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Subject: Prelude To The Black Arts
                                   
                             by Nate Leved
                                   
   Becoming an adept in the black arts is something that takes time
   and patience. You just can't wake up one morning and decide to
   become a successful black magician and then expect to have
   mastered the arts by setting sun. It doesn't work that way. The
   Power or Force that we associate with magick is accessed or
   tapped by the human psyche in different ways by different people.
   Granted, there may be a certain similarity in methodology, but
   the finished application and results can be quite varied.
   
   You might well say that magickal thought and practice takes some
   getting used to. Then, there is a sort of an apprenticeship
   period of experimentation and learning before any expertise or
   actual consistency is gained. The magician must allow time to
   become accustomed to this new state of mind and practice, and
   he/she must also wait a time with patience for the various
   entities and forces at large to become comfortable with and
   accept them too. After all, we are not dealing with guardian
   angels here. Relationships on any level take time to form.
   [magic.gif] 
   
   Do you want to be able to command the forces of Darkness? Well,
   wouldn't you suppose it would be a good idea to get to know some
   of them first? I mean, why in the Hell should they listen to you?
   What have you done for them lately? I know, you are going to draw
   a pentagram in the air and expect some demon to jump through it
   while you cower in or out of a different pentagram, drawn on the
   floor. Well, I don't know about you, but the demons I deal with
   could care less about pentagrams, crosses and other such
   storybook silliness. In fact, unless you have an awfully good
   reason, it might be best not to attract their attention at all.
   
   If you want success and predictable results, it is best to start
   small and grow in stature by preparing yourself little by little
   to accept the responsibility of opening the gates of Hell for
   your own purposes. Then, over time, you will meet many denizens
   of the dark and make them your accomplices in your nefarious
   activities until mutual acceptance is achieved. By the same
   token, You don't want to command demons by some talisman or trick
   as that sort of thing only angers them and makes them resent you.
   It's better to work in partnership with your demons than to force
   them to do your bidding by some sort of magical chicanery. All
   you would have to do under those circumstances is drop a "P" or
   "Q" in the script, and the demons would be on your face. Revenge
   is sweet. It is said that A. Crowley picked up a demon under such
   adverse circumstances and never did shake it. The grimories are
   full of crap.
   
   So, if you can't favorably command demons by hook and crook, what
   do you have that could persuade a demon to help you by choice?
   Why should they be attracted to you? What could you tempt them
   with? The simple answer is energy. Humans can generate
   appreciable quantities of the type of energy that demons crave.
   What kind of energy is that? Why, my dear, it is emotional
   energy, of course. They lap it up. The human brain is a veritable
   dynamo, capable of outputting lots of good demon food, and they
   want it. The trick is to provide them some of this excess
   spurious energy without draining yourself dry as an empty
   wineskin. The energy of hatred, sex, desire, fear, nervousness,
   apprehension or sorrow are all tasty morsels to them, and once
   they get used to feeding at your trough, they will come back for
   more. Of course, if you are a really dark magician, then your
   victims will be a rich source of satisfaction to them, yes, a
   veritable buffet of delectables.
   
   Therefore, the apprentice magician should avoid biting off more
   than he/she can chew until he/she develops a certain measure of
   control. That is the ability to do and not do by choice. In
   magic, control is everything. There is doing and not doing. Both
   have a proper place in the magickal universe, and there is a
   right time for each. Tell me, if you can't control yourself, how
   are you going to control another? More than that, how are you
   going to control a demon?
   
                         Preperation For Magic
                                   
   Think about it... It's hard as Hell to program a computer without
   a purpose in mind, as you haven't yet decided what you want the
   machine to do. Likewise, In order to perform magickal acts, you
   first need a purpose or reason for doing them. After that, you
   need to develop your focus, your intent, your will, perfect
   control and develop a workable technique to succeed. Many "Magick
   Books" start off by telling the budding mage to perform a
   cleansing or a banishing ceremony. That is all well and good,
   assuming that the mage in question has first cleansed
   him/herself.
   
   Now it's one thing to wave some sea salt around the room and go
   through the necessary moves to sweep out any unwelcome spirits
   before performing a serious ritual, but it is quite another to
   cleanse a human mind of a lifetime of misinformation, half-truths
   and outright lies, handed down from various and sundry authority
   figures. The fact is that most people simply don't know what to
   believe, and if they believe anything, it is probably based upon
   falsehood. After all, the lamp of truth has burned pretty dim
   over this last age. The object here is to remove all of the
   built-up trash that can be a hang up such as old guilts,
   limitations and religious snags. All you need is to lose your
   confidence as one of these weaknesses catches in your throat, and
   you will have failed in your purpose. All you would then have to
   show for your trouble is a hungry demon with which to contend. Of
   course, you can skip this section it you want...
   
                      Removing Mental Mine Fields
                                   
   Yes, all of your life, you have been fed a steady stream of pap,
   designed to control you, keep you in check, and make you
   subservient to the will of mother, father, teacher, preacher and
   cop. How tiresome. But, just think what would happen if at the
   wrong time, a bunch of that goop, upchucked all over your freshly
   pressed, black robe and stopped the proceedings? Wouldn't you
   feel silly? I mean, if you have to stop and ask a demon if it is
   politically incorrect to rip the soul out of Mary Jo Smith
   because she angered you, then you better get yourself into
   another business, 'cause black magic ain't for you!
   
   That's right, you gotta grab control and keep it! Admittedly,
   there is a fine line between having the villagers chase you back
   to your castle with shovels and hoes and that of successfully
   avenging yourself for some foul indiscretion visited upon your
   person by some ingrate, namely Mary Jo Smith. However,
   civilization being what it is, full of the fearful, we true
   magicians have to keep our cool and not do anything obvious to
   stir up the sheep, less they stampede. That's right, we let off
   just before their eyes roll up in their sockets, and they jump
   the fence, leaving puddles of sheep-shit to coat our insteps.
   Therefore, we should, at least, outwardly appear as good citizens
   and all-around nice people.
   [wiz2col.gif] 
   
   I know that it's a bother, but the sheep will be in Hell soon
   enough, so they don't need to know our real business. In fact,
   the less they know about our business, the better. Instead, let
   them think that you are a good Baptist. Satan ought to get a kick
   out of that. Oh, It's not that bad; I once knew an airline pilot,
   and a hornier bugger never lived. The first thing he did after
   hitting town was to attend a good Baptist revival meeting. Why,
   according to him, he could pick up more poon-tang at one of those
   meetings than anywhere else he could go.
   
   However, the main thing I want you to understand is the
   importance of keeping your head clear. So spend a little time
   picking through the rubble of your mind, looking for anything
   that might trip you up. It's best to grab yourself a nice, big
   three-ring binder at the neighborhood office supply and a bunch
   of paper to fit it. Now, work backward from right now and write
   down everything of importance that ever happened to you from this
   very moment until you were a scrawny, little kid. Then sort
   through it, looking for anything that might ruin your eternity.
   Yes, recount every action and inaction, positive or negative back
   to day one. Then, delete your limitations, fears, taboos and all
   religious nonsense and limitation, as any of those things could
   be harmful to your health while performing ritual black magick.
   
   It would be just your luck to have some solicitous spirit jump up
   right in the middle of your ritual and cry, "But you are just as
   guilty as she!" Now, if instead of assuming the proper posture
   and commanding: "Die, son-of-a-bitch," you instead inquire: "I
   am?" Then all is lost. You can see the possibilities... So, if
   you are harboring any guilt about anything, anything at all,
   crush it under your heel for good or else hustle your bacon back
   to Sunday School where you belong. No cheating! Jesus loves you.
   
   Decided to stay, huh? Well, eventually, this "Journal" will
   become your "Black Book", and in it, you'll keep all sorts of
   magical information, deals with the Devil and the results of your

   magickal endeavors. Even Satan keeps one, you should too. It will
   be especially helpful when your years grow long and your memory
   grows short. We know of at least one dyslexic Satanist who
   unwittingly sold his soul to Santa.
   
                                Scrying
                                   
   Another good skill to acquire is that of scrying (like crying) or
   looking into the future (or worse, the present) by some method or
   the other. There are lot's of ways to do it, and in fact, there
   are whole books written on the subject, so pick one and go for
   it. You'll find out which method works best for you pretty quick.
   Me? Oh, I mostly depend on visions. However, in waking hours, I
   often make use of the Runes, the Pendulum and the Tarot. If all
   three agree, and I like the possible future, I stay on the path.
   If I don't like what's transpiring, I backpedal and take another
   path. Yup, if you don't like the proceedings, then just turn left
   instead of right at the next corner. That's the purpose of
   scrying-- grabbing the best that life has to offer and escaping
   the nasty stuff.
   
   Now, there are many possible futures. There are unlikely futures,
   maybe futures and very likely futures. Now hear this, the future
   is not cast in stone. A particular future only works out if you
   don't deviate from the path you are taking. If you bugger off
   down another trail, then you have chosen a totally different
   future. So, it's ludicrous to go into a tizzy-fit if you draw an
   unfavorable spread. Just change your path and safely escape down
   the rabbit hole. Heck, it's easy to side-step fate if you know
   which way she's heading. That's why you need to learn how to
   scry.
   
   Me? I get premonitions. After over a half century of this, you
   had better believe that I pay attention to them. I've also
   learned to practice something called stilling my mind or the
   Wizard's Nod. Every now and again, I just stop, set back and go
   to sleep. I might doze for five or 10 minutes, and then slowly
   come to consciousness with a Technicolor movie playing of some
   future event. Often, its a portent of things to come, like a
   vision that will save my bacon. Other times, it's for someone
   else's benefit. And every now and again, it's a tip on the
   market. I like those.
   
   For what it's worth, I recommend the Wizard's Nod as I call it
   just before bed. Ask questions, think about something you want to
   understand better or seek profound information of a cosmic
   nature. You could also ask for a genuine, Gnostic experience
   (gnosis) which is an almost magickal understanding of the true
   spiritual environment in which we live, move and have our being.
   For example, you could say, "Hey God, if there is any such thing
   as truth, I'd sure like to know what it is!"
   
   Whatever. Work the thing for about ten minutes and then drift off
   to sleep (this works better than counting sheep). Then after your
   interlude of sleep (nobody ever gets through the whole ten
   minutes), pay attention to your dreams or visions as you return
   to consciousness. There is much to be learned from the Wizard's
   Nod-- you'll see. Oh yes, keep your black book handy as you would
   do well to write down what you learn before you forget it. Some
   mages even keep a tape recorder next to their bed for the
   specific purpose of gathering up as much information as possible
   before it slips through their fingers into oblivion...
   
   Anyway, The art of scrying cannot be learned overnight anymore
   than the art of magick, but the sooner you start, the sooner you
   will become proficient. One will help with the other, as the
   skills intertwine. Start out with text book readings, but after a
   while, you'll notice subtle nuances that proffer a more complete
   understanding of the subject of interest. While learning, cast or
   throw a hand and then watch and see what develops. Soon, your
   chosen method will begin to come clear to you, and you will gain
   confidence in it. After all, a spiritually blind magician
   certainly leaves something to be desired. I mean, If you can't
   scry, how are you going to know that Mary Jo Smith is sleeping
   with the preacher?
   
                                Purpose
                                   
   To be successful at any magickal endeavor, you must have a
   purpose. For instance, Mary Jo is sleeping with the preacher, and
   your purpose is to make an example of her. A secondary purpose is
   to make her stop and also to teach the next damn preacher by
   example, so he won't get any bright ideas. After all, preachers
   have been corrupting people for a couple thousand years, and it's
   time to put a stop to it. That's purpose enough!
   
                                 Focus
                                   
   After that, you must focus upon your purpose. I mean that you
   gotta really zero in on it hard! Now, Mary Jo has really raised
   your ire because she is supposed to be sleeping with you, not the
   preacher-- got it? Now, you are generating energy, lots of
   energy, sweet, tasty energy, yeah, that's right-- yum! Nothing
   generates energy quite like hatred. So you focus on your purpose,
   and the hatred wells up within your soul, creating lots of those
   hot, dripping, smoldering black thoughts of destruction and
   mayhem against Mary Jo and the #$%&@* preacher. Now, knuckles
   white upon the hilt of your ceremonial sword, you are almost
   ready.
   
                                Intent
                                   
   Now, the driving force behind magick is the Intent behind your
   purpose. Now, you have your purpose, you have your focus, and
   next you intend to implement those black thoughts of mayhem and
   destruction. In your mind's eye, you can see the worms eating
   Mary Jo's merken as she rubs that nasty thing all over that
   sweating preacher who is screaming Jesus, Jesus, Jesus to no
   avail. He can't get away, and the worms are turning into venomous
   snakes that are biting at his Johnson. The flesh is rotting off
   Mary Jo, and the preacher's eyes are rolling back in his head.
   However, there is no one there to see, so you let them roll!
   
                                 Will
                                   
   Next, the instrument that delivers your intent is your will. Now,
   you bring forth your demon who is worked up and lathered. He's
   hot and breathing fire. Sulfur smoke pours from his nostrils, and
   with a mighty thrust of your will, you sick him on that accursed
   pair to feast! Your will is all encompassing as it prods your
   demon in the posterior to attack harder and faster. The
   temperature rises. Through the smoke and flames, the demon is
   yelling "Get off my back," The preacher is gasping, Mary Jo blows
   out, and as her cringing soul rises, your will reaches out and
   snatches it from the arms of Jesus and chucks it in your hip
   pocket. Now, the preacher craps out, and as his slippery,
   eel-like, preacher's soul attempts to escape the festivities,
   your demon's tongue lashes out like a snake and slurp... Then for
   the finale, the very gates of Hell open wide and a whole crew of
   frothing demons join the feeding frenzy and drag their accursed,
   unholy prey back into the darkness of Hell where they belong.
   
                               Aftermath
                                   
   Well, you see kinda how it works, no? This is why preachers
   always rail on against Black Magic and the magicians who practice
   it! They know what can happen. Of course, after your fete of
   magick, there is nothing much left of that tormented twosome but
   a bit of hair and a few rags, so the newspapers report that they
   were kidnapped by some biker gang and never heard of again.
   However the locals all know that there wasn't any biker gang in
   town-- no, none at all...
   
   Hey, that wasn't too strong for you was it? I mean, this is Black
   Magick, 101 is it not? What did you expect-- a bunch of light
   workers at the local new-age book shop? If you are going to do
   Dark, you gotta be Dark. Now, you see why this control thing is
   so important. If you ever let go of the reins, even for an
   instant, there's no telling what would happen to you in the cusp
   of your magickal experience. I mean that people don't practice
   wheelin' & dealin' black magic in hopes that pennies and
   lollipops will come raining out of the sky.
   [wiz1col.gif] 
   
   Magicians perform high ritual black magic for power, money,
   revenge or love. Wars have been fought over these incentives with
   power at the top of the list. Love or lust is transitory and
   comes in last. Of course, I once did raise my wife from the dead,
   but I'll never do that again. I got her body up all right, but
   her essence had already fled. Naturally, another loose cannon
   climbed in, and I got back some old gal named Hilda. It took a
   couple of weeks to teach her to talk and walk, but she was OK
   after that. She lived on for a couple of years, but I didn't try
   to bring Hilda back... Hilda said that when I raised Scooter, I
   was so torqued up that my etheric double came out. Well, that
   only happens maybe twice in a lifetime, and I sure wasn't going
   to waste the other one.
   
   Karmic Note: Karma is just another limiting factor taught by
   certain establishment religions to keep people like you in check.
   They want to control you through fear and deceit in order to
   prevent you from acting on your own behalf in defense of your
   honor as they fear those with magickal abilities more than
   anything. That is because their discretions are many, and they
   have no abilities, whatsoever. This totally ludicrous bit of
   mysticism has invaded most magical circles, and that is why
   seldom does their magic succeed. The "white magicians" fear that
   their efforts will come back on them, and their confidence is
   impaired. Bunk. Real black magicians fear not the words of the
   mystics, nor do they give a fig for Karma as they create their
   own realities day by day. Then as they grow in stature (power)
   they create their own heavens out in the Astral Realms and become
   their own saviors.
   
   leved.
	copyright 1998, all rights reserved
EOF