The main source of Pentacles in Western
Tradition - books, known collectively as a "Key of Solomon".
The modern reader who is familiar
with Western magic, texts "Clavicules" known mostly from the works of
Papus and McGregor Mathers. The latter belongs to, it seems, the first
compilatory edition of "Greater Key of Solomon", for which he used
several manuscripts. Mathers also to be commended not only for the publication
of books, but also for trying to understand the many distortions in the
inscriptions, formulas and images of Pentacles.
But there are those, of which he
wrote that does not know and does not understand what is depicted there. And as
you know, that's incomprehensible is usually the most interesting and
effective.
One of
these relates to the pentacles of Venus (Figure 43 in this volume), and the
description is able to arouse love in any particular: "When it is only showed unto any person soever, it inciteth and exciteth
wonderfully unto Love."
Mathers’ comments: “Around the
central Square are the Names Elohim, El Gebil, and two other Names which I
cannot decipher, and have, therefore, given them as they stand. The characters
are those of the "Passing of the River." The surrounding Versicle is
from Psalm xxii. 14:– "My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of
my bowels."”
So
great Mathers could not decipher these names, but we will make an attempt to
reconstruct the talisman, because, in our disposal there is a greater number of
available manuscripts and images.
