This page details in brief the objects that are necessary to the tradition of Magick. Ideally, in the end the Magician will be able to work without any physical impliment at all. In this sense, the Temple and its Furnishings are allegorical.
The Temple is, ideally, in the shape of the vesica piscis, but the Magician must take his temple as he finds it.
The fixed furnishings of the Temple uniformly reflect the Tetragrammaton. Of the Circle, the Quarters are South - יוד, West - הה, East - וו, North - היה. Of the Triangle the Triangle is יוד, the sides הה, וו, היה. Of the altar, the Elemental Weapons are: Wand - יוד; Cup - הה; Dagger - וו; Pantacle - היה.
Of the variable furnishings of the Temple, they should reflect the nature of the work at hand, according to the Qabalah.
In the center of the Temple is the Circle; in the center of the Circle is the Altar. Touching the Circle from without may be the Triangle, according to the Operation.
The circle protects the Magician him from the Forces with which he works. He stands in the center, with a view of the circumference. About it are written the most important Names of God, Archangels, Angels, etc.
The Center is Everywhere, the Circumference Nowhere.
The triangle is of three sides, placed without the Circle in the quarter of the Spirit evoked, into which the Spirits are bound. Upon this triangle are written the Names of the Worlds: אשיאה ויצירה ובריאה, the whole triangle being the union of these, and called אצילות.
Therefore the triangle is called יוד; its sides היה, וו, הה. It is in full the Tetragram יהוה, or Great Magical Agent.
The Egyptians called these Osiris, Thoth, Isis, while the Supernal God is Ra Hoor Khuit, who himself is of triple nature, the union of Nu and Hadith.
The Altar holds the Implements or Weapons which the Magician uses in his Art. These are primarily the Weapons of the Elements - the Wand, Cup, Dagger and Pantacle. Also, the Book, Vial of Oil, etc.
Above the Altar hangs a Lamp.
The altar is in the shape of a double-cube, the top being therefore foursquare. The Elemental Weapons are placed in each of the corners.
As mentioned, chief of these are the four Elemental Weapons, which have been charged with the spirit of the Element in question so to command the beings associated with that Element.
The first is the Wand, charged with Fire, the finest of the Elements. It is for use in commanding the Salamanders. It is places in the lower-right corner of the altar.
The second is the Cup, charged with Water. It is for use in commanding the Undines or Nymphs. It is placed in the upper-right corner of the altar.
The third is the Dagger, charged with Air. It is for use in commanding the Sylphs. It is placed in the upper-left corner of the altar.
The fourth is the Pantacle, charged with Earth, the lowest of the Elements. It commands the Gnomes. It is placed in the lower-left corner of the altar.
Besides these, the Book is placed in the centre of the Altar, and the Lamp above it.
The cross, as it is used by the Qabalists, is well known to the world as the gesture of crossing oneself
in the Christian custom. "Unto thee the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever, Amen."
The ultimate form of the Cross, which is known only by the Magicians, is called the Sigil of the Grand Hierophant.
Formed and employed by the imagination, and symbolizing the enchaining of the four spiritual elements by will, it protects you from these things on the one hand, and makes them your servants on the other. It is thus the weapon of the banishment and invokation of these forces.
The Pentagram takes five forms of Banishing and five of Invoking, the highest of which, those of Banishing and Invoking Spirit, are divided each into two, those of Passives and Actives.
It is said in the chief ritual of the Adepts that "in the column is the six-rayed star", the symbol of the great work accomplished. I tremble to elucidate it thus clearly:
In the pillar of the Mahalinga, or the spine, are three centers between which the Astral Light travels and within which it may take its rest: the brain, the heart and the genitals. Each attracts on one side and repels on the other - and thus it is the "six-rayed star" of the Adepts.
Therefore in Magical Art, in point of fact, the Great Work is begun by the Qabalistic Cross, which is the basic technique of all magick; the Little Work of binding spirits to will under the Pentagram comes next; and the operation of banishing or invokation is ended by a reaffirmation of the Great Work by reiteration of the Qabalistic cross.
This great Mystical End is superior to the work with which the Pentagram is concerned, but they are ultimately united in the Highest Magick.