Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

There has been a good deal of discussion in the past within the Colleges of the Holy Ghost, as to whether it would be quite legitimate to seek to transcend this limitation. One need not présumé to pass judgment. One can leave the decision to the will of each magician. The Book of the Dead contains many chapters intended to enable the magical entity of a man who is dead, and so deprived (according to the theory of death then current) of the material vehicle for executing his will, to take on the form of certain animais, such as a golden hawk or a crocodile, and in such form to go about the earth “taking his pleasure among the living.” * 1 As a general rule, material was supplied out of which he could construct the party of the second part aforesaid, hereinafter referred to as the hawk. We need not, however, consider this question of death. It may often be convenient for the living to go about the world in some such incognito. Now, then, conceive of this magical body as créative force, seeking manifestation; as a God, seeking incarnation. There are two ways by which this aim may be effected. The first method is to build up an appropriate body from its éléments. This is, generally speaking, a very hard thing to do, because the physical constitution of any material being with much power is, or at least should be, the outcome of âges of évolution. However, there is a lawful method of producing an homunculus which is taught in a certain secret organization, perhaps known to some of those who may read this, which could very readily be adapted to some such purpose as we are now discussing. The second method sounds very easy and amusing. You take some organism already existing, which happens to be suitable to your purpose. You drive out the magical being are many cases on record of Children having been born as the resuit of such unions. See the work of De Sinistrari on Incubi and Succubi for a discussion of analogous phenomena. I. See “The Book of Lies” cap. 44, and The Collected Works of Aleister Crowley, Vol. III, pp. 209-210, where occur paraphrased transla¬ tions of certain classical Egyptian rituals. - 89