The Human Body, ChangE & Transformation; Ritual Construction
“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”—Rumi
It all comes down to Malkuth, the material plane, which includes our physical bodies. Here is where everything actually happens. Any change made in the higher spheres also finds manifestation here.
The Tree of Life On the Human Body
Here, in our body, we experience the five senses that give birth to the experience of each and every moment.
The Tree of Life fits upon the human body thusly:
Our head symbolizes the Supernals (Kether, Chokmah, and Binah). Our head is “God” to the rest of our body.
Our chest area is Tiphareth, the sun, the center, the heart that pumps blood throughout the entire system.
Our right arm is power, and our left arm is mercy (though “lefties” might feel like the left and right sides of the Tree of Life are swapped). Make your right hand into a tight fist and hold your left hand out in an open-handed gesture of friendship; now you have the right idea.
The groin and hip area house the tightly woven trio of Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. This illustrates the tight bond between these three Sephiroth and their powerful sexual connotations.
Malkuth is appropriately at our feet, which are what allow us to make our way in the world.
The God Who Fell to Earth
It is a gross misunderstanding of many religions to try to escape the body or make it shameful in some way. Our experience of God is through the body. So every sensation from our bodies must be holy.
The whole reason that any spiritualized being such as a god, a soul, a spirit, etc., would want to come down to the material plane is to take on a solid body. Even with all its flaws and impermanence. Malkuth is the most visceral experience of existence any being can have—even a god.
God comes down to earth for his own pleasure. God forgets his omniscience so he can experience wonder, awe, and bewilderment at life’s infinite variety.
Your own particular spark of God, whether you call it a soul, or your HGA, or whatever else, is your own flawless divinity wanting to experience the joyous imperfection of manifested existence.
Losing Touch with Divinity
Life is meant to be savored and enjoyed. The only problem is that our connection to divinity gets clouded by our ego-mind, so our pursuit of sensuality becomes flawed and little more than hedonism, compulsion, or vanity.
Devote your joy and pursuit of pleasure to something higher than your ego-mind. This is why Nuit, goddess of infinite possibilities, says: “Be goodly therefore: dress ye all in fine apparel; eat rich foods and drink sweet wines and wines that foam! Also, take your fill and will of love as ye will, when, where, and with whom ye will! But always unto me.”143
She is urging us to enjoy life, but to make sure it’s not for the aggrandizement of our own ego-mind. This is not for moral reasons, but because the ego-mind ruins true happiness. By dedicating our joy back to the universe, it frees us from the ego-mind’s incessant demands of what it thinks will make it happy. Instead, you will actually be free to experience and enjoy the deepest pleasures in life. Your connection to your higher self will remain strong, and you will reach your full potential.
The Meaning of Life
As humans we have free will, even in situations where life’s circumstances are completely outside our control. Internally, we can always define our own meaning. Be master of your internal state.
As a magician, you are free to choose any meaning for life whatsoever. The only mistake someone can make is to attach no meaning to human existence whatsoever. While that is certainly a choice, it is one that inevitably leads to depression and a disconnection from the world.
The simplest things can have the most lasting repercussions. Find some meaning, some reason to feel satisfied in every single moment, and everything else will tend to take care of itself. Living life is not nearly as complicated as our ego-mind makes it out to be, but it takes a real commitment to maintaining a joyous simplicity.
With age and experience, the meaning of your life will evolve and change. Eventually you may find that a life lived imaginatively with an eye toward the betterment of all humanity is the most satisfying—but that is for you and your HGA to figure out.
The Meaning of Death
There is no way to separate the meaning of life from the meaning of death. Life has meaning precisely because it is so transitory. Death is not horrible, but merely an instrument of change and transformation. The fact that things die means that other things are created, which means a constant state of flux in the universe.
Only infinite sameness—like some bureaucratic version of hell that functions in grey, dull monotony for all of eternity—would be something to fear. It is good that our universe changes and evolves. Infinite variety is the ultimate joy of the universe.
All personal growth involves some death—death of old ideas, ways of acting, ways of living, ways of thinking. To get joy in your life often means death to worn-out or unpleasant methods of behavior. The unfortunate thing is most people have been taught to fear death, change, and transformation. Some people would rather stay in uncomfortable circumstances than go through the mini-death of transformation required to start a new life.
Memento Mori
Emblems of death in magick are not meant to be morbid. They have many uses, but in their simplest, most sublime sense they are to point out exactly what their Latin name, memento mori, implies: “Remember you will die.”
The Dance of Death144
The Dance of Death144
Momento mori are to remind us that our time is short—too short. This helps you put all the “little crap” in perspective. Compared to death, it’s all little crap.
We must relish each moment because each instant is unique … and fleeting.
What if I’m afraid to die?
Your higher self (Kether) has nothing to fear from death. It transcends the very idea of death, as it exists in an impermeable state of perfection. Life and death have no meaning above the Abyss, where things merely “are and have always been.” Even science proves that nothing is destroyed when we die—our atoms and molecules are transformed into other forms of life and energy.
The ego-mind causes our apparent fear of death. Not only is our ego-mind afraid of “dying,” it is afraid of any change whatsoever. The ego-mind is a fragile thing, constantly in a state of agitation and apprehension that things might not fit into its preconceived notions.
Control freaks are people with out-of-control ego-minds. Their ego-minds can’t handle anything outside what it pre-plans and expects. Each time something doesn’t work out or doesn’t fit, it’s a blow to the ego-mind.
Death is little more than a natural function of what we call “life,” but the idea is so threatening to the ego-mind that it ceaselessly involves us in petty issues so as not to have to face this underlying fear of death and transformation. It’s easier for the ego-mind to focus on a dent in our car door, a zit on our face, or germs on our hands than it is for the ego-mind to confront its own mortality—only the ego-mind can’t really “die” either since it’s not a thing in itself; it’s just a sort of shadow on the wall we somehow mistake for our True Self.
Let the ego-mind die. Be vulnerable. Be open. Stop clinging. Stop forcing reality into boxes. Inaction and worrisome thoughts bring fear. Be the Fool—too busy enjoying every second of life to stop and pine over loss and death.
Loss is inevitable: loss of beauty, loss of friends, loss of family, loss of status all become ever-looming realities as we get older. Kill your dependence on these things now and you are free to enjoy life. Learn to be the Fool and death will no longer be viewed as a negative, but as a natural part of life.
True self-esteem is not based upon anything in the material world. True self-esteem comes from our connection to the divine. With genuine self-esteem you will not fear death, change, or transformation of any sort.
The Meaning of Saturn
Make no mistake about it, Saturn will have his day. Your moments in time are slipping away even as you read this.
Since Saturn is time, he is also an essential element to change and evolution. Do not fear Saturn. Use Saturn as a tool for appreciating each moment. Saturn only seems ominous to those who hold on too tightly.145
Saturn forces us to move forward. It is the inevitable aging processes and passage of time. Saturn is a woman’s biological clock, and a man’s receding hairline. He’s even that nagging voice in the back of your mind telling you it’s time to pay the bills.
Saturn is the wise grandfather, long of beard, patient as the endless night sky, holding a scythe in one hand and an hourglass in the other. But that’s just personification. Saturn is the facts of nature. If he seems unpleasant, that is our ego-mind’s inability to accept things the way they are.
Saturn is impartial. Even the most powerful and wealthy are no more immune to Saturn’s effects than the poor and trodden-upon.
Saturn’s symbol represents a scythe. Even though a scythe is now commonly associated with the Grim Reaper and death, it’s primary function is to harvest, which is appropriate since Malkuth is where we reap the results of what we have sown on the higher planes.
More than that however, the traditional use of a scythe is to reap the bounty of the Earth, and that’s what Malkuth is all about—it is the Kingdom where we enjoy life’s riches. When the scythe cuts down the grain it is not out of malice, but with the intent the grain should be used as sustenance for man or beast, thus furthering the cycle of life.
Saturn is the giver of life, for without time, nothing can grow, evolve, or have experiences of any sort.
As Above, So Below—So Below, As Above
As noted in Chapter 1, “As above, so below” means the spiritual world is reflected in the material world. This is true, but the converse also holds true: “So below, as above.” This means that how you treat Malkuth (which includes your body and your life situation) affects the higher planes.
Your higher self cannot be damaged; however, poor practices in Malkuth will cloud or even destroy your connection to divinity. Take great care with what you put into your body and into your mind. Be careful of your friends and associates. Watch how you spend your day at work and at home. What are your hobbies? All these things make up your Malkuth, and they will have a direct impact on the rest of your magick.
Take care of Malkuth by perfecting your temple, the specific area you usually perform your rituals, and your home itself. Your temple is the spiritual center of your home, and your home is the center of your life.
Fill your temple and home with symbols that empower you. The little things you look at every day and take for granted can lead to big psychological effects in the long term—why else would corporations spend billions of dollars a year on advertising? Fight back against being force-fed symbolism that you did not choose for yourself.
Keep your temple organized and clean. These little steps will go far in creating a powerful place to perform magick, as well as giving you peace of mind.
While this should go without saying, do not neglect your body, the instrument par excellence of Malkuth. Keep yourself as fit and as healthy as you can. Be a proper conduit for your magick. All the power and wealth in the world does you no good if you can’t enjoy the results with a healthy body.
Remember that Malkuth is not an end, but a beginning—it is the fertile earth from which the Tree of Life grows back up to divinity.
Beauty as Toil
I believe the real lesson of Malkuth and Saturn is that genuine joy comes through toil. Choose your life’s work based on your own particular passions and talents. Magick works harmoniously with any passion whether you be butcher, baker, artist, comedian, doctor, or dictator—I mean boss.
As Rumi said, “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” Magick is the art and science of perfecting and manifesting that desire on Earth.
The Essentials of a Magick Ritual
0. Preparation. The majority of work for a ritual goes on before you even start. This includes defining your intent, creating talismans, working out symbolism, acquiring the proper candles, incense, wardrobe, etc.
1. The Opening. This includes relaxing, purifications, banishing, and invocations. All these things are about aligning your energy with the type you will be using for the climax.
2. Climax. This is crucial, but there are many ways to climax magically, including but not limited to holy communion, orgasm, drawing down the light in the Middle Pillar Ritual, or falling into such a deep trance that you go unconscious. This is the actual point of contact between divinity and the Earth. This is where the seed is planted. Everything else in a ritual, before and after, is just fluff if the climax isn’t successful.
3. Grounding. This is any sort of wind-down phase, such as a feast, post-coital cuddling in sex magick, or simply quiet meditation. Traditionally, the grounding phase usually includes a final “banishing,” but this isn’t always necessary. In the following Tree of Life Ritual, for example, Steps 1–9 are preparation and the opening, while Step 10 alone is the climax. Steps 11 and 12 are just grounding and unwinding.
Tree of Life Ritual
The Tree of Life Ritual is the culmination of everything you’ve learned in this book. If you have come this far and practiced most of the exercises, then understanding and customizing this ritual will be a breeze.
The Tree of Life Ritual is literally for any purpose you can imagine. To start, pick an area on the Tree of Life you feel is related to your problem or your desire. Then customize the ritual according to the following instructions.
The essential concept is to make a clear intent, invoke the appropriate energies from the Tree of Life, and then channel the energy into either yourself or a talisman.
By now you should have a “feel” for a good ritual performance. That feeling is more important than memorizing a thousand pre-made rituals as you will be able to create your own rituals anytime and anywhere, using whatever is available to you.
The following ritual is a blueprint, but you are the architect and may change things as you see fit.
1. Define your intent and turn it into symbols
There is little to add from what you have learned from Chapter 4 and Chapter 7.
2. Decide which Sephirah or path
best fits the type of magick you wish to perform
Your goal here is to figure out what sort of energy will best solve your problem or achieve your desire. Here are some examples:
If you are shy, your intent might be something like: “I have the courage to talk to men and women anytime, anywhere.” You then have multiple choices, such as Geburah or the path of Aries (The Emperor). I would pick Path 19, XI. Lust, as it is ruled by Leo, who epitomizes courageous use of energy. This path is also well-balanced, as it connects Geburah with Chesed, the two kings.
Let’s say you have been depressed, and you want to come out into the light at the end of the tunnel. You decide your intent to be, “I am able to find happiness every day and meaning in all my suffering.” Depression is a result of an imbalance. Tiphareth is always a good choice when balance or harmony is needed. More than that, however, Tiphareth will shine warmth and hope upon you, reigniting your innate joy at being alive. Path 30, The Sun, would also be appropriate for this.
If you are starting college and you want to make sure you keep your GPA up, then “I’m an intelligent and resourceful student,” is a reasonable intent. Path 12, The Magus, is perfect for anything involving schools, exams, and good grades.
There are occasional overlaps in the powers of the Sephiroth/paths, in which case you can use a mixture of those Sephiroth/paths together, or simply narrow your choice down to one as I have done here.
What if I don’t want a specific intent?
You can just invoke the energy into yourself to “see what happens” and it will still pull that type of energy to you in a less specific way. So go for it.
How many paths or Sephiroth can I use together?
You can make the ritual as elaborate as you like. Say you wanted to put some “fire in your gut.” You might very well invoke both the path 27 (Tower) and 25 (Art) because of their powerful conjunction located above your navel (see Chapter 3 regarding this).
If you were going to invoke a “lust for life,” you might invoke not just path 19 (Lust), but Chesed and Geburah as well. If you wanted wisdom, you might invoke both Chokmah and Path 20, The Hermit.
Nothing, in fact, stops you from invoking the entire Tree of Life at one time, except perhaps exhaustion.
However, you should still only have a single intent. If you have more than one intent you should probably split them into separate rituals, but as you advance in magick, you might very well have a good reason to combine multiple intents into a single ceremony—so even this rule is not set in stone.
3. Write out the magickal names and symbols
Do this step on scrap paper for the time being. Write everything in Hebrew and English. You will find all correspondences in Chapter 3 and the Appendix. What you need depends on the path or Sephirah you chose in Step 2:
If you chose a Sephirah: Write down the name of your chosen Sephirah (from Chapter 3). Then from the “Sephirothic Attributions” chart in the Appendix, write down the God name, the Archangel, and the Choir of Angels. Also write down the Sephirah’s planetary symbol (given in Chapter 3).
Example: if you chose Tiphareth, you would write down: 
(Tiphareth), 
(YHVH Eloah V’Daath),
(Raphael), and 
(Malachim), along with the symbol for Sol:
.
If you chose a path that is a planet:146 Use the corresponding Sephirah to find the correct God name on the “Sephirothic Attributions” chart. Then write down the Heaven, Spirit, Intelligence, and symbol of the planet from the “Planetary Attributions” chart in the Appendix. Also make note of the appropriate Hebrew letter for your path.
Example: If you chose Path 12, The Magus, you would write down: 
(Elohim Tzabaoth), 
(Kokab), 
(Taphthartarath), 
(Tiriel), 
.
If you chose a path that is a zodiac sign:147 Based on the planetary ruler148 of the zodiac sign in question, write down the appropriate God name, Heaven, Spirit, Intelligence, planetary sign, along with the zodiac symbol and Hebrew letter.
Example: If you chose Path 18, The Chariot, which is the zodiac sign Cancer, ruled by the Moon, you would write down: 
(Shaddai El Chai),
(Levanah), 
(Chasmodai),
(Malkah Be Tarshishim va A’ad Be Ruah Shehaqim), 
,
.
If you chose a path that is an Element:149 Write down the name of the element in Hebrew, the God name, Archangel, Choir of Angels, and Ruler from the “Elemental Attributions” chart in the Appendix. Also make note of the element’s symbol and the appropriate Hebrew letter.
Example: If you chose Path 31, Fire, then you write down: 
(Asch), 
(YHVH Tzabaoth), 
(Michael), 
(Aral), 
(Seraph), 
, 
.
You now have plenty of names and symbols for your ritual, but if there is anything else you want to add, now is the time to get it ready.
For example, if you wanted to use an Olympic Spirit for our example, “I’m an intelligent and resourceful student,” you would check the Appendix and use the Olympic Spirit listed for Mercury, in this case Ophiel.
If you still crave more, check the book 777 for more correspondences than you’ll ever need. It includes lists for appropriate animals, plants, Egyptian gods, Hindu deities, Arabic heavens, and even more Hebrew god and angelic names.
4. Decide if you are going to invoke
the energy into yourself or charge a talisman
Both ritual types are very similar, but ultimately you need to decide if you want the energy to infuse your own body, or if you are going to charge an inanimate object.
Benefits of invoking into yourself: The effects are felt more quickly so this is better for going into situations where you immediately need a specific type of energy. This type works best for invoking energy into yourself without a long-term intent. You can perform invocations daily or weekly to keep a certain energy flowing.
Benefits of charging a talisman: You charge the object and then forget about it, going on normally with your daily life. This can be better for developing long-term goals or desires. Talismans can either be “one-offs” that you charge once and then forget about (and later burn or destroy), like the ones we have been using in this book, or you can experiment with permanent talismans that you periodically recharge.
5. Decorate your talisman or your body
In the previous steps, you gathered up and prepared the symbolism you are going to use in the ritual. Now is the time to decorate your talisman or your body with that symbolism.
Use all the names and symbols you wrote out in Step 3 except for the English translations.
Decorating a talisman: Choose an appropriate material basis as you’ve learned in the rituals from Chapter 3 and Chapter 7. You may pick one of the appropriate metals to work with. However, a piece of wood, parchment, and even poster board are good substitutes.
Let’s use our example of “I’m an intelligent and resourceful student,” where we have decided to use Path 12 (The Magus), which is ruled by Mercury. Mercury’s metal of choice is Mercury, a.k.a. quicksilver; however, quicksilver is a liquid and not easily used in a talisman, so alloys of Mercury and some other metal (often tin or silver) can be used—but these alloys aren’t always easy to come by. So instead, you could just use a piece of poster board cut into the shape of an octagon (Mercury=Hod=8). You would then paint it orange (for Hod) or yellow (for Path 12). (See Appendix for a full list of colors to use). On top of this basecoat you can then paint the appropriate God names, Angels, etc., in black (because black is always good for writing names and symbols, but you may use another appropriate color). Perfect. That’s all you need.
If you were going to get fancy (and expensive), you could include some precious stones (see Appendix) in the construction of your talisman. This would be appropriate for a talisman you meant to keep forever with periodic recharging. For example, you might have a gold lion statuette inlaid with Cat’s Eye that you regulary infuse with Leo energy.
Decorating your body: You can paint on your body with acrylic or markers, or you can make clothing decorated with the appropriate symbolism. If you are going to paint on your body, you’ll probably want to do it right before the ritual so it doesn’t flake off. (You can wash everything off after the ritual.)
Where on your body you draw the symbols and magickal names is up to you. You might want to paint or draw the planetary symbol (when using a Sephirah) or the Hebrew letter (when using one of the twenty-two paths) upon your forehead. This is because the third eye is an ideal spot to focus upon when you invoke the energy into yourself.
6. Prepare the Temple
There isn’t much to say regarding ritual preparation that you won’t know from studying the previous rituals in this book. Only a few concerns and suggestions:
Make a note card: Write out the names and symbols from the scrap paper you used in Step 3 onto a note card. Also make note of the hexagram or pentagram you will need from the next step. If you plan to memorize everything for the ritual so much the better, but it is not necessary. Put as much information onto your note card as you need.
Magickal weapons: While not necessary, if you’ve constructed your magickal weapons (see Chapter 5), you may use one to perform the ritual. You can use any weapon with any path or Sephirah. Here are the enhancements granted when using one of your magickal weapons to perform the ceremony:
Wand: Brings out the active and creative side of any given path or Sephirah.
Cup: Brings out the receptive side of a path or Sephirah. The cup is good for a deep understanding of the energy you are invoking.
Dagger: Tends to stir up conflict in any given path or Sephirah, but is good for intellectual pursuits.
Earth Vessel: Brings out the material plane concerns of any given path or Sephirah and helps ground that particular energy.
How each magickal weapon reacts to a particular path or Sephirah is highly idiosyncratic, so experimentation is definitely in order. If you aren’t sure which weapon to use, just leave all four on your altar, and your ritual will remain balanced between all four planes.
7. Relax and perform the Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram
Before you start, take time out for a ritual bath or shower, or otherwise take an extended period to relax.
Then perform the Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram as given in Chapter 2.
8. Invoking Hexagram or Pentagram
Stand in the center of your temple.
Face East, or another direction you deem appropriate to the ritual.
What you do next depends on which path or Sephirah you chose in Step 2. You will draw a hexagram or a pentagram depending on your chosen path or Sephirah. The Appendix lists all the hexagrams for each of the planets, and all the pentagrams for each of the elements.
Draw the hexagram or pentagram in the air with your finger (or weapon) as you know how from the Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram. You do not have to “see” them, but draw them large, and carefully, and know that they are there.
Examples will best illustrate what to do next:
If You Use a Sephirah:
For any Sephirah, draw the appropriate hexagram from the Appendix, and then chant the names you wrote down from Step 2.
Example: If you use Tiphareth, you would draw the hexagram for the Sun.150 Follow the numbers from 1 to 8 and then finish once again in the center.
Draw the symbol of Sol in the center of the hexagram:
Then point at the center of the hexagram and chant each name in turn:
Tiphareth
YHVH Eloah V’Daath
Raphael
Malachim
Sol
If You Use a Path that is a Planet:
What you do for the paths is similar to what you do for the Sephiroth, but with a few small changes.
Example: If you chose Path 12, The Magus, you would draw the appropriate hexagram first, then the planetary symbol above, and then the Hebrew letter within.
Then point at the center of the hexagram and chant:
Elohim Tzabaoth
Kokab
Taphthartarath
Tiriel
Beth
If You Use a Path that is a Zodiac Sign:
Example: If you use Path 18, The Chariot, you would:
Draw the hexagram first, the planetary symbol above, the zodiac symbol below, and finally the Hebrew letter in the center.
Point at the center of the hexagram and chant:
Shaddai El Chai
Levanah
Chasmodai
Malkah Be Tarshishim
va A’ad Be Ruah Shehaqim
Cheth
If you use a path that is an element:
Instead of a hexagram, for Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, you will draw a pentagram.
Example: If you chose Path 31, Fire, then draw the invoking pentagram of Fire, the Fire symbol above, and end with Shin in the center of the pentagram.
Point at the center of the pentagram and chant:
Asch
YHVH Tzabaoth
Michael
Aral
Seraph
Shin
With all these examples, you may chant the names in any order, and for as long as you like. Get a little “high” on the chanting. Imagine your pentagram or hexagram growing brighter and brighter as you chant each name.
When your chanting has peaked, use your hand (or magickal weapon) to gently touch your forehead (if you are invoking into yourself), or the talisman (if you are charging a talisman).
9. Recite your odes or other spontaneous extras
If you have prepared any odes, extra invocations, or anything else you wanted to add to the ritual, now is the time to let loose with them.
If you are feeling spontaneous, now is also the time to say or do anything you feel is magickal and appropriate.
10. Climax by drawing down the light
This step is the Middle Pillar Ritual in full, but with a few key changes:
1. Replace all the usual names with the God name associated with your path or Sephirah. For example, if you chose Path 12, The Magus, you would chant “Elohim Tzabaoth” for all seven chakras.
2. For the entire Middle Pillar Ritual, use a single color appropriate to your path or Sephirah. For example, in the case of Path 12, the color is yellow. Therefore, all your glowing balls would be yellow, and so would your “fountain of light” be resplendent with yellow.
3. In Part IV of the Middle Pillar Ritual, as you feel your fountain of light reach its peak, channel the divine light into either yourself or your talisman:
If You are Charging a Talisman:
Take a full, deep breath, taking note of your Anahata (heart) chakra as you do so.
Slowly use the entire exhalation to chant your God name. While exhaling, hold or touch your talisman. Imagine your specific-colored energy traveling out of your chest, down your arms, and through your hands (or magickal weapon) into the talisman.
Attempt to fill the talisman with every last drop of your energy … until you reach the end of your exhalation.
Example: If you were using Path 12, you would chant “El-ohh-heeeem. Vaaa-daaa-aaaaht,” while sending yellow energy into your talisman.
Put the talisman down, and before you breathe in again, make the Sign of Silence.
If You are Invoking Into Your Body:
Take a full, deep breath, paying attention to your Anahata (heart) chakra as you do so.
Slowly use the entire exhalation to chant your God name. While exhaling, touch your forehead with your fingers (or magickal weapon if you are using one). Imagine the appropriately colored light flowing into your Ajna chakra, where you have drawn a magick symbol, and down into the rest of your chakras, swirling around, filling you up with magickal energy.
Example: If you use Path 12, you would chant, ““El-ohh-heeeem. Vaaa-daaa-aaaaht,” while touching the Beth symbol you would have drawn on your forehead in Step 5.
When you are completely full of energy, and have exhausted every bit of your exhalation, then seal the energy by making the Sign of Silence.
If you want to explore the path or Sephirah through “scrying” or meditating, now is the time to sit and quietly focus upon your sensations.
11. The Closing
Perform the Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram, or at least the Qabalistic Cross, to seal in all that magickal goodness.
Write down the details of the ritual in your magickal journal, including time, place, intent, and results. I can’t stress enough how thankful you will someday be if you keep an accurate account of all your rituals.
12. Go have some fun!
If you invoked into yourself, then you are done. If you charged a talisman, put it away somewhere safe.
Now forget about the ritual and enjoy your life. Trust that your spell is already manifesting subconsciously, moving you naturally towards your goals, always attracting the right types of energy and people.
If you made a permanent talisman, one you plan to recharge periodically, then you may also wish to keep it wrapped in appropriately colored silk. If it’s a talisman you keep in plain view, such as a “guardian” for your doorstep, make sure you keep it dusted and well-kept at all times. These talismans are now holy objects.
Many magicians follow big rituals with a feast or celebration of some sort. This works well to ground the magickal energies and allows you to “land” back on Earth peaceably.
Can I continue to use the talisman rituals from Chapters 4 and 7?
Using the Tree of Life Ritual and customizing it is for when you are ready. If you are content with the shorter types of rituals given earlier in the book, by all means keep using them.
How long before I see results?
Sometimes you may see results right away. Other manifestations may take weeks or months. It depends on the magician and the type of spell or magickal working. I’ll try my best to give a rough estimate:
Invocations infuse you with energy right away. (If performed regularly they can transform you into an entirely new person.)
Talismans usually show results within weeks or months.
Deeper workings, which can span days or weeks, such as pathworkings, daemonic workings, and other complex rituals, can have results that manifest for years afterward.
Worrying about the spell seems to make a difference too. I’ve cast spells that I thought would have quick results, yet didn’t manifest for more than a year, only when I had forgotten about the spell completely.
So much depends on other issues such as your self-esteem, natural and learned abilities, any mental blocks you might have, etc. You can’t tell what will work for you until you’ve tried. For example, some people might have faster results with wealth spells over love spells (or vice versa).
My advice is to practice a wide range of spells at the beginning of your magickal career. Keep a journal and soon you will know what works best for you and what doesn’t.
If you are really having a problem with results, you will have to reexamine your goals and make sure they are realistic and something you believe can truly happen.
What if a bug gets in my wine glass?
If you have an unforeseen accident during a ritual (including spilling something, fumbling words, or whatever else), either fix the problem, or move on and ignore it. Small accidents won’t harm a spell. If there is something really problematic that has occurred, you can simply start over.
Customizing the Tree of Life Ritual
My hope with this book is to teach you a framework of magick that leads to success. The Tree of Life Ritual is not meant as an end, but a beginning to developing your own ritual style.
Here are a few specific ways you can customize the Tree of Life Ritual for a variety of needs.
Nature Rituals
All rituals in this book can be adapted to natural settings. Performing near waterfalls, streams, and fountains grants not just a beautiful locale, but would be especially appropriate for any Water-based rituals you might
perform. Outside around a bonfire, on the top of a hill, or in a field of wildflowers are also potential sites for magick.
One can hardly mention nature and magick at the same time without thinking of Dionysus. So even though what I’ve taught you here is high magick, I hope it’s clear that I’m all for primitive carnality in rituals when it is called for, to such an extent that even the down and dirtiest pagan would be proud.
Dancing, masks, or costumes, huge gatherings, and even intoxicated reverie can be useful in magick.
Nuit Dedication Ritual for Increased Pleasure in Everything
Use the Tree of Life Ritual to invoke Path 15, The Star. Include some choice quotes from Liber AL, such as:
“I love you! I yearn to you! Pale or purple, veiled or voluptuous,
I who am all pleasure and purple, and drunkenness of the
innermost sense, desire you.”151
Then read and sign this vow:
“I, (your magickal name), invoke an overflowing cup of sensual
goodness. I swear to receive all pleasure as openly and as deeply as
possible in each moment as it is presented to me. I swear this by the
vault of Nuit’s body and the red gleam in my eye. So mote it be.
Signed ___________”
You may take special care in constructing the vow and handwriting it on parchment beforehand. Sign the vow during the ritual.
Consecration Ritual
Converting the Tree of Life Ritual into a consecration ritual is easy. Prepare the ritual for the proper element of the weapon you are consecrating (i.e., prepare a Fire invocation if you are going to consecrate your wand) and then treat the weapon as a talisman, which you infuse with energy just as usual.
You can also add some specific verbiage during Step 9, such as: “By the light of the Divine, in the presence of He who works in silence and whom naught but silence can express, I do hereby consecrate this wand to the element of Fire that it will assist me in serving the Holy and Most High Lord of the Universe. So Mote it be!”
HGA Ritual
Rituals to invoke your True Self are the most personal of all rituals, so feel free to follow your own intuition when developing one.
A good place to start is by using the Tree of Life Ritual to invoke Kether, Path 13 (The High Priestess), or both.
After you invoke your HGA, be silent and passive.
Learn to be receptive to any impressions you might receive.
Spend at least 10–15 minutes being open to anything that arises in your mind’s eye.
Write down any results or issues.
Self-Dedication Ritual
Use the Tree of Life Ritual to invoke Tiphareth, then read and sign the Oath of Self-Dedication as given in Chapter 6 (or write your own dedication vow). Simple as that.
Servitor Creation Ritual
Servitor creation is about designing your own daemon.
1. Design the personality of your daemon, including name, description, and its intended purpose(s). It can be beautiful, ugly, male, female, androgynous, alien, or anything else you can imagine. It’s up to you.
2. Make a sigil or symbol for the daemon as you know how. You can use any of the sigilization methods in this book to accomplish that.
3. Infuse it with life. Perform the Tree of Life Ritual using the path or Sephirah you feel best represents it. Channel the energy into its sigil, imagining its thought-form growing more detailed, realistic, and powerful.
4. Once you get some results from the servitor, you can feed it more energy with not just rituals, but by spending more time incorporating the servitor into your life. Izabael grew more powerful as I incorporated her into my artwork, my temple, and my relationships.
Lightning Bolt Ritual
The path of the flaming sword is the mythological path God used when creating the universe. The goal of this ritual is to charge your talisman (or yourself) with the same energies in the same order that created the universe.
The path of the flaming sword or “lightning bolt”
The path of the flaming sword or “lightning bolt”
1. Create an intent for your invocation or talisman.
2. Perform the Tree of Life Ritual invoking Kether, and charge your talisman (or yourself) with the resulting energies.
3. Continue down the Tree of Life. In your next ritual, you would invoke Chokmah, then Binah, then Chesed, etc.
4. After you finish the final ritual for Malkuth, your talisman is fully charged and you may put it in a safe place.
This ritual should be spread out over ten days, one Sephirah per day, though you could go “ironman” and invoke all the Sephiroth in a single ritual if you really wanted to.
The point of this ritual is to create something in the same fashion God created the universe. So you drag your intent through all the Sephiroth, where it goes from a simple idea (Kether) down to the material reality of Malkuth.
You could also perform a similar ritual with all 32 paths/Sephiroth.
Three Daily Spells for Love, Health, or Wealth
Sometimes rituals are best streamlined to the essentials. I consider these more to be “spells” than rituals, since they are so much shorter than the usual rituals we have been doing, and you do not need to perform the Equilibrating Ritual of the Pentagram when using them. These simple rituals can be used sporadically but work far better if you perform them daily.
Spell for Health
This should be performed as close to high-noon as possible. Standing bare-chested in the sun is ideal, but not necessary.
Look up to the sun as best you can without blinding yourself. If you cannot see it, then imagine it brighter than you’ve ever seen it before.
At this point, don’t worry too much about the pronunciations. Just do your best with any unfamiliar names. Say loudly if possible; if not, you may whisper it with silent conviction:
“Hail Shabbathai, I honor thy timeless presence. I hear the call of thine impending thunder.
“Hail Zazel, I hear thy trumpet calling from afar reminding me to enjoy the now.
“Oh Shemmesh, I invoke thy sunny demeanor into my perfect now. Heal me and those I love. Teach our hearts joy. Sorath and Nakhiel, hear the golden roar of Yod Heh Va Heh El-Oh-Ah Va-Da-Ath. Bathe me in the blissful pleasure of the eternally fleeting moment. So mote it be!”
Make the Sign of Silence.
Spell for Wealth
You may do this once a day anytime, anywhere, inside or outside, but perform it somewhere you can drip candle wax onto the ground. Light the candle before you start the relaxation ritual so that there is sufficient hot wax.
Say powerfully: “Great God AL,152 lord of my fruition, send forth thy stable hand to spread your seeds of bounty.”
With the thumb of your active hand inscribe an imaginary circle in the palm of your passive hand.
Say: “Under the skies of Tzedek, I plow my fields with dedication and marvel as thy seeds sprout with abundance and wealth.”
Drip some wax onto the ground and pause for a moment in silence.
Say: “Hail Hismael, I feel thy blessing and mark your message upon my hand.”
With your thumb draw an imaginary “X” in the circle you previously drew upon your palm.
Say: “So mote it be!”
Stamp your foot on the ground and finish with the Sign of Silence.
Spell for Love
Once a day (preferably in the morning or before bed), draw the Venus symbol (“ 
”) upon a mirror153 with the tip of your forefinger, and then say:
“Hear me, oh Venus, goddess of love and sensual bounty. Stir up your gods, and stir up your angels to assist me in this, my most humble and passionate request:
“By the power of Yod Heh Vav Heh Tza-Bah-oth and the splendorous victory of Haniel and the Elohim, I exort you Qedemel and Hagiel, to enflame the heart of ____________ with love and passion, or with the blessing of Hagith, to push him/her aside and bring me someone better.
“Call upon your consort Apollo to play upon the heartstrings of my most perfect companion. Blind him/her to my flaws, and excite his/her most intense desire. So shall my love be returned 1000-fold as I submit to pleasure not for me, but unto thee, oh Aphrodite.
“So mote it be!”
Finish by making the Sign of Silence.
(The blank space in the previous invocation is reserved for the name of someone you love or have a crush on. This can be someone you know in person, a fantasy, or even a celebrity. Choose someone who incites your strongest passions, but be open to the universe bringing you someone better suited for you.)
Exercise 10: Customize a ritual and perform it
You must have something you want to work on; why else are you reading this book? Now is the time to go for it. Get out your scrap paper and start the preparations.
143 . Liber AL, I. 51.
144 . From the Dance of Death, German printed edition, folio CCLXI recto from Hartman Schedel’s Chronicle of the World (Nuremberg, 1493), thought to be created by Michael Wolgemut, and not Holbein the Younger, as is often claimed.
144 . From the Dance of Death, German printed edition, folio CCLXI recto from Hartman Schedel’s Chronicle of the World (Nuremberg, 1493), thought to be created by Michael Wolgemut, and not Holbein the Younger, as is often claimed.
145 . In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the black obelisk is a good representation of Saturn as it represents not just an evolutionary step, but the door between life and death, including the ominous associations involved with such a catastrophic transformation.
146 . Path 12 (Mercury), Path 13 (The Moon), Path 14 (Venus), Path 21 (Jupiter), Path 27 (Mars), Path 30 (The Sun), and Path 32 (Saturn).
147 . Paths: 15 (Aries), 16 (Taurus), 17 (Gemini), 18 (Cancer), 19 (Leo), 20 (Virgo), 22 (Libra), 24 (Scorpio), 25 (Sagittarius), 26 (Capricorn), 28 (Aquarius), and 29 (Pisces).
149 . Path 11 (Air), Path 23 (Water), Path 31 (Fire), and Path 32 (Earth). For Spirit, use Tiphareth or Kether, or Path 31, which Qabalistically does double duty as Spirit and Fire.
150 . As you’ll see in the Appendix, only the Sun uses a unicursal hexagram. The rest of the planets use the traditional Star of David-style hexagram. The Golden Dawn teaches an extremely unwieldy way to invoke the Sun using the traditional hexagram, but using a unicursal hexagram is far superior.
151 . Liber AL, I.61.
152 . You should verbalize this drawn out to “Ahhhhhhhhlll.”
153 . The symbol of Venus is a stylized representation of her hand mirror.