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Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi) · 25 of 123 · tr. A.E. Waite

4. The Conjuration Of The Fourc

Prayer of the Undines Dread King of the Sea, Who hast the keys of the floodgates of heaven and dost confine the waters of the underworld in the caverns of earth; King of the deluge and the floods of springtime; Thou Who dost unseal the sources of rivers and fountains; Thou Wo dost ordain moisture, which is like the blood of earth, to become the sap of plants: Thee We adore and Thee we invoke! Speak unto us, Thine inconstant and unstable creatures, in the great tumults of the sea, and we shall tremble before Thee; speak unto us also in the murmur of limpid waters, and we shall yearn for Thy love! O Immensity into which flow all rivers of life, to be continually reborn in Thee! O ocean of infinite perfections! Height which reflects Thee in the depth, depth which exhalts Thee to the height, lead us unto true life by intelligence and love! Lead us to immortality by sacrifice, that we may be found worthy one Day to offer Thee water, blood and tears, for the remission of sins! Amen. Fire is exorcised by the sprinkling of salt, incense, white resin, camphor and sulphur; by thrice pronouncing the three names of the genii of fire: MICHAEL, king of the sun and lightning; SAMAEL, king of volcanoes; and ANAEL, prince of the Astral Light; and, finally, by reciting the Prayer of the Salamanders Immortal, eternal, ineffable and uncreated father of all things, Who art borne upon the ever-rolling chariot of worlds which revolve unceasingly; Lord of ethereal immensities, where the throne of Thy power is exalted, from which height Thy terrible eyes Discern all thing and Thy holy and beautiful ears unto all things hearken, hear Thou Thy children, whom Thou didst love before the ages began, for Thy golden, Thy grand, Thine eternal majesty shines above the world and the heaven of stars! Thou art exalted over them, O glittering fire! There dost thou shine, there dost Thou commune with Thyself in Thine own splendour, and inexhaustible streams of Light pour from Thine essence for the nourishment of Thine Infinite Spirit, which itself doth nourish all things, and forms that inexhaustible treasure of substance ever ready for the generation which adapts it and appropriates the forms Thou hast impressed on it from the beginning! From this Spirit the three most holy kings, Who surround Thy throne and constitute Thy court, derive also their origin, O universal father! O sole and only father of blessed mortals and immortals! In particular, Thou hast created powers Which are like marvelously like unto Thine eternal thought and Thine adorable essence; Thou hast established them higher than the angels, Who proclaim Thy Will to the World; finally, Thou hast created us third in rank within our elementary empire. There our unceasing exercise is to praise Thee and adore Thy good pleasure; there we burn continually in our aspiration to possess Thee. O Father, O Mother, most tender of all mothers! O admirable archetype of maternity and of pure love! O Son, flower of sons! O form of all forms, soul, spirit, harmony and number of all things! Amen.
Themes
◆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 passage centers on invoking elemental spirits (Undines, Salamanders) as divine agents with specific domains like sea and fire.

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◆Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

The divine is addressed with human attributes such as 'eyes', 'ears', and familial roles ('Father', 'Mother', 'Son').

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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 explicitly states 'Height which reflects Thee in the depth, depth which exhalts Thee to the height'.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

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

The text references 'inexhaustible streams of Light' pouring from the divine essence.

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◆Divine Marriagesoteriology

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

The invocation of 'Father, O Mother... O Son' suggests a complementary divine unity.

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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 text outlines a hierarchy from the 'sole and only father' to 'kings' and finally to humans created 'third in rank'.

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◆Living Godtheology

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

The deity is portrayed as actively hearing, loving, and responding to the supplicants ('hear Thou Thy children').

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◆Prayerpraxis

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

The passage consists explicitly of labeled prayers ('Prayer of the Undines', 'Prayer of the Salamanders') addressing the divine.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The supplicants ask to be led 'unto true life' and 'to immortality', implying a return to the divine origin.

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◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

A significant portion of the text is dedicated to the exorcism and invocation of fire spirits (Salamanders).

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◆Sacred Namestheology

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

The ritual efficacy depends on 'pronouncing the three names' (MICHAEL, SAMAEL, ANAEL) to exorcise fire.

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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 text describes ritual actions (sprinkling salt, incense) and invocations intended to engage divine powers directly through material means.

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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 asserts that speaking names and reciting prayers directly alters reality ('Fire is exorcised by... pronouncing').

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Related passages · 17 parallels
◆celtic|The Mabinogion|Tale TALIESINi
“The names of the three springs From the midst of the ocean; One generated brine Which is from the Corina, To replenish the flood Over seas disappearing; The second, without injury It will fall on us, When there is rain abroad, Through the w…”
Both passages share a conceptual parallel in their invocation of divine forces related to water and the sea, highlighting the power and mystery of these elements. They both describe a divine or mystical figure associated with the sea and its forces, emphasizing the awe and reverence inspired by these natural phenomena.
◆christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|Ic
“In order that God may draw more to Himself, and forget His wrath, the Son saith, “Beloved Father, seeing that Thou wouldest not forgive sins because of all the former sacrifices offered, lo I, Thine Only begotten Son, Who resemble Thy Godhe…”
Both passages emphasize the concept of divine love and sacrifice as a means of drawing all things to the divine. They share a structural parallel in the idea of a divine figure (Christ in Passage A, the Undines and Salamanders in Passage B) using their essence or actions to attract and transform the world, leading to redemption and immortality.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 14 (part 7)
“Thou hast knit (10) together the mountains, thou has made mankind and the beasts of the field, thou hast created the heavens and the earth. Worshipped be thou whom the goddess Maat embraceth at morn and at eve. Thou dost travel across the…”
Both passages share a conceptual parallel in their reverence for a divine being associated with creation, life, and the natural world. They both invoke the deity with praise and requests for blessings, highlighting themes of divine majesty, eternal existence, and the interconnectedness of all things.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 14 (part 8)
“, the netherworld), thou dost rise in the horizon of heaven and sheddest upon the world beams of emerald light; thou art born from the water, thou art sprung from Nu, who fostereth thee and ordereth thy members. O thou who art crowned king…”
Both passages describe a divine figure associated with creation, life, and the ordering of the cosmos. They also emphasize the adoration and praise of this figure by other divine beings and the joy brought by their presence, reflecting a shared conceptual framework of divine kingship and cosmic order.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 34 (part 3)
“The four regions of Ra are the limits of the earth. I come forth; my tongue (10) is like unto the tongue of Ptah, my throat is even as that of Hathor, and I tell forth the words of my father Tmu with my lips. He it is who constrained (11)…”
Both passages share the theme of divine transformation and the quest for immortality. Passage A describes the speaker transforming into the soul of Tmu and achieving eternal life, while Passage B invokes divine entities to lead the undines to true life and immortality through sacrifice. Both texts emphasize the speaker's connection to divine beings and their aspiration to transcendence.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 41)
“Later in the XVIIIth, or early in the XIXth dynasty, we find Osiris called "the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, who traverseth millions of years in the duration of his life, the firstborn son of the womb of Nut, begotten of S…”
Both passages discuss the concept of resurrection and eternal life, with Osiris in the Egyptian Book of the Dead being described as the 'god of the resurrection' and the 'soul that liveth again,' while the Prayer of the Undines invokes the 'Immensity into which flow all rivers of life, to be continually reborn.' Both texts emphasize the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, and the divine figures associated with these processes.
◆egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 43 (part 74)
“The god Nu appeareth with the breath of the north wind in this hidden god who maketh for untold millions of men the decrees which abide for ever; his decrees [1. Literally "his heart," ab-f . 2 I.e. , Shu and Tefnut. 3 I.e. , the Sun a…”
Both passages describe a divine figure associated with the primordial waters and creation. The Egyptian passage speaks of the god Nu and the creation of the world from water, while the Conjuration of the Fourc invokes a Dread King of the Sea who controls the waters and is associated with the origin of life. Both texts emphasize the divine power over water and its role in creation and sustenance.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn X (part 1)
“X. TO PAN * The FUMIGATION from VARIOUS ODORS I Call strong Pan, the substance of the whole, Etherial, marine, earthly, general soul, Immortal fire; for all the world is thine, And all are parts of thee, O pow'r divine. p. 131 Come, bles…”
Both passages invoke divine beings associated with natural elements and cosmic order. Passage A invokes elemental spirits (Undines, Salamanders) and their rulers, while Passage B invokes Pan, who embodies the universe and its various parts. Both texts seek to connect with these divine forces for guidance, protection, and understanding of the natural world.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XVII. PLUTO
“XVII. TO PLUTO. PLUTO, magnanimous, whose realms profound Are fix'd beneath the firm and solid ground, In the Tartarian plains remote from fight, And wrapt forever in the depths of night; Terrestrial Jove, thy sacred ear incline, 5 5 And, p…”
Both passages invoke a deity associated with the underworld and control over the elements (Pluto with the underworld and the dead, and the Dread King of the Sea with the waters and the underworld). They share the theme of a divine ruler who governs a realm beneath the earth and has control over life and death, fitting the mytheme of a chthonic deity.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXII. NEREUS
“XXII. TO NEREUS. The FUMIGATION from MYRRH. O Thou, who doff the roots of Ocean keep In seats cærulean, dæmon of the deep, With fifty nymphs (attending in thy train, Fair virgin artists) glorying thro' the main: The dark foundation of the r…”
Both passages invoke a powerful, primordial deity associated with the sea and its depths, emphasizing the deity's control over natural forces and their role in the cosmic order. The passages share a conceptual parallel in their reverence for a divine being who governs the waters and the earth's foundations.
7 more
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXVI. THE MOTHER OF THE GODS
“XXVI. TO THE MOTHER OF THE GODS. The FUMIGATION from a Variety of ODORIFEROUS SUBSTANCES. Mother of Gods, great nurse of all, draw near, Divinely honor'd, and regard my pray'r: Thron'd on a car, by lions drawn along, By bull-destroying lion…”
Both passages invoke divine figures associated with primordial elements and creation. The Mother of the Gods in the Orphic Hymns is linked to the origin of gods and mortals, while the prayer in Passage B invokes the 'Immortal, eternal, ineffable and uncreated father of all things,' highlighting a shared theme of divine origin and sustenance.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXXVII. THE CURETES +
“XXXVII. TO THE CURETES + . The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. Brass-beating Salians, ministers of Mars, Who guard his arms the instruments of wars p. 168 Whose blessed frames, heav'n, earth, and sea compose, And from whose breath all animals…”
Both passages invoke divine beings associated with natural elements and cosmic order. Passage A focuses on the Curetes, who are linked to the winds and cosmic creation, while Passage B invokes elemental spirits of water and fire, emphasizing their roles in the cosmic and natural order. Both texts share a conceptual parallel in their reverence for divine forces that govern natural phenomena and cosmic balance.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn L. THE NYMPHS
“L. TO THE NYMPHS. The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. NYMPHS, who from Ocean's stream derive your birth, Who dwell in liquid caverns of the earth p. 182 Nurses of Bacchus secret-coursing pow'r, Who fruits sustain, and nourish ev'ry flow'r: Earth…”
Both passages invoke nature spirits associated with water and the earth, highlighting their roles in nurturing life and their divine attributes. The Orphic Hymn to the Nymphs and the Prayer of the Undines both emphasize the spiritual and life-giving aspects of these beings, showing a conceptual parallel in their reverence for nature deities.
◆greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn LXXXII. OCEAN
“LXXXII. TO OCEAN. The Fumigation from AROMATICS OCEAN I call, whose nature ever flows, From whom at first both Gods and men arose; Sire incorruptible, whose waves surround, 3 And earth's concluding mighty circle bound: p. 220 Hence every ri…”
Both passages invoke a primordial, all-encompassing water deity (Ocean) who is the source of life and creation. They share the concept of the divine waters surrounding and sustaining the world, reflecting a deep, cross-tradition insight into the sacred nature of water.
◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XXXIX
“XXXIX. The Abode of the Righteous and of the Elect One: the Praises of the Blessed . CHAPTER XXXIX. 1. [ And it †shall come to pass in those days that elect and holy children †will descend from the high heaven, and their seed †will become o…”
Both passages share a conceptual parallel in their reverence for divine beings and the aspiration for immortality and righteousness. They both invoke divine entities and express a desire for connection with the divine, reflecting a shared mystical insight across different traditions.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter VIII — How the Elements Are in the Heavens, in Stars, in Devils, in Angels, and lastly in God Himself|Chapter VIII, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VIII. How the Elements Are in the Heavens, in Stars, in Devils, in Angels, and lastly in God Himself . It is the unanimous consent of all Platonists, that as in the original and exemplary World, all things are in all; so also in t…”
Both passages explore the concept of elements and their divine or cosmic significance, but from different mystical traditions. Passage A focuses on the elements through ritualistic prayers and invocations, while Passage B discusses the elements in a more philosophical and cosmological context. The shared insight is the interconnectedness and divine nature of the elements.
◆renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogueq
“Solomon calls it furtive waters. Samuel named it the whisper of a gentle wind. The which three significations show with what sweetness, gentleness, and astuteness, in seas, on earth, in sky, does this fellow come and tyrannize over the wh…”
Both passages explore the concept of divine love and its transformative power, though in different contexts and with different imagery. Passage A discusses love as a universal force that tyrannizes the universe with sweetness and gentleness, while Passage B invokes divine entities and elements to express a similar sense of awe and reverence for the divine.