Book 4 (Part II)

by wise men of old; they have made a Science of Life com- plete and perfect; and they have given to it the name of MAGIC K. It is the chief secret of the Ancients, and if the keys have never been actually lost, they have certainly been little used.^ Again, the confusion of thought caused by the ignorance of the people who did not understand it has discredited the whole subject. It is now our task to re-establish this science in its perfection. To do this we must criticize the Authorities; some of them have made it too complex, others have completely failed in such simple matters as coherence. Many of the writers are empirics, still more mere scribes, while by far the largest class of all is composed of stupid charlatans. We shall consider a simple form of magick, harmonized from many systems old and new, describing the various weapons of the Magician and the furniture of his temple. We shall explain to what each really corresponds, and discuss the construction and the use of everything. The Magician works in a Temple; the Universe, which is (be it remembered!) conterminous with himself.' In this temple a Circle is drawn upon the floor for the limitation of his working. This circle is ^ The holders of those keys have always kept very quiet about it. This has been especially necessary in Europe, because of the dominance of persecuting churches. •^By "yourself" you mean the contents of your consciousness. All without does not exist for you.