December 22, 2013 by Purnacandra Sivarupa

Books That Blew My Mind: Initiation Into Hermetics

Be kind, friendly and lenient towards your fellow man, but unrelenting and pitiless with yourself.
~ Franz Bardon
Ive already written about Initiation Into Hermetics and Bardons corpus generally (PME & KTQ),
but I did so from a purely practical standpoint. Now, Id like to speak more personally.
At the time I discovered Franz Bardon, I was fairly invested in the black magic and demonology of
various European grimoires. I had been in the habit of invoking and evoking various demonic
powers, and had no scruples when it came to using these forces to do harm to those who annoyed
me, or even doing so for money on behalf of others. It was as I reached my depth in this area that I
met and befriended a guy named Chris; he had been practicing from Bardon on and off for a while,
and had seen some results. Out of respect for my new friend (who is, to this day, like a brother to
me), I picked up the Bardon books and read them a bit, but ended up just shelving them for a while,
as they did not really speak to me.
Not more than two to three months later, I found myself quite unwillingly undergoing what
academics insufficiently call visionary experiences. Without giving personal details, I was
urgently shown the error of my ways and, mercifully, shown a way out of the hole which I had dug
for myself. As part of my remedial curriculum, I was to immediately take up the work of Franz
Bardons Initiation Into Hermetics.
And that I did, with gusto.
Bardons was one of the first books on occult practice which I had encountered which was as
uninterested in abstractions as it was devoted to genuine spiritual and not merely psychic
unfoldment. Bardon had no time for any doctrines beyond those strictly necessary to make sense of
the practical exercises. Given the sizable heap of tangled mental patterns with which I had to deal
before any significant forward progress could be made, this was precisely the stripped-down,
essentials-only method that I needed; I, frankly, had no room in my head for particulars.
And right from the beginning, IIH did the job. The knots and tangles of my soul began to come
undone. No doubt, this is a frightening process. On not a few occasions, I was gripped by mental
fear, buried in anger, entrenched in sloth; but Providence is with one who takes the Way seriously,
so I was able to persist. While far from reaching instant enlightenment or freeze-dried perfection,
within a year of beginning, I found my temper cooling and overall sense of self-mastery and
understanding increasing.
Soon enough, I found myself drawn to those doctrines necessary to delve more deeply. Though he
never says so directly, it is clear that Bardons whole method is based in the cosmology and
theology of Corpus Hermeticum, directly or indirectly. Bardons opus thus serves as practical
coursework for the doctrinal teachings of classical Hermetism, within a modern occult framework.
But Corpus Hermeticum is an entry for another day.
Franz Bardons Hermetic Yoga Part 1: Initiation Into Hermetics
My first serious foray into spiritual practice was Initiation Into Hermetics (IIH) by Franz Bardon. I
had studied and practiced magic and meditation before then, but the fire of devotion was first

kindled by the German-Czech magus of Troppau-Opava. For those unfamiliar with his written
works, Bardons system of training requires rigor, discipline, and constant self-appraisal; in short, it
is very hard work, almost a full-time job unto itself. And, yet, it is also very accessible, structured in
a step-by-step self study pattern which means that anybody with the necessary dedication can make
it through.
When I discuss Bardon, people often ask me given that I am now a Saivite Hindu and
practitioner of Yoga, and no longer identify as a Hermetist How far did you get? Did you get to
step 10? My answer: I got to step 10, and am still there. I have met a few who have claimed to
have completed the tenth and final step, but was never convinced. The tenth step is focused on
realizing final Unitive Realization, and that is not the work of a few years, not does it leave ones
personality as egocentric and obsessed with magical powers as when one began. If anything,
Bardons Initiation Into Hermetics when practiced with patience, diligence, and sincerity will
prepare you for and lead you toward wherever your true spiritual home may be.
Along with IIH, Bardon has two other (completed) books, as well as some supplementary material
(which I will briefly describe later). Altogether, Bardon presents the closest thing we moderns have
to a full and well-graduated Hermetic Yoga. No so-called Hermetic magical lodge system I have
encountered comes close, and all would do well to incorporate at least the first three or four steps of
IIH to their own programs.
The three primary techniques at the core of IIH are concentration, detailed self-analysis, and porebreathing; and its three principle stages of advancement are (in ascending order) elementary
equilibrium, magical powers (siddhis), and final Union (nirvikalpa samadhi). To any student of
Yoga, all of this should sound quite familiar!
Bardons pore breathing technique is really a simple pranayama in which natural, diaphragmatic
breathing is paired with active imagination (visualization of colors, kinesthetic sense-control) for
straightforward energy work. This, intense concentration, and radical self-knowledge form the basis
of elemental equilibrium. This equilibrium is akin to the ethical foundations of Yoga (yamas and
niyamas) in that it is not expected to produce a perfected personality on its own, but rather to act as
a solid foundation for deeper exploration and improvement. The goal of elemental equilibrium is
not to erase all negative tendencies, but rather to balance ones inner resources such that no one of
the four gross elements (and the behavioral tendencies which they produce) are able to get out of
control. When properly established, equilibrium allows for real self-discipline, clear thinking,
healthy emotions, and the beginning of authentic intuition.
From here, training begins in earnest toward deep process control within ones own psychic system
and, by extension, ones environment. This is the beginning of magic. Just as in Yoga, though,
Bardon makes explicit that magical powers are not to be abused for personal gain, but used as
milestones for measuring progress and then let go; if deliberately retained at all, they are only to be
deployed for aid to ailing humanity.
At step 8, once elemental equilibrium is firm and several siddhis have been unfolded and
transcended, one may begin to practice Bardons other two books The Practice of Magical
Evocation (PME) and The Key to the True Quabbalah (KTQ). It is also here that the focus of effort
shifts entirely from magic to theurgy and mysticism, and the attainment of Union. The technique in
question, at this point, combines intense concentration with visualization into contemplative prayer.
One has moved far beyond the lower yogas of occultism and into the true Yoga of internalized
worship where God alone Is.
Franz Bardons Hermetic Yoga Part 2: The Practice of Magical Evocation

Bardons second and third volumes do not pick up where Initiation Into Hermetics (IIH) leaves off,
but instead present two additional options for exploring the work of Hermetic initiation. Thus, it is
not strictly necessary for the practitioner of Bardons system to make practical use of either The
Practice of Magical Evocation (PME) or The Key to the True Quabbalah (KTQ). Not every
magician will utilize evocation; likewise, not every Hermetist will need to activate the various
major and minor channels within the subtle body. These are the primary tasks of these two books, as
we shall see.
Corpus Hermeticum, the most complete and important of ancient Hermetic scriptures to have come
down to us, presents a path of ascent from Earth to Heaven. Other books make it know that this path
passes through the planetary spheres, in each of which the Hermetist leaves behind an enveloping
sheath identified with a negative moral quality or sin. It is implicit that, for each sin shed, a
corresponding virtue will unfold as a natural consequence. The idea, basically, is that a sin is only a
warped version of a virtue, and that said virtues are inherent to the divine Intellect (N) within a
person. Take, as an illustration, a blinder being removed from a lantern; the light is already shining
brightly inside, but cannot be seen through the slat of metal covering it over.
Bardons PME more or less follows on from this scheme. Once, in the practice of IIH, the magician
is capable of safe and consistent mental and astral travel (steps 8 and 9 of IIH), he or she is prepared
to conduct this rising on the planes (to use a common phrase in modern-day Western occultism).
It is not as simple, however, as just traveling from one sphere to the next in sequence. Contact must
be made with intelligences of any given sphere, at which point those intelligences are individually
evoked. That is, one has not mastered a given sphere until one has drawn one or more of the
planar intelligences to manifestation on Earth.
A few points need to be made clear. Those familiar with other, popular forms of evocation only
may think that evocation is usually done of demonic forces, and that these forces are constrained or
bound to the magicians service. Bardon would be the first to say that this is nothing but rank
sorcery. A Hermetic magician is less concerned with binding demons to find hidden treasures, and
the like, than he is with making friends with intelligences of higher order. Some of the beings he
will meet in the spheres will be individual souls at various points within their own development,
while others will be angelic in nature. Either way, they are to be tested (to see whether benevolent
or malevolent), and then either befriended or rejected. Once befriended, a planar being may then be
asked for permission to evoke. The practitioner of Hermetic evocation need never evoke a being
against its will! To do so is not only criminal, it is also counterproductive.
In Hindu Tantra, it is known that each chakra is ruled by a specific Devat. As one raises ones
awareness from chakra to chakra (viewed as microcosmic anchors of the corresponding planes), the
relevant deva is invoked and then made the subject-object of identification. Thus, one sees oneself
as the deva and the deva as oneself, never denying that the deva is independent of the individual
psyche (jv) but exists within the Immanent-Transcendent Self (tm). The same concept obtains
for the evoked beings of Hermetic evocation. In order to befriend an entity, the magician must first
empathize with it; he must then be able to fully identify with that entity and with the forces of its
home-sphere in order to be able to make a temporary home for it on the physical plane and then
gently welcome it to that home. Thus, Bardons evocation is first a process of invocation (drawinginward and identification) followed by evocation (projecting outward). Even the better-known
demonic evocation of popular occultism (such as that taught in Crowleys Thelema, etc.) uses the
method of first invoking and then evoking the being in question, though the sorcerer usually does
not realize it. Just as the Hermetic or Tantric evocation of a devonic intelligence begins to awaken
the seven upper chakras (or the planetary sephiroth, depending upon model) the sorcerers
evocation of a demonic or asuric intelligence draws consciousness down into the cthonic and

infernal lower chakras (qlippoth); that which is evoked is always invoked first, whether we realize it
or not, and so activated within the soul of the individual.
One of Franz Bardons fondest hopes was to present to the seekers of the world a system of
initiation and practice which could be begun and applied safely on ones own. As a guru or master is
generally necessary for guidance, this was quite a difficult task he set for himself. To safeguard the
budding Hermetist from going too far astray, he included numerous warnings in his writing, but
went one better: he built safeguards into his books to ensure that those working from his teachings
would not fall off the ledge. Among these safeguards includes the fact that each and ever spheric
intelligence included in The Practice of Magical Evocation was personally vetted by Bardon
himself, and each one gave its word to him that any student of Bardons work who contacted it
would come to no harm by its actions. In other words, the student of Bardon already has a few
friends in each sphere along the way. Though personal exploration is encouraged, even necessary,
there is always a place to start, a contact to make which has already been established beforehand.
This is a point of practical importance for the magician-to-be!
The scheme which Bardon presents is impeccably complete, starting from the start and working on
only once each level has been fully integrated. Rather than jumping straight into the planetary
spheres, the student of Bardon begins with the four elemental regions. As elemental equilibrium has
already been established in the first five steps of IIH, the magician is in good stead to explore the
elements intimately. Next, the sublunary sphere composed of the lunar-zodiacal mansions is
integrated. Only then does the Hermetist move on to the lunar sphere, then the sphere of Mercury,
Venus, Sol, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, in turn. If one makes it this far, the spheres beyond Saturn
may be explored, but by this point, evocation has become outmoded, because, as the spheres
become more and more rarified, the experience of traveling to each one becomes more and more
a unitive experience.
Though of relatively minor import, so-called magical powers (siddhis) are developed throughout
this process. It is generally not necessary to evoke a being to perform a specific task; once the
virtues of a given sphere are integrated, the magician need only draw from the bottomless well of
that spheres power (or akti, with which he has become identified) to manifest his will. Once again,
Bardon is clear that such abilities are only to be used to aid the ailing, and never to fulfill petty
desires (which should have been well and truly stripped-out, by this point). The importance of the
magical powers is primarily in the unification with the akti, or divine power, Herself, as she
manifests in and through any particular universal force.
Just as Tantra provides a Hindu with a specific set of tools leading toward the Unitive Realization,
so too does evocation for the Hermetist. The Yogi need never practice Tantra, though the Tantrika is,
by definition, a Yogi; likewise, the Hermetist need never practice spheric magic, though the spheric
magician is inherently a Hermetist. Tantra and spheric evocation are not by any means lesser
methods, but instead kits for those who are called to use them for their spiritual growth and the
liberation of others. Ultimately, in Realization, all magical powers become instantly available when
they are needed.
Franz Bardons Hermetic Yoga Part 3: The Key to the True Quabbalah
In traditional Hindu Yoga, much of the work of the sanas and prnymas is for the cleaning out
of the nds the nerve-channels of the subtle, transphysical nervous system. These anatomical
exercises not only tone and condition the body, but also the mind and that which yokes the mind
and body together as a unit during ones lifetime. In some forms of Tantra, this process is
augmented by the occult magical practice of intoning phonemes (the sounds individual letters make,
or syllables which encapsulate them or make them pronounceable singularly) within individual

regions of the body (and, thus, intersections or plexuses of nds). This practice is accompanied by
visualizations which invoke particular devas or Mahdevas, setting into motion a very particular
flow of akti (power, energy) within the corresponding channels. The goal of this approach is, in
part, to clear out those channels very rapidly, and to get the aktis moving through them sooner
rather than later. Those who teach these methods acknowledge that they are potentially quite
dangerous, and will only release the operative details to those who have been well and thoroughly
prepared through the baptisms of Water and of Fire (often in the form of consistent ceremonial
worship in the Tantric fashion) and the more usual Yoga practices.
A great deal of a students work in Initiation Into Hermetics (IIH) serves as the necessary
preparation to a very similar process contained in The Key to the True Quabbalah (KTQ). As I said
before, one must have mastered at least through step 8 of IIH to engage in the work of KTQ, and
not all students of Bardon will even find themselves ready for, or requiring, KTQs particulars. It is
also recommended that, prior to moving beyond the first few steps of KTQ, the Hermetist has
practiced The Practice of Magical Evocation (PME) at least through the zone girdling the Earth
Bardons idiosyncratic title for the astral region corresponding to the forces and beings of the
lunar zodiacal mansions.
As an interesting aside, this earth-girdling zone and its devas are of great historical importance in
the practical work of Hermetic talismanic magic. Manuals of this art, such as the famous Picatrix of
Islamic-Hermetic derivation, involve the invocation of these devonic powers by way of appropriate
astrological timing as well as the inscription and/or intonation of relevant letters and words of
power. Relevant to this discussion is the fact that these talismans are noted not only for their
effectiveness in achieving so-called practical, or material, ends, but also for their visionary-mantic
and even therapeutic efficacy. In other words, a thorough course of this lunar-zodiacal talismanry
could form a gentle sort of Hermetic-Tantric practice! [Practical information on the practice thereof
may be found in Nigel Jacksons Celestial Magic: Principles and Practises of Talismanic Theurgy,
2003, Capall Bann Publishing, or compiled by the sufficiently advanced student of Bardons PME.]
Once one has established the elemental equilibrium, mastered mental travel, and become wellacquainted with the fifth element of ka (variously translated as space or ether, referring to
the subtle plasmic mind-stuff back of both the physical and astral worlds), one is considered to be
prepared not only for theurgic-spheric evocation a la PME, but also for the tonal-kic magic of
KTQ.
This tonal-kic magic takes multiple steps of inner training above and beyond the work of IIH
steps 1 through 8, and carries one into the practices of steps 9 and 10 serving as aids to the
techniques of astral travel and unitive bhakti yoga. The first few steps mostly involve, as in similar
tantric practices aforementioned, intoning specific sounds mentally-astrally within corresponding
bodily organs, glands, and nerve plexuses. Color visualizations, kinesthetic sensations, and musical
notes are gradually built on to each in sequence until, eventually, ones entire subtle nervous system
is buzzing with with aktis of varying intensities. Again, as with the tantric practices, this both
cleans out the subtle plumbing, and begins to move force of appropriate intensities through all of
the pipes and streams of the system. Though Bardon only hints at this point, all of this is ultimately
in service to drawing ones awareness every higher and further inward to the divine processes
running behind creation, preservation, and dissolution. Just as in Yoga, the Hermetists
consciousness and all of his aktis merge into the Mahakti. This temporary samdhi, which
coincides perfectly with the goal of IIH step 10s devotional concentration discipline, also unlocks
numerous magical powers. The remainder of KTQs work deals with discovering which of these
powers the Hermetist needs for this lifes mission, and then setting about to master those specific
abilities in turn. This is done by entering deeply into oneself and, while in this meditative state,
activating the appropriate sequence of letters (the energy channels developed up to this point),

thus routing a great deal of divine power through a very specific course which results in the desired
manifestation.
Bardons quabbalistic magic is the very real speaking-into-existence of a miracle of the sort
promised and not delivered by so many throw-away evangelical prosperity gospel paperbacks. A
great deal of discipline is required to master these literally biblical methods of prayer, discipline by
which the magician truly becomes an agent of the demiurgic Logos.
[Note to the Reader: If you are at all interested in actually practicing Bardons system and
literally any Hermetist ought to at least be tempted! I highly recommend that you follow
Bardons teachings step-by-step with rigor and discipline. Skipping through the basic stuff will
only come back to haunt you later, and any rushing will cause you to have to double back and redo
a lot of things until full mastery is reached. I also suggest that one pick up a copy of Rawn Clarks
collection of commentaries, A Bardon Companion, available at his website of the same title. Clarks
commentaries are especially valuable on KTQ, as the published versions of KTQ are evidently
based on an unpolished manuscript which contains a very few notable typos (though no major
mistakes, as at least one publisher of the book in English translation says) and omits some points
which make practice of the material much more straightforward. As such, Clarks supplement can
significantly smooth the road ahead.]
May 29, 2014 by Purnacandra Sivarupa
The Magic Circle: Its Functions & Applications
There is no occult tool or esoteric symbol more ubiquitous and well-known than the magic circle. It
is found everywhere from famous poetry to popular fiction, and is usually associated with the
summoning of demons or the spirits of the dead for some nefarious purpose. This, of course, is due
to the infinitely greater social and economic hunger for sensationalism than for reality, but it at least
almost guarantees that just about everyone who has ever read a novel involving an evil wizard will
at least have heard of the concept. Magicians of all stripes are quick to point out the importance of a
proper magic circle in many types of magical practice, yet relatively little has been written about the
precise purpose, make-up, and meaning of the circle. With this article, I seek to add my own
contribution, however minor, to the available resources.
Perhaps due to the aforementioned lack of accessible literature on the subject, there are a lot of
misconceptions even among those who call themselves magicians. From the amateur practitioner
who will be hard-pressed to get beyond the most basic forms of practice without this information, to
the experienced sorcerer who insists that the circle is an unnecessary accretion resulting from
Judeo-Christian fears of spirits, there are a lot of ways to misconstrue the circles significance.
Making the situation even more complex is the fact that there is not just one magic circle. I do not
mean the many possible physical forms it may take from the many kinds inscribed with symbols
of all sorts and supposed to be made from various (usually expensive) materials found in common
grimoires, to one roughly scratched into dirt or drawn with chalk though these do make the
question even more difficult, at first. I am instead referring to the fact that the magic circle is a
dramatically different animal in the hands (and, more importantly, in the minds) of practitioners at
different levels of the Art.
What follows is my own vocabulary; as far as I know, nobody else has written about these
distinctions in precisely this way. I have chosen the terms for precision, though it must be said at the
outset that the division of ideas here is not always as clear or hard-line as the application of such
terms may make it seem. My intention is not to divide all practitioners or their constructs up into
three completely exclusive groupings, but to present the three major coordinates along a single
continuum. With that preface, lets explore.

Sorcery is often used coterminously with magic. But sorcery is not quite the same thing; it is
formulaic in nature, basically magic done without a real understanding of the underlying laws,
principles, and forces. It would be just as reasonable to call this witchcraft, though given the
specific connotations that word has taken on among occultists in recent decades, I prefer to call this
sort of ignorant tampering sorcery. There is no black magic, but rather sorcerers groping in the
dark. They grope in the dark because the light of gnosis and mysticism is lacking. (Meditations on
the Tarot, corrected edition 2002 Tarcher/Putnam, pg. 43)
We need look no further than the popular grimoires to see the function of magic circles in the
context of sorcery. Inscribed with unexplained symbols and signs, and usually with corrupted
kabbalistic or Grecco-Egyptian words and names of power, these circles are presented as
indispensable protection against the demonic powers to be called up from the depths. In fact, this is
quite true. To attempt a goetic evocation without such divine protection will almost certainly result
in complete failure, and if any success is had, it will definitely be of a very dangerous sort. The
sorcerers circle is nothing more than a barrier, a line drawn in the sand (sometimes literally)
between the sorcerer and the particular force or intelligence which he hopes to make his slave.
Of course, very few modern attempts at this sort of formulaic evocation come to much because
most contemporary sorcerers lack the one essential element which makes not only the circle
effective, but all other elements of the experiment as well: belief. Of course the modern sorcerer has
some basic belief that magic works, or else why bother in the first place? But how many of them get
the spectacular phenomena promised in the grimoires? These results are not impossible, but they do
rely on what Joseph Lisiewski called subjective synthesis. (Ceremonial Magic & The Power of
Evocation, 2008 New Falcon Publications) This synthesis is simply the sum total of the sorcerers
belief in all of the individual elements of the ritual to be performed; this is why, traditionally, there
is a long period of training and preparation which generally involves daily prayers of purification,
attending Mass and taking the consecrated Host, etc. Sorcery almost requires involvement in some
established, organized religion. This faithful involvement provides the sorcerer with three essential
elements: discipline, a preexisting context and core beliefs upon which to build the subjective
synthesis, and the protection of a powerful egregore. Without all of these, the use of systems of
sorcery derived from the grimoires (which describes nearly all of Western ceremonial and ritual
magic) is a simple impossibility, and these preconditions can only be met with a firm faith over
against the sophistication of thoroughgoing skepticism found in most post-modernist approaches
to magic popular since Aleister Crowley put pen to paper.
The sorcerers magic circle is then a spacial delimitation of the sorcerers own sense of purity in
accordance to his adherence to his religion. It is an external barrier empowered not by the sorcerer
himself, but by the egregore to which he is attached and with which he identifies. A Catholic
summoner is pure by his Baptism, has authority by his Anointing, and is protected by his
Communion, and this whole edifice, however subjective, must be externalized in the form of his
circle inscribed with the names of archangels and made ready by aspersion in order for the whole
internal structure to be efficacious.
It is a different story for the magician the practitioner who has come to know something of the
real workings and relationships of the forced made use of in magic and the theurgist who has
more or less mastered these forces. The magician does not require protection so much as isolation;
for him, the circle is a sterile laboratory to be filled only with a single force or mixture of forces,
and only to the precise point of saturation. It is a miniature cosmos which represents the inner
cosmos being built up within the magician himself, and strictly under his control. William G. Gray
has it that [to] construct a Magic Circle is to create Inner Cosmos according to Intention. More:

Naturally the individual ability of the operator is a decisive factor, upon which the efficacious
degree of any circle depends. Circles do not put themselves together without a directing will,
whether they are Cosmic creations of a Divinity, or the personal cosmoi of human beings, both of
which a genuine Magic Circle should intersect. (Inner Traditions of Magic, 1984 Samuel Weiser,
Inc., pg 124)
Franz Bardon makes the point similarly:
The drawing of a circle symbolizes the Divinity in Its perfection, to come into contact with the
Divinity, namely when the magician stands in the center of the circle, whereby, symbolically
expressed, the connection with the Divinity is graphically represented. For the magician it is a
connection with the macrocosm on the highest level of his consciousness. It is therefore completely
logical from the point of view of true magic for the magician to stand in the center of a magic circle
with the awareness of being at One with his universal divinity. This clearly shows that the magic
circle is not only a diagram for protection against undesirable influences, but it also expresses
untouchability and unassailability as a result of connecting ones consciousness with the Highest.
Therefore, a magician who stands in the center of a magic circle is protected from all influences, be
they good or evil, because he symbolizes the Divinity in the universe. Besides, a magician who
stands in a circle is God himself in the microcosm, who rules the beings which are created in the
universe and he is the one who exercises his absolute powers. (The Practice of Magical Evocation,
translated by Dieter Rggeberg, 2001 Merkur Publishing, pp 22 & 23)
In both cases, what is central is not merely the magicians human knowledge of the inner forces, but
his operative identity with the Deity. Bardon emphasizes this identity, while Gray stresses the
necessity of an intersection between the magicians cosmos and the Deitys Cosmos. In other words,
the magician needs to be careful lest his cosmos lack proper correspondence to the world. The
reason for this is twofold.
First is that the purpose of magic is not to escape reality, but to interact with it as intimately as
possible. We can only do this if our inner worlds and the outer world correspond to one another.
Second is that, in order for the worlds to directly interact with one another, that correspondence is a
strict precondition; if we wish to make changes in the outer world, we must begin with a model of
that world and restructure said model accordingly. The more exactly the worlds correspond in the
first place, the more effectively will the modifications be able to manifest between one plane and
another. God works from subtle to gross, and so must we. The height of theurgy comes when the
inner world more or less exactly reflects the outer world, down to details, at which point changes
made to the inner world will flow quite naturally to the outer.
But, in order for any of this to be possible in the first place, the magician must construct the sterile
chamber of experiments. In the same section quoted above, Gray refers to the magic circle as the
Zero from which comes the All. Before the interior of the cosmos may be populated, there must first
be made a space, relatively empty. This unya, or void, is not absolutely empty for ontologically
speaking there is no such thing as nothing but is empty relative to Gods Fullness. (Of course,
this conception may be flipped, as in the case of Buddhism, Abrahamic apophatic theology, and
aiva Siddhnta, in which the Absolute is the Void insofar as the Ground of Being is unrecognizable
to our minds and senses.) Now is not the time to get into all of the elements of ritual magic and their
uses and implications, but it is useful here to mention that if the magic circle is the unya, the
magicians own will and intention serves as the bindu, or point, at its center which gives us the
following diagram:
Sol

This, of course, is the astrological and alchemical symbol of Sol, our sun. The entire symbol is not
intended to signify the Sun, but only the point in the center; the circumference represents the solar
system, or the sphere of Sols direct influence. The whole thing is a diagram of Sol, his radiation,
and his gravitation. So it is with the magician, who stands at the center of his own cosmos both
emitting the force of will and drawing in those powers which cannot resist the inexorable pull of his
dynamism. However, in order for any of this to be possible, there must first be a space made which
the magician may then fill with the desired influences, and that is the magicians circle.
Physically speaking, the magicians circle may take literally any shape. As it is only acting as a
psychic clean zone, the simpler it is the better it will play its part. The complicated inscriptions of
the sorcerer are unnecessary, and may only serve as a distraction. Whatever action is taken for the
circles consecration aspersion with holy water, anointing with oil or other substances, prayers
and invocations, etc. are taken for their esoteric (i.e. inward) value, rather than their exoteric
religious significance. Though the magician still requires his subjective synthesis, his is more
plastic than the sorcerers, adaptable to gradual shifts and tweaks toward new ends. As such, his
physical circle serves only as a visual reminder and conceptual anchor of his place and role.

As we have seen, the definition of these circles is largely a function of the practitioners relationship
to the forces with which he or she is experimenting. Those for whom the inner forces behave as
largely external require protection; those who know the forces to be inward, but still require some
degree of externalization require isolation; but, finally, those who know and experience the forces
entirely inwardly whose laboratory has been perfectly integrated require concentration. These
are the alchemists.
The business of the alchemist, whether working with plant and mineral in the outer laboratory or
with himself in the inner laboratory, is the concentration and transformation of substance for the
release of essence. The alchemist has already integrated all of the forces or, more precisely, has
located those forces within himself; he has also mastered the isolation and focusing of those forces.
What remains is to concentrate them and, ultimately, sublimate them. The purpose of the
alchemists circle is hinted at very directly in the diagram of the Umbra Zonule Meditation (the
circle structure of the International Nath Order), the upper right hand corner of which displays an
alchemists retort. (Shri Gurudev Mahendranath, The Londinium Temple Strain, 2002 electronic
edition, http://www.mahendranath.org/, pg 9) The retort is an egg-shaped bottle with a tube spout
which swoops downward and away from the bottle; a fluid boiled in the retort condenses against the
top of the tube spout and runs down into another vessel at the bottom. (See image below.)
Retort
(Chamberss Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language of 1908,
http://www.gutenberg.org/)

This tool of laboratory alchemy when used in reference to inner alchemy represents the process of
concentrating substances by removing what is nonessential from them. The aiva symbol for this
process is the vel or spear of Lord Murugan, which hones in precisely on the heart of whatever it
pierces. The idea of concentration thus comes into play in two ways to refer to the same notion:
finding the essence within a substance.

The alchemists circle, then, is no longer an external barrier at all, but more the representation of a
process. The alchemist may visualize a circle around him and his meditation and worship space
during focused times of operation, but that is only an aid. The circle representing the practitioners
identity with the Divinity is now experienced as being not different from ones own Heart or Center;
the circle of Zero (unya) and the point of One (bindu) are understood to be identical. In terms of
Yoga, the goal is now to realize this by uniting akti with iva at the crown. Again, Murugans vel
shows the way, as the upward-pointed spears tip rests just at the crown of the head, its hilt running
the length of the spine. To return to the astrological diagram of Sol, we learn that the point in the
center is the practitioners spinal column as viewed from above.

My readers can see that I have chosen to use largely Western terms to define the magic circle and
the stage of practice which they represent. This is not because those are the only appropriate words,
but because they are the most familiar to most occultists, and because the Eastern literature already
has its own deep examinations of this topic.
We may see in the sorcerer, magician, and alchemist, for instance, the aivite phases of cary, kriy,
and yoga. One in the phase of cary requires all of the traditions of ritual worship, moral
commandments and ethical guidelines, and other externalities. This is not a bad thing, but a set of
necessary prerequisites to deeper work. One in kriy still makes use of these tools, but sees them
now as means and methods for achieving a profounder participation in the Divine Work by way of
living symbols and continual reorientation of self-identity. The Yogi in a sense, one is a Yogi the
whole way through, but is only fully and deliberately engaged in the process of Reintegration
during this third phase is able to fully integrate all of the symbols previously externalized. In
cary, the sacrificial fire is more or less literal, and kriy it is an outward symbol of the inner Flame;
in Yoga, there is so little distinction between outward fire and inward Flame that only the Flame
itself is necessary (though a fire may still be used when it is necessary to communicate the
processes to others, especially those in the cary and kriy stages.) As to the circle itself, it may take
the forms of circles of chains of practitioners, mandalas large enough to sit inside of, or the simple
act of taking sana.
None of the earlier phases are abandoned. The higher does not sublate the lower, but integrates it,
recontextualizes it, and maintains its value as a teaching tool and aid to advancement. Eventually,
the plant whose roots are cary, whose stalk is kriy, and whose leaf and branch are yoga, blossoms
as jana (gnosis) which ripens as the fruit of moka (liberation). In the fruit resides the entirety of
the plant in seed form, root to flower. These seeds may be planted by the initiating preceptor in the
muck of the students mind, that the lotus will grow therefrom. And so goes Reintegration.

Here we have the Triple Circle of the Art. In one sense, the Outer Circle is alchemy, in that it
contains the other two; in another sense, the Outer Circle is sorcery, in that it is the most exoteric
among them. Ultimately, the three are One, as the true Circle of Art does not permit of divisions, but
in practice we may distinguish between them as phases of a single process. As Draja Mickaharic so
wisely wrote:
Being a magician is a stage in the process of developing spiritually. It is not the height of
development; in fact, it is only a step in the first part of the range of real human development. The
fact that many religious sects speak and act harshly against those who have the ability to practice
magic is most revealing of the true character of the leaders heading those religions. Those whom
they speak against may be more developed spiritually than the so-called religious people who speak

against them! (Practice of Magic, 1995 Samuel Weiser, Inc., page iiiv of the Introduction)
Likewise, we can say that while we may not be able to recommend the practice of sorcery, it is
often a stepping stone into genuine theurgy, which itself leads us to alchemy. There is but one Way,
but many ways may bring us to it.
In practice, the magic circle manifests the magicians own internal process, its power and function
depending entirely upon the individuals degree of attainment. It is the one indispensable magical
tool, no matter the form it takes, because it truly represents the practitioners own Heart.