MAGIC AND SOkCERY 151 



of a thing, I know its spirit. If I can make use of 

 the qualities of a thing, its spirit will be my servant. 

 Nothing can be known of a thing unless we succeed in 

 making its character appear plain to our understanding." 

 " The vehicle through which the will acts for effectu- 

 ating good or evil is the living Mumia. Mumia^ is a 

 vehicle that contains the essence of life. If we eat the 

 flesh of animals, it is not their flesh itself that forms 

 again blood and bones in our bodies, but the invisible 

 vehicle of life derived from the flesh of these animals 

 is taken up into our bodies, and forms new tissues 

 and organs. If an animal dies in consequence of some 

 internal disease, we do not eat its flesh, because its Mumia 

 has been poisoned by its disease ; neither do we eat the 

 flesh of animals that died of old a^re, nor the flesh of a 

 rotten carcass, because its healthy Mumia has departed 

 on account of the decomposition, and what is left of the 

 Mumia has been poisoned by the process of putrefaction. 

 The Mumia of a living being partakes of the charac- 

 teristics of the being from which it is taken. For this 

 reason we do not eat the flesh of ferocious animals, such 

 as tigers, lions, wild-cats, &c. They contain a fiery 

 Mumia which stimulates the astral essences of man, and 

 causes in him such tendencies as were the characteristics 

 of the animals from which they are taken.^ We eat the 

 flesh of domestic animals, because their character is more 

 gentle and their Mumia less exciting, such as the stupid 

 ox, the gentle sheep, &c.; but the healthiest animal food 

 is the flesh of birds, because they live in the air, and the 

 air is the noblest of the four elements." 



^ The odic or "magnetic" body, containing the life-principle. 



' One reason why any one who desires to develop his spirituality should, 

 if his condition otherwise permits it, adopt a vegetarian diet, is that the 

 flesh of animals exercises a stimulating effect upon the lower and animal 

 instincts, which ought to be overcome instead of being aroused. The 

 scientific explanation of this action of flesh is, that each material thing is 

 an expression of its soul, and that it contains some of the qualities of that 

 soul or life (Kama), and communicates them to a certain extent to those 

 in whom it is taken up. 



