Magick Without Tears

188 MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS disturbed that I looked up to the ceiling to see what caused the light, but could only see the candles. Then the chair on which he sat seemed to rise; it was like a throne, and he seemed to be either dead or sleeping; but it was certainly no longer Fra. P. This frightened me, and I tried to understand by looking round the room; when I looked back the chair was raised, and he was still the same. I realized I was alone; and thinking he was dead or gone-or some other terrible thing-I lost consciousness. This discourse has been thus left unfinished: but it is only necessary to add that the capacity to extract such spiritual honey from these unpromising flowers is the mark of an adept who has perfected his Magick Cup. This method of Qabalistic exegesis is 0l!-e of the best ways of exalting the reason to the higher consciousness. Evidently it started Fra. P. so that in a moment he became completely concentrated and entranced. Note that this has nothing at all to do with any Pranayama . It seems a matter of ecstatic concentration, which chose this mode of expression instead of bringing on Samadhi-though that, too, occurred in some of the cases. By the way, here is a fairly full account of the whole business; I have just remembered-it is in my Autohagiography. Pranayama produced, firstly , a peculiar kind of perspiration; secondly, an automatic rigidity of the muscles; and thirdly, the very curious phenomenon of causing the body, while still absolutely rigid, to take little hops in various directions. It seems as if one were somehow raised, possibly an inch from the ground, and deposited very gently a short distance away. I saw a very striking case of this at Kandy. When