Sorry...apologies for engaging in terrible thread rot. I do believe I've heard of an initiatory ritual that involves imbibing small quantities of cobra venom to create a "death trance", though more than that I've forgotten.
And there is of course the classic Crowley joke, said to hold the key to understanding magick, from Chapter 18 of Magick in Theory and Practice:
There is the story of the American in the train who saw another American carrying a basket of unusual shape. His curiosity mastered him, and he leant across and said: "Say, stranger, what you got in that bag?"
The other, lantern-jawed and taciturn, replied: "mongoose".
The first man was rather baffled, as he had never heard of a mongoose. After a pause he pursued, at the risk of a rebuff: "But say, what is a Mongoose?"
"Mongoose eats snakes", replied the other.
This was another poser, but he pursued: "What in hell do you want a Mongoose for?"
"Well, you see", said the second man (in a confidential whisper) "my brother sees snakes".
The first man was more puzzled than ever; but after a long think, he continued rather pathetically: "But say, them ain't real snakes".
"Sure", said the man with the basket, "but this Mongoose ain't real either". |
