Transcendental Magic — Éliphas Lévi

224 THE RITUAL OP TRANSCENDENT MAGIC the operator. In fact, the four elements are only instruments which assist second sight. Now, second sight is the faculty of seeing in the astral light, and it is natural as the first or sensible and ordinary sight, but it can only operate by the abstraction of the senses. Somnambulists and ecstatics enjoy second sight naturally, but this sight is more lucid when the abstraction is more complete. Abstraction is produced by astral intoxication, that is, by an excess of light which completely saturates, and hence stupefies, the nervous system. Sanguine temperaments are disposed to seromancy, the bilious to pyromancy, the phlegmatic to hydromancy, and the melancholic to geomancy. ^Eromancy is confirmed by oneiromaney, or divination by dreams ; pyromancy is supplemented by magnetism ; hydromancy by crystallomancy ; and geomancy by cartomancy. These are transpositions and completement of methods. But divination, however operated, is dangerous, or, to say the least, useless, for it disheartens will, as a consequence, impedes liberty, and tires the nervous system.

CHAPTER V THE BLAZING PENTAGRAM WE proceed to the explanation and consecration of the sacred and mysterious pentagram. At this point, let the ignorant and superstitious close the book ; they will either see nothing but darkness, or they will be scandalised. The pentagram, which, in gnostic schools, is called the blazing star, is the sign of intellectual omnipotence and autocracy. It is the star of the magi ; it is the sign of the Word made flesh ; and, according to the direction of its points, this absolute magical symbol represents order or confusion, the

THE BLAZING PENTAGRAM 225 divine lamb of Ormuz and St John, or the accursed goat of Mendes. It is initiation or profanation ; it is Lucifer or Vesper, the star of the morning or the evening. It is Mary or Lilith, victory or death, day or night. The pentagram with two points in the ascendant represents Satan as the goat of the Sabbath ; when one point is in the ascendant, it is the sign of the Saviour.

The pentagram is the figure of the human body, having the four limbs, and a single point representing the head. A human figure, head downwards, naturally represents a demon ; that is, intellectual subversion, disorder, or madness.

Now, if magic be a reality, if occult science be really the true law of the three worlds, this absolute sign, this sign ancient as history, and more ancient, should and does actually exercise an incalculable influence upon spirits set free from their material envelope. The sign of the pentagram is called also the sign of the microcosm, and it represents what the Kabbalists of the book of Zohar term the microprosopus.

The complete comprehension of the pentagram is the key of the two worlds. It is the absolute philosophy and natural science. The sign of the pentagram should be composed of the seven metals, or at least traced in pure gold upon white marble. It may also be drawn with vermilion upon an unblemished lambskin — the symbol of integrity and light.

The marble should be virgin, that is, should never have been used for another purpose ; the lambskin should be prepared under the auspices of the sun. The lamb must have been slain at Paschal time, with a new knife, and the skin must be salted with salt consecrated by magical operations. The omission of even one of these difficult and apparently arbitrary ^monies makes void the entire success of the great works science.

The pentagram is consecrated with the four elements ; magical figure is breathed on five times ; it is sprinkled rith consecrated water ; it is dried by the smoke of five perfumes, namely, incense, myrrh, aloes, sulphur, and camphor, to which a little white resin and ambergris may

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The five breathings are accompanied by the utterance of the names attributed to the five genii, who are Gabriel, Raphael, Anael, Samael, and Oriphiel ; afterwards the pentacle is placed successively at the north, south, east, west, and centre of the astronomical cross, pronouncing at the same time, one after another, the letters of the sacred tetragram, and then, in an undertone, the blessed names of Aleph and the mysterious Thau, united in the Kabbalistic name of AZOTH.

The pentagram should be placed upon the altar of perfumes, and under the tripod of evocations. The operator should also wear the sign as well as that of the macrocosm, which is composed of two crossed and superposed triangles. When a spirit of light is evoked, the head of the star — that is, one of its points — should be directed towards the tripod of evocations, and the two inferior points towards the altar of perfumes.

In the case of a spirit of darkness, the opposite course is pursued, but then the operator must be careful to set the end of the rod or the point of the sword upon the head of the pentagram. We have already said that signs are the active voice of the verb of will.

Now, the word of will must be given in its completeness, so that it may be transformed into action ; and a single negligence, representing an idle speech or a doubt, falsifies and paralyses the whole operation, turning back upon the operator all the forces thus expended in vain. We must, therefore, absolutely abstain from magical ceremonies or scrupulously and exactly fulfil them all.

The pentagram, engraved in luminous lines upon glass by the electrical machine, also exercises a great influence upon spirits, and terrifies phantoms. The old magicians traced the sign of the pentagram upon their door-steps, to prevent evil spirits from entering and good spirits from departing. This constraint followed from the direction of the points of the star.

Two points on the outer side drove away the evil ; two points on the inner side imprisoned them -r one only on the inner side held good spirits captive. All these