Magic, or the Secret System

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...living, uniting within themselves the spirit of the great Redeemer. They do not belong to those who love only the Science of Smoke Original: Wissenschaft des Rauchs; a derisive term for superficial, illusory, or purely materialistic knowledge that lacks spiritual fire or substance. *), and just as little to those gullible fan- The text cuts off; likely Phantasten (visionaries or fanatics).

*) The various allusions to this in the Tableau naturel Original: Tableau naturel des rapports qui existent entre Dieu, l'Homme et l'Univers (A Natural Table of the Relations that Exist between God, Man, and the Universe), published in 1782 by Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin. perhaps refer in part to the other party of Ch— Likely the Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Cité Sainte (Beneficent Knights of the Holy City), a high-degree Masonic rite. — And because some H. Possibly Herren (Gentlemen) or a specific reference to critics like Johann Joachim Christoph Bode. in Germany have confused St. M. Saint-Martin. with Ch., the rumor seems to have arisen that the sublime and pious language of our Theosophers In this 18th-century context, "Theosophers" refers to Christian mystics following the tradition of Jakob Böhme, focusing on direct divine knowledge, rather than the later 19th-century Theosophical Society. was merely a glittering garment under which they kept a dangerous K — M — Likely Kabbalistische Magie (Kabbalistic Magic) or Konvent-Maurerei (Convent-Masonry); the author is defending them against charges of practicing illicit occultism or political conspiracy. hidden. Without considering the particular reason why this or that person might be inclined to believe such a thing and spread it further, I only remind the reader that for the student of human nature and for true criticism Original: Kritik; here used in the Enlightenment sense of "discernment" or "analytical judgment.", there are certain infallible marks by which it can easily be decided whether, in such a case and against the authors of writings like ours, one should expect good or evil. And it is precisely from this side that our Theosophers recommend themselves, so that, I believe, every unbiased person [will only...]