The Powers of the Sphinx

 There are said to be four primary things essential to magic.  These four principles are the Powers of the Sphinx: TO KNOW, TO WILL, TO DARE, and TO KEEP SILENT.

Eliphas Lévi indicates where to start in our endeavor to use the Powers of the Sphinx:

“When one does not know, one should will to learn. To the extent that one does not know it is foolhardy to dare, but it is always well to keep silent.”

    Thus the Four Powers are employed much like steps in a process; we must know before we can will, and so on. This idea is reinforced in Lévi's Transcendental Magick:

“To learn how to will is to learn how to exercise dominion. But to be able to exert will power you must first know; for will power applied to folly is madness, death, and hell.”

    Also:

“In order to DARE we must KNOW; in order to WILL, we must DARE; we must WILL to possess empire and to reign we must BE SILENT.”



These four principle powers relate to the four fixed signs of the Zodiac, and the four magical elements.  Together these faces of the fixed signs of the Zodiac create the four creatures composing the Sphinx.

 

For our purposes, there is no substitute for any of these powers.  Firstly, it is imperative to Know one's Craft in so far as one can at the level that they are currently at.  It is this vital beginning to magic that has compelled us to share our own knowledge of the Craft through this blog.  Secondly, one must have proper force of Will in order to raise and direct power for a purpose.  Thirdly, a magician or Witch must have great Daring to walk the Crooked Path, to travel to other realms and stand in sacred space.  Finally -- and this is the most sacred and most challenging Power, as it is the Power of Earth, which is lowest of matter and closest to beginning over at Spirit -- is the Power to Keep Silent.  In Silence is Wisdom, and there are many Mysteries that cannot be spoken of but must only be felt with the soul.