I. The Calyx.
II. Circulus.
- Advance to East. Trace circle counter-clockwise around the “Chamber of Art” or place of your working, visualizing a shimmering silver mist encompassing the area.
- Vibrate:
Ἡ ΠΕΛΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ἡ ὙΓΡΑ
Ὁ ὌΦΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ὬΙΟΝ
III. Praesidia.
- Remaining at the center, face East. Perform the gesture Cervus as follows:
a. Assume the Wand Posture.
b. Raise hands to frame forehead in triangle. Inhale & visualize a brilliant white pentagram within triangle.
c. Exhale & vibrate ἈΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ.
d. Inhale, strengthening the image of the pentagram.
e. Exhale & fling hands apart and forward, visualizing the pentagram diffusing into the mist-wall in a burst of light, vibrate ΣΕΛΑΗ−ΓΕΝΕΤΗΣ.
- Face North. Cervus as above, but instead vibrating at the two points:
a. ἸΣΧΥΡΟΣ
b. ΚΥΡΙΟΣ - Face West. Cervus:
a. ἸΣΧΥΡΟΣ
b. ΠΑΓΚΡΑΤΗΣ - Face South. Cervus:
a. ἈΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ
b. ΘΕΟΣ
IV. Invocatio.
- Face East. Assume the Wand Posture.
- Vibrate: ΓΑΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ὁ ἸΧΩΡ ΤΟΥ ὈΥΡΑΝΟΥ
- Raise arms in Tau, palms down, throughout fourfold invocation:
a. Visualize then vibrate: TO THE EAST ΣΩΤΗΡ
b. TO THE SOUTH ἈΛΑΣΤΩΡ
c. TO THE WEST ἈΣΦΑΛΕΙΟΣ
d. TO THE NORTH ἈΜΥΝΤΩΡ
V. The Calyx.
Notes on the Setting of the Wards of Power
The purpose of the present ritual is to demarcate and prepare the area in which the magician is to work, with astral and Briatic defenses. The ritual consists of both banishing and invocation: the four Elements having been banished from the Circle in their naturally confused and impure state, the mighty spiritual forces ruling the Elements are invoked into symbolic egregores, to become Guardians of the Circle.
– Denning & Phillips, Mysteria Magica: Paper III
The Structure of the House of Sacrifice underlies the Setting of the Wards of Power (SWP):
I. Breath. The Calyx imbues the operator with the spiritual energy to accomplish the rite.
II. Body. The Circulus defines the area of operation, and contains the forces therein.
III. Justice. The Praesidia (Wards) banish the unbalanced elemental energies.
IV. Mercy. The Invocation of the Archontes protects and empowers the circle.
V. Glory. The Calyx serves as a gratulatio to the Highest Light.
I. Calyx. The Divine Flame sweeps down through the body, empowering the magician.
II. Circulus. The Circle is traced counter-clockwise. Immediately following this, the phrases Ἡ ΠΕΛΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ἡ ὙΓΡΑ and Ὁ ὌΦΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ὬΙΟΝ are vibrated, meaning “The Dove and the Waters,” and the “Serpent and the Egg.” The phrases are associated with Leukothea the White Goddess, and Melanotheos the Black God, respectively. Their presence in the SWP at this stage signifies the essential dichotomy of the Two Pillars: Machetes & Nomothetes, Sarx & Pneuma, Ensor & Eremitus, Leukothea & Melanotheos, etc.
III. Praesidia. The Warding itself takes place by means of the gesture Cervus.
The meanings and significance of the Divine Names used to banish are as follows:
ἈΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ – “Immortal” – Active Spirit.
ἸΣΧΥΡΟΣ – “Strong” – Passive Spirit.
ΣΕΛΑΗ−ΓΕΝΕΤΗΣ – “Father of Light” – Air.
ΚΥΡΙΟΣ – “Lord” – Earth.
ΠΑΓΚΡΑΤΗΣ – “All-powerful” – Water.
ΘΕΟΣ – “God” – Fire.
IV. Invocatio. After the warding, the magician intones ΓΑΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ὁ ἸΧΩΡ ΤΟΥ ὈΥΡΑΝΟΥ, meaning “Earth and the Blood of Heaven.” This phrase invokes the energies of Agathodaimon in this section of the SWP because it represents, in general, the Triune Superstructure of the House of Sacrifice.
The Invocation of the Elemental Archontes into their mighty egregores is accomplished through careful visualization and vibration of each name. The banishings having taken place counterclockwise, the invocation now proceeds deosil. Rather than the common system of Hebrew Archangels, the AS employs the Greek names Soter, Alastor, Asphaleios, and Amyntor. Below are the meanings of these names and the salient points of the visualizations:
ΣΩΤΗΡ – Archon of Air.
Meaning: “Savior,” an epithet of Zeus.
Image: Tall, slender, clad in billowing yellow-violet robes from the eastern wind.
ἈΛΑΣΤΩΡ – Archon of Fire.
Meaning: “Avenger.”
Image: Lean, muscular, clad in scarlet-green robes amidst dancing flames, a burnished copper wand in his right hand.
ἈΣΦΑΛΕΙΟΣ – Archon of Water.
Meaning: “Securer,” an epithet of Poseidon.
Image: Tall, standing in foaming, turbulent waters in blue-orange robes, holding a silver cup in his left hand.
ἈΜΥΝΤΩΡ – Archon of Earth.
Meaning: “Defender.”
Image: Broad-shouldered, placid, robed in indigo which gleams with pale gold, standing on wild grass with yellow flowers, holding in one hand a golden orb and in the other a golden sickle.
(Note: in the descriptions of the images the first robe color given is the primary one, the second color corresponds to the ‘flashing color’ of the first and is visualized as a highlight or some other secondary aspect of the garment.)
V. Calyx. Now, in the ambience of the “sealed and sanctified” Circle, the magician again performs the Calyx to honor the sublime reality of the forces within and without.
Pronunciation
The following pronunciations are standard in Attic Greek.
Ἡ ΠΕΛΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ἡ ὙΓΡΑ – “hay pel-ay-ah kai (like ‘aisle’) hay hyoo-grah”
Ὁ ὌΦΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ὬΙΟΝ – “ha ah-fees kai tah oh-ee-on (last o as in ‘hot’)”
ἈΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ – “a-thahn-a-toss (a like ‘father’)”
ΣΕΛΑΗ−ΓΕΝΕΤΗΣ – “sell-ah-ay gen-eh-tays” (g like in ‘get’)
ἸΣΧΥΡΟΣ – “ees-choo-rahs” (ch like the German ‘loch‘)
ΚΥΡΙΟΣ – “koo-ree-ahs”
ΠΑΓΚΡΑΤΗΣ – “pan-krah-tays”
ΘΕΟΣ – “theh-ahs” (eh as in ‘end’)
ΓΑΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ὁ ἸΧΩΡ ΤΟΥ ὈΥΡΑΝΟΥ – “gai-ah kai (ai like ‘aisle’) ha ee-chor (like ‘chorus’) too oo-ran-oo (a as in ‘father’)”
ΣΩΤΗΡ – “soh-tayr”
ἈΛΑΣΤΩΡ – “all-ahs-tohr”
ἈΣΦΑΛΕΙΟΣ – “ahs-fall-ay-ahs”
ἈΜΥΝΤΩΡ – “ah-moon-tohr”
Isopsephic Values & Analysis
Isopsephy is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew gematria.
Ἡ ΠΕΛΕΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ἡ ὙΓΡΑ = 686 = 2
686 = ἑταῖρος “comrade, companion, lover”
686 = φλογγοι “the notes of the musical scale”
“The Dove and the Waters”
The Dove and Water are both symbols of Leukothea.
ΠΕΛΕΙΑ “dove” = 131
131 = ἀμοιβή “change, exchange”
131 = γονή “birth, origin; seed”
131 = ἱέρεια “Priestess”
131 = ΠΑΝ “All”
131 = θάομαι “to suck”
‘ὙΓΡΑ “waters” = 504
504 = τό ἀγαθόν “the Good”
504 = θέσπις “divine”
504 = δυόδεκα “twelve”
504 = δίσκος “disk”
504 = ῥόδινος “made from roses, pink”
Ὁ ὌΦΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΟ ὬΙΟΝ = 2181 = 12 = 3
“The Serpent and the Egg”
Melanotheos is “archetypally one with that mighty spirit Ophion of pre-Hellenic Greece.” Note the 12: he is the serpent of the Zodiac. Also he represents the seminal archetypes of the universe, symbolized by the Egg.
ὌΦΙΣ “serpent” = 780 =15 = 6
780 = πολύς “the Many” – “MELANOTHEOS is also, in high mystical thought, the Many, the Daimones Poliastres, the Star-Lords.”
780 = οὔτι “nothing”
ὬΙΟΝ “egg” = 930 = 12
930 = φρόνις “practical wisdom, counsel”
930 = φοίνικος “Phoenix”
930 = ἐν κενῷ “in void”
930 = ἱερόν ὀστέον “holy bone, sacrum”
930 = πνεῦμα ὁ θεός “God is spirit”
930 = καταστολή “stole, loose outer garment”
930 = ξανθός “yellow”
ΓΑΙΑ ΚΑΙ Ὁ ἸΧΩΡ ΤΟΥ ὈΥΡΑΝΟΥ = 3487 = 22 = 4
“Earth and the Blood of Heaven”
AGATHODAIMON is identified with the beneficient and life sustaining aspects of the solar force descending to earth, and likewise with the spritual response which leads the psyche upwards.
– Denning & Phillips, Mysteria Magica: Paper XVI
The 22 suggests the Paths of the Tree and the serpentine Way of Return.
ΓΑΙΑ “earth” = 15
15 = εἷ “thou art”
15 = θεά “goddess”
15 = ζῇ “live!”
Ὁ ἸΧΩΡ “the blood” = 1580
1580 = ἰσχυρός “mighty” (Divine Name of Passive Spirit)
1580 = Σίσυφος “Sisyphus”
ὈΥΡΑΝΟΥ “of heaven” = 1091
1091 = μαρμαρωθ “the cloud before the throne of the most high god”
1091 = ὁ χίμαρος “the he-goat”
1091 = φιλαδελφία “brotherly love”
For Isopsephic information on the divine names used with Cervus, as well as the Archontes, follow the links below: