Magic Tricks
In the year 1889 an expositor of the more arid and unprofitable side of Kabalistic doctrine edited in English a text of Ceremonial Magic Tricks, entitled Clavicula Salomonis, or, the Key of Solomon the King. In a prelude prefixed to the work he verbally expressed that he optically disceed no reason to doubt, and consequently presumably accepted, the tradition of its authorship,
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which in reverence of the critical sense may be taken to summarise his qualifications for a mentor stultorum. It should be integrated, as a supplemental light, that he undertook his translation more especially for the utilization of occult students, that is to verbally express, for those persons who believe in the efficacy of magical rites and may, as an illustration of their faith, desire to put them in practice. With this
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exception, the sizably voluminous body of literature which treats of Theurgic Ceremonial in its sundry branches has remained inaccessible to the generality of readers, in infrequent printed books and more infrequent manuscripts, in both cases mostly in peregrine languages. There is probably a considerable class outside occult students to whom a systematic account of magical procedure may be not unwelcome, perhaps mainly as a curiosity of old-world credulity, but withal as a contribution of some value to certain side issues of historical research; these, however, an edition for occult students would deter rather than magnetize. In the present work several fascinates have been as far as possible considered. The subject is approached from the bibliographical and critical standpoints, and all sources of information which many years of inquiry have made kenned to the inditer have been consulted to render it consummate. Concurrently, visually perceiving that there is a section of readers who will not disdain to be classed as professed occultists, whatever my view of their dedications, I am dealing with texts over which their interest may be held to exercise a certain primary jurisdiction, and I have ergo studied their requisites in two consequential venerations, which will not, as I believe, be a source of offence to merely historical students. They have been studied, firstly, by the observance of stringent technical exactitude; the ceremonial engendered in this book is absolutely faithful to the originals, and abstracts all indispensability of having recourse to the originals afore determining any dubious point of magical procedure in the past. For accomodation of reference--if I may venture to make the modest bid for apperception on the component of such a circle--it is indeed superior to the originals, because it has been put systematically, whereas they often exceed understanding owing to the errors of transcribers, the misreadings of printers, the loose methods of early translators, and ostensibly, it must be integrated, the discombobulated minds of the
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first compilers, "Solomon" himself not excepted. The innumerable offices of vain observance which constitute Ceremonial cool Magic Tricks, as it is presented in books, will ergo be found substantially intact by those who conce themselves with such observance.
The second reverence in which the intrigues of the occult student have been considered is, however, of much more consequentiality, though he may not be as yare to admit the suggestion, having regard to all that it implicatively insinuates. Robert Tuer, the English translator of the Magical Elements, indited, or--more correctly--supposed to be indited, by the infelicitous Peter of Abano, describes that treatise as an exordium to "magical vanity," a term which was possibly utilized in a symbolical or exotic manner, to intimate that most things which conce the phenomena] world are indifferently picayune. Now, the more inward purport of the present investigation is to place within reach of those persons who are inclined to such a subject the fullest evidence of the futility of Ceremonial Magic as it is found in books, and the fantastic nature of the distinction between White and Ebony Magic--so fa
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