Editing Magic square (section)

==Magic squares in occultism==
Magic squares of order 3 through 9, assigned to the seven planets, and described as means to attract the influence of planets and their angels (or demons) during magical practices, can be found in several manuscripts all around Europe starting at least since the 15th century. Among the best known, the ''Liber de Angelis'', a magical handbook written around 1440, is included in Cambridge Univ. Lib. MS Dd.xi.45.<ref>See Juris Lidaka, ''The Book of Angels, Rings, Characters and Images of the Planets'' in ''Conjuring Spirits'', C. Fangier ed. (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1994)</ref> The text of the ''Liber de Angelis'' is very close to that of ''De septem quadraturis planetarum seu quadrati magici'', another handbook of planetary image magic contained in the Codex 793 of the Biblioteka Jagiellońska (Ms BJ 793).<ref>Benedek Láng, ''Demons in Krakow, and Image Magic in a Magical Handbook'', in ''Christian Demonology and Popular Mythology'', Gábor Klaniczay and Éva Pócs eds. (Central European University Press, 2006)</ref> The magical operations involve engraving the appropriate square on a plate made with the metal assigned to the corresponding planet,<ref>According to the correspondence principle, each of the seven planets is associated to a given metal: lead to Saturn, iron to Mars, gold to the Sun, etc.</ref> as well as performing a variety of rituals. For instance, the 3×3 square, that belongs to Saturn, has to be inscribed on a lead plate. It will, in particular, help women during a difficult childbirth.

In about 1510 [[Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa]] wrote ''De Occulta Philosophia'', drawing on the [[Hermeticism|Hermetic]] and [[Magic (paranormal)|magical]] works of [[Marsilio Ficino]] and [[Pico della Mirandola]]. In its 1531 edition, he expounded on the magical virtues of the seven magical squares of orders 3 to 9, each associated with one of the [[astrology|astrological]] planets, much in the same way as the older texts did. This book was very influential throughout Europe until the [[Counter-Reformation]], and Agrippa's magic squares, sometimes called kameas, continue to be used within modern ceremonial magic in much the same way as he first prescribed.<ref name="DruryDict">{{cite book |last=Drury |first=Nevill |author-link=Nevill Drury |title=Dictionary of Mysticism and the Esoteric Traditions |year=1992 |location=Bridport, Dorset |publisher=Prism Press |isbn=978-1-85327-075-8}}</ref>

[[Image:Hagiel sigil derivation.svg|thumb|The derivation of the [[Sigil (magic)|sigil]] of Hagiel, the [[planetary intelligence]] of [[Venus (astrology)|Venus]], drawn on the magic square of Venus. Each [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] letter provides a numerical value, giving the vertices of the sigil.]]
The most common use for these kameas is to provide a pattern upon which to construct the sigils of spirits, [[angel]]s or [[demon]]s; the letters of the entity's name are converted into numbers, and lines are traced through the pattern that these successive numbers make on the kamea.
In a magical context, the term ''magic square'' is also applied to a variety of [[word square]]s or number squares found in magical [[grimoire]]s, including some that do not follow any obvious pattern, and even those with differing numbers of rows and columns. They are generally intended for use as talismans. For instance the following squares are: The [[Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas|Sator square]], one of the most famous magic squares found in a number of grimoires including the ''[[Key of Solomon]]''; a square "to overcome envy", from ''The Book of Power'';<ref>"The Book of Power: Cabbalistic Secrets of Master Aptolcater, Mage of Adrianople", transl. 1724. In {{cite book |last=Shah |first=Idries |author-link=Idries Shah |year=1957 |title=The Secret Lore of Magic |location=London |publisher=Frederick Muller Ltd}}</ref> and two squares from ''[[The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage]]'', the first to cause the illusion of a superb palace to appear, and the second to be worn on the head of a child during an angelic [[invocation]]:

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