Hermetic Virtues Magazine - Issue 14 - Hermetic Virtues

Autumnal Equinox 2010
Volume IV, Edition 2
In this Edition
Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting 2
the Spark Within
Chic Cicero
The Justice 16
Harry Wendrich
What Regardie didn't know 20

about the Golden Dawn
Nick Farrell
Golden Dawn Rituals and Com- 30

mentaries: A Review
Samuel Scarborough
An Exposition on The Infernal 34

Habitations: Part two
Rachel Walker
The Return of Psalmic Magick and 40

the Mixed Qabalah
Aaron Leitch
The Angelical Language: Vol. I & 54

Dear Readers, II: A Review
Samuel Scarborough
We are very happy that we continue year 4 with excellent articles generously provided Raising the Serpent in the West- 58
by the authors. Once again we were able to complete this issue ahead of schedule. We ern Mystery Tradition Part II
Harry Wendrich
are certain that you will enjoy reading this issue as much as you enjoyed reading our
previous issues. Sepher Samekh - Part II - 70
Banishing and Purification
In Light, Vic Sabljic
Your Hermetic Virtues Team
Reclaiming the Magical 84
Retirement
Lauren E. Gardner
Enochiana: From Dee to the 92

Golden Dawn Addendum
Aaron Leitch
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Hermetic Virtues
Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within
Copyright ©2009 by Chic Cicero
―The Shining Flame of

the Divine Fire, the Kether
of the Body, is the Real
Self of the Incarnation. Yet
but few of the sons of
men know it or feel its
presence. Still less do they
believe in or comprehend
those Higher Potencies,
Angelic, Archangelic or
Divine, of which the mani-
festation directly touching
Yechidah is the Higher
Genius…. This Yechidah is
the only part of the man
which can truly say,
EHEIEH, I am. … Behind
Yechidah are Angelic and
In the Golden
Archangelic Forces of which Yechidah is the manifestor. It is therefore
Dawn, the Human the Lower Genius or Viceroy of the Higher Genius which is beyond,
Aura is described as an Angel Mighty and Terrible. This Great Angel is the Higher Genius,
the Sphere of Sensa- beyond which are the Archangelic and Divine.‖
tion, an etheric
structure filled with
cosmic energies. These are the words that MacGregor Mathers used to de-
The Sphere of Sen- scribe Man, the Microcosm—in an important Second Order
sation is a miniature
version of the entire
paper. Humanity is depicted as a microcosm or ―lesser uni-
cosmos, including verse‖ in relation to the Macrocosm or ―greater universe‖ —
the Tree of Life the cosmic totality of all existence. In the Golden Dawn, the
extended into three-
Human Aura is described as the Sphere of Sensation, an
dimensions.
etheric structure filled with cosmic energies. The Sphere of
Sensation is a miniature version of the entire cosmos, includ-
ing the Tree of Life extended into three-dimensions. This aura
is often described more poetically as the Magical Mirror of
the Universe because it reflects all of man‘s perceptions,
thoughts, and feelings.
This idea predates the Golden Dawn: it can be found in the
Qabalistic concept of Adam Kadmon, the archetypal man; in
the Hermetic Axiom of ―As Above, so below,‖ and in the
words of the ancient Greeks: ―Man is the measure or all
things.‖1 According to the Qabalists, the letters of the Tetra-
grammaton, Yod Heh Vav Heh, written downwards, form the
body of a man, showing that man is smaller version of god.
Volume 4 , I s s u e 2 Page 3

(continued)
The Zohar tells us: ―As soon as man appeared all was achieved, both in the
upper and lower worlds, for all is contained in man.‖ In medieval times,
Albertus Magnus called man the imago dei, the ―image of God‖ as well as
the imago mundi, the ―image of the universe.‖ The early Christian scholar
Origen said: ―Know that you are another world in miniature, and that you
are the sun, the moon, and the stars, too. Renaissance scholar Pico della
Mirandola wrote ―God contains all things because he is their source, and
man contains all things because he is their center.‖2
The alchemist Paracelsus wrote: ―The Spiritus Vitae (Life Spirit) takes its
origin from the Spiritus Mundi (World Spirit), and being an emanation of
the later, it contains the elements of the cosmos, so the influence of the
stars may be seen in the body of man. It is a great thing to consider for
once, that out of nothing God made everything, and out of everything he
made man.
Man is an extract of the firmament, the quintessence of the cosmos, the

spark of the divine flame.‖
It is important to
17th-century writer Robert Fludd called man ―the Magical Mirror of the understand these
Universe‖ —the center and miracle of the world, a replica of the divine key- ideas because they
board. Of course in Fludd‘s day he was talking about the musical keyboard occur over and
over again in the
rather than a computer keyboard 3, but the symbolism remains the same. magical work of the
Golden Dawn. One
Author Benjamin Walker summarized the idea of the Magic Mirror of the of the primary goals
universe as follows: of the Golden
Dawn system is to
prepare Initiates for
―In his total make-up, man is a microcosm of the universe. He is a tran- union with the
script in miniscule of the grand script writ across the cosmos…. In the Higher Self.
mind of man lies the consciousness of the cosmos, in his soul the uni-
versal essence…. In man‘s body is contained every shape and every
geometrical form, every sign and symbol, with all their inner mean-
ings, potencies and significancies…. In him is the universe with all its
elements, all numbers, colors, rays; the disposition of the constella-
tions, the traits of the zodiac, the cosmos in all its dimensions and di-
rections, time with all its durations… In him are all changes of season,
temperatures, and times of coming and going, of existence and be-
coming, of being and not being. In him are reflected the solstices, the
equinoxes, and all the moving panorama of the universe. In him is the
eternal flux.‖ 4
It is important to understand these ideas because they occur over and

over again in the magical work of the Golden Dawn. One of the primary
goals of the Golden Dawn system is to prepare Initiates for union with the
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(continued)
Higher Self. And although this paper is called Prerequisite to Magic, estab-
lishing a relationship with the Higher Self is actually a constant quest. Eve-
ry curriculum of study that the magi-
cian undertakes is fundamental to
laying the proper groundwork for
this relationship—and every magical
practice that the magician performs
is fundamental to establishing and
expanding this relationship. Lighting
the Divine Spark within, is not a one-
time event. It is an on-going process.
The Self
In order to begin this process, it is
important to know what we are
dealing with. What exactly is the
Higher Self? When we speak of the ―Self‖ in magic, it is not the waking self,
or what most people think of as their own egos. In magic, the ―Self‖ is the
totality of the human being—it includes the body, mind, soul, and spirit all
There are a number
of confusing terms
in One. It is the entire human organism on all levels.
used for the Higher There are a number of confusing terms used for the Higher Self, and in or-
Self, and in order to
understand them,
der to understand them, we need to establish what they mean in the
we need to estab- Golden Dawn tradition. These terms are: Higher Genius, Higher Self, and
lish what they Lower Self.
mean in the Golden
Dawn tradition. The Bodies
These terms are:
Higher Genius, Before we describe these parts of the Self, it may be helpful to examine
Higher Self, and some other confusing terms that occultists throw around. These are the
Lower Self. levels of the human microcosm that are referred to as the ―Bodies‖ in the
Golden Dawn tradition.5 They are often called the ―Subtle Bodies.‖ This lan-
guage comes from Theosophy, and the Golden Dawn borrowed some of
this terminology, but it did not rely upon it in the same way that Theoso-
phy did.
The five ―bodies‖ of the Microcosm, from the lowest and densest to the
highest, include:
1) The Physical Body, which is the biological or material body of a human.

In Qabalistic terms, it is the Guph.
2) The Etheric Body, which is composed of ―ether‖ or ―Life-Force‖ energy,

and is usually divided into two parts: the Etheric Double and the Aura. The
Etheric Double looks like the Physical Body, and extends about an inch out
from the Physical Body. It is composed of subtle energies that maintain the

(continued)
Biological body. It acts as a kind of energy sheath which forms the matrix
for physical body. The Aura or Sphere of Sensation is an egg-shaped
sphere of energy that surrounds the Etheric Double and expands out a
few feet from the Physical Body. As a whole, the Etheric Body is called the
Nephesh, or ―Animal Soul‖ by Western magicians.
3) The Astral Body, which is the actual human consciousness created from
thoughts and feelings—and which can be detached from the Physical and
Etheric bodies under the right conditions. It is sometimes called the ―Body
of Light.‖ The Astral Body takes on more of the idea of ―mind‖ than ―body.‖
It is a field of energy residing in the same space as the Aura, however, the
Astral Body is constantly shaped, reshaped by thoughts and emotions. All
words, images, and sensations influence the Astral Body and are influ-
enced by it. It interacts freely on the Astral Plane of Existence, and it can
interact with the Astral Bodies of other humans and other entities.
The Astral Body includes the so-called ―waking consciousness‖ —the con-
scious mental functions such as reason, emotion, imagination, memory Each Body controls
and will. It contains the ego as well as the human personality. In Qabalistic the Body directly
terms, the Astral Body is the Ruach. below it— the Spir-
itual Body controls
the Mental Body,
4) The Mental Body, which is Abstract Consciousness or Pure Awareness which in turn gov-
which cannot be localized or visualized as occupying space in relation to erns the Astral
the physical body. The Mental Body is a basic blueprint of the Self, beyond Body, and so on.
The five ―Bodies‖
all forms and images, which opens on the realms of experience beyond constitute the
time and space. Qabalists refer to it as the Neshamah. knowledge of the
―Self‖ in the Eastern
language of Theos-
5) Finally, there is the Spiritual Body, the core of consciousness and the
ophy.
deepest, most essential part of the Self. This is the Divine Spark or seed at
the center of all the other layers of the Self. It represents the point of inter-
action between Man, the Microcosm, and God—the Macrocosmic Unity of
Being. In Qabalistic terms, it is the Yechidah.
Each Body controls the Body directly below it— the Spiritual Body controls
the Mental Body, which in turn governs the Astral Body, and so on. The
five ―Bodies‖ constitute the knowledge of the ―Self‖ in the Eastern lan-
guage of Theosophy. The Golden Dawn used some of this language in its
own analysis of the Self, but worked in a more Qabalistic manner. This re-
quired a more Western and Hermetic approach to the concept of the Self
called the Qabalistic Parts of the Soul and they are applied to the Sephirah
on the Tree of Life.
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(continued)
Soul and Spirit

Two other words that are important to this discussion are Soul and Spirit
Like many of the words and phrases used in this lecture, these terms are
somewhat fluid in their definition. They may have different meanings in
different circumstances. But in other circum-
stances, these words are often used inter-
changeably.
The Soul or psyche is that part of the individu-

al that makes them the distinct person they
are. It is the mind functioning as the center of
thought, emotion and behavior. It includes
our sense of identity as well as that which
gives us a sense of purpose. It is the immortal
essence of a person, and the connecting link
between the Physical Body and the Divine.
In terms of the Human Self, the Spirit (from

the Latin Spiritus or ―Breath‖) is that which
The Soul or psyche animates us, the Spirit of Life. It is the highest
is that part of the
individual that part of the Self which is immortal and trans-
makes them the cendent—connecting the individual soul with
distinct person they
are. It is the mind Universal Unity common to us all. It is the Di-
functioning as the vine part of ourselves.
center of thought,
emotion and be-
havior. It includes
our sense of identi- Qabalistic Parts of the Soul
ty as well as that The three basic divisions are the Higher Soul or Neshamah, the Middle
which gives us a
sense of purpose. Soul or Ruach, and the Lower Soul or Nephesh. The highest of these, the
Greater Neshamah, or spiritual consciousness, encompasses the Kether,
Chokmah, and Binah. It corresponds to the highest most abstract aspects
of the soul.
The Neshamah is further sub-divided into three parts: the Yechidah, the
Chiah, and the Neshamah.
The Yechidah is centered in Kether, is our true Divine Self, Divine Will, and
the root essence of our spiritual nature. The word Yechidah means
―united.‖ It is that part of us that is nearest to God; the most transcendent
and perfect level of the Self. It is the Yechidah that connects man to God,
microcosm to microcosm. This is the Spiritual Body, the Divine Conscious-
ness, united to God. Pure Spirit.

(continued)
The Chiah, or life force, located in Chokmah, is the highest active principle
in the human soul. It is the Divine Will—the source of our powers of action.
The Neshamah in Binah is the intuitive

soul and the root source of human percep-
tion and understanding. According to the
ancient Qabalists, this part of the soul re-
mains dormant until the individual is spirit-
ually awakened to its existence. The
Neshamah as a whole corresponds to the
Mental Body of Theosophy.
Between the Neshamah and the Middle

Soul is a great boundary known as the
Abyss. This is the dividing line between im-
mortal and mortal, transcendent and per-
sonal, unity and separation. Everything
Above the Abyss is immortal and common
to us all. Everything Below the Abyss is
temporary and individual. Between the
Neshamah and the
Middle Soul is a
The shadowy sphere of Daath is located great boundary
within the Abyss. Its function is to create a known as the
bridge between the Higher and Middle Abyss. This is the
dividing line be-
parts of the soul (Neshamah and Ruach) tween immortal
so that the Neshamah can Descend and connect with the conscious mind, and mortal, trans-
so that the individual can gain some understanding of the nature of spirit. cendent and per-
sonal, unity and
separation.
The Middle Soul or Rational Self, the
Ruach, is located in the five Sephiroth
from Chesed to Yesod, although it is
centered in Tiphareth. It also overlaps
Daath and Yesod. The RUACH contains
the conscious mind and reasoning
powers—the conscious part of our be-
ing. It is the abode of the ego and the
waking consciousness. Five faculties are
to be found in this pentad of spheres: Memory = Chesed, Will = Geburah,
Imagination = Tiphareth, Emotion = Netzach, and Intellect = Hod. The
Ruach is the center of the Soul and Human Will.
Another separation exists on the Tree called the Veil of Paroketh. In terms
of the Soul, the VEIL separates the Ruach into two sections. Below the Veil
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(continued)
are the spheres of Netzach and Hod—or Thinking and Feeling.
Above the Veil are the higher mental functions (memory, will, and imagi-
nation) the mechanics of which are ―veiled‖ from us.
The Nephesh or Animal Soul sits in YESOD. It is a low level of awareness

that answers to the primal instincts, basic drives, and animal vitality. It is
also the seat of our personal unconscious. Proper use of Nephesh energy
is crucial to many aspects of magic, but it must always remain under the
firm control of the Ruach, the conscious mind. The Nephesh corresponds
to the Etheric Body of Theosophy. It is the plastic mediator.
Finally there is the G‘uph or Physical Body, centered in Malkuth.
Mathers tells us that ―The Body is the Veil of the Nephesh, Nephesh is the
Veil of the Ruach, and the Ruach is the Shroud of the Neshamah.‖
One important order document on the subject is called ―Flying Roll X: Con-
cerning the symbolism of Self-Sacrifice and Crucifixion contained in the
5=6 Grade.‖ This paper describes how the human Will and consciousness
The Nephesh or becomes distracted by the passions of the mortal body—it abdicates its
Animal Soul sits in
YESOD. It is a low
throne in Tiphareth, and focuses its attention on the physical world, rather
level of awareness on Spirit and the upper branches of the Tree of Life.
that answers to the
primal instincts,
basic drives, and Restoring the Human Will and Consciousness back to its throne in Ti-
animal vitality. It is
also the seat of our
phareth is an essential part of the work of the Golden Dawn Adept.
personal uncon-
scious.
The Theurgic Triad
Now, we can focus on three terms which are the focus of this paper: the
Higher Genius, the Higher Self, and the Lower Self. We have come to call
these ideas the Theurgic Triad because they are very important in Golden
Dawn magic.
Higher Genius
First and foremost is the Higher Genius. In the Golden Dawn system there
are many terms used to describe this.
These include the Divine Self, the Higher Soul, the Higher Will, and the
Higher and Divine Genius. It is the highest part of the ―Self.‖ It is SPIRIT, or
the transcendent part of the self that exists beyond the Abyss. In older tra-
ditions, the Higher Genius is sometimes described as ―the god of the self‖
because it displays the same relationship to the rest of the human micro-
cosm as ―God‖ has to the macrocosm as a whole. 6

(continued)
Today we use the word ―genius‖ to refer to a person who has some
unique talent, but the original meaning of the word ―genius‖ was that of a
guardian spirit, which was often attached to a particular place or region.
The plural of ―genius‖ is ―genii‖ and it is the root of the Arabic Jinn, or spir-
it. The term ―Higher Genius‖ refers to the idea of high, protective Spiritual
Power that mediates between the Highest aspirations of the magician and
the Divine.
The Higher Genius sits in Kether, in Yechidah, in the Spiritual Body. In

terms of the Human Self, the Higher Genius is our Spirit. The magician can
make contact with this level of the Self through spiritual discipline and
magical practice.
Higher Self
Next is Higher Self, also called the Lower Genius, the Lower Will, the Mid-
dle Self and ―king of the Body.‖ Remember that the "Higher Self" is actually
the ―Lower‖ Genius centered in Tiphareth. The Higher Self is the Hidden
side of the Ruach or the conscious mind beyond the Veil. Its relationship to It‘s important to
the Higher Genius is somewhat like that of the Soul in relation to the Spirit. remember that the
terms ―Higher Self,‖
―Lower Genius,‖ and
The Lower Self ―Higher Genius‖
may have different
The Lower Self this is the ordinary personality and consciousness which meanings in differ-
resides in Yesod. It is also the Nephesh and the Etheric Body, as well as the ent discussions. Like
Aura—the Sphere of Sensation. This Magical Mirror is a reflection of the alchemical terms,
however, they may
Sphere of the Universe, wherein all the occult forces of the Universe are also take on specific
represented, projected as on a celestial sphere, ―convex to the outer, but meanings in specific
concave to man‖ residing inside its shell. discussions. (It‘s
annoying but true.)
Other Confusing Terms

Another word that is sometimes used for the Higher Self is the Greek word
Augoeides. This means ―shining one‖ or ―glittering one.‖ It is also said to
mean "light vision" or "bright shape." This refers to refers to the radiant na-
ture of the Higher Self. During the 3rd-century, Greek mystic Iamblichus
used the term to refer to the transformed Spiritual Body worn by the initi-
ate who had overcome the materialism of the physical world. This word
has also been a source of confusion because it is sometimes used to mean
the Higher Genius in Kether, but other times it is used to mean the Higher
Self in Tiphareth.
It‘s important to remember that the terms ―Higher Self,‖ ―Lower Genius,‖
and ―Higher Genius‖ may have different meanings in different discussions.
Like alchemical terms, however, they may also take on specific meanings
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(continued)
in specific discussions. (It‘s annoying but true.) Therefore, from the stand-
point of the Nephesh, everything above the Ruach can be called ―the
Higher Self.‖
Higher Self or HGA?

At this point I would like to talk about a common misconception. Many
modern authors call the Higher Self by another name—Holy Guardian An-
gel or simply the HGA. The term Holy Guardian Angel comes from an old
grimoire translated by MacGregor Mathers called The Sacred Magic of
Abra-Melin the Mage. This book instructed students to spend six-months
invoking their Holy Guardian Angel before attempting to summon and
command demons.
Considering that the book of Abra-melin was a medieval text, we can be

fairly certain that the Holy Guardian Angel referred to an angel in the typi-
cal use of the word: a spiritual being, like Michael or Gabriel, who was in
charge of lesser angels. The Holy Guardian Angel was completely separate
from the person who invoked it.
Considering that
the book of Abra-
Aleister Crowley was the first to borrow the term—Holy Guardian Angel—
melin was a medie- and apply it to the Golden Dawn‘s ideas of the Higher Self and the Higher
val text, we can be
fairly certain that
Genius—which are levels of the human Self. The result has been a great
the Holy Guardian deal of confusion in magical circles. Countless authors, form Israel Regard-
Angel referred to
an angel in the
ie to Tabatha and myself, have fallen into this mistake, to the point where
typical use of the it may no longer be possible to separate the term HGA from that of the
word: a spiritual
being, like Michael
Higher Self. In the same way that the words "site, click, thread, gopher,
or Gabriel, who (etc.)" have accrued new meanings in the Internet age, the term HGA has
was in charge of
lesser angels.
also acquired the meaning of "Higher Self."
The important thing to remember is this: Any Golden Dawn magician,

who uses the term HGA or Holy Guardian Angel, is using the term to refer
to the Higher Self or to the Higher Genius. In other words, they are using it
to refer to a higher level of the human Self that lies within, and not a sepa-
rate angel to be summoned and commanded.
Invoking the Higher Genius

So, now that we‘ve defined what the Higher parts of the Soul are, how do
we put all this knowledge to practical use?
The spiritual work of the Golden Dawn is designed to result in the union
of the Lower Self (the Nephesh) with the Higher Self (the Ruach), culmi-
nating in the opening up of contact with the Higher and Divine Genius
(the Neshamah, and especially the Yechidah). The goal is the unification of
the Ruach and Nephesh, which is to be brought under the control and

(continued)
guidance of the Neshamah—the Higher

and Divine Genius.
The Golden Dawn teachings describe an
angel that is associated with the unifica-
tion process: the Nephesh ha-Messiah:
the ―animal soul of the Messiah,‖ the She-
kinah or Presence between the Kerubim.
In the Golden Dawn it is referred to as
one of three Archangels of Malkuth. The
paper called "The Book of the Path of the
Chameleon" refers to the Nephesh ha-
Messiah as the ―Soul of the Reconciler for
Earth.‖ 7
Nephesh ha-Messiah is the Lower Self of
the Christos. It is the human Adept linked
in communion with his or her Higher
Self.
―Established in the Middle Pillar between the two equilibrators Sandal- ―Established in the
phon and Metatron, like Osiris between Isis and Nephthys, the awakened Middle Pillar be-
tween the two
Adept is the Nephesh of the Christos, whose Ruach is the Adept‘s own equilibrators Sandal-
8
Higher and Divine Genius‖ phon and Metatron,
like Osiris between
Just as the Four Worlds of the Tree of Life are interconnected, the Soul of Isis and Nephthys,
the Adept is interconnected through the Four Worlds, represented by the awakened
Adept is the
Four Trees of Life, one above the other. The human Adept occupies the Nephesh of the
lowest Tree in the World of Assiah. The Ruach of the Adept corresponds to Christos, whose
the Nephesh of the Christos, who occupies the Tree in Yetzirah. The Ruach is the Adept‘s
own Higher and
Neshamah of the Christos corresponds to the Ruach of God. Divine Genius‖
Connection between the parts of the soul in the four Qabalistic worlds oc-
curs through the Hourglass formation, where energy is transferred from
one world to the next—from the Kether of a lower level to the Malkuth of a
higher level. Making this hourglass connection is an important part of con-
tacting the Higher Genius.
The Magic of Light
Invoking the Higher Self fall under what the Golden Dawn calls the Magic
of Light which is described in the document called Z-2. This is not some
fluffy New Age term for magic that ―feels good.‖ The Magic of Light refers
to the Golden Dawn‘s Formula of Practical Magic that is found in the Neo-
phyte Ceremony. This ceremony contains all five form of the Magic of
Light, although they are hidden under many layers of symbolism.
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(continued)
There are five divisions of the Magic of Light,

representing five different areas of magical
work. These are classified under the five letters
of the name Yeheshuah, the Pentagrammaton
or ―five-lettered name.‖ The five letters symbolize
the four elements and the guiding element of
Spirit. The five types of magic are classified as
follows:
y YOD : The works of ceremonial magic,

including Evocations and Invocations falls under the letter Yod
and the element of Fire.
h HEH : The consecration of talismans and the production of

natural phenomena (rains, storms, earthquakes) falls under the
letter Heh and the element of Water.
Invocation of the
Higher Genius falls
c SHIN : All works of Spiritual Development and transfor-
under the category mation, falls under the letter Shin and the element of Spirit—the
of Shin, spiritual
development. Quintessence.
There are actually
three types of mag-
ic that are assigned
to the Holy letter
w VAV : Divination and Astrology fall under the letter Vav
Shin, and these
correspond to the
and the element of Air.
three Yods, or
flames attached to
the Shin.
h HEH : All works of Alchemy fall under
the letter Heh Final and the element of
Earth.
Invocation of the Higher Genius falls under the
category of Shin, spiritual development. There
are actually three types of magic that are as-
signed to the Holy letter Shin, and these corre-
spond to the three Yods, or flames attached to
the Shin. The three flames are further assigned to the three Mother Letters:
a Aleph — Invisibility
m Mem — Transformations
c Shin — Spiritual Development

(continued)
The Z-2 Document provides out-

lines of rituals that the Adept us-
es to create his or her own rituals.
The outline on Spiritual Develop-
ment given in Z-2 is designed to
invoke the Higher Self. It includes
many prayers and invocations to
the Higher Powers. The magician
asks for Divine Guidance and
communication.
At one point the Adept images
himself standing in the world of
Assiah, wrapped in black, rolling
clouds. Above him, he imagines
the Higher realms of Pure Spirit
and projects his Astral Body into
these Higher Realms. When he is
Egotism is a big
ready, he withdraws his Astral Self back again, and asks his Higher Self to problem for West-
clarify the experience and make it understandable. ern magicians. We
need our ego to
Another often used was ―The Bornless Ritual for the Invocation of the function in daily life.
Higher Genius.‖ This was probably written by Allen Bennett. The main in- Having an ego not
vocation from this ceremony was taken from a surviving fragment of a only gives us a
point of reference
Graeco-Egyptian exorcism ritual that has been reworked into an Invoca- for interaction be-
tion of the Divine Self. tween ourselves
and others – it also
The Problem of the Ego gives us motivation
for self-preservation
Egotism is a big problem for
Western magicians. We need our
ego to function in daily life. Hav-
ing an ego not only gives us a
point of reference for interaction
between ourselves and others – it
also gives us motivation for self-
preservation – it stops us from
running out into a busy four-lane
highway.
One point where a Golden Dawn
student must not show or experi-
ence any signs of the ego-
problem is when he prepares for
admission into the Second Order.
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(continued)
The Reason: The Ruach, the rational thinking mind, is centered in Ti-
phareth. This means that the personal ego is also centered in Tiphareth.
Therefore Tiphareth is the abode of two very different things— the Higher
Self, whose focus is upward to the Higher Genius, and also the Ego,
whose focus is down the Tree toward the lower passions. The problem is
that magicians sometimes confuse the Ego with the Higher Self. They
think that their Higher Self in Tiphareth is telling them something very spir-
itual, when it is really their Ego in Tiphareth telling them something very
pompous and inflating.
So if any relic of the ego-problem remains when the Initiate‘s Sphere of

Sensation is elevated to Tiphareth, it will be magnified, and the magician
may confuse the infantile ego-consciousness with the concept of the High-
er Self, mistaking the one for the other. The practice of magic can flood the
unprepared Ego with the possibility for great personal insight. But unless
the Candidate is properly prepared, he is likely to take this far too seriously.
Effective self-criticism vanishes.
As one student put it, "instead of realizing that they have become illumi-
nated by God, they affirm that they ARE God. Thus the inflation begins. It
Therefore Tiphareth
is the abode of two ends disastrously when or if the "God" discovers he is not perfect. But by
very different then it is generally too late."
things— the Higher
Self, who focus is Fighting the problem of ego-inflation is one of the most important aspects
upward to the of magical work, and the Initiate should always watch for signs of it.
Higher Genius, and
also the Ego,
whose focus I
down the Tree Creating a Talisman
toward the lower Readers can use the Golden Dawn's Rose from the Rose Cross Lamen cre-
passions.
ate a personal sigil of their names, magical mottos, or magical initials in ad-
dition to symbols for the following names:
Yechidah: (Spelled: Yod, Cheth, Yod, Daleth, Heh)

Neshamah: (Spelled: Nun, Shin, Mem, Heh)
Nephesh ha-Messiah: (Spelled: Nun, Peh, Shin and Heh, Mem, Shin, Yod,
Cheth)
All of these names can be added to a talisman such as the one seen here.
The magician can write his/her magical motto in the bottom of the lower
interconnected circle, and the names and sigils of Yechidah and
Neshamah in the upper part of the top interconnected circle. Write the
name and sigils of Nephesh ha-Messiah in the central vesica.
The Talisman can be charged with a full ceremony of the type described in
Regardie's The Golden Dawn, or by holding the talisman while performing
the Vibratory formula of the Middle Pillar, or by any other appropriate rite.

(continued)
A talisman of this type is just one of the tools that the magician may use to
invoke Higher Self, for the purpose of establishing a relationship with the
Higher Genius.
So if any relic of the

ego-problem re-
mains when the
Initiate‘s Sphere of
Sensation is elevat-
ed to Tiphareth, it
will be magnified,
and the magician
may confuse the
infantile ego-
consciousness with
the concept of the
Higher Self
Notes
1
Protogoras.
2
All quoted in Body Magic by Benjamin Walker.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid, 230-231
5
Greer, Circles of Power, 43-44.
6
Greer, 55.
7
The Golden Dawn, 95-99.
8
―This Holy Invisible Companionship‖ by Adam Forrest, published in The Golden Dawn
Journal: Book Two: Qabalah.
Copyright © 2009 by Chic Cicero

Page 16
Hermetic Virtues
Justice
By Harry Wendrich
Justice holds a
sword in her right
hand, and scales in
her left. The sword
is the sword of
Truth, the tip of
which represents
Geburah, forcing
reflection of one‘s
own truth and cut-
ting away anything
which does not
belong to her virtue.
Justice, from the forthcoming Golden Dawn Temple Deck, by Nick Farrell
and Wendrich artHouse
www.wendricharthouse.com
Justice
(continued)
Key 11: Daughter of The Lord of Truth; The Holder of the Balances
The 22nd Path, ―The Faithful Intelligence‖, lies between Tiphareth and
Geburah. This Path is also in line with the Lightning Flash, which defines
the involution of the Sephira. It is the establishment of the Spirit into indi-
viduality.
Justice holds a sword in her right hand, and scales in her left. The sword is
the sword of Truth, the tip of which represents Geburah, forcing reflection
of one‘s own truth and cutting away anything which does not belong to
her virtue.
Here we are introduced to the goddess Ma‘at. The word ‗Ma‘at‘ can be
translated as ‗Justice‘ or ‗Truth‘, but also ‗Right‘ and ‗Straight‘. Ma‘at is the
powerful agent that maintains order in the Universe. Even the gods of the
Ancient Egyptians had to be judged by Ma‘at and assessed by her Forty-
two Assessors. Anybody who has experienced the Office of the
Hegemon, which holds the influence of Ma‘at, will know the feeling of be- The word ‗Ma‘at‘
ing in balance between the forces of Water and Fire. can be translated as
‗Justice‘ or ‗Truth‘,
The Hegemon acts as the voice of the Higher Self for the Candidate, and it but also ‗Right‘ and
‗Straight‘. Ma‘at is
is important to remember that all godforms are archetypal aspects of the the powerful agent
self. that maintains order
in the Universe.
The Ancient Egyptians saw the world as a battle between Order and Cha- Even the gods of
the Ancient Egyp-
os. The Pharaoh was supposed to uphold the rule of Ma‘at in the Two- tians had to be
judged by Ma‘at
Lands. When things went wrong, it was the duty of the Pharaoh to bring
and assessed by her
everything into balance again. When we are in need of balance we can Forty-two Assessors.
use the Justice card to bring balance to the situation, reflected by the
scales in her left hand. In the middle of the scales is the letter Lamed. The
letter seems to have two Yods – one above, and one below – giving the
Hermetic axiom ―As above, so below.‖ On one side of the scales is a Can-
didate, and on the other side is Ma‘at‘s feather, as described in the Egyp-
tian Book of the Dead.
All Candidates who seek the knowledge of the Western Mystery Tradition
are weighed in the golden balance of Ma‘at, and those that do not have
their feet firmly on the cunning fox will be rejected sooner or later. There
is also another side to the use of the fox symbol. In folk-law, foxes were
figures that were capable of charming their prey. Like the wolf in the Fool
card, they represent the clever and charming side of the lower self. What
Page 18
Hermetic Virtues
Justice
(continued)
this card is saying that no matter how clever you are, you still are subject
to the law of the universe.
The Magician who seeks to maintain the scales of Ma‘at in balance creates
a tension which can be used in ceremonial magic. Even in the act of creat-
ing these cards there is a constant tension of artistic license versus symbol-
ism. Too much artistic license and one loses the meaning of the card. Too
much symbolism and the card becomes visually uninteresting. Yet their
creation is a mystery, for at the end they manifest from Spirit, Osiris, who
hovers above Ma‘at in this card.
Divination:
Justice, balance and harmony. A decision. A favourable outcome in legal
matters. Tension. Doing the right thing. Listening to one‘s own truth.
Artistic impulse. Adjusting one‘s path according to Divine Will. Being in
The Magician who control of one‘s lower nature. Karma.
seeks to maintain
the scales of Ma‘at
in balance creates a
tension which can
be used in ceremo- Copyright © 2010 by Harry Wendrich
nial magic. Even in
the act of creating
these cards there is
a constant tension
of artistic license
versus symbolism.
Too much artistic
license and one
loses the meaning
of the card.
Page 20
Hermetic Virtues
What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

By Nick Farrell
Israel Regardie is the main reason

that the Golden Dawn magical sys-
tem is popular. It was his Golden
Dawn book, published just before
the Second World War, which is con-
sidered the bible of the modern
Golden Dawn movement. There are
those who insist that the vision of
the Golden Dawn, presented in the
6th Llewellyn edition is the real Gold-
en Dawn and anyone else who does
not use it is somehow ―unorthodox‖.
This is deeply ironic, given what
those who knew the man have told
me. Regardie was not a person who
wanted to be made into a God or to
be accorded a Papal status within
the tradition. He was a person who lived the system, but also knew he
was not the only one. True, he published the Golden Dawn book, but
there were holes in his knowledge which, because of his unintended sta-
Regardie was not a
person who want-
tus within the tradition, have become crucial gaps.
ed to be made into
a God or to be Israel Regardie's first brush with the Golden Dawn was through Aleister
accorded a Papal Crowley. He would later say that he learnt no magic from Crowley during
status within the
tradition. He was a the brief period that he was his secretary. However there is an under-
person who lived standing of magical principles in his early works, such as the Tree of Pome-
the system, but also
knew he was not granates, which does not come fully formed in the mind of someone in
the only one. their early 20s.
Regardie attracted the attention of Dion Fortune, who had made contact
with the Stella Matutina temple in Bristol. She had become a friend of
Hope Hughes and had completed the Golden Dawn studies that she had
started in Berridge's London temple of the Alpha et Omega.
The Hermes Temple in Bristol was theoretically under the authority of the
Felkins, who were running their ―Whare Ra‖ temple in New Zealand.
However, the control between New Zealand and Bristol was non-existent
and just before Regardie was initiated the English temple had decided to
undergo an experiment.
The feeling was that the Golden Dawn rituals were too long and almost a
third of the elemental grade rituals were spent presenting diagrams to the
candidate. The temple decided to take a hatchet to the elemental grade
rituals, remove most of the diagrams and present these to the candidate as
part of their course packets. It is incredibly unlikely that if the Felkins had
known of this plan they would have ever approved it. The New Zealand

(continued)
temple was at that time using the last incarnation of the Golden Dawn rit-
uals and a 6=5 and 7=4 rite written by Dr Felkin. Whare Ra, under Mrs.
Felkin, had placed layer upon layer of magical meaning onto the ritual.
While it was possible to change some aspects of the speeches under such
a structure, they would have considered it dangerous to remove compo-
nents to the extent that Bristol had done.
It was also quite unlikely that the ―inepti‖ of the Bristol Temple, as Regardie
was fond of calling them, would have understood the magical implica-
tions of what they were doing, or even researched it.
Regardie was disappointed with the Golden Dawn. He saw a bunch of
elderly inepti sitting on a ton of valuable magical information that no one
was doing anything with. He felt that the Golden Dawn, as he saw it, was
dead and the valuable information stored within its teachings needed to
be shown to the world before they were lost.
History has proved him right, but really publication of the Golden Dawn
did little to further the system for nearly 30 years. The Golden Dawn book
did not sell well and was difficult to find. The people who bought it were
often members of temples who wanted printed replacements for the
handwritten manuscripts and clearer diagrams than they could manage.
History has proved
It is myth that the AO temples closed when the book was published be- him right, but really
cause Regardie had revealed their se- publication of the
crets. The AO at the time was using a Golden Dawn did
completely different ritual set for its 0=0 little to further the
system for nearly
ritual and its elemental grade rituals 30 years. The Gold-
would have been more involved than an- en Dawn book did
ything in the ―Golden Dawn‖. Whare Ra not sell well and
was difficult to find.
was doing extremely well and was not
going to suffer any real problems until
the 1960s. The Bristol temple appears to
have been going until the 1960s and its
adepts were still meeting occasionally for
rituals until the 1970s.
Part of the reason for this was that Re-
gardie had published the hacked rituals
and teachings of the Bristol temple. As
far as the existing temples were con-
cerned they still had secrets and that the
rituals as published were lacking the in-
ner mechanics to make them work
properly. It is telling that immediately after the publication of the book,
Bristol went back to the original Stella Matutina rituals.
Page 22
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
In the late 1970s, the last surviving Golden Dawn Temple, Whare Ra,
closed its doors and burnt most of its material. The direct lineage of the
Golden Dawn was truly ended. While the rest of the world was unaware
of the death of Whare Ra, something significant did happen around the
same time. Chic Cicero and other Regardie friends decided to restart the
order. To do this they depended on Regardie's book and memories from
the man himself and this is where the holes started to become obvious.
When it came down to it, people were expecting an awful lot from Re-
gardie. According to Bristol records he only ever attended Bristol seven
times during a two and a half year period. To expect someone in their
eighties after a full life to remember details of a ritual that took place 40
years earlier was a bit unfair. It is clear that he relied on his book, like
many other people would do as they followed the Ciceros in the resur-
gence of the ―Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn‖ that followed.
This lead to one of the first mistakes that has flowed into the new Golden
Dawn – that of the Kerux's staff.
If you read any book that was pub-
lished after Regardie, or join most
The Stella Matutina
Golden Dawn orders, you will en-
and the Golden counter a caduceus wand with two
Dawn before it, serpents being carried by the Kerux.
always used the
staff with three During the 2=9 grade you will be
colours on it. Red
at the top, yellow in
presented with a disk that will show
the middle and two versions of this. The first is a
blue at the bottom.
Whare Ra adepts
staff with the three mother letters
told this to both me upon it and the second is the cadu-
and Pat Zalewski. ceus. If you look at the Z docu-
ments, there are some confusing
references to the Kerux's staff which
could be read as being either the
single staff and or the caduceus.
When the modern Golden Dawn sprang up, it used the caduceus, pre-
sumably based on Regardie's memory or interpretation of his own book.
However, he was wrong. The Stella Matutina and the Golden Dawn be-
fore it, always used the staff with three colours on it. Red at the top, yel-
low in the middle and blue at the bottom. Whare Ra adepts told this to
both me and Pat Zalewski. Some believed that the blue end was pointed,
although I was not told this. If you think that this only applied to Whare
Ra, you might like to look at George Pollexfen's diagram in the Yeats col-
lection which you can see clearly that the Kerux's staff is also a straight
rod.

(continued)
There are some very good reasons for this. When the candidate en-
ters the hall, they are barred using the water part of the staff. This
symbolises many things but perhaps the most significant is death.
To enter the sacred temple of the mysteries you have to die and be
born of water. Later, when the candidate approaches the Hiereus,
they are barred with the fire portion of the staff. This consecrates
the candidate so that they are born of the Holy Spirit (fire). Finally,
as they approach the Hierophant, they are barred with the yellow
segment, that of Air which is the middle pillar, the ruach and bal-
ance through the agency of Thoth. There is much more in these
simple barrings but this is designed to give you an idea.
However, if you try to do this with a caduceus, it is physically impos-
sible. The Kerux can only, carefully, bar the candidate with the yel-
low part of the wand, which means all these magical subtleties are
lost. If attempts to do anything different are made, the Kerux will
break one of the serpents on the wand. If the wand is made of met-
al, like that in one temple with which I have worked, then you could
injure the candidate.
The next issue that was forgotten, possibly because Regardie did
Although the ritual
not know, was the use of godforms in the elemental grades. There does indicate some
are many different ideas about which godforms should be used. of the godforms
Dion Fortune said that the use of godforms in an initiation rite was the that can be used,
keys to the ritual. If these are forgotten then the rite loses its power com- for example the
3=8 uses the Samo-
pletely. The use of the godforms within the elemental grades of the Gold- thracian godforms,
en Dawn has been forgotten. Although the ritual does indicate some of the invisible sta-
the godforms that can be used, for example the 3=8 uses the Samothraci- tions and ―inner
an godforms, the invisible stations and ―inner temples‖ have not been temples‖ have not
been found.
found.
While it is possible that in the early Golden Dawn they did not exist, they
appear to have done so in both the AO and the Stella Matutina. Felkin
had developed his own set of godforms, but what these are have not
been revealed, although I believe that one former chief instructed one per-
son in what they were before his death. In the absence of information
from Regardie, or other sources, modern GD groups have come up with
their own solutions to this problem. The worst, and most common, is not
to have any godforms within the elemental grades at all and thus render
the elemental grades into Masonic parodies. This is favoured by those
who see the rituals as psychological rather than religious and the grades
as ―status‖ rather than tools for transformation.
The next process is to use the godforms from the 0=0 but ―add‖ the god-
forms of the ritual as they are mentioned. This is better than nothing.
However it faces the problem that the elemental grade rituals are not car-
Page 24
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
ried out within the temple of Ma‘at. Not only is the inner structure
―different‖, the officers take different godforms, some of which would be
alien to the image of the Hall of Judgement.
The next most common technique is to replace the godforms of the chiefs
with those of the Enochian chess pieces. This seems logical but has sever-
al problems. Firstly it elevates Enochian chess to an incredibly high level of
importance within the GD, which I am not convinced it ever had. Second-
ly it only deals with the invisible stations of the chiefs who are a small part
of the ritual. This means those who use this system have to incorporate
other methods to generate godforms for different parts of the rituals. Last-
ly it brings in the use of godforms whose existence and symbolism was
moot, or minor.
The final method has been to go through the ritual and come up with a
different method of godforms. How different groups do this is unim-
portant. What solution they come up with tells much about the flavour
that the group is trying to develop. But it does tend to kill off those kids
who claim 7=4 and start a temple with ―Golden Dawn‖ in one hand and
―Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple‖ in another. You need to know a fair
The final method bit about the system to work out the impact that each godform is going to
has been to go have on the candidate at that point in the ritual and that really requires
through the ritual
and come up with someone who has worked the system for a while.
a different method
of godforms. How Perhaps the most important magical tool that Regardie did not know
different groups do
this is unimportant.
about was the use of diagrams. As I said above, this as because he was
What solution they initiated using a slashed ritual. True, he was presented with some dia-
come up with tells
much about the
grams in the initiations and others appeared in his course packet. But this
flavour that the reinforced that they were for intellectual stimulation only.
group is trying to
develop. If you believe this, then it is clear why they were removed from the ritual.
For a start they make some of the rituals a lot longer. When we installed
these within the Magical Order of the Aurora Aurea we found that the
4=7, in particular, was a lot longer. Superficially, the candidate is led to
one of the diagrams by an officer who appears to read out what was on it.
It seems largely pointless. This belief seems to have carried on with some
modern Golden Dawn orders who simply slap photocopies of the dia-
grams on the floor of the temple and casually mention them (many of the
candidates are not even aware that they are there). The one exception to
this appears to be the elemental tablets which are accorded a high status
as magical tools.
However in Whare Ra each diagram was seen like a magical wand and an
important part of the ritual. A 6=5 adept, Percy Wilkinson, once told me
that the officer had to use the diagram to stimulate the candidate's Ruach.
For years I wondered what he meant and experimented with sending a
ray through the diagram into the candidate's heart centre. As the idea of

(continued)
the sphere of sensation has greatly

influenced my magical practice, I do
the following. The candidate is shown
the diagram, the godform of the of-
ficer is extended over the candidate
and an image of the diagram is pro-
jected onto their sphere of sensation.
Depending on the diagram, this cre-
ates an effect.
This leads me onto the next point. If
the diagrams are magical wands, then
what are they supposed to do? For a
long time I assumed that they were
providing a set of symbols for the can-
didate to understand unconsciously.
Now I think that the result is much
more direct and that the diagram is
actually shaping the candidate's
sphere of sensation to bring about
change. What is happening then is It seemed to me
the elemental grade rituals are a form that the presenta-
of psychic surgery where the dia- tion of the geoman-
grams shape the candidate's sphere in their own image. tic figures tended
to enable the ener-
When you look at the diagrams it seems strange that some of the infor- gy of the initiation
mation is repeated in various grades. For some reason, geomantic figures to be earthed so
that there would be
are shown in all the grades, lineal figures are also shown in different varia- a physical result
tions, as are tarot cards. We are also shown several different versions of from the initiation.
Qlippoth diagrams, which feel out of place in an initiation of light.
It seemed to me that the presentation of the geomantic figures tended to
enable the energy of the initiation to be earthed so that there would be a
physical result from the initiation. The geometric shapes of the lineal fig-
ures would cause the candidate's sphere of sensation to correctly align at
a Briatic level. The Qlippothic diagrams which are actually presented with
―evil names‖ spoken out loud are designed so that the sphere of sensation
can identify the negative aspects of the grade and control them.
There are many diagrams with trees on them in which planetary symbols
are overlaid upon them. The effect of these is to open the sphere of sensa-
tion to the implications of planetary force on the personal tree of life.
There are some traditional Golden Dawn diagrams where the magic
wand effect must be limited. One ―diagram‖ is basically a shopping list of
tarot attributions which would have had limited symbolic effect. There are
others which have since gone missing and we have to build them based
Page 26
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
on their description. In a couple of cases this has proved difficult but must
have been resolved by groups that use the full rituals.
There were some other things that were cut from the elemental grade rit-
uals. These included the Hierophant outlining the knowledge that the
candidate would have to learn in the grade. This appears to have been
cut because it was no longer relevant, as the tests covered new and differ-
ent things. However there was a function of this point of the ritual in that
it set the candidate's sphere of sensation so that it would be adjusted to
receive the information in the future. It could have been adapted but
when it was used it wasn't and Bristol cut the lines completely.
There were other things that happened within the elemental grade rituals
which Regardie did not know about. These included the separation of the
candidate into various ―bodies‖ and the reconstitution after either purifica-
tion and consecration, or teaching by the various godforms. The extent to
which this happened appears never to have been written down and was
passed on from Hierophant to Hierophant. Each officer would develop
their own system over time, with different degrees of success. Jack Taylor
in Whare Ra was a case in point. So was Maiya Tranchell-Hayes, who
taught some of the techniques to Dion Fortune. Pat Zalewski has done
What is interesting some terrific work explaining what happened in Whare Ra. Tony Fuller
is some of the mod- was also taught by Frank Salt some of his methods. How far these views
ern groups have
become aware of were ―official‖ would be never known. Some of the older Whare Ra peo-
the limitations of ple never knew them, however they seem to have been methods that
Regardie and have
been looking close- made the grade rituals magical.
ly at some of the
collected manu- All this, with the lack of godforms, leads us to a clear idea why Regardie
scripts searching for thought that the elemental grades were useless. In the early 1980s, when
clues.
he visited Pat Zalewski, he believed that the whole lot could be replaced
by his ―Opening by the Watchtowers Ritual.‖ Bristol had managed to re-
move most of the magical elements and Regardie assumed that was be-
cause the grade rituals were not up to scratch. Had he undergone an ele-
mental grade rite in Whare Ra, or even the SM in London a few years earli-
er, he might have felt differently. Certainly doing the elemental grade ritu-
als without godforms, a psychic person would not have been able to feel
any atmosphere or power within the temple. Without the magical use of
diagrams, they could not have created enough changes in the person's
sphere of sensation to bring about change in their environment. It ap-
pears that Regardie received some of this oral instruction from some-
where, but certainly not all of it.
What is interesting is some of the modern groups have become aware of
the limitations of Regardie and have been looking closely at some of the
collected manuscripts searching for clues. I am not certain that this is the
answer although it can be helpful. The answer really relies on using the

(continued)
whole ritual and then working with it trying out different techniques to
make it all work magically. The answer comes with time and practice and
the sure knowledge that things get better with experience. It is only in
magical practice that the holes within the Golden Dawn system appear
and demand to be filled. It is only amongst those who believe that Re-
gardie is the beginning and end of the Golden Dawn system of magic
who will fall into these gaps and take their groups with them.
(Excerpt missing from the 4=7)

Hiereus :
On this Tablet, (indicating it) are shown the Paths when arranged with
Daath added to, the Sephirotic Tree. It differs from the other and more
usual attributions. Furthermore it is not so correct, as Daath is not, proper-
ly speaking, a Sephirah.
On this Tablet, (indicating it) is shown the arrangement of the Sephiroth in
the Four Worlds, each Sephirah with its own 10 Sephiroth inscribed inside,
so that the total number is 400, the number of Tau, the last letter of the
alphabet. Certainly doing the
elemental grade
(Hiereus resumes his place. Hegemon leads Practicus to Tablet in South) rituals without
godforms, a psychic
Hegemon: person would not
have been able to
This is the symbolism of the Altar of Burnt Offering which King Solomon feel any atmos-
built. It was formed of a four-fold cube, 20 cubits square and 10 feet high, phere or power
10 are the principal parts which you here see classified above, as under within the temple.
the Sephiroth, and forming thus the Triangle of Fire above it.
(Hegemon leads Practicus to Tablet in North)
This is the symbolism of the Brazen Sea, which King Solomon made. It was
10 cubits diameter answering to the Sephiroth; the height was 5 cubits
multiplied by the Ternary. Beneath the rim were 300 knobs, the number
of the Holy Letter Shin and of the name Ruach Elohim and it stood upon
the 12 oxen, answering to the 12 Stars of the Crown of Aima, the Great
Mother. It is the synthesis of Binah, containing the Waters of Creation.
(Places Candidate in West facing Hierophant and returns to own place.)
Page 28
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
(Excerpt missing from the 1=10)
Hierophant:
Frater < >, before you can be eligible for advancement, to the next
grade of 2 = 9, you will be required to pass an examination on the follow-
ing subjects:
1.Names and symbols of the 3 Principles.
2.Metals attributed to the 7 Planets.
3.The meaning of the special Alchemical terms: Sun, Moon, King, etc.
4.Names and meanings of the 12 Astrological Houses.
5.Names and meanings of the Planetary Aspects.
6.Names and meanings of the Querent and Quesited.
7.The 4 great classes of Astrology.
8.The arrangement of the Tree of Life.
9.The names of the 4 Orders of he Elements.
10.The 3 Pillars of the Tree of Life.
11.The names and forms of the Kerubim
12.Meanings of the Laver, Altar, and Qlippoth.
13.The Names of the 10 Houses of Assiah.
14.Names of the 4 Worlds of the Qabalists.
15.Names of the 22 Trumps and 4 Suits.
Copyright © 2010 by Nick Farrell

Page 30
Hermetic Virtues
Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries: A Review

By Samuel Scarborough
Over the years Pat Zalewski has published

several of the better practical books on
Golden Dawn ritual material. Once privately
published by Mister Zalewski, Golden Dawn
Rituals and Commentaries is now available
to a broader audience in a new edition with
new illustrations and material.
Pat Zalewski needs no introduction to most
people in the Golden Dawn community, but
for new people coming to the Golden
Dawn tradition, Mister Zalewski had the op-
portunity to work with and learn from sever-
al adepti from the longest running temple in
Golden Dawn history, Whare Ra in New
Zealand. He did this after the Chiefs of Wha-
re Ra decided to close its doors in 1978, and
then he and his then wife founded a new
Golden Dawn Temple in New Zealand to continue with Golden Dawn
Pat Zalewski needs work. Over the years, he has written and published several books on the
no introduction to
most people in the
Golden Dawn material, including The Kabbalah of the Golden Dawn,
Golden Dawn com- Golden Dawn Enochian Magic, Secret Inner Rituals of the Golden Dawn,
munity, but for new
people coming to
Inner Order Rituals of the Golden Dawn, The Equinox & Solstice Ceremo-
the Golden Dawn nies of the Golden Dawn, Talismans & Evocations of the Golden Dawn,
tradition, Mister
Zalewski had the
and The Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn, as well as others. As you can
opportunity to see Pat Zalewski has devoted a great deal of time and effort to writing
work with and
learn from several
about and expanding the corpus of Golden Dawn information. It is no dif-
adepti from the ferent with his Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries which might be
longest running
temple in Golden
considered his magnum opus in the field.
Dawn history,
Within this volume Pat Zalewski gives information that he received from
persons like Jack Taylor, a former Hierophant of Whare Ra, and Mister
Zalewski‘s personal mentor with Golden Dawn material. He also inter-
weaves his own theories of Golden Dawn material based on his training in
Yoga and personal experience with the Golden Dawn system for the last
thirty years or so.
Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries is a set of Whare Ra rituals of Ne-
ophyte through Adeptus Minor that have an explanation after each ritual
on the symbolism of the ritual, what god-forms are used in the ritual,
where they stand, what energies are being used by the officers in the ritu-
als, and where each of the various diagrams seen in the rituals are located
and what they are discussing. Mister Zalewski even gets into the symbol-
ism of each officer in each grade, the Officer Weapons, and how to hold
them.

(continued)
Each chapter is devoted to a specific aspect of Golden Dawn work. There

is an extensive introduction to this edition and from the previous self-
published edition, as well as a forward by a student of Mister Zalewski, and
a preface by the publisher. The first chapter is an overview history of the
Golden Dawn and its growth. The second chapter is devoted to the Neo-
phyte Ceremony and its commentaries. Chapter three is dedicated to the
Zelator Ceremony and its commentaries. This pattern is repeated until
chapter seven where Pat Zalewski discusses the God-forms of the Outer
Order.
After his chapter on the god-forms, the author then picks up the same pat-
tern as seen in chapters two through six, but now he is giving the Portal
Ceremony and then given commentary about it. Following this chapter on
the Portal Ceremony, Mister Zalewski lists the Adeptus Minor Ceremony
along with his commentary on the ceremony of admission into the Inner
Order as well as on the material presented in the 5=6 Adeptus Minor ritual
such as the regalia of the officers, the parchment roll of members, and the
general symbolism.
The final chapter in the book is titled R.R. et A.C. Additional Material. This
chapter covers such things as the Vibratory Mode of Pronouncing the Di- There are some
vine Names, and Flying Rolls II, VI, X, XXXVII, XXXIX – the Transmission of differences be-
the Etheric Link. tween this new
edition and the
There are some differences between this new edition and the previously previously self-
self-published one – I have the pleasure of owning a copy of the first edi- published one – I
have the pleasure
tion that I got many years ago from Mister Zalewski. The first thing is that of owning a copy
the new edition is bound in a soft cover book whereas the previous edi- of the first edition
tion was a ring-bound edition. The second thing is that Mister Zalewski, that I got many
years ago from
while knowing his subject could benefit from an editor to correct his gram-
Mister Zalewski.
mar and writing, which in the new edition he gets someone to help with
editing. Secondly, the layout of the original edition had some problems, in
that the commentaries were many pages away from the rituals they were
commenting upon. Now in this edition, the commentaries immediately
follow the ritual that they discuss. This is a big help and does not require
the student to flip back and forth between so many pages to study the
particular material associated with the grade ritual.
In the earlier edition of Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries many of
the graphics, floor layouts, ritual diagrams, and admission badges suffered
from errors and not being as clear as possible. Much of this has been cor-
rected in this newer edition with new floor diagrams, new images of the
tarot cards used in the rituals, as well as the inclusion of the Enochian Tab-
let for each of the Elemental grades. In many ways the graphic layout of
the new edition is much better than the original.
The god-form chapter has undergone a change in layout and arrange-
Page 32
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
ment. In the earlier edition there was an overall list of the god-forms used
in a particular ritual, now those lists have floor diagrams following them
showing the location of the god-forms on the floor of the initiation cere-
mony. In addition, the images of the god-forms are cleaner and easier to
see than from the prior edition. He still gives a brief description of the god-
forms with associated colors and regalia. The only draw back with the god
-forms is that Mister Zalewski does not provide any god-form images, rep-
resentations, or descriptions for the Portal and Adeptus Minor ceremonies,
nor are there images of the non-Egyptian god-forms that are used in the
Zelator, Theoricus, and Practicus ceremonies.
New to this particular edition of Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries
are several Flying Rolls, or side lectures for the Inner Order from both the
original Golden Dawn of 1888-1903 and from the Stella Matutina (1903-
1978). These are actually drawn in part from Pat Zalewski‘s much earlier
published Secret Inner Order Rituals of the Golden Dawn, especially the
material on Flying Roll X – Concerning the Symbolism of Self-Sacrifice and
Crucifixion.
Pat Zalewski has a rather unique manner in looking at Golden Dawn Ritu-
al, especially what is going on during the initiation ceremonies. He often
In the earlier edi-
tion there was an combines this unique outlook in a way that can make it difficult to deter-
overall list of the mine what his own personal theory about the material is or what he was
god-forms used in a
particular ritual, genuinely shown by several old adepti from Whare Ra. This criticism has
now those lists been raised before about Mister Zalewski‘s work. What matters, does what
have floor diagrams
following them he presents in Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries work within the
showing the loca- Golden Dawn framework. It does seem to work very well within the Gold-
tion of the god-
forms on the floor en Dawn framework. While his ideas are his own, he does interweave
of the initiation them with traditional and oral teachings he received from those old Wha-
ceremony.
re Ra adepti.
Mister Zalewski used a lot of the earlier graphics found in his previous edi-
tion, which is fine to some degree because there are a lot of diagrams in
the various grade ceremonies. The thing is that several of these diagrams
have errors in them. The Hebrew in some is incorrect or misspelled. Some
of the Kamea, the Magic Squares of the Planets, have errors in their ar-
rangements. A good example can be seen in the Kamea of Luna in which
the number 3 is placed in a cell rather than the number 8. On at least one
Admission Badge the Hebrew for the name of Earth is misspelled – Aretz
should have a Tzaddi final, not a regular Tzaddi at the end of the word.
There are other errors in the diagrams as well. Do these errors cause prob-
lems? Yes, but any serious student can work out the corrections as they
double check the material they are working with. It is likely that these sort
of errors have crept in over time and not been caught because they were
believed ―correct‖. Mister Zalewski and his editors are not the first to make
this mistake when using graphics of classic magical texts.

(continued)
The question is whether Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries is a

good book to have and use for Golden Dawn work. It is a great book to
use and learn from, even with the apparent errors. The student using this
book or any other book should always double check the material present-
ed. No other book on Golden Dawn ritual goes into such detail and com-
mentary about what is taking place during a particular ritual. This is Pat
Zalewski‘s contribution to the overall corpus of material of the Golden
Dawn tradition. Some people will not accept some of Mister Zalewski‘s
theories, and I think that is fine so long as they are able to derive some-
thing of value from the material presented in this edition.
As I stated earlier, the layout of this edition is much improved over the
original. The book is much more user friendly and the language is easier to
read thanks to Mister Zalewski‘s editor. Having a new graphic artist also
helps in many places as many of the floor diagrams are easier to read and
understand.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely! It is nearly an omnibus of ma-
terial in conjunction with the grade ceremonies of the Golden Dawn, es-
pecially as derived through the Stella Matutina and Whare Ra in New Zea-
land. This book is not for the ―newbie‖ or the arm chair Golden Dawn
scholar, but rather for the more advanced student wanting to better un- It is nearly an omni-
derstand the initiation ceremonies and those people whom are working bus of material in
conjunction with
the Golden Dawn tradition in active temples. It is for the ―working group‖ the grade ceremo-
to use, and it will likely provide a great deal of insight and raise some ques- nies of the Golden
tions as a person reads and works with the material presented within its Dawn, especially as
covers. This book will not spend a lot of time on the shelf gathering dust as derived through
the Stella Matutina
it will be used over and over again by students and temples as they learn and Whare Ra in
and utilize the unique material that Pat Zalewski presents here. This is real- New Zealand.
ly his magnum opus on the Golden Dawn and its rituals, and a valuable
resource.
Golden Dawn Rituals and Commentaries, Pat Zalewski.

The Rosicrucian Order of the Golden Dawn (www.rogd.org).
ISBN: 978-0-9823521-2-0. 547 pages. $44.00 USD.
Copyright © 2010 by Samuel Scarborough

Page 34
Hermetic Virtues
An Exposition on The Infernal Habitations: Part two

By Rachael Walker
This article is a continuation of a pre-

vious essay written for ―Hermetic Vir-
tues Volume 3 Issue 3 titled ―An Ex-
position on the Infernal Habitations‖
which discussed the corresponding
diagram originally given to the Philo-
sophous by Mathers. Accordingly, we
discussed the creation of beings and
places which occurred in the
―Beginning‖ but in absence of the
―Light of Creation‖, as well as the
concept of the Seven Lower Earths
symbolically representing the illusion
that the material realm supersedes
the spiritual. In this essay we will dis-
cuss the role of the Infernal Habitations as the experiential modali-
ties of the Seven Lower Earths.
Each Infernal Habitation corresponds to the experience that one

has when traveling through the ―Seven Lower‖ or ―Imperfect
Earths‖. To review these are:
Each Infernal Habi-
tation corresponds
to the experience
1. Aretz — ―dry crumbling earth‖. The land where Adam was ban-
that one has when ished after the expulsion from Paradise, and where Cain was ban-
traveling through
the ―Seven Lower‖
ished after the murder of Abel. This realm is described as an Earth
or ―Imperfect as ―utterly void‖ with no Light. This is the realm where the ―Flaming
Earths‖. Sword‖ was placed in order to block man from re-entering the Gar-
den of Eden. The conscious state of ignorance.
2. Adamah — ―Ground‖, ―Reddish Mold‖. The earth where the three

sons of Adam, Cain, Abel, and Seth were born. Here dwell the
phantom-like beings that issued from the union of Adam with spir-
its he mated with after his separation from Eve. This is described as
a realm where light is reflected from phantom like stars and constel-
lations. This has also been referred to as a possible alternate name
for Lilith, denoting that she was made at the same time as Adam,
but from the wet, earth, and animated by the breath of Satan. It
represents the state of disillusionment, mistaking the reflection of
the Light for the Light itself.
3. Gia — ―Undulating ground, like the side of a valley‖. Here is said

to live the descendents of the Tower of Babel, this Earth is said to
be closest to Gehenna, and thus receives its fiery heat. The residents
here are very accomplished in the arts and sciences and have great

(continued)
wealth. It is said that when one of us go here to visit, they are

showered with many gifts. Then the inhabitants of Gia lead them
unto the realm of Nechiah, where they are made to forget where
they came from. The state of believing that the individual self is
God.
4. Neschiah —―Pasture or meadow land‖. A kingdom of forgetfulness and

oblivion. A realm having no form, it has no appearance until it is complete-
ly forgotten. The inhabitants here are said to have no memory. Once a
thing has happened, they completely forget it. In ones conscious this rep-
resents forgetfulness of the spirit.
5. Tziah — ―Sandy or desert land, wilderness‖. Known in some texts as the

place where hell resides. Also called ―The Shadow of Death‖. According to
the Zohar this is referred to in Genesis 1:2 where it is said, ―and darkness
was on the face of the Abyss‖, because evil existed in the beginning as
chaos. The residents here are said to be handsome and wealthy, but lack
of water as is indicated by the word Tziah, which means drought. Howev-
er, they are also described as men with steadfast faith, possibly more than
any other men. The conscious state of material inclination, were we desire
material things over spiritual gifts. As these Seven
Earths represent
6. Areqa — ―Earth, Void‖. A place that cannot be forgotten. De- the illusion that the
material world is
scribed in some texts to be the third Earth and the place where the true world, the
Cain was sent after he repented. Here some ―Light of the Sun‖ is re- Infernal Habitations
ceived. This realm is said to be where the descendents of Cain represent the expe-
(Canaanites) will forever reside. Although they work the ground it riences we find in
each.
remains barren. The Canaanites are said to have two heads, thus
causing them to not be able to come to a decision. They may be
pious one minute only to do evil the next. The conscious state of
indecision and unrest in between desiring the material or the spir-
itual.
7. Thebel, Tevel, or Chaled — ―Mitrd earth and water; world‖. This is the
earth where we presently reside. Tevel feeds from the spirit of the Elohim,
which reminds us of the Shekinah residing in both Binah and Malkuth.
This is thought of in the Torah as being the most important and perfect of
all the Earths.
As these Seven Earths represent the illusion that the material world
is the true world, the Infernal Habitations represent the experiences
we find in each. The notion of the seven lower infernal habitations
seems to date back to Zoroastrianism and Mithric cults and even as
far back as Sumeria. According to the Mithric tradition, the dead
Page 36
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
soul rises through the gate of Capricorn passing through the seven
heavenly spheres which purify it of the seven deadly sins. Respec-
tively, we have the Sun- Pride, Moon- Envy, Mars- Anger, Mercury-
Greed, Jupiter- Ambition, Venus-Lust, and Saturn-Sloth. Similarly, in
Qabbalistic tradition the Seven Earths and Infernal Habitations are
each associated with a Sephiroth and therefore a planet as well.
The purpose of the Infernal Habitations
are to provide experiences that are meant
to bring us back into balance with the
path of the Spirit. As such, all of these
realms except for the last, Sheol, are
named after the guardians that keep
watch over these realms and prevent one
from leaving before his allotted time.
The literature of traditional Qabbalah de-

scribes these places as parallel universes
co-existing along side of each other. The
Tree of Life that we are familiar with in the
Golden Dawn is actually a composite Tree
of all of the Trees that actually exist, reflect-
Trees that actually
exist, reflecting the
ing the concept of a muti-verse found in
concept of a muti- many modern scientific theories such as
verse found in
many modern sci-
quantum mechanics and membrane theo-
entific theories such ry. Within each of these is the idea that
as quantum me-
chanics and mem-
we exist in a conglomerate of realms each with different probabili-
brane theory. ties. Thus, with the infinite possibilities, it is the consciousness of a
being and his decisions that decides which realm he ―lives‖ in i.e.,
experiences. A spiritual concept of choice is reflected here, most no-
tably mentioned by St Thomas of Aquinas who stated that should
one turn his consciousness towards the ―New Jerusalem‖ he will
find himself to be in it. Just as well we hear the Hiereus echoed in
the Zelator initiation who warns us that, ―foolish men behold noth-
ing in the world but darkness and obscurity‖. However, we must
remember that although we can choose which realm to be a part
of, we cannot frivolously believe ourselves to be there. Just because
we believe that we are in a heavenly state does not make it so. In
order to become a part of that realm we must have the behaviors
and lifestyle to make it permanent. For, as the Hierophant states in
the 0=0 initiation, ―Although the magical (or spiritual) virtues can
indeed awaken into momentary life in wicked and foolish hearts,
they cannot reign in any heart that hath not the natural virtues to
be their throne‖. If we want to be a part of the heavenly conscious-
ness, we must behave as heavenly beings. If we are living in hell we

(continued)
must analyze which parts of our own

actions and choices are keeping us
there. What these lower realms teach
us is that there are consequences for
our actions and perceptions, and thus
we must align the different parts of
our being with our highest purpose to
move beyond our current state. This
of course is the process of spiritual al-
chemy, the purification of material in-
clination, often through painful expe-
riences, in order to reach a higher
state of consciousness. Keeping this is
mind, let‘s analyze each realm by its
symbolic renderings.
1. Sheol – ―Depth of the Earth‖, literally meaning grave. Sheol corresponds

to the Greek Hades, the seventh level of Hell described in lore as a place
where shades and astral remnants of human beings remain after death to
dissipate. This is an abode where souls no longer remember their earthly
If we want to be a
life and it is described as a place of stillness and inactivity. Consciously, the part of the heaven-
experience of this realm is almost full separation from the Light of God, ly consciousness,
considered to be the worst of all punishments leaving the person as a we must behave as
heavenly beings. If
shadow, a lightless reflection of his true Being. we are living in hell
we must analyze
2. Abaddon- ―Perdition‖, ―Destruction‖. In The Greater Key of Solo- which parts of our
mon Abbadon is said to have been used by Moses to bring forth own actions and
choices are keeping
the Plagues to the land of Egypt. He is sometimes pictured as a hu- us there.
man sized locust and as the ―Lord of Pestilence‖. Known as the
―Angel of the Bottomless Pit‖, Abbadon is the Hebrew name for the
Greek god Apollyon who is described most notably by Cornelius
Agrippa as both a demon and an angel charged with doing God‘s
bidding. Interestingly, Abaddon referred to the pit or cave that was
used in some mystery religions and schools as a rite of passage into
the greater mysteries. Often, the experience would entail the use of
ritual substances that put the aspirant into an altered state in which
he or she could receive a divine revelation. Because the experience
was sometimes unpleasant this rite came to be viewed as being
"hellish." However, it was considered absolutely necessary so that
the seeker may become pure enough to encounter the "Mind of
God". As an angel, Abbadon is described as the "Angel of the bot-
tomless pit who binds Satan for a thousand years". The experience
of this realm is that of being lost or destroyed, feeling as if one is in
total ruin.
Page 38
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
3. Titahion (Tit ha-yawen, TitAisoun, Tythihoz)— ―Clay of Death‖,

―The Filth‖, ―Garbage‖. Possibly derived from the word ―tachtyoth‖
meaning depths or the word ―tisis‖ meaning to suffer retribution.
The name Tityus is derived from the same word, and is known in
lore as a giant who was sentenced to have his liver eaten by vul-
tures for eternity after attempting to rape the goddess Leto. The ex-
perience of this realm is that of extreme guilt.
4. Bar Shasketh (Bershoat, Barashechath, Bor ) — ―Pit of Destruc-

tion‖, ―The Abysmal Pits‖. Derived from the word ―Scachath‖ which
means corruption and ―Bor‖ which means pit. A place of curses,
and a state far removed from Yahweh. The experience here is that
of eternal shame.
5. Tzelmoth — ―Shadow of Death‖. Described in Jeremiah 2:6 as ―a

wilderness, a land of deserts and of pits, a land of drought and of
the shadow of death, and a land where no man passed through
and no man dwelt‖. The experience of this state is of complete emp-
tiness, the ―shadow of death‖, referring to a reflection of Sheol
As mystics studying
where one is withdrawn from God‘s light.
the symbolism of
such esoteric con-
cepts we can gain a
6. Shaari Moth (Sha'arimrath) —―Gates of death‖. A realm of false
deeper understand- perceptions and lies. Associated with Akoman or Aka Manah the
ing of our con-
sciousness as it is
evil mind who wars against Vohu Manah, the good mind. This
trapped in the con- realm is experienced as acute fear.
fusion of the mate-
rial world without
the influence of the 7. Gehinnon, Giyehanim- ―Hell‖ The word Gehenna is derived from the
Divine to enliven its
true purpose.
―Valley of Hinnon‖, a canyon south of Jerusalem where human sacrifices
were made to the Ammonite god Moloch. Later this place was used as a
garbage heap and to burn the bodies of criminals. Here repentant souls
are purified by fire and then sent to the heavenly regions, those who are
unrepentant descend deeper into the depths of Sheol where eventually
they may remain forever. The experience here is one of constant wanting.
As mystics studying the symbolism of such esoteric concepts we

can gain a deeper understanding of our consciousness as it is
trapped in the confusion of the material world without the influ-
ence of the Divine to enliven its true purpose. Here we must be re-
minded that ―Kether is in Malkuth, and Malkuth in Kether‖ and that
it is our duty to continuously unite the Shekinah with her bride-
groom. It is only by first awakening ourselves to the concept and
then furthermore extending our spiritual choices to reflect a higher
understanding that we can rise above that which is often perceived
as a permanent place of pain in life. Indeed pain need not be the

(continued)
ruling force in our existence should we choose to live not only in a

more enlightened state but also by the concepts and teachings of
the spirit. By doing so we raise ourselves out of illusion that the ma-
terial world can affect our true nature and thus move beyond the
perception of guilt, shame, emptiness, fear, ruin, wanting, and the
lack of the Divine in our life to the truest understanding of our crea-
tion, that of Love, Truth, and Knowledge.
Works Referenced
Aggripa, Cornielias. Three Books of Occult Philosophy

Bernstein, Alan. The Formation of Hell
Goodwin‘s Qabbalistic Encyclopedia
Macgregor, Mathers. ―The Qlippoth‖ http://www.angelfire.com/ab6/
imuhtuk/gdmans/kliph.htm
Segal, Alan. Life After Death: The History of the Afterlife in Western Reli-
gion
Turner, Alice. The History of Hell
The Zohar
Copyright © 2010 by Rachel Walker Indeed pain need

not be the ruling
force in our exist-
ence should we
choose to live not
only in a more en-
lightened state but
also by the con-
cepts and teachings
of the spirit.
Page 40
Hermetic Virtues
The Return of Psalmic Magick and the Mixed Qabalah

By Aaron Leitch
I recently discovered a blog post that described the Solomonic arts as "the
new Wicca." As an explanation, the blogger reminded his readers about
the occult scene of the 1990s, when Wicca was the "cool and hip" thing to
do. No one can deny that decade's Neopagan fad, which eventually led
us to The Craft, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter and hun-
dreds of Llewellyn books aimed at a growing Neopagan youth market.
During this period, there was a marked Wiccan influence upon magickal
systems even outside of Neopagan circles, similar to the influence of the
Golden Dawn and Thelema before it.
Today, the trends have shifted somewhat, and magickal ideas and cosmol-
ogies are being influenced from new (yet quite ancient) perspectives. The
shift seemed to begin in the very late 90s and grew considerably after the
turn of the century. It was during this period that a few ATR communities-
initiated practitioners of Santeria, Voodoo, Palo and other African( -
descended) Traditional Religions- began to tentatively admit white people
into their traditions. This was certainly controversial, and the first ATR
Houses to do it were considered rogue. However, before the issue could
become a significant cultural problem, hurricane Katrina devastated New
Orleans and the surrounding southern US. This was the homeland of
Today, the trends
have shifted some-
American ATRs, and Katrina sent its inhabitants into a new Diaspora- fur-
what, and magickal ther disseminating their culture, religion and witchcraft throughout the
ideas and cosmolo-
gies are being influ-
country and around the world.
enced from new
(yet quite ancient) Parallel to, and intimately connected with, these events has come a rising
perspectives. The interest in folk magickal practices
shift seemed to
begin in the very such as Hoodoo from the Ameri-
late 90s and grew can South and Hexcraft (or Pow
considerably after
the turn of the Wow) from the North. A grow-
century. ing number of modern occultists
now publicly entitle themselves
"conjurer", "root-worker" or even
"hexenmeister" - indicating their
devotion to these early-
American folk traditions rather
than the Celtic folk magick that
often defined the Wiccan witch.
(Though I could point out that
Hoodoo had a major yet unsung
influence upon Wicca, space
does not permit me to discuss it
here.)
The classical grimoires- such as the Key of Solomon, the Lemegeton, the
Arbatel of Magic, Heptameron, Liber Juratis, Agrippa's Three Books of Oc-
cult Philosophy, etc- are likewise the subject of much discussion and de-

(continued)
bate. This is hardly surprising given the similarity of their contents to the
practices found in Hexcraft, Hoodoo and ATR systems like Voodoo and
Palo Mayombe. These systems have historically drawn from the grimoires,
and my understanding is that the modern Solomonic occult movement
originated within the ATR communities. It makes sense if true, as the cur-
rent movement continues to draw from them on a foundational level.
And so, we find the opinion that grimoiric magick is "the new Wicca"- that
is, the most influential occult trend. There is certainly a growing fascina-
tion with texts of classical occultism- and their literary predecessors (from
the Picatrix to the Greek Magical Papyri) - that is propelling us in this new
direction. A good number of the most recent, and most exciting, occult
books have focused upon the subject of medieval and Renaissance mag-
ickal philosophy or reproduced rare material from those eras.
There are many names associated with- even blamed for- this turn of
events: Joseph Peterson, David Rankine, Stephen Skinner, Owen Davies,
Jake Stratton-Kent, Frater Rufus Opus, Brother Moloch, Joseph Liseiwski
and several bold scholars at Penn State University: Richard Kieckhefer,
Claire Fanger and their fellow researchers - to name only a bare few who
I certainly like to
have helped to popularize the subject matter in recent years. I am proud believe my work
to say my own name has been implicated as well, thanks to my publica- has introduced
many people to
tions about the medieval and modern grimoiric traditions. magickal subjects
and practices that
I certainly like to believe my work has introduced many people to magickal pre-date Neopagan
subjects and practices that pre-date Neopagan and Golden Dawn sources. and Golden Dawn
sources. And one
And one of those subjects, to which I have paid special attention, was the of those subjects, to
employment of Biblical Psalms as magickal invocations. The grimoires are which I have paid
special attention,
chock-full of them, but- when I first published- there was not a modern oc- was the employ-
cult text to be found that included or even mentioned them. The Solo- ment of Biblical
Psalms as magickal
monic conjurations and exorcisms could be found in countless books on invocations.
magick, but the Psalms had simply been dropped. And with them, in my
opinion, something vital to the heart and soul of the grimoires was lost.
Perhaps the Psalms just felt "too Christian" for a time in which most of us
were rebelling against mainstream Christianity. Perhaps their inclusion
gave the magickal rites the uncomfortable feel of a sermon. I find this fair-
ly likely, since before the turn of the century it was often socially inappro-
priate, amongst Pagans and witches, to admit you studied the Qabalah or
anything remotely Judeo-Christiain in origin. Thus, the Psalms and other
traditional prayers and scripture were eliminated from grimoiric practice,
and replaced with such things as the Golden Dawn's Pentagram and Hex-
agram rituals. Donald Michael Kraig (in his advanced Modern Magick les-
sons) and Konstantinos each published perfect illustrations of that particu-
lar trend.
Thankfully, the anti-Christian prejudice of the Neopagan heyday has re-
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(continued)
laxed over the last few years - especially as aspirants have discovered the
vital role that Jewish, Christian and Muslim mystics have played in the his-
tory of Western occultism. Today, it would not be unusual for a conjurer
to attend a Church service- and really mean it! - in order to satisfy an in-
struction in a grimoire or obtain a particular item or ingredient for a spell.
And, in this same light, he is more likely to turn to Biblical (or Apocryphal)
literature when composing his invocations. To folks like this, the Bible is a
master-book of spells.
Therefore, it is fitting that recent years have seen the publication of some
excellent material upon the magickal tradition of Psalmic magick. First was
Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires in 2005, which restored the Psalms to
their proper place in grimoiric invocations. Then, Joseph Peterson gave us
the classical source for Psalmic folk magick- Use of the Psalms- first online
at the Esoteric Archives and then, in 2008, in his published edition of the
Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses. Finally, Avalonia publishing has just
released two classic magickal texts - translated into English for the first time
- that truly illustrate the exalted position the Psalms once held in Western
occultism, even up to the late 18th Century.
The Book of Gold
This makes the The first of these is Le Livre de'Or, published as The Book of Gold: the Mag-
Book of Gold a
relative of the ic and Spells of the Biblical Psalms by David Rankine and Paul Harry Bar-
books of secrets ron. This gem was discovered at the end of Lansdowne MS 1202, append-
(also called wonder
books, or receipt ed to a French manuscript of the Key of Solomon. A relatively short text,
books) that were
often preserved
the Book of Gold is divided into 150 sections (one for each Psalm) contain-
within family lines ing characters, Divine Names and brief instructions for spells that can be
up until the 20th cast with each Psalm.
century.
The addition of this material to a Solomonic text indicates how important
Psalmic magick was to practitioners of grimoiric mysticism. Not only were
the Psalms necessary for consecrations, exorcisms and evocations, but
they had developed a parallel tradition of magickal application in their
own right- such as healing, protection, winning court cases, gaining love
and friendship, overcoming enemies and similar purposes.
This makes the Book of Gold a relative of the books of secrets (also called
wonder books, or receipt books) that were often preserved within family
lines up until the 20th century. Such books contained everything from
beauty and cleaning tips to spells for love or protection, and not a few of
them drew from the Psalms and other Biblical literature as well as Church
liturgy for their magick. (A full discussion of receipt books can be found in
the essay Modern Grimoire Magick: Folk Magick and the Solomonic Path,
published online by the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition.)
Manuscripts like the Book of Gold were basically receipt books that fo-

(continued)
cused exclusively upon the Psalms. The most famous example first ap-
peared with the Hebrew title Sepher Shimmush Tehillim - more commonly
known today as Use of the Psalms. This was a primary source-book for Re-
naissance folk magick, and finally made its way to America and the Hoo-
doo and Hexcraft folk traditions that arose here. It eventually became
bound to the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (another Hoodoo favor-
ite) and from there became a staple of ATR magickal literature. Today you
can visit nearly any Botanica in the world and find Use of the Psalms in
both English and Spanish translations.
More important to us here, Use of the Psalms became a major contributing
source to the Book of Gold. Both books share a similar structure and con-
tent - with at least one out of six spells in the Book of Gold having been
copied directly from Use of the Psalms.
Rankine and Barron have further expanded the Book of Gold by including
commentary for each spell. This commentary includes translations for Lat-
in verses as well as practical instructions for the spells, and they also pro-
vide information about each Psalm as it is used in other grimoiric texts:
such as Liber Juratis, the Heptameron, the Munich Handbook of Necro-
mancy (CLM 849), the Book of Abramelin, the Steganographia, the Leme-
geton and even the Key of Solomon itself. Several references are also A Collection of
Magical Secrets is a
made to A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah - an inspiring little manuscript we shining example of
shall discuss below. Taken all together, this makes the Book of Gold a true a medieval receipt
book or book of
compendium of Western Psalmic magick, as well as an index to the Psalms secrets. It claims to
used in most of the popular grimoires. If the Psalms are calling to you, this have drawn its
material from gri-
book is a must-have for your studies. moiric masters such
as Peter de Abano
A Collection of Magical Secrets and A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah and Cornelius
Agrippa
This Avalonia publication, by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine, is actual-
ly two pamphlets bound into one book. Like the Book of Gold, they were
found appended to a manuscript of the Key of Solomon- in this case, Well-
come MS 4669 (another of Skinner and Rankine's sources for the Veritable
Key of Solomon). This particular manuscript is one of the younger Keys,
with the relatively recent copy date of 1796. Even at this late period the
Psalmic tradition was going strong, and the most elaborate ritual de-
scribed in the Treatise of Mixed Cabalah centers upon it. However, before
I describe this powerful method of employing the Psalms, I should spare a
few words to review the first part of the book:
A Collection of Magical Secrets is a shining example of a medieval receipt
book or book of secrets. It claims to have drawn its material from grimoiric
masters such as Peter de Abano and Cornelius Agrippa, although the
spells contained within it are not found in the Heptameron or Three
Books.... Still, what the book presents is not far removed from what can be
found in Agrippa's First Book of Occult Philosophy, or indeed in countless
Page 44
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(continued)
grimoiric manuscripts from the medieval and Renaissance periods. As the

editors of A Collection... point out in their introduction, material from
books of secrets would often find their way into the more elaborate gri-
moiric texts. Thus, we find in the Key of Solomon (as published by Samuel
Mathers) the necessary seals and ceremonies for spiritual evocation along-
side one-off spells like anti-poaching (―To Hender Sportsman from Killing
Any Game‖) and fashioning magickal pants for speedy travel (―How to
Make the Magic Garters‖).
A Collection of Magical Secrets is divided into two parts. In the first -
―Magical Operations for Difficult Objects‖- we find a preponderance of
spells for discovering thieves or returning stolen items. Mixed in with them
are a few spells for gaining love or granting wishes. Of particular interest
to the student of grimoiric literature is the use of the AGLA seal found in
the journals of Dr. John Dee (intended for inscription on the back of the
Seal of the True God). In A Collection..., it is used along with a prayer to
find stolen objects. Of equal historical interest is the inclusion of a sieve-
spell for finding stolen objects or hidden information. Researchers of Gold-
en Dawn history will be familiar with the story of a sieve-spell cast by Sam-
uel Mathers during his fall from the Order's graces. (Legend has it that he
used it to thwart those in the Golden Dawn who secretly opposed him.)
There is a magickal
ring attributed to The second section of A Collection... is
Lucibel (apparently entitled ―Secrets Taken from Agrippa‖,
related to Lucifer)
which purports to though it is nothing of the sort. What it
grant its wearer the does contain are spells for a wide varie-
power to work a
wide variety of ty of uses: love, sex and birth control,
miracles- from invisi- beauty aides, gambling, invisibility,
bility to healing.
transportation, to aid birth and nursing,
weather magick, memory and learning
aides, protection, insect repellent, gild-
ing without gold, discovering hidden
information and a large number of
medical cures and pain remedies. Then,
somewhat crossing into the territory of
the grimoires, it also contains numerous examples of spells to communi-
cate with spirits or have them as familiars, as well as instructions for fash-
ioning several magickal rings.
These grimoire-style spells are not as elaborate as the conjurations we find
in the Key of Solomon or the Heptameron. However, they are the longest
and most complex spells offered in A Collection.... There is a magickal ring
attributed to Lucibel (apparently related to Lucifer) which purports to
grant its wearer the power to work a wide variety of miracles- from invisi-
bility to healing. There are even methods outlined for contacting angelic
creatures such as Huriel (who is surely connected to Uriel) as well as an

(continued)
unnamed ―Good Angel‖ who will answer

questions. This material deserves its own
study – however, because it does not par-
ticularly focus upon the Psalms, I will move
on to A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah.
When I learned of this new publication, I
was more excited by A Treatise of Mixed
Cabalah than anything else offered in the
book. This was thanks to the following
cryptic comments made by Abraham the
Jew- author of the Book of Abramelin, as
translated by Mathers from the French
manuscript:
―It is, however, certainly true that the-
se miraculous operations have much
in common with the Qabalah; it is also true that there be other arts
which have some stamp of wisdom; the which alone would be
nothing worth were they not mingled with the foundation of the
sacred ministry, whence later arose the Mixed Qabalah.
[…] Here, I offer my
own: Abraham
Finally, let us conclude that from the divine mystery are derived the- appears to define
se three kinds of Qabalah, viz.: the Mixed Qabalah, and the true wis- the Mixed Qabalah
as twelve different
dom, and the (true) magic.‖ [The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra- arts or sciences that
melin the Mage, Book II, Chapter 1 ―What and How Many be the incorporate some
material from the
Forms of Veritable Magic‖] Hebrew Qabalah.
With these words, Abraham divides veritable magick (as opposed to the
grimoires and spell-books that he finds fraudulent) into three categories.
The True Wisdom is likely the Qabalah itself, and therefore would have
been first in importance to Abraham. In the book, he explains that Jewish
tradition permitted him to teach the Qabalah only to his first-born son.
Therefore, he bequeathed the Book of Abramelin to his second eldest in
compensation. This is what Abraham called the True and Sacred Magick-
the next of his categories of veritable magick. The final category is what
most interests us here: the Mixed Qabalah.
Abraham did have more to say about the subject, but he only served to
deepen the mystery:
―The arts are principally twelve. Four in number, 3, 5, 7, 9, among
the numbers in the Mixed Qabalah. The second is the most perfect
one, the which operateth by sign and visions. Two of the even
numbers, namely 6 and 2, which operate with the stars and the ce-
lestial courses which we call astronomy. Three consisteth in the
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(continued)
metals, and 2 in the planets. As to all these arts, the which be con-
joined and mingled together with the sacred Qabalah...‖ [The Book
of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, Book II, Chapter 1]
Abraham goes on to issue a warning that these arts of the Mixed Qabalah
work via natural laws and have ―probable effects‖- much akin to simple sci-
entific experiments- and are not supernatural or spiritual.
Meanwhile, the wording in the above quote leaves much to be desired. If
you read this text online at the Esoteric Archives, you can see Joseph Pe-
terson's interpretation. Here, I offer my own: Abraham appears to define
the Mixed Qabalah as twelve different arts or sciences that incorporate
some material from the Hebrew Qabalah. Arts numbers two and six are
concerned with astronomy (which at the time included astrology), with
number two specifically focused upon a study of the planets. However, of
all the twelve arts, four of them especially represent what we would recog-
nize as the magickal arts of the Mixed Qabalah: Arts three, five, seven and
nine. Art number three represents work with metals, which likely indicates
alchemy. Art number five is the ―most perfect‖ because it is the art of re-
ceiving signs and visions. Sadly, Abraham says nothing at all about arts
Part of the answer seven or nine (nor, for that matter, about arts one, four, eight, or ten
came when I dis-
covered that through twelve).
Mathers had ex-
cluded an entire For many years I searched for what all of this could possibly mean. The
section of the Book astrology and alchemy certainly made sense- as each of these studies has
of Abramelin from
his translation, indeed been influenced by the Qabalah. I would like to have had some
because it com-
prised a collection
example of obtaining signs and visions via the Mixed Qabalah, although I
of spells very similar figured I had fairly good illustrations of this in books like Liber Juratis and
to what we see in A numerous other texts. However, what were arts seven and nine?
Collection of Magi-
cal Secrets or other
receipt books.
Part of the answer came when I discovered that Mathers had excluded an
entire section of the Book of Abramelin from his translation, because it
comprised a collection of spells very similar to what we see in A Collection
of Magical Secrets or other receipt books. To Mathers' Victorian mindset,
this section of Abramelin appeared to be an irrelevant addition of low-
magick into an otherwise transcendental magickal rite, and could there-
fore be excised. However, this created confusion later in the book, when
Abraham suggests that some magickal work is allowable during the first
two phases of the Abramelin operation (see Book II, chapter 10 of the
French version). In the section I quoted above, Abraham makes it very
clear that only three types of magick are veritable: it is already assumed
the aspirant does not have access to the Qabalah (the True Wisdom), and
he is still in the process of gaining the True and Sacred Magick. Therefore,
the only magick that should be permissible during the first phases of Abra-
melin would be the Mixed Qabalah – and Mathers had deleted it from his
edition.

(continued)
Much of this material was recently restored by Georg Dehn and Steven
Guth in their translation of the original German Book of Abramelin. It in-
deed confirmed that Abraham's ―Mixed Qabalah‖ (likely art seven or nine)
was the same kind of folk-magick we have discussed in this essay. There
are spells here for protection, healing, warfare, peace, love, fertility, birth,
weather magick, aid in court, destroying walls, help during famine and
even invisibility. None of the spells in this section make use of the infa-
mous Abramelin word-square talismans, but nearly all of them draw invo-
cations from Biblical writings such as Isaiah, the Song of Solomon, Ezekiel,
Job and- as you must surely guess- the Psalms. (Therefore, the Book of
Abramelin now stands with all of the texts discussed in this essay, as pre-
serving a portion of the Psalmic magickal tradition.)
Thus was another piece of the mystery of ―Mixed Qabalah‖ solved. How-
ever, more research was stalled by the fact that Abraham offered no fur-
ther leads, and the actual term ―Mixed Qabalah‖ was not to be found out-
side his book. At least, that is, until Avalonia's publication of A Treatise of
Mixed Cabalah: Which Comprises the Angelic Art Taken From Hebrew
Sages. This was the first evidence I had ever seen that the Mixed Qabalah
was indeed a unique current of Western Occultism, existing outside the
bounds of Abramelin. With much anticipation, I carefully read through
Each angel and day
the four sections of this little book: is governed by a
particular Name of
All four sections are entitled God. Golden
―Concerning Miscellaneous Caba- Dawn students will
be thrilled to learn
lah‖: Parts One, Two, Three and that these names
Four. Part One begins with a simple are the same ones
used in their system
overview of the ten Sephiroth upon the Se-
(Numerations, or spheres of heaven) phiroth.
– including the name of each
sphere, its Divine Name, Archangel,
choir of angels, planet and the Bibli-
cal prophet for whom the sphere's
Archangel was guardian. Then,
without breaking, it launches directly
into a fascinating ritual by which we
might ―know whatever you desire
from the angels.‖ The angels in
question are the Archangels of the
seven planets as found in many grimoiric texts:
Cassiel, Angel of Saturday and Saturn
Sachiel, Angel of Thursday and Jupiter
Samael, Angel of Tuesday and Mars
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(continued)
Michael, Angel of Sunday and Sol

Anael, Angel of Friday and Venus
Raphael, Angel of Wednesday and Mercury
Gabriel, Angel of Monday and Luna
Each angel and day is governed by a particular Name of God. Golden
Dawn students will be thrilled to learn that these names are the same
ones used in their system upon the Sephiroth.
The ritual is performed on eight specific days, with two-days rest between
each day of ritual. If you are lucky enough to perform the entire operation
without breaking, it would take you three weeks. However, the moon
must be waxing for each day of ritual, and if it begins to wane the aspirant
must leave off and continue when the moon waxes again. Therefore, it is
most likely the third week of the process will have to take place in the
month following its beginning, making the entire ritual a nearly 40-day
process. It should begin and end on the day of the angel you wish to con-
tact. If you are unsure of the proper planetary angel to focus upon, then
Mercury (which governs communication, secrets and magick) is suggested
If you think back to
my previous quotes for general purposes. The six days in between are spent invoking the oth-
from the Book of er six angels.
Abramelin, you will
remember that Before the process begins, the aspirant is warned to live rightly and to be
there were four
principal arts of the free from sin. (Part One does not specify a length of time for ritual prepa-
Mixed Qabalah- rations, but Part Two will suggest a sin-free period of seven months.)
two of which he
defined (arts three Then, upon each ritual day, he must fast on bread and water for that en-
and five) and two tire day. He must rise one hour before sunrise, presumably giving time to
which he passed
over without com- wash before entering the oratory or sacred space. Then, as dawn breaks,
ment (arts seven he must recite a series of prayers seven times- each iteration consisting of
and nine).
two Psalms followed by a prayer to God (via the Divine Name of the day)
and then to the angel of the day.
The text includes the two Psalms and two prayers in Latin, but the editors
unfortunately did not offer translations. (This is the one major failing
throughout this book, as translations of all the Latin material would have
made the book much stronger.) Beyond this, A Treatise... has nothing fur-
ther to say about the operation nor its expected results. After providing
the necessary prayers, Part One abruptly ends.
If you think back to my previous quotes from the Book of Abramelin, you
will remember that there were four principal arts of the Mixed Qabalah-
two of which he defined (arts three and five) and two which he passed
over without comment (arts seven and nine). One of these two latter arts
is likely represented in Abraham's list of charms based upon the Psalms
and other biblical scripture. I feel the remaining art is likely represented

(continued)
here in A Treatise..., Part One. Given the focus here upon the number sev-
en (seven days, seven planets, seven angels, seven repetitions), I would
assign this to art number seven. That would make Abraham's biblical-
scripture charms art number nine.
The second part of A Treatise... appears to be intimately connected to the
first part. It will instruct the aspirant to make use of the same prayers given
at the end of Part One, and to call upon the same seven planetary Archan-
gels. It is also an eight-day process, beginning and ending on the day of
the chosen planet. And its invocations are also repeated seven times each
day. However, it will take place over eight consecutive days, possesses its
own unique procedure and- best of all- this is a rite of Psalmic magick.
The purpose of the ritual is to consecrate and enliven the material used in
the creation of magickal talismans. The book includes a list of Psalms and
the magickal powers attributed to them- much akin to both Use of the
Psalms and the Book of Gold. Once a suitable Psalm verse has been cho-
sen, this ritual is used to both purify the material upon which the verse will
be inscribed and to ritually program that verse into the material itself. In
order to perform this rite, one needs the base material, a fire, an iron or
earthen pot, pure white wine bought especially for this purpose, holy wa- Finally, upon the
ter and a round mould. Also needed are perfumes – sweet smelling for eighth day when
the chosen plane-
good purposes or foul smelling for evil or destruction. tary day has re-
turned, the aspirant
The materials suggested for these talis- rises once again
mans are virgin wax, pure gold or pure just before sunrise.
It is not necessary
silver. The wax is suggested for healing to bless the material
purposes (and for good reason, as we again; instead the
fire must be lit at
shall see). Silver and gold are recom- sunrise with its own
mended for all other needs- with gold blessing (included,
in Latin).
preferred if you are attempting to gain
favours from people in positions of au-
thority.
Before attempting the rite, the text sug-
gests one should be free from all sin for
the space of seven lunar months. The ritual begins on the day of the plan-
et appropriate to the magickal goal and continues each day until return-
ing to the planetary day. The aspirant enters his sacred space before sun-
rise, faces east and- holding his right hand over the base material- recites
payers of blessing seven times. The prayers are given in A Treatise..., but
again are not translated from the Latin.
Once the blessings are complete, roughly at sunrise, the fire is lit beneath
the iron pot and the material is cast into it. While it heats up, the aspirant
is to fumigate it with perfumes and recite the previously-chosen Psalm
verse over it, again doing these things seven times.
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(continued)
By now, the material will begin the process of melting (wax) or turning red
(metal). As it does so, the prayers from Part One of A Treatise... are recited.
The text does not say to repeat these seven times – and in the case of wax
I doubt it would be necessary to leave it on the fire for that long.
Finally, the pot is taken from the fire and the material is poured into the
white wine to quench it. While doing this, the aspirant must recite the
Psalm verse once again.
Nothing further needs to be done on a given day. Over the next six days,
this exact same process will be repeated – only altering the prayers (from
Part One) to call upon the proper Divine Name and angel of the day. The
only major departure is the consecration of the seventh day, when the ma-
terial must be quenched in holy water instead of white wine. This com-
pletes the consecration of the base material, over which the related Psalm
verse has been repeated eight times a day for seven consecutive days.
(Notice that these recitations are done while the material melts and when
it is quenched, two points during which the material is transformed on a
molecular level by fire and water. This is a very alchemical process.)
Within the triangles Finally, upon the eighth day when the chosen planetary day has returned,
formed by the
points of the hepta-
the aspirant rises once again just before sunrise. It is not necessary to bless
gram are written the material again; instead the fire must be lit at sunrise with its own bless-
the seven Names of ing (included, in Latin). The material is once again placed into the iron pot
God (those given in
Part One of the to melt, fumigated while the Psalm verse is recited over it seven times and
book). Directly
beneath them,
then the prayers from Part One are recited again.
around the seven
sides of the hepta-
Once the material has melted, it is poured into the mould while the Psalm
gon, are written the verse is repeated once more, followed by an invocation that is included (in
names of the seven
planetary Archan-
Latin) in the book. The material is finally allowed to cool naturally in the
gels who answer to mould.
those Divine
Now here is a fascinating point. If the intention is for healing a wound,
then the mould is not necessary. Instead, the wax is left in its melting pot
and herbs are added that are known to aid in healing the type of wound
in question. Then the wax, presumably while it is still warm and some-
what liquid, is applied directly onto the wound. Thus, we have here a
balm or plaster that can be applied onto wounds before bandaging to
hasten their healing. If, on the other hand, the healing is being done for a
third party or at a distance, then (after the herbs are added) the wax can
still be poured into a mould for the creation of a talisman.
The text goes on, then, to describe how to fashion the talismans – called
heptacles in this case because a seven-pointed star is inscribed upon all of
them. Starting at the very top of the disk, seven points are marked out
around the circumference, which are then connected at every second
point to form a heptagram (or seven-pointed star). In the center of this

(continued)
star is inscribed a heptagon (or seven-sided figure). Within the triangles

formed by the points of the heptagram are written the seven Names of
God (those given in Part One of the book). Directly beneath them, around
the seven sides of the heptagon, are written the names of the seven plane-
tary Archangels who answer to those Divine Names. As to which point of
this heptagram should be topmost, the text tells us to rotate it so that the
Names of the planet we are working with is at the top. Finally, the Psalm
verse that has been chosen for this spell must be inscribed in the very cen-
ter of the heptacle.
Nothing is said about when this should be fashioned, but I would suggest
the best time would be on the final day of the process, after the material
has cooled somewhat in the mould but while it remains pliable and easy
to inscribe. This should also mean it will be inscribed upon the day and in
the hour (dawn) attributed to the planet with which one is working.
The text goes on to list all of the Psalm verses you might need, grouped in
this case according to their uses. While they are only provided in Latin,
the editors did include footnotes showing us exactly where to find these
verses in the Bible. Their uses are the same as we have discussed else-
Upon returning to
where in this essay: healing, protection, love, prosperity, divination, etc. In the bedchamber,
my opinion, this rite stands with the Mixed Qabalah material found in the the aspirant is to
undress and kneel
Book of Abramelin (Dehn's edition), and which I previously suggested rep- before the image of
resented Abraham's art number nine. A Treatise... focuses upon the God while holding
the blessed candle
Psalms, while what we find in Abramelin draws from a wider range of Bib- in his right hand. A
lical scripture. However, I see no reason why the consecration process prayer to God is
offered (included in
outlined here, could not be applied to the charms provided by Abraham. Latin in the book),
and then the Seal
Part 3 of A Treatise of Mixed Cabalah is much less elaborate than Part 2, of the angel is
but not a bit less fascinating. It concerns a method by which dream- placed onto the
Sign of the Living
visions may be obtained from a group of seven angels. These are not the God.
same group we have been discussing so far, though they would appear to
be closely related (possibly simply from another source):
Uriel, Angel of Saturday

Salatiel, Angel of Thursday
Michael, Angel of Tuesday
Raphael, Angel of Sunday
Anatiel, Angel of Friday
Adoniel, Angel of Wednesday
Gabriel, Angel of Monday
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(continued)
Each angel is given his own seal (with a blank space in the bottom of its
circumference) along with a special prayer of invocation in Latin. There is
also a Sign of the Living God (no relationship to the Enochian Seal of the
True God or its predecessors) that must be inscribed on virgin paper with
a dove's feather pen and ink- all of which must be consecrated before use.
Also needed are an image of God (perhaps an icon or the Sign of the Liv-
ing God itself), and consecrated candle, censor and incense.
On the day the aspirant wishes to use the magick (chosen, of course, ac-
cording to the angel he wishes to contact); he must be free from even mi-
nor sins. The book gives a short Latin prayer that should be recited again
and again throughout the day. It is also necessary to fast on this day, and
to eat only at ―the permitted hour.‖ No information is provided about this
permitted hour, nor what is permissible to eat. However, previous parts of
this text have suggested fasting on bread and water. Finally, the aspirant's
bedchamber should be well cleaned, and no one else should enter it for
the entire day.
In the evening, before going to bed, the aspirant will enter his bedcham-
ber with the censor and thoroughly perfume the room. If there is enough
left over, he should then leave the bedchamber and perfume the other
rooms of his home. Upon returning to the bedchamber, the aspirant is to
Because this is such
a straightforward undress and kneel before the image of God while holding the blessed can-
method of divina- dle in his right hand. A prayer to God is offered (included in Latin in the
tion, I suspect it
should be classed book), and then the Seal of the angel is placed onto the Sign of the Living
in Abraham's art God. In the space provided at the bottom of the circumference of the
number five of the
Mixed Qabalah- Seal, the aspirant now writes what he desires from the angel- most likely
concerned with with the same consecrated pen and ink as before.
signs and visions.
When finished, the candle is extinguished and the two Signs (of God and
of the angel) are taken and placed under the head of the bed. Once in
bed, the aspirant recites his ―usual everyday prayers‖ followed by the invo-
cation of the angel provided with each of the seven Seals. At this point
one needs only go to sleep, and the requested dream vision should come.
Because this procedure focuses upon gaining visions, I feel it should be
classed under Abraham's art number five (the most perfect of the arts of
the Mixed Qabalah) as outlined in the Book of Abramelin.
At last, we reach Part Four of A Treatise on Mixed Qabalah.... It is similar to
books of fate, used for bibliomancy, which were popular at the time this
text was written. It will not be necessary to spend much time on this por-
tion of the text in this essay, though much more could certainly be written
about it. Here, I will simply explain that Part Four is a collection of 112 re-
sponses to any divinatory question one may wish to ask. A prayer is given
for recitation before generating the response, and then the 112 responses
themselves are listed. The reader is invited to use any method he wishes

(continued)
to generate a number between 1 and 112- whether by casting lots, draw-

ing cards or even simply opening the book to a random spot amongst the
responses. Because this is such a straightforward method of divination, I
suspect it should be classed in Abraham's art number five of the Mixed Qa-
balah- concerned with signs and visions.
Thanks to Skinner and Rankine, a much larger portion of Abraham's cryp-
tic explanation of the Mixed Qabalah (as outlined in the Book of Abramel-
in) can now be understood. And they have finally returned this stream to
its rightful place within the Western Esoteric current. I believe that A Col-
lection of Magical Secrets and a Treatise of Mixed Cabalah and The Book
of Gold are already classics of magick, and are must-have texts for the
bookshelf of any modern student or practitioner of the Solomonic magick-
al arts.
Zorge,
Copyright © 2010 by Aaron Leitch
Thanks to Skinner
and Rankine, a
much larger por-
tion of Abraham's
cryptic explanation
of the Mixed Qaba-
lah (as outlined in
the Book of Abra-
melin) can now be
understood.
Page 54
Hermetic Virtues
The Angelical Language: Vol. I & II: A Review

By Samuel Scarborough
The words Enochian Magic are some of

the most mysterious and awe-shrouded
words and works within the realm of the
Western Mystery Tradition. It is a subject
that is alluring and terrifying (for some)
at the same time. There has been a lot
written on this late Renaissance form of
magic scryed, developed, and written
down in the late 1500‘s by John Dee
and Edward Kelley – some of it historical-
ly accurate and some just sensationalism.
In the last year or so, there have been a
couple more books added to the grow-
ing research into Enochian Magic and
John Dee. Of these new books I am go-
ing to be looking at The Angelical Lan-
guage: Vol. I: The Complete History and
Mythos of the Tongue of Angels and The
Angelical Language: Vol. II: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the Tongue of
The first thing that Angels. While these are two volumes, they are one book on the interest-
strikes a person
about these two
ing history and use of the Tongue of Angels.
volumes is that they
are hardcover with Mister Leitch has decided to look at the more traditional aspects and lan-
dust jackets and are guage associated with Dee and Kelley‘s Enochian language rather than
published by Llew-
ellyn Publications. the more modern redaction done by the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crow-
Yes, that is correct, ley. This is more in line with his ―traditionalist‖ or ―Dee purist‖ attitude to-
you are not seeing
things, I did write, wards approaching the Enochian material produced by Dee and Kelley.
―hardcover with There is nothing wrong with this approach, and certainly the original Dee
dust jackets‖.
material could stand to have some modern scholarship from a practicing
magician who has something of a handle on the material in the first place
rather than by some academician who has never practiced any magical
work or path before.
The first thing that strikes a person about these two volumes is that they
are hardcover with dust jackets and are published by Llewellyn Publica-
tions. Yes, that is correct, you are not seeing things, I did write, ―hardcover
with dust jackets‖. This seems to be something of a departure for Llewellyn
in that they have several new books forthcoming that will be in hardcover
rather than the usual trade paperback covers that they normally produce.
The next thing about the two volumes that gets your attention (especially
in this economic climate) is the cover price. The first volume of this book
retails for $39.95 US Dollars, while the second volume retails for $59.95 US
Dollars, making this one book in two volumes seem a bit expensive and it
might give the potential reader some sticker shock.

(continued)
The real meat of these two volumes is not the window dressing of the
hardcover, the dust jacket or the sticker price. It is the material contained
with the covers. Mister Leitch, who has written other material, notably Se-
crets of Magickal Grimoires (also published by Llewellyn), has improved on
his writing style. It has gotten better – which is saying something because
his style in Secrets of Magickal Grimoires was good and easy to read. In
these two volumes Leitch‘s writing is again easy to read and understand. It
shows that not only does he have an understanding of the material that
he is discussing; he also has a deep passion for the subject which comes
through in his writing.
Looking at the individual volumes of this book, we first have The Angelical
Language: Vol. I: The Complete History and Mythos of the Tongue of the
Angels. In this volume, Mister Leitch looks at the history, the events, and
even some of the preceding material that Dee drew from in regards to
working with the ―Enochian‖ angels. This includes such works as the Fifty
Gates of Binah and the Book of Enoch, of which there are three versions
or books. The earliest, I Enoch is probably the oldest known Apocrypha
associated with both the Bible and with Hebrew texts. In addition to these
books there is also a grimoire known as the Book of Soyga. There was little
known about this grimoire outside of its references in Dee‘s journals, until
The various chap-
it was discovered to also have the alternate name of Aldaraia of which ters give a lot of
there are two copies in England. information on the
work that Dee and
Further material in the first volume include how Dee and Kelley received Kelley did in their
scrying sessions
the Book of Loagaeth (Speech from God), reception of the Forty-Nine Tab- with the Angels,
lets, the reception of the Forty-Eight Angelical Keys or Calls, the Gates of but Aaron Leitch
does not get
Heaven and the Practice of the Holy Book, The Celestial Speech, and an bogged down in
Angelical Psalter. These chapters are followed by a bibliography and an detail.
index.
The various chapters give a lot of information on the work that Dee and
Kelley did in their scrying sessions with the Angels, but Aaron Leitch does
not get bogged down in detail. He presents the material on these sessions
in a readable and educated manner without becoming boring or too aca-
demic.
The heart of The Angelical Language: Vol. I is the chapter on The Celestial
Speech. This chapter goes into the mythology of the Angelical language
from what the various angels told Dee and Kelley, and how the original
Celestial Language was spread around the world after the Adam‘s fall
from grace and the loss of the Garden of Eden. This chapter goes into the
alphabet of Angelical, its English/Latin equivalents, and what each letter
looks like. Mister Leitch also adapts from Agrippa an art to calculating
names in the manner of qabalists. This is an interesting section that shows
the layered approach that Mister Leitch is employing within his book. He
Page 56
Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
also gives several charts that are of use

for this and other methods of deriving
names in Angelical.
Finally, the last chapter in the first vol-
ume is An Angelical Psalter or the
Enochian Calls in both English and Dee
purist Enochian. Mister Leitch discusses
the pronunciation of the various words
and what the sounds are of the
Enochian alphabet as a means of intro-
duction to the various Calls. Once he
gets into the Calls themselves, he places
the English translation on the left side
and the Enochian on the right. He
breaks each call up into its component
lines, and with the Enochian places a
phonetic pronunciation under each of
the Enochian words of the Calls.
The Angelical Language: Vol. II: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the Tongue of
The author com- Angels is more than just a list of words and meanings; it is a guide to the
pletely cross refer- pronunciation, the rules of use of these words, how to compound words
ences the previous-
ly used Forty-Eight and what constitutes a compound word in Angelical or Enochian. In all
Angelical Calls or this second volume is a weighty tome covering the linguistics of the Angel-
Keys from the first
volume to analysis ical language.
of the various
words, their roots, The author completely cross references the previously used Forty-Eight
suffixes and prefix- Angelical Calls or Keys from the first volume to analysis of the various
es.
words, their roots, suffixes and prefixes. This may be the first time that such
a cross referencing of these Forty-Eight Call has been done.
The real heart of The Angelical Language: Vol. II: An Encyclopedic Lexicon
of the Tongue of Angels is Chapter Three, An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the
Tongue of Angels. This is the ultimate resource for Angelical to English
and back. This chapter spans 493 pages, it really is encyclopedic in size,
giving the reader a detailed dictionary to use in study and practical use in
communicating with angels of all kinds.
Each of the listings is given as they would be in a dictionary: with the
word in Angelical; alternate spellings; part of speech. i.e. noun, verb, prep-
osition, etc.; meaning in English; spelling in Angelical or Enochian alpha-
bet; pronunciation notes; and additional related words. This is a detailed
reference that far exceeds any other Enochian dictionary that is available
today on the market.
What can I say about the book? Well first, the book is well written by Aa-

(continued)
ron Leitch, who clearly knows and understands the material he is writing
about in this book. Easy to read and understand. The author also takes the
time to cite where he is getting source information for his conclusions.
These are given as endnotes at the end of each chapter. The book is well
illustrated with various charts and diagrams which relate to the material
being discussed. There are not extraneous diagrams or graphics to take
away from the message, the readability, or information presented by the
author. The first volume is indexed, which is a help to finding material.
Both volumes have extremely thorough bibliographies showing where
the author drew material from and where the enterprising reader can fol-
low up with questions as well as verifying the author‘s point of view.
Additionally, it is good to see that Llewellyn Publications has decided that
this work is important enough to be hardcover with nice dust jackets. This
will aid in the book lasting as it is primarily a reference work to be used
over and over again.
The real test of these books is that Volume II will be used as a reference
work by those that work with Angelical or Enochian, and needs to hold
up to the abuse of constant use for translating and writing material in An-
gelical for practical working. Yes, practical working. That is what these two The real test of
these books is that
volumes are for. Volume II will be
used as a reference
These are two volumes may seem a bit pricey – they come in at just under work by those that
$100 for the two, but they are well worth it. These books will be more work with Angeli-
cal or Enochian,
than a working resource for any magician that actually does Angelical and needs to hold
workings in the Dee tradition. They are not necessarily for the novice ma- up to the abuse of
constant use for
gician who has little experience with Angelical, but they certainly lend translating and
themselves to the intermediate and advanced magician‘s repertoire or re- writing material in
Angelical for practi-
sources to draw from. I have the feeling that the second volume will not sit cal working. Yes,
long on a bookshelf gathering dust, but will be in use a great deal of the practical working.
time.
The Angelical Language: Vol. I: The Complete History and Mythos of the
Tongue of Angels, Aaron Leitch. Llewellyn Publications
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1490-5. 307 pages. $39.95 USD
The Angelical Language: Vol. II: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the Tongue of
Angels, Aaron Leitch. Llewellyn Publications
ISBN: 978-0-7387-1491-2. 589 pages. $59.95 USD.
Copyright © 2010 by Samuel Scarborough

Page 58
Hermetic Virtues
Raising the Serpent in the Western Mystery Tradition

Part 2: The Serpent
by Harry Wendrich
In Serpent magic, there is a general and a specific. We begin with a large

circle which encompasses many archetypes, and as one‘s sphere of sensa-
tion becomes more balanced so the circle spirals inwards and focuses
more closely towards the Oneness of all things.
Serpent energy can be met generally, but we need a spirit guide or con-
tact to specifically be initiated into working with serpent energy.
Part one of this series looked at how the kundalini fire (serpent power) can
be activated through the balancing of the archetypal worlds, and how to
contact one‘s inner guide. Archetypes hold elemental influences as well
as planetary energies, and, it was postulated, emanate from the Earth her-
self.
There are three main types of kundalini force:
1. the sexual energy;
2. the spiritual fire;
3. the serpent(s)
The first is the primitive sexual
energy, experienced in love-
making. This energy, when used
This energy can be
useful to the Magi-
in the imagination, acts as a
cian when project- magnetic force to attract a mate
ed into the heart
centre, where it can
for purposes of procreation: it is
be stored and re- an inherent survival-of-the-
leased in ceremoni-
al magic as astral
species energy. This energy can
magnetism. be useful to the Magician when
projected into the heart centre,
where it can be stored and re-
leased in ceremonial magic as
astral magnetism. In fact, when
somebody has just gone
through a major initiation and
all the barriers are down, you
can quite often feel the sexual ―Eve‖, by Harry Wendrich, © Wendrich artHouse 2008
magnetism being released.
The second type of kundalini is the spiritual fire which rises from the base
of the spine. It is activated as a direct result of the balancing of the sexual
energy via the archetypes. As it rises, it purifies the energy points (chakras)
within the body, and prepares the Magician for further work with the ser-
pent force. For example, when the fire reaches the solar plexus area a sev-
en-headed serpent rises out of the depths . Two of its heads rise up and
touch the eyes of the Magician, opening them to see more deeply into the

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
Qlippothic realms. (The third eye is always opened via the solar plexus.)
As the fire rises up to the heart centre, the Magician is given a magical
sword within the astral. This sword is vital for further work with serpents.
It is used only when light and truth are needed, in any area where de-
mons are encountered, obscuring the truth. Thus it is helpful to conse-
crate and connect one‘s ceremonial sword with this inner sword of light.
Once the fire has reached the top of the head and rushes out, it purifies
the Magician. He is then given a choice – whether he wishes to carry on
or stay as he is, for the Magician has reached a high plateau from which
he can explore and extract further knowledge.
In this paper, we shall explore the third type of kundalini force: raising the
serpent.
What is the Serpent?
The serpent appears in the mythologies of numerous traditions from all
over the world, as a symbol of creation, wisdom, fertility, and healing, yet
also death, chaos, deception, and transformation; from Quetzalcoatl
(feathered serpent) to Mucalinda the naga (snake-like being) who protect-
ed Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment, the list is enor-
mous.
Ningizzida, a Mesopotamian dei- Ningizzida, a Meso-
potamian deity of
ty of the Underworld, was some- the Underworld,
times depicted as a serpent with was sometimes
depicted as a ser-
a human head, eventually be- pent with a human
coming a god of healing and head, eventually
becoming a god of
magic. He is the oldest known healing and magic.
representation of two snakes en-
twined around a rod, predating
the Caduceus of Hermes, the
Rod of Asclepius and the staff of
Moses by more than a millenni-
um 1. ‗Nin Giz Zida‘ is also an-
other name for the ancient Hin-
The Sumerian god Ningizzida accompanied by two gryphons.
du concept of Kundalini.
Among the Egyptian Pantheon, Isis, Thoth, Nehebkau, Renenutet, Wadjet,

Apep, Seth, Ra, and Osiris are all associated with serpents in some way. It
is said that Osiris ―entered the tail of the great serpent, was drawn through
its body and came out through its mouth, as if born anew‖, while ―Thoth
himself is said to have incarnated as a serpent, and Sanchoniathon, a his-
torian and writer thought to have lived around the thirteenth or four-
teenth century BC, describes him as the founder of serpent worship in
Egypt because of his ability to become the ‗serpent of wisdom.‘‖ 2A com-
Page 60
Hermetic Virtues

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
mon symbol of Seth was the serpent Apep – the great primordial serpent
of death and chaos, which also appeared in the form of Typhon the mon-
strous dragon.
In his article, ―Babylonian Origin of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Ca-
duceus I,‖ A. L. Frothingham writes of Hermes as a pre-Olympian, Oriental
deity of Babylonian extraction, messenger of the Great Mother. He writes:
―This proto-Hermes was always a snake-god, and before the era of com-
plete anthropomorphism he was thought of in snake form. But it is an es-
sential element of his function that he was not a single snake – for the
great single Earth Snake was the Mother Goddess – but the double snake,
male and female…‖3
Working with the Peruvian Shamans, anthropologist Jeremy Narby discov-
ered that their knowledge of the local plants did not come from the ration-
al perspective of trial and error over a long period of time, but rather from
the spirits of the forest which taught the Shamans about the properties of
the plants. To meet with these spirits, the Shaman had first to pass
through two great serpents which they called ―the Mother.‖ In his book,
―The Cosmic Serpent,‖ Narby associates this ancient understanding of ser-
This proto-Hermes pents with our modern understanding
was always a snake-
god, and before the of DNA: ―‗Molecular biologist Christo-
era of complete
anthropomorphism
pher Wills writes: ―The two chains of
he was thought of in DNA resemble two snakes coiled
snake form. But it is
an essential element around each other in some elaborate
of his function that courtship ritual. My hypothesis sug-
he was not a single
snake – for the great gests that what scientists call DNA cor-
single Earth Snake
was the Mother
responds to the animate essences that
Goddess – but the shamans say communicate with them
double snake, male
and female and animate all life forms. Modern
biology, however, is founded on the
notion that nature is not animated by
an intelligence and therefore cannot DNA Double helix
4
communicate.‖
Our Western conditioning has placed the serpent as an evil and deceptive
being, unsurprising when we consider the Biblical account of the Fall, and
such references as Revelation 12: 9 and 20:2 which name ―that serpent of
old‖ as ―the Devil and Satan‖, something that one should fight against, not
work with. Yet there are also more positive connotations to be found
within Scripture, most notably Moses‘ making of the bronze serpent
―Nehushtan‖ in the wilderness, which acted as a talisman for Divine heal-
ing (Num.21:5-9), also considered a foreshadow of Christ (John 3:14,15).5
Using the Hebrew Gematria, the words ‗Serpent‘ (Nachash) and ‗Messiah‘
both total 358.

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
Partly through associating the serpent with the Biblical Devil rather than
the Great Earth Mother, our Western culture has drastically severed the
links between Man and the Earth‘s life-force, which is predominantly per-
ceived as feminine, and subconsciously perceived as serpentine. As an
ironic example, during the time of the Reformation, many sacred places in
Nature were destroyed in the zeal to force people to worship the One
God, yet in so doing, man inadvertently created Atheism, through the dis-
couragement of connecting to that spiritual force within Nature, a subject
explored in depth by Rupert Sheldrake.6
So it can be seen that there is a vast spectrum of serpent associations,
ranging between the extremes of enlightenment and redeemer to chaos
and destroyer. The serpent power being discussed in this paper is that
which is associated with the Planetary Being.
As with archetypes, which are predominantly magnetic frequencies that
appear to our inner awareness in visible forms capable for our understand-
ing of their nature, so the serpent is also energy. It is a focal point of crys-
tallized creative potential which can, in ideal circumstances, be used by
the conscious point of the Magician to create. Unfortunately, it is easy to
instead become captivated by its life experience potentials, mainly because
we have severed our conscious link to the life force. The serpentine ener- As with archetypes,
gy is neutral in gender, and can be perceived as both masculine and femi- which are predomi-
nantly magnetic
nine. The masculine aspect of the serpent is the energy force, whilst the frequencies that
feminine side of the serpentine energy (depicted primarily as a goddess) is appear to our inner
awareness in visible
pure consciousness, creatively engaging the life force. The reason that our forms capable for
subconscious minds perceive the creative potential energy in a serpentine our understanding
of their nature, so
form is because the energy moves in a serpentine manner: it fluctuates the serpent is also
back and forth with a slow, rhythmic pulse and at the same time can mani- energy
fest as quick as a flash of lightning. As our root chakra is the chakra most
closely connected to the Earth, this serpentine energy is felt strongest in
that region, where it is said to be dormant, coiled three and a half times,
with its tail in its mouth. In its most physical expression it is sexual, and in
particular its potential is realized in the conception and birth of a child.
Serpents in the Golden Dawn

There are somewhat invisible symbols of serpent work within the GD tem-
ple. In the opening and closing of the Neophyte Hall, the mystical circum-
ambulation is symbolic of the rise of light and is considered the pathway
of the Sun. In Gnostic thought, one of the chief emblems of the Sun was
the dragon/serpent, as the serpents never slept and thus typified the na-
ture of the Sun; therefore, the serpent or dragon was assigned to guard-
ing temples and treasures. So the circumambulation of the Officers three
times around the Neophyte Hall also connects to the spiralling serpent
force which charges the hall with creative potential, crucial in a magical
Page 62
Hermetic Virtues

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
operation. The Candidate, when entering the Neophyte Hall wears a rope
wrapped around him three times, symbolizing the natural man whose
temptation is towards the evil persona, also suggesting the serpent‘s illu-
sionary hold on the Candidate, who is unaware of its influence.
―Unpurified and unconsecrated, thou canst not enter our sacred hall.‖
The Kerux stops the Candidate with a wand that has two serpents en-
twined around it (the Caduceus Wand) and has to be purified with Water
and Fire, for good reason. In ―Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple‖, by Chic
and Sandra Cicero, we read that the Caduceus Wand as ―the rod of Her-
mes represents the balanced forces of eternal light working invisibly in the
darkness. This wand, along with the lamp of the Hidden Knowledge, is
borne by the Kerux to lead the candidate who sees nothing, but a dim
hint of light through the hoodwink.‖ 7
However, in the Outer Order work there is little emphasis on serpents. We
are introduced to the serpent of wisdom and the flaming sword diagram
in the 2=9; the 3=8 introduces us to the Tarot Key 20 of Judgement,
where in the rainbow we see the fiery Seraphim, sometimes depicted as
serpents and sometimes as Angels. It is possible that these were the fiery
the rod of Hermes serpents that were sent among the Israelites, prompting the creation of
represents the bal-
anced forces of the Nehushtan.
eternal light work-
ing invisibly in the The Adeptus Minor grade brings glimpses of the magnetic influence of the
darkness. This serpents through attraction and repulsion in the Dragon or Serpent For-
wand, along with
the lamp of the mulae, which represent the spiralling
Hidden Knowledge,
is borne by the
movement of the Four Aces of Kether con-
Kerux to lead the nected to the Four Forces of Malkuth.
candidate who sees
nothing, but a dim The 5=6 ceremony employs the Ur-uatchti
hint of light through
the hoodwink and Phoenix Wands, both of which have
serpent associations. During the Adeptus
Minor ceremony, the Chief Adept describes
the Ur-uatchti Wand thus: ―My Wand is sur-
mounted by the winged Globe, around
which the twin Serpents of Egypt twine. It
symbolizes the equilibrated force of the
Spirit and Four Elements beneath the ever-
lasting wings of the Holy One.‖8
The Phoenix Wand, also used in the 5=6
ceremony, has the head of an unknown
creature which I personally think resembles
the head of Seth, but which the Golden
Dawn ascribes to the Phoenix, symbolizing
resurrection and alchemical transmutation.
Ur-uatchti and Phoenix Wands

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
In ―Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple‖, we read that The Phoenix Wand

―represents the sulphur or the active masculine solar principle embodied
by the Second Adept who symbolically occupies the position of Geburah.
The wand ends in two prongs, which in ancient times (according to some)
had a very practical as well as Geburic function; a person walking would
sometimes come across a poisonous serpent which could be pinned to the
ground with the double-ended staff. Besides the act of saving one from a
nasty death, the Phoenix Wand thus represented the triumph of the Sun-
god Rê over the evil serpent Apep.‖ 9
In the Golden Dawn, the ser-
pent is generally depicted as a
phenomenon of the Qlippoth,
but that is not entirely the
case. It can first be perceived
in the Ain Soph. The Ain Soph
seems to be made up of tiny
dots of light which are being
pulled together by lines of
light. This magnetic field with-
in the Ain Soph is charged by
what appears to be a slow- In the Golden
Dawn, the serpent
moving lightning flash or ser- is generally depict-
pentine energy. The different ed as a phenome-
non of the Qlip-
degrees of magnetism bring poth, but that is not
the Ain Soph into the four cat- entirely the case. It
can first be per-
egories of crystallized light ceived in the Ain
which become known as the Soph.
YHVH or the four worlds of
the Kabbalah.10 This down-
ward moving serpent energy
is depicted on the Tree of Life The Ain Soph (from ‗Metatron‘,by H. Wendrich, © Wendrich
artHouse 2008)
as the Lightning Flash, and al-
so the sword of the Kerubim.
This downward moving serpent of light has its double on the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil as an upward moving serpent named the
Serpent of Wisdom, generally depicted as black in colour and much dens-
er, its movement delineating the numerical value of the Paths on the Tree.
YHVH represents the four worlds of the Kabbalah and is birthed from the
Ain Soph. The YHVH contains within it the 24 Thrones of the Elders of the
Revelation, each of whom wears a crown of three rays; each ray of which
is a name, each name being an absolute idea and ruling power. Below
each Throne is a Serpent which is ruled over by an Elder and which crys-
tallizes the Absolute Idea. So the 24 Elders of the Revelation rule over the
Page 64
Hermetic Virtues

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
24 Serpents within the YHVH. The 24

Serpents are the crystallizing principle
of the YHVH into time and space via
the Schem-ha-Mephorach.
Meeting and raising the serpents
If the Magician has agreed to contin-
ue into the third stage of kundalini/
serpent work, he should firstly conse-
crate himself to the Divine Will, and
then await the inner guide‘s initiation
of the meetings with the serpents. I
do not think it is possible to work on
one‘s own merit. The Magician is to-
tally reliant upon the inner guide to
bring him to the serpent and bring
him safely back. This is a kind of safe-
ty measure which prevents the Magi-
cian from using his own will to manip-
ulate this powerful energy before
The Magician‘s first
task is to raise the such a time as he is ready.
twenty-four ser- The Serpent of Wisdom on the Tree of Life
pents of the YHVH. The Magician‘s first task is to raise the
If successful, the twenty-four serpents of the YHVH. If successful, the Magician will be freed
Magician will be
freed from abso- from absolutes. The first serpent to be met is the first of the twenty-four
lutes. The first ser-
pent to be met is
serpents which need to be raised. The location of these serpents is not at
the first of the the base of the spine, as one might think – they hold their own space or
twenty-four ser-
pents which need
area of influence, and each of these serpents is twinned with the serpent
to be raised above. Upon the first meeting, the serpent is very sleepy and lethargic,
and it needs to be fed, literally. This again is where the Magician‘s inner
guide is crucial to the work. He leads the Magician to the twin serpent
above who guards a nest of eggs. The Magician will be instructed to take
one egg from the nest and bring it down to the serpent below via the dif-
ferent levels, some of which open and close like valves. So this is not an
easy exercise and if the egg breaks he will have to try again until he suc-
ceeds. In addition, the Magician will be met by different gods who will at-
tempt to draw him into their religious box, whereupon, if the Magician
lacks focus, he could easily be drawn away from the work at hand into
some other obscure study or worship. The serpent may need to be fed sev-
eral times before she begins to move. When the serpent is energized and
ready to move up and meet with its twin it will not know the way, so the
Magician has to project his focus within the serpent and guide it to the
twinned serpent above. As the serpent rises, under the full control of the
Magician, it breaks open all the ‗safety valves‘ (I have no other word for
them) within the planes and eventually it will join with its twin: they will

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
become one. Once they have joined, this serpent will descend into the
former abode of the first serpent.
Although the serpent does not seem to be located at the base of the
spine, it does rise up from that area and passes in front of the lower chak-
ras, but when it comes to the heart chakra it needs to pass through and
then travel up behind the higher chakras. The problem here is that if the
serpent energy was to pass through the heart chakra the serpent energy
would be dissipated before it reached the outer edge, and so the Magician
could not proceed any further in this lifetime for the momentum would be
lost, although he would be infused with a great philanthropic love, a plat-
form worthy of any Magician.
Just below the heart chakra there is an opening which needs to be used.
This opening takes the serpent energy safely behind the chakras without
any loss of momentum. The cycle then continues until all twenty-four ser-
pents have risen and joined. The final serpent will return to the place
where the Magician originally started, except now on a higher frequency.
The effects of raising serpents
The Magician will have not only opened up the different realms, but he
will also have raised his own vibration/consciousness, and by this point,
Just below the
his life would have altered dramatically. heart chakra there
is an opening
Previously, the archetypes would have most probably requested changes which needs to be
in diet and exercise of a stretching kind, e.g. yoga, combined with breath- used. This opening
takes the serpent
ing exercises and prolonged and regular times of meditation. With the energy safely be-
rising of the serpents, life would have become less complicated in that hind the chakras
without any loss of
one‘s thoughts and desires seem to manifest with little physical effort re- momentum.
quired (an effect of becoming more closely aligned with one‘s True Will).
There is a myth that when you raise the kundalini you will become ‗blissed
out‘ or enlightened. There are times when working with the archetypes
you will feel energy changing in your body; also when the fire rushes up-
ward with increasing ferocity it can become frightening, and when it col-
lapses into a single, silver line giving off a piercing pitch, that can certainly
make you a little light-headed. But with the serpent work, although there
will be changes in consciousness, they occur in small stages and thus are
difficult to detect. There could be a physical danger to the body if the rais-
ing is uncontrolled, but as long as the serpents are controlled as they rise,
there are no real physical sensations. Since serpents are predominantly an
Earth energy, the Magician may find that he does a lot of traveling: when
a particular serpent is ready to rise it will move him naturally to a location
or part of the world related to its particular energy before it will rise. Once
all the serpents have risen, the Magician will again be confronted with a
definite choice: whether he wants to continue or whether he wishes to
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Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
remain, at least for this lifetime, at the level attained. If the Magician wish-
es to continue, he will need to enter the Qlippoth.
The Qlippoth
In the 4=7 we are introduced to the Qlippothic Sephiroth of the Tree of
Life, wherein the name Oghiel conjures up images of a giant demon with
a serpent coiled around him. We are also shown the diagram of the Gar-
den of Eden after the Fall depicting the eight-headed red serpent of the
Qlippoth and the flaming sword of the Kerubim. But mainly it is on an in-
tellectual level that it is introduced to us. If there is any serpent work oc-
curring, it is almost certainly on a subconscious level.
The problem with working with serpent energy is that it does leave a Qlip-
pothic taint. To think that one can work with the serpent power and ig-
nore the Qlippoth would be to delude oneself, for the Qlippoth will seek
to trip you up. However, in our modern Western tradition we have a
most holy and powerful purifying agent in the figure of Jesus Christ,
Yeheshua. If it is found to be the Magician‘s True Will to continue on this
path, a good understanding of the power of Christ‘s sacrifice would be of
great help and protection from here on in.
The problem with
working with ser-
From Gerschom Scholem‘s ―Kabbalah‖, the writings of Nathan of Gaza
pent energy is that suggest ―the root of evil is a principle within Ein-Sof itself.‖11
it does leave a Qlip-
pothic taint. To ―There were from the very beginning two lights in Ein-Sof: ‗the light
think that one can
work with the ser- which contained thought‘ and ‗the light which did not contain thought.‘
pent power and The first had in it from the very beginning the thought of creating worlds,
ignore the Qlippoth
would be to delude while in the latter there was no such thought, its whole essence striving
oneself, for the toward remaining concealed and resting within itself without emerging
Qlippoth will seek
to trip you up. from the mystery of Ein-Sof.‖
This shows the Qlippoth as passive, opposed to the Tree of Life being the
active side, but these two opposing forces come together in the rising ser-
pent, in that it is an act of evolution to the Tree of Life (the rising serpent
distances us from an illusory sphere of magnetism generated by that same
serpent, therefore aligning us more closely to the Divine Will); while the
Qlippoth is risen to the monad from which it originated, thence with no
further need to hold back the powers of creation.
Similarly, Michael Bertiaux of the O.T.O.A. has suggested that these two
opposing forces are like two Universes – Universe A and Universe B. Each
has its separate self-propagating existence, and each is in balance, only
encountering a problem when one Universe attempts to enter the realm
of the other. Universe A is designed for the purposes of evolution and
Universe B is designed for anti-evolution. Again, the act of raising the ser-
pent is actually a point of mutual agreement between both Universes:
their two opposing spirals come together in the risen serpent whereupon

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
Universe A is taken into a new evolutionary point, and since the serpent
then integrates back to the one source, Universe B also fulfils its purpose
of anti-evolution.
The Enochian Aethers
The Qlippoth is located behind or below the Tree of Life, depending on
how you view the Shadow. The best way to enter the Qlippoth is not in
using the Kabbalistic Tree of Life system, but rather the Enochian system of
Thirty Aethers. Both Daath on the Tree of Life and the Abyss of the
Enochian system line up at a point called ZAX.
It is possible to enter the region or Aether called ZAX with a ceremonial
magic, but the Magician may find it more rewarding to travel the Thirty
Aethers one at a time, armed only with the knowledge of the different Ae-
thers and the names and sigils of the Governing Angels of each Aether,
which need to be called upon as guides. However, these Enochian An-
gels/Governors are unforgiving, so the Magician must know in his heart of
hearts why he wants to explore the Aethers. Make no mistake, they will
ask why, and if the answer is superficial, the door will slam closed. If al-
lowed in, the Magician will spend one week with each Governor, entering It is possible to enter
the Aethers every day for that week. They in turn will guide him through the region or Aether
called ZAX with a
their particular realm. Since there are mostly three Governors for each Ae- ceremonial magic,
but the Magician may
ther, he will spend three weeks in meditation and will have one week off, find it more reward-
timed with the dark of the Moon, although some of the Aethers have four ing to travel the
Thirty Aethers one at
Governors, in which case he will have to work through the four weeks a time, armed only
with the knowledge
without a break. In this way, to travel through all Thirty Aethers takes two of the different Ae-
and a half years. thers and the names
and sigils of the Gov-
erning Angels of
On this journey through the Aethers, the Magician will meet many Angels, each Aether, which
some incredibly beautiful with wings upon wings. There are also many need to be called
upon as guides.
demons within the Aethers who will aim to intercept and break the Magi-
cian‘s connection with the Governing Angels and, if successful, will pre-
vent the Magician from proceeding any further, thus leaving him with no
option but to abort the mission. This is where the aforementioned sword
of light is crucial, as demons will flee from the mere sight of its presence.
The Magician can ask the help of any of the Angels whom he meets to
align him with his True Will. They will take him to the centre of each Ae-
ther, wherein he will be shown a beautiful crystalline structure that can be
passed through. Within it resides a goddess; the crystallized structure is to
protect the Aether from her light, for she has descended from the Aether
above and has created and continually feeds it from the waste of the Ae-
ther above. So the Magician will learn how each Aether is created by a
goddess, each goddess descends from her natural abode to the next level
down, where she creates a new Aether; she then transforms the waste
material from the Aether above which helps to sustain the level that she
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Hermetic Virtues

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
inhabits. This is repeated throughout the 30 Aethers. Nothing is wasted;

everything is used to create further life in lower levels – until we get to
Man who, in severing his link with the feminine life force rather than living
out his full potential within the creative force of life, has become a de-
tached and even malignant force in the world.
Once the Magician comes into the tenth Aether of ZAX, he will travel to a
place where there is a massive canyon guarded by zillions of angels. As-
suming that the Enochian Angel is in agreement of his mission, the Magi-
cian can begin a descent into the chasm. Clinging onto a Governing An-
gel of ZAX, the Magician passes below the many angels guarding the pit:
upon the slow descent can be seen a massive lake of liquid light with
thousands of what seems like souls trapped within its swirling tides. There
will be a strong desire to try to help them, but those who approach this
place will be advised not to go near it, for it is a Qlippothic trap, and once
entered, cannot be left. Upon the Magician‘s descent, the magnetism of
the Qlippoth will reach a point where it becomes difficult to hold onto the
Enochian angel. The point when the Magician starts to slip from the angel
is the point at which his personal spiritual strength is matched by the mag-
netic pull of the lower Qlippoth. This is the Magician‘s personal fulcrum
The Magician can point where his spiritual strength and the Qlippothic magnetism are of
ask the help of any
of the Angels
equal measure. It is here that the angel will stop and pass into one of the
whom he meets to many side tunnels, and it is at this level that it is possible to meet with the
align him with his
True Will. They will
entities inhabiting this particular level of the Qlippoth. At first sight they
take him to the seem to be shadows with dark, featureless bodies. Yet this is a cover. If
centre of each Ae-
ther, wherein he
asked, they will remove their masks and reveal their true forms. Once seen
will be shown a devoid of their masks, it can be understood how they differ from us. They
beautiful crystalline
structure that can
have the appearance of unformed bodies, and would be considered gro-
be passed through. tesque to our normal eyes. The energy of the Qlippoth is one of anti-
evolution and anti-growth.
As he ascends further up the Aethers, the Magician‘s consciousness be-
comes purer and increasingly free from self-will. It becomes more childlike,
until he reaches the last Aether. Here the consciousness is experienced as
extremely pure, with no will present. If the Magician is able to hold onto
this level of consciousness there will be an opportunity to go further and
descend into the Earth.
The Great Earth Serpent
In the top-most Aether, the Magician will be confronted by six Enochian
angels, who hold what looks like a white sheet. He will be placed upon it
(as he has no self will and is thus unable to do anything for himself), and
the Angels will carry him through what feels like a force-field which pre-
vents any self-will from passing through. It seems like a negative veil
which tears at the consciousness: only pure consciousness can pass

Part 2: The Serpent
(continued)
through. This operation seems to take an age, but eventually the Angels
descend and the Magician is introduced to a Great Serpent of enormous
size. The whole of it cannot be seen, for it seems to stretch into infinity.
This is the Great Earth Serpent. It is this mighty beast that brings into exist-
ence the Thirty Aethers, and the goddesses in each Aether representing
the consciousness of the Serpent at each level pertaining to each Aether,
crystallizing light into matter. It is also worth noting that this Serpent does
not dwell in the Qlippoth: the Qlippoth may be part of her creation, but
not her abode.
She is the Serpent of Planet Earth, the Great Mother, or Planetary Being,
and dwells in her own space/time.
The third paper in this series will look at working with serpent energy
within the elemental grades of the Outer Order of the Golden Dawn, for
the purpose of bringing down the Divine Light into the elemental realms.
1
Wikipedia; Ningizzida
2
Philip Gardiner with Gary Osborn: The Serpent Grail; pp. 115, 117
3
A. L. Frothingham; ―Babylonian Origin of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Caduceus I‖; American Journal of Archaeology,
second series Vol. XX (1916)
4
Jeremy Narby: The Cosmic Serpent, pp.92, 132
5
NKJV: John 3: 14, 15 ―And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
This operation
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.‖
seems to take an
6
Rupert Sheldrake: The Rebirth of Nature age, but eventually
7 the Angels descend
Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero: Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple; p.71
and the Magician is
8
Regardie; The Golden Dawn, p.224 introduced to a
9 Great Serpent of
Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero: Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple; p.223
enormous size. The
10
For more detail, see article ―Ain Soph and the Golden Dawn‖, by Harry Wendrich; Hermetic Virtues, Volume 2, Edition 4 whole of it cannot
11
Gerschom Scholem: Kabbalah; p.126 be seen, for it
seems to stretch
Bibliography:
into infinity. This is
The Golden Dawn; Israel Regardie the Great Earth
Serpent.
Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple; Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero
Kabbalah; Gershom Scholem

The Gods of the Egyptians, Vol.2; E.A.Wallis Budge
The Circuit of Force; Dion Fortune, Gareth Knight
Enochian Physics; Gerald J. Schueler
The Serpent Power; Arthur Avalon

The Cosmic Serpent; Jeremy Narby
Tree and Serpent Worship; James Fergusson
The Rebirth of Nature; Rupert Sheldrake
The Serpent Grail; Philip Gardiner with Gary Osborn

―Babylonian Origin of Hermes the Snake-God, and of the Caduceus I‖, A. L. Frothingham; American Journal of Archaeology,
second series. Vol. XX (1916)
Gnostics and their remains Ancient and Medieval; C. W. King

―Ain Soph and the Golden Dawn‖, Harry Wendrich; Hermetic Virtues, Volume 2, Edition 4
The Holy Bible, New King James Version
Copyright © Harry Wendrich, 2010

Page 70
Hermetic Virtues
Sepher Samekh - Part II - Banishing and Purification

By Vic Sabljic
After the Confession part of the Operation has been completed the next
step would be to perform excessive banishing and purification. Banishing
can be seen as the process of getting rid of unwanted presences, feelings
or circumstances. In general Banishing is referred to the protection and
cleaning up from without. It is however also important to understand that
Banishing also helps clean and protect from within. Combination of both,
without and within, processes will help us come one step closer to our
goal.
The way the process of Banishing and Purification will be applied to this
Operation is similar to the general Golden Dawn style Banishing process.
There will be however, some additions to this process that is not a part of
traditional Golden Dawn process. Beside the regular Banishing practices
we will be introducing Pathworking, Creation of body of light exercise and
process called Inner Speech Recognition. Pathworking will help us discov-
er our inner worlds little bit better by providing us with the additional in-
formation on our understandings of elemental workings and energies. In-
ner Speech Recognition is the technique found in Cognitive Psychology
and this particular technique will help us better understand all our poten-
tial mind blocks and obstacles. This particular process will then take us to
The way the pro-
cess of Banishing
the level of not only identifying obstacles, but also dealing and replacing
and Purification will of the same.
be applied to this
Operation is similar All parts of the Operation, confession, banishing etc. are very important
to the general
Golden Dawn style and are crucial for the success of the Operation. Banishing period will last
Banishing process. much longer then the Confession period. It is expected that Aspirant
There will be how-
ever, some addi- spends no less then 4 months performing the Banishing rituals on daily
tions to this process basis. During these 4 months Aspirant will come to very different spectrum
that is not a part of
traditional Golden of the realizations. Realizations can and will vary from very deep introspec-
Dawn process. tive to the better observations of the world around us. Aspirant will start
―lighting up‖ and will seem to others like he/she has changed a bit. Not
that anybody will be able to pin point exactly what it is but just a general
sense of change will be present.
Furthermore, it is highly recommended that an Aspirant takes a serious
study on Morality and its dependencies. I would suggest that reading of
Plato‘s ―The Republic‖ be a good place to start. It is also highly recom-
mended that in this period of time an Aspirant starts taking better care of
his/her body, if already hasn‘t. That would imply that the Aspirant would
be considering healthier diet, physical exercise etc. Long sleep and longer
periods of inactivity and/or laziness should also be avoided. Overall, an As-
pirant should be trying to live a modest life, avoiding extravagance and
pompousness. Aspirant should at all times provide the best work to his/
her own abilities and that in both, work place and at home. The appear-
ance of the Aspirant shall always be kept up to highest standard that is to
be clean and in clean cloths all the time.

(continued)
Banishing Rituals
So let‘s examine the process of Banishing and Purification. Banishing and
Purification will have to be performed on daily or almost daily basis. First
set of Banishing will be performed at the Sunrise and second set will be
performed at the Sunset or just after the Sunset. Aspirant will have to get
up about 30 minutes prior to the sunrise, take a shower and enter his/her
room designated for the rituals. Prepare the room for work as you would
do it normally and then proceed with the rituals. It is very important that
in this part, as well as in all other parts of Operation, intent and focus stays
fully on your goal, which is the Conversation with your Holy Guardian An-
gel. Another important aspect is to make sure that the Operation does not
become a parrot alike repetitive process. In other words there shall be a
desire present at all times, desire that makes us happy and brings us closer
to the goal of the Operation.
Morning rituals are described in Appendix A of this chapter.
At night Aspirant shall perform Rosy Cross Ritual and the Pathworking ex-
ercise as well as Creation of Astral body exercises. Rose Cross ritual and
Pathworking shall be performed about three times a week. These exercises It is very important
can be alternated on daily basis. It is however recommended that the As- that in this part, as
well as in all other
tral body creation exercises be performed on daily basis. Best time for the- parts of Operation,
se exercises would be just before the bed time. Furthermore careful intent and focus
stays fully on your
dream diary should be kept as the Aspirant will begin to experience more goal, which is the
vivid dreaming. Conversation with
your Holy Guardian
Angel. Another
Both, morning and evening, rituals should be carefully recorded in the dia- important aspect is
ry. The Aspirant should be already familiar with all of the rituals discussed to make sure that
the Operation does
in this section. I will, however, try to provide additional information to the not become a par-
rituals in question. rot alike repetitive
process.
The Pentagram in general represents the Microcosms and microcosmic
influences. Those would be considered as one from within; this however is
not entirely true. While there is a great deal of microcosmic influences in-
volved in the Pentagram there are also some of the Macrocosmic influ-
ences connected to the Pentagram. For example, elemental influences
which are reflecting onto our own psyche and sphere of sensation are
considered as the influences from without, while our reaction to them and
the way we manifest the same are considered as the influence from with-
in. Therefore, it is very important to mention that while performing the
LBRP one should focus on Banishing both, influences from within and
without. For example, while projecting through the Pentagrams in the
quarters an Aspirant should project out all negativity associated with the
elemental quarter and by giving the Sign of Silence, block not only the en-
ergies he/she just projected out but also all other undesired influences
that are and can be associated with the elemental influence in question.
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(continued)
The Hexagram is traditionally related to the Macrocosm and of course

there are microcosmic influences associated with the Hexagram as well.
The Aspirant should understand that the human psyche and soul is a mul-
tilayered environment. Thus the ―As above so Bellow‖ axiom applies here
as well. So, we could say that the Pentagramic influences can be found
―just under the surface‖ of the consciousness while Hexagramic influences
are related to the deeper consciousness. Therefore, all levels of the sub-
consciousness shall be fully explored and brought up to the conscious lev-
el.
Purification and Consecration with Water and Fire not only clears the
space around us but also does the same to our own psyche and soul. Pri-
mordial associations with Water and Fire play very important roles in our
spiritual development. Furthermore, Water and Fire are the elements of
purification. Through Fire we get purified while through Water we get
consecrated. Even nowadays many practices that are ages old are using
Water and Fire as the elements for purification and consecration. Such ex-
amples can be found in the baptism rituals of the Christians to the walking
on the fire by some Buddhist groups.
Purification and Circumambulation is one of the practices that are not often discussed in
Consecration with detail. There are many benefits of performing circumambulation, but I will
Water and Fire not
only clears the address only a couple of those which are very important to this Operation.
space around us Circumambulation is an operation that requires quite a bit of focus as well
but also does the
same to our own as the ability to create and transform the energies. Thus when the Aspir-
psyche and soul. ant circumambulates he/she needs to receive the energy from above,
Primordial associa-
tions with Water channel it through his/her own body, create a highly potent energetic
and Fire play very field and then transform it, and project it into the vortex that he or she is
important roles in
our spiritual devel- creating around the working space. With each sign or projection an Aspir-
opment. ant projects more energy into the Vortex and makes the same spin faster
around the space. This creates a very powerful shield around the working
space that will prevent negative influences from without entering the
working space. This process also very much depends on the LBRP and
LBRH, thus if those two rituals have not been performed correctly, nega-
tive influences from within will be trapped inside the Vortex.
The Adoration to the Lord of the Universe is a rite whose main focus is on
dedication and devotion to your work. Only when the Aspirant has creat-
ed a clean and well protected working space can he adore the Creator.
Now some people may stumble upon the idea of the Creator and who he/
she is etc, but for our workings it is important to know that the creator or
the Lord of the Universe is the one who inspires us, who makes us glow
and who ultimately leads us to the perfect happiness.
About the Middle Pillar, a lot already has been said and all I can do is em-
phasize the importance of this very powerful ritual which brings our

(continued)
sphere of sensation into equilibrium.

Finally, prayers are something we all are familiar. Prayers always represent
our inclinations and desires. It is important to mention that the prayers
should reflect our desires and inclination for our goal which is communica-
tion with the Holy Guardian Angel. Prayers should be said at the point
after the middle pillar exercise where we are focused on Tiphareth to dis-
tribute the energy equally to all places of our sphere of sensation and
around us. This could be seen as the Sun shining from the Heart and send-
ing its warm rays to the entire body and Aura. Any prayers can be used,
but the prayer an Aspirant has learnt in the first chapter has to be incorpo-
rated into this practice.
The Rose Cross ritual is a very potent ritual and may be used for different
purposes. Our main intent will be to use the Rose Cross ritual for pulling
down the LVX to us which will help bring us closer to our Holy Guardian
Angel. Secondly, it is recommended that an Aspirant should say it loudly
or silently the following at the end of the ritual:
―So that none of them should profess any other thing but to cure sick and
that for gratis!‖
. The Rose Cross
Pathworking exercises are the best to be used from ―Garden of Pomegran- ritual is a very po-
ate‖ by Israel Regardie/Chic and Tabatha Cicero. These exercises will help tent ritual and may
be used for differ-
us gain access to the deeper level of our psyche. It is expected that the ent purposes. Our
Aspirant will read the Pathworking exercises to the tape recorder and then main intent will be
to use the Rose
have a ‗guided meditation‘ using the recording. Cross ritual for pull-
ing down the LVX
Speech in the Silence to us which will
help bring us closer
Further to the regular banishing routine, an Aspirant will be introduced to to our Holy Guardi-
the Inner Speech Recognition tech- an Angel.
nique. This can be referred to as the

―Speech in the Silence‖. We have all
come across various instances of si-
lence. Most of us have heard the ex-
pression ―Speech in the silence‖. Now
what is it really? On the first glance it
looks like an axiom for ancient wisdom,
power and state of mind that has been
put to the higher level. History is full of
the wise man who does not speak
much but express themselves through
silence. Partially I can agree with this
type of definition on ―Speech in the
silence‖. Like it has been said ―Still wa-
ter runs deep‖. There is, however,
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Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
something else that is connected with the silence and speech that is not
related to a wise person, yet.
Namely, one of the trends in psychology (Cognitive Psychology) speaks

about ―Inner talk‖. Cognitive psychology takes a somewhat different ap-
proach to the way we think and feel. Traditionally, psychology thought us
that it is what we feel that makes us what we think. Cognitive psychology
on the other hand teaches us that what we think makes us feel what we
feel. So to understand why we feel a certain way we need to know what
we think, and that is where inner talk comes into place. Inner talk is noth-
ing more then our mind/psyche talking to us all the time. It is the impera-
tive to hear ourselves as it were. The inner talk leads us to make choices in
our lives. In most cases we are not aware of it as we do not listen to our
selves. Our mind works around the clock and is occupied with many differ-
ent things throughout the day. Now, could this be speech in the silence?
In my honest opinion, absolutely! It is something that can be proved easily.
All you need to do, to test this, is just to quiet your mind and listen to your-
self.
Now, the next step to do something with the inner talk is to stop it and in
case of negative thoughts replace it with positive thoughts. Now, this does
In most cases we sound awfully similar to the way a magician should work/operate. That
are not aware of it
as we do not listen brings up the question though, ―Has cognitive psychology recognized
to our selves. Our something that is well known to Hermetic science for ages? Or is Hermetic
mind works around
the clock and is science deeply rooted in the field of psychology?‖ I believe that answer is
occupied with simply ―Yes‖. In my opinion it is of utmost importance to understand the
many different
things throughout way our psyche works before we can understand how magic works.
the day.
The traditional Abramelin operation identifies conversation with the HGA
as the clear voice coming from inside. Now if we think about it we will re-
alize that there is quite a bit of similarities between conversation with HGA
and the Inner talk. It is also important to mention that they are not the
same, but similar in manifestation. The realization of our inner talk will not
only help us in hearing ourselves but will also help us in controlling our
thoughts, understanding them and ultimately providing a fertile ground
for the conversation with the HGA.
To start the exercise of the Inner Speech Recognition, an Aspirant will
need a small notebook, one of the size that can be easily carried. Then the
Aspirant should start recording his/her thoughts. Do not be afraid to put
all of your thoughts on paper. In order to listen to ourselves all we need to
do is really just listen to the voice. Start writing those thoughts in your
notebook and start connecting the same to your feelings and your mood
in general. Fairly soon you will realize that there is an entire conversation
going on inside you that you are not aware exists. Furthermore, you will

(continued)
realize that some of the conversations you are having with yourself are
not very pleasant, and are as a matter of fact hindering in nature. Thus
producing negative emotions which then further reflects negatively on
our surroundings, mundane and spiritual. Once the thoughts have been
written on the paper we should underline the words that are hindering us
in our development. Words that are of accusatory, underestimating, an-
ger, insecure and bound to fail nature should be underlined. The Aspirant
will realize that many circumstances and events in his/her own life can be
attributed to the undetected Inner Speech. But, the very same exercise will
provide an even deeper insight of our own nature, personality, psyche
and emotional involvement in world within and around us.
This exercise shall be performed
until it becomes the Aspirant‘s
second nature that is until the
Aspirant recognizes all of the
Inner Speech at the very begin-
ning of it. At this point an Aspir-
ant shall then start replacing all
underlined words that produce
negative results with more posi- An Aspirant should
tive oriented words. Most com- apply high stand-
monly detected words will be ―I ards of Morality, not
only during this
should have done this or Operation, but also
that…‖, ―I must do this...‖, ―I can‘t for the rest of his/
her life. Leading a
do this…‖ etc. Positive spin Moral life brings us
should be put on all these closer to our own
higher self and
phrases. The words that and Holy Guardian
phrases that are destructive to Angel. .
your own well being should be

blocked. To do this, one can
use a simple technique of a
loud ―Stop‖ with your inner
voice. When you detect one of your more destructive words/phrases you
should, by using the same inner voice, say out loud ―Stop‖ and replace en-
tire thought with a positive thought. More work on the Inner Speech will
be provided in the section of Invocations.
Morality
Perhaps this section should be called ―General Consciousness‖ but I be-

lieve that Morality covers more than just generally understood principles
of Morality. An Aspirant should apply high standards of Morality, not only
during this Operation, but also for the rest of his/her life. Leading a Moral
life brings us closer to our own higher self and Holy Guardian Angel. It is
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Hermetic Virtues

(continued)
not that hard to differentiate between what is wrong and what is right as
long as we are true to ourselves and have pure intentions in our hearts. As
I have mentioned at the beginning of this chapter the work of Plato can
provide very valuable insights in this particular area. An Aspirant can use,
however, any other raw models and works to bring his/her self to the
high standards of Morality.
It is important for the Aspirant to become aware of the world around him
or her in general. That is to obtain a general consciousness of the world
around. This will provide a great help in respect to how the general situa-
tion around us reflects upon us and our work. Furthermore, an Aspirant
shall analyze his or her current situation and see if there is something he /
she can do to help those in need. Whether it be a charity work, help to a
friend in need, or helping an old lady cross the street, all of these will help
us become a better person. We as humans have distanced our selves from
the world in what we live. We are all becoming just too focused on our
own well being and forgetting that we could help others as well, and that
help will help ourselves as well. It is important that whatever amount we
get the same amount we should give. This does not apply to money
spending, but rather to the energy, services, and help that we are receiv-
ing. It is very important that an Aspirant does not forget or ignore the
It is important for need for help, attention and love of those close to him.
the Aspirant to
become aware of
the world around The importance of physical exercise is quite often overlooked. When the
him or her in gen- body is being well taken care of our mind, psyche and spirit work much
eral. That is to ob-
tain a general con- better and we achieve better results in our magical works. The Middle Pil-
sciousness of the lar is one of the exercises where a person easily can observe changes in
world around.
intensity connected to the physical exercise. Sephiroth seem to respond
stronger when a person is in good physical shape and energy can gener-
ally be easily moved around the body. Any type of physical activity will
help, whether it be Yoga, Walking or rigorous gym exercises. The more
you work on it the better results you will achieve. Consequently choosing
a food that is not too heavy, less in fat and sugar will help you achieve
your balance quicker. Usually exercise and healthier food go together but
it will be up to the Aspirant to decide what is best for his/her own body.
Finally, alcohol and any other types of stimulants must be avoided.
Lastly, good care of ones body does not only involve exercise and healthy
diet, but also a good hygiene is absolute necessary. A person should take
good care of his/her garments and always be clean. Furthermore, the
place of living and work should also be kept nice and tidy. All these several
points should be undertaken with the general consciousness in mind as
well as focus on our goal.

Appendix A
Required: Black Tau robe, Banishing dagger, Cup of Water, Censer

For the Altar: Black Altar cloth, Cross and Triangle, Rose in the East, Red
Lamp in the South, Chalice with wine in the West and Bread and Salt in
the North,
Stand west of the altar facing East, breath slowly and deeply try to relax.
Once you feel centred and in balance take Cup of Water and go to the
East. Trace an equal-armed cross and triangle over the cross with the Cup.
Dip your finger into the water and sprinkle three times in the direction of
the quarter marking all three points of the triangle.
.
Facing the East say: ―So therefore first …‖
Go to the South, when passing the East salute with the Neophyte signs.
In the South repeat the tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ―The Priest
who would governeth the Works of Fire...‖
Go to the West, repeat tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ―Must sprin-
kle with the Lustral Waters...‖
Go to the North, repeat tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ―Of the
loud, resounding Sea.‖
Return to the East, raise the Cup and say: ―I purify this temple with Water.‖
Leave the Cup on the Altar, take the Censer with incense.
Facing East, trace an equal-armed cross and triangle over the cross with
the Censer. Swing censer three times in the direction of the quarter mark-
ing all three points of the triangle.
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Appendix A
(continued)
Facing the East say: ―And when after all the phantoms are ban-
ished‖
Go to the South, when passing the East salute with the Neophyte signs.
In the South repeat the tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ―Thou
shalt see that holy and formless fire‖
Go to the West, repeat tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ―That
fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the uni-
verse‖
Go to the North, repeat tracing of Cross and Triangle and say: ― Hear thou
the voice of fire!‖
Return to the East, raise the Censer and say: ―I consecrate this temple with
Fire.‖
Leave the Censer on the Altar and go to the North-East corner sa-
luting with the Neophyte signs when passing the East. Facing out-
wards raise your hands and say: "The visible Sun is the dispenser of
Light to the Earth. Let me form therefore a Vortex in this temple, so
that the invisible Light of the Spirit shall shine therein from above."
Circumambulate the Temple three times, when passing the East salute
with the Neophyte signs. When circumambulating raise the energy as
you move around creating a strong Vortex.
Go to the West of Altar facing the East. Perform the Adoration to the Lord
of the Universe:

Appendix A
(continued)
―Holy art Thou, Lord of the Universe!‖ (Saluting Sign)

―Holy art Thou, whom nature hath not formed!‖ (Saluting Sign)
―Holy art Thou, the Vast and the Mighty One!‖ (Saluting Sign)
―Lord of the Light, and of the Darkness!‖ (Sign of Silence)
Standing to the West of the Altar facing the East imagine your self grow-
ing. Keep growing until you are big enough that the Earth is just a ball on
which you are standing.
Above your head is a large sphere of light, shining brightly. Stretch your
right arm and touch the sphere. Pull the light down and touch your fore-
head and vibrate ―Ateh‖. Pull your arm down, and the light, and touch
your Solar Plexus and vibrate ―Malkuth‖. While vibrating ―Malkuth‖ let the
light descend to your feet. Now, there is a light beam going through a
centre of your body. Focus on it for couple of moments.
Touch your right shoulder creating a small sphere of light and vibrate ―Ve-
Geburah‖. Move your arm across and touch your left shoulder vibrating
―Ve-Gedulah‖ creating another small sphere of light. Through your body
lights the cross. Focus on that cross for a few moments, put your hands
together in front of your chest and vibrate ―Le Olahm Amen‖.
.
Take your banishing dagger. Go to the East facing outwards and trace the
Pentagram, that is the size of your body, out of brilliant light while vibrat-
ing (Yod-He-Vav-He)
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Appendix A
(continued)
Focus on the Pentagram ahead of you and say: ― I shall be prompt and ac-
tive as the Sylphs…‖
Focus for a moment on all the negativity related to the nature of Air that
you are carrying in you. Make a forceful Sign of the Enterer projecting out
all of the negativity in the lime green colour outwards, saying: ―…but will
avoid frivolity and caprice‖
Make a sign of Silence, intentionally stopping projected negativity to re-
turn.
Pierce the centre of the Pentagram with your dagger and carry the point,
and light, over to the South.
In the South, trace the Pentagram, which is the size of your body, out of
brilliant light while vibrating (Adonai).
Focus on the Pentagram ahead of you and say: ― I shall be energetic and
strong like the Salamanders…‖
Focus for a moment on all the negativity related to the nature of Fire that
you are carrying in you. Make a forceful Sign of the Enterer projecting out
all of the negativity in the russet colour outwards, saying: ―…but will avoid
irritability and ferocity‖
turn.
and light, over to the West.
In the West, trace the Pentagram, which is the size of your body, out of
brilliant light while vibrating (Eheieh).
Focus on the Pentagram ahead of you and say: ―I shall be flexible and at-
tentive to images like the Undines…‖
Focus for a moment on all the negativity related to the nature of Water
that you are carrying in you. Make a forceful Sign of the Enterer projecting
out all of the negativity in the olive green colour outwards, saying: ―…but
will avoid idleness and changeability‖
turn.

Appendix A
(continued)
and light, over to the North.
In the North, trace the Pentagram, which is the size of your body, out of
brilliant light while vibrating (AGLA)
Focus on the Pentagram ahead of you and say: ―I shall be laborious and
patient like the Gnomes…‖
Focus for a moment on all the negativity related to the nature of Earth
that you are carrying in you. Make a forceful Sign of the Enterer projecting
out all of the negativity in the black colour outwards, saying: ―…but will
avoid grossness and avarice‖
turn.
and light, over back to the East.
Go to the West of the Altar facing east, raise your arms in the sign of Osiris
the slain and say: ―So shall I gradually develop the powers of my soul, and
fit myself to command the Spirits of the elements.‖
Focus on the East and looking through the Pentagram with your mind‘s .
eye ‗see‘ the Airy landscape. Imagine great Archangel Raphael descending
from the heaven, dressed in yellow-purple robe carrying the Cadeceus of
Hermes and say ―Before me is Raphael‖
Focus on the South and with your mind‘s eye ‗see‘ through the pentagram
a Firey landscape. See the great Archangel Michael rising out of Fire
dressed in red-green robe carrying a sword in his right hand and say: ―To
my right hand side is Michael‖
Focus on the West and with your mind‘s eye ‗see‘ through the pentagram
a Watery landscape. See the great Archangel Raphael rising out of Ocean
dressed in blue-orange robe carrying the water cup in his right hand and
say: ―Behind me is Gabriel‖
Focus on the North and with your mind‘s eye ‗see‘ through the penta-
gram an Earthy landscape. See the great Archangel Uriel standing on the
land dressed in citrine, olive, russet, black robe carrying the Earth pentacle
in his right hand and say: ―To my left hand side is Uriel‖
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Appendix A
(continued)
Standing in the West of the Altar facing east recite Psalm 23 (you can use
any other prayer that fits your nature/work etc). It is recommended that
your prayer deals with fears and temptations of your own soul.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
Focus on the four Archangels around you protecting your sphere and say:
―Around me flame pentagrams and in the column shines six rayed star‖ –
keep the notes as you will notice that the Archangels will change over the
time.
Sit comfortably with your spine erect. God form is the best pose for the
Middle Pillar. Perform Middle Pillar but rather than focusing on time or
number of repetition for each Sephiroth keep vibrating the name until you
feel the connection with the Sephiroth. If you performed the exercises de-
scribed in the first part of Sepher Samekh and you perform Banishing Ritu-
al as described above, you should have no problems connecting to the
centres.
After you complete the Middle Pillar exercise perform another Qabalistic
Cross.
Stand in the West of the Altar facing east and say:
―Unto Thee, Sole Wise, Sole Eternal and Sole Merciful One, be the praise
and glory forever, who hath permitted me, who now standeth humbly be-
fore Thee, to enter thus far into the sanctuary of Thy mystery. Not unto
me, but unto Thy name be the glory. Let the influence of Thy Divine Ones
descend upon my head, and teach me the value of self sacrifice so that I

Appendix A
(continued)
shrink not in the hour of trial, but that thus, my name may be written on
high, and my higher self may stand in the presence of the Holy One in
that hour, when the Son of Man is invoked before the Lord of Spirits, and
his name before the Ancient of Days‖
Stand in the sign of the Osiris the slain and say.
"I am Osiris Onnophris who is found perfect before the Gods hath said:
These are the elements of my Body perfected through suffering, glorified
through trial. The scent of the dying Rose is as the repressed sigh of my
Suffering. And the flame-red Fire as the energy of mine undaunted Will.
And the Cup of Wine is the pouring out of the blood of my heart, sacri-
ficed unto Regeneration, unto the newer life. And the bread and salt are
as the foundations of my body, which I destroy in order that they may be
renewed.
For I am Osiris Triumphant. Even Osiris Onnophris the Justified. I am He

who is clothed with the body of flesh yet in whom flames the spirit of the
Gods. I am the Lord of Life, triumphant over Death, and whosoever par-
taketh with me shall with me arise. I am the manifestor in Matter of Those
whose abode is the Invisible. I am the purified. I stand upon the Universe. I
am its Reconciler with the eternal Gods. I am the Perfector of Matter, and
without me the Universe is not."
Take the rose and smell it, return the rose and take the red lamp and feel .
the heat, take the paten with the bread and salt, take a piece of bread
make a cross in the salt and eat it. Return the paten with bread and salt
and take the Chalice with the wine. Make the cross in the Air and drink the
wine. Flip over the Chalice and put it on the Altar saying ―Tetelastai. It is
accomplished‖.
Remain in silence to contemplate the ritual.
Copyright © Vic Sabljic, 2010

Page 84
Hermetic Virtues
Reclaiming the Magical Retirement

By Lauren E. Gardner
The history of magical practice in the Western world is filled with accounts
of magical or spiritual retirements and retreats. Whether it be the ubiqui-
tous stories of Jesus‘ time in the wilderness, Aleister Crowley‘s time in the
Algerian desert, or even Abramelin‘s legend, the magical retirement occu-
pies a key place in many world spiritual traditions— and should have a
place in our own work as magician.
For those unfamiliar with the Abramelin operation, it is potentially the
most common example of a magical retirement to be found in the West-
ern mystery tradition. The text itself has captured the interest of ceremoni-
al magicians for many decades. Originally written by a German Jew be-
tween 1387 and 1427, the book of Abramelin follows the frame story of
an inheritance. The text is addressed to Abram von Worms‘ son and de-
tails the way in which Abram traveled the world, purified himself; learned
true magic, and so on. There are some practical instructions for retire-
ment, but also magic squares and other instructions for use in practical
work that do not interest us here. The first English translation of the work,
from a French manuscript, was completed by Samuel Mathers in 1897.
The book was very popular among the members of the Hermetic Order of
Traditionally, the
the Golden Dawn, and the magical squares developed a reputation for
person performing being particularly dangerous and powerful. However, there are major dif-
the Abramelin op-
eration aims to
ferences between the French manuscript Mathers worked from and the
purify himself and new German translation published in 2006. Though the newer edition
make contact with
the ―Holy Guardian
contains many useful tidbits and inspiration for someone trying to conduct
Angel.‖ He does a magical retirement, it is worthwhile to seek out both.
this by preparing a
special oratory and Traditionally, the person performing the Abramelin operation aims to puri-
generally with-
drawing from the fy himself and make contact with the ―Holy Guardian Angel.‖ He does this
world for an ex- by preparing a special oratory and generally withdrawing from the world
tended period of
time. for an extended period of time. Near the end of that time window, as-
suming he has attained the assistance and authority of that Angel, he
then proceeds to bind the 4 Princes of Hell with oaths of allegiance. 1
The new translation clarifies many mistranslations: the operation, previ-
ously listed as lasting six months in the Mathers translation of the French,
was given as eighteen months in the German.
The eighteen-month Abramelin Operation as presented in the German
text is quite unrealistic for most, but nevertheless it serves as a fine proto-
type for modern magical retirements. The Abramelin Operation continues
to fascinate magicians. (An interesting account of someone who succeed-
ed with the 6-month operation is to be found in the book, ―The Sacred Ma-
gician‖ by William Bloom. Bloom did his retirement in 1972 in Morocco.)
Regardless of the apparent success rate, or the risks involved, magical or
esoteric retirements seem to be frustratingly out of reach for the average
magician of the Western mystery tradition, who works a scheduled job,

(Continued)
has a family to support, and holds many other obligations. But retirements
are more accessible than many realize.
How, then, is a person living in 2010 supposed to employ such a powerful
technique, and how can we reap its benefits? The key lies in adapting tra-
ditional techniques to today‘s lifestyle, while still remaining true to their
original essence— something which is unfortunately easier said than done.
However, there are some ways that seem to work better than others, and
the purpose of this paper is to look at them.
So, we might ask, why does this technique work so amazingly well, when
it does indeed work? Primarily, the retirement works because it progres-
sively builds up a state of intense and extended focus in the magician, a
state of consciousness which continues over the course of the retirement.
A ―magical time‖ is established,
which goes above and beyond
the traditional ―magical place‖ of
the magician‘s temple or circle. As
the saying goes, ―nothing suc-
ceeds like excess.‖ By placing him-
self or herself in both a magical How, then, is a
person living in
place and magical time, accelerat- 2010 supposed to
ed spiritual development is possi- employ such a
powerful tech-
ble. The magical retirement can nique, and how
be considered as a period of con- can we reap its
benefits? The key
tained, focused attention toward lies in adapting
some theurgic or devotional goal. traditional tech-
niques to today‘s
This time period, from a few days lifestyle, while still
to a few months, works like a pres- remaining true to
their original es-
surized container, accelerating the sence.
process of transformation which is
the Great Work.
The personal goal may take a
number of forms, depending on
the individual tradition of the practitioner, but all relate more or less to spir-
itual goals, rather than ―thaumaturgic‖ or material aims. (There are plenty
of other forms of magical work that are better suited to these ends.) For
Abramelin, the aim was consistent with a Jewish magical worldview. For
a modern operator, the aim might be a somewhat smaller step: to learn
the name of one‘s Holy Guardian Angel, for instance, or to strengthen an
already-established relationship between the magician and the Angel. A
retirement might be undertaken simply to prepare oneself for a ritual of
initiation in a lodge system, and something as simple as deepening one‘s
connection with the Divine is another good reason for a magical retire-
ment.
Page 86
Hermetic Virtues

(Continued)
The next factor to consider is the feasibility of going on a retirement, in the

context of the affairs of one‘s own life. This will vary a great deal; some
will find that time is more of an issue to be surmounted, while others will
find that privacy is more of a struggle. One rule, above all others, applies:
the best situation for a retirement is the one that offers the least distrac-
tion. It is not conductive to seek out a quiet campsite, far from home, if
weather or mosquitoes will present a more serious irritation than others in
the household. Therefore, in the author‘s view, the best place to carry on
such a retirement is usually in one‘s own home, so long as the household
is relatively tranquil and the other people living there are sympathetic and
supportive. Home is familiar; it does not excite too much, and this is desir-
able when we are trying to embark on a slow, spiritual process such as re-
tirement. Being in an exciting place can be a distraction as well as a spur.
Alternatively, a simple, solitary, outdoor location in a quiet place also can
work, if it provides a better ―insulation‖ from others‘ everyday lives. Again,
go wherever will pose the fewest distractions.
Also, the duration you choose should be appropriate to your experience
and goals. Three to seven days is a good starting range, and after one re-
tirement, it is easy to select the time based on experience. Three days is a
Also, the duration
good minimum, and can be carried out over a holiday weekend, for in-
you choose should stance. If the time is too short, the necessary pressure cannot build up for
be appropriate to
your experience
much of a long-term, initiatory effect. Very long or extended durations,
and goals. Three to aside from being prohibitive on a practical level, can simply create burn-
seven days is a
good starting
out, fatigue, poor focus, and more distraction. After deciding on a pur-
range, and after pose, place, and duration for the retirement, the magician can move on to
one retirement, it is
easy to select the
planning out the specifics of his or her work during that time. From a
time based on ex- magical point of view, the number of days has significance. You may
perience.
choose 3, 7, 20, or 40 are all good durations, but I leave it to the reader to
make his or her own decision.
Many attempts at magical retirement fail because of inadequate or unreal-
istic planning. (And just think, the Four Princes of Hell have not even
made their appearance yet!) For instance, fasting is helpful during the
term of the retirement, but this should be done as a means to cause a spe-
cific physiological change, a change that helps us focus better. Fasting
also affects the energetic bodies as well, though any elaboration on this
front depends on a common conceptualization of these subtle bodies. Be-
cause a common conceptualization and model of these ―bodies‖ does not
really exist, I am reticent to try and discuss subtle-body effects of fasting
here. We had best follow the ―as below, so above‖ rule here.
Fasting needs to be kept well within the practitioner‘s abilities. Our goal
here is not asceticism. No one needs to be impressed by your ability to go
without food, and a smoker, for instance, may easily be more distracted by
going ―cold turkey‖ during the fast, rather than continuing to smoke mod-

(Continued)
erately during the retirement. All Abramelin‘s guidelines, taken in context

of the time, are almost entirely aimed toward this end of reducing poten-
tial distractions as much as possible. It is ideal if one can be free of work or
family obligations entirely for the term. The final day or days of a retire-
ment should be days of particularly intense dedication and focus, so keep
this in mind when planning.
Abramelin and other magicians who have left us notes, such as William
Bloom, mention fasting as a way to minimize distraction. However, while
fasting may be popular, there is another powerful tool we should employ,
a tool that our predecessors did not possess. Today‘s world is filled with
advertising, electronic color and sound, television, radio, mobile phones,
and Internet. All of these things, taken together, considerably alter the
consciousness of the modern person. We often do not notice this change
in consciousness because we are so continually immersed in it. Electronics
fill our empty moments with endless streams and disconnected snippets of
images, slogans, and processed news. As the Neophyte Ceremony of the
Golden Dawn famously states, ―By names and Images are all powers
awakened and reawakened.‖ So the idea is simple: change the images
(visual and auditory) we are exposed to, and we will change what However, while
―powers‖ are awakened in ourselves. The mind-altering power of fasting may be
popular, there is
―unplugging‖ from TV, Internet, even music, radio and cell phones, during another powerful
a retirement period, should not tool we should
employ, a tool that
be underestimated. There are our predecessors
few better ways, given the na- did not possess.
Today‘s world is
ture of the world we live in to- filled with advertis-
day, to build up the necessary ing, electronic color
and sound, televi-
sense of being outside of mun- sion, radio, mobile
dane time than disconnecting phones, and Inter-
net. .
from media, news, and remov-
ing oneself from the incredible
time vacuum of the Internet.
Especially for someone who lis-
tens to music, filling the days
with silence has a profound and
deep effect. Social isolation, if
possible, works to the same end.
So by unplugging the electron-
ics and emptying our days of ob-
ligations, we are setting our-
selves up in a specific kind of
―magical time‖ that should, fairly
quickly, begin to feel different
from the ordinary flow of time
Page 88
Hermetic Virtues

(Continued)
we experience. Additionally, we set ourselves up in a ―magical space‖ by

arranging a temple room or area in a way that constantly reminds us of
the Work at hand. (For more information on the magical temple, an excel-
lent book on the subject is The Magical Temple by Michael Kearton.) The
evening before the retirement begins; the temple room or area should be
thoroughly cleaned. This cleaning is not a task that should be delegated
to a family member! Also clean all the candleholders, incense burners,
robes, etc that you plan on using during the retirement. This cleaning not
only helps prime our subconscious that that a major working is about to
occur, but it also brings fresh energy and excitement into the temple area.
As a side note, it is a good idea to stock up on candles, incense, etc, before
the retirement period begins, as well as on food and other household
items. This is especially true if you live alone or will be alone for the retire-
ment. If possible, avoid going out shopping or to run errands. Use special
incense and try to keep using that scent for the whole duration.
The last thing we might consider before we start is an Oath of Working.
This is a personal dedication and affirmation, written up at the beginning
of the retirement, that one will see the retirement through the predeter-
The last thing we mined time period. You might swear to observe certain kinds of fasting, to
might consider do a certain number of meditative sessions per day, or any number of oth-
before we start is
an Oath of Work- er specifics. Primarily the Oath helps when we are tempted to skip out ear-
ing. This is a per- ly, to cut corners. Choose carefully what you want to put in this Oath,
sonal dedication
and affirmation, since midstream revisions tend to make the oath void. An Oath like this
written up at the may be handwritten at the beginning of the first day and kept in the tem-
beginning of the
retirement, that ple space during the retirement. (At the end of the last day, it should be
one will see the burned, helping to ceremonially seal the end of the project.)
retirement through
the predetermined Once all these measures have been taken to help us focus on the Work,
time period.
and we have ―closed our exits,‖ so to speak, we are left to wonder, how
will we spend all this time? How will we structure our suddenly quiet
days? For the most part this is contingent on the magician‘s individual
goals and aspirations. If we continue to look to Abramelin as our proto-
type, we can see that multiple, short sessions of prayer, meditation, or in-
vocation seem to work best, with much of the time in between these ses-
sions devoted to study of sacred texts (or other inspiring writings). This
basic structure works well because, as psychology informs us, only a very
small amount of the psyche‘s activity is directly under the immediate con-
trol of the will. For the most part, we have to hack ourselves by a kind of
conduction, that is, through our environment, rather than through will
directly. Just as with physical exercise, we cannot ―will‖ ourselves, with
one day of dawn-to-dusk work, to build up any semblance of concentrat-
ed strength. Without adequate rest periods, injury is sure to result, and the
same is true for these devotional muscles that are exercised in the retire-
ment. The power is built up slowly by degrees. By continuous immersion,

(Continued)
rather than continuous effort, we begin to sow the seeds of a lasting trans-
formation within ourselves.
To use a different metaphor, feelings of devotion will begin to burn of
their own accord, in at a slow and sustainable pace. We want to have
coals in our devotional fireplace, not half-charred twigs: another reason
why a retirement needs to be a slow process.
Let‘s look at a 7-day example retirement. The magician might plan seven
sessions per day, covering the four stations of the Sun (sunrise, solar noon,
sunset, and solar midnight) with three intermediate sessions in between
them. Of course some sessions will be more fruitful than others; this is not
a weakness but rather an organic ebb and flow of a natural process at
work. Many of the frustrations and perceived failures of persons just start-
ing out on this path can be easily averted, if only this perspective is kept in
mind. Persistence is crucial, but it does no good to beat oneself up over
failures.
This daily cycle of meditations brings us to issues of sleep and eating.
Since our retirement occurs within a kind of ―womb‖ of magical time, our
sleep patterns and eating habits will likely differ from what they are at oth-
er times. Again, the point should be reiterated that our goal is not asceti- This daily cycle of
cism; our goal is to create optimal conditions for focused attention. Too meditations brings
us to issues of sleep
little sleep, and concentration becomes impossible. But it is physiological and eating. Since
fact that a reduced amount of sleep can cause emotional labiality, an en- our retirement
occurs within a
hanced sensitivity and reactivity. In moderation, this can be a desirable kind of ―womb‖ of
thing in our retirement, especially for those not naturally of the devotional magical time, our
sleep patterns and
temperament. On an energetic level, a reduced amount of sleep can eating habits will
make us more sensitive and permeable to outside influences. (The use of likely differ from
what they are at
sleep deprivation as an interrogation technique should further illustrate other times. .
the point.) That sensitivity can help our Work, provided we are able to ap-
ply it in a controlled environment. It is certainly more predictable and gen-
tle than drugs.
As for eating, some form of moderate fasting will be helpful, even if this is
just abstaining from alcohol, caffeine, sexual activity, or meat. Smaller but
more frequent, light meals will keep hunger at bay and the energy level
up. Experience and personal needs (including any medical considera-
tions!) are the best guides here, though it should be mentioned that a re-
tirement is not the time to do a complicated ―detox.‖ A detoxification regi-
men might be done in preparation for a magical retirement, however.
Bathing is another important consideration. Since this is ―magical time,‖
many aspects of daily life are altered, and bathing is no exception. You
may choose to take baths daily instead of showers, or use specially-scented
bath salts, or work special prayers into your bath routine. Waking up be-
fore dawn, taking a ritual bath, and then entering the magical temple at
Page 90
Hermetic Virtues

(Continued)
sunrise is a classic and splendid beginning for a day during the retirement.
The simple act of washing the face, hands, and feet before entering a sa-
cred space is another useful practice. Overall, ritual bathing is a technique
that retains the same validity today that is possessed centuries ago.
The person doing the retirement may also use this time to create an ob-
ject, painting, or other creative work. Creating an image is an excellent
way to draw oneself even closer to the power one is working with. Writ-
ing poetry or invocations is also a great idea for those who are not so visu-
ally inclined or talented. The study of sacred or magical texts and the pro-
duction of relevant creative works should give the practitioner plenty of
activities to fill the long, quiet hours of his or her retirement, in between
temple sessions. While the work of art can fulfill many different purposes,
one of these is as a focus for meditation.
There are a few more factors that should be considered. Perhaps the most
critical of these and one quite frequently neglected by other writers on the
subject, is how to smoothly end a retirement, especially one that extends
over a longer period of time. A magical retirement, if at even marginally
successful, tends to build to an emotional intensity or a deep sense of
peace, so much so that that one may not want to see the end of it. How-
ever, for most of us, concerns of work and family come back to claim our
A magical retire-
ment, if at even attention us as soon as they can. If possible, then, try to make your transi-
marginally success- tion a little more gradual. Try to allow a day to readjust to your normal
ful, tends to build to
an emotional inten- sleep schedule, diet, chores, etc. It can be a jarring shock to pass from a
sity or a deep sense highly ―pressurized‖ and sensitive state back into the full rigors of daily life.
of peace, so much
so that that one
may not want to
It should go without saying, but if you happen to live alone, be sure and
see the end of it. inform close friends and family about your project, mentioning that you
may be out of touch for several days. It is best not to go into too much de-
tail, but ensure that these people will not be concerned and that they will
not disturb you.
Also, it would be in the best interest of the magician to take detailed notes
of dreams, meditation insights, and studies. Many writers push the point
of detailed notes but during a retirement, taking thorough notes immedi-
ately after each session is even more important. Crowley‘s ―John St. John‖
is a good example to look at here, both of note-taking and of magical re-
tirements in general.
Over the course of this paper, I have tried to point out some of the major
obstacles to a successful magical retirement, as well as offer some general
guidelines. It has always been the case that the difficulty of doing a retire-
ment is proportionate to the benefits that you reap. While some readers
may object that I did not mention how specifically to conduct a ―session,‖ I
would respond that the person who feels called to do this kind of work
should be able to work out the specifics. It is more a technique for the in-

(Continued)
termediate student, who has had at least a couple years of experience

learning the basics, so the beginner should put off retirements for the time
being. As a whole, the technique of magical retirement in the Western
Mystery Tradition may seem to be in conflict with our modern ways of liv-
ing. But when we pay attention to the essence of such writers as Abram
Von Worms, we see that there are indeed ways to get good results from a
magical retirement, without putting one‘s life on hold for several months
or even years. All we have to do is create the sense of ―magical time,‖ and
this is actually easier today than it has ever been. Because of the apparent
inaccessibility of the retirement, the method has been regrettably neglect-
ed by a large subsection of magical practitioners. My hope is that, with a
little planning, this theurgical technique may again become a valued tool
in the hands of today‘s practitioner of the WMT. Just as we find the best
views of the stars when there is no ambient light, so too can the magician
attain her goal by slowly phasing out all distractions. Similar methods are
found in the spiritual traditions of cultures all over the world— the retire-
ment is one spiritual technique that is truly universal. It is a method that is
remarkably effective, has a rich historical basis, and is one that may even
be easier for someone living in the 21st century.
. All we have to do
is create the sense
of ―magical time,‖
1
In this sentence I have use the more traditional pronouns of ―he‖ and ―him‖ to describe the magi- and this is actually
cian. This is because Abramelin was designed for men; it is unlikely that the author ever even con- easier today than it
sidered a woman might undertake the Work described in that book. An interesting illustration is has ever been.
the directive to have one‘s wife, when she is menstruating, sleep in a different room from the oper- Because of the
ator. This stricture relates back to traditional Jewish law of purity and impurity: but a female magi- apparent inaccessi-
bility of the retire-
cian attempting to be fully traditional would have a difficult time trying to sleep away from herself! ment, the method
has been regretta-
bly neglected by a
Selected Bibliography large subsection of
magical practition-
ers.
Bloom, William. The Sacred Magician: A Ceremonial Diary. Glastonbury: Gothic Image Publica-
tions, 1992.
Crowley, Aleister. Aleister Crowley and the Practice of the Magical Diary. Edited by James Wasser-
man. York Beach, ME: Red Wheel/Weiser, 2006.
Sutin, Lawrence. Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley. New York: St. Martin‘s Griffin,
2002.
Von Worms, Abraham. The Book of Abramelin: A New Translation. Edited by Georg Dehn. Trans-
lated by Steven Guth. Lake Worth, FL: Ibis Press, 2006.
The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage. Translated by S. L. MacGregor Mathers.
New York: Dover, 1975.
Copyright © Lauren E. Gardner, 2010

Page 92
Hermetic Virtues
Enochiana: From Dee to the Golden Dawn Addendum
By Aaron Leitch
I recently presented a lecture on the subject of Enochian magick to stu-

dents of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Its primary goal was to
introduce them to John Dee's original system of Renaissance angel mag-
ick, as it was recorded in his journals. This ―Dee-purist‖ approach draws
strictly upon materials written by or accessible to Dr. Dee himself. It is an
attempt to understand Enochian magick within the context of its original
time and place. The next phase of my lecture briefly covered the history of
Enochian magick after Dee's passing, and discussed how it had radically
changed by the time it was adopted into the curriculum of the early Gold-
en Dawn. I have termed this recension of Dee's system ―Neo-Enochian‖-
that is the Enochian system taught by the Order and the various deriva-
tions that descended from it during the 20th Century.
The lecture was well received – and many of those present were getting
their first introduction to Enochian magick in its original form. I was subse-
quently honoured to have the material published in the respected esoteric
journal Hermetic Virtues. However, in the brief time since I presented the
lecture, my research into the history of Enochiana has advanced. Plus, an
increasing amount of new material is being published (much of it academ-
I must admit that ic) about Dee, Kelley and the time and place in which they lived. Even our
several pieces of
information present- understanding of Dee's magickal journals has radically changed within
ed in my lecture are just the past few months.
now dated. Not
enough, thankfully,
to invalidate even a
With that said, I must admit that several pieces of information presented in
sizeable portion of my lecture are now dated. Not enough, thankfully, to invalidate even a
the material. In fact,
most of the dated sizeable portion of the material. In fact, most of the dated information is
information is found
toward the end of
found toward the end of the lecture, in the section entitled "Enochian
the lecture, in the Magick and the Early Golden Dawn." Some of that material was drawn
section entitled
"Enochian Magick from The Practical Angel Magic of Dr. John Dee's Enochian Tables by Ste-
and the Early Golden phen Skinner and David Rankine. However, I recently discovered a review
Dawn."
by one "Sir Anon" that refutes some of Skinner and Rankine's speculations-
especially concerning the origins of Book H, the Golden Dawn's primary
Enochian source-document. Sir Anon's review can be found here:
Practical Angel Magic: An Updated Review

http://www.themagickalreview.org/reviews/practical-angel-magic-
update/
As I said in my own review of Practical Angel Magic..., the question of who

exactly wrote Book H is less important than an understanding of how that
text influenced the Golden Dawn's version of Enochian magick. Therefore
I still strongly recommend the book to any student of Neo-Enochiana (that
is, post-Golden Dawn Enochian study), while I also strongly recommend

(Continued)
reading the above review to clear up some historical details.

In fact, that is what I intend to do in this addendum to my lecture. I will
highlight the portions of the lecture that need to be corrected or updated,
and then provide the newer information. Not all of it will come from Sir
Anon's review of Practical Angel Magic..., so I will do my best to reference
each point along the way.
Pye vs. Pyre: How Were Dee's Journal Pages Destroyed?
The first correction I would like to make is very minor- concerning the pag-
es of Dee's journals that were destroyed by a maid who was ignorant of
their historical significance. I mentioned in my lecture that we believe
most of the lost pages were used as kindling (to light "pyres") rather than
the more common story that they were used to drain pies ("pyes"). How-
ever, Sir Anon graphically illustrates in his review that the original journal
(preserved as Sloane MS 3188) does indeed use the word "pyes" and not
"pyres." Therefore, the older story still stands, and the maid appears to
have used them as pie-bases after all.
007: The Name is Dee... John Dee A photograph of

this signature exists
The next correction does not originate with (it is a close up
view, so the docu-
Sir Anon's essay, but from my own contin- ment itself is not
ued research. In my lecture, I stated that seen), showing the
two zeros written
Dee was England's first spy and the original beneath an elon-
"007." Supposedly, Dee had used some gated seven that
resembles a square-
kind of numerology to assign the numbers root sign. (Some
7, 0, and 0 to the letters D, E and E. He have suggested this
symbolised Dee as
then wrote this from right-to-left, after the "the Queen's eyes.")
fashion of Hebrew. A photograph of this signature exists (it is a close up
view, so the document itself is not seen), showing the two zeros written
beneath an elongated seven that resembles a square-root sign. (Some
have suggested this symbolised Dee as "the Queen's eyes.") This legend is
so pervasive among Dee researchers, and supported by what appears to
be photographic evidence, that I had never seen it questioned.
For the record, Dee indeed seems to have been Protestant England's first
spy - perhaps even working on behalf of Princess Elizabeth as she lan-
guished in prison during Queen Mary's short reign. However, there were
things about the "007" moniker that bothered me.
First, I could not determine how Dee had arrived at the number seven for
the first letter of his name. In his journals, he typically used the Greek Del-
ta as a symbol for his name, and Delta represents the letter D and the
number four. Even in Hebrew gematria (a subject with which Dee was
Page 94
Hermetic Virtues

(Continued)
quite familiar), the letter Daleth (transliterated as D) is assigned the num-

bered four. Meanwhile, we have just one record of Dee converting the
letters of his name into numbers- preserved as a notation in his copy of an
obscure text entitled Voarchadumia. There, we find: D = 4, E = 1 and E = 1
- which is accurate according to the rules of Hebrew gematria, and is defi-
nitely not "007." (See the introduction to Laycock's Complete Enochian
Dictionary, where a photocopy of the relevant page is presented- though
its caption is partially incorrect.)
My second problem with the ―007‖ signature concerned sources, or rather
a lack thereof. I found many essays that discussed this legend and includ-
ed the same photo of the signature, but none of them offered a source for
either the photo or the signed document. Therefore, I set out to discover
this document and see once and for all if Dee was in fact its signatory.
After I posed the question to Dee academics, the answer came quickly.
Alas, the "007" legend turns out to be a hoax. There are no known docu-
ments authored by Dee that include the signature or anything even slight-
ly resembling it. Neither the photo we normally see nor the document it-
self can be traced beyond the publication of John Dee: Scientist, Geogra-
pher, Astrologer and Secret Agent to Elizabeth I by Richard Deacon
There are no
known documents (1968). Deacon was a pseudonym of Robert McCormick, a British author
authored by Dee on the subject of spies and intelligence. He was also a personal friend of
that include the
signature or any- Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond character. Deacon's book pro-
thing even slightly vides no reference whatsoever for either the legend or the photo of the
resembling it. Nei-
ther the photo we supposed signature.
normally see nor
the document itself Therefore, I feel we can safely assume that the legend was an in-joke be-
can be traced be-
yond the publica-
tween Deacon/McCormick and his buddy Fleming. While this is a bit dis-
tion of John Dee: appointing, I think it still makes for an interesting bit of Dee-related trivia.
If nothing else, it shows the place of honour Dee holds among British Intel-
ligencers to this very day. (I would like to thank Alan Thorogood for
providing information about Richard Deacon and his book.)
Enochian Magick After Dee - Truly and Faithfully
Now we have reached the "Enochian Magick and the Early Golden Dawn"
section of my lecture, where some more important issues need to be ad-
dressed. Right away in this section, I asserted that a fire at Dee's home de-
stroyed many of his manuscripts- implying that some of his magickal jour-
nals may have been lost there as well.
This appears to be an error, perhaps related to the long-perpetuated leg-
end that a mob of frightened peasants once burned a portion of Dee's
home while he was away. According to Benjamin Wolley, in The Queen's
Conjurer (2002), Dee's home was not burned by peasants, but was ran-
sacked in his absence by his own "friends" and students. Dee returned to

(Continued)
find many of his precious manuscripts and scientific equipment stolen, and
some irreplaceable artefacts entirely destroyed by vandalism. Thankfully,
however, Dee had his magickal journals with him at the time, so that inci-
dent does not concern the Enochian system.
Next, in the same paragraph, I assert that Dr. Thomas Rudd seems to have
come into possession of some of Dee's material. This did make sense, as
Rudd wrote material about the Seven Ensigns of Creation while Dee's Five
Books of the Mysteries (wherein we find the Seven Ensigns) was still hid-
den within the secret compartment of a cedar chest.
However, as Sir Anon deftly illustrates, there is nothing in the Rudd materi-
al to suggest it came from a reading of the Five Books... In fact, the hor-
rendous mistakes that Rudd makes in regards to the Ensigns (such as re-
placing most instances of the letter "b" with the number "6", and including
the names of several demons drawn from the Goetia), it is quite likely that
he had no reference to the Five Books... at all. It is much more likely that
the author was simply looking at the diagram of the Holy Table (including
the Seven Ensigns) that is included at the beginning of Casaubon's A True
and Faithful Relation... (1659). (Of course, the actual Thomas Rudd died in
1656, meaning that the author of the "Dr. Rudd" magickal material was
either someone writing under a pseudonym, or was an entirely different The next point I
must address con-
Dr. Rudd.) cerns the creation
of Book H. In my
The next point I must address concerns the creation of Book H. In my lec- lecture, I repeated
ture, I repeated Skinner and Rankine's suggestion that some unknown per- Skinner and
Rankine's sugges-
son had obtained a copy of Dee's Book of Supplication (found in Sloane tion that some
MS 3191)- containing invocations for the Angels of the Watchtowers- and unknown person
had obtained a
expanded it to ten times its original length to create Book H. After looking copy of Dee's Book
through the lengthy invocations contained in Book H, I agreed with Skin- of Supplication
ner and Rankine on this point. The later invocations certainly seemed to
include the same information as Dee's original versions, but transformed
into typically verbose Victorian prose.
But, alas, Sir Anon steps in again with a pertinent observation. He actually
quotes parallel examples of Dee's invocations alongside of Book H's ver-
sions- giving us a line-by-line comparison. This illustrated once and for all
that, regardless of their apparent similarities when viewed separately,
there is in fact nothing of Dee's original prayers found in Book H. The so-
called similarities seem to be incidental, based upon the fact that both sets
of invocations are addressing Angels from the Watchtowers.
This may seem like meaningless quibbling over details. However, it is in
fact very important to determining what became of the Enochian material
after Dee passed away. As with "Rudd" and his work on the Seven En-
signs, the existence of Book H seemed to suggest that someone had ac-
cess to records (in this case the Book of Supplication) that were not includ-
Page 96
Hermetic Virtues

(Continued)
ed in A True and Faithful Relation.... However, once we realize that the

author of Book H was not drawing from Dee's Book of Supplication, it be-
comes apparent that even this document can claim no source prior to Ca-
saubon's publication of Dee's later journals. This is further supported by
the inclusion of the "Reformed Table of Raphael" in Book H- which is found
in A True and Faithful Relation....
Conclusion - Neo-Enochiana
Given the evidence we have available, we cannot prove that a Dee-
inspired Enochian tradition of any kind survived the passing of John Dee
and Edward Kelley. All of the sources we can trace seem to lead directly
back to Casaubon's A True and Faithful Relation... That single text sparked
the world's curiosity and wonder over what two Elizabethan wizards had
been up to behind the closed doors of their study. It led to renewed de-
bate and magickal experiments among members of the Royal Society. It
was the springboard for a new Enochian tradition- as seen in the works of
men such as "Dr. Rudd" and in Book H. Finally, it became a major influ-
ence upon the members of the Golden Dawn's inner order, and was thus
reborn in a new form - the post-Golden Dawn Enochian, or "Neo-
Given the evidence Enochian" tradition.
we have available,
we cannot prove I hope this addendum to my lecture- "Enochiana: From Dee to the Golden
that a Dee-inspired
Enochian tradition Dawn"- has cleared up a few important historical points. I strongly recom-
of any kind survived mend students interested in this subject read Skinner and Rankine's Practi-
the passing of John
Dee and Edward cal Angel Magic... as well as Sir Anon's review of it, both of which contain
Kelley. All of the
sources we can
much more than I have covered here. (Of course, I also recommend read-
trace seem to lead ing all of the sources I have referenced in this essay.)
directly back to
Casaubon's A True As Dee-scholarship continues to grow by leaps and bounds, our under-
and Faithful Rela-
tion
standing of his life and work- including his system of angel magick- is
growing ever deeper. I hope this trend continues not only among aca-
demics, but among Enochian aspirants both within and outside the ranks
of the Golden Dawn.
Zorge,
Aaron Leitch
August 2010
Copyright © 2010 by Aaron Leitch
Hermetic Virtues Once again we would like to thank the authors who generously submitted such
eMail: info@hermeticvirtues.org
excellent articles to this issue of the Hermetic Virtues Magazine. While you en-
joy reading this issue, we have already begun work on preparing the next edi-
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Contributions of papers or ideas for our website are very welcome – please
send any papers that you would like to see published there to
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Autumnal Equinox 2010

Volume IV, Edition 2

What Regardie didn't know 20

Golden Dawn Rituals and Com- 30

An Exposition on The Infernal 34

The Return of Psalmic Magick and 40

The Angelical Language: Vol. I & 54

Enochiana: From Dee to the 92

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

Copyright ©2009 by Chic Cicero

―The Shining Flame of

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

Man is an extract of the firmament, the quintessence of the cosmos, the

It is important to understand these ideas because they occur over and

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

1) The Physical Body, which is the biological or material body of a human.

2) The Etheric Body, which is composed of ―ether‖ or ―Life-Force‖ energy,

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

Soul and Spirit

The Soul or psyche is that part of the individu-

In terms of the Human Self, the Spirit (from

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

The Neshamah in Binah is the intuitive

Between the Neshamah and the Middle

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

are the spheres of Netzach and Hod—or Thinking and Feeling.

The Nephesh or Animal Soul sits in YESOD. It is a low level of awareness

Finally there is the G‘uph or Physical Body, centered in Malkuth.

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

The Higher Genius sits in Kether, in Yechidah, in the Spiritual Body. In

Other Confusing Terms

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

Higher Self or HGA?

Considering that the book of Abra-melin was a medieval text, we can be

The important thing to remember is this: Any Golden Dawn magician,

Invoking the Higher Genius

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

guidance of the Neshamah—the Higher

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

There are five divisions of the Magic of Light,

y YOD : The works of ceremonial magic,

h HEH : The consecration of talismans and the production of

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

The Z-2 Document provides out-

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

So if any relic of the ego-problem remains when the Initiate‘s Sphere of

Yechidah: (Spelled: Yod, Cheth, Yod, Daleth, Heh)

Prerequisite to Magic: Lighting the Spark Within

So if any relic of the

Copyright © 2009 by Chic Cicero

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

Israel Regardie is the main reason

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

What Regardie didn't know about the Golden Dawn

the sphere of sensation has greatly