I think I will have to debate this with you a bit.
<While an interesting read, its a rather harsh rending of magic and its uses, it reeks of disdain and withering contempt for the homier side of magic .>
It isn't a harsh rending of magic and it's uses. It is a harsh rending of Magic Users. More to the point, those that would use it for selfish reasons without seeking the whys and wherefores of it. If you look at the examples it shows, it is indeed making a statement against the use of magic for selfish gain.
<According to the author it is drivel until given into the hands of men and the light of truth... it is taken from the everyday and given onto the scholars as the only ones worthy of it.>
How does it say that? It is making a statement about the period. And states the Author's view on what magic is for rather than satifying personal desire. "But then it will be said, what can be the use of magic? It enables men to understand better the Truth, and desire Good in a healthier and more effective manner."
<This a shame and a stance I have long fought against ... magic does belong in the everyday life as opposed to some dusty old tome set aside for a hidden elitest group. >
Magic is in everyday life you see it when the sun rises, the wind blows, and the water whispering. If anything it implies that you should look deeper into the world...as for elitist groups and dusty tomes...The very first statement, "At the present day, occult sciences are scarcely studied except by presumptuous ignoramuses or eccentric savants;" Think about the period of time this was written. Who was he speaking of?
<The necromancers he speaks of are the mediums and spiritualist reaching beyound the human veil, using a gift that is a human birth right, one that many of us have come to accept.>
Is it a human birthright? So is the ability to do alot of things...because you can do something, does that mean you should? More specifically, should you chase after something you haven't took a long deep look at? Should you give a child a loaded handgun to play with? Throughout the ages a great many cultures have stated the same warnings he states about the dangers of evoking spirits...Do we know more about the subject than those that have gone on before? Is it something to be treated lightly, without considering the dangers and the mechanisms behind various things? Or should we accept on blind faiththat these are our birthrights and as birthrights there is no danger in it?
<Its no small surprise that I believe in magic and would also manipulate it if need be, but it is the magic of the world, of science, of belief of creating changes with my will and skill, and sometimes it is magic that comes from something greater then I am ... >
Sorta exactly the same thing I see in that excerpt...and agree with you completely.
< I don't scoff at it nor belittle it for the fact that a young wife would hope to use it a surely as a high ranking lodge-certified ceremonialist would. ANYways ...>
Yep...agreed...
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