Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 4)

the children of wisdom, of whom she is justified, well know that the laws of Ethics are a chaos of confused conventions, based at best on customs convenient in certain conditions, more often on the craft or caprice of the biggest, the most savage, heartless, cunning and blood-thirsty brutes of the pack, to secure their power or pander to their pleasure in cruelty. There is no principle, even a false one, to give cohérence to the clamour of ethical propositions. Yet the very men that hâve smashed Moloch, and strewn the earth with shapeless rubble, grow pale when they so much as whisper among themelves, “While Moloch ruled ail men were bound by the one law, and by the oracles of them that, knowing the fraud, feared not, but were his priests and wardens of his mystery. What now ? How can any of us, though wise and strong as never was known, prevail on men to act in concert, now that each prays to his own chip of God, and yet knows every other chip to be a worthless ort, dream-dust, ape-dung, tradition-bone, or — what not else ? ” So science begins to see that the Initiâtes were maybe not merely silly and selfish in making their rule of silence, and in protecting philosophy from the profane. Yet still she hopes that the mischief may not prove mortal, and begs that things may go on much as usual until that secret session décidé on some plan of action. It has always been fatal when somebody finds out too much too suddenly. If John Huss had cackled more like a hen, he might hâve survived Michaelmas, and been esteemed for his eggs. The last fifty years hâve laid the axe of analysis to the root of every axiomj they are triflers who content themselves with lopping the blossoming twigs of our beliefs, or the boughs of our intellectual instruments. We can no longer assert any single proposition, unless we guard ourselves by enumerating countless conditions which must be assumed. This digression has outstayed its welcomej it was only invited by Wisdom that it might warn Rashness of the dangers that encompass even Sincerity, Energy and Intelligence when they happen not to contribute to Fitness-in-their-environment. The Magician must be wary in his use of his powers; he must make every act not only accord with his Will, but with the pro¬ priétés of his position at the time. It might be my will to reach — 34i