IMPROVISING A TEMPLE 
171 
Well, that ought to be enough to keep you out of mischief 
for a little while; but I feel moved to add a line of caution 
and encouragement. 
Listen! 
Faites attention! 
Achtung! 
Khabardar karol 
Just as soon as you start seriously to prepare a place for 
magical Work, the world goes more cockeyed than it is 
already. Don't be surprised if you find that six weeks' intense 
shopping all over London fails to provide you with some 
simple requisite that normally you could buy in ten minutes. 
Perhaps your fires simply refuse to bum , even when liberally 
dosed with petrol and phosphorus, with a handful of 
Chlorate of Potash thrown in just to show there is no ill 
feeling! When you have almost decided that you had better 
make up your mind to do without something that seems 
really quite unobtainable - say, a sixty-carat diamond which 
would look so well on the head-dress-a perfect stranger 
comes along and makes you a present of one. Or, a long series 
of quite unreasonable obstacles or silly accidents interfere 
with your plans: or, the worst difficulty in your way is 
incomprehensibly removed by some extraordinary "freak of 
chance." Or . .. 
In a word, you seem to have strolled into a world 
where-well, it might be going too far to say that the Law of 
Cause and Effect is suspended; but at least the Law of 
Probability seems to be playing practical jokes on you. 
This means that your manoeuvres have somehow attracted 
the notice of the Astral Plane: your new neighbours (May I 
call them?) are taking an interest in the latest Tenderfoot, 
some to welcome, to do all they can to help you to settle 
down, others indignant or apprehensive at this disturbance of 
routine. This is where your Banishings and Invocations come 
to the rescue. Of course, I am not here referring to the