Every craft has its reference books, the ones that stay open on the bench while the work goes on. The pages gathered here are meant to be used in that way. They do not argue or persuade. They define, tabulate and point to sources, so that the essays elsewhere on this site can get on with explaining.
A word of method. The tables and attributions given here are the ones in widest use in the modern Western tradition. They are conventions that have been refined over centuries, and they differ in detail from school to school. Learn one consistent set thoroughly before comparing it with others.
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Glossary
More than a hundred terms from Hermetic philosophy, alchemy, Qabalah, astrology and ritual, defined briefly and in plain language, with a filter for finding a word quickly.
Look up a term -
Tables of Correspondence
The seven planets, four elements, twelve signs, ten spheres and the stages of alchemy, each set out with its traditional attributions of day, metal, color, number and quality.
Consult the tables -
Symbols
A visual guide to the principal signs of the tradition: the planetary glyphs and what their parts mean, the elemental triangles, the three principles and the great geometric figures.
Read the signs -
Reading List
The primary texts of the tradition in a sensible order, from the Emerald Tablet to the nineteenth century revival, each with a note on its difficulty and on what to look for.
Choose a text
Working tools
Two small instruments accompany the library. The planetary hours calculator divides any day and night into its twenty four planetary hours. The sigil maker shows how a word is traced into a sign on a planetary square or a letter wheel. Both run entirely in your own browser.
If you cannot find what you are looking for, try the search page or the site map.