Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi) · 29 of 96 · tr. A.E. Waite

4. The Tetragramb

The Great Magical Agent is the fourth emanation of the life-principle, of which the sun is the third form - see the initiates of the school of Alexandria and the dogma of Hermes Trismegistus.

In this way the eye of the world, as the ancients called it, is the mirage of the reflection of God, and the soul of the earth is a permanent glance of the sun which the earth conceives and guards by impregnation.

The moon concurs in this impregnation of the earth by reflecting a solar image during the night, so that Hermes was right when he said of the Great Agent: “The sun is its father, the moon its mother.” Then he adds: “The wind has borne it in the belly thereof,” because the atmosphere is the recipient and, as it were, the crucible of the solar rays, by means of which there forms that living image of the sun which penetrates the whole earth, fructifies it and determines all that is produced on its surface by its emanations and permanent currents, analogous to those of the sun itself.

This solar agent subsists by two contrary forces - one of attraction and one of projection, whence Hermes says that it ascends and descends eternally.

The force of attraction is always fixed at the centre of bodies, that of projection in their outlines or at their surface.

By this dual force all is created and all preserved.

Its motion is a rolling up and an enrolling which are successive and unlimited, or, rather, Simultaneous and perpetual, by spirals of opposite movements which never meet.

It is the same movement as that of the sun, at once attracting and repelling all the planets of its system.

To be acquainted with the movement of this terrestrial sun in such a manner as to be able to apply its currents and direct them, is to have accomplished the Great Work and to be master of the world.

Armed with such a force you may make yourself adored: the crowd will believe that you are God.

The absolute secret of this direction has been in the possession of certain men, and can yet be discovered.

It is the Great Magical Arcanum, depending on an incommunicable axiom and on an instrument which is the grand and unique athanor of the highest grade of Hermetists.

The incommunicable axiom is enclosed kabalistically in the four letters of the Tetragram, arranged in the following manner: In the letters of the words AZOTH and INRI written kabalistically; and in the monogram of Christ as embroidered on the Labarum, which the Kabalist Postel interprets by the word ROTA, whence the adepts have formed their Taro or Tarot, by the repetition of the first letter, thus indicating the circle, and suggesting that the word is read backwards.

All magical science is comprised in the knowledge of this secret.

To know it and have the courage to use it is human omnipotence; to reveal it to a profane person is to lose it; to reveal it even to a disciple is to abdicate in favour of that disciple, who, henceforward, possesses the right of life and death over his master - I am speaking from the magical standpoint - and will certainly slay him for fear of dying himself.

But this has nothing in common with deeds qualified as murder in criminal legislation; the practical philosophy which is the basis and point of departure for our laws does not recognize the facts of bewitchment and of occult influences.

We touch here upon extraordinary revelations, and are prepared for the unbelief and derision of incredulous fanaticism; voltairean religion has also its fanatics, pace the great shades who must now be lurking sullenly in the vaults of the Pantheon, while Catholicism, strong ever in its practices and prestige, chants the Office overhead.

Themes

◆Alchemical Workpraxis

The transformation of base substance — outer matter or the inner soul — into a purified, perfected, or 'gold' state; the magnum opus as both laboratory practice and spiritual allegory.

The passage explicitly references the 'Great Work', 'athanor', and 'AZOTH' as central to the magical doctrine.

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◆Animismcosmology

The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.

The earth is described as having a 'soul' that conceives and guards the sun's glance.

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◆Correspondencecosmology

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 text draws analogies between solar currents and terrestrial forces, reflecting the 'as above, so below' principle.

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◆Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

The solar agent subsists by 'two contrary forces - one of attraction and one of projection'.

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◆Cosmic Sympathycosmology

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 passage describes 'permanent currents' and affinities where the sun attracts and repels planets, binding the cosmos.

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◆Cosmogonycosmology

Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.

The text describes the impregnation and fructification of the earth by solar rays as a creative process.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The 'living image of the sun' and 'solar rays' are central to the life-principle penetrating the earth.

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◆Divine Marriagesoteriology

The reunification of complementary divine principles (male-female, spirit-matter) as a symbol of wholeness and salvation.

Hermes is quoted stating 'The sun is its father, the moon its mother' regarding the Great Agent's conception.

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◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

The Great Magical Agent is described as the 'fourth emanation' of the life-principle, with the sun as the third form.

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◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The text emphasizes an 'incommunicable axiom' and 'absolute secret' reserved for adepts, warning against revelation.

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◆Permutation Of Letterspraxis

Combining, transposing, or cycling through letters or names as a meditative or theurgical technique.

The text describes forming the Tarot by repetition of letters and suggesting the word be read backwards.

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◆Sacred Namestheology

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

The Tetragram, AZOTH, and INRI are presented as the incommunicable axioms containing all magical science.

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Related passages · 14 parallels

◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1e

“260 260 The light permeates water but it does not permeate a stone. It passes over the stone and permeates the water beyond it. Yea, and it contributes to the birth of material bodies and brings them unto life, and nourishes them that the…”

Both passages explore the concept of a divine, unifying force that permeates and sustains the natural world. Pseudo-Dionysius describes the light as a divine principle that attracts and unites all things, while The Tetragramb discusses the Great Magical Agent as a solar force that impregnates and sustains the earth, reflecting divine influence.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 5)

“But when this took place the love in the light of God broke through that heaven of division and ignited the heat." ( Aurora , xxv. 68.) "God, the eternal light and the eternal will, shines within the darkness, and the darkness has captured…”

Both passages describe a cosmic structure involving divine light, the sun, and the interplay of forces. They share the concept of a divine principle manifesting through natural elements, with the sun playing a central role in the cosmic order.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 6)

“Not that he contains their essences, but their life arose from his centre in the beginning." ( Threefold Life , iv. 27.) "The sun is the heart of all the powers in this world, and is configurated from the powers of all the stars, while, on…”

Both passages describe a central, life-giving force (the sun) that influences and sustains other celestial bodies and elements. They share the conceptual parallel of a cosmic hierarchy where the sun plays a pivotal role in the structure and vitality of the universe.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 6 (part 7)

“That which Sol (the sun) is spiritually becomes corporeal in Luna (the moon)." ( Signature , ix. 24.) After the world of stars had begun to exist, the sidereal life appeared by the power of the former—that is to say, that living organisms…”

Both passages explore the interplay between celestial bodies and the creation of life, emphasizing the spiritual and corporeal aspects of existence. They share a conceptual parallel in the idea of divine emanations and the influence of celestial bodies on earthly life, though expressed through different traditions and vocabularies.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 8 (part 3)

“Thereby it receives the form of the latter as a light and power, without, however, being able to grasp the interior spirit itself; for the spirit does not dwell in the exterior, but has possession of its own self in its own interior state."…”

Both passages describe the sun as a central, life-giving force that symbolizes divine power and is instrumental in the creation and sustenance of the world. They share the conceptual insight that the sun is a manifestation of divine love and energy, though expressed in different theological frameworks.

◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 11 (part 8)

“Neither is God measurable, and there has no place of residence been discovered in Him, unless He should establish for Himself such a dwelling in one of His creatures; but even then He remains a whole apart from and beyond such a created bei…”

Both passages explore the concept of divine immanence and transcendence through the metaphor of the sun. They describe how the divine presence permeates the universe, using solar imagery to illustrate the relationship between the divine and the created world.

◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 8 (part 5)

“The opinion of Tiele is that the religion of Egypt was from the beginning polytheistic, but that it developed in two opposite directions: in the one direction gods were multiplied by the addition of local gods, and in the other the Egyptian…”

Both passages discuss the central role of the sun in divine manifestation and creation. Passage A describes the Egyptian belief in Ra as the sun god and the embodiment of the divine, while Passage B discusses the Hermetic view of the sun as a central life-principle and its role in the Great Magical Agent. Both texts highlight the sun's importance in religious and mystical thought.

◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 10 (part 4)

“In his daily course he vanquished night and darkness, and mist and cloud disappeared from before his rays; subsequently the Egyptians invented the moral conception of the sun, representing the victory of right over wrong and of truth over f…”

Both passages explore the concept of divine forces and their manifestations in the natural world, particularly focusing on the sun as a symbol of life and movement. The Egyptian passage discusses Ra and other deities as representations of natural phenomena, while the Hermetic passage describes the Great Magical Agent as a solar force that sustains life on earth.

◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 85)

“From a natural point of view the sun was synonymous with movement, and hence typified the life of man; and the setting of the one typified the death of the other. Usually Ra is depicted in human form, sometimes with the head of a hawk, and…”

Both passages explore the concept of divine forces and their interaction with the world, particularly focusing on the sun as a central element. Passage A discusses the Egyptian gods and their roles in maintaining cosmic order, while Passage B delves into the Hermetic tradition's view of the sun as a life-principle and its magical properties. Both texts emphasize the interconnectedness of divine and natural forces.

◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter III

“Since, however, every part of the heavens, every sign of the zodiac, [123] all the motion of the heavens, every period of time according to which the world is moved, and all things contained in the wholes of the universe, receive the powers…”

Both passages discuss the sun as a central, life-giving force that influences the world and its inhabitants. They share the conceptual insight of the sun's multifaceted and transformative power, though expressed within different mystical frameworks.

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◆platonism|Plato: Republic|Section 1b

“You mean the sun, as you and all mankind say. May not the relation of sight to this deity be described as follows? How? Neither sight nor the eye in which sight resides is the sun? No. Yet of all the organs of sense the eye is the most…”

Both passages explore the relationship between a divine source (the Good in Plato, the Great Magical Agent in the Tetragram) and its manifestations in the world. They share a conceptual parallel in describing a higher principle that is the source of knowledge, life, and order, though expressed in different traditions and vocabularies.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialogueb

“There is a sun whose rays extend to the back of the earth, and there is a legend which says: "Idem semper ubique totum." Cic . I perceive that the interpretation of it will be difficult. Tans . The more excellent the meaning the less obv…”

Both passages explore the concept of a unifying, life-giving force (the sun) that influences the earth and its inhabitants. They share a structural parallel in describing the dual nature of this force, with one passage discussing the sun's effects on seasons and weather, and the other detailing the Hermetic view of the sun as a life-principle with dual forces of attraction and projection.

◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori)|Fifth Dialoguej

“So also is the hemisphere of this earth ever equally irradiated, although from the watery surfaces she from time to time sends her splendours unequally to the moon,—which like innumerable other stars we consider as another earth—in the same…”

Both passages discuss the relationship between celestial bodies (the sun, moon, and earth) and spiritual or intellectual concepts. They share a structural parallel in using celestial imagery to explain the nature of the soul and its connection to higher intelligences or divine principles.

◆taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 52

“(The Tao) which originated all under the sky is to be considered as the mother of them all. When the mother is found, we know what her children should be. When one knows that he is his mother's child, and proceeds to guard (the qualities of…”

Both passages discuss the concept of a fundamental, life-giving principle (the Tao in Passage A and the Great Magical Agent in Passage B) that is the source of all creation and must be understood and guarded to achieve harmony and power. They share the insight that this principle is both the origin and the sustainer of all things, and that understanding it leads to mastery and protection.