960 – Slate Altar with hexagrams and triangles

Physical description:
Large dark grey slate altar slab with 6-pointed star and triangles in bright colours.
Museum classification:
Sanders Collection
Size:
450 x 900 x 20 mm
Information:

This altar slab was made by Alex Sanders. It was given by Alex to Mary Rands, a witch and friend of his. Mary kindly donated it to the Museum in 1998.

The triangles represent the four elements: 

Red triangle (bottom) = fire

Blue triangle (left hand side) = water

Black triangle with line through it (top) = earth

Green triangle with line through it (right hand side) = air (air is usually represented by a yellow triangle though so this may be a different system)

The hexagram or six pointed star represents the macrocosm or universe in Ritual Magic.  In the Golden Dawn system, the colours usually relate to the planets.  It is possible that Alex Sanders created an altar based on his understanding of the Golden Dawn ritual of the hexagram (banishing or invoking).

In the bottom left hand corner is a white strip.  Inside this strip the words "MAGUS OZ" are carved.  A magus is a master magician (or magickian) and one of the highest grades or orders in the Golden Dawn.

OZ may refer to Liber OZ, written by Aleister Crowley and published in 1941.  

Alex claimed to have owned all of the Carfax Monographs which were written by Kenneth and Steffi Grant between 1959 and 1962.  The Grants were leading members of the OTO and Thelemites.

Alex Sanders definitely had a copy of one of the Carfax Monographs (written by Kenneth and Steffi Grant) in his papers.  This document can be found in the Museum archive: document 1914.  It is a hugely admiring text written about Crowley.  Alex also claimed to have owned an incense censer which had once been Crowley's, see object number 852.

Resource:
Object
Materials:
Slate

This altar slab was made by Alex Sanders. It was given by Alex to Mary Rands, a witch and friend of his. Mary kindly donated it to the Museum in 1998.

The triangles represent the four elements: 

Red triangle (bottom) = fire

Blue triangle (left hand side) = water

Black triangle with line through it (top) = earth

Green triangle with line through it (right hand side) = air (air is usually represented by a yellow triangle though so this may be a different system)

The hexagram or six pointed star represents the macrocosm or universe in Ritual Magic.  In the Golden Dawn system, the colours usually relate to the planets.  It is possible that Alex Sanders created an altar based on his understanding of the Golden Dawn ritual of the hexagram (banishing or invoking).

In the bottom left hand corner is a white strip.  Inside this strip the words "MAGUS OZ" are carved.  A magus is a master magician (or magickian) and one of the highest grades or orders in the Golden Dawn.

OZ may refer to Liber OZ, written by Aleister Crowley and published in 1941.  

Alex claimed to have owned all of the Carfax Monographs which were written by Kenneth and Steffi Grant between 1959 and 1962.  The Grants were leading members of the OTO and Thelemites.

Alex Sanders definitely had a copy of one of the Carfax Monographs (written by Kenneth and Steffi Grant) in his papers.  This document can be found in the Museum archive: document 1914.  It is a hugely admiring text written about Crowley.  Alex also claimed to have owned an incense censer which had once been Crowley's, see object number 852.