Magic

The Royal Art

The notion of magic as a form of entertainment is nothing but a confusion between the magician and the illusionist, the latter performing parlour tricks, such as the rabbit out of the hat, whilst the former is engaged in an art form more ancient than the pyramids themselves.

In fact magic, to paraphrase Éliphas Lévi, is the science of the ancient magi, and magical initiation represents true royalty and, like alchemy, magic is therefore a Royal Art, and is called so by all adepts. In short magic is the transcendental and absolute science of nature and her laws.

Éliphas Lévi explains, in his great tome The History of Magic, that “magic, therefore, combines in a single science that which is most certain in philosophy, which is eternal and infallible in religion. It reconciles perfectly and incontestably those two terms, so opposed on the first view – faith and reason, science and belief, authority and liberty. It furnishes the human mind with an instrument of philosophical and religious certitudes as exact as mathematics, and even accounting for the infallibility of mathematics themselves… [and] if such be the case, how comes it that so exalted a science is still unrecognised? How is it possible to assume that so bright a sun is hidden in a sky so dark?

The transcendental science has been known always, but only to flowers of intelligence, who have understood the necessity of silence and patience. Should a skilful surgeon open at midnight the eyes of a man born blind, it would still be impossible to make him realise the nature or existence of daylight till morning came. Science has its nights and its mornings, because the life which it communicates to the world of mind is characterised by regular modes of motion and progressive phases. It is the same with truths as it is with radiations of light, nothing which is hidden is lost, but at the same time nothing that is found is absolutely new.”


White or Black Magic

When defining magic it’s common to erroneously use the terms white or black, or good and evil, as a way of understanding the purpose of the magician or witch. In Christian tradition it is Simon Magus that embodies all the traits of the black, or evil, magician and he first appears in the Acts of the Apostles:

“But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.” (1)

Many P. Hall defines, in The Secret Teachings of All Ages, ceremonial magic as “the ancient art of invoking and controlling spirits by a scientific application of certain formulæ… [and] while the elaborate ceremonial magic of antiquity was not necessarily evil, there arose from its perversion several false schools of sorcery, or ‘black magic’.” He goes on to explain that the most dangerous form of black magic is:

“...the scientific perversion of occult powers for the gratification of personal desire. Its less complex universal form is human selfishness, for selfishness is the fundamental cause of all worldly evil. A man will barter his eternal soul for temporal power, and down through the ages a mysterious process has been evolved which actually enables him to make this exchange. In its various branches the black art includes nearly all forms of ceremonial magic, necromancy, witchcraft, sorcery, and vampirism.”

Anton Szandor LaVey points out in The Satanic Witch that “in order to pursue the ‘craft’ without harassment and prosecution, the spokesmen for witchcraft attempted to legitimize and justify what they were doing by proclaiming the existence of ‘white’ witchcraft… simply a belief in the religion of the old wise ones, or ‘wicca’. The use of herbs, charms and healing spells was only employed for beneficial purposes. It was believed that the kind of witches that were dangerous to have around were’ black’ witches. These were supposedly evil in their pursuits and worshipped Satan.”

This is a valid point and one only has to draw a similarity with the term peace troops. When something that is considered evil, or bad, is in need of public acceptance, such as army or soldier, a change of name can make all the difference.

Keep in mind that millions of people were tortured and burned by church and public officials on the assumption that they were witches and this behaviour did not seize until the end of the 18th century. It was also a very profitable business since both land and property befell accuser and church officials. Although it was mostly women that suffered charges of witchcraft men, children and even animals were also tortured and murdered.

But magic can be used for ill and although the terms black and white magic may have a lot to do with fear of retribution from the church and the Inquisition, it does also represent two distinct forms of magic. The medieval alchemist Albertus Magnus defined white magic as an art in concord with nature and black magic as an evil art that dealt with demonic forces employing incantations and spells.

In The Elixir and the Stone Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh writes that “the psychological and moral orientation with which one embarks on the process of shaping or transmuting reality will determine whether the magic one employs is, according to medieval and Renaissance definitions, ‘white’ or ‘black’, ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’, ‘sacred’ or ‘profane’. At risk of oversimplification, it could almost be said that humanity, in effect, can be divided into three general categories – ‘sacred’ magicians, ‘profane’ magicians and victims. The magician, whether sacred or profane, assumes an active role in relation to the world he inhabits, and transforms it accordingly. The victim, in contrast, remains passive, a powerless slave to circumstance… these roles are not immutably fixed, nor are they very necessarily consistent… however most human beings, throughout most of their lives, are, in fact, victims.”

Instead of creating reality, the victim accepts the reality that it is given. Few question their lives, even fewer question the environment they are alive in.

(to be continued.)

Footnotes:
(1) Acts of the Apostles [8:9-24] (KJV): “But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they [their] hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and [in] the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.”

© deviadah