"...and arms above your head." We've all seen it, the various magickal gestures developed by both Crowley and the Golden Dawn can sometimes seen more like aerobic exercise than the magnificent and potent commands of powerful, earth shaking sorcerers. It is my contention though that properly understood and applied they can form an exemplary method of contacting and directing occult forces.
In "Book 4, Part 3"1 Crowley divides gestures into two general categories, the natural and the synthetic:
Attitudes are of two kinds: natural and artificial. Of the first kind, prostration is the obvious example. It comes naturally to man (poor creature!) to throw himself to the ground in the presence of the object of his adoration. Intermediate between this and the purely artificial form of gestures come a class which depends on acquired habit. Thus it is natural to an European officer to offer his sword in token of surrender. A Tibetan would, however, squat, put out his tongue, and place his hand behind his right ear.
It can be seen from the above that he also recognizes a third sub-category, namely those synthetic gestures that are so culturally conditioned into us that they appear to be natural. While the analysis provided in Book 4 is excellent in as far as it goes, it provides no detailed investigation of the synthetic signs which magickians may come across in their work. In particular it does not analyze the various G.D. signs, some of which are of significant symbolic complexity. Also some additional notes upon the manner in which one may go about constructing ones own signs to encapsulate particular forces would appear to be in order.
The signs used by the G.D. can be broken into three categories for the purposes of discussion, the signs of the enterer and of silence, the elemental grade signs, and the L.V.X. signs. Of these the signs of the enterer and of silence admit of most expansion and variation.
The sign of the enterer, we all know how this is done don’t we, don’t we? Now was that the left foot forward or the right? Am I throwing the force from the sides of my head, from my eyes, from somewhere else entirely? The answer to these questions is less simple than many suppose. There is no single right way of performing the enterer, rather each variation carries its own subtle symbolic meaning. Which foot then do we use for the "Step of the Avenger"? This depends upon the symbolism of the two feet, the left foot is considered symbolic of Isis and the beginning of action, while the right foot symbolizes Nephthys and the completion of action. Thus in the majority of situations we will step forward with the left foot as the enterer is the sign of projecting force, however there may be circumstances where the right foot is more appropriate. Similarly the part of the head from which we cast the energy is determined by the astrological attributions of the parts of the face. The eyes attribute to the Sun and the Moon, the ears to Jupiter and Saturn, the nostrils to Mars and Venus, and the mouth to Mercury.2 Depending then upon the nature of the force to be projected we will vary the point from which we throw the force. In general practice, for forces that do not fit within a planetary model, throwing the force from the eyes seems to be best. There is also an opportunity here for research into the usefulness of casting power from other parts of the body, for example the chakras. The Golden Dawn also gave advice on extending only some of the fingers so as to project a variety of elemental energies, in practice this is extremely clumsy and detracts from the performance of the sign.
To finish with the enterer a few notes are required as to the technique of performing the sign. The enterer throws energy outwards, as such it should be performed forcefully as explained in Liber O. Think about this, your author happens to wear spectacles which he now removes prior to ritual work, having on too many occasions seen them "project" themselves across the working space following the performance of the enterer. Also important is the focus of the eyes and the extended hands, everything in the gesture should focus upon the destination of the energy bringing to bear the weight of your Will upon a single point.
The Golden Dawn insisted that the sign of silence should always follow the sign of the enterer. Like the enterer there is no single way of performing the sign of silence. One may use a finger of either the right or left hand, the right hand shows the violent action of Geburah, while the left hand indicates the more passive force of Chesed. Thus if one wishes to withdraw oneself from contact with external powers one uses the left hand, while if one wishes to cast these forces away from oneself one uses the right hand. A perfect example of this second form of activity can be seen in the opening of Liber XXV: The Star Ruby in which the operator casts down his right forefinger from his lips, crying "Apo pantos Cacodaimonos." The choice of the forefinger her symbolizes the powers of water and thus lethargy, and this is appropriate for this operation as one is moving from inaction to action. More generally in performing the sign of silence either the thumb should be used to show the forces of spirit, or the forefinger as it’s watery nature is consonant with the nature of Hoor-Par-Kraat. As with the enterer the elemental attributions of the fingers can be used for more specific applications of the sign, however they can require a certain degree of manual dexterity on the part of the operator.
The Golden Dawn also defined a different series of visualizations to accompany the sign of silence, depending on what form of protection the magickian required. To forcibly protect oneself you were enjoined to imagine yourself stood upon a lotus flower, for quiet in meditation you imagined yourself seated upon a lotus, while for extremely material protection you visualized yourself stood upon the back of a dragon. In all these cases the whole was enclosed within an egg of blue. Magickians may usefully expand upon these examples at their leisure.
The next set of Golden Dawn signs to be examined are the elemental grade signs. In the main these are of a highly synthetic nature, being in many cases little more than a body posture based upon a lineal glyph. While the G.D. maintained that these were traditional postures of the gods of Egypt, the evidence for this in at least two cases (the signs of Auramoth and Thoum-aesh-neith) is so slender as to be almost non-existent.3
In practical use these signs are very unsatisfactory. An effective sign should positively assist a magickian to make contact with the force that the sign represents. In your authors experience however you are more likely to get muscle strain from the sign of Thoum-aesh-neith than you are to contact the elemental powers of fire. These signs can be usefully contrasted with Crowley's beautiful N.O.X. signs, where the sign of Puella performed properly will produce in anyone the feeling of being a young virginal girl. The best thing that can be said about the elemental signs is that they are all that is presently available, and it is perhaps incumbent upon some budding magickian to improve them, perhaps by using some of the techniques suggested later in this essay.
The final category of Golden Dawn signs that we will examine are the L.V.X. signs. As most magickians know these represent an analysis of the keyword INRI (an Old Aeon formula), and it’s interpretation in terms of the gnostic word of power IAO. While the analysis that the G.D. presented is not relevant in the New Aeon,4 the signs as representatives of the force of IAO are. There are four L.V.X. signs: the sign of Isis Mourning, which represents the Swastika or whirling thunderbolt; the sign of Typhon, which is the trident; the sign of Osiris Slain, which is the cross; and the sign of Osiris Risen, which is the pentagram. The symbolism of these signs follows directly from the symbols with which they are associated. Thus the pentagram shows the fusion of the five elements in man. This is then shown in the sign of Osiris Risen, making this sign perfect for it’s part in the Gnostic Mass where the communicant affirms "There is no part of me that is not of the gods." The associations of the L.V.X. signs with the equinoxes and the solstices also follow from these symbols. The swastika is matter in motion, thus Isis Mourning attributes to the Summer Solstice, Typhon is the dark king of the Winter Solstice, the cross of Osiris Slain shows the balance of light and dark at the equinoxes, while the cross quarter days fuse together these energies in the sign of Osiris Risen.
One way in which the L.V.X. signs might be extended would be to change them to fit the VIAOV formula that Crowley presents in Book 4: Part 3.5 This would probably entail the introduction of a sign at the beginning and end of the sequence to stand for Vau.
It is not the intention of this essay to continue in analysing the vast quantity of post Golden Dawn signs that have appeared over the years. Crowley’s NOX signs, as has already been said, are beautiful in their symbolism, which is best understood by their performance. They facilitate easy connection with the forces they represent and really nothing more needs to be said on them. As for the other signs which have made their way into magickal usage from time to time, most are of a rather low quality, some have been mere extensions of the G.D. practice of taking the postures of the gods of Egypt, while others, such as certain signs used by runic magickians, represent an, often hilarious, form of semaphore. Thus rather than allowing readers to repeat the mistakes of others it will be better if we turn our attention to how we may construct effective signs which will allow us to contact the forces we wish to use in our work.
The first thing that is needed in constructing a sign for a particular force is a proper experience of the force in question. Thus the magickian will begin by invoking the required force by traditional methods and by performing meditations upon it until he is certain that he can fix the sensation of it clearly in his mind. Then he will try out signs and postures, examining the feelings they conjure up within him and comparing them with his memory. Where though is the mage to find the postures to apply this test to? The requirement is for emotionally significant stylized positions, thus the clever magickian will look around him. While the gods of Egypt still have their place, comic books of the super-hero type provide a rich vein which is yet to be mined, as do advertisements. An example of a sign which can be drawn from such sources is what I shall call for convenience "The Conquering Hero." This sign is given with the legs slightly apart, the feet parallel to each other. The fists are lightly clenched and rest upon the hips, the head is raised and angled slightly to one side. This is the posture in which are seen figures such as "Superman", the quick experiment of trying the sign will show its effectiveness. The force represented is of a solar nature.
What though is the mage to do if he cannot find an example of a posture that exactly fits the energy required? Then he will start with a position that is close to what is needed and modify it an element at a time until he obtains his target. For example if in "The Conquering Hero" posture, instead of angling the head, one looks directly forward then you obtain a posture of a related but distinctly different character. This sign we may call for convenience "The Scold", and it’s nature is more consonant with Mars than with the Solar nature of "The Conquering Hero." Try these two signs out for yourselves and experience the difference between them.
Subtleties of symbolism can be built into personally developed signs later using techniques such as those employed by the Golden Dawn in the sign of the enterer. Magickians can also develop extensions on the existing G.D. signs, for example stepping forward after the enterer thus completing it with the stamp of the right foot (Nephthys, the completion of action) leaving the force extended, rather than is more usual drawing the left foot back symbolizing the withdrawing of the force.
This points up another important factor in the design of one's own gestures. Signs are not necessarily static postures, if the force being contacted represents a change of state in the operator then it may be more appropriate to have the gesture be a motion from one position to another. The same techniques of design as are described earlier are still applicable in this case.
The field for the budding magickian to design new signs is thus wide. In particular there exists at present no widely used set of planetary signs to symbolize the forces of the planets, likewise an opinion has already been given on the effectiveness of the extant elemental signs. All these represent areas for further research and it is to be hoped that this article has provided the tools for others to explore this often undervalued subject. With luck perhaps the editors of Sunwheel Journal can be prevailed upon to print some of the best (and worst!) of any such developments that readers may evolve.6
Notes
1: Magick in Theory and Practice, cap. X, "Of the
Gestures", section I.
2: See Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia, lib. ii. cap. x.
3: Auramoth and Thoum-Aesh-Neith are invented pseudo-Egyptian
goddesses, the names created qabalistically; their signs simply form the elemental
triangles for fire and water. The postures of Shu (Air) and Set fighting (Earth) are more
authentic; <rant> though the Air sign as illustrated in Regardie's Golden Dawn
and later works which simply copied from there is patently wrong and does not even match
the text description in the same book </rant> -- T.S.
4: I have come across what looks like an attempt at a New Aeon
rewrite of the INRI-IAO-LVX formula in Crowley's writings, but it would not be
appropriate to quote it in this place – T.S.
5: Magick in Theory and Practice, chapter V.
6: This essay was originally scheduled to appear in the second
issue of the Sunwheel journal, which never physically manifested. I am of course
willing to post any sufficiently interesting contributions on this site.
An example of a pair of signs developed on these principles can be found in the
ritual setting of Thunder, Perfect Mind developed by Fratres
OOO, O.B. and D.I.C.E. – T.S.
© John Tindsley; used with permission. HTML coding and endnotes by Frater T.S. for Sunwheel Oasis.