| 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 |
| 1 | 46 | 93 | 139 | 185 |
|
8
- How To Make Talismans For Yourself
The word 'talisman' has a remarkably apt etymology. It originates from the Greek word teleo meaning 'consecrate', and it it is exactly this process of
'consecration' which converts a curious drawing on a piece of paper or parchment to an effective vehicle for, 'causing changes to occur in accordance with will'.
A talisman, says one dictionary, is an 'object endowed with magic powers especially of averting evil from or bringing good luck to its holder'. This definition
would admirably fit an amulet but is wide of the mark when applied to a talisman, at least as an occultist understands the word. MacGregor Mathers defined a
talisman as 'a magical figure charged with the force it is intended to represent'. A talisman should be constructed to attain a definite result, not just generally for
'bringing good luck'. An efficient talisman should be capable of operating in such a way that its effectiveness is obvious immediately, or at least within seven
days of its consecration.
Talismans can be made to effect all sorts of things: to acquire money, obtain patronage, recover lost property, influence people, obtain knowledge, disrupt or
cause friendships, compel someone's love, and so forth. The possible objectives range from the most laudable to operations distinctly smacking of black magic.
Even the last mentioned objective above has been censored by MacGregor Mathers: (1)
'It is but rarely that a Talisman for the love of a person is a right and justifiable thing to construct. Pure love links us to the nature of the Gods (but)... a talisman
made for terrestial love would be sealed with the impress of your own weakness, and even if successful would react on you in other ways ...'
-
[
-
---
1] Israel Regardie, The Golden Dawn. Llewllyn, USA, 1969. Vol 4, P53.
---
Nevertheless, talismanic magic has been one of the longest standing of magical practices, with detailed instructions dating back to the Alexandrian schools of
magic in the early centuries of this era.
The advantage of talismans is that once created and charged they can be left to do their work without further attention. This has a distinct advantage over a 'once-
off' operation as the stresses set up by the operator continue to work away without having to repeat the operation every day. In fact the talisman works rather
like a storage battery. It also has the benefit of being self re-charging if the consecration has been carried out correctly. The talisman is ritually linked up with
the planetary force concerned and also linked with the operator so that the magical energy is being continually channelled through to the objective, as more is
attracted from the universe.
An ordinary 'mass produced' talisman is simply designed to give confidence to the person who buys it in the belief that it works, and is not at all like the
ceremonially charged talisman competently prepared by oneself. Amulets on the other hand have been defined as having 'the more negative function of
neutralizing certain causes before they can promote an undesired effect' and are more like a 'safety precaution' than an active battery.
Page
Quick Jump
|