A Manual of Occultism," "Kabaiistic Astrology," "Prognostic Astronomy," Etc., Etc
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1 MAIMUA^ C)F OCCUI^riSM SEPHARIAL Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/manualofoccultis01seph A MANUAL OF OCCULTISM A MANUAL OF OCCULTISM BY "SEPHARIAL" author of "the manual of astrology," " kabalistic astrology," "the kabala of numbers," etc., etc. LONDON WILLIAM RIDER & SON, Ltd. I9I4 " Sorcery has been called Magic : but Magic is Wisdom, and there is no wisdom in Sorcery/" Paracelsus. INTRODUCTION It is not my intention in these pages to attempt an exposition of the deeper arcana in connection with the various subjects treated of; but rather to place before the lay reader a number of methods by means of which he will be able to demonstrate to his own satisfaction, and that of others, that there is a deep substratum of truth in what is usually called " Occultism," and that the occult arts are sure and definite means of exploring them. The ancient Hermetic philosophers were well aware of a certain subtile correspondence or analogy existing between the superior and inferior worlds, the world of causation and that of effects. They traced a connection between the noumenal and the phenomenal, between the mind of man and his bodily condition, between the spiritual and the natural. They affirmed all this in a trite axiom : As above, so below. This philosophy extended to concrete observations, and became a science which they embodied in the Doctrine of Correspondences. The hieroglyphic writings of the Chinese, Egyptians and Assyrians are the outcome of this science, portions of which are current in our own thought and language. Thus when we speak of commerce, vi INTRODUCTION the merchant and the market, we are going back to traditional knowledge which associated the " winged messenger " of the gods with the ship in fuU sail; the word merx (trade) being at the root of the name Mercury, and the symbol ^ the hiero- gljrph for all that the name imports. We call the Sun *'he" and the Moon "she," tracing unconsciously a subtile correspondence between the daj^ and the active male function in nature, and between the night and the passive female function. We speak of jovial men and infer their connection with the planet Jupiter; and all our destructive and hurtful ideas are embodied in such words as "to mar," " martial," " murder," etc., linking them to their source in the root mama (to strike), because the destructive element in nature is represented in our system by the planet Mars. This Doctrine of Correspondences is at the root of all occult interpretation. It is our human presentation of the Universal Law which binds the Microcosm to the Macrocosm as an effect to its antecedent cause. The mystic, the poet and the creative artist are all unconscious interpreters of this universal law. They have in some degree the universal sense by which their souls are rendered responsive to the pulsations of Nature's own heart- beat. The sybil, the diviner and the seer are in even closer touch with the Great Life, while they have less conscious enjoyment of that intimacy. Others there are who reach to the heart of things by a clear and conscious intellection, understanding what they INTRODUCTION vii see, analyzing and interpreting what they feel. These are the Occultists, the true masters of the secret knowledge. Here it is perhaps necessary to mark the distinction which exists between occult- ism and mediumism, between the voluntary conscious effort of the trained intellect and the automatic functioning of the natural " sensitive," in their respective relations to the occult world. The Occultist is one who intelligently and con- tinuously applies himself to the understanding of the hidden forces in nature and to the laws of the interior world, to the end that he may consciously co-operate with nature and the spiritual intelligences in the production of effects of service to himself and to his fellow-beings. This entails upon him a close study of the mystery and power of sound, number, colour, form; the psychological laws underlying all expression of faculty; the laws of sympathy and antipathy ; the law of vibration ; of spiritual and natural affinity ; the law of periodicity, of cosmic energy, planetary action; occult correspond- ences, etc. To these labours he must bring a natural gift of understanding, an unusual degree of patience and devotion, and a keen perception of natural facts. The Medium, or natural sensitive, is one who holds himself in negative relations to the interior worlds, and submits himself to the operation of influences proceeding from things and persons, as well as to that of discarnate intelligences. The medium cultivates an unusual degree of responsiveness to environment and to the emanations (atomic, mag- ; viii INTRODUCTION netic or psychic) and suggestions of other persons. The phenomena developed by this process of mediumism include automatism (temporary loss of control over the motor nerves), as in the pheno- mena of involuntary speech and automatic writing hypercesthesia, as in the function of clairvoyance, clairaudience, psychometry, etc. ; trance, with its attendant phenomena of unconscious cerebration, obsession, and a variety of physical effects of a supernormal character. In its highest manifesta- tion, following upon the " crucifying of the flesh," the subjugation of the passions, and a process of intense rehgious aspiration, mediumism is frequently followed by spiritual revelation and spontaneous prophecy. " But this sort cometh not but by fasting and prayer." The various forms of divination to which recourse is had in so-called occult circles rest largely upon the exercise of a faculty which is compounded of occultism and mediumism. They are seen to employ the automatic faculty in conjunction with an em- pirical knowledge of certain occult methods of interpretation. The following pages are intended to place the lay reader in possession of some of the principal methods of the occultists and mediums ; and although nothing of a purely esoteric nature is divulged, it will never- theless be found that everything necessary to an initial understanding and practice of the various occult arts is included in this work. It is within the author's purpose to place so much information — — INTRODUCTION ix at the disposal of the student as will effectually debar him from any excuse of ignorance concerning the psychic powers latent in man and the verity of the occult sciences. It is within the power of everybody to be convinced, and to convince others, while he who perseveres to the point of perfection in the exercise of his faculty may justly be dignified by the name of Adept. The Magi of ancient times were astrologers, diviners and prophets all, and he who would aspire to their high degree must pursue their methods and live their life. They have committed to us the following maxims, which are stiU preserved in the schools Know—Will—Dare—Keep Silent ; and as to the rule of life they enjoin Right Thought—Right Feeling Right Speech—Right Action Right Living. CONTENTS PART I THE OCCULT SCIENCES CHAP. PAQK Introduction ....... v-ix ASTROLOGY—Section I I THE ALPHABET, ETC 3 II THE ASPECTS 11 III THE SIGNS ....... 14 IV THE HOUSES . .21 ASTROLOGY—Section II I MAKING A HOROSCOPE . .27 II FOREIGN HOROSCOPES . .34 ASTROLOGY—Section III I PERSONAL APPEARANCE . .37 II THE CONSTITUTION . .41 III HEALTH ....... 42 IV CHARACTER ....... 44 V ACCIDENTS . .48 VI THE FORTUNES . .50 VII THE POSITION . .52 xi xii CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE VIII THE OCCUPATION ..... 04: IX MARRIAGE ...... t X PROGENY ...... OUAA XI TRAVELLING ...... XII FRIENDS AND ENEMIES .... 65 XIII KIND OF DEATH ..... 67 astrology—Section iv I THE MEASURE OF TIME .... oy II EXAMPLE OF DIRECTIONS 1 O III SECONDARY DIRECTIONS 7o IV TRANSITS AND ECLIPSES, ETC. QA V MUNDANE ASTROLOGY .... 91 VI OTHER METHODS . 97 PALMISTRY I TYPES OF HANDS ..... lUO 111 II MOUNTS OR CUSHIONS .... ill III THE PHALANGES ..... lib IV THE LINES ...... 1 1 o V NINE PRINCIPAL LINES .... 123 VI INCIDENTAL MARKS .... 134 THAUMATURGIC ART I THE KABALA ..... II THE CALCULATORY ART 1 AA III OF EVIL SPIRITS ..... 156 IV man's SPIRITUAL FREEDOM . 161 CONTENTS xiii CHAP. PAGE V ON TALISMANS ..... 166 VI NUMEROLOGY ..... 178 HYPNOTISM AND MESMERISM . 193 PART II THE OCCULT ARTS I Divination. ..... 213 II THE tarot ...... 218 III Cartomancy ..... 233 IV VARIOUS METHODS .... 240 V Crystal-gazing ..... 247 VI PRELIMINARIES AND PRACTICE . 253 VII VISIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS 260 VIII SOME EXPERIENCES .... 264 IX Geomancy ...... 269 X CASTING AND JUDGING THE FIGURE . 275 XI SYMBOLS IN THE TWELVE HOUSES . 282 XII PSYCHOMETRY . 310 XIII Dreams ...... 320 XIV Sortileges ...... 333 ALCHEMY . 344 PART I THE OCCULT SCIENCES THE VOLITIONAL FACULTY—THE WILL AND IMAGINATION — ADEPTSHIP — ASTROLOGY —KABALISM—TALISMANS—NUMEROLOGY —PALMISTRY—HYPNOTISM, Etc., Etc. B » ERRATA. read Paoe 7— lines 14-15: for "specific gravities" " atomic weights." " specific gravities " read Page 8—line 3 et scq : for " atomic weights." A MANUAL OF OCCULTISM SECTION 1 CHAPTER I ASTROLOGY The astrologic art is held to be the key to all the occult sciences. Certainly it is the most ancient, and that which most readily lends itself to scientific demonstration. Much that is contained in this and the following chapters is traditional knowledge, but some portion of it is the result of modern discovery and experi- ment. Thus the nature and significations of the signs of the zodiac and the planets, the aspects and some other parts of the groundw ork of astrology, have come down to us from times immemorial; but the methods of computing the periods, the exact times of events, together with some methods of in- terpretation, are of modern or comparatively recent origin. Of course, all that is known of Neptune and Uranus is the result of modern discovery. 3 B2 — — 4 A MANUAL OF OCCULTISM The subject before us can be divided into three parts : 1.