Magic: History, Theory and Practice
Magic: History, Theory and Practice is a mysticism book by Ernst Schertel. Originally published in Germany in 1923, Magic: History / Theory / Practice (in its original German edition), was a hardcover book consisting of 154 pages. Schertel identifies heavily with the "demonic" in Magic, espousing the belief that "communion with the demon" is the most important aspect of magical/religious practice. In addition to this, Schertel also identified the following elements of magic: Ecstasy. The performer must enter an altered mind state of "ecstasy", "possession" or "somnambulism", and it is usually achieved by dancing, chanting, hypnosis, intoxication, and even sacrifices. He wrote in the book, "Originally, prophecy meant just "speaking while being delighted with god," and this already shows that for this kind of magic the amalgamation with the demon, that is to say an ecstasy (trance) was seen as a precondition as much as with every other kind of magic." Some modern authors believe that it is equivalent to the alpha state of mind. Imagination. It is the way through which the performer bring the desired changes into reality. Schertel wrote, "The man with the greatest force of imagination is commanding of the world and creates realities according to