Three Books of Occult Philosophy · 180 of 186

Book III, Ch. 59: Of sacrifices and oblations, and their kinds and manners

A sacrifice is an oblation which is both holy by offering, and sanctifieth and maketh Holy the offerer, unless either Irreverence or some other sin be an impediment to him; therefore these sacrifices and oblations do yeld [yield] us much hope, and make us of the family of God, and do repel from us many evils hanging over our heads, which the doctors of the Hebrews do especially confirm, saying by this that we kill our living creatures, and dissipate our wealth by sacrifice, we turn away mischiefs which do hang over us: for as this mortall priest sacrificeth in this inferior world the soul of irrational creatures to God, by the separating of the body from the soul: so Michael the Archangel the priest of the higher world, sacrificeth the souls of men, and this by the separation of the soul from the body, and not of the body from the soul, unless perchance, as it happeneth in fury, Rapture, Extasie [ecstasy] and sleep, and such like vacations of the soul, which the Hebrews call the death of the body. But sacrifices & oblations are first of all and principally to be offered up to the most high God; but when they are to be directed to the secondary divine powers, this ought to be done even as we have spoken concerning prayers and vows: but there are many kinds of sacrifices: one kind is called a burnt offering, when the thing sacrificed was consumed by fire; another, is an offering for the effusion of blood; moreover there are salutiferous sacrifices which are made for the obtaining of health, others pacifying for obtaining peace, others praising for the freeing from some evill, and for the bestowing of some good thing; others Gratulatory, for divine worship and thanksgiving; but some sacrifices are made neither for the honor of God, nor out of good will, of which sort was that amongst the Hebrews, called the sacrifice of Jealousie [jealousy], which was made only for the detecting of occult adultery. There was in times past amongst the Gentiles the sacrifice of expiation, by the which cities were purged from famine, pestilence, or some horrible calamity; whose rites were to search out the most wicked man in that city, and to lead him to the place appointed carrying in his hands a cheese and wafers and dry figs; afterwards to whip him seven times with Rods, and then to burn him to ashes with the same rods, and to cast the ashes into the sea; of these Lycophron and Hipponax make mention; neither doth Philostratus relate things much different from these, concerning Apollonius of Tiana [Tyana] while he chased away the Pestilence from Ephesus. Moreover there were many kind of sacrifices and offerings, as Agonalia, Dapsa, Farreationes, Hecatombe, Hostia, Hyacinthia, Armilustra, Janualia, Lucalia, Lupercalia, Munychia, Novendinalia, Nyctiluca, Palatialia, Pastillaria, Popularia, Protervia, Scenopegia, Solitaurilia, Stata, Rubigalia, Fontanalia, Ormia, Parentalia, Inferiae, Consualia, Lampteria, Amburbia, Ambarvalia, Vivalia, Thyia, Holocaustomata, Orgia, Latialia, Dianetaurica, Bacchanalia, Trieterica, Liberalia, Cocytia, Cerealia, Thesmophoria, Adonia, Teonia, Laurentalia, Opalia, Palilia, Quirinalia, Vertumnalia, Gynaecia, Panathenea, Quinquatria, Diapalia, Diasia, Horma, Hormea, Nemea, Mytriaca, Palogygia. And the offerings of these were proper and divers; for a Goat and an Ass were sacrificed to Bacchus, a Sow to Ceres, an horse to the Sun, an hart and dogs to Diana, an Ass to Priapus, a Goose to Isis, a dunghil-cock to the Night, a she-Goate to Faunus, a Bull to Neptune, a she-Goate to Minerva, a Bull to Hercules, a child to Saturn, a Sow with piggs to Maja, a Cock to Aesculapius: moreover they did sacrifice to Hercules Gnidius with scouldings and railings; there were also divers orders of Priests, as high priests, Flamines, Archiflamines, Phylades, Saelians, Hierophantes, & diverse names of religions, and superstitions, and sacrifices, ceremonies, feasts, consecrations, dedications, vowes, devotions, expiations, oathes, offerings, satisfactory works; by the which the seduced gentiles did sacrifice to false Gods and devils; but the true sacrifice, which purgeth any man, and uniteth him to God, is twofold; one which the high priest Christ offered for the remission of sins, purifying all things by the blood of his cross; the other, by the which a man offereth up himself clean, unspotted, for a living sacrifice to God, as Christ the high priest offered himself, and taught us to be offered together with him, as he was offered, saying of the sacrament of his body, and blood, Do this in remembrance of me; viz. that we should offer our selves together, being mortified by the passion of his mortal body, and quickned in spirit; of the which Porphyry saith, Let us labor to offer up holines of life for a sacrifice; for no man can be a good priest of God, but he which bringeth forth himself for a sacrifice, and buildeth up his own soul, as it were for an Image, and doth constitute both his mind, and understanding for a Temple in the which he may receive the divine light; but eternal sacrifices (as Heraclitus saith) are certain cures of the soul, instituted by the most High Physician; for the evill spirit possesseth a man (as Proclus saith) even untill he be expiated by sacrifices; therefore sacrifices are required to pacifie [pacify] God and the Heavenly powers, and to expiate a man, who beareth the Image both of God and the world; But our Lord Iesus [Jesus] Christ the true high priest concluded all sacrifices in bread and wine only, as in the primary substance of mans meat, needing further the offering up of no animals, nor other things, or the effusion of blood, in which we may be cleansed, being perfectly cleansed in his blood. There were also amongst the Aegyptians six hundred sixty six [666] kinds of sacrifices; for they did appoynt [appoint] divine honors, and holy sacrifices to each star, and planet, because they were divine animals partaking of an intellectual soul and a divine mind; whence they say that the stars being humbly prayed unto, do hear our prayer, and bestow celestial gifts, not so much by any natural agreement, as by their own free will. And this is that which Iamblicus saith, that celestial bodies, and the dieties [deities] of the world have certain divine and superior powers in themselves, as also natural and inferior, which Orpheus calls the keyes to open and shut; and that by those we are bound to the fatall influences, but by these to loose us from fate. Whence if any misfortune hang over any one from Saturn, or from Mars, the Magicians command that he must not forthwith fly to Jupiter, or Venus, but to Saturn or Mars themselves. So that Apuleian Psyche who was persecuted by Venus for equalling her in beauty, was forced to importune for favor, not from Ceres, or Juno, but from Venus her self. Now they did sacrifice to each star with the things belonging to them; to the Sun with solary things, and its animals, as a Laurel tree, a Cock, a Swan, a Bull; to Venus with her animals, as a Dove, or turtle, and by her plants, as Vervain; as Virgil sings, ----- Water bring out With garlars soft, the altar round about Compass, and burn fat boughs and frankincense Thats strong and pure ----- Moreover the Magicians when they made any confection either natural, or artificial, belonging to any star, this did they afterward religiously offer, and sacrifice to the same star, receiving not so much a natural vertue from the influence thereof being opportunely received, as by that religious oblation receiving it divinely confirmed and stronger. For the oblation of any thing, when it is offered to God after a right manner, that thing is sanctified by God by the oblation as is a sacrifice, and is made part thereof. Moreover to the celestial and etherial Gods white sacifices were offered; but to the terestial [terrestrial] or infernal, black: but to the terrestial [terrestrial] upon the altars, but to the infernal in ditches; to the aerial and watery, flying things: But to these white, to those black. Finally, to all the Gods and Demons besides terrestrial and infernal, flying things were offered, but to those only four-footed animals, for like rejoyceth in like. Of these only which were offered to the celestial, and etherial, it is lawfull to eat, the extream [extreme] parts being reserved for God, but of the other not. Now all these the Oracle of Apollo hath expressed in these verses, A threefold sacrifice to th’ Gods above.

White must be slain for them; for them below Threefold also, but black for them; withall With open altars Gods celestiall Are taken, when th’ infernal Gods require Pits embru’d with black blood, and fill’d with mire; And are not pleas’d but with a sacrifice That’s buried; but of th’ aire the deities Delight in honey, and in wines most clear, And that on altars kindled be the fire, Require, with flying sacrifice, and white: But of the earth the dieties [deities] delight That earthly bodies should with frankincense And wafers offered be in reverence.

But for the Gods that rule the sea thou must Thy sacrifices lay on the sea coasts, And on the waves cast the whole animal.

But to the dieties [deities] celestial Give th’ extream [extreme] parts, and them consume with fire; What then remains thou maiest if thou desire Eat up, and let the air with vapors thick And sweet smelling drop ----- These doth Porphyry make mention of in his book of answers, to whom the rest assent. For they say that these sacrifices are certain natural Mediums betwixt the Gods and men; which Aristotle affirming saith, that to sacrifice to God is in a man naturally. They are therefore they say, Mediums, which favor of the nature of both, and represent divine things analogically, and have with the diety [deity] to whom they are offered, certain convenient analogies, but so occult that a mans understanding can scarce conceive of them, which God, and the Dieties [deities] require in particular for our expiation with which the celestial vertues are pleased, and withhold themselves from execution of the punishment which our sins deserve. And these are (as Orpheus calls them) keys which open the gate of the elements and the heavens, that by them a man may ascend to the supercelestials; and the intelligences of the heavens, and the demons of the elements may descend to him. Now men that are perfect, and truly Religious need them not, but only they, who (saith Trismegistus) being fallen into disorder, are made the servants of the heavens and creatures; who because they are subjected to the heavens, therefore think they may be corroborated by the favour of the celestiall vertue, untill they flying higher be acquitted from their presidency, and become more sublime then they.