The Seventh Chapter. Regarding What it is Necessary to Accomplish During the First Two Moons...

p. 64

THE SEVENTH CHAPTER.

REGARDING WHAT IT IS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH DURING THE FIRST TWO MOONS OF THE BEGINNING OF THIS VERITABLE AND SACRED MAGIC.

E who commenceth this Operation should consider with care that which we have before said, and should pay attention unto that which followeth; and the thing being of importance, I shall leave alone for the present all other considerations, so that we may begin with the Operation which we should perform on the first morning after the celebration of the Feast of Easter (or Passover).

Firstly: Having carefully washed one's whole body and having put on fresh clothing: precisely a quarter of an hour before Sunrise ye shall enter into your Oratory, open the window, and place yourselves upon your knees before the Altar, turning your faces towards the window; and devoutly and with boldness ye shall invoke the Name of the Lord, thanking Him for all the grace which He hath given and granted unto you from your infancy until now then with humility shall ye humble yourselves unto Him, and confess unto Him entirely all your sins; supplicating Him to be willing to pardon you and remit them. Ye shall also supplicate Him that in the time to come He may be willing and pleased to regard you with pity and grant you His grace and goodness to send unto you His Holy Angel, who shall serve unto you as a Guide, and lead you ever in His Holy Way and Will; so that ye fall not into sin through inadvertence, through ignorance, or through human frailty.

In this manner shall ye commence your Oration, and continue thus every morning during the first two Moons or Months.

p. 65

Meseemeth here that now some may say Wherefore dost thou not write down the words or form of prayer the which I should employ, seeing that, as for me, I am neither sufficiently learned, nor devout, nor wise?

Know ye that although in the beginning your prayer be but feeble, it will suffice, provided that ye understand how to demand the Grace of the Lord with love and a true heart, whence it must be that such a prayer cometh forth. Also it serveth nothing to speak without devotion, without attention, and without intelligence; nor yet to pronounce it with the mouth alone, without a true intent; nor yet to read it as do the ignorant and the impious. But it is absolutely necessary that your prayer should issue from the midst of your heart, because simply setting down prayers in writing, the hearing of them will in no way explain unto you how really to pray. ¹ This is the reason that I have not wished to give unto you any special form of prayers and orations, so that ye yourselves may learn from and of yourselves how to pray, and how to invoke the Holy Name of God, our Lord; and for that reason I have not been willing that ye should rely upon me in order to pray. Ye have the Holy and Sacred Scripture, the which is filled with very beautiful and potent prayers and actions of grace. Study then herein, and learn herefrom, and ye shall have no lack of instructions how to pray with fruit. And although in the commencement your prayer may be weak, it sufficeth that your heart be true and loyal towards God, Who little by little will kindle in you His Holy Spirit, Who will so teach you and enlighten your Spirit, that ye shall both know and have the power to pray.

When ye shall have performed your orations, close

p. 66

the window, and go forth from the Oratory; so that no one may be able therein to enter; and ye shall not yourselves enter again until the evening when the Sun shall be set. Then shall ye enter therein afresh, and shall perform your prayers in the same manner as in the morning.

For the rest, ye shall govern yourselves each day as I shall tell you in the following instructions.

Concerning the Bed Chamber and the Oratory, and how they should be arranged, I will tell hereafter in the Eleventh Chapter. ¹

It is requisite that ye shall have a Bed Chamber near the Oratory or else your ordinary habitation, which it is necessary first to thoroughly clean out and perfume, and see that the Bed be both new and clean. Your whole attention must be given to purity in all things; because the Lord hath in abomination all that is impure. You shall sleep in this said Chamber, and you shall continue therein during the day, there transacting the matters which belong unto your business; and those which you can dispense with, leave alone. You may sleep with your Wife in the bed when she is pure and clean; but when she hath her monthly courses you shall not allow her to enter the bed, nor even the Chamber. Every Sabbath-eve it is necessary to change the sheets of the bed, and all the linen. Every Saturday you shall perfume the Chamber. And ye shall not allow any dog, cat, or other animal to enter into nor dwell therein; so that they may in no way be able to render it unclean. As regardeth the matrimonial obligation, it is chastity, and the duty that of engendering children; but the whole should be done in the Fear of God, and, above all things, in such case see that your Wife be not impure. But during the following four Moons ye shall flee sexual intercourse as ye would

p. 67

the Plague. Even if ye have children, endeavour to send them away unto another place before (commencing the Operation), so that they may not be an hindrance from being about you; except the eldest-born of the family, and infants at the breast.

As regardeth the regimen of your life and actions, ye shall have regard unto your status and condition. If you be your own Master, as far as lieth in your power, free yourself from all your business, and quit all mundane and vain company and conversation; leading a life tranquil, solitary and honest. If aforetime you have been a wicked, debauched, avaricious, luxurious and proud man, leave and flee from all these Vices. Consider that this was one of the principal reasons why ABRAHAM, MOSES, DAVID, ELIJAH, JOHN, and other holy men retired into desert places, until that they had acquired this Holy Science and Magic; because where there are many people, many scandals do arise; and where scandal is, Sin cometh; the which at length offendeth and driveth away the Angel of God, and the Way which leadeth unto Wisdom becometh closed unto ye. Fly as far as you can the conversation of men, and especially of such as in the past have been the companions of your debauches; or who have led you into sin. Ye shall therefore seek retirement as far as possible; until that ye shall have received that Grace of the Lord which ye ask. But a Domestic Servant ¹ who is compelled to serve a Master cannot well have these conveniences (for working and performing the Operation).

Take well heed in treating of business, in selling or buying, that it shall be requisite that you never give way unto anger, but be modest and patient in your actions.

You shall set apart two hours each day after having dined, during the which you shall read with care the Holy Scripture and other Holy Books, because they will

p. 68

teach you to be good at praying, and how to fear the Lord; and thus day by day shall ye better know your Creator. The other exercises which be free and permitted unto you, are hereafter set forth and principally in the Eleventh Chapter.

As for eating, drinking and sleeping, such should be in moderation and never superfluous. It is especially necessary to shun drunkenness, and flee public dinners. Content yourself with eating at your own house, with your family, in the peace and quiet which God hath granted unto you. You should never sleep during the day, but you may in the morning, for after that you have performed your devotions you may if you wish again go to bed to rest yourself. And if it happeneth by chance that you do not rise sufficiently early, that is to say before sunrise, it doth not greatly matter (provided that it be not done of evil intent), and you shall perform your ordinary morning prayer; ¹ but you should not accustom yourself to be slothful, it being always better to pray unto God at an early hour.

CONCERNING CLOTHING AND FAMILY.

Your dress should be clean but moderate, and according to custom. Flee all vanity. You shall have two dresses, in order that you may be able to change them; and you shall change them the eve of each Sabbath, wearing the one one week, and the other the next; brushing and perfuming them always beforehand.

As for that which regardeth the family, the fewer in

p. 69

number, the better also act so that the servants may be modest and tranquil. All these pieces of advice be principal points which it is well to observe. As for the rest, you have only to keep before your eyes the Tables of the Law during all this time, and also afterwards; because these Tables should be the rule of your life.

Let your hand be ever ready to give alms and other benefits to your neighbour; and let your heart be ever open unto the poor, whom God so loveth that one cannot express the same.

And in the case that during this period you should be attacked by some illness, which would not permit you to go unto the Oratory, this need not oblige you to abandon your enterprise at once; but you should govern yourself to the best of your ability; and in such case you shall perform your orations in your bed, entreating God to restore you to health, so that you may be enabled to continue your undertaking, and make the sacrifices which be due, and so with the greater strength be able to work to obtain His Wisdom.

And this is all that we should do and observe during these two Moons.

Footnotes

65:1 This is the great point to be studied in all Magical Operations soever, and unless the whole heart and soul and faith go with the ceremony, there can be no reliable result produced.

66:1 The title of the Eleventh Chapter of the Second Book is "Concerning the Selection of the Place".

67:1 Meaning in the case where the Aspirant unto the Sacred Magic is a Servant actually then serving a Master.

68:1 The object of most of these instructions is of course to keep the Astral Sphere of the Aspirant free from evil influences, and accustom him to pure and holy thoughts and to the exercise of Will power and Self-control. The student of the Indian Tatwas will know the value of active meditation at Sunrise because that moment is the Akâsic commencement of the Tatwic course in the day, and of the power of the Swara.