Analysing the Enochian Calls

Despite its apparent complexity, the Enochian magical system is structured around the four elements. The 18 Calls evoke the spirits residing in the four Enochian Watchtowers, which represent the four elements. The Golden Dawn created a complicated situation that obscures what is essentially a beautiful and holistic system. One of the main problems is that the GD ignored the implicit order within the 18 Calls, and imposed the directions of the Watchtowers according to Western Magic. The whole situation was fudged, and resulted in the magician being expected to imagine himself in the Centre of the Tablet of Union before invoking the Watchtowers! The Schuelers tried to explain the Calls, but they essentially fail to elucidate. There are actually many ways to order the elements according to the Cardinal directions. An excellent analysis of this fundamental problem is found in "Shamanism and the Esoteric Tradition" by Angelique S. Cook and G.A. Hawk, who concluded that the Shamanic tradition, probably the most powerful, and certainly the most pervasive spiritual system in the world, should be used, namely, that Air should be in the North, Water in the West, Earth in South, and Fire in the East. This order is actually the same as in the Tablet of Union.

The Enochian system is very complicated, with huge numbers of angels with unpronounceable names, and they all seem to have overlapping functions imposed on a hierarchy. There are also several different sub-systems such as the Watchtowers, the Seal of Truth, the Tablet of Nalvage, for example. While the Dee documents clearly indicate that they should be integrated, most books on the subject tend to repeat what has already been said, or comment on the Golden Dawn input. The problem is that MacGregor Mathers and others who introduced Enochian into the Golden Dawn did a brilliant analysis, but omitted key parts of the system that made it comprehensible. Mathers lived in a time where secrecy was paramount, and deception was considered a legitimate means to hiding the truth. My other criticism is that no-one has criticised the idea that Golden Dawn rituals are necessary to invoke the spirits, especially since Dee only included prayers to be read. Indeed, the lack of ritual within Dee's Enochian writings has been used as proof that he did not use the information given by the Angels! However, the West is very good at breaking down and analysing any system, while the Eastern method is to bring out the holistic view. This essay is an attempt to bridge that gap.

My understanding is that the rituals were designed to give a stimulus to the memory and imagination of the magician, and they represent an external manifestation of the inner reality of the cosmic worlds. The resultant visions should create correspondence or harmony within the magician and his surroundings. There are now many versions of the same rituals from the Golden Dawn, and it is difficult to know which are the originals, and if they are, how are we to know that everything is correct? The Schuelers adopted the GD rituals to invoke the Enochian spirits, and their books would suggest that whether or not they successfully invoked spirits by this method, they explain some of the Enochian material. The problem is that while there is tremendous detail, with examples of how to invoke a spirit from each of the Watchtowers, they suggest that enough information is available for the student to work out how to deal with any spirit. A moments thought should make one realise the difficulties with this proposition. By contrast, the original Dee papers emphasise the importance of wholeness, of going from the general to the particular, of keeping balance and harmony. In fact I would go so far to say that the original use of the system automatically creates harmony and wholeness. The Golden Dawn system of Enochian magic emphasises individuality, and while there are checks and balances that the magician is supposed to employ when he is skrying, it all supposes that the magician has the requisite information to start with!

So far the understanding of the facets of Enochian magic have not been put together in a coherent form except in the context of the Golden Dawn. Almost all books on Enochian ignore the philosophical background, where Dee describes the Fall, the loss of knowledge, and its restoration through Enoch. Dee's commentary on sheds light on the meaning of the Calls.

First Call

"I reign over ye, saith the God of Justice.."

The first words proclaim the power and majesty of the knowledge contained within. To us, 'justice' is a word that has these meanings; law, order, action and its results. Ancient civilisations had a greater understanding on the word, and expanded the meaning to cover the place of man within the universe, and how he interacts and changes the cosmos by his actions. The vast implications of this concept to the ancients placed great emphasis on law and order, particularly the Egyptians who used the concept of Maat:

In brief, the central principle of Maat is that of reciprocity between the gods - the principle Divine realms - and humankind: the Gods serve humanity as humanity serves the Gods. Maat is Divine - reciprocity and harmony.

Arthur Verslius, The Egyptian Mysteries.

The importance of Maat cannot be over-emphasised in Egyptian life, and the quote above has connotations of the great Hermetic dictum, "As above, so below". Vedic civilisation was also based on the need for cosmic order, and Jeanine Miller's book "The Vision of Cosmic Order in the Vedas" gives an excellent account of the word rta, meaning "...reality, law, order, norm, basic structure of the universe, universal harmony, truth...cycles, balance of nature." "Basically, rta concerns the dynamics of manifestation, the process of world unfoldment at all levels."

The first line of the First Key contains a panorama of possibilities, a vision of all levels of the universe, the workings of karma, of truth, the results of actions. If we assume that idea was that the magician identifies with the Gods or spirits mentioned within the Calls, we have a truly extraordinary picture of the Magician becoming united with the universes, knowing the source, course, and goal of all things. His responsibilities are awesome. The pronoun 'I' is ambiguous as it can refer magician imagining himself as the God of Justice, or he is just reading the words of the God of Justice.

"...in power exalted above the firmaments of wrath"

The God of Justice is placed above the Heavens. This is an important statement, if we remember Genesis 1.1 "In the beginning, the Gods (note plural) created the Heavens and the Earth". There is a huge Rabbinical tradition concerning the first chapter of Genesis, which we need not enter into here. The word 'wrath' emphasises the interactive nature of the Heavens, and reflects the actions of the God of Justice.

"...in whose hands the sun is as a sword and the moon as a through thrusting fire"

This suggests that the functions of the sun and moon change with the influence of the God of Justice. The sun and moon represent the masculine and feminine polarities, or ying and yang. The God unites and utilises the functions of male and female. This unity is emphasised by connecting the sun with a sword, as the sword is usually associated with the element Air. and justice, but in the Vedic tradition, the sun is the principle of enlightenment born out of rta, the implicate order. The suggestion is that light brings justice. The Moon is generally considered to be watery, yet here, it is associated with Fire! Going back to the Vedic tradition, Agni the God of Fire is the priest, the mediator between heaven and earth. Agni is the first word of Rig Veda. Agni brings insight, vivification, and is present in cooking and heat. Agni and Soma (Fire and Water) are often mentioned together. Indeed, the Hebrew word for Heavens, ShMYM, is literally Fire/waters. There is actually a Biblical precedent, commented in the Bahir verse 99: "And he placed the Cherubim to the East of the Garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword revolving, to guard the way of the Tree of Life."Gen. 3.24. The Bahir goes on to say that Fire and Water existed before the Heavens, and that the Heaven is Fire: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God" Deut. 4.24. In these situations, the implication is that Fire and Water is there to prevent the unworthy from ascending into the Heavens.

"...which measureth your garments in the midst of my vestures, and trussed you together as the palms of my hands: whose seats I garnished with the fire of gathering, and beautified your garments with admiration."

Several words are repeated here, which usually indicates emphasis, or importance, especially in Biblical texts. Normally in English, we use superlatives to emphasise a word.

"measureth your garments" and "beautified your garments".

Garments, or clothes cover and reveal. In this context the reference is probably to what has been created, which is different to God. This subject is well covered in Vedic traditions where Maya, or illusion is discussed in similar terms. Maya is something that is illusory, the created world, and it has to be lived in, and it also has to be passed through to find the reality. The status of a person can often be deduced by the clothes he or she wears.

"In whose hands" and "trussed...palms of my hands."

The Hand of God is a clear reference here. The hands are the organs of action by God, and also a means of enclosing and uniting everything in creation. To ensure everything is included, the seats of power are mentioned as being united by fire. In Hebrew, "hand" is Yod, the tenth letter, and also the first letter of YHVH, related to fire. There may also be a connection to the Tarot Atu, The Hermit.

"To whom I made a law to govern the Holy Ones and delivered you, a rod to govern the Holy Ones and delivered you a rod with the Ark of Knowledge."

Now that it has been established that God rules over all, he now proclaims that He also makes the rules. He does this by saying that only one law is necessary, to rule over His spirits. This may mean that the only rule of Man is to be over God's spirits. The means to do this is stated next, He "Delivered you a rod with the Ark of Knowledge". A rod, or staff, can be considered to be a branch of the Tree of Knowledge or Tree of Life . Esoterically, the staff is associated with Fire (particularly in the Tarot), and so he gives the means to ascend the Tree of Life to enter the Heavens. Note that he does not say "Ark of the Covenant", which was contained within the Holy of Holies in the Great Temple. Inside the Ark was the two Tablets of the Ten Commandments along with the original scroll of the Torah, written by Moses. Two golden Cherubs were on top of the Ark. These are the same Cherubs in the East of the Garden of Eden who guard the way of the Tree of Life. The Ark of Knowledge is thus the centre of spiritual power needed to attain prophetic experience.

"Moreover you lifted up your voices and sware obedience and faith to him that liveth and triumpeth"

It is not enough to have these symbols of power; an oath of loyalty is necessary. Here God says that speech is enough to do this, by sending it upwards. It is worth noting that speech is vibrating air; the Air is ruler of the Aethyrs, but speech is considered to be ruler over it. In Genesis 1, creation could only happen when God spoke.

"Whose beginning is not, nor end can be"

God is established as being above time and therefore uncreated.

"...which shineth as a flame in the midst of your palace, and reigneth amongst you as the balance of righteousness and truth."

"House" or "Palace" are often references to the human body. Palace is also a term for the Seven Heavens. God is not found in some far off heights, but within man. "the midst" could be interpreted to be within the heart. Not only is God within man, but he "reigneth amongst you as the balance of righteous and truth." Superficially, this could simply indicate conscience, but now we have established that God is not only above, but within and around us. The mention of the "balance of righteousness and truth" within man is an echo of the title of the God of Justice, and this could indicate that someone representing God has the power to dispense justice in the name of God. This is obviously open to abuse: witness the terrible things done in God's name. The information given by the Angels to Dee on the use of these keys is about controlling and changing the whole world.

Now all this has been established, it is time to command the spirits in the name of God by the magician who has stated that he is a servant of God; that is, he is doing God's will. Not only is rule given over the spirits, but they are commanded to reveal anything that the magician desires. The Magician commands the spirits to come from wherever they are to appear before him in a friendly and helpful manner.

We are now in a position to summarise the meaning of the First Call:

An unnamed God of Justice establishes that He is uncreated, eternal, that He is above the Heavens, He created all, and He unites all of creation. He is within man, and he has given man authority to act in the name of God. He rules all spirits, and has given man the means to rise above spirits and rule over them through the rod and Ark of Knowledge.

Note that the First Call is only about the all encompassing rule of God, and the relationship of Him to man, and that nothing is said about the spirits, except to call them the "holy Ones"; they are under the control of God, and they can be ruled by man.

Second Call

Now that we have established that the God of Justice fills and surrounds the worlds, and that man can have the same authority, we need to establish exactly what it is that man actually rules. We have a vertical component, and now it is necessary for the horizontal dimensions to be presented, in seed form.

This Call is all about the ruling spirits of the aethyrs and the four elements. Note that the cardinal directions are not mentioned, so we may infer that we are witnessing a transformation within the Aethyr that creates the four elements within a blueprint. Thus a holistic and thorough system is developed.

"Can the Wings of the Winds understand your voices of Wonder?"

Wings, winds, voices: all refer to the element of Air or Aethyr, but it is probably better to use the Vedic term Akasha or space, as we have to be careful to distinguish between the unifying principle of Akasha that contains all the aethyrs, and the element Air, which is equal to Water, Earth and Fire. We actually have a hierarchy, and a challenge is issued to see whether these three can comprehend each other. At the top are Wings, the Archangels. The Winds refer to all the aethyrs (There are references elsewhere that the 18 Calls should be used in conjunction with the 30 Calls.), and voices are, of course, men.

The next line develops the hierarchy by saying that these spirits are subject to the First Call; "O you the Second of the First", and that they are a continuation or development of the First Call. This theme is repeated many times throughout the Calls.

"...Whom the burning flames have framed within the depth of my Jaws"

The flames mentioned are described in the First Call, but it is not clear if the Jaws are God's or man's, but remember that speech or voices had the authority to command the spirits. The order of the elements is different from that given in the Calls. Here, we have:

Fire

Flames, laws

Water

Cups for a wedding

Earth

Flowers...Fate...barren stone

Air

Voices... manifold winds

This is not the YHVH order, although we have the primary elements Fire and Water, before the secondary elements Earth and Air. That these elements are not the ordinary, everyday experience of life is emphasised by:

"For you are become a building such as is not, but in the mind of the All Powerful"

The magician has to become something that only exists for God! This is clearly a Divine level, and the implication is that it is something that cannot be judged by the man's peers.

The conjuration is now made, and it is clear that it is done with the authority of the "First" to his "servants", those who "Sware obedience and faith to him that liveth and triumpheth" (First Call). The spirits are also demanded not only to reveal their powers to the magician, but also to give him the strength to see the visions. Again the eternal aspect is emphasised to ensure that there is no possible higher authority.

To sum up, this Call gives the magician the power to control within his own awareness all four elements in their seed form, within Akasha, before they become manifest or differentiated in four directions.

Third Call

The importance of the Akasha element (over and above that which is equal to the other three) continues to be emphasised. The First Call states that the God of Justice, who maintains and disposes harmony, rules over all. The Second Call states that the Four elements are created within Akasha, while the Third Call is actually about the air element itself. Remember that there are also 30 Aethyrs to consider!

This Call describes the element of Air of Air, or Aquarius. In everyday life, we cannot live without air for more than a few minutes, water for some days, and food for several months. The theme is developed in this Call:

"...I am a circle on whose hands stand Twelve Kingdoms...

Six are the seats of living breath: the rest are as sharp sickles, or the Horns of Death"

The circle of twelve Kingdoms are of course, the signs of the Zodiac, probably the 12 Angel Kings who rule over the 30 Aethyrs. Later the Call mentions 12 Seats of Government, and these may be the 12 Tribes of the Israelites. We see that the Third Call describes how the orders of the God of Justice within the First Call are carried out.

The Call tells us that the action of God in the First Call becomes the action of the magician:

"I Made ye stewards, and placed ye in twelve seats of Government: giving unto everyone of you power successively over the 456 true ages of time: to the intent that from the highest vessels and the corners of your governments you might work my power, pouring down the fires of life and increase continually on the earth. Thus you are become the skirts of Justice and Truth."

The conjuration is different from the previous Calls, in that the magician sees the action of God's work on the earth through man and the spirits.

The characteristics of the rest of the Calls are more straightforward

4 Water of Water

Water of Water is Pisces, and there are several indicators of this. For example, "feet" are ruled by Pisces. "Thunders" is a metaphor for Heavens; Thunder is something that happens in the air, and only within storm clouds, so we have the idea of Air being transformed into moisture. Thunder also has lightning, so Fire is also implicated. That we are in a new area is indicated by "2nd Angle", and that it is a continuation from the 3rd Call (the 1st Angle), by "in whom the second beginning of things are and wax strong." The prolific and fertile nature of water is noted. Despite the differences between the elements, usually listed in occult literature, similarity and equality is still important, witness: "...their powers are as the first 456" . The conjuration mentions pleasure and pleasantness (qualities of water) in marked contrast to the Third Call, and also that creation actually occurs in this region.

5 Earth of Earth

This region is characterised by comfort and peace: The Olive branch is a symbol of peace and reconciliation. The mountain is a potent symbol of power and meditation, where prophets ascended to meet God. That this is not our earth is indicated by "Dwelling in the brightness of the Heavens". Despite a change of direction, continuance is shown by "Brothers of the First and Second" and "whose numbers are as the First, the Ends, and the contents of Time". The spirits of Earth are ruled by this chain of command. Elsewhere, in the Call of the 30 Aethyrs, the Earth is said to be ruled by division and change, while here rule is shown by "Our Lord and Master is the All-One!" This Angle is similar to the Fourth Call in that comfort and gladness is mentioned.

6 Fire of Fire

Aries, located in the Heavens. Fire has a dual function, assisting the righteous while destroying evil. While the difference is very clear, we are reminded that it is still "as the Second and the Third", and that control is through "Voice". There is a suggestion that music or singing is heard here. We have now completed a description of Akasha and the four elements, and this is a good time to compare what we have studied with the 'traditional' system of magic in the West. The magician begins with invoking the four directions and their associated elements, using the Kerubic or fixed signs: Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo and Taurus. These signs have long been associated with the Biblical Tetramorphs; Man, Eagle, Lion and Bull, and it is interesting that the Kerubic signs have a component of the Air element within them. By definition, the Kerubic signs are very stable, necessary for any kind of magical work. By contrast, the Enochian system starts with space, or Akasha, for want of a better word. Akasha controls, dispenses and harmonises man with the spirits. In the 2nd Call, the elements appear within Akasha, and it is only in the next four Calls that we see the elements being created, and these four are in their pure forms, that is, Air/Air, Water/Water, Earth/Earth and Fire/Fire. Except for Earth/Earth, of course, we have three Zodiac signs, Aquarius (Fixed), Pisces (Mutable), and Aries (Cardinal), so all types are mentioned. In the next stage, the three combinations of Air with the elements are Called, followed by the Water types, then Earth and Fire. Within the 3rd Call, the twelve Rulers are described as Airs of life and death, and it is in the following Calls that these are described. in summary, the Enochian system reveals a far greater powerful, dynamic and complicated method that is able to not only transform the self, but also that of the world, than that contained in the Western magical system, who look upon magic more as a way of personal spiritual evolution that is more appropriate to the Western man than Eastern methods. It is time to look at the combinations, starting with Air.

7 Water of Air

Gemini. This Call is continued from the "3rd and 4th Towers", ie Earth and Fire. A feminine area, "house of Virgins", that has direct origins with the "Flames of first glory". There are 28 dwellings, indicating possibly the 28 Lunar Mansions, which is significant, as the 3rd Call rules the 12 signs of the Zodiac. Gemini is often associated with teenagers and superficiality, which is where the "ornamentations" come from. Water calms the ferocity of the Air. The conjuration sings praises to God, in order that power and strength is given.

8 Earth of Air

"The first (Air) is as the third (Earth)". The hyacinth pillars are complementary to the "19 pillars of gladness" in the 5th Call. The Earth is essentially benevolent, but it is not enough to pacify Air completely, so we have two images of the "stooping dragon", described in the call of the 30 Aethyrs, and the Widow, who is actually Wisdom atop a mountain, so called because very few people actually reach true knowledge. There is also reference to the fallen angels (Air) that remain in the earth. Comfort and terror are described in equal terms.

9 Fire of Air

Libra. This Call describes a mighty Guardian Angel who is fiery, holding a pair of two edged swords, with poisonous wings (wormwood and the marrow of salt). The phrase "which have eight vials of wrath for two times and a half", is obscure, but kabbalistically, wrath is associated with the nostrils, heavy breathing, signifying the anger of God that no one can calm. Wormwood is mentioned in Revelation Chapter 8, where the earth is destroyed by Fire, and the water is poisoned by wormwood. Clearly, this call is designed to master even the most deadly of spirits.

10 Air of Water

Scorpio is indicated by the "thunderers of Judgement and Wrath", discussed in the Fourth Call; and scorpions, lower symbol of Scorpio. The earth continues to burn, sulphur and poisonous, causing earthquakes. The Air element is still not subdued. The only symbol of stability is of an Oak tree, knowledge, with 22 nests, a possible reference to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Perhaps the Enochian alphabet may be found in this region.

11 Earth of Water

In contrast to the previous Calls, we have a much calmer picture, despite the prominence of Air, denoted by 5 Thunders. The connection with the l0th Call is shown by an Eagle (Air, and a higher symbol of Scorpio), who calls the thunders from the House of Death, another description of Scorpio.

12 Fire of Water

Cancer. There are few clues, except the "28 Lanterns of Sorrow" which connects this Callto the 7th, Gemini. Cancer of course, follows the Gemini in the Zodiac. There is a wrathful quality to this sub-quadrant.

13 Air of Earth

Taurus. 42 eyes may be connected with the 42 lettered Name of God.

14 Water of Earth

Virgo. Vexation is connected with the Earth, but there is little to connect it with Virgo. The 24 Seats mentioned may have a connection with the l0th Call, where there are earthquakes. 24 may also be connected to the 24 Seniors.

15 Fire of Earth

Capricorn. The angel rules "the First Flame" that "weaves the earth with dryness". Righteousness and honour are descriptions of this sub-quadrant.

16 Air of Fire

Leo, indicated by "2nd Flame" and "House of Justice". Fire and Air are usually wrathful, but here there is comfort for the just, and knowledge of spirits of the earth.

17 Water of Fire

Sagittarius. Again few clues, except that there is Fire. Vexation is said to indicate water that is stirred by wings, except that the earth is vexed in the Call of the 30 Aethyrs.

18 Earth of Fire

A fire of comfort and joy within the centre of the earth.

The last three Calls are generally calm, in contrast to the 6th Call, Fire of Fire, where retribution to the wicked is more likely. The reason may be that the peacefulness of the Earth sub-quadrants continues their influence.