The Golden Dawn

by Israel Regardie

  Direct or Creeping Formula

  The first and most forcible in its immediate action will be that answering unto the earth of Malkuth of Yetzirah, transmitting unto Kether of Assiah, and following the convolutions of the constellation Draco. It is called the direct or creeping formula and for this reason the dragon may be wingless and footed as regards its symbolic representation. This formula has been thoroughly explained in the beginning of this section on the revolution of the Aces. In the expressions earth of Malkuth, etc., it should be remembered that these do not imply pure but mixed elemental natures, seeing that Malkuth receiveth the ultimate effect of all the forces in the Tree of Life, even as the colours which be attributed thereto be not primaries, but tertiaries. Therefore each element in Malkuth will be counterchanged with others, even as the Kerubim in the vision of Ezekiel have each not one, but four heads, and counterchanged.

  The second and least forcible in its immediate action will be the dragon formula answering unto the air of Malkuth of Yetzirah, transmitting unto Kether of Assiah, and following the convolutions of four serpents upon the four triplicities of the elements in the zodiac or, more properly speaking, upon the stations in the dominions of the Princesses above them. (Now also the throne in each dominion is marked in the Book “T” as embracing more than a third of each dominion, because of the enduring effect of its force.) This formula is also called the looped or flying formula, and hence the serpents may be represented footless, but winged. Its action is more round the circumference at its edge, than that of the other formulae. This formula of operations will be readily understood on reference to the diagram thereof, but more especially from the four diagrams showing the change of order and course of the Aces. In this formula the heads of the four serpents will be above the four cardinal signs.

  Looped or Flying Formula

  The third dragon formula, moderately forcible in its immediate action, is that answering unto the fire of Malkuth of Yetzirah, transmitting unto Kether of Assiah, and following the law of the attraction and repulsion of the elements of the triplicities of the zodiac. This is also called the leaping or darting formula, and its serpents may be represented both footed and winged—footed to represent the attraction of the elements, winged to represent the repulsion by the contrary elements. This formula is more vertical in action, while the preceding two are more horizontal as before shown. This formula will be readily understood from the four diagrams thereof and also from those showing the change of order in the course of the Aces. As before the heads of the serpents rest upon the stations above the cardinal signs.

  The explanation of the course of one of the four serpents will be sufficient to explain the whole. Let us take that of fire:

  Fire is strongly attracted by the station above fire,

  fire is strongly repelled by the station above water,

  fire is slightly attracted by the station above air,

  fire is slightly repelled by the station above earth.

  Leaping or Darting Formula

  The head rests on the station above Aries.

  The serpent is repelled into the lower cone by Pisces.

  The serpent is slightly attracted by Aquarius.

  The serpent is slightly attracted by Capricorn.

  The serpent is strongly attracted by Sagittarius.

  The serpent is strongly repelled by Scorpio.

  The serpent is slightly attracted by Libra.

  The serpent is slightly attracted by Virgo.

  The serpent is strongly attracted by Leo.

  The serpent is strongly repelled by Cancer.

  The serpent is slightly attracted by Gemini and Taurus.

  The tail is strongly attracted by Aries, where it is united with the head again. (The course of the four serpents is shown in four different diagrams to avoid confusion.)

  Revolving or Flowing Formula

  The fourth dragon formula, moderately forcible, is that answering unto the water of Malkuth of Yetzirah, transmitting into the Kether of Assiah, and following the law of the zodiacal succession of the signs in gradual order. This is also called the revolving or flowing formula, and its serpent may be represented neither winged nor footed, but with fins to symbolize its flowing movement. This formula will be more vertical in action, and can be readily understood from the diagram thereof, and from those showing the change of order in the course of the Aces.

  This formula may be best symbolically represented by the four Aces revolving as in a smaller wheel upon a great circle whose body is composed of the powers of the twelve signs, so that this latter in its turn revolves upon the stations above the zodiac. The effect of the revolution of the wheel of the Aces will be to excite by the Ace of Wands the fiery signs, by the Ace of Cups the watery signs, by the Ace of Swords the airy signs, and by the Ace of Pentacles the earthy signs. Yet through the forces of the revolution of the serpent as well, the forces of the Aces will be in their turn modified by the zodiacal natures in the body of the serpent.

  And as before said the action of these formulae will be simultaneous though differing in degree, and of them all that first explained which followeth the convolutions of the constellation Draco is the strongest in operation. And it is to be noted that in two of these formulae, the heads of the serpents are with the order of the signs, and in the other two against the natural order of succession of them in the zodiac.

  Also the action of the spirit of Malkuth of Yetzirah transmitting unto Kether of Assiah will equal that of continued vibratory rays, acting from the centre to the circumference, and thus bringing into action the force from the “thread of the unformulate,” Mezla.

  Recall that which is written in the chapter of the chariot—(Ezekiel, 1. 45.)

  “And I beheld, and lo! a tempestuous whirlwind came out from the north, a mighty cloud, and a fire violently whirling upon itself, and a splendour revolving upon itself, and from the midmost as an eye of brightness from the midst of the fire. And from the midmost the forms of the four Chaioth.”

  [contents]

  14. Note by S.R.M.D.: In the zodiac of Denderah and in the Tablet of Edfu, Ursa Major is represented as the thigh of an ox.

  15. Note by S.R.M.D.: While the greater number of the northern constellations are connected with classical mythology, the titles of many of the southern constellations, and especially of those near the South Pole, are of more or less recent nomenclature, and bear witness to absence of reference to occult knowledge; such names for instance as Reticulum, Caelum Sculptoris, Octans, etc.

  16. Note by Regardie: Though this is not official to the grade of Zelator Adeptus Minor, nor included within the general tarot instructions usually issued, it is manifestly written by Greatly Honoured Frater S.R.M.D. Some students consider it a highly important piece of work, claiming that it was part of the study prescribed for the Theoricus Adeptus Minor. Clearly, it requires further teaching thoroughly to be understood, but students who have a good working knowledge of astrology, as well as an understanding of the theory of the tattwa tides or currents, will find that this document throws much light on the esoteric system of astrological divination.

  17. Note by JMG: The text that follows is made up of portions of chapters 3, 4, and 8 of Book I of Cornelius Agrippa’s Three Books of Occult Philosophy.

  INTRODUCTION TO THE ENOCHIAN SYSTEM

  By Frater Ad Majorem Adonai Gloriam

  To the First Order of the Golden Dawn little was said of the angelic tablets or watchtowers. They were mentioned in the grade rituals but their subject matter did not enter into the knowledge lectures directly. But the detailed study of the tablets and the method of using them with the Enochian invocations for skrying in the spirit vision formed a definite part of the course of work prescribed for the Adeptus Minor of the R.R. et A.C., though I have never met anybody who had done it with any degree of thoroughness.

  There was a considerable mass of detailed and highly complex instruction on this subject, contained in a number of documents. There are in my possess
ion manuscripts totalling at least 70,000 words, besides some large charts, diagrams, and coloured boards. Therefore it has been found necessary to provide a paper which attempts to cover the whole ground in logical sequence giving quotations where necessary from the original documents of G.H. Frater D.D.C.F. This probably will be of more general use than reproducing the whole rather disconnected mass of Enochian literature, which in many cases is simply a development of the fundamentals, and thus can be worked up by each individual reader who studies this book.

  At the outset, let it be said that a good deal of systematic study will be required to appreciate the value and subtle significance of this system. It is one of the most amazing magical schemes that I have ever encountered, since it provides a thoroughgoing and comprehensive synthesis of the entire magical system of the Golden Dawn. Every important item of knowledge and practice found itself incorporated within the scope of these angelic tablets. Every worthwhile technical form of magical procedure and all branches of ritualistic work find themselves represented in a single noble system.

  Therefore, because it is a synthetic amalgamation of all the Order work, the student will find it necessary and imperative to have made himself thoroughly familiar with all the other items of knowledge taught by the Golden Dawn. He must know his tarot and geomantic attributions so well that the names, symbols, and ideas are all at his fingertips—this, naturally, in addition to the basic knowledge items of the Hebrew alphabet, Tree of Life, and the Qabalah generally. The formulae of practical magic derived from the Z documents, dealing with the symbolism of the candidate, the temple, and the ceremony of the Neophyte grade, will require to be not only memorized and known, but understood. The student will need to be perfectly acquainted with the pentagram and hexagram rituals, the formulae of the consecration ceremonies, the general art of invocation, and formulating telesmatic images, and drawing sigils. The tablets are excellent instances of talismans and flashing tablets.

  D.D.C.F. says in his Notanda to the Book of the Concourse of the Forces that “the tablets of Enoch require in truth many years of study, and will repay such an expenditure of time and energy. The knowledge embodied in this manuscript is very superficial and elementary, and entirely fails to do justice to the Enochian scheme. You must take it as only a feeble attempt to provide what is seen at first glance, by the intellect, and as having no relation to the world of spiritual truth which the tablets enshrine and which a high adept can make them give out.”

  Very little is known about the origin of these tablets and the invocations that accompany their use. Practically nothing was said in the Order which explained this matter, though in the Adeptus Minor ritual it is said that Christian Rosenkreutz and his immediate colleagues, whose supposed date is circa 1400 AD, transcribed some “of the magical language, which is that of the elemental tablets.” So far as we are able to make out, however, the system originated by means of the ceremonial skrying of Dr. John Dee and Sir Edward Kelly towards the close of the sixteenth century. The original diaries of Dr. John Dee, recording the development of the system, may be found in Sloane Manuscripts 3189–3191 in the British Museum. But this stands out very clearly, that in these diaries is a rudimentary scheme which bears only the most distant relation to the extraordinarily developed system in use by the order. Whoever was responsible for the order scheme of the angelic tablets—whether it was Mathers and Westcott or the German Rosicrucian Adepts from whom the former are supposed to have obtained their knowledge—was possessed of an ingenuity and an understanding of magic such as never was in the possession either of Dee or Kelly.

  Some of the order clairvoyants have claimed that Dee and Kelly in some way obtained access to the construction of the Enochian system whilst they were in Central Europe. It is claimed that numerous Rosicrucian centres existed in Germany, Austria, and Bohemia, and both Dee and Kelly were received therein. Whilst this may be a plausible theory, there is not the least vestige of objective evidence for this assumption. Still others have believed that it represents a revival of certain species of Atlantean Magic, though those who press this theory do not explain the Dee diaries, nor his account of the method he and Edward Kelly employed to acquire the roots of this system.

  Roughly, the facts which are concerned with the origins of the system are these. Over one hundred large squares filled with letters were obtained by Dee and Kelly in a manner which we cannot quite determine. When working, Dee, for example, would have before him on a writing table one or more of these tables, as a rule 49" x 49", some full while others were lettered only on alternate squares. Then Sir Edward Kelly would sit down at what they called the Holy Table on which were various magical pentacles, and which also rested on wax seals. On this table was a large crystal or shewstone, in which, after a while, he reported to see an angel who would point with a wand to letters on certain charts in succession. Kelly would thereupon report to Dee that the angel pointed, for example, to column four, rank twenty-nine, of one of the many charts, and so on, apparently not mentioning the letter, which Dee would then find on the table before him and write it down. When the angel had finished his instruction, the message—when it concerned certain of the major invocations or calls—was rewritten backwards. It had been dictated the wrong way round by the angel since it was considered too dangerous to communicate in a straightforward manner, each word being so powerful a conjuration that its direct pronunciation or dictation would have evoked powers and forces not desired at that moment.

  Regardless of their origin, these tablets and the whole Enochian system do represent realities of the inner planes. Their value is undoubted, as only a little study and application prove. Whilst it may seem, at first sight, that their governance is solely in the world of the elementals, that is the astral plane, there is much to indicate that they extend to planes which are spiritual and divine in nature. In any event the magical conception of the elements is rather different from that which obtains in most so-called occult philosophies.

  Perhaps a word or two of caution might be added. Undoubtedly prudence is required in this matter. It is a very powerful system, and if used carelessly and indiscriminately will bring about disaster and spiritual disintegration. The warnings given in connection with the invocations are not to be regarded as conventions or as platitudinous moralizings. They represent a knowledge of true facts, and the student will do well to take cognizance thereof. Let him study the theory first of all, so that he has a thorough knowledge of the construction of the squares and pyramids. This must be so ingrained within his mind that a glance at the tablets will automatically start an associative current which will bring up without delay the attributions of any given letter or square which strikes the eye. Only when this has been accomplished dare he venture to the actual use of the pyramids with the godforms, or to the employment of the invocations in ceremonial.

  At this juncture, also, let me record one or two facts about the angelic language in which the invocations are couched. The Outer Order rituals state, when the tablets are pointed out in the temple to the candidate, that they are written “in what our tradition calls the angelic secret language.” The tablets in use in the temples, as well as those reproduced herein, are lettered in English. These, however, are a translation or, more accurately, a transliteration of characters belonging to the Enochian alphabet. These letters will be found reproduced on a later page. It is said that these letters are not simple in character, but partake of the nature of sigils. In the section on talismans, it will have been noticed that certain geomantic emblems and astrological symbols are referred to these letters.

  This angelic secret language, whatever its origin, is a true language. It has, quite clearly, a syntax and grammar of its own, and the invocations in that language are not mere strings of words, but sentences which can be translated, not simply transliterated into English. For instance, the invocation of the three archangels ruling over the Spirit tablet, employed in the opening of the Portal grade, reads: “Ol Sonuf Vaorsagi Goho Iada Balata. Lexa
rph, Comanan, Tabitom. Zodakara, eka; zodakare od zodamran. Odo kikle qaa, piape piaomoel od vaoan.” This, translated, means “I will reign over you, saith the God of justice. Lexarph, Comanan, Tabitom, move, therefore. Show yourselves forth and appear. Declare unto us the mysteries of your creation, the balance of righteousness and truth.”

  In a First Order side lecture issued to newly initiated Zelatores by G.H. Fratre Sub Spe, there is this note on the Enochian system and language which might be worth reproducing:

  “One more point is shown you in this first part of the 1°=10 grade, and that is the great terrestrial watchtower or tablet of the north. At present it will probably be to all of you who are here present, with the exception of those who have passed into the Second Order, an absolute sea of mystery. It appears a curious arrangement of squares and letters in different colours, and perhaps you may wonder to see English and not Hebrew letters upon it, seeing that it is one of the most ancient symbols in the world. I may tell you, without betraying any knowledge which is beyond you, that these letters are transliterated for convenience. I do not think there is any one present, except myself, who could read the original language in which they are written. But I may tell you that it is a great curiosity merely from the linguistic point of view, because that language, and those characters in which it is written, are a perfect language which can be translated, and yet there is no record, so far as I am aware, that that language was ever spoken, or those characters were ever used by mortal man. Now that Müller and other great philologists have said that it is impossible that any human being should invent a language, here is a language which has existed for as far back as we are able to trace. We find traces of it on rock-cut pillars and on temples, apparently as old as the world. We find traces of it in the sacred mysteries of some of the oldest religions in the world, but we find no trace of it ever having been used as a living language, and we hold the tradition that it is the angelic secret language. Only one instance of this I may perhaps be allowed to give. The high priest of Jupiter in the earliest days of Rome was called Flamen Dialis, and you will find that the most learned are utterly ignorant as to whence came the word Dialis. They will tell you that it is ancient Etruscan, but beyond that they can tell you nothing. It is not the genitive of any known nominative. On that tablet (earth) you will see that the second of the three holy secret names of God is Dial.”