Four Powers of the Sphinx

"What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?"

Eliphas Levi put forth the Four Powers of the Sphinx and these powers were deeply related to the Magi of old. These powers became the baseline traits for anyone working magic and in the realm of the spiritual to gain wisdom. In Levi's own words he writes:

“To attain the SANCTUM REGNUM, in other words, the knowledge and power of the Magi, there are four indispensable conditions an intelligence illuminated by study, an intrepidity which nothing can check, a will which cannot be broken, and a prudence which nothing can corrupt and nothing intoxicate. TO KNOW, TO DARE, TO WILL, TO KEEP SILENCE such are the four words of the Magus, inscribed upon the four symbolical forms of the sphinx.” 

To Levi, the Magi were carriers of wisdom and magical traditions and to be a magician one needed to aspire to be like the Magi because Levi also stated," magic is the traditional science of the secrets of nature which has been transmitted to us from the magi.” 

So, in translation for one to be proficient in their craft they need to know what they are doing and theory behind it, they need to be fearless on that study, possess exceptional stamina and a strong inner strength, and to understand when to keep silent about their practices in addition to idle talk. Even though Levi brought these into modern light the wisdom of the Four Powers can be found in much older Hermetics and other mystery schools. These Four Powers also have elemental correlations:

• TO KNOW - Air
• TO DARE - Water
• TO WILL - Fire
• TO KEEP SILENT - Earth

The Four Powers of the Sphinx made it into ceremonial magical traditions (such as the Golden Dawn) and countless other craft traditions around 1950. Around that time it became known as the Witches' Pyramid (it is almost exclusively known by this today). 

During the same time period Aliester Crowly also incorporated this into his Thelema and added a 5th power known as TO GO, which correlates to the element of Spirit. TO GO means that we must put our souls into our work and apply the other Powers to our every day life. This would in turn help us to create a balanced life both materially and spiritually. This addition is considered optional by many people and some traditions use it while others don't.

As stated before that this Witches' Pyramid has been incorporated into countless traditions and been written about in countless books. Though, some of the more notable appearances are in Paul Husan's Mastering Witchcraft, Lady Sheba's Book of Shadows, and Christopher Orapello's Besom, Stang, and Sword. 

Even though this is commonly used for magical practices, I think the Witches' Pyramid is a pillar that should be used and put into practice with any spiritual path regardless of that paths use or views on magic. 

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