The second Enochian Key

I just want to start by saying that this Key is my favorite—there are parts that really resonate with me and that are beautiful. The intention here is to perform the same kind of analysis that I did with the first Key, but without any outside assistance from outside (such as Benjamin Rowe's earlier labors, which were super helpful in parsing the first Key).

The second Key, much like the first, is used as part of preliminary invocations by occultists—(the pattern is usually Key 1, Key 2, target Key).

Unlike the first, I have decided to include the charge in this one. The way the Keys are laid out is they are invocation followed by charge to the spirits called upon.

Anyway, text first, and we'll go from there.

The text

Enochian

"ADGT UPAAH ZONG OM FAAIP SALD, VIIV L, SOBAM IALPURG IZAZAZ PIADPH, CASARMA ABRAMG TA TALHO PARACLEDA QTA LORSLQ TURBS OOGE BALTOH? GIVI CHIS LUSD ORRI OD MICALP CHIS BIA OZONGON, LAP NOAN TROF CORS TAGE OQ MANIN IAIDON."

"TORZU," GOHEL, "ZACAR, CA, CNOQOD;" ZAMRAN MICALZO OD OZAZM URELP, LAP ZIR IOIAD.

Dee's English

"Can the wings of the windes vnderstand your voyces of wunder o you the second of the first, whome the burning flames haue framed within the depts of my jaws whome I haue prepared as Cupps for a wedding, or as the flawres in their beawty for the Chamber of righteousnes stronger are your fete then the barren stone: And mightier are your voices then the manifold windes. For, you are become a buylding such as is not but in the mynde of the all powrefull.",

Arrise, sayth the First Move therfore vnto his servants: shew your selues in powre: And make me a strong seething: for I am of him that liueth foreuer.

Contemporary adaptation

"Can the wings of the winds know/understand your voices of wonder, o you the second of the first, whom the burning flames have framed within the depths of my jaws, whom I have prepared as cups for a wedding or as the flowers in their beauty for the chamber of righteousness? Stronger are your feet than the barren stone and mightier are your voices than the manifold winds, for you are become a building such as is not but in the mind of the all-powerful."

"Arise," says the first, "move, therefore, unto his servants;" show yourselves in power and make me a strong seething, for I am of him that lives forever.

Symbolic or literary analysis—whatever it is these are

First and second question

Who is "the first" and who is "the second"? In the first Key, the speaker in the invocation was the God of Righteousness, IADBALT, and IADBALT was saying things to their creation—humanity. It may seem reasonable to assume that the speaker and to whom they're speaking is the same, but let's not make any assumptions.

... o you the second [who is] of the first...

The insertion is mine, but I think it helps clarify the relation: that the second has origin by means of the first. The next line supports this:

... whom the burning flames have framed within the depths of my jaws...

For clarity, I want to point out that the burning flames are framing "the second", not the speaker's jaws (which may or may not be the first's jaws). However, I don't think the second could be getting eaten or otherwise devoured like a jalapeno popper; jaws are also the source of speech¹. To create a vibration, a vocal inflection, framed in fire, brings awareness and intention² to the sound, yielding a Word.

To phrase it differently, the first speaks the second into existence. This is how the second is of the first.

We can also identify that the subject is plural in nature:

• "... cups for a wedding;"
• "flowers in their beauty"
• "mightier are your voices"

I was going to also include that "feet" is plural, but a person normally has two feet.

During the charge to the spirit, the last part of the second Key, the invoker says:

... for I am of him that lives forever.

So if "him that lives forever" is an epithet for "the first", then either the person uttering the charge is "the second" or humanity, as a whole, is "the second". Given that there are multiple voices and humans only have one voice per person, this suggests that "the second" is humans.³

But wait! There's more to it.

God's hallucination

To me, this is the most interesting part of the whole Key:

... for [you humans] are become a building such as is not but in the mind of the all-powerful.

Pretty big claim. Let's pick it apart, though, because there are a few things that it could mean:

• "... humans [but absolutely nothing else] are become a building..."
• "... humans [but like specifically their minds, not their bodies] are become a building..."
• "... humans [but really actually all living things] are become a building..."
• "... humans [but actually all of creation] are become a building..."

I submit that it's the last one—"the whole of creation"—and I'd like to present my evidence.

To speak humanity is a mouthful

We've established that the line and the circle were a big deal to Dee, per the Monas Hieroglyphica, but there's another theorem that really stands out.

Theorem II

Neither the circle without the line, nor the line without the point, can be artificially produced. It is, therefore, by virtue of the point and the Monad that all things commence to emerge in principle. That which is affected at the periphery, however large it may be, cannot in any way lack the support of the central point.

The mouth is a circle, roughly speaking. The Word comes from the depths of the first's jaws, so perhaps that is the central point—a point from which all of existence emanates as an expression of Divine Intention?

To me, this sounds a lot like Kether on the Qabalistic tree of life.

As a favor to whoever reads this and doesn't know Qabalah—what it is, why it's here, etc.—I'll try to keep things rooted in more general terms, but may have to sprinkle in Qabalistic jargon here and again just to make my point to the people who do know some basics of Qabalah.

The wedding

Consider this passage from the second Key:

... whom I have prepared as cups for a wedding or as flowers in their beauty for the chamber of righteousness?

The "whom" is the second, and the second is prepared as though they were cups for a wedding, or as though they were flowers to be laid in the chamber of righteousness. Take notice: cups are receptive as are chambers. The flowers grow out of stems, and they are placed in the chamber, which makes them projective.

For a thing to be both projective and receptive means it has both qualities rather than the qualities canceling themselves out. Weddings are about union and—per older western traditions—the conception of new life.

Thus, from the first comes the Word, and the Word is wed and from it reality is born.

Further, two traditional correspondences of note here: Chokmah is a line, Binah is a circle. Therefore, God is the point and is Kether, the second is the Word and is the union of Chokmah and Binah, and all is naught but in the mind of God.

Remaining questions

The reason I think this Key is so beautiful is because if God is uttering reality as a Word, there are some mysteries that arise from this point:

• Is God talking to themselves?
• If God is talking with another, whom is God talking to?
  • And what could possibly understand the Word spoken?

To me, I interpret this as a conversation between God and the void, with God telling and showing the void all that could be other than nothingness.

Conclusion

If there's anything I want you to take away from this essay that pertains to the overarching argument, know that the second Key can be represented by a point!

Anyway, I love this one, and I'll definitely refer to it through the others as I referred to the first Key a couple of times in this one. Okies byeee.

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