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Page 1 of 11913 · PDF PAGE 31
CHAPTER III THE ALTAR THE Altar represents the solid basis of the work, the fixed Wiir of the Magician; and the law under which he works. Within this altar everything is kept, since everything is subject to law. Except the Lamp. According to some authorities the Altar should be made of oak to re- present the stubbornness and rigidity of law; others would make it of Acacia, for Acacia is the symbol of resurrection. The Altar is a double cube, which is a rough way of symbolizing the Great Work; for the doubling of the cube, Hke the squaring of th…
1913 · PDF PAGE 32
22 bottom Malkuth. The height of the Altar is equal to the height above the ground of the navel of the Magician. The Altar is connected with the Ark of the Covenant, Noah's Ark, the nave {navis^ a ship) of the Church, and many other symbols of antiquity, whose symboUsm has been well worked out in an anonymous book called "The Canon," (Elkin Mathews), which should be studied carefully before constructing the Altar. For this Altar must embody the Magician's knowledge of the laws of Nature, which are the laws through which he works. He should ende…
1913 · PDF PAGE 177
…f all things in Shivadarshana. It is the absolute destruction alike of the Magician and the Universe. 'I'hc Thurible stands upon a small altar. "My'altar is of open brass- work; burn thereon in silver or gold." This altar stands in the East, as if to symbolize the identity of Hope and Annihilation. This brass con- tains the metals of Jupiter and ^'cnus fused in a homogeneous alloy. This is then symbolical of divine love, and it is " open brass work ' because this love is not limited in direction or extent; it is not par- ticularized, it is univ…
1913 · PDF PAGE 16
protected by divine names, the influences on which he relies to keep out hostile thoughts. Within the circle stands an Altar, the solid basis on which he works, the foundation of all. Upon the Altar are his Wand, Cup, Sword, and Pantacle, to represent his Will, his Under- standing, his Reason, and the lower parts of his being, respectively. On the Altar, too, is a phial of Oil, surrounded by a Scourge, a Dagger, and a Chain, while above the Altar hangs a La7?ip. The Magician wears a Crown, a single Robe, and a Lamen, and he bears a Book of Conj…
1913 · PDF PAGE 29
THE ALTAR
1913 · PDF PAGE 25
… The size of the whole figure is determined by the size of one square of the Tau. And the size of this square is that of the base of the Altar, which is placed upon Malkuth. It will follow then that, in spite of the apparent freedom of the Magician to do anything he likes, he is really determined absolutely; for as the Altar must have a base proportionate to its height, and as that height must be con- venient for the Magician, the size of the whole will depend upon his own stature. It is easy to draw a moral lesson from these considerations. We…
1913 · PDF PAGE 145
…ul; it hath no need of fuel, it is the Burning Bush inconsumable that Moses saw, the image of the Most High. This Lamp hangeth above the Altar, it hath no support from below; its light illumines the whole Temple, yet upon it are cast no shadows, no reflections. It cannot be touched, it cannot be extinguished, in no way can it change; for it is utterly apart from all those things which
1913 · PDF PAGE 51
…ll acts; and hence training is necessary. Further, the Self surrendered must not be less than the All-Self; one must not come before the altar of the Most High with an impure or an imperfect offering. As it is written in Liber LXV, "To await Thee is the end, not the beginning." This training may lead through all sorts of complications, varying according to the nature of the student, and hence it may be necessary for him at any moment to will all sorts of things which to others might 39
1913 · PDF PAGE 146
…which change and may be changed. When the eyes of the Magus are fixed upon this Lamp naught else exists. The Instruments lie idle on the Altar; that Light alone burns eternally. The Divine Will that was the Wand is no more; for the path has become one with the Goal. The Divine Understanding that was the Cup is no more; for the subject and Object of intelligence are one. The Divine Reason that was the Sword is no more : for the complex has been resolved into the Simple. And the Divine Substance that was the Pantacle is no more; for the many has …
1913 · PDF PAGE 79
…inite, as every cross or Tau repre- sents the Finite. That which is four scjuarc shows the Finite fixed into itself; for this reason the altar is foursquare. It is the solid basis from which all the operation proceeds. One form ^ of magical cup has a sphere beneath the bowl, and is supported upon a conical base. This cup (crescent, sphere, cone) represents the three principles of the Moon, the Sun, and Fire, the three principles which, according to the Hindus, have course in the body.* This is the Cup of Purification; as Zoroaster says: '*So th…
1913 · PDF PAGE 87
…ly important it becomes that it should be still ! If the cup is shaken the light will be broken up. Therefore the Cup is placed upon the Altar, which is foursquare, will multiplied by will, the confirmation of the will in the Magical Oath, its fi.xation in Law. ' The water in this Cup (the latter is also a heart, as shown by the transition from the ancient to the modern Tarot ; the suit " Hearts" in old packs of cards, and even in modern Spanish and Italian cards, is called " Cups ") is the letter Mem (the Hebrew word for water), which has for …