The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) · 50 of 175 · tr. Arthur Edward Waite
Page 16 (part 4)
These will suffer citation, but the success of the Pauline experiments generally will depend ( a .) upon the construction of the seals attributed to the twenty-four ruling hours of the day and night, which seals must exhibit the proper astrological signs referable to the day and hour of each intelligence; ( b .) upon the use, when invocation takes place, of the proper planetary perfumes; ( c .) upon the astrological seals referable to the chief intelligences of the Twelve Signs under the presidency of the four great archangels; ( d .) upon a consecrated crystal into which the zodiacal spirits must be called by the operator; and ( e .) upon the ceremonial use of the invoking formulæ, specimens of which are as follows.
HOURS OF THE DAY AND NIGHT Invocation of a Supreme Ruler O mighty and potent Prince Samael, who art the ruler and governor of the first hour of the day by the decree of the Most High God, King of Glory; I, the servant of the Most High, do desire and entreat you by three great and potent names of God, ADONAI , AGLAON , TETRAGRAMMATON , and by the Power and virtue thereof, to assist me in my affairs, and by your power and authority to send me, causing to appear before me, all or any of the angels whom I shall call by name, the same being.
resident under your government.
I do further entreat and require that they shall help in all matters which accord with their office, even as I shall desire, and that they shall act for me as for the servant of the Most High.
Amen .
THE INVOCATION OP A GENIUS IN THE CRYSTAL The ceremony is performed facing towards that quarter of heaven in which the sign is situated.
PRAYER O thou great and blessed angel N., my angel guardian, vouchsafe to descend from thy holy mansions bringing thy holy influence and presence into this crystal stone, that I may behold thy glory and enjoy thy society and aid, both now and evermore.
O thou that art higher than the fourth heaven, thou who knowest the secrets of ELANEL , thou who ridest on the wings of the wind and art endowed with superlunary motion; do thou descend and be present, I pray thee.
If ever I have merited thy society, if my intentions are pure in thy sight, bring hither thine eternal Presence; deign to hold commune with me, in the name of the Great God JEHOVAH , to Whom the whole choir of heaven continually sings: O MAPPA LA MAN , Hallelujah.
Amen .
By the proper observation of the rules laid down in the Pauline Art respecting the Angels of Men, and on the assumption that he is acquainted with the actual minute of his birth, it is said that the operator may attain to all arts and sciences, even to the sum of wisdom.
In a word, it is the royal road of knowledge, both in the theoretical and the practical degrees.
Of such is Astronomical Magic, according to the Lemegeton and its dependencies.
It does not differ essentially from the system of the Enochian Tablets followed by John Dee and Edward Kelley, his skryer, as found in the Faithful Relation .
The same observation will apply to the content of the next section, which may be permitted to follow without further preface.
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The passage relies heavily on astrological correspondences linking hours, signs, perfumes, and spirits to specific times and celestial configurations.
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
The text references the 'decree of the Most High God' governing the hours and rulers.
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
The text outlines a structured hierarchy of divine beings including God, archangels, intelligences, and angels ruling over hours and signs.
The doctrine that human volition, cultivated by discipline and emancipated from passion and servitude, is the primary instrument of magical operation — will confirmed by persistent acts acquires causal power over self, others, and nature; distinct from faith and from mere desire.
The operator is described as requiring spirits to act for them and sending commands through the power of divine names.
The grimoire-tradition practice of ceremonially commanding or binding a spirit through consecrated seals, circles, divine names, and prescribed instruments, compelling its appearance and obedience. Distinct from theurgy in the direction of the power relationship — theurgy is reverent engagement with the gods on the premise of the operator's own ascent, this is subordination of a lesser spirit to the operator's will — and from word_power_incantation and sacred_names, which name components (verbal force, name-power) this practice deploys rather than the ritual structure itself.
The core subject is the ceremonial commanding of angels and intelligences through seals, crystals, and formulas to appear before the operator.
The rule of the stars and planetary powers over mortal destiny — the astrological governors whose spheres bind souls to birth, error, and death; in Sethian gnosis the 'error of the stars' that the savior exposes, and from which the incorruptible generation alone is free. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of universal affinity) in being a bondage-to-powers claim, and from archons (the rulers as personal beings) in concerning the astral machinery itself.
The text emphasizes the rule of stars and planetary powers over hours and intelligences, which the magician must navigate to achieve success.
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The text describes ritual practices involving consecrated materials (crystal, perfumes) to engage divine powers directly.
The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.
The passage details specific invoking formulæ and prayers intended to compel spirits to appear and assist the operator.