The Conjuration of the Four Elements, by Eliphas Levi.

The Conjuration of the Four Elements, by Eliphas Levi.

The Conjuration of the Four Elements, by Eliphas Levi.
The four elementary forms separate and specify by a kind of rough outline,
the created spirits whom the universal movement disengages from the
central fire. Everywhere spirit works and fecundates matter by life; all
matter is animated; thought and soul are everywhere. In seizing upon the
thought that produces the diverse forms, we become the master of forms and
make them serve for our use.

The astral light is completely filled with souls that it disengages in the
incessant generation of being; souls have imperfect wills which can be
dominated and used by more powerful wills. They then form great invisible
chains, and can occasion or determine grand elementary commotions.
Phenomena ascertained in the processes of magic and all those recently
verified by M. Eudes de Merville have no other causes.

Elementary spirits are like young children. They torment those more who
busy themselves with them, unless one has control of them by means of
superior rationality and great severity. These are the spirits which we
designate under the name of "occult elements."

These spirits are those who often prepare disquieting or fantastic dreams.
They are those who produce the movements of the divining rod, and the raps
on walls and furniture. But they can never manifest any other thought than
our own, and if we are not thinking, they talk to us with all the incoherence
of dreams. They reproduce good and evil indifferently, because they are
without free will and consequently have no responsibility. They show
themselves to ecstatics and somnambulists under incomplete and fugitive
forms. This occasioned the nightmares of Saint Antony, and, very probably,
the visions of Swedenborg. They are neither souls in hell nor spirits guilty of
mortal sin; they are simply inquisitive and inoffensive. We can employ or
abuse them like animals or children. Therefore the magus who employs their
help assumes a terrible responsibility, for he will have to expiate all the evil
which he makes them do, and the greatness of his torments will be
proportionate to the extent of the power which he will have exercised
through their agency.

In order to control elementary spirits, and thus become the king of the occult
elements, we must have previously undergone the four trials of the ancient
initiations. As these no longer exist, it is necessary to supply their place byanalogous actions, such as exposing oneself without fear in a conflagration, of crossing a gulf upon the trunk of a tree or upon a plank, or scaling a steep
mountain during a storm, or getting away from a cascade, or from a
dangerous whirlpool by swimming. The man who fears water will never
reign over the undines; he who is afraid of fire cannot command the
salamanders; as long as we are subject to dizziness we must leave the sylphs
in peace, and not irritate the gnomes; for inferior spirits only obey a power
that is proved to them by showing itself their master even in their own
element.

When we have acquired by boldness and practice this incontestable power,
we may impose upon the elements the mandate (verbe) of our will, by
special consecrations of air, fire, water, and earth. This is the indispensable
beginning of all magic operations.

We exercise the air by blowing from the direction of the four cardinal points
while saying:

Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas, et inspiravit in
facian hominis spiraculum vitae. Sit Michael dux
meus, et Sabtabiel servus meus, in luce etper lucem.
Fiat verbum halitus meus; et imperabo spiritibus aeris
hujus, et refraenabo equos solis voluntate cordis nei, et
cogitatione mentis meae et nutu oculi dextri. Erorciso
igitur te, creatura aeris, per Pentagrammaton et in
nomine Tetragrammaton, in quibus sunt voluntas firma
et fides recta. Amen. Sela, fiat. Qu'il en soit ainsi. 1

Next we recite the prayer of the Sylphs, after having traced in air their sign
with the plume of an eagle.
PRAYER OF THE SYLPHS
Spirit of light! Spirit of wisdom! whose breath gives and takes away again
the forms of all things! Thou, in whose presence the life of being is a
shadow which changes, and a vapor which passes away. Thou who
ascendest the clouds and movest on the wing of the winds. When thou
breathes! forth, infinite spaces are peopled! When thou inhalest, all that
comes from thee returns to thee! Endless movement in eternal stability, be
thou eternally blest! We praise thee and bless thee in the changing empire ofcreated light, of shadows, of reflections and of images; and we long
unceasingly for thine immutable and imperishable light. Let the ray of thy
intelligence and the heat of thy love penetrate even to us; then what is
movable will become fixed; the shadow will become a body; the spirit of the
air will become a soul; the dream will become a thought, and we shall no
longer be borne away by the tempest, but shall hold the bridle of the winged
steeds of the morning, and shall direct the course of the evening winds that
we may fly into thy presence. O spirit of spirits! O eternal soul of souls! O
imperishable breath of life! O creative inspiration. 2
O mouth which inspires
and respires the existence of all beings in the flux and reflux of thy eternal
Word, which is the divine ocean of movement and of truth. Amen!

We exorcise water by the imposition of hands, by the breath, and by Speech,
while mingling in it the consecrated salt, with a little of the ashes which
remain in the perfuming pan. The sprinkler is made with branches of
vervain, of periwinkle, 3 of sage, of mint, of valerian, of ash and of basil, tied
by a thread from the distaff of a virgin, with a handle from a walnut-tree
which has not yet borne fruit, and upon which you will engrave with a magic
dagger the characters of the seven spirits. You will bless and consecrate
separately the salt, and the ashes of the perfume, in saying:

UPON THE SALT

In isto sale sit sapientia, et ab omni corruptione servet
mentes nostras et corpora nostra, per Hochmael et in
virfute Rauch-Hochmael, recedant ab isto fantasmata
hylae ut sit sal coelestis, sal terrae et terra salis, ut
nutrietur bos trituraus et addat vpei nostrae cornua tauri
volantis. Amen. 4

UPON THE ASHES

Revertatur cinis adfontem aquarum viventium, etfiat
terra fructificans, etgerminet arborem vitaeper tria
nomina, quae sunt Netsah, HodetJesod, in principle et
in fine, per alpha et Omega qui sunt in spiritu Azoth.
Amen. 5

IN MINGLING THE WATER, THE SALT, AND THE
ASHES

In sale sapientiae aeternae, et in aqua regenerationis, et
in cinere germinante terram novam, omnia fiant per
Eloim Gabriel, Raphael et Uriel, in saecula et aeonas.
Amen. 6
EXORCISM OF THE WATER

Fiat firmamentum im medio aquarum et separet aquas
ab aquis, quae superius sitcut quaee superius, ad
perpetranda miracula rei unius. Sol ejus pater est, luna
mater et ventus hanc gestavit in utero suo, ascendit a
terra ad coelum et rursus a coelo in terram descendit.
Exorciso te, creatura aquae, ut sis mihi speculum Dei
vivi in operibus ejus, et fons vitae, et ablutio
pecatorum. Amen. 7

PRAYER OF THE UNDINES

Terrible king of the sea! Thou who boldest the keys of the cataracts of
heaven, and who enclosest the subterranean waters in the hollow places of
the earth! King of the deluge and of rains, of springtime! Thou who openest
the sources of streams and fountains! Thou who commandest the moisture
(which is like the blood of the earth) to become the sap of plants! We adore
and invoke thee! Speak to us, ye moving and changeable creatures! Speak to
us in the great commotions of the sea, and we will tremble before thee.
Speak to us also in the murmur of the limpid waters, and we will desire thy
love. O immensity in which all the rivers of being lose themselves, which
ever spring up anew in us! O ocean of infinite perfections! Height which
beholdeth thee in the depth! Depth which breathes thee forth in the height!
Bring us to the true life through intelligence and love! Lead us to
immortality through sacrifice, in order that one day we may be found worthy
to offer thee water, blood, and tears, for the remission of sins. Amen.

We exorcise fire by casting in it salt, incense, white resin, camphor, and
sulphur, and by pronouncing three times the three names of the genii of fire:
Michael, king of the sun and of lightning; Samael, king of volcanoes; and Anael,
prince of the astral light. Next by reciting the prayer of the
Salamanders.

Immortal, eternal, ineffable and uncreated Father of all things I who are
borne upon the incessantly rolling chariot of Worlds which are always
turning; Ruler of the ethereal immensity where the throne of thy power is
elevated; from whose height thy dread-inspiring eyes discover all things, and
thy exquisite andsacred ears hear all; Listen to thy children whom thou hast
loved from the beginning of the ages; for thy golden, great, and eternal
majesty is resplendent above the world and the starry heavens. Thou art
raised above them O sparkling fire! There thou dost illumine and support
thyself by thine own splendor; and there comes forth from thine essence
overflowing streams of light which nourish thine infinite spirit. That infinite
spirit nourishes all things, and renders this inexhaustible treasure of
substance always ready for the generation which fashions it and which
receives in itself the forms with which thou hast impregnated it from the
beginning. From this spirit those most holy kings who surround thy throne,
and who compose thy court, derive their origin. O Father Universal! Only
One! O Father of blessed mortals and immortals! Thou hast specially created
powers who are marvelously like thine eternal thought and adorable essence.
Thou hast established them superior to the angels who announce to the
world thy wishes. Finally thou hast created us in the third rank in our
elementary empire. There our continual employment is to praise thee and
adore thy wishes. There we incessantly burn with the desire of possessing
thee, O Father! O Mother! the most tender of all mothers! O admirable
archetype of maternity and pure love! O Son, the flower of sons! O Form of
all forms; soul, spirit, harmony and number of all things. Amen.

We exorcise the earth by the sprinkling of water, by the breath and by fire,
with the perfumes proper for each day, and we say the prayer of the gnomes.
Invisible King who has taken the earth as a support, and who has dug
abysses in order to fill them with the omnipotence! Thou whose name
makest the arches of the world tremble! Thou who makest the seven metals
circulate in the veins of stone; Monarch of seven luminaries! Rewarder of
subterranean workmen! bring us to the desirable air and to the kingdom of
light. We watch and work without respite. We seek and hope by the twelve
stones of the Holy City, for the talismans which are buried by the magnetic
nail which passes through the center of the earth. Lord! Lord! Lord! Have
pity upon those who suffer! Enlarge our hearts! Let us be free and raise up
our heads! Exalt us! O stability and movement! O Day invested by night! O
Darkness veiled in light! O Master who never retainest the wages of thy
workmen! O silvery whiteness! O Golden Splendor! O Crown of Diamonds,
living and melodious! Thou who bearest the sky upon thy finger, like a ring
of sapphire! Thou who hidest under the earth, in the kingdom of gems, the
wonderful seed of stars! All hail! Reign; and be the Eternal Dispenser of
riches, of which thou hast made us the guardians. Amen.
We most observe that the special kingdom of the Gnomes is at the North;
that of the salamanders at the south; that of the sylphs at the east; and that of
the Undines at the west. They influence the four temperaments of men (i. e.,
the Gnomes, the melancholic; the Salamanders, the sanguine; the Undines,
the phlegmatic; and the Sylphs, the bilious). Their signs are as follows: the
hieroglyphs of the bull for the Gnomes, and we command them with the
sword; of the lion for the Salamanders, and we command them with the
forked wand, or the magic trident; of the eagle for the Sylphs, and we
command them with the holy pentacles; finally with Aquarius for the
Undines, and we evoke them with the cup of libations. Their respective
sovereigns are, Gob for the Gnomes, Djiu for the Salamanders, Paralda for
the Sylphs, and Nicksa for the Undines.

When an elementary spirit comes to torment, or at least to annoy the
inhabitants of this world, we must conquer it by means of air, water, fire and
earth, blowing, sprinkling, burning perfumes, and tracing on the earth the
star of Solomon and the sacred pentagram. These figures should be perfectly
regular, and made either with coals from the consecrated fire, or with a reed
dipped in diverse colors which we mix of pulverized magnet. Then, while
holding in the hand the pentacle of Solomon, and taking by turns the sword,
the wand, and the cup, we pronounce in these terms and in a loud voice the
conjuration of the four.

Caput mortuum, impeert tibi Dominus per vivum et devotum serpentem.
Cherub, imperet tibi Dominus per Adam Jotchavah!
Aquila errans, imperet tibi Dominus per alas Tauri.
Serpens, imperet tibi Dominus tetragrammaton per angelum et leonem!
Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Anael!
Fluat U dor per spiritum Eloim.
Maneat Terra per Adam lot-Chavah.
Fiat Firmamentum per lahuvehu-Zebaoth.
Fiat Judicium per ignen in virtute Michaels. 8

Angel with the dead eyes, obey or flow away with this holy water.

Winged bull labor or return to earth; if thou art not willing that I prick thee
with this sword. Chained eagle, obey this sign, or withdraw before this
breath. Moving serpent, crawl at my feet, or be tormented by this sacred fire
and be dissipated with the perfumes I burn therein.
Let the water return to water! Let a fire burn! Let air circulate! Let earth fall
upon the earth, by virtue of the pentagram which is the morning star, and in
the name of the Tetragram, which is written in the center of the cross of
light. Amen.

The sign of the Cross adopted by the Christians does not belong to them
exclusively. It is also kabalistic, and represents the contrasts, and the
quaternary equilibrium of the elements.

We see by the occult stanza of the Lord's Prayer, which we have indicated in
our Dogma, 9 that there were primitively two modes of making it, or at least
two very different formulas to distinguish it. One reserved for the priests and
initiated; the other granted to neophytes and the profane. Thus, for example,
said, "To Thee ;" then he added, "belong," and continued while carrying his
hand to his breast, "the kingdom"; then to his left shoulder "Justice," to the
right shoulder, "and mercy." Next he Joined the two hands adding "in the
generating cycles."

Tibi sunt Malchut et Geburah et Chesed per oeonas. 10

The sign of the Cross which is absolutely and magnificently kabalistic,
which the profanations of Gnosticism have caused (he Church militant and
official to completely lose. This sign, made in this way, should precede and
terminate the conjuration of the Four.
In order to control and subject elementary spirits we must never yield to the
defects which characterize them. Thus a light and capricious mind can never
govern the sylphs. An effeminate, cold, and changeable nature will never
control the undines. Anger irritates the salamanders, and covetous rudeness
renders those whom it enslaves the sport of the gnomes.

But it is necessary to be as prompt and active as the sylphs; as flexible and
attentive to images as the undines. As energetic and strong as the
Salamanders; as laborious and patient as the gnomes; in a word, we must
conquer them in their strength, without ever allowing ourselves to be
enthralled by their weaknesses. When we shall be well fixed in this
disposition, the entire world will be at the service of the wise operator. He
will go out during the storm and the rain will not touch his head; the wind
will not derange even a single fold of his garments; he will go through fire
without being burned; he will walk on the water, and will behold the
diamonds through the crust of the earth. These promises which may seem
hyperbolical are only so in the minds of the vulgar; for though the sage does
not do materially and precisely the things which these words express, he will
do many greater and more wonderful. In the meantime it is not to be doubted
that individuals can direct the elements by the will to a certain extent, and
change or really stop their effects.

Why, for example, if it is ascertained that certain individuals in a state of
ecstasy lose their weight for the moment, could we not walk or glide upon
the water? Saint Medard's convulsionaries felt neither fire nor sword, and
begged as a relief the most violent blows and the most incredible tortures.
Are not the strange ascensions and wonderful equilibrium of certain
somnambulists a revelation of these hidden forces of nature. But we live in
an age in which men have not the courage to confess the miracles they
witness; and if anyone says, "I have seen or have done myself the things
which I relate," he will be told, "either you are making sport of us or you are
sick." It is better to keep silence and act.
The metals that correspond to the four elementary forms are gold and silver
for air; mercury for water; iron and copper for fire; and lead for earth.
Talismans are prepared from them, having relation to the forces which they
represent, and to the effects proposed to be obtained.

Divination by the four elementary forms named Aeromancy, hydromancy,
pyromancy, and geomancy, is made in diverse ways, which all depend upon
the will and transparency or imagination of the operator.

In truth the four elements are only instruments to aid second-sight. Secondsight
is the faculty of seeing in the astral light. This second-sight is as natural
as the first sight, or the sensible and ordinary sight, but it can only act
through the abstraction of the senses.

Somnambulists and ecstatics enjoy second-sight naturally; but this sight is
more lucid as the abstraction becomes more complete.

The abstraction is produced by astral intoxication; that is, by a
superabundance of light, which completely saturates the nervous system, and
consequently renders it inactive.
Sanguine temperaments are more disposed to Aeromancy; bilious to
pyromancy, phlegmatic to geomancy, and melancholic to hydromancy.
Aeromancy is confirmed by oneiromancy or divination by dreams;
pyromancy is supplemented by magnetism; hydromancy by divination with
crystals; geomancy by fortune telling with cards. These are transpositions
and perfectings of methods.

But divination, in whatever manner we may operate, is dangerous, or at least
useless, for it disheartens the will; 11
consequently it restricts freedom, and
fatigues the nervous system.

FINIS