the book of ceremonial magic contents - Yankeeclassic.com

ejected, and it follows in this manner that alternatives which exclude one another both
reach the truth as their term.
There is, however, yet another point of view, and it is of some moment, as it connects
with that question of the Instituted Mysteries about which it has been already observed
that very little has transpired. Most students of occultism are acquainted with intimations
and rumours of the existence in modern times of more than one Occult as of more than
one Mystical Fraternity, deriving, or believed to derive, from other associations of the
past. There are, of course, many unaffiliated occultists, as most mystics are unaffiliated,
but the secret Fraternities exist, and the keys of occult symbolism are said to be in their
possession. From a variety of isolated statements scattered up and down the works of
professed Occultists in recent years, it is possible to summarise broadly the imputed
standpoint of these bodies in respect of Ceremonial Magic. I will express it in brief as
follows. There is no extant Ritual, as there is no doctrine, which contains, or
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can possibly contain, the real secret of magical procedure or the essence of occult
doctrine. The reason--whatever may be said in the excess of some self-constituted
exponents--is not because there is, or can be, any indicible process, but because the
knowledge in question is in the custody of those who have taken effectual measures for
its protection; and though, from time to time, some secrets of initiation, belonging to this
order, have filtered through printed books into the world at large, the real mysteries have
never escaped. The literature of Magic falls, therefore, on this hypothesis, under three
heads: (a.) The work of putative adepts, stating as much as could be stated outside the
circle of initiation, and primarily designed to attract those who might be ripe for entrance.
(b.) The speculations of independent seekers, who, by thought, study and intuition,
sometimes attained veridic results without assistance. (c.) Travesties of occult doctrine,
travesties of occult intention, travesties of occult procedure, complicated by filtrations
from the superior source. 1
The opinions of professed occultists on any subject whatsoever are of no importance to
myself, and are named only to
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establish a point of view; but most Ceremonial Magic belongs to the third class, on the
assumption that it still exists, like some other paths of Satanism; the first, by its nature, is
not represented, and the second only slightly. In a word, Ceremonial Magic reflects
mainly the egregious ambitions and incorporates the mad processes of mediæval sorcery-
-of the Sabbath above all. The additional elements are debased applications of various
Kabalistic methods, seering processes current among country people and fantastic
attempts to reduce magical legends to a formal practice.
Whichever of the above views the reader may prefer to adopt, it will be seen that the net
result as regards the Rituals is not generically different, that they are of literary and
historical interest, but nothing further. For the occultist they will possess, from their