What is Magick?

 

In order to understand the difference between White and Black Magick, we must first define what Magick itself is and maybe at the same time dispel some of the many myths that seem to associate this science and art form with evil or supernatural powers. I have heard so many definitions of what Magick is over the years but the one that I think describes it best is...

"Magick is the Science and Art of causing change in conformity with ones will"

Magick is not something that we get through a pact with the Devil. It's not some controlling power that we trade our souls in for. True Magick is not about casting love spells, or putting hexes on other people. Magick is about utilizing something that each and every one of us already has.... The Brain. Perhaps it’s better said that Magick helps you to utilize the dormant centers of the brain.

Studies have shown that man only uses at very best 15% of his brain. We know that particular areas of the brain control specific functions. Generally the right side of the brain controls motor and reflex skills while the creative centers of the brain are located in the left hemisphere, moreover, the hypothalamus which is located in the center of the brain is connected to the Spinal cord and Thus is part of the Central Nervous System. But what about the other 85% of this organic super-computer? What functions do these seemingly dormant areas of the brain perform?

 It is likely that many unexplained phenomena such as E.S.P., Telekinetic, and Clairvoyance can be attributed to these unexplored regions of the human mind. Somehow certain individuals are able to tap into these resources while the vast majority of man cannot. What about Astral Projection? (Out of body experiences), and Deja Vu? Can these phenomena also be attributed to the untapped centers of the brain?

Carl Gustav Jung wrote about something he called The Collective Unconscious. The idea that there exists an enigmatic area in the brain that is common to all human brains. Emanating from this area, are the archetypes, ideas common to all human minds. Through the endless repetition of common experiences over thousands of years, the human mind has developed these individual images or "archetypes" to represent these common experiences as a point of reference. These representations are shared by the whole of mankind and are the driving forces of our unconscious mind. Deja Vu might be explained as the temporary crossing over of a single archetype into the conscious mind. For the moment, suffice it to say that the archetypes Jung spoke of can be thought of as pictorial representations of ideas within the human mind. Things like fear, hate, and even love, all have a corresponding set of attributes within our minds that we associate with those emotions, these attributes create a single representation of that idea…an Archetype. More on archetypes later. For now, lets turn to a brief lesson on man and religion.

Man has always had within him an inherent need to understand the nature of things. That which he is unable to comprehend, he has often attributed to a supreme intelligence or God of some kind. Throughout history, each civilization has had its corresponding set of God's. As time went on and exploration of the sciences matured, scientific truths would become apparent and the necessity of these individual deities diminished. As a result of this forward progression many deities were slowly eliminated. Today, most of the prominent religions including Christianity have only a single deity.

During the Medieval times before the onset of Christianity, many different forms of Magick were commonplace. Magick often involved Invoking and or Evoking Deities such as ancient Gods, Angels, and Demons into service. Once the Christians began to seize political power, they deemed any practice outside of their own system of beliefs as "demonic" and thereby drove the whole of the pagan world (including all forms of Magick) into hiding for centuries. Whether Magick was of the Devil or not was unknown, but the one truth that was understood in those days is that it did indeed prove to be quite successful for the seasoned magician. Magicians were able to successfully communicate with these deities and therefore cause change in conformity with their will. Even more noteworthy is the fact that these deities would appear in almost identical form to each individual magician. As a result many of the deities were sketched and put into pictorial representations in the form of two books. The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon. Both Books are still available if you’re curious.

Upon modern examination, we must evaluate the feasibility of the existence of these legions of angels and demons that were at the medieval magicians disposal. Through the modern sciences, we now know that the earth revolves around a star known to us as "The Sun". Therefore, we are able to discard the belief that the Suns rising is the sign of a pleased God and that a thunderstorm is a sign of the Gods discontent.

In all likelihood we can safely say that there are not angels and devils roaming the earth just waiting to be summoned into service by the modern Magus. We know that Satan himself was a creation of the early Christians in order to increase it's own membership and to eliminate the pagan religions by associating them with evil entity. So if we discard all of the folklore that surrounds Magick just as we did with the other deities of the past then what does this say about the validity of Magick itself? The fact is that Magick works. This was known in ancient times as much as it is today by any real practitioner. But if we denounce the existence of the ancient deities we must come up with a new explanation for the success of these practices.

The modern Magician understands that there is no "Devil", that the angels and demons of ancient times were not spirits conjured by ritual. But rather the aforementioned archetypes of the human collective unconscious. The Magician journeys into the subconscious mind or "Astral Plane" to confront the archetypes of the mind. He does this through ritual. Ritual could be described as preparation of the mind.

Astral Projection is the practice of willed and controlled out of body experience. Through ritual and concentrated meditation the Magician is able to leave his physical vessel and travel into the world of "Yetzirah" or the Astral Plane. Where he is really traveling to is deep into the collective unconscious of the human psyche. There he is able to communicate directly with the archetypes. All of the 5 senses share in his experience as he communicates directly with the deities of the human mind. In medieval days it was believed that these were in fact actual deities and in a sense they are, but we must remember, God does not create man, Man cerate’s Gods. The true Magician is very well aware of what he is dealing with.

White Magick is based on this principal. White Magick is often described as "Attaining knowledge and conversation with your guardian angel or higher self. Pathworking is the practice of controlled astral projection into a series of 10 specific areas of the astral plane. The Tree of Life is the map for these operations. Through pathworking the Magician travels into these realms and converses directly with the archetypes of the mind who often represent themselves in non-human forms. These are the powers that shape human thought and a tremendous amount of wisdom can be gained by this practice. Many of the "Magical Secrets" that Magicians are forbidden to talk about are revealed in this way.

White Magick is the process of uniting the conscious and unconscious mind in an effort to better ones self. It has nothing to do with anyone else but the Magician practicing it. It can be accurately called psychoanalysis of the self by the self. The result of these operations includes enhanced mental capabilities of the Magician due to the exposure to the archetypes. The Magician realizes the vastly underestimated powers of the human mind through exposure to the archetypes. The Magician learns to use his will to bring thoughts to fruition. Thus he causes change in conformity with his will.

The Will is the Magical tool employed by the Magician to perform Magical operations. Ritual is more for preparation of the vessel and the centering of the mind on the operation to follow. He focuses his mind and directs his will upon achieving an end. When his goal relates the "great work" (uniting of the conscious and sub conscious minds) it is called White Magick. But A Magicians will can be used for other means.

When a Magician uses his will for other means or on other individuals, it is not necessarily "Black Magick". Even "Grey Magick" (Magical operations that cause change) can become Black if the will of another individual is affected. A Magician learns that the will is a powerful force to be directed with great caution. Just as our minds are connected sub consciously, so too are the wills of all men. Every human being has a will that is unique to him/herself. To perform an operation that somehow affects the will of another is considered Black Magick.

For a crude example lets say that you perform an operation with the intended effort to gain financial wealth. Lets say that you need $1000 in order to get out of debt so you perform a Magical operation. If you perform the operation correctly and you understand the necessary principals of how this operation will manifest itself in the physical world you should attain the results you are looking for. But money is a tangible thing. It doesn’t just appear in your wallet one day. It has to come from somewhere. You will attain your goal but it will come to you in a very physical and not magical way. A relative could die and leave you $1000 in their will. Or someone might accidentally lose his or her wallet on the way to the store and you stumble across it finding $1000 inside. In these crude examples your seemingly well intended gray Magical operation has turned very Black due to the effect it had on another persons will. Unless they wanted to lose that money that you now have, your Magick is Black.

Black Magick can be deliberately performed with he intent on causing harm to another person for malicious reasons. Because a true Magician realizes the dangers and repercussions of performing Black Magical operations it is rare that he will ever do so. Most Black Magical operations are performed by individuals who may call themselves Magicians but do not understand the basic principals of the Magick they intend to perform. As a result, accuracy is rarely achieved if any success at all for that matter.

The ancient grimories that contain the Black Magical operations are intentionally filled with mistakes and obscure symbolism to prevent these people from succeeding at their task. True Magicians who can understand these "blinds" within the grimories know that employing Magical methods to harm others affects themselves just as much as it does the intended recipient and therefore abstain from any practice that involves affecting another persons will.

In summary, Magick is Magick; it is uniting the conscious and unconscious minds and then directing the realized potential of this union into achieving a specific end. Magick is a natural current that exists within all of us from our birth. It is neither “good” nor "evil". The only difference between White and Black Magick of the true Magician is his own intentions.

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