Eliphas Levi - The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum

A word is the requisite formula of a thought, an act is an exhibition of will. This is why prayer is a necessity, and may obtain all that it asks. A prayer is a perfected act of the will, it is a link connecting human words with the divine Will. All ceremonies consecrations, ablutions, and sacrifices are prayers in action, and are symbolic formulas; and they are the most potent prayers because they are translations of word into action, showing will power and persistence, seeing that they require more constrained attention than silent prayer, or prayer expressed in words; and so they constitute real work, and such work demands a man’s whole energy.

The First Tarot Trump is named Le Bateleur, and in English is spoken of as the Magician. Levi remarks in one of his works that the arms and body of the figure bear a resemblance to the first letter, Aleph, of the Hebrew alphabet, in some packs of the oldest designs; but the student will do wisely to consult his intuition, if he have no adept instructor, as to the true attribution of this or either of the other trumps of the Tarot.

The Magician stands by a table holding a magical wand in his left hand; before him on the table are lying other implements suitable to his task, such as a dagger, cup, and pantacle. His face expresses assurance, and intelligence beams from his eyes.

Levi elsewhere defines its occult meaning to be God, spirit, unity; and man as a reflection of God. P. Christian, in his Histoire de la Magie , says that this card represents, in the Divine world, the Absolute One; in the Intellectual world, Unity; and in the Physical world, Man; and that man should, like God, work without ceasing, for a state of willing nothing and doing nothing is hardly less fatal than evil doing.

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Depth is equal to height, darkness is contrasted with light, matter is but the garment of the spirit. That which is below is like that which is above. The breath of God is borne along over the waters, and the waters remain aloft carried on by the breath of God. That which we call the Breath of God is the Life Essence spread over the worlds; it is that warm luminous fluid which gives a soul to the planets; the common reservoir of progressive animal life; the universal basis of the sympathies between bodies, and the medium of love between souls; it is the vehicle of the will, and common basis for all the varied modifications of the Creative Word. The Breath of the mouth of God leads to the corresponding human breath. God said, “ Let us make man,” and man answers, “ Let us make to ourselves a God.”

When God made creation manifest as a temple, He illumined the planets as light-bearers, He decorated the earth with flowers as an altar, He gave mysterious properties to metals and plants, and He drew with His finger circles, triangles, and the cross, as eternal pantacles, traced in living fire upon the immense vault of the skies. The Magus should imitate his God upon this earth, his dwelling.

Know, Will, and Act; these are the three essentials for sacerdotal and royal high magic. Matter and form are instruments placed in the power of the Magus, his acts should be dependent on the Word, and so shall none of his deeds be lost, and his teachings shall be preserved.

You then who desire to understand the mysteries of this Science and to perform marvels, consider and tremble lest you have as yet failed to attain to knowledge and wisdom; for if so, you stand on the brink of an abyss ; stop, ere it is too late. But if you have secured the Lamp and Wand of Initiation, if you are cognisant of the secrets of the Nine, if you never speak of God without the Light which proceeds from Him, if you have received the mystical baptism of the Four Elements, if you have prayed upon the Seven Mountains, if you know the mode of motion of the Double Sphynxed Chariot, if you have grasped the dogma of why Osiris was a black god, if you are free, if you are a king, if you are in truth a priest in the temple of Solomon—act without fear, and speak, for your words will be all-powerful in the spiritual kingdom, and the breath of God will follow the utterances of your mouth, and the powers of the heavens and of the earth will be obedient unto you.

The Second Tarot Trump represents a seated female figure, crowned with a tiara, and holding a book in her hands; it is partly concealed by her mantle. She has a veil around her head, and some old cards show the horns of Isis upon her head-dress. Some authors who discredit the great age and Egyptian origin of the Tarot symbols have asserted that this card was intended to represent the fabulous Pope Joan. This character was said to be an Englishwoman of great learning, ability, and vice, who was chosen Pope in a.d. 855, succeeding Leo IV. Both Protestants and Roman Catholics have now rejected the story as a groundless fiction. L£vi, in his Dogme de la haute Magie , throws out the suggestion that this trump represents the Greek Juno, and he assigns as its occult meanings— the house of God, and of man; sanctuary, the Gnosis, the Kabalah, the dyad, Woman and maternity.

The Rosicrucians considered this card to be Isis, the Great Mother, Soul of Nature. P. Christian gives as its meaning—Occult Science awaiting the initiate at the door of the sanctuary.

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You should before all other things study and understand the sacred laws of Nature. Discern the Father Spirit and Mother Spirit, and recognise the sex aspect of the two breaths, and the soul of their movements; learn how the black female seeks the caresses of the white male, and why the white male does not disdain the dark woman. The white man is Day, or the Sun; and the black woman refers to Night, and the Moon. It is necessary to know the names and powers of the twelve precious jewels which are included in the crown of gold referred to the Sun, and the names also which are allotted to the chief of the powers of the Moon. You will then require to be familiar with the keys of the Fifty Gates, the secret of the Thirty-two Paths, and the characters of the Seven Spirits.

These Seven Spirits are, Michael of the Sun, Gabriel of the Moon, Samael of Mars, Raphael of Mercury, Zachariel of Jupiter, Anael of Venus, and Orifiel of Saturn. These govern the world in successive order, and the completion of their seven ages of ruling power constitutes a Week of the Time of God.

You must learn also the plants, colours, perfumes, and musical notes which correspond to the seven planetary powers; and it is essential to retain those correspondences with the utmost exactitude. Thus when it is required to do perfect magical work, the procedure of each day is different in many particulars.

On Sunday you must wear a purple robe, a tiara, and golden bracelets; you must arrange about the altar or tripod, garlands of laurel, heliotrope, or sunflower ; you must use as a fumigating incense cinnamon, frankincense, saffron, and red sandal-wood; you require at your right hand a golden wand set with a ruby or a chrysolite; and your operations must be carried out between one hour past midnight up to eight in the morning, or between three in the afternoon and ten in the evening.

On Monday you should wear a white robe with silver ornaments, with a collar of three rows consisting of pearls, crystals, and selenites; a tiara yellow with the letters of Gabriel in silver. The proper perfumes are those of camphor, white sandalwood, amber, and cucumber seeds; the garlands for the altar should be of armoise ( query , mugwort, artemisia), evening primrose, and yellow ranunculus. Avoid with care anything of black colour; use no cup or vessel of gold, silver only, or clear white china or pottery. The same hours as before mentioned for the Sun, but use rather the night hours.