Adam asked:
My main interest is creating talismans. I speak Hebrew, and have studied Kabbalah (Tanya). Would reading the chapter on Enochian tables aid me in this? My interest is deriving sigils using Hebrew letters and their numbers in association with the planetary tables, but I do not know the algorithm for this. I was told the greater key of Solomon the king or abramelin would show the procedure. Example: How does one make the sigil for an angel, or if the name is unknown derive an angel's name using a table? I wish to become an expert in the making of talismans...any suggestions?
David Allen Hulse answered:
The key to turning names and words of power in Hebrew into talismans (according to Golden Dawn techniques) is based on three methods: (1) The planetary magic squares, (2) The Hebrew Gematria cypher table known as AIQ BKR, (3)The numerical reduction formula known as Theosophical reduction. Take a specific magic square based on the planetary influence of the 7 ancient planets (found on pliv-lix of the WESTERN MYSTERIES). Theosophical reduces any multiple number to a single digit. The number 49 reduces to 4 as 4+9=13=1+3=4.The number 19 reduces to 1 as 1+9=10=1+0=1. Thus any number on a magic square can correspond to a Hebrew alphabet letter by reducing any multiple number to a single digit and then finding the 3 letters by AIQ BKR that corresponds to that particular square. The square of Saturn is a perfect magic square to illustrate these correspondences:
4 9 2
3 5 7
8 1 6
By AIQ BKR the following letters cluster in each of the 9 chambers as follows:
DMTh TTzTzf BKR
GLSh HNKf ZONf
ChPPf AIQ VSMf
Thus any name in Hebrew could be traced on the magic square of Saturn. By connecting lines between each point on the square in the order of the letters found in the name a planetary sigil can be drawn. The squares in the Abramelin rituals are letters drawn within various magic squares. Originally a blend of Hebrew, Greek and Latin, these squares were lettered by Crowley in Enochian. The Enochian system is a very complex system of deriving angelic and demonic names from letters upon squares. There is also a secret number value for these lettered squares as well. The 11th key of THE WESTERN MYSTERIES shows the pattern behind the 4 Enochian Watchtowers, which are only part of a very complex and obscure system. My advice, since you are fluent in Hebrew, is to work deeply in the Hebrew Qabalah. There is far more treasures, mysteries, and astonishment that can be found in the path of the Qabalah, that can never be seen in Enochian. Enochian is the darkest aspect of the Golden Dawn tradition, and has caused much mental stress and anxiety on the beginning student of magic. Paul Foster Case ultimately came to the conclusion that Enochian is a dead end street for Kabalistic research. Though I feel that knowledge and power can be found in Enochian magic, I have seen in my own research how limited Enochian is as a magical language when one compares its extant vocabulary, and its methods of numbering the alphabet to Sanskrit or Hebrew, two wonderfully complex systems of secret numerical knowledge.
Tibetan, Greek, Coptic, Persian, Arabic, and Latin are also very fertile traditions to mine for undiscovered knowledge in the secret tradition of numbers.If an element or zodiac sign is being worked instead of a planet, use the corresponding planet to that sign or element. By Golden Dawn Tree of Life correspondences, fire is Mars and Venus, Water is Jupiter and Mercury, Air is Sun and Moon, and Earth is Saturn. The planetary/zodiac correspondences are shown on page lxxv of THE WESTERN MYSTERIES. If a specific Hebrew letter is the object of your working use the zodiac for the 12 simples, the planets for the 7 doubles and the 3 mothers for the elements. Use AIQ BKR and Theosophical Reduction to trace any name in Hebrew upon the various squares of the seven magic squares. AIQ BKR reduces the 27 lettered Hebrew alphabet to the number values of 1 through 9.
Here is the key:
1=A I Q
2=B K R
3=G L Sh
4=D M Th
5=H N K final
6=V S M final
7=Z O N final
8=Ch P P final
9=T z Tz final