I.I.H. Intro:

Its true that when I was very young, though I was intrigued by Magic, I was mainly interested only in personal gain, power and prestige. Though I always read that you should seek only the more divine rewards of the occult sciences, I felt a little guilty because I knew I only wanted the "lower" benefits of magic. I was not yet spiritually mature enough to appreciate God union, but deep in my soul I yearned for it. I soon learned that nothing in the world of Magic was quickly gained and though I excelled at martial disciplines, I was terribly reluctant to embrace any real occult training. I needed to "understand" first. I didn't realize you must experience before you can cultivate the seeds that grow into Knowledge and Wisdom.

What kept me away from actually doing anything more than reading and researching ancient rites and theories was a deep seated fear instilled in me by our Western Christian culture, carried over and reinforced by my Father who didn't believe and my Mother who saw such possibilities with her own eye's but was horrified by what she didn't quite understand. Who can blame her, knowing that she grew up suffering the constrictions of Catholic school. We all were influenced by a gross misunderstanding of things of a mystical nature(the Work of Satan).

It was only as I grew and matured through an exploration of the world around me that I began to appreciate the occult sciences as a tool to bring us into harmony with Nature and into Union with the Divine. Then I began to regret that I hadn't practiced what I found here and there from the onset of opportunity, but I accept that perhaps then was not the time. Perhaps I wasn't ready and would not have recognized the many pitfalls and distractions so abundant in the old books and manuscripts, but the only way to know is to engage in a sincere and dedicated practice now and see where it leads.

So it's with deep gratitude that I set out to endure through this system laid out by Bardon, starting at the most appropriate place, the beginning, The Magician.