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Page 1 of 11913 · PDF PAGE 117
… or to the pure soul in the microcosm. How can that which is self-existent, complete, be moved} It is even written that "torsion about a point is iniquity." But if the point itself could be moved it would cease to be itself, for position is the only attribute of the point. The Magician must therefore make himself absolutely free in this respect. It is the constant practice of Demons to attempt to terrify, to shock, to disgust, to allure. Against all this he must oppose the Steel of the Sword. If he has got rid of the ego-idea this task will be …
1913 · PDF PAGE 70
…, however much your judgment approves them, find the answer. Let this be done dispassionately; the more convinced you are that a certain point of view is right, the more determined you should be to find proofs that it is wrong. If you have done this thoroughly, these points of view will cease to trouble you ; you can then assert your own point of view with the calm of a master, which is more convincing than the enthusiasm of a learner.
1913 · PDF PAGE 6
a villa actually prophesied to us long before we reached Naples by that Brother of the A.*. A/, who appeared to me in Zurich. Any point which was obscure to me was cleared up in some new discourse (the discourses have consequently been re-arranged). Before printing, the whole work was read by several persons of rather less that average intelligence, and any point not quite clear even to them has been elucidated. May the whole Path now be plain to all ! Frater Perdurabo is the most honest of all the great religious teachers. Others have said : "…
1913 · PDF PAGE 86
…uction of its separateness. Every ray of the sun expands the flower. The surface of the water in the Magick Cup is infinite; there is no point different from any other point. ^ Thus, ultimately, as the wand is a binding and a limitation, so is the Cup an expansion —into the Infinite. And this is the danger of the Cup; it must necessarily be open to all, and yet if anything is put into it which is out of proportion, unbalanced, or impure, it takes hurt. And here again we find difficulty with our thoughts. The grossness and stupidity oi simple wi…
1913 · PDF PAGE 63
…e the boy is in a position to attain his wish he has already forgotten it. In other cases the Understanding never grows beyond a certain point, and the Will persists without intelligence. The business man (for example) has wished for ease and comfort, and to this end goes daily to his office and slaves under a more cruel taskmaster than the meanest of the workmen in his pay; he decides to retire, and finds that life is empty. The end has been swallowed up in the means. Only those are happy who have desired the unattainable. All possessions, the…
1913 · PDF PAGE 194
…dge of them is found satisfactory, he may become a Pro- bationer, receiving Liber LXI and the secret holy book. Liber LXV. The principal point of this grade is that the Probationer has a master appointed, whose experience can guide him in his work. He may select any practices that he prefers, but in any case must keep an exact record, so that he may discover the relation of cause and effect in his working, and so that the A.*. A.\ may judge of his progress, and direct his further studies. After a year of probation he may be admitted a Neophyte …
1913 · PDF PAGE 108
…— back to back. Spheres are placed between them, form- ing an equilateral triangle with the sphere of the pommel. The blade is straight, pointed, and sharp right up to the guard. It is made of steel, to equilibrate with the hilt, for steel is the metal of Mars, as copper is of Venus. Those two planets are male and female —and thus reflect the Wand and the Cup, though in a much lower sense. The hilt is of Venus, for Love is the motive of this ruthless analysis — if this were not so the sword would be a Black Magical weapon. The pommel of the Swo…
1913 · PDF PAGE 122
…f the least important, of the ideas in your mind, why should that mind be disturbed by your toothache? It is not possible to labour this point without tautology, for it is a very simple one; but it should be emphasised, for it is a very simple one. Waugh ! Waugh ! Waugh! Waugh! Waugh !^ In the question of ethics it again becomes vital, for to many people it seems impossible to consider the merits of any act without dragging in a number of subjects which have no real connection with it. The Bible has been mistranslated by perfectly competent sch…
1913 · PDF PAGE 110
… It will readily be seen how very elementary and false all this is —but for the beginner it is necessary. In all deahngs with demons the point of the Sword is kept down- wards, and it should not be used for invocation, as is taught in certain schools of magick. If the Sword is raised towards the Crown, it is no longer really a sword. The Crown cannot be divided. Certainly the Sword should not be lifted. The Sword may, however, be clasped in both hands, and kept steady and erect, symbolizing that thought has become one with the single aspiration…
1913 · PDF PAGE 133
…mind. All Pantacles will contain the ultimate conceptions of the circle and the cross, though some will prefer to replace the cross by a point, or by a Tau, or by a triangle. The Vesica Piscis is sometimes used instead of the circle, or the circle may be glyphed as a serpent. Time and space and the idea of causality are sometimes represented; so also are the three stages in the history of philosophy, in which the three objects of study were successively Nature, God, and Man. The duality of consciousness is also sometimes represented; and the Tr…
1913 · PDF PAGE 55
…ath with the greater. This is indeed almost certain to occur, and it must be remembered that as the whole essence of the will is its one-pointedness,^ a dilemma of this sort is the worst in which the Magus can find himself. Another great point in this consideration of Magick Vows is to keep them in their proper place. They must be taken for a clearly defined purpose, a clearly understood purpose, and they must never be allowed to go beyond it. It is a virtue in a diabetic not to eat sugar, but only in reference to his own condition. It is not a…
1913 · PDF PAGE 52
…ur will is strong enough to obtain anything we want without loss of time. It is therefore necessary to develop the will to its high- est point, even though the last task but one is the total sur- render of this will. Partial surrender of an imperfect will is of no account in Magick. The will being a lever, a fulcrum is necessary; this fulcrum is the main aspiration of the student to attain. All wills which are not de- pendent upon this principal will are so many leakages ; they are like fat to the athlete. The majority of the people in this wor…
1913 · PDF PAGE 136
…II. Now consider that this Karma is all that a man has or is. His ulti- mate object is to get rid of it completely —when it comes to the point of surrendering^ the Self to the Beloved; but in the beginning the Magician is not that Self, he is only the heap of refuse from which that Self is to be built up. The Magical instruments must be made before they are destroyed. This idea of Karma has been confused by many who ought to have known better, including the Buddha, with the ideas of poetic justice and of retribution. We have the story of one of…
1913 · PDF PAGE 62
… against red coming up twice running; but after red has come up once the conditions are changed. It would be useless to insist on such a point were it not for the fact that many people confuse Philosophy with Magick. Philosophy is the enemy of Magick. Philosophy assures us that after all nothing matters, and that che sara sara. In practical life, and Magick is the most practical of the Arts of life, this difficulty does not occur. It is useless to argue with a man who is running to catch a train that he may be destined not to catch it; he just …
1913 · PDF PAGE 162
…vellum; and these cannot be erased. In such a case, when you come to conjure a demon by the power of the Book, he will mock you; he will point to all this foolish writing, more like his own than yours. In vain will you continue with the subsequent spells; you have broken by your own foolishness the chain which would have bound him. Even the calligraphy of the Book must be firm, clear, and beautiful; in the cloud of incense it is hard to read the conjurations. While you peer dimly through the smoke, the demon will vanish, and you will have to wr…