Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

temporary insanity. The ruling passion in each case is that of helping humanity. Both show quixotic disregard of their personal prosperity, and even comfort, yet both display love of luxury and splendour. Both hâve the pride of Satan. 7. When Aleister Crowley became Frater OT MH and had to write his thesis for the grade of Adeptus Exemptus, he had already collected his ideas when Levi s “Clef des Grands Mystères” fell ipto his hands. It was remarkable that he, having admired Levi for many years, and even begun to suspect the identity, had not troubled (although an extravagant buyer of books) to get this particular work. He found, to his astonishment, tha^t almost everything that he had himself intended to say was there written. The resuit of this was that he abandoned writing his original work, and instead translated the masterpiece in question. 8. The style of the two men is strikingly similar in numerous subtle and deep-seated ways. The general point of view is almost identical. The quality of the irony is the same. Both take a perverse pleasure in playing practical jokes on the reader. In one point, above ail, the identity is absolute — there is no third name in literature which can be put in the same class. The point is this: In a single sentence is combined sublimity and enthusiasm with sneering bitterness, scepticism, grossness and scorn. It is evidently the suprême enjoyment to strike a chord composed of as many conflicting éléments as possible. The pleasure seems to be derived from gratifying the sense of power, the power to compel every possible element of thought to contribute to the spasm. If the theory of reincarnation were generally accepted, the above considérations would make out a strong case. Frater Perdurabo was quite convinced in one part of his mind of this identity, long before he got any actual memories as such.1 II • « • * 1 * , . . Unless one has a groundwork of this sort to start with, one must get back to one’s life as best one can by the methods above indicated. 1. Long since writing the above, the publication of the biography of Eliphas Levi by M. Paul Chacornat has confirmed the hypothesis in innumerable striking ways. 53