When writing rituals they can sometimes take on a style and appearance of their own. In this case we found ourselves using symbolism that owed more to modern science that to mediaeval magic or alchemy. So rather than force these ceremonies to fit a mediaeval mould we decided to run with the idea of laboratory magic and so Mad Science was born. Ceremonial robes became white coats, the athame became a scalpel the cup became a conical flask and the rest is contained in the two examples that follow.

To match this approach the rituals are presented in the style of a scientific paper starting with an abstract followed by clearly defined aims, procedures, methodological explanations and all that stuff you might find in a scientific journal.

What is interesting is that this particular academic approach to publication is just the philosophy that The Stone has used from the beginning. We actually want you to go out and try these rituals for yourselves. (Although we take no responsibility for the results!) Perhaps by publishing in the scientific style these procedures, as they have come to be called, will be more easily reproduced in your own laboratory.

Warning! These rituals are not for those who think magic is a serious subject which should never be treated lightly. But then again people like that wouldn't be visiting this web site, would they?