It is necessary to reaffirm this circle each time the tides change; that is to say, a circle made after sundown will hold good till sunrise, and a circle made after sunrise will maintain its potency till sunset.
After the circle has been affirmed a number of times in the same place its influence will persist for a considerable period, but it is advisable to re-formulate it morning and evening during the active phase of an attack.
Incense burnt within the circle is very helpful, but care has to be exercised in the choice of an incense.
Joss-sticks of unknown composition should never be used, as they are usually compounded with a view to assisting manifestation.
Good quality church incense, such as can be bought at most church furnishers, is safe and satisfactory because it is compounded according to traditional recipes; cheaper qualities may not fulfill these conditions.
In dealing with elementals or non-human entities the Pentagram, or Pentalapha, is the best weapon.
This is a five-pointed star drawn in a particular way.
Pointing the first and second fingers of the right hand, and folding the others into the palm and touching their tips with the thumb, proceed to draw the Pentagram in the air, keeping the elbow stiff and swinging the arm at full length.
Start with the right arm across the body, the hand about the level of the left hip, the extended fingers pointing downwards and outwards.
Swing it upwards, as if drawing a straight line in the air, until the fingers point straight upwards above the head at arm’s length.
Now sweep it down again, keeping the elbow stiff, until the hand occupies the corresponding position upon the right side to that from which it started on the left.
You have now drawn a gigantic V upside down.
Next swing the hand across the body, on a rising incline, until it is stretched on a level with the left shoulder, pointing to the left.
Bring it across the body horizontally until it is in the same position on the right, fingers pointing away from the body.
Now swing it downwards across the body till the hand has come back to the point by the left hip whence it started.
This is an exceedingly potent sign.
The value of the Five-pointed Star, the symbol of Humanity, is widely known among occultists, but its potency depends upon the manner in which it is drawn.
The method I have given is the correct one for banishing.
The potency of the sign may be illustrated by an experience of my own in using it, which the sceptical are at liberty to doubt if they wish; I merely mention it for the sake of those who may be interested.
I was taking part in some work with an Indian occultist when I became suspicious that all was not as it should be, protested, and was asked to withdraw.
I did so, determined to watch proceedings from a distance, and if my suspicions were confirmed, to have an expose.
A few days later I was sitting in my room one afternoon chatting with a friend; it was just getting dusk, and we were talking by the light of a gas-fire.
Suddenly we were both aware simultaneously of a presence in the room and turned spontaneously in the same direction.
My friend sensed an antagonistic presence, and I, being more psychic, saw who it was, and had no difficulty in perceiving the form of my Indian associate in an egg-shaped sphere of misty yellow light.
I told my friend to quit the room and wait in the hall, and as soon as the door closed behind her, I made use of the Pentagram I have described, together with certain Names of Power that are unsuitable for disclosure in these pages.
Immediately the appearance in the corner by the door shattered and vanished, at the same time there was a resounding crack, which my friend heard in the hall.
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 a medium through which magical influence operates (the circle's potency, the presence seen in misty light), consistent with the occult concept of an astral medium.
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 central theme is driving out an unwanted spirit (the Indian associate's form) from a place using ritual signs and names.
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 efficacy of the circle and pentagram depends on the operator's affirmation and correct drawing, implying the use of trained will to effect change.
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 discusses defense against an 'active phase of an attack' and describes a hostile presence causing 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 passage describes ritual actions (drawing signs, burning incense, using names) intended to engage and manipulate spiritual forces 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 use of 'Names of Power' to shatter the appearance indicates a belief in the causal-magical force of spoken or invoked words.