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Page 1 of 11913 · PDF PAGE 23
CHAPTER II THE CIRCLE THE Circle announces the Nature of the Great Work. Though the Magician has been Umited in his choice of room, he is more or less able to choose what part of the room he will work in. He will consider convenience and possibility. His circle should not be too small and cramp his movements; it should not be so large that he has long distances to traverse. Once the circle is made and consecrated, the Magician must not leave it, or even lean outside, lest he be de- stroyed by the hostile forces that are without. He chooses a ci…
1913 · PDF PAGE 24
The centre of this circle is the centre of the Tau of ten squares which is in the midst, as shown in the illustration. The Tau and the circle together make one form of the Rosy Cross, the uniting of subject and object which is the Great Work, and which is symbolized sometimes as this cross and circle, sometimes as the Lingam-Yoni, sometimes as the Ankh or Crux Ansata, sometimes by the Spire and Nave of a church or temple, and sometimes as a marriage feast, mystic marriage, spiritual marriage, "chymical nuptials," and in a hundred other ways. Wh…
1913 · PDF PAGE 25
…must be determined by necessary proportion. The exceptions to this rule are the Lamp, which hangs from the roof, above the centre of the Circle, above the square of Tiphereth; and the Oil, whose phial is so small that it will suit any altar. On the Circle are inscribed the Names of God; the Circle is of green, and the names are in flaming vermilion, of the same colour as the Tau. Without the Circle are nine pentagrams equidistant,' in the ^ Some magicians prefer seven lamps, for the seven Spirits of God that are before the Throne. Each stands i…
1913 · PDF PAGE 21
THE CIRCLE
1913 · PDF PAGE 22
THE CIRCLE
1913 · PDF PAGE 133
…g is retained which has not some coherence with the general plan of the mind. All Pantacles will contain the ultimate conceptions of the circle and the cross, though some will prefer to replace the cross by a point, or by a Tau, or by a triangle. The Vesica Piscis is sometimes used instead of the circle, or the circle may be glyphed as a serpent. Time and space and the idea of causality are sometimes represented; so also are the three stages in the history of philosophy, in which the three objects of study were successively Nature, God, and Man…
1913 · PDF PAGE 27
…n order to give light to that which is without. For these lights are only apparently hostile to intrusion ; they serve to illuminate the Circle and the Names of God, and so to bring the first and outmost sym- bols of initiation within the view of the profane. These candles stand upon pentagrams, which symbolize Geburah, severity, and give protection; but also represent the microcosm, the four elements crowned by Spirit, the Will of man perfected in its aspira- tion to the Higher. They are placed outside the Circle to attract the hostile forces,…
1913 · PDF PAGE 15
…e of everything. The Magician works in a Temple; the Universe, which is (be it remembered!) conterminous with himself.' In this temple a Circle is drawn upon the floor for the limitation of his working. This circle is ^ The holders of those keys have always kept very quiet about it. This has been especially necessary in Europe, because of the dominance of persecuting churches. •^By "yourself" you mean the contents of your consciousness. All without does not exist for you.
1913 · PDF PAGE 16
protected by divine names, the influences on which he relies to keep out hostile thoughts. Within the circle stands an Altar, the solid basis on which he works, the foundation of all. Upon the Altar are his Wand, Cup, Sword, and Pantacle, to represent his Will, his Under- standing, his Reason, and the lower parts of his being, respectively. On the Altar, too, is a phial of Oil, surrounded by a Scourge, a Dagger, and a Chain, while above the Altar hangs a La7?ip. The Magician wears a Crown, a single Robe, and a Lamen, and he bears a Book of Conj…
1913 · PDF PAGE 79
67 So that which is round is to him a symbol of the influence from the higher. This circle symbolizes the Infinite, as every cross or Tau repre- sents the Finite. That which is four scjuarc shows the Finite fixed into itself; for this reason the altar is foursquare. It is the solid basis from which all the operation proceeds. One form ^ of magical cup has a sphere beneath the bowl, and is supported upon a conical base. This cup (crescent, sphere, cone) represents the three principles of the Moon, the Sun, and Fire, the three principles which, a…
1913 · PDF PAGE 171
…ymbolizes Tiphereth, and it should therefore be a harmony of all the other symbols in one. It connects natur- ally by its shape with the Circle and the Pentacle; but it is not sufficient to repeat the design of either. The Lamen of the spirit whom one wishes to evoke is both placed in the triangle and worn on the breast; but in this case, since that 1 Scholars are uncertain as to what these really were, though apparently they were methods of divination. 159
1913 · PDF PAGE 31
…n. The Altar is a double cube, which is a rough way of symbolizing the Great Work; for the doubling of the cube, Hke the squaring of the circle, was one of the great problems of antiquity. The surface of this Altar is composed of ten squares. The top is Kether, and the ' It represents the extension of Will. Will is the Dyad (see section on the Wand) ; 2x2 = 4. So the altar is foursquare, and also its ten squares show 4. 10 = i + 2 + 3 + 4- 21
1913 · PDF PAGE 101
…y short for Taphtatharath, the Spirit of Mercury and the God of Welshmen or thieves. " My house " is of course equivalent to " my magick circle." Note that Beth, the letter of Mercury and " The Magus," means "a house." The beef is the symbol of the Bull, Apis the Redeemer. This is therefore that which is written: " Oh my God, disguise thy glory I Come as a thief, and let us steal away the sacraments ! " In the following verse we find that Taffy is " in bed," owing to the operation of the sacrament. The great task of the Alchemist has been accom…
1913 · PDF PAGE 158
… that comes from one side. The only light of the Magician is from the Lamp which hangs above his head, as he stands in the centre of the Circle, and the Robe, being open at the neck, opposes no obstacles to the passage of this light. And being open, and very wide open, at the bottom, it permits that light to pass and illumine them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
1913 · PDF PAGE 41
…also golden. The chain is made of soft iron. It has t,^^ links. ^ 1 This is true of all magical instruments. The Hill of Golgotha is the circle, and the Cross the Tau. Christ had robe, crown, sceptre, etc. ; this thesis should one day be fully worked out. " See The Equinox, No. V, " The Vision and the Voice '': Xth Aethyr.
1913 · PDF PAGE 120
…ions of his own will. They need to be disciplined, not to be suppressed. But emotion is impressed from without. It is an invasion of the circle. As the Dhammapada says: An ill-thatched house is open to the mercy of the rain and wind ; So passion hath the power to break into an unreflecting mind. A well-thatched house is proof against the fur}' of the rain and wind ; So passion hath no power to break into a rightly-ordered mind. Let then the Student practise observation of those things which normally would cause him emotion; and let him, having …
1913 · PDF PAGE 122
…their true value. Their relativity in particular must be carefully considered. Your toothache does not hurt any one outside a very small circle. Floods in China mean to you nothing but a paragraph in the news- paper. The destruction of the world itself would have no significance in Sirius. One can hardly imagine even that the astronomers of Sirius could perceive so trifling a disturbance. Now considering that Sirius itself is only, as far as you know, but one, and one of the least important, of the ideas in your mind, why should that mind be di…
1913 · PDF PAGE 110
… with which one strikes terror into the demons and dominates them. One must keep the Ego Lord of the impressions. One must not allow the circle to be broken by the demon; one must not allow any one idea to carry one away. It will readily be seen how very elementary and false all this is —but for the beginner it is necessary. In all deahngs with demons the point of the Sword is kept down- wards, and it should not be used for invocation, as is taught in certain schools of magick. If the Sword is raised towards the Crown, it is no longer really a …
1913 · PDF PAGE 152
…or the softness of that divine kiss, and crimson for that it is the very blood of God which is its life. The band of gold is the eternal circle of perfection. The three pentagrams symbolize the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, while the hexagram represents the Magician him- self. Ordinarily, pentagrams represent the microcosm, hexagrams the macrocosm; but here the reverse is the case, because in this Crown of Perfection, that which is below has become that which is above, and that which is above has become that which is below. If a diamond…
1913 · PDF PAGE 67
… it can be done in public, without attracting notice. It however forms one of the most hilariously exciting parlour games for the family circle ever invented. Friends and relations are always ready to do their utmost to trap you into doing the forbidden thing.