If the problem of psychic self-defence is to be adequately dealt with, we must have an understanding of a subject upon which very little has been written - the nature of the forces of intelligent and organised evil.
The great faiths of the ancient world all had their evil gods as well as their beneficent deities, and they did not call these evil gods devils.
In Hinduism we have Shiva and Kali; in the Egyptian system we have Set and Besz and Typhon; in the Grecian pantheon there are Pluto and Hecate.
All the other faiths, also, have their angelic choirs, their Archons, or builders, and all the hierarchy of heaven.
Protestant Christianity alone has forgotten its angiology, the Creator has to be both Architect of the Universe and Bricklayer, forming man from the dust of the ground without assistance.
If we refer to Paradise Lost, however, we shall find that Milton was familiar with both divine and infernal hierarchies, and that these were graded and charted according to a definite system.
Anyone who is acquainted with the Qabalah will recognise that in Milton he meets a fellow Qabalist.
In the Qabalah we find the esotericism of the Old Testament.
I propose to use the Qabalistic terminology to explain the esoteric theory of evil because, firstly, it is the one I am most familiar with; secondly, it forms the basis of Western occult thought and all medieval magic is based upon it, together with much modern magic; thirdly, it is, in my opinion, singularly lucid, coherent and comprehensive; and being a system consecrated by antiquity, I cannot be accused of romancing, or fabricating my own system.
In order to render my concepts clear, a brief explanation of Qabalistic doctrine must be given.
As it is not possible to enter into an exposition of this vast system, I will state certain axioms dogmatically, and explain them by illustration instead of argument, thus obtaining the maximum clarity for the minimum expenditure of space.
The initiate recognises two kinds of evil, Negative Evil and Positive Evil.
Negative Evil is the polarising opposite of good.
Let us try and make this clear by an illustration.
Every action gives rise to a reaction.
The forward drive of the bullet is equated by the recoil of the gun.
Everything which moves has to have the equivalent of a thrust-block against which to push - something firm under its feet from which to take off.
It is difficult to walk on a slippery surface because it offers no resistance.
We must have something for the foot to grip, to push against, and give us the forward impulse at each step.
Negative Evil is the thrust-block of Good; the principle of resistance, of inertia, that enables Good to “get a purchase.” But Negative Evil is more than this.
We might call the principle of resistance the “negative— aspect of Negative Evil.
For it has also a “positives’ aspect, the Principle of Destruction.
We can best explain the cosmic function of the Principle of Destruction by calling it by its esoteric name of the Scavenger of the Gods.
Its function is to clear up behind the advancing tide of evolution, removing that which has become effete so that it may not choke and clog evolving life.
We now find the answer to the eternal riddle as to why God tolerates the Devil.
The Devil is the cosmic thrust-block and Scavenger of the Gods.
It is this aspect of evil which is given a more detailed symbolism in the pantheons of other faiths, having its Shiva and Kali, or its Pluto and Hecate aspects.
We can now see why these resistive and destructive forces are classed as gods and not as demons, for they are reactions according to cosmic law, not anarchical and chaotic forces.
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
The passage discusses why 'God tolerates the Devil' as part of a cosmic function (Scavenger of the Gods), implying an ordered divine plan.
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
The passage mentions 'hierarchy of heaven' and 'divine and infernal hierarchies' graded according to a system, referencing Qabalah which is an emanation system.
A historical or mythical chain of transmission for secret wisdom from master to disciple across time and cultures — the credential of the teaching, not merely its content. Distinct from oral_tradition (the spoken-not-written modality of transmission, which a lineage may or may not use) and hidden_sayings (the concealment-for-readiness of a teaching's meaning, independent of who transmitted it or in what unbroken chain).
The text references Milton as a 'fellow Qabalist' and the system being 'consecrated by antiquity', implying a transmission of wisdom.
The balance of two contrary forces as the structural law of cosmos and operation — Lévi's equilibrium, expressed in Kabbalah by the senary: the will of God in its first cause, liberty in man, mathematical equilibrium in matter; the twofold vibration required to direct the Astral Light safely.
The passage describes Negative Evil as a 'thrust-block' necessary for Good to get purchase, illustrating a balance of contrary forces.
The Hermetic doctrine that apparent opposites are identical in nature but differ in degree — two extremes of the same scale (hot/cold, love/hate) — such that one pole can be shifted toward its opposite by a change of degree ('mental transmutation'). Distinct from opposites_transcended (a completion-state marking the path's end, not this doctrine's active technique) and magical_equilibrium (balance held BETWEEN two forces, not identity-by-degree of what looks like two forces).
The passage explicitly defines Negative Evil as the 'polarising opposite of good' and discusses resistance as a necessary counterpart for action.
The Hermetic doctrine of a measured swing or pendulum motion between poles — action and reaction, flow and outflow, rise and fall — operating in mental, physical, and cosmic-historical registers alike. Distinct from apocatastasis (cosmic-scale eschatological restoration after vast cycles) in naming a constant, ever-present oscillation rather than a singular restorative event.
The text mentions 'Every action gives rise to a reaction' and the 'advancing tide of evolution', implying cosmic cycles.