The Four Words of the Magus — to know, to dare, to will, to keep silence — were first written by Eliphas Levi, a 19th Century French occultist. Aleister Crowley added a fifth word later on — to go — and the basis of the Witches’ Pyramid was formed. The Witches’ Pyramid wasn’t referred to as such until the 1950s, and is pretty much exclusive to the practice of Wicca and Witchcraft.
Theoretically speaking, the Witches’ Pyramid is an energetic form used in magick. It guides the witch through the process of energetically building power for a spell by using the Four Words of the Magus as a mnemonic device. Once the pyramid is built, it can be energetically spun to form the Cone of Power, which sends the energy out into the world to do its work.
I first learned the Witches’ Pyramid as a chant — Scio, Exigo, Audeo, Taceo (SKEE-oh, ex-EE-go, ow-DAY-oh, ta-CHAY-oh.) These are the Latin first-person forms of the Four Words of the Magus: I know, I demand/will, I dare, I keep silent. The fifth word — Eo (A-oh), I go — was yelled at the end of the chanting to send the power. It was an interesting exercise at the time I learned it, but I didn’t consider it anything more than a practice tool. It didn’t occur to me, when I was first studying under a real teacher 20 years ago, that this “practice tool” was central to the working of real magick.
The Witches’ Pyramid works by serving as a visualization of the power that’s being raised. Each face of the Pyramid is the embodiment of a necessary part of the spell that you pour energy into. The faces start out ephemeral, but when they are detailed and solid, you can move on to the next face. When the Pyramid is built, you then energetically rotate until it forms a Cone. Then, you point the point of the Cone in the direction you want it to go and release it into the world to do its work.
To Know – Scio
In order to cast a spell of any kind, you must know what you want to do. Exactly. With all the constraints and if-then clauses built in. If you don’t have this clarity of thought, then you can’t build the East Face of the Pyramid.
To Will – Exigo
In order to cast a spell, you must use your creative force and drive to bring it into reality. You must make it real by the power of your will. If you don’t have this creative drive, then you can’t build the South Face of the Pyramid.
To Dare – Audeo
In order to cast a spell, you must have faith in the Gods and the Spirits and in yourself. You must believe fully that the magick is real and will manifest. If you don’t have this faith, then you can’t build the West Face of the Pyramid.
To Keep Silent – Taceo
In order to cast a spell, you must protect the spell from unwanted influences and have the self-discipline to not speak of your work to others. You must keep silent until the spell is fully manifested and its work complete. If you don’t have this self-discipline, then you can’t build the North Face of the Pyramid.
To Go – Eo
When the Pyramid is built, the spell is ready to be sent out into the world. To do so, it needs additional energy to propel it out of the Circle and into reality. To do this, you visualize the Pyramid spinning faster and faster until it forms a Cone. This is the Cone of Power. When the spinning reaches a fever pitch, you mentally point it in the direction you wish it to go and release it with a shout. If you don’t have this vision of the fully completed spell, then you can’t point the top of the Pyramid/Cone toward your goal and send it out into reality.
Using the Witches’ Pyramid
For each spell, each side of the Pyramid is going to appear differently. If I’m working magick for protection, the energies and symbols I pour into each face of the Pyramid are going to look/feel/sound different than if I’m working magick for prosperity. And it’s supposed to be that way. Each Pyramid is unique to the spell that’s being cast.
For example, let’s say I’m going to cast a spell to win the lottery. As I’m visualizing the Pyramid being built, I start first with the East Face, the face of knowing. I might visualize the winning numbers on the face, or a vision of myself receiving the lottery check. When that visualization is crystal clear, I turn the Pyramid to the next face, the South Face, the face of will. Then I pour my energies into knowing I can change reality to what I want. My will might appear as fire or lightning or art or flowers or however my creativity manifests. When that face is built, I turn to the West Face, the face of belief, and continue to pour energy into the spell. This time, I’m focusing on my faith and knowing that it can be done, that it is being done, that it has happened and all I have to do is go out and buy a lottery ticket. That energy might appear on the Pyramid as hearts or images of my deities or simply a rosy glow. Then I turn to the North Face, the face of silence, and I continue to pour energy into the spell. This energy has to do with self-discipline, keeping my mouth shut, quietly awaiting the numbers coming out, depositing the check, and doing what I want with the money. Only after the spell is fully complete should I speak of it with others who understand magick — and not to those who do not! This face might have a finger over one’s lips or a cloaked figure hiding a pile of gold.
When the Pyramid/spell is built, I then visualize it spinning. This causes the colors to blur, first into a purple and then into a bright blue-white. When the Cone is more white than blue, then I point it in the direction of the lottery office and send it out of the Circle and into the world.
Now, this is just an example. There are plenty of reasons why one should not use magick to win the jackpot, not the least because interfering with fate in that way can be disastrous to your personal path. But the principle is the same no matter what kind of magick you’re doing. Once you’ve built a Pyramid for a spell, it’s easier to use that spell again because you already have an idea of what your visualizations are. This is part of the power of ritual.
The Witches Pyramid is not the only method out there for raising and directing energy. But it is one that I was taught as “traditional”. It certainly has roots in 19th Century occultism, and it may even have a place in British Traditional Wicca, but I don’t know for sure if it is passed down widely from teacher to student over generations of initiates. I only know that it was taught to me, and I teach it to my students, so it’s “traditional” in the sense that it’s been passed down.
May you use this knowledge for the good of all and with harm to none.