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THE PERFECTION AND KEY
OF
THE CABALA
,OR
CEREMONIAL MAGIC
.BOOK II. PART II.
IN this last book, which we have made the Perfection and Key of all that has been written, we have given thee the whole and entire practice of Ceremonial Magic, shewing what is to be done every hour of the day; so that as by reading what we have heretofore written, thou shalt contemplate in theory, here thou shalt be made perfect by experiment and practice: for in this Key you may behold, as in a mirror, the distinct functions of the spirits, and how they are to be drawn into communication in all places, seasons, and times.
This then is to be known, that the names of the intelligent presidents of every one of the planets are constituted after this manner; that it to say, by collecting together the letters out of the figures of the world from the rising of the body of the planet, according to the succession of the signs through the several degrees, and out of the several degrees, from the aspects of the planet himself, the calculation being made from the degree of the ascendant.
In like manner are constituted the names of the princes of the evil spirits; they are taken under all the planets of the presidents in a retrograde order, the projection being made contrary to the succession of the signs, from the beginning of the seventh house. Now the name of the supreme and highest intelligence, which many suppose to be the soul of the world, is collected out of the four cardinal points of the figure of the world, after the manner already delivered; and by the opposite and contrary way is known the name of the great demon or evil spirit, upon the four cadent angles.
In like manner you shall understand the names of the great presidential spirits ruling in the air, from the four angles of the succedent houses, so as to obtain the names of the good spirits: the calculation is to be made according to the succession of the signs, beginning from the degree of the ascendant, and to attain the names of the evil spirits by working the contrary way.
You must also observe, that the names of the evil spirits are extracted as well from the names of the good spirits as of the evil: so, notwithstanding, that if we enter the table with the name of a good spirit of the second order, the name of the evil shall be extracted from the order of princes and governors; but if we enter the table with the name of a good spirit of the third order, or with the name of an evil spirit, a governor, after what manner soever they are extracted, whether by this table or from a celestial figure, the names which do proceed from hence shall be the names of the evil spirits, the ministers of the inferior order.
It is further to be noted, that as often as we enter this table with the good spirits of the second order, the names extracted are of the second order; and if under them we extract the name of an evil spirit, he is of the superior order of the governors. The same order is, if we enter with the name of an evil spirit of the superior. If therefore we enter this table with the names of the spirits of the third order, or with the names of the ministering spirits, as well of the good spirits as of the evil, the names extracted shall be the names of the ministering spirits of the inferior order.
But many magicians, men of no small authority, will have the tables of this kind to be extended with Latin letters; so that by the same tables also, out of the name of any office or effect, might be found out the name of any spirit, as well good as evil, by the same manner which is above delivered, by taking the name of the office or of the effect in the column of letters, in their own line, under their own star. And of this practice Trismegistus is a great author, who delivered this kind of calculation in Egyptian letters: not improperly also may they be referred to the letters of other tongues, for the reason assigned to the signs; for truly he only is extant of all men who have treated concerning the attaining to the names of spirits.
Therefore the force, secrecy, and power, in what manner the sacred names of spirits are truely and rightly found out, consisteth in the disposing of vowels, which make the name of a spirit, and wherewith is constituted the true name and right word. Now this art is thus perfected and brought to pass. First, we are to take heed to placing the vowels of the letters, which are found by the calculation of the celestial figure, to find the names of the spirits of the second order, presidents and governors: and this, in the good spirits, is thus brought to effect, by considering the stars which do constitute and make the letters, and by placing them according to their order. First, let the degree of the eleventh house be subtracted from the degree of that star which is first in order, and that which remains thereof, let it be projected from the degree of the ascendant; and where the number ends, there is part of the vowel of the first letter.
Begin therefore to calculate the vowels of these letters according to their number and order, and the vowel which falls in the place of the star, which is the first in order, the same vowel is attributed to the first letter; then afterwards thou shalt find the part of the second letter, by subtracting the degree of a star, which is the second in order from the first star; and that which remains cast from the ascendant. And this is the part from which you shall begin the calculation of vowels; and that vowel which falls upon the second star the same is the vowel of the second letter: and so consequently thou mayest search out the vowels of the following letters
by always subtracting the degree of the following star from the degree of the star next preceding and going before. And, likewise, all calculations and numerations in the names of the good spirits ought to be made according to the succession of the signs. And whereas in calculating the names of the evil spirits, the names of the good spirits are taken from the degree of the eleventh house; in these ought to be taken the degree of the twelfth house. And all numerations and calculations may be made with the succession of the signs, by taking the beginning from the degree of the tenth house.
But in all extractions by tables, the vowels are placed after another manner. In the first place, is taken the certain number of letters, making the name itself, and is thus numbered from the beginning of the column of the first letter, or whereupon the name is extracted; and the letter on which this number falleth is referred to the first letter of the name extracted, by taking the distance of the one from the other, according to the order of the alphabet. But the number of that distance is projected from the beginning of that column, and where it ends there is part of the first vowel; from thence thou shalt calculate the vowels themselves, in their own number and order in the same column; and the vowel which shall fall upon the first letter of a name, the same shall be attributed to that name.
Now thou shalt find the following vowels, by taking the distance from the preceding vowel to the following, and so consequently according to the succession of the alphabet; and the number of that distance is to be numbered from the beginning of his own column, and where he shall cease, there is part of the vowel sought after. From thence therefore must you calculate the vowels, as we have above said, and those vowels which shall fall upon your own letters, are to be attributed to them. If therefore any vowel should happen to fall upon a vowel, the former must give place to the latter: and this you are to understand only of the good spirits. In the evil spirits likewise you may proceed in the same way; except only that you make the numerations after a contrary and backward order, contrary to the succession of the alphabet, and contrary to the order of the columns (that is to say) ascending.
The name of good angels, and of every man, which we have before taught how to find out, according to that manner, is of no little authority, nor of a mean foundation. But now we will give thee some other ways illustrated with no vain reasons. One whereof is by taking in the nativity the five places of Hylech; which being noted, the characters of the letters are projected in their order and number, beginning from Aries, and those letters which fall upon the degrees of the said places, according to their order and dignity disposed and aspected, make the name of an angel.
There is also another way wherein they take Almutel, which is the ruling and governing star over the aforesaid five places, and the projection is to be made from the degree of the ascendant; which is done by gathering together the letters falling upon Almutel, which being placed in order, according to their dignity, make the name of an angel. There is likewise another way used, and very much had in observation from the Egyptians, by making calculations from the degree of the ascendant, and by gathering together the letters according to the Almutel of the eleventh house; which house they call a good demon; which being placed according to their dignities, the names of the angels are constituted.
Now the names of the evil angels are known after the like manner, except only that the projections must be performed contrary to the course and order of the succession of the signs; so that in seeking the names of good spirits, we are to calculate from the beginning of Aries; contrariwise, in attaining the names of evil, we ought to account from the beginning of Libra. And whereas, in the good spirits, we number from the degree of the ascendant; contrariety, in the evil, we must calculate from the degree of the seventh house.
But according to the Egyptians, the name of this angel is collected according to the Almutel of the twelfth house, which they call an evil spirit. Now all those rites, which are elsewhere already by us delivered in this Book, may be made by the characters of any language. In all which (as we have said before) there is a mystical and divine number, order and figure, from whence it comes to pass, that the same spirit may be called by divers names; but others
are discovered from the name of the spirit himself, of the good or evil, by tables formed to this purpose.
Now these celestial characters do consist of lines and heads. The heads are six, according to the six magnitudes of the stars, whereunto the planets likewise are reduced. The first magnitude holds a star with the sun or a cross, the second, with Jupiter, a circular point; the third, with Saturn, a semicircle, a triangle, either crooked, round, or acute; the fourth, with a Mars, a little stroke penetrating the line, either square, straight or oblique; the fifth, with Venus and Mercury, a little stroke or point with a tail ascending or descending; the sixth, with the moon, a point made black, all which you may see in the annexed plate. The heads then being posited according to the site of the stars of the figure of heaven then the lines are to be drawn out according to the congruency or agreement of their natures. And this you are to understand of the fixed stars. But in the erecting of the planets, the lines are drawn out, the heads being posited according to their course and nature among themselves.--See the Plate, No. 1.
So when a character is to be found, of any celestial image ascending in any degree or face of a sign, which consists of stars of the same magnitude and nature, then the number of these stars being posited according to their place and order, the lines are drawn after the similitude of the image signified, as copiously as the same can be done.
But the characters which are extracted according to the name of a spirit are composed by the table following, by giving to every letter that name which agrees to him out of the table; and although it may appear easy to those that apprehend it, yet there is no small difficulty herein; to wit, when the letter of a name falls upon the line of letters or figures, that we may know which figure or which letter is to be taken. And this may thus be known; if a letter falls upon the line of letters, consider of what number this letter may be in the order of the name, as the second or the third; then how many letters that name contains, as five or seven; and multiply these numbers one after another by themselves and treble the product; then cast the whole (being
added together) from the beginning of the letters according to the succession of the alphabet; and the letter upon which that number shall happen to fall, ought to be placed for a character of that spirit. But if any letter of a name fall upon the line of figures, it is thus wrought: take the number how many this letter is in the order of the name, and let it be multiplied by the number of which this letter is in the order of the alphabet; and, being added together, divide it by nine, and the remainder will shew the figure or number to be placed in the character, and this may be put either in a geometrical or arithmetrical figure of number; which, notwithstanding, ought not to exceed the number of nine, or nine angels.--See the Plate, No. 2.
But the characters which are understood by the revelations of spirits take their virtue from thence, because they are, as it were, certain hidden seals, making the harmony of some divinity: either they are signs of a covenant entered into, and of a promised or plighted faith, or of obedience. And those characters cannot by any other means be found out.
Besides these characters there are certain familiar figures and images of evil spirits, under which forms they are wont to appear, and yield obedience to those who invoke them. And all these characters and images may be seen in the considerations of each day's business, according to the course of the letters constituting the names of spirits themselves; so that if in any letter there is found more than the name of one spirit, his image holds the pre-eminence, the others imparting their own orders; so they which are of the first order, to them is attributed the head, the upper part of the body, according to their own figure; those which are lowest possess the thighs and feet; so likewise the middle letters do attribute like to themselves the middle parts of the body, to give the parts that fit; but if there happen any contrariety, that letter which is the strongest in the number shall bear rule; and if they are equal they all impart equal things. Moreover if any name shall obtain any notable character or instrument out of the table, he shall likewise have the same character in the image.
We may also attain to the knowledge of the dignities of the evil spirits, by the same tables of characters and images: for upon whatsoever spirit falls
any excellent sign or instrument out of the table of characters, he possesses that dignity. As if there should be a crown, it shows a kingly dignity; if a crest or plume, a dukedom; if a horn, a county: if without these there be a sceptre, sword, or forked instrument, it shows rule and authority. Likewise out of the table of images you shall find them who bear the chief kingly dignity: from the crown judge dignity; and from the instruments, rule and authority.
Lastly, they which bear a human shape and figure have a greater dignity than those which appear under the forms and images of beasts. They likewise who ride do excel them which appear on foot. And thus, according to all their commixtures, you may judge the dignity and excellency of spirits, one before another. Moreover, you must understand that the spirits of the inferior order, of what dignity soever, they are always subject to the spirits of the superior order; likewise that it is not incongruent for their kings and dukes to be subject and minister to the presidents of the superior order.
