Book Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1903 edition. Excerpt: ...circumstance; although if he does know and does in any way interfere we may be sure that it will rather be by the strengthening of the faith and will of his follower than by any special effort of his own power. Yet another class consists of those who believe in the efficacy of certain ceremonies, or of certain formulae. For them and in their hands the formulae or 'the ceremonies undoubtedly are effective; but in most cases it is not because of any inherent virtue which the forms possess, but because of the entire confidence of the magician that when he employs them the result must inevitably ensue. If we read any account of the working of mediaeval alchemists, we shall see that they certainly had very many of such ceremonies, and that the majority of them would have considered themselves incapable of obtaining their results without the surroundings to which they were accustomed. They wore robes of certain types, they used certain Kabalistic figures, they waved round their heads swords magnetized for certain purposes; they burnt certain drugs or sprinkled certain essences. It is true that some of these things have a certain potency of their own, but in the vast majority of cases all that they do is to give perfect confidence to the performer, and so to strengthen his will to the requisite point. He has been told by his teachers or his scriptures that all these paraphernalia are effective, and that in using them he will certainly succeed. The man by himself might possibly waver and feel frightened; but with the proper robes and signs and weapons he feels so certain of success that he goes straight through without hesitation. Three Types of Force. A magician of any one of these types has at his disposal the forces of three levels--the...