you direct the t e rr mk

powe O f intoxication If you would m ake f oth
r
fi .
ar

possess them with the desire of d ink but d do dt r ,

n
of it yourself That m a will dispose of the
. !
ai d
n

who is m aster of his own If you would 1 Th a t r .

a n’

give The world is m agnetised by the light 0 self in

. ~

we a e m agnetised by the astral light O f the ra rc h i c

r f

which ope ates in the body O f the planet re!

r

us Within us the e are three analogical 5 di g t 0

. r ,

n
’

worlds as in all nature

,
t world
.

i
M is the mi crocos m or little world a m centres
an ,

the doct ine O f analogies whatsoever is in t h

r ,

is reproduced in the small Hence we have .

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
rather than the cause C holera S hould therefo e be treated
. r

by i suffl t io did not t h e O pe ator thereby run the chance

n a n, r

of an exchange with t h e patient which would be very f r ,

o

mida bl e f o him self E ve y intelligent e ff ort O f will is a

r . r

projection O f the human fluid or light and he e it is need ,

r

f ul to distinguish the hu m an fro m the astral light and ,

ani m al f om unive sal m agnetism In making use O f the

r r .

word fluid we employ an accepted expression and would

, ,

m ake ourselves understood in this m anner but we are far ,

from deci ding that the latent light is a fluid E verything .

prompts us on the contrary to p efer the system of vibra

, ,
r

tions in the explanation O f this phenomenal subject How .

ever it m a y be the light in question being the instru m ent

, ,

O f life cleaves naturally to all living cent es attaches itself

,
r ,

to the nucleus O f planets even as to the heart of m a n — and

,

by the heart we understa nd m agically the great sym pathetic

—identifying itself with the individual life of the being which
it anim ates and it is by this quality of sympathetic assimi
,

lation that it distribut e s itself without confusion Hence it .

is terrestrial in its a fl i it y with the Sphere of the earth and

n ,

hum an exclusively in its a fl in it y with m e n .

It is for this eason that electricity caloric light and

r , , ,

m agnetism p oduced by ordinary physical m ean s not only

,
r ,

do not originate but rather tend to neutralise the e ffects of

,

anim al m agnetism The astral light subordinated to a

.
,

blind m echani sm and proceeding from arbitrary autom atic

,

centres is a dead light and works mathem atically follow

, , ,

ing given i mp ul sions or fatal laws the hum an light is fatal

only to the ignorant in chance experim ents ; in the seer it
is subjected to intelligence sub m itte d to im agination and , ,

dependent on wil l This light continually projected by t h e

.
,

will c onstitutes the pe sonal atm ospheres of S wedenborg

,
r .

The body absorbs what environs it and ra diates perpetually ,

by projecting its influences and invisible m olecul es ; it is t h e

same with the Spirit S O that this phenom enon by som e , ,

mystics term ed esp i tion has really the influence both

r ra , ,

physical and m oral which is assigned to it It is un , .

 MAGI CAL E Q U ILIBRI UM 71

doubtedly contagious to breathe the same a i as diseased r

person s and to be within the circle O f attraction and ex

,

p a n s
nio which surrounds the wicked .

When the m agnetic atm osphere of two persons is so e quili

bra t e d that the att active faculty of one draws the expansive
r

faculty O f the other a tendency is produced which is termed

,

sympathy ; then imagination calling up to it all the rays or ,

reflections analogous to that which it experiences m akes a ,

poem of the desires whi ch captivate the will and if the , ,

persons differ in sex it occasions in them or m o e comm only

, ,
r

in the weaker of the two a complete intoxication of the ,

astral light which is te m ed passion p r ell nce or love

,
r a ex c e ,
.

Love is one of the great instru m ents Of m agical power but ,

it is categorically forbidden to the m agus at least as an ,

intoxication or passion Woe to the S amson of the Kab .

balah if he pe m it himself to be put asleep by D elilah !

r

The He cules O f science who exchanges his oyal sceptre

r ,
r

for the distaff of O mphal e will soon expe ience the venge ,
r

ance O f D ejanira and nothing will be left for him but the
,

pyre of M ount (E t a in order to escape the devouri g folds

,
n

of the coat of N essus S exual love is ever an illusion fo

!
.
,
r

it is the result of an im aginary mirage The astral light is .

t h e universal seducer typified by the serpent O f Genesis, .

Thi s subtle agent ever active ever aboun ding in sap ever
, , ,

fruit ful in alluring dream s and sensuous im ages ; this force ,

which by itself is blind and subordinated to every will ,

whether for good or evil ; thi s every renewing ci culus O f r

unbridled life which produces vertigo in the im prudent ;

,

this corporal spirit this fiery body this impalpable om ni

present ethe ; this m onstrous seduction o f nature —how
r

S hall we define it co mprehensively and how characterise its

action ? To som e extent indifferent in itself it lends itself ,

to good as to evil ; it trans mi ts light and propagates da k r

ness ; it ma y be called equally Lucifer and Lucifuge ; it is

a serpent but it is also an aureole ; it is a fir e but it ma y ,

belong equally to t h e torments of in ternus or to the sacri ,

fic e O f incense offered up to heaven TO dispose O f it we .

,
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEN D ENT MAGI C
m ust , like the predestined wo m en set our foot upon , it s
head .

In the e le me n ta ry w o rl d water corresponds to the kabba

'

l ist ic wo m an and fire to the serpent TO subdue the serpent .

,

that is to govern the circle of the ast al light we must pla ce

, r ,

ourselves outside its currents that is we must isolate our , ,

selves For this reason Apo llonius O f Ty ana wrapped him

.

self completely i a m antle of fine wool) setti g his feet

n n

thereon and dra wm g it over his head Then be bent his .

back in semi circul ar fashi on a d closed his eyes after

-
,
n ,

fulfilling cert ain rites p obably magnetic passes and sacra

,
r

m ental wo ds designed to fix the im agination and determine

r

the action O f the will The woollen mantle is of great use

.

in magic and was the co mm on conveyance of so cerers on

,
r

their way to the S abbath which p oves that the sorcerers , r

did not really go to the S abbath but the S abbath cam e to ,

the so cere s when isolated in their m antle and conducted

r r , ,

to their tr nsluc id images analogous to their m agica l pre

a

occupations combined with reflections O f all kindred acts

,

previously accomplished in the world .

Thi s torrent of universal life is a lso represented in religious

doctrines by the expiatory fire of hell It is the instrum ent .

O f initiation the m onster to be overcome the enem y to

, ,

subdue ; it is this which brings to our evocations and to

the conjurations of go etic m agic such swarms of larvae and
'

phanto m s ; therein a e preserved a ll the form s which by

r

t heir fantastic and fortuitous assemblage people our night

mares with such abom inable deformities To allow ourselves .

to be sucked down by this whirl ing stream is to fall into the

abysses O f madness more frightful than those O f death ; t o
,

expel the darkness O f this chaos and force it to give perfect

form s to our thoughts—this is to be a m a n of genius it is , ,

to create it is to be victorious over hell ! The astral light

,

directs the instincts O f animals and O ffe s battle to t h e ih r

t e ll ige n c e of ma n which it st ives to pervert by the entice

,
r

m ent s of its reflections and the illusion O f its i mages a fatal

, ,

a n d inevitable operation dir ected and made still more

,
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
perseverance in the sponta neous Operations of an inflexible
will We must f equently reiterate the acts O f this will
. r ,

for as we shall see in the int oduction to the Ritual t h e

, r ,

will only assu es itself by acts as the powe and perpetuity

r ,
r

O f religions depend on their rites and cere m onies .

There are intoxicating substances which by increasing , ,

nervous sensibility exalt the power and consequently the,

allu em ents O f ast al representations ; by the sam e m eans

r r ,

but pu suing a contrary cou se S pi its m a y be alarm ed and

r r ,
r

distu bed These substances O f them selves m agnetic and

r .
, ,

further m agnetised by the operators are what people term ,

philters and enchanted potions But we S hall not enter .

here upon this dange ous application of m agic whi ch r ,

C ornelius Ag ippa hi m self term s venom ous m agic

r It is .

t rue that there a e no longer pyres f o sorce ers but always

r r r , ,

and m ore than ever are there penalties dealt out to male ,

factors L et us confine ourselves the efo e to stating as the

. r r ,

o c casion O ff e s the reality of this power

r , .

TO direct the as t ral light we m ust understand also its

double vibration as well as the balance O f forces term ed
,

m agical equilibriu m and expressed in the Kabbalah by the

sena y r C onsi de ed in its first cause this equilibrium is t h e
. r ,

will O f God ; it is liberty in ma n and m athematical e quili ,

brium in m atter E quilib ium produces stability and

. r

duration Libe ty generates the imm ortality of m a and

. r n,

the will of God gives e ffect to the laws of eternal reason .

E quilibriu m in ideas is reason and in forces powe E quili r .

brium is exact ; fulfil its law and it is there ; violate it , ,

however Slightly and it is destroyed For this reason

, .

nothing is useless or lost E very utterance and eve y .

r

movem ent are for or against truth which is com posed of f or ,

and a g i st conciliated or at least equilibra t ed We shall

a n ,
.

state in the int oduction to the Ritual how m agical e quili

r

brium S hould be produced and why it is necessary to the ,

success of all operations .

O m nipotence is the m ost absolute liberty ; now absolute ,

liberty cannot exist apart from perfect equilibrium M agical .

 THE F I E RY S W O RD 75

equilibrium is hence one of the fi st conditions O f success in r

the Ope ations O f science and m ust be sought even in occult

r ,

chemistry by learning to combine contraries without

,

neut alising them by one another M agical equilibrium

r .

explains the great and p i meval m ystery of the existencer

and relative necessity O f evil This relative necessity gives .

,

in black m agic the m easure O f the power of demons or

“

im pure spi its to whom virt ues practised upon earth are a
r ,

sou ce of increased rage and apparently Of inc eased power

r r .

'
At th e epochs when saints and angels wo k miracles openly r ,

sorcerers and fiends in their turn Operate m a vels and p o r r

Rivalry often creates su ccess ; we lean upon that

which resists .

THE FIE RY S WO RD

NE TS AH G LAD I US

THE septenary is the sacred number in all theogonies and in

all symbols because it is com posed Of t h e triad and the
,

tetrad The number seven represents m agical po wer in all

.

its fulness ; it is the mind reinforced by all elem entary

,

potencies it is the soul served by nature ; it is the sa tum nc

r egn um m entioned in the keys of S olo m on and represented ,

in the Tarot by a crowned warrior who bears a triangle on ,

his cuirass and is posed upon a cube to which two sphinxes

, ,

are harnessed straining in opposite directions while their

, ,

heads a e turned the sam e w a y This warrio is armed with

r . r

a fiery swo d and holds in his other hand a sceptre su

r r
(
, ,

mounted by a triangle and a sphere The cube is the .

philosophical stone ; the sphinxes are the two forces of the

great agent corresponding to J akin and Bohas the two
, ,
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
pillars O f the temple ; the cuirass is the knowledge of
di vine things which renders the wise m a n invulnerable to
,

hum an assaults ; the s ceptre is the m agic rod ; the fie y r

sword is the symbol O f victo y ove the deadly sins r r ,

seven in nu mber like the virtues the conceptions O f both

, ,
‘

being typified by the ancients under the figures O f the seven

planets then known Thus faith— that aspi ation towa ds .
,
r r

the infinite that noble self reliance sustained by confidence

,
-

in all virtues — that faith which in weak natu es ma y de , ,

r ,

gene ate into pride was rep esented by the S un hope the
r ,
r ,

enemy O f avarice by the M oon ; charity in opposition to

, ,

luxury by Venus the bright star O f the m orning and

, ,

evening ; st ength superior to wrath by M ars ; prudence

r , , ,

hostile to idleness by M e cury ; temperance opposed to ,

r ,

gluttony by S aturn who was given a s t one instead O f his

, ,

child en to devour ; finally justice in opposition to envy

r , , ,

by Jupite the conqueror of the Titans S uch a e the

r, . r

symbols borrowed by ast ono my from the Hellenic cultus r .

In the Kabbalah O f the Hebrews the S un represents the ,

angel of light ; the M oon the angel O f aspirations and ,

d eam s ; M ars the destroying angel ; M ercury the angel

r , ,

O f p og ess ;
r Jupiter the angel O f power ; S atu n the
r ,
r ,

angel O f the wilderness They we e nam ed M ichael . r ,

Gab iel S am ael An a cl Rapha el Za c h a rie l and O ifie l

r , , , , ,
r .

These gove ning potencies O f souls shared hum an life in

r

periods which astrologers m easured by the revolutions O f

,

the corresponding planets But kabbalistic astrology m ust .

not be con founded with judicial ast ology We will explain r .

this distinction Infancy is dedicated to the S un childhood

.
,

to the Moon youth to M ars and Venus m anhood to M ercury

, , ,

ripe age to Jupiter and Old age to S aturn NO W hum anity , .

,

in gene al subsists under laws of developm ent analogous to

r

those O f individual life On this groundwork Trith e mius .

establishes his p ophetic key O f the seven spirits to which

r ,

we shall subsequently refer by m eans thereof O bserving the ,

an al ogical proportions O f successive events it is possible to ,

pre di ct important future occurrenc es with certitude and to fix ,

 THE DO CTRI NE OF TRAN SCEND EN T MAGI C
—
triple and double repetition this word is pronounced
Ara rita .

The virtue O f the septenary is absolute in m ag c for the i ,

number is decisive in all thin gs ; hence all religions have

c onsecrated it in their rites The seventh year was a jubilee .

a m ong the Jews ; the seventh day is set apart f o rest and r

p aye ; there a e seven sa cram ents &c The seven colours

r r r , .

O f the p is m and the seven m usic a l note s correspond also to the

r ,

seven planets O f the ancients that is to the seven cho ds of , ,

r

the hum an ly e The Spi itual heaven has never changed

r . r ,

and ast ology has been m ore invariable than ast onomy
r r .

The seven planets are in fa ct the hie oglyphic symbols of , , r

the key Of o u a ffections TO compose talismans O f the

r .

S un M oon or S atu n is to atta ch the will m agnetically to

, ,
r ,

S igns corresponding to the chief powers of the soul ; to con

s ec ate so m ething to M ercury or Venus is to m agnetise that

r

O bject acco di ng to a di ect intention

r whether pleasure r , ,

science or profit be the end in view The analogous m etals

, .
,

a ni m als plants and perfum es are auxili aries to thi s end

The seven m agical an imals are —(a ) Am ong birds corre
.
, ,

sp o n di g to the divine world the swan the owl the vulture

n , , , ,

the dove the stork the eagle and the pewit ; (6) a mong
, , ,

fish cor espon ding to the S piritual or scientific wo ld the

,
r r ,

s eal the cat fi sh the pike the m ullet the chub the dolphin
,
-
, , , , ,

t h e sepia or cuttle fi sh ; ( ) a mong quadrupeds co espon ding

-
c ,
rr

t o the natural world the lion the cat the wolf the h e goat
, , , ,
-
,

t h e m onkey the stag and the m ole

,
The blood fat liver
, .
, , ,

a n d gall of these anim als serve in enchant m ents ; thei brain r

c o m bines with the perfu m es O f the planets and it is ecog ,

r

n ise d by ancient practice that they possess m agnetic virtues

c orresponding to the seven planetary influences .

The talis m ans of the seven Spirits are engraved either on

p recious stones such as the ca rbuncle
, crystal dia m ond , , ,

e m erald agate sapphire and onyx ; or upon m etals such

, , , ,

as gold silver iron copper fixed m ercury pewter and lead

, , , , , , .

The kabbalistic signs O f the seven spirits are for the S un -

,

a serpent with the head of a lion ; for the M oon a globe ,

 REALI SATI O N 79

divided by two crescents ; for M ars a dragon bitin g the hilt ,

O f a sword ; for Venus a lingam ; for M ercury the Her , ,

m etic caduceus and the cyno c ephalus ; for Jupite the r,

blazing pentag a m in the talons or beak O f an eagle ; for

r

S atu n a lam e and aged m an or a se pent curled about the

r , ,
r

sun stone All these symbols are found on the g aven

-
. r

stones of the ancients and especially on those talis m ans of ,

the Gnostic epochs which are known by the nam e O f Abraxas .

In the collection O f the talismans O f Paracelsus Jupiter is ,

rep esented by a priest in ecclesiastical costum e while in the

r ,

Tarot he appears as a grand hierophant c owned with a r

triple tiara holding a three fold cross in his hands form ing
,
-
,

the magical triangle and representin g at once the sceptre

,

and key Of the three worlds .

By combining all that we have said about the unity O f

the triad and tetrad we shall find all that rem ains for us to
,

say concerning the septenary that grand and complete ,

magical unity composed O f four and t h ree f "

8 n H

R E ALI S ATI O N
VIVENS

C AUSES m anifest by eff ects and e ff ects are proportioned to ,

causes The divine word the one wo d the tetragram has

.
, r , ,

affirm ed itself by tetradic crea tion Human fecundity proves .

divine fecundity ; the jod O f the divine nam e is the eternal

virility of the First Pri ciple M a n understands that he n .

was m ade in the im age O f God when he attains c o mp re h e n

With re fere n c e to the pla n ts a n d c o o urs o f l th e se pt en a ry e mplo yed in
ma gn e t i c ex p erie n ces , se e the e rud it e wo r k of M . Ra go n on L a M a con fae rie
/
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
sion O f God by increasing to infinity the idea which he form s
of him self When realising God as the infinite m a ma n
. n,

says unto himself : I a m the finite G o d M agic differs f om . r

mysticis m because it judges nothing a p r io r i until after it

has established a p oste io i the base itself of its judgments
r r ,

that is to say after having un derstood the cause by the

,

eff ects contained in the very energy of the cause by m eans ,

of the universal law of analogy Hence in the occul t .

scie ces all is real and theories are established only on the
n ,

foundations of experience Re alities alone constitute the .

propo tions O f the ideal and the m agus adm its nothing as
r ,

certain in the dom ain of ideas save that whi ch is dem onstrated
by ealisation In other wo ds what is true in the cause
r . r ,

m anifests in the e ffect What is not realised does not exist

. .

The realisation of speech is the logos properly so called A .

thought ealises i t self in beco ming speech ; it realises itself

r

also by signs sounds and representations O f Signs : this is

, ,

the fi st deg ee O f realisation Then it is i mprinted on the

r r .

astral light by means of the S igns of writing or speech ; it

influences other m inds by reflection upon them ; it is re
f acte d by c ossing the diaphane Of other m e n ; it assum es
r r

new form s and proportions ; it is then translated into acts

and m odifies the world :this is the last degree of realisation .

M e who are born into a wo ld m odified by an idea bear

n r

away with them the impression thereof and it is thus that ,

the word is m ade flesh The imp ession of the disobedience . r

O f A da m p ese ved in the astral light could only be e fl a c e d

'

,
r r ,

by the stronge i mpression O f the O bedience of the S aviou

r r,

and thus the original Sin and redemption O f the wo ld can r

be explained in a natu al and m agical sense The ast al r . r

light o soul Of the world was the instrum ent O f Adam s

,
r ,
’

o mnipotence ; it became afterwards the instrum ent of his

punishm ent being corrupted and troubled by hi s sin which
, ,

intermingled an im pure reflection with those primitive

images which composed the book of universal science for his
still vi gin imagination
r .

The astral light depicted in ancient symbols by the

,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANS CEND ENT MA GI C
perversion ; hence it is that sex ual love is O fte n awakened
by a breath or a touch and this not onl y by m eans of t h e
, ,

contact O f the person himself but Of O bjects which he has ,

unconsciously touched or m agnetised .

There is an outbreathing and inbreathin g Of the soul ,

exactly like that O f the body It breathes in the felicity .

which it believes and it breathes forth ideas which result

,

from its inner sensations D isea sed souls have an evil

breath and vitiate their moral atm osphere—that is they
.

, ,

c om bine impure reflections with the astral light w hi ch per

me a t e s them and establish unwholesom e currents therein
,
.

We are O fte n invaded to our astonishm ent in society by , ,

evil thoughts whi ch would have seem ed impossible and a e ,

r

not aware that they are due to som e m orbid proximity .

This secret is o f high importance for it lea ds to the open ,

ing of consciences one O f the m ost incontestible and terrible

,

powers O f m agical art M agnetic respiration produces about

.

the soul a ra diation o f which it is the centre and surrounds ,

it with the reflection of its works cre ating for it a heaven ,

or a hell There are no isolated acts and it is impossible

.
,

that there should be secret acts ; whatsoever we truly will

—that is everything which we confirm by our acts—re
,

m ains registered in the astral light where our reflections ,

are preserved These reflections continuall y influence our

.

thought by the mediation of the diaphane and it is in this ,

sense that we be come and remain the children of our

works .

The astral light transform ed at the m om ent of conception

,

into human light is the soul s first envelope and in c o m

,
’

, ,

bination with extremely subtle fluids it form s the ethe eal ,

r

body or sidereal phantom Of which Paracelsus discourses in

his philosophy Of intuition—p hilosop hia s g a ce This sidereal
,

a .

body setting itself free at death attracts and for a long

, , ,

tim e preserves through the sym pathy of things hom ogeneous

, ,

the reflections O f the past life ; if drawn along a special

c urrent by a will which is p o we rq y sym pathetic it mani ,

fests naturally for there is nothing m ore natural than

,
 REALI SATI O N 88

prodigies It is thus apparitions are produced But we

. .

shall develop th is point more fully in the chapt er devoted

to Necromancy This fl uidic body subject like the mas s of
.
, ,

the astral light to two contr ary m ovements attracting on

, ,

the left and repelling on the right or reciprocally between , ,

the two sexes begets various impulses withi n us and con

, ,

tributes to solicitudes of conscience ; it is frequently in

fl ue n c e d by eflections O f other minds and thus are produced
r , ,

on the one hand temptations and on the other profound

, , , ,

and un expected gra ces Th is is also the explanation O f the

.

traditional doctrine of two angels who stre gthen and temp t n

us The two forces Of the ast ral light ma y be represented

.

by a balance wherein are weighed our good intentions

for the triu mph of justice and the ema ncipation O f our
liberty.

The astral body is not always O f the sam e sex a s the

t e rr e st ia l t hat is the proportions O f the two for c es varying
, , ,

from right to left frequently seem to gainsay the visible

,

organisation producing the seeming vagaries O f human

,

passions a n d explaining without in any sense morally

, ,

justifying the am orous peculiarities of Anacreon or

,

S appho . A sk ilful m agnetiser should ta ke a l l t hese subtle

distinctions into acc ount and we Shall provide in our Ritual
,

the rules for their recogn ition .

The e are two k inds of realisation the true and the

r ,

fan t astic Th e first is the exclusive secret of m agicians the

.
,

other belongs to enchanters and sorcerers Mythologies a re .

fantastic realisations of religious dogm a ; superstitions are

the sorcery of mistaken piety ; but even mythologies and
superstitions are more efficacious with hum a n will than a
pu ely speculative philosophy apart from any practice
r .

Hence S t Paul opposes the conquests of the folly of the

C ross to the inertness O f hum an wisdom Religion r e lis . a es

philosophy by a da p ting it to the weakn e sses of the vulgar

such is for Kabbalists the secret reason and occult explana
tion O f the doctrines of inca rnation and redemption .

Though ts untranslated into speech are thoughts lost for

 THE D O C TRINE OF TR ANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
hum anity ; words unconfirmed by acts are idle words and ,

the idl e word is not far re moved from falsehood Thought .

form ul ated by speech and confirm ed by acts constitutes a

good work or a crime Hence whether in vice or virtue .
, ,

the e is no speech for whi ch we are not responsible above

r

all the e are no indifferent acts C urses and blessings

,
r .

in va iably produce their consequence and every action

r , ,

whatsoever its nature whether inspi ed by love or hate has

, r ,

effects analogous to its motive its extent and its direction , , .

When that emperor whose images had been mutil ated ,

r aising his hand t o his face exclaimed I do not feel that , ,

I a m injured h e was mistaken in his valuation and

, ,

thereby detracted from the m erit of his clem ency W hat .

m a n O f honour could behold undisturbed an insult O ff ered to

his port ait And did such insults inflicted even unknown
r ,

to ourselves eact on us by a fatal influence we e the effects

, r ,
r

O f bewitch m ent actual as indeed an adept cannot doubt

, ,

how m uch m ore imprudent and ill advised would seem this -

utterance of the good emperor !

There are persons whom we can never O ffend with
impunity and if the injury we have done them is m ortal
, ,

we forthwith begin to die There are those also whom we .

never m eet in vain whose m ere glance alters the direction

,

of our life The basilisk who slays by a look is no fable

.

it is a magical all ego y Generally Speaking it is bad for

r .
,

health to have enemi es and we can never brave with ,

impunity the eprobation O f anyone Before Opposing our

r .

selves to a given force or current we m ust be well assured ,

that we possess the contrary force or are with the stream ,

of the contrary current ; otherwise we S hall be crushed or ,

struck down and many sudden deaths have no other cause

,

than this The terrible visitations O f Nadab and Abiu of

.
,

O sa O f An anias and S aphira were oc casioned by ele ctric

, ,

currents of out aged convictions ; the su fferings of the

r

Ursul ines O f Lo n dun O f the nuns O f Louviers and O f the

, ,

convulsionaries O f Ja n se n ism were identical in principle , ,

and are explicable by the sam e occult natural laws Had .

 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
ill success and frequently O f a death sentence In return
-
,
- .
,

acts of injustice done to one individual can and Should if ,

they rest u n repai ed cause the loss O f an entire nation or of

r ,

a whole society ; this is what is call ed the cry of blood for ,

at the bottom O f every injustice there is the germ O f hom i

cide . By reason O f these te rrible laws of soli darity ,

C hris t ianity recomm ends S O strongly the forgiveness of

inju ies and reconciliation He who dies unforgiving casts
r .

himself dagger arm ed into eternity and condemns him self

-
,

to the horrors O f an e t e nal m urder The e fficacy O f paternal

r .

or m aternal blessings or curses is an invincible popular

tradition and belief A s a fact the closer the bonds which
.
,

unite two persons the m ore terrible a e the consequences O f

,
r

hatred between them The brand of Alth aea burning the

blood of M eleager is the mythological symbol of this terrible
.

powe Let parents be ever on their guard for no one can

r. ,

kindl e hell in his own blood and devote hi s own issue to ,

misfortune without being himself burnt and made wretche d

, .

TO pardon is neve a c ri me but to curse is always a danger

r ,

and an evil action .

IN ITIATI ON
JE S O D B ONUM

THE initiate is he who possesses the lamp of Trismegistus ,

t h e mantle of A pollo ius and t h e staff of the pat iarchs

n , r .

The lamp of T is megistus is rea son illuminated by science ;

r

the mantle of Apollonius is full and complete self possession -

,

which isolates the sage from blind tendencies ; and the staff
O f the patriarchs is the help of the secret and everlasting

forces of nature The lamp of Tris m egistus enlightens

.
 IN ITI ATI ON 87

present past and future lays bare the conscience of me n

, , , ,

and man ifests the inmost recesses O f the female heart The .

lamp burns with a triple flame the mantle is thrice folded ,

-
,

and the staff is divided into three parts .

The num ber nine is that of divine reflections ; it expresses

the divine idea in all its abstract power but it also signifies ,

extravagance in belief and hen c e superstition and idolatry

, .

For this reason Herm es h a s ma de it the nu mber of initiation ,

because the initiate reigns ove superstition and by super r

st it ion,and alone can advance through the darkness leaning ,

on his sta ff enveloped in his mantle and l ighted by his

, ,

lamp Re a sop ha s be ep g iven to a ll ni en but al l do not

.
, _ h
w r
- w

know how ta ma ka u semf i t sd a i s a science to be acquired -

.

Liberty is o ff ered to m e t all ca n be free ; it is a

"
“

right that must be e arn ed Force is for all ,But all do not
_ .
“
‘
“

know how to rest upon it ; it it s power that must be

"
'

'

seized We attain nothing without m ore than one effort

.
“

The destiny O f m a n is that he S hould enrich him self with

what he gains and that he should afte wards have like
.

,
r ,

God the glory and ple asure of di spensing it

, .

M agic was called form erly the sacerdota l art and the
royal art because initiatio n gave empire over souls to the
,

sage and the ad oitness for ruling wills D ivination is also

, r .

one of the privileges O f the initiate ; now divination is ,

simply the knowledge of e ff ec ts conta ined in causes and

science applied to the facts of the universal dogm a of analogy .

Hum an acts are not alone written in the astral light ; their
traces are left upon the fac e they modify mien and carriage , ,

they change the tone O f the voice Thus every ma n h e a rs .

about h im the history O f his life which is legible for the ,

initiate Now the future is ever the c onsequence Of the

.
,

past a n d unexpected circumstances do not appreciably a lter

,

resul ts rea sonably calculated The destiny of each m a n can .

be therefore foret old him An entire existen c e can be .

judged by a S ingle movement ; one piece of awkwa rdness

m a y be the presage O f a long chain O f misfortunes
, C aesar .

was !assassinated because he was a sham ed of being ba ld ;

 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
N apoleon ended his days at S t Helena because he admired
the poem s Of O ssian ; L ou s Philippe abdicated the throne
i

as h e did because he carried an um b ella These are r .

paradoxes for the vulgar who cannot g asp the occult re

,
r

l a t io n s of things but they are causes for the adept who

, ,

understands all and is surp ised at nothing r .

Initiation is a preservative against the false lights of

m ysticism ; it equips hum an reason with its relative value
and p oportional infallibility connecting it with suprem e
r ,

reason by the chain O f analogies Hence the initiate knows .

no doubtful hopes no absurd fears because he has no ir a

, ,
r

t io n a l beliefs he is acquainted with the extent O f his powe r,

and he can dare without danger For h im therefore to dare .

, ,

is to be able He e then is a n e w interpretation of h is

. r , ,

attributes ; his lamp represents lea ning the mantle which r ,

enwraps h im his discretion and his staff is the emblem O f

,

his strength and daring He knows he dares and is silent

.
, ,
.

He knows the secrets O f the future he dares in the present , ,

and he is Silent on the past He knows the failin gs of the .

hu man hea t ; he dares make use O f them to achieve his

r

work ; and he is S ilent as to his purposes He knows the .

principle O f all sym bolis m s and of all religions ; he da es to r

practise or to abstain from them without hypocrisy and without

im piety ; and he is Sil ent upon the one dogm a O f supr em e
in itiation He knows the existence and nature of the great
.

m agical agent ; he dares perfor m the acts and give utterance

to the words which m ake it subject to hu m an will and he ,

is Silent upon the m ysteries O f the great arcanu m .

S O m a y you find him O ften m elancholy never dejected or ,

d espairing ; often poor never abject or miserable ; persecuted

,

often neve di sheartened or conquered He remem bers the

, r .

bereavem ent and m urder O f O rpheus the exil e and lonely ,

death O f M oses the m artyrdom O f the p ophets the tortures

, r ,

O f Apollonius the cross of the S aviour He knows the

, .

desolation in which Agrippa died whose m em ory is even ,

now Slandered ; he knows what labours overcam e the great

Paracelsus and all that Raymond L ully was condemn ed to
,
90 THE D O C TRINE OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
n ise d two properties which are necessa ry to one another
stability and motion necessity and l iberty ra t ional order , ,

and volitional autonomy justice and love whence also , ,

severity and m ercy Now these two attributes were per .

,

so n ifie d ,so to speak by the Kabbalistic Jews under the ,

names O f G e bura h and C hesed Above G e bura h and C hesed .

abides the suprem e crown the equilib ating power principle ,

r ,

O f the world or equilibrated kingdom which we find m e n ,

t io n e d under the nam e O f M a l c h ut h in the occult and

kabbalistic versicle O f the P t n o st to which we have a er - er

already referred But G e bura h and C hesed m aintained in

.
,

equilib ium by the crown above and the kingdom below

r ,

constitute two principles which ma y be considered from an ,

abstract point O f view or in their realisation In their , .

abstract or idealised sense they take the higher names of ,

Cho ch m h wisdo m and B in a h intelligence

a , Their re a lisa
, , .

tion is sta bility and progress that is eternity and victory , ,

H o d and N ets h a .

Such acco ding to the Kabbalah is the g oundwork of all

r r

religions and all sciences —a triple triangle and a circle the

, ,

notion O f the triad exp lained by the balance multiplied by

its elf in the do mains of the ideal then the realisation O f this ,

conception in form s Now the a cients at tached the first .

,
n

notions of this S imple and im p essive theology to the very r

idea Of numbers and qualified the figures Of the first decade

,

after the following m anner

1 K t her —The C own the equili brating power
e r

2 Cho hma h —
. . .
,

. Wisdom equilibrated in its unchangeable

c .
,

order by the initiative O f intelligence

3 B i h —A ctive intel ligence equilibrated by Wisdom
.

4 Ch sed —M ercy which is wisdo m in its secondary c on

. na ,
.

. e .
,

c e p t io n ever benevolent because it is strong

5 G ba r a h —Austerity necessitated by Wisdo m itself and

, .

. e , ,

by goodwill To perm it evil is to hinder good

—
. .

6 Tiphe t
. h Beauty the lu minous conception O f e quil i
re .
,

brium in form s interm edia y between the C own and , r r

the Kin gdom m ediating principle between C reator and

,
 THE K ABB ALAH 91

creation (S ublim e c onception O f poetry and its sovereign

.

priesthood !)
7. N tsa h —Victory that is ete rnal triu mph O f in t e lli
e .
, ,

gence and justice

8 H o d —E ternity of the c onquests achieved by m ind
.

over matter active over passive life over death

9 J eso d —The F oundation that is the basis O f all b elief
, , .

and all truth—w hat we term the AB S OLUTE in philosophy

. .
, ,

1 0 M a l hu th
. The Kingdo m is the universe entire
c .
,

creation the work and mirror O f God the p oof of suprem e

, , r

reason the formal consequence whi ch compels us to have

,

recourse to virtual premisses the enigm a which has Go d for ,

its a n swe r supre me and absolute reason

fl .

These ten primary notions attached to the ten first

characters of the primitive alphabet Signifying both prin ,

c ip l e s and nu m bers are called the t e n S ephiroth by the ,

m asters in Kab balah The sacred t e t ra ga m drawn in the .

,

following manner indicates the number source and corre , , ,

Sp o n de n ceof the divine names To this nam e of Jo t c h a va h . ,

written by these four and twenty signs crowned with a - -

,

triple flower O f light must be referred the twenty four ,

thrones of heaven and the twenty four crowned elders in ,

-

the Apocalypse In the Kabbalah the occult principle is

.

called the E lder and this principle multiplied and as it

, , , ,

were reflected in secondary causes creates i mages O f itself

—
, , ,

that is to say S O m any elders as there are diverse c o n c ep

,

tions O f its unique essence These images less pe rfect in pro .

,

portion as they are further re moved from their source projec t ,

upon the darkness an ultimate reflection or glimmer re pre ,

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND ENT MA GI C
senti g a horrible and deform ed elder who is vulgarly term ed
n ,

the devil Hence an initiate has been bold enough to say :

.

The devil is God as understood by the wicked while

,

another has added in wo ds more bizarre but no less ener r

”
, ,

getic : The devil is composed of God s ruins We ma y ’

.

sum up and explain these strikingly novel definitions by

rem arking that in sym bolism itself the dem on is an angel

cast out of heaven for having sought to usurp divinity .

This belo gs to the allego ica l language of prophets and

n r

m akers O f legends Philosophically speaking the devil is

.
,

a hu man idea of divinity which has been surpassed and ,

dispossessed of heaven by the progress of science and

reason Among prim itive O riental peoples M olo ch Adra m
.
, ,

elek Baal we e p e so n ifica t io s O f the one God dis

, ,
r r n ,

honoured by barbarous attributes The god O f the Ja n .

se ist s creatin g hell for the majority of hu m an beings and

n , ,

delighting in t h e eternal tortures of those he was un

willing to save is a conception even m ore barbarous than
,

that of M oloch ; hence the god of the Jansenists is already

a veritable S atan fallen f om hea ven in the sight O f every
,
r ,

wise and enlightened Ch istian r .

In the m ultiplication of the divine nam es the kabbalists

have connected them all either with the unity O f the tetra
,

g am the figure O f the t iad or the sephi o t ic scale O f the

r ,
r ,
r

decad They arrange the scale of the divine nam es and

.

num bers in a triangle which m a y be presented in Ro man

,

characters as follows
J
JA
SDI
J E HV
E LO I M
S AB AO T
ARARITA
E LVE D AAT
E L I M G I BOR
E L I M S AB AO T
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRAN SCEND EN T MA GI C
17 5 His w o rd c o n t ro ls b o t h Ve s er a n d h e r de w p .

18 3 k
H e m a e s t h e m o o n o ur w a t ch m a n t h ro ugh t h e ni gh t .

19 An d b his sun re n e w s t h e w o r l d in li h t
p y g .

20 1 Wh e n dust t o dust re t urn s , h is b rea t h ca n ca l l

or 2) L ife f ro m t h e t o mb w h ich is t h e f a t e O f a ll .

or 11 H is c r o wn il lum in a t e s t h e m e rc y se a t ,

An d gl o rifie s t h e c h e rub s a t h is f e e t .

By the help of this purely dogm atic explanation we Shall

already understand the kabbalistic alphabet of the Tarot .

Thus Figure I entitled the Buffoon represents the active

,
.
, ,

principle in the economy O f divine and human a ut o t e l ia .

Figure II vulgarly called Pope Joan represents dogmatic

.
, ,

unity based upon numbers and is the personification O f ,

the Kabbalah or the Gnos is Figure III represents divine . .

S pirituality under the e mblem of a winged wom an holding ,

in one hand the apoc alyptic eagle and in the other the ,

wo ld suspended f om the end O f her sceptre The other

r r .

emblems are equally clear and can be expl ained as easily ,

as the first Turning now to the four suits namely C lubs

.
, , ,

C ups S wor ds and C ircles or Pa t a c l e s comm only called n

D i s—all these are hieroglyphics O f the tetragram

, , ,

en er Thus .
,

the C lub is the E gyptian Phallus o Hebrew jo d the C up r

is the c t e s o primitive he ; the S word is the conjunction

‘'

i r

O f both or t h e lingam represented in Hebrew precedin g the

, ,

captivity by while the C ircle or Pe ntacle image Of the

can ,

world is the he final O f the divine nam e N OW let us take a

, .

Tarot and combine all its emblem s one by one into the
Wheel or R O TA of William Postel ; let us group the four
aces the four twos and S O on together ; we Shall then have
, , ,

ten pa cks Of cards giving t h e hieroglyphic interpretation of

the triangle of divine nam es on the scale of the denary as ,

previously tabulated By referring each number to its .

corresponding S ephira we ma y then rea d them O ff a s ,

follows
 THE KA BBALAH 95

mm
F o ur S ign s p re se n t th e n a me o f e ve ry n ame .

1 KE TH E R .

The f o u r Aces .

F o ur b rilli ant bea m s a do rn h is c ro wn O f fl a me .

2 C H O CH M AH .

The f ou r Tw o s .

F o ur riv e rs e v e r f ro m h is w isd o m fl ow .

3 B IN H A .

F o ur p ro o f s o f his in t e ll ige n c e w e k n o w.

4 CH ES E D .

F o ur b e n e fa c t io n s f ro m h is m e rc y c o me .

5 G E B UR AH .

F o ur t ime s f o ur S in s a v e n ge d his just ic e sum .

6 TI P H E R E TH .

F o ur ra ys un c o uded l ma k e h is be a ut y k n o wn .

7 N E TS AH .

F o ur t ime s his co n quest sh a ll in so n g be sh e wn .

8 H OD .

The f our E ights.

F o ur t im e s h e p
t rium h s o n t h e t im e l e ss pl ane .

9 J ES OD .

a
F o un d t io ns fo ur h is gre a t w h it e t h ro n e m in t a in a .

10 MAL CHU TH .

k
On e f o urfo l d in gdo m o wn s h is e n d le ss swa y ,
As f ro m h is c ro wn t h e re st rea m s a fo urf o ld ra y .
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEN D ENT MA GI C

By this simple arrangem ent the kabbalistic m eaning O f

each ca rd is exhibit ed For example the five of clubs .
,

rigorously signi fies G ebura h Of J Od that is the justice O f , ,

the creator or the wrath of m a n ; the seven O f cups signifies

the victory of m ercy o the triumph O f wo m an ; the eight O f
r

swords signifies conflict or etern al equilib ium ; and S O of r

the others We can thus unde stand how the ancient

. r

n t ifl s proceeded to m ake the o acle speak The chance

f
p o r .

dealing O f the lamens invariably produced a fresh kabba

list ic m eaning exactly true in its co mbinations which alone
, ,

were fortuito us ; and seeing that the faith of the ancients

,

attributed nothing to chance they read the answers of ,

Providen c e in t h e oracles of the Tarot which were called ,

Th e ra ph or Th e ra p him by the Hebrews as the erudite ,

kabbalist Ca ffarel one of the m agicians employed by C ardinal

,

Richelieu was the first to perceive

, .

A s to the figures a fi nal couplet will sufl ic e to explain

,

them
K ING , Q U EE N , K NIG HT ,
E S Q UIR E .

p
Th e m a rrie d a ir, t h e y o ut h , t h e c hi l d, t h e ra ce

p
Th y a t h by t h e se t o U n i t y r e t ra ce .

At the end O f the Ritual we shall provide further details ,

togethe with full docum ents concerning the m arvellous

r ,

Tarot book which is O f all books the most pri mitive the
, ,

key of prophecies and dogm as in a word the inspiration O f , ,

inspired works a fact which has rem ained unperceived

,

equally by the science of C ourt de G e be li and by the ex n

t ra o rdi a ry intuitions o f E t e il la or Al l ie t t e
n .

The ten S ephi oth and the twenty two Tarots form what
r -

the kabbalists term the thirty two paths O f absolute science -

.

With regard to particular sciences they distinguish them

into fifty chapters which they call the fifty gat es—among
,

O rientals the word gate signi fi e s govern ment o authority r .

The rabbins al so divid ed the Kabbalah into B e re schi t or ,

universal Genesis and M e ca va h or the chariot of E zekiel ;

, r ,

then by means O f a dual interpretation O f the kabbalistic

alphabets they formed two sciences called Gematria a n d
, ,
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEND ENT MA GI C
and when Archim edes was in want of a lever to move the
world what he sought was sim ply the great m agical arcanum
, .

O n e a r m of the androgyne figure of Henry Kh u ra t h bore n

the word C OAGULA and the other S OLVE To collect and

diffuse are nature s two words—but after what m anner can
.

we accomplish these Operations with the astral light or soul

O f the world ? C oncentration is by isolation and distribution
by the magical chain Isolation consists in absolute in
.

dependence for thought complete liberty for the heart and , ,

perfect continence for the senses E very m a n who is pos .

sessed by prejudices and fears every passionate person who is ,

slave O f his passions is incapable O f concent ating o c o a gula t

,
r r

ing according to the expression of Kh u ra t h the astral light or

,
n ,

soul O f the ea rth All true adepts have been independent

.

e ven a m idst torture sober and chaste till death The ex

planation Of such anomaly is this —in orde to dispose of a
.
,

fo ce you must not be surprised by this force in a way that

r ,

it m a y dispose of you But then cry out thos e who seek

.
,

only in magic for a m ethod Of inordinately satisfying the

lusts of nature what go od is a power which must not be
,

used for our own satisfaction ? Unhappy crea tures who

ask if I told yo u how could you g asp it Are pearls
, ,
? r

nothing because they are worthless to the horde of E picuru s ?

D id not C urtius prefer the governm ent O f those who had
gold than its possession by him self ? M ust we not be
som ething removed from the common ma n when we almost
p etend to be God ? M oreover I grieve to deject or dis
r ,

courage you but I a m not devising the transcen dental

,

sciences ; I teach them defining their im mutable necessit ies

,

in the presentation O f their prim ary and m ost inexorable

conditions Pythagoras was a free sober and chaste m n ;
.
, ,
a

Apollonius of Tyana and Julius C aesar were both O f repellent

aus t erity ; the sex of Paracelsus was suspected so foreign ,

was he to the weakness O f love ; Raym ond Lul ly ca ied rr

the severity of life to the m ost exalted point O f asceticism

Jerome C ardan exaggerated the practice of fasting till he “

nearly perished of sta rvation if we m a y ac cept tradition ; ,

 THE MAGIC C HAI N
A grippapoor and bu ffeted from to wn to town almost died
, ,

of m isery rather than yield to the caprice of a princess who

insulted the liberty of science What then m ade the felicity
.

of these me n ? The knowledge of great secrets and the

cons ciousness of power It was s uffi cient for those great
.

s o uls M ust one be like unto them in order to know what

.

they knew Assuredlynot and the existence of this book is

,

perhaps a case in point but in order to do what they did ,

it is absolutely necessary to take the m eans which they took .

But what did they actuall y ac complish ? Th ey astonished

'

and subdued the world ; they reig ed m ore truly than kingsn .

M agic is an instrum ent of divine go o dness or demoniac

pride but it is the annihilation of earthly joys and t h e
,

pleasures of mortal life Why study it ? ask the luxurious

. .

M erely to know it and possibly after to lea rn mistrust of

stupid unbelief or puerile credulity M e n of pleasure and .
,

half of these I count for so m any wom en is not gratified ,

curiosity highly pleasurable ? Read therefore without fear ,

you will not be magicians against your will Re adiness for .

absolute renunciation is m oreover necessary only in order

, ,

to establish universal currents and transform the face of the

world ; there are relative magical operations limited to ,

a certain circle which do not need such heroic virtues

,
.

We can act upon passions by passions determine sympathies ,

or antipathies hurt even a n d heal without possessing the

, ,

omnipotence of the m agus in this case however W e m ust , ,

r ealis e the risk of a reaction in proportion to the actio n to ,

which we ma y ea sily fall a victim All this will b e e x .

plained in o u Ritual
r .

To make the m agic chain is to esta blish a magnetic

current which becom es stronger in proportion to the extent
of the chain We shall see in the Ritual how these
.

currents can be produced and what a e the various modes

,
r

of forming the chain M es m er s trough was an exceedingly

.
’

imperfect magic chain ; several great circles of illuminati in

di ff erent northern countries possess more potent cha ins .

E ven that association of C atholi c priests celebrated for their ,

 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSC END EN T MAGI C
o ccul t power and their unpopularity is established upon the ,

plan and follows the conditions of the m ost potent m agica l

c hains and herein is the secret of their force which the y a t t ri
, ,

bute solely to the grace or will of Go d a vulgar and cheap ,

s olution for every mystery of power in influence or attr a ction .

In the Ritual it wil l be our task to estimate the sequence of

truly m agical cerem onies and evocations which make up the
g reat wo k of vocation
r under the na m e of the E xercise s of

S t Ignatius .

All enthusias m propagated in a society by a series of c o m

mun ic a t io n s and practi ces in comm on produces a m agnetic
c urrent and continues or increases by the current
,
The .

a ction of the c urrent is to carry away and often to exalt

beyond measure persons who are impressionable and weak ,

nervous organisations te mperam ents inclined to hyste ria

,

or hallucination S uch people soon becom e powerful

.

vehicles of m agical force and efficiently project the

a stral light in the direction of the current itself
O pposition at such a tim e to the m a nifestations of the
force is to som e extent a struggle with fatality
, , .

When the youthful Pharisee S aul or S ch ol threw himself , , ,

with a ll the fanaticism and all the determination of a

sectarian across the aggressive line of C hristianity he
, ,

unconsciously placed himself at the m ercy of a power

a gainst whi ch he thought to prevail a n d hence he wa s ,

struck down by a formidable m agnetic flash doubtless the ,

m ore instantaneous by reason of t h e co mbined e ffect of cere

bral congestion and sunstroke The conversion of the young
. .

Israelite Alphonsus of Ra t isbo nn e is a contempora y fact

, , r

which is absolutely of the sam e nature We are acquainted .

with a sect of enthusiasts whom it is co mmon to deride at a

distance and to join despite one s self as soon as they a re
, ,
’

a pproached even with a host ile intention

, I will go furt her .
,

a n d a fl irm that m agical circles and magnetic currents estab

lish themselves and have an influence according to fatal

, ,

la ws upon those on who m they can act

,
E ach one of us is .

drawn within a circle of relations which constitutes his

 THE D O CTRINE OF TRAN S CE NDE NT MAGI C
to a current which has run its round is to take the lead of
a contrary cur ent The great ma n is he who comes season
r .

ably and knows how to innovate oppo rtunely In the days .

of the ap ostles Voltaire would have found no echo for his

,

utterances and might have be en m erely an ingenious

,

parasite at the banquets of Trim a lc yo n N ow at the

‘

.
,

epoch wherein we live everything is ripe for a fresh out ,

burst of evangelical zeal and C hristian self devo t ion -

,

p ecisely by reason of the prevailing general di sillusion

r ,

egoistic positivism and public cynicism of the coarsest

,

interests The success of certa in books and the mystical

.

tendencies of m inds are unequivocal symptom s of this wide

spread dispo sition We resto e and we build churches only
. r

to realise more keenly that we are void of belief only to ,

long the m ore fo it once more does the whole world await
r

its M essiah and he cannot ta y in his coming Let a ma n

,
rr .
,

for example com e forwa d who by rank o by fortune is

placed in an exalte d position —a pope a king even a Jew ish
,
r ,
r

, ,

m illionaire and let this ma pub licly and solemnly n

sac ifice all his material interests for the weal of

r

hum anity ; let h im m ake himself the saviour of the

poo the disseminator and even the victim of doc
r, , ,

trines of renunciation and charity and he will draw ,

round him an imm ense following ; he will accomplish a

complete mo ral revolution in the world But the high .

place is befo e all th ings necessary fo such a personage

r r ,

because in these da ys of meanness and trickery any Word

, ,

issuin g from the lower ranks is suspected of interested

am bition and imposture Ye then who are nothin g ye .
, , ,

who possess nothing aspire not to be apostles or messia hs

, .

If you have faith and would act in a ccordance therewith

, ,

get possession in the first place of the means of action

, , ,

whi ch are the influence of rank and the prestige of fortune .

In olden tim es gold was manufacture d by science ; nowada ys

s c ie n c e m ust be re m ade by gold We have fixed the vola
'

—
.

tile and we us now volatilise the fi e d in other words

,
m t x ,

we have materialised spirit and we m ust now spiritualise ,

 THE MA GI C C HAIN 1 03

matter The most sublime utterance now passes unheeded if it

goes forth without the guarantee of a nam e—that is to sa y
.

of a success which represents a m ate ria l value What is .

the worth of a manuscript ? Tha t of the author s signature ’

a mong the booksellers ? That e stablished reputation known

as Al exander D umas e t C rep esents one of the literary
i e
r

guarantees of our tim e but the house of D um as is in ,

repute only for the romances which are its exclusi ve pro
duc t io n s Let D umas devise a m agnificent U topia or
.
,

discover a splendid solution of the religious problem and ,

no one will take them seriously despite the E uropean ,

celebrity of the Panu rge of modern lite rature We are in .

the age of acquired positions where every one is appraised ,

acc ording to his social and commercial standing U nl imited .

freedom of spe ech has produced such a strife of words that

no one inquires what is said but who h a s s aid it If it be , .

Rothschild his Holiness Pius the Ninth or even Monse igneur

, ,

D up a n l o up it is so m ething ; but if it be Tarte mpion it is

nothing were he even—which is possible after all— a n
, ,

, ,

unrecognised prodigy of genius knowledge and good sense , ,

.

Hence to those who would sa y to me : If you possess the

secret of great successes,and of a force which can transform
the world why do you not make use of them ? I would
,

answer : This knowledge h a s co me to me too late for my

self and I have spent over it s acquisition the time and the
,

resources which m ight have enabled me to apply it ; I

offer it to those who are in a position to avail them selves
of it Illustrious me n rich men great ones of this world
.
, , ,

who are dissatisfied with that which you have who are ,

conscious of a nobler and larger amb ition will you be ,

fathers of a n e w wo ld kings of a rejuvenated civilisa tion ?

r ,

A poor and obscu e scholar has foun d the lever of A rchi

r

m ides and he o ff ers it to you for the good of humanity

,

alone a sking nothin g W hatsoever in exchange

, .

The phenomena which have quite recently perturbe d

America and E urope a s regards table turning and fl uidic
,
-

m anifestations are sim ply magnetic cu rents at the be

, r
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRAN SCEND E NT MAGI C
ginning of their form ation appeals on the part of nature ,

inviting us fo the good of hum anity to re establish the

,
r ,
-

g reat sy m pathetic and religious chains A s a fact stag .

,

nation in the astral light would m ean death to the hum an

race and torpor in this secret agent has already been mani
,

fe st e d by alarm ing sym ptom s of deco m position and death .

F or example chole a m orbus the potato disease and the

,
r -
, ,

blight of the grape are traceable solely to this cause a the

, ,
s

two young shepherds of la S alette saw da kly and sym r

bo lic a l ly in their drea m The unlooked fo c edit which .

-
r r

awaited their narrative and the vast concourse of pilg im s ,

r

attracted by a statem ent so singula a d at the sam e tim e r n

so vague as th at of these two children without instruction

and alm ost without m o ality are p oofs of the m agnetic r ,
r

reality of the fact and the fl uidic tendency of the earth

,

itself to operate the cure of its inhabitants S uperstitions are .

instinctive and all that is instinctive is foun ded in the very

,

nature of things to which fact the sceptics of all times have

,

given insu fficient attention We attribute then all the .

, ,

strange phenom ena of table turning to the universal ma g -

netic agent in sea ch of a chain of enthusias m s with a view

r

to the form ation of fresh currents The force of itself is .

blind but it can be directed by the will of m a n and is i n

This universal fl uid—if

, ,

fl u e c e d by prevai ling opinions

n

we decide to regard it as a fl uid — being the co mm on

.

m ediu m of all nervous organis m s and the v ehicle of all ,

sensitive vibrations establishes an actual physical solida ity

,
r

between im pressionable persons a n d transm its fro m one to ,

another the impressions of imagination a n d of thought .

The m ovem ent of the inert object determined by the ,

undulations of the universal agent obeys the ruling im ,

pression and reproduces in its revelations at one tim e

,

all the lucidity of the m ost wonderful visions and at ,

another all the eccentricity and falsehood of the m ost

vague and incoherent dream s The blows resounding on .

furniture the clattering of dishes the self playing of musical

, ,
-

instrum ents are illusions produced by the sam e ca use The

, .
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MA GIC

12 $ M

TH E GRE AT W O RK
D I SC IT E C RUX
THE g eat work is be fore all things the creation of ma by
r , ,
n

himself that is to say the full and enti e conquest of his

, ,
r

faculties and his future ; it is especially the perfect em an ei

p a t io n of his will assuring h im universal do m,
inion over
Azoth and the domain of M agnesia in other words full , ,

powe over the universal magical agent This agent dis

r .
,

guised by the ancient philosophers under the nam e of the

first m atte r de t erm ines the form s of m odifiable substance
, ,

and we can really arrive by m eans of it at m etallic t ans r

m utation and the universal m edicine This is not a hypo .

thesis it is a scientific fact already established and rigorously

,

dem onstrable Nicholas Fla m el and Raym ond Lully both

.
,

of them poor indubitably distribute d imm ense riches

, .

Agrippa never procee ded beyond the first part of the great
wo k and he died in the ordeal fighting to possess him self
r , ,

and to fix his independence .

N ow there are two Herm etic operations the one S piritual

, , ,

the other m aterial and these are m utually dependent F or

,
.

the rest all He m etic science is contained in the doctrine of

,
r

Herm es which is said to have been originally inscribed upon

,

an em erald tablet Its first articles have been already .

expounded and those follow which are co ncerned with the

,

operation of the great work Thou shalt separate the

earth from the fire the subtle from the g oss gently with
,
r , ,

great industry It rises f om earth to heaven and again it

. r ,

descends to earth and it re ceives the power of things above

,

and of things below By this means shalt thou obtai n the .

glory of the whole world and all darkness shal l depart from ,

thee It is the st ong power o f e ve ry power for it will

. r
f
,

ove co me al l that is subtle and penetrate all that is solid

r .
 THE GREAT W ORK 1 07

Thus was the world create d To separate the subtle from .

the g ross in the first Operation which is wholly interior I s

, , ,

to set the soul f ee fro m all prejudice and a ll vice which is

r ,

accomplished by the use of the philosophical salt that is to ,

say wisdom ; of mercury that is person a l skill and applica

, , ,

tion fin a lly of sulphu representing

, vital energy and r,

fire of will By these are we enabled to change into

.

spiritual gold things whi ch are of all least precious even the ,

refuse of the earth In thi s sense we m ust interpret the

.

parables of the choir of philosophers Bern ard T evisan ,

r ,

Basil Valentine M ary t h e E gyp tian and other prophets of

,

alchemy ; but in their works as in the great work we m ust , ,

adroitly separat e the subtle fro m the gross the m ystical ,

from the positive allegory fro m theory If we would read

, .

them with profit and understanding we must take them ,

first of all as allegori cal in their enti ety and then descend r ,

from allegories to realities by the w a y of the correspondences

or analogies indicate d in the one dogm a —That which is
above is p oportional to that whic h is below and re c ipro
r ,

cally The word ART when reve sed or read after the
. r ,

manner of sacred and primitive characters f om right to left r ,

gives three initials whi ch express the diff erent grades of the
g eat work: T sign ifies triad theory and travail ; R
r , , ,

realisation ; A adaptation In the twelfth chapter of the

, .

Ritual we shall give the proce sses for adaptation in use

, ,

am ong the great m as t ers especially that which is co ntained

,

in the Hermetic C itadel of Henry Kh un ra t h In this place .

we m a y indicate for the resea rches of our readers an a dmir

able treatise attributed to He mes T is m egis t us entitled r r ,

M in e va M nd i
r It is found only in certa in editions of
a .

Herm es and contains beneath allegories full of profundity

, ,

and poetry the doctrine of in dividua l self creation or the

,
-
,

creative law consequent on the accordance between two

forces which are term ed fixed and vola tile by a lchemists
, ,

and are necessity and liberty in the absolute o der The r .

diversity o f the form s which abound in nature is explained ,

in this treatise by the diversity of spirits and m onstrosities

, ,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TR AN S CE NDENT MAGI C
by the dive gence of efforts ; its reading and assim ilation
r

are indispensable for all adepts who would fathom the

m ysteries of nature and devote them selves se ri ously to the
sea rch after the great work .

Wh en the m asters in alchemy say that a short tim e and

little m oney a e needed to accom plish the works of science
r ,

above all when they a fl irm that one vessel is alone n eeded ,

when they speak of the great and unique at hano which all r,

can use which is ready to each ma n s hand which all possess

,
’

without knowing it they allude to philosophical and m oral

,

alchem y As a fact a strong and determined will can arrive

.
,

in a short tim e at absolute independence and we are all in ,

possession of the chemica l inst um ent the great and sole r ,

athanor which answers for the separation of the subtle from

the gross and the fixe d f om the volatile This inst rum ent
r .
,

co mplete as the world and p ecise as m athem atics is rep re

r ,

sented by the sages under the em blem of the pentagram or

fi v e pointed star which is the absolute sign of hu m an in t e lli
-
,

gence I will follow the example of the wise by forbearing

.

to nam e it ; it is too easy to guess it .

The Tarot figure which corresponds to this chapter was

m isconst ued by C ourt de G e be li and E t t e illa who regarded
r n ,

it as a blunde of a Germ an ca dm ake It represents a

r r r .

ma n with his hands bound behind h im having two bags of ,

silver attached to the armpits and being suspended by o n e ,

foot from a gibbet form ed by the t unks of two trees each r ,

with a oot of six lopped branches and by a c osspiece thus

r , r ,

completing the figure of the Hebrew t u n the legs of the a

victim are c ossed and his head and elbows form a triangle
r , .

N ow the triangle surm ounte d by a cross signifies in alchem y

, , ,

the end and perfection of the great work a signification ,

which is identical with that of the letter t u the last of the a ,

sacred alphabet This hanged m a n is consequently the

.
, ,

adept bound by his engagem ents a n d spiritualised that is

, , , ,

having his feet turned towa ds heaven it is also the antique

r

Pro m etheus expiating by everlasting tortu e the penalty of

, r

his glorious theft ; vulgarly it is the traitor Judas and his

, ,
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
their temple and thence they govern the C hristian world
, .

The laugh is indeed with Judas who can congratulate h im ,

self upon not having slept like S t Peter .

In archaic writings preceding the C aptivity the Hebrew ,

t a a was cruciform which furt her confirm s our interpreta

,

tion of the twelfth plate of the Kabbalistic Tarot The .

cross which produces four triangles is also the sacred sign

, ,

of the duodenary and on this account it was called the Key

,

of heaven by the E gyptians So E t t e ill a confused by h is

.
,

protracted researches for the conciliation of the analogic al

necessities of this sym bol with his own personal opinion in ,

which he was influenced by the erudite C ourt de G e be lin ,

placed in the hand of his upright hanged ma n by him inte r ,

p re t e d as P udence a Her
r m etic caduceus
, for m ed by two ,

serpents and a Greek ta u S eeing that he understood the

.

necessity for the t u or cross on the twelft h leaf of the book

a

of Thoth he should also have seen the m ultiple and m agni

,

fic e n t m eaning of the Herm etic hanged m a n the Pro metheus ,

of science the living m a n who makes contact with earth by

,

hi s thought alone whose fi rm ground is heaven the f ee and

, ,
r

im molated adept the revealer m enac ed with death the con

,
'

ju ation of Judaism against C hrist which seem s to be an

r ,

involuntary admission of the secret divinity of the Cruc ifie d ,

lastly the sign of t h e work acco mplished the cycle termin

, ,

ated the interm ediary t which resu mes for the first time
,
aa , ,

before the final denary the signs of the sacred alphabet

, .
 NEC ROMANCY 111

13 n N

NE C R OM AN C Y

E X IPS I S M ORS
WE have said that the im ages of persons and things are
preserved in the ast al light Therein also can be evoked
r .

the forms of those who are in our world no longer and by ,

this means are accom plished those mysteries of necrom ancy

which are so contested and at the sam e time so eal The r .

Kabbalists who have discoursed concerning the world of

spirits have simply described what they have seen in their
evo cations E lip h a s L evi
. who writes this book ,

has evoked and he h a s seen L et us sta te in the first

, .
,

place what the m asters have written of their visions or

,

their intuitions in that which they term the light of glory .

We read in the Hebrew book concerning the Revo lu tion f o

S o u ls that there a re three classes of souls — the daughters of

A dam the daughters of angels and the daughters of sin
, , .

A ccording to the sam e book there are also three kinds of

spirits—ca ptive spiri ts wandering spirits and fr ee spirits
,

.
, ,

S ouls are sent forth in couples ; at the same time ce rtain

so ul s of m e n are born widowe d and thei spouses are held ,
r

captive by L ilith and N a ema h the queens of the stryge s ; ,

they are souls condem ned to expiate the tem erity of a

ce libate s vow Hence when a ma n renounces the love
’
.
,

of wom en from his infancy he m akes the br ide who was ,

destined for h im a slave to the dem ons of deba uch S ouls .

grow and m ultiply in heaven as bodies do upon earth .

I mmacul ate souls are the daughters of the kisses of angels .

N othing can enter hea ven save that which co m es fro m

n e aven .Hence after death the divine spirit which
, ,

animated ma n returns alone to heaven and leaves two

corpses one upon earth the other in the atm osphere ; one
, ,

Th H b w
e se m t
e re l t di t F h
na es Alph L i C t t
ra n s a e n o re n c a re o n se ou s o ns a n .
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GIC
terrestrial and elem entary the other aerial and sidereal one
, ,

already inert the other still animated by the universal

,

m ovem ent of the soul of the wo ld yet destined to die r ,

slowly absorbed by the astral forces which produced it

, .

The terrestrial body is visible ; the other is unseen by the

eyes of earthly and living bo di es nor can it be beheld except ,

by the application of the ast al light to the t a n slucid which

r r ,

c onveys its i m p essions to the nervous syste m and thus in

r ,

fl ue n c e s the organ of sight so as to make it pe ceive the r

f orms which are preserved and the words which are written
in the book of vital light .

When a ma n has lived well the astral body evaporates

l ike a pure incense ascending towa ds the uppe regions ; r r

but shoul d he have lived in sin his astral body which holds , ,

him prisoner still seeks the objects of its passions and

, ,

wishes to return to life I t torm ents the dream s of young

.

girls bathes in the steam of spilt blood and floats about

, ,

the places where the pleasures of its life elapsed ; it still

watches over treasures which it possessed and buried ; it .

e xpends itself in painful efforts to m ake fresh m aterial

organs and so live again But the stars draw it up and .

a bsorb it ; its feels its intelligence weaken its m em ory ,

gradually vanishes all its being dissolves

,
Its form er .

vices rise up before it assum e monstrous shapes and pursue

, ,

it ; they attack and devour it The unfo tunate creature

. r

thus successive ly los es all the m embe s which have m inistered

- r

to his iniquities ; then he dies a second tim e and for ever ,

because he loses his personality and his m emory S ouls .

whi ch are destined to live but are not yet completely ,

purified remain captive for a longer or shorter pe iod in

,
r

the astral body wherein they are burned by the odic light
, ,

which seeks to absorb and dissolve them It is in order to .

e scape from t hi s body that sufl e rin g souls som etim es enter
’

the bodies of the living and therein dwell in that state

which Kabbalists term emb yon ic N ow it is these aerial r .
,

bodies which are evoked by necro mancy We enter into .

connection with larvae with dead or perishing substan c es

, ,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCE ND ENT MA GI C
the mysteries of ceremonial magic I had m yself shrunk all ,

along fro m its illusions and weariness ; m o eover such cere r ,

m onies necessitate d an equipm ent which would be e xp e n

sive and hard to collect I buried m yself therefore in the .
, ,

study of the t anscendent Kabb al ah and conce ned myself

r ,
r

no furthe with E nglish adepts when returni g one day to

r , ,
n

my hotel I found a note awaiting m e This note contain ed

, .

half of a ca d di vided transve sely on which I imm ediately

r , r ,

recognised the seal of S olo mon It was accompanied by a .

s mall sheet of paper on which these words were pencill ed :

”
,

To m orrow at three o clock in f ont of Westm inster

-
,
’

,
r

Abbey the second half of this card will be given you

, I .

kept this curious assignation At the appointed spot I .

found a carriage drawn up and as I held unaffectedly the ,

m orsel of card in m y hand a foot m an approached m aking , ,

a sign as he did so and then opene d the door of the ,

e quipage It contained a lady in black wearing a thick

.
,

veil ; she m otioned to m e to take a seat beside her shewing ,

m e at the sam e ti m e the othe half of the card The door r .

closed the carriage d ove o ff and the la dy raising her veil

,
r , , ,

I saw that m y appointm ent was with an elderly person ,

with grey eyebrows and black eyes of unusual b illiance r

”
,

and strangely fix e d in expression S ir she began with .

, ,

a strongly m arked E nglish accent I a m aware that the ,

law of sec ecy is rigo ous am ongst adepts a friend of Sir

r r

B L who has seen you knows that you have ,

been asked fo r phenom ena and that you have refus e d to ,

gratify such curiosity You are possibly without the .

m ate ials ; I should like to shew you a co mplete magi c al

r

cabinet but I must exact beforehand the m ost inviolable

,

silence If you will not give me this pledge upon your

.

honou I shall give orders for you to be d i ven to your

r, r

hom e ”. I made the equired prom ise a d faithfully keep

r n
,

it by divulging neither the nam e position nor abode of this , ,

lady whom I soon recognised as an initiate not exactly of

, ,

the fi st order but still of a m ost exalted grade W e had

r , .
-

a number of long conversations in the course of which she ,

 NECR OMANCY 115

inva iably insisted upon the necessity of practical experience

r

to co mple t e initiation S he shewed me a collection of m agical

.

vestm ents and instru m ents lent me so m e rare books whi ch , ,

I needed ; in sho t she determined m e to att empt at her

r , ,

house the experiment of a co m plete evocation for which I

, ,

prepa ed during a period of twenty one days scrupulously

r -
,

o bserving the rules laid down in the thirteenth chapter of

the Ritual .

The probation te rm inat ed on the 2 4 t h of July : it was

p oposed to evoke the phantom of the divine Apo llonius
r ,

a n d t o question it upon two secrets one w hi ch concern e d ,

m yself and one which intereste d the lady

, S he had .

counted on ta king part in the evocation with a trustworthy

person but this person pro ved nervous at the last mom ent
, ,

a n d as the triad or unity is indispensable for m agical rites

, ,

I was left to my own resources The cabinet prep ared for .

t h e evocation was situated in a tur et ; it contained fou r r

c oncave m irrors and a species of altar having a white m arble

,

t o p encircled by a chain of m agnetized iron

, The sign of .

the pentag am as given in the fifth chapter of this wo k

r ,
r ,

was carved and gilded on the white marble surface ; it was

d awn also in various colours upo n a new white lam bskin
r

stretched beneath the altar In the middle of the marble .

table the e was a small c opper c h a fi g dish containing

r n -
,

c harcoal of alder and laurel wood ; another c h a fi n g dish -

was set before me on a tripod I was clothed in a white .

g ar m ent very si milar to,the vest m ents of our catholic

longer and wider and I wo e u on y head a
'

p r ie st s but , p m ,
r

crown of ve vain leaves inte rtwin e d with a golden chain

r ,
.

I held a new sword in one hand and in the other the ,

Ritual I kindled two fires with the required and prepared

.

substances and I began reading the evocations of the Ritual

,

in a voice at first low but rising by degrees The s m oke , .

sp ead the flame caused the objects upon which it fell to

r ,

wave then it went out the s moke still floating white and
r, ,

slow about the m arble altar ; I seem ed to feel a kind of

q uaking of the earth my ears tingled my heart beat quickly, ,
.
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
I h eape d more twigs and perfum es on the ch a fin g dishe - s,

and as the flam e again bu st up I beheld distinctly before r , ,

the altar the figu e of a ma n of m ore than norm al size

,
r ,

which dissolved a d vanished away I recomm enced the

n .

evocations and placed m ysel f within a circle whi ch I had

,

drawn previously between the t ipod and the alta There

“

r r .

upon the mi rror which w as behind the altar seem ed to

brighten in its depth a wan form was outlined therein , ,

which increased and seemed to approach by degrees Three

, .

t i m es and with closed eyes I invoked Apollonius

,
When , .

I again looked forth there was a ma n in front of m e ,

wrapped from head to foot in a species of shroud whi ch ,

seem ed m ore grey than white ; he was lean m elancholy and ,

beardl ess and di d not altogether correspond to m y p e

,
r

conceived notion of Apollonius I experienced an abnorm .

ally cold sensation and when I endeavoured to question

,

the phantom I could not articulate a syllable I the efore . r

placed my hand upon the sign of the pentagram and ,

pointed the sword at the figure comm anding it m entally to ,

obey and not alarm m e in virtue of the said sign The ,

.

form the eupon becam e vague and sud denly di sappea ed I

r ,
r .

directed it to return and presently felt as it we e a b eath

, ,
r ,
r

close by m e so mething touched my hand which was holdin g

,

the swo d and the a m becam e im m e diately benumbed as

r ,
r

far as the elbow I divined that the swo d displeased t h e

. r

spirit and I the efore placed its point downwards close by

,
r ,

m e within the circle

,
The hum an figure reappeared i mm e
.

dia t e l y but I experienced such an intense weakness in a ll

,

my lim bs and a swooning sensation cam e so quickly over

,

m e that I m ade two steps to sit down whe eupon I fell

, ,
r

into a profound lethargy accompanied by dream s of which I , ,

had only a conf used recollection when I cam e again to

m yself . For several subsequent days m y a rm rem ained
benumbed and painful The apparition di d not speak t o .

m e but it seem ed that the questions I h a d designed to a sk

,

answered themselves in my m ind To that of the lady an

interio voice replied—D eath 1—it was concerning a ma n
.

r
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANS C E N
D ENT MAGI C
point ; despite her asseverations to the contrary I have no ,

doubt that she was addicted to nec omancy and go etia Sh e r

'

at tim es lost all self control at others yielded to senseles s

-
,

fits of passion for which it was difficult to discover a cause

, .

I left London without bidding her a di eu and I shall faith ,

ful ly adhere to my engagem ent by giving no clue to h e r

identity which might connect her nam e wit h practices

, ,

pursue d in all p obability without the knowledge of her

r

family which I believe to be la ge and of very conside able

, r r

position .

There are evocations of intelligence evocations of love and , ,

evocations of hate ; but once more there is no proof whatso

, ,

ever that spiri ts really leave the higher spheres to comm uni
cate with us ; the opposite as a fact is m ore probable We
, ,
.

evoke the m emories which they have left in the astral light
or com m on eservoir of unive sal m agnetism It was in this
r r .

light that the E m peror Julian once saw the gods m anifest
lo oking old il l and decrepit—fresh proof of the influenc e
,

, ,

“ exercised by current and accredited Opinions on the re fl e c

tions of this sam e m agical agent which makes our tables ,

talk and answers by taps on the walls A ft er the evocation .

I have described I re rea d carefully the life of Apollonius

,
-
,

who is represented by historians as an ideal of antique

be auty and elegance and I then observed that towards the
,

end of his life he was starved and torm ented in prison .

This circum stance which m a y have em ained in my memory

,
r

without m y being aware of it possibly determined the u ,

n

attractive form of my vision which I regard solely as the ,

voluntary dream of a waking m a n I have seen two other .

persons whom t here is no occasion to nam e both diff ering

, , ,

as regards costum e and appearance from what I had ex ,

p e c t.e d F or the rest I co mm end the greatest

,
caution t o

those who propose devoting them selves to sim ilar experiences

their result is intense ex austion and frequently a shock h ,

sufl ic ie n t to occasion illness .

I must not conclude this chapter without m entioning the

curious opinions of cert ain Kabbalists who distinguish be ,
 NECROMANC Y
tween apparent and real death holding that the two are,

seldom simultaneous In their idea the majo ity of persons

.
,
r

who are buried are still alive while a number of others who
,

are regarded as livin g are in reality dead Incurable m a d .

ness fo exam ple would be with them an incomplete but

, r ,

real death leaving the t e rr e st ia l body under the pu ely in

,
r

s t in c t iv e cont ol of the sidereal body

r When the hum an .

soul experiences a greater blow than it can bea it would r,

thus becom e separated from the body leaving the animal ,

soul or sidereal body in its place and these human rem ains
, , ,

would be to som e extent less alive really than a m ere

a n imal D ead persons of this kind are said to be recognised
.

by the com plete extinction of the m oral and affectionate

‘

sense ; they are neither bad nor good ; they are dead S uch .

beings who a e the poisonous fungi of the hum an race

,
r ,

absorb the life of living beings to their fullest possible ex

tent and this is why their proximity benumbs the soul and
,

chills the heart If such corpse like creatures really existed

.
-
,

they would realise all that was recounted in fo m er tim es r

about bro c a la que s and vampires N ow are there not

.
,

certain persons in whose presence one feels less intelligent ,

les s good som etim es even less honest

, A re there not som e
whose vicinity extinguishes all faith and all enthusiasm ,

who draw you by your wea knesses who govern you by your ,

evil propensit ies and m ake you die slowly to morality in a

,

t orment lik e that of M e z entius ? These are dead people

whom we mistake for living beings ; these are vampires
wh om we rega d as friends ! r
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C

TRAN SM UTATI ON S
S PHE RA LUNAE S E MPI TERNU M AUXILI UM

ST A U G US TI NE
questioned seriously whethe Apuleius co ul d r

have been changed into an ass by a Thessalian sorceress ,

a d theologians have long debated about the transform ation

n

o f N ebuchadnez z ar into a wild beast which th ings m erely ,

prove that the eloquent doct or of Hippo was unacquainte d

with m agical secrets and that the theologians in question
have not advanced far in exegesis We are concerned in .

this chapte with different and m ore inc edible m arvels

r r ,

which are at the sam e tim e incontestable I refer to lycan .

t h ro p y or the nocturnal transform ation of m e into wolves

,
n ,

so celeb ated in rural ta les of the twilight by the histories

r

of were wolves These histories are so well attested that

- .
,

with a view to their explanation sceptical science has ,

recou se to furious m ania and m asquerading as animals

r .

But such hypotheses are puerile and explain nothing Let .

us seek elsewhere for the secret of the phenom ena which

have been observed on thi s subject and begin with establish
ing —1 That no one has ever been kil led by a were wolf
,

-
, ,

e xcept by suff ocation without e ffusion of blood and without

,

wounds 2 That were wolves though tracked pursued and

,
-
, , ,

even wounded have never been kill ed on the S pot 3 That

, ,

persons suspected of these transform ations have always been

found at home after a were wolf chase m ore or less
,
-
,

m aim ed so metim es dying but invariably in their natural

, ,

Le t us next esta blish phenomena of a diff erent order

, , .

N othing in the world is better borne out by evidence than

the visible and real presence of P Al phonsus Ligo uri beside .

the dying pope whilst the same personage was S imul

,

t a n e o usly seen at home far f rom Ro m e in prayer and ecstasy

, ,
.
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
only request me n of science to reflect upon the pheno men a
of gestation and upon the influence of the imagination o f
,

wom en on the fo m of their o ff spring A wom an who had

r .

been present at the execution of a ma n who was b oken r

upon a wheel gave bi th to a child with all its limbs r

S hatte e d
r L et anyone explain to us how the i m pression
.

produced upon the soul of the m other by a horrible spectacle

coul d so have reacted on the child and we in tu n will ex ,
r

plain why blows received in drea m s can really bruise and

even g ievously wound the body of him who receives them
r

in imagination above all when his body is su ffering a n d

,

subjecte d to nervous and m agnetic influences .

To these phenomena and to the occult laws which govern

them m ust be referred the e ffects of bewitchm ent of whi ch ,

we shall Speak he eafter D iabolical obsessions and the

r .
,

m ajority of nervous diseases which a ffect the brain are ,

wounds inflicted on the nervous mechanism by the astral

light when perve ted that is absorbed or projected in
r , ,

abnorm al proportions All extraordinary and extra natural

.
-

tensions of the will predispose to obsessions and n ervous

diseases ; enfo ced celibacy asceticism hat ed am bition re
r , ,
r , ,

je c t e d love a e so m any gene ative principles of infernal

,
r r

form s and influences Pa acelsus says that the m enstrua

. r

tions of wom en beget phantom s in the air and f om this ,

r

standpoint convents would be sem inaries for nightm ares while ,

the devils might be compared to those heads of the hyd a o f r

L erne which were rep oduced eternally and propagated inr

the ve y blood from their wounds The phenom ena o f

r .

possession am ongst the U rsulines of Loudun so fatal t o ,

U rban G ra n die r have been misconstrued The nuns were

, .

reall y possessed by hysteria and fanatical i mitation of the

secret t houghts of thei exorcists which were t ans mit t ed t o
r ,
r

thei nervous system by the astral light They re ceived t h e

r .

i mpression of all the hatreds which this unfortunate priest .

had conjured up against him and this wholly interior c o m ,

mun ica t io n seem ed diabolical and miraculous to them selves .

Hence in this tragical affair e veryone acted since ely even r ,

 TR AN S MUTATI ON S

to Laubardemont who in his blind execution of the p e

, ,
r

judged verdicts of C a dinal Richelieu believed that he was

r ,

fulfill ing at the sam e ti m e the duties of a true judge and ,

as little suspected himself of being a foll owe of Ponti us r

Pilate as he would have recognised in the sceptical and

libertine curé of S aint Pierr e du M arché a disciple and - -
,

m artyr of C hr ist The possession o f the nuns of Lo uvier is

.

scarcely m o e than a copy of those of L oudun ; the devils

r

in vent little and plagiarise one another The process of .

Ga uf idi and M ag dalen de la Palud possesses stranger

r

features for in this case the victims are their own accusers
,
.

G a uf idi confessed that he was guil ty of depriving a nu m ber

r

of wom en of the power to defend them selves against his

seductions by S imply breathing in their nostrils A young .

and beautiful girl of noble fam ily who had been thus i
, ,
n

su fl l a t e d described
,
in the greatest detail scenes wherein
, ,

the unchaste seem ed to vie with the m onstrous and grotesque .

S uch are the ordi n ary hallucinations of false mysticis m and

ill kept celibacy G a ufridi and his mistress were obsessed
-
.

by their m utual chim eras and the brain of the one reflected ,

the nightm a es of the o the Was not the M arquis of

r r .

S ade hi mself infectious for certain depleted and di seased

natures ?
The scandalous trial of Father Girard is a new proof of
the delirium s of mysticism and the S in gul a r nervous a ffe c
tions which it ma y entail The t rances of la C adiere h e .
,
r

ecstacies her stigm atas we e all as real as the insensate and

, ,
r

perhaps involuntary debauchery of her director S he accused .

him when he wished to withdraw f om her and the con

, r ,

version of this young wom an was a revenge for there is ,

nothing more cruel than depraved passions An influential .

bo dy which intervened in the trial of G ra n dier for the

,

destruction of the possible heretic in this case rescued ,

F ather Gi ard for the honour of the order M o eove

r . r r,

G ra n die r and Gira d attained the sa m e results by very

r

diffe ent m eans with which we Shall be specially con

r ,

c e rned in the si xteenth chapter .

 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
We operate by our im agination on the imagination of
others by our sidereal body on thei s by o u o gans on
, r ,
r r

thei o gans in such a way that by sympathy whether of

r r , , ,

inclination or obsession we reciprocally possess one another

, ,

and identify ourselves with those upon whom we wish to

act Reactions against such dom inations f equently cause
. r

the most pronounced antipathy to suc ceed the keenest

sym pathy L ove has a tendency to unify beings ; in thus
.

identifying it frequently rende s them rival s and c bn se

, r , ,

quently enemies if in the depth of the two natu es there

, ,
r

is an unsociable disposition lik e pride To perm eate two ,

.

united souls in a n equal degree with pride is to disjoin

the m by m aking them rivals Antagonism is the necessary .

consequence of a plurality of gods .

When we d eam of a living pe son either their sidereal

r r ,

body presents itself to ou s in the astral light or at least r ,

the reflection thereof and our imp essions at the m eeting

,
r

often m ake known the secret dispositions of t h a person in

our rega d For example love fashions the sidereal bo dy of
r .
,

the one in the im age and likeness of the othe so that the r,

psychal m ediu m of the wom an is like a m a n and that of ,

t h e ma like a wo man It was this transfer which the

n .

Kabbali sts sought to exp ess in an occult m anner when r

they said in explanation of an obscure term of Genesis

,

God created love by placing a rib of A dam in the breast

of the wom an and a portion of the flesh of E ve in the
,

breast of the ma so that at the bottom of wo m an s heart

n,
’

there is the bone of ma while at the botto m of m an s n,

’

r
”
hea t there is the flesh of wo man a n allegory which is -
,

certainly not devoid of depth and beauty .

We have referred in the previous cha pter to what the

, ,

m asters in Kabbalah call the embryonic condition of souls .

This state co mpleted after the death of the person who

,

thereby possesses another is often com menced in life , ,

whether by obsession or by love I knew a young woman .

,

whose parents inspired her with a gr eat terro who took r,

suddenly to inflicting upon an inoffensive pe rson the very

 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
in binding sympathies and that he claim ed to be in pos
,

s ession of the sec et of the great work ; but that which

r

ren dered him still more fam ous was a certain elixi of life r ,

which imm ediat ely resto ed to the aged the strength and
r

vitality of youth The basis of this co m position was ma l

.

vo isie wine and it was obtained by distilling the sperm of

,

certain animals with the sap of certa in plants We are in .

possession of the ecipe but our reasons for withholding it

r ,

will be readily understood .

15 o P

B LAC K M A GI C

SAMAEL AUXILIATOR
We approach the myste y of black m agic We are about
r .

to confront even in his own sanctuary the black god of the

, ,

S abbath the form idable goat of M endes

,
At this point .

those who a e subject to fear shoul d close the book ; even

r

persons who a e a p ey to nervous impressions will do well

r r

t o divert them selves o to abstain We have set ou sel es

r . r v

a task and we m ust co m plete it

,
Let us first of all a ddr ess
.

o urselves frankly a n d boldly to the question : Is there a

devil ? What is the devil ? A s to the first point science ,

is S ilent philosophy denies it on chance religion only answers

, ,

in the a ffirmative AS to the second point religion states

.
,

t hat the devil is the fallen angel ; occult philosophy accepts

a n d explains this definition It will be unnecessary to
.

repeat what we have already said on the subject ; we will

a dd here a f urther revelation

I N BLAC K M A GI C THE D EVI L Is THE GREA T MA GI CAL A G EN T

,

E M PLO Y ED FOR EVI L P U R PO SE S BY A P E RVE R S E W I LL .

The old serpent of the legend is nothing else than the

 B LACK MAGI C 127

universal agent the eternal fire of terrestrial life the soul

, ,

of the ea th and the living fount of hell We have said

r ,
.

tha t the ast al light is the receptacle of for m s and these

r ,

when evoked by reason are produced harm oniously but ,

when evoked by madness they appear disorderly and

m onstrous ; so o iginated the nightmares of S t A nthony
r

a n d the phanto m s of the S abbath D o therefore the .

, ,

e vocations of go etia and de m ono m ania possess a practical

r esult ? Yes certainly— one ,

o n e m o e terrible than could be recounted by legends !

r

When any one invokes the devil with intentional cere

m onies the devil co m es and is seen
,
To escape dying from , .

horro at the sight to escape catal epsy or idiocy one m ust

r , ,

be already ma d G a n die r was a libertine through i de vo

. r n

t ion and perhaps also through scepticis m ; excessive zeal

-
, ,

following on the abe rations of asceticism and blindness of

r

faith dep aved Girard a d m ade h im deprave in his turn

,
r ,
n .

In the fifteenth chapter of our Ritual we shall give a ll t h e

diabolical evocations and practices of black magic not that ,

they m a y be used but that they m a y be known a n d judged

, ,

and that such insanities ma y be put aside for ever .

M E udes de M i ville whose book upon table turning

. r ,
-

m ade a ce tain sensation recently will possibly be conten t ed

r ,

a n d discontented at the sa m e ti m e with the solution here

g iven of black m agic and its proble m s A S a fact we .

,

m aintain like him self the reality and prodigious nature of

, ,

t h e facts ; with h im also we assign them to the old serpent ,

t h e secret prince of this world ; but we are n o t agreed a s to

t h e natu e of this blind agent which under diff erent dirc o
r , ,

tions is at once the in strum ent of al l good and of all evil

, ,

the m inister of p ophets and the inspirer of pythonesses

r .

In a word the devil for us is force placed te mporarily at

, , ,

t h e disposal of error even as morta l sin is to our thinkin g

, , ,

the pe sistence of the will in what is absurd M de M ir

r . .

ville is the efore a thousand times right but he is once and

r ,

o n e great ti m e wrong .

What we m ust exclude above all from the realm of

 THE D O C TRINE OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
existe nces is the arbitrary N othing happens by chance .
,

nor yet by the autoc acy of a good or evil will The e are
r . r

two houses in heaven and the lowe house o f S atan is

, r

restrained in its extrem es by the senate of divine wisdom .

16 .
3; Q

BE W I TCH M E N TS

F O NS O CULUS FULGU R
WHEN a ma gazes unchastely upon any wom an he pro
n

fanes that wom an said the G eat M aster What is will ed

,
r .

with persistence is done E very real will is confirm ed by

.

acts ; eve y will confirm ed by an act is action E very

r .

action is subject to a judgm ent and such judgm ent is ,

ete nal These are dogmas and principles from which it

r .

follows that the good or evil which we will to othe s as to , r

ou selves according to the capacity of our will a d within the

r ,
n

S phe e of our action will infallibly t a ke place if the will

r , ,

be confirm ed and the determination fixed by acts The .

acts Should be analogous to the wil l The intent to do .

harm or to excite love in order to be e fl i c a c io us m ust be

, ,

confirm ed by deeds of hat ed or affection Whatsoever r .

bears the impression of a hum an soul belongs to that soul ;

whatsoever a m a has appropriated after any m anner be
n

co m es his body in the broader acceptation of the te m and r ,

anything which is done to the body of a m a n is felt m edi ,

ately or imme di ately by his soul It is for this reason that

, .

every species of hostility towards one s neighbour is regarded ’

by moral theology as the beginning of hom ici de Bewitch .

m ent is a homi cide and the m ore infamous because it elu des
,

self defence by the victim and punishm ent by law Thi s

-
.

principle being established to exonerate our conscience and ,

 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANS C END EN T MA GIC
also distinguished Power attracts power life attra cts life
.
, ,

health attracts health ; this is a law of nature If two .

child en live above all if they S leep togethe and if one be

r , ,
r,

weak while the other is strong the strong will absorb the ,

weak and the latter will waste away For this reason it
, .
,

is i mportant that chil dren sho uld always sleep alone In .

conventual se min aries certa in pupils absorb the intelligence

of the others and in every given circle of m e n an individual
, ,

speedily appears who avails him self of the wills of the rest .

Bewitchm ent by m ea ns of currents is exceedingly c ommon as ,

we have already observed ; morally a s well as physical ly ,

most of us are carried away by the crowd Wh at however .

, ,

we have p oposed to exhibit more especially in this chapter

r

is the alm ost absolute power of the human will upon the
determination of its acts and the influen ce of every outward
d e monstration upon outward things .

Voluntary bewitch ments are still f equent in our rural r

places because natural forces am ong ignorant and isolated ,

persons operate without being diminished by any doubt or

,

a n y diversion A frank absolut e hatred unleavened by

.
, ,

r ejected passion or personal cupidity is under certain given ,

c onditions a death sentence for its object

,
-
I say unmixed .

with am orous passion or cupidi ty because a desire bein g , ,

an attraction counte balances and annuls the power of pro

, r

je c t io
. n F or exa m ple a jealous person will never, e fl i
ca c io usl y bewitch his rival and a greedy heir will never by,

the me e fact of his will succeed in shortening the days

r

of a miserly and long lived uncle Bewitchments attempted

-
.

under such conditions reflect upon the operator and help

rather than hurt their object setting him free from a hostile ,

action which destroys itself by excessive exaggeration The .

term ue ofl temeut (bewitchment ) so strong in its Gaelic

. c

S i mplicity admi ably e xpresses what it m eans the a c t of

, r ,

enveloping some one so to spea k in a form ulated will The

, , .

instrum ent of bewitch ments is the great m agic agent which ,

under the influence of an evil will becomes re ally and ,

positively the demon Witchcraft properly so called that is

.
, , ,
 B E WIT C HMENT S

ceremonial operation with inte nt to be witch acts only on ,

the O perator and serves to fix and confi m his will by

,
r ,

form ulating it with pe sistence and labour the two condi

r ,

tions which make volition effi c acious The more difl i c ul t or .

ho rible the operation the g eate is its power because it

r , r r ,

acts m ore st ongly on the imagination and confirm s e ffort in

r

direct ratio of resistance This explains the bizar e nature

. r

and even atrocious character of the operations in black m agic ,

as practised by the ancients and in the m iddle ages the ,

diabolical masses adm inist ation of sac am ents to reptiles

,
r r ,

effusions of blood hum an sacrific es and other m onstrosities

, , ,

which are the very essence and reality of go etia or nigro

mancy S uch are the practices which fro m all time have
.

brought down upon sorce ers the just repression of the r

laws Black m agic is really only a g aduated combination

. r

of sa c ileges and murders designed for the perm anent per

r

ve sion of a hum an will and for the realisation in a living

r

ma of the hideous phantom of the dem on It is there

n .
,

fo e properly speaking the religion of the devil the cultus

r , , ,

of darkness hatred of good car ied to the height of paroxys m ;

,
r

it is the incarnation of death and the persistent creation of,

hell .

The Kabbalist Bodin who h a s been erroneously con

,

side re d of a feeble and superstitious mind had no other ,

m otive in writing his D mo no ma n ia than that of warning

e

people against dangerous incredulity I ni tiated by the study .

of the Kabbalah into the true secrets of m agic he t embled ,

r

at the da nger to which society was exposed by the aban

do n me n t of this powe to the wickedness of m e n
r Hence .

he attempted what at the present time M E udes de M irville .

is attempting am o gst ourselves he gathe ed facts without

n r

interp eting them and affirm ed in the face of inattentive or

r ,

pr e o c cupied
-
science the e x is t ence of the occult influences
and cri minal operations of evil magic In his own day .

Bodin received no more attention than will be given to

M E udes de M i ville be cause it is not enough to indicate
. r ,

phenom ena and to prejudge thei cause if we would in fl u r

 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANS C END EN T MAGIC
ence earnest men ; we must study expla in and demonstrate , ,

such cause and t his is precisely what we a re ourselves

,

attempting Will be tter success crown our own e ffort s ?

.

It is possible to die through the love of certain people as

by their hate ; there are absorbing passions under the brea th ,

of which we feel ourselves depleted like the spous e s of

vampires N ot onl y do the wicked torm ent t h e good but
.
,

unconsciously the good torture the wicked The gentleness .

of Abel was a long and painful bewitchm ent for the ferocity
of C ain Among evil men the hatred of good originates in
.
,

the very instinct of self preservation ; m oreover they deny

-
,

that what torments them is good and for their own pea ce , , ,

are driven to deify and justify e vil In the S ight of C ain . ,

A be l was a hypocrite and coward who abused t h e pride of ,

hum anity by his scandalous submissions to divinity How .

m uch m ust this first m urderer have endured before m a king

such a frightful attack upon his brother ? Had Abel under
stood he would have been afraid Antipathy is the pre
, .

sentiment of a possible bewitchment either of love or ,

hatred for we find love frequently suc ceeding repulsion

, .

The astral light warns us of comin g influences by its action

on the more or less sensible m ore or less active nervous sys
, ,

t e m Instantaneous sympathi es electric loves are explosions

.
, ,

of the ast al light which are as exactly and mathematically

r ,

demonstrable as the discharge of strong m agnetic ba tteries .

Thereby we m a y see what unexpected dan gers threaten an

uninitiated person who is perpetually fooling with fire in the
neighbourhood of invisible powder mines We are saturated - .

w ith the astral light and we project it unceasingly to ma ke

,

room for and to attract fresh supplies The nervous in .

st rum e n t s which a e speciall y designed either for attraction

, r

or projection are the eyes and hands The polarity of t h e

, .

hands is resident in the thum b and hence according to t h e , ,

m agical tradition whi ch still lingers in rural pla c es when ,

ever anyone is in suspicious company he should keep t h e ,

thum b doubled up and hidden in the hand and while in ,

the main avoiding a fi x ed glance at any one still be ing t h e ,

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
interior and occult ma gues and the most skilful magnetisers
,

of our own day could not express themselves better At .

the sam e tim e he counselled the employm ent of m agical

symbols talism ans above all in the cure of diseases In our
, , .

eighteenth chapter we S hall have occasion to return to the

talismans of Paracelsus while following G a ffa re l upon the
,

great question of occult iconography and numis matics .

Bewit chment ma y also be cured by substitution when ,

that is possible and by the rupture or deflection of the

,

astral current The rural tradit ions on all these points are
.

admirable and undoubtedly of re m ote antiquity ; they are

,

rem nants of the instruction of the D ruids who we e ,

r

initiated in the m ysteries of E gypt and India by wandering

h ierophants N ow it is wel l known in vulgar magic that a
bewitchm ent—that is a will persistently confirm ed in ill
.
,

doin g invariably has its result and cannot draw back with
, ,

out risk of death The sorce er who liberates any one from
. r

a charm must have another object for his m alevolence or it ,

is certain that he him self will be sm itten and will pe ish as ,

r

the victim of his own S pells The astral movem ent be ing .

circular every azotic or m agnetic emission which does not

,

encounter its m edium returns with force to its point of de

pa ture thus explaining one of the strangest histories in a
r ,

sacred book that of the dem ons sent into the s wine which
, ,

thereupon cast them selves into t h e sea This act of high .

initiation was nothing else but the rupture of a m agnetic

current infected by evil wills O ur name is legion for we .
,

are m any said the instinctive voice of the possessed su fferer

,
.

Possessions by the dem on a e bewitchm ents and such cases

r ,

are innum erable at the present day A holy m onk who .

has devoted himself to the serv ice of the insane Brothe ,

r

Hilarion Tissot has succeeded by long experience and in

, ,

cessant practice in curing a number of patients by un c o n

, ,

sc io usly using the m agnetis m of Paracelsus He attributes .

m ost of his cases either to di sorder of the will or to the

perverse influence of external wi lls ; he regards a ll crimes
as acts of madness and would treat the wicked as diseased
, ,
 B EW IT CHMENT S 1 35

instead of e a p era t in g and makin g them in curable under ,

the pretence of punishing them What Space of time m ust .

still elapse ere poor Brother Hilarion Tissot shall be hailed

as a ma n of genius ! An d how m any serious m e n when ,

they read this chapte r will say that Tissot and myself
,

S hould treat one another according to our co m m on ideas ,

but S hould refrain from publishing our theories if we do ,

not wish to be reckoned as physicians worthy of a hospita l

for incurables ! It revolves notwithstandi g said Galil eo , n , ,

stamping his foot upon the earth Ye S hall know the .

t uth and the truth Shall make you f ee said the Saviour
r , r ,

of me n It might also be added : Ye Sh al l love justice and

.
,

justice shall m ake you whole m e n A vice is a poison even .

,

for the body ; true virtue is a pledge of longevity .

The m ethod of ceremon ia l bew itchm n ts va ies with tim es e r

and persons ; all subtle and domineering people find its

secrets and its practice within them selves without even ,

actually calculating about them or reasoning on their

sequence Herein they follow instinctive inspirations of
.

the great agent which as we have already said a c c o mmo

, , ,

dates itself m arvellously to our vices and our virtues ; it

m a y however be gene ally laid do wn that we are subjected
, ,
r

to the wills of others by t h e analogies of our tendencies ,

and above all of our faults To pam per the weaknesses of

, .

an in dividuality is to possess ourselves of that individuality

and conve t it into an instrum ent in the order of the sam e
r

errors or depravities Now when two natures whose defects

.
,

are analogous becom e subordinated one to another the result ,

is a sort of substitution of the stronger for the weaker an ,

actual obsession of one mi d by the other Very often the

n .

weaker m a y struggle and seek to revolt but it only fal ls ,

deeper in servitude S o did Louis XIII conspire against

. .

Richelieu and subsequently so to Speak sought his pardon

, , ,

by abandoning his accom plices We have a ll a ruling defect .

,

which is for our soul as the umbilical cord of its Sinful birth
and it is by this the enem y can always seize us—for som e
,

vanity for others idleness for the m ajority egotism Le t a

, , .
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
wicked and crafty mind avail itself of thi s snare and we are
lost ; we ma y not go ma d or turn idiots but we beco m e
positively alienated in a ll the force of the e xpression—that
,

is we are subj e cted to a foreign impulsion In such a sta te

, .

one dreads instinctively everything that might bring us

back to reason and will not even lis ten to representations
,

that are opposed to our infatuation Here is one of the .

m ost dangerous disorders wh ich can a ff ect the moral nature .

The so le remedy for such a bewitchm ent is to make use of

madness itself in o der to cure madness to provide the
r ,

sufferer with imaginary satisfactions in the opposite order

to that whe ein he is now immersed E ndeavour for
r . ,

example to cure an ambitious person by making him desire

the glo ies of heaven —mystic rem edy ; cure one who is
,

dissolute by true love—natural rem edy ; obtain honourable

successes for a vain person ; exhibit un se l fish n e ss to the
avaricious and procure for them legitim ate p ofit by honour
, r

able pa rticipation in generous enterprises &c Acting in ,

.

this way upon the moral nature we ma y succeed in curing

,

a number of physical m aladies for the m oral a ff ects the

,

physical in virtue of the m agical a xio m That which is

”
above is like that which is below This is why the M aste r
.

said when speaking of the paralysed wo m an : S atan has

,

bound her A disease invariably originates in a deficiency

.

or an excess and ever at the root of a physical evil we

,

S hall find a m oral disorder This is an unchanging law of

.

nature .
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRAN S CEND EN T MA GI C
e peram ent of a newly born child the atmospheric im
t m -

pressions and diverse influences which in the entire ,

planetary system are consequent at a given m om ent upon

,

such or such pa ticula aspect of the stars N othing is

r r .

indifferent in nature ; a stone m ore or a stone less upon a

road m a y break or completely m odify the destinies of the
greatest me n or even the la gest em pi es ; still mo e m ust
r r r

the position of this or that s t ar in the S ky have an influence

on the child who is born who enters by the very fact of his
,

birth into the universal harm ony of the sidereal world

The sta s are bound to one another by the attractions which
r

hold them in equilibrium and cause them to m ove with

uniform ity through space From a ll spheres unto all .

S phe es there stretch these indestructible th eads of light

r r ,

and there is no point upon any planet to which one of them

is not attached The true adept in astrology m ust therefore
.
, ,

give heed to the precise tim e and place of the birth which
is in question then after an exact calculation of the ast al
,
r

influences it rem ains for h im to compute the chances of

,

estate that is to say the advanta ges or hindrances which

, ,

the child must one day m eet with by reason of position ,

relatives inherited tendencies and hence natural p oclivities

, ,
r ,

in the fulfil m ent of his destinies Finally he will still have .

,

to take into consideration human liberty and its initiative ,

S hould the child eventually co m e to be a true m a n and to ,

isolate him self by an intrepid will from fatal influence s and

from the chain of destiny It will be seen that we do not
.

allow too much to astrology but so m uch as we leave it is ,

indubitable ; it is the scientific and magical calculus of

probabilities .

Astrology is a s ancient as astronomy and indeed it is ,

more ancient ; all seers of lucid antiquity have accorded it

their fullest confidence ; now we must not condemn and ,

reject in a shallow m anner anything w h ich com es before us

protected and support ed by such imposing authorities Long .

and patient obse vations conclusive co mparisons frequently

r , ,

r epeated experiences must have led the old sages to their

,
 ASTROLOGY 1 39

decisions and to refute them the sam e labour must be

,

undertaken from an opposite standpoin t Paracelsus was .

perhaps the last of the great practical astrologers ; he cured

diseases by talism ans form ed under astral influen c es ; he
distinguished upon all bodies the mark of thei dom inant r

star ; there according to h im was the tru e universal

, ,

m edicine the absolute science of n atu e lost by man s own

’

,
r ,

fault and recovered only by a sm all nu m ber of initiates

,
.

To ecognise the S ign of each star upon me n anim als and

r , ,

plants is the true natural science of S olomon that science

, ,

which is said to be lost but the principles of which are pre

,

serv ed notwithstanding as are all other secrets in the symbol

, ,

ism of the Kabbalah It will be readily understood that in

.

order to read the s t ars one m ust know the stars themselves
now this knowledge is obtained by the kabbalistic do mi
,

f ica t io n of the S k y and by the understanding of the celestial

planisphere recovered and explai ed by C affarel In this
,
n .

planisphere the constellations form Hebrew letters and the ,

m ythological figures m a y be replaced by the symbols of the

Ta ot To this sam e planisphere G a ffa re l refers the origin
r .

of patriarchal wri ting and in the chains of starry at t raction

,

the first lineam ents of primi tive charac t ers m a y ve y well r

have been found in which case the celestial book would

,

have served as the model of Henoch s and the kabbalistic ’

alphabet would have been the synopsis of the entire Sk y .

This is not wanting in po etry o r above all in probability ,

n , , ,

and the study of the Tarot which is evidently the primitive ,

and hieroglyphic work of Henoch as was divined by the ,

erudite William Postel is su ffi cient to convince us hereof

, .

The S igns imprinted in the a stral light by the reflection

and attraction of the sta rs is rep oduced therefore as the r , ,

sages have discovered on all bo dies which are formed by the

,

conjunction of that light M e n bear the signs of their sta. r

on thei forehead chiefly and in their han ds ; anim als in

r ,

their whole form and in their individual S igns ; plants in

,

their leaves and seed ; m inerals in their veins and their

grain The study of these characters was the entire life
.
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
work of Paracelsus and the figures on his talis mans are the
,

result of his researches ; he h a s however left us no key to , ,

them so that the astral kabbalistic alphabet with its corre

,

sp o n de c e s still re mains to be done ; as reg a rds publicity

n ,

the science of unconventional magical writing stopped with

the pla isphere of G a ffa re l The serious art of divination
n .

rests wholly in the knowledge of these S igns C hiromancy .

is the art of readin g the writing of the sta rs in the lines of

the hand and physiognomy seeks the sam e or analogous
,

characters upon the countenance of its inquirers AS a fact .

,

the lines form ed on the hu man face by nervous contractions

are determ ined fatally and the radiation of the nervous
,

tissue is absolutely analogous to those networks which are

formed between the worlds by the chains of sta rry attra ction .

The fatalities of life are therefore writ t en necessarily in our

, ,

wrinkles and a first glance f equently reveal s upon the fore

, r

head of a stranger either one or more of the mysterious

lette rs of the kabba listic planisphere S hould the letter be .

jagg ed and laboriously inscribed there has been a struggle ,

between will and fatality and in his m ost powerful emotions

,

a n d tendencies the in di vidual s entire past m anifests to the

’

magus ; fro m this it becom es easy to conjecture t h e future ,

and if events occasionally deceive the sagacity of the

diviner he who has consulted h im will remain none the
,

less astounded and convinced by the superhu man knowledge

of the adept .

The hum an head is fo med upon the model of the celestial

r

S pheres ; it attracts and it radiates and in the conception of ,

a child this it is which first form s and manifests Hence

, .

the head is subject in an absol ute m anner to astral i fl u n

ence and evidences its several attractions by its diverse

,

protuberan c es The final word of phrenology is to be found

.
,

therefore in scientific and purified astrology the problems

, ,

of which we point out to the patience and good faith of

A ccording to Ptolemy the sun d ies up and the moon
, r

moistens ; according to the kabba lists the sun represents ,

 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
chances analogous to those which I owe already to the in
fl ue n c e of the sam e planets and I conclude that in 1 8 5 1 I ,

had e mploym ent which was m oderat ely but su fficiently re

m un e ra t iv e with som e e m barrassment of position
,
in 1 8 4 7
I was violently separated fro m my fam ily with great ,

attendant suff erings for mine and me ; in 1 8 4 3 I travelled

as an apostle addressing the people and sufl e rin g the per
, ,
'

se c ut io n of ill m eaning persons ; briefly I was at once

-
,

honoured and proscribed Finally in 1 8 2 5 fam ily life .

,

c am e to an end for m e and I engaged definitely in a,

fatal path which led me to science and misfortune I ma y .

therefore suppose that I S hall this year experience toil ,

poverty vexation heart exile change of place publicity

, ,
-
, , ,

and contradictions with so m e eventuality which will be

,

decisive for the rest of m y life ; every indication in the

p esent leads me to endorse this forecast Hence I con
r .

e lu d e that for m yself and for this year

,
experience c o m ,

p l e t e l y confir m s the precision of C ardan s astrological ’

calculus which f urtherm ore connects with the clim acteric

, , ,

y ears of ancient astrologers This ter m signifies arranged . in

S cales or calculated on the degrees of a scale Johannes .

Trit h e mius in his book on S ec nda y Ca us es has very o r

c uriously co m pu t ed the return of fortunate or cala m itous

years fo r all the empires of the world In the twenty first .

-

chapter of our Ritual we shall give an exact analysis of this

work one even m ore clear than the original together with a
, ,

continuation of the labour of T it h e mius to our own days r

a d the application of his m agical scale to conte m porary

n

events so as to deduce the m ost striking p obabilities

,
r

relative to the immediate future of France E urope and , ,

the world .

A ccording to all the grand maste rs in astrology co m ets '

are the stars of exceptional heroes and they onl y visit earth ,

to signalise great changes ; the planets p eside over collee r

tive existences and m odify the destinies of m ankind in the

aggregate ; the fixed stars more remote and m ore feeble in ,

their action attract individuals and determine their ten

,
 ASTR OLOGY 1 43

sometim es a group of stars combine to influence

de n c ie s ;
the destinies of a Sin gle man while often a gre at number of ,

souls are drawn by the distant rays of the same sun When .

we die our interior light in departing foll ows the attraction

,

of its sta r and thus it is that we live again in other

,

universes where the soul makes for it self a new garment

, ,

analogous to the development or diminution of its beauty ;

for our soul s when separated from our bodies resemble
, ,

revolving stars ; they are globules of anim ated light which

always seek their centre for the recovery of their e quili
brium and their true move m ent Before all thin gs however .
, ,

they must liberate them selves from the folds of the serpent ,

that is the un purifi ed astral light which envelopes and

,

imprisons them unl ess the strength of their will can lift
,

them beyond its reach The imm ersion of the living star in
.

the dead light is a frightful torm ent comparable to that of ,

M ezentius Therein the soul freezes a n d burns at the same

—
.

ti e and has no eans of getting free except by re entering

m ,
m
the current of exte rior form s and assuming a fl e shly
envelope then energetical ly battling aga inst instincts to
,

st engthen that m oral libe rty which will permit it at the

r

m o m ent of death to break the chains of earth and wing its

flight in triumph to wards the star of consolation whi ch has
smiled in light upon it Following this clue we can under .
,

stand the nature of the fire of hell which is identical with ,

the dem on or the old serpent ; we can gather also wherein

consist the salvation and reprobation of me n all called and ,

all successively elected but in s mall num ber after having , ,

risked falling into the etern al fire through their own fault .

S uch is the g eat and subli m e revelation of the m agi a

r ,

revelation which is the mother of all sym bols of al l dogmas , ,

of all religions We can realise already how far D upuis

.

was mi staken in rega ding astrono my as the source of every

r

cul tus It is astronom y on the contrary which has sp ung

.
, ,
r

fr om astrology and primitive astrology is one of the branches

,

of the holy Kabbalah the science of sciences and the , ,

religion of religions Hence upon the seventeenth page of

.
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGIC
the Tarot we find an admirable allegory—a naked wo man ,

typifying Truth Nature and Wisdom at one and the sam e

, ,

tim e turns two ewers towards the ea rt h and pours out fire
, ,

and water upon it ; above her head glitters the septenary ,

starred about an eight pointed star that of Venus symbol

-
, ,

of peace and love ; the plants of earth are flourishi g around n

the wom an a n d on one of them the butterfly of Psyche has

,

alighted this emblem of the soul is replaced in som e Copies

of the sacred book by a bird which is a m ore E gyptian and
,

probably a m ore ancient sym bo l In the m odern Tarot the

.

plate is entitled the Glitterin g S tar ; it is analogous to a

number of Herm etic symbols and is also in correspondence
,

with the Blazing S tar of M asonic initiates which e xpresses ,

m ost of the m ysteries of Rosicrucian secret doctrine .

18 3 8

C HARM S AND PHI LTRE S

JUSTITIA M YS TE RI UM CANES
WE have now to grapple w ith the m ost cri mi nal abuse to
which magical sciences can be put nam ely venom ous m agic, , ,

or rather sorcery Let it be here understood that we wri te

, , .

not to instruct but to warn If hum an justice instead of

.
,

punishing the adepts had only proscribe d the n igro ma n c ers

,

and poisoning sorcerers it is certain as we have previously

, ,

remarked that its severity would have been well placed

, ,

and that the most severe penalties could never be excessive

in the case of such cri minals At the sam e tim e it must not
.

be supposed that the right of life and death which S ecretly

belongs to t h e magus has always been exercised to satisfy
som e infam ous vengeance or som e cupi dity m ore infam ous
,

still ; in the middle ages as in the ancient world magi cal

, ,
 THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEN D E N T MA GI C
terrible d am a of 9 3 is still concealed in the darkest
"

’
r

sanctuary of the secret societies ; to a depts of good faith ,

who sought to em ancipate the comm on people were oppo sed ,

adepts of another sect attached to m o e ancient traditions

,
r ,

who fought by m eans analogous to those of their adversarie s

the p actice of the great arcanum was made impossible by
r

unmasking its theory The c owd understood nothin g but

. r ,

it mistrust ed everythin g and fell lower still in its dis

,

c o ura e m e t ; the great a canu m beca m e m ore secret than

r
g n

ever ; the adepts check m ated by each othe could exercise

,
r,

their powe neither to govern others nor to deliver them

r

selves ; they condem ned one another to the death of traito rs ;

they abandoned one another to exile to suicide to the knife , ,

and the sca ffold .

I shall be asked possibly whether equally te rible dangers r

threaten at this da y the intrude s into the o c cult sanctuary r

and the betrayers of its secret Why should I answer any .

thing to the incred ulity of the inqui sitive ? If I risk a

violent death for their instruction certainly they will not ,

save me ; if they are a fraid on their own account let them ,

m m —
abstain fro i prudent research this is all I can say to
them L et us return to venomous magic
. .

In his om ance of Mon te C isto Alexandr e D uma s has

r r ,

revealed som e practices of this ominous science There is .

no need to t averse the sam e g ound by repeatin g its

r r

m elancholy theories of crim e ; describing how plants are

poisoned ; how anim als nourished on these plants have their
flesh infected and becoming in turn the foo d of me n cause
, ,

death without leaving any trace of poison ; how the walls

of houses a e inoculated ; how the a i is perm eated by fum es
r r

which require the glass m ask of S t C oix for the operator ; r

let us leave the ancient C anidia her abomi nable m ysteries ,

and ref ain from investigating the extent to whi ch the in

r

f e rn a l rites of S agana have carried the a t of Locusta It is r .

enough to state that this m ost infam ous cl a ss of m alefa cto s r

distilled in conjunction t h e virus of contagious diseas es the ,

venom of reptiles and the sap of poisonous plants that they

, ,
 C HARM S AN D PH I LTR ES 1 47

ext a cted from the fungus its deadly and narcotic properties
r ,

its asphyxiating principles fro m da ta ra st mon iu/m fro m the ra ,

peach and bitter alm ond that poison one d op of which r ,

placed on the tongue or in the ear destroys like a flash of , ,

lightnin g the strongest and best constituted living being

, .

The white juice of sea lettuce was boiled with milk in which
-

vipe s and asps had been d owned The sap of the ma n

r r .

c hi e e l or dea dly fruit of Java was either brought back with

n

them from thei long journeys or impo rted at great expense ;

r ,

so a l so was the juice of the cassada and so were S imilar ,

poisons ; they pulverised flint mixed with i mpu e ashes the ,

r

dried slim e of reptiles com posed hideous philtres with the

,

virus of m ares on heat and S im ilar secretions of bitches ;

they m ingled human blood with infamous drugs composing ,

an oil the mere odour of which was fata l therein recalling ,

t h e ta t bou bcn
r e is of Pa nu ge
r na they even concealed
e r

recipes for poisoning in the technica l language of alchem y ,

a n d the secret of the powder of projection in m ore than one ,

o l d book which claim s to be Herm etic is in reality that of ,

the powder of succession The Gr n d G imo i e gives one . a r r

in pa ticular which is very thinly disguised unde the title

r r

of M thod f or M ki g Go ld it is an atrocious decoction

e a n

o f verdigris arsenic and sawdust which if prope ly m ade

, , , ,
r ,

sho ul d imm ediately consume a branch that is plunged into

it and eat swiftly through an iron nail John Baptista .

Porta cites in hi s N tu l Ma g i a specim en of Bo gia poison

a ra c r ,

but as m a y be i magined he is deceiving the vulgar and

, , ,

d oes not divul ge the truth which would be too dangerous ,

in such a connection We m a y therefore quote his recipe

.

t o satisfy the curiosity of our readers .

The toad by itself is not v enom ous but it is a sponge for ,

poisons and is the m ushroom of the anim al kingdom Take

, .
,

t hen a plum p toad says Porta and place it with vipers

, , ,

and asps in a globular bottle ; let poisonous fun gi fox gloves ,

-
,

a n d hem lock be their sole nourish m ent during a period of

seve al days ; then enrage them by beating burning and

r , ,

t orm enting them in eve y conceivable m anner till they die

r ,
 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
of rage and hunger ; sprinkle their bodies with powdered
spurge and ground glass ; then place them in a well sealed -

r eto t and ext act all their m oisture by fire L et the glas s
r ,
r .

c ool ; sepa ate the ash of the dea d bodies from the in c o m
r

bust ibl e dust which will rem ain at the botto m of the reto t r

You will then have two poisons—one liquid the other a

.
,

powder The first will be fully as e ffi cacious as the te ible

. rr

A qu F f n ; the secon d in a few da yS ti m e will cause

’
a o a a , ,

any person who m a y have a pinch of it m ixed with his

,

drink to become in the first place wilted and old a n d

, , , ,

subsequently to die am ids t horrible su fferings or in a state ,

of com plete collapse It m ust be admitted that this recipe .

has a m agical physiognomy of the blackest and m ost revolt

ing kind and sickens one by its recollections of the a bo m i
,
n

able confections of C an i dia and M edea The so ce ers of . r r

the middle ages pretended to receive such powde s at the r

S abbath and sold them at a high p ri ce to the malicious and

,

igno ant The t a dition of sim ilar m ysteries S prea d ter or

r . r r

in country places and came to act as a spell The imagina

, .

tion once impressed the nervous system once assailed and, ,

then t h e victim apidl y wasted away the very dread of his

r ,

r elatives and friends insuring his loss The sorcere or . r

sorce ess was alm ost invariably a species of hu man toa d

r ,

swollen with long enduring rancours They were poor re

-
.
,

pulsed by all and consequently full of hatred The fear

,
.

which they inspi ed was their consolation and their revenge ;

r

poisoned them selves by a society of which they had ex

p e rie c e d
n nothing but the refuse and the vices they ,

poisoned in their turn all those who were weak enough

to fea them and avenged upon bea uty and youth their
r ,

a cc ursed old age and their atrocious ugliness The me e . r

operation of these evil works and the fulfilm ent of these ,

loathsom e m ysteries constituted and confirm ed what was ,

then called a com pact with the devil It is certain that .

the worker m ust have been given over body and soul to
evil and justly deserved the universal and i evocable
,
rr

reprobation expressed by the allegory of hell That hum an .

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRAN SCE NDE NT MAGI C
o ur provincial supe rstitious O bservances there are m any ,

which indubitably belong to the primitive m isconceptio n

of Pythagorean symbols .

S uperstition is de ived from a Latin word which sig i fies

r n

survival It is the S ign surviving the thought ; it is the

.

dead body of a religious rite S uperstition is to initiation .

what the notion of t h e devi l is to that of God This is the .

sense in which the worship of im ages is forbidden and in ,

this sense also a doc trine m ost holy in its origin al c o c e p n ~

tion ma y becom e superstitious and impious when it has lost

its spirit and its inspi ation Then does religion ever one
r .
, ,

like the suprem e reason change its vestures and abandon ,

old rites to the cupidity and rogue y of p i ests dispossessed r r

and m etam o phosed by thei wickedness and igno ance into

r r r

juggle s and C harlatan s We ma y include a m ong sup erst i

r .

tions those magi cal em blem s and characters of which the ,

m eaning is no longer understood which are engr aved by ,

chance on am ulets and talism ans The magical images of .

the ancients were p a n t a c l e s i kabbalistic syntheses ,

. e .
, .

Thus the wheel of Pythago as is a p a n ta c l e analogous to t h e r

wheels of E zekiel ; the two figures contain the sam e secrets ,

and belong to the sam e phil osophy ; they constitute the k e y

of all p a n t a c l e s and we have already discoursed concerning
,

them .

The four beasts or rather the four headed sphinx of the

, , ,
-

same prophet are identical with an adm irable In di an symbol

which we have reproduce d in this work as having reference ,

to the great arcanum In his Apocalypse S t John followed

.
,

and elaborated E zekiel indeed the m onstrous figures of h is ,

wonderful book are so m any m agical p a t a c le s the key of n ,

which is easily discoverable by kabbalists O n the other .

hand C hristians rejecting science in thei anxiety t o

, , r

e x tend faith sought later on to conceal the origin of their

,

dogmas and condemned all kabbalistic and m agica l books

,

to the flames To destroy originals gives a kind of origin

.

ality to C opies as was doubtless in the mind of S t Paul

,

when p om pted be yond question by the m o st laudable

. r
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
intention he accomplishe d his scientific u to da f e at
,
a - -
'

E phesus In the sam e way S ix centuries later the true

. , ,

believer O mar sacrificed the Library of Alexan d ia to the r

originality of the Koran and who knows whether in the ,

tim e to com e so m e future Apostle will not set fire to our

literary m useums and confiscate the printing press in the
,
-

interest of som e fresh religious infatuation so m e newly ,

accredited legend ?
The study of talis mans and p a n t a c l e s is one of the m ost
c urious branches of m agic and connects with historical ,

numismatics There are Indian E gyptian and G eek talis

.
, ,
r

m ans kabbalistic m edals coming from the ancient and

,

m odern Jews Gnostic abra x as occult tokens in use a m ong

, ,

the m embers of secret societies and som etim es called ,

counters of the S abbath ; so al s o there are Templar m e da ls

and jewels of Freem asonry In his Trea tis on th Wo n ders. e e

N C l n ius describes the talis m ans of S olo mon and

o
f ature o g ,
e

those of Rabbi C h ael D esigns of m any othe s that a e r r

most ancient will be found in the m agical calendars of

Tycho Brah e and D uc h e t a u and S hould have a place in
- n ,

M Ra go n s archives of i n itiation a vast and scholarly

’
. ,

undertaking to which we refer our readers

, .

THE S O NE O F TH E T PHI LO S O PH E RS
E LA GABALU S
VO CATI O S OL AUR UM
THE ancients adored the S un under the figure of a black
s tone which they na m ed E lagabalus or Heliogabalus
, What , .

did this stone signify and how c ame it to be the image of

,

the most bril liant of luminaries The disciples of Hermes ,

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
conscientious resea ches and m odest doubt whilst religiou s
r ,

enthusiasm ascribes it exclusively to faith N w it belongs . o ,

neither to reason without aspirations nor to aspirations with

out reason ; true certitude is the reciprocal acquiescence of
‘

the reason which knows in the sentim ent whi ch believes a n d

of the sentim ent whi ch believes in the reason which knows .

The pe manent alliance of reason and faith will result not

r

from their absolute distinction and separation but from their ,

m utual control and their fraternal concurrence S uch is t h e .

S ignificance of t h e two pillars of S olo m on s porch one nam ed

’
,

Jakin and the other Bohas one black and the other whi te , .

They are distinct and separa t e they are even cont ary in ,
r

appearance but if blind force sought to join them by bring

,

ing them close to one another the roof of the temple would ,

collapse ; separately their power is one ; joined they are

, ,

two powers which destroy one another Fo preci ely the . r s

sam e reason the spi itual power is weakened whensoever it

r

attempts to usurp t h e tempo al whil e the temporal power r ,

be com es the victim of its encroachm ents on the Spiritual .

G ego y VII ruined the Papacy ; the schism atic kings have
r r .

lost and will lose the m onarchy Hum an equ ilibrium re .

»

qui es two feet the wo lds gravitate by m eans of two forces

r ,
r ,

generation needs two sexes S uch is the m eaning of the .

arcanum of S olo m on represented by the two pill ars of the

,

tem ple Jakin and Bohas

, .

The sun and m oon of the alchemists correspond to the

sam e symbol and concur in the perfe ction and stabilit y of
the philosophical stone Th e sun is the hieroglyphi c Sign
.

of truth because it is the visible source of light and the

, ,

rude stone is the symbol of stability It was for this eason . r

that the ancien t s took the s t one E lagabalus as the actual

type of the sun and for this also that the m ediaeval
,

a lche m ists pointed to the philosophical stone as the fi rst

m ea ns of m aking philosophical gold that is to say of trans , ,

forming the vital forces represented by the six m etals i -to n

S ol that is into truth and light the first and in di spen able
, , ,
s

operation of the great work leading to the seconda y ad pta ,

r a
 THE S TONE O F THE P H I LO S O PHE R S 1 55

tions and di scovering by the analogies of nature the natura l

, , ,

and grosser gold to the possessors of the spiritual and living

gold of the tru e s a lt the true m ercury and the true sulphur
, , ,

of the ph il osophers To find the philosophical stone is then

.

to have discovered the absolute as the m asters otherwise ,

say Now the absolute is that which adm its of no erro s

. ,
r ,

it is the fixation of the volatile it is the rule of the im agi na ,

tion it is the ve y necessity of being it is the imm utable

,
r ,

law of reason and truth ; the absolute is that which is .

N ow that which is in som e sense p ecedes he who is God r .

himself cann ot be in the absence of a re ason of being and ,

ca n exist only in virtue of a suprem e and inevitable reason .

It is this reason which is the absolute ; it is this in which

we must believe if we desire a rational and solid foundation
for our faith It ma y be said in these days that God is
.

merely a hypothesis but the absolute eason is not a hypo

,
r

thesis ; it is essential to being .

S t Tho m as once sai d : A thing is not just because God

wills it but God wills it because it is just
, Had St .

Thom as logically deduced all the consequences of this

bea utif ul thought he would have found the philosophical
,

stone and besides being the angel of the school he would

, ,

have been its reform e To believe in the reason of God

r.

a d in the God of reason is to render atheis m i m possible

n .

Wh en Voltaire sa id : If God did not exist it would be

”
necessary to invent Him he felt rather than understood t h e
,

rea son which is in Go d D oes G o d really exist ? There is

.

no knowing but we desire it to be so and hence we believe

, ,

it Faith thus fo mulated is reasonable faith for it adm its

. r ,

the doubt of science and as a fact we believe o nl y in things

, , ,

which seem to us p obable though we do not know them

r , .

To think otherwise is delirium ; to speak otherwise is t o

talk like the illuminated or fanatica l N ow it is not t o .
,

such pe sons that the philosophical stone is prom ised The

r .

ignoramuses who have turned primitive C hristianity from its

path by substituting faith for science dream for e xp eri ,

ence the fantastic for the real ; inquisitors who during

, ,
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
so m any ages have waged a war of exterminati n against
,
o

m agic ; have succeeded in enveloping with darkness the

ancient discove ries of the human mind so that we are ,

now groping for the key to the phenomena of nature Now .

,

all natu al phenom ena depend upon a S ingle and im m utable

r

law represented by the philosophi cal stone and especially

, ,

by its cubic form This law expressed by the tet ad in the

.
,
r

Kabbalah furnished the Hebrews with all the mysteries of

,

their divine Tetragram It m a y be said therefore that the

.

philosophical stone is squa e in every sense like the heavenl y

r ,

Jerusalem of S t John ; that one of its sides is inscribed with

the nam e rm5w and the other wi t h that of G OD ; that one of
its facets bears the nam e of AD AM a second that of HE VA , ,

and the two othe s those of AZO T and IN RI At the be

r .

ginning o f the French translation of a book by the S ieur de

N uisem ent on the phil osophical salt the spirit of the ea rth ,

1 s rep esented stan ding on a cube over which tongues of

r

flam e a re passing ; the phallus is replaced by a caduceus ;

t h e sun and m oon figure on the right and lef t breast ; he is
bearded crowned and holds a sceptre in his han d This is
, ,
.

the A zo th of the sages on his pe destal of salt and sulphur .

The sym bolic head of the goat of M endes is occasionally

given to this figure and it is then the Baphom et of the
Templars and the Word of the Gnostics —bizarre images
,

which becam e scarecrows for the vulgar after affording food

f o thought to the sages innocent hieroglyphs of thought
r ,

and faith which have be en a pretext for the rage of p erse c u

tions How pitiable are men in their ignorance but how
.
,

they would despise them selves if once they cam e to know !

 THE U W THE UN IVER SAL MEDI C I NE 1 59

M ust
we deny evidence or renounce reason ? It
e absurd to say so We should Simply infer that
.

w ong in supposing resurrection to be i mpossible

r .

U NI va let c onsecu tio

:
HE a d p o sse .

now make bold to affirm that resurrection is pos

18

ad occurs oftener than might be thought M any .

whose deaths have been legally and scientifically

of o u r a have been subsequently found in their c o fl i s dead
r n
y
o n d but having evidently c o m e to life and having bitten
i
es,
a c c

on of t h y their
r clenched hands so as to open the ar t eries and
b an d o n
‘

fro_
m their horrible agonies A doctor would . tell us
r y c h pe sons were in a lethargy and not d ead But
store
f o r r , .

cally a m ps lethargy It is the na m e which we give to an u n

o i p r id f eted death a death ,

which is falsified by retu n to life r .

id e t h a t g a
a
s y by wor d s to escape fro m a difficulty when it is
e sibl e to explain facts The soul is joined to the body
F r a nr .

ap p arr k is ans of sensibi li ty and when ,sensibi li ty ce as es it is a

of m g e sh ig that
n the soul is departing The m agnetic S leep
. is
largy or factitious death whi ch is curable a t will The .

s ation or torpor produced by chloroform is a real lethargy

1 ends som etim e s in absolute death when the soul , ,

its temporary liberation m akes an e ffort of will to ,

altogether which is possible for those who have

,

ti ered hell that is to say whose m o al strength is

, , r

(rior to that of astral attraction Hence resurrection is .

. ble only for elem entary souls and it is these above all ,

run the isk of involunta ry revival in the to mb Great

r .

are never buried alive The theory and .

ion will be given in our Ritual to those ,

may ask me whether I have raised the dead ,

t if I repli e d in the affirmative they would

for us to examine whether the abolition
ns

in gpa in is possible and whether it is wholeso m e to e mploy

,

in aro fo rm or m agnetism for surgical operations We think .

,

M d science wil l acknowledge it later on that by diminishing ,

ma sibilit y we diminish l ife and what we subtract from pai n, ,

 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
under such circumstances turns to the profit of death Pain .

bea s witness to the struggle fo life and hence we observe

r r ,

t hat the dressing of the wound is excessively painful in the

case of persons who are operated on unde an e sthetics r .

N ow if chloroform were resorted to at each dressing one of

—
, ,

two things would happen eithe the patient wo uld die or r ,

the pain would return and continue between the dressings .

Natu e is not violated with i mpunity

r .

zl

D IVI NATI O N
D EN T ES FUR CA AM ENS

THE author of this book has dared many thi ngs in his life ,

and never has any fear retained his thought a prisoner It .

is not at the sam e tim e without legitim ate dread that he

approaches the end of the magical doctrine It is a question .

now of revealing or rather r e v e ili g the Great S ecret the

,
n , ,

terrible secret the sec et of life and death expressed in the

,
r ,

Bible by those form idable and sym bolical words of the serpent ,

who was him self symbolical : I N E QUAQUAM M ORI EMINI ; II

. .

SE D E RI TIS ; III SIC UT D H ; IV S CIE NTE S B ONUM E T MALUM

. . .

O n e of the privileges which belong to the initiate of the

Great Arc anum a d that which sum s them a ll is D ivin a tion
,
n , .

According to the vulga com prehension of the term t o divine

r ,

signifies to conjecture what is unknown but its true sense is ,

ineffable to the point of sublimity To divine (divin a vi) is to .

exercise divinity The word divi a s in Latin signifies some

. n , ,

thing far different from divus which is equivalent to the ma n

,

god D evin in French contains the four letters of the word D I EU

. , ,
 THE D O C TRI NE OF TRAN S CE NDE NT M AGI C

The essence of divination that is to say the G eat , ,

r

M a gical A canu m is epresented by all sym bols of the

r ,
r

science and is intimately connecte d with the one and

,

p im eval doct ine of He m es In philosophy it gives

r r r .
,

a bsolut e certitude ; in religion the unive sal secret of ,

r

faith ; in physics the co m position deco m position re co m

, , ,

position realisation and adaptation of philosophical M ercury

, , ,

called A zoth by the alchem ists ; in dynam ics it m ultipl ies

ou r forces by those of pe petual m otion ; it is at once r

m ystical m etaphysical and m aterial with co respondent

, , ,
r

effe cts in the th ee worlds ; it procu es charity in God r r ,

truth in science and gold in riches for m eta llic trans m uta
, ,

tion is at once an allego y and reality as all the a depts of r ,

t ue science are perfectly well aware Yes gold can eally

r .
,
r

and m aterially be m ade by m eans of the stone f the sages o ,

which is an am algam of salt sulphu a d m e cury thrice , r, n r ,

combined in Az oth by a triple sublimation and a triple

fixation Yes the ope ation is often easy and ma y be a o
.
,
r ,

complished in a day an instant ; at othe tim es it equires , r r

m onths and yea s But to succeed in the great work one

r

m ust be divin a s—a diviner in the kabbalistic sense of the

.
,

t erm —
,

and it is indispensable that one S ho uld have re

n o un c e d in respect of personal inte est
,
the advantage of r ,

wealth so as to beco me its dispenser Raym und Lully

, .

enriched sovereign s planted E urope with institutions and , ,

rem ained poo Nicholas Fl a me l who in S pite of hi s

r .
, ,

legend is eally dead only attained the great work when

,
r ,

asceticism had completely detached h im f om ri ches He r .

was initiated by a suddenly i mparted understanding of the

book A sch M eza r ep h written in Heb ew by the kabbalist ,
r

Abraham possibly the co mpiler of the S p h

,
J t i h e er e z ra .

N ow this understanding was for Fl a m e l an intuition

, , ,

deserved or rather rendered possible by the personal

, , , ,

p eparations of the adept I believe I have spoken

r .

s ufl ic ie n t l y .

ivination is theref re an intuition a d the key of

D ,
o , ,
n

this intuition is the universal and m agical doctrine of

 D IVI NATI O N 163

analogies By means of these analogies the magus i

.
, n

t e p re t s visions as did the patriarch Joseph in E gypt

r , ,

according to Biblical history The analogies in the e . r

fl e c t io n s of the ast al light are as exact as the S hades of

r

colour in the solar spectrum and can be calculated and ,

explained with great exactitude It is howeve in disp e .

,
r, n

sable to know the dream er s degree of intellectual life which ’

, ,

indeed he will himself completely reveal by his own dream s

,

in a manne that will profoundly astonish him self

r .

S om nambulis m p esenti m ents and second sight a e simply

,
r ,
r

an accidental o in duced di sposition to dream in a voluntary

r

or awakened sleep—that is to perceive the analogous re ,

fl e c t io n s of the a st al light as we shall explain to dem on

r ,

st a t io n in our Ritual
r en providing the long sought ,

method of regularly p duc i g and directing m agnetic r n

phenom ena AS to divinatory instru m ents they are

.
,

si mply a m eans of comm unication be tween diviner and

cons ul te serving m erely to fix the two will s upon the
r,

sam e Sign Vague complex shi fting figu es help to focus

.
, ,
r

the reflections of the astral fluid and it is thus that lucidity ,

is procu ed by co ffee grouts m ists the white of egg &c

r -
, , , .
,

which evoke fatidic fo m s existing only in the t a n slucid r ,

r

th at is i the im agination of the ope ators Vision in

,
n r .

wate r is worked by the dazzlem ent and tiring of the optic

nerve which then resigns its funct ions to the translucid
, ,

and produces a brain illusion in which the reflections of the

astral light a e taken for real images Hence nervous
r .

pe rsons of weak sight and lively imagination are m ost

, ,

fitted for this species of divination whi ch indeed is m ost , , ,

suc c essful when pe fo m ed by children L et us not here r r .

m isinterpret the function whi ch we attribute to i m agination

in divinato y a ts It is by imagination assuredly that we
r r .

see and this is the natu al aspect of the m iracle but we

, r ,

see true things and in this consists the m arvellous aspect

,

of the natural work We appeal to the expe ience of all . r

veritable adepts The author of this book has tested ll

. a

kinds of divination and has invariably obtained esul ts in,

r
 THE DO C TRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
proportion to the exactitude of his scien t ific operations and
the good faith of his consul ters .

The Tarot that m iraculous work which inspired all the

,

s acred books of antiquity is by reason of the analogical pre

, ,

c isio n of its figures and nu mbers the m ost perfect instrum ent ,

of divi ation and can be em ployed with complete confidence

n , .

Its oracles are always rigorously true at least in a ce tain ,

r

s ense and even when it predicts nothing it reveals secret

,

things and gives the m ost wise counsel to its consulters .

Allie t t e who in the last century fro m a haird esser becam e a

, , ,
r

kabbalist and k a bba list ica lly called him self E t te il la reading
, ,

his na m e backwards afte the m anne of Heb ew Alli e t t e

r r r , ,

I say after thirty years of m editation over the Tarot cam e

, ,

ve y near to recovering everything that is concealed in this e x

r

t a o rdi a ry work ; however he en ded only by m isplacing the

r n ,

keys th ough want of their p ope understanding and inverted

,
r r r ,

the order and character of the figures without at the sam e ,

tim e entirely destroying their analogies so great are the

, ,

s ympathy and corr e spondence which exist between the m .

The writings of E t t e ill a now very rare are obscure weari

, , ,

Som e and in style ba ba ous they have not a ll be en

,
r r

printe d and som e m anuscripts of thi s fathe of m odern

,
r

c a r t o m a c e rs a e in the hands of a Pa i s bookseller who h a

n r r s

been good enough to shew them us Their most rem arkable .

points are the obstinate opinions and incontestible good

faith of the author who all his life perceived the grandeur
,

o f the o c cult sciences but was destined to di e at the gate of

,

the sanctuary without eve penetrating behind the veil He r .

had little esteem for Agrippa m ade much of Jean Belot a n d , ,

knew nothing of the philosophy of Pa acelsus but he p o s r ,

s essed a highly trained intuition a volition m ost persevering

-
, ,

though his fancy exceeded his judgm ent His endowm ents .

we e insufficient for a m agus and m ore than were neede d fo

r r

a skilful and accredited diviner of the vulga order Hence r .

E t t e ill a had a fas h ionable success which a m ore accomplished

m agician would perhaps have been wrong to waive but ,

would certainly not have claimed .

 SUMMARY AN D KE Y o r THE FOUR SEC RET S CI ENCES 167

m ysticis m in philosophy is to assail rea son Reason and .

faith by their natu e m utually exclude one another and

,
r , ,

they u nite by analogy Analogy is the sole possible .

m ediator between the finite and infinite D ogm a is the .

e ver ascending hypothesis of a presu m able equation F or .

the ignorant it is the hypothesis which is the absolute

,

a ffirmation and the absolute affirm ation which is hypothesis

,
.

Hypotheses are necessary in science and he who seeks to ,

realise them enla ges science without decreasing faith for

r ,

on the fu ther side of faith is the infini te We believe

r .

in what we do not know but what reason lead s us t o ,

admit To define and circum scribe the object of faith is

.
,

therefore to fo mulate the unknown P ofessions of faith

,
r . r

are formul ations of the ignorance and aspirations of ma n .

The theorem s of science are m onum ents of his co nquests .

The ma n who denies God is not less fanatical than he who

defines him with p etended infallibility G o d is comm only
r .

defined by the enum e ation of all that He is not M a n r .

m akes God by an analogy f om the lesser to the greater r ,

whence it results that the conception of God by m is ever an

that of an infinite m a n who m akes m a n a finite G o d Ma . n

can realise that which he believes in the m easu e of that r

which he knows and by reason of that which he does not

,

know and he can accomplish all that he wills in the m easu e

,
r

of that which he believes and by reason of that which he

knows The analogy of cont aries is the connection of light
. r

and shade of height and hollow of plenu m and void

, , .

Al legory the m other of all dogm as is the substitution of

, ,

im pressions for seals of S hadows for reali ties It is the fable, .

of tru t h and the truth of fable O n e does not invent a .

dogm a one veils a t uth and a shade for weak eyes is

, r ,

p o duced The initiat r is not an i m postor he is a

r o ,

reveale that is following t h e m eaning of the Latin word

r,
,

rev l a e
e a m a n who veils afresh He is the creato of a
r , . r

new Shade .

Analogy is the key of all secrets of natu e and the sole r

fundam ental reason of all revelations This is why religions .

 THE D O CTRI NE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
seem to be writte n in the heavens and in all natu e ; this is r

just a s it S hould be for the work of God is the book of God

, ,

and in what He writes S hould be discerned the expression of

His thought and consequently of His being since we conceive
, ,

H im o l y as the S uprem e thought D upuis and Volney saw

n .

only a pla giarism in this S plendid analogy which S hould ,

have led the m to acknowledge the catholicity that is the , ,

u n ivers ality of the pri m eval one m agica l kabbalistic a d , , , ,

n

immutable doctrine of revelation by analogy Analogy yields .

a ll the forces of nature to the m agus ; analogy is the quint

essence o f the phil osophical stone the sec et of perpetual ,

r

m otion the quadrature of the circle the te mple resting on

, ,

the two pillars JAKIN and B OHAS the key of the g eat ,
r

arcanu m the root of the tree of life the science of good a n d

, ,

e vil To find the exact s c ale of analogies in t hings a pp e c i

. r

able by science is to fix the bases of faith and thus becom e

possessed of the rod of m iracles Now there is a prin .
,

c ipl e and igo ous fo m ula which is the great a canum

r r r ,
r .

Let the wise m a n seek it not since he has al eady found ,

r

it ; let the profane seek f o eve and they will never r r,

find it .

M etalli c trans m utation takes place spi itually and r

m ate ially by the positive key of analogies

r O ccult .

m edicine is sim ply the exercise of the will applied to the

very source of life to that astral light the existence of which
,

is a fact which h a s a m ovem ent confo m ed to calculations

, r

having the g eat m agical arcanu m for their ascending and

r

descending scale This universal arcanum t h e final a d

.
,
n

ete nal secret of transcendent initiation is rep esented in

r ,
r

the Ta rot by a naked gi l who touches the earth only by one r ,

foot has a magnetic rod in each han d and seem s to be

, ,

running in a crown held up by an angel an eagle a bul l , , ,

and a lion F undam entall y the figu e is analogous to the

.
, r

cherub of Jeke skie l of which a rep esen tation is here given

, r ,

and to the In di a n symbol of Addh a n a ri which again is ,

analogo us t o the ado n a of J e ke skiel who is vulga ly called

-
’’

r ,
r

E zekiel The co mprehension of this figure is the key of all

.
 THE D O C TRINE OF TRAN S CE NDE N T MAGI C
is the idol of black m agic and the phanto m of the fien d .

The demon is death mas querading in the ca st o ff garments -

of life the spectre of H i e n k e sep t throned upon the rubbish

,
rr

of ruined civil isations and concealing a loathsom e nakedne ss

,

by the rejected salvage of the incarnations of Vishnu .

H ER E EN D S THE D O CTRINE OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C .

 f

G
l‘
t

I n
”
?a

of
3]

tl
is
it
dr
 IN TROD UC T ION

KNOW ES T thou that old of the wo ld who is on the r

m arch always and wearies never ? E very uncurbed passion ,

eve y selfish pleasu e eve y licentious energy of humanity

r r ,
r ,

and a ll its tyrannous weakness go before the so did mist ess , r r

of our tearful valley and scythe in hand these indefatigable

, , ,

labo urers reap their eternal harvest That queen is old as .

time but her skelet on is concealed in the wreckage of

,

wom en s beauty which she abstracts fro m their youth and

’
,

their love H e S kull is adorned with dead tresses that a e

. r r

not her own Spoliator of crowned heads Sh e is e m

.
,

be llish e d with the plunder of queens fro m the star bege m m ed ,

-

hair of Berenice to that white without age which the e e c u , , x

t io n e r sheare d fro m the brow of M arie Antoinette He . r

livid and f ozen bo dy is clothed in polluted ga m ents and

r r

tattered winding sheets Her bony hands covered with

-
.
,

rings hold diadems and chains sceptres and crossbones

“

, , ,

jewels and ashes When she goes by doors open of them

.
,

selves ; she passes through walls ; she penetrates to the

cabinets of kings ; she surp ises the extortioners of the poor r

in their m ost secret orgies ; she S its down at their boa d r ,

pours out their wine grins at their songs with her gumless
,

t eeth takes the place of the lecherous court esan hidden be

,

hind their curtains S he delights i the vicinity of sleeping

. n

voluptuaries ; she seeks their caresses as if she hoped to g ow r

warm in their embrace but Sh e freezes all those whom S h e ,

t uches and herself never kindles At times n o t wit h st a d

o .
, n

ing one would think her seized with frenzy ; she no longe
,
r

stalks slowly ; she runs ; if her feet are too slow she S purs ,

a pale horse and charges all breathl ess through multitudes

, .

M urder rides with her on a red charger ; shaking his m ane

of sm oke fire flies before her with wings of s c arlet a d
, n

x7 5
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
black ; fam ine and plague follow on diseased and em aciated
stee ds gleaning the few S heaves which remain to complete
,

her ha vest r .

A fter this funere a l proc ession com e two little children ,

r adiating with s miles and life the intelligence and love of ,

the com ing century the dual genius of a new bo n hum anity ,
-
r .

The S hadows of death fold up before them as does night ,

befo e the morning star ; with nimble feet they skim the
r

earth and sow with full hands the h Op e of another year

, .

But death will come no m o e i mpiteous and ter ible to m o w r , r ,

like d y grass the ripe blades of the new age ; it will give
r

place to the angel of progress who will gently libe ate souls , r

from m or t al chains so that they ma y ascend to God When, .

m e n know how to live they will no longer die ; they will

t ansfo m like the chrysalis which becom es a splendid
r r ,

butte fly The te rors of death are daughters of igno ance

r . r r ,

and death herself is only hideous by reason of the rubbish

which covers her and the sombre hues with which her
,

im ages are surrounded D eath truly is the birth pang of .

, ,
-

life There is a force in nature which dieth not and this

.
,

force perpetuall y transfo m s beings to prese ve them This r r .

force is the reason or word of nature In ma n also the e is . r

a fo rCe analogous to that of nature and it is the eason or , r

wo d of ma n The word of ma is the expression of his

r . n

will directed by reason and it is o mnipotent when reasonable , ,

f o then it is analogous to the wo d of God hi m self By the

r r .

word of his reason m a n beco m es the conqueror of life and ,

;

can t iumph over death The entire life of m a n is either

r .

the partu ition or miscarriage of his word Hum an beings

r
‘

who die without having unde stood or formulated the word r

of reason die devoid of eternal hope To withstand success

,
.

fully the phantom o f death we m ust be identified with the ,

realities of life D oes it signify to God if an abortion

.

wither seeing that life is etern a l ? D oes it signify to Nature

,

if u nreason perish since reason which neve perishes still

,
r

holds the keys of life ? The first and terrible forc e which
dest oys abortions eternally was called by the Hebrews
r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D ENT MAGI C
m uch m ore beautiful wouldst thou be ! Thy face woul d
bu n no longer with the toil of thine incredible flights ;
r

thine eyes would be pure thy s m iling countenance white ,

and red like that of thy happy sisters ; all the stars woul d
know thee and far fro m fea ing thy flight would rejoice t
, ,
r ,
a

thine app oach ; for then thou wouldst be m a de one wi th

r

us by the indestructible bonds of universal harm ony a d ,

n

thy peaceful existence would be one voice m ore in the

canticle of infinite love .

And the com et replies to the fixed star : Believe not 0 ,

my sister t hat I a m perm itted to wander at will a n d vex

,

the harmony of the spheres ! God hath appointed my path ,

even as thine and if it appea to thee uncertain and ra m

,
r

bling it is because thy beam s cannot penet rate far enough t o

,

take in the ci cu mfe ence of the ellipse which has been

r r

given m e for m y cou se M y fiery hai is God s beac n ; I

r . r
’
o

a m the m essenge of the suns and I imm erse myself con

r ,

t in ua ll y in their burning heat that I ma y dispense it to ,

young wo lds on m y journey which have not yet sufficient

r

war mth and to ancient stars which have grown cold in thei
,
r

solitude If I weary in my long t avellings if m y beauty

. r ,

be less m il d than thine own and if my garm ents a e less un ,

r ~

spotte d yet a m I a noble daughter of heaven even as thou

, ,

art L eave m e the sec et of m y terrible destiny leave m e the

. r ,

dread which sur ounds m e cu se m e even if thou canst not

r ,
r

comprehen d ; I shall none the less accomplish my wo k a d r ,

n

continue m y ca ee un der the i mpulse of the b eath of God !

r r r

Happy a e t h e sta s which rest which S hine like youthful

r r ,

queens in the peaceful socie ty of the universe ! I a m the

proscribed the eternal wande er who has infinity for dom ain
,
r ,
.

They accuse m e of setting fire to the planets the heat of ,

which I renew ; they accuse me of terrifying the stars which

I enlighten ; they chide m e with breaking in upon unive sal r

harm ony because I do not revolve about t heir pa ticula

,
r r

cent es because I join them one with anothe directing my

r , r,

gaze towards the sole cent e of all the suns Be reassure d r . ,

therefore O beauteous fixed star ! I shall not impove ish

,
r
 INTROD UCTION 179

thy peaceful light ; rather I shall expend in thy service my

own life and heat I Shall disappear from heaven when I
.

S hall have consu m ed m yself and m y doo m will have been ,

glorious enough ! Know tha t various fires burn in the

temple of God and do all give H im glory ; ye are the light
,

of golden candelabra ; I a m the flam e of sac ifice L et us r

”
.

each fulfil our destinies .

Having uttered these wo ds the co met tosses back her r ,

bu nin g hair uplifts her fie y shield and plunges into

r ,
r ,

infinite Space seeming to be lost for eve

,
r .

Thus S atan appea ed and disappeared in the allegorical

r

narratives of the Bible ”

Now there was a day says the .
,

book of Job when the sons of God cam e to present the m

,

selves before the L ord and S atan came also among the m , .

A nd the L ord said unto S atan Whence co m est thou ? ,

’

Then S atan answered the L ord a nd said Fro m going to , ,

‘

and fro in the earth and f om walking up and down in it

,
r .
’

A Gnostic gospel discovered in the east by a lea ned

,
r

tra veller of our acquaintance explains the genesis of light to

the profi t of Lucife as follows —The self conscious truth
,

r, -

is the living thought Truth is thought as it is in itself

, ,

and fo m ulated thought is speech When eternal thought

r
”
.

desired a fo m it said : Let there be light Now this

r ,
.
,

thought which speaks is the Word and the Word said : ,

Let there be light because the Word itself is the light of

“
,

minds . The uncreated light which is the divine Word , ,

shines because it desires to be seen ; when it says : Let “

there be light ! it ordains that eyes shall open ; it creat es

intelligences When God said : Let there be light !
.
” “

Intelligence was m ade and the light ap p ea ed N o w the , r .

Intelligence which God diff used by the b eath of His m outh r ,

like a star given o ff f o m the sun took the fo m of a splen

r ,
r

did angel who was salute d by heaven unde the nam e of

,
r

Lucife r .Intelligence awakene d a d comp ehended its , n r

nature completely by the understanding of that utte ance of r

the D ivine Wo d : L et there be light !

r It felt itself t
“
o

be free because God had called it into being a d raising up ,

n ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
its head with both wings extended it replied : I will not
be S lavery ” ,

Then shalt thou be suffering said the

,

”
.
,

U n created Voice I will be liberty replied the light

”
. .
,

P ide will seduce thee said the S uprem e Voi c e and thou
r
”
, ,

wilt b ing fo th death

r I needs m ust strive with d eath
r
”
.

to c onquer life again responded the created light There

, .

upon God loosened f om his bosom the shining cord which r

rest ained the superb angel and beholding him plunge

r ,

th ough the night which he furrowed with glory He loved

r , ,

the o ffspring of His thought and said with an ineffable

”
,

S m ile : How beautiful was the light !

God has not c eated suffe ing ; intelligence has accepted
r r

it to be f ee And suffering has been the condition im posed

r .

upon freedom of being by H im who alone cannot e be rr ,

cause He is infinite For the essence of intelligence is .

judgm ent and the essence of ju dgm ent is libe ty The

,
r .

eye does not really possess light except by the faculty of

closing or opening We e it forced to be always Open it
. r ,

would be the Slave and victim of the light and woul d cease ,

to see in orde to escape the to m ent Thus c eated Inte l

r r .
,
r

l ige n c e is not happy in a fl irmi n g God except by its liberty ,

to deny Him N ow the Intelligence whi ch denies inve ri

.
, ,

ably a fl irm s som ething since it is asserting its libe ty It , r .

is fo this eason that blasphemy gl o rifie s God and that hell

r r ,

was in dispensable to the happiness of heaven Were the .

light unrepelled by shadow the e would be no visible form s ,

r .

If the fi st angels had not encountered the depths of dark

r

ness the child bi th of God would have been incomplete

,
-
r ,

and t here could have been no separation between the

created and essential light Neve would Intelligence have . r

known the goodness of God if it had never lost H im Never .

would Go d s infinite love have shone fo th in the joys of

’
r

His m ercy had the prodigal S on of Heaven em ained in the r

house of His Fathe When all was light there was light r .
,

nowhere ; it filled the b east of God who was labou ing to r r

”
,

b ing forth And when He sai d : Let the e be light !

r .
“
r

He pe mitted the darkness to repel the light a d the

r ,
n
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
This signifies acco ding to the version of Fab e d Oliv e t
,
r r
’

N ow o iginal attraction (cupi dity ) was the ent aining pas

,
r r

sion of all elem enta y life (the inte io active powe ) of r r r r

nat u e the wo k of J h fia h the Being of beings B ut

r
” r .
, ,

he ein Fab e d O li e t is beside the true interpretation

r r
’
v ,

because he was unacquainte d with the g and keys of the r

Kabbalah The word N a h a sc h explained by the symbplic a l

.
,

lette s of the Ta ot igo ously signifies

r r r r

1 4 J N un —Th e p o w e r w h ic h p ro du c e s c o m b n a t io n s i
—
.

5 n He . Th e rec ipi e n t a n d p a ss iv
e p r o du c e r o f o r m s f .

21 w S ch in .
-
Th e na t ur a l a n d c e n t ra l fire e q u ili b ra t e d by do u b l e
p o al i
r sa t io n .

Thus the wo d em ployed by M oses ead k a bb list ic l ly

,
r ,
r a a ,

gives the desc iption and definition of that magical unive sal
r r

agent ep esente d in all theogonies by the se pent ; to this

,
r r r

agent the Hebrews applie d the nam e of C D when it m ani

f e st e d its active force of O R when it exhibited its passive ,

force and of AO U R when it wholly revealed itself in its

,

equilibrated powe p oduce of light in heaven a d gold r, r r n

a m ong m etals It is the efore that old se pent which e n . r r

ci cles the worl d and places his devouring head beneath

r

the foot of a Vi gin the type of initiation —that vi gin who

,

r ,
r

p esents a little new bo n child to the ado ation of th ee

r -
r r r

m agi and receives f om the m in exchange f o this favou

'

,
r ,
r r,

gol d m yrrh and f ankincense S o does doct ine serve in

, ,
r . r

all hieratic religions to veil the secret of those fo ces of r

natu e which the initiate has at his disposal ; eligio us

r r

fo m ulae a e the su mm a ies of those wo ds full of myste y

r r r r r

and power which m ake the gods descend f om heaven a d r n

yield them selves to the will of me n Judea bo rowed its . r

sec ets f om E gypt ; there G eece sent her hierophants and

r r r ,

later her theosophists to the school of the great prophets ; ,

the Ro m e of the C aesa s mined by the initiation of the r ,

cataco mbs collapsed one day into the C hurch and a

, ,

sy mbolism was econst ucted with the e mnants of all the r r r

wo ships which h a d been abso bed by the queen of the

r r

wo ld Acco ding to the G ospel narrative the insc iption

r . r ,
r
 I N TR OD UC TI ON 1 83

which set forth the spi itual royalty of C hrist was w itten r r

in Hebrew in Greek and in Latin ; it w as the expression

, ,

of the unive s l synthesis Hellenis m in fact that g and

r a .
, ,
r

and beauteous eligion of fo m announced the co ming of the

r r ,

S aviour no less than the p ophets of Judaism ; the fable of r

Psyche was an ultra Christian abstraction and the cultus -

,

of the Pantheons by rehabilitating S oc ates p epa e d the

,
r ,
r r

alta s fo that unity of God of which Is ael h a d been the

r r ,
r

myste ious p ese ve

r But the synagogue denied its Messiah
r r r .
,

and the Heb e w lette s we e e fface d at least in the blinded

r r r ,

eyes of the Jews The Rom an pe secut s dishonou ed . r or r

Hellenis m and it could not be resto ed by the false modera

,
r

tion of the philosophe Julian surnam ed perhaps unjustly r ,

t h e Ap state S ince his C hristianity was neve S ince e

o ,
The r r .

igno ance of the m iddle ages followe d opposing saints a n d

r ,

virgi ns to gods go ddesses and nymphs ; the deep sense of

, ,

the Hellenic myste ies becam e less un derstoo d than eve ;

r r

Greece herself did not only lose the t aditions f h e ancient r o r

c ul tus but separated f om the Latin C hu ch ; d thus fo

,
r r an ,
r

L atin eyes t h e G eek letters were blotted out as the Latin

,
r ,

lette s disappea ed f G eek eyes S o the insc iption on

r r or r . r

the C oss of the S aviour vanishe d enti ely and nothing

r r ,

except m ysterious initials rem aine d But when science a d . n

philosophy econciliated with faith shall unite all the

,
r ,

various sy m bols then shall all the ma gn ifi c e n c es of the

,

antique worships again blosso m in the m em o y of m e n r ,

proclaim ing the prog ess of the hu m an m ind in the intuition

r

of the light of God B ut of all fo m s of prog ess the . r r

g eatest will be that which resto ing the keys of natu e

r ,
r r

to the han ds of science shall enchain for eve the hideous ,

r

S pect e of S atan and explaining all exceptional pheno m ena

r , ,

of nature Shall dest oy the empi e of supe stition and

,
r r r

idiotic c edulity To the acco mplish m ent of thi s work we

r .

have consec ated o u life and do still devote it to the m ost

r r , ,

toilsom e and difficult researches We would e c ip a t e . n ra n

altars by ove throwing i dols ; we desire the m a of i t e l li

r n n

gence to become once m o e the p iest a d king of natu e r r n r ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CE NDE NT MAGIC
and we would preserve by explanation all im ages of the
universal sanctuary .

The prophets spoke in parables and images because a b ,

stract lan guage was wanting to them and because p ophetic ,

r

pe ception being the sentim ent of harm ony o of universal

r , r

analogies t ranslates naturally by images Taken lite ally

, . r

by the vulgar these im ages become idols or im penet able

,
r

m ysteries The sum and succession of these im ages and

.

mysteries constitute what is called symbol is m S ymbolis m .

,

therefore comes from God though it m y be fo m ulated

, , a r

by me n . Revelation has accompani ed humanity in all ages ,

has t ra n sfigure d with hu man genius but has ever expressed ,

the sam e tr uth True religion is one ; its dogm as a e S imple

. r ,

and within the reach of all A t the sam e ti m e the m ulti

.
,

p l ic it y of sym bols has been a book of poes y indispensable to

the education of hum an ge n uis The harm ony of outward .

beauties and the poetry of form had to be revealed by God

to the infancy of m ; but soon Venus had Psyche for her
an

rival and Psyche enchanted Love Thus the cultus of the

, .

fo m perforce yielded to those am bitious dream s which

r

already adorned the eloquent wis dom of Plato The advent .

of C hrist was prepared and for this reason was expected ;

,

it cam e because the world awaited it and to becom e popular ,

philosophy transform ed into belief E mancipated by this .

belief itself the hum an mind S peedily proteste d against t h e

,

school which sought to m aterialise its S igns and the wo k ,

r

of Roman C atholicism was solely the unconscious prepara

tion for the e mancipation of consciences and the esta blish
m ent of the bases of universal association All these things .

were the regular a d normal devel pm ent of divine life in

n o

hu m anity ; for God is the great soul of all souls the im ,

m ovable centre about which gravitate all intelligences like

a cloud of stars .

Hum an intelligence has had its morn ing ; its noon will
co me and the decline follow but God will ever be the same
, ,
.

It seem s however to the dwellers on the earth that the sun

, ,

rises youthful and timid in the m orning shines with all it s ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
stood erect before them impeachi g them by His wounds and ,
n

ove whelm i g them by the brightness of His sca s They

r n r .

believed that they had Slain H im in H i c adle at Bethlehem s r ,

but He is alive in E gypt They car y H im to the summit r

of the m ountain to cast H im down ; the mo b of His mur

dere e encircles H im and al eady t iumphs in His certain
r , r r

destruction a cry is hea d ; is not that He who is shattered r

on the rocks of the abyss They whiten and look at one

anothe ; but He calm and s miling with pity passes through
r , ,

the midst of them and disappears Behold anothe m oun . r

tain which they have just dyed with His blood Behold a
cross a sepulch e and soldiers guarding His tomb ! M a d
, r ,

m e n ! The to m b is e m pty and He who m they rega d as ,

r

dead is walking peaceably bet ween two travellers on the ,

road to E m m aus Where is He ? Whither does He go ?.

Wa n the maste s of the wo ld Tell the C aesars that thei

r r r r

powe is th eatened ! By whom ? By a pauper who has

r r

no stone on which to lay His head by a m a n of the people ,

condemned to the death of Slaves W hat insul t or what .

m adness ! It m atte s not The C aesars m arshal all t hei r . r

power sanguinary e dicts prosc ibe the fugitive everywhere r ,

sca ff l ds rise up circuses Open arrayed with lions and

o ,

g ladiators py es are lighte

,
d torrents of blood flow and the ,
r ,

C aesa s believing them selves victo ious da e add another

r , r ,
r

nam e to those they rehearse on their trophies ; then they

die a n d their own apotheosis dishonours the gods who m they
,

defended The hat ed of the wo ld confounds Jupiter and

. r r

N e o in a co m m on contempt
r Tem ples t a n sform ed into . r

tombs a e cast down over the prosc ibed ashes and above
r r ,

the debris of idols above the ruins of em pires He only He

, , ,

whom the C ae sars p oscribed whom so m any satellites r ,

pu sued who m so m any executioners tortured He only lives

r , , ,

alone reigns alone t ium phs , r

N otwithstanding His own disciples spee dily mi suse His,

nam e ; pride enters the sanctuary ; those who Should pro

claim His resu rection seek to immortalise His death that
r ,

they m a y feed like the ravens on His ever renewing flesh

, ,
-
.
 I N TR OD UC TI ON 1 87

In place of imitating H im by His sacrifice and S hed ding their

blood for thei children in the faith they chain H im in the
r ,

Vatican as upon another C aucasus and beco m e the vultu es ,

r

o f this divine Pro m etheus But what signifies thei evil . r

d eam ?
r They can only imprison His i m age ; He Him self
is f ee and erect proceeding from exile to exile and from
r ,

conque t to conquest it is possible to bind a ma n but not

s ,

to m ake captive the Word of God ; speech is free and ,

n othing can rep ess it ; this living speech is the c o de m

r n

nation of the wicked and hence they seek to dest oy it but it

,
r ,

is they only who die and the word of t uth rem ains to judge,
r

their m em ory ! O pheus ma y have been rent by bacchantes

r ,

S ocrates ma y have qua ffed the poisoned cup Jesus and His ,

apostles have perished in the utm ost tortu es John Hus r , ,

Jerom e of Prague and innum e able othe s have been burned ;

,
r r ,

S t Bartholo m ew and the m a ssac es of S epte mber m a y have r

had in turn their victim s ; cossacks knouts and S iberian , ,

d ese ts are still at the disposal of the Russian E m peror but

r ,

the Spi it of O pheus of S oc ates of Jesus and of all

r r ,
r , ,

m artyrs will live for ever in the m idst of thei dead per r

se c ut o s will stand e ect am idst failing institutions and

r , r

collapsing e mpi es It is this divine spirit the spirit of

r .
,

the only S on of God which S t John epresents in his ,

r

a pocalypse standing between gol den can dl esticks because

, ,

He is the centre of all lights ; h a vrn g seven stars in His

hand like the seed of a new heaven and sen din g down His
,

speech upon the ea th un der the symbol of a two edged r -

sword When the wise in thei discouragem ent S leep

. r

th ough the night of doubt the spirit of C h ist is e ect

r ,
r r

a n d vigilant When the nations weary of the labou which

.
,
r

em ancipates them lie down and d eam over their , r

chains the spirit of C hrist is erect a d p otesting

, n r .

When the blind pa tisans of sterilised religions cast r

them selves in the dust of old te mples the Spiri t of ,

C hrist is erect and praying When the st ong become . r

weak when virtues are corrupted wh en all things bend

, ,

a d S ink d own in search of a sham eful pasture the spi it

n ,
r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
of C hrist is erect gazing up to heave n and a waiting the
, ,

hour of His Father .

C hrist signifies priest and king by excellence The C h ist . r

initiator of m odern tim es cam e to form new p iests and new r

kings by science and above all by charity The ancient

, , , .

m agi were priests and kings and the S aviour s advent was
’

proclaim ed to them by a star This star was the m agical .

pentagram having a sacred let t er at each point It is the

, .

symbol of the intelligence which rules by unity of force over

the four elem entary potencies ; it is the pentagram of the
m agi the blazing star of the children of Hira m the proto
, ,

type of equilibrated light ; to each of its poin ts a ray of

light ascends and from each a ray goes forth ; it represent s
,

the grand and supreme athanor of nature which is the body ,

of m a nThe m agnetic influen c e issues in two beam s from

.

the head from either hand and from either foot Th e

, , .

positive ray is balanced by the negative Th e head corre .

sp o n ds with the two feet each hand with a hand and foot , ,

each of the two feet with the head and one hand This .

ruling Sign of equilibrated light represents the spirit of

o der and harmo ny ; it is the S ign of the om ipotence of
r n

the m agus and hence when broken or incorrec tly drawn it

, , ,

represents astral intoxication abnormal and ill egulated ,

-
r

projections of the astral light and therefore bewitchm ents , , , ,

pe versity m adness and it is what the magi term the

r , ,

S ignature of L ucifer There is another S ignature which

.

also symbolises the myste ies of light namely the Sign of r , ,

S olo m on whose talis m ans bea on one side the i m p ession

, r r

of his seal which we have given in our D octrine and on ,

the other the following signature (p which is the .

hi eroglyphic theory of the co m position of m agnets and ,

represents the circulatory law of the lightnin g .

Rebellious spirits are enchained by the exhibition of t h e

blazing five pointed star or the seal of S olom on because each
-
,

g ives the m proof of their folly and threatens the m with a

sovereign power capable of torm enting them by their recall
 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
established in the constant light To co mmand the ele ments
.
,

we m ust have overco m e their hurricanes thei lightnings ,

r ,

their abysses their te mpests In o de to DAR E we m ust

, . r r

KN OW ; in orde to W I LL we m ust D ARE ; we m ust W I LL to

r ,

possess e mpire a d to reign we m ust B E S ILEN T

,
n .
 TH E R I TU A L

TR A N S GE N D E N T M A GIC

C HAPTE R I
P RE PARA TI ONS

EV ERY intention which does not assert itself by deeds is a

vain intention a n d the speech which expresses it is idle
,

speech It is action which p oves life and establishes will

. r .

Hence it is said in the sacred d symbolical books that an

m e n will be judge d not accor ding to their thoughts a n d

,

thei ideas but acco rding to their wo ks We must act in

r ,
r .

order to be .

We have therefore to treat in t his place of the g and

, ,
r

and ter ific question of m agical works ; we are concerned no

r

longe with theo ies and abstractions ; we app oach ealities

r r r r ,

and we are about to place the ro d of m i acles in the hands r

of the adept saying to h im at the sam e tim e : Be not

,
“

satisfied with what we t ell you ; act for yourself We .

have to deal he e with works of elative o m nipotence with

r r ,

the m eans of seizing upon the g eatest secrets of nature a d r n

compelling the m into the service of an enlightene d a d n

inflexible will .

M ost known m agical rituals are either m y t ifi c a t io s o s n r

enigmas and we are about to rend for the fi st t im e after

,
r ,

so m any centuries the veil of the occult san ctua y To

,
r .

reveal the holiness of m ysteries is t o p vide a em edy for ro r

their p ofanation S uch is the thought which sustains o ur

r .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN SCEN D EN T MAGI C
cou age and enables us to face all the perils of this enter
r

pr ise possibly
,
the most in t repid which it has been permitted
t h e hu m an mind to conceive and carry out .

M agical Operations are the exe cise of a natural power r ,

but one superior to the o dinary fo ces of nature They r r .

a e the res ult of a science and a p actice which exalt hu m an

r r

will beyond its norm al limits The supernatural is only the .

n atural in an ext aordin ary grade o it is the exaltedr ,

r

natural ; a m iracle is a phenomenon which strikes the m ulti

tude because it is unexpected ; the astonishing is that which
a stonishes ; m iracles are e ff ects which su prise those who are r

igno ant of thei causes or assign them causes which are

r r ,

not in p opo tion to such e ffects M i acles exist only f o

r r . r r

the ignorant but as the e is scarcely any absolute science

, ,
r

am ong m e the supe natu al can still obtain and does so

n, r r ,

indeed fo the whole w ld Le t us set out by saying that

r or .

we believe in all m i acles because we a e convinced and r r

ce t ain even f o m our own experience of their enti e possi

r ,
r , r

bilit y The e are som e which we do not explain though

. r ,

we regard them as no less explicable From the greate to . r

the lesser f om the lesser to the g eate the consequences

,
r r r,

ar e identically relate d and the proportions p og essively r r

rigo ous But in o der to work m i acles we m ust be out

r . r r

side the ordina y con ditions of hum anity ; we m ust either

r

be abst acted by wisdom or exalted by m adness eithe

r ,
r

s upe io to all passions or beyond them through ecstasy or

r r

frenzy S uch is the fi st and most indispensable p epara

. r r

tion of the operator Hence by a p ovidential or fatal law .

,
r ,

the m agician can only exe cise m nipotence in inve se pro r o r

portion to his m ate ial inte est ; the alchemist m akes so r r

m uch the m ore gold as he is the m o e resigned to priva r

t ions and the m o e esteem s that poverty which p otects

,
r r

the sec ets of the m g um Op us O nly the adept whose

r a n .

hea t is passionless will disp se of the love and hate f

r o o

t hose who m he would m ake inst u m ents of his science ; r

the m yth of Genesis is ete nally t ue and God pe mits the r r , r

t ee of science to be approached only by those m e w h a e

r n o r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CEND ENT MA GI C
victories Indolence and forget f ulness are enemies of will
.
,

and fo this reason all eligions have mult iplied thei

r r r

O bservances and m ade their wo ship minute and difficult r .

The m ore we rest ain ourselves fo an idea the greate is

r r ,
r

the strength we acqui e within the S COp e of that i dea Are

r .

not mothers mo e part ial to the child en who have caused

r r

them most suffering and cost them m ost anxieties ? S o

does the power of religions reside exclusively in the inflexible
will of those who practise them S o long as there is one .

faithful person to believe in the holy sacrifice of the M ass ,

there will be a priest to celebrate it for him ; and so long

as there is a priest who daily recites his b eviary the e will r ,
r

be a pope in the worl d O bservances appa ently m ost in .

,
r

significant and most foreign in them selves to the proposed

end lead notw ithstanding to that end by education and
, , ,

exe cise of will If a peasant rose up every m orning at two

r .

or three o cl ck a n d went daily a l ng distance f om hom e

’
o ,
o r

to gathe a sprig of the sam e herb before the rising of the

r

sun he woul d be able to pe form a great number of p o

,
r r

digie s by m erely carrying t hi s herb upon his person fo it ,

r

would be the Sign of his will and woul d becom e by his will ,

itself all that he required it to becom e in the interest of his

der to do a thing we m ust believe in the
or

our doing it and this faith m ust fo thwith be ,

r

translate d into act s / When a c h ild says : I cannot his

”
,

m other answers Try F aith does not even try ; it begins

.

with the certitude of completing a n d it proceeds calmly as , ,

if o mnipotence we e at its disposal and ete nity befo e it

r r r .

What seek you therefore f o m the science of the m agi

,
?
, r

D are to fo m ulate you desire then set to wo k at once

r r ,
r ,

a d do not cease acting after the sa m e m anner and f o

n the r

sam e end ; what you will S hall co m e to pass and fo you ,

r

and by you it has indeed al eady begun S ixtus V said r

”
. .
,

while watching his flocks : I desi e to be pope You a e r . r

a beggar and you desire to m ake gold ; set to wo k a n d

,
r

never leave o ff I p o mise you in the nam e of science all

. r , ,

the treasures of Fl a me l and Raym ond Lully What is .

“
 P R EPARATI ONS 1 95

the first thin g to do ? Believe in your power then act

”
, .

“
But how act ? Rise daily at the sam e hou and that r,

ea ly ; bathe at a spring before daybre ak and in all seasons ;

r ,

neve wear di rty clothes rather wash them you self if need
r ,
r

f ul ; accusto m yourself to voluntary privations that you ,

m a y be better able to b e ar those which co m e without seek

ing ; then silence every desi e which is foreign to the ful r

fil m e n t of the great wo k r .

What ! By bathing daily in a spring I shall make

”
,

gold ? You will work in order to m ake it It is a

”
.

m ocke y ! rN o it is an arca nu m H o w can I m ake use

”
.
,

of an arcanum which I fail to understand ? Believe and

act you will understand later .

O e da y a pe son said to me : I would that I c ould be

n r

a fervent C atholic but I a m a Voltairean What would I

”
.
,

not give to have faith ! I replied : S ay I woul d no ‘ ’

longe ; say I will and I prom ise you that you will
r ,
’

believe You tell m e you are a Voltairean and of all the

.
,

va ious presentations of faith that of the Jesuits is most

r

r epugnant to you but at the sam e tim e seem s the m ost

,

powerful and desirable Perform the exercises of S t .

Ignatius again and again without allowing yourself to be ,

discouraged and you will attain the faith of a Jesuit The

,
.

result is infall ible and Should you then have the sim plicity
,

to ascribe it to a mi racle you deceive yo urse l f now in ,

v

thinking that you are a Voltairean .

An idle m a n will never beco m e a m agician M agic is an .

exercise of all hours and all m o m ents The ope ator of . r

great wo ks m ust be absolute m aster of him self ; he m ust

r

know how to conque the allurem ents of pleasu e appetite

r r , ,

and sleep ; he m ust be i sensible t success and to in dignity

n o .

His life m ust be that of a will directed by one thought and ,

se ve d by entire nature which he will have m ade subject to

r ,

mind in his own organs and by sy m pathy in ll the uni , a

versal fo ces which a e their correspondents All faculties

r r .

a d all senses should sha e in the wo k ; nothing in the

n r r

priest of Herm es has the ight to remain i dle ; intelligence

r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
m ust be formulated by signs and summ ed by characters or
p na t a c l e s ; will m ust be d ete m ined by wo ds and m ust r r ,

f ul fil wo ds by deeds ; the m agical idea m ust be ren dered

r

into light fo the eyes ha m ony for the ears pe f um es for

r ,
r ,
r

the sense of s mell savours for the palate objects for the
, ,

touch ; t h e operator in a wo d m ust ealise in his whole

,
r ,
r

life what he wishes to realise in the worl d without h im ; he

m ust beco m e a m g n e t to attract the desired thing ; and
a

when he shall be sufficiently m agnetic he m ust be con ,

vin c e d that the thing will com e of itself and without ,

thinking of it .

It is important f o the m agus to be acquainted with the

r

secrets of science but he m a y know them by intuition and

, ,

without form al learning S olitaries living in the habitual.

,

contemplation of nature frequently divine her h a rm onies , ,

and are m ore inst ucted in thei sim ple good sense than
r r

docto s whose natu al disce nm ent is falsified by the

r ,
r r

S ophistries of the schools TTue practical m agicians are .

alm ost invariably fo und in the country and are frequently ,

un instructed persons and simple shepherds Furtherm o e . r ,

ce tain physical organisations are bett e adapted than others

r r

for the evelations of the occul t world ; the e a e sensitive

r r r

and sym pathetic natures with whom intuition in the ast al ,

r

light is so to speak inbo n ; certain a fflictions and certain

, ,
r

co mplaints can modify the nervous system and in de pe n , ,

de t l y of the concurrence of the will m a y convert it into a

n ,

divinatory apparatus of less r m ore pe fection ; but these o r

pheno m ena are exceptional and gene ally m agical power ,

r

should and can be acquired by perseve ance a n d labou

, ,
r r .

The e a e also som e substances which produce ecstasy and

r r ,

dispose towards the m agnetic sleep ; the e are som e which r

place at the service of imagination all the m ost lively and

highly coloured eflections of the elem entary light ; but the
r

use of such substances is dange ous for they co mm only r ,

occasion stupefaction and intoxication They are used not .

,

withs t anding but in carefully calculate d quantities a n d

, ,

un der wholly exceptional ci cum stances r .

 TH E RITUAL OF TRANSCEN D ENT MAGI C
other occupations and other researches such as chemical
‘

experiments for industrial purposes hygienic prescriptions , ,

the investigation of som e natural secrets and so on ; but the ,

forbidden name of m agic m ust neve be p onounced r r .

The magus m ust be isolated at the beginning and diffi cul t

t o app oach so that he m a y concent ate his power and select
r , r

his points of contact but in p oportion as he is auste e and

, r r

inaccessible at fi st so will he be popular and sought after

r ,

when he shall have m agnetised his chain and chosen his

place in a cu rent of ideas and of light A laborious and
r .

poor existence is so favourable to practical initiation that the

g eatest ma ste s have preferred it even when the wealth of
r r ,

t h e world was at their disposal Then it is that S atan that .

,

is the spirit of igno ance who scorns suspects a d detests

, r , , ,
n

science because at heart he fea s it co mes to tempt the r ,

future m aster of the wo ld by saying to h im : If thou a t r r

the S on of God comm and these stones to beco me bread ” .

,

Then it is that m ercenary m e seek to humiliate the prince n

of knowledge by perplexing dep eciating or sordidly exploit , r ,

ing his labour ; the slice of bread that he deigns to need is

b oken into ten f agm en t s so that he m a y ten tim es stretch
r r ,

forth his hand But the m agus doe s not even s mile at the
.

absurdity and calmly pursues his work

, .

S o far as m y be possible we must avoid t h e sight of

a ,

hideous objects a d uncom ely pe sons m ust decli e eating

n r ,
n

with those who m we do not esteem and m ust live in the ,

m ost uniform and studied m anner We m ust hold ourselves .

in the highest respect and m ust consider that we are de ,

throned sovereigns who consent to existence in o der to r

reconquer our crowns We m ust be m ild and considerate.

to all but in ocial relations m ust never permit ourselves to

, s

be absorbed and must withdraw f om ci cles in which we

, r r

cannot acquire som e in itiative Finally we m a y and should .

,

fulfil the duties and practise the rites of the cul tus to which
we b elong Now of all form s of wo ship the m ost magical
.
, r

is that which m ost realises the mi raculous which bases the ,

most inconceivable mysteries upon the highest reasons which ,

 P R EPAR ATIONS 1 99

has lights equivalent to its shadows which popularises ,

m iracles and incarnates God in all m ankind by faith

,
This .

religion h a s existed always in the world a n d under m any ,

nam es has been ever the one and ruling religion It has .

now am ong the nations of the earth three apparently hostile

form s which are however destined to unite before long for
, , ,

the constitution of one universal C hurch I refer to the .

Greek orthodoxy Rom an C atholicis m and a final trans

, ,

figuration of the religion of Buddha .

We have now made it plain as we believe that our magic , ,

is Opposed to the goetic and necromantic kinds it is at once

an absolute science and religion which should not indeed ,

destroy and absorb a ll Opinions and al l form s of worship ,

but should regenerate and direct them by reconstituting the

ci cle of initiates and thus providing the blind m asses with
r ,

wise and clear seeing leaders-

.

We are living at a period when nothing remains to

destroy and everything to rem ake Rem ake what ? The .

past ? N0 one can em ake the p a St r What then shall

”
.
, ,

we reconstruct ? Temples and thrones ? To what pur

pose since the fo m er ones have been cast down ?
,
r You
might as well say :my house has collapsed from age of ,

what use is it to build another ? But will the house that

you contemplate erecti g be like that which has fallen ?
n

N o fo the one w a s old and the other will be new

,
r Not
withstanding it will be always a house
, What m ore can .

you wish ?
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANS CEND ENT MA GI C

C HAPTE R II
MAGI CAL EQ UILIBRI UM
EQ U ILIBRI UM is the consequence of two fo ces If two forces r .

a e absolutely and invariably equal the equilibrium will be

r ,

imm obility and therefo e the negation of li fe M ovem ent

, r .

is the result of an alternate preponderance The impulsion .

given t o one of the sides of a balance necessarily determines

the m otion of the othe Thus contraries act on one another
r .
,

throughout all nature by correspon dence and analogical con

,

n e c t io n. All life is co mpose d of an aspiration and a espira r

tion ; creation is the assum ption of a shadow to se ve as a r

bound to light of a void to serve as space fo the plenitude

,
r ,

of a passive fruc t ifie d p inciple to susta in and realise the

r

powe of the active generating principle Al l natu e is

r . r

bisexual and the movem ent which produces the appea ances
,
r

of death and life is a continual gene ation God loves the r .

void which he m ade in o der to fill it ; science loves the ig o r

r n

ance which it enlightens ; st ength loves the weakness whi ch

r

it supports ; good loves the apparent evil which gl o ifie s it ; r

da y is desi ous of night a d pursues it unceasingly round

r ,
n

the wo ld ; love is at once a thi st and a plenitude which

r r

m ust diffuse itself He who gives receives and he who

.
,

receives gives ; m ovem ent is a continual inte rchange To .

know the law of this change to be acquainted with the ,

alternative or Simultaneous p oportion of these forces is to r ,

possess the first principles of the great magical arcanum ,

which constitutes true hum an divinity S cientifically we .

,

can appreciate the va ious m anifestations of the universa l

r

m ove m ent through elect ic or m agnetic pheno m ena

r E lec .

trice l apparatuses above all materially and positively reveal

the a fl i it ie s and antipathies of certain substances The
n .

m arriage of c 0 p pe r with z inc the action of all m e t als in the

,

galvanic pile are perpetual and unmistakable revelation s

,
.
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
wil l hi m self be wa ned of the result of his intention by an
r

alternative sensation of warmth and cold in the hand or in ,

both hands when both a e being used which sensation the

r ,

subject S hould experience at the same tim e but in a con ,

t a ry sense that is with a wholly opposed alte native

r , ,
r .

The pentagram or Sign of the microcos m os ep esents

, ,
r r ,

a mong other m agical myste ies the double sympathy of ther ,

hum an ext emities with each other and with the circulation
r

of the ast al light in the hum an bo dy Thus when a m a n is

r .
,

rep esented in the star of the pentag am as ma y be seen in

r r
”
the O ccult Philosophy of Agrippa it shoul d be observed that ,
,

the head correspon ds in m ascul ine sympathy with the right

foot and in femini e sym pathy with the left foot ; that the
n

right hand cor esponds in the sam e way with the left hand
r

a n d left foot a n d recip ocally of the other han d

,
r This m ust .

be borne in m in d when m aking m agnetic pass es if we seek ,

to govern the whole o ganis m and bind all m embers by their

r

p oper chains of analogy and natural sy mpathy The sam e

r .

knowledge is necessary for the use of the penta gram in the

conjuration of spi it s and in the evocation of e ant spi its
r ,
rr r

in the astral light vulgarly called nec om ancy as we S hall

, r ,

explain in the fifth chapte of this Ritual But it is well r .

to observe here that eve y action prom otes a reaction and

r ,

that in m agnetising others or influencing them magically , ,

we establish between them and ourselves a current of con

t ra ry but analogous influence which m a y subject us to the m
instead of subjecting them to us as happens f equently ,
r

enough in those operations which have the sympathy of love

for their object Hence it is highly essential to be on our
.

defence wh ile we are attacking so as not to aspire on the ,

left while we respire on the right The m agical and ogyne . r

depicted in the f ontispiece of the Ritual has S OLVE insc ibed

r r

upon the right and C O GULA on the left a rm which corre ,

sp o ds to the sym bolic al

n figure of the archite cts of the
second tem ple who bo e their sword in one hand and thei
, r r

trowel in the other Wh ile building they had also to defend

.

their wo k and disperse their enemies ; nature herself does

r
 MAGI CAL EQ UILIBRI UM 203

likewise destroying and regenerating at the sa me tim e

, .

N ow according to the allegory of D uc h e n t a u s M agical

,
’

C alendar m a that is to say the initiate is the ape of nature

,
n, , , ,

who confines h im by a chain bu t m akes h im act unceasingly , ,

i mitati g the proceedings and works of his divine mistress

n

and imperishable m o del .

The alternate use of contrary forces warmth after cold , ,

m ildness after seve i ty love after anger & c is the secret of

r , , .
,

pe petual m otion and the permanence of power ; coquettes

r

feel this instinctively and hence they m ake their admi ers ,
r

pass f om hope to fear from joy to despondency To Operate

r , .

always on the same side and in the sam e manner is to over

weight one plate of the balance and the co mple t e dest uction ,
r

of equilibrium is the speedy result C ntinual caressings . o

beget satiety disgust and antipathy just as constant coldness

, , ,

and severity in the long run alienate and discourage a ff e c

tion A n unvarying and ardent fi e in alchem y calcines the
. r

fi st m atter and not seldom explodes the hermetic vessel ;

r

the heat of lim e and m ineral m anure m ust be substituted at

r egular intervals for the heat of flam e And so also in .

m agic ; the works of wrath or seve ri ty m ust be te m pered by

those of be n e fic e n c e and love and if the will of the operator ,

be always at the sam e tension and di ected along the sam e r

line grea t weariness will ensue together with a S pecies of

, ,

m o al i m po tence
r .

Thus the magus Sho uld not live altogether in his

,

laboratory am ong his athanor elixirs and p a n t a c l e s How

, , , .

ever devouring be the glance o i that C irce who is called

occult power we must know how to confront h e on occa sion
,
r

with the swo d of Ul ysses a d how to with d aw our lips for a

r ,
n r

tim e f om the chalice which she o ff e s us A magical Operation

r r .

should always be followed by a rest o f equal length and

a dis traction analogous but contrary in its object To strive .

continually against nature I n order to her rule and con

quest is to risk reason and life Paracelsus dared to do so .
,

but even in the warfare itself he employed equilibrated fo ces r

and opposed the intoxication of wine to that of intelligenc e .

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
So was Paracelsus a m a of inspiration and mi acles ; yet n r

his life was exhausted by this devou ing activity o athe r ,

r r r

its vestm ent was apidly rent a d wo n o ut ; but me like

r n r n

Paracelsus can use n d abuse fearlessly ; they well know a

that they can no more die than grow old here below .

N othing induces us towards joy so e ffectually as sorrow ;

nothing is nea e to sorrow than joy Hence the unin
r r .

st ucted ope ato is astounded by attaining the ve y

r r r r

O pposite of his proposed results be cause he does not ,

know how to cross or alternate hi s action ; he seeks to

bewitch his enemy and him self becom es ill and m iserable ;
,

he desi es to m ake him self loved and he consumes him self

r ,

for wom en who deride h im ; he endeavours to m ake gold ,

and he exhausts all his resou ces ; his torture is that of r

Tantalus eternally ; ever does the water flow back when he

stoops down to d ink The ancients in their symbols a n d
r .

m agical ope ations m ultiplied the signs of the duad so that

r ,

its law of equilibrium m ight be remembered In thei . r

evocations they invariably const ucted two altars and r ,

imm olated two victim s one white and one black ; the ,

ope ato whether m ale or female holding a S word in one

r r, ,

han d a d a wand in the othe had one foot shod and the
n r,

othe ba ed At the sam e tim e eithe one o th ee pe sons

r r .
,
r r r r

we e equired for m agical wo ks because the dua d would be

r r r ,

imm obility o death in the absence o f the equilibrating

r

m otor ; and when a m a n and a wo man participated in the

cerem ony the operator was eithe a virgin a h e rma p h o
, r ,
r

dit e o a child I shall be asked whethe the eccent icity

,
r . r r

of these ites is arbit ary and whethe its one e d is the

r r ,
r n

exercise of the will by the m ere m ultiplication of difficulties

in m agical work ? I answer that in magic there is nothing
a bit ary because eve ything is ruled a n d pre determi ned by
r r ,
r

the one and universal dogma of He m es that of analogy in r ,

the th ee wo lds E ach S ign corresponds to an idea and to

r r .
,

the special form of an i dea ; each act expresses a volition

correspon ding to a thought and form ulates the analogies of ,

that thought and that will The rites are therefore pre .
, ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CEND E NT MAGI C
neve been our pretension to resto e rites which are for ever
r r

dest oyedr The orthodoxy of Israel that religion which is

.
,

so rational so divine and so ill known condem ns no less

, , , ,

than C h istianity the mysteries of ceremonial magic F om

r , . r

the standpoint of the tribe of Levi the exercise of trans ,

c e n de n t m agic m ust be considered as an usurpation of

the p iesthood ; and the same reason has caused the pro
r

scription of ope ative m agic by every o fl ic ia l cultus To

r .

dem onstrate t h e natural foundation of the m arvellous and ,

to produce it at will is to an nihilate for the vulgar min d

,

that conclusive evidence from miracles which is claim ed by

each religion as its exclusive prope ty and its final argu r

m ent Respect for established religions but room also fo

.
,
r

science ! We have passed thank God the days of inquisi , ,

tions and pyres ; unhappy me n of lea ning a e no longer r r

mur dered on the faith of a few distraught fanatics or

hyste ical girls F or the rest let it be clea ly unde st ood
r .
, r r

that our undertaking is conce ned with st udies of the r

cu ious and not with an i mpossible propaganda Those

r ,
.

who m a y blam e us fo daring to term ourselves m agician r

have nothing to fear f om the exam ple it being wholly r ,

improbable that they will eve becom e so ce ers r r r .

C HAPTE R III
THE TRIAN GLE O F PANTACLE S

THE Abbot Trit h e miu s who in m agic was the m aster of

,

C o rnelius Agrippa explains in his S teganography the

, , ,

sec et of conju ations and evocations after a ve y natu al

r r r r

a n d philosophical m anner though possibly for that ve y , ,

r

reason too simply and too easily He tells us that to evoke

, .

a Spi it is to enter into the do minant thought of that spi it

r r ,

a d if we raise ou selves m orally higher along the sa m e line

n r ,
 THE TRI ANGLE o r PANTACLE S 207

we shall draw t h e spirit away with us and it will certainl y ,

serve us To conjure is to oppose the resistance of a cur

ent and a chain to an isolated spi it— um ju re to swea
.

r r c ra ,
r

together that is to m ake a co m m on act of faith

, ,
The .

greater the strength and enthusias m of this faith the more ,

efficacious is the conju ation This is why new born C hris r .

-

t ia n it y silenced the oracles ; it only possessed inspiration it ,

only force Later on when S t Peter grew old that is when

.
, , ,

the world believed that it had a legal case against the

Papacy the spirit of prophecy cam e to eplace the oracles
,
r

S avona ola Joachi m of Flores John Hus and so m any

r , , ,

othe s by tu ns influenced the minds of m e and inter

r ,
r n,

p e
r t e d by ,
la m entations and m enaces the sec et anxieties ,
r

and rebellions of all hearts .

We m a y act individually when evoking a Spirit but to ,

conju e we must speak i the nam e of a ci cle or an associa

r n r

tion ; thi s is the significance of the hie oglyphica l ci cle r r

trac ed round the m agus who is operating and ut of which ,

o

he m ust not pass unless he wishes at the sam e m o m ent to

be st ipped of all his power L et us grapple at this point
r .

with the vital and palmary question whether the real evoca ,

tion and real conju ation of spirits are thin gs possible and
r ,

whethe such possibility can be scientifically dem onstra t ed

r .

To the fi st part of the question it m a y be replied out of

r

hand that everything which is not an evident im possibility

can a d m ust be admitted as provisionally possible As to
n .

the second part we affirm that in virtue of the great m agical

,

dogm a of the hie a chy a n d of u ni versal analogy the kab

r r ,

ba l ist ic possibility of eal evocations can be dem onst ate d ; r r

conce ning the pheno m enal reality consequent upon m agical

r

Operations acco m plished with since ity this is a m atter of r ,

experience ; as already desc ibe d we have established r ,

it in our own persons and by m eans of this Ritual we ,

shall place o u reade s in a position to renew and confirm

r r

our expe iences r .

N othing in nature pe ishes ; whatsoeve has lived goes r r

on living always under new form s ; but even the anterior

 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN SCEND E NT MAGI C
forms are not destroyed since they persist in our m em o y ,
r

D o we not still see in i m agin ation the child we once kne '

though now he is an old ma n ? The very traces which

believe to be e ff aced fro m our m em o y a e not in r r r f

blotted out for a fortuitous circumstance ma y e vo l

,

recall the m But afte what manner do we see t h e

. r

we have already said it is in the astral light w h i

, ,

mi ts the m to our brain by the m echani m of t s

’

syste m O n the other hand all form s are prop

.
,

analogical to the idea which has determ ined t h

the natural characte the signature of that id r,

te m it and so soon as the idea is acti

r ,

fo m is realised and bo died forth S ch

r .
'

illuminé of Leipsic terrified all Germe ,

tions and his audacity in m agical e p

,
x P

that his reputation beca me an ins '

allowed him self to be carried a w a v

of hallucinations which he had p r
other wo ld disgusted him with
r

His story should be a warning

by cerem onial m agic Nat .
:

p u
n it y and no
,
one can s e
’

calculable forces It is .

and will ever lead us ,

those who woul d see i

we eply to them in
r

em inent E nglishm an
You a e perfectly wit
r

f
or our own part it will L
”
, .

less convinced To those wh . o

have scrupulou ly and boldly fulfille s d

there has been no result we would rec ,

s

S hould stay their hand as it is possibly a warm ,

.

who will not lend herself for them to these ano m alou s

but if they persist in their cu iosity they have only to r ,

af esh
r .

The triad being the foundation of m agical doctrine must

, ,
 THE l RITUAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
forms are not dest ABRACAD ABRA
D o we not still S O AB RA CAD AB R t

though now he is a AB RACAD AB

believe to be e ffa c ABRACAD A r

blotted out f o a 1 ABRACAD ,

r

recall them But a AB RA CA

.
'

we have already sai ABRAC r

mits the m to our br A BRA a

syste m O n the othe

. A BR
analogical to the idea AB
the natu al cha acte 1 r A r r,

te m rt and o soon letters is a key of the pentagram

r ,
s

fo m is realised and b i five and rep o duce 6 t h H t t Im es

.

r
y r
illuminé of Leipsic ten s and numbers of the two following
.

t o s and h s a uda c t y n
.

r n ,
r I

that his reputation bec a

allowed him self to be c a r

of halluci ations which he n

othe world disgus ted him

r
,

His story should be a w a r

by cerem onial ma gic Na .

p u i
nt y and no one
,
can sa f
calculable fo ces It is r .
4

a d will ever lea d us

n ,

those who would see i the unity of the first principle ’

we reply to them in active agent A united to B .

eminent E nglishman h e dua d by the monad R is ‘

z .

You a e perfectly wit

r o it rep esents hi eroglyphic t r

for our own part it will a lts f o m the union of the

”
,
a.
r

less convi ced To those W D 1 1 which is that o f the

n .
,

have scrupulously and boldly in the unity o f the initiate

the e has been no result we Vi and the numbe 6 6 the
r , , r ,

should stay thei hand as it is p c ka bba list ic a lly form s the

r ,

who will not lend herself for them o f the triad and couse , ,

but if they persist in their c u io sit the circle We ma y re r .

af esh
r .
o f the Apocalypse that ,

The triad being the foundation p o se d the num be o f the

, r r
 TH E TRIAN GLE o r PANTACLE S 211

beast that is to say of idolatry by adding a 6 to the double

, , ,

sena y of ABRACAD ABRA which gives 1 8 ka bba list i a lly

r ,
c ,

the number att ibuted in the Tarot to the hieroglyphic Sign

r

of night and of the profan e —the m oon together with the

towers dog wolf and crab —a m ysterious and obscure
,

, , ,

nu m ber the kabbalistic key of which is 9 the num be of

, ,
r

initiation O this subject the sac ed kabbalist says ex

. n r

pressly : He that hath understanding (that is the key ,

of kabbalistic numbers) let h im count the num be of the ,

r

beast for it is the number of a m a n and the number of

, ,

h im is It is in fact the deca de of Pythago as , ,

r

multiplied by itsel f and added to the sum of the triangular

Pe ntacle of A b acadabra it is thus the sum of all m agic of
r

the ancient world the entire programm e of human genius

,

which the divine genius of the Gospel sought to abso b or r

transplant .

These hieroglyphical combinations of letters and numbers

belong to the practical part of the kabbalah which from , ,

this point of view is divided in t o G e ma t ria h and Te mura h

, .

S uch calculations whi ch now see m to us arbitrary o devoid

,
r

of interest then belonged to the philosophical symbolism of

,

the E ast and were of the highest importance in the teaching

,

of holy things e manating f om the occult sciences The r .

absolute kabbalistic alphabet which co nected primitive ,

n

ideas with allegories allegories with letters and letters with

, ,

numbers was then called the keys of S olom n We have

, o .

already stated that these keys preserved to our own da y , ,

but wholly misconstrued are nothing else than the game of ,

Tarot the antique allegories of which were rem arked and

,

appreciated for the fi st tim e in the modern world by the r

lea ned archaeologist C ourt de G e be lin

r , .

The double triangle of S olom on is explained by S t John

in a remarkable m anner He says There a e three which r

give testimony in heaven—the Father the Wo d and the

.
,

,
r ,

Holy Spirit ; and the e a e three which give testimony on

”
r r

earth—the spirit the water and the blood , Thus S t John , .

,

ag ee s with the masters of Herm etic philosophy who a tt ri

r ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
bute to their sulphur the name of ether to their m ercury ,

that of phil osophical water and to their salt t h e qualification

,

of the dr agon s blood or menstruum of the earth blood or

’

salt corresponds by O pposition with the F ather azotic or ,

m ercurial water with the Word or Logos and the ethe with ,
r

the Holy Spi it But the things of transcendent symbolism

r .

can only be rightly understood by the true chi ldren of

science .

The threefold epetition of nam es with varied intona

r

tions was united to triangular combinations in m agical cere

m onies . The magic rod was frequently surm ounted with a
small magnetised fork which Paracelsus replaced by the
,

trident represented below .

This trident is a p a n t a c l e expressing the synthesis of the

triad in the m onad thus com pleting the s a c e d tetrad He
,
r .

ascribed to thi s figu e all the virtues which kabbalistic

r

Hebrews attribute to the nam e of Jehovah and the th e um a ,

t urgic p ope ties of the Ab acadabra used by the hierophants

r r r

of Al exan d ia L et us he e ecognise that it is a pan

r . r r

tacle and consequently a concrete and an absolute sign of

,

an enti e doct ine which has been that of an imm ense

r r

m agnetic ci cle not only for ancient philosophers but also

r , ,

for adepts of the m iddle ages The resto ation in our own . r

day of its original valu e by the com p ehension of its r

myste ies might not that also restore all its miraculous
r ,

virtue and all its powe against hum an diseases r

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MA GI C
blinded by insensate passions to realise literally the a ll e go ri ,

cal history of the Hebrew Hercules ; by overthrow n the

pillars of the tem ple it has itself been buried unde the
, r

ruins The m asonic associations of the p esent tim e are no

. r

less ignorant of the high m eanin g of their sym bols than are
the abbins of the S eph e r Je t ira h and the Zohar upon the
r z

ascending scale o f the three deg ees with the transverse r ,

progression f om ri ght to left and from left to right of the

r

kabbalistic septenary The com pass of the G A and

.

the square of S olom on have becom e the gross and m aterial

level of unintelligent Ja c o bi ism realised by a steel t i angle ;
n ,
r

this obtains both for heaven and earth The initiated .

divulgers to whom the ill uminated Ca o t t e predicted a violent z

death have in our own days exceeded the S i of Adam ;

, ,
n

having ashly gathered the f uits of the tree of knowledge

r r ,

which they did not know how to use for their nourishment ,

they have cast it to the beasts and reptil es of the ea t h r .

S o was the reign of superstition inaugu ated and it m ust r ,

persist until the period when t ue eligion Shall be again r r

constituted on the et ernal foundations of the hie archy of r

th ee deg ees and of the triple power which the hierarchy

r r ,

exercises blindly or p ovidentially in the three worlds

r .

C HAPTE R IV
THE C O NJURATI ON O F THE F OU R
THE four elem entary form s roughly sepa at e and dis r

t i guish the created S pi its which the universal m ove m ent

n r

disengages f om the cent al fi e The Spi it everywhere

r r r . r

toil s and fruc t ifie s m atte by life all matte is a im ated ;

r r n

thought and soul a e eve ywhe e By possessing ourselves

r r r .

of the thought which produces diverse fo m s we b ecom e r ,

t h e m aster of form s and m ake them se ve our pu poses

,
r r .
 THE C O NJU RA TI ON o r TH E FO U R 215

The ast al light is saturated with such souls which it

r ,

disengages in the unceasing generation of beings These .

souls have im pe rfect wills which can be governed and e m ,

ployed by m ore powe ful wills ; then g eat invisible chains r r

form and ma y occa sion or det ermine great elem entary c o m

,

m otions The phenom ena established by the c iminal trials

. r

of m agic a d quite recently by M E udes de M irville have

,
n .
,

no other cause E lementary spiri ts are like childr en : they

.

ch iefly torm ent those who trouble about them u nl ess in , ,

deed they a e controlled by high reason and great severity

,
r .

We designate these spirits unde the nam e of occult elem ents r ,

and it is these who f equently occasion our bizarre or dis r

t urbin g drea m s who produce the m ovem ents of the divi ing
,
n

rod and rappings upon walls or furniture but they can ,

manifest no thought other than our own and when we are ,

not think ing they speak to us with all the incohe ence of
,
r

d eams They reproduce good and evil i difi e re n t ly fo

r . n
’

,
r

they are without f ee will and are hence irresponsible ; theyr ,

exhibit them selves to ecstatics and so mna mbulists unde in r

complete and fugitive form s This explains the night mares .

of S t Anthony and m ost probably the visions of S wedenborg

,
.

S uch c reatu es are neither dam ne d nor guilty they are

r ,

cu ious and innocent

r We m a y use or abuse them like .

animals o childr en Therefore the m agus who m akes use

r .

of them assum es a terrible responsibil ity fo he m ust expiate ,

r

all the evil which he causes them to acco mplish a d the ,

n

intensity of his punishm ent will be in p opo tion to the r r

extent of the power which he m a y have exercised by their

mediation .

To govern elem entary spirits and thus beco m e the king ,

of the occult elem ents we m ust first have unde gone the ,
r

four ordeals of ancient initiations ; and seeing that these

initiations exist no longer we m ust have substituted analo ,

gous expe iences such as exposing ourselves boldly in a

r ,

fire c ossing an abyss by means of the t unk of a tree or a

,
r r

plank scaling a pe pendicular mountain du ing a storm

,
r r ,

swimming th rough a dangerous whi lpool or cata act A r r .

 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
ma n who is tim id in the water will never reign over the
undines ; one who is afraid of fire will never command sala
m anders ; so long as we are liable to giddiness we m ust
leave the sylphs in peace and forbear fro m irritating the
,

gnom es ; for inferio spi its will only obey a power which
r r

has overcom e them in their own elem ent When this i . n

contestable faculty has been acqui ed by exercise and da ing r r ,

t h e word of our will m ust be i mposed on the elem ents by

special consecratio n s of air fire wat er and earth T h is is, , ,
.

the indispensable preliminary of a ll m agical operations .

The air is exe cised by breathing towa ds the four cardinal

r r

points saying
,

The S pi it of God m oved upon the wate s and breathed

r r ,

into the face of ma n the breath of life Be M ichael my .

,

leader and S a bt a bie l my servant in and by the light

, , ,
.

M a y m y b eath beco m e a wo d and I will rule the S pi its

r r ,
r

of this creature of air ; I will curb the steeds of the sun by

the will of my hea t and by the thought of my m ind and
r , ,

by the apple of the right eye The efore I do exorcise thee . r ,

creatu e of air by P e n ta gra mma to n and in the nam e

r , ,

Tet agramm aton whe ein are firm will and true faith
r ,
r .

Amen S l : Fia t
. e a S o be it . .

The p ayer of the sylphs m ust next be recited after

r ,

tracing their S ign in the air with the quill of an eagle .

P r a yer f
o th e S ylp hs .

S pirit of Light S pi it of Wisdom whose b eath gives and

, r ,
r

takes away the form of all things ; Thou befo e who m the r

life of every being is a shadow which transforms and a

vapour which passes away ; Thou who a sc e n de st upon the
clouds and dost fly upon the wings of the wind Thou who
bre a t h e st out and the l i mitless i mm ensities a e peopled ; r

Thou who bre a t h e st in and al l which cam e forth from Thee

unt o Thee returneth ; endless m ovem ent in the et ernal
stability be Thou blessed fo ever ! We praise Thee and
,
r

we bless Thee in the fleeting empire of created l ight of ,

 THE RIT UAL O F TRANS CE ND E N T MA GI C
life by the Three N am es which are N e tsa h Hod and
, , , ,

J e so d in the beginning and in the end by Al pha and

, ,

O mega which are in the S pirit of AZ OTH 1 Am en

, .

M ing ling th e Wa ter , S a lt , a nd A sh .

In the salt of eternal wisdo m in the wate of regenera ,

r

tion and the ash whence the new earth sp ingeth be a ll

,
in r ,

things accomplished by E lo m Gabriel Raphael and U riel r , , , ,

through the ages and aeons Amen .

E xo r cism f
o the Wa ter .

L et there be a firma me n t in the m i dst of the waters and ,

let it divide the waters f om the wate s the things which

r r

are above a e like unto things which a e below and things

r r ,

below a e like unto things above fo the pe fo m ance of the

r ,
r r r

wonders of one thing The sun is its father the m oon its
.
,

m othe the wind hath carried it in the belly thereof ; it

r,

ascendeth from earth to heaven and again it descendeth ,

from heaven to ea th I exo cise thee c eatu e of wate

r . r ,
r r r,

that thou m ayest becom e unto m e n a mi o of the living rr r

God in His works a fount of life and ablution of sins

, ,
.

P r a y er o f t h e Un din es .

ead King of the S ea who hast the keys of the fl o o d

Dr ,

gates of heaven and dost confine the waters of the under

,

wo ld i the caverns of ea th ; King of the deluge and the

r n r

floods of the S p ingtim e Thou who dost unseal the sou ces
r r

of ive s a d fountains ; Thou who dost ordain m oisture

r r n ,

which is like the blood of earth to becom e the sap of ,

plants : Thee we ado e and Thee we invoke I S peak unto

r

us Thine inconstant and unstable c eatu es in the great

,
r r ,

tum ults of the sea and we shall trem ble before Thee ;
,

speak unto us also in the m u m u of lim pid waters and we r r ,

S hall yearn for Thy l ove ! 0 I mm ensity into which flow

 THE C ONJ U RATION o r THE F O UR 219

all the rivers of life to be continua lly reborn in Thee 0 ,

ocean of infinite perfections ! Height which reflects Thee

in the depth depth which exhales Thee to the height lead
, ,

us unto true life by intelligence and love ! Le ad us to im

m ortality by sacrifice that we m a y be found worthy one ,

day to offe Thee water blood and tears for the remission
r , , ,

of sins Am en .

Fi e is exo cised by the sprinkling of salt incense white

r r , ,

resin cam phor and sulphur by thrice pronouncing the

, , ,

three names of the genii of fire : MI CHAEL king of the sun ,

a n d the lightning S AMAEL king of volcanoes and ANAE L , ,

prince of the astral light and finally by eciting the , ,

r

P r a yer f
o th e S a la m a n der s .

Imm ortal eternal ineffable and uncreated Fathe of all

, , ,
r

things who a t borne upon the ever rolling chariot of worlds

, r -

which revolve unceasingly ; Lord of the ethe eal i mm ensities r ,

whe e the th one of Thy power is exalted from which

r r ,

height Thy te rible eyes discern all things and Thy holy
r ,

and beautiful ea s unto all things hearken hear Th u Thy

r ,
o

children wh m Thou didst love before the ages began ; for

, o

Thy golden Thy g and Thine ete nal m ajesty shines above
, r ,
r

the world and the heaven of stars Thou art exalted over
them 0 glitte ing fire ! There dost thou shine the e dost
, r ,
r

Thou comm une with Thyself by Thine own S plendour and ,

inexhaustible stream s of light pour from Thine essence for

the nourish m ent of Thine infinite spi it which itself doth r ,

nou ish all things and form s that inexhaustible treasure of

r ,

substance eve ready for gene ation which adapts it and

r r ,

app op iates the forms Thou hast imp esse d on it from the
r r r

beginning Fro m this S pi it the three m ost holy kings who r

surround Thy throne a n d constitute Thy court de ive also ,

r

thei o igin 0 universal Fathe ! O sole and only Father

r r ,
r

of blessed m tals and imm rtals ! In pa ticula Thou hast

or o r r

create d powe s which are m a vellously like unto Thine

r r

eternal thought and Thine adorable essence ; Thou hast

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
established them higher than the angels who proclaim Thy ,

will to the world ; finally Thou hast created us third in ,

rank with in o u ele mentary e mpi e There our unceasing

r r .

exercise is to p aise Thee and adore Thy good pleasure ;

r

there we burn continually in o u aspi ation to possess Thee r r .

0 F ather ! 0 M other m ost t ender of all mothers ! O ,

admi able archetype of m aternity and of pu e love ! 0 son

r r ,

flower o f sons ! 0 form of all form s soul spi it harmony , ,

r , ,

and number of all things Am en .

The earth is exorcised by aspersion of water by breath ,

ing and by fire with the perfu mes prope for each day
, ,
r ,

and the

P ra yer f
o t h e Gn o mes .

King invisible who taking the earth as a support didst

, , ,

furrow the abysses to fill the m with Thine o mnipotence ;

Thou whose nam e doth S hake the vaults of the world Thou ,

who causest the seven m etals to flow through the veins of

the ock m onarch of the seven lights rewarder of the sub
r , ,

terranean toilers lead us unto the desirable a i and to the

,
r,

realm of splendour We watch and we work un e mittingly

. r ,

we seek and we hope by the twel ve stones of the Holy ,

C ity by the hidden talis mans by the pole of loadstone

, ,

which passes through the centre of the wo ld ! S aviour r ,

S aviou S aviou have pity on those who suff e r expand our

r, r, ,

hearts detach and elevate our minds enlarge our entire

, ,

being ! 0 stability and motion ! 0 day clothed with

night ! 0 darkness veiled by light ! O m aster who never
keepest back the wages of Thy labourers ! 0 silve white r

ness ! 0 golden splendour ! O crown of living and m elo

dio us diam on ds ! Thou who w e a re st the heaven on Thy
finger lik e a sapphire ing Thou who c o c e a l e st under r ,
n

the earth in the stone ki gdom the m arvellous seed of

, n ,

stars live reign be the eternal dispenser of the wealth

, , ,

whe eof Thou hast m ade us the warders Am en

r .

It must be borne in m ind that the special kingdo m of

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
pierce thee with this sword ! C hained eagle obey m y S ign , ,

or fly before this breathing ! Writhi ng se pent c aw l at r , r

my f e et or be tortured by the sacred fi re and give way

, ,

befo e the perfum es that I burn in it ! Wate return to

r r

water fire burn a i ci cul ate earth reve t to earth by

, ,
r r ,
r ,

vi tue of the pentagram which is the m orning star and by

r , ,

the nam e of the Tetragram which is written in the centre of ,

the cross of light ! Am en .

The Sign of the c oss adopted by C h istians does not r r

belong to them exclusively It is also kabbalistic and .

,

rep esents the oppositions and tetradic equilibriu m of the

r

ele ments We see by the occult ve sicle of the L o d s

. r r
’

Praye which we have cited in o u D oct ine that it was

r, r r ,

originally m ade afte two m anners or at least that it was

r ,

characterised by two enti ely di ff erent for mulae one eserved r ,

r

f o p iests and initiate s the other imparted to neophytes

r r ,

a d the p ofane
n F or exam ple the initiate said raising his
r
” ”
.
, ,

hand to his fo ehead Fo thine then added is and

r ,
“
r ,
“
,

continuing as he brought down his hand to his b east the r

”
,

king do m then to the left S houlder the justice after

wa ds to the right S houlder and the m ercy —then
, ,

“
r

claspin g his han ds he a dded in the gene ating ages ” ,

“
r

h et Ch es d p r o n a s —a sign of
.
, ,

Tibi sa t M l h t t d
n a e a e ra e e oe

the cross which is absolutely a d m a gn ific e n tly kabbalistic

l

n ,

which the profanations of Gnosticis m have com pletely lost

to the o fficial a d militant C hu ch This S ign m ade after
n r .
,

this m anner S hould p ecede and term inate the conju ation
,
r r

of the four .

To ove com e and subjugate the elem entary S pi its we

r r ,

m ust never yield to their characteristic defects Thus a .

,

shallow and capricious m ind will never rule the sylphs ; an

irresolute cold and fickle nature will neve master the
, ,
r

undines ; passion irritat es the salam ande s and avaricious r ,

greed m akes its slaves the sport of t h e gnom es But we .

m ust be pro mpt and active like t h e sylphs ; pliant and ,

attentive to im ages like the undines ; ene getic a d strong

, r n ,

like the salam an ders ; laborious and patient like the

 THE C ONJ UR ATI O N o r TH E FO U R 223

gnomes ; in a word we must overco m e them in their,

strength without ever being overcome by thei r weaknesses .

O n c e we are well established in this disposition the whole ,

world will be at the service of the wise O perator He will .

pass th ough the stor m and the ain will not moisten his
r ,
r

head the wind will not m ove even a fold of his garm ents ;
he will go through fi e and not be burned ; he will walkr

upon the water a n d will behold di am onds within the crust

,

of the earth These promises ma y appear hyperbolic but

.
,

only to vulgar unde standing for if the sage do not m aterially

r ,

and a ctually perform these things he accomplishes others ,

which are m uch greater and more admirable At the sam e .

tim e it is indubitable that we m a y direct the elem ents by

,

our will up to a ce tain point and can really change or

r ,

hinder their e ffects For exam ple if it be established that

.
,

persons in an ecstatic state lose their weight for the time

being why should it be i mpossible to walk upon the water
,

The convul sionaries of S aint M edard felt neither fire nor

steel and begged for the m ost violent blows a d inc edible
,
n r

to tures as a relief The ext ao dinary climbings and

r . r r

m i aculous e quilibrium o f so m e so m nambulists

r e a revela ar

tion of these concealed forces of nature But we live in a .

century when no one has the courage to confess the wonders

he has witnessed a d did any one say : I have myself
n
f‘ “

”
f
,

beheld or pe form ed the things which I a m describing

r ,

he would be answe ed : You a re a nyusin g yourself at our

r
“

”
,

expense or otherwise you are ill It is far bet ter to be

, , , .

S ilent and to act .

The m etals which correspond to the four elementary

form s are gold and silver for the air m ercury for water , ,

iron and Oopper for fire lead for earth Talismans are , .

composed fro m these relative to the forces which they,

signify and to the e ff ects which it is designed to obtain

from them D ivination by the four ele m entary forms
.
,

resp ectively known as aeromancy hyd om ancy py omancy , r ,

r ,

and geom ancy is performed afte r various m anne s which

, r ,

all depend 0 the will and the translucid o im agination of

11 ,
r ,
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCE ND EN T MA GIC
the operator In fact the four elem ents are only in st ru
.
,

m ents which assist second sight N ow second S ight is the .

,

fac ulty O f seeing in the ast al light and it is natural as the r ,

first or sensible and ordinary S ight but it can only ope ate ,
r

by the abst action of the senses S omnambulists and

r .

ecstatics enjoy second S ight naturally but this S ight is m ore ,

lucid when the abst action is m ore complete Abst action

r . r

is produced by astral int oxication that is by an excess of , ,

light which completely saturates and hence st upe fie s the , ,

nervous system .

S anguine t e m pe aments are disposed to aerom ancy the

r ,

bilious to py om ancy the phlegm atic to hyd o mancy and

r ,
r ,

the m elancholic to geomancy f E o m a c y is confirm ed by . r n

oneirom ancy or divination by dream s ; pyr om ancy is sup

,

l m e n t e d by m agnetis m ; hydro m ancy by c ystallo m ancy r

p e

and geom ancy by carto m ancy These a e transpositions . r

and com pletem ent of m ethods But divin ation however .

,

ope ated is dangerous o to say the least useless for it

r , ,
r, , ,

di shea tens will as a consequence im pedes liberty and tires

r , , ,

the nervous system .

C HAPTE R V

TH E B LAZIN G P EN TA GRAM
WE proceed to the explanation and consecration of the
sacre d a d mysterious pentag am At this point let the
n r .
,

igno ant and superstitious close the book ; they wi ll eithe

r r

see nothing but darkness or they will be scandalised The , .

pentag am which in gnostic schools is called t h e blazin g

r , , ,

star is the Sign O f intellectual omnipotence and autoc acy

, r .

It is the star of the magi ; it is the S ign of the Word m ade

flesh ; and according to the direction of its points thi s
, ,

absolute m agica l symbol represents order or confusion the ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
be added The five breathin gs are accompanied by t h e
.

utte ance of the na m es attributed to the five genii wh o are

r ,

Gabriel Raphael An a el S amael and O rip hiel ; afte wards

, , , ,
r

t h e pent a cle is placed successively at the north south east , , ,

west and centre of the astrono mical cross pronouncin g at

, ,

the sam e tim e one aft er another the letters of the sacred
, ,

tetrag a m and then in an undertone the blessed nam es of

r , , ,

Al eph a d the mysterious Thau united in the Kabbalistic

n ,

name of AZO TH .

The pentag am S hould be placed upon the altar of

r

perfum es and under the tripod of evocations The operator

, .

S hould also wear the S ign as well as that of the m acrocos m ,

which is co m posed of two crossed and superp sed triangles o

When a spi it of light is evoked the head f the star—that

.

r o

is one of its points —S hould be di ected towards the tripo d

,

, r

of evocations and the two inferio p ints towards the alta r

,
r o

of perfum es In the case of a spi it of da kness t h e

. r r ,

opposite c ourse is pursued but then the operator m ust be ,

careful to set the end of the rod or the point of the sword
upon the head of the pentagram We have already sa id .

that S igns are the active voice of the verb of will N o w .

,

the word of will m ust be given in its completeness so th a t ,

it m a y be t ansform ed in to action ; and a single negligence

r ,

representing an idle speech or a doubt fa lsifie s a d para ,

n

lyses the whole ope ation turning back upon the operat o r
r ,

all the forces thus expended in vain We m ust the efore .

,
r ,

absolutely abstain from magical cere m onies or sc upul ously r

a n d exactly fulfil the m all .

The pentagram engraved in lu minous lines upon glas s by

,

the electrical m achine also exercises a great influence upon

,

S pirits and t e r ifi e s phanto m s

, The old magicians traced
r .

the sign of the pentag am upon thei doo steps to prevent r r r- ,

evil spirits f o m entering and goo d spirits f om departing

r r .

This constraint followed from the di ection of the points of r

the sta Two points on the oute S ide drove away the
r . r

evil ; two points on the inner side imp isoned them ; one r

only on the inner side held good spirits captive All these .
 TH E B LAZIN G RE NTAO RAH 227

magical theo ries based upon the one dogma of Herm es and
,

011 t he analogical deductions of science have been 1 n v a r1a bl y ,

confi med by the visions of ecstatics and by the c onvulsions

r

of cata leptics sa ying that they are possessed with spirits .

The G which F ree mason s place in the middle of the blazing

star signifies GNO S I S and G ENE R ATI O N the two sacred words ,

of the ancient Kabbalah It signifies also G RAN D AR C HI .

TE C T for the pentagra m on every side represents an A

, By .

placing it in such a way that two of its points are in the

as ce nda t and one is below we ma y see the horns ears and
n , ,

beard O f the hierarchic goat of M endes whe n it becomes the ,

S ign of infernal evocations .

Th e allegorical star of the m agi is no ther than the o

mysterious pentag a m ; and those three kings sons of

r ,

Zoroaste conducted by the blazing star to the cradle of

r, .

the micro c osmic God are enough in them selves to demon ,

strate the wholly kabbalistic and truly magical beginnings

of C hristian doctrine O n e of these kings is white another
.
,

black and the third b own The white kin g o ff e s gold

, r . r ,

symbol of light and life ; the black king p esents m yrrh r ,

image of deat h and of darkness ; the brown king sacrifices

incense e mblem of the conciliating doctrine of t h e two
,

principles Then they return into their own land by

.

another road to S ho w that a new cultus is only a new

,

path conducting m a to the one religion that of the sacred

, n ,

triad and the radiant pentag am the sole eternal th o licism r ,

ca .

S t John in the Apoca lypse beholds this sam e star fall from
, ,

heaven to ea th It is then called a bsy t h o worm woo d

r n r

and all the wate s of the sea beco m e bitter—st iking i m age
.
,

r r

of the m aterialisation of dogma which p oduces fanaticism ,

r

a n d the ac idities of controve sy

r Then unto C hristianity r .

it self ma y be applied those words of Isaiah : How hast

thou falle f o m heave bright star which wast S O
n r n,
”
,

splendid in thy prim e ! But the pentagram profaned ,

by m e n burns ever unclouded in the right hand of

,

the Wo d of Truth and the inspi ed voice p omis e s

r , r r

to hi m that ove co m eth the possession of the m orning

r
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
sta r — sole mn restitution held out to the star O f
Lucifer .

AS will be seen all m ysteries of m agic all sy mbols of the

, ,

gnosis all figures of occultis m all kabbalistic keys of pro

, ,

p h e c,y a e su
r mm ed up in the S g of the pentag ra m which 1 n ,

Paracelsus p oclai ms to be the g eatest a n d m ost poten t

r r

of all signs Is there any cause n o w for astonishment

.

at the conviction of the m agus as to the eal influence r

exercised by this sign ove the spi its of all hierarchies ? r r

Those who defy the S ign of the c oss t e mble before the s t ar r r

of the microcosm O the contrary when he is conscious

. n ,

of failing will the magus tu ns his eyes towar ds this symbol

, r ,

takes it in his right hand and feels arm ed with intellectual

,

o m nipotence p ovided that he is t uly a king worthy to be

,
r r ,

conducte d by the star to the cra dle of divine ealisation ; r

provided that he k o ws d w ills and keep s sil n t ; pro

n ,
a res, ,
e

v ide d that he is fa miliar with the usages of the p a t a c l e the n ,

cup the wand and the swo d ; p ovi ded finally that the
, , r r , ,

int epid gaze of his soul correspon ds to those two eyes which
r

the ascending point of our pentag am ever presents open r .

 TH E RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEN D ENT MAGI C
We have already s aid that the devil is not a person It .

is a m isdi ected force as its nam e indicates An odic or

r , .

m agnetic current form ed by a chain of pe verse wills con

,
r ,

st it ut e s this evil spirit which the Gospel cal ls l g ion and ,

e ,

—
this it is which precipitated the swine into the sea another
allegory of the att action exercised on beings of infe ior in
r r

S t i c t s by the blind forces that can be put in ope ation by

n r

error and evil will This sym bol ma y be com pa ed with . r

that O f the co mrades of Ulysses transfo med int swine by r o

the sorceress C i ce Re mark what was done by U lysses to

r .

preserve him self and deliver his ass ciates : he re fused t h e o

cup of the enchant ess and com man de d h e with the sword
r r

—
.
,

C irce is nature with all her delights and allure ents to

,
m
enjoy her we m ust overcom e her S uch is the significance .

of the Ho meric fable for the poems of Ho mer the true , ,

sacred b oks of ancient Hellas contain all the myste ies of

o ,
r

hig h oriental initiation .

The atural m edium is t he efo e the serpent eve ac tive

n ,
r r , ,
r

and eve seducing of idle wills which we must continually

r , ,

withstand by their subjugation Amorous glutt onous .

, ,

passionate or idle magicians are impossible m o strosities

,
n .

The magus thinks and wills ; he loves nothing with desire

he rejects nothing in rage The word p s ion signifies a . a s

passive state d the m agus is invariably active invariably

,
an ,

victorious The attain ment of this realisati n is the crucial

. o

difficulty of the transcendent sciences ; so when the m agus

acco mplishes his own c eation the great work is fulfilled at r , ,

least as conce ns cause and instru m ent The great agent o

r . r

natural m ediator of hu man o mnipo t ence cannot be ver co me o

or direct ed save by an ex t n a tu l mediator which is an ra - ra ,

emancipated will Archimedes postulated a fulcru m outside

.

the wo ld in o de to raise the world ! The fulcrum of the

r r r

magus is the in t ellectual cubic s t one the philosophical sto ne

of AZO TH—that is the doctrine of absolute eason and
,

,
r

universal harm onies by the sympathy of contraries .

O n e of our m ost fertile writers and one of those who are ,

the least fixed in their ideas M E ug ene S ue has founded a , . ,

 THE MEDI UM AN D MED IATOR 231

vast romance epic upon an individuality whom he strives to

-

r ender odious who beco m es interesting against the will of

,

the novelist so abundantly does he gift h im with patience

, ,

a udacity intelligence and genius We are in the presence O f

a kind of S ixtus V —poor te mperate passionless holding the
.
, ,

.
, , ,

e ntire world entangled in the web of his skilf ul co m binations .

This ma n excit es at will the pas sions of his enemies destroys ,

them by m eans of one another invariably reaches the point ,

he has kept in view and this without noise without osten

, ,

t a t io n and without i m po sture

, His O bject is to free the .

world of a society which the author of the book believes to

be dangerous and m alignant and to attain it no cost is too ,

great ; he is ill lodged ill clothed nourished like the refuse

, ,

of hum an ity but ever fixed upon his work C onsistently

,
.

with his intention the author depicts him a s wretched

, ,

fi lthy hideous repulsive to the to uch and ho rible to the

, , ,
r

S ight
. But supposing this very exterior is a means of
di sguising the enterprise and so of m ore surely attaining it
, ,

is it not proof positive of sublime c ourage ? When Rodin

becomes pope do you think that he will still be ill clothed
,

a n d dirty ? Hence M E ugene S ue has m issed his point ;

.

his O bject was to deride superstition and fanaticis m but ,

what he attacks is intelligence strength genius the m ost , , ,

signal hu m an vi tues Were there many Rodins am ong the

r .

J esuits were there one even I would not give much for t h e
, ,

success of the opposite party in S pite of the b illiant and , r

maladroit special pleadings of its illustrious advocates .

To will well to will long to will always but never

, , ,

to lust after anything such is the secret of power and , ,

this is the m agical arcanum which Tasso brings forwa d r

in the persons of the two knights who com e to deliver

Rinaldo and to dest oy the enchantm ents of Arm ida r .

They withstand equally the most charming nymphs

a n d the m ost terrible wild beasts They remain with .

o ut desires and without fear and hen c e they attain ,

th eir end D oes it follow from this that a true magician

.

inspires more fear than love I do not deny it and while ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANS CEN D ENT MAGI C
abundantly recognising how sweet are the allurements of
life while doi g full jus t ice to the gracious genius o f
,
n

A nacreon and to all the youthful e ffi o re sc e c e o f the poetry

, n

of love I seriously invite the estimable votaries of pleasure

,

to regard the t anscendental sciences merely as a matter of

r

curiosity and never to approach the m a gical tripod ; the

,

great works of science are deadly for pleasure .

The m a who h a s escaped fro m the chain of instincts

n

will fi st of all realise his omnipote nce by the submissive

r

ness of an imals The history of D aniel in the lions den is

.
’

no fable and more than once du ing the pe secutions of

, ,
r r

infant C hristianity this phenom enon recurred in the presence

of the whole Ro man people A m a seldom h a s anything . n

to fear f om an a imal of which he is not af aid The

r n r .

bullets of Jules G e a rd the l ion killer are m agical a d in

r ,
-
,
n

t e lli ge t
n O nce only did be run a real dan ger ; he allowed
.

a timi d co mpani n to accompany h im and looki g upon this

o , ,
n

i mprudent pe son as lost beforehand he also was afraid not

r , ,

for hi mself but for his com rade M any persons will say .

that it is difficult and even im possible to attain such

resolution that st ength in volition a n d ene gy in character
, r r

are natural gif t s I do n o t dispute it but I would point

.
,

out also that habit can reform nature ; volition can be per
fe c t e d by education and as I have be fo e said all m agical
, ,
r , ,

like all eligi us cerem onial has no other e d but thus to test
r o ,
n ,

exe cise and habituate the will by perseverance and by force

r , .

The m o e difficult and laborious the exe cises the greate

r r ,
r

their effect as we have now advanced far enough to see

,
.

If it have been hitherto impossible to direct the pheno

m ena of m agnetis m it is because an initiated and truly
,

em ancipated operator has not yet appeared Who can .

boast that he is such Have we n o t eve new self conques t r - s

to ake At the sa m e time it is ce tain that natu

m ?
,
r

will obey the Sign and the word of one wh

self stro g enough to be convinced of it
n .

nature will obey ; I do not say that she wi ll

or distu b the order of her possibilities
r .
 TH E RITUAL OF TRAN SCEND ENT MAGI C
men t . usical instru ment has m ore enchantment than
NO m
the human voice but the far away notes of a violin or
,

harm onica m a y augm ent its power The subject whom it is .

proposed to overcom e is in this way p epa ed then when r r ,

he is half deadened and as it were enveloped by the charm

-
, , ,

t h e han ds should be extended towards him he should be ,

comman ded to sleep or to see and he will obey despite ,

himself S hould he resist a fixed glance must be directed

.
,

towards h im one thumb must be placed between his eyes

,

and the other on his breast touching h im lightly with a ,

single and swift contact the breath m ust be S lowly drawn

in and again b eathed gently and warmly forth repeating
r
”
,

in a low voice S le ep ! or S ee ,
“

C HAPTE R VII .

THE SEPT ENARY OF TALI SMAN S .

C ER EM O NI ES vestm ents perfum es characters and figures

, , , ,

being as we have stated necessa y to enlist the im agination

, , r

in the education of the will the success of magical works ,

depends upon the faithful Observation O f all the rites which ,

are in no sense fantastic or arbit ary having been trans r ,

mit t e d to us by antiquity and perm anently subsisting by ,

the essential laws of analogica l realisation and of the corres

p o n de n c e which inevitably connects ideas and form s Having .

spent m any yea s in consulting and co mparing all the m ost

r

authentic g im oires and magical rituals we have succeeded

r , ,

not without labour in reconstituting the ceremonial of

,

universal and prim eval magic The only se ious books . r

w hich we have seen upon this subject are in m anuscript ,

written in conventional characters which we have deciphered

by the help of the polyg aphy O f T it h e mius The im por
r r .

tance of others consists wholly in the hie oglyphs and r

 THE SEPT ENARY or T ALI SMANS 23 5

s ymbols which adorn them the truth of the i mages being ,

disguised under the superstitious fictions of a mystifying

t ext S uch for example is the E nchiridion of Pope L eo
.
, ,

III which has never been printed with its t ue figures and
.
,
r ,

we have reconstructed it for our own use afte an ancient r

manuscript The ituals known under the name of the

. r

C lavicles of S olo mon are very nu merous Many have .

been p inted w h ile others rem ain in m anuscripts trans

r , ,

c ibe d with g eat ca re

r A n exceedingly fine and elegantly
r .

written example is preserved in the Im perial Lib a y ; it is r r

e nriched with a t a c l e and characters m ost of which have

p s n

been rep od uced in the m agical calen da s of Tycho B ahe

r r -
r

and D uc h e n t a u Lastly there a e printed clavicles and

.
,
r

gri moires which are catch penny myst ifi c t io s and imp o s - a n

tu es of dishonest publishers The book so notorious and

r .

d ecried for m erly under t h e na m e of Little A lbert belongs

m ainly to the latter catego y so m e talis manic figures and r ,

s o m e calculations borrowed fro m Paracelsus are its onl y ,

s erious pa ts r .

In any m atter of realisation and ritual Paracelsus is an ,

imposing m agical authority No one has acco m plished .

works greate than his and for that ve y reason he conceals

r , r

the vi tue of ce emonies and merely teaches in his occul t

r r

philosophy the existence of the m agnetic agent of the o m n i

potence of will ; he also su ms the w hole science of characters
in two S igns the macrocos mic and microcosmic stars It
, .

was sufficient for the a depts and it w a s i mportant not to ,

initiate t h e vulgar Pa acels us therefore did not teach the . r , ,

r itual but he p actised and his practice was a sequence of

, r ,

miracles .

We have spoken of the magical importance of the t ri ad

a n d tetrad Their co mbinati n c onstitutes the g eat re
. o r

ligio us and kabbalistic nu m ber which repre ents the uni s

versal synthesis and co mprises the sacred septenary In .

the belief of the ancients the world is governed by seven

secondary cause s—s und oei as Trit h e mius calls the m
,

ec ,

w hich a e the universal forces designated by M oses under

r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANS CEND E N T MAGI C
the plural nam e of E lo m gods These forces analogous and r , .
,

contrary to one another produce equilibrium by their con ,

t ra st s and rule the m otion of the spheres

, The Hebrews .

t er me d them the seven great archangels giving them the ,

nam es of Michael Gabriel Raphael An s el S a m ael Za dkiel

, , , , , ,

a d O i h ie l
n
p rThe C h istian Gnostics
. na m e d the fou lasrt r

U iel B r c hie l S e l t ie l and J eh udie l

r , a a , O ther a ations , . n

attributed to these spi its the governm ent of the seven chief r

planets and gave the m the nam es of their chief divinities

, .

A ll believed in their relative influen c e ; ast ono m y divided r

the antique heaven between them and allotted the seven ,

days of the week to their successive gove n m ent S uch is r .

the reason of the various ceremonies of the m agi cal week

a n d the septena y cultus of t h e planets r We have al eady . r

observed that he e the planets are signs and nothing else ; they
r

have the influence which u i versal faith attributes because n

they a e m o e t uly the stars of the hu man m ind than the orbs
r r r

of heaven The sun which antique magic always regarded

.
,

as fixed could only be a planet for the vulga ; hence it

,
r

represents the day of repose in the week which we term ,

Sunday without knowing why the day of the sun am ong ,

the ancients .

The seven m agical planets correspond to the seven colours

of the prism and the se en notes of the m usical octave ; v

they represent also the seven virtues and by opposition , , ,

the seven vices of C hristian ethics The seven sac am ents . r

correspond e qually to this great universal septenary B a p .

t ism which consec ates the ele m ent of water correspon ds

, r ,

to the m oon ; ascetic penance is under the auspices of

S amael the angel of M ars confirm ation which i mpa ts the
, ,
r

spi it of un derstanding and comm unicates to the t ue be

r r

liever the gift of tongues is under the auspices of Raphael , ,

the angel of M e cury ; the E ucharist substitutes the sac a

r r

mental realisa t ion of God made ma n fo the e mpi e of Jupite ; r r r

m a iage is con ec ated by the angel An a e l the pu ifying

rr s r ,
r

gen ius of Venus ; extre m e unct ion is the safegua d of the r

sick about to fall under the scythe of S aturn and de s ,

or r ,
 THE RITUAL O F TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
m orning or from three in the aftern o on to ten in the
,

evening He S hould wear a purple vestm ent with tiara

.
,

and b acelets of gold Th e altar of perfum es and the tripod

r .

of sac ed fi e m ust be encircled by wreaths of lau el helio

r r r ,

t ope and sunflowe s ; the perfumes are cinnamon stro n g

r ,
r ,

incense sa ffron and red sandal ; the ring must be of gold

, , ,

with a ch ysolith or ruby ; the carpet must be of lion skins

r ,

the fans of spa row hawk feathers O n M onday the robe is

r -
.

white embroidered with silver and havin g a triple collar of

, ,

pea ls c ystals and selenite ; the tiara m ust be cove ed with

r ,
r ,
r

ye llow silk emblazoned with silver characters f rming the

,
o

Hebrew monogram of Gabriel a s given in the O ccult

”
Philosophy of Agrippa ; the perfumes are white sandal
,

camphor amber al es and pulverised seed of cucumber ;

, ,
o ,

the wreaths are mugwort m oonwort and yellow ranunculuses , , .

Tapest ies garm ents and objects of a black colou must be

r , ,
r

avoided ; a n d no metal except silver Should be wo n on the r

person O n Tuesday a day for the opera t ions of vengeance

.
, ,

the colou of the vest ment S hould be that of flam e rust or

r , ,

blood with belt and b ac elets of steel The tiara m ust be

,
r .

boun d with gold ; the o d must not be used but only the r ,

m agical dagge and sword the wreaths m ust be of a bsyn t h

r

and rue the ring of steel with an am ethyst for precious

, ,

stone O Wednesday a day favourable fo transcendent

. n ,
r

science the vestm ent should be green o shot with various

, ,
r

colou s the necklace of pearls in hollow glass beads con

r ,

taining m e cu y the pe fum es benzoin m ace and storax

r r , r , , ,

the flowers narcissus lily herb m ercury f u it o ry and

, , , ,
rn ,

ma jo l a e the jewel S hould be the agate

r n O n Thurs day a .
,

day of great religious and politi cal Operations the vestm ent ,

should be sca let and on the forehead should be wo n a

r , r

brass tablet with the characte of the spi it of Jupiter and r r

t h e three wo ds : G IARAR BE THOR SAM GABIE L ; the pe fum es

r , ,
r

are incense ambergris balm g ain of paradise macis a n d

, , ,
r , ,

saff ron ; the ring must be enriched with an e merald o r

sapphire ; the wreaths and crowns Should be oak popla ,

r,

fig and po megranate leaves O n Friday the day for .

,
 THE SEPTENARY or T ALI S MANS 239

a morous operations the vestment should be of S ky blue the

, ,

hangi n gs of g een and rose the ornam ents of polished

r ,

Oopp er the crowns of violets

,
the wreaths of r se myrtle ,
o s, ,

and olive ; the ring should be enriched with a turquoise ;

lapis lazuli and beryl will answer for tiara and clasps ; the
-

fans must be of S wan s feathers and the Operator must wear

’

upon his breast a copper talisman with the character of

An el and the words : AVE E VA VAD ELI LITH
s O S atu day . n r ,

a day of funeral operations the vestm ent m ust be black or ,

brown with characters e mbroidered in black or orange

,

coloured silk ; on t he neck must be worn a leaden medal

with the character of Saturn and the words : ALMALE C ,

APHIEL ZARAHI E L ; the perfumes S hould be dia gridrium

, ,

sca mmony alum sulphur and assafoetida the ring should

, , ,

be ado ned with an onyx the garlands should be of ash

r , ,

cypress and hellebore ; on the onyx of the ring during the

, ,

h o urs of S atu n the double head of Janus Should be

r ,

engraved with the consec ated awl r .

S uch are the antique m a g ific e n c e s of the sec et n r

c ultus of the magi With similar appoint m ents the

.

g eat m agicians of the M iddle Ages proceeded to the

r

dail y consecration of talis mans corresponding to the

seven genii We have already s a id that a p a n ta c l e is
.

a synthetic characte resuming the entire m agica l r

doctrine in one of its special conceptions It is therefore .

, ,

the full expression of a completed thought and will ; it is

the signature of a spirit The cere m onial consec ation of . r

this S ign attaches to it still more stron gly the intention of

the Ope ator and establishes a veritable m agnetic chain
r ,

between him self and the p a n ta c l e Pa n t a c l es m a y b e i . n

diff erently traced upon vi gin par chm ent paper or metals r , , .

What is ter med a talis m an is a sheet of m etal bearing ,

either p a t a c le s or cha acters and having received a special

n r ,

consec ati n fo a define d intention In a learned work on

r o r .

magical antiquities G a ff re l has s cientifically de m onst ated

,
a r

the real powe of talis mans and the confidence in thei virt ue
r , r

is otherwise so strong in nat ure that we gladly bear abou t

 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND ENT MAGI C
us so me m emorial of those we love pe suaded that such ,
r

keepsakes will p eserve us f om danger and inc ease our

r r r

happiness Tal is m ans a e m ade of the seven Kabbalistic

. r

metals and when the days and hours are favourable the
, , ,

requi e d and determined signs are eng aved up n the m

r r o .

The figures of the seven planets with thei m agical squares r

”
, ,

following Pa acelsus a e found in the Little Albe t

r It
,
r r .

S ho ul d be O bserved that Paracelsus replaces the figure of

Jupiter by that of a p iest a S ubstitution not wanting in r ,

a well de fi e d m ysterious intention But the allegorical

-
n .

and m ythological figu es of the seven S pi its have now r r

beco m e too classical and too vulgar to be any longer suc

c e ssful ly engraved on talis m ans ; we m ust ecu to m ore r r

learn ed and exp essive signs The pentag a m should be r . r

inva iably engraved upon one side of t h e tali m an with a

r s ,

ci cle f the su a c escent for the m oon fo Ma s a sword

r or n ,
r ,
r r ,

a G for Venu s fo Jupiter a crown and a scythe fo S atu n

,
r ,
r r .

The other S ide m ust bea the sign of S olom on that is the r , ,

S ix pointed sta
-
co mposed O f two superpose d t iangles ; in
r r

the centre there is placed a hu man figu e for the talism ans r

of the sun a chalice for those of the m oon a dog s head for
, ,
’

those of M e cu y an eagle s for those of Jupite a lion s

r r ,
’
r,
’

head f those of Mars a dove s for those of Ven u and a

or ,
’
s,

bull s or goat s fo those O f S atu n The nam es of the

’ ’
r r .

seven angels e a dded either in Heb ew in A rabic or in

ar r , ,

m agical cha acte s like those of the alphabet of T it h e mius

r r r .

The two triangles of S olo mon ma y be replaced by the double

cross of the wheels of E zekiel which is found on a great ,

number of ancient p a t a c l e s and is as we have Observed in n , ,

our D oct ine the key to the t rigra mm e s f Fo h i

r , o .

Precious stones m a y also be em ployed f o am ulets and r

talism ans ; but all objects of this nature whethe m etals or ,

r

gem s m ust be carefully kept in silken bags of a colour

,

analogous to that of the spirit of the planet pe fu med with ,

r

the pe fu m es of the corresponding day and p ese ved from

r ,
r r

all Im pure glances and contacts Thus p a t a c l e s and talis .

,
n

mans O f the sun must not be seen or touched by deform ed

 THE RIT UAL OF TR AN S CE ND EN T MAGI C
in our own day and even those who are devoid of religion
,

suspend it from the necks of their children M o eover its . r ,

fig ures a e so pe fectly Kabbalistic that it is t rue ly a

r r

m arvellous double p a t a l e O n the one side is the great n c .

initiat ix the heavenly m other of the Zohar the Isis of

r , ,

E gypt the Venus U rania of the Platonists the M a y of

,
-
,
r

C hristianity th oned upon the wo ld and setting one

,
r r ,

foot upon the head of the m agical se pent S he extends r .

h e two hands in such a m anner as to fo m a t iangle

r r r ,

of which her head is the apex ; her hands a e open r

and radiant thus m aking a double t iangle with all the

, r ,

beam s directed towa ds the earth evidently representi g r ,

n

the em ancipation of intelligence by labou O the other r. n

side is the double Tau of the hierophants the Lingam with ,

the double Ct e is o the t iple Phallus suppo te d with

,
r r ,
r ,

inte lace m ent and repeated insertion by the kabbalistic and

r ,

m asonic M rep esenting the square between the two pilla s

,
r r

JAKI N and B OHAs ; below are placed upon the sam e pla e ,
n ,

two loving and su ffe ing hea ts with twelve pentagrams r r ,

around them E ve y one will tell you that the weare s

. r r

of this m edal do not attach such S ignificance to it but it is ,

only on that account m e absolutely m agical ; having a or

double sense and consequently a double vi tue The

, , ,
r .

ecstatic on the authority of whose revelations this talism an

was engraved had al eady beheld it existing pe fectly in
,
r r

the ast al light which once m o e dem onst ates the intim ate
r ,
r r

connection of ideas and signs and gives a new sanction to ,

the symbolis m of unive sal m agic r .

The g eater the im portance and solemnity brought to

r

bear on the confection and consec ation of talis mans and r

pentacles the m ore virtue they acquire as will be under

, ,

stood upon the evidence o f the p inciples which we have r

established This consecration S hould take place on the days

.

we have indicated with the appoint m ents which we have

,

given in detail Talismans are consecrated by the fou

. r

exorcised elements after conjuring the spi its of darkness by

,
r

the C onjuration of the Four Then taking up the p a t a cle .

,
n ,
 THE SEPTENARY or TALI SM ANS 2 43

and sprinkling it with so me d ops of magical water say : In r ,

the nam e of E lohim and by the spirit of the living waters ,

be thou unto m e a sign of light and a sacram ent of will

P esenting it to the s moke of the perfumes : By the
r

braz en serpent which destroyed the serpents of fire be ,

thou &c , .

B eathing seven times upon the p a n t a c l e or talism an

r

B y the firm a m e t and spi ri t O f the voice be thou & c

n , , .

Lastly placing som e particles of purified earth or salt

,

t ria dwise upon it : In the salt of earth and by the virtue ,

of eternal life be thou &c , , .

Then re cite the C onju ation of the S even as follows r ,

alternately casting a pastille of the seven perfum es into the

sacred fi e r

In the nam e of M ichael ma y Jehovah command thee , ,

and drive thee hence Ch a vajo th ,

In the na m e of Gab iel m a y A dona com mand thee and r ,

i ,

drive thee he ce Belial ! n ,

In the nam e of Raphael begone before E lo him S acha , ,

biel !
By S am ael Zebaoth and in the name of E lo m Gibor , r ,

get thee hence Ad a m el e ck , r

By Za c h a ie l and Sa c h iel M e le ck be obedient unto

r -
,

E lvah S a m g bie l
,
a

By the divine and hum an nam e of S ch a dda and by I,

the S ign of the pentagram which I hold in my right hand ,

in the nam e of the angel A a e l by the power of Adam and n ,

of H e va who a e J o t c h a va h begone Lilith Let us rest in

,
r , ,

peace N a h e ma h
,

By the holy M o m and by the names of the germ

C a shie l S e h a l t ie l Ap h ie l and Z a ra h ie l at the com m and
, , , ,

of Orifie l depart from us M oloch ! We deny thee our

, ,

children to devour .

The m ost impo tant magical instruments are the rod the
r ,

sword the lamp the chalice the altar and the tripod In
, , , ,
.

the operations of transcendent and di vine m agic the lamp , ,

ro d and chalice are used ; in the works of black m agic the

, ,
 M AGI CAL I N S TRUM ENTS .

La mp , r o d , swo r d , a n d da gger .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN SCE NDENT MAGI C
mantles shewin g
, only the sim ple divining rod in public; or
so me allegorical sceptre made of ivory or ebony according ,

to the n ature of the works C ardinal Richelieu always .

,

athi st for power sought through his whole life the trans
r ,

mission o f the rod without being able to find it His

,
.

Kabbalist Ga ff re l could furnish him with sword and talis

a

m ans alone ; this was possibly the secret m otive for the
ca dinal s hatred of U rbain G ra n dier who knew so mething
r
’

of his weaknesses The secret and prolonged conve sations

. r

of La uba rde me n t with the unhappy priest som e hours before

hi s final torture and those words of a f iend and confidant
, r

of the latter a s he went forth to death You e a clever

man monsieur do not destroy yourself —
,
ar

a fl o rd consider
"

, ,

able food for thought .

The m agical rod is the s erend a m of the m agus it m ust

not even be m entioned in any clear and precise m anner ;
no one should boast of its possession nor should its con ,

sec ation ever be t ans mitted except under the conditions of

r r

ab solute disc etion and confidence

r .

The S word is less occult and is made in the following

—
,

manner I t must be of pure steel with a cruciform copper ,

han dl e having th ee pomm els as represented in the e c h iri

r ,
n

dion of L eo III or with the guard of a double crescent as

, ,

in our own figu e O n the m iddle knot of the guard which

r .
,

should be cove ed with a golden plate the S ign of the

r ,

m acrocos m m ust be ch a sed on one side and that of ,

t h e m icrocos m on the other The Hebrew m onogram of .

M ichael as found in Ag ippa m ust be engraved on the

, r ,

pomm el ; on the one side of the blade must be these

characte rs : na n: ” D mr r who and on the othe the mono ,
r

gra m of the Labarum of C onstantine followed by the words ,

Vi c in ho e D ec duce co m ite f r o
n e , F or the authenticity
, er .

and exactitude of these figures see the best ancient editions

”
of the E nchiridion The consecration of the sword must
.
,

t ake plac e on a S unday during the hours of the sun under, ,

the invocation of M ichael The blade of th e sword must .

be placed in a fi e of laurel and cypress ; it must then be

r
 THE SEPTENARY OF T ALI SMANS 2 47

d ied and polished with ashes of the sacred fire moistened

r ,

with the blood of a mole or se pent the following words r

being said —Be thou unto m e as the swo d of M ichael by

,

r ,

vi tue of E lo m S abaoth m a y spirits of darkness and reptiles

r 1

of earth flee away f o m thee —I t is then fumigated with

,

the pe fum es of the sun and wrapped up in sil k togethe

r , ,
r

with b anches of vervain which should be burned on the

r ,

s eventh day .

The m agical lam p must be co mp sed of the four metals o

gold silver brass and iron ; t h e pedestal should be of i o

, ,
r n,

the m irror of brass the rese voi of silve the t iangle at the,
r r r, r

apex of gold It should be provided with two a m s c o m

. r

posed of a t iple pipe of th ee inte twisted m etals in such

r r r ,

a m anner that each a rm has a triple conduit for the oil

the e m ust be nine wicks in all th ee at the top and three
r ,
r

in each a m The seal of Herm es m ust be eng aved on the

r . r

pedestal over which m ust be the two headed and ogyne of

,
-
r

Kh u ra t h
n A serpent devou ing its own tail must encircle
. r

the lo w er part The sign of S olo m on m ust be chased on the

.

reservoir Two globe must be fitted to this lam p one

. s ,

ado ned with t ansparent pictu es ep esenting the seven

r r r ,
r r

genii while the other of la ger size and duplicated should

, ,
r ,

co tain va iously tinted waters in four compartm ents The

n r .

wh le instru m ent should be placed in a wooden pillar re

o ,

volving on its own axis and pe mitting a ray of light to , r

escape as requi ed and fall on the alta r s moke at the

,
r ,

m om ent for the invocations This lamp is a great aid to .

the intuitive ope ations O f slow im a inations and for the

r g
,

i mm ediate c eati n in the p esence of m agnetised pe sons of

r o r r

forms ala ming in thei ctuality which being m ultiplied

r r a , ,

by the mirrors will m agnify suddenly and transform the

, ,

O perator s cabinet into a vast hall filled with visible souls

’

the intoxication of the perfu mes and the exaltation of the

invocations will speedily change this fantasia into a real
d ea m ; pe sons form erly known will be recognise d phan
r r ,

tom s will speak and som ething extrao dinary and unexpected
, r

will follow the closing of the light within the pillar and t h e
n c re a se of the fu migations .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C

C HA PTE R VIII
A W AR N IN G TO TH E IM PR UD EN T

THE operations of science are not devoid of danger as we ,

have stated several tim es They ma y end in madn ess for .

those who are not established firmly on the basis of suprem e ,

absolute and infallible reason

,
Terrible and incurable .

diseases can be occasioned by excessive nervous excite m ent .

S woons and death itself as a consequence of cerebral con

,

gestion m a y result from im agination when it is unduly im

,

pressed and terrified We cannot sufficiently dissuade

.

nerv us persons and those who are naturally disposed to

o ,

exaltation wom en young people and all who are not

, , ,

habituated in perfect self cont ol and the co mm and of their

-
r

fear In the same way there can be nothing m ore dan

.
,

gerons than to m ake m agic a pastim e or as som e do a part , , ,

of an evening s entertainm ent E ven magnetic experim ents

’
.
,

perf rm ed under such conditions can only exhaust the sub

o ,

j e c t s ,
m islead O pinions and defeat science The
,
m yste ies . r

of life and death cannot be made sport of with impunity ,

and thin gs which are to be taken seriously m ust be treated not

only se iously but also with the greatest reserve Never yield
r .

to the desire of c nvincing othe s by phenom ena The m ost

o r .

astounding pheno mena would not be proofs for those wh o

a e not already convinced
r They ca n always be attributed .

to o dinary a rt ific e s and the magus included am ong the mo e

r r

or less skilful followers of Robe t Houdin or Ham ilton To r .

require p odigies as a warrant fo believing in science is to

r r

shew one s self unworthy o incapable of science S ANCTA

’
r .

SAN OTIS C ontemplate the twelfth figu e of the Tarot keys

. r -
,

rem ember the grand symbol of Prom etheus and be silent ,

.

All those m agi who divulged their works died violently and ,

m any were driven to suicide like C a dan S c h ro p p fe r C ag ,

r , ,

l io st o and others
r ,
The m agus should live in reti ement
. r ,

and b e approached with difficulty This is the significance .

of the ninth key of the Tarot where the initiate appears as ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
they act without direction E xcessive love produces anti .

pathy ; blind hate counteracts and scourges i t self ; vanity

leads to abasem ent and the most cruel hu miliations Thus .
,

the Great M aster revealed a mys t ery of positive m agical

science when He s ai d Forgive your enemies do good to
, ,

those that hate you so shall ye heap coals of fire upon their
,

heads Pe haps this kind of pardon seem s hypocrisy and

. r

bears a strong likeness to refined vengeance But we must .

rem ember that the magus is sovereign and a sovereign never ,

avenges because he has the right to punish in the exercise

of this right he perform s his duty and is implacable as ,

justice Le t it be O bse ved for the rest so that no one

. r , ,

m a y m isinter pret m y m eaning that it is a question of ,

chastis ing evil by good and opposing m ildness to violence .

If the exercise O f vi tue be a fl a ge lla t io n for vice no one

r ,

h a s the right to de mand that it should be spa ed or that r ,

we should take pity on its sham e and its su ff erings .

The m a n who dedicates him self to the works of science

m ust take moderate daily exercise abstain from prolonged ,

vigils and follow a wholesom e and regul ar ule of life He

,
r .

m ust avoid the e ffi uvia of put efaction the neighbourhood r ,

of sta gnant water and in digestible or i m pu e food Above

,
r .

all he m ust daily seek relaxation f om m agical pre o c c u

,
r

p a t io s
n a m ongst m ate ial cares or in labour
r whether , ,

a tistic industrial or co mm ercial The way to see well is

r , , .

not to be always looking ; and he who spends his whole life

upon one object wil l end without attaining it Another .

p ecaution must be equally observed and that is never to

r ,

experim ent when ill .

The ceremonies being as we have said artificial m ethods

, ,

for creating a habit of will beco me unnecessary when the

habi t is confi m ed It is in this sense and add essing him
r .
,
r

self solely to pe fect adepts that Paracelsus p oscribes thei

r ,
r r

use in his Occu lt P hilosop hy They must be progressively .

simplified before they are dispensed with altogether and in ,

proportion to the expe ience we obtain in acquired powers

r ,

and established habit in the exercise of extra natural will -

.
 THE CEREM ONI AL or I NITIAT ES 251

C HA PTE R IX
THE CER EM ONIAL or I NITIAT ES

THE science is p eserved by silence and perpetuated by r

initiation The law of silence is not therefore absolute

.
, ,

and inviolable except relatively to the uninitiated m ulti

,

tude The science can only be trans mitted by speech

. .

The sages must the efore speak occasionally Yes they r .

,

must Spea k not to disclose but to lead others to discover

, ,
.

N li i e f c ven i
o r ,
was the device of Rabelais who being
a re , , ,

m aste of all the sciences of his tim e coul d not be unac

r ,

q u a in t e d with m agic We have consequently to reveal .

, ,

here the mysteries of initiation The de st ip y of m a as w e . n,

“

have s a id is to make or create him

, —self
— he is a d he will fl w fi r w ’
fl “ m a ,
n :

be the son of his wo ks both for tim e

, All r ,

men a re ca lled on to co mpete but the nu mbe of the elect

—that is of those wh o suc c e e d —is i e ia blr selslk In
,
r

. - z .
sr r
.

other words the me n who are desi ous to attain are

,
r

numbe ed by multitudes but the h

r a e few N ow ,
c o sen r “ ,

t he govern m ent of the world belongs by right to the flower

of m ankind and when any co mbination or usu pation pre
,
r

vents thei possessing it a political or social cataclys m

r ,

ensues M e n who are masters of them selves beco m e easily

.

masters of others ; but for the m t o hinder one

anothe if they disreg a d the l a w s o f disc ipline and of the
r r ” w

universal hierarchy To be subject to a discipline in c o m ,

mon there must be a community of ideas and desires and

, ,

such a com munion cannot be attained except by a co mm on

religion established on the very foundations of intelligence
and reason This religion h a s always existed in the world
.
,

and is that only which can be called one infallible in

defectible and veritably cathol ic —that is uni ersal This
, ,

, ,
v .

religion of which all others have been successively the veils

,

and the shadows is that which demonst ates being by being ,

r ,

truth by reason reason by evidence and co mm n sense It

,
o .
 THE RIT UAL OF TR AN S CEN DE NT MA GI C
is that which pro es by realities the reasonable basis o f
v

hypotheses and fo bids reasoning upon hypotheses i de pe n

,
r n

de n t ly of realities It is that which is grounded on the

.

doctrine of universal analogies but neve confounds the ,

r

things of science with those of faith It can never be .

of faith that two and one m ake m o e or less than th ee ; r r

that in physics the contained can exceed the container ;

that a solid body as such can a c t like a fl uidic or gaseous
, ,

body ; that f o exam ple a human body can pass t hrough a

,
r ,

closed door without dissolution or opening To say that one .

believes such a thing is to talk like a child or a fool ; yet

it is no less insensate to define the unknown and to argue ,

from hypothesis to hypothesis till we com e to deny evidence ,

a p r ior i for the affi m ation of precipitate suppositions The

r .

wise ma n affi m s what he knows and believes

r
—
in what he ,

does not know only in proportion to the reasonable and

- k n owa n essssit ies Q f Ro th .

But this reasonable religion is unadapted for the multi

tude for which fables m ysteries definite hopes and terrors
, , , ,

havi g a physical basis are needful It is for this reason

n , .

that the p iesthood has been established in t h e world N ow

r .
,

the p i esthood is recruited by initiation Religious form s

r .

perish when initiation ceases in the sanctuary whether ,

by the bet ayal of the m ysteries or by their neglect and

r ,

oblivion The Gnostic disclosures for example alienated

.
, ,

the C h istian C hu ch f o m the high truths of the Kabbalah

r r r ,

which contains all the secrets of transcendental theology .

Hence the blind having becom e leaders f the blind g eat

, ,
o ,
r

obscurities g eat lapses and deplo able scan dals have fol
,
r ,
r

lowed S ubsequently the sac ed books O f which the keys

.
,
r ,

are all kabbalistic from Genesis to the Apocalypse have

, ,

beco me so little intelligible to C hristians that pastors have ,

reasonably ju dged it necessary to forbid their being ead by r

the uninstructed among believers Taken lite ally and . r ,

understood m ate ially these books would be only an i c o n

r ,
n

ce iva bl e tissue of absu dities and scandals as the schoo l of

r ,

Voltaire has too well dem onstrated It is the sam e with .

 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND ENT MAGI C
m odesty ; yet and notwithstanding initiation being an
, ,

essential law of eligious life a society which is instinctively

r ,

m agical fo m ed at the decline of the p o n t ifi c a l power and

r ,

speedily concentrated in itself alone the entire strength of

C hristianity because though it only un de stood vaguely it
, ,
r ,

exercised positively the hie archic power resident in the r

ordeals of initiation and the omnipotence of faith in passive

,

obedience
What in fact did the candidate in the old initiations ?
, ,

He entirely abandoned his life and liberty to the m asters o f

the tem ples f Thebes or M e mphis be advanced resolutely
o

through unn umbered terrors which might have led him to ,

im agine that there was a pre m editated out age intended r

a gainst h im ; he ascended fune al pyres swam torrents o f r ,

black and raging wate hung by unknown counterpoise s r,

over unfathom ed precipices Was not all this a blind

obedience in the f ull force of the term Is it not t h e
m os t absolute exe cise of liberty to abjure liberty for a tim e
r

so that we m a y attain e mancipation ? Now this is pre ,

c ise l y what m ust be done and what has been done inva iably ,
r ,

by t hose who aspi e to the s ctum r g um of m agical o mni

r an e n

potence The disciples of Pythago as condem ned them selves

. r

to inexo able S ilence f o m any years ; even the sectaries o f

r r

E picu us only co m p ehended the sovereignty of pleasure by

r r

the acquisition of sob iety and calculated temperance Life

r .

is a wa fare in which we m ust give proofs if we would advance ;

r

p ower does not surrender of itself ; it m ust be seized .

Initiation by contest and ordeal is therefore indispensable

for the attain ment of the practical science of magic We .

have a l eady in dicated after what m anner the four elem ent
r

ary form s m a y be overcome and will not repeat it here ; ,

we refer those of our readers who would inquire into t h e

ceremonies of ancient initiations to the works of Baron
T c h o udy author of the
s Blazing S ta ” Ado n hira mit e r,
”
,

Ma sonry and so m e other m ost valuable masonic treatises

,
.

Here we would insist upon a reflection nam ely that the , ,

intellectual and social chaos in the midst of which we are

 THE CEREMON IAL or I NITIA T ES 255

perishing has been caused by the neglect of initiation with

, ,

its o deals and its mysteries Me wh ose zeal was greater

r . n,

th an thei science carried away by the popular m axim s of

r ,

the Gospel cam e to believe in the primitive and absolute

,

equality of me n A famous ha lluc in é the eloquent and

.
,

unfortunate Rousseau propagated this parado x with all the

m agic of his style —that society alone depraves m e n —much
,

as if he had said that com petition and emulation in labour

renders workm en idle The essential law of natu e that of
. r ,

initiation by works and of voluntary and toilsom e progress ,

has been fatally misconstru ed m asonry has had its deserters ,

as C atholicism its apostates What has been the con .

sequence The substitution of the steel plane for the

intellectual and sy mbolical plane H o p each e qua lity t q . r fi

what is beneath w ithout instructing it

,

is not this bindin g us to descend ou selves ? And hence r

we have descended to the eign of the carmagnola the sans r ,

c ull o t e s and M arat To restore totte ing and distracted

, . r

society the hie archy and initiation m ust be again estab

,
r

l ish e d. The task is diffi cult but the whole intelligent world
,

feels that it is necessary to undertake it Must we pas s .

through another del uge before succeedin g ? We ea nestly r

trust not and this book perhaps the greatest but not the
, ,

last of our audacities is an appeal unto all that is yet alive

,

for the reconstitution of life in the very middle of de c o m

position and death .
 THE RITU AL OF TRANS CEN D ENT MAGI C

C H APTE R X

THE KE Y OF O C C ULTI SM
LE Tus now exam ine the question of p a t a c l e s for all n ,

m agical virtue is there since the secret of force is in the ,

intelligence which di ects We have al eady given t he r . r

sy mbol and interpretation of the p a t a c le s of Pythagoras n

a d E zekiel so that we have no need to recur to these ; we

n ,

S hall prove in a late chapter that all the instrum ents of

r

Heb ew worship were p a n t a cl e s and that the first and final

r ,

wo d of the Bible was w itten in gold and in brass by

r r

M oses in the tabernacle a d on all its accesso ies

,
But n r .

e ach m agus can and S hould have hi s in di v idual p a n t a c l e for

r

, ,

unde stood accurately a p a t a c l e is the perfect su mm ary of

r ,
n

a m ind Hence we find in the m agical calendars of Tycho

.

Brahe and D uc h e n ta u the pa n t a c l e s of A dam Job Je e , , ,

r

m iah Isaiah and of all the other great prophets who have
, ,

been each in his turn the kings of the Kabbalah and the
, ,

g rand rabbins of science .

The pe ntacle being a co mplete and perfect synthesis

, ,

expressed by a single S ign serves to focus all intellectual ,

strength into a glance a recollection a touch It is so to , , .

,

s peak a starting point for the efficient projection of the will

,
-
.

N igro m a c e rs and go é t ic m agicians traced their infernal

n

a t a c l e s on the skin of the victi m s they im m olated

n The
p .

s acrificial ce e m onies the m anner of S kinning the kid then

r
“

, ,

of salting d ying and whitening the skin are given in a

, r , ,

n u mber of clavicles and gri m oires S o me Hebrew kabbalists .

fell into similar follies forgetting the anathem as pronounced ,

in the Bible against those who sacrifice on high places o in r

the caverns of the earth All spilling of blood operat ed .

c ere m onially is abom inable and impious and since the ,

death of Ado n h ira m the S ociety of true Adepts has a horror

o f bloo d—E cc l si bho r et a s g uin e
e a a r an .

The initiatory symbolism of p a n ta c l es adopted throughout

258 THE RITUAL OF TRANS CEND EN T MAGI C
ous tree Initiation by toil and blood has been ae com
.

lish e d and the e is no m ore te mple because the light of

p ,
r

t uth is unive sally difi use d and the world has becom e the
r r ,

temple of justice This splendid final vision of the Holy

.

S c iptures this divine U topia which the C hurch has r e

r ,

fe ed with good reason for its realisation to a better life

rr ,

has been the pitfall of all ancient arch heretics and of many -

m odern idealists The sim ultaneous e mancipation and

.

absolute equality of all m e n involve the arrest of progress

and consequently of life ; in a wo ld where a ll a e equal r r

there could no longer be infants or the aged ; birth and

death could not therefore be a dmitted This is sufficient to .

dem onstrate that the N ew Jerusalem is no m ore of this

w orld than the prim eval paradise wherein there was no ,

knowledge of good or evil of liberty of generation or of , , ,

d eath ; the cycle of o u religious symbolis m begins and r

ends the efore in eternityr .

D upuis and Volney lavished their g ea t erudition to r ,

discove this relative identity of all sym bols and arrived at

r ,

the negation of every religion We attain by the sam e .

path to a diam etrically opposed affi rm ation and we recog ,

nise with admi ation that the e have never been any false
r r

religions in the civilised world ; that the divine light the ,

splendour of the sup em e reason of the Logos of that wo d

r ,
r

which enlightens every ma n com ing into the world h a s ,

been no m ore wanting to the child en of Zo oaste than to r r r

the faithful sheep of S t Peter ; that the perm anent the one , ,

the unive sal revelation is written in visible natu e ex

r ,
r ,

plained in reason and co mpleted by the wise analogies of

,

faith ; that there is finally but one true religion one , , ,

doct ine and one legitimate belief even as the e is but one
r , , r

God one reason and one universe that revelation is obscu e

, ,
r

for no one since the whole world un derstands m o e or less

,
r

both t uth and justice and since all that is possible can only
r ,

exist analogica lly to what is BEIN G I S B EIN G mm 1e .

,
"

The apparently biz arre figures presented by the Apocalypse

 THE K EY or O CCULTI SM 259

of St
John are hi eroglyphics like those of all oriental ,

mythologies and ca n be com prised in a series of p a n t a c l e s

,
.

The initiator clothed in white standing between seven, ,

golden candlesticks and holding seven stars in his hand ,

represents the unique doctrine of Herm es and the universal

analogies of the light The wo man clothed with the sun .

a n d crowned with twelve st ars is the ce lestial Isis or the

gno sis ; the serpent of m

,

aterial life seeks to devour her

c hild but she takes unto herself the wings of the eagle and !

—
,

fl ies away into the dese t a pr testation of the p ophetic r o r

S pi it ragainst the materialism of offi cial religion The .

mighty angel with the face of a sun a rainbow for n imb us , ,

and a cloud for vestment having pillars of fire for his legs , ,

and setting one foot upon the earth and another on the
s e a is t uly a kabbalistic Panthea
,
r His feet represent the .

equilibrium of BRIAH OT the world p f fgrm s legsL

are w ~!

the two pillars O f the M asonic tem ple JAKI N and B C HAS ;
“ ’ “

his bo dy veiled by clouds from which Issues a hand holdi g

, , n

a book is the sphere of JE TZIRAH or initiatory ordeals ; his

'

, ,

solar head crowned with the radiant septenary is the wo ld

, , r

of ATZILUTH or perfect evelation ; and we can only be

,
r

excessively astonished that Hebrew kabbalists have not

recognised and m ade known this sym bolis m which so closely ,

and inseparably connects the highest myste ies of C hristi r

a n it y with the secret but invariable doctrine of all the m asters

in Israel The beast with seven heads in the sym bolism of

.
,

S t John is the material and antagonistic negation of the

,

luminous septenary ; the Babylonian harlot co responds r

afte the sam e m anner to the w m an clothed with the sun

r o

the fo ur horsemen are analogous to the fou allegorical r

animals ; the seven angels with thei seven tru mpets seven r ,

cups and seven swords characterise the absolute of the

,

st uggle of good against evil by speech by religious associa

r ,

tion and by force Thus are the seven seals of the occult
, .

book successively Opened and universal initiation is aecom ,

l i
p sh e d The commentato s who have sought anything else
. r

in this book of the transcendent Kabbalah have lost their

 THE RITU AL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
time and thei trouble only to make the m selves ri diculous
r .

To di scover N apoleon in the angel Apollyon Luther in t h e ,

star which falls fro m heaven Voltaire or Rousseau in t h e

,

grasshoppers arm ed like warrio s is m erely high fantasy r , .

It is the same with all the violence done to the names o f

celebrated persons so as to make them numerically equivalent
to the fatal number 6 6 6 which we have already su fficiently
,

explain ed ; and when we think that m e n like Bossuet and

N ewton amused them selves with such chim eras we can ,

understand that humanity is not so m alicious in its nature

as might be supposed fro m the complexion of its vices .

C HA PT E R X I

THE TRI PLE CHAI N

THE great work in pra ctical magic a fter the education o f ,

the will and the personal creation of the m agus is the for ,

m ation of the m agnetic chain and this secret is truly that

,

of priesthood and of royalty To form the m agnetic chain

.

is to o iginate a current of ideas which produces faith and

r

draws a large num ber of wills in a given circle of active

m anifestation A well form ed chain is like a whi lpool
.
- r

which sucks down and absorbs all The chain m a y be

established in three ways —by signs by speech and by
.

, ,

contact The fi st is by inducing opinion to adopt some

. r

sign as the representation of a force Thus all C hris tian s .

,

communicate by the Sign of the cross ma sons by tha t of the ,

square beneath the sun the m agi by that of the mic ocos m
,
r ,

made by extending the five fingers etc O nce accepted and , .

propagated signs acquire force of them selves In the early

, .

centuries of our e a the S ight and i mitation of the Sign of

r ,

the cross was enough to m ake proselytes to C hristianity .

What is called the m iraculous m edal continues in our o wn

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
the sam e acts It was form ed by standing back to bac k
.

and linking hands the face outside the circle in im itation

, ,

of those antique s a cred dances representations o f which are ,

still found on the sculptures of old temples The electric .

furs of the lynx pa nther and even do m estic cat were

, , ,

stitched to their garm ents in i mitation of the ancien t ,

bacchanalia ; hence com es the tra dition that the S abbath

miscreants each wore a cat hung fro m the girdle and that ,

they danced in this g uise .

The phenom ena of tilting and talking tables has been a

fortuitous m anifestation of fl uidic co mmunication by m eans ‘

of the circular chain M yst ifi c a t io n combined with it

.

afterwards and even educated and intelligent persons were

,

so infatuated with the novelty that they hoaxed t hem

selves and becam e the dupes of their own absurdity Th e
, .

oracles of the tables were answers more or less vol untarily

suggested or ex t racted by chance they resembled the con
v e rsa t io n s which we hold or hear in d ea m s O ther and r .

stranger phenomena ma y have been the external manifesta

tions f i maginations operating in co mm on We h owever
o .
, ,

by no m eans deny the possible intervention of elem entary

spi its in these occurrences as in those of divination by
r ,

c ards or by dream s but we do not believe that it has been

in any sense proven and we are therefore in no way obliged
,

to admit it .

O n e of the most extraordinary powers of hu m an im agina

tion is the realisation of the desires of the will or even of ,

its apprehensions and fears We believe easily anythin g .

that we fear or desi e says a proverb ; and it is true

r , ,

be ca use desire and fear impart to i magination a re a lis

I ng powe the e ff ects of which are incal culable
r, How is .

one attacked for e x ample by a disease about which one

, ,

feels nervous ? W e have already cited the Opinions of

Paracelsus on this point and have established in o ur ,

d o c trinal part the occult laws confi m ed by experience ; r

but in m agnetic currents and by mediation of the chain

, ,

t h e rea lisations are all the more strange be cause a l mos t .

 THE TRI PLE C HAI N 263

invariably une xpected at least when the chain has not ,

been formed by an intelligent sympathetic and powerful , ,

leader In fact they are the result of purely blind and

.
,

fortuitous co mbinations The vulgar fear of superstitious .

feasters when they find themselves thi teen at table and

,
r ,

thei conviction that som e misfortune th eatens the younges t

r r

and weakest among them is like m ost superstitions a , , ,

remnant of magical science The duodenary being a c o m .

p l e t e and cyclic nu m ber in the universal analogies of

nat ure invariably attracts and abso bs the thirte enth which
, r ,

is regarded as a sinister and supe fluous number If the r .

grindstone of a mill be represented by the number twelve ,

then thi teen is that of the grain which is to be ground

r .

O n kindred considerations the ancients established the dis ,

t i c t io n s between lucky and unlucky nu m bers whence cam e

n ,

the observance of days of good or evil augury It is in .

such concerns above all that imagination is creative so

, , ,

that both days and nu mbers seldom fail to be propitious

or othe wise to those who believe in their influence
r .

C onsequently C h istianity was right in pre sc ribi g the

, r n

divinatory sciences for in thus diminishing the number

,

of blind chances it gave further scope and empire t o

,

liberty .

rP inting is an ad mirable instrument for the f ormation of

the m agic chain by the extension of speech N o book is .

lost ; as a fact writings go invariably precisely where they

,

should go and the aspirations of thought attract speech

,
.

We have proved this a hund ed tim es in the course of our r

magical initiation ; the rarest books have offered them

selves without seeki g as soon as they becam e indispensable
n .

Thus have we recove ed intact that universa l science which

r

so m any learned persons have regarded as engulfed by a

nu mber of successive cataclysm s ; thus have we entered the
great magica l chain which began with Hermes or E noch and ,

will only end with the world Thus have we been able to .

evoke and com e face to face with the spirits of Apollonius

, , ,

P lotinus S yn e sius Paracelsus C ardanus Agrippa and othe s

, , , , ,
r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
less or more known but too religiously celebrated to mak e
,

it possible for them to be named lightly We continue .

their great work which others will take up after us But

, .

unto whom will it be given to co mplete it

C HAPTE R XI I
THE GREAT W ORK

To be ever rich to be always young and to die never ; such

, , ,

from all tim e has been the dream of the alchemists To

, .

change lead m ercury ,

d all other m et ls into gold to
,
an a ,

—
possess the universal m e dicine and the elixir of life such
is t h e proble m which m ust be solved to accom plish this
desire and t o realise this d eam Like all m agical mysteries
r .
,

the sec ets of the g eat work have a triple m eaning ; they
r r

are religious philosophical and natural The philosophical

, , .

gold in religion is the absolute and suprem e reason ; in philo

sophy it is truth ; in visible n atu e it is the sun ; in t h e
~
, r ,

subterranean and m ineral world it is the purest and most ,

perfect gold Hence the search after the great work is called
.

the sea ch for the absol ute and this work itself is term ed
r ,

the Operation of the sun All masters of science ecognise

. r

that it is im possible to achieve material results until we

have found all the analogies of the universal m edicine and
the philosophical stone in the two superior degrees Then .
,

it is affi rm ed is the labour S imple light and inexpensive ;

, , ,

otherwise it consum es to no purpose the life and f rtune o f

,
o

the bellows blower-

.

The universal m edicine is fo the soul supreme reason ,

r ,

and absolute justice ; for the mind it is m athematical and ,

practical truth ; fo the body it is the quinte ssence which

r , ,

is a co mbination of gold and light In the superio wo ld . r r ,

the first m atter of the great work is enthusi a sm and activity ;

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSC END EN T M AGI C
presenting it only under the e mblem of the caduceus o f
Herm es Here then is the great Herm etic arcanu m and
.
,

we reveal it for the first time clearly and devoid of m ystical

figures ; what the adepts term dead subs t ances are bo dies
as found in nature ; living substances are those which have
been assim ilated and ma gn etised by the scien c e and wil l o f
the operator Therefore the great work is something mo e
. r

than a chemical operation ; it is an actual creation of t h e

human Word initiated into the power of the Word of G o d
himself .

a uxi n
wa n 5m p: 1:
ra
3 mm

53 m a ns n
—
m m wo rm m am N 13! i s
1
c r
a nium m u m
“

m m 153: c ar m ms:- "

’
: D am a 1
-
c ar m
- r
7N a yo r

h msm r uSmn
-

This Hebrew text which we transcribe in proof of the

authenticity and reality of our discovery is de ived from the ,
r

rabbini cal Jew Abraham the m aster of N icholas Fl a me l

, ,

and is found in his occult commentary on the S eph e r

Je t ira h the sacred book of the Kabbalah This c o mme n
z , .

tary is extrem ely rare but the sympathetic potencies of o ur

,

chain led us to the discovery of a copy which has been pre

se ved since the year 1 6 4 3 in the Protestant church at
r

Rouen O n it s first page there is written : E a: do n o then

.
,

a n illegible na m e : D ei m g n i a .

The creation of gold in the great wo k takes place by r

transm utation and m ultiplication Raymund Lully states .

tha t in order to m ake gold we m ust have gold and mercu y r ,

while in order to m ake s ilver we m ust have silver and

m ercury Then he adds
. By m ercu y I understan d that r ,
.

mineral spirit which is so refined and pu ified that it gilds r

”
.

the seed of gold and silvers the seed of silver D oubtless

,
. .

he is here speaking of 0 d or astral light S alt and sulphur

, .

are serviceable in the work only for the preparation o f

mercu y ; it is with m ercury above all that the magnetic
r
 THE G REA T W O RK 267

agent must be assimilated and incorporated Paracelsus .

,

Ra ymund Lull y and N icholas Fl a me l seem alone to have per

,

fe c t ly understood th is mystery Basil Valentine and Trevisan .

indica te it after an incomplete manner which might be ,

capable of another interpretation But quite the most .

curious things which we have found on this subject are

indicated by the mystical figures and magical legends in a
book of Henry Kh un ra t h entit led A mp hith ea trwm S p ien ti
,
a ce

E tern az Kh u a t h represents and resum es the m ost

. nr

learned Gnostic schools and connects in symbology with,

the mysticis m of Syn e sius He affects Christianity in .

expressions and in signs but it is easy to see that his C hrist

,

is the Abrax as the lum inous pentagram radiatin g on the

,

astronom ical cross the incarnation in hu m anity of the

,

sovereign sun celebrated by the E mperor Julian ; it is the

lum inous and living m anifesta tion of that Ruach E lohim -

which according to M oses brooded and worked upon the

, ,

bosom of the waters at the birth of the world ; it is the

ma n sun the m onarch of light t h e suprem e m agus the
-
, , ,

m aster and conqueror of the serpent and in the four fold ,

-

legend of the evan gelists Kh un ra t h finds the allegorical key

,

of the great work O n e of the p a t a c le s of his ma gical book

. n

represents the philosophical sto ne erected in the middle of a

fortress surrounded by a w al l in which there are twenty
impracticable gates O e alone conducts to the sanctuary
. n

of the great work Above the stone there is a triangle

.

placed upon a winged dragon and on the stone is graven ,

the n am e of Christ qualified as the symbolical i mage of all

nature .
”
It is by him alone he adds that thou canst , ,

obtain the universal m edicine for men animals vegeta bles

”
and minerals The winged dragon ruled by the triangle
.
, , ,

, ,

rep esents therefo e the C hrist of Kh un ra t h ; that is the

r ,
r , ,

sovereign inte lligence of light and life ; it is the secret of

the pentagram ; it is the highest dogmatic and practical
mystery of traditional magic Thence unto the grand and .

ever inco mmunicable m axim there is only one step .

The kabbalis tic figures of Abraham the Jew which ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TR AN S CENDENT MAGI C
im pa ted to Fl a me l the first desire for knowledge are o
r ,
n

other than the twenty two keys of the Tarot elsewhere -

,

initiated and esum ed in the twelve keys of Basil Valentine

r .

There the sun and m oon reappear under the figures of

e m pero a d e m press ; M ercury is the juggler ; the Great
r n

Hierophant is the adept or abstractor of the quintessence ;

death judgm ent love the dragon or devil the herm it o
, , , ,
r

la m e el de and finally all the em aining symbols are the e

r, , r r

found with t h e m chief attributes and al most in the sam e ,

order . It could have scarcely been otherwise since ,

the Ta ot is the p i meval book and the keystone of the

r r

occult sciences ; it m us t be Herm etic because it is kabbal ,

ist ic m a gical and theosophica l

, S O also we find in the
, .
, ,

co mbination of its twelfth and twenty secon d keys super -

,

posed one u pon the other the hieroglyphic revelation o i the ,

solution of the g and work and its myste ies The twelfth
r r .

key rep esents a ma n hanging by one foot f o m a gibbet

r r

composed of th ee trees or posts forming the Heb ew letter

r ,
r

T! the m an s a m s constitute a triangle with his hea d and

’
r ,

his enti e hie oglyphical shape is that of a reversed t ia gle

r r r n

surm ounted by a cross an alche mical symbol known to all ,

adepts and ep esenti g the acco mplish ment of the g eat

,
r r n r

work The twenty second key which bears the num ber
.
-
,

twenty one because the fool which p ecedes it car ies no

-
,
r r

nu me al rep esents a youthful female divinity slightly veiled

r ,
r

a d running in a flowering circle

n supported at f ur corners ,
o

by the fou beasts of the Kabbalah In the Italian Tarot

r .

this divinity has a rod in either hand ; in the Besan con

Tarot the two wands a e in one hand while the other is
,
r

placed upon her thigh b th equally re markable sy mbol of ,

o s

magnetic action either alternate in its pola isation or

, r ,

si m ultaneous by opposition and trans m ission .

The g eat wo k of Hermes is therefore an essentially

r r , ,

m agical operation and the highest of all fo it supposes the

, ,
r

absolute in science and volition There is light in gold .

,

gold in light and light in all things The intelligent will

, . ,

which assimilates the light dir ec ts in this m anner t h e ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND E N T MA GI C

C HAPT E R X III

NEC ROMANCY
WE have boldly declared our Opinion or rather our c o nvic ,

tion as to the possibility of resurrection in certain cases

,

it rem ains for us now to co mplete the revelation of this

arcanu m and to expose its practice D eath is a phantom of .

ignoran ce it does not exist ; everything in nature is living ,

and it is because it is alive that everything is in m otion and

undergoes incessant change of form O l d age is the begin .

ni ng of regeneration it is the labour of renewing life and

, ,

the ancients represented the mystery we term death by the

Fountain of Youth which was entered in dec epitude and
, r

left in new childhood The body is a garm ent of the soul

. .

When this garm ent is completely worn out or seriously and ,

ir epa ably rent it is abandoned and never reassum ed But

r r ,
.

when this garment is rem oved by so m e accident without

being worn out or destroyed it can in ce t ain cases be put , ,
r ,

on again either by our own e fforts or by the assistance

,

of a stronger and m ore active will than ours D eath is .

neither the end of life nor the beginning of immortality ;

it is the continuation and transform ation of life Now a .
,

transfo m ation being always a progress few of those who

r ,

are apparently dead will consent to retu n to life that is to r , ,

reassum e the vestm ent which they have left behind It is .

this which m akes resurrection one of the hardest wo ks of r

the highest in itiation and hence its success is neve infallible

,
r ,

but must be regarded alm ost invariably as accidental and

unexpect ed To raise up a dead person we m ust suddenly
.

and energetically rebind the m ost powe ful chains of attrae r

tion which connect it with the body that it h as just quitted .

It is therefore necessary to be previously acquainted with

, ,

this chain then to seize thereon finally to produce an effo t

, ,
r

of will su fficiently powerful to instantaneously and i resist r

ibly relink it All this as we say is extremely difiic ult

.
, , ,
 NE CROMANCY 271

but is in no sense absolutely impossible The prejudi ces of .

m aterialistic science exclude resurrection at present fro m the

n atural order and hence there is a disposition to explain all
,

pheno m ena of this class by lethargies more or less o omph

o s ted with signs of death and m ore or less long in duration, .

If La zarus rose again before our doctors they would simply ,

record in their m em orials to recognised a cademies a strange

case of lethargy accompanied by an apparent beginning of
put efaction and a strong corpse like odou ; the exceptional
r -
r

occur ence would be labelled with a becoming nam e and

r ,

the matter would be at an end We have no wish to .

frighten anyone and if out of respect for the me n with

, ,

diplom as who represent science officially it is requisite to ,

term our theories concerning resurrection the art of curing

exceptional and agg avated trances nothing I hope willr , , ,

hinde us from making such a concession B ut if ever a re

r .

surrection has taken place in the world it is incontestable ,

that resurrection is possible Now constituted bodies prot ect .

,

religion and religion positively asse ts the fact of resur e c

,
r r

tions ; therefore esurrections are possible From this

r .

escape is difficult To say that they a e possible outside

. r

the laws of nature and by an influence cont ary to unive sal

,
r r

harm ony is to affirm that the spirit of disorde darkness

, r, ,

and death can be the sovereign a bite of life Let us not

, r r .

dispute with the worshippers of the devil but pass on ,

.

It is not religion alone which attests the facts of resur

rection we have collected a number of cases A n occur .

rence which im pressed the i magination of Greuze the ,

painter has been reproduced by him in one of his most

,

remarkable pictures An unworthy son present at his .

,

father s deathbed seiz es and destroys a will unfavourable

’
,

to him self ; the father rallies leaps up curses his son and , , ,

then d ops back dead a second tim e An analogous and

r .

more recent fa c t has been certified to ourselves by ocular

witn esses : a f iend betraying the confidence of one who
r ,

had just died tore up a trust deed he had signed where

,
-
,

upon the dead person rose up and lived to defend the rights ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
of his chosen hei s which his false f iend sought to set aside ;
r , r

the guilty person went ma d and the risen m compassionately , an

allowe d him a p e sio When the S aviou raised up t h e da ugh

n n . r

ter of Jair n s He was alone with th ee faithful a d favoured

, r n

disciples ; He dism issed the noisy a d the loud mourne s n r ,

saying The gi l is not dead but sleeping

,
r Then in the .
,

presence only of the father the mother and the three dis , ,
~

c ip l e s that is to say in a pe fect circle of confidence and

, , r

desire He took the child s han d d ew her abruptly up and

,
’

,
r ,

cried to her Young girl I say to thee arise

,
“
The un , ,

decided soul doubtless in the imm ediate vicinity of the body

, ,

and possibly regretting its ext eme youth and beauty was r ,

surprised by the accents of that voice which was heard by her ,

father and m other trembling with hope and on their knees ,

it returned into the body the maiden opened her eyes ros e ,

up and the M aster co mm anded imm ediately that food should

,

be given her so that the fun ctions of life might begin a new
,

cycle of absorption and regene ation The histo ry of r .

E liseus raising up t h e daughter of the S h u a mit e and S t

,
n ,

Paul raising E utychus are facts of the sam e order ; the

,

resurrection of D o cas by S t Peter narrate d so simply in

r ,

the Acts of the Apostles is also a hist ry the trut h of which

,
o

can scarcely be easonably questioned A p lloni us of Tyana

r . o

seems also to have accom plished simila miracles and we r ,

ourselves have been the witness of facts which a e not r

wanting in analogy with these but the spi it of the century ,

r

in which we live imposes in this respect the most careful

reserve upon us the thaumaturge being l iable to a very in
different reception at the hands of a discerning public—all
,

which does not hinder the earth from revolving or Galileo ,

from having been a great m a n .

The resurrection of a dead person is the m asterpiece of

m agnetis m because it needs for its acco mplish m ent the
,

exercise of a kind of sym pathetic o mn ipotence It is pos .

sible in the case of death by co gestion by sufi o c a t io by n ,

n,

exhaustion or by hysteria E utychus who was esuscitated

, .
,
r

by S t Paul afte falling from a thi d sto ey was doubtless

,
r r r ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
which really strikes the ears and th is is co mprehensible ,

e nough ,
for how should a shadow spea k ? With what
inst um ent could it cause the air to vibrate by i mpressing it
r

in such a manner as to m ake distinct sounds At the sa m e

tim e electrical contacts are e xperienced f om apparitions
,
r ,

and som etimes appear to be produced by the hand of the

phanto m but the pheno menon is wholly subjective and is
, ,

occasioned solely by t he power of i magination and the local

wealth of the occult force which we te m the astral light r .

The proof of this is that spirits or at least the spectres ,

pretended to be such m a y indeed occasionally touch us but

, ,

we cannot touch them and this is one of the most aff ight
,
r

ing ch a racteristics of these apparitions which are at ti m es ,

so real in appea ance that we cannot unm oved feel the hand
r

pass through that which see ms a body without touching or

m eeting anything .

We read in ecclesiastical hi storia ns that Spiridio n Bishop ,

of Tre mit h o n t e afterwards invoked as a saint called up the

, ,

S pirit of his daughter Irene to ascertain from her the

, ,

whereabouts of som e concealed m oney which she had taken

in charge for a traveller S wedenborg co mm unicated
.

habitually with the S O called dead whose form s appeared to

-
,

him in the astral light S eve al credible persons of our

. r

acquaintance have assured us t hat they have been revisited

for years by the dead who were dear to them Th e cele .

bra t e d atheist S ylvanus M aréchal m anifested to his widow

and one of her friends to acquaint her concerning a sum of
,

1 5 0 0 francs which he had concealed in a secret drawer .

This anecdo t e was related to us by an O ld friend of the

family .

E vocations shoul d have always a m otive and a beco ming

end otherwise they are works of darkness and folly most
, ,

dangerous for health and reason To evoke out of pure .

curiosity and to find out whether we shall see anything is

, ,

to be predisposed to fruitless fatigue The transcendental .

sciences ad mit of neither doubt nor puerility The per .

missible motive of an evocation ma y be either love or

 NECROMANCY 27 5

intelligence E voc ations of love require less apparatus

.

and are in every respect easier The procedure is as .

follows : We must in the first place carefully collect the

, ,

m e morials of him (or her ) who m we desire to behold the ,

articles he used and on which his impression remains ; we

,

must also prepare an apartm ent in which the person lived or ,

otherwise one of similar kind and place his portrait veiled in ,

white therein surrounded with his favourite flowers which

, ,

m ust be renewed daily A fixed date m ust then be .

observed either the bi thday of the person or that day

,
r ,

which was m ost fortunate for his and our own aff ection one ,

of which we ma y believe that his soul however blessed ,

e lsewhere cannot lose the re m e m brance ; this m ust be the

,

d a y for the evocation and we m ust provide for it during

,

the space of fourteen days Th oughout this period we . r

m ust ref ain fro m extending to any one the sam e proofs of
r

a ffection which we have the right to expect fro m the dead ;

we m ust observe strict chastity live in ret eat and take ,

r ,

only one m odest and light collation daily E very evening .

a t the sa m e hour we m ust shut ourselves in the cha m ber

consecrated to the m em ory of the lamented person using ,

o n ly one s mall light such a s tha t of a funeral la mp or

,

taper This light should be placed behind us the portrait

.
,

should be uncove ed and we should remain before it for an

r ,

hour in silence ; finally we S hould fum igate the apa tm en t

, ,
r

with a little good incense and go out backwards O the , . n

mo ning of the day fixed for the evocation we should adorn

r ,

ourselves as if for a festival not salute any one first m ake , ,

but a single repast of bread wine and roots or fruits ; the , , ,

c loth should be white two covers S ho ul d be laid and one

, ,

portion of the bread broken should be set aside ; a little

wine should also be placed in the glas s of the person we
d esign to invoke The m eal m ust be eaten alone in the
.

chamber of evocations and in presence of the veiled portrait ;

,

it must be all cleared away at the end except the glass ,

belonging to the dead person and his portion f b ead ,

O r ,

which must be placed befo e the portrait In the evening r .

,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN SCENDE NT MA GI C
at the hour for the regular visit we must repair in S ilenc e ,

to the chamber light a clear fi e of cypress wood and cast

,
r -
,

incense seven times thereon p onouncing t h e nam e of the , r

person whom we desire to behold The lam p must then be .

extinguishe d and the fire permitted to die out O n this

, .

day the portrait must not be unveiled When the flam e is .

extinct put m ore incense on the ashes and invoke God

, ,

acco ding to the forms of the religion to which the dead

r

person belonged and acco ding to the ideas which he him

, r

self possessed o f God While m aki g this prayer we must . n ,

identify ourselves with the evoked person speak as he ,

spoke believe in a sense as he believe d ; then after a silence

, ,

of fifteen m inutes we must speak to h im as if he were ,

present with a ffection and with faith p aying him to

, ,
r

m anifest to us Renew this prayer m entally covering the

.
,

face with both hands ; then call h im thrice with a loud

voice ; tarry on our knees the eyes closed or covered for , ,

som e m inutes ; then again call thrice upon h im in a sweet

and affectionate tone and slowly open the eyes S hould , .

nothing result the sam e experi m ent m ust be renewed in

,

the following year and if necessa y a t hird tim e w hen it is

,
r ,

certa in that the desired appa ition will be obtained and the r ,

longer it has been delayed the more realistic and striking it

will be .

E vocations of knowledge and intelligence are made with

m ore solem n cerem onies If concerned with a celebrated .

pe sonage we must m editate for twenty one days upon his

r ,
-

life a n d writings form an idea of his appearance c onverse

, ,

with h im mentally and im agine h 1 s answers ; ca y his , rr

po trait or at least his nam e about us ; follow a vegetable

r , ,

diet for twenty one days and a severe fast during the last
-
,

seven We must next construct the m agical o atory de

. r ,

scribed in the thirteenth chapter of our D octrine This .

oratory must be inva iably darkened ; but if we operate r

in the daytim e we m a y leave a narrow ape ture on the

,
r

side where t h e sun will shine at the hour of evocation and

'

place a triang ular pris m before this opening and a crystal ,

 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MA GI C
agai n Asc l ep rus ,
son of I mut h e , who p r e side st over
poetry
Apollonius ,
Apollonius
Th ou teachest , Apollonius !
the Magic of Zoroaster son of Oro ma sde s ; and this is ,

the worship of the Gods .

F or the evocation of spi its belonging to religions issued r

from Judaism the following kabbalistic invocation O f

,

S olom on S hould be used eithe in Hebrew or in any ,

r ,

other tongue with which the spirit in question is known

to have been fam iliar
Powers of the Kingdom be ye under my left foot and in ,

m y right hand ! Glory and E tern ity take m e by the two ,

shoulders and direct m e in the paths of vict ory ! M ercy

,

and Justice be ye the equilibrium and splendour of my

,

life ! Intelligence and Wisdom crown m e ! S pirits of ,

M ALCH UTH lead m e betwixt the two pillars upon which

,

rests the whole edifice of the temple Angels of N E TSAH

and H OD strengthen m e upon the cubic stone of J E S OD !
,

O G E DULAE L ! O G E B URAE L ! O TIPHE RE TH B IN AE L be thou ,

my love RUACH H C CHMAE L be thou my light ! Be that ,

which thou art and thou shalt be 0 KE THE RIE L ! I h im , sc ,

assist m e in the nam e of SADD AI ! Cher ubim be my strength ‘

in the na me of AD ONAI B rt i E loh im be my brethren in ' ’

e -
,

the nam e of the S on and by the powers of ZEBAO TH ! ,

E la i m do battle for m e in the nam e of TE TRA GRAMMATON !

,

M la chim p otect m e in the nam e of J 0 D H E VAU H E !

a ,
r

Ser a p him cleanse m,y love in the name of E LV O H H a sm lim a ,

enlighten m e with the splendours of E LOI and S hechinah ! ’ ‘

A lim act ! Op h im revolve and shine H jo th

ra ,
Ka do sh
an ,
a a ,

cry speak roa bellow ! Ka do sh Ka do sh Ka do sh SAD DA

, ,
r, , , ,
’ ’

I,

An o N Ar J OTCHAVAH E IE AZE RE IE ! H a ll e l u jah H a ll e l u jah

‘‘

- -
, , , ,

H a ll e lu jah-
Am en m s . . .

It S hould be re m e mbered above all in conj urations that , ,

the names of S atan Beelzebub Adra m e l ek and others do

.
, , ,

not designate spiritual unities but legions of im pure S pirits

”
.
,

O ur nam e is legion for we a e m any says the spirit of, r ,

 N ECROMANC Y 27 9

darkness in the Gospel Nu mber constitutes the law and pro

g ress ta kes place inversely in hell —that is to say the most
.
,

advanced in S atanic develop m ent and consequen t ly the most ,

degraded are the lea st intelligent and feeblest Thus a fatal

,
.
,

law drives the dem ons downward when they wish and be
lieve them selves to be ascending S o also those who term .

them selves chiefs are the m ost impotent and despised of all .

A s to the horde of perve se spirits they tremble before an

r ,

unknown invisible inco mprehensible capricious implacable

, , , ,

chief who never explains his laws whose a rm is ever

, ,

stretched out to strike those who fail to understand h im .

They give this phanto m the nam es of Baal Jupiter and even , ,

others m ore venerable which cannot without profanation

, , ,

be pronounced in hell But this phantom is only the shadow

.

and remnant of God disfigured by their wilful perversity

, ,

and pe sisting in their i magination like a vengeance of

r

justice and a rem orse of truth .

When the evoked spirit of light m anifests with dejected

or irritated countenance we must O ff er him a mo al sacrifice
,
r ,

that is be inwardly disposed to renoun ce whatever o ff ends

,

h im ; and before leaving the oratory we must dis miss h im , ,

saying : M a y peace be with thee ! I have not wished to

trouble thee ; do thou to ment me not I shall labour to
r .

i mprove myself as to anything that vexes thee I pray and .

,

will still pray with thee and for thee Pray t h e also both
, . n

with and for me and return to thy great slumber expecting

,

that day when we shall awake together S ilence a n d adieu ! ” .

,

We m ust not close this chapter without giving som e de

tails o n black m agic for the benefit of the curious Th e .

practices of Thessalian sorcerers and Roman C anidi as are

described by severa l ancient authors In the first place . ,

a pit was dug at the mouth of which they cut the throat
,

o f a black sheep ; the psyl l as and larv ae presu m ed to be

present and swarming round to drink the blood were
, ,

driven o ff with the magic sword ; the triple Hecate and the
infernal gods were evoked and the phantom whose apparition
,

w a s desired was called upon three times In the middle .

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
a ges necrom ancers violated to mbs co mposed ph iltres and
, ,

unguents with the fat and blood of co pses c m bine d with r o

aconite bella donna and poisonous fungi ; they boiled a n d

, ,

skim m ed these frightful compounds over fires nourished with

hum an bones and c ruc ifi e s stolen from churches ; they x

added dust of d ied toads and ash of consec ated hosts ;

r r

they anointed their temples hands and breasts with the , ,

infernal unguent traced the diabolical pa t a c le s evoked the

, n ,

dead beneath gibbets or in dese ted g aveya ds Their r r r .

howlings were heard f o m afar and belated travelle s r ,

r

im agined that legions of phantom s rose out of the earth ;

the very trees in their eyes ass um ed appalling shapes ; fiery
, ,

o bs gleam ed in the thickets ; frogs in the ma shes seem ed

r r

to echo m ysterious words of the S abbath with c oaking r

voices It was the magnetism of hallucination the con

.
,

t a gio n of m adness .

The end of procedure in black m agic was to disturb

reason and produce the feverish excitem ent which emboldens
to great crim es The grim oires form erly seized and burnt
.
,

by authority everywhere are ce tai nly not ha mless books ,

r r .

S ac ilege m urder theft are indicated o hinted as m eans to

r , , ,
r

realisation in alm ost all these works Thus in the Great .

,

Grimoire and its m odern ve sion the Red D agon there is a

, r ,
r ,

recipe entitled C o mposition of D eath or Philosophical ,

S tone a b oth of aqua fo tis coppe arsenic and verdig is

,
r r ,
r, ,
r .

There are also necro m antic p ocesses co mp ising the tea ing r ,
r r

up of earth from graves with the nails dragging out bones , ,

placing the m crosswise on the breast then assisting at mid ,

night m ass o n C hristmas eve and flying out of the chu ch ,

r

a t the m o m ent of consecration crying : Le t the dead rise

from their to mbs —then returning to the graveyard
,

taking a handful of earth nea rest to the coffin running back ,

to the doo of the church which has been al arm ed by the

r ,

c la mour depositing the two bones crosswise again shouting :

”
, ,

Let the dead rise fr o m their to mbs and then if we escape , ,

being seized and shut up in a ma d house retiring at a slow -

,

p ace and, counting four thousand five hundred steps in a

 THE RITUAL OF TRAN S CEND ENT MAGI C
co m rade s of Ulysses transform ed into swine by C irce In
, .

vulgar opinion transm utations a n d metam orphoses have

,

always been the very esse nce of magic N ow the crowd .

, ,

being the echo of Opinion which is queen of the world is , ,

never perfectly right nor entirely wrong M agic really .

changes the nature of things or rather modifies their appear , , ,

a n c e s at pleasure according to the st ength of the O perator s

’

,
r

will and the fascination of ambitious adepts S peech create s .

its form and when a person held infallible confers a nam e

, , ,

upon a given thing he really transform s that thing into the

,

substance signified by the name The maste rpiece of speech .

and of faith in this order is the real transmutation of a

, ,

substance without change in its appearances Had .

Apollonius o ffered a cup of wine to his dis ciples and said ,

t o them : This is m y blood of which ye shall drink hence ,

forth to perpetuate my life within you and had his

disciples through c enturies believed that they continued the
transformation by repeating the sam e words ; had they
taken the wine despite its odour and taste for the real
, , ,

hu man and living blood of Apollonius we should have to

, ,

acknowledge this master in theurgy as the m ost accomplished

of enchanters and m ost potent of all the magi It would .

remain for us then to adore him .

N ow it is well known that m es m erists impart for their

,

so mnambulists any taste that they choose to plain water ,

and if we assum e a magus having sufl i c ien t co mmand over

the astral fluid to m agnetize at the sam e m om ent a whole
assembly of persons otherwise prepared for magn etis m by
,

adequate over excitem ent we Shall be in a position to ex

-
,

plain readily not indeed the Gospel miracle of C ana but

, ,

works of the sam e class Are not the fascinations of love

. ,

which result fro m the universal m agic of nature truly pro ,

digio us a d do they not actually transfor m persons and

,
n

things Lo ve is a drea m of enchantm ents that t ra sfigure s n

the world ; all becom es m usic and fragrance all intoxication ,

and felicity Th e beloved being is beautiful is good is

.
, ,

sublime is infallible is radiant beam s with he alth and

, , ,
 TRANSMU TATI ONS 283

happiness When the dream ends we see m to have fallen

.

from the clou ds ; we are inspired with disgust for the

braz en sorceress who took the place of the lovely M elusine ,

for the Thersites whom we deemed was A chilles or N creus .

What is there we cannot cause the person who loves us to

believe ? But also what reason or justice ca n we instil into
those who no longer l ove us ? Love begins magician and
ends sorce er After creating the illusions of heaven on
r .

earth it realises those of hell its hatred is absurd l ike its

,

ardour because it is passional that is subje ct to influences

, , ,

which are fatal for it F or this ca use it has been proscribed

.

by sages who declare it to be the enemy of reason Are

, .

they to be envied or commiserated for thus condemnin g ,

doubtless without understanding the most alluring of ,

ill doers ? All that can be said is that when they Spoke
-

thus they either had not yet loved or they loved n o

,

longer .

Things that are external are for us what our word

internal makes them To believe that we are happy is t o
.

be happy ; what we estee m becom es precious in proportion

to the estimation itself this is the sense in which we can
say that magic changes the nature of things The M eta
”
.

m orphoses o f O vid are true but they are allegorical like

, ,

the Golden As s of rare Apuleius The life of beings is a .

progressive transformation and its fo m s ca n be determined

,
r ,

renewed prolonged further or destroyed sooner If the

, , .

doctrine of m etempsychosis we e true might one not say r ,

that the debauch represented by C irce really and m aterially

changes men into swine ; for on this hypothesis the ret i
, ,
r

but io n of vices would be a relapse into anim al form s that

c orrespond to them ? N ow m etempsychosis which has , ,

frequently been m isinterpreted has a perfectly true side ; ,

anim al forms com m unicate their sympathetic imp essions to r

the astral body of m a n which speedily reacts on his apti

,

tudes according to the force of his habits A ma n of .

intell igent and passive mildness assum es the inert ph ysio g

nomy and ways of a sheep but in somnambulis m it is a
,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CENDENT MAGI C
sheep that is seen and not a ma n with a sheepish c o un t e
,

nance as the ecstatic and learned S wedenborg experienced

,

a thousand tim es In the kabbalistic book of D aniel the

.

seer this myste y is represented by the legend of N a buc h o

, r

do so r changed into a beast which after the comm on fate of

n , ,

m agical allego ies has been m istaken for an actual history

r , .

In this way we can really t ansform men into anim als and
,
r

anim als into m e n ; we can m etam o phose plants and alter r

their virtue we can endow mine als with ideal properties ; r

it is all a question of willing We can equally rende our . r

selves visible or invisible at wil l and this helps us to explain ,

the mysteries of the ring of Gyges .

In the first place let us rem ove from the m ind of our
,

re aders all supposition of the absurd ; that is of an effect ,

devoid of cause or contradicting its cause To beco m e

—
.

invisible one of three things is necessary the interposition

of som e O paque m ediu m between the light a n d our body or ,

be tween our body and the eyes of the spectators or the ,

fascination of the eyes of the spectators in such a manner

th at they cannot make use of their sight O f these .

m ethods the third only is m agical

, Have we not all of us .

observed that under the governm ent of a strong pre o c c u

p a t io n we look without seeing and hurt ourselves against
objects in front of us ? S o do that seeing they ma y not
”
see said the gr eat Initiator and the histo y of this grand
,

r
, ,

m aster tells us that one day finding him self on the point of ,

being stoned in the temple he m ade him self invisible and ,

went out There is no need to repeat here the m yst ific a tio n s
.

of popular n m O re s about the ring of invisibility S ome

I .

ordain that it shall be composed of fixed m ercury enriched by ,

a sm all stone which it is indispensable to find in a pewit s ’

nest and kept in a box of the sam e m etal The author of the
”
, .

Little Albert ordains that this ring should be co mposed of

hairs torn from the hea d of a raging hyena which recalls the ,

histo y of the h e ll of Ro dila rd The o nl y writ ers who have

r .

discoursed seriously of the ring of Gyges a re Ja mblic h us ,

Porphyry and Peter of Apo n o What they say is evidently

, .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGIC
to be engaged in the chase and he wil l certainly make ,

him self invisible A priest who was being hunted in 9 3

.
’
,

with the intention of hanging hi m fro m a lamp post fled -

,

down a side street assu m ed a stooping gait and leaned

, ,

against a corner with an intensely preoccupied expression

,

the crowd of his enemies swept past ; not one saw h im or , ,

rather it never struck anyone to recognise him ; it was so

,

unlikely to be he ! The person who desires to be seen

a lways m akes hi m self observed and he who would re main ,

unnoticed effaces him self and disappears The true ring of .

Gyges is the will ; it is also the rod of transformations ,

and by its p ecise and st ong fo mulation it crea t es the

r r r

m agical word .The o m nipotent term s of enchantm ents

a re those which express this creative power of form s .

The tetragram which is the sup em e word of ma gic

”
,
r ,

s ign ifies : It is that which it shall be and if we apply it ,

to any transform ation whatsoever with full intelligence it ,

will renew and m odify all things even in the teeth of ,

evidence and co mmon sense The ho e est of the C hristian .

sacrifice is a translation and application of the tetragram ;

hence this simple ut terance Operates the m ost co mplete ,

m ost invisible m ost incredible and m ost clea rly affirm ed

, ,

of all transformations A still stronger word than that of

.

t r nsfo r ma tio
a has been judged necessary by councils to
n

express the m arvel that of tr a ns bsta n ti tio n

,
n a .

The Hebrew term s N5JN TWIN ID S have been con , , ,

s ide r e d by all kabbalists as the keys of magical transform a

tion The Latin words st sit esto fi t have the same

.
, e , , ,
a ,

force when pronounced with f ull understanding M de . .

M ontalembert seriously relates in his legend of S t E lizabeth ,

o f Hungary how one day this s ain tl y l a dy surprised by her

, ,

noble husband fro m whom she sought to conceal her go od

,

works in the act of carrying b ead to the poor in her apron

,
r ,

told h im that she was carrying roses and it proved on ,

investigation that Sh e had spoken truly ; the loaves had

been changed into roses This story is a most gracious .

magical apologue and signifies that the truly wise man

,
 TRANSMU TATIONS 2 87

c annot lie that the word of wisdom det ermines the form of
,

thi gs or even their substance independently of their fo m s

n ,
r .

Why for example should not the noble spouse of S t E liza

, ,

beth a good and firm C hristian like herself and believing

, ,

im plicitly in the real presence of the S aviour in true

hum an body upon an altar where he beheld only a W heaten
host why should he not believe in the real presence of roses
,

in his wife s apron under the appearances of bread ? S he

’

e xhibited him loaves undoubtedly but as she had said that ,

they were roses and as he believed her incapable of the

,

s m allest falsehood he saw and wished to see roses o nl y

, .

This is the secret of the miracle Another legend nar ates . r

how a saint whose nam e has escaped m e finding nothi ng to

, ,

eat on a L enten day or a Friday co mm anded the fowl to ,

becom e a fish and it becam e a fish The pa able needs

, . r

no interpretation and it recalls a beautiful s t ory of S t

,

S piridio of Tre mit h o t e the sam e who evoked the soul of

n n ,

his daughter Irene O n e Good Friday a traveller reached .

the abode of the holy bishop and as bishops in those days ,

t ook C hristianity in earnest and were Consequently poor , ,

Sp iridio who fasted religiously had in his house only some

n, ,

salted bacon which had been m ade ready for E aster The
, .

stranger w a s overcom e with fatigue and fam ished with

hunger Sp iridio n offered h im the m eat and him self Sha ed ,
r

the meal of charity thus transform ing the very flesh which ,

the Jews regard as of all m ost impure into a feast of peni

tence transcending the material law by the spirit of the law
,

itself and proving himself a true and intelligent disciple of

,

the man God who hath established his elect as the m onarchs
-
,

of nature in the three worlds .

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANS C EN D ENT MA GI C

C HA PTE R XV

THE SABBATH or THE S OR CE RER S

WE return once more to that terrible number fifteen sym ,

bo lis e d in the Tarot by a m onster throned upon an altar ,

m itred and horned having a wo m an s breasts and t h e

’

generative organs of a m a n —a chim era a m alfo m ed

,

, r

S phinx a synthesis of m onstrosities ; below this figure we

read a f ank and si mple inscription—THE D EVIL Yes we

,

r .
,

confront he e the phantom of all terrors the dragon of

r ,

all theogonies the Arim an of the Persians the Typhon of

, ,

the E gyptians the Python O f the Greeks the old serpent

, ,

of the Heb ews the fantastic m onste the nightm are

r , r, ,

the C roquemitaine the gargoyle the great beast O f the , ,

mi ddle ages and worse than all this the Baphom et of the
, , ,

Templars the bearded idol of the alchemists the obscene

, ,

deity of M endes the goat of the S abbath The frontispiece

,
.

to this Ri t ua l reproduces the exact figure of the terrible

emperor of night with all his attributes and all his,

cha acters
r .

L et us state now for the e difi c a t io n of the vulgar for the ,

satisfaction of M l e C omte de M irvill e for the justification

.
,

of the dem onologist Bodin for the g eater glory of the ,

r

C hurch which persecuted Te mplars burnt m agicians ex

—
, , ,

co mm unicated Freemasons &c let us state boldly and , .

precisely that all the infe io r initiates of the occult sciences r

and profaners of the great arcanum not onl y did in the past , ,

but do now and will ever adore what is signified by this

, ,

alarming symbol Yes in our profound conviction the

.
, ,

Grand M asters of the O rder of the Templ ars worshipped

the Baphom et and caused it to be wo shipped by their
,
r

adepts ; yes there existed in the past and there ma y be

, ,

still in the present assemblies which are presided over by

,

this figure seated on a throne and having a flaming torch

,

between the horns ; but the adorers of this Sign do not

290 THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
light ; he makes the S ign of occultism with both hands ,

pointing upwa d to the whi t e moon of C hesed and down

r ,

ward to the black moon of G ebura h This sign expresses .

the perfect harm ony of mercy with justice O n e of the .

a m s is fe minine and the other m asculine as in the

r ,

an drogyne of Kh u a t h whose attribute s we have co mbined

nr ,

with those of our goat since they are one and the same,

symbol The to ch of intell igence burnin g be tween the

. r

horns is the m agical light of universal equilibrium ; it is

a lso t h e type of the soul exalted above m atter even whil e ,

connecting with m atter a s the flame connects with the,

torch The hideous head of the anim al exp esses horror of

. r

sin for which the material agent alone responsible must

, , ,

alone and for ever b ear the penalty because the soul is ,

i mpassible in its n ature and can suffer only by m aterialising

, .

Th e caduceus which replaces the generative organ r e p r e

, ,

S ents eternal life ; the scale covered belly typifies water ; the -

circle above it is the atmosphere ; the feathers still higher

up signify the volatile lastly hu manity is depicted by the ,

two breasts and the androgyne arm s of this sphinx of the

occult sciences Behol d the shadows of the infe nal sanc
. r

t ua ry dissipated ! Behold the sphinx of m edi aeval terrors

divined and cast f o m his throne ! rQu o mo cl o ce idisti c ,

L ucifer !
The d ead Baphomet hencefort h like all m onstrous idols
r , ,

enigmas of antique science and its dreams is only an ,

innocent and even pious hieroglyph How should m a n .

adore the beast S ince he exercises a sovereign power ove

,
r

it Let us affirm for the honour of hu m anity that it has

, ,

never adored dogs and goats any m ore than lam bs and pigeons .

In the hieroglyphic o der why not a goat as m uch as a

r ,

lamb ? O n the sacred stones of Gnostic C hristians of the

B a silide a n sect are rep esentations of C hrist under the
r

diverse figures of kabbalistic animals —someti mes a bird

,

at others a lion and again a lion or bull headed serpent ;

, , ,
-

but in all cases He bears invariably the sam e attributes of

light even as our goat who can not be confounded with
, ,
 THE SABBATH o r THE S ORCERER S 291

fabulous i mages of S atan owing to his S ign of th e ,

pentagram .

Le t us assert m ost strongly to combat the re m nants of ,

Manich aeanis m which are daily appearing a m ong C hristians ,

that as a superior perso n ality and power S atan does not

e xist He is t h e personification of all errors perversities
.
, ,

and consequently weaknesses If God m a y be defined a s

, , .

He who necessa rily e xists ma y w e not define His antagonist

,
.

and enemy as he who ne cessaril y does not exist ? The a h

solute affirm ation of good implies the absolute negation of
ev il ; so also in the light shadow itself is luminous Thus .
,

erring spirits are good to the extent of their part icipation in

being and in truth There are no shadows without re fl e c
.

tions no nights without moon phosphorescence and stars

, , , .

If hell be just it is good N o one has ever blasphem ed

, .

God The insults and m ockeries addressed to His disfigured

.

images attain Him not .

We have nam ed M anich aeanism and it is by this m ons ,

trous heresy that we shall explain the aberrations of black

magic The misconstrued doctrine of Zoroaster and t he
.

magical law of two forc es c onstitutin g universal equilibrium ,

have caused som e illogical minds to im agine a negative

divinit y subordi nate but hostile to the active divinity
, .

Thus the i mpure duad comes into being M e n were mad

, .

enough to halve God ; the star of S olomon was separated

into two triangles and the M anichaeans imagined a trinity
,

of night This evil God product of sectarian fancies in

.
, ,

spired all manias and all crimes S anguinary sacrifi ces .

were offered him ; monstrous idolatry replaced the true

religion ; black m agic traduced the transcendent and lu minous
magic of true adepts and horrible conventicles of sorcerers
, ,

ghouls and stryges took place in caverns and desert places for
, ,

dementia soon changes into fren z y and from human sa crifices ,

to cannibalism there is only one step The mysteries of .

the S abbath have been variously described but they figure ,

always I n gri mo rre s and in magical trial s ; the revelations

made on the subject may be classifie d under three heads
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
1 . hose referring to a fantastic and im aginary S abbath ; 2
t .

those which betray the secret s of the occul t assemblies of

veritable adepts ; 3 revelations of foolish and crimin al .

gatherings having for their object the Operations of black

,

ma gic F or a la ge number of unhappy m e n and wom en

. r ,

given over to these m a d and abominable practices the S ab ,

bath was but a prolonged nightmare where drea ms appeared ,

realities and were induced by m eans of potions fum igations

, , ,

a n d na cotic frictionsr Baptista Porta whom we have a l .

,

ready signalised as a myst ifl e r gives in his Natural M agic ,

“
,

a pretended recipe for the sorcerer s unguent by m eans ’

of which they were transporte d to the S abbath It is .

a composition of child s fat of aconite boiled with poplar ’

leaves and som e other drugs the whole m ixed with soot
, , ,

which could not contribute to the beauty of the naked sor

c e re s se s who epai ed to the scene anointed with this
r r

po made There is another and more serious recipe given

.

by Baptista Po ta which we transcribe in L atin to preserve

r ,

its gri moire cha acter R ip e : sa im a co ra m vulg p en

r . ec ,
a r e,

t ap h yll o n , e er sp er til lio n s i sa ng uin em so la n wm. so m n iferum et

o leum, the whole boiled and incorporated to the consistence

of an unguent We inf er that com positions containing
.

O piates the pith of green hemp datu a stram onium or

, ,
r -

laurel al m ond would enter quite as successfully into such

-
,

preparations The fat or blood of night birds added to

.
-

these narcotics with black m agi cal cerem onies woul d im

, ,

press im agination and determine the direction of d eams r .

To S abbaths dreamed in this manner we m ust refer the

a ccounts of a goat issuin g fro m pitchers and going back into

them after the ceremony ; infernal powders obtained from

t h e ordure of thi s goat who is called M as ter L eonard ; ,

ba nquets where abortions are eaten without sal t and boiled

with serpents and toads ; dances in which monst ous animals ,
r

or me n and wo men with impossible shapes take part ; un ,

bridled debauches where incubi project cold sperm Nightmare .

a lone coul d produce or expla in such scenes The unfortun ate .

c uré G a ufridy and his abandoned penitent M adeline de la

, , ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRA NSCEND ENT MA GI C
were tests of his force of character and confidence in his
initiators The final ordeal was most d ecisive of a ll because
.

it was at fi st sight hu miliating and ridiculous to the mind

r

of the candidate ; he was co mmanded without ci cum spe ction r

t o kiss respectfully the posterior of the goat if he refused ,

his head was again covered and he was transported to a ,

distance from the assembly with such extraordinary rapidity

that he believed himself whirled through the air ; if he
assented he was taken round the symbolical idol and there
, ,

found not a repulsive and obscene object but the young

, ,

and gracious counten a nce of a priestess of Isis or M aia who ,

gave him a m aternal salute and he was then ad mitte d ,

t o the banquet A s to the orgies which in many such

.

assemblies foll owed the banquet we must beware of ,

believi g that they were generally permitted at the se secret

n

agapae ; at the sam e tim e it is known that a num ber of

gnostic sects p actised them in their conventicles du ing the
r r

e a rly centuries of C hris tianity Tha t the flesh had it s .

protes t ants in those ages of a sceticis m and co mpression of

the senses was inevitable and can oc casion no surp ise but
,
r ,

we m ust not accuse transcendent magic of the irregularities

it has never autho ised Isis is chaste in her widowhood ;
r .

D iana Panthea is a vi gin ; H e rma n ubis possessing both

r ,

sexes can satisfy neither ; t h e Hermetic he rm aphrodite is

,

pure Apoll onius of Tyana never yielded to the seductions

of pleasu e ; the E mperor Julian was a ma n of rigid
r

continence ; Plotinus of Alexandria w as ascetic in the

m anner o f his life ; Paracelsus was such a s tranger to
fo olish love that his sex was suspected ; Ray mund Lully
wa s initiate d in the final secrets of science only after a
hopeless passion whi ch made h im chaste for ever It is .

also a m agical tradition that p e ntacles and talismans lose

all their virtue when he who wears them enters a house of
prostitution or commits an adultery The S abbath of orgies .

must not therefore be considered as that of the veritable

adepts .

With regard to the term S abbath some have traced it to ,

 THE SABBATH OF THE SOR CER ER S 295

the n a me of Sa ba sius and o t her etym ologies have been

,

imagined The m ost S imple in our O pinion connec t s it

.
, ,

with the Jewish S abbath fo it is certain that the Jews the , r ,

m ost faithful depositaries of the secrets of the Kabbalah ,

were al most invariably the g eat m asters in magic during r

the middle ages The S abbath was therefo e the S unday of

. r

the Kabbalists the day of their religious festivals or rather

, ,

the night of thei regular a ssembly This feast su rounded

r .
,
r

with myst e ies had the vulgar tim idity for its safegua d and
r ,
r

escape d pe secution by terror A s to the diabolical S abbath

r .

o f necro m ance s it was a counte feit of that of the m agi

r ,
r ,

an assembly of m alefactors who exploited idiots and fools .

There horrible rites were practised and abominable potions

co mpoun ded the e sorce e s and sorceresses laid their plans
,
r r r

a n d inst ucted one another for the co mm on s upport of their

r

reputation in p ophecy and divination ; at that peri d

r o

diviners we e gene ally consulted and followed a luc ative

r r r

profession while exe cising a real power S uch institutions

r .

neithe had n o could possess any regular rites ; everything

r r

d epen ded on the caprice of the chiefs and the vertigo of t h e

a sse m bly What was nar ate d by so me who had been
. r

p esent at them se ved as a type fo all night mares of

r r r

hallucination and from this chaos of impossible realities and

dem oniac d eam s have issued the revolting and foolish
r

hi stories of the S abbath which figure in m agical processes

a n d in the books of such writers as S prange D e l a n c e re r, ,

D elrio and Bodin

, .

The rites of the Gnostic S abbath were impo ted into r

Germ any by an association which took t h e nam e of M opses .

It replaced the Kabbalistic goat by the Hermetic dog and ,

the candidate male o female for t h e order initiated

, r ,

women was brought in with eyes bandaged ; the sam e

,

infernal noise was m ade in their neighbou hoo d which r ,

s urrounded the na m e of S abbath with so m any inexplicable

rumours they were asked whether they were afraid of the

d evil and were abruptly required to choose between kissing
,

the posterior of the g and master and that of a s mall silk

r
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
covered figure of a dog which was substituted for the old ,

grand idol of the goat of M endes The S ign of recognitio n .

was a ridiculous grimace which recalls the phant a s m ago i a , r

of the ancient S abbath and the m asks of the assistants .

For the rest their doct ine is su mm ed up in the cultus f

,
r o

love and license The association cam e into existence when

.

the Rom an C hurch was persecuting Freemasonry Th e .

M opses pretended to recruit only a m ong C atholics and f o r ,

the oath at reception they substituted a solemn engagement

upon honour to reveal no secrets of the orde It w a s r .

m ore e ff ectual than any oath and left nothing f religion ,

or

to object .

The na me of the Templar Baphom et which should be ,

S pelt Ka bb li st ic l ly backwa ds is co m posed of th ee a bbre

a a r ,
r

v ia t io n s : TE M . O HP . AR .
,
Te mp li omn ium h o min n m p a cis
a the father of the tem ple of universal peace am ong
bba s,
me
” nA ccording to so m e the B a h o m e t was a m onst ou s
. r
,

head ; accordin g to othe s a dem on in the form of a goat r ,

.

A sculptu ed co ffe was disi te ed recently in the ruins of

r r n rr

an old co mmandery of the tem ple and antiqua ies obse ved ,
r r

upon it a baphom etic fig u e corresponding by its att ibutes r ,

r

to the goat of M endes and the and ogyne of Kh u t h I t r n ra .

was a bearded figure with a fe m ale bo dy hol ding the sun in ,

one hand and the m oon in the othe attached t o chains ’

r, .

N ow this viril e head is a beautiful allegory which att ibutes

,
r

to thought alone the initiating and creating p inciple He e r . r

the head represents spirit and the b dy m atte The o bs o r . r

enchained to the hum an form and di ected by that natu e ,

r r

of which intelligence is the head are also m agnificently ,

allegorical The S ign all the sam e was discove ed to be

. r

obscene and diabolical by the learned m e n who exam ine d

it C an we be surp rise d after this at the spread of m ediaeval
.

superstition in o u own da y ! O e thing only su p ises me

r n r r ,

that believing in the devil and his age ts me n do not

,
n ,

rekindle the faggots M V e uill o t is logical and dem and s

. .

it ; one should honour me n who have the cou age of their r

opinions .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CE NDE NT MA GI C
or natural ignorance 4 blind faith in all that is incredible ;
,

5 a co m pletely false idea of God

We m ust afterwards—( ) Profane the c ere monies of the
, .

cultus in which we believe ; (b) offer a bloody sacrifice ;

( ) procure the magic fork w h ich is a branch of a single
c ,

bea m of hazel or alm ond cut at one blow with the ,

new knife used for the sacrifice It must term inate .

in a fo k which m ust be a m oured with i on o

r , r r r

s t eel made f o m the blade of the before mentioned

r -

knife A fast of fifteen days m ust be observed tak

.
,

ing a single unsalt ed repast after sundown ; this repast

should consist of black bread and blood seasoned with
unsalted spices or black beans and milky and narcotic
herbs We m ust get drunk eve y fi ve days after sundown
. r , ,

on wine in which fi ve heads of black poppies and five ounces

of pounded hem p seed have been steeped for five hou s the r ,

infusion being strained through a cloth wove n by a pro

st it ut e ; st ictly speaking
r the first cloth which co mes to ,

hand ma y be used should it have been woven by a wo man

, .

The evocation should be pe rfo med on the night between r

M onday and Tuesday or that between F iday and S aturday

,
r .

A solitary and condemned spot m ust be chosen such as a ,

cem etery haunted by evil spirits an avoided ruin in the ,

country the vaul ts of an abandoned convent a place where

, ,

som e m urder has been co m mitted a druidic altar or an old ,

te mple of idols A black seamless and sleeveless robe mus t

.

be p ovi ded a leaden cap em blazoned with the signs of the

r

m oon Venus and S atu n ; two candles of hu m an fat set in

, ,
r

black wooden candlesticks carved in the shape of a crescent ; ,

two crowns of vervain ; a m agical sword with a black

handle ; the magical fo k ; a copper vase containing the r

blood of the victim a censer holding the perfum es namely , ,

incense camphor aloes ambe gris and storax kneaded with

, , , r , ,

the blood of a goat a m ole and a bat ; four nails taken

, ,

fro m the coffi n of an executed cri minal ; the head of

a black cat which has been nourished on human flesh for
fi ve days ; a bat d owned in blood ; the horns of a goat
r
G O ETIC CIRCL E
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
cum guo p u ell a and the skull of a parricide
co nc ubu er it ; .

A ll these hideous and sca rcely obtainable objects having

been collect ed they must be a ranged as follows : A
,
r

perfect circle is traced by the swor d with a break or , ,

way of issuing on one side ; a t iangle is drawn in t h e

,
r

circle and the p a t a c l e thus form ed is coloured with

,
n

blood ; at one of the angles of the triangle a ch a fin g dis h -

is placed and this should have been included am ong the

,

indispensable objects al eady enum erated ; at the opposite r

base of the triangle th ee little circles a e describe d for the

r r

operator and his two assistants ; behind that of the operator

the S ign of the laba u m or monog am of C onstantine is r r

drawn not with the blood of the victim but with the
, ,

operator s own blood The operato and his assistants m ust

’
. r

have bare feet and cove ed heads The skin of the imm o r .

lated vi ctim m ust be also brought to the place and being , ,

c ut into st ips m ust be placed within the circle forming a

r , ,

second and inner circle fixed at four corne s by the four ,

r

nails from the coffin already m entioned Hard by the n a ils .

,

but outside the ci cle m ust be placed the head of the cat
r , ,

the hum an or rather inhuman S kull the horns of the goat , ,

and the bat ; they must be sprinkled with a branch of bi c h r

dipped in the bl ood of the victim and then a fire of cypress ,

and al derwood must be lighte d the two m agical candles ,

being placed on the right and left of the operator encircled ,

with the wreaths of vervain The form ula of evocation can .

now be pronounce d as they a e foun d in the m agical elem ents

,
r

of Peter of Ap o o or in the gri m oires whet her p inted or

n , ,
r

m anuscript That of t h e G rand Gri moi e reproduced in

. r ,

the vul gar Red D agon has been wilfully altered and should
r , ,

be read as follows : By Ado n a E lo im Ado a Jchova ' ’

I ,
n i ,

Ado n a S abaoth M e t ra t o n O n Agla Ado n a M athon the

‘ ’ ‘

I ,
r ,

pythonic word the mystery of the salaman der the assembly

, ,

of the sylphs the g otto of t h e gnom e s the dem ons of

,
r ,

the heaven of Gad Al mo usi Gio o Jeh o sua E va m

” ,
n, r, , ,

Za ria t n a t m ik C om e C o m e C o m e !
, , ,

The grand appellation of Agrippa consists only in these

 THE RIT UAL OF TR A N
SCEND EN T MAGI C
But they are those of the inferior demons and here follo w ,

the o fl ic ia l signatu es of the princes of hell a ttested judicially

r

judicially O M l e C omte de M irville —and preserved in

,

-
, .

the arc hives of justice as c onvicting evidences for the trial o f

the unfortunate U rbain G ra n die r .

These signatures appear under a pact of which C ollin de

Plancy gives a facsi mile reproduction in the Atlas of his
Infernal D ictiona y ” It has thi s m arginal note : The
r
“

”
.

draught is in hell in the secretary of Lucifer a va luable

, ,

item of inform ation about a locality but imperfectly known ,

and belonging to a period approximat e to our own though ,

anterior to the trial of the young Labarre and E t a lo n de who , ,

a s every one knows were conte mporaries of Voltaire

, .

E vocations were frequently followed by pacts written on

parch ment of goat skin with an iron pen and blood drawn
from the left a rm The document was in duplicate ; one
.

copy was carried o ff by the fiend and the other swall owed
by the wilful reprobate The reciprocal e ngagements were
.

that the demon should serve the sor cerer during a given
period of years and that t h e sor cerer should belong t o t h e
,
 THE SARRATH o r THE SO RCERER S 3 03

dem on after a determinate ti m e The C hur ch in her exor .

c ism s h as consecrated the belief in all these things , and it

may be said that black m agic and its darkso me prince are
the true living and terrible creation of Roman C atholicis m ;
, ,

that they are even its special and characte istic work for r ,

pri ests invent not God S o do true C atholics cleave f om

. r

the bottom of their hearts t o the consecration and even the

regeneration of this great wo k which is the ph ilosophical r ,

stone of the o ffi cial and positive cultus In thieves slang .

’

the devil is called the ba k by m alefactors ; all our desire

er ,

a n d we speak no longer fro m the standpoint of the m agus

'

but as a devoted child of C hristianity and of that C hurch to

which we owe our earliest education and our first e
t h usia sms—
n

all our desire we say is that the phantom of

, ,

S atan ma y no longer be able to be term ed the ba k for the er

ministers of morality and the representatives of the highest

v irtue .Will they app eciate our intention and forgive the
r

boldness of our aspirations in conside ation of our devoted r

intentions and the sincerity of o u faith r

The devil making magic which dictated the G im oire of

-
r

Pope Hono ius the E nchiridion of Leo III the exorcism s

r , .
,

of the Ritual the verdicts of inquisitors the suits of Lau

, ,

ba rde m e n t the articles of the V e uillo t brothe s the books of

, r ,

M . de Fa ll o ux de M ontalembert de M irville the m agic of

, , ,

sorce ers and of pious persons who are not sorce ers is
r r ,

something truly to be condemned in the one and infinitely

deplored in the other It is above all to com bat these un
.

h appy aberrations o f the hu man m ind by their exposure that

w e have published this book M a y it further the holy cause !
.

But we have not yet exhibited these impious devices in

all their turpitude and in all their monstrous folly ; we
,

must remove the bloo d stained filth of perished super -

st it io n s we must tax the annals of dem onomania so as to ,

conceive of ce rtain cri mes which imagination alone could

not invent The Kabbalist Bodin Israelite by conviction
.
,

and C atholic by necessity had no other intention in h is ,

D e monomania of S orcerers than to i mpeach C atholi cism ‘

 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
in its works and to undermine it in the greatest f ll its
,
o a

doct inal abuses The tre atise of Bodin is p ofoun dly

r . r

m achiavellic and strikes at the heart of the institutions

,

and persons it appea s to defend It would be difficult r .

to im agine without rea di ng his vast m ass of sanguinary

and hideous histories acts of revolting superstition sentence s
and execution s o f stupid ferocity
,
”
Burn all ! the i .
,

uisit rs see m ed to cry God w ill distinguish His own

q o .

Poor fools hysterical wom en and idiots were a c cordingly

, , ,

burned without me cy for the crim e of magic while at the

r , ,

sam e time great criminals escaped this unjust and san

,

gu inar
y justice Bodin gives us . to unde stand this by r

recounting such anecdotes as that which he connects with

the death of C harles I X It is an alm ost unknown a bo mi .

nation and one which has not so fa as we know tempted

, ,
r ,

the skill of any om ance even at the periods of the m ost

r r,

feverish and deplorable lite ature r .

A ttacked by a disease of which no physician could dis

cover the cause or explain the frightful symptom s King ,

C harles I X was dying The Q ueen M othe who ruled h im

. .
-
r,

entirely and had everything to lose under another reign

,

the Q ueen M othe who has been suspected as the autho of

- r, r

the disease because concealed devices and unk own interests

,
n

have always been at t ribute d to her who was capable of any

thing—c onsulte d her as trologers and then had ecourse to ,
r

the foulest form of m agic the O a cle of th B l di g H d ,

r e ee n ea ,

for the su fferer s condition grew worse and m ore despe ate
’
r

daily The infernal Operation was perform ed in the following

.

way A child was selected of beautiful appearance a d

.
,
n

innocent m anners ; he was prepared for his first comm union

by the al m oner of the palace When the day or rather .

night of the sacrifice arrived a m onk an apostate Js c o bin , , ,

given over to the occult works of black m a gic celebrated ,

the M ass of the D evil at midnight in the sick room and in ,

-
,

the presence o nl y of C atherine de Medicis and her trusted

confidante It wa s O ffered befo e the i mage of the dem on
. r ,

h aving a crucifix upside down under it s feet and the ,

 THE RIT UAL OF T RANSC E ND ENT MAGI C

C HAPTE R XVI

C C RAFT
W IT H AND S PE LLs

WHA T sorce e s and necro m ancers sought above all in their

r r

evocations of the i m pure spirit was that magnetic power

which is the possession of the true adept but was desired ,

by them only that they might sham efully abuse it The .

folly of sorcerers was an evil folly and one of their c hief ,

ends was the power of bewitc h m ents or harm ful infl uences .

We have set down in our D oct ine what we think upon the r

subject of be witchm ent and how it seem s to us a dangerous

,

and real powe The true m agus bewitches without cere

r .

m onial and by his m e e

,
eprobation those whom he
r r ,

con de m ns and considers it necessary to punish his fo give r

ness even bewitches those who do him w ong and never do r ,

the enem ies of initiates carry far the im punity of their

injustice We have ourselves witnessed nu merous exam ples
.

of this fatal law The murderers of m artyrs always perish

.

m iserably and the adepts a e m artyrs of in t e l ligence Pro

,
r

vide n c e see m s to scorn those who despise the m and to slay ,

t hose who would deprive the m of life The legend of the .

Wandering Jew is the popular poetry of this arcanu m A .

wise m a was d iven by a nation to his doom ; it ba de him

n r
”
G O on ! when he w ished to rest f o a m o ment What is r .

the consequence ? A sim ilar condemnation overtakes the

nation itself ; it is proscribed bodily ; me have cried to it n
“ ”
Get on ! Get on ! for centuries and it h a s found no pity ,

and no repose .

A m a of lea ning had a wife who m he loved wildly and

n r

p a ssionately in the exaltation o f his tenderness he honoured

her with blind confidence and trusted her entirely Vain
, .

of her beauty and understanding this woman becam e jealous ,

of her husband s superiority and began to hate h im S ome

’

, .

ti me after Sh e deserted him disgracing herself with an old

, ,

ugly stupid and immoral man Thi s was the beginni g of

, ,
. n
 C CRAFT
W IT H AND S PE LLs 307

her punish ment but it did not end there The ma n of

, .

lea rning solemnly pronounced the following sentenc e upon

her : I take back your unders ta ndin g and your beauty ” .

A year aft er she was no longer recognised by those who

had k o wn her ; she had lost her plumpness and reflected
n ,

in h e countenance the hideousnes s of her new affections

r
'

Three years later she was ugly ; seven years later she was
d eran ged This happened in our own time and we were
.
,

a c quainte d with both persons .

The m agus condemns after the manner of the skilful ,

physician and for this reason there is no appeal f o m his

, r

sentence when it has once been pronounced against a guilty

person There are no cerem onies and no invocations ; he
.

si mply abstains from eating at the same table or if forced ,

to do so he neither accepts nor o ff ers salt

,
But the be .

w it c h m e n t s of so cerers are of another kind and m a y be

r ,

compared to an actual poisoning of so me current of astral

light They exalt their will by ceremonies till it becom es
.

venom ous at a distance ; but as we have observed in our ,

D octrine they more often expose the m selves to be the fi st

, , r

that are killed by their infernal machinery Let us here .

stigmatise so m e of their guilty proceedin gs They procure .

the hai or garm ents of the person whom they seek to exe
r

crate ; they next select som e animal which see ms to them ,

symbolic of the person and by means of the hair or gar , ,

m ents they place it in m agnetic connection with h im or

,

her. They give it the sam e nam e and then slay it with ,

one blow of the magic knife They cut open the breast tear .
,

out the heart wrap it while still palpitating in the mag

, , ,

n e t ise d obje c ts and hourly for the space of three days

, , ,

they drive nails red hot pins or long thorns therein pro
, , ,

n o n c in
n
g m aledictions upon the na m e of t h e bewitched

person They are persuaded and often ightly that the

. ,
r ,

victim of their infamous Operations experiences as many

tortures as if his own heart had been pierced at all points .

He begins t o waste away and after a tim e dies of a n ,

unknown dise a se .
308 THE RIT UAL or TRANSCE NDE NT MA GI C
Another bewitchm ent made use of in country pla ces , ,

consists in consecration of nails to works of hatred by

m eans of the stinking fu migations of S aturn and invoca
tion s of the evil genii ; the n in following the foot step s ,

of t h e person whom it is sought to torment and nailing

,
,

cr osswise eve y i mprint of his feet which can be traced

r

upon the earth or sand Yet another and more abominabl e .

prac tice A fat toad is selected ; it is baptised ; the n ame

.

a n d surname of the person to be a cc ursed is given it ; it is

made to swallow a consecrated host over which the form ulae ,

of execration have b een pronounced The anim al is th e n .

wrapped in the magnetised objects tied with the hairs o f ,

the victim upon which the operator has previously spat

, ,

a n d buried at the threshold of the bewitched person s door

’

or at som e point where he is obliged to pass daily Th e .

elementary spirit of the toad will becom e a nightm are

and vampire haunting the dr eams of the victim unless
, , ,

indeed he should know how to send it back t o t h e

,

operator .

L et us pass now to bewitch m ents by waxen i mages Th e .

sorcerers of the middle a ges eager to please by their sac ilege s , r

him whom they regarded as their master mixed baptism al ,

oil and the ashes of consecrat ed hosts with a m odicum o f

wax Apostate priests were never wantin g to del iver them
.

the treasures of the C hurch With the accursed wax they .

formed an im age a s much as po ssible resembling the person:

whom they desired to be witch They clothed this ima ge .

with garm ents S imilar to his they administere d to it t h e ,

sacram ents which he re ceived then they called down upo n .

,

its head all m aledictions which could express the hatred of

the sorcere r inflictin g daily im aginary tortures upon it 8 0
, ,
5

a s to reach and torm ent by sy mpathy the person rep esented - . r .

by the im age This bewitchm ent is m ore infallible if t h e

.

hair blood a n d above all a tooth of the victim can be pro

, , , ,

cured It was this which gave rise to the proverbial saying :

.

You have a too th against m e The e is also bewitchm ent . r .

by the glance called the j tta tura or evil eye in Italy

,
e , , .
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
than a temporary agony for souls because it is an expia ,

tion and the idea of expiation necessa ily supposes that of

,
r

reparation and dest uction of evil This m uch said not

r .
,

with dogmatic intention which is outside our province but

, ,

to indicate th e m oral and reasonable rem edy fo the be r

w it c h m e n t of consciences by the terrors of the life beyond ,

let us speak of the m eans of escaping the baleful influences

of hu m an wrath The first am ong all is to be reasonable
“

and just giving no Opportunity or excuse to anger A law

, .

ful indignation is greatly to be feared ; m ake haste therefore

to acknowledge and expiate your faults S hould anger .

persist after that then it ce tainly p ocee ds from vice ; seek

,
r r

to know what vice and u n ite yourself strongly to the

,

m agnetic currents of the opposite virtue The bewitchment .

will then have no further power upon you Wash carefully .

the clothes whi ch you have finished with before giving them
away ; otherwise burn them ; never use a ga m ent which
,
r

has be longed to an unknown person without purifying it by

water sulphur and such aromatics as campho incense
, ,
r, ,

am be &c r, .

A great m eans of resisting bewit ch m ent is not to fear it ;

it acts after the m anne of contagious m ala di es In times
r .

of epidem ic the terror struck are the first to be attacked

,
-
.

The se cret of not fearing an evil is not to think about it ,

and my advice is com pletely disinterested since I give it in

a book on magic of which I a m the author when I strongly ,

u ge upon persons who are nervou s feeble credulous

r , , ,

hysterical superstitious devotees foolish without energy

, , ,

and without will never to Open a book on m agic and t o

, ,

close this one if they have Opened it to turn a deaf ear to ,

those who talk of the occult sciences to deride the m never , ,

to believe in them and to drin k water as said the great

, ,

pantag uelist magician the excellent curé of M eudon

r

A s for the wise —

.
,

and it is time that we turned to them

afte espousing the cause of the foolish —they have scarcely
r

any sorceries to fear save those of fortune but seeing that ,

they are priests and physicians they ma y be called upon to ,

 W IT H C CRAFT AND S PE LLS 311

cure the bewitched and this sho ul d be their method of pro

,

ce dure . Th ey m ust persuade a bewitched person to do

som e act of goodness to his bewitcher render h im som e ,

service which he cannot refuse and lead h im directly or ,

otherwise to the com m union of salt A person who believes .

himself bewitched by the exec ation and interm ent of the r

to ad m ust carry about him a living toad in a ho n box For r .

the bewitchm ent of the pierced heart the a fflicted individual ,

must be m ade to eat a lamb s heart seasoned with sage and’

onion and to carry a t a lism an of Venus or of the m oon in

,

a satchel filled with camphor and salt Fo bewitchm ent . r

by the waxen figure a m ore pe fect figure must be m ad

,
r e,

as m uch as possible in the likeness of the pe son ; seven r

talis mans m ust be hung round the neck ; it m ust be set in

the middle of a g eat pa n t a c l e representing the pentag am
r r ,

and m ust each day be rubbed slightly with a mixture of oil

and balm after reciting the C o juration of the Four to turn
,
n

aside the influe ce of elem entary spirits At the end of

n .

seven days the i mage must be burnt in consecrated fire and ,

one m y rest assu ed that the figure fabricated by the be

a r

witche will at the sa m e m om ent lose all its vi tue

r r .

We have already m entioned the sympathetic m edicine of

Paracelsus who medicated waxen l imbs and operated upon
,

the discharges of blood fro m wounds for the cure of the

wounds them selves Thi s system pe mitted the employ
. r

m ent of m o e than usually violent re m edies and his chief

r ,

specifics w e e sublim ate and vitriol We believe that

r .

hom oeopathy is a reminiscence of the theories of Pa acelsu s r

and a return to his wise practices But we shall follow up .

this subject in a special treatise exclusively consecrated to

occult me dicine .

C ontracts by parents forestalling the future of their

ch ild en are bewitch m ents which cannot be too strongly
r

condemned child en dedicated in white fo example

r ,
r ,

sca rcely ever prosper ; those who were form erly dedicated
t o celibacy fell comm only into debauch or ended in despair ,

a d m a dness
n M a n is not permitte d to do violence to
.
 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND EN T MAGI C
destiny still less to i mpose bonds upon the lawful use of
,

liberty .

A s a supplem ent or appendix to this chapter we will ,

add a few wo ds about mandragores and androids which

r ,

several wri t ers on magic confound with the waxen i mages

serving the pu poses of bewitch m ent The natural m andra
r
’

go e is a filam entous root which more or less presents as a

r , ,

whole either the figu e of a ma n or that of the virile r ,

m em be rs It is slightly narcotic and an aphro disiacal

.
,

virtue was asc ibed to it by the ancients who rep esented

r ,
r

it as being sought by Thessalian sorce ers f r the co mp si r o o

tion of philt es Is this root the u mbilica l vestige of our

r .

terrestrial o igin ? We dare not seriously affi m it but all

r r ,

t h e sa m e it is ce tain that m a came out of the slim e of

r n

the earth and his fi st appearance m ust have been in the

,
r

form of a rough sketch The analogies of nature make this.

notion necessa ily a dm issible at least as a possibilit y The

r , .

fi rst me were in this case a family of gigantic sensitive

n , , ,

m and agores ani m ated by the sun who roo t ed the mselves
r , ,

up fro m the earth ; this assumption not only does not ex

c l ude but on the cont ary positively supposes creative will
, ,
r , ,

and the providential c o ope ration of a first cause which we

-
,

have R EASO N to call G OD .

S o m e alchem ists i m pressed by this idea speculated o n

, ,

the culture of the m andrago e and experi mented in the r ,

artificial reproduction of a soil sufficiently f uitful a d a sun r n

sufiic ie n t ly active to hu m anise the sa id root and thus create

‘
,

m e n without the concurrence of the fe m ale O thers who .

,

regarded hum anity as the synthesis of anim als ,despaired abo ut

v italising the m and agore but they crossed m onstrous p airs
r ,

and p ojected huma seed into animal earth only for the
r n ,

production of sham eful cri m es and barren deformit ies The .

third method of m aking the android was by galvanic .

m a chinery O n e o f these al m ost intell igent a uto m ata was

'

attributed to Albertus M agnus and it is said that S t Thom as ,

d estroyed it with one blow fro m a stick be ca use he was

p erplexed by its answe rs This sto y is an allegory.
; t h e r
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
After the sixteenth key of the Tarot which represents ,

the downf all of S atan s te m ple we find on the seventeenth ’

,

leaf a m agnificent and gracious emblem A naked wom an .

,

a young and i m m o tal m aid pours out upon the earth t h e

r ,

j ui ce of universal life fro m two ewers one of gold and o n e ,

of silve ; ha d by there is a flowering sh ub on which rests

r r r ,

t h e butterfly of Psyche ; above her shines a n eight pointed -

star with seven other stars around it I believe in

”
.

eternal life ! S uch is the final article of the C hristian

sym bol and this alone is a profession of faith
, .

The ancien ts when they co mpared the cal m and peaceful

,

imm ensity of heaven thronged with innum erable lights to , ,

the tum ults and darkness of this wo ld believe d themselves r ,

to have discovered in that beautiful book w itten in letters , r

of gold the final utterance of the enig ma of destinies ; in

,

im agination they drew lines of correspondence between thes e

shi ning points of the divine writi g and it is said that the n ,

fi st constellations m arked out by the shephe ds of C haldea

r r

were also the first letters of the kabbalistic alphabet Thes e .

characters expres sed first of all by m eans of lines then

, ,

enclosed in hieroglyphic figures woul d acco ding to M , ,

r .

M oreau de D amm artin autho of a very curious t eatise on , r r

alphabetic characters have dete mined the ancient m a i in ,

r g

the choice of the Ta ot figures which a e taken by this m a n

r ,
r

of lea ning as by ourselves for an essentially hie atic and

r , ,
r

primitive book Thus in his Opinion the C hinese tseu t h e

.
, , ,

Heb ew l p h and the Greek a lp h exp essed h ie ro glyphi

r a e ,
a ,
r

ca lly by the figure of the juggler would be borrowe d f om ,

r

the con tellation of the crane in the vici ity of the celestial
s ,
n

fish a S ign of the eastern hemisphere The C hinese t h eo u

,
. c ,

the Heb ew bet h and the Latin B corresponding to Pope

r , ,

Joan or Juno were form ed after the head of the Ra m the

,

C hinese y the Hebrew gh im l and the Latin G epresented

n, e , ,
r

by the E mp ess would be derived fro m the constellation of

r ,

the Great Bear &c The kabbalist G a ff e l whom we have

, . ar ,

cited m ore than once erected a planisphere in which all , ,

the constellations form Hebrew letters but we confess that

 THE W RI TI NG o r THE S T AR S 315

the c onfigurations are frequently arbitrary i the highest n

degree and upon the indication of a single star for exam ple
, , ,

we can see no reason why a I shoul d be tra ced rather than

"

a 1 or a r four stars will also give indiff erently a n n or . ,

n as well as an N
, We are therefore deterred fr o m repro
.

duc in g a copy of G a ffa re l s planisphere examples of which

’

are m oreover not exceedingly rare It was included in the

, , .

work of M ontfau con on the religions and superstitio n s of

the world and also in the treatise upon m agic published by
,

the mystic E ckart shausen S cholars m o eove are unag eed .

,
r r, r

upon the configu ation of the lett ers of the primitive alpha
r

bet The Italian Tarot of which the lost Gothic originals

.
,

are much to be regrett e d connects by the disposition of its ,

figures with the Hebrew alphabet in use after the captivity ,

and known as the Assyrian alphabet ; but there are frag

ments of anterior Tarots where the disposition is different .

There should be no conjecture in matte s of research and r ,

hence we suspe nd our judgment in the expectation of fr esh

and more conclusive discoveri e s A s to the alphabet of the .

sta rs we beli eve it to be intuitive like the c onfiguration of

, ,

clouds which seem to assum e any form that i magination

,

lends them S tar groups are like points in geo m ancy or

.
-

the pasteboards of cart o m ancy They are a pretext for self .

magnetising an instrum ent to fi x and determ ine native in

,

tuition Thus a kabbalis t familiar with m ystic hieroglyphics

.
, , ,

will perceive signs in the stars which will not be discerned

by a simple shepherd but the shepherd on his part will , , ,

O bs erve co m binations that wil l escape the kabbalist C oun t ry .

people substitute a ra ke for the belt and sword of O rion while ,

a kabbalist recognises in the sam e sign as a whole all the

mysteries of E zekiel the ten sephiroth arranged in a tria dic
,

man ner a central triangle form ed of four stars then a line

, ,

of three st ars m aking the jod and the two figu es taken ,
r

together exp essing the mysteries of B e re sc h it h ; finally four

r ,

stars constituting the wheels of M e rca va h and completing ,

the divine chariot Looked at after another m anner and

.
,

arra nging other ideal lines he will notice a well formed ,

-
 THE RITUAL OF TRANS CE NDEN T MAGI C

g me l
h i placed above a jo d in a la ge da let h a symbol t ypi
,
r ,

tying the s t rife b etween good and evil with t h e fin a l ,

t iumph of good A s a fa ct the g him l superposed on the j d

r .
, e o

is the triad p oduced by unity the m anifestation of the divine

r ,

Word whilst the reversed d l th is the triad co mposed of the

, a e

e vil duad m ultiplied by itself .

O Rl O N

Thus regarded the figure of O rion wo ul d be identical with

,

that of the angel M ichael do ing battle with the dragon and ,

the appearance of this sign so understo od would be for the

, , ,

kabba list a portent of victory and happiness

,
.

A long conte m plation of the sky exalts the i m agination ,

and then the sta rs respond to our thoughts The lines .

d awn m entally fro m one to another by the primitive

r

o bservers m ust have given ma n his first notions of geo metry .

A ccordingly as our soul is troubled or at rest the stars

, ,

seem burning with menace or sparkling with hope The .

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D E NT MAGI C
disappears of itself when the light manifests S uch is our .

final word of p ophecy and the secret of the future

r , .

G a ffa e l adds so m e prognostics d awn from the stars a s for

r r , ,

example the progressive weakening of the O tto m an empire ;

,

but as already said his constellated letters are exceedingly

, ,

arbitra y He states for t h e rest that he derived his pre

r .
, ,

dictions f o m a Hebrew kabbalist Rabbi C ho m er but does

r , ,

not him self p etend to understand h im especially well

r .

Here follows the table of magical characters traced after

the zodiacal constellations by the ancient astrologe s each of r

them represents the nam e of a genius be he good or evil ,

.

It will be known that the sig s of the Zodiac correspond ton

various celestial influences and consequently signify ,

annual alternative of good or evil .

The nam es of the germ designated by the above characters

are —For the Ra m SATAARAN and S r h iel for the Bull
,
a a ,

B AGD AL and A iel ; for the Twins S A GRAS and S ra te l ;

ra z ,
a
 THE W RITI NG OR THE S T AR S 319

for the C rab

RAHDAR and Pha lciel ; for the Lion SAGHAM
, ,

a nd S tiel ; fo r the Virgin IA DARA and S cha l tiel ; for the

er a ,

Balance G RAS GARBE N and H a d ki l fo the S corpion

,
a e r ,

RI E HOL and S iss i l ; for the Archer V H N O RI and S r it iel ;

a a e ,
a a

for the Goat S AGDALON and S ema ki l ; for the Water

,
e

Bearer AR CH E R and S kma kiel ; for the Fishes RASAM ASA

,
sa ,

and Va ca bi l e .

The wise ma n who would read the sky must observe also
, ,

the days of the m oon the influence of which is very great ,

in astrology The moon successively attracts and repels the

.

m agnetic fluid of the earth and thus produces the ebb and ,

flow of the sea we must the efore be well acquainted with ,

r ,

its phases a n d be able to distinguish its days and hours .

The new moon is propitious to the beginning of all m agical

wo ks ; from first quarter to full moon its influence is
r

warm ; f om full moon to third quarter it is dry ; and fr o m

r

third quarter to last it is cold Here follow the special .

characte s of all the days of the moon distinguished by the

r ,

twenty two Ta ot keys and by the signs of the seven

- r

planets .

The first day of the moon is that of the creation of the

m oon itself This day is consecrated to m ental enterprises
.
,

and should be favourable for opportune innovations .

2 . P op e J o a n , or Occul t S cien ce .

The se c ond day t h e genius of which is E n e die l was the

, ,

fifth of creation for the moon was m ade on the fourth day
, .

The bi ds and fishes created on this day are the living

r , ,

hieroglyphs of magical analogies and of the universal doctri e n

of Herm es The water and air which were thereby fill ed

.
,

with the forms of the Word are the elementary figu es of , r

the M ercury of the S ages that is of intelligence and speech , , .

This day is propitious t o revelations initiations and grea t , ,

discoveries of science .
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCE ND EN T MA GI C
3 . Th e Celestia l M o ther , or E mp r ess .

The third day was that of man s creation S o is the ’

.

m oon called the M O THE R in Kabbalah when it is represented

in association with the number 3 This day is favourable .

to generation and generally to all productions whether of

, ,

body or mind .

4 . Th e E mp er or , or R ul er .

The fourth day is baleful ; it was that of the birth

of C ain ; but it is favourable to unjust and tyrannical
enterprises .

5 . The P op e, or H ier op ha n t .

The fifth day is fortunate ; it was that of the birt h

of Abel .

6 . Th e Lo ver , or L iber ty .

The sixth is a day of pride ; it wa s that of the birth of

L am ech who said un to his wives : I have S lain a m a n to
,

my wounding and a young m a n to my hurt

, If C ain sha ll .

be avenged sevenfold truly Lam ech seventy and s evenfold

, .

This day is propitious for conspi acies and rebellions r .

7 . Th e Cha r io t .

On the seventh day birth of Hebron who gave , , h is nam e

to the first of the seven sacred cities of Israel . A day of
religion prayers and success
, ,
.

M urder of Abel . Day of expiation .

9 . Th e Old M a n , or H er mit .

Birth of M ethuselah . Day of blessing for chil dren .

10 . E z ekiel s
’
Wheel of For tune .

Birth of Nabuchodonosor Reign of the Beast . . Fatal day .

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCE N
D ENT MAGIC
20 . The J udg men t .

Birth of Jonas the instrum ent of God s judgm ent

,
’
. Pro
pitious for divine re velations .

21 . The Wor ld .

Birth of S aul , material royalty . D a nger to mind and

rea son.

Birth of Job . Day of trial and suffering .

Birth of Benjamin . Day of preference and tenderness .

Birth of J a ph e t .

25 . I nfl uenc e o f M erc u
ry .

Tenth plague of E ypt g

.

26 . I nfl uence o f M a r s .

D eliveran c e of the Israelites and passage of the ,

27 . I nfl uen c e o f D ia n a , or H eca t e .

S plendid victory achieved by Judas M accabeus .

28 . I nfl uence o f th e S un .

S am son c arries o ff the gates of Gaza . Day of stre gth

n

and deliveran c e .

29 . The Fo o l f
o t he Ta r o t .

Day of failure and mi s ca rriage in all things .

We see from this rabbini cal table whi ch John Belot and ,

others bo rr owed from the Hebrew kabbalists that these ancient ,

m aste s concluded a p oster iori fro m facts to presu mable in

r
 THE W RITI NG o r THE S T AR S 3 23

fl which is co mpletely within the logic of the o cc ult

ue n c e s,

sciences We see also what diverse sign ifica t io n s are inclu ded
.

in th e twenty two keys which form the u ni versa l alphabet

-

of the Tarot t ogether with the truth of our assertions when

, ,

we sa y that all secrets of the Kabbalah and magic all ,

mysteries of the elder world a ll science of the patriarchs , ,

all hi to ical traditions of primeval times are enclosed in

s r ,

this hie oglyphi c book of Thoth E noch or C admus

r , , .

A n exce e dingly si mple m ethod of finding celestial horo

sc opes by ono m ancy is that which we are about to describe ;

it harmonises G a ffa re l with our own views and its results ,

a re m ost astounding in their exactitude and depth Take .

a black card cut therein the nam e of the person for who m
you wish to make the consultation ; place this card at the
e n d of a tube w hi ch m ust dimini sh towards the eye of the

observer ; then look through it alter ately towards the f ur n o

c ar di nal points beginning at the east and finishing at the

,

north Take note of all the stars which you see through
.

the letters ; convert these letters into numbers and with , ,

the sum of the addition written down in t h e same manner ,

renew the Operation ; then compute the number of stars

you have ; next adding this nu mber to t hat of the nam e
, ,

a gain cast up and write the sum of the two nu m be s in r

Hebrew characters Again renew the operation ; inscribe

.

s eparately the stars which you have noticed ; then find the

nam es of all the stars in the planisphere ; classify them

acc ording to their si z e and b ightness choosing the m ost r ,

brilliant of all as the pole star of your astrological ope ation ;

- r

then find in the E gyptian planisphere the names and

, ,

figures of the gen n to which these sta rs be long A good .

exam ple of the planisphe e will be found in the atlas to the

r

great wo k of D upuis You will then know the fortunate and

r .

unfortuna t e signs which enter into the na me of the person ,

and what is their i fluence ; whether in childhood which

n ,

is the name tra ced at the east ; in youth which is the nam e ,

traced at the south ; in m ature age which is the nam e at ,

the west ; in decline which is the nam e a t the north ; o r

, ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
finally during the whole life obtained from the stars which
, ,

enter into the enti e number form ed by the addition of t h e

r

letters and sta s This astrological operation is sim ple ea sy

r .
, ,

and requires few calculations it connects with the highest

antiquity and belongs evidently to primitive patriarch a l
,

magic as will be seen by studying the works of C affare l

,

a n d his m aste Rabbi C hom er Onomantic astrology w a s

r .

p actised by the old Hebrew kabb a lists as is proved from

r ,

their observations preserved by Rabbi C hom er Rabbi Kapol , ,

Rabbi A bjuda and other m asters in Kabbalah Th e

n, .

menaces of the prophets uttered again st various nations

were based upon the characters of the stars found vertically
over them in the permanent correspondence of the celestial
and terrestrial spher es Thus by writing in the sky of
.
,

Greece the Hebrew nam e of that country 11 or an and 1

,

translating the numbers they O bta ined the word r m

, ,

des troyed desolated

, .

CH AR AB .

S um 1 2 .

Hence they Inferred that after a cycle of twelve periods

Greece would be destroyed a n d desolated A short time .

before the sack of Jerusalem and its temple by Na buz a rda n ,

the kabbalists rem arked eleven sta s disposed in th e r

foll owing m anner vertically above the temple

 THE RIT UAL O F TRAN SCEN D EN T MAGI C
In conclusion we have said and we repeat that magnet ic
, , ,

intuitio ns alone give value and reality to all kabbalistic and

astrological calculations puerile possibly and completely , ,

arbitrary when made without inspiration by cold curiosi t y

, , ,

and in the absence of a powerful will .

C HAPTE R XVIII

PH I LTR ES AN D MAGNETI SM
LET us now a dventure in Thessaly the country of enchant ,

m ents Here was Apuleius deluded like the companions of

.

U lysses and unde went a sham eful m etam orphosis Here

,
r .

all is m agical — the birds that fly the insects humming in

, ,

the grass even the trees and flowers ; here in the m oon
,

light are brewed those poisons which compel love ; here

spells are devised by the stryges to render them young and
lovely like the C harites 0 all ye youths bewa e .
,
r

The art of poisoning the reason or of philt es seems a s , r , ,

a fact if traditions m a y be trusted to have developed it s

, ,

venom ous e ffio esc e c e m ore abundantly in Thessaly th an

r n

elsewhere ; the e also m agnetis m played its m ost i m portant

r , ,

part for exciting or narcotic plants bewitching and harmful

, ,

animal substances derived all their power from enchant

m ents—that is to say sacrifices accomplished and wor ds
,

pronounced by sorce ers w h e n preparing philtres andr s

beve ages S timulating substances and those in which

r .
,

phosphorus predom inates are naturally aphrodisiacal ,

.

A nything which acts strongly on the nervous system

m a y dete mine passional exaltation and when a skilful a n d
r ,

pe severing will knows how to direct and influence thes e

r

natural tendencies it can make use o f the passions of others

,

to the profit of its own and will soon reduce the m ost ,

independent personalities into instru m e n ts of its pleasures .

 PH I LTR ES AND MA G NE TI SM 327

From such in fluence it behoves us to seek pro tection and to ,

give arms to the weak is o ur purpos e in w riting thi s

chapter These in the first place are the devices of t h e
enemy The ma n who seeks to com pe l love—we attribute
.
, ,

such unlawful man oeuvres to me n only assuming that

wom en can never have need of them —must in the first
,

pl ace make himself observed by the pe son whom he desires r ,

and must contrive to im press her i magination He must .

inspire her with admiration astonishment terror even with , , ,

horror failing all other resources ; but at any cost he must

,

set himself apart in her eyes from the rank of o dinary r

m en and with or against her will must m ake hi mself a

, , ,

place in her mem ory her apprehensions her dream s The , ,

.

type of Lovela ce is certainly not the ad mitted ideal of the

type of C larissa but she thinks of h im incessantly to
,

c onde m n hi m to execrate h im to co m passionate his victim s

, , ,

to desire his conversion and repentance ; nex t Sh e seeks his

regeneration by devotion and forgiveness ; later on secret
vanity whispers to her how gra nd it would be to fi x the
a ff ections of a L ovelace to love him and ye t to withs tand
, ,

h im. Behold then C larissa surprised into loving L ovelace

, ,

S h e c h ides herself blushes renounces a thousand times

, , ,

and loves him a thousand m ore ; then at the suprem e ,

m o m ent she fo gets to resist h im

, r Had angels been women . ,

as represented by m odern mysticism Jehovah indeed , , ,

would have acted as a wise and prudent father by placing

S atan at the gate of heaven It is a serious i mposition on .

the self love of so m e am iable wom en to find that ma

-
n

fundam entall y good and honourable who enam oured them

when they thought h im a scapegrace The angel leaves
”
.

h im dis dainfully saying : Yo u a re not the devil !

, Play
the devil as well as you can if you wish to allure an angel , .

N o licence is possible to a virtuous m a n F or what does

”
.

he take us ? say the wom en D oes he think us less .

“

strict than h e is But everything is forgiven in a rasca l .

What else could yo u expect ? The pa t of a ma n with r

high principles and of rigid chara cter can never be a pow er

 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSC E N D EN T MAGI C
sa ve with wo men whom no one wishes to fascinat e ; the
rest without exception adore the reprobates It is quit e
, ,
.

the O pposite with m e n and this cont as t has made modesty

, r

woman s dowe the first and m ost natural of her coquet ies
’
r, r .

O n e of the distinguished physicians and m ost am iable m e n

of learning in Londo n told m e last year that one of his
clients when leaving the house of a distinguished lady
, ,

observed to h im : I have just had a st ange compliment

“
r

from the M archiones s of Looking m e st aight in r

the face she said : S ir you will not m ake me fl inch before
,

your ter ible glance ; you have the eyes of S atan

r
,

W ell
” ’
.
,

answered the doctor s miling you of cou se put your arms r

”
, , , ,

roun d her neck and e mbraced h e ? N ot at all ; I was r

overwhel m ed by her su dden onslaught Beware how you .

call on her again then my friend you will have fallen

” , , ,

deeply in her estim ation !

The office of executioner is c o mm only said to go do w n
from father to son D o executioners really have children
.

U ndoubtedly as they never fail to get wives M arat had a

, .

mistress who loved him tenderly he the loathsom e leper ; , ,

but still it was that te ible M arat who caused the world rr ,

to tremble Love above all in a wo man ma y be te m ed a

.
, ,
r

veritable hallucination ; for want of a prudent motive it ,

will frequently select an absurd one D eceive Jo c o de for n

a baboon what ho ror —Ah ! but supposing it is a horror

.

,
r ,

why not perpetrate it ? It must be pleasant to be occa

sio n a l l y guilty of a s mall abo m ination !

Given this transcendental knowledge of the woman

another device can be adopted t o attract her notice—not
,

to concern oneself with her or to do so in a way which is ,

humili ating to her self love treating her as a child and -

,

deridi ng all notion of paying cou t to her The parts are r .

then reversed ; she will m ove heaven and earth to tempt

you ; she will ini tiate you into secrets which wom en keep
back ; she will vest and unvest before you making such
observations as : Between women —among old friends—I
,

have no fear about you—you are not a m a n for me &c ” .

,
330 THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
soaps or washes and generally all perfum es in which this
,

odour predom inates above all when its action on the brai n
, ,

is seconded by that of amber .

To weaken the activity of intelligen c e is to st engthen r

proportionally the forces of unreasoning passion Love o f .

that kind which the m alefactors we are concerne d with

would inspi e is a ve itable stupefaction and the m ost
r r

sham eful of mo al bo ndages The m o e we enervate a slave

r . r ,

the m ore incapable we m ake h im of f ee dom and here lies r ,

the tru e secret of the sorceress in Apuleius and the potion s

of C irce The use of tobacco by s m oking or otherwise is
.
, ,

a dange ous auxiliary of stupefying philtres and b ain

r r

poisons Nicotine as we know is not les s deadly than

.
, ,

prussic acid and is present in tobacco in larger quantities

,

than is this acid in alm onds The absorption of one will .

by another frequently changes a whole series of destinies ,

and not for ou selves only should we watch our relations

r ,

learning to distinguish pure f om i mpure atm osphe es fo r r r ,

the true phil tres and those m os t dangerous are invisible ;

, ,

these are the currents of vital radiating light which min , ,

gling and interchanging produce attractions and sympathi es , ,

as m agnetic experim e ts leave no room to dou bt The n .

hi story of the C hurch tells us that an arch he etic na me d -

r

M arcos infatuated all wo m en by breathing on the m but h is ,

power was destroyed by a valiant C hristian fem ale who fore ,

stalled h im in breathing and said to h im : M a y God judge

”
,

thee ! The curé G a ufridy who was burnt as a so c erer ,

r ,

p e t ended to enam our all wo m en who cam e in contact with

r

his b eath
r The notorious F ather Gi a d a Jesuit w a s
. r r , ,

accused by his penitent M lle C ardier of completely destroy , .

,

ing h e self control by breathing on h e The excuse w a s

r -
r .

m ost necessary to m inim ise the horrible and ridiculous

nature of her accusations against this priest whose guilt , ,

m oreover has never been well established though con

, , ,

sc io usl y o unconsci usly he had ce tainly inspired an

r o ,
r

exceedingly sham eful passion in the m iserable girl .

M lle Ra n fa in g having becom e a wido w in 1 6

.
,
 PH I LTR ES AND MAGNETI SM 331

says D o m Ca lme t in his Treatise on Apparitions ” was “

,

sought in marriage by a physician na med Poirot Failing .

to obtain a hea ring he thereupon gave her potions to induce

,

love and these caused extraordinary derangem ents in the

,

health of the lady in creasing to such a degree that Sh e was

,

believed to be possessed and physicians baffled by her case , , ,

recomm ended her for the exorcism s of the C hurch There .

upon by command of M de Porcelets Bishop of Toul the

, .
, ,

following were named as her exorcists :M Via rdi n do c t or .

,

in the o logy the state council lor of the D uke of Lorraine a

, ,

Jesuit and a capuchin but in the long course of their cere

, ,

m onies alm ost a ll the clergy o f N ancy the aforesaid lord

, ,

bishop the bishop of Tripoli suffragan of S trasbourg M

, , , .

de Nancy formerly ambassador of the m ost C hristian King

,

at C onstantinople and then priest of the O ratory C harles ,

of Lorraine Bishop of Verdun two S orbonne doctors specially

, ,

deputed to assist frequently exorcised h e r in Hebrew in

, ,

Greek and in L atin and she invariably replied to them

, ,

pertinently though she herself could scarcely read even

,

Latin . M ention is made of the certificate given by M .

Nicholas de H a rl a y learned in the Hebrew tongue who , ,

recognised that M lle Ra n fa in g was really possessed that.

,

she had answered the mere motion of his lips witho ut any
uttered words and had given nu merous other proofs The
, .

sieur G arnier doctor of the S orbonne having also c o m

, ,

ma n de d her several tim es in the Hebrew language she ,

replied lucidly but in French saying that the pact bound

, ,

her to speak in ordinary language The dem on added : Is .

it not su fficient for me to shew that I understand what you

”
say ? The sam e doctor addr essing h im in Greek inad , ,

v e rt e t l
n
y used one case f o r anothe r whereupon the possessed

wom an or rather the devil said : You have blundered ” ,

”
.
, ,

The doctor replied in Greek Point out my error The ,

.

devil an swered Be satisfied that I mention the m istake ; I

“

” ,

shall tell you no m ore The docto r bade h im be silent in .

Greek and he retorted You bid me be silent and I will

”
, , ,

not be silent .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
This rem a kable example of hysterical affection ca rried
r

into the region of e cstasy and de m ono m ania as the con ,

sequence o f a potion ad ministered by a ma n who believed

that he was a sorcerer proves better than anything we could
, ,

say the o mnipotence of will and i magination reacting one

,

upon anothe and the strange lucidity of ecstatics or so m

r,

n a mbul ist s who co m prehend speech by reading it in thought

, ,

though they have no knowledge of the words I m ake no .

question as to the sincerity of the witnesses cited by D o m

C a l m e t ; I a m m erely astonished that m e n so se ious passed r

by the diffi culty which the prete nded dem on experienced

over ans w e ing in a tongue foreign to the su ff erer Had
r .

their inte locutor been what they unders t ood by a dem on

r ,

he would have spoken as well as understood Greek ; the

one would have been as easy as the other to a spi it so r

learned and sati ical D o m Ca l m e t does not stop here with

r .

his history ; he enumera te s a long series of insidious ques

tions and unserious injunctions on the part of the e o rc iso rs x ,

and a like sequence of m ore or less congruous replies by the

poor suffe e who was always ecstatic and so mnambulistic
r r, .

It is needless to add that the excellent father d aws p e r r

c ise l y the lu m inous conclusions of the n o t less ex c ellent M .

de M irville The phenom ena being above the c o mpreh e n

.

sion of the witnesses they were all ascribed to perdition

,
.

S plendid and instruc t ed conclusion The most serious part

of the business is that the physician Poirot was ar aigned as r

a m agician confessed like all others un der torture and

, , , ,

was burnt Had he by any potion really attempted the

.
, ,

reason of the wo man in question he would have deserved ,

punishment as a poisoner ; that is the m ost that we can

say .

But the m ost terrific of all phil tres are the mystical
exalta tions of misdirected devotion Will ever any impuri .

ties equal the nigh tmares o f S t Anthony or the tortures of

S t Theresa and S t A ngela de Fo lign y ? The last applied a
r e d hot iron to her rebellious flesh and found that the ,

mate rial fire was cooling to her hidden ardours With what .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSC END EN T MAGI C
justice befo e all things you will have no occasion to fear
r ,

anyone and you will love those only who are deserving of
,

love Your natural light will repel instinctively that of the

.

wicked be c ause it wil l be ruled by your will Thus even

, .
,

poisonous substances which it is possible ma y be a dmi is

, n

t e re d to you will not affect your intelligence ; ill indeed

, , ,

they may make you but never criminal , .

What m ost contributes to render wom en hysterical is

their soft and hypoc ritical education ; if they took m ore
exercise if they were instru cted m ore frankly and fully in
,

m atters of the world they would be less capricious and con

, ,

sequently less accessible to e vil te ndencies Weaknes s ever .

sympathises with vice because vice is a weakness which ,

as sum es the mask of strength M adness holds reason in .

horror and on all subjects it delights in the exaggerations

,

of falsehood In the first place therefore cure your diseased

.
, ,

intelligence The cause of all bewitc hments the poison of

.
,

all philt es the power of all sorcerers are there As to

r , ,
.

narcotics o other drugs which ma y be ad ministe ed to you

r r ,

it is a subject for the physicia n and the law but we do not ,

think that such enormities will be largely reproduced at this

day L ovelaces no longer stupefy C larissas otherwise than
.

by the ir ga llantries and potions l ike abductions by masked

, ,

men and imprisonm ents in subterranean dungeon s have ,

even passed out of our ro mances All these must be rele .

gated to the C onfessional of the Black Penitents or the ruins

of the C astle of U do lph o .
 THE MASTERY o r THE SUN 3 35

C H APT E R X I X

THE MAS TERY O F THE S UN

WE com e now to that number whi ch is a ttributed in the

Tarot to the S ign of the sun The den ary of Pythagoras .

and the triad multiplied by it self repres ent wisdom in its

a pplication t o the absolute It is with the absolute there .
,

fore that we are concerned here To discover the absolute

,
.

in the infinite the indefinite and t h e finite such is the g ea t

, , , r

work of the sages that which is te m ed by He rm es the ,

r

wo k of the sun To find the i mm ovable foundations of true

r .

religious faith of philosophical t uth and of metallic transmuta

,
r ,

tion this is the whole secret of H e rme s t his is the philosophical

, ,

stone N ow this stone is both one and m anifold ; it is de

.
,

com posed by analysis and recomposed by synthesis In the .

analysis it is a powder the alchem ica l powder of projection ,

befo e the analysis and in the synthesis it is a stone The

r .

philosophical stone say the masters m ust not be exposed to

, ,

the a i nor to the eyes of the p ofane it must be kept in

r, r

conceal ment and p eserved carefully in the most secret recep

r

tacle of the laboratory the key of the place being al ways ,

carried upon the person .

He who possesses the great arcanum is truly king and is

above any king for he is inaccessible to all fears and to all
,

vain hopes In any m alady of soul or body a single frag

.
,

ment b oken f om the p ecious stone a single g ain of the

r r r , r

divine powder are m ore than su ffi cient for their cure He

”
.
,

that hath ears to hear let hi m hear as the M a ster said , , .

S alt s ulphur and the m ercu ies are only accessory

, ,
r

elem ents and passive instru ments of the great ent e rprise .

E very thi n g depends as we have said upo n the interior , ,

ma g n e of Paracelsus
s The work consists entirely in p r o
.

jec t io n and projection

,
is acc m plished perfectly by the o

e ff ective and realisable intelligence of a single word There .

is but one important operation and that is su blima tion , ,

 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSC EN D E N T MA GI C
which is nothin g else according to Geber but the elevation
, ,

of the dry substance by means of fire with adherence to its ,

proper vessel He who is desirous of unde stan di ng the

. r

great word and of possessing the great arcanum afte r ,

studying the p inciples of our D o ct ine should read the

r r ,

Herm etic philosophers ca efull y and he will doubtless attain

r ,

initia ti n as others have attained it ; but for the key of

o ,

their allegories he m ust take the one d o gma of Herm es con ,

t a in e d in the E m erald Table a n d to classify the knowledge ,

and di ect the Operation he must follow the o der indicated

r r

in the kabbalistic alphabet of the Tarot of which an absolute ,

and co mplete explanation will be given in the last chapter

of this w k or .

Among the rare and p iceless treatises which contain the

r

myste ries of the great a canum the C hemical Pathway o r

”
r ,

M anual of Paracelsus m ust be placed in the fi st rank as r ,

comp ising all the m ysteries of dem onstrative physics and

r

the most sec et kabbalah This unique m anuscript is pre

r .

served in the Vatican Library ; a C opy was transcribed by

S e n divo gius and was used by Baron Tsc h o udy when c o m
,

posing the Herm etic C atechis m contained in his work

entitled The Blazing S tar This catechis m which we .
,

point out to instructed kabbalists as a substitute for the

incomparable treatise of Pa acelsus expounds all the essen r ,

tial p inciples of the g eat wo k in a form so clear and

r r r

com plete that a person m ust be absolutely wanting in the

quality of ccult understanding if he fail in attainin g the
o

a bsolute t uth by its study

r We shall o w give a succinct
. n

analysis of this work together with a few words by way of

,

co m mentary .

Raymon d Lully one of the grand and sublim e m asters of

,

scien ce says that before we can make gold we m ust have

,

gold O ut of nothing we can make nothing wealth is not

.

absolutely c eated ; it is inc eased and m ultiplie d Hence

r r .
,

let aspi ants to knowledge understand thoroughly that

r

neither miracles nor jugglers feats a e required of the ’

r

adept Hermetic science like all real sciences is m athe

. , ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
im mobility ; whatsoever obeys mo e naturally and rea dily r

the law of m otion they term volatile ; and they com pose
,

their stone by analysis that is the volatilisation of the , ,

fixed ; then by synthesis tha t is the fix ation of the volatile , , ,

which they operate by applying to the fixed called their ,

salt sulphurated me cu y or light of life di ected a n d

,
r r ,
r

rendered o m nipotent by a secret Operation They possess .

them selves in this m anne of all nature and their stone is r ,

found wherever there is salt whi ch is equivalent to saying ,

that no substance is fo eign to the g eat wo k and that r r r ,

even the m ost apparently contem ptible and vile m atters can
be changed into gold which is t ue in this sense as we have
,
r ,

said that all contain the fundamental salt represented in

, ,

our e mble ms by the cubic stone itself as ma y be seen in ,

the symbolic and universal frontispiece to the keys of Basil

Valentine To know how to extract from a ll m atter the
.

pure salt wh ich is concealed in it is to possess the secret of

the stone It is therefore a saline stone which the a d or
.
, , , ,

universa l ast al light decom poses or reco mposes It is one

r , .

and many for like ordinary salt it c a be dissolved and

, , ,
n

incorporated with o t her substances O btain ed by analysis .

,

it m y be termed the un i ve s l sublim te ecove ed by the

a r a a r r

synthetic way it is the veritable p

,
ea of the ancients for a na c ,

it cu es all diseas es whethe of soul or bo dy and is term ed

r ,
r , ,

in an eminent m anner the m edicine of all nature When , .

,

by m eans of absolute initiation we can dispose of the forces ,

of the unive sal agent this stone is always to our hand for
r , ,

its ext action is then a simple and easy operation far differ
r ,

ent fro m p ojection or m etallic realisation The stone in

r .

its sublimated state m ust not be exposed to the air which ,

m ight di ssolve it and spoil its virtue M oreover to inhale .

,

its exh alations is not devoid of danger The wise m a n more .

readily conserves it in its natural envelopes knowing that ,

he can extract it by a single effort of his will and a single ,

application of the universal agent to the envelopes which ,

the kabbalists term S hells To express hieroglyphically this .

law of prudence the sages of E gypt ascribed to their m ercury

, ,
 THE THAUMAT U RG E 339

pe sonified a s H e rma n ubis a dog s head and to their sulphur

r ,
’

, ,

represented by the Bapho m et of the te mple or prince of the ,

S abbath that goat s head which brought such odiu m upon

’
,

the occult associations of the middle ages .

F or the mi n eral work the fi rst matter is exclusively ,

mineral but it is not a m etal

, It is a metallised salt . .

Th is matter is ca lled vegetable because it resembles a fruit , ,

a n d a ni mal because it produces a kind of m ilk and blood

, .

It alone conta ins the fire by which it must be dissolved .

C HA PT E R XX

THE THA U MAT U R G E

WE have defined mira cles as the natural e ffects of ex c eptional

causes The i mm ediate action of the human will upon the
.

body or at least that action exe cised without visible m eans

,
r ,

constitutes a m iracle in the physical order The influence .

e xe cised upon W ills or inte l ligences

r either suddenly or ,

within a given tim e and ca pable of subjugating thoughts

, ,

changing the most determined resolutions paralysing the

m ost violent pas sions—this influence constitute s a m iracle
,

in the mo al order The comm on error concerning mira cles

r .

is to regard them as effects without causes contradictions of ,

nature sudden vagaries of the divine mind not seeing that

, ,

a single miracle of this class would dest oy the universal r

harmony and reduce the universe to chaos There are

,
.

m iracles which are i mpossible even for G o d na mely those , , ,

which involve absurdity C oul d God be absurd for one in .

stant neithe Himself nor the world would be in exis tence

, r

the mom ent following To expect f om the divine arbite r . r

a n e ffect having a disproportionate cause or even no cause ,

at all is what is called tempting God ; it is casting one s ’

self into the void God operates by His work s—i h eaven
,

. n

by angels and on earth by me n He nce in the circle of

, .
,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
angelic action the angels can perform all that is po ssible
,

for God and in the human circle of action me n can dispos e

,

equally of divine omnipotence In the heaven of huma . n

c onceptions it is hu m anity which c reates God and me

, ,
n

think that God has made them in His image because they
have m a de H im in theirs The dom ain of ma n is all .

c o poreal and visible nature on earth and if he cannot rul e

r ,

suns and sta s he can at least calcul ate their motion c o m

r , ,

pute their distances and identify his will with their influence ;
,

he can modify the atmosphere act up to a certain point ,

upon the seasons heal or harm his neighbours preserve life

, ,

and inflict death the conservation of life including re surre c

, ,

tion in certain cases as already establis hed The absolute

, .

in reason and volition is the greatest power which can be

given any ma n to attain and it is by means of this power ,

that he pe form s what a stonishes the m ultitude under t h e

r

name of mi acles r .

Th e m ost perfect purity of intention is indispensable t o

the thau m aturge and in the ne x t place a favourable current
,

and unlim ited confidence The ma n who has co m e to fear .

nothing and desire nothing is master of all This is the .

mea ning of that beauti ful allegory of the Gospel wherein ,

the S on of God thrice victor over the unclean spirit is

, ,

ministe ed unto by angels in the wilderness

r N o t hihg o n .

earth withstands a free and rational will When the wis e .

m a n says ,
I will it is God Him self who wills and all
, ,

tha t He comm ands ta kes place It is the knowledge of t h e .

physician and the confi dence placed in h im which constitute

, ,

the virtue of his prescriptions and thaum aturgy is the only ,

real and e fl ic a c io us remedy Hence occul t therapeutics are .

apart f om all vulgar m e dication It chiefly m akes use o f

r .

words and in suffi t io n s and communicates by will a variou s

a

virtue to the simplest substances—wate il wine cam phor

,

r, o , , ,

salt The water of ho moeopathists is truly a m agnetised

.

and enchanted water which works by m eans of faith ,

.

The dynamic substances added in so to speak infinitesimal , ,

quantities are consecrations and S igns of the physician s will ’

.
 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CENDE NT MAGI C
gate ; they had slept upon the ground and tarried only to ,

rec eive the elixir and plaster of the devoted sis t er The .

re medy being the sam e in all disea ses it would appear ,

needle ss for her to be acquainted with the cases of her

patients but she liste ned to the m invariably with great
,

attention and only dispensed her specific after learning the

,

na ture of the complaint There was the magical sec et

. r .

The direction of the intention i mpa ted its special virtue to r

the rem edy which was insignificant in itself The elix ir

, .

was spiced brandy mixed with the juice of bitter herbs ;

the plaster was a co mpound analogous to theriac as regards
colour and smell it was possibly electuary B urgo gn e pitch ,

but whatever the substa nce it worked wonde s a n d the,

r ,

wr ath of the rural folk would have been visited on those

who questioned the m iracles of thei nun N ear Paris also r .
, ,

we knew of an old gardener thaum atu ge who accom plished r

m arvellous cures by putting in his phials the juice of all the

herbs of S t John He had however a scep t ical brother
.
, , ,

who derided the sorcerer and the poor gardener over

, ,

whelm ed by the sarcasms of this infidel began to doubt ,

him self whereupon all the m iracles ceased the suff erers lost
, ,

confidence and the thaumaturge S lande ed and despairing

, ,
r ,

died ma d The Abbe Thiers c u e of Vibra ie in his curious r

”
.
, ,

Treatise concerning S uperstitions records that a wo m an , ,

affl icted with an apparently aggravated ophthalmia having ,

be en suddenly and mysteriously cure d confessed to a priest ,

that she had betaken herself to m agic S he had lon g .

importuned a clerk whom she regarded as a m agician t o

, ,

g ive her a talis m an that she m ight wear and he had at ,

length delivered her a scroll of parchm ent advising her at ,

the sam e tim e to wash three tim es daily in fresh water .

The priest made her give up the parchment on which were ,

t hese wo ds : E r ua t dia bo lus o cu l s tuo s t r p lea t st

r o o r ibus e e erc

lo ca va ca n tia He translated them to the good wo man wh o

.
,

was st up e fie d but all the sa me S h e wa s cured

, ,
.

I n suffi a t io n is one of the m ost i mportan t practices of

o ccult medicine because it is a perfect Sign of the trans
,
 THE T HAUMAT U RG E 3 43

m ission of life To inspire as a fact m eans to b eathe

.
, , r

upon m e pe son or thing and we know al eady by the

so r , r ,

one doct ine of Hermes that the virtue of things has create d
r ,

wo ds a d t h at the e is an exact prop tion between ideas

r ,
n r or

and speech which is the first form and verbal reali ation f
, s O

ideas The breath att acts or repels accor dingly as it is

. r , ,

warm o col d The warm b eathing corresponds to positive

r r

e lectricity and the cold breathing to negative elect icity

,
r .

E lectrical and ne ous ani m als fear the cold breathing and
rv ,

the expe im ent m a y be made upon a cat whose familiarities

r ,

are impo t unate By fixedly regarding a lion o tiger and

r . r

blowing in their face they would be so st up e fi e d as to be ,

forced to et eat befo e us Warm and p olonge d i suffi a

r r r . r n

tion rest es the ci culation of the bloo d cures rheumatic

or r ,

and go u ty pains re establishes the balance of the humou s

,
-
r ,

and dispels las itude When the Ope ato is sympatheti c

s . r r

and goo d it acts as a universal sedative C old i suffi a t io n

,
. n

soothes pains occasioned by congesti ns and fl uidic a c c umu o

l a t io n s The two b eathings m ust therefo e be used

. r ,
r ,

a lternately observing the polarity of the hu m an organis m

, ,

a d acting in a cont ary m anner upon the poles

n which r ,

m ust be treate d successfully to an opposite m agnetis m .

Thus to cu e an inflam ed eye the one which is not affected

,
r ,

must be subjected to a warm and gentle i suffl a t io n cold n ,

in suffi a t io n being practised upon the su ff ering m em ber at

the sam e dista nce and in the same proportion M agnetic .

passes have a S imilar e ff ect to in suffia t io s and are a rea l n ,

breathi g by transpiration and radiation of the interior air

n ,

whi ch is phospho escent with vital light ; slow passes con

r .

st it ut e a wa m b eathing which f o rt ifi e s and raises the

r r

s pirit s ; swift passes a e a cold breathi g of dispersive r n

nature neut alising tendencies to congesti n The wa m

,
r o . r

in suffi a t io n should be perfor m ed t ansversely or fro m below r ,

upward the cold insu ffia t io n is m ore e fl e c t ive when dir e cted '

d ownwa d from above r .

We breathe not only by means of m outh and nostrils ;

t h e unive sal porous ess of our body is a true respiratory
r n
 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCENDENT MAGI C

apparatus inadequate undoubtedly but m ost useful to life

, ,

and health The extrem ities of the finge s whe e all the
. r ,
r

ner ves te minate diffuse o attract the ast al light accord

r ,
r r

i gly as we will
n M agnetic passes without contact are a
.

simple a d slight in su ffia t io n contact a dds sy mpathetic and

n

equilib ating i mp ession ; it is good and even necessa y to

r r r ,

p event hallucinations at the early stages of so mnambulis m

r ,

f o it is a co mmunion of physical reality which a d monishes

r

the brain and recalls wande ing i magination ; it m ust not r ,

however be too prolonged when the object is m e ely to

, r

m agnetise A bsolute and prolonged contact is useful when

.

the design is incubation or m assage rathe than m agnetis m r

properly so called We have given so m e exam ples of in

.

c ubation from the m ost reve ed book of the C h istians ; they r r

all refe to the cu e of apparently incu able letha gies as

r r r r ,

we are in duced to term resurrections M assage is stil l .

la gely resorted to in the east where it is p actised with

r ,
r

great suc c ess at the public baths It is enti ely a system . r

of f ictions tractions and p essures p actised slowly along

r , ,
r ,
r

the whole length o f membe s and muscles the result being r ,

renewed equilib iu m in the forc es a feeling of complete

r ,

repose and well being with a sensible restoration of activity

-
,

and vigour .

The whole power of the occult physician is in the con

science of his will while his whole a t consists in exciting r

the faith of his patient

,
”
If you have faith said the “

”
.
,

M aster all things are possible to h im who believes

,
“
The .

subject must be dominated by exp ession tone gesture ; r , ,

confidence m ust be inspired b y a fatherly m anne a n d r,

cheerfulness stimulated by seaso n able and sprightly con

v e rsa t io n s Rabelais who was a grea t er m agician than he
.
,

seemed m ade pantag uelis m his special panacea He c o m

,
r .

p e ll e d his patients to laugh and all the re m edies he sub ,

sequently gave them succeeded better in consequence ; he

e stablished a m agnetic sym pathy between himself and them ,

by means of which h e communica t ed to the m his own con

'

fi de n c e and good hu mour ; he flattered the m in his prefaces ,

 THE RI T UAL OF T RANS C EN D EN T MAGI C

C HAPTE R XXI

THE SCI EN CE or THE R

P O PH ET S
THI S chapter is consec ated to divination which in it s:
r , ,

broadest sense and following the gram matical significance

,

of the wo d is the exe cise of divine powe and t h e

r , r r,

realisation of divine knowledge It is the p iesthood o f . r

the m agus But divination in general opinion is concerned

.
, ,

m ore closely with the knowledge of hidden things To .

know the m ost secret tho ughts of m e n ; to penetrate t h e

mysteries of past and future ; to evoke age by age the
exact revelation of e ffects by the p ecise knowledge of r

ca uses ; this is what is universally called divination Now .

,

of all mysteries of nature the m ost profound is the heart o f

,

ma n, and at the sam e tim e nature fo bids its depth to be r

in a ccessible In spite of the deepest di ssimulation despit e

.
,

the m ost skilful policy she herself traces a d m akes plain

, ,
n

in the bo dily f rm in the light of glances in m ovem ents in

o , , ,

carriage in voice a thousan d tell tale in dices The perfec t

, ,
-
.

initiate has no need of these indices ; he perceives the truth

in the light ; he senses an impression which m akes known
the whole ma n his glance penetrates hearts he ma y even
, ,

feign igno ance to disa m the fear or hatred of the wicked

r r .

whom he knows too well A ma n of bad conscience thinks .

.

always that he is being a c c use d o r suspected he ecognises r .

him self in a touch of collective satire he applies that whole ,

satire to himself and cries loudly that he is ca lumniated

,

E ver suspicions but as curious as he is a pp r e h e n s v e in t h e

,
1 ,

presence of the m agus he is like the S atan of the parable ,

or like those scribes who questioned te mpting E ve . r

stubbo n and ever feeble what he fears above all is t h e

r ,

recognition th at he is in the wrong The past disquiets .

h im the future alarm s him ; he seeks to co mpound with

,

him self and to believe hi m self a well placed and virtuous -

ma n . His life is a perpetual struggle between good aspira ~

 THE SC I ENCE o r THE PR O PH ET S 3 47

tions and evil habits ; he thinks hi mself a philosopher after

the m anner of Arist ipp e or Hora ce in accepting all the
corruption of his tim e as a necessity which he must
unde go ; he distracts himself with so me philosophical
r

pastim e and appropriates the protecting s mile of M e caenas to

,

persuade hi mself that he is not simply a battener on famine

l ike Verres or a parasite of Trim a l c io n S uch me are . n

always mercenaries even in their good works They decide

, .

to m ake a gift to a public charity and they postpone it to ,

get the inte est The type which I a m describing is not

r .

an individual but a cla ss of m e n with which the m agus is

lia ble to co me frequently in co ntact especially in our own ,

centu y L et h im follow their own example by m istrusting

r .

them for they will be invariably his most comp omising

,
r

friends and m ost dangerous enem ies .

The public exercise of divination is unbecom ing at the

present pe i d in a veritable adept for he would be
r o ,

frequently d iven to jugglery and feats of S kill in order to

r

p ese ve his clients and astonish his public A ccredited

r r .

divine s both m ale and female have always secret spies

r , , ,

who instruct them as to the private life or habits of those

who consult them A code of Signals is established between
.

cabinet and antecham ber an unknown client at his first

visit eceives a nu m ber ; a day is arranged and he is
r ,

followed ; doorkeepe s neighbours servants are engaged in

r , ,

gossip and details are thus arrived at which overwhelm

,

simple minds and cause them to invest an impostor with

,

the reve ence which sh ould be reserved for true science and
r

genuine divination .

The divination of events to come is possible only in the

case of those the realisation of which is in som e sense con
t a in e d in their cause Th e soul scrutinising by m eans of
.
,

the whole nervous syste m the ci cle of the a stral light r

which influences a ma n and from him receives an influen ce ,

the soul of t h e divin e r we repeat can com pass by a single

'

, ,

intuition all the loves and hatreds which that man h a s

evoked about h im it c a n rea d his intentions in his thought ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
fo esee obstacles that he will encounte p ssibly the viole nt
r r, o

death which awaits h im ; but it cannot foresee his private ,

voluntary capricious determinations of the m om ent follow

,

ing the consultation u less indeed the use of the diviner ,

n , ,
r

itself p epa es the fulfil ment of the prophecy F or example

r r .
,

you say to a wo m an who is becoming p a sse and is anxious ,

to sec u e a husband : You will be present this evening or

r

to m o ow evening at such or such a pe form ance and you

-
rr r ,

will the e see a ma n who will be to your liking This ma n

r .

will observe you and by a curious co m bination of circu m

,

stances the result will be a ma riage r .

You m a y count on the lady going you ma y count on her ,

seeing a ma a n d believing that he has noticed her you

n ,

ma y c unt on h e anticipating marriage

o It ma y not com e
r .

to that in the end but she will not lay the blam e on you
, ,

because she would be givi g up the opportunity for another n

illusion ; on the contra y she will return pe seve ingly to r ,

r r

consult you .

We have said that the astral light is the g eat book of r

divinations ; the faculty O f reading the ein is either natural r

or acquired and t here e hence two classes of seers the

, ar ,

instinctive and the initiated For this reason children .

, ,

uned uca ted people shepherds even idiots have m ore , , ,

a ptitude for natural divination t han scholars and thinkers .

The simple he d boy D avid was a prophet even as S olom on

r -
, , ,

ki g of kabbalists and m agi The perceptions of instinct

n .

a e often as certain as t hose of science ; the pe sons least

r r

clai voyant in the astral light are those who reason m ost
r .

S m nam bulis m is a state of pure instinct and hence so m

o ,

n a mbul ist s equi e to be di ected by a seer of science ;

r r r

sceptics and reasone s only lead them astray D ivinato y r . r

vision ope ates only in the ecstatic state to a ive at which

r ,
rr

state doubt and illusion mus t becom e im possible by e n

,

chaining or putting to sleep thought The instrum ents of .

divination are hence only methods of magnetising ou selves r

and of self diversion from exterior light so that we m a y pay

-
,

attention to t h e interior light a lone It was for this reason .

 THE RI TUAL OF . TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C
presence and magnetis m of those who consulted her were ,

often astounding S he was a w o man in who m extravagance

.

of im agination and m ental rambling were substituted for the

natural affections of her sex ; sh e lived and died a virgin ,

like the ancient druidesses of the isle of S ayne Had nature

‘

e ndowed her with beauty she might have easily at a re m oter ,

ep och played the part of a M elusine or a Vell eda .

The m ore ceremonies e m ployed in the practice of divina

tion the m ore we excite im agination both in ourselves and
,

in those who consult us The C onjuration of the F our the .

,

Prayer of S olo m on the magic sword to disperse phanto m s

, ,

may thus be resorted to with success ; we should also evok e

the genius of the day and hour of operation and o ffer h im a ,

special perfum e ; next we should enter into magnetic and

intuitive correspondence with the consulting pe son inquiring r ,

with what ani mal he is in sympathy and wi th what in anti

pathy and so also concerning his favou ite flowe or colour
,
r r .

F lowers colou s and anim als connect in analogical c la ssifi

,
r ,

cation with the seven genii of the kabbalah Those who .

love blue are idealists and dream ers lovers of red are
m ate ial and passionate ; those who love yellow are fan
r

t a st ic and capricious ; lovers of green are frequently c o m

me rc ia l and c afty ; the friends of black are influenced by
r

S aturn the rose is the colour of Venus &c L overs of the ,

.

ho se are hard working noble in characte and at the sam e

r -
, r,

tim e yielding and gentle ; friends of the dog are affectionate

and faithful those of the cat are indepen dent and libertine .

F ank persons hold S piders in special horro

r those of r

haughty nature are antipathetic to the serpent ; upright

and fastidious persons cannot to lerate rats and m ice the
voluptuous loathe the toad because it is cold solita y , ,
r ,

hi deous and miserable

,
Flowers have analogous sym pathies
.

to those of animals and colours and as m agic is the science ,

of unive sal analogies a single taste one tendency in a

r , , ,

given person enables all the rest to be divined ; it is an

,

application of the an alogical anatomy of C uvier to pheno

m e n a in the m oral o der r .
 THE S CI ENCE OF THE P R OPH ET S 351

The physiogno my of face and body t h e wrinkles on the ,

brow the lines on the hands equally f urnish the magus

, ,

with precious indications M etoposcopy and Chiromancy .

have becom e separate sciences ; their observations purely ,

e mpirical and conjectural have been compared exam ined , , ,

a n d then united into a body of doctrine by G o l e n ius

g ,

Belot Ro mph ile Indagine and Ta isn ie r The work of the

, , , .

last mentioned writer is the most i mportant and co mplet e ;

-

he com bines and criticises the obse vations and conjectures r

o f all the others A m odern investigator the C hevalier

.
,

D Arp e t ign y has i mparted to Chirom ancy a fresh degree

’
n ,

of certitude by his re marks on the analogies which really

exist between the chara cters of persons and the form of
their hands as a whole or in detail This new science h a s .

been further developed and verified by an artist who is also

a ma n of letters rich in originality and skill The disciple
, .

has surpassed the master and our am iable and spiri tual ,

D e sba o ll e s one of t hose travel lers with whom our great

rr ,

novelist Alexandre D um as delights to surround himself in

his cosmopolitan romances is already cited as a verita ble ,

magician in C hiromancy .

The consulting person should also be questioned upon

his habitual dream s dream s are the refle c tion of life both ,

interior and exterior The old philosophers paid them .

g eat attention ; the patriarchs rega ded them as certain

r r

revelations ; most religious revelations have been given in

dream s Th e m onsters of perdi tion are night m ares of
.

C hristianity and as the author o f S m arra h a s inge ni ously

,

rem arked never could pencil or chisel have produced such

,

beings if they h a d not been beheld in sleep We should .

beware of persons whose imagination continuall y reflects

defo mities Temperam ent is in like m anner m anifested
r .
, ,

by dreams and as this exercises a permanent influence

,

upon life it is necessary to be well acquainted therewith

,

if we would conjecture a destiny with certitude D eams . r

of blood of enjoyment and of light indicate a sanguine

, ,

te m peram ent those of wate r mud rain tea s are oc casioned , , ,

r ,
 THE RIT UAL OF TR ANSCEND EN T MA GI C
by a more phlegmatic disposition ; fire by night darkness , ,

terrors spectres belong to the bilious d m elancholic

, , an .

S yn e sius one of the greatest C hristian bishops of the fi st

, r

c enturies the disciple of that beautiful and pure Hypa t ia

,

who was massacred by fanatics after presiding gloriously

over t h e school of Alexan d ia in the inhe itance of which r r

C hristianity should have shared —Sy e sius ly ic

,

S chool n , r

poet like Pindar and C allim achus priest like O pheus r

C hristian like S piridio n of T e mit h o n te—has left us a

, ,

treatise on dream s which has been supplied with a c o m

m entary by C ardan N0 one concerns the mselves now with
.

these m agnificent resea ches of the mind because successiv e r ,

fanaticism s have wellnigh forced the world to despair of

scientific and religious ationalism S t Paul burned r .

Tris m egistus ; Om ar bu ned the disciples of T ism egistus r r

and of S t Paul O persecuto s ! O incendiaries ! O. r

sco ff ers ! when will ye end your work of darkness and

destruction
O n e of the greatest m agi of the C hristian era Trit h e mius , ,

irreproachable abbot of a Benedictine m onaste y learned r ,

theologian and m aste r of Co nelius Ag ippa has left

,
r r ,

a m ong his unappreciated and inestim able wo ks a treatise r ,

entitled D s p t m s u d is id est i t llig tii si e sp iritibus

,
e e e ec n e ,
n e en s r

o b
r es p ost D u m m o e t ibus
e It is a key of all prophecies
r n .

new or old a m athem atical historical and simple m ethod

, , ,

of su passing Isaiah and Jeremiah in the p evision of all

r r

great events to com e The author in bol d outline sketches .

the phil sophy of histo y and divides the existence of the

o r ,

entire world between the seven genii of the kabbalah It .

is the grandest and widest interpretation ever m ade of

those seven angels of the Apocalypse who appea successively r

with t um pets and cups to pour out the wo d and its re a lisa
r r

tion upon the ea th The duration of each angelic reign

r .

is 3 5 4 yea s and four m onths beginning with that of O ifie l

r ,
r ,

the angel of S atu n on the 1 3 th of M arch for acco ding

r , , ,
r

to T it h e mius this was the date of the world s c eation ;

r ,
’
r

it was a period of savage y and darkness Next cam e the r .

 THE R IT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
origin of the first dominations the empire of the childre n of ,

N im rod the birth of sciences a n d reli gions and the first con
, ,

fl ic t s between despotis m and liberty Trit h e mius pursues .

thi s curious study throughout the ages and at corresponding ,

epochs exhibits the recurrence of ruins ; then civilisation ,

born anew by m eans of poetry and love ; em pir es recon ,

stituted by the family enlarged by comm erce destroyed , ,

by war repaired by universal and progressive civilisation

, ,

subsequently absorbed by great e mpires which are the ,

syntheses of history The work of Trit h e mius from this

.
,

point of view is m ore comprehensive and independent than

,

that of Bossuet and is a key absolute to the philosophy of

,

history His exact calculations lead h im to the m onth of

.

N ovem ber in the year 1 8 7 9 epoch of the reign of M ichael ,

and the foundation of a new universal kingdo m prepa ed ,

r

by three centu ies and a half of anguish and a like period

r ,

of hope coinciding exactly with the sixteenth seventeenth

, , ,

eighteenth and first pa t of the nineteenth centuries for the

,
r

lunar twilight and expectation with the fou teenth thirteenth ,

r , ,

twelfth and second half of the eleventh centuries for the

,

ordeals the ignorance the sufferings and the scourges of

, , ,

all nature We see therefore according to this calculation

—
.
, , ,

that in 1 8 7 9 that is in twenty four years tim e a uni ,

-
’

versal empire will be founded and will secu e peace to the ,

r

world This e mpire will be political and religious ; it will

.

off er a solution f o all problems agitated in our own days

r ,

and will endure fo 3 5 4 years and 4 m onths after which

r ,

it will h e succeeded by the return of the reign of O rifi el an ,

epoch of silence and night The com ing universal empire .

,

being unde the reign of the sun will belong to him who
r ,

holds the keys of the E ast which are now being disputed
by the princes of the worl d 3 four quarters But intelligence .

a d acti vity are the forces w hi ch rul e the sun in the superior
n

kingdo m s and the nation which now possesses t h e initiative

,

of intelligence and life will possess also the keys of the

E ast and will establish the universal kingdo m
,
To do this .

it m a y previously have to un dergo a cross and m artyrdom

 THE B OOK o r HERM E S 3 55

analogous to those of the M a n God ; but dead or living -

, ,

am ong nations its spirit will prevail and all peoples will ,

acknowledge and follow in four and twenty years the

stan da d of Fra nce ever victori ous or miracul ously raised
r , ,

fro m the dead S uch is the prophecy of Trit h e mius confirmed

.
,

by all our p re v1 s1 o n s and grounded in all our hopes

, .

C HAPTE R X X II

TH E BOOK or HE R M E S

WE approach the end of o u work and m ust here give the r ,

universal key and utt er the final word The universal key .

of m agical works is the key of all ancient religious dogm as

—the key of the Kabbalah and the Bible the little key of
,

S olom on N ow this clavicle regarded as lost for centuries

.
, , ,

has been recovered by us and we have been able to open ,

the sepulchres of the ancient world t o m ake the dead speak , ,

to behold the m onu ments of the past in ll their splendour a ,

to understand the enigm as of every sphinx and to penetrate ,

all sanctuaries Among the ancients the use of this key was
.

perm itted to none but the high priests and even its sec et was ,
r

confided only to the flower of the initiate s N ow this was .

'

the key in question : A hieroglyphic and num eral alphabet ,

expressing by characte s and num bers a series of universal

r

and absolute ideas then a scale of ten numbers multiplied ,

by four symbols and connected with twelve figures re pre

,

senting the twelve signs of the z odia c plus the four genii of ,

the cardinal points .

The symbolical tetrad represented in the mysteries of

M emphis and Thebes by the four form s of the sphinx—the
,

, ,
—
man eagle lion and bull corresponded with the four ele
,

m ents of the old world water being signified by the cup,

held by the ma n or aquarius ; air by the circle or nimbus

 THE RI T UAL OF TRAN S CEND EN T MA GI C
surroun ding the head o f the celestia l eagle ; fire by the wood
which nouris hes it by the tree fructifying in the hea t of
,

ea rt h and sun a n d fina lly by the sceptre of roya lty w h ich

, , , ,

t h e lion typifies ; eart h by the sword of M ithras who e ach ,

ye ar imm olates the sa cred bull and togeth er with its blood , , ,

pours forth tha t sap w h ich gives in crea se to a ll fruit s of

earth Now these four signs with all their analogies ex
.
, , ,

plain the one word hidden in all sanctuaries that word ,

which the bacchantes see m ed to divine in their intox ication

when they worked the mselves into f enzy for I o E VOHE r .

What then was the meaning of this mysterious te rm ? It

, ,

was the name of the four p r1m1 tive letters of the mother
tongue : the J c d symbol of the vine or paternal sceptre of
, ,

N oah ; the H E type o f the cup o f libations and a l so of

'

m aternity ; the VAU which joins the two and w a s depicte d

, ,

in India by the great and myste rious lingam S uch was the .

triple s ign of the triad in the divine word ; the n t h e mother

letter appea red a se cond time to ex press the fecundity of
nature and wom an and t o formulate the doctrine of universal
,

and progressive a na logies de scen di n g fro m caus es to e ff e c ts ,

an d ascending from effects to causes M ore over the sacred . ,

word w a s not pr onounced ; it w a s spe lt and read o ff in

four words which are the four sacred words—J OD H E
,

The learned Ga fl a re l rega rds t he temp kim of th e Hebre ws

'

by m ea ns o f which they consulted the ora cles of the u rim

and thummim a s the figures of the four ka bbalistic a nimals
, ,

which sym bols a s we shall prese ntly show wer e s ummed

, ,

up in the sphinxe s or che rubs of the a rk In connection .

with the usurped Teraphim of M ichas he cit es a curious ,

pass a ge fro m Philo which is a co mplete revelation a s to the

,

ancient and s a cerdotal origin of our TAR O T S G a ffa re l .

thus expresses himself He (Philo the Jew) spea king of ,

the his t ory co ncealed in the be fore me ntion e d ch apte r of -

Judges says tha t M ichas m a de three images of young boys

,

and three young calves three a lso of a lion a n eagle a , , ,

dragon a n d a dove a ll of fine gold and sil ver ; so that if

, ,
 THE RITUAL OF TRANS CEND ENT MA GI C
the high priest would read the ora cle thus : The staff of
the Lord is ange ed against Judah r If the Th e ra phim .

represented the m a n or cup and were also found on the ,

left near the stone of Benja min the high priest would
, ,
’

rea d : The m ercy of the Lord is weary of the o ffences of

Benja min which violate Him in His love When ce He
, .

will pour out on him the chalice of his wrath etc When , .

the sovereign priesthood ceased in Israel when all oracles ,

were silenc ed in the presence of the Word m ade ma n and ,

speaking by the mouth of the most popular and m ildest of

sages when the ark was lost the sanctuary profaned and
, , ,

the temple destroyed the mysteries of the E phod and The a

, r

phim no longer traced on gold and precious stones were

, ,

written or rather drawn by som e learned kabbalists on ivo y

, , , ,
r ,

parchm ent gilt and silvered copper and finally on simple

, , , ,

cards which were always susp e cted by the o ffi cial C hurch as

,

enclosing a dangerous key to its mys t eries Hence ca me .

those Tarots the antiquity of which revealed to the erudite

, ,

C ourt de G e be lin by the science of hieroglyphs and nu m bers ,

so exercised later the doubtful perspicacity and pe rsistent

investigation of E t t e illa C ourt de G e be lin in the eighth
”
.
,

volu m e of his Primeval W o rl d give s the figure of the twenty

“
,

two keys and four aces of the Tarot and demonstrates their ,

perfect analogy with all sym bols of the highest antiquity .

He subsequently endeavours to supply their explanation and ,

goes astray naturally because he does not start f om the u i

, r n

versal and sacred tetrag a m the I o E VO HE of the Bacchanalia

r , ,

the JO D H E VAU H E of the sa c t ua ry t h e of the Kabbalah n , .

E t t e il la or Allie t t e preoccupied entirely by his syste m of

,

divination and the m aterial profit to be derived from it ,

Al lie t t e for m erly barber having never learned F rench or

, , ,

even orthography prete nded to reform and thus appropriate

,

the Book of THOT In the Tarot now beco me very scarce

.
, ,

which he engraved we find the following naive adve tise ‘

ment on the twenty eighth card—the eight of clubs

,

E t t e illa professor of algebra and correctors (sic ) of the

,

mo dem blunders of the ancient book of Thot lives in the ,

 THE B OOK or H E RMES 3 59

Rue de l O seill e No 4 8 Paris

’
E t t e ill a would have
,
.
,
.

certainly done better not to have corrected the blun ders of

which he speaks ; his books have degr aded the ancient
work discovered by C ourt de Ge be lin into the domain of
vulgar m agic and fo tune telling by cards He proves r -
.

nothing who tries to prove too much ; E tt e illa furnishes

another example of this old logical axio m ; at the sa m e
time his endeavours led h im to a certain acquainta nce with
,

the Kabbalah as ma y be seen in some rare passages of his

,

unreadable works The true initiates who were E t t e ill a s

.
’

conte mporaries the Rosicrucians for exam ple and the

, , ,

M artinists who were in possession of the t ue Tarot as a

,
r ,

work of S aint M artin proves where the divisions a re those ,

of the Tarot and this passage of an enemy of the Rosi

,

crucians : They pretend to the possession of a volume

from which they can learn anything that can possibly be
found in other books whi ch now exist or ma y at any tim e
be produced Thi s volum e is thei reas on in which they
. r ,

find the prototype of everything that exists by the facility

of analysing m aking abstractions forming a species of
, ,

intellectual world and c eating all possible b eings S ee r

”
.
,

the philosophical theosophical microcosmic cards

, (0 0 n , .

sp i
g g nst th C th o lic R l ig io
ra c a i a d S ove ig
e a by the e n an re ns,

author of Th e V il r a is d f o the Cur ious Paris : Cra p a rd

e e r . .

The true initiates we repeat who held the Tarot , ,

secret among their greatest mysteries carefully refrained ,

f o m protesting against the errors of E t te illa and left him

r ,

to reveil instead of reveal ing the arcana of the true clavicles

of S olo m on Hence it is not without profound astonish
.

m en t that we have discovered intact and still unknown this

key of all doctrines and all philosoph ies of the old world .

I spea k of it as a key and such it truly is having the , ,

circle of four decades as it s ring the scale of 2 2 characters ,

for its t unk or body and the three degrees of the

r ,

triad for its wards ; as such it was represented by Postel

in hi s Key of Things Kept S ec et fro m the Foundation
”
r

of the Wo ld r He in dic ates after the following manner

.
 THE RITUAL OF TRANS CE ND ENT MAGI C
the o cc ult name of this key which was , o nly to

The word ma y read ROTA thus signifying t h e wheel of

,

E z ekiel or TAR OT and then it is synony mous with the

, ,

AZO TH of Hermetic philosophers It is a word which

.

k a bba list ica ll y expresses the dogmati c a n d natural a bsolute

it is formed of the characters of the monogram of C h rist ,

acco rding to the Greeks and Hebrews The Lat in R or .

Greek P is found between the alpha and o mega of the

Apoc alyps e ; the sacred Tau im age of the cross encloses
, ,

the whole word as previously represen t ed in our Rit ua L

,

Without the Tarot the m agi c of the ancients is a closed

,

book and it is i mpossible to penetrate any of the great

,

mysteries of the Kabbala h Th e Tarot a lone interprets the

.

m agic squares of Agrippa and Parace lsus a s we ma y satisfy

,

ourselves by forming these sam e squares with the keys of

the Tarot and rea ding o ff the h ieroglyphs thus collected
,
.

Thes e a re the seven magical squares of the planetary genii

a cc o rdin g to Para ce lsus
362 THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEN D ENT MAGI C

THE Moon .

By each of the columns of these squares you will ,

obtain invariably t h e characteristic number of the planet ,

and finding the explanation of this numbe r by the hi ero

,

glyphs of the Tarot you proceed to seek the sense of

,

all the figures wh ether triangular square or cruciform

, , , ,

that you find to be form ed by the num bers The result of .

this operation will be a co mplete and profound a cquaint

an c e with all the allegories and m ysteries co ncealed by
the ancients under the symbol of each planet or rather ,

of each pe rsonification of the influen ces ce lestial or human

, ,

upon all events of li fe .

We have said that the twenty two keys of the Tarot are
-

the twenty two lette rs of the primitive ka bba lis tic alphabe t
-
,
 THE B OO K or H ERMES 363

and here follows a ta ble of the variants of this alphabet

according to divers Hebrew kabbalists .

is B ein g , min d , ma n , or Go d th e co m
p reh en sible o bec t j u n ity,
mo th er o f n umber s, th e first subst a n c e .

A ll
these ideas are hieroglyphically expressed by the
figure of the JUGGLE R His body and arms form the letter
.

al eph round his head there is a ni mbus in the form of

, co

the em ble m of life and the universa l spirit ; in f ont of him r

are swo ds cups and p a n t a c le s and he uplifts the mira c ul

r , , ,

ous o d towards heaven He has a youthful figure and curly

r .

hair like Apollo or M ercury ; the s m ile of confiden ce is on

,

hi s lips a n d the look of intelligence in his eyes

, .

3 The ho use of Go d a n d ma n t h e sa n ctua ry t he l a w th e , , ,

Gno sis Ka bba l a h , the o cc ul t ch ur ch t he dua d w ife, mo th er

, , , .

of the Tarot THE FE MALE POPE ; a wo man

H ie ro glpyh ,

c owned with a tiara wearing the h orns of the M oon and

r ,

Isis her head enveloped in a m antle the solar cross on her

, ,

breast and holding a book on her knees which Sh e con c eals

, ,

with her m antle A protestant author of a pretended

.

history of Pope Joan has me t with and used for good or , ,

bad in the inte rest of h is thesis t wo cur ious and ancient

, ,

figures of the female pope or sovereign priestess of the

Tarot These two figures a sc ibe to h e all the attribut e s of
. r r

Isis ; in one she is carrying and caressing her son Horus ;

in the other she has long and thin hair ; she is seated
,

between t h e two pillars of the duad has a sun with four rays ,

on her breast plac es one hand upon a bo ok and makes the

S ign of sace rdota l esote ricis m with the other—that is to
, ,

say she uplifts three fingers onl y the two othe rs bein g
, ,

folded to signify m ystery ; a veil is behind her head and ,

on each side of her chair the flowe s of the lotus bloo m r

upon th e sea I strongly co mmiserate the unlucky scholar

.

who h a s seen in this antique symbol nothing but a monu

m enta l portrait o f his pretended Pope Joan .
 in the thr ee w or lds .

S ymbol, MPR ESS a woma n winged crown e d

THE E , , , ,

sea te d a n d uplif ting a sc e ptre with the orb of t h e w o rld a t

,

it s end ; her S ign is a n eagle im a ge of t h e soul a n d o f life ,

.

This woman is the Venu s U ra nia of the Greeks a n d wa s -

,

represen t ed by S t John in his Apoc alyps e a s t h e Wo ma n

cloth e d with the S un crowned with t welve sta rs a n d with
, ,

th e m oon beneath her feet It is the mystica l quintesse n ce

.

o f t h e tri a d spiritu a lit im m ort l ity t h queen of h ea ve n

, y a , e , .

the tetr a g r a m , th e qua ter n a ry , the cubic st on e, or its ba se .

Hieroglyph THE E MPER OR a sovereign wh ose body t e

, ,

presents a right angled triangle and his legs a c ro ss the

-
, ,

im a ge of t h e Athanor of the philosophe rs .

n I nd ica t ion , demo nstr a tion , in struc tio n , la w, symbo lis m ,

p h il oso h
p y, r elig io n .

Hieroglyph THE POPE or grand hierophant In m ore

, , .

modern Tarots this S ign is replaced by the image of Jupiter .

The grand hieropha nt seated be tween the two pilla rs of

,

Hermes a n d of S olom on m akes the S ign of esotericis m a n d

, ,

lea ns upon a cro ss with three horizontals of trian gular

form Two inferior minister s kneel be fore him Having
. .

above him the capital s of the two pillars and below him ,

the two heads of the assis tants he 1 8 thus the centr e of the ,

quinary and represents the divine pe ntagra m giving it s

, ,

complete m eanin g As a fact the pillars are necessity or

.
,

law t h e heads liberty or action A line m a y be drawn

, .

from each pillar to each head and two lines fro m e ach ,

pill ar to ea ch of the two heads Thus a square divided by .

,

a cro s s in t o four triangles is obtained and in the middl e of

, ,

this cross is the grand hierophan t we might a lmost say like ,

 THE RITUAL OF TRANSC E ND EN T MA GIC
the garden spider in the centre of his web we re such a ,

comparison beco ming to the thin gs of truth glory a n d , ,

str ife ,
a n t a g on is m
, co mbin a tio n , equil ibriu m .

Hieroglyph ma n between Vice a n d Virtu e Above h im

, .

shines the sun o f truth and in this sun is L ove bending his
, ,

bow and threatening Vice with his shaft In the order of .

the ten S ephiroth this sym bol corresponds to TI PHERE TH

,

that is to idealism and beauty The nu mber si x represents

, .

the antagonis m of the two triads that is absolute negation , ,

and absolute a ffi rm ation It is therefore the num ber of .

toil and liberty and for this reason it connects also with
,

m oral beauty and glory .

1 Wea p on , sw or d , ch er ubs sw or d o
’

ffi r e, the sa c r ed sep ten a ry,

Hieroglyph a cubic chariot with four pillars and an a zure

,

and starry drapery In the chariot between the four pillars a

.
, ,

victor crowned with a circle adorned with three radiant golden

pentagram s Upon his breast a re three superposed squares
.
,

on his shoulders the urim and thummim of the sovereign

sa c rifi c e r represented by the two crescents of the m oon in
,

G e dul a h and G e bura h in his hand is a sceptre surm ounted

by a globe square and triangle ; his attitude is proud and
, ,

tranquil A double sphinx or two sphin x es joined at the

.

lower parts are harnessed to the chariot ; they are pulling

in Opposite di e ctions but one is turning his head so that
r ,

they are looking in the sam e direction The sphinx with .

head turned is black the other is white On the square , .

which form s the fore part of the chariot is the Indian

lingam surmounted by the flying Sphere of the E gyptians .

This hieroglyph whi ch we reproduce exactly is perhaps the

, ,

m ost beautiful and co mplete of all those which are c o m

prised in the clavicle of the Tarot .
 THE B OOK or H ERMES 367

Hieroglyph JUSTI C E with sword and balance

'

, .

In Go od horror
, f
o evil , m or a lity, wisdom .

Hiero glyph a sage leanin g on his staff holding a lamp in

, ,

front o f him and completely enveloped in h is cloak The

, .

inscription is THE HERMIT or CAPUOHIN on acc ount of the ,

hood of his oriental cloak ; his true name however is , ,

PR U D EN C E and he thus completes the four cardinal virtues

,

whi ch seemed imperfect to C ourt de G ebelin and E t te illa .

vir il e fecun dity , p a ter n a l sc ep tr e .

Hieroglyph THE WHEEL O F FO RT UNE that is to say the

, , ,

c os mogonical wheel of E zekiel with a H erma n ubis ascending ,

on the right a Typhon descen ding on the left and a sphinx

, ,

in equilibrium abo ve holding a sword between his lion s ’

claws—a n admirable symbol disfigured by E tt e ill a who

,

, ,

replaced Typhon by a wolf H e rma n ubis by a m ouse and , ,

the sphi nx by an ape an allegory characteristi c of E t t eil la s

,
’

Kabbalah .

3 The ha n d in the a ct o f g ra sp in g a n d h o lding ;

Hieroglyph STREN GTH a wom an crowned with the vital

, ,

co closes quietly and without e ff ort the jaws of a raging

, ,
-

5 E xa mp le , instruc tion p u blic tea ching

, .

S ym bol
a ma n hanging by one foot with his hands
, ,

b ound behi nd his back so that his body makes a triangle,

with apex downwards and his legs a cross above the triangle
, .

The gallows is in the form of a Hebrew Tau an d the t w o ,

uprights a re tre es fr om e a c h o f which six bra nch es ha ve
,

be en lopped We have previously e xpla ined t his sy mbol

.

o f sa c rifice and t h e finished work .

Hieroglyph D EA TH reaping crowned

, , h ea ds in a mea dow
where men a re growing .

life, w hich is ever n ew y e t ever t he sa me .

Hieroglyph TEM PERAN C E an angel with t h e S ign of t h e sun

, ,

upon her forehead a n d on the brea s t the square and triangle

,

of t h e septe na ry pours from one chalice into a noth er t h e

,

two essen ces which compo se the elixir of life .

elo quen ce , myster y, m or a l for ce .

Hier oglyp h THE D EVI L the goat of M en des or the

, , ,

Baphome t of t h e Te mple with a ll his pa nth eisti c attributes

, .

This is t h e o nl y hi erogl yph which was prope rly unde rsto od

and c o rre ct ly in t e rpre te d by E t te illa .

y The he a ven f
o t he Mo on , a l ter a t ion s, subver sion s, cha ng es,

Hiero glyph a tower struck by lightning p roba bly th at

, ,

of Babel Two persons doubtless Nimrod a n d his fal se

.
,

prophet or m inister are precipita t ed from t h e summit of

,

the ruins O n e of the personages in his fall perfectly

.

represents the letter gn a tn ’

.

a The h ea ven f
o the soul , o u tp o u r ing s of thoug ht , mora l in

Hier ogl yph th e burning sta r a n d

, e
et rn a l youth . We
hav e al r ea dy de scribe d this symbo l .
370 THE RITU AL or TRANS C END ENT MAGI C

gr e ssive signification in the three worlds and in the first

principle S o also the ace of deniers or of the circle is t h e
soul of the world ; the ace of swords is mil itant intelligence ;
the ace of cups is loving intelligence ; the ace of cl ubs is
creative intelligence they are also the principles of motion ,

progress fecundity and power E ach num ber multiplied

, , .
,

by a key gives another number which explained in turn

, , ,

by the keys completes the philosophical and religious revela

,

tion cont a ined in each S ign Now each of the fi ft y Six .

,
-

c ards can be mul tiplied in turn by the twenty two keys a -

s eries of co mbinations thus results giving all the most ,

a stonishing conclusions of revelation and of light It is a .

truly philosophical m achine which keeps the mind from ,

going astray while leaving its initiative and liberty ; it is

mathematics applied to the absolut e the al liance of the ,

posit ive and the ideal a lottery of thoughts as exact a s

,

numbers perhaps the simples t and gra ndest conception of

,

hum an genius .

The m ode of reading t h e hieroglyp h s of the Tarot is to

a rrange the m in a square or triangle placing equal n um ,

bers in antagonis m and c on ciliating them by the unequal

,
.

F our signs invariably e xpres s the absolute in a given order ,

and are explained by a fifth Hence the solution of all .

magical questions is the pentagra m and all antinomies ,

a re explained by har mon ious unity S o arranged the Tarot .

,

is a veritable oracle and replies to all possible questions

,

with m ore precision and infallibility than the Android of

Albe rtus M agnus A n imprisoned person with no other
.

book than the Tarot if he knew how to use it could in a

, ,

f e w years acquire universal k nowledge a n d would be able ,

t o speak on all subjects with unequalled learning and in e x

h a us t ibl e eloquence In fact this wheel is the true key to
.
,

the O ratorical Ar t and the Grand Art of Raymund L ully ;

it is the true secret of the t rans mutation of shadows into
light ; it is the first and most important of all the arcana of
t h e great work By means of this universal key of sym bol
.

ism all allegories of India E gypt and Judea are ill uminate d ;
, ,
 THE B OOK ERMES
or H 371

the Apocalypse of S t John is a kabbalistic book the Sense of

which is rigo ously indicated by the nu mbers of the U rim
r ,

Thummim Th e ra ph im and E phod which are all resum ed

, , ,

and co mpleted by the Tarot ; the old san ctuaries have no

longer myste ries and the sig ificance of the objects of the
,
n

Hebrew cultus is for the first time comprehensible Who .

does not perceive in the golden table crowned and sup ,

ported by cherubim which covered the ark of the covenant

, ,

the sam e sym bols as those of the twenty first Tarot key ? -

The ark was a hieroglyphical synthesis of the whole kabbal

ist ic dogm a ; it inclu ded the jo d or blosso ming sta ff of
A aron the he or cup the gom or containing the manna
the two tables of the law—a n analogous symbol to that of
, , , ,

the sword of justice—and the manna kept in the gomor ,

four objects which interpret wonderfully the letters of the

divine tetrag am G a fl a rel has learnedly proved that the
r .
‘

cherubim or cherubs of the ark were in the likene ss of bulls

, , ,

but what he did not know was that instead of two there
were four—two at each end as the text expressly says
, ,

though it has been misconstrued for the most part by c o m

me n t a t o rs The eighteenth and nineteenth verses of the
.

twenty fi fth chapter of E x odus should read thus : And

-

thou shalt make two bull s or sphinxes of beaten gold on

each S ide of the oracle And thou shalt make the o n e .

looking this way and the se cond that way The cherubs .
 THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GIC
or sphinxes were in fact coupled by twos on each Side of
, ,

the a k and their heads were turned to the four corners

r ,

of the mercy seat which they cove ed with their wings

-
,
r

rounded a chwise thu s overshadowing the crown of t h e

r ,

golden table which they sustain ed upon their shoulders

, ,

facing o n e another at the openings and looking at the pro

p it ia t o y (see
r the figure on p The a k m oreover . r , ,

had three parts or stages representing At ilut h Je t z ira h z

—
, , ,

and B iah the three worlds of the kabbalah the b a se of

r

the c o fl e r to which were fitted the four rings of two levers

’

analogous to the pillars of the temple JAKI N and B OHAS ;

'

the body of the coffe on which the sphin xes appeared in r,

relief ; and the cove ove shadowed by the wings The base r, r .

represented the kingdo m of salt to use the term inology of ,

the adepts of Herm es ; the c o fl e the realm of m ercury or ‘

r,

azoth and the cover the realm of sulphur or of fire Th e , .

other objects of the cultus were not less allegorical but would ,

require a special treatise to describe and explain them .

S aint M artin in his N atural Table of the C orrespondences

,

b etween God M a n and the U ive se followed as we have

, ,
n r , ,

said the division of the Tarot giving an extended mystical

, ,

com mentary upon the twenty two keys but he carefully re -

,

f ra i e d fro m stating whence he derived his plan and f o m

n ,
r

revealing the hieroglyphics on which he com m ented Postel .

shewed sim ila disc etion naming the Tarot only in a

r r ,

diagram of the key to his a cana and eferring to it in the r ,

r

rest of his book under the title of the Genesis of E noch .

The personage of E noch author of the p im eval sac ed ,

r r

book is in effect identical with that of Thoth am ong the

,

E gyptians C adm us a m ong the Phoenicians and Palam edes

, ,

a m ong the Greeks We h ave obtained in an extraordinary

.

m anner a sixteenth centu y m edal which is a key of the r ,

Tarot We scarcely know whether to state that thi s m edal

.
,

and the place where it was deposited we e shown us in ,

r

dream by the divine Paracelsus ; in any case the medal is

.
,

in our possessio n On one side it depicts the juggler in a

.

German costume of the S ixteenth century holding h is girdle ,

3 74. THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND E NT MAGI C
a really c o mple t e and well executed exemplar We shall - .
,

perhaps undertake the ta sk

, .

Vestiges of the Tarot are found am ong all nations A s .

we have said the Italian is perhaps the most faithful and

, , ,

best preserved but it ma y be further perfecte d by precious

,

indications derived fro m the S panish varieties The two of .

cups for e x ample in the Na ibi is c ompletely E gyptian

, ,
’

showing two archaic vases with ibis handles sup er posed on ,

a c ow A unicorn is represented in the m iddle of the four

.

of deniers ; the three of cups exhibits the figure of Isis issui g n

from a vase while two ibises issue from two other vases o n e
, ,

with a crown for the goddess and one holding a lotus which , ,

he seems to be o ff ering for her accepta nce The four aces bear .

the im age of the hieratic and sac ed serpent while in som e r ,

specim ens the seal of S olomon is placed at the centre of t h e

four of deniers ins te ad of the sym bolical u n icorn The
, .

Germ an Tarots have su ff ered g eat alteration and scarce ly r ,

do m ore than preserve the number of the keys which a re ,

crowded with grotes que or pantagruelian figures We have .

a C hinese Ta ot before us and the Imperial Library contains

r ,

sa m ples of others that are similar M Paul Boiteau in h is . .

,

rem arkable work on playing ca ds has given so m e a dmir -

r ,

ably exe cuted specimens The C hinese Tarot preserves .

several prim eval emblems ; the deniers and swords a re

plainly distinguishable but it would be less easy to discover
,

the cups and clubs .

It was at the epoch of the Gnostic and M anich aea n heresie s

that the Tarot m ust have been lost to the C hurch at which ,

tim e also the m eaning of the divine Apo c alypse perished .

It was understood no longer that the seven seals of thi s

kabbalistic book are seven p a n t a c l e s the representation ,

of which we give (see p 3 7 and that these pe ntacles .

are explained by the analogies of the nu mbers characters , ,

a n d figures of the Tarot Thus the universal tradition of t h e

.

o n e religion was a mo m ent broken darkness or do ubt spread ,

o ver the whole earth and it see m ed in the eyes of ignorance

, , ,

t hat true ca tholicis m the universal revelation had b riefly

, ,
 TH E B OO K OF H ER MES 375

d isappeared The explanation of the book of S t John by

.

t h e characters of the Kabbal ah will be an entirely n e w

revelation though foreseen by several distinguish ed magi one
, ,

among whom M Augustin C haho thus expresses him self

, .
,

The poem of the Apocalypse presupposes in the young

e vangelist a complete system and traditions individually
developed by him self It is written in the form of a vision
. ,

and binds in a brilliant framework of poetry the whole

erudition t h e wh ole thought of African civilisation An
, .

inspired bard the author touches upon a series of ruling

,

events ; he draws in bold outlines the history of society from

ca taclysm to cataclys m and e ven further still The truths , .

which he reveals are prophecies brought fro m far and wide ,

of which he is the resounding echo He is the voice which .

cries the voice which chants the harm onies of the desert
, ,

and p epares the paths for the light His speech peals
r .

forth with mastery and compels faith for he ca ies am ong ,

rr

sa va ge nations the oracles of I o and unveils Hi m who a ,

is the First Born of the S un for the admir ation of

-

c ivilisations to co me Th e theory of the four ages is .

found in the Apo calypse as it is found in t h e ,

books of Zoroaster and in the Bible The gradual recon .

struction o f primeval federations and of the reign of God ,

a mong peoples e mancipated from the yoke of tyrants and

the bonds of error are clearly foretold for the end of t h e
,

fourth age and the renovation of the cataclys m exhibit ed

, ,

at fi st fro m afar even un t o the consumm ation of time

r ,
.

The desc iption of the cataclys m and its du ation the n e w

r r

world em erging from t h e waves and spreading in all its ,

beauty under heaven ; the great serpent bound for a time ,

by a n angel in the depths of the abyss ; finally the dawn ,

of that age to com e prophesied by the Word who appeared

, ,

to the apostle at the beginning of h is poe m : His head and

his hairs we e white like wool as white a s snow and h is
r , ,

e yes were as a flam e of fire ; and his feet l ike unto fin e

brass as if they burned in a furnace ; and h S vome as th e

,
l

sound of many waters And h e had in h is right hand seve n .

 A CALY TI C
PO P KE Y.

The S even S ea ls f S t J o hn
o .
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C
tongues Then D aniel cam e near unto one of them that
.

stood by and asked him the truth of all this And it was
, .

a nswered him that the four beasts were four powers which
”
should reign successively over the earth M C haho pro . .

c e e ds to explain a variety of i m ages strikingly analogous , ,

which are found in alm ost all sacred books His observa .

tions at this point a e wort hy of rema k r r .

In every pri mitive logos the parallel between physical ,

correspondences and m oral relations is established on the

sam e roots E ach word carries its ma t e ial and sensible
. r

definition and this living language is as pe fect and true a s

, r

it is sim ple and natural in m a n the creator L et the seer .

express by the sam e word S lightly m odified the sun day , , , ,

light truth and applying the sam e epithet to a white sun

, ,

and to a lam b let h im say L mb or Chr ist instead of su

, ,
a ,
n,

and sun instead of truth ligh t ci il is ti and there is n o , ,

v a on ,

allego y but there are true correspondences seized and ex

r ,

pressed by inspi ation But when the children of night say

r .

in their incoherent and barbarous dialect sun d y ligh t , ,

a , ,

truth l m b the wise corresponden c e so clea ly expressed by

,
a ,
r

the primitive logos beco m es e ffaced and disappears and by , ,

simple t anslation the lamb and the sun beco me allegorical

r ,

beings sym b o ls Remark in e ffect that the word llegory

, .
, ,
a

itself signifies in celtic definition ha g e of disco u se tr n s

, , c n r ,
a

l tion
a The observation we have m ade applies exactly t o
.

all barba ous cos m gonical langu a ge S ee s m ade use of

r o . r

the sam e inspired radical to express n ou ishmen t and instruc r

tio n. Is not the science of truth the nourish ment of the

soul ? Thus the scroll of papyrus or the book eaten by
, , ,

the prophet E zekiel ; the little volum e which the angel

gave as food to the author of the Apocalypse ; the festivities
of the m agical palace of A sgard to which Gangler was ,

invited by Har the S ublim e ; the miraculous multiplication

of seven s mall loaves narrated by the E vangelists of the
N azarene ; the living b ead which J e suS S un gave h is r -

disciples to eat saying This is my body and a host of

, , ,
’

similar occurrences are a repetition of the sa me allegory ,

 THE B OO K OF H ERMES 379

the life of souls who are nourished by truth—truth which ,

multiplies withou t ever diminishing but on the contrary , , ,

increases in the m easure that it nourishes .

E xalted by a noble sentim ent of patriotis m da z zled by ,

the idea of an imm ense revolution let a revealer of hidden ,

things come forward and seek to popularis e the dis coveries of

science among gross and ignorant me destitute of t h e m ost n,

s i m ple ele m entary notions ; let him say for exa mple that the , ,

earth revolves and that it is shaped like an egg ; what resourc e

,

h as the barbarian who hears him except t o b lieve ? Is it not e

plain that every proposition of this nature becom es for him

a dogm a from on high an article of fa ith ? And is not the
,

veil of a wise allegory sufficient to m ake it a mythos ? In

the schools of seers the terres trial globe was represented by
an egg of pasteboard or painted wood and when the young ,

children were asked What is this egg ? they answered

,
’
,

It is the earth Those older children the barbarians

.
’
, ,

hearing this repeated afte r the little children of the seers

, ,

The wo ld is an egg But they unders t ood thereby the

r .
’

physical material world and the see s the geographical ideal

, ,
r , ,

i mage world created by mind and the logos A s a fact the

, .
,

priests of E gypt represented mind intelligen c e K eph with , ,

n ,

an egg placed upon his lips to express clearly that the egg,

was here only a co mparison an im age a mode of speech , ,

.

C h o um o u t u the philosopher of the E o ur Ve dam explains

n o ,
z -
,

a fter the sa m e m anner to the fanatic Biache what m ust be

un de s t ood by the golden e gg of Brah m a

r
” .

We must not wholly despair of a period which still con

cerns itself with these serious and reasonable researches ; we
h ave cited these pages of M Chaho with great m ental satis
.

fac t ion and profound sym pathy Here is no longer the .

negative and desolating criticism of D up uis and Volney ,

but tendency towards one faith and one worship connecting

all the future with all the past ; it is the exoneration of all
great me n falsely accused of superstition and idolatry it is ,

finally the justification of God Him self that sun of in t e lli

, ,

g e
n c e s who is never veiled for just souls and pure hearts .
 THE RITUAL OF TRANS CEND ENT MAGIC
Great and pre eminent is the seer the initiate the elect of
-

”
nature and of sup em e reason cries the author once m ore
r
, ,

, ,

in concluding what we have just cited His alone is that .

faculty of i mitation which is the principle of his perfection ,

while its inspi ations swift as a lightning flash direct

r , ,

c eations and discove ies His alone is a perfect Word of

r r .

confo m ity propriety flexibility wealth c eating harmony

r r

of thought by physical reaction—o f thought whereof the

, , , ,

perceptions still independent of language ever reflect

, ,

nature exactly reproduced in his impressions well judged ,

and well expressed in its corresponde ces His alone is n .

light scien c e t uth because imagination confined to its

, ,
r , ,

passive seconda y pa t never gove ns reason the natural

r r , r ,

logic which results f o m the compa ison of ideas ; which

r r

com e in t o being extend in the sa m e proportion as his needs

, ,

and because t he circle of his knowledge enla ges thus by r

deg ees without interm ixture of false judgm ents and erro s
r r .

His alone is a light infinite ly progressive because the rapid ,

m ultiplication of population after te restrial renovations , r ,

co mposes in a fe w centuries a new society in all the im agin

able m oral and political correspon dences of its destiny ;
and we m ight add his alone is absolute light The m a n
, .

of our tim e is imm utable in him self ; he changes no more

than nature in which he is rooted The social conditions
, .

whi ch surround h im alone dete rm ine the degree of his per

f e c t io n of which the bounds are virtue holiness of m a n and
”
, , ,

his happiness in the law .

A fter such elucidations will any one ask the utility of ,

the o ccult sciences ? Will they treat with the disdain of

mysticis m and illu m inis m these living mathe m atics these ,

proportions o f ideas and form s this revelation perm anent ,

in the universal reason thi s em ancipation of mind this im

, ,

m utable basis provided for faith this o m nipote nce revealed ,

to Will ? C hildren in search of illusions are you dis ,

a ppo inted because we c fl e r you m arvels ? O nce a m a n

'

sa id to us Raise up the devil and I will believe in you ” .

, ,

W e answered You ask too little we will not m ake the

,
 THE RIT UAL O F TRAN S CEN D E N T MAGI C
has been devasta ted and has fallen into ruins because it s ,

key h as been thrown over the hedges to the profit of no

one I have deem ed it my duty to pick up that key and I
, ,

o ffer it to him who can take it ; in his turn he will be

d octor of the nations and liberator of the world Fables .

a n d leading strings are needed and will always be needed

-
,

by children but it is not necessa y that those who hold the

,
r

l eading strings should also be children lending a ready ear

-
,

t o fables Let the m ost absolute science let the highest

.
,

reason becom e the possession of the chiefs of the people ;

,

let the priestly art and the royal art take up once more the
d ouble sceptre of an tique initiations and the world will re ,

issue from chaos Burn no more holy im ages dest oy no

.
,
r

more temples ; temples and images are necessary for m a n ;

but drive out the m erchants from the house of prayer ;
let the blind no longer be leaders of the blind ; reconstruct
the hierarchy of intelligence and holiness and recognise ,

o nl y those who know as the tea chers of those who believe .

O ur book is c atholic and if the revelations it c ontains are

,

likely to alarm the conscience of the simple we are consoled ,

by the thought that they will not read them We write .

for unprejudiced men and have no wish to flatter irreligion

,

a n y m ore than fanaticis m If there be anything essentially

.

free and inviolable in the world it is belief By science , .

a nd persuasion we must endeavour t o lead bewrayed

im aginations from the absurd but it would be investing ,

t heir errors with all the dignity and truth of the martyr to
e ither threaten or constrain the m .

Faith is nothing but superstition and folly if it have not

r eason for its ba sis and we cannot suppose that which we
,

do not know except by analogy with what we kno w To .

define what we are unacquainted with is p resu mptuous

ignorance ; to a fl irm pos itively what one does not know is
to lie S o is faith an as piration and a desire S o be it ; I
. .

desire it to be so ; such is the last word of all professions of

faith Faith hope and charity are three such inseparable
.
, ,

siste rs that they can be ta ken one for another Thus in .

,
 THE B OOK or H ERMES 383

religion univers a l and hierarchic orthodoxy restoration of

, ,

temples in all their sp e n do ur re establis hm ent of all cere ,

-

monies in their pri mitive pom p hiera rchic instruction of ,

symbols mysteries m iracles legends for children light for

, , , ,

grown m en who will beware of scandalisin g little ones in

the symplic ity of their faith ; this in religion is our wh ole
utopia and it is also the desi e and need of humanity
,
r .

C oming now to philosophy our own is that of realism ,

and positivism Being is by reason of the being of which

.

no one doubts All exis ts for us by science To know is

. .

to be S cience and its object becom e identified in t h e

.

intellectual life of h im who knows To doubt is to be .

ignorant Now a thing of which we are ignorant does not

.
,

as yet exist for us To live intellectually is to learn

. .

Being developes and amplifies by science The first con .

q uest o f science and the first result

,
of the exact sciences ,

is the sentim ent of reason The laws of nature are algebraic

. .

Thus the sole reasonable faith is the adhesio n of the

,

s tudent to theore m s the entire essential justice of which is

,

outside his knowledge though its applications and results

,

a re su fficiently de m onstrated to his mind Thus the true .

,

philosophe believes in what is and does not a d mit a p oster

r ,

ior i that all is reasonable But no mo e charlatanism in . r

philosophy no m ore empiricism no more system ! The study

, ,

o f being and its co mpared realities A m eta physi c of nature !

Then away with mysticism ! N0 more dreams in philo
sophy ; philosophy is not a poesy but the pure mathemati cs ,

o f realities physical and m o al

,
L eave unto religion the r .

freedo m of its infinite aspirations and let it leave in turn ,

to science the exa ct conclusions of absolute experi mentalism .

M a n is the son of his works ; he is what he wills to be ;

he is t h e image of the God he m akes ; he is the realisa tion
o f his ideal S houl d his ideal want basis the whole edifice o f ,

his im mortality collapses Philosophy is not the ideal but .

,

it serves as a foundation for the ideal The known is for us .

t h e m easure of the unknown ; by the visible we a pprec ia te

t h e invisible ; sensations are to thoughts e ven as thought s
 THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEND EN T MA GIC

to aspirations S cience is a celestial trigonometry : one of

.

the S ides of the absolute triangle is the nature which is

sub mitted to our investigations ; the second is our soul ,

which embraces and reflects nature ; the th ird is the absolute ,

in which o ur soul enlarges N o m ore atheis m possible .

hencefo ward for we no longer pretend to define God

r , .

God is for us the m ost perfect and best of intelligent beings ,

and the ascending hierarchy of beings sufficiently dem on

strates his existence D o not let us ask for more but t o
.
, ,

be ever unde standing him better let us grow perf ect by

r ,

as cen ding towards h im N o more ideology ; being is being

.
,

and cannot p erfe c t io n ise save according to the real laws o f

being . O bserve and do not prejudge ; exercise our
,

faculties do not falsify the m ; enla ge the dom ain of life in

,
r

life ; behold t uth in t uth ! E ve ything is possible to h im

r r r

who will s only what is true Rest in nature study know , , ,

then dare ; dare to will dare to act and be silent ! N0 , ,

m ore hat ed of anyone

r E veryone reaps what he sows
. .

Th e consequence of wo ks is fatal and to judge and chastis e

r ,

the wicked is for the sup em e reason He who enters into r .

a blind alley must retra ce his steps or be broken Warn .

hi m gently if he can still hear you but hu m an liberty m ust

, ,

take its cou se We are not the judges of one another

r . .

L ife is a battle fie l d D o not pause in the fighting on

- .

account of those who fall but avoid trampling them Then , .

com es the victo y and the wounded on both sides become

r , ,

brothers by suffe ing and before hu manity will m eet in t h e

r ,
‘

ambulances of the conquerors" .

S uch are the consequences of the phil osophic al dogm a of

Herm es ; such has been from a ll time the ethic of tru e
adepts such is the philosophy of the Rosicrucian inheritors
of a ll the ancient wisdoms ; such is the secret doctrine o f
those associations that are treated as subversive of t h e
public order and have ever been accused of conspiring
,

against thrones and altars The true adept fa r from dis .

,

t urbin g the public order is its fi rm e st supporter He has

, .

too great a respe ct for liberty to desire ana rchy ; child o f

 THE RIT UAL OF TRAN S CE ND E NT MAGI C
c annot be explained by things impossible ! No invisible ,

beings a e not permitted to deceive torm ent seduce and

r , , ,

even kill the living creatu es of God m e already so r , n ,

ignorant and sca ce able to co mbat thei own delusions !

,
r r

Those who told you all thi s in your chil dh oo d M onsieur l e ,

C o mte have deceived you and if you were child enough

, ,

once to listen to them be ma n enough n o w to disbelieve

,

them M a is him self the creat or of his heaven and hell

. n ,

and the e a e no dem ons except our own follies M inds

r r .

chastised by t uth are corrected by the chastisem ent and

r ,

dream no m ore of disturbing the worl d If S atan exist he ,

can be only the most unfortunate m ost ignorant m ost , ,

humiliated and m ost im potent of beings The existence of

, .

a unive sal agent of life of a living fi e of an astral light

r ,
r , ,

is demonstrated by facts M agnetism enables us to under

.

stand to da y the m i acles of old m agic ; the facts of second

-
r

sight aspirations su dden cu es thought reading are now

, ,
r ,
-
,

admitted and fam ilia things even am ong o u child en

r ,
r r .

But the tradition of the ancients has b e en lost discoveries ,

have been ega ded as new the last word is sought about
r r ,

observe d phenom ena m inds grow excited ove m eaningless

,
r

m anifes t ations fascinations a e expe ienced without being

,
r r

unde stood We say therefore to table tu ners : These

r .
, ,
- r

pro digies a e not novel ; you can perform even greater

r

wonders if you stu dy the laws of n ature And what wil l .

foll ow a new acquaintance with these powe s ? A new r

career opened to the activity and intelligence of m a the n,

batt le of life reo ganised with a m s m ore perfect and the

r r ,

possibility estored to the flower of intel ligence of once

r

m ore beco m ing the m asters of all destinies by providing ,

true priests and great kings for the world to com e !

H ERE END S THE RIT UAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MAGI C .

 S UPPL E ME N T T O T HE RI T U AL

TH E N U CTE M E RO N O F AP O LL O N I U S OF TYANA
k
Th e G re e t e x t w a s fi rst pub l i h s e d a f t e r a n a n c ie n t p
ma n usc ri t , by
G il b e rt G a ut rin us, in D e Vit a M o y sis, Lib I II ,
et M o rt e 2 06 . . p . an d
sub se que n t ly r e p ro d uc ed by L a ure n t M o sh e m ius in h is S a cr e d and

H ist o rico Crit ica l O b se r v a t io n s A m st e rda m , 1 7 2 1

-
. Tra ns la t e d . an d

p
in t e r re t e d fo r t h e first t im e by Eliph a s L evi .

N UOTE ME RO N signifies the day of the night or the night

illu mined by da y It is analogous to the Light Issuing
”
.

f o m D arkness which is the title of a well known Hermetic

r ,
-

work It ma y also be translated THE LIGHT OF O CCULTI SM

. .

This m onu m ent of transcendent Assyrian m agic is suffi

c ien t l y cu ious to m ake it superfluous to enla ge on its
r r

i mportance We have not m erely evoked Apollonius we

.
,

have possibly resuscitated him .

TH E N U C TE M E R O N

The First H o ur .

I n un it y, t h e de m o ns cha n t th e p ra ises o f Go d th ey l o se t h e ir ma l ice

a n d f ury .

The S econ d H o ur .

By t h e dua d , t h e Zo dia ca l fish c h a n t t h e ra ises o f Go d ; t h e fi e ry p

se rp e n t s in t e rl a c e a b o ut t h e ca duc e us, a n d t h e l igh t n ing b e co mes
'

h a rm o n o us
i .

The Thir d H o ur .

Th e se r p H e rm e t ic ca duc e us en t w in e t h re e t im es C e rb erus
en ts o f th e
p
o en s h is t r ipl e ja w , a n d fi re c h a n t s t h e p
ra ises o f G o d wit h t h e t h r e e

t o n gues o f t h e l igh t n in g .
 3 88 SUPPLEMENT To THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C
The Fo urth H o ur .

At t h e fo urt h h o ur t h e so ul re v isits t h e t o m b s t h e ma gica l l a m s p

a re l i h t e d a t t h e f o ur co rn e rs o f t h e c ir c l e
g ; it is t h e t ime o f en
c h a n t m e n t s a n d ill usio ns .

Th e v o ice of th e gre a t wa t e rs ce e l b ra t e s t h e Go d of t h e h ea v e nl y
sp h e re s .

The S ixth H o ur .

Th e s pi it b li v
r e e es it se lf im mo v a b l e it b eh o l ds t h e inf e rn a l mo ns t e rs
sw r amd o wn u po n it , and do e s not f ea r .

The S even th H our .

A fi re , w hi c h I mp a rt s l ife to a ll a n im a t e d b e in g s, is dire c t e d by t h e
w ill of p ure me n . Th e in it ia t e st re t ch es f o rt h h is h a n d, and p a in s a re

a ssu ag de .

The E ighth H our .

a
Th e s t rs ut t e r sp e e ch t o o n e a n o th e r ; th e so ul of th e sun s c o rr e

s o n ds w it h t h e e x h a l a t io n
p of th e fl o w e rs i
ch a n s o f h a rm o n y c re at e

p
c o rr e s o n de n ce be t w e e n a ll n a t ura l t hi n g s .

The N in th H o ur .

Th e n um be r w h ic h m ust n ot be div ulge d .

Th e k e y o f t h e a st ro n o m ica l cyc e l a nd of th e c ir c ul a r mo v e men t of

a
h um n lif e .

The E leven th H o ur .

Th e w in gs o f t h e ge n ii m o v e w it h a m y st e r io us a n d de e murmur p
t h e y fl y f ro m sph e re t o S p h e re , a n d b e a r th e m e ssa ges o f G o d f ro m
w o rl d t o w o r l d .

Th e w o r k s of t h e ligh t e t e rn al a re fulfil l e d by fi re .

PLANATI O N EX

THESE twelve symbolical hours analogous to the S igns of ,

the m agical Zodiac and to the allego ical labou s o f r r

Hercules represent the schedule of the wo ks of initiation

,
r .

It is necessary therefore (1 ) To overcom e evil passions and , ,

according to the expression of the wise Hierophant c ompel ,

390 SUPPLEMEN T To THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND ENT MAGI C

g en ius o f a mulets that we ma y reach the dig n ity of the

magus .

Gen i i f
o t he S econ d H o ur .

S I S E RA ,
genius of d e sire TORVATUS genius of discord .
,
.

NITIRU S genius of the s t ars

,
H IZARRIN genius of the seas .
,
.

SAC HLUPH genius of plants , BAGLIS genius of m easure and .

,

balan ce LAB E ZE RIN genius of success

.
, .

E xp la n a tio n .

W e must learn how to will and thus transform the g en ius

o
f d sir
e in t o power
e ; the hind ance to will is the g i u f r en s o

disco d who is bound by the science of ha m ony Har mony

r , r .

is the g ius of th e st s n d f the s

en we must study the
ar a o ea s

virtue of p l ts and understand the laws of the b la nc of

an ,
a e

mea sure in order to attain success .

Gen i i o f th e Thir d H o ur .

HAHABI genius of fear PHLO GABITUS genius of adorn

, .
,

m ents E IRN E US destroying genius of idols

. M ASCARUN
,
.
,

geni us of death ZAR OBI genius of precipices B UTATAR

.
, .
,

ge nius of ca lculations CAHOR genius of deception .

, .

E xp la n a tio n .

Wh en you have conquered the ge ius of f a by the n e r

growing force of your will you will know that dogm as are ,

the sacred a do rn men ts of truth unknown to the vulgar ;

but you will cast down all idols in your intelligence ; you will
bind the g n ius f dea th ; you will fathom all p ecip i es a n d
e o r c

subject the infinite itself to the ratio of your calculations

and thus you will ever escape the ambushes of the gen ius

Gen ii f
o th e Four th H o ur .

P HALG US , genius of ju dgm ent . THAGRINUS , genius of

confusion . E IS TIB US genius of ,
di vination . P HARZUPH,
 THE NU CTE ME RO N 391

genius of fornication SISLAU .

, genius of poisons .

S C HIE KRON , genius of bestial love . ACLAHAYR ,

genius of
S port .

E xp la na tio n .

The power of the m agus is in his judgmen t which enables ,

h im to avoid the co fusio n c onsequent on antinomy and the

n

a ntagonis m of principles ; he practises the divin a t io of the n

sa ges but he despises the illusions of enchanters who are

,

the slaves of fo rn i a tion artists in p oiso ns minis t ers of

c , ,

b stia l lo ve
e in this way he is victorious over fatality which ,

is the g en ius of sp or t .

Gen i i o
f th e Fif th H o ur .

ZEIRN A genius of in firmit ie s TABLIB IK genius of fascination

,
.
, .

TACRI TAU genius of go etic magic

, S UPHLATUS genius of . ,

the d ust SA IR genius of the stibium of the sages

.
,
.

BAR CUS genius of the quintessen ce CAMAYS AR genius of

, .
,

the marriage of contraries .

E xp la n a t io n .

Triumphing ove hu man infi mities the magus is no

r r ,

longer the spo t of fa s ina tion he tramples on the vain

r c
‘

and dangerous practices of go etic ma gic the whole power of '

which is but dust driven before the wind ; but he possesses

the stibium of the sa ges ; he is armed with all the creative
powers of the quin tessen ce ; and he produces at will the
h results fr om the analogy and the m rria g a e

Gen i i of the S ix th H o ur .

genius of free will SUSABO genius of voyages

TABRIS , .
,
.

E IRN ILUS ge ius of fruits,

NITIKA genius of p ecio us
n .
,
r

stones HAATAN genius who con c eals treasures HATI PHAS

.
,
. ,

genius of attire ZAR EN avenging genius

.
, .
3 92 SU PPLEMENT To THE RIT UAL o r TR ANSCEND ENT MAGI C
E xp la n a tion .

The magus is free ; he is the occult king of the earth ,

and h e traverses it as one passing th ough his own dom a in r .

In his voyages he becom es acquainted with the juices of

plants and fruits and with the virtues of p r ious sto nes
,
ec

he co mpels the gen ius who con c a ls th t eas u es of nature to e e r r

deliver h im all his secrets he thus penetrates the mysteries

of form understands the vestu es of earth and speech and r

if he be misconstrued if the nations are inhospitable towards

,

h im if he pass doin g good but receiving outrages then is

, ,

he ever followed by the a venging gen ius .

Gen i i f
o the S even t h H o ur .

SIALUL genius of prosperity SABRUS sustaining genius

, .
, .

LI BRABIS genius of hidden gold

, M IZGITARI genius of .
,

ea gles CAU SUB serpent charming genius SALILUS genius

.
,
-
.
,

who sets doors open JAZER genius who compels love

.
, .

E xp la n a tio n .

The septenary expresses the victory of the magus ; who

gives p r sp erity to me n and nations who sus t in s them by
o a

his sublim e instructions ; who broods like the a g le ; who e

directs the currents of the astral fire represented by se p e ts ,

r n

the gates of all sanctuaries are open to h im and in h im all ,

souls who yearn for truth repose their trust he is beautiful

in his mo al grandeur and everywhere does he take with
r

him that genius by the power of which we obta in lo ve .

Gen i i f
o th e E ig h th H o ur .

NANT UR genius of writing TO GLAS genius of treasures

, .
,
.

ZALBURI S gen ius of therapeutics

, ALPHUN genius of doves .
, .

TUKIPHAT genius of the sc h a mir

, ZIZUPH genius of mys .
,

t erie s.C UNIALI genius of association

, .
394 SUPPLEMEN T To THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND EN T MA GI C
of dogs or of the profane . RAZANIL,genius of the onyx .

B UC APHI genius of stryges

, . M ASTHO genius of delusive
,

a ppearance s .

E xp la n a tio n .

Nu m bers end with nine and the distinctive S ign of the ,

denary is z ero itself without value added to unity The

, , .

genii of the tenth hour represent all which being nothing in ,

itself receives great power fro m opinion and can su ffer con
, ,

sequently the om nipotence of the sage We tread here on .

hot earth and we m ust be permitted to om it elucidations to

,

the profan e as to th e d vil who is their m aster or the e , ,

dest oye f hild

r r o who is their love or the up idity which
c r en , ,
c ,

is their god or the d gs to which we do not compare them

,
o , ,

or to the on yx which they possess not or to the st yg es who

, , r ,

are their courtesans or to the fa lse pp ea ra n es which they

, a c

take for truth .

Gen ii f
o the E leven th H our .

ZE GLUN, genius of the lightning ZUPHLAS genius of .

,

forests P HALD OR genius of oracles ROSABIS genius of

.
,
.
,

metals AD JU GE AS genius of rocks Z ORRAS genius of

.
, . ,

p e nt a cles HALACHO genius of sympathies

.
, .

E xp la n a tion .

The ligh tn ing obeys ma n ; it becomes the vehicle of his

will the instru ment of his power the light of his torches ;
, ,

the oaks of the sac ed fo rests utter o ra cles : me t ls change

r a

and transm ute into gold or become ta lis mans ; o cks move ,
r

from their foundation and drawn by the lyre of the grand , ,

hierophant touched by the mysterious sc h a mi transform

,
r,

into te mples and palaces ; dogmas evolve ; symbols re p e r

sented by p a n ta c les beco m e efficacious ; minds are enchained

by powerful symp thies and obey the laws of family anda ,

friendship .
 THE N UC TE ME RON ACC OR D I NG To THE H EBRE W S 395

Gen i i o
f the Tw elf th H o ur .

TARAB genius of extortion M I S RAN genius of p e rse c u

, .
,

tion L AB US genius of inquisition KALA B genius of

.
, .
,

sacred vessel HAHAB genius of royal tables M ARNES

s .
, .
,

genius of the discern m ent of spirits S ELLEN genius of the .

,

favour of the great .

E xp la n a tio n .

Here now is the fate which the m agi must expect and ,

h o w thei sac ifice m ust be consu mm ated ; for after the

r r

conquest of life they must know how to imm olate them

,

selves in order to be reborn imm ortal They will suffer .

ex tor t io ; g ld pleasure vengeance will be required of

n o , ,

the m and if they fail to satisfy vulga cupidities they will

,
r

be the objects of p e secution and in quisitio ; yet the sa cr ed

r n

vess le s are not p ofaned ; they a e m ade fo oy l t bles

r r r r a a ,

that is fo the feasts of the understanding By the dis ern

,
r . c

m t of sp i its they will know how to protect the m selves

en r

from the fa vour qf th e gr ea t and they will rem ain in ,

vincible in their strength and in their liberty .

TH E N U CTE M E RO N ACC O R D I N G TO TH E HE BRE WS

!E xt r a c ted fr o m th e a n c ien t Ta lmud t er med M isch n a
by th e J ews

The N uc t e me ro n of Apollonius borrowed f om Greek ,

r

theurgy co mpleted and explained by the A ssyrian hierarchy

,

of genii pe fectly corresponds to the philosophy of nu mbers

,
r

as we find it e xpounded in the most curious pages of the

Talmud Thus the Pythagoreans go back fu ther than
.
,
r

Pythagoras ; thus G enesis is a magnificent allegory which

, , ,
396 SUPPLEMEN T TO THE RITUAL OF TRANSCEN D EN T MA GI C
under the form of a narrative conceals the sec ets not , r

only of the c eation achieved of old but of perm anent and

r ,

universal creation the eternal generation of bein gs We

, .

read as follows in the Talmud : God hath stretched out

the heaven ike a tabernacle ; He hath spread the wo ld like
l
r

a table richly dight ; and He hath created m a as if He n

”
invited a guest Listen now to t h e words of the King
.

S c h l o m o h : The divine C h o c m a h Wisdom the Bride of , ,

God hath built a house unto herself and hath dressed

, ,

two pillars S h e hath imm olated her victim s she hath

.
,

min gled her wine she hath spread the table and
she hath despatched h e servitors ” ,

This Wisdom who r .

,

b uilds her house according to a regular and num erical

architecture is that exact science which rules in the works
,

of God It is His co mpass and His square The seven

. .

pill ars are the seven typical and p imo dial days The r r .

victims are natural force s which are propagated by under

going a species of death M ingled wine is the unive sal . r

fluid the ta ble is the world with the waters full of fishes
, .

The servants of Ch o c ma h are the soul s of A dam and of

Ch a va h (E v e ) The earth of which A da m was form ed was
.

taken f om the entire m ass of the world His head is

r .

I sra é l his body the e mpire of Babylon and his li m bs are

, ,

the other nations of the earth (Here m anifes t t h e aspi a . r

tions of the initiates of M oses towards a universal o ienta l r

kingdom ) N o w there are twelve hours in the day of

.
,

ma n s creation
’
.

Go d co mbines the scatte ed f ag ments of earth ; he r r

kneads the m together and form s one m ass which it is his, ,

will to animate .

E xp la n a tio n .

Man is the synthesis of the created world ; in h im recurs

the creative unity ; he is made in the image and likeness
of God .
398 SUPPLEMENT To THE RIT UAL or TRANSCEND EN T MAGI C

Ma n stands upon his feet he is weaned fro m earth he

, ,

walks and goes where he will .

E xp la n a tion .

The nu mber five is that of the soul typified by the ,

quintessence which results from the equilibrium of the four

elements ; in the Tarot this nu mber is rep esented by the r

high p iest or S pi itual autocrat t ype of the human will

-
r r , ,

t hat high p iestess who alone decides our eternal d estinies

-
r .

The anim als pass before A dam and he gives a suitable ,

name to each .

E xp la n a tion .

Man by toil subdues the earth and overcom es the animals

by the m anifestation of h is liberty he p oduces hi s word r

or speech in the environ ment which obeys h im ; herein

prim o dial c eation is co mpleted God form ed m a n on the
r r .

sixth day but at the sixth hour of the day m a n fulfils the
,

wo k of G o d and to some exten t recreates him self by en

r , ,

throning him self as king of nature which he subjects by ,

his speech .

S even th H o ur .

God gives Adam a companion brought forth out of the

man s own substance
’
.

E xp la n a tio n .

When God had created ma n in h is own image He rested ,

on the seventh day for He had given unto Him self a fruitful
,

bride who woul d unceasingly work for Him ; natu e is the r

bride of God and God rests on h e M a becoming creator

,
r . n,

in his turn by m eans of the word gives himself a c o m ,

panion like unto him self on whose love he ma y lean hence

,

forth woman is the work of ma n ; by loving her he makes ,

 THE NUCTE MERO N ACCORDIN G To THE H EBREWS 3 99

her beautiful and he al so m akes her a mother ; woman is

,

true hu m an nature daughter and mother of man grand

, ,

daughter and gr and m other of God .

E ig h th H o ur .

A dam and E ve enter the nuptial bed ; they are two when
they lie down and when they arise they are four
, .

E xp la na tio n .

The tetrad joined to the tetrad represents form balancing

form creation issuing f om c eation the eternal equipoise
, r r ,

of lif e ; seven being the number of God s rest the unity ’

w hi ch follows it signi fies ma who toils and c o operates with

n, -

nature in the work of creation .

N in th H ou r .

God imposes his law on ma n .

E xp la na t ion .

N ine is the number of initiation because bei g composed , ,

n

of three tim es three it represents the divine idea and the

,

absolute philosophy of numbers for which reason Apollonius ,

says that the m ysteries of the number nin e are not to h e

Ten th H o u r .

At the tenth hour Adam falls into sin .

E xp la n a tio n .

According to the kabbalist ten is the nu mbe of matter r ,

of which the special S ign is zero ; in the tree of the

sephiroth ten rep esents M a l ch ut h or exte ior a d m aterial
r ,
r n

substance ; the sin of Adam is therefore mate ialis m and r ,

the fruit which he plucks from the tree represents flesh

isolated from spirit ze o separated f om unity the schism
,
r r ,

of the n umber ten giving on the one side a despoiled unity

,

and on the othe nothingness and death

r .
400 SU PPLEMEN T To THE RITUAL or TRANS C END EN T MAGI C
E leven th Ho ur .

At the eleventh hour the sinner is condem ned to labour ,

and to expiate his sin by suffering .

In the Tarot eleven rep esents force which is acquired

,
r ,

through trials ; God sends ma n pain as a m eans of salvation ,

and hence he must strive and endure that he may conquer

intelligence and life .

Man and wo man undergo their sentence ; the expiation

begins and the liberator is promised
,
.

S uch is the completion of m o al birth ; ma n is fulfilled

r ,

for he is dedicated to the sacrifice which regenerates ; the

exile of A dam is like that of (E dip us like (E dip us he becom es
the father of two enem ies but the daughter of (E dipus is the
,

pious and virginal Antigone while M a y issues

,
the
r

race of A dam .

FI NI S .
 I ND EX

B ere sc h it h , 9 6 3 1 5 , El g a a b a lus , 1 52
B ewit c h m e n t , 1 2 9 et seq 3 0 7 et seq E l de r o f t h e Ka bba l a h 91
Spirit s 5 7
. .
,

Bin a h , 5 9 , 6 7 , 9 0 , 9 5 E le m en t a ry 59 , 1 2 5 , 2 1 5
M , ,

Bla c k a gic , 1 2 6 , 2 0 9 , 2 7 9 , 2 88 et seq Eli a s 47 , 2 7 3

S L
.
,

Bla c k a bba t h , 8 , 1 4, 7 2 , 1 1 3 , 1 2 7 , E l iph a s e , 6 5 , 1 1 1 vi

2 0 9 , 2 6 1 , 29 1 e t seq by i
E m r on c, 7 3, 1 1 2
Bl z i S E
.

a ng t a r, 3 6 l T bl
m e r a d a e , 2 8 , 43 , 1 5 3 , 2 6 5 , 3 3 6
B o din d e m o n o l o gist 1 3 1 E ii i
n c h r d o n , 2 46 , 3 0 3

E
, ,

B o h me J a c o b 2 0 n o c h , 5 , 4 3 , 77 , 8 9 , 1 3 9 , 2 6 3 , 3 7 2

Ep
, ,

B ri a h 5 0 2 5 9 3 7 2
, , , i
a m n o n da s, 7

B ull H i e ro glyph 5 7 1 6 7 355 se e E qu ilib i

r um , 7 4, 8 1 , 1 3 8, 1 6 5 , 2 0 0 ,

a lso C h e r ub a n d S ph in x
, , ,
2 03 , 2 3 6 , 3 0 9 , 3 9 7

C dm 89 3 7 2 E r o s a n d n t er o s, 40 , 2 5 7A
a

C d
a
us ,
7 9 1 1 0 3 87
uc e us,
,
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a n an e
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a n e s,

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D e a t h , a s c h a n g e , 3 1 ; a w a ys p r e l G a br i e l
c eded by l p
s ee , 6 9 ; n o d e a t h f o r , 76 , 236
C a ffa r e l 9 6 , 1 3 9 , 3 1 6 , 3 2 2 , 3 56 , 3 7 1
t h e sa g e , 1 58 it s t erro rs t h e ,

G a l a t in us , 2 0
d a ugh t e rs o f g n o ra n c e , 1 7 6 t h e r e i G a ufridi, 1 2 3
is n o d e a t h , 2 7 0
i yi
D o n s us t h e re o a g t e , 7 , 1 8 A p i Gbl
e e im, C
o urt de , 9 6 , 1 0 8 , 1 1 0 , 2 1 1 ,
3 59
D esc a rt e s, 2 7
vil G ebu a h , 49 , 5 0 , 5 9 , 9 0 , 9 5, 9 6 , 2 9 0 ,
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S L
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atan a nd uc e r if G i
em a t r a , 9 6 , 2 1 1
i p
D a h a n e , 3 4, 6 4, 8 2
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n a t o n , 8 7 , 1 6 0 et seq 2 2 3 , 3 46
G i E
e n es s o f n o ch , 1 8 see a ro t T .

iv
D in e N
a m es, 9 2
.

G y
e o m a n c , 3 49

D ra g o n , 7 9 see e r en t S p Gill Lvl

e s de a a , 305

D re a m s, 6 1 , 6 3 , 1 2 4
Gi F
ra rd , a t h er, 1 2 3 , 1 2 7

D ua d, 3 8 , 4 1 , 42 , 5 1 , 2 9 1 , 3 8 7 , 3 9 7
G i
n o s s , 3 7 , 3 9 , 50 , 2 2 7

D uc h en t a u, 6 6 , 1 5 2 , 2 0 3 , 2 3 5 , 2 5 6
Go d, t h e ot o f th e Az
a e s, 1 6
g S
D uo de n a r , 2 6 3 y n e cess t and iy
ert y in G o d , 4 0 ; lib
p i
D u u s, 2 2 , 1 6 7 , 2 5 8 , 3 7 9
d ivi
n e un t iy
a n d t ri lic it , 4 1 , 4 5 ;
y
.

t e t ra d c n a m e o f Go i 51 se c r e t o f

E a gl e H i e ro glyp h 5 7 1 6 7, 3 5 5 G o d , 5 5 essen t a dea o f G o d, 5 8 i li

E de n i c M yst e ry 9 7
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 I ND E X 403

de fi 1 6 6 ; t h e w o rk s o f Go d ,
n e d, J o d He Va u H e , 3 7 , 5 2 , 77 , 9 1 , 3 5 6
167 G o d a n d m i ra c l es , 3 39 see a lso T e t ra g ra m
G ra n d G ri m o ir e , 1 47 A
Juli a n t h e p o st a t e , 7 , 2 2 , 3 0 , 47 , 1 0 1 ,
G ra n dier , U
rb a n , 2 3 , 8 5, 1 22 , 1 2 7 ,
1 45 Jupi t er (t h e pl a n e t ) 7 9 , 1 41 , 2 3 6 ,
A ,

G re a t rca n um , p a rt ly d ivi n ed by 2 3 7 , 2 49
(E dip us, 1 6 ; t h e sec re t o f dire c t
in g t h e st ra l A L
i g h t , 5 3 o n wh a t K a bb a la h , ymb o l s
s c o n ta n n g i i it s
it de p en ds, ib ; c h a ra c t e rist i c s o f,
. sec re t s , 5 re c o n c li a t o n o f rea so n i i
5 7 ; o cc ul t n a m e o f , 1 6 1 ; sym an d fi
a t h t h r o ugh t h e a a ah , K bb l
bo lic a l re pres e n t a t i o n o f, 1 6 2 ; t h e 6 ; Da n t e a n d t h e a a ah , 1 8 ; K bb l
a st ra l m o v e m e n t a n d t h e G re a t i bl
it s a dm r a e d o c t ri n e , 1 9 ele
A rc a n um , 1 6 7 ; fi
rst p ri n c ipl e s o f , men ts o f , 2 0 ; t e ra t ure o f , ih ; li .

2 00 re v e l a t i o n o f , 2 6 6 ro y a l t y o f E n o ch , a th er o f t h e a f K bb l
a a h , 43
it s p o sse sso r , 3 3 5 ; t h e G rea t Ar f l p i ipl
c a n um a n d t h e a n ua l M
o f P a ra
” un d a m e n t a
o f, 5 0 ;
r nc e o f , 49
l
so e do gm a o f , 5 2 , 1 3 7 ;
k ey

c e ls us , 3 3 6 se e a lso 2 3 1 k bb li
a i l
a st c e e m e n ts , 5 7 , 5 8 ; t h e

G re a t M
a gi c A
ge n t , see s t r a l igh t A L k bb li
a a st c i p
en t a gra m , 65 ka b
Gre a t Wo rk , see M a gn um O pus ba l ist ic e qu l r um , 7 4 ; a i ib i k bb li i
a st c
an e o o
g l l
g , 7 6 th e y a K bb l
a ah an d

t h e r me a pi o o , 89 v lb k a k bb li i
a st c
k li i
gro un dw o r o f re g o n a n d sc en c e , i
2 9 4, 3 3 9 90 ; a a st ck bb li i
S e h iro t h , 9 1
4, 2 8 , 3 0 , 3 4, 42 , 4s, 5 3 , h e Ta ro t a n d Ka b a a h , 9 3 -9 7 l
k bb li i p l y
’

89 , 1 0 6 , 1 0 7 , 1 5 2, 1 9 7 , 2 6 3 , a a st c n e um a t o o 1 24
g ,
bb li i
ka a st c s h o sm , 1 3 9 ; t h e li
Axi m th e l do c t rin e of Ka a a h a n t h e l a w o f n a t ure ,
bb l
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1 56 th e a K bb l
a a h a n d t h e ke
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a a a h , 1 77 m a gn e t sm a n d t h e i
th e re K bb l
a a ah , 201 a k bb li i
a st c sc a e p
a lity of e vo ca t io n s , 2 07 ; co use g o a t , 2 09 t h e ra ct ca p i l K bb l
a a ah,

quen c e s o f, 3 84 ; see a lso 5 3, 1 06 , 211 the a K bb l

a a h a n d t h e a oc a p
2 0 4, 2 5 9 l yp se , 2 5 9 t h e sa cre d o o o f t h e b k
i
H ra m , 1 8 8 K bb l
a a a h , 26 6 f b
t h e o ur ea st s o f ,
H od , 9 5 268
Ho ly S pi i
r t , 42 , 4 6 , 8 1 E st h er, 49 , 5 9 , 6 7 , 9 0 , 9 5
H o me r , 1 5, 1 6 Kh un ra t h , H e n r , 9 8, 1 07 , 2 47 , 2 6 6 , y
yl
H e, 5 0, 2 2 9 269
Ki rc h e r, a t h e r, 2 F
I m a g in a t i o n 3 5, 6 0 , 1 2 4, 2 2 3 , 3 49
L b m 261
,

3 50 a a ru
i A bb é 2 7
,

Imm o rt a li ty 5 6 L m
a e n n a s,
I n co mmun i c a bl e A x io m L v t 237
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53 a a er,
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t M gi l A g t
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J esc d , 9 5 1 77 ; t h ti e os c uc er ,
J e t t a t ura , 1 49 S ign a ture 0 1 89 ; rest itut i o n o f,
J e t zira h , 5 0 , 2 5 9 , 3 7 2 228
J o d, 3 8, 40 , 5 1 , 9 4, 9 6 Luc ifuge , 71
 I ND EX

L ully Ra ymo n d, 1 0 , 8 8, 9 8 , 1 0 6 9 Min erva M un di 1 0 7

M ira c les
, ,

1 9 4 , 2 6 5 , 2 6 6 , 2 6 9 , 33 6 , 3 7 0
Ly c a n t h ro py, 1 2 0 Mir vill e C o mt e de
,

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M o o n 7 6 1 41 2 36 2 3 7 249
, , , , , , , ,

M a cro ro so pus 5 7 , , , , , , , 319

"

Ma gi ,
re e 5 2 2 7 , , cl seq .

Ma ic it s e a rly h isto 3 4 sc ien ce Mo pse s 2 9 5 2 9 6

tg 5 ; t 6 C h urc h a n d M o se
, , , ,

8 b a s is o f 1 0 1 4 1 8 21 27 68
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m a gi c 7 p o w e r a n d re a li t y o f 1 1
, ,

a lo n e impa rt s t rue sc ie n c e 2 8 ; Myst eries 80 1 0 9 1 2 3 , , , ,

d ivi n e a n d in fe rn a l ma gic 29 ; ,
d i ff ers fro m myst i c ism 8 0 ; t h e N ec ro ma n c y 1 1 2 1 1 3 et seq
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sa c e rd o t a l a n d ro ya l a rt 8 7 o p e ra c l seq , .

t io n o f 1 9 5 c ere m o n ia l m a i c N e t sa h 9 0 9 1 9 8
g
se e a lso Bl a c k M a i c
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M a gn e t i sm 6 3 6 4 6 9 7 0 2 0 1 2 32
, , , , , , ,

2 8 5, 3 44 , 3 86 P a c t s, 3 0 2
Ma gn um 0 us , t h e d o c t ri n e un der Pa n do ra , 1 7
1 g a l c e m ica l sym b o ls, 3 ; a l Pa n t a c l e s, 2 3 9 , 2 5 6
c e m ic a l e l e m e n t s, 5 7 ; de n i t io n fi Pa ra c e l sus, a c c use d o f i n sa n i t y , 23 ;
o f t h e g rea t w o rk , 1 0 6 ; p ro ph e t s sub m i t t e d t o t h e r e ligi o n o f h is
o f a l c h e m y , 1 0 7 ; n ec essa ry in st ru i
t m e , 47 in m a c , in n o va t o r '

an

me n t s, 1 0 8 ; a l ch e mi ca l sun a n d 6 6 ; t a sm a n s li
o f, 7 9 ; h is 08
mo o n , 1 5 4 a l ch emica l n a me o f t h e o hy o f n t ui t o n , 82 ; t h e i a bo urs i
A
Gre a t rc a n um , 1 6 2 ; po ve r ty t h e p v
l i c h o erca m e h im , 8 8 ; h is s e x

pr o t e c t i o n o f t h e um O pus, M p
sus ec te d , 98 h is d o c t r n e o f i
1 9 2 ; se c re t s o f, 2 6 4 ; t e a gn um M h a n t o m s, 1 2 2 , h is m a r e s o f vl
O pus a m a gi ca l o pe ra t i o n , 2 6 8 p ea n g,li 1 3 3 ; h is d sc o e r of i v y
m a n dra g o re o f t h e a l c h e mi st s , 3 1 2 i
ma gn e t sm , i b ; a st o f t h e g rea t l
fi
.

d e n i t i o n o f t h e st o n e , 3 3 5 ; a l p ra c t c a i l
a st ro o ge rs , 1 3 9 ; h is d o c l
c h e m i c a l g o l d, 3 3 7 i
t r n e o f s gn a t ur es, 1 40 ; h is str fe i i
Ma l c h ut h , 4 9 , 5 0 , 9 0 , 9 1 , 9 5 , 3 9 9 i
w t h n a t ur e , 2 0 3 ; his ro scr t o n p ip i
M a n H i er o glyph , 5 7 , 3 3 5 o f c e re m o n a m a g c , 2 5 0 ; h is 8 i l i
M a n dra g o re , 3 1 2 p a t h et c m e d c n e , i 31 1 , h is oc ii
M an e s, 3 i
t r n e o f t h e n t er o r ma 33 5 ; i i
M a n ic h aea n ism 2 9 1 , h is a pp
e a ra n c e in d r ea m t o lip h a s
Ma rs (pl a n e t ) 7 6 1 41 2 3 6 2 3 7 , 2 49 Lévi, 3 7 2 see a lso
M a ry t h e Egyp t i a n 1 0 7
, , , ,

Me di c in e o c c ult 3 3 9 cl seq Pe n t a gra m , 6 0 , 6 5 , 6 7 , 1 0 8, 1 88, 2 02 ,

M
.
, ,

e n des, 32, 227 2 1 0 , 2 2 4 et seq 2 41 .

M erca va h , 9 6 Pe n t a t e uc h , 1 9
y
M erc ur , t h e e e me n t , 5 7 , 2 6 5 , 2 6 6 l Pe t e r o f o n o , 2 84 A
33 5 ; t h e pl
a n et , 7 6 , 7 8 , 2 3 6 , 2 3 7 , ll
Ph a us, 3 3 8, 9 4
2 49 il p
Ph o so hi ca to n e, 1 2 lS see Ma gn um
M esm e r , 1 3 , 9 9 O pus
M py
e t e m s ch o s s, 2 8 3 i Ph il t res 326 c l seq
M
.
,

Mi l
ch a e , 40 , 7 6 , 81 , 2 3 6 , 3 1 6 , 3 5 3 Pio us d e ira n do la , 2 0, 30 1
Mi c ro c o s m , 3 6 , 6 7 , 6 8 , 2 0 2 P is t o ri us, 2 0
i p p
M cro ro so us, 3 0 , 5 7 , 2 2 5 Pla t o , 7 , 1 4, 1 8 4, 2 8 8
 I ND EX

Trip h o n ius, 9 Visio n s 6 2 6 4 1 1 3 1 53

, , , ,

Trit h e mius , 7 6 , 1 42 , 2 0 6 , 2 3 4, 3 52 , Vo ln e y 22 1 6 7 2 5 8 3 7 9
, , , ,

354 V o lta ire 1 9 2 7 1 02 1 5 5

, , , , , 2 5 7 , 2 59 ,
Tsch o udy , B a ro n , 336 261
Tyc h o B ra h e ,
66, 1 5 2 , 2 3 5, 2 5 6 Vulga t e , 49

U n c rea t e d ill 49
w Will 2 2 9 2 39, 2 6 0
U
, , ,

n iv e rsa l m e di c i n e , 1 2 , 1 58 W o rd 6 , , 1 9 , 3 5, 45 , 5 1 , 5 2 ,
1 02 , 1 76, 1 79, 2 1 2, 227
V a l en t in e B a sil 1 0 7 1 5 3 2 6 8 3 3 8
, , , , , Wro n ski , 50
Va mpires 1 1 8,

Ve n us (pl a n e t ) 7 6 7 8 1 41 2 3 6 2 49
, , , , , Za c h a riel , 7 6 , 3 53
V erbum I n e n a rra bile 7 7 Z a dki e l , 2 3 6
Villa rs A bb é de 1 45
,

, , Z o h a r , 2 0 , 4 8 , 1 4 1 , 2 1 4, 2 2 5 , 2 4 2
Virgin Ma ry 1 41 2 42 , , Z o ro a st er, 3 , 1 4, 41 , 2 5 8 , 2 9 1
 9 H a rt S t re e t ,
B l o o m s bury S q ua re , Lo n d o n .

M r G E O R GE R E D W A Y
has r e c en t ly p ubl i s h e d
Al ch e my .
—Th e T urba Ph il o so p h o rum ; o r, A sse mbl y of t he
Sa ge s . C
a lle d a l so t h e B o o k o f Trut h in t h e Ar t a n d t h e T h i rd
Py t h a g o r i c a l S yn o d An A n c ie n t l c h e mi ca l Tre a t i se t ra n sl a t e d
. A
f ro m t h e L
a t in , t h e C
h i e f R e a d in g s o f t h e S h o rt e r o d e , P a r a ll e l s C x
A
fro m t h e G re e k lc h e m i st s, a n d E pla n a t io n s o f O b sc ure T e r ms x .

By A RT R D R D
HU E WA W AIT
E , t ra n sla t o r o f Th e H e rm e t ic a n d
A lc h e mi c a l Wri t in g s o f Pa ra c e lsus r o w n 8 vo , c lo t h , 6 8 n e t .
”C . .

Th e Tran s en d e nt a l Univ erse

c S ix L ec tur es o n O c c ult S c ienc e
.
,

Th e o so p h y , a nd the C a t h o lic Fa it h By C G H ARRIS O N C ro wn . . . .

8vo , l
c o th, 2s 6d. . n et .

Wit ch W arl o c k a n d M a gic ia n Hi st ori c al Sket ches o f Magic

, , .

a n d W i t c h c ra ft in E n gla n d a n d S c o t l a n d B y W H D AV E NP O RT . . .

AD AM S Pp 434 8v o c lo t h 7 s 6 d n e t
. . .
, , . . .

On R o ge r B a c o n D r J o h n D e e W illi a m L illy a n d t h e E n g lish

, , ,

R o si c ruc i a n s & c & c , .

, .

Th e Taro t o f O swal d W irt h Le s 2 2 Ar c anes da tar ot .

Ka bb a list ique des sin és a l usa ge de s in i t iés sur l e s in dic a t io n s de ’

S t a n i sla s d e G uai t a p a r OS W AL D W I RTH C a rds in c a se 1 5 s n e t .

, . .

Th e B a b y l o n ia n Talmud New E ditio n Tran slat ed int o E n g

. .

li sh by M I C H AEL L R OD KI N S ON a n d D R I S AA C M W I S E P re side n t
. .
,

H e b r e w U n i o n C o lle g e C in c inn a t i V o l I Th e T r a c t S a bb a t h
,
. . . .

La rg e 8 y o c lo t h 1 2 s 6 d n e t
, , . . .

Th e C l o u d up o n t h e S a n c t ua ry By t h e C o un cillo r von .

E C KA RTS H AU S E N Tra n sl a t i o n a n d N o t e s by IS AB E L D E S TE IGE R

. .

P re fa c e by J W B R O D I E I NN ES
. . C ro wn 8vo c lo t h 3 s 6 d n e t -
.
, , . . .

Th e Gre at S e c re t a n d it s Unf o ldme n t in O c c ul t ism A Rec ord .

o f Fo r t y Y e a r s E x p e ri e n ce in t h e M o d e rn My st e r y
’
By A C H URCH .

O F E NG LA N D C L E RGYM A N C ro w n 8vo c lo t h 5 8 n e t .
, , . .

A nna Kin g sf o rd : H e r L if e L e t t e rs Diary a n d W o rk ,

By , ,
.

h e r C o lla b o ra t o r E D W AR D M A IT LA ND , Illust ra t e d w it h P o rt ra it s . ,

Vie w s a n d Fa c simile s Se c o n d E dit io n Tw o v o ls de m y 8v o

, . . .
,

c lo t h £ 1 1 1 8 6 d n e t
, , . . .
M ira c l e s a nd M o de rn S p irit ua lism . Th ee E ay
r ss s . By ALF R ED
R U SS E L WA LLACE LL , FR S. DN e w a n d Re vi se d
.
, . . .

E d it i o n , w i t h Ch pt a e rs on Ph a n t a sms a n d App a ri t io n s ro w n . C
8vo , c o th, l 58 . net .

An ima l M g a n et ism o r M esme rism , and it s Ph e n o me n a . By t h e

l a t e W I LLI A M G RE GO RY M D Pro fesso r o f C h e m ist ry in t h e Un i , . .
,

v e rsit y o f E din burgh Fo urt h E dit io n W it h I n t ro d uc t io n by . .

M A O x o n D e m y 8 v o c lo t h 6 8 n e t
. . .
, , . .

P sy c hic Phil o so p h y as t h e Fo un da t io n of a Religio n of ra l

Na t u
La w .C D By V . . E S E R TIS . W it h I n t ro du c t i o n by
an A LFRED
R U E L W ALLA C E D C L
SS , . . LL D . .
, FR S . r o wn 8 r o ,
. . C l
c oth ,

58 . n et .

Th e Gn o st ic s and t h ei r Re ma in s, An c ien t a nd M e diaeva l . By

C . W . KING
I llust r a t e d w i t h P la t e s a n d
. W o o d c ut s Seco n d
.

E n la rg e d E d i t i o n R o y a l 8 vo , c lo t h , 1 0 8 6 d . . . n et . (fo rme rly p ub

l ish e d a t

Th e M a gica l Ri tua l o f the S an

m Re gn um int e rp r e t e d by t h e ct u

Ta ro t T rump s . Tr a n sla t e d fro m t h e M SS o f Elip h a z L evi a n d .

,

e d it e dby W . W YNN W E S TC O TT W i t h E igh t C o l o u re d P la t e s . .

C ro w n 8vc c lo t h , , 7s 6 d . . n et.

r r
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T ra n sl a t e d in t o E n gli sh w it h I n t ro d uc t io n by A lic e Zimm e rn , ,

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, . ,

C B LL D
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3s 6d . . n et .

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W M H E CKE TH O R N
. . N e w E d i t i o n , t h o ro ugh ly R e v ise d a n d gr e a t ly

E n la r g e d . Tw o vo ls . d e m y 8 vo , c lo t h , 3 08 n e t !I n t he p r ess . . .

Th e Ta r ot of t h e B o h e mi an s . The m o st an ient book in the

c

W o r ld . Fo r t h e e x l iv
c us e u se o f I n i t i a t e s B y P AP US . . T ra n sl a t e d
by A . P . M o rt o n . W it h n um e ro us I llust ra t io n s . C ro w n 8v o ,
c lo t h , 58 . net .

Th e a b so lut e Ke y to o c c ul t sc e n c e . i
D evil W o rship in F ra n ce ; o r, Th e Q ue st io n of L u cif r e . A
Re c o r d of T h in gs Se e n a n d H e a rd in t h e S e c re t S o c i e t i e s, a c co rd
in g t o t h e E vi de n c e o f I n i t i a t e s . By A H U E W A RT R D R D W AITE .

C 8v o , 5 8
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— —S t i m i h Ni
.

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C o NTE NTs : Pre fa c e th C

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t n e te e n en t ury Th e a sk of
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D D U
.

Th e e vil a n d t h e o ct o r H w L t a na er is n m a sk e Th e etta
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l —
o f S ign o r Ma r g io l t a o f D r B a ta i e n ve i
Rd Md D
e a e re e a so n r e a ss n ana e
Th e a ix o f o e rn ia bo ism M a so nry an d My stic ism .

A n y of t he a bove men t io ne d bo o ks w hi c h y o ur l o ca l bo o ksell er ma y n o t

ha ve in sto c k will be d isp a t c he d by t he p ubl ishe r t o a n y a dd r ess
in t he wo r ld on r eceip t Qf the p r ic e .