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On magic<br />
Let us now turn our attention to the many bonds between spirits. This<br />
is where the whole teaching of magic is to be found.<br />
1. The first bond which ties spirits together is general in character and is<br />
represented metaphorically by the three-headed Cerberus of Trivia, the<br />
doorkeeper of hell. This is the triple power which is needed by one who<br />
binds, i.e., by the magician: namely, physics, mathematics and metaphysics.<br />
The first is the base; the second is the scale; the third is the summit of the<br />
scale. The first explains active and passive principles in general; the second<br />
explains times, places and numbers; the third explains universal principles<br />
and causes. This is a triple cord which is difficult to break.<br />
2. The second bond is also triple and is needed in the agent, in the action<br />
and in the thing on which the agent acts. It consists of faith or credibility,<br />
of invocations, of love and of strong emotions in the application of the<br />
active to the passive. The role of the soul is to produce changes in the body<br />
of the composite, and the role of the body is to change the soul materially.<br />
If these bondings do not happen, or especially if they are not present, then<br />
no amount of attention or motion or agitation will produce any results. For<br />
a magician is most fortunate if many believe in him, and if he commands<br />
great persuasion.<br />
3. The third bond, which is the source of effectiveness, is the number of the<br />
principles, which are distributed according to the four sectors of the universe<br />
and which are needed for actions which occur in the heavens and in<br />
nature. In addition, there are other principles needed for volitional and<br />
preternatural effects, but they do not have a specific location.<br />
4. The fourth bond is the soul of the world, or the spirit of the universe,<br />
which connects and unites everything with everything else. As a result,<br />
everything has access to everything else, as was said above.<br />
5. The fifth bond is the souls of the stars and the principles of places, of the<br />
winds and of the elements.<br />
6. The souls of demons which preside over times, days, storms and the<br />
elements themselves.<br />
7. The souls of men who are tyrants and rulers, and of those who have<br />
acquired some degree of fame and thus have become spirits.<br />
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