Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

(Illustration: It is my Will to inform the World of certain facts within my knowledge. I therefore take “magical weapons”, pen, ink, and paper ; I Write “incantations” — these sentences — in the “magical language” i.e. that which is understood by the people I wish to instruct; I call forth “spirits”, such as printers, publishers, booksellers, and so forth, and constrain them to convey my message to those people. The composition and distribution of this book is thus an act of __ . MAGICK by which I cause Changes to take place in conformity with my Will* 1) IL POSTULATE. ANY required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of Force in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper object. (Illustration: I wish to préparé an ounce of Chloride of Gold. I must take the right kind of acid, nitro-hydrochloric and no other, in sufficient quantity and of adéquate strength, and place it, in a vessel which will not break, leak, or corrode, in such a manner as will not produce undesirable results, with the necessary quantity of Gold: and so forth. Every Change has its own conditions. In the présent State of our knowledge and power some changes are not possible in practice ; we cannot cause éclipsés, for instance, or transform lead into tin, or create men from mushrooms. But it is theoretically possible to cause in any object any change of which that object is capable by nature ; and the conditions are covered by the above postulate.) III. THEOREMS. ( 1 ) Every intentional act is a Magical Act. 1 (Illustration: See “Définition” above.) i. By “intentional” I mean “willed”. But even unintentional actj so-seeming are not truly so. Thus, breathing is an act of the VŸ ill-to-Live. I. In one sense Magick may be dehned as the name given to Science by the vulgar. — XVII —