Eliphas Levi - The Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum

Éliphas Lévi

Editor: William Wynn Westcott

e-artnow, 2021

Contact: info@e-artnow.org

EAN: 4064066500184

I. The Magician—Le Bateleur I. The Magician—Le Bateleur Table of Contents Listen to the words of Solomon which he spake to his son Rehoboam: “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the knowledge and love of Him who is the Source of all good, and the supreme Reason, whence all things do proceed.” Adonai had passed an eternity in heaven, and then created Man; so a time on earth is given to man to comprehend Adonai. In other words, the knowledge which man attains concerning the Supreme Being springs from the faculties which have been bestowed upon him at his creation, in order that he might in his turn formulate an image of the Being who has sent him into this world. By Intelligence man conceives the ideal of God, and by Will he should turn to good works. But human will when without works is dead, or at any rate is only a vague desire: the same is true of a thought not expressed in language; it is not a word, but only a dream of the intelligence. An imagination is not a realised thing, it is only a promised something, while an act is a reality. For the same reason there is no piety without prayer, and no religion without worship. Words are the formal and social reality of ideals, and ceremonies are religion put into practice; there is no real faith unless it shows itself by actions prompted by faith. A formulated expression in words, confirmed by actions, demonstrates the two powers of a human soul. To work it is necessary to will, and to will it is necessary to formulate the desire. Actions imply ideas even if the ideals are not themselves translated into acts. Thought is the life of intelligence, words show the creative force of thought, while actions are the last effort of words, and the desirable complement of words. Words have been spoken, thought has been translated into action; by the act of creating, speech has taken place. 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.

II. The Priestess—La Papesse II. The Priestess—La Papesse Table of Contents 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.

III. The Empress—L'imperatrice

IV. The Emperor—L'empereur

V. The Pope, or Hierophant—Le Pape

VI. The Lovers — L'amoureux

VII. The Chariot of Hermes—Le Chariot

VIII. Justice—La Justice

IX. The Hermit—L'ermite

X. The Wheel of Fortune — La Roue De Fortune

XI. Fortitude—strength—La Force

XII. The Hanged Man—Le Pendu

XIII. Death—La Mort

XIV. Temperance—La Temperance

XV. Satan — the Devil—Le Diable

XVI. The Tower—La Maison De Dieu

XVII. The Star—L'etoile

XVIII. The Moon—La Lune

XIX. The Sun—Le Soleil

XX. The Last Judgment—Le Jugement

XXI. The Unwise Man—Le Mat

XXII. The Universe—Le Monde

Appendix:

The Kabalistic Prayer

Note by the Editor

The Conclusion by Eliphaz Levi

Occult and Religious Maxims From the MSS. Of Eliphaz Levi

Table of Contents

Listen to the words of Solomon which he spake to his son Rehoboam: “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, but the end of wisdom is the knowledge and love of Him who is the Source of all good, and the supreme Reason, whence all things do proceed.” Adonai had passed an eternity in heaven, and then created Man; so a time on earth is given to man to comprehend Adonai. In other words, the knowledge which man attains concerning the Supreme Being springs from the faculties which have been bestowed upon him at his creation, in order that he might in his turn formulate an image of the Being who has sent him into this world.

By Intelligence man conceives the ideal of God, and by Will he should turn to good works. But human will when without works is dead, or at any rate is only a vague desire: the same is true of a thought not expressed in language; it is not a word, but only a dream of the intelligence. An imagination is not a realised thing, it is only a promised something, while an act is a reality. For the same reason there is no piety without prayer, and no religion without worship. Words are the formal and social reality of ideals, and ceremonies are religion put into practice; there is no real faith unless it shows itself by actions prompted by faith. A formulated expression in words, confirmed by actions, demonstrates the two powers of a human soul. To work it is necessary to will, and to will it is necessary to formulate the desire. Actions imply ideas even if the ideals are not themselves translated into acts.

Thought is the life of intelligence, words show the creative force of thought, while actions are the last effort of words, and the desirable complement of words. Words have been spoken, thought has been translated into action; by the act of creating, speech has taken place.