87,
This was in response to a message I received asking a good question I could answer.
Thank you for your message at Magic Pure and Simple . com
I genuinely didn’t know what to do with a genuine message like this. Like all my messages are either web development sales trying to get money out of me, people complaining that my material doesn’t match up with their Wicca 101 book, threats to kill me because I revealed some secret that was blatantly obvious in the first place or my personal favourite warnings that I might burn in hell and offers to save me through Jesus. So getting a message from someone who has read Eliphas Levi is quite a shock. I will do my best to answer your question.
The main virtues associated with the directions are the elements. You can link these up to zodiac signs (usually using the fixed signs Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio). You can also go with the planets ruled by these signs (the Sun, Venus, Saturn and Mars). The rivers that flow out of eden are also mentioned from time to time. If you turn to Agrippa in his section Of the number 4 you will find all sorts of virtues to be associated with each direction.
In answer to your question which direction do you associate with each virtue sadly the evidence is inconsistent. I can only conclude it depends on what tradition you are working with. I note that you mention Eliphas Levi and say his text is inconsistent with “the traditional layout” and that he puts water in the east and air in the west. I’m not sure what you’re referring to because I am only aware of a section in his Dogma and Ritual of High Magic where he writes as follows. I would avoid calling it “traditional”, but this matches with HOGD, Thelema and Wicca.
It must be borne in mind that the special kingdom of
Eliphas Levi – Dogme et Rituel De La Haute Magie
the gnomes is at the north, that of the salamanders at the
south, that of the sylphs at the east,and that of the undines
at the west.
I always jump first onto the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn because it was out of that group that Thelema was born and through many Wiccans wish to deny it, it was out of Thelema that modern day Witchcraft was born. Modern day Witchcraft has informed much of pagan practice so it seems a good place to start since it has affected the majority. When the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was created it had multiple orders based on what you were working on. Why is this relevant? Well because they had a different layout of elements in each order.
The first order that people joined was called the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. It featured work that was primarily microcosmic. To simplify, I would say that the initiate was seeking to perfect the reflection of the universe within him/her/themself. Yes, Mars is a planet in the sky that is often associated with martial things like war, but in this order, the initiate would operate on their own relationship with their inner warrior (their inner Mars and its relationship to zodiacal states) for example rather than the power in the heavens and how it manifested around them. The two are naturally linked one within the initiate and one in the world they live in. Same with all the outer elements and outer planets, initiates would work on an inner version. The second order which is called many names but is essentially the Rosicrucian order (RR AC) sought to work macrocosmically. A rough simplification: they wanted to perfect the world around them. Now, these two orders had different layouts of the elements for their rituals. The third order seems to have focused on managing the other orders, but some have applied a transcendental goal associated with its grades (going beyond the world) so perhaps they did things differently as well.
For the rituals for the lower grades you are facing east. The east is where the sun rise occurs. The initiate is taking himself in an east direction trying to seek a spiritual sunrise (a golden dawn) which will expose his inner workings to divine light. The layout is often said to be based upon a diagram of the tree of life and in a way the initiate slowly dramatically crucifies themself on this tree spiritually to lift themselves up in the same way Jesus and Osiris died to achieve new life. As they face east (Tiphereth), in the south is fire and Geburah, in the North is water and Chesed and behind them is Earth and Malkuth. See the early Golden Dawn knowledge lectures which are laid out in Israel Regardie’s The Magical System of the Golden Dawn. However why then are the elements so differently laid out. Well the secret is in a tablet which appears subtly in the background of initiations Zelator, Theoricus, Philosophus and Practicus which is associated with an element (by the ritual writers who were almost definitely Golden Dawn members Mathers and possibly Westcott). When they are placed around the initiation they form a layout similar to the grand table of enochian magic.
For the next order however things are different. Eliphas Levi seems to have the same directions. The difference is that he tends to work an order that forms a cross North then South, and then East then West and there is no indication that this is exclusive to microcosmic work. When he conjures he starts off with Sylphs (Air) then goes in the opposite direction to Undines (Water) as if to balance it. Then to Salamanders (Fire) and to Gnomes (Earth) as if to balance it. You could say that the qabalistical cross ritual done in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is done to make up for the lack of cross-movement in the ritual and the reason the HOGD do it in circular order is to create a circle of protection around themselves, but this is an assumption.
In the Rosy Cross / Rosicurcian Order everything has changed! I vaguely remember that when the candidate opens his eyes and can see the light for the first time in this ritual, the first thing he sees is the flaming sword in the east (see the story of Eden). This symbolises Kether. Fire is in the east in second order rituals such as the hexagram ritual. It is clear from many people’s writing that this fire symbolises the creative power of the transcendent deity. It is one of the first pure elements mentioned in the Corpus Hermeticum. (Not sure but I think there was a darkness, dampness and light mentioned before it. That dampness is later said to be earth and water mixed (so not pure). It is possible while going through the previous rituals the aim of the initiate is to head towards a more balanced soul so it was done facing air. We could consider Anaximenes who postulates air is the Arche (the first element to exist) and the most balanced element. While in reality to cause change perhaps an initiate must use unbalance so they should face fire and creative power, but again this is totally speculation.
The layout of the directions for this second order’s rituals such as the Hexagram in my opinion symbolises the zodiac at the height of summer when the sun (source of light) is in its ruling sign. Just as the sun rises in the sign of Leo where the sun is most stable and at home, Leo (fire) is in the East. Setting in the West is Aquarius (Air), Taurus has just vanished into the daylight, but it still hovers over head in the Southern horizon and below the Northern horizon is Scorpio. (The north and south directions are inverted in the Southern hemisphere).
This layout is different to Agrippa. It is often assumed about Agrippa that he took from practical magicians and tried to fill in gaps. I have never been able to get a good source for Agrippa except that he mentions the Pythagoreans and the Neoplatonists a lot. He also mentions Cherub animals Lion, Eagle, Calf and Man. I think it is reasonable to notice the similarity to the animals depicted in the zodiac and to assume there is a slight error. It should be Lion, Man, Scorpion and Calf. Associated with Leo, Aquarius, Scorprio and Taurus. I think it is possible that this is what the HOGD authors did. “Correcting” an earlier magic so it fit more neatly with what they would expect. This is not unusual for example the tarot cards Strength and Justice were swapped so the cards fell such that the card with the lion was where Leo fell in the order and the card with the balance fell where Libra was in the order.
Some groups do something completely different see Michael Howards and Gemma Gary’s Trad Craft where East is Fire, South is Earth, West is Water and North is Air. I can’t tell you why they decided to do that, but they did and it works for them.
When you go to the PGM you often have rituals where the virtues associated with the directions are Greek vowels. Also the Greeks associated winds with the directions. These appear in Agrippa’s work. Also I remember the Picatrix calling in the directions for a ritual I did from that with milk and honey (or was it oil?) in the directions, but I don’t recall specific things associated with specific directions. I would say that the Picatrix would likely associate astrological significance to the directions since it’s focus is essentially an astrological magic, but I think there was a different oil for each direction and a sweetened drink or something, but nothing to say what element it was.
In reality, I propose that you’re creating a spiritual space around you and a mental construct to work rituals from. It forms another way of laying out a microcosm of the world. So it doesn’t really matter what way you lay it out and trying different ways could have different effects. Maybe focusing on starting with earth and working up the levels of activity might feel more activating, maybe working the opposite might feel more grounding, maybe focusing on earth might make your magic more manifest and focusing on higher element make your magic more mystical. But for effectiveness try to be consistent.
Another article which has similar content, but is more specific to the pentagram ritual is this:
Thanks,
Hadron
And it harm some, Blessed be your Will