To turn our attention, however, to the art of preparing talismans proper:  I may remark at the outset that it was necessary for the talisman to be prepared by one’s own self—­a task by no means easy as a rule.  Indeed, the right mental attitude of the occultist was insisted upon as essential to the operation.

As to the various signs to be engraver on the talismans, various authorities differ, though there are certain points connected with the art of talismanic magic on which they all agree.  It so happened that the ancients were acquainted with seven metals and seven planets (including the sun and moon as planets), and the days of the week are also seven.  It was concluded, therefore, that there was some occult connection between the planets, metals, and days of the week.  Each of the seven days of the week was supposed to be under the auspices of the spirits of one of the planets; so also was the generation in the womb of Nature of each of the seven chief metals.

In the following table are shown these particulars in detail:—­

 Planet.  Symbol.  Day of Metal.  Colour.

Sun .    {}        Sunday    Gold         Gold or yellow. 
Moon .   {}        Monday    Silver       Silver or white. 
Mars .   {}        Tuesday   Iron         Red. 
Mercury  {}        Wednesday [1]Mercury   Mixed colours or purple. 
Jupiter  {}        Thursday  Tin          Violet or blue. 
Venus    {}        Friday    Copper       Turquoise or green. 
Saturn.  {}        Saturday  Lead         Black.

[1] Used in the form of a solid amalgam for talismans.

Consequently, the metal of which a talisman was to be made, and also the time of its preparation, had to be chosen with due regard to the planet under which it was to be prepared.[1] The power of such a talisman was thought to be due to the genie of this planet—­ a talisman, was, in fact, a silent evocation of an astral spirit.  Examples of the belief that a genie can be bound up in an amulet in some way are afforded by the story of ALADDIN’S lamp and ring and other stories in the Thousand and One Nights.  Sometimes the talismanic signs were engraved on precious stones, sometimes they were inscribed on parchment; in both cases the same principle held good, the nature of the stone chosen, or the colour of the ink employed, being that in correspondence with the planet under whose auspices the talisman was prepared.

[1] In this connection a rather surprising discovery made by Mr W. GORNOLD (see his A Manual of Occultism, 1911, pp. 7 and 8) must be mentioned.  The ancient Chaldeans appear invariably to have enumerated the planets in the following order:  Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon—­ which order was adopted by the mediaeval astrologers.  Let us commence with the Sun in the above sequence, and write down every third planet; we then have—­