The belief that a continual communion existed between 

 mankind and the spirits of good and of evil, and that man 

 could exercise authority over these celestial and infernal 

 beings was taught by many ecclesiastics and became a part of 

 religion ; and the belief that natural objects had occult pro- 

 perties, that such manifestations of physical forces as thunder 

 and lightning, earthquakes, hail, and even the light of the 

 celestial bodies, were directed by spirits over which man had 

 some control, became an integral doctrine of science. After 

 several generations of people had accepted these teachings 

 and views, the force of antiquity was added to that of 

 authority, and "Science, scarcely more than in embryo, was 

 unable to resist the giant spirit of Superstition that then 

 lorded it over the intellectual world." 



The investigation of the occult properties of matter 

 together with the nature, influence, and character of spiritual 

 beings, their mode of communication with mortals, and the 

 ways by which their aid might be obtained became the object 

 of Occult Philosophy. Of this there were three principal 

 branches : 



Natural Magic, which concerned itself with the occult 

 properties of natural bodies in the animal, vege- 

 table and mineral kingdoms. 



Theurgy, or divine magic, which claimed to deal with 

 good spirits and the angels of Heaven, and to 

 train the soul of man to become fit to receive 

 their beneficent gifts, as well as to learn how to 

 see and converse with them. And 



Goety, or black magic, which pretended to teach 

 methods for securing the powerful assistance of 

 infernal demons in earning out evil and criminal 

 designs; those practising it were generally supposed 

 to have made a compact with Satan involving 

 the loss of their souls. 



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