The “WIZARD’S” HAT

"And now we come to treat of the Consecrations which, men ought to make upon all instruments and things necessary to be used in this Art: and the virtue of this Consecration most chiefly consists in two things; to wit, in the power of the person consecrating, and by the virtue of the prayer by which the Consecration is made. For in the person consecrating, there is required holiness of Life, and power of sanctifying: both which are acquired by Dignification and Initiation. And that the person himself should with a firm and undoubted faith believe the virtue, power, and efficacie hereof. And then in the Prayer itself by which this Consecration is made, there is required the like holiness; which either solely consisteth in the prayer itself, as, if it be by divine inspiration ordained to this purpose, such as we have in many places of the holy Bible; or that it be hereunto instituted through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the ordination of the Church. Otherwise there is in the Prayer a Sanctimony, which is not only by itself, but by the commemoration of holy things; as, the commemoration of holy Scriptures, Histories, Works, Miracles, Effects, Graces, Promises, Sacraments and Sacramental things, and the like. Which things, by a certain similitude, do seem properly or improperly to appertain to the thing consecrated."    -Agrippa’s Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy

The master of the art should have a crown made of virgin paper… -The Key of Solomon

The other materials are a scepter or sword; a miter or cap, a long white robe of linen, with shoes and other clothes for this purpose. – The Lemgeton (Goetia)

The “WIZARD’S” HAT

"How dare she!!"

I decided to add another section for magical tool/vestment creation. Due in part to a continued observance to Solomonic ritual magick and those who are interested in pursuing it in a more traditional way, and also as an enjoy jib toward a newly acquired magical acquaintance who just LOVES “overdressed over ego'ed wannabe powerful magicians!!” ;-)

HISTORY:

“The mitre (/ˈmaɪtər/; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban"), also spelled miter, is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops and certain abbots in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in the Anglican Communion, some Lutheran churches, and also bishops and certain other clergy in the Eastern Orthodox churches, Eastern Catholic Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Metropolitan of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church also wears a mitre during important ceremonies such as the Episcopal Consecration.”

“The word μίτρα, mítra, (or, in its Ionic form, μίτρη, mítrē) first appears in Greek and signifies either of several garments: a kind of waist girdle worn under a cuirass, as mentioned in Homer's Iliad; a headband used by women for their hair; a sort of formal Babylonian head dress, as mentioned by Herodotus (Histories 1.195 and 7.90). The former two meanings have been etymologically connected with the word μίτος, mítos, "thread", but the connection is tenuous at best; the latter word is probably a loan from Old Persian.

The priestly mitre or turban (Hebrew mitznefet מִצְנֶפֶת) was the head covering worn by the Jewish High Priest when he served in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Hebrew word mitznefet (מִצְנֶפֶת) has been translated as "mitre" (KJV) or "headdress". It was most likely a "turban", as the word comes from the root "to wrap".

The turban worn by the High Priest was much larger than the head coverings of the priests and wound so that it formed a broad, flat-topped turban, resembling the blossom of a flower. The head covering of the priests was different, being wound so that it formed a cone-shaped turban, and called a migbahat.

The priestly crown (Hebrew tzitz צִיץ "blossom" "flower") was attached to the turban by means of two sets of blue cords: one going over the top of the head and the other around the sides of the head at the level of the ears (Exodus 39:31).

The camelaucum (Greek: καμιλαύκιον, kamilaukion), the headdress both the mitre and the Papal tiara stem from, was originally a cap used by officials of the Imperial Byzantine court. "The tiara [from which the mitre originates] probably developed from the Phrygian cap, or frigium, a conical cap worn in the Graeco-Roman world. In the 10th century the tiara was pictured on papal coins."
Worn by a bishop, the mitre is depicted for the first time in two miniatures of the beginning of the eleventh century. The first written mention of it is found in a Bull of Pope Leo IX in the year 1049. By 1150 the use had spread to bishops throughout the West; by the 14th century the tiara was decorated with three crowns.

In its modern form in Western Christianity, the mitre is a tall folding cap, consisting of two similar parts (the front and back) rising to a peak and sewn together at the sides. Two short lappets always hang down from the back.

In the Catholic Church, the right to wear the mitre is confined by Canon law to bishops and to abbots, as it appears in the ceremony of consecration of a bishop and blessing of an abbot. Cardinals are now normally supposed to be bishops (since the time of Pope John XXIII), but even cardinals who are not bishops and who have been given special permission by the pope to decline consecration as bishops may wear the mitre. Other prelates have been granted the use of the mitre by special privilege, but this is no longer done, except in the case of an Ordinary of a Personal Ordinariate (even if he is a priest only). Former distinctions between "mitred abbots" and "non-mitred abbots" have been abolished.

The most typical mitre in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches is based on the closed Imperial crown of the late Byzantine Empire. Therefore, it too is ultimately based on the older καμιλαύκιον although it diverged from the secular headdress at a much later date, after it had already undergone further development. The crown form was not used by bishops until after the fall of Constantinople (1453).

The Eastern mitre is made in the shape of a bulbous crown, completely enclosed, and the material is of brocade, damask or cloth of gold. It may also be embroidered, and is often richly decorated with jewels. There are normally four icons attached to the mitre (often of Christ, the Theotokos, John the Baptist and the Cross), which the bishop may kiss before he puts it on. Eastern mitres are usually gold, but other liturgical colours may be used.

The mitre is topped by a cross, either made out of metal and standing upright, or embroidered in cloth and lying flat on the top. In Greek practice, the mitres of all bishops are topped with a standing cross. The same is true in the Russian tradition. Mitres awarded to priests will have the cross lying flat. Sometimes, instead of the flat cross, the mitre may have an icon on the top.

Elaborately embroidered Eastern Orthodox mitre, 1715.

As an item of Imperial regalia, along with other such items as the sakkos (Imperial dalmatic) and epigonation, the mitre came to signify the temporal authority of bishops (especially that of the Patriarch of Constantinople) within the administration of the Rum millet (i.e., the Christian community) of the Ottoman Empire. The mitre is removed at certain solemn moments during the Divine Liturgy and other services, usually being removed and replaced by the protodeacon.

The use of the mitre is a prerogative of bishops, but it may be awarded to archpriests, protopresbyters and archimandrites. The priestly mitre is not surmounted by a cross, and is awarded at the discretion of a synod of bishops.”

The Solomonic Magus cap, mitre or crown.

The KoS and Lemegeton calls for a head piece to be worn during magical evocation. Such ritual attire is noted elsewhere but you get your most detailed instructions in the KoS:

Besides this, the master of the art should have a crown made of virgin paper, upon the which should be written these four names:&mdash JEHOVA, in front; ADONAI behind; EL on the right; and GIBOR on the left. These names should be written with the ink and pen of the art, whereof we shall speak in the proper chapter. The disciples should also each have a crown of virgin paper whereon these divine symbols should be marked in scarlet. 

       Note:  “Aub24 and K288. EL GIBOR is Hebrew for "mighty God". For some reason Mathers silently departs from the manuscripts, reading: "YOD, HE, VAU, HE, in front; ADONAI behind; EL on the right; and ELOHIM on the left." Ad. 10862 reads, "inscribe these four names: Adonaÿ, Jeova, Il, Gabor." Ad. 36674: "...AGAA; AGAY; AGALTHA* [In Marg: *Aglatha]; AGLAOTH." –JHP

 

The Goetia just mentions a cap or miter which can be your standard linen Catholic Miter (mitra simplex), Jewish turban miter, or probably any significant clerical headdress of the western granted that it’s white and should be of a similar material composition as the robe.

A great way to utilize the holy names from the KoS and personal headdress style is to choose a portion of white linen or silk material (possibly the same that was used to make your robe) and attach (sew) the parchment crown to the base of the material.

So to create this magical headpiece vestment you would want to first select a piece of parchment and consecrate it towards its use. Measure the circumference of your head and allow a small bit of extra space and get an idea of where you would like the crown/miter to sit on your head. You can experiment a bit with this by using regular paper cut into strips to get it right before cutting the parchment. Once you have the length, space out the holy names to your liking so they evenly reflect the front, back, and two sides of your head. I use the red cinnabar ink that is useed for magick sigils and holy names for my BOS separated by black crosses with the black ink. This forms a nice little “magic circle” directly around your most centered and important magical tool. You’ll obviously want a bit of extra material so you can attach (sew) the parchment together making small holes and perhaps using a bit of white or red silk thread. However…if your adding the silk or linen headdress piece, don’t sew it together quite yet.

The next part will be to decide what sort of magician or wizard hat you want to have. The classical cone shape is easiest and can be seen with good examples of the “conjures” found in Esoteric Archives and included in the front of Peterson’s Lemegeton book. It’s your classical wizard’s hat with the conical shape and buffer brim near the forehead. There are two basic ways to make this one: 1. Simply cut out a triangle with the base measuring just past (enough to sew) the measurement of the length of your crown parchment. The length can be about any you desire, although I think it looks silly if it is too tall. About 5 to 7 inches is plenty and will give it more height than you can initially tell. Once you have this, simply fold the fabric in two and stitch up one side of the length. 2. Cut two pieces of fabric the base of which measures half the length of your original parchment and sew up the two sides of the length.

Another version you can use is almost like the chef’s hat or turban where it puffs out on the sides. This one can be a bit more complicated to sew in order for it to look nice, but the best way I’ve found is to cut several small triangles together so that they form a natural dome around the top and once that is done, sew the top together. Don’t forget to turn the fabric “inside out” so that the proper shape can be seen with the rough sewn edges hidden in the inside of the hat.

Once the basic pattern for the linen or silk is sewn, you’ll want to attach it to the parchment crown in two ways. First, you’ll want to sew or otherwise attach the crown with a small part of the fabric of the hat showing at the bottom. Next, you’ll want to sew the top fabric part together, do one more check on how it will fit on your head, mark it and then sew the fabric and crown “ring” together. The last part will be to sew or attach the small piece of fabric around at the very bottom part of the sharp parchment crown to create a soft buffer.

 










There! Your basic Solomonic magical hat is complete! If you so desire, you can also attach lappets or strips of material 2-3 inches wide and roughly a foot long on the back. To do this you would want to sew them directly to the parchment and material if possible. Tassels can be added on the end for the complete fancy show. As most of you have seen, I added the All Seeing Eye to my first miter and also the planetary and astrological sign symbols to my lappets on the underside, and additional Hexagrams of Solomon to the backs. All personal touches and not needed. I advise consecrating the magical hat when it’s completed in addition to anointing the forehead before serious magical operations as these further sacraments will only further the “fire in the head” that is generated by the ceremonial magician.