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 Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:23 am
This topic is dedicated to discussing the very basics of Magic in the terms described based on Paganism and other Earth Based religions. Please note - I use the term Witchcraft in a definition sense as a catch-all phrase to describe the complete spectrum of Earth-based worship, Paganism, Magick, Goddess Worship, etc. It's just easier for me to convey thoughts in this way. This is in no way an attempt to slight, belittle, talk down about or in any way ridicule your particular path. Myself being an eclectic solitary for most of my worshiping years know how important it is for my thoughts and ideas to be validated and this is the most "universally correct" term I have been able to use. Suggestions for alternative wording is of course, welcome, however I will not change the main part of the discussion.
IN ADDITION - This is an INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION, meaning everyone is encouraged to post and discuss how Magic resonates with you, what you feel it is, how you were able to incorporate it into your life, etc - as long as it's on topic of the basic of Magic you can post it. I hope to encourage knowledge sharing and I hope to learn many different things from our members and their chosen paths!!!!
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:39 am
You can spell it different ways - Magic, Magick, Magik - but it all boils down to the same nearly intangible thing which is the major focus (and usually initial draw) of Witchcraft.
For me, I became interested in Magic when my great-grandmother used to whip up herbal remedies in the kitchen for my brother and I when we would have a cold, scrape a knee or have a fever. Whatever she made was usually very good, sometimes we drank it as tea, or used it as a compress, but it was always accompanied with her saying some sort of a chant or prayer when we drank it or held it on our wounds or foreheads. When we would ask what she was doing, she would smile and say "Magic to make you feel better".
Granma was a church-going woman from the Applicaian mountains of Tennesee. For her, herbs were a way of life, and a more economic solution to problems than the nearly unobtainable treatment of a doctor who would invariably perscribe something she already knew how to do at home. While her prayers and chants and thanks were said to the Judeo-Christian god in her eyes, she also would give thanks to Mother Earth for giving her the means and the knowledge to fix her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
This is how I was attracted. It seemed there was nothing Magic couldn't do. I encountered it daily - through t.v. shows and movies, books and magazines, and home remedies. Granted, I was in for a shock when I started asking questions and Granma told me that, No she couldn't turn pumpkins into a stage coach for me to get to the ball and No, I couldn't use magic to make my brother never tease me again - But I could use magic to send my deepest wishes and desires into the world and help them take root, sending me back the means to obtain a limo to get to prom or the patience and insight to realize why my brother said the things he did.
She told me that Magic was being able to send out into the universe what I wanted, and being able to receive what I needed (even if it wasn't what I wanted) to create the change I wanted to manifest. It's why her chants and prayers worked (along with a solid grounding in Herbology). It's why she never feared not having enough money or food to feed or clothe her children. It's why when someone crossed her, she would look skyward, mumble and move on with her day, content that she has done everything she could to make the change she needed.
As I got older and realized that Magic was more than casting spells and that it was a way to communicate with my God/dess and the Universe at large, I researched everything I could find. I wanted to find out if it was real. What I learned was Magic did best when it didn't come from a place of greed, fear, hatred or other negative influences. Mom taught me about Karma and I learned first hand that it was real, no matter how you named it. I learned that Magic wasn't to control other people, but to control yourself. I also learned a few other things that helped as well:
- If I felt like an idiot during casting, I would get horrid results. I learned that it wasn't enough to find A spell to cast, but the RIGHT spell for me. I had to keep myself grounded in order to ensure that I was making the right steps forward.
- It wasn't enough to mouth the words, I had to be able to SEE my result, to FEEL it, TASTE it, OWN it - no matter the desire. A half-assed hope comes back as a half-assed answer, and leaves me to start again frustrated and casting from a place of negativity.
- I had to believe it, as well. If I can't believe it, then why bother?
These boil down to the four basics of the craft, which you can find in many resources, compiled books of shadows both in print and online, and even through questioning teachers dedicated to learning and helping others learn.
They are the most important faucets of any Magic working in Witchcraft and without these foundation walls, the house you are trying to build will crumble (to throw in a metaphor).
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:42 am
One of the most beautiful and through descriptions I've ever come across in the "How to do Magic" catagory comes from Sheila O'Sullivan's Book of Shadows. I've included the excerpt that I wrote into my BOS for you to read and enjoy:
" The single most important thing to do when performing a magickal working is to focus your energy. Do it and do it well!! Visualize your intention, visualize your goal. Visualize the achievement of your goal. The more clearly you visualize it, the better. Believe that you will make it happen. See it happening. Now go! Use the force of your will to make it happen.
In order to obtain the intense level of focus you must have to perform a successful working, you must quiet your mind before you begin. You know those random thoughts that come into your mind unbidden? If they do that while you are in the middle of a working they will distract you and lessen the effectiveness of the spell. Of you have a problem with focus, there is a technique that you should perform before you begin casting the spell. It should help you enter a meditative state and calm that internal "chatter."
Before the Altar
1. Sit down before your altar in a comfortable position.
2. Take long, slow breaths. As you exhale, envision the tension leaving your body carried by your breath.
3. Light a candle. Gaze at it. Then make a statement, either out loud or to yourself about what you see (such as "I see the glow of the candle flame").
4. Make a statement about what you hear. (You might say, for example, "I hear the crickets chirping outside my window.")
5. Make a statement about what you can feel (such as "I can feel the cool night breeze against the back of my neck").
6. Allow your eyes to close and then describe what you see in your mind.
Many beginners think that they can just have the spell open in front of them and read from it as though from a recipe book. The spell just isn't going to be vital and effective if you do it that way because magick requires infinitely more concentration than baking a cake! When you do a working, you should try to memorize it beforehand.
Another point to remember is that most often, in order to obtain optimum results, a spell must be performed several or many times. In most cases, once just doesn't do the trick nearly as well as when you repeat it over and over again.
When you are a newcomer to The Craft, spells written by others are a good place to start. Eventually as you become more experienced and adept, you will modify these for your own purposes. Eventually they will evolve into something all your own and you will be able to create you own workings.
One thing to remember is that magick seldom offers you fulfillment on a silver platter but it will make fulfillment possible. Once magick has opened the door for you, it is up to you to walk through it!"
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:45 am
Focus is one of the most important things to obtain before attempting any Magic work. Maya is working on a wonderful explanation on mediation and relaxation for you guys and it will be up soon. Until then, I will lightly touch on this, saying that you must walk before you can run. If you can't quiet your mind to the point of silence then you MUST work very hard to get there, otherwise you'll end up distracted and scattered and your energy will end up the same way.
I have used many different mediation and quieting techniques over the years and find that its best to change it up. Others use the same thing without any deviation. Again, it's all personal preference. You come up with what works best for you - there are no wrong answers - but remember to perfect it before you start slinging spells every which way!
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 12:46 am
Discussion starters:
1. What is YOUR definition of Magic?
2. What are some of your favorite ways to relax and focus before beginning spellwork?
3. Any successes?
4. Any failures?
5. Anything that you have found working for you that you'd like to share?
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:17 am
I have a very broad deffinition of magic. It drives most people crazy, but to me there is a lot of magic in everyday things.
Magic - Anything that is put forth with careful and monitored amounts of time, effort, and energy; in which it creates. The end result being magical in nature.
I know that there are a lot of things that could go into this catigory, and frankly I think they should. For instance, planting and tending a garden in my eyes is magical. The fruits (or vegtables lol) of your labor are nothing if magical. As is rearing a child. Even learning is magical. For can you name another species that is capable of learning at the level of humans?
This is only the way I look at it, and I know there are a lot of people that have a more specific view of magic and I respect that. Being the optomist I am, however, I see magic in everything.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 3:03 am
My definition of magick:
The use of personal and spiritual energies to bring one's will to bear on their environment or the environment of those around them.
I mean this is a purely positive way, since karma has a nasty way of retaliating against those who use their magick against others rather than for them. For instance, one may not cast a spell on anyone without their permission, but they may cast a spell for their environment to treat them well.
For relaxation, I generally close my eyes and make a silent and spiritual journey to my center, drawing calm and determination from there.
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Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:54 am
I like that definition.
Yes, I understand. I myself love to meditate as well. ^^
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Posted: Sun Apr 25, 2010 2:26 pm
*Ahem*
Me, as well as my whole circle, spell it Magick because it is different from Magic. Saying Magic implies smoke, mirrors, and card tricks. We, for one, do not do "tricks".
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Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:55 am
I like O-To-Ko-Yo's definition. I hadn't really thought about it like that, but I think it makes more sense that a lot of other stuff I've heard.
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Dangerous Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 11:22 pm
Thanks. ^^
I can understand the changing of the name, since most people are so desensitized. It's almost like they are looking for smoking mirrors.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:27 am
I prefer to spell it Magik. It's the way my mentor and I spell it while we are talking during school,texting, ect. I find it that Magic,when spelled as such, is meant as an illusion. Rather then the worship of Mother Earth, God, Goddess, ect. The way I find most calming...Hmm, I really haven't thought of that in awhile. I guess it has become a bit to natural for me. Well, if I get upset in any way, I tend to take deep breaths and sit in my room thinking to myself, or sit outside and enjoy nature as it is presented to me, or simply talk to a friend, if it seems to fit on what upset you. When I say sitting in my room thinking to myself, I tend to get lost in my thoughts as my form of meditation of getting away from my problems, my christian family, and a lot of other stuff.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:36 am
Magic is the manipulation of energy for a purpose. I don't consider planting a seed to be magic, but you could make it one by directing energy into the action. secret_white_ambassitor I prefer to spell it Magik. It's the way my mentor and I spell it while we are talking during school,texting, ect. I find it that Magic,when spelled as such, is meant as an illusion. Rather then the worship of Mother Earth, God, Goddess, ect. Magic isn't worship, although it can be used as a part of worship - for example in Wiccan rituals. "Magick" is a Thelemic term. It makes sense as Crowley defined it within the system he created, and the "k" was very important to him numerologically. Magick is distinct from magic, which is what witches and assorted non-Thelemites do. I don't think "magic" in any way implies smoke-and-mirror illusions. The line where this idea comes from actually derives from Crowley wanting to distinguish his Thelema and magick from other ceremonialists, magicians and witches who were doing things that were different or that he didn't think much of. There's no problem in spelling magic "magic". The meaning is pretty clear and distinct from context whether one is talking about stage tricks or about witchcraft. "Magik" is just flat-out incorrect.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 8:47 am
Sanguina Cruenta Magic is the manipulation of energy for a purpose. I don't consider planting a seed to be magic, but you could make it one by directing energy into the action. secret_white_ambassitor I prefer to spell it Magik. It's the way my mentor and I spell it while we are talking during school,texting, ect. I find it that Magic,when spelled as such, is meant as an illusion. Rather then the worship of Mother Earth, God, Goddess, ect. Magic isn't worship, although it can be used as a part of worship - for example in Wiccan rituals. "Magick" is a Thelemic term. It makes sense as Crowley defined it within the system he created, and the "k" was very important to him numerologically. Magick is distinct from magic, which is what witches and assorted non-Thelemites do. I don't think "magic" in any way implies smoke-and-mirror illusions. The line where this idea comes from actually derives from Crowley wanting to distinguish his Thelema and magick from other ceremonialists, magicians and witches who were doing things that were different or that he didn't think much of. There's no problem in spelling magic "magic". The meaning is pretty clear and distinct from context whether one is talking about stage tricks or about witchcraft. "Magik" is just flat-out incorrect.
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