The Power of the Paedos - another high profile case hits the 'never happened' wall?

[David Guyatt]

David,

Your response reminds me of Charles Williams' fiction and in particular, Shadows of Ecstasy. From his Wiki article:

Shadows of Ecstasy, 1931 A humanistic adept has discovered that by focusing his energies inward he can extend his life almost indefinitely. He undertakes an experiment using African lore to die and resurrect his own body thereby assuring his immortality. His followers begin a revolutionary movement to destroy European civilization.

I've not read it Lauren, but the idea is quite ancient. Chinese Taoists have long sought "longevity", for example - and they have quite special techniques and exercises that achieve this to some degree. Much of Chinese thought arrived via Indian esotericism and it was largely India where European thought along these lines derived too. It's the story of developing Chi and Prana and preserving Ching. I think it quite possible that healthy life can be extended if the recommended exercises and disciplines are religiously adhered to, but longevity just extends life, it can't cheat death.

But I think you guessed where I wasn't going quite admirably. It's to do with arousing, collecting and then focusing the natural energy of others in a ritual setting, that the so called Magus in an occult ceremony is aiming for. In Black Magic it is used to energize and aggrandise the Magus and propel him deep into the Collective Unconscious - via a visionary experience - for quite negative and destructive collective reasons.

Others use the same sort of methods for very positive purposes. Intent is everything. I often tend to quote from John Borman's excellent film Excalibur, where Merlin tells the young Arthur who has just pulled the sword from the stone and begins using it as a weapon, (words to the effect), "it's for healing, not hacking".

It's altogether a very technical subject and one that most people find uncomfortable or ridiculous - or both, in fact. 'Nuff said.