Touching his forehead he says, “To Thee, O God (touching his solar plexus) be the Kingdom, (touching his right shoulder) and the Power (touching his left shoulder) and the Glory, (clasping his hands) unto the ages of the ages.
Amen.” By this formula the operator affirms the power of God as sole creator and supreme law of the universe to which all things must bow, and he establishes this formula magnetically in his aura by the action of making the Sign of the Cross upon himself.
This Sign is not an exclusively Christian symbol, and can be used as readily by the Jew as the Churchman, for it is the Equi-limbed Cross of Nature that is being used, not the Calvary Cross, of which the shaft is double the length of the cross-bar, and which is the symbol of sacrifice.
The Equi-limbed Cross refers to the four quarters of the globe and the four elements, and the formula associated with it proclaims the dominion of God over these, and thereby occultly formulates His kingdom within the sphere of the operator.
The operator next imagines himself to be clasping in his right hand a large, cross-handled sword, such as is depicted in pictures of Crusaders.
He holds it point upright and says, “In the Name of God I take in hand the Sword of Power for defence against evil and aggression,” and imagines himself to be towering up to twice his natural height, a tremendous armed and mailed figure, vibrating with the force of the Power of God with which he has been charged by his formulation of the Sword of Power.
He now proceeds to draw the Magic Circle upon the floor with the point of the Sword of Power, and he should see in his imagination a line of flame following the point of the Sword, consisting of small flames, such as spring up when methylated spirit is spilt and ignited, but of a pale golden colour.
A little practice should enable this circle of light to be formulated effectually.
Keep on going round the circle until it is formulated.
The circle should always be drawn deosil, that is to say, from east, to south, to west, to north, in the same way that the hands of a clock would move were the clock laid face upwards on the floor.
The contrary way is widdershins, the way in which the witches danced at the Sabbats.
The deosil movement affirms the rule of God’s law in Nature because it is the Way of the Sun; the widdershins movement repudiates God’s rule over Nature by moving against the sun.
In resisting an occult attack the whole formula should be tuned to the key-note of asserting God’s dominion over all existence, the aim of the operator being to align himself with Cosmic Law and cause the Power of God to deal with the interference.
The Circle being formulated, the operator, ceasing to visualise the sword but still visualising the circle, clasps his hands in prayer, and raising them above his head towards the east, prays, “ May the mighty archangel Raphael protect me from all evil approaching from the east.” Turning to the south he repeats the same formula in prayer to Gabriel.
Turning to the west, he invokes Michael.
Turning to the north he invokes Uriel.
Facing to the east again, and thus completing the circle, he repeats the formula of the Qabalistic Cross.
This formulation of the magic circle is especially valuable for protecting the sleeping-place, the circle being drawn around the bed.
It is not necessary to move about the room, or shift the furniture in order to draw the circle, it will be formulated wherever it is visualised to be.
The universal fluid or medium of occult philosophy — Lévi's Great Magical Agent — that transmits will, thought, and magical influence between minds and matter, and preserves the impress of all forms and actions as a book of consciences; cognate with akasha and the anima mundi. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of hidden affinity) in being a substantival medium that can be charged, directed, and abused.
The passage describes establishing a formula magnetically in the aura and visualizing lines of flame, consistent with manipulating the occult medium described as Astral 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 physical gestures (touching forehead, solar plexus, shoulders) to spiritual affirmations and aligns the four quarters of the globe with elements and archangels.
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 ritual relies on the connection between the operator's actions and cosmic law (deosil movement affirms God's law in Nature).
A ritual intended to drive out an unwanted possessing or afflicting spirit from a person or place, restoring it to its unafflicted state. Distinct from spirit_conjuration (the operator summons and binds a spirit that was not already present, rather than expelling one) and from possession (the affliction this ritual answers, not the ritual itself).
The ritual is explicitly designed for defence against evil and aggression, functioning to clear or protect space from occult attack.
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 affirms power, establishes formulas magnetically, and uses imagination to charge the ritual with force.
Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.
The practice involves sustained visualization and mental formulation of the circle and sword.
The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.
The operator formulates God's kingdom within his own sphere (aura/body) using the Equi-limbed Cross which refers to the four quarters of the globe.
The doctrine and practice of one person deliberately inflicting harm on another through trained will, mind-power, or occult technique alone, without physical contact — producing exhaustion, illness, breakdown, or death in the victim; recognised cross-culturally as witchcraft, hexing, or the evil eye, and treated in Western esotericism as a genuine occult hazard requiring diagnosis and defence rather than dismissed as superstition. Distinct from magical_will (the general doctrine that trained volition has causal power, of which this is one malevolent application) and from spirit_conjuration (which subordinates an already-existing summoned spirit, rather than directing the operator's own power at a person).
The passage is titled 'Methods Of Defence' and explicitly addresses resisting an occult attack and interference.
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 ritual uses consecrated actions (Sign of the Cross, drawing circle) to engage divine power for a specific purpose.
The Hermetic doctrine that nothing rests — matter, energy, mind, and spirit are a single continuum differing only in rate of vibration, from the grossest matter to the least material spirit. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (affinity resonating BETWEEN separate things) in being a claim about what constitutes any one thing in the first place, and from magical_equilibrium (Lévi's operational balancing technique, which presupposes some vibration doctrine rather than stating this general principle).
The operator imagines himself vibrating with the force of the Power of God.
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.
Specific formulas are spoken ('To Thee, O God...', 'In the Name of God...') to effect change and establish power.