taste
taste An important element in the success of a magical Ritual. Taste, along with the other senses, must be fully activated to stimulate the MagicIAN’s IMAGINATION in accordance with the purpose of a ritual. To activate taste, food or liquid is consecrated and charged with the essence of a spirit or occult force through Invocation. The food or liquid must be appropriate; for example, a wheat wafer or piece of bread has a CORRESPONDENCE to the Greek goddess Demeter, who rules grain and abundance of the land. When uncertain, a magician can study the Hebrew alphabet for appropriate correspondences, as each letter in the alphabet has its own correspondence. In ritual, the food or liquid is consumed, which incarnates the divine essence within the being of the magician. When done repeatedly over time, this ingestion facilitates the union of the magician with higher forces. This magical principle is expressed in Christianity in a mass or service in which a Eucharist, or holy wafer, and wine correspond to the body and Blood of Christ.
FURTHER READING:
Regardie, Israel. The Tree of Life: A Study in Magic. York Beach, Maine: Samuel Weiser, 1969.
The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright © 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.
