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| A |
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| Abracadabra |
The word 'abracadabra' is generally known as 'the magic word'
used by stage conjurers to ensure their 'magic trick' or illusion worked. However, it is a word of true ancient origin, used by real
magicians from around the third century AD. It appears frequently in Kabbalistic and Gnostic texts, and derives from an Aramaic phrase
(Avarah K'Davarah), which means 'I will create as I speak'. Aramaic is a northwest Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew,
dating from the ninth century BC. Its 'square' script replaced the archaic Hebrew script, which by the time of Jesus had become the normal
script for writing in Hebrew. It was widely used in Syria, Palestine, and Mesopotamia, the Persians extending its use to India, central Asia,
and Asia Minor. Aleister Crowley believed the word Abracadabra was associated with the Gnostic
God Abraxas. |
| Abrahadabra |
 Aleister Crowley believed the word Abracadabra was associated with the Gnostic God Abraxas (see below). He altered the spelling to 'Abrahadabra' to achieve a specific value gematrically (418) when that word first appeared in public in The Book of the Law (Chapter 3, paragraphs 1, 47, 75), the central sacred text of Thelema. 418 also equates to Crowley's manor, Boleskine (Book of the Law, Chapter 2, paragraph 78). In addition, it is the number of Nuit’s love chant, “To Me”, which indicates to the Initiate where his destination lies. Abrahadabra is the reward of Ra Hoor Khut. The reward is for those who manage to pass the ordeals of Ra Hoor Khuit, the Angel of the Last Judgement. When the word is chanted, or when its letters are arranged in an inverted pyramid and worn around the neck as a talisman for nine days, it is reputed to possess a magical power which will ward off illness and cure fevers. |
| Abra Melin (Abramelin the Mage) |
Abra Melin was known as Abramelin the Mage, a
wandering Eastern sage whose magick is supposedly enshrined in the fourteenth century book,
The Sacred Magick of Abramelin the Mage. Probably the most practically used of old
grimoires, it contains a detailed and precise
system of Ritual Magick,
its authorship being attributed to Abraham the Jew. Oil of Abramelin (so named by
Aleister Crowley
who adapted his own recipe from that found in The Sacred Magick of Abramelin the Mage) is used in
Thelemic and other
rituals. |
| Abraxas |
Abraxas is a
Gnostic solar deity
associated with Yahweh, Mithras and the Celtic Belenus, as well as Yeshu (Jesus). Amulets (see below) and seals bearing the figure of Abraxas were
commonplace in the second century, and were used as recently as the thirteenth century in the seals of the
Knights Templar. Gematrically,
the letters in Abraxas total 365 (the number of days in a solar
year, and the number of Aeons, or emanations, in Gnostic cosmology), while each of the seven letters represents one of the seven planetary
powers. |
| Abulafia, Abraham |
Abraham Abulafia was a thirteenth century Jewish mystic
most notable for transcribing Jewish oral Kabbalah, which up until this time had been very jealously guarded, into written form. |
| Abyss |
In
Ritual Magick and
Kabbalah, the Abyss is the divide
between individual ego-consciousness and Cosmic consciousness (enlightenment). In Kabbalah, it is the divide between the Supernal and the
lower Sephiroth,
i.e. the divide between the higher and lower states of existence. The serpent Choronzon is the 'dweller' in the abyss, the final
great obstacle between the magician and true enlightenment. The Abyss is named Da'ath, meaning Knowledge. Da'ath is the root of 'death' which, whether actual or initiatory, is the means of crossing the Abyss. The relationship between knowledge and death is made explicit by Hadit in Liber AL vel Legis, Chapter 2, Verse 6, where he says: “I am Life, and the giver of Life, yet therefore is the knowledge of me the knowledge of death.” |
| Acolyte |
An Acolyte assists the ordained and licensed ministers at
worship services. Their responsibilities include lighting altar candles, carrying the candles in procession, preparing the wine and water for the Mass
and assisting the Sacred Ministers in Mass. Acolytes include the Banner Bearer, Flag Bearer, Clergy Crucifer, Torch Bearer, Thurifer, Servers,
Altar Boys and Altar Girls. See The Gnostic Mass. |
| Adam Kadmon |
 Some Kabbalists are of the opinion that the first form
shaped, etched or produced by the ray of light which emanated from Ain-Soph was not the Sephiroth,
but the body of Adam Kadmon, from which the Sephiroth
then flared out. It is in Lurianic Kabbalah where
we find this theory of the Ain-Soph’s original emanation resulting in the body of Adam Kadmon. According to some Kabbalists’ points of view he is actually the first God capable of being comprehended by man because man is made in his image. |
| Adept |
Someone who is highly experienced and extremely
proficient in a particular magical art, having passed through various grades. See also
Magus. |
| Adytum |
The inner sanctum of a Temple. |
| Aeon |
Within Aleister Crowley's
System of Thelema, history is broken down into a series of Aeons, each with its own dominant concept of divinity and its own 'formula' of redemption and advancement. According to Crowley, the last three Aeons have been:
- The Aeon of Isis, a maternal Aeon, where the female aspect of the Godhead was revered due to a mostly matriarchal society and the idea that 'Mother Earth' nourished, clothed and housed man. It was characterised by pagan worship of the Mother and Nature.
- The Aeon of Osiris, is considered to be dominated by the paternal principle and the formula of the Dying God. This Aeon was characterised by that of
self-sacrifice and submission to the Father God.
- The Aeon of Horus, the current Aeon, is portrayed as a time of self-realisation as well as a growing interest in all things spiritual, and is considered to be dominated by the principle of the child. The word of its law is Thelema, and its formula is Abrahadabra. Individuality and finding one's True Will are the dominant aspects of this Aeon.
|
| Aethyr / Aether |
An aethyr is one of a succession of worlds in the
Enochian Astral planes (see The Enochian Keys), as well as the fifth element, or spirit, in Wicca and
Ceremonial/Ritual Magick. Depending upon tradition, it is also a formless and
invisible substance that pervades the universe, generally known as ether. |
| Ahathoor |
See Hathor. |
| Ain Soph |
Ain-Soph translates into
'without end' (Ain = without, Sof = End). It is a name for the God of Kabbalah,
symbolising total unity beyond comprehension. It is within Ain-Soph
that all opposites exist in complete ignorance of their differences. The Ain-Soph is
NO THING, does not exist, is unable to be described or fathomed, and cannot possibly be discussed in terms of Being or Non-Being. Many
people have tried to describe the Ain-Soph by what he is not, without success. See also
The Sephiroth. |
| Air |
 One of the four alchemical elements. In
Ritual Magick and
Kabbalah,
it is the element overseen by the Archangel known as Raphael. Air has the qualities of coolness and dryness,
and is associated with breath, life, communication, and the holy spirit. |
| Aiwass / Aiwaz |
Aiwass is the name of Aleister Crowley's
Holy Guardian Angel,
the entity whom Crowley claimed dictated the Book of the Law (which was to become the central sacred text of
Thelema) to him on April 8th, 9th, and 10th in 1904. Using
Gematria Crowley discovered that the correct spelling of this name should be AIWAZ.
|
| Alchemist |
A person who practices alchemy. |
| Alchemy |
The science, both physical and spiritual, of
transforming base materials into superior forms, i.e. gold. Transmutation of base metals into gold was based on the belief that naturally
occurring gold, silver and other precious substances were originally formed within the earth from lesser substances, and could be reconstituted
through alchemical operations. The operations of alchemy were based on the Hermetic principle that everything on earth had a heavenly
counterpart, and that through the 'principle of vibration', heavenly things could affect their earthly counterparts, and vice-versa.
Consequently, each mineral, plant, and metal corresponded with a heavenly body, and thus contained the properties of its associated heavenly
body. As a result, alchemical formulae for medicines were created, and the concept of spiritual development through alchemical work was
developed. The Great Work became not simply transmuting base metals into precious ones, but the
perfection of the divine in man himself. |
| Aleph |
 The first letter of the Sacred Alphabet. It literally means ox, has the phonetic value
of A, and has a numerical value of 1. It is further attributed to the element of Air and the Tarot Trump The Fool.
|
| Alostrael |
See Babalon. |
| Altar |
Common to most religions, an altar is a table or other
raised surface on which offerings are made to deities. Quarters, or Watchtowers are sometimes called Altars, e.g. the Earth Altar is
the Altar in the 'Earth Quarter of a Circle'. |
| Amulet |
From the Latin 'amuletum', meaning an object
that protects a person from trouble, an amulet is generally an object worn around the neck which has been charged with the magician's
personal energies through ritual or meditation, and is often used to ward off a particular evil force. See also
Talisman. |
| Angel |
In many human beliefs and mythologies, an angel
(from the Greek angelos meaning messenger) is believed to be an ethereal creature or spirit whose duties are to assist and serve a God or gods. |
| Angelic Script |
Another name for Enochian Script used in
Enochian Magick. |
| Ankh |
 An ancient Egyptian symbol of fertility, life and
immortality, the Ankh is a visual representation of a sandal strap. The lower cross represents the masculine aspect of divinity, while the top
loop represents the feminine. The Ankh is considered to have significance in
Ritual Magick and
Wiccan/Neopagan traditions. |
| Ankh-af-na-Khonsu |
A priest of the Egyptian god Mentu who lived in Thebes during the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth dynasty (circa 725 BC). He
is best known as the creator of the Stèle of Revealing, a funerary tablet he designed for himself to commemorate his death. |
| Ape, Ape of Thoth |
See Babalon. |
| Aquarius |
 Aquarius, the Water Carrier, is an air sign and the eleventh
sign of the Zodiac. Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus. |
| Archangel |
The highest supreme angel.
The word derives from two Greek words arch (meaning first) and angelos (meaning messenger). |
| Archetype |
The original pattern or model
of which all things of the 'same type' are representations or copies. Universal symbols, which are defined as standard prototypes, are used
more often in pathworking. Archetypal symbols are subconscious images that form our dreams,
the power of our deities, and which enable all forms of divination to be possible. |
| Archon |
Literally 'Ruler'. It refers to the creators and governing forces in the
material world, e.g. the Demiurge (a craftsman - the grand original intelligence who acted to produce the real world) and his angels. |
| Aries |
 Aries, the Ram, is a fire sign and the first sign of
the Zodiac.
Aries is ruled by the planet Mars. |
| Asar and Isa |
Mentioned in Chapter 1, paragraph 49 of the Book of the Law, Asar is the adorant Osiris, and Isa the Muslim form of Jesus, the sufferer and prophet. |
| Aspirant |
A seeker of spiritual knowledge, particularly for reunion with the Divine through
Ritual. |
| Assiah |
Kabbalists believe the
manifestation of our material world was caused by the immanent activity of God on four different planes, or in
four worlds, simultaneously.
The Fourth World is known as Assiah, the World of Action or Making. The quality of each of the preceding worlds diminishes as the original
emanation which began their formation becomes grosser, until eventually the resulting impurities gather to form Assiah. It is here where
mankind and the animal kingdom reside with the evil Klippoth, alongside the exiled
Shekhinah waiting to be reunited with her Creator.
|
| Astral Plane |
An invisible place, also known as the astral world,
which appears to parallel the physical world, within which one can travel in astral form. See also Astral Travel and
Out of Body Experience (OBE). |
| Astral Projection |
See
Out of Body Experience (OBE). |
| Astral Travel |
Astral travel, whether induced or not, is the ability
to move about outside one's physical body on the Astral Plane (see above). This form of travel is also known as astral projection or an
Out of Body Experience (OBE). |
| Astral World |
See Astral Plane above. |
| Astrology |
A form of
divination,
astrology is the practice of revealing the
future by interpreting the arrangement or alignment of stars and planets in relation to astrological theory and the
zodiac. Also used for
determining human characteristics at birth by the position of the stars and planets at the time of birth. |
| Atziluth |
Kabbalists believe the manifestation of our material world was caused by the
immanent activity of God on four different planes, or in
four worlds, simultaneously. The First World, Atziluth, is the World of Emanation in
which God manifests himself in the form of the archetypes Kether,
Chokmah and
Binah. The union of God with his
Shekhinah (his feminine counterpart) also takes place in this world,
and the fruits of this union are the three worlds which follow. |
| Augoeides |
Augoeides is a Greek word meaning shining image. The term has had various definitions within Western occult tradition over the years. The Greek Neoplatonic writers of the late Roman period first used it to refer to the Body of Light or the transformed spiritual body worn by the initiate who had overcome the materialism of the physical world. In 1906, during a period in China when Aleister Crowley was performing his meditations to explore the causal roots of his karma (even though he acknowledged that 'cause' itself was an illusory concept), the term "Augoeides" came into Crowley's thoughts as the name of the central god-form of his Abra-Melin Operation. Augoeides signifies one's Higher Genius in the Golden Dawn teachings, hence, Augoeides became Crowley's new name for his Holy Guardian Angel. In current occult literature, augoeides is used as a synonym referring to the Holy Guardian Angel. |
| Aura |
An invisible energy field surrounding the human body,
animals and plants. That part of the aura which surrounds the head is often depicted by artists as a halo to denote saints and enlightened
beings. Everyone has an aura filled with many colours of different intensity which reflect the thoughts and emotions active in the nervous
system, and which change according to a person's state of mind. The colours and intensity of a person's aura are said to show that person's
true nature and intentions, as we cannot 'fake' the colour or characteristics of our auras.
|
| Autumnal Equinox |
See Equinox.
|
| Ayin |
 The sixteenth letter of the Sacred Alphabet. It literally means eye, has the phonetic value of Aa, and has a numerical value of 70. It is further attributed to the Zodiacal sign of Capricorn and the Tarot Trump The Devil.. |
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