| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 1 | 46 | 93 | 139 | 185 |
|
2
- First Steps in Magic
It is apparent that one cannot become a practising occultist until one has somewhere to practise - a
'magical Temple' of one's own.
This does not mean, however, that the would-be magician has to waste his or her substance in
purchasing a disused chapel or castle. Nor does he even have to nave a room especially set aside for
occult purposes; all the better if he can, of course, but with a little effort a perfectly ordinary bed-
sitting room can be adapted to the secondary function of being a magical Temple.
Carrying out this adaptation doesn't involve cluttering your room with the assorted occult junk -
astrological charts, skulls, reproductions of Egyptian sculpture, or photographs of Aleister Crowley
with a bath-towel wrapped around his head - which too many people seem to find attractive. This sort
of thing may serve to impress your friends and acquaintances with your Hermetic wisdom, or your
total lack of aesthetic sense, but will not be found helpful in your occult work. For the confusion of
symbols will make it much more difficult to employ the controlled imagination, the basis of all
magical success.
Apart from your magical implements, the actual working tools of your craft, (1) the only essential
items are a small table (preferably square in shape), a black covering for that same table, and either
four canvases on stretchers - the type of canvases used for oil painting - or four large pieces of white
cardboard.
----
[1] Full instructions for the manufacture and consecration of these are contained in Chapters Four and
Seven.
----
The table will serve as your altar when it has its black covering upon it; when uncovered it can serve
in any mundane capacity which happens to suit your personal convenience, although it is preferable to
have a table set aside exclusively for this purpose.
On your canvases (or your pieces of cardboard) you should now proceed to paint the symbols of the
Magical Elements -Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These are not, of course, elements in the chemical
sense. Rather are they the symbolic representation of certain psycho-spiritual qualities present in both
the individual human being and in the universe as a whole. It is these occult Elements which are
referred to in everyday speech when it is remarked that someone has 'airy ideas', or 'a fiery
temperament' or is 'a bit earthy'.
The symbols to be painted are as follows:
•
•
For Earth: A yellow square
For Air: A blue circle
Page
Quick Jump
|