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4 - Making your Geomantic Instruments
Obtain an open-topped, square wooden box, or, alternatively, if you are a purist, make one for yourself. If you follow the latter course and want to be a real purist you can cut your own timber and manufacture your own glue; we have known at least one devoted occultist who did just that, but, alas, the magical results he achieved seemed in no way superior to those obtained by another esotericist of our acquaintance who used an old fruit box!
The dimensions of your box are not particularly important, but in practice anything over one foot six inches by one foot six inches will found to be impossibly unwieldy, and anything under six inches by six inches will prove 'fiddly' in use. Paint the outside of the box as follows:
• Bottom -/- Black
• Side Facing You -/- Citrine (brownish yellow)
• Side Facing Away from You -/- Black
• Right Hand Side -/- Russet (a reddish brown)
• Left Hand Side -/- Olive (brownish green)
There is no need to bother with the technical details of exactly why these are the colours used. At this stage it is sufficient to note that they pertain to one of the spheres of the qabalistic diagram known as the Tree of Life - Malkuth, the 'Sphere of the Elements' - and are formed by a particular mode by which the colours of some of the higher spheres are reflected into it. (1)
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[1] It is useful if at this stage in your magical career you read an elementary text on the Qabalah, simultaneously with your practical progress, in no way neglecting the latter for the former. Such a text is Dion Fortune's Mystical Qabalah, or Israel Regardie's Garden of Pomegranates. Both outline briefly much of the Qabalistic theory behind practical western magic. Charles Ponce's Kabbalah is an excellent historical and theoretical background which draws purely from qabalistic sources.
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Having completed the painting of your box fill it with either dry earth, peat, rock salt or - in many ways the most satisfactory - sand. Should the last be your choice of filler material it should be obtained from an inland site and not from the seashore for otherwise the symbolism would be incorrect; geomancy, it will be remembered, pertains to the Earth elementals and the instruments employed in its practical techniques should be as free as possible from any association with Water, Air or Fire.
The next step is the manufacture of your geomantic wand. Obtain a rounded stick, about a foot to eighteen inches in length, and sharpen one end. Once again, if you have a purist desire to do things the hard way you can go to almost infinite trouble in the process of manufacture of your wand - cutting it at sunrise on May morning from a hazel bush with one stroke of a knife that has never been used for any other purpose, for example - but all this sort of thing is entirely unnecessary, a hangover from the traditions of the Middle Ages - and a length of dowelling purchased from a Do-It-Yourself shop should prove perfectly satisfactory.
Divided your wand into five equal segments and paint them as follows:
• Bottom (2) Segment -/- Black
• Second Segment -/- Russet
• Third Segment -/- Olive
• Fourth Segment -/- Citrine
• Topmost Segment -/- White
You have now completed the manufacture of the first of your magical implements and all that remains before you can begin to use them is their ritual consecration; in other words, the construction of a magical link between them on the one hand, and the Earth elementals on the other.
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[2] ie the pointed segment.
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Your first consecration will, inevitably enough, be comparatively crude in form. Nevertheless, if properly carried out it will be quite as effective as the more polished ceremonies you will carry out at a later stage of your occult career. The rite is as follows:
On the altar of your temple have (a) a glass or goblet half-full of water (a brandy glass is ideal); (b) two saucers, on the first of which is a little salt and on the second a little ash from a used joss-stick; (c) an unlit joss-stick in an improvised holder and (d) the geomantic box and wand.
Carry out the Qabalistic Cross and the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram the details of which are set out in the Appendix on Pentagram Rituals. Make sure that this ritual is thoroughly mastered before proceeding. In fact it is worthwhile spending several weeks over daily practise of the Qabalistic Cross and Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram alone before passing on to the next step.
The next stage is the preparation of 'Holy Water', designed to be used in the ceremonial purification of your temple.
Face towards the North, standing to the South of your altar. Extend your right hand, palm downwards, over the salt and repeat the following prayer:
'May Wisdom abide in this salt and may it preserve my mind and body from all corruption. May all phantoms depart from it so that it may become a heavenly salt, salt of earth and earth of salt. May it feed the threshing ox and strengthen my hope with the horns of the Winged Bull! So mote it be.'
While you are repeating this prayer you must imagine as strongly as possible that a river of glowing whiteness is flowing from the palm of your hand into the salt.
Extend your hand over the ash, palm downwards as before, and say:
'May this ash return unto the fount of Living Water; may it become a fertile Earth; may it bring forth the Tree of Life.'
Moving to the eastern side of your altar but facing inwards (ie towards the West), add the salt and ash to the water in your glass and recite:
'In the salt of eternal wisdom, in the water of preparation, in the ash whence the new earth springeth, be all things accomplished unto the Age of the Ages. So mote it be.'
You have now completed the preparation of Holy Water; the rite you have used is one popular amongst present-day magicians and, to avoid mystification, it is worth adding that it is a modern adaptation of certain instructions incorporated into the Doctrine and Ritual of Transcendental Magic of the French occultist Eliphas Levi.
Take up your glass of Holy Water and, sprinkling a little with your fingertips as you go, make a complete circuit of your Temple in a clockwise direction, reciting as you do so the following words:
'So therefore first the Priest who governeth the works of Fire must sprinkle with the Lustral Water of the loud-resounding sea.'
Light your joss-stick, take it in your hand, and make another circuit of the Temple reciting:
'And when after all the phantoms have vanished thou shalt see that holy formless Fire, that Fire which darts and flashes through the hidden depths of the universe, hear thou the voice of Fire.'
Replace the joss-stick upon your altar and make three further clockwise circuits of your Temple, each time reciting the following Adoration:
'Holy are Thou Lord of the Universe. Holy art Thou whom Nature hath not formed. Holy art Thou, the vast and the mighty One, Lord of the Light and the Darkness.'
Stand before your altar facing North and make over the implements the Invoking Pentagram of Earth, (3) then recite the following prayer:
'O Thou Who are from everlasting, Thou Who hast created all things, and doth clothe Thyself with the forces of Nature as with a garment by Thy holy and divine Name Adonai whereby Thou art known especially in that quarter we name Tzaphon (pronounce Za-fon), the North, I beseech Thee to grant unto me strength and insight for my search after the hidden Light and Wisdom. I entreat Thee to cause Thy Archangel Auriel who governeth the works of Earth to guide me in the pathway, and furthermore to direct Thine Angel Phorlakh (pronounce For-lak) to watch over my footsteps therein.
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[3] See Appendix I and II for these and subsequent Pentagrams and Hexagrams.
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'May the Ruler of Earth, the powerful Prince Kerub, by the gracious permission of the Infinite Supreme increase and strengthen the hidden forces and occult virtues of these geomantic implements so that with them I may be enabled to perform aright those divinatory operations for which they have been fashioned. For which purpose I now perform this mystic rite of consecration in the Divine Presence of ADONAI.'
Raise your hand and trace once more the Invoking Pentagram of Earth. Then read aloud the following Invocation of the King. (4)
'In the Three Great Secret Holy Names of God borne upon the Banners of the North, EMOR DIAL HCTGA (pronounce Em-or-r Di-a-l Hec-tay-gah), I summon Thee, Thou great King of the North ICZHICIAL (pronounce Ik-zod-hitch-ial) to attend upon this ceremony and increase its effect, whereby I do now consecrate these divinatory instruments. Confer upon them the utmost occult might and virtue of which Thou mayest judge them to be capable in all divinatory works of the nature of Earth.'
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[4] The Invocation of the King pertains to the Enochian magical system. This is of great complexity and in spite of its undoubted appeal for even beginners in magic it is best that it should be left alone except by advanced students. There is no reason, however, why the Enochian Names of Power should not be employed as they are in the above Invocation and in the Invocation to the Six Seniors which follows. Complete details of the Enochian magical system, taken from unpublished manuscripts is soon to be published in Enochian Magic by Stephen Skinner. See also A True and Faithful Relation of What Passed for Many Yeers between Dr John Dee ... and some Spirits, ed Meric Casaubon. Askin Publishers, London, 1974.
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Raise your hand and trace over the implements the Hexagram of Saturn (5) and read the following Invocation of the Six Seniors:
'Ye Mighty Princes of the Northern Quadrangle, I invoke ye who are known to me by the honourable title and position of rank of Seniors. Hear my petition, O ye mighty Princes the Six Seniors of the Northern Quarter of the Earth who bear the names of:
Laidrom Alphctga Aczinor Ahmlicv Lzinopo Liiansa (pronounce Lay-ee-drom Al-pay-hay-see-tay-ga Ac-zod-in-or Ah-m-el-ee-see-vee El-zod-ee-en-oh-poh El-ee-ee-ah-en-sa)
and be this day present with me. Bestow upon these geomantic implements the strength and purity whereof ye are masters in the Elemental Forces which ye control that their outward and material form may remain a true symbol of their inward and spiritual force.'
Read the following Invocation of the Enochian Angel of Fire of Earth whilst tracing the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the implements:
'O Thou glorious Angel Naaom (pronounce En-ay-ay-om), Thou who governest the fiery essences of the Earth, I invoke Thee to bestow upon these geomantic implements the magical powers of which Thou art sovereign, that by their help I may carry out divinatory works of the nature of Earth.'
Trace once more the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the implements and read the Invocation of the Enochian Angel of Water of Earth:
'O Thou glorious Angel Nphra (pronounce Enn-pee-heh-rah), Thou who governest the moist and fluid influences of Earth, I invoke Thee to bestow upon these geomantic implements the magical powers of which Thou art sovereign, that by their help I may carry out divinatory works of the nature of Earth.'
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[5] See Appendix II.
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Trace the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the implements and read the Invocation of the Enochian Angel of Air of Earth:
'O Thou glorious Angel Nboza (pronounce En-bo-zod-ah), Thou who governest the airy and delicate essence of Earth, I invoke Thee to bestow upon these geomantic implements the magical powers of which Thou art sovereign, that by their help I may carry out divinatory works of the nature of Earth'
Trace the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the implements and read the Invocation of the Enochian Angel of Earth of Earth:
'O Thou glorious Angel Nroam (pronounce En-ro-ah-em), Thou who governest the dense and solid Earth I invoke Thee to bestow upon these geomantic implements the magical powers of which Thou art sovereign, that by their help I may carry out all divinatory works of the nature of Earth.'
Trace the Invoking Pentagram of Earth over the implements.
This completes the consecration of your geomantic implements; they can now be considered as 'charged' with the magical powers attributed to the element of Earth and, except when in use, should be kept wrapped in black cloth. Traditionally silk or linen have been used for this purpose.
