Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 2)

Should lie fai! to disappear immediately, it is a sign thaï there is something ver y wrong, The Magician should immediaîely reconsecrate the Circle with the uîmost care. He should then repeat the dismissal; and if this does not suffice, he should then perform the banishing ritual suitable to the nature of the spirit and, if necessary, add conjurations to the same effect. In these circumstances, or if anything else suspicious should occur, he should not be content with the apparent disappearance of the spirit, who might easily make himself invisible and lie in ambush to do the Magician a mischief when he stepped out of the Circle — or even months afterwards. An y symhol whieh lias once definitely entered your environment with your own consent is extremely danger ous; unless under absolut e c ont roi, A man’s friends are more capable of working him harm than are strangers; 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 necessity of sélection should therefore be obvious. True, there cornes a time when ail éléments soever must be thus assimilated. Samadhi is, by définition, that very process. But, from the point of view of the young magician, there is a right wav — strait and difficult •— of performing ail this. One cannot too frequently repeat that what is lawful and proper to one Path is alien to another. Immediately after the License to Départ, and the general closing up of the work,it is necessary that the Magician should sit down and write up his magical record. However much he may hâve been tired 1 by the ceremony, he ought to force himself to do this until it becomes a habit. Verily, it is better to fail in the magical ceremony than to fail in writing down an accurate record of it. One need not doubt the propriety of this remark. Even if one is eaten alive by Malkah be-Tarshishim ve-Ruachoth ha-Schehalim, it does not matter very much, for it is over so very quickly. But the record of the transaction is I. He ought to be refreshed, more than after a full night’s deep sleep. This forms one test of his skill. — 140 —