#  >  > General Discussion >  >  > Occult >  >  >  Michael Aquino Reviews ''Magic''

## cotum

*Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, Temple of Set says:*

"There have been a great many books written trying to make sense of "magic" or at least humanity's perennial fascination with same, along with a great many books trying to make sense of Adolf Hitler: how he saw the world, what he wanted to do about it, and why he chose the methods that he did to realize that ambition. Most books in both categories have fallen somewhat short of their goal, leaving the reader with yet another recitation of what happened, but with no greater understanding of why it did.

This curious little book - it is only 137 pages - answers both questions straightforwardly and succinctly. But before we can appreciate that, we must marvel at the Indiana Jones-series of coincidences and opportunities which have made it available to us. A chance mention in a bookworm article. A reader's tinge of curiosity. A dogged, frustrating effort to secure the original photocopy, to prevail upon translators, to get the result published. And suddenly, like the Ark of the Covenant, here it is.

Dr. Ernst Schertel could have been the model for one of H.P. Lovecraft's ill-fated seekers after forbidden knowledge. For all of Hitler's interest in this book, he found himself in a concentration camp, had his academic doctorate revoked, and spent the rest of his life in menial obscurity. Yet at the time he wrote _Magic_, he nailed it. All of reality, he argued, possesses not only a physical, four-dimensional existence, but an innate, essential metaphysical presence as well. This "_mana_", as he termed it, radiated an influence beyond its ordinary phenomenon, exerting subtle change that modern science and scientists have blundered blindly past in their simplistic, materialist focus. So they have become very good at answering the little questions, and very inept at explaining why the whole is often so much greater than the sum of its jigsaw parts.

The true magician, says Schertel, bears no resemblance to the fictional stereotype of a superstitious fool. He is rather someone who has learned to recognize the "_mana_" of things, then to take it into account in his use of them. Moreover, Schertel continues, the magician perceives within himself nothing less than the *ability to create* "_mana_", and to artfully communicate an ecstatic, subliminal reaction to it in others.

Can you see where this is going? Can you guess which sentences and paragraphs of this book Adolf Hitler highlighted in his copy? It is nothing less than a blueprint for the way that he deciphered his surroundings, then motivated others to refashion them to his fantastic visions. As bold as it might seem, the psychology, behavior, and impact of Hitler after he read _Magic_ in 1923 fall ingeniously into place as footnotes to its message.

Editor Josh Kelley worries a bit about the precision of the translation he finally obtained. This is understandable, as particularly in metaphysical context German can be punishingly obscure. But in this case the translation is clear enough to "get through"; just remember that you are going to have to meet this book halfway with a mental effort of your own. It is probably a good thing that most readers won't make the effort even if they buy it. Because its fully-unleashed implications are very, very dangerous. As the world saw because just one person grasped them."

*Buy it here now:*
Amazon.com: Magic: History, Theory, Practice (9780578024578): Ernst Schertel, Adolf Hitler: Books

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## EtuMalku

I thought I saw this elsewhere . . . 600C?

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## Vir Sapiens

I've read this text and found it interesting but, I'm not sure I would attribute it to the rise of the Third Reich. Hitler himself railed against occultism, which is probably why the author ended up in a camp, even while the top brass of the SS reveled in it. I found Hitlers annotations to be devoid of any worth and understanding. I think what Hitler had was a keen grasp of human psychology and the impact of symbolism on it. I read that he built his chancellery to where people would feel dwarfed by the architecture and in turn by the man who had ordered it. Of course the psychological component of magic cannot be denied. 

If one would be interested in some of the principles Hitler successfully applied to maintain control then they might be better served by looking at the works of Freud and Jung as well as the KUBARK manual, although the latter you will not find without serious redactions to the most interesting and nasty bits. Freud and Jung are self explanatory but the KUBARK manual directly addresses the usage of psychology to control a situation by exploiting people's natural psychological reactions. Granted it is written with an interrogator in mind but, I have found that the principles are universally applicable.

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