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In the Papryi Graecae Magicae (P.G.M) we find a truly unique record into the ancient practices of Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, Gnostic and early Christian magic. Collectively, the P.G.M. refer to a cache of ancient papyri of spells and rituals dating between the 2nd Century B.C.E. and the 5th Century C.E. In them, we find a wide range of magical practices from folkloric remedies and love spells to full-fledged exorcisms, summonings, and elaborate rites of initiation.
Particularly interesting to students of western esoterica is the frequent recurrence of two practical techniques: 1) self-identification with the deity, and 2) the vibratory use of long “untranslatable” vowel formulas identified as voce magicae or nomina barbara.
Both these techniques remain prominent in the modern currents of western magical traditions under the practice of assuming godforms and the vibration of divine names. Indeed, these practices may be considered universal and likely traced back to the teachings of a primordial tradition preceding all archaeological notions of history, at very least we have early material records of a parallel tradition arising in the east with the vowel mantras of the Vedic schools and practices of becoming the deity during worship. Regarding the voce magicae of the P.G.M specifically, there is a fair amount of historic literature that traces these practices to the rituals and priestly tradition of Ancient Egypt; according to the chroniclers of the ancient world, the priest of the Pharaohs were rumored to perform unparalleled magical acts through invoking the harmonies of the seven vowels.
Magical invocations such as the introductory line of the Mithras Liturgy (P.G.M. IV. 475-829) quoted above drew on the sound of the letters and the sacred science of hermetic vibration to align the practitioner to the metaphysical principles of the operation. Such voce magicae were conceived as the vibrational manifestation of the very principle in question. In some instances the sounds may have been designed to mimic elements of Nature, such as the sound of wind(i.e. PPP SSS PHRE) or the tune of water (OOO AAA EEE). In others, like the various permutations of the the seven vowels (AEHIOYΩ) and the commonly repeated divine names of IAΩ and IEOU, the vowel sounds were the magical formula used to invoke the power of the “seven Immortal Gods of the Universe”.
From the writings of Aristotle and Hippocrates we know that as early as the 4th Century B.C.E. the Greek initiates attributed the seven vowels to the seven heavens and planets. Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) in his Secret Teachings of All Ages[8] discusses the correspondences:
However, the actual correspondences used by these initiates were never recorded, so posterity was left playing a guessing game as to which vowel represents which planet.
Considering that Greek astronomy was heavily influenced by the Egyptian and Chaldean astronomers before them, we can safely assume that the planets were arranged in the Chaldean order that predominated the traditional teachings of the ancient world (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn).[9] We will address the question of whether the order should be taken as ascending or descending shortly. The other assumption taken by most scholars is that the vowels were considered in their alphabetic order, but as Joscelyn Godwin points out a tonal or harmonic order may have been more inline with Pythagorean doctrine of Harmonia.
Hall, while admitting the lack of textual evidence, proposes a Moon-Alpha order based on the alphabetical ordering of the vowels and the Chaldean planets in ascending order from Moon to Saturn.”Although not so stated, it is probable that the planetary heavens are to be considered as ascending in the Pythagorean [Chaldean] order, beginning with the sphere of the moon, which would be the first heaven.” This is the same system proposed by the 18th Century French scholar Abbé Jean Jacques Barthélemy and followed by the majority of vowel-planet correspondence systems.
However, the German occultist and magician Henry Cornelius Agrippa (1486-1535) proposed a different system in his De Occulta Philosophia.[14] Without the textual tradition to preserve the correspondences used by the Greek initiates, Agrippa turned to the Hebrew alphabet and initiatic tradition of the Kabbalah to provide the framework. He had very high regard for the antiquity and symbolism of the Hebrew letters, and in particular of the inherent 3:7:12 division of the alphabet in which (and together with the ten digits) the initiate found the esoteric keys of the universe. Agrippa’s correspondence was likely influenced by the highly meditative and magical text of the Sefer Yetzirah where the seven Hebrew Double Letters( ת ,ר ,פ , כ ,ד ,ג ,ב) map in their alphabetic order to the seven planets in their descending order of emanation (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon). This Saturn-Bayt order is the predominate system of correspondence between the seven Doubles and the seven planets in traditional Kabbalah; and, through applying the same formula (alphabetic letters to descending planets) to the Greek vowels and Chaldean planets, Agrippa arrived at the Saturn-Alpha order.
Vowel | (Saturn-Alpha) | (Moon – Alpha) |
A , α | Saturn | Moon |
E , ε | Jupiter | Mercury |
H , η | Mars | Venus |
I , ι | Sun | Sun |
O , ο | Venus | Mars |
Υ , υ | Mercury | Jupiter |
Ω , ω | Moon | Saturn |
Regardless of the Alpha orientation (Moon-Alpha or Saturn-Alpha), the Sun and the vowel Iota in both systems remain unchanged. The Sun’s position as the fourth and central planet in the Chaldean order defines it as the central pivot between what modern astronomy understands as the inner planets (Venus, Mercury, Moon/Earth) and outer planets of the solar system (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) . This Central Principle is precisely what we find expressed in traditional glyph of Sol as a literal expression of the center point (•) within the circle (O). This concept is reiterated in philosophical assertions such as found in the Corpus Hermetica, “And round about the Sun, and dependent on the Sun, are the eight spheres…” Whether these esoteric teachings of the Sun-Center were interpreted in terms of a modern heliocentric solar system- though interesting and highly suggestive – is irrelevant. As we have already discussed in Sun: IGNIS CENTRUM, the initiates into the Mysteries would have seen this as a reference to a metaphysical principle beyond the manifested solar orb and pertaining to the traditional doctrine of the sacred Center and the Divine Seed within.
This brings us to question how the Chaldean order was defined in the first place. Seems strange that we would still entertain a system based on a simplistic geocentric model of the universe. Equally perplexing is how this primitive system could seemingly predict a heliocentric solar system through the elegant symbolism of the Central Principle. The answers lie in how this order was created, or rather discovered. The Chaldean Magi derived this order from their empirical observations of the sidereal cycles of the planets. As such, it is perhaps one of the most pure and unbroken traditions of sacred science as the arrangement was learned from the planetary rhythms themselves.
Planet | Sidereal Cycle |
Moon | 29.5 days |
Mercury | 88 days |
Venus | 224.7 days |
Sun | 365.25 days |
Mars | 687.1 days |
Jupiter | 12 years |
Saturn | 29.5 years |
Seen from our vantage point on Earth, the Moon takes the shortest time to complete a cycle around the zodiac and Saturn takes the longest. The sidereal cycle observed for the Sun is actually the Earth’s periodic orbit around the Sun and acts as the base rhythm of 1-year (365.25 days) by which we identify the outer and inner planets. For this reason whether we assume a heliocentric or geocentric position the principle of Sun-Center holds true. Thus, from our terrestrial orientation we perceive the universe in the Moon-Alpha direction and the orb of the Sun is the fourth and central planet because it is a reflection of our position on Earth.
We must take a moment to observe the natural synergy between Moon and Saturn as the Alpha-Omega of the Chaldean planets. This speaks volumes in the language of traditional symbolism where Moon is synonymous with ‘Life’ and ‘Nature’. Saturn, on the other hand, has been identified with edge of the heavens and the thresholds of space, time, and timelessness (see The Eternal Chronos). Most humans in antiquity would only experience one or two Saturn cycles in their lifetime and the planet was logically equated with ‘Death’ and the Omega point of the mortal human experience. More importantly, however, Moon and Saturn in their sidereal cycles share the same numerical rhythm (29.5) but at different magnitudes (days/years). This is a truly remarkable and beautiful manifestation of the Alpha-Omega principle – it teaches how Unity can be separated and polarized merely through the perception of space and time.
In the Saturn-Alpha order recorded by Agrippa we find an inversion of the human perspective. The orientation reflects the Alpha and Omega axis upon itself, it switches from the perspective of a human looking out at the Heavens to the Creator overlooking His creation…This orientation is a system the promotes the return to Center as opposed to Moon-Alpha that speaks to movement towards the periphery and circumference of the circle. The return to Center is a descending act related to the “entering the cosmic cave” or the “passage through the underworld” in the mythic narrative of the Solar Hero (Osiris, Dionysus, Mithras, Apollo, Christos, etc.). This chthonic act parallels the initiatic practices of descending into one’s own being in order to awaken the Divine Seed of the Heart. In Traditional schools this has been identified as the principial act of initiation, and according to Julius Evola (1898 – 1974) this act implied by alchemical aphorism of the “Gold hidden within Saturn” is “one of the first and fundamental operations in the initiatic art: the transferring of the sense of the Self into the region of the heart.” In the two systems of orientation(Moon-Alpha and Saturn-Alpha) we find insights into two branches of spiritual practice; the former best equated with the path of mysticism and dissolution into the All, and the later to that of initiation and spiritual immortality through Unity with the All.
This inversion is not only referenced in the Mysteries of the Greek and Hebrew Alphabets, but we also find it in the rich symbolic language of the Tarot and in particular the 12th trump- The Hanged Man. There is much to contemplate regarding the abundant alchemical and magical symbolism of the trump, but this is beyond the present scope. At a very topical level what we are presented with is a symbol of the initiate reversing his orientation to the natural world. The inversion takes place in the 12th trump representing the 12 constellations of the zodiac (time) and the 12 edges of the cube (space). In older versions of the card such as Le Pendu in the Tarot de Marseilles, the cross bar from which the figure hangs is supported by two vertical poles each with six stumps, as if their branches have been cut off – a clear metaphor to breaking free from the 12-pronged structure of the universe. We should also note that this trump precedes the 13th and most misunderstood card, Death. The exoteric and ominous nature of this major arcana is a far cry from the esoteric traditional symbolism as representing the “passage through the underworld” and the metaphorical death preceding initiatic resurrection. Playing on the double meaning of the Greek verb τελευτᾷν (‘to die’ and ‘to be initiated’), Plutarch wrote ” to die is to be initiated into the Greater Mysteries.” What we are referring to is not physical death, but rather a philosophic “Death” pertaining to the orientation of one’s sense of Self away from the limits of physical existence and into the realm of transcendent principle; the inversion of perspective as represented by Saturn-Alpha and The Hanged Man trump is the necessary stage preceding this Great initiation.
This Alpha=Omega inversion and the doctrine of transcending the space-time dimension is preserved(among many other places) in various Medieval and Renaissance paintings and engravings of the Heavenly Spheres- classified as ‘hermetic’ or ‘alchemical’ in nature. These depict an archetypal Man (often depicted as androgynous to illustrate transcendent Unity) standing atop the earth with his head in the Saturnine heavens. Other variations display the figure standing in the 8th Heaven of the fixed stars above the 7th Heaven of Saturn, or even more reduced versions simply depict the figure standing atop the sphere of the heavens. Regardless of the artistic variations all forms of this symbol share the theme of the philosophic Man-God or Solar Hero triumphing over the material world. Resurrected beyond the confines of space-time and liberated from the karmic cycles of life and death, the Solar Hero now peers through the universe with the eyes of immortality… his orientation is none other than Saturn-Alpha.
While, at a philosophical level, Agrippa’s Saturn-Alpha system seems to best align with the traditional doctrine of initiation, we cannot conclude that it was the system used by the Greek initiates in practice. That the Chaldean order from a descending perspective was used is highly likely due to the importance placed on the doctrine of the Center and the centering implication of Saturn-Alpha, but ordering the vowels in alphabetic order is suspect given the musical nature of the sounds produced.
Perhaps in this light, and for practical application we should not correspond the vowels to their alphabetical order, but rather according to their natural acoustic pitch. This would place the vowels in an empirically derived hierarchy based on the frequency of their pitch, letting the vowel sounds themselves dictate their position, and is very inline with the process used to arrive at the Chaldean ordering of the planets. When in doubt let the universe speak for itself.
Vowel | (Saturn-Iota) | (Moon-Iota) | |
I , ι | iː Tree | Saturn | Moon |
H , η | eɪ Day | Jupiter | Mercury |
E , ε | ɛ Bed | Mars | Venus |
A , α | æ Cat | Sun | Sun |
O , ο | ɔ Cold | Venus | Mars |
Ω , ω | ɔː Law | Mercury | Jupiter |
Υ , υ | u You | Moon | Saturn |
We find that when the Greek vowels are arranged in Tonal Order the systems cannot be described as Alpha oriented, since both orientations yield Sun-Alpha. Instead we are presented with Moon-Iota and Saturn-Iota orientations depending on whether the initiatic (or inverse) perspective is taken.
As to which system of correspondence is “correct”, it is impossible to say for sure. They all speak to key universal truths and each is valid in its own right. However, in practice, I strongly suspect that the Tonal Order to the descending planets (Saturn-Iota) best aligns with practices of the Greek initiates, particularly when we consider the symbolism of the planets in light of the seven subtle centers of occult corporeity (i.e. chakras). We must remember that as arrays of principles reflect into different states of subtle existence their ordering tends to change, we see this with the arrangement of the Chaldean planets which yield the Saturn-Alpha or Moon-Alpha systems reproduced above. However, when we consider these in terms of harmonics, and in particular the scale of perfect fifths, the order is mixed and yields the harmony of the spheres manifest as time in the ordering of the week (Saturn, Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus). This was represented by inscribing the seven planets in a circle connected by the Heptagram, each planet links to the third planet from its position resulting in the seven pointed star connecting the planets in their weekly order.
We are left with various gateways to unravel the Mystery of the Vowels and the power of the “seven Immortal Lords of the Universe”. Through the principles of inversion and reflection, the planets and vowels re-orient themselves as they manifest at different ontological levels; and in each manifestation they yield further insights towards the transcendent principles of our universe. Ever so slightly the Veil is parted for those who have the will and desire to Know.
Written by Leonardo.
December 17, 2009