Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

i CHAPTER XIII r * Of the Banishings: And of the Purifications. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and had better corne first. Purity means singleness. God is one. The wand is not a wand if it has something sticking to it which is not an essential part of îtself. If you wish to invoke Venus, you do not succeed if there are traces of Saturn mixed up with it. T-hat is a mere logical commonplace: in Magick one must go much farther than this. One finds one’s analogy in electricity. If insulation is imperfect, the whole current goes back to earth. It is useless to plead that in ail those miles of wire there is only one-hundredth of an inch unprotected. It is no good building a ship if the water can enter, through however small a hole. The first task of the Magician in every ceremony is therefore to render his Circle absolutely impregnable. 1 If one littlest thought intrude upon the mind of the Mystic, his concentration is absolutely destroyed; and his consdousness remains on exactly the same level as the Stockbroker’s. Even the smallest baby is incompatible with the virginity of its mother. If you leave even a single spirit within the circle, the effect of the conjuration will be entirely absorbed by it. 2 1. See, however, the Essay on Truth in “Konx oin Pax”. The Circle (in one aspect) asserts Duality, and emphasizes Division. 2. While one remains exposed to the action of ail sorts of forces, they more or less counterbalance each other, so that the general equilib- rium, produced by évolution, is on the whole maintained. But if we suppress ail but one, its action becomes irrésistible. Thus, the pressure of IOI