From:	Cysgod ac melys dwr <MHILLIARD@******.BITNET>
Subject:	Re: Historical Magic
Date:	Mon, 3 May 1993 20:06:00 EDT

I've had a couple of letters asking why I said to stay away from Crowley.
Lemmee see if I can explain.
In the late 1800s a new magickal group called The Order of the Golden Dawn
appeared. I think it grew out of the Rosicrucians, but I don't have many
details. One of the founding members was a man named Aleister Crowley. He
was very active in the GD until about 1906 or so, when they basically told him
to take a hike. By this time he was firmly convinced that he was either the
Devil, or the Beast, or at least a demi-god. He is considered the founding
father of cultic Satanism-uh, let me digress here.
True Satanists are actually pretty OK folks, if a little strange. It's the
cultics that are dangerous. The cults are the ones who sacrifice animals,
vandalise churches, etc. They've bought into the media image of satanism,
the whole kit n kaboodle. As much as I hate to agree on ANYTHING with Pat
Robertson, they can be a threat. And they practically worship Crowley.
If you believe in magick, then messing with Crowley's stuff is a quick
ticket to major bad karma. And the first Guardian to find you will kick your
butt straight into the next life, which, thanks to your negative karmic
balance, will be pretty unpleasant. Even if you don't believe in magick, it
will still mess with your head.
Incidentally, it was another member of the Golden Dawn, Dione Fortune, who
first coined the most-often used definition of magick, "the Art and Science
of changing conciousness at will". This def. was used by Paul Hume for SR at
least once.
As to whether magick really exists, I've been hit over the head with it too
often to pretend it doesn't. I never go outside without a Cold Iron weapon,
and the first thing my Teacher taught me was shielding and psi-bolts.
The stuff described in Mercedes lackey's urban fantasy novels are pretty much
true.

Phelan Curfa