The Magus/Book 1/Part 2/Chapter 45

THE celeftial fouls fend forth their virtues to the celeftial bodies, which tranfmit them to this fenfible world; for the virtues of the terrene orb proceed from no other caufe than celeftial. Hence the magician, that will work by them, ufes a cunning invocation of the fuperiors, with myfterious words and a certain kind of ingenious fpeech, drawing the one to the other; yet by a natural force, through a certain mutual agreement between them, whereby ​things follow of their own accord, or fometimes are drawn unwillingly. Hence fays Ariftotle, in his fixth book of his Myftical Philofophy, "that when any one, by binding or bewitching, calls upon the Sun or other ftars, praying them to affift the work defired, the Sun and other ftars do not hear his words; but are moved, after a certain manner, by a certain conjunction and mutual feries, whereby the parts of the world are mutually fubordinate the one to the other, and have a mutual confent, by reafon of their great union : as in a man's body, one member is moved by perceiving the motion of another; and in a harp, one ftring is moved by the motion of another. So when any one moves any part of the world, other parts are moved by the perceiving of that motion."---The knowledge, therefore, of the dependency of things following one the other, is the foundation of all wonderful operation, which is neceffarily required to the exercifing the power of attracting fuperior virtues. Now the words of men are certain natural things; and becauſe the parts of the world mutually draw one the other; therefore a magician invocating by words, works by powers fitted to Nature, by leading fome by the love of one to the other; or drawing others, by reafon of the one following after the other; or by repelling, by reafon of the enmity of one to the other, from the contrariety and difference of things, and multitude of virtues; which, although they are contrary and different, yet perfect one part. Sometimes, alfo, he compels things by way of authority, by the celeftial virtue, becaufe he is not a ftranger to the heavens. A man, therefore, if he receives the impreffion of a ligation, or fafcination, doth not receive it according to the rational foul, but fenfual; and if he fuffers in any part, he fuffers according to the animal part; for they cannot draw a knowing and intelligent man by reafon, but by receiving that impreffion and force by fenfe; inafmuch as the animal fpirit of man is, by the influence of the celeftials, and co-operation of the things of the world, affected beyond his former and natural difpofition. As the fon moves the father to labour, although unwilling, to keep and maintain him, although he be wearied; and the defire to rule, is moved by anger and other labours to get the dominion; and the indigency of nature, and fear of poverty, moves a man to defire riches; and the ornaments and beauty of women, is an incite​ment to concupifcence; and the harmony of a wife muſician moves his hearers with various paffions, whereof fome do voluntary follow the confonancy of art, others conform themfelves by gefture, although unwilling, becauſe their fenfe is captivated, their reafon not being intent to thefe things. Hence they fall into errors, who think thofe things to be above nature, or contrary to nature--which indeed are by nature, and according to nature. We muft know, therefore, that evey fuperior moves its next inferior, in its degree and order, not only in bodies, but alfo in fpirits: fo the univerfal foul moves the particular foul; the rational acts upon the fenfual, and that upon the vegetable; and every part of the world acts upon another, and every part is apt to be moved by another. And every part of this inferior world fuffers from the heavens, according to their nature and aptitude, as one part of the animal body fuffers for another. And the fuperior intellectual world moves all things below itfelf; and, after a manner, contains all the fame beings, from the firft to the laft, which are in the inferior world. Celeftial bodies, therefore, move the bodies of the elementary world, compounded, generable, fenfible (from the circumference to the center), by fuperior, perpetual, and fpiritual effences, depending on the primary intellect, which is the acting intellect; but upon the virtue put in by the word of God; which word the wife Chaldeans of Babylon call, the Caufe of Caufes; becaufe from it are produced all beings: the acting intellect, which is the fecond, from it depends; and that by reafon of the union of this word with the Firft Author, from whom all things being are truly produced: the word, therefore, is the image of God---the acting intellect, the image of the word---the foul is the image of this intellect---and our word is the image of the foul, by which it acts upon natural things naturally, becaufe nature is the work thereof. And every one of thofe perfects his fubfequent: as a father his fon; and none of the latter exifts without the former; for they are depending among themfelves by a kind of ordinate dependency---fo that when the latter is corrupted, it is returned into that which was next before it, until it come to the heavens; then to the univerfal foul; and, laftly, into the acting intellect, by which all other creatures exift; and itfelf exifts in the principal author, which is the creating word of God, to which, at length, all things are ​returned. Our foul, therefore, if it will work any wonderful thing in thefe inferiors, muft have refpect to their beginning, that it may be ftrengthened and illuftrated by that, and receive power of acting through each degree, from the very firft Author. Therefore we muſt be more diligent in contemplating the fouls of the ftars---then their bodies, and the fuper-celeftial and intellectual world---then the celeftial, corporeal, becaufe that is more noble; although, alfo, this be excellent, and the way to that, and without which medium the influence of the fuperior cannot be attained to. As for example: the Sun is the king of ftars, moft full of light; but receives it from the intelligible world, above all other ftars, becauſe the foul thereof is more capable of intelligible fplendour. Wherefore he that defires to attract the influence of the Sun, muft contemplate upon the Sun; not only by the fpeculation of the exterior light, but alfo of the interior. And no man can do this, unlefs he return to the foul of the Sun, and become like to it, and comprehend the intelligible light thereof with an intellectual fight, as the fenfible light with the corporeal eye; for this man fhall be filled with the light thereof, and the light whereof, which is an under type impreffed by the fupernal orb, it receives into itfelf; with the illuftration whereof his intellect being endowed, and truly like to it, and being affifted by it, fhall at length attain to that fupreme brightnefs, and to all forms that partake thereof; and when he hath received the light of the fupreme degree, then his foul fhall come to perfection, and be made like to fpirits of the Sun, and fhall attain to the virtues and illuftrations of the fupernatural virtue, and fhall enjoy the power of them, if he has obtained faith in the Firft Author. In the firft place, therefore, we muft implore affiftance from the Firft Author; and praying, not only with mouth, but a religious gefture and fupplicant foul, alfo abundantly, inceffantly, and fincerely, that he would enlighten our mind, and remove darknefs, growing upon our fouls by reafon of our bodies.