What and How Many be the Forms of Veritable Magic

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THE FIRST CHAPTER.

WHAT AND HOW MANY BE THE FORMS OF VERITABLE MAGIC.

HOSO should wish to recount all the Arts and Operations which in our times be reputed and preached abroad as Wisdom and Magical Secrets; he should as well undertake to count the waves and the sands of the Sea; seeing that the matter hath come to such a pass that every trick of a buffoon is believed to be Magic, that all the abominations of impious Enchanters, all Diabolical Illusions, all Pagan Idolatries, all Superstitions, Fascinations, Diabolical Pacts, and lastly all that the gross blindness of the World can touch with its hands and feet is reckoned as Wisdom and Magic! The Physician, the Astrologer, the Enchanter, the Sorceress, the Idolater, and the Sacrilegious, is called of the common People a Magician! Also he who draweth his Magic whether from the Sun, whether from the Moon, whether from the Evil Spirits, whether from Stones, Herbs, Animals, Brutes, or lastly from thousand divers sources, so that the Heaven itself is astonished thereat. There be certain who draw their Magic from Air, from Earth, from Fire, from Water, from Physiognomy, from the Hand, from Mirrors, from Glasses, from Birds, from Bread, from Wine, and even from the very excrements themselves; and yet, however, all this is reputed as Science!

I exhort you, ye who read, to have the Fear of God, and to study Justice, because infallibly unto you shall be opened the Gate of the True Wisdom which God gave unto NOAH and unto his descendants JAPHET, ABRAHAM, and ISHMAEL; and it was His Wisdom that delivered LOT

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from the burning of Sodom. MOSES learned the same Wisdom in the desert, from the Burning Bush, and he taught it unto AARON his brother. JOSEPH, SAMUEL, DAVID, SOLOMON, ELIJAH, and the Apostles, and Saint JOHN particularly (from whom we hold a most excellent book of Prophecy ¹) possessed it. Let every one then know that this, this which I teach, is that same Wisdom and Magic, and which is in this same Book, and independent of any other Science, or Wisdom, or Magic, soever. It is, however, certainly true that these miraculous operations have much in common with the Qabalah; it is also true that there be other Arts which have some stamp of Wisdom; the which alone would be nothing worth were they not mingled with the foundation of the Sacred Ministry, whence later arose the Mixed Qabalah. The Arts are principally twelve. Four in number, 3, 5, 7, 9, among the numbers in the Mixed Qabalah. The second is the most perfect one, the which operateth by Sign and Visions. Two of the even numbers, namely 6 and 2, which operate with the Stars and the Celestial Courses which we call Astronomy. Three consisteth in the Metals, and 2 in the Planets. ² As to all

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these Arts, the which be conjoined and mingled together with the Sacred Qabalah; both he who maketh use of these same, either alone, or mingled with other things which be in no way from the Qabalah; and he who seeketh to exercise himself in performing operations with these Arts; is alike liable to be deceived by the DEMON; seeing that of themselves they possess no other virtue than a natural property; and they can produce no other thing than probable ¹ effects, and they have absolutely no power in spiritual and supernatural things; but if, however, on certain occasions they ² cause you to behold any extraordinary effect, such is only produced by impious and diabolical Pacts and Conjurations, the which form of Science ought to be called Sorcery.

Finally, let us conclude that from the Divine Mystery are derived these three kinds of Qabalah, viz.: the Mixed Qabalah, and the True Wisdom, and the (True) Magic. We will, therefore, show forth this last, and the manner of becoming its possessors in the Name of God and of His Celestial Court!

Footnotes

51:1 I.e., the Revelation, or Apocalypse.

51:2 This whole passage about the signification of these numbers is very obscurely worded in the original. I take the meaning to be the following: The Arts or methods of Magical working are twelve, if we class them under the twelve Signs of the Zodiac. The second number mentioned above, 5, is perfect because of its analogy with the Pentagram that potent Symbol of the Spirit and the Four Elements; 6 is the number of the Planets (as known to the Ancients, without the recently discovered Herschel and Neptune). As the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster say: "He made them Six, and for the Seventh, He cast into the midst thereof the Fire of the Sun". 2 operates in the Stars and Planets as representing their Good or Evil influence in the Heavens, in other words their dual nature. 3 consists in the Metals because, the ancient Alchemists considered their bases to be found in the three principles which they called Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt; but by which they did not mean the substance which we know under these names.

52:1 I.e., "probable" as opposed to "certain".

52:2 I.e., professing Magicians.