The Middle Pillar Read online

  Table of Contents

  Praise

  About the Author

  About the Editors

  To Write to the Editors

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Other Books by Israel Regardie

  Other Books by the Ciceros

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION

  Foreword

  Part One - The Middle Pillar

  CHAPTER ONE - THE TWO PILLARS OF THE TEMPLE

  Endnotes

  CHAPTER TWO - THE TREE OF LIFE

  Endnotes

  CHAPTER THREE - THE QABALISTIC CROSS AND THE PENTAGRAM RITUAL

  Endnotes

  CHAPTER FOUR - THE MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  Endnotes

  CHAPTER FIVE - CIRCULATING THE LIGHT AND THE FORMULA OF VIBRATION

  Endnotes

  Part Two - The Balance Between Mind and Magic

  CHAPTER SIX - PSYCHOLOGY AND MAGIC

  Psychotherapy

  Freud’s Triad of the Psyche

  Jung and Spiritual Psychology

  The Nature of the Psyche

  The Shadow

  Confronting the Shadow

  REGRESSION EXERCISE

  TRAUMA RELEASE EXERCISE

  CHAPTER SEVEN - THE ART OF RELAXATION

  BODY AWARENESS EXERCISE

  THE CLEANSING BATH EXERCISE

  THE PURIFYING BREATH EXERCISE

  RELAXATION EXERCISE 1

  RELAXATION EXERCISE 2

  RELAXATION EXERCISE 3

  RELAXATION EXERCISE 4

  RELAXATION EXERCISE 5

  ADDITIONAL EXERCISES

  MIND AWARENESS EXERCISE

  DEVELOPMENT OF THE WILL EXERCISE

  THE RITE OF ELEMENTAL EQUILIBRATION

  CHAPTER EIGHT - YOGA, CHAKRAS, AND THE WISDOM OF THE EAST

  Yoga

  Prana

  The Chakras

  Tattvas

  The Seven Chakras

  Kundalini

  Chakra Awareness

  CHAKRA CORRESPONDENCES

  CHAKRA AWARENESS EXERCISE

  CHAPTER NINE - THE PENTAGRAM

  THE QABALISTIC CROSS

  THE LESSER BANISHING RITUAL OF THE PENTAGRAM

  AN EGYPTIAN PENTAGRAM RITUAL

  EGYPTIAN BANISHING RITUALS

  A GREEK BANISHING PENTAGRAM RITUAL

  ALTERNATIVE GREEK VERSION

  A GAELIC BANISHING PENTAGRAM RITUAL

  ALTERNATIVE GAELIC BANISHING RITUAL

  A SHAMANIC BANISHING RITUAL

  CHAPTER TEN - THE MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  THE EXERCISE OF THE MIDDLE PILLAR

  THE MIDDLE PILLAR RITUAL

  THE TREE OF LIFE EXERCISE

  THE RITE OF FIVE PILLARS

  AN EGYPTIAN MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  THE EGYPTIAN RITE OF THREE PILLARS

  A GREEK MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  THE GREEK RITE OF THREE PILLARS

  A GAELIC MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  THE GAELIC RITE OF THREE PILLARS

  A SHAMANIC MIDDLE PILLAR EXERCISE

  THE SHAMANIC RITE OF THREE PILLARS

  A LIST OF DEITY CORRESPONDENCES

  A MIDDLE PILLAR HEALING RITUAL

  APPENDIX - THE MUSICAL QABALAH

  GLOSSARY

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  INDEX

  A Magical Classic for the New Millennium

  “Many of Israel Regardie’s books seem to be mere outlines of the intense ideas of his fertile mind. Here, the Cicero’s have expanded Regardie’s classic book to what it always should have been—a thorough, accessible examination and extension of the single ritual which has become the very embodiment of magic.”

  Donald Michael Kraig

  author of Modern Magic

  “The Middle Pillar Ritual is the skeletal structure upon which hangs the fabric of future ritual performances. Based as it is upon the Tree of Life, it is the core of all solar-based ceremonial magic. Magic is self empowerment. Through becoming aware of the power zones of the Tree of Life we are provided with the tools for being more than we are. Cognizance of the Tree of Life within ourselves, through using the Middle Pillar technique, awakens its energies so that our practices have a direct impact upon our everyday lives. This avoids the danger of ritual exercises becoming entertainment only. It empowers us to be vehicles of life, channels of change. Well annotated, illustrated, and greatly expanded by the Ciceros, The Middle Pillar offers a wider appeal to various viewpoints. We once again have this wonderful tool to offer seekers desiring practical material for entry into the world of ceremonial technique.”

  Roger Williamson

  author of The Sun at Night, owner of Magus Books

  “Regardie’s classic work [The Middle Pillar] is now updated by the Ciceros with much new information. This revision is a must buy for any new student of the Qabalah, as well as all who have already read Regardie’s original work. Now the Eastern tradition of the chakras has been integrated into the original text. In addition many cultural variations on the Middle Pillar ritual are offered here for the first time, as well as a musical key for vibrating the Hebrew God names during the ritual.”

  David Hulse

  author of The Eastern Mysteries and The Western Mysteries

  About the Author

  Israel Regardie (1907-1985) was the author of a number of outstanding books on magic who was credited with removing the excessive secrecy surrounding modern occultism. Born in England, Regardie spent most of his life in the United States. In 1928 he took a job as Aleister Crowley’s secretary and by 1932 he had become a esoteric teacher in his own right. In 1933 he joined the Stella Matutina, a offshoot of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. In 1937 he published the rituals of the Order in his classic book The Golden Dawn.

  About the Editors

  Chic Cicero was born in Buffalo, New York. A former musician and businessman, Chic has been a practicing ceremonial magician for the past thirty years. He was a close personal friend of Israel Regardie. Having established a Golden Dawn temple in 1977, Chic was one of the key people who helped Regardie resurrect a legitimate branch of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the early 1980s.

  Sandra Tabatha Cicero was born in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with a Bachelor’s degree in the Fine Arts. Both Chic and Tabatha are Senior Adepts of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. They are the authors of several books published by Llewellyn.

  To Write to the Editors

  If you wish to contact the editors or would like more information about this book, please write to the editors in care of Llewellyn Worldwide and we will forward your request. Please write to:

  Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero

  c/o Llewellyn Worldwide

  P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K140-6

  St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, U.S.A.

  Please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for reply, or $1.00 to cover costs. If outside U.S.A., enclose international postal reply coupon.

  The Middle Pillar: The Balance Between Mind and Magic © 1998 by Llewellyn Publications and Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without permission in writing from Llewellyn Publications except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  THIRD EDITION, edited and annotated

  Third Printing, 2003

  Copyright © 1938 by Israel Regardie Copyright © 1945 by Aries Press

  Second Edition, revised and enlarged, Llewellyn Publications, 1970

  Cover desi
gn: Tom Grewe

  Illustrations: Sandra Tabatha Cicero

  The diagram on page 126 from the book Psychosynthesis by Roberto Assagioli is reproduced by permission of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc.

  The diagram on page 112 from the book The Psychology of C. G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi is reproduced by permission of Yale University Press.

  The Middle Pillar Ritual on pages 212-219 is from “The Middle Pillar, Revised Version by Israel Regardie.” © 1996 by Darcy Küntz.

  The musical notes in the Appendix are excerpts from The Musical Qabalah, © 1995 by Thorn Parrott, used by permission.

  Regardie, Israel.

  The middle pillar : the balance between mind and magic / Israel Regardie ; edited and annotated with new material by Chic Cicero & Sandra Tabatha Cicero. - 3rd ed.

  p. cm.

  Includes bibliographical references and index.

  ISBN 1-56718-140-6 (pbk.)

  1. Magic. 2. Occultism. 3. Jungian psychology. I. Cicero,

  Chic, 1936- . II. Cicero, Sandra Tabatha, 1959- . III. Title.

  BF1999.R42 1998

  133-dc21 97-51493

  CIP

  Llewellyn Worldwide does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public. All mail addressed to the editors of this book is forwarded, but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the editors, give out an address or phone number.

  Llewellyn Publications

  A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd.

  P.O. Box 64383, Dept. K140-6

  St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, U.S.A.

  Printed in the U. S. A.

  Other Books by Israel Regardie

  The Golden Dawn

  A Garden of Pomegranates

  The Philosopher’s Stone

  The Tree of Life

  The Art of True Healing

  The Romance of Metaphysics

  Twelve Steps to Spiritual Enlightenment

  The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic

  Ceremonial Magic

  Foundations of Practical Magic

  Other Books by the Ciceros

  The Golden Dawn Magical System including:

  The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot (deck)

  The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot (book)

  Secrets of a Golden Dawn Temple Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition The Golden Dawn Journal Series

  including:

  Book I: Divination

  Book II: Qabalah: Theory and Magic

  Book III: The Art of Hermes

  The Magical Pantheons: A Golden Dawn Journal Experiencing the Kabbalah

  DEDICATED

  to the

  revered memories

  of

  William Wynn Westcott

  and

  S. L. MacGregor Mathers

  —Israel Regardie

  To Francis,

  whose light

  shines as brightly now

  as it ever did

  —Chic and Tabatha Cicero

  Acknowledgments

  The editors would like to thank the following people for contributing material to this new edition of Israel Regardie’s The Middle Pillar: Adam Forrest, Isidora Forrest, R. A. Gilbert, Darcy Küntz, Thom Parrott, Prof. Seàn O Mìadhachàin, and William Stoltz.

  Figure 1: Cover art from the Second Edition of The Middle Pillar. (Painting by Marjory Paskaruk.)

  INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD EDITION

  In the early decades of this century, little was known about the techniques of western ceremonial magic due to the veil of secrecy which had shrouded these practices. Unless a person happened to be a member of a magical organization, there was little chance of learning the procedures and initiatory practices of high magic. This changed in 1937 when Israel Regardie published four volumes titled The Golden Dawn, a collection of ceremonies and teachings from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Earlier, Regardie had published two books describing the magical principles of the Golden Dawn system. The Middle Pillar, published in 1938, gave step-by-step details on how to perform practical exercises of ceremonial magic, something which was quite revolutionary for its time. Perhaps even more radical was Regardie’s daring attempt to correlate these magical techniques to the (then) new methods and hypotheses of psychoanalysis. Since the object of study in both magic and psychology was the human mind, it was Regardie’s belief that magic could be regarded as a subdivision of the science of psychology. Such a thing was quite unheard of in 1938. In fact, Regardie postulated that psychotherapists could use the techniques of magic, such as the Lesser Banishing Ritual and the Middle Pillar exercise of the Golden Dawn, in a clinical setting for the benefit of patients.

  In the mid-1930s Regardie’s suggestion would have raised many eyebrows, but today several enlightened therapists are coming to the conclusion that the magicians of old were the psychotherapists of their day. Over the last few years there has been considerable reconciliation between occultism and analytical psychology. A large percentage of ancient magical knowledge is being rediscovered and renamed by modern psychologists for modern times. The “gods and angels” of magic are described by the science of mind as “archetypes,” while “demons” have been converted into “neuroses.” The goal of both magic and psychotherapy is the well-being of the individual—his or her growth and health on every level—physical, mental, and psychological. Magic, however, also includes spiritual well-being. Regardie sought to tear down the artificial walls that had been built up between the ancient art and the modern science.

  Regardie’s The Middle Pillar was a milestone which boldly stated these ideas long before they became popular. Today the exercise of the Middle Pillar, as a technique for self-development, has become standard fare—so much so that it is sometimes described in New Age self-help manuals, often without mentioning its source in the Golden Dawn tradition. The Middle Pillar shows the clarity of writing, expertise, and love for teaching that Regardie was famous for. To this day it remains a classic among magical texts.

  Who was Israel Regardie and why did he write The Middle Pillar? The following brief biography should give readers an awareness of Regardie’s prominent place in the history of modern magic and occultism, as well as his interest in psychology.

  Before his death in 1985, Israel Regardie was considered by many to be the last living adept of a prestigious magical current known as the Golden Dawn. The tradition represented by the Golden Dawn and its sister spin-off groups, the Stella Matutina and the Alpha et Omega, attracted many influential occultists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Among these were Dr. William W. Westcott, Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers, Arthur Edward Waite, William Butler Yeats, Dion Fortune, and Aleister Crowley. Yet among this extraordinary ensemble of knowledgeable magicians, Regardie ranks high as an authority of prominence.

  Born on November 17, 1907, in London, Israel Regardie moved with his family to Washington, D.C. in 1921 when he was thirteen years old. At an early age he developed an interest in the theosophical works of Madame Blavatsky, Hindu philosophy, and yoga. At age sixteen Regardie frequented the Library of Congress, which he called his second home. It was through his contacts in the Library that he was able to find a Hebrew tutor. He learned to read Hebrew fluently, a skill that would aid him tremendously in his study of Qabalah. About this time, Regardie enrolled in an art school in Philadelphia. On March 18, 1926 Regardie discovered a newly published book which captivated his curiosity. The book was Part One of Book Four by Aleister Crowley. Regardie wrote to Crowley in Paris and eventually received a reply to his inquiry, suggesting that he contact Crowley’s agent, Karl Germer, in New York. From Germer, Regardie bought a set of The Equinox, a series of magazines that Crowley published from 1909 to 1914. This was the beginning of Regardie’s life-long interest in magic and mysticism which changed the course of his whole life, and he soon realized that art was not his calling. In March of 1926 the young Regardie became a
member of the Washington College of the Societas Rosicruciana in America. A year or so later, Crowley offered Regardie a job as his secretary in Paris. Regardie took this as a great opportunity to learn magic from an authority.

  In order to go to Paris, Regardie had to obtain a passport and a visa. He was still a minor, and was supposed to get permission from his father for the required documents. However, he never told his parents about Crowley or his own interest in mysticism. Crowley received a great deal of bad press in both the English and American tabloids, so Regardie was hesitant to tell his parents that he would be working with Crowley. Since Regardie had attended art school, he simply told them that he had been invited to study painting with an English artist in Paris. His parents gave him documents for the passport, but when it came time to obtain the French visa, Regardie typed up the papers himself and signed his father’s name to it.