Old Diary Leaves – Volume VI 1896 – 1898

By Henry Steel Olcott (1832 - 1907).

403 Pages | First edition 1935, second printing 1975 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 0835674916.

The Chapters of this Volume, originally published in The Theosophist from January 1905 to December 1906, complete the story of The Society as written by the President-Founder. No revision of the Leaves as they originally appeared has been attempted. The Editor's work is confined to a few explanatory notes, and the correction of typographical and a few other obvious errors.

From Chapter XXI - 'Magic: Black and White' (p. 316):

" The phenomena of H.P.B. and other Adepts in occult science prove superabundantly that when there is present the dominating will, the ceremonials may be dispensed with. When it is a question of a less developed thaumaturge, the consecrated sword, the triangular altar, the prepared lamb-skin, the circle of burning lamps, the lighted incense sticks, the flowers, the solemn invocations would be useless. In the Abra-Melim book the veil is partially raised so as to give the reader a quite sufficient peep into the penetralia of Black Magic. It dates from 1458 A.D. and it purports to have been given by Abraham, the author, to his son Lamech, and to compromise the Magic taught by God to Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, and other Patriarchs and Prophets. "