Transcendental Magic — Éliphas Lévi

XX TABLE OF CONTENTS PAQK CHAPTER XV. THE SABBATH OF THE SORCERERS. Rites and special evocations of the Sabbath — The Goat of Mendes and its worship — Aberrations of Catherine de Medecis and Gilles de Laval, Lord of Retz 288 CHAPTER XVI. WITCHCRAFT AND SPELLS. Ceremonial for the same — Mode of defence against them ..... 306 CHAPTER XVII. THE WRITING OF THE STARS.

Divination by Stars — Planisphere of Gaffarel — How the Destinies of Men and Empires may be read in Heaven ...... 313 CHAPTER XVIII. PHILTRES AND MAGNETISM. Composition of Philtres — How to influence Destinies — Remedies and Preventives . . 326 CHAPTER XIX. THE MASTERY OF THE SUN. Use of the Philosophical Stone — How it must be preserved, disintegrated, and recomposed 335 CHAPTER XX. THE THAUMATURGE.

Therapeutics — Warm and cold Insufflations — Passes with and without contact — Imposition of hands — Diverse virtues of saliva — Oil and Wine — Incubation and Massage ........ 339 CHAPTER XXI. THE SCIENCE OF THE PROPHETS. Ceremonial for Divinatory Operations — The Clavicle of Trithemius — Probable future of Europe and of the world ..... 346 CHAPTER XXII. THE BOOK OF HERMES.

After what manner all science is contained in the occult work of Hermes — Antiquity of this book— Labours of Court de Gebelin and of Etteilla— The Theraphim of the Hebrews according to GafFarel — The Key of William Postel— A book of Saint Martin— The true shape of the Ark of the Covenant — Italian and German Tarots — Chinese Tarots — A German Medal of the sixteenth century — Universal Key of the Tarot — Its application to the Symbols of the Apocalypse — The seven seals of the Christian Kabbalah— Conclusion of the entire work . 355

EXPLANATION OF THE FIGUEES CONTAINED IN THIS WORK. MM FIGURE I. The Great Symbol of Solomon . . . . .2 The Double Triangle of Solomon, represented by the two Ancients of the Kabbalah ; the Macroprosopus and the Microprosopus ; the God of Light and the God of Reflections ; mercy and vengeance ; the white Jehovah and the black Jehovah. FIGURE II.

Sacerdotal Esotericism making the sign of Excommunication 26 A sacerdotal hand making the sign of esotericism and projecting the figure of the demon in its shadow. Above are the Ace of Deniers, as found in the Chinese Tarot, and two superposed triangles, one white and one black. It is a new allegory explaining the same mysteries ; it is the origin of good and evil ; it is the creation of the demon by mystery. FIGURE III.

The Triangle of Solomon . . . . .40 FIGURE IV. The Four Great Kabbalistic Names . . . .54 FIGURE V. The Pentagram of Faust . . . . .60 FIGURE VI. The Tetragram of the Zohar . . . . .91 FIGURE VII. Addha-Nari, grand Indian Pantacle . . .151 This pantheistic image represents Religion or Truth, terrible for the profane and gentle for initiates. It has more than one analogy with the Cherub of Ezekiel.

The human figure is placed between a bridled bull and a tiger, thus forming the triangle of Kether, Geburah, and Gedulah, or Chesed.

In the Indian symbol, the four magical signs of the Tarot are found in the four hands of Addha- Nari — on the side of the initiate and of mercy are the sceptre and the cup ; on the side of the profane, represented by the tiger, are the sword and the circle, which latter may become either the ring of a chain or an iron collar.

On the side of the initiate, the goddess is clothed only with the skin of the tiger ; on that of the tiger itself she wears a long star-spangled robe, and even her hair is veiled. A fountain of milk springs from her forehead, falls on the side of the initiate, and about Addha-Nari and the two animals it forms a magic circle, enclosing them in an island which represents the world.

The goddess wears round her neck a magic chain, formed of iron links on the side of the profane and of intelligent heads on that of the initiate ; she bears on her forehead the figure of the lingam, and on either side of her are three superposed lines which represent the equilibrium of the triad, and recall the trigrams of Fo-Hi. xxi

XX11 EXPLANATION OF THE FIGUKES PAGE FIGURE VIII. The Pantacles of Ezekiel and Pythagoras . . .166 The four-headed Cherubim of Ezekiel's prophecy, explained by the double triangle of Solomon. Below is the wheel of Ezekiel, key of all pantacles, and the pantacle of Pythagoras. The cherub of Ezekiel is here represented as it is described by the prophet. Its four heads are the tetrad of Mercavah ; its six wings are the senary of Bereschith.

The human figure in the middle represents reason ; the eagle's head is faith ; the bull is resignation and toil ; the lion is warfare and conquest. This symbol is analogous to that of the Egyptian sphinx, but is more appropriate to the Kabbalah of the Hebrews. FIGUEE IX. The Sabbatic Goat. The Baphomet of Mendes . . 174 A pantheistic and magical figure of the Absolute.

The torch placed between the two horns represents the equilibrating intelligence of the triad. The goat's head, which is synthetic, and unites some characteristics of the dog, bull, and ass, represents the exclusive responsibility of matter and the expiation of bodily sins in the body.

The hands are human, to exhibit the sanctity of labour ; they make the sign of esotericism above and below, to impress mystery on initiates, and they point at two lunar crescents, the upper being white and the lower black, to explain the correspondences of good and evil, mercy and justice. The lower part of the body is veiled, portraying the mysteries of universal generation, which is expressed solely by the symbol of the caduceus.

The belly of the goat is scaled, and should be coloured green ; the semi-circle above should be blue ; the plumage, reaching to the breast, should be of various hues. The goat has female breasts, and thus its only human characteristics are those of maternity and toil, otherwise the signs of redemption.

On its forehead, between the horns and beneath the torch, is the sign of the microcosm, or the pentagram with one beam in the ascendant, symbol of human intelligence, which, placed thus below the torch, makes the flame of the latter an image of divine revelation. This Pantheos should be seated on a cube, and its footstool should be a single ball, or a ball and a triangular stool.

In our design we have given the former only to avoid complicating the figure. FIGURE X. The Triangle of Solomon . . . . .189 FIGURE XL The Trident of Paracelsus . . . . .212 This trident, symbol of the triad, is formed of three pyramidal teeth superposed on a Greek or Latin tau.

On one of its teeth is a jod, which on one side pierces a crescent, and on the other a transverse line, a figure which recalls hieroglyphically the zodiacal sign of the Crab. On the opposite tooth is a composite sign recalling that •of the Twins and that of the Lion. Between the claws of the Crab is the sun, and the astronomical cross is seen in proximity to the lion.

On the middle tooth there is hieroglyphically depicted the figure of the celestial serpent, with the sign of Jupiter for its head. By the side of the Crab is the word OBITO, or Begone, Retire ; and by the side