Magic: A Treatise on Natural Occultism

By Manly P. Hall and Elizabeth Ledbetter

Magic: A Treatise on Natural Occultism (1929) is a short work by author, mystic, and lecturer Manly P. Hall. By exploring the differences between black and white magic, this book seeks to guide fellow occultists away from those practices which damage the spirit and lead to the loss of the soul. 

Born in Canada, Ma

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mockingbird Press
• Release date: May 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684930470

Manly P. Hall

Manly P. Hall (1901-1990) founded the Philosophical Research Society, an organization dedicated to the dissemination of practical knowledge in a variety of philosophical fields. He is best known for his 1928 classic, The Secret Teachings of All Ages.

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Magic

A Treatise on Natural Occultism

by

Manly P. Hall

Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press

All rights reserved. The original works are in the public domain to the best of publisher’s knowledge. The publisher makes no claim to the original writings. However, the compilation, construction, cover design, trademarks, derivations, foreword, descriptions, added work, etc., of this edition are copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law, or where content is specifically noted as being reproduced under a Creative Commons license.

Cover, You May if you Please, Call a Partial View of Immensity, or Without Much Impropriety Perhaps, a Finite View of Infinity, by Thomas Wright, 1750

Foreword by Elizabeth Ledbetter, Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press, LLC

Cover Design by Jenny Frank, Copyright © 2022 Mockingbird Press, LLC

Interior Design by Maria Johnson

Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data

Hall, Manly P., author; with Ledbetter, Elizabeth, Foreword by

Magic : A Treatise on Natural Occultism / Manly P. Hall; with Elizabeth Ledbetter

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-68493-045-6

Hardback ISBN-13: 978-1-68493-046-3

Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-68493-047-0

1. Body, Mind & Spirit—Occultism. 2. Philosophy & Religion—Religion & Beliefs—Alternative Belief Systems—Occult Studies—Magic, Alchemy & Hermetic Thought, I. Manly P. Hall. II. Elizabeth Ledbetter. III. Magic. IV. Title : A Treatise on Natural Occultism.

OCC016000 / QRYX2

Type Set in SchoolBook / Franklin Gothic Demi

Mockingbird Press, Augusta, GA

[e-mail]

Contents

Foreword

Part One: The Children of the False Darkness

Part Two: The Power of Demons

Part Three: The Mechanics of Magic

Foreword

Magic: A Treatise on Natural Occultism (1929) is a short work by author, mystic, and lecturer Manly P. Hall. By exploring the differences between black and white magic, this book seeks to guide fellow occultists away from those practices which damage the spirit and lead to the loss of th e soul.

Born in Canada, Manly P. Hall (b. 1901, d. 1990) was drawn into the world of mysticism when he moved to Los Angeles at age 18. He quickly began to preach and lecture at the Church of the People. Soon, he was leading the evangelical congregation as its minister. This began a long career that spanned thousands of lectures, often well-attended affairs that received local coverage in the Los Angeles Times.

His growing notoriety caught the attention of a wealthy woman named Carolyn Lloyd, who became Hall’s patron. Through her support, he was able to travel the world, seeking education and wisdom from diverse cultures and acquiring rare books of philosophy and mysticism.

As the author of over 150 books, pamphlets, essays, and countless articles, Hall shared what he had learned in his readings and extensive travels. Through his lectures and writings—particularly 1928’s The Secret Teaching of All Ages, Hall became a well-known philosopher and expert on mysticism and occultism. He channeled some of this fame and wealth into the creation of the Philosophical Research Society, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit learning center and book collection centered on metaphysics, religion, and the occult. Founded in 1934, the PRS is still in operation today.

Magic: A Treatise on Natural Occultism explores the differences between black magic and white magic—how they are practiced, the justifications behind both, and the inevitable results of each. Motive is the key to the problem of Magic, he explains. Even the greatest of White Magicians can become a degenerate in an instant if his motive becomes unworthy. The White Magician serves humanity; the Black Magician seeks to serve himself. This ulterior motive leads the Black Magician into selfish and destructive behaviors, rather than the wise and learned actions of the White Magician who seeks only to do good.

Through his description of black and white magic, Hall explores the very nature of good and evil. He argues against the personification of natural principles. In his view, the Devil is not a person at all, but a natural occurrence, comprised of all manner of sins. He is ...the spirit of perversion or negation, the created principle of misuse.

As an abuser of magic, the Black Magician can indeed be said to serve the two great demons of creation—Satan (Saturn) and Lucifer (Mars). But the