Eliphas Levi; Dogma et Rituel de la Haute de Magia, Part II

Contents

• The Indispensable Preliminary
  • Air
  • Exorcise Air
  • Prayer of the Sylphs
  • Water
  • Exorcise Water, Salt, & Ash
  • Prayer of the Undines
  • Fire
  • Exorcise Fire
  • Prayer of the Salamanders
  • Earth
  • Exorcise the Earth
  • Prayer of the Gnomes
• The Conjuration of The Four
• The Septenary of Talismans
• Works Cited

The Spirit of God moved upon the waters and breathed into the face of man the breath of life. Be Michael my leader, and Sabtabiel my servant, in and by the light. May my breath become a word, and I will rule the spirits of this creature of air; I will curb the steeds of the sun by the Will of my heart, by the thought of my mind, and by the apple of the right eye. Therefore I do exorcise thee, creature of air, by Pentagrammaton, and in the name Tetragrammaton, wherein are firm Will and true faith. Amen. Sela: Fiat. So be it.

The Prayer of the Sylphs must be recited next, after tracing their sign in the air with the quill of an eagle.

Prayer of the Sylphs
Spirit of Light, Spirit of Wisdom, Whose breath gives and takes away the form of all things; Thou before Whom the life of every being is; a shadow which transforms and a vapour which passes away; Thou who ascendest upon the clouds and dost fly upon the wings of the wind; Thou who breathest forth and the limitless immensities are peopled; Thou who drawest in and all which came forth from Thee unto Thee returneth; endless movement in the eternal stability, be Thou blessed for ever! We praise Thee, we bless Thee in the fleeting empire of created light, of shadows, reflections and images; and we aspire without ceasing towards Thine immutable and imperishable splendour. May the ray of Thine intelligence and the warmth of Thy love descend on us: that which is volatile shall be fixed, the shadow shall become body, the spirit of the air shall receive a soul, and dream be thought. We shall be swept away no more before the tempest, but shall bridle the winged steeds of the morning and guide the course of the evening winds, that we may flee into Thy presence. O Spirit of Spirits, O eternal Soul of Souls, O imperishable Breath of life, O Creative Sigh, O Mouth which dost breathe forth and withdraw the life of all beings; in the ebb and flow of Thine eternal speech, which is; the divine ocean of movement and of truth! Amen.

Water is exorcised by imposition of hands, breathing and speech; consecrated salt and a little of the ash which remains in the pan of incense are mingled also with it. The aspergillus is formed of twigs of vervain, periwinkle, sage, mint, ash and basil, tied by a thread taken from a virgin's distaff and provided with a handle of hazelwood from a tree which has not yet fruited. The characters of the seven spirits must be graven thereon with the magic bodkin. The salt and ash must be consecrated separately, saying:

Over the Salt
May wisdom abide in this salt, and may it preserve our minds and bodies from all corruption, by Hochmael and in the virtue of Ruach-Hochmael! May the phantoms of Hyle depart herefrom; that it may become a heavenly salt, salt of the earth and earth of salt; that it may feed the threshing ox, and strengthen our hope with the horns of the flying bull! Amen.

Over the Ash
May this ash return unto the fount of living waters; may it become a fertile earth; may it bring forth the Tree of Life, by the Three Names which are Netsah, Hod, and Jesod, in the beginning and in the end, by Alpha and Omega, which arc in the spirit of Azoth! Amen.

Mingling the Water, Salt and Ash
In the salt of eternal wisdom, in the water of regeneration, and in the ash whence the new earth springeth, be all things accomplished by Eloim, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel, through the ages and aeons! Amen.

Exorcism of the Water
Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters; the things which are above are like unto things which arc below, and things below arc like unto things above, for the performance of the wonders of one thing; The sun is its father, the moon its mother, the wind hath carried it in the belly thereof. It ascendeth from earth to heaven, and again it descendeth from heaven to earth. I exorcise thee, creature of water, that thou mayest become unto men a mirror of the living God in His works, a fount of life and ablution of sins.

Prayer of the Undines
Dread King of the Sea, Who hast the keys of the floodgates of heaven and dost confine the waters of the underworld in the caverns of earth; King of the deluge and the floods of the springtime; Thou Who dost unseal the sources of rivers and fountains; Thou Who dost ordain moisture, which is like the blood of earth, to become the sap of plants: Thee We adore and Thee the invoke! Speak unto us, Thine inconstant and unstable creatures, in the great tumults of the sea, and we shall tremble before Thee; speak unto us also in the murmur of limpid waters, and me shall yearn for Thy love! O Immensity into which flow all rivers of life, to be continually reborn in Thee! O ocean of infinite perfections! Height which reflects Thee in the depth, depth which exhales Thee to the height, lead us unto true life by intelligence and love! Lead us to immortality by sacrifice, that we may be found worthy one Day to offer Thee water, blood and tears, for the remission of sins! Amen.

Fire is exorcised by the sprinkling of salt, incense, white resin, camphor and sulphur; by thrice pronouncing the three names of the genii of fire: MICHAEL, king of the sun and lightning; SAMAEL, king of volcanoes; and ANAEL, prince of the Astral Light; and, finally, by reciting the

Prayer of the Salamanders
Immortal, eternal, ineffable and uncreated Father of all things, Who art borne upon the ever-rolling chariot of worlds which revolve unceasingly; Lord of ethereal immensities, where the throne of Thy power is exalted, from which height Thy terrible eyes Discern all things and Thy holy and beautiful ears unto all things hearken, hear Thou Thy children, whom Thou didst love before the ages began. For Thy golden, Thy grand, Thine eternal majesty shines above the world and the heaven of stars! Thou art exalted over them, O glittering fire! There dost thou shine, there dost Thou commune with Thyself in Thine own splendour, and inexhaustible streams of Light pour from Thine essence for the nourishment of Thine Infinite Spirit, which itself doth nourish all things, and forms that inexhaustible treasure of substance ever ready for the generation which adapts it and appropriates the forms Thou hast impressed on it from the beginning! From this Spirit the three most holy kings, Who surround Thy throne and constitute Thy court, derive also their origin, O universal Father! O sole and only Father of blessed mortals and immortals! In particular Thou hast created powers Which are marvellously like unto Thine eternal thought and Thine adorable essence; Thou hast established them higher than the angels, Who proclaim Thy Will to the World; finally, Thou hast created us third in rank within our elementary empire. There our unceasing exercise is to praise Thee and adore Thy good pleasure; there We burn continually in our aspiration to possess Thee. O Father! O Mother, most tender of all mothers! O admirable archetype of maternity and of pure love! O Son, flower of sons! O form of all forms, soul, spirit, harmony and number of all things! Amen.

The earth is exorcised by aspersion of water, by breathing and by fire, with the perfumes proper for each day and the

Prayer of the Gnomes
King invisible, Who, taking the earth as a support, didst furrow the abysses to fill them with Thine omnipotence; Thou Whose name doth shake the vaults of the world, Thou Who causest the seven metals to flow through the veins of the rock, monarch of the seven lights, rewarder of the subterranean toilers, lead us unto the desirable air and to the realm of splendour. We watch and we work unremittingly, we seek and we hope, by the twelve stones of the Holy City, by the hidden talismans, by the pole of loadstone which passes through the center of the world! Savior, Savior, Savior, have pity on those who suffer, expand our hearts, detach and elevate our minds, enlarge our entire being! O stability and motion! O day clothed with night! O darkness veiled by splendour! O Master Who never keepest back the wages of Thy labourers! O silver whiteness! O golden splendour! O crown of living and melodious diamonds! Thou Who wearest the heaven on Thy finger like a sapphire ring, Thou Who concealest under earth, in the stone kingdom, the marvellous seed of stars, live, reign, be the eternal dispenser of the wealth whereof Thou hast made us the wardens! Amen.

It must be borne in mind that the special kingdom of Gnomes is at the north, that of Salamanders at the south, that of Sylphs at the east, and that of Undines at the west.

These beings influence the four temperaments of man; that is to say, the Gnomes affect the melancholy, Salamanders the sanguine, Undines the phlegmatic and Sylphs the bilious. Their signs are: the hieroglyphs of the Bull for the Gnomes, who are commanded with the sword; those of the Lion for Salamanders, who are commanded with the bifurcated rod or magic trident; those of the Eagle for the Sylphs, who are commanded by the holy pantacles; finally, those of the Water-Carrier for Undines, who are commanded by the cup of libations. Their respective sovereigns are Gob for the Gnomes, Djin for the Salamanders, Paralda for the Sylphs and Nicksa for the Undines.

When an elementary spirit torments, or at least vexes, the inhabitants of this world, it must be conjured by air, water, fire and earth; by breathing, sprinkling, burning of perfumes; and by tracing on the ground the Star of Solomon and the Sacred Pentagram. These figures must be perfectly correct and drawn either with the charcoal of consecrated fire or with a reed dipped in various colours, mixed with powdered loadstone. Then, holding the Pantacle of Solomon in one hand and taking up successively the sword, rod and cup, the Conjuration of the Four should be recited with a loud voice, after the following manner:

Caput mortuum, the Lord command thee by the living and votive serpent! Cherub, the Lord command thee by Adam Jotchabah! Wandering Eagle, the Lord command thee by the wings of the Bull! Serpent, the Lord Tetragrammaton command thee by the angel and the lion! Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Anael! Flow Moisture, by the spirit of Eloim. Earth, be established by Adam Jotchabah. Spread, Firmament, by Jahubehu, Zebaoth. Fulfil, Judgment, by fire in the virtue of Michael. Angel of the blind eyes, obey, or pass away with this holy water! Work, Winged Bull, or revert to the earth, unless thou wilt that I should pierce thee with this sword! Chained Eagle, obey my sign, or fly before this breathing! Writhing Serpent, crawl at my feet, or be tortured by the sacred fire and give way before the perfumes that I burn in it! Water, return to water; fire, burn; air, circulate; earth, revert to earth, by virtue of the Pentagram, which is the Morning Star, and by the name of the Tetragram, which is written in the center of the Cross of Light! Amen.

The Sign of the Cross adopted by Christians does not belong to them exclusively. This also is kabalistic and represents the oppositions and tetradic equilibrium of the elements. We see by the occult versicle of the Lord's Prayer, which we have cited in our “Doctrine”, that it was originally made after two manners, or at least that it was characterized by two entirely different formulae, one reserved for priests and initiates, the other imparted to neophytes and the profane. For example, the initiate said raising his hand to his forehead, “For thine,” then added “is,” and continuing as he brought down his hand to his breast, “the kingdom,” then to the left shoulder, “the justice,” afterwards to the right shoulder, “and the mercy” – then clasping his hands, he added, “in the generating ages.” Tibi sunt Malkuth et Geburah et Chesed per aeonas – a Sign of the Cross which is absolutely and magnificently kabalistic, which the profanations of Gnosticism have lost completely to the official and militant Church. This Sign, made after this manner, should precede and terminate the Conjuration of the Four.

"The Magus who intends undertaking the works of light must operate on a Sunday, from midnight to eight in the morning, or from three in the afternoon to ten in the evening. He should wear a purple vestment, with tiara and bracelets of gold. The altar of perfumes and the tripod of sacred fire must be encircled by wreaths of laurel, heliotrope and sunflowers; the perfumes are cinnamon, strong incense, saffron and red sandal; the ring must be of gold, with a chrysolith or ruby; the carpet must be of lion-skins, the fans of sparrow-hawk feathers.

On Monday the robe is white, embroidered with silver, and having a triple collar of pearls, crystals and selenite; the tiara must be covered with yellow silk, emblazoned with silver characters forming the Hebrew monogram of Gabriel, as given in the Occult Philosophy of Agrippa; the perfumes are white sandal, camphor, amber, aloes and pulverized seed of cucumber; the wreaths are mugwort, moonwort and yellow ranun-culuses. Tapestries, garments and objects of a black colour must be avoided; and no metal except silver should be worn on the person.

On Tuesday, a day for the operations of vengeance, the colour of the vestment should be that of flame, rust or blood, with belt and bracelets of steel. The tiara must be bound with gold; the wand must not be used, but only the magical dagger and sword; the wreaths must be of absinthe and rue, the ring of steel, with an amethyst for precious stone.

On Wednesday, a day favourable for transcendent science, the vestment should be green, or shot with various colours; the necklace of pearls in hollow glass beads containing mercury; the perfumes benzoin, mace and storax; the flowers, narcissus, lily, herb-mercury, fumitory, and marjoram; the jewel should be the agate.

On Thursday, a day of great religious and political operations, the vestment should be scarlet and on the forehead should be worn a brass tablet, with the character of the spirit of Jupiter and the three words: GIARAR, BETHOR, SAMGABIEL; the perfumes are incense, ambergris, balm, grain of paradise, macis and saffron; the ring must be enriched with an emerald or sapphire; the wreaths and crowns should be oak, poplar, g and pomegranate leaves.

On Friday, the day for amorous operations, the vestment should be of sky-blue, the hangings of green and rose, the ornaments of polished copper, the crowns of violets, the wreaths of roses, myrtle and olive; the ring should be enriched with a turquoise; lapis-lazuli and beryl will answer for tiara and clasps; the fans must be of swan's feathers; and the operator must wear upon his breast a copper talisman with the character of Anael and the words: AVEEVA VADELILITH.

On Saturday, a day of funereal operations, the vestment must be black or brown, with characters embroidered in orange or black silk; round the neck must be worn a lamina of lead, with the character of Saturn and the words: ALMALEC, APHIEL, ZARAHIEL; the perfumes should be diagridrium, scammony, alum, sulphur and assafoetida; the ring should be adorned with an onyx; the garlands should be of ash, cypress and hellebore; on the onyx of the ring, during the hours of Saturn, the double head of Janus should be engraved with the consecrated awl."

"We have defined a Pantacle as a synthetic character resuming the entire magical doctrine in one of its special conceptions. It is therefore the full expression of a completed thought and will: it is the signature of a spirit. The ceremonial consecration of this sign attaches to it still more strongly the intention of the operator and establishes a veritable magnetic chain between himself and the Pantacle. Pantacles may be drawn upon virgin parchment, paper or metals. What is termed a talisman is a sheet of metal, bearing either Pantacles or characters and having received a special consecration for a defined intention."

"Talismans are made of the seven kabalistic metals, and, when the days and hours are favourable, the required and determined signs are engraved thereon. The figures of the seven planets, with their magical squares according to Paracelsus, are found in the Little Albert: they are one of the very few serious items in this collection of vulgar Magic."

"The Pentagram should be engraved invariably upon one side of the talisman, with a circle for the Sun, a crescent for the Moon, for Mars a sword, a G for Venus, for Jupiter a crown and a scythe for Saturn. The reverse must bear the Sign of Solomon, that is, the six-pointed star composed of two superposed triangles; in the centre there is placed a human figure for the talismans of the Sun, a chalice for those of the Moon, a dog's head for those of Mercury, an eagle's for those of Jupiter, a lion's head for those of Mars, a dove's for those of Venus, and a bull's or goat's for those of Saturn. The names of the seven angels must be added in Hebrew, in Arabic or in magical characters like those of the alphabet of Trithemius. The two triangles of Solomon may be replaced by the double cross of the Wheels of Ezekiel, which is found on a great number of ancient Pantacles and is, as we have observed in our “Doctrine” the key to the trigrams of Fohi.

Precious stones may be also employed for amulets and talismans; but all objects of this nature, whether metals or gems, must be kept carefully in silken bags of a colour analogous to that of the spirit of the planet, perfumed with the perfumes of the corresponding day, and preserved from all impure glances and contacts."

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

In the name of Eloim and by the spirit of the living waters, be thou unto me a sign of light and a sacrament of will.

Presenting it to the smoke of the perfumes:

By the brazen serpent which destroyed the serpents of fire, be thou, etc.

Breathing seven times upon the Pantacle or talisman:

By the firmament and spirit of the voice, be thou, etc.

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

In the salt of earth, and by the virtue of eternal life, be thou etc.

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

In the name of Michael, may Jehovah command thee, and drive thee, hence, Chavaioth!
In the name of Gabriel, may Adonai command thee, and drive thee hence, Belial!
In the name of Raphael, begone before Elchim, Sachabiel!
By Samael Zebaoth, and in the name of Eloim Gibor, get thee, hence, Adrameleck!
By Zachariel and Sachiel-Meleck, be obedient unto Elvah, Samgabiel!
By the divine and human name of Shaddai, and by the Sign of the Pentagram which I hold in my right hand; in the name of the angel Anael, by the power of Adam and of Heva, who are Jotchavah, begone, Lilith! Let us rest in peace, Nahemah!
By the holy Eloim and by the names of the genii Cassiel, Sehaltiel, Aphiel and Zarahiel, at the command of Orifiel, depart from us, Moloch! We deny thee our children to devour."

• Lévi, Éliphas. Transcendental Magic; Its Doctrine and Ritual. Translated by A. E. Waite, Samuel Weiser Inc., 1999.