Magic: History, Theory, Practice is a mysticism book by Ernst Schertel.[1] Originally published in Germany in 1923, Magic: History / Theory / Practice (in its original German edition), was a hardcover book consisting of 154 pages.
Schertel identifies heavily with the "demonic" in Magic, espousing the belief that "communion with the demon" is the most important aspect of magical/religious practice. In addition to this, Schertel also identified the following elements of magic:
Ecstasy. The performer must enter an altered mind state of "ecstasy", "possession" or "somnambulism", and it is usually achieved by dancing, chanting, hypnosis, intoxication, and even sacrifices.[1] He wrote in the book, "Originally, prophecy meant just "speaking while being delighted with god," and this already shows that for this kind of magic the amalgamation with the demon, that is to say an ecstasy (trance) was seen as a precondition as much as with every other kind of magic." Some modern authors believe that it is equivalent to the alpha state of mind.[2]
Imagination. It is the way through which the performer bring the desired changes into reality. Schertel wrote, "The man with the greatest force of imagination is commanding of the world and creates realities according to his will, instead of being the slave of an unsubstantial, bodiless empiricism."[1] He believes that magic is autogenic exertion of power on the basis of imagination, and reality is nothing more than the becoming-an-image of our deepest essential powers, and thus the observation of truth is not a process of "depiction" but of "construction".
Body-feeling. The performer is required to develop a kind of "body feeling" through "body exercises". However, here Schertel is not referring to common muscle-building or physical training nowadays. The two forms of exercises that he recommends are "senual" and "articular". "The sensual practices stand for a passive listening-into the body and are therefore preferably happening out of a state of relaxation, the articular practices on the other hand represent a violent, almost mechanical pushing and bending of individual joints or of the whole body... These practices are supported by certain breathing methods."[1] He also points out that to increase body feeling, many magicians often perform with loose clothes or even naked.
In 2003, it was revealed that Schertel had sent a dedicated copy of the book to Adolf Hitler. Hitler read the book and marked several passages.[3] A total of sixty-six annotations were made by Hitler in his copy. Eventually, Hitler's copy was obtained from the John Hay Library at Brown University and the book was translated into English with his annotations added.
The annotations were in the form of vertical lines drawn in the page margins to highlight certain passages. There were no hand-written notes despite Timothy Ryback's false claim that one particular quote was written by Hitler in the book: "He who does not have the demonic seed within himself will never give birth to a magical world." The text of the book itself also does not contain any such line which could have been highlighted by Hitler. The origin of the quote remains unsubstantiated.[1]
Some of the passages marked by Hitler include:
"False images are necessary for the recognition of truth."
"All fight for power is therefore a fight of hostile structures."
"The whole materialism and rationalism of our time virtually strikes in the face every deeper sense of reality and facts."
1 2 3 4 5 Schertel, Ernst (2009). Magic: History, Theory, Practice. Boise, Idaho: Catalog of the Universal Mind. ISBN978-0578024578.
↑ Lakhiani, Vishen (10 May 2016). The Code of the Extraordinary Mind: 10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed On Your Own Terms. New York: Rodale Books. ISBN978-1623367084.
Spirit possession is an unusual or an altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors which are purportedly caused by the control of a human body and its functions by spirits, ghosts, demons, angels, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vudú, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native American traditions. Depending on the cultural context in which it is found, possession may be thought of as voluntary or involuntary and may be considered to have beneficial or detrimental effects on the host. The experience of spirit possession sometimes serves as evidence in support of belief in the existence of spirits, deities or demons. In a 1969 study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, spirit-possession beliefs were found to exist in 74% of a sample of 488 societies in all parts of the world, with the highest numbers of believing societies in Pacific cultures and the lowest incidence among Native Americans of both North and South America. As Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian churches move into both African and Oceanic areas, a merger of belief can take place, with demons becoming representative of the "old" indigenous religions, which Christian ministers attempt to exorcise.
Maya, literally "illusion" or "magic", has multiple meanings in Indian philosophies depending on the context. In later Vedic texts, māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem"; the principle which shows "attributeless Absolute" as having "attributes". Māyā also connotes that which "is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and therefore "conceals the true character of spiritual reality".
Magic realism, magical realism, or marvelous realism is a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality. Magical realism is the most commonly used of the three terms and refers to literature in particular. Magic realism often refers to literature in particular, with magical or supernatural phenomena presented in an otherwise real-world or mundane setting, commonly found in novels and dramatic performances. In his article "Magical Realism in Spanish American Literature", Luis Leal explains the difference between magic literature and magical realism, stating that, "Magical realism is not magic literature either. Its aim, unlike that of magic, is to express emotions, not to evoke them." Despite including certain magic elements, it is generally considered to be a different genre from fantasy because magical realism uses a substantial amount of realistic detail and employs magical elements to make a point about reality, while fantasy stories are often separated from reality. The two are also distinguished in that magic realism is closer to literary fiction than to fantasy, which is instead a type of genre fiction. Magical realism is often seen as an amalgamation of real and magical elements that produces a more inclusive writing form than either literary realism or fantasy.
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A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became especially popular in the 20th century.
Franz Bardon was a Czech occultist and student and teacher of Hermetics.
Daemonologie—in full Dæmonologie, In Forme of a Dialogue, Divided into three Books: By the High and Mightie Prince, James &c.—was first published in 1597 by King James VI of Scotland as a philosophical dissertation on contemporary necromancy and the historical relationships between the various methods of divination used from ancient black magic. It was reprinted again in 1603 when James took the throne of England. The widespread consensus is that King James wrote Daemonologie in response to sceptical publications such as Reginald Scot's The Discoverie of Witchcraft.
The association of Nazism with occultism occurs in a wide range of theories, speculation, and research into the origins of Nazism and into Nazism's possible relationship with various occult traditions. Such ideas have flourished as a part of popular culture since at least the early 1940s, and gained renewed popularity starting in the 1960s.
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Mentalists perform a theatrical act that includes special effects that may appear to employ psychic or supernatural forces but that are actually achieved by "ordinary conjuring means", natural human abilities, and an in-depth understanding of key principles from human psychology or other behavioral sciences. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats, deduction, and rapid mathematics.
In philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, cognitive closure is the proposition that human minds are constitutionally incapable of solving certain perennial philosophical problems. Owen Flanagan calls this position anti-constructive naturalism or the "new mysterianism" and the primary advocate of the hypothesis, Colin McGinn, calls it transcendental naturalism acknowledging the possibility that solutions may be knowable to an intelligent non-human of some kind. According to McGinn, such philosophical questions include the mind-body problem, identity of the self, foundations of meaning, free will, and knowledge, both a priori and empirical.
Sex magic is any type of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result. A premise posited by sex magicians is the concept that sexual energy is a potent force that can be harnessed to transcend one's normally perceived reality.
Trul khor, in full tsa lung trul khor, also known as yantra yoga, is a Vajrayana discipline which includes pranayama and body postures (asanas). From the perspective of the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions of Dzogchen, the mind is merely vāyu in the body. Thus working with vāyu and the body is paramount, while meditation, on the other hand, is considered contrived and conceptual.
An egregore is a concept in Western esotericism of a non-physical entity or thoughtform that arises from the collective thoughts and emotions of a distinct group of individuals.
The body of light, sometimes called the 'astral body' or the 'subtle body,' is a "quasi material" aspect of the human body, being neither solely physical nor solely spiritual, posited by a number of philosophers, and elaborated on according to various esoteric, occult, and mystical teachings. Other terms used for this body include body of glory, spirit-body, luciform body, augoeides, astroeides, and celestial body.
Inspiration is an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or visual art and other artistic endeavours. The concept has origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration or "enthusiasm" came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and Dionysus. Similarly, in the Ancient Norse religions, inspiration derives from the gods, such as Odin. Inspiration is also a divine matter in Hebrew poetics. In the Book of Amos the prophet speaks of being overwhelmed by God's voice and compelled to speak. In Christianity, inspiration is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Greek Magical Papyri is the name given by scholars to a body of papyri from Graeco-Roman Egypt, written mostly in ancient Greek, which each contain a number of magical spells, formulae, hymns, and rituals. The materials in the papyri date from the 100s BCE to the 400s CE. The manuscripts came to light through the antiquities trade, from the 1700s onward. One of the best known of these texts is the Mithras Liturgy.
In English translations of the Bible, unclean spirit is a common rendering of Greek pneuma akatharton, which in its single occurrence in the Septuagint translates Hebrew ruaḥ tum'ah.
Ernst Schertel was a German author, probably best known for his 1923 Magic: History, Theory and Practice. He had an "astonishingly diverse career", including running an eight-member dance troupe, the Traumbuhne Schertel, which was active from 1925 to 1927.
In chaos magic, gnosis or the gnostic state refers to an altered state of consciousness in which a person's mind is focused on only one point, thought, or goal and all other thoughts are thrust out. The gnostic state is used to bypass the "filter" of the conscious mind – something thought to be necessary for working most forms of magic.
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