The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) · 153 of 175 · tr. Arthur Edward Waite
Page 73 (part 1)
§ 2.
Concerning Venereal Experiments We have seen that the sorcerer of the Middle Ages was usually squalid and necessitous; hence he coveted treasures: he was usually despised, and hence he longed for mastery, for the prestige of mystery and the power of strange arts: he was usually lonely and libidinous, and hence he sought, by means of spells and philtres, to compel the desire of women.
To be rich in worldly goods, to trample on one's enemies and to gratify the desires of the flesh--such are the ends, variously qualified and variously attained, of most Ceremonial Magic; hence also the Rituals abound in Venereal Experiments.
In such as the Grimorium Verum there is no attempt to hide their illicit nature; in the Key of Solomon it is disguised, but the process for obtaining favour and love which occurs in that work is not really a more lawful experiment than that Pour faire venir une Fille vous trouver, si sage qu'elle soit .
The Key of Solomon is reticent and the Grimoires are frank; the one promises the fulfilment of the operator's desire without defining it; the others are explicit and particular.
It is true also that the one has recourse to Adonai and implores his assistance, while the others invoke the powers of Hell.
The Book of True Black Magic for once ignores the experience of the Clavicle and substitutes the following:-- Concerning the Experiment of Love Whatsoever person be the object of this experiment, whether man or woman, it is needful in making it to observe the proper day and hour.
Note further that it is performed by means of an image of wax or other suitable matter.
Before composing it, say the following words over the wax: NOGA, JES, ASTROPOLIM, ASMO, COCCAV, BERMONA, TENTATOR, SOIGNATOR-- I conjure you, ministers of love and incontinence, by Him who hath condemned you to hell!
Do ye consecrate this wax in a regular manner, that it may acquire the desired virtue, by the Power of the Most Holy Adonay, Who liveth and reigneth for ever and ever.
Amen .
The image must then be composed and suitable characters inscribed thereon with the male goose-quill of the Art, after which it must be fumigated while reciting the following words:-- O thou most Powerful King PAYMON , whose absolute rule and reign is in the western quarter!
O thou, EGIM , Most strong King, whose empire is in the cold region!
O thou, ASMODEUS , who governest in the South!
O thou, AYMAMON , Most noble [paragraph continues] King, monarch of the Eastern world, whose reign began from of old and will endure to the end of time!
I invoke and beseech you by Him Who spake and it was, Whose sole word hath created all, Whom all creatures obey; by the seat of His Majesty; by His Will and His Name; by Him Who was before the ages and hath created the ages; Whose Name is written with the four letters JOD, HE, VAU, HE ; by the enchantments and power thereof; and by all the signal Names of the Creator; I conjure you to consecrate this image and grant that it may acquire virtue according to our desire, by the Most Holy Name Adonay, the Power of which is without beginning or end .
This being done, conjure with the Conjuration of the image, and if the woman or man should not appear, place the said image beneath the pillow of your bed, and before three days you shall behold admirable things, while chains or earth shall not stay the desired person from coming to you, for the fulfilment of your purpose, nothing being excepted.
Transgressive knowing acquired against divine prohibition — the Watchers' teaching of metallurgy, sorcery, and cosmetics in 1 Enoch, the Gnostic Eve narratives, the Promethean mytheme; explicitly contrasted with gnosis_direct_knowledge, which is salvific.
The text describes 'Venereal Experiments' and 'Black Magic' as illicit practices often associated with Hell or transgressive arts sought by the sorcerer.
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 rituals are designed to compel the desire of others and fulfill the operator's specific purpose through forceful invocation and command.
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 passage details the specific ritual process of invoking and commanding spirits (Paymon, Egim, Asmodeus, Aymamon) to consecrate a wax image for a magical purpose.
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 emphasizes the efficacy of spoken words and formulas ('say the following words', 'I conjure you') to alter reality and compel spirits.