The Language
of Magick
“My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It’s the letter I use to spell yuzz-a-ma-tuzz. You’ll be sort of surprised what there is to be found once you go beyond ‘Z’ and start poking around!”—Dr. Seuss
A Brief History of Magick
Magick as it exists today is an eclectic collection of esoteric traditions from all over the world, including everything from Buddhism to voodou. However, magick has its roots most firmly planted in a single source, the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Golden Dawn, as it is more succinctly referred to, is a magickal order founded in 1888 by three Freemasons: William Wynn Westcott, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, and William Robert Woodman.
The instruction and rituals of the Golden Dawn are based on an elegant mishmash of Hebrew Qabalah, Sabian-Arabian astrological systems, Pythagorean philosophies, Gnostic traditions, Christian theology, and most notably, Hermeticism.
Hermeticism is a philosophy developed during the Hellenistic civilization, which draws upon the best of Greek philosophy, dating back to Plato (428–348 BCE), and what their sages understood of ancient Egyptian magick. Hermeticism also includes aspects of alchemy, astrology, and theurgy1. Hermetic symbolism is still the core language used by magicians today.
The Golden Dawn was instrumental in harmonizing all these various and divergent esoteric philosophies and presenting them in practical and usable form; however, it was a secret order so their rituals and meditations were not published until many years later, in 1934 by Israel Regardie. But by this point the cat was already out of the bag because the most notorious member of the Golden Dawn, Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), had already published many of the Golden Dawn secrets in his voluminous works on magick.
Aleister Crowley’s influence on magick cannot be overstated. If it were not for his deliberate breaking of order vows, many of the rituals and documents of the Golden Dawn may never have been published. Crowley was a grand synthesizer of disparate beliefs, and his voluminous works, including The Book of the Law, Magick, and The Equinox, have influenced magick heavily to this day. In fact, it was Crowley himself who first coined the term “magick” spelled with a “k” to differentiate it from stage magic.
Crowley can even be credited as the primary source for Wicca, one of the most popular magickal religions today. Wicca was founded in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner, who was a student of Crowley. Many of the core rituals and ideology that Gardner presented as original have since been proven to have been lifted directly from Thelema and The Book of the Law. However, this is no slight on Wicca, as Wicca has evolved into a tradition both powerful and accessible, with many of its own developments further enhancing traditional Thelema.
So while some magicians and scholars like to differentiate magick into categories such as high magick, low magick, Hermeticism, Wicca, Paganism, shamanism, chaos magick, etc., I focus on similarities, not differences, and tend to pull from all sorts of esoteric teachings, including modern psychology. My goal is to teach you to do the same. Labels are ultimately irrelevant to successful practical magick and tend to foster discord, instead of a healthy syncreticism. The underlying principles of magick are what we are most interested in. This will allow you to understand any book on magick, no matter what flavor, and make it work in your day-to-day life.
So while this brief history may have thrown some unfamiliar names at you, all you really need to know is that magick is magick, and the only reliable gauge of efficacy is practical results. The goal of Everything You Want to Know About Magick (But Were Afraid to Ask) is to teach you the steps that are necessary to make magick work.
Why is this book so Thelemic?
Thelema is Crowley’s philosophy and system of magick based on the teachings of The Book of the Law. While Crowley’s system is unique, it is heavily rooted in Hermeticism as taught to him by the Golden Dawn. I have no intentions of making this a specifically “Thelemic” book; however, Thelema is non-dogmatic, meaning you can take or leave what you want from it. There is no strict formal code, other than to enjoy life the most you possibly can.
I quote from The Book of the Law, and reference Crowley in various other ways, because he not only offers concise and often poetic examples of the sometimes obtuse concepts in magick, but also because it will further introduce you to Aleister Crowley. Whether you like him or not is of no matter; he is such a lynchpin of modern occultism, one cannot escape the influence of his work, which is voluminous, complex, and erudite. I hope what you learn in this book goes a long way to understanding and using his magick if you are so inclined.
Crowley was a big proponent of doing your own thing and thinking for yourself. So in that way, I’m entirely in agreement with him. If you get anything out of my book, it is to be that way with your entire life. Learn, study, and analyze information from many sources and make your own decisions regarding magick, love, morals and ethics, government, etc. Make choices that enhance your life and those you love, anything else is the only “sin” you can commit.
The Hermetic Language
The “language” of Hermeticism is made up of symbols, formulas, and other magickal concepts, which we will soon be discussing in detail. The Hermetic language serves two primary functions. First, it is a method of communicating between magicians, and more importantly, it is the means by which we will communicate our desires to the subconscious mind.
Why doesn’t our native tongue suffice for this? It’s too tied to the mundane affairs of life, while the Hermetic language utilizes symbolism that hearkens back to our earliest scholars, most notably Plato.
So now I present the most commonly used symbols of magick, starting with simple and general principles and then moving into more detailed and complex ways to subdivide the universe. All of the following symbols are ways to classify and understand the universe and thereby transform it—while at the same time, the symbolism attunes and harmonizes ourselves to the universe.
Polarity
Polarity is the most simple energy to understand; it is the tension between two opposites such as male and female, Yin and Yang, positive and negative, etc.
Polarity is actively used in Wicca, for example, where the Goddess and the God are both venerated equally and often simultaneously.
Good and evil is another polarity, but it is a man-made moral concept. In nature there is no ultimate good or evil. What is good for one form of life, such as a parasite, may not be good for its host.
Polarity is not only utilized in magick and science but appears everywhere in our daily lives. Hot and cold, the nut and the bolt, the sun and the moon are all variations of polarity as it appears in the real world.
As Above, So Below
Another type of polarity is that which is within us versus that which is without us. This is another way of saying that which is above us (in the “heavenly” realm) is reflected in that which is below us (in the “material” world).
This concept is summed up in the famous Hermetic saying from the Emerald Tablet2:
“That which is below is as that which is above,
and that which is above is as that which is below,
to perform the miracles of the one thing.”
In occult circles this is usually simplified to “As above, so below.” The ancients considered this maxim to contain a great secret of magick: If we make appropriate changes within ourselves, they must be reflected in our external, material world. This, indeed, is what a modern magician means when he says changes in his subconscious eventually have lasting and potent changes in the physical world. The essentials of magick and Hermeticism have not changed much over the centuries, simply the wording and conceptualization has evolved.
The Alchemical Principles of Sulphur, Salt, and Mercury
Triple energies abound in magick and philosophy alike, including the three gunas from Hinduism, the Holy Trinity of Catholicism, and Hegel’s thesis-antithesis-synthesis.
In this book we are most concerned with the alchemical principles of Sulpur, Salt, and Mercury.
What is Alchemy?
Alchemy is a philosophy and practice spanning thousands of years (5000 BCE for Egyptian alchemy) and dozens of cultures (Indian, Greek, Chinese, Islamic, and European). The ultimate goal of alchemy was the transmutation of “lead” into “gold.” This was metaphorical as ancient alchemists were not looking for physical gold, but rather a way to transform the baseness of man into a perfected state of godhood. This solution was known as the “philosopher’s stone.”
The alchemical motto, VITRIOL, contains this belief: “Visita Interiora Terrae Rectificando Invenies Occultum Lapidem.” (“Visit the Interior Parts of the Earth; by Rectification Thou Shalt Find the Hidden Stone”).
Don’t let the word “alchemical” intimidate you. In modern parlance, many magicians might confess to performing “alchemy” of some sort, though very few are sitting near tables full of tubes, beakers, distillers, and alembics. Most modern alchemy is psychological.
In this book, all you need to know about alchemy is the following three principles3 adapted for practical use in this book.
|
Symbol |
Alchemical Principle |
Meaning |
|
|
Sulfur |
Symbolizes energy that is active. This type of energy is highly volatile and tends to be short lived and “burn up.” |
|
|
Salt |
This symbolizes energy that tends towards stagnation, passivity, |
|
|
Mercury |
Mercury symbolizes lucidity, clarity, and poise. He is balance between the hyperactivity of Sulfur, and the slow-moving heaviness of Salt. |
Magick is often about taking antagonistic energies and uniting them by a third concept harmonious to both. Imagine the opposites of Sulphur on one hand and Salt on the other. Who balances them? Mercury, the man, the magician:
A handy example of this is the atom, the once-thought-to-be indivisible building block of the universe. Now we know that the atom is made of three things: the proton (Salt), the neutron (Mercury), and the electron (Sulfur).
The Five Classical Elements
The five elements (Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Aethyr) date from the pre-Socratic times of Ancient Greece (around 450 BCE). Other civilizations have similar categorizations, such as the Hindu and Japanese cultures, but we will be focusing on the traditional “Hermetic” elements.
These “elements” are not meant to be used and understood like the elements of the periodic table. These classical elements represent five categorizations of energies found in nature and, more importantly, within our own psyches and personalities.
|
Symbol |
Element |
Color |
Meaning |
|
|
Fire |
Red |
Symbolizes: the Will, energy, force, creation, destruction, libido. |
|
|
Water |
Blue |
Symbolizes: emotions, love, receptivity, understanding. |
|
|
Air |
Yellow |
Symbolizes: intellect, strife, speed, travel, information. |
|
|
Earth |
Verdant Green |
Symbolizes: the physical body, the planet Earth, anything tangible, solidity, heaviness, the material plane, vegetative growth. |
|
|
Spirit/Aethyr |
White/Brilliance |
Spirit is “above and beyond” the other four elements; it’s of another plane, another level completely. Spirit is also the true “essence” of something. |
In practical magick we often discuss the “four elements” while leaving Spirit out. In this case, Spirit is still implied. Therefore, whether you see “five elements” or “four elements” in magickal literature, understand they both refer to the same concept.
A pyramid neatly symbolizes the five elements. The four base sides are the four elements. They are of the world. The fifth element, spirit, is the tip of the pyramid, above and distinct from the four elements below it, and yet attached to them from a place of superiority.
The Tetragrammaton
There is a magickal formula hidden in a four-letter Hebrew word. The Tetragrammaton is the “unpronounceable” name of God in the Old Testament and appears in dozens of other Hebrew God names:
The Tetragrammaton is the formula of the four elements.4 In magick we often pronounce it by the names of the four letters that make up the name: Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. Fire is Yod, the all-father. The first Heh is the mother, i.e., Water. Together they give birth to their son, Vav, who is Air, and their daughter, the “final” Heh, who is Earth. (Spirit is the tip of the Yod.)
This formula is considered to be circular, as once you get to the end, i.e., the daughter, she is to be set upon the throne of her mother to mate with the all-father and continue the cycle of energy.
The Four Quadrants/Quarters
The four elements also apply to the four directions of a compass. The usual magickal correspondences are that Air is in the East, Fire is in the South, Earth is in the North, and Water is in the West. Most magick rituals are performed facing East, since that is the direction of dawn. However, there are many occasions when a student may find it more appropriate to face one of the other cardinal directions. The fifth element of Spirit is often conceived of as being “above,” hence, why the symbol of Spirit, a lamp, is hung over the center of the temple.
The cardinal directions are often referred to as quarters, or as quadrants, which mean the same thing. For example, you might hear “face the southern quadrant” for a ritual. That simply means face the southern part of your temple.
The Cherubim (Kerubim)
A cherub in this sense doesn’t mean a cute baby with wings. These cherubim are pictorial metaphors for each of the four elements:
- Lion = Fire
- Ox/Bull/Calf = Earth
- Man/Angel/Water-Bearer = Air
- Eagle/Scorpion = Water
The four Cherubim pop up all over the place. They are mentioned in Ezekial (1:10) and Revelation (4:7). They appear in Golden Dawn rituals such as the Supreme Ritual of the Pentagram. They appear in tarot decks on the corners of Trump XXI: The World (and sometimes on other cards such as Crowley’s Trump VII: The Chariot and the Rider-Waite Trump X: Wheel of Fortune).
The Cherubim are sometimes represented by just their heads and other times with winged bodies. It should also be noted that the Water sign shows a bird, and that the Air sign carries water. These two signs are inextricably linked in practical magick. In traditional Golden Dawn pentagram rituals, the invoking of Air banishes Water, and the invoking of Water banishes Air, as if they were inverse of each other.
Wherever the Cherubim turn up they represent the four elements as described above.
Why is Scorpio sometimes an eagle and not a scorpion?
Since ancient times the eagle has been associated with Scorpio as well as the scorpion, suggesting a dual nature to its symbolism. We will learn more about this when we discuss Path 24 of Tree of Life in the next chapter.
Elemental Pentagram
The five elements are traditionally applied to a pentagram as seen here. Depending on where one starts drawing the pentagram, and whether one moves clockwise or counterclockwise, a magician will invoke a specific elemental energy. You will use your first invoking pentagram in the next chapter, and the pentagram is covered in more detail in Chapter 5. For now you should understand that in magick, the pentagram is a symbol of all five elements coexisting in perfect harmony.
When you need a high-dose injection of a favorite element, you can perform a simple ritual given later in this book to invoke all the Fire, Water, Air, Spirit, or Earth that you need.
Why would I want to invoke elements?
While we will cover invocations later in the book, for now you might be interested to know that in magick, like attracts like. So when you “pull in” a specific energy, it will affect you psychologically and therefore your life. Each element corresponds to the following types of useful energy:
Spirit: Invoke for balance, perfect equilibrium, and dominance of the other four elements in a most sublime manner.
Fire: Invoke for energy, power, intensity, creativity, as well as for destructive and transformative energy.
Water: Invoke for openness, emotional harmony, intuition, love, and friendship.
Air: Invoke for intellectual pursuits, such as games, wars, simulations, debate, politics, verbal wit, help with school and college, and all pursuits that rely on “mental” energy.
Earth: Invoke for anything related to wealth, physics, geometry, architecture, as well as the carnal pleasures of the flesh.
If you are looking for creativity, they all provide an increase in creativity, it’s just a matter of what type. You’ll know instantly which element you most want to work with; however, if you are unsure of which element you need, but feel you are missing something—that is Spirit.
The Seven Traditional Planets of Magick
The seven traditional “planets” of magick are the five planets easily visible without a telescope plus the Sun and Moon. The way the planets are used in this book has nothing to do with astrology or predicting fortunes. It also has nothing to do with astronomy, so traditional astronomers will just have to forgive the convention of calling the Sun and the Moon planets.
Consider the planets to be specific archetypes living in our subconscious. In other words, each planet is symbolic of deeply rooted personality traits within the human psyche. Understanding these traits, which are essentially straightforward, will help a student understand other aspects of magick, such as the symbolism of the tarot and the Tree of Life.
These symbols are also psychologically powerful in themselves and their meanings are used throughout magick on a regular basis. These symbols are utilized in rituals and in the construction of talismans. They are also fundamental to the language used amongst magicians. The planets are shorthand for seven specific types of energy, a complete system by itself, even without the zodiac.
|
Symbol |
Roman (Greek) |
Symbolism |
|
|
Diana (Artemis), usually known as Luna or the Moon |
Mystery and intuition. Purity, grace, and inspiration. |
|
|
Jupiter (Zeus) |
Royalty, expansion, benevolent rulership, stability. |
|
|
Saturn (Kronos) |
Time, Karma, and death. Heaviness. Life lessons. Discipline. |
|
|
Mars (Aries) |
Destruction, violent change, and power. Typical “male” energy. |
|
|
Venus (Aphrodite) |
Love and romance, but also sometimes debauchery. Nurturing protection, Mother Nature, and vegetative growth. Typical “female” energy. |
|
|
Apollo (Apollo), usually known as Sol or the Sun |
The center. Warmth, sight, light, and healing. Music and joy. |
|
|
Mercury (Hermes) |
Wit, intellect, speed, alacrity, and trickery. Mercury is also sexually ambiguous—it’s never clear if he has no gender or both. As you’ll learn as you make your progression through this book, Mercury is a wily one—seemingly everywhere at once, yet impossible to pin down. |
These definitions are a bit succinct so if you wish to know more about a specific planet’s energy, just research the corresponding Greek or Roman god in any mythological resource. Other gods from different pantheons are also appropriate. For example, Krishna from Hinduism fits under the Sun, while Loki from Norse mythology is a trickster, thus putting him under the dominion of Mercury.
Introduction to the Zodiac
The basis of the modern astrological signs goes back to the Babylonian period (around 1000 BC), but they were refined into their present state by Hellenistic Greece.5 They are twelve in number and are represented by the symbols of the ram, the bull, the twins, the crab, the lion, the virgin, the scales, the scorpion, the centaur archer, the sea-goat, the water-bearer, and the fishes.
These symbols are immediate, suggestive, and fertile for resonate interpretations. Why have these signs remained so popular (now used on t-shirts, key chains, etc.) for nearly 3000 years? They resonate as archetypes in our collective subconscious. They make sense to our minds as metaphor and so we continue to use them.
Do you believe in astrology?
It’s a fun way to get to know people, and it is a good way to familiarize yourself with the zodiac, but if taken too seriously, like other forms of divination, astrology can be a distraction from real magick. Magick is about taking action based on being present in the moment. Though I love the symbolism of the zodiac (and the planets) for defining certain human tendencies, I prefer to define my own fate rather than look for it in the stars. However, if you eventually choose to practice astrology, the symbolism you learn here will go a long way in your studies.
Beyond astrology as a form of divination, I find that many people subconsciously take on the traits of their Sun sign, so astrology definitely has a psychological validity. I find this to be true even in cases of those who know nothing of astrology. Everyone usually knows their zodiac sign6 even if they don’t know exactly what it means. These symbols resonate somehow, hence their continued popularity with mankind.
Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable
The signs of the zodiac are broken up into the four elements, and then further subdivided into cardinal, fixed, and mutable categorizations:
|
Cardinal |
Fixed |
Mutable |
|
|
Fire |
Aries |
Leo |
Sagittarius |
|
Water |
Cancer |
Scorpio |
Pisces |
|
Air |
Libra |
Aquarius |
Gemini |
|
Earth |
Capricorn |
Taurus |
Virgo |
Cardinal signs are the onrushing energy of that sign. Fixed signs are the most stable versions of their element. Mutable signs are the element as they tend to change into something else. Therefore, cardinal signs tend towards starting things. Fixed signs tend to stay the same. Mutable signs are adaptable.
The Rulers of the Zodiac
Each of the twelve zodiac signs is “ruled” by one of seven traditional planets given above. This means that the ruling planet of the sign adds another level of interpretation to the zodiacal sign. Perhaps more importantly, the ruling planets show how to “stir up” the specific energy of the zodiac we are looking for. More on this in later chapters.
The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac
Aries
The Ram: Ruled by Mars
Aries is the initial burst of energy that starts any new action or project. Aries is the fresh, new energy of Spring. Aries energy is direct, straightforward, and sometimes rigidly determined. This energy may be short-lived and can be destructively impetuous.
Taurus
The Bull: Ruled by Venus
Taurus is steady, persistent, and durable. It is difficult to sway Taurus energy from its current path since it is Earth energy in its most stable and reliable form. There also is grace and beauty in this sign granted to it by its ruler Venus.
Gemini
The Twins: Ruled by Mercury
Gemini is dual-natured, quick-witted, and intuitive energy. Mercury rules this sign and so Gemini’s energy is fascinated by the power of language and responds well to savvy intellectual stimuli.
Cancer
The Crab: Ruled by the Moon
Cancer is protective, secretive, nurturing energy. Being ruled by the Moon, the passion of the crab is stirred by mystery. This also suggests the mood and energy level of Cancer tends to ebb and flow like that of tides.
Leo
The Lion: Ruled by the Sun
The Lion is “King of the Jungle.” The royal Leo is as much the center of attention as the Sun is the center of the solar system. Leo loves to be the source of good energy, thus dominating everyone and everything in his sphere of influence.
Virgo
The Virgin: Ruled by Mercury
Virgo, ruled by Mercury, implies refinement and verbal eloquence. Virgo energy is also prudent, detail-oriented, practical, and even a bit “picky.” Deeper than all this, the virgin is pure potential, i.e., the potential to give birth. So this entire sign is about the hidden mysteries of procreation.
Libra
The Scales: Ruled by Venus
Libra is all about balance, which includes energy tipping from one side to the other in the name of equilibrium. This includes energy moving towards a final result such as marriage or court cases. Ruled by Venus, Libra energy also exudes elegance, beauty, and harmony.
Scorpio
The Scorpion and The Eagle: Ruled by Mars
Scorpio is passion and brooding intensity. Scorpio has the ability to destroy itself (Scorpion) or the ability to transcend (Eagle). This energy is magnetic and darkly seductive. Obsessive, sometimes dangerous, sexual impulses can originate with Scorpio. This is Cancer’s only rival for “most secretive” of the signs.
Sagittarius
The Archer Centaur: Ruled by Jupiter
Sagittarius is focused intelligence and directed action. Sagittarius energy is optimistic and freedom loving. Imagine the image of the centaur (body of a horse with the head and chest of a man). The centaur roams carefree across the plains, but when it’s time to hunt, the archer is deadly accurate with his aim.
Capricorn
The Goat-Fish: Ruled by Saturn
Capricorn, a goat with a fish-tail, ascends from deepest emotions (the fish-tail) all the way to the highest mountains of action and accomplishment (symbolized by a mountain goat). Capricorn energy is practical, yet still contains a certain emotional sensitivity. Capricorn is persistent, determined energy that will not be easily shoved aside from its ambitions.
Aquarius
The Water-Bearer: Ruled by Saturn
Aquarius is original, independent thought. An intellectual sign, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn, suggesting that the grandiose ideas of the Aquarian are best governed by practical and realistic concerns.
Pisces
The Fishes: Ruled by Jupiter
Pisces is mysterious, reflective, intuitive, and imaginative energy. The weakness here is that Pisces energy can be led astray by external influences. Also it can stagnate and lead to malaise.
What is the point of learning
all these symbols and their meanings?
All the symbols used in this book, whether the elements, zodiac signs, or even the Hebrew letters themselves, are all part of a common language used in magick. Over hundreds (sometimes thousands) of years of use, they have been proven to have psychological resonance.
Each symbol is a “pointer” to a type of energy in our psyche. The more one uses the symbols, the stronger the connection to the actual energy. With a little time and practice, all these magickal symbols become a new language with which to speak to your subconscious as well as with other magicians.
Also learning simple concepts such as Fire and Water helps to make sense of more complex magickal symbols, such as the seven planets and the zodiac. These concepts will come in handy in Chapter 3 when we discuss the paths of the Tree of Life, which in turn make even the seventy-eight cards of the tarot deck comprehensible and manageable.
The Hebrew Alphabet
The most common alphabet associated with Hermeticism is the Hebrew alphabet. The twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet look like this (from right to left):
What does Judaism have to do with magick?
Magicians use the Hebrew alphabet, the Tree of Life, and other components from traditional “Hebrew mysticism.”7 This might give the appearance that high magick is closely related to Judaism, when ideologically it is not.
Magick tends to take from any religion or spirituality—if it works. You will find not only influences from ancient Hebrew, but also influences from all world religions and spiritual schools of thought including Arabic, Hinduism, Buddhism, ancient Egyptian, and even modern psychology.
The tools of magick presented in this book can be used without any specific belief in God or religion. This book focuses on techniques rather than dogma. There is no reason the exercises taught here couldn’t be plugged into anyone’s spirituality (or lack therefore). The magick works regardless.
What is gematria?
All Hebrew letters also have a numerical value.8 By adding the numerical value of words together and comparing them you get philosophical correspondences. For example, the Hebrew word for Love (
) adds to 13; so does the word for unity (
). Gematria suggests then that love equals unity.
Gematria is commonly used in high magick as a mean of communicating complex magickal ideas, i.e., formulas. Gematria is also helpful in the construction of magickal tools, and in such things as choosing your magickal motto. Gematria is also sometimes used in the invocations of spirits to test their validity. You will become more familiar with gematria and its uses over the course of this book.
Other Magickal Alphabets
While a familiarity with Hebrew is helpful in magick, there is no reason to confine yourself to the use of a single magickal alphabet. There are others that are just as efficacious. For example, the Hebrew alphabet, along with most other alphabets, such as Arabic, Greek, and Latin are derived from the Phoenician (which is also read right to left):
This alphabet was developed around 1,050 BCE and uses most of the same letter names and descriptions as the Hebrew, e.g., Aleph means “ox” in both alphabets. While modern magick is heavily laced with Hebrew, there is no reason not to use Phoenician instead, which I consider to be a powerful, if under-used, magickal alphabet.
Magicians often use a number of other alphabets, many of which are quite elaborate, such as the Alphabet of the Genii:
Magickal alphabets are not meant to be used like our usual day-to-day alphabet, but instead kept separate and used only for ritual purposes. This builds up a psychological resonance with the magickal alphabet, creating a powerful link to our subconscious.
While Hebrew is the most commonly used magickal alphabet in Western esoterica, for your practical magick, you may use any alphabet you see fit. You may even end up creating your own. More information on the actual application of magickal alphabets will be developed in later chapters, including the Enochian, which is not just an alphabet but an entire angelic language.
Other uses of magickal alphabets are more mundane but just as useful, such as using them as ciphers for hiding secret rituals from prying eyes.
The 22 Major Arcana and the Tree of Life
Twenty-two is an important number in magick. It is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, the number of paths of the Tree of Life, and the number of Major Arcana in a standard tarot deck. We will discuss what all this means in Chapter 3, but as a central component of Hermetic philosophy, I mention it briefly now.
Relax and Keep a Journal
To finish off this chapter, I end with two important, if seemingly simple, concepts. Both are crucial to long-term magickal growth, but could easily be glossed over by beginners as unimportant.
Relaxation
Magick works by using symbolic language to communicate our desires to the subconscious mind. One way to get a proper message to the subconscious is by utilizing an “altered” state of consciousness. In this case, a relaxed and calm state of mind is all that is required. (Later in the book we will discuss altered states of minds produced by long rituals, meditation, sex, drugs, and the like, but for now, relaxing is more than good enough.)
How does relaxing help magick work?
Alpha waves are brain waves that appear when we are in a relaxed and wakeful state. These waves can be measured with an EEG or an MEG and originate from the occipital lobe of our brain. What this means in science isn’t nearly as important for our purposes as what it means in magick. It means this is a built-in “altered state.” When we are in a relaxed and meditative state it is an opportune time for magick.
As a corollary, our usual waking, oft-stressed-out state of mind, is the worst place from which to make life changes.
The moral here is do not skimp on relaxation. Enjoy it. Take time to indulge in relaxation before every ritual and all your magick will be successful and fulfilling.
The Importance of Keeping a Magickal Record
Magicians should be vigilant in keeping track of all meditations, rituals, and other magickal practices. Here are four reasons why you will want to keep a magick journal of some sort:
- It will make your magickal experiences more real and therefore more powerful to effect change on the material plane.
- It’s a record that one day you will be glad you have when you want to see how various magickal acts affected your life, i.e., what worked and what didn’t.
- It builds confidence as you will see how much work you’ve been putting in and how much you’ve improved.
- It may very well evolve into the most magickal thing in your life, causing lasting changes in ways you never expected. Never underestimate the power of writing. The Egyptian Thoth was the god of magick and writing.
Relaxing before a ritual and writing all your experiences down afterward form perfect bookends to all your magick rituals and meditation practices.
Exercise 1.1: Keep a magickal journal
Every chapter of this book ends with at least one practical exercise. Unless otherwise noted, all exercises are considered to be required practice.
Your magickal journal, also known as your Book of Shadows, can be as simple or as complex as you like, but you must record all magickal workings (including your daily Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram, given next chapter). Write down the time and date and any other useful information as you see fit, which can include such things as your mood, the weather, what’s on your mind, and what you saw or felt during the ritual, etc.
You can write in anything from a simple notepad to a fancy diary. If you already keep a journal or diary, you can add your magickal records to it or start a separate journal.
Exercise 1.2: Relaxation Ritual
If you know some other form of relaxation technique you may substitute that here. It is not so relevant what sort of relaxation ritual you do, so long as you take time to be restful before performing other, more complex rituals.
First, give yourself permission to relax. Seriously. Some people will find this easy, but others get stuck on this. Know now that the best thing you can do to make lasting life changes is to stop, relax, and do nothing.
So take your time. Get comfortable sitting or lying down. Shake out any tension. Relax. Get cozy.
Mentally go over every part of your body to check for tension. Check your legs, your feet, your toes. Check your shoulders, your spine, your arms, your hands, and your fingers. Check your gut. Check your neck and double check your shoulders. Relax. You can’t do this exercise wrong. There is no need to relax “perfectly.” Just take it easy for a few minutes.
Say out loud: “As I now relax, I feel the subconscious power of my Divine and Higher Self arise, easily and without conscious effort.”
Count slowly backwards from eleven. Take at least one full breath between each count. (If you go so slowly that you lose track of where you are in your counting, that is good—that is a sign you are relaxing deeply.)
When you reach zero, just wallow in the comfort of feeling more relaxed than you were when you started.
Learn this simple ritual well as it is the first step in all further magick rituals given throughout this book.
1 The practice of using rituals to invoke divinity.
2 . The Emerald Tablet is a popular alchemical and Hermetic text purported to have been written by Hermes Trismegistus (“Hermes the Thrice-Greatest”). Hermes Trismegistus was a combination of the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, both of whom were considered gods of writing and magick. Though no Greek original is existent, the Emerald Tablet’s earliest Latin translation was in 1140, and Arabic versions exist that predate the Latin version by several hundred years.
3 . There are other variations of what Mercury, Salt, and Sulphur represent. For example, Paracelsus described Mercury as fusibility and volatility, Sulphur as flammability, and Salt as fixity and noncombustibility. I find these descriptions less useful in modern practice than the ones given here.
4 . This is true now; however, ancient Hebrews didn’t consider Earth one of the original elements, but rather as a combination of Fire, Water, and Air. These three elements corresponded with the three Hebrew mother letters: Shin, Mem, and Aleph.
5 . The Dendera Zodiac, a relief dating to ca. 50 BC, is the first known depiction of the classical zodiac of twelve signs.
6 . The Chinese astrological signs are in popular use as well.