No. 0, Vernal Equinox 2001
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
These three dots, hereinafter written ".'." are a form of ellipsis from
Freemasonry.
Technically, they refer to someone or some organisation that has the secrets
of a Master Mason. Hence, a 3rd Degree Mason might style himself "Bro.'.
John Smith", whilst the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite might be abbreviated
"A.'. and A.'. S.'.R.'.." A number of hermetic (see Hermeticism)
organisations have, quite presumptuously in some cases, adopted the use
of .'. even though they cannot in any sense really be Masonic.
A.'.A.'.
Occult order founded by Aleister Crowley, supposedly named after the fabled
Rosicrucian Third Order (see Rosicrucianism).
"A.'.A.'." is commonly thought to stand for "Astrum Argentum" ("Silver
Star") but Lon Milo Duquette, the noted Thelemite, has denied this. Not
to be confused with the OTO, which is also associated with Crowley.
Abramelin
(Sacred Magic of)
"The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage" is a mediaeval grimoire
that is now widely available in an edition translated and edited by S.
L. Macgregor Mathers. It was made famous by Crowley, who borrowed its
central concept of attaining "Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy
Guardian Angel" as the basis for the whole work of the Adept.
The main challenge is to perform the "Abramelin Operation", a six-month
period of seclusion, meditation and asceticism, in order to contact the
Holy Guardian Angel, and thereafter compel the obedience of all the demons
of Hell.
Adept
An Adept may loosely be described as someone who is an expert in magic.
In several magical orders such as the Golden
Dawn and A.'.A.'. it has the specific meaning of someone initiated
into Tiphereth, which is at the centre of the Tree
of Life. In the Golden Dawn, an Adept is expected to invoke his
or her Higher Genius or Neshamah,
to unite the Higher and Lower Wills to manifest the "True Will", and to
expel Qlippothic forces from the Nephesh
into the Evil Persona (rather like the Shadow in Jungian theory) whilst
maintaining control over the same. The same process is more prosaically
called in the A.'.A.'. "Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy
Guardian Angel". See also Abramelin.
Aeon
of Isis/ Osiris/ Horus/ Maat/ etc.
Crowley's view of the development of civilisation, religion, and magic.
He referred to the ancient era of Matriarchal Society and Goddess worship
as the "Aeon of Isis" (after the Mother Goddess of Egyptian Mythology);
and the period dating from the rise of the Osiris cult to immediately
before Crowley's reception of the Book of the Law as the "Aeon of Osiris".
He further claimed that the new Aeon, of which he was the Prophet, was
that of Horus, whilst the next one would be of Maat.
Age of
Aquarius / Pisces / etc.
The point at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator on March 23rd
each year seems to be travelling backwards through the Zodiac. This is
known as the "Precession of the Equinoxes". Although it is called the
"First point of Aries" it is currently in the western end of the constellation
of Pisces. Astrologers refer to the period of time in which the "Spring
Point" remains in a given constellation (which is at least several thousand
years) as the "Age of …", and engage in a lot of speculation as to what
we can expect in the different ages. In terms of pure Astronomy, the Age
of Aquarius will begin (and that of the present, Pisces, end) in around
800 years time. However some bright spark realised that by taking a more
astrological viewpoint, the Age of Aquarius could actually be beginning
about now. This has given rise to the concept of the New
Age.
Akasha
Sanskrit:
"Space" - used in Madame Blavatsky's Theosophy
to translate the old-fashioned idea of the Ether of the Physicists, and
in the Golden
Dawn to refer to the mysterious Fifth element or Levi's "Astral
Light". Akasha is the substance of which minds or thoughts are composed,
giving rise to the idea of the Akashic
Records. It is also the Spirit that animates the grosser Matter
of the other four Elements.
Akashic
Records
The idea that the Akasha,
being some kind of mind or thought substance, receives the imprint of
every memory that has ever been experienced. Hence, it is possible to
recover otherwise unobtainable details from the past, such as ones own
(or someone else's) past lives. The idea of the "Akashic Records" seems
to derive from Helena Blavatsky's Theosophy,
though there is evidence that a similar concept does exist in Yoga.
Alchemy
Mediaeval precursor of Chemistry, Alchemy concentrated on turning base
metals into gold. Nowadays it is generally considered that the vocabulary
of Alchemy really consists of metaphors for Spiritual Initiation,
an idea Carl Jung incorporated into Analytical Psychology. Some schools
of thought hold that Alchemy is a metaphor for Sex Magic.
Astral
Projection
Psychic phenomenon in which one deliberately attempts to experience ones
consciousness as outside or separate from ones physical body. Has variously
been described as "like lucid
dreams" (Dion Fortune), "Travelling in the Spirit Vision" (the
Golden Dawn),
"OOBE" or "Out of the Body Experience" (miscellaneous). Many Occultists
recommend that the practitioner develop the ability to project astrally
in order to gain the faculty of Clairvoyance,
and to perform magic generally.
Astrology
From ancient until mediaeval times astrology was thought to be the study
of the actual universe, which incorporated divinatory principles and ideas
drawn from classical mythology. Nowadays it is mainly a method of Divination,
though it is also a convenient framework in which to classify a host of
other magical practices, and may therefore by usefully studied in order
to shed light on a wide number of features of the WMT.
Aurum
Solis
A non-Rosicrucian magical order, founded in 1897, which is nowadays most
known through the writings of Osborne Phillips and the late Melitta Denning.
Based on Neoplatonism,
Theurgy,
the Greek Mysteries, and Hermetic Qabalah,
it covers much the same ground as the Golden
Dawn (amongst other occult orders), though in a somewhat idiosyncratic
style. Although most of its rituals have been published, the actual Order
itself is a private affair, to which admittance is only gained through
invitation.
Builders
of the Adytum ("BOTA")
Magical order founded
by Paul Foster Case (left), after he was forced to leave the AO
(Alpha et Omega - an offshoot of the Golden
Dawn). Similar to that organisation, with a strong emphasis on
the Tarot, and a system of cosmology known as the "Cube of Space", but
pointedly steering clear of Enochian
Magick. Case founded BOTA after allegedly meeting one of the Masters,
a certain Rakocsi, in a New York hotel room.
Clairvoyance
"Clear Seeing" - the ability to psychically obtain visions and hence supposedly
reliable information. The actual method used might be similar to Astral
Projection, or the seer may experience an array of mental images
without any sensation of being out of the body (e.g. Skrying).
Clairvoyance is used by numerous magical orders in order to investigate,
for example, magical symbols, or to supposedly contact the dead (see Mediumship),
or to view real-life locations ("Remote Viewing").
Demons
and "Daemons"
Though spelt similarly, and indeed the former is derived from the latter,
these two words have vastly different meanings to the Occultist. A "Demon"
is an evil spirit, but originally "Daemon" (Greek: 
)
simply meant "spirit" and could well include benevolent spirits and even
angels. It may be the case that many so-called "Demons" listed in grimoires
were originally either good or morally neutral "Daemons", the memory of
whom was corrupted perhaps by time, or perhaps by the prejudices of the
grimoire writers.
Divination
The principle that an arbitrary set of circumstances (e.g. the positions
of stars in the sky at ones birth, a random dealing of Tarot Cards, etc.)
can suggest to the diviner the hidden background of a given event and
its likely outcome. Occultists believe that Divination is not "Fortune
Telling" - the latter is hopelessly fatalistic, but the former allows
for the existence of free will. Divination is seen as a prediction of
what will happen if the querent does nothing to avert the consequences.
Common methods of Divination include (but are not limited to) Astrology,
Geomancy,
the Tarot,
and the I Ching.
Elements
Before the Elements of modern chemistry became widely known, it was believed
that all matter consisted of mixtures of Fire, Water, Air and Earth. This
idea, which originated with Plato, permeates the whole WMT, though nowadays
occultists do not claim that the Four Magical Elements are the same as
their physical counterparts. Note that in occultism there are really five
elements - the fifth element (literally "quintessence") being Spirit (see
Akasha).
Enochian
Magick
"Discovered"
by Dr John Dee (right) and Sir Edward Kelley, this is an idiosyncratic
form of magick that bears few similarities to any other kind of ceremonial
magick in sixteenth century England. The name "enochian" derives from
the fact that Dee and Kelley said that they were given this system by
angels who had also been in contact with the antediluvian patriarch Enoch.
There is very little information as to what Enochian Magick actually
does. Dee himself believed it was for discovering the esoteric secrets
of Nature. However, it has been reported to be unusually potent in that
effects can be achieved without effort. Individuals and groups known to
have made use of Enochian Magick include the Golden
Dawn, the Aurum
Solis, and Aleister Crowley.
Evocation
Literally meaning "Calling out", it is the practice of using some form
of magick (e.g. Ceremonial) to cause a Spirit to appear either physically
or clairvoyantly. (Compare with "invocation", where the spirit is invited
to possess the magician.) Evocation is appropriate where the spirit is
malign, unpleasant, or simply of a nature wholly unsuited to being invoked
(e.g. an elemental).
Freemasonry
A fraternity, which in modern days is increasingly shaking off its reputation
for secrecy, founded on the notion that the architecture of a church (typically
Solomon's Temple) is a metaphor for the architecture of the Soul and man's
relationship with God. The founders of many occult organisations (e.g.
the Golden
Dawn) were themselves Freemasons and seem to have modelled their
modi operandi along Masonic lines. Freemasonry has been a consistent benefactor
of charities as well as a social organisation for its members - but it
has also attracted criticism (and jealousy) on the grounds that it encourages
unethical preferential treatment in business and public life. There have
also been a number of sinister allegations made about Masonic activity,
some of which are more dubious than others (such as the much criticised
"The Brotherhood" by the late Stephen Knight).
Gematria
A form of Qabalistic numerology. Before Hindu-Arabic numbers became used
in the West, numbers were represented in Hebrew by assigning numeric values
to the letters of the alphabet, e.g. 
(Aleph) =1, 
(Beth) =2, etc. Hence, a word in Hebrew can theoretically have a numerical
value - the sum of the value of the various letters. What the Qabalists
did was to say that different words with the same numerical value are
somehow related - exactly how was a matter for meditation. For example,
both Nachash, 
,
the Serpent of Moses, and Messiach 
(Messiah or "Christ") have a numerical value of 358 (c.f. John 3:14-15).
Further examples can be found in Sepher Sephiroth by Aleister Crowley.
Geomancy
Literally meaning "Earth Divination", it is a method of divination
that involves using a series of random marks on paper (or more appropriately,
a tray of consecrated Earth) to generate sixteen Geomantic Characters
(each of which will be one of sixteen different combinations). These characters,
as well as having their own meanings, are also interpreted in a manner
approximating Astrology.
Geomancy is used in, e.g., the Golden
Dawn.
Gnosticism
From Greek gnosis ("knowledge"), this is a general term for a number
of philosophies or religions that existed in the few centuries immediately
before and after the birth of Christ. Their common features include a
belief in two Gods: one who created the world of Spirit ("the Logos"),
the other who created the world of Matter ("the Demiurge"). Also, Gnosticism
emphasised a return to the world of Spirit by a process of mystical knowledge
(i.e. Gnosis), and a belief in Reincarnation. Unfortunately, most Gnostics,
unlike Neoplatonists (see Neoplatonism),
believed that the Demiurge, and consequently the world of matter, was
evil - a view which encouraged elitism and sexual repression, which seems
to have carried over into nascent Christianity.
Goetia
Greek "Howling". As a general term, "goetia" refers to low magic (as opposed
to Theurgy),
involving the Evocation
of evil spirits in an attempt to force them to fulfil ones material wishes.
As a specific term, "The Goetia" is a part of "The Legemoton, or Lesser
Key of Solomon" - a grimoire (which contains goetia) translated by Macgregor
Mathers and edited by Aleister Crowley, which proved to be the catalyst
for their falling out.
Golden
Dawn
Probably the single-most influential magickal order in the WMT. The Golden
Dawn was originally founded by S. L. Macgregor Mathers, Wynn Westcott,
and William Woodman. It (publicly) started in 1887 in England, and broke
up sixteen years later in 1903. However, many of the surviving Adepts
attempted to carry on the tradition in their own orders with varying degrees
of success, and with varying degrees of co-operation with each other.
The Golden Dawn is best known today through the writings of Israel Regardie,
Aleister Crowley, and Dion Fortune. Golden Dawn magic is based on Rosicrucianism,
Hermeticism,
the Qabalah,
etc.
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Grades
It is common for many orders to use a system of grades to denote the level
of achievement of its members. Rosicrucian-based orders follow a system
related to the ten Sephiroth of the Tree
of Life. Grades have been used to restrict the occult information
that an order makes available to an individual, supposedly only for didactic
purposes. Grades have also been used to denote supposed spiritual attainment
- a practice that has given rise to much controversy, both as to their
meaning, and to whether any given person deserves a particular grade.
Hermeticism
Named after Hermes Trismestigus, the supposed author of the Corpus Hermetica
and the Emerald Tablet, and equated with the Egyptian God Thoth. Hermeticism
is a kind of Alexandrian Gnosticism
or Neoplatonism.
The rediscovery of the Corpus Hermetica in the middle ages directly inspired
Alchemy.
"Hermetic" means "pertaining to Alchemy": or, in modern terms, "using
Ritual Magic in way that is based on Spiritual Alchemy."
Holy
Guardian Angel
Made famous by the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin
the Mage, invoking ones Holy Guardian Angel is in many magical systems
(e.g. Bardon, Crowley) the signature act of an Adept. The Holy Guardian
Angel has been compared to the Neshamah
or Higher Genius by the Golden
Dawn, and the Higher Self of Theosophy
by Dion Fortune. Ones Holy Guardian Angel is generally considered to be
the definitive agent by which the individual achieves the highest spiritual
attainment.
Hypnotism
Hypnotism is used to induce an altered state of consciousness in the Subject,
where suggestions can be made directly to that person's unconscious mind.
It may involve a combination of relaxation, visualisation and repetition
exercises, as well as a number of other techniques. There is an increasing
acceptance by students of the WMT that the various magical states of consciousness
(e.g. Astral
Projection, Skrying
etc) are in fact achieved by self-hypnosis. Indeed, Franz Bardon recommended
that his students learn a form of hypnotism as part of their training.
(See also Trances,
and see Mediumship
/
Spiritualism)
IAO
This is a divine name which crops up throughout the WMT: it occurs in
the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster, where it is a name of God, etymologically
similar to "Jehovah". However, in some branches of Gnosticism,
Iao is a Serpent-like Archon, whose role it is to prevent people from
attaining enlightenment. In complete contrast, in the Golden
Dawn, Iao is a divine force associated with Tiphereth whose role
it is to help people attain enlightenment. According to the G.'.D.'.,
"Iao" is a notarikon of "YHVH Eloah Vedaath" (way or Yod(I) - Aleph(A)
- Vau(O)) and an acronym of "Isis Apophis Osiris". To add to the confusion,
the Aurum Solis states that Iao is a lunar or Yesod deity, even though
they still attribute "YHVH Eloah Vedaath" to Tiphereth (For "Yesod" and
"Tiphereth" see also Tree
of Life).
Initiation
Many magical orders stress that an individual must undergo Initiation
in order to fully partake of certain esoteric teachings - the idea being
that the teachings should be kept secret from him or her until they are
an initiate. In favour of this theory is the argument that the Initiation
ceremony confers a certain subtle magical benefit not otherwise obtained
by merely informing the candidate of the desired matters. Against it are
claims that some so-called initiators are incompetent to initiate for
one reason or another; or perhaps that some people have been able to use
the teachings without having been initiated; or that the ability to bestow
or withhold Initiation has been abused in the past by Order leaders to
consolidate their power. (See also Grades).
Initiation,
Line of
This is the theory that only a properly Initiated teacher can himself
Initiate others. It therefore follows that a genuine initiate should be
able to show an unbroken Line of Initiation, back to the original author
of his or her tradition, in much the same way that the Pope can trace
the succession of his authority right back to Saint Peter and even Christ
Himself. Some magical orders have deliberately faked their own origins
to gain the "prestige" of a line of initiation. A few others claim that
success in magic is the only real measure of worth.
Knights
Templar
Formed at the time of the Second Crusade, this was an Order of Knights
who took vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. However, like other
mediaeval Monastic orders who took vows of poverty, the Templars became
very wealthy, incurring the jealousy of various European monarchs. Allegations
abounded that they worshipped a bearded figure called "Baphomet"; practised
black magic; etc. Their leader, Jacques De Molay, was arrested after someone
walked into their lodge and found it set up like a modern Third Degree
Masonic Ceremony. He was then tortured by being Crucified and afterwards
executed. The Templars seem to have inspired a number of modern orders,
such as Freemasonry,
De Molay, the OTO,
etc.
Lucid
Dreams
A Psychic phenomenon in which one has the sensation of being aware that
one is asleep and dreaming, but without waking up. It is possible to train
oneself to dream lucidly almost at will, and to be able to consciously
control the content of ones dream. Various writers such as Dion Fortune,
Ophiel, Oliver Fox, et al., claim that Lucid Dreaming is actually a form
of Astral
Projection.
Magic
There is a lot of discussion as to what this actually is. It has variously
been described as "controlling the secret forces of nature" (Mathers),
"the art and science of causing change in conformity with Will" (Crowley)
"the Highest, Most Absolute and most Divine Knowledge of Natural Philosophy"
(The Goetia).
The debate also includes what is the proper role of Magic, what is the
definition of White,
Black
and Grey
Magick, etc. However, what is expressly excluded from serious
discussion of Magic in the WMT is that it has anything to do with stage
conjuring, à la David Copperfield or Paul Daniels, etc.
Magick
This is an old spelling of Magic revived in modern times by Aleister Crowley
to distinguish his system from stage conjuring. Apparently the "k" at
the end, in Crowley's view, stands for "Kteis" (Greek 
)
the female genitalia, hence indicating the sexual undertone (or even overtone)
of his system.
Magic,
Black
Commonly defined as Magic using the aid of Demons
(though not Daemons).
This is, however, an unsatisfactory definition, as a number of schools
of thought hold that controlling such spirits by appeal to Divine forces
is a necessary feature of ordinary Magic. A better definition would simply
be "evil or immoral magic". Crowley defined it as anything falling outside
his conception of White Magick, which he defined so narrowly that Black
Magic could theoretically include acts which are perfectly moral and beneficial.
There is a large body of opinion that says that it is unhelpful to ascribe
either colour or morality to magic, as magic itself is just a tool.
Magic,
Grey
This is a belt-and-braces term used in some quarters to describe any magical
act that is not exactly Black or White. For example, selfish spells which
do not affect others, morally neutral acts, acts that are mixed good and
bad, or even good acts which fall outside Crowley's strict definition
of White
Magic. There is a large body of opinion that says that it is unhelpful
to ascribe either colour or morality to magic, as magic itself is just
a tool.
Magic,
White
Has variously been described as Magic using the aid of Angels and benevolent
spirits, or just simply Good Magic. Crowley defined it as "the raising
of the whole man in an upward direction" (i.e. upward on the Tree
of Life) thus limiting it very strictly to pure Theurgy.
Hence, a magic spell to heal a diseased person, whilst being unambiguously
moral, could be considered Black Magic as it need not be connected with
Theurgy per se. There is a large body of opinion that says that it is
unhelpful to ascribe either colour or morality to magic, as magic itself
is just a tool.
Masters
One of Blavatsky's ideas in Theosophy
was that there are hidden "Masters", superhuman or even god-like, who
are guiding the evolution of humanity. Dion Fortune claimed to have had
a vision of two such Masters: Rakocsi (who is apparently a reincarnation
of both Christian Rosencreutz and Comte St.Germain); and Jesus, who seems
to have had His status updated by Fortune to fit in with her beliefs.
Aleister Crowley claimed that he himself was a Master. (See also Builders
of the Adytum, and Secret
Chiefs).
Mediumship
/ Spiritualism
Originating in the 19th Century and gaining massive popularity
after the First World War, this is the idea that the spirits of the deceased
contact the living through the aid of psychically gifted people, typically
to comfort the bereaved. It is open to criticism on two accounts. First,
it is argued that although the Soul survives death and is reincarnated,
the Personality per se does not. Hence, any mediumistic contact is either
bogus in some way, or indicative that something is wrong. Secondly, the
"mediumistic trance" is condemned as being bad practice, as the passivity
of the medium means there is no qualitative discernment of any contacts
that occur, leaving the medium open to the influence of malign or dangerous
spirits. (See also Trances
and Hypnotism.)
Mysticism
Generally speaking, a mental practice in which the mind is stilled so
that it experiences the highest and most abstract conception of Godhead
or Ultimate Reality free from any distracting thoughts whatsoever. Orthodox
forms of mysticism include the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola,
the Spiritual Guide of Miguel De Molinos (Christian), the classical Qabalah
(Judaism), Sufism (Islam), Yoga,
Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, etc. Heterodox forms include Gnosticism,
Neoplatonism,
Theurgy,
the Hermetic Qabalah, etc.
Neo-paganism
Twentieth century phenomenon that has seen the revival of ancient Pagan
religions, such as the Greek Mysteries, the Egyptian Mysteries, the Norse
Religion of Asatru, Shamanism and Wicca.
There is no doubt that this upsurge in interest has been caused by the
combined effects of the occult revival at the end of the 19th Century,
the relaxation of out-of-date laws against witchcraft in the 1950s, and
the phenomenon of the so-called New
Age. The term "neo-pagan", in contrast to "pagan" is also used
by some people to emphasise the fact that such beliefs are modern interpretations
of pagan traditions, and not necessarily a direct continuation thereof.
Neoplatonism
School of Greek philosophy dating from the third to fifth century AD.
It shares some ideas with Gnosticism
in that it sees man's natural destiny as attempting to return to the source
of creation through either Mysticism
or Theurgy.
Unlike Gnosticism, the Demiurge is not seen as evil, hence, neither is
the material universe, though it is admittedly imperfect. The two main
names in Neoplatonism (from an Occultist's point of view) are Plotinus,
who favoured the Mystical approach, and Iamblichus, who favoured Theurgy.
Nephesh
Hebrew 
, also
transliterated as "Nephesch". In the Qabalah,
the Nephesh consists of the "animal" part of a being, the physical and
etheric bodies, and the automatic consciousness (i.e. Unconscious). This,
in contrast to the Ruach
and Neshamah,
does not survive death. This often upsets people who attempt to practice
Astral
Projection, as the Hermetic Qabalah teaches that the Astral body
is a projection of the Nephesh as well.
Neshamah
Hebrew 
,
also sometimes transliterated as "Neschamah". In the Qabalah,
this is the Soul of a being. It corresponds to the Supernal Sephiroth
generally, and to Binah specifically. In the Golden
Dawn it is also known as the Higher Genius, through which it is
possible to comprehend the Chiah (Divine Will, corresponding to Chokmah)
and ultimately, in unison with the Chiah, to comprehend the Yechidah (Divine
spark, corresponding to Kether).
New
Age
The questionable idea that the Age
of Aquarius is beginning now has prompted a large number of people
to start considering at least one of every mysterious or psychic phenomenon
which is not recognised as orthodox by Western Religions as a valid lifestyle-basis.
Moreover, many such people take a syncretistic approach to such phenomena.
Whilst this has caused a revival of interest in the WMT, it has also stimulated
interest in a large number of theories and practices that have little
to no merit from either the spiritual or scholarly viewpoint. Whilst the
basic notion of the WMT is that Spiritual training should be free of charge,
it seems that many proponents of the New Age seem to be running it as
a commercial venture - or even an industry.
Notarikon
The Qabalistic analysis of acronyms appearing in the Old Testament. Qabalists
believe that God has encoded secret messages into the Bible using Notarikon
(as well as Gematria).
For example, "Agla", the name of a local god in the ancient Middle East,
has been assimilated into the Qabalah by claiming it to be a Notarikon
of "Ateh Gebur Le-olam Adonai" - "Thou art mighty forever Oh Lord." Again,
"Amen" ( nma) is said to stand for "Adonai Melekh Namen" - "the Lord and
faithful King".
Occult
"Secret" or "hidden". It is doubtful whether anything rightly deserves
that epithet, as a tremendous amount of what is commonly referred to as
"occult" nowadays has been published. A number of writers in the first
half of the 20th Century recommend that the first thing one
should do when approaching the WMT is to forget the supposedly sinister
overtones of the word "Occult", and to treat it purely as a Science. There
is no need to believe in or have faith in the Occult, as the real phenomena
are all experiential.
OTO
"Ordo Templi Orientis" or the Order of the Eastern Temple. A Quasi-Masonic
society founded in the late 19th Century by Karl Kellner, and modelled
on the Knights Templar. Its most (in)famous member was Aleister Crowley,
who at one point assumed (or purported to assume) the position of OHO
(Outer Head of the Order). It is now widely known that the superior degrees
of the OTO initiate the individual into a particularly phallocentric form
of Sex Magic.
Psychism
The wilful practice of psychic powers - for example, Clairvoyance,
Clairaudience, Clairsentience, Telepathy, Precognition, Psychokinesis,
etc. It has been suggested that all of these can be explained in one way
or another as movements in the Akasha
or Astral Light. Furthermore, at least one magician, Franz Bardon, has
postulated that practically the whole of magic is based on the use of
psychic powers, and has based an entire magickal training system on their
acquisition.
Qabalah
/ Kabbalah / Cabala
Hebrew 
,
"Revelation", or more accurately, revelations of the esoteric meanings
of Jewish scripture such as the Tanakh (Old Testament) and Talmud. The
Qabalah first seems to have appeared amongst Sephardic Jews in Mediaeval
Spain, although there is evidence of mystical practices in Judaism from
ancient times. The Qabalah comprises a complex mystical cosmology, and
its practices include various forms of meditation: on Bible verses; the
spelling and numerology of Hebrew words, and permutations derived in various
ways therefrom; and on a number of abstract ideas contained in such texts
as the Sepher Yetzirah, the Zohar, etc. The original Jewish Qabalah has
been assimilated into Hermeticism,
thereby linking it with Alchemy,
Astrology,
the Tarot,
etc. See also the Tree
of Life.
Qlippoth
Hebrew 
,
"Shells" or even "Excrement." In the Qabalah
these are demons of unbalanced force, which are thought to live in an
infernal region below Malkuth. There are said to be ten Qlippoth, each
being an antithesis of one of the Sephira of the Tree
of Life. Received wisdom is that one only runs into the Qlippoth
if something has gone wrong - i.e. one has been practising magic badly.
Rosicrucianism
Between 1614 and 1616, three curious documents appeared in Europe announcing
the existence of a hitherto secret society, "The Rosicrucian Fraternity".
It was apparently founded by (and named after) a mysterious Frater Christian
Rosencreutz (i.e. "Christian of the Rosy Cross"), supposedly born in 1378,
and died in 1484, aged 106. During his life he was into certain practices
in the Middle East and North Africa, such as the Qabalah,
Hermeticism,
and Alchemy
- which are the main subjects dealt with by Rosicrucian groups today.
Upon his death he was buried in a tomb that was as much an Esoteric Symbol
as it was a resting place. The Tomb was then rediscovered 120 years later,
in 1604. Either this caught the public imagination in a very big way,
or the Rosicrucians had indeed been active in secrecy, for a lot of Rosicrucian
symbology was adopted by secret societies, such as Freemasonry. The Golden
Dawn is one order that claimed to be descended from the original Rosicrucian
movement.
Ruach
Hebrew 
,
"Spirit". In the Qabalah,
one of the three parts of the Being, along with the Neshamah
and Nephesh.
The Ruach is seen as the mind and reasoning powers: it is thought to survive
death (and reincarnate) along with the Neshamah. In a different context,
the word is also commonly used in the phrase "Ruach Elohim", 
,
"Spirit of God" or The Holy Spirit.
Satanism
Historically, the Catholic Church used to label every practice which smacked
of magic as Satanism or Black
Magic. Unfortunately, a number of bona fide "white" magicians
such as Raymond Lull and Nicholas Flamel were caught by this hysteria.
However it now seems that there might have been actual Satanic practices
going on, centering around the infamous "Black Mass", in which lapsed
Catholics poured hatred on their former faith. One of the most influential
literary descriptions of Satanism is the novel "Là Bas" by J K Huysmans.
In modern times, the late Anton LaVey concocted a brand of toned down
Satanism, based on self-worship and instant self-gratification.
Secret
Chiefs
See also Masters.
Wynn Westcott, in relation to the Golden
Dawn, once described a superior order of Adepts ("The Third Order")
consisting of praeterhuman beings of the three highest Rosicrucian grades
of initiation. These were the "Secret Chiefs" - who, having discovered
the philosopher's stone, were considered immortal. Hence, vacancies for
office seldom occurred in their Order! Westcott's conception was radically
different from previous Rosicrucian societies who had the same grade system:
they had assumed that at least two of the highest grades could in fact
be achieved by mortals. Magical wars have been purportedly fought over
claims to be in contact with the Secret Chiefs, as the kudos arising therefrom
is used as a weapon in bitter arguments over an order's Line
of Initiation, who has the right to be in charge of the Order,
etc.
Sex Magic
There is a very important role for sexual intercourse in magic, as an
actual magical technique similar to the Maithuna or Karmamudra practices
of Tantra. One of the most popular theories of sex magic is that the moment
of orgasm releases a tremendous amount of energy that adds substantial
power to any magical or mystical working. In Wicca,
Sex Magic is practised in the form of the Great Rite. As the hieros
gamos ("Marriage of the Gods") in the Greek mysteries it is both "intercourse"
magic and "gender" magic. As well as a way of Spiritual working, some
organisations such as the OTO claim it can also be used in rituals for
mundane purposes as well. Needless to say, there is great controversy
in this whole subject - over Crowley's more sensational teachings, such
as the OTO's XI°; apparent connections with literary or actual Satanism;
etc. See also Alchemy
and Magick.
Skrying
A form of Clairvoyance,
"Skrying" usually indicates seeing images without first engaging in Astral
Projection. Well-known instruments used for skrying include the
legendary Crystal Ball, but may also include particular crystals, a bowl
of water, a handful of ink, so-called "magic mirrors" (which are not as
animate as the one in Snow White!) - or may be accomplished simply by
closing ones eyes and concentrating. It is important to note that the
visions do not occur in these objects, but the process of staring fixedly
at them induces the correct state of psychic awareness in the Seer.
Tarot
A form of Divination,
using a deck of 78 Cards: 22 Trumps or Major Arcana, and 56 Minor Arcana.
The first Tarot deck seems to have appeared in Mediaeval times, though
there is one legend that it goes back to Ancient Egypt. Aside from its
divinatory uses, the Tarot is used Occult orders such as the Golden
Dawn where the cards are closely mapped onto the various concepts
of the Qabalah,
especially the Tree
of Life, and even the Golden Dawn conceptions of Astrology
and the Cosmos.
Temurah
A form of Qabalistic Cryptology. The letters of Hebrew words are substituted
for other letters in a variety of permutations. One use for Temurah may
be that the encrypted word has associations in Gematria.
More simply, Temurah is a convenient device used to keep the Mysteries
secret. For example, if the word "Baphomet", the idol of the Knights
Templar, were to be written in Hebrew, this would be "
"
- "Beth, Pe, Vau, Mem, Tau". Applying the Eth-bash Temurah, in which the
nth letter of the alphabet is substituted for the nth in order
from the end, one is left with "aypwc" - "Shin, Vau, Pe, Yod, Aleph" or
"Sophia" (Gr. Wisdom), implying that the Templars were in fact Gnostics.
Telepathy
"Remote Thinking." Dion Fortune has suggested that Telepathic communication
is accomplished by visualising a given person and then addressing him.
It would appear that the message is transmitted by the power of fixed
thought operating on the astral light. Conscious reception is more tricky,
though various sources from Theosophy
and Yoga
agree that the major prerequisite is that the receiver should first make
his or her own mind completely still. See also Akasha
and Psychism.
Thelema
Greek 
,
"Will". This is the enduringly popular philosophy of Aleister Crowley
(1875 - 1947, left), based around the central concept of "Do What
Thou Wilt shall be the whole of The Law," and the key text Liber AL
vel Legis (The Book of the Law), which he apparently received from
a non-human intelligence in 1904. Thelema is ostensibly a distillation
of Golden Dawn
magic, Rabelais, Sex
Magic, the Egyptian Mysteries, Abramelin,
Yoga,
Buddhism, and Taoism. Thelema is predicated on the idea that Crowley did
in fact attain advanced mystical states which no westerner had done before.
Theosophy
"Divine
Knowledge", originally a term coined by Jakob Boehme, who said that ultimately
God can only be known through mystical insight. This was later
used by Helena P. Blavatsky (see photograph) to denote her brand
of Eastern Philosophy for Westerners still reeling from the implications
of Origins of the Species. Blavatsky's ideas, particularly relating
to Spiritual Evolution through mysticism, proved so popular that it is
fair to say they influenced, either directly or indirectly, every occult
movement in the late 19th Century. Yet despite the historical debt to
Theosophy per se, "The Theosophical Society", which she founded, declined
in influence after her death, when it was run by C. W. Leadbetter (whose
authority was eroded by allegations against his moral character), and
Annie Besant. It was their patronage of the young Krishnamurti as "World
Teacher" which led to a number of damaging protests against the Theosophical
Society: first by Rudolf Steiner; and then by Krishnamurti himself.
Theurgy
Theurgy involves the invocation of divine and angelic forces for ones
Spiritual needs. It is therefore considered "High Magic" as opposed to
Goetia.
It might alternately be described as the use of Magic ritual to obtain
the results of mysticism, in which sense it is envisaged by Iamblichus
(see Neoplatonism).
A number of grimoires call for the magician to practice theurgic rites
in order to then perform the various goetic operations, thus avoiding
accusations of out and out black
magic.
Trances
An altered state of consciousness of the kind induced by, for example,
Hypnotism.
In modern hypnosis, three types of trances are recognized: light; Somnambulistic
(medium); and Coma (heavy). Trances, or at least the heavier kinds, have
been condemned by Hermetic Magicians, who say that the ideal state of
consciousness is where one is able to consciously react to any phenomena
that might occur. These same magicians did allow for one to be led into
a trance by ones Higher Genius or Holy
Guardian Angel. See also Mediumship
/ Spiritualism.
Tree
of Life
A
diagram which is used to illustrate many of the major concepts of the
Qabalah
- primarily the ten successive emanations of Deity, and indeed of creation
itself, represented by the ten spherical Sephiroth. The names of the Sephiroth
in order, (by reference to the accompanying picture) are: Kether (Brilliant
White), Chokmah (Grey), Binah (Black), Chesed (Blue), Geburah (Red), Tiphereth
(Gold), Netzach (Green), Hod (Orange), Yesod (Indigo), and Malkuth (4
colours - Citrine, Russet, Olive and Black). These Sephiroth are connected
by a network of twenty-two paths, and the whole corresponds to the Thirty-Two
Intelligences of the Sepher Yetzirah, as well as a host of other concepts
(including, ultimately, every single thing in the Universe).
Wicca
From Old English "Wicce" (Wise), this is also known as Witchcraft. Wicca
is an Earth-centred, Goddess religion, some of whose members claim that
theirs was the religion actually practised by historical witches, but
was misrepresented throughout history as Satanism.
There is in fact little historical evidence as to Wicca's ancient origins.
Nevertheless, it is relevant to the WMT as its modern form contains large
elements of the Qabalah,
ceremonial magic, and Sex
Magic. This may stem from the influence of the founder of modern
Wicca, Gerald Gardner, who was a member of the OTO
and was influenced by Crowley.
Yoga
Sanskrit "Divine Union". Blanket term for a number of Vedantic practices
that all have the same end-result - that of liberation from the illusory
world of nature by mystical attainment. Remarkable in that it is one of
the few forms of mysticism that gives specific details of the processes
and practice of meditation. Crowley incorporated his own ideas about Yoga
into the system of the A.'.A.'.,
whilst Jung commented favourably on it but thought for some reason it
was not suitable for Westerners. He speculated that there should by rights
be a Yoga for the West, which Dion Fortune later claimed was none other
than the Qabalah.