Transcribe
Translate
Voice of the Imagination, whole no. 24, August 1942
Page 13
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
Supplement — VoM #24 Page 3 BLACK MAGIC Whether or not we admit that witchcraft at one time was a connecting link betwen Devil Worship and Black Magic, it is apparent that at the present time the two are separate entities. And this is well. If there were many persons capable of combining the two, it might well be the beginning of a course like that which culminated in the sinking of Atlantis. As in Satanism, the powers invoked in Black Magic are not in themselves evil—they are evil only when put to misuse. This is a point much misunderstood. If either Satan or Lucifer (representing, respectively, the powers of Saturn and Mars) were to go out of the scheme, men would not long survive. These powers are those mentioned by Goethe in "Faust," which "work for good while ever scheming ill." Their scheme for ill would come to naught were it not for the mechanicians of mortals, who strive in every way to pervert these forces from their natural path. It is not in the least remarkable that the number of Black Magicians is so small, compared with the number of Satanists. One reading of the necessities for invoking even the least powerful spirit is enough to convince one that here is a course which only the most intrepid and determined should enter on. The vestments of the magician must be prepared. The proper planetary configurations must be determined. The sword, the staff, the rod, the lancet, the arctrave or hook, the boline or sickle, the needle, the poinard,a white-handled knife and another knife with a black handle. The pen and ink, the virgin parchment, the wax for the candles, the silken cloth in which to wrap the instruments. The salt, the sacrifice. And each of these must be prepared in a certain way, at a certain time, and with certain prayers, exorcisms, invocations, and benedictions. To properly prepare for a vital invocation is a task which takes weeks, even months, and there are few who re willing to devote the time to it, much less the abstinence, continence and consecration which are necessary concommitments to a successful operation. Or, if the magician is not satisfied with invoking any of these lesser demons, he may proceed to invoke Lucifer himself. Here, of course, both the reward and the penalty are correspondingly higher. For while most of the lesser hierarchy will be satisfied with a kind of "token payment" for their services, Lucifer will usually deal only for the delivery of the body and soul of the magician at a specified time. Note, "body and soul." Not just the soul, as so many fictional writers have led the public to believe. It is our personal opinion that A. Merritt's "Seven Footprints to Satan," in its description of the unfortunate men and women bound to serve "Satan" in various ways to his benefit while still in corpus, came much nearer to the truth than many readers imagined. Merritt's "Satan" was only a mortal, however, and was destroyed. Imagine the vast network for crime or any other purpose that an immortal power could muster. The dividing line between black and white magic is drawn so fine that often a supposed white magician serves the black powers without knowing it. In this connection, magic is really divided into four, instead of only two, divisions. White Magic is the right use of spiritual power, consciously and objectively; Yellow Magic is the failure to learn how to prevent the perversion of power; Grey Magic is the unconscious or subconscious perversion of power; and Black Magic is the use of the spiritual powers to gratify animal or selfish proclivities. The Black Magician in his selfish egotism thinks himself greater than God or law, and continually breaks the rules of force, but sooner or later, like Faust, he is destroyed by the forces he has attempted to master. If he himself was the only one to be destroyed, it would be an affair of unconcern for the rest of the world. But before his destruction he is able to wreck incalculable damage to those about him. Yet it must be realized that the Black Magician has his place in the world scheme. If he did not, he would not exist at all. Perhaps the future will bring greater ;understanding of the whole of the plan in which these things exist.
Saving...
prev
next
Supplement — VoM #24 Page 3 BLACK MAGIC Whether or not we admit that witchcraft at one time was a connecting link betwen Devil Worship and Black Magic, it is apparent that at the present time the two are separate entities. And this is well. If there were many persons capable of combining the two, it might well be the beginning of a course like that which culminated in the sinking of Atlantis. As in Satanism, the powers invoked in Black Magic are not in themselves evil—they are evil only when put to misuse. This is a point much misunderstood. If either Satan or Lucifer (representing, respectively, the powers of Saturn and Mars) were to go out of the scheme, men would not long survive. These powers are those mentioned by Goethe in "Faust," which "work for good while ever scheming ill." Their scheme for ill would come to naught were it not for the mechanicians of mortals, who strive in every way to pervert these forces from their natural path. It is not in the least remarkable that the number of Black Magicians is so small, compared with the number of Satanists. One reading of the necessities for invoking even the least powerful spirit is enough to convince one that here is a course which only the most intrepid and determined should enter on. The vestments of the magician must be prepared. The proper planetary configurations must be determined. The sword, the staff, the rod, the lancet, the arctrave or hook, the boline or sickle, the needle, the poinard,a white-handled knife and another knife with a black handle. The pen and ink, the virgin parchment, the wax for the candles, the silken cloth in which to wrap the instruments. The salt, the sacrifice. And each of these must be prepared in a certain way, at a certain time, and with certain prayers, exorcisms, invocations, and benedictions. To properly prepare for a vital invocation is a task which takes weeks, even months, and there are few who re willing to devote the time to it, much less the abstinence, continence and consecration which are necessary concommitments to a successful operation. Or, if the magician is not satisfied with invoking any of these lesser demons, he may proceed to invoke Lucifer himself. Here, of course, both the reward and the penalty are correspondingly higher. For while most of the lesser hierarchy will be satisfied with a kind of "token payment" for their services, Lucifer will usually deal only for the delivery of the body and soul of the magician at a specified time. Note, "body and soul." Not just the soul, as so many fictional writers have led the public to believe. It is our personal opinion that A. Merritt's "Seven Footprints to Satan," in its description of the unfortunate men and women bound to serve "Satan" in various ways to his benefit while still in corpus, came much nearer to the truth than many readers imagined. Merritt's "Satan" was only a mortal, however, and was destroyed. Imagine the vast network for crime or any other purpose that an immortal power could muster. The dividing line between black and white magic is drawn so fine that often a supposed white magician serves the black powers without knowing it. In this connection, magic is really divided into four, instead of only two, divisions. White Magic is the right use of spiritual power, consciously and objectively; Yellow Magic is the failure to learn how to prevent the perversion of power; Grey Magic is the unconscious or subconscious perversion of power; and Black Magic is the use of the spiritual powers to gratify animal or selfish proclivities. The Black Magician in his selfish egotism thinks himself greater than God or law, and continually breaks the rules of force, but sooner or later, like Faust, he is destroyed by the forces he has attempted to master. If he himself was the only one to be destroyed, it would be an affair of unconcern for the rest of the world. But before his destruction he is able to wreck incalculable damage to those about him. Yet it must be realized that the Black Magician has his place in the world scheme. If he did not, he would not exist at all. Perhaps the future will bring greater ;understanding of the whole of the plan in which these things exist.
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
