To Be The Magick
by Christopher Penczak
Is magick something special that should be saved for serious need, or something that should be done all the time? Both are valid, but contradictory theories on the nature of magick.
Many traditionalists will say that magick should only be used in last case scenarios. You should only do it when your need is great and there is no other resource. All other mundane options have been exhausted. You don't use an atom bomb when a fire cracker will do. Don't be frivolous with it. This is serious and all your actions have consequences. Modern magicians will say that magick should be done all the time, for whatever you need. There are no restrictions upon it. Yes it is serious, but everything is potentially serious.
Both are looking at magick from two different circumstances and values. For the traditionalists, magick is seen as a projection of a very specific will and the desire for a very specific outcome to a situation, and such bending and shaping of the natural order can stress us and the world, and should not be taken lightly. To the Modernist, every thought, word and deed is infused with intention, and the sooner you align your intentions with divinity, the easier things will flow. Sometimes the road to get there is unknown, but the general intention will hold the pattern.
I tend to fall under the category of the modern practitioner for this argument, because I have found the clearer my intention in all things, the easier my life and the more magickal every moment becomes. Every moment is automatically magickal, but simple meditations and rituals brings a greater everyday appreciation of the magick in every moment. I realize that every thought, every word and every action is infused with intention to create my life, be it how I light a candle under the light of the Full Moon, or how I handle driving in the city when someone cuts me off.
I've found the universe is less stressed when you set up an intention well in advance, and follow it up with real world action to manifest smoothly, through the seeming action of coincidence. Systems of life and energy are more stressed when you've taken haphazard actions in the daily world without clear intention, and when things go awry you place a strong will into the situation via intense ritual magick to "fix" it. It's easier to ask for a nice day of weather for a wedding a year in advance, so all the factors can line up fairly smoothly, than to try to force a storm away on the night before. It is easier to project for a new job when I have a job then to wait till I'm unemployed and desperate for options. Yet the desperation can yield a potent magickal force to channel that shouldn't be underestimated. I just simply like to do my magick with a lot of forethought, not desperation unless there is no other way.
As a Witch, I believe we are magickal beings. In fact, I believe everyone has the potential to be a magickal being, but most WItches claim this more readily. In some cases a little too readily without the training or experience to back it up,but nonetheless, we are magickal. We start by learning about magick - how and why it works, its history and tradition. We then practice magick - doing spells and rituals for all sorts of things. We often start by gaining a lot of things we want, and then learn more about banishing and releasing that which limits us and find balance between the waxing and waning. Finally we become magick. We learn that magick isn't something we believe or do, but something we are. Every act in life becomes infused with intention. The initial barriers between ritual and mundane life, daily personality and magickal persona fade, and if we've done it right we become more healthy, balanced and spiritually aware. If our alchemy has gone awry, there is the danger we are unbalanced megalomaniacs so identifying with the spiritual forces we harness, we shun the human, fallible side and lose control, friends, livelihood and even our lives. There is a failure to purify and synthesize the two, the mundane and magickal, into a harmonious whole. But no one said this was going to be easy. If it was, everyone would be doing it. That is why following a formula, plan, tradition or coven structure can be a great check for when we start to walk that path. They form a safety net to support us in this difficult work.
Think about how you view magick, and if your daily actions back up what you believe. Are the two in harmony? If not, what can you do to bring them into harmony?