Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi) · 31 of 123 · tr. A.E. Waite
5. The Blazing Pentagramc
Need anyone be surprised therefore that every Magus believes in the real influence exercised by this sign over spirits of all hierarchies?
Those who set at naught the Sign of the Cross tremble before the Star of the Microcosm.
On the contrary, when conscious of failing will, the Magus turns his eyes towards this symbol, takes it in his right hand and feels armed with intellectual omnipotence, provided that he is truly a king, worthy to be led by the star to the cradle of divine realization; provided that he KNOWS, DARES, WILLS and KEEPS SILENT; provided that he is familiar with the usages of the Pentacle, the Cup, the Wand and the Sword; provided, finally, that the intrepid gaze of his soul corresponds to those two eyes which the ascending point of our Pentagram ever presents open.
Themes
◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology
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 passage explicitly identifies the Pentagram as the 'Star of the Microcosm,' linking the human symbol directly to cosmic structure.
All passages →Related passages · 0 parallels · 2 contrasts
◆buddhism|Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter)|Section 1rCONTRASTS
“This probably refers to the auspicious signs discovered in S âkyamuni at his birth, which left it open whether he should become a king or a Buddha.] A Buddha is to be seen (known) from the Law; for the Lords (Buddhas) have the Law-body; And…”
Both passages discuss the attainment of spiritual power and enlightenment through specific knowledge and practices. The Magus in Passage A gains intellectual omnipotence through the use of symbols and adherence to certain principles, while the Bodhisattva in Passage B acquires merit through endurance in selfless and uncreated things. Both emphasize the importance of understanding and embodying certain truths to achieve spiritual realization.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XVIIbCONTRASTS
“For, as he sometimes makes some stupid man to speak wisely, through which it becomes manifest to every one, that this is not a certain human but a divine work; thus, also, he reveals through things which are deprived of knowledge, conceptio…”
Both passages discuss the power of symbols and their influence over spiritual hierarchies and the divine. They share the concept of intellectual or divine omnipotence gained through the proper understanding and use of symbolic tools, though they come from different traditions and use different vocabulary.