Magical correspondences
A table of magical correspondences is a list of magical correspondences between items belonging to different categories, such as correspondences between certain deities, heavenly bodies, plants, perfumes, magical oils, precious stones, etc. Such lists were compiled by 19th-century occultists like Samuel Liddell Mathers and William Wynn Westcott (both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn), who in the 1890s prepared an (unpublished) manuscript called The Book of Correspondences. This manuscript was later reworked by Aleister Crowley, who anonymously published it in 1909 as Liber 777. These tables of magical correspondences were meant to be used in a ceremonial context, where specific magical objects were assigned to specific deities or Kabbalistic emanations (sefirot).
In many magical traditions, practitioners use what are known as “magical correspondences” to create symbolic magical links. Magical correspondence tables can help you select which stone, crystal, herb, or other magical tool to use in a ritual or working. The concept is that everything has a signature, of sorts, that connects it to symbols and meanings. Take a look at this list of magical correspondences, and use them when working on spell or ritual construction of your own.
| ELEMENT | ZRAK | VATRA | VODA | ZEMLJA | SPIRIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcemical symbol |  |  |  |  |  |
| Qualities | Easiness | Warmth | Cold | Weight | Space |
| Direction | East | South | West | North | Omnipresence |
| Season | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter | |
| Colours | Yellow | Red | Blue | Olive | Black |
| Weapons | Dagger | Wand | Cup | Pentacle | |
| Animals | Man | Lion | Eagle | Bull | Sphinx |
| Herbs | Verbena | Chili | Fern | Corn | Mistletoe |
| King of the elements | Paralda | Djin | Niksa | Ghob | |
| Archangel | Raphael | Michael | Gabriel | Uriel | |
| Spirits | Sylphs | Salamanders | Undines | Gnomes | |
| Sense | Smell | Sight | Taste | Touch | |
| Concept | Life | Light | Love | Liberty, Law | |
| Virtues | Communication | Courage | Compassion | Strength | |
| Vices | Gossip | Angry | Insensitivity | Laziness |
Magical correspondences is an ancient art and works according to the law of similarity. For example The peel of an orange is similar in color and appearance to the sun’s corona, which is why we associate oranges with the Sun. In other words, we consider them to have the energy of the Sun. If, for example, you want to invoke Archangel Michael, you will use the scent of orange peel or some other scent (olibanum, frankincense, clove) that belongs to the Sun in order to strengthen the vibrations and increase the flow of the Sun’s energy.
If you are doing an invocation of the goddess Diana for a full moon then you can use whatever belongs to the moon as needed. For example, you can put a silver Goblet, Fairy fork or willow pendant on the Altar, light a jasmine or camphor incense stick, put a silver pendant with a moonstone around your neck, etc.
So experience has shown that there is a connection between plants, metals, colors, smells, precious stones, angels, gods and planets. This works according to the principle “as above, so below”, “as in heaven, so on earth”. People who are clairvoyant can see that the tone C produces red light. So the color red is associated with the tone C.
The science of signatures (signs of nature) says that God has woven his signs and their purpose into nature. By observing the color of the flower or the shape of the leaf and root, we can determine which organs we can treat. Thus, since the seer (Euphrasia Officinalis) has a dark spot on its petals, it looks like an eye, it cures eye diseases, and in combination with chamomile, it is also used to develop clairvoyance. Lungwort (Pulmonaria Officinalis) has white dots on its leaves and is believed to cure lung diseases.
Aleister Crowley defined magic as the art of creating change according to one’s will. A magician seeks to communicate with spirits, angels and gods. In order to succeed in this, he will put on the Altar everything that is connected with the spirits in question that he wants to invoke. Let’s say you want to increase courage. The color red is associated with Mars and the feeling of courage. To invoke this quality on the Altar, light a red candle, wear red clothes, visualize that you are surrounded by red light and that you are a fearless warrior. You hold a sword and a shield in your hand. Imagine the power flowing into you from Mars that fills you with courage and self-confidence.
Over time, you will be able to create your own magical correspondences.
Planetary Magical Correspondences
