In his elucidation of Ceremonial Magick and Sorcery, Freemasonry’s greatest philosopher, Manly P. Hall, played the dichotomy card—which is typical of the twin towers of Jachin and Boaz worldview to which he held (the two which synthesize and become one).
One thing that every mystery religion, secret society, the New Age, the magickal craft, etc., etc., etc. have in common is a certain cosmology, if we may term it as such (some would say theology). They generally do not hold to a personal God but, rather, an impersonal energy, prana, qi, ki, chi, vril, the force, etc.
This energy (by any other name) can be tapped into and thereafter be used, by the exercise of human will, towards one’s ends.
This can be seen in everything from the magickal claims about the dichotomy between white and black magick to the dichotomy between the Jedi and the Sith. Of course, in this dualistic, as it where, system there is no actual, real, absolute, objective right and wrong, good and evil, etc. because the source, the energy, is impersonal and therefore amoral. Each side can claim that they are the good guys and the other side are the bad guys—and, by the way, neither side is right or wrong.
Founder of the church of satan, Anton LaVey, had some elucidating things to say on this matter:
LaVey makes no distinction between white and black magic, claiming that white Wiccan witches and ‘new agers’ have been freely calling upon the dark forces and suiting them to their own hypocritical purposes. He stated, ‘All magic is the realm of the Devil, no matter how righteously you dress it up. The claims that ‘black’ magic is only for destruction and ‘white’ for healing is bunk. Satanic magic is used to invoke powers of justice, and can be used to help yourself or one you care about, just as easily as it would be used to curse someone’… LaVey’s long overdue blast at the differences between white and black magic blew the dust off of all of the musty old grimoires and was seen as a breath of fresh air to the occult community as witnessed by the popularity of his books and a host of tawdry imitators.”
—Bob Johnson, Dinner with the Devil: An evening with, the High Priest of the Church of Satan
In any regard, let us consider that which Manly P. Hall had to say on the matter. And note that this is important because, for example, even in the so called truth movement there are those who are involved in magick but claim that they are the alchemist good guys and the Illuminati (by any other name) as the sorcerers bad guys. And yet, they are all involved in the occult; the difference is that one wears a happy face and the other a frowny face.
Hall offers a definition right off of the bat, “CEREMONIAL magic is the ancient art of invoking and controlling spirits by a scientific application of certain formulae.” Incidentally, it is this, presumed, ability which is based on the view that human will can literally bend reality to its own image that ends up making magickians (by any other name) believe that they are gods (for examples of this see Self-deification and the magick craft).
Manly P. Hall note that “While the elaborate ceremonial magic of antiquity was not necessarily evil, there arose from its perversion several false schools of sorcery, or black magic” which he terms “the black magicians of Atlantis” who “exercise their superhuman powers” and who “undermined and corrupted the morals of the primitive Mysteries.”
So here we see the righteous Mysteries up against the villainous black magicians of Atlantis (which some today, giving away whence they get their info, simply term the Sorcerers of Atlantis and to which Hall also refers to as “spiritual impostors”).
He continues thusly:
By establishing a sacerdotal caste they usurped the position formerly occupied by the initiates, and seized the reins of spiritual government. Thus black magic dictated the state religion…The Pharaoh became a puppet in the hands of the Scarlet Council — a committee of archsorcerers elevated to power by the priesthood. These sorcerers then began the systematic destruction of all keys to the ancient wisdom, so that none might have access to the knowledge necessary to reach adeptship without first becoming one of their order. They mutilated the rituals of the Mysteries while professing to preserve them, so that even though the neophyte passed through the degrees he could not secure the knowledge to which he was entitled.
Idolatry was introduced by encouraging the worship of the images which in the beginning the wise had erected solely as symbols for study and meditation. False interpretations were given to the emblems and figures of the Mysteries, and elaborate theologies were created to confuse the minds of their devotees.
This is interesting in terms of that which is known about, for example, Freemasonry which is that it contains within it a society within a society. This is why most Masons, particularly those in the first three degrees, the Blue Lodge, not only have no clue as what is occurring at degrees above them but are actually and purposefully deceived by their higher ups about that which occurs above them.
Moving on from ancient Egypt, Manly P. Hall notes that “numerous medieval Qabbalists devoted their lives to the
practice of ceremonial magic” and “a great number of black magicians…became enmeshed in demonism and witchcraft.”
He notes that “Those who sought to control elemental spirits through ceremonial magic did so largely with the hope of securing from the invisible worlds either rare knowledge or supernatural power.” Yet, “permitting elemental beings [“the fiery and tempestuous elemental spirits”] to dictate the course of human procedure” concludes in “disastrous results.”
Moving on to Alphonse Louis Constant (1810-1875 AD) aka Eliphas Levi, Hall notes that Levi, “invoked the spirit of Apollonius of Tyana” but that:
Levi himself did not dare to assert that the specter which appeared to him was actually the great philosopher, for Levi realized only too well the proclivity of elementals to impersonate those who have passed on. The majority of modern mediumistic apparitions are but elemental creatures masquerading through bodies composed of thought substance supplied by the very persons desiring to behold these wraiths of decarnate beings.
The practice of magick – either white or black – depends upon the ability of the adept to control the universal life force – that which Eliphas Levi calls the great magical agent or astral light.
This is the manner whereby we explained the apparition of ghosts in the article: Murky theology from “Real Clear Religion”: ghosts of the dead. Disembodies demons who have been around us and our families can pretend to be our deceased loved ones (note that demons are not fallen angels but the offspring of fallen angles and human women, for details on this see Nephilim – one or multiple incursions?).
Above we referenced an amoral, impersonal energy, prana, qi, ki, chi, vril, the force, “etc.” and now we find that three of the etc.s are “universal life force…great magical agent or astral light.” And here are two more:
The famous hermaphroditic Goat of Mendes was a composite creature formulated to symbolize this astral light. It is identical with Baphomet, the mystic pantheos of those disciples of ceremonial magic, the Templars, who probably obtained it from the Arabians.
You see how confusing it can be when various personages employ various terms to mean the same basic thing: energy, prana, qi, ki, chi, vril, the force, universal life force, great magical agent, astral light, Goat of Mendes (which is depicted, for example, in the middle of the church of satan’s upside down pentacle), Baphomet, etc.
Manly P. Hall notes that the theory of ceremonial magic is that, “It is possible to make contracts with spirits whereby the magician becomes for a stipulated time the master of an elemental being.” Sadly, those who practice this actually believe that they make a contract for a specified amount of time and then the elemental/demon says, “Nice working with you, so long.” Nay, this find ways to remain and Manly P. Hall actually touches upon an aspect of this:
…after death the magician shall become the servant of his own demon. For this reason a black magician will go to inconceivable ends to prolong his physical life, since there is nothing for him beyond the grave.
The deception here is that both the magician and the demon will face the same destiny, hell, and therein the demon has no authority, no power, no pleasure and nothing to do but suffer.
In a very important point, Manly P. Hall notes:
In its various branches the black art includes nearly all forms of ceremonial magic, necromancy, witchcraft, sorcery, and vampirism. Under the same general heading are also included mesmerism and hypnotism, except when used solely for medical purposes, and even then there is an element of risk for all concerned.
Though the demonism of the Middle Ages seems to have disappeared, there is abundant evidence that in many forms of modern thought — especially the so-called ‘prosperity’ philosophy, ‘will-power building’ metaphysics, and systems of ‘high-pressure’ salesmanship — black magic has merely passed through a metamorphosis, and although its name be changed its nature remains the same.
Some may think that magickians are identified via robes, talismans, etc. but they can also be identified via a suit and tie or a silly fast food uniform. As per the aforementioned energy another “etc.” is “God” or “faith.” For example, think of Christian word faith prosperity teachers (name it and claim it, blab it and grab it); they are doing the same exact thing as occult magickians; they are tapping into “God’s” spiritual power and bending it via their wills (“faith”) towards self enrichment—“the so-called ‘prosperity’ philosophy, ‘will-power building’ metaphysics.” As for “‘high-pressure’ salesmanship” Hall seems to label it “black magic” because they are seeking to cause a change in you via imposing their wills upon you. And this comes in many forms such as, as one basic level example, what is known as “suggestive selling.” This is when, for example, you go to the sandwich show and ask for a small veggie sub but the employee has been trained to ask you, “Do you want quintuple meat and seven kinds of cheese on that and ginormo-size it?!” It requires will power to say, “No, just what I ordered please.” Many people, structure as we are by social mores which such salesmen (or, it is non-gender-specific-sales-personages?) take advantage of, so be nice, play along and say, “Sure.”
Manly P. Hall also focuses upon Dr. Johannes Faustus (with whom we dealt previously in Mephistopheles UFO aliens and Yoda) of whom he notes that “like nearly all other magicians, Dr. Faust came at length to disaster.” He adds, “Although Goethe’s Dr. Faust is generally regarded as merely a fictional character, this old magician actually lived during the sixteenth century. Dr. Faust wrote a book describing his experiences with spirits”:
While the black magician at the time of signing his pact with the elemental demon may be fully convinced that he is strong enough to control indefinitely the powers placed at his disposal, he is speedily undeceived. Before many years elapse he must turn all his energies to the problem of self-preservation. A world of horrors to which he has attuned himself by his own covetousness looms nearer every day, until he exists upon the edge of a seething maelstrom, expecting momentarily to be sucked down into its turbid depths. Afraid to die — because he will become the servant of his own demon — the magician commits crime after crime to prolong his wretched earthly existence. Realizing that life is maintained by the aid of a mysterious universal life force which is the common property of all creaeures, the black magician often becomes an occult vampire, stealing this energy from others. According to mediaeval superstition, black magicians turned themselves into werewolves and roamed the earth at night, attacking defenseless victims for the life force contained in their blood…
In the case of black magic, it is the magician and not the demon who must sign the pact. When the black magician binds an elemental to his service, a battle of wits ensues, which the demon eventually wins. With his own blood the magician signs the pact between himself and the demon, for in the arcanum of magic it is declared that ‘he controls the soul who controls the blood of another.’
Moving on to symbolism, consider that directly over the White House, in the Washington DC (the District of the false goddess Columbia) is a gigantic upside down pentagram the bottom tip of which pierces the White House (see video here). Manly P. Hall notes:
“In symbolism, an inverted figure always signifies a perverted power…The average person does nor even suspect the occult properties of emblematic pentacles” (a pentagram within a circle):
The black magician…must…distort the histograms so that they typify the occult fact that he himself is distorting the principles for which the symbols stand. Black magic is not a fundamental art; it is the misuse of an art. Therefore it has no symbols of its own, It merely takes the emblematic figures of white magic, and by inverting and reversing them signifies that it is left-handed.
This is indicative of magick’s father (black or white) satan who can only mockingly copy YHVH; he just does things upside down, inside out and backwards.
The pentagram (five-pointed star):
This figure is the time-honored symbol of the magical arts, and signifies the five properties of the Great Magical Agent, the five senses of man, the five elements of nature, the five extremities of the human body. By means of the pentagram within his own soul, man not only may master and govern all creatures inferior to himself, but may demand consideration at the hands of those superior to himself. The pentagram is used extensively in black magic, but when so used its form always differs in one of three ways: The star may be broken at one point by not permitting the converging lines to touch; it may be inverted by having one point down and two up; or it may be distorted by having the points of varying lengths. When used in black magic, the pentagram is called the ‘sign of the cloven hoof,’ or the footprint of the Devil.
The star with two points upward is also called the ‘Goat of Mendes,’ because the inverted star is the same shape as a goat’s head. When the upright star turns and the upper point falls to the bottom, it signifies the fall of the Morning Star.
You will note in the video referenced above that the pentagram above the White House is not complete and thus, fits the description of being broken at one point, not permitting the converging lines to touch.
See the attached slide show for various forms of pentagrams and pentacles.
Also be sure to view the video Pentagram exposed: white and black magick