Articles

Purpose

Something that can be overlooked in the "how to" books of the craft is purpose. Or it is there and not understood by those who read it.

I think this is the most important aspect of any magickal excercise. It really is a case of, "It's the thought that counts."

If you have a clear idea of your purpose and clearly visualize what you want, the ritual doesn't matter. It can be eliminated. I am not saying that there is no purpose to ritual; there is. it can help you raise energy, focus, and honor the deities. But suppose you do something "wrong"., you misspeak something, mix something up, or forget something all together. It won't matter because your intent is clear.

On the other hand, you can have a word perfect ritual. The signs are right, the moon is favorable, you do everything right andd raise a tremendous amount of energy, but your purpose is unclear. Where does the energy go? How do you direct it? What do you accomplish and how do you know if it is done or not.

The first thing you should do in any magickal or ritual working is determine your purpose, focus your intent and create a clear statement of focus. I believe it is almost impossible to continue without it.