By Intelligence man conceives the ideal of God, and by Will he should turn to good works. But human will when without works is dead, or at any rate is only a vague desire: the same is true of a thought not expressed in language; it is not a word, but only a dream of the intelligence. An imagination is not a realised thing, it is only a promised something, while an act is a reality. For the same reason there is no piety without prayer, and no religion without worship. Words are the formal and social reality of ideals, and ceremonies are religion put into practice; there is no real faith unless it shows itself by actions prompted by faith. A formulated expression in words, confirmed by actions, demonstrates the two powers of a human soul. To work it is necessary to will, and to will it is necessary to formulate the desire. Actions imply ideas even if the ideals are not themselves translated into acts.

Thought is the life of intelligence, words show the creative force of thought, while actions are the last effort of words, and the desirable couplement of words. Words have been spoken, thought has been translated into action; by the act of creating, speech has taken place.

A word is the requisite formula of a thought, an act is an exhibition of will. This is why prayer is a necessity, and may obtain all that it asks. A prayer is a perfected act of the will, it is a link connecting human words with the divine Will. All ceremonies, consecrations, ablutions, and sacrifices are prayers in action, and are symbolic formulas; and they are the most potent prayers because they are translations of word into action, showing will power and persistence, seeing that they require more constrained attention than silent prayer, or prayer expressed in words; and so they constitute real work, and such work demands a man's whole energy.

Notes

The First Tarot Trump is named Le Bateleur, and in English is spoken of as the Magician. Levi remarks in one of his works that the arms and body of the figure bear a resemblance to the first letter, Aleph, of the Hebrew alphabet, in some packs of the oldest designs; but the student will do wisely to consult his intuition, if he have no adept instructor, as to the true attribution of this or either of the other trumps of the Tarot.

The Magician stands by a table holding a magical wand in his left hand; before him on the table are lying other implements suitable to his task, such as a dagger, cup, and pantacle. His face expresses assurance, and intelligence beams from his eyes.

Levi elsewhere defines its occult meaning to be God, spirit, unity; and man as a reflection of God. P. Christian, in his Histoire de la Magie, says that this card represents, in the Divine world, the Absolute One; in the Intellectual world, Unity; and in the Physical world, Man; and that man should, like God, work without ceasing, for a state of willing nothing and doing nothing is hardly less fatal than evil doing.

II

THE PRIESTESS---LA PAPESSE

DEPTH is equal to height, darkness is contrasted with light, matter is but the garment of the spirit. That which is below is like that which is above. The breath of God is borne along over the waters, and the waters remain aloft carried on by the breath of God. That which we call the Breath of God is the Life Essence spread over the worlds; it is that warm luminous fluid which gives a soul to the planets; the common reservoir of progressive animal life; the universal basis of the sympathies between bodies, and the medium of love between souls; it is the vehicle of the will, and common basis for all the varied modifications of the Creative Word. The Breath of the mouth of God leads to the corresponding human breath. God said, "Let us make man," and man answers, "Let us make to ourselves a God."

When God made creation manifest as a temple, He illumined the planets as light-bearers, He decorated the earth with flowers as an altar, He gave mysterious properties to metals and plants, and He drew with His finger circles, triangles, and the cross, as eternal pantacles, traced in living fire upon the immense vault of the skies. The Magus should imitate his God upon this earth, his dwelling.

Know, Will, and Act; these are the three essentials for sacerdotal and royal high magic. Matter and form are instruments placed in the power of the Magus, his acts should be dependent on the Word, and so shall none of his deeds be lost, and his teachings shall be preserved.

You then who desire to understand the mysteries of this Science and to perform marvels, consider and tremble lest you have as yet failed to attain to knowledge and wisdom; for if so; you stand on the brink of an abyss; stop, ere it is too late. But if you have secured the Lamp and Wand of Initiation, if you are cognisant of the secrets of the Nine, if you never speak of God without the Light which proceeds from Him, if you have received the mystical baptism of the Four Elements, if you have prayed upon the Seven Mountains, if you know the mode of motion of the Double Sphynxed Chariot, if you have grasped the dogma of why Osiris was a black god, if you are free, if you are a king, if you are in truth a priest in the temple of Solomon---act without fear, and speak, for your words will be all-powerful in the spiritual kingdom, and the breath of God will follow the utterances of your mouth, and the powers of the heavens and of the earth will be obedient unto you.

Notes

The Second Tarot Trump represents a seated female figure, crowned with a tiara, and holding a book in her hands; it is partly concealed by her mantle. She has a veil around her head, and some old cards show the horns of Isis upon her head-dress. Some authors who discredit the great age and Egyptian origin of the Tarot symbols have asserted that this card was intended to represent the fabulous Pope Joan. This character was said to be an Englishwoman of great learning, ability, and vice, who was chosen Pope in AD 855, succeeding Leo IV. Both Protestants and Roman Catholics have now rejected the story as a groundless fiction. Levi, in his Dogme de la haute Magie, throws out the suggestion that this trump represents the Greek Juno, and he assigns as its occult meanings---the house of God, and of man; sanctuary, the Gnosis, the Kabalah, the dyad, woman and maternity.

The Rosicrucians considered this card to be Isis, the Great Mother, Soul of Nature. P. Christian gives as its meaning---Occult Science awaiting the initiate at the door of the sanctuary.

III

THE EMPRESS---L'IMPERATRICE

You should before all other things study and understand the sacred laws of Nature. Discern the Father Spirit and Mother Spirit, and recognise the sex aspect of the two breaths, and the soul of their movements; learn how the black female seeks the caresses of the white male, and why the white male does not disdain the dark woman. The white man is Day, or the Sun; and the black woman refers to Night, and the Moon. It is necessary to know the names and powers of the twelve precious jewels which are included in the crown of gold referred to the Sun, and the names also which are allotted to the chief of the powers of the Moon. You will then require to be familiar with the keys of the Fifty Gates, the secret of the Thirty-two Paths, and the characters of the Seven Spirits.

These Seven Spirits are, Michael of the Sun, Gabriel of the Moon, Samael of Mars, Raphael of Mercury, Zachariel of Jupiter, Anael of Venus, and Orifiel of Saturn. These govern the world in successive order, and the completion of their seven ages of ruling power constitutes a Week of the Time of God.

You must learn also the plants, colours, perfumes, and musical notes which correspond to the seven planetary powers; and it is essential to retain those correspondences with the utmost exactitude. Thus when it is required to do perfect magical work, the procedure of each day is different in many particulars.

On Sunday you must wear a purple robe, a tiara, and golden bracelets; you must arrange about the altar or tripod, garlands of laurel, heliotrope, or sunflower; you must use as a fumigating incense cinnamon, frankincense, saffron, and red sandal-wood; you require at your right hand a golden wand set with a ruby or a chrysolite; and your operations must be carried out between one hour past midnight up to eight in the morning, or between three in the afternoon and ten in the evening.

On Monday you should wear a white robe with silver ornaments, with a collar of three rows consisting of pearls, crystals, and selenites; a tiara yellow with the letters of Gabriel in silver. The proper perfumes are those of camphor, white sandalwood, amber, and cucumber seeds; the garlands for the altar should be of armoise (query, mugwort, artemisia), evening primrose, and yellow ranunculus. Avoid with care anything of black colour; use no cup or vessel of gold, silver only, or clear white china or pottery. The same hours as before mentioned for the Sun, but use rather the night hours.

On Tuesday the colour of the robe should be fiery, or rusty, or of blood colour, with a girdle and bracelets of steel; the wand should be of magnetised steel; a sword may also be used and a consecrated dagger; garlands of absinth and rue; an amethyst and steel ring on the finger should also be worn.

On Wednesday the robe should be green or of shot silk many tinted; the necklet of pearls, or of glass beads containing mercury; the perfumes are benzoin, myrrh, and storax; the flowers for the garlands are the narcissus, lily, the annual or perennial mercurialis, fumitory, or marjoram; the precious stone is the agate.

On Thursday the robe of scarlet, a lamen of tin upon the forehead, bearing the symbol of Jupiter and the three words Giazar of Fire, Bethor of Water, and Samgabiel, also fiery; the perfumes for incense, ambergris, cardamon, grains of paradise, balm, mace, and saffron. The ring should contain an emerald or a sapphire; the garlands of oak, poplar, fig-tree, or pomegranate; the wand of glass or resin. The robe should be made of wool or silk.

On Friday the robe of azure blue, its decorations of green or rose colour, the wand of polished copper; the perfumes are musk, civet, and amber; crown of violets; garlands of roses interspersed with boughs of myrtle and olive; the ring ornamented by a turquoise. Lapis lazuli and beryl should decorate the crown or diadem. The operator should hold a fan formed of swan's feathers, and should wear around his loins a circlet, being a copper plate on which is engraved Anael, with its sigil, and on a circle surrounding these the words Ave Evah; Vade Lilith.

On Saturday the robe should be black, or dark brown, with appropriate designs embroidered in orange-coloured silk. Around the neck should be worn a chain and lamen formed of lead engraved with the name Saturn and his sigil, with the additions of the words Almalec, Aphiel, and Zarahiel. The proper perfumes for the incense are scammony, aloes, sulphur, and asafoetida. The wand should be ornamented with an onyx stone, and the proper garlands are of ash, cyprus, and black hellebore. Upon the onyx on the wand there should be engraved with a consecrated tool, during the hours of Saturn, a figure of the double-faced Janus.

Notes

The Third Tarot Trump, the Empress, represents a seated female figure upon a throne, crowned with twelve stars, and holding in her left hand a sceptre surmounted by a diamond-shaped emblem, or a globe; she has wings, and by her right side is emblazoned on a shield the black eagle. This figure is the Greek Aphrodite-Urania, and corresponds to the figure in St. John's vision, clothed with the Sun, crowned with twelve stars, and having the Moon beneath her feet.

Levi gives in his Rituel its meanings as the Word, the ternary, plenitude, fecundity, nature. See also Waite, page 255. Christian, page 116, allots Isis to this trump. This is erroneous; no examples of the Empress ever show horns, while several Priestess cards of the oldest types do show the horns of Isis upon her head.