ABSTRACT
Modern occultists who follow the Qabalistic system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn enter a magical universe which in many ways resembles that of the classical shaman. The magician within his ceremonial circle enters a sacred space and perceptually encounters the god-images of his invocation. We turn to the actual symbols of ritual magic whereby self-transformation is achieved. Because the consciousness of the magician is to be transformed in its entirety, the ritual must enhance all the senses in fine degree. Though comparable magical technique is essentially an out-of-the-body one and produces ecstasy as in the case of the traditional shaman, the factor of mastery is crucial. In the western mystery tradition, sound and the power of the utterance have been traditionally emphasised as being most important. Encompassing the levels of the Tree are a vast pantheon of beings which according to the occult world-view constitute the mythological heritage of western man.
