"EVIL" - читать интересную книгу автора (McIntyre Vonda N)

ncantations" --- these sentences --- in the "magical language" i.e. that which
is understood by the people I wish to instruct; I call forth "spirits", such as
printers, publishers, booksellers, and so forth, and constrain them to convey
my message to those people. The composition and distribution of this book is t
hus an act of
MAGICK
by which I cause changes to take place in conformity with my Will>)

II. "POSTULATE."

ANY required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind an
d degree of force in the proper manner through the proper medium to the proper
object.
(Illustration: I wish to prepare an ounce of Chloride of Gold. I must take
the right kind of acid, nitro-hydrochloric and no other, in sufficient quantity
and of adequate strength, and place it, in a vessel which will not break, leak
, or corrode, in such a manner as will not produce undesirable results, with th
e necessary quantity of Gold: and so forth. Every Change has its own condition
s.
In the present state of our knowledge and power some changes are not possibl
e in practice; we cannot cause eclipses, for instance, or transform lead into t
in, or create men from mushrooms. But it is theoretically possible to cause in
any object any change of which that object is capable by nature; and the condi
tions are covered by the above postulate.)

III. "THEOREMS."

(1) Every intentional act is a Magical Act.>
(Illustration: See "Definition" above.) {XIII}
(2) Every successful act has conformed to the postulate.
(3) Every failure proves that one or more requirements of the postulate have
not been fulfilled.
(Illustrations: There may be failure to understand the case; as when a doctor
makes a wrong diagnosis, and his treatment injures his patient. There may be f
ailure to apply the right kind of force, as when a rustic tries to blow out an
electric light. There may be failure to apply the right degree of force, as wh
en a wrestler has his hold broken. There may be failure to apply the force in
the right manner, as when one presents a cheque at the wrong window of the Bank
. There may be failure to employ the correct medium, as when Leonardo da Vinci
found his masterpiece fade away. The force may be applied to an unsuitable ob
ject, as when one tries to crack a stone, thinking it a nut.)
(4) The first requisite for causing any change is through qualitative and qu
antitative understanding of the conditions.
(Illustration: The most common cause of failure in life is ignorance of one'
s own True Will, or of the means by which to fulfil that Will. A man may fancy
himself a painter, and waste his life trying to become one; or he may be reall
y a painter, and yet fail to understand and to measure the difficulties peculia
r to that career.)
(5) The second requisite of causing any change is the practical ability to s
et in right motion the necessary forces.