Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

the ancient Magicians, that any living being is a storehouse of energy varying in quantity according to the size and health of the animal, and in quality according to its mental and moral character. At the death of the animal this energy is liberated suddenly. The animal should therefore be killed 1 within the Circle, or the Triangle, as the case may be. so that its energy cannot escape. An animal should be selected whose nature accords with that of the ceremony — thus, by sacrificing a female lamb one would not obtain any appreciate quantity of the fierce energy useful to a Magician who was invoking Mars. In such a case a ram 2 3 would be more suitable. And this ram should be virgin — the whole potential of its original total energy should not hâve been diminished in any way. ;; For the highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence 4 is the most satisfactory and suitable victim. 1. It is a mistake to suppose that the victim is injured. On the contrary, this is the most blessed and merci fui of ail deaths, for the elemental spirit is directly built up into Godhead — the exact goal of its efforts through countless incarnations. On the other hand, the practice cf torturing animais to death in order to obtain the elemental as a slave is indefensible, utterly black magic of the very worst kind, involving as it does a metaphysical basis of dualism. There is, however, no objection to dualism or black magic when they are properly understood. See the account of the Master Therion’s Great Magical Retirement by Lake Pasquaney, where He “crucified a toad in the Basilisk abode”. 2. A wolf would be still better in the case of Mars. See 777 for the correspondences between various animais and the “32 Paths” of Nature. 3. There is also the question of its magical freedom. Sexual intercourse créâtes a link between its exponents, and therefore a responsi- bility. 4. It appears from the Magical Records of Frater Perdurabo that He made this particular sacrifice on an average about 150 times every year between 1912 e. v. and 1928 e. v. Contrast J. K. Huyman’s “Là- Bas”, where a perverted form of Magic of an analogous order is described. “It is the sacrifice of oneself spiritually. And the intelligence and innocence of that male child are the perfect understanding of the Magician, his one aim, without lust of resuit. And male he must be, because what 95