Dogma and Ritual of High Magic Part II - Eliphas Levi 1896

The Septenary of Talismans

Ceremonies, vestments, perfumes, characters and figures being, as we have stated, necessary to apply imagination to the education of the will, the success of magical works depends upon the faithful observation of all the Rites, which are in no sense fantastic or arbitrary. They have been transmitted to us by antiquity and obtain permanently by the essential laws of analogical realization and of the correspondence which interbinds ideas and forms. Having spent many years in consulting and comparing all the most authentic Grimoires and magical Rituals, we have succeeded, not without labour, in reconstituting the Ceremonial of universal and primeval Magic. The only serious books which we have seen upon this subject are in manuscript, written in conventional characters which we have deciphered by the help of the Polygraphy of Trithemius. The importance of others consists wholly in the hieroglyphs and symbols which adorn them, the truth of the images being disguised under the superstitious fictions of a mystifying text. Such, for example, is the Enchiridion of Pope Leo III, which has never been printed with its true figures, and we have reconstructed it for our own use after an ancient manuscript. The Rituals known under the name of Clavicles Of Solomon are very numerous. Many have been printed, while others remain in manuscripts, transcribed with great care. An exceedingly fine and elegantly written example is preserved in the Imperial Library; it is enriched with Pantacles and characters, most of which have been reproduced in the Magical Calendars of Tycho Brahe and Duchentau. Lastly, there are printed Clavicles and Grimoires which are catchpenny mystifications and impostures of dishonest publishers. The book so notorious and decried formerly under the name of Little Albert belongs mainly to the latter category: some talismanic figures, and some calculations borrowed from Paracelsus, are its only serious parts.

In any matter of Realization and Ritual, Paracelsus is an imposing magical authority. No one has accomplished works greater than his, and for that very reason he conceals the virtue of ceremonies and merely teaches in his occult philosophy the existence of that magnetic agent which is omnipotence of will; he sums also the whole science of characters in two signs, the macrocosmic and microcos-mic stars. It was sufficient for the adepts, and it was important not to initiate the vulgar. Paracelsus therefore did not teach the Ritual, but he practised, and his practice was a sequence of miracles.

We have spoken of the magical importance of the triad and tetrad. Their combination constitutes the great religious and kabalistic number which represents the universal synthesis and comprises the sacred septenary. In the belief of the ancients, the world is governed by seven secondary causes - secundii, as Trithemius calls them - which are the universal forces designated by Moses under the plural name of Eloim, gods. These forces, analogous and contrary to one another, produce equilibrium by their contrasts and rule the movement of the spheres. The Hebrews termed them the seven great archangels, giving them the names of Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Anael, Samael, Zadkiel and Oriphiel. The Christian Gnostics named the four last Uriel, Barachiel, Sealtiel and Jehudiel. Other nations attributed to these spirits the government of the seven chief planets, and assigned to them the names of their chief divinities. All believed in their relative influence; astronomy divided the antique heaven between them and allotted the seven days of the week to their successive rule. Such is the reason of the various Ceremonies of the magical week and the septenary cultus of the planets. We have observed previously that in this sense the planets are only signs; they have the influence which universal faith attributes because they are more truly the stars of the human mind than the orbs of heaven. The sun, which Antique Magic always regarded as fixed, could be only a planet for the vulgar; hence it represents that day of rest in the week which we term Sunday without knowing why, the day of the sun among the ancients.

The seven magical planets correspond to the seven colours of the spectrum and the seven notes of the musical octave; they represent also the seven virtues and by contrast the seven vices of Christian ethics. The seven sacraments correspond equally to this great universal septenary. Baptism, which consecrates the element of water, is in analogy with the Moon; ascetic Penance is under the auspices of Samael, the angel of Mars; Confirmation, which imparts the spirit of understanding and communicates to the true believer the gift of tongues, is under the auspices of Raphael, the angel of Mercury; the Eucharist substitutes sacramental realization of God made man for the empire of Jupiter; Marriage is consecrated by the angel Anael, the purifying genius of Venus; Extreme Unction is the safe-guard of the sick about to fall under the scythe of Saturn; and Orders, consecrating the priesthood of light, is marked more especially by the characters of the Sun. Almost all these analogies were observed by the learned Dupuis, who thence concluded that all religions were false, instead of recognizing the sanctity and perpetuity of a single dogma, ever reproduced in the universal symbolism of successive religious forms. He failed to understand the permanent revelation transmitted to human genius by the harmonies of Nature, and beheld only a catalogue of errors in this chain of speaking images and eternal truths.

Magical works are also seven in number: (i) works of light and riches, under the auspices of the Sun; (2) works of divination and mystery, under the invocation of the Moon; (3) works of skill, science and eloquence, under the protection of Mercury; (4) works of wrath and chastisement, consecrated to Mars; (5) works of love, favoured by Venus; (6) works of ambition and intrigue, under the influence of Jupiter; (7) works of malediction and death, under the patronage of Saturn. In theological symbolism, the Sun represents the Word of Truth; the Moon, religion itself; Mercury, the interpretation and science of mysteries; Mars, justice; Venus, mercy and love; Jupiter, the risen and glorious Saviour; Saturn, God the Father, or the Jehovah of Moses. In the human body, the Sun is analogous to the heart, the Moon to the brain, Jupiter to the right hand, Saturn to the left, Mars to the left foot, Venus to the right, Mercury to the generative organs, whence an androgyne figure is sometimes attributed to this planet. In the human face, the Sun governs the forehead, Jupiter the right and Saturn the left eye; the Moon rules between both at the root of the nose, the two alae of which are governed by Mars and Venus; finally, the influence of Mercury is exercised over mouth and chin. Among the ancients these notions constituted the occult science of physiognomy, afterwards recovered imperfectly by Lavater.

The Magus who intends undertaking the works of light must operate on a Sunday, from midnight to eight in the morning, or from three in the afternoon to ten in the evening. He should wear a purple vestment, with tiara and bracelets of gold. The altar of perfumes and the tripod of sacred fire must be encircled by wreaths of laurel, heliotrope and sunflowers; the perfumes are cinnamon, strong incense, saffron and red sandal; the ring must be of gold, with a chrysolith or ruby; the carpet must be of lion-skins, the fans of sparrow-hawk feathers. On Monday the robe is white, embroidered with silver, and having a triple collar of pearls, crystals and selenite; the tiara must be covered with yellow silk, emblazoned with silver characters forming the Hebrew monogram of Gabriel, as given in the Occult Philosophy of Agrippa; the perfumes are white sandal, camphor, amber, aloes and pulverized seed of cucumber; the wreaths are mugwort, moon-wort and yellow ranun-culuses. Tapestries, garments and objects of a black colour must be avoided; and no metal except silver should be worn on the person. On Tuesday, a day for the operations of vengeance, the colour of the vestment should be that of flame, rust or blood, with belt and bracelets of steel. The tiara must be bound with gold; the wand must not be used, but only the magical dagger and sword; the wreaths must be of absinthe and rue, the ring of steel, with an amethyst for precious stone. On Wednesday, a day favourable for transcendent science, the vestment should be green, or shot with various colours; the necklace of pearls in hollow glass beads containing mercury; the perfumes benzoin, mace and storax; the flowers, narcissus, lily, herb-mercury, fumitory, and marjoram; the jewel should be the agate. On Thursday, a day of great religious and political operations, the vestment should be scarlet and on the forehead should be worn a brass tablet, with the character of the spirit of Jupiter and the three words: GIA-RAR, BETHOR, SAMGABIEL; the perfumes are incense, ambergris, balm, grain of paradise, macis and saffron; the ring must be enriched with an emerald or sapphire; the wreaths and crowns should be oak, poplar, g and pomegranate leaves. On Friday, the day for amorous operations, the vestment should be of sky-blue, the hangings of green and rose, the ornaments of polished copper, the crowns of violets, the wreaths of roses, myrtle 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 swan's feathers; and the operator must wear upon his breast a copper talisman with the character of Anael and the words: AVEEVA VADELILITH. On Saturday, a day of funereal operations, the vestment must be black or brown, with characters embroidered in orange or black silk; round the neck must be worn a lamina of lead, with the character of Saturn and the words: ALMALEC, Aphiel, ZARAHIEL; the perfumes should be diagridrium, scammony, alum, sulphur and assafoetida; the ring should be adorned with an onyx; the garlands should be of ash, cypress and hellebore; on the onyx of the ring, during the hours of Saturn, the double head of Janus should be engraved with the consecrated awl.

Such are the antique magnificences of the Secret Cultus of the Magi. With similar appointments the great magicians of the Middle Ages proceeded to the daily consecration of talismans corresponding to the Seven Genii. We have defined a Pantacle as a synthetic character resuming the entire magical 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 ceremonial consecration of this sign attaches to it still more strongly the intention of the operator and establishes a veritable magnetic chain between himself and the Pantacle. Pantacles may be drawn upon virgin parchment, paper or metals. What is termed a talisman is a sheet of metal, bearing either Pantacles or characters and having received a special consecration for a defined intention. In a learned work on magical antiquities, Gaffarel has demonstrated scientifically the real power of talismans, and the confidence in their virtue is otherwise so strong in Nature that we carry keepsakes of those we love, persuaded that they will preserve us from danger and increase our happiness. Talismans are made of the seven kabalistic metals, and, when the days and hours are favourable, the required and determined signs are engraved thereon. The figures of the seven planets, with their magical squares according to Paracelsus, are found in the Little Albert: they are one of the very few serious items in this collection of vulgar Magic. It should be observed that Paracelsus replaces the figure of Jupiter by that of a priest, a substitution not wanting in a well-defined mysterious intention. But the allegorical and mythological figures of the Seven Spirits have become too classical and too familiar for their successful use on talismans: we must recur to more recondite and pregnant signs. The Pentagram should be engraved invariably upon one side of the talisman, with a circle for the Sun, a crescent for the Moon, for Mars a sword, a G for Venus, for Jupiter a crown and a scythe for Saturn. The reverse must bear the Sign of Solomon, that is, the six-pointed star composed of two superposed triangles; in the centre there is placed a human figure for the talismans of the Sun, a chalice for those of the Moon, a dog's head for those of Mercury, an eagle's for those of Jupiter, a lion's head for those of Mars, a dove's for those of Venus, and a bull's or goat's for those of Saturn. The names of the seven angels must be added in Hebrew, in Arabic or in magical characters like those of the alphabet of Trithemius. The two triangles of Solomon may be replaced by the double cross of the Wheels of Ezekiel, which is found on a great number of ancient Pantacles and is, as we have observed in our “Doctrine” the key to the trigrams of Fohi.

Precious stones may be also employed for amulets and talismans; but all objects of this nature, whether metals or gems, must be kept carefully in silken bags of a colour analogous to that of the spirit of the planet, perfumed with the perfumes of the corresponding day, and preserved from all impure glances and contacts. Thus, Pantacles and talismans of the Sun must not be seen or touched by deformed or misshapen persons, or by immoral women; those of the Moon are profaned by the looks and hands of debauched men and menstruating females; those of Mercury lose their virtue if seen or touched by salaried priests; those of Mars must be concealed from cowards; those of Venus from depraved men and men under a vow of celibacy; those of Jupiter from the impious; those of Saturn from virgins and children, not that their looks or touches can ever be impure, but because the talisman would bring them misfortune and thus lose all its virtue.

Crosses of honour and other kindred decorations are veritable talismans which increase personal value and merit; they are consecrated by solemn investiture, and public opinion can impart to them a prodigious power. Sufficient attention has not been paid to the reciprocal influence of signs on ideas and of ideas on signs; it is not less true that the revolutionary work of modern times, for example, has been resumed symbolically in its entirety by the Napoleonic substitution of the Star of Honour for the Cross of St. Louis. It is the Pentagram in place of the Labarum; it is the reconstitution of the symbol of light; it is the Masonic resurrection of Adonhiram. They say that Napoleon believed in his star, and could he have been persuaded to explain what he meant thereby, it would have proved to be his genius; he was right therefore in adopting the Pentagram as his sign, because it is the symbol of human sovereignty acquired by intelligent initiative. The mighty soldier of the Revolution knew little, but he divined almost everything; so was he the greatest instinctive and practical magician of modern times; the world is still full of his miracles, and the country people will never believe that he is dead.

Blessed and indulgenced objects, touched by holy images or venerable persons; chaplets from Palestine; the Agnus Dei, composed of the wax of the Paschal candle and the annual remnants of holy chrism; scapulas and medals, are all true talismans. One such medal has become popular in our own day, and even those who are devoid of religion suspend it from the necks of their children. Moreover, its figures are so perfectly kabalistic that it is truly a marvellous double Pantacle. On the one side is the great initiatrix, the heavenly mother of the Zohar, the Isis of Egypt, the Venus-Urania of the Platonists, the Mary of Christianity, throned upon the world and setting one foot upon the head of the magical serpent. She extends her two hands in such a manner as to form a triangle, of which her head is the apex; her hands are open and radiant, thus making a double triangle, with all its rays directed towards the earth, evidently representing the emancipation of intelligence by labour. On the other side is the double TAU of the hierophants, the Lin-gam with the double Cteis or triple Phallus, supported, with interlacement and repeated insertion, by the kabalistic and masonic M, representing the square between the two Pillars JAKIN and BOAZ. Below are placed, upon the same level, two loving and suffering hearts, encircled by twelve Pentagrams. Everyone will tell you that the wearers of this medal do not attach such significance to it, but on this account it is only more absolutely magical, having a dual sense and consequently a double virtue. The ecstatic on the authority of whose revelations this talisman was engraved, had already beheld it existing perfectly in the Astral Light, which demonstrates once more the intimate connexion of ideas and signs, giving a new sanction to the symbolism of Universal Magic.

The greater the importance and solemnity brought to bear on the execution and consecration of talismans and Pantacles, the more virtue they acquire, as will be under stood upon the evidence of the principles which we have established. Such consecration should take place on the days that we have indicated, with the apparatus which we have given in detail. Talismans are consecrated by the four exorcised elements, after conjuring the spirits of darkness by the CONJURATION Of THE Four. Then, taking up the Pantacle and sprinkling it with some drops of magical water, say:

Presenting it to the smoke of the perfumes:

Breathing seven times upon the Pantacle or talisman:

Lastly, placing some particles of purified earth or salt triadwise upon it:

Then recite the Conjuration of the Seven as follows, casting alternately a pastille of the seven perfumes into the sacred fire:

The most important magical instruments are the wand, the sword, the lamp, the chalice, the altar and the tripod. In the operations of Transcendental and Divine Magic, the lamp, wand and chalice are used; in the works of Black Magic, the wand is replaced by the sword and the lamp by the candle of Cardan. We shall explain this difference in the chapter devoted to Black Magic. Let us come now to the description and consecration of the instruments. The magical wand, which must not be confounded with the simple divining rod, with the fork of necromancers, or the trident of Paracelsus, the true and absolute magical wand must be one perfectly straight branch of almond or hazel, cut at a single blow with the magical pruning-knife or golden sickle, before the rising of the sun, at that moment when the tree is ready to blossom. It must be pierced through its whole length without splitting or breaking it, and a long needle of magnetized iron must occupy its entire length. To one of the extremities must be fitted a polyhedral prism, cut in a triangular shape, and to the other a similar figure of black resin. Two rings, one of copper and one of zinc, must be placed at the centre of the wand; which afterwards must be gilt at the resin and silvered at the prism end as far as the ringed centre; it must then be covered with silk, the extremities not included. On the copper ring these characters must be engraved: and on the zinc ring:

The consecration of the wand must last seven days, beginning at the new moon, and should be made by an initiate possessing the great arcana, and having him self a consecrated wand. This is the transmission of the magical secret, which has never ceased since the shrouded origin of the transcendent science. The wand and the other instruments, but the wand above all, must be concealed with care, and under no pretext should the Magus permit them to be seen or touched by the profane: otherwise they will lose all their virtue. The mode of transmitting the wand is one of the arcana of science, the revelation of which is never permitted. The length of the magical wand must not exceed that of the operator's arm; the magician must never use it unless he is alone, and even then should not touch it without necessity. Many ancient Magi made it the length of the forearm and concealed it beneath their long mantles, showing only the simple divining rod in public, or some allegorical sceptre made of ivory or ebony, according to the nature of the operations. Cardinal Richelieu, always athirst for power, sought through his whole life the transmission of the wand, without being able to find it. His Kabalist Gaffarel could furnish him with sword and talismans alone. This was possibly the secret motive for the cardinal's hatred of Urban Grandier, who knew something of his weaknesses. The secret and prolonged conversations of Laubardement with the unhappy priest some hours before his final torture, and those words of a friend and confidant of the latter, as he went forth to death -“You are an able man, monsieur: do not destroy yourself” - afford us considerable food for thought.

The magical wand is the verendum of the Magus; it must not even be mentioned in any clear and precise manner; no one should boast of its possession, nor should its consecration ever be transmitted except under conditions of absolute discretion and confidence.

The sword is less occult and is made in the following manner: It must be of pure steel, with a cruciform copper hilt having three pommels, as represented in the Enchiridion of Leo III, or with the guard of a double crescent, as in our own figure. On the middle knot of the guard, which should be covered with a golden plate, the Sign of the Macrocosm must be inscribed on one side and that of the Microcosm on the other. The Hebrew monogram of Michael, as found in Agrippa, must be engraved on the pommel; on one side of the blade must be these characters: , and on the other the monogram of the Labarum of Constantine, followed by the words: Vince in hoc, Deo duce, comite jerro. For the authenticity and exactitude of these figures, see the best ancient editions of the Enchiridion. The consecration of the sword must take place on a Sunday, during the hours of the Sun, under the invocation of Michael. The blade of the sword must be placed in a fire of laurel and cypress; it must be dried and polished with ashes of the sacred fire, moistened with the blood of a mole or serpent, the following words being said:

It is then fumigated with the perfumes of the Sun and wrapped up in silk, together with branches of vervain, which should be burned on the seventh day.

The magical lamp must be composed of the four metals - gold, silver, brass and iron; the pedestal should be of iron, the mirror of brass, the reservoir of silver, the triangle at the apex of gold. It should be provided with two branches composed of a triple tube of three intertwisted metals, in such a manner that each arm has a triple conduit for the oil; there must be nine wicks in all, three at the top and three in each branch. The Seal of Hermes must be engraved on the pedestal, over which must be the two-headed androgyne of Khunrath. A serpent devouring its own tail must encircle the lower part. The Sign of Solomon must be inscribed on the reservoir. Two globes must be fitted to this lamp, one adorned with a transparency, representing the seven genii, while the other, of larger size and duplicated, should contain variously tinted waters in four compartments. The whole instrument should be placed in a wooden pillar, revolving on its own axis, and permitting a ray of light to escape, as required, and fall on the altar smoke at the moment of the invocations. This lamp is a great aid to the intuitive working of slow imaginations and for the immediate creation in the presence of magnetized persons of forms alarming in their actuality, which, being multiplied by the mirrors, will magnify suddenly, and transform the operator's cabinet into a vast hall filled with visible souls.

The intoxication of the perfumes and the exaltation of the invocations will change this fantasia into a real dream; persons known formerly will be recognized; phantoms will speak; and something extraordinary and unexpected will follow the closing of the light within the pillar and the increase of the fumigations.