The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) · 92 of 175 · tr. Arthur Edward Waite
Page 45 (part 2)
Begin cutting it when the sun is first rising over this hemisphere, and pronounce the following words:-- I beseech Thee, O Grand ADONAY, ELOIM, ARIEL and JEHOVAM , to be propitious unto me, and to endow this Wand which I am cutting with the power and virtue of the rods of Jacob, of Hoses and of the mighty Joshua!
I also beseech Thee, O Grand ADONAY, ELOIM, ARIEL and JEHOVAM , to infuse into this Rod the whole strength of Samson, the righteous wrath of EMANUEL and the thunders of mighty Zariatnatmik, who will avenge the names of men at the Day of judgment!
Amen .
Having pronounced these "sublime and terrific words," and still keeping your eyes turned towards the region of the rising sun, you may finish cutting your rod, and may then carry it to your abode.
You must next go in search of a piece of ordinary wood, fashion the two ends like those of the genuine rod and take it to an ironsmith, who shall weld the steel blade of the sacrificial knife into two pointed caps and shall affix them to the said ends.
This done, you may again return home, and there, with your own hands, affix the steel caps to the joints of the genuine rod.
Subsequently, you must obtain a piece of loadstone and magnetise the steel ends, pronouncing the following words:-- By the grand ADONAY, ELOIM, ARIEL and JEHOVAM , I bid thee join with and attract all substances which I desire, by the power of the sublime ADONAY, ELOIM, ARIEL and JEHOVAM .
I command thee, by the opposition of fire and water, to separate all substances, as they were separated on the day of the worlds creation.
Amen .
Finally, you must rejoice in the honour and glory of the sublime Adonay, being convinced that you are in possession of a most priceless Treasure of the Light.
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 ritual links the physical rod to biblical figures and cosmic forces (sun, creation), implying a connection between material and spiritual realms.
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
The magnetization ritual relies on the affinity between loadstone and steel to attract substances, reflecting hidden affinities.
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 commands substances ('I command thee') and bids the loadstone to attract or separate based on their desire.
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 passage describes a ritual practice using consecrated material symbols (wood, steel, loadstone) and actions to engage divine power.
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 text relies heavily on pronouncing specific words and commands to effect magical changes (endowing power, magnetizing steel, separating substances).