Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

CHAPTER XII Of the Bloody Sacrifice : and Matters Cognate. It is necessary for us to consider carefully the problems con- necœd with the bloody sacrifice, for this question is indeed traditionally important in Magick. Nigh ail ancient Magick revolves around this matter. In particular ail the Osirian religions — the rites of the Dying God — refer to this, The slaying of Osiris and Adonis ; the mutilation of Attis; the cuits of Mexico and Peruj the story of Hercules or Melcarth; the legends of Dionysus and of Mithra, are ail connected with this one idea. In the Hebrew religion we find the same thing inculcated. The first ethical lesson in the Bible is that the only sacrifice pleasing to the Lord is the sacrifice of bloodj Abel, who made this, finding favour with the Lord, while Cain, who offered cabbages, was rather naturally considered a cheap sport. The idea recurs again and again. We hâve the sacrifice of the Passover, following on the story of Abraham s being commanded to sacrifice his firstborn son, with the idea of the substitution of animal for human life. The annual ceremony of the two goats carries out this in perpetuity. And we see again the domination of this idea in the romance of Esther, where Haman and Mordecai are the two goats or gods; and ultimately in the présentation of the rite of Purim in Palestine, where Jésus and Barabbas happened to be the Goats in that particular year of which we hear so much, without agreement on the date. This subject must be studied in the “Golden Bough”, where it is most learnedly set forth by Dr. J. G. Frazer. Enough has now been said to show that the bloody sacrifice has from time immémorial been the most considered part of Magick. 92 —