Magic: My Fear Is For Those Who Fear Him (Eliphas Levi)

      For a great number of readers Magic is the science of thedevil – even as the science of light is identified with that of darkness.  We confess boldly at the outset that we arenot in terror of the devil.   “My fear is for those who fear him,” said St.Teresa.  But we testify also that he doesnot prompt our laughter and that the ridicule of which he is often the objectseems to us exceedingly misplaced. However this may be, it is our intention to bring him before the lightof science.  But the devil and science –the apposition of two names so strangely incongruous – must seem to havedisclosed the whole intent in view.  Ifthe mystic personification of darkness be thus dragged into the light, is itnot to annihilate the phantom of falsehood in the presence of truth? Is it not to dispel in the day all formlessmonsters of the night? Superficialpersons will think so and will condemn without hearing.  Ill-instructed Christians will conclude thatwe are sapping the fundamental dogma of their ethics by decrying hell; andothers will question the utility of combating error in which, as they imagine, noone believes longer.  It is, therefore,important to enunciate our object clearly and establish our principles solidly.

      We say, therefore, to Christians that the author of thisbook is a Christian like yourselves.  Hisfaith is that of a catholic strongly and deeply convinced; for this reason hedoes not come forward to deny dogmas, but to combat impiety under its most perniciousforms, which are those of false belief and superstition.  He comes to drag from the darkness the blacksuccessor of Ahriman, in order to expose in broad day his colossal impotenceand redoubtable misery.  He comes to makesubject the  age-long problem of evil to the solutions of science, touncrown the king of hell and bow down his head at the foot of the cross.  Is it not virginal and maternal science --that science of which Mary is the sweet and luminous image – destined like herto crush the head of the old serpent?

 

NOTE:  I greatly enjoy reading Eliphas Levi's History of Magic in the kinetic A.E. Waite translation, but I would like to say that I object to the image of crushing "the head of the old serpent."  There are many serpents I like and admire.  Leave serpents alone.  There are enough human malefactors about.