object:1.14 - The Book of Magic Formulae
class:chapter
author class:Franz Bardon
book class:The Practice of Magical Evocation
subject class:Occultism
The Book of Magic Formulae
In all works that have so far been written on ritual magic, the Magic Book, the Book of Magic Formulae, i. e. the book that contains the incantations for the beings or spirits to be conjured or evoked has been regarded as the most important part of the magic of evocation, but its contents have so often been misinterpreted that we will do well to try to get a clear picture of it from the hermetic point of view.
It is quite wrong to believe that all that has to be done is to buy a book and write into it the magic charms and incantations of evocation or that it will suffice if these formulae are learned by heart and in consequence the desired being evoked. The grimoires which we have so far been able to examine, no matter whether they were old or modern ones, all contain the same mistake as far as the interpretation of the book of formulae is concerned. True initiates cannot help laughing at these mystifications though feeling sorry for the people who, by such misinterpretation, will get no positive results. Looking at it from one point of view it is correct to write about magic formulae in a mysterious way, and not give away their secrets too easily, in order to avoid profanation.
But since this book is only written for readers with high ethical and moral standards and since only mature people will be in a position to follow its instructions successfully and to understand and truly acquire what we have to say about true initiations, I shall talk about this quite openly too.
First of all the book of formulae is not to be understood in a literal sense, for the expression "magic spells" or "magical formulae" used in the grimoires has served as a cloak for certain ideas. In other cases its object has been to take away the magician's consciousness from its normal state by barbaric words, names and expressions, and thus bring him into a state of ecstasy in which, it is assumed, he is able to influence a being. But generally speaking, the only success that untrained persons will have in this case, is hallucinations, phantoms or delusions, or incomplete, mediumistic results which need not be dealt with here. Usually such mediumistic results are, provided that they are genuine at all, the outcome of the extoriorisation of the person's unconsciousness. Sometimes elementals, and, should the person concerned have a strong capability for emanation, even elementaries might be formed which the genuine magician has already been informed about in "Initiation into Hermetics". These elementaries are falsely regarded as the beings which are the object of evocation, and a person whose astral senses have not yet been sufficiently developed is not able to tell the difference or to control the situation. Therefore readers are warned against trying to practise ritual magic without necessary training. Apart from disappointments, the disturbances in the person's spirit and soul could have most regrettable consequences for the health. A genuine magician who has completed his magical training, may, however, without any danger whatever, safely practise ritual magic. This field of magic is no place for dabbler's experiments but a scheme of operation which facilitates the magical labour for the mature magician with already developed powers.
The book of formulae, sometimes wrongly called the book of spirits, is the genuine magical diary of the magician practising ritual magic, in which he enters, step by step, the procedures of his ritual in order to be able to follow every point conscientiously up to his goal. Some readers might wish to know how mutilated charms, furmulae for incantation etc. could ever develop? From the days of yore the secret of magic has been restricted to high castes, potentates, kings and high priests. In order that the real truth, that true ideas and spiritual facts might never be known by the public, many code-words and secret formulae have been introduced, the deciphering of which has been reserved to the mature. The key for these codes was only transferred upon mature persons by word of mouth, and their profanation was punished with death. This is the reason why this science has remained a secret up to our time and it will continue to remain an occult and mystic science even if it is directly published, as the immature und profane person will regard it all as delusion or fantastic nonsense and, depending on his grade of maturity and psychic receptivity, will always have at hand an individual interpretation or view of this science. The most secret matters will thus never lose their occult tradition and there will always be but a few people who will profit by it. If a person who is not an initiate gets such a book of magic formulae in his hands and does not know the key to it, he will take everything in its literal sense without knowing that the particular words and formulae are nothing but aids for the magician's memory and that it is a schematic layout for the ritual work of a true magician. This makes it clear why sometimes the most senseless words have been used as magic charms to evoke a certain being. But the book of formulae is a proper note-book in which the genuine magician writes the whole procedure of his magic operations from beginning to end. If he is not sure that his book will never fall into the hands of another person, he will have to use, point by point, code-names. I can only give here a few instructions. These will, however, enable the magician to procede according to his own taste and ideas.
1. Purpose of the operation
2. The being, power, sphere etc. to be evoked
3. The place selected for the magical operation
4. Preparation of all magical implements needed for the operation
5. The actual magical operation
6. Assuming the shape of the deity controlling the being concerned, that is connection with the relevant deity, its attri butes, faculties etc.
7. The drawing of the magic circle according to the magician's connection with the deity. If the operations are carried out with a magic circle sewn on a piece of linen, piece of cloth, or the like, it has to be re-drawn
8. Drawing of the magic triangle
9. Putting censer into the correct place, including, if necessary, the way of censering
10. Lighting of the magic lamp, including meditative attitude to cause intuition and enlightenment
11. Charge of the seals, pentacles or lamens of the being desired
12. Charge of the magic mirror, or several magic mirrors, depending on the special purposes they are to serve
13. Putting on of the magical garment and meditative attitude to cause protection, purity etc.
14. Putting on of the magical headgear - crown, cap or magus- band and meditation to bring about the contact with the deity
15. Girding on the magical belt with the right attitude to bring about the magician's power to control all powers, especially the elements
16. Girding on magic sword to magic belt with the meditative attitude of absolute victory; re-charging, with magic wand in the right and concentrating on the idea that the magician's absolute will be realised
17. Entering of the magic circle with the simultaneous feeling of ties and symbolization of the microcosm and macrocosm
18. Concentration on the magic space, that is the complete elimination of the ideas of time and space
19. Repeated contact with one's deity
20. Placing of the magician's whole personality into the relevant mental sphere with all his implements
21. Giving orders to the being or power of that sphere in regard to its evocation and imaginative forming of shape in which the being or power is to appear in the magic triangle or magic m Irror
22. Returning with consciousness to the operating room
23. Wanting or ordering a spirit to communicate a message or do a certain job in whatever sphere necessary
24. Conscious dismissing of the being, at the end of operations, to the sphere from which it has been evoked and the finishing of the operation by saying a prayer of thanks
25. Storing up of all magical implements, including the magic circle etc.
26. Entering the total course of operation, the time it needed, its success etc. into the Book of Formulae
The genuine magician has to compute his book of formulae in this or a similar manner and, in consequence, has to procede by it.
If he is acquainted with the knowledge of quabbalah, he may use the names of the relevant deities whenever he is placing his consciousness into a certain sphere. This is however just another of his aids, a support to his memory, and the true magician will be able to do without it. The first operation will presumably always be a little uncertain, but time will teach the magician everything he needs in this respect and he will, sooner or later, become a perfect master in this field of magic. Hard work will bring its reward.
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last updated: 2022-02-04 18:13:34
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