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At the
end of the First Part of the Lemegeton is a list of notes which
amount to the instructions for most of the Magick involved with
the Goetic Spirits. It consists of observations on times,
materials for making the seals, notes on the Kings of the Spirits,
Symbols, the Area used for the operations, and the Orations need
for conjuring and controlling the Spirits. The second part of the
Lemegeton has a running commentary on Conjurations etc, but makes
reference to this first part as a baseline for its workings.
The following is a categorised version of the information
presented at the end of the first part. It is pretty much exactly
as presented in the original, with a couple of things rearranged
into the categories shown below in the quick guide-
Times, Materials for
Seals, Kings of the Quarters, Symbols, Magick Area, Orations.
Times
The age of the moon defines the best days to work with Goetic
Spirits. By 'age', it is meant the number of days after the New
Moon, i.e. from when it doesn't seem to be there, it 'grows' to a
full moon, then 'fades' back into nothingness. The only days that
it is profitable to deal with the Spirits is when the moon is 2,
4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 days old. That is the waxing moon's even days,
which is consistent with many Magickal systems, since it is
regarded that the power (of the self/Magick) grows as the moon
does, and so, as we are 'raising' a spirit, so we need to be in
time with the moon's phase. The evenness of the days may simply be
an observation of the even = good, odd = evil. Because there are
so many numerological systems that deign some odd and some even as
good and bad, we will just need to take this as granted.
The times of the day used for Spirit conjurations is chosen by the
position of the Spirit as shown below:
Chief Kings- 9a.m.- 12 noon, and from 3 (possibly 5)p.m.-Sunset.
Marquises- 3 p.m.-9 p.m. and from 9 p.m.-Sunrise (the break at the
same time here is not explained, and really non-sensical!)
Dukes- Sunrise-12 noon in clear weather
Prelates- Any hour of the day (not specific as to whether is
daylight, or any time at all)
Knights- Dawn- Sunrise (the same time of the day! Could be
Midnight- Sunrise?) or 4 (possibly p.m.) till Sunset.
Presidents- Any hour of the day, but not twilight, night, or if
his King is also Invoked
Counts and Earls- Any hour of the day, in the woods, or where no
men go, or where no noises are.
Kings of the Quarters
The 72 Spirits [kings in the original text- one could only
conclude that what is meant is the 72 aforementioned Spirits,
since there are not 72 Kings in total!] are under the power of
four kings that rule the compass quarters. These are- Amaymon,
ruling the East, Corson ruling the West, Ziminiar ruling the North
and Goap (Gaap) ruling the South. What is to note here is that the
first, Amaymon is mentioned frequently in the descriptions of the
72 Spirits, and Goap (possibly Gaap) is one of the Spirits, but
not actually a King! This would lead the author to believe that
the note that Goap and Gaap are the same spirit is actually wrong,
and the two are separate Spirits. This is just speculation though.
It is noted that these should only be called upon on Great
Occasions, and not just general workings.
Symbols
In general, the symbols used in this text are pretty common in
other places, such as the Key of Solomon. Much of the text
associated with these symbols either is a Name of God or the Name
of an Angel, all well know in Theurgic circles, many of which
appear in John Dee's works on the Enochian System, such as the
Sigillum Dei Aemeth.
The Magickal Circle
The circle of Solomon is to be made 9 feet in Diameter, with the
divine names below written around it from AHIH to Levanah. This
circle was made to protect Solomon from the malice of the Evil
Spirits.
The first of the current presentation of this symbol is from
Crowley's The Book of the Goetia and I am a little weary about the
accuracy of it in terms of the original texts. However, since my
copy of the original texts is an online version and doesn't
contain the whole list of figures, I have included this version as
an example only. The second comes from a copy of the Lemegeton,
and is the predecessor to Crowley's. It includes the same
information, but is almost totally in English, with the exception
of the Tetragrammaton inside the central diamond, which has a
translation under it. What is raised here in the changing of texts
is that Hebrew is written right to left, or anti-clockwise in
circles, while English is the opposite. It is held in many Occult
schools that the direction in which energy is pushed within a
magick circle is of importance. Generally- based on the Northern
Hemisphere conditions- good energy is raised by moving clockwise,
and negative energy by moving anti-clockwise. It is left up to the
reader as to how this problem is to be dealt with. Ignore it, and
use whatever you want, or observe the clockwise direction, and use
the English letters.
For those of you who don't read Hebrew fluently, a transliteration
of the Hebrew into English is provided here. Basically , the outer
ring gives the God Names of the Sephiroth of the Kabbalistic Tree
of Life (Blue) the Hebrew Names of the Sephiroth (Red) and the
names of the Archangels, Angels and Planets attributed thereto
(Green, Grey and Cyan respectively.)
Crowley Hebrew-+
AHIH Kether Metatron Chaioth Ha-Qadesh Rashith Ha-Galgalim S.P.M
(for 'Sphere of the Primum Mobile') + IH Chokmah Ratziel Auphanim
Masloth S.S.F. (for 'Sphere of the Fixed Stars,' or S.Z. for
'Sphere of the Zodiac') + IHVH ALHIM Binah Tzaphquiel Aralim
Shabbathai S. (for 'Sphere') of Saturn + EL Chesed Tzadquiel
Chaschmalim Tzedeq S. Jupiter + ALHIM GBUR Geburah Kamael Seraphim
Madim S. of Mars + IHVI ALUH Va-Daath [&] Tiphereth Rapha�l
Malakim Shemesh S. of the Sun + IHVI TzBAUTh Netzach Haniel Elohim
Nogah S. of Venus. + ALHIM TzBAUTh Hod Micha�l Beni
Elohim Kokav S. of Mercury + ShDI AL ChI Yesod Gabriel Cherubim
Levanah S. of the Moon +
Also of note in these is the transliteration of the Greek- Alpha
and Omega inside the outer ring. This is Greek, and probably a
reference to Rev 1:8- "I am the alpha and the omega," says the
Lord God, who is and who was and who is to came, the Almighty"-
Alpha being the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega being
the last, i.e. the first and last being, God the creator and God
the destroyer. What is of interest here is the dating of the text.
The Goetia, if it is truly Solomon's work, would have been
formulated in his time- 10th Century BC, while much of the Greek
manuscripts became available in 1453, and the New Testament ( a
Greek work), was written after Christ's Death, i.e. AD (or CE for
the deluded atheists among us... J )
The star of David that appears at the cardinal points all have a
Tau cross in the centre, and the God name Adonai around them. Note
in the earlier of the two, that the North and East points have the
letters rotated so that they face in towards the centre of the
star, while the other two have them all facing towards the centre
of the overall circle- the Maister's place. In Crowley's they all
have been placed within the star's points, and are rotated.
Also, in the earlier work, the word East is replaced with the
angelic name Primeumaton. Currently I am unable to explain it, and
so probably was Crowley, since he replaced it with the obvious
cardinal point name of East. This is what I speak of when I say
the Crowley likes to add his own "corrections" or "self" to any of
his works. In all likelihood, Primeumaton's name being where it
is, is of critical significance, and is not some mere mistake! So
please be careful of Crowley's works because of this...
The Triangle
The magick triangle is used to hold disobedient spirits, as
outlined in the section on Beleth, and the orations. Each side is
3 feet across, and is made two feet away from the outside circle.
It is to be placed toward the cardinal point that the conjured
spirit belongs to.
Undoubtedly, you will come across some problems with this for the
Spirits of the First Part of the Lemegeton, since none of them
really have a dedication to a quarter! In the Second Part of the
Lemegeton, you will find it much easier to do, since they are all
dedicated a cardinal point! Some of the First part Spirits may
actually be placed within a quarter by their subservience to
Amaymon, the King of the East, or Gaap (Goap), king of the South.
Since it is not directly spelled out within the original, but
quite easily discerned, I will leave this leap to the reader to
discover and use. Remember, the triangle is for disobedient
spirits, so it may not be needed for most of them!
The triangle may be substituted for the brazen vessel to invoke
the spirits into.
Sexangled (hexagonal) Figure
This figure is to be drawn on parchment made from calf skin, and
worn at the skirt (bottom) of the white vestment, covered with a
linen cloth. It is to be shown to disobedient spirits when they
appear, so that they may become obedient, and take human form,
etc.
This symbol takes on a similar vein to the magickal circle. The
inscriptions are as follows- in the points of the star of David is
the name Tetragrammaton; to the left and right are Alpha and
Omega; in the centre is a Tau cross, and the same word (all of
these are also used in the Magickal circle); to the top and bottom
of the star is the letters AGLA written left to right, top to
bottom, which is a God name derived from the phrase "The Lord ever
powerful" using the Qabbalistic method of notaricon; finally,
there is a set of two symbols in the lowest point of the star that
looks like a Greek pi, and a symbol I am unfamiliar with ( I hope
it's a transcription error, and I am not caught out here!)
Pentagonal figure of Solomon
The pentagonal figure (not pentacle, although it technically is a
pentacle per se) is to be made from gold or silver, and worn upon
the breast (i.e. hung from a chain around the neck or pin attached
to the vestment). The seal of the spirit is to be formed on the
back. This could cause some troubles, since to exorcise each of
the 72 spirits would require 72 pentagonal figures is you were to
engrave the seals on to the back. Some sort of temporary method
would therefore be more appropriate, although since it is on the
back, it must not be so temporary that it would rub off with the
movements made throughout the exorcism. It is used to protect the
Magickian from danger, and also used to command by.
The
symbol itself is again generally analogous with the rest of the
symbols. Tetragrammaton appears again around the points of the
star in the same left to right, top to bottom method. The other
parts seem to be names and sigils of spirits. They read in a
clockwise direction (see previous discussion on direction in the
Magickal circle). To the best of my ability with the copy I have,
they read as follows from the uppermost point, reading clockwise-
Abdia, Baffafor, Bellony, Hally, Halliza, and SoLnzen (I can't
currently properly hazard a guess at the central name until I
source the others, since none of them appear in either part of the
Lemegeton)
Ring of Solomon
The ring is to be held before the face of the Magickian to
preserve him from the stinking fumes of Spirits. This use is
mentioned in the section on Astaroth. A ring is also mentioned in
the section on Beleth and Berith, but could possibly be a
different ring, since the use is different. If not, the diagram
given could show the names to be placed on the outside and inside
of the aforementioned silver ring. If not, there is no mention of
what materials.
The names on the ring are Anepheneton (commonly rendered
Anephexeton, which what the x outside of the ring in the original
refers to, i.e. it's a correction, not a different method of
spelling)- Michael, which are angelic names, and Tetragrammaton
again. In the instance that this is written on a ring, I would
suggest that -Anephexeton-Michael- would be written on the
outside, while Tetragrammaton be written on the inside (touching
the finger)
Secret Seal of Solomon
The Secret Seal of Solomon was used to bind and seal the spirits
and their legions into the brazen vessel. It is to be made by one
who is clean both inward and outward, and has not "defiled himself
by any woman in the space of a month" (original text, not mine!!!
In today's multi-gendered society, the same goes for men and
women, and one might not go so far as to say 'defiled' but instead
had sex... ). The Magickian should also have desired pardon of all
their sins by fasting and praying to God etc. It should be made on
a Tuesday or Saturday night at 12 (a note says 2) of the clock
(midnight possibly?), written with the blood of a Black Cock which
never 'trode' (copulated with) a hen, on virgin parchment. On
these nights, the moon must be increasing (new moon to full moon
period) in Virgo. When it is made, fume it with Alum (alum comes
in many forms today- potash alum KAl(SO4)2.12H2O, used in
medicine, dying etc.- ammonium alum NH4Al(SO4)2.12H2 used in fire
extinguishers, water purification, medicine etc.- the Aluminium
can also be replaced with Chromium or Iron, but is not true alum),
Raisins of the Sun (i.e. sun-dried raisins), Dates, Cedar and
Lignum Aloes (wood of the aloe). Solomon also gained the love of
all manner of persons, and overcame in battle, for "neither weapon
fire nor water could hurt him".
This symbol takes a leap away from the others. There is no writing
whatsoever on it anywhere, and only two of the symbols are
decipherable. The two symbols at the top inside the outer ring are
the planetary symbols for Saturn and Mars. Note here that in the
materials for the seals section Mars is absent, but appears here.
The pictogram in the centre looks curiously like a Magickal tool
of some sort, possibly the Brazen Vessel that is used in
conjunction with the Seal. The symbols around the outer ring look
curiously like those in the Greater Key of Solomon, but are not
given any translation or meaning there either. They are not exact
copies of anything that appear there either. Their relation to
some of the symbolic inscriptions, and forms of writing
(Celestial, Malachim and Passing the river) is uncanny, although
any relation to the Key of Solomon over all is tenuous, since the
pentacles in the Key prefer a rotational method of writing to the
flat version given here.
The Brazen Vessel
Obviously, this is simply a brass vessel, with an inscription
around it to raise it from a mundane object into a Magickal tool.
The inscription (this time in Hebrew, not English you will note!)
reads in transliteration- (front): AShR AHIH: GBRiAL: MIKAL:
HANIAL:" (back:) "ARARIThA: ChShMLIM: AL: TzDQIAL". Again for
those who don't read Hebrew, Asher Eheiah (from the quote Ehiah
asher Eheiah- I am what (or that) I am (Ex 3:14)): Gabriel, an
angelic name: Michael, angel: Haniel, angel: Araritha [unfamiliar
with this]: Chashmalim [again unfamiliar]: El, a God name:
Tzadkiel, angel: Another variant provided by MacGreggor Mathers is
"ARARIThA: RFAL: KMAL: TzDQIAL:" and "TzFQIAL" Araritha: Raphael,
angel: Kamiel, angel: Tzadkiel, angel, and :Tzaphkiel, angel. In
general, as with many statements used to control spirits, it's a
list of angelic and/or God names.
This vessel may be used instead of the triangle to invoke the
spirits into.
Magickal Area
Other Items used in Goetic Magick as laid out in Part one are: a
sceptre or sword; a mitre or cap, a long white robe of linen, with
shoes and other clothes for your purpose. Also a girdle of Lions
skin 3 Inches broad, with all the names around that are used in
the Magick Circle, and also perfumes and a chafing dish of
charcoals kindled to put the fumes into; to smoke or perfume your
place appointed for action. Also anointing oils to anoint your
temples & eyes with; & fair water to wash yourselves in. When
doing this, you are to say as David said, "Thou shall purge me
with hyssop o Lord, & I shall be clean; Thou shall wash me & I
shall be whiter than snow etc.". Then, while putting on your
garments, say, " by the figurative Mystery of these holy vestures
or vestments, I will clothe me with the armour of Salvation in the
strength of the highest, Ancor Amacor Amides Theodonias Anitor,
That my desired end may be effected Through the strength of Adonai
To whom the praise and glory will forever and ever belong. Amen."
The Magickal Area should be set up before doing this, with the
circle, triangle, and all the other aforementioned tools laid out
within the Circle. The Circle should never be broken for the
safety of the Magickian- it is there to protect you from the
spirits, and so long as you are inside the circle, you are
protected. If all of the tools are not laid out inside the area,
you would need to dismiss the spirit, get what you need, and begin
from the start again.
Most of the details about setting up the Magickal Area have
already been covered in the sections about each item. What I will
add, is that the triangle is often seen placed upon a stand, like
an easel, with the face of it almost perpendicular to the ground.
This enables a method similar to crystomancy (gazing into
crystals) in order to see the spirits, which may be easier for
some people. If the triangle is placed on the ground, the spirit
can be seen in the space above the triangle, as though they were
in the room with you, not trapped within a crystal. What is more
important here, is that the triangle be placed at the right
quarter, as explained in the section on the Magick Triangle.
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