Transcendental Magic — Éliphas Lévi
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p. 342gate ; they had slept upon the ground, and tarried only to receive the elixir and plaster of the devoted sister. The remedy being the same in all diseases, it would appear needless for her to be acquainted with the cases of her patients, but she listened to them invariably with great attention, and only dispensed her specific after learning the nature of the complaint. There was the magical secret.
The direction of the intention imparted its special virtue to the remedy, which was insignificant in itself. The elixir was spiced brandy mixed with the juice of bitter herbs ; the plaster was a compound analogous to theriac as regards colour and smell ; it was possibly electuary Burgogne pitch, but whatever the substance, it worked wonders, and the wrath of the rural folk would have been visited on those who questioned the miracles of their nun.
Near Paris, also, we knew of an old gardener thaumaturge who accomplished marvellous cures by putting in his phials the juice of all the herbs of St John. He had, however, a sceptical brother, who derided the sorcerer, and the poor gardener, overwhelmed by the sarcasms of this infidel, began to doubt himself, whereupon all the miracles ceased, the sufferers lost confidence, and the thaumaturge, slandered and despairing, died mad.
The Abbe* Thiers, cur£ of Yibraie, in his curious " Treatise concerning Superstitions," records that a woman, afflicted with an apparently aggravated ophthalmia, having been suddenly and mysteriously cured, confessed to a priest that she had betaken herself to magic.
She had long importuned a clerk, whom she regarded as a magician, to give her a talisman that she might wear, and he had at length delivered her a scroll of parchment, advising her at the same time to wash three times daily in fresh water. The priest made her give up the parchment, on which were these words : Eruat diabolus oculos tuos et repleat stercoribus loca vacantia.
He translated them to the good woman, who was stupefied ; but, all the same, she was cured. Insufflation is one of the most important practices of occult medicine, because it is a perfect sign of the transp. 343mission of life. To inspire, as a fact, means to breathe upon some person or thing, and we know already, by the one doctrine of Hermes, that the virtue of things has created words, and that there is an exact proportion between ideas and speech, which is the first form and verbal realisation of ideas. The breath attracts or repels, accordingly, as it is warm or cold.
The warm breathing corresponds to positive electricity, and the cold breathing to negative electricity. Electrical and nervous animals fear the cold breathing, and the experiment may be made upon a cat, whose familiarities are importunate. By fixedly regarding a lion or tiger and blowing in their face, they would be so stupefied as to be forced to retreat before us.
Warm and prolonged insufflation restores the circulation of the blood, cures rheumatic and gouty pains, re-establishes the balance of the humours, and dispels lassitude. When the operator is sympathetic and good, it acts as a universal sedative. Cold insufflation soothes pains occasioned by congestions and fluidic accumulations.
The two breathings must, therefore, be used alternately, observing the polarity of the human organism, and acting in a contrary manner upon the poles, which must be treated successfully to an opposite magnetism. Thus, to cure an inflamed eye, the one which is not affected must be subjected to a warm and gentle insufflation, cold insufflation being practised upon the suffering member at the same distance and in the same proportion.
Magnetic passes have a similar effect to insufflations, and are a real breathing by transpiration and radiation of the interior air, which is phosphorescent with vital light ; slow passes constitute a warm breathing which fortifies and raises the spirits ; swift passes are a cold breathing of dispersive nature, neutralising tendencies to congestion.
The warm insufflation should be performed transversely, or from below upward ; the cold insufflation is more effective when directed downward from above. We breathe not only by means of mouth and nostrils ; the universal porousness of our body is a true respiratory p. 344apparatus, inadequate undoubtedly, but most useful to life and health. The extremities of the fingers, where all the nerves terminate, diffuse or attract the astral light accordingly as we will.
Magnetic passes without contact are a simple and slight insufflation ; contact adds sympathetic and equilibrating impression ; it is good and even necessary, to prevent hallucinations at the early stages of somnambulism, for it is a communion of physical reality which admonishes the brain and recalls wandering imagination ; it must not, however, be too prolonged when the object is merely to magnetise.
Absolute and prolonged contact is useful when the design is incubation or massage rather than magnetism properly so called. We have given some examples of incubation from the most revered book of the Christians ; they all refer to the cure of apparently incurable lethargies, as we are induced to term resurrections. Massage is still largely resorted to in the east, where it is practised with great success at the public baths.
It is entirely a system of frictions, tractions, and pressures, practised slowly along the whole length of members and muscles, the result being renewed equilibrium in the forces, a feeling of complete repose and well-being, with a sensible restoration of activity and vigour. The whole power of the occult physician is in the conscience of his will, while his whole art consists in exciting the faith of his patient.
" If you have faith," said the Master, " all things are possible to him who believes. The subject must be dominated by expression, tone, gesture ; confidence must be inspired by a fatherly manner, and cheerfulness stimulated by seasonable and sprightly conversations. Eabelais, who was a greater magician than he seemed, made pantagruelism his special panacea.
He compelled his patients to laugh, and all the remedies he subsequently gave them succeeded better in consequence ; he established a magnetic sympathy between himself and them, by means of which he communicated to them his own confidence and good humour ; he flattered them in his prefaces,
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