Читать книгу The Book of Forbidden Knowledge - Johnson Smith - Страница 4

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He who would receive true dreams, should keep a pure, undisturbed, and imaginative spirit, and so compose it that it may be made worthy of knowledge and government by the mind; for such a spirit is most fit for prophesying, and is a most clear glass of all things. When, therefore, we are sound in body, not disturbed in mind, our intellect not made dull by heavy meals and strong drink, not sad through poverty, not provoked through lust, not incited by any vice, not stirred up by wrath or anger, not being irreligious and profanely inclined, not given to levity nor lost in drunkenness, but, chastely going to bed, fall asleep, then our pure and divine soul being free from all the evils above recited, and separated from all hurtful thoughts, and now freed, by dreaming, is endowed with this divine spirit as an instrument, and does receive those beams and representations which are darted down, as it were, and shine forth from the divine Mind into itself, in a deifying glass.

There are four kinds of true dreams, viz., the first, matutine, i.e., between sleeping and waking; the second, that which one sees concerning another; the third, that whose interpretation is shown, to the same dreamer in the nocturnal vision; and, lastly, that which is related to the same dreamer in the nocturnal vision. But natural things and their own co-mixtures do likewise belong unto wise men, and we often use such to receive oracles from a spirit by a dream, which are neither by perfumes, unctions, meats, drinks, rings, seals, etc.

Now those who are desirous to receive oracles through a dream, let them make themselves a ring of the Sun or Saturn for this purpose. There are likewise images of dreams, which, being put under the head when going to sleep, do effectually give true dreams of whatever the mind hath before determined or consulted upon, the practice of which is as follows:

You shall make an image of the Sun, the figure whereof must be a man sleeping upon the bosom of an angel; which you will make when Leo ascends, the Sun being in the ninth house in Aries, then you must write upon the figure the name of the effect desired, and in the hand of the angel the name and character of the intelligence of the Sun, which is Michael.

Let the same image be made in Virgo ascending, Mercury being fortunate in Aries in the ninth, or Gemini ascending, Mercury being fortunate in the ninth house in Aquarius, and let him be received by Saturn with a fortunate aspect, and let the name of the spirit (which is Raphael) be written upon it.

Let the same likewise be made- Libra ascending, Venus being received from Mercury in Gemini in the ninth house- and write upon it the name of the angel of Venus (which is Anael). Again you may make the same image, Aquarius ascending, Saturn fortunately possessing the ninth in his exaltation, which is Libra- and let there be written upon it the name of the angel of Saturn (which is Cassiel). The same may be made with Cancer ascending, the Moon being received by Jupiter and Venus in Pisces, and being fortunately placed in the ninth house; and write upon it the spirit of the Moon (which is Gabriel).

There are likewise made rings of dreams of wonderful efficacy, and there are rings of the Sun and Saturn and the constellation of them is, when the Sun or Saturn ascend in their exaltation in the ninth, and when the Moon is joined to Saturn in the ninth, and in that sign which was the ninth house of the nativity, and write and engrave upon the rings the name of the spirit of the Sun or Saturn, and by these rules you may know how and by what means to constitute more of yourself.

But know this, that such images work nothing (as they are simply images), except they are vivified by spiritual and celestial virtue, and chiefly by the ardent desire and firm intent of the soul of the operator. But who can give a soul to an image, or make a stone, or metal, or clay, or wood, or wax, or paper, to live? Certainly no man whatever, for this arcanum does not enter into an artist of a stiff neck. He only has it who transcends the progress of angels, and comes to the very Archetype Himself.

The tables of numbers likewise confer to the receiving of oracles, being duly formed under their own constellations.

Therefore, he who is desirous of receiving true oracles by dreams, let him abstain from supper, from drink, and be otherwise well disposed, so his brain will be free from turbulent vapors; let him also have his bed-chamber fair and clean, exercised and consecrated; then let him perfume the same with some convenient fumigation, and let him anoint his temples with some unguent efficacious hereunto, and put a ring of dreams upon his finger; then let him take one of the images we have spoken of, and place the same under his head; then let him address himself to sleep, meditating upon that thing which he desires to know. So shall he receive a most certain and undoubted oracle by a dream when the Moon goes through the sign of the ninth revolution of his nativity, and she is in the ninth sign from the sign of perfection.

This is the way whereby we may obtain all sciences and arts whatsoever, whether astrology, occult philosophy, physic, etc., or else suddenly and perfectly with a true illumination of our intellect, although all inferior familiar spirits whatsoever conduce to this effect, and sometimes also evil spirits sensibly inform us, intrinsically and extrinsically.