This article delves into the theoretical bases that allow the sigils of spiritual entities, as proposed by the Hermetic Tradition, to be translated into musical material, limiting the specific scope of this article to the translation of the sigils into pitches. This "sonification" of the sigils of spiritual entities of the Hermetic tradition is comparable to the sonification of other empirical data observed through the methods of modern science. The reasons for the limitation of the present study to pitch include, of course, a consideration on the final length of the paper, but they also constitute my first and germinal musical interpretation of the sigils: as will be discussed later at greater length, most sigils, and certainly the sigils of a planetary nature in particular, tend to be very linear in their design, and this immediately suggests the “line” of a melody, or a tone row, in less traditional terms.
How music can express the order of the universe, and how everything in the universe may have a musical equivalent that we may or may not perceive through our physical hearing is the subject of study of speculative music. A lot of musicological work has gone in the analysis and discussion of how composers have used magical squares, sigils or other Hermetic or cabalistic magical material in certain of their compositions, especially in the later twentieth century. I am aware of some of this work, but in this article I do not intend to duplicate it, expand on it, or generally collaborate in the project of analyzing or pointing out these mystical/magical/numerological bases of some pieces in the contemporary art-music repertoire.
The exact nature of these sparks of consciousness is still a matter of lively debate among occultists, and several interesting interpretations and proposals of what they might actually be have been put forward recently, in the light of the theories and world views taught by the modern sciences, especially psychology, quantum physics, information systems theory, and even memetics.
Alchemy and Character Archetypes
Alchemy offers an intriguing framework for understanding character archetypes in storytelling. In spiritual alchemy, the triangle represents soul, spirit, and body. Heinrich Khunrath labeled the sides of the triangle in this emblem, where in red capital letters you have Anima (soul), Spiritus (spirit), and Corpus (body).
Heinrich Khunrath, Amphiteatrum sapientiae aeternae, 1602
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Most commonly, authors mark their male protagonist, the Male Principle of the Work, as heart and their female protagonist, the Female Principle of the Work, as mind. If they have a companion, he or it will be marked as Body. If you look back at the Mundus Elementaris that I just posted you’ll see that Sun corresponds to Cor (heart) and Moon to Cerebrum (brain).
The characteristics of a “heart” character are pretty much what you’d expect: courage, self-sacrifice, occasional rashness and impulsivity. Harry Potter is the perfect embodiment of a “heart” character. Rowling goes beyond giving him the appropriate personality traits; she has other characters comment about Harry’s “good heart”, or she describes his heart responding in various situations. Just check the books sometime and see how often “Harry” and “heart” appear close together. The characteristics of a “mind” character are if anything even more obvious. “Mind” characters are knowledgeable, book-smart, and sometimes overly cautious. Hermione captures the defining features of herself and Harry, the “mind” and the “heart,” in her speech at the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: she is “books and cleverness,” while Harry is “friendship and bravery.”
An author can of course use BOTH a name and personality traits to mark characters. In The Alchemyst, Michael Scott calls his female protagonist Sophie Newman. Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom.” In fact, several of the images from the famous alchemical manuscript Aurora consurgens depict Sophia/Wisdom. (Scott’s Sophie is also very smart, very clever.)
What about the Body character? There isn’t one in every alchemy story, but when this does appear, the markers are predictable. Body characters are focused on their bodily needs--they are hungry, thirsty, and, in adult stories, lusty. And they are often fearful. Think of Papageno in Mozart’s opera, the Magic Flute, who breaks his vow of temperance and starts eating and drinking on stage, lamenting his lack of female companionship. Or Wiggins in The Little White Horse (he’s a beautiful, vain King Charles spaniel, always focused on his next meal). Or Ron Weasley, who is constantly hungry. Or Sméagol/Gollum, who eats compulsively though his main lust is for the Ring.
In the Wizard of Oz, Frank Baum used the heart/mind/body triangle in a completely different way. Rather than marking his protagonist, Dorothy, as heart, as you would expect, Baum assigns heart, mind, and body characteristics to her three companions. The Tin Man is in search of a heart, the Scarecrow in search of a brain, and the Cowardly Lion in search of “some nerve,” in other words the courage that Body characters typically lack.
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Magic Squares and Planetary Associations
Magic squares, with their unique numerical properties, have long been associated with planets in various esoteric traditions. Here's a look at some key associations:
- Saturn Square: Of order 3, using numbers 1 to 9. The magic constant is 15, and the sum of all numbers is 45.
- Jupiter Square: Of order 4, using numbers 1 to 16. The magic constant is 34 (2 x 17). The sum of all numbers is 136.
- Sun Square: Of order 6, using numbers 1 to 36.
- Venus Square: Of order 7, using numbers 1 to 49. The magic constant is 175 equal 1 + 72 + 52.
- Mercury Square: Of order 8, using numbers 1 to 64.
- Moon Square: Of order 9, using numbers 1 to 81. The magic constant is 369, formed by 3×1, 3×2, 3×3.
Agrippa says that the table of the Sun, is a 6 x 6 square with thirty six numbers.
These squares are not just mathematical curiosities but are seen as symbolic representations of planetary energies.
The magic, myth and math of magic squares | Michael Daniels | TEDxDouglas
Angels and Their Invocations
Various angels are associated with specific virtues, protections, and domains. Here are a few examples:
- Vehuaiah - Subtle spirit.
- Jeliel - To quell popular uprisings. To obtain victory over those who attack unjustly.
- Sitael - Against adversities. Protects against weapons and wild beasts.
- Elemiah - Against mental troubles and for the identification of traitors. Governs voyages, seatravels.
- Mahasiah - To live in peace with everyone. Governs high science, occult philosophy, theology, theliberal arts.
- Lelahel - To acquire knowledge and cure disease.
- Achaiah - Governs patience, secrets of nature.
And so on, up to 72 angels, each with unique attributes and purposes.
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Achaiah Angel of Patience, the 7th name of God. Bible scripture according to the name Achaiah: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy”. The names meaning is The Forbearing or Patient God (Deus Longanimis, in Latin).
Sigils and Esoteric Symbolism
Sigils, symbols used to represent spiritual entities or concepts, are a key element in esoteric traditions. These symbols often have roots in various alphabets and cultural symbols.
A large number of apparently unrelated secret scripts called ‘Alchemical alphabets’ have been preserved in occult, and alchemical texts, the general idea being that sigils normally used to denote substances or processes are substituted for the letters of the alphabet.
For example, the Ankh-cross, combining a circle and a cross, is seen as the earliest Ankh-cross, a loop which combines both a circle and a cross in one image, and which is called Che Ankh-tie, the pasa of Siva.
Astrological signs also have corresponding sigils. Sigils for zodiacal sign of the Waterearer, also used indiscriminately for the constellation of the same name. and derived ultimately from Egyptian formis. Sigils for the zodiacal sign of the Ram, also used indiscriminately for the constellation of the same name. The printed sigil is derived frcm the manuscript tradition, such as LAMBECIUS 1500 and AGRIPPA 1510 . The sigil is said by AGRIPPA 1510 to be based on the shape of the Ram’s horns, but this is unlikely.
The ascendant (Ascendant-symbol.png, Asc or As), is the zodiacal sign and degree that is ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event.
Astrological signs are the twelve 30° sectors of the ecliptic, starting at the vernal equinox (one of the intersections of the ecliptic with the celestial equator), also known as the First Point of Aries.