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The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) · 95 of 175 · tr. Arthur Edward Waite

Page 47

§ 5. Concerning Virgin Wax or Virgin Earth The candles used in evocation or in other magical experiences, and the images required for bewitchment, must be composed of virgin wax or virgin earth--that is to say, the substances in question must not have been applied previously to another purpose. Before operating the following words must be recited over the material:--ENTABOR, NATABOR, Si tacibor , ADONAY, AN, LAYAMON, TINARMES, EOS PHILODES. Angels Of God, be ye present! I invoke you in my work, that I may obtain virtue by your mediation and may be perfected very surely . Then recite the Psalms Domine, non est exaltatum cor meum and Domine, quis habitabit , adding these words: I exorcise thee, creature of wax [ or earth ], and, by the Creator and God Almighty, Who created all things from nothing by His Most Holy Name, and by His angels, I ordain thee to receive virtue and benediction in His Name, that so thou mayst be sanctified and blessed, thus obtaining that virtue which we desire, by the Most Holy Name ADONAY , which is the life of all creatures, Amen . Asperge the substance with the holy water of the Art, after which preserve it, to make use thereof when needed. So doing, says True Black Magic , thou shalt obtain a sure result in all which thou undertakest.
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Themes
Divine Providencetheology

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 invocation relies on the Creator and God Almighty Who created all things, implying an active divine ordering behind the magical efficacy.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The text addresses God and Angels as active agents who can be invoked to mediate virtue and perfect the operator's work.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The text includes direct address to the divine ('Angels Of God, be ye present!', 'I invoke you') and recitation of Psalms as part of the ritual.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The requirement for 'virgin wax or virgin earth' that has not been applied to another purpose establishes a state of material purity necessary for the operation.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The passage explicitly lists and utilizes specific divine names and formulas (ENTABOR, NATABOR, ADONAY, etc.) believed to carry ontological power for consecration.

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Theurgypraxis

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 ritual practice engaging divine power (Angels, God Almighty) through consecrated material symbols (wax/earth) and actions to effect change.

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Word Power Incantationpraxis

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 emphasizes the causal efficacy of recited words and formulas to exorcise, ordain, and sanctify material substances for magical operation.

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Related passages · 7 parallels
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XXI
“I think, therefore, that all who are lovers of the contemplation of theurgic truth will acknowledge this, that the piety which pertains to divine natures ought not to be exercised towards them partially or imperfectly. Hence, since prior to…”
Shared concept: Theurgy — 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. (derived)
egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 6 (part 5)
“The Rubric had, in fact, so far back as B.C. 2600, become a traditional magical formula of a most powerful character, and it must have been composed at the time when the abode of the blessed was supposed to resemble the "great field" in wh…”
Shared concept: Sacred Names — Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XXXI-a
“Again, therefore, still worse than this is the explanation of sacred operations, which assigns as the cause of divination, “ a certain genus of dæmons, which is naturally fraudulent, omniform, and various, and which assumes the appearance o…”
Shared concept: Theurgy — 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. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1k
“and all things are moved by a longing for the Beautiful and Good, to accomplish every outward work and form every act of will. And true reasoning will also dare to affirm that even the Creator of all things Himself yearneth after all thing…”
Shared concept: Living God — The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 161
“Section 5 5. Still more unreasonably: There are men, bound to human bodies and subject to desire, grief, anger, who think so generously of their own faculty that they declare themselves in contact with the Intelligible World, but deny that…”
Shared concept: Divine Providence — 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. (derived)
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 13: The Discourse of Hermes to Tat|Section 1a
“The Secret Sermon on the Mountain <This dialogue is in many ways the culmination of the whole Corpus, summing up the theory of the Hermetic system at the same time as it provides an intriguing glimpse at the practice. The focus of the dial…”
Shared concept: Prayer — Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 67
“Section 6 6. For, as the ancient teaching was, moral-discipline and courage and every virtue, not even excepting Wisdom itself, all is purification. Hence the Mysteries with good reason adumbrate the immersion of the unpurified in filth, ev…”
Shared concept: Ritual Purity — The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine. (derived)