Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 2)

in handy later as weapons, in this fundamental training of the mind. It îs much better to compel the mind to busy itself with root ideas which do not mean very much to the child, because you are not trying to excite the brain, but to drill it. For this reason, ail the hest mincis liave been trained by preliminary study of classics and mathematics. The same principle applies to the training of the body. The original exercises should be of a character to train the muscles generally to perform any kind or work, rather than to train them for some spécial kind of work, concentration on which will unfit them for other tasks by depriving them of the elasticity which is the proper condition of life. 1 In Magick and méditation this principle applies with tremend- ous force. It is quite useless to teach people how to perform magical operations, when it may be that such operations, when thev hâve learned to do them, are not in accordance with their wills. What must be done is to drill the Aspirant in the hard routine of the éléments of the Royal Art. So far as mysticism is concerned, the technique is extremely simple, and has been very simply described in Part I of this Book 4. It cannot be said too strongly that any amouni of mystical success whatever is 110 compensation for slackness with regard to the technique. There may corne a time when Samadhi itself is no part of the business of the mystic. But the character developed by the original training re¬ mains an asset. In other words, the person who has made himself a first-class brain capable of elasticity is competent to 1. Some few forms of exercise are exempt from these strictures. Rock- climbing, in particular, trains every muscle in an endless variety of ways. It moreover compels the learner to use his own judgment, to rely on himself, to develop resource, and to dépend upon his own originality to attack each new problem that présents itself. This principle may be extended to ail departments of the éducation of children. They should be put into contact with ail kinds of truth, and allowed to make their own reflections thereon and reactions thereto, without the least attempt to bias their judg¬ ment. Magical pupils should be trained on similar lines. They should be made to work alone from the first, to cover the whole ground impartially, to devise their own experiments and draw their own conclusions. 201