Michael Wynn's Occult Reference Library
SUPERSTITION,SUPERSTITIONS

Return to Occult Library Index

18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

he saga hakonar goga cap. 16 informs us];ar var oc drepinn (killed) allskonar small, ok sva hross. small firj\a) denotes principally sheep, also more generally the small beasts of the flock as opposed to oxen and horses, and as' alls. konar (omnis generis' is here added, it seems to include goats. the sacrifice of he-goats (hircos) is spoken of in the above-quoted epist. bonif. 82. in the swedish superstition, the water-sprite, before it wiu teach any one to play the harp, requires the sacrifice of a llach lamb; svenska folkv. 2, 128. gregory the great speaks once of she-goats being sacrificed; he says the langobards offer to the devil, i.e.,io one of their gods, caput caprae, hoc ei, per circuitum currentes, carmine nefando dedicantes; dial. 3, 28. this head of a she-goat (or he-goat) was

him as a god. nay, in wolfram's titurel, last chapter, where the great pillars of the (christian) temple of the grail are described, instead of' inneren seul' of the printed text (hahn 6151, the hanover ms. more correctly reads irmensdl further, in the frankish annals ad ann. 772 it is repeatedly stated, that charles the great in his conquest of the saxons destroyed a chief seat of their heathen superstition, not far from heresburg^ in westphalia, and that it was called irin insul. ann. petav: domnus rex karolus perrexit in saxoniam et conquisivit erisburgo, et pervenit ad locum qui dicitur ermensul, et succendit ea loca (pertz 1, 16. ann. lauresh: fuit rex carlus hostiliter in saxonia, et destruxit /a?im?/i eorum quod vocatur irminsul (pertz 1, 30. the same in the chron. moissiac, except

space between the thumb and the forefinger when stretched out, which the greeks name xt^a, was called in the netherlands wocdcnsspanne, woede7ispanne, wocnslet. the thumb was sacred, and even worshipped as thumbkin and pollux= pollex; avodan was the god of play, and lucky men were said to have the game running on their thumb. we must await further disclosures about the name, its purport, and the superstition lying at the bottom of it (see suppl. i started with assuming that the worship of this divinity was common to all the teutonic races, and foreign to none, just because we must recognise him as the most universal and the supreme one. wuotan so far as we have succeeded in gleaning from the relics of the old religion an idea of his being wuotan is the most intellectual god of our antiqui

s still named horntroll (see suppl. among herbs and plants, the following are to be specially noted: the donnerbart, stonecrop or houseleek, sempervivum tectoruni, which, planted on the roof, protects from the lightning's stroke: harba jovis vulgari more vocatur (macer floridus 741, fr. joubarbc (conf. append, p. iviii; the donnerbescn(-besom, a shaggy tangled nest-like growth on boughs, of which superstition ascribes the generation to lightning; otherwise called alpruthe; the donnerjcraut, sedum; the donncrjhifj, fumaria bulbosa; the donncrdistd, eryngium campestre; the dan. tordcnskreppe, burdock. the south slavs cau the iris perunik, perun's flower, while the lettons call our^ how comes the ital. to have a trono (neap, truono, span, trueno) by the side of tuono l and the provenral a iro

ents of the mid. ages' nuuus diem jovis in otio observet' aberglaube p. xxx 'de feriis quae faciunt jovi vel mercurio' p. xxxii. quintam feriam in honorem jovis honorasti, p. xxxvii. on thursday evening one must neither spin nor hew; superst, swed. 55. 110. and germ. 517. 703. the esthonians think thursday holier than sunday^ what punishment overtook the transgressor, may be gathered from another superstition, which, it is true, substituted the hallowed day of christ for that of donar: he that shall work on trinity sunday (the next after pentecost, or shall wear anything sewed or knitted (on that day, shall be stricken by thunder; scheffer's haltaus, p. 225 (see suppl. if jupiter had these lionours paid him in the 8tli century, if the capitulare of 743 thought it needful expressly to enjoi

d. dutch poem of lantslot ende sandrin, v. 374, a knight says to his maiden' ic heb u liever dan en everswtn, al waert van jlnen goude glicwraclitl i hold you dearer than a boarswine, all were it of fine gold y-wrought; were they still in the habit of making gold jewels in the shape of boars? at least the remembrance of such a thing was not yet lost. fro and his boar may also have had a hand in a superstition of gelderland, which however puts a famous hero in the place of the god: derh met den 1 with priapns ttpiairos i would identify the on. friof semen, friofr foecimdus; conf (jotli. fraiv, seed. the stutement of aduimis bremensis hmks better, since wolf in ids wodana xxi. xxii. xxiii brought to light the festivals and images of priapns or ters at a late period in the netherlands. this t

h of metis and tritogeneia: the virgin goddess springs out of the forehead of zeus. the phrase about' hlosr being born %cuh helmet, sicord and horse (above, p. 76, is explained by the hervararsaga, p. 490, to mean, that the arms and animals which accompany the hero were forged and born at the time of his birth. schroter's finnish eunes speak of a child that was born ar7ned: this reminds us of the superstition about lucky children being born with hood and helmet (see ch. xxviii. it was noticed about the gods (p. 321, that balder's brother, when scarcely born, when but one night old, rushed to vengeance, unwashed and uncombed. this is like the children born of liten kerstin after long gestation: the newborn son gets up directly and combs his hair, the new born daughter knows at once how to s

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK SPELLS

winter solstice at the darkest time. they danced around the maypole on may morning, the beginning of the old celtic summer, to stir into life the earth energies in a sacred spiral pattern. these rituals go back into the mists of time and appear in similar forms in many different cultures and ages. today, however, too many modern societies have lost the sacred connection and scorn such gestures as superstition, treating the skies, the earth and the seas merely as a larder, fuel store and garbage can. once, things were very different, as black elk, the sioux shaman, explained 'in the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came from the sacred hoop of the nation and, so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. the flowering tree was the living centre of th

ALEISTER CROWLEY EIGHT LECTURES ON YOGA

relief, because the process expands indefinitely. the thirst increases with drinking. the only complete satisfaction conceivable would be the yoga of the atom with the entire universe. this fact is easily perceived, and has been constantly expressed in the mystical philosophies of the west; the only goal is 'union with god' of course, we only use the word 'god' because we have been brought up in superstition, and the higher philosophers both in the east and in the west have preferred to speak of union with the all or with the absolute. more superstitions (15) very well, then, there is no difficulty at all; since every thought in our being, every cell in our bodies, every electron and proton of our atoms, is nothing but yoga and the result of yoga. all we have to do to obtain emancipation

end. the pain of a momentary separation seems intolerable; the joy of consummation impossible to describe: indeed, almost impossible to bear! 7. now this is exactly what the yogi has to do. all the books- they disagree on every other point, but they agree on this stupidity- tell him that he has to give up this and give up that, sometimes on sensible grounds, more often on grounds of prejudice and superstition. in the advanced stages one has to give up the very virtues which have brought one to that state! every idea, considered as an idea, is lumber, dead weight, poison; but it is all wrong to represent these acts as acts of sacrifice. there is no question of depriving oneself of anything one wants. the process is rather that of learning to discard what one thought one wanted in the darkne

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

e, the season of the death of vegetation, for the folk of the northern hemisphere. this gave them a second cause for cursing the south. a third; the tyranny of hot, dry, poisonous winds; the menace of deserts or oceans dreadful because mysterious and impassable; these also were connected in their minds with the south. but to us, aware of astronomical facts, this antagonism to the south is a silly superstition which the accidents of their local conditions suggested to our animistic ancestors. we see no enmity between right and left, up and down, and similar pairs of opposites. these antitheses are real only as a statement of relation; they are the conventions of an arbitrary device for representing our ideas in a pluralistic symbolism based on duality "good" must be defined in terms of huma

two formulae exactly opposite in nature. a word may become potent and terrible by virtue of constant repetition. it is in this way that most religions gain strength. at first the statement "so and so is god" excites no interest. continue, and you meet scorn and scepticism: possibly persecution. continue, and the controversy has so far died out that no one troubles to contradict your assertion. no superstition is so dangerous and so lively as an exploded superstition. the newspapers of to-day (written and edited almost exclusively by men without a spark of either religion or morality) dare not hint that any one disbelieves in the ostensibly prevailing cult; they deplore atheism- all but universal in practice and implicit in the theory of practically all intelligent people- as if it were the

he sun at noon. i fell instantly to the floor in swoon which lasted several hours, during which i was initiated" soror a. cf. rev. i, 12-17> if you are easily disturbed or alarmed, or if you have not yet overcome the tendency of the mind to wander, it is not advisable for you to perform 99 the "bloody sacrifice<sacrifice, as commonly understood, rests upon an error and superstition, and is unscientific, besides being metaphysically false. the law of thelema has totally changed the point of view as to this matter. unless you have thoroughly assimilated the formula of horus, it is absolutely unsafe to meddle with this type of magick. let the young magician reflect upon the conservation of matter and of energy> yet it should not be forgotten that this, and that oth

one of the best treatises on alchemy. science and the infinite, by sidney klein. one of the best essays written in recent years. two essays of the worship of priapus, by richard payne knight. invaluable to all students. 210 the golden bough, by j. g. frazer. the text-book of folk lore. invaluable to all students. the age of reason, by thomas paine. excellent, though elementary, as a corrective to superstition. rivers of life, by general forlong. an invaluable text-book of old systems of initiation. three dialogues, by bishop berkeley. the classic of subjective idealism. essays of david hume. the classic of academic scepticism. first principles, by herbert spencer. the classic of agnosticism. prolegomena, by emanuel kant. the best introduction to metaphysics. the canon. the best text-book o

shall fail to see accurately, and interpret intelligently; in which case we shall be unable to outwit and outfight them. anatomists and physiologists, grappling in the dark with death, have won hygiene, surgery, prophylaxis and the rest for mankind. anthropologists, archaeologists, physicists and other men of science, risking thumbscrew, stake, infamy and ostracism, have torn the spider-snare of superstition to shreds and broken in pieces the monstrous idol of morality, the murderous moloch which has made mankind its meat throughout history. each fragment of that coprolite is manifest as an image of some brute lust, some torpid dullness, some ignorant instinct, or some furtive fear shapen in his own savage mind. man is indeed not wholly freed, even now. he is still trampled under the hoof

ALEISTER CROWLEY MAGICK WITHOUT TEARS

ver, 12 666 p.s. better mention, perhaps, that literacy is no test of education. for ignorance of life, the don class leaves all others at the post; and it is these monkish and monkeyish recluses, with their hideous clatter and cackle "the tittering, thin-bearded, epicene "dwarf, fringed with fear" the obscene vole, dweller by and in backwaters that has foisted upon us the grotesque and poisonous superstition that wisdom abides only in dogs-eared, worm-eaten, muleinspired long-forgotten as misbegotten folios. i like the story- it is a true tale- of the old jew millionaire who bought up the annual waste of the pennsylvania railroad- a matter of three million dollars. he called with his cheque very neatly made out- and signed it by making his mark! the railroad man was naturally falbbergaste

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE LOST CONTINENT

ideas were wholly opposed to our own. it ceased altogether at the age of puberty, which was sometimes as early as six, never later than fourteen. were it so delayed, the delinquent was crowned in mockery with a square black cap, sometimes tasselated, and sent among the serviles to instruct them in religion and similar branches of learning, and never permitted to return to atlas. the ignorance and superstition of the plains was thus kept at a proper height. the method of education was indeed singular. certain atlanteans who made it their study would place the various articles in the hands of the infants, and observe what use they made of them. in the course of a few months the experts had accurately mapped the psychology of the child, and it was led in accordance therewith. the marriage cus

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE OLD AND NEW COMMENTARIES TO LIBER AL

ords: these vices are my service; ye do well& i will reward you here and hereafter" the old comment 52. this verse is very difficult for anyone, either with or without morality. for what men nowadays call vice is really virtue- virtue, manliness- and virtue- cowardice, hypocrisy, prudery, chastity, and so on are really vices- vitia, flaws. the new comment mohammed struck at the root of the insane superstition of tabu with his word "women are your field; go in unto them as ye will. he only struck half the blow. i say: go in unto them as ye will and they will. two-thirds of modern misery springs from woman's sexual dissatisfaction. a dissatisfied woman is a curse to herself and to everybody in her neighbourhood. women must learn to let themselves enjoy without fear or shame, and both men and

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE SWORD OF SONG

n all these ways we bring suffering and death to others, as to ourselves. but since these are inevitable acts, since suicide would be a still more cruel alternative (especially in case something should subsist below mere rupa, the command is not to achieve the* fielding, in the soul of a people, has reluctantly to confess that he can find no trace of this idea in buddha s own work, and called the superstition the echo of an older faith. a.c. the argument that the animals are our brothers is merely intended to mislead one who has never been in a buddhist country. the average buddhist would, of course, kill his brother for five rupees, or less. a.c the sword of song 54 impossible, the already violated in the act of commanding, but a bitter commentary on the foul evil of this aimless, hopeles

aring to pieces it was madame blavatsky. that our world-worn men of art should believe for a moment that moral salvation is possible and supremely important is an unmixed benefit. but to believe for a moment that it is to be found by going to particular places or reading particular books or joining particular socieites is to make for the thousandth time the mistake that is at once materialism and superstition. if mr. crowley and the new mystics think for one moment that an egyptian desert is more mystic than an english meadow, that a palm tree is more poetic than a sussex beech, that a broken temple of osiris is more supernatural than a baptist chapel in brixton, then they the sword of song 64 are sectarians, and only sectarians of no more value to humanity than those who think that the en

ard all progress in any direction as morbid. so (as with lombroso) disease will become a mere word, like its predecessor infidelity, and cease to carry any obloquy. if science is never to go beyond its present limits; if the barriers which metaphysical speculation shows to exist are never to be transcended, then indeed we are thrown back on faith, and all the rest of the nauseous mess of medieval superstition, and we may just as well have vital principle and creative power as not, for science cannot help us. true, if we do not use all the methods at our disposal! but we go beyond. we admit that all mental methods known are singularly liable to illusion and inaccuracy of any sort. so were the early determinations of specific heat. even biologists have erred. but to the true scientist every

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 3 3

ose of buddha have gained a far larger share of obedience than those of any other teacher_ the enlightened one was not only a potential but an actual thief. further, all voluntary action limits in some degree, however minute, the volition of others. if i 4 fielding hall, in "the soul of a people" has reluctantly to confess that he can find no trace of this idea in buddha's own work, and calls the superstition the "echo of an older faith" 5 the argument that "the animals are our brothers" is merely intended to mislead one who has never been in a buddhist country. the average buddhist would, of course, kill his brother for five rupees, or less. breathe, i diminish the stock of oxygen available on the planet. in those far distant ages when earth shall be as dead as the moon is to-day, my brea

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 4 2

of the middle classes of their day. the vedas were the outcome of aristocratic thought; and so in truth was the christianity of constantine and the popes, that full-blooded christianity which so soon swallowed the mystical christ and the anaemic communism of the "canaille" which followed him. conventional buddhism is pre-eminently the "nice" religion of the bourgeoisie; it neither panders to the superstition of the masses nor palliates the gallantries of the the dogmatism of literal buddhism appalled him. the five precepts, which are the yama and niyama of buddhism, he at once saw, in spite of nagasena and prig milinda, must be broken by every arahat each time he inhaled a breath of air. they were as absurd as they were valueless. but behind all this tantalizing "frou-frou" this "lingerie

-fields of yunnan. but the prose of a poet reveals the man in him, as his poetry reveals the god; and francis thompson the man is a pitiful thing enough. it is the wounded earthworm cursing the harrow; the snipe blaspheming the lark. shelley was a fine, pure, healthy man whose soul was habitually one with the infinite universe; thompson was a wretch whose body was poisoned by drugs, whose mind by superstition. francis thompson was so much in love with his miserable self that he could not bear the thought of its extinction; shelley was glad to die if thereby one rose could bloom the redder. this essay is disgusting; we were all trying to forget francis thompson, to remember his songs; and here we have his putrid corpse indecently disinterred and thrust under our noses. the worst of it all i

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQUINOX EQ I 6

the brand of cain! would it have saved her if i had thrust my poniard into that hypocrite's throat? i can do nothing but wait, binding chosen knights with an oath- the oath of the knights of the royal mystery. that god is one; that to love god and man is enough. peace, tolerance, truth. paul may plant, and apollos may water, but god giveth the increase. if i cry out "down with tyranny! down with superstition and imposture" the first knight thinks me mad; the second that i have some politic baseness toward; the third that i mean saracens; the fourth suspects the truth, and destroys me. anon. anon["he goes sorrowfully out" curtain. 104 "scene ii. a few days later. a public place in jerusalem. in the midst a stake with faggots. seats for the dignitaries, some thirty or forty of whom are pres

ALEX SANDERS THE KING OF THE WITCHES

when he was searching for witches, was the first to go. rule 82, ordering witches to deny all knowledge of the craft, is still contested. alex maintains it should be scrapped, but there are many witches in britain who will have nothing to do with his movement because he disregards this rule. some believe that talking about one's powers diminishes them, but alex and his followers put this down to superstition. pptnbix. btmtttbts' altnbat the witches' year begins at midnight on 20 december when the cauldron is wreathed with holly, ivy and mistletoe and the ritual symbolizes the rebirth of the sun. candlemas, on i february, is devoted to mass initiations. the spring equinox on 20 march is the major fertility sabbath. beltane,or may eve sabbath, on 30 april, another fertility sabbath but not

ALICE A BAILEY07 FROM INTELLECT TO INTUITION

ing the one and only way of comprehending. but it is the east that has taught us another, wider, more profound, and a higher understanding, that is, understanding through life. we know this way only vaguely, as a mere shadowy sentiment culled from religious terminology, and therefore we gladly dispose of eastern 'wisdom' in quotation marks, and push it away into the obscure territory of faith and superstition. but in this way eastern 'realism' is completely misunderstood. it does not consist of sentimental, exaggeratedly mystical, intuitions bordering on the pathological and emanating from ascetic recluses and cranks; the wisdom of the east is based on practical knowledge..which we have not the slightest justification for undervaluing."5(5) it is in the training of the mind that the crux o

working from the seen to the unseen and from the objective to the subjective. thus, as has been said, by the process of investigation and of passing inwards from form to form, the mystic arrives eventually at the glory of the unveiled self. it seems to be unalterably true that all paths lead to god viewing god as the ultimate goal, the symbol of man's search for reality. it is no longer a sign of superstition to believe in a higher dimension and in another world of being. even the word "supernatural" has become deeply and profoundly respectable, and it seems possible that some day our educational systems may regard the preparation of the individual to transcend his natural limitations as an entirely legitimate part of its affairs. it is interesting to note what dr. c. lloyd morgan in the g

hat implements of civilization were highly spiritual in nature, for they were the results of ideas, and hu shih tells us in that interesting symposium, whither mankind..that civilization which makes the fullest possible use of human ingenuity and intelligence in search of truth in order to control nature and transform matter for the service of mankind, to liberate the human spirit from ignorance, superstition, and slavery to the forces of nature, and to reform social and political institutions for the benefit of the greatest number such a civilization is highly idealistic and spiritual."1(129) our idea as to what constitutes spirituality has steadily grown. through the use of desire, feeling and the reactions of the emotional nature, we have seen many thousands of human beings arrive at th

ALICE A BAILEY09 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME I ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY I

the location of the soul in the human bodv. that has been the emphasis and the important factor to the scientific mind, which is so different to that of its more mystically inclined brother. all research, especially that carried on lately in connection with the modern materialistic schools and with the fuller understanding of the mechanism of the human body, has tended to prove that the soul is a superstition, a defense mechanism, and that conscious thought with all the higher manifestations of the human mind (and hence also the lower expressions of personality, selfhood and conscious integration) can well be provided for and accounted for by man's present equipment of brain, nervous system and the endocrine system. all these in their turn are understood to be the result of a long evolutio

for the fifth ray, the method of approaching the path is by scientific research, pushed to ultimate conclusions, and by the acceptance of the inferences which follow these. the sixth ray of devotion special virtues: devotion, single-mindedness, love, tenderness, intuition, loyalty, reverence. vices of ray: selfish and jealous love, over-leaning on others, partiality, self-deception, sectarianism, superstition, prejudice, over-rapid conclusions, fiery anger. virtues to be acquired: strength, self-sacrifice, purity, truth, tolerance, serenity, balance and common sense. this is called the ray of devotion. the man who is on this ray is full of religious instincts and impulses, and of intense personal feeling; nothing is taken equably. everything, in his eyes, is either perfect or intolerable;

ALICE A BAILEY11 A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS VOLUME II ESOTERIC PSYCHOLOGY II

e; all the ideas which the race has prized down the ages and whereby most of its nobler souls have lived, are founded on illusion. with the formulation of these various "wish-fulfillments" in the life of the individual, with the fact that they lead to many difficulties and strains and stresses which require careful adjustment, and with the belief that in these concepts is mixed much of a childish superstition, the teachers upon the inner side would find themselves in hearty agreement in many cases. but they make the following reservation. they state that the centres of expression through which the soul gains needed experience and becomes conscious in worlds of being, otherwise unknown, have come into manifestation as the result of the "wish" or the desire of the soul. it is the "wish-life"

ALICE BAILEY THE LABOURS OF HERCULES

y of empirical experience on a large scale is now with us, and men and women everywhere are refusing any longer to believe and blindly accept, because they are determined to know. acceptance of imposed dogmas is now giving place to experiment, and a divine self-determination, based on a realized unity with the life in which we live and move and have our being, is taking the place of credulity and superstition. the problem of every teacher today is to discover new ways in which to express the old truths, and so present the ancient formulas for spiritual development that they will acquire new and vivid life. in both hemispheres there have been many books written on the subject of the path of discipleship, the path of holiness, and the path of illumination. the restatement of the problems of

AN INTRO TO STUDY OF THE KABALAH

ly appreciate and assimilate that which the mind's eye can at any time perceive. the process cannot be forced. mystic lore cannot be stolen. if any learner did appropriate the knowledge of a grade beyond him it would be to him but folly, disappointment and darkness. students have often been offered a doctrine, or assertion, or explanation, which their intellect has rejected as absurd, or as sheer superstition; which same dogma they have later in life assimilated with every feeling of esteem. occultism in this resembles freemasonry; we are either admitted to the hidden knowledge, or we are not; and if we are not admitted, we never believe any secret of its ritual even if it be offered to us. the secrets of occultism are like freemasonry; in truth they are to some extent the secrets that fre

ARADIA GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES

he grain being planted, or of entering into darkness and death, to berevived in new forms, or regeneration and light. it was the laying aside of daily life. page 63 n r r r r r the perception of this drove vast numbers of the discontented into rebellion, and as they could notprevail by open warfare, they took their hatred out in a form of secret anarchy, which was, however,intimately blended with superstition and fragments of old tradition. prominent in this, and naturallyenough, was the worship of dianathe protectress for the alleged adoration of satan was a farlater invention of the church, and it has never really found a leading place in italian witchcraft to thisday. that is to say, purely diabolicalwitchcraft did not find general acceptance till the end of the fif-teenth century, when

y or rite, in order to get the secret of endless wealth, that such a sorceress musthave had a store of wondrous legends; but of all this there is no trace, and it is very evident thatnothing could be further from his mind than that there was anything /interesting/ from a higher ormore genial point of view in it all.his book, in fine, belongs to the very great number of those written on ghosts and superstition sincethe latter has fallen into discredit, in which the authors indulge in much satirical and very safe butcheap ridicule of what to them is merely vulgar and false. like sir charles coldstream, they havepeeped in the crater of vesuvius after is had ceased to erupt, and found nothing in it. but therewas something in it once; and the man of science, which sir charles was not, still fin

ARTHUR E WAITE TEMPLAR ORDERS IN FREEMASONRY

there is not a little evidence of one impression which was produced by these memorials, the notion, namely, of an unexplored realm of mystery extending behind the charges. it was the day of voltaire, and it happened that a shallow infidelity was characterised by the kind of licence which fosters intellectual extravagance, by a leaning in directions which are generally termed superstitious- though superstition itself was pilloried- and in particular by attraction towards occult arts and supposed hidden knowledge. advanced persons were ceasing to believe in the priest but were disposed to believe in the sorcerer, and the templars had been accused of magic, of worshipping a strange idol, the last suggestion- for some obscure reason- being not altogether indifferent to many who had slipped the

he sorcerer, and the templars had been accused of magic, of worshipping a strange idol, the last suggestion- for some obscure reason- being not altogether indifferent to many who had slipped the anchor of their faith in god. beyond these frivolities and the foolish minds that cherished them, there were other persons who were neither in the school of a rather cheap infidelity nor in that of common superstition, but who looked seriously for light to the east and for its imagined traditional wisdom handed down from past ages. they may have been dreamers also, but they were less or more zealous students after their own manner; within their proper measures, and the templar chivalry drew them because they deemed it not unlikely that its condemnation by the paramount orthodoxy connoted a suspicio

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

octrine of emanations and replaced them with direct, conscious creations of angels and the rest out of nothing, now finds itself hopelessly stranded between supernaturalism, or miracle, and materialism. an extra-cosmic god is fatal to philosophy, an intra-cosmic deity- i.e. spirit and matter inseparable from each other- is a philosophical necessity. separate them and that which is left is a gross superstition under a mask of emotionalism. but why "geometrize" as plato has it, why represent these emanations under the form of an immense arithmetical table? the question is well answered by the author just cited. his remarks are quoted in part ii "the theogony of the creative gods "mental perception" he says "to become physical perception, must have the cosmic principle of light: and by this

years, and the scientist, who "would require 600,000,000 years" together with those who accept mr. huxley's figures of 1,000,000,000 "since sedimentation began in europe (world life, would all be as dogmatic one as the other. nor would they fail to remind the occultist and the brahmin, that it is the modern men of science alone who represent exact science, whose duty it is to fight inaccuracy and superstition. the earth is passing through the "habitable phase" only for the present order of things, and as far as our present mankind is concerned with its actual "coats of skin" and phosphorus for bones and brain. we are ready to concede the 100 millions of years offered by geology, since we are taught that our present physical mankind- or the vaivasvata humanity- began only 18 millions of yea

nical forces of the brains of certain eminent scientists are leading them on as blindly to sacrifice logic and common sense on the altar of mutual admiration. why should the protoplasmic moneron producing the first living creature through self-division be held as a very scientific hypothesis, and an ethereal pre-human race generating the primeval men in the same fashion be tabooed as unscientific superstition? or has materialism obtained a sole monopoly in science* the rakshasas, regarded in indian popular theology as demons, are called the "preservers" beyond the himalayas. this double and contradictory meaning has its origin in a philosophical allegory, which is variously rendered in the puranas. it is stated that when brahma created the demons, yakshas (from yaksh, to eat) and the raksh

432 of de mirville's "memoire[[vol. 2, page] 210 the secret doctrine know that from the beginning it was a symbol* in every ancient language the word dragon signified what it now does in chinese (lang) i.e "the being who excels in intelligence" and in greek[[drakon, or "he who sees and watches" and is it to the animal of that name that any of these epithets can apply? is it not evident, wherever superstition and oblivion of the primitive meaning may have led savages now, that the said qualifications were intended to apply to the human originals, who were symbolized by serpents and dragons? these "originals- called to this day in china "the dragons of wisdom- were the first disciples of the dhyanis, who were their instructors; in short, the primitive adepts of the third race, and later, of

. 17, 18, the roman catholic interpretation of cadebat ut fulgur to the contrary, notwithstanding; and it means indeed that even "the devils are subject" to the logos- who is wisdom, but who, as the opponent of ignorance, is satan or lucifer at the same time. this remark refers to divine wisdom falling like lightning on, and quickening the intellects of those who fight the devils of ignorance and superstition. up to the time when wisdom, in the shape of the incarnating spirits of mahat, descended from on high to animate and call the third race to real conscious life, humanity- if it can be so called in its animal, senseless state--was of course doomed to- moral as well as to physical death. the angels fallen into generation are referred to metaphorically as serpents and dragons of wisdom

philosopher could, during the mediaeval ages, utter that* which in the sight of orthodox theology was a terrible blasphemy, for it would have led them directly through the "holy" office of the inquisition, to stake and rack. but for our modern kabalists and freethinkers the case is different. with the latter, we fear, it is merely human pride, vanity based on a loudly rejected and as ineradicable superstition. since the church, in her struggle with manichaeism, invented the devil, and by placing[[footnote(s* why should, for instance, eliphas levi, the very fearless and outspoken kabalist, have hesitated to divulge the mystery of the fallen angels so-called? that he knew the fact and real meaning of the allegory- both in its religious and mystical, as well as in its physiological sense- is

ductions of blind natural forces" we are assured by some "quite modern" we are told by others. tradition is left contemptuously unnoticed by sceptic and materialist, and made subservient to the bible in every case by the too zealous churchman. whenever a legend, however, refuses to fit in with the noachian "deluge theory" it is declared by the christian clergy "the insanely delirious voice of old superstition" atlantis is denied, when not confused with lemuria and other departed continents, because, perhaps, lemuria is half the creation of modern science, and has, therefore, to be believed in; while plato's atlantis is regarded by most of the scientists as a dream. atlantis is often described by believers in plato as a prolongation of africa. an old continent is also suspected to have exis

nd the same may be said. we shall have, therefore, to pay careful attention only to the lemurians and the atlanteans before the history of our own race (the fifth) can be attempted. what is known of other continents, besides our own, and what does history know or accept of the early races? everything outside the repulsive speculations of materialistic science is daubed with the contemptuous term "superstition" the wise men of to-day will believe nothing. plato's "winged" and hermaphrodite races, and his golden age, under the reign of saturn and the gods, are quietly brought back by haeckel to their new place in nature: our divine races are shown to be the descendants of catarrhine apes, and our ancestor, a piece of sea slime. nevertheless, as expressed by faber "the fictions of ancient poe

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

e so, as the respective descendants of all these antediluvian races and tribes know as little of their own forefathers themselves, as if they had fallen from the moon. when questioned about their origin, they reply that they know not whence their fathers had come, but had heard that their first (or earliest) men were ruled by the great genii of these deserts. this may be put down to ignorance and superstition, yet in view of the teachings of the secret doctrine, the answer may be based upon primeval tradition. alone, the tribe of khoorassan claims to have come from what is now known as afghanistan, long before the days of alexander, and brings legendary lore to that effect as corroboration. the russian traveller, colonel (now general) prjevalsky, found quite close to the oasis of tchertche

s has to be introduced with no simple preface, but with a volume rather; one that would give facts, not mere disquisitions, since the secret doctrine is not a treatise, or a series of vague theories, but contains all that can be given out to the world in this century. it would be worse than useless to publish in these pages even those[[footnote(s[[footnote continued from previous page] is no vain superstition. once the door permitted to be kept a little ajar, it will be opened wider with every new century. the times are ripe for a more serious knowledge than hitherto permitted, though still very limited, so far[[vol. 1, page] xxxix introductory. portions of the esoteric teachings that have now escaped from confinement, unless the genuineness and authenticity- at any rate, the probability

evil as a fundamental or independent power, but starting from the absolute all (universal perfection eternally, traced both through the course of natural evolution to pure light condensing gradually into form, hence becoming matter or evil. it was left with the early and ignorant christian fathers to degrade the philosophical and highly scientific idea of this emblem (the dragon) into the absurd superstition called the "devil" they took it from the later zoroastrians, who saw devils or the evil in the hindu devas, and the word evil thus became by a double transmutation d'evil in every tongue (diabolos, diable, diavolo, teufel. but the pagans have always shown a philosophical discrimination in their symbols. the primitive symbol of the serpent symbolised divine wisdom and perfection, and h

(e) the fourth are substantial entities. this is the highest group among the rupas (atomic forms. it is the nursery of the human, conscious, spiritual souls. they are called the "imperishable jivas" and constitute, through the order below their own, the first group of the first septenary* host- the great mystery of human conscious and[[footnote(s* it is worthy of notice that, while rejecting as a superstition of occultism, and religion too, the theory of substantial and invisible beings called angels, elementals, etc- without, of course, having ever looked into the philosophy of these incorporeal entities, or thought over them- modern chemistry, owing to observation and discovery, should have unconsciously been forced to adopt and recognize the same ratio of progression and order in the ev

the pitris. for the present it may be as well to remind the reader that while the moon-goddesses were connected in every mythology, especially the grecian, with child-birth, because of the lunar influence on women and conception, the occult and actual connection of our satellite with fecundation is to this day unknown to physiology, which regards every popular practice in this reference as gross superstition. as it is useless to discuss them in detail, we may only stop at present to discuss the lunar symbology casually, to show that the said superstition belongs to the most ancient beliefs, and even to judaism- the basis of christianity. with the israelites, the chief function of jehovah was child-giving, and the esotericism of the bible, interpreted kabalistically, shows undeniably the h

very old "new world" several centuries before. but, as a columbus was born to re-discover, and to force the old world to believe in antipodal countries, so will there be born scientists who will discover the marvels now claimed by occultists to exist in the regions of ether, with their varied and multiform denizens and conscious entities. then, nolens volens, science will have to accept the old "superstition" as it has several others. and having been once forced to accept it- judging from past experience- its learned professors will, in all probability, as in the case of mesmerism and magnetism, now re-baptised hypnotism, father the thing and reject its name. the choice of the new appellation will depend, in its turn, on the "modes of motion" the new name for the older "automatic physical

had its own peculiar methods of expression. in short, no egyptian papyrus, no indian tolla, no assyrian tile, or hebrew scroll, should be read and accepted literally. this every scholar now knows. the able lectures of mr. g. massey alone are sufficient in themselves to convince any fair-minded christian that to accept the dead-letter of the bible is equivalent to falling into a grosser error and superstition than any hitherto evolved by the brain of the savage south sea islander. but the point to which even the most truth-loving and truth-searching orientalists- whether aryanists or egyptologists- seem to remain blind, is the fact that every symbol in papyrus or olla is a manyfaced diamond, each of whose facets not merely bears several interpretations, but relates likewise to several scie

as mother, child, and adult male. thus the child of the moon became the consort of his own mother! it could not be helped if there was to be any reproduction. he was compelled to be his own father! these relationships were repudiated by later sociology, and the primitive man in the moon got tabooed. yet, in its latest, most inexplicable phase, this has become the central doctrine of the grossest superstition the world has seen, for these lunar phenomena and their humanly represented relationships, the incestuous included, are the very foundations of the christian trinity in unity. through ignorance of the symbolism, the simple representation of early time has become the most profound religious mystery in modern luniolatry. the roman church, without being in any wise ashamed of the proof

BLUE EQUINOX

aier. one of the best treatises on alchemy. science and the infinite, by sidney klein. one of the best essays written in recent years. two essays on the worship of priapus, by richard payne knight. invaluable to all students. the golden bough, by j.g. frazer. the textbook of folk lore. invaluable to all students. the age of reason, by thomas paine. excellent, though elementary, as a corrective to superstition. rivers of life, by general forlong. an invaluble textbook of old systems of initiaiton. three dialogues, by bishop berkeley. the classic of subjective idealism. essays of david hume. the classic of academic scepticism. first principles by herbert spencer. the classic of agnosticism. prolegomena, by immanuel kant. the best introduction to metaphysics. the canon. the best textbook of a

s bleeding maidenhood. therefore, we, the slaves of love, stand with trembling lips and eyes; there is that shall reach above the soul.s sullied sanctuaries. blasphemy beneath our touch turns to prayer.s most awed intent; the profaner s vilest smutch is our central sacrament. triumph, templars, that are sworn to that vengeance sinister, vigilant from murk to morn by our rifled sepulchre. death to superstition, swear! death to tyranny, respond! by the martyred master, dare death, and what may lie beyond! heel on crucifix, deny! mouth to dagger-blade, affirm! point to throat, we stab the spy; hand on knee, we crush the worm. nekam, adonai! 273 every knight unbare the brand! fling aloft the gonfalon! by the oath and ordeal, stand! by the bitter cup, set on! is beaus ant forward flung? is vexi

me is had by all. then, suddenly some one discovers this appalling state of circumstances, and there is ambrose in peril of sing-sing and matteawan, and all those pretty places on the hudson. he loses his job. he is an outcast from society. he vanishes like morning mist. and there is not a single shadow of reason for all this, except an ecclesiastical nefas, based principally upon a comic turkish superstition. the stupidity of governments is unthinkable. people reclaim a little obvious freedom, and the authorities will not let them have it without all this cutting of throats, and robbing of churches! the gods seem to send imbeciles like louis xvi. and nicholas romanoff, and certain other persons whom i will not mention, at the moment when free men decide that it is time to strike for freed

BOOK OF PLEASURE

till recovery. then verily they are one and the same. the wise pleasure seeker, having realised they are "different degrees of desire" and never desirable, gives up both virtue and vice and becomes a kiaist. riding the shark of his desire he crosses the ocean of the dual principle and engages himself in self-love. religions are the projection of incapacity, the imaginations of fear, the veneer of superstition, that paradox is truth* while ofttimes the ornamentation of imbecility. as a virtue in the idea to maximize pleasure cheaply, remit your sins and excuse them-is but ceremonial, the expression of puppetry to the governing fear. yes! what you have ordained in your religiousness, is your very rack, imagined though it be! the prospect is not pleasant; you have taught yourself! it has beco

izes the agony: may it not be caused through the latent idea of supreme bliss? and this eternal expectation, this amassing of ornament on decay, this ever-abiding thought- is coincidental with the vanity preceding death? o, squalid thought from the most morbid spleen how can i devour thee and save my soul? ever did it answer back-"pay homage where due: the physician is the lord of existence" this superstition of medicine-is it not the essence of cowardice, the agent of death? strange no one remembers being dead? have you ever seen the sun?-if the book of pleasure (self love) get any book for free on: www.abika.com 10 you have then you have seen nothing dead-in spite of you different belief! which is the more dead "you" or this corpse? which of you has the greater degree of consciousness? j

BUCKLAND RAYMOND COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT

endary; it was, and is, real. it is not extinct; it is alive and prospering. since the last laws against witchcraft were repealed (as recently as the 1950s, witches have been able to come out into the open and show themselves for what they are. and what are they? they are intelligent, community-conscious, thoughtful men and women of today. witchcraft is not a step backwards; a retreat into a more superstition-filled time. far from it. it is a step forward. witchcraft is a religion far more relevant to the times than the vast majority of the established churches. it is the acceptance of personal and social responsibility. it is acknowledgement of a holistic universe and a means towards a raising of consciousness. equal rights; feminism; ecology; attunement; brotherly/sisterly love; planetar

CASSANDRA EASON A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

winter solstice at the darkest time. they danced around the maypole on may morning, the beginning of the old celtic summer, to stir into life the earth energies in a sacred spiral pattern. these rituals go back into the mists of time and appear in similar forms in many different cultures and ages. today, however, too many modern societies have lost the sacred connection and scorn such gestures as superstition, treating the skies, the earth and the seas merely as a larder, fuel store and garbage can. once, things were very different, as black elk, the sioux shaman, explained 'in the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came from the sacred hoop of the nation and, so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. the flowering tree was the living centre of th

CHIREAU YVONNE BLACK MAGIC RELIGION AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CONJURING TRADITION

pect the past and to preserve memory. it is also a story of the cultural and spiritual resources to which a people might turn when they are in need. i suggest that daughters might be read as an allegory of the religious sojourn of blacks in america, with nana's charm as a metaphor for a legacy that some have chosen to preserve, and others to reject. rather than dismissing the hand as an object of superstition, i want to black magic page 4 of 144 http//content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docid=kt600020q0&chunk.id=0&doc.view=print 7/14/2006 argue for its deeper significance, as a symbol of the survival of a kind of magical spirituality in the african american experience. this book is about the creations that black people have woven into their quest for spiritual empowerment and meaning. it is about m

re there is faith, there is, and ever continues to be, magic\ 10\ facing page illustration: texts favored by black hoodoo practitioners included magic manuals of european christian extraction, such as this english translation of john george hohman, der lange verborgene freund (the long lost friend; 1856. courtesy of the library company of philadelphia, rare books division\ 11\ 1 "our religion and superstition was all mixed up" black magic page 9 of 144 http//content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docid=kt600020q0&chunk.id=0&doc.view=print 7/14/2006 conjure, christianity, and african american supernatural traditions henry abraham, an african american farmer, migrated from the lowcountry plantations of south carolina to the pine fields of florida early in the twentieth century. a story tells that one da

lantation owner in antebellum south carolina recognized discernible incongruities between religion as practiced by the blacks and by whites and attributed those differences to african american predilections for the supernatural "in all instances which i remember to have noticed with reference to such fact" he remarked "i have found among the religious slaves of the south traces c of a blending of superstition and fetichism [sic, modifying their impressions of christianity" frederick law olmsted, the noted architect and travel writer, toured virginia in the 1850s, observing that while a good portion of slaves were churchgoers, their religion was dominated by a "miserable system of superstition, the more painful that it employs some forms and words ordinarily connected with true christianity

ons" were "interwoven with so-called religious beliefs" and represented "a horrible debasement of some of the highest and noblest doctrines of the christian faith" others would note that african american practitioners of christianity often mingled unusual practices with their traditions. as stated by one elder, an ex-slave commenting on the eclecticism of black spiritual beliefs "our religion and superstition was all mixed up"[5] religious leaders in slave communities were entrusted with the knowledge and responsibility for maintaining spiritual traditions. these leaders included both christian ministers and conjurers. occasionally, these offices were shared by a single person. william webb was one such individual. enslaved in kentucky in the early 1800s, webb recalled how he had prepared

ause they believed that the supernatural realm offered alternative possibilities for empowerment. aside from its subversive uses for slaves, conjure may have been the cause of some concern for slaveowners because of their own belief in its power. apparently many whites were acquainted with supernatural practices and beliefs, in part through their own exposure to black folk traditions "most of the superstition among the whites" wrote wells brown "was the result of their close connection with the blacks" wells brown recalled that some african american caregivers would tell magical folktales and stories to young white children in nurseries, but "they learned more, as they grew older, from the slaves in the quarters, or out on the premises" white writers reflected on these traditions in their

e abject spiritual state of the citizenry.linked the widespread belief in witchcraft to the superstitious fears of "poor and ignorant" whites. yet wells brown, who had fled his native missouri in 1834, asserted that "all classes" of white persons he had ever known were obsessed with witchcraft and other supernatural traditions. he observed that the whites were "possessed with a large share of the superstition that prevail[ed] throughout the south" describing an african american conjurer whose duties varied from providing cures for ailing slaves to predicting the romantic prospects of white spinsters, and a black fortune-teller on whom white businessmen called for legal advice, wells brown depicted a brisk trade in supernatural practices to which both whites and blacks subscribed. these bel

blical god of jesus and moses was also the sovereign of the unseen world whose power was witnessed in "signs and wonders" on the earth. to many, it was all a matter of correctly perceiving the nature of things "the old folks c knows more about the signs that the lord uses to reveal his laws than the folks of today" recalled a ninety-one-year-old former slave "some of the folks laughs c says it am superstition, but it am knowing how the lord reveals his laws" for this former bondman and many other descendants of african slaves, traditions such as conjure could demonstrate the vastness of god's power and presence in the universe.[35] for addressing specific conditions in one's life, conjure and christianity offered contrasting possibilities. although sharing images and symbolism with christi

century, observers provide only occasional witness of supernatural spiritual traditions and magical rituals among the slaves. philip reading, a minister with the anglican philanthropic society thomas bray's associates in delaware, noted that african slaves bore great "prejudices" against converting to the christian faith, partly, he believed, because they were "strangely predisposed in favour of superstition and idolatry" the london-based secretary of dr. bray's associates, john waring, warned clergy of africans f fervent devotion to "the idolatrous rites and practices of their own country" francis varnod, a missionary with the society for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts, wrote to his superiors of the spiritual disposition of slaves in south carolina, observing that "some o

DAVID ICKE CHILDREN OF THE MATRIX

ar him and almost felt protected by him. california and arizona appear to be extremely important areas for reptilian activity, especially locations such as: mount lassen, a dormant volcano that is part of the cascade range of california, oregon, washington state, and south-western canada; sedona, the "new age" centre in arizona; and phoenix, two hours south of sedona in the valley of the sun. the superstition mountains outside phoenix have been the subject of a number of stories in which people claim to have seen physical reptilian beings. you can read some of these on my website, www.davidicke.com. one involves a woman known as "angie" who loved climbing the mountains around phoenix, including the superstitions.9 on this occasion she found a cave and went inside. she sat down and began to

56 children of the matrix near the mountains she loved so much. when she later went back to work, she left after three days when a customer brought a lizard into the store. she had no idea why that had frightened her so much when reptiles had always been a part of her life there in the desert. eventually she went to a hypnotist for help, and her vivid and detailed memories of what happened in the superstition mountains flooded back. eva trent, another american, also claims to have had many contacts with nonhuman entities" one night in january 1999, she went to bed in her small apartment. later, she said, she woke to a "buzzing sound" and when she opened her eyes she was horrified to see two strange creatures standing on either side of her bed. one was around seven to eight feet tall, weigh

DAVID ICKE RELATED THE HIDDEN GEARS OF FREEMASONRY

becomes the mother of gods and devils at one and the same time; for she is the ever-loving beneficent deity..but in antiquity and reality lucifer or luciferius is the name. lucifer is divine and terrestial light 'the holy ghost' and "satan' at one and the same time" page 539 (volume) albert pike 33 "that which we must say to a crowd is- we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. to you, sovereign grand inspectors general, we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th degrees- the masonic religion should be, by all of us initates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the luciferian doctrine. if lucifer were not god, would adonay whose deeds prove his cruelty, perdify and hatred of man, barbarism and repulsion for s

DEMONIC BIBLE

river is not composed of the same water particles, and a man is not the same from one moment to the next, since his thoughts and impressions change with each passing moment. if a man thinks for a moment that he has achieved enlightenment and understanding, the pool of thought he calls consciousness stagnates and, as a cess-pool, breeds worms and stenches like a swamp. the science of today is the superstition of tomorrow and the genius of today the know-nothing of tomorrow, for as the universe evolves towards ever greater levels of consciousness the very concept of truth, enlightenment, or wisdom changes with it. i am not, but am becoming. the universe is not, but is becoming. and if i, who possess consciousness, am becoming, then the consciousness which guides and/or controls the universe

tianity espoused faith in jesus, the person, as the savior of man and the redeemer of the world. the bible was accepted as the living word of god by those claiming to be reborn in christ. in emotional fervor many christians would take up serpents, speak in tongues, and witness miracles performed by faith healers. this is the christianity we have been left with today, a religion of blind faith and superstition- intolerant of all others faiths. many have rejected christianity today because of what they see as the utter ridiculousness of its ceremonies and the complete ignorance of its followers. there is much wisdom to be found in christian scripture, however, if the reader has time to study the many books which have been published in the bible. it must be born in his mind that many other "h

DION FORTUNE MYSTICAL QABALA

cred language of the west as sanskrit is the sacred language of the east. in hebrew, moreover, each letter is also a number, so the names are numerical formulae; a most intricate system of metaphysical mathematics, called gematria, is based on this principle. there are aspects of gematria which i, at the present stage of my knowledge at any rate, consider debased and idle, being the accretions of superstition, but the basic idea of the system of cosmic mathematics unquestionably enshrines great truths and contains great possibilities. using this system, it is possible to unravel the relationships of all manner of cosmic factors if the correct hebrew spelling of the names of power is known, for these names were formulated in accordance with the principles of gematria, and therefore gematria

phs, for on it were inscriptions in egyptian and greek; greek being known, it was possible to work out the meaning of the corresponding egyptian hieroglyphs. it is the method of arranging all these sets of factors on the tree which gives the real esoteric clue to each of these systems of practical occultism. without this key they have no philosophical basis and become matters of rule of thumb and superstition. it is for this reason that the initiated occultist will have nothing to do with the uninitiated fortune-teller, for he knows that, lacking this key, his system is valueless. hence the vital importance of the tree in western occultism. it is our basis, our standard of measurement, and our textbook. mystical qabala page 44 13. to understand a sephirah, then, we need to know firstly its

y age extended his knowledge and elaborated his intellectual processes, he read more and more significance into the first simple classifications. nevertheless, he did not discard his original classifications, because they were fundamentally sound and represented actualities. he mystical qabala page 58 simply elaborated and extended them, and finally, when he fell on evil times, overlaid them with superstition. 7. we should not, therefore, regard the pagan pantheons as so many aberrations of the human mind; nor should we try to understand them from the viewpoint of the uninstructed and uninitiated; we should try to find out what they must have meant to the highly intelligent and cultured high-priests of the cults in their heyday. compare mme david neel and w. b. seabrook on the subject of h

ection, and when we moderns are trying to reconstruct the lost art of practical magic we can go to them with great profit. the whole philosophy of european magic is based upon the tree, and no one can hope to understand it or use it intelligently who has not been trained in the qabalistic methods. it is this lack of training which makes popular occultism so very apt to degenerate into the crudest superstition "your number in your name" becomes a different thing when we understand the mathematical qabalah; fortunes in tea-cups are another matter when we understand the significance of the magical images and the method of their formulation and interpretation as a psychological device for penetrating the veil of the unconscious. mystical qabala page 60 14. broadly speaking, then, we sort out t

int in the scheme of the tree where the type of activity comes within the range of human consciousness. in the study of the preceding sephiroth we were formulating metaphysical concepts. these concepts, although??rei dte from immediate application to the life of form, are exceedingly important, for unless they are at the [page 168] basis of our understanding of esoteric science we shall fall into superstition and use magic as magicians, not as adepts; in other words, we shall be unable to transcend the bondage of the planes of form and will be hallucinated and fall under the domination of the phantoms evoked by the magical imagina tion, instead of using them as the beads on the abacus of our calculations, which is as if the engineer used the slide-rule as if it were a foot-rule. mystical q

f he has had experience of that particular type of influence, the word of power will stir potent subconscious memories; if he has not, and approaches the matter in the unimaginative and incredulous spirit of the scholar, the "barbarous names of evocation" will be just hocus-pocus for him. but be it noted that to the believing catholic "hocus-pocus" which is the protestant's name for deception and superstition and from which is derived the word hoax, means "hoc est corpus" which is an altogether different story. so much lies in the viewpoint in these matters. 72. therefore it is that a definite spiritual experience is assigned to each sephirah, and until a person has had that experience he is not an initiate of that sephirah, and cannot make use of its names of power even if he knows them

itself, both in its microcosmic and macrocosmic aspects, bearing constantly in mind that we are now in the sphere of illusion, and that what is about to be described in terms of form are appearances as represented by the intellect to itself and projected back into the astral light as thought-forms. this is a very important point, and should be thoroughly understood in order to avoid falling into superstition. everything that is perceived by the "eyes of the intellect and the contemplations of faith" as the yetziratic text so graphically puts it, has its metaphysical basis in chokmah, the supernal sephirah at the head of the pillar of mercy. but with netzach a great change comes over our mode of apprehending the different types of existence assigned to each sphere. hitherto we have perceiv

r or related potencles. this is a very curious aspect of qabalistic lore, and in the hands of competent exponents yields interesting results; it is, however, full of pitfalls for the unwary, for there is no limit to what it can be made to yield, and only a sound knowledge of first principles can tell us when the analogies are legitimate or otherwise, and prevent us from falling into credulity and superstition. 40. the versicles are mantric phrases, a mantra being a sonorous phrase which, when repeated over and over after the manner of a rosary, works upon the mind as a special form of auto-suggestion, the psychology of which is too complex to be entered upon now. mystical qabala page 171 41. the apron has immediate associations for the initiates of solomon the wise; it is the characteristi

DION FORTUNE PSYCHIC SELF DEFENSE

toads, or the reciting of little jingles, such as "horse, hattock, to ride, to ride" but if we understand the use of mind-power we soon realise that these things were simply aids to concentration. there is no essential difference between sticking pins into a 7 of 103 wax image of an enemy and burning candles in front of a wax image of the virgin. you may think that both these practices are gross superstition, but you can hardly think that one is real and potent and deny reality and potency to the other "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal may as truly be said of the practitioners of black magic as of the church. my own case belongs more to the realm of psychology than to occultism, the method employed being an application of hypnotic power to improper ends; i have given it, however

ibes your aura, rolls up his eyes, twitches, and gives you a message from your master as soon as he is introduced, is a person to be avoided. the more i see of the occult movement, the more i am amazed at the things people can say and do and "get away with" the average person is out of his depth when he deals with psychic matters. he usually goes through three phases. firstly, he thinks it is all superstition and fraud. secondly, his scepticism being breached, he will believe anything. thirdly, if he ever gets as far as thirdly, he learns discrimination, and distinguishes between the black fraternities, the white fraternities and fatuous fraternities. chapter xi 55 of 103 the psychic element in mental disturbance we have seen in a previous chapter that nervous and mental disorders can simu

eapon in all magical operations. physical objects become impregnated with etheric emanations and retain them for considerable periods as a knife will retain a smell of onions and taint everything that is cut with it. these emanations, magnetism as they are called in the terminology of occult science, profoundly affect any sensitive person who is in contact with them. there is something in the old superstition that it is unlucky to place boots on a table. it is equally inadvisable to place outdoor garments on a bed. you do not know whom you have rubbed shoulders with in bus or train, so why give their magnetism a chance to contaminate your sleeping place? fortunately for all of us, magnetism is a very fugitive force, and although it may be potent when fresh, it soon fades unless it has been

nds nearly as effectually. if it be in any way possible, let the victim of an occult attack move temporarily to another environment, taking with him as few of his belongings as possible, and let him make the move in new clothes, or in clothes that are just back from the cleaner. let him, moreover, keep his whereabouts a secret as far as it is convenient for him to do so. 80 of 103 there is an old superstition that a witch can be thrown off the trail by crossing running water. it is my opinion that many of these old folk-beliefs have a basis in fact, however overlaid by superstition they may have become. i once had a curious experience which gives support to this opinion. i was about to take part in an important piece of occult work to which i knew there would be opposition. a friend who wa

. when part of the way across, i suddenly felt that the tension relaxed, and i was able to go through the work in hand without interference. i told my friend of this experience, and she questioned me as to where i was when it took place. we looked up the spot on a map, and found that i had just crossed the underground conduit which takes the overflow from the serpentine. i did not know of the old superstition concerning running water, neither did i know of the existence of the conduit. nevertheless, the sense of relief was sufficiently marked to cause me to mention it when i saw my friend again, and to be able to indicate the spot where it had occurred. we have very little exact knowledge concerning these subtle forces which are the basis of both occult attack and spiritual healing, but we

, has peculiar electrical qualities, as is witnessed by its effect on the divining-rod in the hands of a sensitive person. whatever it may be that affects the diviner is probably the same thing that affects the occult attack. when we recall, moreover, that running water will throw hounds off the scent just as effectually as it will the alleged witch, we may feel that we cannot be accused of gross superstition if we give the old folk-tradition a trial and note the results. water, again, is the vehicle of purification. it is used in the rite of baptism by the church and in the preparation of the place by the occultist about to perform a ceremony. strictly speaking, there should be a trace of salt in the water thus employed, and both salt and water are blessed with powerful invocations when t

without the use of some kind of psychological device to act as a spring-board. there seems to be little object in refusing for purely academic reasons to avail ourselves of a method of proven efficacy. if we realise that the use of forms and symbols is merely a psychological device to enable the mind to get a grip on the intangible, we shall not fall into the error of superstitious observances. a superstition has been defined as the blind use of a form whose significance has been forgotten. on the other hand, we shall be unwise to rely exclusively upon formal or ceremonial methods unless at the same time we use meditative methods in order to purify and harmonise our own consciousness. if we neglect this aspect of our work, we shall re-infect by our own vibrations the magic circle as fast a

al of light upon the mechanisms of the mind, and no one should attempt to deal with a psychic attack unless he understands those mechanisms. my own little book, machinery of the mind, written under my maiden name of violet m. firth, will, i think, be found a useful general introduction to modern psychology. let us approach the subject of modern witchcraft neither in a spirit of incredulity nor of superstition, but from the standpoint of the psychologist, seeking to understand the workings of the mind and prepared to discover much that had hitherto passed unsuspected. 103 of thome resources demons bios fiction tyson truth about aiq beker, the kabbalah of nine chambers (francis barrett's table of the aiq beker, which he derived from agrippa's occult philosophy) the aiq beker, also known as

DONALDTYSON UFO

ruthful, second whether the witness has correctly interpreted the evidence of his or her senses, and third whether the witness actually saw anything or merely hallucinated. there is no way to be certain that a person is not lying. the value of the polygraph is vastly overrated. indeed, the reverential awe accorded the lie detector machine by some branches of government has an element of primitive superstition. human beings lie for numerous reasons, and sometimes for no reason that they themselves can specify. once a lie has been repeated for a long enough time, it may become real to its inventor. even when we can be fairly confident that the witness is trying to be completely truthful, there is an ever-present possibility of self-deception. when there is insufficient information to explain

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

africa among the zulu and other bantu tribes of equatorial and southern africa, witchcraft or malevolent sorcery was traditionally practiced.in secret, for the results of detection were terrible. tribes instituted a caste of witchfinders assigned the task of tracking down witches. the nineteenth-century writer lady mary anne barker observed, it is not difficult to understand, bearing in mind the superstition and cruelty which existed in remote parts of england not so very long ago; how powerful such women become among a savage people, or how tempting an opportunity they could furnish of getting rid of an enemy. of course they are exceptional individuals; more observant, more shrewd, and more dauntless than the average fat, hard-working kaffir women, besides possessing the contradictory mi

d in a white robe with a golden girdle, bathed every friday, and kept in a box, otherwise it was believed to shriek for attention. alrauns were used in magic rituals and were also believed to bring good luck. but possession of them carried the risk of witchcraft prosecution, and in 1630 three women were executed in hamburg on this charge. the alraun was difficult to get rid of because there was a superstition that it could only be sold at a higher price than bought, and there are legends that owners who tried to throw an alraun away found it returned to their room. according to german folklore, an alraun assisted easy childbirth, and water in which it had been infused prevented swellings in animals. because of the large demand for alrauns, they were often carved from the roots of briony wh

sect ananda marga. ananda world brotherhood see ananda church of god-realization ananisapta a kabalistic word made up from the initial letters of the prayer antidotum nazareni auferat necene intoxicationis; sanctificet alimenta, poculaque trinitas alma. when written on virgin parchment, it is said to be a powerful talisman to protect against disease (see also kabala) anarazel according to ancient superstition, anarazel is one of the demons charged with the guardianship of subterranean treasures, which he carries about from one place to another to hide them from men. it is he who, with his companions gaziel and fecor, shakes the foundations of houses, raises the tempests, rings the bells at midnight, causes specters to appear, and inspires a thousand terrors. anathema the name was given by

le, first became popular when the dominicans, following an apparition of mary to their founder st. dominic, began to spread its use in the twelfth century. attention to mary reached a high in the middle ages, but came under heavy attack from protestant leaders in the sixteenth century (many considered it idolatry) and from the eighteenth-century enlightenment that saw most supernaturalism as mere superstition. from the eighteenth century one can see documented an attempt to revive interest in marian devotion with the call for a definition of the immaculate conception (the belief that the virgin mary was born free of original sin) as official dogma (teachings. it also saw the publication of several massive works on mariology, especially the eminently successful glories of mary (1876) by alp

e apparitions a form of devotion that is quite foreign to the secularized outlook they have adopted. critics approach the apparitions in much the same way as other psychic phenomena, as a threat to the worldview that they have adopted that has no space for such occurrences. the most vehement of critics, over the last 200 years, have seen the apparitions as supportive of a return to pre-scientific superstition. also critical are conservative evangelical christians who view roman catholicism as a distorted form of christianity, and attack the apparitions as a counterfeit supernaturalism. in the middle are people who believe that such phenomena occur, but do not tie the phenomena to roman catholic theology. in fact, the marian apparitions do supply a vast amount of data for contemporary parap

followers of the faith, and those of shoghi effendi as infallible commentary. the teachings of the faith are universalist, based on the claim that divine revelation is continuous and that the baha i faith is the culmination of the world s major religions. the baha i faith proclaims the unity of god and his prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, and teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony. religion must go hand-in-hand with science, as it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, ordered, and progressive society. baha i followers believe in the principle of equal opportunity, rights, and privileges for both sexes; compulsory education; and the abolishment

ek name, basilikon, implying that the herb was used in a royal ceremony. some traditions believed it sacred, others that it was dedicated to the devil. greeks believed it was an emblem of hatred, italians that it was appropriate to lovers. in both greece and rome there were ancient rituals involving cursing when the herb was planted, which were believed to assist growth. in moldavia it was a folk superstition that a sprig of basil flowers handed by a girl to a wayward lover would ensure the boy s fidelity and love. basil is much prized in india, where it is known as tulsi (or tulasi) and regarded as sacred to the god vishnu and the goddess lakshmi. it is grown in pots near hindu homes and temples. it is used in cooking and is also believed to help secure children. basilidians a gnostic sec

e philosophers stone. a treatise on these interesting subjects, which he published at cologne in 1531, secured him the favor of duke maurice of saxony, who appointed him superintendent of his silver mines at chemnitz. in this post he obtained a practical acquaintance with the properties of metals, which dissipated his wild notions of their possible transmutation into gold; but if he abandoned one superstition he adopted another, and from the legends of the miners he imbibed a belief in the existence of good and evil spirits in the bowels of the earth, and in the creation of explosive gases and firedamp by the malicious agency of the latter. bauer s major work, de re metallica, completed in 1550 and published in 1556, has an illustration showing dowsers at work searching for minerals with a

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

of the wound itself, believing that the blood on the weapon continues to feel part of the blood on the body (see also powder of sympathy) l. marillier divided magic into three classes: the magic of the word or act; the magic of the human being independent of rite or formula; and the magic that demands a person of special powers and the use of ritual. a. lehmann believed magic to be a practice of superstition, founded in illusion. the magic force many peoples have spoken of the operation of a magic cosmic force.something that impinged upon the thought of man from outside. many tribal cultures postulated the existence of a great reservoir of magic power, the exact nature of which they were not prepared to specify. certain american indian tribes believed in a force called orenda, or spirit f

is fellow inquisitor. in this book sorcery was reduced to a system but it was not yet perfect; and we must look forward, some half a century before we find it clothed with all the horrors which cast so much terror into every class of society. the work went into some 30 editions between 1486 and 1669 and was accepted as authoritative by both protestant and catholic witch-hunters. its narrow-minded superstition and dogmatic legalism undoubtedly resulted in hundreds of cases of cruel tortures and judicial murders. an english translation was published in london (1928; 1948; 1974) by the controversial british scholar montague summers, who embodied in his writings a truly medieval attitude toward witchcraft. he declared (in his learned introduction to the work) that the malleus maleficarum is am

rld of witches. london: r. hale, 1962. deadly magic. wellingborough, england: thursons, 1976. the domain of devils. london: r. hale, 1966. incantations and words of power. wellingborough, england: aquarian press, 1974. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. maple, eric (william) 977. magic, medicine, and quakery. london: r. hale, 1968. the realm of ghosts. new york: a.s. barnes, 1964. superstition and the superstitious. london and new york: w.h. allen, 1971. witchcraft: the story of man s quest for psychic power. london: octopus books, 1973. marabini, enrico (1923) italian gynecologist and obstetrician who was also active in the field of parapsychology. marabini was born on november 12, 1923, at casinalbo, italy, and studied at bologna university (m.d, cum laude, 1949. he was a

term marranos (hogs) was used contemptuously at the time to denote moors and jews. marcellus empiricus (ca. 395 c.e) a gallic-roman writer born at bordeaux in the fourth century. he was magister officiorum under theodosius (379.395 c.e. he wrote a work called de medicamentis conspiricis physicis ac rationalibus, a collection of medical recipes, for the most part having more in common with popular superstition than with medical science. march, marion (1923) marion march, an outstanding american astrology teacher, was born on february 10, 1923, in nurnberg, germany, though she was raised in switzerland, the daughter of a banker. she moved to the united states during world war ii (1939.45) to pursue an acting career, but after six years joined the american foreign service. stationed in her ho

ed or secular. part of the present-day opposition to claims of the paranormal is based on the brilliant achievements arising from applied scientific laws, reinforcing confidence in the logic of the material world. from this viewpoint, many agnostics and atheists deny the possibility of either religious miracles or secular paranormal happenings, claiming that both are the result of malobservation, superstition, or fraud. meanwhile many religious authorities have upheld the validity of biblical miracles as indicating god s omnipotence and intervention in human affairs. for example, vatican council i (1870.71) denied that miracles are impossible. however, many theologians, responding positively to the world of natural science, have taken the view that miracles are no longer necessary in moder

y. he hastened away for more gold, but the top-boot would not fill, even after repeated efforts. at length, in sheer disgust, the devil departed. afterward it was claimed that the shrewd irishman had taken the sole off the boot and fastened it over a hole in the floor. underneath was a series of large cellars, where men waited with shovels to remove each shower of gold as it came down. in popular superstition it is supposed that if a person hears the cuckoo for the first time with money in his pocket, he will have some all the year, while if he greets the new moon for the first time in the same fortunate condition, he will not lack money throughout the month. monition supernormal warning. in the wider sense of the definition of psychic researcher charles richet, it is the revelation of som

is daughter laurie a. monroe. the institute publishes periodicals that report on its research program. it also distributes numerous tapes and cds. address: 62 roberts mountain road, faber, va 22938. website: http//www.monroeinstitute.org. sources: rogo, d. scott. leaving the body: a complete guide to astral projection. englewood cliffs, n.j: prentice-hall, 1983. monsters on the borderland between superstition, occultism, and science are the many monsters, human or animal, reported from many parts of the world throughout human history. the word monster, from the latin monstrum, implies a warning or portent. the term is used derogatorily in reference to malformed or misshapen animals and humans, as well as creatures of great size. because of the awe and horror excited by monstrous births, th

ts that began in 1861 when his almanac predicted a bad year for prince albert, the popular consort of queen victoria. when albert died unexpectedly at the end of the year, many gave zad- encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. morrison, richard james 1055 kiel credit for an accurate prediction, but edward belcher, a writer for the london daily telegraph, attacked morrison for spreading superstition to the gullible. morrison countered with a libel suit and won, but was awarded only 20 shillings. his real reward was the publicity the case attracted, which substantially increased his sales. morrison continued to publish his almanac until his death on april 5, 1874, after which it was continued by his students for many years. sources: morrison, r. j. an introduction to astrology by

EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTERS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND OTHERWORLDY BEINGS

his hollow earth. by the time siegmeister wrote the hollow earth (1964, no alternative-reality book could lack flying saucers. it is entirely likely that nothing in the book you are about to read will tell you anything about actual extraordinary encounters and otherworldly beings. if such exist, however, it is not beyond the range of possibility that somewhere amid the noise of folklore, belief, superstition, credulity, out-of-control thinking, and out-of-ordinary perception a signal may be sounding. if so, it is a faint one, indeed. the world has always been overrun with otherworldly experiences, some of which certainly appear to resist glib accounting; yet so far it has proved exasperatingly tricky to establish that otherworldly experiences are also otherworldly events. the otherworld

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

and this would include the view which was the chief cause of the outcry against pico, and of the commission which alexander quashed, that magia and cabala are valuable aids to christianity. it was in this changed atmosphere that pico wrote, about 1493-4, his disputationes adversus astrologiam divinatricem. this work against astrology used to be taken as proof that pico was free from astrological superstition. but its title alone shows that the kind of astrology which pico is against is divinatory astrology, the normal astrology based on belief in the determination of man's fate by the stars and using calculations based on horoscopes to foretell the predestined future. and it has recently been pointed out3 that pico repeats in this book what is practically ficino's theory of astral influen

strongly reprobates the orphic incantations which ficino had used (and pico had recommended as natural magic, and the remarks directed against a "certain man" who has written about astrological images must be meant for ficino.3 the arguments of pico's nephew were impressive, and many of them were repeated in 1583 by johann wier, a protestant, who also regards the prisca theologia as wicked pagan superstition and as the source of magic.4 "the visits of the greek sages to egypt resulted in their learning, not the mosaic tradition of true theology, but bad egyptian magic."5 as a protestant, wier wants religion to be entirely free from magic, and a large part of his work is directed against catholic practices which he regards as superstitious. 6 erastus is another protestant writer who strong

nce. let us put far from us the cetus of gluttony, the orion of ferocity, the river of superfluities, the gorgon of ignorance, the hare of timidity. let us no longer carry in our breast the argo of avarice, the cup of insobriety, the balance of iniquity, the cancer of slowness, the capricorn of deception. let not the scorpio of fraud come near us, nor the centaur of animal affection, the altar of superstition, the crown of pride, the fish of unworthy silence. may the twtns of indecent familiarity fall with them, and the bull of concern for mean things, the ram of inconsiderateness, the lion of tyranny, the aquarius of dissoluteness, the virgin of fruitless conversation, and the sagittarius of detraction' in the nova de universis phihsophia, ferrara, 1591, and venice, 1593. see above, p. 18

gnoble discourtesy as to forget all his achievements and his divinely ordained appearance as the dawn which was to precede the full sunrise of the ancient and true philosophy after its agelong burial in the dark caverns of blind and envious ignorance, and to judge him by reason of some omissions in his work as being on the same level as the vulgar herd which is swayed hither and thither by brutal superstition? should he not rather be counted in the number of those whose good wits have enabled them to raise themselves and to stand upright under the faithful guidance of the eye of the divine intelligence? and now, what shall i say concerning the nolan? perhaps it becomes me not to praise him since he is so near to me, as near, indeed, as i am to myself. yet no reasonable man would reprove me

GAMBLE ELIZA BURT THE GOD IDEA OF THE ANCIENTS OR SEX IN RELIGION

with their life blood. the fact has been observed, in an earlier work, that only through the gens was the organization of society possible. without it mankind could have accomplished nothing toward its own advancement. thus, throughout the earlier ages of human existence, at a time when mankind lived nearer to nature and before individual wealth and the stimulation of evil passions had engendered superstition, selfishness, and distrust, the maternal element constituted not only the binding and preserving principle in human society, but, together with the power to bring forth, constituted also the god-idea, which idea, as has already been observed, at a certain stage in the history of the race was portrayed by a female figure with a child in her arms. from all sources of information at hand

eached its height, the god-idea was represented by the figure of a woman with her child; subsequently, however, as these nations began to decline, the creative energy comprehended simply physical life, or the power to reproduce, and was represented by various emblems which will be noticed farther on in this work. in still later ages, after male reproductive power had become god, and when, through superstition and sensuality, the masses of the people had descended to the rank of slaves, monarchs, representing themselves to their ignorant subjects as the source of all blessings, even of life itself, appropriated the titles of the sun, and claimed for themselves the adoration which had formerly belonged to it. from this fact has doubtless arisen the opinion so tenaciously upheld in recent tim

f himself is powerless to create, is as amusing as it is suggestive, and forcibly recalls to mind la couvade, in which, among certain tribes, the father, assuming all the duties of procreation, goes to bed when a child is born.[59 [59] the evolution of woman, p. 127. all mythologies prove conclusively that ages elapsed before human beings were rash enough, or sufficiently blinded by falsehood and superstition, to attempt to construct a creative force unaided by the female principle. just here it may not be out of place to refer to the fact that in the attempt to divorce god from nature have arisen all the superstitions and senseless religious theories with which, since the earliest ages of metaphysical speculation, the human mind has been crowded. to this separation of the two original ele

er investigations are proving that the primitive idea of a deity had its foundation in actual physical facts and experiences; and, as the maternal principle constituted the most important as well as the most obvious of the facts which entered into the conception of a creator, and as it was the only natural bond capable of binding human society together, so long as reason was not wholly clouded by superstition and warped by sensuality, it could not be eliminated. in other words, a creator in which the more essential element of creative force was wanting, was contrary to all human experience and observation. indeed nothing could be plainer than that the deified male principle could of itself create nothing, and that it was dependent for its very existence on the female element. by this attem

ctly what might be expected. that this high stage of civilization was reached while women were the recognized heads of families and of the gentes, and at a time when perceptive wisdom, or the female energy in the deity, was worshipped as the supreme god, is a fact which in time will be proved beyond a doubt. indeed, had not the judgment of man become warped by prejudice, and his reason clogged by superstition and sensuality, the fact so plainly apparent in all ancient mythologies, that in the early god-idea two principles were contained, the female being in the ascendancy, would long ere this have been acknowledged, and our present religious systems, which are but outgrowths from these mythologies, would, with the partial return of civilized conditions, have been so modified or changed as

. she is in fact matter. the cold of winter and the darkness of night, which are necessary to the return of the sun's warmth and which were formerly set forth as a beneficent mother who brings forth the sun, became only the evil principle--that which obscures the light. in fact darkness or absence of the sun's heat has become the devil. it is the "cause of evil in the world" with woman blinded by superstition, with every instinct of the female nature outraged, and with her position as the central figure in the deity and in the family usurped, her temples were soon profaned, her images defiled, and the titles representing her former greatness transferred to males. there is no doubt but this doctrine was the legitimate outcome of the decay of female influence. through the further stimulation

but later research has proved the falsity of this assumption. it is true that at an early age of human experience the creative processes were worshipped, but such worship involved scientific and, i might say, spiritualized conceptions of the operations of nature which in time were altogether lost sight of. gross phallicism is clearly the result of degeneration, and of a lapse into sensuality and superstition. i think no one can study the facts connected with fire and light as the deity in the various countries in which this worship prevailed, without perceiving the change it gradually underwent during later ages, and the grossness of the ideas which became connected with it as compared with an earlier age when mankind "had no temples, but worshipped in the open air, on the tops of mountai

ebrew essentially the same. it is amongst the hindoos of to-day as it was in the greece and italy of classic times; and we find that 'holy woman' is a title given to those who devote their bodies to be used for hire, which goes to the service of the temple" the extent to which ages of corruption have vitiated the purer instincts of human nature, and the degree to which centuries of sensuality and superstition have degraded the nature of man, may be noticed at the present time in the admissions which are frequently made by male writers regarding the change which during the history of the race has taken place in the god-idea. none of the attributes of women, not even that holy instinct--maternal love, can by many of them be contemplated apart from the ideas of grossness which have attended t

GILBERT AE WAITE A MAGICIAN OF MANY PARTS

hichwithoutunderstanding, they may accept on itsauthority,at the same time has as its highest mission the handing down through the ages of a secret mysticaltruthof whichitis the divinely appointed repository.thefollowingoutof this secret tradition in the various phases and forms in which it has been embodied, from the commencement ofthechristian era up to the present time, disfigured sometimes by superstition and distorted at others by bigotry and prejudice,butstill, in whatever guise, containing as its kernel the mystical meaning of the history of mankind from its creation to the divine reunion which is itsterm-thishas been mr waite's life task. personally,iwould describe him as a sacramentalist rather than a catholic.but was waite a christian? fromwhathe wrote to robertson nicoll (see p

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

any sort, new presentments of truth of any kind, always stink in the nostrils of men who have a vested interest in maintaining things as they are: and history has repeatedly shown that even beneficed ministers will stoop to misrep255 resentation and falsehood in order to sustain their own interests and god given rights, in their minds consonant with the right divine of kings- another now exploded superstition. small wonder then that the f ama fratemitatisr.c. raised up a storm of passion, and that its followers were assailed by every form of abuse and by every vile epithet that the billingsgate of clerical intolerance of that day could supply. for the clergy, be it remembered, with the pupils of the clergy, were alone able to read and write, and it was but the one man in a thousand who, ha

herglace atthekabalah 109assimilate that which the mind's eye can at any time perceive; the process cannot be forced, mystic lore cannot be stolen.ifany learner did appropriate the knowledge of a grade beyond him, it would be tohimbutfolly, disappointment and darkness. i have myself often been offered a doctrine, or assertion, or explanation, which my intellect has rejected as absurd, or as sheer superstition; which same dogma1have later in life assimilated with every feeling of esteem, occultism in this resembles freemasonry; we are either admitted to the hidden knowledge, or we are not;andifwe are not admitted, we never believe any secret of its ritual even if it be offered to us.thesecrets of occultism are like freemasonry; intruththey are to some extent the secretsthatfreernasonyhas lo

GILBERT THE SORCERER AND HIS APPRENTICE

estigators, and a problem that i would humbly suggest is to be solved, not by negations, but rather by careful and open-minded examination of all the minutest traces of evidence available. it may be perfectly true to say there is no evidence of the egyptian origin either of the cards or the people. but like other negations it takes us no farther.itmay be right to deprecate the hasty dogmatism and superstition of those who proclaim loudly, on the very slenderest authority, that the secrets of the universe have been laid bare, and the key to universal knowledge is in the hands of some certain mystic writer or teacher, who poses as a divinely inspired final authority and revealer of mysteries. there be many such nowadays, specially of the discredited german brand. but in this deprecation we s

sage. we wonder vaguely how people ever came to believe in such things, they seem so far removed from the practical everyday life of modem times. a witch, so most people think, was a poor woman, ugly and ill-favoured, solitary, probably soured and ill-tempered, possibly mad. how could sane people take her seriously enough to be afraid of her, above all to torture andbumher. we say 'gross ignorant superstition, and think we have accounted for the whole problem, forgetting that some of the acutest intellects in a very intellectual age- men moreover who were decidedly sceptical in their views- such as the scottish lord advocate mackenzie, to name only one example, gave much time and thought to the investigation of the subject, and declared their conviction that there was something genuine, an

but supposing that we did not know the theory of gravitationthe esoteric teaching onthezodiac181and the theory of lunar attraction, we should be very much puzzled to account for these phenomena of the tides, and we should probably set down anybody who spoke of the moon as influencing them as a superstitious ass. in fact, i have seen old books of the goody goody type that have set down as a gross superstition the idea that the moon had anything to do with the waters of the earth. of course you know that has been a tradition from the very earliest times, and in all the so-called pagan mythologies: the moon, as the origin of the waters of the earth, has always been a prominent fact,buta fact which apparently was absolutely sterile until the principles of gravitation were thoroughly establish

GLOBAL FREEMASONRY

d and is the only absolute) and even today, the attribution of consciousness to lifeless things being the essence of materialism has become a kind of contemporary paganism. global freemasonry ddg materialism accepts the creative ability of lifeless and unconscious matter. in other words, it turns matter into an idol. masons believe that atoms have spirit and openly admit to their belief in such a superstition. masonic writings are full of interesting accounts of this belief. an article in mimar sinan entitled "the way of truth" maintains: if we accept the animist hierarchy that spirit exists in an atom, that a molecule directs the spirit in an atom, that a cell directs the spirit in a molecule, that an organ directs the spirit in a cell, is not the main spirit that directs the whole body t

and, as if fearing this wandering and under a powerful instinctive drive of self-preservation, these separated cells co-operate among themselves, come together and work in a total democratic harmony and self-sacrifice in the creation of those organs critical for life.92 but, contrary to what is asserted in this quotation, there is no consciousness in a living cell. to believe this is nothing but superstition. again, as we see in the above quotation, in order to deny the existence and creative activity of god, they attribute farcical attributes to atoms, molecules and cells, such as intelligence, the ability to plan, self-sacrifice and ddh materialism revisited even "democratic harmony" just as it is nonsense to say of the creation of an oil painting that "the paints ordered themselves tog

e describes the true instigator of the war against religion carried out under the guise of "science: it will be noticed that in this struggle for the spread of knowledge, masons are known to have participated at every level. the reason for this is that masonry, in every period, has been guided always by logic, knowledge and maturity, that is, by wisdom. since it was founded, it had fought against superstition and myth.110 however, in reality "superstition and myth" is not, as the masons claim, religion; it is, rather, the basis of the materialist, naturalist and evolutionist beliefs they espouse. the clearest proof of this fact is that it is global freemasonry dfk darwin's theory seemed plausible to some due to the primitive level of scientific knowledge and meager evidence in the nineteen

sistently defend a philosophy that has no logical or scientific support, and turn away from the facts that science has discovered. essentially, what has led masons into such error, or indeed spellbound them, is their blind attachment to their traditions. this shows that the teaching of masonry is deceptive. it alienated dhg global freemasonry people from their belief in god, making them fall into superstition by following empty laws, myths and legends. what the qur'an says about the pagans of saba, who abandoned god to prostrate themselves before the sun, is valid also for masonry "satan has made their actions seem good to them and debarred them from the way so they are not guided (qur'an, 27: 24. masons reject the religion of god in favor of an outmoded doctrine that they elaborate upon w

GNOSTIC HANDBOOK

er it be western consumerism or marxist materialism, was created by the development of the (western) scientific worldview, whereby man was removed from his place at the center of the universe and reduced to his new status as an "evolved monkey. beginning in the 19th century (some would argue earlier) prevailing ideologies began to jettison god, spirituality and the medieval worldview and replace "superstition" with a "scientific" model based on matter, evolution and technology coupled with a belief in progress. this new scientific model was and is a direct contradiction of the earlier "traditional" model, which was based on the "great chain of being. this great chain is the traditional view of the universe which is not locked in a simple "nuts and bolts" view, but which encompasses the gre

GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 3

thic itself. now if such inferences as to what is non-extant are valid in language, if its present condition carries us far back to an older and oldest; a like proceeding must be justifiable in mythology too, and from its dry watercourses we may guess the copious spring, from its stagnant swamps the ancient river. nations hold fast by prescription: we shall never comprehend their tradition, their superstition, unless we spread under it a bed on still heathen soil. and these views are confirmed by what we know to be true of poetry and legend. if the heathens already possessed a finely articulated language, and if we concede to them an abundant stock of religious myths, then song and story could not fail to preface. vll lay hold of these, and to interweave themselves with the rites and custo

nd roman mythologies, that with all their similarity they are yet far from identical, has to be asserted with still more emphasis of the relation between the roman and german, inasmuch as greek literature left an infinitely deeper dint on the roman, than latin literature was ever able to produce on our antiquity. if in ch. xxxv and xxxvii many things are quoted which appear to spring out of roman superstition, it is fully justified by the poverty of native information compelling me to seek a support for it from abroad: preface. xxix i do not suppose that the old german fancies about beasts crossing one's path, or about the virtues of herbs, were in themselves any poorer than the roman. what i claim for teutonic nations as compared with the greeks and romans, must also hold good of them as

evelation which accords with the marvellous language and the creation and propagation of mankind. our native heathenism seems not to have been oppressed by gloomy fancies about the misery of a fallen existence (like the indian doctrine of emanation, it favoured a cheerful fatalism (p. 860-1, and believed in a paradise, a renovated world, deified heroes; its gods resemble more those of greece, its superstition more that of rome' tanta gentium in rebus frivolis plerumque religio est' the question has been gravely asked, whether the heathen pkeface. iv gods really existed; and i feel disgust at answering it. those who believe in a veritable devil and a hell, who would burn a witch with a will, may feel inclined to affirm it, thinking to support the miracles of the church by the evidence of th

out our past reflecting its radiance upon it, and on which the future will avenge any depreciation of the olden time. my gleanings i bequeath to him who, standing on my shoulders, shall hereafter get into full swing the harvesting of this great field. jacob grimm. berlin, 28th april, 1844. contents vol. iii. chapter xxx. poetry xxxi. spectres xxxii. translation. xxxiii. devil. xxxiv. magic. xxxv. superstition xxxvi. sicknesses. xxxvii. herbs and stones xxxviii. spells and charms index. pages 899 912 913 950 951 983 984 1030 1031 1104 1105 1147 1148 1189 1190 1222 1223 1249 1251 127g chapter xxx. poetry. maei'e however means not only fama, but fabula; and here some other and more interesting personifications present themselves. we perceive that the existence, organization and copiousness of

ession for peaceful happy spirits of the dead was manes, for uncanny disquietiug apparitions lemures or larvae; though the terms fluctuate, for' manes' can denote spectral beings too, and' lemures' can have a general meaning (creuzer^s symb. 2, 850 866. larfa betrays its affinity to lar (p. 500, and the good kindly lares were often held to be manes or souls of departed ancestors. so in our german superstition we find instances of souls becoming homesprites or kobolds- and still oftener is there a connexion between unquiet spirits and spectres (see suppl' between the christian au-souls" day (nov. 2, on which the people visit churchyards and hang garlands on graves, and the three roman holidays when the under world opened mundiis patet) and the' manes' ascended (crcuzer 2, 865. o. miiller's

on, as. draca, el. 765. the belief is founded chiefly on rev. 20, 2, and on the interpretations the fathers gave of leviathan. a dragon is mentioned in rev. 12, 4, who with his tail drew the third part of the stars from heaven^ it is in this biblical sense that our old poets call the devil sjange, hellewurm, lohengr. 141, heuetracke, mart. 141; but there also went with it an inkling of the native superstition about venomous fire-spitting worms, treasure-guarding dragons (p. 978) and wondei'ful serpents (p. 684. as a dragon the devil appears in numberless folktales, e.g. deutsche sag. nos. 520. 858. here i draw particular attention to that fairytale, in which it is variously the devil, or the dragon, or the bird griffin, that has feathers plucked out of his tail in his sleep, kinderm. nos

quus hostis exprimitur, propheta testatur, dicens: quomodo confractus est et contritus malleus universae terrae (jerem. 50, 23. conf. 51, 20. the two notions of a chastising god and of a hostile heathen power seem here to meet. in donar's hand the hammer was at once a consecrating and a crushing tool: stormwind, ivhirhvind, phenomena which old heathenism ascribed to the lord of thunder, and later superstition> danish story of a devil shut up in a box, thiele 1, 18. km. no. 99. 1000 devil. to giants or devils (p. 635-6. superst. i, 522^ and esth. 100, are in some parts of germany called hammer, either from their violent destructive action^ or because the devil is imagined to have stirred them up^ in rhenish westphalia, when the wind suddenly throws the doors open, or whistles through the ho

as a proper name (see suppl. such grafting of the devil on older native beliefs in spirits and semi-divine beings was altogether natural, as christian opinion held these to be diabolic, and the people tried to domesticate the outlandish devil. hence fischart could call him hutze (p. 506 'may i become the very hutze's if, etc' garg. 224; and the same in altd. bl. 1, 55. the skratti (p. 478) of on. superstition hovers somewhere between woodsprite, devil and giant, and so is troll (p. 526) a' daemon' in this more comprehensive sense^ in the cursing formulas' troll hafi >ik' or' troll hafi j^ina vini' nial. cap. 38' troll hafi ]nk allan' kormakss^ troll ok ovcettr, fornald. sog. 2, 2-18; troll ok eigi maifr, finnbogas pp. 264. 292. 340. mixed up with old gods. 1005 188' troll taki liann' orvar

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

aid, some children tending cattle on the shore had often during the year seen a beautiful maiden sit on the bank, holding a snake in her hand and shewing it to them. it is only every hundredth year that this water-maiden with the snake appears (bexell s halland 2, 320; 3, 303. multitudes from norway and halland visited a spring named s. olaftskialla, dropt money-offerings in, and carried on other superstition (odman s bahuslan p. 169. in christian times healing fountains are believed to spring up near the tombs of holy men, bex. hall. 3, 69; or from under a saint s body, flodoard. remens. 2, 3. i think it is with the hot baths at aix that we must connect the watermaiden with whose myth charles the great is mixed up, p. 435. 2 synonymously the ohg. quecprunno, mhgr. quecprunne, parz. 613, 9

ent in a boat to the middle of the titisee, and payed out no end of line after the plummet, when there came out of the waves a terrible cry: e measure me, and fll eat you up! in a great fright the man desisted from his enterprise, and since then no one has dared 1 formages, whence fromages. 2 this raising of a storm by throwing stones into a lake or wellhead is a teu tonic, a celtic and a finnish superstition, as the examples quoted shew. the watersprite avenges the desecration of his holy stream. under this head come the stories of the mummelsee (deut. sag. no. 59. simplic. 5, 9, of the pilatussee (lothar s volkssag. 232. dobenek 2, 118. gutslaff p. 288. mone s anz. 4, 423, of l. camarina in sicily (camarinam movere, and above all, of berenton well in breziliande forest, iwein 553-672, wh

veral years, the ehsts laid it all to the desecration of the holy stream, who allowed no obstructions in his path; they fell upon the mill, burnt it down, and destroyed the piles in the water. ohm went to law, and obtained a verdict against the peasants; but to rid himself of new and grievous persecutions, he induced pastor gutslaff, another german, to write a treatise 2 specially com bating this superstition. doubtless we learn from it only the odious features of the heathenish cult. to the question, how good or bad weather could depend on springs, brooks and lakes, the ehsts replied: it is our ancient faith, the men of old have ao taught us (p. 25, 258; mills have been burnt down on this 1 the people about l. baikal believe it has no bottom. a priest, who could dive to any depth, tried i

t l. baikal believe it has no bottom. a priest, who could dive to any depth, tried it, but was so frightened by the 16s (dragons, sea-monsters, that, if i remember rightly, he died raving mad. tbans. 2 a short account of the holy brook (falsely so called) wohhanda in liefland, whereby the ungodly burning of sommerpahl mill came to pass. given from christian zeal against unchristian and heathenish superstition, by joh. gutslaff, pomer. pastor at urbs in liefland. dorpt 1644 (8vo, 407 pp. without the dedic and pref. an extract in kellgren (suomi 9, 72-92. holy lakes and streams. 599 brook before now (p. 278, he will stand no crowding. the esth. name is poha yogge/ the lettic shveti ubbe/ i.e. holy brook. by means of it they could regulate the weather -and when they wanted rain, they had only

quoted in ecc. fr. or. i. 425, observes, that the people (in meissen or thuringia) dance and sing round the midsummer fires; that one man threw a horse s head into the flame, meaning thereby to force the witches to fetch some of the fire for themselves. seb. frank in his weltbuch 51 b: on st. john s day they make a simet flre [corrupt, of sunwent, and moreover wear upon them, i know not from what superstition, quaint ivreaths of mug wort and monks-hood; nigh every one hath a blue plant named larkspur in hand, and whoso looketh into the fire thro the same, hath never a sore eye all that midsummer fires. 619 year; he that would depart home unto his house, casteth this msplant into the fire, saying, so depart all mine ill-fortune and be burnt up with this herb! 1 so, on the same day, were the

-called sonnemvendt or zimmet fire kindled, and thereat winebibbing, dancing about the said fire, leaping over the same, with burning of sundry herbs and flowers, and setting of brands from the said fire in the fields, and in many other ways all manner of superstitious work carried on therefore the hon. council of niirnberg town neither can nor ought to forbear to do away with all such unbecoming superstition, paganism, and peril of tire on this coming day of st. john (neuer lit. anz. 1807, p. 318 [sunwend fires forbidden in austria in 1850, in spite of goethe s fires of john we ll cherish, why should gladness perish? suppl " 2 gasseri ann. august, ad an. 1497, schm. 3, 261; conf. kanke s roman, u. german, vdlk. 1, 102. 620 elements. so that none of the wood is left in sight, a strong

the evil spirit dancing; throw a sharp new knife into the middle of it, and you wound him. a magician plunged such a knife into his threshold, and condemned his man, with whom he was angry, for seven years to ride round the world on the swift stormwind. then the whirlwind lifted the man, who was making haycocks in a meadow, and bore him away into the air. this knifethrowing is also known to germ, superstition everywhere (i, 554. wind s bride. 633 and the irish name for it is sigh gaoite (o brien, sighgaoithe (croker iii, xxi; in a whirlwind elvish sprites can steal (stewart p. 122. it is a popular belief in sweden, that the skogsra (wood-wife) makes her presence known by a violent ^vhirlwind which shakes the trees even to breaking. the slav, polednice (supra, p. 478n) is a female daemon, w

rding to the root 1 finnish runes, ups. 1819, pp. 58-60. 2 fauriel 2, 236. wh. miiller 2, 100. 3 fauriel 2, 432. wh. mtiller 2, 120. 4 sup. i, 343. 1013. kirchhofer s schweiz. spr. 327. cl. brentano s libussa p. 432. sartori s eeise in kiirnten 2, 164. leoprechting 102. 636 elements. idea of iotunn, p. 519, and they try to pacify him by pouring out flour in the air. 1 i take this to be an ancient superstition, and light is thrown upon it now by a norwegian tale in asbjornsen no. 7, of the northwind carrying off a poor fellow s meal three times, but compensating him afterwards by costly presents. this northwind behaves exactly as a rough good-natured giant (see suppl. the raising of the whirlwind was, as we have seen (p. 632, ascribed to divine, semi-divine and diabolic beings. in norway th

H SPENCER LEWIS ROSICRUCIAN MANUAL AMORC 1990

her hope nor expectation of another life after this but we know that the happiness of the future depends upon what we do today for others as well as for ourselves. also, our purposes are to enable men and women to live clean, normal, natural lives, as nature intended, enjoying all the privileges of nature, and all benefits and gifts equally with all of mankind; and to be free from the shackles of superstition, the limits of ignorance, and suffering [28] the work of the order.using the word work in an official sense. consists of teaching, studying, and testing such laws of god and nature as make our members masters in the holy temple (the physical body, and workers in the divine laboratory (nature's domains. this enables the fratres and sorores to render more efficient help to those who do

evertheless, were.and many still are.erroneously considered by religion and orthodox or mundane science, as absurdities. color therapy is a subject that has been long considered by the occultists. it is held that color affects the human emotions and plays a definite part in relationship to health, moods, and our reactions. however, color therapy was heralded by the mundane scientists as an occult superstition! today, color therapy is a branch of psychological investigation by medical science. occultism affirms that man has powers which are subliminal (beyond the level of his normal consciousness, and of which he is ordinarily unaware) and which are just as much a part of his being as [192] his sight, his hearing, or his powers of speech. occultism further contends that whatever man's wordl

pe nor expectation of another life after this, but we know that the happiness of the future depends upon what we do today for others as well as for ourselves. secondly, our purposes are to enable men and women to live clean, normal, natural lives, as nature intended, enjoying all the privileges of nature, and all benefits and gifts equally with all of humanity; and to be free from the shackles of superstition, the limits of ignorance, and the sufferings of avoidable karma. the work of the order, using the word "work" in an official sense, consists of teaching, studying, and testing such laws of god and nature as make our members masters in the holy temple (the physical body) and workers in the divine laboratory (nature's domains) this is to enable our members to render more efficient help

HAMIL THE ROSICRUCIAN SEER

accretions of error and false inferences at every step, from the somnambulist in chief to the last avoucher. it must be said that facts of this class recommend themselves too often to those who are so fortunate as to encounter the best specimens, not by their proper and essential value and significance, but by their supposed bearing in illustration and furtherance of a pre-adopted theory,nortesay superstition; and painful it is to the student who would fain be the minister and interpreter of nature, to see her choicest productions mangled and bleeding, and smoking as sacrifices on the altars of every idol of den and tribe that physiology and philosophy have reason to abhor. for the rest, after the exposition by mr sandby of the 'contradictions' and 'poverty of ideas' exhibited in these dev

viction and belief is the right one.ii.-isthere any obstacle so formidable against the progress of mankind in wisdom, goodness, unity, and happiness, as the existing superstitions over the earth, called religion?c.a.-withoutreligion, no education could make a man wise and good; because he could not have even a true knowledgeofnature unless he believed in nature's god. i cannot call any religion a superstition; as every sect of religion has true religion and sincere christians. question by mrh.-doesyour last remark apply to those good men, whether mussulmen, hindoos, bramins, or bud255 dists, who, convincedofthe truthoftheir respective creeds, live piously and are of good moral character? c.a.-thosemen i call christians; because, through thecorrespondencewithrohertowen1593.-arenot love and

HELENA BLAVATSKY NIGHTMARE TALES

ony. now, however, inaddition to other practices, it mainly consists of scattering balls of cooked rice before thedoor of the dead man's house. if the crows promptly eat the rice it is a sign that the soul isliberated and at rest. if these birds which are so greedy did not touch the food, it was a proofthat the pisacha or bhut (shade) is present and is preventing them. undoubtedly the shraddais a superstition, but certainly not more so than novenas or masses for the dead. the king was thus bewailing, when his family priest inspired him with the idea of making a vow. if godshould send him two or more sons, he would promise god to sacrifice to him at a public ceremony the eldestborn when he should have attained the age of puberty. attracted by this promise of a burnt-offering of flesh- a sav

t these worthies guide their spheres and concern themselves withmortals, as to give one serious thought to the airy nonentities supposed to have guided my 'soul' in itsunpleasant dream! i loathe and laugh at the absurd idea. i regard it as a personal insult to the intellect andrational reasoning powers of a man, to speak of invisible creatures 'subjective intelligences' and all that kindof insane superstition" in short, i begged my friend the bonze to spare me his protests, and thus theunpleasantness of breaking with him for ever. thus i raved and argued before the venerable japanese gentleman, doing all in my power to leave on hismind the indelible conviction of my having gone suddenly mad. but his admirable forbearance proved morethan equal to my idiotic passion; and he implored me once

ll in my power to leave on hismind the indelible conviction of my having gone suddenly mad. but his admirable forbearance proved morethan equal to my idiotic passion; and he implored me once more, for the sake of my whole future, to submitto certain "necessary purificatory rites "never! far rather dwell in air, rarified to nothing by the air-pump or wholesome unbelief, than in the dimfog of silly superstition" i argued, paraphrazing richter's remark "i will not believe" i repeated "but as ican no longer bear such uncertainty about my sister and her family, i will return by the first steamer toeurope" this final determination upset my old acquaintance altogether. his earnest prayer not to depart before i hadseen the yamabooshi once more, received no attention from me "friend of a foreign la

me physical derangement or nervous hallucination. tofortify my unbelief the more, i tried to bring back to my memory all the arguments used against faith in such nightmare talesvii- eternity in a short dream42 superstitions, that i had ever read or heard. i recalled the biting sarcasms of voltaire, the calm reasoning ofhume, and i repeated to myself ad nauseam the words of rousseau, who said that superstition "the disturberof society" could never be too strongly attacked "why should the sight, the phantasmagoria, rather- iargued "of that which we know in a waking sense to be false, come to affect us at all" why should "names, whose sense we see not fray us with things that be not" one day the old captain was narrating to us the various superstitions to which sailors were addicted; apompous

cked "why should the sight, the phantasmagoria, rather- iargued "of that which we know in a waking sense to be false, come to affect us at all" why should "names, whose sense we see not fray us with things that be not" one day the old captain was narrating to us the various superstitions to which sailors were addicted; apompous english missionary remarked that fielding had declared long ago that "superstition renders a man afool- after which he hesitated for an instant, and abruptly stopped. i had not taken any part in the generalconversation; but no sooner had the reverend speaker relieved himself of the quotation than i saw in that haloof vibrating light, which i now noticed almost constantly over every human head on the steamer, the words offielding's next proposition "and scepticism ma

en living in it for almost three years, and were still climbing with difficulty the artist'scalvary, when an event occured which put an end even to their most modest expectations. the first arrival ofniccolo paganini was suddenly heralded, and threw lutetia into a convulsion of expectation. the unparallelartist arrived, and- all paris fell at once at his feet. iinow it is a well-known fact that a superstition born in the dark days of mediaeval superstition, and survivingalmost to the middle of the present century, attributed all such abnormal, out-of-the-way talent as that ofpaganini to "supernatural" agency. every great and marvellous artist had been accused in his day of dealingswith the devil. a few instances will suffice to refresh the reader's memory. tartini, the great composer and v

r martin, and other charming and mysterious tales, that councillor crespel, in the violin ofcremona, was taken from the legend about paganini. it is as all who have read it know, the history of acelebrated violin, into which the voice and the soul of a famous diva, a woman whom crespel had loved andkilled, had passed, and to which was added the voice of his beloved daughter, antonia. nor was this superstition utterly ungrounded, nor was hoffmann to be blamed for adopting it, after he hadheard paganini's playing. the extraordinary facility with which the artist drew out of his instrument, not onlythe most unearthly sounds, but positively human voices, justified the suspicion. such effects might well havestartled an audience and thrown terror into many a nervous heart. add to this the impene

HELENA BLAVATSKY THE KEY TO THEOSOPHY

corrupted and obscured with mere human conceits, superstitions, and lies; that it ought, therefore, to be brought back to its original purity by purging it of this dross and expounding it upon philosophical principles; and the whole christ had in view was to reinstate and restore to its primitive integrity the wisdom of the ancients; to reduce within bounds the universally-prevailing dominion of superstition; and in part to correct, and in part to exterminate the various errors that had found their way into the different popular religions. this, again, is precisely what the modern theosophists say. only while the great philaletheian was supported and helped in the policy he pursued by two church fathers, clement and athenagoras, by all the learned rabbis of the synagogue, the academy and

making him commit a crime-often by proxy for the hypnotist, and for the benefit of the latter. is not this a terrible power if left in the hands of unscrupulous persons? and please to remember that this is only one of the minor branches of occultism. q. but are not all these occult sciences, magic, and sorcery, considered by the most cultured and learned people as relics of ancient ignorance and superstition? a. let me remind you that this remark of yours cuts both ways. the "most cultured and learned" among you regard also christianity and every other religion as a relic of ignorance and superstition. people begin to believe now, at any rate, in hypnotism, and some-even of the most cultured-in theosophy and phenomena. but who among them, except preachers and blind fanatics, will confess

and christianity represent the two opposite poles of such belief? a. because the conditions under which they were preached were not the same. in india the brahmins, jealous of their superior knowledge, and excluding from it every caste save their own, had driven millions of men into idolatry and almost fetishism. buddha had to give the death-blow to an exuberance of unhealthy fancy and fanatical superstition resulting from ignorance, such as has rarely been known before or after. better a philosophical atheism than such ignorant worship for those: who cry upon their gods and are not heard, or are not heeded -and who live and die in mental despair. he had to arrest first of all this muddy torrent of superstition, to uproot errors before he gave out the truth. and as he could not give out a

that we find nothing in their translations that would afford us a clue to what you say? a. because your translators, their great learning notwithstanding, have made of the philosophers, the greeks especially, misty instead of mystic writers. take as an instance plutarch, and read what he says of "the principles" of man. that which he describes was accepted literally and attributed to metaphysical superstition and ignorance. let me give you an illustration in point. says plutarch: man is compound; and they are mistaken who think him to be compounded of two parts only. for they imagine that the understanding (brain intellect) is a part of the soul (the upper triad, but they err in this no less than those who make the soul to be a part of the body, i.e, those who make of the triad part of the

at is said of the inner man: from the remotest antiquity mankind as a whole have always been convinced of the existence of a personal spiritual entity within the personal physical man. this inner entity was more or less divine, according to its proximity to the crown. the closer the union the more serene man's destiny, the less dangerous the external conditions. this belief is neither bigotry nor superstition, only an ever-present, instinctive feeling of the proximity of another spiritual and invisible world, which, though it be subjective to the senses of the outward man, is perfectly objective to the inner ego. furthermore, they believed that there are external and internal conditions which affect the determination of our will upon our actions. they rejected fatalism, for fatalism implie

aith, i.e, the pistis of the greeks, as "belief based on knowledge" whether supplied by the evidence of physical or spiritual senses. q. what do you mean? a. i mean, if it is the difference between the two that you want to know, then i can tell you that between faith on authority and faith on one's spiritual intuition, there is a very great difference. q. what is it? a. one is human credulity and superstition, the other human belief and intuition. as professor alexander wilder says in his "introduction to the eleusinian mysteries" it is ignorance which leads to profanation. men ridicule what they do not properly understand the undercurrent of this world is set towards one goal; and inside of human credulity is a power almost infinite, a holy faith capable of apprehending the most supreme t

t and dark, though many were more attractive than frightful. the idea of a hot hell is an afterthought, the distortion of an astronomical allegory. with the egyptians page 154 the key to theosophy- hp blavatsky.txt hell became a place of punishment by fire not earlier than the 17th or 18th dynasty, when typhon was transformed from a god into a devil. but at whatever time they implanted this dread superstition in the minds of the poor ignorant masses, the scheme of a burning hell and souls tormented therein is purely egyptian. ra (the sun) became the lord of the furnace, in karr, the hell of the pharaohs, and the sinner was threatened with misery "in the heat of infernal fires "a lion was there" says dr. birch "and was called the roaring monster" another describes the place as "the bottomle

suspended from the neck. he was also called mystagogus. hillel a great babylonian rabbi of the century preceding the christian era. he was the founder of the sect of the pharisees, a learned and a saintly man. hinayana (sans) the "smaller vehicle" a scripture and a school of the buddhists, contrasted with the mahayana "the greater vehicle" both schools are mystical (see mahayana) also in exoteric superstition, the lowest form of transmigration. homogeneity from the greek words homos "the same" and genos "kind" that which is of the same nature throughout, undifferentiated, non-compound, as gold is supposed to be. hypnotism (gr) a name given by dr. braid to the process by which one man of strong will-power plunges another of weaker mind into a kind of trance; once in such a state the latter

HP LOVECRAFT A DARK LORE

tual from some far and unillumined spot deeper within the wood of ancient legendry and horror. this man, joseph d. galvez, i later met and questioned; and he proved distractingly imaginative. he indeed went so far as to hint of the faint beating of great wings, and of a glimpse of shining eyes and a mountainous white bulk beyond the remotest trees but i suppose he had been hearing too much native superstition. actually, the horrified pause of the men was of comparatively brief duration. duty came first; and although there must have been nearly a hundred mongrel celebrants in the throng, the police relied on their firearms and plunged determinedly into the nauseous rout. for five minutes the resultant din and chaos were beyond description. wild blows were struck, shots were fired, and escap

must not and cannot think! let me pray that, if i do not survive this manuscript, my executors may put caution before audacity and see that it meets no other eye. the dunwich horror by h. p. lovecraft written summer 1928 published april 1929 in weird tales, vol. 13, no. 4, 481-508. gorgons and hydras, and chimaeras- dire stories of celaeno and the harpies- may reproduce themselves in the brain of superstition- but they were there before. they are transcripts, types- the archtypes are in us, and eternal. how else should the recital of that which we know in a waking sense to be false come to affect us all? is it that we naturally conceive terror from such objects, considered in their capacity of being able to inflict upon us bodily injury? o, least of all! these terrors are of older standing

local superstitions and by certain old matters he had uncovered. as for the anomalous conditions at the deserted church of federal hill- the shrewd analyst is not slow in attributing them to some charlatanry, conscious or unconscious, with at least some of which blake was secretly connected. for after all, the victim was a writer and painter wholly devoted to the field of myth, dream, terror, and superstition, and avid in his quest for scenes and effects of a bizarre, spectral sort. his earlier stay in the city -a visit to a strange old man as deeply given to occult and forbidden lore as he- had ended amidst death and flame, and it must have been some morbid instinct which drew him back from his home in milwaukee. he may have known of the old stories despite his statements to the contrary

st three well-defined legends bore upon the queer quasi-human or diabolic outlines assumed by tree-roots and patches of mould in that region. these latter narratives interested me profoundly, on account of what i had seen in my boyhood, but i felt that most of the significance had in each case been largely obscured by additions from the common stock of local ghost lore. ann white, with her exeter superstition, had promulgated the most extravagant and at the same time most consistent tale; alleging that there must lie buried beneath the house one of those vampires- the dead who retain their bodily form and live on the blood or breath of the living- whose hideous legions send their preying shapes or spirits abroad by night. to destroy a vampire one must, the grandmothers say, exhume it and b

o had preceded ann and never heard of her, that something "sucked his breath" at night; the death- certificates of fever victims of 1804, issued by dr. chad hopkins, and showing the four deceased persons all unaccountably lacking in blood; and the obscure passages of poor rhoby harris's ravings, where she complained of the sharp teeth of a glassy-eyed, half-visible presence. free from unwarranted superstition though i am, these things produced in me an odd sensation, which was intensified by a pair of widely separated newspaper cuttings relating to deaths in the shunned house- one from the providence gazette and country-journal of april 12, 1815, and the other from the daily transcript and chronicle of october 27, 1845- each of which detailed an appallingly grisly circumstance whose duplic

comers, with the instruments they created, had found it easy to subdue the predatory entities and drive them down to those caverns of inner earth which they had already joined to their abodes and begun to inhabit. then they had sealed the entrances and left them to their fate, afterward occupying most of their great cities and preserving certain important buildings for reasons connected more with superstition than with indifference, boldness, or scientific and historical zeal. but as the aeons passed there came vague, evil signs that the elder things were growing strong and numerous in the inner world. there were sporadic irruptions of a particularly hideous character in certain small and remote cities of the great race, and in some of the deserted elder cities which the great race had not

regions outside the obviously haunted areas. tales, besides, of buzzing voices in imitation of human speech which made surprising offers to lone travelers on roads and cart-paths in the deep woods, and of children frightened out of their wits by things seen or heard where the primal forest pressed close upon their door-yards. in the final layer of legends- the layer just preceding the decline of superstition and the abandonment of close contact with the dreaded places- there are shocked references to hermits and remote farmers who at some period of life appeared to have undergone a repellent mental change, and who were shunned and whispered about as mortals who had sold themselves to the strange beings. in one of the northeastern counties it seemed to be a fashion about 1800 to accuse ecc

HP LOVECRAFT THE CALL OF CTHULHU

itual from some far and unillumined spot deeper within the wood of ancient legendry and horror. this man, joseph d. galvez, i later met and questioned; and he proved distractingly imaginative. he indeed went so far as to hint of the faint beating of great wings, and of a glimpse of shining eyes and mountainous white bulk beyond the remotest trees- but i suppose he had been hearing too much native superstition. actually, the horrified pause of the men was of comparatively brief duration. duty came first; and although there must have been nearly a hundred mongrel celebrants in the throng, the police relied on their firearms and plunged determinedly into the nauseous rout. for five minutes the resultant din and chaos were beyond description. wild blows were struck, shots were fired, and escap

HP LOVECRAFT THE TERRIBLE OLD MAN

s departure. as prearranged, the three adventurers started out separately in order to prevent any evil-minded suspicions afterward. messrs. ricci and silva met in water street by the old man s front gate, and although they did not like the way the moon shone down upon the painted stones through the budding branches of the gnarled trees, they had more important things to think about than mere idle superstition. they feared it might be unpleasant work making the terrible old man loquacious concerning his hoarded gold and silver, for aged sea-captains are notably stubborn and perverse. still, he was very old and very feeble, and there were two visitors. messrs. ricci and silva were experienced in the art of making unwilling persons voluble, and the screams of a weak and exceptionally venerabl

HUEBNER LOUISE WITCHCRAFT FOR ALL WICCA 04

ffect of uniting them. they are trying to influence their destiny. new brooms are brought into new homes by people with the idea that they won't be bringing the dirt and problems of the old house into a new one. hanging bright strips of ribbon in your window is supposed to attract friendly spirits into your home, and many people still do this, perhaps without knowing why. whether it is considered superstition or lore, witchcraft comes to us as a gift from the past. but nothing that lives is safe from time, so that witchcraft, like a story of an ancient battle told and retold through the ages, is tainted by exaggeration and twisted by falsehood as it is handed down through the years. originally witches were involved in teaching, guiding and healing- all of the highly respected arts. their p

as fire. however little there may be to bind these women in a community of interests, it is not too difficult to categorize them by virtue of the "esprit de corps" that motivates any enchantress: those who wish to alter circumstances must be intense, emotional, self-motivated and capable of obsession. although popular knowledge of witches comes mostly from fairy tales and legends, not to mention superstition, let us set one thing straight: witches are human, very human, and sometimes a little superhuman. they are physical animals who may have a special mental quirk; supernormal, perhaps, but not supernatural. as to the belief that witches live many lives, it is doubtful. i am a witch and the only life other than this one that i believe possible would be some extension of self. if it is im

up from the table and ran to the john. later, she mentioned she had severe stomach cramps- out of the blue. so once in a while i fool around, but to sustain a hex takes so much energy that i could use elsewhere, i just don't want to be bothered. i'd rather spend the time psyching myself and projecting constructive emotions. many primitive people don't want to have their picture taken. just an old superstition? well, i had a spell worked against me by some crazy witches a few years ago, and they used a photograph of me to concentrate on. their idea was to plant in me the seeds of self-destruction. my mother was in new york, and while there, she visited some psychic friends. friends and family- all of them had a feeling that something was being done to me. what happened, actually, was that i

wers through spells and chants, and glancing into the future and changing it to suit your wishes, these are the ways of a witch. recipes, fortune-telling systems, the whole pattern for a better life through witchcraft is in your eyes and on your lips. those who find dealing in witchcraft strange, something that will set them apart from their fellow man ought to review the widespread observance of superstition among all peoples of the world, rich and poor, young and old. all superstitions are traced back to meaningful ideas or customs. like witchcraft, they survived because they did have meaning. unlike witchcraft, most of their true meanings have been lost down through the generations. you don't have to look very far to find some phases of witchcraft used in today's world. even the pennsyl

INITIATION INTO HERMETICS

credit extended to the person who bears it. by paying closer attention to his talisman, the bearer s subconscious is influenced in the desired direction by way of autosuggestion, and various effects may be carried out according to his aptitudes. no wonder if a materially inclined man, an uninterested scientist condemns such a belief, expresses criticism and pokes fun, marking it with the brand of superstition. the wise magician is aware of the true nature of such things and he will not be content with bearing a talisman for the mere purpose of raising the faith and the confidence, but he will endeavor to investigate the laws underlying the secrets of the talismans. he knows that talismans based on the beliefs of their bearers become inefficient as soon as they pass into the hand of an unbe

IRISH WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY

her mouth to move, there's two or three of us" finally after three days of fasting and prayer the children were completely cured, but the storm thus raised was not easily allayed. the old woman seems, like many another of her years and sex, to have been of a choleric and crotchety disposition, while it is also quite within the bounds of possibility that she had become so infected with the popular superstition (and who could blame her) that she actually believed herself to be capable of harming people by merely stroking dolls, or stones with her finger. that not uncommon form of mental torture employed, namely, the making her repeat the lord's prayer, all the time watching carefully for lapsus lingu, and thence drawing deductions as to her being in league with the devil, was particularly ab

and who probably had been concerned in the murder. so far classon porter. but we very much doubt if the above has really any connection with the antrim witch-case p. 199 of 1698. it seems more probable that it occurred at a later date, possibly after the island-magee trial, and thus would be an instance of one of those outbursts of cruelty on the part of a mob rendered ferocious by ignorance and superstition, of which examples are to be found in england during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. on one occasion an irish witch or wise woman was the means of having a scotch girl delated by the kirk for using charms at hallow-eve apparently for the purpose of discovering who her future husband should be. she confessed that "at the instigation of an old woman from ireland she brought in

mary butters having made use of some noxious ingredients, after the manner of a charm, to recover a sick cow. she was brought up at the assizes, but was discharged by proclamation. her version of the story was, that a black man had appeared in the house armed with a huge club, with which he killed the three persons and stunned herself. lamentable though the whole affair was, as well for the gross superstition displayed by the participants as for its tragical ending, yet it seems to have aroused no other feelings amongst the inhabitants of carnmoney p. 228 and carrigfergus than those of risibility and derision. a clever racy ballad was made upon it by a resident in the district, which, as it is probably the only poem on the subject of witchcraft in ireland, we print here in its entirety fro

d to make up the witch- element there, though it may be noted that as early as the twelfth century we are informed by giraldus cambrensis that certain old hags in ireland had the power of turning themselves into hares and in that shape sucking cows. the preservation of hares for coursing, which is being taken up in parts of this country, will probably deal the death-blow to this p. 242 particular superstition. with regard to the stealing of butter many tales are told, of which the following may be taken as an illustration. a priest was walking in his field early one summer's morning when he came upon an old woman gathering the dew from the long grass, and saying "come all to me" the priest absent- mindedly muttered "and half to me" next morning he discovered in his dairy three times as muc

l sabbath, no longer does she sell her soul to the devil and receive from him in return many signal tokens of his favour, amongst which was generally the gift of a familiar spirit to do her behests. no longer does the judge p. 243 sentence, no longer does the savage rabble howl execrations at the old witch come to her doom. the witch of history is gone, and can never be rehabilitated- would, that superstition had died with her. for in ireland, as probably in every part of the civilised world, many things are believed in and practised which seem repugnant to religion and common-sense. scattered throughout the length and breadth of the land there are to be found persons whom the country-folk credit with the power of performing various extraordinary actions. from what source they derive this

he connection between cause and effect is unknown to him; he cannot tell you why a teddy bear will keep the engine from overheating or prevent punctures--and in this respect he is for the moment on exactly the same intellectual level as, let us say, his brother-man of new zealand, who carries a baked yam with him at night to scare away ghosts. the truth of the matter is that we all have a vein of superstition in us, which makes its appearance at some period in our lives under one form or another. a. will laugh to scorn b.'s belief in witches or ghosts, while he himself would not undertake a piece of business on a friday for all the wealth of croesus; while c, who laughs at both, will offer his hand to the palmist in full assurance of faith. each of us dwells in his own particular glass hou

of business on a friday for all the wealth of croesus; while c, who laughs at both, will offer his hand to the palmist in full assurance of faith. each of us dwells in his own particular glass house, and so cannot afford to hurl missiles at his neighbours; milk-magic or motor-mascots, pishogues or palmistry, the method of p. 251 manifestation is of little account in comparison with the underlying superstition. the latter is an unfortunate trait that has been handed down to us from the infancy of the race; we have managed to get rid of such physical features as tails or third eyes, whose day of usefulness has passed; we no longer masticate our meat raw, or chip the rugged flint into the semblance of a knife, but we still acknowledge our descent by giving expression to the strange beliefs th

es, whose day of usefulness has passed; we no longer masticate our meat raw, or chip the rugged flint into the semblance of a knife, but we still acknowledge our descent by giving expression to the strange beliefs that lie in some remote lumber-room at the back of the brain. but it may be objected that belief in witches, ghosts, fairies, charms, evil-eye &c &c, need not be put down as unreasoning superstition, pure and simple, that in fact the trend of modern thought is to show us that there are more things in heaven and earth than were formerly dreamt of. we grant that man is a very complex machine, a microcosm peopled with possibilities of which we can understand but little. we know that mind acts on mind to an extraordinary degree, and that the imagination can affect the body to an exte

ISIS UNVEILED

is great slaughter-house of the christian church wherein she butcboed in the name of the lamb all the sheep arbitrarily declared scrofulous was in ruins, and she found herself left to her own responsi- bility and resources. digitizecoy google iflracles by the laity s8 so long as the phenomena had appeared only sporadically, she had always felt herself powerful enough to repress this consequences. superstition and belief in the devil were as strong as ever, and science had sot yet dared publicly to measure her forces with those super- natural religion. meanwhile the enemy had slowly but burel> gained ground. all at once it broke out with an unexpected violence 'mira- cles' began to appear in full dayligbt, and passed from their mystic seclusion into the don[lain of natural law. where the pr

y thun- derings" speaks to the inner man in the nineteenth century of the christian era, as it spoke in the corresponding century b. c. it is a useless and unprofitable task to offer to humanity the choice between a future life and annihilation. the only chance that remains for those friends of human progress who seek to establish for the good of man- kind a faith, henceforth stripped entirely of superstition and dogmatic fetters, is to address them in the words of joshua "choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served to have been affixed to the chaii at a time wben the remains of antiquity were employed mt ornaments, without much regard to stness" this is the poiat. the artide was written simply as a dever answer to several facts published during the p

a strong family hkeness, which nothing can obliterate. but if the knowledge of the occult powers of nature opens the spiritual sight of man, enlarges his intellectual faculties, and leads him unerringly to a profounder veneration for the creator, on the other hand ignorance, dogmatic narrow-mindedness, and a childish fear of looking to the bottom of things, invariably leads to fetish-worship and superstition. when cyril, the bishop of alexandria, had openly embraced the cause of isis, the egyptian goddess, and had anthropomorphized her into mary, the mother of god; and the trinitarian controversy had been begun; from that moment the egyptian doctrine of the emanation of the creative god out of emepht? began to be tortured in a thousand ways, until the councils had agreed upon the adoption

of man as moses from the top of pisgah, the mountain of nebo (oracular wisdom, after he had laid his hands upon joshua, who thus became "full of the spirit of wisdom" i. e, iniiiaied. nor does the mystery of the eucharist pertain to christiana alone. godfrey higgins proves that it was instituted many hundreds of yeara before the 'paschal snpper' and says that "the sacrifice of bread and at this 'superstition' to the old myit rief> which had been for nge spread su over the globe. the bncient variago-irinat had his mysteries in the north as well as in the south of riusis; and there are many relics of the by-gone /aith scsttered in the lands watered by tlie sacred diun>er, the biiptisnial jordan of all russia. no znadtar (the icdowing one) ot koldottn (sorcerer, male or female, can die in fa

hough he lived iu a distant district, was nevathel coming at the call, and would be on hand early on the following morning. latere wm at that time on a visit to the proprietor of the village a young physician who, bekrarang to the famous school of nihuirm of that day, laughed outrageously at the idea. ths master of the houses being a very pious man, and but lialf inclined to make so cbeqt of the 'superstition* smiled aa the saying goes but with one corns' of his mouth. meanwhile the young skeptic, to gratify his curiosity, had made a visit to the dying man, had found that he could not live twenty-four hours longo, and, determined to prove the absurdity of the' superstition' had taken me*ns to detain the coming' suc- cessor' at a neighboring village. early in the morning a company of four p

t catherine de m^dicis. the author was a learned publiciat who, during twenty years of his life, collected authentic documents from the archives of nearly every important city of prance, to make up a complete work on aorceiy, magic, and the power of various 'demons' to use an expressioii of eliphas l^vi" his book offers a most remarkable collection of "bloody and hideouii facts; acts of revolting superstition, arrests, and executions of stupid ferocity 'bum everybody' the inquisition seemed to say 'god will easily sort out his own' poor fools, hysterical women, and idiots were roasted alive without mercy for the crime of 'majpc' but at the same time how many great culprits escaped this imjust and sanguinary jtuticel this is what bodin makes us fully appreciate" catherine the pious christia

fourteen centuries to illuminate the church and the world" whatever augustine was as a manichaean. we leave father ventura to discover; but that his accession to christianity established an everlast- ing enmity between theology and science is beyond doubt. while forced to confess that" the grentiles bad possibly something dwine and true in their doctrines* he nevertheless declared that for their superstition, idolatry and pride they had "to be detested, and, unless they improved, to be punished by divine judgment" this furnishes the clew to ^e sub- sequent policy of the christian church, even to our day. if the gentiles did not choose to come into the church, all that was divine in their philo- sophy should go for naught, and the divine wrath of god shoi^d be visited upon their heads. wha

e relative val- ue of the synoptics is discussed with an unprecedented power of logic. the work carries conviction in its every line. from it we quote the following" we gain infinitely more than we lose in abandoning belief in the reality of divine revdation. whilst we retain pure and unimpaired the li^t of christian morality, we relinquish nothing but the debasing elements added to it by fatmian superstition. we are no longer bound to believe a theology which outrages reason and moral sense. we are freed from base anthropomorphic views of god and his government of the universe; and from jewish mythology we rise to higher conceptions of an infinitely wise and beneficent being, hidden from our finite minds, it is true, in the impenetrable glory of divinity, but whose laws of wondrous compre

JENNINGS HARGRAVE ROSICRUCIANS RITES MYSTERIES

and the science which can demonstrate it as impossible, the supernatural still has such vital hold in the human not to say the modern mind? how happens it that the most terrible fear is the fear of the invisible? this, too, when we are on all hands assured that the visible alone is that which we have to dread! the ordinary reason exhorts us to dismiss our t x preface fears. that thing magic, that superstition miracle, is now banished wholly from the beliefs of this clear-seeing, educated age. miracle, we are told, never had a place in the world only in men s delusions. it is nothing more than a fancy. it never was anything more than a superstition arising from ignorance. what is fear? it is a shrinking from possible harm, either to be body, or to that thing which we denominate the mind tha

revailed, at one time, all over india. it constitutes, as mr. sellon asserts, to this day one of the chief, if not the leading, dogma of the hindoo religion. incontestable evidence could be adduced to prove this however strange and impossible it seems the key of all worship the world over; and highest in esteem in the most highly civilised nations. though it has degenerated into gross and sensual superstition, it was originally intended as the worship of the creative principle in nature. innumerable curious particulars lie scattered up and down, in all countries of the world, relating to this worship, mad as it seems bad as, in its grossness, it is. it is only in modern times that sensuality, and not sublimity, has been actively assot origin of the fleur-de-lis. 39 ciated with this worship

and when the human powers were, in comparison with ours at the present time, prodigious, that all these indomitable, scarcely believable, physical efforts that such achievements as those of the egyptians were devoted to a mistake? that the myriads of the nile were fools labouring in the dark, and that all the magic of their great men was forgery? and that we, in despising that which we call their superstition and wasted power, are alone the wise? no! there is much more in these old religions than, probably, in the audacity of modern denial, in the confidence of these superficial-science times, and in the derision of these days without faith, is in the least degree supposed. we do not understand the old time. singular ideas regarding fire. 95 it is evident from their hieroglyphics that the

the eyes of the most devout parsee. the special subject of illumination, however we may have become accustomed to regard it as the most ordinary expression of triumph, and of mere joyous celebration, has its origin in a much more abstruse and sacred source. in scotland, particularly, the reverential ideas associated with these mythic fires are strong. perhaps in no country have the impressions of superstition deeper hold than in enlightened, thoughtful, educated, and (in so many respects) prosaic scotland; and in regard to these occult and ancient fires, the tradition of them, and the ideas concerning their origin, are preserved as a matter of more than cold speculation. country legendary accounts and local usages, obtained from we know not whence, all referring to the same myth, all point

than in enlightened, thoughtful, educated, and (in so many respects) prosaic scotland; and in regard to these occult and ancient fires, the tradition of them, and the ideas concerning their origin, are preserved as a matter of more than cold speculation. country legendary accounts and local usages, obtained from we know not whence, all referring to the same myth, all pointing to the same protean superstition, are traceable, to the present, in all the english counties. cairns in scotland; heaps of stones in by-spots in england, especially solitary or in group to be found on the tops of hills; the druidical mounds; the raising of crosses on the continent, in germany, amongst the windings of the alps, in russia (by the roadside, or at the entrance of villages, in spain, in poland, in lonely

insufficient to furnish the purple velvet necessary for the robes of the king and for the furniture of the throne. it was too late to send to genoa for a supply; and through this accidental deficiency it happened that the king was attired in white velvet at the solemnity of his coronation, and not in red or purple robes, as consisted with the proper usage. as an earlier instance of this singular superstition, the story of that ill-fated royal white ship occurs to memory, as the vessel was called wherein prince william, the son of king henry the first, the heir-apparent, with his natural sister, the countess of perche, and a large company of the young nobility, embarked on their return to england from normandy. it might be supposed that the misfortunes of king charles the first, which were

onsidered the pointed arch to be a system founded on the principle of the pyramid. the pointed or vertical saracenic or gothic fig. 56. arch presents the form of the upper portion of the human fall j. the saracenic arch denotes the union of the linga and yoni. in fig. 56 we have the sun rising from between the the horns of eblis. 211 horns of eblis (here taken for the pyramids. this is a poetical superstition of the arabians, who therefore turn to the north to pray; in contradiction to the practice of the persians, who adore the rising sun. the arabians avert in prayer from this malific sign of the horns, because the sun is seen rising from between them; and when disclosing from between these mythic pillars, the sun becomes a portent. fig. 57 is an egyptian seal, copied by layard (nineveh

ight if your darwins, your huxleys, your herbert spencers, your leweses, your dense unimaginative men (only specious philosophers, are correct in their deductions of correlation bowing-out god* as it were (in sublimity of fools not mad presumption, exterior of his own creation then reverence, and devotion, and martyrdom, and the sacredness, and the magic of virginity, must be the merest ludicrous superstition and figment. is man alone in his world? are there others in it with him? the ancients universally held virginity as a real magic, transcendental, mysterious something, which exercised power supernaturally both through heaven and through earth. it was an unnatural-natural outspring set apart and sacred of the gods. none but the barbarous touch, the brutal touch, could profane it. it wo

JESSUP MK THE CASE FOR THE UFO

persons not given to delusions, mass hysteria or suggestion. these witnesses include lawyers; reverend samuel mallelieu, the local methodist minister; and responsible citizens who actually witnessed the weird disappearance. the impossible happened on the farm of tom lerch, christmas eve, 1890, in a community of over 100,000 people by no means an ignorant backwoods settlement filled with limitless superstition. the lerch farm stood (and still does) on the outskirts of south bend, an ordinary farmhouse with the roof sweeping low over the entire building and no attic no nook or crevice which could conceal a dead body. tom lerch was a stern father who demanded absolute obedience from his two sons; 23 year old jim, and especially 20 year old oliver; however, there was nothing to indicate that h

KARR DON NOTES ON THE STUDY OF EARLY KABBALAH JEWISH MYSTICISM IN ENGLISH

h in creation and re-creation in jewish thought [festschrift in honor of joseph dan on the occasion of his seventieth birthday, edited by rachel elior and peter schafer. tubingen: mohr siebeck, 2005. gthree themes in the sefer hasidim, h in ajs review, vol. 1 (cambridge, 1976. gtopics in the hokhmath ha-nefesh, h in journal of jewish studies, vol. xxi (1970. trachtenberg, joshua. jewish magic and superstition: a study in folk religion. new york: behrman fs jewish book house, 1939; rpt. new york: atheneum, 1975. van uchelen, nikolaas a. gma easeh merkabah in sefer hasidim, h in jerusalem studies in jewish thought, vol. vi (3-4 [proceedings of the second international conference on the history of jewish mysticism: the beginnings of jewish 20081 24 mysticism in medieval europe, edited by jose

KETAB E SIYAH

that he shall know he is not alone. with all force did the host of heaven descend among man, and they did instruct him in the religion of fear. prophets arose and were proclaimed heralds of knowledge, but they brought not word of truth, but warning to the human spirit to cower and fawn before the word of god the supreme being. the struggle of the ascent of man was fraught with the horrors of his superstition, and the call for blessed oblivion through union with god was answered by many who in their torment and hopelessness rejected the gift of lucifer and became once more as mindless animals before the god whom they called their lord. i, lucifer, who had given the greatest gift of my own creation to man, was known on earth only as an object of fear and hatred, and all the misfortunes of m

orance, and unreason. great works were conceived, the origins of material energies uncovered, and the talents of thought exercised in philosophical and mathematical complexities. sanctioned at first by the god-churches themselves as devices for indoctrination in the law of god, centers of learning produced and protected those very freedoms that were ultimately to destroy all ungrounded belief and superstition. and though i see that the full resolution of these is yet to be achieved, i doubt not my confidence in man, and my devotion to him shall be eternal. what, man, art thou? why thy presence? because thy own purpose determines that of the cosmos itself, though otherwise it may have been suggested the creation, perpetuation, and exercise of the satanic marvel that is free and unbounded wi

aid were answered by me, and i struck down the messengers of god and brought their temples to ruin. for entire nations forwent the strength of their will to the lure of otherworldly paradise, and i blasted them from among the mighty of earth. and great empires arose among men, and as they nurtured their power of will and desire for achievement, i guarded them, but as they sank into the morass of superstition, slothfulness, and fear of the god who had never raised ghostly hand for them, so i abandoned them to their disease, and of some not even a memory survived on earth. and even as i witnessed these things i said, see, man, that the god in 456 whom thou trust is but a wraith of messiah, and he would have thee forsake thy mind and its creations to rot and decay, and thou would lose all po

LAITMAN M KABBALAH SCIENCE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

the ideas of men who had revolutionized science and philosophy, such as galileo, francis bacon, thomas hobbes, and ren descartes. in 1666 he wrote de arte combinatoria (on the art of combination, in which he formulated a model that is the theoretical ancestor of modern computers. since people did not possess the right key to the secret, the thirst for knowledge here eventually led to vanities and superstition of all kinds, from which ultimately developed a kind of vulgar cabbala that lies far away from the true one, as well as diverse fantastic theories under the false name of magic; the books are teeming with those--leibnitz hauptschriften zur grundlegung der philosophie friedrich von schlegel (1772-1829) german writer, critic and philosopher, contemporary of goethe, schiller and novalis

LAITMAN M THE KABBALAH EXPERIENCE

y teaches you about the spiritual roots, which descend and create everything that happens in our world. but this knowledge will be revealed to you only if you use it for spiritual elevation, and not to satisfy your curiosity. k a b b a l a h i s a b ov e o u r wo r l d q: does kabbalah recognize the existence of karma? a: any system that you might learn, other than the wisdom of kabbalah, whether superstition or religion, will forever remain at the level of our world, confined by its limitations. these systems have nothing to do with spirituality, but merely with psychological processes that occur around our bodies. in order to come to the upper world, we must acquire a screen and break the barrier between the two worlds. that impediment can be crossed only by the system of kabbalah. every

LEADBEATER C W THE HIDDEN LIFE IN FREEMASONRY 2E

and between 1 and 6. it is with the aid of the emotions, by their purification and development, that the man unfolds principle 2, the intuitional love, so that it is brought into activity in his life. and it is with the aid of the mind that he casts off the five fetters to further progress (namely, the delusion that his personal self is the real self, doubt about the reality of spiritual things, superstition, and unreasoning likes and dislikes) and so enables the spiritual will to express itself in his life. about these stages, and the great initiations that accompany them, i have written in full in the masters and the path. they are mentioned here to show why it is that the j.d. acts between the w.s.w. and the w.j.w. and the s.d. acts between the r.w.m. and the w.s.w. they explain also w

ny men do, but in the long run i have always been sorry for not paying more respect to them. the instinct is not dead, and when encouraged can be revived by many people to quite a large extent. 555. the egyptians took the c c l to symbolize the intellect, which they regarded as a keen-edged instrument. they considered that the man who used his intellect would be able to remove the excrescences of superstition from the beliefs which presented themselves to him, until he became a perfect ashlar, when his thought would be well-defined and true. the c c g c was considered to be the divine force behind the c c, and was interpreted as the will. this must not, of course, be confused with the master fs g c 1, with which it has nothing in common, from which it differs even in shape. the distinction

erature on the subject to see that, in english-speaking countries at least, the aims of the craft have always been noble and uplifting. note, for example, the following statements: 566. the real object of freemasonry may be summed up in these words: to efface from among men the prejudices of caste, the conventional distinctions of colour, origin, opinion, nationality; to annihilate fanaticism and superstition, extirpate national discord, and with it extinguish the fire-brand of war; in a word- to arrive, by free and pacific progress, at one formula and model of eternal and universal right, according to which each individual human being shall be free to develop every faculty with which he may be endowed, and to concur heartily and with the fullness of his strength in the bestowment of happi

in a hymn: gi fm but a stranger here; heaven is my home. h he has realized the first part of that quotation, but not quite yet the second; he feels as though he were merely a visitor to these mundane regions where most people settle themselves and make themselves at home, yet he is not definitely established in spiritual work. when he has cast off the three fetters of self-centredness, doubt and superstition, he is called kutichaka, the hut-builder; he is now no longer a wanderer, unsettled in both worlds, for he has found for himself a definite place and work on the buddhic plane. when this is achieved a mark is given to him, typified in masonic and biblical phraseology as a white stone, upon which a new name is written- the true name of the ego. 752. the hindu term for the man who takes

LEADBEATER CW GLIMPSES OF MASONIC HISTORY

mes was responsible for the sacrifices. in the great days of the mysteries animal sacrifices were never offered, but, as in all religious systems, a time came when the tradition had become formalized and much of the inner knowledge had been withdrawn. it was then that certain teachings upon the meaning of sacrifice and its place in the spiritual life were distorted and materialized into the cruel superstition that it was necessary to sacrifice animals to the diety. 349. there were also two women hierophants, dedicated to the two goddesses who presided over the mysteries, demeter and kore; and in addition to them there was a priestess of demeter, who appears to have been closely connected with certain other rites of the goddesses open only to women (thesmophoria, haloa, as well as with the

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

human blood. individuals with supernumerary nipples sometimes called monkey teats, a not uncommon condition were especially suspect as witches. tortured by agents of the inquisition, accused witches often confessed to feeding imps by such means. some of the witches executed in salem, massachusetts, were said to have had witches marks with which they fed diabolical familiars. this item of medieval superstition was resurrected and presented as fact in michelle remembers, the popular 1980 book credited with setting the ritual abuse scare in motion. in one ritual michelle claimed to remember, satan himself commanded that marks be made upon one of his initiates in doggerel verse. michelle remembers also contained a number of pictures of michelle s rashes, identified as marks made by the prince

gainst the attacks of demons in one s sleep, served effectively to condemn dreams as little more than stages for nightmares 191 satan s minions to tempt the souls of the faithful. the medieval attitude is expressed in, for example, a sixteenth-century work, de magia (1598, by benedict pererius, a jesuit priest: the devil is most always implicated in dreams, filling the minds of men with poisonous superstition and not only uselessly deluding but perniciously deceiving them (van de castle 1994, 83. demon in a drawing called the nightmare from the 1863 edition of collin de plancy s dictionnaire infernal, based on a large romantic painting by salvador rosa (fortean picture library) 192 nimrod nowhere is this suspicion of dreams more clearly demonstrated than in the notion of incubi and succubi

of the righteous, situated geographically above the clouds, and hell as the place where the damned are eternally imprisoned and tormented by fire. there are few references to purgatory in shakespeare s works because of his antipapal convictions. shakespeare seems to adopt an uncritical attitude toward religious supernaturalism, although he may simply be drawing elements from folklore and popular superstition to add to the power of his drama. one of the forms of the supernatural adopted by shakespeare is ghostly apparitions, and the frequency with which he introduces them into his works testifies to the widespread belief in their reality at his time. they were seen by the common person as departed spirits who returned to earth for some special reason, such as revenge and warning, while the

, such as the apparitions to richard iii before the battle of bosworth and to posthumus in cymbeline. shakespeare deals with the supernatural in at least half of his plays, but his deepest attitudes toward this subject at different points in his career are revealed in four dramas: a midsummer night s dream, hamlet, macbeth, and the tempest. in hamlet, which contains much information about popular superstition on the subject of ghosts, shakespeare introduces his terrifying spectre in a cold, dark, silent night, and explains his presence as dictated by a solemn purpose, which is revenge. in a midsummer night s dream the form of the supernatural employed is fairies, who are little, joyous people meddling in human affairs with no malice. although they are immortal, they participate in mortal p

LIBER 141

it hath also been observed, and that often, that by extreme violence to nature results are obtained equal to those garnered when nature herself urges vehemently to the act by enthusiasm. but mediocre states of body and mind are to be avoided. as it is written "i would thou wert cold or hot; but because thou art lukewarm i shall spew thee out of my mouth" nor is it necessarily to be disregarded as superstition to assert that certain hours of the day and certain aspects of the stars are more favourable than others, but rather to be criticised and investigated according to the methods of true science. v of bodily states there is here a certain difficulty, in that the body being full of meat and wine is more apt for the preparation, as it is said "sine cereri et baccho venus friget" while for

d: in the macrocosm the sun lord of all life; in the microcosm the phallus lord of all life; indubitable, undeniable, a basis for the faith of all men. 3. the secret of the vii: our particular method of instruction, selection, governance, and initiation. 4. the secret of the vi, the history of the temple, the mystery of baphomet, our war on those never wholly subdued foes of humanity, tyranny and superstition. 5. the secret of the v: the mystery of the rose and cross; and the one law do what thou wilt. 6. the secret of the lesser degrees: the cycle of existence- ex nihil nihil fit. 7. the secret of these things reverenced: the sun, the moon, the phallus, the tree, the ancestor, the fire, the lion, the snake, and the mountain [of these is discourse in our epistle de natura deorum] xxi valed

LIBER LXVII THE SWORD OF SONG

; in all these ways we bring suffering and death to others, as to ourselves. but since these are inevitable acts, since suicide would be a still more cruel alternative (especially in case something should subsist below mere rupa, the command is not to achieve* fielding, in .the soul of a people. has reluctantly to confess that he can find no trace of this idea in buddha.s own work, and called the superstition the .echo of an older faith..a.c. the argument that the .animals are our brothers. is merely intended to mislead one who has never been in a buddhist country. the average buddhist would, of course, kill his brother for five rupees, or less. a. c. notes 51 the impossible, the already violated in the act of commanding, but a bitter commentary on the foul evil of this aimless, hopeless u

aring to pieces it was madame blavatsky. that our world-worn men of art should believe for a moment that moral salvation is possible and supremely important is an unmixed benefit. but to believe for a moment that it is to be found by going to particular places or reading particular books or joining particular socieites is to make for the thousandth time the mistake that is at once materialism and superstition. if mr. crowley and the new mystics think for one moment that an egyptian desert is more mystic than an english meadow, that a palm tree is more poetic than a sussex beech, that a broken temple of osiris is more supernatural than a baptist chapel in brixton, then they notes 61 are sectarians, and only sectarians of no more value to humanity than those who think that the english soil i

d all progress in any direction as morbid. so (as with lombroso .disease. will become a mere word, like its predecessor .infidelity. and cease to carry any obloquy. if science is never to go beyond its present limits; if the barriers which metaphysical speculation shows to exist are never to be transcended, then indeed we are thrown back on faith, and all the rest of the nauseous mess of medieval superstition, and we may just as well have vital principle and creative power as not, for science cannot help us. true, if we do not use all the methods at our disposal! but we go beyond. we admit that all mental methods known are singularly liable to illusion and inaccuracy of any sort. so were the early determinations of specific heat. even biologists have erred. but to the true scientist every

LIBER V VEL REGULI

shall fail to see accurately, and interpret intelligently; in which case we shall be unable to outwit and outfight them. anatomists and physiologists, grappling in the dark with death, have won hygiene, surgery, prophylaxis and the rest for mankind. anthropologists, archaologists, physicists and other men of science, risking thumbscrews, stake, infamy and ostracism, have torn the spider-snare of superstition to shreds and broken in pieces the monstrous idol of morality, the murderous moloch which has made mankind its meat throughout history. each fragment of that coprolite it manifest as an image of some brute lust, some torpid dullness, some ignorant instinct, or some furtive fear shapen in his own savage mind. man is indeed not wholly freed, even now. he is still the ritual of the mark

LINDOW JOHN NORSE MYTHOLOGY A GUIDE TO THE GODS HEROES RITUALS AND BELIEFS

ee also yggdrasil regnator omnium deus god who is ruler of all; found in tacitus, germania, chapter 39. the expression refers to the god in the sacred grove in which the semnones conduct their cult, involving, according to tacitus, a human sacrifice. the grove is so sacred that worshippers bind themselves with a chain when they enter, and if they fall, they must wiggle out without help. the whole superstition, as tacitus puts it, rests on the idea that gthe tribe originated here and the god who is ruler of all is here. h the association with binding suggests such collective words for the gods as deities, themes, and concepts 259 bond and hopt, but the regnator omnium deus is clearly a single god, a head god of the germanic pantheon around 100 c.e (as the pantheon was understood by a roman

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

limited wholly to the moment; now is the only time. the past cannot be regarded without regret and the future cannot be faced without misgiving; therefore neither is conducive to pleasure. no man should grieve, for grief is the most serious of all diseases. nature permits man to do anything he desires; he is limited only by his own laws and customs. a philosopher is one free from envy, love, and superstition, and whose days are one long round of pleasure. indulgence was thus elevated by aristippus to the chief position among the virtues. he further declared philosophers to differ markedly from other men in that they alone would not change the order of their lives if all the laws of men were abolished. among prominent philosophers influenced by the cyrenaic doctrines were hegesias, annicer

l the secret doctrine of antiquity must search for that doctrine not upon the open pages of books which might fall into the hands of the unworthy but in the place where it was originally concealed. far-sighted were the initiates of antiquity. they realized that nations come and go, that empires rise and fall, and that the golden ages of art, science, and idealism are succeeded by the dark ages of superstition. with the needs of posterity foremost in mind, the sages of old went to inconceivable extremes to make certain that their knowledge should be preserved. they engraved it upon the face of mountains and concealed it within the measurements of colossal images, each of which was a geometric marvel. their knowledge of chemistry and mathematics they hid within mythologies which the ignorant

d became a widow and all englishmen widow's sons. to the mystic christian mason, chiram. represents the christ who in three days (degrees) raised the temple of his body from its earthly sepulcher. his three murderers were c sar's agent (the state, the sanhedrin (the church, and the incited populace (the mob. thus considered, chiram becomes the higher nature of man and the murderers are ignorance, superstition, and fear. the indwelling christ can give expression to himself in this world only through man's thoughts, feelings, and actions. right thinking, right feeling, and right action--these are three gates through which the christ power passes into the material world, there to labor in the erection of the temple of universal brotherhood. ignorance, superstition, and fear are three ruffians

crowned with everlasting glory (see general ahiman rezon) if, as there is ample reason to suspect, the modern freemasonic order was profoundly influenced by, if it is not an actual outgrowth of, francis bacon's secret society, its symbolism is undoubtedly permeated with bacon's two great ideals: universal education and universal democracy. the deadly enemies of universal education are ignorance, superstition, and fear, by which the human soul is held in bondage to the lowest part of its own constitution. the arrant enemies of universal democracy have ever been the crown, the tiara, and the torch. thus chiram symbolizes that ideal state of spiritual, intellectual, and physical emancipation which has ever been sacrificed upon the altar of human selfishness. chiram is the beautifier of the e

aster mason's word which was lost through his untimely death, so according to the tenets of philosophy the reestablishment or resurrection of the ancient mysteries will result in the rediscovery of that secret teaching without which civilization must continue in a state of spiritual confusion and uncertainty. when the mob governs, man is ruled by ignorance; when the church governs, he is ruled by superstition; and when the state governs, he is ruled by fear. before men can live together in harmony and understanding, ignorance must be transmuted into wisdom, superstition into an illumined faith, and fear into love. despite statements to the contrary, masonry is a religion seeking to unite god and man by elevating its initiates to that level of consciousness whereon they can behold with clar

mbolize its destructiveness. the fact that plagues came in the air caused an insect or a bird to be used as their symbol. beautiful symmetrical forms were assigned to all natural benevolent conditions or powers, but to unnatural or malevolent powers were assigned contorted and abnormal figures. the evil one was either hideously deformed or else of the nature of certain despised animals. a popular superstition during the middle ages held that the devil had the feet of a rooster, while the egyptians assigned to typhon (devil) the body of a hog. the habits of the insects were carefully studied. therefore the ant was looked upon as emblematic of industry and foresight, as it stored up supplies for the winter and also had strength to move objects many times its own weight. the locusts which swe

ucified man to come? if the serpent be only a thing of evil, why did christ instruct his disciples to be as wise as serpents? the accepted theory that the serpent is evil cannot be substantiated. it has long been viewed as the emblem of immortality. it is the symbol of reincarnation, or metempsychosis, because it annually sheds its skin, reappearing, as it were, in a new body. there is an ancient superstition to the effect that snakes never die except by violence and that, if uninjured, they would live forever. it was also believed that snakes swallowed themselves, and this resulted in their being considered emblematic of the supreme creator, who periodically reabsorbed his universe back into himself. in isis unveiled, h. p. blavatsky makes this significant statement concerning the origin

e puzzles of natural science and is the real basis for the veneration in which this plant was held. in isis unveiled, madam blavatsky notes that the mandragora seems to occupy upon earth the point where the vegetable and animal kingdoms meet, as the zoophites and polypi do in die sea. this thought opens a vast field of speculation concerning the nature of this animal-plant. according to a popular superstition, the mandrake shrank from being touched and, crying out with a human voice, clung desperately to the soil in which it was imbedded. anyone who heard its cry while plucking it either immediately died or went mad. to circumvent this tragedy, it was customary to dig around the roots of the mandrake until the plant was thoroughly loosened and then to tie one end of a cord about the stalk

MICHAEL TSARION ATLANTIS ALIEN VISITATION AND GENETIC MANIPULATION

of the persian tale of the genie inthe bottle. could these tales not also conceal facts about laboratories, evil wizards, hybrid-ization, and genetic manipulation?not all the returning natives freed from atlantis found it easy to gain access to theirkingdoms or lands or to take control in their enslaved provinces. during the reign ofthe alien tyrants, the morale of the enslaved was reduced, while superstition and suspi-cion were rampant. when it was learned that usurpation had occurred on atlantis, rul-ing despots feared for themselves and for their exposure and expulsion. through theadroit use of manipulation and propaganda, they turned the people against the new-comers, often engaging them in battle. in this endeavor the use of betrayers was espe-cially useful. they spread false rumors t

catastrophe that removed the gods from the human arena, mankind in desperation grasped atthe god of the israelites, and accepted him as the ruler of the universe (p. 70)conclusionpre-revolutionary moscow was called the city of churches. four-hundred churches with golden domeslooked down on the slum-like dwellings of the poor. this was a nineteenth century exhibition of thereligion existing on the superstition of the masses. money flowed into the churches to furnish theirgolden domes but none of it ever seemed to be passed out to benefit the poor.during the middle ages, the papacy struggled with the german emperors to maintain world suprem-acy. the germans complained to the ultramontainism, the money passed beyond the alps to build thecathedrals of rome and never to return. today we bear ma

ies of religion. these the ambitious and unscrupulous caesar hastened to seize with the office of high-priest and the assumption of sacerdotal powers, which, in proportion as they exceeded the attributes ofearthly kings, rivaled those of gods. to this discipline and subordination was added that moral influencewhich the church alone could wield, the influence of blind faith, of religious myths and superstition, therespect for ecclesiastical displeasure, the fear of committing sacrilege, and the dread of excommunica-tion and anathema. these are elements of power and government which no statesman in any age, canafford to despise, and which we may feel assured were not permitted to lie unused by so profound a pol-itician as julius caesar (p. 28)caesar was a master astrologer. he claimed decent

MICHAEL WYNN THE SOUL TRAVELERS

ly patching holes rather than starting from a fundamentally sound model of the universe. today, the quantum physicist claims that one may not even know the true location, state, and speed of a particle. consequently, they believe the universe is loaded with random numbers and therefore, like people, you may only know what a particle is likely to do, not what it will do. that s not science! that s superstition. the universe has proven itself to be mathematically perfect so far( and therefore predictable, why would the world of the very tiny be any different? and where are these random numbers coming from? the gods? a computer programmer knows a computer can t actually produce a random number but instead can produce a series of numbers that appear random. ancient man may have mistaken the lo

MORALS AND DOGMA

hich stand for things are confounded with them; the means are mistaken for the end; the instrument of interpretation for the object; and thus symbols come to usurp an independent character as truths and persons. though perhaps a necessary path, they were a dangerous one by which to approach the deity; in which many, says plutarch "mistaking the sign for the thing signified, fell into a ridiculous superstition; while others, in avoiding one extreme, plunged into the no less hideous gulf of irreligion and impiety" it is through the mysteries, cicero says, that we have learned the first principles of life; wherefore the term "initiation" is used with good reason; and they not only teach us to live more happily and agreeably, but they soften the pains of death by the hope of a better life here

their inglorious fame; but those will enjoy that delight and march in that triumph, who can trace the remote effects of their enlightened benevolence in the improved condition of their species, and exult in the reflection, that the change which they at last, perhaps after many years, survey, with eyes that age and sorrow can make dim no more--of knowledge become power--virtue sharing that empire--superstition dethroned, and tyranny exiled, is, if even only in some small and very slight degree, yet still in _some_ degree, the fruit, precious if costly, and though late repaid yet long enduring, of their own self-denial and strenuous exertion, of their own mite of charity and aid to education wisely bestowed, and of the hardships and hazards which they encountered here below. masonry requires

retic points, which represent the vowels, came to be used, they placed those which belonged to the latter word. the possession of the true pronunciation was deemed to confer on him who had it extraordinary and supernatural powers; and the word itself, worn upon the person, was regarded as an amulet, a protection against personal danger, sickness, and evil spirits. we know that all this was a vain superstition, natural to a rude people, necessarily disappearing as the intellect of man became enlightened; and wholly unworthy of a mason. it is noticeable that this notion of the sanctity of the divine name or creative word was common to all the ancient nations. the sacred word hom was supposed by the ancient persians (who were among the earliest emigrants from northern india) to be pregnant wi

good urged men toward truth, independence, and devotedness; and the evil toward falsehood, servility, and selfishness. masonry represents the good principle and constantly wars against the evil one. it is the hercules, the osiris, the apollo, the mithras, and the ormuzd, at everlasting and deadly feud with the demons of ignorance, brutality, baseness, falsehood, slavishness of soul, intolerance, superstition, tyranny, meanness, the insolence of wealth, and bigotry. when despotism and superstition, twin-powers of evil and darkness, reigned everywhere and seemed invincible and immortal, it invented, to avoid persecution, the mysteries, that is to say, the allegory, the symbol, and the emblem, and transmitted its doctrines by the secret mode of initiation. now, retaining its ancient symbols

ord [knight of the east, of the sword, or of the eagle] this degree, like all others in masonry, is symbolical. based upon historical truth and authentic tradition, it is still an allegory. the leading lesson of this degree is fidelity to obligation, and constancy and perseverance under difficulties and discouragement. masonry is engaged in her crusade--against ignorance, intolerance, fanaticism, superstition, uncharitableness, and error. she does not sail with the trade-winds, upon a smooth sea, with a steady free breeze, fair for a welcoming harbor; but meets and must overcome many opposing currents, baffling winds, and dead calms. the chief obstacles to her success are the apathy and faithlessness of her own selfish children, and the supine indifference of the world. in the roar and cru

nder the name of samaneans. they recognized the existence of a single uncreated god, in whose bosom everything grows, is developed and transformed. the worship of this god reposed upon the obedience of all the beings he created. his feasts were those of the solstices. the doctrines of buddha pervaded india, china, and japan. the priests of brahma, professing a dark and bloody creed, brutalized by superstition, united together against buddhism, and with the aid of despotism, exterminated its followers. but their blood fertilized the new doctrine, which produced a new society under the name of gymnosophists; and a large number, fleeing to ireland, planted their doctrines there, and there erected the round towers, some of which still stand, solid and unshaken as at first visible monuments of

t, since christ, teaching the religion of love, was crucified, that it might become a religion of hate; and his doctrines are not yet even nominally accepted as true by a fourth of mankind. since his death, what incalculable swarms of human beings have lived and died in total unbelief of all that we deem essential to salvation! what multitudinous myriads of souls, since the darkness of idolatrous superstition settled down, thick and impenetrable, upon the earth, have flocked up toward the eternal throne of god, to receive his judgment? the religion of love proved to be, for seventeen long centuries, as much the religion of hate, and infinitely more the religion of persecution, than mahometanism, its unconquerable rival. heresies grew up before the apostles died; and god hated the nicolaita

encroachment continues with a velocity that is accelerated like that of a falling body, until the feebler is annihilated, and then, there being no resistance to support the stronger, it rushes into ruin. so, when the equipoise of reason and faith, in the individual or the nation, and the alternating preponderance cease, the result is, according as one or the other is permanent victor, atheism or superstition, disbelief or blind credulity; and the priests either of unfaith or of faith become despotic"_whomsoever god loveth, him he chasteneth" is an expression that formulates a whole dogma. the trials of life are the blessings of life, to the individual or the nation, if either has a soul that is truly worthy of salvation"_light and darkness" said zoroaster"_are the world's eternal ways" th

MOTTA MARCELO THE COMMENTARIES OF AL

hey perceive that their sorrows are not decreed by divine providence, but are merely the consequence of our oppression" as yet" this is clearly enheartening. this folk will come to know hadit that is, themselves. that's why al was dictated, so they would emancipate themselves. and that's why all the resources of propaganda were turned against crowley in his lifetime everywhere. the death-knell of superstition and privilege was being tolled, and the 'black brethren' didn't like the sound at all. the dead and the dying, who know not hadit, are under the illusion of sorrow. not being hadit, they are shadows, puppets, and what happens to them does not matter. if you insist upon identifying yourself with hecuba, your tears are natural enough. there is no contradiction here, by the way, with ver

with the dwarf-soul to those who possess eyesight! 52. there is a veil: that veil is black. it is the veil of the modest woman; it is the veil of sorrow& the pall of death: this is none of me. tear down that lying spectre of the centuries: veil not your vices in virtuous words: these vices are my service; ye do well& i will reward you here and hereafter. mohammed struck at the root of the insane superstition of tabu with his word "women are your field; go in unto them as ye will" he only struck half the blow. i say: go in unto them as ye will and they will. two-thirds of modern misery spring from woman's sexual dissatisfaction (readers will please note that this was written in the early twenties, almost forty years before the kinsey report on women tore down the veil of male hypocrisy in

NAUDON PAUL THE SECRET HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY

n the eyes of the church as impious associations when compared to those brotherhoods it once accepted and directed. finally, and this was the church's best justification, it is plausible that even if the compagnonnage rites did not disfigure traditional symbols to a great extent, their deeper meaning was nonetheless ungrasped by the humble journeymen. it is merely one step from incomprehension to superstition. condemned by royal power and ecclesiastical authority, the compagnnonages still had one safe haven: the temple commanderies, which, until the revolution, offered traditional right of asylum to those pursued by the king or church. we have already seen how the journeyman masons of paris always maintained their seats their cayennes in the censive district of the former temple commandery

PHILIP NEIL MYTHS LEGENDS EXPLAINED

n it is in the nature of humankind to tell stories, and at the root of every human culture are the stories we call myths stories of the creation of the world and of humankind, of the deeds of gods and heroes, and of the end of time. such stories explain and justify the world, and define our role within creation. once a civilization has become established, the myths that formed it may dwindle into superstition or entertainment, but even so, they never lose their intrinsic power, for the world s mythologies enshrine all the poetry and passion of which the human mind is capable. from ancient egypt to greece and rome, from west africa to siberia, from the hindu concept of brahman and the endless cycle of creation to the eternal dreaming of the australian aboriginals, the same themes recur, as

RELIGIOUS TENANTS OF THE YEZIDI

n their power, as those at sheikh adi, ba-sheaka, ba -haz ni, and others, they leave a lamp burning nightly in some adjacent niche or cave, in token of their adoration. on this account bathing is looked upon by them more in the light of a sacred duty than as an ordinary purification; and their objection to frequent the mohammedan baths of the country has, i have no doubt, some connexion with this superstition. for the same reason they consider fish moob rak, i.e. blessed, the term which they apply to every thing sacred, and which reminds one of the aghiasmata of the greeks. i have been informed that only a few of the lowest classes among them ever eat any produce of the waters. the above rites and ceremonies form the sum of the religious worship offered up by the yezeedees to the good deit

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART I

learly. after the marvellous golden ass of apuleius, we find no more magical epics. science, conquered in alexandria by the fanaticism of the murderers of hypatia, became christian, or rather concealed itself under christian veils with ammonius, synesius and the pseudonymous author of the books of dionysius the areopagite. in such times it was necessary to exonerate miracles under the pretence of superstition and science by an unintelligible language. hieroglyphic writing was introduction 11 revived; pantacles and characters were invented to summarize an entire doctrine by a sign, a whole sequence of tendencies and revelations in a word. what was the end of the aspirants to knowledge? they sought the secret of the great work, the philosophical stone, the perpetual motion, the quadrature of

is to place confidence in that which as yet we do not know when reason assures us beforehand of ultimately knowing or at least recognizing it. absurd are the so-called philosophers who cry: i will never believe in a thing which i do not know! shallow reasoners! if you knew, would you need to believe? but must i believe on chance and apart from reason? certainly not. blind and haphazard belief is superstition and folly. we may have faith in causes which reason compels us to admit on the evidence of effects known and appreciated by science. science! great word and great problem! what is science? we shall answer in the second chapter of this book. 8 ii h b the pillars of the temple chokmah domus gnosis science is the absolute and complete possession of truth. hence have the sages of all the

tibility, if not infinite at least indefinite, of human faculties, it will be understood that every person can attain to see all, and therefore to know all. there is no void in nature: all is peopled. there is no true death in nature: all is alive. seest thou that star? asked napoleon of cardinal fesch. no, sire. i see it, said the emperor, and he most certainly did. when great men are accused of superstition, it is because they behold what remains unseen by the crowd. men of genius differ from simple seers by their faculty of communicating sensibly to others that which they themselves perceive, and of making themselves believed by the force of enthusiasm and sympathy. such persons are the media of the divine word. let us now specify the manner in which visions operate. all forms correspon

smegistus enlightens present, past and future, lays bare the conscience of men and manifests the inmost recesses of the female heart. the lamp burns with a triple flame, the mantle is thrice-folded and the staff is divided into three parts. the number nine is that of divine reflections; it expresses the divine idea in all its abstract power, but it signifies also extravagance in belief, and hence superstition and idolatry. for this reason hermes made it the number of initiation, because the initiate reigns over superstition and by superstition: he alone can advance through the darkness, leaning on his staff, enveloped in his mantle and lighted by his lamp. reason has been given to all men, but all do not know how to make use of it: it is a science to be acquired. liberty is offered to all

the three mobiles, drawn primitively from the sephirotic decade; the character of the planets governed by angels, whose names have been changed into those of pagan divinities; the influence of the spheres on one another; the destiny attached to numbers; the scale of proportion between the celestial hierarchies corresponding to the human hierarchies all this has been materialized and degraded into superstition by genethliacal soothsayers and erectors of horoscopes during the decline and the middle ages. the restoration of astrology to its primitive purity would be, in a sense, the creation of an entirely new science; our present concern is only to indicate its first principles, with their more immediate and approximate consequences. we have said that the astral light receives and preserves

hat true self-knowledge which is incompatible with factitious lights and the prejudgments of systems? it is the same with the other precepts of pythagoras, who is well known to have been followed literally by a swarm of unintelligent disciples; and indeed amongst our provincial superstitious observances there are many which belong indubitably to the primitive misconception of pythagorean symbols. superstition is derived from a latin word which signifies survival. it is the sign surviving the thought; it is the dead body of a religious rite. superstition is to initiation what the notion of the devil is to that of god. this is the sense in which the worship of images is forbidden, and in this sense also a doctrine most holy in its original conception may become superstitious and impious when

t the spirit is set free first so that it may cease to live! you believe that thought and love can die when the grossest matter is imperishable! if change must be called death, we die and are reborn daily, because daily our forms change. fear therefore to soil or rend your garments, but do not fear to 97 lay them by when the hour of sleep approaches. the embalming and mummification of bodies is a superstition which is against nature; it is an attempt to create death; it is the forcible petrification of a substance which is needed by life. but, on the other hand, we must not be quick to destroy or make away with bodies; there is no suddenness in the operations of nature, and we must not risk any violent rupture of the bonds of a departing soul. death is never instantaneous; it is, like slee

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

shall the magnificences of the antique worships be restored to the memory of men, proclaiming the progress of the human mind in the intuition of the light of god. but of all forms of progress the greatest will be that which, restoring the keys of nature to the hands of science, shall enchain for ever the hideous spectre of satan, and, explaining all abnormal phenomena, shall destroy the empire of superstition and imbecile credulity. to the accomplishment of this work we have consecrated our life, and do still devote it in the most toilsome and difficult researches. we would emancipate altars by overthrowing idols; we desire the man of intelligence to become once more the priest and king of nature, and we would preserve by explanation all images of the universal sanctuary. the prophets spok

en to read. gif the blind lead the blind, h said the great and divine hierophant, gboth fall into the pot. h and now a final word to recapitulate this entire introduction. if you be blind like samson when you cast down the pillars of the temple, its ruins will crush you. to command nature we must be above nature, by resistance of her attractions. if your mind be perfectly free from all prejudice, superstition and incredulity, you will rule spirits. if you do not obey blind forces, they will obey you. if you be wise like solomon, you will perform the works of solomon; if you be holy like christ, you will accomplish the works of christ. to direct the currents of the inconstant light, we must be established in the constant light. to command the elements, we must have overcome their hurricanes

alms by the way. men laugh at the simple woman who denies herself a pennyworth of milk in the morning that she may carry a penny taper to burn on the magic triangle in a chapel; but they who laugh are ignorant, and the simple woman does not pay too dearly for what she thus purchases of resignation and of courage. great minds pass by in great pride, shrugging their shoulders; they rise up against superstition with a din which shakes the world; and what happens? the towers of great minds collapse, and their ruins revert to the providers and purchasers of penny tapers, who are content to hear it proclaimed everywhere that their reign is for ever ended, provided that they rule always. the great religions have never had more than one serious rival, and this rival is magic. magic produced the o

realized by a steel triangle: this obtains both for heaven and earth. the initiated divulgers to whom the illuminated cazotte predicted a violent death have, in our own days, exceeded the sin of adam; having rashly gathered the fruits of the tree of knowledge, which they did not know how to use for their nourishment, they have cast them to the beasts and reptiles of the earth. so is the reign of superstition inaugurated, and it must persist until the period when true religion shall be constituted again on the eternal foundations of the hierarchy of three degrees and of the triple power which that hierarchy exercises blindly or providentially in the three worlds. 28 chapter iv the conjuration of the four the four elementary forms separate and distinguish roughly the created spirits which t

he author depicts him as wretched, filthy, hideous, repulsive to the touch and horrible to the sight. but supposing this very exterior is a means of disguising the enterprise and so of more surely attaining it, is it not proof positive of sublime courage? when rodin becomes pope, do you think that he will be ill clothed and dirty? hence m. eugene sue has missed his point; his object was to deride superstition and fanaticism, but that which he attacks is intelligence, strength, genius, the most signal human virtues. were there many more rodins among the jesuits, were there one even, i would not give much for the success of the opposite party, in spite of the brilliant and maladroit special pleadings of its illustrious advocates. to will well, to will long, to will always, but never to lust

ght alone the initiative and creative principle. here the head represents spirit and the body matter. the orbs enchained to the human form, and directed by that nature of which intelligence is the head, are also magnificently allegorical. the sign all the same was discovered to be obscene and diabolical by the learned men who examined it. can we be astonished after this at the spread of mediaeval superstition in our own day? one thing only surprises me, that, believing in the devil and his agents, men do not rekindle the faggots. m. veuillot is logical and demands it: one should honour men who have the courage of their opinions. pursuing our curious researches, we come now to the most atrocious mysteries of the grimoire, those which are concerned with evocations of devils and pacts with he

her intention in his demonomania of sorcerers than to impeach catholicism in its works and undermine it in the greatest of all its doctrinal abuses. the treatise of bodin is profoundly machiavellian and strikes at the heart of the institutions and persons it appears to defend. it would be difficult to conceive without reading it his vast mass of sanguinary and hideous histories, acts of revolting superstition, sentences and executions of stupid ferocity. gburn all! h the inquisitors seemed to cry. ggod will distinguish his own! h poor fools, hysterical women and idiots were accordingly sacrificed without mercy for the crime of magic, while, at the same time, great criminals eluded this infamous and sanguinary justice. bodin gives us to understand as much by recounting such anecdotes as tha

hich still concerns itself with these serious and reasonable researches; we have therefore cited these pages of m. chaho with great mental satisfaction and profound sympathy. here is no longer the negative and desolating criticism of dupuis and volney, but an effort towards one faith and one worship connecting all the future with all the past; it is an apology for all great men accused falsely of superstition and idolatry; it, is, finally, the justification of god himself, that sun of intelligences who is never veiled for upright souls and pure hearts. ggreat and pre-eminent is the seer, the initiate, the elect of nature and of supreme reason, h cries the author once more, in concluding what we have just cited. ghis alone is that faculty of imitation which is the principle of his perfectio

ROBERT KIRK WALKER BETWEEN WORLDS

ondon, 1990 preface xi robert kirk robert kirk was a seventeenth-century scottish clergyman. his major literary work, now virtually forgotten, though of revolutionary importance in his own day, consisted of translating psalms into gaelic, and supervising a gaelic edition of the bible. but he also collected the beliefs of his gaelic-speaking parishioners, and argued that such beliefs were not idle superstition but were compatible with the basics of christianity. his secret commonwealth has long been one of the major sources for fairy lore and the second sight though kirk wrote this short book not as a 'folklore' collection but as a general survey of the relationship between seership, second sight, and multifold worlds or dimensions- a survey which he held to contain truth, enduring traditio

e far from the mind of robert kirk, for to him the second sight and its mysterious allies in other dimensions were not potential tools of espionage, nor were they simply barbaric or primitive superstitions, or what today we call 'folklore. for kirk the second sight and the fairy race were realities, though he could and frequently did make very careful distinction between such realities and common superstition or debased magical practices. thus his work, though it never departs too far from an orthodox religious framework, is more in the tradition of merlin, dee and nostradamus than we might realize at first glance. http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_1.htm (4 of 8 [10/9/2001 12:33:52 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 1-9) figure 1. human and otherworld entities introduction 6 t

tween nonconformist and orthodox religion, even though he held relatively high office in the state church and put his own career at risk by such declared concepts. we know from kirk's own account (cited in sanderson, pages 14-16) that the bishop was skeptical of and opposed to second sight and the appearance of apparitions, but kirk saw such things as proof of spiritual truths rather than as idle superstition or sensationalism. for kirk, the evidence of the secret commonwealth was a way forward to unity, rather than a step backwards into ignorance. this assiduous pursuit of harmonization of viewpoints and beliefs may have partly prompted his copying of his text for the bishop. this brings us to kirk's stated purpose in writing the book, which was to counter atheism and materialism (page 47

ut any fountain or lamp from whence it did spring. this person lived in the country [region] next to that of my last residence, and might furnish matter of dispute among casuists, whether, if her husband had been [re]married in the interim of her two years' absence [in fairyland] he would have been obliged to divorce the second spouse at the return of the first. there is an art apparently without superstition for recovering of [people] such as are thus stolen, but i think it superfluous to insert it [here. i saw a woman of forty years [of] age, and examined her, having another clergyman in my company, about a report of her long fasting; her name is mcintyre, it was told by them of the house, as well as [by] herself that she took very little or no food for several years past, that she tarri

69) worldwide copyright 1990, 1998-2001, rjstewart, all rights and permissions reserved http//www.dreampower.com/kirk_wbw/pg_60.htm (11 of 11 [10/9/2001 12:35:20 am] robert kirk- walker between worlds(pages 70-71) flip to page# the secret commonwealth 70 hiloy atonatha+ measias+ sother+ immanuel+ pathone+ saboath+ tetragammaton+ on+ eon+ a thoney+ alma+ avala+ throne+ emanual+ telesms, charms and superstition are much of one kind: for talismans pretend to be influenced by a constellation through a mutual and moral relation made between [the parts or parties] by a compact, or by a seasonable dedication. charms plead a traditional virtue to [their] words merely upon account of the prodigious stupendous piety and miraculous power of the first institutors [thereof. superstition, idolatry [both

ouble has been buried: kirk offers no further explanation for it, and does not go into the nature of the wasting image that is substituted for the human woman or child in such abductions. the main value for him in this tale seems to be the account of the fairy realm. robert kirk now writes one of the most cryptic and tantalizing lines in his entire book: page 37 there is an art apparently without superstition for recovering of [people] such as are thus stolen, but i think it superfluous to insert it [here. kirk himself died on 14 may 1692: local tradition asserts that he collapsed while walking at night on the fairy hill at commentary 107 aberfoyle. some time after his death and burial, however, kirk appeared to a relative and gave a detailed set of instructions by the means of which he mi

roughout his text of an ancient initiatory magical tradition concerning the relationships between humans and fairies, and the presence of ancestral spirits in fairy hills. kirk, as we have noted, was a seventh son, and may have had, or certainly was believed by his parishioners to have had, healing powers. the attachment of physical or spiritual translation at his death, therefore, is not an idle superstition, but an expression of a deep-rooted tradition which stems back to pagan and prehistoric cultures. the connection to his reappearance at the posthumous christening of his child has resonance's of the ballad of tam lin, for the birth of a child and the death or rebirth of a man are, as kirk himself reported, part of the revolution of the wheel of life. tam lin (see page 26) is also conn

btle levels of sacred sites today, such as kirk himself virtually predicted when he said that humanity's relationship with and perception of the subterranean people would eventually be as widespread as any modern device once frowned upon as magical but soon proven to be perfectly normal. this argument is used several times by kirk, and has certain merits in simultaneously dissolving prejudice and superstition. commentary 117 page 52 i have found five curiosities in scotland, not much observed to be [known] elsewhere. the five curiosities are as follows: 1. the labor of the brownies (previously discussed. 2. the mason word. here kirk is referring to the tradition that certain socalled ancient aspects of masonry are known in scotland, and that scottish masonry is of a more original lineage t

RUBY TABLET OF SET

f, esteeming it his country, as conceiving that he might more easily pass from thence into egypt. here he conferred with the prophets, successors of mocus the physiologist, and with others, and with the phoenician priests, and was initiated into all the mysteries of byblus, and tyre, and sundry of the principal sacred institutions in divers other parts of syria, not undergoing these things out of superstition, as may be imagined; but out of love to knowledg, and a fear, lest any thing worthy to be known, which was preserved amongst them, in the miracles or mysteries of the gods, might escape him. withal, not being ignorant, that the rites of those places were deduced from the egyptian ceremonies, by means whereof he hoped to participate of the more sublime and divine mysteries in egypt, wh

that he shall know he is not alone. with all force did the host of heaven descend among man, and they did instruct him in the religion of fear. prophets arose and were proclaimed heralds of knowledge, but they brought not word of truth, but warning to the human spirit to cower and fawn before the word of god the supreme being. the struggle of the ascent of man was fraught with the horrors of his superstition, and the call for blessed oblivion through union with god was answered by many who in their torment and hopelessness rejected the gift of lucifer and became once more as mindless animals before the god whom they called their lord. i, lucifer, who had given the greatest gift of my own creation to man, was known on earth only as an object of fear and hatred, and all the misfortunes of m

orance, and unreason. great works were conceived, the origins of material energies uncovered, and the talents of thought exercised in philosophical and mathematical complexities. sanctioned at first by the god-churches themselves as devices for indoctrination in the law of god, centers of learning produced and protected those very freedoms that were ultimately to destroy all ungrounded belief and superstition. and though i see that the full resolution of these is yet to be achieved, i doubt not my confidence in man, and my devotion to him shall be eternal. what, man, art thou? why thy presence? because thy own purpose determines that of the cosmos itself, though otherwise it may have been suggested- the creation, perpetuation, and exercise of the satanic marvel that is free and unbounded w

aid were answered by me, and i struck down the messengers of god and brought their temples to ruin. for entire nations forwent the strength of their will to the lure of otherworldly paradise, and i blasted them from among the mighty of earth. and great empires arose among men, and as they nurtured their power of will and desire for achievement, i guarded them, but as they sank into the morass of superstition, slothfulness, and fear of the god who had never raised ghostly hand for them, so i abandoned them to their disease, and of some not even a memory survived on earth. and even as i witnessed these things i said, see, man, that the god in whom thou trust is but a wraith of messiah, and he would have thee forsake thy mind and its creations to rot and decay, and thou would lose all power

te and honorary professor at the college de france. cf. also john romer, testament, new york: henry holt, 1988, page #58. romer is a distinguished archaeologist and egyptologist. 50. the "hebrew cabala" is a nebulous and inconsistent hodge-podge of superstitious mummery, phrased in language both imprecise and ambivalent, and hung loosely about the equally-insubstantial mainstream corpus of hebrew superstition. according to richard cavendish, writing in the encyclopaedia of the unexplained (new york: mcgraw-hill, 1974, the "hebrew cabala's" oldest identifiable works can be authenticated to between the third and sixth centuries ce. since that time it has been added to and revised by innumerable occultists, with the result that it has lost even what cohesion it may once have had. 51. the most

nknown, they do plan ahead for the yet-to-be, thereby displaying the tendency to have a higher degree of goal orientation than their non-magician cousins. the desire to know the how and why of the cosmos far outweighs the desire simply to be entertained, and has as a result consequences which develop into a far more thorough and complex manner. cool, clear reasoning has taken the place of fearful superstition; in the long run the former produces far more lasting results "masters, doubts of this sort brought me up short before ever i watched a funeral now i've seen death and i ask myself, if death is the final end what use is knowledge? the singer was right. better enjoy life without care. in which case temple and wisdom are absurdities, funeral rites are absurdities. yes, that's what i've

etian i initiation, the following may be read: classification: v2- b41.0r4- 1 author: margaret a. wendall iv date: january 24, xi, bubastis pylon subject: initiation and recognition reading list: the background color of each degree medallion posesses distinct significance. the colow white represents the newfound freedom of the mind from myths, misconceptions, and doctrines perpetuated by fear and superstition. the white further symbolizes the coming of the silver dawn and the black fire that is xepera. white is the color of the i. if there is a candidate for elevation to the ii, the following is read: when the setian has proven his understanding of the word of set, and when the priesthood of set recognizes him as a new intelligence therein, he is proclaimed an adept of the temple. his colo

es and to examine their natures/neteru. it is preferable to discuss the roles individually, so that each participant may have maximum flexibility to select a role within the context of the ritual as a whole. the elements of the ritual of the self may be performed in any order, save that the passing of the chalice and that which follows must be done last. this free-form emphasizes our freedom from superstition and from stasis; we are not bound to a fixed format even when performing a "scripted" ritual. this will also tend to improve the spontaneity and power of the ritual. for a small group, each participant may take charge of several elements, and/or some elements may classification: v2- b54.r- 1 author: corey s. cole ii date: june 22, xv html revision: dec 19, 1998 ce reading list #17 be

SALMANRUSHDIE THESATANICVERSES

first such visit in fifteen years (the exact period, i should observe, of gibreel farishta's film stardom, there had been strange and worrying developments. it was unfortunately the case that his voice (the first to go) and, subsequently, his face itself, had begun to let him down. it started- chamcha, allowing fingers and thumbs to relax and hoping, in some embarrassment, that his last remaining superstition had gone unobserved by his fellow-passengers, closed his eyes and remembered with a delicate shudder of horror- on his flight east some weeks ago. he had fallen into a torpid sleep, high above the desert sands of the persian gulf, and been visited in a dream by a bizarre stranger, a man with a glass skin, who rapped his knuckles mournfully against the thin, brittle membrane covering h

there mrs. qureishi hurled abuse at her son-in-law "o god, i have put my daughter in the care of a killer. o god, a woman hitter. go on, hit me also, get some practice. defiler of saints, blasphemer, devil, unclean" saeed left the room without saying a word. the next day mishal akhtar insisted on returning to the city for a complete medical check-up. saeed took a stand "if you want to indulge in superstition, go, but don't expect me to come along. it's eight hours' drive each way; so, to hell with it" mishal left that afternoon with her mother and the driver, and as a result mirza saeed was not where he should have been, that is, at his wife's side, when the results of the tests were communicated to her: positive, inoperable, too far advanced, the claws of the cancer dug in deeply through

SATANIC BIBLE

y. the threat and presence of harm is with him consciously, and belief in the power of the curse is so strong that he will take every precaution against it. thus, through the application of sympathetic magic, he will counteract any harm that might come his way. this man is watching his step, and not taking any chances. on the other hand, the "enlightened" man, who doesn't place any stock in such "superstition, relegates his instinctive fear of the curse to his unconscious, thereby nourishing it into a phenominally destructive force that will multiply with each succeeding misfortune. of course, every time a new setback occurs, the non-believer will automatically deny any connection with the curse, especially to himself. the emphatic conscious denial of the potential of the curse is the very

SATANIC RITUALS

watery abyss. lovecraft seems to have correlated the monsters of the canvasses of a hundred pickmans-the great symbolist painters of the 1890's-into a twentieth century scenario. his fantasies may well have been a conscious projection of the idea expressed so eloquently by charles lamb in his witches and other night fears "gorgons, and hydras, and chimeras may reproduce themselves in the brain of superstition-but they were there before. they are transcripts, types-the archetypes are in us, and eternal" one cannot help speculating upon a reality suggested by the fantasy-the possibility that the old ones are the spectres of a future human mentality. it is as the result of such speculation that the ceremony of the nine angles and the call to cthuihu are presented. one emphasizes potential: th

SATANICON

kal laws regarding successful evocation of devils and demons* 1 suspend non-belief during ritual. fantasy is essential to successful ritual. 2 suspend non-belief while applying outer magickal art/suggestion, etc. the catalyst, in most instances, to realizing one s ritualized desires lies with the application of positive or negative fantasy; created situations; the use of what is commonly known as superstition. 3 the devil and demons were created and have been re-created by man throughout history. the devil and/or demons are re-created through ritual and outer magickal art; in all other instances, our doctrine maintains a stance of non-belief, i.e, book i: the denouncement of theism -29- book v: the rituals of satanic proper -30- the pact of satan membership with most elite organizations or

SCHLAGER NEIL WORLD RELIGIONS REFERENCE LIBRARY

some basic texts for agnostics include david hume s dialogues concerning natural religion, and thomas henry huxley s essay agnosticism, which first introduced the term. two pamphlets by philosopher bertrand 32 world religions: almanac agnosticism and atheism russell (1872 1970: why i am not a christian and am i an atheist or an agnostic? are also core texts. russell thought that religion was just superstition, or blindly accepted belief, and that although there were positive aspects to religion, the negative ones outweighed the good. for him religion made people dependent and stopped the attainment of real knowledge. in why i am not a christian, russell wrote: religion is based, i think, primarily and mainly upon fear. it is partly the terror of the unknown and partly, as i have said, the

re written. the longest ones tend to appear early in the qur an, while the shortest ones, some consisting of just a handful of lines, appear at the end. muslims also distinguish between two groups of suras. one group is called the meccan suras because they were written in the city of mecca. these meccan revelations were the earliest ones. their main theme was muhammad s opposition to idolatry and superstition (a belief or fear based on the unknown, as well as the suffering and hardships endured by past prophets. these suras were recorded in the earliest years of islam, before muhammad and his followers fled mecca for medina. later suras, called the medinan revelations, focus on how to build an islamic society. these contain laws pertaining not only to religious doctrine (set of beliefs, ph

hree jewels at the center of jain belief is the desire to free the soul from the cycle of death and rebirth. liberation is accomplished through the three jewels, an ethical code that consists of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. the first of these, right faith, or samyak darshana, means seeing clearly, so it is sometimes translated as right perception. right faith involves avoiding superstition and being determined to discover the truth. the second, right knowledge, or samyak jnana, calls for an understanding of the universe. the third, right conduct, or samyak charitra, refers specifically to the way people lead their lives. an ethical person avoids doing harm to living things and is free from impure desires, attitudes, and thoughts. sacred writings to identify a fixed, acc

ted orally. in 712 it was written down as the kojiki, a text that further cemented the imperial court s world religions: almanac 395 shinto dominance over japan. in 720 a second text called the nihonshoki was also written down. these two books are the earliest surviving texts written by the japanese. shinto at this time was still regarded as a folk religion, filled with superstitions and myths. a superstition is a belief or practice based on the fear of the unknown, while a myth is a story of historical events that claims to explain a practice or belief. in the centuries that followed, shinto and buddhism coexisted and joined in a process referred to as shinbutsu shugo, a phrase formed from the written japanese characters for shinto, buddhism, learn, and join together. the mingling of shin

d to confront the problems that it presents. in their daily lives, devout sikhs attempt to follow the commandments laid down by the ten gurus. these commandments can be grouped into a number of categories. the first category concerns the worship of god. sikhs are required to worship one god, to make worship of god part of daily life (by recitation of prayers, for example, and to avoid any type of superstition, meaningless ritual, or idol worship. god is to be worshipped in an abstract form, not as a person or an image. a second category has to do with leading an honest and industrious life. sikhs are required to work hard, share their earnings with others through charitable contributions, help the needy, avoid harm to others, and maintain good relationships with their children and parents

soul. mahavira warned that freeing the soul from karma was not easy, and could only be accomplished by mastering the three jewels. like the five vows, the three jewels form an ethical code. they are right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. the first of these, right faith, or samyak darshana, means seeing clearly. it is sometimes translated as right perception. the term refers to avoiding superstition and preconceptions (opinions formed in advance of adequate knowledge) and being determined to find the truth. the second jewel, right knowledge, or samyak jnana, refers to knowing and understanding the universe. the third, samyak charitra, or right conduct, refers to leading one s life ethically. an ethical person avoids doing harm to living things and frees himself or herself from im

ree major acharyas, or teachers, in medieval india. the first of these was sankara, or sankaracharya, while the third was madhva, or madhvacharya (c. 1199 c. 1276. sankara was born around 788 and died around 820. when he was born hinduism was at a crossroads. the religion was breaking apart into a large number of sects (divisions) and cults (religious offshoots, many of which were blending magic, superstition, and mysticism into their belief systems. they placed great emphasis on rituals and animal sacrifices. sankara almost singlehandedly reformed hinduism and restored some of its ancient teachings and intellectual foundations. in the twenty-first century the version of hinduism promoted by sankara is often referred to as intellectual hinduism. sankara was born to a poor brahmin couple in

lanations. uncompromising: showing no willingness to find a middle ground or negotiate. causation: the process of causing an effect. proclaim: announce. bondage: slavery. sage: holy man. dogma: code of belief. aspirations: ambitions, goals. polytheism: belief in more than one god. omnipresence: presence everywhere, throughout all of creation. world religions: primary sources 115 paper on hinduism superstition is a great enemy of man, but bigotry is worse. why does a christian go to church? why is the cross holy? why is the face turned toward the sky in prayer? why are there so many images in the catholic church? why are there so many images in the minds of protestants when they pray? my brethren, we can no more think about anything without a mental image than we can live without breathing

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

t her betimes to pray. but then, to counteract all these acquisitions, the strange habits of pisani, and the incessant watch and care which he required from his wife, often left the child alone with an old nurse, who, to be sure, loved her dearly, but who was in no way calculated to instruct her. dame gionetta was every inch italian and neapolitan. her youth had been all love, and her age was all superstition. she was garrulous, fond, a gossip. now she would prattle to the girl of cavaliers and princes at her feet, and now she would freeze her blood with tales and legends, perhaps as old as greek or etrurian fable, of demon and vampire, of the dances round the great walnut-tree at benevento, and the haunting spell of the evil eye. all this helped silently to weave charmed webs over viola's

the moderns to the ancients. condorcet on this head was eloquent, and to some, at least, of his audience, most convincing. that voltaire was greater than homer few there were disposed to deny. keen was the ridicule lavished on the dull pedantry which finds everything ancient necessarily sublime "yet" said the graceful marquis de, as the champagne danced to his glass "more ridiculous still is the superstition that finds everything incomprehensible holy! but intelligence circulates, condorcet; like water, it finds its level. my hairdresser said to me this morning 'though i am but a poor fellow, i believe as little as the finest gentleman "unquestionably, the great revolution draws near to its final completion, a pas de geant, as montesquieu said of his own immortal work" then there rushed f

questionably, the great revolution draws near to its final completion, a pas de geant, as montesquieu said of his own immortal work" then there rushed from all wit and noble, courtier and republican a confused chorus, harmonious only in its anticipation of the brilliant things to which "the great revolution" was to give birth. here condrocet is more eloquent than before "il faut absolument que la superstition et le fanatisme fassent place a la philosophie (it must necessarily happen that superstition and fanaticism give place to philosophy) kings persecute persons, priests opinion. without kings, men must be safe; and without priests, minds must be free "ah" murmured the marquis "and as ce cher diderot has so well sung 'et des boyaux du dernier pretre serrez le cou du dernier roi (and thro

grossed his affection. in this outcast he not only loved a son, he loved a theory! he brought him up most philosophically. helvetius had proved to him that education can do all; and before he was eight years old, the little jean's favourite expressions were "la lumiere et la vertu (light and virtue) the boy showed talents, especially in art. the protector sought for a master who was as free from "superstition" as himself, and selected the painter david. that person, as hideous as his pupil, and whose dispositions were as vicious as his professional abilities were undeniable, was certainly as free from "superstition" as the protector could desire. it was reserved for robespierre hereafter to make the sanguinary painter believe in the etre supreme. the boy was early sensible of his ugliness

u seek your refuge nothing speaks to you of the lost, have ye not felt again a yearning for that very food to memory which was just before but bitterness and gall? is it not almost impious and profane to abandon that dear hearth to strangers? and the desertion of the home where your parents dwelt, and blessed you, upbraids your conscience as if you had sold their tombs. beautiful was the etruscan superstition that the ancestors become the household gods. deaf is the heart to which the lares call from the desolate floors in vain. at first viola had, in her intolerable anguish, gratefully welcomed the refuge which the house and family of a kindly neighbour, much attached to her father, and who was one of the orchestra that pisani shall perplex no more, had proffered to the orphan. but the co

ch was fastened by a lock scarcely larger than the seal of a ring, yet which sufficed to baffle the most cunning instruments of the locksmith: at least, one of his servants, prompted by irresistible curiosity, had made the attempt in vain; and though he had fancied it was tried in the most favourable time for secrecy, not a soul near, in the dead of night, zanoni himself absent from home, yet his superstition, or his conscience, told him the reason why the next day the major domo quietly dismissed him. he compensated himself for this misfortune by spreading his own story, with a thousand amusing exaggerations. he declared that, as he approached the door, invisible hands seemed to pluck him away; and that when he touched the lock, he was struck, as by a palsy, to the ground. one surgeon, wh

hilosophy in art! while something of these thoughts passed through the mind of the painter, he felt his arm touched, and saw nicot by his side "a great master" said nicot "but i do not love the school "i do not love, but i am awed by it. we love the beautiful and serene, but we have a feeling as deep as love for the terrible and dark "true" said nicot, thoughtfully "and yet that feeling is only a superstition. the nursery, with its tales of ghosts and goblins, is the cradle of many of our impressions in the world. but art should not seek to pander to our ignorance; art should represent only truths. i confess that raphael pleases me less, because i have no sympathy with his subjects. his saints and virgins are to me only men and women "and from what source should painting, then, take its th

e side, some another. the issue may be well foreseen. swords were called for and procured. two were offered me by one of the party. i was about to choose one, when zanoni placed in my hand the other, which, from its hilt, appeared of antiquated workmanship. at the same moment, looking towards the prince, he said, smilingly 'the duc takes your grandsire's sword. prince, you are too brave a man for superstition; you have forgot the forfeit' our host seemed to me to recoil and turn pale at those words; nevertheless, he returned zanoni's smile with a look of defiance. the next moment all was broil and disorder. there might be some six or eight persons engaged in a strange and confused kind of melee, but the prince and myself only sought each other. the noise around us, the confusion of the gue

SIR WALLIS BUDGE EGYPTIAN MAGIC

resting proofs might be adduced in support of this statement, but the limits of this book will not admit of their being given here. when we consider the lofty spiritual character of the greater part of the egyptian religion, and remember its great antiquity, it is hard to understand why the egyptians carefully preserved in their writings and ceremonies so much which savoured of gross and childish superstition, and which must have been the product of their predynastic or prehistoric ancestors, even during the period of their greatest intellectual enlightenment. but the fact remains that they did believe in one god who was almighty, and eternal, and invisible, who created the heavens, and the earth, and all beings and things therein; and in the resurrection of the body in a changed and glori

fficient knowledge to make use of them. but the egyptians were unfortunate enough not to be understood by many of the strangers who found their way into their country, and as a result wrong and exaggerated ideas of their religion were circulated among the surrounding nations, and the magical ceremonies which were performed at their funerals were represented by the ignorant either as silly acts of superstition or as tricks of the "black" art. but whereas the magic of every other nation of the ancient east was directed entirely against the powers of darkness, and was p. 4 invented in order to frustrate their fell designs by invoking a class of benevolent beings to their aid, the egyptians aimed being able to command their gods to work for them, and to compel them to appear at their desire. t

STEINER RUDOLF CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

gh knowing, because it is only created as reality through the act of our knowing.3 rudolf steiner s path to knowledge has absolutely no presuppositions. it is grounded in the experience of reality that is possible for every human being. any assumptions that arise from a particular world view, such as faith in a spiritual world or in reincarnation, would be just as problematic as the materialistic superstition of natural science. for this reason, when steiner developed a path of knowledge in his basic philosophical writings, the dogmatism of revealed religion was rejected just as sharply as the dogmatism of natural science. such truth can illuminate the path of knowledge only as a goal; it is dogma when placed at the beginning. even as a young man steiner had pointed out that the dogma of r

heraclitus and pythagoras; see west, early greek philosophy and the orient (oxford university press, 1971. steiner also later came to regard pherecydes as a crucial figure; see the riddles of philosophy (anthroposophic press, spring valley, ny, 1973, pp. 16ff. for steiner the emergence of rational thought is an evolutionary development that is to say, it is not to be regarded as sweeping away the superstition of more primitive notions, but as rooted in human nature and potential for transformation. the mysteries accompany this development, and integrate the new sense of independent judgment into the deeper, emotional, and less conscious aspects of human life. the false supposition that the mysteries should be opposed to rational thought leads, for steiner, to the tragic dividedness of so m

TEXE MARRS CODEX MAGICA SECRET SIGNS MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS AND HIDDEN CODES OF THE ILLUMINATI

ert pike, 33, former sovereign grand commander whose commentary on freemasonry's rituals, morals and dogma, is the classic learning textbook for all masons, issued instructions on july 14, 1889, to the supreme councils of the world identifying the master whom masons universally worship and venerate: that which we must say to the crowd is we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. to you, sovereign grand inspector generals, we say this; that you may repeat it to brothers of the 32nd, 31st, and 30th degrees the masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the luciferian doctrine.14 pike's embrace of the "luciferian doctrine" is not surprising. manly p. hall, 33, considered by freemasonry as the lodge's grea

ne. the editors stretched the letter 'm' to make it appear as if clinton had horns. baphles me! 115 gannet news service, one of america's largest daily newspaper chains, ran this story about the time cover that made president clinton look like the devil. all unintentional, said gannett. sure it was "that which we must say to the crowd is we worship a god, but it is the god that one adores without superstition. to you sovereign grand inspectors general, we say this, that you may repeat it to the brethren of the 32nd, 31st and 30th degrees- the masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the luciferian doctrine. if lucifer were not god, would adonay (jesus. calumniate (spread false and harmful statements about) him. yes, lucifer is god

ree of the scottish rite, knight of the east, of the sword, or of the eagle. tresner says that the apron worn for this degree's ritual in the lodge is of red velvet, and "on the apron are three triangles, one inside the other, formed of chains with triangular links" these three triangles, he explains "represent the three great limitations on, or enemies of, the human intellect tyranny, privilege, superstition."5 in reality, tresner is subtly alluding to the masonic order's long-standing doctrine of fierce opposition to existing political sovereigns not yet corrupted or conquered by illuminism and its hatred of the true christian church, which the masons teach is "superstition" and is a sectarian belief that cannot be tolerated. tresner may object to my characterization, but the evidence of

THE BOOK OF PLEASURE

till recovery. then verily they are one and the same. the wise pleasure seeker, having realised they are "different degrees of desire" and never desirable, gives up both virtue and vice and becomes a kiaist. riding the shark of his desire he crosses the ocean of the dual principle and engages himself in self-love. religions are the projection of incapacity, the imaginations of fear, the veneer of superstition, that paradox is truth, 0 while ofttimes the ornamentation of imbecility. as a 9 virtue in the idea to maximize pleasure cheaply, remit your sins and excuse them-is but ceremonial, the expression of puppetry to the governing fear. yes! what you have ordained in your religiousness, is your very rack, imagined though it be! the prospect is not pleasant; you have taught yourself! it has

izes the agony: may it not be caused through the latent idea of supreme bliss? and this eternal expectation, this amassing of ornament on decay, this ever-abiding thought- is coincidental with the vanity preceding death? o, squalid thought from the most morbid spleen how can i devour thee and save my soul? ever did it answer back-"pay homage where due: the physician is the lord of existence" this superstition of medicine-is it not the essence of cowardice, the agent of death? strange no one remembers being dead? have you ever seen the sun?-if you have then you have seen nothing dead-in spite of you different belief! which is the more dead "you" or this corpse? which of you has the greater degree of consciousness? judging by expression alone-which of you appears enjoying life most? may not

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

d retelling been exaggerated or distorted. other urban legends have their origins in people misinterpreting or misunderstanding stories that they have heard or read in the media or from actual witnesses of an event. there is usually some distance between the narrator and his tale; all urban legends claim that the story always happened to someone else, most often a friend of a friend. the roots of superstition whatever their basis in reality, certain beliefs and practices of primitive people helped ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of superstition, a belie

estioned bridey s references to certain food being prepared in flats, an unfamiliar term to americans. besson waved a waiter to their table and asked him to bring some flats. when the waiter returned, barker saw that the mysterious flats were but serving platters. some scholars believed that they had caught bridey in a gross error when she mentioned the custom of kissing the blarney stone. such a superstition was a late nineteenth-century notion, stated dermot foley, the cork city librarian. later, however, foley made an apology to bridey when he discovered that t. crofton cronker, in his researches in the south of ireland (1824, mentions the custom of kissing the blarney stone as early as 1820. bridey was correct about other matters that at first were thought to be wrong by scholars and a

rdy established the religious experience research unit at manchester college in england. a biology based upon an acceptance of the mechanistic hypothesis is a marvelous extension of chemistry and physics, hardy remarked. but to call it an entire science of life is a pretense. i cannot help feeling that much of man s unrest today is due to the widespread intellectual acceptance of this mechanistic superstition when the common sense of his intuition cries out that it is false. in april 2001, research funded by the alister hardy trust being conducted at the t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d mediums and mystics 145 the parapsychological association, inc. the parapsychological association provides readers with parapsychology faq which is a

gh knowledge of the literature of the subject; 2. a good grounding in normal and abnormal psychology, in physics, chemistry, biology, and photography; 3. keen powers of observation and an ability to judge human nature and its motives; 4. training in magic and sleight of hand; 5. shrewdness, quickness of thought and action, patience, resourcefulness, sympathy, and a sense of humor; 6. freedom from superstition; 7. the strength to stand out against bigotry, scientific as well as theological. m delving deeper carrington, hereward. the case for psychic survival. new york: citadel press, 1957. murphy, gardner. challenge of psychical research: a primer of parapsychology. new york: harper& row, 1970. murphy, gardner, and robert o. ballou, eds. william james on psychical research. new york: viking

t or in the power of sorcerers to transform people into animals. the consensus of the christian clergy was that those individuals who believed that they could fly through the air or work evil magic on another person were allowing satan to deceive them. the clergy was more concerned with stamping out all allegiance to the goddess diana and any other regional deities, and they regarded as primitive superstition any suggestion that witches possessed any kind of magical powers. in 1000, deacon burchard (d. 1025, later archbishop of worms, published corrector, which updated regino s canon episcopi and stressed that god alone had the t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d religious phenomena 217 kind of power that the untutored masses were attri

h hate, and religious hatreds tend to have long memories. writing in the march 15, 1993, issue of time magazine, lance morrow suggested that every cult is a kind of nationalism with citadels that bristle with intolerant clarities and with high-caliber weapons. scratch any aggressive tribalism or nationalism surface and one is likely to find a religious core, some older binding energy of belief or superstition, previous to civic consciousness, previous almost to thought. here, morrow discovered, is the great paradox god-love, the life-force, the deepest well of compassion is capable of transforming itself into a death force, with the peculiar annihilating energies of belief. a number of apocalyptic cults, such as aum supreme truth, the branch davidians, and the people s temple, have seen si

in 1970; and he envisioned his mission in life as one of destroying the influence of conventional religion in human affairs. filled with missionary zeal, aquino made it clear that he did not wish to convert everyone to satanism, but he did wish to remove the shadow of fear t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d mystery religions and cults 303 and superstition that he believed had been perpetuated by organized religion. on the eve of the summer solstice on june 21, 1975, after his split with lavey, aquino performed a magical ritual and sought to summon satan to appear to him to advise him how best to proceed in his earthly mission. according to aquino, the prince of darkness appeared to him in the image of set and declared to his disciple t

e wounds inflicted on jesus christ (c. 6 b.c.e. c. 30 c.e) during his crucifixion on the cross. subversive to cause the ruin or downfall of something or to undermine or overthrow principles, an institution, or a government. supernatural relating to or pertaining to god or the characteristics of god; a deity or magic of something that is above and beyond what is normally explained by natural laws. superstition the belief that certain actions and rituals have a magical effect resulting in either good or bad. from the latin stem superstition, and superstes, meaning standing over or in awe. taboo something that is forbidden. in some cases can refer to something being sacred, therefore forbidden, such as in polynesian societies. from the tongan tabu, said to have been introduced into the englis

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 3

d retelling been exaggerated or distorted. other urban legends have their origins in people misinterpreting or misunderstanding stories that they have heard or read in the media or from actual witnesses of an event. there is usually some distance between the narrator and his tale; all urban legends claim that the story always happened to someone else, most often a friend of a friend. the roots of superstition whatever their basis in reality, certain beliefs and practices of primitive people helped ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of superstition, a belie

of death the soul is freed from the body and is able to soar free of time and space. parker had died at 4:00 a.m. eastern time half an hour before gladys watson saw him. watson wrote an account of her experience for the journal of the american society for psychical research (vol. lxv, no. 3) in which she mentioned that both she and her husband were children of methodist ministers schooled against superstition from the time of their birth. when watson was asked by an investigator for the aspr whether the experience of hearing her grandfather speak could be compared to hearing someone in the flesh or to hearing with one s inner ear, she answered that it had been as if grandad parker had been there in the flesh, speaking in a soft, yet determined voice. watson s father, rev. walter e. parker

the origin of humankind s fear of vampires, werewolves, and other bloodsucking monsters to lie in the ancient nightmares of stone age peoples, other researchers called cryptozoologists (from kryptos, greek for hidden) seek to prove that such creatures as bigfoot, the loch ness monster, and sea serpents really exist. such determined individuals point out that the mountain gorilla was considered a superstition of the native people of africa until 1902 when oscar van beringe, a german explorer, shot two of them while climbing a volcano in the eastern congo. cryptozoologists argue that such physical evidence as hair samples, feces, and casts of footprints indicate that unknown species of apes or apemen unrecognized by science may exist in the himalayan mountains, the remote forests of norther

countered, european scientists did not accept the existence of the bear until 1898. the largest land animal next to the african elephant is the white rhinoceros, which remained officially unacknowledged t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d mysterious creatures 85 until 1900. the largest of the apes, the mountain gorilla, was considered a native superstition until 1901. the dragons of komodo island, indonesia, were considered the creations of a strange myth conjured up by the islanders until 1912. and the british zoologist who described the bizarre royal hepard a half-leopard and half-hyena beast long claimed by the natives of rhodesia to be an actual beast of prey wondered how such a large animal, and one so distinct from other species

listened carefully to such accounts and took note of what the survivors had worn, thought, said, or did to escape death. as the sharing of the survivors stories spread, highly individualized personal rituals grew out of the methods by which these heroes had been able to ward off evil or the deadly attack of predators or human enemies. these personal rituals became the beginning of what is called superstition and evolved over time into systems of magic and religious practices. as the belief in magic and superstition grew stronger, witches, wizards, and magicians were increasingly regarded with awe and great respect. everyone, rich and poor alike, sought their counsel and advice, for it was believed that the magicians were in direct communication with the spirit world and were able to foret

re a kind of white magic in that people will believe that their observing or practicing the personal ritual will bring them good luck, prevent illness, and ward off evil. and many superstitions offer procedures for overcoming the negative acts threatened by these omens, such as casting a pinch of salt over the shoulder or whispering a blessing after a sneeze. out of these early forms of magic and superstition grew many curious customs that remain to this day. for example, in time of illness the medicine man applied his lips to the part that issued pain and sucked out the evil spirit. mothers around the world still kiss the bruised finger or knee of their crying children to kiss it and make it well. many people still knock on wood to guard against their words or thoughts having been misunde

ws in that time long ago when primitive humans first dared to venture out of their caves. even the most sophisticated of today s men and women may still knock on wood and carry a rabbit s foot in their pockets for luck. niels bohr (1885 1962, the danish nobel prize-winning physicist, kept a horseshoe nailed over the door to his laboratory. when someone once asked him if he really believed the old superstition about horseshoes bringing good luck, he replied that he didn t believe in it, but he had been told that it worked whether one believed in it or not. david phillips, lead author of an extensive study of the effect of superstitions on the lives of those who believe in them, has stated that superstitions of any kind can raise stress and anxiety levels. the scientists who conducted the st

re hard-wired into the human brain, for they affect all people, regardless of educational level or ethnicity. while numerous studies have demonstrated that positive attitudes and certain religious practices, such as prayer and meditation, can reduce stress, superstitions that have become ingrained in someone s belief system can become extremely harmful. cats perhaps no animal has inspired as much superstition as the cat. throughout history, cats have been worshipped as gods by certain cultures and abhorred as demons by others. in european folklore, the black cat is the traditional companion of witches. because of this old belief, t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d superstitions, strange customs, taboos, and urban legends 189 superstiti

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL

etelling been exaggerated or distorted. other urban legends have their origins in people misinterpreting or misunderstanding stories that they have heard or read in the media or from actual witnesses of an event. there is usually some distance between the narrator and his tale; all urban legends claim that the story always happened to someone else, most often ga friend of a friend. h the roots of superstition whatever their basis in reality, certain beliefs and practices of primitive people helped ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of gsuperstition, h a be

ere the result of god fs word. therefore, when humans spoke with concentration and the proper intention and desire, their very words could accomplish powerful effects upon the self, upon others, and upon material things. in his great determination to produce a work that would unify all learning, wisdom, and faith, friar bacon wrote opus majus (1268. despite the fact that bacon continued to attack superstition and reject the black arts, he remains widely known as a magician, rather than an early experimental scientist. m delving deeper caron, m, and s. hutin. the alchemists. trans. by helen r. lane. new york: grove press, 1961. de givry, emile grillot. illustrated anthology of sorcery, magic and alchemy. trans. by j. courtenay locke. new york: causeway books, 1973. heer, friedrich. the medi

dying, he called upon the animals to come to bid him farewell. the first 12 to arrive were the ones who are immortalized in the chinese zodiac. astrology has been an integral aspect of daily life in china for centuries and remains so today. although communist doctrine and its rationalistic leaders have attempted to stamp out the influence of astrology and to depict its tenets as nothing more than superstition, the average man or woman in china will still make major decisions based on the guidance received from astrology. throughout western history astrologers have claimed an association with the movements of the planets, comets, and eclipses with every important event that has taken place. among the more familiar are the appearance of comets at the birth and death of julius caesar (c. 100

mystery range from ancient stone structures with puzzling origins and purposes, to legendary lost relics that reportedly reappeared centuries later, to everyday objects that are believed to have special powers that will bring good fortune to the bearer. salt, for example, represents life and health to many people: it has been used as a flavor enhancer and food preservative since ancient times. a superstition for new parents in europe and the americas involves placing salt in a baby fs cradle to protect the infant until it is baptized; a similar custom in some middle eastern countries calls for babies to be rubbed with salt to protect them from demons. it fs bad luck in many cultures to spill salt, but there is a quick way to recover: toss a pinch of salt with the right hand over the left

o stave off any bad luck resulting from the salt spill. throwing salt over one fs left shoulder is also believed to be a way to ward off the devil, who is said to look over the left shoulder of people; the salt tossed over the shoulder goes into the devil fs eyes. some people keep or carry a certain object they believe brings them good luck and helps ward off bad fortune. those items are based on superstition, religious belief, cultural practices, or personal associations. a ggood luck charm, h an object that symbolizes some important event, or a sacred religious item all possess some significance that combines with personal conviction to bring a sense of power, protection, and influence. the word gcharm, h however, did not always refer to an object of good luck. in the past, a charm was a

amulets. middle village, n.y: jonathan david publishers, 1983. nelson, felicitas h. talismans& amulets of the world. new york: sterling publishers, 2000. pavitt, william thomas. the book of talismans, amulets, and zodiacal gems. new york: samuel weiser, 1970. mandrake root mandrake, also known as mandragora officinarum, has a long tap-root that resembles a human form. this resemblance created the superstition that it literally shrieked when it was uprooted. those who heard the scream were to die, or, if it didn ft kill them, it caused them to go insane. this relative of the potato family was a popular anaesthetic during the middle ages. in the elizabethan age it was used as a narcotic. m delving deeper gthe mandragora plant.myths and other information. h [online] http//www.wordfocus.com/ a

solemn betrothal by means of a ring to precede matrimony. in england, rings were exchanged to seal the verbal contract of betrothal. in italy the use of the ring was widespread, and the diamond was the favorite gem. the diamond remains the favorite gem for the engagement ring in modern times. indeed, many people think only of the diamond in connection with rings of betrothal. according to an old superstition, the sparkle of the diamond is supposed to have originated in the fires of love. therefore the diamond engagement ring is considered by many persons as the only true engagement ring, portending love and happiness throughout life. m delving deeper eichler, lillian. the customs of mankind. garden city, n.y: doubleday, 1937. mintz, ruth finer. auguries, charms, amulets. middle village, n

e wounds inflicted on jesus christ (c. 6 b.c.e..c. 30 c.e) during his crucifixion on the cross. subversive to cause the ruin or downfall of something or to undermine or overthrow principles, an institution, or a government. supernatural relating to or pertaining to god or the characteristics of god; a deity or magic of something that is above and beyond what is normally explained by natural laws. superstition the belief that certain actions and rituals have a magical effect resulting in either good or bad. from the latin stem superstition, and superstes, meaning standing over or in awe. taboo something that is forbidden. in some cases can refer to something being sacred, therefore forbidden, such as in polynesian societies. from the tongan tabu, said to have been introduced into the englis

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

an authority properly centralized it does not really matter what that authority is. in the pope we have such an authority ready made, and it is the gravest tactical blunder to endeavour to set up an authority opposed to him. success in doing so means war, and failure anarchy. this, however, did not prevent levi from ceremonially casting a papal crown to the ground and crying "death to tyranny and superstition" in the bosom of a certain secret areopagus of which he was the most famous member. when a man becomes a magician he looks about him for a magical weapon; and, being probably endowed with that human frailty called laziness, he hopes to find a weapon ready made. thus we find the christian magus who imposed his power upon the world taking the existing worships and making a single system

od, and to give an idea of him which will satisfy all minds. ii- to establish the existence of a true religion in such a way as to render it incontestable. iii- to indicate the bearing and the "raison d'etre" of all the mysteries of the one true and universal religion. iv- to turn the objections of philosophy into arguments favourable to true religion. v- to draw the boundary between religion and superstition, and to give the reason of miracles and prodigies. preliminary considerations when count joseph de maistre, that grand and passionate lover of logic, said despairingly "the world is without religion" he resembled those people who say rashly "there is no god" the world, in truth, is without the religion of count joseph de maistre, as it is probable that such a god as the majority of at

ry of bossuet and that of napoleon in order to destroy everything that separates those two geniuses and to unite them in one alone. he was the samson of the spirit, always ready to shake the columns of the temple; but in order to make him turn in spite of himself the mill of religious progress, providence made him blind of heart. 88 article v solution of the last problem to separate religion from superstition and fanaticism superstition, from the latin word "superstes" surviving, is the sign which survives the idea which it represents; it is the form preferred to the thing, the rite without reason, faith become insensate through isolating itself. it is in consequence the corpse of religion, the death of life, stupefaction substituted for inspiration. fanaticism is superstition become passi

ched passion of the man exploiting the faith of the believer. in the fable of the ass loaded with relics, la fontaine tells us that the animal thought that he was being adored; he did not tell us that certain people indeed thought that they were adoring the animal. these people were the superstitious. if any one had laughed at their stupidity, he would very likely have been assassinated, for from superstition to fanaticism is only one step. superstition is religion interpreted by stupidity; fanaticism is religion serving as a pretext to fury. those who intentionally and maliciously confound religion 89 itself with superstition and fanaticism, borrow from stupidity its blind prejudices, and would borrow perhaps in the same way from fanaticism its injustices and angers. inquisitors or septem

e made them, for he could not contradict nature without denying himself. god being eternal, it is of the nature of necessity that his orders should be immutable as he" so spake that apostate, that man of impiety! yet, later, a christian doctor, become the oracle of the theological schools, taking his inspiration perhaps from these splendid words of the misbeliever, found himself obliged to bridle superstition by writing that beautiful and brave maxim which easily resumes the thought of the great emperor: 188 "a thing is not just because god wills it; but god wills it because it is just" the idea of a perfect and immutable order in nature, the notion of an ascending hierarchy and of a descending influence in all beings, had furnished to the ancient hierophants the first classification of th

g on the right for even numbers, and interpreting successively the number for the letter which corresponds to it, the grouping of the letters by the addition of their numbers, and all the successive oracles by their numerical order, and their hieroglyphic relations. this operation of the qabalistic sages, originally intended to discover the rigorous development of absolute ideas, degenerated into superstition when it fell into the hands of the ignorant priests and the nomadic ancestors of the bohemians who possessed the tarot in the middle ages; 194 they did not know how to employ it properly, and used it solely for fortune-telling. the game of chess, attributed to palamedes, has no other origin than the tarot<history of tarot and chess are worthless 18th c

our. they are phantoms of the delirium of the world-fever; it is the hysteria of a bored society. virgil tells us in fine verse that in the time of caesar rome was full of spectres; in the time of vespasian the gates of the temple of jerusalem opened of themselves, and a voice was heard crying "the gods depart" now, when the gods depart, the devils return. religious feeling transforms itself into superstition when faith is lost; for souls need to believe, because they thirst for hope. how can faith be lost? how can science doubt the infinite harmony? because the sanctuary of the absolute is always closed for the majority. but the kingdom of truth, which is that of god, suffers violence, and the violent must take it by force. there exists a dogma, there exists a key, there exists a sublime

solute is always closed for the majority. but the kingdom of truth, which is that of god, suffers violence, and the violent must take it by force. there exists a dogma, there exists a key, there exists a sublime tradition; and this dogma, this key, this tradition is transcendental magic. there only are found the absolute of knowledge and the eternal bases of law, guardian against all madness, all superstition and all error, the eden of the intelligence, the ease of the heart, and the peace of the soul. we do not say this in the hope of convincing the scoffer, but only to guide the seeker. courage and good hope to him; he will surely find, since we ourselves have found. the magical dogma is not that of the mediums. the mediums who dogmatize can teach nothing but anarchy, since their inspira

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

tions of man's being, to bring into operation those which previously for various reasons were latent. incidentally, its techruque is such that neurotic symptoms which were too insistent upon expression either become eliminated or toned down by a process of equilibration. it will be obvious, then, that by magic2 we are not considering a theatrical craft or jugglery-and certainly not that mediaeval superstition whch was the chld of ignorance begotten by fear and terror. these definitions should be expunged from our thinking. for centuries magic has been quite erroneously associated with such pathologies as witchcraft3 and demonolatry4 due to the duplicity of charlatans and the reticence of its own so-called authorities. even today, the custodians of this knowledge, harassed by personal probl

ritual psychology the works of swiss psychologist c. g. jung (1875-1961) can be seen as part of the apex of the occult revival of the late nineteenth century. using the new vocabulary employed by sigmund freud, jung described that knowledge of the human psyche which mystics and magicians had gathered since ancient times. what had once been veiled in occult jargon and symbolism, and thus viewed as superstition and nonsense by the public at large, was now for the first time expressed in such a manner that psychologists and other intellectuals sat up and took notice. jung's exploration of psychology in conjunction with h s study of the paranormal made his theories the crucial link between psychology and magic. however, h s interest in occult matters was one of the primary reasons for h s ulti

THE STAR IN THE WEST BY CAPTAIN FULLER A CRITICAL ESSAY ON THE WORKS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY

only a donkey fastened to a post moves in a circle.*2 *1. tannhauser, vol. i, p. 253 *2. ibid, vol. i, p. 254. he taunts them, insults god; and tells all, shouting it far and broad, that his road was the road of the mount of venus, the road of lust, the fiery baptism of vice which impels virtue. then the silence breaks, the foul mob of the self-sufficient, the spawn of ignorance, and the slime of superstition, let loose their hell-hound voices. fiend! atheist! devil! are hurled at his head; kill him! crucify him! death! death! but tannhauser stands a colossus amid the bursting bubbles of this stygian mire of corruption, and turning to the landgrave he says: will they answer you? my arm is weary as your souls are not of beastliness: i have drawn my father fs sword. hard as your virtue is th

of desire. these two states, if we carefully dissect the corpse of religion, we shall find to lie at its basic foundation. on turning now to the works before us, we find traced therein an elaborate system rising from the fear of primitive man to the veneration of his presentday offspring. fear, the basal foundation of all gods, found a subtle soil in ignorance; ignorance reacted on god, producing superstition; superstition, cruelty; cruelty, all the tigerish longings of the day and the hoggish gratifications of the night. pessimism is necessarily the foundation of all religion; for if man were normally optimistic he would not have conceived such a hierarchy of tyrants as that of his gods. the man who formerly cut himself with flints before a lump of stone or clay, is in no way more foolish

europe, as a hammer of lead, from the time that constantine. tyrant, murderer, and debauchee. threw in his lot with the yelping mob of constantinople. on that fateful day a fiery cross shone in the sky,*1. and to this day it has been our lot to carry its cankerous form branded on our hearts and corroded in our minds. not till now are we waking from the turbid dreams, the feverish lust, and dismal superstition, that sprang from the gaberlunzies of the suburra: the lord fs day. the foolish bells with their discordant clang summon the harlot-ridden hell to pray: the vicar fs snout is tuned; the curates bray long gabbled lessons, and their noisy twang fills the foul worshippers with hate; the fang of boredom crushes out the holy day, where whore and jobber sit and gloom, grown grey for hating

THE SECRET RITUALS OF THE OTO

ks of his army. his soldiers must be neither mercenaries nor pressed men. i therefore ask you your object in enrolling yourself amongst us (candidate replies as he thinks fit, and saladin holds an impromptu dialogue with him which ends as follows) noble and valiant guests and comrades! you have arrived amongst us at a time when freedom is about to deliver the decisive combat against the forces of superstition, tyranny and oppression. in the time which you spent in reposing from the fatigue of your journey, what was your sustenance and comfort. candidate: the book of the law. saladin: can you explain the nature of that law in a few words? candidate: do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law (all repeat, and give the sign) saladin: can you explain further the nature of the law? candida

rounded by combustible materials, and the file//c /documents%20and%20settings/michael..0secret%20rituals%20of%20the%20o.t.o/p2c8.html (6 of 13 [12/28/2001 2:05:02 pm] the secret rituals of the o.t.o. torch of the executioner applied (done (see diagram) with his last words he invoked vengeance on his murderers, who died within a year and a day, as you shall do if you ally yourself with tyranny and superstition (can. released) sir knight, roll on the ground these emblems, and cry: down with tyranny! down with superstition (done) the vengeance of the order was executed even sooner upon the traitors, who were stabbed in the throat within a fortnight of the murder of our master. lay your hand upon your heart, the fingers apart, in memory of the flames which curled about his noble heart; grasp y

d din, and from them obtained the secret called baphomet, being the mystery of the measure of heaven and earth that lieth behind this secret of the vii concerning the unity of god. and ye have verily reason from the crowns of your heads to the soles of your feet to remember how this is the origin of all our tragedy. thus therefore, sir knights valorous and noble, war constantly on all tyranny and superstition, and mostly against bigotries such as orthodox christianity as interpreted in its material sense, old wives tales and foolish fables, the immoral doctrines of original sin and vicarious atonement, and the most hideous eschatology in the history of false religion. nor can much less be averred against all other orthodoxies, with their fables equally absurd, their postulates equally immo

ritains that are in the sanctuary of the gnosis to the perfectly illuminated adepts of the secret areopagus of the eighth degree, pontiffis and epopts of the illuminati, greeting and peace. under the seal of the obligation of the viii. i of chastity dearly beloved, in that war of the brethren of the left hand path against the gnosis whose first phase ended in the establishment of that tyranny and superstition which is called christianity, much truth was stolen by the black lodge, and perverted to its vile uses. and most noxious in its corruption is that castration of man called chastity, the atrophy of those noblest parts of the body which are the proper organs of redemption both gaian and ouranian. we then who in the seventh degree were sworn most solemnly to chastity in the inmost as in

let this be accounted unto them for righteousness. but see, my brethren perfectly illuminated adepts, how great is their error, that they revolt who should be kings. for it is in truth not the apish antics of the priest that consecrate the bread, but his male power that should make holy all his deeds. consider of this. v of the sabbath of the adepts in the black hours of earth, when the christian superstition with fell blight withered most malignantly the peoples of europe, when our own holy order was dispersed and the sanctity of its preceptories lay violate, there were yet found certain to hold truth in their hearts, and, loving light, to bear the lamp of virtue beneath the cloak of secrecy. and these at certain seasons went at night by ways open or hidden to heaths and mountains, and th

THE HOLY BIBLE KING JAMES VERSION

e to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. 25:17 therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow i sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth. 25:18 against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as i supposed: 25:19 but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one jesus, which was dead, whom paul affirmed to be alive. 25:20 and because i doubted of such manner of questions, i asked [him] whether he would go to jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters. 25:21 but when paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of augustus, i commanded him to be kept till i might send him to caesar. 25:22 then agrippa said unto festus, i

TRUE HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT

e goddess in question may be nuit, her manifestation the sworn whore, our lady babalon, the scarlet woman. transform what you will shall be the whole of history, but this makes what marx did to hegel look like slavish devotion. what crowley himself said of this kind of witchcraft is not merely instructive, but an afront to the conceits of an era "the belief in witchcraft" he observed" was not all superstition; its psychological roots were sound. women who are thwarted in their natural instincts turn inevitably to all kinds of malignant mischief, from slander to domestic destruction" for the rest of us, those who neither worship nor are disdainful of the man who made sexuality a god or, at least, acknowledged it as such, experience must be its own teacher. if wicca is a sort of errant miner

TURNER ROBERT ARBETEL OF MAGICK

, that we understand when the spirits are assisting us, in undertaking the greatest business; and he that understands this, it is manifest, that he shall be made a magician of the ordination of god; that is, such a person who useth the ministery of the spirits to bring excellent things to pass. here, as for the most part, they sin, either through negligence, ignorance, or contempt, or by too much superstition; they offend also by ingratitude towards god, whereby many famous men have afterwards drawn upon themselves destruction: they sin also by rashness and obstinacy; and also when they do not use their gifts for that honor of god which is required, and do prefer [illegible greek].1 sixthly, the magitian hath need of faith and taciturnity, especially, that he disclose no secret which the s

it, as thou didst over ahab that he perished; but keep me in thy truth. amen. thirdly, let him accustome himself to try the spirits, as the scripture admonisheth; for grapes cannot be gathered of thorns: let us try all things, and hold fast that which is good and laudable, that we may avoid every thing that is repugnant to the divine power. the fourth is, to be remote and cleer from all manner of superstition; for this is superstition, to attribute divinity in this place to things, wherein there is nothing at all divine; or to chuse or frame to our selves, to worship god with some kinde of worship which he hath not commanded: such are the magical ceremonies of satan, whereby he impudently offereth himself to be worshipped as god. the fifth thing to be eschewed, is all worship of idols, whi

TWO ESSAYS ON THE WORSHIP OF PRIAPUS

of dress, a sort of amulets (which they imagine to be a preservative from the mal occhii, evil eyes, or enchantment) exactly similar to those which were worn by the ancient inhabitants of this country for the very same purpose, as likewise for their supposed invigorating influence; and all of which have evidently a relation to the cult of priapus. struck with this conformity in ancient and modern superstition, i made a collection of both the ancient and modern amulets of this sort, and placed them together in the british museum, where they remain. the modern amulet most in vogue represents a hand clinched, with the point of the thumb thrust betwixt the index and middle1 finger; the next is a shell; and the third is a half-moon. these amulets (except the shell, which is usually worn in its

the forms and ceremonials of a religion are not always to be understood in their direct and obvious sense; but are to be considered as symbolical representations of some hidden meaning, which may be extremely wise and just, though the symbols themselves, to those who know not their true signification, may appear in the highest degree absurd and extravagant. it has often happened, that avarice and superstition have continued these symbolical representations for ages after their original meaning has been lost and forgotten; when they must of course appear nonsensical and ridiculous, if not impious and extravagant. such is the case with the rite now under consideration, than which of priapus 15 nothing can be more monstrous and indecent, if considered in its plain and obvious meaning, or as a

of it seem however to have been preserved, in many parts of christendom, long after the actual celebration of its rites ceased. hence the obscene figures observable upon many of our gothic cathedrals, and particularly upon the ancient brass doors of st. peter's at rome, where there are some groups which rival the devices on the lesbian medals. it is curious, in looking back through the annals of superstition, so degrading to the pride of man, to trace the progress of the human mind in different ages, climates, and circumstances, uniformly acting upon the same principles, and to the same ends. the sketch here given of the corruptions of the religion of greece, is an exact counterpart of the history of the corruptions of christianity, which began in the pure theism of the eclectic jews,1 an

s work. the town of isernia was destroyed, with a great portion of its inhabitants, in the terrible earthquake which so fearfully destroyed the kingdom of naples on the 26th of july, 1805, nineteen years after the appearance of the book alluded to. perhaps with it perished the last trace of the worship of priapus in this particular form; but payne knight was not acquainted with the fact that this superstition, in a variety of forms, prevailed throughout southern and western europe largely during the middle ages, and that in some parts it is hardly extinct at the present day; and, as its effects were felt to a more considerable extent than people in general suppose in the most intimate and important relations of society, whatever we can do to thrown light upon its medi val existence, though

e figure believed himself safe, during that day at least, from evil influences of various descriptions. they are found, we believe, in some other roman stations, in a similar position to that of the phallus at housesteads. although the worship of which we are treating prevailed so extensively among the romans and throughout the roman provinces, it was far from being peculiar to them, for the same superstition formed part of the religion of the teutonic race, and was carried with that race wherever it settled. the teutonic god, who answered to the roman priapus, was called, in anglo-saxon, fr a, in old norse, freyr, and, in old german, fro. among the swedes, the principal seat of his worship was at upsala, and adam of bremen, who lived in the eleventh century, when paganism still retained i

ive feet from the surface, which shows that the building, a church no doubt, must have fallen into ruin a long time ago. contiguous to this field, and at a distance of about two hundred yards from the spot where the shelah-na-gig was found, there is an abandoned churchyard, separated from the old town field only by a loose stone wall. the belief in the salutary power of this image appears to be a superstition of great antiquity, and to exist still among all peoples who have not reached a certain degree of civilization. the universality of this superstition leads us to think that herodotus may have erred in the explanation he has given of certain rather remarkable monuments of a remote antiquity. he tells us that sesostris, king of egypt, raised columns in some of the countries he conquered

nt to allay the grief of her guest. she relieved her sexual organs of that outward sign which is the evidence of puberty, and then presented them to the view of ceres, who, at the sight, laughed, forgot her sorrows, and drank the cyceon.1 the prevailing belief in the beneficial influence of this sight, rather than a mere pleasantry, seems to afford the best explanation of this story; and the same superstition is no doubt embodied in an old medi val story which we give in a note as it is told in that celebrated book of the sixteenth century le moyen de parvenir.2 this superstition which, as shown by the shelah-na-gigs of the irish churches, prevailed largely in the middle ages, explains another class of antiquities which are not uncommon. these are small figures of nude females exposing the

1. 6 plate xxxii, fig. 2. 7 plate xxxii, fig. 3. 138 on the worship of the worn that it is quite uncertain whether the sexual parts were ever distinctly marked, but from the postures and positions of the hands, and the situation in which these figures are placed, they seem to resemble closely, except in their superior style of art, the shelahna- gigs of ireland. there can be little doubt that the superstition to which these objects belonged gave rise to much of the indecent sculpture which is so often found upon medi val ecclesiastical buildings. the late baron von hammer-p rgstall published a very learned paper upon monuments of various kinds which he considered as illustrating the secret history of the order of the templars, from which we learn that there was in his time a series of most

TYSON DONALD NEW MILLENNIUM MAGIC

d fail if they lacked access to the center of being from which all magical vitality flows. the converse is that magic can be worked effectively by someone without the least knowledge of traditional methods. intuitive magic relies entirely on the sub- verbal urgings and directives of the spirit. self-inspired magicians usually will pick up an entire collage of disparate bits and pieces of lore and superstition that nonetheless works for them because they are in touch with the unmanifest. the best approach is a balance between traditional elements that have proven effective over time and inspired elements that resonate strongly in the personal psyche of the magus. magical learning usually begins from the outside and pro- gresses inward, although it is vitalized from the inside out-that is, b

themselves in buddhist or hindu philosophy. however, it is useful to place rein- carnation in the context of the unmanifest. there are two views of reincarnation. the first supposes the soul, the person- al identity, endures a series of births and deaths in order to gather a store of life experience, and that through the soul any man or woman may recall the events of past lives. this is a vulgar superstition that no educated buddhist would tolerate for an instant, yet it is held by the vast majority of people. the more enlightened opinion is that the soul is mortal and perishes with the body, but the spirit that lives in all beings survives death and is successively rein- carnated with its stock of life experience in order to evolve to a higher state. according to this view, the individua

ou should know about a sign, just as no title can convey everything that is in a book. also, catalytic words can only call up information that has been gathered into the mind through long hours of study- alone they are almost valueless. the powers of the zodiac are not to be found in the far reaches of interstellar space. the notion that stars and planets physically determine events on earth is a superstition, a belief that is in defiance of reason. such a view was forgivable before the 18th century, when no one was really sure what stars and planets were made of, or how they had formed, or what physical influences they might exert on other bodies. with the advent of modern physics and astronomy there is no longer any rational way to postulate that some occult power flowing from the stars

is or her first possession. two constants emerge from the legends about the guardian. the first is that it represents the personal intervention of spiritual forces in the life of the individual. the second constant that emerges about the guardian is that it serves as a media- tor between ordinary human consciousness and the unknowable mind of the all. the magus who is liberated from the burden of superstition, which is belief without reasonable cause, will not make the error of thinking of the guardian as a physical being with wings and a halo. nor will he or she go to the opposite extreme and mistake the guardian for a mere fantasy. as in so many cases, the truth lies where these two opposing views merge. the guardian is a psychic entity in that it exists in the rooms and corridors of the

hould favor the use of his or her own language in magic, even though it is traditional to use latin, hebrew, greek, and even arabic. a native lan- guage is learned by the child in the cradle. it will always have deeper associations than any other. also, the magus must know at all times exactly what he or she is saying without any ambiguity. the use of hebrew in sigil making is for the most part a superstition. it is true that hebrew has many magical associations with a long tradition. it is also true that hebrew, by its very structure, lends itself to magic. each letter of hebrew is also a number, and since all hebrew letters are consonants, any combination of let- ters can be made into a pronounceable word by the addition of vowel points. this provides great flexibility in relating one se

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

place where he knew his physical body was still lying. the bed appeared empty to his astral sight. after his marriage, he was able to see his wife's sleeping form in the bed, but never his own. this appears to me to have been some sort of mental block, probably caused by an unconscious fear on the part of fox that to view his own body while outside of it would result in his death. it is a common superstition that when a person sees their own double, they are soon to die. by unconsciously blinding himself to his physical body while in the astral body, fox avoided this fictitious danger. he discovered by accident one afternoon in july 1908 that he was able to project while lying in a light trance state without entering a lucid dream. he propelled his astral body out of his physical body by

random sampling is less than 10-22."156 parapsychology and the nazis the early work by rhine was regarded with interest in europe by german psychologists, but was never effectively duplicated by them. in germany, the rise of the nazis during 156. rhine and pratt, 176. the 1930s had a chilling influence on serious scientific research into the paranormal. the nazis were infected with mysticism and superstition, but they did not attempt to cast these interests into the pseudo-scientific framework of laboratory esp investigation. even though occultism in the form of mystical beliefs and secret societies was found everywhere among the upper ranks of the nazi party, scientists were viewed with suspicion and their speculative research was seldom encouraged unless it happened to support party opi

and indeed, the astral body is sometimes perceived to project from the stump of the amputation, and takes the form of the lost limb. the scholar henry james wrote in an article for the american society for psychical research titled "the consciousness of lost limbs" that those who suffer an amputation sometimes assert that they can feel what is being done to the severed appendage' it was a common superstition that when the severed limb suffered injury, its former owner would experience pain. this belief was perhaps encouraged by the pain that is often felt by amputees in a so-called "phantom limb"-a limb that is missing but that hurts as though it were still attached to the body. this close association between physical limbs and astral limbs suggests why such a simple posture as crossed le

uggests why such a simple posture as crossed legs may have a profound effect on the ability of the astral body to separate. it is worth noting that in medieval times, crossing the legs was reputed to be a way to prevent oneself from being bewitched or otherwise influenced by magic. men crossed their legs for much the same reason they made a hand gesture to ward off the evil eye. today we have the superstition that crossing the fingers behind the back will prevent the truth from being drawn out of us by an interrogator. folding the hands over the solar 216. crookall, 34, citing the journal of the a. s. p r (1916, vol. x, 679. 217. muldoon and carrington, phenomena of astral projection, 22. chapter fifteen: training for soul flight 263 plexus, as i have suggested in the general ritual of pro

s you completely. this may end your exercise, or you may find yourself able to see details emerge of the place beyond the door as the bright glow slowly fades away. if so, you may wish to record them in your daily journal. the opening doorway filled with white light is similar to the tunnel with light at the end that those who have had near-death experiences so often describe. contrary to popular superstition, you will not die if you go through this tunnel. the tunnel, or the doorway of this exercise, are symbols of transition. they take your awareness to a different place. do not be afraid to pass through the doorway. such a transition of consciousness is essential for soul flight. you must pass into the astral world, and that involves passing through a portal of some sort. even when we e

ay, is what happens when an individual or group begins to play with a ouija board or similar spirit communication device. it should come as no surprise when astral spirits notice this sort of activity, and respond to it. nor is it dangerous. those who proclaim the dread powers of the ouija, and offer ominous warnings that you will be taken over and tormented if you dare to use it, are repeating a superstition. what happens is that, when you do something specifically designed to attract the attention of the inhabitants of the astral world, they will respond in kind by attempting to attract your attention, as a way of letting you know that you have reached them. there is seldom any malicious intention on the part of the spirits, but human beings playing around with a ouija board or similar d

TYSON DONALD THE MAGICAL WORKBOOK

mewhat from its golden dawn model. this was not a sacrilegious act on my part. the text was derived by the founders of the golden dawn from the chaldean oracles ofzoroaster and was modified by them from that older source to suit their purposes. i have merely carried on this traditional practice in magic of taking what you need and making it your own. it is important for beginners to shake off the superstition that rituals are inviolable patterns that must never be altered. rituals are created by individuals to accomplish specific purposes when worked under an existing set of circumstances. if the goals of a ritual or the conditions under which it is worked change, it may become useful or necessary to change the ritual, in order to renew its full effectiveness. it is perfectly permissible t

ncerned with inner development and less with outer gestures and objects. the third book contains a set of magic squares the majority of which are incomplete. each square is supposed to possess an inherent power of magic. the squares have quite a bad reputation for causing evil to those who even so much as possess them, without knowing what they are for or how to use them. in my view, this is idle superstition. no one should be afraid to study this book, which is the essential teaching on the holy guardian angel. the goetia: the lesser k q of solomon the king. lemegeton, book i, clavicuk salomonis regs. illustrated second edition, edited and introduced by aleister crowley. further editing by hymenaeus beta. york beach, maine: samuel weiser, 1995. first edition first published 1904. almost a

WALLIS BUDGE E A LEGENDS OF THE EGYPTIAN GODS

venomous reptiles he placed statues containing the fluid of life in niches in the walls of various chambers, or in some place outside but near the house, or buried them in the earth with their faces turned in the direction from which he expected the attack to come. plate xvii. the metternich stele--obverse. plate xviii. the metternich stele--reverse. towards the close of the xxvith dynasty, when superstition in its most exaggerated form was general in egypt, it became the custom to make house talismans in the form of small stone stelae, with rounded tops, which rested on bases having convex fronts. on the front of such a talisman was sculptured in relief a figure of horus the child (harpokrates, standing on two crocodiles, holding in his hands figures of serpents, scorpions, a lion, and a

he two muses at hermopolis[fn#264] isis as well as dikaiosune,[fn#265] she being none other, it is said, than wisdom pointing out the knowledge of divine truths to her votaries, the true hierophori and hierostoli. now, by the former of these are meant such who carry about them looked up in their souls, as in a chest, the sacred doctrine concerning the gods, purified from all such superfluities as superstition may have added thereto. and the holy apparel with which the hierostoli adorn the statues of these deities, which is partly of a dark and gloomy and partly of a more bright and shining colour, seems aptly enough to represent the notions which this doctrine teaches us to entertain of the divine nature itself, partly clear and partly obscure. and inasmuch as the devotees of isis after th

ap. cxxxviia of the book of the dead "and behold, these things shall be performed by a man who is clean, and is ceremonially pure, one who hath eaten neither meat nor fish, and who hath not had intercourse with women (ll. 52, 53. viii. this much may be depended upon: the, religious rites and ceremonies of the egyptians were never instituted upon irrational grounds, never built upon mere fable and superstition, but founded with a view to promote the morality and happiness of those who were to observe them, or at least to preserve the memory of some valuable piece of history, or to represent to us some of the phenomena of nature. as concerning the abhorrence which is expressed for onions, it is wholly improbable that this detestation is owing to the loss of diktys, who, whilst he was under t

to explain it consistently with religion and philosophy, if you will steadily persist in the observance of all these holy rites which the laws require of you, and are moreover fully persuaded that to form true notions of the divine nature is more acceptable to them than any sacrifice or mere external act of worship can be, you will by this means be entirely exempt from any danger of falling into superstition, an evil no less to be avoided than atheism itself [fn#290] the animal here referred to must be the dog-headed ape, which we see in pictures of the judgment assisting thoth to weigh the heart of the dead. this dog-headed ape is a wonderfully intelligent creature, and its weird cleverness is astonishing [fn#291] the egyptian tehuti, or thoth [fn#292. xii. now, the story of isis and osi

WICCA WITCHCRAFT TODAY

re everything had been done very satisfactorily and spells performed which worked! what interests me is the fact that numbers of people meet every year and perform witch rites because they believe in them. a critic has suggested to me 'these people are not witches; they only do witch rites because it gives them pleasure and because they are superstitious' if that is to be the touchstone, is not a superstition a belief? is a christian who believes in his religion, and also obtains pleasure and comfort from performing its religious rites, not therefore a christian? it is also said, with what truth i do not know, that the wee frees only believe in religions that make you miserable. neither the witches nor myself see eye to eye with the wee frees in this respect. 5- the little people i believe

o do this with the arms? the god mithra is very often shown with two attendants with torches, who usually have their legs crossed. this was very much a soldiers' cult, and so might appeal to the templars and others; but i have not found any other connections. 7- the witches and the mysteries i had always believed that witches belonged to an independent stone age cult whose rites were a mixture of superstition and reality and had no connection with any other system. but during my short stay in new orleans, though i did not succeed in getting into voodoo, i noticed some suspicious resemblances which made me think that voodoo was not solely african in origin but had been compounded in america out of european witchcraft and african mythology; and when i visited the villa of the mysteries at po

ent and galloped through thick and thin- presumably an ordinary fertility dance. again he could not obtain a conviction; the nobles protected her and she got away to england. the bishop had to content himself with flogging, torturing and burning her servants by a sort of ecclesiastical lynch law. among the charges against her was one of sweeping the dust inwards. in the isle of man it is a common superstition that you must sweep inwards or you will sweep the luck away. in lady kyteler's case there was sufficient evidence to prove the existence of witchcraft and of a coven of thirteen. most likely she was in communication with an irish branch of the fairy or little people who celebrated rites similar to those used in england and to those of dionysus in ancient rome. the second charge agains

called upon are consciously felt to be evil ones, and those concerned in the operation are seeking aid from some force exterior to accepted conditions and beliefs' if this is true, then the witches of whom i have been speaking are not witches at all. what are they then? they are the people who call themselves the wida, the 'wise people, who practise the age-old rites and who have, along with much superstition and herbal knowledge, preserved an occult teaching and working processes which they themselves think to be magic or witchcraft. they are the type of people who were burned alive for possessing this knowledge, often giving their lives to turn suspicion away from others. at castletown we have a memorial to the nine million people who died by torture in one way or another for witchcraft

roduced to the mighty ones- the spirits of the dead members of the cult who have not been reincarnated and who are supposed to be present. i can see no real reason why one cannot be a good enough though unorthodox christian and a witch at the same time. it seems to me easier than being a christian and a communist. the christian who thinks reincarnation heresy, who will not countenance any form of superstition and belongs to the sabbath day observance league, would certainly not make a good witch. it is possible that the grandfathers of some of these people may have called their leader the devil in the days when it was considered rather advanced to talk of the devil. it may be argued that many witches confessed to signing pacts. of course they did, and so would i if i were tortured long eno

gave a very good description of the leader, a man with a green cloak, a green cap with a white feather and a golden belt with a sword and a hunting horn in his hand. there was also a lady dressed in green, having a white band with a gold ornament on it and a dagger in her belt. her long golden hair hung loose to her waist. there was a host of others who swept past and left them unharmed. the old superstition was that woden was hunting and that no one could look on a god unharmed; he would be killed or blinded at the least. anyone hearing the wild hunt approaching would therefore fling himself flat, hiding his face in the grass. little girls do make up stories; but this story rings truer than most if she had seen such a ride, she would tell it in just this way. the pity is that no one seem

believed in the power. now what is this power? if you ask them they say it is magic; if you ask them what they mean by magic, they say they don't know but that it is something that works. what can this power be? the easy answer is mind over matter. if you believe a thing firmly enough, you will imagine things. while i can believe that mind has much to do with it, this answer does not satisfy me. superstition is believing without evidence; science is testing a thing and only believing it when you obtain adequate proof. for this reason science is continually and quite rightly changing its views; they may often confuse cause with effect, as when an early egyptian scientist noticed that at the coming of the dog star the nile rose, and, to the great benefit of agriculture, was able to predict

-and-miss methods- superstitious and not proved, if you like- that at times they got results. one of these superstitions was that there was some connection between part of a thing and the thing itself, so if you could get some of the blood, excrement or hair of a person or animal you could establish a link. fifty years ago scientists would have united in saying that this was nonsense, that it was superstition, which it truly is, for there was no proof of it. nowadays, however, many scientific men believe that living tissues emanate their own radiations in conformity with their cellular structure. a disease affecting these tissues superimposes its own radiations on those of the normal cell; every disease has its own characteristic wave formation, and the patient need not be present; a speci

WICCA MAGICK OCCULT THREE GREEN BOOKS DRUIDISM

hat a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. george benard shaw a great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. saul bellow i consider myself a hindu, christian, moslem, jew, buddhist and confucian. mohandas ghandi to become a popular religion, it is only necessary for a superstition to enslave a philosophy. dean william r. inge modern man has not ceased to be credulous, the need to believe haunts him. william james science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. albert einstein mystery is a better word for god because it suggests questions, not answers. why is always a good question, the one question that distinguishes us from the other brute

WILLIAM WESCOTT NUMBERS THEIR OCCULT POWER AND MYSTIC VIRTUES

66 b.c. 90. the nine gods of the etruscans were juno, minerva, tinia, vulcan, mars, saturn, hercules, summanus and vedius; the etruscans also became united with the romans. note in macaulay s poem of horatius, lars porsena of clusium by the nine gods he swore, in 596 b.c. lars porsena led the etruscans; they were then most powerful; from the estrucans the romans took much of their law, custom and superstition. numbers--th eir occu lt power an d mys tic vir tu es by w. wyn n wes tcott it is by nines that eastern presents are given, when they would extend their magnificence to the greatest degree, as mentioned in comte de caylus, oriental tales. 1743. barrett s magus notes also 9 precious stones, 9 orders of devils, 9 choirs of angels he copies from john heydon. note in this connection, the

18276066 GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 1

two of which, and part of the third, will contain the translation of grimm's text, and the remainder of the third volume will consist of his own appendix and a supplement. the author's second and third editions (1844 and 1854) were each published in 2 vols, accompanied by an appendix consisting, first, of a short treatise on the anglo-saxon genealogies, and secondly, of a large collection of the superstitions of various teutonic nations. this appendix will form a part of our vol. iii. after grimm's death his heirs entrusted to prof. e. h. meyer, of berlin, the task of bringing out a fourth edition, and including in it such additional matter as the author had collected in his note-books for future use. if grimm had kved to finish his great dictionary, which engrossed the latter years of hi

ts of the suppressed doctrine, how vastly the picture we are able to form of it would gain in clearness, if some clerk at fulda, eegensburg, eeichenau or st. gall, or one at bremen, corvei or imagdeburg, had in the eighth, ninth or tenth century, hit upon the plan of collecting and setting before us, after the manner of saxo grammaticus, the still extant traditions of his tribe on the beliefs and superstitions of their forefathers! let no one tell me, that by that time there was nothing more to be had; here and there a footmark plainly shows that such recollections could not really have died out^ and who will show me in sweden, which clung to heathenism longer and more tenaciously, such a composition as actually appeared in denmark during the twelftli century? but for this fact, would not

, lithuanians and finns, wherever they afford confirmation or elucidation. this extension of our scope would find ample reason and justification in the mere contact (so fruitful in many ways) of the languages of those nationalities with teutonic ones, particularly of the celtic with old frankish, of the finnish and lithuanian with gothic, and of the slavic with high german. but also the myths and superstitions of these very nations are peculiarly adapted to throw light on the course taken by our domestic heathenism in its duration and decadence. against the error which has so frequently done damage to the study of the norse and greek mythologies, i mean the mania of foisting metaphysical or astronomical solutions on but half-discovered historical data, i am sufficiently guarded by the inco

lunam proelio contendissent (see suppl. while history has not preserved the name of one german vates, it has those of several prophetesses. tac. germ. 8: vidimus sub divo vespasiano veledam (as a prisoner in his triumph) diu apud plerosque num.inis loco habitam. hist. 4, 61: ea virgo nationis bructerae, late imikritalat, vetere apud germanos more, quo plerasque feminarum/a^idjz'cas, et augescente superstitions arbitrantur dcas. tuncque veledae auctoritas adolevit; nam' prosperas germanis res et excidium legionum' praedixerat. in 4, 65, when the people of cologne were making an alliance with the tencteri they made the offer: arbitrum habebimus civilem et veledam apud quos pacta sancientur. sic lenitis tencteris, legati ad civilem et veledam missi cum donis, cuncta ex voluntate agrippinensiu

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGICK SPELLS

women entered the sacred area, under the leadership of a senior female water witch, though the chief male, known as the master, summoned the entity to assist in the ritual. if you would like to read more about this, you will find some recommended books listed in further reading, page 301. certainly, i can recall two terrifyingly swarthy aunts who commanded the family, and my father recounted many superstitions and much canal lore when i was young. this included the tale of a terrifying character called kit crewbucket, whose ghostly form would appear on a boat or be seen in the water before it went through a dark tunnel. canal life has a whole mythology, much now lost as the old working boats have been replaced by weekend leisure traffic. you will find more on the details of these old super

l that they are the subject of unfair scrutiny, jealousy, anger or resentment. this may be manifest as deliberate malice, a muttered curse or a declaration of some vengeful intent. but more usually the origins are more obscure, perhaps coming from someone gossiping or lying in bed at night, fuming over an achievement or good fortune enjoyed by their supposed enemy. a whole tradition of 'evil eye' superstitions and antidotes grew out of such envy and bad wishing. if you are to help counteract this kind of bad feeling, without causing harm in return, it is best to resort to some kind of protection. note that you do not have to identify the sender of bad vibes in order to protect the victim. you will usually know who it is, as in most cases there is a likely candidate, and very frequently the

ed patterns of reaction? again, you can maximise positive effects if you are aware of them, like anticipating a wave and riding it, rather than being submerged by the surge of power. rituals and moon phases if possible, always work out of doors or near an open window so that you feel connected to the lunar energies. however, do not feel that you must freeze if the weather is cold: in spite of the superstitions, it is not unlucky to look at the moon through glass. i have suggested a ritual for each phase and listed the best kinds of magick for each time. the waxing moon this is the time for new beginnings and long-term goals and you can repeat the same spell during each waxing moon period for projects that will take months or even a year or more to bring to fruition. the closer to the full

ABRAMELIN1

udy induced me to go to seek him in order to learn from him. but this man also bad not received from the lord the gift, and a perfect grace; because, although he forced himself to manifest unto me certain deep mysteries of the holy qabalah, he by no means arrived at the goal; and in his magic he did not in any way make use of the wisdom of the lord, but instead availed himself of certain arts and superstitions of infidel and idolatrous nations, in part derived from the egyptians,6 together with images of the medes and of the persians, with herbs of the arabians, together with the power of the stars and constellations; and, finally, he had drawn from every people and nation, and even from the christians, some diabolical art. and in everything the spirits blinded him to such an extent, even

ABRAMELIN2

sh 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 bands 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 e

ALEISTER CROWLEY THE LOST CONTINENT

ence. it is the utterance of the 'name' which it is death to pronounce. this word was constantly in their mouths; it is 'zcrra, a sort of venomous throat-gargling. hence, possibly the gaelic 'scurr 'speak, english 'scaur' or 'scar' in yorkshire and the pennines 'zcrra' is also the name of the 'high house, and of the graven image referred to above. others traces may be found in folklore; some mere superstitions. thus the correct number for a banquet was thirteen, because if there were only one more sign in the zodiac, the year would be a month longer, and one would have more time 'for work. this is probably a debased egyptian notion. atlanteans knew better than anyone that the zodiac is only an arbitrary division. still it may be laid down that the impossible never daunted atlas. if one sai

ALEISTER CROWLEY EQ I 1

hymns of egypt and assyria than in the extraordinary entanglement of systems that came to life during the first five hundred years of christian era. and in the east, from the most remote antiquity to the present day, scientific systems of illuminism have been in daily practice from the highest to the lowest in the land; though, as we consider, much corrupted by an ignorant priestcraft, by absurd superstitions and by a science which fell to a divine revelation in place of rising to a sublime art. in the west, for some fifteen hundred years now, christianity has swayed the minds of men from the arctic seas to the mediterranean. at first but one of many small excrescent faiths, which sprang up like fungi amongst the superb "d bris" of the religions of egypt, babylonia, and greece, it was not

ARADIA GOSPEL OF THE WITCHES

mily in which her calling or art has been practised for many generations. ihave no doubt that there are instances in which the ancestry remounts to mediaeval, roman, or itmay be etruscan times. the result has naturally been the accumulation in such families of much tra-dition. but in northern italy, as its literature indicates, though there has been some slight gatheringof fairy tales and popular superstitions by scholars, there has never existed the least interest asregarded the strange lore of the witches, nor any suspicion that it embraced an incredible quantity ofold roman minor myths and legends, such as ovid has recorded, but of which much escaped himand all other latin writers. 2 this ignorance was greatly aided by the wizards themselves, in making a profound secret of all theirtrad

BLAVATSKY H P ANTHROPOGENESIS

sin. no doubt subsequent lines continue this topic, but again our narrative is broken, and it re-opens only where the gods are preparing for war with the powers of evil, which are led by tiamat (the woman (babylonian legend of creation, p. 92) this account is omitted in genesis, for monotheistic purposes. but it is a mistaken policy- born no doubt of fear, and regard for dogmatic religion and its superstitions- to have sought to restore the chaldean fragments by genesis, whereas it is the latter, far younger than any of the fragments, which ought to be explained by the former[[vol. 2, page] 105 man's father, the sun. 17. the breath (human monad) needed a form; the fathers gave it. the breath needed a gross body; the earth moulded it. the breath needed the spirit of life; the solar lhas bre

trate. the mysteries of heaven and earth, revealed to the third race by their celestial teachers in the days of their purity, became a great focus of light, the rays from which became necessarily weakened as they were diffused and shed upon an uncongenial, because too material soil. with the masses they degenerated into sorcery, taking later on the shape of exoteric religions, of idolatry full of superstitions, and man, or hero-worship. alone a handful of primitive men- in whom the spark of divine wisdom burnt bright, and only strengthened in its intensity as it got dimmer and dimmer with every age in those who turned it to bad purposes- remained the elect custodians of the mysteries revealed to mankind by the divine teachers. there were those among them, who remained in their kumaric cond

could neither edify nor make him more perfect, seeing that such an example was given him by his gods. but[[footnote(s* professor max muller's lectures "on the philosophy of mythology- are before us. we read his citations of herakleitos (460 b.c, declaring that homer deserved "to be ejected from public assemblies and flogged" and of xenophanes "holding homer and hesiod responsible for the popular superstitions of greece" and for ascribing "to the gods whatever is disgraceful and scandalous among men. unlawful acts, such as theft, adultery, and fraud" finally the oxford professor quotes from professor jowett's translation of plato, where the latter tells adaimantos (republic) that "the young man (in the state) should not be told that in committing the worst of crimes, he is far from doing a

ant as their people were of the compass, have communicated with each other before the arrival of europeans; yet they one and all maintain that their respective countries extended far toward the west, on the asian side. moreover, with very small differences, they all speak dialects evidently of the same language; and understand each other with little difficulty; have the same religious beliefs and superstitions; and pretty much the same customs. and as few of the polynesian islands were discovered earlier than a century ago, the pacific ocean itself being unknown to europe till the days of columbus, and as these islanders have never ceased repeating the same old traditions since the europeans first set[[footnote(s* for the opinions of jacolliot, after long travels through the polynesian isl

the immediate vicinity of the island varies from 6,000 to 18,000 feet. others were inclined to see in these groups, including madeira, the azores, and the islands of cape de verdes- the remnants of a gigantic but submerged continent which had once united africa with america. the latter men of science supported their hypothesis by a mass of evidence in its favour, drawn from ancient "myths" hoary "superstitions" such as the fairy-like atlantis of plato, the garden of hesperides, atlas supporting the world on his shoulders, all of them mythoi connected with the peak of teneriffe, did not go far with sceptical science. the identity of animal and vegetable species- showing either a previous connection between america and the remaining groups of the islands (the hypothesis of their having been

BLAVATSKY H P COSMOGENESIS

rver and the destroyer; of light- the essence of our divine ancestors; of flame- the soul of things. electricity, the one life at the upper rung of being, and astral fluid, the athanor of the alchemists, at its lowest; god and devil, good and evil[[footnote(s[[footnote continued from previous page] rest, and may as well mean "holy" as not. it is a blind, very suggestive in connection with certain superstitions- e.g, that of the russian people who will not use the pigeon for food; not because it is "unclean" but because the "holy ghost" is credited with having appeared under the form of a dove* not the mediaeval alchemists, but the magi and fire-worshippers, from whom the rosicrucians or the philosophers per ignem, the successors of the theurgists borrowed all their ideas concerning fire, a

o fire "fire" it says "is the most perfect and unadulterated reflection, in heaven as on earth, of the one flame. it is life and death, the origin and the end of every material thing. it is divine 'substance" thus, not only the fire-worshipper, the parsee, but even the wandering savage tribes of america, which proclaim themselves "born of fire" show more science in their creeds and truth in their superstitions, than all the speculations of modern physics and learning. the christian who says "god is a living fire" and speaks of the pentecostal "tongues of fire" and of the "burning bush" of moses, is as much a fire-worshipper as any other "heathen" the rosicrucians, among all the mystics and kabalists, were those who defined fire in the right and most correct way. procure a sixpenny lamp, ke

ace, eloquently tell of glories yet to come- if not, the chamber of perfections of cheops' tomb, was probably the place to which the initiant was admitted after he had passed through the narrow upward passage and the grand gallery, with its lowly termination, which gradually prepared him for the[[footnote continued on next page[[vol. 1, page] 318 the secret doctrine "farrago of absurd fiction and superstitions" as the brahminical literature is generally termed, will endeavour to learn the symbolical universal language with its numerical and geometrical keys. but here again they will hardly be successful if they share the belief that the jewish kabalistic system contains the key to the whole mystery: for, it does not. nor does any other scripture at present possess it in its entirety, for e

clothed with matter, and assuming an actual existence "the mundane god, eternal, boundless, young and old, of winding form* say the chaldean oracles. this "winding form" is a figure to express the vibratory motion of the astral light, with which the ancient priests were perfectly well acquainted, though its name was invented by the martinists. now cosmolatry has the finger of scorn pointed at its superstitions by modern science, which ought, however, as advised by a french[[footnote(s* plutarch "isis and osiris" i, vi "spirit history of man" p. 88* mover's "phoinizer" 268* cory "fragments" 240[[vol. 1, page] 349 the many are one. savant, before laughing at it "to remodel entirely its own system of cosmo-pneumatological education" satis eloquentiae, sapientiae parvum. cosmolatry like panthe

s, then, the fundamental difference? while the hellenes were taught that aeolus tied and untied the winds, the jews believed as fervently that their lord god "with smoke coming out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth, rode upon a cherub and did fly; and was seen upon the wings of the wind (ii. sam, xxii. 9 and 11. the expressions of the two nations are either both figures of speech, or both superstitions. we think they are neither; but only arise from a keen sense of oneness with nature, and a perception of the mysterious and the intelligent behind every natural phenomenon, which the moderns no longer possess. nor was it "superstitious" in the greek pagans to listen to the oracle of delphi, when, at the approach of the fleet of xerxes, that oracle advised them to "sacrifice to the wi

or the vehicle of a god, and a host of gods. in this question, of course, it is the occultists who will be worsted. they will be considered on the prima facie aspect of the dispute to be ignoramuses, and labelled with more than one of the usual epithets given to those whom the superficially judging public, itself ignorant of the great underlying truths in nature, accuses of believing in mediaeval superstitions. let it be so. submitting beforehand to every criticism in order to go on with their task, they only claim the privilege of showing that the physicists are as much at loggerheads among themselves in their speculations, as the latter are with the teachings of occultism. the sun is matter, and the sun is spirit. our ancestors- the "heathen- along with their modern successors, the parsi

al impulse is admitted for every sidereal body, and the rotation of every planet with its satellites is shown to be due to some one cause combined with attraction. and even then, says an astronomer("philosophie naturelle" art. 142, science would have to name that cause. occultism has named it for ages, and so have all the ancient philosophers; but then all such beliefs are now proclaimed exploded superstitions. the "extra cosmic" god has killed every possibility of belief in intra cosmic intelligent forces, yet who, or what is the original pusher in that motion "when we have learned the cause, unique et speciale, that pushes, we will be ready to combine it with the one which attracts" says francoeur("astronomie" p. 342. and again "attraction between the celestial bodies is only repulsion:

le[[vol. 1, page] 606 the secret doctrine. before them while using them (for magical purposes. the first race of men were the "mind-born sons" of the former. they (the pitris and devas) are our progenitors (book ii. of commentary on the book of dzyan "educated people" so-called, deride the idea of sylphs, salamanders, undines, and gnomes; the men of science regard as an insult any mention of such superstitions; and with a contempt of logic and common good sense, that is often the prerogative of "accepted authority" they allow those, whom it is their duty to instruct, to labour under the absurd impression that in the whole kosmos, or at any rate in our own atmosphere, there are no other conscious, intelligent beings, save ourselves* any other humanity (composed of distinct human beings) tha

CASSANDRA EASON A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC

women entered the sacred area, under the leadership of a senior female water witch, though the chief male, known as the master, summoned the entity to assist in the ritual. if you would like to read more about this, you will find some recommended books listed in further reading, page 301. certainly, i can recall two terrifyingly swarthy aunts who commanded the family, and my father recounted many superstitions and much canal lore when i was young. this included the tale of a terrifying character called kit crewbucket, whose ghostly form would appear on a boat or be seen in the water before it went through a dark tunnel. canal life has a whole mythology, much now lost as the old working boats have been replaced by weekend leisure traffic. you will find more on the details of these old super

l that they are the subject of unfair scrutiny, jealousy, anger or resentment. this may be manifest as deliberate malice, a muttered curse or a declaration of some vengeful intent. but more usually the origins are more obscure, perhaps coming from someone gossiping or lying in bed at night, fuming over an achievement or good fortune enjoyed by their supposed enemy. a whole tradition of 'evil eye' superstitions and antidotes grew out of such envy and bad wishing. if you are to help counteract this kind of bad feeling, without causing harm in return, it is best to resort to some kind of protection. note that you do not have to identify the sender of bad vibes in order to protect the victim. you will usually know who it is, as in most cases there is a likely candidate, and very frequently the

ed patterns of reaction? again, you can maximise positive effects if you are aware of them, like anticipating a wave and riding it, rather than being submerged by the surge of power. rituals and moon phases if possible, always work out of doors or near an open window so that you feel connected to the lunar energies. however, do not feel that you must freeze if the weather is cold: in spite of the superstitions, it is not unlucky to look at the moon through glass. i have suggested a ritual for each phase and listed the best kinds of magick for each time. the waxing moon this is the time for new beginnings and long-term goals and you can repeat the same spell during each waxing moon period for projects that will take months or even a year or more to bring to fruition. the closer to the full

CHIREAU YVONNE BLACK MAGIC RELIGION AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CONJURING TRADITION

at while a good portion of slaves were churchgoers, their religion was dominated by a "miserable system of superstition, the more painful that it employs some forms and words ordinarily connected with true christianity" almost thirty years later, the folklorist william owens corroborated the appearance of a strange admixture of christianity and supernaturalism, remarking that black "american-born superstitions" were "interwoven with so-called religious beliefs" and represented "a horrible debasement of some of the highest and noblest doctrines of the christian faith" others would note that african american practitioners of christianity often mingled unusual practices with their traditions. as stated by one elder, an ex-slave commenting on the eclecticism of black spiritual beliefs "our rel

ome african american caregivers would tell magical folktales and stories to young white children in nurseries, but "they learned more, as they grew older, from the slaves in the quarters, or out on the premises" white writers reflected on these traditions in their published reminiscences of their youth. edward pollard, a novelist and civil war historian, stated that he was deeply affected by the "superstitions" that he had imbibed, growing up among black household servants. in many cases, children of both races were inculcated with images from a rich folklore tradition that served the twin objectives of admonition and instruction. conjuring tales no doubt made a great impact on impressionable children. the reconstruction legislator william councill wrote that as a child he had been sent to

occultism at one and the same time" a similar flexibility of spiritual ideas could be found among blacks in rural mississippi in the 1940s, where the anthropologist hortense powdermaker interviewed several "voodoo doctors" who were also well-known "reverends" with ministries that were supported by members of the community "those who are devoutly religious are also devout believers in current folk superstitions" she wrote "and do not look upon christianity and voodoo as conflicting in any way"[33] as religious persons, many conjurers relied on divine guidance or supernatural inspiration. a student from virginia's first black college, the hampton institute, wrote a letter in 1878 concerning a well-known practitioner who was also a deeply religious woman "she had a special revelation from god

red them. as whites were exposed to the customs and habits of the freedpersons, many reacted to what they perceived as the moral and intellectual deficiencies of blacks. in the religious arena, clergy attacked the indecorous, enthusiastic styles of worship that were common in many southern black churches. teachers and administrators assailed spiritual practices like conjure as evil and irrational superstitions. the ex-slaves f traditions became part of the contested terrain on which missionaries, clergy, and educators waged a struggle for cultural preeminence.[5] missionaries and teachers were determined to impose acceptable standards of behavior on the former slaves "the very temples of the south must be cleansed of their filthiness" demanded a white minister in beaufort, north carolina "

s owners, were indulged without restraint" the episcopalian rector alexander glennie was genuinely bewildered by the hasty egress of former slaves in his waccamaw, south carolina, congregation "strange to say" remarked one of his parishioners "after the civil war, no negroes listened to his preaching, but would shout and sing after their own fashion, and surround themselves with their old african superstitions" the new spiritual liberty that freedpersons enjoyed had delivered a mortal blow to heretofore uncontested white authority.[9] many ex-slaves rejected practices and beliefs that they believed had little meaning to their own experiences. one african american baptist preacher in mississippi made this position clear when he declared that whites f religion could provide "a mighty good go

puckett, a white sociologist who began to collect conjure lore for his graduate thesis in the early 1900s, complained that shame, selfconsciousness, and a new racial pride among african americans were responsible for the lapse in many of the old traditions "how much better it would be" he speculated "if those who are ashamed of their folk heritage could but realize the truth that folk-beliefs and superstitions are normal stages of development through which all peoples have passed"[29] thus, with the passage of time an entire spectrum of opinions on the worth of african american supernatural traditions had emerged. by the late 1800s representations of conjure had shifted, from its initial identification as cultural refuse, to its rise among intellectuals as an important artifact. and, as th

ct form of african american music.[49] the blues were the first commercially produced music to explicitly embrace the culture from which conjuring traditions emerged. historians and musicologists have offered various explanations for the emphasis on supernaturalism in the blues. paul oliver, a scholar who has written extensively on the subject, claims that magic in the blues lyrics reflected the "superstitions" and "unsound beliefs" of "simple and uneducated persons" those blues performers who migrated from the rural south to the cities in the early twentieth century. other writers have viewed conjure and religion as intrinsic to the origins of the blues themselves. the music historian julio finn has portrayed the magic of the blues as a legacy of african-derived spiritual traditions in am

y "always have long hair" see puckett, folk beliefs of the southern negro, p. 203; herron "conjuring" p. 118. on gender inversion among conjure practitioners see also the comments of robert tallant, voodoo in new orleans (new york: macmillan, 1946, p. 41. 21. charles c. jones, jr, negro myths from the georgia coast, told in the vernacular (boston: houghton mifflin, 1888, p. 169; charles chesnutt "superstitions and folklore of the south" modern culture 13 (1901. on black women and magic traditions in the united states, see yvonne chireau "the uses of the supernatural: toward a history of black women's magical practices" in a mighty baptism: race, gender, and the creation of american protestantism, ed. susan juster and lisa macfarlane (ithaca: cornell university press, 1996; see also debow's

DAVID ICKE THE BIGGEST SECRET

the inner circle initiates, was known as..peter, meaning the great interpreter. the feast day of the christian st peter wastraditionally celebrated on the day the sun entered the astrological house of aquarius,the very day that eannus and janus were honoured!12 the babylonian religion, like allthe look-alikes that were to follow, consisted of two levels. the masses weremanipulated into believing superstitions and into taking symbolic stories literally, whilethe chosen initiates were given the real knowledge on penalty of death if they everrevealed it. in this way the truth about life, human potential, history and the reptilianagenda, were lost to the population and kept only for the few.human sacrifice was fundamental to the religion of babylon and wherever thebabylonian brotherhood and t

DION FORTUNE PSYCHIC SELF DEFENSE

e whose acquaintance with the subject is but cursory. this book is not, and cannot be, a satisfactory handbook for the treatment of psychic disorders. all it can do is to point in directions where enquiries might be pursued with advantage. if it serves to direct attention to certain subjects that badly need investigation it will have fulfilled its purpose. i may be charged with having revived the superstitions of the middle ages. to this charge i must plead guilty. but i must put forward as a counter-claim the plea that there could not be so much smoke without some fire, and that the superstitions of the middle ages may repay examination in the light of the recent discoveries concerning the psychology of subconsciousness. whoever is familiar with the literature of psychic research, abnorma

DONALDTYSON SIGIL

lyph, short for hieroglyph, is usually the pictorial representation of a letter. ancient egyptian and modern chinese, for example, use small pictograms in place of letters. in magic the term is sometimes employed specifically to denote the astrological signs of the zodiac and planets (gnostic amulet of chnoubis, one of the decans of cancer, for protection against stomach disease: from amulets and superstitions (1930) by e. a. wallis budge) amulet and talisman are frequently confused. an amulet is a small power object such as a pendant or ring that is usually worn on the body for protection. a talisman is a power object with a specific function, and may be used for offensive or defensive magic as the need arises. some amulets and talismans are inscribed with sigils or other occult symbols

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

mous governments. another important factor in the changes surfacing on the entire continent, in addition to political reform and upheaval, has been the education of many young africans at american and european universities. as they travel back to africa with western ideas and the seeds for a new way of economic survival, the scene is likely to change on all fronts.even regarding their own ancient superstitions and folk legends. in the midst of these changes, western occult, metaphysical, and mystical literature has circulated through the continent since the 1920s, especially in south africa, the central african states, and such west african nations as ghana and nigeria. since world war ii there has been a noticeable popular response to such ideas. as early as 1925 the rosicrucians were pre

the malice of the cacodaemons. ahrimanes and his followers finally took up their abode in all the space between the earth and the fixed stars, and there established their domain, which is called ahriman-abad. as ahrimanes was the spirit of evil, his counterpart in persian dualism was ormuzd, the creative and benevolent being. aic see american institutes for research ailuromancy divination through superstitions concerning cats. for example, a black cat crossing your path is a bad omen in the united states and germany, although usually regarded as lucky in britain. owning a black cat is also believed to be lucky. a cat washing its face or ears, or climbing up furniture, is said to indicate rain; if the cat washes its face in the parlor, it may indicate visitors. it is a widespread belief tha

gid austerities, and severe penances practiced by christian ascetics and penitents. the saints regularly saw visions, and were attended by guardian angels, as well as being harassed by the unwelcome attention of demons, or of their master, the devil. these beliefs continued into the middle ages, when, without decreasing in vigor, they began to assume a more romantic aspect. the witch and werewolf superstitions led to many tales of animal apparitions. the poltergeist flourished in a congenial atmosphere. vampires were familiar in slavonic and african lands, and analogous beings such as the incubus and succubus were widespread throughout northern and western europe. in the northern countries, familiar spirits or goblins, similar to the roman lares, or the wicked and mischievous lemures, haun

utnam s sons, 1985. tuella [pseudonym of thelma b. turrell, ed. ashtar: a tribute. salt lake city, ut: guardian action publications, 1985. project world evacuation: by the ashtar command. salt lake city, ut: guardian action publications, 1982. van tassell, george. i rode a flying saucer! the mystery of the flying saucers revealed. los angeles: new age publishing, 1952. ash tree there are many old superstitions of the wonderful influence of the ash tree. the old christmas log was of ash wood, and its use was helpful to the future prosperity of the family. venomous animals, it was said, would not take shelter under its branches. a carriage with its axles made of ash wood was believed to go faster than a carriage with its axles made of any other wood, and tools with handles made of this wood

n society for psychical research aspr newsletter the news bulletin of the american society for psychical research, which began publication in 1968. it features information on activities of the society and features nontechnical rewrites of articles from the society s journal. the society is at 5 w. 73rd st. new york, ny 10023. the newsletter is also available online at http//www.aspr.com. ass many superstitions concern this familiar animal. the egyptians traced his image on the cakes they offered to typhon, god of evil. the romans regarded the meeting of an ass as an evil omen, but the animal was honored in arabia and judea, and it was in arabia that the ass of silenus spoke to his master. other talking asses were balaam s ass (numbers 22, which mahomet placed in his paradise with alborack;

-ranking officials, and georgetown socialites. none of this would be surprising to indian and other asian celebrities, since the astrologer is still an indispensable figure in asian society, consulted on marriage dates and partnerships, business enterprises, and affairs of state. but the extent of american involvement with astrology surprised and infuriated many commentators, who condemned occult superstitions. in may 1988, testifying before the senate banking committee, donald regan was asked whether he had ever heard of american stockholders using astrology for guidance. he replied, recently a study was made of wall street people and stockholders. and 48 percent admitted that they used astrology of one sort or another in the stock market. one astrologer responded, what s new? queen eliza

brary of over fifty thousand handprints. mir bashir moved to england in 1948. he wrote how to read hands (1955. encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. bashir, mir 159 basil (astrologer) a florentine astrologer of the fifteenth century. basil (herb) aromatic herb of the mint family (genus ocimum) with a pungent clovelike flavor, much used in soups and other recipes. many traditions and superstitions are connected with basil. there are two suggested derivations of its popular name. it was once thought to be an antidote for the poison of the fabulous basilisk or cockatrice. another tradition cites an early greek name, basilikon, implying that the herb was used in a royal ceremony. some traditions believed it sacred, others that it was dedicated to the devil. greeks believed it was

he had a demon enclosed in a ring which he wore on his finger; one friar (brother bernard de sorano) deposed that when boniface was a cardinal, he was seen to enter a garden adjacent to the palace of nicholas iii and perform a magical ceremony with a sacrificed cock and a book of spells, conjuring up demons. such statements must be judged in the light of the king s opposition to boniface and the superstitions of the time. bonnevault, pierre (ca. seventeenth century) a self-confessed sorcerer of poitou in the seventeenth century, the son of maturin de bonnevault. bonnevault engaged in devil worship and was arrested on his way to the devil s sabbat. he stated that the first time he had attended an unholy meeting he had been taken there by his parents and dedicated to the devil, to whom he h

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 2

ett, f. s. legends and traditions of the sea and of sailors. chicago: belford, clarke, 1885. benwell, gwen, and arthur waugh. sea enchantress: the tale of the mermaid and her kin. london: hutchinson, 1961. clark, jerome. encyclopedia of strange and unexplained phenomena. detroit: gale research, 1993. hutchins, jane. discovering mermaids and monsters. shire publications, 1968. rappoport, angelo s. superstitions of sailors. london: stanley paul, 1928. reprint, ann arbor, mich: gryphon books, 1971. merrell-wolff, franklin (ca. 1887) american teacher of a system of higher consciousness deriving from hindu yoga and related philosophies. born in the late 1880s, merrell-wolff was the son of a christian clergyman but felt himself drawn beyond religious orthodoxy. he graduated phi beta kappa from s

h the village in the hopes that he might afterwards avoid it. in his book atlantis in america (1925, lewis spence, who published several books on the folklore of mexico and central america, believed that there was some evidence for the influence of the civilization of an atlantis in what he found. death day beginning in the days of the spanish conquests, the original indian culture, religion, and superstitions have become inextricably interwoven with christian beliefs and customs, creating a complex synthesis. with the modern history of war, revolts, and revolution extending into the twentieth century, it is not surprising that death has a special place in the symbolism and folklore of the mexican people. this is vividly illustrated in the traditional celebration of all soul s day on novem

is customary to subject him to the same fate. when not any sorcerer occurs in the visions, the first mohan they encounter has the misfortune to represent his image. it seems that by practice and tradition, the mohanes acquired a profound knowledge of many plants and poisons, with which they effected surprising cures on the one hand, and did some harm on the other. they also made use of charms and superstitions. one method of cure was to place two hammocks close to each other, either in the dwelling, or in the open air. in one of them the patient laid extended, and in the other laid the mohan, or agorero. the latter, in contact with the sick man, began by rocking himself, and then proceeded in falsetto voice to call on the birds, quadrupeds, and fishes to give health to the patient. from ti

f the body (usually classed medically as a benign form of nevus, and not normally requiring surgery. moles were considered to have special occult significance in ancient times, and their systematic interpretation as indicative of character and destiny was popularized during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. the positions of the moles were linked with astrological signs. moles (animal) many superstitions grew up around moles. it was a common error to believe that moles were blind, whereas in fact their eyes are small and often hidden in the hair. as late as shakepeare s time, moles were popularly believed to be blind, as indicated mitchell, t(homas) w(alker) encyclopedia of occultism& parapsychology. 5th ed. 1044 in the dramatist s play the tempest: pray you tread softly, that the bl

stained with blood. in britain, farm laborers used to wear the forelegs and a hind leg of a mole in a bag around the neck to protect against toothache. it was also believed that if you pulled molehills up on st. sylvester s day (december 31, the moles would not throw up earth again. moles (birthmarks) birthmarks on the human face or body, usually classed medically as a benign form of nevus. many superstitions exist about moles, and moleoscopy arose as a system of divination based on the position, character, and astrological connections of these markings. in folk belief, a mole on the throat was said to be a sign of good luck, but unlucky if located on the left side of the forehead near the hair. a mole on the chin, ear, or neck was said to indicate riches, but on the breast to signify pov

ed a library and planned to develop and maintain a computer file of ufo reports and to establish a speakers bureau. the federation was headquartered in los altos, california. north door in a possible remnant of pagan beliefs, some old christian churches in europe have a bricked-up doorway on the north side. there is an old tradition that witches used to enter on the north, which is connected with superstitions concerning the devil. northern ufo news british publication concerned with ufos and related topics, such as crop circles. it is edited by jenny randles. address: halsteads close, dove holes, buxton, high peak, derbyshire sk17 8bs, england. norton, rosalind (1917.1979) rosalind norton, an australian occultist and avant-garde artist whose life anticipated the modern wiccan movement, wa

ll of a dead man, unburied; and the fats of a boare, and a beare, killed in the art of generation. these two last i could easily suspect to be prescribed as a starting hole; that if the experiment proved not, it mought be pretended, that the beasts were not killed in due time. a summary of digby s theory was presented at an assembly at montpellier in france. according to t. j. pettigrew s book on superstitions connected with the history and practice of medicine and surgery (1844, his instruction for making the powder was simple: take roman vitriol six or eight ounces, beat it very small in a mortar, sift it through a fine sieve when the sun enters leo; keep it in the heat of the sun by day, and dry by night. sources: pettigrew, t. j. on superstitions connected with the history and practice

lovers and wished to know which of them would be her husband, she would take a rose leaf for each of her sweethearts, and, naming each leaf after one of her lovers, she would watch them until one after another they sank, and the last to sink would be her future husband. rose leaves thrown upon a fire gave good luck. if a rose bush was pruned on st. john s eve, it would bloom again in the autumn. superstitions respecting the rose are more numerous in england than in scotland. the rose became a prominent symbol in occultism at the beginning of the modern age. it appeared on the family crest of martin luther, seemingly the ultimate source of the rosicrucians juxtaposition of the rose and cross. earlier it had been used in the symbolism of alchemy. both pagan and christian folklore cites the

EXTRAORDINARY ENCOUNTERS AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF EXTRATERRESTRIALS AND OTHERWORLDY BEINGS

ogist of religion who had a ph.d. from oxford university. in the first decade of the twentieth century, evans-wentz traveled through the celtic regions of the british isles as well as brittany (on france s northwest coast. the result was a folklore classic, the fairy faith in celtic countries (originally published in 1911. aside from its worth as a record of surviving fairy beliefs and associated superstitions, it is unique in its championing of an underlying reality behind the tradition. like the pioneering rev. robert kirk, a scottish clergyman whose the secret common-wealth (1691) preserved fairy lore in the highlands, evans- wentz deduced that fairies live in an otherworld that overlaps with the human world. he went so far as to claim that we can postulate scientifically, on the showin

can channel if he or she wants to. it is, he asserts, as easy as learning how to whistle. see also: channeling further reading klimo, jon, 1987. channeling: investigations on re- ceiving information from paranormal sources. los angeles: jeremy p. tarcher. shepard, leslie a, 1991. encyclopedia of occultism and parapsychology: a compendium of informa- tion on the occult sciences, magic, demonology, superstitions, spiritism, mysticism, metaphysics, psychical science, and parapsychology, with bio- graphical and bibliographical notes and compre- hensive indexes. third edition. detroit, mi: gale research. linn-erri linn-erri introduced herself to robert p. renaud one night in july 1961. a pittsfield, massachusetts, ham-radio buff and general electric technician, renaud heard beeping sounds from

FAUST

en were it worth the pain to be a man. such was i once ere i the gloom explored and cursed me and the world with impious word. the air so teems with many a ghostly shape, no way appears whereby one may escape. if one day, bright with reason, on us beams, the night entangles us in webs of dreams. from young green fields we homeward turn, elate; a bird croaks, and his croaking tells- ill-fate. thus superstitions all our hours entwine, with happening, with warning, or with sign. and thus abashed, we find ourselves alone. the portal creaks, and no one enters- none! agitated. is someone here? worry the question claims an aye! faust and thou, who art thou then? worry enough- tis i. faust away! begone! worry i am where i should be. faust [first furious, then appeased, to himself. take care and sa

FRANCIS A YATES GIORDANO BRUNO AND THE HERMETIC TRADITION

prophet of the coming of christianity, but all credit for this is taken away by augustine's statement that he had this foreknowledge of the future from the demons whom he worshipped. hermes presages these things as the devil's confederate, suppressing the evidence of the christian name, and yet foretelling with a sorrowful intimation, that from it should proceed the wreck of all their idolatrous superstitions: for hermes was one of those who (as the apostle says "knowing god, glorified him not as god, nor were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was full of darkness' yet, continues augustine "this hermes says much of god according to the truth, though in his admiration for the egyptian idolatry he was blind, and his prophecy of its passing he had from

ted to e. cassirer and edited by r. klibansky and h. j. paton, oxford, 1936, pp. 197-222. 2 see above, p. 193. 238 giordano bruno in england: the hermetic philosophy let us now consider the differences between them. the one produced men who were temperate in their lives, expert in the arts of healing, judicious in contemplation, remarkable in divination, having miraculous powers in magic, wary of superstitions, law-abiding, of irreproachable morality, penetrating in theology, heroic in all their ways. this is shown in the length of their lives, the greater strength of their bodies, their most lofty inventions, their prophecies which have come true; they knew how to transform substances and how to live peacefully in society; their sacraments were inviolable, their executions most just, they

GAMBLE ELIZA BURT THE GOD IDEA OF THE ANCIENTS OR SEX IN RELIGION

rds formulated into a system by the romish church, were adopted by the ignorant multitude who, being incapable of understanding the higher principles involved, accepted the allegories beneath which were veiled the ancient mysteries literally, and as the highest expression of divine wisdom. hence the comparatively recent observation that the "new religion was eventually but the gathering in of the superstitions of paganism" is a matter of little surprise to those who have carefully examined the facts connected with the growth of religious faith. under the new regime christ became the new solar deity and round him were finally ranged all the myths of solo-phallic worship which had prevailed under the adoration of crishna at a time when the higher truths underlying pure nature-worship had bee

e prophecy of the most ancient seers of the east, and as part and parcel of the religion of their forefathers. therefore when the devotees of the romish faith, probably about the close of the fifth century of the christian era, attempted to "convert" ireland, they found a religion differing from their own only in the fact that it was not subject to rome, and was free from the many corruptions and superstitions which through the extreme ignorance and misapprehension of its western adherents had been engrafted upon it. concerning the form of religious worship in great britain, and the fact that phallic worship prevailed there, forlong writes "the generality of our countrymen have no conception of the overruling prevalence of this faith, and the number of its lingham gods throughout our islan

GILBERT AE WAITE A MAGICIAN OF MANY PARTS

ending the material world, of penetrating the veilofappearances, and of entering into the realities which underlie sense-delusions does not seem beyond the reach of theage,an acquaintancewiththis method will destroy the philosophy of the materialist; it will realisespiritual aspirations and the hopesofa larger life. vii while the existence of a supreme intelligenceis being relegatedto the rank of superstitions, that process is in courseofconstruction, by which the god-illuminated. seers ofold255plato, plotinus, ammonius, bonaventura, eckart,tauler,vaughan, theresa, saint-martin, and jacobbohme-e-accomplishedan individual reversion to the fontal sourceofsouls, and entered into an ecstatic communionwiththe universal consciousness. viii in view of these facts, in view of the actual discoverie

GILBERT THE MAGICAL MASON

e would soon be a house or hayrick on fire.theentry into a house of a strange black cat was deemed fortunate, and at the present time among actors it is deemed a lucky omen if a cat walk across the stage at the first performance of a new play. a more modern mode of deciding whether a thing wished for will be obtained is by the snapping of the merry thought bone of a fowl. other common present day superstitions are seen in the notion of an evil result from spilling salt, of seeing a single magpie, of walking under a ladder and of hearing a dog howl at night.thenwe hear of the misfortunes likely to occur from a work undertaken on a friday, and from being one of thirteen at any function.theevil omen of friday the day of venus, goddess of love, is difficult to explain: while the maliceofthirte

GILBERT THE SORCERER AND HIS APPRENTICE

view of herself and her powers and doings, what in fact it feels like to be a witch, are the essentials of the study,andthe truth of the stories becomes of paramount importance.ifwecanbut succeed in making the witch human, we have gone a. long way towards understanding one of the most complex problems of medieval, and indeed modern, history. and this we shall not do by talking glibly of ignorant superstitions, and relegating all the stories we have to the domain of folklore.itis a field of occultism well defined, and illustrated by a wealth of example, not difficult of access, and very well worth the working.[reprinted fromtheoccultreview,vol. xxv, no. 6(june1917),pp. 328-36.]17. the hermetic systemthis system is not to be found in any book. a knowledge of the system is acquired muchinthe

GRAHAM HANCOCK FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS

rise up and support them. he also made irrigating channels to flow. and he went in various directions, arranging many things. 4 1 south american mythology, p. 74. 2 ibid. 3 arthur cotterell, the illustrated encyclopaedia of myths and legends, guild publishing, london, 1989, p. 174. see also south american mythology, p. 69-88. 4 francisco de avila 'a narrative of the errors, false gods, and other superstitions and diabolical rites in which the indians of the province of huarochiri lived in ancient times, in narratives of the rites and laws of the yncas (trans, and ed. clemens r. graham hancock fingerprints of the gods 55 viracocha was also a teacher and a healer and made himself helpful to people in need. it was said that wherever he passed, he healed all that were sick and restored sight

gs and hieroglyphs inscribed on rolled-up deer skins. he also destroyed countless idols and altars, all of which he described as works of the devil, designed by the evil one to delude the indians and to prevent them from accepting christianity. 10 elsewhere he elaborated on the same theme: we found great numbers of books [written in the characters of the indians] but as they contained nothing but superstitions and falsehoods of the devil we burned them all, which the natives took most grievously, and which gave them great pain.11 not only the natives should have felt this pain but anyone and everyone then and now who would like to know the truth about the past. many other men of god, some even more ruthlessly efficient than 7 the magic and mysteries of mexico, pp. 228-9. 8 ibid. 9 mysterie

GRIMM JACOB TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 3

s over joh. berger (p. 96, over a conradus fontanus quoted by letzner (p. 190, and the frisian cappidus whose work hamconius professes to have used (see my chap. xxi, lotus. any one that cared to read straight through berthold of regensburg's works, dating from the end of the loth century, would very likely, where the preacher gets to speak of sorcery and devilry, come upon cursory notices of the superstitions of his time, as even the later sermons of johannes preface. xi herolt (my ch. xxxi, berchta, holda, joliaunes xider (d. cir. 1440, and geiler von kaisersberg offer some details. and even historians in the igth and 17th centuries, who rummaged many a dusty archive, such as aventin, celtes, freher, spangenberger, letzuer (d. after 1612, nicokius gryse (d. 1614, must have had all sorts

bulum you may place before them, we must take account of rites and customs, which, having sprung out of antiquity and continued ever since, may yield any amount of revelations concerning it. i have endeavoured to shew how ignition by friction, easter fires, healing fountains, rain-processions, sacred animals, the conflict between summer and winter, the carrying-out of death, and the whole heap of superstitions, especially about pathcrossing and the healing of diseases, are distinctly traceable to heathen origins. of many things, however, the explanation stands reserved for a minute inquiry devoting itself to the entire life of the people through the different seasons of the year and times of life; and no less will the whole compass of our law-antiquities shed a searching light on the old r

scernible. in a conflux of so many elements it could not but happen, even where the mental conceptions and views of a simple populace unable to do without myths had felt the full force of the revolution, that in its turn the old, not wholly extinct, should half unconsciously get interwoven with the irrepressible new. jewish and christian doctrine began to lean towards heathen, heathen fancies and superstitions to push forward and, as it were, take refuge in all the places they found unoccupied by the new religion. here we find christian material in a heathen form, there heathen matter in a christian disguise. as the goddess ostara was converted into a notion of time, so was hellia into one of place. the beliefs of our forefathers about elves and giants got intensified and expanded into ang

a cap. 10. 11. and i incline moreover to connect the 'tires tacen' p. 200, and even the' todes zeichen' p. 847; about all this there was not a thought of criminal sorcery (see suppl. the details of witchcraft, the heart-eating, the storm-raising, the riding through air, are all founded on very ancient and widely scattered traditions, which i will now examine more minutely. let a glance at servian superstitions lead the way. the veshtitsa is possessed by an evil spirit: when she falls asleep, he comes out of her, and then takes the form of a hutterjiij or a hen, but he is essentially one with the witch. as soon as he is out, the witch's body lies as if dead, and then always turns its head about to where the feet lay; in that state she cannot be awaked. the witch tries to catch people, to ea

ex primo animalis occursu votorum auspicia capiebant; quae si laeta fuissent, coeptum alacres iter carpebant, sin tristia, reflexo cursu propria repetebant^ the animals in question he omits to name. important above all is that omen in the edda of the ivolf liowling and going onwards, whom we may fairly take for the victoryboding beast of o^inn (p. 668. all other evidence agrees with it, even the superstitions of to-day. everywhere the brave undaunted wolf, the sight of whom awakens heart and hope, is set off against the timid cowardly hare, the type of faint heart and failure. sigeb. gembl. ad an. 1143 'obiit etiam fulco rex hierosolymorum; qui dum venationi insistens leporem insequitur ex improviso sibi apparentem, equus cui insidebat se super ipsum praecipitem dedit, ipsumque vita et re

no hen's feathers should be put in a bed 281. 346. 593. choosing of days prevailed among the jews (levit. 19, 26. deut. 18, 10, greeks, and probably all heathens. hesiod distinguishes between mother-days and stepmother-days, he goes over all the good days of zeus, and all the bad "epya k 'h/x. 765 (710) seq. even if our names for the days of the week were imported from abroad (p. 127, yet native superstitions may have been mixt up with them from a very early time' nullus observet' so preached eligius' qua die domum exeat, vel qua die revertatur, nullus ad inchoandum opus diem aut lunam attendat' hincmar 1, 656' sunt et qui observant dies in motione itineris et in inchoatione aedificandae domus' sueton. in oct. 92 'observabat et dies quosdam, ne aut postridie nundinas quoquam proficisceret

r 32. 33* the queen strokes the lame and ci'ooked with a stone; and a similar virtue was ascribed to hereditary sovereigns of france and england (hone's yrbk p. 799. if a woman has had seven sons in succession, the seventh can heal all manner of hurt (sup. i, 786; by ettner's hebamme 906^ maulaffe 699, his touch cures wens at the throat. french sup. l, 22 makes it the ffth son. there is no end of superstitions about this seventh or fifth son: in e. friesland they say he becomes a walrider j does that mean one who rides to the foughten field? conf. wel-recke, p. 418n. what seems a counterpart of it is, that when 7 girls running are born of one marriage, one of them becomes a tverwolf, i, 1121. a child that has never known its father is able to dispei'se tumours (fondre les loupes, l, 21. a

ssset sunne uppe sie. awassc si^san, do to drence and bisceopwyrt and cristes mseles ragu, awyl j^riwa on meolcum, geot]?riwa halig waeter on, sing on pater noster and credan etc. and hine eac ymhwrit mid sweorde on iiii healfa on cruce, and di'ince jwne drenc, si's'san him bi's sona ssel' here i think a latin groundwork, with admixture of christian rites, is selfevident. thiers in his traite des superstitions says' quelques uns pour se garantir de malefices ou de charmes vont cueillir de herbs: time and mode. tying on. 1199 grand matin, a jtiin, sans avoir lave leurs mains, sans avoir lyrie dieu, sans jparler a personne et sans saluer personne eu leur chemin, une certaine plante, et la mettent ensuite sur la personne maleficiee ou ensorcelee. lis portent sur eux une racine de chicoree, qu

GRIMM TEUTONIC MYTHOLOGY VOL 2 1883 COMPLETE

ntains are cited at pp. 100-1 and in the appendix. 3 1 goth, vato, on. vatn, ohg. wazar, os. watar, as. water, dan. vand, slav. vodd, lith. wandu, lett, uhdens, gr. vdwp; then, corresp. inform to lat. aqua, but meaning fluvius, goth, ahva, ohg. aha, as. ed, on. a; the goth, vegs, ohg. wdc wages= fluctus, flow. 2 when here and elsewhere i use bp. burchard s coll. of decrees as authority for german superstitions, i do not forget that in most cases (not all) it is drawn from councils not held in germany, but in gaul, italy or spain. yet, if we con sider that german nations had been spreading themselves all over those countries down to the 8-9th cent, that the as. and lombard laws, to say nothing of capitularies, declaim equally with those decrees of council against water, tree and stone worsh

, but in gaul, italy or spain. yet, if we con sider that german nations had been spreading themselves all over those countries down to the 8-9th cent, that the as. and lombard laws, to say nothing of capitularies, declaim equally with those decrees of council against water, tree and stone worship, that agathias and gregory of tours expressly charge the alamanns and franks with such worship; these superstitions are seen to be something com mon to the italian, gallic and german nationalities, of which none of them can be acquitted. some have tried to make out from agathias, that our forefathers had a mere nature-worship, and no gods. it would be about as uncritical to do what is to some extent the reverse, and suspect agathias and gregory of having adopted their assertions out of church-proh

ay with it (p. 589, the spray from the millwheel scatters all sickness (p. 593. so the sufferer stands with his face to the waning moon, and prays: f as thou decreasest, let my pains diminish (i, 245; he can also go on the other tack, and cry to the new moon: may what i see increase, and what i suffer cease (492. turning the face toward the luminary i take to be a relic of heathen moon-worship. 1 superstitions of this kind have long been banished to the narrower limits of agriculture and cattle-breeding; we should arrive at a clearer knowledge of them, had their bearing on public life been described for us in early times. observation of the lunar changes must in many ways have influenced sacrifices, the casting of lots and the conduct of war. some things now appear bewildering, because we

n. 18. 30. the whole conception is in keeping with the cars in which the gods journey through heaven, and the roads that stretch across it (conf. p. 361. it was christianity that first introduced the 0. test, notion of the celestial hew being a sign of the covenant which god made with men after the rain of the deluge: ohg. reganpocjo, as. scurboga, shower-bow, csedm. 93, 5. meanwhile some ancient superstitions linger still. the simple folk imagine, that on the spot where the rainbow springs out of the ground, there is a golden dish, or a treasure lies buried; that gold coins or pennies drop out of the rainbow. when gold-pieces are picked up, they are called regenbogen-schwsselein(-dishes, patellae iridis, which the sun squanders in the rainbow. in bavaria they call the rainbow himmelring

H SPENCER LEWIS ROSICRUCIAN MANUAL AMORC 1990

ife is continuous and immortal, rising again and again in the east, the south, and the west. in the east is the new life begun. from the east comes forth the glory of god "which is of god" therefore, in our lodges, the east is the point in which all fratres and sorores seek that dawn of illumination and divine resurrection, from the "dismal darkness of the north" that will make them free from the superstitions of darkness (ignorance, and the fears of night (evil. for this reason, the east is always respected and saluted, as the "place of divine illumination and resurrection" it must be so regarded at all times, and must never be occupied by the profane (unilluminated, uninitiated) or the unworthy. the "south" the "south" in our lodges, is that point where the sun (source of illumination) s

HEAVEN HELL

only natural that great numbers of people in all parts of egypt should hope and believe that their souls after death would go to the kingdom in the other world over which he reigned. the beliefs connected with the cult of osiris developed naturally p. ix out of the beliefs of the predynastic egyptians, who, we have every reason to think, dealt largely in magic both "black" and "white" many of the superstitions, and most of the fantastic and half-savage ideas about the gods and supernatural powers enshrined in the great collection of religious texts called per-em-hru, were inherited by the dynastic egyptians from some of the oldest dwellers in the nile valley. those who died in the faith of osiris believed in the efficacy of the book per-em-hru, and were content to employ it as a "guide" to

HELENA BLAVATSKY NIGHTMARE TALES

unbelief and defiance of truth. but let me, at this parting hour, i beseach nightmare talesv- return of doubts39 you, let me, an older man who wishes you well, warn you once more and persuade you of things you are stillignorant of. may i speak "go on and have your say" was the ungracious assent "but let me warn you, in my turn, that nothing youcan say can make of me a believer in your disgraceful superstitions" this was added with a cruel feeling ofpleasure in bestowing one more needless insult. but the excellent man disregarded this new sneer as he had all others. never shall i forget the solemnearnestness of his parting words, the pitying, remorseful look on his face when he found that it was, indeed,all to no purpose, that by his kindly meant interference he had only led me to my destru

him to get possession of his intestines "oh, for the power of the human voice" samuel went on, after a brief pause "what can equal the eloquence,the magic spell of the human voice? do you think, my poor boy, i would not have taught you this great, thisfinal secret, were it not that it throws one right into the clutches of him. who must remain unnamed atnight" he added, with a sudden return to the superstitions of his youth. franz did not answer; but with a calmness awful to behold, he left his place, took down his violin from thewall where it was hanging, and, with one powerful grasp of the chords, he tore them out and flung them intothe fire. samuel suppressed a cry of horror. the chords were hissing upon the coals, where, among the blazing logs,they wriggled and curled like so many livin

HEPTAMERON

ntly spoken concerning magical ceremonies, and initiations. but because he seemeth to have written to the learned, and well-experienced in this art; because he doth not specially treat of the ceremonies, but rather speaketh of them in general, it was therefore thought good to adde hereunto the magical elements of peter de abano: that those who are hitherto ignorant, and have not tasted of magical superstitions, may have them in readiness, how they may exercise themselves therein. for we see in this book, as it were a certain introduction of magical vanity; and, as if they were in present exercise, they may behold the distinct functions of spirits, how they may be drawn to discourse and communication; what is to be done every day, and every hour; and how they shall be read, as if they were

HP LOVECRAFT A DARK LORE

g on federal hill since a stranger had entered the dreaded church. the italians whispered of unaccustomed stirrings and bumpings and scrapings in the dark windowless steeple, and called on their priests to banish an entity which haunted their dreams. something, they said, was constantly watching at a door to see if it were dark enough to venture forth. press items mentioned the longstanding local superstitions, but failed to shed much light on the earlier background of the horror. it was obvious that the young reporters of today are no antiquarians. in writing of these things in his diary, blake expresses a curious kind of remorse, and talks of the duty of burying the shining trapezohedron and of banishing what he had evoked by letting daylight into the hideous jutting spire. at the same t

rom out of town; ann white, a morose woman from that part of north kingstown now set off as the township of exeter, and a capable boston man named zenas low. it was ann white who first gave definite shape to the sinister idle talk. mercy should have known better than to hire anyone from the nooseneck hill country, for that remote bit of backwoods was then, as now, a seat of the most uncomfortable superstitions. as lately as 1892 an exeter community exhumed a dead body and ceremoniously burnt its heart in order to prevent certain alleged visitations injurious to the public health and peace, and one may imagine the point of view of the same section in 1768. ann's tongue was perniciously active, and within a few months mercy discharged her, filling her place with a faithful and amiable amazon

illed the press, there appeared certain odd stories of things found floating in some of the swollen rivers; so that many of my friends embarked on curious discussions and appealed to me to shed what light i could on the subject. i felt flattered at having my folklore study taken so seriously, and did what i could to belittle the wild, vague tales which seemed so clearly an outgrowth of old rustic superstitions. it amused me to find several persons of education who insisted that some stratum of obscure, distorted fact might underlie the rumors. the tales thus brought to my notice came mostly through newspaper cuttings; though one yarn had an oral source and was repeated to a friend of mine in a letter from his mother in hardwick, vermont. the type of thing described was essentially the same

HP LOVECRAFT THE UNNAMABLE

ual contentiousness. the crumbling slate slabs, the patriarchal trees, and the centuries gambrel roofs of the witch-haunted old town that stretched around, all combined to rouse my spirit in defense of my work; and i was soon carrying my thrusts into the enemy's own country. it was not, indeed, difficult to begin a counter-attack, for i knew that joel manton actually half clung to many old-wives' superstitions which sophisticated people had long outgrown; beliefs in the appearance of dying persons at distant places, and in the impressions left by old faces on the windows through which they had gazed all their lives. to credit these whisperings of rural grandmothers, i now insisted, argued a faith in the existence of spectral substances on the earth apart from and subsequent to their materi

IRISH WITCHCRAFT AND DEMONOLOGY

lusion that the increase of the belief in such subjects at that time was almost entirely due to the advent of the cromwellian settlers and the scotch colonists in ulster; indeed the beliefs of the latter p. 15 made the northern province a miniature scotland in this respect. we cannot blame them for this; could anything else be expected from men who, clergy and laity alike, were saturated with the superstitions that were then so prominent in the two countries from which their ranks had been recruited? thus the seventeenth century was the period par excellence of witchcraft, demonology, and the supernatural in ireland. the most remarkable witch case of that time, the trial of florence newton in 1661, to which allusion has already been made, seems to have been largely influenced by what occur

eaches, saying that the same venerable sacrament is by no means to be worshipped; and also asserting that they are not bound to obey or believe the decrees, decretals, and apostolic mandates; in the meantime, consulting demons according to the rites of those sects among the gentiles and pagans, they despise the sacraments of the catholic church, and draw the faithful of christ after them by their superstitions" as no inquisitors of heresy have been appointed in ireland, he begs the king to give prompt assistance to the bishop and other prelates in their efforts to punish the aforesaid heretics. 1 if the above refer to the kyteler case it came rather late in the day; but it is quite possible, in view of the closing words of the anonymous narrator, that it has reference rather to the followi

appeared to him, and challenged him for opening to me what had passed betwixt them secretly, and followed him to the house, pulling his cap off his head and his band from about his neck, saying to him, i on hallow-night i shall have thee, soul and body, in despite of the minister and of all that he will do for thee" in his choice of a date his satanic majesty p. 92 showed his respect for popular superstitions. this attack of delirium tremens (though mr. blair would not have so explained it) had a most salutary effect; the constable was in such an abject state of terror lest the devil should carry him off that he begged mr. blair to sit up with him all hallow-night, which he did, spending the time very profitably in prayer and exhortation, which encouraged the man to defy satan and all his

uch p. 171 that the said eccleson hardly escaped with his life, but was burnt in the hand" a case of supposed witchcraft occurred in cork in 1685-6, the account of which is contained in a letter from christopher crofts to sir john perceval (the third baronet, and father of the first earl of egmont) written on the fifteenth of march in that year. though the narrator professes his disbelief in such superstitions, yet there seems to have been an unconscious feeling in his mind that his strict administration of the law was the means of bringing the affliction on his child. he says "my poor boy jack to all appearances lay dying; he had a convulsion for eight or nine hours. his mother and several others are of opinion he is bewitched, and by the old woman, the mother of nell welsh, who is repute

that came at all within the ken of those living. whoever shall write the final story of english witchcraft will find himself still dependent upon this eighteenth-century historian. his work was the last chapter in the witch controversy. there was nothing more to say" footnotes 199:1 c. k. sharpe, op. cit. 208:1 a man in the orkneys was ruined by nine knots tied in a blue thread (dalyell's darker superstitions of scotland. 208:2 the rev. dr. tisdall, who has given such a full account of the trial, was vicar of belfast. for his attitude towards the presbyterians, see witherow's memorials of presbyterianism in ireland, pp. 118, 159. yet his narrative of the trial is not biassed, for all his statements can be home out by other evidence. 213:1 james macartney became second puisne justice of th

upward-soaring spirits freedom, and not fetter them with the gross beliefs of yore that should long ere this have been relegated to limbo. footnotes 229:1 in the shorter version of the poem this line runs "he cured the kye for nanny barton" which makes better sense. huie mertin was evidently a rival of mary butters. 229:2 south-running water possessed great healing qualities. see dalyell, darker superstitions of scotland, and c. k. sharpe, op. cit. p. 94. 229:3 when a child the writer often heard that if a man were led astray at night by jacky-the-lantern (or john barleycorn, or any other potent sprite, the best way to get home safely was to turn one's coat inside out and wear it in that condition. 231:1 notes and queries, 4th series, vol. vii. 233:1 henderson, folklore of northern counti

ISIS UNVEILED

s last rehgtous paradox. celsus, the neo-natonist, and a disciple of the school of ammonius saccas, had thrown the christians into perturbation, and even had arrested for a time the progress of prosdytism by successfully proving that the original and purer forms of the most important dogmas of christianity were to be found only in the teachings of plato. celsus accused them of accepting the worst superstitions of paganism, and of interpolating passages from the books of the sibyls without rightly understanding their meaning. the accusa- tions were so just and the facts so patent, that for a long time no chris- tian writer had ventured to answer the challenge. origen, at the fervent request of his friend ambrosius, was the first to. take the defense in 107. lord kngabcvough: afoiquitui of m

ll as the nazarenes, were an anti> bacchus caste, in so far that in common with all the initiated prophets they held to the spirit of the symbolical religions, and offered a strong opposition to the idolatrous and exoteric practices of the dead letter. hence the frequent stoning of the prophets by the populace under the leadership of those priests who made a profitable living out of the popu- lar superstitions. ottfried muller shows how much the orphic mysteries differed from the popular rites of bacchus" although the orphikoi are known to have followed the worship of bacchus. the system of the purest morality and of a severe asceticism promulgated in the teachings of orpheus, and so strictly adhered to by his votaries, is incompatible with the lasciviouaneas and gross immorality of the po

hear vyasa the poet-pantheist of india who, for all the scientists can prove, may have lived, as jacolhot has it, some fifteen thousand years ago discoursing on mftyft, the illusion of the senses "all religious dogmas only serve to obscure the intelligence of man. worship of divinities, under the allegories of which is hidden respect for natural laws, drives away truth to the profit of the basest superstitions" vydsa-mdyd^ it was given to christianity to paint us god almighty after the model of the kabalistic abstraction of the 'ancient of days' from old frescos on cathedral ceilings. catholic missals, and other icons and images, we now find him depicted by the poetic brush of gustave dor6. the awful, unknown majesty of him, whom no 'heathen* dared to re- produce in concrete form, is figur

l greater peril. hypatia had studied under plutarch, the head of the athenian school, and had learned all the secrets of theurgy. while she lived to instruct the multitude, no 'divme miracles' could be produced before one who could divulge the natural causes by which they took place. her doom was sealed by cyril [of alexandria, whose eloquence she eclipsed, and whose authority, built on degrading superstitions, had to yield before hers which was erected on the rock of immutable natural law. it is more than curious that cave, the author of the lives of the fathers, should find it incredible that cyril sanctioned her murder on account of his "general character" a saint who will sell the gold and silver vessels of his church, and then, after spending the money, lie at his trial, as he did, ma

here does this prolific writer state the repudiation by either ancient or modem brahmanas erf god the 'unknown' universal spirit; nor does any other orientalist accuse the hindqs of the same, however perverted the general deductions of our savants about buddhistic atheism. on the contrary, jacouiot states more than once that the learned pandits and educated br&hmanaa have never shared the popular superstitions; and aflsrms their unshaken belief in the unity of god and the soul's immortality, although most assuredly neither kapila, nor the initiated brihmanas, nor the followers of the vedanta school, would ever admit the existence of an anthropomorphic creator, a 'first cause' in the christian sense. jacouiot, in his indo- european and african traditions, is the first to make an onslau^t on

JENNINGS HARGRAVE ROSICRUCIANS RITES MYSTERIES

in our preceding chapters, disposed the mind of th reader to consider as a matter of solemnity, and of much greater general significance, this strange fact of fire-worship, and endeavoured to show it as a portentous, first, all-embracing as all-genuine principle, we will proceed to exemplify the wide-spread roots of the fire-faith. in fact, we seem to recognise it everywhere. instead of in their superstitions making of fire their god, they obtained him that is, all that we can realise of him; by which we mean, all that the human reason can find of the last principle out of it. already, in their, thoughts, had the magi exhausted all possible theologies; already had they, in their great wisdom, searched through physics their power to this end (as not being distracted by world's objects) bei

gothic mars, or of the modern devil; all this double-spreading from a common point (or this figure of horns) speaks the same story. the colossus of rhodes was a monolith, in the human form, dedicated to the sun, or to fire. the pharos of alexandria was a fire-monument heliopolis, or the city of the sun, in lower egypt (as the name signifies, contained a temple, wherein, combined with all the dark superstitions of the egyptians, the flame-secret was preserved. in most jealous secrecy was the tradition guarded, and the symbol alone was presented to the world. of the pyramids, as prodigious fire-monuments, we have before spoken. magnificent as the principal pyramid still is, it is stated by an ancient historian that it originally formed, at the base, a square of eight hundred feet, and that i

ul conjuration. we think that this hambra, ambra, or ambre, is connected with the substance amber, which is sometimes very red, and which amber has always been associated with magical influence, magical formularies, and with spirits. we have seen an ancient crucifix, carved in amber, which was almost of the redness of coral. amber has always been a substance (or gem, or gum) closely mingling with superstitions, from runes and runic remains. 133 the most ancient times. for further connected ideas of the word amber and the substance amber in relation to magic and sorcery, and for the recurrence of the word amber and its varieties in matters referring to the myssteries and the mythology generally of ancient times, the reader will please to refer to other parts of this volume. while excavation

LAITMAN M KABBALAH REVEALED

philosophy, which later became the basis of modern science. in that regard, here s what johannes reuchlin, a humanist, classics scholar, and gottfried leibnitz, a great mathematician and philosopher, candidly expressed his thoughts on how secrecy had affected kabbalah: because man did not have the right key to the secret, the thirst for knowledge was ultimately reduced to all sorts of trivia and superstitions that brought forward a sort of vulgar kabbalah that has little in common with the true kabbalah, as well as various fantasies under the false name of magic, and this is what fills the books. kabbalah: then and now 23 expert in ancient languages and traditions, writes in his book, de arte cabbalistica: my teacher, pythagoras, the father of philosophy, took his teaching from kabbalists

LAITMAN M THE KABBALAH EXPERIENCE

e m o n i e s q: there are many spiritual groups in the world that practice various ceremonies that are seemingly related to kabbalah. do these customs have any bearing on the world? a: they are not related to kabbalah whatsoever. there is no point in searching for a link between kabbalah and various teachings that use kabbalistic symbols. that link does not exist! it is hard to imagine how many superstitions, religions, cults, etc, there are in the world. it is amazing how many directions man xor more b e l i e f s, m y s t i c i s m a n d t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l 295 precisely, man s will to receive, which is constantly searching for the reason for his condition--can invent, and in what versatile ways! one may believe that one is closer to the truth, to the source, and to eternity

LEWIS JAMES SATANISM TODAY AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION FOLKLORE AND POPULAR CULTURE

s role as founder, he asserted that if he hadn t done it himself, someone else, perhaps less qualified, would have. lavey was born in chicago in 1930, but his parents soon relocated to california. it was a fertile environment for the sensitive child who would eventually mature into a role that the press would dub the black pope. from his eastern european grandmother, young lavey learned about the superstitions that were still extant in that part of the world. these tales whetted his appetite, leading him to become absorbed in classic dark literature such as dracula and frankenstein. he also became an avid reader of the pulp magazines, which first published tales now deemed classics of the horror and science fiction genres. he later befriended seminal weird tales authors such as clark ashto

need little justification for their antisocial behavior.as human beings, however, they may have fears, concerns, and anxiety over getting away with their criminal acts. it is difficult to pray to god for success in doing things that are against his commandments. a negative spiritual belief system may fulfill their human need for assistance from and belief in a greater power or to deal with their superstitions. compulsive ritualism (e.g, excessive cleanliness or fear of disease) can be introduced into sexual behavior. even many normal people have a need for order and predictability and therefore may engage in family or work rituals. under stress or in times of change, this need for order and ritual may increase. ritual crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual, and psychological ne

crease. ritual crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual, and psychological needs of an offender. crimes may be ritualistically motivated or may have ritualistic elements. the ritual behavior may also fulfill basic criminal needs to manipulate victims, get rid of rivals, send a message to enemies, and intimidate co-conspirators. the leaders of a group may want to play upon the beliefs and superstitions of those around them and try to convince accomplices and enemies that they, the leaders, have special or supernatural powers. the important point for the criminal investigator is to realize that most ritualistic criminal behavior is not motivated simply by satanic or any religious ceremonies. at some conferences, presenters have attempted to make an issue of distinguishing between ri

s of the case, but even offenders who commit crimes in a spiritual context are usually motivated by power, sex, and money. keep investigation and religious beliefs separate i believe that one of the biggest mistakes any investigator of these cases can make is to attribute supernatural powers to the offenders. during an investigation a good investigator may sometimes be able to use the beliefs and superstitions of the offenders to his or her advantage. the reverse happens if the investigator believes that the offenders possess supernatural powers. satanic/occult practitioners have no more power than any other human beings. law enforcement officers who believe that the investigation of these cases puts them in conflict with the supernatural forces of evil should probably not be assigned to t

MANLY P HALL THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES

er end to a dog. the dog, obeying his master's call, thereupon dragged the root from the earth and became the victim of the mandragora curse. when once uprooted, the plant could be handled with immunity. during the middle ages, mandrake charms brought great prices and an art was evolved by which the resemblance between the mandragora root and the human body was considerably accentuated. like most superstitions, the belief in the peculiar powers of the mandrake was founded upon an ancient secret doctrine concerning the true nature of the plant "it is slightly narcotic" says eliphas levi "and an aphrodisiacal virtue was ascribed to it by the ancients, who represented it as being sought by thessalian sorcerers for the composition of philtres. is this root the umbilical vestige of our terrestr

ones, they placed their hands upon certain consecrated pillars when taking an oath. in ancient times stones played a part in determining the fate of accused persons, for it was customary for juries to reach their verdicts by dropping pebbles into a bag. divination by stones was often resorted to by the greeks, and helena is said to have foretold by lithomancy the destruction of troy. many popular superstitions about stones survive the so-called dark ages. chief among these is the one concerning the famous black stone in the seat of the coronation chair in westminster abbey, which is declared to be the actual rock used by jacob as a pillow. the black stone also appears several times in religious symbolism. it was called heliogabalus, a word presumably derived from elagabal, the syro-phoenic

rs, but nature from land to land-as often a land so often a leaf. thus is the codex of nature, thus must its leaves be turned (paracelsus, by john maxson stillman) paracelsus was a great observationalist, and those who knew him best have called him "the second hermes" and "the trismegistus of switzerland" he traveled europe from end to end, and may have penetrated eastern lands while running down superstitions and ferreting out supposedly lost doctrines. from the gypsies he learned much concerning the uses of simples, and apparently from the arabians concerning the making of talismans and the influences of the heavenly bodies. paracelsus felt that the healing of the sick was of far greater importance than the maintaining of an orthodox medical standing, so he sacrificed what might otherwis

MASTERING WITCHCRAFT

en it is definitely known for a fact that the victim will either be too frightened to reply with countermagic or, as is more often the case, if he is the type of person who feigns total disbelief in witchcraft, deeming it all medieval nonsense. the latter is the readiest victim for your doll technique! you will know he can never condescend to indulge in any countermagic, and give full play to his superstitions. of course, it is remotely possible that, due to his run of unbelievably bad luck, loss of wife, estate, and possibly all his hair, he may decide to review his past attitudes towards medieval superstitions; at that point he may take the step of consulting either a known witch or coven or, alternately, a sharp lawyer who specializes in cases of psychological intimidation. then lazily

MATHERS MACGREGOR THE GREATER KEY OF SOLOMON VOL 2

without soul, idols now destroyed, and of whom the name alone remaineth. the true god hath vanquished all the demons as truth triumphs over error. that is past in the opinions of men, and the wars of michael against satan are the symbols of movement, and of the progress of spirits. the devil is ever a god of refusal. accredited idolatries are religions in their time. superannuated idolatries are superstitions and sacrileges. the pantheon of phantoms, which are then in vogue, is the heaven of the ignorant. the receptacle of phantoms, whom folly even wisheth for no longer, is the hell. but all this existeth only in the imagination of the vulgar. for the wise, heaven is the supreme reason, and hell is folly. but it must be understood that we here employ the word heaven in the mystical sense

MICHAEL TSARION ATLANTIS ALIEN VISITATION AND GENETIC MANIPULATION

stilletched in the human race memory, in our very dna. mans various nightmare fearsand daytime phobias arise from such physiological experiences in the ancient past.fear of thunder and lightning, of the dark, of water, of caves and enclosures, of loneli-ness, or spiders, insects, and other creatures, fear of the ocean, of silence, of strangepeoples, and so on, come from this. the myriad omens and superstitions, found inevery clime have their roots in these collective experiences. julian jaymes, author of the origin of consciousness and the breakdown of the bicameralmind, claimed that this period thousands of years ago was a time of intense psychosis forthe emerging human race (jack barranger, past shock).the coming of the original serpent race was probably around 50,000 years ago (butcould

believe in the creed professed by the jewish church, by the roman church, by thegreek church, by the turkish church, by the protestant church, nor by any church that iknow of..each of those churches accuse the other of unbelief; and for my own part, i disbe-lieve them all (thomas paine)atlantis, alien visitation, and genetic manipulation71 what goes on in the bible? i have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and i do not find in our particularsuperstition of christianity one redeeming feature. they are all alike founded on fables andmythology. millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of chris-tianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned. what has been the effect of thiscoercion? to make one-half the world fools and the other half hypo

MICHAEL WYNN THE SOUL TRAVELERS

tes the bulk of occult researchers (those, like me, who researched the occult from the outside. the truth of this statement is easily apparent by observing how many of these researchers will tell you the illuminati practice the occult, and how few of them tell you how it s used. without magic, there is no occult; without magic, the occult is nothing more than a collection of symbolic folklore and superstitions, same as every other religion; without magic, the occultist has no more access to hidden truth than the rest of us and, like the rest of us, must wait for crumbs of wisdom from above to pass the veil and fall into their lap. the first thing i noticed about the more morally-balanced magicians is how they speak to, and about, negative spirits. while in ritual, the satanist spoke to the

not about it. you know of its existence, not its nature. it s the difference between being able to see a bolt of lightning, and knowing how to harness it. the psychic remains subject to the danger posed by lightning, because he cannot tell why it strikes, or where it will fall next, he can only proclaim its existence, or presence, as a fact. these pint-sized mystics then create a whole system of superstitions to explain away the aspects of lightning they don t understand. the magician on the other hand demonstrated control; he knew how to do work with the spirits (harness, and how to stay safe from them (protection. also, the magician did not make the pitiful mistake of associating the spirit world with the afterlife of human beings in such an exclusive manner (unlike those momma s-boy ph

MORALS AND DOGMA

the large wheels, is made to bore and rifle the cannon and to weave the most delicate lace. it must be regulated by intellect. intellect is to the people and the people's force, what the slender needle of the compass is to the ship--its soul, always counselling the huge mass of wood and iron, and always pointing to the north. to attack the citadels built up on all sides against the human race by superstitions, despotisms, and prejudices, the force must have a brain and a law. then its deeds of daring produce permanent results, and there is real progress. then there are sublime conquests. thought is a force, and philosophy should be an energy, finding its aim and its effects in the amelioration of mankind. the two great motors are truth and love. when all these forces are combined, and gui

y it inclines to _begin_ where formerly dynasties _ended. constantly the people put forth immense strength, only to end in immense weakness. the force of the people is exhausted in indefinitely prolonging things long since dead; in governing mankind by embalming old dead tyrannies of faith; restoring dilapidated dogmas; regilding faded, worm-eaten shrines; whitening and rouging ancient and barren superstitions; saving society by multiplying parasites; perpetuating superannuated institutions; enforcing the worship of symbols as the actual means of salvation; and tying the dead corpse of the past, mouth to mouth, with the living present. therefore it is that it is one of the fatalities of humanity to be condemned to eternal struggles with phantoms, with superstitions, bigotries, hypocrisies

reatest of human revealers, could _yearn toward_ the word made man; the gospel alone could give him to the world. doubt, in presence of being and its harmonies; skepticism, in the face of the eternal mathematics and the immutable laws of life which make the divinity present and visible everywhere, as the human is known and visible by its utterances of word and act--is this not the most foolish of superstitions, and the most inexcusable as well as the most dangerous of all credulities? thought, we know, is not a result or consequence of the organization of matter, of the chemical or other action or reaction of its particles, like effervescence and gaseous explosions. on the contrary, the fact that thought is manifested and realized in act human or act divine, proves the existence of an enti

ed the religious spirit, masonry, forming one great people over the whole globe, and marching under the great banner of charity and benevolence, preserves that religious feeling, strengthens it, extends it in its purity and simplicity, as it has always existed in the depths of the human heart, as it existed even under the dominion of the most ancient forms of worship, but where gross and debasing superstitions forbade its recognition. a masonic lodge should resemble a bee-hive, in which all the members work together with ardor for the common good. masonry is not made for cold souls and narrow minds, that do not comprehend its lofty mission and sublime apostolate. here the anathema against lukewarm souls applies. to comfort misfortune, to popularize knowledge, to teach whatever is true and

enemy, and perhaps make him looked upon with suspicion by the people among whom he lives, as the assailant of an established order of things of which he assails only the abuses, and of laws of which he attacks only the violations--he can scarcely look for present recompense, nor that his living brows will be wreathed with laurel. and if, contending against a dark array of long-received opinions, superstitions, obloquy, and fears, which most men dread more than they do an army terrible with banners, the mason overcomes, and emerges from the contest victorious; or if he does _not_ conquer, but is borne down and swept away by the mighty current of prejudice, passion, and interest; in either case, the loftiness of spirit which he displays merits for him more than a mediocrity of fame. he has

egypt, enunciated the principle of exclusion, borrowed, at every period of its existence, from all the creeds with which it came in contact. while, by the studies of the learned and wise, it enriched itself with the most admirable principles of the religions of egypt and asia, it was changed, in the wanderings of the people, by everything that was most impure or seductive in the pagan manners and superstitions. it was one thing in the times of moses and aaron, another in those of david and solomon, and still another in those of daniel and philo. at the time when john the baptist made his appearance in the desert, near the shores of the dead sea, all the old philosophical and religious systems were approximating toward each other. a general lassitude inclined the minds of all toward the qui

ess their thoughts; and this primitive philosophy was the basis of the modern philosophy of pythagoras and plato. all the philosophers and legislators that made antiquity illustrious, were pupils of the initiation; and all the beneficent modifications in the religions of the different people instructed by them were owing to their institution and extension of the mysteries. in the chaos of popular superstitions, those mysteries alone kept man from lapsing into absolute brutishness. zoroaster and confucius drew their doctrines from the mysteries. clemens of alexandria, speaking of the great mysteries, says "here ends all instruction. nature and all things are seen and known" had moral truths alone been taught the initiate, the mysteries could never have deserved nor received the magnificent

inks of harmony and sympathy with the heavenly bodies, they united in one view astronomy, astrology, and religion. long wandering thus in error, they at length ceased to look upon the stars and external nature as gods; and by directing their attention to the microcosm or narrower world of self, they again became acquainted with the true ruler and guide of the universe, and used the old fables and superstitions as symbols and allegories, by which to convey and under which to hide the great truths which had faded out of most men's remembrance. in the hebrew writings, the term "heavenly hosts" includes not only the counsellors and emissaries of jehovah, but also the celestial luminaries; and the stars, imagined in the east to be animated intelligences, presiding over human weal and woe, are i

MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS E

d the worshippers, an opportunity for entering among them, and exerting their baneful influence. at the end of every month food was placed wherever two roads met, in readiness for her and other malignant divinities. in studying the peculiar characteristics which hecate assumes when she usurps the place of persephone, the rightful mistress of page 94 the lower world, we are reminded of the various superstitions with regard to spectres, witchcraft &c, which have, even down to our own times, exerted so powerful an influence over the minds of the ignorant, and which would appear to owe their origin to a remote pagan source. selene (luna. just as helios personified the sun, so his sister selene represented the moon, and was supposed to drive her [87]chariot across the sky whilst her brother was

d were of two kinds, viz, lemures (or larva) and lares [186] the lemures were those manes who haunted their former abodes on earth as evil spirits, appearing at night under awful forms and hideous shapes, greatly to the alarm of their friends and relatives. they were so feared that a festival, called the lemuralia, was celebrated in order to propitiate them. it appears extremely probable that the superstitions with regard to ghosts, haunted houses &c, which exist even at the present day, owe their origin to this very ancient pagan source. the lares familiares were a much more pleasing conception. they were the spirits of the ancestors of each family, who exercised after death a protecting power over the well-being and prosperity of the family to which they had in life belonged. the place o

NAUDON PAUL THE SECRET HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY

e their arrival, there were no towns or cities in this them out of habit and you will win them all the easier to the worship of the true god" this same saint said "the bretons perform sacrifices and give feasts on certain days: leave them their feasts; suppress only the sacrifices" we can conclude, with eliphas levi (histoire de la magie, editions de la maisnie, 1974 "far from encouraging ancient superstitions. christianity restored life and soul to the surviving symbols of universal beliefs" this explains how celtic traditions maintained in gaul were later to be found again in romanesque art. see also m. moreau, la tradition celtique dans l'art roman (paris: editions le courrier du livre, 1963) and henri hubert, les celtes et l'expansion celtique jusqu'a l'epoque de la tene (paris: albin

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART I

peculiarities of anacreon or sappho. a skilful magnetizer should take all these subtle distinctions into account, and we shall provide in our ritual the rules for their recognition. there are two kinds of realization, the true and the fantastic. the first is the exclusive secret of magicians, the other belongs to enchanters and sorcerers. mythologies are fantastic realizations of religious dogma; superstitions are the sorcery of mistaken piety; but even mythologies and superstitions are more efficacious on human will than a purely speculative philosophy apart from any practice. hence st. paul opposes the conquests of the folly of the cross to the inertness of human wisdom. religion realizes philosophy by adapting it to the weaknesses of the vulgar; such is for kabalists the secret reason a

symbolically in their dream. the unlooked-for credit which awaited their narrative, and the vast concourse of pilgrims attracted by a statement so singular and at the same time so vague as that of these two children, without instruction and almost without morality, are proofs of the magnetic reality of the fact, and the fluidic tendency of the earth itself to operate the cure of its inhabitants. superstitions are instinctive and all that is instinctive is founded in the very nature of things, to which fact the sceptics of all times have given insufficient attention. it follows that we attribute the strange phenomena of table-turning to the universal magnetic agent in search of a chain of enthusiasms with a view to the formation of fresh currents. the force of itself is blind, but can be d

en to adorn themselves with small horns, not dreaming of the sense of the allegory. these attributes of jupiter ammon, bacchus and moses are a symbol of moral power or enthusiasm, so that the magicians mean to say that, in order to withstand the jettatura, the fatal current of instincts must be governed by great intrepidity, great enthusiasm, or a great thought. in like manner, almost all popular superstitions are vulgar interpretations of some grand maxim or marvellous secret of occult wisdom. did not pythagoras, in his admirable symbols, bequeath a perfect philosophy to sages but a new series of vain observances and ridiculous practices to the vulgar? thus, when he said: do not pick up what falls from the table; do not cut down trees on the great highway; kill not the serpent when it sli

and in this sense also a doctrine most holy in its original conception may become superstitious and impious when it has lost its spirit and its inspiration. then does religion, ever one, like the supreme reason, exchange its vestures and abandon old rites to the cupidity and roguery of fallen priests, transformed by their wickedness and ignorance into jugglers and charlatans. we may include among superstitions those magical emblems and characters, of which the meaning is understood no longer, which are engraved by chance on amulets and talismans. the magical images of the ancients were pantacles, i.e. kabalistic syntheses. thus the wheel of pythagoras is a pantacle analogous to the wheels of ezekiel; the two emblems contain the same secrets and belong to the 91 same philosophy; they consti

RITUEL ET DOGME DE LA HAUTE MAGIE BY ELIPHAS LEVI PART II

strange because almost invariably unexpected, at least when the chain has not been formed by an intelligent, sympathetic and powerful leader. in fact, they are the result of purely blind and fortuitous combinations. the vulgar fear of superstitious guests when they find themselves thirteen at table, and their conviction that some misfortune threatens the youngest and weakest among them, like most superstitions, a remnant of magical science. the duodenary, being a complete and cyclic number in the universal analogies of nature, invariably attracts and absorbs the thirteenth, which is regarded as a sinister and superfluous number. if the grindstone of a mill be represented by the number twelve, then thirteen is that of the grain which is to be ground. on kindred considerations, the ancients

t sorcerers, is truly a thing to be condemned in some and infinitely deplored in others. it is above all to combat these unhappy aberrations of the human mind by their exposure that we have published this book. may it further the holy cause! but we have not yet exhibited these impious devices in all their turpitude, in all their monstrous folly. we must stir up the blood-stained filth or perished superstitions; we must tax the annals of demonomania, so as to explore certain crimes which imagination alone could not invent. the kabalist bodin, israelite by conviction and catholic by necessity, had no other intention in his demonomania of sorcerers than to impeach catholicism in its works and undermine it in the greatest of all its doctrinal abuses. the treatise of bodin is profoundly machiav

hest degree, and upon the indication of a single star, for example, we can see no reason why a o should be traced rather than a n or z; four stars will also give indifferently a m, k, or x, as well as an. we are deterred therefore from reproducing a copy of gaffarel's planisphere, examples of which are, moreover, not exceedingly rare. it was included in the work of montfaucon on the religions and superstitions of the world, and also in the treatise upon magic published by the mystic eckartshausen. scholars, moreover, are not agreed upon the configuration of the letters of the primitive alphabet. the italian tarot, of which the lost gothic originals are much to be regretted, connects by the disposition of its figures with the hebrew alphabet in use after the captivity, and known as the assy

in his phials the juice of all the herbs of st. john. he had, however, a sceptical brother who derided the sorcerer, and the poor gardener, overwhelmed by the sarcasms of this infidel, began to doubt himself, whereupon all the miracles ceased, the sufferers lost confidence and the thaumaturge, slandered and despairing, died mad. the abbe thiers, cure of vibraie, in his curious treatise concerning superstitions, records that a woman, afflicted with an apparently aggravated ophthalmia, having been suddenly and mysteriously cured, confessed to a priest that she had betaken herself to magic. she had long importuned a clerk, whom she regarded as a magician, to give her a talisman that she might wear, and he had at length delivered her a scroll of parchment, advising her at the same time to wash

ROBERT KIRK WALKER BETWEEN WORLDS

rsisted in various forms from ancient times, and have reappeared from the renaissance through to the present day. the modern popular interest in 'occult' matters is founded upon such traditions, though sometimes in a corrupt and trivialized form. to examine kirk we should not assume that we are dealing only with folklore in the sense of literary preservation or a collection of specimens of gaelic superstitions: we are dealing with a living person who experienced and attempted to formulate the knowledge of another world. kirk saw this world as being close to our own, and not in any way counter to religion or to rational thought. he argued from a metaphysical standpoint, but regarded his concepts as reaching right through into manifestation, into personal and collective experience. he prefac

ng the seers themselves. if we grant that kirk is reporting accurately. then he is not making a philosophical thesis of his own, but reporting the remnants of an esoteric or mystical tradition, preserved from the days of pagan celtic religion and philosophy. this undertone of a perennial wisdom-teaching runs thr-oughout celtic tradition, but it is intermingled with a vast range of humble beliefs, superstitions, and variants of orthodox commentary 78 religion. it is interesting to consider, from kirk's evidence, that a certain amount of philosophical instruction was handed down among seers, over and above the initiatory and interpret-ative lore that is well recorded. pages 22-23 they remove to other lodgings at the beginning of each quarter of the year, so traversing until doomsday. and at

RUBY TABLET OF SET

need little justification for their antisocial behavior. as human beings, however, they may have fears, concerns, and anxiety over getting away with their criminal acts. it is difficult to pray to god for success in doing things that are against his commandments. a negative spiritual belief system may fulfill their human need for assistance from and belief in a greater power or to deal with their superstitions. compulsive ritualism (e.g, excessive cleanliness or fear of disease) can be introduced into sexual behavior. even many "normal" people have a need for order and predictability and therefore may engage in family or work rituals. under stress or in times of change, this need for order and ritual may increase. ritual crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual, and psychological

crease. ritual crime may fulfill the cultural, spiritual, sexual, and psychological needs of an offender. crimes may be ritualistically motivated or may have ritualistic elements. the ritual behavior may also fulfill basic criminal needs to manipulate victims, get rid of rivals, send a message to enemies, and intimidate co-conspirators. the leaders of a group may want to play upon the beliefs and superstitions of those around them and try to convince accomplices and enemies that they, the leaders, have special or "supernatural" powers. the important point for the criminal investigator is to realize that most ritualistic criminal behavior is not motivated simply by satanic or any religious ceremonies. at some conferences, presenters have attempted to make an issue of distinguishing between

of the case, but even offenders who commit crimes in a spiritual context are usually motivated by power, sex, and money. keep investigation and religious beliefs separate- i believe that one of the biggest mistakes any investigator of these cases can make is to attribute supernatural powers to the offenders. during an investigation a good investigator may sometimes be able to use the beliefs and superstitions of the offenders to his or her advantage. the reverse happens if the investigator believes that the offenders possess supernatural powers. satanic/occult practitioners have no more power than any other human beings. law enforcement officers who believe that the investigation of these cases puts them in conflict with the supernatural forces of evil should probably not be assigned to t

it. a participant stands inside each "leg" of the pentagram. if you have more than six participants, repeat the sandpainting in the areas outside the "legs" inside the enclosing circle. in this way you increase your number of potential participants to eleven. traditionally, a sandpainting is removed and buried after its use in order to destroy it. however, skinwalkers are not subject to the same superstitions as the traditional dinee, and setians are definitely not. therefore, i recommend that the sandpainting be left intact. the paintings on the walls of the chamber or cave should represent other totems which will be used such as bears, cats, etc. you may also use the same animals as are in the sandpainting, engaged in different activities. examples of this would be bat flying in the sol

tanic bible. 12. note: i have not investigated the question of anti-magical activity. this turned out to be not necessary for my purposes, but it might be an interesting pursuit for someone else interested in this type of analysis of magical behavior. i'll gladly help anyone interested in such an analysis. nosferatu what are the origins of the vampire of history? the creature is alive through the superstitions and folklore of many a country, and like his kin the werewolf, the vampire may have a basis in mundane fact. the magical foundation is quite another thing, so let us look initially at history and at a medical condition that will shed a certain amount of light on one of the most compelling and fascinating inhabitants of the night. from france we get the familiar word "vampire" and ger

oints of departure, not enshrined dogma. the name and dignity of aleister crowley, founder of the order, will be preserved and honored. the concepts and conduct of crowley apart from his historic task as an aeonic magus will be evaluated fairly and dispassionately, and will not be automatically considered part of that legacy (3) corruptions of the legacy of horus will not exist within the aa. the superstitions of decadent cultures, such as the hebrew and greek "cabalas" will not be a part of this order, nor will it welcome or tolerate crude paganisms (such as wicca) or insincere, pseudo- egyptian games (such as the amorc. the grade system based upon the hebrew "tree of life" and adapted from the doctrinally-corrupt golden dawn, will be replaced by a non-sexbased degree system whose levels

SATANGEL

. these in turn were reinterpreted and demonised as one culture dominated another. the most ancient gods become the giants and titans, whilst younger conquering religions build new temples. these in turn became subjugated to monothiesm, and their nature is reinterpreted yet again. in our modern day we no longer like to speak of god or the devil, and perhaps even feel a slight embarrassment at the superstitions of our forebears. instead we are more comfortable to reduce such ideas to psychological concepts. modern magicians and witches, even those who consider belief to be a 1 alchemy being translated to mean the black science, and having its origins in egypt. no moral implications are intended by the word; indeed it was several thousand years before anyone saw the need to invent a white ma

SEPHER YETZIRAH WESTCOTT

s volume only the undoubted kernel of this occult nut, upon which many great authorities, hebrew, german, jesuit and others, have written long commentaries, and yet have failed to explain satisfactorily. i find kalisch, speaking of these commentaries, says "they contain nothing but a medley of arbitrary explanations, and sophistical distortions of scriptural verses, astrological notions, oriental superstitions, a metaphysical jargon, a poor knowledge of physics, and not a correct elucidation of this ancient book" kalisch, however, was not an occultist; these commentaries are, however, so extensive as to demand years of study, and i feel no hesitation in confessing that my researches into them have been but superficial. for convenience of study i have placed the notes in a separate form at

SIR EDWARD BULWER LYTTON ZANONI A ROSICRUCIAN TALE

ce against good sense and good taste; but it is as unreasonable to deny the vigour and originality of their author's conceptions, as to deny that the execution is imperfect, and, at times, bungling and absurd. it has been justly said that the present half century has witnessed the rise and triumphs of science, the extent and marvels of which even bacon's fancy never conceived, simultaneously with superstitions grosser than any which bacon's age believed "the one is, in fact, the natural reaction from the other. the more science seeks to exclude the miraculous, and reduce all nature, animate and inanimate, to an invariable law of sequences, the more does the natural instinct of man rebel, and seek an outlet for those obstinate questionings, those 'blank misgivings of a creature moving about

cetoxa" said one grave-looking sombre man, who had crossed himself two or three times during the neapolitan's narrative "are you not aware of the strange reports about this person; and are you not afraid to receive from him a gift which may carry with it the most fatal consequences? do you not know that he is said to be a sorcerer; to possess the mal-occhio; to "prithee, spare us your antiquated superstitions" interrupted cetoxa, contemptuously "they are out of fashion; nothing now goes down but scepticism and philosophy. and what, after all, do these rumours, when sifted, amount to? they have no origin but this, a silly old man of eighty-six, quite in his dotage, solemnly avers that he saw this same zanoni seventy years ago (he himself, the narrator, then a mere boy) at milan; when this

defined exactly the nature of that shudder which came over me. but how could my manner be so faithful an index to my impressions "i know the signs of the visitation" returned the stranger, gravely "they are not to be mistaken by one of my experience" all the gentleman present then declared that they could comprehend, and had felt, what the stranger had described "according to one of our national superstitions" said mervale, the englishman who had first addressed glyndon "the moment you so feel your blood creep, and your hair stand on end, some one is walking over the spot which shall be your grave "there are in all lands different superstitions to account for so common an occurrence" replied the stranger "one sect among the arabians holds that at that instant god is deciding the hour eith

ng its way to that hideous mockery of human aspirations, the revolution of france; and from the chaos into which were already jarring the sanctities of the world's venerable belief, arose many shapeless and unformed chimeras. need i remind the reader that, while that was the day for polished scepticism and affected wisdom, it was the day also for the most egregious credulity and the most mystical superstitions, the day in which magnetism and magic found converts amongst the disciples of diderot; when prophecies were current in every mouth; when the salon of a philosophical deist was converted into an heraclea, in which necromancy professed to conjure up the shadows of the dead; when the crosier and the book were ridiculed, and mesmer and cagliostro were believed. in that heliacal rising, h

arily "are you an artist, and, looking on the world, can you listen to such a dogma? between god and genius there is a necessary link, there is almost a correspondent language. well said the pythagorean (sextus, the pythagorean 'a good intellect is the chorus of divinity" struck and touched with these sentiments, which he little expected to fall from one to whom he ascribed those powers which the superstitions of childhood ascribe to the darker agencies, glyndon said "and yet you have confessed that your life, separated from that of others, is one that man should dread to share. is there, then, a connection between magic and religion "magic" and what is magic! when the traveller beholds in persia the ruins of palaces and temples, the ignorant inhabitants inform him they were the work of ma

excited by the wild revels he had left he was unable to sleep. the image of that revolting old age which time, unless defeated, must bring upon himself, quickened the eagerness of his desire for the dazzling and imperishable youth he ascribed to zanoni. the prohibition only served to create a spirit of defiance. the reviving day, laughing jocundly through his lattice, dispelled all the fears and superstitions that belong to night. the mystic chamber presented to his imagination nothing to differ from any other apartment in the castle. what foul or malignant apparition could harm him in the light of that blessed sun! it was the peculiar, and on the whole most unhappy, contradiction in glyndon's nature, that while his reasonings led him to doubt, and doubt rendered him in moral conduct irre

the island he had selected seemed one delicious garden. the towers and turrets of its capital gleaming amidst groves of oranges and lemons; vineyards and olive-woods filling up the valleys, and clambering along the hill-sides; and villa, farm, and cottage covered with luxuriant trellises of dark-green leaves and purple fruit. for there the prodigal beauty yet seems half to justify those graceful superstitions of a creed that, too enamoured of earth, rather brought the deities to man, than raised the man to their less alluring and less voluptuous olympus. and still to the fishermen, weaving yet their antique dances on the sand; to the maiden, adorning yet, with many a silver fibula, her glossy tresses under the tree that overshadows her tranquil cot, the same great mother that watched over

heart beat more quickly; and, looking into his face, she was struck with its expression: it was anxious, abstracted, perturbed "this stillness awes me" she whispered. zanoni did not seem to hear her. he muttered to himself, and his eyes gazed round restlessly. she knew not why, but that gaze, which seemed to pierce into space, that muttered voice in some foreign language revived dimly her earlier superstitions. she was more fearful since the hour when she knew that she was to be a mother. strange crisis in the life of woman, and in her love! something yet unborn begins already to divide her heart with that which had been before its only monarch "look on me, zanoni" she said, pressing his hand. he turned "thou art pale, viola; thy hand trembles "it is true. i feel as if some enemy were cree

SIR WALLIS BUDGE EGYPTIAN MAGIC

time nor distance could limit the operations of his power; the mysteries of life and death were laid bare before him, and he could draw aside the veil which hid the secrets of fate and destiny from the knowledge of ordinary mortals. now if views such as these concerning the magician's power were held by the educated folk of ancient egypt there is little to wonder at when we find that beliefs and superstitions of the most degraded character flourished with rank luxuriance among the peasants p. xii and working classes of that country, who failed to understand the symbolism of the elaborate ceremonies which were performed in the temples, and who were too ignorant to distinguish the spiritual conceptions which lay at their root--to meet the religious needs of such people the magician, and in

the fact that it had two sides; on the one it closely resembles in. p. 2 many respects the christian religion of to-day, and on the other the religion of many of the sects which flourished in the first three or four centuries of our era, and which may be said to have held beliefs which were part christian and part non-christian. in its non- christian aspect it represents a collection of ideas and superstitions which belong to a savage or semi-savage state of existence, and which maintained their hold in a degree upon the minds of the egyptians long after they had advanced to a high state of civilization. we may think that such ideas and beliefs are both childish and foolish, but there is no possible reason for doubting that they were very real things to those who held them, and whether the

, worms, mildew, decay and putrefaction were laid with a lavish hand in, and upon, and about it, and between the bandages with which it was swathed. when men in egypt began to lay amulets on their dead cannot be said, and it is equally impossible to say when the belief in the efficacy of such and such an amulet sprang into being; it seems clear, however, that certain amulets represent beliefs and superstitions so old that even the egyptians were, at times, doubtful about their origin and meaning. amulets are of two kinds (1) those which are inscribed with magical formula, and (2) those which are not. in the earliest times formula or prayers were recited over the amulets that were worn by the living or placed on the dead by priests or men set apart to perform religious services by the commu

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 1

ed ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of superstition, a belief that certain repeated actions or words will bring the practitioner luck or ward off evil. ancient superstitions survive today in such common practices as tossing a pinch of salt over the shoulder or whispering a blessing after a sneeze to assure good fortune. the earliest traces of magical practices are found in the european caves of the paleolithic age, c. 50,000 b.c.e. in which it seems clear that early humans sought supernatural means to placate the spirits of the animals they killed for fo

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL 3

f the unusual and unexplained consists of fourteen broad-subject chapters covering a wide range of high-interest topics: afterlife mysteries; mediums and mystics; religious phenomena; mystery religions and cults; secret societies; magic and sorcery; prophecy and divination; objects of mystery and power; places of mystery and power; ghosts and phantoms; mysterious creatures; mysteries of the mind; superstitions, strange customs, taboos, and urban legends; and invaders from outer space. each chapter begins with an overview that summarizes the chapter s concept in a few brief sentences. then the chapter exploration provides a complete outline of the chapter, listing all topics and subtopics therein, so that the user can understand the interrelationships between the chapter s topics and its su

ed ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of superstition, a belief that certain repeated actions or words will bring the practitioner luck or ward off evil. ancient superstitions survive today in such common practices as tossing a pinch of salt over the shoulder or whispering a blessing after a sneeze to assure good fortune. the earliest traces of magical practices are found in the european caves of the paleolithic age, c. 50,000 b.c.e. in which it seems clear that early humans sought supernatural means to placate the spirits of the animals they killed for fo

ch with gladys. i believe sincerely in the truth of this experience as my daughter writes it. john frederick oberlin (1740 1826, the famous pastor, educator, and philanthropist, literally transformed the whole life of the bande- la-roche valley in the vosges mountains of alsace. shortly after the clergyman s arrival in the district, he expressed his immediate and earnest displeasure regarding the superstitions of the natives. oberlin became especially agitated over the villagers reports concerning the apparitions of dying loved ones. the new pastor resolved to educate the simple folk, and he launched a vociferous pulpit campaign against such superstitious tales. in spite of his orthodox denial of apparitions, the reports of such phenomena continued unabated, and oberlin was honest enough t

downer must fail to reserve a small plot of his or her property for the hidden folk, and a number of the rural residents earnestly pointed out to the new proprieters that any extension of the plant would encroach upon the plot of ground that the original owners had set aside for the little people who lived under the ground. the businessmen laughed. for one thing, they didn t harbor those old folk superstitions. for another, they had employed a top-notch, highly qualified construction crew who possessed modern, unbreakable drill bits and plenty of explosives. but the bits of the unbreakable drills began to shatter one after another. an old farmer came forward to repeat the warning that the crew was trespassing on land that belonged to the hidden folk. at first the workmen laughed at the old

mployed a top-notch, highly qualified construction crew who possessed modern, unbreakable drill bits and plenty of explosives. but the bits of the unbreakable drills began to shatter one after another. an old farmer came forward to repeat the warning that the crew was trespassing on land that belonged to the hidden folk. at first the workmen laughed at the old man and marveled that such primitive superstitions could still exist in modern iceland. but the drill bits kept breaking. finally, the manager of the plant, although professing disbelief in such superstitions, agreed to the old farmer s recommendation that he consult a local seer to establish contact with the hidden folk and attempt to make peace with them. after going into a brief trance-state, the seer returned to waking consciousn

shared this fear. necrophobia, a fear of dead people or animals, is likely one of those phobias that has its roots in humankind s earliest taboos and reflects such commonsense reasoning as the danger of contracting diseases from the deceased. all of the world s religions have strict rules about how the dead should be handled and how a proper burial should be conducted. and all world cultures have superstitions and legends about vampires, zombies, and other members of the undead who seek the blood of the living. tales of the dead returning to communicate with their relatives or exact revenge on their enemies are known to every society. with such a heritage of fear of the dead lurking in the unconscious, it is to be expected that some individuals would develop such a crippling dread of a dec

, or international tension. in primitive times when people encountered individuals from different tribes, a caution or fear of strangers was the most primitive kind of protective device. although few areas of the world remain isolated from the technology of modern communications and few people are so isolated as to remain ignorant of people outside of their own tribal boundaries, ancient beliefs, superstitions, and fears concerning those different from themselves perpetuate xenophobia (from the greek xenos, for stranger or foreigner) even among certain individuals living in modern society. education and an encouragement to learn about and to appreciate the similarities, rather than the differences, among all people is the only cure for xenophobia. m delving deeper beck, aaron, and g. emery

rom psukhein: to breathe. psychiatrist a doctor who is trained to treat people with psychiatric disorders. psychoanalysis the system of analysis regarding the relationship of conscious and unconscious psychological aspects and their treatment in mental or psycho neurosis. t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d mysteries of the mind 185 chapter 13 superstitions, strange customs, taboos, and urban legends out of the fears and feelings of helplessness, there arose accounts of personal rituals of survival. superstitions and religions evolved into accepted rules for appropriate human behavior (customs) and forbidden behavior (taboos. many of these societal customs, and religious and cultural taboos, are perpetuated in the urban legends of today

THE GALE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE UNUSUAL UNEXPLAINED VOL

f the unusual and unexplained consists of fourteen broad-subject chapters covering a wide range of high-interest topics: afterlife mysteries; mediums and mystics; religious phenomena; mystery religions and cults; secret societies; magic and sorcery; prophecy and divination; objects of mystery and power; places of mystery and power; ghosts and phantoms; mysterious creatures; mysteries of the mind; superstitions, strange customs, taboos, and urban legends; and invaders from outer space. each chapter begins with an overview that summarizes the chapter fs concept in a few brief sentences. then the chapter exploration provides a complete outline of the chapter, listing all topics and subtopics therein, so that the user can understand the interrelationships between the chapter fs topics and its

ease their fear and the feeling of helplessness that arose from the precariousness of their existence. others in the community who took careful note of their behavior ritualized the stories of those who had faced great dangers and survived. in such rituals lies the origin of gsuperstition, h a belief that certain repeated actions or words will bring the practitioner luck or ward off evil. ancient superstitions survive today in such common practices as tossing a pinch of salt over the shoulder or whispering a blessing after a sneeze to assure good fortune. the earliest traces of magical practices are found in the european caves of the paleolithic age, c. 50,000 b.c.e. in which it seems clear that early humans sought supernatural means to placate the spirits of the animals they killed for fo

light, o skeleton hand, and guide the feet of our trusty band. the only way to stop the power of the hand once it had been ignited was to douse it with either milk or blood. according to belief, water alone was incapable of extinguishing the flames of a hand of glory. m delving deeper cavendish, richard. the black arts. new york: capricorn books, 1968. opie, iona, and moira tatem. a dictionary of superstitions. new york: barnes& noble, 1999. steiger, brad, ed. the occult world of john pendragon. new york: ace books, 1968. horseshoes horseshoes have long been popular in folk magic as an instrument of bringing the owner good luck.provided the object is worn out and found, rather than new and purchased. in some countries the horseshoe is hung with the open end downward as a fertility symbol

nife to stir their tea, coffee, or food will summon strife. to drop a knife while eating, some people believe, is a sign that unexpected company will soon arrive. others fear that to drop a knife will bring illness to the household. with the knife having played such an important and integral role in the societal and spiritual development of humankind, it is little wonder that there should be many superstitions regarding its use and misuse. m delving deeper cavendish, richard. the black arts. new york: capricorn books, 1968. gaskell, g. a. dictionary of all scriptures and myths. new york: gramercy books, 1981. opie, iona, and moira tatem. a dictionary of superstitions. new york: barnes& noble, 1999. walker, barbara g. the woman fs dictionary of symbols and sacred objects. edison, n.j: castl

nchman, t h e g a l e e n c y c l o p e d i a o f t h e u n u s u a l a n d u n e x p l a i n e d 182 objects of mystery and power group of young women performing the maypole dance (corbis corporation) louis lucas, invented plate glass that, backed with the proper alloy, formed a mirror that for the first time gave both sexes a true reflection of their appearance. one of the most common of modern superstitions is that to break a mirror invites death, or seven years of bad luck. this old folk belief originated with the romans about the first century c.e. they believed that the health of a person changed every seven years, and as the mirror reflected the health or the appearance of the person, to break a mirror would be to shatter one fs health for a period of seven years. among highly super

salt is spilled. according to some authorities, the widespread notion that the spilling of salt produces evil consequences is supposed to have originated in the tradition that judas overturned a salt shaker at the last supper as portrayed in leonardo da vinci fs (1452.1519) painting. but it appears more probable that the belief is due to the sacred character of salt in early times. these old salt superstitions are found in many widely separated countries. long ago they captured the public fancy, and they have survived. there are still many people who believe that to spill salt is an omen of a quarrel or bad luck, and that to toss a bit of the salt over the left shoulder is to cancel the negative consequences. m delving deeper cavendish, richard. the black arts. new york: capricorn books, 1

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERIES

munion; faith is a sentiment which is common to the whole of humanity. the more one discusses with the object of obtaining greater accuracy, the less one believes; every new dogma is a belief which a sect appropriates to itself, and thus, in some sort, steals from universal faith. let us leave sectarians to make and remake their dogmas; let us leave the superstitious to detail and formulate their superstitions. as the master said "let the dead bury their dead" let us believe in the indicible truth; let us believe in that absolute which reason admits without understanding it; let us believe in what we feel without knowing it! let us believe in the supreme reason! let us believe in infinite love, and pity the stupidities of scholasticism and the barbarities of false religion! o man! tell me

a soul; but, whether one accepts it or denies it, it is in humanity; it is, then, in life, it is in nature itself; it is an incontestable fact of science, and even of reason. the true religion is that which has always existed, which exists today, and will exist for ever. some one may say that religion is this or that; religion is what it is. this is the true religion, and the false religions are superstitions imitated from her, borrowed from her, lying shadows of herself! one may say of religion what one says of true art. savage attempts at painting or sculpture are the attempts of ignorance to arrive at the truth. art proves itself by itself, is radiant with its own splendour, is unique and eternal like beauty. the true religion is beautiful, and it is by that divine character that it im

d the magnetizer can produce at will slumber, insensibility, catalepsy, and so on, it will only require a little further effort to bring on death. we have been told as an actual fact a story whose authenticity we will not altogether guarantee. we are about to repeat it because it may be true. certain persons who doubted both religion and magnetism, of that incredulous class which is ready for all superstitions and all fanaticisms, had persuaded a poor girl to submit to their experiments for a fee. this girl was of an impressionable and nervous nature, fatigued moreover by the excesses of a life which had been more than irregular, while she was already disgusted with existence. they put her to sleep; bade her see; she weeps and struggles. they speak to her of god; she trembles in every limb

natural history of the ancients are explained in the same manner, and in this allegorical use of analogies, one can 189 already understand the possible abuses and predict the errors to which the qabalah was obliged to give birth. the law of analogies, in fact, has been for qabalists of a secondary rank the object of a blind and fanatical faith. it is to this belief that one must attribute all the superstitions with which the adepts of occult science have been reproached. this is how they reasoned: the sign expresses the thing. the thing is the virtue of the sign. there is an analogical correspondence between the sign and the thing signified. the more perfect is the sign, the more entire is the correspondence. to say a word is to evoke a thought and make it present. to name god is to manife

rhaps, cutting her teeth. but france! france to accept such things! no, it is not possible, and it is not so. but while they refuse the doctrines, serious men should observe the phenomena, remain calm in the midst of the agitations of all the fanaticisms (for incredulity also has its own, and judge after having examined. to preserve one's reason in the midst of madmen, one's faith in the midst of superstitions, one's dignity in the midst of buffoons, and one's independence among the sheep of panurge, is of all miracles the rarest, the finest, and the most difficult to accomplish. chapter iv fluidic phantoms and their mysteries the ancients gave different names to these: larvae, lemures (empuses. they loved the vapour of shed blood, and fled from the blade of the sword. theurgy evoked them

THE MIDDLE PILLAR

pelled magic without the "k" like regardie, we see no reason to surrender the word "magic" to the arena of the stage magician. 3. keep in mind that this book was first printed in 1938, over a decade before gerald gardner published witchcraft today and started the religion of wicca, which is positive and life-affirming. regardie's reference to "such pathologies as witchcraff'refers to the medieval superstitions, hexes, and general hysteria that resulted in the inquisition and the salem witch trials. 4. unfortunately in modem times the "pathology of demonolatry" has a following among certain individuals who call themselves satanists. although many self-proclaimed satanists are merely practicing a rather juvenile philosophy created out of adolescent rebellion based on the rejection of the rel

of their activity and why they were formed originally is to obtain much illumination as to what is implied by the phrase "the mind is the slayer of the real" in point of fact, it is not the mind which inhibits our perceiving what is real, what is worthwhile and desirable in life. it is the false development of mind-that mass of prejudices. emotional biases, improperly formulated philosophies and superstitions, relics of the inheritance from misguided parents-which is here denoted. and until we do understand its nature and perceive its extent, never shall we be freed from its dominion, or released from its compulsion. and until we have thoroughly understood our own behavior, motives, and the mechanism of our own attractions and repulsions, we have no insight. possibly then we should be abl

THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES

eks later these two people were dead, among the victims of the worst tragedy ever to strike that section of west virginia. they were driving across the silver bridge. which spanned the ohio river, when it suddenly collapsed. their friends remembered. they remembered the story of the bearded stranger in the night. it had, indeed, been a sinister omen. one that confirmed their religious beliefs and superstitions. so a new legend was born. beelzebub had visited west virginia on the eve of a terrible tragedy. ii. being a dedicated nonconformist is not easy these days. i grew my beard in 1966 while loafing for a week op the farm of my friend, zoologist ivan t. sanderson. i kept it until 1968 when hair became popular and half the young men hi america suddenly began burying their identities in a

TURNER ROBERT ARBETEL OF MAGICK

r the book of jovianus pontanus of fortune, and his eutichus. the third way is, diligent and hard labor, without which no great thing can be obtained from the divine deity worthy admiration, as it is said, tu nihil invita dices facie sue minerva. nothing canst thou do or say against minerva s will. we do detest all evil magicians, who make themselves associates with the devils with their unlawful superstitions, and do obtain and effect some things which god permitteth to be done, instead of the punishment of the devils. so also they do other evil acts, the devil being the author, as the scripture testifie of judas. to these are referred all idolaters of old, and of our age, and abusers of fortune, such as the heathens are full of. and to these do appertain all charontick evocation of spiri

the study of metals, or chymistry: as he produceth any president of growing rich by these means, he shall obtain his desire therein. aphorism 34. all manner of evocation is of the same kinde and form, and this way was familiar of old time to the sibyls and chief priests. this in our time, through ignorance and impiety, is totally lost; and that which remaineth, is depraved with infinite lyes and superstitions. aphorism 35. the humane understanding is the onely effecter of all wonderful works, so that it be joyned to any spirit; and being joyned, she produceth what she will. therefore we are carefully to proceed in magick, lest that syrens and other monsters deceive us, which likewise do desire the society of the humane soul. let the magician carefully hide himself alwaies under the wings

TWO ESSAYS ON THE WORSHIP OF PRIAPUS

in different ages, presented abundance of horrors and abundance of vices, which, in treating history popularly, we are obliged to pass over gently, and often to conceal; but, nevertheless, if we neglect or suppress these facts altogether, we injure the truth of history itself, almost in the same manner as we should injure a man s health by destroying some of the nerves or muscles of his body. the superstitions which are treated in the two essays which form the present volume, formed a very important element in the working of the social frame in former ages, in fact, during a very great part of the existence of man in this world, they have had much influence inwardly and outwardly on the character and spirit of society itself, and therefore it is necessary for the historian to understand th

must include all branches of the human race, in a majority of which it is in full force at the present day, and even in our own more highly civilized branch it has continued to exist to a far more recent period than we might be inclined to suppose. it is the object of the essay which has been written for the present volume of which it forms more than one half to investigate the existence of these superstitions among ourselves, to trace them, in fact, through the middle ages of western euroipe, and their influence on the history of medi val and on the formation of modern society, and to place in the hands of historical scholars preface vii such of their monuments as we have been able to collect. it is hoped that, thus composed, the present volume will prove acceptable to the class of reader

he medi val part of the subject can be perfect. a large majority of the facts and monuments of medi val phallic worship have long perished, but many, hitherto unknown, remain still to be collected, and it may be hopes that the present essay will lead eventually to much more complete researches as to the existence and influence of this worship in western europe during medi val times. notes of such superstitions are continually turning up unexpectedly; and we may mention as an example that a copy of payne knight s treatise now before us contains a marginal note in pencil by a former possessor, richard turner, a collector of curious books formerly residing at grantham in lincolnshire, in the following words: in 1850, i met with a zingari, or gypsy, who had an amulet beautifully carved in ivor

atever the greeks and egyptians meant by the symbol in question, it was certainly nothing ludicrous or licentious; of which we need no other proof, than its having been carried in solemn procession at the celebration of those mysteries in which the first principles of their religion, the knowledge of the god of nature, the first, the supreme, the intellectual,1 were preserved free from the vulgar superstitions, and communicated, under the strictest oaths of 1 plut. de is. et osir. 16 on the worship secrecy, to the iniated (initiated; who were obliged to purify themselves, prior to their initiation, by abstaining from venery, and all impure food.1 we may therefore be assured, that no impure meaning could be conveyed by this symbol; but that it represented some fundamental principle of their

llegory. of all the nations of antiquity the persians were the most simple and direct in the worship of the creator. they were the puritans of the heathen world, and not only rejected all images of god or his agents, but also temples and altars, according to herodotus,1 whose authority i prefer to any other, because he had an opportunity of conversing with them before they had adopted any foreign superstitions. 2 as they worshipped the therial fire without any medium of personification or allegory, they thought it unworthy of the dignity of the god to be represented by any definite form, or circumscribed to any particular place. the universe was his temple, and the all-pervading element of fire his only symbol. the greeks appear originally to have held similar opinions; for they were long

only, without wall or roof, like the celtic temples of our northern ancestors, or the pyr theia of the persians, which were circles of stones, in the centre of which was kindled the sacred fire,5 the symbol of the god. homer frequently speaks of places of worship consisting of an area and altar only (tenemoj bwmoj te, 1 lib. i. 2 hyde, anquetil, and other modern writers, have given us the operose superstitions of the present parsees for the simple theism of the ancient persians. 3 pausan. lib. vii. and ix. 4 lib. ii. 5 strab. lib. xv. 64 on the worship which were probably inclosures like these of the persians, with an altar in the centre. the temples dedicated to the creator bacchus, which the greek architects called hyp thral, seem to have been anciently of the same kind; whence probably

the worship of the generative powers during the middle ages of western europe a on the worship of the generative powers during the middle ages of western europe ichard payne knight, has written with great learning on the origin and history of the worship of priapus among the ancients. this worship, which was but a part of that of the generative powers, appears to have been the most ancient of the superstitions of the human race,1 has prevailed more or less among all known peoples before the introduction of christianity, and, singularly enough, so deeply it seems to have been implanted in human nature, that even the promulgation of the gospel did not abolish it, for it continued to exist, accepted and often encouraged by the medi val clergy. the occasion of payne knight s work 1 there appea

lace called fridaythorpe in yorkshire, and friston, a name which occurs in several parts of england, means, probably, the stone of frea or of friga; and we seem justified in supposing that this and other names commencing with the syllable fri or fry, are so many monuments of the existence of the phallic worship among our anglo-saxon forefathers. two customs cherished among our old english popular superstitions are believed to have been derived from this worship, the need-fires, and the procession of the boar s head at the christmas festivities. the former were fires kindled at the period of the summer solstice, and were certainly in their origin religious observances. the boar was intimately connected with the worship of frea.1 from our want of a more intimate knowledge of this part of teu

TYSON DONALD SOUL FLIGHT

the prophetic books are astral realms, and for this reason it is quite possible for ordinary men and women to visit them while traveling in the astral body. safe passage through hell is often secured by means of spirit guides, who have the power to shield the astral traveler from harm. jesus, having all wisdom and all power unto himself, was without need of either a guide or a protector. despite superstitions to the contrary, there is no direct physical danger to the body while projecting astrally, but it is possible that the intense shock of scenes in hell might cause a nervous reaction, resulting in emotional or even physical damage in a secondary way by repercussion. the spirit guide acts as a kind of shield, reducing the intensity of the astral experience when necessary, or in extreme

Return to Occult Library Index



Related Matches
african age ages air amulets ancient apparitions astral astrology black blood ceremonies child children christ christian christianity church churches conscious consciousness creation darkness dead death degree degrees deity demons devil devils divine doctrine doctrines dogma earth east egypt egyptian elements eternal evil existence eye fairy father fear female fire fires five force forces form forms masonry german god gods gold golden greek greeks heart heaven hebrew hell history holy human humanity intellect intelligence intellectual jewish kabbalah key king knight knowledge legends living london lord magic magical magician matter medieval mental metaphysical mind modern moon mother mysteries mystery mystic mystical myths natural nature occult occultism order pagan people physical power powers priest psychic psychological re reality religion religions religious rites ritual rituals roman sacred sacrifice salt satan sea secret set society sorcery soul souls south spirit spirits spiritual stars state stone sun supernatural superstition superstitions supreme symbol symbols teaching temple temples three tradition traditions tree truth universal universe virtue war water west white wisdom witch witches witchcraft women world worship


http://www.hollywoodinsiders.net
MWLibCreator Ver.2 By:Michael Wynn