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A magic triangle is, contrary to the magic circle, which
symbolizes infinity, endlessness, the connection with God, the
Alpha and the Omega, the symbol of manifestation, of everything
that is made, of everything that has ever been created.
Without the knowledge of the symbolism of the magic triangle and
of all other magic aids, ritual and ceremonial work would not be
possible.
All grimoires or rites of exorcism generally require that the
magician who is working with a magic triangle sees that the
invoked spirit, the being and power, is manifested. The
manifestation of a being - a spirit - in a triangle is but one
aspect of ritual magic, and no being will be fully manifested
unless the magician understands the whole symbolism of the magic
triangle.
To get the right idea of this symbolism one must, to some extent,
be acquainted with the Quabbalah and must have a complete
knowledge of the secret of the number three. The more one knows
about the analogy of the mystical number three, the deeper one
will be able to penetrate into the symbolism of the triangle one
draws and the easier it will be for a being to manifest itself.
It would lead us too far if I were to deal fully, at this point,
with the mystical number three and its analogies. I can only give
a few hints which may serve the magician as guiding principles.
Above all, the triangle is a diagram of the three dimensional
world we know, i. e. the mental, the astral and the physical
world. Each power which is to be projected into the physical world
must run through the three planes mentioned above.
The diagram shows us that the triangle must be constructed with
its point upward and thus indicates that two powers project from a
point at the top to the right and the left and end in a line
fixing their limits. Taking the picture of these two diverging
lines as a whole, it shows the two universal powers, the Plus and
the Minus, electricity and magnetism, which are united by the line
below. By this the manifested causal world is symbolized, which,
from the astrological point of view, is equivalent to Saturn, i.
e. the mystical number three. In the mental world it symbolizes
will-power, intellect and feeling; in the astral world it
symbolizes power, legality und life; and in the physical world it
symbolizes, as already said above, the Plus and the Minus, and the
Neutral. The triangle with its conformity is thus reflected in
everything and on every plane, for it is the beginning of
everything that has been created, the cause of everything
comprehensible.
The mystical number three, i. e. the symbolism of the triangle,
plays, as is well known, a very important role in every religion.
In the Christian religion, for example, there is the Trinity: God
the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost; in Indian religion
there is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, i. e. the creator, the
preserver and the destroyer, etc.
Hundreds of symbolic analogies could be given here, but it is left
to the magician to go deeper into the details of this symbolism
and its analogies. The most important thing for him to know is the
equilateral triangle, which is, for the magician, the universal
symbol ranking immediately after the magic circle.
A magician would never be able to get a certain power or a certain
being into a circle without the help of the magic triangle, for
the circle is, as we now know, the symbol of the infinite and not
the symbol of manifestation. No magician should ever forget this
fact.
One could, of course, also call a being or a power into a figure
different from the triangle, and this is usually done with lower
spirits, but when dealing with high powers or high ranking beings
the magician will never be able to work without having drawn the
relevant diagram, i. e. a triangle, immediately after having
constructed the magic circle.
The magician will now be aware of the fact that the circle is the
first diagram having no limits; the triangle is the first diagram
with limits or space-symbol in which a being, a power, etc. may be
projected. In the case of magical evocation the triangle has to be
large enough to give sufficient space for the power or being
evoked or projected, for the being or power must never be bigger
than the triangle itself.
The magician must make sure that the being or power he has called
into the triangle is under his full control, and that he himself,
while standing in the centre of the circle, is thus representing a
superior power, a universal, a divine idea. Therefore, a being
which has been called into a triangle is not able to leave the
triangle again without the magician's permission or, to use a
magical term, without "abdication". As for the shape of the
triangle, it may either be acute or right angled.
For the triangle the same material is used as for the circle. When
operating in the open air, the triangle can be drawn with a
magical weapon such as the magic sword or dagger. If the circle
has been inscribed on a piece of cloth, then the triangle has to
be drawn on it also.
The construction, of the triangle must be done magically; not the
physical hand of the magician is employed, it must be drawn whilst
the magician is fully conscious of his mental and astral hand,
similar to the construction of the magic circle. Otherwise the
triangle will produce no effects and will have no influence on the
power or being to be invoked. The magician has to meditate, so
that with the help of the triangle as the highest symbol, the
manifestation of the desired being or power is effected.
The magician will soon realize that the more he knows about the
symbolism of the magical triangle, the greater will be his
influence on the being or power he has evoked.
Furthermore, it is a great advantage for the magician to know that
already at the point of drawing the triangle, he is, in his
consciousness, connected with God, which state he has brought
about by having meditated or used his imagination, so that
actually not the magician is drawing the triangle, but the deity
incorporated in the magician.
It is quite useful to re-draw the line of an old triangle with one
of the magical weapons mentioned above each time before using it
again, in order to revive the analogies within the triangle and
also within the magician's mind.
In case the triangle is painted on a piece of cloth, the magician
should gently follow the lines with the weapon. In the case of
magical operations for which no magical weapons are needed the
lines of the triangle may be traced by a magic wand or with the
forefinger alone.
The seal or the talisman of the being concerned is usually placed
into the centre of the triangle, in order to express its symbolic
meaning. I shall give a full description of how a seal or talisman
has to be made in one of the subsequent chapters.
A well trained magician can place a fluid condenser, relevantly
charged, in the centre of the triangle, instead of a seal, pouring
it into a flat vessel, into the so-called magic cup. But he can
also use a piece of blotting paper impregnated with the fluid
condenser and relevantly charged for the manifestation of the
power or being to be called up. It is, in principle, up to the
magician's individual taste which of the two described
possibilities he makes use of. In some cases these details may,
however, depend on the choice of the powers or beings which are to
be evoked or manifested by the magician's will.
I have already dealt with fluid condensers, with liquid and solid
ones as well as with the simple and the complicated types, in my
first book "Initiation into Hermetics"; the magician may use
either simple or complicated fluid condensers, whichever serves
his purpose best.
The magic triangle is, as can be seen from what has been said,
mainly a diagram for putting the magician into contact with the
power or being he wants to employ. It may serve a certain purpose,
or, if necessary, also more than one purpose. Its main object is
firstly to get into contact with the being or the power the
magician wants to employ, secondly to call a certain being from
the macrocosm into our physical world, and thirdly to condense
this being in a manner that it may even have certain effects on
our physical world. All this is directed by the magician's will.
The being or power evoked by the magician will either effect the
mental, or the astral, or the physical world, just as the magician
wishes to have it.
Following the principles which by now are already well known to
the magician, each power or being will only have effects within
the spheres into which it has been called and in which it has been
condensed. This means that, for instance, a being projected into
the mental sphere will naturally not be able to influence the
physical world, but will only become effective in the mental
world. The same is valid for the astral and the physical world.
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