| Home Articles Fiction Links Recommended Reading About |
Magic
"A Spell is a symbolic act done in an altered state of consciousness, in order to cause desired change." - Starhawk. "The science and art of causing change to occur in conformity of Will." - Aleistar Crowley. "Folk parapsychology, an art and science designed to enable people to make effective use of their psychic talents." - Isaac Bonewits. "Magic is a convenient word for a collection of techniques , all of which involve the mind. In this case, we might conceive of these techniques as including the mobilization of confidence, will, and emotion brought about by the recognition of necessity; the use of imaginative faculties, particularly the ability to visualize, in order to begin to understand how other beings function in nature so we can use this knowledge to achieve necessary ends." - Margot Adler "Magic is the projection of natural energies to produce needed effects." - Scott Cunningham. "Magick is the direction and application of energy using psychic forces in order to create change for a specific, desired outcome. Magick is also a system of symbols, which are programmed in your mind, that help you achieve your magickal goal." - Denise Zimmerman. "Magic is the art of changing consciousness at will" - Dion Fortune. "Magic is the power to change things." - Danielle Minna Nickel. Unlike many Neo-Pagans, I do not spell Magic with a "k" at the end. Their reasoning is that it is necessary in order to differentiate it from sleight of hand and other forms of stage magic, such as that performed by David Copperfield. Personally, I do not feel the need for an extra letter to differentiate the two. However, It is quite true that the magic we perform is very different from that you will see in a stage act, starting with the fact that it is a real and natural force, not a trickery or deception. Furthermore, it is not supernatural, as the uninitiated like to think. If it were, it would not exist in nature! Rather, magic is a wholly natural force that is part and parcel to ourselves and our Universe. As one can see from the quotes above, many people define magic a little differently. Yet all those definitions are true. That is because magic is a hard thing to pin down and quantify. Most consider it a form of energy that can be manipulated. Others might think of magic as being a form of self-hypnosis. A way to "psych" oneself up before taking an action. I would not argue with that, though I think there is more to it. In truth, we do not really understand exactly what it is or why it works. We just know that it does work, and we know how to use it. While this may seem odd at first, consider that one does not need to know how electricity works in order to make their dinner with a microwave, nor understand the inner workings of computer to surf the Internet, nor even understand gravity in order to keep from falling off the planet. While some might scoff at magic as a bunch of self-delusional mumbo-jumbo, the same things were once said about the earth being a sphere, or it not being at the center of the universe. In fact, the use of magic is not at odds with science or the scientific method, even though it cannot be explained by science as of yet. There are a great many things in the universe that science is unable to explain. Such as how Einsteinian and Quantum Physics can be both be correct, even while they are fundamentally at odds with one another. Once one takes into account that science is not the be all and end all of understanding, and that the scientific method itself requires one to keep an open mind to all possibilities until they are each proven false, then one can see that science and magic are indeed compatible. For example, the Lakota believed that living creatures such as humans and buffalo were merely temporary swirls of energy. This is not at odds with physics, which has revealed that the atoms which make up solid matter are mainly comprised of empty space, with tiny particles either floating within or flying around them, each piece in turn comprised of even tinier particles that fly around within them, and so on... The use of magic is rooted in that sense that all things are swirls of energy. All supposedly fixed and solid things eventually dissolve, change, and take form as something else. Such as sandstone, which is rock comprised of sand that was previously rock. Reality is cyclical, not linear. All things are moving in a circle of existence and destruction and existence again. We see this cycle in the moon's phases, the seasons coming and going, even the stock market rising and falling. Nothing is constant and fixed. No energy can move in one direction forever. Always it reaches a peak and then turns. Understanding this helps us keep in balance with the ever-shifting tides of energies within our own lives. The conscious mind - what Core Shamanism calls Middle Self or the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft refers to as Talking Self - is analytical, it organizes phenomena and classifys it into familiar terms and things. It sees the universe as constant, logical, and rational. The unconscious mind - known as the Lower Self or Younger Self - experiences the world though emotion, symbols, images, and sensations. It communicates to us via dreams, intuition, visions. Classical psychoanalysis is an attempt to understand what the Lower Self is saying to us. Witchcraft goes one step further and teaches us to communicate back with it. For magic is not the tool of the conscious mind, but rather of the unconscious one. The language of magic is symbolic, mythic, metaphorical. Like poetry, which is imagic speech, and as such is a form of magical talking, for it communicates not simply to our conscious mind, but deep into the unconscious as well. It is the unconscious mind that channels and directs magical energy. Starhawk said - "To cast a spell is to project energy through a symbol". Some people confuse that symbol with the magic itself. But it is not. The symbol is just the roadsign for the magic to use so it goes where it is supposed to and does what it is supposed to when it gets there. Magical tools - be they an athame or a chant - are just props. We use them because they help us focus and direct the energy. In and of themselves they are not necessary for working magic. What is that energy then? The Ancient Romans called in numen, a force they knew to be present in all things. Oceanic cultures such as the Polynesians, Melanesians, and Micronesians would term it mana. Asians call it qi or ki. Ancient Scandinavians would say seid. The natives of Australia use the word maban. Hindus have the word prana. In 19th Century Europe Baron Carl von Reichenbach coined the term Odic Force for it. In modern Witchcraft, we tend to just use the word energy. Whatever one chooses to call magic, we do know that it comes from several sources. The main two are Personal Power and Earth Power (these are Scott Cunningham's terms, you might see these referred to by different names by different authors). Personal Power: This lies within us. It is the life force that sustains us. We gather it in from the sun and moon, from the air we breathe, the food we drink, the water we drink. We release it when we do things, even when we exhale (though this is regained when we inhale once again). I have noticed that maintaining a steady flow of Personal Power is healthier than trying to hoard it through inactivity. Being physically active, while it expends power, seems to keep the body more vital, and makes it more effective at gathering in even more energy. For me personally I have found that being around nature also helps me replenish myself, so I like to go for walks in the woods on a regular basis. The same is true of playing with my cat. (It is interesting to note that in older times witches typically lived on the edges of settlements, placing them as near to the wilderness as possible. The villages and towns were bordered by a protective hedge. This is the origin of several ancient names for a witch: the Anglo-Saxon haeg, Old High German zunrita, and Old Norse tunrida, all of which mean "hedge-rider".) Earth Power: This is the energy within stones, trees, wind, fire, water, crystals, scents, and the planet itself. This energy may be there naturally, or it may be placed there by a person. This is often done with power stones that the individual may wear, often in a medicine bag around their neck, or even simply tucked away in a pocket. This power may be later tapped by the individual for their use acting like a magical battery. Divine Power: This is a third form of energy, and is that of the Goddess and God. It is the ultimate source of Personal and Earth Power. So how do we use this stuff? Well, first we change our mode of awareness so that we may communicate with our unconscious mind. This is often referred to as attaining an altered state of awareness or consciousness. Put simply, it is entering a state of trance. Witches do this through varying means: drumming, chanting, dancing, meditating, even laughter. This is just as our shamanic ancestors did, for Witchcraft is rooted in Shamanism (note that I do not use that word to refer to the specific Siberian tradition, but rather to Core Shamanism, the practices of which are found in numerous traditions across the world). Unlike those old shamans however, we do not use psychedelic drugs, physical pain, or other harsh methods to achieve trance. Most of us do not at least. For we understand that these things may have a short-term advantage, but in the long run only cause great negativity for the individual. To help you maintain a sense of perspective, keep in mind that daydreaming, or good roleplaying, or becoming engrossed in a book or film, is a light state of trance. So is anything else that engages your unconscious mind. We all enter and leave trance states throughout the day, often without our awareness of it until after the fact. Magicians are said to be people who walk between worlds because they effortlessly transition between these states, the mundane and magical, the physical world and the spiritual realms. To the scientifically-minded, you are changing your brain waves from the Beta state (12-16 Hz) where they are during regular consciousness, to a lower state. First is the Alpha state (8-12 Hz), which is light daydreaming, like when you are driving and you lose track of some parts of the ride. You were still functioning the entire time, but you mind was elsewhere. Next is the Theta state (4-8 cycles per second), where people have visions while awake, really good orgasms, or dreams while sleeping. The lowest is the Delta state (0.5-4 Hz), where we are when in deep sleep or unconscious. I found that deep breathing puts me into a light trance very easily. If I begin to chant as well I find myself very quickly going into a deep trance. When doing so, it is not the exact words that matter to me, but rather the feelings and images that those words symbolize. For those are the things our unconscious mind hears. While those things work for me, it is important for each individual to find what suits them best and use that method to contact their unconscious. In my own case, I never imagined chanting would be so successful for me. Proof that you do not know what works for you until you try it. Once we have reached that altered state of consciousness we raise the energy. There are several basic exercises one can practice in order to gain experience in raising and manipulating energy. I have found the Tree of Life to be very good for me personally. It is good to do at least one exercise every day. Spend some time, weeks or even months if need be, and grow familiar and comfortable with using the energy. There is no rush. Your powers of imagination and visualization are very important to this, for these are the tools of your unconscious mind. When you raise a little bit of energy, you might find it feels like a tingling in your fingers and the palms of your hands. Or perhaps a feeling of warmth or cold. If you are just performing an exercise, you do not need to raise more than a little bit of energy. Just enough so that you can feel, visualize, and manipulate it. It is only when performing a spell that you will want to call up as much energy as you can. When you raise a great deal you will probably find it rises to a point above you, forming what is called a Cone of Power. In my own experience, the energy seems to rise from my body like steam, and gather into a shining point above my head. Continue raising as much energy as you can before directing it. Ideally you will do this when it is at its peak. But it is difficult to judge that exact moment, and it takes experience to sense when that will be. When it nears that point, I can feel it 'wobbling', becoming erratic, raising and lowering. When you direct the energy, visualize what you want that energy to do as clearly as possible. Always concentrate upon the end result you desire, rather than the process of getting there. So if you are performing magic to heal a sick friend, visualize them happy and healthy. Then direct all the energy toward them at once. Alternately one might send the energy into a physical object, such as a candle, or rune, or poppet. Then later the you or someone else might use that symbol to release the energy (burn the candle or rune, or keep the poppet on their person). This will send the magic into that person. For example, one might send healing energies into a poppet, then give it to a sick friend to sleep with in their bed. The healing magic will seep into that person as they rest, and in the morning hopefully they will be well again! After performing magic, it is important to ground yourself. This rids yourself of the stray bits of energy from your spell that hangs about you and sends it back into the earth. If you do not ground it will stay with you, many find this causes nervous tension. To ground, or earth the power, simply sit or lie down, and place your palms flat on the ground (or floor). Visualize the energy flowing down through your hands and into the earth, where it will be cleansed and renewed. Relax and let the energy just flow down. It does not matter if you are actually touching the earth or not. You can do this on the roof of a skyscraper or inside a jet airplane. It is the visualizing that matters. Perhaps most important in all of this is the practitioner's will. One must will magic to work or nothing is going to happen. Often one sees the phrase "This is my Will, So Mote It Be!" at the end of a spell's invocation. If you do not know that magic is as real as earth, air, fire, and water, then it simply will not work. Do not believe in it. Do not have faith in it. Know it. Just like you know you are alive. It is also tradition not to talk about magic workings after the fact. I think this is at least partly rooted in the Burning Times, when being a magician would get you murdered. Another reason is that there are many energies in the world, not just your own. When you tell another person their skepticism may create negative energy that will resist your spell. Making it less likely you will succeed. So if you want to talk about it, wait until after you have seen your magic come to fruition. That is the basics of working magic. There are a other things, such as consecrating tools, creating sacred space (a circle), etc... that I will not go into here. However, what is more important than knowing how to work magic is knowing whether you should work it or not. Magic is a very powerful force of nature not to be taken for granted. We need to show some respect for it, and how its use will effect us and others. When in doubt, remember the Rede "An ye harm no one, do as ye will." The things we do always come back us in the end. Behave irresponsibly and there will probably be repercussions that you do not desire. Hence the saying "Know your magic." Also keep in mind that magic is no excuse for not doing things physically as well. Doing a spell to help you find a job is a good idea. However, just sitting at home and hoping your prospective employers will just call you out of the blue is not going to help. You need to get out there and start filing applications. Then the magic can work and help sway things in your favor. Notes
This is a basic exercise that gives one practice in visualizing and channeling power. Start by sitting in the classic meditative position. Back straight, legs crossed, hands on knees, palms up. Now close your eyes, and breathe deeply, from the diaphragm. Now picture that you are a tree, whose trunk is your spine. You have roots that go deeply into the ground, and branches that sweep out from your head in a great crown, dipping back down to touch the earth. As you breathe in, imagine you are drawing power up from the earth. It flows through your roots, then up through your spine, filling you with glowing energy. Now as you exhale, feel the power flow through the branches at your crown, then back down into the earth. With each inhalation you draw energy in from the earth. With each exhalation you return it there. A continuous circle. This exercise is important because it allows you to draw on the earth's vitality, rather than depleting your own. When channeling energy, it serves as a psychic lightning rod-forces run through you into the earth, rather than "burning out" your mind and body. |