Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling: Illustrated by numerous incantations, specimens of medical magic, anecdotes and talesLeland, Charles Godfrey
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Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling: Illustrated by numerous incantations, specimens of medical magic, anecdotes and tales
Leland, Charles Godfrey
Fortune-telling; Magic, Romani; Romanies
It is awful, it is mysterious, it is terrible to learn this tremendous
truth that we are indeed within ourselves magicians gifted with
infinite intellectual power--which means the ability to know and do
all things. In the past men surmised the existence of this infinite
memory, this power of subtle research and combination, but between
them and the truth in every land and time interposed the idea of
objective spiritual or supernatural existences whose aid or medium
was necessary to attain to wisdom. Outside of us was always Somebody
Else to be invoked, conciliated, met in vision or trance, united to
in spiritual unity or syncope. Sometimes they hit upon some form of
hypnotism or mesmerism, opiates or forced swoons and convulsions,
and so extorted from the nerves and dream-power some of their secrets
which were all duly attributed to the "spirits." But in the whole
range of occult literature from Hermes Trismegistus down to Madame
Blavatsky there is not a shade of a suspicion that all the absolutely
authentic marvels of magic began and ended with man himself.
Least of all did any speculator yet conjecture how to set forth
on the path which leads us to this wonderland. For there is a way
to it, and a power to master the infinite stores of memory and
render the dream-power a willing servant, if we take the pains to
do it. Firstly--as may be found asserted, and I think fairly proved,
in my work on "Practical Education," and in the "Memory of David Kay"
(London, 1888)--every child by a very easy gradual process, simply that
of learning by heart, and reviewing, can develope its memory to such a
degree that all which that child reads, hears, or sees can be literally
retained for life. Secondly, quickness of perception, which is allied
to memory, can be taught so as to develope intuitive observation
and intelligence to an equally incredible extent. Thirdly--and for
this I have had abundant personal experience--every child can learn
Design and the Minor Arts or develope the Constructive faculties,
and by doing this alone a pupil becomes exceptionally clever in all
studies. The proof of this is that the 200 pupils who attended an
industrial or art school in Philadelphia took precedence in studies
among 110,000 others in the public schools.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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