Magick in Theory and Practice (Section 1)

be immediately linked with one’s peculiar tendencies to imagine one thing rather than another. 1 Genuine recollections almost invariably explain oneself to oneself. Suppose, for example, that you feel an instinctive aversion to some particular kind of wine. Try as you will, you can find no reason for your idiosyncrasy. Suppose, then, that when you explore some previous incarnation, you remember that you died by a poison administered in a wine of that character, your aversion is explained by the proverb, aA burnt. child dreads the fire.” It may be objected that in such a case your libido has created a phantasm of itself in the manner which Freud has explained. The criticism is just, but its value is reduced if it should happen that you were not aware of its existence until your Magical Memory attracted your attention to it. In fact, the essence of the test consists in this: that your memory notifies you of something which is the logical conclusion of the prémisses postulated by the past. As an example, we may cite certain memories of the Master Therion. He followed a train of thought which led him to remember his life as a Roman named Marius de Aquila. It would be straining probability to présumé a connection between (a) this hieroglyphically recorded mode of self-analysis and (J3) ordinary introspection conducted on principles intelligible to himself. He remembers directly various people and various events connected with this incarnation ; and they are in themselves to ail appearance actual. There is no particular reason why they, rather than any others, should hâve entered his sphere. In the act of remembering them, they are absolute. He can find no reason for correlating them with anything in the présent. But a subséquent examina¬ tion of the record shows that the logical resuit of the Work of Marius de Aquila did not occur to that romantic reprobate; in point of fact, he died before anything could happen. Can we suppose that any cause can be baulked of effect? The Universe is unanimous in rebuttal. If then the exact effects which might be expected to resuit from these causes are manifested in the career i. The exception is when some whimsical circumstance ties a knot in the corner of one’s mnemonic handkerchief. 57