For instance, a small animal may be baptised with the victim’s name, and then immolated, usually with torture, the operator meanwhile concentrating upon the personality of the original.
The old device of making a wax image and melting it before a fire, or driving nails into a wooden statue, baptised with the name of the victim, are frequently met with in the records of witch-trials.
The actual driving of the nail has no conceivable effect upon the victim, but it helps the concentration of the operator.
The talismanic method in various forms is also employed.
A talisman is a symbol representing a certain force, or combination of forces, depicted upon a suitable substance and magnetised by ritual.
It can be made from anything which will retain magnetism; metals, precious stones or parchment are usually employed; paper is less effective unless it be enclosed in a metal case.
Water and oil can be effectually magnetised but soon lose their potency.
A talisman is made by invoking the requisite force, as already described, and then concentrating it upon the prepared object, which is placed ready upon the altar before the evocation begins.
A talisman thus made has next to be brought into the magnetic sphere of the victim.
It is related that Lady Burton, anxious to convert her free-thinking husband, the famous Sir Richard Burton, the great explorer, used to get her priest to bless little statues of the saints and put them in the pockets of his clothes.
A similar device is used by the workers of black occultism.
Magnetised objects are placed in the rooms habitually occupied by the victim, or buried in his path, so that he must pass over them frequently.
These talismans of evil not only work by their own power, but also serve the sorcerer as a point of concentration for his meditations.
Harmful effects are also produced by objects which have been used in black magic and have become impregnated with the forces they were employed in generating.
Odds and ends of magical equipment turn up in some queer places.
I was present at an auction in a country town when the twelve signs of the Zodiac, neatly painted on a blackboard, came up for sale.
Various of my friends have picked up magical treasures, such as altar lamps and incense burners that obviously came out of ritual lodges, but the prize of the collection was a magical rod that was put up to auction along with a bundle of fire-irons.
Large crystals for scrying are frequently seen in antique shops.
All such things need carefully de-magnetising before they are brought into one’s psychic sphere.
I was taking part at one time in a series of psychic experiments which had been going on very well, when, for no apparent reason, things went wrong and there was a considerable upheaval.
We did not know at the time, but we learnt later, that the owner of the flat where they were being held had obtained possession of a floor-cloth that had been used in ritual magic by an occultist whom only the utmost leniency could call doubtful.
The artificial elemental is really the basis of the efficacy of curses.
in this case no physical substance is employed, but a portion of the Akasha is moulded into a definite form and held thus by the will of the operator until, as it were, it “sets.” Into this mould is poured the concentrated energy of the operator, something of his own self goes into it.
This is its soul, and it is like a self-steering torpedo which is set to move in a curve towards a chosen mark.
Or the operator, if an expert magician, may deliberately ensoul this thought-form with elemental essence, which is the raw, undifferentiated substance of life drawn from one or another of the elemental kingdoms.
It is in order to do this that the curse is invoked in the name of some being.
The magical manufacture of a semi-autonomous entity from the operator's own creative mind-stuff, formulated with sufficient force and sustained attention that it acquires a distinct, independent life of its own beyond an ordinary passing thought-form — directable as tool, weapon, or guardian, but capable of escaping the operator's control if mishandled. Distinct from spirit_conjuration (binding a spirit that already exists, rather than manufacturing one) and from word_power_incantation (the causal force of the spoken word itself, rather than the sustained mental construction of an entity).
The text explicitly defines the 'artificial elemental' as a thought-form moulded from Akasha and ensouled with elemental essence to act as a curse.
The universal fluid or medium of occult philosophy — Lévi's Great Magical Agent — that transmits will, thought, and magical influence between minds and matter, and preserves the impress of all forms and actions as a book of consciences; cognate with akasha and the anima mundi. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of hidden affinity) in being a substantival medium that can be charged, directed, and abused.
The passage explicitly discusses 'magnetism' and the 'Akasha' as a medium that can be moulded, charged, and retain impressions from magical operations.
The doctrine that human volition, cultivated by discipline and emancipated from passion and servitude, is the primary instrument of magical operation — will confirmed by persistent acts acquires causal power over self, others, and nature; distinct from faith and from mere desire.
The passage emphasizes the 'concentration of the operator' and the 'will of the operator' as essential forces in moulding Akasha and driving nails into images.
The doctrine and practice of one person deliberately inflicting harm on another through trained will, mind-power, or occult technique alone, without physical contact — producing exhaustion, illness, breakdown, or death in the victim; recognised cross-culturally as witchcraft, hexing, or the evil eye, and treated in Western esotericism as a genuine occult hazard requiring diagnosis and defence rather than dismissed as superstition. Distinct from magical_will (the general doctrine that trained volition has causal power, of which this is one malevolent application) and from spirit_conjuration (which subordinates an already-existing summoned spirit, rather than directing the operator's own power at a person).
The entire passage is dedicated to describing methods employed in making a psychic attack, including voodoo dolls, talismans, and artificial elementals.
The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.
The warning that magical objects need 'carefully de-magnetising' before entering one's psychic sphere implies a concern for spiritual cleanliness or protection.
Organized, persisting groups — fraternities, orders, lodges — that maintain esoteric knowledge or practices as an institution distinct from public religion or mainstream society, holding 'the keys' collectively rather than through any one master-disciple pair. Distinct from esoteric_lineage (a genealogical chain of individual transmission, not an institution) and hidden_sayings (the concealment of a teaching's meaning, independent of whether any organized body holds it).
References to 'ritual lodges' and 'occultist' equipment suggest the existence of organized groups practicing these arts.
The consecration of an inscribed physical object — seal, pentacle, amulet, character, or figure — so that it holds and channels magical power independent of any ongoing spoken formula, protecting, attracting, or acting on its bearer's behalf. Distinct from sacred_names (the power resides in the name itself, spoken or written, not in a dedicated physical vessel) and from spirit_conjuration (the object is not commanding or binding a spirit but is itself the locus of power).
A significant portion of the text defines talismans, describes their creation through magnetisation and invocation, and details their use in psychic attacks.