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Draft for review · Second edition · 2026

The Rites of One

The classical edition — the preparation, the tools, the timing, the seventy-two names, and the sixteen works, each with its own mark, its own words, its own warning and its own definition

By

Miguel Harvey

The members’ library of The Furthering Institute

Draft for review — not the published edition

This is a draft for your review, Mi. It is not the book that is live at /grimoire and it is not linked from the site menu, so nobody else will come across it. Read it, mark it up, and tell me what to change — nothing replaces the live book until you say so.

A black leather book with a single gold mark on its cover, on dark velvet beside a candle

The classical edition · Draft for review · 2026

The Rites of One

Built on the classical grimoire tradition — the Key of Solomon, the Abramelin material, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, and the works attributed to Albertus Magnus — with the shape of a conjuration, the words said aloud, the names, the seals, the squares, and the warnings that belong with every working.

By Miguel Harvey · Published by The Furthering Institute · Draft, not the live edition

This edition goes back to the old houses and works from them: twelve instruments, the preparation of the operator in nine parts, the timing by hour, day, planet and moon, the full table of the seventy-two names with an office written for each, sixteen works given in full with their preparations, their words, the names they address, their warnings and their marks, eight plates of squares and seals, and eight appendices of tables. It is written to be worked rather than admired, and it prints as a book.

A mark is not a lever. It is a place to put your attention, and a way of knowing later that you put it there.

Read the draftThe live book

What changed in this edition

A note on the sources

The first edition was written new from the beginning and deliberately kept the older working books at arm’s length. This edition does the opposite. It goes back to the four houses and builds from them: the shape of a work as the old books set it out, the preparation of the operator, the instruments and how each is kept, the timing by hour and day and planet and moon, the address of a name said aloud once, the squares and the seals as plates, and the warning that belongs with every working.

What is drawn from the old houses. The Key of Solomon, the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, and the works attributed to Albertus Magnus, including the Book of Black and White Magic and the Egyptian Secrets, are all long out of copyright, and their formulas, their shape and their manner are worked with directly here: the circle and the way in and out of it, the washing and the fast, the hour chosen and written down, the rod and the iron, the name spoken once, the square written rather than said, the seal set at the foot of a page, and the closing done as carefully as the opening.

The hard limit, stated plainly. Three of the works asked for are still under copyright, and nothing has been taken from any of them: not a passage, not a table of names, not a sigil. Those are the Necronomicon attributed to Simon, the Gallery of Magick books, and The Great Book of Magickal Practices. They are met here as inspiration rather than as source. Everything this book owes to them, it owes in the same way it owes the tradition itself: new marks drawn for this edition, new words written for this edition, and new definitions written for every name and every square.

The seventy-two names. The seventy-two three-letter names are an old tradition — set out as a table by writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and used in working books ever since. The names themselves are centuries old and belong to nobody. The offices in this edition — what each name is addressed for, how its mark is drawn, how it is charged, and where in this system it is used — are written new for this book. They are the institute’s own reading and not a transcription of anybody else’s, and a student who wants the older readings should go to the older books.

What this edition still does not claim. That a mark, a name or an hour produces a particular result in the physical world. The method, the hour and the record are what is offered, and they are more than most people have. Every working in this book carries a warning with it, and the warnings are as much a part of the system as the marks are — a book of workings without them is not the classical tradition, it is a book of half of it.

The Rites of One · By Miguel Harvey

Contents

  1. IAn introduction to magick and mystical practiceWhat this book means by magick, the four houses it draws its manner from, and what it refuses to claim.
  2. IIThe principles and the theoryTwelve working assumptions, and the reasoning that holds them together.
  3. IIIThe preparation of the operatorNine things done before any working in this book is begun.
  4. IVThe tools, materials and implementsTwelve instruments, all of them ordinary, none of them bought for show.
  5. VThe timing: the hours, the days, the planets and the moonWhen a working is begun, how long it is kept, and when it is closed.
  6. VIThe names, the squares and the sealsHow a name is used, how a square is built, how a seal is set, and the table of the seventy-two.
  7. VIThe table of the seventy-twoSeventy-two names, each with the office written for it in this edition.
  8. VIIThe sixteen worksEach in full: preparation, timing, materials, the names addressed, the words, the steps, the warning, and the mark with its definition.
  9. VIIIThe squares and the sealsSix magickal squares and two seals, given as plates with their definitions.
  10. IXAppendices and reference tablesThe hour, the moon, the days, the plants, the stones, the ledger, the works and the marks.

The works

Sixteen marks

  1. IThe Consecration of the Tools
  2. IIThe Well of Quiet Water
  3. IIIThe Ledger of the Year
  4. IVThe Iron Line
  5. VThe Nine Days of Turning
  6. VIThe Sleeping Threshold
  7. VIIThe Lamp Kept Against the Dark
  8. VIIIThe Striking Out
  9. IXThe Two Triangles Undone
  10. XThe Hand Laid Over
  11. XIThe Road of the Increase
  12. XIIThe Cup Held Open
  13. XIIIThe Knot That Has No Entry
  14. XIVThe Centre and the Line Out
  15. XVThe Crescent of the Kept Nights
  16. XVIThe Returning Spiral

Read the first six chapters before you read the works. A reader who begins at the marks will find that nothing holds together — which is the correct experience, and a useful one. The first work is the consecration, and it is the one that makes the other fifteen possible.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter I

An introduction to magick and mystical practice

What this book means by magick, the four houses it draws its manner from, and what it refuses to claim.

Magick, as this book uses the word, is the deliberate arrangement of attention: a place chosen, an hour fixed, a mark drawn, a name said aloud once, and an honest account kept of what was done. It is a craft before it is a belief. A person who keeps the hour and writes it down is working, whether or not they believe anything at all about the outcome — and a person who believes everything and keeps nothing is not.

This is the plainest statement the institute can make about the old arts, and it is where every student begins: the practice is a practice. It is done with the hands, at a table, at an hour, in a room. The room does not have to be beautiful, the tools do not have to be old, and the practitioner does not have to be certain of anything. What the work requires is that it be done the same way twice, and written down.

The book stands in a tradition and it says so plainly. The Key of Solomon, the works attributed to Albertus Magus, the collection known as the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, and the Abramelin material are the four great houses of the working books, and every serious student should meet them at source, in their own words, in their own time. What those four agree on is what this book builds from: that a work is prepared before it is performed; that the hour is as much a part of the work as the words; that a name is an address and is said once; that a mark is a record as much as it is a sign; that every working carries a warning with it; and that a practitioner keeps their own counsel. Those six agreements are the whole foundation of what follows.

The older books are, in the main, quite clear about the shape of a work, and that shape has not changed in four hundred years. There is a preparation of the operator before anything else is touched. There is a time chosen and written down. There are instruments, kept apart and used for nothing else. There is a place marked out, and a way in and a way out of it. There is an address — a name said aloud once — and there is a thing asked for. There is a closing, and there is a record. The order of those things is not a preference. It is the method, and a practitioner who takes the parts out of order will find that the hour does not hold.

Where the older books differ from one another — and they differ a great deal — is in what they say a work is FOR. Some of them promise gold, some promise knowledge, some promise the obedience of spirits, and one or two promise things this book will not repeat. This book takes the shape and leaves the promises. It teaches the method and it does not teach that a mark, a name or an hour causes a particular result in the physical world. We neither claim that nor deny it. What the practitioner can be certain of is narrower and better than a promise: what they did, when they did it, how they said it, and where the record is.

A word on the spelling. The older books wrote the word with a k to mark it out from stage conjuring, and this book keeps that spelling out of respect for the distinction, not for ornament. There is no audience in any of these pages. A work is done alone, at an hour, with the door shut, and it is spoken of to no one. That is not secrecy for its own sake. A working that is talked about becomes a performance, and a performance is measured by its reception instead of by its record.

Finally, a word to the reader who comes to this book out of curiosity rather than intention. Read it in order. The chapters are arranged the way a working is arranged — preparation before tools, tools before timing, timing before the names, names before the works — and a reader who begins at the marks will find that nothing holds together. That is the correct experience and a useful one. Come back to the beginning, and the marks will read as they were meant to: as the last and smallest part of a long, plain, patient practice.

  1. 01Magick here means the deliberate arrangement of attention: place, hour, mark, name, record.
  2. 02The four houses: the Key of Solomon, Albertus Magus, the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses, and the Abramelin material. Meet them at source.
  3. 03Six things the four houses agree on: preparation, hour, a name said once, a mark as record, a warning with every work, and a closed mouth.
  4. 04The book takes the classical SHAPE and leaves the classical PROMISES.
  5. 05Nothing here claims to cause a particular result in the physical world. What is promised is the method and the record.
  6. 06One practitioner, one hour, one name. No audience, and nothing spoken of outside the room.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter II

The principles and the theory

Twelve working assumptions, and the reasoning that holds them together.

These are not articles of belief to be professed. They are working assumptions, and the whole of the practice is arranged around them. A practitioner who does not hold them will find that the book still works, provided the hours are kept — which is itself the first principle stated in another way.

The theory of the thing is a grammar rather than a physics. The old books describe a world in which everything answers to everything else: a plant to a planet, an hour to a name, a metal to a day, a direction to a season. Read as physics, that is a claim nobody can check. Read as a grammar, it is a way of deciding what to put on a table and when to sit down at it, and it is a remarkably good one. It gives the practitioner a reason to choose rosemary over wormwood on a Tuesday, and the discipline of choosing deliberately is worth more to the work than the correctness of the choice. This is the honest reading, and the institute teaches it that way.

The hour is the unit of the practice. Not the day, not the week, not the season — the hour, kept whole, at the same time, in the same place, by the same person. A short hour kept is worth more than a long hour postponed, and a practitioner who keeps one hour a week for a year will have a practice, while one who plans an elaborate rite and never holds it will not. The whole system is built to make the hour small enough to keep.

A name is an address. This is the most misunderstood thing in the old books and the thing most worth getting right. A name fixes who or what is being spoken to, in the way that a street and a number fix a house. That is the whole of its function in this system. The practitioner writes it in the ledger, says it aloud once, and does not repeat it. A name repeated is a name worried at, and a practitioner worrying at a name has stopped working and started pleading. Say it once, plainly, and then keep the hour.

A mark is a place to put attention and a record that attention was put there. It is drawn, it is charged, it is used, and it is retired. It is not a key that opens anything by itself; it is a knot in a thread that lets the practitioner find the same place again. That is why this book defines every mark in full rather than leaving it to be intuited, and why the ledger matters more than the mark does.

The record is kept honestly, and that includes failure. A working that produced nothing is written down exactly as plainly as one that produced something, with the same date, the same hour and the same words. A practice that only records its successes teaches nothing, because the only thing a practitioner can actually learn from is the difference between two hours kept the same way that ended differently. An honest ledger is the most valuable object in this system and the only one that cannot be bought.

Nothing is claimed of the world. The book states this once in each chapter because it is the thing most easily forgotten, and because a practitioner who forgets it will begin to work for outcomes rather than to keep the hour, and the practice will quietly die of it. The work is the hour. The record is the proof. Whatever else may or may not follow is not the institute’s to promise.

And the last principle is the one that keeps the rest alive: the work is closed as carefully as it is opened. A practitioner who opens a working and does not close it is holding something open in the middle of their life, and after a season of that the room, the table and the hour all begin to feel like a debt. The closing returns the practitioner to the ordinary day, which is where the work was going the whole time.

  1. 01Everything is prepared before it is performed. The preparation is the work; the performance is the record of it.
  2. 02The hour is the unit — not the day, not the week. A short hour kept is worth more than a long hour postponed.
  3. 03A name is an address. It is said once and not repeated.
  4. 04A mark is a place to put attention, and a record that attention was put there. It is not a lever.
  5. 05A word said aloud in a still room carries further than a thought carried about all day.
  6. 06The body is part of the instrument. It is washed, fed, rested and set down before the work begins.
  7. 07Nothing is borrowed. A tool, a cloth, a bowl, a name or a mark taken from another practitioner’s hand carries their hours with it.
  8. 08Every working carries a warning, and the warning is read before the first hour and not after it.
  9. 09The work is closed as carefully as it is opened. The closing is not a formality; it is the return.
  10. 10The record is kept honestly. A working that failed is written down as plainly as one that did not.
  11. 11Nothing is worked on a named person against their will. This is not a rule of manners; it is a rule of the system.
  12. 12Nothing is claimed of the world. What is claimed is the hour, the name, the mark and the record.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter III

The preparation of the operator

Nine things done before any working in this book is begun.

The old books begin with the preparation of the operator and treat it at very great length, and this one follows them, because the preparation is where most practices are actually won or lost. None of the nine is difficult, none of them requires anything that cannot be found in an ordinary house, and all of them are repeated every time.

The operator is the instrument that matters most and the one most often neglected. A practitioner who is tired, angry, hungry or grieving will keep an hour that looks correct from the outside and holds nothing on the inside. The preparation does not remove those states — nothing does — but it sets them down at the door, which is all the work requires. A practitioner who cannot set them down should postpone the hour rather than keep it badly. This book treats a postponed hour as a kept one, provided the ledger says so.

The body is dealt with first and plainly. Sleep enough to be present, eat enough not to be distracted, and do not begin a working after drink. Wash the hands and the face in cold water and rinse the mouth: this is the first of the nine and it is done before anything else is touched, because it is the line drawn between the ordinary hour and this one. Practitioners who keep the line in this small physical way find the rest of the preparation easier, and those who skip it find that the hour never quite starts.

The room is next, and the rule is simple: a room cleared of everything that is not part of the working. No screen, no second book open, nothing waiting to be answered. A telephone in the room ends the hour — not because a telephone is profane but because a practitioner who is listening for it is not listening to anything else. If the room cannot be cleared, the work waits. This is not severity; it is arithmetic.

Then the hour, which is fixed and written down, and then kept at the same time of day for the whole season of the working. The hour is chosen for what the practitioner can actually keep, not for what sounds auspicious. Four in the morning is a fine hour for a person who is already awake at four, and a poor one for everybody else. The discipline is not in the hour chosen; it is in choosing one and holding it while the week goes on around it.

The breath settles the instrument. Four counts in, four held, six out, seven times. It is not meditation and it is not a trance and it is not meant to produce an experience. It is a way of arriving. A practitioner who has done it seven times is in the room; one who has not is still in the day.

The fast of speech is the hardest of the nine and the one that changes the most. From the beginning of the preparation to the closing, no speech except the words of the working itself. A practitioner who keeps this for one season will find that the words of the working come out differently on the fourth week than they did on the first, and that difference is the whole reason the old books insist on it.

The cup is set on the table and left untouched until the closing. It is not drunk during the work and it is not a libation. It is a plain marker of the fact that an hour has been opened and has not yet been closed, and it is poured away at the end for the same reason.

The ninth preparation is the closing itself, and it belongs on this list because it must be decided before the hour begins and not after it. The words of the closing are said in full, the cup is poured away, the lamp is put out, and the ledger is written up before anything else is done. A closing that is shortened, or left until tomorrow, is the single most common way a practice ends. This book asks the practitioner to promise the closing before the opening, every time.

  1. 01The washing. Hands and face in cold water, and the mouth rinsed. It is done first because it marks the line between the ordinary hour and this one.
  2. 02The plain room. A room cleared of everything that is not part of the working. If the room cannot be cleared, the work waits.
  3. 03The hour. Fixed, written down, and kept at the same time of day for the whole season of the working.
  4. 04The breath. Four counts in, four held, six out, seven times. It is not meditation and it is not a trance. It is the settling of the instrument.
  5. 05The fast of speech. From the beginning of the preparation to the closing, no speech except the words of the working itself.
  6. 06The cup. Water in a plain cup, set on the table and left untouched until the closing. It is not drunk during the work.
  7. 07The reading of the warning. Every working in this book carries one. It is read before the first hour, in full, and not skimmed.
  8. 08The confession of the matter. One line in the ledger stating plainly what the working is for, written before the first hour and not added to afterward.
  9. 09The closing. Decided before the hour begins: the words in full, the cup poured away, the lamp out, the ledger written up at once.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter IV

The tools, materials and implements

Twelve instruments, all of them ordinary, none of them bought for show.

The tools of this system are deliberately plain, and that is a decision rather than an economy. A practitioner who begins with a lamp, a cup, a dish of salt and a ruled book has everything the book requires, and will be working within the week instead of saving for a year. Every one of the twelve is kept for this work alone, stored together when the hour is over, and never lent.

The old books name their instruments elaborately and instruct that they be made at particular times by particular hands, with particular metals and particular inscriptions. This book keeps the discipline of keeping a separate set of things and drops the rest. What matters is not that a tool is rare but that it is yours, that it is kept apart, and that it is the same tool every time. A knife that is used to open parcels is not a working tool; a knife that is taken out of a cloth on the table is, whatever it cost.

Nothing is borrowed and nothing is taken from another practitioner’s hand. A tool carries the hours that have been kept with it, and a borrowed tool carries somebody else’s. This is the one prohibition in the whole system and it is kept without exception. If a tool is missing, the work is postponed or the substitute named in the ledger; it is never improvised from another person’s kit.

The instruments are made, where they are made at all, in the hour of the work they serve, and consecrated by the first work of this book. The consecration is not a blessing and it is not a spell. It is the practitioner saying aloud, once, what each object is for and what it will not be used for — which is the whole of what consecration means in this system, and is why the work comes first in the book.

The materials are the working shelf: one dried plant per work, chosen from the institute’s apothecary; one stone, chosen by the hand rather than by the entry; salt; water; a dark undyed cloth; a plain iron nail or blade kept wrapped; and a lamp. The book names a plant and a stone for every work in the section that follows, and the practitioner who has none of them may still keep the hour with the lamp, the cup and the ledger, and note in the ledger what was left out. Nothing in this system fails for want of an ingredient.

The cloth is washed between workings. The salt is returned to the ground out of doors at every closing. The plant is burned or buried and never kept from one working to the next. The iron is wrapped again and put away. The lamp is the first tool out and the last tool put away, and the putting out of it is the last act of every working in this book.

The twelfth tool is the ledger, and it is the only one that is written on and the only one that outlives the working. Paper, ruled by hand, one page per working, with the date it was begun, the hour kept, the names addressed, the words said, and the date it was closed. A machine may be used for nothing in this system that the ledger holds. The ledger is where the practice actually lives, and a practitioner who loses it has lost the work itself, not a record of it.

  1. 01The lamp. A single light, oil or wax, lit at the opening and put out at the closing. The first tool and the last.
  2. 02The cup. Water, for the setting of the hour and the washing of the hands. Emptied at every closing.
  3. 03The dish of salt. Dry salt in a shallow dish, for the marking of a boundary on a table or a threshold. Returned to the ground outdoors when a working is closed.
  4. 04The cloth. One cloth, dark and undyed, folded and kept for the working surface. Washed between workings.
  5. 05The iron. A plain iron nail or blade, kept wrapped in cloth, used for the cutting and the closing of a line.
  6. 06The rod. A plain rod of wood or metal, waist height, for the drawing of a line in the air where the working calls for it. Not a wand and not ornamented.
  7. 07The bowl. For the sounding, where a working calls for sound: a struck bowl, a drum, or the hand on wood.
  8. 08The book. The book itself, kept open on the table at the page of the work. The words are read from it, not remembered.
  9. 09The plant. A single dried herb for the work, chosen from the institute’s shelves. One plant, not a mixture.
  10. 10The stone. A single stone, chosen by the hand rather than by the entry, kept for the whole season of the working and cleansed before and after.
  11. 11The seal and the square. The plate of the square or the seal that belongs to the work, drawn on the cloth, or written into the dish of salt.
  12. 12The ledger. Paper, ruled by hand, one page per working. The only tool that is written on, and the only one that outlives the working.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter V

The timing: the hours, the days, the planets and the moon

When a working is begun, how long it is kept, and when it is closed.

The old books time a working by the moon, by the planet of the hour, by the day of the week, and by the season of the year, and they treat the matter at great length. This book keeps that discipline in a plainer form, because a practitioner who cannot keep the calendar of a planet will keep no calendar at all. What follows is the whole of the timing this book asks for, and it can be held in the head.

The hour of the day is fixed first and does not move. This is the only timing rule with no exceptions. The hour is chosen for what can be kept, written in the ledger, and held at the same time for the whole season of the working. Where a working must be begun at sunrise, the book says so; where it must be begun at the hour before dawn, the book says so. Everywhere else, the practitioner’s own hour stands.

The moon sets the beginning and the closing of a working. The works of clearing, striking out, uncrossing and concealment are begun in the dark of the moon and closed at the full. The works of drawing, healing, increase, agreement and keeping are begun at the full and closed at the dark. The works of the place are begun at the new moon and renewed at the new moon a year later. A working is closed on the phase opposite to the one it was begun on, and never carried through a second month without being renewed deliberately, in the ledger, on the page.

The planets govern the hour rather than the day, and this book keeps only the plainest part of that: each day of the week is given to one planet and carries the planet’s character, so that a practitioner choosing between two hours on the same day has a reason to prefer one. The table in the appendix sets out the seven. A practitioner who ignores it keeps a working that is still whole; a practitioner who keeps it finds that the choice of the day becomes a small deliberate act, and that the small deliberate acts are what a practice is made of.

The days of the week have traditional characters, and the book keeps them because they are a good habit rather than because they are a law. Monday for the water works, Tuesday for the works of iron and of striking out, Wednesday for the works of the mind and the address, Thursday for the works of increase, Friday for the works of drawing and of the heart, Saturday for the works of the boundary and of the house, and Sunday for the works of light and of the closing. A practitioner who keeps the hour on the wrong day keeps it anyway, and notes the day in the ledger.

The season sets how long a working is kept. The works of the threshold and of clearing are kept for one month. The works of the ledger, the road, the knot and the agreement are kept for three. The work of the lamp and the work of the house are kept for a year, renewed at the same phase. And every working in this book is kept for its stated term and then closed, because a working left standing is the one thing this system genuinely calls a fault.

A closing that is missed is done at the next phase and the ledger says plainly that it was late. Nothing in this book is spoiled by an honest late closing, and nothing in it is saved by a false one. If a season of work has been abandoned entirely — and it will be, at some point, by every practitioner — the practitioner begins again at the first work, the consecration, rather than trying to resume where they stopped. That is what the first work is for.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Chapter VI

The names, the squares and the seals

How a name is used, how a square is built, how a seal is set, and the table of the seventy-two.

Every working book in the tradition carries names, and most of them carry the same ones: the long strings of letters said over a mark, the names of the hours, the names of the directions, and the names written into the squares. This chapter sets out how a name is used in this system, and then gives the table of the seventy-two with an office written for each.

A name, in this practice, is an address. It fixes who or what is being spoken to, in the way that a street and a number fix a house. That is the whole of its function. The practitioner writes it in the ledger, says it aloud once, and does not repeat it. A name repeated is a name worried at, and a practitioner worrying at a name has stopped working and started pleading. Say it once, plainly, and then keep the hour.

The seventy-two names are an old tradition. They are built from three letters each, they were set out as a table by writers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries out of the Hebrew text of Exodus, and they have been used in working books ever since. The names themselves are centuries old and belong to nobody. What this book adds, and what it does not, is worth stating precisely: the names are given in the conventional transliteration, as they are in every other working book, and the OFFICE of each name — what it is addressed for, how its mark is drawn, how it is charged, and where in this system it is used — is written new for this edition. It is the institute’s own reading, not a transcription of anybody else’s, and a student who wants the older readings should go to the older books and will find them worth the trouble.

Two things are said of the names that this book will not say. It will not say that a name is a spirit to be commanded, and it will not say that a name is a force that answers whether or not an hour is kept. A name is an address. What is at the address is not this book’s business to describe, and a practitioner who has kept the hours for a year will have their own answer, which is the only answer worth having.

A name may serve more than one working, and that is not a fault. The table below gives the principal office of each name, and the works in this book address the names that belong to them; where a name is addressed in two works, it is because the two works ask the same thing of it. The practitioner writes both in the ledger, on their own pages, and does not confuse the pages.

The magickal square is the other half of this chapter, and it is the most useful object in the book. A square is a ruled grid of numbers in which every row, every column and both diagonals sum alike. That single property is what makes it a square rather than a table, and the property is not mysterious — it can be checked with a pencil in a minute, by anybody. What the tradition has always done with the square is write it: on paper carried on the person, on the underside of a dish set on the table, on the first page of a ledger, or in the dish of salt for the works of the boundary. A square is written, not spoken.

A practitioner builds a square by hand, and building one is worth an evening. Choose the size: four for the works of a person, five for the works of a place, six and above for the works of a season or a house. Write the numerals in order in a ruled grid. Then hold the grid still and turn the diagonals end for end — the corner numerals exchange with the corner numerals, the middle of each edge with the middle of the opposite edge. What comes out of that reversal is a square, and the practitioner has made it, which is the point. The plates given in the chapter that follows are models and examples of the finished article, not objects to be copied out and carried without understanding them.

The seals are the two small closed figures given at the end of the plates: a circle with one bar through it, and a square with a circle at each corner and one at its centre. The first is the seal of the boundary and is set at the foot of a page where a term has been set, or pressed into the salt at the notch. The second is the seal of the house and is set on the first page of the ledger of a place, or drawn small on the underside of the table where the work is kept. Both are defined in full in the chapter of plates.

A last word on the marks of the works themselves. Each of the sixteen works carries its own mark, given in full in the chapter that follows, and the method of drawing a new one is taught there so that a member may extend the system in their own hand. The marks are used in four places and no others: drawn small in the ledger beside the page of the working; drawn in the air with the finger or the rod at the opening; set in wax or ink on the cloth or the jar; and set in the dish of salt for the works of the boundary. A mark is never written on a person and never given away. A mark is retired when its working is closed: the paper it was drawn on is burned over the dish, the ash returned to the ground outdoors, and the page closed with the date and the word closed.

The name table

The table of the seventy-two

Seventy-two names, each built from three letters, given here in the conventional transliteration. The office of each — what it is addressed for, how its mark is drawn, how it is charged, and where in this system it is used — is written for this edition. A name is written in the ledger and said aloud once. It is not repeated.

A practitioner working the sixteen works will use perhaps twenty of these in a year. The rest are here so that the table is whole, and so that a member extending the system in their own hand has the full field to draw from.

  1. 01VHV

    Vehuiah

    Governs the opening of a work, and the first hour of any term.

    Drawn as a rising line from left to right, its first turn taken at the top of the page.

    Charged over the lamp, before it is lit, at the opening hour.

    Used spoken once at the opening of every work in this book.

  2. 02YLY

    Jeliel

    Governs the holding of a term once it has been set.

    Drawn as two uprights with one line laid across them, drawn downward.

    Charged in the dish of salt, at the notch of the threshold.

    Used at the renewal of a term, and where a term is being tested.

  3. 03STL

    Sitael

    Governs shelter, and the quieting of a house that will not settle.

    Drawn as a roof line over a single upright, in one pass and without lifting the hand.

    Charged on the first evening a house is entered, over the threshold salt.

    Used for a home that has been disturbed, or a room that will not hold an hour.

  4. 04ELM

    Elemiah

    Governs the removal of an obstruction that is nobody’s fault.

    Drawn as a straight line with one clean break at its middle.

    Charged over the slip of paper that names the matter, folded once.

    Used where a matter is stalled and no person is to be blamed for it.

  5. 05MHS

    Mahasiah

    Governs agreement between two people who are not speaking.

    Drawn as two short curves facing one another, joined at the base.

    Charged between the two vessels, at the ninth evening.

    Used at the work of agreement, where the silence has lasted a season.

  6. 06LLL

    Lelahel

    Governs light kept for another person, at a distance.

    Drawn as three short rays above a single point, the middle one longest.

    Charged over a second lamp, lit for the absent one and set beside the first.

    Used for a person travelling, or ill, or away from home.

  7. 07AKA

    Achaiah

    Governs patience in a long work.

    Drawn as a slow curve that turns back on itself once and then goes on.

    Charged in the ledger, on the page of the working, at the third keeping.

    Used where a term is being kept past the point of interest.

  8. 08KHT

    Cahetel

    Governs the keeping of a promise made aloud.

    Drawn as a closed shape with one small opening at the lower right.

    Charged said over the open hand, and not written.

    Used where the practitioner’s own word is the whole of the matter.

  9. 09HZI

    Haziel

    Governs the favour of those who have gone before — a teacher, a parent, a house.

    Drawn as a line that comes down and stops, with one small dot beneath it.

    Charged in the dish of salt set out for the address.

    Used at the address of the dead, before the name is said aloud.

  10. 10ALD

    Aladiah

    Governs the relief of a matter that has been carried too long.

    Drawn as a long line that lifts at its end, drawn from the left.

    Charged over water, at the closing of the hour.

    Used where a working has been kept past its season and must be let down.

  11. 11LVI

    Lauviah

    Governs the strengthening of a work already begun.

    Drawn as a single upright with one bar across it, drawn upward.

    Charged on the cloth, at the middle keeping of a term.

    Used at the third hour of any month-long work.

  12. 12HHI

    Hahaiah

    Governs the concealment of a matter from the wrong ear.

    Drawn as two short curves closing over a dot.

    Charged said at the threshold, and not written.

    Used before a conversation that must not be repeated.

  13. 13IZL

    Iezalel

    Governs the reconciliation of two who have quarrelled.

    Drawn as two lines that meet and cross once, and are not separated again.

    Charged over the two vessels, at the closing.

    Used at the ninth evening, where the quarrel was actually spoken of.

  14. 14MBH

    Mebahel

    Governs the defence of a place against a matter that has been named.

    Drawn as a short line laid across a longer one, near its middle.

    Charged with the iron, at the threshold, facing out.

    Used where a specific harm has been named and must be met rather than ignored.

  15. 15HRI

    Hariel

    Governs the keeping of a garden, a field, or a growing thing.

    Drawn as a line rising with three small leaves set off it.

    Charged out of doors, at the new moon, with the hand on the ground.

    Used at the setting of the year’s course of stones, for ground rather than a house.

  16. 16HKM

    Hakamiah

    Governs judgement held steady — a decision that must not be hurried.

    Drawn as two uprights of equal height with one bar between them.

    Charged over the ledger, before the matter is written into it.

    Used where a practitioner must decide and cannot.

  17. 17LVI

    Lauviah the Second

    Governs the second keeping of a work that has already been renewed once.

    Drawn as the eleventh mark, with a second bar drawn beneath the first.

    Charged at the renewal, on the page of the first keeping.

    Used where a term is renewed a second time and the first mark no longer serves.

  18. 18KLI

    Caliel

    Governs the answer to a plain question plainly put.

    Drawn as a single straight line, drawn slowly and not corrected.

    Charged over the question written on the slip, before it is folded.

    Used at the work of looking, before the water or the mirror is looked into.

  19. 19LVI

    Leuviah

    Governs the return of something lost or long mislaid.

    Drawn as a curve that comes back to the point it started from.

    Charged said three mornings running, standing at the door.

    Used for a document, a key, or a record that has gone astray.

  20. 20PHL

    Pahaliah

    Governs the turning of a habit that has held too long.

    Drawn as a line that turns sharply once and then continues.

    Charged in the ledger, at the first and the last keeping of the term.

    Used at the binding, where the matter bound is the practitioner’s own.

  21. 21NLK

    Nelchael

    Governs the learning of a hard thing — a language, a craft, an instrument.

    Drawn as three short lines of different lengths, set side by side.

    Charged over the book or the tool, at the hour of study.

    Used at the opening of a long study, and at its renewal each season.

  22. 22IYI

    Ieiaiel

    Governs the protection of a journey, by water or by road.

    Drawn as a line with one small wave beneath it.

    Charged at the door, with the hand laid on the lintel.

    Used before a departure, once, and not again on the road.

  23. 23MLH

    Melahel

    Governs the healing of a place rather than a person — a room, a shop, a house.

    Drawn as a square with one side left open.

    Charged in salt, at the four corners, walking the same route twice.

    Used at the striking out, where the place has been the scene of a difficulty.

  24. 24HHV

    Haheuiah

    Governs the calming of fear in the night.

    Drawn as a crescent with one dot beneath its lower horn.

    Charged over the pillow, before sleep, with the lamp still lit.

    Used at the month of kept nights, on a night of bad dreams.

  25. 25NTH

    Nith-Haiah

    Governs the address of a presence that a place is known for.

    Drawn as a doorway with one line laid above it.

    Charged at the threshold, facing in.

    Used at the open hand over water, where the place matters more than a name.

  26. 26HAA

    Haaiah

    Governs the recovery of a matter that was put down and forgotten.

    Drawn as a line that stops, with a second line beginning where it stopped.

    Charged in the ledger, on a fresh page, with the old page open beside it.

    Used where a working is taken up again after a lapse of months.

  27. 27IRT

    Ierathel

    Governs the removal of the practitioner’s own anger from a matter.

    Drawn as a line drawn from the centre outward, away from the reader.

    Charged at the closing, with the back turned to the table.

    Used before any work of agreement, where the practitioner is angry.

  28. 28SHH

    Seehiah

    Governs the long keeping of a difficult hour.

    Drawn as a short line, drawn small, repeated seven times in a row.

    Charged at each of the seven keepings of the first week.

    Used at the lamp kept against the dark, on the seventh night.

  29. 29RII

    Reiiel

    Governs the opening of a way closed by no person — a rule, a season, a delay.

    Drawn as a bar with one short line rising from its middle.

    Charged over the iron, held across the palms.

    Used where a way has stopped and there is no one to ask.

  30. 30OML

    Omael

    Governs the growth of a thing that grows slowly — a herd, a trade, a reputation.

    Drawn as a line that thickens along its length, drawn left to right.

    Charged in the ledger, once a month, at the same hour.

    Used at the work of increase, where the count is long.

  31. 31LKB

    Lecabel

    Governs the honesty of an account.

    Drawn as two short parallel lines with a third laid across them.

    Charged over the ledger, at the closing of a page.

    Used before the page is written up, where the practitioner is tempted to soften a line.

  32. 32VSR

    Vasariah

    Governs the keeping of a matter confidential.

    Drawn as a closed shape with no opening at all.

    Charged said only, never written.

    Used where a working is done for another person and must not be spoken of.

  33. 33IHV

    Iehuiah

    Governs the exposure of a matter hidden to the practitioner’s harm.

    Drawn as a line drawn back through a closed shape.

    Charged with the iron laid over the ledger.

    Used where a matter must be known rather than merely defended against.

  34. 34LHH

    Lehahiah

    Governs the closing of a season that has ended badly.

    Drawn as a spiral turned the other way, inward.

    Charged at the last keeping, over the page.

    Used where a term is closed with nothing to show and must not be carried further.

  35. 35KVK

    Chavakiah

    Governs the reconciliation of a household divided.

    Drawn as two lines that come together and stay together.

    Charged over the two vessels, at the ninth evening.

    Used at the work of agreement, where the two parties live under one roof.

  36. 36MND

    Menadel

    Governs the holding of a position that is under pressure.

    Drawn as a single upright with one bar laid beneath it.

    Charged at the threshold, standing on the inside.

    Used where the practitioner’s own place is being tested.

  37. 37ANI

    Aniel

    Governs the turning aside of a matter that is not the practitioner’s to meet.

    Drawn as a line that approaches and then turns away.

    Charged said at the door, with the hand resting on the iron.

    Used where a difficulty belongs to someone else and must be left with them.

  38. 38HAA

    Haamiah

    Governs the finding of a way where no way is visible.

    Drawn as a line that breaks and resumes on the other side of the break.

    Charged over water, in the first hour after sunrise.

    Used where a matter must be met and no means of meeting it can be seen.

  39. 39RHL

    Rehael

    Governs the healing of the practitioner’s own body after a long season.

    Drawn as a curve that closes on itself.

    Charged over the cup, at the closing of a season.

    Used at the returning spiral, for the practitioner alone.

  40. 40IZL

    Ieiazel

    Governs the relief of a matter that has been grieved over.

    Drawn as a line that falls and then levels.

    Charged over the closed page of the working.

    Used where a working has failed and the practitioner must put it down.

  41. 41HHH

    Hahahel

    Governs the keeping of a fast, a discipline, or an abstinence.

    Drawn as three short bars, evenly spaced, in a row.

    Charged each morning of the discipline, on the same page of the ledger.

    Used at the preparation of the operator, where a fast is being kept.

  42. 42MIK

    Mikael

    Governs the defence of a person against a harm already in motion.

    Drawn as a line drawn downward and ending in a bar.

    Charged over the iron, held upright in the right hand.

    Used at the lamp kept against the dark, on the night of a named danger.

  43. 43VVL

    Veuliah

    Governs the increase of a thing already in hand.

    Drawn as a line with two short lines rising from it.

    Charged over the ledger, at the count.

    Used at the work of increase, in the fourth week.

  44. 44YLH

    Yelahiah

    Governs the settlement of a matter that has been fought over.

    Drawn as a line drawn through the middle of a shape and out the far side.

    Charged over the dish of salt, at the notch.

    Used where a dispute is to be ended rather than won.

  45. 45SAL

    Sealiah

    Governs the rising of a matter that has been pressed down.

    Drawn as a line that lifts and keeps lifting.

    Charged in the first hour after sunrise, over the sweepings.

    Used at the work of uncrossing, at the closing.

  46. 46ARI

    Ariel

    Governs the seeing of a thing as it actually is.

    Drawn as a single small circle with nothing drawn inside it.

    Charged before the water or the mirror is looked into, once.

    Used at the work of looking, before the hour begins.

  47. 47ASL

    Asaliah

    Governs the patience of a long illness, for the one who keeps the hour beside it.

    Drawn as a slow curve with one dot at its end.

    Charged over the cup of the person who is ill.

    Used at the hand laid over, for the keeper rather than the patient.

  48. 48MIH

    Mihael

    Governs the love of a household kept steady.

    Drawn as two lines that rise together and never cross.

    Charged over the table of the house, at the new moon.

    Used at the course of stones, at the yearly renewal.

  49. 49VHV

    Vehuel

    Governs the favour of a person whose favour cannot be commanded.

    Drawn as a line that approaches and stops short of what it approaches.

    Charged over the folded paper of the three keys.

    Used at the work of the small doors, on the third morning.

  50. 50DNI

    Daniel

    Governs the honest reading of the practitioner’s own record.

    Drawn as two lines ruled side by side, of exactly equal length.

    Charged over the ledger, at the closing of a year.

    Used at the ledger of the year, before the page is closed.

  51. 51HHH

    Hahasiah

    Governs the relief of a hidden and long-standing difficulty.

    Drawn as a closed shape with one line drawn through it.

    Charged in the dark of the moon, over the salt.

    Used at the work of uncrossing, at the opening.

  52. 52IMM

    Imamiah

    Governs the protection of a person who cannot protect themselves.

    Drawn as a bar above a short line, drawn small.

    Charged said at the door, facing out, and not written.

    Used for a child, an elder, or one who is away and cannot keep their own hour.

  53. 53NNA

    Nanael

    Governs the clarity of a practitioner who is confused by too much reading.

    Drawn as three lines converging to a single point.

    Charged over the closed book, with the hand flat upon it.

    Used before the ledger is written, where the practitioner is muddled.

  54. 54NTH

    Nithael

    Governs the keeping of a room against a season of difficulty.

    Drawn as a square with one dot at each of its four corners.

    Charged in the salt, at the four corners, in the order they were first named.

    Used at the course of stones, in a hard year.

  55. 55MBH

    Mebahiah

    Governs the speaking of a true word at the right hour.

    Drawn as a short line with one small circle at its end.

    Charged said only at the hour, and written down afterwards.

    Used before a conversation that matters, and never during it.

  56. 56POI

    Poyel

    Governs the increase of a matter that is small and must not be lost.

    Drawn as a single small dot with one short line rising from it.

    Charged over the ledger, at the writing of the first line.

    Used at the opening of a work of increase, where there is very little to count.

  57. 57NMM

    Nemamiah

    Governs the standing of a practitioner in a place that is not their own.

    Drawn as an upright with one short bar laid across its foot.

    Charged at the threshold of the place, on entering, once.

    Used on arrival at a strange place, and not again while there.

  58. 58IYL

    Ieialel

    Governs the breaking of a long run of difficulty.

    Drawn as a line drawn across three short lines.

    Charged with the iron, at the closing of the month.

    Used at the work of uncrossing, on the closing evening.

  59. 59HRH

    Harahel

    Governs the care of a library, a record, or a collection.

    Drawn as three short parallel bars, stacked one above the other.

    Charged over the shelf, at the new moon.

    Used where books, ledgers or records are the practitioner’s charge.

  60. 60MZR

    Mizrael

    Governs the relief of a person who has been treated unjustly.

    Drawn as a line drawn back to the place it began.

    Charged over the slip that names the matter, with no person named on it.

    Used at the work of uncrossing, where no person is to be named.

  61. 61VMB

    Umabel

    Governs the friendship of a person long absent.

    Drawn as two short lines that come near to touching and do not.

    Charged over the cup, at the hour of sleep.

    Used where a friendship has gone quiet and is to be renewed.

  62. 62IHH

    Iahhel

    Governs the keeping of a working that must not be seen.

    Drawn as a closed shape drawn small and set at the outer margin of the page.

    Charged in the ledger, at the margin, not in the body of the page.

    Used at the work of concealment, at the opening.

  63. 63ANV

    Anauel

    Governs the turning of a trade that has gone quiet.

    Drawn as a line that dips and then rises.

    Charged over the ledger of the trade, in the first hour after sunrise.

    Used at the work of increase, for a trade rather than a person.

  64. 64MHI

    Mehiel

    Governs the keeping of a word spoken over another person’s work.

    Drawn as a line drawn beside a closed shape, never through it.

    Charged said, and never written.

    Used where a practitioner blesses another’s work and must not interfere in it.

  65. 65DMB

    Damabiah

    Governs the clearing of a house of a long-standing disorder.

    Drawn as a line drawn from the centre outward on both sides at once.

    Charged at the striking out, over the sweepings, before they are carried out.

    Used where a house has not been cleared in a year or more.

  66. 66MNK

    Manakel

    Governs the quieting of a place where a death has occurred.

    Drawn as a low line with one short bar laid above it.

    Charged in salt, at the threshold, left standing for one day.

    Used at the striking out, after a death, and not before the ninth day.

  67. 67AYA

    Eyael

    Governs the consolation of a person in grief.

    Drawn as a curve that closes gently at the top.

    Charged said at the door, and not written.

    Used at the open hand over water, where the dead are named.

  68. 68HBV

    Habuhiah

    Governs the healing of a long and slow complaint.

    Drawn as a line drawn with three small breaks in it.

    Charged over the cup, on each of the three days in turn.

    Used at the hand laid over, on the second and the third day.

  69. 69RKL

    Rochel

    Governs the return of a thing taken or withheld.

    Drawn as a line drawn back toward the reader.

    Charged over the ledger, with the iron laid across the page.

    Used where a debt, a fee or a document is owed and must be asked for.

  70. 70IBM

    Jabamiah

    Governs the opening of a work long prepared and never begun.

    Drawn as a single line drawn from the foot of the page upward.

    Charged over the cloth, before the first hour of the term.

    Used at the setting of a term, where the preparation has run long.

  71. 71HYY

    Haiaiel

    Governs the keeping of the practitioner’s own counsel.

    Drawn as a closed shape with one dot set inside it.

    Charged said only, before the hour, standing.

    Used at every working, before the first word is spoken.

  72. 72MVM

    Mumiah

    Governs the closing of the last hour of a season, and the silence after it.

    Drawn as a line drawn to the edge of the page and off it, left unfinished.

    Charged over the closed ledger, with the lamp already out.

    Used at the returning spiral, after the closing words are said.

A note on the offices. The names are old and the offices are new. Where an older book gives an office for a name that differs from the one above, the older book is not wrong and this one is not correcting it — this is the office the name holds in this system, and a system is a set of arrangements, not a claim about the world. A member who finds an office that reads badly for their own work should say so and the table will be revised; the book belongs to the institute and the institute belongs to its members.

The works

The sixteen works

Each work is given in full: what it is for, what is done before the first hour, when it is begun and closed, what stands on the table, the names it addresses, the working itself written out step by step, the words to be said, the warning that belongs with it, and the mark with its definition. A work is begun, kept for its season, and closed — never left standing, and never two at once.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey
A single thin gold upright rod crossed by a short horizontal bar, with one small open circle at the crossing

The mark of this work

Work I

The Consecration of the Tools

What it is for

The setting apart of the twelve instruments: the saying aloud, once, of what each object is for and what it will not be used for. It is the first work of the book and the only one a practitioner need never repeat, because it is done once for the whole kit and renewed only when a tool is replaced.

The preparation

Every instrument laid out on the cloth in the order it is named in Chapter IV. The ledger open at a fresh page with the twelve names written down the left margin before the hour begins. Hands washed, room cleared, the lamp set but not yet lit.

The timing

Kept once, in the first hour after sunrise on a Sunday or a Thursday, on a day when the practitioner has nothing else to do and will not be interrupted. Not repeated unless a tool is replaced, and then the replacement alone is consecrated, in the same way, on its own page.

The materials

All twelve instruments, laid out in order. The dish of salt. The wrapped iron. One dried plant of the keeping work — bay, rosemary or juniper. The cup. The ledger.

The names addressed

Vehuiah (1), for the opening of the work and the first hour of any term. Jeliel (2), for the holding of a term once set. Nithael (54), for the keeping of a room against a season of difficulty.

The working

  1. 01Lay out the twelve instruments in the order they are named in Chapter IV, left to right, on the cloth.
  2. 02Light the lamp at the far edge. Draw the mark in the air above the table with the rod, once, working left to right.
  3. 03Say the first two lines of the words, standing, with the rod laid down and both hands open at the sides.
  4. 04Take up each instrument in turn, beginning at the left. Hold it, name it aloud, and say the line of its office. Do this for all twelve, without hurrying and without skipping one that seems unimportant.
  5. 05Set the dish of salt in the centre of the table and press the thumb into it once, leaving a print.
  6. 06Say the name Vehuiah once, then the name Jeliel once, then the name Nithael once. Do not repeat any of them.
  7. 07Say the last line of the words, put out the lamp, pour the cup away out of doors, and write up the page. Write the date and the word consecrated.

The words, said once and in full

  • These are the hands and this is the table.
  • Here I say what each thing is for, and what it is not for.
  • This rod draws lines and does nothing else.
  • This iron cuts a line and closes it, and does nothing else.
  • This cup holds water for the setting of the hour, and is poured away at every closing.
  • This cloth is the surface of the work and is washed between workings.
  • This salt marks a boundary and is returned to the ground.
  • This lamp is lit at the opening and put out at the closing, and it is the last thing I touch.
  • These four — plant, stone, book and ledger — serve the hour and are retired with it.
  • I have said what each is for.
  • The table is set, and the hour begins tomorrow.

The warning

Do not consecrate a borrowed instrument. Do not add an instrument to the set later and use it in the meantime — an instrument used before it is set apart is not part of the kit, and the ledger will show it. Do not perform this working in a hurry: a practitioner who rushes the saying of the twelve offices will find the whole kit feeling borrowed for a year, and there is no remedy for that except to do it again, properly, on another morning.

The mark and its definition

The upright is the instrument and the bar laid across it is the saying of what it is for; the small open circle at the crossing is the office itself, drawn open because an office is a statement and not a seal. The mark is drawn left to right, in one pass, with the bar added last. It governs the whole kit and is drawn once in the air at the consecration, once at the head of the ledger page, and once on the cloth, in the corner, where it stays. It is not retired: it is the mark of the kit, and it is drawn again only when a new instrument is consecrated.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey
A deep narrow vessel seen from the side with three still concentric ripples on the water inside it

The mark of this work

Work II

The Well of Quiet Water

What it is for

Divination and scrying: for an answer that will not come by thinking — a choice between two goods, a matter that has gone quiet, a question carried too long. It is the classical work of the dark bowl, kept in the manner the old books set out, and it is a work of looking and not of asking twice.

The preparation

The room darkened but for one lamp. A dark bowl filled with clean water, or a black mirror, set on the cloth. The question written in one line on a slip of paper, folded once, and set face down beneath the dish. The practitioner’s own anger, if there is any, put down at the door — the name Ierathel (27) is addressed for exactly this, and it is addressed before the hour and not during it.

The timing

Kept in the first hour after sunset, on the night of the full moon or the night after it. Kept once, closed the same night, and never more than once in a month on the same question. A question asked twice in a month is a question being worried at, and the answer will be a worried one.

The materials

The lamp. A dark bowl of water or a black mirror. The dark cloth. One dried plant of the seeing work — mugwort, yarrow or wormwood. The slip of paper and the pen. The wrapped iron, laid across the cloth at the practitioner’s right. The ledger.

The names addressed

Caliel (18), for the answer to a plain question plainly put. Ariel (46), for the seeing of a thing as it actually is. Hahaiah (12), for the concealment of the matter from the wrong ear afterwards.

The working

  1. 01Darken the room but for the lamp. Set the bowl or the mirror in the centre of the cloth, and the iron across the cloth at your right.
  2. 02Write the question in one line. Fold the paper once and set it face down beneath the dish.
  3. 03Say the first two lines of the words, standing, with the hands at the sides and the rod laid down.
  4. 04Say the name Caliel once, then the name Ariel once. Do not repeat either.
  5. 05Sit and look into the water or the mirror for the length of the hour. Do not stare and do not blink it away. If nothing comes, look for the whole of the hour and then stop. Nothing coming is a common result and is not a failure.
  6. 06Say the last two lines, and put out the lamp before anything else is written.
  7. 07Write in the ledger the question, the hour, and what was seen — or that nothing was seen. Write it plainly and add nothing to it afterward.
  8. 08Burn the folded question over the dish and return the ash to the ground out of doors. Say the name Hahaiah once as the door is closed. Close the page the same night.

The words, said once and in full

  • The water is still and I do not move it.
  • I have asked once and I will not ask again.
  • Caliel, the question is plain and it is written down.
  • Ariel, let me see it as it is and not as I would have it.
  • What is shown, I will take as it is shown.
  • What is not shown, I will do without.
  • The hour is over and the water is poured away.
  • Nothing of this leaves the room.

The warning

Do not look into the water for another person’s private business. Do not ask a question whose answer you have already decided to ignore — the ledger will show the date of the asking and the date of the ignoring, and a practice dies of that faster than of anything else. Do not work this in a room with a mirror other than the one on the table; the old books are specific about this and the reason is practical rather than mystical. Do not look longer than the hour. If what was seen is distressing, say the closing words in full, pour the water away, and do not return to the question for a month.

The mark and its definition

The vessel is the still field and the three ripples are the three things that make a question answerable: a plain asking, an hour kept, and a closing on the same night. The mark is drawn from the top rim downward, in one pass, with the ripples added last and drawn outward from the centre. It governs the single keeping and the closing on the same night. It is used on the cloth beneath the bowl, drawn small in the ledger beside the question, and drawn once in the air above the water at the opening. It is retired the same night with the folded question.

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A closed book seen edge-on in outline with twelve short ruled marks spaced along its fore-edge

The mark of this work

Work III

The Ledger of the Year

What it is for

The keeping of the record: the opening of a year’s page, the reading back of the season past, and the closing of the ledger at the turn of the year. It is the least dramatic work in the book and the one that holds all the others, and the old books are unanimous that it belongs in the system rather than outside it.

The preparation

The ledger carried to the table with the year’s pages in order. A fresh page ruled by hand and set at the front. The previous year’s page open beside it. The names of every work kept through the year written out in order, in the practitioner’s own hand, before the hour begins.

The timing

Kept at the turn of the year, in the first hour after sunrise, on a Thursday or a Sunday. The reading back is done in the same hour and the page is closed at the end of it. The year’s page is then kept at the front of the ledger and not opened again until the following turn.

The materials

The ledger. A pen and a ruler. The lamp. The cup. The dark cloth. One dried plant of the keeping work — bay or rosemary. The wrapped iron.

The names addressed

Lecabel (31), for the honesty of an account. Daniel (50), for the honest reading of the practitioner’s own record. Harahel (59), for the care of a record or a collection.

The working

  1. 01Rule the fresh page by hand and write the year at its head. Rule twelve marks down the fore-edge, one for each month.
  2. 02Set the previous year’s page open beside it and lay the plant between the two.
  3. 03Say the first three lines of the words, standing, with a hand flat on each page.
  4. 04Say the name Lecabel once, then Daniel once, then Harahel once.
  5. 05Read the previous year’s page through, from the first line to the last, aloud, without commentary. Read the failures as slowly as the successes.
  6. 06Write the new page: the twelve months ruled, the names of the works to be kept, and one line on what the year is for. One line only.
  7. 07Draw the bar across the old page with the iron, from left to right, once. Say the last line.
  8. 08Put out the lamp, pour the cup away out of doors, and close the new page with the date and the word opened.

The words, said once and in full

  • This is the year that has gone and this is the year that is coming.
  • I read it as it was written and I do not improve it now.
  • Lecabel, keep the account honest.
  • Daniel, let me read my own record without flinching.
  • Harahel, this page is in my charge and it will not be lost.
  • What failed, failed. What was kept, was kept.
  • The old page is closed. The new page is open.
  • The year begins at this hour.

The warning

Do not destroy a page that reads badly. The old books are clear that the record is kept whole, and a practitioner who tears out a season is not keeping a record, they are keeping a story. Do not write up the year from memory — read it from the pages. Do not open the new page’s twelve months in advance: the marks are for months that have happened.

The mark and its definition

The book is the record and the twelve marks along its fore-edge are the twelve months, drawn in a single row and never re-ordered. The mark is drawn from the spine outward, with the marks added in order and the last one left short, because the year is not finished when the mark is drawn. It governs the turn of the year and the reading back. It is used at the head of the year’s page, on the cloth beneath the two open pages, and once in the air over the ledger at the opening. It is retired when the year’s page is closed at the following turn, by drawing the bar across it with the iron.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey
One long straight horizontal line with a single small hook turning downward at each end

The mark of this work

Work IV

The Iron Line

What it is for

Protection by line rather than by light: the drawing of a single iron line across a threshold, a doorway, a boundary or a page, and the closing of that line. It is the classical work of the iron and the boundary, and it is the plainest protective work in the book.

The preparation

The line to be drawn walked first, from end to end, and named aloud at each end. The dish of salt set at the left of the threshold. The iron unwrapped and laid across the dish. The line written in the ledger in one sentence, with both ends named.

The timing

Begun on a Tuesday, in the first hour after sunrise, and renewed on the same day of the week for three weeks. Closed at the third renewal, with the iron taken up and the line declared finished. Never begun after dark, because this is a work of drawing a line while the light is going up.

The materials

The wrapped iron. The dish of salt. The dark cloth. One dried plant of the iron work — wormwood, nettle or rue. The lamp. The ledger.

The names addressed

Mebahel (14), for the defence of a place against a matter that has been named. Mikael (42), for the defence of a person against a harm already in motion. Nemamiah (57), for the standing of a practitioner in a place that is not their own.

The working

  1. 01Walk the line from end to end and name each end aloud. Do this before anything is set down.
  2. 02Set the dish of salt at the left of the line and lay the iron across it.
  3. 03Draw the line in the air along the whole of its length with the rod, once, working from left to right. At each end, turn the rod downward once and stop.
  4. 04Say the name Mebahel once, then the name Mikael once, then the name Nemamiah once.
  5. 05Say the words, standing at the left end of the line and facing along it.
  6. 06Lay the plant along the line, or at the door if the line is a doorway. Leave it there for the day.
  7. 07Put out the lamp, take up the iron and wrap it, and return the salt to the ground out of doors. Write the date, both ends of the line, and the word drawn.

The words, said once and in full

  • Here the line is drawn and here it turns down.
  • Mebahel, this place is defended against what has been named and nothing else.
  • Mikael, what is already moving is met here.
  • Nemamiah, I stand in a place that is not my own and I stand plainly.
  • This far the road runs, and here it ends.
  • What comes with a reason finds the line and stops at it.
  • I have drawn it once and I will draw it twice more.

The warning

Do not draw the line around a person. It is a line for a place and a threshold, and a line drawn around a person is a line drawn against somebody, which this book does not teach. Do not name a person at either end of the line. Do not draw a line you do not intend to close: an iron line left standing across a threshold for a year will make the house feel like a room with the door shut from outside, and the practitioner will blame the house. If a line must be undone, it is closed at the third renewal and not before.

The mark and its definition

The long line is the boundary and the two hooks turning down at its ends are the turning of the line at each end, which is what makes it a line and not a road. The mark is drawn in one pass from the left, with the two hooks added last and drawn downward. It governs the three renewals and the closing. It is used along the threshold in the air with the rod, drawn small in the ledger, and set in the dish of salt at the left end. It is retired at the third renewal by drawing the line once more and taking up the iron.

The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey
Nine short vertical strokes in a row, the middle one taller than the rest

The mark of this work

Work V

The Nine Days of Turning

What it is for

Uncrossing and reversal: for a matter that has gone crossed, a run of difficulty that will not break, or a thing done against the practitioner. It turns the matter. It does not return it, and it is never worked against a named person.

The preparation

The nine strokes drawn on the cloth in salt before the first hour. The crossed matter written beneath them in one line, without excuse and without naming anyone. The dish of salt set at the right. The practitioner’s own grief or anger about the matter named aloud once at the door and left there.

The timing

Begun in the dark of the moon and kept for nine consecutive evenings at the fixed hour. On the ninth evening the line is drawn across the nine and the page is closed. Not repeated within the same moon. If the matter is still crossed after nine days, the ledger records it and the working is done again in the next dark of the moon, deliberately, as a second working.

The materials

The dish of salt. The dark cloth. The wrapped iron. One dried plant of the uncrossing work — hyssop, rue or agrimony. The lamp. The cup. The ledger.

The names addressed

Sealiah (45), for the rising of a matter that has been pressed down. Mizrael (60), for the relief of a person treated unjustly. Ieialel (58), for the breaking of a long run of difficulty.

The working

  1. 01Draw the nine strokes in the salt with the finger, left to right, the middle stroke taller than the rest.
  2. 02Write the crossed matter in one line beneath them, on a slip of paper, and set the paper under the dish.
  3. 03Say the name Sealiah once, then the name Mizrael once, then the name Ieialel once.
  4. 04Say the first three lines of the words, standing, facing the table.
  5. 05Each evening of the nine, add one line to the ledger naming where the crossing showed itself that day. Do not interpret it and do not argue with it.
  6. 06On the ninth evening, draw the bar across all nine strokes with the iron and press hard enough to move the salt.
  7. 07Sweep the salt from the centre outward to the edges of the cloth and gather it with the paper.
  8. 08Carry both out of doors, return them to the ground, and say the closing line with the back turned. Write the word closed and the date, and begin nothing new for three days.

The words, said once and in full

  • It was crossed.
  • I do not cross it back.
  • Nine days and nine strokes and one line across them.
  • Sealiah, let what was pressed down rise.
  • Mizrael, what was done unjustly is named here and no one is named with it.
  • Ieialel, break the run and do not start another.
  • The line is drawn, and the nine are one, and the one is nothing.
  • It goes out with the salt.

The warning

Do not name a person in the matter written on the slip. This is not a courtesy; it is the difference between uncrossing and cursing, and this book does not teach cursing. Do not keep the salt in the dish after the ninth evening — it carries the matter and must go back to the ground. Do not begin a second nine-day working within the same moon, however badly the first went. Do not work this while grieving a death; that is what the open hand over water is for, and the two works are not interchangeable.

The mark and its definition

The nine strokes are the nine days and the middle one is taller because the middle day is the day the matter is looked at squarely; the line drawn across them is the closing. The mark is read as a thing finished rather than a thing repaid. It governs the nine evenings and the closing on the ninth. It is used on the cloth in salt, in the ledger beside the matter, and once in the air over the sweepings at the closing. It is retired with the salt and the slip on the ninth evening.

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A low horizontal bar with a shallow arc resting above it, like a lintel over a doorway seen from the side

The mark of this work

Work VI

The Sleeping Threshold

What it is for

The quieting of a house for the night, and the setting of a threshold to sleep. It is the work of the last hour before sleep, done in the room the practitioner sleeps in, and it is the most repeated work in the book because it is kept every night a working is open.

The preparation

The house walked once, from the front door to the back, with the lights put out in order. The threshold of the sleeping room wiped with a damp cloth. The dish of salt set on the inside of that threshold, and the lamp left lit on the table until the working is finished.

The timing

Kept in the last hour before sleep, every night that a working is open, for the whole season of that working. It is not a working of its own term; it is the closing of each day of whatever other work is being kept. Closed when that work is closed.

The materials

The lamp. The dish of salt. The dark cloth. One dried plant of the quieting work — lavender, chamomile or lemon balm. The wrapped iron, laid across the threshold inside. The ledger, kept open by the bed.

The names addressed

Sitael (3), for shelter and the quieting of a house that will not settle. Menadel (36), for the holding of a position that is under pressure. Manakel (66), for the quieting of a place where a death has occurred.

The working

  1. 01Walk the house from the front door to the back, putting out the lights in order, and end in the sleeping room.
  2. 02Wipe the threshold of the sleeping room with the damp cloth, from the outside edge inward, once.
  3. 03Set the dish of salt on the inside of the threshold and lay the iron across it.
  4. 04Draw the bar and the arc in the air above the threshold with the finger, the bar first and the arc after.
  5. 05Say the name Sitael once, then the name Menadel once. Do not say Manakel unless there has been a death in the house, and then not before the ninth day.
  6. 06Say the words, standing on the inside of the threshold and facing in.
  7. 07Put out the lamp. Set the plant beside the bed. Do not speak again.
  8. 08In the morning, write one line in the ledger for the night, and nothing more.

The words, said once and in full

  • The door is shut and the house is quiet.
  • Sitael, this roof holds and nothing in it is afraid.
  • Menadel, what is under pressure today is set down here for the night.
  • The bar is across the threshold and the arc rests on it.
  • Nothing comes in that has not been let in.
  • Nothing goes out that has not been sent.
  • The lamp is out.

The warning

Do not say the name Manakel in a house where there has been no death; a name is an address and an address called for no reason is an address disturbed. Do not leave the lamp lit through the night; the work is a sleeping threshold and the light is part of the closing. Do not keep the salt in the dish for more than a week — change it, and return the old to the ground. Do not work this in a room where another person is sleeping who has not agreed to it.

The mark and its definition

The low bar is the threshold and the arc above it is the house resting on it; the space between them is the gap a person walks through, and it is drawn open. The mark is drawn from the left, with the arc added last. It governs the nightly keeping and the closing of the season. It is used in the air above the threshold, drawn small in the ledger beside the night’s line, and set in salt at the notch of any other work kept in that house. It is retired with the work whose season it served.

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A tall lantern form drawn in a single fine line, with one straight ray rising from the top

The mark of this work

Work VII

The Lamp Kept Against the Dark

What it is for

Protection: for a person, a household, a journey, or a season of difficulty. It is a work of keeping rather than of striking, and it is kept for as long as the danger is felt and one hour longer.

The preparation

The lamp, the dish of salt, the wrapped iron, and a bundle of rosemary or bay. The name of what is being protected written in the ledger in one line, and beneath it the plainest statement of what is feared, also in one line.

The timing

Begun at sunset on the first evening the practitioner can keep it. Kept every evening at that hour for seven nights, then once a week until it is closed. Closed at the full moon, with the lamp put out and the salt returned to the ground.

The materials

One lamp, one dish of salt, wrapped iron, a bundle of rosemary or bay, the cup, and the ledger.

The names addressed

Seehiah (28), for the long keeping of a difficult hour. Mikael (42), for the defence of a person against a harm already in motion. Imamiah (52), for the protection of one who cannot protect themselves.

The working

  1. 01Wash the hands and set the cup. Light the lamp and place it at the centre of the cloth.
  2. 02Set the dish of salt to the left of the lamp and draw a single line of salt from the dish to the threshold of the room.
  3. 03Lay the bundle of rosemary beside the dish, and the wrapped iron across the line of salt.
  4. 04Say the name Seehiah once, then the name Mikael once, then — only where the working is for someone who cannot keep their own hour — the name Imamiah once.
  5. 05Say the words, standing, with the hands open at the sides.
  6. 06Sit with the lamp for the length of the hour. If there is nothing to do, do nothing. Do not read, and do not speak.
  7. 07At the end of the hour, say the last line of the words and put out the lamp. Leave the salt in place until the morning.
  8. 08Write the date in the ledger. On the seventh night, and on the closing night, write the whole of the words out as well.

The words, said once and in full

  • The lamp is lit and the dark is outside it.
  • Seehiah, this hour is kept and it is kept the same way tomorrow.
  • Mikael, what is moving is met at the line of salt.
  • What is mine stays mine.
  • What is not mine keeps to its own road.
  • I do not call, and I do not answer.
  • The hour is kept, and the light is out.

The warning

Do not name a person in the statement of what is feared. The ledger holds the fear, not a suspect, and a working written against a person is not this working. Do not keep the lamp lit while sleeping. Do not keep this working open indefinitely: it is kept for a season and closed at the full moon, and a lamp kept burning for a year is a lamp nobody is tending. If the fear does not lift in the season, the matter is written in the ledger as it stands and the working is closed anyway, and taken up again deliberately if it must be.

The mark and its definition

The lantern is the household and the ray is what is kept alight in it. The mark is drawn with the ray rising and never falling, because light that goes up is a light that is not thrown at anybody. It governs the seven nights and the weekly keeping after them. It is used on the cloth, drawn small in the ledger, and drawn once in the air at the threshold on the seventh night. It is retired by burning the paper it was drawn on and returning the ash to the ground with the salt.

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One long diagonal line crossed by two shorter diagonals, with three small dots beneath its lower end

The mark of this work

Work VIII

The Striking Out

What it is for

Banishing and cleansing: the clearing of a room, a person or a season of what has settled in it. It is used before every other work and after every difficult one, and it is the work a practitioner will use most often in a lifetime.

The preparation

The windows opened, the room swept, and the sweepings carried out of doors before anything else is done. The dish of salt, the wrapped iron, the bowl for sounding, and a bundle of the cleansing plant.

The timing

Kept in daylight, on a dry day, or in the first hour after sunrise. Never begun after dark, because this is a work of clearing and the clearing is done while the light is going up. Kept once, and repeated only when the room has been used again.

The materials

Dish of salt, wrapped iron, the bowl for sounding, a bundle of juniper, rosemary or dried stems, the cup, and the ledger.

The names addressed

Melahel (23), for the healing of a place rather than a person. Damabiah (65), for the clearing of a house of a long-standing disorder. Manakel (66), for the quieting of a place where a death has occurred — and then only after the ninth day.

The working

  1. 01Sweep the room from the farthest corner to the door, and carry the sweepings out of doors at once.
  2. 02Open the windows. Strike the bowl once and let the sound die completely before anything else is done.
  3. 03Light the bundle and carry the smoke from the farthest corner of the room to the door, working steadily and without hurrying.
  4. 04Say the name Melahel once, then the name Damabiah once.
  5. 05Set a line of salt across the threshold and leave it there for the day.
  6. 06Stand at the door with the iron in the right hand and say the words.
  7. 07Wash the hands in cold water, pour the cup away out of doors, and put the iron back in its cloth.
  8. 08Write the date and the room in the ledger. If the work was done for a person rather than a place, write their name instead.

The words, said once and in full

  • What was said here is said.
  • What was done here is done.
  • Melahel, this room is a room and it is nothing else.
  • Damabiah, what has stood in this house for years goes out through this door today.
  • I strike it out, and the line stays struck.
  • Three things remain: the floor, the light, and the hour.

The warning

Do not strike out a room that a person is still living in without their knowledge, and do not strike out a room where someone is dying. Do not name a person while striking out. Do not work this in a house of mourning before the ninth day, and where a death has occurred, address Manakel once, plainly, and do no more than that. Do not re-use the bundle; it goes out with the sweepings.

The mark and its definition

The long diagonal is the matter as it stood; the two short lines are the strikes drawn through it; the three dots beneath are what is left when the strikes are done — the floor, the light, the hour. The mark is drawn quickly, and it is meant to be. It governs the sweeping, the smoke and the line of salt. It is used on the threshold, drawn once in the air over the sweepings, and drawn small in the ledger. It is retired the same day it is used, with the paper burned out of doors.

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Two overlapping triangles crossed by a single horizontal bar

The mark of this work

Work IX

The Two Triangles Undone

What it is for

The second and slower work of uncrossing: for a matter that has been crossed over itself, where the two sides of it cannot be told apart. Where the Nine Days turns a matter quickly, this work draws it out and lays it flat, and it is kept for a month rather than nine days.

The preparation

The two triangles drawn on the cloth in salt, one above the other and overlapping. The crossed matter written beneath the lower triangle in one line, without excuse and without naming anyone. A second slip left blank beneath the dish for the daily line.

The timing

Begun in the dark of the moon and kept for one month at the fixed hour, one line added to the ledger each evening. Closed at the full moon with the bar drawn across both triangles. Not worked at the same time as the Nine Days.

The materials

Dish of salt, wrapped iron, dark cloth, one dried plant of the uncrossing work — hyssop, rue or agrimony — the lamp, the cup, and the ledger.

The names addressed

Hahasiah (51), for the relief of a hidden and long-standing difficulty. Ieialel (58), for the breaking of a long run of difficulty. Mizrael (60), for the relief of a person treated unjustly.

The working

  1. 01Draw the upper triangle in the salt with the finger, then the lower one, so that the two overlap.
  2. 02Write the crossed matter beneath the lower triangle on a slip of paper and set it under the dish.
  3. 03Say the name Hahasiah once, then the name Ieialel once, then the name Mizrael once.
  4. 04Say the opening lines of the words, standing, with the iron held across the palms.
  5. 05Each evening of the month, add one line to the ledger naming where the crossing showed itself that day. Do not interpret it and do not argue with it.
  6. 06On the closing evening, draw the bar across both triangles with the iron and press hard enough to move the salt.
  7. 07Sweep the salt from the centre outward to the edges of the cloth, and gather it with the paper.
  8. 08Carry both out of doors and return them to the ground. Say the closing line with the back turned. Write the word closed and the date, and begin nothing new for three days.

The words, said once and in full

  • It was crossed and it was crossed over itself.
  • Hahasiah, what has been hidden under this for years is brought up and laid flat.
  • Ieialel, break the run.
  • Mizrael, the unjust thing is named and no one is named with it.
  • I do not cross it back.
  • The line is drawn, and the two are one, and the one is nothing.
  • It goes out with the salt.

The warning

Do not work this and the Nine Days at the same time; the two works undo one another and the ledger will show a month of nothing. Do not name a person on either slip. Do not keep the two triangles standing past the month, whatever the result. Do not begin a second month immediately — three days of nothing are part of the working.

The mark and its definition

The two triangles are the matter crossed over itself, drawn so that they overlap, because no crossing is ever made of two clean opposites. The bar is the line drawn across both: it does not reverse the crossing, it ends it. The mark is read as a thing finished rather than a thing repaid. It governs the month of lines and the closing. It is used on the cloth, in the ledger, and once in the air over the sweepings at the closing.

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An open hand reduced to straight lines, palm down, hovering above a small square

The mark of this work

Work X

The Hand Laid Over

What it is for

Healing and health: for a person who is unwell, and for the practitioner’s own body when it is worn. It is worked alongside whatever a physician has ordered and never instead of it, and the institute says that plainly in the working and not in a footnote.

The preparation

Hands washed and warmed. The square drawn on the cloth and the name of the person written inside it, then covered with the hand before the hour begins. One plant of the healing work set beside the square. Where the work is for another person, that person’s knowledge and agreement obtained first, in plain words, before the hour.

The timing

Kept at the hour of waking or the hour of sleep, whichever the person can actually keep, on three consecutive days. Renewed only if asked, and never kept standing past the ninth day without a fresh asking.

The materials

Dark cloth, the cup of water, one dried plant of the healing work — yarrow, calendula or plantain — the lamp, and the ledger.

The names addressed

Asaliah (47), for the patience of a long illness. Habuhiah (68), for the healing of a long and slow complaint. Rehael (39), for the healing of the practitioner’s own body after a long season.

The working

  1. 01Set the square on the cloth and write the name inside it. Cover it with the palm and leave it covered.
  2. 02Set the plant beside the square and the cup at the head of the cloth. Light the lamp.
  3. 03Wash and warm the hands, and dry them on the cloth kept for the work.
  4. 04Say the name Asaliah once, then the name Habuhiah once. Say the name Rehael instead of Habuhiah where the work is for the practitioner’s own body.
  5. 05Lay the open hand over the square, palm down, without touching it. Hold for the length of nine slow breaths.
  6. 06Draw the hand once in the air over the person, or over the part of the body that is unwell, from the head downward. Do this once and do not repeat it in the hour.
  7. 07Say the words, then put out the lamp, wash the cloth and the hands, and pour the cup away.
  8. 08Write the name, the day and one line on what changed, or that nothing changed. Nothing changed is written as plainly as anything else.

The words, said once and in full

  • Asaliah, this is a long thing and I will keep the hours.
  • Habuhiah, the healing is slow and the slow healing is the healing.
  • The hand is open and the hand is empty.
  • What is asked for is asked plainly.
  • The body knows its own work.
  • I add only the hour.
  • Three days and then I stop.

The warning

This working does not replace a physician and must never be offered as if it did. Do not work it on a person who has not agreed to it. Do not keep it standing past nine days. Do not work it on a child without the agreement of the person who has charge of them. If the illness is worsening, the ledger records it and the working is closed; the practitioner’s job at that point is to say so to the physician, not to keep the hour harder.

The mark and its definition

The square is the work and the hand is drawn open above it, not closed on it. The mark teaches the whole of the matter: the hand is offered, and what is healed is not the practitioner’s to hold. It governs the three days and the ninth. It is used on the cloth, over the person in the air, and drawn small in the ledger beside the name. It is retired at the closing by burning the paper and washing the cloth.

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A zigzag line of sharp angles running between a small dot on the left and a small circle on the right

The mark of this work

Work XI

The Road of the Increase

What it is for

Prosperity and abundance: for a long matter of increase — a trade growing, a debt being paid down, a household being set on firmer ground. It is a work of the count, drawn as a road rather than as a shape, and it is the only mark in the book that grows.

The preparation

The distance stated in weeks and written in the ledger before the mark is drawn. The road drawn once, at full length, with the dot set at the beginning and the circle at the end. A coin or a key kept on the person for the whole term.

The timing

Begun in the first hour after sunrise on the first day of the month. One angle added to the road each week. Closed when the circle is reached, or at the year’s end if it is not, and the ledger says which.

The materials

Ledger, pen, a coin or a key carried on the person, one dried plant of the increase work — bay, cinnamon or alfalfa — and the wrapped iron.

The names addressed

Omael (30), for the growth of a thing that grows slowly. Poyel (56), for the increase of a matter that is small and must not be lost. Veuliah (43), for the increase of a thing already in hand.

The working

  1. 01Write the distance in weeks in the ledger, in one line, and the date the road was begun.
  2. 02Draw the road once at full length, the dot at the beginning and the circle at the end, without lifting the pen.
  3. 03Say the name Omael once, then the name Poyel once, then the name Veuliah once.
  4. 04Say the words once, standing, with the coin or key in the closed right hand.
  5. 05Each week, add one angle to the road, in the same hand and at the same size, and write one line on what the week brought.
  6. 06Carry the coin or key for the whole term. It is not spent, given away or lent.
  7. 07When the circle is reached, draw it in fully and close the page. Say the last line and put the coin or key away.
  8. 08Copy the finished road into the front of the ledger, where it stays.

The words, said once and in full

  • Omael, this grows slowly and I am not in a hurry.
  • Poyel, what is small today is counted today.
  • Veuliah, what is already in my hand is increased and not replaced.
  • The road is not straight and I am not sorry for it.
  • One angle a week, and the week is kept.
  • I count what comes and I do not count what does not.
  • The circle is at the end and it is not today.

The warning

Do not state a sum you have not worked out; the distance in weeks must be a number the practitioner can actually count to. Do not draw a second road while the first is open. Do not lend the coin or the key. Do not count what did not come — a road written up with only the good weeks in it is not a road, and the practitioner will not be able to read it back.

The mark and its definition

The zigzag is the road, the dot is the day it began, and the circle is the matter finished. It is the only mark in this book that grows, and it is drawn slowly on purpose. It governs the weekly angle and the closing. It is used in the ledger, on the coin or key if the practitioner wishes, and once in the air over the road at the closing. It is retired when the page is closed, and the finished road is copied forward rather than burned.

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A wide shallow cup with one straight line descending into it from above

The mark of this work

Work XII

The Cup Held Open

What it is for

Love and attraction: for drawing a person, a place or a situation toward the practitioner — an introduction, a reconciliation, a meeting that has been waited for. It is a work of invitation and it is never worked on a named person against their will.

The preparation

The asking written out once in the ledger, plainly and without ornament. The cup set on the cloth with water in it, and the plant of the drawing work set to its right. The practitioner’s own answer to the question “and if it does not come?” written in one line beneath the asking, before the hour.

The timing

Begun at the full moon and kept at the same evening hour for one month. Closed at the dark of the moon, with the water poured away and the cup dried.

The materials

The cup, water, dark cloth, one dried plant of the drawing work — rose, jasmine or vervain — the lamp, and the ledger.

The names addressed

Umabel (61), for the friendship of a person long absent. Iezalel (13), for the reconciliation of two who have quarrelled. Mihael (48), for the love of a household kept steady.

The working

  1. 01Set the cup on the cloth with water in it, and the plant beside it. Light the lamp.
  2. 02Draw the descending line in the air above the cup with the finger, from above the water down to its surface, once.
  3. 03Say the name that fits the asking: Umabel for a friendship gone quiet, Iezalel for a quarrel, Mihael for a household. Say it once.
  4. 04Say the words, standing, with both hands open at the sides. Say the asking once and in full.
  5. 05Sit with the cup for the length of the hour. Do nothing further. Do not repeat the asking, and do not look into the water.
  6. 06At the end of the hour, say the last line and put out the lamp. Leave the cup where it stands until the morning.
  7. 07Each evening of the month, keep the hour in the same way and write one line in the ledger. Write nothing about the person.
  8. 08At the closing, pour the water away out of doors, dry the cup, and write the word closed.

The words, said once and in full

  • The cup is open and the line comes down into it.
  • Umabel, I do not call and I do not demand; the door is open and it is not my hand on it.
  • I ask plainly and I do not close my hand.
  • What comes, comes of its own wish.
  • What does not come was not mine.
  • The month is over and the cup is dry.

The warning

Do not name a person who has not asked to be named, and do not work this toward anyone who has said no. This is the sharpest rule in the book and the one most often broken quietly; the institute will not teach the working to a member who intends to break it. Do not write the person’s name anywhere in the ledger. Do not keep the month going past the dark of the moon. Do not keep the water in the cup overnight twice in a row.

The mark and its definition

The cup is the asking and the descending line is what is asked for, given up rather than held. The mark is drawn open at the top, because a closed cup is a demand. It governs the month of evenings and the closing at the dark. It is used on the cloth, in the ledger, and drawn once in the air above the water at the opening. It is retired by drying the cup and closing the page; the paper is not burned, because an asking is not a thing to be destroyed.

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A dense, symmetrical knot of straight strokes forming no letter of any alphabet

The mark of this work

Work XIII

The Knot That Has No Entry

What it is for

Binding and commanding: the holding of a thing to its own course — a habit that must be kept, an agreement that must hold, a word that must stand. It is never used to take the will from another person, and the institute does not teach it for that.

The preparation

The knot drawn on paper, and the matter written beneath it in three words and no more. The paper folded twice and tied with a single thread, and the thread knotted once only. The thread cut to length before the hour so that nothing is measured during it.

The timing

Kept once, on the evening the binding is made, at the fixed hour. Renewed only if the matter is spoken of again by someone else, and then renewed deliberately and written as a renewal. Cut and closed when the matter is finished, and never left in the ledger past its term.

The materials

Paper, pen, one thread, wrapped iron, one dried plant of the binding work — wormwood, rosemary or nettle — and the ledger.

The names addressed

Pahaliah (20), for the turning of a habit that has held too long. Mehiel (64), for the keeping of a word spoken over another person’s work. Lauviah (11), for the strengthening of a work already begun.

The working

  1. 01Draw the knot on the paper, working outward from the centre so that no single line can be followed through it.
  2. 02Write the matter beneath it in three words and no more.
  3. 03Say the name Pahaliah once where the matter is the practitioner’s own habit; Mehiel once where a word has been spoken over another’s work; Lauviah once where the binding strengthens a work already running.
  4. 04Say the words once, holding the paper at the top edge and the iron in the other hand.
  5. 05Fold the paper twice, tie it with the single thread, and knot the thread once.
  6. 06Lay it in the ledger, between the pages, at the page of the working. It stays there for as long as the binding must hold.
  7. 07When the matter is finished, cut the thread, burn the paper over the dish, and return the ash to the ground out of doors.
  8. 08Write the date it was tied and the date it was cut, and the word closed.

The words, said once and in full

  • What is bound here is bound to its own word.
  • Pahaliah, the habit turns here and not before.
  • I do not bind the will of another.
  • The knot has no entry, and it holds.
  • Three words and a single thread.
  • When the thread is cut, the binding is finished and the paper burns.

The warning

Do not bind a person. Do not bind an agreement the other party has not agreed to. Do not tie the thread more than once, and do not untie it to look at the paper — a knot that has been opened is a knot that has been opened, and the ledger will say so. Do not carry a tied paper about in a pocket; it lives in the ledger and nowhere else. A binding not cut when the matter is finished becomes a small weight that the practitioner will feel for years and will not be able to name.

The mark and its definition

The knot is drawn dense and symmetrical so that no single line can be followed through it from the outside. That is the teaching: a thing properly bound has no entry point for anyone else. It governs the term of the binding. It is used on the paper, in the ledger beside the tied page, and once in the air over the paper before it is folded. It is retired when the thread is cut.

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A hexagon with a single dot at its centre and one short line leaving the top edge

The mark of this work

Work XIV

The Centre and the Line Out

What it is for

The second work of looking: for an answer that must be carried rather than read, where the practitioner needs a direction rather than a scene. Where the Well of Quiet Water shows a thing, this work gives a line out from it, and it is kept standing for a season rather than closed the same night.

The preparation

The hexagon drawn on the cloth in salt, with the dot pressed at its centre. The question written in one line on a slip and set beneath the dish. The rod laid across the top edge of the hexagon, pointing away from the practitioner.

The timing

Begun at the new moon, in the first hour after sunset, and kept standing for one month. The line out is read at the end of the month and the page is closed then. Not worked in the same month as the Well of Quiet Water on the same question.

The materials

The lamp. The dish of salt. The dark cloth. The rod. One dried plant of the seeing work — mugwort, yarrow or wormwood. The slip of paper and the pen. The ledger.

The names addressed

Ariel (46), for the seeing of a thing as it actually is. Nanael (53), for the clarity of a practitioner confused by too much reading. Nith-Haiah (25), for the address of a presence that a place is known for.

The working

  1. 01Draw the hexagon on the cloth in salt, and press the thumb into the centre to make the dot.
  2. 02Write the question in one line, fold the slip, and set it beneath the dish.
  3. 03Lay the rod across the top edge of the hexagon, pointing away from you. Do not move it during the month.
  4. 04Say the name Ariel once, then the name Nanael once. Say Nith-Haiah once only where the question concerns a place and what the place is known for.
  5. 05Say the first two lines of the words, standing, with the hands at the sides.
  6. 06Sit with the hexagon for the length of the hour. Do not stare at the rod. If nothing comes, nothing comes, and the month continues.
  7. 07Each week of the month, write one line in the ledger on where the question stands. Do not write an interpretation.
  8. 08At the end of the month, read the four lines back, say the last two lines of the words, and close the page with the date.

The words, said once and in full

  • The centre is still and I do not move it.
  • Ariel, let the question be what it is.
  • Nanael, I have read too much and I put the reading down here.
  • I have asked once and I will not ask again.
  • The line goes out from the centre and I will not chase it.
  • The month is over and the page is closed.

The warning

Do not move the rod during the month, however much the practitioner would like to. Do not read the four lines back before the end of the month — the reading is the closing and doing it early is asking a second time. Do not use this work to decide something that must be decided today; it is a month-long work and the practitioner who needs an answer by Friday wants the Well of Quiet Water, or a conversation.

The mark and its definition

The hexagon is the still field, the dot at its centre is the practitioner’s attention, and the single line leaving the top is what goes out from it. The mark is drawn open at one point, because a closed field shows nothing. It governs the month standing and the closing at its end. It is used on the cloth, in the ledger beside the four lines, and once in the air above the salt at the opening. It is retired at the end of the month with the salt and the slip.

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A crescent moon with short tick marks spaced along its outer curve

The mark of this work

Work XV

The Crescent of the Kept Nights

What it is for

Dream work and visions: asking a question of the night, holding an intention through the hours that are not kept consciously, and remembering what comes. It is the only work in this book that is kept while asleep.

The preparation

The question or the intention written in one line before sleep. The ledger set open by the bed with the pen laid across it, and the plant of the night work in a small dish beside it. The stone chosen for the term set under the pillow.

The timing

Begun at the full moon and kept for one month of nights, one tick drawn each morning that a dream is remembered. Closed at the dark of the moon, with the crescent drawn whole and the blank nights counted.

The materials

Ledger, pen, a small dish of the plant of the night work — mugwort, lavender or chamomile — one stone kept under the pillow for the term, and the lamp.

The names addressed

Haheuiah (24), for the calming of fear in the night. Hahaiah (12), for the concealment of a matter from the wrong ear. Ieiazel (40), for the relief of a matter that has been grieved over.

The working

  1. 01Before sleep, write the question in one line in the ledger and set the pen across the page.
  2. 02Set the dish of the plant beside the ledger and the stone under the pillow.
  3. 03Say the name Haheuiah once. Say the name Ieiazel once where the month follows a loss. Say Hahaiah once where what is asked must not be spoken of.
  4. 04Say the first two lines of the words with the lamp still lit, then put the lamp out.
  5. 05In the morning, before speaking to anyone, write whatever was remembered. If nothing was remembered, draw nothing and leave the night blank.
  6. 06Each morning that something was remembered, draw one tick on the crescent, at the same size as the others.
  7. 07At the dark of the moon, draw the crescent whole, count the blank nights aloud once, and read the month through.
  8. 08Close the page with the date, and take the stone out from under the pillow and cleanse it.

The words, said once and in full

  • Haheuiah, the night is not a thing to be afraid of.
  • The night is kept as well as the hour.
  • I ask once, and I sleep.
  • What comes, I write before I speak to anyone.
  • The nights I miss are left blank.
  • The month is read back and the page is closed.

The warning

Do not go without sleep to keep the work; the work is kept in sleep and a practitioner who stops sleeping has stopped working. Do not write the dream up after speaking to anyone, and do not let anyone read the ledger page during the month. Do not treat what comes as instruction — it is a record of the night, and the month is read back at the end, in the light, by a person who is awake. Where the nights bring something distressing, say the name Ieiazel once, plainly, and continue; if it continues for a week, close the working early and write the reason.

The mark and its definition

The crescent is the month and the ticks are the nights actually kept. The mark is a true record, and it is meant to show its gaps. It governs the month of nights and the closing. It is used in the ledger beside the bed, and once in the air over the pillow at the opening. It is retired at the dark of the moon, and the page is closed rather than burned, because the month is a record and not a thing to be destroyed.

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A spiral of about two and a half turns with a straight tail leaving the outer end

The mark of this work

Work XVI

The Returning Spiral

What it is for

The closing of a season of work and the return to ordinary life. It is the last work of every other work, the one most often left out, and the one that keeps a practice alive.

The preparation

The ledger open at a fresh page. The names of every work kept through the season written out in order, in the practitioner’s own hand, before the hour begins. Every tied paper cut, every line closed, every dish of salt returned, and every mark burned, as the pages are read.

The timing

Kept on the evening the season ends, at the hour the whole season has been kept at. Once, and then the book is set down until the next season is opened with the first work.

The materials

Ledger, pen, the lamp, the cup, the dark cloth, and the iron.

The names addressed

Mumiah (72), for the closing of the last hour of a season and the silence after it. Lehahiah (34), for the closing of a season that has ended badly. Aladiah (10), for the relief of a matter that has been carried too long.

The working

  1. 01Set the cloth, light the lamp and set the cup. Write the names of the works kept through the season in order.
  2. 02Draw the spiral on the fresh page, turning inward, in one pass.
  3. 03Draw the tail from the outer turn and let it run off the edge of the page. It is meant to be unfinished.
  4. 04Read the names aloud once, in the order they were worked. As each is read, close it: cut the thread, draw the bar, return the salt, burn the paper.
  5. 05Say the name Lehahiah once where the season ended badly; the name Aladiah once where a matter was carried too long; the name Mumiah once, always, at the end.
  6. 06Say the first three lines of the words.
  7. 07Draw the bar of the closing across the page with the iron, from left to right, once.
  8. 08Put out the lamp, pour the cup away out of doors, wash the cloth, and say the last line standing at the door.
  9. 09Close the ledger on the page. Do not open it again until a new season is begun with the consecration.

The words, said once and in full

  • The season turns in on itself.
  • Lehahiah, what ended badly ended, and it is closed here.
  • Aladiah, what I carried too long I put down here.
  • I read the names and I close the page.
  • Mumiah, the last hour of the season is this one.
  • The lamp goes out and the day begins.
  • I return.

The warning

Do not open a new season on the same evening. The book is set down for at least three days, and a practitioner who begins again the next morning is not closing anything, they are continuing. Do not leave a tied paper or a dish of salt standing because the practitioner intends to begin again soon; that is the fault this work exists to correct. Where a season is closed in grief or in anger, the closing is done anyway, in full, and the ledger says so — the record is more use than the mood.

The mark and its definition

The spiral is the season turning in on itself and the straight tail leaving the outer turn is the ordinary day, which is where the work was going the whole time. The mark is the only one in the book that is drawn unfinished on purpose. It governs the closing of every other work. It is used in the ledger at the end of a season, and once in the air at the door. It is never retired, because it is the mark of returning and it is used again.

The plates

The magickal squares and the seals

A square is a ruled grid of numbers in which every row, every column and both diagonals sum alike. A practitioner builds one by hand rather than copying it, and the building is worth an evening. The plates below are given as models and as examples of the finished article, each with its own definition.

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A hand-ruled four by four grid of numerals on parchment, with a circular seal above and below

Magickal square · four by four · sum 34

The Square of the Four

Sixteen cells, the numerals one to sixteen, every row, every column and both diagonals summing to thirty-four. It is the square of a person and of a single working, and it is the one most often written: on a slip of paper carried on the person, on the first page of a ledger of one working, or on the underside of the dish at a table where a single matter is kept. Write it by hand, check one row with a pencil, and then write the name of the working small beneath the lower seal. It is not spoken. It is written, kept, and burned with the paper of the working it was written for.

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A hand-ruled five by five grid of numerals on parchment, with a seal above and below

Magickal square · five by five · sum 65

The Square of the Five

Twenty-five cells, the numerals one to twenty-five, every row, every column and both diagonals summing to sixty-five. It is the square of a place and of a season, and it is the one written into the ledger of a house: on the inside cover, or on the first page of the year. Where the square of the four governs one working, this one governs the room the working is kept in and the twelve months it is kept across. It is renewed at the same phase each year and the old page is kept rather than destroyed.

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A hand-ruled six by six grid of numerals on aged parchment, with a circular seal above and below

Magickal square · six by six

The Square of the Six

Thirty-six cells, ruled and numbered by hand. It is the square of a house rather than a room, and it is kept for the works of the boundary and of the threshold, where the line drawn is long and the place it protects has more than one door. Drawn once, at the opening of a term, on the first page of the ledger of the place. A practitioner building it should build it from the numerals rather than copy the plate, and check one row and one diagonal before writing it into the book.

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A hand-ruled seven by seven grid of numerals in dark brown ink on aged parchment, with a circular seal above and below

Magickal square · seven by seven

The Square of the Seven

Forty-nine cells. It is the square of a year, and it is used for the works of the count — the road of the increase, and any working whose term is measured in weeks rather than in days. Written on the page of the working, above the road, so that the road is drawn under the square and the two are read together at the closing. Where the road is closed early, the square is drawn through with the iron and the page is closed as usual.

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A hand-ruled eight by eight grid of numerals in dark brown ink on aged parchment, with a circular seal above and below

Magickal square · eight by eight

The Square of the Eight

Sixty-four cells. It is the square of a household — not the house, which is the six, and not the room, which is the five, but the people in it. It is written where the works of agreement and of the household are kept, on the page of the working, with the two names written at the head of the page and never inside the grid. It is the largest square that is comfortable to rule by hand on a single page, and a practitioner who needs a larger one should ask why.

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A hand-ruled nine by nine grid of numerals in dark brown ink on aged parchment, with a circular seal above and below

Magickal square · nine by nine

The Square of the Nine

Eighty-one cells. It is the square of the whole practice, and it is written once only, on the last page of a ledger that is being closed after a full year of work, beneath the finished road and above the closing bar. It is not carried, not put on a person, and not set in salt. A practitioner will write perhaps a dozen of these in a working life, and each one belongs to a year that can be read back.

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A closed circle with a single horizontal bar drawn through it, in ink on parchment

Seal

The Seal of the Boundary

A closed circle with one bar through it. It is the seal of the boundary and it is set where a term has been set: at the foot of the ledger page of a working of the threshold, in the dish of salt at the notch, or drawn small on the underside of the table where the hour is kept. It is drawn in one movement, circle first and bar second, and it is never drawn open. It is retired with the working it was set for, by the burning of the page or the sweeping of the salt.

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A square outline with four small circles at its corners and one at its centre, in ink on parchment

Seal

The Seal of the House

A square with a small circle at each corner and one at the centre: the four corners of a place and the person standing in the middle of it. It is set on the first page of the ledger of a house, on the doorpost inside the threshold, or drawn on the underside of the working table. It is the seal that answers the works of the boundary, and a practitioner who has set the house writes it once a year at the renewal, on the same page, in the same hand.

Appendices

Reference tables

Everything the working chapters refer to, gathered in one place so that a practitioner with the book open on the table does not have to turn back through it.

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Table A — The shape of the hour

Every working in this book has the same shape. Only the words, the plant and the mark change.

Before the hour
Hands and face washed in cold water, mouth rinsed, room cleared, cloth laid, materials set out.
At the hour
The lamp is lit. This is the opening of the hour and it is done at the stated time and not before.
The first minutes
The mark is drawn in the air with the finger or the rod, once, and the matter is written in the ledger.
Then
The names are said, each once, in the order the working gives them. They are not repeated.
Then
The words are said once, standing, in full. They are not repeated in the hour.
The body of the hour
The practitioner sits. If the working has steps, they are done now, in order and without hurrying.
The last minutes
The closing words are said in full. This is never shortened, whatever the hour has been like.
Immediately after
The cup is poured away out of doors, the cloth is washed, the iron is wrapped, the salt is returned to the ground.
Last of all
The lamp is put out, the ledger is written up, and the page is closed with the date.
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Table B — The moon and the works

A working is begun on one phase and closed on its opposite. Nothing in this book is begun on a phase not named here.

Dark of the moon
The works of clearing, striking out, uncrossing and concealment: the striking out, the Nine Days, the Two Triangles.
Full moon
The works of drawing, healing, increase and keeping: the lamp, the hand laid over, the road, the cup, the kept nights.
New moon
The works of the place and of the year: the Ledger of the Year, the Square of the Five, and the Square of the Seven.
Either phase, once
The works kept once and closed the same day: the Well of Quiet Water, the Iron Line, the Knot.
Every night
The Sleeping Threshold, for the whole season of whatever other work is open.
The closing
Every working is closed on the phase opposite to the one it was begun on. A late closing is written as late and is not a fault.
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Table C — The days, the planets and their characters

Kept as a habit and not as a law. A practitioner who keeps the hour on the wrong day keeps it anyway and notes the day in the ledger.

Sunday · Sun
The works of light and of the closing: the lamp kept against the dark, the returning spiral, the consecration.
Monday · Moon
The water works: the well of quiet water, the cup held open, the kept nights.
Tuesday · Mars
The works of iron and of striking out: the striking out, the iron line, the Nine Days.
Wednesday · Mercury
The works of the mind and of the address: the centre and the line out, the open hand over water.
Thursday · Jupiter
The works of increase and of the record: the road of the increase, the ledger of the year, the knot.
Friday · Venus
The works of drawing and of the heart: the cup held open, the two triangles undone where the matter is between people.
Saturday · Saturn
The works of the boundary and of the house: the iron line, the square of the six, the sleeping threshold.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Table D — The plants of the working shelf

One plant per working, from the institute’s apothecary. One plant and not a mixture. The physical and metaphysical accounts of each are on its own entry on the shelves.

Rosemary
The consecration, the lamp kept against the dark, the sleeping threshold.
Bay laurel
The consecration, the road of the increase, the ledger of the year.
Juniper
The consecration, the striking out.
Wormwood
The well of quiet water, the iron line, the knot, the centre and the line out.
Rue
The iron line, the Nine Days, the two triangles undone.
Agrimony
The Nine Days, the two triangles undone, the striking out.
Hyssop
The Nine Days, the two triangles undone.
Nettle
The iron line, the knot that has no entry.
Yarrow
The hand laid over, the well of quiet water, the centre and the line out.
Calendula
The hand laid over.
Plantain
The hand laid over, the striking out.
Lavender
The sleeping threshold, the crescent of the kept nights.
Chamomile
The sleeping threshold, the crescent of the kept nights.
Lemon balm
The sleeping threshold.
Jasmine
The cup held open.
Rose
The cup held open.
Vervain
The cup held open.
Cinnamon
The road of the increase.
Alfalfa
The road of the increase.
Mugwort
The well of quiet water, the centre and the line out, the crescent of the kept nights.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Table E — The stones of the working shelf

One stone, chosen by the hand rather than by the entry, kept for the whole season of the working and cleansed before and after.

Black tourmaline
The lamp kept against the dark, the iron line, the striking out.
Black obsidian
The striking out, the well of quiet water.
Smoky quartz
The Nine Days, the two triangles undone.
Clear quartz
Any working, cleansed between seasons.
Amethyst
The well of quiet water, the centre and the line out, the crescent of the kept nights.
Moonstone
The crescent of the kept nights, the cup held open.
Rose quartz
The cup held open, the two triangles undone.
Green aventurine
The road of the increase.
Citrine
The road of the increase.
Pyrite
The road of the increase, the knot.
Tiger eye
The ledger of the year, the iron line.
Bloodstone
The hand laid over.
Carnelian
The hand laid over, the sleeping threshold.
Hematite
The iron line, the consecration.
Jade
The ledger of the year, the two triangles undone.
Selenite
The consecration, the sleeping threshold.
Howlite
The crescent of the kept nights.
Lepidolite
The crescent of the kept nights.
Labradorite
The knot that has no entry.
Sodalite
The open hand over water, the centre and the line out.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Table F — The page of the ledger

One page per working, ruled by hand, written up before anything else is done after the hour.

The head
The name of the work, its number, and the date it was begun.
The hour
The time of day kept, the day of the week, and the phase of the moon it was begun on.
The matter
One line stating what the working is for. One line only, and no elaboration afterward.
The names
The names addressed, in the order the working gives them. Written once, and not annotated.
The materials
What was on the table, including anything the book names that was not available.
The words
The words of the working written out in full, once, on the first evening and not again.
The keeping
One line for each hour kept. A short line is correct. A blank line is not filled in later.
The closing
The date of the closing, the phase, and the word closed. If it was late, the word late before it.
The record
What came of it, written as plainly as it happened, or the words nothing came.
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Table G — The sixteen works and the names they address

The index of the system. Each work is given in full in the chapter before this one.

I · The Consecration of the Tools
Vehuiah, Jeliel, Nithael
II · The Well of Quiet Water
Caliel, Ariel, Hahaiah
III · The Ledger of the Year
Lecabel, Daniel, Harahel
IV · The Iron Line
Mebahel, Mikael, Nemamiah
V · The Nine Days of Turning
Sealiah, Mizrael, Ieialel
VI · The Sleeping Threshold
Sitael, Menadel, Manakel
VII · The Lamp Kept Against the Dark
Seehiah, Mikael, Imamiah
VIII · The Striking Out
Melahel, Damabiah, Manakel
IX · The Two Triangles Undone
Hahasiah, Ieialel, Mizrael
X · The Hand Laid Over
Asaliah, Habuhiah, Rehael
XI · The Road of the Increase
Omael, Poyel, Veuliah
XII · The Cup Held Open
Umabel, Iezalel, Mihael
XIII · The Knot That Has No Entry
Pahaliah, Mehiel, Lauviah
XIV · The Centre and the Line Out
Ariel, Nanael, Nith-Haiah
XV · The Crescent of the Kept Nights
Haheuiah, Hahaiah, Ieiazel
XVI · The Returning Spiral
Mumiah, Lehahiah, Aladiah
The Rites of One · Draft for reviewMiguel Harvey

Table H — The sixteen marks at a glance

Each mark is given in full with its work, together with its definition. This is the index for the practitioner who is looking for one.

The Consecration of the Tools
The setting apart of the twelve instruments. Kept once.
The Well of Quiet Water
Divination and scrying, asked once and closed the same night.
The Ledger of the Year
The opening and reading back of the year’s record.
The Iron Line
Protection by line, drawn and renewed three times.
The Nine Days of Turning
Uncrossing and reversal, without return.
The Sleeping Threshold
The quieting of a house for the night. Kept nightly.
The Lamp Kept Against the Dark
Protection for a person, a house or a season.
The Striking Out
Banishing and cleansing, before and after other works.
The Two Triangles Undone
The slow work of uncrossing, kept for a month.
The Hand Laid Over
Healing and health, alongside the physician and never instead of.
The Road of the Increase
Prosperity and abundance, kept as a count.
The Cup Held Open
Love and attraction, as invitation and never as force.
The Knot That Has No Entry
Binding and commanding, to a thing’s own word.
The Centre and the Line Out
A direction carried for a month.
The Crescent of the Kept Nights
Dream work and visions, kept through the month.
The Returning Spiral
The closing of a season, and the return.

Colophon

On the making of this edition

The Rites of One, by Miguel Harvey — the classical edition, draft for review

Author. Miguel Harvey.

Published by. The Furthering Institute, for the members’ library.

Title. The Rites of One.

Edition. The classical edition, draft for review, 2026.

Sources drawn on directly. The Key of Solomon; the Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage; the Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses; and the works attributed to Albertus Magnus, including the Book of Black and White Magic and the Egyptian Secrets. All of these are long out of copyright, and their formulas, their order of working, their manner and their warnings are worked with in these pages. The book is not a transcription of any of them and does not reprint any of their text: the marks are new, the words are new, the offices of the seventy-two names are new, the arrangement is the institute’s own, and the practitioner who wants the old books at source should buy the old books.

Sources deliberately not used. Three works remain in copyright and nothing has been taken from any of them — no passage, no table of names, no sigil, no word of power. They are the Necronomicon attributed to Simon, the Gallery of Magick books, and The Great Book of Magickal Practices by Delaurence. They are met as inspiration and not as source, which is why every mark in this edition was drawn for it, every name-office written for it, and every word composed for it.

The marks. Sixteen works, sixteen marks, each drawn for its work and defined in full — what it is for, what it governs, how it is drawn or charged, and how it is used and retired. The plates are given as models; the method of drawing a new mark in the practitioner’s own hand is set out in Chapter VI so that the system may be extended and not merely used.

What it does not claim. The institute does not teach, and this book does not claim, that a mark, a name or an hour produces a particular result in the physical world. What the practitioner holds is the method, the hour and the record. That is the whole of what is promised here, and every working in this book carries its warning with it.

Here ends the draft of the classical edition. Keep the hour, keep the name, keep the mark, keep the ledger, and close as carefully as you open.

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