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"There is something about the word "Magick" that strikes a deep inner resonance with our own inherent need to experience the terrifying exhilaration of being in some way a co-creator with the wonder filled presence that is the moving power behind the universe".
Shadwynn from The Crafted Cup.

What exactly is "Magick"?

It has different connotations for different people. It is not stage magic, such as pulling rabbits out of hats, but about the use of natural forces in a "supernatural" way. Alistair Crowley defined Magick as "the science and art of causing change in conformity with the will". This definition has been elaborated on by Donald Kraig in his book Modern Magick to read "Magick is the science and art causing change in consciousness to occur in conformity with the Will, using means not currently understood by traditional Western science for the purpose of obtaining knowledge of, and communicating with, your higher self (guardian angel, God form such as in Yoga, White Magick and Mysticism); or for causing physical or non-physical harm (Black Magick) or good (Grey Magick) to yourself and others either consciously or unconsciously".

Here it is stated that Magick is accomplished by some means not known by modern science; however this does not mean that Magick is supernatural, rather it operates by means which we cannot at present explain, in the same way time travelers from Ancient Rome would no doubt think that television is Magick (and anyway, how many of you can accurately explain to others how the vision of an act in a studio can be faithfully transmitted to a television screen hundreds of miles away). It is important to note that Magick is a technique and is of itself neither good nor bad, rather the use to which it is put is good or bad. Rather like guns, it is the person who pulls the trigger that is at fault, not the gun itself, and therefore one does not put a gun in the hands of people who do not understand that there is a great deal of responsibility involved in using a gun. The same applies for Magick.

The mythology and cosmology of witchcraft are rooted in the old Sioux idea of temporary energy swirls, turbulence patterns; but all things are swirls of energy, vortices of moving forces, currents and ever changing seas. Underlying the appearance of separateness, of fixed objects within a linear string of time, reality is a field of energies that congeal temporarily into forms. In time all fixed things dissolve, only to coalesce again into new forms, new vehicles.²

"Ordinary waking consciousness sees the world as fixed; extraordinary consciousness, the other mode of perception that is broad permistic and undifferentiated, sees patterns and relationships rather than fixed objects. It is the mode of starlight: dim and silvery, revealing the play of woven branches and the dance of shadows, sensing pathways as spaces in the whole. The magickal and psychic aspects of the craft are concerned with awakening the starlight vision and turning it to be a useful tool" - Synder.

The language of Magick is expressed in symbols and images. Images bridge the gap between the verbal and non-verbal modes of awareness, between the CONSCIOUS and UNCONSCIOUS; they allow the two sides of the brain to communicate, arousing the emotions as well as the intellect. Poetry, itself a form of Magick, it is Imagic Speech. Spells and Charms worked by witches are truly concrete poetry. A Spell is a Symbolic Act done in an altered state of consciousness, in order to cause a desired change. To cast a spell is to project energy through a symbol, which is merely a lens, an object of focus, the "thing" that embodies the idea; but it is the mind that works Magick. Spells require combined faculties of relaxation, visualisation, concentration and projection.²

"Magick is the craft of witchcraft, and few things are at once so appealing, so frightening and so misunderstood. To work Magick is to weave the unseen forces into forms; to soar beyond sight; to explore the unchartered dream realm of the hidden reality; to infuse life with colour, motion and strange sense that intoxicate; to leap beyond imagination into that space between the worlds where fantasy becomes real; to become at once animal and God. Magick is the craft of shaping, the craft of the wise, exhilarating, dangerous - the ultimate adventure".²

Magickal systems are highly elaborated metaphors, not truths. The value of Magickal metaphors is that through them we identify ourselves and connect with larger forces; we partake of the elements, the cosmic processes, the movements of the stars. But if we use them for glib explanations and cheap categorisations, they narrow the mind instead of expanding it and reduce experience to a set of formulae that separates from each other and our own power.2 How often do we read books and hear people read out formulae and expect results and are then disappointed to realise that they do not occur. Magick is within ourselves, it is the use of our own energy.

A theoretical model that can be used to explain the workings of magick is based on the world view that sees things, not as fixed objects but as swirls of energy. The physical world is formed by that energy and if we cause a change in energy patterns, these in turn cause a change in the physical world. When our own energy is concentrated and channeled it can move the broader energy currents. The images and objects used in spells are the channels, the vessel through which our power is poured and by which it is shaped; when energy is directed into the images we visualise it gradually manifests physical form and takes shape in the material world.

However, directing energy is not a simple matter of emoting. "Thoughts are things and therefore we should only think positive thoughts because the negative things we think come to pass" is, happily, not true (overpopulation would be the least of our worries if it were); rather emotion is seen as a strobe light, directed energy is seen as a laser beam. No matter how much hate, envy and rage we direct at ex-lovers, mothers-in-law etc. we will not esoterically affect either their physical or mental health although, of course, we may affect our own. Even concentrated power is a small stream compared with the vast surges of energy that surround us. The most adept which cannot be successful in all spells, the opposing currents are often too strong, it is all too easy to preach "go with the flow", the main problem is identifying what the flow is. Witchcraft teaches us first to identify the flow and then to decide whether it is going where we want it to go. If not, we can try to deflect it, or change our own course, or choose another time when the flow is more our way. This of course brings up the matter of timing. Sensing the energy climate is a matter of intuition and experience, many prefer to work simply when they feel "the time is right", others use astrology, and others, if not using astrology make use of planetary motions, particularly the moon whose influence on subtle energies is the strongest, it being the closest planet.

In recent years the influence of the moon on the human mind and body has been borne out by scientific research. Scientists have discovered that as well as its well known effects on the mentally unstable, lunar energies influence physiological events such as bleeding and the incidence of outbreak of certain diseases. It is likely that the phases of the moon cause fluctuations in the earth's magnetic and electrical fields which are detected by the human body and it is this ability to detect magnetic changes which is used by dowsers and some healers. However the full nature of connections between lunar and other celestial energies and events in our physical and etheric bodies and our psyches has yet to be fully explored. Working magick at times other than the full moon is more tiring, requires greater effort and is usually less successful. The full moon can energise the etheric body in ways which are not possible when its influence is weaker. However the waning moon is a good time for magickal work of a "winding down" nature, magick which causes things which are happening to cease to happen.

The direction of movement also has special significance related to planetary movements, in this case the apparent direction of the sun (or more scientifically correct, the actual direction of the movement of the earth around the sun). Sunwise has been traditionally associated with the direction of evolution and growth (and for some the direction of good or right, or right-hand path magick). Conversely, Widdershins or anti-sunwise is seen as being against evolution (and the direction of bad, black or left-hand path magick). However this can be an oversimplification, not everything that grows and evolves is good; there are times when Widdershins magick is more appropriate than Deosil magick. Also note that in the southern hemisphere Deosil is anti-clockwise compared to the northern hemisphere clockwise, whereas Widdershins is clockwise compared to the northern hemisphere anticlockwise. Most publications having originated from the northern hemisphere will often talk about clockwise and anticlockwise rather than Deosil and Widdershins.

In this final quarter of the twentieth century mathematics, quantum physics and cosmology have begun to braid with the underlying principles which govern the action of Magick. The mechanism of Magick only becomes obvious in the natural world on a very large or a very small scale. In the human scale of time and space Magick mostly remains hidden or unnoticed.

On the level of the quantum, the very small scale, "cause" and "effect" break down. Electrons and Positrons spring into existence from the nothingness of empty space only to suffer annihilation in the first instant. Photons travel backwards in time. The Uncertainty Principle not only states but actually necessitates that it is impossible to predict both the position and velocity of a sub-atomic particle. Whether light acts as a wave or a particle depends on how it is observed. Until a sub-atomic particle is actually observed it is impossible to know its state. More than this, a sub-atomic particle has no specific state until this condition is defined by observation - it subsists in all potential states at the same instant. Electrons can tunnel through normal time and space so that they appear to jump magickally from one place to another without ever travelling between the two locations.⁵ We are reminded of the Taoist koan (saying) "what is the sound of a tree falling in a forest when no-one is there to hear it"?

Einstein's Theory of Relativity predicted that space and time are distorted by very large bodies of mass such as stars (large scale stuff). Time effectively appears to cease at the horizon of a black hole where space is folded in upon itself by intense gravity. Physicists have seriously speculated that by passing through a black hole it may be possible to travel through time. Quantum theory has demonstrated that even in deterministic systems a small change can have exponential consequences impossible to see, even when the system is a very simple one and all physical factors have really been immeasurable, for example the flutter of the butterfly's wing in Africa can cause a hurricane off the coast of Mexico.⁵

Quantum physics and Chaos theory therefore show that even when all causes are known in advance it is forever impossible to predict all effect in complete contradistinction to the basic laws of classical physics as formulated by Sir Isaac Newton. The Universe is inherently uncertain and the outcome of its uncertainty is conditioned by the intellect that observes it. We are not passive spectators of reality, we create it from moment to moment.

In essence, these theories depend on two basic principles:

1. The universe is essentially uncertain, nothing is absolutely determinable, there only exists a high probability of a specific event occurring, we cannot state it will occur. Of course, in our physical world familiar to us, these probabilities are often so high as to be virtual certainties, but they never are actually 100% certain and can never be predicted with certainty by any possible means.
2. The intelligence observing an event actually causes the transition of that event from potentiality to being. In a real sense our universe is the way it is because we observe it to be this way.

These two principles, that everything is inherently uncertain. and that reality as we know it is conditioned by our perception of it, are magickal. Note that most conventional scientists find these ideas very difficult to accept, but increasingly they are being forced to face up to them. Perhaps we are not so far from the "scientific" exploration for such magickal events as ESP, teleportation, levitation, and the magick of spells that probably works through Jung's synchronicity principle.

However too often there is an attempt to trivialise magick into something purely mechanical, a biological function of the brain. This is what is known as reductionism or, as Carl Jung preferred to express it the "nothing but" syndrome. By this common fallacy of logic, thinking is "nothing but" electrical impulses in the brain; life is "nothing but" a collection of complex carbon molecules; God is "nothing but" an extension of ancestor worship; magick is "nothing but" a delusion spurred on by wish fulfillment, or a form of psychic power soon to be measured and catalogued by science or outright deceit. Reductionism takes the place of rational thought, it is seductive because it is so easy, if you can take something complex and mysterious and reduce it by association to something common and familiar you cease to feel the need to question it. Magick, according to Donald Tyson, is therefore the art of causing transformation in the manifest universe through the universal medium of the unmanifest. This veil of unknowing is often crossed by ordinary people in daily lives. In the unmanifest all things are possible because none are actual; the unmanifest is a great sea of potential; nothing exists there, not even the ideas of things that will be, but everything is there potentially, waiting to be conceived into the manifest universe.⁵

Only sceptics will say that the reason spells work is pure coincidence. Witches have a tendency to relate only their successes and not their failures and it is true indeed that all experience the failures or only partial successes after casting spells more than once. However this is to overlook the power of coincidence and, in fact, what coincidence really is. Carl Jung however had another term for this combination of seemingly unrelated "cause and event" called synchronicity. This refers to two events which are related with no seeming possible explanation for them happening. The most likely way that Magick actually works, to explain on a simple level, is to increase the chances of these coincidences or synchronicities actually happening. Thus to work a spell to enable quick and satisfactory sale of a house, and having that event actually occur, is to increase the chances of an already possible event occurring, even patients with terminal illness. Magick increases the probability of something happening and, depending upon the energy, experience and power of the person working the Magick and the motivation behind it, so the Magick is more likely to have its desired effect.

The magician alters probability to accomplish a certain end but this is not to suggest that the end will be realised outside the boundaries of physical law; for example - to bring about a meeting with another person will not result in that individual "popping out of the air". Such wonders, although not impossible, are extremely improbable; magick like water flowing downhill always takes the course of least resistance; or, to state it another way, tips the scales of fate as little as it must. Thus we encounter the person with whom the meeting has been sought seemingly by complete coincidence. This is the perfect example of Jung's Synchronicity.

Another way that magick works, according to sceptics, is by self-suggestion. Indeed, it is highly likely that many spells do work by suggestion but these are deliberate and directed suggestions; by symbols and images we implant certain ideas in our personal unconscious and are then influenced to actualise these ideas. Many psychological spells and healing spells work on this principle, for example - to attain love in ones life can work by impressing our unconscious, which may have previously been unwilling to share with another, the idea of sharing life with a loved one, this will then result in us becoming more attractive to the type of person we wish to attract; we will dress better, we will talk more confidently, we will take care with how we project our persona. Perhaps in the end it doesn't really matter, the point is, magick works.

Note this well. Material results are more easily achieved through physical actions than through magickal workings. It is simpler to lock your door than to protect your house with psychic seals. No magick spell is going to bring results unless the channels are open in the material world, the job skill is useless unless you also go out and look for a job, a healing spell is also no substitute for medical care, rather these things should be seen as complimentary, not alternative.

What are some of the reasons as to why magick does not work all the time? You must realise that there are opposing forces to the successful working of magick but this does not only mean forces of darkness or people actively working magick to oppose our own, but by cosmic tides such as various astrological configurations; by the influence of the will of other people, the situation including the person for whom the work is being done (and perhaps most importantly the underlying attitude and its unconscious desires of ourself); everybody has free will, this is an absolute necessity since each of us in our true self is divine. It is possible therefore for people to refuse help, even ourself when we are working magick for our own "good", and can therefore set up barriers against magick. Although this can be a conscious refusal, hidden unconscious moods of people are often more important and more common. Therefore witches have to be good psychologists and try to find the source of the blockage.

From a psychological point of view, magick probably works via the collective unconscious or group mind, that part of the mind that is inherited and common to all humanity both past, present and future. It is from here that we draw our archetypes and it may be here that we actually create links between the personal unconscious of one person and another through this collective unconscious. When we create a group mind by working in a coven, or between lovers, we open part of our psyches to one another, this explains the improved ability to work magick that is successful when done in a coven which is cooperative and used to working together, or between two lovers who are working an act of deliberate sex magick. The opening of the mind to the level of the personal unconscious, and even deeper to the collective unconscious, allows links to occur and changes therefore to happen. And in keeping with such theories, Dr Lawrence Le Shand has set out conditions which are considered necessary for psychic events to occur. These are more likely to happen between individuals who interact together in a group which is cooperative rather than competitive; where the group is non-authoritarian; where people like each other. It is interesting to note that these are the group of conditions that modern witchcraft is moving towards, rather than an authoritarian group led by a High Priest and High Priestess to whom one should pay all awe and respect.⁶

Maxwell Cade, a pioneer in biofeedback research, plotted changes in brain patterns that occur within a number of activities relevant to magick such as meditation, healing and psychokinetic activity. The brain produces electrical activity at different frequencies which appear as distinct brain rhythms. The slowest rhythm is "Delta" rhythm which in most people is found only in deep dreamless sleep, but can also appear when people are performing magickal healing. "Theta" rhythm is a slightly faster rhythm which appears during dreaming but also in those who are experienced meditators and healers. "Alpha" rhythm is faster again and appears when we close our eyes and is associated with the first stages of relaxation and appears in conjunction with other rhythms when we enter the meditative state. The fastest rhythm, "Beta", is the normal waking rhythm of the brain.

The brain consists of the brain stem, which is an extension of the spinal cord, the limbic system, and the cerebellum, the latter being in charge of coordination, and the cortex. Both the limbic system and the cortex are divided into right and left hemispheres. At a point in the base of the skull, they cross over so that the activities of the right hand side of the body are controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, and the left hand side controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain. In most people the left hemisphere is dominant, although in some the right hemisphere is dominant. It is thought that the left hemisphere of the brain is associated with logical thought - discriminating one thing from another, putting things into categories and speech. The right hemisphere is responsible for recognising shapes such as faces, interpreting maths, appreciating art and music, seeing the whole picture rather than the parts, seeing similarities between things rather than differences. In some people positions are reversed, and probably in everybody there is a bit of both in each hemisphere. However it would seem that the right brain, which controls the left hand, is very important in magick with its emphasis on holism and seeing similarities, hence the traditional association between left handedness and witchcraft.

There are four major states of consciousness which are important in magick. The first is everyday waking consciousness ("Beta" rhythm), with the dominant left brain being active. However, regular practice of meditation or other spiritual disciplines will cause a synchronised pattern of activity with both hemispheres of the brain acting in coordination.

Once we enter a circle of magick where other people are also present there will be an initial change of consciousness, from "Beta" rhythm to synchronised consciousness with balanced left and right brain activity and both "Beta" and "Alpha" rhythms. Visualisation exercises will also bring into play the right brain functions and help to improve synchronised consciousness. In an attempt to more easily enter this state of consciousness the practice of meditation is very important and the use of a Pranayama system is extremely helpful as we always carry our breath with us; it requires focussed concentration to rid us of the distracting "noise" of our mind, particularly our conscious mind.

As we learn to concentrate our minds and get the two halves of the brain working in harmony we enter the third state of consciousness, a meditative state. In this state there will still be some everyday "Beta" rhythm but the most prominent rhythm will be "Alpha" rhythm with a small amount of "Theta" activity; normally this is present only when we are dreaming. In this deeper meditative state we are able to access the world of images and symbols of dreams; this is the speech, if you like, that the unconscious uses to communicate with the conscious and vice versa. The "Theta" activity is essential for magick.

The fourth state is the contemplative state, called in Eastern systems Samadhi. This is associated with "Beta", "Alpha" and "Theta" rhythms as before but in addition a strong "Delta" rhythm appears, the rhythm normally appearing only in deep sleep. It is associated with physical healing and is the state we aim to achieve when we have the Divine Force of the Gods invoked into us. With time we can enter this state, which is associated with a vast expansion of consciousness, there is then no sense of subject and object, you and I, self and other, but only a sense of being at one with the universe, true balance, true harmony, and sending the Ying/Yang to the state of Tao. ⁶

Learning to work magick therefore is a process of neurological re-patterning, of changing the way to use our brains requires the development and the integration of right hemisphere spatial, intuitive, holistic, patterning awareness and an opening of the gate between the unconscious and conscious minds. As a beneficial side effect it will deeply influence an individual's growth, creativity and personality.

And as in music, where we need to learn scales to develop technique, so to learn magick we must concentrate upon the faculties of relaxation, visualisation, concentration, meditation and projection. This is why it is necessary to practice meditation and relaxation regularly, that is at least three to four times a week, in order to become competent magicians.

Changing our levels of consciousness and the changes in brain rhythm associated with this involves moving into different levels of reality. These can be classified into four different levels.⁷

1. The everyday world which we see with our senses is called "Sensory Reality". This is the reality which we perceive with what Jung calls the "sensation function", the world of smell, taste, sight, sound and touch. This is the world of the element of Earth. In Buddhism the outer material world which we perceive with the senses is treated as Maya or illusion. Christianity has always sought escape from the material through asceticism and the denial of the flesh, however Pagans believe that we should enjoy the material world and the beauties of nature. However we do not become hedonists because we believe that the material is only one level of reality and to concentrate on this alone would be to make the same mistake as the mystic religions which concentrate only on the spiritual. To achieve our full potential as human beings we learn to move to other realms.
2. The "Mythic Reality" is the reality of sympathetic magick where anything can be identical with anything else, a person and a wax image can be connected by making the image look like a person, even more so by incorporating part of the person's body such as hair, or nail clippings, or a naming ceremony. In mythic reality the part is identical with the whole, the name with the thing, the symbol with its object. It functions on the principle of "as above, so below" which is derived from the famous emerald tablet of Hermes Trimagistus.
   "That which is above is like that which is below,
   And that which is below is like that which is above,
   To achieve the wonders of the one thing".

   Here the symbol and the object, the macrocosm and the microcosm, are subject to the same laws, structure and activity. By bringing them together through ritual or trance the microcosm can be made to affect the macrocosm. It is the realm of the "dreamtime" where dream and reality are indistinguishable. To access this reality we must let go of the "hold" that the conscious mind has of the psyche.

3. The "Transpsychic Reality" is the next level which is probably on a continuum with the mythic level. This is the reality where the individual has not ceased to exist as a separate entity but at the same time is touching on the greater reality of the whole. We are each of us waves that are distinct from the ocean as a whole but without the ocean the wave cannot exist. This is the realm of the collective unconscious of Jung. The reality in which ritual magick works. By changing our own mode of consciousness so that we open ourselves up into this transpsychic reality we can open our channels into the collective unconscious and reach the same psychic space as the person we are trying to influence. This is how distance healing can work, even without the patient being aware that he is receiving healing; it is the type of healing which is carried out frequently in witches' circles.
4. The next realm of reality is that of "Unitive Reality". Here things are not discrete and separate, all objects merge into one another and all are part of the greater whole. This is what mystics call The Way of the One and is the experience which is associated with Samadhi, the state we enter when the Gods are invoked upon us; when we draw down the moon for example onto the High Priestess.
5. Initially we experience changes of consciousness only within the circle, but gradually there will be a change in our everyday waking state, until we find we can maintain higher levels of consciousness permanently .

Magick spells are therefore seen as highly sophisticated psychological tools that have subtle effects on a person's inner growth as well as upon the external world. A spell may highlight otherwise hidden complexes, for example - a person who has conflicts about success may have difficulty concentrating on a money spell. Discovering our inner blocks and fears is therefore a first step in overcoming them. But spells go one step further, they allow us not only to listen to and interpret the unconscious but also to speak to it in the language it understands, the language of symbols, images, objects and dreams. We often understand our feelings and behaviour but find ourselves unable to change them. Through spells we can attain the most important power, the power to change ourself. The practice of magick demands the development of what is called The Magickal Will. This will is akin to character, honesty, self discipline, commitment and conviction. "As I will, so might it be" is not just a pretty phrase, in magick it must be a statement of fact that is both honest and held with conviction.

Types of Magic.

There are various subdivisions of the types of magic that can be used. The first is to divide them into the motivations of magic and therefore can be divided into White, Black or Grey magic. These colours are the colours that are traditionally used and have an unfortunate connotation with black being evil and white being good. Particularly in these days when we are trying to make deliberate attempts not to be racist, we should perhaps try to find new terminology. However at this stage I will stick with the traditional terms as we will find it easier then to know what we are discussing.

White Magic, which in Eastern cultures is often known as Yoga or mysticism, is the practice used to obtain knowledge and conversation with our higher self or holy guardian angel, cosmic consciousness. This is more of a religious and spiritual type purpose and perhaps is not the usual sort of purpose that is ascribed to White Magic.

Black Magic is that which is used for the purpose of causing harm, either consciously or unconsciously.

Grey Magic is defined where the purpose is for causing good, either to yourself or others, done consciously or unconsciously. The reason this is regarded as Grey rather that White is that even the doing of good can be firstly subject to self deception, and secondly can be somewhat selfish in the sense that it is done to better the "mundane" self rather than the "inner true self".

However if we regard magic as the ability to tip the scales of probability thus altering fate in the favour of the practitioners will then we must also realise that the balance of fate does have a tendency to right itself. We often experience this in the sense that very good luck is often followed by or preceded by very bad luck. It is a truism in magic that evil returns on the head of one who sends it, whether it is threefold, or twofold, or less or more may be open to debate but few who have had personal experience dispute that returning evil is magnified. In life Karma rules all ordinary events, happiness is met with happiness, anger with anger, scorn with scorn. The average human is, for the great part, subjected to the great wheel of cause and effect, action and reaction. However the probabilities of life are not chiseled in stone, but to move the flow of energy from its probable course of events does require considerable drive, motivation, experience and practice. To use this for purposes apart from the "highest" does risk unfortunate side-effects upon oneself; if one uses the art of magic to make good one's own personal destiny where it is most needed, or desired, and to make evil fall where it will do the least harm, the magician commits no act against the cosmic order. However if the magician is foolish enough to imagine that something can be gained for nothing and to try to improve the totality of personal fortune beyond what is needed, then disillusionment is in store. Only by living in harmony and in balance can the magician realise his or her highest potential as a human being, and it is only through achievements of aspects of his personal destiny that the magician can attain true happiness.

Therefore in the final analysis the only worthwhile use of magical attainment is in service to harmony, and to balance, and with a commitment and connection to all rather than for selfish and self-contained purposes. By this definition therefore it is possible that to avoid causing harm to a particular person may in fact cause harm to a greater totality. It is therefore, in my opinion, very reasonable to perform acts of magic to cause a paedophile, for example, inability to continue to practice his vile deeds, even though this is causing harm in the sense of controlling the "free will" of that particular person. This is what I would call the use of magic for Grey purposes. However to cause another person to fall in love with another against their will is Black magic because here the fact that the two people are not in love does not cause ultimate harm to either one, whereas controlling the "free will" of another person is per se causing harm. Much of the moral decisions in this world are between the lesser of two evils; to refuse to choose is sometimes the worst evil of all. I therefore think that the dictum of "do as you will and it harm none" does have to be modified slightly to read "do as you will so long as overall harm is not done". How often have we had to physically punish a child to prevent them from harming themself, for example, interfering with electric points at an age when they are not able to understand rational argument.

The other point about Grey magic is that the doing of good for yourself or another may, in fact, result in harm happening to others, for example, to do a ritual to obtain a thousand dollars, even if for another may result in a relative of that person dying in a car crash and leaving a thousand dollars in his will, the end has been obtained, the motivation perhaps was good, but indirectly another person has been killed. To avoid this pit one can first practice White Magic, that is to come into the knowledge of your true self, or as the Delphic Oracle has said, "know yourself". This will strengthen your character, and your personality, and as a by-product be more likely to cause any Grey Magic to work in ways which do not cause unwitting harm upon others. In addition it will enable you to see more clearly what really is good, not just momentary desire for yourself and for others, and therefore to act more circumspectly and with greater judgement. In the example of the paedophile above, one has the choice of causing direct physical harm to the paedophile; the second way is to do a divination to determine the likely effect and outcome of your magic. This is a reason why learning the Tarot or some other divinatory system is important.

Another categorisation of magic, based on technique rather than "morality", is as follows:

1. Religious Magic.
   This roughly corresponds to White Magic under the previous categorisation. Each primary purpose is to bring the power and authority of the spiritual realm to manifestation on the physical as well as astral planes. It is evoked most effectively through the ritual trappings of worships such as sacraments, chants, mantras, prayers and inspirational music. Through these channels, worship becomes a spiritual process in which the individual's psyche is tuned in to the will of the divine mind, a transformation of consciousness. It invokes the power of Gods and Goddesses for the purposes of both enhancing and intensifying the strength of our spiritual natures; a process which can eventually result in the deification of the individual human spirit, oneness with divinity.
2. Natural Magic.
   This is the magic used in cooperation with the living force fields of surrounding environment, for example, medicinal use of plants and herbs, use of elemental energies in such a way as to be literally and magically one with the Earth. This is a means of attuning to the subtle rhythms of Earth and the Cosmos which envelop us in order to psychically and physically co-operate with this vast pool of energies for the optimum benefit of all involved. This corresponds roughly to the previous category of Grey Magic but can also be used to fulfil black purposes or even to obtain communion with one's true self.
3. Ceremonial Magic.
   This is the use of magic through specific ceremonies with special techniques and authoritative magical traditions. They are usually initiatory and secretive and are not directly related to either Paganism or Wicca although there are a number who practice the Craft while simultaneously pursuing the teachings and rituals of ceremonial magic, as for example given by the Order of the Golden Dawn. Their influence upon even some of the basics of Neo Pagan Ritual is considerably more than minimal.
4. Fundamentalist Magic.
   This is the type of magic practiced particularly by those who feel that they and they alone have the Truth. In our present society this seems to be the major province of "Born Again" Christians. They would probably be horrified at the description that they practice magic but it is not very difficult to see that prayer as used in the more aggressive charismatic groups is indeed magical. Here prayer is not some pious religious exercising of religion asking God for vague and generalised favours, rather prayer is seen by them as a trigger by which the powers of God are let loose. Regardless as to whether their biblical knowledge is accurate or in context, it is the faith and belief of fundamentalists which makes their prayers effective magic. This is of utmost importance for from the fundamentalist viewpoint, Paganism and Witchcraft and the Occult are all directly related to the Apocalypse and are a manifestation of Satanic Activity. The Will of God is therefore to be the agency by which the destructive judgements are going to be visited upon the ungodly, namely us. The Church (and which Church always seems to be a matter of argument amongst these fundamentalist groups) will accomplish this purification of Society and in the process wipe out all other religions and spiritual paths that they, in their vaulted, spiritual egotism and exclusivity, deem to be against the word of God. Unless you should think that this is totally a perversion of Christian Doctrine, I refer you to the Acts of the Apostles in the Bible where the Apostle, Peter, after catching two members of the Jerusalem Church in a lie about how much they had donated to the congregation, proclaimed The Judgement of the Holy Spirit upon them, whereby they both fell dead at his feet (good for church discipline, eh!).

This does not mean to imply that contemporary charismatic and fundamentalist Christians are consciously trying to practice forms of sorcery, but they are certainly deliberate about their desire to invoke God's power to "deal with Pagans". A constructive response to this spiritual sorcery is threefold:

1. Recognise that Pagans are involved in spiritual and psychic warfare with the sworn fanatical enemies of our religion and later on in this course we will be devising a ritual to deal with intolerance against Paganism.
2. We need to revitalise our own psychic abilities and recognise the calling within Paganism to prophetic positions and the responsibility of priesthood. We need to reclaim our traditions of seership where channeled words, spoken prophecy and guidance are part of our tradition long before this was discovered by Judaism and Christianity.
3. We must find a way to strengthen our own commitment to a form of Pagan spirituality which permeates our entire lifestyle and facilitates a continual flow of divine energy as a channel for the healing of people and the planet.

As can be seen, the second form of categorisation is based upon the form of magic not the motivation of magic. Both categorisations, I feel, are helpful.

The ethics of magic which we have already touched upon need to be restated forcefully here. The first is the famous Wiccan Rede "Do as you will an it harm none". This "harming none" is traditionally meant also to include no harm to yourself. However, as I have said, we often have to make choices between lesser evils and sometimes doing "nothing" is a greater evil than "doing something" which may cause harm. Should we ignore rapists, paedophiles, murderers, abusers, or should we perhaps use spells which prevent these people from carrying out their heinous activities. Personally, I believe the latter, but this is still an area for debate in the Pagan community.

The practical reason for "doing no harm" is often described as the threefold law, what goes out will come back threefold. Put another way, "what goes around, comes around". This, of course, does not only refer to acts of evil but also acts of good. Although motivation is very important, even unconscious harm will return to us unless we take steps to avoid it. The best step of all is circumspection, self-knowledge and insight, which is why most Pagans finish up studying some form of psychology and why healing is probably the most popular magical field.

To these, I would add a third main rule and that is "live in balance". Do not insist upon separating spirit and mind, male and female, good and evil, dark and light but rather understand that there is rightfully a connection between all opposites, between all extremes of a spectrum and that we must learn to travel in a balanced way along all these different spectra. As the Buddha said, first do good, then refrain from evil and finally pacify the mind. He recognised that it is harder to give up all bad habits, bad ways of thinking and bad actions, but easier to do good both to ourselves and to others. It is by practicing of the doing good that one is led eventually into a state of consciousness that makes it easier to refrain from evil and that when finally these two things are practiced satisfactorily one is finally able to learn true peace implying harmony and connection to all things. We should not be too quick to condemn others as being dark, or too self-righteous in portraying ourselves as light workers. We all have shadow which we need to both confront and incorporate into our own personality so that we become healthy, balanced human beings. Perhaps we should all take care to remember the words of one of the great masters of human history "let him without sin cast the first stone". (If only followers of that particular master would do the same).

The Laws of Magick⁸

Also see this

Over centuries a collection of basic magical axioms has been collected together and are now commonly known as "the laws of Magick". These are descriptions of the ways Magick interacts and behaves. In many ways they are an attempt at Western science reducing to small parts the whole of Magick and categorising it as laws, perhaps a completely invalid approach. However, it can be useful in explaining the techniques of various spells and helping to devise others. Probably the most basic law is that of the Law of Knowledge which is that understanding brings control, the more we learn the stronger we are, "knowledge is power". An important corollary of this law is that self knowledge is probably the most important kind, "know yourself". Virtually all the other laws depend upon these two. Another basic law is that of Cause and Effect, that is, exactly the same actions done under exactly the same conditions will be associated with exactly the same results. Unfortunately the exactlies are hard to get but is responsible for many groups saying "unless a ritual or spell is done in such and such a way it will not work and woe betide the practitioner", whereas of course those who have been practitioners of Magick know only too well that there are many different ways of "skinning the cat"; in the same way that computer programmers can write many different programmes to achieve the same end result. Perhaps there are better ways than others but a slavish adherence to one way will prevent experimentation and progress of knowledge. I would encourage all Pagans when practicing Magick to go from first principles and use a combination of the Laws of Magick and various Magickal techniques which will be discussed below to make their own effective spells. This will enable the practitioner to customise spells for particular individual situations and therefore not have to rely on everything being exactly the same as it was before. This is perhaps why books with lots of different spell recipes are of very little use (although they seem to cost a deal of money). The best way to learn about Magick is practice but perhaps also with friendly supervision at first and with a fairly cautious approach and where the motive is based more on need than trivial desire.

The other laws have been well enunciated by Isaac Bonewits, the founder of the major Druid organisation in the United States. Briefly running through these, they include:

1. The Law of Names, which states that knowing the complete and true name of phenomena or entity gives control over it. Names are associational devices, both as aspects or descriptions of the phenomenon.
2. The Law of Words of Power which is a sub-law of The Law of Names states that there are certain words that are able to change and influence the inner and outer reality of those saying them, for example - abracadabra - which may have little or no meaning to those saying it, but the power is thought to lie in the very sounds of themselves thus linking this to the subject of Mantra.
3. The Law of Association, that is if two things have something in common, that thing can be used to control both. The two things will have a mutual influence on each other as well and the more they have in common the more they influence each other. The Law of Association is also responsible for correspondence being of powerful use. It is probably the way that all the correspondences that are developed, including those personal variations on more traditional values has since they are in a sense symbols, that is the language that the unconscious uses to communicate and it is, of course, at the level of the unconscious that Magick is worked.
4. The Law of Similarity which is the basis of sympathetic Magick and basically says that effects resemble causes, for example putting bird feathers on a broom will help to make it fly, "look alikes are alike".
5. The Law of Contagion which is objects or persons that have been in physical contact with each other will continue to interact after separation, for example hair or finger nail clippings can be used to work Magick on the person whose hair and finger nails they were, (this law has developed a rather bad reputation because of publicity given to voodoo dolls and curses).
6. The Law of Identification states that by maximum association between your own pattern and that of another entity you can actually become that entity and wield its power, depending on your society and culture this can be known as either sainthood or insanity, or divine or demonic possession.
7. The Law of Synthesis states that the synthesis of two opposing ideas will produce a third idea which will be truer than either of the first two. We can see this in the Ying Yang, where the combination of both opposites produce the tower of being. This is where the extremes can produce the tertiary state, male and female being people, contraction and expansion being pulsation, etc.
8. The Law of Polarity which states that anything can be split into opposite characteristics and that each of these polarities will contain the essence of the other in its own essence, once more I refer you to the Ying Yang symbol and to the concept of the female anima in the male personality and the male animus in the female personality as described by Jung. It could also be phrased as "as above, so below".
9. The Law of Balance will state that you must keep all aspects of your universe balanced. This Law fits in with the larger group of so called Paradox Laws, that is those of Synthesis, Polarity and True Falsehoods.
10. The Law of Infinite Data states that we will never run out of things to learn "there is always something new".
11. The Law of Finite Senses throws additional light on the subject. Our senses are limited both as to the type and range of scanning for data. The data available to our normal senses is most certainly not all the data there is. How many of us, for example, can see ultraviolet light? "We can't see everything".
12. The Law of Infinite Universes says that there is an infinite number of ways to view the universe and therefore an infinite number of universes. It is interesting to note that many of the quantum mechanic scientists feel that this is extremely likely given the activity of small sub-atomic particles, let alone modern astronomy which now states the probability of an infinite number of stars, planets and galaxies. It is interesting to note that both Hindu and Buddhist theologians have believed this for thousands of years before modern scientists have come round to this point of view. Although we have a sensory system that is fairly standard and similar to that of other people, it is still unique. No two beings can therefore sense the world in the same way, in that sense we all live in different universes. If we change our metapattern then we can also move to a different universe.
13. The Law of Pragmatism states that "if it works, it must be true". Putting this together with the Law of Infinite Universes, we come up with "truth can be defined as a function of belief". This has also been shown to be true by science with the realisation now that there is no such thing as pure observation in science, rather participation. By the mere act of "observing" we change the reality.
14. The Law of True Falsehoods. This refers to data which contradict ones usual metapattern but which nonetheless work. In Magick more than anything else it is "the thought that counts". Beware, because someone who sincerely believes that the Laws of Magick can be broken probably can, thus it may be that his spells do not backfire or refuse to work. However, it is nearly impossible to instill such belief in most people, hence the validity of The Law of the Return, which is not a Magick Law as such but rather an ethical consideration.
15. The Law of Personification. This states that any phenomenon may be considered to be alive and to have a personality, that is, to have an identity, for example we will curse the side of a door that we have just bumped into just as if it were alive and could be hurt by your abuse. One of the oldest laws is Animism which was one of the first forms of religion. We also see our universal tendency to make our Gods and demons in our own image; if we had four legs I am sure God would be a horse.
16. The Laws of Invocation and Evocation. This says that we can either conjure up the in(?) from the inside of or the outside of our metapattern real entities. Crowley says "It is more convenient to assume the objective existence of an "angel" who gives us new knowledge than to allege that our invocation has awoken to supernormal power in ourselves," it can sometimes, in fact, be more comfortable to do so as well.
17. The Law of Synchronicity where two or more events happening at the same time are likely to have more associations in common than merely that of occurring at the same time "there is no such thing as a mere coincidence".
18. The Law of Unity states that every phenomenon in existence is linked directly or indirectly to every other one past, present or future. These two laws have been scientifically validated (not necessarily proven) the first by Jungian psychology, the second by the study of all branches of biology, physics and chemistry as well as the social sciences of history and economics.
19. The Law of Personal Universes states that every sentient being lives in and possibly creates a unique universe which can never be 100% identical to that lived in by another which is a variety of The Law of Infinite Universes.
20. The Law of Perversity is the final law which states that if anything can go wrong, it will and in the most annoying manner possible; this is commonly known as Murphy's Law and although humorous is meant quite seriously. It is based on the common occurrence of countermagick done by ones own subconscious mind for whatever devious reasons it has. This is another reason why one first should "know oneself" to avoid having an effect counter to that which is required.

It is important to realise once more that Magick is not a system of morality and that these laws have not any moral overtones, morality is in the practitioner and not the practice. This is why I personally regard the second method of categorising Magick (religious, natural, ceremonial, fundamentalist) as more helpful than white, black and grey.

Techniques of Magick

How do we make Magick? How, in other words, do we cause change to occur in conformity with the will? We basically do this by using the power that each of us has within us. To be able to produce the power though we must be in good physical condition. We must see that we don't get grossly overweight or underweight, we must cut down on junk food, try to keep a balanced diet, we should avoid overly refined foods, we should eat plenty of vegetables and fruit and not overindulge in meat. We should not overindulge in alcohol and we should make every attempt to stop smoking. A clean healthy body is likely to produce better mental and psychic imaging. Cleanliness before working Magick is also important. It is good practice to cleanse the inner body by fasting, eating and drinking nothing but water, honey and wholewheat bread for up to 24 hours beforehand. Before the Magick Ritual bathe in water and perhaps a tablespoon of salt could be added to this to show that you are, in effect, bathing in the cocreativation of the Goddess (water and earth). These acts help to key the mind such that it will be more easily able to attain the altered state of consciousness.

This altered state of consciousness (alpha and theta rhythms) is necessary to work competent Magick. If you like, keeping the body healthy, the fasting, the bathing are powerful symbols which speak to our unconscious and enable us to tap the energy of the collective unconscious of the universe. This power is the same power that can be seen as the aura, that can move inanimate objects, that allows ESP. There are several ways of building up this power in our body before releasing it. Before one commences a Magick ritual it is wise to perform some cleansing ritual such as the Lesser Banishing Rite of the Pentagram (see next lesson) and to draw a protective circle. A short period of meditation is virtually mandatory. Then follows the building up of power within the body before releasing it. This can be done with dancing, chanting, drumming, singing. Chanting should be something simple and preferably something rhythmic. I personally believe the chants should be intelligible. Chanting strange words that no-one knows the meaning of makes it very difficult to put feeling into what you are saying. Then other symbolism can be brought into the spell, either before or after raising the power, using the Laws of Association as seen with the whole system of magickal correspondences for example, a feather for air, a small coin for money spells, a healing herb for healing etc. Colour, candles, incense, all can stimulate the different senses and carry to the unconscious the appropriate message as keyed in to the symbols by learned and inherited correspondences. Then finally, when you feel that the spell is ready you then release the power within yourself that you have been drawing up, either from Earth or the Cosmos or both, channeling it through yourself and using your altered state of consciousness to draw the power from the collective unconscious and send it out in a very focussed beam to achieve its end. At this point it is vital to use vivid visualisation, visualising not the means by which the spell will be achieved, but visualise the end product of the spell as having been achieved. Send all your power into this. At the end, it is important to ground yourself, either by lying down on the ground for a while or having something to eat and drink or just sitting quietly. You can see here that many different aspects can be drawn in to make powerful Magick. It is not necessary for more than one or two to be used at any time and, of course, the most experienced witches can use just the power of their mind. However, I find that not only is it easier to achieve the altered state of consciousness and to draw up the power when one is using a whole variety of different symbolisms, but it is also aesthetically more pleasing and it individualises the spell. I would recommend that everybody use a variety of dance, chant, posture, gesture, music, incense, symbols, candles, colours as well as your own personal visualisations. Speak to the unconscious, not just through sight but through hearing, through movement, through taste and smell and touch.

The least efficient way to work Magick is to change both your sensations and your mind at the same time by the use of drugs. Although Magick requires one to be in an altered state of consciousness, not all altered states allow you to do Magick while in them. Heroin, Amphetamines and Soporifics are not only utterly useless from the ritualistic point of view but enormously destructive to the physical, mental and emotional health of the user. Soft drugs such as hallucinogens have often been used in Shamanistic systems of Magick but these require many years of expert training, very small amounts of drugs and taken very infrequently. Finally, there are other alternatives which have less danger to our physical, mental and spiritual selves.⁸

I would like to talk about the four commands to a Magician, "to know", "to will", "to dare" and "to be silent". One must have knowledge of yourself, of your true unconscious desires, must have knowledge of how to work the spell, you must have the knowledge of what symbols you wish to use, you must have the knowledge of how to achieve an altered state of consciousness and how to raise power and how to release it and how to focus and how to visualise.

You must then have the will for the spell. You must have, not just a desire and a need for something, but an emotional investment in the outcome of the spell, a determination to see the spell work, a determination that you can make the spell work, you must have the will to project the energy, not just the knowledge, you must have the will to concentrate and to focus on the matter at hand and not to be distracted.

To perform the spell you must dare to ask for what you want or need, you must dare to actually go in to an altered state of consciousness and to raise power, to hold it within you and to release it at the right time. You must challenge the flow of the universe and truly believe that you can alter it in the paths that you wish.

Finally, you must keep silent. This is not just an admonition from the early days when witchcraft could result in a rather fiery death, it is that talking about it to others will reduce the individuality that you bring to your spell, the psychic energy is shared (and in fact if it is shared with a person who is opposed to your Magick working, then even if they don't believe in it, they can actually project negative energy which may harm the success of your spell). All our Magick is individual, that is why recipes in other books can, at the best, only be guidelines for your own spells. It is why a lot of people are loathe to share their own spell recipes and prefer, instead, to teach people how to evolve their own spells. It is why people find that other people's spells don't work unless there is something individual of their own put into them, the "secret ingredient" that granny always seems to leave out of her recipes for the Christmas cake so that yours never tastes quite so good!

Coupled to this need for individuality for your spell is a sense of responsibility, you own this spell. It is not enough to say "I am going to do this spell and if it is possible that it may harm other people then let the powers of the universe, the Gods and the Goddesses, just not allow it to be carried out". It is important that you own the spell, you own the responsibility, you own the consequences and you own any retribution that may come your way if you have caused harm or an increase in harm. It is why ethics is not just a subject for coffee table discussion but is one of vital significance for witches. We cannot ask people to own responsibility for their actions and then, in one of the most important acts of all, Magick, reverse this responsibility on to others. We must do our thinking as to what the likely consequences are, we must do our own self-searching as to why we are doing this spell, are our motives as clear cut as we think they are and if they aren't are we comfortable with that? Perhaps this is why many thoughtful Pagans work Magick at rather infrequent times, although they do practice exercises, meditations and rituals which enable them to "keep their hand in".

A final note.

Spells are one aspect of Magick, another aspect of Magick is ritual when done to "worship", to define powers that are both in ourselves and outside of ourselves, done in the act of drawing the power of Gods into ourselves, it is done when we enact the Great Rite, the union of the masculine and feminine energies, the union of God and Goddess, the union of all polarities into one whole. This is Religious Magick and there the focus is in releasing energy to the Cosmos and in particular to all people who are partaking in the ritual, to bring them into a closer awareness with the whole universe. We will cover this aspect of Magick in another session on Ritual.

References.

1. Modern Magick - Eleven Lessons In High Magickal Acts. Donald Kraig. Published Llewellyn 1988.
2. The Spiral Dance - 10^th Anniversary Edition. Starhawk. Published Harper Collins 1989.
3. Complete Book of Witchcraft. Raymond Buckland. Published Llewellyn Press 1975.
4. New Millennium Magick - A Complete System Of Self Realisation. Donald Tyson. Published Llewellyn Press 1996.
5. The Crafted Cup; Ritual Mysteries of the Goddess and the Grail. Shadwyn. Published Llewellyn Press 1994.
6. Wicca The Old Religion in the New Millenium. Vivianne Crowley. Published Thorsons 1996.
7. The Science of the Paranormal. Lawrence Le Shand. Published Aquarian Press 1987.
8. Real Magick. Isaac Bonewits. Published Samuel Weiser 1989.

LINKS

1. Spells - TOSW Site, with notes on Magick by Isaac Bonewits.

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