HOW TO MAKE AND USE TALIS - oldways.org

1 HOW TO MAKEAND USETALISMANSByISRAEL REGARDIELIMITED EDITIONCONTENTSPage1. Origin of Talismans ..72. How to Overcome Unfavourable Aspects ..243. Words of Power ..284. Talismans of the Five Elements ..325. A Practical Example ..406. How to Charge the Talisman ..47 Appendixes ..51 Bibliography ..63 DEDICATIONThis book was written for Sangreal Foundation(Dallas, Texas) at the suggestion of Mr. Carr , Jr. It is therefore with pleasure that Idedicate this work to:Carr P. Collins, his gracious wife ONEORIGIN OF TALISMANSA TALISMAN IS any object, sacred or profane, with orwithout appropriate inscriptions or symbols, uncharged orconsecrated by means of appropriate ritual magic ormeditation.

2 Amongst other things it exerts an auto-suggestive effect on the wearer. It is made to serve aspecific end, to bring good fortune in some area of life, orto achieve some specifically named goal. An amulet is ineffect no different, save that as a charm it is supposed tobe worn for protection against disease, sickness, ill-fortune, or witchcraft. For the purpose of this manual, theword talisman will be the preferred term. In passing, itshould be emphasized that I have no fundamentalobjection to the theory of suggestion so long as it isclearly understood that suggestion cannot implant in orevoke from the psyche what is not already is evocative only of those psycho-spiritualfactors that are to the Golden Dawn s somewhat largerframe of reference, a talisman is a magical figurecharged with the Force which it is intended to the construction of a Talisman, care should be taken tomake it, as far as is possible.

3 So to represent the universalForces that it should be in exact harmony with those youwish to attract, and the more exact the symbolism, themore easy it is to attract the Force other thingscoinciding, such as consecration at the right time, etc. In the West, talismans are traditionally inscribedwith Hebrew words and sentences demonstrating thatthe Qabalah is a major influence or sometimes withLatin or Greek. No student should attempt to make anytalisman without having familiarized himself in largemeasure with the occult and philosophical principlesunderlying the Qabalah.

4 Then he will know somethingof the Qabalistic Tree of Life and its philosophy. Thiswill render unnecessary any protracted examination ofthose principles in this time and of the books mentioned in the bibiliographyprovide sigils and pentacles on which are inscribedcomplex symbols and names whose Graeco-Hebrew andLatin origins are almost impossible to trace.(Incidentally, the word Sigil merely means signature .So that the sigil of an Archangel is really the symbolicsignature of that Being. These sigils were originallyextracted from the traditional Kameas or magical squares,which will be described in due course.)

5 For our presentpurpose, these will have to be ignored, since what isrequired beyond all other things is a system which isclear, sensible and of a wide variety from almost everyconceivable source are employed to provide character andto give specificity to the dynamic purpose for which thetalisman has been constructed. Planetary and zodiacalsymbols are most addition, symbols and designs have been freelydeveloped from the basic sixteen geomantic symbolswhose origin is lost in the dimness of time past. Thesesixteen symbols, though attributed to the twelve signs andseven planets, may still be further reduced to the fourelements, as indicated on a chart in the a little imagination is then required to transform theconventional symbol into a variety of shapes and forms,emblems, etc.

6 , which carry the geomantic meaning these latter alone, it is possible to construct abeautiful and effective talisman, without anysupplemental aid. For example, the following is anexample of a talisman using exclusively geomanticsymbols that I made many years ago. It still strikes me asa good basis of most talismans of old time werepredicated either on the twelve signs of the zodiac orupon the seven planets known at that time. In otherworlds, most subjects in which one could be interestedwere classified under one or other of these two sets ofsymbols.

7 In the last resort, however, since the planetswere said to rule the twelve zodiacal signs, the planetsbecame the more prominent categories into whichtalismanic purposes could be divided. Classical examplesof this seven-fold division of talismans may be found inThe Greater Key of Solomon, from which I quote asfollows: In the Days and Hours of Saturn, thou canstperform cause good or ill success tobusiness, possessions, goods, seeds, fruits and similarthings, in order to acquire learning; to bring destructionand give death, and to sow hatred and discord.

8 The Days and Hours of Jupiter are proper forobtaining honours, acquiring riches; contractingfriendships, preserving health; and arriving at all that thoucanst desire. In the Days and Hours of Mars thou canst makeexperiments regarding War; to arrive at military honour;to acquire courage; to overthrow enemies; and further tocause ruin, slaughter, cruelty, discord; to wound and togive death. The Days and Hours of the Sun are very good forperfecting experiments regarding temporal wealth, hope,gain, fortune, divination, the favour of princes, to dissolvehostile feeling, and to make friends.

9 The Days and Hours of Venus are good for formingfriendships; for kindness and love; for joyous andpleasant undertakings, and for traveling. The Days and Hours of Mercury are good tooperate for eloquence and intelligence; promptitude inbusiness; science and divination; wonders; apparitions;and answers regarding the future. Thou canst alsooperate under this Planet for thefts; writings; deceit; andmerchandise. The Days and Hours of the Moon are good forembassies; voyages; envoys; messages; navigation;reconciliation; love, and the acquisition of merchandiseby water.

10 For example, should I crave honours and prestige,then Jupiter would be the planet ruling such matters, andthe talisman would need to be constructed around the useof whatever symbols of Jupiter I could gather. Or, if Ineeded strength and aggressiveness in order to apply for anew, higher-paid position, or courage to beat a politicalopponent, then Mars would be the talismanic planet, andthe symbols to be gathered should be martial. Should Iwant the love of a beautiful woman, then Venus becomesthe presiding influence. And so important consideration that needs emphasis isthat the student s own personally manufactured talismans,while perhaps not as beautiful or as traditionally accurateas those given in some of the aforementioned texts, willnonetheless be more meaningful and effective for very attempt to gather symbols and to draw themwill, of itself, invest the talisman with energy and forcethat will tend to bring about the results major injunction in The Greater Key of KingSolomon is worthy of note here.