Creating a Neo-Enochian
Truncated Pyramid
Choosing a Square:
Define Your Magickal Goal
To use the Golden Dawn’s system of neo-Enochiana for practical magickal purposes, you will first need to choose a cell from the Great Table. And to do that, you will need to define your magickal goal. Once you know what you need, determine which Watchtower and subquadrant holds the name(s) of the angel or angels you should summon. I touched on this in chapter 12. You must first decide which of the four elements governs the goal of your magick. Many books have been written about the four elements and the various aspects of life they govern, so I will be rather brief here:
Fire will govern anything involving energy, passion, dominance, victory, etc. Water governs emotions, creativity, happiness, etc. Air governs the intellect, sciences, business, travel, etc. And Earth governs the physical world, the home, family, money, etc.
You then need to refine your magickal goal according to the sub-
elements. For instance, if you decide your magickal goal involves the Fire of passion, you can then determine if that passion is about love (Water of Fire), science or business (Air of Fire), your home or money (Earth of Fire), etc. If no sub-element seems to quite fit, you can simply choose the pure element by using, for example, Fire of Fire.
Make sure you pick the correct sub-element. For instance, Water of Air could be invoked to bring happiness into your business or area of academic study. In nature it would represent rain, hail, clouds, and fog. On the other hand, Air of Water would be invoked to bring the power of your intellect into areas of life generally overruled by emotion; thus, it can help you make good decisions in your emotional relationships. In nature it would represent the waves that oxygenate the waters of the sea. As you can see, this is vastly different than Water of Air, so choose your sub-element carefully.
Once you have made this decision, you will know which subquadrant in which Watchtower serves your purposes. For higher spiritual purposes, you should summon one or more of the kherubs above the arms of the Calvary Cross in that subquadrant. For more practical purposes, you will want to summon one or more of the servient angels. The Watchtower cell you will choose will be the one holding the first letter of the angel’s name.
In most cases, you will likely call just one of the four primary angels whose names appear beneath the arms of the Calvary Cross. It is possible to call more than one angel at a time. However, since you will likely be making just one truncated pyramid per ritual, you may want to call only the angel whose name begins with the letter on the top of that pyramid.
Constructing the Truncated Pyramid
Figure 78: A Truncated Pyramid
Now let us put together your pyramid. Here is what the figure looks like when drawn in two dimensions on paper:
This is what a truncated pyramid would look like if you were above it looking straight down onto it. The central square is the top of the pyramid, and the numbered portions are the sides. All the figures you draw or paint on the sides should be oriented with their tops pointing toward the center square. It is acceptable to create your own pyramid as such a two-dimensional figure—especially if you intend to draw it upon a talisman. However, the Golden Dawn recommended using cardboard to fashion a three-dimensional pyramid shape and painting it with the appropriate figures and colors.
Golden Dawn Enochan pyramids are very colorful objects. The colors I have already explained for each Watchtower are taken into consideration, but any individual pyramid will have more colors based on the sub-elements, tarot, astrology, and other occult forces contained in the Watchtower cell. Note that the Golden Dawn makes use of different “color scales” in their pyramids, but I will stick to just one scale (called the Queen Scale) for this primer, which is the same one I have used throughout the book.
Here is an outline of what should appear on each portion of the pyramid:
Top
Contains the letter of the Watchtower cell, which is the first letter of the angel’s name. Traditionally, the Angelical character for this letter was used rather than the English equivalent. (I am including the Angelical characters in appendix I.) The background of the top of every pyramid is white because it represents the spiritual force that governs the elemental forces of the four sides. The letter itself will be black (the flashing color to white).
The figures painted on the four sides of the pyramid will differ depending on whether it represents a kherubic angel or a servient angel:
Kherubic Pyramids
As an example, I have chosen the Fire of Air sub-element. Therefore, I will focus upon the Eastern (Air) Watchtower, Fire subquadrant (lower right). And since I wish to work with Fire of Air, I might as well choose the kherub of Fire within that subquadrant. If you look at the Eastern Watchtower in figure 76, you will find the Fire kherub in the Fire subquadrant is on the far right of its line (assigned to the letter Yod 
). The letter of that cell on the Great Table is D, the first letter of the name Dxgs (see figure 64).
We already know the top of the pyramid will be white with a black letter upon it, as this is true of all pyramid squares. Now let us decorate and color the sides:
Side 1
Here you will represent a tarot court card. Its suit is determined by the subquadrant’s element, and the court figure is determined by the kherub of the square.
In the case of our example, this would be the King of Wands. The subquadrant’s element is Fire, which is related to the suit of Wands in the tarot. The kherub is the Fire (or Yod 
) kherub, so the figure will be a king; thus we have the King of Wands. If you need a guide to this, see table 54 about the tarot and the Table of Union. Find your subquadrant’s element on the left-hand side of the chart—that’s the suit. Then scan across the chart to the column of your kherub’s element. That will show you the proper court card to use.
The background color of this pyramid side will always be the element of the subquadrant (or tarot suit), and the lettering upon it will be in the flashing color. In our example, the background will be fire red and the symbol of the court card will be green.
Fire is always red (flashing green), Water is blue (flashing orange), Air is yellow (flashing violet), and Earth is black (flashing white).
Side 2
Here you will inscribe the symbol of the entire Watchtower’s element. The background color is the color of the element, and the symbol is in the flashing color.
In our example, the Watchtower is of the East (Air), so the background will be yellow and the elemental symbol will be purple.
The Southern Watchtower is red (flashing green), the Western Watchtower is blue (flashing orange), the Eastern Watchtower is yellow (flashing violet), and the Northern Watchtower is black (flashing white).
Side 3
Here inscribe the symbol of the square’s kherub. The Fire kherub takes the symbol of the lion (or Leo), the Water kherub takes the symbol of the eagle’s head, the Air kherub takes the symbol of Aquarius, and the Earth kherub takes the symbol of the ox (or Taurus).
The colors of this side are always the same as the colors of side #1. The background is the color of the subquadrant, and the symbol is drawn in the flashing color.
In our example, the kherub’s symbol is that of Leo, its background is red, and the symbol is green. (Note these colors would be the same even if we had focused upon one of the other kherubs. The colors here are based upon the subquadrant.)
Side 4
Finally, inscribe the elemental symbol of the subquadrant on this side. The background is the color of the element of the subquadrant, and the symbol is drawn in the flashing color.
In our example, this is the symbol of Fire and is once again a red background with a green symbol.
Servient Pyramids
For an example of a servient square pyramid, we will stay in the Fire of Air subquadrant (Eastern Watchtower, lower-right subquadrant). We will move to the square of the first servient angel found beneath the arms of the Calvary Cross. Its letter is A, and it begins the name of the angel Alai.
As always, the top of the pyramid will contain the letter of the square in Angelical, which in our example is an A. Its background color is white and the letter is black.
All four sides of a servient pyramid have two symbols because each servient square of the Watchtowers is assigned two letters of the Tetragrammaton. One comes from the row the angel is found in, and the other is from the kherubic column it falls under. Refer to the Tetragrammaton in the Subquadrants chart in figure 76 to determine which two Hebrew letters govern your chosen square.
In our example, the letter of the row is Yod ( 
), representing cardinal zodiac signs, and the letter of the kherub at the top of the column is Heh ( 
), representing the element of Water. Now let’s examine the four sides.
Side 1
Here inscribe the elemental symbol of the Watchtower and the astrological symbol of the square. (Refer to chapter 12’s section on the astrological forces of the servient squares.) The background color is the color of the Watchtower’s element, and the symbols are in the flashing color.
In our example, we draw in the symbol of Air, as this is the Eastern (Air) Watchtower. This particular square represents cardinal Water and therefore is ruled by the zodical sign of Cancer, so we also include that symbol. The background is yellow (for Air), and the symbols are drawn in purple.
Side 2
Here inscribe the symbol of the column’s kherubic element and the Major Arcana tarot card assigned to the square’s astrological sign. (See chapter 12’s section on tarot and the Watchtowers.) The background color is the color of the element of the kherub, and the symbols are in the flashing color.
In our example, this side would include the symbol of Water (as it is ruled by the Water kherub of this subquadrant). It would also include the Chariot, as that is the tarot trump associated with Cancer. The background of this side would be blue, and the symbols would be orange.
Side 3
Here inscribe the elemental symbol of the subquadrant and the geomantic figure assigned to the astrological sign of the square. (See chapter 12’s section on geomancy and the Watchtowers.) The background color is the color of the element of the subquadrant, and the symbols are in the flashing color.
In our example, this side would contain the symbols of Fire (we are in the Fire subquadrant of the Watchtower) and at least one of the geomantic figures assigned to Cancer. The background would be red and the symbols drawn in green.
Side 4
Finally, on this side put the elemental symbol of the letter of Tetragrammaton that rules the rank (row) of the square. If the rank is ruled by Yod ( 
), the symbol of Fire is used. If the rank is ruled by Heh ( 
), the symbol of Water will be used. If the rank is ruled by Vav ( 
), the symbol of Air will be used. And if the rank is ruled by Heh-final ( 
), the symbol of Earth will appear here.
Also on this side, include the Hebrew letter assigned to the Major Arcana tarot card of this square. (See chapter 12’s section on tarot and the Watchtowers.) The background color is the color of the element of the Tetragrammaton letter, and the symbols are in the flashing color.
In our example, the elemental symbol of fire would appear here, as this row of the subquadrant is assigned to Yod ( 
). The Hebrew letter assigned to both Cancer and the Chariot card is Cheth ( 
). The background would be red (for Fire), and the symbols would be green.
Figure 80: Example Servient Pyramid
(Fire of Air, Letter A, Cancer)
Every Pyramid Has Its Sphinx
As I mentioned in the neo-Enochian history chapter, the Concourse of the Forces explains that every pyramid fashioned from the Watchtower squares also has a sphinx. This sphinx is a composite animal/human figure that represents the elemental forces of the pyramid itself. The Golden Dawn referred to this as a “talismanic image”—a visual representation of occult forces suitable for skrying or inscribing upon talismans.
An Enochian sphinx is composed of portions of the four biblical kherubim (as described in the first chapter of Ezekiel and the fourth chapter of the Revelation of St. John) who represent the four elements (see table 51).
Referring back to figure 78, where each side of a truncated pyramid was given a number:
- the side labeled 2 represents the head of the sphinx
- the sides labeled 1 and 3 represent the upper body and arms of the sphinx, as well as whether or not the sphinx will have wings
- the final side, labeled 4, will represent the lower body and legs of the sphinx
This sphinx, then, embodies the combined elemental force of its particular cell in the Watchtower.
As an example, let us continue using the same square as before (the Fire of Air square of the angel Alai). The upper side of the pyramid (side 2) is associated with elemental Water; thus the sphinx will have the head of an eagle. The two outer sides (1 and 3) are associated with Air and Fire; thus the sphinx’s upper body will be a mixture of a man and a lion. (Since neither side 1 nor side 3 was Water, and thus did not include the eagle, this figure will have no wings.) Finally, side 4 was associated with Fire, so our sphinx will have the lower body and legs of a lion.
As you can imagine, there are many possible combinations, depending on where in the Watchtowers the square is found; thus, there are many different kinds of sphinxes.
The Coptic-Egyptian Gods of the Pyramids 197
In the history section of this book, I mentioned that the symbol of the truncated pyramid is older than the Golden Dawn. You can see a version of it on the back of the American dollar bill, where it appears with the ancient Egyptian symbol of the all-seeing eye of God at its summit. This symbol—an eye in a triangle—suggests that the capstone of the world pyramid is divinity itself, not something made by human hands. The flat surface at the top of the structure is a holy place where man and God meet, and ancient civilizations often built temples upon such high places (take, for example, the ziggurats of Babylon).
The neo-Enochian truncated pyramids are no exception to this philosophy. The flat surface at the top of the pyramid is a holy place where the Angelical letter of the Watchtower square is inscribed. Furthermore, the Golden Dawn associated a Coptic-Egyptian deity with this space. As the sphinx embodies the elemental forces of the four sides of the pyramid, the deity represents the divine force that resides at its summit. In this way, the pyramid becomes a literal throne for a god of the world.
Like the sphinx, the deity of the pyramid is a talismanic image. It can be drawn or painted on paper in the proper colors and placed upon the altar during the invocation ceremony, or it can be painted upon cardboard and given a base so that it can stand directly upon the altar pyramid. Even better, it can be sculpted so that it becomes a three-dimensional statue of the god.
Following is a list of the fifteen Coptic-Egyptian deities used in the Golden Dawn’s Enochian system. The god assigned to any given pyramid is determined by the combination of elements on the four sides. After you have fashioned your truncated pyramid, refer to this list to see which god it belongs to.
Figure 81: Osiris
1. Osiris: The first pharaoh of Egypt. After his death, he became the king of the underworld. In later Egyptian and Coptic religion he became a dying and rising solar god.
Spirit: Each side of his pyramid has a different element—Fire, Water, Air, and Earth—showing the four elements in perfect balance under the presidency of Spirit. His image is a man mummified in white cloth sitting upon a white and yellow throne. His crown is white with yellow and white feathers, and his pectoral collar is striped white, red, blue, yellow, and black. He carries three scepters colored red, blue, and yellow. His throne is set upon a white base.
Figure 82: Isis
2. Isis: Wife of Osiris and the great Mother Goddess of Egypt. She and Osiris were the parents of Horus, the god of the living pharaoh of Egypt.
Water: At least three out of four sides of her pyramid are Water. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) Her image is of a woman sitting upon a blue throne and wearing a blue dress. Her pectoral collar and headdress are striped blue and orange. She carries a blue ankh and a lotus scepter. Her throne is set upon a blue and orange base.
Figure 83: Nephthys
3. Nephthys: Sister of Isis and wife of Osiris’s brother Set. When Osiris was murdered by Set, Nephthys aided her sister in recovering Osiris’s body.
Earth: At least three out of four sides of her pyramid are Earth. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) Her image is of a woman wearing a black dress and headdress. She wears a pectoral collar striped black and white. She carries a black ankh and a lotus scepter, and her headdress includes a black serpent on its brow. She stands on a black and white base.
Figure 84: Horus
4. Horus: Son of Isis and Osiris, and god of the living pharaoh of Egypt. He was conceived just before Osiris entered the underworld to become king of the dead, and he eventually grew up to overthrow his uncle Set and reclaim his father’s throne.
Fire: At least three out of four sides of his pyramid are Fire. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is of a man with the head of a falcon. He wears a red and green tunic, a green pectoral collar, and a red headdress topped with the white and red double-crown of Egypt. He carries a red ankh and a scepter, and he stands upon a red and green base.
Figure 85: Aroueris
5. Aroueris (Horus the Elder): A brother of Osiris, husband of Hathor, and powerful celestial god. His right eye is the sun, and his left eye is the moon.
Air: At least three out of four sides of his pyramid are Air. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is of a man with the head of a falcon. He wears a yellow and violet tunic, a yellow pectoral collar, and a violet headdress. He also wears the double-crown of Egypt, though his is colored yellow and violet. He carries a yellow ankh and a scepter, and he stands upon a yellow and violet base.
Figure 86: Hathor
6. Athor (Hathor): Daughter of the sun god Ra. She is the goddess of love, passion, joy, and—as the Eye of Ra—vengeance and destruction. An archetypal mother goddess, Hathor was one of the most popular deities in ancient Egypt.
Balanced Water/Earth: Two sides of her pyramid are Water and two are Earth. Her image is of a woman wearing a blue and black dress, a blue pectoral collar, and a black horned headdress. The headdress is surmounted by a blue disk and blue feathers. She carries a black ankh and a blue lotus scepter, and she stands upon a black and blue base.
Figure 87: Sothis
7. Sothis: She is an incarnation of Isis, representing the star Sirius that appeared in the sky when the Nile rose each year.
Balanced Fire/Water: Two sides of her pyramid are Fire and two are Water. Her image is of a woman wearing a red and blue dress, blue pectoral collar, and a red horned headdress. The headdress is surmounted by a blue disk and blue feathers. She carries a red ankh and a blue lotus scepter, and she stands upon a blue and red base.
Figure 88: Harpocrates
8. Harpocrates (Horus the Younger): The newborn or child form of Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. As a young god and the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt, Horus had to be hidden from his uncle Set until he came of age; otherwise, Set would have killed him to protect his claim on the throne. Thus, Harpocrates is known as a god of silence.
Balanced Air/Water: Two sides of his pyramid are Air and two are Water. His image is a youth wearing a yellow and blue tunic, a yellow pectoral collar, and a blue headdress. He also wears the double-crown of Egypt, colored yellow and blue. He holds a blue ankh and stands in the “sign of silence”—meaning his left fingertip is pressed against his lips. Sometimes he is depicted kneeling upon a lotus blossom. He rests upon a yellow and blue base.
Figure 89: Apis/Hapis
9. Apis (or Hapis): A bull god who was identified with Osiris in later Egypt. Whereas Osiris was the king of the dead, Apis represented the renewal of life. It is suggested the horned crowns worn by many Egyptian deities are, in fact, the horns of the Apis bull.
Balanced Fire/Earth: Two sides of his pyramid are Fire and two are Earth. His image is that of a man with the black head of a bull. He wears a black and red tunic, a black pectoral collar, and a red headdress. Atop the headdress are his black horns and a red disk. He carries two scepters, one red and one black. (He may also carry a red and black ankh.) He stands upon a black and red base.
Figure 90: Anubis
10. Anubis: The jackal-headed god of the tomb and guide to the underworld, Anubis officiates the weighing of the heart in the scales of Ma’at to determine the fate of a departed soul.
Balanced Air/Earth: Two sides of his pyramid are Air and two are Earth. His image is that of a man with the black head of a jackal. He wears a yellow tunic, a black pectoral collar, and a yellow headdress. He carries a black ankh and a yellow scepter or sword. He stands upon a base of yellow and black.
Figure 91: Pasht/Bast
11. Pasht (Pakhet—a form of Bast/Bastet): A lion goddess in early Egypt and the goddess of domestic cats in later Egypt, Bast was known as a household protector. It is unlikely her name was ever Pasht, though there is likely an association with the name Pakhet.
Balanced Fire/Air: Two sides of her pyramid are Fire and two are Air. Her image is that of a woman with the head of a cat. She wears a red dress and pectoral collar and a yellow headdress. She carries a yellow ankh and a red lotus scepter. She stands upon a red and yellow base.
Figure 92: Ameshet
12. Ameshet (or Amset, Amseti, Imseti): One of the sons of Horus who guarded the body and organs of the deceased in the tomb. Ameshet especially guarded the liver. In the neo-Enochian system, he is the servant of Nephthys.
Fire/Water/Earth: His pyramid has one side each of Fire, Water, and Earth. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is that of a man mummified in white cloth. He wears a black headdress and a pectoral collar striped red, blue, and black. He stands upon a base of red, blue, and black.
Figure 93: Ahepi/Hapi
13. Ahepi (or Hapi): One of the sons of Horus who guarded the body and organs of the deceased in the tomb. Hapi especially guarded the lungs. In the neo-Enochian system, he is the servant of Horus the Elder.
Fire/Water/Air: His pyramid has one side each of Fire, Water, and Air. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is that of a man with the head of a baboon mummified in white cloth. His headdress is yellow, and his pectoral collar is striped red, blue, and yellow. He stands upon a red, blue, and yellow base.
Figure 94: Thoumathph/Duamutef
14. Thoumathph (Duamutef): One of the sons of Horus who guarded the body and organs of the deceased in the tomb. Duamutef especially guarded the stomach. In the neo-Enochian system, he is the servant of Isis.
Earth/Water/Air: His pyramid has one side each of Earth, Water, and Air. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is that of a man with the head of a jackal mummified in white cloth. He wears a blue headdress, and his pectoral collar is striped black, blue, and yellow. He stands upon a black, blue, and yellow base.
Figure 95: Qebehsenuef
15. Qebehsenuef: One of the sons of Horus who guarded the body and organs of the deceased in the tomb. Qebehsenuef especially guarded the intestines. In the neo-Enochian system, he is the servant of Horus.
Earth/Air/Fire: His pyramid has one side each of Earth, Air, and Fire. (The fourth side does not matter in this case.) His image is that of a white-skinned man with the head of a falcon mummified in white cloth. His headdress is red, and his pectoral collar is striped black, yellow, and red. He stands upon a black, yellow, and red base.