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MTP, Part 2
Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley
1988 e.v. key entry and proof reading with re-format and conversion from XYWrite to 7-bit ASCII on 1/90 e.v.
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(further proof reading desirable)
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CHAPTER XIV
OF THE CONSECRATIONS:
WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE
NATURE AND NURTURE OF THE MAGICAL LINK.
I
Consecration is the active dedication of a thing to a single purpose. Banishing prevents its use any other purpose, but it remains inert until consecrated. Purification is performed by water, n aishing by air, whose weapon is the sword. Consecration is performed by fire, usually symbolisd y heholy lamp.<<The general conception is that the three active elements co-operate to affect erth bu eath itself may be employed as an instrument. Its function is solidification. The use ofthe entale i indeed very necessary in some types of operation, especially those whose object invoves mnifesationin matter, and the fixation in (more or less) permanent form of the subtle forces f Natue.>>
In most extant magical rituals the two operations are performed at once; or (at least) the banishhas the more important place, and greater pains seem to be taken with it; but as the student advacst Adeptship the banishing will diminish in importance, for it will no longer be so necessary. heCicl of the Magician will have been perfected by his habit of Magical work. In the truest sens oftha wod, he will never step outside the Circle during his whole life. But the consecration, bing he apliction of a positive force, can always be raised to a closer approximation to perfectio. Copletesucces in banishing is soon attained; but there can be no completeness in the advance t holinss. {06}
The method of consecration is very simple. Take the wand, or the holy oil, and draw upon the objto be consecrated the supreme symbol of the force to which you dedicate it. Confirm this dedicato nwords, invoking the appropriate God to indwell that pure temple which you have prepared for Hi. Doths with fervour and love, as if to balance the icy detachment which is the proper mental atttud fo baishing.<<The Hebrew legends furnish us with the reason for the respective virtues of watr an fir. Te world was purified by water at the Deluge, and will be consecrated by fire at the lst Jugment Notuntil that is finished can the "real ceremony" begin.>>
The words of purification are: Asperges me, Therion, hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivealbabor.
Those of consecration are: Accendat in nobis Therion ignem sui amoris et flammam aeternae caritat<These may now advantageously be replaced by (a) "... pure will, unassuaged of purpose, deliveredfo he lust of result, is every way perfect." (CCXX, I, 44) to banish; and (b) "I am uplifted in tin har; and the kisses of the stars rain hard upon thy body." (CCXX, II, 62) to consecrate. For he ookof he Law contains the Supreme Spells.>>
These, as initiates of the VII Degree of O.T.O. are aware, mean more than appears.
II
It is a strange circumstance that no Magical writer has hitherto treated the immensely important ect of the Magical Link. It might almost be called the Missing Link. It has apparently always be aen for granted, only lay writers on Magick like Dr. J. G. Frazer have accorded the subject itsful mprtance.
Let us try to make considerations of the nature of Magick in a strictly scientific spirit, as wel, deprived of the guidance of antiquity, we may.
What is a Magical Operation? It may be defined as any event in nature which is brought to pass bll. We must not exclude potato-growing or banking from our definition. {107}
Let us take a very simple example of a Magical Act: that of a man blowing his nose. What are theditions of the success of the Operation? Firstly, that the man's Will should be to blow his nose;scnly, that he should have a nose capable of being blown; thirdly, that he should have at commandanapartus capable of expressing his spiritual Will in terms of material force, and applying that orc totheobject which he desires to affect. His Will may be as strong and concentrated as that o Jupter,and is nose may be totally incapable of resistance; but unless the link is made by the us of hs neres an muscles in accordance with psychological, physiological, and physical law, the noe willremainunblow through all eternity.
Writers of Magick have been unsparing in their efforts to instruct us in the preparation of the W but they seem to have imagined that no further precaution was necessary. There is a striking caeo n epidemic of this error whose history is familiar to everybody. I refer to Christian Science ad hecognate doctrines of "mental healing" and the like. The theory of such people, stripped ofdogati fubelows, is perfectly good Magic of its kind, its negroid kind. The idea is correct enouh: mtteris a illusion created by Will through mind, and consequently susceptible of alteration atthe bhest f itscreator. But the practice has been lacking. They have not developed a scientifictechniue forapplyig the Will. It is as if they expected the steam of Watts' kettle to convey peole fromplace t place ithout the trouble of inventing and using locomotives.
Let us apply these considerations to Magick in its restricted sense, the sense in which it was al understood until the Master Therion extended it to cover the entire operations of Nature.
What is the theory implied in such rituals as those of the Goetia? What does the Magician do? Hplies himself to invoke a God, and this God compels the appearance of a spirit whose function is oprorm the Will of the magician at the moment. There is no trace of what may be called machineryinth mthod. The exorcist hardly takes the pains of preparing a material basis for the spirit to ncanat exept the bare connection {108} of himself with his sigil. It is apparently assumed that he siritalredy possesses the means of working on matter. The conception seems to be that of a scoolbo who sks hs father to tell the butler to do something for him. In other words, the theory i grossy animstic. The savage tribes described by Frazer had a far more scientific theory. The sae may b said o witche, who appear to have been wiser than the thaumaturgists who despised them. hey at last madewaxen imges --- identified by baptism --- of the people they wished to control. hey at lest used apropriatebases for Magical manifestations, such as blood and other vehicles of nimal forc, with thoe of vegetble virtue such as herbs. They were also careful to put their bewiched producs into actul contact -- material or astral --- with their victims. The classical exorists, on thecontrary, fo all their larning, were careless about this essential condition. They ated as stupidy as people wo should writ business letters and omit to post them.
It is not too much to say that this failure to understand the conditions of success accounts for discredit into which Magick fell until Eliphas Levi undertook the task of re-habilitating it two eeaions ago. But even he (profoundly as he studied, and luminously as he expounded, the nature o Mgik onsidered as a universal formula) paid no attention whatever to that question of the Magica Lik, houh he everywhere implies that it is essential to the Work. He evaded the question by makng te "ptiti principii" of assigning to the Astral Light the power of transmitting vibrations of ll kids. e nowere enters into detail as to how its effects are produced. He does not inform us s to te qualtativeor quantitative laws of this light. (The scientifically trained student will oserve te analoy betwen Levi's postulate and that of ordinary science "in re" the luminiferous ethr.)
It is deplorable that nobody should have recorded in a systematic form the results of our investions of the Astral Light. We have no account of its properties or of the laws which obtain in itsshr. Yet these are sufficiently remarkable. We may briefly notice that, in the Astral Light, tw o mreobjects can {109} occupy the same space at the same time without interfering with each othe orlosng heir outlines.
In that Light, objects can change their appearance completely without suffering change of Nature.e same thing can reveal itself in an infinite number of different aspects; in fact, it identifiesisl by so doing, much as a writer or a painter reveals himself in a succession of novels or pictues echof which is wholly himself and nothing else, but himself under varied conditions, though eah apeas uterly different from its fellows. In that Light one is "swift without feet and flying wthou wins"; ne can travel without moving, and communicate without conventional means of expressio. On is isensile to heat, cold, pain, and other forms of apprehension, at least in the shapes whch arefamilir to u in our bodily vehicles. They exist, but they are appreciated by us, and they ffect u, in a ifferen manner. In the Astral Light we are bound by what is, superficially, an entrely diferent seies of lws. We meet with obstacles of a strange and subtle character; and we ovecome themby an enegy and cuning of an order entirely alien to that which serves us in earthly lif. In thatLight, symols are no conventions but realities, yet (on the contrary) the beings whom w encounter re only symols of the ealities of our own nature. Our operations in that Light are relly the advetures of ourown personifed thoughts. The universe is a projection of ourselves; an iage as unrealas that of ou faces in a mrror, yet, like that face, the necessary form of expressio thereof, not o be altered sve as we alterourselves.<<This passage must not be understood as asseting that the Uiverse is purel subjective. O the contrary, the Magical Theory accepts the absolue reality of allthings in the mot objective sens. But all perceptions are neither the observer nr the observed; tey are representaions of the relaton between them. We cannot affirm any qualityin an object as beng independent of ur sensorium, or a being in itself that which it seems to us. Nor can we assume hat what we cognizeis more than a partal phantom of its cause. We cannot evendetermine the meanin of such ideas as moion, or distinguish etween time and space, except in relaion to some particula observer. For exampe, if I fire a cannontwice at an interval of 3 hours, a observer on the Sun wuld note a difference f some 200,000 miles i space between the shots, whileto me they seem "in thesame place." Moreover,I am incapable of perceving any phenomenon except b means of the arbitrary nstruments of my senses;it is thus correct to sa that the Universe as I kow it is subjective, withut denying its objectivit.>> The mirror may {110}be distorted, dull, cluded, or cracked; and to tis extent, the reflection f ourselves may be false een in respect of it symbolic presentation. Inthat Light, therefore, all hat we do is to discover ouselves by means f a sequence of hieroglyphic, and the changes which we aparently operate are in an ojective senseillusions.
But the Light servers us in this way. It enables us to see ourselves, and therefore to aid us totiate ourselves by showing us what we are doing. In the same way a watchmaker uses a lens, thoug teaggerates and thus falsifies the image of the system of wheels which he is trying to adjust. n hesae way, a writer employs arbitrary characters according to a meaningless convention in orderto nabe hs reader by retranslating them to obtain an approximation to his idea.
Such are a few of the principal characteristics Astral Light. Its quantitative laws are much lesssimilar from those of material physics. Magicians have too often been foolish enough to supposeta ll classes of Magical Operations were equally easy. They seem to have assumed that the "almigtypoerof God" was an infinite quantity in presence of which all finites were equally insignifican. Onedayis with the Lord as a thousand years" is their first law of Motion. "Faith can move moutain" thy sa, and disdain to measure either the faith or the mountains. If you can kill a chicke by Mgick,why nt destroy an army with equal exertion? "With God all things are possible."
This absurdity is an error of the same class as that mentioned above. The facts are wholly oppos Two and two make four in the Astral as rigorously as anywhere else. The distance of one's Magicltret and the accuracy of one's Magical rifle are factors in the success of one's Magical shootin i jstthe same way as at Bisley. The law of Magical gravitation is as rigid as that of Newton. he aw f Iverse Squares may not apply; but some {111} such law does apply. So it is for everythin. Yu canot roduce a thunderstorm unless the materials exist in the air at the time, and a Magicin whocouldmake ain in Cumberland might fail lamentably in the Sahara. One might make a talisman o win he lov of a hop-girl and find it work, yet be baffled in the case of a countess; or vice vesa. On might mpose oe's Will on a farm, and be crushed by that of a city; or vice versa. The MATER THERON himsef, with ll his successes in every kind of Magick, sometimes appears utterly impotnt to perorm featswhich almst any amateur might do, because He has matched his Will against that f the worl, having udertaken te Work of a Magus to establish the word of His Law on the whole of ankind. Hewill succee, without dubt, but He hardly expects to see more than a sample of His prodct during Hi present incrnation. Bu He refuses to waste the least fraction of His force on worksforeign to Hi WORK, howeve obvious it my seem to the onlooker that His advantage lies in commandig stones to beome bread, or therwise makin things easy for Himself.
These considerations being thoroughly understood we may return to the question of making the MagiLink. In the case above cited FRATER PERDURABO composed His talisman by invoking His Holy GuardinAgl according to the Sacred Magick of Abramelin the Mage. That Angel wrote on the lamen the Wor o te eon. The Book of the Law is this writing. To this lamen the Master Therion gave life by dvotng is wn life thereto. We may then regard this talisman, the Law, as the most powerful that hs ben mae inthe world's history, for previous talismans of the same type have been limited in ther scoe by onditons of race and country. Mohammed's talisman, Allah, was good only from Persia tothe Pilars o Hercues. The Buddha's, Anatta, operated only in the South and East of Asia. The ne talismn, Thelma, is aster of the planet.
But now observe how the question of the Magical Link arises! No matter how mighty the truth of Tma, it cannot prevail unless it is applied to any by mankind. As long as the Book of the Law wasi auscript, it could only affect the small group amongst whom it was circulated. It had to be pu itoacion by {112} the Magical Operation of publishing it. When this was done, it was done withot pope pefection. Its commands as to how the work ought to be done were not wholly obeyed. Ther wer dout an repugnance in FRATER PERDURABO's mind, and they hampered His work. He was half-heared. et, een sothen intrinsic power of the truth of the Law and the impact of the publication wer suffiient t shakethe world so that a critical war broke out, and the minds of men were moved in mysterous maner. Th second blow was struck by the re-publication of the Book in September 1913,and thistime themight ofthis Magick burst out and caused a catastrophe to civilization. At this our, the ASTER THEION is cocealed, collecting his forces for a final blow. When The Book of the aw and itsComment ispublished,with the forces of His whole Will in perfect obedience to the instrctions whic have up tonow been miunderstood or neglected, the result will be incalculably effectie. The even will establsh the kingdm of the Crowned and Conquering Child over the whole earth, ad all men shal bow to the aw, which is love under will".
This is an extreme case; but there is one law only to govern the small as the great. The same laescribe and measure the motions of the ant and the stars. Their light is no swifter than that ofasak. In every operation of Magick the link must be properly made. The first requisite is the aqusiio of adequate force of the kind required for the purpose. We must have electricity of a cerainpotntil in sufficient amount if we wish to heat food in a furnace. We shall need a more intene curentand greater supply to light a city than to charge a telephone wire. No other kind of foce wil do. We cnnot use the force of steam directly to impel an aeroplane, or to get drunk. We mst appy it i adequte strength in an appropriate manner.
It is therefore absurd to invoke the spirit of Venus to procure us the love of an Empress, unlesstake measures to transmit the influence of our work to the lady. We may for example consecrate alte expressing our Will; or, if we know how, we may use some object connected with the person whoe ct w are attempting to control, such as a lock of hair or a handkerchief {113} once belonging t he, ad s in subtile connection with her aura. But for material ends it is better to have materil mens. We mst not rely on fine gut in trolling for salmon. Our will to kill a tiger is poorly cnveye by acharg of small shot fired at a range of one hundred yards. Our talisman must, therefor, be a objec suitale to the nature of our Operation, and we must have some such means of applyingits fore to suh a wayas will naturally compel the obedience of the portion of Nature which we aretrying t change. If one ill the death of a sinner, it is not sufficient to hate him, even if we gant that he vibratons of thught, when sufficiently powerful and pure, may modify the Astral lightsufficienty to impres its intetion to a certain extent on such people as happen to be sensitive. It is much urer to useone's mind nd muscle in service of that hate by devising and making a dagge, and then aplying the dgger to the eart of one's enemy. One must give one's hate a bodily form f the same orer as that whch one's enem has taken for his manifestation. Your spirit can only coe into contactwith his by mens of this magcal manufacture of phantoms; in the same way, one can oly measure one' mind (a certai part of it) aginst another man's by expressing them in some such frm as the game o chess. One canot use chessmen gainst another man unless he agree to use them inthe same sense asyou do. The boar and men form theMagical Link by which you can prove your powerto constrain him t yield. The game s a device by whic you force him to turn down his king in surender, a muscular at made in obedienceto your will, thougt he may be twice your weight and strengh.
These general principles should enable the student to understand the nature of the work of making Magical Link. It is impossible to give detailed instructions, because every case demands separaecnideration. It is sometimes exceedingly difficult to devise proper measures.
Remember that Magick includes all acts soever. Anything may serve as a Magical weapon. To impose's Will on a nation, for instance, one's talisman may be a newspaper, one's triangle a church, o n' circle a Club. To win a woman, one's {114} pantacle may be a necklace; to discover a treasur, nes and may be a dramatist's pen, or one's incantation a popular song.
Many ends, many means: it is only important to remember the essence of the operation, which is tol its success with sufficiently pure intensity, and to incarnate that will in a body suitable to xrs it, a body such that its impact on the bodily expression of the idea one wills to change is t cus i to do so. For instance, is it my will to become a famous physician? I banish all "hostil sprit" sch as laziness, alien interests, and confliction pleasures, from my "circle" the hospita; I onseratemy "weapons" (my various abilities) to the study of medicine; I invoke the "Gods" (meical uthorties)by studying and obeying their laws in their books. I embody the "Formulae" (the wys in hich cuses ad effects influence disease) in a "Ritual" (my personal style of constraining sckness o confom with y will). I persist in these conjurations year after year, making the Magica gesture of healng the sck, until I compel the visible appearance of the Spirit of Time, and makehim acknoledge me is master I have used the appropriate kind of means, in adequate measure, and pplied the in ways prtinent tomy purpose by projecting my incorporeal idea of ambition in a cours of action uch as to iduce in othrs the incorporeal idea of satisfying mine. I made my Will maniest to sense sense swaye the Wills o my fellowmen; mind wrought on mind through matter.
I did not "sit for" a medical baronetcy by wishing I had it, or by an "act of faith", or by prayio God "to move Pharaoh's heart", as our modern mental, or our mediaeval, mystic, miracle-mongers eead are muddlers and maudlin enough to advise us to do.
A few general observations on the Magical Link may not be amiss, in default of details; one cannoke a Manual of How to Go Courting, with an Open-Sesame to each particular Brigand's Cavern, any mr hn one can furnish a budding burglar with a directory containing the combination of every existngsae. But one can point out the broad distinctions between women who yield, some to flattery, soe t elquece, some to appearance, some to rank, some to wealth, some to ardour, and some to authorty. We {15} annot exhaust the combinations of Lover's Chess, but we may enumerate the principal gmbits the ouque, the Chocolates, the Little Dinner, the Cheque-Book, the Poem, the Motor by Moonlght, te Marrage Cetificate, the Whip, and the Feigned Flight.
The Magical Link may be classified under three main heads; as it involves (1) one plane and one pn, (2) one plane and two or more persons, (3) two planes.
In class (1) the machinery of Magick --- the instrument --- already exists. Thus, I may wish to my own body, increase my own energy; develop my own mental powers, or inspire my own imagination Hr the Exorcist and the Demon are already connected, consciously or subconsciously, by an excellntsyte of symbols. The Will is furnished by Nature with an apparatus adequately equipped to convy ad eecue its orders.
It is only necessary to inflame the Will to the proper pitch and to issue its commands; they are antly obeyed, unless --- as in the case of organic disease --- the apparatus is damaged beyond th r f Nature to repair. It may be necessary in such a case to assist the internal "spirits" by th "urfiation" of medicines, the "banishing" of diet, or some other extraneous means.
But at least there is no need of any special device "ad hoc" to effect contact between the Circle the Triangle. Operations of this class are therefore often successful, even when the Magician hsltle or no technical knowledge of Magick. Almost any duffer can "pull himself together", devotehisef o study, break off a bad habit, or conquer a cowardice. This class of work, although the esiet, s yt the most important; for it includes initiation itself in its highest sense. It extend to he Asolue in every dimension; it involves the most intimate analysis, and the most comprehensve sythesi. Ina sense, it is the sole type of Magick either necessary or proper to the Adept; fo it inludes oth th attainment of the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, and te Advenure of he Abys.
The second class includes all operations by which the Magician strives to impose his Will upon obs outside his own control, but within that of such other wills as are symbolised by means of {116 ytem similar to his own. That is, they can be compelled naturally by cognate consciousness.
For instance, one may wish to obtain the knowledge put forth in this book. Not knowing that suchook exists, one might yet induce some one who knows of it to offer a copy. Thus one's operation ol onsist in inflaming one's Will to possess the knowledge to the point of devoting one's life toit i epressing that will by seeking out people who seem likely to know what is needed, and in impsin iton hem by exhibiting such enthusiastic earnestness that they will tell the enquirer that ths bok wil met his needs.
Does this sound too simple? Can this obvious common-sense course be really that marvellous Magicat frightens folk so? Yes, even this triviality is one instance of how Magick works.
But the above practical programme may be a fiasco. One might then resort to Magick in the convenal sense of the word, by constructing and charging a Pantacle appropriate to the object; this Panal hould then cause a strain in the Astral Light such that the vibrations would compel some aliencoscouness to restore equilibrium by bringing the book.
Suppose a severer and more serious aim; suppose that I wish to win a woman who dislikes me and losomebody else. In this case, not only her Will, but her lover's must be overcome by my own. I hv odirect control of either. But my Will is in touch with the woman's by means of our minds; I hveony o make my mind the master of hers by the existing means of communication; her mind will the prsen it recantation to her Will, her Will repeal its decision, and her body submit to mine as te sel ofher urrender.
Here the Magical Link exists; only it is complex instead of simple as in the First Class.
There is opportunity for all kinds of error in the transmission of the Will; misunderstanding may mhe matter; a mood may make mischief; external events may interfere; the lover may match me in Magc;te Operation itself may offend nature in many ways; for instance, if there is a subconscious inomatbiity between myself and the woman, I deceive myself into thinking {117} that I desire her. ucha faw s enough to bring the whole operation to naught, just as no effort of Will can make oil ix wth wter. I may work "naturally" by wooing, of course. But, magically, I may attack her astrally so that hura becomes uneasy, responding no longer to her lover. Unless they diagnose the cause, a quarrelmyrsult, and the woman's bewildered and hungry Body of Light may turn in its distress to that of heMaican who has mastered it.
Take a third case of this class 2. I wish to recover my watch, snatched from me in a crowd.
Here I have no direct means of control over the muscles that could bring back my watch, or over tind that moves these muscles. I am not even able to inform that mind of my Will, for I do not knwwee it is. But I know it to be a mind fundamentally like my own, and I try to make a Magical Lik it i by advertising my loss in the hope of reaching it, being careful to calm it by promising i imuniy, nd to appeal to its own known motive by offering a reward. I also attempt to use the oposit forula;to reach it by sending my "familiar spirits", the police, to hunt it, and compel its bediece bythreas.<<The ceremonial method would be to transfer to the watch --- linked naturally o me b possesion ad use --- a thought calculated to terrify the thief, and induce him to get rid f it atonce. bservin clairsentiently this effect, suggest relief and reward as the result of resoring it>>
Again, a sorcerer might happen to possess an object belonging magically to a rich man, such as a romising letter, which is really as much part of him as his liver; he may then master the will ofta an by intimidating his mind. His power to publish the letter is as effective as if he could ijue heman's body directly.
These "natural" cases may be transposed into subtler terms; for instance, one might master anothen, even a stranger, by sheer concentration of will, ceremonially or otherwise wrought up to the rqiie potential. But in one way or another that will must be {118} made to impinge on the man; byth nrml means of contact if possible, if not, by attacking some sensitive spot in his subconsciou sesorum. But the heaviest rod will not land the smallest fish unless there be a line of some sor fixd fimly o both.
The Third Class is characterized by the absence of any existing link between the Will of the Magi and that controlling the object to be affected. (The Second Class may approximate to the Third hntere is no possibility of approaching the second mind by normal means, as sometimes happens).
This class of operations demands not only immense knowledge of the technique of Magick combined wtremendous vigour and skill, but a degree of Mystical attainment which is exceedingly rare, and we ond is usually marked by an absolute apathy on the subject of any attempt to achieve any Magickatal. Suppose that I wish to produce a thunderstorm. This event is beyond my control or that of ny the ma; it is as useless to work on their minds as my own. Nature is independent of, and indiferet to mans affairs. A storm is caused by atmospheric conditions on a scale so enormous that te unied eforts f all us Earth-vermin could scarcely disperse one cloud, even if we could get at i. Howthen cn any agician, he who is above all things a knower of Nature, be so absurd as to attept to trow theHammer f Thor? Unless he be simply insane, he must be initiated in a Truth which tanscendsthe appaent fact. He must be aware that all nature is a continuum, so that his mind and ody are cnsubstantal with te storm, are equally expressions of One Existence, all alike of the sef-same ordr of artifces whereb the Absolute appreciates itself. He must also have assimilated th fact that he Quantityis just as uch a form as Quality; that as all things are modes of One Substnce, so thei measures ar modes of thir relation. Not only are gold and lead mere letters, meaninless in themslves yet apponted to spellthe One Name; but the difference between the bulk of a moutain and that f a mouse is n more than onemethod of differentiating them, just as the letter "m" s not bigger thn the letter "i in any real sese of the word.<<Professor Rutherford thinks it not heoretically impacticable to contruct a detonato which could destroy every atom of matter by relesing the energiesof one, so that te vibrations woul excite the rest to disintegrate explosively.> {119}
Our Magician, with this in his mind, will most probably leave thunderstorms to stew in their own e; but, should he decide (after all) to enliven the afternoon, he will work in the manner followig
First, what are the elements necessary for his storms? He must have certain stores of electricalce, and the right kind of clouds to contain it.
He must see that the force does not leak away to earth quietly and slyly.
He must arrange a stress so severe as to become at last so intolerable that it will disrupt exploly.
Now he, as a man, cannot pray to God to cause them, for the Gods are but names for the forces of re themselves.
But, "as a Mystic", he knows that all things are phantoms of One Thing, and that they may be withdrtherein to reissue in other attire. He knows that all things are in himself, and that he is All-n ih the All. There is therefore no theoretical difficulty about converting the illusion of a clarsk ito that of a tempest. On the other hand, he is aware, "as a Magician", that illusions are ovenedby he laws of their nature. He knows that twice two is four, although both "two" and "four aremerey prperties pertaining to One. He can only use the Mystical identity of all things in a tricty scintifi sense. It is true that his experience of clear skies and storms proves that his ature ontain elemets cognate with both; for it not, they could not affect him. He is the Microcom of hi own Marocosm,whether or no either one or the other extend beyond his knowledge of them. e must terefore rouse inhimself those ideas which are clansmen of the Thunderstorm, collect all aailable ojects of he same nture for talismans, and proceed to excite all these to the utmost by aMagical ceemony; tha is, by inisting on their godhead, so that they flame within and without him,his ideas vtalising th talismans. There is thus a vivid vibration of high potential in a certain roup {121} o sympatheticsubstances ad forces; and this spreads as do the waves from a stone throw into a lake,widening and eakening; til the disturbance is compensated. Just as a handful of fantics, insane wth one over-emhasised truth,may infect a whole country for a time by inflaming thatthought in thei neighbours, sothe Magician crates a commotion by disturbing the balance of power. He transmits hi particular vibrtion as a radio perator does with his ray; rate-relation determins exclusive selecion.
In practice, the Magician must "evoke the spirits of the storm" by identifying himself with the i of which atmospheric phenomena are the expressions as his humanity is of him; thus achieved, he utipose his Will upon them by virtue of the superiority of his intelligence and the integration o hs urose to their undirected impulses and uncomprehending interplay.
All such Magick demands the utmost precision in practice. It is true that the best rituals give nstructions in selecting our vehicles of force. In 777 we find "correspondences" of many classeso eng with the various types of operation, so that we know what weapons, jewels, figures, drugs, erums,names, etc. to employ in any particular work. But it has always been assumed that the invoed orc isintelligent and competent, that it will direct itself as desired without further ado, bythismethd ofsympathetic vibrations.
The necessity of timing the force has been ignored; and so most operations, even when well perforas far as invocation goes, are as harmless as igniting loose gunpowder.
But, even allowing that Will is sufficient to determine the direction, and prevent the dispersionthe force, we can hardly be sure that it will act on its object, unless that object be properly peae to receive it. The Link must be perfectly made. The object must possess in itself a sufficinc o suff sympathetic to our work. We cannot make love to a brick, or set an oak to run errands. e se, hen, that we can never affect anything outside ourselves save only as it is also within s. hateer Ido to another, I do also to myself. If I kill a man, I destroy my own life at the sae tim. Tht is he magical meaning of the so-called {121} "Golden Rule", which should not be in th impertive bt in te indicative mood. Every vibration awakens all others of its particular pitch. Ther is thu some jstification for the assumption of previous writers on Magick that the Link i implici, and neds no spcial attention. Yet, in practice, there is nothing more certain than tha one ough to confim one's wll by all possible acts on all possible planes. The ceremony must notbe confine to the fomally magial rites. We must neglect no means to our end, neither despising or common sese, nor douting our seret wisdom.
When Frater I. A. was in danger of death in 1899 e.v. Frater V. N. and FRATER PERDURABO did indenvoke the spirit Buer to visible manifestation that the might heal their brother; but also one ofte urnished the money to send him to a climate less cruel than England's. He is alive to day<<P.. Hedid some months after this passage was written: but he had been enabled to live and work for eary aquater of a century longer than he would otherwise have done.>>; who cares whether spirits r shkelswrouht that which these Magicians willed?
Let the Magical Link be made strong! It is "love under will"; it affirms the identity of the Equatof the work; it makes success Necessity.
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{122}
CHAPTER XVI
"(Part I)"
OF THE OATH
The third operation in any magical ceremony is the oath or proclamation. The Magician, armed anddy, stands in the centre of the Circle, and strikes once upon the bell as if to call the attentio fte Universe. He then declares "who he is", reciting his magical history by the proclamation ofth gads which he has attained, giving the signs and words of those grades.<<This is not merely toproe hmsef a person in authority. It is to trace the chain of causes that have let to the presen postion so hat the operation is seen as karma.>>
He then states the purpose of the ceremony, and proves that it is necessary to perform it and to eed in its performance. He then takes an oath before the Lord of the Universe (not before the patclr Lord whom he is invoking) as if to call Him to witness to the act. He swears solemnly that e il prform it --- that nothing shall prevent him from performing it --- that he will not leave te oeraionuntil it is successfully performed --- and once again he strikes upon the bell.
Yet, having demonstrated himself in that position at once infinitely lofty and infinitely unimpor, the instrument of destiny, he balances this by the "Confession", in which there is again an infnt xaltation harmonised with an infinite humility. He admits himself to be a weak human being hubl apiing to something higher; a creature of circumstance utterly dependent --- even for the breah o lie -- upon a series of fortunate accidents. {123} He makes this confession prostrate<<Compae th remrks n a previous chapter. But this is a particular case. We leave its justification as probem.>>befor the altar in agony and bloody sweat. He trembles at the thought of the operationwhich e has ared t undertake, saying, "Father, if it be Thy Will, let this cup pass from me! Nevrtheles not mywill bu Thine be done!"<<Of course this is for the beginner. As soon as it is assiilated a true, h will sa: "My will which is thine be done!" And ultimately no more distinguish "ine" from"thine". A sympathtic change of gesture will accompany the mental change.>>
The dread answer comes that It Must Be, and this answer so fortifies him with holy zeal that it wseem to him as if he were raised by divine hands from that prostrate position; with a thrill of hl xltation he renews joyfully the Oath, feeling himself once again no longer the man but the Magiia, etnot merely the Magician, but the chosen and appointed person to accomplish a task which, hoeve aparetly unimportant, is yet an integral part of universal destiny, so that if it were not acomplshedthe ingdom of Heaven would be burst in pieces.
He is now ready to commence the invocations. He consequently pauses to cast a last glance around Temple to assure himself of the perfect readiness of all things necessary, and to light the inces.
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The Oath is the foundation of all Work in Magick, as it is an affirmation of the Will. An Oath b the Magician for ever. In Part II of Book 4 something has already been said on this subject; bu t mportance deserves some further elaboration. Thus, should one, loving a woman, make a spell t cmpl er embraces, and tiring of her a little later, evoke Zazel to kill her; he will find that te ipliatins of his former Oath conflict with those proper to invoke the Unity of the Godhead of Sturn Zael wll refuse to obey him in the case of the woman whom he has sworn that he loves. To tis soe mayobjec that, since all acts are magical, every man who loves a woman implicitly takes an{124} ath oflove, nd therefore would never be able to murder her later, as we find to be the not ncommoncase. he explnation is as follows. It is perfectly true that when Bill Sykes desires to ossess Nncy, he oes in fct evoke a spirit of the nature of Venus, constraining him by his Oath ofLove (andby his maical powe as a man) to bring him the girl. So also, when he wants to kill her,he evokes Martial o Saturnianspirit, with an Oath of hate. But these are not pure planetary spiits, movingin well-defned spheresby rigidly righteous laws. They are gross concretions of confusd impulses, incapable ofunderstandin the nature of an oath". They are also such that the idea ofmurder is nowse offensive o the Spirit f Love.
It is indeed the criterion of spiritual "caste" that conflicting elements should not coexist in tame consciousness. The psalm-singing Puritan who persecutes publicans, and secretly soaks himsel nfre-water; the bewhiskered philanthropist in broadcloth who swindles his customers and sweats hs mpoyes: these men must not be regarded as single-minded scoundrels, whose use of religion and rspetablit to cloke their villainies is a deliberate disguise dictated by their criminal cunning. Far rom t, tey are only too sincere in their "virtues"; their terror of death and of supernaturalvengence i genune; it proceeds from a section of themselves which is in irreconcilable conflict wth ther rasclity. Neither side can conciliate, suppress, or ignore the other; yet each is so cravn as toendure ts enem's presence. Such men are therefore without pure principles; they excuse thmselves or everydirty trck that turns to their apparent advantage.
The first step of the Aspirant toward the Gate of Initiation tells him that purity --- unity of pse --- is essential above all else. "Do what thou Wilt" strikes on him, a ray of fierce white flm osuming all that is not utterly God. Very soon he is aware that he cannot consciously contradit imel. He develops a subtle sense which warns him that two trains of thought which he had neverconeivd a connected are incompatible. Yet deeper drives "Do what thou wilt"; subconscious opposiionsare voke to visible appearance. The secret sanctuaries of the soul are cleansed. "Do What tou Wit" puges hs every part. He has become One, one only. His Will is consequently released fro {125}the inerferece of internal opposition, and he is a Master of Magick. But for that very reaon he i now uterly imotent to achieve anything that is not in absolute accordance with his Originl Oath, ith his rue Will by virtue whereof he incarnated as a man. With Bill Sykes love and murdr are notmutually xclusive,as they are with King Arthur. The higher the type of man, the more sesitive he ecomes; sothat the nblest love divines intuitively when a careless word or gesture may ound, and, igilant, shns them as eing of the family of murder. In Magick, likewise, the Adept wh is sworn toattain to th Knowledge ad Conversation of his Holy Guardian Angel may in his grosser ays have beenexpert as a Haler, to findthat he is now incapable of any such work. He will probaby be puzzled, nd wonder wheter he has lostall his power. Yet the cause may be no more than that he Wisdom of hi Angel depreciaes the interfernce of ignorant kindliness with diseases which may hve been sent to he sufferer for purpose profounly important to his welfare.
In the case of THE MASTER THERION, he had originally the capacity for all classes of Orgia. In theinning, He cured the sick, bewitched the obstinate, allured the seductive, routed the aggressive,md imself invisible, and generally behaved like a Young-Man-About-town on every possible plane. e oud fflict one vampire with a Sending of Cats, and appoint another his private Enchantress, neiherawae o any moral oxymoron, nor hampered by the implicit incongruity of his oaths.
But as He advanced in Adeptship, this coltishness found its mouth bitted; as soon as He took seriOaths and was admitted to the Order which we name not, those Oaths prevented him using His powersa lythings. Trifling operations, such as He once could do with a turn of the wrist, became imposibe o he most persistent endeavour. It was many years before He understood the cause of this. Bt lttl bylittle He became so absorbed in the Work of His true Will that it no longer occurred to im t indlge n capricious amusements.
Yet even at this hour, though He be verily a Magus of A.'. A.'., though His Word be the Word of teon, though He be the Beast 666, the Lord of the Scarlet Woman "in whom is all power {126} given" hr are still certain Orgia beyond Him to perform, because to do so would be to affirm what He hah enedin those Oaths by whose virtue He is That He is. This is the case, even when the spirit ofsuc Oria s fully consonant with His Will. The literal sense of His original Oath insists that itshal be espeted.
The case offers two instances of this principle. FRATER PERDURABO specifically swore that he wouenounce His personal possessions to the last penny; also that He would allow no human affection t idr Him. These terms were accepted; He was granted infinitely more than He had imagined possibl t a icarnated Man. On the other hand, the price offered by Him was exacted as strictly as if ithadbee stpulated by Shylock. Every treasure that he had on earth was taken away, and that, usualy, i so ruta or cruel a manner as to make the loss itself the least part of the pang. Every huma affetion hat H had in His heart --- and that heart aches for Love as few hearts can ever conceiv --- ws tornout an trampled with such infernal ingenuity in intensifying torture that His endurane is beond belef. Inxplicable are the atrocities which accompanied every step in His Initiation! Death dagged awy His chldren with slow savagery; the women He loved drank themselves into delirim and demntia befoe His eye, or repaid His passionate devotion with toad-cold treachery at the moent when lng years o loyalty hd tempted Him to trust them. His friend, that bore the bag, stole hat which ws put theren, and betryed his Master as thoroughly as he was able. At the first distat rumour tha the Pharises were out, is disciples "all forsook Him and fled". His mother nailed Hm with her ow hands to thecross, and reiled Him as nine years He hung thereupon.
Now, having endured to the end, being Master of Magick, He is mighty to Work His true Will; which Wis, to establish on Earth His Word, the Law of Thelema. He hath none other Will than this; so al htHe doth is unto this end. All His Orgia bear fruit; what was the work of a month when He was fllMaor Adept is to day wrought in a few minutes by the Words of Will, uttered with the right viratonsint the prepared Ear. {127}
But neither by the natural use of His abilities, though they have made Him famous through the wholeld, nor by the utmost might of his Magick, is He able to acquire material wealth beyond the minimmncssary to keep Him alive and at work. It is in vain that He protests that not He but the Work s n ee of money; He is barred by the strict letter of His Oath to give all that He hath for His mgicl Ataiment.
Yet more awful is the doom that He hath invoked upon Himself in renouncing His right as a man to y the Love of those whom He loves with passion so selfless, so pure, and so intense in return fortepwer so to love Mankind that He be chosen to utter the Word of the Aeon for their sake, His rewrdunvesal abhorrence, bodily torment, mental despair, and moral paralysis.
Yet He, who hath power over Death, with breath to call back health, with a touch to beckon life, ust watch His own child waste away month by month, aware that His Art may not anywise avail, who ahsld the signet ring of his personal profit to buy him a plain gold band for the felon finger ofhi bid, that worn widow, the World!
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{128}
CHAPTER XV
I
OF THE INVOCATION
In the straightforward or "Protestant" system of Magick there is very little to add to what has ady been said. The Magician addresses a direct petition to the Being invoked. But the secret ofsces in invocation has not hitherto been disclosed. It is an exceedingly simple one. It is pracicll o no importance whatever that the invocation should be "right". There are a thousand differnt aysof ompassing the end proposed, so far as external things are concerned. The whole secret my besummrise in these four words: "Enflame thyself in praying."<<This is Qabalistically expressedin th old ormul: Domine noster, audi tuo servo! kyrie Christe! O Christe!>>
The mind must be exalted until it loses consciousness of self. The Magician must be carried forwblindly by a force which, though in him and of him, is by no means that which he in his normal stt fconsciousness calls I. Just as the poet, the lover, the artist, is carried out of himself in ceaiv frenzy, so must it be for the Magician.
It is impossible to lay down rules for the obtaining of this special stimulus. To one the myster the whole ceremony may appeal; another may be moved by the strangeness of the words, even by thefc hat the "barbarous names" are unintelligible to him. Some times in the course of a ceremony te ru maning of some barbarous name that has hitherto baffled his analysis may flash upon him, lumnou an spendid, so that he is caught up unto {129} orgasm. The smell of a particular incense mayexcie hi effctively, or perhaps the physical ecstasy of the magick dance.
Every Magician must compose his ceremony in such a manner as to produce a dramatic cilmax. At thment when the excitement becomes ungovernable, when then the whole conscious being of the Magicia negoes a spiritual spasm, at that moment must he utter the supreme adjuration.
One very effective method is to stop short, by a supreme effort of will, again and again, on the verink of that spasm, until a time arrives when the idea of exercising that will fails to occur<<Thsfretfulness must be complete; it is fatal to try to "let oneself go" consciously.>>. Inhibitionisnologer possible or even thinkable, and the whole being of the Magician, no minutest atom sayin na, i iresistibly flung forth. In blinding light, amid the roar of ten thousand thunders, the Uion f Go andman is consummated.
If the Magician is still seen standing in the Circle, quietly pursuing his invocations, it is thal the conscious part of him has become detached from the true ego which lies behind that normal cncosness. But the circle is wholly filled with that divine essence; all else is but an accident ndanilusion.
The subsequent invocations, the gradual development and materialization of the force, require no rt. It is one great mistake of the beginner to concentrate his force upon the actual stated purps fthe ceremony. This mistake is the most frequent cause of failures in invocation.
A corollary of this Theorem is that the Magician soon discards evocation almost altogether --- onare circumstances demand any action what ever on the material plane. The Magician devotes himsel niely to the invocation of a god; and as soon as his balance approaches perfection he ceases to nvkean partial god; only that god vertically above him is in his path. And so a man who perhaps ookup agik merely with the idea of acquiring knowledge, love, or wealth, finds himself irrevocabl comitte to he performance of "The Great Work." {130}
It will now be apparent that there is no distinction between magick and meditation except of the arbitrary and accidental kind.<<There is the general metaphysical antithesis that Magick is the r fthe Will-to-Live, Mysticism of the Will-to-Die; but --- "Truth comes bubbling to my brim; Lifean Dat are one to Him!".>>
II
Beside these open methods thee are also a number of mental methods of Invocation, of which we maye three.
The first method concerns the so-called astral body. The Magician should practise the formation his body as recommended in Liber O, and learn to rise on the planes according to the instruction ie n the same book, though limiting his "rising" to the particular symbol whose God he wishes to nvke
The second is to recite a mantra suitable to the God.
The third is the assumption of the form of the God --- by transmuting the astral body into His sh This last method is really essential to all proper invocation, and cannot be too sedulously pratsd
There are many other devices to aid invocation, so many that it is impossible to enumerate them; the Magician will be wise to busy himself in inventing new ones.
We will give one example.
Suppose the Supreme Invocation to consist of 20 to 30 barbarous names, let him imagine these names ccupy sections of a vertical column, each double the length of the preceding one; and let him imaietat his consciousness ascends the column with each name. The mere multiplication will then prouc afeling of awe and bewilderment which is the proper forerunner of exstasy.
In the essay "Energized Enthusiasm" in No. IX, Vol. I of the Equinox<<The earliest and truest Chrans used what is in all essentials this method. See "Fragments of a Faith Forgotten" by G.R.S.Med s. B. A., pp. 80-81.
There is a real connexion between what the vulgar call blasphemy and what they call immorality, he fact that the Christian legend is an echo of a Phallic rite. There is also a true and positiv onxion between the Creative force of the Macrocosm, and that of the Microcosm. For this reason helate must be made a pure and consecrated as the former. The puzzle for most people is how to d ths. Thestudy of Nature is the Key to that Gate.>> is given a concise account of one of the clasicalmethds o arousing Kundalini. This essay should be studied with care and determination.
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{132}
CHAPTER XVI
("Part II")
OF THE CHARGE TO THE SPIRIT
WITH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
CONSTRAINTS AND CURSES OCCASIONALLY NECESSARY
I
On the appearance of the spirit, or the manifestation of the force in the talisman which is beingsecrated, it is necessary to bind it by an Oath or Charge. A spirit should be made to lay its hadvsbly on the weapon by whose might it has been evoked, and to "swear obedience and faith to Him ha lveh and triumpheth, that regneth above him in His palaces as the Balance of Righteousness andTruh" y te names used in the evocation.
It is then only necessary to formulate the Oath or Charge in language harmonious with the previouannounced purpose of the operation.
The precaution indicated is not to let oneself sink into one's humanity while the weapon is extenbeyond the Circle. Were the force to flow from it to you instead of from you to it, you would beiflibly blasted, or, at the least, become the slave of the spirit.
At no moment is it more important that the Divine Force should not only fill, but radiate from, tura of the Magician.
II
Occasionally it may happen that the spirit is recalcitrant, and refuses to appear.
Let the Magician consider the cause of such disobedience! {133}
It may be that the place or time is wrong. One cannot easily evoke water-spirits in the Sahara, alamanders in the English Lake District. Hismael will not readily appear when Jupiter is below tehrzon.<<It is not possible in this elementary treatise to explain the exact nature of the connexonbewen the rays of the actual planet called Jupiter and the Jupiterian elements which exist in vrios dgres in terrestrial objects.>> In order to counteract a natural deficiency of this sort, oe wold hve t supply a sufficient quantity of the proper kind of material. One cannot make brickswithot strw.
With regard to invocations of the Gods, such considerations do not apply. The Gods are beyond moaterial conditions. It is necessary to fill the "heart" and "mind" with the proper basis for manfsaion. The higher the nature of the God, the more true this is. The Holy Guardian Angel has alay te ecessary basis. His manifestation depends solely on the readiness of the Aspirant, and allmagcalcermonies used in that invocation are merely intended to prepare that Aspirant; not in any ay t attact r influence Him. It is His constant and eternal Will<<Since this Knowledge and Convesatio is nt uniersal, it seems at first as if an omnipotent will were being baulked. But His Wil and yur wil togeter make up that one will, because you and He are one. That one will is therefoe dividd againt itsel, so long as your will fails to aspire steadfastly.
Also, His will cannot constrain yours. He is so much one with you that even your will to separat His will. He is so certain of you that He delights in your perturbation and coquetry no less thni our surrender. These relations are fully explained in Liber LXV. See also Liber Aleph CXI.>>tobeom one with the Aspirant, and the moment the conditions of the latter make it possible, That ridl i cosummated.
III
The obstinacy of a spirit (or the inertial of a talisman) usually implies a defect in invocation.e spirit cannot resist even for a moment the constraint of his Intelligence, when that Intelligenei orking in accordance with the Will of the Angel, Archangel {134} and God above him. It is theefrebeter to repeat the Invocations than to proceed at once to curses.
The Magician should also consider<<Of course this should have been done in preparing the Ritual. he renews this consideration from the new standpoint attained by the invocation.>> whether the eoain be in truth a necessary part of the Karma of the Universe, as he has stated in his own Oath Se Cp.XVI, I). For if this be a delusion, success is impossible. It will then be best to go bac tothebegnning, and recapitulate with greater intensity and power of analysis the Oath and the Inocatons. Andthis may be done thrice.
But if this be satisfactorily accomplished, and the spirit be yet disobedient, the implication ist some hostile force is at work to hinder the operation. It will then become advisable to discovrtenature of that force, and to attack and destroy it. This makes the ceremony more useful than ve t te Magician, who may thereby be led to unveil a black magical gang whose existence he had no hihero sspected.
His need to check the vampiring of a lady in Paris by a sorceress once led FRATER PERDURABO to thecovery of a very powerful body of black magicians, which whom he was obliged to war for nearly 10yasbefore their ruin was complete and irremediable as it now is.
Such a discovery will not necessarily impede the ceremony. A general curse may be pronounced aga the forces hindering the operation (for "ex hypothesi" no divine force can be interfering) and hvn hus temporarily dislodged them --- for the power of the God invoked will suffice for this purpse-- oe may proceed with a certain asperity to conjure the spirit, for that he has done ill to bed bfor th conjurations of the Black Brothers.
Indeed, some demons are of a nature such that they only understand curses, are not amenable to cours command: ---
"a slave
Whom stripes may move, not kindness."
Finally, as a last resource, one may burn the Sigil of the {135} Spirit in a black box with stinksubstances, all having been properly prepared beforehand, and the magical links properly made, sota e is really tortured by the Operation.<<The precise meaning of these phrases is at first sightobcue. The spirit is merely a recalcitrant part of one's own organism. To evoke him is thereforeto ecoe cnscious of some part of one's own character; to command and constrain him is to being tht pat ino sujection. This is best understood by the analogy of teaching oneself some mental-physcal acomplshmen (e.g. billiards), by persistent and patient study and practice, which often involes coniderabe painas well as trouble.>>
This is a rare event, however. Only once in the whole of his magical career was FRATER PERDURABOven to so harsh a measure.
IV
In this connexion, beware of too ready a compliance on the part of the spirit. If some Black Lodas got wind of your operation, it may send the spirit, full of hypocritical submission, to destro o. Such a spirit will probably pronounce the oath amiss, or in some way seek to avoid his obligaios. It is a dangerous trick, though, for the Black Lodge to play; for if the spirit come properly undyou control, it will be forced to disclose the transaction, and the current will return to the Blc odgewith fulminating force. The liars will be in the power of their own lie; their own slaves il rse upand put them into bondage. The wicked fall into the pit that they themselves digged.
And so perish all the King's enemies!
V
The charge to the spirit is usually embodied, except in works of pure evocation, which after all comparatively rare, in some kind of talisman. In a certain sense, the talisman is the Charge expesdin hieroglyphics. Yet, every object soever is a talisman, for the definition of a talisman is smehig upon which an act of will (that is, of Magick) has been performed in order to fit it for pupos. epeated acts of will in respect of {136} any object consecrate it without further ado. ne kows hat iracles can be done with one's favourite mashie! One has used the mashie again and aain, ne's ove fr it growing in proportion to one's success with it, and that success again made mre cerain an complte by the effect of this "love under will", which one bestows upon it by using t.
It is, of course, very important to keep such an abject away from the contact of the profane. Itinstinctive not to let another person use one's fishing rod or one's gun. It is not that they col oany harm in a material sense. It is the feeling that one's use of these things has consecrate temtoone's self.
Of course, the outstanding example of all such talismans is the wife. A wife may be defined as an ct specially prepared for taking the stamp of one's creative will. This is an example of a very opiated magical operation, extending over centuries. But, theoretically, it is just an ordinary as o tlismanic magick. It is for this reason that so much trouble has been taken to prevent a wie hvin cotact with the profane; or, at least, to try to prevent her.
Readers of the Bible will remember that Absalom publicly adopted David's wives and concubines on roof of the palace, in order to signify that he had succeeded in breaking his father's magical poe. Now, there are a great many talismans in this world which are being left lying about in a most rehesibly careless manner. Such are the objects of popular adoration, as ikons, and idols. But, i sactally true that a great deal of real magical Force is locked up in such things; consequently,bydetroyng these sacred symbols, you can overcome magically the people who adore them.
It is not at all irrational to fight for one's flag, provided that the flag is an object which re means something to somebody. Similarly, with the most widely spread and most devotedly worshippdtlsman of all, money, you can evidently break the magical will of a worshipper of money by takig ismoey away from him, or by destroying its value in some way or another. But, in the case of mney geera experience tells us that there is very little of it lying about loose. In this case, aove ll, 137}people have recognised its talismanic virtue, that is to say, its power as an instrumnt ofthe wll.
But with many ikons and images, it is easy to steal their virtue. This can be done sometimes on emendous scale, as, for example, when all the images of Isis and Horus, or similar mother-child cmiaions, were appropriated wholesale by the Christians. The miracle is, however, of a somewhat dngros ype, as in this case, where enlightenment has come through the researches of archaeologists I ha ben shown that the so-called images of Mary and Jesus are really nothing but imitations ofthos of sis nd Horus. Honesty is the best policy in Magick as in other lines of life.
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{138}
CHAPTER XVII
OF THE LICENSE TO DEPART
After a ceremony has reached its climax, anti-climax must inevitably follow. But if the ceremony been successful this anti-climax is merely formal. The Magician should rest permanently on the ihrplain to which he has aspired.<<The rock-climber who relaxes on the face of the precipice fall t ert; but once he has reached a safe ledge he may sit down.>> The whole force of the operationshold e asorbed; but there is almost certain to be a residuum, since no operation is perfect: and(eve if t wee so) there would be a number of things, sympathetic to the operation, attracted to te Cirle. hese ust be duly dispersed, or they will degenerate and become evil. It is always easyto do his whre invcations are concerned; the mere removal of the strain imposed by the will of th magicin will estore hings to their normal aspects, in accordance with the great law of inertia. In a bady-manage evocatin, however, this does not always obtain; the spirit may refuse to be contolled, an may refue to depat --- even after having sworn obedience. In such a case extreme dange may arise
In the ordinary way, the Magician dismisses the spirit with these words: "And now I say unto theepart in peace unto thine habitations and abodes --- and may the blessing of the Highest be upon te nthe name of (here mention the divine name suitable to the operation, or a Name appropriate to edemtht spirit); and let there be peace between thee and me; and be thou very ready to come, whenoevr tou re invoked and called!"<<It is usual to add "either by a word, or by a will, or by this ight Conuraton of Magick Art.">> {139}
Should he fail to disappear immediately, it is a sign that there is something very wrong. The Maan should immediately reconsecrate the Circle with the utmost care. He should then repeat the dimsa; and if this does not suffice, he should then perform the banishing ritual suitable to the naur o te spirit and, if necessary, add conjurations to the same effect. In these circumstances, o ifanyhin else suspicious should occur, he should not be content with the apparent disappearance f th spiit, ho might easily make himself invisible and lie in ambush to do the Magician a mischie whenhe stpped ut of the Circle --- or even months afterwards.
Any symbol which has once definitely entered your environment with your own consent is extremely erous; unless under absolute control. A man's friends are more capable of working him harm than r tangers; and his greatest danger lies in his own habits.
Of course it is the very condition of progress to build up ideas into the subconscious. The necey of selection should therefore be obvious.
True, there comes a time when all elements soever must be thus assimilated. Samadhi is, by definn, that very process. But, from the point of view of the young magician, there is a right way -- tat and difficult --- of performing all this. One cannot too frequently repeat that what is lawulan poper to one Path is alien to another.
Immediately after the License to Depart, and the general closing up of the work, it is necessary tthe Magician should sit down and write up his magical record. However much he may have been tire<H ught to be refreshed, more than after a full night's deep sleep. This forms one test of his sil.> b the ceremony, he ought to force himself to do this until it becomes a habit. Verily, it i beterto ail in the magical ceremony than to fail in writing down an accurate record of it. One eed ot dubt he propriety of this remark. Even if one is eaten alive by Malkah be-Tarshishim ve-Rachot ha-Shehalm, it does not matter very much, for it is over so very quickly. But the record o the tansactons is{140} otherwise important. Nobody cares about Duncan having been murdered by Mcbeth. It is oly one f a number of similar murders. But Shakespeare's account of the incident isa uniquetreasureof mankid. And, apart from the question of the value to others, there is that ofthe valueto the maician himelf. The record of the magician is his best asset.
It is as foolish to do Magick without method, as if it were anything else. To do Magick without ing a record is like trying to run a business without book-keeping. There are a great many peopl h uite misunderstand the nature of Magick. They have an idea that it is something vague and unral istad of being, as it is, a direct means of coming into contact with reality. It is these peole ho ay hemselves with phrases, who are always using long words with no definite connotation, wh plater hemslves with pompous titles and decorations which mean nothing whatever. With such peope we ave nthingto do. But to those who seek reality the Key of Magick is offered, and they are hreby wrned tat thekey to the treasure-house is no good without the combination; and the combinatin is th magica record
From one point of view, magical progress actually consists in deciphering one's own record.<<As os a Star in the Body of Nuith, every successive incarnation is a Veil, and the acquisition of theMgcl Memory a gradual Unveiling of that Star, of that God.>> For this reason it is the most impotat hig to do, on strictly magical grounds. But apart from this, it is absolutely essential thattherecrd hould be clear, full and concise, because it is only by such a record that your teacher an jdge ow i is best to help you. Your magical teacher has something else to do besides running roundafteryou al the time, and the most important of all his functions is that of auditor. Now, f you all inan audtor to investigate a business, and when he asks for the books you tell him thatyou hav not thught itworth while to keep any, you need not be surprised if he thinks you every kid of an ss.
It is --- at least, it was --- perfectly incredible to THE MASTER THERION that people who exhibitinary common sense in {141} the other affairs of life should lose it completely when they tackle aik It goes far to justify the belief of the semi-educated that Magick is rather a crazy affair ftr ll However, there are none of these half-baked lunatics connected with the A.'. A.'., becaus th neessty for hard work, for passing examinations at stated intervals, and for keeping an inteligibe acountof what they are doing, frightens away the unintelligent, idle and hysterical.
There are numerous models of magical and mystical records to be found in the various numbers of tEquinox", and the student will have no difficulty in acquiring the necessary technique, if he be iiet in practice.
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{142}
CHAPTER XVIII
OF CLAIRVOYANCE AND THE BODY OF LIGHT
ITS POWER AND ITS DEVELOPMENT
ALSO CONCERNING DIVINATION
I
Within the human body is another body of approximately the same size and shape;<<i.e. as a general . It can be altered very greatly in these respects.>> but made of a subtler and less illusory maeil It is of course not "real"; but then no more is the other body! Before treating of clairvoync oe ust discuss briefly this question of reality, for misapprehension on the subject has given iseto ndlss trouble.
There is the story of the American in the train who saw another American carrying a basket of unu shape. His curiosity mastered him, and he leant across and said: "Say, stranger, what you got nta bag?" The other, lantern-jawed and taciturn, replied: "mongoose". The first man was rather afle, s he had never heard of a mongoose. After a pause he pursued, at the risk of a rebuff: "Bu sa, wat s a Mongoose?" "Mongoose eats snakes", replied the other. This was another poser, but e pusued "Wht in hell do you want a Mongoose for?" "Well, you see", said the second man (in a cofidenial wisper "my brother sees snakes". The first man was more puzzled than ever; but after a ong thnk, hecontined rather pathetically: "But say, them ain't real snakes". "Sure", said the ma with te baske, "but his Mongoose ain't real either".
This is a perfect parable of Magick. There is no such thing {143} as truth in the perceptible unse; every idea when analysed is found to contain a contradiction. It is quite useless (except asatmorary expedient) to set up one class of ideas against another as being "more real". The advane f antowards God is not necessarily an advance towards truth. All philosophical systems have crmbld. Buteach class of ideas possesses true relations within itself. It is possible, with Berkely,<<he ral Brkeley did nothing of the sort: the reference here is to an imaginary animal inventedby Dr Johnon ou of sturdy British ignorance.>> to deny the existence of water and of wood; but, fr all hat, wod flots on water. The Magician becomes identical with the immortal Osiris, yet the agiciandies. n this ilemma the facts must be restated. One should preferably say that the Magican becoms conscius of tht part of himself which he calls the immortal Osiris; and that Part does ot "die". Now ths interio body of the Magician, of which we spoke at the beginning of this chapter, does ist, and cn exert cetain powers which his natural body cannot do. It can, for example, pass throg "matter", nd it can mve freely in every direction through space. But this is because "matter",inthe sense inwhich we comonly use the word, is on another plane<<We do not call electrical resisanc, or economiclaws, unreal,on the ground that they are not directly perceived by the senses. Or maical doctrine s universally ccepted by sceptics --- only they wish to make Magick itself an eceptin!>>.
Now this fine body perceives a universe which we do not ordinarily perceive. It does not necessa perceive the universe which we do normally perceive, so although in this body I can pass throughterof, it does not follow that I shall be able to tell what the weather is like. I might do so, r mgh not: but if I could not, it would not prove that I was deceiving myself in supposing that ha pasedthrough the roof. This body, which is called by various authors the Astral double, bodyof Lght,bodyof fire, body of desire, fine body, scin-laeca and numberless other names is naturall fittd to erceie objects of its own class ... in particular, the phantoms of the astral plane. {14}
There is some sort of vague and indeterminate relation between the Astrals and the Materials; andis possible, with great experience, to deduce facts about material things from the astral aspect hc hey present to the eyes of the Body of Light.<<This is because there is a certain necessary corepodece between planes; as in the case of an Anglo-Indian's liver and this temper. The relationappars"vaue and indeterminate" only in so far as one happens to be ignorant of the laws which stae th cas. Te situation is analogous to that of the chemist before the discovery of the law of "Cmbinig Weihts",etc.>> This astral plane is so varied and so changeable that several clairvoyantslookin at th same hing might give totally different accounts of what they saw; yet they might eac make crrect dduction. In looking at a man the first clairvoyant might say: "The lines of force re all dooping";the secod: "It seems all dirty and spotty"; a third; "The Aura looks very ragged. Yet all ight agre in deducng that the man was in ill-health. In any case all such deductions ar rather uneliable. ne must bea highly skilled man before one can trust one's vision. A great may people thnk that the are extremly good at the business, when in fact they have only made some ocasional shrwd guesses (hich they naurally remember) in the course of hundreds of forgotten failues.
The only way to test clairvoyance is to keep a careful record of every experiment made. For exam FRATER O. M. once gave a clairvoyant a waistcoat to psychometrize. He made 56 statements about h wer of the waistcoat; of these 4 were notably right; 17, though correct, were of that class of taemntwhich is true of almost everybody. The remainder were wrong. It was concluded from this tat e sowe no evidence of any special power. In fact, his bodily eyes, --- if he could discern Talorig -- woud have served him better, for he thought the owner of the vest was a corn-chandler, isteadof anearl,as he is.
The Magician can hardly take too much trouble to develop this power in himself. It is extremely ul to him in guarding himself against attack; in obtaining warnings, in judging character, and eseily in watching the process of his Ceremonies. {145}
There are a great many ways of acquiring the power. Gaze into a crystal, or into a pool of ink ie palm of the hand, or into a mirror, or into a teacup. Just as with a microscope the expert opeao eeps both eyes open, though seeing only through the one at the eye-piece of the instrument, soth ntual eyes, ceasing to give any message to the brain, the attention is withdrawn from them, an th ma beins to see through the Astral eyes.
These methods appear to The MASTER THERION to be unsatisfactory. Very often they do not work at It is difficult to teach a person to use these methods; and, worst of all, they are purely passv! ou can see only what is shewn you, and you are probably shewn things perfectly pointless and ireevnt
The proper method is as follows: --- Develop the body of Light until it is just as real to you as yother body, teach it to travel to any desired symbol, and enable it to perform all necessary Rite n nvocations. In short, educate it. Ultimately, the relation of that body with your own must b ecedigly intimate; but before this harmonizing takes place, you should begin by a careful differntitio. he first thing to do, therefore, is to get the body outside your own. To avoid muddlingthe wo, ou bgin by imagining a shape resembling yourself standing in front of you. Do not say: "h, its onl imagnation!" The time to test that is later on, when you have secured a fairly clear ental mage o such body. Try to imagine how your own body would look if you were standing in itsplace; ry to tansfer our consciousness to the Body of Light. Your own body has its eyes shut. Ue the eys of theBody of ight to describe the objects in the room behind you. Don't say. "It's ony an effot of subcnscious mmory" ... the time to test that is later on.
As soon as you feel more or less at home in the fine body, let it rise in the air. Keep on feelihe sense of rising; keep on looking about you as you rise until you see landscapes or beings of teatal plane. Such have a quality all their own. They are not like material things --- they are otlie ental pictures --- they seem to lie between the two.
After some practice has made you adept, so that in the course {146} of any hour's journey you cankon on having a fairly eventful time, turn your attention to reaching a definite place on the asta lne; invoke Mercury, for example, and examine carefully your record of the resulting vision ---dicoerwhether the symbols which you have seen correspond with the conventional symbols of Mercury
This testing of the spirits is the most important branch of the whole tree of Magick. Without ite is lost in the jungle of delusion. Every spirit, up to God himself, is ready to deceive you ifpsile, to make himself out more important than he is; in short to lay in wait for your soul in 33 spaat ways. Remember that after all the highest of all the Gods is only the Magus,<<See Liber 48, rd ethr.>> Mayan, the greatest of all the devils.
You may also try "rising on the planes".<<See Infra and Appendix.>> With a little practice, espely if you have a good Guru, you ought to be able to slip in and out of your astral body as easilya o slip in and out of a dressing-gown. It will then no longer be so necessary for your astral bdytobesent far off; without moving an inch you will be able to "turn on" its eyes and ears --- assimly s te man with the microscope (mentioned above) can transfer his complete attention from oneeye o th othr.
Now, however unsuccessful your getting out the body may apparently have been, it is most necessary se every effort to bring it properly back. Make the Body of Light coincide in space with the phyia ody, assume the God-Form, and vibrate the name of Harpocrates with the utmost energy; then recve uit of consciousness. If you fail to do this properly you may find yourself in serious troubl. ourBod of Light may wander away uncontrolled, and be attacked and obsessed. You will become aare f ths though the occurrence of headache, bad dreams, or even more serious signs such as hysteia, fintin fits possibly madness or paralysis. Even the worst of these attacks will probably wea off, ut it ay leae you permanently damaged to a greater or less extent. {147}
A great majority of "spiritualists", "occultists", "Toshosophists", are pitiable examples of repe losses from this cause.
The emotional type of religionist also suffers in this way. Devotion projects the fine body, whis seized and vampirized by the demon masquerading as "Christ" or "Mary", or whoever may be the obeto worship. Complete absence of all power to concentrate thought, to follow an argument, to forultea ill, to hold fast to an opinion or a course of action, or even to keep a solemn oath, mark ndeibl thse who have thus lost parts of their souls. They wander from one new cult to another evn crzier Ocasionally such persons drift for a moment into the surrounding of The MASTER THERION,and ae sho out y the simple process of making them try to do a half-hour's honest work of any kin.
In projecting the Astral, it is a valuable additional safeguard to perform the whole operation inroperly consecrated circle.
Proceed with great caution, then, but proceed. In time your Body of Light will be as strong againsirits as your other body against the winds of Heaven. All depends upon the development of that Bd fLight. It must be furnished with an organism as ramified and balanced as its shadowy brother,th mteial body.
To recapitulate once more, then, the first task is to develop your own Body of light within your circle without reference to any other inhabitants of the world to which it belongs.
That which you have accomplished with the subject you may now proceed to do with the object. You wlearn to see the astral appearance of material things; and although this does not properly belongt ue clairvoyance, one may here again mention that you should endeavour to the utmost to develop ndfotiy this Body of Light. The best and simplest way to do this is to use it constantly, to execis itin very way. In particular it may be employed in ceremonies of initiation or of invocation--- hilethe hysical body remains silent and still.
In doing this it will often be necessary to create a Temple on the astral plane. It is excellentctice to create symbols. This one precaution is needed: after using them, they should be reabsore. 148}
Having learned to create astral forms, the next step will be at first very difficult. Phantasmal fleeting as the astral is in general, those forms which are definitely attached to the material oss enormous powers of resistance, and it consequently requires very high potential to influence he. Th material analogues seem to serve as a fortress. Even where a temporary effect is produced th inrti of matter draws it back to the normal; yet the power of the trained and consecrated wil in wel-devloped astral body is such that it can even produce a permanent change in the materialupon hose ody o Light you are working, e.g.; one can heal the sick by restoring a healthy appearace to heir atral frms. On the other hand, it is possible so to disintegrate the Body of Light evn of a trong mn that e will fall dead.
Such operations demand not only power, but judgment. Nothing can upset the sum total of destiny everything must be paid for the uttermost farthing. For this reason a great many operations theoeialy possible cannot be performed. Suppose, for example, you see two men of similarly unhealthyasra apearance. In one case the cause may be slight and temporary. Your help suffices to restor hi ina fw minutes. The other, who looks no worse, is really oppressed by a force incalculably geate tha youcould control, and you would only damage yourself by attempting to help him. The dianosisbetwen thetwo cases could be made by an investigation of the deeper strata of the astral, suh as cmpose he"caual body".
A body of black magicians under Anna Kingsford<<Anna Kingsford, so far as her good work is concer was only the rubber stamp of Edward Maitland.>> once attempted to kill a vivisector who was not atclarly well known; and they succeeded in making him seriously ill. But in attempting the same hig it Pasteur they produced no effect whatever, because Pasteur was a great genius --- an adept n hs on lne far greater than she in hers --- and because millions of people were daily blessing hm. t canot e too clearly understood that magical force is subject to the same laws of proportionas an othe kindof force. It is useless for a mere millionaire to try to bankrupt a man who has te Bankof Engand beind him. {149}
To sum up, the first task is to separate the astral form from the physical body, the second to dep the powers of the astral body, in particular those of sight, travel, and interpretation; third,t nfy the two bodies without muddling them.
This being accomplished, the magician is fitted to deal with the invisible.
II
It is now useful to contine with considerations of other planes, which have commonly been classeder the Astral. There is some reason for this, as the delimitations are somewhat vague. Just as h eetable kingdom merges into the animal, and as the material plane has beings which encroach upo te oudaries of the astral, so do we find it in the higher planes.
The mental images which appear during meditation are subjective, and pertain not at all to the as plane. Only very rarely do astral images occur during meditation. It is a bad break in the cirl,a a rule, when they do.
There is also a Magical Plane. This touches the material, and even includes a portion of it. Itludes the Astral, chiefly a full-blooded type of the Astral. It reaches to and includes most, ifntal, of the spiritual planes.
The Magical plane is thus the most comprehensive of all. Egyptian Gods are typical inhabitants ois plane, and it is the home of every Adept.
The spiritual planes are of several types, but are all distinguished by a reality and intensity t found nowhere else. Their inhabitants are formless, free of space and time, and distinguished b noparable brilliance.
There are also a number of sub-planes, as, for example, the Alchemical. This plane will often ap in the practice of "Rising on the Planes"; its images are usually those of gardens curiously kep,mutains furnished with peculiar symbols, hieroglyphic animals, or such figures as that of the "Hrmti Acanum", and pictures like the "Goldseekers" and the "Massacre of the Innocents" of Basil Vaentne. Thre is a unique quality about the alchemical Plane which renders its images immediately rcognzabl. {50}
There are also planes corresponding to various religions past and present, all of which have theiculiar unity.
It is of the utmost importance to the "Clairvoyant" or "traveler in the fine body" to be able to his way to any desired plane, and operate therein as its ruler.
The Neophyte of A.'. A.'. is examined most strictly in this practice before he is passed to the de of Zelator.
In "Rising on the Planes" one must usually pass clear through the Astral to the Spiritual. Some be unable to do this. The "fine body" which is good enough to subsist on lower planes, a shadowaogshadows, will fail to penetrate the higher strata. It requires a great development of this boy,an a intense infusion of the highest spiritual constituents of man, before he can pierce the vels. Th costant practice of Magick is the best preparation possible. Even though the human consciusnes fal toreach the goal, the consciousness of the fine body itself may do so, wherefore whoso ravel in tat boy on a subsequent occasion may be found worthy; and its success will react favouraly on he humn consiousness, and increase its likelihood of success in its next magical operation. Simiarly, te power gained in this way will strengthen the magician in his mediation-practices. His Wil becomesbetter ale to assist the concentration, to destroy the mental images which distur it, and o reject he lesserrewards of that practice which tempt, and too often stop the progress f, the mysic.
Although it is said that the spiritual lies "beyond the astral", this is theoretical;<<The Hon. Band Russell's "Principia Mathematica" may be said to "lie beyond" Colenso's "School Arithmetic"; u n can take the former book from one's shelves --- as every one should --- and read it without frs gin all through the latter again.>> the advanced Magician will not find it to be so in practic. e wll e able by suitable invocation to travel directly to any place desired. In Liber 418 an xampe ofperfction is given. The Adept who explored these Aethyrs did not have to pass through an beyod theUnivese, the whole of which yet lies within even the inmost (30th) Aethyr. He was ableto sumon theAethyr he wanted, and His chief difficulty was that sometimes {151} He was at first uable topierce heir vels. In fact, as the Book shows, it was only by virtue of successive and mos exaltedinitiatins underone in the Aethyrs themselves that He was able to penetrate beyond the 15h. The Gardians o such forresses know how to guard.
The MASTER THERION has published the most important practical magical secrets in the plainest lane. No one, by virtue of being clever or learned, has understood one word; and those unworthy whohv rofaned the sacrament have but eaten and drunken damnation to themselves.
One may bring down stolen fire in a hollow tube from Heaven, as The MASTER THERION indeed has don a way that no other adept dared to do before him. But the thief, the Titan, must foreknow and cnetto his doom to be chained upon a lonely rock, the vulture devouring his liver, for a season, uti Hrcles, the strong man armed by virtue of that very fire, shall come and release him.
The TEITAN<<GR:Tau-Epsilon-Iota-Tau-Alpha-Nu = 300+5+10+300+1+50 = 666.>> --- whose number is theber of a man, six hundred and three score and six --- unsubdued, consoled by Asia and Panthea, mutsn forth constant showers of blessing not only upon Man whose incarnation he is, but upon the tyan ad he persecutor. His infinite pain must thrill his heart with joy, since every pang is but te eho f sme new flame that leaps upon the earth lit by his crime.
For the Gods are the enemies of Man; it is Nature that Man must overcome ere he enter into his kim.<<In another sense, a higher sense, Nature is absolutely right throughout. The position is tha h agician discovers himself imprisoned in a distorted Nature of Iniquity; and his task is to disntnge t. This is all to be studied in The Book of Wisdom or Folly (Liber ALEPH, CXI) and in the astr Terin's edition of the "Tao Teh King". A rough note from His Magical Diary is appended here
"All elements must at one time have been separate, --- that would be the case with great heat. Nhen atoms get to the sun, when we get to the sun, we get that immense, extreme heat, and all the lmns are themselves again. Imagine that each atom of each element possesses the memory of all hi avetues in combination. By the way, that atom (fortified with that memory) would not be the sam atm; et t is, because it has gained nothing from anywhere except this memory. Therefore, by thelaps of ime,and by virtue of memory, a thing could become something more than itself; and thus a eal dvelopent i possible. One can then see a reason for any element deciding to go through this eries f incanation; because so, and only so, can he go; and he suffers the lapse of memory which e has dring thse incanations, because he knows he will come through unchanged.
"Therefore you can have an infinite number of gods, individual and equal though diverse, each one sme and utterly indestructible. This is also the only explanation of how a being could create a wr{E NOTE: SIC, probably should be "world"} in which war, evil, etc. exist. Evil is only an appeaane,beause, (like "good") it cannot affect the substance itself, but only multiply its combinatios. Thi issomething the same as mystic monotheism, but the objection to that theory is that God ha to reat thigs which are all parts of himself, so that their interplay is false. If we presuppos manyelemets, teir interplay is natural. It is no objection to this theory to ask who made the eements --- te elemnts are at least there, and God, when you look for him, is not there. Theism i "obscuum per bscuriu." A male star is built up from the centre outwards; a female from the circmferenceinwards. This iswhat is meant when we say that woman has no soul. It explains fully the ifferencebetween te sexes.> The true God {152} is man. In man are all things hidden. Of these he Gods, Nture, Time all the pwers of the universe are rebellious slaves. It is these that men mst fight an conquer inthe power ad in the name of the Beast that hath availed them, the Titan, th Magus, the an whose numer is six hudred and three score and six.
III
The practice of Rising on the Planes is of such importance that special attention must be paid to It is part of the essential technique of Magick. Instruction in this practice has been given wt uh conciseness in Liber O, that one cannot do better than quote verbatim (the "previous experimnt rfered to in the first sentence is the ordinary astral journey.):
"1. The previous experiment has little value, and leads to few results of importance. But it isceptible of a development which merges into a form of Dharana --- concentration --- and as such myla to the very highest ends. The principal use of the practice in {153} the last chapter is to amlirie the student with every kind of obstacle and every kind of delusion, so that he may be perectmaser f every idea that may arise in his brain, to dismiss it, to transmute it, to cause it intanty toobeyhis will.
"2. Let him then begin exactly as before; but with the most intense solemnity and determination."3. Let him be very careful to cause his imaginary body to rise in a line exactly perpendicular oteearth's tangent at the point where his physical body is situated (or, to put it more simply, sragh uwards).
"4. Instead of stopping, let him continue to rise until fatigue almost overcomes him. If he shofind that he has stopped without willing to do so, and that figures appear, let him at all costs ieaove them. Yea, though his very life tremble on his lips, let him force his way upward and onwrd
"5. Let him continue in this so long as the breath of life is in him. Whatever threatens, whateallures, though it were Typhon and all his hosts loosed from the pit and leagued against him, thog twere from the very Throne of God himself that a voice issues bidding him stay and be content, ethi sruggle on, ever on.
"6. At last there must come a moment when his whole being is swallowed up in fatigue, overwhelme its own inertia. Let him sink (when no longer can he strive, though his tongue be bitten throug ihthe effort and the blood gush from his nostrils) into the blackness of unconsciousness; and thn n omng to himself, let him write down soberly and accurately a record of all that hath occurred ye, arecrd of all that hath occurred."
Of course, the Rising may be done from any starting pint. One can go (for example) into the circf Jupiter, and the results, especially in the lower planes, will be very different to those obtaie rm a Saturnian starting point.
The student should undertake a regular series of such experiments, in order to familiarise himselt only with the nature of the different spheres, but with the inner meaning of each. Of course, ti ot necessary in every case to push the {154} practice to exhaustion, as described in the instrcton, ut this is the proper thing to do whenever definitely practising, in order to acquire the pwerof isig. But, having obtained this power, it is, of course, legitimate to rise to any particuar pane hat ay be necessary for the purpose of exploration, as in the case of the visions recorde in Lber 48, whre the method may be described as mixed. In such a case, it is not enough to invoe the lace yu wishto visit, because you may not be able to endure its pressure, or to breathe itsatmosphre. Seeral intances occur in that record where the seer was unable to pass through certai gateway, or to emain incertain contemplations. He had to undergo certain Initiations before he as able t proceed. Thus, itis necessary that the technique of Magick should be perfected. The Boy of Lightmust be redered capale of going everywhere and doing everything. It is, therefore, alwys the quesion of dril which is o importance. You have got to go out Rising on the Planes every ay of your lfe, year aftr year. Youare not to be disheartened by failure, or too much encouragedby success, i any one pracice or set ofpractices. What you are doing is what will be of real vale to you in th end; and thatis, developinga character, creating a Karma, which will give you the ower to do yourwill.
IV
Divination is so important a branch of Magick as almost to demand a separate treatise.
Genius is composed of two sides; the active and the passive. The power to execute the Will is but d force unless the Will be enlightened. At every stage of a Magical Operation it is necessary toko hat one is doing, and to be sure that one is acting wisely. Acute sensitiveness is always asscite wth genius; the power to perceive the universe accurately, to analyse, coordinate, and judgeimpessonsis the foundation of all great Work. An army is but a blundering brute unless its inteligene deartmnt works as it should.
The Magician obtains the transcendental knowledge necessary to an intelligent course of conduct dtly in consciousness by clairvoyance and clairaudience; but communication with superior {155} intlieces demands elaborate preparation, even after years of successful performance.
It is therefore useful to possess an art by which one can obtain at a moment's notice any informa that may be necessary. This art is divination. The answers to one's questions in divination ar o onveyed directly but through the medium of a suitable series of symbols. These symbols must b iteprted by the diviner in terms of his problem. It is not practicable to construct a lexicon i whch he olution of every difficulty is given in so many words. It would be unwieldy; besides, nturedoesnot appen to work on those lines.
The theory of any process of divination may be stated in a few simple terms.
1. We postulate the existence of intelligences, either within or without the diviner, of which henot immediately conscious. (It does not matter to the theory whether the communicating spirit so-aldis an objective entity or a concealed portion of the diviner's mind.) We assume that such intllgece are able to reply correctly --- within limits --- to the questions asked.
2. We postulate that it is possible to construct a compendium of hieroglyphs sufficiently elasticmeaning to include every possible idea, and that one or more of these may always be taken to reprsn ny idea. We assume that any of these hieroglyphics will be understood by the intelligences wih ho w wish to communicate in the same sense as it is by ourselves. We have therefore a sort of angage Oe may compare it to a "lingua franca" which is perhaps defective in expressing fine shads ofmeanng, nd so is unsuitable for literature, but which yet serves for the conduct of daily affirs i placs whee many tongues are spoken. Hindustani is an example of this. But better still isthe anlogy btween he conventional signs and symbols employed by mathematicians, who can thus convy theirideas prfectly<As a matter of fact, they cannot. The best qualified are t | |
