BASIC METHOD:
The fixed star we selected was based on the 8 of Wands known as Swiftness.
In the Book of Thoth, we know the attribution is Mercury in Sagittarius.
Therefore, we trace the Mercury Greater Hexagram onto the constellation of Sagittarius.
Reference: Liber O vel Manus et Sagittae sub fig. VI (6) The Star Group which corresponds to the first decan of Sagittarius and which represents the arrows in the bow is Spiculum. It is object M8 in the Lagoon Nebula.
If your chosen fixed star is one of the Behenian Stars, you may elect to draw the sigil in the center of the Hexagram. Reference: Agrippa, Book 2, part 4, Chapter Chap. lii. “Of Characters which are drawn from things themselves by a certain likeness.”
If your chosen fixed star is not one of the Behenian Stars, you may elect to meditate on the Star and ask it to reveal its symbol to you. You may elect to precede the meditation with some research. A symbol or sigil for the star is not necessary but may be helpful.
INSPIRATIONAL ITEMS:
Additionally, you may choose to view the appropriate Constellation Card for inspiration.
Reference: Urania’s Mirror, 1824.
Or perhaps read what Ian has to say about the stars in Sagittarius.
Reference: Ian Ridpath Star Tales
HIERARCHY METHOD: If you wish to bring forth or meditate on the hierarchy of the cards which lead to the 8 of Wands (Swiftness), it may be helpful – since study of this holds a key as to what may be required in order to manifest the pip card. The Book of Thoth (also Liber Theta, or Book T of the Golden Dawn) will give you the hierarchy. We already know that Swiftness is ruled by both Mercury (Planet), and Sagittarius (Zodiac). It is also Fire (Element). The Court Card ruler is the Knight of Wands (Air of Fire). The Princess of Cups rules from 0* Libra to 30* Sagittarius (pg. 597 The Golden Dawn 6th Edition, Chapter: ‘Tree of Life in a Sphere’) (Earth of Water). The Princess is the Throne of the Ace of Cups (Spirit of Water). This throne extends from 22″-30′ of Libra to 7″-30′ of Sagittarius, and therefore captures a portion of this first decan of Sagittarius we are calling Swiftness. The 8 of Wands is also corresponded to Hod (Sephira) on the Tree of Life, by virtue of it being an ‘eight’. And the element is Fire, represented by the Aeon (or Judgement Atu), and the path of (and mother letter) Shin.
MAP: 8 Total Card Correspondences: Sephiroth, Princess, Ace, Court Card, Planet, Zodiac, Element, Pip. Take these cards out of your Tarot deck, and lay them out according to their rulership in relation to the pip (8 of wands). This is your ‘map‘ for your ritual or meditation.
COMPREHENSION: For the hierarchy method, feel free to create your own ritual or process by which you connect with each of the correspondences. In so doing, realize the unfoldment or emanation of the pip. Strive to comprehend what each correspondence means in relation to Swiftness. For example: The element of Fire can mean action, desire, or Will. The Will is the mover, and Swiftness in relation to Will can denote a clear and singular Will as opposed to Willing multiple things at the same time which can impede the result of any one of the items.
COURT CARDS: The gestures for the other cards for the hierarchy method can be as follows: For the court cards, use the Greater Pentagrams found in the aforementioned Liber O document. Face the direction corresponding to the suit, and trace the pentagram corresponding to the parts of the soul of the court card. For example: Knight of Wands (Air of Fire), face the direction corresponding to fire and trace the pentagram of air. There are two main options for the directions for the elements. The first is the Minutum Mundum of the Rose Cross, also seen in the Neophyte Ritual. (Reference: Diagrams 62 & 63, pages 50 & 51 Temple of Solomon the King) Air in the East, Earth in the West, Water of the Stolistes in the North, and the Fire of the Dadouchos in the South (based on the Organic Cycle of the Elements based on the Qualities of cold/hot/wet/dry – Reference: AGEDE). The other option is to map out the location of the Princesses according to the quadrant of the heavens which they rule. (Reference: aforementioned Tree of Life in a Sphere lecture, G.D.) In the Book of Thoth, Crowley remarks that the Princesses are the “4 types of human being”. I believe this is corresponded to the 4 humors. Durer depicts one of them very elegantly.
SEPHIROTH: (Note: Sephira being the singular to Sephiroth being the plural.) To include the Sephira of Hod in the ritual, I believe Crowley used the squares on the ‘T’ of the magic circle. He mentions working with the Sephiroth in MTP [104]. However, there is a ritual he wrote where he banishes and/or invokes the Sephiroth directly. (If I can recall which ritual, I will return to this and put the reference at a later date.) Liber ABA has a diagram of the Sephiroth in the form of a Tau which is slightly different from that in the Treasure House of Images (pg. 5). I agree with the one in Liber ABA and will tell you why. In Liber ABA, the watery Sephiroth (4, 8) fall in the North, and the fiery Sephiroth fall in the South (7, 5). This agrees with the elemental directions as mentioned in the ‘Court Carts’ section above. Looking at the Tau diagram #32 on a piece of paper reading left to right, the numbers are 4, 8, 10, 7, 5. Standing on the Tau facing the Malkuth altar in the west, reading left to right the numbers are 5, 7, 10, 8, 4. (Reference: The G.D. knowledge lecture 5 of the trinity on the tree of life for the elements of the Sephiroth). I do not recall instructions for use of this method. However, you can devise a method. Perhaps a single stomp banishes, and a single step invokes. You can decide which foot to use. You can also have an object which corresponds to that particular Sephira on your altar which you can incorporate, if you so choose.
ZODIAC, PLANET, ELEMENT: Chances are, the element is already incorporated in the working you do with the court cards. And the planet and zodiac are incorporated in the hexagram of the fixed star. However, if you still wish to do these separately, as part of your understanding of what the individual energies bring, you can. And, incorporating your knowledge of what influence these bring upon the Pip card, can be helpful. For the Zodiac, simply face the Zodiac in the night sky and perform the hexagram of the ruling planet, but trace the sign of the Zodiac in the center. For the Planet, face where the planet is in the night sky and trace the hexagram for the planet. These instructions are found in Liber O. You can optionally elect to follow up the greater hexagram with a lesser hexagram of the element in order to help draw down the light. Most feel this is overkill, however, there is always that one person who is the completist who wishes to use every part of the system. For them, I include this step, with much love. We know that Sagittarius is fire. But the question is, what is the element associated with Mercury? To determine the elemental nature of the planet, I personally use the qualities as outlined by Deborah Houlding. In our case, Mercury is being described as cold and dry. Therefore, the element of earth. (This also matches the three-fold-division-of-man notion about Mercury. Man being a creature of earth. MoE.)
ELEMENT: For the element, use the element itself, place this on your altar in the center. In our case it would be a candle (8 of wands, wands=fire). Perform an adoration. The Golden Bough can give you some ideas. Take your wand to each of the four directions and perform the invoking spirit pentagram followed by the invoking pentagram of fire – optionally tracing the kerubic sign (Leo in our case) in the middle of the pentagram.
SPECIAL NOTE: At the simplest, the one pentagram of the Court Card (Knight of Wands in this case) and the one hexagram of the Fixed Star (Mercury in Sagittarius), should be complete within itself. However, it is a good mental exercise to comprehend the Ace and Princess with regards to what is being formed by the conjunction of the pentagram and hexagram. It is not a bad idea to include the pentagrams for those as well, especially in the beginning stages of this type of work.
TIMING: Instead of performing the ritual or meditation on the Day of Jupiter (the ruler of Sagittarius) in the Hour of Mercury, find when the moon is aspecting the first decan of Sagittarius, when the moon is not void of course (between signs) and when it is not a new moon (the day of the new moon including 3 days prior and 3 days hence). We held the meeting Feb 12th, 2021. Unfortunately, the Moon was new at that time. A better time to connect to the first decan of Sagittarius would be Friday, 19th 2021, when the moon will be in 0* Taurus, and therefore make a waxing quincunx aspect (Sidereal Ephemeris). When the moon makes an aspect, consider it a ‘translation of light’ (as per William Lilly and Olivia Barclay). [The best visual of this is that I could think of, is from the Mummy movie – when the mirrors reflect the light and travel across the room] You can opt to get creative and catch the light in a black bowl of kosher salt water (lunar=water, magnetism virtue of). Or, alternatively, in a candle flame (…”mind” …”hath for its body, fire” … Hermetica, #18). However you decide to drawn down or catch the light, do so off of the moon. In other words, draw the Hexagram on the constellation of Sagittarius in order to connect and draw it down, but then, turn and catch the light off of the Moon. Certain sensitive individuals have allegedly been known to ‘feel’ the catch when done in this manner.
THRONING THE ACE: One method which was once used to Throne an Ace in a working was for the Pip Nashira; a decan of Capricorn. Kosher salt was used to represent the Princess, as a crystalline substance ‘Earth of Earth’. The Spirit (the Ace) was considered to be the Akasha Tattvas (Reference: Diagram 84 ToSK #4 page 28), which is corresponded to sound or vibration. Therefore, the intention of the working was sung into the salt in order to ‘throne the ace’ in this instance. Feel free to get creative in your methods. Be inspired and see where that inspiration takes you.
TALISMANS: Take a blank wooden nickel. With colored fine permanent color marker, draw a sigil which represents either just the Pip, or, the aforementioned hierarchy. Involve this wooden nickel in your meditation or ritual such that it will be imbued with ‘Swiftness’. If you use the aforementioned lunar magnetism method, feel free to subsequently dunk the sigiled nickel into the salt water. Or, if you used the candle fire method, to hold the nickel over the flame. However it seems right to you for the ‘translation of light’ to end up in the wooden nickel. By the end of the ceremony, the nickel becomes a talisman of ‘Swiftness’ for your use.
Reference:
- Liber O vel Manus Sagittae sub figura VI https://www.100thmonkeypress.com/biblio/acrowley/downloads/equinox%201_%202/liber_o/copy.htm
- The Golden Dawn, by Israel Regardie, 6th Edition.
- Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley, Book T (Golden Dawn), Liber Theta
- The Hermetica
- William Lilly Christian Astrology. Oliva Barclay, horary astrology author.
- Deborah Houlding’s Skyscript UK website.
- The Golden Bough.
- The Treasure House of Images, Aleister Crowley.
- Liber ABA, Aleister Crowley
- Ancient Greek Esoteric Doctrine of the Elements, John Opsopaus
- Henry Cornelius Agrippa, the Three Books of Occult Philosophy
- The Magus, by Francis Barrett
Note: This is the method Capella Lux has devised for herself, as a derivative work of Liber O, along with her knowledge of astrology, and the Tarot. This was first performed in public as the ‘Wish Upon a Star’ Ritual at the Thelema RVA Campout, September 2020. Feel free to give it a try.