The Magical Ritual of The Sanctum Regnum
Eliphas Levi
VII. The Chariot of Hermes - Le Chariot
The Chariot of Hermes has attached to its car a white and also a black Sphynx; each of these symbolic animals propounds an enigma to the neophyte. The word of the White Sphynx is Jachin. The word of the Black Sphynx is Boaz. The former word here signifies Love; the latter word here signifies Power. Samael guides the White Sphynx, Anael guides the Black Sphynx; because attraction is set up by contraries. Hermes, seated in the Chariot, touches the Black Sphynx with the point of a sword of steel, but the White Sphynx with a sceptre of gold.
It is after the type founded by the Thrice Great Hermes that the Magus learns how to use the Magical Wand and the Sword to control good and evil powers and beings.
Evil beings fear the sword because their astral forms are subject to wounds and to being severed by such a weapon. White spirits obey the consecrated magical wand because of its correspondence to the type of the Wand of the God-sent magician Moses.
Formation and Consecration of a Magical Sword.
The sword-blade of steel should be forged in the hour of Mars, and new smith's tools should be used. The pommel should be of silver, made hollow, and containing a little quicksilver; the symbols of Mercury and Luna, with the monograms of Gabriel and Samael, should be engraved upon its surface. The hilt should be encased with tin, and should have the symbol of Jupiter and the monogram of Michael engraved upon it; see Cornelius Agrippa, De occulta Philosophia, liber iii., cap. 30. There should be a small triangular copper plate extending from the hilt up the blade of the sword a short distance on each side; on these should be engraved the symbols of Venus and Mercury.
The guard should end in two curved plates on each side; on these, the words Gedulah, Netzach upon one side, and Geburah, Hod upon the other, should be engraved; and in the middle between them engrave the Sephirotic name, Tiphereth.
Upon the blade itself engrave upon one side Malkuth, and upon the other side the words Quis ut Deus.
The Consecration of the Magical Sword must be performed on a Sunday during the Solar hour and under the invoked power of Michael. Drape the Altar, prepare the Tripod, and burn therein the wood of laurel and cypress, consecrate the fire, and then thrust the blade of the sword into it, saying, "Elohim Tzabaoth, by the power of the Tetragrammaton, in the name of Adonai and of Mikael, may this sword become a weapon of might to scatter the beings of the unseen world, may its use in war bring peace, may it be brilliant as Tiphereth, terrible as Geburah, and merciful as Chesed." Withdraw the sword from the fire, and quench it in a liquid composed of the blood of a reptile mixed with sap to be obtained from a green laurel: then polish the blade with the ashes of vervain carefully burned.
Formation and Consecration of the Magic Wand.
Choose the wood of an almond or nut tree which has just flowered for the first time; the bough should be cut off at one blow by the magical sickle. It must be bored evenly from end to end without any crack or injury, and a magnetised steel needle of the same length must be introduced. One end must be closed by a clear transparent glass bead, and the other end by a similar bead of resin: cover up these two ends with sachets of silk. Fit two rings near the middle of the wand, one of copper and one of zinc, and supply two portions of fine chain of the same metals; roll them round the wand, and fix the ends into the wand close to the ends. Upon the wand should then be written the names of the Twelve Spirits of the Zodiacal Cycle; their sigils should also be added.
- Aries - Sarahiel
- Taurus - Araziel
- Gemini - Saraiel
- Cancer - Phakiel
- Leo - Seratiel
- Virgo - Schaltiel
- Libra - Chadakiel
- Scorpio - Sartziel
- Sagittarius - Saritiel
- Capricornus - Semaqiel
- Aquarius - Tzakmaqiel
- Pisces - Vacabiel
Upon the Copper Ring engrave in Hebrew letters from right to left the words "The Holy Jerusalem," H QDSHH JRUSHLIM ; and upon the Zinc Ring engrave in Hebrew letters from right to left the words "The King Solomon," H MLK SHLMH, Heh Melek Shelomoh.
When the wand is complete, it must be consecrated by invocations of spirits of the Four Elements and the Seven Planets by ceremonies lasting over the seven days of a week, using the special incense and prayers already described for each day.
The consecrated Wand, and indeed all magical implements, should be kept wrapped in silk, and never allowed in contact with any colour but black; and it is well to keep them in a cedar or ebony box.
With this Wand duly made and fully consecrated, the Magus can cure unknown diseases, he may enchant a person, or cause him to fall asleep at will, can wield the forces of the elements and cause the oracles to speak.
Notes
In this chapter Levi describes the Tarot Trump No. 7, the Chariot; in his Rituel he assigns its meanings, as - Weapon, sword, sacred septenary, triumph, royalty, priesthood.
In respect to this card P. Christian writes that in the Divine World it refers to the dominance of spirit over natural force; in the Intellectual World, Priesthood and authority; in the Physical World, the submission of matter to the intelligence and will-power of man.
This seventh key is figured in Levi's Rituel in a full-paged plate facing page 332.