Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

once belonging to her, and so in subtle connection with her aura. But for material ends it is better to hâve material means. We must not rely on fine gut in trolling for salmon. Our wiil to kill a tiger is poorly conveyed by a charge of small shot fired at a range of one hundred yards. Our talisman must, therefore, be an object suitable to the nature of our Operation, and we must hâve some such means of applying its force to such a way as will naturally compel the obedience of the portion of Nature which we are trying to change. If one will the death of a sinner, it is not sufficient to hâte him, even if we grant that the vibrations of thought, when sufficiently powerful and pure, may modify the Astral light sufficiently to impress its intention to a certain extent on such people as happen to be sensitive. It is much surer to use one’s mind and muscle in service of that hâte by devising and making a dagger, and then applying the dagger to the heart of one’s enemy. One must give one’s hâte a bodily form of the same order as that which one’s enemy has taken for his mani¬ festation. Your spirit can only corne into contact with his by me^yis of this magical manufacture of phantomsj in the same way, one can only measure one’s mind (a certain part of it) against another man’s by expressing them in some such form as the game of chess. One cannot use chessmen against another man unless he agréé to use them in the same sense as you do. The board and men form the Magical Link by which you can prove your power to constrain him to yield. The game is a device by which you force him to turn down his king in surrender, a muscular act made in obedience to your will, though he may be twice your weight and strength. These general principles should enable the student to understand the nature of the work of making the Magical Link. It is impossible to give detailed instructions, because every case demands separate considération. It is sometimes exceedinglv difficult to devise proper measures. Remember that Magick includes ail acts soever. Anything may serve as a Magical weapon. To impose one’s Will on a nation, for instance, one’s talisman may be a newspaper, one’s triangle a church, or one’s circle a Club. Tô win a woman, one’s ”4