Two important elements or aspects of magical work are Force and Form. We work with them all the time, often without even thinking about it, because Force and Form are enmeshed into the fabric of our experience. But it serves us well to look closer at them, to understand more about what they are and how they interact, both with each other and with us in our magical work.
Qabalistically, when we talk about Force we refer to the Sephirah called Chokmah on the Tree of Life.
Chokmah sits atop the Pillar of Mercy on the Tree (see the diagram of the Tree of Life below), and is the origin or center of Will. Chokmah represents the point at which the undifferentiated and undivided unity of the primary Sephiroth Kether shifts and divides and becomes separated into subject and object, presumably by a Force of Universal Will.
The path of Aleph on the Tree of Life connects Kether to Chokmah. Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, representing the beginning. The Fool card of the Tarot is also attributed to this path, and it is the nature of the Fool to begin a journey without a clear idea of where that road will lead. In this way, the Fool represents potential Force that is unfocused and undefined, but which arrives finally at the Wisdom of Chokmah.
When we talk about Form, we refer to the Sephirah called Binah at the top of the Pillar of Severity on the Tree. Among other things is associated with the Great Sea and the planet Saturn, which is all about heaviness and structure and so naturally represents Form.
The path of Beth leads from Kether to Binah, and is associated with the planet Mercury and the Magician tarot card. The letter Beth means “house” and implies a dwelling place, or structure. The Magician is the one who builds that house, or more specifically, the Magician directs the energy coming from the One Source into Form, signified by Binah.
The three Supernals of Kether, Chokmah, and Binah, form an upright triangle at the top of the Tree of Life, and they represent the ineffable dual nature of our reality.
As shown in the illustration below, the Sephiroth that lay below the Three Supernals on the Pillars of Severity and Mercy signify elements of either Force or Form in an alternating pattern. On the pillar of Mercy: Chokmah signifies Force, Chesed signifies Form, and Netzach is Force. On the pillar of Severity: Binah is Form; Geburah below that is Force, while Hod at the bottom is Form. The middle Pillar of Equilibrium is made up of Kether, Tiphereth, Yesod, and Malkuth, and represents a balance between the two outside Pillars.
Furthermore, the paths between the Sephiroth can be identified as activating (force), formative (form), or balancing. These paths work to provide horizontal balance and vertical support between the opposing Sephiroth. We mentioned the path of Aleph, the Fool, as an active force, and the path of Beth, the Magician, as formative. The path of Heh between Chokmah and Tiphereth (attributed to the Star card of the Tarot) is formative. The path of Zain (the Lovers tarot card) between Binah and Tiphereth is activating. And so on down the Tree. The horizontal paths of Daleth (represented by the Empress card of the Tarot), Teth (the Lust card), and Peh (The Tower card), act as a balance between the activating and formative paths around them, and also as a support between the Sephiroth of Force and Form at each of the outer Pillars.
It is natural to think of Force and Form as opposites, and they do appear to work against each other in various ways. However, it is more accurate to say that Force and Form complement each other. They tend to balance each other out within the limits of the material world and the laws of physics. Think of it as a Yin-Yang relationship which is constantly in flux between the two extremes but bound by laws of change that keep them locked together.
That element of balance between Force and Form is important. We could not have one without the other in some proportion. A world that is all Force would be unstructured and wild, with uncontrolled energy flowing without direction or purpose. A world that is all Form would be black, lifeless and motionless, without change or variation. The two combined in a shifting but balanced way is what gives us the dynamic and ever changing world.
In Hindu philosophy there is the concept of the Three Gunas: Rajas as activity, Tamas as stability, and Sattva as balance. These three are in constant flux, as Rajas (representing Force) pushes forward with Sulphur and energy, and Tamas (as Form) slows everything down with inertia and stability, while Sattva brings balance and prevents either of the other two from getting the upper hand. This threefold model ties back to what was said earlier about the three Pillars on the Tree of Life and the active, formative, and balancing paths.
When Force and form are discussed at an intellectual and abstract level, as mere symbolic concepts, it keeps them at arms length, when in reality they are a close part of our daily experience. Magicians live in the real world, a physical manifestation of Malkuth in Assiah, and so it is helpful for us to look at these concepts more pragmatically.
The natural world is full of examples of this balance and interdependency of Force and Form. Water flows downward by the path of least resistance due to the force of gravity and in accord with the nature of liquid. The banks of a river bed provide the form that determines the path and shape that the water takes. The plumbing and pipes in a house are the form or structure that directs the flow of the running water into our homes. Weather systems naturally move from areas of high pressure to low pressure, and the resulting force of the wind moving through a valley or over a mountain is affected by the form of the geography.
As ritualists, we interact with Force and Form all the time. Our bodies are a perfect example of the interplay between Force and Form. When we sit in various poses or asanas for yoga and meditation, we are exhibiting form (lower case). When we move our bodies in specific and precise ways during ritual it is always within the limitations and constraints of our bodies, as examples of Form (upper case).
We work with Force as it presents itself to us through our senses and physical body. We find Force in photon particles, waves of light, vibration, sound, heat, and the more subtle powers of will, intention, ecstasy, chi, life power, strength, and endurance. Our experience of that force may feel as though it is originating from outside or perhaps at times from within ourselves, but it is actually passing through us. In the transformative magical work we do, we become a conduit for energy.
It is important to note that any energetic movement from one state to another works in tandem with the restrictions on that force. This demonstrates the macrocosmic Force and Form that we understand symbolically in the Tree of Life. We experience these symbols directly as they extend into the microcosmic reality of the physical world.
In all cases, force is being limited or shaped or controlled to some extent by the form it takes. That form also gives it purpose or function. Water assumes the shape of the interior of the cup in which it rests. The form of the cup makes it easy for us to drink from or pour. A pile of cloth becomes a tent only when the rigidity and structure of poles, ropes, and stakes are applied to give it shape.
Any force is naturally drawn to a form that is suitable to its nature, that is, to the degree that the form is receptive to that force. This principle of “Force following Form” is especially relevant to the practice of magick. The effectiveness of magical force is directly related to the precision of ritual form, and because force follows form in principle, it is important for magicians to understand and practice good ritual form as a reflection of that higher Form.
By ritual form, I am speaking here about the common ones of posture, controlled movement, speech and silence. Moving smoothly and efficiently and only when required by the ritual. Speaking boldly or softly and only as required. Vibrating sacred names. Performing these things mindfully and with no deviation from the instructed version. Really, form includes all the minute details of basic temple decorum that creates a sacred space.
Force and form are interdependent, and you can’t have one without the other. If you have to choose one or the other on which to place your focus, always pick form. There is no downside to having correct form when it comes to ritual. Remember: force follows form. The precision and control of the form used during a pentagram ritual, for example, will tend to define and enhance the effectiveness of the Force you work with. Form, when done correctly, will draw energy to it even when the practitioner is mentally distracted or on auto-pilot, so as a general rule it’s better to have good form than bad.
Conversely, a magician can have access to all the power in the universe, but when they pull it down and project it through a half-hearted, weak, or sloppy form, the results are disappointing. This is straight out of Crowley’s theory of magick in Book 4:
“ANY required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of Force, in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper object.”
Understanding that Force follows Form, then, it makes sense that Form can also attract Force. Another quote from the theory of magick in Book 4:
“He may attract to himself any force of the Universe by making himself a fit receptacle for it, establishing a connection with it, and arranging conditions so that its nature compels it to flow toward him.”
This echoes the line “If you build it, they will come” from the film Field of Dreams. Nature abhors a vacuum, and by creating an empty vessel which is made ready to receive, one can act as a lightning rod for drawing down magical force for whatever is the objective of the operation.
This principle has also been referred to in relation to Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel. Reasonable people may differ on whether the Holy Guardian Angel is something outside of ourselves that must be attracted, but in simple terms the nature of the Great Work is such that we prepare ourselves as a perfected empty vessel through our work and devotion. When the time is right, and we have created that sacred and welcoming space within us with the proper form, the force that is the HGA has no choice but to respond.
In closing, I want to emphasize that Force and Form are not abstracted concepts by which we should simply sit back in our armchairs and formulate their hypothetical relationships. They certainly have a theoretical basis going back to Kether, the One Source, the Big Bang, or whatever you want to call it, but Force and Form are wholly represented by physical laws in the real world. They exist too in our magical work as real, activating, and formative processes. As we become aware of this interplay, and understand how Force and Form operate in our own practices, they become available to us here and now as tools to help make our rituals and our magick more effective.